Chapter 20:

Abi was packing her things when the guards arrived.

"Fuck." She muttered under her breath. Abi knew she should've killed Laxus when she had the chance.

It was dark out by the time she had just made it back from the colosseum tunnels. When Abi arrived at the small inn, dawn was just starting to break. Exhaustion and a plethora of emotions tugged at her bones when she stumbled into her room. But most notably, there was a tightness in her chest that followed her from the Mercurius hall, something that made it hard to breathe. Everything had gone according to plan, but when Laxus collapsed, she couldn't bring herself to kill him.

Shouting downstairs interrupted Abi's thoughts. Why was she getting distracted like this? She knew time was of the essence. The Praesidio pulled a bag out from under her bed. What happened in the castle didn't matter now. Abi had to assume Laxus sold her out, and the Royal Family knew of her existence. Anger flared. Good. I can use anger. That Dragon Slayer was just like everyone else. He used her for his own gain. She opened up to him and he betrayed her. Abi ignored her own hypocrisy and allowed her rage to fuel her power. Laxus Dreyer always believed she was bad, always believed she had an ulterior motive. People only saw Abi as one thing…

They want me to be a Praesidio?

Fine. Abi uncoiled the leather wrap. I'll be a Praesidio.

Inside the leather bag lay a simple gold breastplate with silver detailing. She took an unsteady breath and picked up the armor. It was lightweight, evenly balanced, and intricately designed. Upon strapping it to her frame, the armor latched onto her. Through magic, it seized her body and spread from her chest, over her shoulders, down her arms, and up to her fingertips. The silver began to glow white as it tapped into Abi's power, and the form-fitting armor hummed to life with her magic. The Praesidio looked at the belt beneath it— she didn't have time to put on the full armor with the spaulders and gauntlets. She grabbed the white cloak and wrapped it around herself. She grabbed a pair of gold daggers and strapped the holster to her waist. Abi shoved everything she had in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She bolted for the window and opened the frame. Guards were posted by the exit, and at least 10 in the streets. Soldiers set up a perimeter for the early morning. How did she not hear them before?

Heavy footsteps thudded outside her door. Shit.

The Praesidio knew her ward would hold them for a few more seconds. Abi pulled up her hood and unsheathed her daggers. Guards began to pound at the door.

A pressure began to build in her mind as they began to throw their bodies against the door. Abi heard the elderly inn keeper begin to run down the stairs, yelling at the guards below. Her magic ward would hold for now, but time was of the essence. It kept them out, and trapped Abi inside. No sense in allowing the ward to stay up while the guards could gather in numbers and eventually break it.

Three… SLAM! …Two… SLAM! … One… Abi exhaled.

The door swung open and a guard crashed through. He fell on the floor and two more tripped forward. Three guards stood behind him, crossbows aimed and ready to fire. Six guards at the moment.

"We're through!" They shouted and began to fire mercilessly at Abi.

The thief closed her teal eyes and exhaled; the Praesidio opened them, and her irises glowed gold.

The arrows streaked towards the girl, but she held out her hand. The bolts hit an invisible wall of magic energy and disintegrated harmlessly. The soldiers fired another volley of arrows to the same result. They faltered as the Praesidio pressed forward. The guard on the ground rose to his feet and rushed Abi, swinging a magic-disrupting staff. The staff cut through her wall of magic, but Abi nimbly sidestepped his overhead swing. She quickly unsheathed her dagger, tripped the guard, and stabbed him in the back, just where his pauldron exposed simple chainmail between his shoulder blades.

The other guard followed with a sword, rushing her from the left. Abi parried his blade's thrust, pivoted closer to him, and withdrew her other dagger to cut his forearm. The guard cried out and dropped his blade. Abi grabbed his arm and spun him around, easily throwing him out the window.

The other guard seemed to be some type of mage. He yelled as he cast a spell at Abi, and runes circle ignited around her feet. The Praesidio paused for a step. Then she smiled. Dark energy seemed to smack the atmosphere.

