Chapter 1: The Set Ups

A group of 7 people sat around a octagonal shaped table, each one wearing a black robe, hiding each of their faces, as well as anything else that could distinguish them in any way, shape, or form. No words needed to be said by any of them. Never before had they needed to. They simply gathered, nothing more. All that needed to be done was set before them.

And at the moment, the only thing before them was a single letter. No one moved to grab it. There was no need to. A few moments passed before the letter disappeared into a puff of smoke. There hung an eerie silence in the air, until all 7 figures rose, only one speaking though. His voice was deep, dark, and ancient as he spoke. "The light has always thought that the deepest darkness is what it needs to fear most. They'll soon learn that the biggest threats often lie closer to the light." Once that was said, all 7 figures disappeared into a puff of black smoke, just as the letter had.

Thousands of miles away, a single guild sat at the edge of a waterfall, a bridge connecting it to either side of the waterfall on each side. This guild is known as Black Phoenix. Just from looking at it from the outside, one would think that there was a royal family or someone inside, given the fact that it was so large and castle-like in appearance. However, it was just the contrary. While there were indeed two people of a form of noble lineage, the majority of the guild were simple mages who had not so simple histories.

All seemed quiet outside it, until the sound of something falling down on the ground, a loud scream following with it. Inside, it seemed that someone had fallen off of a ladder, having landed on her butt. This girl was Kallen Fray, a first generation Poison Dragon Slayer. She had just fallen from a ladder trying to hang up Halloween decorations, but fell over since she was trying to reach up too high.

As she rubbed what she had hurt, a clear crystal dragon, no bigger than a parakeet, flew down onto the girl's shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek. This in turn caused Kallen to giggle slightly, scratching under its chin. "You alright Kallen?" A black haired girl asked, standing on a ladder on the opposite side of the room, also setting up Halloween decorations.

"Yeah, just slipped. Thanks for 6our concern Lucina," Kallen said to the other girl, Lucina Faux. Lucina was formerly known as Lucia Delchamps, a high ranking noble of the town of Danghrest. But she eventually found out that she was actually an artificially created golem, code named "Project: Lucina", to be used, or at least she was told to be, a weapon for the magic council. She came to terms with it eventually, but she still wasn't a big fan of it. Despite being a golem, she still had access to her Crystal Magic, but she didn't like being called a mage.

The golem nodded to Kallen, a small smile on her face. "You're welcome. If things get too high for you, my crystal dragon there will get it farther up for you!" Lucina then began stepping down the ladder, finishing her side of the room. All Kallen did was nod, stepping up the ladder again, beginning her continuation on the decorations she had. "So far so good. The Halloween Karaoke Party is going to be awesome!" Lucina smiled happily as she said that, taking a look at the work they'd done. Lucina'd thought that things had been too quiet as of late, so she'd decided to have a Karaoke night at the guild. And given the time of year it was, she thought a Halloween theme would fit nicely. Because it was Halloween themed, both her and Kallen were hanging up orange, black, and purple streamers around the guild hall. Although there was a bit more to do with the decorations.

Lucina looked over, seeing a white-haired mage, much taller than herself walking out of the kitchen. "How're the songs and other decorations going Mathias?" She asked the tall male, known as Mathias, from across the room, instantly grabbing his attention. The mage simply laughed as he heard the golem ask him about them. Mathias Cronqvist, the male Lucina was talking to, was one of Black Phoenix's S-Class mages, using a type of magic known as Glyph magic. His magic allowed him to use certain spells depending on the glyph used, each glyph having been tattooed onto him. He was also the original owner of the guild building before it became the home for Black Phoenix. How he got it was a mystery to Lucina, but hey, you wouldn't hear her complain about the place.

"Yes, I believe I have the desired number of songs you requested Lucina," he said with a smile on his face. "As for the other decorations, I'll be working on them throughout the day so that they can be finished." Lucina nodded at him, returning his smile with a small one of her own.

