A/N: Look, it's Chapter 3! Yeet! Alrighty then, thanks to Origm2012 and FairyTailNut for your reviews of the last chapter and especially to Origm2012 for the advice! It was really appreciated!

Ferio, Maria, Sofia, and Santino Sands – Origm2012

Charlotte Armand and Iov-Pater – The Imposter

Singe, Frank, and Dim - Karaten

Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!

Chapter 3: The Sounds of Home

"….And there's our S-Class Mission Board. Those missions are for mages with exceptional talent, as those are extremely dangerous missions. And that about covers the extent of our guild." Anya finished explaining, glancing over at Allan, who seemed halfway between interested and distracted. Which was fair, considering Vic was currently side-eying the Freeze Mage. In fact, the slightest amount of drool was slipping out of his mouth.

Anya pinched the bridge of her nose before walking over to stand directly in front of the B-Rank wizard, who stared blankly ahead at her. A small smirk appeared on his face, carrying over into his eyes, giving him a sleazy-ish expression.

"Hey, girl, like what you're – mmPH!" He stopped mid-pick-up line due to a block of ice suddenly surrounding his head. Allan looked the right amount of alarmed as Anya silently stood in front of his younger brother, palm outstretched, still releasing frosty air from him.

"Is…he'll be fine, right?" Allan said warily, not sure how to handle this. On one hand, he knew exactly what kind of magic Vic practiced and that he'd figure out how to get out. On the other, more brotherly hand, he wanted to break the cube and then have a sternly worded conversation with the female mage.

Vic, meanwhile, was pulling on the cube, trying to get it off traditionally before pulling one of his arms back, a dark orange magic seal appearing over it. Black-colored, solid rock covered it before he smashed it into the cube, causing it to smash and allowing him to breathe. Anya simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why, you….!" Vic growled, mock-angrily, raising the rock-covered fist to retaliate when he suddenly slid backwards, seemingly pulled away by the air. Allan blinked while Anya cringed, closing one eye as she slowly turned around to the person noticeably looming over her.

Ferio Sands was…interesting, to say the least. His dark blue hair fell over his olive complexion. He had a red bracelet on his left forearm, bearing the sigil of the Sands family. He wears a black and red, traditionally Boscan armor, with a red cape covering his back, over a muscular body. A key ring, with three black rings rested on his belt. Standing next to him was a red lion, coming up to the man's waist in terms of height.

"A-Aha, hey….Ferio…." Anya chuckled nervously, rubbing at her head and looking anywhere but at the man. Allan wasn't sure what to make of this one-eighty in personality.

"Miss Anya, you know that fighting in the hall is forbidden. Please don't make me report you to the Master. Again." The man said firmly and sternly, arms crossed over his chest. Anya nodded meekly before the man turned to Allan, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

"I'm sorry about handling your younger brother like that, Señor Brenn. It is habit to have to separate these two by force." Ferio explained, holding out his hand to shake. "Though I must admit, they are mild compared to my own siblings. You can call me Ferio."

Allan took the hand, shaking it firmly with a grin of his own. "Don't worry about it, dude. That's usually how I handle Vic. Just…without magic and stuff. Please, call me Allan."

Ferio had just finished nodding when the doors to the guild hall burst open, revealing two short figures in the doorway.

To Allan, they looked like younger versions of Ferio, though one was female. The two had olive complexion like the authoritative figure in front of him. They both had dark blue hair, the female having much longer and silky-looking hair and the male having a shaggier and messier version. The boy wore a black tank top with red lining, with a black jacket tied firmly around his waist, with matching pants and boots. The girl wore a black sweater over a red skirt. Both of them wore similar bracelets around their right wrists and each had a red guild's mark on the left hand for the girl and the right hand for the boy. However, the most important thing Allan could see was in their facial expressions.

They were terrified.

In a whoosh of air, Ferio was crouched in front of them, the lion just as frantic. The cat pressed himself against the male, while the elder mage pressed his hands firmly, yet softly on their shoulders, appearing to them as reassuring.

"Sofy, Santy, ¿qué pasa? ¿Dónde está Maria?" Ferio asked in rapid-fire Bosque. The twins were taking deep breaths, trying to compose themselves at least a little, even sharing a look as if they were silently talking over what to say. Finally, Sofia looked up at Ferio, eyes wide with terror.

"It's…..Crimson Skull. There was some dude with red hair and a bat….Maria said to get you." Sofia finally explained, Santino nodding alongside his twin's explanation. Ferio had turned quite stiff upon the mention of the other guild, and especially upon the description of one of the members. He turned stiffly to Vic and Anya, anger evident in his stormy grey eyes. Anya could only feel the same as she realized exactly who the two were talking about.

"Singe." She muttered, feeling anger and confusion well up in her, the same as it did every time that jackass came up in conversation. Ferio's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Do any of you know where Kain is?" He asked, clenching his jaw and his fists, anger clouding through his judgement and respect enough to call the master by his first name. Vic and Allan shared a glance before shrugging, having not seen what Anya had seen.

