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!

126. Adventure 126

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail, any work professionally associated with it, nor any pop culture or classical references. 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.

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LAST TIME, on Fairy Adventure: Silver and Ena had some up close and personal issues to work out. Meanwhile, looks like the Gosling siblings are headed to Akane Beach for spring break for some relaxation and to get some questions answered too. Luna still has a lot to learn about healing, but she's lucky she had a cool lecture at a medical center to partake in. Not only that, but she got to meet trauma surgeon, Aloha, and he's pretty, well, pretty. Ena and Silver's meeting with Rai went sideways, but Rai might still be getting what he wants. In the end, Silver has two choices: tell Ena how the meeting really went and risk her hatred or keep it to himself and fall apart.

"I'm not who you think I am."

Guess he picked the first option. Oh, man, we're rooting for you, Silver. And Ena, I really don't think Mister Aloha is the type of man you think he is…

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Chibi-Nashi appears with a grin and a wave. "Hi, everyone! Ready for more Fairy Adventure? To keep your eyes safe, make sure you read with at least one light on in a low setting! And here is the updated time zone table!"

Abbreviations – Time Zone Name • — • — •— • — Location • — Offset

MCDT • — • — Melandian Central Daylight Time – Melandia • — • UTC +7

CST • — • — • – Cipangu Standard Time • — • — • — Cipangu • — • – UTC +5

SST • — • — • – Sīchóu Standard Time • — • — • — Zhōnguá • — • – UTC +3

CIT • — • — • – Central Ishgaran Time • — • — • — Bellum • — • – UTC +2

CMT • — • — • – Charring Mean Time • — • — • — Minstrel • — • – UTC +1

FST • — • – Fiore Standard Time • — • — • — • Fiore • — • — • – UTC - 0:00

WST • — • – Western Ishgaran Time • — • — • — • Caelum • — • – UTC - 0:00

ACT • — • — Arcticados Central Time • — • — • – Arcticados • — • — UTC – 1

CAST • — • — • — • — Caracole-Alicanto Standard Time – Fiore • — • UTC – 1

ADT • — • — • – Alvarez Daylight Time • — • — • – Alvarez • — • — UTC – 2

EAT • — • — • – East Andüsa Time • — • — • – Andüsa • — • — • — UTC - 2

AT • — • — • – Amazone Time • — • — • — • — • — Valchestria • — UTC - 4

EST • — • — • – Eastern Standard Time • — • — • – Meidiland • — • UTC - 6

Chibi-Nashi winks with a thumbs up. "Enjoy the episode!"

---

Why did the day's beauty pale in comparison to the night's splendor?

Ao's Paradise's nightlife looked like a dream. A nighttime zeppelin and a few overnight air cargo ships perused the skies, but the lights of the skyscrapers and signs looked too gorgeous to be true. The rolling clouds and starlight added such subtle majesty.

Ena curled up on one of the outdoor chairs on the balcony. Hotel Nimbus spared no expense for the wicker seats and ottomans, making their guests feel at home. The knitted blanket Silver made for her swathed over her shoulders and silk pajamas. Her gaze went dispassionately to the paradise before her.

But her mind did not feel like it was in paradise.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Hotel Nimbus

Ao's Paradise

Caelum, Ishgar

11:47 PM WIT

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Absently, she let her fingers feather her lips. I know he's telling the truth, but… Dark browns glinted. It doesn't feel real.

"I'm not who you think I am."

• — • — • — • — •

Ena held her breath and watched as Silver gathered the courage to come clean.

"I… I'm not…" He rolled his lips for a moment. "Remember when I showed you my artwork of the sea temple and stuff?"

Ena faintly nodded. "I remember."

"Okay, well…" He gave a humorless huff of a laugh. "This sounds insane when I'm saying this out loud." Palming his chest, he staggeringly explained, "There's this…thing inside me. I-It's me, but… It's not me. It's not…human—" He clammed up as his eyes darted around.

"Wait." Ena waved her hand for a heatwave to drop over them. "All right. Now. Speak freely. No one else will overhear."

Silver jerkily nodded. "Well, I… I'm…" A rough swallow. "I'm not…all human. I'm part…" He grimaced. "At least, I think I'm part…Dragon."

Ena's eyes widened. 'A Dragon?'

"At least I think," Silver felt the need to add again. "I don't… I don't know for sure, but my dreams, it's like…" A mixture of exhaustion and frustration pressed against him. "It's like… I'm underwater and I see this…city—that temple. And I hear these voices telling me to come home, and it's insane, I know, but it's… It's the truth." He shook his head. "I'm doing a shit job at explaining this, and I know it's crazy. I mean, Dragons are gone. You probably think I'm insane—"

"No," Ena negated softly. "I don't think that. Please continue."

Now Silver looked at her like she was insane. "You believe me?"

"Am I not supposed to?" Ena questioned.

"Well…" Silver struggled. "No… I-I-I mean, yes, but… But this is crazy, right? Like, this isn't normal. People don't just wake up and turn into Dragons. That's… That's not how it works."

"It isn't, no," Ena agreed, "but the world is a terribly confusing place. God Slayers shouldn't exist, but here we stand in a country with not one but two God Slayers. By all means, four hundred years ago, Dragon Slayers were supposed to be wiped out. And yet, seven Dragon Slayers exist."

Silver fiddled with his fingers. "My dad told me he, your mom, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Natsu, and Miss Wendy all went on a quest when the war ended," he confessed. "And that quest…was to kill the remaining Dragons that had lived after the Dragon Festival."

"Yes, I know."

Silver bunched his shoulders. "And my dad said…" It hit him. "Wait." He gave Ena a wide-eyed look. "You know? You knew?"

Ena arched a manicured eyebrow. "Of course. My mother told me about her adventures when I was younger. And I've heard about Ignia."

"'Ignia'?" Question marks flew around Silver. "Who is that?"

"He's Uncle Natsu's brother."

Silver looked like his brain was frying. "Uncle Natsu has a brother? Well, wh-what's he like?"

"I'm not sure," Ena told him. "Neither is L. He and her grandmother Anna babysat her when L was too little to remember. But from what Aunt Lucy says, Ignia and Igneel have a similar temperament, except Ignia is a lot more…brash."

Silver sweated imagining an adult version of a psychotic Igneel with his monstrous flames and an evil cackle. 'That sounds like a nightmare.' He shook off the imagery. "My dad didn't tell me about all the Dragons. He just…told me about one. Mercuphobia." Even saying the name gave him gooseflesh.

Ena's brow furrowed. "Was he…the Water Dragon God?"

Silver nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

"I see." Ena crossed her arms, thoughtful. 'My mother never said his name, but she told me about him. The White Mage had stripped him of power, I thought. That's not to say his power could not come back. It would take time. But for Silver to presumably be a Water Dragon Slayer… How could he inherit…?'

Something resonated with her. "Silver, is Mercuphobia your father—?"

"NO!"

Ena stilled.

Silver shut his eyes. "I'm sorry," he rasped. "I didn't mean to yell, Mistress. I shouldn't have yelled."

"It's…all right," Ena said, cautious. "If this is a touchy subject for you, don't think you have to continue forward. I understand. I'm in no hurry to know everything—"

"No, no, it's just…!" Silver messed with his hair, aggrieved. "No, I… I want to tell you. I know I don't have to, but I want to. I just… I really need to tell you, but I still don't even know everything. I'm just…so confused and angry and it's like, one minute, I feel fine, and the next, I don't… I don't feel sane. I want to do something, but I don't know what." He tossed her a blue-eyed look of sadness. "I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense."

"No, you're not." Ena stroked Silver's hand before threading her fingers with his. "But that's okay. Take your time."

Silver looked at their connected hands. "Why are you being so nice to me right now?"

"Would you prefer for me to get angry and be a little mean?" Ena asked him with a small smile. "Perhaps tease you how your growling and biting and purring makes sense now that I know you're a raging beast?"

Red cloaked Silver's face and steam puffed from his ears. "D-D-Don't say it like that!"

Ena simpered, browns soft. 'He's very cute.' Scooting over, she tightened their hand-hold. "Silver, I'm not here to judge you, not unless I feel you need it, which you don't. You're at a very confusing time in your life. Your powers are fluctuating, your hormones are all over the place, and it doesn't help you've had a very big revelation you're a Dragon on top of it all. You're struggling with your identity. It's okay. Take your time."

Silver pouted and mumbled, "Why are you so mature about this? You're the same age as me."

"Physically, yes, but my mental age is much higher than yours."

Silver harrumphed and muttered petulantly, "You don't have to sound so smug about it." 'Even if I'm into it.'

Ena laughed. "I suppose one good thing does come out of this."

"What do you—?" Silver's question was cut off when Ena lifted his head for surprised blues to meet smoky dark browns.

"I've never wanted pets," Ena murmured. "But I like the sound of having a Dragon for a pet very much." Her tone lowered as she purred, "Don't you agree?"

More red crawled up Silver's neck and Chibi-Silver exploded into an S-Class nosebleed. 'Please let this not be a daydream. Please let this be reality.' He swallowed. "D-Do you mean that?"

"Of course." Ena's saucy amusement did not go away. "Being mistress of a Dragon—not bad." Her fingers trailed down his neck. "Not bad at all."

Chibi-Silver needed a blood transfusion from Chibi-Luna at this rate.

Silver grabbed her roaming hand with his free one and kept his composure. "I have a kind-hearted Mistress," he murmured. "I won't forget your kindness."

"See that you don't," Ena teased him as he kissed her hand. "I'm not always this kind." She softened watching Silver kiss the pads of her fingers. "But honestly, Silver, it's okay. There's no need to force everything out into the open all at once. Let's take this one step at a time." She added gently, "I take it L knows?" She laughed seeing Silver's guilt. "I would expect you to tell her."

Silver accidentally blurted, "You're not mad or jealous?"

"'Jealous'?" Ena shot him a puzzled smile. "Why would I be? She's your best friend as she is mine. It's expected for you to share things like this with her."

Silver sighed in relief. "That's good. All those J-dramas I watch always make the female lead get jealous over the childhood friend and everything."

Ena chuckled. "It is a drama, Silver, not real life. Just as L and I have our secrets, I'm aware you two have your own. And I don't mind at all if you feel more comfortable telling her things. You can tell me later or not at all if you prefer. It's what makes you comfortable."

Silver cradled Ena's hand against his cheek, eyes averted and hooded. "All right." 'She's so understanding. I thought she wouldn't believe me. That she'd get mad at me and demand to know everything. But instead…she shows me kindness.' Blues glinted. 'Kindness I don't deserve.'

Ena sensed a change in Silver, and she frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I…" Silver could not look at her. "There's something else I have to tell you. And it might make you mad at me. But…" He mustered the strength to look her in the eye. "It's about Rai and the meeting."

"'The meeting'?" Ena's brow knitted together. "What about it? It's complete."

"No, it's…" Silver's gaze flickered to her lips. "It's about what happened to the meeting. It's about"—he tensed—"what Rai did to you, and…what I did too."

• — • — • — • — •

Ena lowered her hand and tucked herself further into the knitted blanket. It can't be… It couldn't have…

The doors opened for Luna to come out in one of Gale's band-shirts that looked like a short t-shirt dress on her. She offered her friend a small smile. "Hey. Could I join you?"

Ena wordlessly nodded and scooted over. The chair was big enough for the two of them, and Luna had no issue climbing onto it and sitting close to her.

Silence fell between them.

"So you know." Ena stated this—there was no question

Luna nodded. "Are you angry?"

"No," Ena murmured. "I'm not. I don't blame you for not telling me. and I'm not upset Silver didn't tell her. But I…" Her gaze lowered. "I am…worried about him," she confessed in a sigh. "To be such a powerful creature… I'm sure it will require intense training. He'll need to train to control himself."

"Are you worried he won't be able to learn control?" Luna asked.

"No, that's…" Ena tightened her hold on the blanket. "That's not it. I know he will. I have utmost faith he'll learn all he needs to."

But… Dark browns glimmered. I can't help feeling afraid that he'll leave. And I feel even more horrible that I feel afraid of the inevitable. I should be supportive. Her lips tingled. And on top of that, I…

"I should get some rest," murmured Ena. "You should do the same. You don't have to worry about me."

"I always worry about you," Luna told her. "You're strong, E. No one can doubt that. You're so talented and smart, but…" She put her chin on Ena's shoulder. "My papa told me showing emotion is a strength too, not a weakness. I'm here for you too, E. It doesn't matter what's wrong or if you think it's silly. You can talk to me."

"I know." Ena meant that in her heart. "Just…not tonight."

"M'kay," Luna mumbled. She let go of Ena and watched as she rose. "Good night."

"Yes. Good night." Ena tiptoed back inside and slid the door closed behind her. Shoulders slumping, she stayed there. What am I doing? Why do I…?

She started walking until she realized her body had automatically shifted to Silver's room. Lips pressed together, she turned away and went to the room she and Luna shared. Icarus was gone, thankfully, and Ena's bed remained made. Climbing into it made her ache. Her silk pajamas tried to soothe her, but it felt so strange being in such a cold and impersonal bed alone. Either way, she had to bear it.

Her hand went to the nightstand only to come up empty. Oh. That's right. My eye mask is still in his room. She sighed. I'll get it tomorrow. There's no point in waking him up now. She turned to her side with the knitted blanket pooling. I'm sure today has been a struggle for him. After all… Dark browns dulled. Because of me, he was forced to betray the one he loves.

"He did what?"

• — • — • — • — •

Rage shook Ena's core after hearing Silver's recount of the meeting and all the heinous acts Rai committed. "How dare he," she snarled. "That disgusting man—how dare he manipulate my body!"

'I should've prepared for this,' she scolded herself. 'We knew he was a man of questionable morals, but I relied on formality to be his saving grace for his ugly personality. How wrong was I. And because of that… Because of my error…'

"I'm sorry."

Ena violently shook her head. "There is no need for you to be sorry. You're a victim as much as I am. Even more so, because of me forcing myself on you. I'm the one who is sorry."

"What?" Silver could not believe it. "You're sorry? Mistress, he messed with your mind—"

"And you suffered for it," Ena finished bitingly. "You had to endure me becoming some overzealous, wanton Scarlet Lady and forcing myself upon you. Such disgusting behavior. I'm so sorry—"

"Don't be sorry!" Silver grabbed Ena's shoulders, expression pinched in pain. "Don't be sorry. That wasn't your fault. Didn't you hear me? I kissed you back, Mistress. I forced myself on you—!"

"Silver, you're being very kind to try and not make me feel ashamed for my sake, but you shouldn't coddle me," Ena sternly scolded as she took his hands off her shoulders to hold them. "I deserve your anger, not your kindness and forgiveness. And if you feel the need to tell your lady-love this, I am more than willing to tell her everything—"

"Th-This isn't about her!" Silver spluttered, bewildered and furious. "Mistress—Ena—don't you get it? This wasn't your fault. You were brainwashed. I wasn't, and I still kissed you. I-I… I took advantage of you, Mistress! Y-Y-You should be angry or upset or hit me or something!"

Ena heaved a sigh. "Silver—"

"No! I need you to understand this," Silver pressed. "I crossed a line—your boundaries, right? You wouldn't have wanted to kiss me if you weren't brainwashed. I know that. So get angry at me or-or threaten me or something. Because none of this was your fault. This was all my fault. Th-This was all m-m-my…" Angry tears clouded his eyes as disgust churned within him. "I'm so sorry," he croaked. "I'm so sorry, M-M-Mistress."

'I kissed her when she didn't want it. I shouldn't have. And now…' The tears slipped, salty and warm. 'Now she's going to hate me.'

"Oh, Silver." Ena took the time to brush away his tears.

Silver sniveled. "D-Do you hate me now?"

Ena softened. "No, I don't."

