When I first wrote the story, I thought I would be finished with two years. But here it is, still in progress on the third anniversary of the day it was published!
Minstrel Circus
3:35 PM
Ross—no, Rustyrose glanced over Yukino's shoulder to Rufus and Ansen, at whom he narrowed his eyes. The Quatro Cerberus mage was left in critical condition, so he heard from his subordinates. He expected Ansen to be dead, but here he was, too stubborn to know how to die. "Give me the Time Gears."
Ansen reached into his pocket and withdrew the two gears, dangling them by the cord that Dobengal originally wore one of them with. "You let go of Deru-kun and Hestia first."
Rusty Rose chuckled darkly as he dug a hand into his own pocket. "You're in no position to order me." Rusty Rose pulled out a tiny orb and held it up to the sun, allowing light to reflect off of its surface. "Not as long as I have a hostage."
"So you'll give us both of them if we give you the gears?"
"Let's find out." The orb left Rusty Rose's hand in an underhand toss and soared in an arc. At the same time, Ansen tossed the two gears towards the guild master. As the orb neared Yukino, it burst with a popping noise and released Hestia.
"Hestia!" The Celestial Spirit mage ran forward to catch the child, who never stirred in the slightest when she landed in Yukino's arms.
The young guild master held out his hand as dark smoke swirled around him. Once the gears landed in Rusty Rose's outstretched palm, the silver-haired Dark Mage spread his arms wide. "Flight of Hypnos!"
The smog produced by Rusty Rose's spell engulfed the area in darkness. The three mages before him closed their eyes and braced themselves for the impact of the spell, but it never came for them. When they opened their eyes, they found that nothing happened—except that the sky darkened as the sun was shrouded in black. The moon appeared as sunlight was lost, but it, too, was eclipsed by an unknown shadow. "What's going on?" Yukino wondered out loud.
"Look around you," Rusty Rose advised. The mages watched as the civilians below who came to enjoy themselves at the Minstrel Circus collapsed without warning. Vendors of various wares slumped in stupor; wardens of amusement rides drooped in their seats, unable to stop the rides they managed.
With no one to stop the ride, La Pirouette continued to rotate and torture the Dragon Slayer inside. With his sense of balance out of whack, Happy couldn't concentrate properly enough to use Aera to get Natsu out.
Meanwhile...
Two horse-drawn carriages marked with the symbol of the Magic Council trailed after the main wagons that carried a division of Rune Knights. One of them bore barred windows as well as rear doors kept shut by an iron bar. The other carriage, in addition to the the ankh symbol, bore a caduceus on the side, signifying its use as a medical wagon.
Within that wagon, Rietta and Dobengal sat across from the spindly green-haired doctor who allowed them to journey with him. "So if I am to understand correctly, dee Dark Guild Meister vanted dee keys of dee Mildean Legacy delivered to him at six o'clock?" he asked with the same accented voice he greeted them with.
"I thought you would have gotten it the first time, String Bean," Rietta quipped. The ninja eyed the doctor discreetly but warily. He had no idea who this man was, but Rietta trusted him enough if she could address him with something as ridiculous as String Bean. Unless that was his real name—then Dobengal would have feel to feel sorry for the doctor.
The doctor coughed into his hand, almost like Rufus when he chuckled into his own. For a doctor, he didn't seem to look after himself. "I heard you dee first time, Frau Devine. But I am surprised by how specific he vas vith dee hour."
"Huh?"
The spindly doctor turned his head toward the window next to him, staring at the passing scenery. "I am merely a doctor—I am not authorized to know everything dee Magic Council has in its arsenal. Dee Mildean Legacy came as a surprise to me. But..." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Considering dat it is Mildea dat created a time manipulator, I am not surprised. Dee Mildeans created dee time system dat vee use. Some vould even call them dee creators of time." He exhaled softly before he added, "To choose dee sixth hour seems appropriate for dee Mildean Legacy."
"String Bean?" Rietta asked curiously.
"Dee same number can hold different meanings across cultures," the doctor said. "But every culture vill say two is dee number of balance. Day and night; male and female—yin-yang, as I believe it is called in dee Orient, Herr Aomori?" The ninja jolted when the doctor addressed him, having adjusted to being the third wheel in the conversation between Rietta and the doctor. "To dee Mildeans, three is dee number of sequence—particularly in regards to a person's time. First you are born, den you live, and finally you die. Or to put it simply, dee past, dee present, and dee future. Four is dee primary number of time and of dee earth. Dee Mildeans perfected how we measure time using those three numbers as dee foundation."
