Wishfull-star: We'll see a ton more of his color magic.
"Wanna go on a job!" Natsu said cheerily in the guild hall. Ace was drinking some alcohol, which wasn't too strong, but had that satisfying burn down his throat. He found he could drink like Cana, but never got drunk like she did. He assumed his fire maybe burned it off before it could really affect him. Sabo was sitting next to him, talking to Mira. He said he was taking a break between jobs and wouldn't be going on any long quests for quite some time. Ace heard people commenting on how happy he seemed when he was usually reserved and stayed by himself.
Ace turned to Natsu and simply said he didn't want to go on a job today. Natsu's face fell, and he asked why. "I just don't feel that great and don't want to drag you down," he replied. He didn't say the "again" at the end like he felt. He didn't feel like being made fun of that day, because he was still humiliated by his performance against the enemy dark guild.
Nobody made fun of him but for Natsu and Happy, so it wasn't too bad. No one else even said anything about it, which was a relief. He wanted to move on, but his insecurities had blossomed and burnt like fire. He hadn't expected to feel that way, but he did. It made him sadly realize he actually didn't know much about himself.
Ace looked up when he heard an unfamiliar voice, and followed it to find someone on the second floor was there. A blonde guy, in his early twenties probably, looking down at them all with a condescending look. Mira explained before he asked that he was Laxus, and S-Class wizard just like her, Erza and Sabo.
"So he's really strong?" Ace wondered. The two wizards nodded. He seemed kind of rude and standoffish in the way he looked down at them all. Natsu demanded to fight him, but Laxus refused unless the younger wizards went up to the second floor. Ace was told he wasn't allowed to go up there unless he was S-Class.
When Natsu made to do just that to shut up Laxus's disrespectful talk, the Master enlarged his hand and stopped Natsu by grabbing him. He wasn't allowed up there yet at all. Only the first floor was for the normal wizards. "Haha, you made him mad," Laxus mocked.
"Stop it!" Master scolded.
"I'm not giving up the status of the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail!" Ace did wonder if he was stronger than Sabo, and if that was true, it was frightening and exhilarating how strong Laxus must be. Or he was just cocky and arrogant, which Ace could also see. Sabo wasn't insulted by not being acknowledged as number one. At least by this one person. "Not Erza, not Sabo, not even that old guy!" Laxus continued to brag. Ace didn't really like him just based on this behavior he was showing. "I am the greatest!" Ace couldn't help but roll his eyes, but nobody noticed. Once Laxus left the area and went further into the second floor, Ace asked if he really was stronger than Sabo.
"Laxus is a second generation dragon slayer, similar to Natsu. But he controls lightning, not fire. He's very strong. I'm not sure if he's stronger than me or Mira, because I've never fought him, but he's one of the strongest." Ace was surprised that Mira was so strong. Though she only wasn't a wizard anymore over grief of her dead sister. Ace never brought it up.
Ace did ask, however, if Mira really was that strong. Had been. "Yes, she was called the she-devil."
"Don't talk about those times, you'll make me embarrassed," she said shyly. Ace smiled, and Sabo didn't say anything more. After Nastu and Happy left the area, Sabo asked if Ace really didn't want to go on a job because he was tired. Ace turned red and looked down.
He sighed but was honest, feeling he could trust these two to not look down on him about it. "I was pretty useless on the job I went with them on. It was humiliating, and Happy and Natsu just rubbed it in and laughed. It felt really shitty. I'm irritated that I didn't know I was this insecure," Ace mumbled, his face still red. He didn't make eye contact with them.
"They mean no harm, but I think they don't understand others' feelings very well," Mira commented sweetly. "You could always give them that reason, and hopefully they'd stop." Ace said it wasn't only that, and Mira raised her brows, Sabo looking curious as well, but saying nothing.
"I feel like I'm not myself with them. I don't know much about myself so far, but I do know I like being polite and I hate messes. I kept getting into arguments with them and then I helped destroy a mansion. It just didn't feel like me, y'know? I don't want to ditch their group or anything, but I do want a break."
