Wow! It's sure been a while since I've been back here, huh? I'm sorry guys, Life got in my way, and this story fell to the way off. But I'm back! Not like it's much to catch up on anyway,. I'll give you a rundown. Neptu, Gin and The Cross went to Neptu's home, found it rebuilt, Neptu fought with his sister Zynna, and last time we were here Neptu revealed Gin was a Demon Lord and a mystery man overheard this and got angry. Ready to kick this back off!

Enjoy!

Neptu watched, surprised at the speed The blue cloaked figure gave off as he darted from the chamber. He barely had time to hand the box of scrolls to Xeros and rush after the man, Dharen hot on his heels. Once they got out of the underground chamber, the man was nowhere in sight. Growling, Neptu turned to Dharen.

"Already on it," Dharen said. Watching as Dharen transformed, his friend became a massive eagle and grabbed Neptu by the shoulders, hoisting him into the air. Together the two flew in the direction of the mansion after the man. While Dharen was flying, Neptu raised his hand to his temple and initiated contact with The Cross.

"Guys, can you hear me?!" He shouted over the wind.

"What?" Tristan demanded, sounding as if he'd just woken up.

"What's up?" Quinn asked, mouth full.

"Is something the matter, Neptu?" Abigail asked.

"You bet there is, but I don't have time to explain! I need you all to find Gin, now! Protect him at all costs! I'll explain later!"

"Fuck sake..." Tristan hissed under his breath.

"On it, boss man!" Quinn said.

"We'll protect him, not to worry." Abby replied. Cutting the connection, Neptu watched as they started to descend towards a dark blue blur.

"Be wary in this fight, Neptu." Dharen said telepathically to him. "That man, Arno, is no pushover. And with what he knows now, he'll be fired up like never before." Neptu nodded slowly as they landed in front of Arno, who stopped and growled.

"Get the hell out of my way," he hissed.

"So you can do what, exactly?" Neptu demanded, crossing his arms as Dharen stopped of to the side, human once more. "Attack Gin?"

"Exactly," Arno hissed. "He's a blight on this world, and he will die like one." Neptu frowned. Funny, that mantra sounded familiar to him.

"I'm not letting you harm him," he said flatly. Growling, Arno's form became surrounded in shadows.

"Fine, I guess I'll have to punch my way through you first!" Sidestepping to the left, Neptu narrowly avoided a swipe of shadows aimed for his face. He delivered a kick to Arno's gut and watched him fall backwards, becoming a shadow as he did so. Neptu was no fool, he knew had Shadow mages worked. He caused an explosion behind him, which made Arno cry out in pain as it hit him. Turning, Neptu saw his guess had been spot on, the man had tried to attack him from behind.

"Do you have any idea how predictable you are?" Neptu demanded as Arno nursed his injured right arm and hissed in pain. "Just like I was. Blinded by hate, by anger." This only seemed to piss Arno.

"Shut the hell up!" He shouted, jumping to his feet. "You're a Demon Hunter, aren't you?! So why the fuck is your friend one of them?!"

"I'm not Demon Hunter," Neptu replied, staying calm. "At least, not anymore." Even angrier, Arno disappeared again and went right for Neptu. Before he could react, though, Arno was electrocuted as he emerged from the darkness. Turning, Neptu found Dharen standing there, the source of the lightning. Arno fell to the ground, smouldering and groaning in pain.

"You too, Druid?" He hissed. "You'd betray this guild too?"

"It is not betrayal to protect ones friend," Dharen said as he walked up to Arno, vines grabbing him as he tried to stand up. "You are reckless, impatient, and above all blinded. One should only act upon hearing everything." Kneeling down, Neptu watched as Dharen began to heal the electrical burns on Arno's body, the man staying silent as he did so.

"Seems we'll be here a while," Neptu said, kneeling as well. "What's your story, Arno?"

