Rune Master

by Marisandini

After a dreadful accident, an anime enthusiast was reborn as Roy Jurenelle. A second life sounds like a blessing right? Not when you know there'll be war 24 years later. Of all anime he could have been reborn in, it had to be one he never finished reading and knowing the coming war between mages, an immortal and a dragon. I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL

39. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Fire from Below, Storm from Above

"I give, I give, I give, so can you please stop dropping me down toward THE FREAKING RAGING MOLTEN FIRE OVER MY HEAD!" I cried out in desperate pleading while looking up at the Demon Witch's stale expression while she was holding on to one of my feet. Dangling me upside down from the vicious heat below that was clawing at me like a hungry hell-hound.

"I'm sorry," her words were said in the deadest tone I've ever heard, telling me she's not sorry in the slightest at my current woe. She looked down at me like I was the equivalent of a pest, "I can't hear you over a load of bullshit coming out of your mouth."

I gritted my teeth in vex, I know I kind of deserve her ire for being a Troll, but this was getting out of hand, "For Obama's sake Woman, lift me up and actually give me a breathing room to explain!"

"You've been grating on my nerves from the start with that sick sense of humor, treating this mission like a game, so unless you give me a good reason to believe you then I'll do you favor from ever saving a haircut."

I would have been annoyed by her impatient if the fact I don't know whether she's serious or not amplified the horror pumping my heartbeat. "I'm serious, the only way we're going to save the town is if we manage to blow the mountain up IN A SAFE AND CONTROL ENVIRONMENT SO STOP MAKING YOURSELF SLIP, IT'S GETTING GODDAMN ANNOYING!"

I gave her the stink eye, but she then gave me her own version of menacing gaze that would freeze the depth of Tartarus itself.

"What was that?"

"...please Beautiful White Mistress of the East give this humble peasant mercy from your grace heart," I pleaded with an overdose of sincerity.

The cold glare did not diminish, but she did give me a chance.

"Uuh...it'd be convenient if you start letting me down."

"You can still use your mouth, can't you? Start explaining!"

She's got a point. Doesn't mean I like it. "Okay, so the reason we even have this problem is that the lava here has been building up for the last century and has nowhere else to go to release the tension. The only way to release that is to have the volcano do its shit and expel all the excess air and lava."

"And how are you going to handle the volcano after it explodes?"

"I'm getting to that. We can't stop the volcano from erupting, that ship had sailed long ago, but we can redirect its fume and lava elsewhere or even just put on a Shield Magic on the whole town–"

"–And erasing any future worries concerning the volcano, you're a genius!" she crowed excitedly with her arm raised–

–and freed her hold on my leg.

Fortunately, it didn't take less than a second before she realized she almost committed an accidental murder.

"AWSHGJIINORDEKLMBK!" It didn't stop the scrambled words coming out of my mouth when the mini heart-attack hit me in the nanosecond I was stagnant in the air. I would have sworn I had a close brush up with Death if her brief glimpse of the Reaper hanging over me wasn't a hallucination, "SOEKARNO ALMIGHTY PUT SOME THOUGHT OVER MY LIFE WOMAN!"

"SHUT UP, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT KEEPS DISTRACTING ME!"

"DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP, I AM NOT THE ONE DANGLING A PERSON LIKE A SHRIMP BAIT FOR WHIPPED DOLPHINS!"

In hindsight, we should have been self-conscious on our volume, but so absorb were the two of use from our back and forth bickering until we failed to realize in time the foreign presences surrounding us. Any cutting remarks we had was instantly cut off (ironically enough), glancing together at the cluster of Lava Vulcans waiting for us beneath the shadows. The cave rumbled from their collective laughter. Their eat-shitting-grin seemed to glow within the dark, waiting, preying, bracing for their next bloody meal.

Honestly, if Fairy Tail had been any less child-friendly, the Vulcans could have competed with the Titans in terms of viciousness

My face turned solemn, asking earnestly, "How many?"

"Ten in all, normally I could have taken them with no problem but now…" she bit her lip in frustration, her head cast down that her bangs shadowed her wallowed expression. She must be feeling almost precisely what she must have felt the night everything changed for her. When the power she trusted so much that she poured her heart and soul to become one of the best of the bests, when the coursing river of energy flows in her beck and call failed to shield, failed to protect one of the most important people to her. Snapping her will like a twig before she turned into nothing but ashes of her former self.

To remember how powerless she felt that night as the monster — not Elfman, never Elfman — swung with no mercy. When Lisanna was thrown like a rag doll, her body twisting mid-air in a way that no human should. When her arm was too far, too weak to reach, to change before everything went wrong, wrong, wrong because I was a self-absorbent fool and forgot when I should have beenthereforherbutIwasntsonowshe'shurtandit'sallmyfault–

Focus.

Bad brain, nothing you can do about that.

Focus.

Bracing myself from getting another sludge from, I tried to look back at her face to gauge her reaction. Hundreds of scenarios played out in my hand from keeping her to lose hope.

It might have been better if that was the case.

I felt a second hand gripping my other leg and lifted me like a bat ready to swing. My face kept a stupidly naive look. It was only when I caught the bloodlust glinting in Mira's navy eyes and the wide feral grin that put even those Vulcans' too shame when undisguised horror swept across my face.

It didn't help that she followed it up with only two words for me.

"Brace yourself!"

For the love of Mulan, somebody stopped this madness!

My heart's plea went unheard. Mira made a quick leap at the group of monsters waiting for us. Her arms arched back before forming a wide arc, swinging me down to the nearest Vulcan.

"This Is going to hurt…"

- 12 minutes later -

Mirajane wiped her sweat on her forehead. Face smiled softly in content as if she had finished a good work out, if pummeling a bunch of Vulcans could be called that, channeling out all her frustration and cleansing her spirit. Her good mood was the exact opposite of the mounting herd of monsters writhing in pain behind her, and groaning alongside them at her feet was me.

I remembered the rumor mill involving Fairy Tail Mages that claims them as crazy strong as they are insane. I secretly smirk from the result of their antics when another "Fairy Tail strikes again!" crossed their lips and had to shake my head at the exaggeration of their person.

Clearly, they are as every bit as crazy as everyone claims them to be.

"Aaaah, nothing like beating up monsters and make a good workout session," she sighed refreshingly.

"Workout my bottom berry arse!" I roared out, an accusing finger by her throat, "You just used me as a makeshift weapon."

"It's not like you're injured or anything, I have a strong feeling you were a tough cookie."

"That does not give you permission to make me your personal human bat!" Even as I gave her my best death glare. She waved me off like I was no concern of hers.

I took a deep and slow breath before counting back to ten, "Right, then we should put our focus back on the seals since I doubt it'd be easy."

"Hmm, there's no chance we could just chuck a rock at it and hope for the best?"

There was... so many things wrong in that line of thought that it took ever will in my body not to twitch, "First, it's a Word magic-type Seal so it's not physically base, you can't destroy it with just a rock. Two, you forget we're dealing high-pressurized volcano about to explode, the moment we unsealed is the moment all hell will break loose."

"Then the first step is to acquire the appropriate magic to shield the town or redirect the mountain first and then having to break the seal in long distance to avoid getting barbequed," Mirajane finished my thought.

I blinked. The anger and annoyance I had quickly diminish. Huh, I should have figured Mira was smart enough to pick up the uptake. She is an S-Class after all.

"Precisely, but from what I could tell, the seals has its power source come from the volcano itself since its rich with ethernano. Clever spell that, using the endless energy its guarding to give it an endless supply of energy to maintain it. Powerful as a seal, but as a concept, it's faulty."

"How come?"

"It's Ancient Magic or in my terms Oldie Magic, Powerful but not efficient enough magic from how demanding it is. There's a reason why they were lost or forgotten by time even if it does have the potential to make you OP."

"OP?"

"Inside joke. Anyway, here's the thing about the Seal. Instead of attacking the seal itself, which is useless by the by, we cut off how it absorbs ethernano instead. Then with a light love tap, the whole thing would collapse on itself."

Mira didn't say anything, to busy looking at me as if I had grown a mustache spontaneously, "How were you able to figure that? We've only been glancing through the cave!"

"I did say I could sense magic. It's a lot more practical once you master how to use it."

Her eyes kept staring at me, seemingly reevaluating my worth and I had to keep myself from puffing out my chest. Doesn't stop me from mentally smirking at her.

"Right, then how will we cut off the seal from the source?"

I felt the crack of my smug mental self before shattering into tiny pieces. I tried my best maintaining a calm visage, but the stiff tilt of my head must have given it away.

"Uuuh… well… you see… these things take a lot of… err… precise science and time to draw the right array… calculating the… the origin point and…"

She pinned me with a sharp, calculating glare that had me broke into a cold sweat, "You don't know how, do you?"

"I don't know how," I admitted depressingly.

Mira could only sigh at the response, "Fine, let's change the angle. If we can't break the seal yet, how are we going to shield the whole town before it blows up?"

Again, words failed to save me as I tried to come up with something. But not even my magic can put it around as large as Hosenka without a significant amount of time. Not to mention making sure no civilians are out of the border.

"I… have no idea either."

She wiped her face at my answer, "Alright, we can think of one later. We still have time."

"Aaaaactually, I have a device on me that helps calculate the approximate time it would take for Mt. Balsam to erupt."

Mira's face showed nothing as she was silent for a while, "I'm not going to like the answer, aren't I?"

There was no retort I could make as I reached for my watch and showed the result I had TORRI calculated for me.

'2 hours 31 minutes'

Mira was extremely patient with me if the only she did was grit her teeth without throttling me again, "Do you have an actual plan whatsoever other than what you know?"

"Err…"

"You know what screw it. I'm just going to punch it."

I dropped my face to my palm, "I repeat; you can't punch your way from this mess."

"You obviously don't have a better idea so here's the deal. You try using that brain of yours while twiddling your thumb while I'll try taking names and kicking butts."

"But… but… there's not even a butt to kick!"

Mira ignored me in favor of in closing in the nearest seal, which is a boulder just on the edge of the volcano's mouth. I was perpetually interested how she's going on about things with limited magic and raw strength to help her.

With a tight fist, her hands shifted in pixelation until an inhuman arm, revealing a white chalk arm, bigger than the natural size with a metallic sheen, with black nails that act as claws.

Did Mirajane use Beast Arm — or in this case Satan Arm — before Elfman ever did?

Okay, I shouldn't be surprised considering this Mirajane we're talking. But damn, that is badass.

And stupid since she is depleting all her magic with that one spell.

She pulled her arm in and brought it down to the seal.

Only for it to explode into lava in a resounding boom.

Good thing for her, I had Rave shielding her before she could suffer some serious burn, but that didn't stop her from skidding back from the blowout. I looked down at her fallen form at my feet, giving her a raised eyebrow that conveyed the universal I told you so.

