A/N: Hello Guys and welcome to the newest chapter of Advent of the Stars. I gotta say, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially with all of the new characters introduced and all of the new information that this one contains. We're steadily getting to the Grand Tartaros Games Arc, and for the next few chapters, Alex and his friends will spend them training in Bosco in Iona's Cabin. There will be a lot of shenanigans as well as training. After this small mini arc, the true story arc will begin, the first one for the sequel, and trust me it will be an emotional rollercoaster. Or at least I'll try to make it that. Love, Hate, Betrayal, Remorse, there will be a lot of it.
Enough Talking. On with the Show!
Advent of the Stars
Road to the Grand Magic Games
Chapter 7
New Guilds, New Members and New Plans
After arriving in Magnolia, the group unanimously decided to head to the guild in the morning, since it was already late in the evening and all of them were hungry and tired. They said their goodbyes to Evergreen and headed home.
The next morning, Alex, Wendy, Sabrina and Carla headed toward the Fairy Tail guild, holding one of the large suitcases with them. They had already split the reward five ways each, and there was still a lot of money to go around, so he had decided to give the rest to the master, so it could be used to fix the guild up a bit. The building was still in pristine condition, but the lack of tables and chairs was something that put off a few the members. It wasn't hard to guess why. They were all greeted once they walked into the guildhall, bright smiles on everyones faces.
Alex yawned, making his way to the bar, where Mira was serving Cana her usual breakfast, along with a bottle of wine. Both women looked up when he set the large case on the bar.
"Uh...what's the reason for that?" Cana asked, glancing at the case curiously.
"Well, the mission we completed yesterday got us a reward of 70 million jewels. Me and the team already split it evenly, and there was still some left so we want to donate it to the guild, help pay of that bar tab of yours." he said jokingly.
"Aw, that's so nice of you Alex. By the way do you have your report so I can submit it to the master?" she asked, earning a nod from the teen. He handed her a stack of papers, which were held together with a few paper clips.
"That was one bastard of a report to write. Thankfully Wendy took over for me half way when I started to drift off." he said, glancing at his fiancee who was at a table with her friends.
"So...you two get busy yet? We want kids." Cana said, taking a swig of her wine.
"Cana! Stop being so nosy." Mira snapped, lightly slapping the woman's arm.
"Says the one who planned their entire wedding and reception." countered the brunette. Alex chuckled.
"To answer your question, yes we've been busy and no we aren't having kids now or any time soon. We're too young for that."
"Hehe, you better make me the godmother or you'll be sorry." she said.
"I thought we all agreed Aries was going to be the godmother of the first hypothetical child." He replied.
"When did this happen?" She asked.
He was about to reply, when Wendy stopped in front of them, taking Alex's hand. She planted a kiss on his cheek.
"What's going on over here?" she asked curiously. He grinned.
"We're talking about our kids." he said, earning a vibrant blush from the Sky Maiden.
"K-kids?"
"Yeah, Cana wants to be the godmother of our first son. I already told her Aries was the godmother." she said.
"Wait a minute, how come we are having a son first? I want a little girl." She said.
"Aw come on Wendy, don't be like that." he said.
"This is so adorable." Mira said, clearly entranced by the whole conversation. After another minute, the two broke the conversation off, in favor of having breakfast. They talked to a few more minutes, before getting to one of the big topics that had been floating in Alex's head.
"So...about the Grand Magic Games, who do you think is going to be picked for the final team?" He asked, taking a sip from his mug.
"Who knows? It might be an all new team, or it might be the all star team all over again." Cana said.
"Easy for you to say, you were part of the all star team." He said.
"Actually, we were part of Team B. Fairy Tail is allowed to enter up to three teams at a time, but the odds of all three of them making it is quite low. I also think its against the rules now to have two teams from the same guild enter the main tournament." Mira said.
"And there's the fact that the games change every year. The events were pretty tame last time, though they were quite overwhelming at first. Who knows what we'll get this time around." Cana replied, taking another drink from her bottle.
"Maybe a bike race, that would be cool." Wendy said, already imagining the event.
"Ew, all that pedaling could get tiring though...I suppose it could serve to help gauge a mage's stamina." Alex said.
"Um...Alex I wasn't talking about a bicycle race." Wendy said.
"Then what were you talking about?"
"A magic cycle race? There is a reason why I am wearing this now you know." she said, gesturing to her outfit.
