*Reue's POV amidst the battle*
"This feeling is weird," Reue spoke aloud as he felt another presence inhabit his body.
Alongside the presence, the flickering star reappeared.
"!" Reue's eyes widened.
The star transfixed itself, slowly transforming into a grimoire.
It was colourful and vibrant, the antithesis of Rue's bleak eyes.
"My very own…" Reue stared at the new book as memories of the Grimoire Tower resurfaced in his mind. The agony and sadness.
However, just because he has a grimoire now, it doesn't mean those feelings would disappear.
Emotions are complex. It's akin to aching tattoos burned to your skin, difficult to push aside.
A rush of power flowed through his body. Like a river, it travelled through each vein to supply the body with mana. As if unlocking hidden meridians, he could finally feel his power.
"So this is what it's like..." Reue thought to himself, recalling all the spells the villagers used in the past, but realised he had more pressing matters to attend to.
"What is this thing?" Reue questioned the being inhabiting his body.
'Your prayers were heard,' the thing said.
"Why is it talking as if it's a God, or some sort of higher being?" Reue thought to himself as he felt his power increase. His hands tensed for a second, narrowing his eyes.
Reue gazed hazily forward, his mind assessing.
"Should I try to get rid of it? A calm thought surfaced in Reue's mind.
"It's better to eliminate—hmmm." Reue contemplated seriously, weighing his thoughts on a scale as he gazed softly at the battle ahead of him.
Reue laughed.
"What am I even thinking?" Reue shook his head.
"At the current moment, I am simply too weak." Reue thought self-depreciatingly, though he was excited about the new surge of power. He wasn't just going to trust anything, especially if something came at a time he most needed it.
It's conflicting.
'Raise your right arm," it commanded.
"Why?" Reue thought to himself, but followed through.
Though Reue was thankful for the massive power boost, it didn't mean he would willingly follow everything.
"What is it trying to achieve?" Contrary to this thought, Reue followed through, feeling the surge of power going out of control.
The power felt wild, instinctual, but for some reason felt like it was at home.
"What is he doing?" The surge of power grew rapidly, like the roots of a plant too big for a cup; it tried to break out of Reue's weak body.
Reue felt a slight twitch in his hand; he felt the urge to repel this thing out of his body; however, something more alarming was at stake.
A cold shiver caressed Reue's body.
A metallic arrow was rapidly honing its way.
"Dammit, what other choice do I have? It's either I listen to that narcissistic voice or get pierced." Reue subconsciously dulled his thoughts, allowing the thing to pilot more parts of his body."
The situation wasn't smooth. It was the complete opposite.
It felt foggy, blurred, but synchronised.
Each action would exactly align with Reue's thoughts; each movement of mana felt like the most optimal pathway to release a spell.
Something that Reue didn't think was possible. Something he wanted to do all his life, so with the luck or power God bestowed, Reue would let it run wild.
Unknowingly, Reue was captivated by the passing of mana and the estranged way it intertwined.
The battlefield ahead showcased a multitude of skills.
The powerful wrath of the swords of justice, Asta's fate-defying weapon and Revichi's skilled use of chain creation.
"Run wild in a controlled, experimental way." Rue thought as the battle was nearing its end.
"Illusion magic, huh." Reue was amused, breathing heavily from the aftermath of the fight.
He saw everything, the way his body was able to perfectly project swords of light that gleamed through the clear sky. The orchestrated movement of the swords followed a profound harmony that perfectly coordinated its attack.
It was beautiful.
Though his body was drunk on power, the lingering thoughts of exhaustion seeped in as a blast of dust covered his vision.
"Good job, let's go." The thing applauded Reue, forcing him to go forward.
"What should I call 'it'?" Reue thought.
"Do I have to consult it first? Or would any random name do?" Reue lingered for a second.
Reue, begrudgingly, dragged his body forward, feeling a heavy weight on his eye. He could barely hear audible sounds as he leaned down to pick up Yuno's grimoire along the way.
Every movement felt like heavy chains on his body.
In the distance, Reue could hear Asta shouting something comprehensively inaudible, but he could partly make out what they said.
"Haha, sorry about that… I won't do it again-"
Pretending to listen along and respond somewhat automatically. His eyes widened once he looked between his and Asta's grimoires.
"I am a devil host…?" Reue thought as he could feel his body weaken from exhaustion
"REUE!" he heard as he closed his eyes.
The genuine panic in 'its' voice was relieving, weirdly enough.
"Just be quiet." Reue thought, finally passing out from exhaustion.
**** Within a dream ****
So this is what it's like being inside a grimoire; it's surprisingly bland. I thought to myself.
Well, yeah, it's actually just a white subspace. I wonder if I can make it a bit more lively or add anything to it.
I imagined different dream houses I used to always want to live in. Maybe a wooden cottage house would do.
I'm technically the "owner" of this place. I snapped my fingers, and a small antique house appeared.
Hahaha, I'm a god, won't be long till I become wizard king, well actually our body couldn't even handle 1 spell and yes OUR body. I claim partial ownership.
I think I should add a Chimney- a large white fog permeated and appeared on top of the house.
Wait, what, I didn't-
The fog formed a screen, showcasing a first-person perspective of someone, probably Reue. The 'video' displayed a view of a large interior of books cascading on shelves that seemed endless.
The space seemed to slightly tremble.
Looks like the inside of the magic tower, confirming my suspicions that it played a scene of a bright green book rushing toward Yuno, with respective bystanders receiving their own. An audience gasped and applauded Yuno.
