Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
The stands were far too crowded for Invel's tastes, but he still sat quietly as he waited for the event to begin. Screens hovered in the air, giving people inside a view of the wizards beginning to gather in the arena. It was set up like a massive town, with various landscapes and terrains for battle to occur within. From what he had heard, the event was meant to be a massive free for all fight. Each guild served as a team working together, but any strategy was allowed for victory. Here, he would get the chance to observe the battle of many guilds, not just Fairy Tail. It would give him insight into potential allies for the guild, rather than just Fairy Tail itself.
Sabertooth was actually the last guild to arrive likely due to the delay Invel himself had caused. He watched them enter, seeing the same wizards as before standing confidently as their presence was announced to the arena. Minerva was the only one smiling, and Sting seemed to be wearing a thoughtful frown as he stood next to his partner from before. He still did not get the name of that shadowy one, or the other two males in the group, Invel realized. However, it wasn't too difficult to overhear them from people nearby, cheering on their team. Rogue, Rufus, and Orga were their names, though he did not know which one was which. He assumed Rogue fit the shadowy individual best, but he could not deny that there was something about the man with the scarlet hat that could seem a bit fitting for that name as well.
Regardless, he did not need names to identify their appearance and magic. In a true war, names would not be needed anyway. So, he pulled out the notebook he had brought for his purpose, taking a seat and observing with interest as the event began. Fairy Tail's odd strategy didn't even truly give him pause. Considering the nature of this event, it could have been ideal to wait with everyone together for opponents to approach, rather than searching out others. Still, everyone else seemed shocked, insisting that they had to move to win. Unconcerned, Invel simply made note of what little magics he could see from others.
When Fairy Tail did begin to move, it seemed sudden. Frowning, Invel studied them for a moment. Was one of them a telepath? It would explain such a strategy, with the telepath seeking out the locations of others through that magic. However, it did not quite seem to fit once he saw the battles begin. One obviously displayed a use of water magic, eliminating her as an option for a telepath. The scarlet haired girl requiped entire sets of armor, eliminating her as well. When the dark haired boy attacked with ice magic, Invel scowled but at least knew he was not a telepath. He was a fool, though, for thinking ice to be so limited in the way he utilized his power.
Another of their members engaged in a battle with lightning magic. When Invel saw their final member transform his fist into iron for battle, he was left mystified. What caused such a bizarre strategy? Someone was calculating enemy movements, yet it was impossible to do from the ground. Glancing towards their guild members in the stands, he saw too many cheering them on to identify many. In fact, his eyes widened as he realized Natsu was not among them. Something was wrong here, with that boy gone. He just didn't know what.
Thinking for a moment, Invel frowned and focused on the arena once more, still trapped in battle. His majesty made it sound as if he believed someone could strategize against him in this war. Spriggan believed that someone could outwit his own plans, and as such, he left August and his guards in charge of creating it. Seeing this strategy only confirmed that his emperor was correct. Someone gave Fairy Tail this strategy before the games began, already predicting every move before anything was done.
Had this powerful enemy foreseen his presence as well? He did not know. Invel was wary, watching the crowd around him with that knowledge. Natsu should have been here. What was the demon doing? Where was the emperor's brother? However, he had to reign in his thoughts with a grimace. His first priority would always be to follow his orders. That meant he had to observe this event until its end, regardless of what Natsu was up to. He would have to complete his secondary goal another time, likely by catching the boy alone rather than guiding him away from the crowd.
When he finally saw Sabertooth's wizards fight, he did admit, he could see where some of their confidence came from. Minerva's spacial manipulation was excellent, though Invel had met others with far greater skill than her. The green haired man's god slaying lightning was also a unique ability, one which rivaled the power of dragon slayers. From what he understood, his majesty believed dragon slaying magic to be the more ideal option, however. God slaying magic overwhelmed a mortal body, since it was based on the magic of gods. It altered the mind in odd ways, and any who used it were bound to have side effects as a result.
When Sting's partner began battling with the iron magic user, Invel realized that they were both dragon slayers. The dark haired boy utilized shadow magic, but Invel noticed an oddness to it half-way through the fight. Something changed about the boy, as if he were overtaken by his own power. Rising to his feet, Invel stared at him with wide eyes. This was not normal. It was almost like the way Acnologia's own power took over his form. Hadn't his majesty said the dragon slayers in this current era would not become like him? Sensing this, Invel was not so certain. He spoke with a malicious tone, far darker than even Sting had been in his anger before. This boy, whoever he was now, wished to kill his foe.
Others seemed to cheer him on, but Invel could not. This was not something to be cheered for, not when it could hold such a dark outcome. However, as he was sensing around that dark magic for hints at what exactly it was, something else came into his focus. There was another powerful magic aura here, one which made him gasp. It felt like his emperor's power, but not quite the same. The darkness at its core was identical, as was the sheer strength of the magic, but it held an odd light mixed in that made no sense. There were other differences as well, such as the fact that it was simply a mass of energy, not active quite yet.
With the change in focus, Invel blinked in surprise. "Someone stole his spell…this spell belongs to him, and it was taken by other wizards." It was not what he expected to find, but surely, his emperor would wish for it to be gone.
Sting had yet to battle, but Invel had seen enough of the others. He regretted not being able to stay for the entire event, but he supposed he would have other opportunities to observe them all. As he walked towards the door, he glanced back one last time towards the screen with the shadow dragon slayer. Fairy Tail seemed to have won, and the boy looked exhausted as a result.
