"Okay, where am I?", Kane said, as he found himself in a green, lush woodland, even though he knew he was in a mountain cave just a few moments ago, before he lost his footing, hit his head and lost consciousness. He had been in a forest before, near Magnolia, where Porluyusica lived. But this place felt different, with it's chilly but welcoming breeze, and the smell of the dew overwhelming him. It almost felt like...home.
But that didn't make sense. He couldn't have possibly reached a forest from a mountain, could he? However, all of this felt so real.
"I need to figure a way to get out of here.", he mumbled to himself. "Everybody's still in those mountains."
Trying to find a way out, he looked around, but all he could see was the trees, and nothing but the trees. The massive forest lacked any animal life, with not so much as a cuckoo's call trying to combat the silence.
"Hello?", he called out, hoping for a reply that"Is anyone there? HELLO?"
But there was no
"GUYS, CAN YOU HEAR ME? GUYS?", he shouted again. "LAXUS? EVERGREEN? FRIED? CAN SOMEBODY HEAR ME? ANYBODY?"
Again, there was no answer.
"Oh, damn it.", Kane muttered, wondering what to do. Though he would never admit it, he felt a tingle down his spine, as he realized he could possibly be stuck alone in the massive woodland. "Okay, Kane, calm down. You're gonna be fine. You've gotten through worse."
And just as those words escaped his mouth, Kane saw a bright light. Was it the sun shining through the canopy? No, the source of the lights was at the same height as his eye. Maybe he could find a way to escape from there.
Breaking in to a sprint and then into, Kane ran towards the light, and felt the temperature rise. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he ran faster, although the air began changing from breezy and soothing, to warm. This sudden change didn't feel right to Kane, but he continued on.
"KANE!", a voice called out. He turned around, not recognizing it. It wasn't one of his friends. The child calling out sounded way too young, barely five or six years old. A shudder ran down Kane's spine. This was all too similar to the dream that he'd had when he was struggling for his life, when Laxus and Porlyusica saved his life. He remembered what was waiting for him, if he followed the voice.
But he had to. He had to know who was calling him. Maybe it was a clue to who he really was? Just one, faded memory of his life before he forgot everything. But it was also the only memory he had left. Sprinting towards the person calling him, he felt the temperature increase further, from warm to unbearably hot. Wiping the sweat flowing over his forehead vigorously, he sped up, as he saw a small clearing outside the forest.
"KANE!", the voice repeated, clearly in agony. This only caused Kane to run faster towards it. And despite the fact that he could feel his feet give out, he couldn't stop. And despite the fact that part of him felt he was making a mistake, he wouldn't stop.
As the heatwaves grew, and turned into flames all around him, Kane found himself inching closer to his destination, and surrounded by the embers and flames, he saw Them.
"NO!", Kane screamed, as he woke up. Cold sweat was all around him, as he lay on the icy ground. It didn't take him long to realize that what he had seen was a very vivid dream. Extremely terrifying, but a dream nonetheless. Taking slow, measured breaths, he felt a chill go down his spine.
"Calm yourself down, Kane.", he whispered to himself, massaging his temples. There didn't seem to be any bleeding, which was probably a good sign. "It's just a bad dream. That's all it was."
As he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his left ankle. Groaning, he took off his shoe and rolled up his trousers to inspect the injury. The skin around it had bruised indicating a sprain. "Shit.", he muttered.
"Okay, figure something out, you can't be stuck here forever.", he thought, looking for something that could relieve the pain, before he recalled something from an earlier trip to Porlyusica. "Ice should work."
There were some ice deposits close to him, which was a massive relief for the young Mage. Hobbling on his good leg, he broke some of the icicles, before gently applying them on his injured one. It stung, but he'd gone through worse injuries, and a twisted ankle wasn't going to be the injury that would stop him. Slowly rising to his feet, he used the cave's walls for support, and tried to climb up the incline. However, after climbing upwards, he slipped again, as he lost his footing and went crashing down. However, he had managed to protect his injured ankle from the fa
"Shit, I need to call for help.", he said, hoping his friends could hear him. "GUYS! I'M HERE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
Unfortunately, Kane had no way of knowing that his friends were in an even worse position than him.
