Lyla's world spun, everything around the screen became blurry. She found her birthday and therefore her age. She found her place of birth. She even discovered why she ended up there in the first place. Her mother. She must still be alive, right? The files mentioned her but didn't give any names. There were a few classified documents she tried hacking into. The council had taught her a few tricks. She shook off her shock and pumped the tiny bit of her magic that she had regenerated into the screen to make sure that Hibiki couldn't look into it and to hack into everything. She began to 'download' the files to her version of Archive magic as quickly as she could.
Lyla had to do this before her opportunity passed. She began to collect any info that she could get. Especially on her. Once she had everything, she locked it all so that Hibiki couldn't see it. Hopefully, someday, she'd be able to come back to it and get more info, but that would have to wait. She sat on the ground beside Hibiki.
"Thank you." Her voice was rough with emotion and exhaustion. "I'm sorry you had to use your magic for that and have no idea what it was, but thank you."
He patted her head. "It's not a problem. It seems like you really needed that."
She smiled, "Yeah. You're the first decent person I've met that can use Archive magic. I learned some, which was hard, but not enough to do what you did. So, I really do appreciate it. If you ever need help, just tell me. I can do a lot of things."
"Like a date?" He joked.
The teen punched his shoulder lightly and looked away from him. "That is a solid no. Just no."
Hibiki shrugged in defeat, a grin on his face, "Guess I'm not the perfect guy for everyone, surprisingly."
"Obviously." She rolled her eye and patted him on his head. "But don't worry, you'll find someone perfect for you someday."
The man looked at her and smirked. "It's nice of you to say that. You are blushing though, so maybe I affect you after all."
"No. I'm just tired. I have no magic left to give. And so are you, so you're probably seeing things," she denied.
"All right, then."
"How long has it been since you crashed?"
"Time is almost up. Hopefully, they can do it."
"They can." The teen told him firmly. Since neither of them could do much, they made sure Sherri, Lyon, Ren, and Eve were all ok outside their unconsciousness.
Soon afterward, a golden light flashed from each of the six pipes that sucked up magical energy for Nirvana. A second or two of nothing, then everything exploded. Rock and dirt blew up from the legs. Then Nirvana started to tilt, making its way to the ground.
"I told you!" Lyla cheered excitedly.
"They just need to make it out of there safely."
"They'll be fine. I'll go meet up with them." A new presence was in the woods. There were a lot of people led by one person who she knew. The presence of all her friends and allies gathered too. They were meeting up.
"You go ahead."
"I'll get some help to deal with this." She gestured to the crash. "I'll be back before too long." She stood and began to hurry into the dark woods. The battles had lasted well into the night and it was almost morning. The teenager began to run towards her friend's location. Hopefully, I can get there before him. The man she was thinking of was very hasty and was not going to deal with any of her guildmates or allies well. All of the little bit of her magic was focused on finding her friends. She was so focused, that she didn't even care that her right eye was uncovered as she watched for people with it.
It wasn't long before she saw a flare of magic. It looked like Freed's magic from when he laid traps all over Magnolia. It also reminded her of the many times she had seen that before. It was not her favorite type of magic. The teen summoned all the magic she could and disappeared into the shadows to reappear near the rune magic.
Lyla was panting as she continued to walk towards the people. When she saw them, she stopped, still out of sight.
A man with long black hair tied up, lavender eyes, and glasses was speaking to her guildmates and the rest of the allied forces. He was dressed as a high-ranking official council associate with his pink-trimmed green jacket, blue shirt with the Magic Council's symbol on it. He also wore white gloves, pants, and a cape secured by a gold set green crystal.
Her companions weren't trapped inside a rune barrier, but a human barrier now. They were surrounded by Magic Council soldiers, specifically the Rune Knights. The teenager sneered at the man. Natsu was gearing up for a fight over something the council officer had said.
"If you resist, you will all be under arrest!" The man yelled.
The teenager hiding in the fading darkness rolled her eyes. She fixed her hair over her right eye and walked out calmly.
"Goddammit, Lahar," she snapped at the man, "you're fucking things up even worse." She strode confidently up to him and punched him in the face. He tumbled to the ground. Immediately, the shadow wizard grabbed the back of his fancy coat and began dragging him away. His troops started approaching, perhaps to save him. "Natsu, behave," she called as she dragged the man away.
"Lyla." The man she dragged greeted dryly, "I see you haven't changed."
"Nor have you. Tell your bitches to stand down. I'm not going to hurt you." She paused for a second. "Yet."
He gestured at the soldiers before the two of them disappeared into the treeline. When they were out of earshot of the others, including Laura, Lyla released him before glaring down at him.
"Yoru, I would appreciate it if you would explain why you are here and what exactly you are doing."
