Alright! We're back! I apologize for the delay, lots of bad scheduling and such got in the way of me writing. But I've returned, and that's all that's important.
Since there's really nothing that warrants a response, we can get right into it!
Matt sat across the table from his sole remaining opponent, a man over twice his age yet sweating more nervously than a kid on their first date. A bored expression lined the King's features as his two cards lay face-down, only having been touched once.
"You alright there pal?" He teased his opponent with a coy grin. "If you need to use the toilet we can take five." The teen was trying to get literally any kind of humorous retort from the man, but was met with mere silence.
"All in." Matt spoke out after a sigh.
The audience remained silent as Matt pushed all his remaining chips in, the weightless plastic skidding along the green felt.
"A-A-All in!" His adversary stuttered nervously, feigning confidence with a shaky smirk.
"Let me guess: you're going for a Full House right?" He calmly spoke, the house still not having dealt the final card. Two eight's, a Jack and Queen lay in front of the older man that acted as the dealer.
The complete freezing of the man before him told Matt all he needed to know as the dealer revealed the final card: a King.
As Matt expected, the man had a pair of seven's. The hand lost miserably to his own straight flush with the nine and ten he'd had.
"Matthew Atlas takes the pot." The dealer calmly spoke, fully expecting this outcome like all the others.
Matt winced as the crowd erupted into cheers, "Christ, it's Poker, not a friggin sport's cup." He grumbled, rubbing the tip of his pinky in an ear.
After all the usual ongoings with autographs, accepting a fake oversized check and all that jazz, the teen made his way through the empty halls of the building, eager to get back to the Guild.
Thankfully the back area of the building was basically empty, everyone having moved to the front.
The sound of clapping echoed through the stone halls as Matt adjusted his gaze to find the source. A man with long, silver hair in a red suit stood with a smile, only one of his brown eyes visible.
"Well done as usual Mr. Atlas. I'd expect no less than such a performance from the King." He praised the teen, his clapping coming to an end.
"Flattery is nice and all, but I'd appreciate a name first if you wanna talk like this." He shot back.
"Oh my! How rude of me, I do apologize. My name is Maxwell Vermillion." He slightly bowed.
Now that name caught a hint of his attention. "Aren't you the guy who owns Wonderland Incorporated?" Matt didn't really pay attention to the logos and such on the cards he used, but he started to once he saw the same one over and over again.
"Oh! Wonderful that you already know of me. Yes, I doubt I'd need to go into the nitty gritty of my company being one of the largest in the world of games and the like."
"And if my guess is right..." He ushered the man on, already having a feeling of why a CEO would contact a well-known player in this manner.
"Correct once again! Yes, I do have some interest in signing you." He nodded, "But first, I'd like to speak a bit first. Perhaps over dinner? I know quite the lavish place if you're intrested."
Matt gazed at the man, not sensing anything ulterior in his motives. True, he didn't say exactly when he'd be back to the guild. Then again he'd get lip due to it from the usual suspects.
"..." The King sighed, "Alright then, your treat though."
"Wonderful! Then please, follow me!" A smile arose on Maxwell's lips as he lead the teen out of the building.
A short car ride with armed guards later and the duo arrived in, as the man himself said, quite the lavish establishment. High class decor in primarily white and gold was littered all over the place. The teen mentally estimated this room itself was probably worth more than the average S-class job's payout was.
Both men took a table by a large window overlooking the city.
"So, you wanted to talk." Matt urged him forward as he glanced at the menu, his eyes widening a hint at the outrageous prices.
"Tell me Mr. Atlas, what made you even decide to compete in these sorts of things?" He calmly asked, like he'd had the question prepped ahead of time.
"If you mean recreationally: it's because I was a bored kid in a guild. If you mean professionally: I just wished to obtain some quick funds to help out some friends is all." He brushed aside the easy question.
"So you didn't partake due to any competitive spirit?" Maxwell asked before facing the approaching waiter. "Ah, some Sangiovese if you would." He smiled as the man quickly jotted down the order.
"Just Water." Matt answered the man before being asked, he walked off after a quick nod. "As for you: no, I wouldn't say I'm neccesarily the competitive type by nature. Sure the spark may exist if someone interesting enough comes along, but generally I just go with the flow for these things." He shrugged, glancing out the window at the setting sun.
"I see, moreso a man of the people than someone who works for their own ends." He nodded. "I must ask though, why do you continue to compete if you already accomplished your initial goal of participation?"
"I only compete when I get invited these days. Most the time I'm at my guild or out practicing magic." He scratched the back of his head. "Though I suppose I only accept since it could be interesting. Not like money is a big need these days."
The waiter returned with their drinks, Matt's simple water compared to Maxwell's red wine.
"Ah, grazie." He nodded to the man, his fingers lightly grasping the medium-sized bordeaux glass. "You certainly are rather different compared to most mages I've met." The man lightly chuckled as he took a sip of the wine, relishing in the delicate spice of the taste.
"Oh? And where might you hail from?" Matt raised a brow before swallowing over half the glass of ice water.
"Caelum: a country mostly populated by mages as I'm sure you're aware." Maxwell answered simply before setting the glass down, Matt not even seeing a visible difference in the volume. "The personality of a mage varies from country-to-country. Most Fioran mages for example, are quite welcoming and friendly. The closest comparison I could draw being the mages of Iceberg." The man chuckled at the memories of the general populace of that land blanketed in eternal winter.
"I get what you mean. Enca's mages are all business, same with Sin's and Caelum's." The teen nodded.
"Indeed. Our environment plays a significant part in our growth, nurture can only do so much to prevent nature from raising you after all." Maxwell nodded, taking a sniff of the wine as he lightly swirled it.
"Odd this is where you've taken the direction of this talk. Your company hasn't even signed a regular person, let alone a mage." Matt pointed out, eagar to get to the heart of it all and return home.
"Ah, so you knew a bit more than you let on." A slight smile arose on Maxwell's face. "Indeed, my company and I have been quite picky about the person we'd sign. Tell me, do you know the origin for the name of my company?"
"I dunno, maybe something from a book?" The teen shrugged honestly, the name Wonderland seeming familiar in some way, but not enough to make him doubt himself.
