Fairy x Adventure

by Magnafeana

In a new era after the Alvarez War, Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail not only face new challenges but watch as their kids go on new journeys, learn new powers, and battle new enemies and old! Join Luna, Nashi, and the upcoming generation of Mages on Fairy Tail and more on their never-ending adventure!

28. Adventure 028

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's "Fairy Tail", but all original plots and characters are mine.

---

In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with Magic found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, Magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, Magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name...is Fairy Tail.

---

Previously, on Fairy Adventure, Luna and Gabriel met up with the T'zolkin prophet to learn he is connected to a god! Crazy, right? Well, don't tell that to Luna or else she might hit you in the stomach. But, it looks like that prophet isn't all he claims to be… Back in the present, Mary Jane, Igneel, and Peter really get the drop on it when they plummet into an old tunnel filled with runes and—Hey… I feel like we've seen those somewhere! With Gale resting up, Gajeel, Natsu, Lily, and Happy are on their way to knock on Bluenote's door. Let's just hope Gajeel can keep in control. Igneel helps out to make sure Mary Jane and Peter are taken care of and, afterwards, with a little help from his ancestors, receives a vision of his past. But, looks like he doesn't have time to think about it when they're on the run once again only for Mary Jane to go a little bit crazy. After touching Peter, Mary Jane runs off in her confusion and leave the two boys to fend for themselves. With Natsu helping Gajeel out in his own feelings with his son, in the past, Luna and Gabriel bond with stories of their separate presents. In the present-day, Igneel and Peter find their own haven only for Igneel to preserve and venture into the darkness to find his missing goddess. He runs into less than friendly help and is teleported to a strange land. He finds a still crazed Mary Jane and, with some help from her sanity, is able to bring them back into the real world with one simple song. Though, the real world isn't that great when you have Jacob Lessio ready to kill you. Igneel bravely protects Mary Jane to the bitter end after receiving a powerful vision reminding him his reason for Magic. Meanwhile, Natsu and his team find Bluenote with a silver pocket watch and a tattoo he got for all the wrong reasons.

"For you see…I am just like you, King Natsu. I'm a Warlock."

But, what does it mean to be a Warlock? Don't worry, Igneel. For now, Mary Jane will protect you…

---

It was one of those late nights in the Redfox household where Levy was too deep into her work to sleep. Books circled around her and ancient scrolls, their ancient text hopping from page to page in mid-air. Pens wrote on paper by themselves, taking in references and notes from books. She had her Gale-Force glasses on and skimmed through books with her pen keeping up with her furious reading.

Gajeel poked his head into her study with a tired grin and took in how messy it had gotten. "Jesus, Shorty. I didn't think anyone could be messier than Salamander," he guffawed.

Levy glanced up to give Gajeel a little smile. "Sorry for the mess," she apologized. "I'm just trying to get some work done."

Gajeel slipped inside and shut the door. He eyed a book that pulled itself from the shelf while three more slid back into their places. "I can see that," he said dryly. "I thought I told you no working till three a-m, Shorty. You get all cranky in the mornings."

Levy laughed a bit as she tugged back a lost strand of blue. "My bad. I had a break-through, so—"

"So now, you're researching the Hell out of your discovery," Gajeel recited like he had done so one-hundred times, stepping over dropped books and maneuvering past flying scrolls. "Yeah, yeah. Heard that excuse a thousand times. Get your ass in bed."

Levy frowned, concentrating on the book in front of her. "Sorry, Gajeel. Maybe in a little bit," she reasoned.

Gajeel snorted. "That means 'I'll be done at seven'." He finally got to her desk and, when he did, his hand went to her chin. He tipped her head up for wired hazel to greet exhausted ruby. "You need to sleep," he emphasized.

"And, I will, Gajeel, I promise," Levy hissed softly. "But, I'm really on a roll here. I can't just stop now."

Gajeel chuckled. "Stubborn woman," he teased. "You're such a nerd."

Levy smiled at that. "You love me anyways."

"Well, I have to if I want to sleep with you."

Levy blushed and jerked her head away from him. "Gajeel!" she snapped, though good-naturedly.

Gajeel barked a laugh. "Easy, Shorty, I'm just teasin'," he soothed. "Besides, I meant cuddle with ya in bed." He raised a pierce eyebrow as a grin full of mischief touched his lips. "Geez, Shorty, didn't realize my mate was such a pervert!"

Levy sighed. "I set myself up for that one," she supposed.

Gajeel hummed as he went to the other side of her desk. He stood behind her before dropping his head atop her own and his arms wrapping around her shoulders. She did not seem to mind as she carried on with her work and Gajeel looked humorously comfortable laying on his wife.

"What'cha workin' on, anyways?" he yawned. "More crap for Titania?"

"Yeah. Something like that," Levy answered, vague. "When I was researching a lot more on the origins of demons and old stories on them, I came across the word 'Nekroazti'. It popped up a lot in stories, but I didn't know the meaning of it at first. I did some digging and found out it was Ancient Language for 'Warlock'."

Gajeel yawned again. "What's it mean? 'Nother name for a Mage or somethin'?"

"Not exactly," Levy negated. "From what I gather, Warlocks were similar to Celestial Spirit Mages except they didn't contract spirits. They made contracts with demons."

Gajeel frowned at that. "People would do that?"

"I guess so," Levy supposed. "It was an old technique used back in the day before demons appeared. I guess way back when, Earth Land was too rich in pure Ethernano for them to come here without losing a lot of power. So, they set up contracts with humans. The humans would gain limitless Curse Power, but, in exchange, the demon would claim the human's soul and even body if it needed a container to walk the earth." She stopped jotting down notes to sigh. "I don't get why anyone would ever want to enter a contract and how these demons even reached out to humans. Maybe in dreams? I don't know."

Gajeel snuggled into her more. "You're worried there are Warlocks out there," he deduced.

"Yeah," Levy exhaled. "This is serious. Warlocks seem like they were very dangerous people back in the day and easily corrupted by the demons they were contracted to." She absently popped her pen in her mouth to bite on it as she skimmed over her notes. "The only things I have on them is that Warlocks always had two symbols on them. One was something they carried to say they were Warlocks and nothing else. But, the second mark was burned onto their body. It held the seal of the demon they were contracted to."

"Kinda like Magic Transfer or Inheritance Magic, right?" Gajeel compared. "When a Mage passes on their Magic to someone else, that Mage gets a tattoo of it."

"Exactly," Levy confirmed. "But, still, nothing in my works says anything about how this Magic Transfer or Curse Transfer happens or…" She took off her glasses to rub her face. "There's so many more unknowns," she groaned.

Gajeel made a noise that could be mistaken as a purr. "Come to bed," he mumbled. "You'll work better when you've slept and had breakfast, Shorty."

Levy landed back into Gajeel as her eyes went to the ceiling. "Yeah, I know," she murmured. "I guess a few hours to relax wouldn't hurt…" She waved her hand. Her books and pens and scrolls stopped their floating to travel back to their places in the study.

Gajeel grinned. "Ya know, Shorty, we're home alone tonight," he purred.

Levy laughed. "Gajeel, no. If we're going to bed, we are going to sleep."

Gajeel grumbled at that. "But, what about—?"

"Nope!" Levy refused. "And, don't even think about using your dirty talk against me this time or you'll be wearing my Solid Script: Gag for the rest of the night."

Gajeel gave a low groan. "Now, you're just talkin' dirty, Shorty," he protested. "Just a little—!"

Levy pushed back in her chair to dislodge Gajeel from her and got up. She shook her head at him with a smile on her face. "Not even a little," she rejected before walking away.

Gajeel lumbered after her. "Woman, you're so cruel to me," he decided in a grunt. He only need to pass her in one stride to open the study door for her.

Levy smiled sweetly at him. "Oh, I know it! But, keep up you're whining and we're not doing handcuffs for a long, long time," she said, voice singsong as she left the study.

Gajeel gawked as he followed after her. "I ain't whining! Shorty, you can't do this to me!" He flicked off the light before shutting the door to protest to his wife.

And, sitting on Levy's desk was still an open book. A symbol had been drawn in it with foreign words describing it. And, the symbol was an infinity star with an Ouroboros surrounding it.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

As I close my eyes

Nokosu ato naku kobosu oto naku iku ate mo naku

I know that this is what I want, this is what I need

Ima mo kurikaeshite zanzou

•

Kizutsuita kako no bokura wa

Ienai mama de

Sonna karamawari kawaranai hibi wa

Mou tozashite ikun da

•

So now

Kore wa boku ga nozonda

My Nevereverland

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Natsu curled his lips as he could not hold back the disgust on his face. He glared at Bluenote's giddy face with a bit of blood-red seeping into his onyx eyes. "Just when I thought you couldn't stoop any lower, you did," he spat, wrinkling his nose as he reigned in his snarl. "You look like you're proud of this."

"Why wouldn't I be, my King?" Bluenote asked, not even trying to play innocent. He practically purred Natsu's royal title. "Becoming a Warlock is a great honor. It finally allows me to fly."

Natsu opened his mouth with firm words at the ready, but he was startled when Gajeel's snarl forced him to keep quiet instead. His eyes darted to see the Iron Dragon Slayer glowering at Bluenote with the same amount of hatred he glared at the familiar.

"You think being a demon's bitch 'is a great honor'?" Gajeel's whole body was on the offensive, but it was different than last time. The energy that burned around him reeked the singing scent of anger, but there was not deathly intent behind it. Just the promise for avenging the fallen. "You're a friggen disgrace to humanity if that's what you actually think!"

"Iron Dragon Slayer," Bluenote acknowledged. His silver eyes slid over to Gajeel and assessed him lazily like he really did not have to, but only did so as a common courtesy. "I don't identify myself as 'human'. That would be a disgrace to my master."

"Just where do you get off?" Gajeel demanded. "Don't tell me it was your master who ordered you and your sick morals to kill your own guild-mates!"

Bluenote inclined his chin in that defiant, condescending way. His wrong grin pressed back into that unfeeling frown. "I don't answer to flightless ones," he said rather blandly.

"You'll answer to the father of the kid you tried to kill, then," Gajeel snarled in return.

This caught Bluenote's attention. "Ah. Right. You are the fledgling's father." Now he did study Gajeel with a purpose. "No wonder he had such a hard time obeying my orders when he has a flightless human for a father," he figured.

Gajeel's body turned hostile quick as he took a step forward with only Pantherlily holding him back. "Please say that to my face, bastard," he pleaded goadingly. "Please. I'll enjoy what happens after it."

Natsu raised a hand to Gajeel in a silent order for quiet, but he kept his eyes on Bluenote like he was expecting something. "You're nothing like the Bluenote I remember," he decided factually. "You served no one and had your own agenda. Why would someone like you take orders from a demon?"

Bluenote steered his eyes back to Natsu. "I'm surprised you of all people never thought of this yourself, my King," he settled on. "Especially when you saw the power that came with being an Etherious. You even use it too."

"Not like this," Natsu countered fiercely. "I would never use that type of power for what you're trying to pull."

Bluenote raised an eyebrow at that and began to walk in a circle. "Really?" he drawled, tone dripping in condescension. "You can't think of any time you used your gift on human life?"

Natsu gritted his teeth, eyes staying on Bluenote. "That was different."

"How?" Bluenote questioned. "How was that different? My King, we are the same."

"No, we're not," Natsu rejected. "I would never sink to siding with a damn demon for my own victory. I fight with my own power."

"Your power—your life—was given to you by Lord Zeref," Bluenote pointed out. "You would have never met your dragon without him. You wouldn't even be here without him. You owe your brother everything."

"He will never be my brother," Natsu snarled. "He tried to kill the only family I had left."

Bluenote shook his head almost sorrowfully. "He would be so ashamed of you using your gift to fight on the losing side," he lamented. "You deny yourself your birthright. You deny yourself incredible power."

"I don't need that kind of power," Natsu countered.

"And, yet, you use it."

"Not if I can help it!" Natsu shouted. "Not like what you're doing!"

"Your Majesty," Bluenote interjected, "on the contrary, you use it exactly like I'm doing. You've used your power on human life."

Happy, Pantherlily, and Gajeel watched as Natsu visibly steeled himself. "I will always regret hurting the ones I love," he spat.

"And, the ones you don't love?" Bluenote pressed. "Think back closely, King Natsu. Do you really show remorse for them now?"

Natsu felt his flames stirring within him. He could feel them growl as they began to cling to his skin and his clothes. "I still regret it to this day," he answered. "I protected my family, but I will always regret what happened."

Bluenote stopped, now in front of the small party. He reached within his cloak. "But there will be some part of you that won't regret their deaths," he murmured conspiratorially. "You don't regret using your power on human life. We are the same."

"I did it to protect my family," Natsu argued.

Bluenote pulled out a post horn made of pure black brass.

Silver met onyx evenly.

"So – am – I." Bluenote put the mouthpiece to his lips.

He blew.

And, Natsu, Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Happy were blown back.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 028

The Warlock and the Traveler

ウォーロックが動き出す！他者は誰ですかこの破壊を見ますか？

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"Seven Stars!"

Nashi watched the watery creatures absorbed her attack in her Seraphim Armor and gritted her teeth.

Dammit.

The watery creatures advanced upon her with hisses in their mouths and steam rolling off them.

Nashi flapped her wings to get high in the air. She gritted her teeth as she narrowly avoided gushes of searing water being blasted at her. She looked below to see the creatures below following her. Some had taken to scaling roofs and were trying their leveled best to get to her and burn her with their boiling water. She narrowly avoided a bold creature that jumped off a roof in her direction.

This is bad. In this form, I only have Light, Fire, and Wind Magic, and I know that's not enough against these things.

She let out a scream when one of her wings were hit. She dropped a fair bit from the pain, but she could feel Seraphim help her regain her balance. She looked over her shoulder to see her once-white wing had been burnt into an ugly umber reeking of vile things.

Shit. I'm sorry, Seraphim.

It's okay, little one, Seraphim promised. I can help you with your balance. Stay on your guard.

Nashi was rapidly approaching a large bridge and could already see the number of watery creatures gathering to kill her. She nodded and grinned. Of course. Let's show them how angels serve justice.

Seraphim chuckled. You will have a twenty-second window. You use wisely.

Nashi nodded. "Mmm." She clasped her hands in prayer. "Gabriel, I ask of thee for your assistance," she chanted. "For I am a faithful servant and the protector of justice, grant me my wish."

The watery creatures surrounding her burst from their places on rooftops to slam into her.

Magic Circles surrounded Nashi on all sides and protected her as the Seraph Gem in the middle of her chest glowed a burning gold.

"I invoke your name, O Gabriel, to allow me to ascend," Nashi prayed. "Come forth and grant me my wish!" Pink glowed on her helmet in place of eyes as her Magic Circles brightened and brightened into blurry lights of pink. "Ascend me into Divine Soul: Seraphim – Ikisat Mode!"

Wind and light and fire and pink surrounded Nashi as her Magic Circles closed in on her, drowning her in Magic. Each piece of armor was stripped off her very being. Her gauntlets slid off her. The helmet she donned to cover her head lifted off her. Her loincloth dissolved. Her six wings disappeared. Ancient Language burned onto her glowing body with her citrine gemstone the only thing that remained on her person. Magic burst from the Seraph Gem and began to wrap around Nashi. Boots clung to her feet and legs. Gauntlets pieced themselves on Nashi's hands with blades coming out of the sides. A new breastplate was formed, thicker than her last one, and she donned back a skirt and belt. Her loincloth dropped down with the symbol of a scaly serpent on it—a dragon. She arched her back as two angelic wings burst from her back, glowing in all things light and holy with fire touching its edges. A tail appeared from Nashi's back side, lashing itself in high anger. The last pieces of Nashi's new armor fell onto her head as a helmet, covering from her eyes to the middle of the back of her head once again. This was no ordinary helmet. It looked more like a mask one would get for Halloween. The top of a muzzle stretched before her with a top row of sharp teeth and even sharper canines. Horns appeared on the top of the helmet.

Magic shattered off Nashi and left her vulnerable to the outside world.

