Strange use of Magic (Black Clover AU) Chapter 130: Strange Scrying

[Third Person's PoV] 


"Huh? What the hell do you mean something's wrong with the universe?" Yami asked, giving Stephen a weird look.


"Don't tell me..." Yami's expression turned horrified. "You're already going senile, aren't you?"


Stephen just stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. "I'm being serious. Something isn't right. You have to remember—when I use my magic, I'm more attuned to the universe. I can sense when something is wrong or when something bad is about to happen."


The room, which had been filled with casual chatter just moments ago, fell silent. Everyone was now paying much closer attention.


"Do you know what it is?" Vanessa asked, lowering her glass of wine and setting it on the table.


Stephen’s face scrunched slightly in thought. "Not immediately. I'll need to use some of my tools back in my room to get a better understanding. It could be a dimensional lord trying to break into our universe, a time traveler messing with the timeline—basically, anything that disrupts the cosmic balance."


"Damn, it's that serious?" Magna asked, surprised.


Stephen nodded in contemplation, then suddenly stood up. "I'll be back. Just give me a minute—"


Before he could leave, the entire group immediately scrambled after him.


"Wait! Don't leave us in here!" Magna yelled, sticking his hand through the bars.


"Yeah! What if there's someone strong we're gonna have to fight?!" Luck added, grinning eagerly.


Wanda sighed as she glanced at them. With a simple wave of her hand, her red magic glowed, and the jail bars crumbled into dust. Magna and Luck cheered before hurrying to catch up with everyone.


When Stephen reached his room, he turned back to see the group trailing behind him. He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you all following me?"


"Are you serious!?" Noelle exclaimed in disbelief. "You just said something could be wrong with the universe! Of course, we're going to follow you to find out what's happening!"


"The world isn’t ending," Stephen scoffed. "If I was warned in advance, that means it can still be prevented."


With that, he stepped inside his room.


The others followed—then froze in shock.


Compared to the rest of the hideout, Stephen’s room was like a royal suite. The space was massive, much larger than it appeared from the outside. Walls lined with books and ancient artifacts, a grand chandelier with flickering candles, an ornate reading table with a plush chair, and a luxurious bed that looked fit for a king.


Most of them were left speechless. The only ones unfazed were Wanda and Vanessa, having seen the room before.


Yami, however, was particularly bewildered. He knew the size of the room Stephen had originally been given.


"How the hell—" Yami started.


"Spatial expansion enchantments," Stephen said casually. "Now stop asking questions for a moment."


Vanessa smirked, tilting her head proudly. "It’s not that surprising. My room is the same way."


Charmy, who was actually Grey in disguise, blinked in curiosity. "How did you manage that?"


Vanessa grinned and winked. "Simple. I slept in Stephen’s bed, and when I woke up the next morning, I asked if he could do the same thing for my room. He agreed~"


Without looking up, Stephen flicked a hand, sending an Eldritch spell towards Vanessa. A golden lasso of light wrapped around her mouth, silencing her instantly.


"I'm serious. No distractions," Stephen said flatly.


Vanessa let out muffled protests, wiggling in frustration as she tried to pry the magical restraints off her mouth.


Ignoring her, Stephen walked over to a large, ancient-looking cauldron in the center of the room.


Asta, unable to hold back his curiosity, finally asked, "Uh… what does that thing do?"


Stephen let out a deep sigh, hands still hovering over the cauldron. He shot Asta a glare. "What did I just say about not asking questions?"


"Oh, right. Sorry." Asta quickly covered his mouth.


Stephen shook his head and exhaled before finally explaining. "This is the Cauldron of the Cosmos—an artifact used for scrying. It allows me to see both the seen and the unseen, granting access to Time and the Universe. Basically, it’s a window that lets me perceive things beyond the ordinary. When there’s something I don’t understand or need answers to, I use this."


"That's... that's totally cheating, isn't it?" Magna asked, too stunned to fully express how unfair it truly was.


