The days had passed with a rather quiet calm about the Black Bull’s hideout. Yami was in his usual chair looking through his newspaper.

“Hmmm…” Yami thought to himself, “Something doesn’t feel right…” His eyes looked at the ceiling. “Oh, yeah...” he said as pulled out a cigarette and went to light it.

“We're back!” was called out with an explosion, as the door burst open.

“Man, that was a trip and a half,” Vanessa complained, as she came in, stripped her clothes and dropped on her couch, “Hey, captain.”

“Sup,” Yami waved, “How was the forest? Anything happen?”

“A lot,” Finral said as he came in and sat at the bar, “Where’s everyone at?”

“Out looking for cures for Asta,” Yami said as he flipped a page, “That’s what was missing. Where is the little loud-mouthed idiot?”

“Staying at his girlfriend’s house!” Finral hissed with disdain, “Where else would he be?! He’s got three chicks and a place to get away from this hell hole with one of them, but I can't even get a single girlfriend!”

“Noelle must be over there, too, then,” Yami thought, “So, did it work?”

“Too well,” Noelle came in, “He’s much stronger now.”

“Hnnn…” Yami smirked.

Everyone sat there in silence.

“Yep, still too quiet,” Yami rubbed the back of his head, “Geez… so, what else happened to you guys? Seems like ya’ll got hit with an ugly truth.”

“Urrrrrrrrr….” all three of them groaned in unison.

“That bad?” Yami actually looked up from his paper, “So-”

“Read the report,” Vanessa slurred, having already downed several bottles of wine.

“Finral-“

“Read the report,” Finral added, as he drowned his sorrow in juice.

“Hey, Noelle-“

“Read the report,” Noelle crossed her hands in defiance.

“But, there won’t be one,” Yami pointed out. Though he hated paperwork, he wasn’t against doing it, “It wasn’t actually a mission at all.”

“Exactly!” the three knights yelled in unison, before leaving the captain alone in his chair.

Suddenly, a gurgle was heard from said captain’s guts. “Time to take a dump,” he said, as he got up and walked upstairs.

Asta was at the front on the Bull’s base. In his time away, he’d been able to smooth things over with Mimosa, while also spending some much-needed time with Rebecca. He also decided it was time for an all-new look.

Asta had gone out to Hage Village, after having bought several items in the capital. He used his slayer at top speed and made it to the village in less than an hour. After distributing the gifts he bought for the children, as well as Sister Lily and Father Orfai, he headed to his base in the forest to clean it up, and then, went to his forge and work area in the ruins of the old elf village. He made use of all his skills at that time to make himself a custom outfit, one that was not only much more durable than anything else in this world that wasn’t made of magic, but also complimented his sense of fashion and fighting style. After that, he went the next day and got a much-needed haircut, getting it cut and styled less like horns and more like spikes.

“Sounds lively here,” he smiled as he strode up and threw the doors open, “I’m back!”

Everyone paid him no mind and kept fighting amongst themselves, as usual.

A vein popped out of the back of Asta's head, as he drew his default demon sword and anti-magic started to flow.

“I said,” he said. “I’M BACK, YOU BUNCH OF ASSHOLES!” he roared as he sent waves of Anti-magic out and caused everyone to stop and hit the floor.

“Hey!” Magna yelled, “What the big deal, Asta?! We’ve been out, busting our butts trying to find ways to get your arms back, and then, you go and shut off all our magic!”

“How else am I supposed to get your attention, when all you’re doing is yelling and screaming while throwing magic explosions about?!” Asta countered as he propped his demon slayer on his left shoulder.

“Hey, you have your arms back!” Magna pointed.

“Yeah. It kind of happens when you go to the Forest of Witches and speak with the queen,” Asta smirked with confidence.

“Asta, you can fight again!” Luck laughed. “Wanna fight me?!” he said eagerly, as he noticed the considerable boost in his friend's power.

“Alright, why’s it so quiet in here?” Yami said, as he came out in nothing but a loin cloth, a light blue haori, and a white head knot on, as well as a red hand fan.

“Oh, hey, Asta. You’re back. Nice look,” he pointed.

“Ditto,” Asta raised an eyebrow as returned his swords to his black grimoire.

“Alright, you idiots,” Yami called out. “Everyone, stop whatever the hell it is you’re doing and get ready to go,” he looked at Asta, “I think this is stupid, but you do know about the Star Festival, right?”

“Why do you think I came back here right at this time, instead of going back to Rebecca’s place?” Asta threw up a hand, “Other than to see these idiots, it was to have Finral portal me there.”

“I’m your superior, asshole!” Finral said.

“Now, I’m telling you,” Yami said ominously, as he raised a flexing magically enhanced hand.

“YESSIR!” Finral said out of fear, and immediately opened the portal to the capital.

“So, why did you just come all the way over to the base, just to show off your new look?” Noelle said, as she walked next to Asta.

