The sky above the Clover Kingdom glowed with the hues of early evening, burnt orange bleeding into the horizon as the sun dipped low. The light cast long shadows across the earth, painting the land in warmth and flame. Against this glowing backdrop, two figures stood before what could barely be called a headquarters.
The Black Bulls' base loomed ahead—a ramshackle tower of stone, crooked planks, and chaotic architecture. It leaned slightly to the left, as if daring gravity to bring it down. And yet, like the squad it housed, it stubbornly remained standing.
Saru stared, golden eyes wide in wonder. "Whoa… that's your base?"
Yami grunted, cigarette between his lips. "Yeah. Beautiful, ain't it?"
Saru's face lit up. "It looks like the ruins I came from!"
A smirk tugged at the edge of Yami's mouth. "You'll fit right in."
The air was thick with mana—and the unmistakable scent of something burning inside.
Yami didn't bother knocking.
The moment the door creaked open—
BOOM.
A fireball roared past Yami's head and exploded against a distant wall, sending smoke and embers curling into the air.
"HAHA! YOU MISSED!" a giddy voice rang out.
"IT WAS A WARNING SHOT, YOU FREAK!" another shouted, voice strained with frustration.
Saru blinked, hovering behind Yami as though unsure whether to duck or run. "Is this a battle… or a housewarming party?"
"Both," Yami muttered.
He stepped through the doorway without hesitation, voice booming through the chaos. "OI! SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE LOT!"
Instant silence.
Heads poked out from every corner—behind doorways, over couches, from beneath furniture. Tension hung thick in the room as everyone caught sight of the boy standing behind their captain.
From a hammock strung lazily across the beams, Vanessa Enoteca raised her glass with a lazy smile. "Did you finally kidnap someone, Yami?"
Finral leaned against the wall, eyebrows raised. "Wait… did you have a kid?"
From the shadows, a barely audible whisper crept into the room. "Was… he born from darkness…?"
"NO," Yami snapped. He jerked a thumb at Saru. "Oi, monkey. Introduce yourself."
Saru stepped forward eagerly, tail flicking behind him. "Hi hi hi! I'm Saru! I've got a magic stick and no idea where I'm from!"
There was a beat of confusion. Then, suddenly—
"WELCOME!" the room erupted.
Despite the awkwardness of his introduction, the squad welcomed him with raucous energy, and Saru found himself smiling. It wasn't what he'd expected—but this place… it smelled like freedom.
Before he could say more, a blur zipped across the room. Charmy stood before him, eyes glittering with wonder.
"You're small and adorable," she announced. "Want food?"
"What kind?" Saru gasped, eyes lighting up. "I want it! I want all of it!"
Without hesitation, Charmy began stuffing food into his hands and mouth. Saru munched happily, hopping around the hall like a wild creature as the rest of the Black Bulls watched with a mixture of amusement and growing affection.
Yami raised his voice again, cutting through the noise. "Listen up. This kid's gonna be stayin' with us. His name's Saru. Found him sealed in a stone during a mission."
Grey let out a squeak and promptly turned into a puff of smoke.
Magna stared, mouth slightly open. "He was in a what?"
Vanessa sat up, brows furrowed as she studied the boy. "How long…?"
Saru spoke between mouthfuls. "Dunno. I wasn't dead. Just bored."
Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "You don't look like a normal kid. That mana around you—"
She didn't get to finish. Luck appeared beside her in a flash, grinning ear to ear.
"You're strong, right?! Wanna fight?!"
Saru's eyes lit up like stars. "YES! LET'S GO!"
Half the room shouted in panic. "NO!"
Magna lunged at Luck and pinned him to the ground, while Vanessa's glowing threads snagged Saru mid-leap and yanked him back to earth.
"No fighting until you've had food, bathed, and properly introduced yourself," she said firmly.
"But fighting is an introduction," Saru protested, pouting.
Soon after, Saru found himself cross-legged on the table, surrounded like a curious new exhibit. The introductions began.
"Name's Finral," said the smooth-talking spatial mage with a confident smile. "Resident ladies' man. I can take you anywhere in an instant—maybe even to a better home."
Yami's glare burned across the room.
Finral chuckled nervously. "Kidding! I'm kidding…"
Next to step forward was Gordon, who quietly sat beside Saru and opened his mouth to speak. No sound came.
Saru tilted his head. "Yeah, I'd like to be your friend too."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "You understood him?"
"I've got good hearing," Saru replied simply.
Gordon's eyes lit up, and he whispered, "…We're friends now."
Saru nodded. "I like you. You're spooky. Like a haunted blanket."
Gordon smiled wider than he had in weeks.
Magna swaggered forward next, arms folded across his chest. "Magna Swing. Street punk. Fire badass. You mess with my squad, you mess with me."
Saru looked at him solemnly. "Do you set yourself on fire a lot?"
"What?! No!"
"Because your hair looks like it lost a fight with a candle."
Yami stifled a laugh. Magna spun on his heel. "YAMI! Why is this little punk roasting me already?!"
"Because he's family now," Yami said with a grin.
Luck appeared again, eyes wild. "Now can we fight?!"
"Yes!" Saru shouted.
Vanessa's mana threads lashed out and coiled around both boys like vines.
"Later," she said.
Eventually, the introductions gave way to a tour. Vanessa guided Saru through the crooked halls and maze-like corridors of the base.
"Up here's the main room. Downstairs are the baths, the kitchen, storage, and Gordon's potion lair."
"Can I drink something from there if it smells nice?"
