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Chapter 138

The Truth About Kalard

The next morning, after a long and somewhat stressful night, we resumed our journey to the Boundary Forest, and it wasn't too long before we arrived there. However, things didn't exactly get any better for all of us. It turned out that Happy's previous statement about the place wasn't too far from the truth after all. Aside from the fact that it was a forest that stretched on for miles with the weather being humid and hot, it had to be one of the most monster-infested forests I've ever had the displeasure of going in.

The monsters seemed to come one after the other as they pounced straight at us. Despite having our magic to protect us, as well as Éclair leading the way, we still ended up running into them one after the other, which made things start to get ridiculous.

I now had my hand on the ground using my Aqua Sense after taking out another beast that attacked us.

"Willy, can you sense any more monsters?" asked Mira.

"Nothing so far," I replied. "Hopefully, it stays that way because all of this is starting to get bad for the heart."

"You're telling me," said Lucy. "It seems like every time we take out one of these things, another one takes pops up!"

"But, you didn't do anything," Éclair pointed out. "Except for that one creature in the lake."

"Come on! Give me a break!" Lucy huffed. "I'm trying my best here! I had to suffer through Aquarius, and she's as deadly as these monsters!"

"Éclair, are we on the right track?" asked Erza.

"Yes, we are," replied Éclair. "We just need to keep going straight ahead, and we should arrive there shortly."

"Are you sure that you know where you're going, Éclair?" asked Lucy. "I mean, you do have amnesia, and yet you seem to know your way around here. Could your memories be coming back?"

Éclair frowned thoughtfully. "It's hard to say," she spoke. "It does feel like I've been here before, but at the same time, it feels as though its the first time... it's hard to say."

We continued venturing onward into the forest, walking over chasms, scouting over cliffs, and avoiding monsters. As we did, I couldn't help but let out a yawn as I rubbed my right eye feeling a bit tired.

"Are you feeling a bit tired, Willy?" wondered Wendy. "We can take a break if you want."

"No thanks, Wendy. I'm okay," I reassured the Sky Maiden. "I am a bit tired, but I can still keep going. Besides, with all these monsters in the forest, I'm the only one that can detect them, so I'll take a break once we get to where we're supposed to go. Wherever that is."

"By the way, while you were in Lucy's room the other night, did Mira seem strange to you?" asked Wendy. "Or act kind of... scary?"

I looked at Wendy, a bit puzzled. "Scary? What do you mean by that?"

"She means that Mirajane's been acting completely different than usual," said Carla. "After all, she did throw that towel at you the other night."

"Wait, Mira threw that towel?" I repeated, feeling surprised. "I thought she said that the towel fell on me. Why would she even think of throwing anything at me in the first place?"

Then Mira looked behind at us. "What are you two mumbling about over there?" she wondered.

Wendy and Carla immediately jumped. "O-Oh! Nothing! Just talking!" the two said.

Now I felt confused. "I wonder why Wendy and Carla are acting so jumpy?" I thought. "And why would they ask me about how Mira's been acting? Then again, it was a bit strange that towel came out of nowhere, and why Mira insisted on standing guard with me the other night. I wonder what's going on with Mira? She's never seen or even heard of her acting so strangely. Maybe it's one of those times of the month or something."

We walked on for quite a while, going deeper into the forest, hearing nothing but the sounds of birds and the monsters from afar as we made our way. Éclair took point while Natsu, Gray walked behind her, and Lucy, Happy, Carla, Wendy, Mira, and Erza took the rear. At first, we saw nothing but endless bushes and trees as we walked, until we walked through what appeared to be a strange red wall-like barrier.

"What was that?" I asked while glancing back.

"It appears to be a monster deterrent," Mira said. "A type of magical barrier to ward off monsters."

"And from the looks of things, it would seem that it's been active for a while," said Erza. "Though I'm surprised that it still is, given that it's this worn out."

"Does that mean we're almost there?" wondered Wendy.

"Most likely," said Mira. "There's no other reason a barrier like this would be here, unless a previous wizard set this barrier up."