“Sort of,” Asta shrugged, “It was also ‘cause it was faster than flying.”

“But you were already in town!” Noelle exclaimed, “Pointless bull!”

“Actually, I’ve been out in Hage the last couple of days,” Asta corrected her.

“Seriously… You could’ve led with that, instead of having me yell like an idiot, like you do,” Noelle remarked as she crossed her arms, “Did you at least go and see Mimosa?”

“But, you’re so cute when you yell,” Asta laughed, which earned him a smack.

“You’re lucky we’re in town, or I’d have blasted you with my magic,” Noelle blew on her throbbing hand, “Did you speak to Mimosa or not, King of Idiots?”

“Ow,” Asta said with tears running down his cheeks, as he rubbed the pulsing red handprint on his right cheek, “Yes, I did. I had Yuno show me to the Golden Dawn’s base, where the captain offered me a spot on his squad, which I promptly turned down.”

“You really should’ve accepted it,” Noelle crossed her arms, “Their squad has a much better rep than ours, and you get to see Mimosa, too.”

“Sorry, but I like where my squadmates and I are at,” Asta remarked as he used his dark magic on his face, “And I don’t think I’d keep a job there. Too many uppity twats that look down on you, just because of birth status.”

“You’re a king. You have every right to do it, too,” Noelle pointed out.

“A king with no kingdom isn't a king at all, Noelle, and I wasn’t born into that role either,” Asta sighed. “I claimed it through sheer force and power, for the most part…” he looked down.

“I’m sorry I brought that up,” Noelle looked down, ashamed at her bringing up his rise to power. “Nhha… But back to Mimosa,” she quickly changed pace.

“Oh… well…” Asta rubbed the back of his head, “I had a bit of a workout with Yuno and Klaus before I met up with her in the hall. I took her to dinner-”

“Hey,” she quickly turned with her hands on her hips and a hefty scowl on her face. “You’ve taken Rebecca and Mimosa out, but not me. Where’d this come from?”

“I’ve never taken Rebecca out to anything more than a small restaurant or cafe, because I know it would cause a lot of trouble for her personally, with the nobles looking down on her,” Asta motioned his hands for her to calm down, “I’ve only taken Mimosa out to similar places, too, but this was a bit of a last-minute thing, so I pulled some strings with one of the chefs I made a custom knife for to get into a classy place, so we could talk. I wanted to spend some time with her, too, so I kind of did a romance thing…”

Noelle narrowed her eyes, “Why haven’t we gone out?”

“You never really wanted to do anything fancy,” Asta shrugged, “We go out to town at least once or twice a week and usually eat. And if I did take you somewhere fancy, you’d just pay for it yourself, claiming that you’re royalty.”

Noelle thought on that for a second, and her face turned red from embarrassment, “ Yeah… you’re probably right. So, her answer?”

“Same as yours, and I told her I’d wait for when she’d be ready, same as you,” Asta smiled, as they started to move again.

“Where are we headed anyways?” Noelle finally asked.

“To meet up with some of our old friends,” Asta motioned to a certain former singer and dancer sibling duo.

“Kahono!” Noelle smiled and rushed over and embraced her friend, “Your grandfather let you come here?”

Kahono gave a nod.

“Yeah,” Kaito smiled, as he hobbled over on his crutch. “Since you guys took the magic stone, we’ve been allowed to go out and adventure. Some of the temple folk have even started to wander the lands. We usually don’t stray far, due to reasons…” he motioned to his missing leg.

“No need to worry about that for much longer,” Asta said as he walked up.

“Asta!” Kaito threw up a hand, and Asta grasped it immediately. “Your arms are all better! And wow… nice look!”

Kahono eyed the young man up and down and nodded more than a couple of times, as her cheeks went flush, causing Noelle to sigh with a smirk. “We got another one…” she whispered.

“Yes,” Asta let go of his friend’s hand. “Did you bring your leg?”

“Yeah,” Kaito said, as he motioned to a bag that held his leg, suspended in water, “We preserved it in some of my dad’s water magic.”

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Noelle looked at the limb, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help…”

“You did more than enough, Noelle,” Kaito said with a handsome smile, then felt a chill run down his spine. “The hell?” he looked around, while his sister snickered as Asta sent a piercing smile his way.

Asta took in a deep breath and calmed down, “Let’s go over here, where you two can sit for a bit. I know you’re at least a little winded with the quick trip here.”

“Not really tired as much as a little achy,” Kaito said, as they were led to a bench just off to the side, out of the view of others. “So, what’re you up to?” he asked, sitting down.

“You’ll see,” Asta said as he took Kaito’s jarred leg, pulled the cork out, and set it under his stump. “I’m no witch queen, but I’ve more than enough of power now to fix this,” he said, as he pulled his Destroyer from his black grimoire with his right hand. “This’ll only take a sec,” he smiled, as the siblings looked at each other in confusion.

