It was a day after he had been fired from Fairy Tail's position as Guild Master.
For some reason, he had always thought that the job was one of the most horrible experiences in his life, not counting his more devastating mistakes. So one would assume that no longer being master of Fairy Tail would be like lifting a burden off Makarov Dreyar.
Yet…
Unfortunately, he left on terms that were against his wishes. His grandson was forced to take his place and now the other members of Fairy Tail are forced to listen to his word. It didn't help that his idiotic grandson was going through what he hoped was a rebellious phase in his young adult years. The boy was getting to obsessed over terms of strength and pride, things that didn't truly matter in living a life, along with other useless ideas of fame or empty glory.
Still, he had hope. Laxus was nothing like Ivan—thank god for small mercies. Though if things kept going…
Bah, it was Fairy Tail's problem now. He didn't want to leave it all to his kids so soon, but he was just going to have to have faith that his children would pull themselves together in this time of trouble and not be split and cause some kind of miniature civil war while he was on his leave.
Makarov smiled and scoffed. He had to put some extra insurance so that his grandson wouldn't go too out of hand.
At this moment, there was a bell ringing that made the small old man look up.
"Attention, riders, our next stop is at Kale Town Station." The train speaker announced for everyone to hear.
The former Wizard Saint took note of this. It meant that he was almost towards his destination. It has been a while since he had met his wife besides letters. He wondered how she was doing?
It was then that the train started to shake violently. Makarov wondered what it was, but he didn't sense any spike of magical power nearby.
"Attention, passengers. Please do not be alarmed. We seem to have technical difficulties. We must stop and make repairs in Kale Town. Please accept our apologies."
The Wizard Saint sighed. It seemed like he had more time to think for himself.
Kale Town, despite being fairly small when compared to a grand city like Magnolia, was actually rather well known throughout Fiore and some nearby countries. It was located around the center mountain range of Fiore, over looking a large amount of the small country itself. Since it was near the Capital of Crocus, it was said that the Royal Family visited risked being away from the safety of their castle just to admire Kale's town famous sunsets and sunrises despite being so remote.
Hmm, perhaps he should have asked Kain and Ignis to drop him off at his destination before he left, it would have saved him some time and money.
Makarov shook his head at the idea and instead decided to do a little sightseeing.
It was morning, and he had heard that Kale Town had some of the best morning sunrises. The man walked out through the streets yet… he felt something off? He saw people going about their business in the city, but why did it look like everyone was watching him and everyone that came out on the train? Or perhaps he was just too paranoid after the battle with Phantom Lord?
Makarov still decided to reach towards Kale Town's famous view point, Horizon Park, a beautiful garden at the end of the cliff that looked out towards Fiore. The view alone attracted many people to this remote location and inspired the place to be built in the first place.
The old man breathed in that fresh mountain air as he saw the breath taking view of the country before him.
"There is something lovely about this place."
There was the sound of rubber hitting the ground that made Makarov look over towards a rubber ball bouncing towards him. He looked to the right and saw a bunch of kids coming his way.
"Hey, mister! Pass the ball back, please?"
Makarov handed the ball easily to the child closest to him. "Here you go."
When the child grabbed the ball, Makarov noticed the boy's face turn into one of fear after said child grabbed on to his sleeve like a life line. "Please, help us!"
"What—?"
"Kannan! Come on, already!" The other kids cried out before the kid with the rubber ball ran back towards his group.
"What was…?" Makarov didn't understand what was going on, but his bad feeling of this beautiful place seemed to have been confirmed.
Makarov was calm enough to know he couldn't just go about asking that child what that meant, or anyone for that matter. That behavior the boy, the one where for one moment that he seemed scared, it almost seemed like he was being watched at all times?
If that was so, did that mean there was some means of everyone being watched? As far as he could tell, he didn't know if there was a difference in camera lacrimas watching them or if they were just normal security systems.
But then again, he hadn't lived as long as 60 years (He's older than what he pretends to be) without picking up a few tricks.
"Bwahhahaha!" Makarov Dreyar was stupidly drunk in Kale town's bar.