The glare she sent had the universal message of fuck you.

I had no problem ignoring her, but the burst of lava does tell me that it's a type of offensive shield that counter-attack the attacker instead of just shielding it in defense. Not only that, but I managed to sense the flow of ethernano with the rest of the seals when it had activated. It only gave me a second to picture the circulation in my head, but it was enough to make me smirk.

"Great job Mirajane, your actions were impulsively stupid–"

"Hey!"

"—but thanks to you, we now know how we're going to overcome the seal, by finding—"

SHINK!

The next second went by a lot like slow motion — the change of expression from annoyance to horror on Mira's face. My words choked from the metallic bile flowing out of my mouth. My soaked clothes from the blade jutting out from my sides.

I...wanted to be surprised but it says something about my life that the first thought in my mind was "Not this again."

The blade was pulled out, and I found warm hands enclosing around my waist. Holding and failing to keep me upright in the mage's arms.

"So you were lying about knowing about our secret," said the smooth, dangerous tone of the Head of the Clan, Sorano, "But good thing my magic is good enough to point out the same transgression anyway."

There's a lot I liked to question from those remarks because the Secret Seal was supposed to silence me, not summon the Lady Boss to kill me personally.

"What's the meaning of this Sorano-sama?" Mirajane growled dangerously more than she ever had with me.

The tell-tale heavy footsteps gave away the incoming reinforcements, so I didn't need to focus my eyes or my senses to know we were surrounded by a bunch of their suited heavy-weights bodyguards she claims as her brothers.

"What's this?" asked the Yakuza-like noble lady, "This is unexpected, seeing you two working together? From what you implied, I would have guessed you have enough grudge to bury her alive."

Mira tensed around me, and I had to give her credit that she hadn't loosened her hold on me, "Not…lying…" I grunted out, "You're a noble Sorano-sama... you of all people…should know... that implying and outright saying it are two different matter."

She sniffed hauntingly, not at all concern at being fooled, "Hmm, I concede you had me fooled there but no matter. I didn't want to resort to this, but your actions left me with no choice."

"Please wait, Sorano-sama!" Mira pleaded in outcry, "This isn't what it looks like. The only way to stop the eruption is to have it explode in a controlled and safe environment. Avoiding any property damage and casualty. Give us a chance to do our job, and we swear we won't disappoint you."

As she tried to argue our case, I kept a note of Lady Sorano's emotionless expression, giving no hints to what her opinion of our plan. But my bleeding gut told me a terrible premonition where this is going.

"I don't care." Her icy words cut Mira's mid-explanation, "You have crossed the Inzen sacred legacy and attempted to endanger the citizen of Hosenka. In light of this transgression, we will personally have you hanged for this."

Since I've already been stabbed, the word "hang" doesn't sound less pleasant than it should.

"But… you can't do that!" Mira protested uselessly. "How could you think getting rid of us do when you have a volcano ready to blow up under you?!"

Sorano opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out since I beat the answer to it.

"It's because of the Seventh Seal, isn't it?" I gasped out.

The Boss Lady froze and gave me an icy glare. I couldn't help the grin at managing to push her button even at death's door. "Funny really, I thought at first how a classic Seven Point Seal wasn't used when it's renown for its hidden quality. Easily breakable, but what makes it a formidable spell is that there's no limit to its range nor where you put your seal. People would have trouble finding each of the seals were and triggered early warning to anyone trying to break it."

My words distracted them, including myself from the pain, so they wouldn't notice my Rave crawling on my sides and covering the hole in me. I don't think it was the most hygienic thing to do, but it was best to keep most of the blood inside me while I used one of my healing runes.

"But this seal...hehe...oh, this seal is ingenious. All the perks of the original but with a few little...tweaks." Her smooth porcelain mask started to break as she went paler and paler, and I grinned up from her reaction, "Hehe, the caster fix the flaw by making sure only one out of the seven seals can be broken by making it the sole source of the seal that absorbs the natural ethernano. A simple but ingenious solution. Making each Seal Point unbreakable except for one."

"A, and? So, so what?" Her usual cool speech broke into a stutter, "So you know how the seal works. What would that matter to you?"

"It matters... because the seventh seal is the reason you're so against breaking the Seal."

I ignored her shock face and pressed on, "It could have been an heirloom, a weapon, or maybe something not too tangible to break, but it's something you can't have it lost to you despite the town, your town, hanging in the balance because you refuse to sacrifice one without the other. So you put up a Secret Request in the hope they'd find a solution that wouldn't involve breaking the Seal but turns out not even that last ditch of effort get what you want."

Fury shook her whole body at that point, "Shut up! You talk enough. Boys, get busy!"

"Don't you see?" I called out to her, even as her men dragged me like a rag doll. "It's either your Legacy or the hundreds and thousands of every man, woman, and child will drown within a blazing inferno, and their blood will be ON YOUR HAND!"

Sorano didn't even pause her steps until she was out of sight. Leaving us at the mercy of her men and their plan on us. Their ominous chuckling not at all bode well for Mirajane and me.

. . .

"This… is incredibly cliche."

"Really?!" Mira shrieked as we dangled with the chains around our feet, above the bubbling hot lava scorching the very air we're breathing, "We're hanging to our deaths, and you're complaining of how they go about it?"

"I'm not complaining," I denied strongly, no way I'm making myself out as some kind of masochist, "It's actually pretty refreshing, my arch-nemesis has this tendency to go overboard and complicated things when he could just stab me when he had the chance."

She arched her neck to try and fail to look back and convey her incredulous gaze, "You are insane, you do know that right?"

"Two words. Pot. Kettle."

In hindsight, it wasn't a very wise decision to start arguing over the boiling earth beneath us... or is it over us in this case? I can't quite tell with all the blood I have left rushing to my head.

"Hey, are you feeling okay? Your wound–"

"Not great obviously, but I'll live...somehow. We'll have to figure out a way outta here though."

Mirajane arched her neck again to scan anything that could help us out of our predicament, but I doubt she would find anything helpful.

"I'm sorry."

My thought screeched to a halt at the unexpected apology she spatted, "What for?"

He throat let out a frustrated growl, "What do you think it's for? I messed up. Because of me, we're now stuck upside down from a volcano and you, you were stabbed, and there was nothing I could have done. All because I couldn't use magic, and I became this pathetic weakling. If only I could have been stronger, faster, better than maybe she- then maybe I would have been anything but a burden. I'm, I'm not worthy of being a Fairy Tail Mage."

Those last few words manage to make me forget the side pain I had and fruitlessly tried to look back at her face. Of all the things my presence could have caused, having Mira quitting the Fairy Tail Guild is not one I'm ready to shoulder, or I might just die from self-loathing.

But with my blood rushing out and up my head, my response had not been so... eloquent.

"Bull-fucking-shit."

To be fair with myself, I honestly do feel annoyed by her. It's not like I don't know a good pity party when you need one, but this is not one of them.

That, and I am not having her projecting her not-so-dead-but-she-thinks-she-is sister on to me, which is wrong in so many levels.

My words surprised her so that she jumped in her own skin and rattled the chains from her sway.

"Excus–?"

"You heard me, I expected a lot of things from a bunch of Fairies, but a sissy ain't one of them."

We managed to arch our neck to each other and locked eyes. Ah, there's the angry glare I know and love.

"Say that to my face, I dare you before you watch me pummel you to the ground and have you kiss your ass!"

"Big words from a sissy." The chains swung uncomfortably from her trashing, but it was still a better reaction that her self-pity. "Oi, stop trying to kill us because I'm right!'

"You take that back what you said of Fairy Tail!"

"Not when a Fairy Tail Mage in front of me thinks they only need magic to bust their problems. That's what third-rate mages are for." She stopped struggling, and I could tell from the tense frame that she had changed from burning anger to cold stone fury. Knowing fairly well that further pushing might get her to kill me before the lava could, I hastily continued, "You are Mirajane-Satan-Freaking-Soul-Strauss, you make demons as your bitch and climb your way up to the de la creme of Fiore Mages when you're only seventeen! You had people curse you, spit on you because of your magic, and you showed them the middle finger instead as you prove them wrong. So you lost your magic, and now you're giving up? Then you shouldn't have taken this job in the first place!"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO BELIEVE!" Mira shrieked like a half-demented banshee, "I didn't want to believe I lost my magic. I thought if I go on a job like I used to, it will click to me again. Also, don't talk about quitting you, hypocrite. You wanted me gone the second you knew I couldn't use my full power!"

"And I would have if that was all it took to scare you away!" I argued. Not wanting to succumb to an arguably correct point.

"But what's a mage without their magic?" The last of her energy left her as she asked resignedly "What use am I without my magic?"

I pursed my lips, rolling the question in mind as I thought up an answer. My mouth barely opened, an answer ready at the tip of my tongue before it was replaced with a mingled shout alongside Mira from having the chain suddenly loosen, dragging the two of us down toward the lava with a fear of painful scorching death.

The loose chain immediately tensed once more, and we were then dangling inches away from being burned alive, but our screams did not cease before our shock did.

Then, when I was reassured the Reaper hadn't come for me today, the chains then pulled us back up fast enough to leave my stomach behind, renewing our screams.

I've missed the moment the crane shifted again and shifted us aside way too quick, leaving us swinging and impacted the nearest wall. Whoever was controlling the crane must have thought he wanted to help because every time we were nearing the wall, the crane would shift to the opposite as if an attempt to put us away from the jagged walls, only to make things worse for us and left us in vertigo.

When the crane finally stopped at one point, there was barely any time for a reprieve before we were plunging down once more. Horror shouts mashed together into a screeching symphony that vibrated the cave as gravity took us down, and our bound selves were helpless to do anything. But the chains stopped dropping midway, and we felt the backlash of the sudden shift of the force, making us bounce on the air like a yo-yo without hitting the hard rocky ground before our eyes.

Our screams receded just as the swing of our chain began to calm until it was just a gentle back and forth. Giving us a reason to suck a sizeable, collective breath of relief. Only for a second later, the chain snapped, and we fell unceremoniously down non-gently. The groan told us everything how we felt about that.

I dragged my stung face up, "What the fu– What just happened?"

The answer came from the clip-clop sound of geta sandals hitting the rough, uneven ground. Our eyes swept toward the source to witness a small figure coming out of the shadow — a small familiar figure. Her violet eyes lock with emerald green, and she smiled a smile that had a tinge of heart-wrenching sadness.

"You're not really a fairy, are you?"

"Apparently, I was disqualified as a fairy just because I don't have wings and a silly little wand," I quipped.

She giggled a high pitch little laugh and edge closer to us. She rested on her knees before proceeding to unlock the chains tying us up.

Mira had reacted in surprise but said nothing as she was freed. Scrutinizing her before turning to me, "Do you know her?"