The magic circle flickered and disappeared. Abi's eyes glowed even brighter as she absorbed the magic and kept advancing. The soldier paled but focused on casting another spell.

He never got the chance.

In a flash, the Praesidio had her hand under his throat. She lifted him off the ground. He cried out as she absorbed his magic. She depleted his reserves until the mage went limp. Then, Abi dropped him on the floor; he crumpled at her feet, shaking from magic deficiency. Abi stepped through the doorway and looked up at the three guards wielding the crossbows. They had retreated to the staircase, hoping to gain the upper ground.

"We need backup!" One yelled into his lacrima transmitter.

The three guards wielding crossbows fired at Abi. Their arrows hit her magic barrier again, and Abi felt herself grin. It felt good to flex her powers again. She stalked up the staircase, her magic aura causing the projectiles to wither in its presence.

More guards began to pour into the inn, forming a line as they ran up the staircase. The glanced down at them, momentarily distracted. Her barrier faltered, and an arrow broke through, hitting her gold armor with a PING!

The Praesidio snapped her attention back to the guards. Fucker. Abi threw her dagger at the man who fired the lucky shot. The blade imbedded itself in his shoulder and he dropped to his knees in pain. Abi sent a wave of magic power towards the other two, hoping to topple them to their knees. Instead, the light wave passed around them harmlessly.

Nullifying armor. Not good. That meant Abi had to take each one of them out individually. The Praesidio grit her teeth and darted up the stairs, pursuing the retreating guards. She really wanted an escape route. They were in her way.

Abi closed the gap between them. One soldier panicked and tripped over a stair. He fell onto his butt and the crossbow fell from his hand, loosing a rogue arrow. Abi concentrated her power into her arm, amplifying her strength, and punched the guard into the far wall. When her fist connected with the guard, she released the energy, causing him to crash through the wall and into the rooms on the other side of the inn.

Someone inside the room screamed at an unwelcome arrival and Abi saw her opportunity. She sprinted through the hole in the wall, into the room with the dazed guard and a very indecent couple, who had been so consumed in their copulation they failed to notice all the commotion outside. Abi glanced at the naked pair and told them, "Thanks for the window."

She leapt through the glass; it shattered as she free-fell from the two stories into a back alley.

The glass and the Praesidio landed in the back alley.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, guards poured from either end of the alley, successfully cutting her off from either end. Through the hole Abi made in the window, more guards lined up with crossbows, ready to fire. The Praesidio was completely and utterly surrounded.

The Praesidio looked down at the blades in her hands. She could still fight.

Huh. She looked past the blades and noticed an interesting new development. There was a grate underneath her feet.

She looked up and around. If she took out all these guards, people would be sure to notice. It wouldn't be hard for other guilds to join in. Not to mention, her notoriety would sky rocket, and then, Zeref's followers would learn of her. The sea of guards parted as a towering knight walked through.

"Praesidio," He called to her, "Return what has been stolen, and we shall spare your life."

Abi snorted and studied the knight beneath her hood. The man had tan skin, thick black hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. His armor only exemplified his towering size, and he glared down at her beneath his thick eyebrows.

"Yeah, right," She muttered under her breath and the Knight placed a hand to his chest. "On my honor, as captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron. Just return what is ours."

"'Yours?!'" Abi mocked, and white energy began to smoke off her cloak. She clenched her fists, "I'll show you what belongs to you."

The Guards put up their shields as Abi began to hum with energy. The Knight Captain did not hide behind a shield— the fool. Instead, he withdrew his sword. Abi glared venomously at him and slammed her foot down. A shock wave of energy blasted the group through the ground, and the Knight Captain fell to his knees.

However, Abi's shock wave also functioned as a flash bomb, which temporarily blinded the soldiers. When the ground settled, and their eyes readjusted to the dim dawn lighting, guards began to peak out from behind their shields. One gasped and exclaimed, "She's gone!"