"Good. Kallen, you got things here?" The dragon slayer nodded happily, the crystal dragon Lucina'd made for her to help out currently helping to hang a streamer. "Good, then it seems everything should be ready." She smiled at how things were progressing, thinking they were going at a pretty decent rate. If they were lucky, they'd be done by the end of the week.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other ideas it seemed. "Oi, Katy!" A voice from the second story shouted. A black-haired girl leaned over the railing on it, looking directly down, speaking to Kallen. She had a paper crumpled up in her fist, though she looked confused as she saw her work. "I thought you were already done?" The crystal dragon flew onto Kallen's shoulder, finished helping the dragon slayer for the time being.

Kallen just sighed, shaking her head. "No, I'm still working Mizaki. But, what is it?" The black-haired girl, Mizaki, simply smirked at Kallen, showing the paper for her, a stamp with an S on it. Kallen only widened her eyes at the sight of the paper. "A-another one? B-but last time…" Kallen caught herself off there, not wanting to remember how things had ended the last time they took an S-class job. Last time they barely got away from it with their lives, and how they had been punished severely for taking one before.

Mizaki laughed slightly as she walked down the stairs. "That was then, this is now. I mean, you got me after all; the most kick ass member of our team." Mizaki only smirked as she stood at the bottom of the ladder that Kallen was on, well was; she was now slowly climbing down it to talk to the fellow mage. Mizaki was a fairly cool girl, but she had a few quirks as well. Most people, upon meeting her for the first time, would find her rude, over-confident, thinking she was unbeatable (even though she's been proven wrong on several occasions), and liked to look down on people. But when someone fought her, they found that she was more than just talking the talk. She was strong enough to back up her claims on most occasions, but not always. She was another of the guild's S-class mages, but she never really said so to people and rarely used her rank, instead just stating she was stronger than people or such. She tightly held onto a sling that hung off her back and held a staff in it. This staff was how she mainly could use her magic, which was simply known as Elemental magic. Basically she was able to bend water, earth, air, or fire to her command with her staff, or she could control up to all 4 at once. There was also something about a fifth element, but the exact details on it were a mystery, especially the mage had just returned a few months ago from a search for it. She was usually one to show off, but she hadn't for some odd reason.

Instead of just trying to convince Kallen to come with her, she just grabbed her by the hair and dragged her by her hair. "I know you're going to protest, but we haven't been on a mission with the whole team in a long time." She said nothing else as she dragged Kallen away, who was squirming every which way and kept repeating "Ow" over and over again until she was out of earshot of both Mathias and Lucina, who just stared at the spot the two girls had just been, trying to figure out what happened.

Mathias then quickly let out a chuckle. "Looks like we'll have to wait another day to have the party Lucina. Hope that's OK," he said in between chuckles as he shook his head, looking over to Lucina who was still staring at the spot the two had just been.

"Yeah… I guess…" That's all she said. She then just turned towards the stairs heading towards the lower rooms of the guild. Mathias watched as she walked off, a little confused to say the least. Earlier she'd been full of energy, but now? What had gotten into her?

"Maybe it just has to do with her still trying to master 'that' side," he said to himself, not thinking anyone was around. He just sat down at a table, pulling out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth, going to light it a few seconds later before a familiar voice stopped him, causing him to smile instead of grow annoyed.

"Hey Mathias," the owner said. As Mathias turned around, he saw that it was Tristan Gareth, Black Phoenix's SS-class mage, or one of in all honesty; it's just that no one saw the other one too often. He was definitely one of the guild's strongest without a doubt. He also doubled as an interim guild master when it was necessary. People wouldn't really guess it by his looks however that he was an SS-class. He was a mage with two different magics: Steel-Make and Teleportation, both he was very adept at using, especially when he combined to two. He also was a black smith, so he had a huge stash of weapons up in his room, each either just a weapon or a weapon infused with a lacryma. This was mainly spent his time when he wasn't interacting with other members or out on a job. "What ya up to?"

The glyph mage just shrugged, going back to lighting his cigarette. "Not much. I just finished talking to Lucina about the party we'll be having hopefully this week for Halloween. You?" Tristan just shrugged sitting down next to the other mage.

