-Private Meeting Chambers of the Chairman of the Magic Council, Era-

The room was silent, save for the occasional flap of paper as pages were thumbed through, scores of information absorbed by the vampiric eyes of the Magic Council Chairman, and current ranking member of the Wizard Saints, Draculos Hyberion. Though not nearly as fast as using gale force reading glasses, his eyes were fast enough to analyze and evaluate all the data necessary to understand the concern of his colleagues, without causing them to wait for too long.

The man to his right, aged and of short stature, merely hmphed at the chairman's efficiency as he adjusted his thick glasses again, still trying to wade through the rest of the first file he'd picked up, a chronological summary of the events in question, those which had brought them all here today. Wolfheim was not amused at having to meet so early in the morning for this "emergency meeting," but due to the sensitive nature of some of these files, they had no choice but to schedule this meeting outside of the usual, official proceedings. As a favor to the other three Wizard Saints involved, they'd agreed to keep this meeting off the record.

Across from Wolfheim sat Jura Neekis, who was well acquainted with this particular case, thanks to his longtime friendship with the primary caregiver of the alleged first victim. Allegedly first, because there still wasn't enough evidence to prove the rest of the victims were related in any way to the possible suspect.

At the other end of the modest table sat the one who'd requested this meeting, Master Makarov, accompanied by Team Gajeel and Nate DeWalt. Everyone waited patiently as the chairman finished the last few pages of the file he currently held.

"How certain are you of this conclusion, that these attacks and mass disappearances were orchestrated by an accomplice of this … Atticus Montagne?" Hyberion asked.

"We can't be one hundred percent certain. Which is why we've come to ask permission to exhume his body in order to verify this claim," answered Makarov.

"You came to ask the Magic Council, the supreme authority of all things pertaining to the legal use of magic in all the land, for permission to dig up a rotting corpse?" sneered Wolfheim.

"Because this has to do with some seriously dangerous magic, in the hands of a powerful madman!" Gajeel yelled.

"We'll ask for your biased comments when we need them. Until then, we'll have only silence out of you! As for you going over so many heads in coming to us, I suspect that you did so because you lack the evidence to convince a local judge to grant permission? It's hard to argue such a case before members of a community who would very much like to put that particular ugliness behind them, isn't it? And what, exactly, do you hope to find that would help you figure out the identity of this accomplice?"

"We aren't sure. And we won't know until we've had the chance to find out," answered Makarov.

"Isn't that a fine bit of circular reasoning. You won't know what you need until you dig up the body, but you can't dig up the body if you can't tell us what you hope to find. I can't believe we're wasting so much time on this. Do you even know how granting this request would look to the general public?

"This isn't the Magic Council of years past. After that debacle with the former Chairman working with Tartarus, we chose to adhere to a doctrine of transparency, to allow the kingdom to feel they could put their trust in us again. We are under a great deal of scrutiny because of that. The only reason we're doing this behind closed doors is in consideration for the privacy of one of the victims, your guild member. But if we actually granted this request, it would show an outrageous amount of favoritism towards three of the council's members!"

The rather loud rant ended, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its wake. Until it was interrupted by the soft snores coming from the third Wizard Saint who had called for this meeting.

"Warrod! Wake up!"

"Ah! The pods aren't ripe yet! Oh? *Yawn* Is the meeting over? When can we start turning the soil?"

"You won't! And what do you mean by sleeping during a meeting you yourself called?!"

"I can't help it if this is my dormant season. So we're not granting their request? Why ever not?"

"If you'd been awake, you'd know already!"

"Wolfheim," interjected Hyberion, "please, do settle down. We are all Wizard Saints here. We are to set an example for everyone. And Warrod, please show us the due courtesy of participating in the meeting you'd gathered us for. Now, Makarov, would I be correct in my assumption that the recent attack in Magnolia is what led you to seek this audience today?"

"That is correct."

"And according to this report, you've concluded that this … guild member, who's name has been redacted in all of these reports, curiously, was the target of that attack."

"Based on assumptions drawn from the testimony of several eyewitnesses, yes."

"Hmmm. And this member was also the last recorded victim of Atticus Montagne. I imagine his ordeal had left quite an emotional impact upon you, and the rest of your guild? Perhaps upon certain former guild members, and on some highly venerated acquaintances of the victim's friends, as well?" he stated as he eyed his fellow Wizard Saints around the table.

