Strange use of Magic (Black Clover AU)

[Third Person's PoV] 

"So, where exactly is the entrance to this Underwater Temple?" Finral asked, scanning the expanse of shimmering water around them, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"If I had to guess," Wanda began, her tone calm but deliberate as she gestured ahead, "it's probably behind that misty barrier where the squid monster was guarding."

All eyes turned in the direction Wanda pointed, and sure enough, a dense, swirling mist hovered ominously in the distance. It appeared almost alive, shrouding whatever lay beyond in an impenetrable veil.

Vanessa hesitated before speaking, her voice tinged with unease. "Uh… I hate to be that person, but… what if that creature was the temple's protector? I mean, we just killed it. Wouldn't the people here consider us enemies for destroying their guardian or something?"

A heavy silence descended on the group. The gravity of Vanessa's words settled like a lead weight as they exchanged uneasy glances, each silently considering the potential consequences of their actions.

Yami broke the tension with his usual bluntness. "Stephen killed it. Let's just blame the whole thing on him when the time comes."

"What?!" Stephen snapped his head toward Yami, a look of sheer indignation crossing his face.

"That's right," Asta chimed in with a solemn nod, as though it were the most logical conclusion. "Stephen delivered the final blow. The blame should fall on him."

Stephen's eyebrow twitched in frustration as he turned on Asta. "With your sword, which you threw, might I add! And weren't you just celebrating being part of the attack spell? Don't even try it."

Yami huddled the group together conspiratorially, ignoring Stephen's protests. "Alright, here's the plan. If anyone asks, we say Stephen did it. He's not affiliated with us—just some stranger who hitched a ride on Noelle's spell. Got it?"

The group nodded in unison, their expressions deadly serious.

Stephen sighed, his face deadpan. "You guys are seriously just bullying me at this point."

Charmy didn't care about that as she cheerfully pulled out a fork and knife from seemingly nowhere. "Can I still cook it and eat it? It'd be such a waste of food otherwise."

"It would be a waste of food otherwise" Stephen said, not really concerned with it.

With a flick of his hand, he activated his magic. The dismembered parts of the giant squid floated up, its severed tentacles swaying eerily as they were enveloped in Stephen's magic along with the rest of the Kraken. Slowly, he stored the remains inside the mirror dimension with practiced ease, saying it for when Charmy might want or need it.

Vanessa turned to Asta, brushing her hair out of her face. "Looks like it's up to you again, Asta. You'll need to use your sword to cut through the mist."

"Got it!" Asta responded with his usual enthusiasm. He tied a thread around his waist and dove back into the water, swimming with powerful strokes toward the mist. With a determined swing of his blade, he sliced cleanly through the misty veil, revealing what lay beyond.

What they saw stole their breath.

The Underwater Temple wasn't just a temple—it was an entire submerged city. Towering structures, crafted from an array of multicolored stone, rose proudly from the ocean floor. A faint, otherworldly light emanated from the city itself, casting everything in a mystical glow. The light danced across the water, creating an ethereal spectacle that left the group entranced.

"Beautiful," Vanessa murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

After taking a moment to appreciate the sight, Yami broke the silence. "Alright, Noelle, let's get moving. Take us in."

Noelle nodded, summoning her water magic to guide the cradle carrying the group toward the city. As they passed through where the mist had once been, a shimmering veil enveloped them. Suddenly, the space around them shifted, and they realized the air was now breathable.

The cradle glided to a stop atop a cliff overlooking the city. Noelle carefully dispersed the magic, allowing the group to step onto solid ground.

As they gazed out over the sprawling underwater metropolis, Noelle turned to Stephen with a suspicious glint in her eyes. "By the way, you totally could've gotten us here with that 'Shield of the Seraphim' spell, couldn't you? You didn't have to leave it all up to me, you liar."

Stephen smirked, his expression mischievous. "When did I lie? I told you I don't have any water-based spells, and that's true."

"But you do have a spell that could've worked. It's just not water-related," Noelle countered, her voice dripping with exasperation.