"He went out." Anya said lightly, with enough emphasis on the last word for Ferio to catch the meaning. The S-Class sighed loudly before turning back to his two siblings, who still looked visibly shaken. The eldest sibling gained a soft, affectionate look, pressing both of his palms on top of their heads, startling them and causing them to look up at him. Ferio spared a glance at Pride as he set his mouth into a grim line, finally stepping past the three huddled up in the doorway.

"Pride, stay with them." The red lion nodded once, before Ferio stopped in his tracks, glancing on either side of him as he realized that Vic and Anya both now flanked him. Warmth flickered through his eyes before turning back into the cold fury.

"Alright then. Let's go."


In the central plaza of town, a standoff was happening. Civilians were huddled up, pressing themselves against the walls of the shops to not get noticed by any of the mages involved in the confrontation.

Three of them were from Crimson Skull, a guild from the neighboring town of Lilac. Leading the trio was a guy many in Dogwood knew, as he'd once been a member and S-Class mage of Siren's Voice. Singe had pale white skin, wearing a jean vest over a plain black t-shirt, with ripped jeans and boots. His spiky hair was fiery red. He wore black fingerless gloves, shouldering a metal baseball bat with one of them. His guild mark, a skull with a flame as a backdrop, shone crimson on the middle of his left forearm. The other two were generically fat and skinny.

Across from them stood Maria Sands, the middle sibling of the Sands quartet. Her olive complexion and dark blue hair – currently pulled up into a braided ponytail – really contrasted against Singe's look. A black bracelet, similar to Ferio, Sofia and Santino's, rested on her left wrist. She wore a red sleeveless vest over black leggings and boots. An angry frown sat on her face as she glared at Singe and his cronies.

"What do you want, Singe? When the master finds out you're here…" She began threateningly, clenching her fists as the other mage laughed.

"Jyahahaha, that fucking loser? I'm so scared of his damn snowflakes. Look, see, I'm shaking in my boots. Jyahahaha!" Singe crowed, a large grin splitting his face, mocking scorn flittering through his eyes. "In fact, Frank and Dim here could probably take him on, no problem."

"¡Hijo de puta! Say one more damn thing about Kain and I swear to God that I will shove my foot so far up your ass…." Maria growled, clenching her fists and taking an angry step forward. Dim and Frank shifted, appearing to tense in preparation to attack. Singe simply responded by laughing louder while mini-explosions went off around his free hand.

"You wanna finish that threat, bitch?!" He exclaimed before the sounds of footsteps stopped him. The Crimson Skull members turned towards the newcomers, Singe's eyes lighting up when he saw Ferio, Vic, and Anya.

"Ah, it's you fucking rejects. Now the gang's all here!" He said in mock excitement. Ferio stepped closer to Singe, crossing his arms over his chests.

"Singe. I thought we'd made it clear the last time: stay out of Dogwood. For your own good." He said sternly, looking down at the Explosion Mage. Singe simply sneered, venom dripping out of the expression like a snake. Behind him, Maria shifted, not directly looking at her older brother. Frank and Dim shifted to also flank Singe, appearing ready to attack.

Before anyone else could move a muscle, a sharp icy wind blew through the street, preceding the appearance of Kain in between the two groups. Singe ground his teeth together at the new appearance, while Frank and Dim visibly shook. Kain's expression was near apoplectic as he turned his head slightly, his magical power bursting forth a little, causing a small indentation in the concrete plaza.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in this town, bastard?" He hissed angrily, his cloak flapping from the excess magical energy being released, the sleeves of his shirt ripping slightly to reveal light blue scales lining his arms. Singe stood his ground, not even wincing when feeling the magical presence of what most would consider to be a monster. Meanwhile, Frank and Dim had fallen on their asses, shaking in fear.

After a few moments, Singe scowled before turning around, skulking off with Frank and Dim scrambling after him. Kain watched before he let his reserves dial down, causing the Sands siblings and Anya and Vic to let out a breath in relief. It was a few moments after that that someone – that someone being Maria – spoke.

"Kain…? Are you…?" She began hesitantly, stepping forward slightly, reaching out a hand, stopping only when Kain turned around, smirking proudly at his student/friend and the other guild members, who all looked rather put out at the reaction to the events that'd just transpired.

"I'm fine, Maria. Why wouldn't I be fine?" He said, pulling at his shirt sleeves, masking a frown that hit his face upon realizing that his sleeves were ripped and that the scales were showing. He quickly pulled his cloak around him. "I'll be back at the guild if anyone needs me."

He brushed past Maria, stopping briefly to smile fondly at the girl before moving to brush past Ferio, only to be stopped by a firm hand. Kain looked up at one of his closest friends, who simply stared back at the master. A wordless conversation passed between them before Ferio released Kain, who finally left.

"There's no way in hell that bastard is 'just fine'!" Maria burst out angrily before flinching as Ferio turned his attention back to his younger sister, a small frown plastered across his face. "Look, Ferio, I knew confronting them was a bad idea, but I thought if Kain ran into him….it would be…."

She trailed off, eyes widening as she felt Ferio's arms wrapping around her and pulling her into a hug. Maria felt confusion flit through her even as she returned the hug. Behind the siblings, Vic and Anya shared amused glances as they realized why Ferio was hugging Maria.