"And the number six comes into play...how?" Dobengal wondered, posing his first question to the doctor since he met him.
"Six is dee number of creation...and avakening," the doctor explained in a low voice as the wagon slowed down. It hadn't even been an hour since they left the Fiore Branch of the Magic Council. Had Dobengal been quick to misjudge the Rune Knights' efficiency? "Dee exact time of sunrise varies from place to place...but six vas dee hour dat dee sun rose for dee Mildeans."
The carriage came to a stop and the three rose from their seats, heads turned to the doors. The Saber Tooth mages were prepared to battle, but the doctor looked skeptical. "...Dis isn't right," the doctor finally spoke. The ninja let out an unintentional yawn, blinking in surprise when he saw the doctor's eyes flash ominously. Dobengal thought it was his imagination, but at that moment the doctor's eyes looked more...snakelike. Much like Sting and Rogue's eyes when the Dragon Slayers were agitated. "Vee can't be at dee circus."
"What—" The Rune Knights could be heard in uproar outside, causing Rietta to snap her fingers at their carriage's doors to investigate the matter. The doors opened to show the horses of the prisoner wagon collapsed on the ground while the Rune Knights who held their reins tried to rouse them.
"They can't be exhausted already!" Rietta cried, turning her head in the direction of the Fiore Branch still visible to the eye. "We barely even left the province!"
The ninja looked ahead of their wagon to find that the other horses had passed out as well. "This c—" Dobengal yawned again—why was he so sleepy all of a sudden? "—can't be a fluke. The others are—" He stopped when he saw the ground darken. Thinking a cloud had passed over the sun, he looked up, only to be taken back by the sight above him.
"An eclipse?" Rietta guessed as a shadow dwarfed the sun. The moon appeared in response to the fading sunlight, only for an unknown body to eclipse the moon as well.
There was something hypnotizing about the sight. It was like watching the contents of a wine glass spill on a tablecloth and stain the pristine spread. "Mein Gott," the doctor murmured as he watched the darkness extend across the sky of Fiore.
Margaret Town
The civilians looked up at the darkening sky, awed by the unusual sight above them. Several wizards of Lamia Scale ran out of their guild base to witness the spectacle. Jura Neekis's eyebrows furrowed in concern as the darkness spread past the boundaries of the town.
"What's happening to the people?" Sherria cried as the townspeople collapsed where they stood. A man steering a river boat fell into a dead slump and was about to fall into the water.
At the last minute, Sherry thrust her arm out towards the brick road next to the riverboat. "Doll Attack: Brick Doll!" A lump of bricks emerged from the road and extended above the river to catch the boatman.
"I don't like the looks of this," Yuka muttered, never taking his eyes off the sky.
Lyon turned on the spot to watch the darkness creep past the boundary of Margaret Town. Whoever cast the spell was definitely formidable if he or she could put almost an entire city out of commission. "Neither do I, Yuka."
Quatro Cerberus
The mages sitting by the windows looked up with baffled expressions when sunlight was replaced by darkness. The uproar they made attracted the attention of their guild mates, who all ran to the nearest window.
"What the—!"
"What's going on?!"
Rocker stood beside Bacchus as they observed the darkness extend beyond their town's boundaries. A circular shadow formed on the floor next to the Drunk Falcon's feet. From it, the three dogs that made up Cerberus emerged. The white dog with a red kerchief around his neck whined, prompting Bacchus to scratch his head. "Grimoire Heart, huh?"
"If it's Grimoire Heart, Ansen can't take them on as he is," Rocker pointed out as some of their guild mates scrambled to turn on the lights in response to the growing darkness.
"Saber Tooth's joining the fray," Bacchus said, reaching for his gourd. "I wanna go wild, but Cerberus can't. He used everything he had to get Ansen there as fast as he could."
The Drunk Falcon tilted his head back as he tried to take a swig from his gourd. Small droplets of alcohol fell into his mouth, making Bacchus scowl. "You really know how to make the booze go bad, kid."
Porlyusica's House, East Forest
The door to Fairy Tail's Medicinal Advisor's house opened, allowing the occupants to run out of the hollowed tree that Porlyusica called her home. The elderly woman, along with Carla and Wendy, raised their heads to watch darkness spread across the sky.
