Chapter 12: Nature has a guardian?!
A/N: Enjoy! Here's the newest chapter! Please review!
Disclaimer: I do not Fairy Tail but I do own my OC.
Warning: This chapter contains screaming, Gorians, a fight scene, a Take Over, and a happy ending...I guess? Oh! And there's also an enemy who's terrible at hiding in plain sight! You have been warned...have fun reading!
Normal Speech: "Talking..."
Thoughts: "Thinking..."
Magic Spells/Chants: "Spell/Chant..."
Demon/Kaito's ancestors' Speech: "Talking..."
Magic's Ghost's/Possession Speech: "Talking..."
"Here we are, kid," the guard said as he stepped aside, allowing Kaito to get a full view of what the remains of the farm looked like.
Kaito could only stare in absolute displeasure when he saw it. All around him, the crops that were made possible thanks to the village's hardworking people, destroyed to pieces of waste. Some were bitten onto and also seemed to have been spat out, some were smashed with their fluids still dripping and flies were all around, there were even those that had bite marks in them.
He carefully maneuvered around the soil, not wanting to damage the already destroyed crops any further. Kaito was then in the middle of the whole field. He sneered at the sight of the farm's current look and he had anger boiling within him. He wasn't going to let those Gorians get away with this much damage. An aura quickly emitted from his body and he could feel the energy it was pouring into him. Shade's energy.
"You're angry, Kaito," Shade said.
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Shade. Now get rid of your energy. I still can't control your powers at all and I might do something that I don't mean to." Kaito replied.
He could feel that Shade was rolling its eyes. "Alright. Just call me when you need my help, partner." Then, the aura fades away and Kaito couldn't sense the Darkness Magic at all.
All of a sudden, Kaito felt something odd. He looked around him and he could feel the odd feeling increasing by the second. "Spirit Magic - Spirit Eyes!" Kaito muttered. His right eye began to glow as he blinked. He could see it clearly. There was a trail all over the field, a green trail. It was circling the entire area and eventually, it covered the entire field, leaving Kaito stunned by this new discovery.
"Is there something wrong, kid?" The guard asked as he stepped into the field.
"Don't move!" Kaito immediately cried, stopping the guard in his track. "Move out of here. There's something odd all over the field."
The guard stepped out of the field and raised an eyebrow. "Something odd? Kid, I told you that the other guards and I couldn't find any clues last time. You don't have to lie about it."
"I'm not lying," Kaito stated, earning a sigh from the guard.
"Then what have you found that the guards couldn't? There isn't a lead that we can follow."
Kaito scoffed. "That's because you didn't know about my Magic." He gestured his hands to the entire field and he continued. "This entire field is covered with a lead that you cannot see with your eyes. But I can. My Magic allows me to."
The guard's interest raised. "What?! Then tell me, what's the lead?"
"Magic," Kaito stated. "Every types of Magic gives off a different kind of trail. Gorians use Take Over, just like Vulcans. That means that their trail should be white. But all I see is a green trail that covers the entire place. You told me that only the Gorians came into the field." The guard gave him a nod to confirm his words and Kaito continued. "Then that means that there's something wrong with the Gorians."
"And what would that be?" The guard asked.
Kaito raised his hand and stuck out two of his fingers. "Two suggestions. First, these Gorians who invaded have a different Magic compared to the other Gorians and Vulcans. Second, something or someone is controlling the Gorians with a different kind of Magic."
"Gorians and Vulcans always have Take Over as their Magic. It's part of them so that they can keep on living. It could be possible that they have taken over Mages that they have defeated." The guard spoke.
"So you're saying that the Gorians have taken over a number of Mages who coincidentally use the same Magic, which explains the green trail, right?" Kaito challenged, earning a flinch from the guard as he thought about it.
The guard had his hand on his chin as he was deep in thought. "It could be possible though. But if what you said is true about the second suggestion, then who or what is controlling the Gorians?"
"That's what the real problem," Kaito replied. "If we can figure out the source of the controlled Gorians, we can end this invasion once and for all."
For some reason, the guard shifted uncomfortably. This made Kaito glance at him for a moment before turning back to face the field. Then, he felt the Magic similar to the green trail increased. Afterwards, a scream followed.
"Something's happening in the village!" The guard cried as he ran back towards the village.
Kaito, however, found this even more strange. "That guard seem to be afraid for some reason when I told him about the second suggestion and then the Magic spiked right before the scream."
Then, Shade returned. "He must be involve with the whole invasion, Kaito. It's obvious!"
"And why would you say that?"
"Why don't you look at the direction that the guard ran to? Maybe you might see what I meant," Shade replied.
Kaito rolled his eyes and turned just as Shade had requested. Then, his eyes widened in realization when he saw it. "What..."
"See? He's obviously involve in this!" Shade cried. Kaito was just shocked. The trail that the guard had left behind was exactly the same as the ones in the field!
But he couldn't be sure about it. That trail could have just been a coincidence. He needed more evidence to support Shade's claim, and he knew just what to do...
"Hurry!" Dan yelled as he picked up his pace, not bothering to turn back to Cana.
The guard had fear written all over his face. Sweat was everywhere, his eyes were red, his breaths were uneven and his entire body was tensed. But he knew that this was what it meant to have the responsibility of the village's safety resting on his shoulders. He clenched his fists tightly around his sword's hilt before he turned the corner.
Cana was breathless, she had ran much more farther from the usual distance she would run. But this was her Job, and she did not want to fail it, or disappoint Kaito's hard work. She drew out her cards and turned the exact corner that Dan had taken. When she did, she was met by a guard who was knocked onto the ground beside her. She looked at the guard with wide eyes.
He had cuts all over his ripped uniform and beneath them were bruises inflicted from what she guessed were the Gorians. The guard's face was beaten and was swelling. Beside the guard, a broken spear. The guard shifted his head weakly towards Cana and he coughed. "Get...away..." Then, he fainted.