"Wait...how would you even...oh wait...you are totally immune to motion sickness...I am so jealous of you right now." he said, crossing his arms and glancing away from her. She gave him a giggle, taking another bite of her pancakes.
"Whatever the case, promise you'll train super hard alright? We need everyone to be ready for when the games begin." Mira said.
"Totally, I was going to train in the Celestial Spirit world for a while, but I haven't been able to talk to Aries recently." he said, still a bit worried.
"What's wrong with Aries?" Wendy asked curiously.
"I don't know...after we left Tenrou Island, everything was going well...we were training regularly, and she was even helping me locate some rare Platinum keys for my collection...but after a while she just...became a bit distant. I tried getting her to open up a bit, but it seemed she reverted to her shy self. I decided to suspend our contract until she felt ready to talk to me."
"Hmm...wonder what could be making her upset?" the blue haired Sky Dragon muttered quietly.
"She's probably jealous that her contractor has a girlfriend and its not her."
"I doubt that's the case Cana." Alex said, crossing his arms.
"Why do you say that? It's not impossible, and its not against Celestial Law." she said.
"It may not be against the law, but I doubt Aries would like me that way...I mean why would she like me?" he asked.
"Do I seriously need to answer that?" Wendy asked, brow raised.
"Good point...but what I am getting at is...well..she's been with me since I was a kid...I mean sure there was that time period where she and I didn't make contact, but it's still a little...I dunno awkward?" he said.
"Awkward for you maybe, but I can totally see her giving you those subtle glances...poor thing." Cana said, finishing her wine bottle. Mira set another in front of her before she even asked.
"Moving on, do you have plans on training? It won't be long until we all leave for our respective spots." the barmaid asked, grabbing Cana's empty plate.
"I was planning on heading back to Bosco. Wendy needs more training on her Sky Magic and Paradise Ridge is the perfect spot for that." he said.
"And we still have those dragon lacrimas from the job we just went on. We can use those to power up." Wendy said happily, earning a frustrated sigh from Alex.
"I told you I wasn't going to use that lacrima." he said.
"But sweetie.."
"I said no!" he snapped, slamming his hand against the counter. Everyone looked at him in shock, not used to seeing him yell at the Sky Maiden. He shook his head and stood up, heading toward the doors.
"I'm sorry Wendy, but I am not stooping to that level. I don't want to be reminded of Jackson with every little thing I do...I just want him to stay in the past."
And with that, he left the guild hall. Wendy stood there silently, clutching her hand over her heart. She swept a few locks away from her face, turning to the white haired bar maid.
"I need a shot of whiskey."
"But...you don't drink."
"Please Mira...I hate myself for upsetting him." she said. The woman sighed, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from underneath the counter, along with a shot glass. She poured the alcohol into the small glass, and watched as Wendy downed it in one go. She was about to say something when she took the bottle from her, pressing it to her lips.
"Man...I never thought I'd see this." Cana said sadly.
"I don't blame her." Sabrina said, walking up to the bar with Carla in tow. She wanted to do something for her partner, but she was upset for angering Alex the way she did. She still remembered the first time she actually started binge drinking, the night that he had left Magnolia. She did it in secret, but she was sure people started to catch on.
"What's all this business about a lacrima?" Mira asked curiously, looking at the human exceeds.
"During our mission in Rocky Hollow, we ran into a dark guild that was made up of remnants of Grimoire Heart and Oracion Seis. Their leader was a man who was preparing a group of girls for a lacrima implant. The were using dragon lacrimas they got from Alex's brother. Wendy convinced him not to destroy a couple of them, in case they ever needed them, but he doesn't want to use his, because it reminds him of what his brother did to us." she said.
"It's just a lacrima. Rightfully speaking, its a lacrima created from his own magic, so if anything, it belongs to him." Cana replied.
"I told him that, but he doesn't want it. I know he won't get upset if I use mine, but it still hurts to see him remember all that crap. I figured if he used his to empower himself, he could get over it." Wendy said, speech slurring a bit from the alcohol.
"I don't think he's going to get over it any time soon. He didn't get over it in six months, what makes you think he'd get over it now. I know its beneath him to get hung up on something like that...but shit...I think his brother was the first person he ever killed. Something like that, it fucks with your head. And I honestly don't blame him. He needs support right now, and Wendy you aren't in a position to go do that at this moment, he'd feel even more pissed off seeing you all drunk." Sabrina said.
"I'm not...hic...drunk." the bluenette replied, looking at the silver haired mage lazily.