Sabo smiled, and asked if he'd like to go on a job with him. Ace was shocked, wondering why Sabo would want to go with somebody he just met, and proved that he was weak. "But… why?" Ace wondered, Mira looking shocked and curious as well.
The blonde S-Class wizard said he thought he and Ace could get along well. And he promised he wasn't insensitive like Natsu was. "I'll just drag you down, doing a normal job. We could always go be models again." Ace turned pink, and Mira laughed. "I don't think it's shameful, you don't need to be embarrassed. Anyways, wanna go on a job with me?"
Ace thought for a moment before he smiled, and agreed. "But only after Natsu leaves or it'll look like I only don't want to go on a mission with him." Sabo agreed to this, and when Natsu left with Happy in a hurry with a job request flyer, he and Sabo went to the guild board. But he was surprised when they went to an S-Class one. "Are you sure about this?"
"You'll get a lot stronger with hard jobs. Besides, you won't be left on a train this time. You could beat Gray and Natsu, you're plenty strong. Besides, you have me to help out, right? I won't just ditch you or make fun. And if we can't complete it, we'll just come back."
"...Are you really the same age as us?" Ace wondered. Sabo said he'd just done and seen a lot in his life. Ace didn't know if that meant he'd been through a lot of bad things, but didn't answer. Ace picked out the easiest sounding one. It was to discover why a whole village disappeared when invisible forces had seemed to erase everyone. Nobody knew if they were still even alive.
Ace went to his home and got his backpack, which was still packed with things from his last failure of a mission. He hurried back to the guild, where Sabo was already waiting and ready. It looked like Natsu and Lucy had gone on their job already. Gray was also absent. Ace and Sabo left next, being wished luck by everyone.
The two headed for the train, and waited for the next to come. It would be a long walk after the last stop on the train. When it did come back, both of them were snacking of peanut butter cookies from Thatch. Sabo loved them, too.
"So, what was your three year journey? You started at fourteen! That's crazy!" Ace exclaimed as they boarded the train. Sabo said it was to search for a weapon from the book of Zeref. "Whoa."
"That's not all. I was going around the kingdom and collecting magic power. I've always been able to absorb ethernano if I'm in the area in very small amounts. It makes me stronger. Don't tell anyone else." Ace frowned, and asked why Sabo would tell him that. "You just seem like you can keep a secret." The freckled teen promised to not tell anyone.
Once the train started moving, Ace fell asleep. When it stopped, Sabo woke him up, and they left the train. He didn't leave im behind in the train like the others had. It was a nice thing, even though it should just be what someone traveling with you did in the first place. It still bothered him, being abandoned twice by Natsu in two of Ace's three jobs.
Well, hopefully when he got back, things could go back to normal. After they got off the train, they hiked a mountain and through a forest before arriving at the village. It was a ghost town. They walked to the house that was at the edge, and came across an old man with a huge wooden hammer as a walking staff and a hat that covered his face but his bushy white eyebrows. He looked very serious.
"Hello, sir, we've come from Fairy Tail for the mission."
"Hello, my name is Naguri." He didn't seem surprised that both of them were teenagers. "Come, come, I'll explain it all." Ace looked at the empty city with a small frown. It was sad, everyone was gone. He hoped they weren't all dead and gone. He tore his gaze away from what he could see from there and entered the house.
It was clearly made by him, and had cold drafts in it from the shudders that acted as windows since he had no glass. It was rundown and old, but also homey in a way. There was a fireplace burning inside. They sat on chairs and waited for him to explain. "It was three months ago. I was working on my farm, and suddenly there was a blast of blazing hot wind that ruined the crops.
"When I hurried into the village, I found everyone gone. At first, I feared they were all dead, and had burnt from the wind. But then I found all of their clothes resting at the edge of the city. There wasn't a trace of them but for those. Their shoes were still in the places they must have been standing.