A look of fear now settled on Cana's face. She looked away from the unconscious guard but the screams of other guards filled her ears.
She looked forward, only to see the gruesome reality that was in front of her. Standing in the middle of the whole area, four deformed Gorians were huddled in a circular formation. All of the four deformed Gorians looked the same. They all had horns growing on their heads, behind their ears, spikes were forming along their arms, their fur had changed from the usual green to brown and their jaws were stretched downwards. But the most unusual thing about the Gorians were their glowing, green eyes. In the middle of the formation was an unconscious boy who had a strange mark on his wrist.
"Don't let them get away!" Dan cried as he charged at Gorians with his sword raised.
One of the deformed Gorians noticed the guard and it broke out of its formation to retaliate.
Dan swung his sword while the Gorian thrust its fist at the Mage. The blade of the sword managed to deliver a small cut to the beast's side, however, the Gorian's fist smashed right into Dan's face, sending the guard flying.
"You're not getting away this time!" Dan muttered. He stretched out his legs and struck them onto the ground. Dan slid a few more steps before he came to a complete stop and waved his sword, causing it to glow. "Destruction's Blade!" Dan sprinted towards the Gorian with incredible speed as he raised the sword back.
The deformed Gorian smirked awkwardly with its stretched jaw. It raised one of its arm and slammed it into the ground, causing it to shake. As the ground shook, a vibration was created and its blast radius stopped a few steps from Cana. Then, before they knew it, roots sprouted from the ground and entangled the guards. Dan, however, wasn't stopped that easily.
Dan sliced through the roots with ease thanks to his sword. But as soon as he did that, the spell worn off. He cursed himself for his foolishness as he began dodging the roots. "Screaming Piercer!" Dan halted and stabbed his sword into the ground, causing a Magic Seal to form around him before the roots began to wither away which caused the entangled guards to be set free.
"He's strong," Cana thought.
"That's what you'd expect from Sakura Village's second best Mage," A guard said as he helped a fallen guard up onto his feet.
Anger was boiling in Dan. "You think you can just come in here and kidnap another kid? You made a big mistake! Destructive Zap!" This time, static formed all over his sword as he charged at the Gorian once more.
The Gorian growled in anger as it raised its arms up to guard itself.
Dan smirked. "Take this!" He steadied himself as he approached the Gorian and then, he stabbed the beast through its arms. The static flowed from the blade and onto the Gorian. Dan scoffed with satisfaction but gasped when he saw the Gorian slam its fist into the ground. Before he knew it, the electricity on the Gorian had disappeared into the ground, shocking everyone.
"It neutralized Dan's strongest spell!" A guard cried in disbelief.
"No way...how can a Gorian do that?!" Another asked.
Even Dan was in a state of shock. His eyes were focused on the wound that he had inflicted. The wound on the Gorian's arm should have immobilized it but instead, it was instantly repaired. The Gorian smirked as it yanked the sword out from its arm and tossed it towards Dan. The sword missed him but it had grazed his cheek before it struck a wall of a house.
Cana clenched her hand. "Jolt of Fate is useless now that I know it can deflect electric attacks. I guess I'm just an obstacle in the way now."
The Gorian grinned and waved its hand, slapping Dan away as if he was merely just a fly in the way. It then turned to the other Gorians and snorted, causing the Gorians to pick up the unconscious boy and they retreated to the gates.
"Stop them!" A guard yelled as he and a few others pursued the beasts while a few other remained to help Dan.
Cana the approached the weakened guard, only to be blocked by two of the guards tending to him. "Dan, are you alright?" Cana asked worriedly.
Dan didn't bother to reply her. Instead, he gave her a glare and gritted his teeth. "Why didn't you help?" Cana was taken aback by the question and she took a step back when Dan stood on his feet and towered over the Card Magic user as he continued. "Answer me! Why didn't you help?! I thought you were a Guild Mage. If you are one, why didn't you helped us prevent the Gorians from escaping?"
"I would have helped you but..."
"But what?!" Dan bellowed, causing the girl to flinch. "What was it that stopped you from fighting those Gorians? Was it because you're weak? Was it because you were frightened? Huh? Are you even a real Mage or are you just playing a prank with us? Where was your so-called partner then? Answer me!"
Tears were beginning to develop in her eyes as her grip on her cards tightened. "I don't know much spells, okay?! I'm just learning the basics of Card Magic. The only spell I know is an electric type spell which is completely useless now that I know that those Gorians can deflect them and my partner's helping you investigate the case that you have, that's why he didn't came."
Silence filled the air for a brief minute as Dan's glare remained on the girl who was sniffling. Then, he broke it. "Pathetic. You Guild Mages are useless. I'm going after those Gorians, screw the chief. I can't rely on Guild Mages anymore. I won't let them hold my son any longer!" He shoved Cana aside as he walked over to his sword and yanked it out of the wall before running off in the direction where the Gorians had fled to.
Cana stopped her sobbing. She looked at Dan's figure vanish from her sight as she wiped her tears. This hesitation of hers that she was feeling at the moment was telling her to give up. But she knew if she did, it would ruin the entire Job. Not only that, Kaito may really change his mindset of her as well. She didn't want to accept it. Cana took a deep breath before she ran after the guard.
"Oi, Macao," Wakaba asked. "Did you hear that scream just now? What do you think it was?"
Macao waved his hand. "I bet it was someone screaming because they may have seen a mouse of something. You've seen what some of the girls back in our guild do when they see a mouse."
"Then how do you explain that?" The Smoke Mage asked as he pointed towards a group of deformed Gorians heading in their direction. Macao turned his head, but it was too late. The Gorians have already collided with them, sending the two Mages flying into the sky.
"DAMN YOU APES!" Macao screamed as he and Macao vanished away from sight.
With his Spirit Eyes spell still in effect, he followed the green trail left behind by the guard that he was with earlier.
