Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Invel's research into iced shell for his majesty had brought him on an interesting quest for the time being. Initially, he'd started with the standard route. Reading books in the library, however, had revealed little beyond the current form of the spell. Its history was quite lacking, though Invel supposed that was true of most spells. Wizards these days cared more about the advancement itself rather than the path it took to reach the finalized result.
Since books were proving to be of little benefit, Invel had reached out for assistance. Citizens were to keep an eye out for any unusual blocks of ice. Of course, the announcement wasn't phrased quite so bluntly - he'd come up with the excuse that his majesty had requested a new ice sculpture to be made to decorate the castle for when he next arrived. He'd been unsatisfied with the simple sculpture options made from magic and now was requesting the piece of art to be hand-made. It was a weak excuse, but Invel needed to avoid delaying his standard duties excessively with this task. Creativity was not his area of expertise, but the story did at least allow him to search for the spell using the citizens' reports.
August was even joining him to investigate the latest recommendation from the people. The elderly wizard was with Invel on an airship as they approached the location that had been reported. Most of the reports thus far had been useless. People living in the northern regions of the empire could find ice pretty much anywhere and flooded their messaging system with reports of useful glaciers in the area. Invel immediately decided to ignore any ice located in the north due to the probability of it forming naturally in that area.
The latest report was bringing them to a canyon in the mid-west. Surely, ice wouldn't form naturally in the middle of such an environment. "We should land soon." August spoke quietly. "This will be a place to search on foot - much further and we will risk not having a decent place to land the ship."
With a sigh, Invel nodded and landed on the ground. "I do hope his majesty is aware of how much of a delay this puts on our work." They'd only just finished punishing Dimaria to quell the complaints from their newly acquired territory. Of course, it wasn't as if Invel could delay responding to such an order from his emperor either. It was just poor timing for a quest that was forcing him to travel all around the empire within a matter of days for research. They'd only really investigated two reports thus far, both of which had been wizards attempting to gain some form of reward by magically creating the ice themselves.
"There isn't much to be done at this point." August shrugged. "We've finished our latest expansion goal, budgeting is nearly finalized for the start of the new year, and we have had a relatively low amount of public complaints now that we have shown that even those amongst the Twelve are not above the law."
"We could still be advancing other matters. His majesty's adjusted budget is putting strain on our relations with Fiore. Perhaps I could have used this time to schedule meetings with them and arrange some sort of means to calm the issue."
August shook his head. "I find that unlikely to be of use. We abandoned our agreement in favor of military expansion. That is not the sort of action a nation takes as a friendly gesture of peace."
Sighing, Invel shook his head and started walking. August was right, but that still didn't mean Invel understood why his majesty chose to make such a risky move. Surely, their expansion into Solinshka hadn't been urgent enough to warrant risking their allegiances with other nations. Still, the choice had been made and now it was up to them to handle the aftermath of the decision.
They walked in silence as they began to explore the canyon, keeping an eye out for any signs of the peculiar ice that had been reported in the area. Invel was expecting to ultimately find yet another wizard-made ice block completely unrelated to their research. Still, he was willing to make the attempt to prove he was following through on his arrangement with his majesty.
It had been nearly an hour of searching when Invel started to sense the familiar echo of magic. "It's nearby." Now, all that was left was to find it and confirm exactly what spell created the ice.
August followed him with a nod, letting Invel take the lead as he traced the magical aura to the source of the spell. He adjusted his glasses as he arrived, looking up to take in exactly what it was they had found. By his side, August frowned at the sculpture, his eyes taking in the spell and analyzing it instinctively with his own magic. Yet, Invel was not interested in August's reaction. No, his interest was in the fact that the block of ice appeared to be encased around a person.
The person was a stranger to Invel and he had no idea how long this had been here. Given the terrain, it wasn't the sort of place they'd be able to develop into a city. It also wasn't exactly large or interesting enough to market it as a tourist attraction, unlike some of the other canyons just a bit further to the south of them.
"I can't analyze it."
Invel frowned, turning towards him. "Pardon?"
August shook his head. "The spell. It…it poses the same challenge to me as his majesty's curse." Invel's eyes widened. There were very few occasions in which August would be unable to perfectly analyze magic he came across. That was what his magic did, after all. The first issue came from holder-type magics. Even though August couldn't exactly copy them though, he still gained the underlying understanding of how they worked. Yet, the only time a non-holder-type magic had caused this issue was during one of his majesty's rare lapses of control.
