In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Zaven had rummaged through the old libraries of the Blake Estate that had been mostly demolished and ransacked due to Zaven having relocated the Blake family to the Shadow Mana Zone...and because of something that he was not ready to admit. However he had seen enough of the magic to know...his parents had been through this place. He picked up a photo from this shattered realm, it looked as though Zaven was a loved child between two happy parents. He folded it up after surveying the rest of the manor, the rest of it looked to be in various states of destruction...there was nothing he could do about it, and he had already given the land back to the crown. The Shadow of Dawn looked around while standing in the foyer and took in a deep breath after a few moments of remembering his old life. Memories were flooding his mind as he experienced two different histories that seemed to merge together at points, but it was always painful. [break][break]
Gods be damned...if it is not one thing it is another with this shattering thing.” The memories caused his mana to burst forth and lash out as he felt his scar on his chest flare up...the cause of which was Hinota...another thing that he did not know how to approach as of yet. He felt conflicted with so much going on he just needed a moment...a center...some...thing. He sighed with frustration. Or someone, he was ready to just throw himself at the next person he met along the road, fuck he might as well do it...get his mind off of this since he had stopped drinking, he did not smoke all that much either, a shell of the person he once was. Hraban was about to console his master but then with a primal roar Zaven just finally reached a boiling point. ”I JUST WANT TO BE LOVED! I WANT TO HAVE PEACE IN MY HEART AND SOUL! I WANT TO BE HAPPY!” He let out this confession knowing that in the line of work he chose...a happy ending was not likely to be in the cards, and he knew that going in, but he had also been engaged once...he was a playboy another time...hell he even considered approaching two other very familiar women...yet one disappeared and the other...became quite distant. HE launched himself forward and with mana empowering him he began to rip apart sections of the staircase leading up, his mana crashed against the wall in a purple, azure twist that eventually destroyed and smashed sections of the house. ”IF I CAN’T BE AT PEACE THEN WHAT IS THE POINT!” He called out to the shadows that nobody occupied, the best thing he could do was just vent his frustration and anger out on the inanimate objects around him so as his mana destroyed the house around him like waves of shadow energy just wiping the area clean of the previous inhabitants. ”WHY WAS I NOT LOVED….WHY DID THE SHATTERING RUIN THINGS...WHY AM I EVEN ALIVE!” Tears streamed down his face as he finally fell to the floor, the mana finally reaching its apex as Zaven summoned Erebus and completely destroyed the house as he punched the floor and roared out with anger, confusion, sorrow, and power as divuts were put into the ground as the scene turned violent for a few moments, and when it was done...Zaven canceled out the golem and saw the world around him came crashing down as debris littered the area around him and left him with just the loose baseboards and foundation of the manor. It was like a tornado went through the area. [break][break]
He still stood there and just looked up at the sky and cried for a few minutes as the ground was soon littered with the remains of the manor. [break][break]
After about fifteen minutes he finally stopped crying and looked at his now black and blue hands, cuts and stained blood also covered his hands as he clenched his fists...he had let his anger prevail again...just like he swore he would fix earlier into his knight career. He stood up and with those swollen eyes he made way for an old fountain that still held water in it and he sighed before sticking his hands, up to his forearms inside of the pool of cool liquid. He began to wash himself slowly as he tried not to think about what had happened, there were even a few travelers lingering near the old estate fences that were now bent and twisted in grotesque fashion...they wanted to know what on earth just happened...and Zaven did not want to answer them. He soon finished after twenty minutes, he discarded his broken and torn cloak, keeping his nice button up long sleeve shirt on, pulling the sleeves down and buttoning the cuffs before leaving the estate. [break][break]
Soon he was on the road back to the Golden Dawn base, a road that interconnected a lot of Commoner villages to the noble realms and higher...He was just trying to see if there was anything left in that old house of his and all he received is a head full of unease and questions he had no answers for. He was lost for once in his life and he just wandered, hands in his pockets and his head low...his eyes were dull and he had no vice to call upon in this moment to free his mind from whatever was plaguing him.
