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!

55. Adventure 055

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail nor any work professional associated with it. All original plots and characters are mine.

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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.

---

LAST TIME, on Fairy Adventure: Luna got sent to the treehouse with some company to keep herself, even if she wasn't all that thrilled about it. But what's odd are the crazy visions she's been receiving. Hmmm… Meanwhile, Laxus and Dazzler made it to the Shadow Realm to face their inner secrets and inner demons only for Dazzler to fight a bigger beast than she can handle. Mary Jane and Igneel have their little moments but so do she and Peter—and while Igneel is leaving, unbeknownst to him, Peter is going to make his move. Nashi has to deal with a power boost she can't control all while she, Býleistr, and Talia must face Mammon and keep Skade safe from fouler plans. Mirella finished off her half-brothers, but with Dagon still on the loose, she isn't out of the wood yet. Luna's powers consumed her with these visions to the point she teleports herself and Gale to the heart of her worries: Nashi. And while Nashi fully intends to keep her sister safe from harm, she's going to make sure she saves the innocent and get Luna home.

"We're going to save these people and I'm getting you guys home. Thus saith the Lord."

I wish I had an older sister that cool! So did anyone notice Bleu's last name or…?

---

It was nightfall and she was sure of that. A fire was crackling and the stars sparkled. A waning moon was in order meaning the moon approved of tonight's actions. A dense forest was around them teaming with life with the fireflies signaling from a distance away their curiosity. A vegetable stew boiled in an old pot, levitating above the flames. A tent had been pitched, though it had seen better days. A familiar man with charmingly dark skin and gold in his black dreadlocks stoked the fire. When an albino snow leopard came back dragging a bushel of berries in her maw, the man stood up with a welcoming smile. Much to disbelief, the snow leopard dropped the bushel and transcended into a Beastman, a female one at that, with loose pants and binding around her chest.

A pale-skinned woman exited the tent with long pointed ears, grave eyes, and bloody hands. She looked so familiar… Gold dusted the roots of her white hair… And her eyes…

It was Selene! The Unicorn Celestial Spirit in her Human Form!

"How is she?" Someone stood up, new to the scene. They looked taller, older, and looked like they had seen much more than they should have. Hair buzzed to the sides and a mess on top, all tinged cherry blossom pink… He seemed to be familiar. If only the face was not so blurry… He regarded the woman with an urgency like never before. "Did it work?"

Selene sighed. "We won't know until she wakes up. But from what I gather, your bond is the only thing keeping her from succumbing to the venom." She placed a hand on his cheek and graced him with a tired smile. "This will be a difficult road, but we'll get through. Give her time. She won't be pleased when she wakes."

A snort. "Yeah, I believe that." A scarred hand ran through hair. "And I'm the who has to tell her she's my—"

The scene glitched to show a different set of stars vibrant and pure. A waxing moon was upon them and while a forest was there, it was easy to see this was a park. Other couples and groups of friends laid out with blankets, some with picnic baskets and telescopes. A young couple laid together, at ease from the world around them, wrapped in each other. A blanket had been laid out and their late dinner had with pillows keeping their heads up. It was… It was her. She was the one in the park leaning against him as they conversed.

"I pick 'truth'," he decided on.

She thought hard. "Okay then…" She peered up at him. "What's your real name?"

"I knew you'd ask me that," he groaned while she giggled. "Since you technically didn't specify my full name, you get to choose: first or last name?"

She hit him (playfully, mind you) and stuck out her tongue. "Smart Alec," she teased. "Fine then. First name. And"—she held up a finger—"I want to be allowed to ca ll you it when it's just us."

He hummed and dipped down to kiss her. "You win," he murmured. "Only when it's just us, okay?" When she agreed with a nod and a silly pinky promise, he let out a big breath. "All right… My first name is—"

The scene burned into waves upon waves of blue and orange fire, but it did not burn. It was warm, not hot which was odd considering blue fire was the hottest flame sans Magic Fire.

'Bring him to me.'

The focus shifted to see a magenta energy confined to that of a medium oval. A triquetra that had made love with a heart burned into the energy a fierce gold.

'Answer his prayers,' came deep command. 'Bring him to me.' The energy glinted until magenta flames covered everything. 'Answer his prayers!'

And the world went up in flames—

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. The world spun for a moment and she felt so vilely nauseous, but she ended up coughing and curling in on herself. Warmth spread on her back as hands massaged her and soothing coos draped her ears. She clung to the presence like it was her lifeline until she could hear again and she did not feel like her throat would give out. Voices became clearer to her as something slunk off the bed and opened a door.

"I'm finished," came report.

Hurried footsteps and someone threw themselves onto the bed. "Oh, thank goodness!" Familiar hands rubbed Luna's cheeks. "Lu… Oh, Luna, I'm so happy you're all right!"

"I'll be down the hall to begin healing the Devil-lover," came distant call.

Luna coughed again and blinked rapidly. As her vision cleared, Luna could see fretting hickory. "N… Nashi?"

Nashi smiled and wiped at her watery eyes. "Y-Yeah, it's me," she assured. "I was so worried about you, kid."

Luna tried to return the smile, but it was weak. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." Her eyes trailed around the room now that she got a good look at it. She was in a bedroom. A guest bedroom for the lack of personal touch. "I'm still confused. I'm here with you, but… Last thing I remember… I was in Magnolia and in the treehouse."

A low rumble. "I'll fill in the blanks."

Luna stiffened. She knew that voice anywhere. Shakily, she moved away and turned to see Gale laying against the headboard with cool ruby eyes. "Wh-Wh-What are you doing here?" she accused. When Nashi wrapped an arm around Luna for support, Luna felt her nerves broil into irritation. "I thought I told you we were done."

Gale stretched out and put his arms behind his head and snorted. "Please, Blondie, like we're ever done," he sniffed. "You teleported to me, remember?"

Luna huffed, "Don't call me that. That's not my name." She looked away from him. "I don't need a nickname from you."

"Right. Because your little prince charming probably gave you one," Gale sneered. "What is it? Honey? Sweetheart? Original."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Luna snapped. "Don't you have any more girls to kiss or something? Or did you ditch them too?"

A cruel smirk wrapped around Gale's face. "Well, would've gotten some action if you hadn't appeared out of literal fucking nowhere and brought me to this shit-storm." He leaned forward for intense ruby to burn into hurt chocolate. "Guess I have you to bitch to since I have no girls swarming me. Mind teleporting me back to the bar? I have numbers to collect."

Anger surged within Luna. "You're an asshole—!"

"Ooo, temper, temper, principessa," Gale mocked. "Swearing is unbecoming of you. Wouldn't want your second-rate boy-toy to be shocked at your language, now would we?"

"Like you're one to talk, you stupid jerk," Luna seethed. "You think girls actually like hearing the f-word drop every five seconds?"

"Girls love a dirty mouth." Gale looked at her up and down before cocking his head. "Or maybe that's too confusing for them."

An emotion flickered in Luna's eyes and her bottom lip trembled. "Bleu is nothing like you and I'm so glad about that," she said in a hushed tone. "He makes me happy and safe."

"Just like I did," Gale whispered back to her. "Just like I do now. Explain this to me, Blondie. You were in pain. You were freaking out and having a damn near panic attack and when your emotions got high and you couldn't control it, you came to me."

Water clouded Luna's eyes. "Stop it."

"You could've teleported to your mom, your old man, your siblings, but nah, no, none of that. You came to me," Gale stressed. "You hung onto me like your life depended on it, so explain that, Luna. You think he makes you feel safe?"

Luna sniffled. "Gale, please, stop—" Her breathing hitched when Gale was in her face, their lips centimeters apart and chests heaving.

"Admit it, Blondie," Gale whispered to her. "I'm the one that makes you feel this way."

Luna swallowed roughly and licked her bottom lip. "I—"

"Back the fuck up!" Nashi yanked Luna back into her chest and shoved Gale in the chest with a fierce palm, shocking them both out of their moment. Fury damned Nashi like a fiery Angel. "What the Hell is going on?" she roared. She pointed an accusing finger at Gale when he tried to speak and he zeroed in on her finger. "You! Start talking now!"

"But, Sissy—!"

"Luna." Nashi's voice was deadly calm.

Luna bowed her head and nodded in obedience.

Gale gulped. "Look, Nashi, it isn't what you think," he rushed out to say. "All I know is I might've gotten tipsy and woke up at Dash's place and Blondie lands in my lap, freaking the fuck out, and the next thing I know, we're here—"

Nashi snarled and that shut Gale up. "That's not what I meant!" she spat. Her eyes darted between Luna and Gale. "Did you guys break up?"

Silence.

"Huh?!"

Red tarnished Luna's and Gale's cheeks as the spluttered, their words falling on top of each other as they tried to explain. Nashi held up a hand and both of them quieted themselves. She put a hand on her hip and shot them both looks of disappointment. "What happened?" she demanded to know. "Last time I checked, you guys were good."

Gale crossed his arms. "She ditched me for some shady douchebag who is clearly using her—"

"Bleu is not shady," Luna shouted at him, "and he's not using me! He's nice and sweet and he doesn't confuse me and makes out with other girls and then uses stupid words around me!"

Guilt made Gale hesitate. "Well, you weren't supposed to see that—!"

"You freaking posted it on your pinsta, you ass!" Luna cried. "Everyone sees that!"

"Wait a minute!" Nashi yelled over the commotion. She looked at Gale, perplexed. "So…you cheated on my sister with not one but with multiple girls?" Disgust registered on her face. "Oh, sweet Jesus, you sick fuck."

Gale growled. "I didn't cheat—!"

Nashi ignored him to turn to Luna with a sympathetic pout. "Oh, sweetie, he's not worth it," she soothed as she thumbed Luna's cheek. "Guys like Gale are the type to not grow up and play all sorts of mind games and we don't need that sort of toxic energy in your life, okay?"

A tick mark pounded against Gale. "I can hear you!"

"Tell me about this 'Bleu'," Nashi insisted cheerfully. "What's he like? It's not like you to have a crush and not tell me, you little skank."

Luna smiled conspiratorially. "Well, I kinda did. He was the cute guy Mary Jane set me up with at the festival in Margaret Town."

Nashi blanked for a moment, then she squealed. "Oh my God, you guys are talking? Ah…!" She clapped her hands while Gale rolled his eyes. "This is so exciting!"

Luna nodded all enthusiastic. "Yeah, he took me out on this amazing date—!"

The door burst open for Býleistr to walk in with annoyance contorted on his face. "Sweet Mother Moon," he snarled, "we don't have time for your juvenile bullshit!" He stood and looked over at Gale with narrowed eyes. "But she's right. You're an asshole." Ignoring Gale when he growled, Býleistr looked over at Nashi and Luna. "Listen, we're still on the run from a maniac, princess. We ain't gotta go home, but we've gotta get the Hell out of here." He focused on Luna and nodded at her. "Nice to see you amongst the living, sunshine."

Luna giggled. "It's nice to meet you. You must be 'Býleistr'."

Býleistr shot her a fangy grin. "I like you. You're smart." He came closer to sniff her. "Damn, you smell good."

"Hey!" Nashi and Gale snapped.

Býleistr shrugged innocently. "What? It's not my fault her power has an addicting scent. I've been hoping to get another sniff of it."

Nashi scrunched up her nose. "But how do you—?"

"I was the one to teleport him to you," Luna offered in explanation. "But I didn't think he'd recognize me."

"Power as pure as yours?" Býleistr snorted. "I'd be nose-blind to not recognize you." He looked back at a pissed-off Gale, then back at Luna and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "That your ex?"

"I'm right here," Gale muttered.

Nashi got off the bed to help her sister as Luna replied, "Ex-partner, yeah."

Býleistr looked back at Gale and appraised him again. "Never heard of a Dragon Slayer," he grumbled. "Dragon Riders, yeah. Dragonborn, sure. Hell, even Draconians, Dragonesses, Dragon Gods and Lords, Dragoons—"

"Drag queens," Nashi added unhelpfully.

Býleistr ignored that. "But a Dragon Slayer? Sounds a little controversial."

Getting off the bed, Gale muttered, "You're asking the wrong person for a history lesson, kitty."

Býleistr went rigid. "The fuck you just called me?"

"Oh-kay…" Nashi stepped in to put a hand on Býleistr's chest and snapped at him for his attention. "Býleistr—"

His jaw ticked. "Princess, he called me a 'kitty'."

"I know, but—"

"I am not a 'kitty'."

"Yes, but—"

"I am a Leo Spirit."

"Yeah, but—"

"And he slanders my name—!"

"Hey!" Nashi snapped at him and he looked at her (while Gale smothered his grin and looked innocent when Luna glared at him). "Eyes on me, pussy."

Býleistr's eyebrow twitched. "Princess…"

Nashi patted his chest to smile prettily up at him. "I know, I know, but settle down the fur or I'll turn you back into a pretty kitty, mm-kay? Mm-kay." She patted his cheek when he grumbled. "Love you, my wildcat."

Býleistr swiftly batted away her hand with an eye-roll. "Don't sweeten me up and don't ever call me that," he grunted, disturbed. "What do you want?"

Nashi hummed pleasantly and steered him towards the door. "How about some food? My sister's probably hungry from all the power using today and she could use a snack." She shot Gale a dreadful look. "He can starve, though."

Býleistr huffed as he stalked out of the room. "If you weren't Wolverine's little lioness, you'd be counting spankings right now for bossing me around," he muttered. "I'm not a damn 'maid'. Capricorn or friggen Virgo are your best bet for that shit."

"But you're a big strong macho Leo Spirit," Nashi pointed out in a mocking coo. "Come on… For me and my cute sister?"

Býleistr heaved a sigh and loped down the hall with his mutterings sounding something like, "Bet she's not this bossy when Wolverine's giving it to her good."

Nashi closed the door and turned to see Luna and Gale were actively not looking at each other. Luna tried to look angry, but with one look at Gale, and Nashi could see the hurt on her face and how upset she was. Gale carried his pissed-off face and locked jaw, but when he saw the hurt in Luna, he softened. The second he made a move towards her, she flinched and shielded herself with her hand coming up to her arm. Now hurt reflected in Gale and he looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

Nashi looked between the two of them with determination. Okay, you guys, I totally get we're falling possibly to our deaths, but we have some time until Skade heals. How about some teenage therapy?

Cael and Seraphim both flooded her mind with support and amusement.

Nashi smiled brightly and clapped her hands. "Okay! Now that all parties are awake, how about we head to the kitchen and I make tea?"

°•°•°•°

Luna beamed at Býleistr when he took her now empty plate away. Everyone was seated in the dining room and Býleistr had (begrudgingly) prepared everyone sandwiches from what was left in the kitchen and chips Kyler seemed fond of while Nashi had made them rejuvenating tea from her Holy Teapot. "Thank you, Býleistr," Luna appreciated, "but you really don't have to. Actually, I-I-I could do dishes—"

"I am not letting you clean," Býleistr shot down, though not unkindly. "You're still recovering, so stay there and just like cute." He bumped Nashi's shoulder. "You could help me, though."

Nashi gawked while Gale and Luna tried to smother their amusement. "Um, hello?" Nashi gaped. "I nearly died!"

Býleistr snorted as he grabbed her empty plate. "You're suicidal, so shut the Hell up," he barked. "Death follows you fucking everywhere. And you owe me for turning me into a dumb cat." He threw up his hands. "Who does that to a Spirit? That's an insult to my very nature! My first time out in centuries and she turns me into a dumb cat? Is she insane? She was probably born under a blue moon!"

Nashi rolled her eyes and took in her tea. "Ignore him," she whispered to both Gale and Luna who sat on either side of the table next to her. "He's perpetually PMSing." Setting down her teacup, she eyed both teens. While both explained their respective stories to her, neither had wanted to look at the other. Amusedly, she watched when they would reach for a serving utensil at the same time and their hands would touch. They would jolt and Gale would serve Luna before himself. Now, it seemed Luna was stirring in more honey to her tea while Gale sat and unhappily glared into his cup.

"So," Nashi started, "this is awkward."

Nice conversation starter, Princess, Býleistr snickered within their link. What next? Gonna tell them how she's jealous, he won't fess up, and they both need to just say how they feel and talk to move their romantic plot along?

Nashi shivered and glared hard at the table. No, she hedged. Not anymore anyways. Looking up, she looked over at Gale. "So you're an Earth Dragon Slayer…" She nodded her head. "That's pretty…cool?"

"Yeah," Gale muttered.

Getting nothing more from Gale, Nashi turned over to Luna with a forced beam. "And you could have a boyfriend, huh?" She tapped her sister's shoulder. "All good things, all good things!"

"Yeah, I guess," Luna murmured. "Mama's not happy I lied though. And I'll have to tell Papa and he's"—she winced—"not exactly happy with me right now."

Nashi waved that off. "Please, you are as much as one of his girls as I am. Papa will get pissy, throw a fit, Mama will make him see reason, he'll be pouty, give the whole 'But you're my little girl and I love you' speech, and you'll be all set."

A snort.

Nashi looked over at Gale with a raised eyebrow and was poised to ask him what was so funny when Luna's head snapped up and ire filled her. "Have something to add?" she sneered at him.

Gale snickered. "Like it'll be that easy is all," he drawled. "Just sayin'. Your old man is gonna be ragin' about this. You really think he'll let you live out a fantasy with your douchebag?"

"Gale," Nashi tried to pause him with a motherly chide in her tone, "I thought we agreed mean words were not to be said at the table—"

Luna let out a snarky laugh that was unlike her. "My bad. And your parents agree when you act like a man-whoring bitch?"

Here we go, Býleistr grumbled into Nashi's mind.

Gale barked a callous cackle. "Blondie, you don't even know the meaning of the word," he leered. "And stop swearing. I don't like shit like that coming out of your mouth."

That sparked a fire in Luna. "I'll do whatever I want, asshole!" she added for good measure.

"Real mature," Gale spat.

"Oh, like you're one to talk! You left the store like a little boy when his mom isn't giving him any attention! Sorry I can't stroke your ego every second of my day, but I have a life too!"

"What life?" Gale slammed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "You didn't even start living your life without my help! You were stuck like some ignorant, naïve little princess locked in a tower and wasting away feeling sorry for yourself for years! You are a walking, talking doll who never saw the real world and you fall for the first guy who looks at you because all your experience in life comes from Lacrima-Vision!"

Shit, Nashi cursed when he saw tears well up in Luna's eyes. Býleistr—

I ain't gettin' involved in this can of worms, Býleistr muttered. I say let 'em fight it out. Clearly, this has been on their minds.

Luna stood up from the table and yelled, "Yeah? Well, at least while I was locked in my own tower, I wasn't trying to confuse someone by doing all this stuff and talking about how special they were only for them to find out they aren't special! They're just being pitied and babysat and nothing was true and they realize how stupid they are and can't take feeling like this anymore!"

Gale stood up as well. "And did you think for once that person does find you special so much so that they made a deal with your parents to have your back so you could roam free and not live in fear in your bedroom? That they went through Hell just to keep your safe and follow you through fucking time and space because they cared about you so much that they didn't care they were stuck in the past and might've fucked up the future because you are their future?"

Luna viciously tried to wipe away her tears as she snapped, "That person already proved to me how little I meant to them when they're going around kissing and flirting and doing drugs and partying when I just wanted to spend time with them—"

"And he probably left because he couldn't stand seeing you in some other dick's arms when you were just in his!" Gale roared. "And maybe, yeah, he was feeling jealous and angry and hurt, but what do you care?" Luna tried to speak, but Gale bulldozed over her. "No, the only thing you care about is yourself! God dammit, Blondie, you run off like it's your fucking birth-right, you wind up in danger, nearly killed three times and-and you just don't think about everyone you're affecting! You don't think about your family or Fairy Tail or your friends or me and how much I lo—!" He cut himself off as he scrubbed his face.

Luna held her breath and watched him. It was almost like she wanted him to say something. "How much you what?" she asked quietly. When he said nothing, she pressed, "How much you what, Gale?"

Gale looked away. "It doesn't matter," he grunted and sat back down. "Because you'll do whatever you want to do and like always, I have to just stand by it. So fuck it. You're on your own. Do what you want. I'm not waiting for her to save you from your terrible mistakes. Next time you want to teleport, find someone else because I don't have time for you to finally open your eyes and figure shit out. I'm not your safe place and I'm not your partner. You made that very clear to me and I'll finally respect it. Congratulations, Luna fucking Dragneel, you got your wish."

Nashi broke seeing the tears stream down Luna's face. She turned heel and ran out of the dining room, stifling her sobs. Nashi moved to go after her, but she caught Gale staring after Luna with clear remorse, and she thought something else. Býleistr?

Yeah, yeah, I'm on it, but I'm turning into a pussy that can speak, thanks.

Love you too, kitty.

Watch it. This 'kitty' bites too, Princess.

Kinky.

You know it.

Nashi looked over at Gale who quickly looked away and wiped his cheek. Sighing, she put a hand on an open palm. "And I thought Gary and I were tragic," she murmured.

Gale's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Well? Aren't you going to jump on me and get pissed and shout at me for saying all that to your sister?"

Nashi pretended to think about it. "See, I could. I could launch into this tirade of how that wasn't fair of you to hit nerves like that and how you were way out of line and uncalled for…but right now, I just want to ask you one thing, if that's okay. And I'd like you to stare into my eyes when I ask this."

Gale lifted his head and nodded for her to continue.

"Are you okay?"

Gale paused and took in her question. Nashi could see excuses line up in his head, but she saw his shaking too. Gale rasped, "I'm not." Elbow slamming down on the table, he tossed his head in his hands with a hitched breath. "Fuck, I'm not."

Nashi scooted closer to rub his back. "Would it be out of line for me to ask what's going on?"

Gale shook his head. "No," he whispered to her. "I'm just… I'm acting like such a dick when I shouldn't be and you're right. I'm out of line. But I just—!" He sniffed and shuddered. "Why is this so hard?"

"What's hard?" Nashi questioned, voice soft.

"This." Gale rubbed his face. "Love."

Nashi stilled. "You love her?"

Gale nodded pitifully.

"I knew you cared about her but loving her…" Nashi blinked. "You're just… You're so young. Don't you mean you like her?"

Gale shook his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "No. I love her. I love her so much it hurts my fucking soul, man. Anyone can love. Doesn't matter the age or gender or race or religion and it pisses me off people get disgusted when two different people love each other."

Nashi silently agreed with that. But still… "What do you love about her?"

"That's a loaded question," Gale chuckled dryly. "You know how on Saturdays when she's really tired, but she still goes downstairs to let me in so we can watch morning cartoons and she perks up when Poko comes on?"

"Yeah?"

"I love that," Gale admitted. "And when she goes on these rants about Magia moves? I love how bright she gets and how she's so opinionated about them." He lifted his head as a little lost smile adorned him. "I love how she makes a big deal about the little things. Like she roped me into hand-making ice cream for Luke when it was his anniversary for being Misty's student. And then she surprised me when she showed up at my door in the rain to give me cookies to celebrate the anniversary of my first job in Fairy Tail. And I love…"

Nashi watched in amazement at the look in Gale's eyes. He's so genuine about this, she realized. He really loves her. All she saw now was Gary with his blue eyes and kind smile. Does that mean…? Is there a chance he might really…?

"Gale?"

Gale stopped and looked at Nashi who had such a thoughtful look on her face. "Yeah?"

"Would you still love her even if you knew she was broken inside?"

Gale blinked. "First off, no one is 'broken'. But if she had issues going on? Why wouldn't I?" he wondered. "That's a stupid question to ask. 'Course I would. Even if she was going through some shit—if she was clinically depressed or whatever—it wouldn't stop me from loving her. I'd just show her I'd love her differently."

"What do you mean?"

Gale did not even have to think. "Well, for one, I wouldn't press her as much. I'd tell her I love her every day, but I wouldn't pressure her into speaking things like that. And if she had those doubts and thought she wasn't worthy because she was going through things, I'd show her I care. Like making sure she's eating, and, if she's not, then I'll cook for her or take her out to eat. I wouldn't let her get too into a downward spiral. I'd get she'd need her space, but I wouldn't let her go too far, you know?"

"And…" Nashi felt her eyes sting. "And would she have to do anything for you in return?"

"Fuck no." Gale shot that down quick. "Love isn't about counting the favors and making it a transaction, Nashi. It's not always fifty-fifty and it won't always be ninety-ten either. You love someone without wanting anything in return because… Well, I don't know, just because."

"So Gary…might actually be telling the truth?"

Gale observed as Nashi shed a tear as she ducked her head.

"He might actually…love me for me and…he doesn't want anything back?" Nashi whispered.

Gale softened. "Let me tell you this. We're lucky we all have great parents to see how love works. Gary is ridiculously in love with you and in the right way. So much so, between him and Lance, they're the older kids I go to for advice on this sort of thing. But you Dragneel women are a tough bunch of hard-to-get ladies; that's for damn sure."

Nashi laughed wetly and dried her eyes. "Sorry about that," she supposed. "My papa tells me my mama wasn't an easy one to convince he was in love with her. And I know I probably don't make it easy on Gary and Skade." She glanced at the doorway and said, "Listen… About Luna… I know she likes y—"

"Shut it."

Nashi reeled back. "Excuse me?"

Gale snorted. "Sorry. Not to sound like a dick even more, but I don't want to hear it. The only person I want saying those words just ran out and probably hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Nashi was quick to assure. "She's just…upset. And she said some pretty out-of-line things too—"

"No need to sugarcoat it," Gale soothed. "Believe me. I was there. I know what happened. I'll figure it out like I always do and hope her demon dog doesn't try to pee on my shoes and bite me."

Nashi opened her mouth to assuage him when—

BANG-BANG-BANG!

Both stopped.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

They picked themselves up and rushed to the storefront. Magic swirled around them as the front door was banged on and their hearts raced.

BANG!

A piece of the door was ripped off.

Nashi's heart went to her stomach when she caught a glimpse of the perpetrator. "Oh, no."

BANG!

Another piece ripped off.

Nashi grabbed Gale's arm. "We need to go now!"

"What? Why?" Gale demanded to know.

"Because that thing we were running from is here," Nashi told him, flinching as the ax picked at the door. "And he's about to try and kill us all."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Ah utsukushii sekai

Utsukushii mirai

Utsukushii kehai no suru sono saki wa

Subarashii sedai

Subarashii kitai

Subarashii sekai

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Talia helped Skade as he walked on unsteady hind paws, still wounded. "I couldn't heal him enough," she explained over the hacking as Býleistr helped her with Skade. "He's still gravely ill. I never studied Devil physiology enough to heal him properly and I was never taught to heal through my Demon heritage."

Nashi got in front of Skade and cupped his cheeks. He blearily looked at her, but he was more aware than before. "Malã'ika…"

She searched his eyes. "How are you feeling? Well enough to run a little?"

"Anything for you," Skade purred sleepily.

Nashi got on her tiptoes and he leaned down so they could kiss. She stroked his icy fur in promise and comfort. "We will get you somewhere safe," she vowed. "Don't die on me. I still need you."

"Not as much as I you," Skade mumbled.

Nashi pecked his lips against before getting down on her feet. She saw Luna gawking at her with a Spirit Form Icarus at her side. At first, she was perplexed at Luna's reaction, then it turned to dread. "Luna, I can explain every—"

"What about Gary?" Luna cried. "Oh my goodness, are you cheating on him?"

Nashi groaned and took Luna's hand to rush her down the hall. "No! It's not like that!" She fumbled for the right words. "The—! Well—! I—…! Gah, okay, look! That over there is Gary's Devil Skade and we're kind of…involved."

Luna gaped and looked back at the monstrous and winged wolfman covered in winter. "He's the Devil? That's the Devil? But he looked human before!" Her hands cupped her face at all the confusion. "Nashi, what is going on—?"

"I'll explain later!" Nashi promised as she led the party down the stairs. Covering Luna when the door was being ripped with bare hands, she nudged her sister to the next set of stairs. "Go downstairs and out the door," she ordered.

Luna hesitated. "But—!"

Nashi grabbed Gale and shoved him to Luna. "Take my sister and get her out of here," she commanded to both Gale and Icarus.

Gale nodded and went for Luna's wrist while Icarus nudged Luna from behind down the stairs. Talia sent a look towards Býleistr in the meantime and shouldered Skade. "I can handle him," she promised. "Go." And she eased Skade down the steps.

Nashi powered into her Divine Soul while Býleistr stood faithfully at her side, a growl in his chest. She told him, "I'm putting up a barrier. When everyone is outside, we rush down and escape."

"Blow up the door too," Býleistr added. "From what your memory tells me, the door downstairs is a Dimension Door. Blow up the door and he can't follow us."

BANG!

Half the front door was gone.

Nashi nodded. "Good idea." She glanced up at him. "You should probably go help the others."

BANG!

The front door was destroyed.

Býleistr's fangs gleamed. "Not a chance."

Mammon crashed his way into the storefront. His eyes scanned until he saw Býleistr and Nashi. Putting his ax on its sheathe, he strolled towards them. "My apologies for the door," he said like a diplomat. "I will repair the damage."

"Funny you say that when you're trying to kill us all," Nashi said scathingly.

"Not 'kill'," Mammon assured. "I am here to take you to His Darkness. He will not kill you. He would like to mate with your Devil and perhaps watch you and your Devil mate."

"Voyeurism," Býleistr muttered. "Classic. Fan of it myself."

Nashi cut him off. "Not – helping." She put up her fists. "Look, pal, no one is watching anyone do anything, got it? So you might as well turn away now."

Mammon's eyes turned to slits as he called forth his own power that came in mists. "Young lady, you will return with me at once." And he rushed at them.

Býleistr moved to block Nashi with a snarl when Nashi hit her wrists together and chanted, "Holy Shield!" Translucent rainbow popped up before her in a dome around herself, Býleistr, and the entrance to the lower set of stairs. Nashi refused to flinch when Mammon bashed against the shield with a vengeance and blank eyes. Nashi held her breath to see if her shield would give, but much to her surprise, it glowed with every single hit. To her souls, she questioned, How is this possible? My shields would break if someone pushed them too hard, remember?

Cael streamed an odd emotion towards her while Seraphim explained, Your increased power, little one. Your Holy Shields can finally take in whatever energy is thrown at them and convert into its own power. However, there is still a limit. Should the shield wind up with too much power…

"It'll explode." Nashi made a grab for Býleistr's elbow. "C'mon. We gotta bounce now before we're caught in an explosion." When Býleistr gave a terse nod, Nashi flooded down the steps with him at her heels. The violin studio would get caught in the crossfire, but it was no time to mourn. The door was still wide open when both of them crossed it. Nashi got a safe distance out away when she whirled around and something began to flick into space for her. Her hands moved on their own as they cupped themselves, wrists together, and her gemstones furiously glowing. "Guardian's Javelin!" she chanted. Red and pink intertwined like DNA as the burst rushed to the door.

Býleistr clenched his fists as flames teamed at his mouth. "Praecipua Breath!" Fire spewed from his mouth in sun-bleached gold flames.

The Dimension Door stood no chance against the combined attacks and burst into wooden shards and splints. When the smoke had settled and the dust had cleared, the door had been burned and blasted off, but one could still see the quiet violin studio. Nashi wasted no time to turn tail and go down the steps with her armor bursting off her when she caught the sight before her. Her jaw dropped as horror filled her. "Oh my god…"

Ketchum City lay in jarring ruins with more catastrophe befalling them everywhere. Above them, a good portion of the falling city was slowly coming to smother the city below it. But for now, chunks of the falling city's bottom would be the culprit in killing some of the populace, destroying buildings, and crushing dreams along with it. Sirens and shouting and screaming filled the air along with the eye-watering scent of earth and dust and the heart-stopping taste of blood and flesh. Nashi held the railing like she was going to be sick as another meteor of rock launched into the far east of the city. The blowback fluttered through her hair and made her flinch.

Býleistr nudged her. "Princess, we've got to go."

Nashi jerkily nodded and let him guide her down the steps that clung to the side of the small hill Kyler built his livelihood on. The stairs led to a private alleyway. Skade sagged against the wall on the ground while Talia worked with Luna, their energies moving around Skade to try and relieve him of pain. Gale had cut off the alleyway with a wall of earth. Icarus sat on watch in his Spirit Form, uneasy about this. Just barely, Luna and Talia closed one of the gashes on his wings, but by the time Nashi and Býleistr joined them, both girls pulled back, panting.

"I'm so sorry," Luna apologized to Skade, frustrated at herself. "I'm trying, but nothing I'm doing is working."

Skade tried to smile for her and lifted a clawed hand to nuzzle atop her head. "I feel no hunger and the pain has numbed greatly with your powers, Oñeaña," he told her with such a surprisingly tender voice. "I am grateful to you."

"So am I." Nashi brought a hand down on Luna's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "You're doing amazing, sis. Never forget that."

"But he's not healed," Luna insisted and quite defeatedly. "And we need to get out of here, right? Wherever we are?"

"Bellum." Gale knocked against a sign written in Bellish. "We're actually in Bellum now, right? This must be one of the cities under siege and if we don't haul ass, we're dying with everyone else."

Talia nodded. "Right. I've made sure we are protected, but I cannot cast protection over a large area. Our best bet is to move to a safe location and regroup. One way or another, we will need to stop Bael's city from collapsing and killing thousands." She looked over at Býleistr.

He held up a hand. "Don't look at me. Jumping won't do us any good. I'm not familiar with Earth Land terrain anymore and neither are you, half-pint. And everyone else comes from Fiore which is a pretty big jump for me to do in my state." He held up one finger. "I've got enough power for one jump for one person. Let's not waste it."

Nashi looked over at Skade who had closed his eyes then to her sister. Decisions warred within her mind.

Princess, don't even think about it.

Nashi looked over at Býleistr. They need to go more than I do, she pressed. I can make a difference here and you know that.

I do, Býleistr reluctantly admitted. He followed up hurriedly when he felt Nashi about to go on, But it means shit if you get killed in the process. Besides, the Wolverine and I both understand if you aren't going, neither are we.

"Stop being so damn noble, you dumbass cat!" Nashi seethed aloud, startling Luna. "One of them needs to leave here! I can't risk them getting hurt and I can't protect all of them!"

"And I said, 'no'!" Býleistr barked at her. "Get that through your head, princess." He leaned down with a taunting smirk. "Or you gonna make me do something I don't want to do?"

That was low and they both knew it. Nashi, in her frustration, turned to Skade for assistance when he loftily told her, "I go where you go; I stand where you stand; I die where you die. I agree Oñeaña should leave the war front. But if she does not, protection is no issue."

Nashi shot Luna a desperate look. "Luna, I can't risk you being here," she tried to explain. "You're in danger in here. It would kill me if something happened to you."

Luna regarded her in that same thoughtful look their father got. "And it nearly killed me knowing you could have died."

Nashi was taken back. "Luna—"

"What's different before is now that I'm with you, I can protect you too," Luna went on. "Yeah, it's dangerous here and maybe I don't know everything of what's going on, but I'm here with you just like I need to be." She touched her chest. "Let me stay. I can be useful. I can't do much, but my healing could help Skade and we need him to get better soon."

"She's right," Talia agreed. "My power physically healed one of his wing injuries. But her power did much more than that. She made more progress with him than I could have hoped. Let her stay while we're out of danger. But should we get into serious trouble, I'll personally get her away."

Nashi then looked at Gale in expectancy. "Well? Your thoughts on this?" She pinned him with a challenge. "Or do you not care what happens to her? Your words verbatim, right?"

Gale bristled and looked ready to say something with bite. But when he saw Luna flick her eyes to him in uncertainty, he cooled a little and shrugged. "At the end of the day, Hell or high water, I'd keep her safe. She's guild," he decided to say with care. "Don't worry about busting your ass to protect her. I've got it handled. I've got Mama Sycaña on my side and I'm ready to test my powers to the max."

Nashi thought of something and turned to Luna with a raised chin. "Fine. You can stay," she allowed. Before Luna could smile, she quickly added a stipulation. "Provided you stay close to Gale and Icarus at all times."

This was a test. Stubborn creatures were Heartfilia's as a testament to their mother and their great-grandmother. Luna puffed her cheeks, ready to fight tooth and nail to get her way, but Icarus licked her hand and gave her one of those parental stare downs. Luna lost her fight and caressed his jaw. "Fine," she muttered unhappily. Chocolate went to ruby then looked away.

"And you need to promise you will," Nashi stressed. "Heartfilia promise."

Luna looked ready to pout. "But—!" When Nashi lifted an eyebrow, Luna blew out a breath and grumbled, "Fine. I promise as a Heartfilia."

Now Nashi looked satisfied. "Good. Now…" She went over to Skade and smoothened a hand down his chest. "We need to get you up and figure out a way to lower ground. Once we're safe, Luna, Talia, keep working on him. Gale, if we run into any natives, we'll need you to do your best at translating. Býleistr and I are going to brainstorm away to at least slow the thing down so people can evacuate and stop the breakage."

"That's too big a job for you to do alone," Luna tried to counter.

"We don't have a choice." Nashi stood tall and her Magic gathered together her Divine Soul armor and it glossed over her body beautifully. "So let's move." She went to help Skade up, but the memories of him howling at her touch made her hesitate. "Býleistr, can you—?"

"No." Skade struggled to sit up. He grasped her hand and did not even flinch even though they both knew it pained him to touch her like this. "I have not touched you in what feels like years, Malã'ika, and I plan to rectify that."

Nashi tried to flinch away from him, but his grip was like ice. "I don't want to hurt you," she pleaded. "Please, let me go—"

"Never." Skade pulled himself to his feet and stumbled. He sagged himself against the wall, but his hand gripped Nashi's firmly. "I let you go once and you nearly died. Never again. I will never let you go."

Nashi's lips trembled at such heavy words. "Skade… You're not going to lose me."

"Then, I will stay close to you for my own selfish comfort," Skade gathered. He refused to show pain when he brought her hand up to his lips. He kissed the inside of her wrist before placing her hand onto his cheek. Nashi wanted to pull away so badly when she saw his icy fur begin to singe, but he held her tight. "I will not give you another opportunity to be out of my sight," he murmured to her. "And I never want you to pull your touch away from me. Ever."

"But it's hurting you now," Nashi reminded him beseechingly. She tried to pull away, but Skade would not budge. Instead, he pulled her closer to him.

"And it hurts more when you pull away from me," Skade rumbled to her.

"Good Moons and Suns, enough." Býleistr startled them both when he grew into a lion beneath Skade and adjusted Skade on his back. "I'm carrying him. Hold hands or whatever, I don't give a ray. But we need to move and we could do it without the romance, 'kay?"

Skade chuckled. "You sound almost jealous, Sabertooth."

Býleistr snorted and trotted until he touched Luna's shoulder. He rumbled when she stroked underneath his chin. "You know the princess could use a few spankings for turning me into a damn dumb cat," he tattled, grinning when Nashi went into shock. "I can tell you how many."

Skade eyed Nashi in high interest and hunger. "I see. You might annoy me, Sabertooth, but I think we have much to discuss."

Nashi let go of Skade's hand so roughly he hissed, but she felt no remorse, only mortification. "I'm scouting ahead," was all she got out before she took a spring and launched herself into the air.

Luna gawked. "She can fly now?"

"No, just more controlled and speedier jumping and floating," Býleistr corrected. He tilted his head towards Icarus. "Keep up. Leave the half-pint. Take your cub and the Dragon Slayer. Half-pint will keep up." His eyes wandered towards the skies. "But we need to move. Now." His eyes shifted as his fur began to bristle. Somethin' ain't smellin' right.

"Sabertooth."

Býleistr paused and flicked his ear to indicate he was listening to such a barely audible voice.

"With Malã'ika gone, I need to speak freely with you," Skade muttered. "The Dragon Slayer might be young, but his ears are sharp. As is the Hybrid's."

When Icarus had Luna and Gale on his back, he barked twice and bounded in the direction Nashi went. Talia speeded after him. Býleistr held up the rear as he grunted, "Fine. What do you want?"

"Malã'ika safe," Skade said simply. His eyes went skyward and narrowed. "As you do. This is why you will do exactly as I say."