Arcadios' expression grew dour. He rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. "Fan out, she cannot have gone far. Search everything! We can't let her escape." The Knight stalked forward to where Abi was standing. He looked down at the grate. It was slightly uneven, like someone had moved it aside.

The thief was already gone, running as fast as possible through the drainage system. Arcadios smiled and turned to a soldier. "Cease the street searches and notify all guards to be alert for any suspicious behavior. I want at least three teams into the city pipes, now. Place sentries at every entrance to the city. Keep this quiet; we can't risk the Grand Magic Counsel getting involved."

…

Abi hid in the drainage tunnels of Crocus for hours. It had been over fifteen years since she had been pursued as a Praesidio, and now was not a good trip down memory lane. Now how was she supposed to trade this lacrima? The thief's steps echoed in the stone tunnel as she tried to devise a plan.

As the thief neared a storm drain, a piece of paper floated down from the street. Abi stopped and looked down at the scrap. The paper was in the shape of a small doll. Fuck. The Praesidio pulled out her daggers.

"This is sloppy, even for you, Praesidio." A voice behind her called.

Abi spun around to face the voice. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. Her eyes narrowed and scanned her surroundings. Were there other threats around her? With this wizard, reality seemed to slip away. A tall man in gold and black armor came into Abi's view. He didn't wear a mask this time, but a familiar black cloak lined by grey feathers rested easily around his shoulders. His face was articulated by a well trimmed, black beard, a long nose, and powerful eyebrows. The large man radiated an aura of calculated chaos, and his unnerving black eyes shined in the tunnel's shadows.

"Fuck off," Abi retorted and glared at the man.

"if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were emotionally affected by something." He grinned cruelly at the thief, "Or someone."

She gritted her teeth. Was he suggesting she was emotionally attached to Laxus? Anger bubbled in Abi's chest, trying to replace that heavy feeling in her stomach. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're lucky I've been casting illusions in the tunnels, keeping the guards away from you all day. Can't let you get arrested before our deal is over." Am I also a part of this illusion? Are there guards here now? Unease settled over the thief. She hated being dependent on someone else's magic. Especially when that person could easily lower his illusion and she'd be back at square one, swarmed by guards.

Abi glanced over her shoulder. He closed the gap between himself and Abi, and the thief looked up at him with a cool expression. This was business. She could do business.

"Let's just get this over with, Ivan."

— Yesterday. After the Games and Before the Hot Springs —

Abi was not quite sure what she was doing, standing before the jail cell of a Dark Guild Master. Well, she did. She had found what she was looking for today beneath the castle— the morphos lacrimas— but she couldn't separate them from the gate. Now, she was at her wits end, unsure of what to do. Obra's display of magic still bothered her, so Abi decided to follow her gut and it led her to the city jail, where Raven Tail waited in separate cells. Obra was completely unresponsive when she asked the wizard questions, but his guild master overheard her.

"He's not in a talkative mood, Abi. But lucky for you, I am."

And so, Abi found herself asking the person who might know something about the silent wizard with the strange magic.

"Now this is a surprise." Ivan leaned forward, grinning as he looked over the young woman standing on the other side of his cell. "And quite a risk for you."

Ivan was still dressed in the dark robes and gold armor, but his face was exposed. Magic suppression cuffs remained secure around his wrists, yet the Praesidio still felt the guild master had the upper hand.

Abi folded her arms, "You said you would talk, so talk."

A wide smile broke across Ivan's face. "I saw you at the games today, beside my son. He seems to take quite a shine to you, the poor boy."

Abi ignored the bait and leaned forward, "Tell me about Obra."

Ivan shrugged, a gesture shockingly similar to Laxus. Abi suppressed a shiver. "I'm surprised you don't know. With powers so similar, you two should be old friends. You're practically related."

Abi scowled and folded her arms. "I don't remember him in the family picture. So speak clearly."