Post by Hinota Yuiee✾ on May 19, 2021 19:38:29 GMT -5
It had been an eventful day, she had ended up going to Hage as she did daily since the events in Kikka. It was helping her to cope with the events that she had been through since joining the magic knights. The main reason she had started was because, she was afraid that Valo would lose himself to the darkness of grief so she brought him homemade food, snacks and drinks to at least she knew that he was eating. Dusk was already falling by the time she left the Green Mantis mage, Valo had offered to take her home but she said that she would be fine. In honesty, she was a little nervous as she had never walked home from visiting him so late; if she did stay this late she usually went to an inn and stayed the night but those were very few times.
She was stronger than when they had first met, not by a lot but she knew she had grown but she still lacked offensive qualities which she was fine with even if others were not. It had become almost pitch black by the time she made it halfway to the next town, she had to admit she was having some flashbacks to Kikka and that neverending darkness that it was trapped in. The moon was but a sliver at this point and with it being so cloudy she couldn't even get the light of the stars. She was completely on edge, it was times like this she really wished she was born a sensory mage. 'Why didn't I take him up on his offer?''Do you really want an answer for that?''Please stop... not now... It's bad enough without light.' it was the same old thing, when that vile feeling felt like it was welling up inside.
'It's coming to an end you know' The sickening voice continued making her drop the container that she had been carrying the food into the ground so she could cover her ears. She didn't want to hear the negativity, she knew it was useless, after all the voice was speaking directly into her head. She quickly moved to her knees and started putting things back into the bamboo containers "Why must I be so stupid." she said scolding herself, she was almost in tears, right now she had no idea what to do. She was never normally alone when it was dark, in fact, this would actually be her first time ever since leaving her families estate. She really wasn't a fan of it "I should have just stayed at the inn or accepted his offer." she said hearing the menacing dark laughter at the back of her mind making tears fall from her eyes.
Word Count: 461
Last Edit: May 19, 2021 19:40:40 GMT -5 by Hinota Yuiee✾
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Ahead he felt a familiar presence, and the scar on his chest began to burn with an ache that almost made him retch and double over. After coughing a couple of times he finally regained his composure and continued on his way until he happened upon that familiar presence finally. He blinked a couple of times before approaching the familiar person, the ache in his chest came back and he grasped the scar for a moment before swallowing the hot saliva stuck in his throat. He went to reach out, but knew how well that had gone before...it did not scare him, but he also knew she had a problem with that and so he stopped and sighed before sitting next to her on the ground, he did not honestly know how else to approach the situation. A million thoughts ran through his head; Was she ok? Why was she always gone? Why can he never seem to talk to her? What does she mean to me? The nobleman had frequently...more recently than any other time found this woman to be on his mind more and more, but he did not understand...or rather he did not want to understand? That is what he thought anyway and it made the man more confused than ever...which was almost normal around the woman. Inwardly he sighed and even slapped himself in the face a couple of times just to see if he could wake himself up from this stupor, but there was no such luck to be found for The Shadow of Dawn, instead that voice in his head told him to take a plunge...he WANTED to protect this woman, like something in his soul just resonated when she was near and he wanted to hold onto that feeling as much as he could. He needed her, but for what purpose...even the Captain of the Golden Dawn did not know, or if he did he did not dare give it a name. [break][break]
”Why is it that everytime we find ourselves near each other...one of us or both of us end or start in despair, or confusion...eh Hinota?” He said with a casual tone, unlike most of the ones he had usually used around her, his defenses fell when he saw her like this, and so far...each time they had been around each other outside of the base...this has happened. She was a puzzle to him, but also a source of light. Her innocent smile, her usually soothing voice, and even that darker side allured him, tempted him...yet also kept him at bay. He did not wish to see her hurt. [break][break]
”How about we grab some dinner in the next town, and I take you back to the base, or wherever you wish to go? Also I..am sorry that you are going through whatever it is you are going through, if you wish to speak about it I would happily lend an ear like I did at the gazebo many moons ago.” Zaven said as he wore a soft smile on his face...a view not many got to see often, he did not know what else to offer at the time. However even for a moment, if he could at least calm her and get her to her destination...he would know she was safe. The Shadow of Dawn did NOT realize however, that in this time in finding Hinota in the state she was in...his other troubles seemed to melt away. For now he just had a singular focus, and he waited for her reply.
