Broken Fairies

by EnergyMageFrea

Light Magic has won over Dark in the battle to decide the Balance of the world, but shadow has never settled so thickly over the Fairy Tail Guild as it has now, and that darkness does not seem to want to leave. Is it possible, after all the evil and the pain suffered, lived through and triumphed over by the Guild- that Fairy Tail has finally broken? {Fourth Story in Series!}

21. Chapter 21- Okeal

Chapter 21

Okeal

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Original Magics, and Ideas

.:+:.

What... In the... Hell...?

The world was still spinning, everything was so far out of reach and muddied- everything dipping and bobbing in and out of hazy monochrome and then suddenly, swirling, nauseating, million-hued color.

Pain was igniting through every inch of her being on a loop, firing through every nerve, every muscle, every bone, everything.

She was burning alive, from the inside out... But the pain was so bad it didn't just burn- it was icy cold and it was cutting.

There was so much... So much Energy and Magic, millions of things that shone like lights on their own, everywhere, choking... Smothering...

... There was darkness too, dread and evil and foreboding that made it harder to breath, made the pain worse... It was...

... It kept on falling, her mind and thoughts dipping away to places and things that had long since been buried and shrouded, places and people that it... Hurt to remember... And still it all just stayed fragmented and blurred- and then a world of overloaded color and Energy snapped back.

Where the... hell am I?

What...happened?

Attempting to recall what had gone one was as fruitless as it was frustrating... And to make it worse, she knew it was something bad. The dread and the looming feeling of danger was telling enough of that.

... Why can't I... I'm asleep, right...?

... Why can't I... Wake up...?

She wasn't in the Reach, or anywhere close to it... Nor was she in Median either... This was just... Bouncing nothing between wakefulness and unconsciousness... And she felt her stomach flip.

... It did that before... And she'd ended up retching... And... There were people... Right...?

Everything was spinning, whirling, falling- all sense of up and down and left and right was just... Gone.

She couldn't make sense of the world, she couldn't hardly breathe- let alone open her eyes to see where she was and what the hell was going on. Her thoughts wouldn't click together, it was all a rush and mix of things too few and far between and all at once.

She was so off balance, she couldn't see, could hardly hear- every part of her body was unresponsive, numb, weak... She could feel herself shaking and twitching as she tried to get up, and failed. She was so confused and lost- what the hell happened?!

Her head spun and her stomach went with it, flipping over as nausea hit her full force as she rolled over, trembling still, muscles screaming, freezing and yet burning up all at once.

She felt the bile rise up her throat, her stomach knotting painfully as she coughed up all of it's contents- breathing ragged and hardly able to keep herself up. Her arms were pushing down but she hadn't the strength to even keep her own body weight up. Her arms collapsed underneath her, sending her into freefall- but something or someone stopped her from slamming back down again.

There were hands pushing her onto her back, pinning her, making it harder to move and thrash- and she tried, but she still could scarcely open her eyes and when she did- the world was so blurred and indiscernible, there was bleeding color everywhere and the light hurt her eyes so much she groaned.

There was whispers and murmurs, some far off voice saying things she couldn't hear nor make out. She had no clue what was being said, she had no clue who it was, where it was, how many- nothing. She was so lost and so freaking confused, her whole body ached, her head was pounding.

The whole world was lost on her entirely, there was no making sense of anything- and she had very little time to remain panicked and dazed as what little consciousness she had failed her entirely.

She plunged downward into sheer black and total silence.

And before... That...

"... I'll be fine, Moon. I promise..."

"... I'll be alright, trust me... Go get the Guild... I... hold out till... come get me, alright..?"

"... You'd better be fine... We'll get you back, I swear! Adgnei is gonna have... pay when we get there!"

"... I know..."

Frea felt her stomach flip, threatening to spill it's contents as her head fell, her hair falling around her face and all strength suddenly drained- she was fading fast, her mind a whirl and borderline unconscious- and still she hadn't the slightest clue why... She just knew he did something. That same man that was holding her up, gently almost as he hugged her to him near nonbothered by the contact nor the closeness. And she was much too weak all of a sudden to do anything about it, and he clearly knew it- he hadn't hesitated to catch her as she started to slip away.

Someone... From Adgnei... With tools... A tool that can keep Energy Signatures Hidden from... Me... I can't even... Figure out if... He's... A... Dark... Person... Or...

His voice flooded her ears, far off as the waves crashed harder over her head- calm, quiet.

"... Sleep, Energess."

... Adgnei... I... They...

After what felt like years, all of it came flooding back, still fragmented pieces and out of order- details missing, but the big picture?

SHIT!

She had enough strength in her body this time to break through the unending haze of blurred nothing- but not enough to rid herself of the panic and confusion that hit in the next second.

She jolted upward, heaving and shaking as the breaths hurt in her lungs and through her abdomen, the light of the waking world harsh and stinging her eyes as everything tilted and swam in front of her- the colors were less vibrant this time, but small, faint ghosts of the hues still broke through, dancing on the air, and her head ached.

Something fell in her lap in her haste, but she didn't pay it any mind- her eyes were darting frantically about the space, taking in every single inch as she panted, her breathing raggedy and panicked.

She cringed, the pain in her stomach intensifying with an icy, dark fervor- individual, utter pain that spread out through every inch of her and had her hissing as she hunched in on herself.

S...son... Of a...!

Her head snapped up, her eyes flashing and recoiling slightly when a hand fell on her shoulder- gently mind you, but she hadn't been aware anyone was near her, her mind and her Senses were just too-

Frea sweatdropped, her eyes matching with green ones as she halted without really thinking about it- her body shaking and gasping still as she looked the stranger up and down in rapidity.

It was a woman, a bit younger than she was with long, pale and pink-hued hair that was pulled into a long braid and tied off with two glittering orbs of metal. Cloth of a crimson red hue that faded into pink and then eventually white- the top half was tied around her neck with large slits up the sides and no sleeves, leaving nearly all her top half naked underneath. The fabric ended at her stomach and was attached to a golden ring, more of it attached and extended on the lower half of that ring and falling around her hips like a skirt that was slit up the front, and ended in a tie on the back about halfway down her legs. On her arms were sleeves of red, and bits of gold dotted her person as little beads of jewelry, and her skin was marked across by pale colored tattoos on her hips, stomach, leg and under her eyes... And on each ankle were metal bands, and no shoes.

The woman smiled kindly as Frea caught her eyes, her other hand raising in something of a calming gesture as the other left Frea's shoulder when the Energy Dragon Slayer jumped away.

Her eyes snapped to the pale blue stone set into a band on her arm as it glowed, she could feel Magic come off of it- but nothing happened as Frea grimaced. She pushed herself back from the woman, across the bed she was in and off the other side, her bare feet hitting the floor and swaying a bit as her head whirled- though she didn't dare let herself fall over.

Frea's shaking hand reached out and found traction on the beam holding up the canopy of the bed itself, her eyes breaking away from the strange woman (who smiled a bit nervously and climbed to her feet, waving her hands in front of her a bit and looking flustered now- but she said absolutely nothing) and falling on herself.

"... What the hell...?!" Frea snapped, her eyes flashing.

What the hell am I wearing..?!

Her clothes from before were gone, replaced with... Literally almost nothing at all!

There was a trail of long, deep blue fabric that was marked across by endless darker lines- and that fabric was wrapped around her neck and crossed over her chest in the front like an 'x', before curling back around her back, crossing again and then back at the front to end like a skirt slit up both sides. Over top that there was a deep purple sash marked across by lighter swirling marks and the edges hung gold beads- that was tied around her waist and left to hang at the back, reaching down to brush against the back of her knees.

On each arm starting at just below her shoulder were sleeves of the same blue, that reached slightly passed her elbows and was decorated at the top by strings of silver beads. On each wrist was a leather band and her hair was tied loosely with a ribbon of purple and blue.

The top and lower half of her back was left bare, as well as her shoulders and lower down on her chest- and her stomach would have been too, if not for the array of bandages wrapped around it.

But the point was- this is not what she was wearing! And it was nothing she ever would wear willingly!

Her eyes snapped over to the woman again, her eyes narrowed and Senses on high alert now- even as she tried her best to make the room stop... Tilting...

The woman was waving her hands still, it looked like she was trying to get Frea to pay attention to her- she paused, her eyes and hands dropping as she quickly tapped a finger against the stone on the bracelet on her arm- glancing briefly toward Frea, sweatdropping a bit more.

"... Why in the hell did you drag me off to Adgnei?" Frea snapped lowly, her anger and agitation flaring as the panic and confusion managed to wane a little- the woman did not reply, she just blinked, looking nervous- but not at what Frea said.

Frea saw the haze of red glow around her body a few milliseconds before she felt the pain with it, her eyes snapping shut and her fangs grinding down on one another as her entire body went stiff, hissing as her hold on the beam grew tighter, leaning against it for nearly all support as she shook, her breath shaking and gasping as her body was being jolted by a wash of painful, jutting pieces of Magic like electricity- she felt like she was being electrocuted and it ran straight through her, wisps of red flickering up around her body in tandem as she yelped. Bits of deeper crimson sections of Magic sparking off of and out of her body, painful bursts of concentrated, foreign Magic- right at the very second her Magic even shifted in her anger.

Of course... That Collar was still around her neck... Damn it!

"...We knew our regular Collars wouldn't work against you, so we had one specially made. The harder you try and use Magic or let it start to run free and rise up, the harsher the pain will get, and the worse the punishment."

The strange woman- who still had said absolutely nothing- grimaced, her green eyes glinting as she turned her head and attention behind her- her hands gesturing like she was beckoning someone else over, Frea never saw her do it though.

The Energy Dragon Slayer did notice it when that same woman moved, bringing herself around the side of the bed- cautiously as she earned the steely gaze of the Energess, smiling a bit as if it was meant to be reassuring.

And Frea honestly couldn't care that she didn't actually feel anything bad from her either, no ill-will, no darkness, malicious intent... but to be honest with you, her head was whirling and there was about a million too many things that her Senses were picking up on right now. Blurred, indistinct color and feeling all around enough her head hurt and she could see said color... faintly, but that wasn't good in any way. Her Senses were getting out of hand being around here and it sucked-

She growled, her eyes flashing as the woman stopped a few paces from her, smiling a bit sadly now.

"E-eh... Maybe you should hold on a minute..."

Frea stiffened, her ears catching on to the voice- a man's voice, and from somewhere back the way the woman had come from. Her attention snapped over to it, for a small, fleeting second- thinking maybe it had been that asshole who had showed up at Fairy Hills and punched her straight in the core... that bastard who she was utterly sure was the reason she felt like such utter crap.

But it wasn't the same person, the voice itself was a dead giveaway- it was too soft, too nervous sounding- and the person she lay eyes on was someone who looked... sorta unkempt.

He'd stepped up from around a small corner, to which there was a large, heavy-set wardrobe pushed against the wall just right there... in a room that was huge but so, so small because there was so many things just... everywhere.

