Six months had finally passed faster than anyone could have possibly imagined. Asta, Yuno, and I were standing outside of the church with our bags slung over our shoulders.

Lily:"Be safe out there boys."

Father:"Even if you don't do well you'll always have a place here!"

Nash:"Yeah Asta."

Asta:"Hey! How come I'm the only one getting singled out here!"

"Don't sweat it Asta. We're all going to make it into the Magic Knights."

Asta:"Heh, you know it!"

"Bye everyone!"

They all said bye as we turned and took our leave.

Asta:"Ha! Last one there is a rotten pop-potato!"

Asta then started running out of nowhere.

Yuno:"You won't beat me!"

Yuno began to chase after him and left me in the dust. I smirked and my grimoire flipped to a page and my body tingled and felt lighter. I started running after them and began to outpace them.

"See you later, fools!"

I laughed happily as Asta yelled at the top of his lungs.

Asta:"OH NO YOU DON'T!!! I'LL REACH THE CAPITAL BEFORE ALL OF YOU!"

Yuno sighed and we began running towards the capital. We would stop occasionally just to catch our breath and eat, then Asta would go straight back to running. It was a long journey from little old Hage Village, but we had finally arrived at the Castle Town, Kikka.

I honestly felt like a fish out of water. Everything was so lively and crowded. I was more accustomed to the open fields and sporadic placements of houses back in Hage.

Various vendors had set up their shops along the street and we marveled at everything in sight. We saw a shop that sold weapons.

Asta:"Oh hey look at that cool dagger! HOW MUCH?!"

I walked over and my eyes nearly popped out at the price of the dagger.

"That's a lot of yul!"

Asta:"I didn't even know that much money existed!"

Yuno:"You're hopeless, Asta."

"If anything, he's hopeful. After all, he keeps saying he'll be the Wizard King."

Asta:"You know it! So, where do we head to?"

"I'm guessing over in that direction."

I pointed away from us to show a crowd of people walking to a fairly large arena.

Yuno:"Then let's get a move on."

We nodded and followed behind Yuno to the arena. As we walked I heard the voice of a baby crying. I turned my head to see a red-headed girl with a baby on her back and two other kids with her.

I just watched her walk away for a while before continuing on with Asta and Yuno. There was a crowd of people near the entrance shouting words of encouragement to the examinees.

Asta:"Yeah! I'll do my best! I won't let you down!"

Yuno:"I don't know him. I don't know him."

"Yeah Asta! Keep that energy going!"

Asta:"You know it!"

We entered and had to stand in line as mages checked our grimoires. It took a while, but it was finally my turn.

"I'm (Y/n), from Hage Village."

Man:"Grimoire, please."

I showed him mine and he held a puzzled look on his face before placing his hand over it. It glowed and he nodded.

Man:"Your number is 162."

"Sweet!"

I stood to the side and waited for Yuno and Asta. Some random guy went after me, then was Yuno. They saw his grimoire and gasped.

Man:"A four leaf grimoire..."

Yuno smirked and stood beside me as Asta went next. He got his grimoire checked out and we stepped into the actual arena itself. We stood around when some blue and white birds with red markings started to fly around a lot of the examinees.

Boy:"Man, what are these things?!"

Boy:"These are anti-birds. They're a mainstay of the exam hall. They like to hang around people with low magic power."

I watched as one flew down and I held out my arm. It perched itself on my arm and chirped happily. I looked up to see Yuno had none hanging around him.

"Psh, show off."

Asta:"This where our legend begins, right, Yuno?"

He and I turned to see Asta with plenty of birds around him. They began to peck at him and he tried to swat them away.

As Asta started to run around like a lunatic, he bumped into someone large and in charge.

?:"You got a death wish, boy?"

Asta:"Sorry about that. And man, you look really old for your age."

Asta put a hand on his shoulder and smiled before the man grabbed his head and began to squeeze it.

?:"Looks like I was right about that death wish."

As Asta struggled with the guy, two more people who weren't examinees showed up.

First was the supposed shameless flirt, Finral Roulacase.

And the silent weirdo Gordon Agreppa.

And the guy crushing Asta's skull was Yami Sukihero, the squad captain of the Black Bulls. The examinees were saying how they did more harm than good. Yami let go of Asta when fireworks went off. He had to be up in the chairs overseeing the exam.

?:"What a way to meet a squad captain. Can't exactly say I'm envious of you."

Sekke:"Ha ha. I'm Sekke Bronzazza. A pleasure to meet you!"

Asta:"Same to you, I'm Asta!"

I crossed my arms and watched all of the squad captains take a seat.

Everyone went crazy for William Vangeance, the captain of the Golden Dawn. Unfortunately it was mainly nobles and elites that got into his squad or the Silver Eagles.

William:"Attention everyone, I shall be the one administrating this year's exam. We shall test you and if you fail to meet our expectations, then you can go home."

Everyone gulped nervously as he used a spell to create a tree that gave everyone a broom.