"Sure, and I'm not secretly the Princess. Mira, go talk to him for us, I'll handle the bar for now." Sabrina said, walking around the counter.
"Why me?" she asked.
"Because She-Devil, you love him." she said in a sing song voice. Mira's cheeks flushed a bit pink.
"I...what?"
"Come on, I know you like him...its written all over you...and I totally didn't see you get hung on his every word. He likes hanging out at the arcade in town, chances are you'll find him there." she said.
"Um...okay." she said, taking off her apron. She started off for the door, walking a bit awkwardly. Several people watched her go, questions already popping up in their minds.
"Mira...likes Alex?" Wendy asked curiously.
"Jeez, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out...that guy is getting himself a harem whether he wants it to or not...now the question is, will you allow him to have it?" Sabrina said, looking at Wendy. She was about to reply, only to fall off her stool, instantly passing out. Cana chuckled, shaking her head.
"I remember when booze used to hit me that hard."
"Um...excuse me, is this the Fairy Tail guild?" a dainty voice called out. Everyone stopped what they were doing, glancing at the entrance where a cornflower blue haired girl shyly stood, holding a suitcase in her hands. Sabrina's face split into a bright grin.
"Iona, you finally made it!"
Alex glanced at the sky as he walked through the streets of Magnolia. That was the first time he had snapped at Wendy. He felt awful with himself...he couldn't help but think back to what his mother told him, about the mark and how it was destined to fail. He was scared, scared of losing another person he loved. He didn't want to think about it, but it was becoming more of an issue with him as of late. Add in everything else that had happened in the week and you had enough to write a book about it.
He couldn't help but think back to what Darumaka had said. He had opened the gates of hell, and it wouldn't be long until they came knocking. Who were they? Tartaros? What did they have against him?
He decided not to dwell on it any longer. He found himself in front of Magnolia's Arcade. It was the first of their kind, with lacrima powered video games. He spent most of his time here even before he had left on his training trip. Most of the game machines had his high score on them, and he doubted anyone had beaten them during his absence. He was about to walk in, when he heard his name being called.
"Alex, wait up!"
It was Mira. He frowned a bit, knowing someone had sent the barmaid after him to see what was wrong. He almost wanted to ignore her and walk into the arcade, but if there was one thing he feared more than else in the world, it was a pissed off Mira. She caught up to him, panting a bit from running.
"Sabrina sent you after me didn't she? Just so you know, I don't feel like talking about anything." he said, crossing his arms.
"We're not going to talk about anything, we're going to take a little stroll through town." she said brightly. Alex felt a shiver go down his spine..the way she said that sounded almost like an order.
"Okay fine, I'll talk." he said, earning a smile from her.
"That's better...lets go to the plaza. The guild is in need of a few things anyway." she said, earning a nod from him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, following the barmaid silently.
"What seems to be bothering you Alex? Is it just the lacrima implants or is it something else entirely?" she asked, glancing at the unhappy teen.
"I don't know what it is Mira...I'm just disappointed with myself. I left Magnolia in order to get over the fact that I murdered my brother, and yet I still haven't gotten over it. I try to but everything keeps reminding me of it. The fights, the captured Celestial mages, all of the dragon slayers chained up to a wall, me branding my fiancee...its all too much. And just when I'm trying to get over it, I'm reminded of it yet again. And then I have a demon telling me I opened the gates of hell...whatever that means."
"You met a demon?" Mira asked, her face entirely serious.
"Well...according to Chi, the girl we partnered up with in Rocky Hollow, he used to be human but was turned into a demon, how I don't know. He was one of my brother's goons apparently. He said I had opened the gates of hell, and that it wouldn't be long until they knocked on my door. I'm pretty sure he was talking about Tartaros, but I can't for the life of me figure out what they would want with me."
"It's probably nothing to worry about." she said brightly, easing him a bit.
"You're probably right. I just can't shake that feeling off, I guess I snapped at Wendy because of that..I feel like a scum bag now." he said.
"Don't feel sad...its perfectly natural for couples to argue, especially those with a bond as strong as yours." she said.
"Yeah but...thats another thing that's been weighing on my mind. Did Wendy ever talk to you about the mark? The one thats part of the mating ritual?" he asked, earning a nod from her.
"She explained to me how a dragon marks their mates, and how they can have multiple mates during a life time...but that's about it."