He was tall and lanky, his hair a dull russet color and pulled into a small little ponytail at the back of his head. He had on a long tan colored coat that had a multitude of pockets and pouches littering it (to which there were things stuffed in nearly everyone of them). To go with that, he had on a pale grey shirt and a pair of dark pants that reached just below his knees. He didn't have shoes on either, just dark colored leather that went from his ankle down to stop just above his toes.

At his waist was a dark grey sash cut across by stripes, tied so one end of it hung further down than the rest with a heavy belt full of even more pouches and pockets on top of that... There was a tattoo on his right arm of dark ink of a zig-zagging pattern dotted with small squares between them.

He stopped after walking a few paces toward the bed, sidestepping around a bucket filled with things she hadn't a clue nor a care what they were (tools at a guess?), his hands raised in a sort of submissive, nervous little manner in front of him as he sweatdropped, a pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose and lines running underneath his eyes. His dull purple gaze trailed along her person, sweatdropping heavily at the red haze and the activity spurred from the Collar- almost wincing himself at the sight of the pain it put the Energy Dragon Slayer in- she managed to pick out flickers of concern and shock from him, though it wasn't so easy under everything else bombarding her Senses just then.

"... ah, you'd be better off not trying to use Magic... you remember Lord Tuvral telling you that, right...?" The man went on slowly, Frea's eyes flashed as she bared her fangs at him, and he flinched a little at the look- but ended up grimacing when the red haze around her body got darker, her eyes snapping closed and her jaw clenching in pain as she hunched a little more- her Magic was... Fighting... Getting... Wild... Vying...

"... Uhm... maybe you should... Ah... sit down...?" The man mumbled, gesturing toward the bed a bit. "... you're not really in any condition right now... To be jumping around... and it won't help to put yourself through much more strain than you already are..." He was fidgeting slightly, nervous as hell as Frea growled. "... please?" He asked quietly, "... if not to uhm... Appease me or Seyre, but to help yourself...? You're really not in good shape..."

"... Tch... And who's fault is that...?!" Frea snapped indignantly, he flinched again and the woman ('Seyre' apparently) seemed to wilt a little, looking exasperated.

"... Ah, to be entirely fair, Seyre hasn't done anything but help you..." The man sighed, "... The rest however... Is a fair point... But... For lack of voices in the room I have to insist..." He tilted his head toward the bed, his hand moving up to his face as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

Lack of voices...?

Frea jumped slightly, her eyes snapping downward when something pressed lightly against her side, sweatdropping when she matched eyeline with... A wolf...?!

It was a little bigger than your average wolf (which were not small regularly!), it's fur a mix of deep blacks and grays and yellow eyes- but it was a wolf regardless. She would know... Since Shadow usually took on that form-

The creature pushed it's nose up and against her arm, moving itself a bit closer as it gently nudged her back toward the bed.

Frea grimaced slightly, her eyes flashing a little as she let out an exasperated growl- but otherwise slowly, cautiously moved and took a shaky seat back down on the bed, her eyes dropping closed as she groaned, the red haze backing off but the pain... The pain stayed.

The wolf's head bent as it picked up a folded cloth that had fallen to the floor in it's jaws, before moving off toward the woman, Frea's eyes trailing after it and then falling on her- she paused, blinking several times to see the strained smile on the woman's face... And the frustration and disappointment that was sparking from her as she held her hand out and the wolf set the cloth down in her palm obediently.

Frea heard the man let out a somewhat nervous little cough, her eyes moving toward him as he rubbed the back of his neck a bit, his eyes on the silent woman.

"... I'm sure that's not it at all..." He mumbled, sweatdropping a little more as Seyre cast him a defeated little smile. He blinked, grimacing a little as his eyes slowly trailed over toward Frea, looking nervous. "... uhm... I didn't see anything earlier on my Scan, but do you have some sort of Spell on you that disrupts Telepathic Magic, by chance?" Frea blinked,her eyes widening a little as she sweatdropped, a little taken aback.

"What?" She grumbled, he glanced away like it was too hard to keep her eyes.

"Ah... Seyre's Communication Line isn't getting to you, right? You don't hear her in your head..?" He mumbled, Frea blinked, her eyes flicking toward Seyre who smiled just a little. "... She's been trying to talk to you but you're clearly not hearing any of it right...? She's mute, so she can't talk normally... she's been using a Magical Tool... to talk via Telepathy with everyone in the area..." He trailed off, looking back to her uncertainly. "... so that's a... ah... yes, right? To some sort of Spell...?"

Frea glanced from him and back toward Seyre, sweatdropping slightly as she let out a small sigh.

"... yes, something like that." She mumbled lowly, Seyre nodded a bit, though she looked a little more disappointed now- why...?

"... Right... ah... I'll give you a Cue Card... Seyre... gimme a minute to find it..." The man mumbled, turning back toward the large maze of tables and cabinets stacked with books and tools and other things she had no clue what they were... there were glass jars with liquid and bits and pieces of metal banding, Lacrima, other Magical Tools.

Frea watched him disappear behind a few things, her eyes narrowed and sitting stiff as a board for a few minutes, before she grumbled and let her eyes fall closed, her arms wrapping around her torso as she winced, the room was still whirling, her head and her body aching like a son of a-

Frea took in a long, slow breath- her nose twitching slightly as she caught the scent of... so many things, metal and stone, flowers and plants, paper, parchment, ink, fire, water... wolf too, and something more like burning stone and metal wrapped into one scent... Sickness and blood too.

She swallowed, her lips pulling into a tight line.

Her eyes opened when she heard the woman get closer, stiffening slightly as she shot her a wary look and Seyre smiled kindly, stopping herself a few paces away and hands linked together in front of her. Frea grimaced a bit more, blinking several times to get rid of what faint, white and red haze seemed to emanate from her in accordance with the color of her Energy Signature... there was too much color everywhere, from everything...

... mm... my Senses are... way out of hand right now...

... if I'm in Adgnei... where exactly am I...? And why...?

She heard something fall over from behind her and where the man had disappeared to, her head snapping around in reaction to the noise and grimacing slightly.

How long... have I been out...?

All sense of time and place was gone, and from the sunlight filtering in through what spare windows were in this room (and high, high up on the wall near the roof so she couldn't see out of them)... she really couldn't tell if it was afternoon or morning.

She sweatdropped a bit more at the thought, hours or days... the Guild was certainly not in a good mood right now... damn it.

Why is it always me?

Something else tipped over behind her and was followed by the short little snap of 'Gods damn it!' from the man, Frea didn't bother to turn around in his direction this time. And she wasn't surprised he was knocking things over, there was so much stacked and piled on every table, shelf, and available space of floor it was a wonder he could move through any of it at all.

She felt her Magic swirl in her core, violently- and the pain that had not gone away intensified- snatching her breath away and making her double over at it, trembling as she bit down on her tongue, hard.

S...shit... I can't... it's moving on it's... own...

Seyre's eyes flashed, her attention riveted on the Energess and growing stiff as she saw the red haze encircle her form again, the Magic from the Collar rushing through her again, jolting, agonizing- and the Energress went stiff as a board under it, hunching in on herself and what little composure she had- shattered. She hissed, biting back at what pain was coursing through her- pain enough she has every right to scream, but she stayed fairly quiet anyway.

Seyre swallowed, grimacing as her eyes shift from the Energess and toward where the man had disappeared, the Lacrima (Communication Link) on her arm glowed slightly- but still as before, Frea heard nothing- even as the man winced slightly at the sheer loudness of her 'voice' in his head.

"... I... Can try..." Was the soft answer, he stepped back around the corner with a flat board of shimmering pale blue glass in his hands. His eyes found Seyre first, before finding the Energess and he seemed to blanch a little at seeing the Collar shocking her, again.

It hadn't ever really let up for more than a few minutes at a time even when she was unconscious... But it shouldn't have been doing so, and he knew it- and so did Seyre.

He approached cautiously, stepping up beside Seyre and tapping the glass board lightly against the Communication Link on her arm- the screen lit up with words via Magic, connecting itself to said 'Cue Card' and the man letting out a small sigh as he brought the Cue Card up in air before him- and let go.

It didn't fall, instead it stayed suspended in air where he had placed it and he glanced at Seyre, who had her hands on her hips and was watching.

'Did it work?'

The words flared across the screen of the Cue Card, echoing her thoughts in the instant she activated her Communication Link to ask him the question- her eyes flashed at the lettering and she nodded a bit- and the previous wording was replaced;

'Nevermind. Thank you.'

The man sweatdropped, nodding a bit as he glanced toward Frea- who was still doubled over, her arms wrapped around her torso and panting- the red haze from the Collar died away again. But given how often it seemed to be reacting... It probably wouldn't be long before it acted up again.

But it shouldn't be-

His hand lift, his index finger tapping lightly against the side of his glasses and the glass lit up slightly by Magic, he moved his gaze up and down her form, both his hands falling in his coat pockets as he frowned a little, his eyes narrowing as he read along what data and information appeared on the inside of his glasses through Magical Means- to which only he could actually see, mind you.

Seyre moved a bit closer to the still cringing Energess, the Cue Card floating forward with her movement and sticking close to her side as the wolf with her took a seat at the end of the bed, watching intently.

Frea glanced up again, immediately aware of Seyre getting closer and her eyes glittering in pain and wariness as she finally took note of the Magical Tool that he had brought back with him- Seyre's hands lift in a calming gesture as she smiled at the other woman, and the Cue Card glowed, and Seyre gestured toward it slightly.

'Hello Energess, forgive me, I did not realize you could not hear my thoughts.'

Frea blinked, her silver eyes trailing over the words as they appeared and sweatdropping slightly.

'My name is Seyre, I am one of the Keistae here in Adgnei. The God-King has given me His leave to be here, and to keep an eye on you, following your run-in, with Lord Tuvral.' The words went on, or rather- Seyre went on, with Frea reading and casting small glances back at said woman every once in awhile. She grimaced though, at the 'Lord Tuvral' part- and Seyre seemed to sigh a little at the look.

'I don't usually admonish the actions of anyone, but there was little need for Lord Edryd...'

At the confusion that appeared on Frea's face, Seyre's words broke off and she smiled apologetically.

'Ah, forgive me... Lord Tuvral and Lord Edryd, they are the same person. I use either, though 'Lord Edryd' is a bit more informal- I am sorry if I confused you, Energess... but either way, as I was saying- there was little need for him to use his sword on you... he's put you in much too frail a state for my liking. A state that seems more so straining on you, since you arrived... you have been quite sick for a number of hours now, thanks to his treatment of you.'

Frea's eyes went wide, her breath catching in her throat.

A number of hours...?!

The man a little ways behind Seyre frowned too, his eyes falling closed as he seemed to wilt.