"That's not possible." He turned towards the frozen man, placing his hand on the surface of the sculpture. Closing his eyes, Invel opened his senses to the spell, hoping to gleam some sort of information from the lingering magic left behind. It was a bit unusual, analyzing a spell after it had been cast. It was even rarer for a wizard to use that lingering energy to decipher exactly what had originally triggered the result. Invel may have been skilled with ice magic, but even he had his limits when it came to analysis. The most he could gleam from the energy was that for the first time in over five years, he'd found an ice spell that he did not recognize.
Pulling his hand away from the ice, Invel turned towards August. "This isn't right. Even if I have not seen iced shell in person, my research should have given me enough familiarity with how it is constructed to identify it."
"Then this is not iced shell."
Invel stared at the structure, encasing a person inside. He was frowning and about to respond when he noticed something even more unusual. Taking a step to the left, he watched the frozen man closely. Then, Invel stepped back, pacing for a moment as he studied him. The man's eyes followed his motion each time, though nothing else moved. "This is perplexing." He turned towards August. "You are correct that this does not appear to be iced shell. However, the man inside is still alive."
Observing the spell, August took a step closer to focus on the person as well. "And aware of his surroundings." Frowning, the elderly wizard closed his eyes. After a moment, Invel heard him switch to telepathic communication, likely trying to include the stranger for the conversation. Hello. Can you hear me?
August frowned, looking over at Invel for a moment. Then, the winter wizard sighed, shaking his head. "I sense no one other than ourselves in this link. Your spell does not seem to have reached him."
August dropped the connection with a frown. After a brief moment, Invel felt it re-establish, likely through a different variation on the spell for creating a telepathic link. When they were met with silence again, the connection dropped. The elderly man remained quiet and still for a few moments, with Invel watching his various attempts to begin communication. Eventually, August shook his head. "I cannot reach him. This spell appears to be creating a barrier of sorts that blocks magic from approaching its victim."
Pausing for a few more moments, Invel sighed and closed his eyes. "Whatever this is, I do not think we will be finding our answers immediately." He studied the frozen man for a moment with a frown. "Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere for now. It is unnerving, having him watch us and not knowing if he can overhear our discussion or not." August nodded and let the younger man guide him back towards the airship, away from the unusual spell.
"Then what should we do next?" August frowned. "It would be unwise to leave such a spell active in a place where people can find it. People often make incorrect assumptions and are quick to spread rumors whenever potentially dangerous magic is involved."
Unfortunately, August did have a point. "We need to get him to Vistarion then," Invel said. "Contact his majesty to report the situation, continue investigating iced shell, and now add in an investigation into this spell neither of us recognize."
"For now, I do believe there is one assumption about the new spell we can make." August folded his arms over his chest. "I believe it would be some form of curse, given its inherent ability to block magic."
"Likely." He looked over at August. "Do you think you can handle the relocation? I will contact his majesty while you bring him back. We can reconvene in Vistarion once I return on the airship."
"Of course. This…should take higher priority, over the research into iced shell." August nodded to himself, as if trying to convince himself of the priority. "Iced shell is a personal quest of his majesty's. This sort of magic is a threat, if there is someone within the nation capable of using it and hiding their tracks so well."
Nodding his agreement, Invel pulled out a lacrima. "I will see you soon then." August began to walk off, back towards the frozen man. As he did so, Invel activated the lacrima, reaching out to contact his majesty. There was a bit of a longer delay than usual to receive a response, but it did still come.
"Now is not a good time. I have finally made progress, Invel, and I will not allow you to throw off my plans." His majesty glared at the lacrima. "Please tell me you aren't calling me just to report on your textbook research of iced shell at least."
"Of course not. I imagine you have more than enough expertise to gain at least that much understanding of the spell without me." Invel shook his head. "I've been attempting to find active spells to research it instead. In that search, August and I have made a rather alarming discovery." Taking a deep breath, Invel met his gaze over the lacrima. "There is a wizard somewhere in Alvarez who is using a spell with similar intent as iced shell. We've just discovered a man who has been frozen alive in the Alzo Canyons."
"Frozen alive?" His majesty frowned. "And what makes you so certain he is alive? A person isn't like my demons, Invel."
"He is aware, your majesty." Emperor Spriggan did not respond to that. "The man's eyes followed our movements from within the ice. We are planning to move him to Vistarion so we can research the spell further, but it may be difficult to unravel."