Laxus gulped, as he backed away, keeping Evergreen and Fried behind him. Three Vulcans were approaching them, having discovered them after Kane went crashing down the cave. And to add to the danger they were in, Kane was missing, and none of them had any idea as to where he was.
"You kids shouldn't have come here. Now you're not getting out.", the Vulcan who was the largest of the three said.
"Okay, stay back. Don't let them get close.", Laxus said. "They're all brawn and no brains, we can get the best of them if we play our cards right."
"I HEARD THAT!", the Vulcan roared. "You think we're idiots, boy? I'll show you!"
"He's angry now!", Evergreen shouted.
"Yeah, I know!", Laxus said. "Now just stay behind me and do what I say, okay?"
The massive Vulcan leaped, or at least did the closest thing a Vulcan could do to leaping with his (relatively) tiny legs. They jumped backwards, and as it got closer, Laxus managed to hit him with his lightning.
"AAAAAAGH! My eyes!", the beast cried. "You little shit!"
Laxus gingerly avoided the Vulcan's blows, maintaining enough distance between them so that the large primate could not take over his body. Despite their terifying stature and massive strength, the most dangerous ability of a Vulcan was Take Over: A kind of magic that allowed them to well, take over the body of their victims, to extend their lifespans.
"Stop moving, you wimp!", the Vulcan shouted, as Laxus continued side stepping him. However, he found himself being driven into a corner, as he realized he was getting dangerously close to the cliff. Thankfully, Fried and Evergreen saw that too, and decided to help take the heat off the Lightning Mage. Fried fired a rune using his sword at the Vulcan, who flinched with pain. This gave Evergreen enough of an opening to perform an attack of her own.
"Fairy Bullet: Imp!", she shouted, as the dust particles near her converged, before turning into a glowing ray of energy which she fired at him. The Vulcan was knocked further backwards. Laxus turned around, giving both his comrades a thumbs-up.
"We got him for now. Let's finish him off.", Laxus said.
"Good thing his friends are too dumb to fight us.", Fried added. "We'll manage to find a way to beat them without breaking a sweat."
He immediately regretted saying that, remembering the stronger hearing of the Vulcans. And they did not like their (lack of) intelligence being made fun of. Unfortunately, Fried's slip up also gave them the idea to charge at the trio of young Mages.
"Great job, Fried.", Laxus hissed.
"Sorry!", Fried apologized, as he gripped his sword, as one of the smaller Vulcans approached. "I messed up and got cocky."
"Yeah too late for thinking about that, idiot.", Laxus said, as he readied the lightning in his arms. "Don't end up dying."
"Sure.", he said nervously, unleashing a rune at the Vulcan. However, the attack lacked concentration, and the Vulcan wasn't hurt as much as it should have been. As it was shaking the blow off, Laxus hit it with Lightning, and it screamed.
"Fairy Bullet: Imp!", Evergreen cried, hitting the creature. However, she left herself exposed to the larger Vulcan, who managed to grab her from the back.
"Oh crap.", Laxus said, as he noticed her. "Lightning Spiral!"
A newer spell, it involved Laxus sending out two thunderbolts, and fusing them together, as they spun like a spiral towards the Vulcan. The Vulcan was knocked off her, and Laxus ran in to check in on her.
"Are you good?", he asked, as Fried followed him. "You shouldn't have turned your back on them. Ever."
However, the few seconds where the boys tended to Evergreen were enough for the second and third Vulcans to attack them, shoving the three children to the ground. With their strength and speed already enough of a threat, adding the numbers advantage had made them even more dangerous. Pinned down, Laxus saw them begin the take over process on his friends.
"What are you doing, stop!", Fried cried, as he desperately tried to angle for his sword, which was just out of reach for him. He tried to use his fingers, but wasn't able to make a spell powerful enough.
"I have an idea! Laxus try and take my glasses off!", Evergreen shouted, as Fried violently refused.