"While I searched for them, I found buildings being ripped apart by invisible things. Monsters. I ran as far as I could but I could hear them chasing me. It was only when I got out of the city limits that they stopped following me. I don't know what caused them all to go missing. Even if you can't bring them back, I want to know what happened so I can move on."
Ace felt very sorry for him. What a terrible situation. Sabo promised they'd do their best to get get him closure. Naguri thanked them. Both put their backpacks in the house, and headed into the city. When they stepped foot inside, the air was much warmer. Sabo was wearing a lot thicker clothes than Ace. He would get hot much easier.
First, they searched each and every building for magic power. Ace had a feeling Sabo would clear this mission fine by himself but was having Ace do some of it for experience, which he didn't hate, and appreciated it. It was when they got to the mayor's building that they heard the growls and snarls of invisible creatures.
They had easily seen the claw marks and bitten out chunks of buildings. All of the shoes were still in place, not having been moved. They retreated from the building, and the sounds ended. They were all holed up inside that building. Sabo touched the door, and a beige color melted the locks so they couldn't get out for now.
Ace walked up to the shoes, and checked inside for any ashes. He didn't see anything. It was like they were just all taken off and left behind. "There may be some magic residue here somewhere," Sabo said, looking around. Ace asked if magic could bring out hidden magic. "Yeah."
"I'ma try something," Ace said, and covered the area around them in flames. Spread across the ground. It worked alright, but he couldn't spread it very far. Looking down, they saw there were the shapes of human bodies on the ground. As if chalk was drawn around their bodies. There were also magic circles surrounding each outline of a body. "What's that mean? Are they all dead?"
"I don't know. Not necessarily. We should try this on other places, but I'll use mine this time." They went into houses, and Sabo pressed hands to walls with his different colors, and more magic circles formed, with more outlines of bodies. He frowned, and said it was very possible they were all dead.
"It looks like it could have been instant, though, so that's good," Ace said sadly. "Maybe we should try some not magic stuff. Like water. If random magic worlds, and fire, maybe water could do something." Sabo didn't seem convinced but they were a team right now. They went to the fountain, with gross water, and scooped it out with buckets from one of the houses.
They dumped it over the places where the body outlines were, and the water uncovered a dead body. Ace had trouble not throwing up, where Sabo just looked sad and disappointed. They tried on another outlined body, and they were dead as well. It was just very sad. Ace felt bad that they couldn't save them. The bodies didn't even look decomposed.
Going around the village they tried over the body outlines on the beds and walls, but they were all dead, too. Ace did throw up when he found a baby. Sabo rubbed his back soothingly until Ace got control of himself.
"It looks like we should confront the monsters," Sabo said simply. Ace nodded, glad to stop uncovering bodies. They walked to the place Sabo had sealed shut, and Ace tried to burn it open, but the lock remained broken until Sabo put a teal color on it from his hand, and the lock moved back into the shape it was before.
Sabo's magic was incredible. Ace hadn't seen much of Erza's, but he felt Sabo could be stronger with his magic than Erza, where she was stronger physically. The doors were flung wide open, and Sabo put his hands up with blue on them and shot water at the empty space that they could tell wasn't.
The water didn't work, so they went back to the fountain, and stood in it, throwing buckets of water to wash away the invisibility of the things. They really were monsters. Six legs and covered in fur and spikes. Nothing from nature, that was for sure. Ace shot fire at them, but most dodged but for one, who burnt to ash instantly. They were fragile? Sabo shot red at them, laser beams, that also vanquished them in one shot. They were pretty weak besides their sharp claws and teeth.
Ace put his hands down on the ground in front of the fountain and shot fire out that attacked all of them, making them poof away just by the fire touching their paws. They had no way to find out what happened to everyone, and who or what made the chalk outlines.
The two were sure all of the monsters were gone, and went into the capital building, entering cautiously. Ace had his hands lit up in fire for preparation. They walked throughout the place, and found chalk drawings here, too. The avoided them and hadn't tripped or stepped on a single body, invisible or not.