"Stay on guard, everyone," I warned. "We're in unfamiliar territory, so we don't know what to expect. Be ready for any traps if possible."

We continued through a few more barriers until we could see a clearing between some trees just ahead. When we walked through it, Éclair suddenly stopped causing us to stop along with her. I was about to ask why Éclair stopped, but then I saw the reason. Before us amongst the green foliage and nestled under the shadows of the trees, was an abandoned house. The walls were the only things left standing with the roof being completely gone and the vegetation of the forest almost entirely taking it over.

"Wow. This place is where Karlard lives?" Natsu spoke, with a hint of shock. "Talk about run-down."

"This is his house?" Lucy said. "But it looks like no one's been here for years."

Then, Éclair suddenly rushed towards the ruins causing us to follow close behind her, going through the doorway. Inside, the place had weeds and vines growing everywhere, and there wasn't a single piece of furniture remaining. The only thing that remained intact yet still eroded was a dome fireplace that had a single chimney.

"It looks pretty old," Happy pointed out, as he hovered over to the fireplace.

"More like ancient," Gray spoke bluntly.

Then Éclair went over to the fireplace, and seemed to take notice of something. Naturally, all of us followed wondering what it was that she found. It was a hidden stairway that led somewhere beneath the house. Éclair and Momon went down the stairs as did we, and we soon came to a basement. The room, unlike from above, had several bookshelves that were broken and had lots of books that were old and decaying. There were also lots of pots and cauldrons that lay everywhere, cracked and decaying, tables that somehow remained standing despite the years aging, and tree roots that were growing all around peeking through the walls and the floor.

"This place is a remarkable workshop," Erza commented. "Just what I would expect from a wizard."

I walked over to the bookshelf and inspected a book, hoping that I would find a clue, but the writing inside of it was completely blank, completely illegible. Mira came over to me and took a look as well.

"How strange. This place looks like it's been forgotten for quite a long time," said Mira. "But one thing's for sure, if this place is Karlard's, there's a strong possibility that he may not be here anymore. The question is, how long."

"Éclair, did you find something?" I heard Lucy ask.

I looked towards Lucy and Éclair, to see that Éclair had her hand extending towards a particular painting that was hanging on the wall. It was old, run-down, but you could somewhat make out that it was a photo of three people. Two of the people on it had their faces washed out, so I couldn't tell who they were, but I could see that one of them was a man, and the other was a woman. The third person in the painting, while seeable, was a little girl that bore a resemblance to a certain someone that was in the room.

Éclair touched the surface of the painting, resting her fingers on the child in the picture. "That's me," she whispered. "This is a picture of me when I was a child."

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked, while glancing up at the painting.

"That girl does look like her," I spoke. "Is this triggering your memories at all, Éclair?"

Éclair didn't respond as she moved her finger to the man that was next to her in the painting. At that moment, a sudden burst of light came shining forth on the table that Éclair happened to be leaning over, causing the girl to jump in surprise.

"Get away from it!" warned Natsu, as he instinctively shielded Lucy with an arm.

I looked down from where the light was coming from as it illuminated the room, and saw the source, which turned out to be a cracked lacrima.

"Don't worry, you guys. It's all right," I reassured everyone. "It's some kind of lacrima."

Then, a projection of an old man dressed in robes appeared amidst the light of the lacrima. His hair was thinning and gray, and a pair of glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

"Éclair, so you've come, my child," the old man spoke, weariness evident in his voice. "If this message is reaching your ears, then what I was told is indeed true. Many people have come here searching for you. Survivors of the Fire Village told me of the events that had transpired. It brought me great joy and relief to hear that you survived. However... when I think of your fate..."

The man suddenly began to cough, gasping as he did.

"Hold on. Is this guy Kalard then?" wondered Gray. "And what's he mean by all that?"

"Gray, be quiet," shushed Mira.

The man managed to stop coughing and resumed speaking. "Oh, my darling sweet, Éclair. The time we shared together blessed me with the most precious memories of my entire life," he went on. "But alas, as fate would have it, the people of Fire Village needed you to serve as Maiden, and I was given the task of dispelling the Phoenix Stones."

