The Dream

~Brief Recap~

On August 27 when you were ten years old, you ran away from your castle home in the Spade Kingdom. After traveling for many weeks, you found yourself within the border of the Clover Kingdom in the Forsaken Realm. You knew that was your location because of the giant demon skull landmark. There, you met Asta and introduced yourself to him as Lily Grinberryall. While making small talk with him, you found out that he was also born without magic just like you. At the end of your conversation, Asta kindly offered for you to come live with him and his foster family which you accepted. Yuno, one of Asta's foster brothers, turned out to be your actual twin brother who had been kidnapped the night following the morning of your guys' birth.

~Main Story~

You were adjusting well to your new life in Hage Village. As timed passed, your foster family grew a little larger. On August 9, almost three years after you moved in with Asta, your twin Yuno, and the others, you got a new foster sibling: a three-year-old girl named Arlu. About a year and a month later on September 12, two-year-old Horo became your little foster brother. Even though you and Yuno were the only ones related by blood, everybody who lived at the church acted like a tightly knit family. But some of you were closer than others. You, for example, engaged with all of your foster family members but you were rarely seen without Asta and Yuno or one of the two. And thus, the three of you became locally known as the Hage Trio. A lot had changed over these past four years. You had evolved spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Puberty had given you an impressive glow up, transforming your body into a decently curvaceous figure. And frequent training with Asta helped shape your physique. You had the kind of body type that appeared lean and healthy but hid how well-toned your muscles actually were... that is, until you flexed them. Personality-wise, you were almost an entirely different girl from the one you were when you just started living in Hage. You still carried deep emotional scars from your past and they still affected you, but only when triggered under certain circumstances. But for the most part, you were more extroverted, had more self-confidence and were much less timid and shy. Your posture was relaxed and upright like it should be. Your formal royal habits were practically gone now. And you had also developed a more prominent sense of humor. Even becoming sarcastic and a bit sassy at times, but not in a bad way and you didn't overdo it. Your true self was finally beginning to shine. Everyone at the church was a huge help to you along the road of recovery. Your healing progress was mostly due to Asta and Yuno, Asta being the biggest factor in your improvement. For some reason, he had a knack for catching you during the your mental breakdowns. You tried to distance yourself whenever you were about to have one, but Asta being the oblivious love stricken guy he was, always found you when you were breaking down emotionally and/or mentally. He was always so comforting and sweet, encouraging you not to give up. It's no surprise your feelings for Asta just continued to grow. Anyways, the 4th of October rolled around and it had been eerily quiet around the church since noon. You, Asta, and Yuno were looking for Father, Sister Lily, and the other kids together. None of you three had seen them anywhere since lunch time. It was almost time for dinner now so it was quite odd. What's also weird is that it was your guys' birthday today, but no one had wished any of you a happy birthday yet.

"This is really strange. No one in the village has seen any of them after lunch either." You said out loud as you cupped your chin in one hand. You had just left the downtown area of Hage with Asta and Yuno.

"Do you think they're hiding somewhere? Today is our birthday after all. Maybe they're planning a surprise party for us!" Asta brought up the possibility as the three of you walked back to the church together.

"Perhaps, but normally everyone wishes us a happy birthday, spending most of the day together as a family. Then we all celebrate with a pot potato feast that Father and Sister Lily prepared for us at dinner time. No one even mentioned our birthday at all today." You pointed out.

"Hmm, that is true... Welp, I'm out of ideas!" Asta said as he brought his hands up behind his head, his walking style changing to a more carefree one.

"Well that's a first. Asta's giving up for the first time. I never thought I'd see that day." You said in a joking manner.

"Hey, I'm still helping you guys look for them! So you can't say I've given up, Lil." Asta responded in a loud voice.

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say Asta. Your magic is never giving up, I know. You don't need to tell me twice." You chuckled. Yuno had been so quiet, you would've forgotten he was there if he wasn't within your line of sight.

"Asta may actually be right about the surprise party. It is our birthday, yes. But it's not just any birthday, it's our fifteenth birthday." Yuno finally spoke.

"You do have a point there. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to keep looking." You said as you arrived at the church grounds together with Asta and Yuno. About another half hour went by of circling around and winding through the church without yielding any results, not even a clue to their whereabouts.

"Argh! Where the hell is everyone?!" Asta yelled, kicking up dirt from the path leading up to the church entrance. He was getting quite frustrated.

"What? You gonna give up now?" You snickered, teasing Asta again. The three of you stopped near the double doors of the church.

"Never! There's no way in hell I'm gonna lose my only power! I'll keep searching even after I've passed on into afterlife if I have to!" Asta shouted back with unwavering determination before starting to rant further while throwing a stomping fit where he was standing, waving his fists back and forth like a lunatic.

"Oh good Lord. He's losing it." You chuckled and sighed. Yuno just sighed as Asta continued on his rant. Suddenly, the church doors burst open with everyone jumping out, startling you and Yuno a little but scaring the absolute crap out of Asta. Father and Nash launched celebratory sparks, using their fire magic. Sister Lily and Rekka used their water magic and sprayed a fine mist into the air to create a rainbow. Arlu and Horo worked together to bring out a large cake.