"No, what are you talking about, Laxus don't do it!"
"Shut up, Fried! Laxus, do it!", Evergreen screamed, both in anger at the green haired boy, and the agony that the Takeover process was inflicting on her.
"No, don-", Fried protested, but Laxus managed to grab her glasses, as Evergreen petrified the Vulcan. The other was left in shock, as it loosened it's grip on Fried, who managed to use his sword, and shouted "Dark Ecriture: Pain!"
The runes slashed against the beast's body, and Fried struck it for the second time, before allowing Laxus to smash it's face in.
"Okay, so two of them are done.", Laxus said, as he was joined by his younger comrades.
"My plan did work out, didn't it, Mr Fried?", Evergreen said, putting her glasses on.
"Yeah sure, you got lucky we didn't turn into stone either.", Fried huffed.
"There was a third one too, right?", Laxus said. "Where did he-"
He did get his answer, as the Vulcan sent him crashing away to the other side of the mountain, as it followed on, roaring.
"Oh no!", Evergreen cried. "We need to get to Laxus!"
They both ran towards the Vulcan, who threw Laxus a few yards up the mountain. Fried got worried when Laxus didn't scream in pain, meaning he could have very well been knocked out. The Vulcan turned around, as Laxus decided to use a Jutsu Shiki spell on it.
"I've trapped the Vulcan. Go check on Laxus!", Fried said, concentrating.
"Laxus, are you alright?", Evergreen said. Thankfully, he was only a bit dazed, and not unconscious. He opened his eyes, and managed to stand, with Evergreen's help.
"Well, as good as I could be. What do you think?", he replied caustically, gripping his chest, as he realized he had possibly injured his ribs. And just as the blond mage found his footing, the Vulcan, spurred on by rage broke out.
"You little shits, let me just get my hands on you!",he roared, as he tried to smash Fried using his fists. However, Fried managed to stab the creature with his sword, before using a spell. "Dark Ecriture: Destruction!"
The Vulcan snatched his hands away, as he saw the cut on it. Roaring, he ran towards Fried, only for Evergreen to fire another blast at him.
"Fairy Bullet: Imp!", she cried, as the Magic hit the Vulcan in his eye. Fried managed to get away in time, as the Vulcan stood howling in pain.
"Should have followed up.", Laxus said. "I'll do it myself."
But before he could take the large Vulcan out, cracks began to form under his feet. He paused, and saw that the Vulcan had realized it too. Fried and Evergreen looked at him, knowing something was wrong, but not able to figure it out themselves.
"What is it, Laxus?", Evergreen asked.
"I think it's an avalanche.", he replied. "RUN!"
"There's a cave over there!", Fried shouted, as he and Evergreen helped Laxus to hobble along with them, as the Vulcan followed. However, the snow caught up with the beast, sweeping it away. The Mages barely managed to reach the cave, as its entrance was sealed by the snow.
"Just what needed to happen."
"Okay, I can't make my way out, and no one can hear me.", Kane mused. "Well, that only leaves just one thing I can think of."
Making sure to balance the weight on his good leg, the blue haired Fairy Tail member began walking into the caverns. Maybe he'd find some way to escape a potentially disastrous fate. Maybe not, but Kane wasn't someone who liked to be pessimistic. However, the twisted ankle wasn't exactly helping him. Limping all the way into the insides of the cave, he looked around, hoping for another way out. But there was none to be seen. Shaking his head, he continued walking.
"Man, I hope I didn't trap myself in here.", he said to himself.
It would be a painful few minutes, as Kane aimlessly walked in silence, looking for any possible exit. And something that could function as a crutch, as it became increasingly difficult to walk with his injury. And the fact that he wasn't dressed for the icy cold mountain was salt on his wounds. And then, he heard something. Footsteps.
Slowing down, unsure of the person's intentions, he turned around. There was no one there. As he continued limping, he heard those footsteps again. But again, there was no one in sight. Scanning everything around him, he was about to turn around, when he barely dodged a bludgeon to the head.