Nashi had taken the form of a scaled angel. No longer was her armor glinting in holiness and spoke the truth of mere justice. Golden scales covered her armor like a serpent, like a dragon. Even the horns on her helmet were pure gold. A new radiance was about her. She looked like she was glowing with Magic.

That made her enemies hiss at her and begin their assault.

Nashi held out her hand. "Come to me, Staff of the Ikisat!" she thundered.

A Magic Circle appeared before Nashi and different than her Divine Soul: Seraphim's Magic Circle. Six wings still surrounded the Holy Trinity Eye still, but the entire symbol was wrapped around an Ouroboros and the pink rippling through the circle connected with a serene gold. A staff appeared out of the Magic Circle. It had the golden head of a dragon with glowing eyes and the rest flowed in gold as well. Nashi took the staff in her hands as the Magic Circle appeared.

The assault against her continued.

Nashi gritted her teeth and pointed the staff at the bridge. "I invoke thy name, O Gabriel, for justice shall prevail," she chanted. "Testament"—the staff's eyes brightened as the jaw of the dragon's head opened—"of Divine Hope!"

Gold burst out of the dragon's mouth and onto the bridge. The reaction was instant. Golden light flooded the bridge and the watery creatures roared their hatred as the light flooded inside them and ripped them apart. Even water could not withstand such divine intervention. The bridge was officially cleared of such monstrous beings and the golden light evaporated once its work was done.

Nashi let out a grunt. She lost altitude as her staff disintegrated. "Descend!" she chanted as pink wrapped around her, stripping her of her armor. "Seraphim Soul!" She was back in her Seraphim Armor, but her jaw was locked in her pain as she still fell. She looked at her burnt wing and cursed.

Dammit. I can't keep this form either.

"Descend!" Nashi chanted once again, pink wrapping around her. "Divine Soul!" Her Magic shattered off to leave her in her Divine Soul. She found herself still falling to the water. A forlorn smile adorned her face.

Well, crap. I guess I didn't think this one through.

"Ice-Make: Grappling Hook!"

Nashi choked when she felt her body smack into something and a cold arm wrapping firmly below her bottom. "What the—?" She found herself swinging higher and away from the water. "But I—!" She looked to see her savior was—"Gary?!" she exclaimed.

Gary smirked as he swung them high in the air. He cut off his line before shooting off his next hook. "Don't I get a kiss for being your hero, Angel?" he teased.

Nashi found her cheeks warming as she huffed. "I can save myself, you stupid dog," she argued. "I don't need a dog like you to come to my rescue."

"We're partners, Angel," Gary reminded as he swung them. He cut off his line to shoot out another. "We have each other's backs. I couldn't let my Angel just take a swim in the river."

Nashi puffed her cheeks. "Whatever," she muttered. "Thanks, I guess."

Gary lowered them both onto a clear portion of a street. He cut off his line to let them drop, but he did not let them drop completely to the ground. Platforms that looked like icy snowflakes appeared before him for him to leap off. Once he got to the lowest one, he merely took a step for an icy staircase to form. As he climbed down the steps, he readjusted Nashi in his arms, letting his grappling hook disintegrate. "Angel could always thank me with a kiss," he jested.

"Not a chance, dog," Nashi shot down. "You better not let your hands wander."

Gary took his final step onto the ground, his icy molds disappearing. He bent forward to let Nashi stand on her own two feet. "Please, tell me what you'll do about it"—his arms slid up for his hands to graze her backside, making her stiffen—"Angel?"

Nashi jumped away from him with her face red and a shaky finger pointed at him. "Listen here, you perverted dog, this isn't the time or place for this!" she scolded.

Gary simply laughed. "But, the most romantic things come out during the heat of battle, Angel," he countered, timbre playful. He sauntered towards her. "Love confessions, for one."

Nashi took a step back and glanced this way and that for enemies to save her from this. Nothing was there. "St-Stop right there!" she tried to command. "Don't you come any closer, dog!"

Gary refused her orders as his arms wrapped around Nashi. "My Angel is adorable when she wants to kiss me," he teased.

"I never said anything about that!" Nashi exclaimed. "You're the one who wants a stupid kiss!"

"I saved a damsel in distress—I think that deserves a kiss," Gary said cheerfully. Though, a frown marred his beam. "But, Angel, you should be more careful," he warned her. "That last attack was amazing, but what would have happened if I hadn't caught you?"

Nashi frowned back. "I would've landed in the river and pulled myself out," she answered in a duh tone. "That's no big deal."

"It is when you're tired," Gary pointed out. He wiped away wet strands clinging to her cheek. "I can tell when Angel is getting tired. You've been using your Seraphim Soul for too long."

Now Nashi just scowled at him. "I don't really have a choice, Gary," she retorted. "It's my most powerful form—!"

"And, you should use it sparingly," Gary lectured. He kept his hand on her cheek and thumbed it. "You need to conserve your Magic Power for as long as possible. I don't want you straining it and contracting MDD."

Nashi sighed her weary annoyance. "I know you're worried about me, but I won't get MDD," she promised. She smiled for his sake. "Don't worry so much, dog." She leaned into his touch. "I'll stick to this form, okay?"

Gary smiled. "Okay," he agreed. "Now, about that kiss…"

Nashi recoiled from his touch and swallowed. "You stupid dog," she muttered. "We're in the middle of fighting—"

"Not right now," Gary pointed out and smugly so. "Looks like we're enemy-free. It's the best time for Angel to give me a kiss." He turned his head to the side and tapped his cheek. "Right here."

Nashi's cheeks darkened. She glanced to the left. Nothing. She glanced to the right. Nothing. She looked up at Gary's cheek and blew out a long breath. "Fine," she mumbled. "Just one, okay?" She glared at him in warning. "Don't even try to turn this into a make-out session."

"Yes, Mistress," Gary dismissed amusedly. "Kiss, please."

"Stupid dog," Nashi muttered under her breath. She craned her neck as her eyes closed. She expected her lips to meet his cheek.

Not for her lips to meet his.

Her eyes shot open as she made a noise of discontent surprise, but Gary was not deterred when he kissed her. Nashi found her eyes falling shut as she reciprocated, her hands drawing up to slide against his chest. Gary's words did hold truth—some of the most romantic happenings only happened during times of crisis. Sometimes, it was due to the fear of death and regret and not knowing if you would ever get the chance to say or do what you wanted deep down. Sometimes, it was merely an assurance of conveying emotions you already knew and just needed extra comfort. To some, it was an inconvenience and something they could go without. But, that was the thing with emotions. They showed up at the best of times and the most inconvenient of times.

Gary pulled away first with a love-drunk smile and his eyes on the innocent face of his angel. "If I get kissed like that for rescuing you, I think you should be a damsel in distress even more."

Nashi fluttered open her eyes to give him an angry pout. "D-Don't get used to this, dog," she snapped, though not with the harshness she wished. Her eyes averted from Gary's own. "That's all you get."

Gary chuckled quietly. "Angel might be a mystery, but she can be quite transparent when she wants to be," he remarked. "I can see how much you liked that kiss too."

"I didn't!" Nashi blurted. She felt hesitation tug at her. "I-I mean—! I—…!" She growled at him and gave him a glare that was smothered in her embarrassment. "Stop grinning at me, dog," she snapped. "Don't think you won this one."

But, Gary could not stop grinning. "This wasn't a game, Angel," he promised in his mirth. He leaned forward to kiss Nashi's nose, making her splutter. "Don't worry. This can be our secret," he murmured to her.

Nashi tried her hardest to glare at him, but even she knew she was faltering. "I really hate you," she mumbled.

Gary smiled and placed a kiss on her bottom lip. "I know," he breathed.

Nashi found her lips parting when Gary placed another kiss on her bottom lip. She let out a trembling sigh as her eyes fell shut.

"God, Gary has been so patient with you! He loves you, Angel-face, he wants to love you. He wants to take care of you. He might not fix broken hearts, but he wants to at least try to heal yours. He wants to be yours. Do you know how messed up it is that I've been with you as just a sex buddy when there's a guy out there in-love with you?"

Nashi's eyes shut tighter as something ugly clawed at her stomach. It made her lips shut into a grimace and everything just feel wrong about being in the comfort of Gary's arms.

"I'm sorry," Nashi finally whispered. "I can't—"

"I know," Gary whispered back. "I'll never force you or make you."

Nashi shook her head and tipped her head up. Sad hickory clashed with understanding cerulean. "But, you'll expect more," she told him. "They always do." She felt something vile craw into her head. "He always did."

Gary's brow furrowed. "'He' who?" he asked. He noticed the moment of panic in Nashi's eyes that resolved itself into something indifferent.

"It's no one," Nashi amended quickly. Her mouth felt dry despite the storm whirling overhead. "You just deserve to be with someone who loves you back, y'know? Not something like this."

Gary softened. "Angel," he called with delicacy, "it's not up for you to decide what I deserve. I'm still trying to figure out how I got a partner amazing as you and how I'm not worthy of even fighting with you."

Nashi was shocked at that. "What the heck are you talking about? Have you seen you?"

"Have you 'seen' you?" Gary countered back.

Nashi shook her head as her eyes went to the ground. "Gary, just look at you," she insisted. "Do you know how many times I hear how great you are any time we're out? Or when I see you get stopped by people you've saved in the past?" She remembered all those times as she watched like an outsider to see her partner be swarmed by doe-eyed fans putting him on a golden pedestal. "That's amazing," she confessed. "Even my parents will talk about how powerful you are. You have such a natural talent and I—…" She swallowed roughly. "There's so many times I feel unworthy of you," she murmured as Gary's arms loosened around her. She tipped up her head. "So, don't—!" Her words stopped.

Terrified hickory clashed with glazed-over cerulean.

"Angel," Gary grunted. He stumbled forward, and his head landed on her shoulder. "I'm not…feeling too good…"

Nashi buckled a bit under Gary's weight and ended up dropping onto her knees with Gary nearly on top of her. "Gary?" she called, worried. "Gary, what's wrong? What's going on?"

Gary gave a strained groan as his hand went to his head. "He's…trying to surface…" He groaned again, and his head dropped into her chest.

Nashi blinked.

His Devil?

Her eyes sharpened.

But… If his Devil is trying to surface, then that means—

A low growl drifted to Nashi's ears and she turned her head.

An ugly wolf of matted fur and yellow teeth stalked towards her. It held no interest in Gary and only eyed Nashi in curious bloodlust. It growled at her and spoke in its garbled tongue, "A human with such beautiful light… Interesting…"

Nashi glanced around to see more ungodly creatures slink out of the shadows to join the hunt. A few looked like humanoid shadows with swirls for eyes and mouths dripping in black saliva. The rest looked like creatures that rose up from the pits of Hell with their ghastly eyes, their ugly snarls, and the leer they gave towards their prey.

"Familiars," Nashi growled under her breath. She saw them approach her and Gary and hardened. "Holy Shield!" she chanted.

The rainbow-esque shield bubbled around Nashi and Gary. The familiars recoiled as such holiness, hissing and snarling at being shut out. Nashi merely glared at them. When Gary groaned, she tightened her hold on him.

Just how the Hell did they come here? What are they doing here?

°•°•°•°

Dazzler and Mustang road down the street on top of Crimson the motorcycle. They seemed to outpace the watery creatures on their tail, or, well, Crimson made sure it was faster than the creatures trying to kill the three of them. Mustang kept a firm grip on Crimson and peered into the left mirror. His hand went to the mirror to tip it up, and he hardened at the sight of familiars sprinting across rooftops.

"Miss Lafayette, I need you to hang on to me nice and tight," Mustang instructed.

Dazzler snuggled against him eagerly, beaming. "Whatever you say, Cowboy!"

Mustang glanced up at the rooftops fiercely and put a hand in the air. His Magic Circle bloomed before his palm. "Minié Volley!" he chanted. An arsenal of single-shot percussion muskets appeared on his left flank with their aim set on the creatures sprinting across the rooftops. Mustang clenched his hand into a fist. "Fire!"

Magic Circles appeared before the barrels of the percussion muskets. The triggers were pulled and released the hammer to strike the percussion cap. Automatically, Magic Bullets shot in the air and towards their targets. The watery creatures did not even try to get out of the way of the shots and kept pelting towards their targets. One was a deranged merrow that leapt from one roof and was about to land on the next one when it was hit with the first bullet.

It shrieked in terror as lightning consumed it and forced it to crumble.

Mustang watched as countless of his opponents were electrified and forced to lose their watery forms and grinned. "Woo-wee!" he crowed. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about, Miss Lafayette!" He patted Crimson's handle bars. "Ya see that, boy?"

Crimson revved its engine and flashed its brights twice.

Mustang glanced behind to see water creatures were still on their tail. "We might not be out of the woods yet, but we're gettin' there," he deduced. He looked down at Dazzler and his grin broadened. "How 'bout we treat 'em to a nice Fairy Tail welcome, Miss Lafayette?"

Dazzler was practically dazzling at the implication. "Let's give them one Hell of a show, Cowboy," she responded, winking.

Mustang turned back around and gripped Crimson's hand bars. His eyes caught on a bridge coming up to their right. "All right, Crimson, let's get across the bridge and swing it around," he ordered.

Crimson pushed itself faster as its brights blinked wildly in agreement. It brought Mustang and Dazzler closer and closer to the bridge when Dazzler noticed something across the way. It was like something caught the corner of her eye and, even as she investigated, the feeling of paranoia would not go away.

"Mustang," Dazzler warned.

Crimson swerved onto the bridge.

It abruptly stopped, nearly throttling its riders, and its engine purred uneasily.

Mustang's eyes glinted as he looked on the other side of the bridge. Familiars slunk out of the shadows with mimicked expressions of hatred and the need to feel something between their teeth. Something human and alive. They stalked towards the bridge to block off the exit.

Crimson's blinkers and brights turned on and off wildly as it jerked underneath Mustang like a startled stallion.

Mustang stroked its hand bars. "Easy," he murmured. He looked into his mirrors to see the watery creatures had already surrounded them. It was now a test to see who would kill the prey first. "Just easy does it, boy. We'll be okay."

Dazzler took off her top hat as she glared at the familiars. "So, we've got more things trying to kill us wanting to see our show it would seem, Cowboy," she said in a tight voice. She shook out her top hat above the ground for a canon to emerge from her hat and settle onto the ground unceremoniously.

"Looks like it," Mustang agreed.

Crimson revved its engine again to voice its displeasure.

"Don't worry 'bout a thing," Mustang soothed his motorcycle. "With Miss Lafayette watchin' our backs, ain't nothing's gonna go wrong."

That got sparkles to shoot off from Dazzler as she swooned. "Oh, Cowboy, you're such a flatterer!" she gushed.

The familiars and the watery creatures took a step forward.

Dazzler's eyes sharpened at the movement. "That being said, though…" She twirled her top hat back onto her head and fingers slid along the brim. She smirked. "I better step up my game." She dismounted from the motorcycle and fixed her gloves. "Hello, boys," she purred at her enemies. "Why don't you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show?" She put a hand on the canon and Magic glowed beneath it.

And then, an explosion of smoke and sparkles went off.

°•°•°•°

Justin was slammed back with his Magic pulsing through his veins. He threw out a kinetic disc at a familiar trying to jump on him. "How did these things even get an invite here?" he roared. He slammed his fists together and a wave of energy exploded from his body, crashing into the familiars and watery creatures dashing for him.

Genius easily sailed back in his hover chair when a lion-like familiar tried to bat him away. He pressed a series of combinations on his controller. "I'd rather not question it and just kill shit!" he shouted back at Justin.

Justin backflipped before dodging to the right. He looked to see he avoided being smashed into the ground by mere centimeters. "That would've ruined my face!" he lamented. His hands drew up quick to pull up a kinetic shield. He glared at the gorilla-like familiar banging on his barrier. "I'm gonna kill you for that, you little bitch! I need these lips to make-out with my hot boyfriend!" He forced the shield away to knock the familiar on its back.

Genius watched as his large and spiked turtle shell knocked out familiar after familiar, controlling it via his controller. "Easy, Killmonger, I thought you didn't DTR, yet!" he shouted.

Justin took an uppercut to his jaw and staggered back, kinetic energy flowing through his body. "I'm working on it!" he yelled back before rushing to tackle his opponent.