Asta pulled the sword to the left and coated it in a layer of anti-magic. With a single motion, he sent a slash over the duo, and Vetto’s curse that had been afflicting them was eaten by the anti-magic.

Asta immediately followed up by throwing up his left hand. “(Heal),” he said in the elven language, and Kahono’s vocal cords were fully healed, while Kaito’s leg reattached itself.

“I got you,” Noelle said, while she immediately came over and caught Asta, who stumbled from the output from the healing spell. “You really need to watch it when you use that,” she said with worry.

“I’m fine,” Asta snickered, “A little food and fun, and I’ll be back to full strength in no time.”

The siblings were in shock as they sat there.

Kaito was the first to move, as he looked down at his reattached limb and moved his toes. “It’s back…” he looked at Asta and then pretty much tackled him in a bearhug, “I CAN DANCE AGAIN! THANK YOU!”

Noelle chuckled and then looked at Kahono, who was holding her throat with tears running down her face. “Don’t be shy,” she encouraged her friend, “Sing…”

Noelle, Asta, and Kaito all just stared as Kahono sang this wondrous song. Her music was so beautiful and full of life. Her voice and magic had now been fully restored, and not only that, but also enhanced by Asta’s ancient healing magic. Not one of them had noticed that others’ ears had gotten caught by the siren’s melody.

Kahono finished her song and looked at the others, and her face was a bit red from having wiped away her tears.

“Thank you, Asta…” she cried, “Thank you so much.”

“Kahono…” Kaito spoke out, “I’ve never heard you sing like that before. It was better than anything you’ve sung before.”

“Worthy of a stage,” Asta smiled.

“We are at a Festival,” Noelle smirked, “And you two did say you wanted to be idols.”

Kaito and Kahono both blinked. “I don’t think that’s a good idea…” they both said at the same time.

“No, it's a wonderful idea!” came a new voice.

“So, you decided to show up after all?” Asta smirked, as his older brother appeared from the shadows.

“The girls wanted to come to a Festival with the kids for a while, and so, I brought them,” Ed smiled with a snicker.

“Asta?” Kahono ducked behind him, while Kaito hid behind Noelle. “Who is this guy, and where did he come from just now?!”

“He’s my older brother, and he’s mostly harmless,” Asta waved off the question, “Are you going to help?”

“I’m not going to do anything,” Ed threw up a hand, “I’ve already set up a stage for you all. You just need to get the rest of your crew from around the festival, and the rest is on you, little brother.”

“What are you planning?” Noelle eyed the sage.

“Nothing,” Ed said with a stern voice. “I only wanted to help these two realize a part of their dreams,” he pointed to the brother and sister, “There’s still time before your curtain call. Why not go out on a date and have some fun while looking for the others?”

“Date?” Kahono said happily, while Noelle turned nervous.

“Yes,” Ed smiled. “Mix it up, too, and have Kahono go with Asta, and Noelle with Kaito!” he said with a snap and dispersed into confetti.

“It’s settled!” Kahono said as she bent over to Noelle, “Don’t worry. I know he’s with you, but please just let me borrow him for tonight, okay?”

Noelle looked at Kahono, then Asta, then back to her friend and let out a relenting sigh. “You better not try anything with him,” she warned.

“Promise I won’t!” Kahono gave a cheeky smile, before she latched onto Asta, who went red in the face, “Let’s go!”

“Ah…” Asta said as he was dragged along.

”Shall we, my goddess?” Kaito said with a grand gesture.

“Let’s go,” Noelle gave an awkward smile.

“This is so awesome!” Kahono called out, as she dragged Asta along from stall to stall.

“Sorry about my sister,” Kaito came up behind Asta and whispered in his ear, “This is our first festival away from the sea, so she’s a bit more in high spirits.”

“It’s fine,” Asta nervously chuckled as Kahono finally let go of him to watch people play the goldfish-catching game, “Having fun yourself?”

“Oh, yes!” Kaito gave a big grin, “Especially since my goddess is with me!”

A small vein twinged on Asta’s forehead.

“Hey, Asta,” Noelle called out and pointed at a stage with men gathered around it, “Isn’t that Vanessa up there? Why is she dressed as a nun?”

“Costume contest,” Asta flatly looked away, “She and the captain of the Blue Rose are competing for Captain Yami’s attention.”

“Why would they do that?” Kaito asked.

“They both have feelings for him, duh,” Kahono threw up a hand.

“YEAH, CHAR! YOU GET’EM, GIRL!” Sol yelled out, causing the Blue Rose Captain to blush from embarrassment and spout something about calling her captain.

“You four look like you’re having fun,” a familiar voice.

Asta and Noelle turned to see Twilight. “Hey, Twi!” Asta waved.

“Who’s she?” Kahono whispered to Noelle.

“Do I… ah… really have to answer that?” Noelle stammered.

