Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Most people would assume tracking procedures to involve searching for footprints and markings on the ground to follow the path taken by an animal. In most cases, that would be correct. However, Invel took things in a far different manner. See, in the mountains, most animals had adapted to the terrain that was not normally traversable on foot. As such, Invel knew how to track creatures that flew, utilizing an unusual keen sense for magical auras. It began by knowing the feel of the magic owned by the creature he was tracking. For that, Invel needed Gildarts. See, magical creatures often left small traces of their energy around those they attacked. So, after Gildarts finished discussing matters with Zeref, Invel quickly approached the wizard himself.
"Excuse me, but do you have a moment?" The middle aged wizard frowned at him, before slowly nodding. "I was hoping you could aid me in tracking down Acnologia."
"Wasn't I already doing that by talking to your leader over there?" He gestured towards Zeref, who had now made his way towards August for an update on Brandish. Meanwhile, Mavis seemed to be sticking to the shadows, looking miserable to not be planning anything. Her gaze followed Zeref longingly, almost with a reverent look in her green eyes, but Invel ignored her for now.
"True, but this is in a different matter. See…he is unaware of what my tracking requires. I did not offer him such details, because I felt as if he would be inclined to take the risk upon himself if he knew." It was the best method he knew of to protect the man. Perhaps Zeref was immortal, but there was always an enemy more powerful that was capable of defeating him. After all, had he not been nearly dead when Invel first met the man?
Narrowing his eyes, GIldarts took a seat at the table Invel was hovering by, leaning back in the chair. "Is that so? You make it sound as if tracking is a life-threatening task or something."
"Given our target, it may very well be so." He saw Dimaria return to the guild hall, likely having finished her own conversation with Alvarez's generals. He relaxed slightly upon seeing her familiar face. He still did not know what to call this odd fondness he had for her, but it was enough to make him uncomfortable when she was not around. "Tracking always includes the risk of truly encountering that which I am searching for. However…it means I need to know where to begin, and what this creature's magic is like in the first place. As the only one who has encountered Acnologia in recent times here, you are the only one who can guid me to where I need to begin."
Gildarts frowned, narrowing his eyes at him. "Sounds to me like you want to drag me along for another fight with this dragon." Thinking about his words, Invel frowned. Had he implied such a thing? He did not think so, but perhaps he was wrong.
"If you wish to remain in the spot where your attack occurred, I will not stop you. All I desire is to begin my job so I can do as his majesty requests of me."
"His majesty? You speak as if Zeref is royalty."
Meeting his gaze, Invel narrowed his eyes. "That is because he is. I would advise you to not doubt his capability of being in such a position in the future."
Nodding, Gildarts' smile faded slightly with those words. "Right. Of course he could be…because while he may look like a kid, he's older than I am." Gildarts shook his head, sighing. "You want my help? I won't give it until I'm confident you have some back-up. Maybe you and this little make-shift team of yours has a plan…but anyone alone against this monster won't make it back alive, I can promise you that."
Smiling, Invel saw Dimaria already moving towards him with a frown. "I believe aid is already arriving." Hearing him, she raised her eyebrows, questioning what he was implying. "Gildarts refuses to aid me in tracking down Acnologia unless another wizard accompanies us. Would you care to join me, Kyrie?"
He still did not completely understand her odd naming idea, but he was beginning to. Something about having a name to call her that no one else did felt special, as if he truly mattered in her life. Having her do the same for him meant that someone cared about his existence in return. "You and me against the biggest traitor of the war of my childhood? Sounds like fun, Vel. Count me in."
Was she truly that old? Invel found it unusual to consider, but it would explain most of her history with Zeref. It always confused him, wondering about how she had come to trust in him so much. The more he spoke to her, and now spoke to him as well, the more he grasped why. Zeref was brutally honest. In a world where people tried to hard to fake being happy around Invel, where they falsified their respect and hid away their fear, that brutal honesty was something he valued above all else. Dimaria did the same, albeit in a more joking manner. True, she was more common in the sense that she did her best to hide her secrets. Zeref would simply refuse to answer a question, while Dimaria would give a snarky reply. However, comparing the two was a pointless effort. Invel could have created list upon list of similarities and differences between the two and still not be any closer to understanding all of their history.
