The night hadn't gone as I expected. While walking my Lioness to the hotel, we came across the young girl who had fought on the Sabertooths team. She asked to go inside and we allowed it. While she and Lioness had their conversation, I decided to take a small nap next to my Lioness. It did not last as I was awoken by Lioness raising her voice in protest. She apologised to me as I looked over at the small white-haired female.
According to Lioness, the female I now dubbed Snowball wanted to give her spirits away. I didn't understand why she would do such a thing, being on the opposite team. But then Snowball cried, telling us that she'd been evicted from her guild for a single loss. I found it ridiculous. To be strong, you must first lose. She sounded so broken, so distressed by this that it made me upset. She was a strong Celestial mage, but she went against someone stronger than her. She couldn't help it if someone stronger, older and more experienced beat her.
I looked at the keys on the table and only saw two. Where was the other one? Snowball had the snake spirit, yet it wasn't on the table. Something was wrong. I remained quiet as she and Lioness talked about what'd happened, listening to it all while she stroked my hair. As it went on, a frown grew wicked. The poor girl had gone through so much. She was just there because their strongest female was busy, and it had been her dream to join Sabertooth. They'd stripped it all away, humiliated her in front of everyone and the Master was extremely cruel.
He'd forced her to remove her own mark, something that sounded horrible. I wouldn't ever want my marks to go, they were as much a part of my body as my arms were. She'd been forced to stand naked and walk to a woman's shelter naked to get some clothes. Nobody stood up for her, nobody was decent enough to care. It angered me. Snowball seemed like a nice mage, and her self-esteem was 'in the shitter' as Bubbles would say. When she took her two keys and left, I decided to follow her. Lioness let me, knowing why I wanted to go.
Snowball turned around and saw me following her. She looked scared, likely because she knew of my power. I wasn't going to use any of it on her, she was too delicate for that.
Damn. I'm actually pitying a human... What is this doing to me?
If I had to erase my mark, I'd likely be the same. I loved my Guild. Draconium Soul was likely the best part of that era considering the war that was going on.
I agree with you there Tal. I never let my son see it, but I always had that mark with me. It wasn't just Draconium Soul that rose back then, White Sea and Silent Hill also formed, two guilds that are still standing to this day the last I checked.
Wow. White Sea was nothing more than just a club of brats! How did it stand all this time?
It changed along with Bosco. It's really cool there now.
Gadra would've fit in well.
How has Bosco changed?
They all fuck each other.
We're going to Bosco!
No Durham, just no...
Guys!
And Girls.
Shut it Mezeth. We're forgetting something... You know, the Snake Key.
Oh yeah, that thing.
Hey Tal, isn't your kid named after that?
His middle name is Ophiuchus, named after the key his father made to prove his love. I'm pleased it is in good hands, I've been worrying about that snake for a while.
Well, it obviously isn't in her hands because she didn't offer it to Lucy.
Shit.
"Why did you follow me?" She asked. She knew I wasn't good with words, everyone knew at this point. I was thankful that I wasn't ridiculed for it.
"You sad," I said calmly. "Want to make better. Not like tears or sad." My speech is horrendous. I'm so happy that Lioness was offering to help fix it. After the games, I was going to start having lessons. Lioness would get Bubbles or Vixen to come over so they could translate for me, it'd make things easier. I think it would. I hoped it would. I couldn't wait for the day where I held a conversation with my Lioness, telling her my feelings and what I wanted to do. There was so much she could teach me and I was willing to do all of it for her.
"I heard about what you do," She said quietly. "You try to cheer people up after they've lost... Even though they're not on your team and hurt your friends." Everyone is deserving of forgiveness. Perhaps not their actions, but as people. "Is that what you're here for? To try and cheer me up?" I nodded.
"Where snake key?" I asked. The question was like a knife to her gut, pain visible in her brown eyes. She then began to cry again, water streaming down her face and hitting the ground below. She dropped to her knees, her hands pressed against her face to try to stop the tears. She was heartbroken. I took a few steps towards her and helped Snowball onto her feet, letting her lean against me as she got control of herself.