"Yeah, she's… she's… actually, I don't think I know your name," I sheepishly admitted. Mira choked before glaring exasperatedly and I couldn't blame her for it. Talk about embarrassment.

For some reason, her mouth parted and her cat slit pupils flashed equally surprise... no, bewildered sounded more accurate. As if it was a question she never expected to answer. She pursed her lips before hesitatingly answered, "I'm, yes, I'm Sawara. Sawara Inzen. Apologies, this is, I never had to introduce myself before. Maybe once before, a long time ago, but I've long since forgotten what that's like."

Oooookaay, absolutely nothing weird about that.

Mira grew just as concern from her words. Gently and slowly, she reached out to hold her hand in silent permission. When she showed no sign of rejecting her touch, she held her hands and looked concern deeply at her. "What do you mean you've forgotten? Surely you've introduced yourself before when meeting new people."

"Not me." Sawara shook her head. "I'm not allowed to meet people. Only the Family are aware of my existence, and they've been made to know me long before they even met me."

More and more of the puzzle pieces surrounding the Inzen family grew, slowly creating a vague but shaped picture. A silent dread within me began to twist my guts as an absurd idea flashed in my mind. With morbid curiosity pushing me, I couldn't stop the pressing question from slipping out, "Sawara, how old are you?"

The girl looked more shock than being asked her name before tensing when answered, "Seven."

I frowned. The Inzen Noble was telling the truth but I knew there was more to it than that, "How long have you been seven?" I asked softly, almost afraid of the answer I'd hear.

She smiled, a tired forlorn smile a child like her shouldn't have, "Too long to count."

And suddenly everything clicked. The sealed volcano. The Inzen Clan's Legacy. The immortal child. It's all connected.

The Clan once again surrounded us. Weapons and magic all poised to do us in. Mira glanced nervously at our recur company, but my eyes never left the child who revealed to be an old soul.

"Sawara-sama!", Sorano called out among her burly cousins, her kimono was in disarray, and her primped bob raven haired was tangled all over, "Please do not fraternize with them. They are dangerous individuals who have broken into our home, destroyed a five centuries old seal, and attempted the destruction of the whole town of Hosenka."

Mira had her legendary outrage directed at the tall upscale lady. Face contorted to a snarl, and teeth bared like she was ready to bite your flesh out. "That's not remotely close to what happened you lying psycho witch! You had us hanged over a volcano for trying to protect your town if that's how you want to call it!"

"By breaking the seal we were meant to protect for hundreds of years to protect our town!"

"Has your old age rot your ears off? We've gone over this before; the seal is the reason we are in this mess in the first place, so we have to break it and let off the tension Mount Balsam has accumulated. Then have it explode away from the urban area by using our magic!"

"That is not of your concern!"

As the two argued back and forth, I hadn't left to look elsewhere but on the child's eye that gazed solemnly back. It was hard not to unsee the aged old wisdom in her eyes. And I couldn't deny the truth in front of me any longer. Tears broke unwillingly from my eyes as I bit back a sob.

Her smile, still too sad, brighten, and her small hands reached out to wipe it away. "It's okay," she told me gently, comforting me when I had no right. No right to what I'm about to do, of what I have to do. Anger quickly replace the grief and guilt, and my fist clenched tight enough for the whites on my knuckles visible. I wanted to shout, curse, rage and hit something to oblivion at the unfair and cruel fate this girl was handed.

Again, she must have known what I felt because she held her hands around one of my own and whispered to it, "It's okay."

The grief came back in vengeance, "I promised you the Spa Fest. I have... I have so many plans for us to have fun and do pranks and just... make trouble wherever we go until we're too out of breath to do anything but laugh–"

"It's okay," she said for the third time.

The emotional dam inside me broke, lifting her off her feet and gave her a tight hug. I was nestling her head at the crook of my neck. Her own emotions must have broken up as well because I felt the hot wet tears against my skin.

"Stay away from her!" Sorano pointed her katana back at me, but with Sawara in my arms, she was not at all brave to risk her.

I took a shuddering breath before finally facing them all as I lay out the whole truth, "She is the Seventh Seal."

Mira twist her attention from her employer to me with a shocked gasp, "Wha–what? What do you mean by that? What's going on? "

"The Inzen Clan intended to protect the land by making sure the volcano would never erupt to hit their people even as time passes. Never did it occur to them that sealing up a volcano would do more harm than good. So they use a seal, probably the strongest seal in their era and delegate one of their own as the last Seal use to maintain the ever-flowing ethernano within the spell. That person is Sawara Inzen."

Mira was looking more and more like fish out of the sea, "Bu, but...but that's impossible! That would mean she's been alive for–"

"Five centuries," I finished for her.

"She's our family!" My eyes shifted from Mira back to Sorano and blinked surprised at her expression. No longer was she the hardass, coldhearted, Bitch Noble that would kick anything and anyone that stood her way. No, instead, standing in front of me was a harried woman losing a beloved family member.

"Sora-chan..."

"NO! Please... you've got to...there's a way, there has to be a way... so please... she's only a child... she didn't ask for this life... just leave her be."

At the corner of my eyes, a confused Mira finally gaped as it dawned what it meant for the girl to be the Seventh Seal.

"It's the only way," Sawara's voice broke out, "I've lived for a long time. I think we all know my time has come."

"Not like this Sawa, not like executing you like a, a, a dog. You could barely live your life within this house; it's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, you know that."

"I don't want to lose you!"

"My life isn't worth a thousand people Sora-chan, please don't make this harder for me. I've made my choice."

That finally did it. Sorano fell to her knees and wail like a grieving child. Every second her squeezed voice was another sharp pang hit the steel wall on my heart. I was never good at being emotionally unattached.

Sawara blinked up at me in a silent request. I tilted my head at the crying lady, and the old girl was quickly by her side. She was holding her in her small arms, shushing her gently while rubbing her back. She was whispering to her ear until Lady Sorano calmed down, it was probably a kind of reassurement, and I knew better than to breach a private conversation.

Sawara got up, looking down at the kneeling woman, wiping the tears away before cupping her lovingly while her right hand was holding tight with the other. It was disconcerting to see an act that a mother used on a child between those two with a physically opposite age between them.

Finally, Sawara stepped behind her, then two, then three, until Sorano tried to hold on to the small child before she was forced to let go.

She stood before me once more like a pig waiting for slaughter, and I gulped distastefully at the thought.

"I'm ready."

It felt wrong, holding a sword at a child's throat even if she was older than me. Seeing her smiling at me, accepting her fate without fear when most people would cry and beg for a chance in life. I had to keep a tight lid at my own emotion so my hand wouldn't quiver at the disgusting act I'm about to do. Still, I tried. I tried to find a way out. But time is in essence, and until the last second, I saw no way out without leaving bloodshed.

"Thank you, Fairy-san."

I lifted the sword above my head, closing my eyes as I whispered, "I'm sorry," before swing it down in a wide arc, aiming for a swift death that she would barely feel.

Metal blade hit flesh.

Red splatter on the floor.

Horrible scream echoed the cave.

Drip. Drip. Trickle of blood slid down my blade, and I clenched my teeth in frustration, burning resolve seemed to fuel it. "Do you think I don't wish things to be different, Mirajane?"

Green eyes locked with navy blue, neither one back down from their intense glare even as her pale, slender arm was holding back my Rave. "If you're going to lecture me about sacrificing an innocent life then save it! Do you think I don't know that because, because of what? Because I had to choose between one life against a thousand. Well, guess again! Somebody has to. Not because it's right, or nice, or smart, but because somebody has to. So don't you dare try to lecture me when your moral couldn't stomach the idea of killing."

I had to give her credit where credits due, even at the face of my anger as I spit accusing words. She kept her eyes on me without so much as blinking before opening her mouth. I waited whatever heartwarming bullshit she was about to spew in vain attempt to change my mind.

"The shield."

That got me to blink. The burning fury chilled at the unexpected answer, replaced with confusion.

"You said the moment the whole seal is broken; the lava would immediately break out and hit the town without creating a shield, don't you remember?"

She was buying time. I realized. Mind you, she's not wrong, but it didn't stop the fact she wasn't giving up on the girl even when my watch showed the glaring red numbers of 3 minutes and 44 seconds to count. The fact pissed me off more.

I drew back my Rave without moving an inch, but despite my anger, I made sure to be gentle when I took her injured arm.

"You know her time isn't going to change from this," I said while requipping a paper seal before sticking it on her arm, accelerating her healing. I didn't think as I caressed her hand until it was nothing more but pink skin.

"Doesn't make me wrong though."

I couldn't keep the tired sigh out of me, "No, no it doesn't." I withdrew my Rave and glared at the Clan, "You've got two minutes until I make my call, make most of it."

Sawara didn't waste time lunging herself back to the arms of her family.

I couldn't bear to see them in their most vulnerable time and looked away, and was forced to watch the growing lava in the chasm, and the seal managed to suppressed its heat and the sulfuric smell. "If you're going to make me think of another way then forget it." I turned to Mira, who was standing next to me with a million things unsaid, "I don't need you or anyone to tell me what I'm doing wrong while thinking another way as if I could pull it out like a rabbit from a magician's top hat."

"You keep saying that." She kept her gaze straight, and I briefly consider she was too disgusted with me. "It's like you expect me to try and stop you."

"Obviously because you're the good guy, why wouldn't you stop me?"

"Is that what this is? You think yourself as the bad guy."

"How could I be anything else?"

"You didn't choose for this to happen."

"I'm about to murder a child for the sin of nothing but having a shitty fate. Whatever reason I have doesn't make killing right. Even if people say I didn't have a choice, taking a life should never be an acceptable solution."

"Yet, you want me to stop you anyway."

I swallowed an annoyed groan, "Look, news flash for you Happy Go Lucky Fairies, but life isn't a fairytale where happily ever after is a given when you do the right thing. It's messy, it's cruel, fucked up, yet at the same time so much more than that. And I wish things could be better than what the universe serve you. But I'm, I'm just one man. I can't, I can't fix everything."

My head jolted up when a soft touch held a firm grip on my hand. I looked at her. Seeing deep into her midnight doe eyes filled with sympathy and understanding.

Ah.

She knew.

She knew that already.

Lisanna had been that broken fairytale.

Well, doesn't that me more like an ass.

Her hand tightened around my own, and she said this to me; "I'm here."

I felt my breath sunk deep inside me that I had a hard time breathing it out.

"Yeah?" I sounded almost afraid to ask.

"Yes, so what do you want me to do?"

I breathed an exhausted huff, "An idea might help because I've got no freaking clue."

"For the shield or the seal?"

"Both."

"So we're most likely going to die?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay," she's taking this a lot more calmly than anyone should, "Then instead of focusing what we don't have, what about what we do have?"

I snorted, but couldn't blame him that that was the first thing I did. Full Field Control would kill me when used to a whole town, classic Rune Magic would take too long, and I can't cheat with teleportation, and my daggers are useless.