"Damn...you'd really agree so easily? Can't back out of my word now, I suppose." Gildarts sighed, shaking his head and rising to his feet. "This is going to suck…luckily, that little girl was around and able to take care of my injuries, but that doesn't mean I was looking forward to seeing that place again so soon."
Holding out her hand, Dimaria smirked. "Don't worry about it. I'm the one who sealed that dragon away the first time around, after all. The name's Dimaria…and since we're going to be working together, you might as well know that I am a master of time magic."
"Gildarts, Fairy Tail wizard and user of crush magic."
"Invel Yura…the only wizard with complete control over every aspect of winter and ice."
He eyed the two of them, frowning slightly. "Time and ice, huh? Seems like an unusual combination."
"Well, we didn't ask you for your opinion, old man." Dimaria glanced towards Invel, raising her eyebrows. "And I didn't realize you were the only one with magic like yours. Don't other ice wizards do the same crap as you?"
"Comparing my magic to another ice wizard is like me comparing yours to one who specializes in arc of time. We are similar, but others are far below my skill level."
She nodded, glancing down at her hands with a smile. "Actually…I started out as an Arc of Time wizard." Gildarts was silently letting them speak, slowly taking the lead and beginning to lead them through the streets of Magnolia, towards the train station. "I probably would have stayed that way, if it wasn't for a war going on that no one even knew about. See…someone was killing off the gods, just as mankind was killing off dragons. To keep their power alive…Chronos selected me to be his vessel. Basically…my magic is the magic of the god of time."
"Interesting. It makes me wonder how my cold could possible surpass something of that level."
Shrugging, Dimaria glanced above her at the sky. "I'm not a master of this magic yet, Vel. I've got a long ways to go…and besides. You didn't even see my most powerful spell back then…I was trying to go easy on you, after all." She gave him a slight wink, while he studied her closely. She had nothing to gain by going easy, so why did she? However, he realized that with her laughter, she likely was simply joking about the matter and let it slide with a small smile.
"Four hundred years and yet not a master…time magic sounds like a complex field of study." Dimaria nodded, though after a moment, she snorted slightly.
"It is…but Zeref kinda pissed me off with that." She glanced at him, scowling slightly. "He asked me to teach him a bit about time magic after all that…and it took him a few months to create his own variation of age seal to use."
Invel's eyes widened slightly. "He…he can utilize time magic?"
She nodded, now following Gildarts onto a train and taking a seat, "Time magic, death magic, living magic…really, he's kinda mastered all the obscure ones."
"Are you guys gonna just keep yapping about pointless stuff the entire time?" Gildarts interrupted, grinning at them. "Or are you two just really bad at flirting?"
Dimaria's cheeks turned pink, stiffening in her seat and looking away. "Who…what the hell makes you think that?"
Meanwhile, Invel frowned and tried thinking back on their words. Had he said anything that implied he was courting her? Not during this recent conversation, but perhaps in earlier ones he had. In fact, he was certain he had earlier this day. Maybe he was being too subtle about the matter, but he had little experience in terms of what to say in a situation where he was interested in someone. In fact, he hardly knew what to say when he simply obtained friendship with another. "You can't stop looking at him, and he does the same for you. Both of you ignore my existence…and that look on your face right now."
"And you are familiar with such emotions and people's reactions to such things?"
That made Gildarts pause, frowning at him. "See…I'd normally say yes. But with you? I can't get a read on you. It's like you've grown to block out the world…like you won't let anyone see who you really are."
He had learned to do that, hadn't he? It wasn't as if he despised who he was, like Zeref did. More accurately, he saw it as rather foolish to let emotions cloud his judgment and make his decisions. It prevented him from ruling fairly over others. It made him rash and impulsive, but now, he found he did not mind. He was no longer in charge of anything, and while he may be in a position of power, he had more freedom than before. Knowing that, he found he was oddly happy. However, he did not know how to show such a thing.