Jumping out of the way, he looked at his assailant, a lanky man with long dishevelled hair and a matted beard, who was just as surprised to see him.
"You're..a kid. What are you doing here?"
"I.. What are you doing here?"
"I've been stuck here for..I don't know how long it's been. I came here looking for some treasure, but then I got stuck."
"Oh, me too. Did the Mr Gellani send you here?"
"Yeah, I'm his son. I came here with my friends, but they all were devoured by the Vulcans."
"Vul- Wait, you're Emen?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Your dad sent me and my friends to find you!", Kane exclaimed. "He's been looking for you for a year!"
"It's been a year already?", a shocked Emen replied. "Good Lord."
"Let's get you out of here.", Kane said. "And if we can find the treasure on the way, maybe we take that with us."
"Getting out? Oh no, that's not remotely possible.", Emen replied wistfully. "I've barely managed to scrounge around here. I don't think we can escape."
"But..why?"
"You see, this Mountain isn't devoid of life. A family of Vulcans lives here. I think there's about five or six."
"Aren't they solitary creatures?"
"Yes, that's what I've heard, but it's clearly far from the truth here.", Emen said. "When we came here, we veered away from the Map. It was my hunch, and the biggest mistake of my life. We found the Vulcans, and they took over my friends. I barely escaped with my life. And since then, I've been looking around for an exit, but never able to escape because of those beasts hunting for me."
"That's terrible. I'm so sorry."
"No, it's not your fault.", Emen said. "We should have never come to this hell-hole. People were leaving our town, and to keep it safe, I decided to look for the treasure. Never knew that it would fall apart so spectacularly."
"We can find a way out, I'm sure of it.", Kane said, as Emen noticed his sprained ankles.
"What happened to your leg?", he asked.
"I twisted my ankle."
"Oh, here you go, use this as a crutch."
"Thanks."
"Look, it's most likely impossible for us to escape, but I don't want you to get stuck, so I'll help you get out.", Emen said. "I've seen an exit a few miles from here. Maybe we can get there without alerting the Vulcans, but getting out is the problem. They usually lie in wait near the mouths."
"Don't worry, I'm a Mage.'
"You are?", a surprised Emen asked. "What Guild?"
"Fairy Tail."
"Huh, I've heard they have a reputation for a lot of violence."
"Well, that's the fun part, actually."
"Really? Sounds too crazy for me."
"Heh.", Kane chuckled. "I haven't introduced myself, I'm Kane."
"Well, you already know my name, Kane."
"So you do remember where the exit is, right?"
"Yeah, I do. But shouldn't we check in on your injury first?", Emen said. "I may have some stuff near my little camp that can help with it."
"Sure."
"There it is.", Emen said, pointing towards a small, torn tent. It was not ideal, but the man had survived. The two walked towards it, as they heard a roar.
"I FOUND YOU, HUMAN!", a Vulcan growled, as he leapt at them. Emen tried to duck, as the Vulcan slammed Kane down.
The crutch slipped out of the blue haired Mage's hand, and Emen quickly managed to grab it and smash it over the Vulcan's head. The Vulcan was distracted, as he pounced on the man. Kane, still having some charge in his body, managed to land a punch on the Vulcan's back. It screamed in pain, as Kane continued pummeling it. Having managed to subdue it for the time being. Hooking the creature by his neck, he started driving his knees into its chest.
However, a human's strength was no match for a Vulcan's, and despite Kane's best efforts, he found himself lifted off his feet, and then slammed down. Kane shrieked in pain, as he heard a sickening crack.
Emen knew what was happening. The boy was about to be taken over. He'd seen it happen to his friends, and he couldn't bear to see the same thing happen to the boy. But he never expected what happened next.
"Goddammit. This is a disaster.", Laxus said, as he felt the pain in his ribs.
"How are we going to get out of here?", a terrified Evergreen asked. The three had been stuck in the
"I would have got us out if I could, right?", an irate Laxus replied. "I've been trying to get this mission done by myself, because you two can't stop fighting, and Kane's gone God knows where, and if something happens to any of you, what do you think Gramps is gonna do? He's already pretty worried with my da-"
Laxus paused his rant, as he knew he had let too much slip, while Fried and Evergreen stared at him.
