Chapter 114: No Promises

"Okay. Okay, just let me... let me take in and decipher everything that just happened." Reve said, pacing back and forth within the main area. Everyone else sat around, Reiss, Luke and Takeru isolated in the corner. "Why am I over here? I was part of the event—"

"SHUT UP!" He shouted with anger, causing all talking to cease instantly. Takeru just sat there, piercing a gaze into the corner of the room as Reve continued to pace. It was like he was losing his mind — it racing back and forth, replaying what took place earlier today. "There's just no way. There's no way we did that. There's no way we put such a giant hole in our goals. This guild is an utter EMBARRASSMENT!"

His voice was boisterous thanks to the fear factor alone; White Eclipse understanding just who exactly Reve Volver is, and what he meant to the guild in terms of rank and etcetera. "Okay, okay.." He sighed, attempting to calm himself down. "Lets tackle this problem, one situation at a time. First. Lets start with you, Reiss." Reve turned to him, blue eyes leering the kid's way. "Explain to me what happened."

Reiss swallowed the lump in his throat, but as he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Everyone on the rookie side either looked away, or pitifully looked towards their leader.

"Oh? Nothing? Don't remember? It just happened this afternoon, so let me replay what everyone saw for you!"

{Flashback}

"And it's time for the last match of the day! It's Quatro Cerberus's Bacchus Groh versus White Eclipse B's Ralo Reiss!"

As Chapati announced the next competitors, the both simultaneously walked in from their respective sides. Bacchus greeted everyone with that patented wild grin of his, though it was mixed with a bit of anger, while Reiss...

The red head made base just across from Bacchus, but instead of his usual confident bravado, he was visibly shaking.

"R-Reiss-kun?" Ilaria whimpered out in confusion. Tyson's eyes slowly widened. "No...he's choking."

"What?" The collective called out. "No way he's nervous!" Lance shouted. "It has to be jitters at the most!"

"Reiss-kun! You can do it!" Ilaria then shouted with cupped hands in an attempt to reach him. Her voice drowned out with the rest of the inaudible crowd. The background noise and visuals then began to swirl together for Reiss, and he felt nauseous. All he could see at this point was Bacchus, who looked much larger than usual close up.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked, staring at his shaking hands. The fear on his face felt so real. He could feel the cold sweat dripping from his head. "I'm aware that I'm afraid, but why!? I've faced scarier things than Bacchus! And if I'm so aware of it...why can't I calm down even a little!?"

His breathing became heavy, as if his chest was about to collapse. As this happened, Bacchus looked over with a raised brow. It took him a second, but then a sly grin appeared on his features. "This fight is already over." He said, taking one monstrous step forward. At least, it felt monstrous to Reiss. Bacchus was now towering over him with a menacing aura that caused the ground around Reiss to quake. Yet, only Reiss was feeling this quaking. Bacchus wasn't the mage known for magic auras or anything of the sort, so Reiss's question was why was he feeling such a thing now. It was suffocating, and Reiss couldn't breathe. He was already hunching over when Mato raised his hand. "Fighters ready—"

"I FORFEIT!"

A simultaneous gasp from nearly everyone in the arena, followed by stillness in the air until Chapati finally made it known. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems that White Eclipse B's Ralo Reiss has forfeited the match! Bacchus wins! What an intimidating man!"

"No...that's not it!" Reiss said to himself, staring at the ground. "It's not him...so why can't I stand and face him...!?"

"HAAAAA!" Bacchus cackled while walking off, gourd in hand. He then turned sights to Reve, pointing the gunslinger down as he reiterated what he was told just a day before. "You talk about Quatro Cerberus staying the same?! Your new recruits seem to be lacking more than anyone, shooter! KYAHAHA!"

Thanks to Takeru's antics and now this, Reve was completely silent without a single comeback to give. All he could do at that moment, was brood.

{End Flashback}

"Do you remember now? So can you tell me what happened? Was it just your shitty nerves getting the best of you that made you embarrass us like that? Or was it just the thought of failing? Oh! I know! Maybe it was something you ate!?"

Reve was being facetious, but that last sentence caused his eyes to widen as he remembered something else. Something that even Reve pointed out without knowing what Reiss was thinking.

" — That Evelyn girl over there showed more courage than that, and she was up against an Empyrean."

As Reve continued to berate Reiss, Reiss himself continued to put two and two together before finally snapping out of it thanks to a ferocious Reve in his face. "Move along!"

Reiss nodded, gulped, and indeed moved along — back to sit next to his comrades as Reve took another deep breath. Upon exhale, he then turned to Luke and Takeru.

"Then there's idiot A and idiot B."