Mikazuki outpaced the creatures on his tail as he road his kiddie train. He tried his best to slow them down as he sprayed the street behind him in cotton candy. "Think about relationships later!" he yelled. "We're trying not to die here!"

Chika swirled in the air as she held tight to Shani. When Shani settled steadily in the air, Chika steered them both towards their flying enemies. She held out her hand.

"Capitoline Scythe!" Chika chanted. A violet scythe formed in her hand with a blade gleaming over silver. She let go of Shani's reins to stand atop her steed. "Ready, Shani?"

Shani cawed back and flapped her wings.

Chika fell back and left Shani, free falling into the air. Her eyes held for the creatures coming for her and narrowed. She reader her scythe. "Saturn Slicer!" she chanted as she tore her scythe around her. A wave of violet pierced the air. She watched as the wave cut through her enemies and effectively ended them.

Shani gave a caw as she caught Chika and soared them off into a different direction. "Woohoo!" she cheered. "That was fun!"

Mikazuki ended his kiddie train to run on foot. "My version of fun involves being a lot more drunk right now!" He put two fingers on top of a fist and his Magic Circle appeared below him. "Carnival-Make: Bumper Car!"

A bumper car with a cocky grin appeared before Mikazuki and all he had to do was hop in and start driving. He steered his bumper cart down the street and towards Genius. "Genius!" he shouted as he passed the Lacrima Game Mage. "Your time to shine!"

Genius nodded. His controller and his entire being glowed in steel gray as his Magic Circle appeared below him in the same color. The symbol at the center was of three triangles making a pyramid. At the center was a strange symbol of one straight lines and two curved ones flanking it. "All right, Gon McRumble from Cage Fighters," he breathed. He pressed the X button on his controller. "You're up."

Genius' Magic Circle appeared before him as his hover chair sped back. The familiars and water creatures skidded to a stop as the Magic Circle rose up. Pixels and particles gathered together as the Magic Circle rose in the form of a man with the body to wrestle a bear. His hands were wrapped with a red hachimaki wrapped his head. A tribal tattoo wrapped around his right shoulder all the way down to his wrist. His loose training pants fit him, but he needed no shirt. He looked inhuman with how vibrant his colors were and obviously digital, especially with the HP Bar to the right of him with his name.

Gon shifted his feet as he geared himself up for his fight. "Hmph. Thought I smelled weaklings," he growled in his introduction. "The name's Gon. You won't be awake long enough to remember it." As the Magic circle disappeared, Gon lunged forward with his first punch at a familiar.

Chika followed Genius as she rode Shani. She giggled. "Nice going, Genius!"

Genius took his hand off the controller to grab more chips. "All in a day's work," he brushed off. He popped some chips in his mouth before getting back to his controller. "Let's see how these bonobos do against some cute racers from Racer Rush."

°•°•°•°

Ultear continued to hurry down her path with her ice sword in hand and the message ringing clear in her mind.

If I can just make it to the guild. I have to tell th—

She did not expect a shadow to leap out at her and tackle her into a wall. She was too slow to react as she hit it and cried out her pain. She opened her eyes to see seething red orbs dominating her own stare. Claws raked across her hip and she screamed, trying to get a hold of her sword. She held it up just in time before teeth would bit into her neck.

Ultear glared at her attacker—it was an interesting thing that had a serpentine body, and yet, it had claws for hands and feet—and gritted her teeth as she pushed against its open muzzle. "I have to get to my guild," she snarled. "So, you need to let me through!" She mustered enough strength to bat the familiar away with her sword. She shakily got up, but her bleeding hip made her falter.

Hisses and gurgles swarmed around her.

Ultear looked around her to see more familiars joined the hunt with watery creatures. They came at her from all-sides to make sure she did not try to run. It was her and her sword versus nearly fifty of them. Quite an unfair fight. She grinned at them as she readied herself and her sword. She spat onto the ground. "If I can handle Gary's precious little angel, then all of you will be no problem."

And, she slashed at the first creature that dared try and kill her.

°•°•°•°

In the Lamia Scale Guild, Chrome and Opera continued monitoring the entire town with their screens shifting as they desired. Opera narrowed her eyes as she watched footage of familiars rising up from cracks and shadows and aggressively pursuing Mages and soldiers alike. She caught familiars battering against the runes set up to defend the bridge that connected the east and the west.

"Guild Masters," Opera called calmly. "Familiars have made their way into Margaret Town."

Ooba and Erza rushed to the brother and sister with their eyes wide and surprised. They stepped into the circle of surveillance and watched with their own eyes as familiars were fighting against Mages and soldiers to kill or to be killed.

"Impossible," Ooba whispered. "How could they get in? The barrier would have notified us."

Erza's expression darkened. "It would seem like this is merely a repeat of the Harvest Festival," she supposed. "They slink out of the shadows like treacherous snakes without giving a thing away."

Ooba turned her surprise into coolness. "Then, we will just have to take this challenge like we do everything else and fight our way to victory," she planned. "Chrome, Opera, make sure nothing else inhuman slips into Margaret Town. We have enough to deal with."

"Yes, Master," Chrome and Opera obeyed.

"Should I connect you to Lord Draculos, Master?" Chrome asked.

Ooba shook her head and snorted. "The old fool probably knows what's happening right now," she grumbled. "He always had a way of knowing everything around him without ever being seen." She eyed Erza. "Your Mages have dealt with such things brilliantly. Any advice on how to destroy them?"

"Most are weak," Erza offered. "All bark and no bite. Hit them hard enough once and they will poof into thin air. The ones who are harder to fall take some time. If you really want to kill them quicker, aim for the middle of their heads."

Ooba turned to Chrome and Opera. "Did you two get that?"

"We did, Master," Opera confirmed as she began typing. Her left hand brought a screen closer to her.

"We're putting it in our databases now for reports," Chrome assured. "Is there anyone you would like to add to this?"

Ooba kept her arms spinning around each other in endless dance as she hummed. "Once this is over, let's attach Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, Quattro Cerberus, and Mermaid's Heel to the list," she decided.

Erza looked at Ooba with a raised eyebrow. "Master Ooba? What is the meaning of this?"

Ooba turned around to face her guild. She watched as Andele and Noah and all those able helped the lesser fortunate with their extreme burns and other injuries. "I think it is high time we make sure our fellow guild masters are no longer in the dark about fiascos such as this," she told. "I agreed to your request to keep silent on a few matters until more information was gathered, but I think it is best to reach out to the other guilds for them to prepare themselves."

Erza nodded, but there was still that hesitation in her eyes. "I don't think it would be wise to do so now," she decided to say.

"And, we won't," Ooba assured. She nodded at the busy twins. "Chrome and Opera have been working very closely with Constantine who they very much look up to and Hibiki Lates. The four of them have been collecting data, footage, recordings, and anything else they could find since the war against Alvarez all those years ago, as you know. The other guild masters were aware of this insofar, but we have kept them from recent happenings due to suspicion and fear they would get too involved. We will set a date before the Yule Ball to meet not only with them but with Her Majesty herself."

Erza blinked her surprise. Then, she smiled. "Makarov was right," she remarked. "You always have something going on."

Ooba cackled at that. "When you're about as old as me, you start to have a plan running for every single scenario." Her eyes drifted towards the second level and softened. "I just wish we were more prepared for Bluenote's sudden arrival," she murmured. "It could have saved one of your Mages from a fate he didn't deserve."

"Aye," Erza agreed softly. "To be alive after such an encounter is something to be honored once he's back on his feet. But, for now, his mother and aunt will watch over him while the rest of us fight for his injustice and countless others."

"Spoken like a true master," Ooba complimented. She squared her shoulders and held her head up high. "Let's make sure these things know guilds like us kick major ass."

°•°•°•°

Nashi winced when familiars pawed and clawed at her shield while the water creatures tried everything in their power to melt it down. She held it steady with no signs of it faltering.

That's right, assholes. You can keep trying, but none of you are getting in.

Gary violently jerked within Nashi's embrace and gave a quiet snarl. "No," he croaked. "Not this time…"

Nashi peered down as Gary as he buried his head in her bosom. Worry softened the hostility about her as she gazed at him. "Gary? Are you—?"

Gary's muffled snarl cut her off. "No," he seethed. "No, mutum! Control!" He ripped himself away from Nashi with his nails digging into his cheeks. He lashed his head this way and that. "You stay out of this!" he hissed. "You can't be trusted!"

Nashi reached a hand out to Gary. "Gary, you need to calm down," she soothed. "It's okay."

Gary exhaled ice as tremors took over his body. He closed his eyes tightly. "But, it's not okay, Angel," he hissed. "I'm not letting you get hurt again because of him." He opened his eyes to look at her, grief-stricken and couched by self-loathing. "He hurt you the last time," he reminded. "He hurt you. I'm not letting that happen again." He grunted as he struggled to his feet.

Nashi got to her feet as well. "Gary, I don't blame you," she promised him. "It was an accident—"

"But, it still happened—Nnngh!" Gary shook his head. "Accidents will never change anything, Angel." This time, when he looked at her, grief overtook his eyes. "He nearly killed you, Angel," he murmured, voice cracking. "I'm not letting you go through that again." He curled his fingers into his palms. "Never – again," he added. "He's going to behave and I'm staying in control. He's not going to hurt the one I find most precious to me."

Nashi's eyes glistened and she shook her head. "You stupid dog," she croaked. "This isn't the time to be like this. We need to get you out of here."

"NO!" Gary roared like an angered beast. He let out a high-pitched groan as he yanked on his hair. "No," he repeated, his tone back to humane and normal. "There's too many out there for us to just run, Angel, and you know that. We have to fight."

"I can fly us out of here," Nashi strategized. "I could ascend back into my—"

"But, at what cost, Angel?" Gary peered up at her with tortured cerulean eyes. "I can feel your Magic Power draining. If you ascend into any form higher than this one, I can guarantee you'll contract MDD. And, then, what?"

Nashi bit her bottom lip. She was running out of options, and she hated that. She flinched when Gary fell to his knees as he howled his pain. "Gary, I can't let you fight," she decided. "Please, just let me protect—"

"No," Gary disagreed at once. He snarled and shook it off. "We're both in this fi-fi—Mmm!—fight together, Angel." He put a shaky fist into an open palm. "Ice-Make—!" His incantation was cut off when his eyes iced into that devilish blue-silver. He shut his eyes to shove it away. "Ice-Make: Death Scythe!"

Nashi watched with sad eyes as Gary relied on his icy death scythe to pick himself up. She wanted so badly to help him stand, but even she knew that move would not be appreciated. "Gary," she begged, "just listen to me. I can float us at least to the roofs. W-We could—…! We could…!" She growled at her own failure to find a solution. "Dammit, just—! Just give me a minute, okay, and I-I-I can find us another way—!"

"There is no other way," Gary said softly. "Don't worry about me, Angel. I'll be fine. I can keep him back." He offered a little smirk. "I'm tougher than what you might think, y'know. I did, after all, rescue you, Angel."

Nashi could not even understand what a blush was, let alone do it when she was panicking too much. "Gary," she tried to stop.

"I'm fine, Angel," Gary assured. He whirled the death scythe in his hands and prepared it for battle. "Make a weapon, let down the barrier, and let's teach these guys we don't appreciate their disturbance, okay?"

Nashi opened her mouth to say something. To protest. To tell him she had a plan. But, in reality, she had nothing more to offer. She muttered her incantation, "God's Hammer." The mighty hammer formed within her hands. She swung it up to rest it on her shoulder and turned to the murderous creatures. She let out a deep sigh. "Okay," she said softly. "Holy Shield… Leave us."

The holy barrier broke itself.

The battle had begun.

---

Bluenote put down his horn just as the group of Fairy Tail Mages reoriented themselves before him. Their ears rung from such a frequency, but they tried to shake it off.

Gajeel growled, shaking off any dizziness. "What the Hell did you do?" he snarled at Bluenote. "What the Hell was that?"

Bluenote let his horn dissolve. "Nothing outside of my power," he said coolly. His eyes settled on Natsu. "Ask your king. He should have some clue as to what it was."

Natsu audibly snarled at him, but, with Gajeel and both Exceeds looking at him for answers, he had to oblige. "It was a call for back-up," he gritted out. "It's just like our roars, Gajeel."

"Excellent answer, Your Majesty." Bluenote mockingly bowed. "Seems like you are in-tune with the gift you have more than you want to admit." He lifted his chin. "Are you talking from experience? Did His Majesty use his own call at one point?" His silver eyes flashed with something laced in cruelty. "Did he do it to send his reinforcements to find and kill human life?"

Brilliant flames burst off Natsu's body, making him shake. Gajeel and the Exceeds were forced to retreat a few steps from the sweltering heat the Dragon King gave off. Outlines of scales danced on his skin, threatening to tear flesh and make turn him. Onyx submitted to glinted dark red as his hands were trying hard to stay hands and not claws.

"We aren't the same!" Natsu roared. "We will never be the same! All you want is to see more innocent lives die by your hand! You chose to contract with a demon! I never had a choice!"

"Didn't you?" Bluenote asked with such a careless attitude. "My mistake. That's right. You were forced to enter your role when you believed your own queen dead. You were forced into a battle to the death with your own ally. And all those years ago, you were forced into killing those—"

Natsu cut him off when he roared fire at the ceiling. The flames hit the ceiling, but they did not break it. It showed he had control over the effect of his fire. It showed he was tame. He was in control. He was just seething in rage.

Gajeel and Pantherlily watched the display with less worry and more uneasiness while Happy looked worried for his partner.

Bluenote looked like he was possibly…excited.

Natsu tilted his head back down to glare at Bluenote in such hatred, it could burn down forests, and huffed smoke. "There isn't any reason for you to attack innocent people," he thundered. "There wasn't any reason to attack my nephew and nearly kill him."

"My King, there is always a reason," Bluenote assured. "The Guardian Duo of this town… They're playing nicely into their roles."

Surprisingly, it was Pantherlily who growled at that, his fur fluffing in his anger. "What did you do to the River Guardian?" he demanded to know.

"Nothing outside of orders," Bluenote said rather plainly. "If you wish to help it, why not take a trip to the museum? I'm sure you'll find something…interesting there."

Gajeel tensed as his own snarl ripped out. "I don't expect a low-life son of a bitch like you to tell us the truth," he snapped. "We ain't goin' anywhere when you're still standing."

Bluenote blinked.

A giggle.

Everyone was caught off-guard when Bluenote's lips curled into a smile.

A bubbled laugh.

Bluenote doubled over as laughter wracked his body and cramped his stomach. He held his belly as unbridled mirth controlled him. Everyone tensed as they watched Bluenote lose himself in his own hilarity.

Bluenote eventually quieted his wild laughter into giggles. His eyes were wide and wrongfully amused as he beamed in dark joy. "You mere mortal think you stand a chance against one who can fly?" He laughed again. "My King, where did you find such pets?"

Gajeel wanted to lunge, but Pantherlily held him back.

Bluenote straightened back, but the madness he possessed did not dwindle. It only increased as he stared at the motley crew before him. "You flightless ones are so funny!" he giggled. "You know, my old guild mates said the same thing. They stood their ground and thought they were powerful enough to fight me." He swayed a bit as his mouth watered. "Oh, yes, they were truly a good test to my power! Their skulls would be crushed in my hands like grapes! And, their blood would rain like a shower and be so relaxing!" he purred. His eyes found Natsu's and he giggled. "It's the thrill of the hunt, isn't it, Your Majesty? The thrill of them looking at you before they die and knowing they can't escape. The thrill of them breaking down before you." He shivered in pure ecstasy.

No one noticed his back began to bubble.

A soft blush coated Bluenote's cheeks as he looked up at the ceiling with an aroused grin. "It's so delicious, Your Majesty," he moaned. He licked his lips. "Their screams melding together in perfect harmony… Mmm… Didn't you enjoy it, Your Majesty? When you killed flightless ones and saw the life die from their eyes?"

"A Fairy Tail Mage doesn't take pleasure from death," Natsu snapped at him. "We do our job and that's it. We do what we need to. We don't do it for some sick kick."

Bluenote giggled again and swayed. "A Fairy Tail Mage might not, but you do, don't you, Your Majesty? You and I—"

"We are nothing alike!" Natsu interrupted in seething roar.