"Just tinkering, you know how boring it gets around here," he said as he rested his head in one hand. Mathias simply nodded, blowing the smoke away from both of them. "By the way, did Hikaru leave for a mission again? Haven't seen her all day." The Hikaru the SS-class mage referred to was Hikaru Frost, the only other S-class mage of Black Phoenix. She was also a 2nd generation Frost Dragon Slayer. She also was the one Tristan fought when he took the S-class exams to become on, their fight ending in a tie. He half wanted to have a rematch with her at some point in the future, but the other half he wanted to see her was for his own personal reasons. During the time he got to know her, he had developed more than just friendly feelings towards her. He kept those feelings at bay, but he enjoyed spending time with her so much that he tried to spend time with her whenever he could.

Mathias simply shook his head, about to say something but stopped himself when he saw a sign above the guild door. Normally he'd ignore such a thing, but seeing as it concerned the one sitting with him, all he did was lightly chuckle, confusing the blacksmith. When he turned around, he was no less than shocked. The sign said in big bold letters "TristKaru." There was also some frost on it, so it seemed that Hikaru had attacked it or something. The other members liked to tease the two about becoming a couple since both admitted to have feelings for the other, but wouldn't get together because of a past relationship Hikaru had with a former member of Black Phoenix.

Even though it kind of annoyed him, Tristan just turned around. "Those guys won't ever learn will they?" Mathias just shrugged, unsure of how to answer.

"Kids will be kids?" He spoke almost questioningly.

Tristan was about to retort when the doors to the infirmary were slammed open, a fairly short girl stepped out of it, rubbing the back of her head and sighing. "Finally, I was losing my mind in there." This girl was Emerita Megido, or Rita for short, Black Phoenix's professor. She may not have been S-class, but she was as powerful as one for sure. She was the only user of the Lost Magic known as Scroll Magic. Like most Holder types, she needed to have her scroll present to use her magic. A simple incantation and she could use a powerful spell against her opponents. All it took were the words, her scroll, and movement. She had just gotten back from taking 6 jobs at once, since all 6 were located in the same town, and had gotten in over her head (not that she'd admit it though). She came back battered and bruised, and needed medical treatment. But she wasn't so beat up that she let Mathias help her in the slightest. The two of them had a… unique relationship among the members of Black Phoenix (one might describe it as a hate/comrade relationship, Rita hating Mathias and Mathias seeing her as nothing more than a comrade). She looked over and glared at him as he kept sitting down, Tristan just facepalming, getting up to walk away. "Sulfur, stay!" She said with a commanding tone, to which Tristan (she nicknamed him Sulfur cause of his two magics) obeyed, although not because of her presence. Rather he wanted to see what she wanted, nothing more.

"What the hell was with that stunt you idiots!?" She started yelling at them like her former students, having been a former professor at Magebury, a high up and rich university located near Crocus. She was fired not because of her teaching, but rather cause students kept bringing up, as she called them, bullshitted lawsuits that never turned out badly for the college. "I come back and you try forcing those freaking vats of toxic waste you call a 'potion' down my throat. Then you lock me in the infirmary! What. The. Hell!" Even though she was yelling at them, they didn't seem to really react. "Are you two bastards even listening to me!?"

"Yes, we hear you shorty," the glyph mage retorted. "But if you just drank the potion like you were supposed to." He left his sentence hanging, leaving Rita to interpret the rest herself. Tristan stayed silent, not understanding why he was there.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you bastard! Keep those things away from me!" Then she pointed at Tristan. "And you! Why did you help him!?"

Before Tristan could answer, a small owl, shaped like a barn owl but had a slight glow to it, being pure white, dropped from the ceiling, landing on the table between the three of them. To its left leg was tied a little scroll, which Mathias instantly took before the bird flew off, the SS-class mage breathing a sigh of relief so he wouldn't have to answer her question.

Mathias raised an eyebrow, muttering several curses in an ancient language under his breath, earning another glare from the scroll mage. "Hope you're fully healed midget. We've been specifically requested to do a job together." The former professor raised an eyebrow, not believing him until he showed her.