"With August there, I can't imagine it would take that long. Just free him now and move on." His majesty shook his head. "I don't exactly need more information on iced shell either anymore, so I see no reason to keep wasting your time on this adventure."
Could his majesty not have mentioned that days ago? Invel fought the urge to complain about the matter but kept himself calm as he took a deep breath. "That's the issue. August says that it is immune to his magic. We weren't even able to reach the man inside through telepathy either." Invel hesitated. "We thought that was concerning enough to warrant further research into the matter."
His majesty blinked at Invel, before furrowing his brow. "That is alarming." He tilted his head for a moment. "Would you by any chance be able to convince August to pay me a visit on Galuna Island then? I simply would like to confirm that iced shell does not have the same immunity. Plus, he would make my current project far more efficient…if we're able to be discrete about his assistance, of course."
"Are you really switching projects again?"
"No, this is still the same project as before. I have merely adjusted my approach to the matter." His majesty smiled. "I assure you, this is actually my preferred route towards this solution. It is likely one of the most peaceful arrangements I could have made to persuade someone to use such a spell. It was nearly going to be a trade to a fanatic dark guild that wants me to recreate a…powerful spell."
"I'll pass along your request then, I suppose." Invel sighed. "Just try not to make too much trouble. We are the ones who have to deal with the aftermath."
"Of course." His majesty paused, before blinking. "Oh, I should have this stated at some point so that there is an official path for this to work out cleanly. In the event of my passing, could you make it written down somewhere that August is to be my successor? And if necessary, the line of succession after him would continue on to be Irene then you, unless he chooses to adjust that plan."
"Your majesty, this is absurd." Invel narrowed his eyes. "I understand this is your personal goal, but our nation needs your leadership. You cannot simply abandon us after—"
"Invel, that was not a matter for debate." His majesty's eyes narrowed. "Ensure the proper arrangements are made and inform August of my request for assistance. Do what you wish with the spell you've found and if you find anything, keep me informed."
Without even allowing for a goodbye, his majesty broke off the connection. Letting out a sigh, he went back to the airship with an odd foreboding feeling. If his majesty was making such a request, it meant he was confident in the success of his plan. Invel was happy to take precautions against the worst, but he knew that not everyone would be quite so calm about the news. He hoped August would not hear of this news too quickly. If he did, Invel was certain the man would do everything in his power to refuse his majesty's request for assistance.
Knowing Lulu was dead was not something Gray was handling well. He'd gone for a walk after hearing the news, needing some time alone with everything going on. What had he even been thinking? He'd picked a fight with Zeref, not knowing his full capabilities. Then, Gray went and made assumptions about him lying, unable to trust anyone like usual. This was the end result of that choice. Gray was a murderer and there was nothing he could do to take that decision back.
Even the village seemed somber outside. Where there would usually be cheerful faces working on cleaning up their yards or just hanging out with each other, there were now just stiff expressions of people silently sitting in mourning for their lost villager. Some were crying, some held candles, and some just stayed inside and refused to come out, not showing their grief.
Unable to stand looking at them, Gray spun around. This reaction was his doing. His hands were shaking and he didn't exactly know where he planned to go. Yet, these faces would only make things worse. Everyone here would do the same. His chest ached and all he could really focus on was how kind she had been. She'd been open and honest, inviting them in to her home in an attempt to free herself from this curse. In return for that kindness, Gray had killed her with his own magic.
"Everything that lives must also come to an end." Gray turned at the sound of a voice, seeing Zeref standing a distance away from him. "That is the reality we all must come to accept, in time. Fail to accept it and you will face consequences."
"Go away." He wasn't in the mood to deal with the black wizard. This guy was bad news, demanded mysterious spells from him, and ordered him to sacrifice his life. Gray was busy dealing with his guilt right now and didn't want to get overwhelmed by dealing with his own impending sacrifice for this man.
Chuckling, Zeref shook his head. "I find that statement rarely provides the desired result." The man tilted his head. "Please, just assure me that you are not about to make a stupid decision because of your guilt. We do still have an arrangement to follow through on, you know."
"A stupid—" Gray broke off, his eyes widening. "What the hell? What sort of a person do you think I am? I'm not out here to try and kill myself, idiot."
"Considering you were willing to throw your life away in return for our deal, I thought I was justified in asking." Zeref shrugged. "Perhaps I read into that too much. A willingness to sacrifice yourself for another does not necessarily mean you'll sacrifice yourself over something as small as this."
