Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Blue Exorcist

"The wizard that has been after Rin is known as Grim Noir." Mira frowned, trying to recall anything about that name. As much as she'd heard about dark guilds in the past, and artifacts they'd used, that name only sounded vaguely familiar. "The Council has tried everything in their power to hide his name from all records. In essence, they believe that in terms of this wizard, it would be better to pretend he does not exist, and that he never did in the first place."

Mira nodded, and Makarov shuffled through the drawers of his desk. Eventually, he pulled out a flyer, somewhat worn and faded, but recognizable as a job posting. There was a 4,000,000 jewel reward for the capture of Grim Noir, either dead or alive. There were more details given, about previous sightings and a brief listing of crimes such as murder and theft, but little details beyond that. "This job was given to guilds by the Magic Council, long before even you were a member of our guild. Perhaps it even came before you were born, now that I think about it." Makarov frowned, looking thoughtful. "Regardless, in more recent years, they rescinded the request and banned wizards from taking this job. Despite constantly raising its level, having become a decade-quest, too many perished attempting to complete it. It was deemed even more dangerous than the hundred year quest Gildarts is currently on, after the result of the last attempt against him."

"Even more dangerous than a hundred year quest?" Mira blinked at him. That was unheard of, given the way jobs worked. They'd only reach that level if they were not finished in a century, and this one was removed before it even had the chance to reach that level. She was certain plenty of wizards had died on the job Gildarts had taken. Thinking back, she could even recall a name or two from their guild that had. "What exactly happened?"

"A team was formed, hand-selected by the Magic Council, consisting of what was at the time four of the ten wizard saints. They were told that if they successfully completed the job…they'd each be given the full reward, rather than splitting it as would be typical of such a job." Makarov met her gaze, looking solemn. That had quadrupled the reward price, which was already unbelievably high. "I was one of the wizards on such a team…and we barely escaped with our lives. Grim Noir is a fearsome wizard, Mira, using a lost form of shadow magic. I've already discussed this magic with Gildarts after he stated he had a run-in with him during his job with Rin. If Rin is already with Grim, I fear it may be too late."

"What kind of magic is it, exactly?"

"Heart of Darkness magic." Makarov put the flyer away, leaving the desk filled with other scattered documents that needed attention. "In essence, Grim can possess an infinite number of individuals, placing a piece of his shadow inside of them in place of their heart. If Grim has captured Rin, it is likely he has become a part of this army already."

Mira felt like her heart might have stopped. Rin was possessed, just like she had been afraid of. However, it wasn't by the person she was worried about. Thinking about it further, she frowned. "What if Rin was already possessed? Would this magic overpower actual possession?"

"I suppose it would depend on the possession spell in use. In most cases, I would say Heart of Darkness would triumph, since it leaves a physical portion of Grim inside of the victim. However…I can think of at least two spells that may prove stronger." He glanced at Mira, his brow furrowed. "Do you have reason to believe Rin was not himself when he was taken, Mira?"

"He didn't seem to believe it himself, but it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case." Mira met his gaze, thinking back to Spriggan. "Rin was afraid of his magic before we left. I'm certain you saw the way he was panicking about Natsu suddenly after hearing about what he'd done. That kind of panic…it isn't like Rin at all. When he told me why he panicked like that, it only solidified my suspicions. Grim isn't the only one targeting Rin, Master. Unfortunately, I don't have the name of this other wizard though. Rin thought this other wizard was protecting him…and with the way we kept treating him, it doesn't surprise me that he turned to this stranger instead of us for help."

"Yet he still came to you, Mira." Makarov smiled, patting her arm. "We did not fail him completely. Perhaps we made some mistakes, isolating him as we did from work…but he realized he was at his limit and came to us for help. I suspect you may have made more of an impression on him than you realize, with the way you spoke to him as a child and even later with how you dealt with the loss of your family. He relates to that in a way, Mira. Perhaps you do not realize it, but Rin sees a lot of himself in you…or maybe he sees the person he wants to be."

Thinking about how alone Rin was, and the way he had no family at all…Mira looked away. Holding her arm, she swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment and thinking about the boy she'd grown up with over the last few years. "Maybe we are alike." Yet, she hadn't handled things well back then. "Either way, we need a plan of what to do now. The Council has forbidden going after Grim, but they've said nothing about a rescue mission for a fellow guild member. We can work this to our advantage and still avoid getting in trouble."

"I will be contacting Gildarts about this as well." Mira blinked at him in surprise, seeing him pull out a communication lacrima from another drawer. "We need to assemble an elite team, Mira. If you are so determined to be a part of this rescue, you will have to be willing to fight as well. Can I trust that you'll be capable of this? That you will be willing and able to fight when the time comes?"

Thinking about Rin, Mira folded her hands in her lap. Slowly, she began to nod, meeting his gaze. "I'll do it. If it means protecting Rin and anyone else in the guild, I'll do whatever it takes." She'd use her takeover magic again. She'd show Rin that it didn't have to be all bad, having magic similar to that of a demon. Maybe then he'd realize that he could fight back against both of these threats to him for a change.

Staring at the desk as Makarov began to contact Gildarts, Mira frowned. There were a few communications from the Council to deal with, but they could be pushed off. However, what caught her eye was the name Spriggan, written on one of them. Reaching forward, she began scanning the document. They were notifying guilds of a possible threat from Alvarez, which had continued its expansion into a nearby country in Alakitasia. There was a comment saying Emperor Spriggan was relentless in his assault, and would not be stopped even when the entire continent was his.