"You're half-right." The businessman nodded, "Wonderland Incorporated was named after two things: the book my daughter loved above all else, and her dream to make everyone happy when playing together." A nostalgic, yet bitter smile formed his expression.
"...Judging by that tense you used..."
"Yes, my beloved wife and daughter are no longer with us." The lonely man gazed out to the setting sun. "Besides the slave trade, Bosco was also once known for producing a truly beautiful and incredible crystal called Paradiso. The crystal held the ability to store vast amounts of Ethernano for millions of years. Due to this, the colors they produced were truly awe-inspiring. So when rumors of one resurfaced thirty years ago, my little girl begged and begged to go see it. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied to accompany her, but my wife wasn't." The man took a significantly larger gulp of the alcohol. "The museum from which it was displayed in was burnt to the ground, no survivors."
Matt kept silent, allowing the man to speak on his own terms.
"I never believed the papers when they said it was a simple accident. I searched for the truth for years and years, eating all of my funds and personal possessions for just a sliver of the truth. The closest I ever got, were the reported sightings of men in black robes with a symbol resembling an eye on them. At the brink of losing absolutely everything, I had nothing left except the very book we read together. A simple book about the extraordinary adventures a young girl went on, and the friends she made along the way. Shortly after remembering the true value of it, I established Wonderland Incorporated."
"I see..." He kept his response short, sensing an imminent answer to his earlier question.
"You asked why we've never signed anyone? It's simple: why would I sign someone who doesn't have fun playing games? To the vast majority of professionals, it's all business and seriousness. Sure, competition is a must for a game to survive, but staring at people who don't even attempt to crack a smile is just dull. I'd want to sign someone that people can look up to as an individual that knows that you have to smile in these times. That you have to hold onto hope no matter how bleak things may appear. You may not see yourself as such, but that point is moot when I see the faces of everyone looking at you."
"I understand you might have your own thoughts and opinions on such matters, but rest assured: I have no intention of using this for anything malicious." The man clarified.
"...I can't give you an honest answer right now. In fact I'll be taking a break for the remainder of the year to focus on something else that's fast approaching."
"Oh don't be in any rush!" Maxwell eased the tension, "I myself will be quite preoccupied for the rest of the year too." He lighty chuckled. "How about we reconvene early next year to get your thoughts on this?"
"Yeah, that's for the best." Matt nodded.
"Excellent! Now then, we shouldn't be making that poor waiter stand there nervously forever. Let's say we eat?" He smiled at the teen.
"Sure."
Cana sighed in relief, enjoying her hair not being a complete mess thanks to her overly-doting father. That man was currently off on a job, Matt had to physically throw him outside the guild just so he'd stop asking the girl questions about her wellbeing.
"You know he means well though." Lisanna chuckled at the brunette.
"Yeah yeah, it's just a lot going from a passing glance to all-out affection like that." Cana sighed.
"Yeah, I can see that." The little sister nodded, stroking the sleeping head of a certain blue cat.
"What was that Hippo lips?!" Mirajane roared at the usual suspect.
"You heard me Hag Fingers!" Erza sneered at the punk.
"I'll kick your ass Lard Chest!"
"Just try it Thunder Thighs!"
"That's enough." And as usual, Matt smashed their heads together, thus ending the fight.
Once Summer had passed, both girls finally had the energy to spare for more brawls instead of melting.
"Sorry about that." Matt sat back down at the bar. "As you were saying."
Judeau smiled, "It's all good. I wanted to ask you, have you ever heard about the Tale of the Chosen Maiden?"
Matt raised a brow, searching his fuzzy memories. "Nope, can't say I have."
"I'm not surprised. It's a bit of an obscure legend." He chuckled. "Supposedly there's a young girl every thousand years chosen by the gods. This girl, as long as she remains pure, will be able to grant miracles the likes of which defy all common sense."
"Psh, yeah right." Matt rolled his eyes.
"It's a bit crazy, but that's not even the craziest part. Supposedly in order to accommodate the level of the miracle, five sacrifices of mages with a special brand are needed. Once they've passed, the wishes can be granted."
"So what, it's a blood ritual?"
Judeau chuckled, "Not quite. See the reason why people had to issue being branded, is because these miracles are powerful enough to even bring back the recently departed."
"Recently? Why not older?" The teen questioned.
"Supposedly it has to do with the nature of long passed souls. According to really old Pergrandian texts, the afterlife is a place that exists between all worlds and all walks of life. Once a soul has decided where it wishes to go, it's basically impossible to reach them."
"That's hard to buy even for me: a guy who literally summons dragons with a card wave." Matt rolled his eyes.
"Heh. Take it as you will, it is all just hearsay." Judeau shrugged.
The doors to the guild barged open as Laxus sighed and approached the request board, quickly grabbing the highest-level A-class job before turning in his old job while getting the new one accepted. Immediately afterwards, the teen rushed off.
"Geez, he's been like that for a while." Judeau blinked at the now open doors.
"..." Matt kept silent, knowing exactly why Laxus had been pushing himself so hard lately.
Instead of going for jobs, the teen had been hammering in his training. Granted, his new methodology would take considerable time to fully master if what Zeke told him was accurate.
"Hm? Well if I took into account your natural abilities and learning potential... hrm... five years!" Zeke nodded at the teen.
"That... sounds like a lot more than it actually is." Matt thought.
"Oh believe me, if it was anyone else, it'd take at least five times that. Trust me, I'm pretty good at gauging things like this."
The teen sighed at the memory from earlier in the year. As Judeau continued on about various things, a messenger arrived at the door.
"Matthew Atlas?" The man dressed similarly to a knight approached him.
"Oh? Not a frog this time, thank god." He sighed as he grabbed the letter from the man, sending a nod of acknowledgment his way as he left. An eyebrow perked up as he recognized the royal seal on the wax of the letter.
'Probably a birthday invitation or something. Not like I ever have the time to attend them these days.' He shrugged and opened it, his expression falling as he read. His eyes stayed locked upon reading a certain sentence whose gravity would weigh heavily on the entire country.
"Queen Fiore has died."