Rummaging through drawers for anything, Ace came out with a paper dated the day that this all happened. That everyone disappeared. And they were all naked, their clothes and shoes somehow removed from their corpses. "I found something. It's addressed to the wizard guild that was here. But they aren't anymore, it seems."
Sabo took it and read it aloud.
"To our neighbors Para Palegics, we regret to inform you that you are no longer welcome in this city. For our own safety after your last destructive attack, we will be revoking your right to your current guild building. If anything more happens, and you don't leave immediately after receiving this, then we will report you to the magic counsel as a dark guild and have your guild license revoked. Thank you for your cooperation at the end. I do so hope you understand."
Ace said, "So the guild Para Palegics got angry and did this to everyone? It's clearly magic." Sabo said it sounded like the easiest assumption. "So we should go find their old guild building?" Sabo nodded, and the two rummaged some more and found a map and the place the guild was at. Right out of the city limits in the opposite direction of Naguri's home.
They walked there silently, but heard nobody inside. They pushed the doors open, which fell off the hinges, and found a lot of outlined bodies here, too. Sabo took some water out of the sink and dumped it on one to make sure. Dead body again. Looking around, they Sabo found a list of guild members in the office drawer behind the main room.
They counted the bodies, and found the numbers matched up. Everyone in the guild was killed as well. Ace searched cabinets carefully, and found some spell bottles. He pulled them out to show Sabo, but dropped one. A plume of smoke came out of it, and he coughed and dropped the rest as he covered his mouth. Sabo grabbed him and they ran out of the building before it exploded in purple gas. Sabo made the color bright white, and a forcefield was made around them. The gas spread over the whole guild, and they heard the sounds of gasps and voices.
The two teen wizards shared a look, and peeked inside, still keeping the gas away. Everyone was awake! Sabo hurried and dragged Ace along to the room of the guild, jumping up and yanking Ace up with him so the bubble would still surround them. Sabo created the color magenta and a blast of wind was made that sent the plume of gas in the villages direction.
It kept coming out of the building, the room destroyed from the explosion, and it covered the whole village. Before asking them what happened, they went to check on the villagers, and found everyone confused as to why they were naked and what happened. Ace and Sabo grinned at one another, even if the solution was a complete accident.
Speaking with the mayor in his office, the guild Master came, too, to see what on earth happened. Ace and Sabo explained what they knew that they all didn't remember. They had no answer as to who had done such a thing, if it was someone's fault and not a natural occurrence. The two teens watched as the guild Master and mayor struck a deal. They had all been through that terrible incident, so maybe they felt more rekindled because of it.
Ace and Sabo were thanked profusely, but avoided the party. It seemed both of them weren't in the partying mood right now. They went back to Naguri, who was crying in thanks, and gave them the 8 million jewel reward. Apparently it was all the money from the village, but that was a secret that the man wouldn't say.
The two weren't too honorable and accepted all the money. But right before the left, Sabo put a charm on the side of the village that stretched around the circumference and created an invisible dome, where no magic could enter. It may be overcautious, but he did it anyways. After this, though, he looked like he needed a rest. Ace put his pack against his chest and carried Sabo towards the nearest stop, and when they got there, they ate some food Thatch had made.
"You just completed an S-Class job. You should be really proud." Ace blushed and said the solution had actually been an accident that could have ended badly. "But you're the one that found out the bodies were covered in an invisible layer. Don't put yourself down, you did it." Ace felt really happy and nodded. He was proud, but didn't expect to go on another one of these for awhile. How the heck had Sabo been on a three year job? Didn't he get lonely?
So he asked. "It wasn't just me doing the job. On the way, I was searching all over the kingdom for a solution to my problem. But I think I can finally give up on it."
Ace wondered what the problem was. "My family disappeared. Or maybe I did. I was looking for any way to find them, gathering knowledge and magic. But I was never able to get back to them. I think I'll stop looking now. Fairy Tail is my family. And I want to spend more time there, not all alone."