The trail was rather odd. Instead of heading into the village where the scream was at, it seemed to have headed towards the forest close to the village. But why would the guard head to the forest if the scream came from within the village? It was strange, but it may also be proof of what Shade had told him. Kaito had to keep on investigating. So, he continued to follow the trail.
For some reason though, it seemed that a strange feeling was harboring in Kaito. He knew it was rather familiar in a certain way but he dismissed it as a distraction.
In the World of Ethernano...
As the debating of Kaito's "Second Stage" was coming to a close, the spirits within the room began feeling something.
"Daigo," Joseph spoke. "Please tell me that this isn't what I think it is." Daigo simply nodded and Joseph groaned. "As I feared. It seems we had felt a "delayed reflex" reaction. Hopefully, it isn't something important."
As if on cue, a sphere of light appeared in the room and materialized, forming a creature who's body was covered with leaf-like skin. Its back had a pair of torn wings and in its hand was a staff. The creature bowed. "I have bad news, masters. It seems that the Guardian has escaped and it seems that he was already gone or quite a while."
"I stand corrected," Joseph sighed. "The Guardian was a dangerous spirit that was made out of Ethernano given off by the Magical beasts of forests. Having him on the lose means that destruction may occur soon. We have to dispose of him. He is no longer able to be brought to the light."
"Agreed," Purple nodded. "The Guardian cannot be left to roam Earthland. He has to be obliterated. Daigo, do you think Kaito is able to handle him?"
Daigo nodded his head. Then, he turned to Joseph and nodded.
Joseph returned the nod and spoke again. "If Daigo says that Kaito can, we should trust him. I agree with him as well."
"Then it's settled," Purple said. "Kaito will be facing his first challenge. We shall see how he adapts while fighting the Guardian."
"Dan! Please wait up!" Cana called out as she tried catching up with the guard.
Dan ignored her. He kept on running so that he could keep up with the Gorians. "Why do you keep on bothering me, girl? Go back to your guild and go cry there! I have a duty to perform as a father and a guard. I do not need another child to bother me!"
"But my partner and I came to complete our Job! And I'm sure that he's already on his way here to help us." Cana replied.
"What do you mean "us"? There is only me. You are just a kid." Dan retorted as his pace increased. But Cana would not give up. She was able to keep up with him even when he had discourage her. This impressed Dan a bit but he still didn't want any more trouble. He unsheathed his sword and stabbed it into the ground. "I'm sorry I had to do this, girl. Flaming Wall!" Without any hesitation, the ground erupted in flames that rose to the sky, stopping Cana from advancing further.
With a smirk, he proceeded on.
"You're brave girl, I'll give you that. But these Gorians are dangerous and I would like to avoid giving them another hostage." Dan thought as he sheathed his sword. Then, a light appeared up ahead. "That must be where the Gorians are at. I'm coming Daniel! Just wait!"
As he approached the light, he began hearing the Gorians laughing, howling and even chanting a word which he could not hear. That did not stop him. Dan kept on going on. He got closer to it but then, he felt something grabbing his legs and lifting him off of the ground. Dan looked at the thing holding his legs and realized that it wasn't a thing, but a beast, a deformed best to be exact.
"Get your hands off of my legs, beast!" Dan cried but the beast simply grinned as it tossed him towards the light before it howled.
Dan crashed into the dirt and his sword was detached from his belt, landing on a rock. He coughed out the dirt in his mouth and he quickly got back to his feet. "Damn Gorian. What makes it think that it could do that to me?" Then, three shadows towered over him and he looked up, only to see Gorians growling at him. Dan reached for his sword but realized that it was no longer with him. He looked around for it but unfortunately for him, the Gorians had brought the guard to his knees.
"Human puny. Human weak!" The deformed Gorians said in unison as they twisted his arms. As they did, Dan could hear his arms cracked. Pain filled his body instantly and he screamed. This was a kind of pain he had thought he would never experience but he was wrong. The Gorians laughed and one of them pressed its foot against Dan's back, pinning the guard down.
It was humiliating for Dan. From a guard who's one of the few best in Sakura Village, he had became nothing more than a weak, handicapped Mage who could no longer defend himself against anything. He was broken. Then, he felt a hand on his chin, lifting his face up. Dan's eyes flickered a few times before he could see the person in front of him, the guard who had been with Kaito.
"Johnson?" Dan's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"
The guard, or Johnson as Dan had called him, flashed a wicked smirk as he snapped his fingers. The Gorians then lifted Dan up on his knees once more and the guard could only look at Johnson with confusion. But something became clear the next moment. Johnson balled his fist and swung it, smashing Dan's face.
"Y-you...you're a traitor!" Dan cried.
Green eyes flashed in place of Johnson's brown eyes. He laughed. "Traitor? I'll tell you something, guard, this man is merely one of the vessels that I use. But his duty has come to an end." A green aura emitted around Johnson before it began leaving his body, forming a human being with tanned skin. The human also had green hair which was tied into a ponytail, his body was concealed with a white shirt and a green vest, armor cladded both of his feet as well.
The man grinned in Dan's direction as he placed a hand on Johnson's shoulder. "Johnson has been a wonderful vessel. The anger and jealousy that he harbors towards you and the other guards. Those emotions of his were what I needed to gain back my strength. Now I can roam around Earthland again without the disturbance of that accursed Magic Shinigami again. Now Johnson, take what's yours. Kill him. Prove to me that you are a strong Mage."
Johnson grinned as he unsheathed his dagger from behind his back. He approached Dan and walked behind him before lifting his head up while positioning the dagger in front of Dan's neck.
"Why are you doing this, Johnson?" Dan asked as he struggled to break Johnson's grip on him. "You're a respected guard of Sakura Village! So why are you resorting to this kind of foolish behavior?"
"Why?" Johnson repeated. "Why am I doing this? Answer this, Dan, why am I one of the lowest ranking guards in the village while you are at the top few? My Magic has always been far more superior than yours, so why am I not ranked the second best?"