Luke looked up, still confused as to why he was brought into this. But Reve definitely made that clear by addressing him first. "You! Out of all the garbage soap operas I was forced to sit through, yours wins whatever award there is for bad playwriting. But there's one thing that blonde bimbo did say that was a fact, and you're gonna address it right here. What is Chaos Unison, who gave it to you, and where do we find them to return it?"

"Return it!?" Luke asked in surprise. "Did I stutter? After the games are over, you'll be returning that monstrosity of magic to its rightful owner.

"What? Why? Too strong for you or something?" Luke insinuated the worst thing you could to Reve, causing him to appear right before him with a look that could kill. "Don't ever in your life think the way you just did, Copy Cat, or I'll make it to where you never walk again."

The atmosphere filled with ominous pressure, but Luke quickly backed down back into his seat as Reve continued. "You don't even know what you're dealing with. It could kill you at any moment for all we know, and by the sounds of things, the person you got it from isn't ordinary either. So to sum it up, yeah, Lucy sounds about right when she called you weak for borrowing some random power just to gain a new height."

"That's not it at all." Luke murmured.

"Hm? Well then tell everything."

"...Chaos Unison is exactly what it sounds like. It's the strength of chaos intertwined with my own magic, causing it to heighten exponentially. The green hair and bigger body are just side effects to it, but I've been controlling it just fine! It's not like how Takeru was with his Darkness Demon! Is that what you're trying to avoid? Because I—"

"Who gave it to you?" Reve asked, cutting him off. Luke stood for a second, but then slumped back down to his seat with brown hair shading over his eyes. "I can't tell you that. She won't let me. It was one of the bargains we made in exchange..."

"She?" Reve repeated. "She won't let you give a name? And you think this power of yours is safe to use!?"

"She said that her name shall not be spoken without her permission. For calling upon her is asking for help."

"What have you been doing this entire past year for you to result to such a thing, Luke? Seeking help from a stranger? Now we don't know if anything's going to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me! Sorry..I didn't mean to yell, but just trust me. Just like the bargain I made with her, my life isn't in danger by holding this power. She needs me. I took the job, she chose me to be her savior, so I'm going to see this to the end. I will master this strength and save her! Sorry if that's vague, but I wouldn't make this up."

"Yeah, he doesn't have the mental capacity to come up with that." Said Kanade, coming to Luke's defense with a smirk and headlock. "So let's remove you from this seat." And she did just that, dragging him away.

"I guess it's accepted for now. That just leaves you, Takeru."

Slowly, he raised his head, looking Reve right in the eyes as the gunslinger did the same. This was the most intense the room had felt all day. Neither one said a word for a while as the standoff continued. That's when Reve finally broke it a full minute later with a grin and an extended hand. "Now that your biggest rival is back, that means you'll be joining the free for all, correct?"

Takeru looked at Reve's hand, then back up to the gunslinger as he gripped it. "Of course."

"I didn't forget, Takeru." Reve added. "Goals and dreams get accomplished in this guild. That's what we stand for. Your goal is to defeat him, and I'll make sure to set that up. Though it'll be difficult to do so without sacrificing my own goal, White Eclipse won't let it fall at the waist side. Not for another year. But don't get it twisted, Takeru! You've made my goals harder to achieve, so it's only right you face the same repercussions. That's how life works. It's called Karma. So get ready to do a lot of heavy lifting before you can get to Natsu."

Riley cooed. "The troublemaker gets off scot free huh? Reve must have some real trust in Takeru."

"Alright then. It's settled. It's time for a plan to win this entire Free For All."

"Um!" Reiss raised his hand. "Don't bother. The rookies are done here." Reve immediately shot down whatever he was about to say, causing the rookies to look in disbelief in their own ways.

"Wait! That's not fair!" Reiss contended. Reve then turned back to him with a raised brow and an unamused look. "Oh? Then tell me, first in history to forfeit. Tell me why I should allow you all to make a mockery of this guild?"

"Because...I have a plan!" That vague answer only made this more amusing, and Reve played along. "A plan? To do what? What can you do at your ranking to turn the tides of these games?"

Everyone narrowed in on Reiss; waiting for the answer. And the one he gave, saved his and the rest of his teammates roster spots. "I have a plan to take down Evanee. She's the biggest threat, so as a guild, our team will sacrifice ourselves into taking her down."

Everyone, even the team involved took a moment's hesitation, unable to even fathom whatever plan Reiss had. But before Reve could speak, the door pushed open. "That sounds good to me." He said, causing everyone's attention to shift to him. In the doorway stood an older male and a younger one. The older male had jet black hair with the faintest grey sporadically placed about. He looked familiar to no one, but as Reve, Zalen, Waiston, Kuro and even the inebriated Jack Royal continued to stare, his features became familiar to the point where Zalen stood up, eyes starting to water as he called out to him. "Si...Sidney?"

