#I am presuming a lot of things about my faves’ situation post first time skip and also how this scene might’ve went down in general

[valtoswife]

Nacht tilted his head at the giant white building he was about to enter, observing just how pristine it looked from where he stood. Such an awfully nice place to be, especially for those types of people...

He used his magic to travel through the shadow of the building and get inside, then wandered through the halls to find the people he was there to talk to. His usual sardonic smile formed as he did so, thinking about all the things he saw from them secondhand with his Shadow Magic. It was certainly going to be interesting to actually meet them.

He eventually found the place he was looking for, and knocked on the door labeled Magic Tool Research. A blond man in a white lab coat and goggles answered. He took off his goggles to show his wide, confused eyes, and said, “Um, hello. What can I do for you?”

“Hello. You must be Dr. North. I’m Nacht Faust, Vice Captain of the Black Bulls Magic Knight Squad. I’d like to speak to you and your friends here on an important matter.”

“My friends?” he asked. “Oh! You mean—“

“Yes, them. Are they available to talk?”

“Yes! Of course!” He widened the door to let Nacht in, and offered a seat from one of the lab tables. When Nacht didn’t sit down, he cleared his throat awkwardly and then rushed across the room to open a door from the other side and yelled, “Guys, come down! The Vice Captain of the Black Bulls has come here to talk to us!”

In response, out came an exasperated groan from one person, while simultaneously, another voice asked, “Is this about that explosion last month, Makusa? I told you, it was an accident this time, I swear!” However, the first person to arrive was dead silent as he entered the room through a pitch black portal on the ground. His gray hair covered one of his strange eyes with black sclerae, as well as one of the two symmetrical lines on his face. Not long after, the two sources of noise came down: one with long purple hair and an eye patch, and another with short black hair and red glasses.

“Ah, so you are the people that caused quite a bit of trouble for my teammates and kingdom while I was gone.” Nacht’s smile widened and his cold blue eyes narrowed as he spoke.

“What do you want?” snapped the man in the eye patch.

“So brusque,” Nacht commented. “I hate people like that.”

“Does it look like I care?”

Nacht ignored him and turned to face Makusa as he spoke to the four of them. “What I’m about to say is confidential information, so don’t go around letting this slip and causing a public panic.” He closed his eyes. “Captain Vangeance of the Golden Dawn and Sukehiro of the Black Bulls have been kidnapped by the Spade Kingdom.”

“What?! How?!” Makusa asked.

“Two members of the Dark Triad invaded our kingdom and attacked those two squads. And one of them used Spatial Magic to take the captains away for a little plan of theirs.” Nacht gave the man with the lined face the quickest glance before turning back to Makusa. “They want to use the captains in a ritual that will transport the underworld’s devils into our world.”

Makusa was too shocked to respond. All he could do was stare at his visitor in horror.

“So what are telling us this stuff for?” the patched man asked.

“I’m gathering a team to go to the Spade Kingdom and rescue the captains before their ritual is completed, and I’d like for you,” he said to Makusa, “to make some sort of magic item that will help us infiltrate the Spade Kingdom undetected.”

“Of course!” Makusa nodded. “Sally and I will begin right away!”

“Use Sally if you must,” Nacht sighed.

“Trust me,” Makusa said. “Sally should be the one leading this kind of project.”

“Very well, but I also have another job for her, Valtos, and Rades Spirito.” He looked at Sally. “You three have been chosen as part of the team that will be sent to rescue Yami and Vangeance.”

“Alright.” Rades lifted his head, suddenly interested. “How much time are we talking?”

Nacht raised an eyebrow at him. “In the Spade Kingdom? Well, once the ritual starts it would take seven days—“

“No, I meant off our sentences,” Rades clarified.

“Who said anything about shortening your sentences?” Nacht asked. “Given the nature of your sentences, if you ask me, I think you’ve all been let off too easily anyways.”

Rades let out a burst of laughter. “Then what’s in it for us if we do take this job?”

“What’s in it for you?” Nacht’s smile widened to a point where it was unnatural, unsettling to look at. “How about by taking this job and playing your part in stopping the ritual, the world as you know it doesn’t become a literal Hell on Earth for everyone, including yourself. Is that not enough of an incentive to help?”

Rades glared at Nacht, but could not think of anything else to say, so Valtos shared, “Well, I don’t mind if our sentences don’t get lowered, even if we do help. Like you just said, it is a matter bigger than all of us. Besides, this would be a good opportunity to keep atoning for my sins.”

“Shut up, Valtos!” Rades yelled.

Nacht let out a low chuckle at Valtos. “You? Atone? After everything you’ve done? Well, whatever helps you sleep at night, I suppose.”

He turned to Sally. “What about you? What do you have to say about this arrangement?”