William:"This first test should be rather simple. A magic knight should be in control of his or her power and be able to fly on a broom through instinct alone. It is our means of transportation. If you can't do this then you're simply not worth our time. You may begin!"

"Alright. I've never ridden a broom before. I saw Yuno do it before, but I'm not sure how."

I held the broom in my left hand and thought about how to do it.

"Instinct huh?"

I then held the broom between my legs and relaxed. Soon, my feet stopped touching the ground. I smiled happily as I ascended into the air.

"Sweet! I did it! See that, Yuno?"

Yuno flew up to me while standing on his broom.

Yuno:"Not bad. Can't say the same for Asta though."

We looked down to see him groaning as he held the broom.

"Oof, poor guy."

I sighed and saw Nozel of the Silved Eagles walk away. I flew around for a bit and saw him talking to somebody down below. He walked away before returning back to his seat. I simply shrugged and descended.

We had some more tests which were simple enough. The first was the magic power test. With this, we has to destroy a brick wall with a blast of magic, not a spell. Yuno tore it to bits with his wind magic which impressed everyone.

I took in a deep breath and yellow lightning swirled all around my hand. I tossed it at the wall and caused a majority of it to explode. I nodded at Yuno who gave me a small grin and a thumbs up. I looked over to Asta who was yelling while holding his hand out.

The next test was the magic control test. We had to blast through three paper targets that floated in the air. Yuno got a triple bullseye since he made the targets float over each other and blasted straight through it.

I shot a blast of lightning that struck through the first target, curved to the right to the hit the second, and curved left to hit the last one.

Our following test was creation magic. With this, we had to make a small figure of something with our magic. This was one I struggled with. I couldn't think of anything off the bat and ended up with nothing.

The one right after was the magic evolution test. They gave us a small seed and we had to use our magic to make the plant bloom. I moved away from some of the other examinees and focused my mind. My palm started glowing green and the plant began to grow from the seed. It turned into a beautiful, blossoming, bright, bellflower.

Huh, I really do have magic over plants, seeds, and fungi. During those six months I found out about what types of magic I control. Plant magic was one of them. Poor Asta though...

I looked over and saw him on the ground yelling at the seed.

William:"On to our final, and most difficult, test. A display of combat."

Everyone started to sweat nervously after he said that.

Fuegoleon:"Prepare to duel! You will break into pairs and fight each other! Use your grimoires to attack and defend!"

I overheard some people talking about how losing might tank your chances at getting into the Magic Knights.

Fuegoleon:"As knights, battle is our business! We want to see everything you're capable of."

William:"The battle will end when one combatant surrenders or is unable to battle. We have mages who can use healing magic on standby to heal the injured."

Fuegoleon:"So be sure to not hold anything back!"

"Oh man...actual combat. I don't know if I'm ready."

Yuno: I have to show off just how great I am! Asta. (Y/n). You two better show off your skills as well.

Asta: The last test?! I've done nothing but shout this whole time!

Asta looked around worriedly before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sekke.

Mage:"We're ready for the first bout."

Asta:"We're coming!"

Asta and Sekke were the first pair to fight. All of us stood off to the side as the match was going to get underway. Sekke whispered something to Asta that left him stunned.

Mage:"Begin!"

Sekke:"Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Magnum Cannonball!"

He smirked gleefully as Asta stood still.

"Asta!"

He flinched and turned to see me on the side.

"You know what to do!"

He nodded and gave me a smile before calming his mind and his grimoire started to glow. He dug his heels into the ground, before taking off at an incredible speed and drawing his sword. He then swung it downward, broke through Sekke's magic cannonball, and straight down onto him.

Yuno smirked and I laughed happily. Everyone around us looked stunned after Asta completely bombed every other test. After that, he ranted about how he'd become the Wizard King which made the other examinees laugh.

Right after their fight was a fight between two nobles. After them was a battle between Yuno and some narcissistic noble. Yuno promptly kicked his ass which made everyone shocked.

Asta:"Whoa..."

"That's Yuno for ya."

Asta:"Who's your sparring partner?"

"Oh crap! I totally forgot to find someone to fight..."

?:"I can help with that."

I turned my head to see a girl with blue hair that went down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a stormy gray color and she was dressed in some fancy clothes. A noble no doubt.

Glacia:"I am Glacia Jielo."

"Nice to meet you. I'm (Y/n)."

Glacia:"How about we battle?"

"Sure."

She smiled sweetly, but I could certainly tell it was a facade.

Asta:"Good luck, (Y/n)!"

"Thanks Asta."

He and I bumped fists before I followed her to the center of the arena.

Guy:"Look, that's Glacia."

Guy 2:"Holy crap. Thank goodness I'm not the one fighting her."

Girl:"I heard she's a prodigy."

Girl 2:"No doubt she'll be in one of the good squads."

Mage:"Begin!"

Glacia:"Ice Creation Magic: Chilling Crushing Hammer!"

She raised her arms to the sky as a large hammer made of ice was formed. She smirked and waved her arms down.