Matt walked down the streets of Crocus, the city having completely healed after his devastating fight a year ago.
What is commonly known as the Flower Blooming Capital, is now no more than pretty decoration as the city mourned. The grey sky added to the dreary tone as the teen headed for the Castle, the letter having summoned him.
Not a single person was outside today, hell, not even anyone had their windows open. Once could even compare this city to a recently abandoned ghost town without being far off.
Matt wasn't one to normally let atmosphere get to him, but even he couldn't help but feel even just a bit more melancholic.
"Uhm..." The faint whisper of a young girl caught Matt's ear.
He turned to find a young girl with black hair and in a dark-blue eastern-like dress.
"Could you... sign this my King." She muttered, her cheeks flushed as she held up a picture.
Matt should be rushing to the castle, he should be angry that this girl couldn't read the mood of everything... but he just couldn't bring himself to be upset.
"Sure." He nodded with a smile, crouching down to meet her at eye-level. As he grabbed a pen from his Requip space and held the photo in his hand, (a picture of his form after defeating Serena) he addressed her, "So who am I making this out to?"
"M-M-Minerva..." The embarrassed girl looked away.
"Minerva huh? That's a beautiful name you have." He warmly smiled and signed, the girl practically shooting steam from her ears.
"There ya go!" He handed it back to her.
"Th-Thank you so much!" Her eyes sparkled like gemstones.
Matt smiled and patted the girl's head, eliciting a massive blush from her.
"Welp," he stood up. "I better get going. You stay safe out there alright Minerva?"
"Y-Y-Yes my King!" The girl bowed deeply before running off, her giggles of joy bringing a smile to the teen's face. Something he definitely appreciated right now.
"Alright then, time to face the music." His gaze turned to the castle, his approach continuing.
The guards allowed him passage with a simple nod, already being informed of his attendance. Judging by the red, puffy eyes some of them sported, they were taking this hard too.
As Matt entered the main hall, he immediately recognized an old face.
"Arcadios." He greeted the Knight with a nod. "Good to see you again."
"Matthew, the feeling is mutual." He nodded, his smile quickly drifting away, as if it was unnatural to do. "Unfortunately our time to speak is rather limited right now. I'll take you to the his Majesty."
Matt nodded as Arcadios lead the duo through the halls of the castle. Despite the building being absolutely massive and filled the brim with art and such, it just felt... emptier. Like something was missing now. Something that brought the entire place together.
Arcadios knocked on a large door at the end of a hallway.
"Your Majesty, Matthew Atlas is here." He spoke to the man on the other side.
"O-Oh! Y-Yes! A moment please!" The clearly surprised man quickly hurried to do something before he opened the door. Based on his nearly bloodshot eyes and unkempt appearance, the teen could guess what he was doing before the knock. "Matthew my boy, so good to see you again." He attempted to sound more cheerful than he really was.
"Likewise King Fiore. I only wish our reunion could've been under... better circumstances."
"Yes... please, come inside." He gestured for Matt to enter, closing the door behind him. "Could I intrest you in some tea perhaps?"
"Ah, n-no, that's not necessary." The teen turned the drink down, not wanting to push the little man more than needed.
"I see." He hopped onto a chair adjacent from Matt. "You must be curious, about why I called you here now of all times."
"I won't pretend the answer isn't half obvious."
A small chortle came from the man, "Indeed... I'll be blunt: this has been far harder than I ever imagined." The King's expression dropped. "My father's passing wasn't anything unexpected, neither was my mother's. There'd been many years of expectancy and preparation for that inevitability. But this...? This was all... so sudden." He leaned back into the seat. "My wife had been quite sickly around the time of the tournament. We'd initially assumed it to be a sort of flu or allergy. However, it only progressed to become worse and worse. Every day I saw more and more color drain from her beautiful face. I was utterly helpless. No doctor could find out what she was even ill with. I searched and searched for any semblance of hope, until they told me such a thing was gone. She'd die and there's nothing I could do... there's nothing I could've done. All this power and ability as King, and I couldn't even save one woman." A bitter laugh came from the man. "It's rather ironic, isn't it? Power is ultimately worthless in the face of something like fate or destiny... isn't it...?"
"...Don't know, I don't believe in fate or destiny." Matt honestly spoke.
"Heh. No, no you aren't that kind of person are you."
"King Fiore, not to be rude, but you didn't summon me here for you to vent, did you?" Matt cut to the chase, he knew the King was made of tough stuff and would eventually bounce back.
"Just as sharp as I remember. No, I didn't call you here to release my grief. This isn't my first dance with it as King. However, it is the first time my daughter has..." His expression dropped. "Poor girl can't even process the idea of it. The idea that her mother is gone and won't ever come back. She won't ever be lulled to sleep by a lullaby again. She won't ever get to see her beautiful smile again. She won't ever... she... won't." Bitter tears welled up in Toma's eyes.
Matt's face remained stoic as he looked on, allowing the man to move at his own pace.
"Look at me, I'm in no condition to be a king, let alone a father. I know this is a selfish and rather lazy request of me, but I don't know who else to turn to that she could open up with. Neither Arcadios or I could vaguely succeed." The king hopped from the seat and got to his knees, his forehead pressing against the floor. "Please, please help my daughter!"
Matt stared at the man, in complete shock at what was even happening. He quickly composed himself, "Please don't lower yourself to that level King Fiore." He stood and approached the door. "Don't beat yourself up over this, you're only human after all. Nothing even remotely wrong with that." A small smile plastered Matt's face as he looked at the King before exiting the room.
Matt stood outside the door to one Hisui Fiore's room, the young Princess of this castle. A deep breath was succeeded by a loud exhale as he didn't even know what he was getting himself into. Sure he had experience in this field before, but that didn't make it any easier. How the hell was anyone meant to comfort a child of all people when they loose a parent? Kids don't naturally have that emotional maturity to understand loss.
A hand slowly rose up in a loose fist, about to knock and initiate the forthcoming discussion. However, a choice in the matter wasn't given to the teen as the door suddenly opened rather fiercely.