“A rival then,” Kahono gained a cheeky smirk. “We’re just on a double date!” she cried out.

“Oh, that’s good,” Twilight smiled, “I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Hey, Twi, meet us by the main fountain in about an hour,” Asta said.

“Sure. Have fun,” Twilight gave a smile and waved, before humming to herself and disappearing into the crowd.

“So, ah… that girl just now…” Kaito spoke up with a slight nosebleed. “She’s, ah… really pretty…:

Another vein popped out on Asta’s head.

“Let’s move on,” he said with a strained grin.

“He must really like her a lot,” Kahono looked up as he walked next to Noelle.

“They grew up together and are also from the same country,” Noelle revealed. “So, yeah. She means a lot to him,” she smiled at her friend, surprising the song mage. “One down, two to go…” she murmured.

“Um… Noelle,” Kahono spoke up after a while of walking, “those two seemed a lot more than just childhood friends to me. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Your woman’s intuition is spot on, Kahono. They’re engaged,” Noelle sighed, causing Kahono’s eyes to widen. “And it did bother me at first, but not so much anymore. Asta and Twilight come from a place where men can marry multiple women, but don’t let it get to you. I do care about Asta, and I don’t really mind that he has more girls. I actually kind of like it. It’s like having sisters…” she blushed with a smile.

“Any idea on what they’re talking about?” Kaito asked Asta.

Asta shrugged, but something caught his attention. A sudden crying came to his ears. Asta walked over and knelt down to a little girl.

“Hey, did you lose your momma?” Asta asked as he rubbed the girl's head to soothe her a little, and the child nodded while she rubbed her eye. “Hey, Noelle,” he called out to his girlfriend, “Can you and Kahono stay with her for a minute?”

“Sure,” Noelle answered a little perplexed, “What are you planning?”

“Nothing much,” Asta smirked. “Kaito, with me!” he rushed off and grabbed Kaito by the collar, and the dance mage couldn't even protest.

“Ya hungry?” Noelle asked the little girl with a smile.

The girls took the little one to get some food from a nearby stall before Asta returned with Kaito and a large ball and three smaller balls.

“What are you planning?” Noelle crossed her arms.

“A performance!” Asta smiled wildly, as he raised his hand while holding the smaller balls. “Let’s put on a little show!” he laughed, as he jumped onto the large ball and juggled the smaller ones.

“Oh, I get it!” Kahono smiled with a clap of her hands, then started to sing a light-hearted jingle.

Kaito then joined in, though in his mind, he dedicated the dance to Noelle.

It wasn’t long before a small crowd gathered around the newly formed group, and along with it, the young girl's mother. The next few moments passed just like they should have in the original timeline.

“That was nice of you,” Kahono smirked coyly.

“Very dignified with your speech,” Asta added.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Kaito bowed sincerely.

“Stop teasing me!” Noelle said with a beat red embarrassed face.

“See? I told you it was him!” Noelle and Asta heard a familiar voice. Turning, they saw Luca point at them, with her siblings in tow. “I thought I saw you up there, doing some sort of performance!”

She rushed over and immediately noticed Kaito and Kahono, “Who are you two?”

“These are a couple of friends we made on our mission when we went to the ocean,” Asta explained, “They were hurt pretty bad with the same spell I was hit with. I had them come here, so I could heal them.”

“You’re looking great with your new gear,” Rebecca said. “Very handsome. Who are your friends?” she asked, while specifically looking at Kahono.

“I’m Kahono,” the song mage winked with a sparkle, “I use song magic, and my dream is to be a singing idol!”

“I’m Kaito!” he posed, “I use dance magic, and my dream is to be a dance idol!”

“We’re going to be top idols in the future!” the duo said in unison.

“Umm…” Rebecca blinked.

“They’re a pair,” Asta rolled his eyes, “They’re a little outlandish, but a good pair.”

“Look who’s talking,” Noelle chuckled, remembering some of Asta’s antics, then moved over to Rebecca. “No need to worry about another addition,” she whispered in Rebecca’s ear, “Kahono is a good friend, but she’s not into Asta, other than being his friend. I’m sure he doesn’t see her as more than that, too.”

“What are you guys up to then?” Rebecca asked.

“Kahono wanted to go on a date,” Asta said bluntly, causing Noelle to freeze, “And she can’t really do that with her older brother, so Noelle loaned me out.”

“I see,” Rebecca, annoyed, looked at Noelle from the corner of her eye, but the water mage only whistled while looking off to the side. “What are you guys going to do now?” she sighed.

“A little more looking around, while also finding Mimosa,” Asta shrugged, “If you guys wanna see a show, meet up with us and Twi at the fountain in a bit.”

“It's good that you two made up,” Rebecca smiled, “I'll let you guys go for now then. Come on, guys!”

“Kay!” Rebecca's siblings yelled in unison.