"But you should," Silver told her, desperate for something he did not know. "You should h-hate me. You should because I kissed you a-a-and I…" He sniffled. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't hate you, Silver." Ena brought him close for an embrace and could feel his trembling. 'He's shaking. This must've been on his mind ever since we left the meeting. He's been carrying this weight. I can't help but be furious at Rai for making Silver suffer like this. He shouldn't cry. He should smile.' Dark browns seethed. 'I can't forgive that man for making Silver cry. Not ever.'

Her fury dulled for a different emotion. 'However…' Her fingers touched her bottom lip. 'The fact that we kissed…'

"I'm s-s-sorry"—HIC!—"Mistress," Silver sniffled. "I'm really sorry."

Ena threaded her fingers through his head. "I'm sorry too, Silver." Her gaze dropped in a dull twinkle. 'I'm sorry…for the thoughts I have right now.'

• — • — • — • — •

Ena tried not to touch her lips again, but it proved difficult. We kissed. It was not like that one-sided kiss Silver surprised me with on New Year's Eve. It was…reciprocal.

Her ears burned, and her fingers danced over her lips. I can't remember what it was like. I can't remember if it was good or if it was bad. I can't remember…what he felt like. Dark browns went hooded with derailed thoughts. But… I want to…

Her teeth gritted as a shine added to her eyes, angry and self-loathing. What am I thinking? Look at what I've done. I'm supposed to be above this. I'm not supposed to be this easy to manipulate. And I came onto him when he has someone else. No wonder he was shaking. I betrayed him.

She hated feeling her eyes heat, and her vision blurred. No. Don't cry. You did this. You betrayed his trust. And now…

DRIP…

DROP…

A tear landed on her pillow as she trembled. And now you're thinking such vulgar things. What is the matter with me? Why do I feel like this?

Bright blues. "Mistress!"

She shut her eyes as more tears sullied her pillow. Don't. I don't have the right. That right belongs to someone else. And I shouldn't want it either. She forced back any more tears. This is… This is normal. Surely I'm exhausted. My emotions are scattered from learning such news. Tomorrow, I'll make sure everything is back to normal. Tomorrow, I…

Her body refused her commands as streams of tears wetted her cheeks. Why…? Why can't I stop all this crying? I don't understand. I shouldn't cry. Telling herself that made her curl into a ball. But… Why is that all I want to do?

The door to the room opened.

"Mistress?"

Ena stiffened.

Hesitant footsteps came closer to her bed and she prayed he would not round to see her terrible display of tears. Perhaps if she kept quiet—and her heart calmed down—he would think she was asleep and tiptoe away—

"I know you're awake."

Ena bit down on her lip, but the jig was up anyway. "What do you want?" Of all the times she prided on keeping her voice even, her question shook, watery.

"You forgot your eye mask," came Silver's excuse.

"I-I was going to get it tomorrow," Ena reasoned and loathed how weak and raspy her words came out. "You can leave it on the bed." And then you need to leave. I can't let you see me like this. More tears squeezed out, much to her mental protest. Please, just leave me alone—

"You're sad, Mistress."

Ena felt the bed dip.

"Is it because of me?" Silver asked, careful, cautious, afraid. "Is it because of what I did?"

"No," Ena breathed. "It's not that, I swear it."

"Then"—an edge took hold of Silver's voice—"is it because of that bastard?"

"No," Ena told him. "That's not him either. I'm not sad. I'm simply exhausted." She made a show of getting comfortable on her side. "Now, if you would excuse me, I need to sleep." She hoped that was the end of that.

A hush.

It was not like Ena was a squeaker. Plenty of times, she heard Luna squeak when Gale surprised her with his affection, but she never thought she would be afflicted with such a thing. Nevertheless, she squeaked when she felt Silver surround her, ocean and rain stuffing up her nose. "Silver—!"

"I'm glad that you don't hate me." Silver buried his face into Ena's hair. "I was so worried that you'd hate me, Mistress. That you'd want me to go away for breaking your trust. And you'd never want me to speak to you again."

Ena's walls crumbled. "Well, it's not every day people receive a Dragon as a pet."

"No." Silver's smile imprinted. "I guess not." Four beats. "I know you're crying, Mistress. But if you don't want me to ask, I won't. I just…want you to be okay. And I'll keep holding you until you're okay again."

Why did that make Ena want to cry all over again? "I don't want your pity." She needed to save face. She needed to. "I'm fine. You can go—"

"Fine, then I need your pity, Mistress. So please pity me a little"—he reached to hold her hand—"and let me stay with you."

Ena wrestled with the right answer. I need to send him away. That's the right thing to do. He's just trying to coddle me. So why…? She found her hand intertwining with his. Why…can't I say those words?

"I'll take your silence as a 'yes', okay?" Silver laid a delicate kiss on her hair. "Don't worry, Mistress. You should sleep. You said you're tired, remember?"

"I did, but…" Why am I stalling? "I… I can't sleep," she said lamely.

Five beats.

It surprised Ena hearing that purr again. It buzzed in her mind and her heart and it blanketed all her muddled emotions that gave her grief in sleepy contentment. "You're purring again…" She found herself yawning. "It's…nice…"

Silver nuzzled her and purred louder.

Maybe it should alarm her how easily she forgot her stress and grief just by one measly sound. But it did not. I need…to send him away. He shouldn't be this kind to me. But for the life of her, she could not. Maybe it was the wisps of desperation that made her breathe, "You should do this for the girl you love. I think she'll like it too."

The purring lessened.

Ena held her breath.

Silver sighed. "Go to sleep, Mistress. We'll talk in the morning." He silenced her with a louder purr as his thumb soothed her knuckles. It was easier than ever for him to know when her heartbeat stabilized and her breaths meant slumber. The weight of all his secrets had yet to unburden him fully, but he felt lighter than before.

And then she gutted him in two sentences.

If I could tell you you're that girl….and how you're everything to me… Would you hate me? Would you listen to me like you did today? Silver shifted to have a better hold on Ena. Just when I thought we were getting closer, you say that. He scented her with no remorse and all longing. You're so cruel, Mistress. I told you to act more selfishly with me, and you still do this. But that's okay. I'm just happy you don't hate me.

He could feel his own sleep take over the more he inhaled the sweetness of Ena's scent. And I hope if we ever kiss again, you'll remember it.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Tobase STAR TRAIN

Tsuki akari wo se ni FLY AWAY

Mada minu mirai he to kakedase

Yozora wo koete

•

Kimi mo Step Forward

Sono Yuma wo nosete Jump Around

Sekai wo hirogete hashirou

Shuuchakueki ha

Kimi no Wonderful World

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Ena's plan of "tomorrow" did not last long, especially dealing with an overattentive, er…Dragon.

And a very done best friend, but that was beside the point.

Breakfast was served within the suite today, courtesy of Silver's pre-planning. The works had been set out in front of them with more meatless options than Ena had known what to do with. Pajamas, breakfast, and morning cartoons—who could ask for more? Icarus hawked down his bacon and eggs with grateful gusto as the trio took up the couch.

"Come on, Mistress, say, 'ah'!"

"No."

By which meant Luna focused on the Poko episode and dutifully ignored whatever was going on next to her.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Hotel Nimbus

Ao's Paradise

Caelum, Ishgar

10:21 AM WIT

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Ena's eyebrow twitched. I had meant to try and avoid being close to him today; however…

"Come on, Mistress!" A perky and flower aura Silver sat beside her with some of his omelet on a fork. He looked like a happy tail-wagging dog. "Try some! You'll like it, I promise. Let me feed you, Mistress!"

TICK!

A tick mark twinged Ena's cheek as her dark aura contradicted Silver's sunny one. For some unforeseeable reason, he is acting overly clingy this morning, and I can't shake him off.

All that occurred this morning hit her at once. The second she had woken up, she had not realized she had turned to lay on Silver's chest. And while she normally would have rolled off—

"Good morning, Mistress!" Ena had gawked seeing Silver wide-awake and beaming. "It's early! You should sleep some more!" And she had no words when Silver pulled her back down to snuggle her against his chest. "Mmm, you smell so good, Mistress!"

And then her morning workout…

"You can do it, Mistress!"

Ena had tried to ignore the onlookers as she did her weighted squats with Luna at the hotel gym (and she was slowly dying with the more repetitions Ena piled on without her notice). Silver had taken to be a personal cheerleader as he cheered, "Once you're finished with your set, you should take a break, Mistress, and let me take care of you!"

And then in the bathroom…

Ena chalked it up to the shower being hot for all the red on her face when Silver had taken to washing her back in his swim trunks. He was careful in his washing and thorough, but it made Ena rattled even more when he started doing her hair.

"I'm going to take care of you, Mistress," he had breathed in her ear, "so you look your best when your dad comes home." And if that was not enough, his soapy fingers had pulled back her hair and grazed her neck. "So you can rest easy now, Mistress," he had murmured in a voice too intense for her comfort. "I've got you."

And now…

"Your pet is waiting, Mistress!"

Ena nearly broke her fork against Silver's cheery disposition. I want to murder him. She huffed. "Silver, I do not need you to me—Mmm!" It did not matter what she wanted, of course, when Silver took the opportunity to feed her regardless.

"See? It wasn't so bad." Silver forked more of his omelet and offered it to her. "Here! Try some more, Mistress!"

Ena angrily chewed and swallowed. This isn't going to work. I need to be more direct with him about why he needs to stop this. Perhaps then he won't be so clingy.

She cleared her throat. "Silver, while I appreciate your attention, it is inappropriate and unnecessary," she said flatly. "I am very sure your lady-love would not appreciate you fawning over another lady, so I ask that you stop this—"

"Nope!" Silver still had his flowery aura. "I can't stop, Mistress. I want to serve you."

Ena ignored how red her ears turned. "Yes, well, you shouldn't," she tried to emphasize. "I understand you feel bad because of yesterday's events, but you should consider your original lady-love—"

"No thanks!" Silver kept beaming, regardless of his swift shutdown. "I only think of my mistress first."

Ena blinked, trying not to get flustered. "But you should—"

"Nope!" Another swift rejection. "My mistress comes first."

"But—"

"Nope!"

"B-But—!"

"Nope!"

"You can't—!"

"I don't care." More sunshine came from Silver, undeterred. "Mistress will always come first to me." His smile sharpened to show his canines. "So there's no use of Mistress trying to run away." Blues held amusement. "It wouldn't do well for Mistress to run away from her prized pet."

"He's right," Luna said through her mouthfuls, focused on Poko. "It wouldn't."

Ena shot Luna a glare, cheeks heated, but she could not meet Silver's eyes. "I suppose it's bad manners to abandon a pet so useful," she sniffed.

"That's right." Silver showed his fork again. "Say 'ah'…!"

Ena accepted the forkful begrudgingly and gave Silver a look split between annoyance and thoughtfulness while he chatted with Luna about the episode. I don't understand him. I was certain he would look at me like I was a pariah. Browns fell to her half-finished plate. After all… I kissed him when he has someone he has feelings for.

Her appetite fled her and shame rolled in. I can't believe I would do that. I should have foreseen such cheap tactics and instead…I gave into them. And he paid the price. Gaze sparkled in despair, she clenched her own fork. And even after how ashamed I feel, I… I still want to…

She started a little when warm fingers brushed back her hair and fluttered over her pulse.

"You smell sad again, Mistress," Silver murmured. "Please don't be sad." He brought her face to his for blues to search browns. "I just want you happy, Mistress."

Ena's eyes widened when Silver placed a kiss on her forehead.

LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB!

"So…" He dropped his head with their noses brushing and lips only breaths away. "I'll make sure to give you a reason to be happy, Mistress. I promise. Okay?"

Ena wracked her brain to understand what happened and find a response. Silver… Eyes pooled downwards, she could feel her blush cover her neck. He's so close…

Silver pulled away with a sunny beam that was all innocent, unlike moments ago. "But we should finish breakfast. We have to take a Sky Taxi down to the mainland." He looked at Luna and teased her, "And we're not stopping every five minutes so you can take pictures, Lulu."

"If the mood strikes me to take a picture, I'm taking a picture," Luna sniffed.

"I will leave you behind."

"Ha! You wouldn't. Gale would murder you. And so would Igneel."

Ena could barely hear Silver and Luna's banter. She huddled between them as she clutched the material over her heart and tried to tone down her flushed face before she matched her scarlet hair.

He was close, and I…didn't mind. Her grip tightened. What on Earth Land is happening to me?

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 126

•

To the Mainland

•

本土へ

•

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"Woo-hoo…!"

Luna felt exhilarated in the Sky Taxi as they weaved through the clouds. She plastered her hands and face to the window and she could not wipe off her wonder. "This is so awesome!"

Ena smiled with her arms and legs crossed as she watched Luna light up. I'm glad she's bounced back to her old self. It's good to see her getting better. Her memories showed a forlorn Luna with vague smiles and dulled eyes. Still, I wish I understood what caused her to withdraw so much. That way, I could do what it takes for her not to feel that sort of sadness ever again.

Turbulence shuddered the cab and rocked Ena off-kilter for a moment. It was not like she was going to fall, but she did not expect Silver to steady her and bring her close.

"Are you okay, Mistress?" Silver murmured in her ear.

Ena quickly separated them. "I'm fine." She turned her head, ears red. "There's no need for you to worry." She played with her side braid separated from her ponytail to keep busy.

Silver watched her and suppressed his sigh. Lulu was right. Blues flickered out the window. She really is trying to run.

• — • — • — • — •

"Don't let her run."

Luna sat crisscrossed her bed with her tablet and Icarus snoozed at the foot. Ena snored like a motorboat and had turned to sprawl across Silver's chest, not that he minded after propping himself up and shifting a bit.

He went through the trouble of Perench braiding her hair, but he frowned at Luna. "What do you mean?"

"She's going to run tomorrow." Luna peered at her best friends. "Knowing her, she doesn't blame you for kissing her. In her eyes, she probably thinks she is 'the other woman', even if your crush is actually her. She'll probably try to keep her distance from you." She seared Silver with a firm look. "Don't let her."

Silver grew uncertain. "But if she needs space—"

"She doesn't." Luna shook her head. "Not for this. Any other time, yes. But you can't let her run from you." Her gaze fell to Ena. "It's not like E and I never had our fights. We have. But there were certain things I never pushed her on." She shifted. "Like her situation with Aine. I know Aine cares about her, but if I ever mentioned anything like that, E would shut it down. And I was too afraid to push the subject if it meant she'd distance herself from me."

"That's not on you, though," Silver assured as he finished the braid. 'But…she's not wrong. There are certain subjects Mistress will shut down. And she immediately withdraws if I try to press the subject. It's frustrating, but…it's also terrifying.'

"That's why I'm telling you now to not let her run," Luna said. "She's going to try to keep her distance. And she'll expect you to listen to her and leave her alone. But you can't do that."

"And what makes you think she'll let me stay close to her?" Silver asked.

"Because…you're the only one who fought her and won."

Silver looked at Luna in surprise. "What? I've never won against her in a fight."

"Not physically," Luna corrected as she brushed back her hair. "Aine, Aunt Erza, me—we try hard to be there for E. I know it kills Auntie Erza that E doesn't talk to her about what's bothering her. She'll talk to me, but anything about Aine is instantly shut down. But you… You've fought against her so many times—and you won. You kept pushing her at every turn and you won. That's not easy, not with E at least. So please."

Browns held firm. "Fight back if she keeps trying to push you away. Because you're the only one who can win. And trust me when I say that's something you shouldn't ever take lightly."

• — • — • — • — •

Silver clenched his hands. I know she's been trying to all morning to shake me off and put distance between us. His jaw ticked. But I can't let that happen. I have to show her that running won't solve anything.

He blinked. This seems really familiar… For some reason, he thought of Igneel and Mary Jane and the way Mary Jane avoided him like the plague.

"Come on, MJ, come play with me!"