The Raven Tail Guild Master's smile was cruel, "Out of respect for my children's privacy," his voice dripped with derision and sarcasm, "I'll only tell you what you want to know in exchange for something else."

Abi scowled. Of course you would. "What do you want?"

"You're aware of the morphos lacrimas in the castle, yes?"

Abi's eyes widened, and Ivan smirked, nodding shortly. "Of course, you are. That's because six of those seven lacrimas are from the original seven Praesidios. Anyone sensitive to that kind of power can feel it." Ivan motioned for Abi to lean in. The thief, despite her better judgement, found herself pressing her ear against the bars. Ivan's breath tickled the side of her face as he said, "Steal the lacrimas for me, and I'll give you what you've been searching for the past year."

Abi straightened and backed away from Ivan's cell. She needed to leave, right now. Or kill him.

He must have been bluffing— she had told no one about her search. The Praesidio planted her feet and forced a laugh. "Even if I wanted to, I can't. I've tried."

Ivan cocked his head to the side and put his hands on the bars. "You are perhaps the only person who can steal them. If the lacrimas are fully charged with magic energy, you can drain their seal and take the lacrimas."

Abi's brows knit together and pulled back from the bars. "How do you know so much about all this?"

"You're not the only one whose been gathering Morphos Lacrimas."

Abi's eyes widened. Run! Her instincts screamed. Ivan was a Dark Guild Master; he knew what she was. But if he claimed to have what Abi wanted… against her better judgement, the thief remained rooted in front of the cell.

"Obra has a special connection to them. And he told me the lacrima I found came from the last Praesidio alive. That is, until I met you." Ivan has my mother's lacrima?

Abi's eyes widened, and Ivan looked at her knowingly. "I think fate has brought us together."

— Currently—

The thief pulled her backpack off her shoulders. She opened the bag and dug out a large gold orb. Ivan Dreyar withdrew an identical lacrima from beneath his dark cloak. He smiled widely, and a chill went down Abi's spine. This felt wrong. "It is wrong!" Abi's father's voice shouted in her head. Her ancestors were rolling in her grave. The thief knew a First Praesidio Lacrima was much more powerful than the one he possessed. But Abi was not in a position to fight and the guild master knew it. A fight against him would require her to exhibit too much power; at the moment, the thief had an opportunity to get out of Crocus alive.

Still, Abi hesitated to give the cloaked man the lacrima. Ivan grinned and extended the Morphos Lacrima and Abi mirrored him slowly. Her eyes fixated on the gold orb in his palm, and her heartbeat jumped when she touched it. Mom. It was her mother's lacrima, Abi could feel it.

The thief dropped the First Praesido's Lacrima in Ivan's hand and snatched the other Morphos Lacrima from him. Upon touching the familiar lacrima, an overwhelming sense of warmth crashed over Abi. She fell to her knees, cradling the orb into her chest. Feelings Abi had not experienced in years flooded her body. Happy memories of childhood and safety— of love— made her eyes grow hot and a sob racked her body. Tears slipped down Abi's cheeks. Mom, mom, mom, was all Abi could think as a weight left her shoulders. Everything would be alright now— she had reclaimed the last of her family.

Laughter interrupted Abi's moment. Reality flooded back. The thief scrambled backwards from the guild master, clutching her mother's morphos lacrima. "You're so pathetic, Praesidio. Are you really the last of Zeref's Sentinels?" Ivan titled his head back and howled with laughter. "No wonder your kind went extinct!"

Abi bristled, power spiking off her skin. Ivan stopped laughing as he sensed the Praesidio's magic power appear. He snapped his head back to focus on her predatorily. "You're not stupid enough to fight me right now. Get out of Crocus while you can."

The thief picked herself up off the ground, reigning her magic energy back in. Abi's teal eyes narrowed. "You aren't going to feed me to the guards now?"

Ivan rolled his eyes. "I'm not like you, Praesidio." The Raven Tail guild master was clearly referring to Laxus; the barb cut deeper than expected. Abi watched Ivan warily and didn't say anything.