"... Lord Tuvral was asked to detain you, and I did request he not use his sword as a means of doing so... he did not listen, however." He mumbled quietly, his eyes raising to rest on her slowly and still looking uncomfortable under her icy stare. "... I'm not condoning his actions, mind you... but he rarely infects people with sicknesses that do more harm than simply making them frail for a few hours. I assume that was his intent with you, but in reality... your immune system is much weaker than it should usually be, so it isn't handling the Sickness Magic well at all, so it's hit you harder than it should have. That is something of an unforeseen issue, as well as... the Collar... too..."

His words broke off as he saw the haze appear again, just faintly, and Frea growled- her eyes snapping shut as she forced her Magic to just... quit it!

Why is it like this...?! This is much... it's much more volatile right now than it's been since... Mordren..!

Seyre, the wolf, and the man all seemed to bristle slightly at the sight- his eyes flashing as Seyre rounded on him and settled him with an intense stare, he flinched under a look so cold from someone who was always so placid and cool-

"... ah, I realize... you aren't actively attempting to use Magic, Energess... I can see it's just... more... ah, it's more mobile, than most Magics are, when they are just existing normally in someone's body..." He mumbled quickly, sweatdropping slightly as his eyes flashed a bit. "... to me it seems more... like overflow, and that Collar was designed with the intent to activate whenever your Magic so much as shifts- even if it's not shifting because you plan to make use of it... so it's activating frequently... I adjusted the sensitivity down a bit while you were unconscious, but it wasn't enough... apparently..." He trailed off, his expression tense and uneasy as he let out a small sigh.

"... you have an incredible amount of Magic Power in your body, and what I am seeing... it's too much, and you cannot keep active, total control over all of it. So you let it shift and surge freely inside of your own body, but keep it in check enough not to let it turn into something physical, or harm you internally. But it is still shifting, reacting... acting, and the Collar picks up on that, every scrap of it... Even simply the action of channeling your Magic into that Limiter on your wrist, that is the sort of movement it picks up on and reacts to... I do not know why, but you cannot keep total, absolute control over your Magic in order to make it... just stay still or even dormant... like most Mages should... be able..." He muttered lowly, sweatdropping more as Frea frowned a bit.

"... ah... is it usually this hard for you...?" He asked slowly, "... I cannot imagine it is, at the rate your Magic Energy Levels seem to be getting out of hand, there's little way you could be living like this normally... that's too much strain on the human body, especially on your body. The damage that's been done to you and left some lasting mark... is extensive." He mumbled, swallowing a bit as Frea stiffened. "... You are healed but you are not fully healthy, and from what I can make sense of- you never really will be again, not all the way... the injuries you sustained in the past have damaged your durability, muscle structure, bone strength, nervous system, immune system, endurance, everything- irreparably... You can heal but never go back to how you were beforehand... someone has done a wonderful job treating you, I will admit, but I doubt even Adgnei's Medical Tools could fix all of... that." He mumbled, nodding toward her and his eyes trailing along like he was reading something she couldn't see.

Frea swallowed, her eyes narrowing to slits and bristling slightly as he recanted a slew of information she already knew- and in some cases had already been told and warned of, by Master, Porlyusica and Saige alike.

But how the hell did he know so much?

Her eyes narrowed a bit more, focusing what whirlwind of information and color her Senses were picking up on, enough that she honed in on him and his general area... Magic, similar to the feeling of Scanning Magic, and from the way his eyes were moving, she guessed it was connected with his glasses, somehow.

"... ah... but... redirecting... your health is on shaky ground right now. I've been doing my best to help Seyre manage the symptoms of Pestilence, and contend with the damage done when he... ah, unnecessarily reopened that wound on your abdomen... but your health is suffering more than it should... and at a guess I would say it has to do with your Magic...?" He mumbled, "... you are in a lot of pain- the measure of it is incredibly high, constant, and continually spiking. And most of it I can account to where it is coming from... the Collar... but there's much more that I can't pinpoint the origin, or cause of..."

She stiffened at that, her eyes flashing as he said the words and realizing in an instant what he was referring too- the pain and torture that came from that Darkness eating at her- but even with some sort of Scan Magic, how the hell could he tell that...?!

"... who the hell are you?" Frea hissed lowly, he blinked.

"... ah... I'm sorry... I suppose I should have introduced myself... but I don't usually... handle people..." He mumbled slowly, nervous still.

"I'm Talarr, I'm... Ilaen in Title, to the God-King... but I'm more head architect, inventor, craftsman, blacksmith, physician..." He told her, then ended up trailing off again, Frea blinked.

'He takes on the more intellectual side of the Ilaen title. He's basically a Professor and Expert in all things scientific, and he's the best craftsman and inventor in all of Adgnei. There isn't a Magical Tool in Adgnei he cannot craft, or did not invent himself.' Seyre's Cue Card flashed the words and diverted Frea's eyes toward it, sweatdropping slightly.

... Talarr... huh...? That sounds a lot like-

She stiffened slightly, her jaw clenching and fangs baring slightly as it clicked in her head-

"Our most brilliant mind managed a way to make this happen at the behest of our King- so wise as He is, He knew this was the only way we could control you, make you more... Compliant."

Talarr saw the way her expression darkened and he seemed to realize instantly why, as he should.

"... ah, please do forgive me... Energess..." He started slowly,

Frea was already on her feet, her fists clenched at her sides and legs shaking slightly from keeping her up- her eyes flashed as she bared her fangs at him more, silver eyes glittering in rage suddenly as he took an instinctive step backward from her, and Seyre looked flustered as hell.

"You made this damn thing!" Frea snapped hotly, her hand pointing at the Collar and anger surging. He frowned, sweatdropping heavily at the anger but not moving to deny it either,

"... Drennios gave me an order, I am his Ilaen, I do as I am asked..." Talarr started, Frea hissed.

"Take it the hell off!" She ordered sharply, he flinched, concern and slight inklings of fear prickling off of him and reaching her through what mess everything was- and guilt too, but she didn't give a damn at that moment.

Her Magic surged inside of her in accordance with her anger, her struggle to keep it quelled being abandoned in her rage- and the Collar activated in an instant, red sparking through every inch of her body with such ferocity her eyes snapped shut at it, and her legs threatened to give out on her completely. Seyre's hands shot forward on instinct to steady Frea as she tilted, the Energy Dragon Slayer barely keeping on her feet and rigid in agony- the pale-haired woman shot Talarr a look and he looked just as pained as Frea did.

"... I can't take it off." Talarr murmured quietly, his voice quavering. "... there is only one key to release it, and Drennios has it... as He instructed when He ordered I make it, Energess..." He winced a little, "... and in case the thought were to cross your mind, Energess... should you try and take Seyre or I hostage, or fight against us, or the Kullui- it will make no difference. Drennios will Release you when He sees fit, not before... regardless of what you do. And if you try and run and escape... There is no way for you out of Okeal." He added, nervously so as Frea groaned, panting and shaking like a leaf under the sheer pain.

Talarr seemed to swallow, his eyes flashing and face falling in worry and slight panic as he saw the 'Pain Meter' on the edge of his eyeline spike to an all time high- pain enough she should have passed out long beforehand, but she stayed standing there, holding on to Seyre and her features paling no small amount as she sucked in a sharp, shuddering breath- and her Magic?

He could feel her Magical Pressure in the back of his mind, had been able to feel it since she arrived- and it was throbbing, heavy. So much Magic in one person, and from what his Scan-Glasses were picking up?

It was swirling inside of her so fast it could very quickly start hurting her as much as that Collar was- and she was trying to quell it, she had to be... But it was fighting like her Magic had a mind of its own.

He'd already had to adjust (what little he could) the threshold of Magic allowed to move before the Collar activated again... And it clearly did so very little to make a difference.

And with how weak and strung out she was? She was under so much strain it was going to-

He swallowed, hard.

It... Bringing her here, she wasn't supposed to...

"... I... I'm sorry..." He stammered, his eyes flashing as he moved, his feet bringing him away from the bed and back toward the other end of the room. "... I didn't know... Your Magic... I didn't know you wouldn't be able to Control it... But... I'll... I'll try and ... ah... try something..." He said quickly, Seyre watching him go as she sighed, and then slowly moved to ease Frea back into sitting on the bed.

She was heaving, her eyes shut tight and all attention on Talarr, his apology, Seyre- none of it mattered, she was too focused on trying to stop her Magic from surging like it was... All on it's own... Almost...

... Hungry...

Shit... But... Why now...? It hasn't been this Bad... Not in months...

She swallowed, hard- her breaths evening only slightly as she forced her Magic to still to a point that she didn't have to be shocked every second. But even managing that was hard as hell, and she didn't think she could keep her Magic still for very long at all.

This is bad...

Frea glanced up slightly, Seyre's hand falling on her lower back and not particularly comfortable with the contact- but the woman smiled slightly and waved her free hand to gesture at the Cue Card that had gotten close, words flaring across the surface.

'Forgive Talarr, he's not accustomed to being around other people. And he's not a malicious person by nature, just a bit naive... and hopelessly loyal too. He likely did not wish to create such a Tool, but it was an order from the God-King, and he is not lightly to disobey... over anything.' Frea blinked at that, frowning slightly and her eyes shifting sideways toward the woman who smiled just slightly.

'I understand you are in an unfamiliar place and do not know what the God-King wants of you, I have been unable to find out either. Talarr knows little, and he is reluctant to share any of what he does know with me. I am only permitted here under the promise to assist in keeping you in good health, it will cause suspicion if I ask too many questions on the matter. I do not distrust Talarr, but his loyalty to the God-King make his reactions questionable, and I am not willing to risk it just yet.' Frea's eyes narrowed slightly, but the words changed as Seyre continued her line of thought.

'I have to be careful with how much interest I show in you, or what is going on- lest the God-King, Lord Edryd, or any of the Kullui find cause to remove me from Okeal. I have promised to stick close and keep an eye on you, I cannot do that if I have been removed from the premises. For now it would do well for you and everyone involved to not act rashly, Energess. I realize it may be hard for you, but it will be better to cooperate and act peacefully for the time being.'

Frea sweatdropped slightly, grimacing at the words of 'caution'

'Your Guild is already in Corisette, headed by Lady Aisha. They have been working to determine a plan and find a way into Okeal to rescue you, Energess.'

Frea's eyes widened as she read the words, sweatdropping heavily as she felt her heart jump a little.

'There will be difficulty getting them inside of Okeal, and you out- without earning fatal injury or harm. Things are delicate at the moment, and any attempt at escape will be hard- they have help from several other capable friends at Lady Aisha's disposal, as well as myself. They have been doing their best to gather information on the situation for the last few hours, and I expect once they know enough- they will form a rescue plan, and I will receive a letter from her. But until that time, both you and I need to be patient.'

Frea stared, rereading the words after rushing through them at lightning speed- because what?!

Seyre works for Aisha...?!

'In essence however, Energess... maybe you can take comfort in the fact that your Guild is already here, and they will find you.'

---

Two Hours Earlier-

"I have an inquiry though, Aisha-" Freed started, earning her annoyed eyes and flinching a little. "-ah... you have mentioned wolves several times now, and in the context that they are... going to assist you, somehow?"