Damn, this is Christmas Island all over again.

"Sorry, I have nothing on hand that helps."

She huffed, "Figures things couldn't run smoothly, it would be convenient if we could solve the seal and the shield at the same time."

I nodded in agreement, "So true, that would conveniently save a lot of time without breaking and writing a new rune— waaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiit!"

I held my hands on my head, my mind running a million miles per hour as a solid idea started to form. Mira was asking me what was wrong, but I shushed her. Not wanting to break my concentration before everything was in place.

Seven Seal. Shield. Runes. Area. Time.

A lightning bolt of an idea made my frame tensed. I let my entire body quiver as my blood is now coursing in excitement, anticipation, and hope. My head turned to her in a whirlwind, my mouth slightly parted. Then I grabbed her head in a tight grip before kissing her forehead to the point of slobbering her.

"Oh, you brilliant witch, you!" I exclaimed excitedly.

I turned my back on her and ran to grieving family with a loud clap of my hand, startling them in place.

"We have a plan," I announced.

"We have?"

"We do?"

"Yes." I pointed the finger at Lady Sorano before turning it to Little Sawara, "Yes. And it will work spectacularly, or blow up on our faces. Literally." I rubbed my hand together, anticipation charging me up like a fast, mean fighting machine about to unleash itself.

"We can't make a shield, that's a given. We neither have the time or manpower for that. But you know what we have? A Seal, not just any Seal but a Seven Point Seal that's fame for its flexibility and absolute nature. So what's to say we can't use it to our advantage?"

"How?"

"Well, the seal is keeping the lava in, who says we can't use it to keep it out?"

Sorano scrunched her button nose, and my mood can't help but find it cute. "What difference would that make?" she asked.

"Oh, you're about to find out," I answered in increasing manic energy I had did not help my restlessness. I couldn't help myself; when I come up with a brilliant but mad idea, I can't stand still until it comes to fruition.

And once it does, it will be beautiful.

I snapped my finger and pointed at the Five Century Old Kid, "Sawara, with me."

She was stunned for a second, not expecting to be called out but promptly made her way beside me. How cute, she reminded me when Nick was younger.

"Now, I really really hope I'm right, but Sawara-chan, do you happen to know the inner mechanism of the Seven-Point Seal."

"Of course, I was there when the seal was made, and I had many years to study it."

"So if I ask you to... let say... rewrite the seal, can you do that?"

"Don't be ridiculous, even if I could; it's not like anyone can disable the Seal and walk away from it. Otherwise, we would have done that years ago!"

"No, not disable, rewriting it."

She tilted her head and furrowed her brows, "How will that help us?"

"You haven't answered my question, can you or can you not?"

We engage in a staring contest where one of us tried to make the other comply with only the sheer force of our minds without any kind of telepathy whatsoever. It was a ridiculous attempt on both our sides but our stubbornness were not defeated so easily.

The escaping sigh signed her resignation and placed her hands on her hips, "What do you have in mind?"

I smirked and leaned in to whisper next to her ear. I could tell the others were drawing them self closer, listening for any catches of my plan, from the corner of my eyes. Once I'm finished, Sawara jerked herself aside with her eyes boggling up my head as if she would find the missing brain I lost, "You're mad!"

Oh goody, it's like she's setting me up to an opening for me to quote.

"Good thing I am, otherwise I probably wouldn't have ever thought of it."

She bit her lip for a moment, long enough to weight her option, before shaking her head. "I'm not going along a mad man's plan, and this is risky, way too risky. You've done enough Fairy-san. I've already accepted my fate so please...please... don't give me any false hope." she ended with a shaky note.

My smile fell, not expecting for her to reject the idea, and I had to restrain myself the urge to rip my hair off.

Before I could let my Silvertongue out to convince her (or piss her off more, it can go either way), Mira was there, kneeling to be on her height and her hand gently caressing her bob cut hair. "I know it's scary Sawara-chan, it's only expected. Five hundred years you stayed, five hundred years you protect this land because you love it. You love it with every fiber of your being and all you want it to keep it safe. But you can't give up. Not yet. Not when your family is here willing to give up everything for you to stay by their side.

"I can't say what you're doing is wrong or right. No one can hope to decide that. However, one thing I can say is that you should never discount the feelings of those you left behind. Because once you're gone, they will be the one to shoulder your lost. Feeling the void of your presence. Crying the night away of your memories. Missing the smiles you make. Watching an important person die right in front of you… and was too out of reach to help them. It hurts. It's hard. Unlike anything you can imagine. That's why you can't give up on them... or on yourself."

At some point, Mira had pulled Little Sawara in her arms. Hugging her tightly against her as if afraid she might lose her if she doesn't hold her. There was the sound of muffled sobbing that I couldn't tell if it came from one of them or both.

Sawara took a step back for space before taking in some calming breaths, "You do know you'll be betting our lives by relying largely on luck."

"Hey, I'm risking my great arse as much as yours in whether we'll die in blazing glory. I'll ask for the last time, can you do it?"

Little Sawara was fuming with an angry flushed, possibly not liking to be put in a position where she had to consider betting on people's lives. There was an intangible growl as she pulled on her hair, and I watched all the while without looking away.

After an uncomfortable amount of silence and her internal debate, she took a deep calming breath before biting out, "Yes."

I winning smirk made its way on my lips, "That's what I like to hear."

"Uuh… not to interrupt," the peanut gallery, who had been patiently watching our exchange on the side, piped up, "but what suicide mission are you having my Sawara do?" Sorano expressed with her a hard on glare, a haughty sniff, and a regal tilt of her head that showed that would make anyone cower by her high-privilege aura. It might have worked if her eyes weren't still glassy and red, her nose wet from her dripping snot, flushed cheeks, and an out-of-bed hairdo.

"That, Lady Sorano, is a question that would spoil the show."

"What nonsense are you speaking now? What show?"

Her growing irritation only seemed to fuel my giddiness. I requipped six daggers on hand and threw them with precise precision to the six other points of the seal array. The daggers were interconnected with my magic. Hence when I wrote the word [Reveal, the Seal Array was revealed in its Kanji glory that would make anyone's eye spin around the mouth of the mountain. Sawara had her game face on, and her finger glowed. Other might saw her as just studying and deciding what to rewrite, but I knew better. Right there and then, Sawara was fighting for her life and rewriting her fate with her own two small hands.

"The magic show of course, and as for our first and final trick of the night, we will save the whole Hosenka, and you know what the best part of the show?"

The change of character of my enthusiasm seemed to unnerve them as most of the Clan back away as I lean my crazy-grin face closer. Lady Sorano shook her head, which made me laugh because of how silly of them? How could they not know the best part of all this?'

"Everybody will live!" I crowed with arms stretched out to display the beatiful arrangement of letters that will save us all.

They all gaped at me, except for Mira. She had a challenging smirk on as if daring me to prove my word.

I didn't expect for Lady Sorano to turn livid and pointed an accusing finger on my chest, "I don't believe you! First, you told me Sawara's de—" she gulped, not comfortable to finish it, "Her sacrifice was the only way to ensure the other thousands of lives, and now suddenly you turn around with a new plan like you plan for days instead of seconds that has either all of us live or die? Who the hell do you think you are to decide that?!"

You know the smart move would have been to keep my silence or kept being all the mysterious stranger bit and what not. I do deserve her angry tirade after all, and whatever my answer is not going to appease her at all. But every man has their weakness, and I was always fond of a bit of showmanship.

That, and I was high in adrenaline so sue me.

"Who am I? Who am I you say? I'm the only one in the world capable of saving everyone." The growing rumble of impending doom didn't stop the rhythmic dance on my step, "Mind you, people call me a lot of things; Blazing Inferno, Miracle Worker, Savior of Darkness. Most of them a bit exaggeration, but they mostly call me one thing."

"It's ready!" Sawara called out as she finished the last letter to her masterpiece. "What do we do?"

I didn't answer, just laugh like a maniac as I started running. Carrying Sawara on my back and dragging Mira midway out of the cave. I could hear the shouts and chasing steps from behind as I fished them out through one of the cave's exits that should be overlooking the town's horizon as our first row seats.

Once the other have properly caught up, the rumbling earth began to shake, swaying the others on their feet but I stayed rooted as I turned back to face them. They call me the Rune Master," I answered her finally. I then snapped my finger for the show to begin.

Yellow kanji runes expanded out of the mouth of the volcano above us. Running through the air and enshrouding the town. Not a moment too late, like the releasing tension after putting a chokehold of the earth itself, Mt. Balsam exploded in its red and fiery glory, raining down molting rocks and fumes. The others, both the Clans and the Town's citizens, understandably screamed as if the end of the world was upon them. If I squint real hard, I would catch a glimpse of people running, crying, even praying in the middle of the street. But then I would also notice those who had their eyes locked upon the sky with curiosity and amazement on their faces. When the sharp-witted mind figured every rock that falls bounced, the fumes shrouding the sky above instead of enclosing the town below, the lava creeping around until shaping into a glowing heated dome.

"What did you do?" Lady Sorano was the first to break the stun silence.

I giggled further like a kid who got his first Christmas Present. "Not me, this was all Little Sawara, I just gave her the idea."

"Idea?"

"He told me to reverse it," Sawara answered for me, eyes still locked at the lava dome around the precious home she had watched over for five hundred years, "The Seal used on the volcano, he made me reverse the use of the seal outward instead of inward. The function is the same, 'Keep the lava away from the town,' but instead of putting a lid, he made a sort of shield that protects the town at the same time of getting it to blow up. It's…"

There was a massive snort passed on the old girl's lips. Everyone turned to the Living Relic of Inzen, never hearing it from the woman in a child's body before. However, the snort didn't stop, evolving into a series of giggles before it turned into a peal of pure unadulterated laughter. The sound of hers was so loud, so joyous, so free was the sound that she clenched her stomach and had tears at the edge of her eyes, making her out to be like the child she was at heart as opposed to her old weary soul.

"The answer all along was so simple, so dumb, such a JUVENILE idea! But it works. It works. It actually works." She continued to laugh at the joke the universe had thrown her, long and hard, that it was getting harder to tell whether she was laughing or sobbing.

The screaming of the town's people died soon enough when it was clear to them that the lava was going nowhere as near a foot to this town. They stopped and watched, helplessly mesmerized by the surreal sight of hot red glowing rock spreading out across the sky into a globe around town before it shifted into a dull grey color, hardened by the change of cool temperature outside until there was nothing but the sound of a creaking rock.

Silence dein on us from the breathtaking show magic had let us witnessed. Everyone could not take their eyes off the sky just yet, and I was most likely the only who had control of their jaw from hanging off.