“Asta,” Kaito looked at the redhead, “You have great tastes in women, my friend.”

Kahono and Noelle both laughed to themselves.

“So, one more,” Kahono looked to her friend slyly, “Exactly how many girls do you have to compete with for his attention?”

“There are four of us,” Noelle fudged the truth as much as she could. “But we don’t compete with each other for him. Asta does all he can to spend his time with us. He’s with me a lot, due to being in the same squad, and Rebecca is the second most, to help with her brothers and sisters. If anything, Mimosa gets the short end. She rarely gets to see him outside of work, and that's if their time off lines up.”

“This Mimosa must have a lot of patience then,” Kahono said, “When are you going to tell my brother you and Asta are a thing, by the way?”

“You’re not wrong about her, and I’ll let him figure it out,” Noelle threw up a hand.

“Mean,” Kahono smiled, “I wish you lived closer to the sea.”

“You’re the first friend outside the Bulls and Mimosa that I’ve made that weren’t connected to Asta’s group,” Noelle smiled at her friend, “I wish I could see you more, too, Kahono.”

“You could always move to the Temple,” Kahono suggested, “You’d be treated like a goddess there, ya know?”

“Yeah. I know,” Noelle recalled her time at the temple after the fight with Vetto, “That’s all a bit much for me.”

A sudden gust of wind shot for them. Asta immediately activated his anti-magic and covered his right hand and caught the spell, before he absorbed it.

“Nice shot,” Asta glared with a competitive smirk, “Yuno. But, was it necessary?”

“How else was I supposed to get your attention?” Yuno smiled as he walked over with Klaus and Mimosa.

“Asta, you look…” Klaus adjusted his glasses.

“It really suits you,” Mimosa cried out with a deepening blush.

“So, you’re the last one,” Kahono looked over Mimosa with a smirk while rubbing her chin. “You got a nice set on you. Not as big as the Twilight girl, but still nice,” she pointed out, “Can I give’um a squeeze?!”

“WHAT?!” Mimosa began to panic.

“Bad,” Asta konked the girl on the head what a chop.

“Would you mind coming with us to the center fountain?” Asta asked while Kahono rubbed the knot that formed on her head. “You two are welcome, too,” he looked at Klaus and Yuno, “I think you might like it… whatever it is…”

“You’re asking us to come, but have no idea what’s going on?!” Klaus adjusted his glasses again.

“What do I have to do to get noticed by you, short stuff?” Belle called out.

“Sorry, I mistook your fairy for a light-up decoration prize you won at a stall,” Asta smugly looked off to the side, while picking his nose.

“It happens,” Yuno shrugged.

“YUNO, YOU’RE SO MEAN!” Belle cried.

“Are we going?” Kaito asked.

“Yes, let’s,” Noelle flicked her hair.

“How are your arms?” Yuno asked as they walked, “Any lingering effects?”

“Better than ever!” Asta punched the air.

“Excuse me, Asta,” Klaus spoke up, “Would you be willing to teach me some of your martial arts in our shared time off?”

“I don’t mind, Klaus,” Asta shrugged. “You wouldn’t mind having him join in, would you, Marco?” he asked his little brother.

“I think it’ll be fun!” Marco smiled.

“Wait, you're teaching this boy to fight?!” Klaus’s glasses dropped on his face a little.

“For self-defense when I’m not around,” Asta rubbed Marco’s head, “He’s quite good at it: a natural and quick study.”

“That's high praise, coming from you,” Yuno smirked.

Suddenly, a familiar voice caught Asta’s attention.

“Get your fresh hot squid on a stick here!” Yami called out at a stall.

“No, don’t waste your time with stinking fish! Come get some nice cool shaved ice!” Captain Jack of the praying mantises called out over Yami.

“Is that Captain Yami?” Klaus said in disbelief, “What in god’s name is he wearing?!”

“Oh, just in time!” Yami spotted his knight, “You can help m-”

“Nope,” Asta held up a hand.

“I wasn’t asking ya, kid,” Yami glared as he cracked his knuckles.

“I know, and I don’t care,” Asta glared back, “I have my own stuff going on, Captain.”

Yami took note of the large group he was with and the hefty glare he was putting up and decided to relent and put his hands up! “Alright, I get it, stop with the death stare… sheesh!”

“Good luck in your fight with Captain Jack, but I highly recommend you both try each others’ food first,” Asta waved as his group moved onto the fountain not far away while leaving Yami dumbstruck.

“You sure it’s a good thing to blow your captain off like that?” Klaus broke the silence.

“I’m not going to give up my time at the festival to spend it on his, let alone his rivals,” Asta waved off the question.

“He has a point,” Kaito held his chin.

“Look who’s here!” Twilight said as they arrived at the fountain. “So, what are you planning to do, now that all of us are here?” she eyed Asta.

“Asta isn't the one who called you all here,” Ed said as he came out of left field, accompanied by his own girls and their children, “I was.”

