Kael – First Person POV
I hadn't survived this long just to kneel.
And yet—kneeling was all the world ever expected of things like me.
Mistakes.
Aberrations.
Walking equations that shouldn't balance, but did.
My opponent didn't rise after the spells faded. Not even after the proctors waved the match closed. His teammates—no, his friends—hesitated to help him. Like I'd left something behind. A pressure. A stain.
Maybe I had.
I didn't look back.
Didn't need to.
The moment I stepped off the ring, I could feel the captains.
Their mana signatures were like thrones. Massive. Sharp. Some curious. Some cold. Some amused. But one—
One was absent.
Not in power.
In presence.
As though he stood behind time itself.
He was above, tucked deep in shadow. No applause. No commentary. Just... watching.
And I knew it wasn't admiration.
It was recognition.
Not of who I was.
But what I would become.
---
Fuegoleon Vermillion – Third Person POV
"There is strength," he muttered.
Beside him, Nozel's eyes narrowed. "There's imbalance."
"Raw potential can look like that."
"Potential doesn't warp the ground. It doesn't rewrite the laws beneath a boy's boots."
Their gazes stayed on Kael, who now sat back near the wall. Not mingling. Not hiding. Just… there.
Space seemed thinner around him. Mana pulsed wrong. Not chaotic. Not wild.
Wrong.
"His spells... were opposites," Fuegoleon murmured. "They should've canceled each other. But they didn't."
"They danced," said Dorothy, eyes flickering awake behind her hat. "For a moment, I saw a realm that doesn't exist."
"She's right," said a voice from above them—Yami. Leaning casually, arms crossed. But his gaze was a blade.
"That kid," he muttered, "isn't casting magic. He's translating reality."
---
Yuno – Third Person POV
Yuno didn't let his surprise show.
He'd passed the mana control exam with ease. Made even the nobles fall silent with how clean his Wind creation was. Even Mimosa had whispered something to Klaus about it.
But none of it made people cry.
Not like Kael did.
And that's what scared Yuno more than anything.
Kael hadn't injured anyone.
He hadn't destroyed anything.
But the emotional aftershock was heavier than a disaster.
Like trauma that arrived early.
Yuno caught the proctors glancing at each other when Kael walked. One even made a subtle motion to a sealing charm in their coat.
Just in case.
---
Asta – Third Person POV
"Hey! Did you guys see that?! Kael was awesome!"
"Yeah," someone muttered. "Awesome."
The kid who said it moved away when Asta got closer.
Asta didn't get it.
Sure, Kael was quiet and spooky sometimes, but he was their friend. He didn't hurt that other guy. He just... stood there. And stuff happened.
That wasn't scary.
That was cool!
Still, even Asta could feel something shift. He didn't have mana, but he wasn't blind.
When Kael cast those two spells—Control and Freedom—something inside Asta's chest rattled.
Like his body remembered something his mind didn't.
Like… destiny hiccuped.
He tried to shake it off.
"Hey, Kael!" he called, waving.
Kael looked up. Met Asta's eyes.
Didn't smile.
But he nodded.
And that was enough.
For now.
---
Captain's Observation Room – Third Person POV
"I'm not adding him to my squad," said Nozel flatly.
"Of course not," Fuegoleon shot back. "You'd rather clip talent before it learns to fly."
Nozel's mouth twitched. "Talent is not what that is. That boy—Kael—he's not stable."
"Maybe not," said Charlotte, frowning beneath her rose-pinned helm. "But unstable blades can still kill. Especially when they choose when to bend."
They fell into silence as Kael walked into the mana resonance trial.
Where grimoire and wielder are measured by how much the room itself reacts.
It was supposed to be a formality.
Yuno had scored just under the maximum threshold.
But Kael?
Kael stepped forward…
…and the resonance crystal cracked.
Not from force.
From pressure.
As if Kael's very nature made it impossible to be read.
The proctor flinched.
Nozel stood.
Yami smiled.
And in the high shadows where the Wizard King usually watched...
Lucius Zogratis leaned forward.
---
The Squad Choosing Ceremony – Third Person POV
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the coliseum grounds as the candidates stood in line. The magic knights' captains had gathered on a raised stage, their eyes scanning over the crowd of hopefuls. It was time to choose the squads.
Kael stood among them, indifferent to the excitement in the air. His presence was a weight, an undeniable force of nature. Yuno, Asta, and the others had already been called up, chosen by captains whose eyes sparkled with anticipation. But Kael remained at the back of the line, like a shadow that would neither bend nor break.
Fuegoleon stepped forward first, his voice carrying through the arena. "The Crimson Lion King will accept only the strongest. And only those who know the true meaning of strength."
Yuno's name rang out. The captain nodded, a fire in his eyes as he beckoned the wind mage forward.
"Next," said Yami with a grin, "Black Bull will take anyone crazy enough to keep up with us. Asta, get your ass up here."
Asta's whoop of excitement echoed through the air. He dashed forward, fists pumping.
The proctors glanced at Kael as the moment passed. The other captains exchanged glances, whispering among themselves. He hadn't been called yet.
And then, the moment came.
---
Kael – First Person POV
I felt it before the words even left his lips.
Lucius's presence(Disguise of julius).
His gaze, heavy and unyielding, settled on me like an invisible chain.
He spoke at last. "The Black Eagle will take Kael."
---
Asta – Third Person POV
"What?!" Asta's voice broke through the stillness.
Everyone turned.
Kael, however, had already begun to walk toward Lucius.
AN: I am mentioning him as lucius because, in this au he is already taken over julius, nobody knows that except Yami...and Kael of course....
The wizard king—though not officially a captain yet, but one who carried an air of quiet authority—stood at the back, his eyes gleaming with something more than power. Something else.
The other captains murmured. Yami's grin sharpened into something dangerously close to approval. Fuegoleon narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
---
Kael – First Person POV
I didn't look back.
It wasn't because of them.
It wasn't even because of Lucius.
It was because... I knew.
This wasn't a choice.
This wasn't a squad.
This was the final test.
---
I don't know what to do here, do I have to make in captain of Black Eagle or send him back to Black Bulls after the test..... Sending him to Black Bulls story would go in somewhat expected way, if it is Black Eagles it would take time for me to come up with a nice plot, cause after this you know....it's a final test.....so obviously he is gonna get way stronger....and I can just make a new au, with totally different and interesting plot
Thank you for reading, Hope you have a nice day forward, This will go to hiatus for a week atleast. I will be concentrating on my new fanfiction Bald Storm: Naruto's Quiet God