Despite wanting to follow, Elizabeth knew there was no way she'd be able to catch up to Arno, Dharen and Neptu. There was probably a big fight going on right now, and this made her nervous. However, Xeros had a good point that checking in on the guild members was most important right now. So instead of searching for the combatants, she followed Hyperion, Xeros and Zynna back to the mansion, where everyone was waiting outside to see what was going on. She saw The cross standing off the the the side, seemingly on guard. Gin stood behind them, looking confused. She rushed over to them ahead of everyone else, gaining their attention.

"Lizzie, what's going on?" Quinn asked. Elizabeth sighed.

"I don't know, really." She said. "We need to wait and see what happens." Seeing Gin watching her, she smiled at him. "You okay, Gin?" He nodded, still looking confused.

"I don't really understand this," he said. "Why am I in danger?" Elizabeth looked at the other members of The Cross, who all watched her warily. They all knew about Gin's feelings towards not being accepted. It was probably best they didn't speak of it just yet.

"Bad stuff on the horizon," she answered. "It's just a precaution." He nodded slowly, and Elizabeth heard Xeros clear his throat.

"It's alright everyone, there's nothing to worry about." He said. "You can all return to your duties." No one left, so Xeros sighed. "Neptu, Dharen and Arno are sorting something out. They will return shortly." With this the guild members started to disperse. Elizabeth and the others stayed, though. Elizabeth was concerned about how the confrontation was going, and the others probably were as well. However, she pushed this thought aside as Xeros approached them.

"Can I ask you all to accompany me to my office?" He asked, voice stern. The tone he was using suggested to Elizabeth that this was not a question. She looked at the others, who all shrugged back at her.

"Sure," she said. "Give us a minute." Xeros nodded, and Elizabeth raised two fingers to her forehead. "Neptu?" She asked.

"Yeah?" His voice came back ,sounding calm. This made Elizabeth infinitely calmer.

"Once you're done what you're doing, we need to speak with Xeros, okay?"

"Okay," he replied. "I'm almost done here. Whatever happens, protect Gin."

"We will, don't worry." With this the connection was cut, and she looked back at Xeros.

"Alright, let's go."

Taking a few moments to talk to Elizabeth, Neptu looked back down at Arno. The man had been telling his story to him and Dharen, and this had turned him into a mess. His eyes were rimmed with tears, and his voice was shaky.

"Do you get it?" He asked weakly. "I lost everything. My friends, my family. My...My wife. I lost it all." He took a moment, sniffling. "My home, my town, everything...Nothing but cinders remained. And me, because I hid. That's what I'm best at, right Dharen? Hiding in the shadows." Dharen didn't reply to this,he simply healed. Neptu took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Of course I understand," he said. "I've been through the same thing. And all you have left is anger. Hatred. All you feel is rage. You're empty, and the only thing that fills the void is the thought of avenging those you have lost."

"Yeah..." Arno managed weakly. Neptu leaned down and grabbed the man by the shoulder tightly, making him look at him.

"Take it from someone who's been down that road already," he said. "Turn back. What you find, it isn't worth it. Revenge is a poison. It can consume you so quickly soon you forget what you're doing. I started hunting to avenge my parents, to find Drakhosz and end what he started. I wanted him dead. What it evolved into...I never wanted that. A legion hunting down supposed demons."

"But you were doing so much good," Arno hissed. "Killing demons, protecting lives..."

"Is that what I was doing?" Neptu asked. "Because all I recall is sending hunters out on a supposed demon hunt. How many people did I condemn to an early grave because of my twisted mission? How many sons and daughters have died on my orders? Wives?" Fathers? How many died because of me? How many even deserved it? Were they really what I thought?" Neptu frowned and stared down at his feet, the countless faces and orders blurring together in his head. The number, he really didn't know how many died because of him.

"But-"

"Gin," Neptu said, looking back at Arno. "Is a good kid. Too good for this world. It took me a near death fight to realise that. And not even with him...He saved me. I'd be five feet under if Gin hadn't saved me. He threw himself in the line of fire to protect me, a man who wanted him dead. What heartless demon does that?" Arno gave no response. "I tell you. Yes, Gin is a Demon Lord. But he's also Gin. He has dreams, he has a heart. The demon does not define him, anymore than my magic defines me. He showed me that. Letting go of what happened is best."

