Kai stumbled off the cart. His stomach at last calmed down. He sucked in long breathes. The driver no doubt stared at him quite strangely, but Kai had already paid him so he could just ride off without a care in the world. Kai clenched a pair of fists then pushed himself to his feet.

Onibus Train Station stared back at him. From one vehicle to another. Kai groaned at the sight of the place. The train ride would be eternal compared to the cart ride. Going from Onibus to Clover Town was a long ride even for those without motion sickness. He wasn't sure how long he could dally, though. Just standing around would give everyone from Fairy Tail time to catch up to him.

He hoped he had a longer window than one would think. Nobody would expect him to be dumb enough to have taken a ride on the way to Onibus, and he had at least as long as it took the driver to return to Magnolia before they could figure out he did. By that point he had to be on the train.

Kai tugged his hood over his head and removed his belt, instead attaching it diagonally across his torso to hide the sword behind his cloak. People would definitely talk if asked about a white-haired guy with a sword…and serious motion sickness. Kai walked up the steps, now guarded a bit heavier since his last appearance at the station. Thanks for that, Erigor.

Nobody but the guards gave him a second look while he climbed the stone steps toward the massive station. He took them every other step to increase speed. Every second counted here.

Several merchants lined the steps and the entrance of the station trying to sell their wares. Kai wasn't quite used to seeing it. He never really traveled to Onibus outside of being there for a quick job, and he especially avoided the train station. Plus, most vendors in Magnolia preferred to be indoors, rather than all stand around near random tables selling things.

Kai entered the train station and glanced at the lacrima-powered schedule that blinked whenever there was an update to the train schedule. He spotted the train for Clover Town, set to arrive in about a half-hour. Not great, but also there was no way Fairy Tail would arrive in a half-hour to find him. He spotted another huddling of guards off in the corner, though this one seemed organized, as if they were with someone specifically.

He bought his ticket, careful not to reveal any significant portions of his face, then stepped off to the side and approached the edge of the walkway, which had just cleared out as another train had departed. Kai played with the ticket in his hand and glanced about the walkway. A few kids ran about as families tiredly watched them. Some businesspeople.

A few wizards, too. He didn't recognize any guild symbols on them, so, maybe some local village ones. He always appreciated those guilds. He loved Fairy Tail and the guilds in Fiore were overwhelming kind, but he also appreciated the village-feel of some guilds, the ones off the beaten path that really understood, like Fairy Tail, what it meant to be wizards.

Another train arrived. This one didn't have too many passengers. A couple of wizards stepped off the train, tensing when they saw the guards. Kai eyed them, as did a little old, and rather cranky-looking, old man standing near the guards.

The station cleared out a bit before one of them moved fast, throwing a smoke ball at the guards that exploded in pink smoke. Kai immediately raised his shirt over his nose to mask himself from the smoke before swiping it away.

"Everyone, on the ground now!" a gruff voice exclaimed. "And lay your lacrima where we can see them!"

Kai watched, through the thinning smoke, as the other wizard cast his hand forward and blocked all entrances to the station. Guards slammed against it.

Great. Dark wizards.

The other wizard held his hand up and, one by one, lacrima floated into the air. Kai grimaced and slinked forward, then laid down when they looked his way again.

The guards had all been knocked out cold, and the gas did wonders for taking out other wizards. It'd been raised to the top of the station. The levitation wizard opened up a bag and the lacrima dropped into it. The barrier wizard smiled.

"Gotta love Fiore," he muttered. "Full of the rich, and the—"

A shoe crashed against his face. He stumbled to the side. The levitation wizard glanced in that direction and Kai clocked him straight across the face, and with a simple roundhouse kicked slammed him to the ground.

"Oh, what's this?" the barrier wizard asked, raising fisticuffs.

"Just give up, please," Kai said.

The barrier wizard punched out, and an ethereal fist punched forward. Kai swept under it but his legs were taken out by a barrier below the belt. Kai did his best to catch himself in flip forward and kicked out. The barrier wizard blocked it quite easily.

