Disclaimer-nothing besides my oc belongs to me. The story I'm writing is based on and takes place in Azza1608's Tale of Natsu Dragneel series, volume 1 specifically. That story follows Fairy Tail which is owned by Hiro Mashima and the various publishing companies. Should you wish to read this please read Azza's story as otherwise you will most likely get confused as this story goes on. I will try to explain various aspects of Azza's story but there are events that I will not be covering that will most likely be referenced so be warned. So with that, please enjoy the first chapter of Tale of a Blind Magus.
Chapter 1-Reemergence
/Outskirts of Crocus/
In the woods a couple kilometers outside of Crocus, three figures could be seen. Two of them were cloaked, and had been walking towards a house just barely noticeable behind the third. This figure was now able to be identified as a male of above average height. The first thing that the two hooded figures noticed about him were the two scars that marred his face. One cut straight through his left eye, while the other curved from his forehead to his mouth, going through the center of his right eye, obviously the cause of his blindness. Those scars, along with the two different types of swords, chainmail armor, and the various smaller, less noticeable scars that the two hooded figures could now see, identified this man as a seasoned warrior.
"Would you be so kind as to move out of our way sir, we need to get to that house behind you." One of the cloaked figures requested, in the process identifying himself as male. "Should you do so, we would be very grateful."
"What business do you have with those within that house? They have done nothing to deserve a visit from two such as you. With the magical presence I can sense emanating from you, I would assume you are reputed, well-mannered mages."
"Whether or not that is true, we have a mission to do and would not wish you to become involved with it."
"Very well, I will depart. I sincerely hope that the two of you do nothing untoward while visiting that family." With that parting statement, the scarred man walked past the two hooded figures and continued on down the well worn path the three of them had been walking on.
The two hooded figures glanced at each other, shrugged and continued toward their destination. Arriving at the house's door, one of the cloaked figures, the one who addressed the scarred man earlier, knocked.
"Hello, how can I help the two of you?" A woman asked as she opened the door.
"Is this the home of Shaun Farniger the knight?"
"Yes, he is my husband why-"
Moving swiftly, the man cut open the woman's neck, making sure that she couldn't shout for help. Collapsing at the door, the woman reached for her neck as if to stem the blood flow, gurgling in distress the entire time.
From close to 50 meters away, the scarred man sensed something strange coming from behind him. Resonating his magic with the light around him, he was able to quickly realize what had happened at the house the two mages were heading towards. The man's already stern countenance hardened further, starting to walk towards the scene at a brisk pace, the man's eyes widened in fury and disgust at the sound of a child's scream and the subsequent silence.
"Worldwalking" With that one word, the man disappeared.
/Closer to the house in the woods/
Jellal, who up to that point had been tailing the cloaked figures, quickly reacted. He unmasked his magical presence and rushed out of hiding with a cry of "Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor!". Arriving at the same time as the scarred man from before, they both bristled in anger as the two men walked out of the house.
"So, the two of you were not as well-mannered as I gave you credit for were you?" The scarred man asked in a deceptively calm tone. "I don't know why you two commited this sin and I don't particularly care. Just know that the two of you will die for this injustice." After his statement, the scarred man drew the sword that was strapped to his back, protruding from his cloak.
Jellal, feeling as if the scarred man's intentions were clear, just nodded in agreement and prepared for battle. Before engaging though, he had to voice his thoughts on the matter. "Regardless of what types of sins I have committed in the past, and whether or not I believe I deserve it, as long as people like you are alive I will never stop treading this path of redemption."
Analyzing the two people before them, the cloaked figure shook his head and sighed. "So, the two of you plan on interfering with our mission. Very well then, I cannot let the two of you live, so prepare yourselves."
"Who are you two?" Asked Jellal. "The two of you work for Zeref so are you Spriggan 12 or something else?"