"Besides, even if this business is finished, I know we'll work together again."

Now it was Abi's turn to laugh. She let out a short burst of laughter and knit her eyebrows together, wiping her cheeks dry. "If the guards weren't on my ass at the moment, I'd kill you, Ivan."

The dark-haired man nodded and stroked his beard. "I know how business works with you, Praesidio. 'Blood and self above all else.'"

The thief scowled— how did Ivan learn the Praesidio code? The dark guild master continued speaking before she could ask.

"But you're a useful resource. Despite the fact that my insufferable son turned you into the authorities, I think you've made a rather special impact on him. I intend to use that to my advantage, one way or another."

A numbness fell over Abi at the mention of Laxus. She glanced away and tried to steel over the heavy emotion that settled over her. Ivan noticed the Praesidio's change in demeanor and laughed at her pale expression. "Don't tell me you're surprised. This should be good news. I'd expect you'd want revenge on the man who completely undermined all those people who died to protect you."

The thief glared at the dark-haired wizard. The gold orb in her hand suddenly felt a little heavier. Ivan was right. Her father, her mother, the Blue Phoenix guild— all had sacrificed themselves to help her remain hidden from Zeref's deranged followers. Abi felt a deep, burning hatred sweep over her guilt about Laxus. All of this is mess is because I didn't kill him, the Praesidio decided. And all of this would go away if Laxus went away. The Praesidio's lips pressed into a thin line and her teal eyes hardened.

Ivan walked forward until he was an arms-length away before the thief. The guild master gave her an almost tender smile and reached his hand forward to brush a strand of hair off of Abi's face. The Praesidio did not react to his surprisingly gentle touch, and she stared up at Ivan coldly. His hand moved down to put his hand under her chin. The dark-haired man tilted the Praesidio's head up slightly; her expression never shifted from its cold demeanor. The guild master's smile grew into a toothy grin at her stolidity.

"Let me give you a little advice about my son, Praesidio. With the magic like yours, you could remove the Dragon Slayer lacrima out of him— depowering him, permanently."

The thief remembered the feeling of Laxus's lacrima at the hot-spring. The ancient lacrima pulled to her. Ivan was right. Still, the thief played dumb. She arched a brow.

"How?"

The dark-haired man didn't remove his hand from Abi's face. "All you need to do is apply the right amount of force on the entry-point." Ivan's other gloved hand touched Abi's eyebrow lightly. "Right… here." He traced a zig-zag shape over her eye and cheek bone. The thief's eyes widened slightly in realization. Laxus's scar.

The blonde woman stepped away from Ivan and sneered at him. "Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to never take it into consideration." The Raven Tail guild master smiled his unnerving smile and adjusted his cloak.

"Until we meet again." Smoke enveloped the guild master and obscured Ivan from Abi's view. She pulled out a dagger and braced herself for an attack. However, none came. The smoke cleared, and Abi was left alone in the drainage tunnel; one paper doll lay beside her foot.

The thief stood there with her mother's Morphos Lacrima in one hand and a dagger in the other. She had speared a piece of Ivan's jacket with her dagger. Perfect. Abi glanced up at the drainage gate overhead; a pair of guards were talking aimlessly. The thief frowned. She'd have to be very careful in her current predicament. But all her emotions of guilt and anger stabilized through rationalization. The thief felt confident in her new objective: kill Laxus Dreyar.

Hello hello!

I'm actually very surprised that I'm staying with this story for so long, but shout out to the Guest who leaves reviews- it genuinely keeps me going/ writing.

Side: I always thought they set up Ivan to be the big bad at the beginning of the series, and then just sorta half-assed his story close with the games. Also, the emotional turmoil Laxus must have felt fighting his father... like what the hell was that emotional transformation? The Dreyars have SO much to unpack; their family dynamics are so dramatic and interesting and not really developed by the show (at least with Ivan)...so this story is my (slight) solution to that.

R&R :)