Kai swung his arms out wildly to try and catch the wizard off guard then lowered his shoulder and stunned him with a hit to the chest. Kai blocked his next barrier rather easily.

Man, this guy was really nothing compared to Natsu.

"Ain't gonna lose to some non-magic punk," the wizard snarled.

Oh, good! Kai grinned. Non-magic was just the description he was looking forward. He checked his hood and attacked once again, blocking the next few—admittedly creative—attacks before landing another blow to the wizard's arm. It stunned him just long enough to Kai to punch him in the chest, then reach forward, grab him by the hair, and slam his knee right into his ugly Dark Wizard face, knocking him out cold.

Kai sighed as he dropped to the ground and the barrier dropped. Kai dusted himself off a bit and helped an older couple get to their feet.

"Thank you so much!" they said.

Kai just shrugged it off and checked the schedule. Still some time before the train arrived.

The guards naturally interrogated Kai and he gave them a completely made up alias, trying to draw things out slowly to give the Clover Town train more time to pull into the station. All the while he sensed the strange gaze of that guard-surrounded old man on him.

The Clover Town train arrived and Kai let others board before him, keeping his own eye on the old man. He slid into the cabin and flashed his ticket to the doorman before finding a nice window seat. He immediately cracked the window open to let the fresh air in, drinking in as much of it was he could get before the train would start rolling.

Before the torment could begin.

The train's whistle blared loud and Kai let out a long sigh and balled up tight fists before he was promptly joined by that old man, all alone—though the guards filled the seats around them.

"Take this," he said, flicking Kai a packet.

"What?" Kai asked, and the train lurched. Kai's stomach almost went with it.

"It helps with the motion sickness," the old man said. "I like to have it on me for my trips, so, don't use all of it."

Kai ignored the blaring discomfort in his gut and opened the packet. He eyed the old man, who gestured for Kai to just slap the herbs into his mouth. Kai shrugged and did as the old man bade, leaving quite a few left for him.

A fresh scent of pine washed over him, and as he closed his eyes to shut away the uncomfortable train ride, that scent seemed to wash through his body, as if it were scrubbing away impurities of a sort throughout his body.

"How did you know?" Kai asked, handing him the packet back. He looked out the window. The train chugged along the northern rails but he felt nothing. A few bumps but no discomfort. What magic was this?

"First I judged the look on your face," the old man said, "and figured you could use a little reward after your stunt in the train station. I would say that was quite stupid of you…" The old man sneered and tucked the herbs away. "If you weren't from Fairy Tail."

Kai's stomach plummeted. "What?"

"I don't know why you're trying to hide yourself so I won't talk too loud," the old man said, and true to his word he did lower his voice. "You're Kai Hope, the Ice Dragon Slayer, right?"

Kai grimaced. "Yeah. What about it, have you been sent to follow me?"

"Not even close," the old man said. "I was sort of hoping to avoid Fairy Tail on this trip. Your guild always seems to be around whenever there's problems in the guild. What happened in the station seems to uphold that reputation, doesn't it?"

"And how did you recognize me?"

"I wouldn't be good at my job if I didn't." The old man nodded to Kai. "I'm Darton, advisor to King Fiore."

"You're who?"

Kai glanced at the guards. They wore typical Fiore armor, but with a better glance it wasn't just Fiore armor, it was well-tempered and magic resistant. They each bore scowls.

"Someone you don't want to mess around with," Darton said.

"The hell are you doing all the way out here?"

"Advising the King. What, you think he just uses a lacrima to talk to all of his regional lords? Sometimes he prefers a more personal touch, and I prefer him to stay in the castle. I'm on a trip to Clover Town now just to visit some family."

"And advise the King?"

"If there's time." Darton folded his hands together. "Last time anyone in Fairy Tail was in Clover Town was after Lullaby. I have to thank you on behalf of the king for that, what your guild did was miraculous and saved thousands of lives."

"All part of the job."

"It wasn't a job, that's why I must thank you. You all put your lives on the line for the sake of the kingdom and the Magic Council. I understand you personally defeated the Shinigami?"

