Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Invel was rather quiet for some time after his spar with Rufus. He traveled with Sabertooth's wizards when they left Crocus, journeying towards Dordria where Sabertooth's guild hall lingered. From what he had heard, their former master had been kicked out of the guild. The others spoke with much animation towards him, seeming ignorant of Invel's own wish for solitude. After all, he felt as if he was failing in his task the more he spoke with them. He did not come to Fiore for a vacation. This was a mission for his emperor, yet he could not seem to feel the desire to hurry. Was this how Emperor Spriggan himself felt about his own plans for expanding Alvarez? Invel couldn't help but think it was, given his majesty's immortality. Patience was key, but when given a task, Invel was not one to prolong its completion.

The first moment he had away from them was when they arrived at the guild hall. "You can go ahead and explore the place for a bit. It's pretty big, and we've got a few other members that you might want to meet." Sting spoke brightly, smiling towards him. "In the meantime…there's someone I have to apologize to about our former master's treatment of her. I'll see you soon, and maybe then, we'll pick out a job to take together, alright?"

Nodding, Invel watched the guild master walk away. Why did he feel rather disappointed in him leaving, though? It wasn't as if Sting was the same as his majesty. In fact, it didn't even feel remotely similar to the odd hollowness he felt without his emperor near. That hollowness sometimes threatened to consume him if he wasn't careful, reminding him of how delicate his control truly was. Magic, especially like his own, desired to be wild and energetic. It was only tamed by the will of its user, and for Invel, he had not become willful until he had someone to serve. His emotions were not strong enough to tame the storm he wielded as a child, and his emperor was kind enough to show Invel how an impartial nature and lack of emotion could still benefit his magic.

In most cases, emotions were needed to be the true fuel to magic. It was why Invel had struggled with control so much as a child. Really, he had failed to see the importance of feeling so strongly about much of anything. His mother raised him, and he owed her to some degree, but when times turned harsh and they were lacking in money, Invel was the first to suffer. He was blamed for their problems, and as such, he could not say he truly cared for her as an individual beyond the feeling that he owed her for giving him life. When his magic lashed out at the world and ended her life, he had grieved more so at the loss of life due to his own strength, rather than who she was. More accurately, he had suffered because of what it said about him. As a child, shouldn't he have been suffering more after such an event?

Emperor Spriggan changed that. He saw that valuing life was not always for the best, and Invel respected the man who gave him direction. By explaining that willpower could control magic, albeit not as strongly as emotions, Invel had latched on. He would control his thoughts and become a master of emotionless magic, if that was what was required. He became the icy, cold winter his magic was, knowing the same isolation as a winter storm at all times. HIs majesty was the one to thank for his control, along with August for aiding Emperor Spriggan and enduring Invel's winter as he trained.

Inside Sabertooth's guild hall, Invel found that the normal restless sensation he had grown accustomed to when Emperor Spriggan was not near had faded. To be honest, it had tamed long ago, but oddly, it was even farther from his mind now than it ever had been. Something about Fiore calmed the storm within him, relieving the pressure he had felt on his shoulders from nearly the moment he was born. His mother had always expected him to earn pay to feed himself as a child. Emperor Spriggan and August expected him to excel at magic. Always, he was expected to be perfection. As such, he strived for that very goal. However, here, he was only asked to try. In fact, many had told him he was expected to fail in certain tasks. It was not something he was used to, and now, Invel didn't know how to react.

Part of him longed to leave. The stone walls and open feeling of the guild hall was almost reminiscent of the grandness of Vistarion. He missed the odd silence that filled the walls as he worked through paperwork for his majesty. He missed the knowledge that others would help deal with traitorous behavior from others within the nation, enforcing their strict laws. Here, things seemed more chaotic. He had defied the next in line to the throne of this country, and all he had received in turn was shouting and a brief battle that ended when confusion took over. Invel knew he should be in prison, at the very least, if not awaiting execution. In Alvarez, that would have been his punishment. Here, that did not seem to be the case.

Most of the wizards within the guild hall stuck to themselves. They laughed with each other, already having their own teams to work with. Invel didn't even seem to be noticed, and that was fine with him. As he moved into one of the far corners of the guild, wishing to avoid being disturbed, he sat down and leaned back against the wall. It was far noisier than Vistarion would ever be, he was certain of that. As he pulled out the communication lacrima and rolled the small device around in his palm, Invel frowned. Why was he not bothered by his delays in progress? It should be bothering him. Yet, he felt no inclination to rush into this war. It was his emperor's greatest wish, yet Invel felt like it was a betrayal to not desire for its completion at this very moment.

When light flickered on in the lacrima as the magic activated, Invel didn't know why he was surprised. It had been nearly a week since he left, after all. Normally, he would have reported back by now. Between the discussions with Sabertooth's wizards and the travel time between the capital and their guild hall, he had lost track of his true mission. "Invel. I was hoping you'd have a moment to speak." August was on the other end, looking calm as he sat at some desk in Vistarion.