"Mommy?!" The young princess' smile quickly faded into one of surprise as she saw not her mother, but the boy who'd earned her affections as a sort of sibling. "O-Oh! Big Brother! I didn't think you'd be here..." Her voice trailed off before she quickly shook her head. "Well come in! There's so much I wanna talk to you about!"
The teen didn't even voice a protest as the girl quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, shutting the door afterwards.
He didn't complain when he was sat in a far too small pink plastic chair at a pink plastic table with a large stuffed rabbit on one side and a large stuffed bear on the other.
He didn't complain when the girl gave him a matching pink plastic saucer and cup with no actual tea.
"Hisui, I-"
"Oh! I better get the biscuits! Mr. Bunbun gets grumpy when he doesn't have those with tea." She giggled and grabbed an empty plate, putting it on the table.
"Hisui, we-"
"Oh silly me, I forgot the milk and sugar. Mr. Tedd can't even start without two cubes of sugar and a teaspoon of milk." The girl jokingly berated herself before getting more empty containers for the table.
"Okay then. Hisui, there's-"
"Oh! Silly me, I can't forget the-"
"Hisui!" The teen raised his voice, stopping the girl in her tracks. He slowly placed the plastic utensils down onto the table. "Are you okay?" His eyes were laced with concern as he looked at her.
"O-Okay? Of course I'm fine Big Brother."
"Hisui, your mother is dea-"
"NO!" She yelled at the teen. "No... she's just... sleeping. Mama is finally getting some good sleep again. Mama has been really tired lately, she almost never left her room with Papa. But that was fine. We still had tea parties all the same. I'm... happy that Mama is finally getting to sleep well again..."
Matt slowly stood up and approached her, taking a knee in front of her.
"It's okay to cry. No one would see you any differently."
"No...! I'm... I'm a big girl now! I'm the Princess of Fiore...! Pr-Princess' don't cry." Her small hands trembled as she clenched them.
"Maybe they do. Maybe they don't." The teen admitted. "But right here? Right now? You aren't Princess Hisui E. Fiore." He opened up his arms with a small smile on his lips. "You're just Hisui: my cute little sister."
The small green-haired girl looked at the older boy in shock before she bit her lower lip. Tears welled in her eyes and snot began to leak down her nose as a part of her desperately tried to cling on to her title.
That side lost.
The girl wailed into the chest of Matt, her arms not even touching as she clung to him.
"Shhh shhh. It's alright now." He softly spoke as he slowly stroked her head with the arm not holding her small frame.
"Bi-Big Brother?" The girl spoke between sniffles.
"What is it?"
"Why do people leave?"
Matt's eyes shot open, as if he'd been stabbed in the heart. For some reason, that question felt like something a part of him desperately wanted to answer: but couldn't.
The boy just held her tightly as her cries continued until she fell asleep in his embrace.
As he tucked her into her sheets, both stuffed animals with her of course, Matt couldn't help but linger on that question. Why did it hurt to think about? Why did his heart ache at the mention of abandonment?
A bitter sigh left from the teen as he exited the room, gently closing the door behind himself.
"How is the young Princess?" Arcadios asked as he approached.
"She's doing about as well as any kid who lost a parent would be." He admitted.
"I see. I suppose expecting anything else would've been foolish." Arcadios chuckled.
A knight quickly approached the man.
"Sir, we have reports of strange activity in the nearby woods of the city."
"Tch. Now of all times." The captain sneered.
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." Matt offered.
"No. We can't ask that of you." Arcadios shook his head.
"Look." Matt sighed. "What this family needs now more than ever is safety and security. You and I both know how unpredictable things can get around here. It's safer if I manage it so you have every man available here."
Arcadios grumbled, but had to admit the teen's argument was sound.
"Very well. Solider, do we knew where these disturbances are coming from?"
The man looked away awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Well uh..."
"Out with it!" Arcadios barked.
"I-It's coming from the... former base of... Wicker Maaaan..." He winced and turned away from Matt.
"Oh... goodie."
Toyo Hakumen walked through a rather dense forest bordering the coastline of Enca. Cicadas cried throughout the dense forest as the armored mage made his way to one spot in particular. As the treeline lost its density, the subsequent light vastly intensified when he exited out to a cliffside.
The man gazed at a much older woman, bordering on her 70's, sat in front of a grave. A beautiful pink Yukata was snugly wrapped around her body. Her white hair was tied into a neat bun.
"Oh? Is that you Toyo-kun?" She smiled as the man took a seat next to her.
"It's good to see your health is as strong as ever Kamisori-san." He bowed his head to the woman.
"Oh you know me, age won't keep this old lady down." She placed a hand on her flexed bicep with a smile.
"I suppose so." The man smiled beneath the helmet, returning his gaze to the memorial. "It's been over 10 years now hasn't it?"
"Yes... it's still hard to believe my hardass of a husband is gone." A bitter laugh escaped her.
Despite being a memorial, both of these individuals knew this was no more than a mere empty grave. The body that belonged here was stolen long ago. The culprit remains a mystery, as not even the full power of Enca's information network, the very best in the world, could find anything.
The wife and student prayed side-by-side together, wishing the spirit of the man they both missed dearly eternal peace.
"We should get going Kamisori-san." The man recommend, standing up.
"Toyo-kun, I thought I told you to call me Miyako from now on." The old lady pouted.
"I'm afraid I can't comply with that request. The wife of my master deserves equal respect."
"Hmph. Damn right I deserve respect for making that man scream in the sheets." She nodded before standing.
"Let's... let's just get going." The man grumbled, pretending he didn't hear that.
Both student and wife walked away from the grave. Inscribed upon it were as follows.
Here lies Kenshin Kamisori: husband, proud samurai and the final Nakagami.
The King of Games wandered through the unfamiliar forest, having only traveled up and down the current pathway unconscious. Never in a million years did he think he'd ever come back here of all places.
A sharp scowl formed his brow as Matt walked up the hill towards his destination. The unfamiliar outside of the wooden bar filled his vision as he finally arrived.
Matt stared at the structure time had not been kind to. Part of his had been burnt to smithereens, another part was beginning to rot from lack of management, and the rest was in clear disarray from the rampage Dark Magician went on.