Dan couldn't believe what he heard. All this, just because Johnson was envious of the title he had? "You're more foolish than I thought. This all happened because you wanted the title of second best? Then you shouldn't have been lazing away during the Ranking Examination! So what? You never got the title because it was your own fault!"
A fist smashed Dan's face once more and Johnson glared at the weakened guard. "No. It was your fault and you know it! If you hadn't showed your strongest spell, I wouldn't have been defeated back then and I would have became the second ranked Mage of the village. After that humiliation you gave me, I was no longer respected the way I had been before the Ranking Examination. Everyone laughed at me, called me a weakling. I became furious. I wanted revenge!"
Then he looked towards the green, ponytail-styled man. "But after all that, I met the Guardian while I was patrolling the outskirts of the village. He and I both share a similar kind of problem. We both have someone we want to take revenge on. We agreed that we would help each other out with our problems and then we formed a partnership. He gave me a small portion of his Magic to control nature's beasts and I used it to control the Gorians to attack the village."
"So it was you!" Dan snapped. "Then why did you take my son? Why did you do it?!"
Johnson gave a sly smile. "It was all for the Guardian." He lifted his sleeve to reveal a mark on his hand similar to the boy that had been kidnapped earlier. "This mark appears on those who as the potential to become the Guardian's new physical body. Though every body has a limit where it can contain him, mine has ended. Then your son received it, of course I had to kidnap the brat so the Guardian could continue gaining his strength back. But I couldn't expose myself so I had the Gorians do it."
The man, now known as the Guardian, shrugged. "Unfortunately, the boy only survived the partnership for a couple of days. He died two days ago because his body couldn't adapt to me and his body disintegrated. Then another boy had the mark and I had the boy brought to me thanks to Johnson. The way he manipulates the Gorians was fascinating. How he had fooled all of you showed his determination to have his revenge, it was truly a sight to see."
Dan was shaking. His son was dead? It couldn't be. "You're lying! My son's not dead. You're just trying to catch me off guard so you can end me quicker."
"You don't believe me?" The Guardian asked before he smirked. "Then I shall show you proof." He snapped his fingers and one of the Gorians stepped forward with a body that was completely made out of ashes in its hands. The Gorian dropped it in front of Dan and the guard's eyes widened in complete shock and fear as the ashes flew in all directions. The Guardian cackled. "There. Here's the proof, he's dead! And you're going to join him!"
"No...this can't be. This just can't be!" Dan cried out frantically, only to receive a slap from Johnson.
"Wake up, Dan," Johnson said. "Your son is dead and you are going to join him. Good bye and I hope you end up in hell!" He gave the Gorian that was holding Dan a nod and the Gorian grinned as it held Dan in its massive hands and squeezed the guard, crushing his entire body. Though he wanted to scream, Dan was no longer able to as he was now in a state of utter depression. Then, he fell unconscious.
Johnson smiled victoriously as he faced the Guardian. But instead of seeing a smile, he saw fear in the Guardian's eyes.
"It can't be...no...this feeling...Magic Shinigami?!" The Guardian span around without any hesitation and he couldn't react in time when a foot wrapped in chains connected with his chest. The Guardian gasped in shock when he saw the one responsible and he could only cower when he stared right into the culprit's mask. He crashed beside Johnson and coughed as he clutched his chest in pain. "You bastard! How are you still alive?! I thought you were long dead, Shinigami!"
Kaito scoffed as his chains retracted back into his cloak's sleeves and faced Johnson. "I knew something was up when you left."
Johnson's eyes widened. "How did you find me? I left you back at the fields! You should still be at the fields!"
"You left behind the trail similar to the ones I saw in the fields. So I had to confirm it, which I did. You are one sick man. And you," He pointed to the Guardian. "You're a corrupted Magic. You should be sealed."
"I escaped, brat!" The Guardian replied. "I had thought that the Magic Shinigami had ended when I heard that a new Magic Shinigami had died. So I escaped. But it seemed I was misinformed that there was another one. Even though you're a child, you radiate the same kind of Magic Power like your predecessor. This means that I can finally get my revenge!"
Kaito sneered through his mask. "A corrupted form of Magic and a corrupted Mage, I guess I have no choice but to fight you two." He removed his cloak and tossed it aside, revealing his chains and markings on his chest. The Mark of the Shinigami's Seal began to glow intensely and Kaito scoffed. "I guess I have to use it too as well."
Johnson gritted his teeth in frustration as he dropped his dagger and unsheathed his sword while the Guardian materialized a spear in his hands.
"Spirit Magic - Cage of the Lost Souls!" Kaito took a pose and a Seal appeared on the Guardian's chest. The Seal expanded and spiked bars appeared from the Seal and the bars twisted along the Guardian's body. However, the bars suddenly fell apart when the Guardian waved his hand.
He smirked. "It's going to take a lot more than that cage to stop me, Magic Shinigami! My strength has improved when I absorbed the Magic Power from the boy that was brought to me a while ago. None of your attacks will be able to harm me! Not even Shinigami's Judgment! Once I'm done with you, I'll take your Magic Power and drain you dry after I finish draining the boy!"
Kaito shook his head. "That won't be happening any time soon. I have already freed the boy while you weren't looking. You should have used a much more suitable protection than mindless controlled Gorians." The chains on his arms flared out and they flew in all directions. "Spirit Magic - Phantom Chains!" His chains moved towards the Guardian and Johnson.
Johnson was unfortunate as the chains phased right through his body, causing him to drop to his knees as he began losing his Magic Power by the second. The Guardian, however, leapt over the chains while deflecting those that were attacking him from above.
"I've seen those tricks before, Magic Shinigami. Everything you can do, I have memorized so that I can counter it," The Guardian spoke as he tossed his spear, stabbing the ground. Then, the Guardian raised both of his hands and casted a spell. "Nature's Rampage!" Around the spear, a green Magic Seal appeared. Then, the ground shook before vines begin to sprout from the ground and attempted to whip the masked Mage.