Kai tried not to blush and shifted so the sunlight caught his face and he could glance outside. "Yeah, that was me."

"Dragon Slayer magic must have its perks, then. Normal guild wizards don't just defeat someone like Erigor. By all accounts he'd be a tough cookie even in the company of something like the Balam Alliance. It just makes me wonder what draws you back there now."

The red coloring in Kai's face faded so he no longer had to blush, and he just glowered out the window. "My business is my own, mister advisor."

"I was just voicing my thoughts," Darton said, holding his hands up. "An old man's mind is still a curious one, especially toward the youth. One day one of you guild people may end up guarding the king or princess, so I like to know they're alright in the head."

"Like you said, we youth are able to defeat Erigor. Not much to worry about."

"I worry that the wrong youth may have the power."

From the corner of his eye Kai caught Darton sneering at him. Kai just scoffed but shrugged. Hard to disagree with the old man on that front.

The two sat in silence for a bit; well, that wasn't entirely true. Darton chatted a bit with his guards who asked him questions every now and then. Kai may as well have had several dozen conversations about how he was going to explain travel from the Fiore border into Bosco. From what he understood it wasn't a pleasant process to travel across kingdoms.

Kai's sword lay across his lap, and every now and then he would tap his hand against it. His mind kept him from drifting to sleep, as did the herbs from Darton. He hoped every town that approached was going to be Clover Town. He had no real idea of how far off Clover Town was; last time he was there, he arrived while he was unconscious and then he was taken home by Erza in a rather speedy drive, and it was straight to Magnolia.

He pursed his lips and just maintained his grimace. How pleasant.

The train's whistle blared up ahead before something ground and screeched. Darton glanced about but tried to remain calm.

"We're stopping?" he asked.

Kai leered. They were still in the wilderness. Green hills surrounded them on all sides. Some of the other passengers murmured their own questions and swiveled their heads around while the attendants tried to keep everyone calm.

A sensation sent shivers through Kai. A foul smell, but not an actual scent. Kai gripped his sword and the train came to a complete halt.

"Someone's here," Kai said. "Ready your guards."

The doors blew open behind them. Kai reacted fast, grabbing Darton by the scruff of his shirt and placing the advisor behind Kai, who had his sword out in a flash.

"Please, please, there's no need for that."

An old man stepped onto the train. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye and had a black cloak over a shirt and pants with what appeared to be heavy boots. He had long grey hair as well as a long grey beard. He wore an odd horned helmet atop his head. He also had one hand up. Kai assumed it was to keep everyone at peace, when it reality, it was to maintain magic: nobody on the train could move…except for Kai.

"What do you want with these people?"
"Heh, idiot, nobody came here for them."

The scraggy voice came from behind Kai. He hadn't even noticed it. Kai glanced over his shoulder. A shaggy haired blonde man wearing shorts and a sash approached. He had a wild look in his eye and wisps of black flame burst off his hand. The other man was dark skinned with dark hair and wore a bored expression. He simply glowered.

"My friend speaks the truth. We have come for you, Dragon Slayer."

Way to just blow his cover.

"You don't know me."

"Would you stop dragging this out?"

Darton still cowered behind Kai. Kai placed a hand near Darton and readied some magic in his hand. The blonde scoffed.

"Oh, now we're talking," he said. "Come on, Master, let me at him."

"I want him alive, Zancrow, now burnt to a crisp. He'll require some time before he's mature enough to properly fight you."

"Zancrow?" Darton hissed. "You can't be serious."

"Am I supposed to know who this is?" Kai asked.

"Grimoire Heart, good lad," the old man said. "These are two of my premiere members, Zancrow and Azuma." He placed an armor-clad hand over his chest. "I am Hades, Guild Master of Grimoire Heart."

"You're part of the Balam Alliance," Kai said. "Wonderful."

Ah, friggin great. The one time he doesn't have Erza with him and he runs into the Balam Alliance.

Zancrow, he senses, he has a decent chance of taking. That Azuma guy is on another level, maybe as strong as Erza, and Master Hades…

Master Hades wasn't just more powerful than Jellal, he was above even Master Jose. Maybe even Master Makarov. Kai hardly had a chance of getting away from these guys.

