Morning sunlight stretched across Hage Village as the day of the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony finally arrived. The air felt different from usual. A quiet excitement lingered over the small village as people gathered near the old stone tower on the hill. For generations, this was where every fifteen-year-old of the region received the grimoire that would guide their magic for the rest of their lives.
David walked beside Asta and Yuno along the dirt path leading up the hill. The tower rose tall above the fields, its aged stone walls worn by time yet still radiating a faint magical presence.
Asta marched forward with endless energy, his fists clenched in excitement.
"Man this is amazing!" Asta shouted while staring up at the tower. "Next year it's gonna be me and Yuno!"
Yuno kept his hands in his pockets as he walked calmly beside them.
"You still have a year," Yuno replied quietly.
Asta puffed out his chest.
"I know that! But when I get my grimoire I'm gonna become the Wizard King!"
David chuckled softly at their usual argument, though his eyes slowly drifted back toward the tower. The closer they got, the more something inside his chest stirred.
It wasn't painful.
But it was impossible to ignore.
Like something was waiting.
They eventually reached the entrance where several other fifteen-year-olds had gathered. Some whispered nervously while others looked excited. For many of them, this would be the moment that determined the direction of their entire lives.
Inside the tower, the ceremony chamber was massive and circular. Towering shelves filled with ancient grimoires surrounded the entire room from floor to ceiling. Candles flickered along the stone walls while sunlight streamed down through tall windows above.
The air itself was thick with mana.
At the center of the chamber stood the tower master, a robed man who watched the gathering quietly.
The candidates stepped forward and formed a loose group in the middle of the room.
Asta and Yuno stood near the back with the other spectators.
David took a slow breath as he stepped among the other fifteen-year-olds.
The tower master raised a hand.
"Stand still."
The room grew quiet.
Then the man lowered his hand.
Nothing happened.
For a moment the room remained completely still.
Then suddenly—
The entire tower erupted with magic.
A powerful wave of mana surged through the chamber as dozens of grimoires burst from the shelves at once. Books shot through the air from every direction, spinning and flying across the room like a storm of floating pages.
Gasps filled the chamber as the grimoires began circling the candidates.
Some books slowed as if searching.
Others immediately flew toward their chosen owners.
A brown grimoire decorated with a three-leaf clover floated gently into the hands of a nervous boy.
Another grimoire glowing with water mana drifted toward a smiling girl.
More books found their owners one after another.
The chamber filled with excitement as the chosen candidates grabbed the grimoires floating before them.
David remained still as the storm of books moved around him.
None of them approached him.
For a moment he wondered if something had gone wrong.
Then—
A violent pulse of mana exploded through the room.
The candles flickered wildly as a powerful gust of wind rushed through the chamber.
Several grimoires slammed back against their shelves.
High above the room, a single book suddenly tore free from the very top shelf.
It shot across the chamber like a falling star.
Everyone looked up.
The book spun through the air before stopping directly in front of David.
It hovered silently.
Its cover was black.
Darker than any grimoire in the room.
At the center of the cover was a clover symbol.
Five leaves.
A five-leaf clover.
Most of the people present didn't understand what they were looking at. To them it simply looked like a strange and unusual grimoire.
But something about it felt… heavy.
Ancient.
David slowly reached forward.
The moment his hand touched the grimoire—
A violent wave of energy burst outward.
The air behind him twisted unnaturally.
And for a brief moment…
A shadow appeared.
A massive devil silhouette rose behind David like a dark reflection towering over him. Two curved horns stretched from its head while glowing eyes burned within the darkness.
Across the chest of the shadow was a strange glowing mark.
A cosmic symbol.
Stars and light swirling through darkness like a miniature universe.
The presence lasted only a heartbeat.
Then it vanished.
The chamber fell silent.
Several of the candidates blinked in confusion.
One boy rubbed his eyes.
"…Did something just happen?"
Another shrugged.
"Probably just a mana surge."
The tower master frowned slightly but said nothing.
David looked down at the grimoire now resting in his hand.
For a moment he could swear he heard something.
A faint whisper deep within the pages.
But when he focused…
There was nothing.
Behind him, Asta stared with his mouth wide open.
"WHOA!"
Asta pointed excitedly.
"That one looks awesome!"
Yuno stood quietly beside him, his eyes fixed on the black grimoire.
Something about it felt strange.
Different from the others.
David slowly closed the book and held it at his side.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
Excitement.
Power.
And something deeper that he couldn't yet understand.
But one thing was certain.
From this moment forward…
Everything was going to change.