"Fuck off, you moron! Stay the Hell away from me!"

And he could also remember the parallels with his own brother merrily frolicking after a panicking Nashi.

"Run into my arms, Angel!"

"Leave me alone, you creepy dog!"

A sweat-drop went down Silver's temple. I feel like both of those are extremes that could've ended with jail time. Blues steeled with resolve. Still though, they had good points. Mary Jane might be kinder now, but she was cold as ice before. And Igneel wasn't afraid to push past her limits. Even my mom would tell me my dad was the same. He kept her away. And Mistress will try to do the same.

He glanced at Ena and how she chatted with Luna. If I'm the one who fought her and won before, then I can do it again. I will do it again. I'm sorry, Mistress. His lips curled into a fanged smile. But I have to disobey you. Please punish me later.

Silver gave Ena a fright when he latched onto her with his chin on her shoulder. "H-Hey!" she squawked. "Don't touch me so freely!"

"But Mistress smells great this morning!" Silver said, cheery.

Ena reddened and barked, "Don't smell me either! You're a Dragon, not a dog!"

"I'm a pet either way, right? A pet sniffs their owners!" He nuzzled into her hair. "And you smell amazing, Mistress."

"Don't be crass!" Ena tried to control herself. My heart feels like it's going to burst from my chest. And I feel so sick. There's something fluttering in my stomach. Panic hit her. Food poisoning, maybe? But then… She shivered when Silver tightened his hold. Why is it worsening with him so close?

Luna gasped. "Look, look, we're almost there, you guys!"

Ena blinked and peered out the windows—

Dark browns widened, sparkling. Oh, wow…

Silver smiled seeing Ena's look of wonder, and he murmured, "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," Ena breathed in agreement. "It really is."

Silver hummed, his own blues gleaming. "Welcome to the mainland, Mistress."

The Caladrius steered the Sky Taxi into a cloud with the help of its Tamer. They barreled out of the hazy of white to oversee the glittering ocean in its mixture of blues and greens. But their destination was none of the than the larger-than-life island with its majestic volcanos and picturesque greenery. A large facility made its own one the main island with a stretched bridge connecting it to a smaller island teeming with properties and human life.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« Welcome to Caelum's mainland. The mainland is split into two islands. "Kāne's Island" is the larger island of the two and is named after the Guardian Spirit herself. It is relatively untouched outside of the conservation facility and workers who monitor and study life there. The bridge, labeled Pelekai Bridge, connects Kāne's Island to what people refer to as the true "mainland", where summer homes and administrative offices are. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The Sky Taxi descended towards the conservation facility located at the center of Kāne's Island. A large glass-paneled dome had encompassed the facility with solar panels, wind turbines, and even water wheels capturing as many natural resources as possible to fuel the campus. Protective enchantments encompassed the campus with natural dirt paths crafted to not bother the island's landscape. But within the dome, plenty of workers went to and fro with their workload and a few looked up to see a Sky Taxi was coming inside the dome.

"Whoa…" Luna could not hide her excitement as their Sky Taxi descended into the conversation dome. "I'm definitely going to take pictures of this!"

The Tamer guided their Partner to land on the pad with staff flurrying about, curious about the new arrivals.

A fangy grin.

The Tamer was more than happy to open the cab, and Luna came out with her PDP and camera bag strapped to her person. Icarus poofed himself out and shook out his Dog Form fur.

"This place is amazing!" Luna remarked. All around her were smaller buildings to house conservationists and others, but nature seeped through as vines and moss lazed about walls. She could not help but start to take pictures of everything she saw. "We're actually here!"

Ena took the offering of the Tamer's hand. "Thank you." She called to Luna as she came out. "L, don't wander too far! We need to wait for our guide!"

"'Kay!"

Ena chuckled, watching Luna focus her shot for her next picture. "And she's already in her own world." She did not expect a hand to hold hers and with Silver as the culprit, she sputtered, "E-Excuse me—"

"This is a big facility, Mistress." Silver tightened his grip. "We wouldn't want to get separated, right?"

"W-Well…" Ena looked away, annoyed and embarrassed. "I suppose…not…"

"Great! Then I'll keep holding your hand."

Ena's eyebrow twitched as a shiny aura expanded from Silver. This is going to be a long day.

"You must be my guests!"

All four of them looked to see a Chimera come towards them. He looked like a black jaguar with his spots flashing in the right light, but he had the horns, beard, and eyes of a goat, even though he needed to wear glasses. He stopped before them with a smile. "Aloha awakea, friends. And welcome to the Caelum Conservancy Center."

⌜CAELUM CONSERVANCY CENTER

Name: Amare

Age: 87

Occupation: Director of Public Education and Outreach

Likes: chasing mice Dislikes: yarn

Special Note: Amare is an Intelligent Chimera, but he is primarily a big cat! Don't tell his coworkers even he gets high on catnip! ⌟

Ena, Silver, and Luna greeted, "Aloha!"

"Thank you for having us," Ena appreciated. "We're grateful for your guidance."

Amare laughed. "It's not a problem at all!" He pointed at Silver. "This young man was quite the persuasive one when it came to scheduling your tour. So we've made sure to have everything up to par for your visit today."

Silver flushed. "I-I didn't do much, really. But thank you, Mister Amare."

Amare boomed with laughter. "He's so humble! What an adorable little human! Rahahahaha!"

Ena, Icarus, Silver, and Luna sweatdropped hearing Amare's roaring mirth. His laugh sounds like he's going to murder us.

Amare put his paw-like hands on his hips. "Well, now! How about we give you a tour of the facilities and then we'll take you down to the stables, get you saddled and tacked up, and you can do some exploring on your own?"

Ena, Luna, and Silver exchanged grins while Icarus barked.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

"Aye, sir!"

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK!

Maybe fighting with enchanted wooden swords was a strange way to start the day, but Nora and Beatrice got by. Dressed in their practice pads and headgear, they danced across the grass with precision and instinct.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Saturnus Palace

Akane Beach

Fiore, Ishgar

11:26AM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Eros watched them spar with a teacher's eyes on the stone steps. He heard the Perench doors open behind him yet spared no backward glance as he focused on Nora and Beatrice's sparing. It was not until a mug of black coffee pressed onto his thigh that he glanced.

Odette gifted him a smile with her own mug of coffee in hand. "Morning."

"Morning. Thanks." Eros took the black coffee and did not wait for the roast to cool as he took a sip. His stare went back to Nora and Beatrice. "Should I be expecting the Duke of Aronia today?"

Odette simpered into her first sip. "No. He has work to do."

"I see."

Odette's brown gaze flickered to her coffee cupped with both of her hands. "He told me there's no chance for him and Atticus to ever be on friendly terms. And I know he meant every word of what he said." Her nail thumbed the mug's rim.

Eros spared Odette an even look. "Is that surprising to you? Atticus may be popular with the nobles, but Alex knows better than to get close to him. After all"—his stare turned frosty—"he was the last one seen with Alex's mother, the late Duchess, before she died."

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK!

Nora and Beatrice clashed swords at a stalemate.

Odette's stare dimmed. "I know. But Atticus was a child, and he wasn't a suspect. I thought…there could be another reason Dreux doesn't like Atticus." Her shoulders hunched forward. "That's not to say I trust Atticus either. Truthfully, I always feel nervous around him."

Nora took the plunge to whip his sword and spin into a kick. Beatrice was forced to block, but Nora was not finished.

Eros tensed. "Has he done any—?"

"Eros, you know he hasn't." Odette sighed. "I don't know. I remember when our mother was alive, Atticus was close to her. She always called him her little shadow and introduced him to gardening. But then"—a sad glint in browns—"when she died… It felt like I needed to be cautious around him for some reason. It didn't feel like he was going to break down. He was the only one of us who didn't cry. But still, ever since then, I couldn't help but feel aware."

Beatrice had enough of Nora's full-frontal attacks and turned her defense into an aggressive offense.

Eros watched the match. My memories of Atticus are few and far between. Octavius and I had little interest in spending time with other noble sons. Once Octavius went off to the Tower for his education and I went to school, neither one of us saw him. But when I met Atticus at his first Round Table, I couldn't shake the feeling he was watching. Not me, but he profiled and observed. And being observant—his hand tightened around his mug—can be dangerous.

Nora's attack could not come into fruition when Beatrice struck her wooden blade for his throat. Sweat dripped between them and heavy breath, but friendly challenge glowed in their eyes.

"You said Atticus went to Caelum," Eros rumbled.

Odette lowered her head. "Yes."

"And you're sure his focus was following Ena Fernandes?"

Her head picked up, stunned. "W-Well, yes. Why else would he be in Caelum, considering how he all acted during Ena's stay at the hall?"

I see then. Eros watched as Beatrice and Nora gripped arms. A smart move on Nora's part. Letting her think Atticus is in pursuit of Ena due to the Holy Eye potentially keeps Odette in the clear. But if she knew her brother was interested in a young girl, she wouldn't be able to hold onto a front.

Beatrice took off her headgear as she and Nora joshed around.

Eros sipped his dark roast. But the question remains why Atticus would even take interest in an unknown girl. Miss Layla Heart—a student of Saint Layla's and a model for the House of E. From that alone, it would be easy to view Atticus' interest as disturbing and inappropriate. But I know he's much more cunning. And if he's willing to risk his image being slandered, then I know he has an ulterior interest. But why in her? She's a simple student with no connections. She's a child.

Darkness narrowed. Atticus… What do you plan to do to this girl?

BAM!

Odette and Eros felt a gust of wind slammed them as the doors swung open and thought in a sigh and grumble respectively, She's here.

"Ugh, what are you guys even doing out here?" Sylvie paraded outside with her Compact and an outfit that looked like paparazzi should care about her. "Training? That's lame. I thought we were here for spring holiday?"

Odette hummed her mirth. "Good morning, Sylvie. I take it you're over the casino situation from last night?"

TICK!

Unbothered, Eros sipped his coffee as Sylvie glared daggers at him and growled, "I would've had fun if a fun-sucking grandpa hadn't ruined my night!" Her arms crossed and she sniffed, "I could've gotten free drinks and I even got invited to a penthouse party, but Grandpa screwed things up for me!"

Eros deadpanned, "Three-fourths of those drinks had been spiked. I expect gratitude for saving you from an egregious mistake."

Sylvie ground her teeth. "You expect me to thank you for ruining my night? Screw you! I knew which drinks were spiked! I don't need you to nanny me!"

"Even a toddler would be better behaved than a little girl like you," Eros muttered.

"Excuse me?"

Odette was at the crossroads of sympathy and exasperation. "Sylvie, you know it's not smart for you to accept drinks and invitations from strangers. Father would have a field day if he learned how irresponsible you were being and he would hold your allowance hostage—which meant your spending budget would be gone."

Sylvie froze before sweating bullets.

Eros drew up to his full height. "Well, my morning has been sufficiently ruined by annoying children desperate to be grown up," he sighed.

"What!"

"I'll be heading in first." One hand in his pocket, Eros climbed up the steps. He paused at Sylvie and loftily commented, "A word of the wise: children know the value of stranger danger. If you can't understand that much, while you're under my care, you'll continue to have a nanny for your entire holiday."

Sylvie's eye twitched. "Excuse me?" She rounded on Eros and hounded him as he walked away. "You can't do that to me! You're not my father, Eros!"

Eros stopped and gave Sylvie a chilling look. "Be happy I'm not. I wouldn't have the patience for you unimpressive rebellion and no common sense." He turned and leaned down, making sure Sylvie saw his eyes, even as she flinched away. "Your father allowed you on this trip on the premise I become your caretaker. If you choose to continue acting irresponsible, I'm allowed to handle things as I see fit. Act like a child; you'll get a nanny like a child."

He straightened. "I don't have the time to look after a noble lady with no sense of priority. So I suggest you stay in line. And thank me for my kindness." And he went back into the palace.

Sylvie blew her top with a fire in her eyes. "Who the Hell does he think he is telling me that bullshit? Gah, he's such an arrogant asshole! Like Hell I'm taking orders from him!"

Odette chuckled as Sylvie stormed inside. I feel bad for her. She'll learn Eros isn't kidding about his words soon enough. And as she sipped her coffee, she remained oblivious to Sylvie's shadow slipping away from her.

---

BASHABASHABASHA!

Luna looked at her camera to make sure everything came out crystal clear with half an ear towards her surroundings and Icarus keeping tempo with her. A mural had painted the entire corridor, thanks to a Pict Mage, with little factoids about the native species of flora and fauna within Kāne's Island.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Caelum Conservancy Center

Kāne's Island

Caelum, Ishgar

12:56 PM WIT

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Amare explained to Ena and Silver, "Here at the center, we specialize in observation, research, and tagging. Many wildlife specialists here are Chimera, Aberrants, Tamers, or Wizards with an affinity to Earth and Green Magic in some way, shape, or form, but we obviously have Spiritless staff as well. We've established a symbiotic relationship with the native animals, but we try not to intervene too much. That being said, we do monitor behaviors, reproduction, and we assist in difficult births or debilitating injuries."

"So you work with the Worldwide Wildlife Conservation Organization?" Ena asked.

Amare nodded. "We do. Our goal is to preserve this place in its natural habitat. Because many of the creatures on this island, magical and normal, are critically endangered, we're thankful for the acts in place to help us get those populations back up to normal rates. We've been very successful with our breeding programs and just recently, the Caelun Bat was moved from endangered to vulnerable, which is a tremendous leap."

"Congratulations," Silver said. "I've heard about those bats. They're born without eyes, right?"

"Right."

The corridor opened up to show a magnificent dome. Specialists and a few visitors had come here to eat, talk, and look at all the artwork. Painted creatures great and small thrived in their natural home. Luna already was taking a panoramic.

"Caelun Bats have no eyes, but they do use Sound Magic," Amare educated. "While Caelun Bats do use echolocation, their Sound Magic allows them better offensive and defensive measures. By increasing their pitch, their screeches often injure their predators' ears to the point of complete deafness. They can even ricochet their screeches to sound like it's coming elsewhere. They're extremely fascinating to study and they only live on Caelum."

Silver nodded, glancing around. "I see."

All of them took in the majesty of the dome with how intricate every single animal had been drawn and painted in. Luna planned to take it all when her camera lens pointed up the ceiling—

Luna slowly put down her camera to gape at the roof. Oh, goodness… Silhouettes of a powerful doe and a large goose circled a pool of rainbow light as they spread kindness and warmth between land and sky. So then, they must be…

"Ao and Kāne."

Luna looked up at Amare, but he looked at the roof mural with fondness. "Yes. That's the two of them."

"It's neat," Luna commented. "It's so cool to learn about Guardian Spirits."

"Do you know their story?" Amare asked.

"I believe so." Luna pointed at Ao the winged spirit. "Ao was originally Caelum's Guardian. However, Caelum was constantly raided for their materials. Because of that, Ao gave Caeluns the power of the sky and created the six Paradises Caelum has today. But he still wanted protection for the mainland. And so, he enlisted the help of Kāne, who became the Guardian of the mainland."

"That's correct," Amare deemed. "But do you know what resources people kept scouring for?"

Luna frowned. "Well…"

Amare chuckled. "It's all right if you don't. Not many do. Tell you what. How about we go up to the observation deck and I'll tell you all about it?"

Luna blinked twice. "There's an observation deck?"

°•°•°•°

Using a TeleWarp felt odd if you were unused to teleporting. Nausea, dizziness, slight disorientation, and memory loss—all common symptoms for first-timers. But the group warped onto the TelePad with only Luna a little woozy from the journey.

Are you all right? Icarus asked.

Yeah. Luna steadied herself. I'm fine. She stepped off the pad for stable ground and glanced around. This is pretty cool.

The observation deck looked like an adult treehouse with fun rope bridges, a trampoline, and wood slats to get from A to B. A lot more tourists preoccupied the observation deck as they looked out the giant windows with the deck binoculars, but the braver pairs had gone to the 360-observation deck with the floors, ceiling, and walls all reinforced glass.