It was at that moment, Sidney did something nobody beyond the five ever seen before, and even for them, it wasn't since they were kids that they've seen it. Sidney smiled, showcasing his pearly whites as he waved towards Zalen. "Hey, younger brother! It's been while, yeah?"

Zalen stumbled forward, placing a hand to his brother's face to feel him. "It's...it's real.." He said, quivering with tears in his eyes. "But how!?"

Sidney laughed, hugging his little brother back as everyone took in the moment. "I'll give you the details later, but long story short, I was able to recover more of my human premise over the past year I was gone. Now..." He began, removing himself from Zalen's hug. "Since Calium isn't here, I'm taking over as leader until we're back home. I would have been here earlier, but Reve is more in tune with these things than I am. But the finals is where a master strategist like me thrives."

"Oh man. I'm all ears." Reiss said to himself, sitting down with his friends to take in Sidney's words.

Reve walked center stage of the room, hands in his pockets as he choked in. "Alright, I was thinking Me, Jaxon —"

"Ah! Stop right there!" Sidney interrupted Reve — the only man allowed to without repercussions. Sidney then smirked, pointing to the green haired Weather Mage. "Jaxon broke an important rule in the guild over our year apart, so half of his punishment for now is that he's no longer allowed to compete." Jaxon turned to Sidney in confusion, faking that confusion until Sidney clarified. "So how was that SS class adventure of yours, Jaxon?"

The guild fell silent. Even the newly appointed rookies who knew nothing of White Eclipse's rules could feel that something was off, blending in with the original crowd that turned to Jaxon as if he just committed a sin. "Jaxon..." Reve stated, sighing deeply before asking his question. "Where have you been this past year exactly?"

That question burned for a long while before the culprit himself swallowed the knot in his throat, hesitant to answer until he finally ripped the bandaid off. "I went to get stronger, like you asked everyone to. My means however... I spent the last year on an Ace's quest. I nearly died, but I came back a man.. a much stronger and more dependable man than I was before."

"Explain the job, Jaxon." Sidney said in a more direct, familiar tone. "...It was to slay a legendary monster. A hydra."

Keye's ears perked, and for some reason she immediately looked up in an interest she couldn't even explain. "A hydra. An actual monster that hadn't been seen in ages appeared and you decided to take it on yourself and took you a whole year too, huh? Just about, right?" Sidney then turned back to the others with a smile. "Don't break the rules, kids. Not being allowed to participate is just icing on the cake when it comes to Jaxon's actual punishment. The real discipline...Jaxon has to go one on one with me until I believe he's had enough."

Sidney laughed, but he was the only one as the others quietly marked Jaxon's impending death. An over exaggeration, yes, but to them it was definitely in the ball park. "But, we'll come back to that later. For now; this is what's going down. Reve, Skye, Zalen, Kuro, and Takeru."

"Wait." Luke intervened. But Sidney quickly fired back before he could even make a case. "Normally I would for you, Luke, but after what I saw from you, I don't think so."

"I told you I had nothing to do with that and Takeru—"

"Thats not the concern." Sidney interrupted again. "Chaos Unison. That's your strongest form right? Natsu is back, and he definitely set the bar when he clashed with you without any of his own enhanced forms. I won't hold anything against you, and whatever mission you have going on with this wraith like you said, but it seems that this past year you've been distracted, and you're not quite up to the level of this final day. Sorry, wonder boy, but this year isn't for you."

Luke could only sit there with clenched fists and teeth, and it wasn't long until Sidney continued forth with his strategic premise. "Don't be fooled. This isn't completely about overwhelming strength. If so, Adam and Waiston would definitely be out there. Maybe even Jack. No, this is about getting the job done at the most efficient manner possible. Now, lets begin.."

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An hour later, Reiss was seen marching down the street with a purpose, his entire team behind him. "You sure man? You sure you didn't just freeze up against Bacchus?" Lance asked directly, causing everyone to look his way. Reiss merely scoffed as he turned the corner. "No way. I'm not afraid of Bacchus. I know what I felt, and I'm getting to the bottom of it." The redhead acclaimed. Everyone looked around, before turning to the new kid that tagged along — the one that arrived with Sidney. He had purple shaggy hair that almost draped over his red eyes. Walking next to the former newest member Elizabeth, he looked up to notice everyone looking his way, but it was Tyson who finally spoke. "So you wanna introduce yourself now? You know, since you're following the crowd."