"What exactly are you implying, Hyberion-dono?" asked Jura.

"I was simply wondering if perhaps the stresses and worries you've had for your guild member this past year may be causing you to project a certain amount of blame for his torment unto this latest attacker?"

"You're saying I'm allowing my personal attachments to cloud my judgment in this matter," answered Makarov.

"I'm saying that I fail to see what this other suspect has to gain from attacking the victim for a second time. Even if Montagne targeted this person for revenge, as was reported by Mr. DeWalt, why would the accomplice go after him as well?"

"Again, we won't know unless we can find the answers for ourselves."

"Then what did the victim do to Montagne to warrant such … barbaric treatment? What crime or insult could this person have done to deserve being subjected to everything I just read about?"

"Gray-sama did nothing to deserve what that vile man did to him!"

Silence, except for a round of sighs from those around the woman who'd spoken.

Juvia was aghast at what she'd let slip out, but the deed was done. She covered her mouth in a gasp, avoiding eye contact with her team, face down in consternation.

"Gray ... of Fairy Tail? As in Gray Fullbuster, one of the victors of the Grand Magic Games? The highly vaunted hero of the Northern Regions? It was reported that he was the one who defeated Montagne. Most assumed he was injured during the battle, which was why he'd kept such a low profile since then. There were never any reports of him actually being the victim," said Wolfheim.

"Because my child has the right to privacy during his recovery!" yelled Makarov, "Due to the nature of his injuries, as well as the circumstances involved, I wasn't going to allow anyone to force him under the scrutiny such sensationalism would have caused. And frankly, his private medical concerns are none of anyone's damned business! We were fortunate that the region involved was scarcely populated, and the evil Arius tried to wrought was contained so quickly, that by the time the national media caught wind of it, other things drew their attention elsewhere."

Such as the much more tantalizing rumors about a serial murderer that popped up soon after the necromancer incident.

"What I want to know," Wolfheim interrupted, "is why we, as sitting members of the magic council, were kept in the dark about this? This is a closed session. Nothing revealed here will go on the public record. I would understand why you would want to keep his victimhood from the public, but why from us as well?"

"That was my decision," answered DeWalt, "I thought it prudent to protect the victim's identity, for reasons already given. But also to safeguard against unfair treatment from other parties close to the council," he finished, not hiding his glance towards the last person called for this meeting.

Present to stand witness to the private proceedings, as a gesture to the public at large in order to prevent accusations of backroom dealings, while simultaneously standing guard, was Commander Barrack, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Magic Council, and leader of the Rune Knights. He was an oddity among his kind, the Phebian race, the frog-like creatures who often found themselves in administrative positions within the council. He'd chosen a career path within the Rune Knights, not out of any sense of adventure, but of advancement. Promotions tended to come quickly within an agency that was prone to losing its members to the dark mages it pursued.

Commander Barrack returned DeWalt's gaze with a squinty-eyed smirk, before straightening his posture and stepping forward, deciding to take up the perceived challenge.

"Agent DeWalt, you wound me with such implied accusations of undue bias. For what reason could I possibly have to not treat this poor soul with my utmost respect and consideration?"

"Why indeed?" wondered Wolfheim, "What could anyone working for the Magic Council have against such a well-known and respected member of the number one guild in Fiore? What else are you hiding from us?"

"Perhaps it has something to do with his status as a demon slayer; a being who uses demonic cursed powers to do battle," Barrack proposed. He didn't miss the wary looks shared among team Gajeel. "I see no reason to worry. Anyone with such a noble calling would be more than welcomed among our ranks. In fact, such beings are so rare, I would be more than happy to meet this man, pick his brain a little. I'm dying to know how he'd acquired his powers. It's my understanding that it was a recent development. Can you imagine the possibilities if we could somehow reproduce those powers in others?"

Barrack's appointment to his position wasn't so much earned, as it was acquired through having a great deal of political clout, and possessing the worst kind of knowledge about the right kind of people. Being a Phebian, he possessed an advantage when it came to organizational and secretarial skills, which had proven quite useful in his efforts to prove himself to his betters. In essence, he knew how to acquire information, and how to use it.