"Surprise!" Your foster family at the Hage Village Church all shouted together in unison.

"Happy birthday to the Hage Trio! I can't believe you guys are fifteen years old already." Father said, starting to tear up from joy and fatherly pride.

"Look Lily! We helped make this cake!" Arlu said, drawing your attention to the cake she and Horo were carrying. It was a white frosted cake that had "Happy 15th Birthday Lily, Asta & Yuno!" written on it with blue frosting in neat adult's handwriting (probably Sister Lily's). Surrounding the lettering were messy stars, hearts, smiley faces, dots and blotches of frosting in different colors. The stars, hearts and smiley faces were probably drawn by Nash and Rekka. And the dots and blotches were most likely done by the two youngest kids Arlu and Horo.

"Do you like it?" Horo asked excitedly. He and Arlu both looked like they were starting to struggle with holding the cake up. So you knelt down and took it from their arms and smiled.

"I love it! You all did a great job. Thank you." You answered, smiling warmly at Horo then Arlu who both giggled. Yuno smiled at how happy you looked which also made him happy. Asta, on the other hand, was too perplexed to enjoy the moment.

"Hold on a minute. If you guys were in the church this entire time, then why didn't we see you when we searched it?" Asta asked no one in particular among the group that was in hiding earlier.

"Well obviously we didn't just stay in one place while you, Lily and Yuno were searching for us. We would have been found eventually if we did. Geez, use your head for once." Nash answered Asta who responded with an irritated grunt/growl noise.

"As usual, we've prepared a pot potato birthday feast." Sister Lily calmly announced as the two youngest kids cheered.

"Now let's all go inside and have fun celebrating together!" Father said as he opened the doors and everyone headed inside the church. All the kids sat down at the table in the seats they always sat in. You set the cake down in the center of the table then took your designated spot between Asta and Yuno. Father and Sister Lily brought out the food. The lively buzz of conversation and laughter filled the dining area. After everybody had eaten their fill, it was time for cake. Father lit the candles with his fire magic as Sister Lily turned off the lights. Everyone sang the birthday song to you, Asta and Yuno. Then the three of you blew out the candles together, each making a silent wish. You wished for Asta to finally recognize his feelings for you. Despite his ongoing failed attempts to propose to Sister Lily, it was obvious to everyone, even the little ones, that he liked you. Yuno wished for the rest of your life to be filled with happiness which, in turn, would grant him happiness as your slightly older brother. Asta wished for you to always stay by his side no matter what. After the celebration, you, Asta, and Yuno took off and hung out together until it was time for bed. When the three of you returned to the church, all the kids were already fast asleep. You each brushed your teeth and took turns changing into your pajamas to give each other privacy. You were the second one in bed, settling into your futon which was situated between Asta's and Yuno's futons. You lay on your back and turned your head towards Yuno who appeared to have fallen asleep already. You heard sheets rustle as Asta climbed into his futon next to yours. Rolling your head back to neutral position, you closed your eyes.

"Psst. Hey, Lil. You asleep yet?" Asta whispered to you as you opened your eyes and turned your head to face him.

"No, I literally just got in a couple minutes ago. I'm not like Yuno over there." You whispered, pointing to Yuno who was rolled on his side facing away from you. His breathing was slow and peaceful like he was sleeping, but he was actually still awake with eyes open and everything.

"You know Lil, aside from having the same hair color and skin tone, you two aren't really that much alike even though you're actual twins." Asta whispered as you chuckled quietly then sighed.

"Asta, I've literally been telling you this for years now: I can relate to you more than I can to Yuno. You don't have to worry about me abandoning you for him. I mean we're siblings for crying out loud! Besides, birds of a feather flock together. And as far as I know, you and I are the only people who can't use magic at all." You said quietly. Yuno almost lost his composure right there. He had to hold his breath in order to prevent himself from releasing a small sharp exhaled snort.

'Asta was actually worried about me and Lily getting together?' Yuno thought to himself. Though Yuno did think you were stunningly beautiful and had a wonderful personality, he'd never fantasize about dating you. An incestuous relationship with his twin sister just didn't appeal to him.

"Well anyways, we won't be magic-less for long! We're finally fifteen years old. Five months from now, we're gonna get our grimoires and be able to use magic just like everybody else! Then we can start working towards our goals for real!" Asta said excitedly, yet quietly.

"Yeah..." You said as you smiled, trying to hide your anxiety. You had an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach as an old memory tried to resurface, one of the thousands you had buried in order to move on with your life. Your strong will kept it at bay and you were able to fall into a peaceful slumber. Shortly after you dozed off, you could hear Asta begin to snore. You smiled and shifted contently in your sleep. Rather than a nuisance that you simply got used to, Asta's snoring was like a soothing background noise to you. What used to keep you awake at night, now brought you comfort by letting you know that Asta was by your side. His snores faded away as you fully entered the dream world.