Bluenote tilted down his head to look at Natsu head-on. Lines of black invaded his eyes and surrounded his silver irises as his back bubbled and cracked with his cloak moving with it. "But, we are!" he cackled. "You deny it because you're scared of the truth! You see how much you crave to kill and to serve the whispers in your head! If you didn't, you wouldn't have tried turning yourself in all those years ago! You know what we are!" Two large stumped grew from Bluenote's back as he hunched over, yowling his pain. He panted and panted before his breathlessness turned into snickers. "We're the same!" he cried.

And, that was the breaking point.

Ugly bat wings burst from Bluenote's back, large and violet. An arrow-tipped tail sprung from his backside and lashed around like a whip. Bluenote withered and laughed as his body cracked and snapped.

Natsu kept his eyes on Bluenote. "Gajeel, Lily, get to the museum," he ordered quietly.

Gajeel glared at Natsu. "We ain't leavin' ya with him, Salamander," he snapped. "The guy is insane and a threat to all of us."

"He wasn't lying about the museum."

Gajeel was surprised, at first, then his anger set back in. "And, how do you know that?"

Natsu did not flinch as Bluenote vomited blood. "I can tell," he answered simply. "It's the demon in me. We know when we're lying and telling the truth. He wasn't lying. Something in that museum is the answer to the reason the River Guardian is out of control. You and Lily need to find out what."

Gajeel seemed to trust Natsu's word and nodded, even if reluctant. "All right," he grunted. "We'll go."

As Pantherlily shrunk back to his Exceed Form, Natsu told Happy, "I'm gonna need you to warn the guild, little buddy."

Happy shook his head. "N-Natsu, I can't just leave you," he refused.

Bluenote howled and tore at his cheeks as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His teeth were painfully sharpening.

"You'll have to, so you can warn the guild," Natsu told Happy. "Tell the masters under no circumstances should any enter this part of town. Have runes set up here too. Neither of us can leave until the other one surrenders."

Happy wanted to protest, but it all seemed pointless and time-wasting to try. He resigned to a gulp and a nod. "Okay, Natsu." He conjured his wings and flapped them to get himself in the air. "I know you'll win, Natsu. Just be careful."

Pantherlily was already lifting Gajeel in the air as Gajeel said, "Don't let the bastard get to you. And, don't kill him. I want him next turn."

Natsu nodded. "I won't," he promised. "So, get out now while you can."

The three nodded and soared away from the battlefield. Gajeel and Pantherlily steered in a different direction while Happy risked a glance back at his partner.

Stay safe, Natsu. Your family can't lose you.

And, Happy left the abandoned marketplace to go to the guild.

Natsu was unfazed as goat horns burst from Bluenote's skull in such a painful way with blood splattering them. "Now that everyone's out of the way, you and I can have an actual conversation," he decided. "Why the Hell are you here? Who's been spying on me all these years?"

Bluenote shakily laughed as his transformation was complete. He tried to get to his feet in his new form. His skin took to violet and looked thicker than before, like he was given a second skin. His horns had darkened and were sharp enough to piece a heart and kill it. His wings flapped as they got used to this body while his tail flicked around like a cat's tail would. He grinned at Natsu in all his sharp teeth and licked them with his black tongue. "I'm here," he hissed amusedly as a black post-horn appeared in his clutches, "to fulfill my orders."

"And, what orders would those be?" Natsu pressed. "Trying to kill an entire town?"

Bluenote shrugged. "The town isn't my concern," he professed. "My interest and my associate's interest lie in only those who carry the royal blood of the Etherious King, the River Guardian, the little fledgling who can fly."

Natsu hardened. "Why do you care so much about them?" he snarled. "They're just kids! They weren't there all those years ago! They're innocent in all of this!"

Bluenote snickered. "Your Majesty, so long as they have yours and Lord Zeref's blood within them, they will never be 'innocent'," he promised. "And, the fledgling? Well… His role isn't your concern, my King. He will be sorted out in due time."

Natsu wanted to growl something back when a word caught his interest. "You said your 'associate'," he remembered. "There's another one of you here?"

Bluenote smirked. "Yes, Your Majesty," he purred. "I think you'd quite like him. In fact, he was your enemy years ago during your pointless war against your older brother. He's nothing more than a protector as of now, but…" He licked his lips. "From what he tells me, your oldest son is turning out exactly as we hoped. Like father, like son. Put the female in danger and your instincts will drive you to great lengths to protect her."

A frown. "A 'female', huh?"

Bluenote nodded. "She's none of your concern, Your Majesty. A flimsy female with a bit of a rebellious streak. Don't worry. My associate made sure to put her in her place." He frowned a bit. "She did cause him a bit of trouble. Perhaps it would be best to see if she could fly too…"

"So, she's a pretty strong Mage if she's giving you guys a run for your money, then."

Bluenote blinked as confusion mixed with his madness as he looked at Natsu.

For Natsu was grinning ear-to-ear in that radiant confidence his enemies would hate.

"Thanks for telling me Igneel and Mary Jane are okay," Natsu appreciated. "That's one less thing I have to worry about."

Bluenote was caught off-guard at that. "But… How did you—?"

"When I'm done here, I'll make sure those kids get a party for putting up with your crap," Natsu vowed. "They deserve it if it meant they gave your little friend a hard time." His grin was still there, but something dark thundered on his face. "But, since I'm hearing you deliberately put my niece in danger just to get a rise out of my kid, that doesn't sit well with me." His flames began to climb into the air as a response to their master's will. They growled and snarled, incensed along with him. "I don't give a damn if you're a human, a Demon, a god, or a Warlock. I'll burn your very soul for daring to hurt those under the Dragon King's protection."

Bluenote bared his teeth. "Why can't you understand we are the same? We can fly! We are above those pathetic lives you so desperately want to protect!"

"And, that's where you're wrong!" Natsu roared. "This isn't a food chain we're talking about! No life is above another life! Life is sacred and precious and should be loved! But, when you decided life was just worthless to you"—flames consumed Natsu as he burst forward with his eyes burning ruby—"you lost the right to call yourself a 'human'!"

Bluenote snarled as his wings flapped and he soared towards Natsu. "'Human'? I would never call myself such a disgusting word! To be human means to be flightless—to be weak! You lost the right to be 'human' when you accepted your power!" He lifted his post horn to his lips.

A baring snarl. "You're wrong!"

Bluenote's eyes widened when a scaled hand broke free of the flames in front of him and grabbed onto his post horn.

"It doesn't matter if I'm part-dragon or demon! My right as a human isn't stripped away from me!" Natsu boomed.

"But, why even want to be 'human'?" Bluenote shouted. "You can be so much more than the prey that cries when they feel a hint of pain! You are the Etherious King!"

"I am Natsu of Fairy Tail!" came a snap back from the flames. Wings flapped out of the flames in their burgundy, webbed glory. "I am the Dragon King, son of Igneel the Fire Dragon King, the husband of Lucy, and a damn good dad to four kids I will live and die for! And, you"—the flames died down as Natsu was left in his glinting scales, his horns, his tail, his talons, and reddish emerald glinting through his eyes—"made an enemy out of me!"

And, flames erupted around both of them.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Time to check-in at the evacuation center!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Nothing had changed at the evacuation center except for the noise level. Children had been put to bed and curled into the blankets and pillows provided for them. Many of the elderly and few exhausted adults succumbed to sleep and so did many pets and sick patients, but many could not join the dream world. NJ was still fighting sleep with Bleu, the two watching news reports on their Compacts. Ekho seemed sober as she messaged her parents with good night's and Bane stayed close to her with a bit of worry in his eyes. Nolan was vaguely awake, snuggled in his stepsister's lap. The mayor and her guards were wide awake and listening into the constant updates with unreadable expressions. Volunteers gave their hourly rounds and murmured soft words to their patients. Evergreen had taken to cuddling with Liberty and Eloise while Kinana cuddled with Rose and all three girls and two women asleep. Zuri curled into a ball in-between Evergreen's legs, making her nest for the night, while James stretched himself by the side of his owner. Lisanna stayed awake as she watched her three boys sleep, oblivious to what horrors were back in the town they were playing in what felt like forever ago. Aine took to helping out wherever she could and ended up comforting an old woman who was sniffling for the sake of his relative fighting in Margaret Town. Other Mages that had left with their children kept to themselves and prayed for this to be over soon.

Mara stayed away in her wheelchair and watched the darkness outside like it had answers to the unknown. A gentle hand touched Mara's shoulders and Mara turned her head to see a weakly-smiling Mirajane.

"I see you can't sleep," Mira noted to the Vipress. Her hand slid off Mara's shoulders as her eyes gazed out to the windows and the darkness. "I can't either," she added. "I have too much on my mind."

For this time, Mara did not use her hands to converse. Her mind brushed against Mira's, but just enough to make a small connection, nothing big.

Have you been able to reach anyone inside the town?

Mira's eyes saddened, and she shook her head. "I've tried calling anyone in Lamia Scale or Fairy Tail, but I get that their Compact is out of range, and I can only leave a message," she reported. "Freed says he can't reach anyone either."

How's the guild? Mara wanted to know. How are they taking it?

"When I first called Freed when we got here, Freed says there were a lot of Mages who wanted to come to Margaret Town and help out," Mira explained. "But, Erza sent him a message just a little before noon when the storm was just coming in and told Freed to make sure no one left Magnolia or came to Margaret Town. No one's happy about that, but orders are orders after all."

Mara agreed to that.

It's hard being helpless. Being on the sidelines isn't the way of our guild. Our mentality says we have to band together in times of trouble.

She smiled down at her legs hidden beneath the blanket.

If I could, I'd be out there, fighting by my brother's side. But, I have to stay on the sidelines and only hope he's okay.

"Hoping is sometimes the best type of help," Mira said like she deeply understood the value of her words. "I'm hoping Mary Jane will be okay out there."

You can't reach her?

Mira shook her head. "Can you?"

This time, Mara shook her head.

She's out of my telepathic range. She was out of it even when we were in the train station. Same with Igneel.

Mira pulled Laxus' jacket around her even more. "I want to believe Igneel is with her," she confessed. "I know he'll watch over her and take care of her, but…"

Mara filled in the blanks with her thoughts impressing as much soothing as they could.

He knows what she is capable of, Aunt Mirajane. He's always known. He wouldn't leave her even if she has a relapse. He's a true friend to her.

Mira looked down at the ground, cerulean swimming with odd grief. "A 'true friend' or truly reckless?" she mumbled, tacking on the questioning lilt. "There were times I had to wonder why he kept coming back. He's just like his parents in so many ways. He's so kind-hearted and forgiving with everything. He's always smiling, but, there are times I wonder how much of a toll it takes on him."

Mara's eyes fell at that. She ingested Mira's words with care before planning her next thought.

I know how much Mary Jane wishes for things to be different, she admitted quietly. Like Ultear, I'm an Empath. Not as powerful as she is, but I still understand impressions and feelings. Your daughter is strong. As a promise to any patient of mine, I can't reveal too much. Even with her being a minor and you being her parent, I can only disclose so much. You should know how much she hates herself for many things she's trying to understand.

Mira's eyes watered, and she flicked away a stray tear. "I know," she whispered.

But, Aunt Mirajane? Mara called. Just know… Mary Jane isn't my only Fairy Tail patient.

That got Mirajane's eyes to widen and to look at Mara. Mara, however, took back to staring out to the dark sky like she was waiting for something to happen.

I think you have nothing to worry about, Aunt Mirajane, she assured. He has no intentions of giving up.

DRIP.

A sniffle left Mirajane's nose.

DROP.

Tears poured down her cheeks and she covered her face with her hands.

And, Vipress of Fairy Tail watched on with a dispassionate look about her as the Demoness of Fairy Tail sunk down beside her to silently weep in a tangle of emotions that mixed relief and sadness.

---

Night crept upon Magnolia Town before it even knew it was being attacked. The moon admired herself in Lake Sciliora, feeling so pretty that she brightened and touched the marketplace town with her ethereal light. Lights from the citizens dotted the city along with street lamps and whatnot, but no one was really outside at this time of night. Not that it was forbidden; it just was not normal to be out so late in the fall.

The Fairy Tail Guild was still open, but it would be closing soon enough. Freed and Constantine were in the guild with a few other members who took to cleaning up the guild hall. There was something hanging in the guild hall, but it was nothing tangible. It was a certain air—a dreaded air. The faces of the Mages who remained in Fairy Tail for reasons of not wanting to part-take in the Margaret Town festivities were riddled with self-loathing and guilt for being safe while their guild-family fought for survival.

Freed and Constantine watched Lacrima-Vision from the safety of the Fairy Tail Recreation Room with Coeus lounging against the pool table. Their eyes were drawn to the news the screen displayed. A drone, it would seem, was covering as much live footage as it could, shaking from the weathering storm. It did a good job capturing footage of the wreckage even if the images were a bit scattery and would glitch out from time to time. Gaping holes dented the town that once held a refined elegance it possessed. The aerial view was high enough to see swirls and flairs of Magic being used to fight back against the enemy, but it was not low enough to distinguish Mage from Mage.

"—ith the further destruction of Margaret Town, we can only ask ourselves: was this intended to happen?" came the voiceover of a news anchor and a male one. "Some speculators say the horrors we see right now were supposed to happen. Can you believe that?"

"No, I can't, Thomas," came a female reply. "But, I do remember hearing about these rumors. Now, according to legend, Margaret Town provoked its Guardian Duo into appearing and destroying the town. They were given warning long ago by a T'zolkin man that this peril would happen. But, these people wrongfully ignored—"

MUTE

Freed rubbed his face as he set the remote down. "This is a nightmare," he muttered, tone cold with exhaustion.

Constantine continued to watch the Lacrima-Vision with his processing eyes. "Would it not be necessary to send in reinforcements?" he inquired.

"Ever strongly advised against it, and so did Mirajane," Freed told the Lacroid. "From what the news says, soldiers have been stationed all across Margaret Town to keep any Mages from getting in. By word of Master Ooba and Erza, we are not to set foot into Margaret Town unless they needs us, but, from the call I had with Master Erza earlier, it sounds like we're stuck in Magnolia until we win or the Guardian Duo destroys the town in their own battle." He slid his hands against his nose and sank against them. "At least those evacuated are doing fine, but I can't help but feel completely useless right now," he growled. "I know Justin can take care of himself, but I'd feel much better if my Libby was right with me."

Silence rocked the recreation room.

Coeus shifted from his position. "What I find a little odd about all of this is their emphasis on the old legend," he spoke.

Freed closed his eyes. "Meaning what, Coeus?"

Coeus crossed his arms over his chest. "From what I know, the legend of the Guardian Duo terrorizing Margaret Town is a famous one divided into four parties. One"—he held up a finger—"believes that the people of Margaret Town rudely ignored this 'prophet', decimated their town, deserved their destruction, and are under the impression this is the day of retribution. Two"—he held up a second finger—"believes the legend lies. That the people of the olden days were nothing more than saints and the Guardian Duo merely terrorized the town because they could. Three"—he held up a third finger—"believes neither as T'zolkins have very little credibility with their dreams of the future and believe the Guardian Duo is nothing more than a hoax. And, four"—he added his fourth and final finger—"believe this involves something bigger than all of us."

"Coeus," Constantine spoke, "I believe you are referring to urban legend discussion websites on the LacriNet."

"Those are merely for children," Freed dismissed, opening his eyes. "All they talk about is the same 'Bloody Mary' and theories about what happened nearly three decades ago."

"Yes, but we know all legends have a bit of truth to them," Coeus remarked as he pulled out his Compact and unlocked it. "Rumors might be rumors, but it's common knowledge a rumor was once a fact first and foremost. And, it seems people are starting to scratch the surface." He tapped appropriately onto the screen of his Compact, then looked at the Lacrima-Vision.

The Lacrima-Vision turned into a Portable Archive Lacrima Screen with multiple websites being shown at the same time. A few were blogs by devoted theorists. Others were crude discussions pages with topics ranging from GHOSTS: THEY'RE REAL AND THEY'RE HERE to ANYONE KNOW HOW TO SUMMON A DEMON? and then there were a few outlandish ones speaking about incidents that happened decades ago. Coeus brought up one particular article with the title: 26 YEARS AGO WAS THE CATALYST TO THE END.