"But of course! Our dear Lady Celene is the Mistress of the Moon- the Cosmic Soul of that Celestial Power- and it is the wolves who are sworn to be her guides, and her helpers. Those creatures who walk so freely among the night and sing in earnest to their deity- that shining, silver and white orb in a sky dotted with stars... the wolves walk the shadows and sing with the moon with such ease. They creatures, above all others- are sworn to serve her~!"

Everyone jumped slightly at the unexpected voice, Aisha stiffening and sweatdropping a bit at what was rather over the top of an explanation-

"-Or so the legends tell tale, and perhaps they do hold some small speck of truth. The wolves may not answer to Lady Celene directly, but they do serve under someone who is dedicated to her cause, and all her actions. So in some way, the wolves answer to their master, and their master answers to Lady Celene- and thus, the wolves serve their purpose, acting as guides, and guardians, and messengers... to both Rehvan and to Mistress of the Moon herself~"

Aisha grumbled under her breath, her violet eyes flashing as she found the owner of that voice- just in the same instant everyone else did.

"It's been quite a long time Lady Celene.... hehe, have you come to finally return my Bureau?"

"No." Aisha replied flatly, her answer coming without even a second of hesitation. Her arms crossed over her chest as she huffed a little, her expression falling flat with the slightest bit of annoyance there too- everyone else just stared.

The new arrival was a tall, skinny man with long, ash-grey hair tied into a braid down his back and wearing a long-sleeve shirt of a black hue and matching pants that tucked into his knee-high boots, and a blue-grey Dyann flecked across by pale white and grey of varying hues pulled over one shoulder and tied under the other. His hands remained in his pockets, half a dozen grey earrings hung from each ear and his jaw was covered in a beard, his deep green eyes landing on Aisha as his lips twitched up in an amused smile. He was older, probably just a few years younger than Master Makarov- and the bare skin shown passed the rolled up sleeves of his shirt was almost completely colored in tattoos of varying black and dark blue ink, swirling patterns that curled around a line of symbols set in the center of circles.

A small group of Barren came in behind him, carrying boxes and bags with them, and setting them down on the tables with little a word as the man tilted his head toward them in a small, silent gesture of thanks- and they went back and on their way again.

"Hehe, I can't say I'm surprised that is your answer." The man hummed lightly to Aisha, shrugging a little. "I do not mind much, but I'm sure there is some things that will be of use inside of it... but in the meantime it's probably best we touch base on where we stand, and make a few introductions, hmm?"

His eyes trailed from Aisha and toward Chase and the Thunder Legion, Aisha grumbled but nodded anyway.

"Right... this is Evergreen, Freed, Bixlow and Chase." Aisha murmured, pointing toward each as she said their name. The man nodded a bit to each of them, and Aisha gestured toward him next. "This is Therigist. Leader of the Thieves Guild in Adgnei, and one of the Masters of the Black Market."

"Hmm, quite the Introduction there. Simply Therigist would have done just fine," Therigist chuckled lightly, Aisha huffed at him and Therigist looked passed her toward the other Fairy Tailers. "A pleasure to meet some of Lady Celene's friends, and Guild-mates. Fairy Tail has quite the reputation here in Adgnei, following the Grand Magic Games." His brow quirked slightly as he glanced them up and down, taking in their attire and appearance as his eyes found Chase last, and landed on the Dyann a bit longer than was normal for simply looking.

"Ah, you did a good job dressing your friends for the part." Therigist smiled, glancing toward Aisha again. "And I see you've appointed a new Ilaen... even if only for this excursion, to speak of who you chose for such a role... Hehe..." He chuckled a bit and Aisha's eyes narrowed, Chase blinked at that, his eyes darting from Therigist and toward Aisha in surprise.

'New' Ilaen...?

"Ah well, away from that- shall we get started? There's plenty of things to discuss, but I think it best to start with this;" Therigist went on without a shred of hesitation or bother, his hand trailing along the table as he rounded it slightly and stopped to be on the end right across from Aisha. "Just where do you stand on knowledge about what is going on in Adgnei, and why it was your Energess was taken? Let's square away what information we have between the two of us, with any luck a few pieces will fall together."

"Fine..." Aisha grumbled, "... At current, what we know about Frea's capture is that the God-King ordered her capture to use her for help with a 'Project' of some sort. He sent two Kullui and Edyrd to take her, and the only thing he said on the matter of the Project was she needed to 'open the way'." Aisha started, Therigist's smile falling as his expression turned to neutrality and he listened to her with the utmost attention. "One of our Guild Members has a Precognition Ability, and she's been having Visions of people in the Lower Warrens getting killed, whilst some huge wash of unrelenting Magic pouring out of the tallest tower in Okeal, destroying it- and then consuming the whole of Coriesette with it."

"Ah, how pleasant." Therigist commented dryly, "And how accurate do this Fairy's Visions tend to be?"

"Incredibly so, for the most part." Aisha mumbled, he nodded a bit.

"So you are assuming this Project Lord Edryd mentioned has to do with said Tower." Therigist murmured, Aisha nodded just slightly. His arms crossed over his chest as he let out a breath, his eyes trailing toward the roof in thought. "... It would make sense I suppose, if Lord Edryd mentioned 'opening the way'... That Tower has been left inaccessible for centuries, as far as I am aware. That Tower is the biggest, most swept aside mystery in all of Adgnei and it's history... No one has paid it any mind, and I haven't pondered it much either, sad to say..." Aisha's eyes narrowed slightly at the admission of a lack of knowledge- where usually knowledge was his best talent.

"So you know nothing about it?" She asked flatly, he sighed a little.

"I didn't say that, I simply know less about it than everything else." Therigist murmured, "For as long as I have been alive, no one has payed that Tower any mind, and as it stands- very little is known about the inner workings and layout of Okeal, even by me. You know very well only Nobles are allowed anywhere near the palace, and few ever manage to earn a Pass inside- and as it stands, I am low of friends among the Nobility, and am not likely to earn any new allies in the next few hours... not that it would make much a difference, at this rate." He sighed a bit, "What little chatter there is concerning that Tower is inconsequential and scattered, there's no telling what rumor and myth about it holds weight or not- but I will tell you what persistent tales I have heard in my years. You know your Guildmate better than I, and the full scope of her abilities and her relationships... perhaps something I have heard will strike a chord in you, where it would not me."

Therigist shifted, his hand moving forward as he trailed his finger along the titles of a stack of books he had had brought in, reading the faded lettering and coming to a halt on a heavy, heavily beaten and crumbling leather tome. He pulled it from the middle of the stack and set it down on the table, the binding creaking and cracking as he pulled the old, yellowing pages apart and carefully flipped through the pages.

"... there is a popular tale about it, perhaps you are already familiar... it is something more an Old Wives tale than reliable information, but I'll mention it anyway... why not..." He smiled slightly to himself as his eyes trailed along the badly faded lettering, trying to find what he wanted even as he continued to talk. "The most commonly spun story; the tallest tower of Okeal has remained boarded up and left to rot, the doors giving entry to it's depths, halls, rooms, and secrets- having been locked up centuries upon centuries ago... the entryway chained and the key tossed away into the deepest waters to be found in all of Adgnei. Runes and Talismans etched across every outside wall, Magic centuries in the making used to keep that Tower hidden away, and keep what is kept inside- put. For what remains locked in those silent halls is something fierce, and dark... something powerful- some mythical, looming beast that stalks the halls and devours any who set eyes on it. A creature akin to some terrifying, fantastic monster that eats people- and sometimes manages a way out of the Tower in the dead of night to snatch up misbehaving children and eat them up~!" Therigist chuckled to himself as his voice rose a little from mock severity of a ghost story, and then into near exaggerated teasing, Aisha let out a low sigh. His green eyes flicked upward and toward her as he heard the sound,

"Ah, so you have heard some version of this tale after all, hmm? It's quite popular among the Lower Caste. There are many variations of course, the creature taking on some form or another... reptilian, Vulcan, bear, all manner of things, all ending in children being gobbled up and taken from their mothers for bad behavior... hehe, Old Wives tale as I said..." He hummed in amusement, "I cannot attest to the reliability and what's detailed, I very much doubt the Tower plays host to some beast... if you are to take anything from the story, I would be comfortable placing bets on the effort that went into locking it up. The whole of Okeal has been closed off for the last few generations of God-Kings, there isn't a place in all of Adgnei that's harder to get inside of then the Palace. Secrecy and Security are Okeal's greatest strengths, which will of course make getting to your Energess even harder... but it would not be a stretch to think there really is more than simple wood boards blocking the way up into that Tower." He went on,

"... maybe even a lock that God-King nor any of His underlings can get into... or maybe they already know how to get in, and what's on the other side is what they truly need your Energess for." Therigist mused, shrugging his shoulders slightly. His page flipping ceased as he glanced back up, "A good few decades ago there was some stirring inside of Okeal that caught the attention of everyone outside it's barriers, though. There was a record number of merchandise being transported into the Palace, largely Magical tools, things needed to craft with, metal and stones and Lacrima... as well as a large number of Artificers, Smiths, Enchanters... the works. Ranging from expert to capable to pass worthy, and it went on for a few months- with little a word nor a whisper of why so many were being allowed inside the Barriers, or what for- and not a word from any of them since. Rumor and theory went rampant, with a few musings involving your Tower- there is no one to confirm that though, or what really went on. Of some odd twenty or so people of varying backgrounds and talents, over the course of a five month period- not a one ever was seen again once they entered the Barriers into Okeal."

The Fairy Tailers stiffened, all of them- even Aisha, whose eyes widened at the words and completely taken by surprise. After all, he said this had happened several decades ago, which meant it was before her time and not relevant to her stay in Adgnei. Hell, Therigist had probably been closer to being middle aged or at the start of it, and he was no young man nowadays.

"Seriously...?!" Bixlow and Evergreen stammered,

"If they went missing, did they not have friends or family that missed them? People must have questioned as to where they went, surely?" Freed murmured quickly,

"Oh there was assuredly question." Therigist murmured, "Most of those who vanished were of the Middle Caste, and they dared break tradition and demanded answers as to where their members had gone- but such is the way of Adgnei, Middle Caste have more sway, but not enough. Their questions were ignored or otherwise swept aside, the Nobility and Royal Caste saw that the inquiries were thrown out- and there were, though not openly- a few threats sent around to earn silence in the Middle Caste. Many were disgruntled about the situation but the frustration died off rather quickly, and soon enough the whole ordeal was cast from the mind of Royal, Noble, Middle and Lower Caste alike." Therigist saw the frowns that passed among the likes of the Thunder Legion and Chase too, looking slightly bemused.