Post by Hinota Yuiee✾ on Jun 1, 2021 9:39:31 GMT -5
She was stacking the bamboo containers wondering if she should just turn back towards Hage, it would take her close to two hours but she might still be able to get a room at the inn. She had no idea what she would do if there weren't any vacancies, because, by now, Valo would have believed her safe inside a room. She feared he would be angry with her and beyond worried at the same time. No, she knew she would have to continue forward as she didn't want him to feel like that because she did something foolish. She also worried that he would blame himself for not insisting more. She felt beyond pathetic, she was a magic knight and appeared to be scared of the dark. It wasn't one hundred percent inaccurate but she had been in Kikka and she was quite sure it affected everyone who had been in that dark domain in some way.
No, in her case it was walking home alone in the darkness, she could shield and heal, but that would only do so much especially if she ended up coming across someone stronger than herself. She would be in a very bad situation then. Being so preoccupied with picking things up she didn't realize that someone was approaching her, that was until she saw a set of shoes in front of her. She froze like a deer in a headlight for a moment as her brain almost shut off, she looked up only to see a hand moved towards her and she was really regretting her decisions in that second. Soon sakura blossoms encased her to protect her against what may have been about to happen. It was then the person seemingly withdrew and sat down beside her, that caught her off guard.
She heard the gentle hit of the other and sakura blossoms vanished, it was then she realized who it was "You shouldn't hit yourself captain." she said her voice showing more concern for him than even herself. "Dispair captain?" she asked confused at his comment, she knew she was not exactly her normal self but giving the time of evening and the road she was on there was an easy explanation for her reactions. "What happened to your hands?" she finally asked realizing the injuries on his knuckles and took his larger coarse hands in her smaller delicate ones as she inspected the injuries. Though not one of her spells she channelled her mana over the other's hands watching the wounds vanish at a quicker pace than she had been able to before. She smiled knowing that her healing was getting stronger and that meant she could help more in the future.
"I am not in dispair, I'm just..." she paused for a second "I'm not used to walking home alone especially in the dark." she confessed to him looking at the bamboo containers stacked upon each other once more. She was ashamed of that fact, she had been in two places that daemons attacked and got out unscathed many would say but here she was sitting in the middle of a road unsure of her surroundings or what could happen to her. It was a completely different mindset as she had no one depending on her success and no goal to fulfil, at that point, she was just an ordinary teenage girl. She looked to him as he invited her to a meal as she let go of his hands and shook her head "There is no need for that captain, I wouldn't wish to inconvenience you." her voice was still as gentle as it had always been.