"And the show was just getting started," I smirked as the first crack appeared on the globe of cold lava. Then another. And another before it began to widespread across the surface until the first trickle of sunlight shone through. But the cracks got more prominent. Holes started appearing, then it started falling apart until nothing was blocking the evening sky.

As if a spell hanging on them was broken, the crowd cheered in endless joy and relief. The whole Inzen Clan was no exempt from crying happy tears but for a different reason than the rest of the town. Not even I could hold back the raucous laughter, striding a quick pace before lifting Sawara and twirled her around. Sorano forgot all her cool manner as the Lady Boss as I swept her along in my hug as the three of cheered in success at keeping everyone alive. The rest of the families were all cheering just as enthusiastic, if not more. Hugging, kissing, slapping backs, punching faces, supplexing others to the ground, and throwing others like a baseball. You know, the usual way mafias would celebrate.

My eyes spotted the lone mage, smiling at the edge of the celebration and I thought that just wouldn't do. Sneaking from behind, I grabbed her waist and forced her into a twirl. Ignoring her cry of protest that sounded weak when mixed with her laughter.

Then I surprised us both when I put her down and pulled her into a crushing hug. It was only when my face was obscure, snuggling on the nape of her neck, did the packed emotion was at last unwoven within me, choking back the tears from falling but failing.

"Thank you," I whispered like I had never thanked before.

She froze within my grasp before relaxing and was hugging me just as firm as I. Not commenting on her wet shoulder I had cried on as she gave me the comfort I had desperately crave within the dark, bleak despair of the cave had been crushing me inside out.

I shuddered a breath out, reigning in my emotions back before taking a step back and tried my hardest to convey my gratitude once again.

"Thank you, Mirajane."

A rue smile passed her lips as she shook her head, "I didn't do anyth–" I cut her denial by putting my finger on her lips.

"No," I said, wanting her to know how much she mattered, how important, today no matter how little she did. She was the one who had pulled me together when I needed it most, "You, you helped me more than anyone here could have done."

I saw the confusion in her pair of blue navies, "What exactly did I do? All I did was talk and tweedle my thumb, but I guess that's expected when I have no magic to aid me." The bitterness in her words was an unexpected tell, and it felt like a physical blow to me at how much she believed in her own words. Like witnessing her cutting herself, each deeper than before.

My grip on her shoulder tightened, and I made sure to make eye contact to show how sincere I was, "Don't say that, you gave me no magic could ever give me that was what I needed."

"What's that?"

"Hope."

She smirked, but there was a slight sadness. "Now, who's talking rubbish?"

"I'm serious. Any idiot who thinks anyone who inspired hope is just spouting pity or empty words doesn't know what it likes to be drowned in darkness. Not knowing where's up and down, and all you can do is struggle to move forward when all you need is a light, one shred of light piercing that suffocating darkness, guiding a path for you to find solace."

I blinked, only just realizing my mouth had run off on its own, and my eyes had glazed into a faraway look. I looked back down to find Mira had never left her gaze from my features and I found my breath hitched at her intense dark blue orbs. "But you… you gave me hope because you hadn't given up when I had. You saved the whole town today with me."

Our staring stretched far longer than it should, and Mira was the first to broke her gaze, "Then I guess we just got lucky."

I wasn't satisfied with her response, and I had to wrack my brain, to find the right word, the right hope for her to cling as she had given me today. Our time hanging over pooling lava flashed in mind, and an idea came.

I licked my lips, nervous to say a word, scared of making it worse, but knew what she needs to hear, what she needs to realize herself. "You ask me before, what's a mage without magic, do you remember that?" Mira scrunched her nose at the subject but nodded anyway. "Tell me then, what are you?"

Mira turned far more perplexed, "I… I don't—"

"You ask the question. I'm sure you have some idea for the answer."

The Goth looked away, shifted in unease and was compelled to pull away from my reach but I the strength of my grip never waver.

"Tell me," I pushed her, not so gently but patient nonetheless.

"I don't know! Why are you asking me this anyway? It doesn't matter."

"Because I want to know why magic matters to you."

"You… aaagghhh!" My simple answer only agitated her. I had to hold back the smirk tugging on my lips, so I didn't look mocking. "Forget it; you wouldn't understand."

"On the contrary, it's you who don't seem to understand. You talk about being weak, and useless, and failing your guild before, yet the only thing I see is your lack of magic. How does that manner?"

She rolled her eyes from my supposed stupidity and was ready for a verbal bashing when she froze. Her brows knitted in thought as no word could properly voice her reason.

"No retorts, Miss Satan Soul?"

My tone might have gone too mocking because she tackled me to ground and shook me relentlessly. "Shut up!" She roared, "You, and your stupid roundabout talk and that know-it-all smirk. If you want me to spell it out then here: I'm useless!" Her grip on me loosen, and she was half-heartedly punched me on the chest, her face shadowed by her white bangs as her head hung listlessly. "All that power, all that skill and recognition, and I couldn't protect the one person that matters to me the most. I couldn't protect my family. If oI had been a better mage, I could have saved her. I could have–" I felt the wet droplets on my shirt but didn't say anything, it sounded she had a hard time breathing in but continued to pour out the bottled feelings she opened like it couldn't stop flowing out.

"But it was done. She's gone. Nothing can change that. So I moved on. I moved on because that's what she would have wanted, to live the life she couldn't have but... but it's hard. It's so damn hard without her thanking me for every meal like it was the best thing she's eaten, for scolding for getting a little rowdy with my guildmates, seeing her reassured smile as she watched my back.

"In the end, I have to grow stronger. I have to, otherwise, how will I ever be able to save anyone. How could I stay and call myself a Fairy Tail Mage when I can no longer protect my family? Without magic, I am nothing."

I had closed my eyes as I listened to her, only to open them and avoid looking at her in preference to the crimson sky, fighting the urge to shake the nonsense out her skull for that disappointing answer, but I counted back from eight and blew a heavy breath out. Instead, I tilt my head to the side, making her head turn toward the town.

The civilians were still in the state of euphoria. Friends were cheering, families laughing, colleagues patting each other's back. Wave and wave of happiness seemed to radiate out of the town that made it glow not from the signature festive lantern around town.

"Are they useless then?" I softly asked her, "Without magic, do they mean nothing?"

"That's different. They're different," she denied vehemently.

"How?"

"For one, they're just people, they're–"

"Exactly."

"Huh?" She blinked, not all comprehending my point.

I smiled patiently at her, "You know mages are pretty amazing, do you know that?" She sputtered, not expecting my off tangent comment. "They have this fantastical force of nature that is bound only by our imagination, from summoning beings from another dimension to creating fiction into reality. They can make and destroy, to harm and heal. We rely on magic on so many parts of our lives to the point we took it for granted. That instead of this power that we are burdened to take responsibility for, we use it as a guise to make us better than people, sometimes to establish ourselves as gods that we tend to forget who we are

"We still wake up in the morning to make our foods and get ready for the day, at days we act stupid because that's part of who we are, being kind to people because we knew what it's like to be helpless, and just... being there for the people we care about. We laugh, we cry, we love. How does not being a mage make you any less important?"

"Because...because…" Her voice that came out stringy was slowly receding in volume. I took that chance to put the final nail for the coffin of her self-doubt.

"You saved Sawara today. You saved me. Not the S-Class Demon Mage, but the proud Fairy Tail Member, Mirajane Strauss did."

She raised her head and I kept my face in check as I saw her tear-streaked face that made a harsh tug in my chest. "But what if I'm not enough?" Her question was so innocence and child-like, betraying her own age.

"You're their family, that's more than enough."

Her lips twitch into a hesitant smile before it grew into a full-blown grin. She giggled but what came out was a snort because her nose was clog from her crying snot. And we had to exchange a mirth smile with one another. My hand had reached out to cup her face, wiping the tears gently out of the way as I burned the image of the smile she so rarely gave.

"Hey Lovebirds, if you're done fooling around, we have to go back and explain to the masses!" shouted one of the grunts.

The words snape my thought into taking account of my position and what might it looked like from the outside. With me lying on my back and a skimpily dressed goth mage locking me in place with her thigh between my legs. Our faces inches from each other so I manage to have a clear view of her pink blush.

Maybe because of how unexpected it was to find that color suit the Demon Mage's face that my mouth decided to run itself and be a little shit.

"You know, I'm all for you being on top, but let's save that for somewhere private."

Well, if she was blushing before, now she was rivaling a tomato, so she decided to bury my head to the ground before scrambling up away from me.

Okay, first...ow.

Second, totally worth it~!

When the Inzen Clan made their rare appearance to the crowd and quieted down as The Clan Head; Lady Sorano herself began to explain how Mt. Balsam had been on the verge of exploding and only thanks to the warning and kind-hearted action of two mages were they able to protect the town before the worst could happen.

Well, they weren't technically lying.

Since no harm was done and they people were happy anyway so... who cares, right?

During the Bullshit Speech, it occurred to me that Mira was very confident at my ability to solve without bloodshed when she barely knew me. I doubt it was just wishful thinking so I pulled her back, away from the mouse, and asked, "Why did you believe in me?"

Mira pursed her lips in thought, and I waited for the answer for someone who barely knew me for more than three hours could have given me that much faith. She shook her head and said, "Honestly, I didn't."

"...Oh," I let out, not sure how to respond to that blunt statement, "But then why–"

"I...wasn't sure myself. To be honest, I had the right mind to give you a tongue lashing when you're about to kill the poor girl no matter the reason, but then... I look at your eyes... and I realized… you were also pleading for help... and I did the only thing I could do at the time."

I couldn't hold back the fall of my jaw at her answer. How could I not? She...she... it was one thing trying to help Sawara (because how could anyone not want to help the cute little girl?), or trying to do the right thing or because of what you believe in, but to do so because someone — not just anyone but me — ask for help?

It was a novelty experience.

I grinned like a loon, admiring this beautiful, inspiring woman in front of me. My gaze never leaving hers as if she was a shining beacon in my life that put even the sun to shame. Her shy smile managed to spark something in me, but I couldn't get enough seeing it–

I frozed stiffly in place. My eyes went round and the hair on my arms standing like a deer caught in headlights.

Oh shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttt.

Thinking things just got a lot complicated, I decided it was time to high tail it out of here.

Mira's face turned worried as she put her hand on my forehead, "Your face is a bit flush. You're not having a fever, are you?"

Right goddamn now!

"Maybe. We did have our fair share of time alone and tied up together, while under the volcano and all."

It was Mira's turn to flush, and I belatedly realized that I had sounded a bit suggestive and bit back a groan.

"ANYWAY, it's been nice knowing you, but this guy is about to make his exit." I turned my heel, ready to run the Picasso-cursed-land away from here.

Sawara must have caught a hint of my plan because I felt her tugging my jeans. I glanced down, and she was looking just as any other seven years old would when their favorite person was about to part, fearing the short meeting that might not repeat itself.