"This is what we call our 'treehouse'," Amare explained. "It's detached from the main campus and floats in mid-air. We have spells around it to camouflage it, but any flying creatures can normally sense it and avoid it, so they don't run into it."

"This is incredible," Ena complimented. "A flying observation deck—why am I surprised?"

Amare laughed. "Yes. It's a running theme with Caelum." He toured them around with Luna and Icarus off to take more pictures. "Everyone knows the story of Ao's decision to migrate his wards to the sky. And most people know about the war that ravaged the war. But it's always been assumed that the reason Caelum was constantly invaded is because of its abundance of natural resources."

"But you don't believe that," Ena caught on.

"No." Amare shook his head. "I don't."

The group came to the 360-observation deck and oversaw Kāne's Island from every angle. The beauty of the ranges and foliage made you want to gaze out of the windows for eternity to catalog everything the light touched.

"It's an old wives' tale," Amare told them, "but it's one I believe. You may know by now Caelum had five prominent gods during the Middle Era. And those five gods discovered, who we call, the under-grounders. And they formed a deep relationship. But no one knows what sort of relationship they shared or even where these under-grounders lived. That's where fiction comes in."

Amare pointed to the distance. "In the whisper of folktales, it's said the under-grounders lived in the now extinct and mythological volcano called 'Kohala'."

'Kohala'?" Silver, Ena, and Luna echoed.

Amare nodded. "Yes. Kohala." He put his hands behind his back, clasped, with his gaze distant. "As of now, scientists have succinctly proven an extinct volcano of Kohala's magnitude could never have existed. But still, in oral recounts, it does exist. And it's where the under-grounders lived. And from the under-grounders comes the myth of the menehune. Ancient people with little stories of their own. But those under-grounders were referred to as menehune, a secret people who the gods discovered, yet scientists say there is no sign of such a civilization. Oral recounts contradict it."

He slighted the group a look. "Can you guess how such a volcano and a civilization could simultaneously exist and not exist?"

"Schrödinger's cat," Ena murmured.

Luna hummed, thoughtful. "Maybe…it's in-between existing and not existing on Earth Land?"

"And you'd be right," Amare affirmed. "Legend says Kohala does exist, and it was prominently a part of this island. But upon Ao migrating the Caeluns, Kāne hid Kohala. And therein lies the question: what did Kohala contain that would make a Guardian Spirit hide it? Did the menehune truly exist? Did Kāne hide them?" When no one had an answer, he laughed. "But it's just an old story. There's no proof that Kohala or the menehune ever existed." His eyes softened. "But Kāne… She exists. And she works in mysterious ways."

Luna peered at him. "You know her." A statement.

"Hm." Amare smiled. "You could say that. Up until many decades ago, I was a Chimera with no human intelligence."

That surprised them and they gaped, "Really?"

"Yes." Amare's shoulders shook as he chuffed. "It's surprising, I know. But it's true." His shoulders relaxed and his chin lifted. "I was wounded badly. Poachers had come onto the island. Chimaera are considered rare game to hunt. I had landed in a trap and would've died from blood loss."

"But…that's when you met Kāne," Luna murmured, "isn't it?"

"Yes." Amare sighed. "That was when I met her. It felt like a dream, at least now that I understand the concept of dreaming. She gave me intelligence. She reformed my body so I could walk and talk. And then she left me"—he snapped his fingers—"like that. Like I truly had dreamed it all up."

"That's incredible," Luna breathed.

"Have you told your story to others?" Ena wondered.

"I used to," Amare admitted. "When I arrived at the hospital, treatment for Intelligent Chimaera still had a long way to go. The police came to question me since I had no documentation of my identity in any system. I told them about Kāne, but…" He sighed. "They didn't believe me. It's not that they don't believe in Spirits." He gestured to Icarus. "Celestial Spirits are proven very much real. But Guardian Spirits, as I understand it, have not been active around humans in a millennium or so. It makes sense people have no interest in believing in them."

He shrugged. "But the social worker I was given believed me. They're a member of the Holy Eye now, if I'm not mistaken. They helped me learn about this world and now, I want to give back to Kāne for the life she gave me."

Silver's jaw went taught, and Ena narrowed her eyes. Of course the Holy Eye validated him.

Luna looked at the vast island and murmured, "I'm certain Kāne's very proud of you."

"I'd like to think so," Amare said. "I haven't seen her since. But I hope she's happy with the life I built."

Silver questioned, "So do you think Kohala is real, then?"

Now that was the question. Amare replied, "Kāne, like all Guardians, works in mysterious ways. If she hid Kohala and the menehune with it, there would be no way for anyone to prove it without her allowing them to find it. Whatever Kohala held must've been too important for mortals like us to touch it." He crossed his arms. "But I'm sure when the right person comes along, Kāne will show herself and trust them with her secrets."

Luna tilted her head and put her hand to the glass. "I wonder if she's sad."

Amare frowned down at her. "What do you mean? Sad about the way the world is now?"

"Mm-mm." Luna shook her head. "Kāne used to rule the Boundary Forest with her brother, Tāne. But she left him to be the Guardian of this island. I wonder if she misses him."

Browns dimmed. Because I miss Igneel a lot. Maybe Kāne feels lonely without her brother. Luna's fingers clenched on the window. I hope she's doing okay.

"Well!" Amare smiled at the group. "I suppose it's time to get you to the stables and explain a little more about the routes for your ride, yes? Let's get to it." As he guided them away, Amare could not help his curiosity towards Luna. I had no idea Guardians had familial relations. Who is this girl?

°•°•°•°

The stables had workers mucking the stalls with cats lounging about for their free meals of rodents. But the domed center provided a grazing area for their mighty steeds that were not only normal horses. Magical equines roamed amongst their Spiritless kin, from two horses with flaming manes and tales to another Chimaera of a horse with a snake's scales, tales, and eyes. Outlandish creatures tamed for riding grazed the grass, some lounging in the shade for relief.

Grooms had three normal horses at the ready near the pasture as Amare led the group.

"While we do have vehicles, we prefer a more natural method to go around the island," Amare explained. "All these animals have been trained extensively for their services. If a Tamer and one of our veterinarians need to aid an animal, our steeds know how to protect them from danger."

"I didn't realize horses could do that," Silver commented, stunned. "That sounds hard to train."

"The horses we have here come from the ranches on the adjacent island," Amare explained. "They train their horses for many purposes before selling them to the center. In older times, we only allowed visitors with our steeds for guided tours. But now that protective enchantments have gotten so advanced, visitors can rent a steed and select a route to travel."

He gestured to the three horses. "And these three are yours, if you'd like." He went to the pure-breed Appaloosa stallion and stroked his muzzle. "Miss Heart, this is Breaker. He's a very gentle soul and yours for the day."

Luna felt her heart throb seeing Breaker (and in her head, she could see the horse giving her puppy eyes). He's so adorable! I really want to pet him!

Icarus reminded amusedly, Pup, do you know how to ride a horse?

Luna's world cracked.

"Um…" Luna awkwardly laughed. "Y'know, thank you for my horse, but I think I'll be okay with Icarus. I'm sorry, Mister Breaker."

The poor stallion looked devastated at the rejection with Icarus highly smug.

Amare laughed. "That's all right." He nodded to Ena as he moved to the next stallion, a Morgan horse. "Miss Fernandes, this is Tricky. Mister Fullbuster told me you're a more experienced equestrian. Tricky is normally given to intermediate-level riders."

Ena was careful coming close, but with Tricky's interested tail swish, she extended her hand. And his lowered muzzle made it all the easier for her to pet his maw. "I think he likes me."

"I think so as well," Amare agreed. He moved to the third. "And Mister Fullbuster, your horse…" He realized Silver's attention was drawn elsewhere as he stood by the fence with his gaze heavy on the pond within the pasture. "Everything all right? Did something catch your eye?"

Silver's brow knitted together. "I don't know." He kept focusing on the pond. I can feel something in the water. It's weird, but… I know it senses me. Against his will, his blues glowed and the stir in his chest vibrated.

It surprised Amare and the grooms when some of the water in the pond foamed for a moment before a creature emerged. It had all the makings of a horse, yes, but its body was a solid mass of water and its tail flowing like a river. Its glowing blues stared back at Silver as it separated from the pond to drift closer. Even the other steeds had become curious about this event, shuffling back to make room.

I don't believe it, Amare thought in disbelief. It came out.

The water horse came close to the fence before it bowed low in respect. But the Kelpie was not shy about coming closer to Silver, tail swishing.

Silver looked at the creature in utter fascination. It's a horse made of water. Tentatively, he offered his hand. The Kelpie had no issue when he stroked its muzzle and it welcomed the pets. It feels like solid mass, but it also feels like water. This is so freaky.

"I see our Kelpie finally came out of her shell," Amare noted.

Silver, entranced, asked, "What's her name?"

"We call her 'Ariel' after the little mermaid," Amare told. "She'd been a finicky one, I won't lie. She was washed up on the beach when we found her. She wasn't injured, but she refused to return to the sea. We presumed she most likely ran from a predator and came to land as a last resort, so she's been staying in our pond."

But no one has been able to coax her to come back out, he quietly commented, watching Silver and Ariel in interest. We tried having Water Mages and aquatic-based Aberrants and Tamers, but Ariel refused to listen to them. I understand he's a Water Mage, but what is different about him that she came out on her own volition?

"She's very beautiful," Silver said softly. He smiled when Ariel made a throaty noise. "You must like compliments." He snickered when Ariel bobbed her head. "Aren't you a humble one?"

Ariel whinnied and snorted, tail flicking.

Amare made up his mind. "Would you like to ride her?"

Silver gave him a look of surprise. "I could ride her?"

"If Ariel allows us to tack her up and give her a saddle, of course," Amare reasoned. "You're the first person Ariel has come out for. But because she hasn't spent much time on land, you'll need to make sure she gets to a body of water every hour or so."

Silver did not understand. "How come?"

"Aquatic magical creatures need water for survival, obviously, but some need it more than most," Amare explained. "When an aquatic creature is young, they don't know how to regulate their bodies or the water they maintain. Leaving the ocean too soon can be deadly for them because they don't know how to properly breathe and transition their aquatic body to a land body. It's up to their parents to gradually teach their young how to survive on land. The more exposed their young is to land, the longer their endurance is to maintain their form and regulate themselves. I'm sure as a Water Mage, you understand about elemental regulation."

Silver nodded slowly. "Yeah. My parents told me summer weather is brutal for Ice and Water Mages. We have to train to not get dried out or dehydrated too quickly. But it's pretty easy if you learn really young."

"Right." Amare nodded to Ariel. "Kelpies, as adults, can normally stay on land for a period of seventy-two hours before they need water. But, while Ariel can make a land form, she might not be able to regulate her body for long periods since she doesn't want to work with us on her endurance. To be on the safe side, we'll make sure you're equipped with an aqua kit to keep her regulated and teach you how to use it. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Silver agreed, troubled. "That sounds fine." He looked back at Ariel, but his mind felt a million miles away.

I didn't realize that water-based magical creatures had that big of a learning curve to regulate their bodies. So when they're little, they have to stay in water, huh? That makes sense, but… He swallowed. Why does the thought make me so nervous?

Ariel bumped his hand.

Silver gave her his undivided attention and murmured, "I'm afraid for nothing, right? I'm sure I'm being paranoid. I know how to regulate my body."

Ariel pierced him with a look.

And Silver tried ignoring the dread in his stomach.

°•°•°•°

Somehow, seeing nature outside of your home country made nature all that more beautiful. People took for granted what was around them. But in another place, in another city, in another country—the surroundings became a gorgeous sight no one wanted to leave.

Vines draped like lazy snakes and leaves were larger the life. The greens felt unnaturally rich, untouched by man, while the trees wizened up to grow taller since they could not gain any rings for their trunks. Fog wove in and out, aimless, and moss sprawled amongst the rocks. The smell of a rainforest stuck to you, moist and humid and mucky. But the sweet flowery aromas of deceptively colorful petals nearby somehow made the earthy scent pleasant to the nose.

The three rode steadily on the dirt path with Luna occasionally stopping them to take a picture or two. When she managed to capture a photo of a glowing butterfly and looked at the photo, she said, "This place doesn't even feel real. It feels so…alive, y'know?"

"It does," Ena agreed as she looked around. "It makes my skin tingle a little being on this island." Her eyes sparked. Like I don't know if I'm dreaming…or if I'm awake.

Silver had Ariel stop a few paces, and he looked all around him. A slow intake through his mouth forced him to taste multiple traces. It's weird. Before, my senses would come and go. It was pretty inconsistent and overwhelmed me a lot. But lately, it seems pretty consistent. Even so, I can't tell the difference between too much. He scratched his nose. But something bad came through here.

Luna noticed Silver's expression. "Smell something?"

"I'm not sure," Silver said, honest. "I don't really know how to do all of this. It's still really weird to me to even try to do it."

"You could ask my papa for help." Luna set up another shot and took it. "Or Uncle Gajeel. Papa always took Igneel and Luke to train their senses." She made a show of harrumphing. "Igneel was like a bloodhound."

Ena huffed. "I didn't care for him rudely sniffing me all the time either."

That caught Silver's attention. "He sniffed you?"

"Yes, and the experience was not at all flattering," Ena grunted.

Silver gripped his reins. Why does that put me on edge? Igneel and Ena never liked each other anyway. His jaw ticked. So why would he smell her all the time?

Shaking it off, he muttered, "It's not like I could go up to them and say, 'hey, I'm one of you now', anyway."

"Why not?" Luna asked as Icarus pushed the group back into a walk. "If anything, I'm sure Papa could probably sniff out you smell like the other Dragon Slayers now. Same to Uncle Gajeel."

Silver's heart lurched, and his stomach dropped. "Seriously?" He worried his bottom lip. I don't know how to feel about that. If they knew—if they really knew—why didn't they say anything? And if they knew…

Blues widened. Do Mom and Dad know about this? That this was what Caeryssa wanted from me?

His knuckles turned white. This is so confusing. If they knew about this, why didn't anyone tell me? Is that why my parents wouldn't take me to the beach? Because they knew about this? Because they knew about—

Large oceanic blues. 'My son.'

He shut that down. No. His teeth ground. No, they wouldn't lie about that. But still… I need answers if I want to control this. Blues flicked to Ena. The light drizzled over her and made her scarlet mane flare. His gaze eyes sparkled with longing and love. Because…I want to be a shield for my mistress and stay with her.

Ena felt eyes on her, but she part-scowled and part-flushed noticing Silver's attention. "Staring is rude," she scolded. "There's nothing interesting about me to look at."

"I agree with that.

Well that hurt. Ena upturned her nose. "Good. Then don't stare."

"Sorry." Silver beamed. "But I can't not stare at you."

Ena glared at him. "You agreed with me when I said nothing about me is interesting to look at."

"That's right." Silver's beam widened. "Because everything about you is interesting to look at, Mistress!"

Red splashed on Ena's ears—

LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB!

Blinking rapidly, she struggled to keep a cool mask on. "You shouldn't say that," she tried to sternly scold. "Think of your lady love. How would she feel if she heard you say such nonsense to someone else?"

"Well…" Silver took his time examining Ena. "She would scold me, for one."

"Exactly, so you shouldn't—"

"But then she'd blush cutely." Silver's eyes glinted in mirth. "And I'd be able to tell she likes it when I say things like this to my mistress."

"That's…!" To be honest, Ena felt both taken aback and embarrassed, but she refused to be revoked to speechlessness. "That's…absurd! Just who is this young lady who enjoys you saying things to other women?"

"I don't say things to 'other women'. Just you, Mistress!"