The teen slowly exhaled and walked into the familiar inside of the building. His gaze wandered and fell upon the spot where he truly thought he'd die. He could still see the scars in the wood from where he clawed away from the former living being he'd reduced to nothing.
"Geez, hell of a gloomy face ya got there kid." A voice spoke from above.
Immediately Matt drew Kusanagi, fully prepared for a fight as he shot his gaze up to the balcony of the second floor where the voice came from.
"Who's there?!"
"Man, you don't recognize me by voice alone? I'm hurt kid, but I suppose seeing my greatness twice can leave a bit of a blind spot in the memory." The figure spoke as he stepped out from the shadows.
Matt's eyes widened in shock as he saw the familiar figure. "Moneky?!"
The former contracted spirit to Sarutobi grinned, "Been a long time hasn't it?"
"How the hell are you even here?" Matt dropped his guard, taking a more normal stance.
The spirit dropped to the first floor, "Remember kid: nature spirit. I go wherever the hell I want." Monkey took a seat at a nearby bar stool.
"That's right, his magic was about summoning nature spirits. Actually, what the hell are nature spirits even?"
"As the name suggests: we're spirits formed by natural Ethernano in nature. We don't really have a purpose or reason for existin', we just do." He shrugged.
"I see." Matt shook his head. "Wait, so were you the one making that ruckus that spooked the guards?"
"Bingo." He nodded, "I saw you were in town and wanted to talk a bit."
"You saw I was in town? I mean I guess I was one of like... six people out today, but that's still impressive."
"Not physically saw," he waved his hand side-to-side. "I felt you. Well, your magic power to be more accurate. No way in hell any spirit couldn't tell you were coming from a ten mile radius with that kinda oomph."
"Uuuuh-huuuuh." Matt slowly nodded, just rolling with it. "Anyways, what did you wanna talk about? I don't exactly have anything interesting to discuss right now." The mage being taught by the Black Wizard spoke.
"It's about something I saw you looking at on the boat. Never got the chance to discuss it with ya back then."
"On the boat...? Wait, you were there too?!"
"Well duh. A Nature Spirit Summoner can either call their spirits from anywhere in the world, or keep them nearby. I just went invisible while there." He shrugged.
"Ah, I see." He nodded before freezing. "Wait. If you were invisible on a ship with girls then..." A judgemental gaze befell the monkey.
"Ease off kid, I'm not that bad." A cheshire smile arose on his face, "Though I can tell ya who that Ultear chick thinks of during her alone time. I'll give ya a hint: his name has two t's to represent the level of hammering she wants from his d-"
A table was flung right at the face of the spirit who easily dodged it by going intangible.
"You're even worse than that deadbeat, perverted S-class bastard!" He spat out as somewhere Gildarts keeled over in pain of betrayal.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" The spirit howled with laughter, his feet kicking in the air as he clutched his stomach. He wiped tears from his eyes, "Goddamn kid, you're a riot!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up ya sick freak." Matt grumbled, his arms crossed tightly.
"Whew!" After one last laugh, the spirit got back on track. "In all seriousness: this is about that book of yours."
"My runes?"
"No, no, the other one. The one with that language from those obnoxious flying bastards." He clarified.
Matt drew the book in question from his Requip space, "This one right?"
"Yeah, toss it here." The monkey caught the cluster of binded papers with his tail. One read of the title made the monkey smile nostalgically. "As I thought: Marco Eriksson."
"The author? What's he got to do with this?"
"He was Sarutobi's predecessor. The previous Nature Spirit Magic user." Monkey explained.
Matt blinked a couple of times. "Wait. That book is over 300 years old."
"Heh, ya ever wonder why my kind ain't so documented kid? It's because we can only reveal ourselves to humans once we've already been contracted before. Otherwise ya get crap like this: a language ya hear that sounds like drunk, concussed gibberish."
"Well that does accurately describe whatever the hell is written there." Matt admitted.
"We nature spirits are essentially Ethernano given life, so our language is just what the primordial world spoke millenia ago. The first user of this magic didn't roll around until I was just a twerp 5000 years ago. Even then, I can count the total users on both hands and have some fingers left." He placed the book on the counter. "Though even then, we weren't really around in bulk until about 400 years ago."
"What's that got to do with it?"
"We Nature Spirits are formed by excess Ethernano in the leylines. 400 years ago, there wasn't a whole lot of it in the ground to begin with. That is until that war."
"War? You mean the one with humans and dragons?"
The spirit did a double take at hearing that, "How the hell do you know about that? Most history books completely skip over that part, if not outright delete it."
"I talk with a guy who knows a lot of things, leave it at that." He spoke firmly, ending that discussion. "Still, that does explain why your kind exists only in the realm of hearsay." Matt nodded.
"Tell ya what kid. I'll make a deal with you." The Monkey gazed at Matt. "You come out here, say, once a year or so. We'll sit down, have a nice chat, all that good stuff. In return: I'll translate that book into something you can read."
"I mean, does that book even have any real value? I kinda just grabbed it on a whim." The Fairy Tail mage admitted.
"Heh. As annoying as those flying rats are, they've got some nasty tricks up their sleeve I'm sure someone like you'll find useful." He begrudgingly admitted.
"..." Matt shrugged, "Sure, why the hell not."
"Alright then." He nodded in satisfaction.
"I should be heading back anyways, keep the book for now if you're gonna translate it." Matt turned to leave.
"Hey kid." He called out.
Matt looked over his shoulder at the spirit.
"You wanna meet one?"
Matt remained silent at the question. Pondering if he should accept the offer or not. Normally, he'd be all over the idea of meeting a new, never-before-seen species. But this time...
"... Nah. What's the fun in going on an adventure when you can skip right to the end of it?" He grinned before walking off.
"Heh. Guess you got a point there." The monkey nodded before swatting away something in the air, an irritated expression on his face. "Buzz off ya annoying pests!"
Deep within the forests of Bosco lay a hidden tavern, a place where the scum of the magic world gather. Bounty Hunters, Assassins, Black Market Dealers, you name 'em, they stop by in the sole place where a sort of eternal parlay exists this side of Pergrande.
Bosco was chosen as the perfect country for this place as the country itself is ripe with corruption. From the major religious institution to the king on high, no one had any "clean" hands here.
