Welcome to the [Mazeverse]-A post Tenrou AU that explores the tangle of romantic relationships between our favorite guild mages through a series of interconnected short stories. Read these as stand-alone pieces, or follow a relationship through its ups and downs by referencing the tags in the description.

Many pairings will be explored (not all at the same time, obviously). Throughout the series, we'll see some: Gruvia, Lyvia, Grayza, Jerza, Nalu, Nali, Lolu, Bixanna, Gale, ElfEver, Miraxus, Laxana, MiraFreed as well as a handful of crackships as we try to pair the spares.


Happy Friday! We hit a new record for faves and story follows on A Wingman for Christmas - thanks to JcL107, wildalone, Summer Nickels, heathernicole1995, freyarob, Queen O' Hearts 87, and DarlingSpider for making that happen.

Today we're going to take a little segue into the world of Lyon and the Lamia Scale team. - K. Chandler


"Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!"

Lyon performed the familiar spell with a flourish and a flash of frost.

"Wow, Lyon! Those things get bigger every time! I know I shouldn't be surprised, but—eep!" Chelia hit the ground as the creature—if you could call it that—swooped towards her.

"Focus, Chelia," Lyon scolded. "If you don't keep your attention on your opponent, they are sure to take advantage of that."

"Sorry!"

"Don't be sorry. Get moving," snapped Lyon. He brought the dragon back around with a wave.

"Right. God-Slayer Roar!"

The air rumbled around him. Lyon leapt out of the way easily, returning the attack with a flock of ice eagles. "Too slow. Are you even trying, Chelia?"

"I'm trying," the little girl insisted, dodging the oncoming birds. "I'm guessing that wasn't any good?"

"You didn't even come close to hitting me," remarked Lyon. This time, he sent a barrage of ice bumblebees.

But Chelia blasted them out of the air, sending a shower of ice shards soaring as they shattered.

"That's a little bit better," he said.

Despite her age, Chelia Blendy was a very powerful wizard. It was a waste, as far as Lyon was concerned.

Chelia was a prodigy of sorts. With her special abilities, she could easily have been one of the strongest wizards in Lamia Scale. At least, she could have been if the girl had any discipline at all. But she was young. More than that, Chelia lacked a proper instructor. Although that was understandable; after all, where would one go to learn a Lost Magic?

Lyon knew the importance of having a good teacher. He was even younger than Chelia when he had started studying Ice-Make magic. He had trained under Ur Milkovich, easily one of the greatest mages of all time. Lyon wouldn't have become the wizard he was, without Master Ur's careful instruction.

Though he didn't consider himself remotely qualified to be tutoring the girl, Lyon made sure to spar with Cheila on a regular basis. It was certainly better than nothing. And if nothing else, he might even be able to teach her some discipline.

"Is that all you've got?" he drawled. "And I thought you were stronger than that."

"Hey! I'm strong," said Chelia.

"Doesn't look that way to me."

Lyon's battle-honed senses alerted him to the approach of another mage. He shot the new-comer a quick glance, catching a flash of pink.

Just Sherry. Good.

Lyon relaxed, returning his attention to his young sparring partner.

Despite Sherry's tendency for histrionics, she had enough sense to know not to get in the middle of a fight.

"Lyon, you'll never guess what happened!" gushed Sherry as she rounded the corner. "Ren just confessed his love and—Oops."

"WHAT?!" Lyon's head whipped around, his neck cracking. Battle forgotten, his brows pulled together as he fixed her with an incredulous stare.

"Sorry, didn't know I was interrupting… I can just—" started Sherry.

"Ren Akatsuki? That Blue Pegasus playboy?"

"He's not a playboy, Lyon. He's—"

"Sky-God Dance!"

The blast hit Lyon before he could react, sending him flying across the lawn. With a painful thud, he slammed into the ground, the impact forcing the air from his lungs. He winced.

"Lyon!" cried Sherry.

"I thought you said to stay focused!" said Chelia.

Lyon heard the footsteps as both women rushed to his side. He forced his eyes open.

"Are you okay?" asked Sherry. She hovered above him, biting her lip.

Chelia stood next to her, a rueful hand at the back of her head.

"And that's why you don't get distracted during a fight," Lyon wheezed, fixing the young God-Slayer a pointed look. This wasn't quite how he imagined teaching Chelia this particular lesson, but this seemed as good a time as any.

"Sorry, Lyon! I wasn't trying to hit you! I thought you were watching!"

"How on Earth do you spar without trying to hit your opponent!?" Lyon groaned, a mix of pain and exasperation coloring his voice. Every breath hurt and he just couldn't seem to get enough air...

"That's not what I meant…"

He started to heave himself up, slamming his eyes shut as a sharp pain lanced through his chest. He fought the urge to curl in on himself.

Ribs. Definitely ribs. But that was no surprise. Nobody could walk away from a blow like that completely unscathed. He doubted even Jura could manage that, and he was one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

Taking measured breaths until the pain settled into a dull ache, Lyon opened his eyes slowly. Gingerly, he sat all the way up.

Sherry peered into his face anxiously, blue eyes wide. Always the worrier.

"What hurts? Is anything broken?" Her hands hovered over him as if unsure where to begin her ministrations.

"It's fine." Lyon swatted her hand away. "Stop that."

"But…"

He rolled his eyes. Sherry would panic over something like this. Yes, it hurt, but all of them had experienced much worse over the years. His Cold Emperor days had quite nearly killed all of them, he recalled grimly. He swallowed hard. The very though made him sick to his stomach. He pushed the memory away.

"Maybe let's get him to the infirmary…" Chelia played hem of her skirt. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

Lyon resisted the urge to sigh, seeing as that would likely hurt. "I said it's fine," he said instead. "I don't need—"

But his protests were ignored as a distraught Sherry slung his arm around her shoulders, dragging him to his feet. Chelia followed behind, ushering them along, shooting him guilty looks the entire time.

It was a losing battle, Lyon realized. Once his female teammates set their minds to something, they would have their way, whether he liked it or not.

Clearly, he'd be given no say in the matter.


Chelia is so much fun to write! She's adorable and I love her to bits.

Next time, in [Mazeverse] A Promise, Lyon gets some answers: "So, what's going on with you and the Blue Pegasus Playboy?" asked Lyon. Stop back next Friday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.