"You just don't get Vel, that's all." Dimaria looked away, avoiding meeting either of their glances. "Everyone has reasons for not wanting to let their true selves be seen. Some of us? Well, some of us are true monsters if you get to know us. In fact, most of humanity is nothing but scum, worthy of little beyond dying beneath the feet of something superior to them. We just don't have the strength to admit it to ourselves, that's all."
"That's one way to look at things…but I have to disagree." Gildarts looked away, smiling faintly. "Those people who you hate so much? They've gone through their own trials, lived through their own turmoil and strife. No one is perfect at knowing how to get through such things. Everyone copes in their own way, and sometimes, we just clash with each other in the process."
"And sometimes people cannot help but be afraid, for they cannot understand emotions which do not belong to them." It was why he was uncertain to act. Invel did not understand his own emotions, if he was being honest. With Dimaria, he felt open. It was easy to speak, to mention his past like it was nothing. In fact, she was the only person in so long he had to speak with that he did not remember what it felt like. Neinhart was open to conversation, but it was impossible to keep his attention for long. Dimaria listened, and she told stories of her own in return.
Nodding, Gildarts seemed to concede. "True, but if you make someone afraid, what are you really doing?" Invel frowned, studying him for a moment. "You've shown someone their own weakness…you've helped that person grow to understand themselves just a little bit better. And once they know themselves better…they can learn to become someone kinder in the future. So, if you're the kind of person that inspires fear, then be proud, for it also means you make this world a kinder place."
For a moment, he did not know how to reply. Dimaria had turned to face Gildarts, blinking in surprise. Then, her gaze softened, flickering towards Invel for a moment. "That's what he should have said to you." Invel knew immediately who she was speaking about. She was thinking of Zeref again. Why? Why was her mind always on him? For once, Invel wanted to hear her mention that he was on her mind. Then, he frowned. Did it even matter if she thought of him? It shouldn't. Yet, it had begun to matter from the moment they left the Ilora Mountains and began to speak. She sighed, shaking her head. "Gildarts…I've gotta say, you're a hell of a lot easier to get along with than I expected."
"Gee, thanks?" Gildarts grinned at her, rubbing the back of his neck. "All I did was say you two looked like a couple or something. I figured since you and Zeref weren't a thing, maybe there was someone else."
Invel narrowed his eyes, focusing on Gildarts. "His majesty already has a lover. The first master of your guild was the mother of his child." He spoke before Dimaria could, before realizing he was overstepping his bounds. Since when did he become rude to the point where he answered for others?
Still, Gildarts frowned over at him, studying him closely. "Is that so? Good for him. To be honest…there was only ever one woman I loved like that, no matter how many others I've seen since then. She's long gone by now, though." He sighed, shaking his head. "Take my advice, kids. If you guys find someone you even think you like, don't hesitate and let things just happen, thinking it will all work out."
He didn't seem to imply anything further, but Dimaria's face was still rather pink, avoiding his gaze. "Whatever." She crossed her arms over her chest, seeming to glance at Invel out of the corner of her eye. Meanwhile, Invel frowned, considering his words. There was a certain logic to them, after all. Would it not be a waste of time to avoid speaking about such things? Being blunt and honest, just as Zeref had been, seemed to be the proper method to avoid not only the issue of sorting out problematic emotions but also the issue of understanding one's own position with someone else.
"Interesting. It seems to match his majesty's philosophy about honesty as well." Glancing towards Dimaria, he saw the girl snort at that, shaking her head. The color seemed to be fading from her cheeks, and Invel frowned as he gazed at her. "I suppose it should be stated that I find I have grown rather fond of you, Kyrie. I find that we are oddly alike in many ways…and your sense of humor brings about a much needed break to my thoughts when I cannot seem to reach a conclusion with my usual logic."