"Well...if their not marked in the neck, then its not as strong. You see, when a dragon marks his mate, they inject magic directly into their soul and that serves to bind them together eternally. But if you mark them anywhere else, the magic doesn't bond at all, and it has a chance of failing. If that happens, the couple who mark themselves can potentially end up falling out of love with each other and end up hating each other instead. Its scary to think about. I love Wendy with all my heart and I don't want to fail her as a mate." he said firmly.
"I can tell you care deeply for her..have you perhaps thought about remarking her?"
"I don't think that's even possible. We'll just have to push through it, even if it fails I won't stop loving her." he said.
"Oh...you two are so cute...I just love seeing the two of you together." she said, a giddy smile on her face. Alex blushed a bit, looking away from the white haired barmaid.
"Stop embarrassing me Mira...jeez."
"Don't be so modest. You poured your emotions out, so do your best to accept them." she said.
"Pfft, alright...how about you Miss Strauss, any guys catch your eye recently?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips. Mira flushed a bit, fanning her face.
"Whatever could you mean?"
"Don't give me that...there are tons of guys in Fairy Tail...you can't possibly be telling me that you haven't found someone. There has to be someone...anyone." he said.
"I don't have anyone I like...honestly." she said, brushing him off. They arrived at the plaza, seeing all of the food stands already being bombarded by customers. He shrugged, heading to the nearest one.
"If you say so." he said. As he was making his way to the food stand, he ended up bumping into someone, knocking a few of their things on the ground. He cringed a bit, and knelt down to pick them up.
"Sorry." he said.
"Oh...its quite alright."
His brows furrowed, and he looked up, catching the gaze of the young woman he had bumped into. She couldn't be more than a few years older than him, with lightly colored skin, and long violet hair reaching down to her waist. She was wearing a black tube top, with a matching skirt, long black leggings and heeled boots. She had some black markings on her arms and shoulders, as well as a weird swirl mark on her forehead. She was very beautiful, in his opinion. She gave him a bright smile.
"I've never seen eyes like yours before." she said. He blushed a bit, and returned to picking up her discarded items.
"Oh uh...thanks?"
"No problem." she said. He handed her things back to her, and she gave him a smile.
"Once again I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you."
"No biggie...I wasn't really paying attention." he said. She gave him a nod, focusing on his shoulder.
"A Fairy Tail mage...I wasn't aware I was in the presence of someone important."
"Pfft, me? Important? I'm just a run of the mill mage, nothing special about me. Nothing at all." he said with a dry chuckle.
"I wouldn't say so...I can sense a lot of power coming from you...I sense that in the future, you will show all of that power to the world. In what way...that is yet to be seen. I'll be off." she said, walking past him. He watched her go, looking at her oddly.
"Hey wait...I didn't get a name." he said. She stopped, giving him a sultry smile.
"My name is Seilah...and don't worry, I already know all about you Alexander Macias." she said, once again continuing her walk. It wasn't long before she blended into the crowd of townspeople.
"What was all that about?" he asked. Mira shook her head.
"I don't know...but I didn't like the way she looked at you. Let's just finish up here and head back to the guild." she said, her demeanor changing a bit. He shrugged, and followed her through the plaza, stopping at the various food stands and supply stands to purchase the necessary items.
As they were heading back, the saw a bunch of people gathering around one of the bigger plaza's of Magnolia Town. Curiosity getting the best of them, Alex and Mira decided to see what it was all about. They didn't even make it a few feet into the plaza, but they already knew it was a fight.
"Um, excuse me...what's going on here?" Alex asked one of the bystanders. The man turned to him, stiffening a bit.
"Oh...its the Advent of the Stars...um...there's a fight going on here...between two mages." he said.
"Really?" Mira asked.
"Yeah...um..."
"Is something wrong?" Alex asked. The man nodded.
"It's a mage from your guild...I don't know who." he said. Alex nodded, pulling one of his keys from his pouch.
"Open, Gate of the Shining Star: Meissa." he chanted. A chime echoed through the area, as Meissa stepped through the gate. She gave Alex a polite bow, before looking at her master.
"How may I serve you?" she asked.
"Here, hold on to these, seems like someone from the guild got into a fight and I'm going to stop it." Alex said. She gave him a nod and accepted the bags in his hands. He pushed his way through the crowd, eyes widening a bit at the destruction in the plaza. Several craters littered the area, as well as large slabs of rock being misplaced. He also noticed sharp looking pieces of iron sticking out of some buildings and the ground.
To his left stood Mike, who was a bit winded from the fight. His clothes were partially ripped in places, and small cuts littered his face and arms. He was glowing a bit, having activated his Earth Drive. Streams of stand were swirling around his wrists, most likely in preparation for another spell.