"You're telling me to let go of all those I lost?" Arno demanded. Neptu shook his head.

"Don't be foolish," he said. "Always remember those you lost. But don't live in the past. Use them to fuel your passion to make and protect new bonds, not stay stuck on ones you lost years ago. Because if you do that, and let hatred drive you, all you'll find is exactly that. Hatred."

Arno stayed quiet for a long while. After a few moments, He sniffled, and Dharen released him so he could wipe at his eyes. Sitting up, Arno looking over at him.

"...I won't kill the kid," he said. "For now. But, if he makes one wrong move...If he so much as looks at someone sideways..." These words hung in the air, but Neptu nodded curtly.

"Then it's settled," he said. "Come on, we should head back."

"Until we're summoned by the Master, I think we should check out these scrolls for any relevant information," Hyperion said as he followed Zynna into her office. She nodded, putting the box down on her desk,

"Yeah, we really should." She said. "Here, let me use my magic on this box so you can read the scrolls." Zynna put her hand over the box and applied magic to her hand, causing the scrolls to glow and light to appear around them. She handed a few off to Hyperion, and together the two began to read through them. After a while had passed, Hyperion groaned.

"None of these have any relevant info," he said, putting one down and picking up another. Zynna nodded.

"Yeah, most of these are just family decrees or additional info on our lineage," she said. "I didn't realise my family had such a anal recording of our history. Pulling apart another scroll, Zynna found it was a smaller family tree. This time, however, many names going back five or six generations were blurred out, some blacked out completely. Like someone spilled ink over the portrait.

That's odd...Maybe they died tragically?

Zynna didn't know how any of those people might have been. they'd be her great great great great great grandfathers. She wasn't very good at history anyway. Putting it down, Zynna picked up another scroll, and her blood ran cold.

To anyone that reads this, my name is Magnus Skylancer, General of the Exorcist division of the Zentopian holy army. And if you are a Demon slayer, rejoice. You are not alone. You will be saved.

"I...I think I found something," she said, looking over to Hyperion. He looked over her shoulder and began to read, eyes widening.

"We need to get this to Neptu," he said, looking over at her. "Now."

As soon as Neptu, Dharen and Arno returned, they were greeted by Ava.

"Hello," she said with a smile. "Xeros requested you all meet with him in his office once you've returned." Neptu nodded.

"Yeah, I had an idea." He said. "Where about would I find that?"

"Here, I'll lead you." She said. Nodding, Neptu followed the younger girl inside the gates and into the mansion. He walked past others, who were all staring at them and making assumptions under their breath. He really didn't know what they could be saying, but it probably wasn't very good for him or Gin.

"This is it," Ava said, pointing them towards two double doors at the end of a hallway not apart of the original mansion. Thanking Ava, the trio walked down the hall and Neptu knocked on the door, and was told to enter. Entering the office, he was surprised to see everyone there, looking at him.

"Ah, you've arrived back," Xeros said, standing by the window behind his desk. "I assume you calmed things down?"

"...Yeah," Arno said, eyeing Gin out of the corner of his eye. "We did."

"Excellent," Xeros replied. "Than please, take a seat. We need to talk." The trio did so, and the office grew quiet. Zynna looked like she needed to say something to him, but she was waiting for later. He hoped it was good news. After about five minutes, Xeros sighed.

"There is no more reason to dodge the subject," he said, turning to face everyone. "Gin,we know what you are." Gin's eyes widened at this, and he slunk into his chair.

"Oh..." He said slowly. Xeros nodded.

"And, as sad as I am that I must say this, you are not welcome here." He said. "Not by me, or the others in this guild. I want you out of here by morning."

"That's some bullshit," Neptu spoke immediately, garnering attention. "What's he done?" Xeros looked confused.

"Neptu, I could accept him if he was some mere demon," he said. "But he is a Demon Lord. One of the Twelve strongest demons on this plane of existence. This is not safe, and I will not allow him to stay."