A group of four people draped in black robes with an eye on the back approached the building from a distance.
"Are you sure this is the right way, your sense of direction is pretty awful Kyrok." A figure with a more feminine voice spoke.
"Shut it, I read the map this time." Kyrok growled at the woman, his deep voice silenced by the trees.
"The last time you said that we almost ended up running into Caelum's Silver Knight Unit." The third person spoke, much younger than the others.
"..." While the fourth figure remained silent whilst approaching, the snot bubble expanding and retracting from his nose told everyone he was a severe sleepwalker.
"We're here." Kyrok stopped the group as they stood outside the building.
It was quite simple in design, one might even use the word homely. These people had no need for some black and skull aesthetic when every day they saw the real deal painted red or sold off to some swine of an official.
The words Widow's Hearth were carved into the sign above the door, lit by light lacrima.
Inside was a typical day amongst the dark mages: piano ragtime, dancing and alcohol. Everyone was dressed in typical gruff garb: leather pouches, hooded cloaks, ammunition belts, weapon holsters, black clothing, etc.
The only one who stood out was a rather quaint-looking gentleman in a black suit with a briefcase, enjoying a cup of black coffee by a window seat. A small smile on his face as his contemporaries danced and danced, spilling their alcohol all over the floor without care.
Just as the music was getting good, it got cut off when a knife impaled itself into the well-managed maple. With a sour look, everyone turned to face the earlier four figures.
"My companions and I are looking for a seller by the codename Mocca." Kyrok spoke to the crowd.
"I don't know if you were born yesterday or're just retarded, but we don't do business here. Take it elsewhere." The bartender spoke up.
"I assure you, this is more than simple "business"." He threatened, "If you value the continued strength of your profession: speak up."
Immediately every patron drew a gun, sword, or readied a spell. Fully intending to take this to the morgue if need be.
"Obituary report it is." Kyrok smiled.
A hail of arrows, spells and gunfire shot out at the four, only for large mirrors to suddenly appear in front of the group. The onslaught disappeared within the glass, immediately causing the group to cease fire.
"Quite the attack you've given me," the youngest voice spoke. "Allow me to return your kindness."
From the mirrors, the onslaught returned, now focused on its creators. Countless scoundrels were shot, pierced or incinerated by the attacks. Despite this, the melee group charged in, making sure to avoid the mirrors.
As a blade went to pierce the woman of the group, its cold edge stopped mere millimeters from her head. The man gripping the blade grunted and struggled to move his body, unable to even scream in pain as he felt himself be stabbed by what felt like hundreds of needles.
"Out of the way!" A spear user spoke up as he went to follow up, only to be cleaved in two by the man's blade.
"Mere puppets should never challenge their puppeteer." The woman moved her fingers, causing the man to begin attacks at a much higher skill level than he'd ever achieved in life.
As this happened, some tried to attack the still sleeping member of this party. Those attempts only left them as hanging corpses on the wall, their forms pierced by what looked like an invisible attack.
"Bastards!" One man with a knife managed to stab clean through the hand of Kyrok, his confidence melting into horror as instead of red blood coming from the wound, a pink, tar-like fluid seeped out.
"Blood Devil's Apothecary." He calmly spoke as the pink blood shot from the wound, drilling countless holes into his opponents head.
After the massacre, the only one left alive was the aforementioned coffee drinker. He trembled on the floor as Kyrok lifted the briefcase, a smile of pure ecstasy on his lips as he grabbed the crystal within.
"It'll take thousands more to reawaken our god, but even a small step is a step forward on our pilgrimage."
"You do realize every independent dark mage on the continent will not forgive this right?" The man weakly spoke as Kyrok's foot stamped on his ribs.
"Let them come. Our lord shall judge their souls." This was all he spoke before ending Mocca's life, another to add to the mountain the Four Swords have created on their path to enlightenment.
"Do you have to leave now?" Hisui cried out to Matt. The teen knelt down and rested a hand on her head.
"Sorry Hisui, but I have other things to attend to. Besides, you'll see me again soon."
The girl's face lit up, "Does that mean?!"
"Yes yes, I'll make sure to come out for your birthday this year."
The girl went to hug him, but stopped. A stern look on her face as she silently held out her pinky.
A chortle came from Matt, "Alright then." He held out his own pinky, the two interlocking as they shook hands, sealing the deal.
Once this was over, then the girl hugged him tightly, completely over the moon about the prospect. They broke apart as he stood and faced the king.
"Thank you for inviting me out here King Fiore." He bowed.
"No no my boy, I should be thanking you. Don't be a stranger now." He smiled at the boy.
Matt and Arcadios shared and nod and grin as the boy walked off to the impatient black dragon waiting for him.
"Goodbye big brother! I love you!" Hisui waved.
The teen gave a lazy wave while facing away from them, hopping onto the dragon and flying off.
Red-Eyes gave a lazy growl to the teen as they exited the city limits.
"Huh? Crying? Why the hell would I-" Matt cut himself off as he felt the unfamiliar wetness on his cheeks. His hand shot up as he stared at his wet palm, utter confusion lacing his features.
"What the hell... is wrong with me?"
The Guild Master of Fairy Tail sighed as he once again glanced at the finalized list for the upcoming S-Class Trials, the first in nearly fifteen years. Makarov was understandably nervous about the whole ordeal. He hadn't actually set one of these up in close to twenty-five years. This was also not counting the fact that the most promising young men in the guild were up for the title, one of them being his flesh and blood grandson.
Laxus is an incredibly promising youth, he'd definitely inherited that ol' Dreyar stubbornness as Master Precht had called it. At seventeen years of age, he'd be one of the youngest contenders for the title in the guild's near-century of history.
Matt on the other hand was nothing short of an enigma. A boy from another world who'd both been thrown into situations and gotten himself involved in many that frankly should've killed him, but they didn't. He was a natural survivor whose future potential rested in the stars.
Picking everyone after these two was rather difficult. The old man felt bad about throwing them in since he knew they'd most likely play second fiddle to the youths. However it was a neccessary thing to foster an environment of growth for everyone.