Kaito immediately evaded the vines swiftly while keeping his eyes on the Guardian. Then, he moved in closer to the spirit. His left hand was stretched outwards and the Mark of the Shinigami's Seal began to glow as it came closer to the Guardian. Seeing this, the Guardian leapt into the air once more. Kaito skidded to a halt and he saw the vines following him again. He cursed under his breath before he waved his hand, causing the chains to collide with the vines.
The Guardian landed back on the ground and he pulled his spear out of the ground before he turned back to Kaito. He smirked as he tapped the spear on the ground. "Get him!" The Gorians around him looked up at Kaito and they growled before charging towards the boy. The Gorians all surrounded Kaito in a circular formation before they all lunged at the boy.
Scoffing, Kaito jumped onto the Gorian in front of him before leaping off of its head and onto the next Gorian. Then, Kaito jumped off. The Gorians all crashed into one another, creating a pile of unconscious Gorians.
The Guardian face-palmed. "Ugh...Gorians are worthless. I guess I'll have to do this by myself again." He raised his spear and got into a defensive stance. He observed Kaito's movements as the boy approached him with incredible speed. He smirked. The Guardian swung his spear and it grazed Kaito's right arm. Kaito grunted in pain as he stumbled to the ground while clutching his wound. "That speed is nothing compared to my superior eyes. Your predecessors also had problems with my eyes since they could never escape their sights."
"If my ancestors couldn't be faster than this guy's eyes as well, I'm going to improvise, without using Shinigami's Judgment as well," Kaito thought as he got back to his feet. The boy was unsure of what to do though. He looked around at his surroundings, trying to find something that could help him. Then, he received a right hook to his face. Kaito fell to the ground and he tumbled a few times before stopping on his back.
"Pay attention when you're in a fight, boy," The Guardian taunted as he pressed a foot against Kaito's abdomen. Kaito gripped the spirit's leg and struggled to push it off but to no avail. The Guardian smirked again as he began kicking Kaito. "Weak! You're nothing compared to your predecessors! I should just kill you know, but I want to enjoy this moment."
Kaito smirked underneath his mask as his chains wrapped around his hands and the Guardian's foot. Then, Kaito turned and it caused the Guardian to fall onto the ground while Kaito got on his feet. "It's time for payback," Kaito said as he began to spin around and around before his chains released the spirit's leg. The Guardian crashed onto Johnson's body and the two fell on their backs.
All of a sudden, vines entangled Kaito's legs and dragged him which caused him to fall on his face. The vines tugged at his legs but Kaito had clawed the ground with his nails to prevent himself from being dragged by the vines. "Spirit Magic - Phantom Chains!" His chains reacted instantly and attacked the vines. The chains swung rapidly as the vines began to fall apart until Kaito's legs were freed.
Then, the Guardian picked Kaito up in a chokehold. He lifted the boy up into the air with his hand still on the masked Mage's neck. "You dare trick me, boy?! I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully." The Guardian's free hand's nails began growing to the point where they became claws and he began swiping it at Kaito's mask.
One swipe was all it took for the mask to be removed from Kaito's face.
He glared at the Guardian with intense anger as the flames on his left cheek began growing again. The Guardian stared with interest as his vines bound Kaito to the ground. He removed his hand from Kaito's neck and smiled. "I change my mind. It seems you are truly different from your other predecessors. You might make a decent vessel." The Guardian examined Kaito's arms. He had planned to search for any signs of Kaito having a Mark which the Guardian had, but he had found two Marks instead, the Mark of the Shinigami and the Mark of Kaito's own form of Spirit Magic.
The Guardian frowned. "It seems that you have another Mark on you. But I have never seen one of this before. What could it mean?"
He soon received his answer when he stabbed Kaito's chest with his claws. The boy's eyes widened as he jerked forward. He coughed out blood and it phased through the Guardian's body and spilled all over the ground. It seemed normal to the Guardian to receive such reactions whenever he did that but, Kaito was different. The blood that the boy spilled...it turned into flames.
A sudden dark feeling interrupted the Guardian's daze and he turned back to Kaito, only to regret it afterwards. In front of him, Kaito had broken free from the vines and the Seal on his right hand which was the Mark of his own form of Spirit Magic was glowing and rotating at the same time. The holes on his chest caused by the Guardian's claws had been sealed almost immediately. A terrifying dark aura emitted from his body and Kaito looked at the Guardian with a glowing right eye. "Spirit Tamer Mode..." Kaito spoke in a monotone voice.
Now, the Guardian took a step back. His entire body was shaking in fear as he saw the flames on Kaito's left cheek burn brighter and more bigger, nearly covering the entire left side of his face. The markings on Kaito's chest seemed to have come alive as the markings slithered onto Kaito's arm and stretched all the way to his wrists before the markings began to glow purple.
The Guardian suddenly fell onto his knees when he felt a sudden increase in force on his shoulders. He looked up, only to see a giant, ghostly figure standing behind him with its hands on the Guardian's shoulders, which was pushing him down. The ghost itself was standing tall, having the same height as a Gorian. It's body was muscularly built, a pair of horns were on its head. Its body was covered by armor while its hands were bare.
"What kind of Magic is this?!" The Guardian cried out in fear as he suddenly felt himself fading away. He stared at his hands and gasped when they did faded, turning into a stream of green energy that was being absorbed by the ghost figure. "What are you doing to me?!"
Kaito didn't react. All he did was replied the spirit with a monotone voice. "Your Magic will serve me well. But to have it, you have to be eliminated. This is my spell, Spirit Tamer Magic - Magic Devourer!" At this point of time, the Guardian's body had already been absorbed by the ghost figure who had turned green due to the Magic it had absorbed. Only his head remained and the Guardian looked as if he had gone completely mad. He began laughing maniacally as his last few moments ended, completely absorbed by the ghost figure as his spear dropped to the ground silently.