So I ruffled hear until every side was tangled and she pursed her lips with flushed, angry cheeks, and I doubled out in laughter when she looked like an angry Pomeranian.

"Don't worry, I promise you the Spa Fest, remember? I'll be here."

"You promised?"

"I already did. Pinky promise, remember? And so far I've never broken a promise. Otherwise, I might lose my magic fairy powers."

Little Sawara giggled before she threw herself around my neck, whispering a fervent "Thank you."

I gave a last wave of farewell before walking off, dodging spectators coming from the opposite side where I was walking off until it was only the view of the empty street with a red phone box at the corner of the lane occupied my vision.

"Wait!"

I stopped. More because of the voice rather than the order itself. I turned back, and Mirajane was there. She was breathing haggardly from catching up to me.

"Wait," she said again, "What's your name?"

I blinked, not sure why she's asking when she knew my name for sure, but I realized she never called me in, "Why do you ask? I did say what it was."

She glared and huffed, offended for taking her an idiot, "That name was just a label for a face, I want to know your name."

My whole body tensed and I had to mask the alarm I felt carefully. I didn't want her to know who I was, not yet, maybe not ever. I pushed away the shame and guilt that was about to build from my lack of answer.

"Tell you what, the next time you see me. I'll tell you my real name, and let me tell you, that's a privilege right now."

Her eyes lowered in disappointment, "Bet it's better than "Arjay""

"I feel my naming sense is being very attacked right now."

She huffed a laugh before a companionable silence surrounded us. I even forgot why I wanted to hurry and run before, wanting to stay and keep the smile she had on me.

"So...I guess I'll see you again. This isn't goodbye?"

"Maybe, maybe not." I reached out to her hand, waiting to see if she rejects my advance. When she didn't push me away, I held her hand high before kissing her knuckles, feeling smug at the blush she made. "That's the great and terrifying thing about the future; we never know what brings us the next day. But I like to think I'll be seeing you again. Keeps me hopeful." I winked.

That had Mira huffed a laugh but nodded nonetheless, "Then… till next time."

"Till the next time, Mirajane Strauss. It was.. .a great pleasure meeting you," and seeing you again.

We stayed there standing, looking at one another, smiling a simple smile until Mirajane was the first to take a step back and turned away.

"What was her name?" I found myself asking. Even though I already knew. I...I think I need this chance while I was given. Even as not entirely myself.

She didn't need me to elaborate who I was asking about, it was obvious enough, "Lisanna."

"Then my condolence to you, and may her spirit rest among the stars."

Her sunken breath was audible, and she hadn't turned her back for me to see her blinking back the tears that broke out, "Thank you."

By the time she looked back, there was no one there and lingered a moment too long, going back without placing an odd nudge at the back of her mind that something had gone missing from the view of the empty street.

Our path, once more, diverging before we would meet in the not so long future.

Meanwhile within my favorite Red Box, [Permission to speak, Sir.]

"What is it TORRI?" I said absentmindedly while I adjusted the coordinates.

[I couldn't help but notice you haven't had your 'Hot Spring Experience' you have planned.]

There was a long pause for the time it took for me to listen to his words, processed its meaning, and realizing the implication before reacting appropriately.

"Motherfu—"

The lever went down on its own.

And a red telephone box was swept out of sight.

…

I barely took a step in on the Willow's workshop before I was greeted by a 25 pounds of tear ducts tackling me down.

"What the– Nick?!"

"Where were you Aniki? I was soooooo worried. I thought you got stab, or stuck in jail, or buried underground, stuck in jail, or picking fights with nobles then get stuck in jail."

What does it say that he's right on all accounts except for being the lock in jail thing, "Why are you so fixated with me in jail?"

"Because Lucy made it her point to tell me half your adventures she ended up breaking you out of jail."

That little blonde traitor, I swear she's gonna get it for this.

His grip hadn't gone any less tighter while he kept his wet face at the crook of my neck, and I didn't need to think before soothing him with a gentle rustle of his hair.

"I'm sorry," he said before I could offer any defense for making him worry, "I was out of line back then, you don't need a kid like me to tell you what to do. I won't repeat it so please...please don't ever leave me. I don't want to be abandon again."

He said the last part in a hushed whisper that he hadn't meant for me to hear. I groaned at the back of my throat, wanting to hit myself on the head for getting the Biggest Arse Reward.

I pinched the bridge of my nose instead, "Don't. Don't apologize. You, you are not in the wrong this time, I was."

I was met with the second face who had a tear-streaked face, and I winced seeing the red disbelieving gaze he shot me.

"You were in your rights feeling upset after the brush off I gave you. Just because you trust me, doesn't mean you don't deserve an explanation. I've... recently been reminded how long I've been relying on Lucy all the time from our time together, that I've taken other people for granted when it's convenient for me until, at some point, I stopped asking for help from anyone else. Not on purpose I assure you, and I was demanding enough that people didn't question me much, but… I should have appreciated their effort more for what it is. And for that, I'm sorry Nick, for treating you less than you should have as someone important for me."

Nick's eyes boggled out from my speech before he started crying anew. To the point he might have cracked the floor from the force of his tears.

"Alright, alright, sheesh enough with the waterworks!"

"But, but, you called me important!"

Nick might have meant it as a consolation for both of us, but that only gave a sharp enough blow for blood trickling down my lips. So much for being the Brother of the Year if he needed that reminder.

"Aniki! Aniki, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just had my character being jabbed too many times in the past hours."

Nick tilted his head but said nothing in return. I sighed and asked him to find Hope so I could start explaining Mira's letter alongside Spade. He might not know her, but he's part of the team, and part of my life, it's only fair to include him.

So when we were all nice and cozy within the clinic walls around a bedridden Spade. It was one thing planning to tell them. It was a whole 'nother level of nerve wreck when they were looking expectantly for some answers.

Still, if it was one thing I'm good at, then plowing forward without a second thought is one of them.

So I narrated everything of what I failed to explain; Mira's letter telling about her sister's death, our status as fugitives which complicates matters, but most of all the real kicker why I refuse to see her.

"LISANNA IS ALIVE?!"

The patient among us groaned, "Gee, be any louder will you, my eardrum hasn't explode."

"Shut up Spade! Aniki, isn't this great news? Now Mira won't have to be sad knowing one of her family isn't dead, we've got to tell them!"

Knowing this was his likeliest respond, I rest my chin on my knuckles, my eyes showed the war against grief, "That's the problem, we can't."

"Eh? Why? Surely we ought to. Imagine how hard it is for Mira right now, to not know her only sister is alive and feeling responsible for it. We know that. We could help her!"

"Which is exactly why I couldn't stomach myself meeting her with a lie that big. When I couldn't prevent her "death" in the first place just because it never came to mind.'"

Nick was bristling in anger as he stood from his chair, "How could you? Why do you even need to lie? Lisanna's alive. She needs us. They need us. Why would you ignore that? To Mira and Elfman of all people. Aren't you supposed to be a hero? Aren't they our friends?"

"Nick." Spade got a word in. "I think we should give Captain a chance to explain his reasons if we want to understand the why. That, and how he knew this Lisanna person is alive in the first place."

The Crystal Dragon Slayer had a few more words but grumbled to himself that Spade had a point and reluctantly went back to his seat.

I shot him a grateful look before continuing, "Like he said, the reason how I knew is part of the reason why I can't go see her."

They waited for my next words with an eager patient, but only the flapping wings and the rustling sheet covered the noise.

"Well, tell us what it is!"

When I still said nothing. Hope moved to sit by my lap, giving me silence reassurance that she must have the sense I needed. Breaking me out of my looming worries and took a steady breath.

Finally, I dropped the bomb.

"I knew because I've seen how it happened in my head. I knew because I know a future."

Now let's see how they react.

Cautiously I glanced at their faces that I've been avoiding since the talk. Spade was the most underwhelming, his mouth parted and his eyes were round as saucer, but nothing else indicates he was surprised. Nick, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to dislocate his jaw and was leaning way too forward from his seat.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?! You, future, can, what?! You can see the future?" I was about to elaborate, but Nick had more to say, "Why didn't you tell us, that's the coolest thing ever! Hey, hey, do you think you could see the lottery number next time? Oh, oh, maybe You could see if…"

I couldn't help the fondness and annoyance at Nick's antic and rolled my eyes. Honestly, I should have expected that his reaction would be typical.

"...maybe you could try seeing if I'll ever see Mom and Sis for me?"

Then he went a complete 180 and stabbed me with sentiments.

I pulled my blonde strands and sighed, "I can't Nick because I can't see the future, I see a future."

"What's the difference nyu~?" Hope was the one who asked.

"In a certain perspective, the future isn't consistent. It's always changing from the decisions made by every people's existent and creating more than one timeline. The future I saw is one timeline that could happen unless I make any changes, but I saw this a long time ago… when I was a different person… and the memory keeps fading over time."

No one said anything for a time as they tried to digest the information I gave them. They might even have more questions than answers but wasn't sure what to ask either.

"So does that mean it's useless?"

Gee Nick, learn some tact.

"Or in other words, Roy knows other people's future but his own."

I shrugged, "You could say that. After all, the future I saw had me inexistent, so the fact I'm here changes a lot of things." For better or worse. "Both of you are proof itself since I know nothing about you guys, and who knows what you were — or might have been — if you hadn't met me."

Both Spade and Nick shuddered at the thought. The former from the remembrance of his slavehood, the latter of his possible death.

Nick made a deep crease between his brows as it started twitching, he started humming deeply while putting two pairs of fingers on his temples. We shot him a worried look and sweatdropped after he burst out, "Agh, I still don't understand. Why can't you tell the Strauss she's alive, or get Lisanna, or even be there for them?"

And there it is. The moment of truth — the core of the problem for all this. I opened my mouth, felt the dry of my lips and closed to lick it before opening it again, but closed it back to drink my saliva, feigning an attempt to soothe my sore throat.

The intense green eyes Nick was giving me did not help my nerves as I tried to pry open part of my soul. My secret I wasn't brave enough to even admit until now.

"Because… because I don't have the right to mourn by their side."

"Ani–"

"No, listen. I know Lisanna was going to disappear. I know the effect it caused on both Mira and Elfman. The pain and the guilt they were forced to carry. I know this, but I didn't do anything. Not because I can't change it, not because I was occupied on a month expedition, but because I forgot. Now, I can't reach Lisanna to where she disappeared. They're grieving as it is, I can't just give them hope with only my word to back up and expect them to believe me when Mira technically saw Lisanna dying in her arm. How could I stand there with her, on her empty grave, pretending to mourn the loss of their beloved sister without being able to tell her she's alive? I, I can't, I'm sorry, but I can't do that Nick. I just… Can't."

I felt the soft paw of Hope's hand gently patting my cheek, realizing I was crying at some point in my tirade. I smiled at her, telling her I'm okay - that I'll be okay, in time.