"It can't be night already," Wendy said as she narrowed her eyes in search of light. The lack of moonlight and stars in the sky made it that much harder to see in the dark, even with her Dragon Slayer senses.
"This isn't night, child," Porlyusica agreed without taking her eyes off the sky. "This is—" The apothecary's eyes drooped while her body crumpled to the grass without warning.
"Porlyusica-san!" Wendy and Carla rushed to the elderly lady's side. The Dragon Slayer pressed an ear to Porlyusica's chest, sighing in relief when she heard her heartbeat. "We need to move her inside!"
Carla's wings appeared with the activation of Aera, allowing her to assist Wendy in walking the unconscious Medicinal Advisor to her home. The second the blue-haired girl managed to push open the door without losing her balance, the duo carried Porlyusica to her bed.
Minstrel Circus
"What did you do?" Yukino cried.
The Dark Guild Master snapped his fingers and several floating lanterns materialized to illuminate the tower's platform. "I summoned the night," Rustyrose said. "Within this entire country, those who do not and cannot use magic will never wake."
Rufus observed the scene below, unable to find anything to contradict Rustyrose's claim. Oddly enough, even the magical performers of the Minstrel Circus were asleep. "Most of the performers are fatigued just from one performance," the young Guild Master explained after following Rufus' line of sight. "Two or three performances a day, only an hour or two to recover between shows. No wonder they're out like lights."
"...What about Delphione?" Rufus finally asked, bringing his attention back to Rustyrose. Dark green eyes narrowed dangerously at gray eyes that only mocked him. "I know that Hestia wasn't your only hostage."
Rustyrose chuckled into his hand. "I said I had a hostage," he reminded. "I never specified who I had at the time."
"Then where is she?" Ansen put his hands together, magic radiating between his palms. "There's no way you just wanted to kidnap her on a whim."
"I wonder." Rustyrose took a step back, which was enough to prompt Ansen and Rufus to attack. The Adamant King pulled his hands apart and thrust his right palm forward to summon his magic seal. An enormous crystalline lion emerged from the seal and advanced towards the Guild Master.
"Memory-Make: Shrine of the Turbulent Fang!" Yukino held Hestia to her chest as a series of tornadoes raged forward, the strength of the winds threatening to knock everyone on the platform off balance.
Rustyrose dodged the spells with all the grace of an acrobat—which Yukino remembered that he was. The Guild Master leaped backwards, giving no care to the boundary of the platform. "No, stop!" Yukino screamed. Rustyrose jumped off the platform to evade the crystalline lion. He didn't look too concerned with his predicament as he descended to the ground.
All three mages ran to the edge of the platform, stopping in their tracks as the largest caravan in the circus rose into the air. Two protruding rostrums flanked the caravan's/airship's hull, which was marked with the crest of Minstrel. The panels of the hull flipped over and clicked back into place, replacing the symbol of the peacock with Grimoire Heart's insignia.
At the bow of the airship stood Rustyrose, looking every bit as proud as the peacock that previously decorated his ship. "I would love to stay, but my business lies elsewhere. As they say in Minstrel, au revoir!"
A ball of magical energy formed in Ansen's hand. "I don't think so!" The Adamant King tossed the energy he gathered at the retreating ship, taking the form of crystalline dog heads that bit down on the tip of the bow. Within Ansen's hands were two chains that were attached to the dog heads, connecting him to the airship.
The Quatro Cerberus mage met eyes with Rufus. Yukino half-expected some hostility between the two but was surprised when they nodded at each other as Ansen gave one of the chains to the Memory-Make wizard. Tugging the chain he held, the chain retracted into the dog head and pulled Ansen up with it.
"We're going after the Guild Master, Yukino," Rufus said, glancing up at the airship. He didn't have much time until the airship left and he would be yanked away. He had to make this quick. "I don't know if Grimoire Heart left any of their mages here, but if they did, the entire circus is in danger."
"I know." Yukino held Hestia closer to herself. The child was a reminder of the danger that would come to the innocent people who couldn't do a thing to defend themselves. The Celestial Spirit mage ran to the stairs that led down to the fair grounds, but not before turning to back to Rufus. "Good luck!"
"Thank you." Before the ship could fly too far from the tower, Rufus tugged on his chain and ascended.