Across from him stood a young man, with lightly tanned skin, and short black hair. He had an angry look on his face. He was wearing a black muscle shirt, which hugged his toned chest nicely. He wore gray colored cargo pants, and black combat boots. Around his neck was a thick chain, with a few charms attached to it. He had three piercings on his right ear, and two on his lips. He was standing in a maker stance, his left hand balled tightly in his right palm. Alex noticed the mark on his bicep, a dragon skull, which bore a golden star for its eyes and had three slash marks behind it, in bright gold. It was a mark he had only seen a few times, but he didn't know what guild was associated with it.
"Earth Dragon's Sand Serpents." Mike chanted, slamming his hands into the ground. Several large serpents rose from the ground, towering above the other teen, who simply kept his ground. The serpents all slithered toward him. The teen smirked, jumping high into the air.
"Iron Make: Swords Dance." he chanted, slamming his hands together. A magic seal appeared before him, and several sharp looking swords flew out of it, slicing clean through the serpents. The swords each landed on the ground, gleaming in the mid morning sun. The tan skinned teenager landed on the ground, racing toward the swords. He grabbed two of them before running toward Mike. The Earth Dragon grit his teeth and took a deep breath, a small orb of sand forming before him.
"Earth Dragon's Roar!" he cried with a firm shout. The orb burst into a large funnel, which encircled his opponent, forcing him to stop. He stabbed his swords into the ground, but they weren't enough and he was sent flying into one of the nearby buildings.
"Ha! Serves you right." Mike boasted. The other teen stood up, shaking sand from his hair and clothes.
"I'll show you, Iron Make: Metal Slugger." he cried out, holding his hand outward. A large spike ball and chain shot from his magic circle, flying straight at Mike, who simple rose his hand up.
"Earth Dragon's Ruby Gauntlet." he chanted. His arm swirled with small specks of red, forming a large glittering gauntlet over his hand and forearm. With a firm shout, he threw his fist forward, shattering the spiked ball into millions of little iron shards. Having seen enough, Alex decided it was time to intervene.
"Alright you two, stop fighting."
"Don't get involved in this Alex, this little shit has it coming." Mike replied, clenching his fists.
"Heh, that's funny man..having your friend fight your battles for you. No wonder you made it into such a shitty guild." he said. Alex glanced at the teen, an angry look on his face.
"What was that?" he asked. The teen smirked.
"You heard me, Fairy Tail is a shit guild."
"Oh yeah? Says who? You? You say that?" Alex said, stepping forward.
"I do...you don't deserve the title of Number 1 guild in Fiore. You didn't earn it, and just because your guild won the Grand Magic Games doesn't mean shit, for seven years Fairy Tail was at the bottom of the list and that's where it belongs. Face it, its time for you Fairies to go back to the bottom and disappear."
"How dare you talk like that about our guild? And on our turf too? You have some balls kid." Alex said, tightening his fists.
"What? I'm not doing anything wrong? Just taunting the competition." he said with a smirk. Alex suddenly realized what this was...this kid must have come to Magnolia to check out the competition for the Magic Games. He sighed, shaking his head.
"So, this has to do with the games eh? I take it your guild is participating?"
"Hell yeah we are. Get this through your head, we're named Cosmic Deity, and we are the guild that is going to take down Fairy Tail. It's a good thing that the Advent of the Stars is here, after all you ended up destroying our last guild." he said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Alex asked clearly confused.
"He was part of Phoenix Claw, the guild that was run by your father...it was a legal guild remember? Half of the members who were found innocent were let go. We used to be part of it." Mike said, remembering his previous guild. Alex nodded in understanding.
"So this is some form of revenge I take it?"
"Course it is, the remainder of Phoenix Claw banded together, and we created Cosmic Deity. You took everything from us Fairy Tail, and we are going to take everything away from you. Not just me...there's a Project Angel survivor who also wants to toss in her own two cents, but she's politely declined this little visit to Magnolia, she wanted to present herself at the magic games instead." he said. Alex grit his teeth, getting into a fighting stance. The other teen was about to attack, when suddenly, he took off running, a smirk on his face.
"See ya later Fairy Tail." he said with a cackle, as he disappeared through the streets of Magnolia. Alex sighed and looked behind him, seeing the reason why the teen had run off.
"What is the matter here? Mirajane told us there was a fight here." Erza said, appearing in the plaza. The crowd had made space for her, knowing that the Fairy Queen wouldn't want to be held up.