"I'm sorry, none of this is your fault...", Laxus trailed off.
"Laxus?", Fried said, breaking the awkward silence."If there's anything that we can help you with, we're here."
"Thanks, but you guys don't have to worry about it, it's nothing."
"I think it is.", Evergreen said. "My Mama used to make the same face when she was worried about things she didn't want to tell me."
"Yeah, I guess she was right about that.", Laxus muttered.
"But you're not my Mama.", Evergreen said rather bluntly. "You're just a kid. Older than me, but still just a kid. And when you're a kid, you can do dumb stuff and make mistakes, because it's the one time you're allowed to do that. Then you grow up, and everybody thinks you're supposed to be all proper and responsible. But, there must be some time you can do dumb stuff, right?"
"Uh, wow.", Laxus said, dumbstruck by her words. "That was...kind of deep."
"I know, right?", the girl replied, beaming with pride.
"So, uh, should we go and find where Kane is?", Fried said. "He's in one of these caves, right?"
"Yeah, we should.", Laxus said, composing himself. "I hope he's not far from here."
The three set off on their journey, looking for their friend, as Fried walked up close to Laxus.
"What is the matter, Laxus?", the green haired boy asked. "You know, it's not going to help until you're ready to vent out what's going on."
"Fried, I'm grateful for your concern, I really am. But I'm not ready to talk about it, at least not right now."
"Oh, okay. But I do have your back whenever you need it.", Fried said.
"Hey, the path is splitting here!", Evergreen called out. "But which way do we go?"
Laxus looked at the forked path descending into the mountain.
"I'm gonna take a guess.", Laxus said. "Let's go right."
As the three descended further, they had no idea what they were going to find.
Emen managed to pull the unconscious Vulcan off the boy. For whatever reason, it had failed to Take over him, instead being knocked out after releasing a bright blue blast.
Kane was conscious, but felt an excruciating headache, along with blurry vision. Weakly moving his arms towards his forehead, he realized it had swollen up.
"No, don't do that!", Emen cried. "Don't stick your fingers in that wound, it could get infected!"
"Huh?", Kane murmured, his ears ringing. Emen realized the boy had severely injured his head, and gently moved his arm away.
"Okay, don't move for now, I'll figure out something.", he said. "Oh my god, what do I do?"
And just when he thought things couldn't get worse, they did. The rumbling footsteps were a clear indication that another Vulcan was around. Emen gulped, as he picked the boy up. Dragging Kane, he looked for a place to hide, but he was too late. The large simian had arrived.
"Not now, please. Not this way.", Emen said, freezing with fear. He knew the inevitability of his fate, and how helpless he was. He had seen his closest friends die, and the same thing was going to happen to him. And to make things worse, he wasn't the only one about to die. The boy with him wasn't even aware of his surroundings, much less the danger he was in.
But what hurt Emen the worst was the fact that even if it was for a few minutes, he'd been given a glimmer of hope. That he felt he'd be able to go home again, and see his family once more. But it all had come crashing down, no small thanks to the Vulcans Emen had worked so hard to avoid.
"Thunder Strike!", Laxus shouted, as the attack hit the Vulcan in the back. The creature shrieked, turning towards the three Mages who had arrived. Sneering, it began to charge, while Evergreen prepared her attack. Meanwhile, Emen dragged Kane away, knowing it was best to stay away from the carnage.
"Fairy Bullet: Imp!", Evergreen cried, barely pushing the Vulcan. Fried jumped in, slashing the Vulcan by sending his runes at him.
"You know, Ever, maybe you could try and use some other spells too.", he quipped, as the Vulcan staggered.
"Well, if you insist. I don't think I have this one down pat, but here goes nothing! Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!", she cried, creating a large sphere of energy, and then sending it flying towards the Vulcan, who was hit right on its jaw.