"I understand that such corruption is not so openly found in Fiore, so I understand the looks you wear- but in Adgnei, it is quite common place for the higher Castes to oppress the lower, by any and many means. Assassination, bribery, theft, blackmail- these are all aspects of our lives that have become second nature... and getting angry over such things does not come as quickly for us as it may for you. Especially to get to a place of actual retaliation, it will take much more than a few dozen missing craftsman to start a riot here." Therigist told them lightly, his tone almost too calm- because how could they live like that and just let it be?! It didn't make sense...!

Adgnei really did seem so backwards from what they were used to.

"Ah, but to redirect a bit-" Therigist started again, "-I know little else about your Tower, Lady Celene. Deepest apologies my dear, as I could muse and speculate all day- but I do think our time could be spent a bit better. You already have dear Seyre inside of Okeal, if there is something to be found regarding the Tower, she is more likely to find it before we do." He tapped a finger lightly against the book in front of him, "-it would be more effective to let her try and piece that puzzle together on her own, and let our focus shift- but I do have just one other thing pertaining to your Tower... It is useless though, in my hands and likely yours."

Aisha's eyes fell on the book he now pushed around and across to her on the table, her eyes finding the faded, nearly unreadable in some parts ink across the paper- and her attention training to and illustration on the page of some outcropping of rock and stone that sat at the head of... A valley.

She blinked, not recognizing the structure right away- but the outline was familiar enough. It was the head of the Valley that this city sat in, the outcropping where Okeal stood and overlooked everything below it... Though it didn't look now what the illustration showed, but the book was clearly old, so perhaps that wasn't a surprise.

And on that illustration there was a circle around the section of it where the Tower in question was located, though in the picture it was nothing more than a tall spire that was flat on top... And almost round, as if there was some pillared structure sitting there, but it was hard to tell.

There was writing too on the page, but she grimaced slightly as she saw it- and realized in the next moment why he said it was useless in either of their own hands.

"This has something to do with Okeal, and the Tower from what I can guess- however I am quite unable to read it, and I'm sure you fare no better on that end?" Therigist hummed, Aisha grimaced as her purple gaze trailed over the lettering- well, Rune-work, actually- and didn't make sense of any of it... Though-

Chase had stepped closer to her shoulder with Freed close behind, both men looking down at the book in intrigue and wonder- both of their eyes narrowing just as Aisha's did.

"... I do not recognize these Runes..." Freed mumbled aloud, though he sounded unsure of that. "... Though if I am to be honest, they look vaguely familiar to some of the Runes that Moon has shown me before."

"... Yeah, this one has almost the same shape as that one that was on the letter Saige sent you." Chase murmured, gesturing toward said Rune- and missing the intrigue that appeared in Therigist's expression at the comment.

"Perhaps an older version of the Runes? Or even the original that altered as time went on into the Runes both of them are familiar with?" Freed mused,

"Intriguing." Therigist hummed, smiling slightly as he glanced between the three of Aisha, Chase and Freed. "There are two names there you say are familiar with a set of Runes similar to this, where I have not known any... Well, at least that I was aware." The Fairy Trailers blinked at that. "Do you have someone at your Guild who may know how to pick apart this Tome?"

The Fairy Tailer's grimaced slightly, sweatdropping at the question.

"... Maybe she could try, but she won't be able to right now." Aisha grumbled, Therigist tilted his head in question. "... Moon is Frea's Partner, and she was with her when Edryd took her away. In the process he used Pestilence on her, and she collapsed right as we stepped into the Portal here. Currently even our Sky Dragon Slayer and her Healing Magic isn't making much a dent, and there's no telling how long the Sickness is going to last."

"Ah, that lovely sword." Therigist mumbled with a sigh.

"He's altered it. It works on a Timer now, and he's found some way to hide every trace of the Magic entirely- enough so not even an Energy Mage could tell there was Magic of any kind lingering over her until the Spell activated two hours after the fact." Aisha explained lowly, "He also has some Tool that's capable of hiding him and a group of people from Energy Mages too. He called it a Cloak, and with it Frea never knew he was near to her, and likely couldn't feel his Magic nor his Energy Signature- and I doubt she caught his scent either. That's the only way he or any of the Kullui could have taken her by surprise as they did."

"Forgive me if I don't understand the severity of that fact, but I'm not familiar with the ability of any Energy Mage... And Dragon Slayers are not so familiar to me either, though I do have a better scope of their abilities than the general public." Therigist murmured,

"In general any Energy Mage can sense all types of Magic, as well as feel the Energy someone gives off as simply being a living being. We call them 'Energy Signatures', and everyone has their own- we can identify people based on their individual Energy Signatures, and do so almost automatically for the people we are familiar with." Chase elaborated softly, "In general, Energy Mages have an instinctive sense of the Energy Signatures of people and Magic around us up to about a fifty foot radius or so without actively focusing on everything, or having to resort to a Spell. So even if I couldn't visibly see you, if you were in that radius I would know you were there just based off feeling your Energy Signature. If I wanted to feel Energy at a distance greater than that, I'd have to put all my focus on it- or use a Spell to stretch my Senses out farther... but Teach is different, her Regular Senses have been heightened to an extreme that makes it so that her Senses can pick up on things in about... give or take a five or ren mile radius or so, at a guess."

The number at the end earned shocked eyes from everyone else, because so far there really hadn't been a number put to the (recent) realization of Frea's Senses getting so much more sensitive.

"So knowing that, there's no way Teach should have missed three unfamiliar Energy Signatures anywhere near her, especially ones using unfamiliar Magic. But from what we saw, she had no clue they were even there... and even with Hidden Energy being taken into account, her nose is sharp enough she should have at least smelled them- but she and Moon were caught completely by surprise." Chase told him, Therigist nodded slightly.

"Hmm, well I have had little run-ins with Lord Edryd since you left Lady Celene, though I was aware he had been doing a number of tests and tinkering on that sword of his. He's been tucked away in Okeal more often than he's been in his House, which makes sense given he's clearly been working with the God-King. But I did however spend some time to start working on a way to combat with Pestilence... I have been wary of the tension for awhile, and I've been sure a confrontation between the Lower Castes and the rest is coming soon." Therigist murmured, "We've not been able to find a way to negate the effects entirely, but we can lessen the side-effects to an extent, not that we've done our best to try and test it directly but... it's an altered version of the Cure-All Tonics... let me see if I can find that vial for you, with any luck it will help your friend 'Moon'..."

He turned and bent down to start sifting through one of the crates that had brought in when he arrived,

"... you can send that Tome off to your Guild if you'd like, should she awake and feel up to it- she could give it a look over." Therigist murmured, "I'll also send a note to my Suppliers, of the altered Cure-All, and rush some more... it's likely we'll be going head to head with Lord Edryd... hmm this is starting to feel nostalgic in a way~"

"Therigist." Aisha snapped lowly, her sudden scathing tone making the other Fairy Tailers jump at it, blinking in confusion.

"Ah, yes, yes... please refrain from homicide if you please, Lady Celene." The older man chuckled, "-ah, I do have a small Inquiry however- your Energess, does she happen to utilize a Limiter? Specially made, doesn't involve Nullification Magic?"

Chase and Aisha blinked, the Thunder Legion exchanging glances between one another.

The Guild had been told of the bracelet that Frea wore, the special Limiter given to her by one mysterious Wizard Saint none of them had ever met before- one that worked against Frea's Magic where Nullification wouldn't. The reason why for the Limiter though? Frea hadn't elaborated much on the subject when she explained what it was to the Guild- but the basis was it stored excess Magic Energy inside of itself where she may not have the easiest time keeping it controlled herself.

They all knew Frea's Magic had gotten so much more powerful since Mordren, and that the sudden overflow of it during her fight had been the reason she was so torn apart and hurt- and the Limiter was meant to help keep her Magic in check enough to make living with it easier... she assured them she could handle her Magic without the Limiter, but it was much less time consuming with it there.

The fact that it got brought up now and by Therigist of all people caught them off guard though-

"I'll take your confused silence as a yes." Therigist murmured, straightening up slightly with a thin little bottle of a dark blue hue of glass, of which was filled with some shimmering, pale colored liquid. "Interestingly enough, I have one more mutual acquaintance with you Fairies than I assumed... I was unaware Mr. Balthan was interested in your Guild, let alone that he had a personal stake in the affairs of your Energess. And very personally indeed, considering the time, effort and resources he poured into the creation of that Limiter... and how long he enlisted my Guild's services in the process."

He set the vial of 'Cure-All' next to the Tome previously mentioned, "And apparently he's in possession of similar knowledge that may help in reading those Runes, hmm? He's remained an enigma and mystery even to me, and believe me- I did try and learn more about him, though I found little answers for my inquiries. Do you know Mr. Balthan well?" Therigist murmured, Aisha grimaced slightly.

"... no." She grumbled, sounding less than pleased with the fact.

"No one in the Guild does, the only people who have actually met him are Frea and Master Makarov." Freed elaborated, Therigist quirked a brow at that in slight intrigue but otherwise let it go.

"Ah, well perhaps it may be worth your time to contact him about all of this. If I am reading the situation correctly, he has an interest in keeping a ready eye on your Energess- and perhaps if he sees fit, he may lend a hand in this affair." Therigist mused, closing the Tome up on the table. "He's a mysterious fellow, but quite a clever one too. Perhaps he'll have some input on your Tower that I do not have~"

Aisha grimaced at the idea, looking not so pleased at the idea of contacting the elusive Wizard Saint- Chase cast her a sideways glance.

"...tch... I'll think about it." Aisha growled lowly, Therigist shrugged nonchalantly.

"This is your operation, you do as you see fit, Lady Celene~" He smiled lightly, Aisha growled and picked the vial and the Tome up, the Body-Link connected with the Chatter-Box glowing on her arm as she moved her attention away from the older man.

"Cana, has Wendy made any progress with Moon?" Aisha asked aloud, her voice echoed in both the Fairy Tailer's ears and heads.

"... no, the kid's been giving it her all but her Magic isn't making a dent." Cana replied warily, "Porlyusica got here a bit ago, but she's not having much more luck either. She's in pretty bad shape right now, I've not seen anybody this sick this fast." The Fairy Tailers as a whole grimaced at the words, Aisha nodding stiffly.

"Alright, I'm sending over a vial of an altered version of Cure-All. Therigist has had his people tinkering with the original formula trying to find a way to combat with Pestilence, he hasn't managed to do away with the effects entirely- but it might help to ease the effects, make them less severe." Aisha murmured, picking the Tome and the vial in hand as her Magic flared. "If Moon wakes up and feels up to it, let her take a look at the Tome- it looks similar to Old Telips, maybe she can read some of it."

The Tome and the vial disappeared from her hands as she sent it off to the Guild Hall with ease.

"Will do... quick question though, what the hell is 'Cure-All'?" Cana asked, speaking aloud the question that Chase and the Thunder Legion had thus far kept themselves from asking.

"It's an engineered Potion that's meant to combat and do away with a variety of illnesses- mostly low level and mild forms. It's good for curing people of colds and flu's, and other small, non-serious problems. It can also act as a painkiller... It can't actually cure everything, but for a lot of things it does work. They're a pretty common medicine around Adgnei, if a bit expensive for most people..." Aisha elaborated,her voice trailing as if she meant to add something else, but thought better of it.

