Aaaah, the story is almost coming to an end! There are only three more chapters left! Crazy! Hope you enjoy this one, though! Stay healthy, stay safe.
Chapter 62: Is it over?
Tilly
When Lily is done talking a silence falls in the room. I can only picture what Jake was doing when he destroyed the Sleeping Curse, I can't tell what the hell he was thinking. He might never come out of it, ever. And Kubo hasn't emerged yet.
Despite feeling like shit, Floyd insisted on staying behind in the cave to watch over the lake, in case Kubo would appear after all. Martin and Sasha stayed behind too.
The rest of us went back to the inn. Lily, Layton, Kai and Ibisan have returned from the dead. In the next room, Ary and Lucy try their hardest to help Levy, who keeps losing consciousness every few minutes.
Lily sits on a bed, her hair still wet from the lake water. 'I'm sorry, Gajeel. That's all we saw.'
The dragon slayer looks defeated. Levy's in pain, the enemy is missing and Jake basically sacrificed himself, rescuing four others in the process. Gajeel still had a death on his name, even though Jacob chose it himself.
Gajeel nods calmly. 'Thank you, Lily. I will arrange for you to get back home.'
She silently thanks him. Then Gajeel leaves the room to check on Levy. Others go downstairs to the restaurant, till only me, Rose and Lily remain.
Rose and I sit down at the edge of Lily's bed. She sits cross legged, looking at her hands as if there's something valuable in them. 'Everything feels strange.'
Rose seems to want to touch her, but hesitates. 'No wonder. You're alive again.'
'And I'm thankful,' Lily says, softly, 'it's just a lot to process. I was just getting used to the idea of being inside a different reality. Gajeel told me of the initial plan, for Jake to make a new one, just for us. My parents could come visit. But that's all out the window now.'
She seems strangely disappointed.
'Don't you like this better?' I ask. 'I mean, you can visit your parents yourself. You can live a life. See the world.'
Lily wiggles her fingers, as if to get the blood flowing and says nothing for a while. Rose and I look at each other and slightly shrug. Then Lily lifts her face. 'I just want to go back to school.'
'Well, you can,' says Rose, 'it's been rebuild. We're struggling to fund it, but it's a safe space for people like us.'
Lily's face brightens slightly. 'I'd like that. And can I just say how weird it is to have so many eighteen year old friends?'
Of the deceased, only Kai aged physically. The other three look the same as when they died.
'I don't think it's weird,' says Rose, 'it's like having a little sister.'
We laugh over it a little, but get interrupted by a sound. An alarming beep, over and over again.
'What the hell…' I mumble, and I stand up. It's coming from underneath the bed. I lay down on the ground and reach for it.
'What is it?' asks Rose. I hold it up to show her. It's a lacrima. 'What's that doing here?'
I look at it. There are lights going off in the centre, like thunderclouds. 'Maybe someone dropped it. How do you do this again?'
Rose takes the marble from me and taps on it. Martin's face appears. 'Hey!'
He looks worried. 'Hi. Uhm, so, where's Gajeel?'
'Nice to see you too,' says Rose, rolling her eyes. It's all in good fun, of course. 'He's a little busy. Can I take a message?'
Martin keeps looking at something outside of the visual of the lacrima. His face is dripping, meaning he jumped into the lake earlier. 'Well, Kubo has appeared.'
We collectively stop breathing. Then we hear cries in the background.
'Hey,' says Floyd over it, 'can you guys tell Ary to get over here?'
Mark
It's not everyday the deceased boyfriend of your fiance returns from the dead and you decide to sit opposite of him during lunch. Caroline is shaking. Ibisan, the kid, is focused on his food.
'So,' he says after a while, 'you're a mom now?'
Caroline nods. 'Yup. Of a beautiful babygirl. Her name's Ibi.'
Ibisan starts coughing and has to take a sip of water before he can speak again. 'That's...that's a good name. I like it.'