Ena felt a headache coming on from Silver's flowery aura. I can't help but pity her, having to put up with his strangeness. A tick mark banged against her temple as she remembered Gary and Juvia's overzealous, romantic natures. Come to think of it, maybe it's hereditary.

Straightening her shoulders, she advised diplomatically, "Well, you shouldn't say such things to me. I would appreciate it if you would reserve that sort of nonsense for someone you care for."

Of course Silver had logic to combat that. "I care about you, Mistress, first and foremost. So if those are your rules, then I'll keep speaking freely from now on!"

Ena looked miffed, scandalized, and red-faced. "N-No! You can't just—!"

"Mistress, did you know you're a very shy kisser? Is my mistress, by chance"—Silver smirked like a Cheshire cat—"inexperienced?"

Steam puffed from Ena's ears as she remembered Nora's teasing. "Is My Lady perchance inexperienced?"

TICK!

Ena gripped her reins and barked at him, "I am not inexperienced! I've read several romantic novels—!"

Luna snort-cackled.

Ena glared at her. "I don't know what you're amused about, coming from the one who watched Magia movies and had a fairytale version of love."

Luna flushed, but she sassed back, "I've kissed more boys than you!" Before Ena could refute, Luna inserted, "Yes, I did! I did, and you know it! You kissed Luke and he hardly even counts because it was some sissy peck on New Year's two years ago!"

TICK!

Silver pretended he did not have a tick mark on his cheek. I'm not jealous. I'm not jealous. I'm not jealous. But a realization blossomed. "Wait…" He whipped his head to Ena. "So you've never kissed a guy?"

"I have," Ena said, a tad defensive.

"She hasn't!"

"One more word out of you, young lady, and I will personally make your workout routine Hell on this earth," Ena coldly threatened.

Luna scowled, but she stayed quiet.

Ena forced a long huff. "If we are being technical and a peck counts—"

"It doesn't," Silver interjected.

Ena went rigid. "W-Well then…" She coughed into a fist. "Then in the preface of technicalities and apparent definition of a 'kiss'…" Her eyebrows twitched as she forced herself to come clean, "No, I have not kissed a man."

"But we kissed," Silver found himself saying. "Multiple times."

Ena colored and squawked, "I was not in my sound mind! You have pointed that out to me several times, in fact!"

"So then…" It was as though Silver had floppy puppy ears and a droopy tail as he mumbled, "I really did take advantage of you…"

Glass cracked in Ena's mind as all she could see was a sad husky puppy. No. Not that look. Hurriedly, she assured, "No, no, not at all! I came onto you! S-So there is no need to be upset, okay? I'll take responsibility for my reckless behavior and reflect on my actions, I promise!"

"But…" Silver drooped even more. "That means you regret kissing me…"

An arrow shot at Ena's heart. "I-I-I…! No, I don't! I truly don't!" Please stop making that face! "I…! I…!" She blurted, "I could kiss you now and I wouldn't regret it!"

Silence.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Wow ~

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna covered her mouth to smother her laughter.

Ena's eye twitched. Oh, no. What have I done? She backpedaled, "I-I-I…! Well, I, ah, what I meant to say was that if a kiss ever transpired between us, I would be… W-Well, that's not to say that I would kiss you. But that's not to say you aren't attractive enough for kissing! Wait, that didn't sound right. What I meant was…!"

Heart racing, she found her words turning more and more unrefined. What is wrong with me? Why do I feel so foolish? I can't even collect my thoughts properly.

Silver's shoulders shook.

Ena froze. Did I upset him more?

His shoulders shook even more before he threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, man! I can't believe you fell for that!"

Bewilderment became of Ena. What…?

Silver wiped away his imaginary tears of mirth. "You're too easy to tease, Mistress," he snickered. "I already know about your feelings toward what happened, don't worry. But you shouldn't offer your kisses so easily." Blues glinted in intense mischief. "You're shy and adorable when you kiss, Mistress. And if you offer your kisses so easily to a man…they might just fall in love with you."

Ena covered her lips with narrowed eyes at the widely smiling Silver. Is he mocking me?

"But I guess it's settled then."

Ena's suspicion grew at Silver's broader grin. "What, pray tell, is settled?"

"As strong as you are, Mistress, it worries me how freely you offered your kisses," Silver said, feigning concern. "As your shield, I can't allow that to happen. You being so reckless will make my job to protect you harder."

Ena opened her mouth only to grimace. "Yes, well… I suppose I did speak rather impulsively…" I don't understand the reason for it.

"That's why it's settled." Silver cocked his head with his fangs out in his grin. "If you get reckless like that again, I'll have to accept your kisses, Mistress. It's the only way I can protect you properly from yourself."

Steam puffed from Ena's head when her body turned as scarlet as her hair. Wh-What did he…?

This… This is truly amazing. Within Luna's mind, Chibi-Luna was celebrating victory. I have so much material to tell Aunt Erza and Aunt Juvia now. Silver—she whipped a thumbs up at him with a comically serious look—you have won my respect, comrade.

Thank you, Lulu. Silver gave her a thumbs up with his own serious nod. I will never forget your support, comrade.

And meanwhile, Ena was stuck reeling from Silver's words. Doesn't he know how inappropriate saying such words is? Has he no decency? He shouldn't be saying that to someone he isn't in love with? He is in love with an admittedly strange young woman. He should be—!

Her eyes flicked downcast. He should be…kissed by her. And saying such words to her. So why does he insist on mocking me? Does he see me as weak because of my past? Dark browns shimmered. Am I…truly that pitiful in his eyes?

Silver blinked when Ena's sweet scent dampened as they stopped for Luna to take another picture, he frowned seeing Ena's crestfallen appearance. Mistress…

°•°•°•°

The walk through the rainforest proved cathartic in its own way. The outdoors was not a place for every person—the rainforest less with its humidity, bugs, and creepy-crawlies—but the three of them paraded on the dirt path earnestly to see all there was, even if Ena's shoulders slumped and Silver kept glancing at her in worry.

Silver's ears pricked and he forced everyone to a halt. "Do you guys hear that?"

Luna frowned. "Hear what?" she huffed. "Igneel and Gale always pulled this on me. We cannot hear like dogs, y'know?"

"You're just jealous," Silver teased. "But seriously." He listened closer. "It sounds like…rushing water, I think. I can't tell how far it is, but—"

"A waterfall!" Luna gaped. "That'll be such a cool shot!" She hooked her reins. "Come on, Icarus, let's go!"

Icarus chuckled. As you command, Pup.

Ena and Silver panicked when Luna and Icarus barreled ahead, and both shouted, "Wait!" In a hurry, they stirred their horses to play catch up.

Luna could see a white light pour through the tree line and could not help her free laughter as the wind kissed her hair. Icarus galloped to cross the threshold and—

BYU…

Luna's eyes alit with amazement. Whoa…

Icarus slowed as he came to a peak's edge that oversaw a private oasis. A gentle river tumbled over the edge and spilled into the rest of the wide river that sunk and broke off into the rest of the rainforest for all life to take from it. The rocks dusted in oranges and greens as the foliage worked hard to preserve this intimate haven privately, as though the rainforest itself treasured this as sacred ground and invited those worthy of discovering it.

Ena and Silver flanked her, breathless from the view.

A vagrant breeze swirled around them.

"Beautiful," Luna breathed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Silver agreed. "It's like a paradise."

"It is." Ena took in the air. "It's so relaxing here."

"You know," Luna drawled. "I remember I brought my swimsuit."

"That's funny," Silver added with a glint in his eyes. "So did I. And I know someone can Requip into their swimsuit."

Ena looked at Silver and Luna before immediately putting her foot down. "Oh, no. No, no, no, that is outrageously disgusting and unsanitary. I do not agree. I refuse to set foot in possibly parasitic water. It'll get us all sick and diseased. No." she shook her head as she steered her stallion away from the peak. "No. Oh-ho-ho, no. Mm-mm. Absolutely not."

Luna and Silver exchanged grins.

Ena and her stallion were startled when Luna appeared behind Ena. "What the—?"

Luna laughed as she took hold of Ena. "Hold on!"

"What the—?" Ena landed on her feet, disoriented. "What is going—? Oh!" She flushed red when she realized a shirtless Silver had picked her up, already in his swim trunks. "Why are you half-naked!"

"You might want to Requip anytime now, Mistress," Silver warned. "Because here we go…!"

Ena panicked when Silver rushed for the edge. "No! Don't you dare! Put me down, you insolent fool! I said put me dow—AAAAAAH!"

"Woohoo…!" Silver crowed as he leaped over the edge with Ena clinging to him.

Ena screamed and clawed at Silver's shoulders for stability. "You'll regret this, you fool!"

"No I won't and neither will you!" Silver held her close to murmur in her ear, "I've got you, Mistress. Trust me."

Ena tightened her hold on him. I… With the water rapidly coming close, she chanted, "Requip!"

Silver's blues sparkled in pride as light consumed him with the river close at hand. That's my Mistress.

BASHA-BASHA!

With Tricky safely tied to a tree and left to graze (the stallion seemed to have experienced this a lot with how unfazed he was), Luna hurried to get her camera and peered over the edge. No sign of life dwelled within the river yet. Where are they?

BASHA-BASHA!

Silver and Ena breached with Silver shaking out his hair and Ena looking like an angry wet cat as she cleaned water from her face in her red swimsuit. She socked Silver with a glare and a childish splash. "You asshole!"

"How vulgar of you, Mistress," Silver teased with a firm hold on her as he floated. "I thought you didn't condone such profanity. I suppose I'll have to punish you."

Ena worked her jaw, seething. "Lest you rue the day for making me swim in this dirty water. I'm going to get sick and die and it'll be all your fault, you death-seeking fool."

"How's the phrase go?" Silver smiled. "I'm no 'Angel', but if we die together, I'll show you Heaven!"

TICK!

Silver laughed when a furious Ena whacked at him and snarled, "You infuriating, insufferable pig in human clothing! How dare you use such a disgusting line towards me!"

BASHABASHA!

Luna looked at the burst photos she had taken of Silver and Ena with a soft smile. Oh, E… You don't know how much Silver's changing you for the better… But you will. I promise.

"Luna Anna Dragneel!"

Luna froze when Ena skewered her with a glare and a pointed finger.

"If I am to suffer in this disgusting, possibly contaminated water that will kill me, you are to do the same!" Ena commanded. "I need your aid to kill this pig for slaughter!"

Luna beamed. "Aye, sir!"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

BASHA-BASHA!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna had canon-balled down below in her white and pink floral swimsuit, but her splashed ended up slamming against Ena and Silver. The moment Luna surfaced, she had to endure Ena scolding her and Silver had accustomed to being Ena's floating device at this point.

Tricky had been guided down to be re-tied to a nearby tree to drink his fill of water and graze while Icarus lounged in the shade. Ariel sniffed the grass, curious, but one look from an interested Tricky made her huff at him.

Poor Tricky never stood a chance.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Aketa mado no soto kara

kaze ga maikonde

kimi no senaka wo osita

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Ena had never played Marco Polo and that had to change today.

At first, the innocent game was in good fun. Ena had her eyes closed, annoyed, as she called "Polo" and tried to find her two friends through the water. Once she made contact with human flesh, she was proud of her success only to realize, once her eyes were open, she had accidentally grabbed Luna's chest.

That was not an issue. Neither girl felt embarrassed.

The issue was when they saw Silver's nose spurt blood.

And Luna tried and failed at stopping a ticked-mark Ena from vigorously shaking Silver for his lewd thoughts while he possibly bled to death.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Kanaetai koto ga aru nara

wasurerarenai nara

oikakete goran yo

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Ariel minded her own business as Kelpies do, but she did not anticipate Tricky sidling up to her with flirtatious bumps of his shoulder and snout. It happened long enough for a tick mark to appear.

And Tricky was left all pitiful and alone when Ariel marched into the river to disappear underwater.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Itsunomanika bokura otona ni naru

Nanimo wakaranai mama

Nayami nagara mo ashita wo egaku yo

Massugu na jounetsu de ima wo hitotsu hitotsu tsunagou

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Silver laughed at how Ena's face screwed up when Luna splashed her, but a poke got his attention. Ariel had reverted to her water form with her hooves turning to flippers, her mane becoming a long and luscious fin, and the back half of her body that of a fish. Her eyes glowed.

Silver's eyes glowed back.

It startled Ena and Luna when Silver went underwater.

He easily swam down to Ariel and met her eyes before she turned her head.

Silver saw where she looked and an idea formed.

Both girls flinched back when Silver breached, but they had no time to ask him a question when he laid into them his bright idea. Ena looked horrified at the prospect, but Luna pumped a fist, all-in.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Itsuka miageta sora ni tobidashite

Kaze wo tsukamaete habataite yukeru

Dare datte jiyuu sa

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

To be clear, Ena was not happy.

Enchanting yourself to breathe underwater was not as easy as it sounded, but she managed. And with her clinging to Silver, she spread her enchantment to him as well as he hung onto Ariel guiding them underwater. The Bubble Mask Charm was an easy enough spell for Luna to conjure for herself (especially after the Harvest festival fiasco), but it surprised the heck out of her when Icarus's bottom half transformed into a white finned tail and his front paws webbed.

As they moved under the river, Silver glanced down to see Ena's eyes shut as she hung onto him for dear life.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Akirameru koto wo shiranakute

Ano koro to kawaranai manazashi no mama de

Yume no ato wo tadotte iku yo

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Ena did not open her eyes until she felt nudging. It was Silver's doing, and she hated showing weakness, but he could see the fear clear in her eyes. He softened and kissed her forehead before spurring Ariel on.

Ena winced, but seeing the confidence on Silver's face gave her courage to look around—

Her eyes widened in awe.

Maybe The Little Mermaid did not exaggerate how beautiful it was under the sea.

It felt like an underwater wonderland to be surrounded by such vibrant life. With the blue backdrop, dunes of sand and rock, and the floor covered in seagrass and kelp, it looked like a different realm of colorful fish and aquatic creatures. A bundled-up snake floated underwater, wanting to be unbothered. Rainbow trout—actual trout colored in a kaleidoscopic glow—powered by while the bass took their time to get from A to Z. The traffic of fish amazed many, but it was the one-offs that caught the eye. A lazing crocodile swam with slow strokes. A no-eyed Abaia swept through the current, pulsing electricity to find its way.

Luna giggled when a curious mink-like creature approached her with blue fur and its tail used like a propeller. It had brought its mate and both seemed fascinated with Luna and Icarus.

It surprised Ena when the male had come over to her. Ariel whinnied, communicating in some way, before the creature swam towards Silver with bubbles coming out of its mouth.

Silver's eyes sparkled.

Ena wanted to keep hold of him, but it was too late. He made sure she had hold of Ariel and slipped from her touch. Before she could warn him her enchantment would no longer work—

Gills slit onto his neck.

Dark browns widened. Again?

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Kitai hazure no ame ni utarete

kokoro nai kotoba ni kizutsuite mo

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Silver cut through the water in fluid strokes with the gills on his neck flexing every inhale and exhale. It took Luna and Icarus back when they saw his neck, not to mention when the light struck the water, it looked like his skin had blue flecks to it. But Silver remained none the wiser as he and the magical creature rolled around in the water, free as birds.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Kimi wa sono te wo nobashi tsudzuketeru

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Silver tumbled through the water before swimming back to loop-de-loop around Luna and Icarus to make her laugh. When he flowed out from his circuit, in a burst of this high he felt, he kidnapped Ena from Ariel, much to her shock.

Ena looked like a panicked cat with her nails digging into Silver's arms while he took the helm. Ariel eagerly wove about the water, happy to be in her home. Icarus swamp around with Luna hanging onto his fur while the pair of magical minks with their propellor tails proved to be playful guides.

Ena glanced up to take in Silver's carefree smile. No more stress or tears or anger or confusion. He looked youthful and free, like he should be.

