Author's Note: Hello, I have been temporarily revived (in terms of fanfic writing). I apologize for being gone so long. Here I am, writing a new chapter for this fanfic instead of doing the two literary reviews and then the presentation due Monday for my Bio Lab, because I'm literally so confused by the directions that I short circuited. Ah, procrastination, how you destroy me :') In all honesty, I keep pulling this crap, and I have no idea how my GPA is what it is. This may be a new chapter, but I make no promises for future updates seeing as I have exams for the next two weeks, am in the process of finding a second job, and will be taking another 6 classes next semester. Rip my mind I guess .-. I honestly desire to write fanfics because they help me mentally and such, but I've been so dead and stressed that I'm barely managing to write my essays for my horrific English prof who makes me literally want to die because all she does is bash me in front of the entire class :')

Rating: M
Pairing: Undecided (Might do a harem, might not)
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Drama

Summary: Originally born without magic, what would happen if some ancient, unknown magic chose Asta to be its wielder? Suddenly thrust into a world of magic, Asta does his best to cope with it and keep moving forward. How will this unexpected change of events shape Asta?

Blanket Disclaimer: I own nothing obviously.

Magical Paradox
Chapter 3
3rd Person Point of View, Omniscient

"All of you will take several tests to determine your magical aptitude and capabilities. The nine of us will evaluate your performance, and then we will select candidates that we would like within our squads. If chosen, you will join that squad. If multiple captains want you, you will get to choose whose squad you join out of the captains who desire you. If none want you, then you will not qualify to join the Magic Knights," Vangeance explains, a smirk playing upon his lips.

'I will join the Magic Knights, no matter what!' Asta thinks, his eyes glinting with determination. 'I can't let Yuno get ahead of me!'

"For the first part of the exam, you will get on the broom and fly." Murmurs broke out amongst the candidates, confusion and uncertainty palpable. "Mages who can control their magical powers should be able to do this instinctively." Asta frowns at that. Vangeance continues explaining while Asta listens.

'I can only control a very small—basically minuscule—portion of my powers. The rest, as of right now, is far out of my reach.' He glances down at the broom laying innocently in his palm, his frown deepening as he reflexively grips the slightly coarse wood tighter. 'Will I even be able to get off the ground, let alone fly?'

"Begin," Vangeance commands as he thrusts his arm forward. Asta continues to stare at the broomstick in his palm, his thoughts racing as everyone else climbs on their broomstick to fly. Many grunt as they attempt to force the broom into the air through sheer force of will; some succeed while others don't. Of those who make it into the air, only a moderate portion manage to stay in their proper or initial position.

"Fuck it." Asta shrugs, hitching a leg up and straddling the broom. Inhaling deeply, Asta closes his eyes and calls upon the magic he has control of. Focusing on it, he gently coaxes it into engulfing his form and spread to the broom, both of them taking on a soft, basically unnoticeable glow. He shakily begins to rise in the air. Hovering above the floor by a few inches, Asta sighs. 'I guess I really don't have a lot going in this department, eh?' He thinks, peering down. "Better than nothing I guess." He glances up, watching Yuno glide through the air high above him like a gust of wind.

Asta grunts, straining to make magic shoot out of his hands toward the small brick wall in front of him. 'God damn this shit is pathetic!' He thinks, a bead of sweat trickles down the side of his face as his frustration mounts higher. The black-haired Captain Asta kicked earlier frowns slightly, his eyes trained on the ashen haired boy. A few other Captains watch the boy as well, some with pensive expressions on their faces.

'You would think that boy would be showing something phenomenal, or, at the very least something vaguely interesting. I suppose what happened earlier was a fluke after all,' The Captain of the Green Mantis squad thought. 'How utterly disappointing. I was hoping for something exciting. And here I was, getting excited at the prospect of having him my squad and slicing him to bits.' Most of the other Captains watching the boy are thinking about the same, for the most part, as Green Mantis's Captain. The only exception is the black haired Captain, Yami of the Black Bulls.

"Bah-ha, like this!" Sekke exclaims, casually and halfheartedly swiping his arm to the side. A light blue colored attack shoots toward the wall, damaging it significantly. Asta grits his teeth, his lips curling to where his fangs just barely glint in the light. His frustration quickly turning to annoyance as his pupils slit, a hint of dark markings beginning to peak out from under his collar.