"¡Idiota!" Ferio whispered loud enough for Maria to hear, who flinched in shame. "You could have died. Singe is way above your level."

Red tinges appeared on Maria's face before she buried her face into her elder brother's chest. "I know. But….I couldn't let Kain get hurt. Not today of all days." She said, muffled by the armor. Ferio sighed, pressing his chin against her head.

"Kain can handle himself, hermana. Especially against his own brother." Ferio said, before pulling away and stepping aside, smiling fondly. Maria looked up at him in confusion, even as he jerked his head in the direction the guildmaster had walked off in. "Go after him. Vic, Anya, and I will go talk to the mayor and get help in calming the civilians down."

Maria processed that statement before smiling gratefully at Ferio and rushing past him and towards where Kain had gone. Anya and Vic both waved at her as she passed, both sporting wide grins. Maria cheekily saluted back before disappearing down the street.

"Alright, you two, off to your jobs, now." Ferio cut into their little team goodbye ritual. The pair winced, nodding rapidly while Ferio looked off into the distance, placing a hand on Pride's key, thinking about the scales lining Kain's arms.

"Kain….what the hell is going on with you?" He muttered, before walking off.


On the outskirts of town, there was a hill, with a single oak tree next to it. It was a big tree, having been planted at the town's founding and thus very old. The hill was known to the people of Dogwood as Oak Hill and people went there for a variety of reasons from seeing the view to going on a date.

Currently, Kain was visiting it to get out the remaining aggression from his encounter with Singe.

"That fucking psychopath! He thinks he can just…..argh!" Kain roared, before punching the oak, which shook the leaves a little and caused some acorns to fall down and hit the dragon slayer on the head. The teen simply stood there, fist resting against the tree, breathing in and out rapidly, as if he were panting.

"I knew you weren't fine, jackass." Maria's voice sounded from behind him softly. He flicked his eyes back at her, eyes widening as he realized he'd not smelled her coming, before composing himself by straightening up, letting his exposed arms fall to his sides. "It's okay to be mad, y'know. You're still human."

"Am I, Maria?" Kain asked softly, vulnerable. "You know what my magic's doing to me."

"Kain, I can't say I know what you're going through," Maria began, moving forward to stand directly in front of the dragon slayer. She grabbed his hands with her own, running her thumbs over the scales lining the back of his hands softly, ignoring his visible flinch at the touch. "But I do know that you were the first guy to talk to me back when us Sands first joined the guild. I know that you were the first one to help entertain Santy and Sofy back when it was only Ferio and I who were able to take care of them. I know that you were the one who volunteered to help me when my magic first manifested and helped me to become the person I am today. I know that you were the one who challenged your own grandmother for the right to be called master to protect not only our guild's reputation but to protect us because of the Bosco Incident."

Kain jolted as Maria tilted his head up to make direct eye contact. He was more startled as her eyes relayed fierce determination and loyalty.

"Kain, you're more human than all of us and don't you dare forget that." She finished her speech fiercely, gripping his hands tightly. Kain blinked, stunned, even as little drops of moisture fell from his eyes. She sighed and pulled him into a hug. "Now, if you'd stop being a huge baby about it."

That earned her a choked laugh from the master before he pulled away, grinning at his best friend.

"Thank you, Maria. Now, how about you head back to the guild?" Kain said, raising a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "I'll be right behind you. I just…want to take in this view one more time."

She nodded before turning away, heading back down the hill. Kain watched her go, before looking at his arms, which had turned over to ice already, and were beginning to crack.

"Well, boss man, hope you know what you're doing." The ice clone muttered before his full body turned into light blue translucent ice and shattered, leaving ice sparkles to fall onto the hill.


Somewhere in Dogwood

The real Kain Embers finished pulling up the cloak around his head when he jolted, memories from the clone rushing into his head like water, emotions threatening to overrule his sense of judgement. He even had to put a hand on the wall of the alley to steady himself, just as a grin overtook his previous serious expression.

"Thank you, Maria." He muttered under his breath before pushing himself off the wall and brushing past an exiting patron of the Night Vulcan bar, heading for the corner booth where he saw a flash of red hair and an angry, concerned face, and braced himself for a barrage of questions.


Back on Oak Hill, two new arrivals stood next to the tree, overlooking the town. One was female, with a lithe body of 5'9", with red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wears a sleeveless salmon blouse with a ruffle at the top and a high neckline with white jeans and black-soled white suede shoes. A large royal blue pendent on a necklace lies around her neck, while she inhales on a cigarette before grabbing it with her left hand, revealing a guild's mark in royal blue. A simple katana with a wooden handle and sheath was attached to her belt. The other was a middle-aged man, in good shape and with greying hair, floating on a tangible cloud.

"Iov-Pater." The girl said simply.

"Yes, Charlotte?" The man replied.

Charlotte Armand, S-Class mage of Siren's Voice, smiled fondly down at her adopted home.

"It's good to be home."

A/N: Fin! So yeah, trying out a bit of a longer chapter! Hope you like the characters introduced, especially the introduction of the first group of antagonists of the story! Also, more plot/development for certain things.

Read and Review!