The teenager rolled her eyes, "Cut the crap. I'm a higher rank than you, so treat me like it. And my business here is none of your concern. All I care about is that you take your prisoners and leave the allied forces alone. You'll hear the briefing of what happened here later on. So just get the members of Oracion Seis and leave. You're lucky to have that many and everyone you came with. Especially since you're late."
He stood and bowed his head, "Of course, Yoru-san."
She twitched, remembering Fukuro from the R-System. "Actually, get me some medical personnel and secure your prisoners, but leave the Allied Forces here alone. There are some injured that need to be tended to."
"I hope you are including yourself." The man pointed to her face. That explained the warmth and pain she felt earlier.
She shrugged. "We'll see. Now get going. It was a very long night and we need to get a move on." Especially since I wasn't supposed to be here, she added mentally. But at least it was a good thing I was.
"Of course, but," he began to walk away. He paused and asked, "Was it really necessary to punch me and drag me away?"
She looked at him flatly. "Yes. No one there is a high enough level to know who I am outside of Lyla. If they learn I'm Yoru, I'd have to take them to the council and the council is not kind to people who learn or give classified info away." She began to shift on her feet awkwardly. "Let them keep believing I am who I act like. They know I'm in the council anyway. I saved your ass as well as theirs."
"You don't do things without calculating the risk to cover possible outcomes. Yet you seem so irresponsible and reckless."
"How else do you think I got this position?" She stared him down. He remained silent. He looked very confused. "Now fuck off and take care of your shit show out there. I have other things I need to deal with."
"How crude," he muttered as he began to march away, trying to pat some of the dirt off his no longer pristine cape.
"That's what happens when you weren't taught manners," Lyla muttered to herself then yelled after him, "Hurry up and send the people so I can get done with all of this."
Once he was out of view, she sat down against a tree. She was so completely exhausted at this point that it was a miracle she was still moving. The fact that she had forcefully dragged Lahar was shocking. Although, since it was for her friends, it was much simpler. Since she had time, she pulled out the small crystal she had found in Christina earlier. It's magic felt so pure. It was refreshing after all the horrible magic Lyla had been exposed to tonight. Maybe she could make something out of this. It would look beautiful and possibly be useful. Lyla's favorite kinds of trinkets.
She shoved the lacrima-like gem in her pocket and returned to her group of friends. She arrived as soon as Erza yelled for everyone to stop. Lyla waited in the foliage, seeing the allied forces fighting the Rune Knights. In the carriage, she saw Hoteye. Beside the carriage, she saw a group of soldiers taking a handcuffed Jellal. She didn't notice him when talking with Lahar.
These people, her friends, were defending Jellal. They wanted to. They willingly fought the Knights knowing they would end up in jail if they failed. Even Natsu. Just what had this man done to redeem himself?
Erza apologized for her friends' reactions and took full responsibility. "Jellal… Take him away."
Lyla's eyes widened. She didn't understand Erza's full history with Jellal, but she was aware of the woman's feelings. Yet… She lets him go? She was just going to let Jellal pay for his crimes?
She watched Jellal enter the back of the iron carriage, then the Rune Knights mounted their horses and traveled down the road. That's when Lyla showed herself, but no one would give her any attention after what had just happened.
"He'll be lucky if he gets a life sentence." Lyla heard Laura mumbled. She turned to the older wizard.
"That man you punched, I heard him. Jellal will probably die."
Lyla saw Laura's eyes shiny with water. Softly, she said, "Not everyone gets the ending they want. Especially criminals."
The following day, Wendy had taken every one to her village and introduced them to her guildmates. They were all nice people who welcomed them with clean baths and stylish clothes from their culture. Wendy got a new dress similar to her old one.
Lyla wore white men's pants with women's sandals and cloth wrapped around her forearms. She settled for a comfortable black top that showed her midsection and came up to a collar around her neck. It left her back open and showed her guild emblem poking out from under the clothing. As long as she didn't wear any skirts or dresses, anything was suitable for her.
"Lyla! You look so cute!" Lucy complimented. She wore a revealing rose pink skirt and bra with white cloth and silver bracelets wrapped loosely around her.
"Your braid looks good too." Lyla returned the compliment. She would have to buy new clothes when returning to Magnolia. It was warm here in Caitshelter, but it would get cold quickly when going back home.
Lyla saw Laura admiring herself in the mirror. She wore beautiful bright colors that showed more leg than her old outfit. It surprised Lyla that she would wear something so colorful compared to the black and browns she used to wear. Perhaps her tastes had changed?
"You look nice," Lyla said softly.
"Thanks," Laura replied simply.
"You may have better ears, but I can still tell you don't sound…"
"Happy that we beat Oracion Seis?"
"That."