I've noticed he hasn't even once looked at me. I'm not sure if it's just too uncomfortable for him, if he feels guilty somehow, or intimidated.
And I also don't know what Caroline's thinking. The wedding is postponed, that's for sure. I just hope it's not because there are still feelings for this kid…
No. It can't be. Caroline couldn't level with a fifteen year old. She's too mature for her age already. But Ibisan has affected her in a way I could never. He was her first love and I can't ever beat that. That doesn't mean I won't fight for her.
'Look,' says Ibisan then, 'this is all really weird for me. In my experience, only a week has passed since the whole Squid Machine-thing...I blink twice and four years have gone by. It's like I wasn't paying attention to a conversation and am now just getting back into it. You know?'
Caroline nods. 'I understand. But that's not-'
'Oh, I don't blame you,' he interrupts, 'I'm glad you're happy. That's a good thing.'
Caroline leans over the table, reaching for Ibisan's hand. He clings to it. 'Thank you. I'm also glad to be where I am, but just know that I never forgot about you. I never tried to forget you. I won't. You're a part of my life, forever.'
He looks at her and despite my own feelings about this situation, I can't help but sympathize. From what Caroline told me about him, I know he isn't all that bright and mostly a follower, not a leader. One thing is for sure: he truly loves Caroline. I can tell from each inch of his face, the crooked eyes and the lights in them. He's genuinely happy to see her, even if it's with me.
I have nothing to fear of this kid.
'That makes me happy,' he tells Caroline. Then, finally, he dares to look me in the eyes. 'I hope you're a good guy.'
Not sure what that means, but I think it's his way of saying 'Take good care of her.' Honestly, since this whole thing started Caroline more so protected me. I have zero abilities.
'I'm not that bad,' I answer, and it makes him laugh.
'You can come visit sometime, if you want,' says Caroline. Then she looks at me. 'Right?'
'Uh, sure.' It's not because of Ibisan that I feel weird about this particular thing. Of course, we have a newborn at home we have to get back to, but still there is something about Caroline as of now that's strange. She seems eager to leave this place. Filled with magic. Essentially the place where she belongs.
'Or,' I say, 'we could visit you sometime.' That's to Ibisan. 'You're planning on staying here, right?'
He grins. 'I have no other place to go, so I might join some guild. Everyone back home thinks I'm dead anyway.' He turns his face away, to a window looking out over a street. 'You know, sometimes I think someone just screwed up. That we weren't supposed to be born where we were born. This place seems way more fitting anyway. And we don't even know how we got our magic.' He looks back at Caroline. 'You think it has something to do with, like, genes?'
Caroline stares at him for a second, then turns her head to me, her eyes widened. We're thinking the same thing, I think. What if Ibi….
Caroline stands up. 'I think I'm just gonna...try to reach my father. I don't know how...maybe I can just take a look.'
Ibisan's mouth drops. 'You can do that? That's awesome.' Caroline already left. Ibisan turns to me. 'Did I say something stupid?'
I feel nauseous. 'No, not really. It's just that Ibi is at home with Caroline's father, and I don't think he really understands what it is Caroline can do. And we don't know if Ibi...well. You know.'
'Oh,' says Ibisan.
Ary
I can hear the cries the moment I enter the cave. Floyd is trying his hardest to calm him down, but he just will not listen. I think it would be best if Ibisan were here, in his bear form. They had the better connection, but for now I will have to do.
'Gajeel,' I say. He is walking ahead of me, taking big steps, being very impatient. 'I think it would be better if you stayed behind. Your presence might complicate things.'
Right before I got the news of Kubo's appearance, Levy got better. She stopped sweating, stopped hurting. It seemed the last remains of the Curse had been removed from her. She is resting now, the worst is over, still Gajeel is agitated.
But he listens, thankfully. I make my way over to the underground lake. As of now the sun is setting, the reflections onto the water are less prominent. The minute I step foot onto the banks I sigh. They thought it better to tie the poor thing up.