"Dispell Magic," Éclair suddenly whispered. "Nullification."

"I have no doubt that you were a spectacular priestess," he continued, appearing to be joyful yet still sad. He paused as if he was holding something back before going on. "My dispel magic has finally been completed, but I fear I shall never have the chance to use it, for I have fallen ill. However, I will clutch dearly to the life I have remaining until you return, bearing the stone. But if you are seeing this... Oh, Éclair. I'm so sorry."

"You mean, he's already gone?" Wendy murmured with sympathy. "How sad."

The man, most likely Kalard, then reached out as if he was trying to touch Éclair. "I only have a simple prayer which comes from the bottom of my heart," he continued. "That happiness finds you, and you find people that care deeply about you. Darling, Éclair. My beloved daughter."

My eyes then widened. "Daughter?" I repeated. "You mean, Kalard is..."

Éclair gasped lightly. "Father... I'm here."

The young woman then also reached out, trying to meet her hand with Kalard, but her hand simply went through the projection, which made it all the more futile. Then, the lacrima suddenly cracked and broke into pieces, causing the image of Kalard to disappear in an instant along with the light.

Everyone was silent, not saying a single word, no doubt processing what we had just happened, while Éclair stood there, her shoulders trembling and her eyes never leaving the broken pieces of the lacrima.

For the next few hours or so, the team comprising of Natsu, Gray, Mira, and I searched around Kalard's lab for anything info regarding his dispell magic, while Wendy, Erza, Carla, Happy, Lucy, stayed up top, making camp for the night in the ruins of Kalard's house. My group soon came back up to the surface and joined the others. Erza group didn't seem to take notice of us as we arrived, but we soon knew the reason. Following their gazes to a clearing by a lake, I saw Éclair dancing gracefully by herself while Lucy and Momon watched from behind a boulder.

She slowly and gracefully stepped in a circle, her arms up at her chest, her long ponytail hair moving along with her. As she danced, I noticed that sparkling little lights were falling from her form. Those lights were Éclair's tears, and while I was entranced by Éclair's dance, I also felt very sorry for the poor girl as she continued.

"Did you find anything?" I heard Erza ask.

"No luck," said Gray solemnly. "We've looked through every book and scrap of paper down there, but we couldn't find anything about Kalard's Dispell Magic."

"I see," said Erza.

"The real issue is the spell that's been cast on the Phoenix Stone," said Mira. "Considering that Kalard spent his entire life trying to remove that spell, there's no doubt that something about that stone is pretty evil."

Then, as if a puppet had cut her strings, Éclair fell to her knees, too heartbroken to continue, and Momon and Lucy went over to comfort her. Momon jumped onto Éclair's lap burying his face in it, and Lucy embraced her in a kind and tender hug. The three stayed like that for a few seconds, before Lucy pulled away, appearing to talk to Éclair. Whatever she said made Éclair's eyes overflow with tears as the two gently embraced each other again. From the looks of things, it seemed that Éclair had finally accepted Lucy's hand in friendship, but, as much as I felt happy for the two, I still felt a little bit sad for Éclair.

"Willy, is there something wrong? You've been quiet for a while now."

I glanced over at Erza, whose voice brought my attention. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just thinking is all," I said as I walked over to our campfire sitting down.

The others soon joined me along with Éclair's group. For a while, there was silence, until at last, Éclair spoke.

"I'd like to make a formal request of the Fairy Tail guild," she said. "My father spent his entire life trying to rid the Phoenix Stones and the curse they carried. Will you all help me to achieve that goal?"

Erza smiled. "We will gladly accept your request."

"It's our pleasure," Natsu also smiled. "And don't worry! You can count on us!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy added.

Éclair's face lit up with a light I've never seen from her before, and for the first time since Lucy and I first encountered her, I saw a warm smile spread on her cheeks. "You have my thanks," she spoke quietly.

"Willy! Willy! Willy, where are you?!"

"Willy! Answer us! Say something if you can hear us!"