"I get it, thanks!" Asta snaps back. His powers react to the sudden spike of anger, causing the wall to burst into ominous black flames that quickly reduce the wall to barely even ash. He smirks, his fangs glinting, as he turns to Sekke. His slitted eyes bore into the dirty blond as he quips, "Like that." Sekke gulps, suddenly unnerved and slightly unsure of his choice to stick by the boy.

Asta's frustration grows with each test and examination. 'My magic really isn't suited for this shit. At least not with the level I am, and certainly not for creating shit. What I have right now is nothing but destructive,' He thinks darkly, his eyes flitting around and taking in the different creations of the contestants. 'But perhaps…' The boy closes his eyes.

Recalling Acnologia's mastery of his black flames and how he would mold them, Asta cups his hands together. Furrowing his brow, he reaches deep into his powers, searching for the black flames. His hands burst into intense black flames that the boy forces into a ball within his palms. He molds it, carefully trying to sculpt it into a tiny replica of Acnologia in his dragon form. Once he manages to make a more or less decent sculpture, Asta focuses on maintaining a vice-like grip to control the flames. Yami's lips twitch upwards slightly as smoke wafts upward from his lit cigarette, intrigued by the black flames within the teenager's hands. Despite it being barely noticeable, the Captain still picks up on it nonetheless: the dangerous but vague, repressed blood lust of the black flames calling out to be sated. The feeling is similar to his own magic—at least enough for him to pick up on it while the other Captains barely notice it—yet, at the same time, vastly different.

'He really is an intriguing little bastard, isn't he?' Yami muses to himself, absentmindedly brushing his fingers along the scabbing gouges from Asta. 'The first person in a while to get a hit on me without me paying the back tenfold. I hope he's interesting enough to be worthwhile to add to the Black Bulls just so I can kick his ass.' A dark aura surrounds Yami, his aggravation at his failure to pay the kid back leaking through.

"Okay. This is the final test within the Magic Knight Examinations. You will engage in actual combat with one of your fellow candidates," Vangeance states to the surprise of all of the contenders, eliciting some gasps. Another Captain leaps up, explaining the conditions and rules of the final portion of the exams.

"You will break into pairs and fight your partner. You are allowed to use your grimoires to attack your opponent!" Fuegoleon Vermillion, Captain of the Crimson Lion Kings, jubilantly declares. "Fighting is a key part of our job so show us your true abilities!"

"As soon as one of you yields, is incapacitated, or unable to fight in any way, the exam is over. After your fight, if you need to be healed, there are mages on standby," Vangeance continues.

"So fight to your heart's content!" Fuegoleon exclaims. "We will be watching."

Asta turns his head, shamrock locking with amber. A silent agreement passes within the gaze as the two walk toward each other; Yuno and Asta both feel excitement coursing through their bodies, adrenaline beginning to pump, at the prospect of fighting each other. Before the rivals get too close, a hand grasps Asta's shoulder while a group ambushes Yuno. 'Damn it,' The two think simultaneously.

"Asta, fight me!" Sekke exclaims lightheartedly. Asta merely gives him a dry look.

'If I fight him, I can knock his ass to the ground for the shit he's been pulling all day. Trying to make himself look good by sticking to a 'weakling's' side, and attempting to make it seem like he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart rather than the selfish reason he is?' Asta muses, his eyes staying on Sekke for a few moments before flitting to Yuno. 'That pisses me off. I may not have great access to my magic but, from what I've seen, this bastard has focused on honing his magic over his physical capabilities.' Asta puts on a fake grin and nods.

"Sure!" Sekke smiles in return, happy Asta agreed.

'He may have some capabilities, but he seems to have little or no control over them. As long as I employ my ace, he's finished!' Sekke decides, pleased.

Author's Note: I know this is shorter than the previous chapters, but I felt that was a good stopping point. I'm honestly surprised I even managed to write this in all seriousness. If I do continue to update regularly (Which is honestly unlikely, right now definitely so), I will probably be having smaller chapters to get them out faster. There might still be some that are around 3,000 words or more, but I doubt it will be every chapter or even every other chapter. Also, I apologize for any mistakes you may see. Please tell me your thoughts if you want to!

Word count: 1,792