"But what was he done?" Neptu demanded, growing angrier."

"Well...Nothing, yet."

"So that's it, then." Neptu said, getting to his feet angrily. "You are all the same as I was, yet you chastise me for my past actions."

"Neptu..." Zynna started.

"Spare it," he snarled. "Let me tell you all something, huh? Gin?" He said, pointing to Gin. "Saved my life. Me! The man who wanted him dead. Without him, there would have been no reunion. No visit from us. I'd be dead. Gone. Gin isn't just some rag you can toss out because of a stain on it! He's a living, breathing person! He's got as much right as I or anyone else does to stay here! Why does the Demon Lord revoke him of the right to a normal life! To love and be loved? Why is that so hard for him?"

"Stop it, Neptu." Neptu made a face and turned as Gin said this, finding him standing from his seat. He had a solemn look on his face, and his eyes were closed.

"What?" He demanded. Gin sighed.

"I was foolish to think this place was any different," he said. That knowing my secret wouldn't change their minds. It's just like everywhere else. Everyone reacts the same."

"Shut up and let me talk," Neptu said. Gin shook his head.

"No, you listen to me," he said. "For years I've dealt with this. When I met Fairy Tail, I thought maybe things were different. Maybe I'd just had bad luck. But perhaps I was right. They are a poor example, an exception. Most people would rather I leave. And so, if Xeros wants it, I will leave. I'll go back to Fairy Tail, they will allow me to stay before I hit the road again." At this, Gin made for the door. Neptu watched him walk the short distance, growing angrier and angrier.

"Wait up," he said, walking towards him. "I'm going too." Gin made a face at this. "I'm not abandoning you. I refuse to be like everyone else. If you're leaving, so am I."

"Count me in, too." Neptu turned to watch Elizabeth stand up. "If you guys leave I'm leaving." Quinn, Tristan and Abigail soon stood as well, and joined them at the door. Neptu looked back at Xeros.

"If you want us gone, say the word." He said.

"Neptu cut this foolishness out would you?" Zynna asked. "You can't just up and leave!"

"Watch me," Neptu replied, maintaining eye contact with Xeros. There was silence on the room before finally, someone scoffed.

"Let the kid stay, Xeros." Neptu looked over, shocked as Arno spoke up. The man was still looking at his feet, but his voice was as loud as ever. Xeros seemed a little taken aback by this.

"Arno, you would vouch for this man?" He asked. "Someone akin to that who took your family from you?" Arno didn't respond at first, before he nodded.

"Yes, I would." He said. After he said this, Zynna stood.

"I vouch for him as well," she said, looking at Neptu. "My brother is a passionate man. If he's willing to go this far to protect Gin's honour...He is right about him." Xeros looked over at Dharen and Hyperion.

"Where do you two stand?" He asked. Dharen and Hyperion shared a glance, before they too stood.

"I believe Gin should be allowed to stay," Dharen said, Hyperion nodding. "Granting nothing happens."

"One more word about leaving, and we're out." Quinn threatened.

"We'll be gone before you can rethink it," Abigail said.

"Speak up already!" Tristan said. Neptu smiled as he looked around at those standing. The Cross he had expected, but Arno? Zynna, even? That was a surprise. After a few minutes of silence, Xeros sighed.

"Fine," he said. "Gin can stay. If he causes us no harm, he may stay." Neptu smiled.

"I knew you had it in you, old man." He said. Xeros nodded, and looked over at Gin.

"Please understand that is of no ill will towards you, Gin." He said. "I am simply looking out for my family, as anyone else would."

"Trust me, I get it." Gin said. "Thank you for reconsidering."

"Don't make me regret it."

Once the meeting with Xeros was over, the group left the office. Before anyone could say anything, Zynna grabbed Neptu by the arm.

"I think you need to see something, little brother." she said. Her eyes were worried, and Neptu had no idea why.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "Did you find something?" Zynna nodded.

"More than that," she said. "I found the origin your problem, and the solution."

That's a nice little chapter for the comeback, huh? I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!