The others were equally as shocked by the sheer power of the artifact.


Stephen, however, paid no mind to their astonishment, focusing entirely on the tool before him. He crossed his legs and began levitating behind the cauldron, his hands glowing with golden energy as a magic circle appeared in his palm. With a slow, deliberate motion, he waved his hand, causing the coal inside the cauldron to ignite.


Everyone watched intently, eager to see how such a powerful artifact would function.


The flames within the cauldron flared up at Stephen’s command, burning brighter and hotter. As smoke billowed out, it didn't just rise—it began to transform.


Their eyes widened as the smoke thickened, darkened, and congealed, shifting into something tangible. Tiny specks of light appeared, twinkling like distant stars. Soon, entire planets and celestial bodies emerged, forming a breathtaking map of the universe.


Then, with a wave of Stephen’s hand, the smoke expanded outward, stretching across the entire room.


The surroundings changed. The walls, the ceiling, the floor—everything was replaced by a vast cosmic expanse. Stars, planets, and galaxies illuminated the space around them, making it seem as if they had been transported to the depths of the universe itself.


"Wow..." most of them muttered in awe.


"It's... so beautiful," Noelle whispered, eyes wide.


Wanda nodded in agreement. "It really is."


Stephen, still unfazed, remained focused. "What triggered my cosmic awareness?" he asked, his voice carrying an edge of urgency.


In an instant, the image of the cosmos shifted. The stars and galaxies gave way to a different scene—one that was much more horrifying.


A massive forest fire blazed before them, consuming everything in its path. The inferno roared violently, reducing the once-lush landscape to nothing but ash.


Vanessa stepped forward abruptly, her hands desperately tugging at the magical string still wrapped around her mouth, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.


Stephen, surprised by her sudden outburst, snapped his fingers. The golden bindings vanished.


"That's my home!" Vanessa cried, her voice filled with panic. "Why is it on fire?!"


Stephen's gaze sharpened. "Your home?" he echoed. "What do you mean?"


Vanessa stared at the fiery destruction with a horror-stricken expression. "The Witches' Forest... I don’t have good memories of that place. The Captain was the one who rescued me from there. But still..." Her voice wavered. "It's full of young, innocent witches... It's still my home. I don’t want to see it burn down like this. No matter how I feel about it, it doesn’t deserve such an end."


Her seriousness caught everyone off guard. It was rare to see Vanessa so deeply affected by something that didn’t involve alcohol.


Her brows furrowed. "Can you find out what caused this?"


Stephen nodded. "Show me the cause of the Witches' Forest burning..."


The scene shifted again. This time, instead of a moving image, two symbols appeared.


The first was a logo they all recognized—the emblem of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.


The second was an image of a Magic Stone.


Gauche crossed his arms, staring at the vision. "Looks like the Eye of the Midnight Sun burned down the forest to get their hands on the last stone."


Stephen, however, wasn’t convinced. He frowned, deep in thought.


‘No... That alone wouldn’t be enough to trigger my cosmic awareness.’ 


‘So what’s really going on?’ 


Stephen asked another question, his voice firm. "What is my connection to this event? What is threatening the balance of the universe?"


The others watched intently as the scene shifted. The twinkling stars dissolved into golden threads, swirling and weaving together until they formed a luminous stone. It radiated an energy so potent it seemed to blend seamlessly with reality itself.


Stephen’s eyes widened as he stood up abruptly, Nero perched on his shoulder mirroring his shock. Both stared at the image in stunned silence.


Vanessa, too, was captivated. Her expression became distant, almost trance-like, as she reached out. Her fingers passed through the illusionary projection, the sensation snapping her back to awareness. She blinked, then murmured, "I've seen this stone somewhere before..."


Yami’s brow furrowed. "Just what the hell is that thing?"


Stephen exhaled slowly, the name escaping his lips instinctively, as he and Nero had seen the stone once before inside his library only as an image.


"The Mystic Stone of Fate."