The people around seemed to act normal enough, as in they could stare in confusion as he got plastered and sent the bill to the Magic Council—because screw them, he could still do that.
Everyone around him acted relatively normal.
Then there was the town announcement that everyone heard.
"Hello, Kale Town, we have received word that the train has fixed it's technicalities, and those visiting the town may now make their way back towards the station."
Makarov silently kept drinking his beer as he heard this. However, to his notice, he spotted at least three people walk up to him.
"Excuse me sir, your train is leaving soon. Would you like help in getting back to the station?"
The Wizard Saint may have been close to or was plastered, but he could still tell that these people were subtly trying to get him to leave.
After finishing his drink Makarov simply tried to dismiss the people. "Oh it's fine! I can just take the next train. This place has good booze!" And Cana Alberona knows nothing of this place which was a huge plus.
"But Kale Town is such a remote place, the trains come only every other day. You'd have to wait for two days before you could leave."
Makarov seemed to stop what he was doing when he heard that.
"Hmm, thank you for that." Makarov put down his drink… then promptly slammed face first into the table he was sitting on.
The old man would proudly say that was all part of his plan. No one would ever say they sincerely believed him.
Since Makarov conveniently missed his train, the wizard saint simply decided to rent a room in the local inn and simply sleep there for the night.
At least that's what he made the people around him think. Come the dead of night the Wizard Saint was up and about… also completely sober.
"Ahh," Makarov sighed as he stood atop of a roof top in the windy night with darker clothing. "I haven't done a stealth mission in decades. How nostalgic." He also didn't say anything about him being bad about those types of missions, but he digressed.
It didn't take him long to notice something fishy. There seemed to be a group of tough looking customers walking around the town that he didn't see during the day.
Makarov watched as they went door to door, knocking on each house. It seemed like whoever these people were visiting, asked something off the people they visited. Was it a ransom of some kind?
The 3rd guild master of Fairy Tail had his brow raise when he saw what the tough looking guys were collecting. It wasn't gold, jewelry, or even food. It was books and other written objects.
That was strange. Was Kale town being held up for it's books? But it was a small town, nothing that had a major library or something, so why would some bandits hold a small town for a bunch of books? Speaking of the object filled with written text, this cliffside town might not have had a proper library in the first place.
Makarov did notice that the thugs were collecting the books and brining it to the garden view that looked out to Fiore. It looked like there was an underground passage that was cleverly hidden by a trap door in one of the sidewalks. The thugs were bringing the books down below.
The powerful but small mage was able to shrink his size and follow after the people going in to the trap door.
To his surprise, there was like a large auditorium/storage facility underneath the town. It seemed like it was filled to the brim with books, chemical glass jars, star charts, maps, art, and other intellectually stimulating items.
Makarov had to admit out of all the bandits he's ever fought this group must have the strangest taste he's ever seen.
"Hey! Hurry it up!"
Tiny Makarov looked up to one of the higher catwalks of the underground area and saw someone he recognized Simon Cluarence, an A ranked criminal mage. This man with a red Mohawk and his refusal to wearing anything that wasn't ripped in some fashion was known for eluding even guild mages and the Rune Knights due to his ability of cloning magic.
Wait, that man was a thief that wanted gold and jewelry. Why was he stealing only books? Was he working under someone?
On one hand, he can slowly spy around and see whoever is in charge. On the other hand, maybe he should take out all the lackeys now. There would be less chance of these people escaping during the fight and harming the villagers above them.
The latter option sounded better. He would have to act quickly to mitigate whatever damage this fight would no doubt cause.
Makarov instantly jumped and used magic to turn back to his regular size as he jumped in front of Simon Claurance. Simon screamed in shock as he stepped back, only to be stopped by the catwalk bar.
"I am Makarov Dreyar of Fairy Tail. I suggest you and your men stop whatever you are doing and surrender!" The former master of Fairy Tail said with seriousness.
However, he wasn't expecting Simon to suddenly look… relieved? "Makarov Dreyar?! As in, one of the Wizard Saints!?"
Perhaps not officially anymore, but still, it's not like he didn't have the power of one. "Yes" Makarov nodded before Simon shouted out to everyone below.