'Release him,' I say, 'you idiots.'
Floyd removes his nets. The boy kicks his feet and waves his arms around as soon as he's freed. His face is all red.
'Doki,' I say. I have to say it again before he hears me. By this time he has crawled towards the nearest wall and is pushing himself against it, as if it will protect him from us. He looks between his hands and stops shivering when he notices I have arrived. I try to sound as friendly as possible. 'There you are. Where did you run off to just now?'
He is confused. I figure it is best to make him believe his own doing brought him here. His own so-called magic. 'I dunno. I wanted to make the puddle move, but then there was a bigger puddle.'
I kneel down beside him. 'That must have been scary.'
He nods, tears in his eyes. 'I must be a very powerful wizard.'
From the corner of my eye I see Floyd placing a hand over his mouth and turning away. Sasha sits by the water, watching the lake, as if there will be more people surfacing. Martin paces around, holding the communication lacrima in his hands.
'Who're they?' asks Doki, without pointing.
'These are friends of mine,' I say. I tell their names one by one. 'They're also wizards.'
Doki's eyes halt at Floyd. 'He's mean.'
Floyd seems to want to say something, but I shake my head. 'He was only worried, since you are so powerful.'
Doki slightly removes his hands from his face. 'Oh. Makes sense.'
I am starting to think there is progress, I might win his trust. But Gajeel cannot help himself. He comes out running from the cave, one of his arms deformed into an iron rod.
'You little shit!'
Doki screams, holding his hands in front of him, probably hoping some magic will save him. I dash in front of him. 'Gajeel, wait.'
He barely stops in time. The rod is only inches from my face. 'Out of the way.'
Doki cries louder.
'Gajeel,' I say, 'look at him. Do you really think that is our enemy?'
Floyd pops up next to Gajeel. 'He could be faking it. We can't trust him.'
I do not like it, but it makes sense. I look over my shoulder to the kid. How did he manage to stay in this form?
'Wait,' I say to Gajeel and Floyd, and I turn to Doki. 'Look at me.'
He shakes his head, crying into the wall.
'Doki, I cannot help you if you do not help me.'
He moves around slightly. His face is covered in snot. 'I just want Bobi.'
I hear Floyd curse.
'I am afraid he is not here right now,' I tell Doki, 'but I do know where he is. But you have to answer one question first.' I point at Gajeel. 'I want you to really look at this man. Have you ever seen him before?'
It takes him a few seconds before he dares to look at Gajeel. The dragon slayer shrinks the iron rod back into an arm and looks about as intimidating as he can. It takes everything not to jump at the boy, but in the end he does not.
I watch Doki's face closely while this is happening. He is shaking more than before, but there is no resentment. Nothing that tells me he is looking at his enemy just now. He barely resembles the headmaster.
So I stand up, facing Gajeel. 'This boy is innocent.'
'What?!' shouts Floyd. Sasha and Martin look just as confused, but Gajeel just glares.
'You really believe that?' he asks, and his voice is low enough it makes the air ripple. I nod.
'I think this is Jacob's doing,' I explain, 'it was the only way of solving this problem. By giving us the opportunity to do better. By showing mercy.'
Gajeel's eyes move back to the boy. Doki gasps. If he was truly a grown man in a boy's body, he would be pleading for his life right now.
Then Gajeel turns around and starts walking away, saying nothing.
Rose
My right hand is holding Martin's left hand, and my left hand is holding Lily's right hand. Ibisan and Samdy stand not far away from us. Mark, Caroline and Sasha also form a group. Tilly stands with the twins. Kai has his head bowed, Layton has one hand on his shoulder. Next to them, Levy leans on Lucy. She seems a lot better than earlier. Ary is holding the hand of a little boy. He clings to her shirt, as if he knows we all hate his guts, or at least a version of him. Ravin is by himself, his mask on and his arms crossed. Then there's Gajeel.