"I'm sorry..." She sniffled. "It's just that Sabertooth was my home. And nobody has ever been this kind to me... Or shown so much concern for my well being." I frowned at her words. Why was kindness such a difficult thing for people? "I looked up to them once, the members of Sabertooth. They were m-my idols. And now I'll never set foot in the Guild again because of one defeat!" I let her cry against me, and while I wanted to stroke her back and make her feel better, I couldn't. I'd snap her back. The smell of the tears stung my nostrils, but I did not dare tell her to stop. She needed this even though I hated it.
"You deserve better," I said calmly. I don't think she heard me as she continued.
"I was humiliated in front of everyone! It was so frustrating and embarrassing... They took my self-respect and shattered it into pieces. Sabertooth was my home and I'll never see it again!" I was growing angry. These people... They were a nicer version of Raven Tail. The Master of this Guild wasn't a good person, they were cruel and undeserving fo the Guild they ruled. As Zadoshi said before, Iron Fists rust eventually.
And it looks like I'm gonna be the one to rust Sabertooth.
"They take snake key?" I asked, trying to control the storm brewing beneath my dark skin.
"Th-they said I wasn't deserving of it..." I couldn't imagine how much it'd hurt Lioness if one of her spirits were taken. I didn't like Kitten, but he meant a lot to her. My eyes narrowed in anger and hatred. What Guild would do this? What kind of person would take a Key from a Celestial Mage!?
"Stay," I said firmly. She looked up and my blue eyes met her brown. "I get Key. Wait for me, for the snake." I let her go. She stood her own and I crossed my arms, waiting for her to return to the Hotel that my team and Lioness was staying at. She nodded her head and dragged her belongings to the Hotel, putting her faith in me to get her key back.
I jumped on top of a building and sniffed the air. I followed her scent, heading to wherever Sabertooth was hiding. I moved quickly and silently, not letting anyone notice that there was a 6'4 man running on top of buildings. It wasn't any of their business. When I did arrive, it was surprisingly nice. Obviously, it wasn't their Guild, just an inn they were staying at. Because of this, I wasn't going to destroy it. It wasn't the owner's fault that those within were assholes.
I looked around, searching for a way in. I found an open window and climbed in. When I got into the hallway, I reached my arm back and slammed my fist into the wall. The entire building shook violently, dust exploding all over the place. Whoever this place belonged to didn't clean it very well, but it hid me from view. Good. I started to walk, searching for the main hall. Every now and again, I'd punch or kick the walls to make the building shake again.
I sensed many kinds of magic from Card Magic to Lightning God. The biggest signature was likely the Master, and his magic energy wasn't as large was Iron Rock meaning he was easy prey. I didn't know why I considered Sabertooth's Master prey, but I didn't care. The Sabertooth members started to come at me, but none of their attacks fazed me. When they got annoying I created a shockwave, sending them against the walls.
Considering the rules of Sabertooth I was going to end up kicking out a majority of the Guild. Especially at the rate that they were dropping. Eventually, I got to the hall and I opened the doors with a shockwave, sending many nameless faces all over the place. I walked through, stepping over a few random people I didn't care about. I think I might've stepped on one of them?
"It's that guy from Fairy Tail!" Said a feminine person I didn't care about. I demanded the presence of Sabertooth's master, the bastard who made Snowball homeless for something out of her control.
Then a man bigger than any human I have ever seen walked onto the scene. I knew that he was from Pergrande, I didn't know how I knew this, but I just did. Even though he had nothing but white voids for eyes, I knew he was looking down at me. As he did not deserve the name of Titan, I would call this man Mouse. I said it to his face and it managed to get through to him. He called for a mage in a ninja outfit, ordering him to take 'care' of me. And according to Ninja, he was as strong as Cocky, Emo, Thunder Blunder and Poet Prick. If this was true then I was going to be very disappointed.
He released a surge of magical energy and I grabbed onto it, surprising the fool. I flexed my wrist, sending a wave of force at him. Ninja disconnected from the spell, leaving me with a whip made of his own magic. I brought it to my mouth and started to eat it. It was very fruity. I would not call him Fruit Ninja. Then he 'disappeared'. He didn't teleport, he just manipulated colours around his body, mixing them into one that wasn't visible to human eyes. But he was as clear as day to a dragon. Dragon's saw far more colours than a human, roughly the same as a mantis shrimp.