“Ah… who is this?” Klaus asked as he pointed while whispering to Yuno.

“No clue,” Yuno said flatly, “But those kids are strong, and those women are very strong. His power is… I don’t feel anything from him, actually.”

“This is my older brother and his wives and kids,” Asta pointed, “In other words, my sisters-in-laws and their children, my nieces and nephews.”

Klaus and Yuno just blinked a couple of times.

“Come along with me, young miss,” Ed motioned to a stage.

“Um…” Kahono hesitated.

“Go on,” Noelle pushed her friend, “Push past your limits.”

Kahono swallowed and then turned back to Ed, “Lead the way, please.”

Ed nodded and led her off.

“Hey, what about me?!” Kaito said.

“Relax,” Ed said suddenly, appearing next to the dance mage and causing him to yelp suddenly. “You’ll get your chance in the next song. For now, let your little sister have the spotlight. Older siblings are supposed to be supportive, after all,” he said with a swift motion, as the lights were all dimmed, and a spotlight showed on Kahono as the curtain rose, garnering everyone’s attention on her.

She stood in front of one of the mic, as magic molded her outfit into a shimmering pinkish-pearl gown.

“Pretty,” Asta’s little nephew said with sparkling eyes.

“Wow,” Noelle added.

“I’ve never seen her shine like this before,” Kaito commented.

“Be ready once she’s done, 'cause then, all of you are going on,” Ed said as he motioned to Asta, his girls, and Kaito. “Now, let the show begin,” he snapped, and all lights were out, except for the spotlight on Kahono, as the music started to play.

The young song mage didn’t hold back and started to sing.

“Her music is something…”

“Is she an angel?”

“Pretty music!”

The crowd each had their own opinion, and it was all positive.

“You really went out of your way this time, Ed,” Asta worked over to his brother, who was at the bar area sipping on a bourbon, and crossed his arms as the song drew to a close. “Why are you doing so much here? Why go so far in this world?”

“I’m mostly taking responsibility for all of the troubles I’ve caused, mostly,” Ed said as he sipped on his drink, “This is just cause I wanted to and thought the siblings needed more than just a little juggling show for all their dreams.”

“Troubles?” Asta scowled.

“Can’t tell you more than that,” Ed snapped, and Asta vanished and reappeared with everyone backstage.

“Dick,” Asta scowled.

“Sorry, Asta, but right now isn’t the time for you to go grudge mode,” Ed said. “I hope your choreography hasn’t waned,” he smirked, as a holo-display popped up in front of the sage, with a dumbed-down version of everyone in Asta’s group, minus Yuno and Klaus, with a progress bar above their heads.

Kahono soon joined them, “THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!” she cheered as she spun around, “Is this what it’s like to be an idol?!”

“Indeed, but don’t let the spotlight overwhelm your life,” Ed warned. “You were merely singing in place the first time. This time, you’ll be performing with everyone in a group, while dancing and singing!” he motioned as a progress bar appeared above the songstress’s display character.

“Girls!” Ed called out, and Celestia, Luna, and Amore came out from nearby with costumes.

“Oh no…” Asta’s face went pale as he recognized the school uniforms.

“Are we going to wear these?” Noelle pointed at the clothes.

“Yes,” Ed smirked as he snapped, and everyone’s clothes quickly swapped with the costumes. “Now, get out there and dance!” he shoved them out on stage, and a very pipy song started to play, while Kahono and the girls started to sing in-synch, and the boys danced along to the rhythm.

With the song and dance routine being somewhat easy to copy, it wasn’t long before the whole plaza was found dancing along to the music.

“Well… didn’t expect this,” Yami chuckled as he saw Asta up there, totally red-faced. “Still… who has the kind of power to pull something like this off?” he said as he noticed all of the ambient mana surrounding everyone. “Bah, it's funny so let them be! They can’t be that bad! Ahahah!” Yami beat on his leg.

“That was something I’ve never seen before,” Captain Charlotte cleared her throat.

“You can say that again, Char,” Sol said with a mouthful. “Never thought I’d see Twilight up there and jumping around and singing. It's all that guy’s fault,” she swallowed and pointed at Asta, “She’d be so much better without him. They all would!”

“I told you to call me, captain,” Charlotte groaned. “And what do you mean all?” she narrowed her eyes on her subordinate.

Sol quickly broke into a cold sweat. “Ah… “ she remembered Twilight warning about how it's not uncommon back home to have multiple wives, but that she still didn’t want it widespread about her relationship with Asta and the girls. “Sorry, you’ll have to ask Twi. Oh, look! More meat over there! Bye!” she darted off, leaving Charlotte stumped.

Backstage, the performers all came off the stage, some embarrassed; others excited.

“Well done,” Ed laughed with a clap.

“You’re the biggest asshole,” Asta gritted his teeth, while he raised a fist with a pulsing vein on his forehead.