"Ah, alright... I get it... I think." Cana mumbled, but she left it at that. "... ok, I got them. I'll let you know if it helps out, Aisha." Aisha nodded but never replied (even when Cana couldn't see the nod, she didn't seem to care though...).

"How bad are things really?" Aisha grumbled, suddenly shifting gears again as she addressed Therigist once more, he blinked. "You said you've been wary of the tension for awhile, and been sure that confrontation between the Lower Castes and the rest is going to end up happening. When I started to get back in contact with Adgnei a few weeks ago, I knew tensions were high and the market for illegal Weapons and Tools has started to grow- and the line between wealth in the Lower and the Higher Castes has gotten bigger. You thrive off dissension, it makes business more lucrative- but you never try and make sure to be ready for a war yourself, but clearly that's what you are expecting." Aisha's hands fell on her hips as she settled the older man with a steady, purple stare and he let out a silent breath.

"The Lower Caste as a whole, has begun to form militias and armies amongst themselves- and have been for a few months now." Therigist murmured lowly, Aisha stiffened. "There's a few Families in the Middle Caste- such as yours truly- that have joined in the masses, but the rest of the Middle Caste is mostly all backing the Nobility and Royalty. But even the Barren have pledged their loyalty not to their Masters, but to the Lower Caste for the most part- people are being trained as soldiers in secret, bases and hideouts being set up for doing so- and not just training. There are Black Market workshops and forges scattered in secret places throughout the Lower Warrens, and in cities outside Coriisette- Artificers, Healers, Smiths and all people in between have started to band together- with all energy poured into creating a force that can stand against the Kullui, Vaide, Royalty and the God-King." He sighed as Aisha sweatdropped, the other Fairy Tailers looking uneasy at the words. "The simple fact of the matter is that Adgnei is split, and war is brewing- and likely to break out within the next few weeks, or even days... maybe even in a few hours, what with the God-King and one of his Vaide moving now on some secret Project that involves your Energess."

The Fairy Tailers as a whole swallowed at that, Aisha's eyes glittering as she saw the dead-set seriousness in his face- that same man that had been so easy-going and even borderline playful the whole time since appearing.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time he looked so grim

"It's become clear over the last year that the Kullui are not fulfilling their original purpose, they don't protect and watch over all of Adgnei's people without bias anymore. They have turned against the Lower Castes and have been nothing less than cruel in their handling of 'crimes'. There have been no shortage of false accusations and instances where people among the Lower Caste's have been punished for something that did not deserve harsh treatment, and the Nobility has been no kinder, along with most of the Middle Caste. Even the Barren have begun to grumble, their Master's have turned wicked- and they are stirring where they haven't in several centuries." Therigist went on, "There is not a content soul in the whole of Adgnei, people are angry, wary, scared and desperate. The Lower Castes and most of the Barren are beginning to starve, many of them are sick- desolate, and with not a bit of money nor wealth between them. They want things to change, and they are willing to start a war for that to happen."

His green eyes flashed as his arms crossed about his chest, shaking his head slightly.

"You are correct, Lady Celene. My Business is thriving with the sudden demand for illegal goods and no small amount of secrecy... But I have seen the fire burning in the people's hearts, I have seen what weapons and what numbers they have already amassed- and I know war is coming... And I do not wish to be caught unprepared, or unawares." he murmured lowly, "Especially so, since I believe both the God-King and the Nobility are willing to crush any resistance with whatever means necessary... a lot of people are going to end up dead when this war starts, and it will last a long, long time if something doesn't change. I don't think the Nobility nor the God-King will shy away from ending a few lives in their endeavors, or even a few thousand."

Aisha grimaced at that and he blinked,

"You seem a bit surprised by this information, Lady Celene... I am not so shocked maybe, Seyre likely tried to ease your mind of the more gruesome details. She is like that, she wouldn't want to worry you if she could help it... A bit naive on her part perhaps, but her intentions are honest I am sure." Therigist murmured, "However I sense my comment about how far they are willing to go surprises you less so."

This time Chase and the Thunder Legion grimaced too, their hearts fluttering a bit as anger worked its way into their cores- they knew where Aisha's mind had gone just then, because theirs had too.

"... Drennios has appointed an Ilaen for Himself, right? Seyre mentioned him to me, some man from the Middle Caste... And Artificer, Inventor, Smith- whatever." Aisha grumbled, Therigist blinked, nodding slightly.

"Yes, I've heard of the lad- though I've never met him. He's supposed to be quite the talent... He's pioneered a number of new Magical Items and Weapons in the last year, and made modifications to a number more that surpass all others." Therigist murmured, "Mmmm... Talarr is his name, from what I recall. Why do you mention him, though?"

"The God-King ordered Talarr to create a Collar that could stop Frea from using Magic." Aisha growled, Therigist eyes flashed a bit as he sweatdropped. "But he made a Forbidden Tool, a Collar that punishes the Mage for even trying to use Magic, shocking her and causing pain whenever her Magic so much as moves."

Therigist blanched a little, grimacing at the idea and glancing away from her as he winced slightly.

"... That is unsettling." He mumbled, "To use such a Tool on a named Energess is..." he sighed,

"... If anyone finds out that Drennios ordered such a thing be made, on someone like her? War really will be only a few hours away."

---

"... I'm gonna try and adjust the sensitivity on the Collar a bit, alright...?" Talarr asked hesitantly as he slowly stepped up toward the both of Frea and Seyre, a few tools and things in his hands and pockets as he glanced uncertainly between them and the Energess that settled such a flat, steely gaze on him.

"Well, ah... More than I already did... And... Probably down as much as I can... I don't know how much it will help, Energess... But..." He stammered slightly, deflating a bit as he let out a long breath. "... Just please... Don't bite me...?"

Frea blinked, her eyes narrowing in confusion to the words.

"... Bite you?" she grumbled lowly, frowning a little. "... I'm not an animal, ya know. I'm not going to bite you." She growled lowly, he sweatdropped a little more.

"Ah, well... I can't be too careful... Dragon Slayers are said to be a lot like... Dragons..." He stammered, "...ah... and as it is... you aren't much a fan of me... so..."

Seyre smiled in amusement from where she was, standing off to the side a little and having stood up from sitting on the bed beside Frea. The wolf from before was sitting diligently at her heel, watching the exchange in the same silence that the woman was.

Seyre tapped Frea's shoulder lightly and gestured toward the Cue Card, earning the Energess' attention.

'I am the one who brought it up first, since you listened to my Pup here to sit back down more easily than you did anyone else.' The words flashed across the screen as Frea sweatdropped, Seyre's hand falling lightly on the wolf's head. 'I might have mentioned that 'you understand beasts more than you understand me', you instinctually understood what he wanted of you in about three seconds, without ever needing to say a word between the both of you... and you listened...'

Frea grimaced, stiffening slightly as her eyes flashed and she bit the inside of her cheek, slightly embarrassed now.

"... I'm not an animal... and I'm not a Dragon either..." She grumbled, Seyre smiled and Talarr sweatdropped a little more. His mouth fell open to say something, but the words never came and his eyes dropped a little- his eyes falling on his hands for a few seconds of stiff silence, before he shook his head at himself and glanced up warily.

"... ah... I'm going to start... alright?" He mumbled, Frea's eyes trailing back toward him cautiously as she grimaced, but gave him a stiff nod anyway.

She stiffened a little as he got closer, the tools raising in his hands and biting both cheeks as he poured his attention into his work, his eyes flashing when Magic sparked up from the Collar against his hands- Frea felt pain flicker from him at it, but he didn't so much as flinch, or even make a noise. He was just stiff, quiet, fixed-

And then the red haze made an appearance again and her eyes snapped shut against it, her jaw clenching and fangs grinding down on eachother as her fingers curled tightly around the bedsheets. Talarr grimaced at it, his eyes glittering as his twitching fingers got a little faster.

"S-Sorry... sorry... I'm trying, Energess..." He mumbled quickly, a series of Magic Circles appearing around his tools as he turned them and a small screen appeared from the Collar, graphs and lettering flashing across the front as he glanced back and forth between adjusting things and toward the readings coming off the Collar itself.

The Pain Meter he saw through his Scan-Glasses spiked and his stomach churned a little at it,

"... I'm... sorry... I'll..." He mumbled lowly, another spark of Magic (red this time, just like the one's shocking her) leapt up and circled around his hand- bruising the skin instantly and earning a low grumble in the back of his throat, and another flash of pain that burst through the unending wash of so much Energy everywhere- but he didn't flinch, and Frea couldn't understand how he managed that.

Her eyes flashed slightly, for the first time noticing the faint, shallow traces of dozens of scars littering his arms and his hands- and the two stretching up from under his jaw on the right side of his face.

She swallowed against it, her eyes shutting as she hissed.

Frea sat there on the bed, rigid as a block of wood and her fingers gripping the bed so tightly her knuckles turned white- hardly daring to breathe as Talarr hovered over her and his hands continued to work away on the Collar and all the delicate, sensitive parts in it as the Magic kept flaring, small sparks of it jumping up and striking against his fingers- and he never said anything, other than apologizing to her- like he couldn't feel the stinging, or the pain- but he felt pain, she felt it coming from him... but honestly she was doing her best to sit still so she didn't think too much into it at that moment.

Seyre watched in tense silence off to the side, her hands clasped toether in front of her and eyes fixed on the both of the Energess and the Ilaen as Talarr continued his tinkering, she saw the way the Magic kept nipping at him, the way it kept shocking Frea even as he worked away- the way the Energess' face paled a bit more as minutes dragged by.

She was panting as ten minutes passed, and finally- slowly- the red haze died down again and gave no indication of coming back anytime soon, and Talarr's twisting fingers stilled too. He paused, his eyes moving as he read through the Data on both the small screen from the Collar, and the ones in the eyeline of his Glasses- intent on his reading and flicking nervously between that and the Energess who looked ready to pass out in front of him... but the Pain Meter was going down, slowly.

He took a small step back, swallowing slightly as she placed his tools back in his pockets and the Screen from the Collar went away, he shook his hands out a little, ignoring of the dark bruising running along his skin now and nudging his Glasses back up his nose as he read the information across his sight in silence.

"... well... as long as your Magic doesn't reach a level that's akin to... actually borderline becoming a physical force... that should stop happening so frequently... I hope..." He mumbled softly, his eyes flashing as Frea's head tilted down and she fought to catch her breath again. "... There's a lot of Magic stored up in that Limiter... I would maybe tinker with it to make it stop letting so much of your Magic move... but I'm not... really comfortable messing with it... I assume you need it as is... though honestly... it's a really... incredibly complex and effective tool... I've never seen a Limiter like it..."

He broke off, fidgeting slightly as he hesitated a few seconds.