"Not the Spriggan. While our two groups are similar, our main purpose is much different. The Spriggan are the stalwart shield of the emperor. The ones who defend our borders and repel any who wish to invade. As of now, most of the Spriggan are fighting in Scarlione, protecting our newly acquired territory. Those who are not are in Alvarez, defending its borders.
"If not the Spriggan than what?"
"We are the Leichart 12. The sword of the Emperor, in contrast to the shield that is the Spriggan. We are the ones who find that which Emperor Spriggan seeks and secure it until the Spriggan arrive to defend it. The ranking system of the Spriggan and Leichart are identical as we two groups are just the two arms of the Emperor."
"So you soften the places that Alvarez plans on invading. What could Fiore possibly have that your emperor wants?"
"That is classified. Just know that all will be united-" Growing tired of conversation, the scarred man rushed towards the man Jellal was speaking with, his sword at his side.
Performing an upwards slash, the scarred man attacked the cloaked figure. Dodging the attack, the man sent a straight right towards the scarred man's face. Sensing the light warping around the fist, the scarred man parried the blow with the flat of his blade. Pushing his sword to the side, the scarred man caused the figure to stumble forwards with the momentum of his attack, right into a slash of the scarred man's sword. Unable to move out of the way in time, the figure could only move his head slightly out of the way causing the attack to blow his hood off and cut his cheek.
The now unmasked man jumped back, effectively ending the engagement. Catching his breath, the man couldn't help but whistle in appreciation of the swordplay demonstrated by the blind man.
"That was quite a string of attacks you performed just now. Not many can say they got the better of me in the first exchange. As a courtesy from one seasoned warrior to another, my name is Varnik, Leichart 12 of Alvarez. Who might you be? According to our information, Fiore doesn't possess many strong mages."
"My name is Veadric Ursus, many called me the Blind Magus. That was years ago, however, and I'm now but a simple hermit." Jellal's eyes widened in recognition before he forced the thought to the back of his mind. Looking towards Varnik and his companion, Jellal rushed in. Varnik, noticing the mad dash, sidestepped and used a hammer blow to force Jellal to the ground. Following up on the opening, he stomped towards Jellal's head. Jellal, still dazed, rolled out of the way and climbed back to his feet.
Varnik, still keeping an eye on Veadric, formed three magic circles behind him. Noticing this, Jellal forcefully shook off the aftereffect of Varnik's monstrous hammer blow and focused entirely on the three magic circles rising into the air
"Three Layer Magic Circle: Tri Cannon Sigma!"
Quickly taking to the sky with Meteor, Jellal started evading the blast coming from the center of the three magic circles. Taking note of the way the blast followed him, Jellal quickly started dodging at peculiar angles. Finding a blind spot in Varnik's defense, he quickly acted.
"True Heavenly Body Magic: Meteo Rain!"
Behind Varnik, a peculiar constellation formed from multiple magic circles. Noticing this, he quickly prepared himself for anything. The magic circles started unleashing a barrage of blasts down onto Varnik.
Veadric, noticing an opening, rushed in towards Varnik. Resonating his magic with the earth, he swung his sword towards Varnik, trying to catch him unawares.
"Throbbing Pulse of the World: 256 waves!"
Varnik, noticing nothing amiss with the slash, quickly redirected the attack with his arm. Veadric smirked slightly when this happened and released the pulses into Varnik's body. The pulses, to fast for Varnik to notice, started wreaking havoc on the muscles inside his arm. Varnik, before the pulses traveled any farther, isolated his arm with his magic before any more of his body was affected, temporarily rendering his right arm useless. Jumping back, Varnik was blindsided by the blasts from Jellal's magic and took even more damage before he was able to react.
Quickly amassing his magic, Varnik finally started his defense. "Paragon Art: Rite of Magical Potency!"
Radiating a strange aura, Varnik started physically batting the blasts away from him with his only remaining arm. Veadric quickly rushed in from the front, resonating with the earth once again. The other cloaked figure, noticing Jellal trying to flank Varnik, quickly intervened.
"We can't afford you two beating us, our goal is at stake. "Dark Roseo!"