"Everyone! We have a real live Wizard Saint here! We're saved!"
Makarov couldn't believe his ears as he heard cries of joys coming from the thugs. As he looked around, he indeed notice some people actually crying and falling to their knees.
That was definitely not the reaction he was expecting. Even the bandits were victims here? "What? Who is making you do this?"
"Not who! It's… it's..." Makarov noticed that Simon was about to answer, but then the cheers were suddenly silenced. Simon could only look at something behind Makarov and there was this look on his face that even horror couldn't fully describe. It was like every ounce of hope the man had was replaced by horrible, horrible despair and futility as he even started to cry as the words died in his throat.
The Wizard Saint's mind was moving a mile per second as he saw those facial expressions. There was someone behind him? But he didn't sense any trace of magic!
"Makarov Dreyar."
The Wizard Saint turned around quickly. As soon as he did, his eyes widened when he realized the presence that had caused this strange circumstance.
"Symphony!" The old wizard saint half gasped as that word escaped his lips. He never saw the fused demon that Team Valiant fought, but the air around the masculine figure before him was similar, but more powerful than that of Lullaby.
"I was not expecting to meet one from the Fairy Tail Guild so soon." His smooth and calming voice made every other person in the auditorium feel a cold chill throughout every fiber of their spine. "But it appears my experiment has ended now. How interesting."
Makarov thought this was bad before, but Symphony's presence here had only dramatically increased how bad this situation really was.
In front of him was someone he never expected to meet now of all times, yet he has heard nothing but dangerous things about the presence of this person.
"What are you doing here, Symphony?"
From Team Valiant's reports, Symphony had powerful physical attributes, along with access to moon based energy which could greatly weaken other forms of magic. Not only that, his brats only beat him because Kain had unlocked the power of the ancient weapon and that he didn't fully understand how his body worked. It had been weeks since Galuna Island, who knows how much he mastered of his new body?!
"I am practicing." The demon with Deliora's old crown as a face began simply. "Ever since I came into contact with Kain, my mind has been opened to possibilities I could never fathom as both Lullaby nor Deliora. Traits like 'subtlety' and 'observation' turned into 'ambition' and 'manipulation'. Besides my powers, I sought out to practice my mind as well."
Symphony tossed his hand out to the many books around him. "I knew that destroying things with reckless abandon meant that sooner I would be found and hunted by things potentially stronger than me. I stole information and studied human society, finding great interest in the craft of criminal underworld organizations, the ability to perform a multitude of actions contrary to the law without anyone knowing. So I picked Kale Town, a remote place even though it's fairy easy to reach. I coerced it's inhabitants, taking advantage of the fact they were partially cut off from the rest of the country, and made them all swear not to alert any outsider to my presence or I would erase them all of the map."
Makarov leered. That was why one of the boys playing here warned him. He didn't really know or care if that boy knew he was a Wizard Saint, he must have been secretly asking people to help this entire time.
"Then came him and his… coterie," Makarov saw Simon scream, fall to the floor into fetal position, and cry uncontrollably at the mention of his existence by Symphony. "They wanted to loot the town after I nestled in. Needless to say, I wanted no attention to this place whatsoever, so I also convinced them to swear loyalty to me and now they, along with this town, gift me with all the books and knowledge they can possibly gather at relative peace."
The Wizard Saint knew 'convinced' was putting it lightly. However, the way Symphony said it was like he truly thought that convincing a rather infamous mage who was definitely not an amateur was a truly simple matter, not like something rather hard for normal or even some powerful mages.
However, another matter started to make the wizard saint start to sweat.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Symphony's answer was simple. "So you wouldn't notice me preparing to kill you right now." Not even half a second after that was said, purple light surrounded Makarov and Simon.
Up above, the garden lookout exploded as giant wooden spikes busted through the earth.
Back down below, Makarov landed in the floor while carrying Simon with one of his arms. The old man dropped Simon and gasped as he held his shoulder which had a surface cut by the almost instantaneous wood spikes trying to stab him.
"Go!" Makarov barked at Simon. "Get everyone out as fast as you can!" The Wizard Saint said no more as he turned to look at Symphony standing on one of the wooden spikes and looking down on him.