But then the heavy air was instantly cut by the door almost wrenching out of its hinges, "Get out now or I'll throw a wrench at your face!"

Our shock was replaced by exchanging confused look at each other. "Uh, Mr. Willow, what's going on?"

"What's going on?! What's on is that the fucking military is at my doorstep asking your head on the gallows!"

"""WHAT?!"""

Nick and Hope burst to the side, opening the window. They were greeted with the sight of lines and lines of opaque uniformed men surrounding the house, each with a long sword on hand. That was not the surprising part though, that part wouldn't make him flinch after months as a fugitive with Nick's beloved Aniki. What was surprising was the endless green of soldiers filling the streets until the next block with barely any room to move.

The only one not surprised by the overkill reception was me.

"The heck?! How badly did you get in trouble to get this response?"

"I'd like to know that as well," Mr. Willow growled to the point he bit off his tobacco smoke clean off, "Didn't you tell us last time you had everything taken care off before?"

"I did take care of everything, but I said it with the idea of never coming back here again."

It's a good thing his cancer stick was gone otherwise he might blow out his smoke like a steaming train. "My family might have owed you but dealing with the Capital is way past the limit our generosity can give, I have a wife and a kid to take care of so either get out, or I'll take that bounty off your head myself. Oh, and don't forget to take this with you."

He threw me a large briefcase at me. I opened to peek inside and grin madly at the new custom made prosthetic arm he's done for Spade. "Understood, thanks for everything you've helped for us, Mr. Willow."

"Tch, don't get sentimental just yet." He took out two cancer sticks this time and lighted it up, "How are you going to get past their barricade around the apartment?"

He brown tanned took a shade paler as regret sunk in when he saw the growing grin on my face, "As a matter of fact, I do know."

With a quick stride to his bedside, it was strange to find someone as short as me lifting a grown man, one hand, on my shoulder.

"What the– get me off Captain! I lost an arm, not a leg!"

"You barely had a full day recovering from the surgery, so you're not allowed to move. Doctor's order."

Nick must have caught on to my plan, judging by the bounce on his feet and excited gleam in his eyes when I drew the window wide open and put a foot on the ledge.

This time, Mr. Willow's cigarette fell, watching us jumping out from the fourth story apartment before we were making our getaway through the roofs.

It took me jumping on five houses before the capitol soldiers notice our getaway.

"We're going to speed things up with style, buckle up Spade!"

"Do I even have a say in this?"

Hope took hold of Nick's back and flew away, while I activated the runes on my shoe to walk through the air. While I regret parking TORRI out of the way to keep him out of sight, it does give us chances for an epic getaway.

"They're getting away, after them!" Someone ordered.

"How? They're in the air!" Another complained.

They really should up their quality if this is all the soldiers are capable of. That's what I thought until both me and Nick crashed against an invisible wall.

"Huh?" Nick banged against the air and was met with nothing but resistance, "I didn't see anyone using magic."

"Nor did I sense them," I said grimly, my mouth pursed like I bit something sour, "because this is isn't magic this is alchemy, and I know one man capable of this." And boy, I didn't want to see him anytime soon, or ever.

My eyes were drawn down to the individual on the roof. His back hunched down, hands tuck on his pocket, droopy eyes lazily tracking me, but his most prominent feature was the large afro on his head, and when I say large, I meant he could hide a basketball in it and none would be the wiser.

"Jacky, still a lazy bastard I see."

"Captain, still giving me a migraine I see."

"Hey, it's not my fault your leader is a sick perverted arse, he had it coming a miles away!"

He cocked his head to the side as if considering my words when I knew for a fact he couldn't care less either way. "Hmm, I supposed. Unfortunately, you're appearance interrupted Bala-Bala's fame gag routine, and for that, I will have to arrest you on the spot."

"Not because you're the commanding admiral assign to me?"

"That too."

"Admiral!" Nick freaked out at the big-shot title, "What's a big shot like him trying to arrest us?"

"Captain, what exactly did you do?" Spade finally gave in to his curiosity.

I was debating to tell them or not, but thought to be more open should start from somewhere, "I may or may not have…cough… castrated… cough… a fat dictator and freed a warehouse of his slaves the last time I was here."

The eyes around me felt like a boar drilling on my head.

"Please tell me I heard that wrong," I heard Spade said from behind me.

"If you wished it was, then, unfortunately, you heard it right," Jacky retorted dryly.

Nick burst out laughing alongside Hope, and if the situation wasn't so dire, he would have let himself roll over the floor with a clenched stomach.

Spade, on the other hand, just smirk, "They must have put up quite a bounty on you then."

"He is known as the Top Eight Most Wanted Men of Caelum to be exact." He pulled out a roll of paper from his back pocket, furling it out to reveal a picture of a younger me with a cocky grin while winking whoever was on the other side of the camera.

Under the picture was an impressive number of zeroes, I was almost willing to turn myself in for it. Even Mr. Willow was gaping, and Nick was drooling, shifting from the string of numbers, then at me, then back to the wanted poster.

"Don't you dare…" I warned him.

"I didn't say nothing."

"As you can see, a lot of people are gunning for your head. So the military is pushing us to capture you since we don't really want to give up an eighth of our liquid asset for your stupid mug-face."

"Admiral, I'm touched for your concern. Any chance I could convince you that my witty mind and dastardly charm is enough to slip away any wrongdoings coming my way? That way we could go on our business, and you could continue watching your comedy."

"Hmm, tempting. Alas, you forget to take in one account in your fast talk."

He took out his hands and I tensed, knowing a fight was unavoidable when he revealed his tattooed alchemy circle, glowing at the palm of his hand. The air shifted when I noticed the light giving a light shimmer that boxed us together.

"I don't like you." He made a crushing motion with his hand, and the air seemed to close itself against us. Ready to crush us into a pile of crushed bones and meat.

I smirked with a cocky disappointment, "Have you forgotten already Jacky?" I grabbed Nick before we teleported behind him. Why did we do that instead of running further away you might ask?

"Your alchemy works shit on me," I said before kicking him off the roof.

Well, because I can that's why.

There's a reason why he never likes me.

Not like it does jack shit on him. All he does was flip mid-air and landed on his feet. On air. Just so you know, that copycat stole that move from me. "I was hoping your sick friend would have held you back."

He pointed a finger gun at me, and my eyes widen in alarm, "Nick, shield!"

"Crystal Dragon's Bone."

It was a test of his quick reflex that a shield of crystal pillars blocked us from his view. Nick's confident curve of his lips was quickly wiped when all of it shattered like brittle glass.

A quick breeze passed us by, and Jacky was behind us in what could have been a flash.

"Air Jet."

Huh, that bastard actually learns a new trick.

I spun quickly and met his pressurized air bomb with a quick requipped of my Flash Dagger that I threw at him. The moment it went off, blinding the high officer of Caelum, I grabbed Nick's arm once more and immediately teleported right at TORRI's front doorstep.

"Wait, we could have gone back here from the start? Why hadn't we done that? And who the hell was that Afroman?"

"Yes. Cause it's fun. And that was Admiral Jack Eye Haden. One of the four strongest admirals across the Caelum known as the Ether Alchemist and the Prodigy of Caelum. He is also famous for his love of gags. Rumors says one of the qualifications to work as a direct subordinate was to make him laugh, give him a bad joke and you could kiss your military career bye-bye."

"Seriously?"

"I take my comedy with the utmost seriousness."

Alarm bells rang screeching at the back of my head, and I turned to be met by a blast of air pushing me against the wall. I had to turn my body aside, or Spade would have been the one crushed against the wall.

"Roy!"

"Aniki!"

"Captain!"

"Hmm, so your name is Roy. Good to find a name to that face."

I peeled off from the cracked wall and spat out a few dust and debris I ate. "Nick, go handle Spade. I deal with our guest here." I put Spade down where Nick and Hope were quick to shoulder him upright.

I winced at the newly healed stab wound but held myself from touching it. It does me no good for Admiral to know if I was injured.

"Where are your dogs, Admiral? " I spatted with a feral laugh.

"Not here. I thought after I made sure to mark your getaway ride, I should deal with you myself. You have this annoying trait in making use other's incompetency to your advantage."

"High praise, but knowing you, you just want to avoid casualty paperwork."

He shrugged, "More or less."

"You want a battle? I'll give you one."

We both shot out into the sky, giving us a better room than a dingy little alley. Jack Eye started things off with a barrage of Air Palm that felt like a punch in the gut from a distance. The fact that it would blow up after a certain distance makes dodging a bit more challenging.

The barrage of his Air Palm did not help things easier. Teleporting has been the one good advantage I have from total mutilation.

In retaliation, I sent him volleys of various daggers. Either one could blind, decapitate, itch, shower, or even give him the plaque. But then I was reminded of his stupid Air Shield, and I had to quell an irritate groan from seeing it work against me again.

"This is why I hate fighting you."

People who control the wind, that I can handle. Their attacks tend to be flashy and a force to be reckoned with but simple and straightforward. People who control pressure and air molecules is a bit trickier.

BOOM!

One stray Air Palm managed to decimate a whole block in the Abandon District.

Holy Marie-Antoinette! Put overkill in one of those lists.

"Screw this!" I summoned Rave and decided to give him a taste of his own medicine, creating a giant silver sphere that cast him into a trap.

"Seems like I'm not the only who learned new tricks," Jack Eye drawled behind me. His long legs giving a roundhouse kick that I block with my raised arm. Locking us into hand-to-hand combat, not at all different to our fight. I punched. He dodged. He kicked. I blocked. So on, so forth.

We were stuck in a stall mate.

Shaking things up, my next punch had Rave shooting out like a blade. When he dodged to the side, it changed into a hammer to which I swung right at his head. He skidded across the air in a tumble but was quick to get up despite the gash above his eyes.

And because I am a little shit, I pointed at my broken nose and muttered, "Payback."

His bored gaze never wavered, but when he sighed, I knew something was up, "Guess I'll have to draw out the big guns."

He disappeared from my sight, and I could only brace myself when a hard kick hit me right at the kidney. When I was only just thinking of gaining my bearing, I felt a knee on my gut, a punch on the face, a hard-struck on my back, and a dozen other hits I could barely see with my eye. Black spots were growing, and the insistent ringing in my ear didn't help my concentration.

"Air Jet: Barrage Shoot." He said before I felt my ribs broken from a harsh elbow hit from him. I spat out blood before having enough opening to put a round sphere shield using my Rave. Jack Eye wasn't deterred, using every move he got to try and break in. However, I imagined the sphere to grow sharp spikes and smirk when a small grunt indicated it hit my mark.

When the barrage of attacks ceased, I pulled in Rave back into sword form, a long katana sword to be exact, locking eyes with the older man. Putting on a brave front even as my hand was shaking, and breath heaving in exhaustion. He never did pull his punches even when I was younger. It feels like meeting him for the first time again, that feeling that makes you feel small from confronting against an overwhelming power you can't hope to match. Ugh, the ringing in my ears didn't help my nerves either.