The figure encased his arm in dark magic and rushed Jellal, blindsiding him and launching him into the rushing Veadric.
'Forgot about him. He hasn't interfered at all, and I have no idea what his magic is.' Veadric thought as he climbed to his feet. Beside him, Jellal did the same.
"Thank you Granvill, I was in a tough spot there."
"It's no problem Varnik. Think you can continue?"
"Yes, I should be fine to continue this fight."
Veadric and Jellal were conversing as well, attempting to come up with a plan to defeat the Leichart before them.
"I have a spell I can use, but you need to get away from here, a couple kilometers at least." Jellal proposed.
"Very well. I will return, do not fail." With that and a quick mutter of Worldwalking, Veadric disappeared.
Jellal, taking a deep breath, focused his entire attention on the two before him. He started amassing the magical power needed but it was going to take a minute. He also had to wait for Veadric to exit the blast zone.
Granvill, recasting Dark Roseo, quickly rushed towards Jellal. Jellal, not expecting the speed of Granvill's rush, wasn't able to dodge in time. Granvill grabbed Jellal by the coat, hit his face with a punch, and then threw him into the air. Granvill and Varnik rushed after him. Appearing above him, Varnik slammed an axe kick into Jellal's stomach, sending him rocketing towards the ground. Granvill, joining Varnik in the air, was launched towards the ground by his fellow Leichart member.
"Dark Liger Bomb!"
Jellal, recognizing the lethality of the coming blow, quickly reached the end of the impact crater and braced himself with a triple layered magic circle. The moment Granvill hit the ground, a large sphere of dark energy formed around him. After the sphere disappeared, a massive explosion of earth shaking proportions launched Jellal backwards, blood shooting out of his mouth.
After the shockwave died down, Jellal shakily got to his feet and focused on the two men standing opposite him.
"You and your partner performed admirably against us. But as he abandoned you, this is the end." Varnik said as Jellal coughed up some blood.
"He should be out of the blast zone now." Jellal muttered to himself before addressing the two before him. "If you think that this is enough to stop me you have another thing coming. "True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!"
'Veadric, Natsu, or Ultear are gonna have to get me out of this one, I'm gonna pass out now.'
As the meteor fell from the sky, the last thing Jellal noticed was the look of shock on both of the Leichart member's faces.
"There's no way!" Granvill yelled as Varnik looked on, impressed and in awe of the young man before him. Granvill attempted to get out of the blast radius even though he knew it was a futile effort. Just before the meteor impacted the earth, Varnik focused his magic with a grave expression on his face.
/With Crime Sorciere and Natsu just before Sema/
"Shit, we have to get there now. Natus, you have to hurry!" Ultear panicked, worrying over the result of the fight.
"Right, I have to get there as fast as possible so I can't take either of you with me." with that, Natsu rushed towards ground zero of the meteor blast. Transforming into dragon force on the way to increase his speed, Natsu arrived next to Jellal just as the smoke was clearing.
Natsu was checking over Jellal when out of the crater came a panting, injured Varnik carrying a heavily wounded Granvill.
"How the hell are you still alive? You got hit with the full force of a meteor. The fact that you're even awake right now is a miracle." Natsu asked, shocked.
"Such is the power of the Paragon art. My magic allows me to adapt to any situation, effectively making me the perfect counter to any mage. Now that you are here, I do not believe that we will be able to defeat you. Me and my companion will now take our leave."
"After what you did to that family, and the injuries you inflicted on Jellal, you really think that I'm going to allow you to leave just like that. No, after what you did, you deserve nothing less than death." Natsu growled out. As he said this, the roots of his hair became black and his body became covered in scales.
"You walk into other people's countries. Slaughter their innocents, their children, their elderly and then act like it was justified! After watching you rampage across countries and enact your little schemes, I've realized something. Incapacitating you is no longer enough, you people don't learn like that! No, from now on… I'LL KILL YOU!"