"People are starting to wonder what exactly happened all those years ago," Coeus explained. "This discussion board talks about how it all was a catalyst for the events starting now." He pulled up a blog of a dedicated theorist.

The topic read:

DEMONS ARE REAL AND HERE'S HOW TO CATCH ONE

He scrolled down the article for blurred images and a few five-second videos to appear. "And, some of this is happening now around the world," he continued. "Animals are the best when it comes to sensing the unnatural, but people always have a way of feeling it to a lesser extent. They make-up things they don't understand to understand. They want answers. They want everything to make sense."

Coeus pulled up another blog.

The title read:

FESTIVAL OF GRATITUDE HAS A COVER STORY

The real truth what happened more than 400 years ago was nothing more than a framing

"This one in particular is talking about the Festival of Gratitude," Coeus brought up. "This blogger talks about how Margaret Town was nothing more than an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of something greater. And, what I find interesting is the name they attached it to." He scrolled a bit and zoomed in.

Freed straightened immediately when he saw the name glaring at him.

ZEREF

"How could anyone know his name?" Freed demanded.

Coeus brought up more websites and Freed's eyes drastically widened as he saw they were all dedicated to Zeref. Some were speaking about the terrors Zeref was accountable for, but none of them held true. They talked of the evil Satan named Zeref, brother to Lucifer, who wrongfully assaulted faithful wives and stole your last-born. But, a majority were not against him—they followed him blindly. They were cultists with Zeref as their god, calling him God of Death, Lord of Demons, the Great Devil. They worshipped him and prayed to him for something they called "Death's Kiss" to kill their hated ones with one touch.

"This is all-over the world," Coeus said unnecessarily. It was obvious with the amount of various languages that these websites came from other than Fiore. "This isn't on a regular network either. Anything about Zeref or anything about the Etherious or demons on the LacriNet is taken down immediately, if not by the Council then whatever equivalent to a country's Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sports is. I had to do some digging into another network called Nerv. Thousands of people are looking into Zeref. Some of them became small-named terrorists governments try to cover up like they never existed."

Freed tried to wrap his head around this. "Relate this back to what is happening in Margaret Town," he demanded.

"Simple," Coeus said. "If people really thought the Guardian Duo would return out of the blue, they're stupid. There's always a deeper reason. You just have to ask the right question to get the answer you want. From what we know, the River Guardian came first and it was angry. Why was it angry? The Festival of Gratitude is when the people of Margaret Town pay tribute to nature and the guardians who watch after them. So, what gives? What's changed?"

Freed was beginning to understand it all when Constantine piped up, "The arrival of demons on a global level."

"But, if a demon was in Margaret Town, why wouldn't they just destroy it themselves and use the Guardians for their main purpose?" Coeus pressed. "Why wouldn't the demon show itself this time? From what I've researched about demons in the past, they weren't ones to go into hiding. They loved to openly destroy and rule. It was in their nature. So, why are the demons so under the radar? How are they under the radar?"

"You don't think a demon is in Margaret Town." Freed turned his head to offer Coeus a measured look.

Coeus shrugged. "I don't," he agreed. "At least, not directly. It's obvious a demon's Curse was used on the River Guardian to get it to react this way. And, if it was used once, who is to say it wasn't used all those centuries ago?"

Freed deeply frowned as Coeus questions mirrored his internal ones. "But, why would whoever's conspiring this wait until now?" he wanted to know. "Why this day?"

Coeus shut down his Compact and the Lacrima Screen went back to the news channel. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and pushed himself off the pool table. "That's the question, isn't it?" And, he swept out of the room like he always did, leaving more questions than answered.

°•°•°•°

The Takanashi household was naturally quiet when night struck close to ten. When you lived in such a lively family of two teenagers and three children, you had to keep a tight ship. The littlest ones were dead asleep since eight while the eldest two retired to their rooms to do as they pleased within the noise parameters. Mister and Misses Takanashi were in bed together, but their eyes could not stop watching a talk show, watching the atrocities in Margaret Town.

"We are lucky enough Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and the Anti-Magic Units close by have joined forces to save the town but come –on!"The hostess watching the live feed shook her head in mild disgust. "At this point, is it even worth saving the town? The people are out. These Mages are risking their lives for nothing."

The other hostesses muttered their agreement.

"If those two beasts want to duke it out in a desert, that's fine with me," a hostess of a firm up-do sniffed. "I say the Ministry of Defense needs to launch whatever secret weapons they have and kill the beasts once and for all!" She looked out in the audience as she gained a bit of applause for her declaration. "Am I right or am I right, ladies?"

"How can they say that?" Misses Takanashi griped. "Fairy Tail isn't risking their lives over 'nothing'! Those are people's homes! Families and friends once lived there!"

Mister Takanashi sighed. "I know, dearest, but you know guilds and Magic will always have a few negative ratings," he reminded.

She sighed and leaned into her husband's hold. "I just pray everyone makes it out alive," she confessed. "That's all I ask."

"I know, dearest." Mister Takanashi kissed her temple. "I'm praying for that too."

°•°•°•°

Molly watched the news from the comfort outside of Magnolia and in a city that did not understand the words "lights out" or "sleep". She lounged on a couch too expensive to be sat on and ate her chips, her Compact lying on her stomach. She frowned as the live feed zoomed in to catch sight of Ellie Strauss, Garden Fairy of Fairy Tail, getting support from a Mage who shot spider thread from his palms and swung the both of them away.

"I hope Mary Jay-Jay and Iggy are okay," she pouted. "I don't know what I'd do without them."

Footsteps padded into the living room that was straight out of a home renovation show. The steps belonged to a caramel gentleman who could certainly hold his own in a fight. He wiped the leftover cream from his face with his face towel as his eyes skimmed over the news. "Huh," he muttered. "Looks like things aren't going to well still, are they?"

"I wish there was something we could do," Molly told her father. "I'm really worried about Mary Jay-Jay and my future husband."

Her father sighed. "After this mess, people are going to need some help getting back on their feet," he said. "If I can get the board on-board, we could put together a fundraiser for those people."

Molly brightened at that. "Oh, my school could donate to families who lost their belongings!" she planned. "I have a lot of clothes I can donate! We could do a food drive too!"

"That's the spirit," her father chuckled. "Hopefully, the Mages can save the day and keep Margaret Town from being obliterated."

"They have to, Dad!" Molly insisted. "They can't lose! They have to win to protect the home of so many people! They just have to!"

"I know, sweetheart," her father calmed. "And, I really want them to too, but…" He tried not to flinch when he saw the King Arthur of Fairy Tail get thrown off his trusty steed and slammed onto the ground by an ugly frog-like thing with acidic black dripping off its body.

But, it feels like this might be a battle not even Fairy Tail can win.

°•°•°•°

Pizzeria Da Domo was virtually empty at this time of night. It had a few more hours to spare, but it was winding down for the evening with only true patrons staying. A few workers took to cleaning the tables and putting the chairs on top while two others swept and mopped the place. The kitchen was open, but only Uncle Ben was left. He sent the others home without fail once it was late at night. He stayed at the bar with Marie Ann and a few clients, but their eyes were on the Lacrima-Vision above the bar showing live footage on of Margaret Town on LBC NIGHTLY NEWS.

The footage zoomed in on a pink-haired Mage with his chestnut eyes burning. He versed a titan of a familiar with a bow and an arrow made of pure golden Magic.

"Here we have live feed of Luke Dragneel against one of those awful creatures," came a female reporter. "John, do you happen to know what these creatures are called?"

The Lacrima-Vision switched to the anchor room. Two news anchors shared the stage with the live feed swirling around the familiar that was bigger than most with a smiley face ironically imprinted on its face and its mouth wide and hungry.

The male reporter shook his head. "From what we've gathered, people are calling them 'spirits', but, Yoko, I've never seen spirits like these before," he said. "In fact, I don't think they're spirits at all."

"Neither do I, John."

Uncle Ben frowned as he listened to the two news anchors go back and forth of the true names of the creatures.

Oh, Mimmo, Cara Mia… Just what have you gotten yourselves into?

°•°•°•°

The Sterling-Armstrong Household was a well-organized manor and that was something Brika prided herself in. It was built upon specification with each hallway and room serving an immediate purpose. The piano room had been thoroughly dusted and now slept under darkness' blanket. The dining room was vacated with no plates to be seen. The cook had left his kitchen, shutting off the lights with a tired yawn. With the servants retiring to their quarters, the only people roaming the grounds actively were at-the-ready guards. Even the children lay asleep in their beds with care for their dreams.

Brika lay in her bed with her hair wrapped, her nightie on, her PAL (Portable Archive Lacrima) in her lap, and the LV remote in her hand. She gave a cool look to the Lacrima-Vision as it projected the atrocities in Margaret Town and the battle of two gods live from FNN. She turned to GOOD MORNING FIORE news network to see the same footage. She changed the channel to M! NEWS, THE WITCHING HOUR, and even tried LBC NIGHTLY NEWS only for the same footage from Margaret Town to be played. In her childish anger, she slammed the remote down and crossed her arms, jolting the PAL in her lap.

"Infuriating Magi destroy a town once again without any retribution," Brika muttered, cross.

"Acushla?" came a pleasant trill with an attractive tenor pitch. "What did we say about using that word?"

Brika growled, but it was not in anger. More in her annoyance. "I can't help it," she grumbled. "It's been the same old story with those Mages." She emphasized the term like she was trying to atone for the derogatory replacement she used earlier. "As always, the Ministry of Defense can't do anything about it since it is Magic Protocol. Any magical affair shall be dealt with only by the Magic Council unless the Councilman graces us with his presence and begs for military help." She growled louder at that and glared as the feed zoomed in on a female Mage identified as Chika as she bloodily fought away creatures that sinned in terms of beauty, looking so ugly it was necessary to cringe.

"This is just disturbing!" Brika snapped at the Lacrima-Vision.

The bathroom light flickered off for a man to come out in a loose t-shirt and shorts. He was opposite of his wife with pale, freckled skin and curled red hair that did its own thing. He looked a bit slimmer, but that did not stop him from being fit. He smiled daintily at his wife. "Acushla, if this is upsettin' you so much, maybe we should turn it to somethin' else," he suggested. His words had a bit of that ole Minstrish flair mixed with lilt of something else, a brogue.

⌜B & L CORPS

Name: Seamus Sterling-Armstrong

Age: 34

Occupation: CEO of B & L Corporation

Likes: bangers and mash Dislikes: Magimon

Special Note: Seamus is the proud husband of Captain Brika and the CEO of an international corporation—but what this man would give to be a stay-at-home father! ⌟

"I can't," Brika bit. "How can this oh-so-powerful Magic Council just sit back and let this happen? What good are the Council members if they don't do anything to help out in a time of crisis? Or, even those stupid Sorcerers and Alchemists?"

Seamus shrugged as he slipped into his side of the bed. "Dunno, Acushla. Council members aren't just from Ishgar. They hail from different continents and same goes for the Sorcerers," he reminded softly. He kissed his wife's shoulder. "This might not be ranked high enough for them to step in."

"Then, why won't Minister Marignano let the military storm the town and do things right?" Brika hissed in questioning. "This doesn't make any sense."

Seamus wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. "You told me the guy's a closed-off chancer," he reminded into her skin. "He's got his reasons, Acushla, even if ya don't understand 'em."

Brika closed her eyes as Seamus nuzzled his nose into her cheek and gave her another soothing kiss. "Doesn't mean I like it," she muttered. "Especially when Fairy Tail is involved. Whenever they're around, there's trouble."

Seamus snickered. "You might want to tell 'em to feck off, but Sirius, Evanna, and Hailey love 'em to death."

Brika groaned at that. "How can my own children waste their time rooting for Magi?" It was surprising to hear her normally-stern voice break into a whine. "A Magus is nothing but more trouble and paperwork for everyone else to fill out."

Seamus stole back the remote from his wife and turned the LV off, much to her protest. He laughed at her attempts to steal back the remote. "I think it's time to put the PAL away, turn off the LV, and sleep, Acushla."

As he took the PAL away from Brika, she muttered, "No doubt Captain Sterling was called to the scene. If they wanted a real captain, I would've given them one. He's too incompetent to take me down, let alone anyone else."

Seamus planted a kiss on Brika's cheek and turned off the bedside lights. "Bed, Acushla, now. You have to wake up the kids at four-thirty for their morning routine and I know you'll be even more miffed if you don't get enough sleep."

Brika scowled, but she let her husband guide her into bed. She curled into him, into his arms, but she could not get the anger out of her system.

Titania… If you and your guild lose, don't expect me to be so lenient to you the next time we cross swords…

---

The thing about the sea was that it was all connected in one way or another.

There was no stream, no river, no brook, no waterfall that did not connected back to the great oceans. Every aquatic soul knew such a lesson. In theory, they could travel the world by just swimming without ever having to see land on the contrary to land-dwellers who were forced to see water if they wanted to go from one continent to the next.

A bird sailed through the seas like it was flying. It had two sets of fin-like wings and a flowing pair of whiskers. It sailed through the sea with scales running down its stomach.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is a Horus, also known as the hawk of the sea. Horuses have two forms: their Sea Forms and their Sky Forms. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The Horus sailed deeper into the ocean, passing by fish of nature and of Magic. It seemed like aquatic life understood the Horus was going somewhere in a hurry and darted out of its way. A few Abaia looked on as the Horus soared deeper into the sea. Less light was in this area and more rock, but the Horus was not deterred.

It took some time until the Horus found where it wanted to go. It flew over a forest of seaweed to get to the opening of an underwater tunnel. It was too dark to see a thing, but the Horus did not care. It stopped before the entrance and flapped its wings.

The Horus opened its mouth. "Swull," he sang with sound waves vibrating and pushing into the cave. It continued its song for a few more moments before stopping and soaring sway like nothing happened.

Silence.

Nothing happened.

Burning eyes of green opened in the dead of the cave.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"Hey? Hey, sweetheart?"

The focus drearily opened to see the misshaped figure of a man. He knelt before her. Was she on a bed? Why did he wake her up? He looked so blurry that all she got out was his tan skin. His eyes and his hair were hidden beneath shades and a hat respectively.

He offered her a grin. "Sorry to wake ya." His accent carried that high, gliding vowel with his r's being dropped. It sounded similarly to the New Azalea City accent with a touch of something deeper, maybe foreign. "I have ta leave ta catch a train for work, but I'll be back before dinna." His gloved hand reached out to her and she felt her hair being played with. "Love ya, sweetheart," he cooed. His hand left her hair to drift to her stomach. "Love this little guy too," he teased. He pulled back his hand as he got up. "Go back ta sleep, sweetheart," he soothed. "See ya soon."

She tried to fight it. She tried to fight it as her focus began to blacken. She tried not to give in.

But, she did.

And, she slept.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Mary Jane's mouth felt like the Acacia Desert in Desierto the second she regained consciousness.

It was that uncomfortable dry spell where you could not produce enough to saliva to even swallow and help your parched throat. It felt awkward and lumpy to even try. So, Mary Jane shivered when she accidentally did it on instinct and shut her eyes. A deep groan came from her and with it came a name. "Igneel…"

The focus shifted on an ocean of golden flames, soothing and sating.

"Igneel," Mary Jane tried again, calling for him. "Igneel…"

Something shuffled beside her. She felt something cold press against her lips and her chapped lips were hit with something liquid and smelled pure. Her mouth instinctively opened, and she flinched when water filled with her mouth. The first swallow was harsh on her, but the second and third ones were easier. She could feel her mouth change from being sand paper to that comfortable moist it should be. Eventually, she had enough, and her hand reached up to push the glass away from her.

The glass was pulled away and there was shuffling again.

Mary Jane cracked open her eyes. They felt sleep-heavy, but she did it anyways. Nothing was blurry, just unrecognizable to her for the moment. She ignored the pain as she opened her eyes all the way, blinking. She saw she was on the ground and could feel indents stinging into her cheek. She recognized that there was light and that there was earth and she laid on it. She did not recognize dirty, bare feet as they shuffled before her.

"Would you like more water?" came a voice cracked with age.