I opened my grimoire and watched the hammer descend.

"Thunder!"

I threw my hand as a large bolt of electricity crashed right into her creation and destroyed it completely. She gasped and then laughed.

Glacia:"Ice Rush!"

She sent the broken pieces straight towards me.

"Discharge!"

I released a burst of electricity around my body that destroyed all the pieces of ice.

Glacia:"What?! But you're a commoner! You shouldn't be able to keep up with me!"

"Commoner or not, I won't be left behind by my friends."

Asta and Yuno both smiled when they heard this.

"They're going to be Magic Knights and so will I!"

Soon my fists started to crackle with lightning and I bumped them together to create a burst of light that blinded her briefly. At that moment, my hands became coated with lightning.

"Thunder Punch!"

I ran at her with great speed and punched her in the gut. I sent her flying and she crashed into a pillar.

Asta:"YEAH! WAY TO GO (Y/N)!"

Yuno:"To be expected."

I smiled and the lightning dispersed as some mages took the noble away.

Guy:"Holy crap man... Those three country bumpkins are something else."

Later

The sky had an orange and yellow hue as the matches had concluded.

William:"That concludes the exam. When your number is called please step forward and learn your results"

Charlotte:"If I captain wants you on his or her team, they will raise a hand. That means you're in. If you do not wish to join a squad, you may of course decline. If you are admitted to more than one squad then it is up to you which you will join."

Fuegoleon:"However, if no squad wants you, you will not be a Magic Knight."

Nozel:"In which case, you must leave at once."

Everyone grew anxious upon hearing this and thus began the calling of numbers. 70 numbers were called but they had no hands raised. Number 71 was the first person to get a hand raised. Asta was shaking and I put a hand on his shoulder which calmed him down a bit.

Man:"Number 162!"

"Here."

I stepped forward and gulped nervously.

Man:"Do we have any hands?"

I watched as the leader for the Aqua Deer raised a hand, then Coral Peacocks, then the Green Praying Matinses, then the Purple Orcas, then captain Yami himself raised a hand. And finally, Fuegoleon raised his hands.

Guy:"Whoa! He's the first to get more than two hands raised!"

Girl:"Captain Fuegoleon wants him. He's so lucky."

I was awestruck and looked at the captains.

Alright, this is my moment but who do I choose? Do I join with the Crimson Lion Kings? Those guys are pretty ranked high up, but for some reason my body is saying the Black Bulls!

Man:"Do you know which squad you'd like to join?"

"..."

I took in a deep breath before narrowing my eyes.

"I do! I choose..."

Everyone waited to hear my response as I raised my arm and pointed at the leader.

"The Black Bulls!"

My voice echoed throughout the arena and left everyone shocked.

Yami:"Well now, an active volunteer. You don't see that everyday."

Finral:"Really."

Gordon: *incoherent mumbling*

Yami:"But the kid has some guts or lacks a brain to come join us."

Man:"Are you certain?"

"One hundred percent!"

Behind me I heard the murmurs of everyone saying I made a big mistake.

Fuegoleon and Yami exchanged a glance and Yami smirked. Fuegoleon chuckled lightly before returning his gaze back to the examinees.

The next guy after me got no votes and then it was Yuno's turn. Everyone wanted Yuno which left everyone shocked. Especially Asta and I.

Yuno:"It would be an honor to join the Golden Dawn."

Next up was Asta who had no one raise their hands for him. I sighed and looked away as I felt bad for the guy. Asta tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it didn't even matter.

A/n: Yes that previous sentence was intentional.

Captain Yami spoke up to Asta and jumped down to speak up close. He questioned if Asta really would do anything to become the Wizard King even if it meant beating all nine of the captains.

Asta went on about how he'd never give up and try even harder despite lacking magic in any shape or form. This made Yami laugh and he chose to have Asta join the crew.

After all the examinees had their numbers called, it was finally over. Asta, Yuno, and I all hung outside and smiled at one another.

Asta:"You're Golden Dawn and we're Black Bulls. The real battle starts now!"

Yuno:"Yeah we'll see who-"

Asta's stomach growled and he groaned before speeding off to the bathrooms.

"Must've been that grilled violet snake he ate."

Yuno:"Oh yeah that weird thing. Hey, what made you choose the Black Bulls over the Crimson Lions?"

"I can't put it into words exactly, but it felt as if it was the right option. It wasn't for Asta's sake because I feared he wouldn't be picked and besides I went before him. But there was a nagging in the back of my mind that told me to join them. That it'd be the right thing to. The perfect path for a journey I'm unaware of."

Yuno:"Well, you two try and stay out of trouble."

I smirked and nodded as he smiled.

Later

Yuno and I caught Sekke trying to mess with Asta so we threatened him before we split up and met with Yami.

Finral opened up a portal and we stepped through it so see the base of the Black Bulls.

I was a bit anxious, but with Asta at my side I didn't have much to fear. This was only the beginning of our journey as Magic Knights!

End of page 2.