He'd held this position since the destruction of the previous incarnation of the council, after all the ranking knights above him had lost their lives in the same attack. He was able to hold onto it through the pull of his allies in the ranks below him. So long as he kept his friends happy, they kept him in charge. As sleazy and power hungry as he was, he still had a long held respect for his acquaintances on the previous council, in as much that his relationships with several of them also gave him a leg up on his competitors. He therefore held a grudge against the demons who had murdered them all.

Everyone in Makarov's party was oddly quiet. This was proof enough that something was hanging over them, something they had tried to hide. But now the spotlight was upon them, and they had no choice but to lay all their secrets on the table. To do otherwise would only make things more difficult for everyone.

"On a related issue," Makarov explained, "from what certain members of my guild have been able to find after a great deal of research, we've not come across any references as to how one becomes a demon slayer. There are just not enough instances within the historical records pertaining to them, let alone theories on how those powers can be attained. Gray's was a special case … He inherited his powers from his father, almost two years ago."

At those words, Barrack's eyes narrowed. He'd apparently discovered what he considered an inconsistency in their story. But what could it be? Everything Makarov had just said was true.

"How could this be, when Silver Fullbuster was killed nearly twenty years ago, by the demon Deliora?"

?!!!

"How the f*ck do you know that?!!!"

"Gajeel! Language!" cried Juvia.

"I make it my business to know these things! It's why I'm so good at my job. And when it comes to the possibility of preventing a disaster like that which befell the Magic Council, you can be damn well sure I will seek after anything I can find regarding how to kill demons as efficiently as possible. When I first learned about the demon slayer, I did my research. Which is why I'm curious. If the son got his powers from the father, why didn't the father use his powers to defeat Deliora in the first place?"

"Because Silver-sama wasn't a demon slayer then. At least that's what Gray-sama told me. He doesn't know how his father became a slayer. Just that before he died, he passed it on to him," cried Juvia.

"Um hmm. And this occurred two years ago, you say? Your guild was on the front lines during the battle with Tartarus, also two years ago. Those two events coincide so well … I'd also read reports about an incident involving an entire village of giants being trapped in ice. Which also occurred not too long before Tararus. Warrod-dono, you're the one who commissioned your former guild to take care of that situation. You must be quite familiar with the strange aspect reported about that ice."

Warrod had lost his jovial demeanor, taking on a serious look as he answered, "It was later discovered that the ice was imbued with a rare power, which made it impossible to melt using normal means: It was demon slayer ice."

"Yes it was. It was later reported that the Baram Alliance was somehow involved in that fiasco. Please remind us, if you will, who led the Baram Alliance?"

" ... It was Tartarus."

"It was Tartarus. Quite the coincidence. Now I see quite clearly, why you tried to hide the identity of the victim from us. The demon slayer's father was an Etherious, which means he's one as well!"

A round of angered shouts and curses went around the room, each side vying to be heard over the other. Each passing moment saw an increase in passions within the quarreling sides. It wasn't until Wolfheim started showing signs of transforming into a raging beast that Hyberion finally took control, releasing a monstrous surge of a terrifying aura that cowed everyone in their place.

"That is quite enough, lady and gentlemen," he said in a eerily quiet, calm voice, "Commander Barrack, such an accusation requires a great deal more evidence than shared associations and coincidental proximities."

"It also requires a great deal of nerve to make such a claim," said a furious Makarov, "Silver Fullbuster was never an Etherious. He was a victim of one. A prisoner, held against his will, and made to do his master's bidding for seventeen long years. You wondered how he could have passed his powers onto his son two years ago, when he'd supposedly died long before then. That's how. He was being controlled by the Etherious Keyes … a necromancer."

With that final disclosure, everything fell into place, and it didn't take long for everyone to connect all the dots.

"Another necromancer? Could this be the link between the serial killer and Montagne's victim? Are you saying this so-called Arius targeted your guild member because of a past grudge between competing wizards?" asked Wolfheim.

"No. I'm saying my child was brutally tortured, endlessly, for days. He was nearly sacrificed in a diabolical plot to return a great and terrible power to a vindictive bastard, who couldn't accept his past defeat at the hands of the boy's father. You will find everything you need to know about that among those reports. You will also find details of how Arius was ultimately defeated as well. Be sure to send your gratitude at your earliest convenience.