Browns sparked.

Silver glanced down at her, curious when Ena quickly looked away. His lips twitched, and it spooked Ena when he gave her a brief nuzzle before pitching forward like he was born to swim.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Yume no ato wo tadotte iku yo

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

I don't know what future is to come for him, Ena thought. There must be so much he's trying to figure out. However, I do know one thing. Her lips toyed with a smile. Perhaps he really could be the Prince of the Sea.

And like it was a dream, they kept swimming down the river.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Kimi no mirai wa ima kagayaiteru!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luna came up for air first upon the riverbank with her bubble mask popping. "That was so cool!" She slicked back her hair as Icarus trudged out of the water with his body morphing back to that over his Natural Form. It made her squeal and laugh when he shook out his fur. "Hey!

Icarus finished his dry off with a final shake of his head.

Luna gave him the stink-eye. "You know, you act more and more like a dog every day."

I was the Guardian of wolves, Icarus pointed out as Ariel got out from the river as well (and Tricky perked upon seeing her).

Luna rung out her hair, but she asked him, How did your body do that? Y'know, turn into a dogfish, basically?

As your own power increases, as does mine, Icarus told her. He went over to his tack and saddle and laid down as Luna rummaged for a towel in one of the saddlebags. A Star Spirit has transformative abilities based upon the needs of our Summoner. Our initial appearance also reflects our Summoner's psyche. I suspect your dame has enough power to permit her Star Spirits to fluidly shift into their other forms, which allows them the choice of how they appear.

And me? Luna towel-dried her hair. Are you in the form you want to be?

Yes, Icarus assured. Although… He bowed at his carrot horn. This used to bother me quite often. I suppose this is the one thing I cannot get rid of.

Luna giggled. Yeah, guess not. She saw Ena come out from the water and hollered, "Hey, E! I've got towels!"

"Good." Ena's teeth chattered as she surfaced onto the shore. "Good lord, this is why I despise being in water for so long. The temperature displacement is so disturbing. Silver," she called, rubbing her arms, "prepare to dry me."

Silver emerged from the water, amused. "Yes, Mis—"

Blues widened.

Luna got up, panicked. "Silver!"

Ena frowned, confused, and turned—

BASHA-BASHA!

Her stomach dropped when she saw Silver croaking and wheezing with a hand pawing at the gills remaining on his neck. No. Not again. She hurried to him. "Silver!"

Luna sprinted with Icarus and Ariel on the move. "Silver!"

He choked as he tried hard to breathe, but his body could only twitch. He flopped onto his side, wide-eyed, as his mouth worked and his body convulsed. There was air.

He could not breathe.

Ena fell to her knees at his side, but she kept a calm face and she hushed the croaking Silver, "Shhh-shhh-shh, everything is going to be fine now." With delicate fingers, she scooped water up and rained it over his gills as he jerked his head, desperate to breathe. His shaky gasp when the water hit his gills was enough for Ena to soothe, "It's okay. It'll be okay."

"What's wrong with him?" Luna fretted. "Wh-What do we do? Should we put him back in the water—?"

"No." Ena kept her ministrations. "It will freak him out if we drag him back in the water." She hushed Silver when ugly breaths left him as he convulsed. "It'll be over soon," she promised him. "Just a little more. Just a little longer, I promise."

Ariel paced around them with her head shaking and tail angrily swishing back and forth.

Luna was torn between her internal strife, trying to remain calm, and wanting to ask Ena one thousand panicked questions. What is she doing? What is—?

Watch, Icarus hushed her. Watch closely.

Luna did as Icarus instructed. The more Ena poured over Silver's gills, the slower his twitching and jerking became. But that was when Luna noticed the gills on his neck were slowly melding back into flesh. His gills… They're closing?

Ena kept cupping water and massaging it over Silver's neck as he heaved. "That's it," she said, delicate. "You're going to be all right."

With a few more strokes, the gills on Silver's neck strung into skin once more. All of his struggle and convulsing burdened exhaustion on his shoulders. Numbness crawled up his body to possess him and his eyes would not stay awake no matter what he wanted. For a moment, he could see Luna's worried face and Ena's calm one. In another lethargic blink, Ena hovered over him as the shadows overtook his form. And in his last blink, a vague shape of a little girl watched over him with her lips trying to say something.

Mistress… Silver could not fight sleep anymore. Mistress…

Ena could truly relax when Silver's body slacked into sleep. Good. He'll be okay.

"E," Luna breathed, shaken to the core. "Wh-What just—?"

"We need to get him dry." Ena splashed around for a moment to find the right position to lift Silver into her arms. Once he was secured in a bridal carry, she pushed past Luna and commanded, "Come."

Bewildered, Luna followed with Ariel and Icarus keeping close watch. As much as Luna wanted to be calm and collected, she could not hold it in when Silver had been laid on the grass and Ena took the time to plot him dry. "E, please, what is going on?" she beseeched to know. "Was that…? Was that because of his powers? B-B-But he's never done that before! H-H-He couldn't breathe and he was ch-choking—!"

"L—"

"How did you even know how to do that?" Luna pressed on her flurry of emotions. "Why couldn't we put him back in the water? That always worked before! You were the one to tell me that if he ever—!"

She froze.

Ena diligently continued her task.

Luna stared at her with disbelieving eyes. "E?"

Ena ignored her as she focused on Silver's hair.

"Ena."

She sighed and looked like she aged ten years. "You should calm yourself. Stress won't be good for him nor you—"

"Don't—!" Luna cut herself off to take a cleansing breath. She knelt beside Silver to watch how careful Ena was in cleaning him, but her question would not be ignored. "Ena. You were the one to tell me if Silver ever didn't feel good, I should put him in my bathtub."

Ena carelessly reasoned, "I was being sarcastic—"

"No, you weren't."

Ena stiffened at the sharpness in Luna's words, but she denied nothing and focused on the unconscious Silver.

"Be honest with me," Luna murmured, part-pleading and part-firm. Her hand tenderly covered Ena to stop her ministrations for her attention. "How did you know Silver needed water when he was in pain?"

And Ena looked away with her hand clenched around the towel.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

For some reason, the world felt gray today. Maybe it was because of the gray clouds and the gray rain and the gray atmosphere that everything was in a shade of gray. Ena's scarlet mane and Luna's vibrant gold locks stood out amongst a world of gray.

As did the blue of a feverish Silver's hair.

Little Luna did everything she could to help Silver as he panted on the couch with red staining his face and a thin layer of sweat brining his skin. She switched out the warm cloth for a cold one and was gentle in laying it on his forehead—

GORO-GORO-GORO-GORO!

Luna flinched and looked outside to the blustery storm, worried. 'Mama's not back yet with medicine from Auntie Wendy…' She clutched the warm cloth. "I hope she's okay. The storm is bad.'

"Hnnn…"

Her worry fixated on Silver as his expression pinched, pained. "He's getting really sick," she fretted. "E, what do we do if Mama doesn't back?" Her eyes watered. "I just want him to get better."

Ena glanced at Silver before her gaze skittered away. "He'll…" She clenched the pencil she used for her sketch. "He'll be fine." 'He has to be.' Her knuckles turned white. 'This isn't the same.'

"Nah, pretty sure he'll die."

Luna sniffled as Igneel peeked over the couch with a cold look at Silver. He sniffed him for a few moments. "He smells sick," he muttered. "It's disgusting. Lu, get away from him."

"No!" Luna carefully set the cloth on the coffee table before taking up Silver's hand. "H-He needs us," she hiccupped. "H-He could die o-o-or…!"

Igneel rounded the couch to rub her head. "He's not going to die," he promised. "He's sick. Ma will be back from that old crow's place with medicine for him." His eyes narrowed as he took in Silver's labored breaths. 'He's making Lu sad. I don't like that.' Sparks danced from his fingers, threatening to turn to flames. 'What should I do?' Feral emeralds willed his eyes, icy. 'He's always been weak. Should I burn him?'

"You're gonna be okay, Silver," Luna promised in a wobbly tone. She closed her eye as she tightened her hold on his hand. "You're gonna be okay. M-Mama will be back soon and then you'll get better when you take the medicine."

Igneel glanced down at her before relinquishing his power 'No. Burning him would make her sad too.' Emeralds gleamed. 'And he's too weak for a real fight.'

Forcing his stare back to calm onyx, he soothed Luna, "That's right. Pops will be back soon and everything we'll be okay." He hugged her. "So don't cry, 'kay, Lu? Princesses shouldn't cry over stupid princesses."

Luna mumbled against him, "Don't be mean, Iggy."

"Yeah, yeah." His eyes flickered back to the sick Silver. 'It's not like medicine will help him. Aunt Wen will have to come to personally heal him, but he's losing too much water.' Onyx slid to Ena and how pointedly she looked at her sketch.

A fangy smirk.

"Hey, Bambi."

Ena looked up to glare at Igneel. "Don't call me 'Bambi'."

Igneel cocked his head, making it clear he did not care. "Don't you have any bright ideas how to keep Silver all comfy while we wait for our mom?" Onyx darkly glinted under Ena's stiffening, and he goaded her, "C'mon, Bambi, you wouldn't want him to die, right? At least Lu is doing something." His smirk broadened. "It's almost like you don't give a fuck what happens."

"That's a bad word," Luna mumbled in scolding. "You have to put money in the swear jar?"

"What!" For as jaded as Igneel had been, he was reduced to a nervous wreck around his little sister as he begged her, "C'mon, Lu, I only said it once! It can be our secret, yeah? I'll get you a Poko figurine if you don't tell Ma, I promise!"

TICK!

Ena clenched her jaw. 'He has such an ugly personality, but he acts so kind to L.' Dark browns flickered to Silver with worry. 'He looks really sick. But… I'm sure it's not like last time.' Her teeth gritted. 'But if it is…and I say nothing…'

"I don't know."

Luna and Igneel looked up at Ena's huff as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Why don't you put him in a bathtub or something?" she snarked. "He's practically a fish. Maybe he needs a tank."

Luna blinked. 'A fish tank?' She imagined Silver snorkeling in a fish tank.

"That's an awesome idea, Bambi," Igneel mockingly praised with flecks of green in his eyes. "Where'd you get that idea from? Really." He showed his sharp teeth in a smile uncomfortably wide. "Where'd you think about that?"

Ena refused to take the bait and shrugged. "Whatever. He's a Water Mage. Maybe he's just a fish out of water or something when he's not feeling well. That's it."

"'A fish out of water'…" The idea resonated with Luna. "We can run a bath for him!" she declared. "Mama always gives us baths when we're all sick and sweaty too, so we won't get in trouble." She tugged at Igneel's hand. "Can you take Silver upstairs?"

Igneel tched. "Why should I? He smells gross."

"Please, Iggy?" Luna pouted up at him with her eyes shimmering.

Flushed, Igneel puffed smoke and grunted, "Fine."

"Yay!" Luna ran out of the living room. "I'm gonna start the bath!" And her loud footsteps ricocheted throughout the house.

Igneel begrudgingly collected Silver over his shoulder and looked disgusted by the entire process. Still, he noticed Ena's close watch as he hefted Silver and shot her a smile full of teeth. "Thanks for the idea, Bambi. You're so smart." Something dark entered his tone as he said, "You're a real lifesaver."

"It was a dumb idea," Ena sniffed, even with her heart beating fast. "Don't be so impressed. Then again, I heard dogs are easy to impress."

Igneel snarled. "I'm not a fucking dog."

"Then don't act like one," Ena bit. "Keep sniffing me and I'll think you want to be my pet."

Flames cornered Igneel's mouth as feral emeralds swallowed his glare—

"Iggy!" Luna hollered. "I'm filling the bath!"

Igneel snuffed out his flames with great reluctance. "Coming! Don't add anything without me!" He shifted Silver over his shoulder and moved, but as he passed Ena, he murmured for her ears alone, "If you didn't make Lu so happy"—emerald flicked down at her in pure malice—"I would've burned you to ash for that." He deserted the living room.

Ena put a hand atop her trembling one. 'He'll be okay.' Closing her eyes, she let out an exhale. 'He'll be okay.'

• — • — • — • — •

"Ena."

She flinched when Luna used her name, unused to hearing it from her. "What do you want from me, L?"

"An answer," Luna said, exasperated. "I know you knew, E, what do you have to hide now?"

"I was being sarcastic," Ena pitched again, half-hearted. "Igneel bated me into saying something absolutely absurd. And technically speaking, you did tell me Silver required water upon any emotional hangups or physical pain. When he started working for me, you told me. That's how I know now."

"But—!"

"And it shouldn't matter," Ena continued. "What matters is Silver right now. Any other topics are case closed, end of discussion. It all happened a long time ago, so it has no relevance to the situation now, does it?"

"But—!"

Hard browns seared disbelieving browns.

Ena challenged, "Does it?"

Luna opened her mouth, only to hesitate. Eyes lowered, she mumbled, "No. It doesn't."

"There. The matter is settled," Ena decided. Her attention swept back to Silver. "We should get changed. Why don't you go first?" She stroked through Silver's hair, but she listened to every quiet footstep Luna made, each one nailing her with guilt.

I'm sorry, L. But…what happened in the past should stay there. Dark browns saddened watching over Silver. And besides, what good is remembering when he's not awake and smiling?

PLUNK!

A raindrop dramatically hit her cheek.

Ena looked up at the fat gray clouds thickening in the sky as they started an unceremonious drizzle onto the rainforest. She squinted, shielding herself. It's raining? The weather report had no chances of rain, unless… Her stare swung down to Silver as his expression furrowed. Is he…?

"Good thing I brought ponchos and my umbrella." Luna came back over with her hair still damp and in one of Igneel's old shirts thrown on for an excuse of a swim cover. An umbrella shielded her, and she had a poncho tucked under her arm. "We need to find shelter until Silver recovers." She frowned at the crying sky. "I didn't think we'd get rain today."

"Neither did I." Ena got up and chanted, "Requip!" The theatric flash of light faded to leave her in a tasteful raincoat and boots. "Waiting out the incoming storm won't be easy since we don't know the area. And we're far from any path."

"I wish I was better at the distance with my teleporting," Luna desired, angry with herself. "I could try and get us close, but—"

"But we wouldn't know where we would wind up," Ena finished for her as she took the poncho. She placed a hand on Silver's chest and chanted, "Requip!" Her spell left Silver in the flamboyant green poncho, shielded from the invasive rain. "Don't blame yourself. Warpers like you are almost impossible to find. And even if you got us as close as you could and in a safe location, it could leave you exhausted. We both need to be at full strength."

She cursed to herself. Of all the times to be carefree… Dammit.

What do we do? Luna worried. We need to find somewhere safe for Silver, but—

LUB-DUB.

Browns widened.

Ena sensed something amiss a look up at Luna, who looked into the trees. "What's wrong?" Defenses up, her swords came to her side and she glared into the tree line. "Where is the threat—?"

"No, shh, no, it's not a threat," Luna quickly assured, putting a hand on Ena's shoulder. "It's not. But just…wait a minute, okay?"

Ena groused, "We don't have a—"

SNAP!

Regardless of Luna's warning, Ena prepared her swords. If it's an enemy, I can give L another time to gather the supplies and try to take everyone back up to the cliff. Puzzlement drew on rampant strokes on her face when she witnessed Icarus crouch and even Ariel bowed low, humble. What are they doing?

RUSTLE!

Ena turned back—

Dark browns rounded. What is…?

The rhythmic beat of the rain muted into a balming hush, as though the weather humbled itself in the presence of such divinity. A lone doe crossed the trees and the leaves with quiet hooves and a grace no animal could possess. The white of her fur possessed a hazy glow with sparkles of reds and blues and greens and golds twinkling in just the right amount. Her eyes held the stars in them, and her tail swished.