I would later ask someone what that was.
He threw smoke bombs at me. Just because I can't see with my eyes doesn't mean I can't sense with my magic. Fruit Ninja then threw kunai made out of magic, and I let them all hit me. When the smoke cleared, I absorbed it into my skin, feeding on the energy with a blank expression. Then Fruit Ninja wrapped magic around his hand to form a blade, one that would kill a lesser mage. He ran at me, and I could feel the blue of my eyes brighten as I did something I forgot I could do.
I narrowed my eyes, watching magic circulate throughout his body. Much like blood and nerves, there was an intricate network of pathways for someone's magic to flow through. With my own magic, I started forming blocks in those pathways. They were temporary as permanent blocks would kill him. I didn't want anyone to die, just to be paralysed for a few hours. He dropped to the ground, magic flaring around his body in a panic.
Even though I had taken his attacks, not even my clothing was damaged, bringing fear to the nameless people around me. They stank of terror, something that was strangely familiar to me. Cocky, even though he was physically shaking, offered to take me down. Mouse stopped him, then said that I was now worthy of fighting him.
"No fight," I said calmly, checking out his magic container. There were less 'veins' than Fruit Ninja, meaning he would rely mostly on brute strength. My words stunned even Mouse. "I here only for snake key. Key is Snowballs. You stole. I give back. That why I here." My reason for being here angered him.
"You came all the way here just to return a key to someone you don't even know?" Said Thunder Blunder. I nodded at him. "I guess those rumours 'bout that Flare woman and the dog boy from Lamia are true." I smiled proudly.
I like that kid.
He reminds me of Thabuzuk...
So does Laxus.
Wasn't Thabuzuk's last name Dreyar?
Wow. Fairy Tail is filled with the descendants of stupidly powerful people.
"It is a festival. No fun if only you happy," I glared at Mouse, de-activating my eye magic. "To be strong, you must first fail. You lost strong mage, you now weaker. It stronger to be kind. You a coward for your actions." I looked at Emo, seeing him look down at the floor in shame. He had the potential of being decent. "You know what they're doing is wrong. Snowball broke down crying, calling this place her home. You're acting like Raven Tail, a Guild you should strive to be against. I see a decent person beneath your cold mask..." I looked down at his shadow. "Start being a man and treat people with respect, stop letting this prick control you like you're his pet. You're better than that. What would Skiadrum think?" Skiadrum was a familiar name to me, but where had it come from? Where had I heard it before? Have I met this being?
"You dare call me a coward, hedgehog!?" Mouse yelled at me. He pulled back his fist, charging magic into it and intended to strike me. He struck my face, but I didn't move. My head was tilted to the side slightly, but he wasn't as strong as Iron Rock. I kept eye contact, and I inwardly smiled as I saw surprise and a hint of fear. He pulled back his other fist and connected it with my stomach. Again, I did not move.
"My turn," I said as I pulled my own fist back. I let a grin pull back my cheeks as I pumped magic into it. I knew the Memory-Make magic was watching so I wasn't going to use any visible attacks. Not when he would use them against my friends. The idea of friends filled me with warmth, a happiness that was more addictive than Spice. When I went to connect my attack with the large man, a woman appeared.
She was a territory mage and had sent the force of my attack somewhere else. I slowly move my hand back down at my side, glaring at the woman. She had the same scent as the large man meaning she was his daughter somehow. The woman had a stone face, but I could smell the fear coming from her. Mouse said her name, Minerva. I would call her Rat.
"If I hadn't arrived, he would've killed you," Rat said firmly. I crossed my arms, ashamed I had nearly ruined everything for my Guild. I didn't let her see it. "Why are you here, Oberon?" Oh yeah, I had that nickname now. Azure Oberon of Fairy Tail, I liked it.
"Snake key," I answered. My answer angered her, something that appeared to run in the family. "Give key, I go."
"All of this over a weaklings key?" She scoffed. I did what I had done in my Guild, showing off a fraction of the power within me. It lit the room bright blue and likely made a very big light show outside. I ended the flow of power and my point had been made. If they wouldn't give the key, I would take it, and they wouldn't be able to stop me. The woman glared angrily but relented. She used her magic and dropped the snake key in my hand. "Who the hell are you to have this kind of power?"