She stood up holding the handle of the stacked containers and dusted herself off as she still didn't really like looking anything but the doll she was raised to be. "I'm just heading back to the squad base." she said before shaking her head "It's nothing like I said, I'm just not used to walking on my own especially so late." she repeated, even at home she was with her handmaiden if she walked in the evening, there has been a scare when she was a child so since that day her parents had put nothing to chance. She had no memories of that time, she was just told that something bad had happened and she was never to walk alone in the evening, it had been that way for as long as she could remember. This was the first time she had attempted to walk on her own and she ended up having a miniature break down in the road, that was flattering she was sure.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Zaven saw the flowers bloom before he took a seat on the dirt, he did not mind that she put up a guard, after all he could have just been anybody. The small chastisement did not bother him as he actually sparked a small smile, that was until she asked him about his hands. ”This is just a small matter, and one of my own doing...I was seeing to the final demolitions of my old manor...a place that held man...memories for me.” He said as he did his best to hide the bad taste in his mouth from the whole ordeal, she held his hands in hers, the soft touch was uplifting, but he almost instinctively wanted to pull away from her as he remembered the incident at the tree decorating celebration from the previous year. He could feel the wounds healing at a faster rate than what happened normally and he was going to say something until she started talking again. Then she explained to him about not being in despair, but just not used to being in the darkness all alone...or rather the alone time specifically. Zaven could understand her worry and unease in the situation, so that was why Zaven offered to at least take her back to town to help ease her worries. [break][break]
At his offer she politely declined, telling him that there was no need to inconvenience him and he just shook his head and gave a soft chuckle and was about to speak again when she explained she was heading back to the base and that she really was fine, but not used to walking alone so late. ”Hinota, it is no problem, since it is so late though, it is not proper that you go without escort, since you are a beautiful young woman...The offer for food is not so that it inconveniences me, it is so I can relieve your unease. Please, accept my offer to at least join me for dinner, and afterward we can both head back to the base, or we can wait till morning if that makes it easier for you?’ He said as he took the wraps off of his hands, there were now a few small scars that were nothing serious, but it was easy to see that these were marks of a battle or through punching something...not from little mistakes while demolishing, and the blood was for the most part gone, all he was left with was some ragged looking clothing, all together really...he looked nothing like the captain for the Golden Dawn...it was actually kind of comical. ”Besides I hear that there is a nice enough restaurant around here that serves some of the best pot potatoes and I have a soft spot for them since the time I used to travel at sea with my father.” He did not go much further into that subject but at least it was an honest request, and there was no ill intent behind it. He was, after all, her captain and he wanted what was best for her.
Post by Hinota Yuiee✾ on Jul 11, 2021 21:05:05 GMT -5
Hinota looked to him lowering the blossoms completely, she felt foolish having put the barrier up in the first place but she had no idea who he was, she lacked sensory and ki, with it being so dark it could have been anyone. She really needed to perhaps find a sensory teacher or someone to help her learn ki at least, it was something she kept telling herself but something always kept coming up and she was still blind as a bat in the dark. She listened to him as she tended to his hands, she could understand wanted to get rid of something with memories you wouldn't want to remember. The thing is she could never imagine wanting to be rid of them so badly that she would allow herself to get hurt for it, it wouldn't be worth the additional pain, agony but she knew everyone was different.
She could tell the bitterness that the man had but didn't comment on it, she didn't feel like it was her place to. She wasn't too sure how aware he knew her to be, but he knew she had a tactical mind and could change plans at even a subtle difference so she was quite detail orientated. It was true that she didn't deal with contact well but that was more to do with her upbringing and the beating she had got less than a year previously, still, she was a healer and that meant contact with another person from time to time. She concentrated on what she was doing at current, she was aware of why he had offered to take her to town and where she was thankful she honestly didn't want him to worry about her. It was only a few hours walk she would have been fine she was sure.
She was so used to having Junjie and Luli with her if she went anywhere especially so late, well at least on her families estate, when she visited Valo she normally just went to the inn if it was so late. So, she really never went anywhere alone when it was completely dark. She listened to his words telling her it was no problem at all and since it was so late it wouldn't be proper for her to walk without an escort. That she was a beautiful young woman 'Perhaps you should give yourself a few scars or find an acid mage.' 'Be quite' 'I'm just saying it would solve some of your problems' she hated it when that voice interjected its thoughts they were always so callous towards her or others. It was a constant reminder of everything she didn't ever want to become.
"I may be a beautiful young woman but I am also a capable magic knight captain." she said just hearing the darkness scoff at the back of her head. It was true her confidence was shaken every time that voice spoke on the matter or when someone told her she didn't belong on a battlefield because of her pacifism. She still tried her best, that's all she really could do. She was never going to be an attack mage even if the darkness wanted otherwise, her defences would be strong though not as strong as her vice-captains, but, she would be one of the best-known healers in Clover. She could live with that fact and made peace with it when she was a child when she started healing people even if it was only from basic bumps and bruises she was still proud of herself because she was making a difference.