"Thank you for your help, Shade," Kaito said.
The ghost figure, now identified as Shade, smiled. "It's alright, Kaito. Or should I say, Master Tamer?"
Kaito chuckled. "Kaito and I are one being, Shade. We share the same body, the same brain, the same heart. But we are different because I am his Magic. By the time his "Second Stage" clears, I will be fused with Kaito and we shall truly be one. But we still have a long way to go."
"I hope it goes smoothly," Shade replied. Kaito, possessed by Tamer, nodded as the flames on his left cheek shrunk back down to his chin and placed his mask back on before his right eye returned to normal.
Kaito groaned as he rubbed is head. "Why did this happen again?" He looked up to see the Guardian's spear on the ground but no sign of the spirit anywhere. "What happened to him?" Kaito asked no one in particular. Then, rustlings were heard from behind him and Kaito immediately turned to see Johnson crawling away from him.
"Stay away from me, demon!" Johnson cried in fear when he realized that Kaito was looking at him. "You killed the Guardian! You're a demon!"
Kaito stood there dumbfounded. "I killed that Magic? But how? I had no memory of me ever doing that. Now I really need to no what happened when my mask came off..." He thought as he recalled how he had blacked out when the Guardian knocked his mask off.
Johnson quickly got to his feet as he tried to run away. However, he was stopped when he was attacked by a bolt of lightning. The corrupted guard fell to his knees and coughed a few times before he fell on his face.
"Kaito!" Cana cried as she ran over to his side.
"Cana?" Kaito said, receiving a nod from the girl. "Good timing, partner. I was in a daze a moment ago. If you weren't here, that corrupted guard would have escaped."
The Card Magic user blushed at the compliment she received and she smiled. "I was just doing what a good partner should do. So, how did you know about all this? I mean, I know you would eventually figure it out, but how?"
Kaito pointed to Johnson. "My family's Magic allows me to see trails left behind by Magic. He had the same kind of trail like the ones I have seen at the fields. So I followed him. I had to make sure that he was part of the whole invasion and he was. I had to free a boy too. What a nuisance. But at least the boy's safe now."
Cana couldn't help but smile at her partner as she embraced him in a hug. "Looks like we completed our Job after all!"
"Not really," Kaito replied sadly as he turned towards the badly injured Dan, who was starting to wake up. The Gorian that had held him was no longer around, the mind control spell of the Guardian had worn off the moment he was absorbed, which Kaito still has no clue about.
"Dan!" Cana called out as she ran over to the fallen guard's side.
"You again?" Dan coughed as he gritted his teeth in pain after he had tried to move his arms to get up. Unfortunately for him, his arms were still broken. He then noticed Kaito behind the Card Magic user and raised an eyebrow. "So the boy's your partner?"
Cana nodded. "Yes. He saved the boy that was kidnapped..."
"And saved you from receiving further injuries," Kaito interrupted as he put his cloak on again. He looked towards the unconscious Gorians and continued. "When the Guardian was somehow defeated, the mind controlled Gorians were released of the spell and they were freed."
"Somehow?" Both Cana and Dan repeated, unsure of Kaito's choice of words.
Kaito simply nodded. "My mind went blank when my mask came off. When I came back, all I know was that I somehow defeated him. Then Cana showed up."
Dan shuddered when he heard that. "I wouldn't want to cross your path if you really defeated that ghost when you are unconscious. You must be a very skilled Mage. I misjudged you, girl. Looks like you Guild Mages aren't so bad after all." Dan looked down sadly. "If only I was quick enough though. If I had disobeyed the chief, my son would still be alive. Now he's nothing but ashes."
Cana, too, felt sad for him. If she and Kaito had came earlier, they might have saved the boy, even if she didn't get to know more about it. But Kaito was completely opposite. He placed a hand on Dan's shoulder and spoke. "You don't have to be sad about it."
"What did you say?" Dan glared at Kaito. "How dare you say that! What do you know, kid? You won't know how I feel until you have your own! Then when they die, you will understand!"
Kaito ignored the guard's sudden outburst as he calmly spoke. "When someone you love dies, they become nothing more than memories..." He held his hands out and a reddish-purple aura emitted from them as the ashes, that were scattered, returned to form Dan's son's body. Seeing this, Dan's eyes widened and so did Cana's. The guard fell to his knees as he stared at the body of ash while Kaito continued. "Because they become memories, you cherish them, and that turns those memories into a treasure which you will have at all times."
The body of ash began to fade into the air as tears developed in Dan's eyes.
"Stop crying," Kaito spoke. "Those we love don't go away, even in death. They walk beside us. Unseen, unheard but they still feel loved. Your love for your son is expressed through your determination to save him and he appreciates it. But it is time to accept it, your son has passed on, but he is still loved by you and that's all that matters." He turned towards Cana and gestured her to follow him back to the village so that they could give Dan some space, which she agreed.
He grabbed Johnson's unconscious body and dragged it with them as they made their way back to the village. Dan, on the other hand, was deep in thoughts, and in tears, as he took in Kaito's words. Was it all true? Was it time to accept it? Will that even bring peace to his son?
In the World of Ethernano...
Every single spirit present in the room had a proud smile on their faces. To think that Kaito, their descendant, their successor, was able to defeat the Guardian.
"I'm impressed, Daigo," Purple said. "Your son defeated the Guardian. That shows that Kaito is going to be a capable Mage. In fact, his "Second Stage" seems to be very different from ours. It's the first time that Spirit Magic doesn't make its user lose their sanity."
Joseph grinned. "Results of our hard work, gramps. After seven generations, we have finally brought true light to Spirit Magic. Kaito may be the genuine user that we have wanted to have. Complete control of Spirit Magic will have to wait as you have told us before. But from what we have saw, I can tell that the training may even completely remove Spirit Magic from its status as half Darkness Magic."