A name came into my mind. A name that I used to go by a very long time ago. My voices helped me.
DRAGON KING!
DRAGON KING!
DRAGON KING!
"The Dragon King," I said confidently. My name struck even more fear into them, especially Cocky and Emo. That name must mean something in the Era. I think I'll go by Oberon the Dragon King. I smirked at the new name I had chosen for myself.
I left the inn and walked back to the Hotel. I was very pleased with myself for what I had done today and hoped tomorrow would be as exciting. I looked into the window of the hotel, seeing Snowball and Lioness talking. I opened the door and walked in, a proud smile on my face.
"What did you do?" Lioness said, looking at me with a strange firmness. "I saw a very blue light coming from Sabertooth's inn. Did you hurt anybody?" I nearly killed their master but she didn't need to know that. I shook my head at her. "Good. I was afraid you had pulled a Natsu and started to trash the place. Good to know you're better than that," she said happily.
"Snowball," I said, getting her attention. I walked towards her and held out my hand, giving her back her key. "Ophiuchus... You got him back..." She teared up and hugged the key. I could sense a shimmer of glee coming from the object. It was obviously displeased that it had been taken from its owner, and I sensed some gratitude coming from it. "How can I repay you?" She sniffled, getting up and hugging me.
"Find better home," I smiled. "They no deserve your strength." She nodded happily, her tears once again wetting my chest She thanked me again and left, a small skip in her step. I hoped she found somewhere better. Maybe Mermaid Heel? They were a fiery bunch after all. "I no hurt people. I told them they cowards. They fear me, they come after us in games now. Sorry Lioness."
"It's alright Blue," she smiled as she wiped the wetness from my bare chest. "It was really good of you to get her key back and not destroy anything. You were born to be in Fairy Tail, you fit in just perfectly." I felt warmer inside, enjoying the feeling she gave me. "You better get upstairs before 'Vixen' comes down and tries eating one of my keys again. I swear he had a screw loose one day and accidentally ate it."
He takes after you in more ways than just magic.
That's my boy!
"Good night Lioness," I said as I walked towards the stairs.
When I had told my team what I'd been doing, all of them were annoyed I didn't take them with me. All of them wanted to get at Sabertooth, and I let them do whatever they liked while I went to sleep. I didn't get to sleep much since I had been out so late, but after a sunbath, I was more than ready for the day that the judges had named 'Pandemonium'. Today was special because they had a fellow called Lahar as a guest, he was in charge of the Runeknights, the authority in this country. I didn't really care and neither did my teammates but there was no point in complaining about it.
Our team had decided we would always pick last so we'd know who we were fighting against and could then formulate a plan as to how to combat them. I knew what type was better against what so my job was to decide who had the best chances. I had made it known that whatever game that Iron Rock was in, I was going for it. They knew that I was best against him in sheer power so they didn't argue.
Tigress from Team A decided that she would compete. A woman with a cat fetish from Mermaid Heel was next. Then from Raven Tail was the Familiar, Obra. Next was the dark blonde from Blue Pegasus. Thunder Blunder from Sabertooth decided that he'd join the fray as well. From Lamia Scale was Iron Rock meaning that I was going to fight. Quatro Puppy had sent a mage that I had already forgotten about, one with a stupid blue hat.
The judges said all of our names, and from above, a black magic circle appeared. From it came a building we were likely going to be fighting in. I looked at Iron Rock with a smirk, and he smiled back while stroking his long beard. I was going to be aiming myself at him today. He would be so much more fun than the rest of the group.
"Before you is a castle filled with monsters!" Said the Pumpkin creature. "That's Pandemonium!" Iron Rock quickly asked if we were to fight the beasts, and the Pumpkin confirmed. "100 terrifying beasts are lurking within the castle walls, but don't worry, there's no way they'll be able to escape and attack the crowd!" Nobody was worried.
The Pumpkin started to explain the monsters. There were five classes, D being weakest and S being strongest. I was an illiterate amnesiac and I knew the alphabet better. Then again, I was comparing myself to a pumpkin or a man foolish enough to wear a pumpkin outfit. The Pumpkin showed us a video of the weakest monster, a creature that looked like a baby Iron Dragon. I wouldn't question how I knew that. Then he showed more monsters, all but the S-Class. It was likely the most unsuspecting of the group.