"Some kid from a guild called Cosmic Deity decided to attack Mike. I don't have the full details." he said.
"Alright, head back to the guildhall. I'll talk to Mike and get his side of the story." she said. He nodded, heading back toward the guild. He ran a hand through his hair.
"Man, this week has been hell. We're already getting threats from other guilds...and what's this about a Project Angel survivor? I thought all the subjects died." he muttered to himself.
"Fufufu, my what an odd turn of events."
Alex stopped mid stride, looking to his right. Sitting on a ledge, was the girl he had bumped into in the plaza while shopping with Mira. She was lightly kicking her legs, the soft breeze blowing her hair behind her. She had a light grin on her face, almost as if she was amused by everything that had happened. Alex turned to face her, getting a bit defensive.
"You're with him aren't you? And that Cosmic Deity guild...right?" he asked. She giggled, shaking her dainty finger.
"Nope...I'm an independent mage. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying the sheer stupidity of others. Who in their right mind has the gall to mess with Fairy Tail?" she asked.
"Uh...right...I suppose." he said, lowering his guard a bit.
"The Grand Magic Games aren't for a while and yet we already have rookie low level guilds making mistakes. At least Twilight Ogre minds their manners." She said.
"They aren't really a problem, at least not since our guild got its reputation back...have you been there long?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, I actually live here, in that violet house behind us." she said, gesturing the the small house that was a ways away from them.
"Oh."
"It's my first time in Magnolia...mind showing me around for a bit?" she asked, jumping down from the ledge she had been sitting on. Alex looked away, as to not see up her skirt.
"Sure...I suppose I don't mind...its not like I have somewhere to be or anything." he said.
"Excellent." she said, taking his hand.
"H-hey...hold up." he said, to no avail as the young woman pulled him along. It was a bit awkward, especially since he had just met this girl. He had told her on several occasions that he couldn't be seen with her like that since he had a fiancee, but every time he brought it up, she just giggled and shook it off.
"So uh...Seilah, what brought you to Magnolia Town?" Alex asked, after an hour of showing her around. By now she had let go of his arm, and was looking around the city with avid curiosity. She looked at him, giving him a shrug.
"I dunno...I felt like moving here. I've been alone for...a really long time. I just needed a change of scenery, that's all." she answered honestly.
"I suppose that's a valid point. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart." he said.
"Mhmm...say, is your guild taking in new members? I'd really like to join...I don't have a source of income so I sort of need a job...think they'd let me?" she asked, giving him a sort of puppy look. He chuckled, running his hand through his blue locks.
"Of course, we're always taking in new members. That's the thing about Fairy Tail, we're not strict when it comes to new members...anyone can join, young, old, mages, non magic users, everyone is welcome."
"Wonderful, do you think we could head there now?" she asked. He gave her a nod, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Erza is most likely wondering where I am anyway."
They fell into a comfortable silence, heading toward the largest building in Magnolia, aside from the Cathedral that is. Alex noticed Seilah had gotten a bit nervous around it, and even asked if they could take another route to the guild, to which he simply nodded. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he wasn't one to pry.
Finally arriving at Fairy Tail, he lead the young woman toward the front doors, throwing them open. He looked back, a smile on his face.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail." he said simply, allowing her to step inside. Of course, the first thing they both did was dive to the left, avoiding a large table that had been thrown at them. It hit the back wall, breaking into millions of pieces. The guild was, as usual in a state of disarray. Everyone was fighting. Gajeel was beating the crap out of Elfman for one reason or another, his Iron poles flying directly at the Take Over mage, who was only using a partial take over to fight the dragon slayer.
Natsu and Gray were fighting like normal, flinging fire and ice in all directions. Alzack and Bisca had taken shelter behind one of the posts, along with their daughter Asuka who was cheering the two on. Juvia was also at a nearby post, looking at Gray in her perturbed way, most likely picturing the half naked teen, fully naked. Cana was drinking out of a barrel, while accepting money for bets. Everyone else was either avoiding the fights, cheering them on, partaking in them or hiding. Alex frowned, glancing at Seilah who watched everything going on with rapt attention.
"I'm so sorry." he said.
"Its...alright...is it always like this?" she asked.
"Most of the time...I just can't believe this shit." he said. He walked further into the guild, cupping his mouth with his hands.
"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you all? Is this the example we're supposed to set to the city and everyone who joins?!" he shouted, causing everyone to stop their fights.