Recognizing the sight, Invel nodded and quickly calmed his expression. He did not know what was wrong with his thoughts lately, always restless and circling around about what his next action should be. "Of course. I apologize for the delay in updates. I seemed to have arrived at a time of unusual festivity for Fiore."

"Oh? Anything of interest to our task?"

Nodding, Invel quickly got to work, remaining serious as he spoke and ignoring his odd lack of determination for success. "Indeed. Fiore was in the process of hosting an event they call the Grand Magic Games, a competition between the guilds of their nation. Fairy Tail was one such guild involved, and I used the event as an opportunity to observe their members in action." Invel began there, starting to describe the various forms of magic he had seen from the Fairy Tail wizards. He told them of the odd requip abilities that seemed unique to the one known as Erza, as well as the lesser ice mage which he wrote off quickly as an easy opponent to deal with.

"Interesting. It does not sound as if this foe will require as much force as his majesty is requesting we send. Why does he seem to think so highly of this enemy?"

For a moment, Invel debated how to reply. In a way, he agreed with August. Alvarez vastly overpowered their wizards by a large margin, leaving Fairy Tail with few members to be of any concern. If anyone was concerning, it would be their master, the one rumored to be one of the most powerful wizards in the country. "It is likely not due to their own individual strength, but due to their ease in which they can call upon allies. From what I've gathered, guilds in this nation are often known to work together when facing more dangerous threats. As such, I have taken to investigating potential allies of Fairy Tail as well."

"Oh? Is there anything that you think might pose a risk to us?"

Considering, Invel thought back to his brief spar with Rufus. "As a whole? No, not in the slightest. However, if we are separated…I do believe Ishgar might have a few wizards capable of holding their own against our newest members such as Jacob or Ajeel. I'd recommend furthering their training while I am investigating."

Nodding, August seemed to frown. "I see. Are their any particular magics I should formulate strategies against?"

"Perhaps. I've encountered quite a few dragon slayers to be honest. I did not expect such an event to occur…I even encountered his majesty's brother among them." Invel frowned, thinking back. "Though, I did not witness his magic. From what I saw, the greater threat might prove to be their allies, even. While the dragon slayers posses the greater endurance in battle, the others posses more strength. A god slayer is among them, one which may prove to be an unstable enemy. Surely, against you it would be of little issue…but to one such as Neinhart used to relying solely on an individual's personal grievances from the past, he might prove problematic. One utilizes an odd form to spacial magic, which should be of little issue given Brandish' forces…and the only other that seems problematic in nature utilizes memory make magic."

"Memory make?" August frowned, tilting his head. "The name seems oddly familiar. Is it like most maker magics, molding things into form? If so, I fail to see the dilemma."

Nodding, Invel stared into the lacrima gravely. "At first, I thought the same. Then I realized his potential to utilize it in a form that mimics your own power. Not only can he recreate spells from memory, he can also negate them by making the caster forget their existence. It is quite interesting to observe, and if not taken into account properly, it could prove to be dangerous in battle."

"Interesting. I almost wish I had seen it for myself…showing one such as him true mimicry would have been ideal to prove him wrong about his own ability, don't you agree?"

This time, Invel smiled and nodded. "Indeed. It almost made me wish you were here, to show them the errors of their arrogance." Then again, had Invel not been guilty of the same? It was why he had been surprised by the negation of his own ability in that spar. This place was putting odd thoughts in his head, and he was growing to dislike it. "How are the plans going? HIs majesty did not give us a timeline for this project of ours. I assume he would like it to be completed efficiently, however."

Nodding, August sighed. "Rather slowly, unfortunately. Brandish cannot seem to be bothered to join me for planning…she claims it would be too much of a pain to join in the war effort until her actual ability is required in battle. Larcade is assisting, but he seems to have too much confidence in his own ability and attempts to dissuade me from offering him assistance in our planned battles. Given our numbers when compared to Fairy Tail, it should be simple enough to assume we would work with groups, each leading our own segment of the military for proper direction…but he seems to desire individual work to prove himself to his majesty."

It sounded like something Larcade would do, given his own insistence on seeing Emperor Spriggan as his father. "Surely, Irene and Dimaria are at least of some assistance to you."

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "They are, I suppose, though Dimaria is a bit too eager for battle. She does not mind the offer of aid, but seems intent on starting this war as soon as possible, without thinking through the plan completely. At the moment, I suppose we are waiting on knowledge of the landscape and enemy we intend to face…with little knowledge of Fairy Tail or their location, we cannot plan out strategic battlefields to begin our attack, nor can we determine who would make for the most efficient counter of their abilities."