Even Reiss stopped for this, turning a head back to him as he waited for the introduction. The kid held up a right hand. "My name is Jasper. I'm a key holder-type mage."

"Key holder? Always found that strictly for girls." Lance chimed. "I agree." Riley added with a smirk. She walked over to him, hands on her hips as she peered over to notice his keys. They looked different compared to the usual ones she's seen. "Oh? What's with the skulls?" She pointed out. Jasper then followed up. "These keys conjure ghosts. It's like zodiac summoning, except well...ghosts."

"I love ghosts!" Ilaria shouted, jumping up and down. "Do you have a ghost bunny!? Oo! Can I see?!"

"Hold that thought. We're here." Reiss interrupted, not hesitating to push the doors in. "Welcome to Al Dente! Pick an open table—"

"What did your chef put in my food!?" Reiss shouted, cutting Blair off. A taboo in this restaurant, Blair glared his way with widened eyes, as she was the one insulted. She grabbed his arm, squeezing tightly as she bared her teeth. Reiss immediately felt the power behind Blair's hold — believing that she was about to crush the bones in his limb. "Did you disrespect my chef's cooking!?"

"HUH!?" A loud shout came from the back of the restaurant. He sat up, the supposed security of the restaurant, just as pissed as he began walking over with an overwhelming aura. "The hell did you say about the old man!? I'll kill you right here!"

Though he was being pressured both mentally and physically, Reiss found a bigger despair than the two who stood before him, and that was letting his guild down. No matter what, he had to believe that this was the correct deduction. "I've never felt the way I felt before... standing before Bacchus, until I ate your food! I need answers! Are you guys running some scam here!? I would never fold like that and I know you guys saw it! So come clean!"

"One more word and I'll rip your tongue out." Blair threatened along with Keele, standing nose to nose with Reiss as his group of friends then stepped forward as well

— led by Tyson. "We also thought he was overreacting, but now it's looking like you're defending something without an answer. We just want to know. Was something in Reiss's food? Evelyn's too. They seemed to be the only two affected and surprise, they were the two competing today."

"Now now, let's not point fingers at the chef." Everyone looked up, and from the kitchen, a carry large man with a muscular physique and grey hair and beard appeared. His beard draped down to his abdomen, but his face and hair color was the only thing old about him. He came out with the a smile, extending a hand to Reiss. "Rowan Guillaume, head chef at your service. It seems you had a problem with one of my dishes the last time you were here?"

He towered over Reiss, and though he was polite, there was something about his aura that caused Reiss and the others to hesitate. Reiss was looking for the words, but Rowan decided to go ahead and explain. "You're correct."

That was an easy yet still shocking confession. Reiss's eyes widened. "But..why?" The rookie asked. Rowan then laughed. "Hey, I must have put in too much. I apologize kid, and I know it won't change your results, but you seemed like you needed to mellow out. After your second plate, you started going off about how anxious you are. I could hear ya from the kitchen! I'm a Culinary Mage after all! Why do you think your food was so damn good? My seasonings can alter moods and abilities as well, so I use that in my cooking to help people!"

"That can be dangerous." Tyson murmured to himself. Rowan looked Evelyn's way. "You tok miss! While your fearless leader here was barking all morning long about how he was ready to go, you couldn't even mutter an ounce of confidence, so.. I helped! Of course I didn't make you any stronger, but I gave you the confidence you needed to step forth into battle, right!? That's Al Dente!? Now.. I figured I messed up since you're all here, so I'll make a deal with you. Next meal is not only on the house, but it's the last day coming up for the Grand Magic Games, right? Let me make you all perfect meals to help you prepare for the day. I promise this time I won't hinder your abilities. In fact, I'll make sure to amplify them! How's that sound?"

"You promise!?" Ilaria asked, giving him a stern look with her hands on her hips. "How adorable." Rowan replied. "Of course I promise! Just make sure to make an old man proud when you go out there for the finale. You'll be fueled by me of course!"

The group looked around, all that were interested at least. That's when Reiss nodded to Tyson, and he returned it. "Alright, Rowan. If you let us plan our strategy here too, you got a deal."

Laughter ensued. "Alright! Then it's a deal! Get ready for the best food you've ever had!"

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{Flashback}

Tartarus.

The war between human and demon dwindled down into its closing stages. The carnage and debris couldn't be taken away however, and as everyone made their promises and resolves to become stronger, or to rebuild, Natsu was already off with Happy, starting their journey to become exactly what Natsu promised to be. Stronger.