Symphony watched the Wizard Saint as everyone else scurried out like mice being hunted down by a predator.
When it was fairly empty in the underground levels, Sypmhony spoke again. "It is strange. The human concept of pride."
Makarov was not falling for it again as he fired a bolt of light towards the fused demon who only jumped to the right as the spell pierced through the wooden spikes.
"Because of my pride in my newborn power, I lost to your followers." Symphony continued as Makarov summoned flames from his hand and threw a large ball of fire towards the fused demon. In retaliation, Symphony clenched his fist and punched with enough force to create a vacuum that instantly choked the great fires of their oxygen and made them turn to harmless ash. "And I noticed when I was the being Lullaby, you and you stronger allies simply watched as the younger generation fought me. You had faith that they would beat me."
"They did!" Makarov closed the distance between them and landed a heavy punch on the fused demon that slammed him into the wall.
"Defeat? Yes." Symphony jumped out of the wall with ease and created a make shift blade of moon light energy. "However, they didn't have complete victories and that is where the problems lay."
With a spin of the moon blade in his hands, Symphony cut through all other spells that were blasted at him from Makrov as if they were wet tissues. Even though Makarov was firing blasts at a pace that even a S-Class mage would have trouble keeping up, Symphony was even relaxing in his form as his arm was moving so fast it was creating after images of him cutting all attacks coming his way. "As I previously mentioned, when I was Lullaby, you and your stronger allies only watched as your weaker subordinates fought me."
Makarov dove in, trying to punch the demon only for Symphony to dodge the speedy Wizard Saint and kick him into the roof. As he landed, Symphony continued his point. "The fact that none of you deemed me a threat to face yourselves ironically meant that my survival was ensured. I feel that I should express gratitude for that action."
Now that the Wizard Saint thought back, it was foolish of him and his friends to underestimate a demon of Zeref, especially one that had grown so much in such a short amount of time! But staying in the past would not solve the problems of now.
The Wizard Saint got back up as his eyes started to glow. "Then allow me to correct that mistake and ease my children's woes by destroying you right now!"
Makarov was off as his fists were enchanted with glowing light. Symphony dodged the first few strikes, but Makarov suddenly whipped and stretched his leg, which caught the fused demon by surprise. The impact was enough to blast the rune demon out of the underground storage area and into the air above Kale Town.
Symphony recovered and his three eyes gazed over the city. He wordlessly raised both his hands and a large amount of energy started to gather with obvious intent to unleash it on the evacuating town.
The demon felt a large shadow cast behind him as he turned around and saw Makarov had grown to his giant size and attempted to slam both his hands on the demon before he could even try and harm the civilians.
There was a loud KRACKOOM as the attack made contact. Yet Makarov started to sweat as he felt his hands being pushed back.
Of all the things to happen next, the Wizard Saint was not expecting Symphony to grow and reach the same size as him. The growth made Makarov take a few steps back and that was when Symphony quickly stomped his foot on the ground hard.
Makarov didn't realize the wooden spikes behind him suddenly expanded and cut the cliff in a manner that made the ground both he and Symphony were standing on to start to slide and fall.
The moment he was thrown off balance, Symphony punched the other giant in the jaw. This forced Makarov to also adapt to his new situation as the garden platform he and Symphony were falling on was sliding down the mountain.
The two started a fist fight as giants while they were both falling down at an increasingly alarming speed. It came to a point where Symphony grabbed and locked both of Makarov's arms and suddenly four more hands, two from each side and both made of wood, shot out of Symphony's back and attempted to dent his head inward.
Yet in that same instant, Makarov vanished and it took a Symphony a millisecond to notice that Makarov had shrunk to avoid all his fists and was charging an attack even at the size of a thumb. The Wizard Saint was about to unleash his own powerful blast but to his surprise, Symphony had also vanished. The move surprised Makarov as he quickly tried to spot for any sign of the demon or any disturbance in magical energy he could sense. This time, it was the mage who felt a shadow cast over him.
It wasn't a boulder falling with them, it was Symphony who also shrunk his size!