And there was a train full of not just innocent people, but important people.

"What do you want from me?"

"To join us," Hades said. "Now that you appear to be on the run from Fairy Tail we thought you would like a place among our ranks. Grimoire Heart has never had a Dragon Slayer in its ranks, and you would do well under us. Trust me, dear boy, I could teach you things that fool Makarov has only dreamt of."

"Or you can say no and we'll blow you all to hell," Zancrow said with a sinister grin.

"I'll admit, I'm not a bit fan of my options here," Kai said.

Hades nodded. "Then I advise we step away from the festivities for the moment, and relieve you at least a bit of pressure."

The dark master turned and headed off the train, completely leaving himself exposed to Kai, who had both hands gripped tight to his sword. He could attack.

No.

He wouldn't even have time to think about it before Hades would not only defend him, but obliterate him. Hades could safely turn his back on Kai and not even think twice about doing so. The difference in power almost made Kai drop to his knees.

But he heard Darton quiver behind him. He heard Zancrow snickering. The passengers whimpered in their frozen state.

Kai followed Hades off the train. Zancrow and Azuma did the same.

Hades wasn't too far from the tracks. He stood with his arms behind his back. Zacrow and Azuma joined near Hades while Kai kept a safe distance.

"Your time with Fairy Tail, as it does several wizards, has inhibited you and your abilities. The only way you'll see growth is if you are with wizards that are willing to push you. My guild is ruthless in that regard. You will learn to master your abilities in no time."

"And join a dark guild in exchange."

"Semantics." Hades waved Kai off. "A Dark Guild is one not recognized by the council. All guilds have done evils. Fairy Tail is destructive. You may claim to be heroes who only seek to do good but Natsu Dragneel did wonders for burning down Hargeon and putting hundreds out of a home for weeks. What have we done? We've done research. We've learned more about magic than almost any other guild."

"So you're just mad scientists."

"And you're a hypocrite, Kai Hope." Hades unfolded his arms. "Right now, you're a rogue wizard."

"I'm still a member of Fairy Tail."

"What, on a leave of absence?" Azuma asked. His expression hadn't changed in the slightest, and his voice was just as cold as Kai anticipated.

"Don't worry about it."

"Listen to me, boy," Hades said. "Fairy Tail is no great guild. Maybe once it was, but Makarov has allowed it to spiral out of control to the point where nobody is excited to see Fairy Tail. They rather dread seeing your flag in the sky."

"And seeing a member of the Balam Alliance is much better?"
"No, but it's much the same."

Kai ate his words. Darton had mentioned a similar notion, that he wasn't all that excited to see Fairy Tail because of their reputation.

But Kai hadn't destroyed anything. In fact, the last thing Kai helped destroy was a weapon poised to bring about an incredible evil.

Natsu, Gray, and even Erza caused great amounts of destruction. Laxus, too, and Gildarts.

Kai?

He grit his teeth. Hope off that high horse. If you couldn't gobble down Gray's magic you'd be the weakest of that entire lot, so what the hell do you know about using magic? What if they were just that strong? That's why Kai couldn't do real damage: he didn't have real strength.

"Return to Fairy Tail and you return to both mediocrity and hypocrisy," Hades said. "But join Grimoire Heart and your magic shall soar. I am on the verge of something great, Kai, and I would be honored to have another wizard who has Lost Magic on our side."

"I'm sure you would," Kai said. "And I'm sure if I were to just walk back to Fairy Tail I would be caught in the same goddamn loop I was in before. So I'm not going back to Fairy Tail, nor am I joining Grimoire Heart. I'm going somewhere where I know I can get stronger, and not just get tricked into joining a guild that sounds good, but probably tortures people for this information you're praising."

"You have no idea what we can do," Hades said.

"Same with you," Kai said. "So back the hell away."

"You want to fight?" Zancrow roared. "He's got a death wish!"

"He does," Hades said. "And the fire of a Fairy Tail wizard. But such flames burn brightest before they are snuffed out by shadow."