But what was in those skies that got their attention? A falling city slowly descending them? The countless number of debris and run-off falling to their depths? No, it was nothing like that. For in the sky, seven objects orbited around as they captured the atrocity within Ketchum City. They were Lacrima Drones infused with spells so they could fly comfortably and debris passed right through them. But one of the seven zoomed in on a particular scene that reflected in its lenses. An image of a girl and boy riding an overgrown monster of a dog, a little girl who ran alongside them with ease, and a lion who held a monster on its back.

The camera zoomed closer to the monster.

In a dark room far off the mark from the damaged cities, a screen focused on the image of a wolfish hybrid with hellish wings and blood marring its body. Its lips moved indiscernibly, but its eyes were looking up. But just when it paused, its cold eyes glared directly into the camera. Ice began to crowd the camera until it had blacked out.

A door opened to shed in some light and a solider was at the door, a solider that had been keeping secrets since she was enlisted. She saluted and muttered, "Sir, pardon the intrusion, but the platoon is getting restless. What are your orders?"

A soft sigh. A sit back. "Well, soldier, I believe I found what Bellum's prime minister was looking." A gloved hand went to a lit-up keyboard and flittered over it. The screen came back to life with the frozen image of the monster on screen before the camera had been frozen to death. "I want this picture distributed to the outfit," came command. "Minstrish, Bellish—I don't care. All they need to understand is that right there is the target and we need to bring it back barely alive."

The soldier nodded. "Yes, Sir. I'll get started right away so we can go over the briefing."

"Oh, and send a runner to Mother Mary, yes?" Glasses reflected the cold eyes of the Winter Devil. "In a few hours, she will be receiving a fresh patient."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 055

Miracles

信じれば奇跡も起こり得ます！ 多くの運命は私たちの選んだ少数の人々で生き残る！

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The Enchanted Estate looked like something from a movie. A perpetual mist floated around the well-kept grounds with a wonky gate that had a steel raven with spread wings acting as the lock on it. The estate itself spread for a good while with the manor five stories with cathedral-worthy towers, old stone with not a hint of vine or moss growing, and a few ravens with four eyes stuck around with decorative eyes on their wings. But it was what was within the manor that was important. A sort of darkness clung to the walls with old lanterns acting as light if just barely. Most light came from the fireplace in the great room.

The great room had high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling books shelves pushed with books and artifacts and rarities alike. A couple of feather dusters worked together with some clothes to keep the great room tidy, needing no human to aid them. There was no portrait over the fireplace but a series of pictures throughout the ages to show the previous owners of the estate and their families or apprentices. The photos moved on their own accord, adjusting themselves for their frame or speaking to one another. But the people within the frames seemed most interested in what was happening below.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Enchanted Estate, a mythical mansion and grounds kept within its own pocket Dimension. The Enchanted Estate accommodates as it sees fit and houses hundreds of artifacts and creatures from different realms and dimensions that only the true master of the estate has full access and knowledge to. While many believe the master of the estate is through familial relations, the Enchanted Estate makes the ultimate choice who rules over it. As of now, Dazzler Lafayette is the true master of the Enchanted Estate. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Laxus had taken to standing, but he watched as Dazzler sat close to the fire in a grandfather chair with her hat on the floor, curled hair disheveled, and a fruity drink nearly gone. He watched as a decanter poured its contents into a new glass and the glass floated over to Dazzler. She took it absently in exchange for her other one and went to sip it. Laxus had to say something. "You can't drink your problems away, kid."

"Watch me." Dazzler did not even look at him as she downed her glass without a hitch.

Laxus glanced around. "We would've found a way out." He wanted her to know that. "You aren't ready to be here."

Dazzler snorted and rolled her head over so her unfocused eyes sought his sharp stare. "Ha! I'm fine…!" She let go of her glass, but it carried itself back to the tea tray it came on. "S'fine, man. 'm back at home…" She threw her hands up with a big beam. "I'm home…!"

Laxus sighed while Dazzler laughed to herself and turned her head away. He squatted before her and turned her head to him to see the tears she had been hiding dribbling down her cheeks. "Dazzler," he called softly. She hummed, but she did not look at him. "Oh, kid," he breathed. "Did you stop seeing your therapist?"

Dazzler blurted a laugh and quickly slapped her hands over her mouth. Like it was a secret, she nodded.

Laxus rocked to his feet when he heard hesitant footsteps. Aine came in and guiding her seemed to be a translucent man of richly cinnamon skin and eyes that could rival black. He wore a pleated kilt and a traditional necklace, his turban tied and the tail of his scarf falling over his shoulder. A short-haired black cat followed in and bounded for Dazzler. Aine shot the translucent man a kind smile and bowed to him. "Thank you, Mister Djedi, for your kindness," she appreciated.

Djedi peered down at her with no smile. "There was no 'kindness'." Perfect Fioren-Minstrish down to the accent. "I serve the master of the estate and all orders henceforth."

⌜ENCHANTED ESTATE

Name: Djedi

Creature: Reaper

Occupation: Head caretaker of the Enchanted Estate

Likes: N/A Dislikes: card tricks

Special Note: Djedi is a Reaper and was one of the first Magicians on planet Earth! But how did an Earth Ghost end up in the Enchanted Estate?⌟

Djedi glided over to Dazzler and a flicker of concern wafted over his being. "Miss Lafayette, I have put the human in the Blue Room as instructed with Veleda. Shall I get you a glass of water and show you to your bedroom to rest?"

Dazzler snorted and waved her hand. "No, Djedi, you've been such a dah-ling." Head flopped to the side, she giggled as she saw the short-haired tomcat. "Gladstone," she cheered. "Chief Mouser of the century… How ya doin'?"

One moment, the tomcat was a cat. The next moment, he was a silhouette figure all misty and no tangible body with a glow of yellow for his eyes. Neither Aine nor Laxus were spooked, but they certainly had not seen that coming. "It would do you well to cut the drinking and sober yourself," Gladstone admonished. "You've been gone far too long to call me 'Chief Mouser'."

⌜ENCHANTED ESTATE

Name: Gladstone

Creature: Familiar

Occupation: Chief Zookeeper of the Enchanted estate

Likes: mice Dislikes: belly rubs

Special Note: Gladstone is a familiar, but don't make him out to be evil! While familiars are neutral beings and old in practice, Gladstone is the familiar of the Enchanted Estate! He's in charge of hunting any unwanted prey!⌟

Aine looked at Dazzler with sympathy and not pity. "It's a lot for her to be here," she reminded.

"She pushed herself when she wasn't ready," Laxus bit. He glared at the Reaper and the familiar. "You said you could sober her up? Why aren't you doing it?"

Djedi did not answer him, but Gladstone turned to him in his misty form. "While we have a range of free will, we cannot press our free will onto the rightful owner of the Enchanted Estate. We protect the grounds from harm. The owner getting drunk does not count as protecting the grounds unless she tries to destroy something from within."

"So you're useless," Laxus spat. "Great." Turning back to Dazzler, he caught her staring at the flames with a bemused expression. "Kid," he called softly as he crouched at her side, "what's going on?"

"He's dead." The flames danced within Dazzler's silver eyes. "My dad's dead."

Laxus nodded. "I know, kid."

"I'm trying really hard to believe he didn't kill himself," Dazzler got out in a choke. "That it was framed. Someone wanted him dead." She rubbed her eyes with the butt of her palm. "But I miss him." She blinked up at Laxus with a glassy gaze full of vulnerable grief. "Do you miss your dad?"

Laxus locked his jaw at the question. "For my biological father, I don't," he admitted in truth. "Ivan wasn't my dad. He was a monster of a man. It sickens me he got out of prison and I'm happy we have a restraining order against him. But I miss Gramps." He, too, stared into the mesmerizing flames. "He was the dad I never had and I didn't appreciate until I got older. I was a blind little bastard who still thought Ivan was my hero. I didn't know the truth. The Old Man protected me from knowing how much of a monster Ivan was. But he taught me everything I know." A humorless smirk. "He's not dead, but with the way his memory goes… I just miss talking to him. I wish I talked to him more when I was your age." Glancing over at Dazzler, he found her studying him like she was just figuring out where the corner pieces of the puzzle fit.

Then she said something that surprised him.

"We're going to get through this." She reached out and grabbed his hand as though to provide comfort. "So wipe that pathetic look off your face right now."

Laxus blinked. Then, he hung his head as a smile reached his face. "Okay, kid. You win." He squeezed her hand back. "We're going to get through this."

Dazzler sniffed and flipped back her hair. "God, I shouldn't have had that last drink," she wheezed as she fanned her face. "I'm so dramatic when I drink." She looked over at Djedi. "Djedi—"

"Consider it done." Djedi bustled away.

Gladstone reverted back as a tomcat and leaped onto Dazzler's lap, butting his head against her shoulder. She smiled and stroked down his spine and to his tail. "Thanks, Chief Mouser." She looked over at Aine. "Lance will be in very good care. Miss Dietrich is the kindest could-be-your-auntie woman around here and Veleda has a special spiritual healing ability. They'll watch over him. Oh, and Miss D is a ghost, by the way, but a good ghost, I swear."

Aine smiled back at her. "I met her. She was very nice and knowledgeable." Glancing over her shoulder, she added, "But as much as I want to focus on Lance, we really need to focus on the others. From Laxus explained, we need to get everyone out before the city collapses and figure out a way to stop it from collapsing on thousands of people."

"You think you could use that Dimension Door to get us to our reinforcements?" Laxus wanted to know.

Dazzler thought about it. "I mean yeah, I think so. I'm still a bit drunk—" Djedi appeared in a more solid manner this time with a silver platter and a green beverage on top. She took the glass and beamed. "Thanks, Djedi. Hey, I'm bringing over some friends. Could you have everyone spruce up the estate a little bit? I don't want any wandering people and"—her nose wrinkled—"John is making an appearance."

Djedi's nostrils flared and the flames in the fireplace ascended for a moment. "If he steals anything," he gritted out, "I will not hesitate to throw him into the chasm."

"You have my permission," Dazzler snickered after taking several swallows of the drink. "The man could use some time in the chasm." She set the glass back on the tray. "But let's make the place a little less dark and dramatic for our guests. Lock up the vault and all the fine stuff before John tries to rob us blind." Carrying Gladstone, Dazzler got to her feet (which were bare, by the way). "I love the Pendragons," she moaned. "Most amazing chefs and most amazing potioneers. I feel all sober now."

Gladstone rubbed against her neck before leaping out of her arms.

"He's going for a round," Dazzler clarified for everyone. "The estate isn't a danger to me, but some of the creatures who live here, they aren't happy about strangers, especially those who aren't related to me." She clapped her hands and looked between Aine and Laxus. "Shall we go get our allies?" She waltzed out of the great room and back into the lavish hallway.

Much to Aine's surprise, the same dark and ominous hallway she had crept through was turned into a bright and sunny hall. The gargoyles she had seen were still gargoyles, but they were talking amongst themselves, pleased about the light. The people in the pictures moved and seemed fascinated about the new guests, though Aine saw they visibly brightened seeing Dazzler. The fountain that had been turned off and centered in the middle of the foyer was spitting out crystal-clear water.

Laxus scowled as he saw a couple of enchanted feather dusters zoom by with a dustpan chasing after them. "I need this in my house," he muttered. "Mira wouldn't need to lift a finger again."

Dazzler laughed. "Everyone could use some Brownies." At Aine's confusion, Dazzler elaborated: "Brownies are Fae. Little things who are OCD and have a fetish to clean anything and everything, but they're also very socially anxious creatures. They only come out for the owner of the estate if they have any requests or if they've been invited for desserts. Brownies love to eat sweets."

Aine watched as the suits of armor followed Dazzler by their helmets. "Everything here is so…enchanting."

"Well, damn. You figured it out," Dazzler chuckled. "But yeah, everything here is enchanting because everything is enchanted. Over the centuries, everything in the estate is some sort of enchanted item. We have Cursed stuff locked in one of the vaults. My dad and my uncle would toy with them and try to either tame or break the Curse and return them back to their homes as a sort of a side hustle."

"And the pictures?" Aine questioned.

Dazzler shrugged. "It's a Magician thing, honestly. The pictures retain the memories of those they've captured at that time of the picture and can travel from portrait to portrait. We have a lot of them at my old academy. The pictures you see our old owners of the estate and their families or friends of the owners."

Laxus glanced at Dazzler. "All owners have a portrait then?"

"Pre-populated right when they die, yeah," Dazzler admitted. But both of them knew the question hanging between them. She just ignored it. Going over to the front doors, Dazzler paused. A deep breath was taken as a silver glow radiated from her body. Her eyes lightened with Magic and she held out a hand. "Enakuxe maka tin pórtāea!" she chanted. A Magician Circle pulsed against the double doors and sunk into the wood. Spell complete, Dazzler powered down and went over to the door. As she walked, her boots appeared on her feet and her hat easily fluttered back onto her head. Her hands reached for the handles. "Is everyone ready?"

Laxus nodded and tipped his head at Aine. "Stay here," he ordered. "If we don't make it back after thirty minutes—"

"I go with you." Aine refused to back down. "I love your son and I respect you, Mister Dreyar. But I'm not waiting here again. Lance is in good hands. I go where I'm needed."

A flare of approval was in grayed jade. Laxus turned back to Dazzler and nodded.

Dazzler swallowed in some more air before flinging open the double doors. The sound of war and rage gutted everyone as the wind pressure folded on their ears. Stepping outside the comfort of the estate, Aine was taken back at the destruction she saw before her. Crumbled buildings and fires and ash soaked the once-bustling city she could barely remember. Screams and gurgles plundered all three of them and they saw a building fall in the distance. A hand to her throat, Aine choked and cough and stumbled into Laxus.

Laxus held her steady. "You need your inhaler," he deduced. "I should've known. Aine, you don't lie about your health."

Aine coughed. "I was fine before," she wheezed. "What's going on? Why am I…?" She coughed again.

"Higher altitude, thinner air," Dazzler reasoned. She grabbed Aine by the shoulders. "I know you wanted to do this, but please, stay in the estate. Miss D will be there for you, but you can't be here. Oxygen levels are too crazy fo you to be here."

Aine looked ready to fight until she could barely breathe. Nodding shakily, she murmured, "I'm so sorry. Misty was right about me."

"He wasn't." Laxus was firm about that. "You just have to do some things differently than other Mages." He nudged her back into the manor. "Watch over my son and take care of yourself." Turning back to cruel reality, he barked to Dazzler. "We need to get everyone on board here."

Dazzler stepped forward and Laxus stepped with her. He watched as she closed the doors and the Enchanted Estate's double doors disappeared from view. "And we will when we have everyone together," Dazzler called over the rush of battle and wind. "I really could have done this alone, y'know."

"Not on my watch," Laxus snapped. "You're strong, kid, but I'm not leaving you to work alone." He smirked. "It's not my style to let the kids show me up."

Dazzler whipped off her hat and stirred it around. "Yeah, well, this kid about to wipe the floor with you."

Laxus noticed their arrival garnered the sickening attention of half-dead creatures eager for flesh to chew and souls to suck. Lightning clacked off Laxus as his electrical currents flowed without restraint. "You go upstage me and I'll just be here protecting your sorry ass." Without even flinching, precise bolts of lightning pelted off his body and rolled to electrocute his opponents.

Dazzler kept swishing around her hat. "All right. Here goes nothing…" At the last switch of her hat, she faked throwing it like she was trying to dumb out the contents. Instead, a tornado spilled out all raging and spiteful and tethered itself to the ground. It wobbled as it gunned down the streets to weave in more destruction. Dazzler stumbled back and her butt landed harshly on a rock. Out of breath, she wheezed, "Maybe I should've met up with Expanse and gotten my aura unlocked with Second Origin." She glanced over her shoulder to see Laxus scowling as his lightning tentacles easily dominated the scores of familiars and Darklings after them. "Having fun?"

"No." Laxus had the gall to sound annoyed. "These things are so weak. I bet Libby could handle these on her own."

Dazzler did not even bite back her smile as she tried to watch the tornado travel around. "You know, you might be an asshole, but it's sweet how you are with your family."

"Don't remind me," Laxus groused. "Bixslow can't get jabs in quick enough when his little monkeys and Eloise and Libby all hang off me. Don't these kids understand I'm"—he whirled around and his hand grabbed the face of an ugly Darkling with no eyes and a sewed mouth; lightning spewed from his palm and directly electrocuted his opponent—"dangerous?"

Dazzler snorted. "You're only dangerous when you're fighting or pissed," she deigned to tell him. "Oh, and let's not forget your little temper tantrum when Jason interviewed you—"

"I do not have my dick pierced!" More lightning wound around him at that. "Damn reporters and their lousy intel! That's Bixslow, not me!"

Dazzler wobbled onto her feet as she saw the tornado circle its way back to her. "I'm sure Mira has mentioned it to you more than once about it, though," she teased. "We all know that woman is definitely freaky dominatrix underneath those smiles."

Now Laxus grinned. "Damn right she is."

Dusting herself off, Dazzler got together her hat and crouched with it like she was a catcher. She kept her eyes firmly on the tornado. "All right, girl, steady now…" she murmured. "Steady, steady…"

The tornado whipped and whirled and howled as it came closer.

Laxus blinked when the roar of the winds revved itself and looked over for his eyes to widen at the oncoming tornado. "Kid—"

"I got it." Dazzler scooted forward and shook her hat as though she was offering it. "Just a little closer and…"—her silver eyes glowed—"Neruter!"

The tornado whistled as its bottom half flared up and disconnected with the ground. Like a strong magnet was calling it, the bottom of the tornado clung to the inside of Dazzler's hat. Her hands shook as her hat sucked the tornado back in, every last wind and speck of dust. With the tornado gone, it revealed a dome of swirling air within that contained John as he maintained the shield and their disgruntled allies. Dazzler shook out any more dust and wrinkled her nose when she saw drops of blood leave her hat while John disbanded his wind dome and the team came to the ground.

Atomic flicked her hair and glared at Dazzler. "A little warning would have been night. Like a tornado alert or severe weather warning."

"Don't get too cheesed, lass," John soothed as he approached Dazzler. "She did a great job wrangling us together." His eyebrow quirked. "But the question is why?"

"It's safe to say we need to get out of here," Dazzler told him—told them. "We can fight all we want, but our bigger concern needs to be regrouping and making sure we can evacuate as many people as we can from the cities and stopping the sky from falling."

Atomic crossed her arms. "Not our prerogative," she noted. "Nashi Dragneel is."

"We had a deal," Dazzler snapped.

"We did," Atomic agreed, "but that deal didn't include possibly going to jail in a place that isn't ours." She approached Dazzler in her small stature, but she looked like a queen looking down on her subjects. "Do you realize what happens the second we show our faces? Those faces will be the faces this place's soldiers will memorize so they can capture and detain us."

"Not if we're smart." Everyone looked at Psyphon who was plotting. "We can help them, Atomic, but it'll take some work. The Professor wouldn't want us to abandon people who need us. That's not our way," he added in insistence when Atomic looked ready to argue.

"Hey, wait a minute." Ghost looked around the ground in confusion. "Where are Nashi and Gary? And Mirella? Wasn't she supposed to bring back Aine and Lance?"

"Aine and Lance are in the Enchanted Estate," Dazzler quickly went over, "but I haven't seen Gary or Nashi or Mirella. Or Kyler for that matter."

Ghost replied, "We saw Kyler start a fight with the Demon—"

"Wait a minute." John really looked at Dazzler. "You opened the doors to the Enchanted Estate?"

Dazzler swallowed. "Yes. We didn't have any other choice. We didn't," she pressed when Laxus opened his mouth. Shoulders dropping, she murmured to John alone, "It's the only safe place I know."

John tapped a knuckle on her chin. "This isn't just a big step, Bunny. That's a whole leap across the pond."

"I know." She looked up into his eyes with a vulnerability not forgotten between them. "But it's okay."

Atomic cut in crossly, "I hate to break this up, but we need cover and a plan now. We were tasked with Nashi Dragneel's safety and we're doing exactly that." She looked at Cascade, Highlight, and Hybrid. "Well? Feel anything?"

Highlight nodded while Cascade relayed, I sense the minds of those similar to Angel and Devilman. They are on the ground northwest from us.

"They're on the move," Highlight informed with her blue aura covering her moon-touched eyes and body. "Wait… They are not the only ones amongst them, but… I cannot describe their party."

Hybrid did the honors as her head slowly rolled around. "Obeah-chil'… Ol' kit-a-kitty… An'…" Interest glinted in her eyes. "I see… Anudah brawla, but dis one be different. He a lizah. A howlah with dem too. An…" Her eyes widened and then whipped over to Cascade and Highlight whom shared looks then nodded. Hybrid shared, "She a Chil'."

Laxus growled as his lightning acted like its own army. "Christ, we don't have time to stand around here," he gnashed. "Kid, open the doors so we can get the Hell out of here."

As Dazzler readied herself, Ghost looked between the three psychic women. "Um… I'm sorry, but what exactly does that all mean?"

It means, Cascade started, that Hybrid feels the energies of very powerful children. So does Highlight. I feel only their minds and psychological states. Her eyes shifted to Psyphon. I tapped into a few minds briefly. Most of them were panicking, but I caught a few minds of soldiers.

"Then, we need to make a plan." Dazzler stood off to the side with grand double doors summoned. She grabbed the handle of one and swung open the door to reveal the innards of a refined mansion with Djedi and Gladstone waiting. "Step into my office, everyone, and let's make with the haste." As everyone began to follow inside, John hovered near her. Ticking her jaw, she remarked, "Something you want to get off your chest on the battlefield?"

"Are you sure you want me to go in there?"

Now that was something Dazzler did not expect to be asked. She looked up at John. "Dad might've not liked the path you chose, but you're still family, John," she reminded gently. "If he were here, he would've reminded you that." Nodding to the door, she told him, "So welcome back."

John swallowed and forced a cheeky grin and a wink. "No welcome is complete without you, D." Burying his uncertainty, he crossed the entryway and into the estate. Dazzler followed him after and then Laxus with a final jolt to kill the enemy. Then the doors shut themselves to disappear from this fresh Hell.

---

Kyler knew a floating mass of darkness would catch eyes. He heard the violent screams of those in the suburbs and felt weighted at their confusion and fear. And he knew better to expect the mortals would not try to follow. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught glimpse of trailing militant Sky Boats. On the ground, a great distance away, JLTVs were eating up terrain. And he could see vans were there as well, journalists and reports raring for a story.

Kyler wanted to curse. Leading him into farmland minimizes damage as long as the humans stay back. Their firearms won't work against Bael or me, but our fight could kill them. He flew before tilting his to start circling. He brought out a hand, ignoring Bael hungrily trying to reach him, and turquoise energy feather off his palm and fingertips.

In response, turquoise flames shot up on the ground beyond him and rose up. The flames melded together to form a translucent shield.

Bael rushed towards Kyler with a vengeance. "You are mine, you stupid bird!" He threw out a hand that turned into a chain of shadows. "Get back in your cage!"

Kyler narrowly avoided it as he shifted his hand. "No, Bael!" His eyes glowed. "You're the caged one."

Bael was all set to ignore it when a chill of purity stabbed him and his chains faltered. He hissed at seeing his shadows fizzle out. "What the…?" He looked up and his eyes widened. "No!"

Kyler was not just making one wall—he was making a cube. Translucent turquoise spread in the air to combine together as their walls came up. Bael hurried himself to escape, but he was thrown back when the purity of the energy field blocked him. Like an untamed animal, he darted his way and that and fanned out his shadows to use any small oversight to escape, but his shadows would falter and crumble.

Bael felt the purity shake his head. He could see his massive form disintegrating. Eight spider legs began to form and it had him snarl. "You stupid little shit! You think locking me in here will even help you win against me? Don't make me laugh!" Something caught his ear and he looked behind him. Narrowing his eyes, he ended up smirking when he saw what was approaching. "Actually, this is better. Trap me in here with you, birdie. All the better for the mortals to see us. And once I kill you, I can finally eat."

Kyler lifted his hand. "Not on my watch."

The translucent cube uprooted itself from the ground at lightning speed like an elevator gone mad. Bael was thrown off-kilter and his shadows hit a wall, fizzing out, and the shadow began to reform a spider leg.

Kyler brought them up far into the sky until the clouds covered them from prying eyes. When all was said and done, the glow left from his hands and not from his eyes. "Villain monologuing won't do you any good," he growled. "But you're weak here, Bael. Golgotha's Cube is filled with purity. Already you're turning into the monster you are."

Bael snarled and threw out a rush of shadows.

Kyler stood still as the shadow disintegrated a foot away from him into white dust.

Bael cringed back and looked down to see his shadows beginning to form a grotesque arm made of tongue and covered in warts. "I am a monster!" he roared as he gathered strength in his shadows and the Curse twisted inside him. "You might have trapped me, but it doesn't matter. I'll still kill you."

Kyler lifted his chin with his staff at the ready and did something that infuriated Bael.

He smirked.

"Then, by all means, try," Kyler purred. "I'm ready."

Bael roared and his Cursed shadows fanned out only to purge downwards and try to kill its enemy.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

And in Fiore…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

When Peter parked his car in the driveway to his home, he had to take a minute after the car was off. "Maybe if I play the 'my parents are dead' speech," he wondered pitifully. "No, Dad doesn't fall for that." He groaned as his forehead hit his steering wheel's rim. "Great. Bleu's gonna throw a rager and I'll be stuck inside watching those stupid movies with Dad and finding stupid motifs." Like a petulant child, he threw himself out of the car and instantly heard the dogs barking like mad in the backyard. One of the black cats was sitting on the porch and trying to sleep when Peter approached. He bent down to scoop the old she-cat into his arms and welcomed her headbutts as he unlocked the door and let himself inside.

He heard the echoing of a musical when he came inside. "Dad, I'm home!" He put down the black cat and with a pat on her butt, she trotted away. After toeing off his shoes, he crept towards the stair—

"Not so fast."

Peter shut his eyes and held back his despaired grunt. Turning around, he saw his adoptive father leaning against the opened study door with knowing in his eyes. Peter forced a smile. "Dad…! I thought you were in the living room?"

Bowie quirked his lips into a grin. "What? Think you could sneak off upstairs?" He nodded down the hall. "Had a feeling you might, so I had to set up a little trap. Hey, at least it's me and not your mom," he pointed out in addition when Peter's face went flat. "She would've been standing in the hall with her flipflop and wouldn't have even let you explain anything."

Peter's shoulders fell. "Well, gee, Dad, thanks, I feel better."

Bowie laughed and went over to place a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Come on." He revealed what he was holding behind his back. Envelopes all addressed to Peter. "Let's talk about these."

In a matter of minutes, Bowie and Peter sat together at the kitchen high table with the unopened envelopes and parcels scattered on the table and both of them were sipping on a drink (Bowie took a whiskey while Peter settled for a Jack and Poke). Bowie raised his class for Peter to clink his against it. "Not a word about this to your mom," Bowie forewarned. "She's stressed enough. I don't need her kicking me to the couch for thinking I'm corrupting her baby."

Peter snorted. "You have to tell her she's the one who gave me my first drink when she got drunk at Aunt Ashley's fiftieth."

"I will when she's ready to hear the entire story about that night." Bowie smirked into his whiskey. "She still gets all blushy from the memories she does have."

Peter made a face. "Oh, dude, gross."

Bowie took a few swallows and sighed. Gesturing to the envelopes, he started, "Well? Are we going to ignore the elephant in the room?"

Peter shrugged and looked away.

Bowie sighed again. "Peter…" He picked up a random envelope and read the title. "Okay, fine. I'll start. So it looks like Saint Mary's Alchemical Academy sent you a recruitment letter."

"Dad…"

"We have to talk about this sooner rather than later," Bowie told his son, "and preferably before your mother comes back or else she'll have some sort of panic attack."

Peter grinned at that for a few seconds before he sobered. "I didn't mean to keep it a secret," he started to explain. "It just… It wasn't easy. Everything came and went so fast. I didn't even know how to deal with what went down in Margaret Town. And it was hard for me to keep it a secret about my affinity test and everything. Telling you is one thing, but to tell Mom? You know she would've freaked. Look at her reaction the other night."

"She might not have come off as the most supportive, no," Bowie had to acknowledge, "but she very much loves you and wants what's best for you. She wants…" He hesitated to say more. "She wants to keep the promise we made to your parents."

Peter lowered his glass. "What promise?"

Bowie fingered the rim of his glass, uncomfortable. "Your…parents…" He tried this again: "As you know, your mom and I knew your parents. We were your godparents prior to their death and we were at the hospital the day you were born." When Peter nodded, Bowie continued, "Well, there's things your mother and I promised your parents that we've tried to uphold. But with your powers here, I'm not even sure it's worth all the secrecy."

"It's not," Peter insisted. "Dad, I need to know whatever it is. Please."

Bowie examined his son for a long time. Then, he finally said, "Okay." He set down his glass and got off his chair. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"The attic." Bowie walked away.

Peter stared after his father, dumbfounded. "We have an attic?"

Indeed, they did have an attack and it was no wonder Peter did not know about it. The spiral staircase that led to the attack was housed within the walk-in closet of the master bedroom. As Peter climbed up the steps, he muttered, "Well, this isn't shocking or anything."

Bowie chuckled. "The attic is off-limits even with you knowing about it, but you deserve to see what's up here." He slid open the door and continued on with his climb.

Peter followed right after and when his head emerged, he was taken back at what he saw. The attic was large enough to be a loft with a circular window that Peter had always thought was hidden within his parents' room. But it was filled with boxes and covered furniture and a couple antique lamps that never made it to the second or first floor. Bowie walked along the wooden floor and went to a box while Peter took his time. He saw a bookshelf had been set up and cleaned off with pictures in frames. He looked at the pictures to see him as a baby as well as pictures of him and his adoptive parents, but there were pictures burnt down until only him as a baby remained.

"Peter?"

Peter drifted to Bowie to watch as he revealed what was in the box. Bowie said, "Eloa would have my head for this, but I think she's more stressed how to survive her boss." He yanked out an old photo album and pulled it out. He handed it to Peter with a smile. "Here. Take a look through."

Peter took the photo album with the raise of an eyebrow, but he decided to go along with it. He opened the book to see the title page was talking about the year with a bunch of signatures inside like it was a yearbook. He flipped to the second page—

Gold widened.

His fingers were slow to touch the page as though it was going to break with just a puff of wind. "Is this…?" His voice quiet, hoarse, like he had not used it in ages. "Are these…?"

The photograph might have been a bit blurry, but it did not take away from anything. There sat a happily married couple as they laughed with cake on their chins and buttercream on their noses. He looked regal in his military best with tousled blonde hair and pale marigold eyes twinkling in laugh and love. The bride looked ravishing in her reception dress, though she carried a special pendant with her. Dirty blonde curled into her ears, her butterscotch gaze pierced her new husband with such raw emotion as she giggled at their antics.

"Yes." The affirmation came softly from Bowie as his head swam with memories. "Those are your parents. Jean and Alex were your mother's best friends and also mine."

Peter went to the next page. It looked like the series of photographs taped down were from his parents' younger days. Both of them looked to be teenagers in their school uniforms. She looked every bit of studious and he looked stoic, almost blank to a point. The symbols on their school uniforms differed, but you could see the unhappiness in Jean's eyes even when she tried smiling with her friends while Alex looked unbothered and nothing like the matured version of himself. The next photos seemed to be from their college-bound days with Jean in front of her college sign with a shy smile while Alex seemed to be sworn into the military.

Peter touched an image of his mother who had been caught off-guard when she was putting on make-up for a night out. "Can you tell me more about them?" A question quiet as though not to disturb the pictures.

Bowie nodded even though Peter would not see it. "Jean van Helmont was an Alkahest," he revealed in a low voice, watching for his son's reaction. "From what I remember of Jean, well, I didn't really meet her until after her graduation. She was more Eloa's friend than mine prior to our meeting. But from what I heard, Jean was a perfectionist and a rule-follower and a do-gooder. She followed her parents' expectations without a complaint and graduated with her bachelor's in Alkahestry at the top of her class a year ahead of schedule. She has an only child, so she had a lot of pressure on herself."

Peter nodded. "And my dad?"

"I knew Alex a lot better with our time in the service," Bowie admitted. "He was pretty blank. He didn't like to show emotion. He was an Alchemist in the force with me. We both served in the Suertish Army. It was required for at least two years in my home country which is why I was there. Alex's family wasn't from Suertland, but he became a Sorcerer for the Suertish Army for reasons all I knew was that was getting away from his family. He was a great guy. He was there for his subordinates and his fellow soldiers. Being in his squad was an honor."

Peter turned the page to see his father on a stage as he accepted a medal.

Bowie went on: "I wish I knew more about Jean and Alex together. I was in the military's orchestra after a while and I fell in love with your mother during a tour. She had been working for the corporation she's with now at entry-level, but she knew Jean from mutual acquaintances."

Peter saw an image that had him freeze. An image of his mother and father in their graduation caps and gowns. She was several inches shorter than him even with her heels and had her eyes closed and her smile wide as she held up her diploma while he held her close and dipped down to nuzzle into her neck, cap, and diploma on the ground. You could see the smile on his face and the telltale signs of laugh lines.

"Your parents had a lot going on for them," Bowie mentioned. "Back then… I don't know much about the Magic Community, but I understand Magic Bloodlines, the 'purebloods' would often have arranged marriages either to strengthen the Magic with the next generation or something like that."

"Mary Jane explained it to me." Peter found his voice again as he went to another picture. It seemed his mother was visibly excited over seeing a reindeer. "It's some weird outdated thing. Mages would marry within their own Magic type or they'd marry someone with some sort of Magic that their kid would combine into something special."

"Right." Bowie coughed into a fist. "Honestly, Eloa knows a lot more details than I do. Alex was very closed off about his family and his life until he met Jean. He smiled more with her. They met during their time at Alexandria College actually during her master's program and his bachelor's." He did not notice something clicked with Peter. "It's a Magic university for Mages, Alchemy, and Alkahestry, but it's one of the ivy league universities of Magic, from what Eloa explained to me. And they were—Wait, Peter?"

Peter had tucked the photo album under his arm as he made a dash for the exit. Clambering down the steps, he did not care that his father was after him.

"Peter, wait!" Bowie called. "I know this is overwhelming and I'm so sorry we hid this from you! But your parents—we had to abide by their wishes! It was in their will!"

Peter ignored Bowie as he flew down to the first floor and sprinted into the kitchen. Setting down the photo album on the island as he passed it, he dove for the envelopes and parcels on the high kitchen table. Bowie panted a little as he watched Peter go through his mail. "Peter, please," he begged, "let's talk about this. I know it's a lot—"

"You said they went to Alexandria College?"

Peter turned around with a thick envelope in his hands and showed it to Bowie. There it was. His recruit and scholarship information for Alexandria College for their STEMM program.

Bowie looked from the envelope to Peter. "Peter… Are you sure about this?"

Peter let out a shaky exhale. "No."

Carefully, Bowie took the envelope out of Peter's hands. "Why don't we discuss options later?" he suggested. "You were hit with a lot of information in a short amount of time. You'll need some time to think about some things." He went over to snatch the photo album to give to Peter instead. "Please take this. I'll explain everything to your mother later, but you deserve to have that. Later, if you'd like, I can show you some of the other keepsakes we rescued from the fire." He brought Peter close and kissed his hair. "We love you, Peter. Blood or not, you are family."

Peter shut his eyes and threw his arms around Bowie. "Blood or not, you'll always be my dad, Dad."

Bowie hugged him back for a few moments before letting him go. With a sad smile and nod, he went over to the table to gather the rest of the mail. Peter floated away from the kitchen. Before he knew it, he had locked himself in his room. The photo album went onto his bed and he settled at his desk chair. His Compact came out and he found a contact. With no hesitation, the motion of calling was so absent, he did not even hear the line ring. He just heard the other caller.

"Thank you for choosing Margaret's Xerion Private Hospital. This is Devi speaking from the Magic and Pathology unit. How may I assist you?"

"Hi, um, this is Peter? I, um, I…" Everything began to catch up with Peter and his tongue felt heavy. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes shut at his own helplessness. "You know what? Never mind. I-I'm so sorry to bother you on a busy day—"

"Oh, is this Mister Shuusei-Thompson?"

Peter tried to swallow as puzzlement settled over his self-frustration. "Yeah? I'm sorry… Shou-Should I know you?"

A titter. "Oh, no, sir, I'm sorry. The doctor let his staff know you might call for him and told us we should transfer you to his private line immediately."

"O-Oh." Well, this was unexpected. "Um, well, you know what? It's fine. You can—"

"Please hold for me one moment while I get the doctor on the line."

"Wait, don't—!" Peter groaned into his hand went the hold music came on. "And she transferred me," he muttered. "I could always hang up. It's not like he'd know." He pulled the Compact away from his e—

"Peter."

Peter winced and put the Compact quickly back to his ear. Clearing his throat, he greeted weakly, "Doctor Mothersbaugh, there's been some sort of mistake—"

"Did they finally tell you about your parents?"

Peter straightened at that. "What? How do you know about them? How would you even know that?"

A long and weary sigh. "First, I need to know: where did your parents go to school?"

"A-A-Alexandria College. But I don't get what that has to do with anything. You know my parents?"

Three beats. "I taught your mother," came soft admittance. "She was my star student. And losing her was like losing another daughter."

Peter hunched forward as he rubbed his face. Hearing low meows, a tuxedo tomcat seemed to sense his distress and wound at his legs before getting on his hind paws and headbutting Peter's knees. "This is a lot," Peter whooshed. "I just… I didn't expect this. I don't know what I expected."

"I understand. We'll table this conversation for another time—"

"No!" Peter rushed to say that and scooped up the tuxedo cat so the tom could comfortably cuddle into his chest. "No, please, I…! No, I just…!" He heaved a heavy breath and refocused his thoughts. "I think I know what I want to do about my future. And I called because I was hoping your offer to help wasn't expired. If it has, I understand."

"It hasn't."

"Then, if it's okay with you, sir, I'd like to further discuss it. And, if it's okay, I want to speak to Miss Andy too."

Five beats. "I'll talk to my daughter and see how she's fairing. But, knowing her clinicals and my schedule, Saturday mornings, and Sunday mornings are the best outlook. I have a special patient who requires my care on Sunday afternoon."

"I'll see what I can do." Peter glanced at his window. "Sorry to call you on a Sunday afternoon."

"It's all right. My daughter and my patient tell me I should be more sociable anyways. I'll let them know I did my socializing for the day with this com call."

Peter huffed a chuckle. "I understand." His chuckle faded. "And, um, sir?"

"I'm not a sir. Call me 'Doc' like everyone else does."

"Doc, then," Peter corrected. In a lower voice, he asked, "Do you think you could tell me more about…Jean?"

No beats. "I'd be honored and privileged to do so," came solemn vow. "I don't know if I'll do her justice. But I'll do the best I can. Stay safe, kid. We'll talk soon."

The line went dead.

Peter let out a breath and petted the tuxedo cat to calm down his racing heart. "This'll make sense," he whispered as though trying to convince himself. "Right?" He peered down at the tuxedo cat. "Sinatra, tell me this will work."

Sinatra looked at him and opened his mouth. "Miaow…"

Peter smiled a little and rubbed the tom's cheeks, comforted at the purring. "You're right, buddy." Sitting back in his chair, he let Sinatra crawl on him and rub his head on Peter's shoulder while the boy in question stroked his fur. "One step at a time."

°•°•°•°

Dagon smelt it before he saw it. That shivering power that triggered the beast inside him to challenge for territorial dominance. It carried ash and sulfur, but it was smothered in that disgusting scent of purity that burned his snout and would have made his eyes water. He readied his hands for a large hammer to appear as he soaked in the stench. Finally. A challenge.

Dagon powered himself to jet even faster to the territory—

SMACK!

Dagon lost trajectory as he broke from the shadowy stream to crash into the canopy of trees. He managed to get on all fours as he slid into the earth with a sizable dent forced into it. Barreling around, he held up his hammer and—

SPOOSH…!

Dagon did not smirk or grin as his brothers had. He locked a stoic stare onto his opponent. "There is no need to fight me, sister."

Mirella spat at him as she pushed on the staff of her scythe. "You're about to take the Queen, Dagon. Think about this carefully. Do you really want to challenge a Demon King when you can't even defeat your dear ole dad?"