"I'm sorry. That must suck. I don't remember mine, and I don't really have the drive to look. It makes me seem bad, doesn't it?" he asked in shame. Sabo shook his head. After all, Ace didn't remember. They could have been terrible, or Ace might have had no family to look for. "Maybe."
"What is the last thing you remember?" Sabo asked slowly, cautiously in case Ace didn't want to talk about it." He was honest though, and said he remembered drowning. That was the last thing. Sabo looked sad, and apologized. "It must have been scary." Ace nodded.
As they walked down the path, Ace admitted he was afraid of swimming, now. Afraid of falling in any body of water. Why would he have drowned? And who saved him? "I wish I could thank them, but I'm also annoying they just dumped me in a random park and all. They could've at least waited for me to wake up," Ace said a bit sourly.
Sabo hummed. "Well, maybe they knew Fairy Tail would save you somehow? You sure joined awfully quickly." Ace grinned, and said he was charming. He even managed to get free stuff by being charming. "How?"
"Well, I saw Lucy act all sexy and get something for free, so I tried, and I asked the woman if I took my shirt off, if she'd give me something for free. But she just laughed and gave it to me cause she thought I was funny. It was embarrassing, so I won't do it again," Ace explained. Sabo was laughing, and Ace scowled.
The blonde said, "Sorry, I just wouldn't expect you to show off like that. And then do the whole male model magazine thing. Have they asked you again?"
"Nah, I think it was a one time thing, thank god. Mira was mean and sent me off, not telling me what it was," Ace replied. Sabo was easy to talk to, and he didn't feel he was confrontational. He acted very mature, like he was older than the other teens who were all about the same age. Compared to Natsu and Gray, he was crazy different.
They camped out in the mountain that night, eating the food Thatch gave him as well as a deer Sabo had killed and they ate. Ace cooked it, and actually made it the perfect temperature. He was surprised at how well he'd cooked something not in a controlled place like an oven. After that, Sabo put a charm around them and they fell asleep safely.
At bed, Ace asked, "Sabo? Will you be my friend?" Sabo smiled, and said he already was. Ace grinned, glad to have made another friend so easily.
They were on the train the next day, and Ace fell asleep, but felt Sabo would take care of him if something happened. He wouldn't leave Ace on the train to be taken to the next stop all alone. It still really bothered him. He knew it was partly his fault, but it still hurt, that they'd leave him behind like that. They left both Natsu and Ace, but Ace was the one to be out of the loop and useless the whole time.
He woke up when it was time to get off at Magnolia. While they were heading to the guild, they ran into Ace's group. Or at least the one he'd been in to hunt down the lullaby thing that Sabo took care of. None of them got to fight but Natsu who got beaten up. At least Ace hadn't been beaten up without being able to do anything.
"Hey, where'd you guys come from?" Gray asked. Erza was still traveling with her absurd amount of luggage. Ace said he and Sabo went on a mission. "Oh, what was it?" he asked in interest. None of them seemed offended that Ace hadn't gone with them, which was both a relief and also hurt his feelings. He really had not been important to their group. He had been an utter failure, after all.
Ace said they went to find where some missing people went. It was simple and to the point. There was no real need to mention it was an S-Class. Natsu asked why Sabo went, too. "It was an S-Class, and I brought Ace along, too. I was the one to suggest it, of course," Sabo explained. Ace should have told him to not say it in case they got jealous.
All five, looked kind of awkward. "See! If you waited yourselves, I may have taken you all on an S-Class as well. Now I will do no such thing." Ace rose his brows, and asked what happened. "Natsu, Happy and Lucy stole an S-Class job from the second story board, which is highly not allowed in Fairy Tail, or any guild." She sounded angry. Gray said he was kidnapped, he didn't do it of his own will. "You still failed to bring him back and got caught up in it yourself!"
Yeah, Ace didn't ever want to get on Erza's bad side. As they walked, Ace noticed that everyone was whispering, but it wasn't just him. All of them looked confused until the turned the corner and saw the guild down the street. Erza abandoned her luggage when they all ran to the destroyed guild in front of them.