My eyes snapped open as I found myself in a wasteland hearing a familiar voice echoing throughout the land. At first, I had no clue who the voice belonged to, but then I saw two people in the distance frantically searching around. But as I squinted my eyes, they widened in surprise for the people that I saw were a man and a woman, and not just any ordinary man or woman.

"Mama? Papa?"

I slowly rose to my feet, my eyes never leaving my parents as my eyes welled up with tears of joy. I then broke into a run as I waved frantically with my hands while calling out to them.

"Mama! Papa! I'm here! Over here!"

The two looked towards me, hearing my cries. Their faces immediately lit up with relief and joy and came rushing towards me. We continued running towards each other desperate to reunite with each other.

But just when I was only a few feet away from them, the ground suddenly erupted with water just in front of me spreading all around until the entire landscape was flooded. Then I heard my parent's screams again.

"Willy! Help us!"

"Help! Save us, Willy!"

I searched amongst the flames trying to find my parents, and to my horror, I could see them being dragged away by something that was pulling them under in the water.

"MAMA! PAPA!"

Not hesitating for a second, I rushed towards them, trying to get to my parents before it was too late, but my parents had already sank into the water vanishing from sight.

Then I heard the sound of a loud roar filled with agony followed by a thunderous thud that came from behind me, shaking the ground. I turned around, and I saw someone else familiar. This time, it was Aquadia, who was lying on the ground, battered, beaten, and heavily wounded.

"No! Aquadia!"

Seeing my foster mother is this state, I rushed straight towards her as she looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain.

"Willy... Please... help me..."

"I'm coming, Mama! Just hang on!"

But before I could even reach her, Aquadia's form melted away, her presence evaporating into the air. I now felt more confused and completely panicked, wondering what was going on, and why all of this was happening.

Then, another familiar voice reached my ears.

"Willy, is that you?"

My heart skipped a beat as I felt my body freeze up, feeling that someone was standing behind me. I turned around, and I could feel my blood going cold with shock, for standing before me next was Finn. When I saw him, I felt my words die in my mouth, and I couldn't say a word, my mouth agape and my lips trembling.

Finn smiled at me and stepped towards me. "What's wrong, Kiddo? You look like you've seen a ghost. Then again, I don't blame you. After all, I did die." His face then turned into a disappointed yet angry frown. "All because of you."

Finn then turned on his heel and started to walk away, heading towards the flames.

"Finn, stop! Don't go!" I yelled. "I'm sorry!"

But the man ignored me as he disappeared into the flames. At that moment, the sound of sinister laughter echoed throughout the fiery hell, which came from up above. I turned my head up, and I saw three giant apparitions of men, of which I knew as well. Those three were Midnight and Brain of the Oración Seis, and Silver Beard.

"Didn't we tell you so, Shark?" Midnight cackled with a sadistic grin. "No matter how much you try to be good, the world will never accept you!"

"You are nothing more but a soldier that served me," Brain added with a malicious chuckle. "A puppet who is useless without his master!"

"Yes, now, why don't be a good test subject and come back with us?" Silver Beard beckoned with a slight sneer. "You can save yourself from all this hate and suffering. The side of darkness is where you belong."

"No. No! No! Shut up!" I yelled, holding my ears. "I don't belong to anyone! I'm not evil, and I'm not Shark! So leave me alone!"

"But Willy, they're right, you know," said a familiar voice. "No matter how much you try, you could never be a good wizard. All you ever do is cause pain and suffering."

I looked up, and to my surprise, I saw Mira standing before me. Elfman, Lisanna, and all the other members of Fairy Tail all followed suit, appearing around me either glaring at me in disgust, hate, and scorn. As they did, I could hear them all talking.

"How could we let someone like him into our guild? He's a dark mage."

"Not to mention that he's Brain's loyal bodyguard. He could be setting a trap to kill us while we have our backs turned."

"And because of him, our guild's reputation is shot. I say we expel him with prejudice."

"We should hand him to the Magic Council, and leave him there to rot. After all, he deserves it after everything he's done."

"I don't even believe that he was brainwashed. He probably said that to avoid getting locked up."