He said that we could choose the number of monsters we wanted to fight. After some stupid babble, the Pumpkin held a box to us and asked us to draw straws. I took mine, and I was given number 8. I was going last, meaning I'd get the least amount of monsters. That was going to be annoying. Then Tigress decided to be an ass and said she would fight all of them. I get that she's in the same Guild, but the others need a chance to prove themselves.
I couldn't do anything so I crossed my arms and watched from the screen above us. As I watched Tigress, she quickly showed why she had the name Titania. It meant that my name, Oberon, was more important than I thought. Tigress fought on even when she was starting to exhaust her magic. She used a lot of different types of magic, each armour serving a purpose, and she interchanged the weapons at a whim. She had earned the title S-Class.
Then the S-Class monster showed itself. It was a Mogwai. It sucked her into its own pocket dimension and showed its true form. The Mogwai were driven to extinction by the Demon Guild, Silent Hill. To see a human fight it was a spectacle all of its own. She fought a monster that no human had ever defeated before. Even though it was only a creation and wasn't an adult from what I saw, it was still beyond impressive. Titania had my respect, and I would strive to deserve my name of Oberon.
When she returned from her battle injuries and all, her teammates ran over and gave her a large hug. I decided that I would give my say as well.
"That monster was a Mogwai, an adolescent to be exact. Monsters that were all eliminated by the Demon Guild, Silent Hill. No human has ever fought one and survived. You, Titania, have my respect. And if Silent Hill were here, they would respect you as well. I am honoured to bear the name of Oberon and will fight to hold it as proudly as deservingly as you do." Pinkie stared at me with surprise, and with a glare from me, he translated. If he tried to diverge from my words, I would snarl at him.
"That's very kind of you Blue." I wouldn't call her Tigress anymore. She suited Titania much better.
She must be Irene and Erzarig's daughter!
It's in the damn name. She'd be a great addition to Silent Hill.
You go Titania! Show these pricks why we fought for you!
Yeah!
Thankfully the event was yet to be over. The Pumpkin man said that we were still be ranked, and I hoped that it was going to be a fight. If not Iron Rock then Thunder Blunder. The Pumpkin warned that it may be boring, and a large sphere was brought down into the arena. It was called The Magic Power Finger, or MPF for short. It was a very stupid name.
We had to attack the orb so it could show our magical power. It was logical to believe that the higher the number, the more points you'd get. Being last would prove to be my advantage. I could measure the amount of magic my opponents used and add that to what the number showed, then I could deduce how much power I'd need to give in to an attack so I could win. This was going to be a piece of fish.
Cake.
The cat lady went first and scored 365. I looked at the Familiar, giving it a silent warning. The creature got the message and wouldn't interfere with us. If it did, I'd eat the damn thing. The man from Quatro Puppy got 125, meaning he was last for the moment. I knew that the Familiar wouldn't do very well. Its disadvantage here was equal to a Dragon Slayer on a chariot.
The dark blonde who used what I now knew to be archive magic had scored a measly 95. He too was not suited for this kind of event. It wasn't that he was weak, it was that he was in the wrong sort of fight. His seemed to rely on strategy instead of brute force. I looked up at Ivy and saw a very vile glare, scaring the small creature. It left its puppet and headbutted the orb, getting 4 points. Familiars aren't supposed to fight like this. They were supposed to be with their summoner, not on their own. I'd deal with it later.
Then Thunder Blunder walked up to the orb. He gave me a very nasty glare, and I just smiled at him. He got 3825, he would be in fourth place. It was now Iron Rock and I. Thunder Blunder grabbed the microphone and started singing for some reason? He was worse than Vixen, a feat that I never imagined I'd see. As if reading my mind, I had a piece of metal thrown at my head and an angry shout from said fox while Bubbles was laughing at him. Such strange yet amusing people.
Iron Rock walked towards the orb and used a spell he didn't use against me. He called it Rumbling Fuji, the name of a mountain somewhere in Stella. I was annoyed that he didn't use it against me, but I didn't use all of my spells against him so I suppose it's only fair. Iron Rock got 8545, an impressive number compared to Thunder Blunder. I was going to top that. No, I was going to destroy it.