Mary Jane grunted. "No," she rasped, sounding like somewhere between groggy and grumpy. "Where's…Igneel?" She rocked herself to her stomach and tried to push herself onto all-fours. When her back arched just a tad, she hissed and let out an involuntary whimper.

A hand helped guide her back onto her stomach. "Careful," came a warning. "Your back was injured. I washed your lash marks and dressed your back with some of my cloak. It's not much, but it should help stop the bleeding."

Mary Jane licked her lips. So dry. "Thank you," she appreciated hoarsely. "Where's Igneel? Where am I?"

There was more shuffling. "You're in my prison," came soft remark. "Your friend here came to it before to help the other child. Both of them are still unconscious and Igneel contracted a light case of MDD, but don't worry. I had enough of my potion to help him recover a bit."

Mary Jane shut her eyes for a moment. "Thank you," she got out, "for helping us." Again, she tried getting to all-fours. Her arms shook as her back cried for her to settle down, but she fought against everything.

Hands guided her to sit up this time. It was a gentle procedure that Mary Jane needed. She was helped to her knees before being helped to sit against a wall. Mary Jane let her head rest and her eyes close as the hands left her and there was shuffling.

"Believe me when I say helping you was the least I could do," came a murmur. "And, I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you or your friends."

Mary Jane blinked open her eyes to take a look at her savior. The savior took the form of a woman who had little time left and accepted that. She busied herself with something in her ripped cloak, bare feet and dusty hair that used to be a thicker, brighter blonde on display.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane wondered. "You brought us here. I think that's enough."

"If I could just replenish enough of my Magic, I could finish restoring you and Igneel to your prior forms," the old woman informed.

Mary Jane was quick to say, "Heal him before me. Heal all of his wounds and then Peter's before you even look at mine."

The old woman paused at that. "Are you sure about that?"

Mary Jane's eyes swiveled to see the two boys. Peter lay on the ground and rested in ease. Igneel was laid on a blanket. His back wounds were partially healed into angry, scarring welts, but seeing them still made Mary Jane look away in great guilt and shame. "Yeah," she croaked. "Make sure there aren't any scars on them before moving on to me."

"Unfortunately, he might have to live with scars," the old woman spoke. "I can only restore so much."

Mary Jane sighed and leaned her head back on the rock. "Whatever you can do, we're grateful for," she promised. Her eyes traveled back to the old woman. She saw a vicious burn mark on the outer side of her left calf. "But, who exactly are you?" she demanded to know. "And, what are you doing down here as a prisoner?"

The old woman's shoulders drooped. "It… It's hard for me to remember too much," she admitted. "My memory comes and goes now. But, as for my name…" She turned around to smile at Mary Jane.

Droopy brown eyes connected with sober cerulean.

"My name is Dimaria Yesta," the old woman introduced. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady."

---

Ten Mages defended the guild hall and that was all they needed. No creature dared try to approach a household full of Mage and, with runes protecting the hall, no creature would ever be getting in. They were on the lookout for trouble, however. Three kept watch on the location of the Guardian Duo while the other seven surrounded the hall on all sides in preparation for a fight.

One Mage in particular scanned the street with their binoculars. He was a middle-aged thing in a rain jacket and he kept his Fulgumiho close to him. He looked like the type of man that might have lacked any physical fitness, but surely made up for it in his magical prowess.

⌜LAMIA SCALE

Name: Finnegan

Age: 47

Occupation: Mage

Magic: Clone Magic

Likes: old cartoons Dislikes: the ocean

Special Note: Finnegan actually came from Bellum, but he moved to Fiore out of want to join Lamia Scale! ⌟

Finnegan scanned the street when something stopped him. A silhouette appeared to turn the corner and onto the street.

His Fulgumiho growled, bearing its fangs. It had green fur with waves of lightning flowing down its pelt and sparking all the way down to its nine tails. It had an old collar around its next, but its most distinguishing feature was the white lightning bolt down its chest.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is a Fulgumiho, a lightning-type Kumiho. They tend to stay in urban cities as a way to always keep their electricity replenished. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"We've got on," Finnegan shouted to the other Mages. He glanced at his Fulgumiho. "Nia, go check it out."

The Fulgumiho barked and jumped up to the ledge of the tower. She had no issue jumping down from her perch and onto the next building, using her lightning to keep her grounded. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop with her eyes on the stranger that stumbled into a building wall and slid down it. It was only until she got closer did she realize who it was and her hostility changed into concern. She jumped down from the rooftop for her paws to sprint to the person. Once she was close enough, she whined as she looked at the person.

Ultear panted as she looked up at Nia. A sprained ankle, a bloody hip, and burn marks tormented her body, but she held type to the icy sword. She gave a weak smile to Nia and lifted a hand to pet her. "Hey, girl," she greeted. "Think you can help me get back to the guild?"

Nia whined and licked Ultear's cheek.

°•°•°•°

Two Mages and Nia helped Ultear onto her own blanket. She winced when she was forced to sit, but she did not cry over it. "Thank you," she rasped and set down her sword.

"Ultear!"

Ultear looked up for her mother to flock her, worry in her big eyes. "Mom?"

Meredy dropped beside Ultear with the Mages and Nia giving her space. She spread out her medical supplies, glancing at Ultear's hip wound. "What happened?" she questioned as she got out a fresh wash cloth and dipped it in warm water. "Where's your brother and the others?"

Ultear flinched as her mother took to cleaning her wound. "Linus, Uncle Gray, and Julia took the others and escaped," she explained.

"'Trapped'?" Meredy glanced up at her daughter in confusion. "What do you mean 'trapped'?"

Ultear sighed. "You know all those Mages and creatures we had at the pool? Well, they aren't themselves anymore, Mom," she confessed. "They've gone crazy and were trying to kill us all."

Meredy's mouth dropped at that and she halted in cleaning Ultear's wound. "What?" she breathed. "Wha—? No… That… That can't be…"

Ultear lowered her eyes. She could not stand to look at her mother. "It is," she murmured. "I saw it with my own eyes. Whatever's happening here is affecting them to the point of wanting to kill everyone. Linus and Julia took the others somewhere safe and Uncle Gray is keeping all of them in one place, but…" Her shoulders dropped. "I don't know how long he can keep them imprisoned."

"He won't be alone."

Ultear and Meredy looked up to see Master Erza hovering above them. "Guild Master Erza…"

Erza's eyes slanted to Ultear. "If what you say is true, then we will send reinforcements to Gray at once." She scanned the guild hall as though assessing the states of Mages and already picking out the most suitable. "He will need anyone with Lightning, Green, Holy, Darkness, or Shadow Magic. Those types of Magic are most effective against Water Magic."

Cana came into the group. Her head was bandaged, and her burn marks had been treated accordingly, but that did not deter her determined grin. "Well then, Guild Master, it looks like you already have one Mage ready and able," she reported. She fanned out her cards. "If you want, I can start gathering the troops."

Erza nodded at her. "Very well. I'll seek out Master Ooba." She looked back at Ultear and smiled a little. "You did well, Ultear. Now, rest." And, she and Cana parted away with their own purposes.

Meredy began to tug at Ultear's ruined jacket. "Let's get this off so I can put cream on your burn marks."

Ultear shrugged off her jacket and told her mother, "I feel so much fear from this whole town. But, the most pain I feel is coming from the River Guardian. It's almost overwhelming."

Meredy did not look surprised as she screwed off the top to the cream. "I know. I don't think the River Guardian is doing this out of spite for us or the human race," she said. "I think it genuinely does care about us and would never hurt us."

"So, the question isn't why it's hurting us, but who wants to hurt it?" Ultear wondered.

Meredy shook her head and began to apply the cream as gently as she could. "I wouldn't say that," she negated. "More like the question is why does someone need the Guardian Duo?"

---

Pantherlily and Gajeel made sure to stick to the shadows as they moved closer to the museum. It was easy to not be seen. Animal instinct would tell them where the enemy was, and they would adjust and reroute. It was how to survive in a hostile environment. Blend in with the shadows and become one with the air around you. You had to keep your head down and your eyes open.

They crossed the bridge as lightning streaked the sky and had stairs to climb. They made it up the stairs only to flatten themselves against the wall. They crept closer to peer into the plaza laid out for them. They were not alone. Vile creatures unlike the familiars and watery creatures and water creatures paced about. These were none other than chimeras, creatures mashed together in hideous physiques. Dozens littered the yard, not a fan of the rain.

"Looks like someone is trying to get the drop on us with all these chimeras," Pantherlily rumbled. "Think we could just pass it off as a man with his cat?"

Gajeel smirked as his arm silently turned into his Iron Dragon Club. "Even if we tried, pretty sure they'd still kill us." His eyes slid to his Exceed. "Lily…" He tried to say the words, but they were harder than ever to come out. "I'm… I'm—"

"Don't worry about it now," Pantherlily dismissed in soothe. "We have a few dozen chimera to take out first. Probably more when we get to the museum."

"No way these bastards came here on their own conscious," Gajeel muttered. "Last time I checked, Bluenote was just a Gravity Mage. Not a Tamer."

Pantherlily seemed to remember something. "But… He did have a Tamer with him the last time he invaded Margaret Town," he realized. "'Spezi', wasn't it?"

"Crap, not that Tamer," Gajeel groaned. "Hated his case file. Magical creature trafficking, specialized Chimera Tamer, and with ties in with that shitty 'library' laboratory whatever. His chimeras won't be the real issue. For him to Tame two gods, he's got insane power."

Pantherlily readied his sword. "But, we can take him and make him release his hold on the River Guardian."

Gajeel's fanged smirk was back. "Hell yeah we can. Fairy Tail ain't quitters." He looked at his clubbed arm. "This is for pipsqueak," he dedicated. "Everyone we take down, it's for him, got that?"

"Of course." Pantherlily had no argument in that.

Gajeel flexed his arm. "Good." He dove into battle with his Exceed right on his tail. "Then, let's go, Lily!"

---

On the outskirts of Margaret Town were horse-drawn carriages with soldiers riding on their steeds alongside them. Most looked rightfully anxious being so close to the battlefield while the veterans steeled their nerves to get the job done.

Julia stood beside a few other soldiers and nodded to the driver. "That should be the last of them," she said.

The driver nodded and gave a sharp whistle to his horses before cracking the reins. The horses neighed, but they began to move into a steady canter with the other horses following in their lead.

Julia turned to the soldiers. "Will you guys be okay?" she asked out of obligation rather than worry.

The soldiers smiled and nodded while one said, "We'll be fine, ma'am. Are you sure you didn't want to go with them?"

Julia nodded and turned back to Margaret Town, to the storm of trouble waiting. "I'm positive," she confirmed. "I have to get back anyways."

The soldier who spoke before frowned. "Ma'am—"

"Don't worry." Julia allowed them to see her warm smile. "I can handle myself. I might not be a Mage, but I always make sure I carry weapons with me." To prove her point, she put her ams down and jerked them. Daggers slid out of the sleeves and into her hands, ready to kill.

The soldiers merely gawked at her.

As Julia put her daggers back, she pointed at the stallion of one of the soldiers. "But, do you think I could take your stallion back into town? I have to get back to my partner," she explained.

The soldier who owned the stallion was stunned for a moment, but he snapped out of his trance to walk the steed forward. "U-Uh, sure," he allowed. "His name is Flynn. He has a bit of an ego to him."

Julia took the reins from the soldier to look at the Friesian horse dead in the eye. Flynn bobbed his head a bit and gave a whinny. Julia smiled and held out her hand. Flynn bumped his nose against it and let out a breath as though accepting her as his rider.

"Thank you," Julia appreciated. "I'll only ride him until I see any danger. Can he get back on his own?"

The soldier grinned at that. "Wouldn't be my horse if he can't find his rider."

Julia chuckled and went to Flynn's side. Mounting him was an easy feat, but she had to adjust herself on the saddle. Flynn shifted as though he was getting used to her weight. Julia took the reins and got them comfortable in her hands. She glanced back at the soldiers and gave them a salute before turning forward.

"Hyah!" Julia cried, kicking Flynn's sides softly and cracking the reins.

Flynn neighed loudly and reared onto his hind hooves. He landed back on all-fours and burst into a controlled gallop towards the battlefield.

Julia let her kind mask slip off with her sober one falling into place nicely. She did not care about the wind and rain messing with her clothes or the cracks of lightning or the ugly noises of the two gods fighting and destroying Margaret Town.

I'm coming for you, Elvin. Linus… Just hold on a little longer.

---

Happy wished he could say he had never seen such destruction as he flew over Margaret Town.

The entire city was a mess unto itself. He flinched when he saw the two guardians destroy another section of the town.

I really wish I knew what was going on. I hope Gajeel and Lily can figure out why the guardians are being like this.

The Lamia Scale Guild snuck up on him and he soared for it. He circled around to get to the entryway and ignored the Lamia Scale members consider him as a non-threat and a friend. A member opened the door for him, so he could fly inside without reducing his speed.

Happy's eyes saddened as he saw the hall.

It was easy to see this brutality had taken a toll on everyone. Man, woman, and child sat on tarps and blankets as they nursed deep claw wounds, bite marks, and burns. Some were worse than others and he tried not to look at those. He headed straight for the stage where Erza and Ooba saw him approaching.

Erza blinked her confusion. "Happy? What are you doing here?" Her face darkened. "What happened to everyone else?"

Happy stopped before his master and ignored the heaviness wet fur gave him to rapidly explain the situation. "We found Bluenote, but he's actually a Warlock."

Ooba and Erza both looked a cross between aghast and rightfully vexed.

Happy panted. "He was the one to call all these familiars here. He turned into some monster. Natsu's fighting him now."

Ooba nodded. "Then, we will send reinforcements—!"

"You can't!" Happy cried. "Natsu is—!" He shut his mouth and eyed Erza as though she would punish him.

Ooba noticed this and turned a stern eye onto her fellow guild master. "He's what, Guild Master?" she asked lowly.

Erza ignored her to nod at Happy. "Where's Gajeel and Pantherlily?"

"Museum," Happy answered, relieved he was free from retribution. "Bluenote said something there could help us understand why the guardians are fighting and Natsu said he was telling the truth."

Erza frowned. "Very well. Gajeel and Pantherlily will need assistance. I'll send out—"

"Master Erza, just what is Natsu Dragneel?" Ooba demanded to know. "And 'Warlock'?"

Erza sighed. "Master Ooba, please. I will explain everything when this is over, and we can go over it with the other guild masters at the league meeting, but, for now, we need Mages to assist Gajeel and Pantherlily."

Ooba did not hesitate at that. "All right." She overlooked the crowd of injured Mages. "I'll pick out three and you do the same. We'll talk later." And, she went off the stage.

Happy's tail drooped. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to say that."

Erza rubbed Happy's head and gave him a small smile. "It's okay, Happy," she soothed. "Slips of the tongue happen. Just try not to make the same mistake twice." Her smile turned into a frown. "So. Which form is he taking?"

"Dragon," Happy responded. "I hope he doesn't use his other form." He looked up at the second floor worriedly. "I don't want Lucy to be upset."

"Natsu wouldn't take that form without someone else present," Erza reminded. "He wouldn't want Lucy or his kids to worry."

But, he's already making me worry. Please, Natsu… Don't lose control.

---

Gary bounced from platform to platform of ice, eyeing the watery creatures and familiars hissing for his blood below him. He put a fist in an open palm. "Ice-Make: Grenade Launcher!" he chanted. The icy weapon formed into Gary's hands as he jumped from platform to platform. He took aim as he eyed through the scope and pulled the trigger.

The familiars and watery creatures snarled at the human trying to get away when ice exploded among them. It spread and spread, freezing them over. Their faces were contorted into hatred and surprise, some leaping up in the air to try to get away and still caught in the crossfire. Gary kept shooting down the street to freeze his enemies where they stood.

Something scathing hot smacked against his back and Gary triggered off his platform to fall onto the ground with a hard SMACK on his side. His grenade launchers dispersed as he dragged himself to his feet. He could feel his skin blistering.

Dammit. Something must've swatted at me.

LUB-DUB.

Gary shook it off when he felt the world tip. He staggered when he felt that type of head ache that made you feel heavy and light-headed at the same time and knocked against your forehead. He growled at himself. "Keep it together," he berated. "You're not coming out any time soon after the stunt you pulled."

