The Clover Kingdom's stars stretched endlessly above, clear and sharp like silver-threaded snow. Most of the Black Bulls were asleep — save for a few glowing embers of chatter from the common room below. But Asta and Yuno had claimed the rooftop for themselves.
They lay side by side on a thick blanket, the chill of night chased away by magic-warmed air and each other's presence.
Yuno was the first to speak.
"Do you ever wonder," he said quietly, "what would've happened if we weren't chosen? If we hadn't had magic or swords or any of this?"
Asta tilted his head, eyes never leaving the sky. "Yeah. Sometimes."
Yuno turned to look at him. "And?"
"I still would've found you," Asta said simply.
Yuno's breath caught.
"You were never just my rival," Asta continued, voice softer now. "Even when I didn't understand it. Even when I was loud and stupid and trying to outmatch your every move — part of me always wanted you. Not just to beat you. But to be with you."
Yuno shifted closer, brushing their hands together. "I used to lie awake thinking I hated how you always smiled. How you never gave up. But really... I just hated how much I needed you."
Asta turned toward him, their faces only inches apart. "Then don't lie anymore."
Yuno didn't.
He leaned in, and their lips met in a kiss that was soft — not rushed, not heated — just true. It was full of everything they couldn't always say: I'm scared for tomorrow. I need you beside me. I won't let anything take you away.
Asta pulled back only slightly to whisper, "Whatever this 'Broken Star Curse' is, it picked the wrong pair to mess with."
Yuno nodded. "Because it's trying to break what's already unbreakable."
They held each other after that. In silence. In warmth. No armor. No magic. Just skin, breath, and the weightless kind of peace that only comes when the right person holds you close before the storm.
The cursed ruin lay deep within a forgotten valley — ancient Spade Kingdom stone half-buried in frost and twisted roots. The land reeked of old magic, darker than anything they'd faced in months.
Asta and Yuno stood before the stone gate, its surface etched with runes pulsing a sickly red.
"The Broken Star Curse," Asta muttered. "They named it after us."
"Because we were born under the same star," Yuno said grimly. "And now they want to tear it apart."
A team of mages stood behind them, but the captain in charge — a stern woman from Crimson Lion — spoke up.
"Only those tied to the mark may pass the inner ward," she said. "The two of you… are the key."
Asta looked to Yuno. "Ready?"
Yuno nodded. "Always."
They stepped forward.
The second their boots hit the cursed threshold, the world shattered.
Inside the Ruin
They were separated.
Asta landed in darkness — not of shadow, but of doubt. Around him, whispers crawled up from the stone.
"He's stronger than you.""He's noble. You're a mistake.""He doesn't need you. He just pities you."
Asta's breath caught. The voices clawed at his memories. His hands. His heart.
But he clenched his fists. "Shut. Up."
Light surged from his grimoire. "I earned his love. I don't need to match him — I need to protect him."
The darkness hissed, then broke like glass.
Yuno found himself in a reflection of their childhood chapel, only it was burning. In the flames, he saw himself — cold, distant, untouchable.
And in the distance, a twisted vision of Asta, turning away from him.
"You always pushed him aside.""You took too long.""You're not good enough to be loved like that."
Yuno stepped through the flames, tears in his eyes but his jaw clenched hard.
"I wasted time. But he waited. And I'll never turn from him again."
Wind gathered around him like a storm, ripping the illusion to ash.
They burst into the center chamber together, breathless, but unbroken.
At the heart of the ruin stood a massive arcane circle. Floating above it was a twisted mage in a black cloak — the one who had cast the Broken Star Curse.
"You survived?" the figure snarled. "You should've been torn apart by your own doubt!"
Asta drew his sword. Yuno raised his grimoire.
"No curse can break what's real," Yuno said.
"No darkness can dim what we have," Asta finished.
Together, they struck.
Wind and anti-magic crashed into the core. The curse screamed, unraveling, exploding into light.
Aftermath
The ruin collapsed behind them as they walked out, arms bruised, eyes burning, but hand in hand.
The Crimson Lion captain stared at them in awe. "That thing was designed to use your bond against you."
"It tried," Asta said, glancing at Yuno.
"But it only made it stronger," Yuno added, his fingers tightening around Asta's.
Far away, the Wizard King watched through a magic mirror, a small smile on his lips.
"I see," Julius murmured. "Even fate bows to love sometimes."