Simply following the trail of magic, Invel walked swiftly through the streets of Crocus. People were far more absent now, with everyone gathered to watch the event. Hardly anyone gave him a glance as he walked by, though he felt as if the guards observed him far more closely now than before. Looking around, he began to realize why. He was nearing the castle of Crocus, where the royal family would live. Considering the timing of everything, he likely would appear to be someone targeting them directly and using the event as a distraction.
Moving more slowly, Invel gritted his teeth in irritation. What was the royal family of Fiore doing with one of Emperor Spriggan's spells? They were dark magic, something which Fiore disciplined heavily. Even this spell was dark in nature, despite the odd lightness mixed into the spell.
His path was stopped just as he approached the courtyard, by guards standing to block his path. "Halt. This here marks the grounds of the King and his family. None can pass beyond this point."
Nodding, Invel smiled at the guard. "Of course." He glanced over the man's shoulder, his eyes widening slightly at what he saw. An entire unit of guards stood gathered around a massive gate, protecting it in the night. "Odd. Would you be able to tell me what that spell is over there? I apologize for being so direct, but it was what drew me to this place originally."
The guard frowned, glancing behind him. "That? That's the gate that Princess Hisui is going to use to save our lives. It is the secret project of the royal family, and any information beyond that is not to be disclosed to the public."
"Does it have a name?" Invel smiled, before chuckling and shaking his head. "I suppose I was not allowed to know, given your statement. Regardless, I find it rather odd to see Fiore conducting such dark spells in secrecy. It was not how I expected to find things when I arrived here."
"Dark spells?" The guard laughed, shaking his head. "You fail to understand the purpose of this one. A wizard as young as you knows nothing of what Eclipse could do for us."
That name made Invel stiffen. Eclipse was the gate his emperor had used to send the dragon slayers through time. It was his majesty's first time traveling spell, one which had been abandoned long ago. Why was it in use now? "I recognize that name, however. The Eclipse Gate…it is an unexpected discovery here. He would not be pleased to hear of others toying around with such spells."
"Who are you even talking about?" Invel ignored the guard, watching as a young girl with light green hair began to approach the gate. By her side, the guards seemed to make way for her to approach. Seeing her, Invel's eyes widened. He could not allow this, no matter what it revealed. The guard here didn't stand a chance as Invel froze him in place, passing through and running towards the girl.
"Stop this at once!" His command echoed across the courtyard, making the guards instantly spot him. Alert at once, they charged forward, ready to attack the man rushing for their princess. However, Invel calmly narrowed his eyes at them. "Fools. You do not charge into battle like idiots, unaware of who it is you are fighting." Snow blew around him, suddenly appearing and chilling the air surrounding his body. Any who got too close met the same fate as the guard stopping him before. After about ten of their army had frozen solid, the rest learned to keep their distance.
"Princess Hisui! There is an intruder, we must evacuate to safety."
One of the guards stayed by her side, grabbing the princess' arm as she stood near the gate. "But…I have to stop the dragons. If that future is to come, I have to open the gate and unleash the Eclipse Canon."
Meeting her gaze, Invel narrowed his eyes. "I know not what you were told, but this gate is no canon. If you fear the approach of dragons, then you should fear the opening of this gate through time."
"This is for the good of our country. You know not of what we speak…of the one from the future that warned us of these dangers." Hisui stood tall, narrowing her eyes at the man. "Perhaps you heard about our plans, but you do not know the truth of Eclipse, of the secondary use for the gate."
"It travels to the future or past, relating to nothing beyond time. No spell can be altered to such a degree that its original purpose is eliminated completely…to do so would be to create something entirely different, which at that point would no longer be considered the same spell at all."
His snow calmed, allowing him to approach her calmly. Others still gave him the distance necessary to approach, while the princess and her guard looked wary. "Then how would you suggest stopping one hundred dragons from attacking our country?"
"By utilizing the dragon slayers already within your borders." He had seen enough of them already, after all. Was that not the purpose of such magic? He sighed, shaking his head. "Should they come, I am certain they would fight. This gate…" He stumbled slightly, suddenly feeling weak. What was this? It was as if all of his magic was draining away. Had this been happening since he arrived? He fell to his knees, closing his eyes and breathing heavily. "It…it absorbs magic…" He glanced up, his eyes widening. Luckily, he had a vast amount of power within him to resist completely collapsing. However, if he used magic near the gate again, he would not be so lucky.
"This is the price you pay for using magic in the presence of our greatest achievement." The muscular knight near the princess spoke, standing gravely before him. "Guards, take him into custody while he is still weak. I don't understand how he is still awake, but it is time for us to begin our work."
A few moved to approach Invel, but the winter mage was not completely ready to give up yet. Feeling a bit dizzy, he moved on instinct. Invel rolled to the side, avoiding the arms reaching for him and breathing heavily. "It is you who fails to understand how your own gate works. Perhaps it does absorb magic, but there is a certain quota to how much magic even Eclipse can absorb from any individual wizard at once. Why am I still awake? Because I have more magical energy than an average wizard." With that, Invel chuckled, slowly rising to his feet. Now, he knew exactly what to avoid. A battle without magic was sure to be entertaining, especially since his enemies also held the same weakness as himself. First, he'd have to take the time to borrow one of their weapons. Then, he'd show them the true strength of one who trained under Emperor Spriggan.
And a battle is already going to begin! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!