"Especially not if it smells nice."
That evening, Saru floated lazily in the bath, arms spread across the surface of the water.
"Your friends are weird," he said, eyes closed.
"You're one to talk," Yami replied from across the room.
Saru grinned. "Fair."
Later that night, Saru crept onto the roof, letting his legs dangle off the edge. The stars blinked gently above him, scattered like glowing dust.
Yami joined him, sitting with a grunt and handing over a fizzy drink.
Saru tapped the side of the can absentmindedly. "You know… I don't remember anything before the stone. No parents. No home. Nothing."
Yami lit a fresh cigarette. The ember glowed in the dark. "Do you need to?"
Saru turned to look at him.
"There's no rule sayin' you gotta know your past to build a future," Yami continued. "Most of us here are messes. But we fight, we laugh, we live. That's what matters."
He paused, then added more quietly, "And if anyone comes for you… they deal with me."
Saru stared at his drink for a moment. Then he smiled.
"…I think I like it here."
Yami smirked. "Good. Now get some sleep before Luck drags you into a sparring match."
A distant voice shouted from below.
"TOO LATE!"
Saru barely had time to blink before a crackle of electricity lit the night.
BOOM.
A blue flash streaked across the courtyard below, and suddenly, Luck Voltia stood at the edge of the rooftop, lightning sparking from his fingertips, eyes glowing with manic joy.
"I knew you were awake!" Luck grinned, his smile way too wide for this hour of the night. "C'mon, monkey boy! Let's see if you can dodge this!"
Saru stood up slowly, golden eyes narrowing with excitement. "So we're doing this now?"
"Yup!"
Before Saru could answer, Luck launched himself into the air with a burst of mana, landing lightly across from him on the rooftop tiles. Sparks danced around his hands, his feet, even his wild blond hair.
"YAMI!" Vanessa's voice rang from inside the base. "TELL YOUR PSYCHOPATH TO GO TO BED!"
Yami didn't move from his spot, arms folded behind his head. "They'll tire each other out. Or destroy the base. Either way, I win."
Saru rolled his shoulders and grinned. "Okay then, let's play."
In a blink, Luck was gone. The next moment, Saru felt the hairs on his neck rise. He dropped low just as a lightning-coated kick sliced the air above his head.
Saru leapt backward, landing on the courtyard below with feline grace. Luck followed, spinning midair and landing in front of him with a flash of energy.
"Nice dodge!" he cackled.
Saru clapped his hands together.
A golden glow flickered around him—pure mana flaring to life—and in a heartbeat, a glowing staff extended from his hand, long and slender, rippling with power.
"WHOA!" Magna's voice shouted from inside. "Is that a—?!"
"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS!" Finral yelled over him, already leaning out the window.
Saru spun the staff, grinning. "Let's see if you can dodge this!"
He lunged.
The glowing weapon stretched mid-swing, extending like a whip across the courtyard. Luck ducked under it, laughter exploding from his lungs, then zipped around to Saru's side with inhuman speed.
"You're fast," Saru said.
"You're shiny," Luck said.
And then they collided.
Magic roared to life between them—lightning clashing against golden energy. Saru's staff blocked a punch, only for Luck to vanish and reappear behind him. Saru flipped back and landed on the rooftop once more, grinning wide.
By now, the entire Black Bulls base had come alive.
Magna climbed onto the balcony rail, fists pumping. "YEAH! SHOW HIM WHAT YOU GOT, MONKEY KING!"
"Go, Saru!" Charmy shouted from the kitchen window, waving a rice ball in each hand. "I believe in your monkeyness!"
Even Gordon's whisper managed to carry. "Be careful… but also destroy him…"
Vanessa, arms crossed, leaned beside Yami and sighed. "This is insane."
Yami shrugged. "This is home."
Saru's next swing arced like a crescent moon. Luck jumped, flipping midair as a blast of lightning launched from his foot. Saru spun his staff and deflected it, the magic hissing off the weapon like steam.
They crashed again, sparks flying, wind whipping around them as their mana pulsed outward in waves. It wasn't a fight—it was a dance of chaos and instinct. Saru laughed, exhilarated, as his feet moved faster than he thought possible.
He was starting to remember. Not memories… but rhythm. Battle. Motion. His body knew this. It had always known.
"I like this!" he shouted, breathless.
Luck, grinning like a lunatic, shot forward with a spinning kick. "I love this!"
They clashed one final time, a pulse of energy bursting from their impact and sending tiles scattering from the roof. Both were blown back—Saru flipped twice before landing on his feet, staff digging into the ground. Luck rolled and stood, panting.
Silence fell over the base.
Then, slowly—cheers erupted from the squad.
"That was awesome!" Finral shouted, clapping.
"Not bad for a little brat," Magna added, arms crossed but smiling.
Charmy waved a rice ball over her head. "Victory snack!"
Even Gordon nodded solemnly. "True friends… spar under moonlight…"
Vanessa sighed as she floated lazily in midair. "Can someone please patch the roof before morning?"
Saru looked over at Luck, both boys panting but smiling.
"Same time tomorrow?" he asked.
Luck grinned. "You're on."
Yami stood, stretching his arms over his head. "Alright, you lunatics. Fun's over. Go to bed before I knock both of you out."
Saru tucked his staff away, the golden glow dissolving into the night air.
As he lay down hours later—on a hammock in a room that creaked with every breeze, surrounded by snoring, arguing, and the smell of whatever Gordon was brewing—he smiled.
It wasn't perfect.
It was better.