But a strange occurrence happened. Well, it was reasonable why Asta didn't receive one, as it aligns with the story, but why not Reue?
The first-person lens shifted to view Asta with his arms opened wide, waiting for a grimoire, but nothing appeared. Asta glanced over to the camera "Well, at least I'm not alone, he let out a small but sad chuckle.
The camera shook. It trembled and became slightly blurry. "Haha, yeah, that's true." a cracked and desperate voice responded.
The beautiful house I personally made shook and broke apart. Not paying any mind, I leaned forward, closer towards the screen.
In the corner of the view, Yuno could be seen glancing over with shock and confusion. He was happy he received a 4-leaf clover, but why didn't they receive any?
"Asta, Reue-" Yuno spoke
The screen blacked out, or more so turned off.
The trembling stopped.
"HEY, I was getting to the good part!" I threw popcorn that I somehow managed to manifest at the black screen.
I threw the remaining popcorn at my somehow broken house. Calming down my emotions, I assessed the situation.
"Looks like this space reflects my host as well." Twirling my finger, the house floated and slowly rebuilt itself piece by piece.
The screen flickered, displaying static noises.
'BZZZZZZZ'
"Huh, it's bac-" Losing concentration, the house fell apart.
The screen flashed a bright white light, covering the entire space.
"AHHH-"
Light beamed through the cottage window, shining on Reue's face.
In a peaceful village where farmers skillfully harvest their crops with basic earth sprouting spells, children are outside with eagerness to grow, attempting to show off the meagre power of their magic and the mothers watch on the sidelines while drying the clothes on the hangers.
"Urgh." Reue begrudgingly twisted his body to the other side of his head on the now warm pillow. The oak bed croaked alongside.
"AHHHH NOT YET!" A familiar voice shouted nearby, but somehow the voice made it into the cottage house, bounced off the old oak walls and blasted loudly into Reue's eardrums.
"MY MAGIC IS NOT GIVING UP!" The voice yelled louder
"URGH SO LOUD!" Reue's eyes opened widely as his back shot straight up.
Peering out the window, he could see Asta and Yuno practicing. The clouds painted the background, but the salient demon head gave the surroundings an ominous presence.
"Yep, back at Hag-" Reue thought.
"AHHH, MY EYES!" I yelled, annoyed that my life literally flashed before my eyes.
"Huh, you're still here…um demon?" Reue mused.
"NEXT TIME YOU WAKE UP REMIND ME SO I DON'T TURN INTO ASH BABY!" I yelled in turn, sharing Reue's view. I could see Asta and Yuno practicing in the distance.
"Huh…" For some reason, Reue began to seriously doubt his earlier beliefs that this 'being' contained a whole heap of power.
Strangely enough, Reue had thoughts of actually winning a fight against this thing, a fist fight to be exact.
"Ahh, forget it. How do you feel?" I questioned as we continued to watch Asta skillfully block Yuno's attack. Attempting to redirect the blades of wind.
"Mm.." Reue struggled to find the right words.
"Never mind." Reue gave up.
"Spit it out." I replied instantly, "One thing I hate the most is people who lead me on!" I screamed internally, but managed to maintain a calm facade.
"Alright, I guess…" Reue paused before continuing.
There were a myriad of questions Reue wanted to ask, but he felt the most important question for now was this.
"What do I call 'You?'" Reue questioned.
"Well, obviously you call me-"
For some reason, my head blanked out.
Trying to recollect past memories was akin to scooping up grains of sand that crawled through the tiniest crevices. Instead of sand, it was glass; each time I tried to pick it up, it left deep cuts.
"Hello?" Reue spoke.
His voice carried a minuscule amount of confusion.
"My name-" My throat tightened; an invisible wall blocked my next words.
I was trying to find any word that would solve this puzzle.
Nothing came out.
"Willow." Reue stated with an air of authority.
"Huh?" I asked, confused.
"Willow. That's your name now." Reue stated calmly, his gaze lingering on Asta and Yuno's battle.
Though Reue didn't know if this demon-like being would accept it, he tried anyway.
It just felt right.
Sharing the view, I contemplated my new name.
"Willow, huh?" It felt right. I can't describe the feeling.
"Asta, dodge this!" The bandaged Yuno shouted in the distance, seeing Asta successfully parry his cluster of wind.
Though it pained him to cast spells, it was nothing compared to his determination.
"BRING IT ON!" Asta fired in response, firmly grasping his greatsword.
"Well, we might as well join in…" Willow remarked, easing the silence between him and Reue.
Reue paused for a moment, his lips pressed against each other.
"Y'know…" He muttered under his breath before shaking his head.
"Never mind, we probably have a whole heap of time in the future." Reue thought to himself.
Willow, accurately guessing what Reue would want to speak about, didn't press further.
"We will cross that bridge when we get there," Willow muttered, barely audible.
Reue showed a slight smile, smirking as if agreeing with Willow's sentiment.
Reue's grimoire opened, flickering to the only page with writing.
"Illusion magic." Reue pondered, shaking his head.
"I wonder how I would fare in a fight against them." Reue contemplated, opening the cottage window. His eye twitched, sore from the previous wounds.
"Reue!" Asta and Yuno turned their heads and started to run to Reue, who had just landed safely.
"I guess it's time to begin, isn't it?" Willow sighed; he felt a feeling he didn't think he would ever encounter again.
One of the "perks" of sharing a body is the shared feelings, in particular experiencing the warm feelings Reue held for his siblings.
"Oh, how I hate brotherly love." Willow laughed self-depreciatingly.