"Alex you bastard, fight me!" Natsu cried, jumping at the teen with a flaming fist. Alex cupped his arms, forming a golden magic seal in front of him.
"Heavenly Blast!" he chanted. The orb of light made contact with the fire dragon, sending him flying through a few tables.
"You ask us to stop and yet here you are fighting back. What a hypocrite!" Gray said, the remains of a broken table being the only thing that was keeping his body hidden.
"A real man wouldn't stop his friends from having fun." Elfman added.
"If you idiots had half a brain in your heads, you would notice that we have a new member." He said. He held his arm out, gesturing for Seilah to come closer. He cleared his throat.
"Everyone, this is Seilah, she's new in town and wanted to join us. Be sure to treat her nicely and make her feel welcome alright?" he asked.
"Woo, new member. Party!" Natsu shouted, throwing confetti all over the place. Where he got it from no one knew, it wasn't long until everyone had gone back to fighting, passing it off as a party. He sighed, gesturing to the bar.
"Just talk to Mira and she'll give you the stamp. You'll have to sign the paperwork later but its best you get the mark now." he said. She nodded, and walked over to the bar. He himself headed over to where his fiancee was sitting, along with their partners, who were too busy making out to notice what was going around them. Wendy looked up from the book she was reading, a small frown on her face.
"Oh...hi Alex." she said.
"Hey, is something wrong?" he asked.
"I angered you this morning, and I feel really bad about it." she said. He bent over the table, planting a soft kiss on her lips.
"It's alright. I had some time to think about it, I don't like it, but I'll keep that lacrima on hand in case I ever need it. It was a good call...if you want to implant yours we can do that later."
"Really? I thought you'd be mad." she said.
"No...I'm not mad...not anymore at least...hey...is that whiskey I smell?" he asked.
"Um...I can explain." she said, covering her mouth. He sighed.
"Listen, I don't mind if you drink alright? You are an adult and can make your own decisions...just don't over do it. And you two stop sucking face already, jeez." he said, glancing at the two human exceeds, who pulled away from each other. Carla was blushing brightly, while Sabrina just gave him a wicked grin.
"You are just jealous because you and Wendy got over this phase already."
"Yeah well you guys need to tone it down a bit, there are other people here, who have been staring at you for who knows how long." He said, glaring at a few men, who quickly went back to their own business, whistling like nothing had happened.
"Let them look, I don't mind." Sabrina replied, giving Carla another peck on the lips. He rolled his eyes, leaning against the table.
"Who was that girl that you came in with Alex?" Lucy asked, approaching their table. Levy gave him a shy wave, which he returned. Looking back to the blonde, he answered her question.
"Just a girl I ran into when I was shopping with Mira. She's new to the town and needed a place to make some money. She asked me to bring her here, so I did." he said simply.
"She's really pretty...you seem to be attracting all the ladies." Levy said, earning a blush from Alex, and a not to subtle glare from Wendy.
"I'm not attracting anyone." he said.
"Yes you are, you have your own harem already. I can list all the girls that are soaking wet for you...if you want that is." Sabrina said.
"Keep your mouth shut." Carla snapped, getting a giggle in response.
"What? There's no harm in that."
"Sabrina, I do not have a harem. The only girl for me is Wendy, get it through your thick skull." he said, pressing his finger to her forehead.
"Muu, you are such a meanie...soon enough those dragon hormones will kick in, and Wendy won't be enough to satisfy you...you best be thinking for the end game."
"When did you become so annoying?"
"Anyway, tell us about what happened in town? Erza and Master Makarov are talking about it upstairs." Lucy said.
"Oh that, some douche bag kid came in and started attacking Mike..turns out he was part of Phoenix Claw, the guild my old man used to run. He and the mages that were found innocent formed a guild called Cosmic Deity."
"I heard of them, they took over the abandoned Phantom Lord guild hall and work out of Oak Town now. They've been getting lots of attention recently, mostly for how efficiently they work. Their getting quite powerful." Levy said.
"Just another guild that has shit on me for what I did to them. Fucking perfect." he said. Seilah walked over to the small group, a bright smile on her face. She was now sporting the Fairy Tail guild mark on her collar bone, in a light lavender.
"You were right Alex, this guild really is interesting." she said happily.
"You're the new girl right? I'm Lucy, nice to meet you." the blonde said, shaking her hand.
"I'm Levy, I hope we can be great friends." she said.
"Of course, my name is Seilah...it's nice to meet all of you." she said.