"The final challenger is once again Blue, the only mage so far who has been able to rival Iron Rock Jura in magic power. Can he get a higher number than the Wizard Saint?" Said the judge with horrible hair. I heard some people say that I wouldn't do it, and I was going to prove them wrong. Iron Rock gave me a smile as I walked to the orb. Instead of a magical attack, I would charge my magic into my fist and punch it. Or I could do something else...
Dragon Soul.
What?
Come, child, summon me.
He can't do that Kengovo.
It's like Beast Soul. When a mage takes a form, they take a piece of a monster's soul. He has over a thousand entire souls inside of him. He can summon any of us.
I knew that voice. It was... It was my mama's voice. Not the human, but the dragon. Kengovo the Ethernano Dragon. I closed my eyes, allowing this voice to do the spell for me. I was glowing intensely with magic, I could feel it. I could feel myself in my mind, in my soul. I could see inside of myself, and I saw so many faces. They were all dragons. One made of iron sat next to a dragoness with scales of dark purple and green markings similar to my own. She held out her paw, and I took it.
"DRAGON SOUL: KENGOVO!" I suddenly yelled. Beside me, the form of a dragon appeared. She was translucent but was there enough for her to be visible. She looked down at me with a warm yet sad smile. Her mouth opened and sixteen magic circles formed before her face. I watched her roar onto the sphere, my eyes wide at the one I felt like was my mama. I saw a tear form in Kengovo's eye as she vanished.
I felt like my heart had shattered. There was so much dust that I couldn't see what I had scored, but I didn't care right now.
Can he do that for all of us?
If he summons me, Iggy, Gran, Skia or Weiss, it's going to be very awkward.
He's an amnesiac, he won't know how he 'met' us. They don't know that we're dead.
And it'll stay that way.
"Oh wow!" Shouted the bad judge, snapping me from my now grief filled mind. A grief I couldn't understand but was drowning in. "Blue summoned a Dragon, and the force of the power has melted the MPF! Does that mean he wins?" The crowd screamed for me, all of them beyond impressed with what I had done. But what had I done? I didn't... I didn't understand what or how. It was so confusing.
"I don't know, but the dragon that he called 'Kengovo' appears to be a female variation of whatever dragon type Acnologia was. The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse." I knew that name. Why did I know that name? Why did it matter to me?
"I say that Blue gets the point. Jura, a Wizard Saint, didn't leave a mark on the MPF Lachrima even when using his strongest spell while Blue melted it. Screw it, Fairy Tail Team B gets 8 points!"
I had done it. I had won, but I didn't even know how I did it. I looked at Iron Rock, and he was still smiling. He had a plan for me, not one that I would understand yet. He also had that knowing look... I was starting to be disturbed by it. He was happy for me even though he came in third place. I was curious to see what he wanted with me.
I returned to my team, unsure about what I had just done. I sat in the corner, trying to wrap my head around it all. I had summoned a dragon, the soul of one. How? When did I get it? How? I didn't understand and it frustrated me. I wanted answers, but who was I suppose to ask? How could I ask? I just...
I didn't know what to do.
I heard the judges call for the cat lady and some guy from Quatro Puppy, but I hadn't moved from my spot in the corner. I didn't understand what had happened, but I desperately wanted to. I knew her name, I felt like she was my mama, but I just... Who was the dragon next to her? The one with black and white eyes? The scarred red one with yellow eyes next to him? I knew them but I also didn't.
"You alright back there?" Bubbles asked. I looked up at him, my body shaking more than I thought it had been. "You remember something you don't like?"
"I saw dragons... It was inside of my soul, so many dragons I both knew and didn't. That dragon, she was my mama. She had looked after me while my sister... she..." I gripped my hair tightly, wishing to remember. It was just aggravating not being able to remember. "I don't know dammit! I want to know but I don't! Why don't I remember? Why!?"
I bet it was Sombra.
Probably.
I wanna be summoned. Let me eat things!
"Shut up!" I yelled. I felt a jolt of electricity as Bubbles had the balls to shock me. I looked up at him with a glare.