"No! It's not true!" I yelled desperately. "I'm not lying to you guys! Why would I ever lie to any of you?! I'm your friend and ally!"

"You were our friend and ally," Makarov spoke as he stepped out from the crowd. "But because of what you've done, you're hereby expelled from the guild."

Everyone then started to depart, leaving the Mira siblings behind, as I stood there in shock.

"Mira, please! You and the others don't believe that, do you?!" I pleaded. "We're childhood friends! You know me!"

Mira then walked up to me, her eyes boring holes into me. Then, she raised her hand and gave me a hard slap across my cheek, causing me to fall to the ground on my knees in shock, holding my cheek.

"Don't speak to me, you bastard!" Mira snapped coldly. "I won't believe someone who was responsible for Finn's death, and the person who hurt one of my siblings as well as my friends! I hate you!"

I could only stare at Mira in disbelief deeply shocked by the slap as well as her words, as she walked away.

I was now all alone, my eyes flowing with tears as I stared into my reflection of the water, my tears causing ripples as they dripped into it. The ripples caused the image to change and distort until it turned into one of me as Shark. Immediately, I slammed my fists at it, as I heard the voices again.

"Traitor!"

"It's your fault that Finn's dead!"

"You hurt her!"

I covered my ears again, trying to block out the whispers. "Stop it! Please stop it!"

"Filthy dark mage!"

"You belong on the side of darkness! You can't escape from your fate!"

"It's your fault!"

"You're a curse!"

"Everyone's suffering is because of you!"

Despite covering my ears, I could hear the hateful comments loud and clear, as I crouched to the ground trying to keep my sanity, but they grew even louder and malevolent as I felt something start to break within me. I wanted it to stop. I wanted everything they were saying about me to stop. Then something snapped within me, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I let out a loud yell as my entire body exploded with power, ripping apart the landscape.

My eyes snapped open as I woke up. My eyes darted around, wondering where I was right now, until I soon realized that I was still in ruins of Kalard's house. I slowly sat up, wiping the sweat from my brow as my heart hammered in my chest.

"Damn it. Not again," I thought as I clenched my hands into fists. "Why do I keep having these nightmares?"

I looked over at Natsu and the others, making sure that I didn't wake them. Thankfully, they remained fast asleep. Unfortunately for me, I was too wide awake and disturbed to go back to sleep.

I silently got up and quietly tip-toed away everyone's slumbering bodies making sure I was careful. When I was far enough away, I walked over towards the lake, until I was right along the edge of the water. I cupped my hands into the water and splashed some on my face a couple of times. As I did, I couldn't help but stare at myself in the water, thinking about what I dreamt.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid. I could feel nothing else but fear right now. However, there was an even stronger feeling in my gut that made me feel even worse.

Guilt.

The same guilt that I've felt ever since I regained my memory, upon finding out that I was a puppet for Brain, and when I found out about Finn's death. Despite everyone forgiving me, I still couldn't help but feel like everything was my fault, most notably what happened to Finn.

"No matter how much you try, you could never be a good wizard. All you ever do is cause pain and suffering."

Mira's words from my dreams still echoed within my head, causing me to hug myself while a shiver ran through my body as I bit my lip. Even though I knew that Mira would never say that to me, some part of me couldn't help but believe that she would, along with everyone else in the guild. If she found out about what happened to Finn, what if she resented me for it along with the others? Not to mention there was the subject of the Oracion Seis.

"I hate this. I don't want to hurt anyone else, yet no matter what I do, I always end up hurting people and cause them pain! Is how things are supposed to be? Am I supposed to be forever shunned because of who I was, and not because of who I am?"

I glanced at my reflection in the water, and upon seeing it, I slapped it in anger with my hand with splash making the water ripple.

"Excuse me. You're Willy, am I right?"

I jumped, feeling startled as I looked back, finding Éclair standing there.

"Éclair... Sorry, I didn't notice you come up," I spoke quietly. "Did I wake you?"

Éclair then took a seat beside my right. "Don't worry. I'm alright," she said. "But you appear to be disturbed. I know it's not my place to ask, but are you alright?"