"This is my fiancee Wendy, the one I told you about." Alex said, gesturing to the blue haired girl who gave her a shy smile.
"Wow, you're really pretty. He said so many good things about you, its good to know he has a good woman by his side you know?" she asked.
"Um...thanks Seilah." she said quietly.
"Its been a hectic day...you know she isn't the only one joining right? We got another girl joining, she's upstairs with Master Makarov. They most likely got held up due to the Cosmic Deity incident though." Lucy said.
"Another member?" Alex asked curiously.
"Oh, there she is now."
Alex looked to the second floor, seeing a familiar cornflower blue haired girl making her way down the stairs. She stopped to say hello to a few people, though it was obvious that she was really shy. Alex smiled, brightly.
"Hey Iona, you finally made it!'" he called out. The girl looked up at the sound of his voice, her shyness melting away.
"Hi Alex...it's so good to see you again." she said, making her way toward them. He noticed the lime green mark she now sported on her left bicep.
"So, you really left Blue Robin huh?" he asked. She gave him a nod.
"Everyone was sad when I left, but I knew I wouldn't find my mother if I didn't come to Fiore. I promised them I would be back to visit from time to time. Its only been a day, but everyone is so nice here...and its so much livelier than in Seiki." she said.
"You'll get used to it soon." Lucy said, remembering her own first day in Fairy Tail. It was rather nostalgic, though the guildhall had been relatively smaller at that time.
"Oh yeah, is Angel around? I have a question for her and its rather serious." Alex said, his happy tone changing to one of seriousness.
"I think she's in town. I saw her come into the guild this morning...she said something about Sabertooth being busy training for the magic games so she came back." Lucy said.
"Is something wrong Alex?" Wendy asked, voice filled with worry.
"Not really...well...that guy that Mike was fighting in town, aside from using a form of Maker magic I hadn't seen before, said something about a Project Angel survivor." He said. Seilah's ears perked up a bit, but she didn't show any hint of surprise. She would surely save that information for later.
"Really? Wasn't Angel the only subject that survived the lacrima implant?" Levy asked curiously.
"That's what I thought too. I sifted through all of those files after the council left the area, and I didn't find evidence of there being a survivor, aside from Angel who had been implanted with a Sky Angel lacrima. There were twenty test subjects in total, all of them having high magical reserves, but they all failed. Even I don't know why Angel successfully bonded with the lacrima."
"Well, you can ask her later..she's bound to show up for a mission or something. I actually wanted to ask you something Alex...I was wondering if you'd like to train with me, us being Celestial Mages and all." Lucy said, pressing her fingers together. He chuckled, nodding his head.
"Sure thing...I was actually going to ask if any of you wanted to tag along. Me and Wendy talked this out last night and we're heading to Paradise Ridge this Friday. We made enough money from the last request to pay for everything. Its a secluded place so we can train in peace." he said with a smile.
"That sounds like a great idea." Natsu said, joining them.
"Yeah, I could use a nice place to work on my Ice Magic." Gray said, popping up next to them. All of the girls flushed brightly.
"Dude, your clothes." Alex said.
"Shit..sorry." he said, walking off to search for them.
"Do you think I could join you guys?" Levy asked.
"Of course, the more the merrier. And yes, you can come along to Juvia." Alex said, looking at the water mage who was still hiding behind the post.
"Thanks Alex-san, Juvia will make sure she has everything to train with Gray-sama." she replied.
"Good...everyone who wants to tag along, be at the train station on Friday at ten. Its a nineteen hour ride to Bosco so be sure to bring anything you might need to distract yourselves. And don't worry Natsu, Troia was one of the spells I worked on, and I was able to increase it so its effects last longer, it also takes a long time for you to build an immunity to it, so you'll be set."
"Awesome. I can't wait." he said.
"We can all stay at my cabin...there's tons of room up there." Iona suggested, earning a nod from the Celestial Dragon.
"This is going to be so cool. Paradise Falls is the best place to hang around, the lake is so beautiful too, and there's always a bright rainbow coming out from the falls." Sabrina said, looking at Carla lovingly. Neither noticed the blue exceed that was peering at them from behind the post.
"I'm sure I will." she said.
"Great...let's wait for Erza so we can tell her about it. We'll need to pack everything we need, sexy swimsuits included." Alex said, a perverted look on his face.
"It's good to know that even though he's getting married in a few years, he can still be a massive pervert." Levy said, shaking her head. They all started laughing, making Alex blush even harder.