Stephen said nothing, his smirk widening as he shrugged nonchalantly.

Noelle rolled her eyes in exasperation. 

Yami, uninterested in the bickering, took charge. "Let's move. The Magic Stone is probably in that tall building over there."

The group fell in line, following Yami as he led the way toward the heart of the mysterious underwater city, the faint glow of the structures illuminating their path.

As they walked, Asta finally asked, "Stephen, I've been meaning to ask—why didn't my sword break your magic circle when it passed through it?"

Stephen smiled slightly and began to explain. "Because my magic operates differently from the standard use of magic in this world. Normally, people use mana to fuel, form, and control spells, usually based on their magical attribute. I, on the other hand, use my mana to summon and channel various types of energy from other dimensions and entities beyond this reality."

The Cloak of Levitation glided gracefully from Noelle's shoulders to Stephen's, settling around him like a scholar's robe, giving him an air of authority as he spoke. The group leaned in, intrigued, as Stephen continued. They knew he could wield a variety of spells of different attributes, but they had never fully understood the mechanics behind his magic and were interested to learn more, even Yami began paying attention.

"What I do is harness and shape this foreign energy into specific forms, creating spells. These forms—what you might call magic circles—are geometric configurations that determine how the energy interacts with our universe and space around us." To demonstrate, Stephen gestured with his hands, summoning his Eldritch Energy to form a glowing magic circle in midair. The energy spiraled and shifted into intricate geometric patterns, pulsing with otherworldly light.

"The challenging part," Stephen continued, "is figuring out the exact shapes, sequences, and formations required for each spell to function. Everything has to be perfectly aligned." As he spoke, the patterns morphed into the intricate designs, the same one the Ancient One should the original Doctor Strange during the first movie. The shimmering shapes hummed with energy, as if alive.

"Once the formation is complete, the energy solidifies into a spell, and I can perform what you'd call 'magic.' Your anti-magic didn't disrupt my spell because it targets mana-based magic from this dimension. The energy I use comes from entirely different sources, so your anti-magic doesn't affect it. However," he added, "if your sword had hit me directly and severed my connection to my mana, I wouldn't have been able to summon the energy at all."

"I see!" Asta exclaimed with enthusiasm, nodding quickly. "That makes total sense… actually, no, I didn't understand a thing you just said!"

Stephen sighed, snapping his fingers to dissolve the glowing circle. The others exchanged wary glances at Asta's blunt honesty.

Vanessa stepped in with a patient smile. "What Stephen's saying, Asta, is that his spells don't use mana in the same way ours do. The energy comes from another dimension, so your anti-magic doesn't work on it. But if you cut off his ability to use mana, then he wouldn't be able to summon the energy to begin with."

"Ah," Asta said, blinking in confusion as he turned to Stephen. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Stephen sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. His voice dropped to a low, dangerous tone. "Asta… You sometimes make me want to resort to violence."

Asta immediately yelped and darted back, grabbing Noelle and positioning her in front of him like a human shield. "WHY ARE YOU USING ME AS A SHIELD?!" Noelle shrieked, her face turning red with anger.

Asta shouted, peeking out from behind her. "Stephen wouldn't hurt a woman! You're the perfect cover! I don't want to get hit!"

As Noelle began blasting Asta with water magic, Vanessa chuckled, turning her attention to Stephen. She raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Wouldn't that make you a dimensional mage? Aren't those, like, extremely rare? I've only ever heard of one—the captain of the Coral Peacock" 

"Except I'm not a mage per se; I'm a Sorcerer," Stephen explained.

"And what's the difference?" Wanda asked, recalling that Stephen hadn't mentioned Sorcerers during their earlier talk about witches and mages.

"Mages use magic from within themselves and the world around them. Sorcerers borrow and use energy from other beings and dimensions," Stephen said.

Although the others had more questions about Stephen's magic, they soon arrived at the main temple. Their presence immediately drew attention, as the residents had never seen Yami and the rest of the group before.

Soon, they found themselves surrounded.

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