(No!? Is he learning my magic the more we fight!?) It wasn't copying magic, there was something unique about the usage of the spell since Symphony was slightly two times his size. Makarov was about to dodge, but around this time, the fallen garden had made contact with the bottom.
If there was anyone nearby or miles away, they would have noticed the explosion at the base of the mountain.
Makarov, now back at his normal size coughed for air as he tried walking out. He got bounced around like a rubber ball when his body hit the ground, but thankfully, he was sturdy and light enough when he crashed that he didn't have any serious injuries.
As the dust settled, Makarov sensed a disturbance and quickly turned to see Sypmhony, now flying in the air. (This is bad, I can feel his spells becoming more potent and refined after each use. He must have the same ability as Goldmine did in evolving further inside a fight! I need to kill him now before he becomes a threat to everyone!)
Makarov clamped his hands together and started preparing for Fairy Law. The light of that magic shouldn't be affected or disrupted by even moon energy and demons were very vulnerable to light energy.
The Wizard Saint would do his best to fend off Symphony until the spell would be pulled… wait… why was Symphony staring at a random direction?
"₪₰ꙊӜ."
It was soon after Makarov found himself bounded by three energy snakes that were colored orange, green, and red. The snakes, after suddenly coiling around Makarov, instantly cut off his magic access. Soon after, all three energy snakes launched themselves and bit his neck. This caused the Wizard Saint to scream in pain before fainting where he stood.
Symphony slowly tilted his head at the stranger who intervened in their fight. "Will you attempt to strike me down too, stranger?"
"No," The figure stepped out, revealing a large, dark brown skinned man carrying a staff with a skull, tattoos all over his body, and white hair that was smooth as a blanket, and a get up like that of a dark mage. "I only came for the one I attacked. You on the other hand are free to go."
Symphony landed on the ground. "So you say, but I can tell there is more you wish to say."
The figure laughed. "It is true. It is not often one gets to witness two Demons of Zeref fusing together to make a force that can rival one of the strongest Wizard Saints who isn't one of the Four Gods of Ishgar. But I am not prepared, nor do I wish to battle with you."
"I see." The Demon turned around, obviously no longer interested in whatever was about to happen. The stranger watched as the demon flew off into the night.
Afterword, the stranger looked to Makarov's downed form and smiled.
"It appears fortune has blessed me with a gift I cannot hope to repay," The man began soft chuckling that soon grew and grew… "Aha…haha! AHAHAAHAHAHAHA!"
Symphony, even though he was traveling further away, could hear the stranger laugh an echoing dark laughter no matter how far he distanced himself.
{Author Notes}
There we go. And that finishes like my third filler arc. Just so we're clear, this isn't the light hearted original arc I mentioned a while back. That happens later. I felt like this 'filler' needed to happen because I wanted to show that the consequences of previous arcs are still being felt throughout Fiore and possibly Earthland. After the last Chapter, I didn't want you all to assume that I'm just throwing plot points around all willy-nilly. I thought it was important to prove to you guys that what has happened does have an impact on the world across and not just Fairy Tail is affected.
Unfortunately, it seems like this chapter came out too late as I've already had reviews saying that I have made too many undefeated villains, and they all started in the previous chapter no less. I do admit my folly in making a lot more villains than most people expect. However, I also wanted to express how much world building I really wanted to do: Fairy Tail is a world filled to the brimm with magic that has never been ever truly tapped into or explored everyone nearly has their own headcannon on the deeper roots and history of this world as do I. I wanted to show how expansive the world truly was by exploring more than just one party whenever a fight was involved. I know what I was making, and I understand that there are a lot of plot points I'm creating, but I believe it's reasonable for me to experiment as well. See how well I can really take on such an expansive plot if I hope to one day make my own original work. I'm not going in blind, trust me. I do have plans, I just hope that I can convey them great enough for everyone to enjoy.
For example with this filler arc, I'm sure you all recognize the simple descriptions of the man who interfered with Symphony and Makarov's fight? I have made the mistake of accidentally creating plot points I never got around to making, but I'm learning from them.
With that in mind I hope your day goes well after reading this.