Dagon narrowed his eyes and pushed himself away. Swinging his hammer, he muttered, "All those centuries sucking Angel cock made you soft, sister. You used to enjoy the cause we fought for." He launched himself at her. His hammer hit her side, but Mirella countered as the blade shrank and her staff wielded a blade on each end. She pierced Dagon's hoof and he grunted before swinging a punch that knocked Mirella back a few steps. Using the momentum, he dished a blow to her other side then gripped his hammer to do make a break for her thigh.

Mirella cried out when she heard a snap in her leg, but she gave Dagon no time to make a follow-up hit as she planted her double-bladed staff into the ground and swung to deliver a harsh kick to Dagon's stomach. She swung back around and threw her hands. Shadows were stolen from the trees to swarm around Dagon. He had no choice in the matter as the shadow bound around his wrists and ankles and brought him to his knees. His hammer was forced out of his hand as his wrists were brought behind him, leaving him wide open.

Mirella plucked her weapon from the ground as she lifted a hand. Shadows were stolen from the bushes as they came to hover the hammer away from Dagon. Hair a wreck, blood dripping from her eye, she panted to Dagon, "Yeah, maybe me getting eaten out by a saint does some things to me." She planted her staff back into the ground for support. "But it didn't take really good head for me to know stealing women of the Etherious King is a bad idea. Unlike the rest of you psychos, I never had to resort to blackmail for a kill shot." She coughed and saw blood splattered out. Sliding down her staff, she landed on her knees and a palm came up to cover her eye. What is this? I shouldn't be this weak. My healing should have—

"You're right, sister." Dagon's hands flexed. "Blackmail is never the answer. And perhaps the Angel did not soften you."

Mirella opened her mouth—

BAM!

She was down.

Mirella could not hear anything. Her sense of smell was gone. Blood crusted her vision, but she knew by the stickiness she felt in her hair, something was off. She could not feel that her chains had broken. She could not register Dagon approached her. All she cared about was her heaved breaths and the shock her body was going through.

"No, sister, the Angel made you weak from the inside out," came uncomfortably warm hiss. "You are not the warrior I used to breed and spar with. You have lost all appeal to me. The Heartfilia Priestess will make a far better mate than you."

Mirella let out a gurgling couch as her mouth made warbling noises as her counter.

"If your head wound doesn't kill you, the poison will," Dagon murmured as he sniffed her hair. "I forced a Potion Master to make it especially for you. I thought it would add some fun when you came home. How disappointing."

Blood vomited from Mirella's mouth mixed with bile. A terrible new shock overwhelmed her as that dam, that wall, the prison that she had resurrected filtered unwanted memories. Touches she hated that ravaged her. How she learned to quiet her cries until she was numb on the inside out while a new body took her. The days she was caged and slept in her own piss and vomit as punishment for the marks she had given a business partner of her father. The need to scrub her skin clean fired her body into a convulsion, but she choked on her own blood and vomit to let out a sob. She heard the words rattling around in her mind. The insults, the grunts, the pants, the groans…

Why? Mirella thought miserably. Why now? I can't… I can't think about this now.

But her body did not care as it went through the motion. It spasmed and shook and did not care what she wanted. Her ears filled with those slurs and breaths that she hated and iced herself to over the centuries. Her powers rescinded as her staff disappeared as her internal knee-jerk response to save herself. And as her body did as it pleased, something warm came close to her. Dagon's rotting presence was gone and the warmth took over. Mirella allowed her eyes to roll upwards and that was when she saw her.

A woman with hair strung in the prettiest golds pulled back her arm as energy gathered for her bow. Her mouth moved as she released the attack, but she did not wait to see the aftermath. Shadows rushed by her in blurred forms. This woman turned her head—

—and chocolate brushed in gold looked on in panic.

Mirella saw the woman's mouth move, but she could not make out anything. The blood, the vomit, the memories, the poison—they were trying to kill her. So she did the only thing she could do. She took a shuttered breath through her nose…

…and she shut down.

°•°•°•°

Igneel came back through the rehabilitation center with his nerves at his throat. The day felt like it was going far too quickly, but he still had some time left. He approached the front desk with his bag already gone through security and his happy-go-lucky smile on his face. He waited for his turn before he came up to the desk. "I'm here to see Mary Jane Dreyar?"

The young man working as a front desk agent smiled. "Of course! Would you mind waiting to see if you are on her visitation list? And may I see some ID?"

Igneel murmured his consent and handed over his MagID. He drummed his fingers on the counter as he looked around and took a quick sniff. I don't smell Uncle Laxus and Peter's scent is stale. He looked at the large brown paper bag in his hands, but the real surprises were in his backpack. Regret began to fill him when he looked at the one item in the brown bag he was dreading to give. This was a mistake. I shouldn't be here. This'll just hurt her even more. I'm just being stupid. He was prepared to tell the front desk agent to forget everything when—

"Here's your ID back, Mister Dragneel." The front desk agent got up. "If you'll give me just a moment, I'll reissue you a visitor's badge."

"Wait, I…" Igneel sighed when the agent walked away. Shoving his ID back in his wallet, his eyes sought for a way out. His Compact vibrated, though, and he tended to it.

⌜MESSAGES

MJ (MY WENDY)

Are you here?⌟

Igneel sucked in a breath. I could just tell her I'm not here. I should. I'm just not coming. If I turn around now, she won't know the difference. He unlocked his Compact and began to type—

"Igneel! You're here!"

Igneel winced and looked to see—"MJ?!" Abandoning his place in line, he rushed over to her as she hobbled over with her IV drip set and a beam. Though, that beam stuttered when Igneel rushed her and swept her off her feet.

Mary Jane blushed as she latched onto him. "Igneel, put me down!" she demanded. "I'm not fragile!"

Igneel ignored her as he shouted. "I need a wheelchair!"

Mary Jane huffed when someone in a guest service red jacket scrambled over with a wheelchair. As Igneel set her in, Mary Jane muttered, "I'm not sick. I'm fine. I walked all the way down here by myself."

Igneel busied himself with attaching the IV drip set to the wheelchair. "And Peter let you do that?" he baited.

That flustered Mary Jane. "What? No! And neither did my mom," she added for good measure. "Peter's gone home and my mom left me to nap after I convinced her to go home, shower, and make sure the Takanashi's are okay." She smiled a bit guiltily. "So I might've lied to her about the napping part."

Igneel looked ready to scold her when the front desk agent approached with his badge. "Here you are, sir," he told. Looking at Mary Jane in concern, he offered, "Do you want me to get your floor nurse for you, ma'am?"

If Igneel had his way, he would have wrangled for the damn doctor to be at her hand and foot, but Mary Jane brightly said, "No thank you, but thank you for the offer. I'm in his hands." She gestured to Igneel. "I'm okay! He can take care of me." She looked up at him. "He does a great job already."

And just like that, Igneel's hair lit with pink flames.

The front desk agent looked too stunned to be nervous while Mary Jane looked smug and Igneel was cursing and trying to put out his enflamed hair. The front desk agent stammered, "Sh-Should I call the fire department?"

"Oh, it's okay," Mary Jane promised cheerily. "It just means he's embarrassed. He catches on fire when he's emotional, you know."

The front desk agent did not know. "Ma'am, are you sure you want him in your room? Actually, he could be a liability to the entire hospital—"

"Please let him come up with me." Mary Jane looked at the agent with big red and blue eyes. "He's my best friend in the whole world. Even if it's just for five minutes, seeing him definitely makes me feel a lot happier and more optimistic I'll get better." She clasped her hands and made her bottom lip tremble. "And he'll take good care of me, promise. He always takes care of me and leaves me satisfied."

Igneel's entire head of hair and even his body hair was alit with pink flames. It was ignored when he started making a mad dash for the indoor fountain.

The front desk agent sighed. "Well, he can stay, but we have a strict policy for Magic within the center. I understand Mister Dragneel is a Fire Mage, but if he can't control his flames or the smoke—"

"He will," Mary Jane was quick to vow. "He will for me."

It was ignored a steaming Igneel lay relieved and twitching in the fountain.

The front desk agent handed over Igneel's badged just as Igneel hauled himself out of the fountain and fell over while security detail approached him in high suspicion. "Give him this, will you, miss?" he decided. "Make sure he knows the rules. I have to go back to the front desk now, but, in my opinion, honey, he is cute and if a cute guy like that wants to take care of you, don't you let him go."

Pink tinged Mary Jane's cheeks with a little static. Neither noticed Igneel had guns pointed at him when he uses his flames to dry himself off. "O-O-Oh, no," she dismissed. "We're not like that. He's my best friend. He's, um…" Her smile fell a little. "He's still in love with someone else."

The agent offered a sympathetic hand and Mary Jane took it (and Igneel was getting more and more annoyed he was not being released that static wound around him). "The first love is the hardest love to get over," he empathized. "You remember your first love for a long time. But then, when that One comes long, you make room for a new love. It's different but in a good way." He smiled. "Maybe your friend is slowly making room in his heart for a new love."

Still, Mary Jane laughed it off even if her heart did beat a little faster. "Well, um, he might be, but it definitely won't be for me. We're just friends and I like someone else."

You would think the agent would let this go with an unconvinced smile and nod (or that security would drop their weapons when Igneel began spitting flames and looked ready to go on a warpath), but the agent peered closer at her. "But do you like him," came low question, "or the idea of him?"

Mary Jane's smile was tentative. "I-I… I'm sorry? What do you mean by that?"

It was like the agent was trying to tell her something with their eyes. "Maybe everything is clicking between you two because this is something that's happened before in a past life, like soul mates. A soul might recognize its Half. But you should be with a person who likes you for the person you are now." The agent let go of her hand just as a grumbling Igneel stomped their way. "Just something to think about." And he waltzed away.

Mary Jane was still reeling from that thought when Igneel took the arms of her wheelchair. "Fricken hate security here," he muttered as he turned them to the elevator. "You catch on fire one time and suddenly, you're on the same level of a murderer. Geez. Not like my flamemotions do any more harm than make me want to die inside." When they got to the elevator, he pressed the up button.

"Igneel?"

Igneel hummed as he looked up to see one of the four elevators coming down to get them.

"Do you believe in soul mates?"

Igneel stiffened. He did not want to look at her. Is she…? Should I lie? I'm supposed to lie. But I mean her parents aren't around and all… He let out a breath. "You mean soul mates or mates?"

Mary Jane's brows kneaded together in confusion. "What's the difference? They're the same thing."

DING!

Igneel steered them into the third elevator. Hitting the floor button and the door close, he leaned against the elevator wall and cleared his throat. "Well, they're not," he hedged to explain. "But it's more, well, maybe kind of a religion sort of definition deviation, I guess."

Mary Jane frowned. "I'm sorry, but you're not making any sense…"

Igneel fiddled with his charm. "Okay, so look, it's like this. It's like the difference between marriage and an arranged marriage, okay? In a marriage, you're with that person because you want to be with them for who they are now. You want to love them for them. But in an arranged marriage, it's all predestined, so you're supposed to be together for the sake of 'being together', but it's for the idea and not the person. Get it?" When Mary Jane shrugged helplessly, the elevator dinged and they were on their floor. Igneel got them off and wheeled her towards her room.

"Aunt Levy explained it better to me when I was younger. Soul mates are more of a god and goddess thing. Mates are more of a Dragon and Demon thing. For gods, their soul mate is the other half of their soul that completes them. They're two forces that gravitate towards each other like positive and negative, right? And sure, they stick together because of the idea of completion, but gods might have a soul mate and take on a bunch of consorts because, well, being complete isn't everything. They need that other sort of connection."

Igneel got to her room and slid open the door before pushing her inside. "A mate is that connection. Dragons and Demons take on mates who not only complete them, but they want them for them as a person, not just because it was all predestined."

Mary Jane began to understand. As she got up, Igneel helped her every step of the way even if it was unnecessary. "I think I get it." After she was settled in, she watched as Igneel got her IV drip set as well. "So, then, you believe in either of that?"

Igneel faltered as pain hit his chest. "Yes," he struggled to say. "I…believe in it."

Mary Jane studied her hands. "Do you think you have—?"

CLANG!

Mary Jane whipped around to see Igneel on his knees as he leaned against the IV drip pole. Horror overtook her and she got off the bed to comfort him. "Oh my gosh, Igneel, are you okay?" she fretted. "Are you in pain? Here, let me call the nurse—!"

"N-No, please, I'm…" Igneel swallowed and looked at her with a grin as he tried to hide his eyes. "I'm fine, okay? No need to panic. Just hungry." Gathering in a deep inhale, he let her see clear onyx eyes. "Seriously, MJ, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying, but you don't need to. Let's get you back in bed."

Mary Jane let him guide her up and back to bed, but she watched him like a hawk. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "We can talk about something else if you want?" She scrambled to think of something. "We could watch some anime or talk about the latest Hero High chapter in the mangaka. O-Or maybe we could watch a trailer for the last Defenders movie coming out in a few months. Or—"

"MJ."

Mary Jane paused. "U-Um, yes?"

Igneel came to sit on the edge of the hospital bed with a wan smile and his eyes on his lap. "Do you…want a soul mate?"

Mary Jane frowned. "I can't have a mate?"

"No." The word came out soft. "Mates are for different species other than humans or typical Mages."

Mary Jane thought over her options then. "I mean… Having someone made for you is pretty cool, you know? Really romantic. But… I mean the mate thing seems fascinating too. To have that connection with someone and love them that much for who they are? I think anyone would want that." She sighed and locked her hands around her legs. "Well, anyways, I don't think I should have either. I'm not exactly the picture of romance or worthy of someone else's love."

Igneel's teeth gritted.

A self-deprecating smile took over Mary Jane. "I've been a really mean person to my family and friends. I'm not that spectacular and I don't have any real talent. I'm not brave or smart. I don't really deserve anyone special like that until I become good enough."

His fists clenched. "But you are good enough."

Mary Jane looked over at Igneel when he got up. "Igneel…?" It surprised her when he knelt at her bedside and took her hands into his own.

"You deserve everything because you're worth everything." It was hard to know if Igneel was emotional or angry by his choked-up growl. "You are talented and perfect and brave and smart and passionate and such a good person." His hands tightened around her own. "You're a much better person than I could ever be." He hunched over when he felt tears prick his eyes. "And I hope… I hope you have a soul mate out there who will take all of you and make you finally feel worthy." Gods, it felt like death itself saying those words.

"But…you make me feel that way."

Onyx widened. Igneel tipped up his head—

Warm scarlet-cerulean connected with shocked onyx.

For a moment, the violet in Mary Jane's eyes started to become more prominent. "Well, it's true, isn't it?" she asked. "You were always encouraging me and trying to make me feel worthy and not like I lived in everyone else's shadow. Even now, even when I wanted to leave Fairy Tail, you made it your goal to make me feel like there's hope and I'm still a cause worth fighting for. And all this time, you've tried to make me feel worthy and special." She tapped her cheek. "But that wouldn't really make you my soul mate." She smiled and those scarlet-cerulean eyes turned a vivid violet. "So that makes us mates, don't you think?"

Onyx lightened until emerald grew dominant. A familiar growl rumbled in his chest. "Do you mean that?" he asked in a dangerous whisper.

Mary Jane studied him and never lost her smile. "I… Igneel…" Something like recognition began to shiver through her body. It was like the gates were opening and a glimpse of what was behind it would come to light. She shook as she gripped him. Old urgency flared up within her. "Igneel—!"

Igneel felt it before he saw it. He felt the band snap. He felt the punishment. He felt the raw pain. And he caught Mary Jane when she convulsed and clutched her head. Grief soured his emerald eyes as he held her while both of them shook. His jaw ticked as he leaned into her and breathed her scent. I should call Mister Gryder and Aunt Mira. That would be the right thing to do. The Wild flared within him and snarled at such a suggestion. But screw them. He gripped Mary Jane even tighter. Doing this was as easy as breathing. Flames crawled his arms, but they looked nearly transparent as they flickered. They cocooned Mary Jane with their presence like a calming balm and her shaking slow and slowed.

In her ear, Igneel whispered, "Eḻun-dar."

Mary Jane let him go promptly with her eyes set in a daze. Cerulean and scarlet took their places while Igneel stood back up slowly and watched her with an emerald gaze. It took a few moments until Mary Jane snapped out of her trance and beamed. "Igneel! You're here—! Huh?" She blinked in wide confusion. "You're…here? In my room?" She looked around. "But I could've sworn I was in the lobby…"

Igneel blinked away the emerald for onyx to take its place before she could notice. "Nope! Got here before you could get out of bed," he easily fed her. He leaned over and tweaked her nose. "You're not supposed to be moving a lot, MJ," he scolded. "SMH, you tsundere. Can't take you anywhere."

Mary Jane giggled and rubbed her nose. "Yeah, well, when you're kept cooped up in a hospital, then you can voice your opinion," she jested. "Until then, not a peep out of you, mister, and don't—!" she quickly added when Igneel moved, "—you dare start dancing to Mister!"

Igneel belly laughed. "It's a catchy song! And blame Nashi and Lu! Pretty sure Pops was scarred seeing them shake it when they were watching the Show Core comeback." He prodded her. "And I'm pretty sure you were all shake it, bake it, booty quake it when you learned the steps. Remember? Uncle Laxus had a heart attack and then tried to electrocute the shit out of me because he thought you were giving me a show."

Static clacked around Mary Jane as she burned with humiliation. "Don't remind me…!" she bemoaned. "Gosh, that was the worst! You're lucky you know Lightning Magic or else Daddy would've fried your butt!" She made a face. "And then my mom started dancing and Daddy just couldn't stop watching." She shivered. "Adults are gross. That's just so ew."

"Tell me about it." Igneel flopped onto the bed and forced her to make room for him. "Try having a horny dad twenty-four-seven. I don't know how Ma does it or how she's survived!" He made a show of rubbing his arms and shaking his head. "Bleh! I can't even imagine!"

"Your parents doing it?"

While Mary Jane laughed when Igneel bumped her shoulder, he snarked, "No, ya nasty! I mean, like, thinking about that stuff all the time!"

"Why?" Mary Jane flipped her hair so only her blue eye remained visible and tugged at her hospital robe to show her bare shoulder. Dropping her voice into a sultry rumble, she purred, "Can you not get it up, Master?"

And Igneel's hair was on fire.

Mary Jane laughed uncontrollably as Igneel shot up to put out his hair. "Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha, you're thinking about something dirty! You're so nasty…!"

"Shut up, it's not funny!"

When Igneel finally doused his flames and Mary Jane tried to control her laughter, he turned his back to her with a childish pout. "Jerk," he accused. "Making my hair catch fire like that. You're just mean."

Mary Jane turned to face him and propped up her head with a fist while the other poked his stomach even though he was not ticklish. "Sorry, sorry, that was a little mean," she admitted. "I won't try to tease you anymore, okay? It's just so fun to do and you get so cute when you're flustered!"

Igneel turned back to her and half-heartedly waved her hand away. "Yeah, yeah," he supposed. He deeply sighed and stared into her eyes. Moving a piece of hair from her face, he asked, "So I brought a lot of stuff including some stuff from your favorite restaurant I'd have to heat up. I've brought my PAL, bunch of movies and comics—"

"You're not wearing your scarf."

Igneel looked down to see she was right. He was hoping if he kept talking she would not have noticed. "Oh, uh… Yeah, I, uh…" He stopped when Mary Jane reached a hand to trace his charm.

Mary Jane felt the need to ask. "I know you gave me my charm, but… Why did you give it to me when it used to belong to her? I know it can't be because the best friend reasoning."

Igneel opened his mouth. But what was he supposed to say? So he swallowed his words.

Mary Jane closed her eyes and turned onto her back. "Thank you."

This confused Igneel. "For what?"

"For making room for me." Igneel did not respond in time in his own confusion, so Mary Jane plowed through after she yawned. "Can we take a power nap though before we start?"

"Sure. Turn on your other side away from me," Igneel commanded.

Mary Jane did so and she immediately felt Igneel's body heat surround her in a comforting way. He did not even have to touch her for her to feel like his flames were blanketing her. Closing her eyes, she heaved a sigh through her nose. "Don't go, okay?" she murmured. "Just fifteen minutes and then we'll have fun."

"Mmm-hmm," Igneel hummed. "I'm not tired, so I'll wake you up." Crossing his arms against his chest, he settled into the very little room he had left. "Just go to sleep. Gives me time to run over a mental checklist for the GWGs."

Silence wafted between them. Nothing static or awkward, but it was comfortable and wanted—until Mary Jane sleepily murmured, "Igneel?"

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I can't."

"Oh. Well, do you want—?"

"Can you hold me?"

Igneel froze. This was unexpected. "Uh…"

Mary Jane curled in on herself as she tried not to let her own fears and abashment take over her mind. But she could not help her next words as they blurted out. "Never mind. It was stupid. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place." She cracked open her eyes and gnawed on her bottom lip. I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have—

"Why do you want me to hold you?" Igneel unexpectedly asked.

"Forget it," Mary Jane quickly dismissed. "It was stupid—"

"MJ, please."

Mary Jane swallowed and licked her lips. Shutting her eyes tight, she let it out in a fast murmur, "I just keep thinking if I wake up, you won't be there and I want you to be there. And I know it's silly for me to think that and I'm sorry. I'm just being stupid and you're probably not comfortable with that at all and I'm just being selfish—" But when she felt strong and heated arms wrap around her, she squeaked and spluttered. "Wh-Wh-What are you—?"

"Go to sleep," Igneel breathed into her hair. "When you wake up, then our adventure starts." He squeezed her for good measure.

Mary Jane forced herself to relax in his arms. "Thank you." Two beats. "And Igneel?"

She felt his smile. "Nappy time, MJ, remember?"

"Just one more thing?"

"You know you're a talker for someone tired. What do you need?"

"I just want to tell you that, well… It means a lot to me you've been by my side all this time," Mary Jane confessed with such raw sincerity. "I want you to know that I really do value our friendship and I hope I can prove it to you one day."

Igneel hid his face in his hair like he was trying to hide his own shame from her. "Go to sleep, MJ." When she sighed and lazily murmured her agreement, Igneel listened as her heartbeat fizzled into a steady lullaby and her breathing evened out. He tried so hard to keep his tears at bay and keep his body from shaking, so he held her tighter like she could disappear at any moment. This is for her own good, he tried to remind himself. You'll be okay. You survived this long with half a life. You can go a little longer.

VRR-VRRRRRR…

Igneel dug around his back pocket and pulled out his Compact. Craning his head, he saw it was a message from Genius.

⌜MESSAGES

GENIUS

Everything's set. Don't worry about the favor. Just take care⌟

Igneel swallowed and put his Compact back in his pocket. Snuggling closer to Mary Jane, he buried his nose in her hair. It's better this way. A dead thought amongst his sea of misery. So let's make our last night together one she'll remember.

---

Sometimes, Julia loved Sunday dinners with the family, but other times, she would rather be anywhere but. The second she walked through the door, she heard shouting, which was normal on Sundays, especially hockey season. Cade had once explained to her how hockey was done on his planet Earth. But hockey on Earth Land was different. It was predominantly an Ice, Wind, Snow, and Water Magic sport. There was Spiritless hockey which was as close to Cade's planet's hockey as he could get, but the hockey everyone was revved about involved Mages and magical creatures dressed in heavy padding as they skated on their skates and used their spells to get them around the icy dome.

The shouting was normally Gray, Linus, Gary, Gajeel, and Lyon who would get into a death match over their teams and the plays and the calls. The second she walked into the living room, her father and her uncle Lyon were already shirtless and shouting at each other about a bad call. Galileo seemed content sipping his beer and complaining to Silver about the lack of finesse one of the players had. Gajeel, with a pissed-off look, silently passed over a couple jewel to a smug Olivia.

Julia cleared her throat and announced, "I'm home!"

Gray took a break from his shouting at Lyon to grin at her. "Hey, Lady J! Gale didn't come back with you?"

Julia shook her head as she leaned on the back of the sectional. "Nah. He's babysitting Dash again," she explained.

A huff. It came from Ultear who came back into the living room with her arrogance following after her. "He makes it his job to get high all the time," she grunted, disgusted.

Julia feigned a smile. "Just like you make it your job to be a callous bitch all the time. Oops!" She covered her mouth when Ultear glared at her. "Did I say that out loud?" At the warning eyebrow Gray gave her, Julia rolled her eyes and pushed off the sectional. "Whatever. Where's Gary?"

"Job," Silver called as he watched the game. "I think it's a whole weekend job. I called him, but he hasn't answered or anything." He shrugged and offered his sister one of those looks. "But Nashi's with him, so…"

Julia bobbed her head. "Good to know the only person I can stand is missing and probably getting laid," she grumbled. She whirled around and headed towards the kitchen. "Mom!" she called. "Need any help?" Coming into the kitchen, she witnessed Rose happily coloring at the kitchen island while Meredy, Levy, and Juvia seemed to be discussing something intimately. Trying not to intrude, Julia slid over to Rose with a friendly smile. "Hi, Flower Power," she greeted. "How's life?"

Rose beamed. "I think Daddy's getting me a puppy for Christmas so my shadow kitty isn't lonely!"

"Really? That's awesome!" Juvia plopped down next to her and sighed dramatically. "I wish my daddy would let me have a dog!" she shouted.

Gray shouted back: "I said you could, but it's not sleeping in my house and getting fur everywhere and peeing on my carpet!"

"That's the point of a pet!" Julia retorted. "Where is my dog supposed to sleep?"

"Outside in the wild streets of Magnolia! Not in my house!"

"This is Mom's house too! And she wants a dog!"

This time, Gajeel yelled jokingly, "Why? She has your dad!"

Julia huffed while Rose giggled. "He'll change his mind," Julia assured. "I might just adopt a dog and bring it home. Daddy will totally cave looking into its eyes." While Rose agreed enthusiastically, Julia brought out her Compact to see she had missed calls from Dash, texts from group chats and Dash, and some other notifications. She opened her chat with Dash to see his messages.

« Dont freak but Gale disappeared on me and Wally is freaking the fuckout »

« Heard another voice too. I think it was a girl but I was on the phone »

« Call me when you can hes not at the barr »

Julia frowned and went to her messages with Gale and shot off a quick text:

« Hey where are you? I'm worried about you, but if you snuck off with some skank, don't ever ask for my help with Luna again »

She was about to exit her message when she saw her thread with Gary. Not seeing the harm, she tapped his number to place a call. She was prepared to let it ring when all of a sudden a female voice filled her ears. "We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is out of range. XXX XXXX is not available. Please leave a message after the tone. To leave a call back number, press five."

Julia ended the call, perplexed. "That's weird," she muttered. "It's not like him to be out of range." She went to her Fairy Tail app, logged in with her Face ID, and went to the « Members » tab and selected « Requests ». Searching for Gary's name, she clicked on the most recent job. So he's in Erika Town? That's not out of range. This doesn't make any sense. He's in Fiore. Why wouldn't he—?

"You'd be smart to take it if you want to save your brother from Lee."

Panic flared within Julia so much so that she got up and walked out of the kitchen and into the hall. She could not text. This was too important. She called instead.

"What?"

"Kat, I need you to track my brother's Com," Julia demanded.

A pause. "'Kay, give me a sec. Miles, I'm gonna go to the bathroom for a minute—! Put me down, you dumbass, we'll tongue tango later! Jax, would you—? Thanks, babe." A huff. "Sorry. Miles is slap-happy drunk and I think I don't have that much time until Jax wants Tesla back in his apartment with the way her boobs are nearly spilling out."

Julia paced with one arm under her chest. "Sounds like Eiji and I missed it."

"Calling the D-man 'Eiji' now," Kat grunted in her own teasing way. "Amber know about this?"

Julia rolled her eyes. "Kat, you promised."

Kat muttered her excuses as she moved about the rambunctious bar. "I'd erase seeing you and D-man fall all over each other if I could. Trust me, J." A slight hitch happened as the line crackled until it became clear again. "I locked myself in the bathroom, so you're on speaker. Give me a few minutes and I'll track Gary down."

"Thanks, Kat." Julia still felt her heart thump. She opened a hallway door and sat on the steps to the basement and away from the hockey noise. "Did you track that Raven girl's number like I asked?"

"Yeah. She's from the west coast it seems. Her Com's main location is at a Mean Girls-esque high school. She's a fourth year. Already has her insta set up as a UCLA incoming freshie," Kat reported. "Basic ass bitch."

"She won't be trouble?"

"Do I look new? No, she won't be. Decrypted some texts. Looks like she moved on to some frat boy at her fun little college, so not too big a chance for her to run into Redfox. And, um, off-topic, but, um…" She lowered her voice even though she was isolated. "I'm kind of getting worried about Tess."

"What? Why?"

"Well, there's talk of her dad getting out of jail for, and get this, 'good behavior and being an upstanding prisoner'. Which means someone with deep pockets came into the picture."

Julia froze. "Shit. Does she know?"

"Why do you think she drank her weight in liquor?" Kat snorted. "I heard Jax talking to Prince, Killer, D-Man, and my goof a couple nights ago. He doesn't want Tesla alone in her apartment if that piece of shit of her father is out, but she doesn't want to move in with him after graduation since she's all for being independent and not living with her boyfriend."

"Right on," Julia agreed. "Guard dog?"

"Apartment breed restrictions," Kat reminded. "I think Jax is gonna ask your guys' Master for emergency leave or some sort of protective order, but I can't be sure." A pause. "J, she's our best friend." A subtle emotion passed through Kat's words. "I'll be damned if she's placed in a psych ward or in surgery again. And seriously, screw her birth mom and all her family for not even defending her from him."

"We're her family," Julia soothed. "Don't worry. I'll talk to Tess about us having some extra girls' nights. Maybe get Jax to let Gale, Eiji, Cane, and I do some rotations and some casual escorting. I'll see if Cane can craft a Call Card for her for emergencies. We won't let her go back there, Kat."

Kat cleared her throat. "Well, anyways, some interesting things came up with Gary's location. Looks like he was receiving notifications up until Saturday, but that's it. There's nothing else. It's like he disappeared." Now, she sounded disturbed. "This doesn't make any sense. Even if he wasn't actively texting or using his Com, I should see his location from notifications, but it's blank today."

Julia's knee bounced. "Kat, this will sound crazy and I know you don't want to, but—"

"You wouldn't ask me to reach to speak to her if it wasn't serious." Kat was not annoyed, but she was not entirely pleased. "Give me an hour or so. I'll figure it out."

Julia blew out a breath. "Thanks, Kat. I mean it. Maybe I shouldn't be so worried about Gary, but still, he's my brother."

"I get it, J. Text ya when I have more information."

"Thanks, Kat. Bye." The call ended and Julia hung her head. "Please don't be in danger."

"Who's in danger?"

Julia looked up to see Linus was hovering with those worried forest eyes. She got herself together and schooled her face into indifference. "None of your concern," she assured. "I have it handled." She dusted herself off and tried to move past him.

Linus blocked her path, but when he saw the flare in her eyes, he hesitated. "Listen… Jewel… I didn't mean—"

"Oh, you meant it," Julia snapped, tone sharp. "After all, you know what's best for me, right?"

He winced at the barb. "I'm just trying to make sure you see this for what it is," he insisted quietly. "You're young, Jewel. You don't know what you want yet."

"You know you're right about that. I don't." Julia lifted her chin and offered him one of those sharp smiles. "Thank the gods you set me straight."

Linus ground his teeth. "Jewel, you know I didn't mean it like that—"

"Everything okay here?" Galileo had approached looked between the two of them warily, though his eyes eventually settled on Julia with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Smells like drama."

Julia winked at him. "Oh, Leo, it's nothing. Just Linus doing his civic duty in advising young women how to live their lives." Acid dripped out of her words that came out through her smile. "But I think I'm all counseled-out. Hockey game still going?"

"Still first period," Galileo reported as he eyed the tension radiating from Linus. "Not like it matters. I'm not in the betting pool for this game and I'm not too worried about my fantasy team."

"Great!" Julia held out her hand to him. "Wanna come down to the basement with me and get kinky?"

Linus' eyes turned into ice. "Jewel—"

Julia reached over to take Galileo's hands and batted her eyes innocently at Linus. "What? I'm taking your advice. I don't know what I want, so there's no harm in sampling everything until I do. Not like it's your business, right?" She tugged at Galileo to follow her. "C'mon, Leo." She turned her back on Linus to jog down the steps with Galileo in tow. She flicked on the basement lights to show concrete floors, a bunch of movies, and books, and memorabilia, with an old sectional and ottoman. She released Galileo's hand to throw herself onto the sectional. "Thanks for that," she appreciated.

Galileo nodded as he sat down. "I've got your back, Jellybean, but, uh…" He tossed his head towards the staircase. "What exactly happened back there? I could literally smell the tension."

Julia groaned. "Looks, it's nothing, okay? I think Gary's right. Linus might actually be an asshole." She peered up at Galileo. "Oh, remember Jax's girlfriend Tesla?"

"She pole danced at Justin's Hallow's Eve party, right?" Galileo remembered as he scooted closer to Julia and put an arm around the back of the section. He grinned at the memory. "Damn. She's fine as Hell." When Julia hit him, he guffawed. "And taken, yeah. I remember her and those legs. What's up?"

"She's the friend of mine with her dad in jail," Julia reminded him to help jog his memory. "I know it's totally not my place to ask you and Jax would kill me, but another friend thinks Jax is going to ask for a protective order for her since she's considered his family. I was wondering—"

"I'll be your signature," Galileo promised. "But Jax has to know too. You know he's sensitive about his girl. Not that I blame him, especially with how his parents are." He shook his head. "Selan parents can be progressive, but it sucks his aren't." He poked her cheek. "But, and no offense, it doesn't look like her situation is really on your mind."

Julia leaned against him. "It is with many other things." She debated which worries to share and decided to go with the least urgent one. "Is it better to try with someone and have it fail than think about the 'what if's?"

Galileo took that question into consideration. "If you don't try, then you don't know if it couldn't have lasted a lot longer." Hazel dazzled in wistfulness tinged in gloom. "But it's probably best not to ask me. Gary or your mom are a lot better options than someone with my track record." He looked down at a downtrodden Julia. "How about we cheer up our mood fest with some good ole Lacrima games, eh? You should have Maji-Kart, right? Bet I can beat your ass playing Baby Frog."

Julia threw back her head and let out a carefree laugh as Galileo got up from the couch. "Ooo, and the trash talk begins!" she sassed. She scooted off the couch and left her Compact behind. "Hey, don't take my steering wheel! You always do that and it pisses me off! Use the guest one!"

"I'm the guest, so I should get to choose!"

And as Julia and Galileo bickered over steering wheels, a voicemail came in for Julia's Compact that she would miss in the mass of notifications.

⌜VOICEMAIL

Z ⌟

---

The great room automatically offered more seating for the guests, but only Highlight, Cascade, Dazzler, and Atomic sat. Everyone else stood. Djedi did an admirable job of looking less stiff at so many powered people in the estate, but he showed John his clear disdain. Gladstone lay beside Dazzler and kept a watchful eye on Hybrid like he did not trust her.

Atomic was looking at Psyphon with an unreadable stare. "And you're sure a plan like that could work?"

"It takes care of any cameras and anyone who sees us," Psyphon had to remind patiently. "It puts Nashi's team back with us. We can save people and accomplish our mission."

"But this relies on all of our powers being enough," Laxus rumbled. "Slowing it down won't cut it. We mess up and this flattens thousands of people."

"Which is why Dazzler, Ghost, and John will be crowd control," Psyphon reminded yet again.

John shrugged. "Which is all fine and barmy, mate, but we'll need more than a trounce trio to evacuate thousands."

Dazzler peered up at Djedi who sighed heavily. "Oh, all right," Djedi muttered. "I'll round up volunteers, but you know how those mortals get with Reapers."

"They have bigger things to worry about than prejudice and freaking out when they feel a cold spot," Dazzler promised. As Djedi floated away as Dazzler called after him, "Thanks! Love you!" To the group, she said, "All right. We have an army of Reapers who can get everyone to safety. Once I touch the ground, I'll open the door so they can bust out and save some lives."

"This is risky," Atomic wagered. "Either way, we can lose lives."

"But we can save many," Psyphon countered. "The more we can lessen the death toll here, the better. Our world or not, Atomic."

Atomic had to nod. "Agreed." She stood up. "I want us ready once the gargoyles are ready." She looked at Dazzler. "And our wings?"

Gladstone yawned and stretched out. He misted into his shadowy silhouette and said, "I have acquired a Fionnuala, an Impundulu, and the gargoyles have volunteered. All are creatures of this region nearing extinction, but they're still localized." He let out a low growl. "However, I will not tolerate my pride being shot out of the skies. If one of you gets them killed, it is your life for theirs."

"Always a positive one, Gladstone," Dazzler sighed. "But he is right. The creatures housed on the estate share a connection with the estate and with me. The estate is a fair place. An eye for an eye. If one of its pets dies by your hand, it will right the wrong."

Highlight seemed to understand and looked at Gladstone. "We understand and we will treasure yours and the estate's creatures and protect them."

Gladstone nodded.

Dazzler drawled, "You know, we could bring out—"

"We have Phila and Duchess at your disposal," Gladstone reminded. "They are localized. Unicorns are not."

"Because a unicorn would be too obvious," Dazzler grumbled, "in comparison to big hulking birds that look like dinosaurs."

John snickered. "Still sore about that?"

"How was I supposed to know they don't believe in unicorns in certain realms?" Dazzler suddenly snapped.

Laxus looked over at Gladstone. "How long until everything is ready?"

"Reapers volunteering to leave the estate may take a moment or two," Gladstone admitted. "While they cannot die, not all of them want to fight for humans."

"Well, I'm going to check on Lance," Laxus decided.

Dazzler nodded. "Miss D will let you know when we're ready, so take your time." She shouted, "Hey, can someone take this old guy to the Blue Room?"

TICK!

Laxus held in his growl as a tick mark banged against his temple and static crackled off him. "You're playing with lightning, kid."

A sleepy smile. "You called?"

Dazzler looked over and smiled. "Oh hey! Can you take Mister Grumpy Butt to the Blue Room, please?"

"Of course, Dazzler." A baggy sweatshirt crinkled as bare feet turned. A droopy smile faced ahead. "Mister Dreyar, if you'd come with me this way."

Laxus huffed, but he nodded. "Lead the way." He followed out of the Great Room and took the time to look around as he was led to the Blue Room. What took interest to him were the moving pictures and paintings. He waited until they were far enough before asking, "Tell me something. Is there a picture of Robert Lafayette here?"

"There is," came soft affirmation. "All owners have their portrait within the estate."

Laxus tensed. "Then, why isn't this knowledge shared with the MBI? If that portrait has the same memories of Rob, why the Hell didn't Dazzler say anything?" He blinked and stopped when he was led to an old elevator. The cage drew back and the doors opened.

A hand beckoned Laxus. "This way, please. The Blue Room is on the second level."

Laxus went into the elevator and raised an eyebrow when he saw an elevator operator that looked none too human. It was a creature that stood on its hind-paws with a long-rounded snout, no eyes, and long ears. Its three-fingered hand took to the crank and began to get them to the second floor.

"I thought this place was enchanted?" Laxus asked.

"It is, Mister Dreyar. It created the elevator. But we don't like to make the estate do everything," came explanation. "About your inquiry on the late Master Robert…"

The elevator operator stopped and made sure the elevator froze on this floor. The elevator opened its jaws and the cage pulled back to reveal a different sort of hallway. This hallway did not seem to have walls. Instead, the hall was an endless dimension of melding colors and dull lights. A runway carpet had been thrown down with doors that aligned with it, but it was just odd enough looking that Laxus had to stop and take it in.

The voice continued as feet carried down the hall: "The portrait of Master Robert is within one of the studies at the estate. Rather than wait for his death, Master Robert had his portrait taken three weeks prior."

Laxus followed down the carpet and kept an eye on the psychedelic hell he just stepped in. "Why would he do that?"