"Well, it's honestly nothing to worry about," I lied. "I just had a bad dream is all."

Éclair and I then sat there in silence, not saying a word. Then as I looked across to Éclair, I noticed that she was staring intently at me as if she was trying to read my face.

"Is... there something wrong?" I asked.

"Your eyes," Éclair murmured. "They're the same as Lucy's."

"What do you mean by that?" I wondered, feeling puzzled.

"I mean, your eyes and Lucy's are the same as I said," Éclair went on. "They're eyes that show that you've known sadness, something that I rarely see in magic users. However, unlike Lucy, your sadness seems to run deeper than hers, and that sadness is causing you great pain inside."

I blinked in surprise. "You can tell just by looking at my eyes? How?"

"I have an ability that allows me to see into a person's past," Éclair explained. "And I can see that your past was wrought with pain and suffering."

"Well, I'll give you this much, you're certainly not too far off the mark," I said quietly. "Guess you read me like a book." I turned back towards the water, pausing for a brief moment. "Éclair, let me ask you something. Does the past truly define a person, and they're doomed to run away from it, or is a person a lot more than just their past?"

Éclair didn't respond, making me assume that she didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry. That was a silly question to ask," I spoke with a mirthless smile. "Then again, my past is as you say is filled with pain and suffering. Some of it no one else has been through, and some of it the same as you went through."

"The same as me?" inquired Éclair. "I don't follow."

I then looked across to her and took a deep breath. "Éclair, I'm going to tell you a story," I said. "A story about a boy who was taken by a monster, a monster who twisted him into one himself. But, you can't tell this story to anyone. Not even Lucy, understand?"

Éclair was puzzled, but she nodded in response. Then, I began telling Éclair my story from my past to the present. As I told my story, Éclair didn't say a single word as she soaked in everything I said. When I finished telling her, the girl's were wide with disbelief and pity.

"Willy, I... I had no idea," she whispered.

"Yeah, and even though everyone in Fairy Tail's forgiven me, and no matter how hard I try, my past always seems to catch up with me somehow," I said. "Because of that, everyone around me either resents me for being a Dark Mage or ends up getting hurt or worse because of me."

I squeezed my hands into fists as I swallowed.

"That's what scares me the most. I'm so scared that I'll let Fairy Tail down, and they'll end up either abandoning me or dead. I've already lost so many people because I was unable to help them. I don't want to lose anyone else. Especially Mira. But I'm afraid that once she finds out about Finn, she'll end up despising me. Frankly, I can't blame her. After all, I don't belong in either light or darkness. Maybe I'm better off alone. At least that way, the suffering will stop."

"I disagree," said Éclair. "I can understand how you would feel that way, but no one deserves to be alone. If anything, that would only make you suffer even more. Not only that, but if it's one thing I've seen, your guild is truly something special. Even though I disliked wizards, you all still treated me kindly, and went through great lengths to help me, and I know that no matter what you've done in the past, your guild will always be there for you because they're your friends."

I looked up at Éclair in surprise and saw that she was now smiling kindly at me, which was enough to melt my heart. I felt my eyes begin to burn as I tried to hold back my tears.

"Do you honestly believe that?" I spoke in a cracked voice. "I'm a cursed man, and... I feel as though I shouldn't get close to anyone, and I-"

At that moment, Éclair suddenly wrapped her arms around my body, embracing me in a hug. "You're not cursed, Willy. You're a gentle soul who's been through so much suffering, that your trust in people was shattered like me. We've both lost people that we cared about, but there's no reason to be alone because of that pain. I see that now." She then pulled away and stared into my eyes, continuing to smile. "My father wanted me to find happiness and people who care about me, and I'm happy to say that I've found them in Lucy and the rest of your group. In fact, I would be honored if you would call me your friend."

Those words alone were enough to break my guard. Tears began to trickle down my cheeks as I started to cry, clinging to Éclair for comfort, while she wrapped her arms around my form, comforting me with her gentle and kind embrace.

"Me too," I choked out while crying. "I want to be your friend too."

Éclair responded by hugging me tighter as I continued letting out my tears.

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