"... Ah... If you don't mind my asking... I don't recognize the make of it... But I assume you must have gotten from Adgnei, right...?" He asked, Frea paused, glancing up at him slowly, and nodding- just once.

"... Did... You must have gotten it from the Black Market, right...?" He mumbled, she blinked.

"... I have no clue." She muttered, he paused. "... Someone else gave it to me, he didn't tell me where he got it from- only that it came from Adgnei."

"... Oh..." He mumbled, Frea glanced away from him, her breathing halting as she held her breath and swallowed against the pain and the dizziness and the headache... And the way her Magic was still fighting so hard.

...Why... Is it... Doing this...?

"... Ah... Well... Uhmm... Lord Tuvral managed to reopen that wound on your stomach, when he hit you... Seyre helped me rewrap it, but I'm afraid none of the Potions or RemStitches would work to heal you right now... Not with Pestilence's Magic still in effect..." Talarr redirected to another topic suddenly and Frea looked up again, her eyes narrowed. "... The sword blocks off... Or rather produces ann effect on the victim that Nullifies any Magical Attempts at healing the sickness. So none of our Medical-Magic Tools will work until the effects from Pestilence have worn off naturally... Sorry... Otherwise I would have already done my best to do away with your injury... ah... Injuries..."

"... And why help me?" Frea growled lowly, he jumped a little at the question. "I'm a goddamn Prisoner here, right? What does it matter if I'm hurt?"

Talarr's hands wrung together in front of him, his feet taking a few steps back from her and glancing at the ground.

"... You are in custody yes... By order of Corielain, and Drennios... But ah... You are an Energess." he mumbled quietly, Frea's eyes flashed. "... I suppose maybe that word doesn't really mean anything to you, or anyone outside of Adgnei... But here it means you are in every right... Ah... Nobility of a sort. You have been recognized by the highest powers in all of Adgnei of being someone with no small amount of Power and Skill... And you are the highest ranking Wizard of a Magic as ancient and important to this world and all of nature as the moon, the oceans... Or any of the domains of the Gods." Frea sweatdropped slightly,

Seyre gestured toward her Cue Card,

'Like Lady Aisha, you have earned a Title and a certain power and right in the ranks of Adgnei's Castle System- because of who you are, and your Magic. Mages of your stature and your Magic type are respected, and held in high regard here in Adgnei- you have been given a title Energess that makes you, in essence, a member of the Nobility Caste- which also affords you some benefits, rights...' Seyre gestured toward the purple sash around Frea's waist. '... You have been given a Dyann of the color of the Noble Caste, for instance.'

Frea swallowed sweatdropping slightly.

... So the whole Sash thing corresponding with influence and status persisted from the Old Adgnei... apparently... And this 'Dyann'... Is purple... Like the one... That Reyan...

"Oh, that's right... Lady Celene is a member of your Guild..." Talarr murmured, almost musing in a way. "... Uhm... The point being, Energess... You are meant to be respected by the people here, it is in our... Culture and custom to afford people of your status no small amount of respect, and formality... And in a way, even though I am Ilaen to the God-King, you still outrank me... And that means it is my duty, honor and privilege to follow your lead and help you in anyway that I can." Talarr explained, "... Generally that would be the ah... Rule, I guess- but orders from Drennios do outweigh anything you might ask of me... He is absolute, and His word is law above all others... Even an Energess, like the Legends..."

Frea blinked at that, her head tilting.

"... Legends...?" She murmured slowly, Talarr nodded a little.

"... Yes, I suppose this isn't commonly known, even by an Energy Mage... Since as it is, there is little common knowledge of Energy Mages at all nowadays... But there is conjecture about Adgnei's history and early origins that lead us to think that Adgnei was once upon a time the kingdom that played host to the Energy Mages, when they were in their prime and before they mysteriously all just seemed to... Fade." Talarr explained, Frea's eyes flashed. "No one knows for sure, since what record of the Energy Mages was all but wiped from the planet... And in reality the records of Adgnei's past, if there ever was any... Has all but been lost or destroyed... Or... Something of that nature... But... Nowadays, most people think that Adgnei was built up on the ruins that were left behind of the old, Energy Mage ruled Adgnei... Among what could be found... There is this tale or story... Or something... Of 'Energess', someone radiant and Powerful... Someone who ruled and stood above so many others... A true master of that ancient, incredible and now so, so rare Magic known as Energy Magic... So... You..." He gestured toward her a bit, his eyes flashing as he watched the tenseness and even unease appear in her at the words.

"... We... Well... Drennios, the Vaide and myself... We are aware that some months ago you faced an enemy... An ancient, Energy God Slayer... Who was meant to throw the world out of balance, into chaos... Or some version of that..." He admitted quietly, Frea stiffened and Seyre glanced toward him warily. "... We attempted to gather more information about the events that surrounded you and... 'Mordren'... But we know little, your Magic Council has done it absolute best to keep what happened a secret, and your Guild and all the others have been no more open about it either... And no one else in Adgnei knows about it... But his sudden appearance does... Uhmm... Put a little more weight in that Theory of Adgnei and Energy Mages... But without knowing what he said to you on that day or anything about him... It is all still conjecture..." He sighed a little,

"Ah... I am rambling now... But the point is, there are stories about Mages like you... And to be honest, you fit the definition of what an Energess is... perfectly... And so much so you have been given that title by Drennios Himself." Talarr explained, "... Forgive me, I'm sure a lot of this is new for you and... Probably confusing..."

Frea's eyes fell, biting the inaide of her cheek as her eyes. narrowed at rhe floor- quiet... Because that wasn't it. It wasn't new- she knew all of that already, she knew more than he did or anyone else... She knew Adgnei, the original Adgnei- she knew what an Energess was, she'd seen the life and death of the last...When Mordren destroyed... All of it.

She just... She hadn't really realized so much of that Adgnei had survived, or that anyone else outside of herself and Saige knew anything at all about it... The customs had persisted, at least some of them- and there were Legends...?

I didn't realize... And I didn't think... There are people here who know I fought with Mordren?

... But they don't know hardly anything about that day, apparently...

Talarr watched her quietly, his head tilting a little at her and how... Not so surprised she seemed. Or wondering...

"... So let me get this straight." Frea mumbled after a few moments, her tone dropping slightly. "... Your king has named me an Energess and essentially made me of equal status to any one of your Nobility... Which means you are supposed to help me, listen to me, and respect me... But I am still a Prisoner against my will?"

Talarr and Seyre both sweatdropped at that, and the man nodded stiffly.

"According to your rules and your customs... Isn't keeping me prisoner sort of going against everything you've been taught?" Frea growled, again he nodded, looking more uneasy by the minute. Her hand lift as she pointed to the Collar, her silver gaze steely.

"Wouldn't using this on me make it even worse?" she growled, he swallowed- and she felt it, among all the jungle- doubt, and guilt, and fear.

"... Y... Yes... The way things... All of this is... Abnormal..." Talarr stammered.

"So why in the hell are you doing any of it?" Frea hissed, "Just why have I been dragged off to Adgnei at all?!"

"D-Drennios..." He started, Frea bared her fangs at him.

"I'm already trapped and your goddamn prisoner, you might as well quit avoiding the question and just tell me what in the hell I've been brought here for!" Frea hissed, her anger rising again and her Magic surging with it- she bit back at the wince that threatened to slip as the red haze appeared just faintly.

"He will tell you nothing, Energess."

Her anger and Tallar's uncertainty shattered at the new voice out of nowhere, their heads snapping around toward it as Seyre grimaced a bit, and the wolf beside her let out a small huff.

Frea's head snapped around, back toward the opening into the rest of the room and on her feet in the next few seconds- fists clenched at her sides and expression nothing but distaste.

There stood in the entryway the figure of that man with the navy-blue hair and the sword known as 'Pestilence' at his waist- the man who had kidnapped her, hit her, and sent her health spiraling so far she felt like utter shit- and seeing him now, she growled dangerously.

'Lord' Tuvral... Edryd Tuvral

He settled her with a flat stare, not at all bothered by her anger nor the glare she settled on him in the next instant- and this time?

This time she could feel his Energy Signature, it wasn't Hidden like back at Fairy Hills- some green and yellow color, something akin to the feeling of weakness and pain and the undeniable hint of true and utter sickness- all mixed in with something lighter, something... Pale blue almost. He smelled like damp trees, with an underlying scent of infection and mold... Not incredibly strong, no but it was still almost smelled like the moisture and peat of some... swamp.

And it didn't matter to her that she didn't feel a dark nor an inherently negative thing about him- she still wanted to throw her fist against his jaw no matter what.

"L-Lord Tuvral...!" Talarr stammered, fear and nervousness sparking from him in an instant as he quickly dipped his head toward the other man. Edryd gave Talarr little mind, his yellow eyes remained locked with Frea's silver ones- his expression bordering neutrality and even disapproval.

"You..." Frea hissed lowly, his arms crossed over his chest as he let out a small breath.

"The God-King's word is Law, and His Ilaen will not disobey any order from Him." Edryd muttered lowly, Talarr stiffened at that, his eyes trained on the floor and quiet. "And I will not speak of what plans we have for you either, Energess- though I have been given no order of silence. I know better than to reveal anything to you, and more so in earshot of your new Keistae friend." His eyes moved from a slightly stunned Frea and over toward Seyre, who returned the look with the utmost neutrality and steadiness. "Drennios may have given you His leave to be here, Priestess, and you may indeed serve the Gods and their Powers... But I know you have more Masters than they. I do not intend to give Lady Celene any information on the matter where she is not welcome, nor wanted."

Frea's eyes flashed at the venom that worked its way into his tone all of a sudden, rage and displeasure sparking from him.

Wait... He knows that Seyre works with Aisha...? And he seems... Less than happy with her... Like incredibly so...

"Needless to say, you will have to simply wait and be patient until it is time for you to play your part, Energess." Edryd murmured lowly, looking away from Seyre and toward Frea again. "I have no doubt that Lady Celene and Members of your Guild have already stolen their way into Corrisette, and are doing their best to steal their way into Okeal just as Seyre has, as we speak. Try as they will, I assure you they will not have an easy time of getting here- nor do I intend to let any one of them meddle in our plans either."

Frea stiffened slightly, her eyes flashing a little and frowning. Edryd blinked at the look, but didn't press it. He simply let out a small sigh and turned away from her slightly, pausing.

"Hmm... Do forgive me for what happened between the two of us, and the resulting unpleasantness, Energess. I was unaware you would have such an adverse reaction to Pestilence, my apologies." Edryd muttered lowly, calmly- politely even. "I do not enjoy acting such way against you, you are an incredible Mage, and one I have no doubt stands in rank with the Vaide, and even beyond us. If things were different, I would never have dared treat you this way."

Frea's eyes flashed, narrowing slightly as she swallowed.

He sounded... Sincere about that.

She always knew when people were lying to her, at least most of the time... And he wasn't, and that had her reeling slightly.