Ena sharply exhaled. Is that…a magical creature? She panicked when Luna stepped forward. "L—"

"It's okay," Luna assured her, eyes on the doe. "She's…a friend." One foot in front of the other time and time after again until she was a handful of paces before the elegant doe. She bowed.

The doe bowed back.

Luna lifted her head. "Are you…Kāne? Tāne's sister?"

The doe came forward and dipped her muzzle to nestle Luna's hand briefly.

Luna softened. "I'm Luna. It's nice to meet you, Kāne. I'm sure you'll see Tāne soon enough."

Kāne stepped back, starry eyes warm.

Ena dismissed her swords. "That's the Guardian Spirit? You can speak to her?"

"Um…" Luna sheepishly scratched her cheek. "It's not so much as speaking. I can understand her though, yeah." She paused as Kāne meaningfully looked at her. "She says…it's not safe out here. And that…" Her brow furrowed before she gaped. "Silver's causing the storm. But it's not on purpose, though."

Ena's face darkened. I knew it. It's just like last time. She came forward to ask, "Can you ask her if there's somewhere we can hide to wade out the storm until Silver's better?"

It took a moment until Luna translated, "Yeah. She says she'll take us somewhere to dampen Silver's powers until he's conscious again." She looked back at Ena, worried. "But we need to move fast. She says the longer Silver's out here and the more he accidentally spirals, the worse the storm gets."

"Then we'll make haste," Ena decided. "Icarus' saddle is equipped for two riders. L, you'll take Silver. I'll ride Tricky and tie Ariel with us." She gave the Kelpie a firm look, to which she bobbed her head as though agreeing. Ena nodded back. "We'll make it out of here."

Her eyes bounced back to Silver as his hands flexed and clenched. We have to.

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

GORO-GORO-GORO-GORO!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

Rai lounged at his office desk with his tablet in hand—it displayed wildfire news of the UAA in Shamballa as Emir Kareem and King Ajeel shook hands—when attention turned to the outdoors. He looked at the graying sky and the obvious signs of tumbling whines with slight narrowing eyes. Hmm… A magical storm, huh?

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Sky Adze Corporation

Lāna'i City, Fa'atiu's Paradise

Caelum, Ishgar

3:02 PM WIT

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Rai crossed his legs as he watched the outdoors. I'm sure I'll receive a few calls from the magi-meteorology teams on this Paradise for possible accusations towards other Wizards to start a storm of such magnitude. They still believe my powers are too weak to manage a field-wild storm. But a storm that reaches the Paradises will be ones they cannot ignore.

His lips quirked into a grin. Interesting. The little beastie is causing quite a stir. It's exciting. His pet is fortunate to have a master of such stamina. And I am lucky—his grin broadened—to have discovered a perfect bargaining chip for Baracles' God Son.

Kalua approached Rai's desk with his DCL (Desk Communications Lacrima). "Line three says you have a visitor."

"Oh, I don't want to see anyone," Rai sighed, shooing off Kalua. "Tell them I'm busy."

"Apparently, your sister and her boyfriend have come to visit you for a family emergency."

Rai's eyes narrowed. My sister? He sat back, chin lifted. "Send her in," he decided. "She won't leave unless she sees me." Dark browns flickered. And that disgusting guard dog of hers wouldn't hesitate if I deny him. What a pain.

With a few quick words and a minute later, a knock was on the door. Kalua opened one of the doors and stepped back for a furious Kapa to storm in with Holland keeping one eye on Kalua.

Kapa set herself before Rai's desk and angrily signed, You did this.

Rai sighed and lifted his hands in a shrug. "You know I can't understand you when you sign that fast." Dark browns went to Holland. "He's your fiancé now? Isn't that cute, Kalua?" He dropped his chin on his propped and interlocked hands, a smirk on his lips. "I guess you've found a whole new meaning to 'worship', haven't you, Hollie?"

Holland showed no emotion, but he said in his gruff brogue, "And you've found a whole new low, haven't ya, laddie? Couldn't leave the poor kid alone?"

Kapa signed, eyes hard, What did you do? I know you're the cause of this.

"You're wounding me now, both of you," Rai pouted. "How could you think I would want to cause something like this?" At Kapa's glare, Rai gave a melodramatic breath. "Really, I didn't do a thing. I haven't spoken to him nor his pet since yesterday. And shouldn't I be angry at you? Or rather…should I be grateful to you, Kapa? After all…"—a smile full of poison—"you were the one to find Her for us. And now, we'll secure a spot in Baracles' God Son's inner circle with our gifts to him."

Kapa reeled back like Rai had slapped her, but discomfort crossed her face and guilt. She signed, Don't say it like that. It wasn't like that. It isn't like that. No one should be a pawn in this. Her signs slowed. She's so sweet. Her heart and her mind are so young and kind. She doesn't deserve this. She gave Rai a firm look. And neither does he. He isn't a beast. He's like us—a Slayer.

"Well, it's too late for all those cute regrets, isn't it, dear little sister?" Rai taunted in faux sweetness. "We've already begun. Backing out now would be futile. And besides, we need something to make sure we come out alive whenever this war happens. Appeasing the God Son of Baracles is our only hope. But… There is…another way." He slowly got up to his full height, leaning towards Kapa. "Baracles always had a thing for his pets being helpless, if you're willing."

Holland came over to pull a disturbed Kapa away from Rai. "Watch your tongue there, little Slayer."

Rai raised his hands in surrender, but a freezing look chilled his eyes. "You and Kalua would know better than me, Hollie. Baracles was nothing more than a smart tyrant. And his God Son will be the same. We need to play it smart before he comes for us. Kalua told me about The Hearth, so we both know what sort of monster he'll be."

The mention of The Heart rattled Holland with pure guilt.

Kapa appealed, We don't know if that God Son will be like his father. He could be different—

"Or he could be the same." Rai turned to face his window and the trying storm outside. "That's just it. We don't know what he'll be like. But we know he'll have all the power Baracles had once, the power that made every other God subservient to him. We can't afford to think this God Son will be some sort of hero." His hands clenched. "The Gods have always been selfish in nature. And he was the most selfish one of all."

If we knew where The Hearth went, we could use them as leverage. But Kalua told me no Custodian knew about The Hearth's location outside whenever Baracles' paraded them around as his conquest in the God Realm. And if this God Son is like his father, it wouldn't do well to dangle his toy in front of us when he could wipe us out. We need to be careful.

The DCL light up, and Kalua attended to it. "Sir, your appointment is here early."

"Good." Rai tilted his head. "Send him in." As Kalua replied, Rai turned around to face Kapa and Holland with a hand on his hip. "Look. I don't have to work with either one of you. I don't need you, and we aren't family. But two Slayers are better than one. And we have yet to find the other three. If you want to strike out on your own, I won't stop you." Those blue reticles impressed in his toffee gaze as wind swirled around him. "But don't get in my way."

Kapa swallowed as fear and anger clashed.

The door opened again.

A friendly smile. "Oh, my. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

Rai ruffled his hair as he calmed his powers. "No, you're not. My sister and her fiancé stopped by due to an emergency, but it turned out to be a false alarm." His stare warned Kapa. "Wasn't it, little sister?"

Kapa wrestled with herself until she defeatedly signed, Yes. It was.

"That's good." Custom-made shoes stepped inside the office a few more paces. "Family should always be there for each other. I know what it's like to drop everything for my young siblings."

Holland did not trust this interloper as he rudely greeted, "And who might you be?"

"My apologies for my terribly rude manners." A humble bow. "I'm something of a simple acquaintance of Mister Kalupe and quite interested in Sky Adze." His gloved hand gave a quick wave to produce a charming rose to smell. "And I, too, understand the burdens of survival." Grayed yellows glinted. "The name is Atticus Gosling. And it is quite a pleasure to meet you." His eyes went to Kapa. "And especially a treat to meet Rai's little sister."

And lightning struck.

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

PIKA-PIKA!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

There was nothing better than going on dates with your wife. Perhaps a few things, but dating your spouse always made it to the top of the list.

The amusement park always attracted spring-breakers inside Fiore and out of it by the boatloads. Warm weather coupled with thrill-seeking rides warranted a large crowd. The brand-new adventure park opened into the forest with ziplines, obstacle courses, and rope bridges, and a flurry of tourists had lined up to try it first for their vlogs and blogs. The stand-up Double Dragon had the riders shrieking as the dueling red and blue Dragons zipped down their tracks. The boardwalk had its fill of games and carnival food that could give you heartburn on a good day (but the food was worth the belated pain).

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Akane Resort, the focal point of Akane Beach with its five-star hotel and spa, its casino, and amusement park, where all resort guests can bundle their reservation with an Akane Pass to the park. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Speaking of…

"Lucy…! My tummy hates me—Hrk!"

"Oh, Natsu, not again." Lucy sat on a bench with a green-faced Natsu, rubbing his back while he clutched his upset stomach. "I warned you, Natsu, that doing an eating contest and then doing on the Double-Dragon might go against your Troia patch."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Akane Resort

Akane Beach

Fiore, Ishgar

3:47 PM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Natsu looked even sicker at the reminder. "But I won ya a nice prize," he complained.

"You won me a lot of prizes, Natsu." Lucy set to ignore the growing pile of stuffed animals and little toys Natsu had claimed. But I think it's more him being a greedy Dragon and wanting to hoard everything than winning in my honor. She sighed seeing the sick bubbles Natsu accidentally hiccupped. "Why don't we take a break for a little while?"

But Natsu shook his head. "No way. I'm not a quitter." He stood up, determined. "I can do this—Hrk!" And he was hunched over, shaking and sick as a dog.

"You dummy." Lucy forced her husband to sit and rest his head on her shoulder. "We have this entire week for fun, okay? So there's no need to push yourself, right now?"

"But we're on a date," Natsu mumbled. "I wanted it to be perfect since you've been workin' hard." Lucy's titter made him flush and groan into his neck. "Don't make fun of me!"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Your Majesty," Lucy teased, her smile widening when Natsu wrapped his arms around her. Her fingers trailed through his hair. "Don't worry, Natsu. You're making our vacation perfect already."

"Even though you have to call me 'Your Majesty'?"

Lucy heaved an exhale. "Even that," she supposed. Her gaze softened on him as she murmured, "And you've been working hard too. I know you have. So thank you for all your hard work."

Natsu snickered against her skin. "It's not work if I'm doin' what I love. And it's pretty sick I can fight Luke like this now. Sorta miss kickin' Igneel's ass though."

"I don't. You both would've caused the apocalypse if I hadn't smartened up to ask Freed to set up strong runes," Lucy complained. Her fingers stopped threading Natsu's hair. "Are you sure telling Luke about Galuna Island was the right thing to do?"

Natsu thumbed Lucy's hip. "Yeah," he breathed, "it was. He's struggling with himself right now. And I know it upsets him whenever he sees the other side of himself. But seeing Galuna Island… He might find some peace there." He nuzzled Lucy. "And it's not like he can avoid it forever. He's their prince. Bobo's been beggin' for me to bring Luke every time I go visit. And he's already set everything up for Luke's journey. So there's nothin' to worry about."

"I know," Lucy murmured, stroking through his locks once more. "But you can't tell me to not worry, you dummy. I'm always worrying."

"You're gonna get all wrinkly if you worry too much, Lucy."

TICK!

A tick mark pulsed on Lucy's temple as she hmphed and puffed a cheek. "I wouldn't be talking like that if I were you, old man."

THUCK!

It was like an arrow struck Natsu's back. So cruel, Lucy…

His lips doused into a frown with his onyx stare hard. "At some point, we have to talk to him about that smell on him," he murmured, careful. "She's good at keeping her distance and hiding herself for him." He tightened his hold on Lucy. "But I don't like that he smells connected to someone. And she has a lot to answer for."

"He's only fifteen," Lucy said, grief-stricken.

Natsu pulled away to cup Lucy's cheek. "Don't worry. We'll protect him," he promised her. "Whoever she is—she won't take him." His flames snarled. Not while I'm standing.

LUB-DUB!

Lucy saw the instant shift to sharp green eyes and worry filled her. "What's wrong? What do you sense?" Fear claimed her. "Is it Igneel?"

"No." Natsu tensed. "It's not him." He got up and offered Lucy a hand. "We need to call Gray."

Lucy took her husband's hand, but sad knowing clicked for her. "Silver."

Natsu gave a sharp nod. "Yeah. And it's not time yet. So I know that icicle is going to be pissed as Hell." He guided Lucy throw the throng, on edge. When Gajeel told me Caeryssa started forcing Silver's ability out, we thought we'd still have a few more years. But he's progressing faster than I know Gray and Juvia wanted. Which means two things. When Silver comes home, he's going to want answers. And the second…

Emeralds glinted. Mercuphobia is going to want his son back.

---

"He's so fucking weak and ugly."

"Please limit your swearing around him—"

"Fuck you. No."

The focus comprehended all the blues and greens and opals of his surroundings through wide and curious eyes. The squishy teething toy felt good to suck and chew on as he looked around before blinking up at the man holding him with his long blue hair and the intricate facial tattoo. He made a noise before getting out, "Dada."

Loving blues sparkled down at the focus. "I'll never get tired of that."

A mad cackle.

"Dada" looked across the way at another man with wild hair the color of the dying sun and sharp golden eyes that made any man feel like prey. "I don't see what's so funny, Ignia."

"You playing a good little human daddy," Ignia snickered. He had no decency with his upper body naked to show his winding tattoos and the sun on his chest. "Just like a fucking half-breed to want something disgusting like taking care of the weak."

Dada sighed. "And if I remember correctly, you had no issue taking care of your brother's daughter with the former Star Queen."

Ignia's expression shuttered. "That runt isn't my brother."

"But he beat you." Dada smiled with teeth. "He's stronger than you."

Ignia flashed his own teeth with flames festering on his arms. "If you weren't so pathetic, you'd be worth my time to fight," he snarled. Huffily, he put out his flame and grunted, "It's not like I had a choice. That damn witch did something to me."

Dada cocked an eyebrow. "Star Queens don't specialize in possession. You know that, whether you like it or not." Blues glimmered in amusement. "Or are you still licking your wounds that Anna turned you down?"

"Why the Hell am I down here in your little fish tank, Your Majesty?" Ignia hissed. "I didn't come here to see your hatchling." Those golds pierced the focused, hateful and disgusted. But a twisted idea conjured behind a predator's gaze. "Unless you want me to make him strong."

Dada's hold tightened, and his own snarl rose to the challenge. Aggression choked the air, making the focus whimper. "Don't test my effort if you think you can take him from me. You know exactly what a father would do." Blues glowed with War. "You still have that scar to remind you of His Majesty's effort when you tried to take away his own hatchling."

Ignia glared at him, hackles raised, but he cut his eyes away. "I wasn't gonna take him," he muttered in reluctant defense. "But his drake smells too strong. You know it too. And that runt can't handle his drake's flames."

Dada lessened his hostility now that the threat was gone. "What Natsu does or doesn't do with his son is his business. And he'll remind you of that if you give him another opportunity."

Ignia's jaw ticked. "Why am I here, Mercuphobia?"

Mercuphobia looked down at the focus and tenderly stroked the focus' cheek. "The sacrifices I'd make for him are infinite," he said, timbre soft. He smiled when little fingers wrapped around two of his own. "I've never understood the human concept of love…and then…he came along." He leaned down to kiss the focus' forehead. "I only have him for a few days. His surface parents don't trust my word."

Mercuphobia gave Ignia a stare heavy with accusation. "I wonder why."

Ignia huffed smoke, but he could not defend himself.

Mercuphobia sighed. "The seven Sea Kings have pledged their loyalty to him. Ideally, I'd like to be here to watch him take my place. But"—a sad glint tainted oceanic blues—"I'm not sure that's possible, given my state. And while I do trust the seven kings, I have…suspicions."

"Which one's the traitor?" Ignia gave a smirk full of bloodlust. "Can I kill them?"