"Damn… Don't screw it up." She didn't even need to do anything, just walking to the exit of the guild, sitting down at the entrance, waiting for Mathias to be ready to leave. She didn't want to go on a mission with him, but hey, it was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

Mathias just chuckled before walking off to go pack for the mission, Tristan just looking between the two confused. In his mind, the reasoning was that some higher power was probably getting tired of their fighting and decided to try and fix it. That or he was dreaming. Even though the two walked off, he remained where he was, planning to wait for Hikaru to return.

Upstairs where more rooms were, Mizaki was seen dragging Kallen to a specific room, but not her own room, nor was it Kallen's room. Instead it was another member's, the remaining member of her team, Acidic Elements. She knocked on the door with the hand that still held Kallen's hair, yanking it as she did so, earning a few squeals of pain from the dragon slayer. The door opened, revealing a man who looked like he just woke up, and was still drowsy. This was Leon Shi, the second generation Acid Dragon Slayer. He was probably the most innocent guy you'd ever meet. Literally, he knew nothing of anything people would call 'dirty.' He was completely ignorant of it all, getting made fun of for it by his teammates whenever they talked about something that could be considered 'dirty.'

Mizaki flashed him a smirk, holding out the S-class job paper for him to read. As he was looking it over, he never even saw the S stamp due to being so tired. However, before he could say anything about it, Mizaki proceeded to kick him straight between the legs, causing a yelp to escape his lips before he fell over sideways. "Sorry, no time for your innocent idiocy Leon," the Elemental mage said before grabbing him by the hair, also dragging him by it, as well as Kallen. She was determined to go on this one, and wasn't going to let her teammates question it.

Downstairs, Lucina walked up to a single door, not even bothering to knock, instead just opening it on her own, filling the dark room with light. A light groan was heard from the bed sheets as a figure slowly rose, rubbing his eyes and yawning. This was Hitomi, a lightning user. He couldn't be classified as a mage because his lightning wasn't like normal magic. There was something about it, but it definitely wasn't some sort of slayer magic. A little over a year ago, he had planned on destroying Fairy Tail due to orders from a higher up or something. Lucina was the only one in Black Phoenix who really knew, other than the guild master, about that because she was a part of it. She was ashamed to admit it, yes, but she had to put that behind her and move on.

Normally Lucina was calm and collected, but now, she was just angry. He was a constant reminder of what she had done, and why she let him stay here was beyond her. She just did it for no reason it seemed, and that only increased her anger. "Get up you bastard!" Her voice was stern and fully evident of her rage, Hitomi barely responding.

"Why? Not like it's important," he yawned as he spoke, only annoying the golem even more.

"Urusai Hitomi! We're heading on that mission now!" She had given him a mission for the two of them to go on the day before, but she thought she'd have a friendly spar with Mizaki before leaving. However since the Elemental mage was already leaving, she decided to just go for it now.

Hitomi groggily responded, sitting up, yawning again. "OK. I'll meet you in the hall soon." Lucina nodded before leaving, cursing under her breath, so wanting to knock the guy's lights out. Hitomi just groggily got up, fully clothed, running his fingers through his hair, lightning crackling out of his finger tips as he did so. "Hm?" He looked around, a little confused. "The air feels different. Is a time of change nearing?" He asked himself, not surprised when he got no answer. After a few moments he headed out to the guild hall to meet Lucina, not at all driven for this mission.

About a mile in the air about Black Phoenix, a cloaked figure looked down at the guild, a condescending look in its eyes. The bottom of it flowed about like a wisp, moving freely in any and all directions. It had done its job, ensuring that everything was going according to plan. For now, things seemed to be going smoothly, but bumps were expected. Perhaps it would visit while the 7 mages were all sent away. Just as a little insurance policy. Everything had to go according to plan. The figure, as well as its allies somewhere else, couldn't allow a guild, neither light nor dark, to exist. Neutrality was the worst of all because of its unpredictability, and for the darkness to grow, all neutral parties were to be eliminated. Once it saw 7 figures exiting the guild, it slowly descended, preparing for anything that came at it.

This wasn't a simple beginning to a few jobs, but of something much greater. A war to end all, and leave only one name behind: Kin.