All that was left, was to officially announce it in the morning. A sigh passed through Makarov's lips, turning into a fog as December officially rolled in. He shivered slightly, knowing it was about time for him to head home.
The old man opened his office door and entered the main hall, spotting the young teen finishing up cleaning up after his guild members.
"Still at it?" Makarov chimed in as he walked down the stairs.
"They were particularly crazy today. Thankfully with that new wood magic girl making tables and chairs for us, that's one expense with no more concern." Matt wiped his brow, finishing up mopping the wooden floor. A duty he personally handled due to the longterm delicacy it required, last thing they needed were the damn floorboards getting moldy.
"That's good to know, means we can have more money for other thin-"
"If you finish that sentence with "expensive alcohol", I will personally make sure your chair always has thumbtacks stuck to it at all times." The teen threatened.
"Hmph. Party pooper." The old man pouted.
"Don't give me that crap! You're the one complaining to me about Natsu's property damage expenses!" Let it be known that a hyper kid with fire powers plus a flying cat will always equal mayhem in the streets. Especially when said kid has a penchant for breaking walls thanks to a certain perverse S-class' influence.
Both men sighed in defeat, knowing the financial stability in the guild was now firmly pushing up daisies... which were then incinerated, frozen, cut up and then zapped with lightning.
"Well, I better get going. See you tomorrow." Makarov waved a goodbye to Matt as he stepped out.
"Rest well Master." Matt nodded as he dumped the dirty water out the window.
The teen yawned as he put away the cleaning equipment, closing the door with the arm not scratching his ass.
"...t..." A faint, nearly whisper of a voice called.
"Hm? You forget something mas...ter?" The teen turned to the door and found no one standing there.
A duo of slowly blinks lead the teen to shake his head, "Must be the cold messing with me." The teen opted to sleep, writing off the odd occurence.
He awoke the next day to loud chatter filling the hall.
"What's going on?" He asked the familiar bluenette.
"Master said he had an important announcement to make today, called in everyone for it." Macao explained.
'Could this be the trials?' He threw his sight up to the railing where Master approached with Gildarts.
"I didn't even know he was back." Matt muttered as Makarov cleared his voice, getting the room to quiet down.
"A good afternoon to you all. Many of you might be wondering why I've made such a sudden call for everyone to gather. One or two of you might even now exactly what this is for. Many of you know of the annual traditions this guild partakes in: the Harvest Festival, which some of you don't partake in."
Matt felt Makarov's eyes bore holes into him, the teen pouting and looking away. He already had enough publicity damnit!
"The Blossom-Viewing Festival. Which some of you also don't partake in."
Veins started to bulge on Matt's forehead, his left eye twitching constantly.
'Don'tfistfightatinyoldmandon'tfistfightatinyoldmandon'tfistfightatinyoldmando-' He repeated in his head over and over.
"However, there used to be another annual tradition of the guild: the S-Class trials. A test to see who from my personally selected candidates is ready to step up onto this second floor and take the next path in their journey as a mage!"
Immediate chatter arose around the guild, Gildarts smirking at the sight.
"Quiet down now!" Makarov took back control of the room. "I've selected the following candidates based on their job records, natural abilities, and overall potential for the guild." The old man cleared his throat first.
"Macao Conbolt!"
"Eh?! M-Me?! W-Well I certainly didn't expect this." The adult sheepishly laughed.
"Wakaba Mine!"
"Only natural for me to make it in if Macao did." The smoker grinned.
"Reedus Jonah!"
"M-Moi?!" The artist spoke in complete disbelief.
"Wan Chanzi!"
"..." The man remained as stoic as ever, but mentally the sounds one would recall of dial-up raged through his synapses.
"Laxus Dreyar!"
"Hmph. About damn time." The teen kept his eyes closed and his back to the wall.
"And finally: Matthew Atlas!"
"Does this mean there's gonna be two days worth of cumulative mess I'll have to clean up?" The teen panicked.
"Well it's only natural those two would make it."
"I feel bad for the others, they probably just got picked to fill up the roster."
These were the general thoughts going around the guild at the time, not many were disappointed at failing the selection. They didn't relish the idea of facing two of the strongest people in the guild for a title.
"I didn't get picked..." Natsu deflated on the table.
"Don't worry Natsu, there's always next year!" Lisanna tried to cheer the boy up.
"Psht! Yeah right! Only one person is gonna win, so you either get Laxus or Matt as an opponent next year. No way could ash brain over there beat either of them in a year!" Gray laughed at the notion.
"What was that fruity pop?!" Natsu growled at him.
"You heard me cinder spit!"
"That's it!"
Natsu and Gray, once again, initiated their usual antics.
"Sheesh, those two just don't know when to stop. At least Erza knows when to-" Cana turned to find the redhead sulking in the corner. "Er...za?"
"How could the gap be so big..." A dark cloud loomed over her head.
"There's always next year Erza." Kagura awkwardly laughed.
"Next year... that's right!" The redhead stood confidently, a fire in her eyes. "I will not rest until I qualify for next year!" Erza sprinted out of the hall.
"I'm with ya!" Natsu followed shortly after, a doppler effect "Aye!" followed after.
"Huh, I guess she did break it up in a weird way..." Cana blinked before shrugging, a shiver going up her spine as she felt the familiar overbearing gaze of her father.
"Looks like Erza is really into the idea of this whole S-class thing." Elfman spoke, petting his sixth parakeet. "I'm surprised you're being so calm Big Si...s." The boy trembled as a fierce aura surrounded his sister.
"Wan was more qualified... than me...?" Her fingers dug into the wood, splintering it as the digits sunk in. "This will not stand!!!" She charged out the door, running off to train.
"Hmm. Maybe if I can reach S-class, Big Brother will let me drink from the bar." Brandish speculated.
"You do realize he'd still say no right?" Levy exasperated.
The green-haired girl was too lost in her own imagination to respond to the young girl's words.
Makarov observed the reactions of the children of the guild with a small smile, it seems as though there won't be a concern about genuine competition for these trails in a few years.
"Now then!" The old man spoke up, "The trials shall begin in two weeks! All contestants are to meet in Hargeon where we'll sail to the site of the trials: Tenrou Island!"
