Chapter 10 - The Hooded Ace

Don strolled into the guild, humming to himself. He proceeded over to the restaurant tables, and sat down, continuing to hum.

Oliver soon joined the bench. "Hey, Donny. You're awfully cheery today. Something happen?"

"Nope, it's just another beautiful day!" He leapt off the bench. "It's absolutely amazing to be alive, don't you think Oliver?" He twirled and began skipping away.

Oliver awkwardly looked on. "If that was Calem, there would definitely be something up. But since it's Donny, everything's in check."

"What's up with him?" Alana walked over, a can of soda in hand. "Something happen?"

"Nah, that's just how he is. Some days, he just acts like that."

She laughed. "Interesting. I couldn't possibly imagine someone else acting like that on an average day."

Broker's voice entered the conversation. "There's a reason for this." He and Riza sat down as well.

"I hear Xerian is coming back today." Riza said. "That would explain it. Those two are like brothers."

Alana ceased her drinking. "Xerian?"

"He's one of our S-Class Mages." Riza said. "He and Don are extremely close."

Alana sat down and rested her head in her palms. "Calem mentioned the S-Class Promotion Trial not too long ago. How many people have passed it?"

Broker held up four fingers. "This is the number of S-Class Mages our guild currently has."

Alana's eyes widened. "O-only four?"

"Yeah." Broker lowered his hand. "Xerian, Rosa, Glen, and Drex."

"Who's Drex?"

"He's Elena's older brother." Riza answered. "She was one hell of a fighter a few years ago. Kinda surprised she hasn't passed the trial yet."

Alana looked over at Elena and began rubbing her temples. "I find it hard to believe that Elena was a fighter."

"Well, it's the truth." Oliver said. "But they say that Xerian is kinda like the Mystogan of our generation."

"Mystogan?" Alana took another sip of her drink. "Wasn't he that guy that always knocked everyone out whenever he stopped by?"

"Yeah." Oliver replied. "I hear it was a lot more deep or something like that, but that happened over half a century ago, so who cares?"

Alana sighed. "To think that grandma and grandpa were in the prime in the guild that long ago…"

Broker blinked confusedly at Alana. "Grandma?"

Riza did the same. "Grandpa?" The two looked at each other. "Her grandparents were members of this guild…"

"And she's a Celestial Mage… but the only Celestial Mage our guild had that long ago was…"

The two of them both turned towards her, faces full of interest. "You're Natsu and Lucy's granddaughter, aren't you?" They were excited, but spoke in a whisper.

Alana began ruffling her hair in distress. "Oh no!" She lowered her head. "Uggh…"

"Why are you so stressed?" Oliver asked with an irritated tone. "It'll be like a week until the entire guild knows."

"What?!"

"Chill, Alana!" Oliver face-palmed. "You're just overreacting!"

The door glowed with the Fairy Tail Guild Mark and all attention turned to it. Alana calmed down a bit and looked at it.

It slowly opened and the first things to happen was, "Where's my baby sister!?" A large man with silver hair rushed in, yelling in a voice full of glee. There was a cloaked man standing behind him. Four staves poked out from behind his head.

Elena sighed and began walking down the stairs. "Welcome bac-" The man buried her in his chest. All that could be heard was her muffled screams.

"I missed you so much, Elena!" He let her go. "You've been well, right?"

Alana look on in perplexed awe. Broker laughed. "Yeah, Drex does that if he's been on a job for a long time. He's kinda protective. He and Xerian have been gone a while. He's not like that normally."

"Where's the new kid I've heard about?" Drex began looking around, until he spotted Alana. "Ah, there she is!" He rushed over to her. "Wassup, kid? It's a pleasure!"

Alana had no words, only a look of confusion for the giant of a man standing before her. "U-u-uhhh…" She noticed Xerian walking through the hall and heading up the stairs towards the Guild Master's office.