"Master, what is this?"

Waving her off, Makarov shrugged. "Bah, the Council is having pointless fears again. Those old crones think that some emperor no one has seen will come all the way overseas and attack us." It couldn't just be a coincidence, though. Staring at the name, Mira frowned. No one had seen this emperor, and the man possessing Rin had seemed very keen on keeping himself hidden from Mira. Was the answer really so obvious? Yet, if an emperor used magic as dark as possession and death magic, she couldn't imagine word not spreading to the public. Alvarez would be terrified of their leader, and Fiore would know exactly what they were facing. Maybe they weren't the same, but that was before she blinked. On the ship, Spriggan had been calm and in control. If he had control over that magic in Alvarez…he could hide it.

Before Mira could voice her concerns to Makarov, Gildarts answered. "Master? Why are you contacting me? You know I'm in the middle of a job, and I can't exactly share the details with you." Every person who had taken the job had said the same thing, so it wasn't that surprising.

"I understand, and if you are unable to take a break, I will not be upset either." Gildarts frowned. It looked like he was camping somewhere, from what Mira could see. Makarov sighed, shaking his head. "We've just gotten word that Rin has gone missing. I suspect you know what that means, Gildarts."

"Damn." Gildarts crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. "Grim got him, huh? Who's the unlucky wizard who ended up meeting him this time then?"

Makarov glanced at Mira, raising his eyebrows. Dropping her head to her chest, she bit her lip. "He…he was alone. We were trying to retrieve Natsu. He'd been impulsive and took an S-Class job, and Rin was worried…but we split up for a moment to find him. After that, I didn't see him again."

"That explains that much at least. Why the hell didn't he use his flames or something? The kid knows that Grim's shadows aren't exactly strong against his magic."

"We don't know, and questioning the past will not help us move forward." Makarov stared into the lacrima. "I'm attempting to locate wizards strong enough to rescue him. You are to avoid fighting Grim at all costs…but we will not let our own be taken without a fight. Can I trust that you will help in our efforts, Gildarts? I know this is a lot to ask, considering your current task, but it would mean much to all of us. You are one of the few in the guild who know of Grim, and the only person I personally have met to have faced him and returned alive with such ease."

"My magic doesn't match up well against his. You should know that much already."

"Yes, I do." Makarov didn't say anything else, watching as Gildarts seemed to pause, debating further.

"Who all is going so far? Just to get an idea of our team."

"Mira is our first volunteer. If I could contact him, I planned to ask Mystogan as well. Perhaps Erza and Laxus—"

"Laxus won't help." Mira interrupted, shaking her head. "I just talked to him about all of this. He thinks it is a good thing that Rin is missing…that it'll make Rin stronger to face this alone."

"That boy…I'll make sure he understands—"

"Don't bother, Makarov." Gildarts interrupted, letting out a sigh. "If someone doesn't want to be on this job, I wouldn't force them. It'll be difficult enough already without someone with a bratty attitude tagging along."

"Erza would likely be happy to help. She seemed worried about Rin on Galuna Island…even though she was certain he'd found a way back on his own."

Nodding at Mira, Makarov closed his eyes. "I still don't like the feel of this. We know too little about what has occurred…"

"We know this wizard is isolated and hasn't been seen in years." Mira met his gaze. "With the Council actually being able to cover up his existence, it means he hasn't been active, and he wasn't heavily involved in creating dark magic. If he was, his name would be almost synonymous with Zeref's, only more modern." Makarov nodded, while Mira took a seat. "That means we're looking at places isolated, away from civilization where he wouldn't be seen. Now, there are likely a few places in mountains or deserts that fit that description, but didn't you two say he was stronger at night?"

"Yeah. So, we're more accurately looking for a cave…or some place with a lot of shade where he'll have the advantage."

Nodding, Mira began pulling out some of the maps stored on the shelf behind the desk. Scanning over them, she frowned. "It also would have to be somewhere within a thousand miles of Galuna Island, given the range of even the most powerful of teleportation spells." Setting up her radius, she began scanning for options. "There aren't many caves in that area…but there are other islands that could be less populated than the mainland of Ishgar. Even Tenrou Island is in the radius…Master, do you think it might be possible?"

"With Grim, I wouldn't put it past him. If anyone could get past the wards, it would be him."

"Is there anywhere else that fits what we're looking for?" Gildarts frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "A trip to Tenrou Island kinda puts me a ways away from the job I'm on. Not that I wouldn't go for it, but there's probably a simpler answer. It'd take a lot of effort to break through that ward."

"But there'd be a lot of reward, if Grim really did want to vanish from the public eye." Mira stared at him, looking up from the map. "There are other places that might work, but I doubt any of them are any closer to your location. What harm is there in checking our guild's island first? Wouldn't you want to be certain we don't have someone waiting on our island that might actually be a threat the next time we're there? You know we always hold the S-Class trials on that island, Gildarts. It'd be too risky to not check, if there's a chance of him being there."

"Mira is right." Makarov folded his hands behind his back, focusing on both of them. "We cannot allow a wizard such as Grim to use Fairy Tail's island in such a way. That place is meant to be our home away from home, the place where we honor our first master and prove how far we've come. Our children must not be in danger when traveling to that place, however rarely we may be there. If Grim has twisted the purpose of our second home, he will regret ever setting foot on those lands."

A team is forming to go rescue Rin! I hope you guys are excited for what comes next. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!