He could feel the agitated growl inside him. Let…out, the Devil insisted. Fight...! Kill…! Bolaea…!

Gary straightened the best he could when he saw steam coming off his ice. The watery creatures frozen within were thawing themselves out with their boiling water. He put a fist in an open palm, his Magic Circle blooming beneath him.

No way in Hell are you coming out, he gnashed at his Devil. I'm not letting myself lose control like that again.

"Ice-Make: Secret Art!" Gary chanted. "Black Ice Machine Gun!" The machine gun that formed in his hands was not made of the regular Magic ice he used. The gun was pitch-black and fueled with a different kind of cold. He snorted frost as he waited for his targets to thaw themselves out and charge at him, his finger ready to pull the trigger.

The ice that froze the street was sweating. The familiars frozen inside began to twitch with their prison becoming wetter and weaker while the watery creatures were already melting themselves a way out. A few began to slink onto the ground, disoriented.

Gary tensed as he waited.

Steady…

More of his ice flooded the street as ice-water. Familiars burst free from their trap, gasping for breath. Their eyes fell to him as they sliced and hacked their way out of the ice. The watery creatures had departed from their cold prison to charge at Gary with fury in their eyes and bubbling water energizing them.

Gary's hand twitched on the trigger.

Steady…

Freed familiars joined the hunt. They wanted their fair share of blood as well. Ugly noises of gurgles and hissed left their maws like death threats.

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Ice-Make: Secret Art!" he chanted. His Magic Circle blossomed before the barrel of his gun.

Now, a herd of bloodthirsty enemies charged for him. Their prey was just within their reach and it excited him. The thrill of the chase! The thrill of the hunt!

Gary readied himself. "Dry-Ice," he conjured, "Bullets!" He pulled on the trigger.

Time for prey to become predator.

Rounds of bullets burst from the Magic Circle and they left behind fog in their wake. The first line of vicious predators was hit with the bullets and screeched when the bullets took effect. Fog diffused over them, but the bullets did more than just blind. They froze their targets inside and out into true ice that only a dragon could thaw out. Familiars and watery creatures alike shrieked when the bullets touched them and screamed their dying breath before being frozen solid. However, the fallen never mattered to creatures with only a bloodlust mindset. They trampled over the frozen in favor of getting closer to their prey. But, Gary refused to give up as he kept shooting his dry-ice bullets.

LUB-DUB.

Gary nearly fell-over when he felt clawing at his soul. It was like something was pressing on his chest from the inside, stripping him the right to breathe normally.

Mutum, the Devil roared. Human will releasssssssse me! Human cannot handle this Magic!

Gary locked his jaw and kept shooting, denying the pain he felt any satisfaction from his squirming. Shut up! he barked. You're not coming out! I can do this without you!

To prove his point, Gary let one hand and arm support his machine gun while his other hand extended. "Ice-Make: Secret Art! Black Ice Machine Gun!" he chanted.

Human, you must not! the Devil tried to stop. Do not risk this body!

The machine gun sprung into Gary's hand and he aimed it at his enemies. "Dry-Ice Bullets!" he chanted. His Magic Circle appeared against the barrel of his gun and bullets pelted out of it to hit the enemy. More lost their lives to Gary's relentless shooting and were frozen in their tracks. The waves of familiars and watery creatures waned. There were too many bullets and not enough opponents to go around.

If Gary paid attention, he would have realized glazed ice was born onto his shoulder. Not much. But, it was enough to raise concern.

Gary only stopped shooting when he was certain there were no more out there to kill him. His eyes flicked to the rooftops, but there was no one there. Once all was deemed safe, he stopped firing. His guns disappeared the second he stopped shooting and his body lurched, staggering. He shut his eyes as a hiss left him with his hand coming up to paw at his right shoulder. He opened his eyes to glance at his shoulder and zeroed in on the glazed ice that made a home on his skin. He exhaled frost from his nose in a frustrated sight.

Dammit. I must've overdid it again.

"Gary!"

Gary looked up to see Nashi running on the rooftops with her God's Hammer in hand and her wet hair whipping around her. She half-slid half-jumped down a slanted rooftop to land on a balcony's edge before leaping down from that. Gary straightened up as she touched the ground and darted to him. Worried hickory clashed with soft cerulean before she glanced at his field of frozen enemies.

"What happened here?" Nashi asked him.

"I froze them." Gary clamped his mouth shut when frost leaked from it and ducked down his head.

Nashi squinted at the ice sculptures. "How?" she demanded to know. "Your regular ice doesn't work on those water things, so how did you—?" She tensed. Her head snapped onto him as realization crept upon her. She slowly shook her head. "No… No, no, no, please! Please tell me you didn't," she begged.

Gary could not look at her.

Nashi turned her whole body to him as her hands raised up, her hammer dispersing. "Gary," she pleaded. She held his cheeks only to hiss and recoil them. Dread paled on her. "You're freezing, Gary," she whispered to him. Her eyes trailed down to his shoulder and widened when she saw the ice on it.

Gary was quick to cover it with his hand, but the damage had been done. He tried to explain himself. "Angel—"

"Why?" Nashi pressed. "Why would you do that to yourself? You know what happens when you use dry ice! Uncle Gray has told you to never use that unless you were backed against a corner with no way out!"

Gary's jaw was taut. "And, I was, Angel. I didn't have any other choice," he told her, flinching as he breathed more frost and she saw it.

"Oh, that's bull-fricken-shit, Gary!" Nashi called out. "You had any other option—!"

"My normal ice can fight familiars, but not whatever the Hell those water things are," Gary countered. "I saw an opportunity and took the risk."

Anger clawed at Nashi's throat and made her scowl at him. "Oh, and that really did you some good," she remarked, sardonic. "You're freezing, you stupid dog! You have ice spreading on your shoulder!" She tried to meet his eyes, but he refused to look at her. "Using too much dry ice can kill you," she reprimanded, though her tone tremored.

"I did what I had to do," Gary bit. "I'm S-Class, Angel. I can handle this."

"No, you can't!" Nashi shouted. "You're not a solo Mage, you idiot, you're my partner! How can you not get that?! What you do and what happens to you affects me too!" She caught the way Gary's body shook and growled. "God, you stupid dog, look at yourself! You're shivering!"

Gary gritted his teeth as he willed his body to stop trembling. He felt something numbing nipping at him from the inside and the ice on his shoulder was slow to lick his skin, but he damn well was not about to show weakness now. "I'll be fine, Angel," he soothed her. Assured cerulean flicked down to meet fretting hickory. He faintly grinned at her. "Don't tell me my Angel is worrying too much about me," he teased.

"Right now isn't the time for your stupid flirting," Nashi hissed at him venomously. The venom in her voice was not hatred, but just anger. Just anger she held at him for his actions. "We have to get you warm again." She took his wrist in her gloved hand to lead him away.

LUB-DUB.

Gary shut his eyes as a strangled groan raged out of his lips and his legs buckled. He dropped to the ground as his body twitched and a snarl ripped from him.

Nashi wasted no time getting on her knees to be at his side. "Gary," she whimpered. "Get up! Come on! We have to get you inside!"

Gary groaned, shaking his head into the pavement. "Get away from me!" he panted to her. "Do-Don't—Mmm!—get too close to me!"

Nashi shook her head despairingly. "I can't do that."

Gary turned his head to glare up at her with eyes threatening to turn into silver-icy blue. "Run away!" he commanded. "Get out of here, Angel!"

Nashi closed her eyes.

CR-CRACK. CRACK. CR-CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

Nashi opened her eyes.

Clear hickory seared into cerulean.

"I can't do that," Nashi repeated, voice level like she did not care she was on the battle field.

Gary shut his eyes and let out a breath carrying his frustration at himself. "Angel—!"

"Gary, I won't leave you," Nashi told him with such a fond and soft timbre saturating in her words. "We're partners. We have each other's backs. Now isn't the time to argue with me." She raised her hand to touch his cheek. She winced at the burning cold she felt, but she did not recoil like before. If anything, she pressed her hand even more firmly on his cheek. "We came here together, and we'll leave here together, okay?" she told him. "There's a convenience store a little bit further. Think you can stand up and walk with me to it?"

Gary weakly nodded. "Yeah," he rasped. But, actions always spoke louder than words. He rocked himself back onto his knees with Nashi's assistance. It was difficult getting back on his feet, but he did it anyways. He was forced to rely on Nashi as more glazed ice spread across his shoulder. The cold was biting at him now, mocking him. It was like he never was an Ice Mage with a resistance to the cold. He was back to being a regular human being who would freeze in severe winter.

Nashi guided him down the street with one eye on him and the other eye everywhere else. There was no telling what or who was out there and if they could be trusted. She ignored how her hands burned as she helped her partner—she was not letting go of him no matter what and that was not just fact; that was law. The walk to the corner convenient store was not too far of a hobble for them. The doors had been locked, but Nashi did not have a problem with kicking the doors in. There was no time to think of breaking-and-entering in times of crisis.

Nashi led Gary towards the cashier counter and settled him there. He grunted a bit as he got situated and looked at his shoulder. Not even his hand could cover the glazed ice eating away at his body with the threat of killing him with cold. Nashi saw this, and her determination was even more resolute.

"Don't worry," she calmed. "I'll go get you some hand and foot warmers and anything else I can find."

Gary twisted his head as he tried and failed to suppress a wild snarl. "Angel," he called, his voice becoming distorted. He snapped himself out of it with a sharp cry. "Gah! Angel, you need to get away," he insisted. "I can't—Nnngh!—keep him controlled!"

Nashi shook her head as she got up. "We are not having this fight," she snapped. "Stay, dog, and stay put. I'll be back soon." She dashed off with her eyes skimming over the aisle signs.

Gary jerked and slammed his back into the counter. His pupils turned to slights as icy blue threatened to control him, but he combated it with his cerulean.

Out! the Devil roared. Bari ke tsamfita!

Gary snarled, but he cut himself off with his own growl. "SSSSSSStay out of this!" he hissed at his Devil. He jerked again. His eyes shut tight. "I won't let you hurt Angel again," he seethed. "I won't hurt anyone anymore this time!"

The Devil slammed against his mind as hellish snarls tore into Gary's thoughts. He could feel the darkening soul of his devil trying to smother his own, feeding him something he did not wish to have.

Bari ke tsamfita! the Devil chanted and growing more aggressive with his serpent tongue. BARI KE TSAMFITA!

Gary threw back his head. "Shut up!" he screamed.

Silence.

The devil pressing against his soul, his mind, had recoiled like that. It was like he was an obedient dog and he dropped the shoe when his master told him to.

But…that was not the only silence.

Gary's eyes opened—they were a beautiful cerulean—and looked at the convenient store. He listened as close as he could. He did not hear the sounds of Nashi grabbing onto items and jamming them into a cart. He did not hear her mumbles. He did not hear…anything.

Something painful shivered down Gary's spin and he only thought one word:

Angel.

Gary used the counter for help to pull himself to his feet. The glazed ice had covered his entire shoulder and was spreading down his bicep, but he cared none. He turned his head to the aisles. Still, not a word or something shifting or anything. He pushed off the counter to stagger about and find her.

"Angel?" Gary rasped. He cleared his throat to be louder. "Angel?" He entered the aisles like a stumbling and bumbling fool who knew no grace. His own body betrayed him when he crashed into shelves, trying to hold in his own frustration and pain. "Angel, can you hear me?" he called loudly as he kept going through aisles.

Where is she? Is she in pharmacy?

Gary continued to stagger this way and that with his only direction towards the back corner. "Angel!" he shouted. "Angel, do you need any help?" He passed an aisle only to have caught pink hair. Relief flooded through him as he backtracked. "There you ar—"

His eyes widened when he saw Nashi dangling in the air.

"An…gel?" Gary whispered.

Her transformation burst off her in a flurry of pink particles, leaving her stranded and in her civilian form.

But, that was not what made Gary so…so out of it.

A gaudy creature stood in the aisle with a resemblance to the naked mole rat. Its jarring front teeth were yellow and chipped. Its glowing eyes held gold, but they screamed for murderous satisfaction. It oozed black puss and did not seem to worry about it, letting the acidic liquid hit the ground and char it.

It held Nashi up in the air with claws against her mouth silencing her—

—and its other claws sunk deep into her shoulder.

Gary was in too much disbelief to react properly. "An…gel…"

LUB-DUB.

The focus shakily zoomed in on Nashi's wound. Blood began to gurgle out of it and stain her shirt.

LUB-DUB.

The creature hissed its satisfaction as it took out its claws and lapped the blood off them. It purred its delight.

LUB-DUB.

Cerulean eyes shimmered.

"An…gel," Gary whispered. "An…gel… Angel…"

LUB-DUB.

It was like someone else controlled his body. Someone else called the shots and made him fall forward. Someone else forced him to move.

"Angel… Angel… Angel…" Gary whispered, shutting his eyes.

There was no fight this time. There was no war for control.

Gary's black hair bursted into snow white. His eyes snapped open to reveal the whites had darkened to black and silvery-icy blue irises glowered at the creature holding Nashi. The ice christening his body burst off into chards. Inky wings burst from his back and unfurled for all to behold.

"ANGEL!" the Devil roared.

The familiar was forced to drop Nashi when the Devil slammed into it with a head butt. Nashi was thrown and crashed into a shelf before dropping to the ground unceremoniously. The creature tried to regain ground, but it stood no chance against the rage of an Ice Devil. It roared when the Devil ripped off its arm, letting the creature spew black blood. Already the creature had some of its body turn into black particles, but that was not enough for the Devil. He and the creature locked eyes.

And, for once, after seeing the eyes of the Devil, even the familiar felt…fear.

The Devil lunged at his prey.

Nashi breathed as easily as she could, but nothing was easy. Everything felt heavy and too much effort to do. She rolled herself onto her back with a few tears escaping her. She looked at her shoulder to see the deep claw marks. She sucked in a breath and shakily brought her hand to cover the marks, but she knew in her heart it would not help.

The creature was slammed into the pharmaceutical counter, or, well, what was left of it. It had mainly the right side of its head, another arm, and a bit of torso left, but it still fought tooth and nail. It scrambled to escape, but the Devil was not a merciful hunter. The creature screamed as its other arm was ripped away from it and glared at the Ice Devil.

It hissed, "We are the same. Why do you fight me? Why do you protect a Female with such light?"

The Ice Devil snarled back as he grabbed the head of the familiar. His words came out sharp and armor-piercing with each syllable poised as a sneer. "Because you hurt what is mine." He pulled his hands apart.

CRACK.

The familiar said no more with its head split into two. It burst in a poof of smoke and particles. The Devil did not dwell on the familiar's death. Instead, he ran back to Nashi, to his Angel.

Nashi looked up when she felt a shadow over her.

Glimmering hickory clashed with seething icy-blue.

Nashi tried to give a smile, but it turned into a grimace. "Is it…gone?"

The Devil closed his eyes as he snapped his wings back into his back. When he finished, he shook off the kinks and opened his eyes. He answered Nashi's question with a nod.

Nashi sighed her relief as her head fell back. "Thank you," she appreciated. "Do you think you could get me some gauze?"

The Devil disappeared.

Nashi closed her eyes. She let out a deep breath. "Good going, Nashi. You got caught in a sneak attack. You made your parents proud," she panted.

I know I overdid it out there. We've been fighting for hours. I should've known my Magic was being pushed too far. They should've pick someone with more stamina.

Seraphim answered her without needing a prompt. Little one, I would not take another human besides you and I know Cael agrees. You have done well.

"Thank you," Nashi murmured aloud. "I needed that." She felt something cold settle beside her and opened her eyes. The Devil had returned with more medical supplies than she asked for and it stunned her. "You didn't need to—"

"No shirt."

"Huh?" Nashi asked dumbly.

The Devil picked at Nashi's shirt, but he did not look at her. "No shirt," he repeated.

Nashi realized what he meant and nodded. "Right. No shirt." She used her elbow to prop herself and took to the hassle of taking off her sweater. The Devil helped as much as he could and made a point to not even touch her hands. Once the sweater was off, it was laid out elsewhere.

Nashi glanced at the medical supplies to see he had picked up a saline solution and a wash cloth. "Oh. You don't have to clean my—"

Her words were cut off when the Devil opened the bottle of solution and poured it onto the wash cloth. He took the cloth to her wounds. Nashi shut her eyes and accidentally sucked in a breath.

The Devil stopped.

Nashi noticed that and opened her eyes at him. He did not look at her, but he had stopped. "Sorry," she apologized quietly. "It just stings a little. You can, um…keep going."

The Devil nodded and went back to work.

Nashi took interest in watching the Devil work. He looked like he knew what he was doing. He cleaned her wounds with care and precision like he had been doing it for years.

I didn't even know he knew how to do this. Gary said his Devil wasn't interested in learning a lot of human stuff, Nashi remembered. Whenever he's bled, he'd just let Gary take care of it.

The Devil finished cleaning Nashi's wounds and moved onto wrapping her with gauze. As he did the first layer, Nashi winced and asked, "How'd you learn to do this?"

It took a moment for the Devil to answer. Not like he was confused on the answer. More like he did not know if he wanted to answer. "Human calls her 'Granny Porlyusica'," he responded softly. "I call her 'Wicked Witch'."

Nashi's eyes widened in a mixed reaction: surprise and bewilderment. "She taught you?"

The Devil nodded with a confirming hum that sounded more like a cat's purr. "Human let me out on a hunt. I was hunting in the forest and got hurt by a wild boar. Wicked Witch found me and helped me. She tried to teach me many things," he explained. "Her teachings bored me, but… I wanted to know how to heal Angel, so I endured it and learned Wicked Witch's lessons."

Nashi adjusted herself as the Devil wrapped the third layer around her torso to get it secure. "I didn't know that…" she admitted.

The Devil shrugged and finished his work, taping the gauze back onto Nashi's upper arm. "I never told the Human or Angel. It was never important," he muttered. He scooted away and gave a satisfactory nod at his work before looking away. "Angel's wound is bandaged now," he said quite lamely.

"Thank you," Nashi appreciated. She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. "Really. Thank you, Devil."

If only she could see the Devil's face and how much insane anguish he carried. If only she could see the Devil digging his nails into his palms and breaking skin. If only she could the Devil was trembling. If only she could see the wide look in the Devil's eyes.

If only she could hear the whispers in the back of the Devil's head.

The Female is weak, came a delicious whisper. Kill her while you can. It will make you much stronger.

Start with her throat, came a conniving giggle. Let her scream as you carve out that worthless guild mark. Lick her tears.

Female, came a lewd pant. Female smells so good… Take Female… Spread seed… Plant heir…

Light! came a cackle. Such warm light! Take light! Possess light! Light is yours!

Wintry frost and snowflakes panted out of the Devil's mouth like smoke coming from a smoker's mouth. A drop of saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth and he licked his lips.

The Devil turned to gaze at the resting Nashi—

—and his eyes, even the blacks of them, turned completely silver.

Yes, came a proud hiss. Kill her! She is only another human! Bathe in her blood!

Take Female! came a howl. Satisfy desires! Human had kept you away from Female! Fuck Female! Spread seed!

Cut out her heart as your trophy! Let the other humans fear you!

Spread her legs! Plant seed! Take Female!

Take her light! Possess light! Keep light forever!

Taste her blood! Taste Female!

The Devil could feel himself prowling closer as the whispers turned into yelps and giggles and chants and howls. He could feel his soul being threatened to drown in the noise as he panted frost and saliva dripped from his mouth. It was sickening to feel your soul dip into unmistakable darkness. You could feel yourself giving into its welcoming embrace. You could feel yourself relaxing as those voices filled your head and the darkness purred around your heart. In a way, it was Sin. It was Temptation. It told you what you wanted to hear in efforts to manipulate your will to what it desired.

A weaker voice tried to differentiate itself from the crowd. No… Angel…! Don't hurt my Angel! Please, came a choking plea.

It was weird, for some, to think about being inside your body and not having any control. But, for Gary, it was something he got used to over the years. He was settled in a realm the same color as his Magic with a blue light cascading over him, leaving him naked. Black ate at the world around him like a virus. The force of darkness caked onto his legs and crawled up his body. His control was being forcefully taken from him. Tears streamed from his eyes as he reached out.

"Don't hurt her,"he pleaded.

The darkness crawled up to his shoulders. It had infected his entire realm in black and left him for last.

"Angel, get away from him!" he beseeched, wanting his voice to reach her. "He's a monster! You need to run!"

The darkness licked at his chin.

"Angel! Gary shouted. "Ang—!"

The darkness seeped into his mouth and silenced him. His control was gone. His grip on his soul and the Devil's was gone.

The Devil loomed over Nashi. He watched her peaceful face with eyes torn between bodily lust and bloodlust. The gurgles and giggles and purrs roared in his ears, in his mind, in his soul. Such appealing ideas they gave him. Some were his own desires, but others were not. Either way, he felt compelled to obey them like a person would feel compelled to give in to peer pressure. This was worse than mere peer pressure. This was the nature of creatures born in total darkness, the unfortunate nature of ones who were given Curses.

Black slid over the Devil's hands and morphed them into glinting claws. He was so close her. He was so clo—

"I don't blame you, y'know."

The Devil's hand stopped at Nashi's voice.

The chanting voices begrudgingly went back to whispers and mumbles and everything in-between.

Inwardly, the darkness drowning Gary stopped at his wrist. It lowered itself from his wrist to free his face and let him breath, let him gasp for breath.

Nashi spoke again with a tone of something soft and fond and gentle. "I never once blamed you," she admitted. "Because I know in my heart that you're the person I can trust the most. I know you wouldn't hurt me. Kinda stupid, huh?"

The Devil's hand was shaking.

He was shaking.

"I know Gary hates you right now," Nashi continued, "and I know he's having trouble with control, but… I know it's hard for you too."

Inwardly, Gary felt the darkness freeing his shoulders. He looked down to see it was slowly retreating from his body.

Nashi's brow furrowed. "When I asked my papa about his Etherious King Mode, he told me when he was just starting to control it, there were a lot of voices telling him things—bad things. They would tell him his objective was to kill and spread his power. It was all a part of his Curse. Same to my aunt Mira. Having that Demon Factor or Curse Power is hard to control. But, my papa told me, even though it was hard, he worked twice as hard to get it under control. He promised me he would never want to hurt anyone. Just like I know you would never want to hurt anyone." A dreamless smile danced on her face. "You're not perfect. That's okay; neither am I. We make mistakes. But, I don't blame you with what happened. I just wanted you to know that."

Silence.

DRIP.

Nashi felt something icy and wet hit her skin and opened her eyes.

DROP.

Nashi tilted her head to see the Devil hiding his face in his hands. His tears dripped off his chin. Some landed on her arm, but most landed on his pants. He let out small hiccups and wheezes, but he tried to muffle them with his hands. "I d-d-do not"—he hiccupped—"understand such feeling. Wh-What is this?"

"It's called 'crying'," Nashi explained, tone gentle. "You're crying. And, that's okay. You're sad and you're scared."

"I am a Devil, Angel," the Devil wept. "We do not need s-such feelings, so why…?" He hiccupped again. "I feel so…strange… These… These feelings…" He wiped away his wet cheeks. "I desire…to be…good?" He sniffled as his hands rubbed his face. "Angel is…good. Angel is light, and I…" He choked back a sob. "I desire…to be like Angel. I desire to be…good."

Nashi laughed lightly. "You idiot dog," she teased. "You are good."

The Devil shook his head vigorously. "No!" he sobbed. "Human is right! Human is right to hate me! There are so many whispers," he added. "Angel, they tell me so many things and I—!"

"What do they tell you?" Nashi cut in. There was no judgment laced in her voice. Only concern and curiosity.

"So many things," the Devil whimpered. "Things that would make Angel run from me. And, Angel, I listened to them an-and—!" He looked woefully at the scars on her stomach, then shut his eyes and hid his face again. "I hurt Angel," he bemoaned. "I hurt my light. Angel should hate me."

Nashi shook her head with a delicate smile on her face. "Mmm-mmm. I don't hate you."

"Why?" the Devil demanded. "Why does Angel not hate the creature who tried to kill her? Angel should be afraid of me! Angel should never want to be around a monster!"

"How many times am I going to have to say it, idiot dog?"

The Devil stopped when he felt the warmth of Nashi's hand tugging at his own. He let her guide his hands away only for her hand to caress his wet cheek.

Soft hazel gazed into crying icy-blue.

"You aren't a monster," Nashi assured in heavy sincerity. "I could never be afraid of you or not want to be around you because… Well, because you're part of Gary too."

The Devil completely froze at that.

Internally, Gary froze too.

Nashi heaved a breath. "I'm half-demon, and you know that. But, you became my partner in spite of all of that," she reminded. "You never treated me any differently. And, I'm not treating you any differently." She shifted. "Look, I didn't become partners with just one side of Gary. I'm partners with all of him. You're half of him just like he's half of you. So, I'll never hate you, Devil. You'll always be my partner."

The Devil did not know what to say.

His bottom lip trembled.

His eyes glimmered.

The Devil fell forward with his head resting of Nashi's heart and his arms hugging her. His unprecedented sobs shook his entire being, but he did not care as he cried into Nashi's chest with tears that felt like they came not just from him, but from Gary too.

"I wa-want to be good for Angel," the Devil wept without shame. "I w-w-want to be good for Human. I do not wish for Human to hate me. "

Nashi softened as her hand brushed through the Devil's hair. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "Didn't I already tell you, idiot dog? You are good. You're good to me," she murmured. "And, you're good for him."

Inwardly, Gary felt a smile touch his face. His eyes closed, but he let his tears fall as he floated listlessly in the sea of sapphire. "Thank you, Angel," he whispered. "Thank you."

And, the Angel kept up her ministrations with the Devil crying into her chest and listening to her heartbeat.

LUB-DUB.

---

Love you Love you Love you

himitsu no I love you

naisho no kisu wa imitation?

toke nai mahō mitai ni torawarete so crazy for you

•

kimi wa marude illusion

shibireru love session

aimai na sono motion

sō sa konya wa fiction

kimi wa marude illusion

tame rau love session

gōin na sono motion

Unbreakable magic

---

TO BE CONTINUED…

See, Gary, nothing to worry about! No matter what happens, you'll still be Nashi's dog! But, man… I'd hate to be on the outside looking in on this fight! To find out what happens next, tune in to the next Fairy Adventure!

---

SPLASH.

Paige lay in the street covered in rain drops and mouth parted.

SPLASH.

Her eyes shut. She was stirring. She was waking herself up from her dreams to entire a nightmare called reality.

SPLASH.

She panted her first breath. Nothing graceful. She was still half-conscious, but she was slowly getting there…

SPLASH.

Her eyes shot open as panic overtook her nervous system. She was back to feeling like she was drowning and dying. She spluttered and coughed as she shot up from her watery grave. Her entire body shook as she flipped onto her stomach and hunched over to retch onto the ground. It was all she could do in her panic-induced state. She felt some numb and so frightened and could not contain it.

SPLASH.

She coughed and spat as she finished retching. Her wide eyes tried to take in her surroundings. It did not help that a storm buzzed above her. "Wha…? Whe…? Where"—she coughed some more and spat—"am I? Where's…Elvin?"

SPLASH.

Paige coughed some more until she was finished and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Deep breaths. In and out. Inhale. Exhale. "I r-r-remem-remember," she whispered. Her teeth chattered. She was cold. She was cold and wet and alone. "Elvin… He r-ran out on m-me. His Magic—" She broke into coughing.

SPLASH.

"I…h-h-hav-have to…find him," Paige urged herself. She tried to move her shaking body. "Have to…"

A silhouette darted towards her.

Paige's eyes widened when she was bowled over. A familiar pinned her down with a snarl rumbling in its throat and gold and black eyes filled with hate. She barely had time to scream as a flurry of teeth and claws sunk into her flesh. She was too in shock to respond and her Magic had dropped too much for her to summon a soul for assistance. Her mouth opened in silent scream as she tried to react to the stinging fury of new flesh wounds marring her skin.

SPLASH.

Two hands came together before sliding into opposite direction. The left slid over the right and covered it, pointing both hands downward. Fern-green pulsed from the hands as they flicked up. "Soul Force!" came a chant.

SPLASH.

Paige had to endure fangs sinking into her side when the familiar pinning her yelped as something fern-green shattered its existence and made it disappear in a pulse. Paige lay in a pool of diluted blood with pants ragging down on her body, her eyes wide in terror, and nothing normal about her heart-beat.

SPLASH. SPLASH. SPLASH.

A new silhouette came above Paige. She knew this shadow. She knew their eyes. "Nelly," Paige breathed.

Penelope looked down at her twin sister with that blank face. "Paige," she named. "I've been looking for you. We need to get you back to the guild."

"No," Paige croaked. "Elvin… He's gone insane, Nelly."

Penelope did not even flinch. "That is his own fault. He refused to use his Magic. He's paying for the consequences."

Paige's eyes watered. "Nelly, we can't let him do something he'll regret," she pleaded.

Penelope stared at her sister for a few more moments before looking down the street. She blinked and fern-green pulsed around her irises. There it was, a violet trail that not even the rain could erase. "I've got his wavelength," she announced. "We can find him, but I can't promise you I'll be gentle with him."

Paige smiled. It was painful, but she did it anyways. "You're not the nurturing type," she teased.

"There's nothing to nurture," Penelope said factually. "This is his fault. He neglected his Magic. It's acting out." She began the delicate process of lifting her sister. "If he thinks I'll let him pity himself for it, he's wrong. I don't sympathize with those who have become the prisoner and the warden." Her pale eyes sharpened. "Forgiveness unto oneself takes time, but what he's doing isn't trying to earn his own forgiveness. What he's doing is pulling himself into his own damnation."

---

Chibi-Luna appears before the classroom with her beam and teacher outfit. "Good morning, class!"

"Good morning, teacher!" the class choruses respectfully.

"Is everyone ready for today's Fairy Lesson!"

"Yes, teacher!" the class cheers. "What are we learning today?"

Chibi-Luna straightens her glasses as the screen lowers in front of the chalkboard and has a remote in her right hand. "Today, we're going to be learning a bit more about a disease you can get from Magic abusing," she informed. "Ready?"

"Ready, teacher!" the class hollers.

Chibi-Luna clicks on her remote and the screen changes to the words MAGIC DEFIENCY DISEASE with pictures of bedridden Mages in hospitals. "The first illness is MDD or Magic Deficiency Disease," Chibi-Luna educates. She clicks again for a list of causes to show up on the slide. "MDD can be contracted when a Mage loses a lot of Magic Power. But, losing that Magic Power can come in different ways. You can rapidly lose your Magic Power if you use a spell too powerful for you to handle or if someone else drains it from you."

A girl raises her hand. "Teacher, how can someone drain it from you?"

Chibi-Luna frowns. "Draining Magic is a lot harder than it seems," she lectures. "For the most part, someone can drain Magic using Lacrima to absorb someone else's powers. That's how a lot of Dragon Lacrima was made. Or, if you have Anti-Ethernano Serum, you can drain a Mage's Magic completely." Chibi-Luna clicks her remote again and a list of effects appear on the next slide. "Now, when that happens, the effects can vary. If your Magic is draining faster than you can deplete it, you'll just get tired and need rest and food. But, if you're rapidly losing too much power, you'll become really sick and need to be in the care of a Healer or have a special elixir called 'Oreka'. It'll help your body generate more Ethernano and absorb it quicker in the air. Everybody, got it?"

"Yes, teacher!"

Chibi-Luna flicks to the next slide for the PowerPoint to end. "All right! We still have to cover anti-Ethernano Tumors, Magic Cancer, MTIs, and Magic Anemia, but, for now, that concludes our Fairy Lesson!"

DING… DONG… DING… DING…

"That's the bell! Class dismissed!" Chibi-Luna beams. "See you all later! Next time, on Fairy Adventure: MAGIC HUNTERS!"

---

Voice of New Characters in Order of Appearance

N/A as Molly's father

Matt Ryan as Seamus Sterling-Armstrong

N/A as Finnegan