Laura sighed, "I don't know if it's because I never knew him until now… but Jellal…"
Lyla's eyebrows creased. They finally had some time to sit and chat without worrying about who they have to face next and Laura brings up that bastard. The woman must have taken a hint from Lyla's expression because she immediately started defending Jellal.
"I heard his charges. I know he's done bad things, but he helped a lot yesterday. He risked his life to help me and Natsu beat up Zero and destroy the lacrima. Without him, we might all be dead."
Lyla opened her mouth to say something, but Sherry spoke loudly to Wendy.
"You had no idea the guild was entirely comprised of the Nirvits' descendants?"
"I'm the only one who joined afterward."
"When exactly did Cait Shelter join the guild league? Pardon me for saying this, but I'd never heard of this guild before this operation began."
"Come to think of it, neither had I…" Lucy joined the conversation. Lyla left it by sneaking out the back of the building.
The fresh air filled her lungs. Her first clean breath since coming to this part of Fiore. The sun was brighter than ever, but Lyla would have to give it a farewell. Partially recharged after the magic overflow from Nirvana, she used her magic to appear in a room in the Magic Council Headquarters of Fiore. The spacious room was lined by many books, with curtains blocking the midday light. She saw a short elderly man with a dark hat covering his bald head. He had a grey toothbrush mustache and thick eyebrows.
"Yajima," Lyla said. The man didn't react anymore surprised than she expected. She knew full well that she has made enough pop-in entrances like this to lose its effect.
"A new outfit? I thought you liked your old one."
"Trust me, these aren't staying."
He smiled, but he got right back to business. "You're not one to visit for the sake of visiting."
This man… couldn't enjoy the pleasantries with her before the horrible stuff.
"I actually have some questions for you."
Yajima walked to a table and sat in one of the chairs. He motioned for her to sit with him, but she stayed put.
"You took me in despite my history with the law, so you were aware of my skills, correct?"
"Correct."
"I would assume you did a background check on me to learn what I can do. The word of those I inconvenienced didn't give you a full picture."
Yajima frowned, his eyebrows creasing. "Lyla, as I've said before, you shouldn't worry about this because-"
"I was there!" Lyla's voice grew loud with anger, slamming her palm on the table, "I snuck away with Laura and fought Oracion Seis! And you know what? I've never been more ecstatic that I disobeyed Master Makarov!"
Yajima had fallen silent. She began to pace angrily towards him.
"I finally got to see Brain fall! I couldn't get a punch in on Zero, but I know he's dead now! Now I can sleep with ease knowing the Bureau won't be looking for me with Brain's intentions if they ever even look for me at all now."
"Now I know you didn't come here just to express your feelings."
She snarled, her voice lowering into a menacing growl, "I found information. I finally got into the Bureau's files and learned all the crap they had about me." She took the collar of the old man's striped shirt and pulled him up and closer, "Why didn't you tell me my real name? Why did you keep calling me 'Lyla'? Why didn't you tell me anything about my family? These would have been great things to know!" Lyla shoved him back into his chair, now pacing across the room.
"We all took a vote. We thought it would be better to raise you without the influence of your origins."
Lyla fought tears. Her cheeks became warm and her mouth stretched into an ugly grimace as she fought with herself. "You could have at least given me my real name…" Her voice cracked. She couldn't say it. She had called herself 'Lyla' all these years. She had called herself "Lyla Ragstone: Little sister of Laura Ragstone" ever since she saw a pond for the first time. Now she's discovered she had a real first and last name to go by all this time. No "Experiment S" or "Yoru". Just her and her name. Her own name, untainted by anything she had done in her life.
Yajima kept her real birthday from her, her real age, her real parents, her real hometown, everything real about her. All her life she's lived a fantasy. She has done nothing more than play pretend for years on end. He'd known all of this and left me to guess all by myself.
"Lyla…" Yajima approached her with his sympathetic, gentle voice.
"Don't call me that!" Her voice cracked, moisture running down her cheeks. She looked away from him, staring at the tiled ground. "I can't deal with this right now. You were like a parent to me and this really hurts."
"I'm sorry-" Lyla ignored him and teleported back behind the building of the dressing room in Caitshelter. There were trees with birds singing happy songs, which only made her legs weak. She fell to the ground, trying to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn't stop.
She had no clue what to do anymore. She didn't know where to go or what to say. What should she tell Laura…?
"Who am I?" She sobbed softly to herself in confusion.
A/N: Hah... hah... Sorry? I didn't mean to. Finals are stressful though... and Syaleo(this is what my bestie and coauthor is going by now. I don't know if I've mentioned this.) is moving. Also, for the next two months, we'll be posting 'filler'. We're just going to be working on getting some more of the next arc done. It's less filler for now, but it may end up just being that. Hopefully, it won't take too long, but we'll see. I hope you guys enjoy it! Please leave any ideas for something fun you'd want to see too!