At the outskirts of the broken area however, Natsu stopped short as he noticed Takeru standing there as if he was waiting on them. Natsu and Happy walked up, but it was anything but the usual greeting between the two. A quiet atmosphere took over for a minute that seemed endless, but finally, Takeru raised his head as if to look down on The Salamander himself. "We both could have done more." He admitted. Natsu's eyes widened for a second before he turned to a grimacing anger. "I know. That's why I'm going to make sure I can next time."

"Me too." Takeru added. That's when Takeru walked off, stopping once more as the two now stood side by side — facing in opposite directions. "When we return, it's important that we figure you who is actually worth their word. Natsu, when I return, I want a fight with you. I'll prove to you and Fairy Tail...and White Eclipse, that I'm the strongest of us two."

Natsu grinned. "We'll see! I look forward to it, Tak! See you around.l

{End Flashback}

Sitting down and admiring his haircut, Natsu smiled from ear to ear before turning back to a bandaged Lucy Heartfilia. "Thanks Lucy!" He shouted, Happy hovering around him. Lucy simply gave a weak smile and a nod. "It was all Cancer. Something had to be done."

Before she could say anything else, just as her expression dropped, it was overshadowed by Erza interrupting. "Alright. It looks like we're just about complete when it comes to the guild, but with Natsu here, it surely will be enough for us to win the Games once again and show White Eclipse that we'll always remain on top!"

"YOOSHAAAA! PUT ME IN SO I CAN SHOW YOU GUYS WHAT I'M MADE OF!" The boisterous Salamander stood from his seat, both fists clenched as he continued his war cry. Everyone smiled at his vigor! Well, almost everyone.

"You're in, but I'm taking over from here, with all due respect, Erza." Everyone turned to see Laxus seated with the Raijinshu. Arms crossed and eyes closed, Laxus then slowly looked up to see that he had garnered everyone's attention. "It's been apparent that our decision making hadn't been the finest without gramps and Mavis around, and I'm sure White Eclipse is coming through with a sound proof plan of their own despite what happened at the last event. Our other opponents are just as strong as well and we can't overlook anyone. Hell, Mermaid Hell got to keep a secret hidden because of us since we were disqualified for the day. We still don't know what their last member is capable of. So, I'm conducting a strategy and roster for the final day. Any objections?"

Erza raised a brow, but no one spoke up except for Natsu, who was in favor for Laxus. "I don't care! As long as I'm competing!" The Salamander shouted. Laxus smirked, letting out a single chuckle. "Definitely. Add me and Erza to that team. The final two? Gray...and Mirajane?"

She was suprised, pointing to herself in confusion. "Me? Are you sure you don't want Gajeel for this?"

Gajeel was visibly upset, but he didn't say anything to combat Laxus's decision, which came as a shock to everyone including Levy and Pantherlily. "Gajeel?"

That's when Laxus held up three fingers. "Three reasons. One, we need to keep the roster diverse. Two Dragon slayers is enough this time. Sorry Wendy." He poked fun at the already pissed off Gajeel. Wendy simply raised her hand, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. "No it's fine."

"Two. We already have two grudge matches potentially brewing. Erza and Reve, and Natsu and Takeru. We don't need Gajeel redeeming himself against someone who just got lucky against him."

Natsu's face lit up with determination and ambition, but Erza refused to admit so, turning away to hide her face. "And three. I want all S class members on deck, and Gildarts is once more not here. No that doesn't include Jellal. So that leaves me, Erza, and Mira. All capable of getting the job done along with Natsu and Gray. Any questions?"

"Nope!" They all shouted alternately. "Just make sure to win." Was Gajeel's only input, crossing his arms once more while looking away. "Without a doubt." Laxus replies with a nod. "We're down a good bit now thanks to Natsu, but it's nothing we can't overcome. We're Fairy Tail after all. Now everyone get some rest. We'll go over everything tomorrow morning. Lets return to the old man victorious once again."

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"We're doing this now?" Jaxon asked as the sun rose its head just over the horizon. Sidney stood across from him, a small smile as his aura slowly began to rise. "I feel like if we get it over with now, we can go back to supporting our guild. Now."

As that pressure rose, Sidney began to lose his smile, his facial features and his colorful skin. He was reverting back to the Sidney Castle everyone knew. The patented red scarf he kept around his mouth appeared once more as his skin was once more grey, his body feigning a frail, skinny stature and his hair completely white once again instead of the jet black he reappeared with. With the transformation complete, he slowly crouched to a perching position. "...Ready?" Ah, the familiar tone.

Jaxon slowly nodded. "I am...but just know. I'm aware of what I did wrong and my punishment, and because of that...

I won't strike back. Do your worst, Ace."