Down below, Yukino pulled out the golden key of Pisces. "Open, Gate of the Paired Fish! Pisces!" Instead of a pair of giant fish, a woman with dark hair and a young man with dark skin and pale hair appeared.
The young man inspected his form, as he was used to appearing in his form as a fish. "Mama...if we're here in this form..."
"Then there is something that our other form can't do," the mother finished.
Yukino nodded in agreement. "I need your help! Bring everyone who's sleeping to me!"
"Yes, Mama!"
"I'm not your mother," the Celestial Spirit mage mumbled as the mother and son form of the Paired Fish hurried off to gather as many civilians as they could carry at one time.
Grimoire Heart Airship
Much to Rufus' surprise, there was no else on deck except for Ansen when he boarded. "For a Dark Guild, you'd think they'd send someone to meet us," Ansen said.
"Indeed." Rufus searched the deck, unsettled by the lack of opponents. Grimoire Heart was one of the two guilds that remained of the Balam Alliance. A Dark Guild like that wouldn't spare a Legal Guild so easily.
A feminine sigh made itself known to the duo, putting them on guard. "Such a shame. If it was just two stowaways, any one of the grunts would do."
Rufus sensed the magical signature before he heard the heels clicking against the deck. Eyes widened in recognition at the woman who approached them. "Yet here I am, forced to take out the trash."
"Y-you!"
"My, my, Rufus." The woman's painted lips curled into a sneer that he hadn't seen in two years. "It's not like you to stutter."
Meanwhile...
Rietta tried to find even a dim star in the newly darkened sky. What she found instead was a vast expanse of darkness without a speck of light. "This is..."
"A sleep spell." The doctor poked his head out of his carriage, holding a lantern with a lit candle inside. Even without the lantern, Rietta could see the doctor just fine thanks to his unusually pale skin. "If I had to guess, dis spell affects those who are unable to use magic." The doctor looked back into the carriage at Dobengal, whose eyes were beginning to droop. "Und Herr Aomori is at his limit."
The ninja yawned again, proving his point. "Stay avake, Herr Aomori," the doctor warned as he lifted his seat and pulled out a number of beakers and medicinal ingredients. Despite the minimal lighting the lantern offered, "String Bean" worked to combine several ingredients in a small bowl. "Now, Frau Devine tells me dat you use Teleportation Magic, nein?"
"How—" Another yawn prompted the doctor to measure a colored liquid into a vial. "—does that do anything?" came the drowsy response.
"If I had to guess, dee epicenter of dis spell came from dee south, vare dee Minstrel Circus is." The doctor poured the liquid into the bowl and stirred feverishly, snake-like amber eyes glinting in the dark. Dobengal thought they were darker earlier. "Und vare dee Minstrel Circus is, Grimoire Heart vill be." Satisfied with his creation, "String Bean" offered the beaker to Dobengal. "Drink."
In his groggy state, it was easier for Dobengal to take the beaker and down it than to argue. Only when he swallowed everything did he become more alert and actually taste the bitterness of the potion. The ninja hacked as he forced the beaker back into the hands of the doctor, who watched in a mix of amusement and satisfaction.
"Sounds like whatever you made for Aomori did the trick, String Bean," Rietta's voice said within the carriage. When did she come back in?
"What was that?!"
"Instant Magic Replenisher," the doctor said as he put his supplies away. "I'm afraid the bitter taste cannot be removed, but—how do dey say in Pergrande? 'Eat bitter—'"
"'—taste sweet'," Dobengal finished in a hiss. What made the doctor think the Pergrandian proverb applied here? The potion was anything but sweet!
"But you are avake, nein?" "String Bean" asked. "Can you feel your magic returning to you, Herr Aomori?"
The ninja closed his eyes. While he wanted to argue that it was the bitter taste that woke him up, the spell in the sky would have kept its hold on him even as the taste lingered. But he could feel his magic flowing through his veins with his blood. "...Yes."
"Good." The doctor extended his right hand towards the ninja. "Now, Herr Aomori, our next appointment is vaiting."
Minstrel Circus
"Yukino!" The Celestial Spirit mage turned to see two of her guild mates running towards her.
"Lucy-sama! Spit Fire!"
"Where's Rufus?" Lucy asked.
"Where's Ansen?" Spit Fire added.
"They went after Ross—Rustyrose," Yukino corrected herself. "He's the master of Grimoire Heart."
"And they left you behind?" Spit Fire noticed questioningly, his right arm raised slightly.