“Oh, relax,” Ed smiled evilly as he created an electric guitar from nothing and tossed it to Asta.

“A bit edgelordish don’t you think, brother?” Asta, still annoyed, raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t need to plug it up. The magic enchantments on the stage will act as an amp,” Ed leaned against a wall, ignoring his little brother’s comment. “Last song of the night, Kahono. Let’s rock this place, everyone,” he smirked while making the rocker devil horns with his left hand.

Asta sighed, and then thought. “I know just the song,” he said, “Let's go, girls and guy,” he said as they all took their places, their clothes having returned to normal while also gaining their own instruments. Asta positioned himself and looked at Kahono. “All on you,” he gestured.

On que, everyone started to react, and then, Asta played the first riff, while Kahono started to sing. Meanwhile, Kaito activated his dance magic and cast it on everyone on stage.

Sometime later…

“That was most exciting!” Ed’s Luna said to her husband, “I would very much like to meet your estranged daughter. I and Solar and Morning want to, too. I must say, I was very surprised when you said you were her father. When did this happen after you returned?”

“I have to agree with Luna,” Ed's second wife added, “Ed, I know we told you if you feel for another woman in another world we wouldn’t hold it against you but…. You have daughters here that grew up without you. I know that wasn’t easy on you, but why?”

“It had to be,” Ed looked into his reflection in his drink, “And there is no love lost with the Queen of Witches either. I care for her as part of this family and the mother of my daughters, but make no mistake, girls, I don’t actually love her, just our shared children,” he took a swig of his drink, “That being said, I never stopped watching them. Even if I couldn’t be there for them directly, I was still able to influence the world in their favor.”

He set his glass down and stood up. “I’ll let you meet them another time. Right now, I think it’s best if I see her on my own.”

“Very well,” Luna said with concern, as she pulled a black key from around her neck.

“We relent this time,” Celestia didn’t push her luck, “The children are tired, anyways.”

“Thanks, girls,” Ed smirked as he materialized a mirror, and Luna used the key on it to turn it into a portal to her library, “So, see you later.”

“Love you,” the sisters said, as they held their children and walked through the portal, before it returned to being a mirror and disappearing.

“So, you're going to talk to Vanessa?” Asta asked as he leaned in against the building Ed came out of.

“Shouldn’t you be going to the awards ceremony?” Ed looked at his younger brother.

“Vanessa is my friend before she’s my niece, Edward,” Asta scowled, “Screwing around in another world is one thing, but I won’t let you screw with her life. She may be your daughter, but that doesn’t mean she needs to get involved with our lifestyle.”

“I have no intention of getting her involved with our lifestyle,” Ed threw out a hand, “I missed more than a small chunk of her life here. I just want to speak to her a little and apologize for it. If she accepts, she accepts. If she doesn’t, then she doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop watching out for her.”

“Hmmm…” Asta stood up, “How will this affect the future? I mean… me taking his place? Changing things like I have?”

Ed looked at his younger brother. “I can’t tell you that, Asta. You know that,” the alchemist coldly replied.

“I thought so, but it was worth a shot,” Asta let out a chortle and walked away, and so did Ed.

Meanwhile, Vanessa had gone to a bar she rarely visited, when a regular grabass came up and started to hit on her.

“Hey, pretty lady, how about me and you go somewhere and feel better?” he asked.

“Get lost,” Vanessa said with a flushed face.

“Hey, don’t be like that,” he snickered, as he reached out for the string witch, who in turn started to activate her magic, but stopped when the guy was sent flying across the bar when someone hit him in the face with a magic bullet.

“Disgusting drunk,” Ed said as Vanessa looked at him.

“Don’t expect a thanks, buddy. I could’ve taken him,” Vanessa scoffed, as she took another swig of her drink.

“I know,” Ed waved off the remark, “AND I’m sorry to cut into you sulking over losing the contest to the Blue Rose Captain, but we to talk.”

“I didn’t lose!” Vanessa threw her drink, only for Ed to snap and have it return to her hand.

“Both your mother and I agreed that the time has come for you to know the truth about everything,” Ed said with a stern glare.

Vanessa just stared and dropped her glass, causing it to shatter, “Are you… him?”

“Yes, I’m your father, but I don’t expect you to want to see me, after what your mother put you through and after hearing about what I am,” Ed said, as he started to explain.

“So… you and Asta aren’t beings of this world, but you can not only travel across worlds and dimensions, but also manipulate the future in any way you want,” Vanessa said.