/With Veadric/
Reappearing outside of the blast zone of sema, Veadric turned around and faced towards the battlefield. Sensing the amount of earth in the air, and the feeling the subsequent shockwave from the meteor impacting the earth, he was incredibly impressed with Jellal.
"That man I was fighting with is quite impressive isn't he? Summoning a meteor is no small feat. I'm curious, however, if it was able to defeat those two men. That Varnik fellow had some rather peculiar magic, wouldn't you say so, deity?"
"How did you know I was there?" Eliza asked, shocked. " Not even Natsu has been able to sense me when I was attempting to conceal myself."
"I assume that Natsu is the fellow confronting those two Leichart right now?" Veadric queried and then continued without waiting for an answer. "In regards to your question, the light interacts with everything. That and you were standing on the earth."
"So you have done it. You have comprehended the intrinsic nature of those elements of yours, haven't you? The last person, God, Devil, or mortal, to accomplish that died in the beginning stages of the Dragon War. If I'm correct, then you have understood the earth and the light to the point that you are the element and the element is you."
"You're wrong. I have only understood aspects of these elements of mine. If none of you god's have even arrived at the level I'm at then you are less impressive than I-"
"You should be careful how you speak to me. I'm the current standing God of War and should you offend me I will not hesitate to cut you down. Another word of warning, the entirety of the divine council is paying attention to you so choose your next words carefully." Eliza warned him.
"If you think your threats scare me then think again. I have experienced many things in my life and a half-hearted threat from a god doesn't matter to me. As I was saying before, if the divine, those who control that which I attempt to understand, don't even comprehend as much as I do then they do not deserve my respect, much less my adoration."
"Ha, I like you. Having the courage to insult the gods while one of most adept in combat is in front of you… disregarding your disrespect, what did you mean when you said you have comprehended only aspects of your elements? We were under the impression that there was only one level of comprehension in regards to the elements."
"You are sorely mistaken. If you really want to know then allow me to explain. Each of the elements possess three main aspects to them. Once you have comprehended all three of them you have arrived at what I have come to call the level of a Lesser Sovereign. Once you have reduced those aspects from three to two by fusing them together you have arrived at the level of a High Sovereign, once you have fused all three aspects into one you have become an Overlord. As of now, I am only a Lesser Sovereign of light and have not even become one of earth."
"That, is more complicated than I and the divine council were expecting." Eliza said, deep in thought. "Two questions, how strong do you think each level is and how do you know there is even a level above that which you are at now?"
"The first question I will not answer. I will not allow people I do not know discover my level of expertise. As for your second question, it is because the elements beckon me further."
Both people fell silent as they pondered over that which the other had told them, unintentionally or not.
"That man I fought with is safe, your friend Natsu arrived and saved him. His decision to spare those two men is not something I agree with but in respect to their power I will not chase after them. I will be on my way now. Do not follow me if you wish to gain my trust and by extension, information on my abilities as it appears you gods want." With that, Veadric disappeared. Eliza sighed, shook her head and returned to Terminus to convene with the rest of the divine council.
/With Crime Sorciere and Natsu after Jellal wakes up/
Jellal, resting on a bed in the Crime Sorciere headquarters, was in the process of explaining what had happened to Natsu, Ultear, and Meredy. They hadn't been able to hear the dialogue between the four combatants and didn't understand a lot of what they saw happen.
"After Varnik and Granvill killed the housewife and child, I rushed in to confront them. To my surprise, there was another person arriving at the same time I did. From what I was able to gather by his appearance, he seems to be around your age Natsu. And he seemed just as powerful as you are."
"That's impossible, do you know how much I went through and how many coincidences had to happen for me to get to my current level of power. After seeing what I turned into, that form that you woke up to see me confront the two in, do you really think that that man is at my level of power?"
"I don't know how powerful you are using that power, Natsu. But with the ease that he seemed to fight Varnik… I honestly wouldn't be surprised."