Riza patted his back. "Lay off, Drex. You freaked the poor girl out with the 'overprotective brother' stick."

"Oh, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Name's Drex Corse. It's nice to meetcha."

"Oh!" Alana cleared her throat. "I'm Alana, it's nice to meet you." She looked up at the office once more.

Oliver got off of the bench. "Come on, Drex. Let's go play some pool. I still need to school you."

"Sure thing, bud. You're on!" The two of them rushed off towards the stairs.

Alana moved to the center of her bench. "So, what's this Xerian like?"

"No one know for sure." Broker admitted. "It's a mystery. The only person I could think of that might know something is Don, but he won't talk."

Riza leaned closer. "Some people say that underneath the cloak, he's a lizard just like Don."

"That doesn't make any sense." Alana said. "The only magic Calem's seen him use is Crimson Burst. What kind of magic does Xerian use?"

"Those staves on his back are for containment magic. Specifically for trapping people." Broker said. "And then there's the Fire Magic."

"And the Wind and Earth Magic. Water Magic too." Added Riza

"He can use all those types of magic? That's crazy." Alana let her head hit the table. "I don't think I'll get that far…"

"There's also the fact that he might be the Guild's Ace." Riza said. "It's not like everyone agrees on it, but it might be him. It could be any of our four S-Class Mages."

Alana got up. "I'll go talk to Don about it."

"Alright," Broker waved to her. "good luck on getting anything out of him!"

Alana found herself in the streets of Magnolia, searching for Don. "Where could he be?"

"Slow down, Lillian!" The familiar voice caught her attention. Across the river that ran through town, Alana Calem being dragged by a little girl.

"I haven't seen her around. Is she his younger sister?" She began waving. "Hey there, Calem!"

Calem held back the little girl and looked across the river. "Hey, Alana!" The little girl tugged on his sleeve. He knelt down and she whispered something in his ear. A light flush crossed his cheeks and he flicked her forehead before standing. "What's up?"

"I'm looking for Don!" She called. "Do you know where he went?"

"I think he's in the park! Do you want us to go with you?"

"It's fine. Have fun you two! Thanks for the info!" Alana began walking away, but Lillian began dragging him towards her. "Or they're coming with me anyway." She giggled. "Alright, then. I wonder what that little girl has in mind."

Don laid on the grass, looking up at the sky. He watched the clouds until Alana obstructed his view. "Hey there."

He sat up and looked back at her. "Come to get some fresh air?"

"You could say that. But I was a little curious about something. Your friend, Xerian."

"Sorry, but I can't say."

Alana sighed. "What's so special about him that we can't know?"

"I don't know it, either. That's why I can't say."

The girl was surprised by his response. "Really? Aren't the two of you friends?"

"We are, but he won't tell me. I don't mind though." He looked past her and began waving. "Hi Lil, Calem!"

The girl stopped by them and smiled at Alana. "Hi there! I'm Lillian!, Calem's younger sister."

Alana bent over and placed her hands on her knees to get closer to the girl. "Hi there, Lillian. It's nice to meet you. I'm Alana."

The girl ran away from her brother to the lizard. "Calem, I'm going to go play with Don, okay?"

He scratched his head. "Okay…?" He walked next to Alana. "What do you think she ran off like that?"

She glanced away from him. "I think I have an idea…" She spoke under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, nothing! What do you think about Xerian?"

"That's why you came looking for Don? To be honest, I have no idea."

Alana put on a look of fierce determination. "I'll see if I can figure it out. I will find out his secret one day!"

"Good luck with that." Calem began walking away, and the girl rushed over to him.

"Hey, wait up!"

Drex Corse and Xerian: two of Fairy Tail's few S-Class Mages. While one of them is the overbearing big brother of Elena, the other is a cloaked figure shrouded in mystery. Who exactly is he, and what is his relationship to Don?

Any and all reviews are helpful. While I think things are going fine for now, I would appreciate your feedback in order to improve the story as it progresses.