"Not gonna bother asking questions since you know less than we do. Come up here and watch, try to take your mind off things. Maybe Mavis knows something about it? She's smart for a dead ghost." I didn't want to move, but Bubbles wasn't giving me an option. He grabbed me by the cloak and pulled me up. "Lucy'll find a way to kick my ass if you aren't all smiley or shit."
When I looked into the arena, I saw Poet Prick facing off against some blond from Blue Pegasus. I didn't remember him so he probably wasn't important. The Memory-Make mage re-created a demon spell, likely without realising it. It finished as I expected, nothing of interest.
"The next match of the day is Gajeel Redfox VS Alexei!" What?
It's supposed to be Laxus.
Butterfly effect Tal.
I hadn't expected this, neither did Bubbles. He looked like he was itching for a fight while at the same time, I could smell how anxious he was. We gave Vixen some words of advice as he walked into the arena. We watched Ivy carefully, and even under all of that armour we knew he was annoyed by this. He wanted to fight Bubbles. Hopefully, Vixen would be able to handle himself without screwing up. He seemed like the type who'd do that.
As soon as the match started, Ivy set up an illusion to make it look like he was beating Vixen. I saw through it. Bubbles wasn't happy, and neither was I, but I was more focused on what they were doing within the illusion and not the illusion itself.
The one with Mimic magic used sand to transport the other members onto the Field, meaning Vixen was outmatched. When I was about to break the illusion, Vixen gave me a glare. He didn't want me to end it, he wanted to take on all of Raven Tail. I complied with what he wanted, but let the others know what was happening. Red was acting hesitantly, but Ivy wasn't having it.
I growled as Familiar cancelled Vixen's magic. Even so, Vixen went at them, using a technique I knew as Tagre-Mnai. It was a demon martial art, and I would ask where he had learned it after he won. When a magic attack hit Red either on purpose or on accident, Vixen went to her aid. She recognised him from the night I'd tried to help her, then she stood by his side. I wanted to end the illusion, but this was what Vixen wanted, and I was putting faith in that he'd win this.
The Familiar was only able to cancel one person at a time and though she was weakened from Ivy's treatment of her, Red fought against him. She had had enough for the asshat, and I was proud of that. She was standing up for herself, breaking herself from Ivy's chains. Her rebellion managed to get to the Familiar as Vixen now had his magic again and started to decimate them. The purple one stepped out of the fight, standing beside Red.
It felt like it'd been hours, but this had all happened within five minutes.
Vixen got Ivy on the ground, and when that asshat touched the floor, I jumped onto the arena. The Judges were about to protest until I released a shockwave of magic, destroying the illusion. I walked to Vixen, giving him a thumbs up. He wasn't as strong as Bubbles, but he had a strong desire to fight Raven Tail. His reasons were his own, but I was going to be asking about that Tagre-Mnai later.
"I forgot about the Familiar's magic," he quietly admitted to me. I didn't tell him off being one with a poor memory myself. "What ya gonna do 'bout him then? Can't stay with Pricksalot there. His ass is grass... Er sand in this case." I gave a smile and went to the small creature who lost its puppet in the fight. I opened my hand to it. "Seriously? Ya pick up more strays than I do."
"You are stray." The Runeknights came to take Ivy away. I didn't care about them, just this little creature for the moment. It looked at me nervously, then crawled into my hand. I let my hand warm with magic, offering myself to it. Familiar's can't survive without a master, similar to how a Spirit can't live in the human world without a master or key. "You with me now," I said. As its own master was being taken away, it didn't have much choice but to accept. The odd creature climbed onto my shoulder, sitting there like a deformed parrot.
"Blue?" I heard Red say. "I'm sorry for everything. I... I'm going to be joining Mermaid Heel. I've talked to them about it and it was going to happen after the games, but that's not happening," she said with a sad chuckle. "I want to thank you, for helping me."
"It fine," I said warmly. "I no fairy mage if no help who needs." Even though it was broken, she understood me and smiled as she and the fat purple man left. Vixen watched them, then looked at the creature on my shoulder. "Eris," I named. He rolled his eyes at me.
I sensed a surge of magic coming from Ivy. He was resisting the Runeknights as was the sock ripper. Fueled with hatred and rage, the rather weak man sent an army of Shiki at me. Eris used its magic and cancelled the magic, the bits of paper dropping to the ground. It giggled, transforming its head to look like Ivy and started to pretend to sob like a baby. I was amused by it.