Ultear, not believing what Jellal was saying had to butt in. "Jellal, regardless of what that form that Natsu used is, even getting to the point where Natsu was at before he left for Scarlione would be next to impossible for anyone of the same age."
"You'll understand in a minute Ultear. Anyway, after fishing some information out of Varnik, my companion started the fight. Varnik was the one who lost that engagement and it was pretty handily to. Seemingly out of a sense of respect, Varnik formally introduced himself and asked the same of my companion. Imagine my shock when it ended up being the Blind Magus, Veadric Ursus." Jellal shook his head, still in slight disbelief over what had happened.
Ultear and Meredy recoiled in shock and recognition while Natsu just scratched his head in confusement. Seeing this, Jellal elaborated. "I'm not surprised you don't know who he is Natsu. He rose to fame during your time on Tenrou and disappeared before you guys came back. During his time in the spotlight, Veadric gained a reputation as the best user of earth and light magic in Fiore. He also became one of the most well-known independent mages by utterly destroying any dark guild he ran across. Due to his reputation, a year before he disappeared, Jura challenged him to a duel. Keep in mind that Jura was already the fifth ranked wizard saint by this time and was probably close to the level of power he currently has. After a long, drawn out fight, Veadric won and walked away from a downed Jura but not before saying something that had Jura's eyes narrowing in confusion. Later on, Jura revealed what he had said and it confused everyone who heard it. From what I have gathered, Veadric said this. "While you are most definitely one of the most powerful mages I have come across, and are incredibly adept at using the earth, you have not truly mastered it yet. Even I, with my current level of expertise, sense an even taller peak to summit. The earth has many mysteries, Jura Neekis. Do not be afraid to discard all that you have learned to pursue that which is currently unattainable." Even now, two years later, no one understands exactly what Veadric was attempting to tell Jura."
Hearing that story, Natsu started thinking. 'Abandon everything you have only to look for something which you can't get now. What type of mad-man would do such a thing?'
Natsu, still deep in thought, turned around to leave. Throwing a half-hearted wave over his shoulder, Natsu walked towards the door. Jellal, seeing this, quickly asked him something. "Natsu, what was that form that you used earlier? It didn't seem to be your regular dragon force and it looked demonic."
"That was my E.N.D. form. I haven't told anyone because I don't want to estrange my friends and family."
Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy were in shock, but understood why Natsu wouldn't tell anyone. After continuing the conversation for a while longer, Natsu and the others agreed it was time for him to return to the Honey Bone Inn.
/In Crocus with Natsu/
As Natsu was returning to Honey Bone Inn, he was deep in thought about the mysterious Veadric Ursus. Until now, he had always thought that there was nobody around his age who could match him. Discounting all the years he jumped through time, he was only 28. At his age, most mages were discovering their peak and weren't growing in power all that much. He, however, had been consistently growing all throughout his life and had just received a massive power boost going by the name E.N.D. To think that there was anyone his age who could match him was absurd, hell, he could pretty easily spar with the goddess of war and land a decent number of blows! But this Blind Magus may have just done exactly that.
Natsu, still deep in thought, was passing through upper Crocus when something snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking over, he was incredibly confused at what he saw. There, the current subject of his thoughts, was awkwardly comforting a girl he vaguely recognized as Yukino from the Sabretooth guild. Wondering what was wrong with her, Natsu walked over and looked at Veadric questioningly.
Veadric, sensing a familiar magic presence, and noticing a figure standing in front of him through the warping of the light, smirked slightly. "So, you must be the famous Natsu Dragneel? Your magical presence is impressive, though, considering the goddess of war had nice things to say about you, I shouldn't be surprised."
"You've met Eliza?" Natsu questioned incredulously.
"Yes, she intercepted me before I could return to aid that man I was fighting with earlier. I thank you for saving him, he was a very impressive combatant, it would've been a shame if he died."
"Yes, well, Jellal is my friend and the two you were fighting were not people I could let kill him. Anyway, what's going on here?"
