𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 (𝐘𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐒𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

Chapter 18

The tunnel was dark and cramped. Snow crunched underneath your feet and cold started to creep in, though you were glad the little boy who had your robe didn't have to face the same thing.

Gauche had rushed into the cave as you all made it in. He had become impatient in saving Marie and had left the three of you behind.

You soon heard voices bouncing off the walls of the cave. One was rougher than the other and seemed to hold more malice. The other was quieter and just went with the flow of whatever they were doing.

You could see a machine against the wall. It comprised of several glass tanks and a chair that was small enough for a child. The chair had straps and tubes that connected it to the glass tank. All the children stared into nothing and sat in a group near the opposite wall. Some were lying on the ground and looked like they were on the brink of death.

The man who held more malice in his voice was bigger and had brown hair, glasses, and a beard. The second was a man with ice-blue hair who was thin and stood off to the side. Spewing something about making new friends.

The scene made you feel sick. The fact that these two grown men would kidnap these children and act like it was the most normal thing in the world. You wanted to charge in and show them a piece of your mind, but you knew better. If you were to act recklessly then who knows what would happen to these kids. How many casualties there might be.

However, before you could possibly come up with a team plan, Asta and Sister Theresa rushed into the big opening.

Looks like a plan isn't an option.

It was already chaos within the cave. Gauche was fighting against the man with ice-blue hair, who was struggling to keep up with the speed that Gauche was fighting. You decided to follow after Sister Theresa and check on the children. You could immediately feel that their mana was depleted. It explained why they looked so sick. 

"Their mana has been extracted! If we don't help them quickly they might not ever be able to use magic again." Sister Theresa calls out. This only spurs Asta on further.

He faced the brunette man, who only laughed like what Asta was saying was a hilarious joke. It pissed you off.

"You've got no magic!" The man exclaimed with a patronizing tone. "Nada! Zip! I'm going to take my-" Before the man could finish Asta quickly rushed him and slammed his greatsword into the man's body. The man fell to the ground in a daze, already down for the count. 

Gauche was continuing to fight the other one. In a desperate attempt, the blue-haired man trapped Gauche in a pile of snow, which didn't last as Gauche made a double that attacked the man from behind. 

You and Theresa rallied the kids together into a tighter group to keep them away from the violence going around them. They didn't need to get any more hurt than they already were. You put up a barrier around them as a small form of protection. Barriers were never your strong suit so it wouldn't be able to handle direct attacks, but at least it could withstand some of the stray ones. 

Asta at the men. Questioning their actions and how they could be so cruel to innocent people. Asking what could possibly be worth the pain and suffering of others. He attempts to hit the brunette, but the man evades the attack and lands hard on the ground, seemingly out of commission. 

"Asta, we need you over here. The children need to be freed from whatever spell they're under." Theresa calls again. 

Asta hurries over, quickly tapping the hilt of his sword on each of the children's foreheads. The children looked around confused and scared, not fully understanding what was going on or happening to them. Some had even passed out completely, not being able to take in the situation nor handle the weakness in their bodies. 

Sister Theresa used her magic to heal the children on a mass level. You looked in awe at her. Her determination and magic were admirable. It made sense that she was a well-known magic knight back in her time with the amount of magical power she put out into her spells. 

However, you couldn't stay in awe for long as the man who had fallen had gotten back up and pressed some sort of button on a small device that was located on one of the countertops. Gauche was also still going at it with the blue-haired man, who just seemed more terrified as the minutes dragged on. 

You looked behind them and saw a terrified Marie, who started pleading with her brother to stop the unnecessary brutal assault on the man. You hurried over to the young girl and scooped her up in your arms. She was too close to that battle and needed to be closer to the other children where it was safer. Gauche didn't seem to notice through his fit of rage. 

Marie had a reddened mark on her cheek and clung onto you tightly, but still looked at her big brother. 

Ah, so that's why he's so upset.

"Shhhh. It's going to be alright. You're safe now. Let me get you to safety and then I'll go get your big brother, okay?" You said softly to the girl as you rushed her over to the other children. "Just stay here with the other children and Sister Theresa. You'll be okay."

She nodded up at you and you rushed back to Gauche, who was about to pummel the living hell out of the enemy. 

"Gauche!" You shouted up at him, grabbing his arm and dragging him backward. The man he had a hold of fell back onto the ground and lay there in complete shock and exhaustion. Gauche looked at you with disdain and annoyance. 

"Let go of me! Those who hurt Marie have no right to live!" 

"If you just listened then you would know that Marie wanted you to stop! She and the other children are terrified and confused and we need help getting them out of here while we deal with this situation! So will you help us or not?!" 

Gauche only looked at you before grabbing his broom, mounting it, and flying up into the air. You thought he had listened to reason. However, just as quickly he grabbed Marie and flew her out of the cave. 

You and Asta were shocked by the scene that just unfolded and Sister Theresa looked over in dissappointment. 

The absolute nerve of this guy! The lives of these children are just as important as Marie's! Why can't he understand that this world does not center around him and his sister?!

Just as suddenly you noticed the other enemy in the room. 

The bitch who kidnapped Asta back at the capital. 

Word Count: 1172
(A/N) I did another one. It was gonna be longer but I'm too tired to continue. But I'm happy with the current outcome. And thank you to those who have stuck around and waited this long for an update. You guys are real ones. Anyway, have a wonderful day/night. 
~Ari