"We're back, Mama!" The dark-skinned young man stopped in front of Yukino while carrying a civilian in each arm and a man on his back.
"Where do you want us to take them?" The mother asked.
"There." Yukino pointed to a large tent that housed a flea market. With a nod, the mother and son form of Pisces hurried to drop off their civilians before going out to find more.
In a flash of light, Loke appeared next to Lucy, though his lovestruck eyes followed after Pisces. "Ah, even when she's running, she's still so beautiful that one forgets she has a son."
"Can you keep it in your pants for now, Loke?" Lucy muttered, clearly unimpressed with the Lion's behavior.
The sound of soft applause put the mages on high alert as they searched for the source. Loke spotted him first, eyes narrowed at the threat he posed despite the form he recognized.
"Mama!" Pisces returned, carrying fewer people than before. The son stopped when he saw the humanoid goat in sunglasses and a twin-tail butler suit standing just meters away from the leader of the Zodiac and the mages of Saber Tooth. "Mama...is that...?"
"Yes, son...It's Capricorn."
Makarov, Erza, and Gray stopped at the section of the circus where most of the rides still running were located. The people who were still on had no way of indicating they wanted to get off and the ride wardens couldn't shut them down. "Grimoire Heart may be here, but right now our first priority is the people. Turn off the rides and get them to a safe place!" Makarov ordered.
"Right!"
The guild master and his subordinates split up, each with a different location but the same mission in mind. Gray approached La Pirouette and pulled the emergency switch, deactivating the ride. As he ran over to the doors of the ride to get the people out, they opened and an oddly Natsu stumbled out with Happy teetering near his heels. "F-fr-freedom," Natsu gasped, looking ready to barf.
"A-a-aye," Happy mumbled.
"What the—you got here before us and decided to have fun, Flamebrain?!" Gray yelled, outraged.
"Sh-sh-shut—" Natsu hurled all over the platform, making Gray turn away in disgust.
"So another fairy has descended." A man approached the Fairy Tail mages near La Pirouette. "But...can you fly?"
"Th-th-that voice," Happy said with an unsteady voice. "Th-that's—from T-Tenrou Island..."
Gray turned in time to see a tall, middle-aged man with long dark hair in a clothed ponytail stop several feet away. "Who are you?"
"That's Bluenote Stinger," Happy recalled. It helped that the man's appearance hadn't changed since eight years ago. However, the blue Exceed had no idea if they could defeat him without Gildarts and with Natsu still affected by motion sickness.
Once he was no longer sick, Natsu turned his attention to Bluenote, who stood before them stoically. "...Who the hell are you?" he asked, making Happy keel over in dumbstruck awe.
Something hadn't sat well with Makarov when he arrived at the circus' marketplace. Despite the number of unconscious people on the ground, he made no move to enlarge his hand and gather them. If this spell affected those who couldn't use magic, then these people shouldn't be able to emit magic.
As though they detected his suspicion, the people on the ground exploded into swarms of paper dolls. "Well, you're no fun at all." The paper dolls converged several meters away from Makarov and began to take the form of a man. "Though I should have expected as much from my foolish father," Ivan Dreyar said as he emerged from the shikigami swarm.
Makarov's mustache twitched. "You seem to have improved, my shitty son."
Lector and Frosch struggled to pull a switch with both of their paws while Sting and Rogue smelled the area for traces of Grimoire Heart. Unable to endure the sight of the Exceed failing, Orga grabbed the switch in one hand and pulled just as Sting said, "It definitely smells like someone's here, but I can't sense their magic."
"It might be a grunt on the lower levels of the guild," Rogue put in.
"Or maybe you need to turn on the light," a gruff voice boomed.
"What—?!" The Saber Tooth mages looked towards the source of the voice as the lights along the path before them lit up in rapid succession. With each new light, they could make out the shape of a large man with a beard and a set of large beads around his neck. Rogue stepped back in shock. "Master..."
"At least one of you fools still knows his place." The man came forward, revealing himself as the one who once controlled Saber Tooth. Where the mark of the tiger once was in the meeting of his eyebrows, the tattoo of Grimoire Heart took its place. But there was no mistaking the aged face that was forever contorted into a scowl.
"Jiemma?!"
Author's note:
It has been a while, and I will admit there was some fault on my part. But I'm really excited that this chapter is finished because there's one scene I want to write that I had in mind for a long time! I just hope I can get the words right.