What color had been fading from Dimaria's cheeks returned, deepening even more than before. Gildarts choked slightly in front of them, blinking at him with wide eyes. "Eh…I didn't mean you should…I mean, right now? It seems kinda like a strange time…"
"Is it? It seemed to be the most efficient method of speaking to her about it. I simply took your advice to bring the matter up sooner rather than later."
He did not understand the issue, but slowly, Dimaria began to laugh. It started quietly, before it grew, her shoulders shaking in the seat next to him. "You…you're rather fond of me?" She laughed again, shaking her head. "That…that has got to be the most formal…formal confession of emotions I've heard of. And you don't even get why you should discuss these things in private?" She laughed again, the noise bright and warm. It seemed to be as warm as her golden eyes, the ones that so often caught his with their unusual color.
Still, he did not understand what was so amusing about his comment. Had he spoken with the wrong inflection? Perhaps it sounded sarcastic. "I…I did not mean this to be humorous. Have I misspoken? There truly is no one else I'd rather spend my time with. You seem to grasp my history so well…and despite all that has occurred between us in the past, you are comfortable around me. You are not worried over what I may do…over my actions causing you any pain. In fact…you almost seem to encourage me to act, as you did today when you were so eager to join me on this mission of mine. It pleased me that you were willing to come…to know that I could rely on you to—"
Dimaria rolled her eyes, grabbing his shoulder and startling him. He blinked at her, frowning at the sudden contact as she used her other hand to turn his head to face her rather than his own lap. "I'm just laughing because for such a genius in political matters, you can be a real idiot when it comes to social issues." So was he wrong to attempt to speak to her? He frowned, not understanding. However, she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his in a sudden motion. His eyes widened, while Gildarts seemed to try and look away to give them a moment. Dimaria's mouth was warm and soft, and for a moment, he did not care to think about his plans for tracking Acnologia or merging his former territory with the empire he planned to serve. He did not worry about political arrangements or military tactics. No, his mind seemed to focus on the time wizard who had shown him what it was like to be challenged, and for a person to stay strong even in the face of failure. Memories of talking with her flashed in his head as he reached around her neck, his fingers brushing against her hair. This feeling, this warmth, he did not want it to leave him.
Still, Dimaria pulled away, leaving him frowning at her in confusion. "In case that didn't make it obvious, I have to say I'm rather fond of you too, Invel. Now, shut up about your feelings and get ready to get off the train. Gildarts looks like he's ready to throw up from watching the two of us talk about our personal drama in front of him, and I think him standing means this is our stop." He frowned. The train had stopped? Looking over towards their companion, he saw the older man was shaking his head, avoiding looking at either of them.
"Not another word! That's the last time I give advice to any youths struggling with romance." He narrowed his eyes at Invel, shaking his head. "You ever heard of privacy, kid?" Of course he had. He would be an idiot to not know what such a term was. He had to respect such things often when working with other nations, not prying into the details of their inner workings just as they did not pry into how he led his own country. Then, he blinked for a moment.
"Oh." Their laughter suddenly made sense. Glancing towards Dimaria, he saw the girl laugh again, reaching over and ruffling his hair. Usually, such an action would have annoyed him, as he was strict on keeping everything, even his own appearance, in order. However, he found himself smiling as well, chuckling and shaking his head. "Perhaps I am unable to understand social matters after all. However…you do not have any issue aiding me with improving my understanding, do you?"
He offered her his hand, his blue eyes open and honest. Gildarts made a slight gagging noise, hinting at him to stop making comments of that nature, but he did not wish to stop now. It wasn't as if it was anything further than he had stated before, after all. "Sure thing, Vel. You and I, it's us against the world. Let them think we're crazy…because to be honest, I think we already kinda are." He smiled again, feeling the warmth of her hand in his as Gildarts began leading them away. Perhaps he was happy now, but he would have to focus soon. After all, he came here to track down Acnologia. Once he knew where the dragon was, it would be a simple matter to summon their emperor and other forces to destroy the beast and end this war that had supposedly finished centuries ago.
So, a bit of awkward relationship development here...courtesy of Invel. I think this is the second story where I've had awkward romance situations involving Invel. Either way, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!