“Not entirely, but I do have a great deal of power to do so,” Ed said. “The dimension and creation magic went to Dorothy, while you garnered the ability to influence and change the threads of fate with Rouge.” He explained and reached out as he tugged on something, causing the entire room to light up with a multitude of colored strings. “My ability to control magic lies in the power to see and manipulate these strings of magic, another ability you inherited from me. Your mother wanted my power for herself, but quickly found that she couldn’t do anything against me. I was bound by certain rules to not interfere in this world’s natural orders directly as of yet, but that changed after your mother had Dorothy, then you. I wanted to stop what she was doing to you, but I couldn’t, not without serious risk of damaging the timeline. At the same time, that doesn’t mean I wasn't watching out for you. You’re my daughter, and I would do anything to keep you safe. But I understand if you’ll never want to see or speak with me again.”

“You… I…” Vanessa cried, then took a deep breath and looked Ed right in the eyes and took a deep breath, “Witches rarely get to know our fathers. I should count myself lucky I’ve gotten to not only see you, but talk to you, and to hear you’ve been watching me, too… It makes me happy. I do want to talk to you more. What about the queen though?”

“There is no love lost between your mother and I,” Ed waved off the question. “I do care for her as a member of my family and would help her if needed, but I don’t see her as a spouse or lover. But, when her time to appoint her successor comes in the next few coming years, I will be there to offer her a choice to come with me. Now,” Ed smiled. “How would you like to meet your little brother and sisters?” he asked, as he pulled a black key from his coat and gave it to his daughter. “That is a key to my wife, Luna’s, dark library. Simply use it on a large enough mirror and walk through. The librarian will let us know you’re there.”

“Thank you,” Vanessa said, “What do I call you?”

“Whatever you feel is best,” Ed said with a soft smile.

Main stage…

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the wizard king called out, “I hope you’ve all enjoyed the grand festivities our magic knight squads have prepared for your entertainment for this year’s Star Festival.”

The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles.

“Now, it’s that time of year again,” Julius called out, “THE MAIN EVENT! WHERE WE ANNOUNCE THIS YEAR'S TOP KNIGHT SQUAD!”

The crowd all called out for their favored squad.

“Here are the results. Marx, if you would, please,” the king looked at his assistant, who used his magic to display the result of the bottom four guilds.

“Hey, where’s the Black Bulls?” some of the people in the crowd asked.

“You really think they’d continue to count those rejects after all the trouble they've caused?” someone else asked.

“They’re so deep in the black stars they should coin the Black Stars instead of the Black Bulls,” another laughed.

“In third place, we have the Crimson Lions!” Julius said as the squad banner appeared, the place startling everyone.

“What the hell?!” someone yelled, “The Crimson Lions in third?! They always tie with Golden Dawn!”

“Not this year,” Rebecca said to the guy with a confident smirk.

“Now, I would like to invite the two rising stars of the first and second place squads before we announce the final results,” Julius motioned with his hands. To his right were Asta with Noelle, and to the left were Yuno with Mimosa and Klaus.

The groups proudly walked onto the stage on opposite sides.

Everyone was in total awe at the sight of the Black Bulls.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” someone called out, “Some kind of bad joke? This ain’t funny!”

“Yeah!” another added, “Everyone knows the BLACK BULLS are nothing but troublemakers! How the hell are they in the top spots this year?!”

“They cheated!” someone else raged and threw a bottle of booze at Noelle, only for Yuno to blast it with wind magic into the air and cause Asta to draw his Decapitator and thrust the tip forward, as he sent a shot of antimagic at the bottle and shattered it into pieces, shocking the crowd.

Various groups around the crowd began to speak out about the bulls and their great deeds.

“As you can see,” Julius confidently motioned, “there were no underhanded tactics used here, only hard work, and now, the final results, Marx.” He held out his hand, and Marx handed the king the results. Julius opened the envelope and read the results and wore a big smile, “It’s with great pleasure, for the first ever, I announce that Black Bulls as this year’s Star Squad, with a ten-star lead over the Golden Dawn. Please, continue to enjoy your evening.”

Julius turned to Yuno and Asta. “Good job everyone,” he smiled. “Keep this up, and you’ll be the next Wizard King in no time,” he motioned. “Enjoy the rest of the festival,” he said, as he and his entourage left.

“Let’s go catch Kahono and Kaito before they leave,” Asta said to Noelle who agreed. “Let's meet up for some drinks in a bit, Yuno,”, he looked over at his brother before turning to leave.

“Asta!” Yuno called out, causing the boy to look over his shoulder. “I won’t lose next time!” he held his fist out.

“Sure you will,” Asta smirked as he bumped Yuno’s fist with his own, causing the black-haired boy to smile back with confidence. “CAUSE I'M GOING TO WIN NEXT YEAR, TOO!”

“Be sure and get stronger, Yuno,” Asta pulled back. “You’ll need it when we meet up in the next couple of months, 'cause that’s when I’m going to leave you into the dust,” he clenched his fist and then turned. “I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” he turned and walked away.

“Count on it,” Yuno kept smiling, as he and his group turned and left in the opposite direction.

Next Chapter: Volcanic Training Estimated time remaining: 32 Minutes