"I don't need to be treated like I can't take care of myself by everyone." she said holding her sleeves a little, she knew her weaknesses, she wasn't blind to them but at the same time, she wasn't trying to dwell on them either. Everyone else did and that made her doubt worse. "I'm thankful for your kindness captain but I really do just want to get back to the headquarters." she said, her families estate was by far closer but she avoided the place like a plague for many reasons. She knew she was hungry but she just didn't want to inconvenience him, it was clear he was busy doing other things after all and she didn't want to get in the way of it. She shook her head to the request to wait until morning "I make food in the morning before I go to Hage so it makes little sense to wait until then." she confessed.
She looked at his hands as he unwrapped them and noticed the scars "I guess my magic still has a long way to go." 'Now you see why they say you don't belong on a battlefield, why you should just marry.' 'Please go to sleep.' she didn't need the negativity right now. "I should be able to heal without leaving scars but it turns out I can't still." she seemed disappointed in herself, she was called a prodigy in healing and still couldn't make it look as if there had been no injuries at all. She was questioning herself. "Pot potato?" she seemed confused at the mention of them, she had never heard of them and something told her there was a good reason for it. He seemed quite insistent that she go for a meal with him, she knew there was nothing sinister about it as he was her captain after all. She just bit her lip for a moment and nodded her head agreeing to his request, she just wasn't sure if she was going to eat a food she never had before.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Hearing her reaction caused him to scratch the back of his head...he knew her, he did really see a beauty in her, and he also knew of her darker side, but the thing was...he felt like he could be himself with her. So when she said she was a capable knight he gave a smile; ”Trust me I know you are a capable knight...someone I can actually trust. A rare commodity these days.” He said with a slight smile, at heart he was still shy around her, something about her just brought out a stuttering child in Zaven a lot of the time. Then came the rebuttal and it made his smile diminish...of course he would be seen as if he was just trying to take care of her all the time, and then when she made the comment about Hage, he knew she was leaving the base each day and it happened right after Kikka...yet the Shadow of Dawn did not give up, in the end he wanted her happy. When she made the remarks about his scars he just simply took his hands and put them into his pockets. ”These are nothing...I thank you for at least closing my wounds, I hope I did not get any blood on your hands...I remember what happened at the tree ceremony.” He was not trying to make her feel bad and he had hopped she did not take it as such so when she replied with the two words of a pot potato and then a nod to let him know she was agreeing to go to dinner with him he just gave a soft smile and then stood up and looked back to the village. ”Shall we get a move on? It won’t take us long at all to get there.” He said as he began to lead the way. [break][break]
The small pub was a hole in the wall, not really a dump, but not quite the five star joint that a captain would often enjoy. He would get the pair of them a booth that was at least the most lit one in the place, he knew that the darkness had a bad effect on her. Once they were sat down and given a small menu Zaven ordered a local drink; a cream soda. The server did of course recognize Zaven and was about to say something when Zaven looked at Hinota. ”Feel free to get whatever sounds good to you. This place is quite homely, I remember coming here as a kid…” He said as he stared off for a moment, for a second a true smile on his face that was a welcome sight. Once Hinota had ordered he left and Zaven sighed contently. ”Thank you...for agreeing to come with me for a bite to eat. I hope you enjoy the food, once we order that is.” He said as he wanted to strike up some conversation, so he decided to strike while the iron was hot. ”I never did get to thank you for accompanying me on the tree decorating trip...I am sorry things turned out the way that they did, but at least for a moment...I was happy.” He looked to be in a thought bubble, almost like a kid that was nervous about talking...which really did not fit his character at all. He waited for an answer as the place cleared out slowly and soon they were the ones left. Every so often someone would enter for a drink, but they never stayed long.