"If your Guild gets in the way, I will attempt to show them some semblance of mercy- in respect for you, Energess. But I will not stand to see our plans derailed either, not on anything." He added lowly, his eyes still matched with hers over his shoulder.

And then something darker appeared in his expression in the next instant, something colder and Frea sweatdropped as he turned his back on her completely.

"... Though I do not intend to show Lady Celene any mercy at all." He added lowly, his voice a growl.

... That is... unbridled... Hate... For Aisha..?

Edryd started forward, leaving them behind again as he waved a hand over his shoulder.

"Do try and rest some more while Pestilence is wearing off, Energess. It will do you little good to roam too far." He called lightly, before he turned and went out of sight- leaving Frea, Talarr, Seyre and the wolf alone in tense, heavy silence.

... He really... Does not like Aisha... I can relate but... That much hate in one person, toward one person...? Even I don't dislike her... That much...

Talarr cast an uncertain glance toward the Energess, and then over toward Seyre, whose eyes had fallen closed and looked more unhappy now than he had ever seen her. His eyes flashed, sweatdropping slightly.

He had already guessed that the Keistae had some other motivation for suddenly appearing in Okeal, it wasn't much a secret that she and Lady Celene were close... But to have Lord Edryd call a Keistae out so bluntly for a divide in loyalties?

He bit the inside of both cheeks, things were... They were all backwards, abnormal... Not right-

"What did she do?"

Talarr and Seyre both jumped at the quiet question that made it passed the Energess' lips out of nowhere- Frea's eyes still fixed on where Edryd had left and standing so very still. They blinked, looking confused and a bit taken aback- and tense too.

"..I... I'm sorry...?" Talarr stammered.

"... Aisha." Frea mumbled lowly, her voice dropping and both Adgneins stiffening at the fact that she had used Lady Celene's first name with no 'Lady' in front of it, at least-

"There is so much hate in him when he thinks about her. Rage and anger and hurt... I don't like Aisha at the best of times, but I don't hate her on a level near what Edryd does." Frea murmured lowly, both Talarr and Seyre blanched a bit.

"What did Aisha do to make Edryd hate her that much?"

---

One Hour Earlier-

"... I think we've squared away all information between us now, Lady Celene." Therigist murmured, his hands in his coat pockets and having started to look more worn and tense the last hour of talking that had (mostly) gone on between him and Aisha- the Thunder Legion and Chase listening for the most part in silence and only interjecting every once in awhile to clarify what (many, many things) they just didn't understand, or get, or know... After all, Adgnei was very, very new to them.

That last hour was spent with Therigist going into great detail about what movement there was among the Lower Castes in preparation for that looming Civil War. Weapons creations, numbers, training, strongholds- the numerous events that had lead up to it, wrongs and hurts done unto them by the Nobility and Kullui alike that fanned the flames of hate and rebellion further. There were restrictions placed, whole sections of the city closed off and kept under gaurd now all the time- rights stripped away, curfews instilled, crimes being met with more fervor and ferocity than was owed. Those people that had been on the lowest and the bottom rung in status and in this society were being treated with more cruelty and wickedness than ever before, in all Adgnei's history.

The more they heard, the less the Fairy Tailers blamed the people in Adgnei for being willing and wanting to start a war- to change things... Because what they were hearing and learning?

These people were being treated poorly, as nearly less than human beings- there was so much injustice here it was mind-boggling.

And all of it just made the churning, tightly wound knots of worry and fear in the cores get all the worse- all the heavier. More and more they realized just how dangerous things were, and just how much danger Frea was in. It was becoming more urgently clear by the second that they needed to get to her, rescue her- and fast.

An hour spent with those four large, strange, legendary beasts known as Aiyin watching them in sheer, stiff silence behind their group- and the whole time, Aisha never once looked back at them- but Chase could feel them, the whole time... their strange Magic, calm, pulsing, quiet power...

Aisha nodded stiffly in agreement to Therigist as he said the words, her purple eyes glittering a bit.

"So now I suppose we should start laying out a plan... You intend to stalk the streets and try to gather up more information of what is going on, yes?" Therigist murmured, Aisha nodded again.

"We need to know more of what is being planned, if we're gonna have any chance of contending with it and getting out alive." Aisha grumbled, and the older man nodded.

"I agree, but we shouldn't waste too much time scrounging up information. For all any of us know, they may plan to start what they want with the Energess in a few hours- or even less time." Therigist murmured lowly, "Well, while you and your friends are looking for more information- I'll round up my own workers and start solidifying your entrance into Okeal... I have someone who can shut down the Barriers for a window of time where you can enter... But getting her there to start with will be the biggest problem. And even then, she can't shut them off completely- you and whoever you send inside will be on their own until you find a way to disable the Barriers indefinitely." Aisha nodded in understanding,

"Give us an hour, we'll meet you back here." She murmured, Therigist nodded.

"I would leave through the exit in Monatre Grove, Lady Celene- and be cautious. The Kullui have the whole of Banore surrounded, and I'm sure Lord Edryd is out there somewhere looking for you too." Therigist murmured, his eyes shifting away from Aisha and behind her as he caught sight of someone moving toward them- Aisha noticed where his eyes went and turned, the Thunder Legion and Chase doing the same.

The young Barren girl from before smiled nervously as she approached their group, at her shoulder was... A rather large wolf, it's fur icy white and silver with orange eyes, and carrying a rolled up scroll in it's mouth. The Barren girl's hand was holding gently to a bundle of the wolf's fur as the creature (that was a few inches taller than her head) walked in pace with her, calm and quiet and so... Odd-

Evergreen sweatdropped, looking unnerved again while Chase, Bixlow and Freed watched in the utmost intrigue.

Aisha's expression softened slightly, smiling a bit as she turned in their direction as the girl and the wolf halted, she leaned over a bit and nodded at them.

"Thank you for bringing this Pup to me." Aisha told the girl brightly, the girl nodding happily toward her and patting the wolf's head happily as she smiled at it- and the creature turned toward her and lightly tapped it's nose against hers, almost amused and oh so gentle. The girl giggled quietly at it, and the wolf let out a soft, low, gruff little bark- but otherwise turned to Aisha, who held her hand out and the creature dropped the scroll into her palm easily. Aisha straightened up with it in her hand and the wolf sat down on it's haunches, the girl petting it's white fur happily as the wolf sat quiet and still- but it seemed to enjoy the attention none the less.

"Ah, so Seyre has garnered a response?" Therigist murmured, Aisha payed him little mind as she drew her finger along the seal on the parchment. Freed and Chase stepped a bit closer to the Moonlight Mage, hoping to read over her shoulder maybe- while Bixlow moved himself over to the wolf, smirking slightly as his Tiki Dolls floated around it and the little girl- who laughed at the little wooden dolls, looking enthused- and Evergreen simply huffed at him, but she looked a little amused by her friend's behavior.

The parchment in Aisha's hand unrolled all of its own accord and floated from her palm and into the air to face her- earning a blink of surprise from Aisha, Chase's head tilted at the spark of Magic coming up from the paper.

'LADY AISHA YOU DIDN'T TELL ME HOW BEAUTIFUL THE ENERGESS IS! I HAVEN'T EVER SEEN A WOMAN THIS GORGEOUS IN ALL MY LIFE!'

Aisha recoiled along with everyone else, the otherwise quiet hall suddenly filled with the sound of a young woman's voice being projected through paper in the same way that Saige's letter had projected his voice back when Frea was at Era.

Chase and the Thunder Legion sweatdropped, eyes glittering and blushing slightly among the latter three at the words. The wolf seemed exasperated by it and the Barren Girl jumped, holding tighter to the creature in surprise.

'GODS SHE IS GORGEOUS! EVERYTHING ABOUT HER! HER BODY AND HER HAIR, HER EYES AND HER TATTOOS! EVEN HER SCARS! I EXPECTED HER TO BE PRETTY, BUT SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!'

Chase blushed this time as the Thunder Legion turned bright red, Therigist smiled wearily and Aisha's eyes dropped closed, scowling a bit as her face fell into her palm.

"W-what the hell...?" Bixlow stammered,

"H-how... forward..!" Freed breathed,

"That's absurd!" Evergreen snapped hotly, "Just what is that woman doing with Frea?!"

"... she sounds quite... enamored, with Teach... huh..?" Chase mumbled,

"... better not let the Boss catch her talking like that..." Bixlow mumbled quietly, Freed turned even redder at it, nodding stiffly as Evergreen huffed.

"Seyre I swear..." Aisha growled, ignoring the comments entirely.

'Ah, so sorry- forgive my outburst Lady Aisha, I apologize! But I could keep it to myself no longer~! Can't very be saying that in earshot of the King's Ilaen~! He's already wary enough with me here... but none the less, back to why I'm writing to you, My Lady~! I have stolen my way inside of Okeal, and made my way to the side of the Energess! The God-King has given me His leave to be here, as I long as I do not make much a fuss- currently I am doing what I can to help take care of the Energess...'

Everyone blinked at that, sweatdropping slightly.

'... she has been unconscious since being brought here, and she has been in pretty bad shape. Lord Edryd's sword seems to have hit her much harder than it was meant to, and she is terribly ill at the moment. Talarr and I are managing the symptoms as well we can, but as you know- there's nothing yet made that can undo the effects of Pestilence.'

The Fairy Tailers sweatdropped heavily at that, their eyes glittering and hearts twisting at the words.

"... she's that sick...?" Freed mumbled,

"... crap..." Bixlow muttered,

'I'll keep a ready eye on her until, and after, she awakes My Lady. And I'll be sure to send a letter for you when that time comes... but for now, I have been doing my best to piece together what plan the God-King plans, but it is slow going... and Talarr is not looking to share. He knows more than he is letting on, and I do think he is wary of what is happening... perhaps in a bit of time he will loosen up. But for now I'll try and catch other leads.'

Aisha's eyes dropped closed, her shoulders tense and quiet.

'Keep in touch with me, what you and Theri plan, alright? For now try not to worry, I'll keep your Energess out of trouble as much as I can.

-Seyre'

The letter rolled back up and landed on the table softly, leaving their group in stiff silence for a few long moments, until Aisha glanced up and nodded slightly.

"We need to start moving." She muttered lowly, earning a nod from Therigist.

"Indeed." He murmured lowly,

"Gather your friends, Therigist. We'll be back in one hours," Aisha murmured lowly, Chase and the Thunder Legion tensing slightly. "You'd better be ready when we get back."

Therigist nodded slightly, his green eyes glinting.

"Of course... My Lady."

---

Hello~! Not dead XD

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you for continuing to read! For anyone interested, I do have a My Hero Academia Story up now!

**The Adgnei Arc has supplementary Images of the Outfits that Frea, Chase, Aisha and the Thunder Legion wear- as well as pictures of some of the characters that appear new in Adgnei itself! They will be posted as the Chapters get posted, so you can see them on my DeviantArt Page (literally just google: EnergyMageFrea on Deviantart) or up at the top, if you are reading this through Wattpad!

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