We've returned to the field where we played tag, before we entered the Curse. The sun is shining just as much as then, the day seems completely unaware of how we feel.
He steps away to reveal what he has just put in the grass. It's a cross made of two iron rods.
We stare at it for a while. It reminds me of when we made the three graves at school. No one knew what to say back then either.
It's over. It's all over.
Gajeel clears his throat. 'I'm not sure if I ever told you punks, but I stole this job from Lucy.'
The blonde mage smiles at the memory.
'I mostly took it,' he continues, 'because I wanted to get away from the guild. There was conflict with other members, I didn't want to cause a ruckus. If I had known what I was about to get myself into…' His voice dies out. '...I probably still would've done it. I would've made different choices, that's for sure. Like not smashing the classroom to pieces.'
We dare to laugh softly.
'Or get into fights with other teachers,' he follows up.
'But he was an ass!' says Floyd. I can't remember the name of the particular teacher, but it was pretty obvious no one liked him.
'I quickly learned,' Gajeel continues, 'that being your teacher was about more than telling you what I know. Some of you carry dark pasts with you. The cause of most of that is just shitty parenting.'
Samdy laughs, even though it's not funny at all.
'I couldn't change that,' says Gajeel, 'but I knew I could help you shape your futures. I have failed miserably in the past, and the events of four years ago I will carry with me for the rest of my life.' He stops, takes a deep breath, and turns his face to the sky. 'Jake was the first person I actively sought out to help me fix the mess. He didn't shy away from dark magic, and that cost him his life.'
I feel tears burning behind my eyes. Gajeel looks back at the rods. 'Ravin and I have talked it over. There is nothing we can do for him now.'
Kai hides is face in his arm. He pretty much knew this. At least, I did. Bringing back three people from the dead and freeing one person from demonic power and turning a spirit body from someone in a Sleeping Curse into an actual body is the farthest into the realm of dark magic one can go. Jake had, over the four years, sacrificed his health over and over again. There is no way he survived what he did.
'I'm sorry,' says Gajeel, 'to all of you. And thank you, for placing your trust in me. I…' There seems a lot more to say, but he doesn't.
It's the longest he's ever spoken to us, without yelling.
Samdy takes a step forward. 'Thank you, for not giving up on us.'
Lily, next to me, nods. 'Yes. Thank you.'
I squeeze her hand slightly. She's actually here. She has a life.
'I appreciate that,' Gajeel responds, 'but the true hero here is the one we remember today. Jacob.'
Kai removes his arm from his face. His eyes are red, his jaws tensed. He's not pleased at all, but he doesn't speak.
'I will honour his sacrifice,' says Gajeel, 'by living your lives to the fullest. You guys are the next generation. Hell, some of y'all already started a new one.'
All eyes turn to Caroline and there's uncomfortable laughter.
Then Gajeel turns to Ary. I can't tell if he's looking at Doki as well, I imagine he's not. 'Jacob gave us a chance to make things better. I trust him, and you.'
Ary nods, with one hand on the boy's head. Gajeel steps back and puts one arm around Levy. 'Just to be clear; I ain't your teacher anymore now.'
Kuchiha
I stand on the doorstep, looking over the forest. I think back to my first day working at this school. I was Kubo's assistant and I had to wait for the new professor. Gajeel Redfox.
The idea of magic was funny to me. Past me wouldn't understand why I chose to be the new headmaster. So far, I've been doing pretty good. I managed to get our first three semesters fully funded. As soon as Ravin and the others return, we can go back to daily classes. Maybe I can even get some request send to Fiore, for new magic teachers.
I sigh. They're late.
The past week has been lonely. Most of the students went home, since the school was understaffed. Those who had nowhere else to go stayed behind. I convinced a bunch of them to help me with the library. I sent a letter to the Magic Council of the Kingdom of Fiore and they donated a whole bunch of scrolls. Soon, an investigator instructed by them will stop by. It's nothing serious.