Now that I think about it, I barely move so, why am I breathing hard?

I should have given more thought instead of pushing it away as I stood my ground — or, well, air — and daring him on his next move. What I hadn't expected was the great buzzing that grew louder, my sight the grew blurry, and how easily I was out of breath until I had to hold on to my knee to keep myself from falling. I tried to sink in a large amount of air, trying to calm myself, only to find it somewhat lacking.

That's when it hit me, and I glared at the slouched Admiral as he waited for me to fall over myself.

"Zero Air."

"You…" I growled viciously, and I couldn't even stay upright any longer. I was holding on to my magic to keep myself up on the air.

"Me. Now would you mind giving up? It will save me time for Zen's Open Mic if you're not squirming the whole way I pull you in jail."

No way…

He was gone on sight, and I felt the already limited wind in my lungs knocked out of me as he came behind my hunched from and kicked me down by my back.

This can't be...

My magic was immediately cut off, and the force got me cutting through the wind as I sank in the speed of a meteorite.

I still… I can't...

The pain made it harder to keep me together. My eyes were fluttering between open and close, but I found it was getting harder and harder to fight for consciousness.

lose here… not now… not… yet...

I held on to the light, enough to keep my thoughts clear, yet it was a losing battle as darkness crept further from the corner of my eyes–

"UUUUUURRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWW!"

A familiar war cry took a snag of my fading consciousness, to be greeted by the sight...of...wait…

What the frick is Nick doing up here?!

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my Aniki!" He swept a kick, and out from the sole of his foot was a crystal spear jutting out toward one of the strongest person known to man.

With a crushing motion from his hand and bored expression to boot, he managed to turn the crystal into splinters. However, that didn't deter Nick the slightest. With his lips fixed into a snarl, Nick and Hope flew to meet the Admiral head on.

The bastard must have found him amusing because he let him. He was giving himself an opening for Nick to get in close, encased with his crystallized arm. Jack Eye was seen leisurely dodging it with his usual bored look beneath his grey eyes. That sadist was going to use Nick as leverage at this rate, and there was no chance in hell I'm going to give him the opportunity.

And I cursed at myself from being a pile of useless heap.

Nick seemed to move in pure emotion as he struck out with wild abandonment. Roaring out at every chance he got, throwing out crystals shots without aim, and only seemed to add more and more remains from his attacks.

Despite having little breath, I couldn't help the "Idiot" that slipped out of my mouth.

Come on Roy, think, think! How am I going to escape this chokehold he got on me. I refused to let the Airy Bastard get the best of me again. It's not like I could reset my body to-

Oh.

OH!

I requipped one of my handy all-purpose healing rune stickers and stuck it to my chest. A wave coughing fit struck me after breathing a lungful of oxygen before jumping up to meet the giant afro, only to feel my blood ran cold.

Jack Eye was gripping tightly at Nick's head in one hand and holding him up like he weighs nothing. I noticed the blood dripping past his large hands, while Nick was hanging limply with mouth agape painfully, and one of his limbs looked like it bend where it shouldn't.

A fire was burning in rage within the cold exterior I had.

"Jack Eye."

"Wow, scary, scary~ you look ready to rip my throat apart and bathe with my blood."

"I will if you don't let go of my little brother right now!" if I was furious before, I was downright murderous that he dared to lay a hand on my family knowing the last time they did, someone joined the eunuch.

"Hmm… no." He answered easily, "Tell you what, you can give yourself up and I wouldn't have to break your brother's skull, sounds fair?"

I was about to spat out precisely what I think of his 'offer' when the tension was cut by unexpected laughter from the last person we knew.

It was hard seeing Nick's expression when half his face was covered up, but the smile where the amused laughter came was unequivocally from him.

"Aaah… thanks for that harsh tap you gave. I had too much blood rushing to my head, so now I can finally think clearly. "

"Big words Kid from someone who couldn't put a scratch on me."

"Yeah, but I can see it now. I can see it so clearly. I was so focused on hitting you. I forgot to focus on my magic. But it's strange you know...because right here, right now, I don't think I can lose to you."

His words were...unnaturally like him, I almost called up to him in worry, but froze when I actually took notice of the changing shift in the air. Nick was… Nick was everywhere. Even though I knew he was right there in front of me, my Senses tells me he is surrounding us like a blanket of air made out of him.

The awaited surprise came when Jacky's hand was beginning to crystallize, forcefully letting Nick go. Hope was quick to swoop in and grabbed him from falling.

The larger man scowled, and believe me that's an achievement from breaking his usual passive face, "Lucky hit, but don't think this will give youuuugh." The Admiral hunched in pain when he found his shoulder protruding a heap of black crystals. He tried crushing it, but it was hard when part of your body had turned into one.

But then I was surprised once more when another burst of black crystal ore appeared on his hand, then another from his gut, then another, and another until he was encased with crystals from almost every side.

"What the hell did you do?"

I like to know that answer myself.

But Nick's expression showed no shift as he stated calmly but loud enough for all of us not to mistake the word he said, "Crystal Dragon's Secret Art: Onyx Prison Dust."

...is this what it feels like to be the proud papa bear when your child decided to become a badass? Because damn son, I couldn't be any prouder of him than at that moment.

It was also at that moment I realized what the surrounding magic was. I raised my arm and with a slight wave, I caught the few shards of the broken crystals he used in his fight. It dawned on me how much he had used in his rampage, and it became a rain of shards dust connected with his magic.

"Don't… you… fuck… With me!" Jack Eye managed to break out from most, but not all, the crystals around and lunge at Nick. I was more than ready to block his attempt, but I saw how Nick was not at all worried, and I decided to trust him.

Jack Eye's movement was slower from the still crystalized parts. He was all emotion when throwing out a punch. Now, Jacky maybe an alchemist with a big size on him, but he was no slouch in the muscle department. He could at least pushed Nick away with that punch.

However, Nick took that punch head on, catching it by the palm of his hand without flinching, and barely a second after he grabbed his fist did half of Admiral's body became encased with his usual pink and white glass crystals.

Normally, that move shouldn't have been a surprise, I've seen him imprison many people by putting them in his crystals. But normally, Nick had always built up his magic first, and the draw out would have been quick but with a lot more timing, exactly like how an expert mage would use their magic.

However, this move was different. The crystal he drew was faster — almost a blink of an eye — more fluid. As if the crystals had been more like a part of his body to move rather than a tool he used with an on and off switch. It clicked to me then why it felt so different to me despite using a move I've seen a thousand times.

Nick hadn't moved like a mage.

Nick had moved like a Dragon Slayer.

"That. Is. So. Coooooool. Nick, you're amazing nyu~!" Hope would have flown around him in delight if she wasn't so busy keeping him in flight.

Nick's eye was a bit glazed, so maybe he wasn't all there, so I decided to pick up where he left off and wrapped his crystallized form in a metal rope. Before twirling it around and around like a rodeo rope and drawing out the time so he would suffer further.

"What do we say to the Military? Fuck off!"

And with a great heaved, I threw him aside, watching his form arching up and up until he was only but a blink in the sky.

"Bye bye nyu~" Hope cried before blowing a raspberry at his direction.

I whistled impressively at the sight, noting it as of possible personal record before drawing my attention to my blonde Dragon Slayer, "How long have you been able to do that?"

"I...am not sure, exactly? It's like...I've known recently how at the same time I've always known how." His tone was unsure, and his brown furrow like he couldn't quite place the right word. "Like...like riding a tricycle and only knowing you could ride a bicycle after you pull out the helping wheel."

"Then what was your helping wheel?"

Nick blinked like he didn't hear me, his eyes stuck to the sky like something unusual was there, "Err… Aniki, the stars are pretty bright tonight."

"Nick, what are you talking about? It's still day time nyu~."

I looked up and indeed found only the bright blue sky before looking back at him, "I think you have a concussion."

"That's nice, can we visit Vitreus? She makes good crystals you know? Hers are always sweet and smooth, like candy. The crystals here are kind of...salty and gritty."

"That's because you eat salt for crystals when push comes to shove."

"Really? That's nice."

I shook my head and left it up to Hope to bring him back to TORRI.

While getting back, my mind was occupied of Nick's powerful move that managed to catch both Jack Eye and me off guard. I've always known Nick to be an instinctive fighter, but I never imagine that fighting with all instinct and pulling out his emotion could lead him to that kind of skill.

I know how powerful a Dragon Slayer can be; Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy are evident proofs of the limitless potential for Nick. But the same can be said for all the other kind of mages. Seeing that potential first hand is a different matter altogether.

"The magic that turns one's own body into a dragon, it's called Dragon Slaying Magic."

It never fully set in within me how literal those words were.

I found Spade blissfully out cold on a bed TORRI grew out for him, a large hump on his head. Well, Nick was certainly getting an earful once the patient woke up, and now I have to deal with two.

"Do you think we could visit Mira?" The Dragon Slaying Boy continued to ramble on, "Well, by mean "we" I mean me and Hope. Aniki is stupid and stubborn, so I'll leave you alone, but I still want to visit her. She deserved at least that you know since she's a great person, don't you think so too?"

I froze a second too long, taking in his words more seriously than I should. My silence came out more like a rejection ready to dish out when Hope interjected, "I, I also want to meet Miss Mirajane and Mister Elfman. I've always heard about them from Nick and you a lot of times that I want to, I want to meet them finally, you know nyu?"

The small plea coming from the exceed was the last straw that broke my reluctance. Nick was right to say my feelings weren't fair to Mirajane, who would have wanted us to be there for her. While I stand by what I said, it doesn't mean I have to drag Nick and Hope into my decision.

"I'll see how we could arrange that, Hope."

"Hooray!"

I closed the door to TORRI and with that, another chapter of my life.

And on to the next.

AN: WHAT UP YOU MOTHERFUUUUUUUU-okay, okay I can't do it. I tried, but I can't. I love you all too much if writing this chapter was any indication. Fuck, this chapter was hard and exhausting, and I think I write too much than necessary but it was more fun this way. I have a new grammar tool to help make this a more readable chapter but checking through 19,600 words was damn hard.

Now, next chapter I am going to finally touch canon. Roy would not be making an appearance. Maybe a cameo but nothing else. Next chapter would be all about Lucy and how adventures with Roy changes her as an individual to be a more confident but more trouble magnet than before. New spirits to be introduced. Oh, it's going to be fun! Then there's the Omake I've been wanting to publish too.

36 chapters for the prequel and every chapter was for preparation for the ripple changes in canon. You think I wrote those chapters for the heck of it (Well part of the reason anyway). No, every chapter has their significant hidden within the plot and it will finally be revealed slowly as the plot progresses.