"Ah yes, this girl was apparently shamed and expunged from her guild for losing a duel during some type of competition that is going on. She broke down after telling me and I have sat here comforting her since. I do not know what guild she is from, nor who she is, but I cannot just walk away from a distraught young lady innocent of any wrong doings."
Natsu, furious, handed Veadric his scarf and quickly started walking towards the Sabretooth guild hall while calling over his shoulder. "Take Yukino there to the Honey Bone Inn. There should be a couple magical presences similar to mine there. Once you get there, ask for a girl named Erza Scarlett. Give her that scarf and tell her what happened to Yukino. She can take over damage control from there. After that, you can stay there if you need a place to sleep." With that, Natsu turned a corner and quickly rushed off.
Veadric, sighing, stood up and carefully moved Yukino to his back. He threw the scarf over his shoulder and started walking towards the largest gathering of magic he could feel in the immediate vicinity. Arriving at what he assumed to be the Honey Bone Inn a couple minutes later, he was slightly surprised at the sound of partying coming from within. Shaking his head slightly, Veadric knocked loudly on the door. Hearing the partying dying down and someone approaching the door, he waited patiently.
Mira, opening the door, was surprised to see a blind man around Natsu's age outside it.
"Hello, your friend Natsu tasked me with bringing this young lady here to you and asking for a girl named Erza Scarlett. He said this would validate anything I told you." said Veadric as he handed the scarf over. Growing serious, Mira stepped to the side and allowed Veadric in while calling for Erza at the same time. Beckoning for him to follow her, Mira led Veadric to Makarov at the bar.
"You needed me Mira? What's going on and who is this?" Noticing the scarf that Veadric was holding, erza grew very serious. "Where'd you get that scarf?"
"Your friend gave it to me and said that you could help this young lady here. She was shamed and expelled from her guild after losing a fight in some type of competition going on right now. Natsu also offered me a place to stay, if that's not too much trouble?"
Growing serious, Makarov had Erza and Mira take Yukino upstairs while he talked with Veadric. Walking to the door, Makarov beckoned for Veadric to follow him out.
"So, how did you meet Natsu and Yukino? Natsu has been out helping Crime Sorciere all day and Yukino must have been wandering around Crocus."
"I was actually a factor in what happened with Crime Sorciere earlier today. I was walking around the outskirts when I chanced upon those Leichart members. After killing a housewife and her child, I ended up helping a man I later came to know was named Jellal in engaging them."
"Well, I thank you for that, but what do you mean Leichart? As far as I know, Alvarez only has the Spriggan and there commanders."
"From what I was able to gather, the Leichart are those who soften up the targets for Alvarez while the Spriggan are the ones who actually conquer them. Of course, I have no idea of the actual scale of those conquests as this is the first I've ever heard of a country called Alvarez. From my wanderings around Fiore, I've learned many things, among those, what countries currently exist on the Ishgar continent. Alvarez is not one of those, therefore, from what I can gather, it is a country that exists overseas."
"You would be right. Alvarez is a country that has conquered almost all of the continent that they reside on and have turned their sights on Ishgar. From what I have discovered, Alvarez has conquered many of the countries here and are in the process of finishing off Scarlione. They have many strong mages, the strongest of them, besides Emperor Spriggan, have so far been the Spriggan 12. To know that there is another group like them is frightening. Just the Spriggan have monsters that can match or even outclass mages like Gildarts and Natsu, that there is the possibility of others being at that level of power is terrifying."
"Well, should they want to conquer Fiore, depending on their actions, I would not care. As long as they do not commit extreme injustices, I do not concern myself with the status of the government."
Makarov, hearing this, looked up in alarm. "Are you saying that you do not care if Fiore falls? This country is your home, do you not have an ounce of compassion for it?"