"ENOUGH! I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!", the Vulcan screamed, but its furious growls were quickly silenced by Laxus, who despite his injuries was moving well enough for the time being. Before it could get to Laxus, though, Fried intervened, slashing away at its feet, allowing Laxus enough time to hit it with a massive lightning bolt. Dazed, it tottered, before falling to its knees. Fried and Evergreen both followed up with their attacks, before Laxus finally hit the monster with a Lightning Spiral, knocking it out.
"Well, that's done.", Laxus said, as he noticed the bearded man in front of him.
"Are you the Fairy Tail Mages?", Emen asked.
"Yeah.", Laxus
"Your friend found me.", the man said, revealing Kane, who was out cold.
"What happened to him?", the children asked simaltenously, as they ran to him.
"A Vulcan attacked us. He managed to save me, but got hurt bad.", Emen said, crouching as he laid Kane down, before opening his eyes. "Look, one of his pupils is bigger than the others. He's been concussed."
"What does that mean?", Evergreen asked.
"A concussion is a type of brain injury. It might mean that he's just dazed for some time, or it could have serious repercussions. Let's hope it's the former."
"We need to get him out right now!", Fried said. "We can go back the way we came in!"
"Didn't the entrance of that cave get blocked by the avalanche?", Laxus said.
"That's the only way we know, Laxus. We'll have to take that risk. If it's still blocked, we break through!"
"Whut..bout job?", Kane asked weakly.
"Job? That doesn't matter, dummy, we need to get you to a hospital!", Evergreen exclaimed.
The entrance was still blocked, but only partially, now that the snow had slid down the peak. Kane, barely able to keep his eyes open saw the dark evening sky, as he was carried away, before everything went black.
Kane found himself in a black void, unable to move.
"This is weird, where am I?", he mused.
"Where do you think you are?"
"Wh-Who are you?"
No answer came.
"Who are you? Where am I?", Kane asked, more forcefully this time.
But all that he could hear was a deep, sinister rumbling. That rumbling felt so He managed to open his eyes, as he saw Fried, Evergreen and Emen gently carry him down the slope.
When Kane finally regained consciousness, he was in a hospital. Along with his friends, Makarov and Porlyusica stood there, staring at him. Blacking out and waking up in a hospital room wasn't unusual for him, but their grave expressions made him think that something was seriously wrong.
"My back and leg feel like crap."
"You sprained them horribly. Also, you fractured your ribs, as well as your left wrist.", Porlyusica said.
"Darn, that's not good.", Kane said. "I'm going to be out for a few weeks, aren't I?"
"No.", Laxus said. "It's much worse."
"What do you mean?"
"Kane, how much do you remember about the last twenty four hours?", Makarov asked.
"Uh, twenty four hours? I don't know, that Vulcan showed up, and jumped on me? Then we were outside the caves?"
"So you don't remember being rushed to the hospital?"
"No."
"That just confirms what I've been worried about.", Porlyusica said. "You've had a very, very severe brain injury."
"How bad?"
"You'll be in the hospital for some time.", Porlyusica said. "Of course, we'll shift you back home before that. But you won't be going on Jobs anytime soon."
"So I'll be out for a couple months or something?", Kane asked, dismayed.
"Several months. Maybe even a year.", Porlyusica said. "When I advised you not to go down this path, I had no idea how injury prone you were. And trying to return to dangerous Jobs like this one will only make things worse."
"You're kidding, right? I only joined the Guild a few months ago! I'm too young to stop being a Mage!"
"You're also too young to be suffering injuries like this. Trust me, you'd rather be safe and sound than crippled before you turn eighteen.", Makarov said, a. "And this doesn't mean you're out of the Guild, Kane. You'll always belong here. All it means is that you'll have to stay home for some time."
But Kane had already tuned out. The fact that he wouldn't be able to do what he loved was too much of a shock, as he clenched his fists in frustration.
Well, that is it for chapter 13, and it is an unlucky chapter indeed for our young blue haired protagonist. What does the future hold for him? Will he be able to be the Mage he wants to be, or will his own body fail him. Well, let's find out in the next chapter of Mark of Kane.