"It would seem Master Robert was in a hurry. At the time, and as you may know, he became very ill and unstable that he took a sabbatical from his touring. In his last moment of being of sound mind, he authorized for the estate to take his portrait. After that—"

"After that, he died, I know," Laxus finished impatiently. "This is making less and less sense. Why the Hell would Dazzler keep something like this from the MBI? Why didn't Rob tell us anything? I could've helped the kid more if I knew." His eyes hardened and his jaw ticked. Dammit, kid. You shouldn't be holding all this in. I want to help you. I don't want to see you hurt.

"And here is the Blue Room."

Laxus stopped and looked to see a normal blue door waited beside him. "I see. Thank you."

A wider smile. "You're welcome. Miss Dietrich will have one of her own help you get back to the Great Room." A pause. A frown. "You know, you remind me of Makarov when you care so much about your friends."

Jade widened. "What did you—?" But when he turned, he was alone in the hallway. Irritated, he turned back to the door and opened it.

The Blue Room was very much blue, but that was not what was interesting about it. It looked like was a whole different dimension. Like a planetarium, stars lit up the ceilings that looked like a sky had been born there. Water was the floor with rocks that led a clear bath to a small temple-like structure. Smoke and light brewed from it and Laxus warily walked across the rocks. As he approached, his eyes flicked up to see two crescent moons back-to-back to cage in an eye carved into the temple.

SKITTER. SKITTER.

Laxus paused to catch a climb of a cotton ball tail. Raising an eyebrow, he continued to walk and step into the temple. Carvings of an ancient language and paintings of the moon and water swarmed around him, but he did not care. Not even the translucent koi fish swimming in mid-air like it was nothing to them made him flinch. But what made him pause was the vibrating energy he felt. "The Hell is this?" he muttered. "Feels like Blondie's Magic, but more…pure. Sorta like Lu's Magic, but it's less."

He pushed forward past the short hallway of the temple to emerge in something unexpected. Moon-eyed rabbits with white fluffy tales and jade seemed to have gathered without fail with twitching noses and perked ears. Candles floated about with earth, wind, fire, and water represented in their respective cardinal directions. At the center of the gathering, a translucent hefty woman with beaded braids looked very worried. She must have been a Reaper. But next to her was a feminine creature new to Laxus. A harlequin rabbit in the shape of a gypsy woman with a scarf covering her muzzle to only show her eyes.

Her hand-paws moved back and forth as she sprinkled herbs on a perpetually floating Lance who was drenched in sweat, yet he showered no signs of pain. His clothing had been stripped from him, leaving a cloth to cover himself and a crescent moon coin was placed on the center of his forehead, his sternum, and his stomach.

The Reaper noticed Laxus first and hustled over to him. "You must be the father." Her voice carried a thickness and her vowels stretched over her consonants. "You may call me 'Miss D'."

⌜ENCHANTED ESTATE

Name: Miss Dietrich

Creature: Reaper

Occupation: Caretaker of the Enchanted Estate

Likes: seances Dislikes: fake mediums

Special Note: Miss D was a famous Magician even Robert Lafayette could not beat! Now, she has become a maternal figure of the estate and spends her time taking care of some of the rooms!⌟

Laxus did not take his eyes off his son nor the rabbit-woman. "What's his status?"

Miss D sighed and looked at Lance with such a stricken expression. "Whatever happened to your son has been quietly consuming him for months on end. If he had not used such an evil power now, he might have died weeks to months to years later." When she saw Laxus clench his hands into knuckles, she added, "But Veleda will assist your son on his journey along with her people. She has a touch like no other I know."

Laxus took a look at the colony of rabbits to the temple full of inscriptions. "This has to be one helluva bedroom," he murmured. "Or let me guess. This is a Pocket Dimension."

"It is," Miss D acknowledged. "The estate has many Dimension Doors tied to the property. While Dazzler is the owner and mistress of the estate, many creatures have struck partnerships with the original founder and creator. They are given protection and a home and in turn, they serve whoever owns the house."

Laxus nodded like he understood. "So, what exactly is all this? It's called the 'Jade Room'?"

"Yes. Veleda and her creatures are called, in your language, Jade Rabbits or Moon Hares. They came from a lunar system far from your planet and specialize in potions and healing. I believe you have Spellcasters similar to them on your world."

"Hmm." That was all Laxus would give to her. He approached the center and found the Jade Rabbits hopped aside and lowered their heads in respect. He stood on Lance's other side, but he dared not touch his son. Seeing the pain and little shocks of black and cyan static war across his body made Laxus scowl, angered. "Why didn't you tell me?" he cursed. "I could've helped you."

"In what capacity?"

Laxus looked up as Veleda pinched a little salt on each crescent moon coin. Lance's back arched as his teeth clenched in pain. Static burst from him in an ugly clash of cyan and black while Laxus had sparks flying off him. He glared at Veleda. "Say that again?"

Veleda did not look at him as she gathered her next batch of herbs. "You have harnessed Mars' red lightning and I commend you for that." Her voice had a little bit of a lilt to it, a heaviness. "But black lightning—Cursed lightning—is one you have never touched." The scent of lavender filled the air as she rubbed some onto her hand-paws and hovered them over Lance's head. Lance seemed to calm down after a few breaths and went back into a peaceful slumber. "Be still, Lightning Dragon. Your son is a Lightning God. This is his first trial set before him."

Laxus growled as his lightning wound around him. "Stop speaking in damn riddles," he snarled. "What's happening with my son?"

Veleda did stare him right in the eye and he was surprised he saw full moons as her irises, but she maintained pupils. "What we call 'Wolf-Skin', you refer to as 'Demon' or 'the enemy'. Your son has obviously had a close psychological and physical encounter with one."

"Possession," Laxus admitted. "He was possessed by one."

"All the same, whatever Curse the Wolf-skin have resides in your son. Every day, it has been breaking away at this young god's soul until it overtakes it and the Wolf-skin remerges."

"We would've known," Laxus countered harshly. "I would know if my own kid—"

"Don't insult yourself or your litter." Veleda's eyes turned into a vibrant orange. Little orange moons. "This little god is more powerful than you accredit him for. For him to control a Curse on sheer willpower without it consuming him and turning him into a Wolf-skin is not a testament to your sire-hood. It is a testament of his own strength."

"What Veleda," Misses D rushed, cutting in, "is trying to say is your son is very powerful. He has survived this long harboring a Curse of an ancient Demon without turning into what your world calls a 'Demon Slayer'. That's incredible. No average human can maintain their control and composure for this long."

Laxus looked like he wanted to pace, but he stuck close to Lance's side. "Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of him for fighting back. But as a father, it doesn't matter how old your kid gets. I should've noticed something was off and bothering him." He closed his eyes to let out a breath. "Do everything you can to bring my kid back home." Not a plea but a threat. He opened his eyes to look at Veleda. "No matter what it takes."

Veleda did not even hesitate. "Believe me, Lightning Dragon… Not even the gods will allow your son to pass."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

When Mirella woke up, she did not expect to be levitating. She expected to be bandaged and on a bed, but she never thought she would be levitating. She looked around to see she was in obviously a guest bedroom with the lack of personal touch to it and saw the emotionless eyes of a pink-haired maid who was at her bedside. Forcing herself down, she landed on the bed with a wince. So she had been bandaged then. "Hello," she greeted politely. "Where am I?"

"The home of Lord Natsu and Princess Lucy," the maid replied quite blankly. "You were badly injured from your fight with the minotaur, so she had you brought here to be healed. I have been watching over you as instructed ever since."

"Thank you." Mirella swung her legs off the bed and grimaced when she saw the state they were in. "And what's your name, Celestial Spirit?"

"Virgo," the maid introduced. "And may I ask for your identity or would you like to punish me?"

Mirella furrowed her brow. "Uh, my name is 'Mirella', so no punishing," she supposed slowly. "You said I'm at Queen Lucy's house? Is King Natsu here?"

Virgo tipped her head. "No," she responded. "Lord Natsu is out on private affairs. He will not return until Monday morning. You may seek an audience with my queen once her time in her study is over or you may ask for punishment."

"Um… How about you take me directly to her?" Mirella counteroffered. "No punishments, thanks."

KNOCK-KNOCK.

The door opened to show a kindly smiling Lucy stepping in with Muta behind her and her twin hounds growling low at Mirella. Lucy stepped forth towards Mirella to hold out her hands. "Or I could come to you," she supposed. "It's nice to see you're awake, Mirella."

Mirella shook her head. "Nice to be alive," she agreed. She looked over at Muta with a nod. "Thanks for getting the message out. I was hoping Pazuzu wouldn't notice you and Kyler's telepathic conversation."

"Even if he did, he doesn't really care about us," Muta mentioned as he shifted back to his Exceed Form. "How ya feelin'?"

"Like a cold stone killer," Mirella jested. "What exactly happened?" She looked at Lucy. "Where's Dagon?"

"I'm assuming you mean the minotaur," Lucy presumed. "We have him unconscious and imprisoned in Virgo's chains. The more he shifts around, the tighter it restricts. And, for good measure, I have a few of my Celestial Spirits guarding him."

Mirella moved to the side of the bed and grimaced. "He's a powerful and ancient minotaur on his world and his father's favorite. He won't stay here for long. I need to Shadow Walk him out of here."

Muta put a paw on her arm. "You're still healin' ya self, kit. Take it easy."

"Oh, you are the last creature to tell me that," Mirella jeered, snarky. "If Dagon breaks free, he'll come after the youngest princess."

"About that…"

Mirella looked over at Lucy whose face plummeted into worry. "Oh, no. I don't like that look."

"You shouldn't," Lucy agreed, "because Luna's teleported. And she isn't in Magnolia."

Mirella hardened. "She was drawn to Bellum," she revealed with certainty. "Your daughter, Princess Nashi—she's there and she's in a world of trouble."

"So I assumed after Muta explained some things to me," Lucy admitted.

"So, what's your plan?" Mirella asked a little impatiently. "We're wasting daylight. No offense, Your Highness."

"Lucy is fine," Lucy dismissed heavily. "And my plan is in motion. I sent two of my fastest Spirits with a Star Compass to find Icarus, my daughter's own Spirit. They find him and they'll be close to her. And she's most likely close with Nashi and her team. They're bringing my Clock Key with them. I'll bring him through the gate to make sure Luna is inside."

Mirella seemed to approve this plan. "I can live with that mostly. Thank you for not heading into danger. Bael may want your daughters, but if he gets his hands on you—"

"Then he uses me to bait Natsu." Lucy sighed as she sat on the rocking chair she kept hidden in the guest bedroom. "This isn't the first time me running to the action would mean the worst thing. If I was half my age, I would've caught a flight to Bellum. It's a hard lesson to learn."

"It is," Mirella agreed. "No matter how strong we are, we can easily make mistakes leading to our downfall. It doesn't mean we stop fighting, but we pick and choose our battles." She dipped her head. "I'm so sorry to have involved your family. This is the last thing I wanted to do." She looked at her pathetic body. "And it's going to take me twice as long to heal. I might be part Demon and part god, but Dagon's perfected the poison he uses against hybrids."

"Well, you can rest here until you're healed enough," Lucy offered. "You'll have to excuse the chaos, though."

Mirella searched Lucy's eyes then grinned. "And I'm assuming you want to talk shop then. After all, having a daughter of a Demon injured and weakened presents an interrogation opportunity."

Muta hissed at her, but Lucy chuckled. "I guess it does, but it doesn't need to be. Of course, answers are nice. But Mirella, I didn't have you here in my guest room for that. I genuinely want you to be healed."

"All the more reason I want to give you answers," Mirella explained. "You want answers, but your compassion for a stranger comes first. So I'm willing to spill my guts to you and anyone else if you'd like. But I'm going to need a favor in return."

Lucy inclined her head. "And that is?"

A hardness overtook Mirella's face. "I need everything you have on your world's Magic criminal law."

°•°•°•°

Sunday lunches-dinners at the Fullbuster house could get a little rowdy when food was on the table. Silver looked a little distracted as he absently brushed off Rose and her attempts to woo him. Juvia, Levy, and Meredy were conspiring together, though their respective husbands did not seem to mind as Gray and Gajeel were in another shouting match over an unfair penalty on one of Gajeel's fantasy players. Linus interjected with some smugness of his own, siding with Gray. Ultear was too busy with her Compact and taking cute pictures of herself for social media. She did snap at Galileo when he bumped her when he reached for mashed potatoes. Olivia muttered something only sensitive ears would hear and Galileo tried not to laugh as he apologized to Ultear.

And that left Julia and Linus sitting side by side.

Julia did her best to ignore him and tried to engage Rose or keep to herself. She indulged the sweet girl and listened to her stories when she felt Linus' hand graze her own. Steeling herself, she refused to watch him pass over her to reach for another biscuit. But she could feel his little glances.

Galileo looked up from making fun of Ultear to watch the little altercation. Clearing his throat, he nodded at Linus. "So, Linus, you'll be center for your conference's GWG's hockey team, right?" He grinned. "Heard Gary's ready to kick your ass."

Rose glared at Galileo and held out her hand.

Galileo rolled his eyes and weaseled out five-hundred jewel bill and gave it to her.

Linus smiled faintly. "Yes. I've been meeting with the team over the past few weeks to get in shape for the game. I look forward to seeing Storm back on the ice." Amusement glint in his eyes. "Last I checked, I had more goals than him."

"And he had more assists." Gray pointed this out when he and Gajeel and Lyon called a truce in their argument. He ribbed Lyon. "Man, can't believe we have to sit this game out. Makin' me feel ancient over here."

Lyon smirked. "By the way you get breathless after one extreme dance on Step Up with Rose, you just might be getting up there."

A tick mark hit Gray's temple. "I don't see you in better shape!" he snapped. "How the Hell is dancing that intense?"

Julia smiled prettily at her father. "Don't worry, Daddy. Mom will take you, beer gut and all. But if you really want to keep up your form, adopting a dog—"

"Not a chance, Lady J." Gray leaned over to kiss Juvia, smiling all the while. "Furball's staying outside where nature intended."

When Julia sat back and huffed, muttering under her breath, Linus asked Olivia and Galileo, "It's been a while since either of you two participated. Did you both sign up this year?"

"Not this year," Olivia confessed. "As much as I like freezing as much as the other person, my metal isn't having it." She turned to her brother accusingly. "And when were you going to head up to Doctor Stein's office to get your winter bionics?" She plowed on when Galileo pressed a finger to his lips in desperation while Gajeel and Levy looked highly suspicious. "You signed up and you still haven't gone to her house. It's already snowed once—"

"Livy!" Galileo huffed lowly. "Please just stop – talking—!"

"You haven't gotten your winter bionics?"

Galileo visibly shivered and turned to see the flaming eyes of his mother. For someone so small, he felt her wrath loom over him. "I-I-I-I've been meaning to, but I just never found the time," he reasoned with a nervous laugh.

Levy's wrath intensified as a red glint in her eye appeared and a murderous aura surrounded her, terrifying her son. "Then, we're going next week to Doctor Stein's. End of discussion."

Galileo swallowed and sunk in his seat. "Aye, sir," he muttered miserably.

As separate conversations dispersed, Julia was content to eat in silence and drown out the noise when Linus leaned over and murmured for her ears alone, "Are you cheering for me or for Storm at the hockey game?"

"My brother. Obviously," Julia sniffed. "Didn't you make it clear I wasn't to be in your corner anyways?"

Linus sighed. "Jewel…"

Julia felt her Compact vibrate and deliberately ignored Linus as she smiled at her parents. "Since no Compacts at the table, may I be excused? I really need to speak to my friend."

Gray quirked an eyebrow. "A boy?"

"Yeah, right!" Julia forced out a huge laugh. "Like I could tolerate any boys right now. The ones around here are way too dictator-like for me and try their best to think on my behalf." She scooted out of her chair as the vibrating continued. "I'll be right back!" She rushed out of the dining room and shut herself in the hallway bathroom. Answering the Compact, she whispered, "That was fast. I thought you were going to text me?"

"Yeah and then things got serious," Kat hissed from her end. "Please-and-thank-you little miss Cassandra was pissing me off."

"And?"

"Good news is the Locator Spell worked. Bad news is it showed your brother's in Bellum."

Julia's stomach dropped. "What do you mean? That can't—!" Recognizing her voice was getting higher, she lowered the lid on the toilet and sat on it. "That's not possible," she hissed. "Gary was in Erika Town, like, two days ago and it says so on the board for guild members. He wouldn't travel to freaking Bellum when he's on the job!"

"Well, he's there, Lady J. Locator Spells aren't wrong. I mean Cassie would never pull a fast one over on you and lie about it. But here's the worse news. I mean, you've been watching the news, right?"

Julia frowned. "No, why?"

"Here. I'm sending you a link. Watch it."

Julia lowered her Compact to see a message from Kat. She clicked the YouView link. It was a news broadcast that had been muted and had translations at the bottom. But the live news footage was horrifying. Cities destroyed with citizens screaming, bloodied, and dirtied. Loved ones tried uselessly to find others. Rescue squads had come in, but they all ducked for cover when jagged debris smashed into three buildings and killed the residents trying to escape.

"Kat…" Julia called as she took in the footage. "What is this?" Another link dropped and Julia clicked it. It took her to the news article that had been translated in Minstrish.

"Bellum," Kat breathed. "It's undergoing something crazy. A legit small country is about to crash land into a bunch of cities. Already some of the rocks and stuff have been falling and killing hundreds of people. Maybe thousands. Everyone is scrambling to figure out what's going on." A beat. "Julia, your brother's in Ketchum City, Bellum. He's there."

Julia felt sick. Her worries worsened and churned into nausea. "Oh my god…"

"I know. I couldn't believe it either."

Julia cupped her hand over her mouth as realization crashed onto her. Oh, god, and if Gary's there, there's a huge chance Nashi is too and their team. This is bad. I have to tell Master. But would she even believe me? "Kat," she rushed, "I have to go. Thank you for getting this to me and tell Cass I owe her."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"No, but I have some calls to make," Julia replied honestly. "Love you, Kat. Thank you. Bye." Ending the call, she quickly started another. "Eiji, I need you."

Dash did not even hesitate as he questioned, "Are you home?"

"I am, I am, I just…" Julia squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remember to breathe. "Can you come get me?"

"Be there in ten."

Julia squeezed her eyes shut. "Thank you," she choked out. Ending the call, she took in a deep breath to try and control her nerves. But all her thoughts came back to seeing Maxim disappearing within the blur of snow and ice and the self-satisfied smirk of his. Where Gary is, so is his Devil. And if Nashi is in danger, the Devil probably made an appearance. Which means more exposure. And if any Hunter knew about this… She did not even want to think about it.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Silently calming herself, Julia called in the steadiest voice she could muster, "I'm nearly done." Swiping her hair to the side, she flushed the toilet to make her claim legitimate and went to wash and dry her hands. But when she opened the door with mind racing and heart heavy, she did not expect Linus to be on the other side with concern on his face. Her features automatically arranged into indifference. "I'm done." She went to move, but Linus blocked her. "Can I help you?" she bit scathingly.

The way Linus sighed had Julia's hackles raise. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he told her. "I thought I heard you talking to someone and you didn't sound okay."

Julia narrowed her eyes. "Not like it's your concern or anything," she remarked, tone dry, "but I was speaking to a friend of mine. What they had to say surprised me." She shoved her way back into the hall. "Now, if I'm allowed to, I need to go to my room without any surprise ambushes and a lot more privacy." Ignoring the way Linus cursed, Julia fled up the steps and to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Immediately, we went over to her DAL (Desktop Archive Lacrima). She tapped her keyboard and the holographic screen came to life. Signing herself in, she went to Goggle and searched ⟪ Bellum ⟫.

The results did not disappoint.

The horror Julia felt was tampered down at her blank state. She clicked through news articles and live streams of the atrocities. Translated into Minstrish, she understood the death tolls were increasing and no one knew the cause as to why a country-size city was about to flatten thousands of lives. At a press conference, the Bellum UN representative was stating their rejection of international aid as this was an internal affair and their military would handle it. Pulling up Chattit, she went into ⟪ c/wereintheendgame ⟫ subchattit and found posts among posts about Bellum and its harsh reality with people worried for friends and family located in those cities.

But as she scrolled to the bottom, a blurred picture caught her eyes with the title ⟪ God is with us ⟫. The image was blurred, but it appeared a battle-enhanced woman was dangling in the sky and looked celestial against the horrors.

That must be Nashi, Julia realized. Her armor and the bad pixilation is her identity protection. Getting out of the post, she kept looking for anything else. I don't see any mention of Gary or his Devil. It doesn't mean he isn't with her. It just means they're smart enough to not get photographed. The second they're photographed, it's over.

Her mind flashed back to that cunning smile and those knowing eyes.

She gritted her teeth. And if it's over, it means the bureau wins. Pushing back in her chair, she let out a deep breath. "Okay," she murmured. "You can come out now." She swiveled around in her chair—

—and a collared Mauthe sat in front of her patiently.

Julia scooted closer to the Mauthe and cupped the Hellhound's muzzle in her hand. Smiling when it eagerly licked her, she cooed, "I'm sorry. Daddy's still not sold on the dog idea, let alone me having a Hellhound in the house." She kissed the Mauthe's nose. "You'll have to wait a little longer before you can have a normal life, Kore."

Kore whined softly, but she dipped her head as though she understood.

"Listen… I need you to help me with a mission," Julia decided. "A mission only you can do." When Kore looked a little put-out, Julia booped the hound's nose. "Hey, you're the one who followed me home from Margaret Town. You know how hard it is to feed you and keep you here and hope my parents don't notice? You have to earn your keep."

Kore huffed, but she butted against Julia's hand.

"I need you to track down the hunters Maxim and Lee. Just keep an eye on them, but don't engage them unless they come close to Gary, okay?"

Kore whined and shuffled her paws.

"I understand that," Julia said a bit regretfully, "but you're bonded to me now. They won't turn you into one of those monstrous beasts so long as we're bonded. You're not just another hound, Kore, you're my friend—you're family"

Kore blinked and ruffed quietly.

Julia smiled and ruffled Kore's fur, much to the Mauthe's delight. "That's my girl."

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Julia?"

Julia frowned. "That's Silver." She stood up and pointed to the window. "Go. I'm counting on you, Kore."

Kore shook out her fur and bounded over to the window only to slip right through it and vanish without a trace. Julia straightened her shirt and called, "It's open!"

Silver opened the door and peeked inside. When he saw the coast was clear, he came inside. "You okay?" he questioned. "You seemed a little…tense at dinner."

Julia waved him away as she fell back into her desk chair. "I'm fine. Dealing with the squad at the bar was a lot," she passed off. When Silver nodded and said nothing, she quirked an eyebrow. "How about you? You've been acting a little weirder than you are normally over these past few weeks. And then you flooded the bathroom…"

Silver shrugged.

Now Julia was concerned. "Silver, what's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Silver pursed his lips in thought. Then, he asked, "Do you ever wonder how Gary does it?"

"Does what?"

"Love Nashi against the odds."

Julia blinked. "Actually, not really. He's head over heels for her. It's admirable as it is insufferable," she said dryly.

"But—" Silver tried another approach. "But how does he even know that sort of love is worth it in the end? Doesn't he ever get hurt when Nashi pushes him away?"

Julia thought on that. "Mmmm… In all the talks I've had with Gary, the only time he was really hurt was after he and Nashi did things on Halloween and she ignored him afterward. He was a little shattered at that." She remembered seeing her brother at his art studio and the hues of blue and gray and black he would use. "He was so upset Nashi shut him out. But that's the only time I can remember seeing him so down about her and their situation." Things began to click and her eyes hardened. "Is Paige hurting you?"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Silver was quick to assure. "It's just… Well, she's been acting a lot more different and distant ever since the Festival of Gratitude to the point where even Nelly thought it was best for me to be away and she normally doesn't say anything." He scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. It hurts a little she doesn't want me around her like this, but normally I can cheer her up. Now? It seems like she really wants me away from her. Maybe I should just respect that." Then he snorted. "And yet the Wicked Witch thinks I'm just a lovesick idiot with no moral compass."

Julia tipped her head. "Did you tell her about this?"

Silver looked a little uncomfortable. "I might've…yelled at her about it…"

"And she called you a lovesick idiot with no moral compass after you yelled your feelings to her? Is that what you mean?"

Now Silver looked even more uncomfortable. "Well… No…"

"And, um, why exactly did you steal a bunch of my hot chocolate on Friday?" Julia asked all of a sudden. "Lu hates hot chocolate, especially with how I make it. In fact, you said you hate the way I make hot chocolate. Just a few drops of peppermint abstract."

Silver swallowed. "Obviously, you're busy or something and the constant questions aren't helping you relax—"

Julia crossed her legs. "And yet isn't there one of your friends who likes my hot chocolate?"

Silver snapped, "That witch isn't my friend—!" His eyes widened when Julia clapped and pointed at him. "U-Um, well, I mean—"

"Aha! I knew it!" Julia exclaimed. "I mean, I thought it was a Paige thing, but I knew it was a girl! And now I know it's Ena!" Then she faltered. "You were out all night with your rival? Oh, wow, this is new. Character twists are just thriving in this anime fanfiction."

Silver's pale cheeks tinged pink. "It wasn't like that," he insisted. "She got Lulu's contact mixed up with me and texted me some heavy stuff. I wasn't about to just leave her all depressed and stuff!" He added in a mumble, "She might be evil, but we're still guildmates. And Lulu would've killed me for being that mean."

Julia nodded, unconvinced. "Ah-ha…" She glanced down at her Compact.

⌜MESSAGES

EIJI

I'm here. Parked a little down the street to keep an alibi tight. Whenever you're ready⌟

"Well…" Julia stood up to get her crossover bag from her bed. "My advice to you is to give Paige space, no over-the-top gestures, and maybe little thoughtful things and texts like 'Make sure you eat your vegetables' or even a Webflix or Nulu rec for her to be distracted."

Silver nodded slowly though unsurely. "Okay… Okay, I will." He followed Julia as she left her room.

As she shut her door and locked it, she added, "And as for Ena..."

Silver's face colored. "I don't need any advice for that witch!"

Julia sighed and jiggled her doorknob to make sure it was locked. Turning to Silver, she said, "All I'm saying is that girl is going through some shit. Aine's constantly worrying Ena isn't getting enough attention and she doesn't know how to break the ice because Ena barely speaks to her. Lu is the only one Ena trusts with her stuff. So if she told you, then maybe she's not as 'evil' as you think." She patted Silver's shoulder. "Take it easy on her. Christmastime is hard on her without her dad. Remember that." She went down the hall and fluttered down the steps.

Julia then yelled, "Hey, I have an emergency! I'm using one of my break cards! Bye, guys!" She heard shouts of farewells as she left the house and went down the steps. Making sure she looked left and right, she started down the street and got to a corner where Dash waited for her atop his black motorcycle and his helmet on. She hurried over to him. "Hey, thanks for doing this."

Dash flicked up his visor so his eyes showed. "It's no problem, Peach. Where do you need me to take you?"

Julia gave a twitchy smile. "Genius' place?"

Now that had Dash's eyes widen. "What do you need with Genius? You know how he feels about visitors."

"I know, I know, but…!" She heaved a breath. "Look, I had Kat track Gary's Compact because something weird was going on, but she couldn't find him because his number was out of reach. So we roped in Cassie." The look Dash gave her had Julia groan. "I know, but we had to! And she located Gary all the way in Bellum."

You could see the confusion in Dash's eyes. "What? Why? Isn't he in some job in Erika? I thought Bellum was having its own problems."

"Yeah, well, knowing Gary, he's in trouble. But flying to Bellum isn't ideal. It's an hour or so flight, but I'd be wasting time getting through those stupid poles and waiting around for the flight. And an hour could mean so much."

"And Genius?"

"Well, I need his help hacking," Julia explained. "I need him to reverse search for any images of Gary or Nashi from the Lacrinet while they're in Bellum and Lance and Aine if they're there. Because if anyone makes the connection—"

"Illegal aliens," Dash rationalized. "Four undocumented Fiorens in Bellum means prosecution and a court date. And if Gary is out as a Devil—"

Julia brought her hands up pressed together and against her forehead. "And he sees my point."

Dash flipped down his visor and went over to his saddlebag to fish for something. "Hop on," he ordered. "Genius lives farther than anyone in the guild, but I can get us there in less than thirty."

Julia did as she was instructed and when Dash gave her the helmet, she blinked at the color and laughed a little. "Seriously? Peachy pink?" She put on the helmet.

"What? Peachy pink for Peach. Seems reasonable."

Julia latched onto Dash and squeezed him as a little punishment. "Just drive, Eiji. And if you're good, you'll get a reward."

Dash revved up his bike. "Ah. She teases me." He flicked down his visor and kicked his bike into a full sprint.

And neither noticed forest green eyes following them.

---

Seeing dozens of gargoyles moving in their stony forms might have unsettled some, but to this group of wielders, it was nothing. They double-checked their gear, but rather than being within the manor, they were outside on the front lawn. Gladstone in his Cat Form was winding around the claws of an Impundulu, a large bird with a beak filled with jagged cracks resembling lightning. The bird had on its saddle and tossed its head, happily placing its beak in Dazzler's inviting hands. She cooed at the thunderbird, "I know, Duchess, I know. This'll be your first time on my homeworld in a while, huh?"

Duchess made a warbled nose and dove further into her hands.

John approached as he played with his lighter to grin at the Impundulu. "All right, birdie?"

Duchess withdrew from Dazzler to give John a dead-stare, lightning flashing in its eyes.

Dazzler laughed as Gladstone purred and leaped onto Duchess to keep her calm. "Yeah, I don't think you have too many friends here, Johnny Boy."

John shrugged. "Eh. I knew I wasn't the most well-liked bloke with me being a tosser of an Occultist." He stumbled a little when a beautiful woman of legitimate white skin and pin-straight black hair checked his shoulder as she passed. She gave him a vile look before her body spread out to create a large four-winged swan.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is a Fionnuala, a fae creature that can transform between a woman and a four-winged swan. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Dazzler quickly said, "The estate is just…petty right now, but it'll pass—"

"Bunny," John cut her off, "I betrayed you, your father, and this entire estate and compromised many of the creatures living here." His look said it all. "That's not redeemable. And that's okay."

Dazzler looked so torn and uncomfortable. "John, I…" But what could she say right now? "I'm… I'm sorry for how the way things are."

"I'm not." At Dazzler's stunned face, John laughed dryly and clarified, "Look at how you turned out, D. You have it good. You're one of the first Magicians in a Mage Guild. You have support around ya and the healthy kind. When I knew you, the estate wasn't even an afterthought. And look at you now. We are in the estate. If I had the option to change things, I wouldn't. Because you're happy, Bunny." He pulled her close to kiss her cheek. "And that's what always mattered to me, even if I was a bloody asshole about it."

Before Dazzler could even think of a response, the doors to the manor opened and Laxus stepped out with his signature scowl. Dazzler rushed over to him and had to ask, "So? Good news? Bad news? News?"

"Let's do our jobs and save people," Laxus told her gruffly, "so Lance can wake up knowing we did right by him." He looked around. "Aine?"

"In the estate," Dazzler confirmed. "She agreed to stay here for Lance's sake and went to the Blue Room the second Miss D took you back down. Veleda can only have one mortal at a time in her room." She gripped Laxus' shoulder. "Lance will pull through this. He is stronger than any of us know."

"No. I do know that." Laxus took a deep breath. "So how are we riding?"

"You mean flying." Atomic, her power-wielding companions, and Ghost flocked closer. Hybrid, Highlight, and Cascade were bobbing in the air as Djedi lead the troupe of gargoyles over and held the reigns for the Impundulu and the Fionnuala. Atomic looked over at the Impundulu. "Laxus, you will take Duchess."

When Laxus looked at the thunderbird, an understanding settled between them. He grinned. "Fine with me."

Dazzler came forth. "When I open the gate, we'll be covered by the clouds when we dive down. But this will drain me a lot. I'm going to be out of commission for a while—"

"Which is why you will fly with me," Highlight interjected. "One of my powers can allow me to not only heal you, but I will replenish as much as your Magic as I can without us getting caught in the crossfire."

Dazzler nodded her thanks. She turned to Djedi. "Can you—?"

"I will have the gates standing by at your command once this is done," Djedi already said like he knew her question. "You know how to summon me to open them. But this will drain you even more. I'll prepare the Pit for your rejuvenation bath."

"Thanks, Djedi," Dazzler murmured. "And I'm sorry for not coming home all these years."

Djedi tipped his chin down and allowed a hint of a smile. "We all understand, Dazzler," he said, voice soft. "Never forget we're family too. When your father died, we all mourned. He was one of the best masters we've had in our lifetimes as Reapers." He placed a hand on her hat and straightened it for her. "And I know you will be too. So make us proud out there."

Atomic spoke before Dazzler could reply. "Let's get ready to dive, people. Link up with your buddy." She glanced at the humanized weapon. "Masahiko."

Masahiko nodded and his body compacted into violet energy to become a light-weight gun. Psyphon took off one of his gloves to touch Cascade. She faltered a little, but she kept herself afloat. Psyphon's eyes closed and he took a deep breath before he was floating in the air as well. Duchess hunkered down as Laxus climbed atop her while Phila burred at Dazzler. Highlight and Ghost swept over to give her a boost on Phila with Highlight mounting behind her. John took out an inscribed ring and muttered a spell before slipping it on. An ethereal green came about him and he was off the ground.

Djedi came to the front of the party with the gargoyles loping after him, each one more ready than the last for their assignment. He surveyed them all. "None of you will die in this fight," he told them. "The estate and all our masters before us will protect you." His eyes met Dazzler's. "And so will our current master."

Dazzler swallowed and nodded. Taking in a deep breath, she raised a hand to the locked gates of the estate. The silver glow of her Magic pulsed around her body and lit up her eyes. "Enakuxe," she chanted, "maka tin portaea…!"

The gates shifted.

The raven lock latched to the front had all four of its eyes glowed before it shifted and let the two gates fall out of synch with each other. The gates pushed themselves inwards as a fog wafted around to give the illusion there was no path or ground beyond the gates.

Dazzler's hand shook as she held it towards the gates. "Go!" she gurgled, breathing labored. "I can't keep it open for much longer!"

Djedi stepped to the side and shouted: "Go!"

The gargoyles gave a fierce roar before their stony wings opened and they zipped past the gates. They immediately took a dive into the fog. Atomic and Masahiko were next with Cascade telekinetically keeping them at her side. Hybrid went with Psyphon and both dove into the fog. Duchess reared and took off with Ghost following behind. John had a glance at Dazzler, but he flew past the gates and dove into the dog.

Dazzler coughed as her nose trickled blood. The gates screeched as the ravens on the roof began to rattle and make noise. Phila reared, cawing, as she took off. Dazzler felt her whole body tense and her heart rate squeeze and pump faster as her Magic was reaching its limits. But she did not have to hold on any longer as Phila passed through the gate and ducked into the dog. Dazzler let the spell go and keeled over, coughing.

Highlight gripped her head as she shouted over the wind. "I will heal you now!"

Dazzler coughed and tried to nod, but the fog, the blood, the diving—it was making her head spin. Energy engulfed her, relaxing, almost like a warm blanket was comforting her. But she had no time to enjoy it when they were all thrown out of the fog in the blink of an eye and onto the battlefield. Phila pulled up a little with a squawk to give her riders time to adjust, but Dazzler had forgotten about her exhaustion when she saw what she was.

Chunks of rock were falling from the falling city in the sky and hit the undeserving cities below, killing many. Screams and cries could barely be heard over the wind, but Dazzler knew better. She watched as the gargoyles were the first line of defense to stop other rocks from hitting the people, but their peaceful ways did not last long when beams of Magic and bullets were shot at the swarm. Phila steered them away from the fray, but Dazzler knew what was happening. She could see air military in their fighter jet boats and their Sky Boats and broomsticks swarming up and trying to attack the gargoyles.

Dazzler gritted her teeth. I'm so sorry to use you as bait. Thank you for being brave. She scratched Phila's neck and shouted, "Take us down!"

Highlight shouted over the wind, "But you have much more healing needed!"

"I don't care!" Dazzler snapped. "We have a job to do! Can you feel my friend Gary yet?"

"I cannot heal you and focus on an energy!"

"Then forget about me!" Dazzler snarled. "Find Gary! Heal me later!"

Highlight dropped her healing glow for her eyes to grow orange. She scanned the ground for a moment before her eyes locked on a spot. "I sense him and the others!" she relayed as she pointed. "They are on the move!"

"Then we are too!" Dazzler kicked Phila's sides. "Hiyah!"

Phila cawed and dove down.

°•°•°•°

The ride was a bumpy one, but Nashi was doing her best to clear them a path with Talia steering them away from people. Only a few times had they stopped to help. Skade would need Luna's assistance a little, just enough so he could move without bleeding too heavily. Nashi would find those in trouble and broken and used her healing sands to get them off their feet so they could run.

But as they rode on, something made Luna look up. And what she saw was not natural. "What are those?"

Gale looked up to see what she meant and squinted. Dark specks were swarming around in the sky in an organized tizzy as they broke down any debris headed for earth and protected one another from the military firing at them. "I'm not sure I…" Without meaning to, his eyes sharpened and suddenly the blurs so far away stood crisp and clear. "Woah… What the Hell?"

Your Slayer powers, Sycaña thought to him. Now that I have triggered them, your body will change quicker. Your eyesight is that of a predator Dragon when need be.

Gale captured the detail of these creatures. The horns, the claws, beaks, some had hair, the stony wings, the loincloths… "Gargoyles," he murmured. "Those are gargoyles."

"'Gargoyles'?" Luna repeated in disbelief. "There are gargoyles in Bellum? I thought they lived in Pergrande and maybe a few other countries?"

"Gargoyles were born around the Bellish area and are native here," Gale explained. "They live in herds called 'cathedrals' since they flock church towers and cathedrals. But they don't really interfere with human life. So why are they out—?" A chill went down his spine that made his skin itch with the need for scales and his eyes dilated. On instinct, a growl ripped from his throat and he lurched forward to smother Luna into his chest.

Luna squirmed, alarmed. "H-H-Hey! Let me go, you—!"

"Blondie, shut it," Gale snapped. "I can feel something speeding towards our direction."

Skade peered into the sky. Scanning it, he finally landed on the flurry of white. "A four-winged bird creature," he muttered. Silver swirled around his pupils to focus on the humans. Agitated, his stare turned into a glare. "And it's the human wench."

Býleistr and Icarus broke from their full sprints to a gallop to a trot to a walk and then a stop. Everyone looked up at the sky and were torn between the creature hurling toward them and the sky battle between the military and the gargoyles. Talia sped back to the group with Nashi in tow. She looked at her party perplexed. "Uh… What's with the not making of the haste?"

Gale explained, "We've got incoming." In the depths of his red, emerald flickered through as his stare zoomed and sharpened. When everything came into focus, his eyes widened. "Shit. It's Dazzler."

Nashi's jaw dropped. "Um, excuse me?"

"Why's she in Bellum?" Gale wondered. "Shit's gettin' weirder and weirder, I'm tellin' ya."

Talia had no trouble seeing Dazzler. She raised her hands and glittered fluttered around, turning white then silver then a rainbow of colors. "A Magician," she noted. "An terran Aurar. How rare. And a Fionnuala. They have good intentions." She looked up to Nashi. "Shall I bring them down?"

"No." It was Býleistr who answered that. He had helped Skade off his back and turned back into his lion-morph form. "They're moving at too fast a speed for teleporting. They'll come." He helped Skade to the nearest wall and sat him down. "In the meantime, everyone, refuel."

"Good idea," Luna agreed. "And I can heal Skade."

Skade coughed as he tried to shake his head. "Oñeaña, save your strength."

Luna smoothed her hand on his cheek and searched his body for the deepest wounds. "I save my powers for people who need it." Now chocolate met icy blue. "And you do. So no fighting me on it and show me where it hurts the most."

Amusement danced in Skade's eyes. "Yes, Oñeaña. As you wish."

"They're close enough for me to jump," Nashi said. Turning towards Talia and Gale, she ordered, "Keep everyone safe. I'm going to see what's going on." To Gale, she made a show of glancing at Luna who was concentrating white energy over Skade's stomach before she went to look at Gale. Icarus had taken to guarding her. "Keep her safe. If anything happens to her—"

"If anything happens to her, it would only happen if I was taken down." Ruby intensified. "Save your speech, Angel. Go float."

Nashi found Dazzler and the Fionnuala and gathered her Magic before springing into the air. The sky whooshed about her as she cut through it to get closer and closer. She could tell the Fionnuala was poised to attack her, but Dazzler scratched its neck and murmured something. As soon as Nashi was at the same height, her Magic tightened around her to match the magical bird's descent. "Dazzler!" she shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"Good to see you're awake!" Dazzler yelled in response. "This is Highlight! She's part of the new team to help this country!"

Highlight nodded at Nashi and after Nashi nodded back, she questioned, "So what's going on?"

"I'll explain on the ground!" Dazzler turned back to Highlight. "Take Phila and sweep the streets for the injured! I'm healed enough!"

When Highlight nodded without complaint, Dazzler did something Nashi did not expect. She rolled right off the Fionnuala that had stopped mid-flight. Nashi loosened the Magic on herself to descend to catch Dazzler, but she quickly realized Dazzler did not need her. The Magician had taken to a nosedive while she gripped her hat to jet even faster to the ground. When both were close enough, Nashi tightened her Magic to slow herself while Dazzler lifted her hands and her hat expanded like a parachute.

The team on the ground watched carefully as Dazzler and Nashi landed on the ground. While Nashi stayed in her armor, Dazzler gathered her hat back to shape itself and put it on her head. Without preamble, she reached over to hug a surprised Nashi. "Gods, girl, it's so good to see you!"

Nashi hugged her back, awkward. "Yeah, it's good to see you too, but…" Pulling away, she asked, "What exactly are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," Dazzler explained, "but basically I'm here with a bunch of badasses, Ghost, an ex-boyfriend, and Uncle Laxus to help fix this mess." Peering past Nashi, her silver eyes widened. "Gale? Luna? What the Hell are you guys doing here?"

Gale crossed his arms and gave her a nod. "'Sup, Lafayette?"

Dazzler blew out a breath. "Well, it doesn't matter." Turning to Nashi, she said, "We've got to move now." She checked over Skade and grimaced. "Right now, as we speak, my team is doing everything in their power to stop the city from falling and evacuate people. I have to open the Enchanted Estate doors to let out my Reapers to help with the fight which means I can get you all to safety and—"

"Wait, slow down." Nashi put her hands on her hips. "You expect us to just sit out on the benches? Um, no, ma'am. I don't think so."

Dazzler sighed like a mother tired of dealing with her daughter. "Nashi, you think you're healed and I get it—"

"She is healed," Talia intervened. "Nashi Dragneel has accepted Angel Blood into her system and has unlocked new potential within her. She would make a wise candidate to help these people. As would I, the Dragon Slayer, the wolf, and the kitty." She cocked her head. "However, Luna Dragneel may go with the Devil-lover."

Dazzler blinked. "Uh… Why is there a child on a battlefield?"

"She's no 'child', girl," Býleistr rumbled. "She has hundreds of years on you and more power than your guild combined."

Silver eyes widened. "Shit's just getting weirder and weirder."

Gale threw his hands up. "That's what I said!"

Shaking her head, Dazzler turned to Nashi to genuinely question, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"People are in danger, Dazzler." Nashi took a deep breath. "As long as Luna can get somewhere safe and Skade, then I'm ready for anything."

Dazzler studied her for a moment then she nodded. Looking at Gale, she remarked, "You're with us. Luna, Gary, you'll go into the estate once the Reapers clear out." She did not wait for an answer as she sucked in a breath and gathered her Magic. Throwing her hands before her, a Magician Circle appeared before her like a wall. "Enakuxe maka tin portaea…!"

The double doors were pulled from the Magician Circle out of thin air. Dazzler walked up the door and opened it before stepping aside. There were no introductions made as humans rushed past the team of all colors and sizes, though it was odd to see some of them fade into streaks of ethereal light and others run through walls. Once the last of the Reapers had exited the estate, Dazzler gestured towards the inside. "All right, Luna, Gary—your turn."

Luna nodded and pulled her hands away from Skade. Býleistr and Gale came over to help Skade to his feet to usher him over. Icarus nudged Luna and she gripped onto his fur as she followed after them. To Icarus, Luna thought, I wish we could stay and help evacuate people. Do you think you could—?

You are my ward, pup. I protect you.

Luna frowned up at him. But my mama sends her Spirits to help people.

Queen Mother also has multiple Star Spirits under her command, Icarus reminded. And she will always have two Spirits had her side, not for her protection, but for them to aid her in the offense. You, my pup, still need protection.

Luna hummed as she leaned a little on Icarus. Someday, I'll be stronger to help more people, right?

Of course, pup. Icarus turned his head to nuzzle her. Someday very soon.

Luna sighed with her shoulders and she looked around. As she looked around, a glint caught her eye. Lazily, she focused on it. Huh… Wonder what that is…

As the doors came closer, Nashi stripped herself out of her Divine Soul Armor. Gale and Býleistr seemed to understand and let go for Nashi and Skade to have privacy. Nashi wrapped an arm around Skade and watched as he flinched. Concern marred her features. "How are you doing?"

"Better," Skade got out. "Oñeaña has helped a great deal. I would not be walking without her." He grunted as Nashi helped him cross the threshold, but it was clear Skade needed a break and he rested on the nearest wall. Nashi stayed close to him and tried her best to make him comfortable. She cradled his jaw and thumbed it when Skade turned his head to kiss her fingertips. "When this is over," he murmured, "I want to spend a week with you."

"A week?" Nashi smiled. "What happened to a day?"

"Malã'ika." The way he said her nickname sent goosebumps through her body. "Now that have tasted you, a week is generous."

Nashi flushed at that. "Listen, Skade… About what happened—"

"Do you regret it?"

"No!" Nashi could see Skade was relieved to hear that. "No, not at all! I"—her cheeks pinkened—"really liked it." Before Skade could put in a word, she hurried on: "But I'm not like that normally. And I just… I don't want you to be disappointed or bored and maybe you need to explore a little bit before being with me, y'know?"

Skade lowered his head so icy-blue-silver clashed with hickory. "Malã'ika," he rumbled, "you are the one I need. No other female compares to you. That will never change." Nashi yelped when Skade's arms came down to wrap around her and jerked her closer. Her chest heaved when his wintry breath caressed her ear. "And I intend for our week for me to show you how much I mean that."

"Oh, my…" Nashi whooshed a little nervously.

Skade snickered as his nose trailed down to her neck. "Careful, Angel. I smell your lust. I will not be held accountable for my actions if you continue to be this close to me." He kissed her pulse before drawing back to place such a soft kiss on her forehead. To Nashi, it felt like both Gary and Skade were kissing her skin. He looked down as she looked up and a bit of pain flashed on his face. "I do not want you to go."

"I'll be back soon," Nashi told in promise. "Just rest, okay?" She got on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before he nudged her down to nuzzle the top of her head. She sank into his winter and he melded against her summer.

Luna passed by Nashi and Skade's intimate moment with Icarus close to her. Though the moment Icarus saw a black cat grooming itself, his form diminished into his Dog Form and he barked, wanting to play. The cat meowed back and scampered away with Icarus on its tail. Luna laughed to herself. "And he says he's not domesticated."

A throat cleared. "Dogs will be dogs, right?"

Luna stiffened. She refused to look up at Gale who came to stand at her side with his hands shoved deep in his pants' pockets. "You would know how dogs act anyways," she muttered bitterly.

"Your comebacks are getting better and better, Blondie," Gale snorted.

Luna only hmphed and pointed looked away from him.

Gale rubbed the back of his neck. As he tried to come up with something, his ear twitched when he heard a pssst. Looking back, he saw Nashi wildly gesturing towards her lips, then she made a heart with her hands, then she directed that heart to Luna. When Gale gave her a flat stare, Nashi cocked her head and gave him that same look Olivia gave him when he was not supposed to argue. Soundlessly sighing, he swiveled towards Luna. His mouth opened, then shut. A swallow. "Blondie?"

Luna inclined to head to show she was listening.

"Blondie, I just wanted to say…" Gale swallowed again like he had sand in his mouth. "Look. I just wanted…" His shoulders dropped. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It wasn't right. Real talk."

That got Luna to turn to him with an unconvinced eyebrow raised. "Really?"

"Really," Gale assured. "It's just… You get so freaking annoying and—!" At Luna's narrowed eyes, he defended himself. "Okay, maybe annoying isn't the word and I shouldn't try to point fingers, but you are pretty impossible sometimes. Don't deny that."

Luna curled her lip, but she could not keep his intense stare. "Ugh, whatever. Fine. I'm impossible to deal with. Good thing you don't have to deal with me, huh? Bleu gets that privilege." She upturned her nose and sniffed at him. "But good luck with your harem. I hope they can see past all the uncivilized man-whore."

Gale growled as his eye twitched. "Gods, you are just—!" But when he saw Nashi from the corner of his eye exaggerating deep breaths while Talia slowly shook her head, Gale forced himself to calm down. "Look, Blondie—"

"Luna to you."

Gale closed his eyes to keep from shaking her. "Look, Luna," he practically snarled, "how about we agree we are both impossible people and let bygones be bygones. We have more important work to do than having childish temper tantrums every time we're together." Gale practically watched Luna draw in an inhale and forced her shoulders to relax. She whipped around with a fake smile and approached him.

"Oh, of course," she agreed with feigned enthusiasm. "But let's get one thing clear." Her finger hit his chest and he zeroed in on it before going to her eyes. "We're guildmates, but we are not friends. I respect you as guild family, but that's as far as it goes. When this is over, you can go back to doing drugs and drinking and man-whoring and I will go back to going on dates with Bleu. Are we clear?"

For a moment, Gale could feel the Wild within him ache to leave his skin and burn through his eyes to show her his displeasure at such an arrangement. But then it seemed like human and Wild had a different idea in mind. Instead, Gale slipped on a grin as his hand took Luna's and lifted her finger to his mouth. "Crystal." He kissed the tip of her finger—

Ruby and chocolate were overwhelmed.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The focus peered upwards. Water submerged them into a shield and words were being cut, but the focus could not help drinking in Gale. He stood with his arms crossed and a jaw taught, hair ruffled and wet from his fight. But even in his ire at the situation, the focus found itself wandering over tan skin in a fascinated sense. The little scars peppering his flesh told a story of his strength, his ferocity. Were his eyes always so…intense?

His head turned and an amused grin made way on his mouth to hint at his fangs—

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna yanked back her finger with flushed cheeks and her lips curled in an o. Satisfaction quelled his Wild smugly as Gale took in her scent of remembered curiosity and interest and her mortification over what she witnessed. She gasped, "Wh-What was that?"

Gale shrugged all lackadaisically. "I don't know what you're talking about." Dipping forward, he tried to withhold his snicker when Luna could not meet his eyes. "We're clear, principessa. Crystal clear."

Luna was saved from embarrassment when Icarus burrowed his way between them to curl around his ward. She cleared her throat and smoothened her hair to tell Gale in a shaky tone, "Th-Thanks for understanding." She turned into Icarus and wanted to bury her burning face in his fur, but she knew Gale would see it. Icarus, she whimpered. What was that?

Hilarity floated between their link. Your mind closed off to me, but from what I smell, it seems you have a little bit of appreciation for your drake, Icarus chuckled.

Icarus! Luna wailed. This isn't funny! Why would I remember that now?

"Oh, Luna…."

Luna flinched and peeked over to see a saccharine smile on Gale's face as he held out a naked hand toward her. "Why don't we shake on our new agreement?"

Luna's gaze darted to his open hand then to his face. "Sh-Sha…Shake?"

Gale quirked an eyebrow and his smile deepened. "Yes, Bl—Luna. Let's shake. Make this all official and shit." He extended his hand closer to her and laughed when she flinched away from it. "Come on… It's just a handshake, Luna. What do you have to be afraid of?"

Luna's eyes flicked to his hand then to his face then to his hand again. "Well…" she hedged. "I… I don't see why not." Gulping, she hesitantly reached out her hand.

"Don't be shy now, Luna." Fang gleamed. "Touch me." And his hand reached out to touch hers, but before they were even centimeters close—

Luna's eyes glowed white.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"He's perfect."

The room was a pit, a cemetery—a grave. The earth had forged it, but not for this purpose. Blood and torn muscle splattered on the walls as carcasses piled themselves in the pit with some having their eyes gouged out or their intestines half-eaten. A dead man had his leg chewed off and his heart was ripped out from his chest to show broken bone as blood poured out from the wound. Dried blood caked a woman who had lost all her skin and the front of her face had been gnawed on like she was a plaything.

"But will he be under command?"

A fierce grunt as flesh was ripped from bone.

A smile. "He's just like his father, remember?"

A wild scream tore the air as a child's spine was yanked from their back.

"No matter what he does…he'll play right into our hand."

Feral sanguine eyes burned into the focus—

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale caught Luna when she dropped, and worry filled him when he saw her glowing eyes and her head began to twitch this way and that like she was convulsing. "Blondie?" he whispered. Slipping back on his glove, he cradled her into him and lowered them both onto the ground. "Are you having a vision? What's going on?"

Luna's mouth worked in short grunts as she felt power surge into her mind.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

It was almost like looking through a sniper scope. The city was in rubble, the sky was falling, but this scope had its target. It adjusted and re-centered, but it was a damn shame a girl of pink hair was in the shot. The scope adjusted so a beast of ice fur and wings was the focus—

The scene glitched to show a focus in the distance with eyes locked on the entryway that housed a watchful Talia. Talia smoothly slid her gaze across the horizon only for her stare to sharply cut to the focus—

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"We're being watched." Talia came up to Dazzler, Nashi, Skade, and Býleistr. "Mammon is in the city. He's coming and he's coming for us."

"Sni…per…"

Býleistr, Skade, Talia, Icarus, and Gale zoomed in on Luna as she coughed and tears pressed out of her eyes. "Someone…watching," Luna gasped. "Sni…per…scope…"Hands digging into her hair, she shook her head and closed her eyes. "Make it stop, please! Make it stop!"

As Gale took to rocking her and cooing her, Býleistr growled. "See, this is why you don't do lovey-dovey lengthy moon-damn good-byes. It gives the enemy time to get in position. I wouldn't be surprised if the military isn't on our sorry asses with a bunch of targets on our backs because everyone pussied up and wanted a fucking good-bye kiss—"

"Then, we leave," Talia decided with finality. "I can only sense seventeen sets of eyes on us. No Mages. Just original mortals with their primitive weaponry."

"But what about Mammon?" Nashi worried. She missed the way Býleistr and Skade exchanged looks. "Taking out the military is an issue if they see our faces, but Mammon is a whole different story. We need to get him away from the city."

Dazzler put a hand on Nashi's shoulder. "And we will. The estate's Reapers will finish the evacuation without us. If Mammon is a bad guy, which one of you is he after?"

"Princess and Wolverine," Býleistr filled in.

Dazzler nodded. "Then, we switch tactics a little." Turning to Talia, she ordered, "You're with me. You're strong, I'm flexible—we'll make it work with Mammon. Keep him interested."

"We won't need to try," Talia explained. "I'm the Demon's granddaughter. Mammon is attempting to bring me to the Demon's home."

It was slow, but Dazzler's entire face contorted in shock. "Demons can have grandchildren?" She shook her head (and failed to notice the way Nashi shrunk and Skade and Býleistr hardened) and said, "Okay, whatever. This changes nothing. Talia, we're after Mammon. Býleistr, Nashi—you're to handle any military personnel. Nashi, your armor covers your face and they've never seen this new look. Just leave no traces of Magic or DNA for them to swipe. Heal whenever you can." She looked over at Gale. "Gale, you're the only one of us who can't cover himself." She stopped herself when she saw Gale was more focused on the disoriented Luna. "Stay here," she decided. "Keep Lu safe."

Dazzler looked around the rag-tag team. "Are we clear?" With nods going around, Dazzler came out the door. "Talia, let's go. Nashi, transform and get out. The estate doors are well-enchanted. They'll close on their own." Taking off her hat, she muttered a spell and a silver aura glistened about her before she jetted off.

Talia was about to take off when she paused to look between Býleistr and Skade. She offered them a nod before speeding away.

Nashi blinked at that. "What was that for?" She saw her Celestial Spirit and the Ice Devil give each other a glance and drew up her defenses. "What?" she demanded to know. "What's going on?"

Býleistr ignored her as he turned away and shifted into his Lion Form. Without a backward glance, he bounded away.

Nashi was beyond flabbergasted. "Um, hello! Where do you think you're going, you overgrown cat?" she shouted. "Oh, I'm so going to set him straight after all this—

"Malã'ika."

Nashi paused when she felt Skade touch her arm. She turned to him in annoyance. "What? What aren't you two telling me? What's with the secrets, dammit?"

"Malã'ika," Skade chuckled, "breathe. You have high blood pressure as it is."

Nashi did not find any of this funny and pulled away from him with a raised chin and a quirked eyebrow.

Skade sighed. "I am just…worried. As is the human. We worry about you. You have gone through much and I—we—could not shield you from it. Sabertooth and I came to an agreement your safety is our priority." Such genuine soulfulness filled his eyes. "Just like me, the moment Sabertooth saw you, he knew he had to protect you. And we have failed you."

That dismantled all of Nashi's agitation and she leaned back into him. "You didn't," she promised. "But this is reality, Skade. You can't protect me from everything. You can't, Gary can't, Býleistr can't—Hell, my parents can't. That's why we train." Her eyes wandered and Skade followed her for both to look at Gale looking down at a heaving and confused Luna like she was the center of his world. "I know I can't protect Luna from the world like I want to," she said softly. "But I will do everything in my power to make the world a little safer for her to be in."

"That is what we admire about you."

Nashi turned back to Skade and tipped her head.

"We admire your dedication to your kin," Skade explained. "We admire your strength and everything there is about you."

Nashi hummed. "You have no idea how much I look up to you and Gary," she murmured. "But I have to go. Býleistr isn't about to handle these guys on his own." She turned to leave, but Skade stopped her again. "What?"

"A kiss before you go?"

Nashi found such a suggestion harmless and said nothing as she let him embrace her and tilt up her chin so their lips could meet in a passion of summer and winter, heat and ice. She practically moaned when he deepened the kiss, body flushed against his, and forgot about everything when she felt his length grinding against her front in a tease.

Skade pulled away from her with puffs of frost coming from him and puffs of steam coming from her. He rested his forehead against her as her eyes shut, her body weak from such a kiss. "Just know we care for you," he whispered to her. He gently pulled away and did not meet her eyes when he abruptly turned, dropped down to all-fours, and dashed away back into the crumbling streets.

"Skade!" Eyes wide and perplexed, Nashi moved to go after—

CHNK!

Nashi could not see, but she could feel icy handcuffs had wrapped around her wrists. Looking down, she saw an ice chain had connected to her ankle shackles. No… He didn't…

BUM!

Panic overtook Nashi as she saw the estate doors were almost done closing. She stumbled and jumped to get to the doors, but she knew it was too tight a squeeze for her. Instead, she watched in horror as Skade zipped down the street. He paused to look back at her before he turned the street. Too wound up to scream, Nashi could only stare with her mouth open. Hickory gleamed with questions and confusion while icy-blue glinted back his apology before freezing over.

And he vanished.

And the doors closed.

Nashi could not breathe as she sank down to her knees with the chains rattling. Head bowed, her thoughts raced and raced as she breathed. Gale, on the other hand, helped Luna get back to her feet who was still breathless and weak, Icarus nudging her along. Luna did not care how tired she was. She saw her sister hunched over and concern overtook her. "Nashi?"

It was like a switch flipped Nashi. Her shoulders went back, spine straight. "Lu… I would never ask you to do this." Timbre low and collected. "But I need a favor."

"Anything," Luna said without a moment of hesitation. "What do you need?"

Nashi turned her head as something steeled in her eyes. "I need you to teleport me."

°•°•°•°

VROOM-VROOOOOOM…!

Julia wasted no time dismounting and taking off her helmet the second Dash pulled into such a long and curved driveway. Genius' secluded home was tucked away into part of the mountain range of Magnolia and made it all the more impossible to get to considering the two gates needing to pass through and the way the house blended in with the foliage. What was shocking were no security agents were out monitoring this spectacular resort of a home with its ranch-style physique and immense front lawn. While everyone had been kept up to date, it looked like this home had been abandoned.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is Genius' house that is located on Mount Quince, an eastern mountain range. While Genius has a lot of property, many of his guildmates and fanbase are uncertain the reason he lives so far away from his home guild. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia stormed up to the obnoxiously large dual front doors that had been engraved with the cover of a video game on it to ring the doorbell and pound on the door. "Genius!" she shouted. "Open up! This is an emergency!"

Dash came up the steps to stand by her and muttered, "You know he doesn't like to be disturbed, Peach."

"Well, he'll need to get over his asocialness real fricken quick then," Julia growled. "This is an emergency and I'm not leaving without his help."

One of the doors opened to reveal a lithe man dressed sharply as a butler with long black hair and dainty eyes. "Konbawa," he greeted with a bow, his Cipangunese accent coming out. "May you please identify your—?"

Julia took a step towards the man. "I'm Julia Fullbuster of Fairy Tail. I need to see Genius ASAP."

The man paused. "Do you have an appointment?"

Julia looked like she was ready to cuss a storm when Dash grabbed her shoulder and smoothly said, "We don't, but this is a guild emergency. We need to see him right away."

The butler still did not look phased. "Sir is not to be disturbed even in the event of a—"

"Relax, T.A.D.A.S.H.I.," came a lazy caterwaul from the distance. "Go back to coding. They're friends."

T.A.D.A.S.H.I. paused then bowed again. "Very well, Sir." He flicked out of existence like he was never there.

Genius took T.A.D.A.S.H.I.'s place in his hovering gamer chair and his VR goggles on (ignoring the way both Julia and Dash were taken back such a realistic butler was nothing more than a hologram). The shirt of the day seemed to be pictures from hentai manga all copied and pasted together and he seemed to be happily munching on some grapes. Looking up at the pair, he said, "So what's the emergency?"

"My brother is in Bellum," Julia blurted with no bullshit. "And his team is most likely with him and he's most likely a Devil right now."

"Bellum, huh?" Genius tucked in a few more grapes. "Heard about what's going on there. Twelves are supposed to be crawling all over the place." He turned the chair around and went back deeper into the house. "Gary's screwed if he gets exposure. Shoes off, please."

Dash and Julia took this at their cue to step in and kicked off their shoes in a hurry. Genius seemed to be leading them down the immediate hallway, but what was surprising was that there were no pictures of his family. Pictures and posters mainly revolved around a J-pop band EMPHASIS with signed renditions of their records, pictures, and even a largely framed picture of Genius next to an Amazonian woman with large hawk-like wings that were biologically attached to her, not just used as props.

Julia used this time to explain while Dash studied how much fan paraphernalia was on the hallway walls. "You're right. Look, I get the military is needed, but Gary cannot be found out. If the military catches him or any of our family, it's over for them. We're talking legal battles for months."

"So you'd like me to scrub clean all traces of them from the Lacrinet," Genius presumed. He abruptly turned his chair into a wall. But this wall was not just a wall.

Genius passed through the false wall with no problems and Julia and Dash followed in suit. Both of them had to take a moment to reorient themselves. This room was not just an office or a bedroom or what have you. This looked like a dream come true for computer science and intelligence. The room was filled with Lacrima Screens showing footage from anything from international news to the news J-Drama and Z-Drama (if Dash studied it, he could see it was Truly, My Love and Love 010 respectively) to YouView videos of EMPHASIS doing an interview on a variety show to a walkthrough of Animal Forest. Side projects were obvious on workbenches with a few 3D printers working on mapping out new weapons and armor with the models on L-Pads. But at the center of it all was a large dip in the floor that showed a mimicry of a Super Archive. The globe database was pulling in Lacrima Screens and exchanging them out for others. But rather than this version of super Archive focusing on Magic, this one looked like a holographic figure of the world with little dots color-coded littering each continent and some of the ocean.

Dash raised his eyebrows when he saw Constantine the Lacrima Android rapidly typing on a keyboard at a station with cords from his back connected to the database. The real surprise was seeing Lamia Scale guild members Chrome and Opera were operating around the mimicry of the Super Archive with their own conjured keyboards and their eyes flowing with data and this time, they were dressed in civilian clothing.

T.A.D.A.S.H.I. appeared in a flash to bow. "Welcome back, Sir." Then, he disappeared.

Julia stopped. "Um… Did we come at a bad time or…?"

Genius turned around. "Not really. We just have some side stuff we're working on. But the life of a guild member is more important." He popped another grape and called, "T.A.D.A.S.H.I., what's the status of Gary Fullbuster?" A Lacrima Screen popped before Genius and he took the time to read through it. "All right. I can hack into some Bellish VPN and see what I can scrub. But if you want the military off his back—"

"I know it's risky and maybe impossible," Julia started, "but we have to try—"

"Lady J, don't insult me," Genius snorted. "Military hacking isn't easy, but it's not impossible. We're just not doing it the conventional way." He turned his gamer chair to go down the dip in the room to get to Chrome. "Hey, Chrome. How long will it take for you to generate the P-two-P bots with C-and-C for a DDoS?"

"Are you testing me?" Chrome asked, timbre monotone. "Not long. Opera, can you—?"

"Host is ready," Opera stated. "Stand-by as I isolate the area."

Constantine called, "I am breaking through the first firewall of the Bellish military. Stand-by for an update."

Julia could not hold back her expression of being impressed. "Wow. You guys work…freaklishly fast."

Genius shrugged and popped in more grapes. "You are talking to the Genius, a Lacroid, and two data-infused humans. Yeah, we're gonna be fast on this." Then, he explained on a more serious note, "We won't have the time to scrub now with how quick everything is moving over there, but we can damage a crap ton of tech that forces people to get new Compacts and PALs and since com towers are mainly down, we're gonna knock out the rest and cut off the media and try to dismantle as much military communications as we can."

"And my brother and his team?"

"We'll scrub what we can," Genius vowed. "They're not going to go to jail if we can help it. And we won't go to jail either for doing what we're doing." He monitored Chrome's work. "This set-up isn't exactly rocket science. Writing something like this is the easy part. But we're targeting a specific area of people and military. That takes a little while longer. Especially if we're trying to infect them. A normal virus takes maybe seven hours to infect thousands of computers."

Julia's hopes dropped. "Seven hours?"

"They could be in custody by then," Dash put in.

"They won't be." Opera was the one who said this. "Xuezhang said 'normal'. We can't promise we'll cut the time completely. But we, at the very least, can transition so hundreds of databases and Compacts and PALs are infected within the first minute to an hour."

Coeus reminded, "Scan all encrypted messages from the data we collected for words 'Devil', 'Demon', or 'Monster'."

"First firewall is down," Constantine informed. "We must act quickly. I can't keep it open for much longer before the next password reset."

Genius nodded. "Chrome, Opera—get ready. We'll initiate the zombie on my mark." He turned his head for his VR goggles faced Julia and Dash. "We'll protect our family." His lips curled into a grin. "But we're also going to protect those innocent people too."

°•°•°•°

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The sky was a warzone and anyone could see that. But the gargoyles were too resilient of a species to go down at one bullet. Militant Mages took up the sky with their broomsticks, but they stood no match for these creatures. But with so much attention focused on the impending gargoyles, it was easy for the others to slip through and take their positions.

Cascade and Psyphon worked together to move the large chunks falling to no-man's land so they could crash to safety. John had struck up matches and strategically placed them all throughout the bottom of the falling city. Atomic used Masahiko as a gun and road the back of the Fionnuala to shoot any Dark Creature trying to escape. Laxus and the Impundulu took to it as they drew their lightning to eradicate the enemy from furthering their advances. Ghost and Highlight stuck together as they invaded the engines of the Sky Boats and the jets to bring them down. Hybrid had gathered her immense power and her hands shook as she fought back the weight of the falling city to slow its speed.

As Atomic fired off machine gun Masahiko onto a few lurkers jumping from the edge, she shouted through their mental link: We're slowing down the loose ends, but we need to buy the Reapers more time to evacuate!

On it, love! John thought. He jetted out from under the bottom of the falling city to summon his Magic. Taking out his lighter, he muttered, "Accendes ni fiame diavlo…!" He blew on his lighter.

The small fires created from such small matches exploded on command into roaring flames that could rival a jet engine's power. The entire falling city shook under this opposing force and Cascade and Psyphon were quick to catch any rickety debris and put them back atop the falling city. Psyphon, however, did see a few militant Mages were slipping through the gargoyles defenses and told, We have their attention, but we can't afford it!

I agree. Atomic lowered machine gun Masahiko. We need to fall back. No contact. Laxus, I want you to permanently ground them. Can you do an EMP blow out?

In mid-air? Laxus grinned. You're insulting me. This'll cut power within a fifty-mile radius, though. The civilians and medics won't have any way to contact anyone else for up to twenty-four-hours. The military is smart enough to have cages to survive a blast, but it might take them thirty minutes at most for a non-electric set-up.

Atomic's words came sharp. That's better for us. This will delay any more attacks and give us time to set up and make sure everyone is cleared out. John, Hybrid—you'll remain to keep the city up until we're ready for it to fall.

Laxus nodded. His eyebrow rose when the Impundulu cawed and turned her head to give him a look. "All right, birdie," he shouted. "You're with me."

Everyone else, Atomic commanded, I want you up as high as you can. Laxus, when I tell you, send out the wave. She kicked the sides of the Fionnuala who took up skyward. Let's move!

As everyone except John and Hybrid took to the skies as rapidly as they could, Laxus could feel his lightning pulse through his veins and excite him. Hands sweeping through the air, electricity gathered around his hands and arms like he summoned them. He rubbed his hands together before stroking the feathers of the Impundulu who burred pleasantly as new static charged through them. "All right, birdie."

CR-CRACK!

As lightning streaked the sky, it danced within Laxus' eyes. "This one is for Lance."

°•°•°•°

"No." Gale was the one to put his foot down on this, battening Luna to him. "No way."

Nashi's flaming eyes glared at Gale. "I didn't ask you."

"Yeah, because you know she can't say, 'no' to you, but I can," Gale retorted. "She's weak and she needs rest. Teleporting herself exhausts her, but to teleport someone else? Do you want her unconscious?"

Luna tried to pipe in, "Gale—"

"I would not let my own sister risk herself for me like that," Nashi sneered back. "She'll have my powers backing her up—"

"You're in motherfucking chains and you think you can back her up?" Gale snarled. "I said, 'no', dammit. She isn't—!"

"Gale!"

Startled was Gale when Luna pushed herself out of his hold. "Blondie—"

Luna stared up at him, but she had soft chocolate eyes when she did so. "No, Gale," she turned down gently. "I can do this. It's nice you'd worry about me, but you don't need to."

"Someone has to," Gale groused darkly. He stomped over to Nashi and without breaking a sweat, he conjured his diamond knuckles and punched through the chains. "Because clearly, no one else is." He pulled back his diamond knuckles to help Nashi to her feet. "Do you even know how to teleport somewhere specific?"

Luna opened her mouth, then she hesitated and closed it.

Gale snorted. "Great. So the plan's already fucked before it's been executed."

"Hold on a minute," Luna snapped. "I can do it. I just need something to concentrate on. When I teleported Býleistr's key, I focused on Nashi and he got to her, right?"

"Right." Nashi rubbed the remaining cuffs kissing her wrists and ankles before she fished around in her pocket. "And…"—she brought out the Leo Minor Silver Key to show with a grin—"I think I know the perfect thing you can focus on." Walking over to Luna, she handed her little sister the key.

Luna cupped it with Icarus coming up to sniff the key. "I don't know," she murmured, unsure of herself. "I don't know him all that well like I know you."

Use the key's connection, Icarus offered as he padded up to her. He sniffed the key before licking his nose. The key will lead you to the Star Spirit. I will help you as best as I can.

Luna swallowed and nodded. Placing a hand on Icarus' snout, she whispered, "Thank you." She looked over at Nashi with a determined edge about her. "Okay. Let's do this."

Gale let out a growl as he stomped after Nashi to Luna. "May I remind everyone this is a bad idea?"

"May I remind you to shut the Hell up?" Nashi retorted as she smoothed her hands atop Luna's shoulder. "Stay here if you're so worried, Mother Hen. We have lives to save and no time for your negative attitude."

Gale curled around Luna's other side and made a show of wrapping an arm around her waist. Ruby and hickory clashed in annoyed passion. "Keep checkin' me, Dragneel," he rumbled. "She gets hurt, blood or not to her, you will pay for it." Breaking off his glare, he softened when he saw Luna studying Býleistr's key and could smell her shifting uncertainty. "Hey." He thumbed her waist and she peeked up at him with those big eyes he could get lost in. "No sweat. You've got this, Blondie."

Luna blew out a breath. "I've got this."

Nashi nodded. "All right. When I feel your Magic, I'm going to add in my own Magic, okay?"

"Okay." Luna closed her eyes. "I'm ready."

°•°•°•°

Chrome said, "Ready."

"Ready," Opera echoed.

Genius cracked his knuckles. "All right, guys. Showtime. T-minute ten…nine…"

Julia sucked in a breath and eagerly accepted Dash's comforting touch of pulling her into his body.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"…eight…seven…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Laxus and the Impundulu were chalked filled with electricity bubbling around them. The air vibrated as static streaked through the sky to dog-pile on the collection of electricity. Laxus' smirk was terrifying as the lightning streaked through his skin and scales emerged on his skin. The Impundulu cawed as the crack on its beak filled with static and its flexed talons were tickled with lightning.

Meanwhile, from above, John shouted: "Everyone, get near me!" As the team got close to John, he blew upon his ring and muttered a chant: "Spebya baamwrad az ih 'ealt nzrvkean mn nhaly kend…!" The ring took to the spell with ease as it expanded John's aura from the ring to protect everyone in a translucent bubble.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"…six…five…four…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna took another deep inhale through her nose and exhale through her mouth. Focus. Just need to focus. She gripped onto Býleistr's key and thumbed it. The thrum of Magic was there and the key was warm. Býleistr was still on Earth Land and still fighting by the likes of it.

Expand your sight on him, Icarus whispered. I will help you.

Luna could feel Icarus add his own mentality to her own. Býleistr's key ran a little hotter in her grip. He's fighting, but…he's getting weak. He's doing what he can to avoid what he can. He's…in pain. Something inside him is so sad. I can't see what it is, but…I can feel where he is. Her hands curled as she felt her own Magic Power gather into her chest before spreading out in her body. I can get us to him. I know I can!

Nashi could feel the rush of Luna's Magic like she was feeling a warm bath running right beside her. Deepening her grip on Luna, she warned her souls, I'm going to give her some of my power so she can recover faster.

Warning from Cael tried to halt her as Seraphim shouted, Little one, wait—!

But it was too late.

Nashi had meant to give Luna just a steady flow of her Magic. Instead—

Luna lurched as a choking gasp escaped her. Her eyes flew open, white as snow and glowing like a full moon.

—her powers exploded within Luna to the point where white glittered on Luna's skin and made it look like she was about to detonate.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"…three…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia could not stop it when her finger came up for her to chew on her nail.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"…two…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Laxus and the Impundulu let out a grand roar as the lightning compacted itself into them.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"…one."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Nashi gasped as her eyes flew open and she felt her own powers ignite. White began to fill her vision as she shouted: "Luna—!"

And they were gone.

Laxus and the Impundulu gave a final battle cry and a flash of lightning jolted from their bodies and in a never-ending wave.

Constantine, Genius, Chrome, and Opera hit their keys at the exact same time.

And the world began to change.

The blowback from such an EMP attack was significant. The communications towers were immediately filled to the brim with electricity and the dutiful workers trying to keep the remaining towers up and alive were forced to evacuate as electric fires sparked and the wires connecting the towers could not survive and began to crack and be burned through. Compacts in the middle of calls and texts and live streaming saw their screens glitch and lash out with their own static before they powered down, some even catching on fire or smoking and dying on the spot. Medical machinery went on the fritz before flatlining themselves. The jet boats and the militant Sky Boats were attacked by their own voltage and found themselves going down. The media coverage thousands to millions were watching had all blackened out to show PLEASE STAND-BY.

And just for those few seconds, the world was silent.

But just before this new reality could set in, an already panicking man found his burnt-out Compact showing its start-up icon. He waited with bated breath in hope as his Compact started, but it did not take him to a home screen. Instead, much to his confusion, he saw a…GPS route?

°•°•°•°

Julia squinted her eyes as she witnessed the newscasts that had just blackened out and had gone down were, instead, streaming a map instead with colored pins dropped down. "Um… Genius? What's going on?"

While the team worked with fast fingers, Genius explained: "Look, doing a virus is risky for emergency situations. Satellite images showed how bad the situation was."

"I ran simultaneous simulations," Constantine took over, "of how much worse it would be if we unleashed a virus that caused a blackout. Instead, we have channeled this blackout into something knowledgeable."

"Chrome and I managed to look through every satellite image of Bellum and cross-reference to military body cameras, live-streams, and any working traffic cameras to better understand routes that lead to the emergency evacuation centers, the old bomb shelters Bellum has in place, and any convenience stores intact that can give the citizens supplies," Opera reported.

Dash and Julia exchanged a look before Dash questioned in disbelief, "You had the time to do all of that?"

"Unlike you fighter-type Mages, we are the thinkers," Chrome said. "We have to think about the greater good rather than the proverbial thrill of a metaphorical kill. What you had asked us to do is to leave thousands of people stranded without medical help or evidence. Unlike you, we aren't heartless."

Julia had to hold a ticked Dash from rushing at Chrome. "You're walking on thin ice!" Dash hissed.

"But," Genius added with a grimace, "whatever EMP attack just happened on the country was a massive one. We set up our strong defensive measures against an EMP attack in case Bellum's government tries to do a reset, but this is taking everything in my power to try and diffuse the rest of the attack towards different severs that don't necessarily need Lacrinet like the rural areas of Bellum. Miles of com towers and wires with no use for them. Hundreds of people will be without their Coms for a good while, but we salvaged what we could."

Julia startled Dash when she beamed and jumped a little. "Oh, this is perfect!" Without even thinking about it, she got to her tiptoes to give Dash a heavy kiss before spiraling around to Genius. "Thanks for this, Genius! You've thought of everything."

"Well…" Genius had a Lacrima Screen pop up and he used his controller to zoom in and show a satellite image of a large translucent cube housing a mass of shadowy darkness and a winged man who was fighting for his life. "Not…'everything'…"

°•°•°•°

When Nashi landed on the ground, it was like she was being spat out and she hit the ground and was thrown a little way away. Dimming the pain of such a drop was the disorientation she felt. She blinked blearily to notice she was in the streets and her ears only heard a blank dial tone. Fur comforted her and she vaguely looked up to see a fluffed up and angry Býleistr holding up as he spat words and his eyes flicked around. But she barely registered that. Her eyes went this way and that until she could scarcely hear near-sobbing. Focusing on that noise, she had noticed Gale was on the ground with his movements a controlled panic, such a contradiction. Icarus had laid down and seemed to be licking something with a low flicking tail of worry.

Nashi felt drunk when she messily shoved Býleistr to take a step and then another. Býleistr kept her on her feet, but he let her get away with it to see what was pulling her.

And she soon found out.

There was Luna on the ground with her chest not moving and her eyes glowing a permanent white. Not a blemish on her, not an imperfection, not a trace of blood. She just lied there with no breath to be seen, no chest moving—nothing.

Nashi felt like the world just caught up to her in a crash as her eyes widened and she shouted: "Luna!" Frantic, she thrust herself out from Býleistr's hold to run over to her little sister. When she got close enough, she realized what Gale was doing. He was giving her CPR. Nashi slowed as her hand covered her open mouth. "No…" she whispered. "No, no, no, no…" She took a step closer—

—and that was when Icarus reacted.

The Clifford Spirit sprung from his position to place himself between Nashi and Luna. Teeth bared, eyes to slits, he growled at her in challenge. Nashi tried to get a peek of Luna and move past Icarus, but he stopped her at every turn with a louder growl and a show of teeth. Finally, she paid the Clifford Spirit mind as she begged, "Please, Icarus, let me see my sister."

Icarus thrusted his head in her direction and she sprung away when his horn nearly pierced her. Býleistr shoved her behind him to snarl back at Icarus with his own teeth to show. "She's innocent," Býleistr hissed. "She didn't know, Icarus. She didn't know. She's a kit."

Icarus barked thrice, then growled, then barked again. His eyes found Nashi and he snarled something in her direction before turning around. He kicked up dirt and debris onto them like they were nothing but scum before circling around Gale and Luna. Nashi tried to see with tears blurring her eyes as Gale whispered praises and encouragements as he checked for Luna's pulse. No tears showed on his face. No. This was not the time for him to cry. His tone was honeysuckle gentle even if his words were frantic. But no matter what he did, Luna laid there as still as a ghost with her glowing eyes and no movement to her person.

"Luna," Nashi breathed. She reached for her. "Luna, no…!" She could feel Býleistr had picked her up and was taking her away, but she could no hear herself scream and cry as she thrashed to get to her sister. Hot tears felt cold to her skin as her heart bled for her still sister. The support and sympathy her souls offered her were drowned by the negativity of guilt, horror, and the undying need to apologize and make the world right.

Býleistr hardened his eyes as he listened to his mistress' screams. I'm so sorry, Princess, he whispered. I should be the last person to be in the middle of sibling problems. But I can't let you be near her right now. He could feel her fingers try to rip at his fur, her feet kick him, but he only held onto her tighter.

It took a few more minutes until Býleistr could see a sobbing Nashi down. She sank to the ground with her head in her hands and despair reeking off her skin. "Luna…!" she hiccuped. "Oh my gods, Luna… Luna, please, no… Go-o-o-o-ods no…!"

Býleistr could not help it when he knelt down to hug her. "Shhh…" he hushed. "Princess, please don't cry."

"She's d-d-d-dead," Nashi moaned, "because of m…" She could not even get the words out. Like a snap, a psychotic determination filled her as she tried to fight her way out of Býleistr's grip. "But I can heal her! I can heal her!" Grunting when Býleistr held her down, rage was quick to replace the pain that had holed her heart. "Get off me! Get off me! I can save her—I can heal her! Get the fuck – off – me!"

Býleistr only battened down harder on her. "I can't do that, Princess."

"Let go of me, you stupid ass cat!" Nashi roared. "I can save her! I can do it! I'll save her! She'll be okay—!"

Býleistr closed his eyes. "Princess—"

"Please!" Nashi wriggled so Býleistr was forced to open his eyes and see the crazed look in hers. Swallowing, she whispered, "Please, Býleistr, it isn't too late. It isn't too late—NO!" She captured his muzzle when he shook his head. "No," she whispered in a calm ferocity. "It isn't over. I can help her. I can save her, Býleistr, I can get her out of this—"

"Can you?" Býleistr challenged quietly.

"Yes," Nashi fought back. "I can."

"How?"

Nashi blinked. "What?"

"How?" Býleistr pierced her with those strong orange eyes of his. "How are you going to save her, Princess? Do you even know what you did to put her in that state?" When Nashi made a noise like she was about to respond, Býleistr carried on: "You decided to try and be a damn fucking hero and do it all with powers you don't even understand. What part of 'you're overflowing with Angel blood' do you not understand?" Syllable by syllable, word by word, his voice dropped into a fiercer snarl. His pawed hands gripped her biceps even though they shook. "You filled your own sister with a power you don't even understand for your own selfish reasons. You poisoned her with purity."

Nashi refused to believe that as her eyes shifted and her mouth worked. "I can heal her—"

Býleistr let her go to pick up a piece of debris and throw it at a wall, not caring that Nashi trembled and flinched. "You can't—!" Balling his hands into fists, he hissed, "You can't heal something like this. You poisoned her with purity. You poisoned your own sister who is too young to leave the motherfucking den, Nashi! You poisoned someone who cared about you so much that they set aside their own issues for your selfish ones!" He pointed a finger at her. "Don't deny it! I'm your fucking Spirit! I can see your memories without that fucking Vow!"

Nashi shook her head. "No," she breathed. "I didn't poison her—"

"But you did!" Býleistr dropped down before Nashi and looked like he was trying to harness all the patience in the world. "You are trying to use a power you have no control over and every time you use it, someone gets hurt," he hissed. "You nearly killed Wolverine. You nearly killed me. You nearly killed yourself. And I thought you learned your lesson after how many times I told you—I told you—you weren't ready. That you didn't know what you were doing—that you were reckless. And your recklessness just fucking cost you your sister!"

A tear streaked down Nashi's pale face as she shook. A violent tremor overtook her body and she lurched forward to wrench. Coughing when she was done, more tears spilled from her cheeks until that coughing turned into a cry that turned into a sob. She sobbed over her nausea with the comfort she deserved—none. "I didn't mean to." Such small words. Quiet words. "She's my sister. I l-l-l-love her."

"No." Býleistr shook his head at that. "No, loving your siblings isn't killing them. It's killing for them. It's taking on something so dangerous that you would be hated for the rest of your life to make sure your family has a fighting chance in this world. Your 'love' for your sister is convenient."

Nashi shook her head as she choked. "No."

"You love her when it's convenient for you and it meets with your goals," Býleistr continued in disgust. "You used her. And all she wanted to do is protect you."

The guilt and shame were eating Nashi alive so much so, she could feel the panic welling up inside to stop her from breathing. "No," she countered. "I love her. I love my sister. I love Luna."

"Then, why are you here fine and dandy and your oh-so-loved sister is lying on the ground without a pulse to her name, huh?" Býleistr shouted at her. "Tell me that, Princess! Tell me why you sent your own sister on death row—!"

"I didn't mean to!" Nashi dry-heaved with nothing left in her stomach. "I did-didn't…! I didn't…!" She hacked and spat as her breaths labored. "Býleistr, please…" She looked up at him with such guilt swallowing her gaze. "Tell me what to do," she pleaded. "Tell me what I can do to make this okay, please! Please, Bý-Býleistr, please! She's my s-s-siste—" She broke into another cry.

Býleistr flattened his ears and scooped up the distraught Nashi. "Come, Princess," he murmured to her. "Let's get you somewhere safe." He took off in giant strides with a sobbing Nashi in his arms…

…and a periscope watching his every move.

°•°•°•°

John dismembered his glowing shield for the team to sink lower in the air to meet the statically-charge Laxus and Duchess. Atomic looked at the damage done and nodded her approval. "Excellent. Clear skies mean we can handle this better." She pointed at the falling city. "Until Dazzler gives us the all-clear, we need to do everything in our power to keep this city afloat. When she gives the all-clear, we're to lower this as gently as possible, understand?" When everyone nodded, Atomic shouted, "Move out!"

John allowed his Magic to consume his eyes as he took out his lighter and created a Magician Circle. "Accendes ni fiame diavlo…!" The flames rocketing the bottom of the city blew even hotter.

Hybrid, Cascade, Highlight, and Psyphon took the north, south, east, and west of the falling city. Highlight began to glow a rainbow as she and the others lifted their hands. Rings looking ultrasonic spiraled from their hands and hit the falling city. At first, it jarred the city, but one could see closely a telekinetic bubble was warping around to keep any more debris from falling. But that did not stop the scores of Dark Creatures from trying to get below for a pound of flesh. Without hesitation, Atomic led the revolt as she fired machine-gun Masahiko at the Dark Creatures while Laxus hurled lightning, Ghost spirited as many as he could away, and the gargoyles plucked off the rest.

As Laxus fired his Magic, he thought, C'mon, kid. Where are you?

°•°•°•°

Dazzler thrust forward with her hat. "Sworra gnimalf…!" Scores of arrows set ablaze pumped out from the recesses of her hat.

Mammon did not even care to bat them away. His main focus was on Talia who showed no emotion as she used her glitter to hold back Mammon's ax. In the midst of forcing her down atop a rooftop and her beginning to break through it, he plucked out an arrow that had lodged into his shoulder. "Talia, I suggest you manage your human pet. She is harmless, but she is a nuisance."

Talia slashed her hands to push Mammon away before pulling out what seems to be a large broadsword. Rather than touch it, she used her glitter to wield it. "Dispose of her and I will dispose of you." She hurled the sword.

Mammon held his ax against the sword. "She is useless to us, My Lady. Kindly leash your pet before"—he plucked out a playing card from his back—"I leash her."

"I'm right here!" Dazzler called, exasperated.

Talia did not even flinch as Mammon pushed back. "And you are not needed."

Dazzler growled, "Then why am I here?"

Talia and Mammon jumped away from each other as Talia murmured, "To get you out of the way."

That had Dazzler chill. "Wait… What do you mean by that?"

Talia thrust her arms forward and turned her hands so shards of light and darkness whipped out to attack Mammon. "In order to keep Nashi Dragneel safe, Býleistr, the Devil-lover, and myself took necessary action. She nor her family cannot be imprisoned."

Dazzler felt her heart leap into her throat. No… She couldn't mean…

"Dazzler."

Blank turquoise and heightened silver clashed.

Talia's lips moved. "This was the only way."

Dazzler blinked. Her head slowly shook. But her eyes began to harden. "No," she snarled. "This isn't the only way!" In a fury of Magic, silver sealed over her being and she rocketed away.

The second Dazzler was out of sight, Talia dropped her attack and became defenseless. "All right. The mortal is gone. I am here to bargain with you, Daemon."

Mammon cocked his head and lowered his ax. "Your grandfather wishes to meet you, Talia. There is nothing more to bargain for."

"Oh, there is much." Talia sped over to him and showed no fear as she looked up at his massive figure. "Your freedom."

°•°•°•°

Gale showed no sign of stress or fear as he half-held Luna in his arms while Icarus paced, agitated. "She's breathing," he murmured. "She has a pulse, Icarus. It's just weak."

Her life scent is weak, Icarus snarled to him. She is dying. She has an Angel's Blessing eating at her existence. He dipped down to lap at Luna's forehead and nudge her, but she did not move. Not even a pup as strong as she can survive. He looked down to see his paws becoming translucent. And I can't stay here to protect her with her in this state. I'll fade back into the Star Realm.

Gale studied Luna's blank face, the glowing white covering her eyes. "C'mon, Blondie," he whispered. "You've gotta wake up." He gently took her limp hand into his own and brought it up to kiss her palm and then her guild mark. "We need you. Icarus needs you." He hesitated. "I need you, Blondie. I'm…sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it. I don't hate you. I don't want you to go away. I just—… I…" Their foreheads touched as Gale breathed his next words just for her. "I—"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The focus popped open out from the darkness and into the light. Not exactly the light, but something very close to it. A Universe had been birthed around them with spider-like strings all intertwined and tangled. Some were more connected than others to make a messy yarn ball while others had maybe two or three strands together. The strings were essentially color-coordinated. Some were pure red while others came in oranges and blues. But she saw dead strings of black that were frayed and ugly and some that were a dulling gray. Every second, it seemed, another string somewhere frayed and snapped, departing from this Universe.

"I see you have made a return."

The focus turned to see the same red-eyed barefooted woman with a lily gracing her head and a cherry-blossom qipao, but she was not alone this time. Another woman had joined her with violet hair and violet eyes to go with it. She could not show her face for a scarf had covered from her nose down, but the odd tattoos covering this woman were something to be studied. She, too, was barefoot.

Luna struggled to say her words. "Who…you?"

"She speaks," the violet-haired woman muttered, raising an eyebrow. "You told me she was an Observer. She is not a Time Child. She should not be able to talk."

The red-eyed woman beamed. "I kept telling you she's different from other Children. Even Their Children. You saw her time stream. She's absorbing a Blessing without turning into an Agent. She absorbed Time and Space." She stepped closer to the focus with the Universe rippling like a disturbed bond. "She's more powerful than her other versions."

The violet-haired woman sighed as she took approached the focus. "State your name, Child."

"Lu…na," came ragged breath, "Drag…neel…"

The violet-haired woman inclined her chin. "My daughter, you will go through great pain and sacrifice, but…we have seen great victory and love in your life."

"Enough of that," the red-eyed woman dismissed as she danced on her feet, eager. "We have to show her the vision so she can wake up."

The violet-haired woman clicked her tongue. "She's not even a Child in your cosmos. Why are you interfering, Mei?"

Mei pouted. "It's not like much happens in my cosmos anyways, Li," she noted. "Besides, she's an interesting Child. Syra said so."

"S-S-Sy…ra…" Luna rasped. "Where…?"

"There is no time for this chatter," Li cut in harshly. "I have other matters to attend to." Looking directly into the focus, Li reached out to grab Luna's guild mark covered hand. "Come, Child. Observe." She brought Luna down and the focus was drifting past the cobwebs of space and time with Mei next to her who gave the focus a wink. Li had them slow at a particular bundle of strings. She reached forth to take two blue strings that were broken off from their parent's white string. "Now watch and learn."

The band of strings were plucked.

And the scene shifted.

It was like they were in the midst of a 3D movie. The first half of the movie seemed to start after the familiar scene Luna had seen before. Býleistr was in his Lion Form as he bounded away with a tear-stricken Nashi on her back. They disappeared into Býleistr's portal with a flash. That left Skade on his own in his demented and bloodied state to face against the military vying for his blood. It was easy to see he was running himself ragged with frost puffing from his mouth in a sputter. He used ice to shield himself from bullets, but he was not prepared for a rocket launcher that charred a fourth of his body as he slammed deep into a cement wall. The military swarmed in and it was clear Skade stood no chance—

In a flash of white, Luna appeared with her glowing white eyes with Gale and Icarus at the ready.

The focus widened. 'Is that…me?'

"It is," Li told. "Watch…"

Gale and Icarus took pointe of attack with Gale unleashing a powerful Dragon Roar while Icarus went for the legs of those too close. Luna swooped towards Skade for her palms to glow white as she touched him. The scenes kept getting faster and faster. And kept getting worse and worse.

The falling city crashed to the ground and wreaked such destruction unknown to man. Not only were lives taken, but the impact caused a seismic disturbance and the earth was ripped open. Dark Creatures invaded the streets as they raided for mortal flesh to kill, to eat, and to even assault. A swarm of black shadows piled themselves together to bring back the head of the monster that had plagued Luna's visions as he cackled and decreed his vileness. From his clutches, he held the turquoise-eyed man Luna had seen, his head severed from his body, his wings plucked, and his crotch gauged out—

The second half of the movie started. Again, Nashi was sobbing as Býleistr bounded them through his portal to cross to another side. Skade was alone as he fought back, but this time, it was more half-hearted with his shields with his blood loss too great and his powers too weak. The military closed in on him as his beastly instincts took over, leaving him a frothing and hissing animal as he dropped on all fours, tail sweeping around him and wings shielding himself. There was no one to save him. Not this time.

No, the scene shifted to miles away from the fray. Luna looked a mess as she knelt in tall grass with dirt on her clothes and her hair a frazzled mess. It blew in this wind as tears coated her face and disbelief splattered her face. For in her lap, Gale rested, his body crumbled with tears in his clothes and fresh wounds marring his body.

'No…' Luna whispered in horror. 'Gale…'

The focus watched as this Luna dipped down to hug Gale and murmur something. She nuzzled his temple and placed a kiss on it before she slowly let him go to lay on the ground. All signs of hopelessness and stress were lost on her face as her hands balled into fists. Her guild mark had a white glow breathe life onto it as her body vibrated in her aura. A circle blossomed beneath Luna and glowed upon her chest, but it looked different than the average Magic Circle. Something about it was…familiar.

Winds whipped around Luna with a vengeance as it carried her off the ground. The storm that brewed was in full force. For before Luna as a mass of darkness of the monster she had dreaded, the Demon she had dreamed about. It glared at her with golden eyes, but even it could not hold back from its own fascination with her.

This Luna gathered her power into her hands and lifted it towards the monster. Her eyes snapped open, glowing her ethereal white, and her palms burst with white that took over the entire scene. But the scene zoomed out to show that white was not just consuming all that was before this Luna of the monster. It was consuming Gale. It was consuming the man with turquoise eyes. It was consuming a dark-haired beauty and her gold eyes. It was consuming the farms until it reaches the destroyed cities. It consumed the falling city. It consumed…everything.

And then…

…there was nothing.

The focus was throttled out of the vision and back into the cobwebs matted into a universe. Li and Mei stood before the focus as Luna panted and gasped. "What…that?" she strained to question.

"That," Mei told her, "was what you mortals call 'destiny'."

Li added, "Yes. Even as Time Oracles, we cannot see the outcome of a battle. When we exchanged our mortality for this power, we agreed we would watch over the time and space continuum as its guardians and offer guidance when needed. But we are not Fate's Children." She caressed the focus. "Go now, Child. Your Choice is calling to you."

And just like that, everything went dark.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"—love y—"

Luna jerked in Gale's hold as her eyes lost their white glow and she gasped for air.

Gale spasmed in completed shock and nearly dropped her as Luna curled into him. "Blondie!" He hugged her as she coughed and spluttered. "Oh, god, Blondie, you're okay!" He cradled her jaw as she turned her to face him.

Luna smiled weakly at him as she coughed again. "Miss me, jerk?" she teased in a rasp.

Gale nuzzled her into his cheek. "Shut up, you stupid blonde," he laughed. Pulling back, chocolate and ruby met warmly. "You're always getting into trouble, y'know? I'm having you pay for my blood pressure medication after all this stress."

Luna frowned and her gaze broke away. "Gale, I'm… I'm sorry for the way I treated you. It wasn't right."

Gale softened and nudged her eyes back to his own. "We're both pretty hot-heated, huh?" Sighing through his nose, he rested his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry too," he breathed. "But I like it when we kiss and make up. Sorta our thing."

Luna felt her cheeks warm a little. "We should probably break the habit." Now her cheeks were inflamed when she felt Gale's thumb rub against her bottom lip. This time when chocolate and ruby met, a heat was backing them both.

"Nah," Gale breathed as he leaned in closer. "I kinda…like it…" Just five centimeters kept them apart. Now four…three…tw—

Pup!

A fluffy tail smacked into Gale's face comically like an uppercut that had him wheezing and spluttering out fur while Luna giggled as Icarus attacked her in sniffs and licks and whines. "Icarus!" she called. "You're smushing me with love right now!"

You will get your scolding later, Icarus promised. Let me be relieved you are awake and well. I am sorry I have failed you—

None of that, Luna shushed. I'm sorry I worried you.

"Hey!" Gale complained. "Not all of us are telepathic all the fricken time, y'know?"

Icarus backed up to let Luna stretch within Gale's hold. Luna finally got the chance to look around and nothing looked even remotely familiar to her. "So, um…where are we? And where's Nashi?" She saw both Icarus and Gale look away and worry filled her. "What? What's going on?" More desperately, she pressed, "Where is my sister?"

Gale haltingly answered, "Nashi, she… Look, Blondie, we didn't mean to…"

But as Gale rambled away, Luna's eyes shifted back and forth as something tickled the back of her mind. The visions she was sent overlapped. She saw the destruction. She witnessed a woman being dragged away kicking and screaming as a Dark Creature stole her from the ruins. She saw the turquoise-eyed man with his staff, but something about him had changed. Six-wings carried him with his tips dipped in blue and magenta. Feminine energy surrounded him in the most beautiful way and his staff was set ablaze in fire. But he was caught off-guard as dark shadows whipped around him and managed to snag a wing. She witnessed Skade on the ground with a collar shackled to his throat and shocking him. She witnessed—

Luna bent forward, clutching her head. "I think I understand now," she grunted.

Gale and Icarus looked at her in confusion.

Luna explained, "I was sent a vision, I think. But there were two outcomes. One where we won and one where we lost." She rubbed her head when she winced. "I keep getting visions, but… I think I get what they were trying to tell me." Peeking between the Earth Dragon Slayer and the Canis Minor Spirit, she told them both, "Nashi's going to hate me…but I think Skade and Býleistr… Somehow, they knew what was going to happen."

"Blondie, you ain't makin' a whole lot of sense," Gale deadpanned. "I get I'm the geeky one, but can you, like, speak Minstrish any time soon?"

Luna surprised them with a grin. "I will. But first, we need to get somewhere safe and find some food. I've got a plan."

°•°•°•°

Dazzler zipped through the streets with anger in her chest. No. They wouldn't do that. Gary's Devil wouldn't… I don't believe it. She turned down a street and a streak of fur passed her. Yanking herself to a stop, she went back to the ground to see Býleistr was sprinting away. "Hey, kitty-cat!" she shouted.

Býleistr's ears twitched as he skidded to a stop. Jaw ticked, he turned around. "'Kitty-cat'?" He blinked when he realized it was Dazzler. "Oh. It's you. Uh…" He cocked his head. "What's your name again?"

Dazzler shot him an exasperated look as she ran over to him. "Dazzler, you ass." She looked at the pain-stricken Nashi. "Hey, girl, take to me. What's going on?"

"My fault," Nashi whispered. "It's all my fault…"

Dazzler looked up at Býleistr who huffed. "Long story short, our plan to keep the princess safe from danger backfired and her little sister is paying the price for it," he explained. "So I'm trying to get her out of this trashed city before another city crushes it." He looked her up and down. "And where were you going in such a hurry?"

That was when Dazzler hardened and she punched Býleistr's shoulder (he did not flinch). "You assholes need to stop coming up with sick plans of 'keeping her safe'!" she snapped. "What exactly were you and Skade planning? What, for him and you to be bait? Lead the military away? You thought that was smart? What if you got captured?"

Býleistr growled and looked away. "It doesn't matter what happens to us. We keep the princess safe at all costs. Captured or not." His eyes zoned on the finger Dazzler put on his nose.

"Wrong answer, genius," Dazzler snarled. "Gary is any scientist's one-way ticket to instant fame. Military captures him? It's over for him and her Devil. Game – over. We need to do everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen." Guilt washed over her as she recoiled her hand. "I should've been a better friend to Gary…to Skade," she admitted. "I know it hasn't been easy for them. Julia made that clear to me. She'd do anything for her brothers." Silver flamed with determination. "Gary's family to me. And I'll do—" Her eyes bugged when she saw Býleistr was a distance away. "Hey!"

Býleistr droned, "Sorry, Magician, but I don't have time for your petty little hero monologue, okay?"

Dazzler caught up to him and glowered. "My name is 'Dazzler'."

"I don't care." Býleistr sniffed around. "I've got to put her somewhere safe before I can stick with the plan." Looking down at Dazzler, he remembered something. "You're the one who can conjure freaky doors. Well, summon one I can stash her in."

Dazzler crossed her arms. "I'm not made of power, you know." Faltering in her annoyance, she confessed in all honesty, "Summoning doors like that saps a lot of power out of me. I'm still recovering from all the Magic I threw at Mammon."

"You're useless." Býleistr kept walking. "Great."

Dazzler was quick to retort, "Well, I don't see you coming up with any plans, you overgrown—"

"Put me down."

Dazzler and Býleistr were both surprised when Nashi fell from Býleistr's arms. She picked herself up and within moments, Magic clung to her and broke off. Her Divine Soul Armor clothed her as she looked into the distance. Pulling down her arms, Urim and Thurimm came to her, but both swords had broadened a bit and grown longer. It looked like, internally, they were harboring Holy Fire.

"I didn't come all this way just bow out when it got tough," Nashi regarded in a tight voice. "Skade and Gary are hurt. They're in danger."

Býleistr growled. "And so will you be if you go running off! Dammit, Princess, if you get captured with who and what you are, that's it! I can't—! We can't afford to lose you!"

Nashi gritted her teeth as she whipped around to look at the Leo Minor Spirit. "And I can't afford to lose them!" she retorted. "I'm going to fight for them. I'm going to make sure they come home so I can look Julia in the eye and tell her I kept my word to protect them from those people who captured him. I'm going to get my sister home. And I will do that with or without you."

"Princess, don't—!" Býleistr smothered his shout into a groan when Nashi bounded away to float on air. "Oh my moon, this kid…!" Throwing himself on all fours, he descended into his Lion Form and took off after her.

Dazzler snapped out of her reverie to try and race after them. "Wait! What about—?"

"Forget about us, Magician!" Býleistr caterwauled. "Do something useful and help the eyes in the sky! Make sure the city is clear! I'll handle her and the Wolverine!"

Dazzler slowed down to a stop. "Dammit all," she sneered. "Not like you leave me much of a choice." Her eyes alit silver as she threw down her hand and her magical aura covered her. Bunching her muscles, she leaped through the air. Stupid cat, you better know what you're doing. I'm not letting Gary get imprisoned. Something flashed in her eyes. Not even if he's doing it to save her.

°•°•°•°

"Eee-yah…!" Kyler pushed back against the shadowy souls plunging towards him and eager to gauge out his soul. Swirling the staff, a field of turquoise appeared to kill and repel the lost souls. A flinch hurt his body when a few of the souls got passed his barricade to clamp down on his shoulder and leg. Flying backward, he felt his power churn through his body. But this time, something was different. He glanced to see his Blessing eating at the accursed wound, but…

Something's not right, Kyler thought. My wounds… They aren't healing faster. He thanked his reflexes for his wings to fold in on his curled body and cross shields appeared to bat away the chains whipped out for him. He winced and peeked to see the chains had successfully chipped away at his defenses. My powers aren't as strong against him. That shouldn't be possible… But that was when a thought crossed his mind. But light against dark doesn't matter if I'm exhausted. A grunt passed through him and he could feel himself being pushed back as Bael attacked him from all fronts. The adrenaline has kept me alive, but my powers are running thinner and thinner keeping a Demon of his status contained and fighting him every second.

Kyler curled more in on himself and his shields expanded until a Holy Bubble covered him. I need a better strategy. It doesn't matter the power I have. I'm just a hybrid. He's a high-ranking Demon. He knows I have the strength, but my power reserves are candles to his hellfire. I need a better strategy. He looked at the staff he clung to like it was his lifeline. I need a miracle.

---

Mary Jane giggled as she watched the show on Igneel's PAL with her head on his chest. "Oh my gosh, how can she not see every character is in love with her?"

Igneel snorted a laugh as he paused the show before the ending theme came on. "Tell me about it. And we're only on the third episode." He glanced down at her. "So?"

"The three-episode-rule-jury is in approval for this one," Mary Jane deemed. "Can you add this to my list?"

Igneel swiped his hand for his notes page to come up. "Sure," he agreed, typing, "but are you sure you don't want to finish the series? It's only on the seventh episode anyways."

"Mmm-mmm." Mary Jane peered up at him. "I can finish them later when I'm in my room after my parents ground me." She made a face. "I just hope they don't stop me from seeing Ronnie."

Igneel took a pause. "You're going to see Ronnie on the isles? Really? Why?"

"It's been a while since I've seen her, remember?" Mary Jane stretched as she sat up. "And I've changed a lot. I want her to see the new me, you know? And, hopefully, she can give me advice on how to navigate Daddy being a total helicopter parent."

"He's just trying to protect you," Igneel put in softly. "Just like my parents are trying to protect Lu."

Mary Jane frowned. "That's not fair. There's a legitimate reason she needs to be protected. She attracts danger everywhere. Even I'm overprotective of her." She flicked her hair. "Daddy just doesn't want to see me happy with a boy. Totally different."

"Well…"

Mary Jane looked back at Igneel who had a pseudo-thoughtful look as he stroked his chin. "What?" She fully faced him, intrigued. "Is there tea?" When Igneel grinned, she squealed and lightly swatted at his chest. "Spill it, you moron. What's the tea?"

"Let's just say Pops is about to have a field day when he realizes his little baby girl is dating," Igneel drawled.

Mary Jane's eyes comically widened. "She hasn't told your guys' dad yet? What about your mom?"

Igneel shrugged and sulked a bit. "Not too sure, but either way, she shouldn't be dating at all. She's too young to be mixed up with shit head guys anyways." He let out a breath. "But this guy can't be worse than stupid Redfox."

"So much drama," Mary Jane teased. "Poor Gale. It's kinda nice to see him lose his s-word, you know?"

"'S-word'?" Igneel had to laugh at that. "Since when does Miss Badass not swear?"

Mary Jane blushed and tempered, "Well, I mean, I've come to realize my language wasn't full of the nicest of words…"

Igneel guffawed and nudged her. "Don't go all virgin on me now, MJ. I liked that sassy mouth. You had no trouble putting anyone in their place with it."

Mary Jane pulled away from him and a sad look overcame her. "I'm not her anymore," she murmured. "I'm sorry, but I can't be."

Igneel blinked, put-off at that reaction. "Hey, whoa, I didn't mean to make you upset by that…" He studied her closer when she looked away. "MJ, really… Hey, I'm sorry if I hit a sore spot."

She sniffed but not unkindly. "You didn't. I'm just being overly-sensitive."

"Don't say that." He slipped his hand onto her cheek and turned her to face him. "Yo, MJ, what's wrong? Why such a sad face?"

"W-W-W-Well…" Mary Jane let it out in one breath: "Everyone keeps commenting on how I used to be this or that, but don't they see I was so cruel an-an-and mean and selfish? I don't want to be like that. I never want to be like that again. I want to be nice and kind, but everyone's always going to see me as that…that…bitch." She spat the word like it was acid.

"Mary Jane," Igneel snapped, "never, ever call yourself that again, you hear me? You might have been harsh, but I never want to hear you call yourself a bitch again."

Her bottom lip trembled. "B-But—"

"You're trying to erase a part of you that's always going to be there and I hate that you feel like you have to do that to move on," Igneel cursed. "Erasing your past isn't going to help you move forward. Owning up to it, accepting it, and learning from it does."

"Igneel, you don't have to say that to me to help me feel better in my own pity party," Mary Jane muttered. "You've always been nice."

Igneel barked a snarky laugh. "Me? 'Nice'? Ha! MJ, I was a total little shit when I was younger!"

Mary Jane narrowed her eyes.

"I was!" Igneel swore up and down. "Are you seriously trying to overlook all times I broke into your room and you call the guard on me?"

Mary Jane colored at that. "O-Oh, uh, w-w-well… I hadn't necessarily thought about those times which I definitely should have. Oh, god, Igneel, I am so sorry—"

"Don't apologize," Igneel cut in, "because those were nothing. The guard didn't care about that. No, when I was younger, I had misdemeanors like you wouldn't believe and a committed felony. A felony, MJ."

Mary Jane still looked uncertain of that. "But you're so…so…"—she searched for the word—"friendly."

"Yeah, now." He shook his head. "Gods, back then, I was such an asshole. Assault and battery, arson, theft—"

Mary Jane slowly moved away from him with her eyes widening as he listed his charges. "Oh my god, you're an actual criminal?"

"Yeah." Igneel winced. "And, well, no. I never got, like, convicted or anything. I mean I was really close once and my parents talked about sending me away to my Granny Ana's place for good or even military school or else I would've been forced to appear in court before a jury and probably would have been sent to prison—No, MJ, stop it, wait!" He saw the look in her eyes of slight fear and gripped her hands. "I didn't kill anyone or anything like that," he smoothed over. "I was just a hotheaded kid is all."

"Are you sure?" Mary Jane had to know. "That all sounds really serious, Igneel." He made a move to soothe her once again, but he held his tongue when she took a deep breath. "But the old me would have believed you're a criminal. But I know you. And you don't deserve to be judged like that."

Igneel smiled in relief. "Thanks, MJ. That's really awesome of you."

"Criminal or not, you are my friend," Mary Jane emphasized. But still… Clearing her throat, she questioned, "But just for the record and everything… How did you go from criminal to…well, you?"

Igneel thumbed the back of Mary Jane's hands and his eyes followed the motion. "It wasn't easy," he admitted with a grimace. "My track record was against me in a lot of ways. Even if my criminal record is scrubbed to nonexistence, that doesn't mean people exactly forgot all the terrible things I did. And trust me when I say I had a reputation that followed me around."

"Relatable," Mary Jane muttered. "Preach."

Igneel nodded. "But—and not to sound too cringey—I changed for the right person."

"For that girl." Mary Jane tipped her head when Igneel nodded again and hummed. "She really had that much influence on you?"

"She still does," Igneel let slip quietly. "It was either I had to clean up my act and get my shit together or she would be left alone without me to protect her and be her friend. I couldn't just let her go like that. I couldn't let my own evil take me away from her."

Mary Jane tried not to feel pity, but it was so hard. "You're not evil, Igneel."

"Not anymore, but let me finish, MJ, please," Igneel said the second Mary Jane tried to contradict him. At her closed mouth, he heaved a breath. "So I got off my high horse and did what needed to be done. I worked my ass off to pay back all the damages I built up over the years and tried hard to clear my name. I started getting back into my Magic studies and focusing on technique instead of just pure aggression. And, in-between, I'd visit her."

"Was she proud of you?"

Igneel smiled to himself like he was reveling in a joke. "Well, when I first told her what was happening, she gave me the lecture of a lifetime. I'd never seen her so fierce. It's cute to me now, but I was scared back then she wouldn't want to be friends with me. But when I told her that, she got all surprised and started crying."

Mary Jane blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"

Igneel's smile widened. "It was so cute too. She cried because she said she didn't want to be mean to me like that, but she was so worried about me going away to jail that she had to put her foot down or something like that. I might've cried too that night, thinkin' about how I might've never seen her again."

"Aw…" Mary Jane mocked-pouted at him. "So adowable…!"

"No one asked you," Igneel playfully bit. "Anyways, she helped me get on track. She made it her mission for everyone to see me like the hero she thought I was by helping me learn manners and stuff. You will not believe the amount of fake tea parties and scenarios that girl put me through. It was torture."

"Cute torture," Mary Jane laughed. "And we both know you probably were on cloud nine hanging out with her and her paying special attention to you. See?" She prodded his cheek when a flick of pink flames dusted the tips of his hair and his cheeks colored. "Iggy and his cru-ush sittin'; in a tree; k-i-s-s-i-n-g; first comes—"

"You better be careful or I'm spoiling Teen Justice Black: Revelations and who dies and I mean it, young lady," Igneel threatened. When he saw Mary Jane clamp her mouth shut, he snickered. "But… Okay, yeah, fine, being with her was the highlight of my day back in the day. But with time and effort, I got back on track. 'Course, I had some relapses. But my ma told me during those times, it's okay to have those moments just like it's okay to remember I wasn't always the good guy. But I'm learning to be. Without that history, who knows what I'd be now, you know?"

"I see," Mary Jane murmured. "So…it's okay I used to be the queen of mean?"

Both she and Igneel shared a smile and a little laugh together as Igneel shook their intertwined hands. "It is, okay? Just like me being an old baddie is fine too. And even when I was a little evil, I wasn't always evil. I did some good things and had some good moments. And even if you were a little harsh"—Mary Jane snorted—"you stuck to your guns on everything and you told it like it is. It didn't matter if you came off unapproachable. You were fierce and protective and strong. That shouldn't change. But instead of being fierce and protective and strong with an attitude, just be all those things with kindness."

Mary Jane nodded. "So I should still be honest and tell it like it is?"

"Absolutely."

Hesitation. "Okay. Well, can I be honest right now?"

"Go for it."

Mary Jane waited for a few beats. "I think you're hiding something from me."

Igneel stilled. "What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

"It just…" Mary Jane shook her head and hair fell to cover her red eye. "It just seems like you're holding back or hiding something. Like everyone is hiding something from me. Like there's this big secret and they're just observing me like they want me to figure it out for myself. Does that make sense?"

Igneel tucked back her hair so he could see both her eyes. "It…does."

Mary Jane did not believe that. "I'm acting psycho, aren't I?"

"You aren't."

"Then… Will you tell me what's going on?"

Igneel shied his eyes from hers. "I can't."

Mary Jane looked at him for another moment before closing her eyes. "Okay." Opening them, she reached out to tap Igneel chin. When onyx met scarlet-cerulean, she smiled at him. "I won't press you for me. I want us to do a lot of stuff that makes us smile, not bring us down." Her eyes gleamed as an idea came to her. "Oh, hey! How about we catch up on Innocent Assassin? And then I want to show you the Attempt Gents do one of their recipe challenges I thought was hilarious!"

Igneel beamed. "Sure! Sounds awesome!"

And that was that.

Igneel went over to get his PAL and booted it up before coming over to lay on the hospital bed. Mary Jane fit against his chest and seemed so excited about the psychological crime drama that she did not notice Igneel kept glancing down at her. He did not know what, but something compelled him to say it. "MJ… You know I love you, right?"

Mary Jane looked up at him. "Well, duh, I love you too, Igneel. We're family." She nudged him. "C'mon. I'm dying to know what happened to Lauren's baby." She turned back to the screen.

Igneel swallowed. "Right," he breathed. "Family." He turned his attention back to the screen and pulled up Webflix as something lodged in his throat. As he got to the show and started from the episode they left off on, his eyes flickered to his backpack. Please still love me even after I do this.

°•°•°•°

Dash and Julia turned to face Genius as they stood on his porch. Julia swallowed and said, "Genius, thank you."

Genius held up a hand. "Pause it right there, Lady J. Thanks isn't necessary. If you guys hadn't come tonight, I still would have taken care of it." His head bowed down before he looked up. Words came out of him so uncharacteristically rough. "Gary's been through enough without needing the media on him." He rubbed his jaw and, for the first time, Julia saw Genius' age. She saw the stubble that had grown from missing a few days' shaves. She saw the exhaustion without needing to see his eyes. "We'll do our best with what we can. I promise that. But if he's caught by the military—"

"What you're doing is more than enough, man," Dash put in. "He gets caught by the military; we'll handle it." He took Julia's hands and gave her a certain nod when she stared at him dubiously. "We'll handle it," he reinforced to her in a murmur. To Genius, Dash said, "We'll talk to you later. I know you said no 'thanks' is necessary but look in your inventory in around an hour."

Genius huffed. "Dude—"

"Dude," Dash emphasized. "Family or not, I repay when a favor is done."

Genius sighed and shooed them. "Just get off my property, you meddling kids."

Dash grinned and Julia muttered another farewell as they stepped off the porch and headed straight for Dash's motorcycle. As Dash mounted and gave Julia her helmet, she remarked, "Dash, when you said 'we'll handle it', I don't want you to—"

"Peaches, hey," Dash shushed. "It's fine."

Julia scowled. "It's not 'fine'. This isn't your battle."

"You're right. It's yours." Dash took his now gloved hands and covered her own. "Which makes it mine. Gary is family," he added in a stress when Julia shifted her weight and sighed. "I might come from a broken home, but when I have family, I treasure what I can. He's got money. The dude's smart. We both know it. But I have connections."

Julia rolled her head. "You mean blackmail?"

"I mean connections," Dash said sternly. "Trust me, Peaches. He gets arrested? We'll handle it." When Julia gave a nod, Dash motioned. "Now get on. We have a stop before we head back to your own place." Opening his jacket, he took out his Compact.

Julia mounted the bike and grabbed on to him. "Oh, yeah? Where are we doing?"

Dash gave down at the message on his Compact and he expanded it.

⌜MESSAGES

JAX

Watched the news. RIS might have worked in his favor. They're using the bio mother for the CR.⌟

"Dash?" Julia called. "You okay?"

Dash put away his Compact. "Yeah, Peaches. Just fine. The stop is quick, I promise. We need to stop by Thirteen's place."

"'Thirteen'?" Julia echoed. "Why?"

Dash revved his motorcycle. "You have your favors." He flipped down his visor. "I have mine." And he pushed them off and into full throttle.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Back at the Dragneel residence…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Lucy had sat forward with her legs crossed, her chin resting in a hand. Mirella sat on the edge of the bed with her hair tied back in a ponytail and Muta had taken a Cat Form to be at her side. Loke and Capricorn had joined this conversation as they stood in the room, but it was clear everyone was reeling from this information.

Lucy spoke first. "What you're asking for… This is something I have to run by my Guild Master—"

"Who will deny my claims," Mirella completed for her, matter of fact. "I understand your children are half-Demons, same as I, but Lucy, this goes beyond the comprehension of your Guild Master. You and I both know she can't be connected to my case whatsoever. While your Magic Council is considered independent and liberal at best, but the Grand House is mainly conservative and I know for a fact it is those very same Magic-users outing masters who have taken liberations through their ruling."

Loke narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you didn't know much about this realm?"

"It's laws," Mirella corrected as she stared Loke straight in the eye. "Magic criminal law, to be precise. But I've visited this realm more than once. It was my job to know the inside and outside of power dynamics of each and every world I visited to ensure a successful mission." Turning back to Lucy, she went on: "Your master can't be involved. And I know blindsiding your leader is frowned upon and unethical, but if she is kept in the dark about this long enough, she can sustain plausible deniability when the press swarms down and she is asked the hard questions."

Lucy sat back and let her forehead rested on her fist. Sighing from her nose, she decided to cross her arms. "And you think all parties will agree with this?"

"If I know anything in regard to that bastard, it's that he already knows this is the only way," Mirella explained. "She'll see that too."

"And if she doesn't?" Loke questioned. "What if everything you're saying is just a device to move your father's plot along?"

Lucy looked at the Lion Spirit sharply. "Loke—"

"No," Mirella stopped her. "Let him spit it out."

Loke sneered. "It doesn't matter you came here to defend our princess. What does matter is that you know a lot about us and you have the motive to turn all of us in to your father. You have probable cause to lie to us and bait us. You have all the reason in the world to want him under your jurisdiction and turn him into a bloodthirsty hound. So give me one reason to trust you aren't here to use us to further along your own agenda."

Mirella lifted her chin. "I am furthering my own agenda," she said flatly, "but not at the behest of my friendly neighborhood father. My agenda is this: I want a nice ranch in the country to raise my centuries-old daughter alongside my angelic hybrid baby daddy and to live in peace while Bael is six feet under me and his master plan is all but naught. Nothing more and nothing less." She got up. "But to do that, kitty-cat, I need help to make sure this next generation stays outside the clutches of all the little minions you don't know about and won't need to know about."

"Well, we do need to know about them," Loke persisted. "How can we fight a threat we know nothing about?"

"Not my problem," Mirella dismissed. "I'm only here to make sure this family is kept safe from Bael and my darling family and all the little family friends we have. If there's an imminent threat to King Natsu and his own horde, then I'll let you know. But for now?" She leaned forward. "You need to trust me."

Loke snarled and paced and to anyone, they could see the agitated lion. Lucy watched him. "Loke," she murmured, "she's protecting the family. She's here to help. She'll keep them safe. That's what we need."

"But what about the rest of the world?" Loke challenged. "What, we're supposed to let the rest of the world go on?"

Mirella raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You know, for something not from this world, you sure have a lot of concern for it."

Loke started for her, but Capricorn stopped him. Lucy shot Loke a look to be still before turning to Mirella. "And you're sure this will work? Have you thought about contingencies? An identity? The language barrier? Mirella, if you do this, you're not just going against Belluml, but you're going to have to fight your way through the Magic Council court. And even if the council approves, then you're in the Fioren court."

"This will work," Mirella soothed with nothing but honesty in her voice. "But only if you trust me. I just need your trust, Lucy. No one else but you matters to me."

Lucy took a heavy exhale. Firm chocolate clashed with earnest gold. "I trust you," she whispered, "but if you betray us, I can't hold Natsu back. He's already going to be upset with me for doing this without him here."

"He'll get over it," Mirella dismissed. "I'll appeal to the Demon King he locks away. My submission will set him at ease—" She did a double-take when she saw Muta was in a low crouch with his ears back and his tail flicking back and forth. "Muta? Muta, what's wrong?"

"Kyler," Muta growled. "Something's off."

Lucy blinked in surprise. "You have a connection with him?"

"We have a bond," Muta corrected. "It's not strong like me being contracted to him, but it's there." He looked at Mirella worriedly. "You need to go with him, kit. Now. He needs help. I think…" He halted.

Mirella groaned. "Spit it out, Mu—!"

"I think he's facing Bael." Muta widened his eyes to show the fear in such gray pools. "And he's losing."

Mirella got up. "I'm Shadow-walking to him."

Lucy sprung up. "Mirella, no—"

Mirella was not listening. "Muta, stay here. You know more about Dagon than anyone here. Keep them safe. Fill them in on anything they ask."

"Mirella—"

"Your Highness," Mirella rushed, "you would do the same for your husband. Let me do this for the man I want to become my husband."

Lucy had no argument for that. "Be safe," she wished. "And please, don't hesitate to come back. I'm sorry I can't go with you."

"I'm not." Mirella stepped forward to take Lucy's hand and gave her knuckles a kiss. "You'll need to be here when they come home." Letting Lucy go, she took a step back as she gathered the Curse dwelling within her. "Well, here's to family confrontation." No more time passed as the shadows of the room gathered to sweep under her feet in a dark vortex. As she sunk down, she and Muta connected. I'll bring him home.

And as she shadows took over, she could hear him. I know.

Mirella had no qualms walking through the darkness. To her, this was something she had done a thousand times over. The whispers of the shadows did not bother her. The muffled screams, the sobs, the pleas—it did not bother her. Her hand came up to her arm bandages and she unraveled them.

Something slithered beside her. "Mirella," came purr, "glad to see the plan worked."

"Save it, Zuzu," Mirella sighed as she stripped herself of bandages one-by-one. "Our plans are not the same and you better remember that and stop brushing your fur against my legs." She went to strip herself of her shirt.

A rough snicker. "Always the prickly sister. Are you sure you want to save the angel-boy? You need a beast, not a choir boy."

"Uh-huh…" Mirella stripped herself of her bra then she went for her shoes then her pants then her panties. "Listen, barring my sex life, I need you in shape, Bagheera. You've got a job and"—the shadows reached out as her wings sprouted from her back and her armor pieced together atop her skin—"I've got mine. So do you job, okay?" She stopped in her tracks to flex her wings.

"You know my little marked princess isn't going to like all the secrets," Pazuzu tutted.

"Secrets are secrets for a reason," Mirella hissed at him. "Get out of my sight and go."

A hissing laugh. "Yes, Mistress."

Mirella curled her wrist as her head raised and her eyes closed. The darkness washed over her like it was her second skin. She could feel the shadows pushing her out. Like she was in a bubble, the sounds of war was outside of it and desperate to get in. But she was ready for it.

He'll kill you.

Mirella squared her shoulders. No, Lynn… She emerged topside with her death scythe in her grasp and grass beneath her feet. A storm whipped around her, but she did not care about that. Her eyes lit up in gold and she saw the translucent cube in the sky compacting in Bael who throttled his Curse against Kyler who shielded himself. I'll kill him. With a flap of her wings, she was in the air and zipping towards the cube. She took a quick glance around. He led Bael out to the country. Good. No press. I can't feel any human souls within a ten miles radius. He must be gradually moving the cube away to make sure we're constantly out of sight and out of mind.

Mirella's stare honed on Kyler. His power dropped considerably. So Dad's playing the 'Wear 'em out' game. Typical. As she got closer, she casually whirled her death scythe between her fingers like it was nothing more than a sharp pencil. Good thing Kyler can tap out and I can tap in.

By the time she reached the cube, she had a better picture of the actions. She saw Bael cowering in his shadowy form with his absorbed souls acting as his weapons to kill Kyler. But she saw the cracks in his armor with the spider legs sometimes emerging only to disappear into the swarm of shadows. She came to Kyler's side of the cube to see him trapping himself in a Holy Bubble and banged on the cube's wall. "Kyler!" she shouted.

Kyler unfolded himself from his wings, but he kept himself in his Holy Bubble. "Mirella," he breathed, though his voice sounded muffled. "What are you doing here? What about Her Highness—?"

"She knows the plan," Mirella assured. "How are you on power?"

"Running low," Kyler admitted. "It's taking a lot more power to keep him contained than I thought."

"Want to switch?"

Kyler scowled. "Mirella—"

"Just do it," Mirella ordered. "I won't fight him long enough for him to get into my head. But you need a rest and to figure some things out. I got this. Let me in."

Kyler sighed. "All right."

Mirella fell through the cube in a matter of seconds and she wasted no time zooming in front of Kyler's Holy Bubble. She set her death scythe behind her as her palm came up and a prism beam shot out to dissipate the incoming bodyless souls. Gold eyes peeked through the mounds of shadows as a cackle rang true. "Mirella," came dark purr. "Now this actually got interesting. Maybe I should start fighting for real. You always were a lot sexier when we made the fighting real, remember? The way I'd pin you down—"

"Shut up, you incestuous asshat," Mirella snapped as she twirled her scythe. "What Mother saw in you, I'll never know. Oh, wait, you raped her, trapped her, and begged her to love you—"

Bael's shadow form took a jagged edge as bodyless souls raged outside the mass of shadows and jetted for Mirella. With ease, Mirella twirled the staff of her scythe to bat away the souls. Smirking, she shouted, "Did I strike a nerve with you, Bael? Oh, come on…! Does it hurt she never loved you and you only had her through force? And to add insult to your romanticized abuse story, she committed suicide to get away from you—!"

"She didn't kill herself!" Bael roared as he swarmed his shadows down. It enraged him as Mirella cut through the darkness with her scythe. "Only I get to kill her! She wouldn't leave me! And you won't leave me either! I won't let you leave!" The shadows snapped together as limbs came to life. Monstrous thighs formed with claws on feet. Flesh sutured together to build a giant with slicked-back pointed ears, exposed sharp teeth with no skin to for a mouth, and horns that would kill if pressed. A handle appeared in Bael's possession and housed the skull of a five-eyed created the hammer's head. "You'll stay with me forever!" Bael boomed like a madman. "You're the only thing left of her!"

"Kiss my ass," Mirella said flatly. "I know better than to follow you. I might have decades more of therapy to go through to recover from what you did to me, but I'm not your puppet. I'm not your toy. Hell, I refuse to even be your daughter." Flatting a hand onto the staff of her scythe, her power drove through it. The scythe filled itself with color to expand. It was bigger and gleamed a translucent rainbow. "All I want to be is your goddamn killer!" She raised her scythe. "So stay fucking still, so I can end your ass!" And with that, she pushed her blade down.

Kyler, in the meanwhile, had taken to looking at his staff in desperation. He prayed in whispers, "Please, Mother, I need your aid. You gave me the Staff of Miracles, but… How do I use it? I feel its power, but I can't access it." He pressed the staff against his forehead. "Please, Mother…My Heavenly Father…anyone…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Help me…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna blinked and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Gale did not turn around to look at her. "You mean over the thousands of screams, the sounds of the sky falling, and the guns that're going off? Didn't hear a thing."

Luna threw down her wrapper as her nose wrinkled. "No need to be a jerk." She leaned back against Icarus as she rubbed her head. The three had taken into hiding in a mom and pops grocery store with a joint pharmacy attached. The place had been ransacked. You could see people had obviously tried to both flee and steal at the time everyone realized something was falling from the sky. Gale had shielded them as best he could by dipping down a bit with a partial shield and staking up pillars at the focal points of the building to keep it up. He perched himself against the shattered window with his diamond knuckles on while Luna leaned against a laying Icarus, hair up in a ponytail.

Gale looked over when he saw a pained look cross Luna's face and abandoned his post to attend to her. Dropping into the pit, he slid over to her and touched her forehead. A curse escaped him. "You're still running a bit of a fever." He smelled her just to make sure.

Luna pushed him away. "I'm fine," she grumbled. "This is nothing."

"Stop doing that," Gale growled at her. "This is serious, Blondie. That power overload will have some lash back on you." Scratching his jaw, he muttered, "I can't give you anymore Caldovil then you already have in you. It should help take the pain off. And the Zofran should help with your nausea and magnesium for the headache. Gah…!" He scratched his head. "I feel like I'm missing something here! Dammit! I should've paid more attention to those medicine classes Aunt Wendy gave!" He paused when he felt a hand touch his arm. Looking over his shoulder, he saw it was Luna's doing.

"I'm okay," Luna promised, albeit weakly. "Really. I'm feeling better already—" Pain contorted on her face as she pressed a hand against her lower stomach and another against her head.

Icarus whined, tail sweeping against the floor, while Gale got rid of his weapons to help Luna lay down on Icarus' side. Luna coughed and Gale brushed away her bangs. Reaching next to him, he found the bottled tea. "Here." He uncapped it and Luna opened her mouth so Gale could put the bottle to her lips. After a few sips, she closed her mouth and he took the bottle away. "You're dehydrated," he diagnosed. "Blondie, this isn't helping your little plan of us hightailing out of the city and finding this…this… What are we even finding again?"

Luna coughed and swallowed. "We just need to get to some farmland. It was in my vision. Going there will save everyone, but… Gale, if you wouldn't mind—"

"Oh, I mind." Gale was ripping open another pack of icy-hot. His hands were gentle in shifting her hand away from her stomach and lifting her shirt to place the pack there. She flinched, but ultimately she relaxed under the relief and shot him a grateful look. Gale pressed a little into her stomach to massage it. "Blondie, pardon my Perench, but fuck what your vision says. I'm coming with you to make sure you're okay." Ruby seared a protective heat into chocolate. "Not even a Demon or you could stop me from protecting you."

Luna flushed—though the fever hid her embarrassment—and murmured, "Stop being so dramatic. I'll be okay."

"Power influx impact doesn't have a time limit," Gale scolded. "Shit like this takes time to get out of your system. Your body is adjusting to your damn sister streamlining you a ridiculous amount of power your body wasn't ready to handle and it's going into shock. You're going to get sicker and weaker before you get better. Which is why we should—"

"We're staying," Luna hissed in fierce determination.

Gale huffed. "Stubborn woman," he muttered as he let her go to grab the bottle of water they were draining and a dishcloth Gale had scrounged up and ripped open from the packaging. He dampened it before bringing the cloth to her head. Ruby scanned Luna's face as her eyes closed and she let out a shuttering exhale. Pink sprinkled his cheeks as his eyes dipped down to her chest, but a quick look from Icarus had him looking away. Damn cockblocking dog. Stealing another look, it was a relief to him to see Luna calm down. She's so stubborn and so strong… That's what make me… His cheeks reddened. What makes me…love…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"And then you confess to her!"

The focus turned to see a smug Levy puffing in her own pride. "See, that's all you gotta do!" She pointed a finger at the focus. "Luna is just like Lu! All she wants is a simple love confession! Confess your true feelings for her without any lip and she'll for sure be yours!"

Gale rebutted, "Yeah, but… Mom, she's with that douchebag—"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Levy shushed him. Hazel softened as she gazed into the focus. "Gale, you can't keep this inside. Say the words you always wanted to say…and maybe she'll say those words back."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale blinked away the memory as his cheeks reddened further until his whole face was burning. Dammit. Between Mom, Lady J, and Miss Angel Princess… He locked his jaw. No. This isn't the right time for that. His hardness melted a little when he looked at Luna. But I… I… He whispered, "Blondie?"

Luna hummed to indicate she was listening.

"Look, Blondie…" Gale took a deep breath and could not look her straight in the eye. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while."

"M'kay…" Luna roused herself to look at him beneath half-lidded lashes. "Go ahead."

Gale swallowed. So cute! He looked away from her eyes. "Blondie… I just wanted to say I…I've always… I l—"

"Nnnngh!"

Gale and Icarus were on full alert when Luna curled in on herself as the pack and cloth fell off her. Icarus whined and nuzzled against her while Gale followed her into him as he laid down. She clung to him automatically as he rubbed down her back. "Blondie," he said urgently, "what's wrong?"

"Who are you?" Luna grunted like he had not spoken.

Gale blinked. "What?"

"I want to help you," Luna whimpered as she buried her face in Gale's neck. "Please, just tell me…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Who are you?

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Kyler flinched back when he felt the staff pulse and the questioning thought thrummed in his head. Eyeing the staff in wonder, he thought back, Are you the Staff of Miracles? Are you the power inside it?

A little voice decidedly female and weak softly called back, Who are you? Wh-What do you want from me?

That took back Kyler. What do I want? Determinedly, he replied, I need your power to destroy Bael. Please, you're the only hope I have to killing him and saving these innocent people. Please… He held the staff tighter. Please help us. Please help me. I get of you. Help me save my people.

°•°•°•°

"I want to help, but I don't know how," Luna whimpered into Gale's chest. "How do I help you?"

Gale looked all wide-eyed to the Canis Minor Spirit. "Icarus?"

Icarus openly whined and nudged Luna. Her mind is shutting off to me, he thought to Gale. I feel her a little, but… She's connecting to another mind.

"Another mind?" Gale echoed. "Whose? What's going on? Is it good or evil?"

"Where are you?" Luna blurted. "I'll come help you. Please tell me where you are—Gah!" Tears streamed down her face as her breathing labored. Her nails dug into Gale's shirt and raked his flesh. "Help me," she pleaded to no one. "Too much… No…"

Gale looked around as he saw the ground vibrate even to the specs of dust and debris. Clinks and clanks and rattles were all about them. A familiar pressure expanded around Gale and he knew the source. "Blondie, no," he tried to command as he held onto her. "Blondie, fight it. Don't let your powers get the best of you. Control it."

"I'm…trying…" Luna gritted out. "But it…hurts—Oh gosh!" Her forehead hit Gale's sternum as she sobbed. "Who are you?" she wailed. "What do you want with me?"

Eyes wide, Gale looked to see Luna's guild mark glowing white as that symbol that he could never forget burned its way on her chest and through her clothing for all to see. "Uh… Sycaña?" he shouted over the vibrations, over the distant screams, over the apocalyptic setting. "Any ideas here?"

The Mother Dragon nosed her way to see through his eyes and Gale could feel it. It was not necessarily an odd sensation as it was an out-of-body experience. His pupils turned to slits and green pulsed in the outer rings of his irises. She darted his eyes around and take in the power that pushed its way through the air and the shaking grocery store. Cocoon, Sycaña urged. She is about to jump. Make a cocoon.

"A what?" Gale had little time to question when he saw Luna's eyes shoot open and they were a glowing white. "Right, got it, cocoon!" Yanking at the ancient Magic within him, he wrapped an arm around Luna and another around Icarus' side. Teeth gritted as he pulled up vines through the ground to crotchet them together around the three of them. "Hold on, Icarus!" he yelled. "This is going to be tight!"

Luna squirmed and writhed as she clawed at him with her cries and her agony at her mind behind exposed and torn into another direction. And just as the vines layered themselves over the two Mages and the Celestial Spirit, Luna's body went still for one silent moment and consumed all of them in a white mass.

°•°•°•°

Bursting off Mirella were copies of herself, each a separate color of the rainbow. They valiantly defended her by going on the offensive and hacking away at the massive form Bael had taken. He snorted sulfur and smoke as he swung his skull-head hammer at each one like they were pesky insects. Mirella keeled over as she pressed against her once-injured side, a trickle of sweat going down her brow. Her entire body jolted in revelation and she pulled her hand away to see blood printed on her palm.

Dammit, Mirella cursed. Damn you, Dagon, and whatever slut opened her legs for your old man. Poison is still in my system and my wounds haven't fully healed.

BOOM!

Gold widened.

SPOOSH…!

Mirella did not know whether she was crying actual tears or blood as she fell down, down, down, and cut through their air so painfully that her body burned and cracked. For those fleeting moments, she was being slammed through the sky, memories passed her by. Memories of her mother's smile as she held her. Memories of fleeing from a dimension full of evil and hatred and sin. Memories of rejecting the strange turquoise-eyed Angel who tried to intercept her fight. Memories of their first kiss. Memories of her quietly crying as she left him. Memories of holding her pregnant stomach. Memories of the sheer terror of finding the second love of her life gone.

The blood consumed her eyes so much that darkness sheltered her vision from her impending death. And in those final moments, she heard a smug whisper.

See, Sissy… He'll kill you.

LASH-LASH!

Mirella's eyes cracked open as a numbness had spread throughout her body. Before her, hundreds of flowers had blossomed and touched with such an elegant glow, it should have been banned from touching them. A dress reflecting dulled colors of the rainbow moved about as the wind blew.

BLINK…

Dark brown hair tethered together in a long braid.

BLINK…

The woman seemed to notice she was being watched.

BLINK…

A mouth moved; sound muffled. But it sounded persistent. Urgent.

"—lla… Mi—…lla… Mirel—… Mirella!"

Kyler looked in horror at the bloodshot dazed look Mirella gave as she was piled atop grass and leaves on a vine net. Careful not to touch her, he waved his hand and a turquoise mist sprayed from his palms. Mirella seized and hissed as the mist hit the blow she got to her head and her other wounds as shadows waved off her to disappear into the air. She blinked and the focus drew back into her eyes only for her to spit out black blood.

"Motherfucker…!" she openly groaned. "That shit hurts!"

Kyler refused to look apologetic. "But it'll cleanse your wounds and let me take on some of your pain," he explained.

Mirella begrudgingly knew that when she felt her power surge in her veins and thrum beneath her skin, but she grunted at him. Eyes shifting, she saw a boy crouching in the ground in a pain. Scales outlined on his skin as sweat dampened some of his clothes. His aura… I thought this planet no longer had full-blood—?

ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR…

Mirella grunted again and tried to sit herself up. "That's enough," she commanded. Twisting her head—and ignoring the sharp pain, nausea, and dizziness—she saw Bael's massive form was still fighting off the colored copies of herself and was getting more and more agitated. But he was on the ground, free from his prison.

"That's not enough," Kyler countered. "Lay down, Mirella. I should've sensed you were way too injured."

"And I should've sensed you were tiring out," Mirella retorted. "Kyler, we're both running in fumes here and I just had to be saved by a kid!" She looked over at the boy and called, "Hey, farm-boy! You shouldn't be here!"

The boy panted before lifting his head—

Mirella was taken back at the look in his eyes and the jewel hanging from his neck. Wait… Is he a—?

"I'm not a farm-boy," the boy snapped back breathlessly. Staggering to his feet, he brushed off the grass and dirt. "How about a nice 'thank you' for saving your ass?"

Mirella growled and tried to move off the bed of grass and leaves. "The Hell'd you say—?" Nausea hit and she keeled over to vomit all over the ground.

Kyler came to rub her back while the boy snorted. "Uh-huh. What can I say except, 'you're welcome'?" Brushing off his shoulders, he squinted at Bael in the distance. "So that's the Demon doing this?"

Mirella hacked and spat while Kyler looked at the boy. "You're familiar with Demons?"

The boy shrugged. "I've personally fought one and a Warlock. Not exactly the prized winner of either fight, but sure. Let's go with I'm 'familiar'." He grabbed the jewel and his eyes glowed a fierce red. "Sycaña, how you feelin' about me takin' on a Demon?"

Pulling herself up, Mirella glared at the boy. "Listen here, kid, who the Hell do you think you are? This is a war-zone and you gotta go. We don't bring babies to a battle."

"Oh, and like you're gonna stop me?" the boy drawled. Around him, the earth moved into a little bump and shifted him higher off the ground. "From where I'm standing, you two look like you can use all the help you can get." He cocked his head and smirked. "How sad it is for you to get help from a little kid. Pathetic."

TICK!

Mirella had to be restrained from throttling herself at the boy. "Kyler, let me go so I can beat this mother—! Mmm-mmm-mmm…!"

Kyler had covered her spewing-expletives-mouth with his gloved hand to observe the boy and his jewel and his eyes. He's different… And that name he said… And those scales… His eyes widened. "You're a Dragon Slayer under Dragon King Natsu?"

The boy lifted an eyebrow. "You know my uncle?"

Kyler shook his head. "Not personally, but I know his importance to this Demon." Which makes more sense. Mirella must have gotten into contact with the king as well and he sent one of his Slayers. This one has power, but he's so young… What reason could His Majesty have for sending a child—?

"Gale…!"

Kyler and Mirella both were taken back when a large wolfish dog moved through the tall grass with a sickly girl on its back. Blonde hair tucked in a high ponytail and cheeks flushed, her eyes searched around until they zeroed onto the boy. Instantly, relief spread on her face. "Gale!"

The boy—Gale as he was called—hurried over to her as the large creature settled down for the girl to dismount. She wobbled and would have fallen had Gale not made it to her side and held her steady against him. "Blondie," he growled, "I told you to wait back there."

This "Blondie" pursed her lips. "I'm not letting you go into danger. I know what happens and I can't… Ah…!" She crumbled onto him as her hands splayed on her temples.

"Blondie!" Gale lowered them both to the ground to coddle her. "Blondie, you're okay. I've got you."

Mirella narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Something about her is familiar…" Gold widened.

The door began to close, but the hallway wall displayed a picture of two sisters. The older one with her pink hair twisted into a side ponytail while the younger one alit with laughter had her blonde hair fully down and a butterfly had landed on her hair.

"That's Nashi's sister," Mirella remembered. "That's her. She's Their Majesties' youngest daughter, Luna."

"And her voice…"

Mirella looked up at Kyler who had taken to studying his staff. "What about it?"

Kyler shook his head as his answer. No. That's impossible. She couldn't be a Child. Not if she has Demon Blood in her. It's not possible. He abandoned Mirella and grabbed the staff to approach the two children, but he hesitated when the dog creature crouched and bared its teeth:

Luna put a hand on the creature's side. "Icarus, shush," she scolded. Turning to face Kyler, turquoise connected with soft chocolate. "He's friendly."

Icarus kept itself alert but stopped its growling. Kyler carefully came up to them all with one eye on the creature and another on the girl. But when he got close enough, something hit his chest and made him want to stumble back. That energy… That power…

Turquoise lit up and the world shifted chromatically. Gale was a fusion of black with green and gold intertwining. Icarus was a starry gold and light blue. But Luna… She shined a blinding white with nothing else to mix with it. He squinted and he fought the urge to lower his eyes. She's a… Oh, no.

Blinking away the light, Kyler hardened and said, "You need to get out of here now."

Luna frowned. "What? No. We came to help you."

"Help me?" Kyler echoed. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm sorry, little one, but you can't help me. You need to leave—"

"But you asked for my help." Luna grunted as she moved to stand with Gale following her every movement.

Kyler furrowed his brow. "You're obviously confused—"

At the same time, Gale urgently murmured, "Blondie, you're acting a little crazy here—"

"No, I am not!" Luna retorted over both men. Directing her glower at Kyler, she bit, "You kept asking for me to help you and that's what I'm doing!"

"Then…you are the voice…"

Luna blinked as Kyler feathered the staff with a hand. He murmured, "I was asking for the staff to help me. I heard a voice, but…" He looked down at her. "Well, I never expected an answer. And nevertheless from one so young."

Now Luna understood what he meant. "I get it. I'm not as strong as my parents, but I heard you and that has to mean something, right?" She just noticed his eyes and his wings and a vision flashed before her. And you're the one from my vision… I found you. And I won't let you die. Looking past Kyler, she saw the large Demon snarling and trying to kill the fluttering colored copies. "That's the Demon?"

"Yep, that's Bael." Mirella had joined with a limp and a hand pressed onto her side. Looking at Luna, she bowed her head. "It's an honor to meet you in person, Second Princess. Although, I wish it was under less apocalyptic circumstances and sans my psychopathic sperm donor."

Luna smiled at her (how she could still smile amidst the chaos was beyond anyone). "It's nice to meet you too. You guys must be Talia's parents. Nashi sorta told us about you guys."

"So then she's awake," Kyler presumed as his face lit up. "How is she doing? Is she having any power trips?"

Luna grimaced. "Um, well, about that—"

Gale immediately intervened. "Okay, not like I don't love this little meet-and-greet, but Demon Daddy isn't having it and he's trying to make a break for it, so I suggest we move our asses." While Mirella noticed with a scowl Bael bludgeoned the last copy of herself to the ground and was looking around for a getaway, Gale moved Luna to Icarus. "Blondie, I need you to stay here."

"But—!"

"You are helping by not helping," Gale quieted her. "Seriously, Blondie, you could get hurt or worse and I can't protect you while I'm kicking ass and taking names, got it?"

Kyler turned to Mirella. "That goes for you too, Arezodi."

Mirella's eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs at the audacity. "Chile, excuse me?"

"You're injured," Kyler reminded her and when she opened her mouth, he squared his shoulders and added, "and you need to rest and heal a little longer. I can't heal you without hurting you more. Healing a demigod is easy, but you have Demon blood. You need time to heal on your own before I start to internally burn you."

"Erotic." Mirella looked over at Luna who muttered something poutily and vaulted to hug Gale. He hugged her back just as fiercely and seemed to be murmuring soothing words. "So. That's really the second princess. Kyler… She just might be—"

"I know." Kyler did not want to say the words aloud. "This is also why you need to stay behind as well." Turquoise and gold clashed. "Protect her," he insisted in a hushed tone. "You and I have both met many Children, but she's…"

Mirella understood what he implied. "As long as she doesn't use any of her powers, she'll stay underneath Bael's radar. All they know is she has powers, but they don't know how deep or extensive her powers are and we need to keep it that way. They think she's just like any other Child."

"Does she even know what that means? What she means? Do any of them?"

"No, not to my knowledge and not what I got from Her Majesty. And we better make damn well sure no one else knows." Mirella turned to Kyler when Gale got up to part from Luna and she pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "Stay safe. Go for the groin or for the brain. Trust your gut."

Kyler exhaled through his nose. "And you trust yours." He turned to the approaching Gale. "I still don't agree to you fighting. You're just a child."

"A Dragon Slayer teenager," Gale corrected. "I didn't get thrown all this way just to bow out now. I've had worse and bounced back from it. And…"—he glanced back at a worried Luna—"if it means she's safe for a little longer, I don't care." Without preamble, his eyes glowed as a Magic Circle blossomed beneath him the moment he dug his hands into the earth. He charged forward as the earth rolled him on a little mound of dirt. Kyler gripped the staff and took off after him.

Mirella sighed as she watched them go. "Idiots," she muttered. She limped over to a watchful Luna and was mindful as Icarus eyed her up and down for a sign of threat. "Nice to officially meet you, Second Princess."

Luna tipped her head. "It's nice to meet you too—again, I mean—but I'm no princess. I'm just 'Luna'."

"You sound just like your mother." Mirella winced as she sat down. "Both of you deny your place in the little pecking order, but you should be embracing it. You hold a lot of weight in the Magic society of this planet—"

"You're injured."

Mirella blinked when Luna nudged her hand away from her side to inspect the damage. "Oh, it's nothing," she tried to dismiss.

"It isn't," Luna insisted. "Here, let me heal you."

Mirella instantly refused. "Princess, please, save your strength—"

"I'm not doing this for you, so please don't fight me."

Mirella tipped her head when Luna ignored her refusal and put gentle hands atop Mirella's side. "I mean I am doing this for you because I don't like seeing people hurt…but I'm also doing this for Gale." White began to glow beneath Luna's hands as she concentrated. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but I had this vision. Gale's going to get hurt. But maybe…maybe I can stop that. I might not be able to fight, but you can."

Mirella quirked an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'll go along with this plan of yours?"

"Nothing. I know you could take off."

"Then why help me?"

"I said I know you could take off." Chocolate reflected Mirella's face in those pools. "But I also know you won't. You're like me, a half-Demon. But you're not like Bael at all. I know you have a good heart and mind."

For once, Mirella did not feel the need to snort and dryly joke. Guilt ate her up more so than her broken ribs and she looked away. "You wouldn't want to be near me if you knew all the things I've done."

"That's not true at all." Luna shifted her hands and settled them on Mirella's stomach, right below her breasts. "Bad things happen and we can't change that. But just because you've done bad things doesn't make you a bad person. Just by you looking guilty and everything, I know you're a good person." She moved her hand to Mirella's other side. "Maybe I don't really understand everything that's going on. Maybe you'll think I'm stupid. Maybe I am weak… But I'm going to do whatever I can to protect these people and the people I love." She pulled away her hands and instantly swayed.

Icarus shifted fast to catch her and nudged her back up, yipping and making a cross between a growl and a bark. Luna held her head in a hand, but the offered her Celestial Spirit a warm closed-mouth smile and a touch to his nose. "How are you feeling?"

Mirella patted herself and experimentally flapped her wings. "Much better." Not only did she internally heal my wounds, but she got rid of whatever poison Dagon's ax had and gave me a little bit of power. She really must be a—

"Nnngh…!"

Mirella watched Luna cringe into Icarus and fretted, "Are you all right, Princess?"

Luna winced again and a weak smile automatically caressed her face. "I'm fine," she assured. "Please, don't worry about me. Help Gale. I'll be fine here. Icarus has got my back."

When Icarus nodded at Mirella and made a show of curling protectively around Luna, Mirella got to her feet in a stagger. She summoned her death scythe as her support and looked into the distance. Bael batted away the flying boulders Gale hurled at him, but he was not able to avoid the beams of light Kyler hurled at him through his hands. The massive form Bael had taken was misting off shadows and glitching almost like he was an Archive Lacrima program on the fritz. A spider leg showed here, a frog tongue showed there.

He's weakening, Mirella thought. Flapping her wings, she took to the skies. Just a little more and he won't be able to hide behind his façade. Which is a blessing and a curse. If he goes to his actual form, it means he's exhausted all his other options and we're really doing damage. But by doing that…he becomes a feral Demon desperate to live. A dull rainbow outlined her body as she spun her death scythe. But it won't matter. Because I'll make sure to kill you once and for all for the pain you caused me and everyone you ever fucked over.

Power poured into her death scythe for the blade to enlarge to thrice its size. You took my mom. Black chains wrapped around the blade. You took my daughter. The metal ascended to a fiery energy of white, red, yellow, and blue. You took my brainwashed sister. Hands tightened over the staff. And now you are trying to take my goddamn baby daddy.

Bael stumbled back when Gale fired a storm of diamonds onto him. Kyler took the time to conjure a glowing lasso from his hands to wrap around Bael's legs. Bael let out a screech as shadows oozed off him and he tumbled to the ground with an earth-quaking thud. Gale did not let him rest as his vines sprung up from the ground to consume the skull-head hammer while Kyler forced his lasso to slither up and bind Bael's arms to his side. Bael hissed even more at the pain of being purified.

STEP… STEP…

Bael looked in front of him to see Mirella in her dark beauty, hair flowing, eyes glowing, and her death scythe a monstrosity waiting to be unleashed.

Mirella smirked. "Hi, Daddy." Her smirk dropped. "Fuck you." And she tore down her scythe.

°•°•°•°

Luna flinched and a throbbing pulsed in her head as she snuggled deep into Icarus' fur for comfort. Icarus whined and lapped at her forehead. Pup, please, what is wrong? Your mind… I can't read your thoughts other than the pain you are feeling.

I just… "Nnnngh…!" Luna groaned. I'm… I'm getting that feeling again… She held back her scream to bury her mouth in fur instead. Icarus! Please, don't leave me!

Never, Icarus fervently promised. You cannot control your pain…but you can control who shares it. Let me in, pup. Show me what you see. Let me feel what you feel.

"Ah-ha…!" Luna yelped when the throbbing shifted to her entire forehead. Tears teemed at the corners of her eyes. But…I don't want you to feel like this.

Forget about me, pup, Icarus fought. Let me in, so you aren't alone in this. I'm here for you, my cub. He craned his neck to touch his snout to her back. Let me howl with you.

The uncomfortable pressure filled Luna's body and threatened to overtake her. Without any more hesitation, she turned to hug Icarus' muzzle and pressed her forehead to his nose. For a few moments, the sounds of battle, the fear, the panic, it all cleared from her mind. She panted. Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale… Forehead pressed into nose. Her mouth dropped open. "Okay."

And her guild mark and his Celestial Spirit Mark were consumed in white.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Cameras went off left and right with their flashes and reporters buzzed about with their questions and held up their records and microphones as they flocked a set of old and broad stairs that seemed to lead into a regal sort of building with a dome as its roof. A rather large man with dark skin and a grey suit was helping guide around a slender woman of turquoise eyes and a pixie cut while her associate was a much more confident woman in a powerhouse pantsuit.

'Icarus,' Luna fretted. 'What's happening?'

'I… I'm not sure,' Icarus told her as they both were stranded with the piranha-mentality press. 'Your vision… All these humans are speaking a language unfamiliar to me.'

'Wait a minute.' Luna listened closer to the questions being shouted when a repeated word kept coming up. 'Gale's said that word before. "Vice" something or other. That means 'Prime Minister' in Bellish, I think. These people must be speaking Bellish.'

The confident woman stopped with her colleagues right behind her. Keeping one hand on her briefcase, she raised a hand for silence. Her mouth moved, but it was like a voice-over was speaking over top her words. "We won't be taking any questions today," she announced to the press. "But I want the people of Bellum to know this… You have all been served."

The world whirled around as a new scene played out for Mage and creature. The evening lights were on as they helped light up a sloped living street. It was too late at night for regular shops to be open and even restaurants wound down for the night, but the bars were going strong and still would be until four in the morning. The scene focused on the people on a bench underneath a street lamp. A deliriously happy girl with a glazed smile laid back against the bench to watch the stars, her crisscross goddess braids over her left shoulder, while a tan girl with a choker necklace sat with her, lips frowning. And then… Bleu was leaning against the street lamp with his head in his Compact.

'Wait… I know that girl,' Luna realized. 'That's Jax's girlfriend Tesla. And there's Bleu… Hey, wait, I think I know that other girl. She was with Bleu in Margaret.'

'Why is she in Magnolia?' Icarus wondered between them.

Tesla laughed to herself. "—but it's okay, though, really, it's chill." She flopped so hard to the left, she should have fallen over if Bleu had not caught her. "Not like my family cares. My birth giver is probably begging for her man to be sprung from Black Vow. And then he'll find me." She giggled as tears sprung from her eyes. "He'll find his good little girl again. Isn't that wonderful?"

The world tilted and blurred and Luna could feel her mind distancing from Icarus like the world was trying to pull them apart. 'Icarus!' she cried.

'Hold on!' Icarus yowled back. 'I'm right here, pup!'

'Wh-What's happening?' Luna fretted. 'It's…ripping me apart, I…! Oh, gah-ah…!'

The world brightened and brightened and brightened until it whirled into warring flames of blue and pink and gold.

'Pup!' Icarus shouted, but his voice was growing further away in the chaos. 'Pup, don't let me go! I'm here! Pup…! Pup…!"

And the world burned.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Icarus yanked back as Luna spasmed on his side with her body trembling and white electrifying her. Icarus did not want to move her as she sobbed and shook, but he made a mixed sound of a whine and a yip as he looked on in pain as his mistress' body convulsed.

Meters away, as Bael felt half his body cave to the shadows and his grotesque spider legs expanded out. His skin bubbled and boiled and wrinkled into pure ugliness and much to his ire, he could feel his arms and head expanded and shifting. He roared and thrashed beneath the purifying lasso and strong vines as his head was cracked this way and that by an unrelenting death scythe. As he spat blood, a tingle hit the back of his neck. He tossed his head this way and that to finally see something in the distance. Something...white… Something nauseatingly power and light…

It's a Child, Bael thought gleefully. Orias did say Zagan and Forneus and she found a Child strong enough to give to His Darkness. She killed Zagan and Forneus. She's got guts. Just my type. And just His Darkness' type too.

CRACK!

His head was disturbing shoved in an upwards direction as Mirella landed back on the ground. She lifted her chin. "Happy death day, Daddy." Tone dripped with acidic sarcasm. "I hope you go to Heaven. Really, I mean that." She lifted her scythe. "Hell is too good for you. I hope Heaven purifies your ass to death."

A chuckle.

Mirella paused when she saw the large smirk on Bael's face.

"I taught you so many things," Bael started. "But the one thing I could never teach you was knowing your opponent's angel." Bubbles and boils infected his skin as his mass expanded and his bones cracked. "That's why you're so bad at it." The spider legs burst and grew solid, breaking free from the lasso and vine restraints. A frog amounted for his left shoulder with its tongue ending in a hand and claws that raked the earth for balance. Shadows ate his skin like sharks to show his skeleton torso that carried fat droplets of muscle and fat and tissue and rotting flesh. His head twitched his way and that as his mouth and tongue expanded into that of a cat. The fur parted to reveal two more sets of eyes, each set a different eye color. A groan reverberated into the earth as Bael clawed his way to standing up on his spider legs. Out from his head burst bone to form a cruel crown that would never leave his head. Steam poured out his mouth to show off rows upon rows of sharp teeth and a forked tongue.

"Oh, yeah…" Bael flexed his arms. "This is much better." He held out a hand and shadows spewed from it and traveled through the air. Leagues away, the shadows had seemed to get to their destination when Kyler, Mirella, and Gale paled at seeing an explosion happen, smoke and fire mushrooming into the air. Bael only cackled. "Y'know, I thought this form was a little too, well, not great for my terran sex toys, but fuck if it ain't makin' me feel good." While two sets of his eyes were admiring his form, one set of eyes was straight in front of him and zoomed in on the convulsing girl with a glowing aura. "And all the better to get me a little girl." He held up a hand as he licked his lips. "Think she'll be good to fuck after His Darkness is done?"

He turned his head.

A frozen Mirella was held mid-air with her scythe raised and a stormy look on her face.

Bael shrugged. "No one compares to your mom. You're a close second, but even you might be tied with the little princess." Waving his hand, he throttled Mirella onto the ground that not only did she fall, but she created a divot in the earth as she was forced back onto the ground.

"Mirella!" Kyler glared at Bael as he charged himself with power. "How dare you—Gah!" He struggled as he felt a pull on his wings and he was lifted off the ground without consent. The force began to pull his wings apart to the point where Kyler began to bleed.

Bael cocked his head and two sets of eyes looked at Kyler up and down. "Oh, sorry, was I interrupting your little monologue about 'how dare' I be this evil being who would do such a thing to the love of your life?" He looked over at the limp Mirella whose eyes were glazed over and her breathing puttered. "Mirella, is his dick actually worth dealing with this bullshit?" He tsked and shook his head. "Angels have to be packing or something." He focused in on the staff Kyler gripped for dear life and interest caught all pairs of eyes. "Now what do we have here?" He reached out his claws to grab the—

"Ouch!" Bael glared at the staff and blew off the smoke coming from his claws. "This isn't fun anymore." Ripping out some of Kyler's right wing—and ignoring the way Kyler screamed murder—Bael tossed the hybrid behind him like he was haphazardly throwing away a piece of trash. "Onto the actual fun." His eight legs began to skitter to get closer to Luna when his eye twitched when he felt the full force of a Dragon Roar hit his temple. He turned his head and did not even flinch as Gale hurled at him a culmination of earth, leaves, vines, and gemstones. "Huh. A Dragonborn?"

Gale did not anticipate the Demon plucking him from the ground like it was nothing and fought with his whole heart. "Let me go!"

Bael ignored him as he pulled Gale closer to sniff him. Like the scent had offended him, he let go of Gale, but rather than fall, Gale was suspended in mid-air with his hands strapped to his sides. "Ew, you smell like a crossbreed. Human and Dragon. But you smell like dirt. I don't mess with dirt." He sniffed Gale again. "Huh… But I do smell that sexy as Hell scent. Must be from the girl." A crooked grin splashed on his face as Gale struggled even more. "There's that cute little 'I want her' scent. You're such a cute little boy. Thinking about protecting her from me?" He licked his lips as his top row of eyes looked at the girl in the distance. "No worries, little boy, I'll take good care of her. I have my morals, thank you. I'll let my boss have at it with her, so I'm not the one taking her virginity." His second pair of eyes brightened. "You know what? I'll cut you the same deal I cut the first princess' flavor of the month. You come with me and after my boss is done and I'm done, you can have her. She'll pretty much be an empty shell, but I heard necrophilia is in nowadays and same with the whole sleep sex thing."

"You're…sick…!" Gale gurgled in his rage. "Fuck…you…!"

Bael tipped his head. "That's the funny thing about you humans. You guys are so vanilla and rigid. All this kink-shaming and age-shaming." He shook his head like a disappointed father. "I mean seriously? Don't you want to live in a world where there isn't any judgment? Say you have to protect your little princess over there and have to murder someone to do it. Well, your human laws say you have to be locked up for defending her, and even if you walk free, you'll never find a job, your family will turn on you, and maybe even the princess will hate you. Don't you want that sort of world you can save the damsel in distress and be the actual hero?"

Gale snarled between wheezes, "Never…!"

Bael shrugged. "Well, I tried. If you can't join me"—his eyes glinted—"how about I beat you?"

By the time Luna had some control of her body, she felt like years had passed. The white glitched out from her eyes to leave her with wide chocolate disturbed and dilated. She gasped as she turned onto her side and dry heaved, no bile or nausea coming up from her aching throat. But she could taste that metallic sting of blood. She felt Icarus get up and crowd behind her almost like a protective father standing above his pup against predators. When the need to vomit subsided, Luna tumbled to the ground, bangs clinging to her brow with sweat dampening them, and, to her embarrassment, she felt she might have peed a little on herself from the convulsion. No exhaustion hit her fully yet, but that lightheadedness was a monster against her.

"Ica…rus…" Luna heaved out and then coughed. "Wh-Wha…happ'ned…?"

Shhhhh… Icarus nuzzled into her, half squatting atop her. He threaded to her as much warmth and content as he could muster into their link. Save your strength, Pup. You will—. A deep snarl escaped him as he whipped around and near laid atop Luna. Luna wanted to complain through the mounds of fur forced up her nose and her mouth, but her eyes darted this way and that like a frightened cat when she heard something whistle and the earth shook with a resounding BOOM.

Then…silence…

Luna could not find her voice as she scrambled below Icarus. He pressed firmly down like he was scolding her for trying to escape, but that feeling you get when you could be simply sitting down and that shuttering sensation of wrongness got to you filled her gut and fueled her body into action. Emoting that to Icarus, he huffed but relented as he slowly got up.

Pup, he tried to warn, take it eas—

Luna ignored him as she crawled from underneath Icarus to—

No…

Tears might have been falling, but Luna did not know it nor did she show it. She crept forward as a numbness overwhelmed her body and cooled the panic she had felt once. Because before her eyes, a crater dipper the earth. But she did not care about that. She cared about what the crater carried.

No…

Icarus rushed past her to slide down into the crater. Moments later, he trudged back up with clothing in his jaws. He deposited his catch onto Luna's lap before sitting beside her with a low whine.

No…

The vision and reality flickered between each other. Both Luna in her vision and Luna in reality looked at a crumped Gale who had been knocked out on in pact. An ugly head wound bled on his temple with his breathing uneven. Maybe from broken ribs or a punctured lung. Shoulder displacement was an issue, but it was not as pressing at how weak and sickly Gale looked in Luna's lap.

No…

KRRRRRRRRR…

Nashi lay in snow dipped in blood. Eyes open and lifeless with pale skin, her legs were cracked into foul positions as she puffed her last breath.

KRRRRRRRRR…

Luna's hands came up to cover her mouth as ice threaded through her bones and blood. Gale—

KRRRRRRRRR…

Hands reached as blurred tears covered the focus. Night had stolen the forest, but a transcending Icarus fading into mere sparks was enough. The pain narrated in such eyes as the last of him departed from this world.

KRRRRRRRRR…

Luna did not register Icarus was growling up a storm, tail down, the ears flat. She did not register Bael had gotten to her with a wild smirk and all sets of eyes glued to her little form. Her hands moved as she hunched forward to cradle Gale's head. She could not find the words to comfort him or even herself. She just needed to touch him. She just needed.

Bael cackled. "Aw, what is this? Beauty and the Beast? And your little dog too." Flicking in Icarus' direction, he watched as the Celestial Spirit was flung backward, bouncing along the terrain, and stardust was left in his wake. "Oopsie. I mean for him to die, but that'll do."

Blocking out everything else, Luna found her voice as she stroked Gale's cheeks. "I'm sorry," she got out. "I'm so sorry."

Bael narrowed all three sets of his eyes. "Hey!" he snapped. "You should be grateful I'm paying this much attention to you, Princess!" When Luna ignored him, impatient fury overtook Bael and he made a grab for her. "Look at me, you—! Ah!" Smoke teemed off his claws as all his eyes widened when a translucent white shield flickered before him then died.

Bael snarled. "Ungrateful bitch," he sneered. "Do you even know who I am?"

Luna dipped so her nose brushed against Gale's. "I'll fix this," she promised in hushed murmur. "I'll fix everything." Nuzzling Gale close to her just for a pure moment, she released him and placed his head on the ground. The struggle to get to her feet was a battle in itself, but she did so.

Bael smirked. "That's better," he purred. "Now, little girl, I—"

"You deserve to die."

Bael paused.

Luna's hands clenched into fists. "You bastard," she said with a restrained anger in her tone. "You monster."

Bael flicked his forked tongue. "Oh, honey, flattery gets you everywhere with m—"

"You've killed…so many." Her guild mark glitched as it glowed. "You took everything away from these people. You hurt my friends. You've hurt Nashi. You hurt Gale. And that"—her teeth gritted—"isn't okay."

Bael rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, go cry about it." He reached for her again. "But we really need to get mo—Ow!" He hissed as his claws damn near misted off him as a wall of white energy shielded her from him. "Oh, you cocky little motherfucking princess…" Shadows solidified to form his claws again as all three sets of eyes boiled into a blood-red and glowered at Luna. But he could not help when he licked his lips. "Hell, I want to kill you as much as I want you."

"Well, I don't want you." White glitched around Luna, warming up and fading. "I don't want you to hurt another person ever again."

Bael howled a bone-chilling laugh. "Sounds like the boss music is coming. All right, little girl, I'll play." He raised his claws hands up. "I'll even give you a handicap."

"No."

Bael blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm not going to fight you. You disgust me and don't deserve me killing myself over killing you. You aren't worth it."

That got Bael furious. The ground nearly broke when he got down on his claws to zero all six of his eyes on Luna's tiny form. "I'm done playing nice," he snarled. "You will come with me, Child, or I will kill everyone you have ever loved! Is that what you want? You want me to kill your little boy toy, your sister, your mother all because you wanted to be a Legally Blonde wannabe?"

"No." Luna lifted her chin. Fiery white consumed her eyes as her power surged forth. "But I won't kill you." Her hand lifted as her power overtook her. White sprung from her palm and darted through the tall grass. It had a destination and Luna could see it headed straight towards the broken half-Angel.

And staff glowed.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Kyler did not anticipate being in an endless field of white, naked as the day he was born, with one of his wings gone. He was so…so tired. 'Is this it? Is this me dying?'

'No, my child.'

Kyler's eyes might have been half-mast, but he recognized those turquoise eyes anywhere. 'Mother…'

'Yes, my child,' Kyler's mother whispered. 'And I have brought friends, so you must stay awake.'

"Kyler!"

Kyler craned his head to see Luna free-floating towards him. He could not make out what she carried within her hands and held close to her stomach, but he tried to smile for her as she came closer. 'You… The one who responded to my prayers…'

Luna nodded. "Yes. You asked me for my help before, but I didn't understand and I'm sorry for that. If you'll let me…I want to help you finish what you started."

'Why?' Kyler rasped. 'You have slain Demons in your past. You don't need a dying hybrid's help.'

"I do," Luna insisted. She looked at what she was carrying. "I've used up so much of my power. I'm still weak from all the weird visions I've been having. If I tried to kill Bael now, I don't know if I'd wake up from that. He's the strongest Demon I've met. I might not be able to kill him, but I can help make sure you do."

Kyler coughed. 'My dear, I think we're both out of time,' he regretfully informed.

'No, Kyler,' his mother sang to him. 'You are never too late. You have believed therefore you will receive.'

'But how?' Kyler questioned. 'The staff isn't working for me.' He felt the soothing touch of his mother across his face.

'The staff is not meant to work for you,' his mother told him. 'The Staff of Miracles promoted the will of Them through belief and through ask.'

"And you did ask," Luna interjected with kind eyes. "I know things are confusing and strange, but we can't let Bael win." She reached out a hand. "So, may I help you? Will you help me?"

Kyler could not find any reason to hesitate. His arm felt like lead, but he lifted it for his hand to slide against her much smaller one. 'Yes,' he whispered. 'Please…help me.'

Luna's eyes swamped with white as she let go of the very thing she had held onto so dearly. His mother, Luna, and hundreds of voices murmured to him, "May your wish be granted."

It was like those were the magic words as the field of white vibrated and the world was set ablaze in a blue fire that did not feel threatening. That weariness that held him down and tried to drown him was rescinding its offer for a dreamless slumber as that very same fire that surrounded him tickled his skin and pumped him with life. Reflecting in Kyler's eyes was a sigil he had never seen before. An infinite number of triangles laid over top, crisscross, and otherwise on a hexagon and all burned an orange fire to stand out amongst the blue flames. At the center of it all was something peculiar… A magenta egg-shaped energy that flicked like a flame. A symbol was burned into it. A triquetra had been entangled with an upside-down heart that burned a gold fire.

'Kyler…' The egg-shaped energy pulsed with each syllable. 'Are you the wielder of the Staff?'

Kyler was taken back. 'I… Yes, but… Who are you?'

'I am a Kether Seraph underneath the Arch-Agent Metatron,' the energy foretold. 'I am a guardian of the Fire of Life. I am the protector of truth, of worth, and of change. I am Vehuiah.'

'A Guardian Angel.' Kyler fell over himself to bow his head, clasp his hands in merciful prayer, and hurried to say, 'My apologies, great Agent, for bringing you all this way—'

'Silence, my nephew. Come. Lift thy head.'

Kyler hesitantly did so.

A warm chuckle that had the flames burn brighter. 'You are not to apologize, you, son of Charmeine and Ardian, for you have taken on this great evil and have not given into sin and temptation.'

'But didn't I?' Kyler's shoulders went rigid as his fingers dug into his palms. 'I showed arrogance for thinking an Enoch could defeat such a powerful evil alone.'

'But you have prayed and you have asked,' Vehuiah negated. 'You have believed, my nephew, and therefore, you will receive.'

Kyler's eyes widened when the Staff of Miracles appeared before him. He dared not reach out for it. 'But…'

'Kyler, through your veins runs the blood of an Agent,' Vehuiah spoke as the egg-shaped energy floated forth. 'You have brought to mortals ease when they suffered. You have never acted as the Creator nor as the Destroyer. You have shown to be a guardian of the truth, of worth, of change. You face the great evil I once defeated that has risen once.' The energy merged with the staff and the fiery world brightened as the staff was trapped within magenta fire. 'You are a worthy vessel and shall wield the Fire of Life to defeat this evil once again. Embrace me.'

Kyler scrunched his brow as he tried to wrap his head around all of this. 'But… I'm not a Mage. I'm not like Nashi. I'm not a Soul Meister.'

'Nay, my nephew, you are much more than a wielder to souls. You are an Enoch. You will become an Agent of this realm to grant miracles in great times of need.' The staff pushed itself closer. 'Embrace me and save these people from a great evil. Thus saith the Lord.'

Kyler swallowed. Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale… Flames danced within turquoise pools as he reached out a steady hand. 'Yes.' Fingers gripped the staff as Kyler's body was consumed in flames. 'Thus saith the Lord.'

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna's legs buckled and she dropped to all fours. Sweat clung to her in an ugly mess as the glow left her alone. Nausea rolled in her stomach as her vision went in an out. The world muffled itself to her, though she half-knew Bael was saying something only for his attention to be brought elsewhere. But Luna did not care. Heart pounding, body aching, she turned only to fall dead on her stomach and cried out in such obvious pain. Sucking in her bottom lip, she army-crawled her way closer to Gale. But she was not experienced in tolerating pain. She could not help the cries and whimpers and chokes flailing from her mouth and had to turn her head to the side to dry heave. But after what felt like hours of hauling, she made her way back to Gale.

Shaky fingers brushed through his bangs as she whispered to him, "I'm sorry."

Her limbs gave out and she landed back on her stomach. Her head was turned to the side with her eyes dazing into the grass. With one last grunt, she threw herself on her side to help with the need to vomit. And that was when her eyes caught it. Reality and vision mixed together before her very own eyes. Six-wings burning in magenta and blue fire armed the back of this person. Their armor was little. A loincloth and a magenta chest plate covered his front. Gauntlets were on his hands with carnelians burned into his palms. His hair had been lengthened considerably with a silver helmet that covered from his nose to the back of his head, not even allowing his eyes to be seen.

Luna saw the man create a sigil as Bael roared and her breaths tasted of blood. Someone who was not there kissed her cheek and caressed it. A motherly voice cooed to her. Sleep now, my Child.

And Luna did.

---

Kotoba ja umaku ienai omoi wo

Kimi ni uchiakeru to shitara nante

Tsutaeyou?

Saisho de saigo

•

Itsuka issho ni kaetta michi wa

Watashi ni totte tokubetsu na omoide

Wasurenai yo

Sayonara memoriizu

•

Haru ga kitara sorezore no michi wo

---

TO BE CONTINUED…

Whoa-ho-ho...! Who knew things would be heating up like this in the final battle? I just hope Skade really knows what he's doing! To find out what happens, tune into the next episode of Fairy Adventure!

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

At Mercurius Castle…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Aaron followed behind Arcadios through the hallway. While tours of the castle had long-since stopped, they did not mean the castle workers stopped working. There were a-many preparations to get through before the Yuletide Cotillion housed at the castle main ballroom and everyone was on edge for it. Glancing over his shoulder, Aaron caught two soldiers moving at a steady pace behind them. Young. Most likely chosen due to how impressionable they are. Unlike senior staff, new guards looking like these ones will believe just about anything you tell them.

Arcadios led him to obscenely big twin doors in which a door woman was already present and opened one of the doors. Aaron got a quick scan of the woman, her smile, and her eyes. She's not a regular staff worker. Too sharp of eyes. He nodded at the woman and went into the next room. But this room was not a room. This room was a broom closet at best with high-vaulted ceilings. The two guards waited outside while Arcadios and Aaron got situated. The door closed and Aaron quirked an eyebrow at Arcadios. "A secret rendezvous with the Prime Minister? What will the tabloids think?"

Arcadios ignored him as he took off his glove to press his naked hand against the wall to his right. A small Magic Circle blossomed beneath his hand, pulsated once, then it disappeared. Aaron kept his surprise in check when the floor moved them downwards. The wall melted away into metal the further down they got and only the light from the ceiling let both men see each other.

Arcadios spoke, "Her Majesty thought this call required the utmost confidentiality."

"I agree. Not every day we have to use a secure line to make contact with another's countries rep nearly illegally," Aaron said coolly. "I'm simply surprised Her Majesty did not want to bring along the other ministers."

"Are you really?"

The floor stopped to elevator doors that parted for them and showered in dim light. Before both men, it looked like the inside of a precinct and laboratory with horrible tile for flooring and ceiling lights that made everything look eerie. Aaron replied as he and Arcadios stepped off and into this new floor, "No. But my Hiders tell me they're all getting suspicious of my 'preferential treatment'. They have me pinned as gunning for your job. Even the press asked if I'll run from Prime Minister and how I should when the Queen is in my corner."

"You know she wouldn't do that to you," Arcadios regarded quietly. "Not after the last campaign."

Now that had Aaron tense, but he pushed on like nothing happened. "I know." And that was that.

Arcadios led Aaron to what looked like a vault door in which two people guarded it with their suits and earpieces. What was different about them was that they did not look entirely human. One of them had a serpent's tail while the other had webbed hands as shown through the look of their gloves and fins along their spine.

A metal detector and a table were next to the vault door and Arcadios and Aaron wasted no time as Arcadios laid down his sword while Aaron took his gun out of the back of his pants. Wallets, rings, coats, cash—all were laid aside. Both went through the metal detector and a vicious frisking to the point they were asked to even leave their shoes off. Once all was said and done, one of the suited guards spoke through the earpiece, and in moments, the vault unlocked itself. The other suited guard opened the heavily fortified door and Arcadios passed through before Aaron did.

The room was nothing scary or odd. It looked like the average sitting room with a little kitchen. Hisui was sitting one a chair that looked like a plush throne, but she stood when she saw Aaron and Arcadios. "Anything?" she asked.

"Not a van in sight," Arcadios assured. "No extra security detail as requested, but there was a low-profile security sweep from a few of our Hiders. Nothing to be found."

Hisui nodded and looked over at Aaron. Losing all regal abandon, she marched over to him to bring him into a hug. "Hi, thank you so much for coming."

Aaron could not help it when his eyes widened and pink heated his cheeks. He pulled back and held her by her shoulders, a sweatdrop on his brow. "Your Majesty," he gritted out without ire (perhaps embarrassment), "there might not be any press here, but I thought we agreed not to display such…"—more pink held onto his face—"familiar actions towards each other."

Hisui dismissed that. "We agreed to that when in the presence of the public," she recalled, "but never when we're in one of the safe rooms." She patted his hand with softness in her jade eyes. "Even if it's not by blood, you're family, Aaron. Don't forget that."

As Hisui turned away, Aaron let his eyes cut away as his jaw ticked. His hand latched onto his opposite wrist. Yes. I can't forget that.

"I had her moved to one of the palaces," Hisui told as she went over to a table. The table had a DAL set up with three monitors all synced to one keyboard as well as a radio. Programs ran on all three, detecting frequencies, scanning for bugs, decrypting code, and so forth. A plain crystal ball was by the DAL with a wire inserted it and it internally reflected the coding passed onto it. "I know she's unhappy, but until Yuletide, I will take no chances. Our guests coming in while most likely set up bugs, hidden cameras…"

"I understand." Aaron cleared his throat as he approached her. He tapped the crystal ball. "How is Lady Hendrika calling?"

Arcadios answered this one. "She'll be using a prepaid crystal ball like this one, all necessary enchantments in place. We will only have a three-minute window."

"Translator?" Aaron asked.

Arcadios shook his head. "Translator Spell is in effect, but the Lady Magic-Speaker speaks Minstrish." He checked the time on one of the monitors. "We have another thirty minutes until she can speak with us. I suggest we do a debriefing." He turned. "I'll get the tape rec—"

BRRRRRRRRRRING…!

Three sets of eyes honed on the ringing crystal ball. Hisui did not hesitate as she tapped the crystal ball only for it to turn an ink itself into a black. A line appeared as static came onto the line. No one breathed a word as there was static then clarify then static. "He—…" Krrrrrr! "H-Hello, I ca—…!" Krrrrr! "—ound my…ocati…so I…"

Aaron glared at the crystal ball. "Can't anyone get the connection to be stronger?"

"It's not us." Arcadios took a seat to study the monitors. "We set up this as a one-way line for now. Once she confirms it's us, we can transfer this to a two-way line."

Aaron crossed his arms as his glare worsened as the static progressed. "I might understand it, but I don't like it."

After a few more moments, the static cleared and someone was on the line. "Hello?" The line went in and out for another moment. "Can you hear me? I do not have the time."

"Please confirm its you," Hisui whispered.

"Static gone. So sorry for da trouble," Hendrika hurried out. "But you know, where I am, signal is hard to get. All these Sky Boats pass overhead."

The crystal ball lit up and Aaron and Hisui watched as a Magic Circle appeared. It broke itself and particles faltered downwards. The monitors beeped and a new program was brought up, scanning through code until it reached the end and a green circle popped up with the word OK. Arcadios gave a short nod to Hisui who urgently spoke into the crystal ball, "It's good to hear from you."

"I cannot talk long." A panicked exhale. "They are everywhere. They have been watching me, but now they watch closer with disaster all around us." The line went in and out as Bellish flew from Hendrika's mouth frettingly.

Hisui and Aaron exchanged a look. Aaron looked like he wanted to say something, but he backed off when Hisui sharply shook her head. Instead, she calmly questioned, "How has your weekend been?"

That seemed to snap some semblance of order within Hendrika as her labored breaths calmed. "The Prime Minister," she whispered, "has taken extreme measures to keep the details locked tight, but he can't deny me the right to emergency meetings. I caught him speaking with some of the senior staff. They talked of 'Non' propaganda. I do not know what or who, but they will be using this to fuel the anti-Magic debate to help with a class-action lawsuit against Mages. I told the Prime Minister we need foreign aid, but all he told me was everything would work itself out the way His Majesty requested."

"And where is His Majesty?" Hisui demanded to know. "The world knows he isn't dead after his Sky Boat crash. He should have healed years ago."

Hesitation. A quick whisper, "His Majesty is alive, but the Prime Minister has him somewhere hidden. I don't have that level of clearance to know, but that's all the intel I have."

Aaron could not take it anymore and butted in, "Tell us more about the Prime Minister."

Hendrika paused. Then, she said, "He's an independent party, but his focus is to strip power away from Mages and Alters. He and His Majesty used to get into it behind closed doors until His Majesty's Sky Boat went down. Many don't see it, but the Prime Minister has been making deals with other conservative members and quietly swapping out anyone who he doesn't agree with. The papers say those members are out sick or have taken an extended vacation, but those are cover-ups. The interims will have the positions next voting season."

"Dammit." Aaron paced up and down. "It's bad enough Bellum has a Draft Act all Mages have to register in at sixteen. Now they want to file a lawsuit against all guilds and Magic-users and Aberrants?"

Hisui ignored him as she asked, "Is there anything else about your weekend?"

"No, no, I just…" Silence. "One of my team members ended up drinking with a soldier on one of our special forces outfits. He's a rookie, I think the term is. My staffer told me the next morning the soldier told them about some sort of capture of a beast and they were being shipped out to the heart of the chaos. I do not know what beast, but they said the kill shot would set him for life. The soldier also mentioned the beast was one of the last of its kind. It seems smart enough to freeze the cameras and scopes on it—"

Arcadios motioned they had thirty seconds left.

Aaron came up to the crystal ball. "I'm sorry to cut in, but I need to hear more about the Prime Minister and his associates. I'm sure they have some sort of symbol or sign or place to represent their cause. Does anything stand out to you?"

"Nothing familiar, no…" Before Aaron had a chance to get even more frustrated, Hendrika added slowly, "Although… Maybe this is a small detail, but…"

"What?" Aaron demanded to know, ignoring Hisui's warning look. "What is it? Nothing is too small. Leave nothing out."

"No, it's… Well… It's more a conspiracy that my staffer discussed with me, but I have my doubts about it," Hendrika explained. "On the same day His Majesty's Sky Boat went down, an item went missing in the tomb of His Late Majesty. But it was so small, it went unnoticed."

Aaron growled. "And what was it?"

"A pocke…" Krrrrrr! "…atch," Hendrika said as the static kicked back in. "I…—not spea…thing is wr…"

The crystal ball went dead.

"She's gone," Arcadios confirmed. "I shut down our line too. We're clear."

Aaron took up pacing again. "A pocket watch? We wasted precious time on a damn pocket watch?"

"Aaron, we learned valuable information," Hisui soothed him. "We know about the class action lawsuit now. We can keep a closer eye on Bellum's parliament and the ministry staff too." To Arcadios, she ordered, "Bring up an image the pocket watch His Late Majesty had in his tomb."

Aaron wiped his hand down his face. "And what's this about a 'beast'? It's a magical creature capable of freezing cameras and scopes? So it's an ice creature and it's almost extinct. I'll follow up with a magizoologist to find out what sort of creature Bellum wants. The soldier had to be bluffing about a kill shot."

"Here's the pocket watch."

Aaron and Hisui crowded around the middle monitor to look at the image Arcadios drudged up. Both studied it to find nothing spectacular about it. It was a plain silver pocket watch.

"Why would someone steal this?" Hisui wondered. "It can't be just for a profit. This disappearing the same day His Majesty's Sky Boat makes it seemed planned." She sat up. "I'll talk to a historian about this. She can give us some more insight into the pocket watch." Her eyes looked over Aaron who looked darker and broodier than he had been when he came in. "She gave us what she could."

"I know."

Hisui blinked as Aaron leaned forward with a thoughtful expression. "But what she didn't say, she knew we had to connect the dots," Aaron went on. "The static wasn't just bad connection. She was panicking for a reason. No doubt she's been tailed by monarchy spies and probably bugged."

"So would her staff," Arcadios added. "It makes sense. More than likely, files are being built upon her and her staff. When my associate said Lady Hendrika wanted the meeting, nothing seemed out of the ordinary."

"But she sounded so panicked," Hisui murmured. "I've only met Lady Hendrika once at the Maglympics and she always seemed so full of life. She's been a constant advocate for Aberrant Rights and there's so much footage on her leading protests and speaking out at the campaigns." Then, she came to a conclusion as she and Aaron locked eyes.

"If I was the Prime Minister and I knew my Lady Magic-Speaker was quite the little activist and would take matters into her own hands, I'd do something to shake her entire confidence and make her retreat," Aaron admitted. "Activists are deadly. Hit them where it hurts and they'll be a trained dog." He went to the other side of Hisui. "When she mentioned those who opposed the Prime Minister were quietly vanishing, she meant also herself. She knew more than she was letting on. Either she learned something so terrifying, she needed to be shut up or she was caught digging too much and needed to be silenced before she found it." He stared into Hisui's eyes. "Either way, she knows she will be next. This wasn't just a call to tell you information, Hisui. This was a distress signal."

°•°•°•°

By the time Aaron was in the car with his driver, his Compact was back on, but he would not need that. He reached downwards to find a hatch on the bottom of the car and opened it. Emergency supplies were there, but as he dug a little deeper to pull out a rickety old model of a Compact. A burner Compact.

He opened it up and made a call. But when the call connected, no one answered. "Question: what's the most exotic magic creature with Ice Magic? Question: there's a significance to Bellum's Late King's jewelry; can you find it? And final question: where is a safe location to hide a political leader? You have twenty-four hours. Answer." He ended the call and buried the burner Compact where it had been.

Going back to his Compact, he saw missed calls from someone named SAPPHIRE on his phone. He had to ignore them as he went to the Lacrinet sever TORCH and searched for Prime Minister Press Release.

Instantly, videos popped up and Aaron sifted until he found a video. He muted the words and turned off subtitles as he watched such a tranquil man talk to the press with the flashing camera. His eyes narrowed when a woman rushed onto the stage to whisper something in the Prime Minister's ear. The Prime Minister nodded and his hand dipped into his pocket to bring out something before putting it back, unnoticed.

Aaron paused the video. He rewound it and slowed it down to play frame by frame only to pause when he saw something shine in the Prime Minister's touch. How much do you want to bet that's the pocket watch?

An email notification dropped down in the form of a promotional email about the zoo. He opened it—

His eyes widened. What the Hell is this?

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Somewhere else in Fiore…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The entire apartment was lit through one candlelit lamp. The walls had been converted to bulletin boards and dry-erase board with pictures of people and places and things connected with red lines. One theory stressed about mind-controlling by the use of inserting molecules of a substance into bottle watered which is the reason they tasted different. Another theory talked about a secret lab in Zhōnghuá creating a plague for population control. One theory talked about how a famous child entertainment chain had a child-trafficking ring as its core source of money. And then there was the theory proved true of police brutality against certain ethnicities and sexualities was to promote supremacy.

"Questions, questions, questions…" Amongst the chaos with papers everywhere, a man sat before four screens that were stacked in teams of two. One monitor held a playing video of people in Sin running away a mysterious and speedy lump of murky shadows. Another monitor held a DNA dissertation revolved around the genetic mutation of chimaera by a female scientist by name of Vera Lovelace. Another monitor had links to articles about time-space relativity. And the last was on a dark forum about urban legends and conspiracies.

"Always with the questions," the man muttered to himself as he typed on his keyboard and posted into the forum. "And of course, I always find the answers. But how do you find an answer to a question not asked?"

The man sat back and all four screens reflected in his mask. He took up his pen—

CLICK-CLICK.

—and began to click it back and forth.

Tipping his head up, he looked at the ceiling as his most wonderful masterpiece had been worked. Images of Mages from Guild Masters to Magic Councilmen to Magic Hunters to political leaders to other planets and their lifeforms to Spiritless to the symbol of the upside-down pentagram to large tree with nine circles attached to nine large branches. All were connected to one phrase:

END OF THE WORLD

The man rubbed a thumb over the top of his pen. "That's the question."

CLICK-CLICK.

---

Chibi-Luna hurries into the classroom with an assortment of papers haphazardly in her hands, hair out of place, and glass askew. "Oh, good day, class!" she whooshes out as she drops everything on her desk.

"Good morning, Miss Teacher!" the class greets.

Chibi-Luna mutters to herself as she stacks her papers neatly and fudges around on the DAL. "Sorry I'm late! This has been quite a long day, but I have our Fairy Lesson all ready to go!" She scrambles over to the projector to turn it on before going over and hauling out the SmartBoard. The projector turns on to the introduction slide RACISM AND MAGISM. "So today, we're going to talk about racism and magism of Mages in both the Magic Society and the Spiritless society!" She goes to her next slide to show black and white images of people of different ethnicities shackled by their necks, wrists, and ankles as they tiredly completed tasks.

"Hundreds of years ago, when the world was still figuring out its power dynamics and Magic wasn't as established," Chibi-Luna tells, "Mages were hoarded and traded as slaves in almost every part of the world except for both poles of Arcticados." She slips to another slide to show black and white horrifying drawings of Mages and dark-skinned Spiritless being dragged from their homes. "While Spiritless slaves were more common, Mages were revered as a rarity to have as slaves and a sign of wealth. To have at last ten slave Mages was a sign of nobility and royalty would have at last twenty to fifty Mages as slaves."

As students whisper to themselves of the travesty, Chibi-Luna goes to the next slide that shows a little man in fur garbs with his hundred Spiritless slaves as he shakes the hand of another thicker man who had five Mages with their neck shackles, eyes blinded with cloth, and gags in their mouth. A female student gasps. "That's so awful! How could they do that?"

"Because those people were ignorant bigots," Chibi-Luna says matter-of-factly. "Anyone different to them was considered a 'savage' or 'uncivilized'. These slaveowners praised themselves for giving their slaves better lives, but in reality…" She sighs. "These slaves had the worst of fates. Some slaves were dedicated to a master's…more personal use. Other slaves were used as chauffeurs, as waiters, or butlers, or maids. There were masters out there who liked to say they gave their slaves educations, a right to marry, have children—but it doesn't matter. That person still considered another person property without true freedom."

She clicks to another slide to show black and white footage of war with cannons going off and Mages casting spells. "Many countries in Ishgar abolished slavery through civil wars that would go on for two years to a decade and, even then, it didn't mean those racist thoughts went away."

She clicks to another slide to show two girls cowering against a wall with the number 666 crudely painted across their face as stones were thrown at them. Another showed several people chains to crosses with fires burning below them and their eyes placed with terror. "Throughout the ages, through the Witch Trials, the Magic Inquisition—Spiritless or even other Mages with enough money and status in the Spiritless society would look down upon Mages as property or as threats. Before the Magic Council was established, Mages faced constant brutality against law enforcement."

She went to another slide to show colored images of protests in front of state buildings and castles alongside speakers and activists. "All across the world, Mages and their Spiritless allies would speak up against the crime. Wars would be fought once more and many would die until Mages had all the same rights Spiritless did. But even so, having a document claiming everyone has those rights and people actively practicing that policy are two different things. Even now in this world, Mages are subjected to magism by Spiritless and higher up Mages. Not just Mages."

Clicking to a new slide, she showed angry protestors against chained link fences as a scared girl with wings, an unfazed boy housing five tails, and a unique little creature with scales being escorted into a school. Another image on the screen showed a rabbit girl behind bars as she sobbed and was stripped from her child. "Aberrants—or people with the Magene that gives them unique physical features that don't grant them Magic—are constantly fighting for their rights. Just within this past decade, crime rates have shown an increased ratio in the murder, unlawful arrest, or assault of Aberrants. Even when Exceeds came to Earth Land to form the country Neo-Extalia, the new leaders of Neo-Extalia were fighting amongst both the Magic society and Spiritless society to finally include sentient Magic Creatures having rights, but right now, their rights are limited outside their own country."

"But Teacher!" a student blurts. "What about the Exceeds of your father and your family?"

Chibi-Luna points at the student. "Great question! While Happy, Charla, Pantherlily, and the others are treated kindly in Fiore, countries outside of Fiore limit the rights of Aberrants, Mages, and intelligent Magic Creatures that have the ability to speak and emote. A lot of the time, when Aberrants or Magic Creatures apply for citizenship, a work VISA, or a student VISA for another country, they are denied access unless someone with high authority has a letter of introduction for them. Even Mages can be denied that right just because they're a documented Mage. That's why it's up to use to reform the systemic racism in place that prevents anyone outside a Spiritless to further their life along."

A lazier male student raises his hand. "Yeah, I get it, teach. Racism and magism are bad and all. But what are we supposed to do about it?"

"I'm happy you asked." Chibi-Luna changes the slide to show a series of links and their descriptions and Com-numbers. "The best thing anyone can do is to stay informed. Fiore has many media sources that cover these types of stories, it also has more media sources that don't. Always fact-check before spreading information to prevent the spreading of misinformation. If you see a hate crime firsthand, try to make sure you record and intervene if it's safe for you to do so, Recording can help put the magist or racist, hopefully, behind bars or at least show evidence they are an active racist. Petitioning is also helpful and so is donating but be sure you're signing and donating to the right campaigns. You can also reach out to your provincial lord or lady representative, your members of parliament, or even ministers by Compact or by email or letter. If you tell the office of that representative, they are legally obligated to relay this objection or need to the other authority figures in their class."

Chibi-Luna ends the slideshow. "And the last thing you can do is also help support the businesses of those commonly oppressed. Many of you probably unconsciously do it by going to large corporations such as MgRonald's or Windy's or going to Forever twenty-two or Gracy's, but there are a lot of local businesses in need of support. There's no problem with going to those corporations as long as their money is going towards a cause for a better future but try going to that bookshop an Aberrant owns or visiting a sushi restaurant a Mage owns. I promise you, you'll notice the difference in quality and care and you might even become a regular!" She looks around any questions.

A bunch of hands goes up.

Chibi-Luna giggles. "Great! I'd love to take more questions! But first, next time, on Fairy Adventure: HOMECOMING!" She searches the classroom. "All right, first person to ask a question is…"

---

Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance

Selene – Debi Mae West

Luna Dragneel – Brynn April

Lucifer "Bleu" Demiurge – Xander Mobus

Talia - Serena Varghesa

Nashi Dragneel – Laura Landa

Gale Redfox – Greg Cypher

Býleistr - Scott Freeman

Skade – Griffin Burns

Mammon – Patrick Seitz

Seraphim – Jameison Price

Laxus Dreyar – Patrick Seitz

Dazzler Lafayette – Kristi Rothcock

Djedi – Randy E. Aguebor

Gladstone – Ben Diskin

Aine Fernandes – Carrie Kernanen

Atomic – Tamara Ryan

Jonathon "John" Winters – Matt Ryan

Psyphon – Steven Yuen

Ghost – Stephen Sanders

Cascade – Kari Wahlgren

Highlight – Zehra Fazel

Hybrid – Shay Moore

Kyler – Ray Chase

Bael – Paul St. Peter

Peter Shuusei-Thompson – Joe Zieja

Bowie Thompson – Nicholas Guest

Noah Mothersbaugh – R. Bruce Elliot

Dagon – Kevin Michael Richardson

Mirella – Edie Mirman

Igneel Dragneel – Bryce Papenbrook

Mary Jane Dreyar – Erica Lindbeck

Julia Fullbuster - Michelle Ruff

Gray Fullbuster – Newton Pittman

Ultear Vastia – Allegra Clark

Silver Fullbuster – Yuri Lowenthal

Rose Vastia – Shellah

Gajeel Redfox – David Wald

Katherine "Kat" Knight – Abby Trott

Linus Vastia – Crispin Freeman

Galileo Redfox – Josh Grelle

Miss Dietrich – Viola Davis

Veleda – Laura Stahl

Virgo – Terri Doty

Lucy Heartfilia-Dragneel – Cherami Leigh

Muta – Jason Douglas

Eiji "Dash" Ackerman – Leraldo Anzaldua

T.A.D.A.S.H.I. – Greg Chun

Genius – Derick Snow

Chrome – Ricco Farjado

Opera – Michelle Rojas

Icarus – Christopher Sabot

Li – G.K. Bowes

Mei – Tiana Camacho

Loke/Leo – Eric Vale

Pazuzu – Patrick Seitz

Levy McGarden-Redfox – Kristi Kang

Vehuiah – Deidrich Bader

Aaron Marignano – Kevin M. Connolly

Arcadios – Gabe Kunda

Hisui Fiore – Morgan Marby

Hendrika, Lady Magic-Speaker of Bellum – Laura Bailey

Coeus – Orlanders Jones

Additional Voices

Opening and Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Recap and Continued Narrator – Melissa Fahn