"Then we shall proceed as planned!" Purple smiled. "If this keeps up, Kaito will surely master "Second Stage" and the fated day where we train him will come by in time. For now, we shall see how Kaito deals with that corrupted guard. Will he offer a second chance? Or will he destroy the guard's only way of living as a Mage?"
As Kaito and Cana, along with Johnson's unconscious body, walked into the village, the people erupted in cheers. They kept on walking, with Cana smiling and waving at the people while Kaito ignored them as he continued dragging Johnson.
When they reached the chief's house, which took them a lot of time since the people would occasionally come up to thank them, they could see the chief standing at the front of his house with a grin.
"Welcome back, Fairy Tail Mages," The chief spoke.
Cana bowed in respect whereas Kaito dropped Johnson's body and he asked. "What do you want to do with this one? He was the one who caused the whole invasion."
The chief's eyes widened. "J-Johnson?! But how can you be sure?"
"My Magic does not deceive me. I trust it completely. Besides, has this guard acted strangely in anyway? I'm sure he has."
The chief's eyes were still widened when he began to recall the strange things that Johnson had done. "Well, it's true that he has been acting very strange. He's been avoiding everyone and I have heard some of the guards saying that they have seen him around whenever the Gorians attacked, as if he knew about it. Wait a minute..."
"You have your answer," Kaito replied.
The chief nodded as he walked over to Johnson's body and stood there in silent for a brief moment, confusing Kaito and Cana, until he jabbed his cane into the guard's stomach, causing Johnson to wake up immediately. The guard groaned in pain as he rubbed his head. "Where am I?"
"You're back in the village," The chief replied sternly.
Hearing that voice, Johnson scrambled to his feet and saluted the chief. "Chief!"
The chief scoffed, "Come clean, Johnson, why did you betray us? Why did you cause the invasion?"
"What?!" Johnson gasped, acting as if he was shocked. "How could you possibly think that, chief? I am a loyal guard to this village and I would never..."
"Save your pointless excuses," The chief interrupted. "These Guild Mages have filled your head with lies! They're trying to frame me!"
The chief ignored him. "Answer me. Now." He growled as four guards came forward from the crowd that was around. The guards quickly took up their positions around Johnson as they pointed their spears at him.
"Chief! How could you? Do you believe them, Mages from outside of our village, or me, a guard and child of this village?" Johnson asked, hoping that he might be able to turn this around. Unfortunately for him, his luck ran out.
"I believe these Mages," The chief replied. "You have been acting strangely ever since the Ranking Examinations that we had ended. You have always avoided everyone as well. These actions were clearly suspicious. So why should I believe you when you don't have the evidence to prove your innocence?"
Johnson swallowed hard. He knew that there was no longer a way out of this situation. There was only one thing left to do...
The guard clenched his hands tightly. "I guess the only way for me to be satisfied with all this is by doing this..." Without any hesitation, he created a Magic Seal and faced the chief before he smirked. "Fire Storm!" Then, flames erupted from the Seal and the flames made their way pass the guards and towards the chief.
No one had time to react to the sudden attack, but Kaito did. He had guessed at the very last second that the corrupted guard would try and attack the chief and he was right. The moment Johnson moved, Kaito's Spirit Eyes spell saw the Magic within the guard turned completely dark. Kaito jumped in front of the chief and his cloak's sleeves slid down his arms, revealing his chains as they wrapped his both of hi arms entirely. The flames collided with the chains, and was immediately destroyed by the chains due to its Magic resistance effect.
The guards who were unharmed pounced onto Johnson and pinned him. They pulled his arms back and held them in place tightly while Johnson struggled to break free of their grips, which was ineffective.
Kaito lowered his arms and he could see the anxious faces of the people around them. They were still momentarily shocked by the sudden event that they had froze in place. He turned his attention to Johnson and glared at the guard. "You used your Magic to try and kill your chief..."
"So what? You have already stopped it," Johnson yelled.
However, Kaito's dark aura began to emit, which scared everyone. He held his hands up and he created a Magic Seal on Johnson's chest and whispered to the guard so that no one would hear him. "You make me sick. I shall make you suffer and I want everyone to witness it. Spirit Magic - Shinigami Seal!" Johnson then started screaming out in pain as he struggled against the guards' grip. The Seal on his chest glowed brightly.
Pain filled Kaito's body, the same kind of pain when he performed this spell on Dorian in their last battle. Still, he remained strong against it. Then, flames erupted from the Magic Seal and a ghost figure made purely out of the flames was blasted out of the Seal, shocking everyone. But the ghost figure didn't even have any time to show its features, its entire body glowed as light shone from within its body, coming out of it as rays of light, before it screeched painfully and faded away into the air.
Johnson's body became still. His eyes were red, his face completely wrinkled and his whole body shook in fear. "W-what d-d-d-did you d-do?"
"I destroyed your Magic," Kaito replied without any tone of emotion in his voice.
Everyone around him could only gasp in shock. Even Cana, who has yet to fully understand what had just happened. This was the first time that they have ever heard of someone's Magic being destroyed.
"Why? Why did you destroy my Magic? I thought it was impossible!" Johnson cried.
Kaito scoffed. "Why? You have been corrupted, that's why. You dragged yourself into the hands of greed and jealousy that you have even corrupted your Magic to the point of no return. I had no choice but to destroy it. You will have to start over from scratch." Kaito then leaned in closer to the guard and whispered. "And if you ever pull this kind of selfish action again, I will make sure you will no longer be able to cast a single spell."
Johnson was shaking. He stared into Kaito's right eye and he saw it, the Shinigami. There was no doubt about it, he was certain about it. He gave Kaito a nod and he was taken away by the two guards holding him.
Once Johnson was no longer around, Kaito turned his attention back to the chief. "So, what are you going to do with him?"