~Dream~

It was a bright summer day and you were wandering around the church grounds looking for Asta. You hadn't seen him for the past couple hours which you thought was a little strange. He always told you his exact location or possible locations if he wasn't gonna be by your side for a while. This time, it was a bit different. He notified you that he was going to go somewhere, but he didn't specify where or even give you a vague idea. So you went to go find your twin brother to ask him if he knew anything on Asta's whereabouts. You found Yuno on the side of the church building helping Sister Lily with the laundry.

"Hey Yuno, can I talk to you for a sec?" You asked Yuno, approaching him. He looked at Sister Lily for permission and she nodded her head for him to go see what you needed.

"Sure Lily. What is it you needed to talk to me about?" Yuno asked as you folded your hands together behind your back.

"Have you seen Asta at all lately? He told me he was going somewhere a couple hours ago, but he didn't say where. I thought it seemed a bit weird of him because he always tells me where he's gonna be whenever we're separated. So I was hoping you had some insight on where he might've run off to." You told Yuno the situation.

"You don't know?" Yuno asked, raising an eyebrow like he found it odd too. He said it like he was asking out of surprise or confirmation, but you had a gut feeling that he knew something and was keeping it from you. It just seemed strange that he would ask you that right after you just said you had no clue where Asta was because he didn't tell you his location. Yuno wasn't stupid like that so it didn't make any sense if he actually knew nothing.

"Well no, I literally just told you I don't know because Asta didn't say where he was going. Why would I go to you and ask you if you've seen him recently if I knew where to go find him?" You brought up a valid and obvious point. Yuno briefly looked over your head beyond you, which you didn't notice. Then he just chuckled which both puzzled and annoyed you.

"This is something you should bring up with Asta, not me." Yuno said with a bit of a playful smirk, completely brushing you off. Okay, now you were starting to get a bit pissed off at Yuno.

"Wha-?! Yuno! That's exactly why I'm trying to find him: to ask him where he went and why he kept it a secret from me! Why are you being so unhelpful? We're siblings!" You said with a frustrated pout.

"Yes, we are brother and sister. But you don't need my help Lily." Yuno responded. Just as you were about to ask him why in a prying way, a familiar voice called out your name from right behind you which startled you.

"Hey Lil! What're you and Yuno chatting about?" Asta asked you in a curious manner.

"GAH! Asta?! Where the hell have you been all this time?! I was starting to get really worried something terrible had happened to you! Don't scare me like that again!" You yelled at Asta who grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with one hand.

"Sorry I scared you Lil. But if I told you where I was gonna be, you'd figure out what I was up to and I wouldn't be able to surprise you." Asta said as you gave him a puzzled look.

"Remember when you told me that your favorite flower was the emperor aster? When I asked you why, you said you only knew about them from a book called 'Flowers of the 4 Major Powers & Nearby Areas' that huge flower field guide you loved to look at in your family's library. You read that emperor asters were only found in the Forsaken Realm of the Clover Kingdom. And you told me that you only saw pictures of the flower, but always wanted to see one in person. Then you laughed and said you'd marry the first guy to present you with a fresh picked one." Asta went into great detail on a conversation you had with him that you vaguely remembered.

"Well there's a flower field a ways away from Hage Village where tons of emperor asters grow as well as many other wildflowers. I was over there searching for the perfect flower. It was hard to even find a good one since the season for them is nearing its end. But I didn't give up and I found one still in its prime." Asta said as he knelt down on one knee, still hiding something behind his back. But you already knew what it was.

"Over the past five years I've finally come to realize that Sister Lily is not the one I was destined to be with. It was you... It was you all along, Lil. And it took me a grand total of ten years, countless rejections by Sister Lily and the arrival of the actual love of my life to fully see that. So, Lily Grinberryall... will you please marry me?!" Asta practically shouted his proposal to you, using your full preferred name and last name which he had never done before. He revealed the emperor aster he had picked for you as he proposed. You covered your mouth, smiling from ear to ear as tears of joy flowed uncontrollably from your eyes. But just as you were about to say 'yes' and accept the flower he was holding out to you, everything faded to white.

~End of Dream~

Your eyes fluttered open as the sun just started to peak through the window onto your futon. You just lay there as you replayed Asta's confession from your dream again in your head.

"So it was just a dream..." You murmured to yourself quietly with a disappointed look on your face. Then you heard a voice that both cheered you up and disheartened you.

"Good morning Lil. Wanna go do some early morning training before breakfast?" Asta asked you, grinning widely at you. He was already dressed and ready to go. You sat up, stretched and yawned.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" You said as you rose up out of your futon and got ready to leave with Asta to train until breakfast was ready. Your day went about normally and before you knew it, it was over. You had the very same dream that you had last night. And it ended at the same exact spot: right as you were about to give Asta an answer to his proposal. You continued to get this dream quite frequently, averaging three nights a week. It happened so often, it became known as "the dream" to you. No one else knew about it because it was too embarrassing and creepy to tell anyone. After all, it's not exactly normal to have the same exact detailed dream of your crush proposing to you multiple times a week. But there was something else you noticed about this strange occurrence. Prior to every time you experienced "the dream" phenomena, you were trying fall asleep while prevent a bad memory from resurfacing in your brain because it gave you a sense of uneasiness. Anyways this went on for about five months, right up until the day of the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony.