100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: A glimpse into a world where Lichita doesn't give Asta away. A glimpse into a world where Noelle runs from home. A glimpse into a world where Liebe's and Lichita's fate is inevitable.

—

Lichita had always known her son was different.

From the moment she held Asta in her arms, she felt it—his lack of mana, his strange resistance to magic itself. Unlike everyone else in the world, she did not drain his life force. He was untouched by her condition, immune to the curse that made her a pariah.

She had never been happier.

With no reason to give him up, Lichita raised Asta in the solitude of their small forest clearing, nestled deep in the Forsaken Realm. They lived simply, gathering food, tending to a small garden, and finding joy in the little things. Lichita adored her son, and Asta—full of boundless energy and enthusiasm—adored her right back.

But their peaceful existence was shattered the day Asta found her.

—

Asta had always been a restless child, eager to explore, eager to push his limits. He ran through the trees, training his body, dreaming of one day becoming strong enough to protect his mother.

That day, he found something different.

A girl.

She was collapsed near the riverbank, soaked to the bone, her tiny frame trembling from cold and exhaustion. Her silver hair was matted with dirt, her dress—once rich and fine—was torn. She looked fragile, as if she might shatter with a single touch.

Asta didn't know much about nobility or class, but he could see that she didn't belong in the Forsaken Realm. She had come from somewhere far, far away.

And yet, she was alone.

"Hey! Wake up!"

He shook her gently, his small hands barely able to move her. The girl stirred, her eyelids fluttering weakly before revealing pale lilac eyes.

For a second, she stared at him in fear.

Then—she fainted.

—

Lichita hadn't expected to take in another child.

But when Asta carried the unconscious girl back to their home, eyes pleading for his mother to help, Lichita didn't hesitate.

She didn't question why the girl had appeared in the Forsaken Realm. She didn't ask why despite being in her presence Noelle didn't lose her lifeforce. All she saw was a child—lost, abandoned, afraid.

And she knew that pain all too well.

So she took her in.

It was slow at first. Noelle barely spoke. She flinched at sudden movements, her hands curling into fists whenever Asta got too close. She refused to tell them where she came from. But slowly, Lichita's warmth, Asta's boundless energy, and the peacefulness of the forest began to wear her down.

Noelle started to smile.

She started to laugh.

And, for the first time in her life—she started to feel safe.

—

One year later, another presence entered their lives.

It started with a strange voice in the woods.

Asta and Noelle had gone to gather food when they stumbled upon something impossible—a devil. A small, horned creature with white hair and crimson eyes, collapsed in the grass, bleeding, trembling, and struggling to move.

Noelle recoiled in fear, but Asta—without hesitation—ran forward.

And once again, he brought home something broken.

Liebe was wary. Bitter. He didn't trust humans. He flinched at their kindness, scowled at their warmth, waited for the moment they would betray him.

But Lichita simply smiled and told him, "You're safe here."

And just like Noelle before him, he slowly, hesitantly, began to believe it.

Liebe became Asta's brother. Noelle's, too. They became a family.

For the first time in their lives, the unwanted, the abandoned, the unloved—found love in each other.

But peace never lasted long.

—

The attack came without warning.

Lucifero's presence descended upon their clearing, suffocating, oppressive, monstrous.

Asta, and Noelle were thrown back by his power, helpless against the sheer weight of his magic.

And Lichita—who had taken Liebe in as her own—stood alone against the King of Devils.

Asta would never forget her final smile.

She placed a hand on Liebe's cheek while looking back on him, eyes full of love, and whispered, "Take care of each other."

Then—Lucifero struck.

And Lichita was gone.

Her body fell. Blood stained the earth.

Liebe screamed.

Something inside Asta shattered.

And in the midst of that heartbreak, Liebe—furious, broken, desperate—was sealed within the five-leaf grimoire.

Asta grabbed it, grabbed Noelle's trembling hand, and ran.

They didn't stop running until they reached Hage.

Until they found shelter in the church.

Until they had lost everything.

—

Life in Hage was different.

No longer in the isolated comfort of their forest home, Asta and Noelle had to adapt to a world that neither of them belonged to.

But at least they had each other.

And they had Yuno.

Despite their hardships, Asta and Noelle thrived. They grew stronger. They trained together. They argued, bickered, but never left each other's side.

Noelle, once terrified of her own power, learned control.

Asta, once reckless beyond belief, learned patience.

And slowly, somewhere in between shared dreams and silent promises—they fell in love.

It wasn't obvious at first.

Not to them, anyway.

But to everyone else? It was painfully clear.

Even Yuno, as stoic as he was, sighed in exasperation at how oblivious they were to their own feelings.

—

For over a decade, Nozel Silva never stopped searching.

Wracked with guilt, suffocated by regret, he scoured the kingdom, hoping—praying—for a miracle.

And then, one day—he found her.

Noelle.

Alive.

Stronger than ever.

And in love with a peasant boy.

Nozel didn't care about Asta. He didn't care about anything except bringing Noelle home.

But Noelle was no longer the broken child he had once known.

She refused.

"I am home," she told him.

Nozel's world cracked.

Because in the end—he had lost his sister long ago.

—

The past could never be erased.

Their scars could never truly fade.

But despite the pain, despite the wounds left behind—Asta and Noelle had built something beautiful.

A family. A home. A future.

And as they stood together, facing whatever the world threw at them—

They knew.

No matter what happened.

No matter how much the past tried to drag them back.

They would never be alone again.

Because they had each other.

And that was enough.