"I don't know who's behind the serial killings. I don't understand why the murders had seemingly escalated into those mass disappearances, or what any of those things have to do with Arius. But I do know that something is going on that involves all of these cases, and for whatever reason, my child is caught in the middle of it. And I will do everything within my power, and then some, to ensure his safety, and that of all my other children. And that entails digging up that bastard's corpse to see what secrets it holds!"

Another tense silence. Among the present Wizard Saints, Makarov ranked the lowest of them all when it came to overall strength and power. But no one there doubted his resolve to protect his family, no matter who stood in his way. But there were still procedures to follow.

"*Ahem* Well, having heard all these compelling arguments, along with the revelations concerning the ties between the victim—"

"—HIS NAME IS GRAY!"

...

" ... between Gray and the necromancers, I think we have cause to … further consider this request."

"That's not enough!"

"It's gonna have to be!"

It was such a rarity to see the ever composed vampiric mage yell, that everyone stood down, and chose to listen.

"I sympathize with you, Makarov. I truly do. The kingdom owes Fairy Tail a great debt for its substantial role in defeating the dark mage Zeref, and Acnologia, as well as bringing peace between Fiore and Alvarez. I have no doubt that after reading through the rest of these reports, we will also find ourselves in debt to Gray as well.

"But we have to follow protocol. As of now, there just isn't enough here to justify an order of exhumation from the Magic Council. It would be seen as such a frivolous overreach for us to get involved in what most would regard as a minor, local affair. I see two options for you to obtain what you seek: Wait patiently for the rest of us to thoroughly study these case files, and hope we find reason to grant your request; or find a local judge whom you can convince to do the same."

That was pretty much a death knell for a quick resolution. No one was under the illusion that such a decision would be quick to come. This case would never have such a priority compared to other Council business. But that was the reality, and even Master Makarov couldn't force compliance against the flow of facts. So he merely donned a calm facade, gave a polite bow, and turned to exit the chamber, Team Gajeel and Nate DeWalt following closely behind.

As they walked briskly down the corridor, no one said a word. They all knew it would have been a long shot to get this request approved, but the disappointment was still sharp. There seemed to be an instinctual knowledge not to disturb Makarov as he seemed to ponder his next move, so only Gajeel and DeWalt were unsurprised when the guild master, not missing a step or slowing his pace, suddenly asked into the air, "What's your take on Barrack?"

No one had time to wonder who he was talking to, as the answer out of the air was immediate, in the form of a familiar person materializing out of nowhere.

"He's tenacious, and determined. He has a great hatred, no, more like a fear, towards demons. He took the destruction of the former Magic Council as a personal insult. None within the ranks believe it has anything to do with loyalty, or with the damaged pride of a soldier who'd failed in his duty to protect. He was scared to death at how close he'd come to dying himself, if not for the fact that he was running late that day. He's been paranoid ever since."

The man who now walked in stride with them was Mest Gryder, now once again going by Doranbolt. Gajeel had smelled him lurking in the shadows as soon as he'd appeared at the start of the meeting, and DeWalt just always knew when he was being spied upon.

"Will he be trouble later on?"

"He's likely to be the biggest thorn in our side when it comes to Gray and his use of curse powers," answered DeWalt, "He has no love at all for the demon races, even the benign ones that live peacefully among themselves and even humans. I can guarantee that his eagerness for a friendly meet and greet with Gray was a front. He's more interested in finding ways to combat his powers than he is in forming a cooperative relationship with him."

"I had gathered as much. Mest, I thank you for your continued service as my eyes and ears here. As much as the rest of the Saints belly-ache at me for not choosing to serve more diligently on the Council, my priorities will always be Fairy Tail first and foremost."

"It's my honor to do so, Master. Afterall, my service here is for Fairy Tail as well," he replied.

"I have every faith in you. Keep me up to date on the progress of the exhumation request. We'll see if we can possibly make something happen from the other angle. Perhaps we can convince a local judge afterall. And also, keep an eye on Barrack. He's too ambitious for his own good."

"Consider it done."

Next Chapter: Preparations are made, but there are a few roadblocks in the way.