He nodded. Kai turned and watched Azuma raise both hands, then slammed them together. The ground shook once and almost knocked Kai off his balance.

Giant vines sprouted over the trains, and swung down toward the trains. Kai quickly attacked, but there was no need.

Dozens of tiny magic circles appeared around the train and it vanished to further down the track. Azuma grunted and Hades chuckled.

Kai's ice attacked stopped short of Azuma as he looked around for whoever had just cast that. A magic circle then appeared beneath both Azuma and Zancrow.

"Let's go, my friends," Hades said.

The circle erupted with brilliant golden light and the two were gone in an instant. A scent, new but familiar, quickly approached and someone landed, from out of nowhere, next to Kai.

"Leaving Fairy Tail at will is my thing," Mystogan growled.

"I'll leave you be for now," Hades said. "Mystogan, Kai. Have a nice day."

He bowed his head in reverence and a great shadowy hand reached out of nowhere to snatch him away into the ether.

Kai grimaced and sheathed his blade. Mystogan replaced the staff on his back and looked about. Several people aboard the train stumbled out, trying to get their bearings.

"Come to take me home?" Kai asked.

"I don't care that you've left," Mystogan said.

"Harsh."

"You're a Dragon Slayer, you're able to fend for yourself."

Kai ignored the bitterness of that statement after Mystogan just saved him. Maybe it was a joke. Could Mystogan tell jokes? Kai was surprised they were even conversing, as he struggled to think of a single time he and Mystogan even exchanged words before this.

"Then you're just out on a job?"

"I am."

Ah, there was the man of few words.

"Then," Kai said, and started toward the train, "I think I'll be on my way."

"You're sure about this?" Mystogan asked. "About why you're leaving?"

"Yes. I'm just—I'm not strong enough for the guild right now. I have to get stronger, I have to get a better hold of my magic."

"Kai." Mystogan stared at him through the cap and mask. There was something familiar there. His eyes…where had he seen those eyes before? "We both know that isn't the case. That it isn't just for training."

Mystogan's presence overwhelmed him. As small as Kai felt near Master Hades, for some reason he felt even smaller near Mystogan. Why? Ah, no need to question it. It was because Mystogan was Fairy Tail. He was family.

"You're right. I just…everything with the Tower of Heaven, with Erza and what her and I have been going through, I just…" He sighed, trying to hold it all together before Mystogan. "I learned about Dragon Force, I learned there's a way to do what Kairi always wanted, what my mom always wanted me to do. And I can't do it yet. I'm not strong enough to achieve my goal, Mystogan. And I'm not strong enough to be ready for Erza."

As anticipated, Mystogan said nothing. He stared at Kai, then, snapped his fingers and a paper floated in the air between he and Kai.

"I understand why you feel the need to leave, Kai," Mystogan said. "I can't say it's for ignoble causes, either. You want to protect Fairy Tail. You want to get strong for it. That's good. But consider all avenues. And if you're absolutely sure about this, then, well, you'll need something to keep you alive. I can't imagine you brought all your savings with you, so, here. A job I received in Clover Town. Should be something you can do."

"It's not S-Class?"

"I don't always take S-Class jobs," Mystogan said.

"Just most of the time," Kai muttered and took the paper from out of the air. "Thank you, Mystogan. And thank you for understanding."

Kai smiled and it was strange for that gesture to creep across his face. Seeing a member of Fairy Tail, even though he was both trying to avoid them and he hardly even knew Mystogan, was one thing. But having him give Kai some sort of affirmation of his quest?

Just what he needed.

The Dragon Slayer started off and Mystogan called for him one last time.

"One thing I'm suspecting about that job is that it isn't all it seems. There may be some complications with it. Be careful."

Kai waggled the job at him and nodded. "Not a problem."

He wondered if he didn't tell them if he was from Fairy Tail if that would alleviate the conversation. Kai winced at the thought of degrading Fairy Tail in such a way, but, even he had to admit:

Darton and Hades had a point, and Kai didn't want to prove it.