The crowd remained silent for a while, until one brave soul spoke up.
"...What's that?"
Makarov nearly fell off the railing at that comment.
"S-class trials?" Zeke tilted his head at Matt.
"Yeah, we'll be hosting them here. Shouldn't take more than an afternoon for em' though."
"That's not good though!" The young man protested, "You know very well what'll happen if one of them makes contact with me!"
"Calm down." Matt urged him, "I already figured out how to make sure you don't get involved." He pulled out a roughly drawn map of the island, pointing towards the northern coast. "Over here is where the rockiest cliffs are, but it's also where all the sea caves are located."
"I see. You wanna cover up the entrance to one and have me hide in there."
"Got it in one." He nodded, "I assume since you can feel magic power, you can just tell when all of us are gone."
"Right." Zeke slowly nodded, not seeing any real downsides to this plan. "Out of curiosity, what sort of trial is this anyways?"
Matt shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. Master keeps this kind of stuff pretty close to the chest, even from me. Doubt it'll be anything extreme though, for all I know it could just be a weird game of Go Fish."
The young man stifled a chuckle, "Well I suppose you've secured the victory in that scenario." Zeke earned a laugh from Matt with that. "Regardless, I'll follow what you have planned. Besides, if worse comes to pass, I can just take a short swim."
"Uh, I wouldn't reccomend that." Matt advised.
"Hm? Why not?"
"You don't pay much attention to the ocean do you?" Matt asked.
"Not particularly, why?"
Instead of using his words, the teen pointed over to where a large fish was visible. A Fioran Silverfin, a common type of large fish native to the warmer waters. It made quite a delicious soup when handled properly.
"Okay, it's a fish. What about it?"
"Three. Two. One."
A massive figure leap from the depths of the warm ocean, swallowing the man-sized fish whole. Well over the height of a ship in the air was a colossal shark: the Fioran Swordtooth Shark. The name comes from its old ancestors said to be five times the current size of this crop, their teeth cleaving apart galleons like a blade to flesh. With their poor eyesight, they utilize the silhouettes from the sun to target prey.
"Those things'll eat just about anything around your size. Too stupid to tell the difference between a fish and a human, and too hungry to care about the difference in taste." After his battle with Samehada, the teen decided to brush up on his marine biology for things that could swallow him whole. All this did was drive him to never visit the northern seas of Earthland where Kraken-sized beasts were the norm.
Zeke dryly swallowed before nodding, "I'll improvise in that case then."
"Yeah you do that."
And thus, two weeks came and passed faster than anyone had realized. The six mages gathered on the docks of Hargeon, beside the ship that would take them to where the next step in their magical journeys lay in wait.
"This is it Wakaba, the big leagues." Macao gulped.
"Don't worry about it. I mean I'm still gonna kick your ass, but that's something to worry about later." The chain smoker chuckled, Macao breaking into am argument with him.
"I really don't get why I'm here..." Reddus sighed, scratching the back of his head.
Wan constantly ran through the items in his backpack, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Though Matt did find the fog treats and squeaky toys... odd.
Laxus impatiently waited a ways away from the group, tapping his foot to the ground with his eyes closed.
Matt gave a sideways glance of mixed emotion to Laxus before gazing at the small old man standing on the railing.
"It looks like you're all here, good." Makarov nodded, his eyes closed. "As I'm sure you're all aware, this trial is designed to test your abilities to see if you are worthy of the title of S-Class." The old man's eyes shot open, a fierce fire in them. "So don't go into this expecting a lick of mercy. The future jobs you go on won't give it to you, your future opponents certainly won't spare the option a thought. So I'll give you one last chance: if you don't think you're cut out for this, then go back to the guild. No one will think any less of you for it."
All six mages stared on towards the man, a mix of anxiousness and adamant desire within them. No one turned back despite the warning.
"Very well then." Makarov grinned, "Then hop aboard and face your destiny."
Welcome back once again my lovely readers.
Once again I want to apologize for the delays in this and ABW, a lot of bad timing happened between my birthday, my brothers, personal matters, etc etc. It was pretty difficult to get back into the swing of writing for a bit, so if the quality of this chapter is kinda all over the place: I apologize.
So. We had a lot happen this time around. Primarily this chapter was set up for details and the like down the line. We're at a point now where I'm gonna be diverting bits of the chapters that don't fully focus on Matt to showing the ongoings that will matter down the line.
Maxwell is the Pegasus expy I mentioned earlier in the story. He won't play a huge role mind you, but I wanted to introduce him now just so we're all familiar with him and maybe so his backstory hints at some things to come.
And down another of my OCs goes, Queen Fiore's death was something that shouldn't have been unexpected honestly. Especially considering we don't even get a mention of her in the manga or anime. We also get to see a much younger Minerva have a small appearance here for the reasons of: why not?
We meet up with Toyo again as he visits the grave of a character I'm sure many of you are interested in hearing about, especially since I'm throwing the Nakagami name into the mix. This'll get expanded upon later anyways, so I won't go into any real detail for now.
Monkey once again makes an appearance as we get more information on Nature Spirits. There's still more room for expansion with them, but they're also a convenient method for me to introduce other species of creature into the story. Also yes, that Fairy book does have relevance for Matt's magical development. Just gotta wait and see.
We meet up with a group I'm definitely sure won't be major antagonists anytime soon. Yup. Definitely not. No way José.
The S-class trials are upon us, much faster than most of you were probably expecting eh? Don't worry about it, I have a plan. Just trust me on this okay?
Next week: the aforementioned trials, which should be fun. It'll be a much lighter chapter in tone than this one, I promise.
ABW should have a new chapter this week if you do care. I'll be trying something a bit different with my writing style for that particular chapter.
In case anyone was curious, anything from the upcoming game I can use in this story: I will. If I can't: then I won't.
In case you care: I have the options and poll up on my bio for the 4th story vote. I apologize for the obscene number of parentheses in that link, this website needs to git gud.
And yes I am rambling a lot because I have extreme post-chapter release anxiety, especially after a month of nothing... I'll stop now and post the damn chapter.
With all of that said and done, I bid you all adieu.