"Yeah, that's right." Gray glared at him, spinning around and ignoring him. "So, rest assured, I'm not doing anything like that. Your stupid spell will be used later and you can rest happy knowing that at least you haven't killed some—" Gray broke off, remembering who he was talking to at the last second of his retort.
"As I said before, coming to terms with the mortality of living things can help." Zeref tilted his head. "I'm not exactly certain what else to say. Believe it or not, I have actually run into you on accident."
Blinking, Gray belatedly realized where Zeref had come from. He was standing on the path that led to the beach, rather than from the direction of the cabin they were staying in. "You were out for a walk too." Lulu was his demon, his creation for some reason. Hadn't Bobo even implied that there was a reason for them to be around? "Is it getting to your head too then? I mean, I'm the one that attacked, but it was still your call to pull out that book."
"It was." Zeref studied him for a moment, clasping his hands behind his back. "Perhaps that will make things easier for you then. Consider this entire tragedy to be one of my own making. I am more than willing to take the blame."
"What, you think that absolves me from all of this? I just have to say you did it and it all just…goes away?" Gray snorted, running a hand through his hair. "Lulu is dead. I knew her, listened to her struggle with the damn curse you cast on these people. She helped us." He thought back to him leaving. "She trusted me."
"She trusted me as well." Zeref frowned. "Well, before the curse at least. I suspect few of them remember me with it."
"I suppose you don't really know what it feels like if you can brush this all off so easily." Gray shook his head. "I don't know why you even bothered to stop and talk if you had no idea what to say. We know each other through our deal and that's it. As you've told me before, I have every reason to hate you, don't I?"
"And just let this be one more." Gray stared at him, seeing those dark eyes meet his. "I've killed many people, Gray. I assure you, I did kill Lulu."
"Stop trying to just ignore the truth!"
"It is the truth. I killed Lulu. You simply destroyed a book."
Gray dragged his hands through his hair. "What, so you went and killed her to convince me of your lie? You didn't have time!" Gray stomped closer to the wizard. "Stop pretending you care. Stop acting like I can just ignore this by blaming someone else. I know what I did. All you did was threaten me."
"Then I suppose I will let you believe what you wish." Zeref shrugged. "I should inform you that I will have business to attend to on the island in the next few days. Should I disappear for a brief period of time, do not concern yourself. I will return and follow through on our deal, I promise."
That was it? Gray stared at him, feeling drained. This man came up to him and acted as if he cared and gave up on the matter just as quickly. He didn't know what to make of it and right now, he was too drained to really think much on the subject. "Whatever. I just want to be left alone."
The man looked at him for a moment, before slowly nodding. He began to walk away only to stop as he stood face to face with some other stranger in the village. Gray watched the two, seeing Zeref narrow his eyes at the person. "Someone else has beaten you to negotiations. Feel free to inform your master that my offer is no longer available."
The stranger narrowed her eyes for a moment, but Zeref was already walking away. Gray watched them, seeing the stranger turn towards him instead. She was a rather short villager, dressed in a plain white shirt and a pale pink skirt. Her brown hair was tied in twin braids, dangling over her shoulders and framing a kind face with gentle brown eyes. "Good evening."
The girl kept her gaze downward, facing her hands. Staring at her, Gray shook his head. "Look, I was just telling the other guy that I want to be left alone. Do me a favor and find someone else to socialize with."
In response, the girl frowned. "That is not the logical choice here. I am not from this village and was here to visit. Out of my options, you appeared to be the most likely candidate to help me blend in during this time of mourning." Frowning, Gray watched her. "Outsiders blend in best if they stay together. I will be silent if you prefer, but I would rather not bring attention to myself. I don't do well with crowds."
That was strange. Gray frowned at her. "Blend in? You make it sound like you're spying on them or something."
"No, not spying." The girl looked over at him. "I simply had some questions to ask them. There's something I want to research and it was recommended that I start here."
Well, Gray did know there were a lot of books to reference here. Maybe she had some magical issue herself to deal with. Whatever it was, he had enough issues to deal with and was not interested in bringing in this mysterious girl into it too. If he decided to get answers from anyone, he could always go to Zeref since it seemed like he knew the girl from somewhere. For now, he was going to relax in peace and allow himself to remember Lulu, the demon who'd only just begun to show him that maybe they weren't all as bad as he'd thought.
So, we've got some advancement of what's going on with Invel and August this chapter. I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review and tell me what you think.