Veadric, contemplating his answer, took a minute to respond. "Regimes rise and fall. Should they believe that they will last forever, then they are doing nothing but dreaming. If you cannot reconcile your dreams with reality then you will not accomplish anything. If Alvarez is to be Fiore's downfall, then I will not fret over it. Furthermore, if they do wage war on Fiore, it will be the stage that those who are truly powerful will grow on. Those that cannot bear the harshness of war will only amount to a disappointment. Therefore, I view this war not as a possibility but a certainty. If it should happen in my lifetime than all the better. I will have a chance to further hone my abilities and grow stronger."
"If this war does indeed come to pass, which side would you fight for? With the way you talk of Fiore, I would think that it is not certain that you will fight with us."
"I will fight for the side I believe is just. If that is Alvarez then they are the ones who will have my loyalty. If it is Fiore, then they will keep my allegiance, as they currently have it." With that, Veadric stood up and turned towards the inn. "If it is not a problem, would I be so presumptuous as to ask for a room to rest my head. I am in need of sleep, and would like to rest as soon as possible."
Makarov, hearing the inquiry, just nodded in assent as he was deep in thought over what Veadric had said. He was worried that the man would join Alvarez. With the amount of magic that he sensed coming from him, he was under the impression that he would rank among the higher tier of mages in any country. To think that Alvarez could gain a mage of that caliber, alongside those like the Leichart and the Spriggan, worried him. In regards to his views on the possibility of a war with Alvarez, Makarov had to begrudgingly agree with him. Those who were truly powerful, did indeed need an appropriate stage to flourish. He was afraid to admit it, but he believed that had Natsu not gone with Gildarts on the century quest, there was no way that he would be as powerful as he was now. That indicated that Natsu not only survived, but thrived in the war that has overrun all of Scarlione.
Shaking his head and sighing, Makarov rose to his feet and walked back inside Honey Bone. Making a beeline for the bar, he quickly grabbed a glass and poured himself a drink. At this point in time, Natsu walked in and sat beside him, also grabbing a drink for himself.
After a moment of silence, Makarov addressed something he believed Natsu had the right to know about. "That man you sent here, he worries me. He does not possess any noticeable attachment to Fiore, and when I brought it up, did not have a problem admitting that if he felt they were in the right, would aid Alvarez over us. To think that a mage of his caliber would join them does not bode well for us."
"That's not good. From what Jellal told me about him, it is extremely possible that Veadric could be my match. He was apparently able to easily hold his own against one of the Leichart members they were fighting and even bested him twice. According to what I was told, he's about my age and rose to fame during the time we spent on Tenrou but disappeared around two years ago. No one knows what happened to him but from what I was able to feel, Jura, who he beat 3 years ago, would have an extremely tough time against either of the two Leichart members. To think that he grew that much in such a short amount of time is absurd."
Makarov, hearing this, looked as if he had aged years in a single moment. He was becoming more and more wary of Veadric as he learned more about him. To think that a mage of Fiore's at Natsu's level would turncoat was a terrifying thought. But that possibility seemed all to real. After downing the rest of his drink, Makarov got up and started walking towards the stairs. Looking over his shoulder, he warned Natsu not to stay up for much longer and went to bed, leaving Natsu alone at the bar.
Natsu, resting his head on the counter, thought about the man many called the Blind Magus. His initial impression of him painted Veadric as a person with a strong sense of justice. One who would fight for what he believed in to the bitter end. He also seemed incredibly resolute, his lack of hesitation in facing down two extremely strong mages without knowing anything of their abilities with only someone he didn't know as support was not something many could do. The idea that he would join Alvarez was so laughable to him after what he had experienced at their hands, that he couldn't believe someone like Veadric would willingly join them. He didn't know what to think but nonetheless, resolved himself to keep an eye on him. If only for the sake of verification about his intentions. With that final thought, Natsu walked towards the stairs and headed to bed.
AN-this is the first chapter done! I will try to answer questions and address critiques that come through the comments in an AN in the beginning. Anyway, there isn't much I actually have to say so I just hope you enjoyed and I will hopefully release the next chapter in a week to a week and a half.
Sincerely, NineTailedAnnihilator