“I’m just curious.” Sally tilted her head at Nacht. “Who else is going to be on this team?”

“The captains of the other squads, or the vice captain if not the captain. Well, besides the Purple Orcas. They’ll stay behind to keep things in order here while we’re gone. And...one of my teammates is also coming along.”

Sally’s eyes widened. “Is it Asta?! It has to be Asta! You can’t go into a place like the Spade Kingdom without any abilities like his!”

Nacht sighed. “You’re right. It’s him. But don’t you dare think that means you’ll get to bother him at any point during this mission. You’re going to be tasked with a different job from his. While he helps defeat the Triad, you’re going to evacuate the Spade Kingdom civilians.”

Sally shrugged and said, “Okay, I guess!”

Nacht scoffed. “‘Okay, I guess’?”

“Well, what did you want her to say?” Rades asked.

“This is a serious mission. The world is quite literally at stake here. So how about ‘Of course’ or ‘I’ll do my best’?” Nacht let out an exasperated sigh. “But what else would I expect from you guys other than to be the types of people I absolutely despise?” He looked at Rades. “Those who only care about their own suffering and don’t think of others.” He turned to Valtos. “Those who did evil things for the longest time but then think they can turn over a new leaf all of a sudden.” He glanced at Sally. “Those who don’t take devil business seriously.

“In all honesty, I hate that you three are even alive right now. With my Shadow Magic through my teammates, I’ve heard you,” he gestured towards Sally, “talk about you’ve been killed by your old leader, but thanks to your magic,” he turned back to Rades, “you all came back to life. You three don’t deserve any second chance to live. Not when so many others would be far more worthy of such a thing.”

Rades pointed a finger at Nacht, daring to look him in the eye even when Sally and Valtos couldn’t, and said, “Listen, I don’t care who you are, that you’re the vice captain of a magic knight squad, you need to shut your mouth! What makes you think you can talk to us like this?! You don’t know us! You have no idea what it was like for us! You have no right to judge us!”

“I’d say I know enough about you three. What I know is that only after you’ve lost everything was when you decided to repent, if at all. How ridiculous. How pathetic. How selfish.” Valtos and Sally exchanged glances as they noticed Nacht shivering.

Nacht took a deep breath, and he stopped shaking. “Still...I know I need to put aside my feelings for the sake of this mission. I hate to admit it, but you all have skills that would be incredibly useful.” He grinned at Rades, who was frozen in complete rage. “So, will you three do it?”

“I’ll do it!” Everyone turned their heads to see it was Makusa who spoke.

“What?!” Rades exclaimed.

Nacht blinked in surprise. “You weren’t one of the people selected for this. You don’t have to actually go on the mission, just help make the magic item I requested.”

“Well, you said yourself what’s at stake here. I don’t want to be stuck here while these three and the others are out there, knowing the fate of the world hangs in the balance.”

“Are you sure?” Nacht asked. “I’m only bringing mages of the highest skill, and you’re not even a magic knight. Will you be able to keep up with us?”

“I have a spell that’s perfect for the evacuation effort if things gets messy in the Spade Kingdom,” Makusa replied. “My Snow Magic will be able to hide us from the enemies if they start to gain the upper hand.”

Nacht’s smile faded and he nodded. “Very well. If that’s the case, I would be glad to have you on the team.”

“What?!” Rades repeated, staring wildly at Makusa. “You’re doing this?!” Makusa stayed silent as Rades processed what just happened.

“Sally, don’t tell me you’re joining too!” Rades gave a desperate grin to her.

“Sorry, but I am.” Sally shrugged. “I could never miss an opportunity like this to see so many different things.”

Knowing it was slim chance, he still turned and whispered, “Valtos?” who simply nodded at him in response.

Rades silently scratched his head in frustration before finally yelling, “Fine! I guess I’ll come along too...” and letting out an even louder groan than before.

“Excellent.” Nacht’s eerie smiled returned. “We’re all going to meet up in three days’ time right before the mission. Until then, do what you can to get ready.” And with that, using his Shadow Magic, he slid away, leaving the four to their own devices. They all looked at each other.

“Why is everyone in that squad so damn infuriating?!” Rades asked.

“Calm down, Rades.” As he spoke, Valtos stared at the shadow Nacht went through, the one of the chair Makusa had offered Nacht. “Don’t let him bother you.”

“Well, we may as well get started on that magic item now,” Makusa suggested. Sally nodded, and the two made it over to a lab table to begin planning.

After such an unpleasant encounter and hearing such disturbing news, they were all surprised to feel less dread and more anticipation for what was to come. Whether they liked it or not, they now had this responsibility to help prevent the ruin of the world, including the land three of them had tried to ruin themselves not too long ago, which they were sure this mysterious Black Bull would not let them forget about as long as he could help it.