The Council is mainly interested in finding out how children end up with magic in a land that has barely any of it. The investigator wishes to question students and examine them. I agreed upon the term that I will be present each time. These kids are now in my care.
I have no magic, of course, but it has played a roll in my life. Ravin freed me from a Sleeping Curse. The how and the why I never discovered, and I don't think I ever will. I'm not sure I want to know.
Still, the origin of mages in this land is mysterious. Here, magic is strange and freakish. Most kids born with magical abilities become outcasts of society, or even in their own homes before they reach the age of ten. They feel worthless, even though they can do the most amazing things.
It's never a crime to exist. That's what I want them to know the moment they step into this school. There is a place for them in this world.
There are thousands of kids like them, and I can't help them all, but it's a start. Soon, I will send Ravin out to search for more young wizards. It's essentially what Kubo started out doing, but now there is nothing to be gained. Except wonderful mages.
Finally, a figure appears between the trees. I pull my mind away from wondering. First Ravin appears. He moves his mask to the side, revealing his face. He smiles.
Behind him Martin and Rose emerge, and another girl. Rose's voice sounds excited, but the other girl stops listening when she sees the school. She stops dead in her tracks, her mouth falls open.
I then recognize her. Rose had a picture of her on the fridge. One of the classmates that didn't survive the last battle.
Yet here she stands. Alive.
Ravin walks up the steps and kisses me on the cheek. 'I'll explain later.'
Samdy
The salt of the sea gets carried through the wind, into my hair. Down by the docks Ibisan and Sasha said goodbye to Caroline and her boyfriend. The ship they're about to board onto is the Columbi. The blue haired pirate operating it runs around the deck. Lily, Martin, Rose and Ravin are already on board.
I can't believe it's all over. Four years of wondering where that asshole of a headmaster had been hiding ended with nothing more than a puff of smoke. Not even a bang. Kubo is now nothing more than a little boy who can't wield magic. Right after we said our goodbyes to the monument for Jacob, Ary took off with Doki.
Sasha says something to Mark, he laughs. When she sees me looking, I turn away. Though we haven't spoken about it, I know we're parting ways now. She doesn't hate me, I think, but it will never be like before.
'Ahoy!' sounds the voice of Eric on the ship. The ropes are untied from the docks and the sails latch onto a breeze. Ibisan waves. Caroline cries a little.
I hear footsteps on the wooden planks and I pretend to be looking at something far off in the distance. A shadow falls over me. It's her, of course.
'I, uh,' she says, 'again, I'm sorry I punched you, earlier.'
I look at her. Take a long look. 'I probably deserved it.'
Her brown hair, which I enjoyed transforming into all weird stuff. Her eyes which she rolled each time I took a breath in class. Her grin when I finally noticed she had glued my table and chair to the ground. The blush on her cheeks after we finally stopped nagging at each other, realizing we only did it to hide different feelings.
I was an asshole to her.
'I'm going back to Mermaid Heel,' she says.
I nod. 'Cool.'
She breathes out loudly, the kind of sigh that goes through your nose. 'Well, if you're ever in the neighbourhood...you know.'
'Yeah, thanks.'
'Okay, then. Bye.'
I watch her walk away. I think it would be best if we never saw each other again.
The Columbi has disappeared beyond the horizon. Ibisan walks off the docks and notices Sasha. She's almost out of sight too.
'Bye, Sasha!' Ibisan yells. She glances over her shoulder and waves. When Ibisan reaches me, he shakes his head. 'You screwed up big time, didn't you?'
I don't remember fifteen year old Ibisan to be so wise-cracking. 'Shut up.'
Ibisan throws a travel bag over his shoulder. We just bought it this morning. 'So, where to?'
I can feel myself grinning. 'Fairy Tail. You have no idea what's in store for you.'
'Is it that bad?'
'No, the opposite. It's unlike any place you've ever been.'