"I see. So, your plans are now contingent on my work here then?" August nodded, while Invel pinched the bridge of his nose. "This may be the wrong path for me after all. I had chosen to take your advice…and I am beginning to ally myself with a guild that will likely be an ally of Fairy Tail's. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances involving one of his majesty's former projects resulted in me being incapable of gaining Fairy Tail's trust directly…but this other guild only seemed too pleased to welcome me into their base of operations."

"I take it this is the guild with the allies you spoke of? The dragon slayers and memory make wizard?"

Nodding, Invel frowned. "It is. From here, I hope to see Fairy Tail again, and perhaps even work with their own wizards on more challenging jobs. It isn't ideal…I may leave and choose a more direct method of operation. Would you be opposed to direct battle to find out their skills? It may reveal my power as that of an enemy…but it would grant us more knowledge than they would gain, I believe."

For a moment, the elderly general seemed to consider his suggestion. Then, August slowly shook his head. "No…I think it would be best to wait where you are, Invel. His majesty is known to be a patient man…and your power is too great of an asset to our cause to reveal it to the enemy and allow them to come up with an interception for your abilities. As our emperor has already stated, there is a master tactician amongst the enemy, one which we would be best to remain wary of."

Thinking back to the games, Invel slowly nodded. "I suppose that is correct. While I have not encountered this tactician in person…I was able to witness one of her plans in action. She seemed to be capable of predicting enemy actions far in advance of them ever occurring. Single-handedly, she planned out the undefeated victory of her guild members in this festival I spoke of."

"And this is why his majesty has left the planning to us. This tactician is familiar with him…as his former lover, she knows of his past rather well, I imagine." Invel could only nod in agreement. From what he had heard of their history, Spriggan had suffered greatly from her loss. Invel hoped to save him from tragedy again, but it seemed as if seeing her again was their only option to obtain the spell he desired.

For a moment, Invel sighed and nodded. "Indeed. Strategy will be of utmost importance…these skills are not to be taken lightly, no matter how simple they appear to be. His majesty respects such abilities, and as such, we should do the same." Thinking for a moment, Invel frowned. "For your own research, I did manage to hear the location of Fairy Tail's guild hall while I was speaking with the other wizards in Fiore. It is in a town known as Magnolia…that could at least give you the geographic layout of the area we will be attacking. Perhaps we could even begin an infiltration mission and prevent the true war from even becoming necessary." After all, so long as his majesty obtained Fairy Heart, the rest was not needed.

Shaking his head, August narrowed his eyes. "This is about more than just a spell, Invel. You do not know his majesty like I do…this war is meant to prove something to his former lover. If she does not see defeat at his hands, I do not think he will be able to bring himself to complete the spell he has in mind…or, perhaps it is not her." He seemed to grow thoughtful for a moment, turning away. "Perhaps it is the presence of his brother that fuels his desire for war. Regardless, it is our duty as his loyal servants to provide him with the war he desires. You are not planning to back down from this now, are you Invel?"

The warning note in his tone was clear, making Invel blink in surprise. Never before had he been suspected to be lacking on loyalty. Why was he being spoken to like this now? For a moment, he gazed at August with wide eyes, before taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "You would be a fool to think me as anything other than loyal, August. I owe everything I am to Emperor Spriggan, and without him, my life means nothing." Somehow, he could not bring himself to truly feel the same passion in his words that he once did. Why? Something about being in this guild, about the trust he was given, made it feel so different than Alvarez. He was not used to such trust, and in a way, being trusted and considered as a friend was an experience he never had the honor to receive. "If it is a war he desires, I will fight by his side, just as planned. I was simply suggesting a more efficient means to end his plans…I suppose my oversight into his true desires led to a miscalculation on my part."

August nodded, looking thoughtful as he studied Invel. "Then I will plan for you to lead your own military unit when the time comes. As the one most familiar with these wizards you suspect will ally with Fairy Tail, can I place you in charge of countering their abilities? I would like to entrust a single unit to each allied guild, to split our power as needed for this war."

For a moment, Invel glanced up towards the faces within Sabertooth's guild hall. There was still laughter and joy, people enjoying their time with each other now that their former master was gone. He had heard about how strict that man had been, about how much he pushed for them to be strong. Still, such things could not be forced onto those that did not desire strength. Oddly, he found himself searching for the one face that was absent, the one who trusted him despite his own inability to trust a single person here. Had Invel truly come to think of the dragon slayer as some sort of friend? It was impossible. He was loyal to his emperor, and there would be no question of what he would do when the time came. So, he took a deep breath and glanced back towards August, bowing his head towards his superior general. "Of course. Anything to achieve success for his majesty's plans." Yet, somehow those words felt wrong. For some reason, Invel felt like he was shattering something with this promise, something that had been already so fragile to begin with. Either way, he would not back down on his word. When the war began, this guild would be his target. Sabertooth would never realize what hit them when his winter storm struck, taking them out swiftly from the war before they even realized they were a participant in the battle.

War plans are beginning, and Invel is obviously involved. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!