"Once again, Blue has come and ended mischief caused by Raven Tail."
I didn't really focus on the last fight. I was busy getting to know Eris. Bubbles didn't like him, but Devil found him adorable. When Eris was ready he could take any form he wanted instead of the little gremlin he was now. He liked hiding inside of my mane, poking his head out of it to bother Vixen. Considering the fight, Vixen didn't look all that bad. He had bruises and scrapes, but nothing major.
The last one was Bluebell and the Sky God Slayer. If Bluebell was smart, she'd deplete herself and then eat the black wind. But she wasn't so she didn't. I suddenly felt a dark magic force, one similar to the Black Bastard Zeref. Eris felt it was well, but he didn't comment. When the day was out, I'd talk to my team about it. I was mildly impressed that Bluebell managed to hold herself against the Sky God Slayer.
That's my girl!
When it was over, I sensed it again. I looked into the stands and saw a strange man with white and black hair. I watched him sink into the shadows and leave, gaining my curiosity. Eris saw it as well. I let my teammates know I was gonna be checking something out and I started following the magical signature. It was distorted somehow. Like it wasn't meant to be here. It didn't know I was following it which was a good thing.
Eris cancelled the stranger's magic and he was forced from the ground. Nobody batted an eye and the mystery mage glared at me. I didn't know you could do that with just one eye. Then a man bumped into me, a stranger in a very strange outfit. I looked in his direction and the man was gone. Damn, I wanted to know who that was. I could see through his bad mask that he was the man that Titania liked to hang around with. Gel something. I didn't really care who he was. I forgot that the Gnome said that this guy was allowed to walk around to look for something.
We were likely after the same person.
The stranger stood up and apologised. I was fine, just a little annoyed that I lost my target. A man with teleportation magic and memory magic looked at me with surprise, and I felt strange familiarity with him... Now that I thought about it, that council guy who was an acting guest today was also familiar? Titania's boyfriend seemed nervous, not that I understood why. He had Heavenly Body Magic, he was more than enough to deal with the man with a funny scar.
That man with the funny scar swiped his hat off, and I now knew the stranger to be of the Fernandes clan. They were all born with that marking over their eye supposedly given to them by a spirit. I now knew it to be a Celestial Spirit, but I didn't know which. Probably Gemini. The two council people called him 'Jellal' which sounded like a very weird name.
"I see that someone finally lifted your mask, eh, Mystogan?" I didn't know who that was, but this obviously wasn't him. He hadn't expected to be called that. He was assuming the identity of a man who likely looked like him. "Now Lahar, do you see why Mystogan hides his face? He's spent his whole life having to look like Jellal, please show him some sympathy."
Ok. The only way to explain this is that shitshow called Edolas.
I think that Happy is Edolas Logi.
Probably.
Is Lily Edolas Tal?
Makes sense.
Wait. Demons don't have Edolas selves, how was Edo-Redfox there?
Probably Sombra.
"Edolas," I repeated mostly to myself. I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but the old small man nodded.
"Indeed. Everyone in Earthland has a twin living in Edolas, including Mystogan here." It was bullshit, but believable bullshit. I suddenly smelled hatred, enough to make someone throw up. I looked in its direction and saw the woman who beat Snowball. Then I watched as 'Jellal' walked away. The small old man left as well, leaving me with the two council characters.
"That was really him. Jellal," Said the fellow I would call Glasses. Finally, Glasses noticed that I was there. "You're the man everyone's been talking about." I nodded. "Why did you help the people from Raven Tail? Including that creature on your shoulder." Eris hissed at him. I gave him the same answer I gave everyone, it was the Fairy Tail way. Then he asked me something else I didn't expect. "Have you been to Tenrou before?"
"Lahar," Said Scarface harshly. I raised a brow in curiosity.
"The dragon from earlier resembled Acnologia. Have you encountered him?" I shrugged. "Right, amnesiac." I guess that was going around as well. "Sorry to bother you. Your magic, it just reminds me of an event seven years ago. Please have a good day," said the man as he turned around and left. Eris looked at me curiously and I looked at him back with the same expression.
What strange people.