The chief snapped back to reality and he faced the masked Mage with a look of shock. "W-well, Johnson's going to have to face severe punishment for attempting to kill me. But after that, he'll be stripped of his rank and he'll be banished from this village. We can't have such a person in this village of peace." The chief then took a deep sigh before something in his mind clicked. "Oh! And before I forget, here's your reward, Fairy Tail Mages." He reached for a briefcase that was behind him and he handed it over to Kaito.
Kaito looked at the briefcase for a moment before he opened it, revealing the reward that the Job had, 4,000 Jewels. Kaito didn't know what else he was going to do after receiving it though. His mind just went blank after that. But then, he recalled the damages that the village had gotten. Those broken shops, the people who worked in them and even the lost life of Dan's son. One thing came to Kaito's mind, they needed the money more than he does.
He looked at the chief, who was smiling, and handed the briefcase back which confused the chief. "Keep the money," Kaito said.
"I don't understand," the chief said. "Why would you not accept the reward? You have already completed the Job that I have requested."
Kaito shook his head. "This village has suffered a lot of losses during the invasion. Accepting this reward would mean that I am shortening your only way of getting what is necessary for rebuilding what was lost. Besides, I only came to complete the Job, not for the reward." Before the chief could say anything, Kaito had already turn to leave with Cana following him after she gave the chief a bow.
As the two Mages walked off, the chief was approached by Maria who was about to ask about the reward, but the chief smiled. "Fairy Tail sure has a one of a kind member. He truly has a compassionate heart. The rumors of the Masked Fairy sure lacks a lot of details. Because we have just witness him destroy Magic itself."
"Fairy Tail's Shinigami. That would be a more fitting name, don't you think, chief?" Maria asked, receiving a nod from the chief.
"It sure does, Maria," the chief replied.
A/N: Finally! It is done! Kaito has finally opened his heart up, slightly. What do you think will happen next once he gets back to Fairy Tail? And "Second Stage" will be explained in future chapters.
In other news, I already have 3 OCs from The Dark Dragon Emperor, MechMuzic and Blacksmith8240. I need two more OCs so I could move on to start my next Arc. And in case you don't feel like going back to the previous chapter to see the format, here it is:
Name of OC: (Name)
Gender of OC: (Gender)
Age:
Magic:
Appearance:
Personality:
Likes and Dislikes:
Now with that done, I can finally close this up. Please review or PM me if you have any questions!
Magic used:
Spirit Magic - Spirit Eyes: The user's eyes glows, allowing them to see in the dark, as well as to find trails left behind by Mages. This spell can also help locate Magic that have taken the forms of spirits. If the user masters Spirit Magic, this spell will be permanent.
Destruction's Blade: This spell allows the user to cut through anything including Magic spells. If this spell hits the user's target, the target will lose control of its Magic Power, resulting in an unwanted Magic outburst. This spell only lasts until the first hit, meaning that if the user hits anything with the spell, the spell itself well wear off and the user has to cast it again.
Screaming Piercer: This spell involves the user stabbing their weapon into the ground. Once that is done, the spell will take effect. The spell will create a Magic Seal on the ground and the user's target will begin to feel its effect. The spell's effect involves the target losing their Magic Power due to the spell because the Magic Power is being released from their body, like a scream from a person's mouth.
Destructive Zap: This spell allows the user to electrocute the target when they stab their target with their weapon. When the target is stabbed, the spell takes effect, electrocuting the target until they collapse.
Flaming Wall: This spell is used as a defensive measure. The user stabs their weapon into the ground and flames will erupt from the ground instantly to form a wall of fire.
Spirit Magic - Cage of the Lost Souls: This spell works extremely well with the Shinigami Seal and Shinigami's Judgment. This spell traps all kinds of spirits in sphere-like cage with spiked bars. It begins from a Seal on the spirit which starts releasing the spiked bars from it before they form a sphere around the spirit and trap it.
Spirit Magic - Phantom Chains: Chains that were "Possessed" by Spirit Magic are bonded onto the user's body. If the "Possession" is complete, the chains will form a armor protecting the user's body. This spell comes in various ways; first, the chains (incomplete "Possession") will uncoil themselves from the user's wrists and act as whips or ropes. The chains are intangible but they can still inflict damage by absorbing a mage's Magic Power. The other known way (complete "Possession") is that the chains form a ring/halo around the user. The chains are able to absorb any spells thrown at them and even defend the user without any effort made from the user. The chains also attack in a way that it resembles a striking snake. These chains also comes in various designs based on the user.
Nature's Rampage: This spell allows the user to grow vines in any kind of environment. The vines, once sprouted, will assist the user to battle the user's opponent and may even bind the target.
Spirit Tamer Mode: This is a type of Spirit Magic which is unique because this is Kaito's form of Spirit Magic. This mode only appears whenever Kaito is in a very difficult situation. Its accessibility is still locked from Kaito when he has his mask on as it serves as a barrier from allowing Kaito to be corrupted by his own form of Spirit Magic. This mode also allows Kaito to control beasts and Magic.
Spirit Tamer Magic - Magic Devourer: This spell allows Kaito to utilize Shade Magic to absorb the target's Magic completely so that Shade will be able to use it for itself. The kinds of Magic that this spell can absorb is unlimited. As long as Kaito does not overuse it, he will not faint.
Fire Storm: The user creates a Magic Seal in the direction of the target and flames will erupt from the Seal in an instant, creating a storm-like appearance. Hence, the name of the spell.
Spirit Magic - Shinigami Seal: The user creates a Magic Seal on the opponent's chest and the Seal will either destroy or release the opponent's Magic, depending on the Magic the opponent has or the Seal's caster. For regular Magic, this spell causes the Ethernano in the mage's body, which is the mage's Magic Power, to disintegrate until all traces of Magic is eternally gone or it can be released. For Darkness Magic, however, this spell can only release the Magic instead of destroying it. In the case of Magic being released, it will take the form of a ghostly creature and it might attack the Seal's caster.