"No." To Mercuphobia credit, he did not blanch from Ignia's need for blood. "They aren't a traitor…yet. They can't afford to be. Even in my failing health, they wouldn't dare. That's why I have to keep myself going and see through my son succeeding me. But…"—his chin went down—"in the event that that doesn't happen, there is something I am requesting of you."

Before Ignia could protest, Mercuphobia calmly reminded, "And you owe me for stopping Natsu from killing you when you tried to steal Igneel from him. Because he would have given you a perfect effort until the end. You and I both know that."

Ignia clenched his jaw. "What the fuck is this 'request'?"

Mercuphobia gave the focus a brief glance. "There has been no sign ever since I took on this mantle. But if I pass before I can see him take my place, there will be one who will come forward to kill him and take over the ocean."

"Are you talking about those cocky Water God Slayers?" Ignia questioned, unimpressed. "They're so weak. Not worth the fight."

"They're not; you're right," Mercuphobia conceded. "But no, I'm not talking about them. This one had lived in the deepest part of the sea. I thought I killed them long ago when I came to the sea. But they survived. And they'll enact their revenge"—blues went to the focus—"on him."

Ignia tilted his head, intrigued. "Are they strong?"

"Back in my prime, they weren't stronger than me. But now? Almost. And eventually?" Blues stormed. "Definitely."

"Ha!" Flames danced on Ignia's skin at the prospect of a bloody fight. "I can live with that. Until the stupid runt's drake up and leaves the nest for some real training, I could use a good fight. Who's the son of a bitch this time?"

"The only king that doesn't have allegiance to me." Mercuphobia held the focus to his heart. "I need you to protect my son from the eighth Sea King."

• — • — •

Luna perked, alert, when Silver mumbled something unintelligibly. The camping rope ended up being a good choice to store in her PDP as she had banded Silver to her back and shoulders to keep him upright as best as she could. It made riding Icarus difficult, but as long as he kept his gait steady through the rainforest, weight displacement was not too big of an issue.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Kāne's Island

Caelum, Ishgar

4:10 PM WIT

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Chocolates shimmered. Silver…

GORO-GORO!

PIKA-PIKA!

Luna looked through the cracks of the canopy. The chaotic rain disturbed all, dripping down large leaves. Lightning sprinted across the clouds like uncontrollable children who thought they were invisible. The storm is getting worse. It's easier to sense someone's emotions when they're dreaming and Silver's emotions get grayer the more the dreams. And the more he dreams…the worse it gets out here.

GORO-GORO!

PIKA-PIKA!

Her gaze dropped back to Kāne. She hasn't stopped once. She's going at this pace because we can't travel faster unless we wanted to hurt Silver and leave behind one of the horses. But where is she taking us? Browns flicked to Ena as she rode Tricky and guided Ariel. And E… She looked away. She hasn't said much. Neither of us has said much.

Lightning pranced the sky again.

Luna thumbed her reins. I know it shouldn't be important, but… I can't stop thinking about it. That this whole time…she knew, somehow, some way, that Silver needed water when he was in pain. Ever since he got really sick when we were little. I thought I needed to warn her about it when he started working for her, but this whole time… She knew. So why? Her lips flattened. Why is she brushing it off? I want to ask again, but—

"Does it?" Dark browns challenging and authoritative.

Luna's bottom lip trembled. I don't want to fight. I know if I push it here and now, we'll fight. And I'm not like Silver. I don't think…I could win if we fought. In her mind, she sighed, shoulders slackening. Some friend I am. Too afraid to push back. Silver's never afraid to push back when E tries to put up a wall. So then… What does that make me?

It still makes you a good friend.

Luna turned away. I didn't mean to share that with you, Icarus.

Your thoughts were private, but your emotions and who your emotions were for were not shielded. Icarus glanced at her. Thoughts are easy to shield. Emotions are not. It will take time until you can shield both.

Luna twisted her lips. Great. More patience. She watched Kāne and asked, Icarus, do you know where Miss Kāne is taking us?

I am unsure, Icarus answered. Guardians often roamed the land they were attached to, unless you were a Guardian as I were. We were tied to a people or animal, which meant we traveled where our mortals lived. As Kāne is a Forest Guardian, she must have a den of her own here.

Luna chewed on his words. 'A den of her own'…

Amare's voice came to her. "Legend says Kohala does exist, and it was prominently a part of this island. But upon Ao migrating the Caeluns, Kāne hid Kohala. And therein lies the question: what did Kohala contain that would make a Guardian Spirit hide it?

'Kohala'… Luna frowned. It's an extinct volcano that lives in-between our world and…somewhere else. The Spirit Realm, maybe? It hit her. Is she taking us to Kohala?

Kāne kept her diligent pace without a glance back to make sure others followed her. The plants recognized their Guardian, curling and folding in their petals and leaves as though to bow in her presence, unworthy of touching her fur. Not a drop of rain dared to hit the Guardian of Caelum's mainland, even if the rain hit her guests.

Ena felt it was right for the rain to hate her and weigh down her hair with its frigid bitterness. Her dark gaze lifted to the unconscious Silver. Why…? Her gloved hands clenched. Why now?

The memory of Silver's gasping breaths and his reddening gills stained her mind.

"Please!" A woman's desperate voice almost stolen by the ocean's furious tides. "Help him! Please!"

Her lips twitched into an ugly frown. Remembering the past will do nothing for me now. I have to worry about the present. I have to—

"Where were you? Mom was worried sick about you." Angry dark oaks. "Don't be selfish and run around on a dangerous island. Do you know how stupid that was? You're supposed to be smarter than that."

Her gritted teeth flashed. No. Not now. Don't focus on the memories of the past. They happened. Move on, you silly girl. Dark browns glinted. You've lived with Mystogan's disappointment for years. This is nothing. Focus on what matters most. And her stare drew back to Silver. Focus on making sure he smiles again.

That was when she heard rustling. What was that? She turned her head—

Browns widened. What?

The rainforest behind her reassembled, as though sewing a different pattern onto the terrain. The trees shifted, the grass unbound and wove itself again, and foliage that was not there before built itself up.

This forest… It's changing. She glanced around to realize with every step they left behind, the rainforest ate up the earth to create something new. All of it. It's changing around us. We're not being led down a linear path. This Guardian… Browns landed on Kāne. She's actively changing our route. But the question is: where is she taking us?

Kāne crossed through the tree line first, but she moved aside for the others to pass through. Icarus and Luna made the breakthrough first, with Ena, Tricky, and Ariel following. Surprise flashed on Ena and Luna's faces when a sizable pond fenced with rocks came before them. An innocent waterfall spilled into the water like it had been a happy accident all along.

"Wow…" Luna glanced around, awed. "This place… It feels so peaceful." It feels…spiritual, in a way. Like when we visited Nayda's shrine. She blinked as a thought occurred to her, and she held out her hand. But nothing hit it. And there's no rain here. But Silver's still asleep.

Ena guided Tricky and Ariel next to Luna and Icarus. "This place feels surreal," she told Luna. "It feels sacred, like holy ground. I can't understand it." And it makes my skin tingle.

Kāne drew attention as she walked over to the pond and waited for everyone expectantly.

"She wants us to follow her into the pond," Luna translated.

Ena's eyebrows shot into her bangs. "Are you serious? We'll drown."

"We won't." Luna sent Ena a determined look. "If you don't trust her, trust me. We don't drown going into the pond."

Ena searched Luna's eyes. "I trust you." She gestured to the horses. "Can we bring them?"

Tricky whinnied and shook his head, dancing on his hooves.

"Miss Kāne says it's better if Tricky stays here," Luna relayed as she loosened the rope around her and Silver. "She'll make sure he's taken care of while we're gone. You won't need to tie him up. But Ariel should be fine coming with us."

"Got it." Ena let go of Ariel's reins to do a graceful dismount. As she let Tricky graze to help Luna with Silver, her mind wandered. Where exactly is this place? We're too off the path. And we were fairly warned about the lack of Com service here.

It was mutually decided that Silver would stay on the saddle and lay forward with both girls making sure he did not slip from the saddle. With Tricky checked over and the stallion already grazing, Ena got a hold of Ariel's reins for the group to go to the edge of the pond.

Kāne looked at them all with her starry gaze before turning to the pond. In three steps, she climbed into the pond. And it took her five declining steps until she submerged into the pond, never to be seen again.

Luna tightened her grip on Icarus' fur for assurance and strength before she led everyone else to do the same. The steps into the pond were shocking, but it was not because the water heavied their clothing and fur. None could feel a lick from the water at all. And by the time shoulders threatened to be submerged, Luna looked up.

A carved statue of a doe kept quiet behind the waterfall.

With a deep breath and closed eyes, Luna dunked under the water—

—only to stagger and gasp.

She could not help it when her eyes flew open in shock solid ground hung out beneath her feet. Air—not water—surrounded them, pure with hints of old smoke that made a person feel unreasonably nostalgic. A smooth cave that looked carved had become their environment with no sign of the sky in sight. But that was fine. Sunlight had no use here. Instead, iridescent greens sparked along the walls, like minuscule jewels that glinted the same as the flecks of color in Kāne's fur.

"Where…are we?" Luna breathed, lost.

"I…" Bewilderment held Ena prisoner. "I don't…know… Did we teleport?" She looked back to see the same-sized pond behind them. "We walked into the pond and then…we walked out. This must be a portal of some sort, but…" She glanced around. "Where are we now?"

She examined the tunnel. These walls… They looked too smooth for simple water erosion. And there are no signs or smell of water erosion. So then how…

"We're in a lava tube," Ena realized. "A tunnel. We're in a lava tunnel."

"That means we're inside a volcano, right?" Luna checked.

Ena nodded. "Right, but I can't say which one. Caelum has five volcanoes with two of them active and the other three are dormant, but they're nowhere near extinct at this moment, or at least I'm not aware they're being considered for extinct status." Her mind reeled. "But it's strange. A dormant volcano would still have warm lava tubes or some sort of warmth here. But that doesn't seem to be the case. And Caelum doesn't have any extinct—"

Her breath hitched as her eyes widened. But that can't…

Kāne blinked before she turned and gestured to the tunnel.

"She wants us to follow," Luna translated.

"Wait," Ena stopped. "Are you sure about this? We don't know where she's taking us."

"It'll be fine," Luna soothed. "Trust me, remember?"

Ena braved a look at Kāne. "I know. I trust you." But it's this place I don't trust… My skin… My body… It feels strange. Even my swords feel there is something strange here. But even so, she fell in line when Luna had them follow after Kāne.

Silence filled the walk, and that was fine by all parties. It allowed them all to soak in the mysteries of this cave forgotten in the bowels of time. Other ponds would appear once in a while. Some were filled with water. Others were gaping holes that showed the gray and rainy sky, yet none of the rain dared to come into the lava tunnel. One overhead puddle showed the ocean with schools of fish passing overhead like this was normal for them to witness.

It took time until a spot of lights shined down with one large beam of light stealing the stage. Kāne led them out of the tunnel and into—

FWOOSH!

The rest stopped to admire while a childish wind zipped by.

The rock had forged an open network of bridges, lavacicles, and pillars that looked like hourglasses. Moss and wily flowers padded parts of the earth and a lazy river sprawled across the lower floor with no destination in sight. A single gnarled tree had managed to cross across the forgotten rock. Perhaps a seed had fallen long ago, but with the help of the well-lit conduit and drops of water, it had blossomed.

But it was strange, you see. A raintree bonsai had been the product of this fluke of nature's design. It claimed the center of this intricate chamber where the layers and bridges felt like an infinite puzzle. The raintree bonsai looked bigger than it should be with healthy roots and its leaves looking like green clouds. But the base had spread to craft a smart burrow stuffed with moss and feathers. It was a den. It was Kāne's burrow.

To think that lava churning through such a volcano long ago had created a work of art.

"Beautiful," Luna breathed. "Absolutely beautiful."

OO-AH-OO!

A bird descended as Kāne walked down one of the stone bridges to get to the little island with her burrow in the bonsai. As the bird circled, it was easy to see the top of it had been distorted to match the rock while its underbelly showed white and gray feathers. It clamped a package in its beak.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is a Caelun Petrel or an 'ua'a, endemic to Caelum. Because these petrels are critically-endangered, they have evolved to have Mimic, a branch off Magic of Reflector Magic, so they may blend in with their surroundings and also allows them to mimic noises, like barking, roars, human voices, and even footsteps to throw-off predators. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The petrel landed upon Kāne's arrival to raintree bonsai and offered the package to her with a dip of its head. With that, it flew back into the sky and completely blended with the environment, as though it was never there to begin with.

Luna put the connection together as she guided them down one of the stone bridges to the island. "This is your home. That tree—that burrow inside it must be yours," she presumed.

Kāne dipped her head to scoop up the pouch and offered it to Luna once she was close.

Luna accepted it. "Thank you." She unraveled the string to look inside. Surprise hit her. "This is food...and water." Awed eyes befell Kāne. "That bird—it was your friend. And you asked him to have food and water for us."

Kāne's ears twitched.

Luna softened. "Thank you, Miss Kāne. Really. Thank you for your kindness." She gestured to Silver. "Are you sure it's okay for us to stay here? My friend…" She struggled with proper words.

Kāne nosed Luna's hand with her Fairy Tail mark stamped on it, starry eyes fond.

"E, Miss Kāne says it'll be okay to rest here until Silver's better," Luna told her. "Her burrow is really soft and large enough for all of us." She peeked to see Ena staring down at the multiple layers below. "E?"

Ena blinked out of her stupor. "I'm sorry. I was just…" She blinked again, her eyes drawn to the cracks showing the abyss below. This place… It makes me feel something, but I don't know what. Shaking it off, she ordered, "We'll need to get Silver down and set up."

"Right."

As Ena busied herself, she thought, I don't know what this place is, but I do know one thing. Dark browns sharply glanced downwards. Something is down there. Something powerful. And something we should avoid.

°•°•°•°

Silver lay in the moss and feather tufts without the poncho. It was not exactly a pleasure for Ena to Requip him back into his boxer-briefs—she knew Luna would take the mickey out of her for that—but considering a thin layer of sweat had built upon his skin, it was better for them to sponge him while he was half-naked than let him sweat through his clothes.

The food the petrel had brought was comically healthy. Nuts, berries, and honeycombs, yes, but it also brought back a dead squid that gave Luna a fright. To be fair, petrels did eat squid as their main source of food. It could be considered considerate the petrel shared a meal with them.

BO… BO…

A fire kit was a must for any Wizard team without a flame spell to their name or a Fire Wizard as a teammate. After a quick bath in the river below and some more hygienic necessities, Ena had gotten a tamed fire started to cook the dead and cut up squid. Ariel and Icarus no longer needed their tacks and saddle. Ariel, however, stayed close to the mouth of the burrow, acting as Silver's protector, while Kāne lay near Luna and lapped at her honeycomb. Icarus laid down behind Luna to act as her pillow and he took his time with his honeycomb and berries.

BO… BO…

Luna stared into the flames. Giggles of the past filled her ears.

"Iggy!"

"This means Dragon is gonna get you, Princess Luna!"

"No…!"

She pulled her knees up to her chest as the flames forced upon that sacred memory of her youth. Of Igneel chasing after her as he pretended to be a fearsome Dragon. Of Luke's nose stuck in his book. Of Nashi complaining Igneel never acted sweet towards her. Of her parents discreetly flirting as they watched over their children. Of all the times it felt like they were a whole family.

"Grr, now you're my prisoner, princess, and you'll never see stupid Redfox again!"

"Hey! That's mean!"

"'Course it's mean, Lu, I'm a Dragon!"

Luna dropped her chin onto her knees as her and Igneel's laughter of the past hollowed into the hapless crackles of the fire.

Ena glanced up from her meal to see Luna's forlorn expression. "You should eat," she said softly, nodding to the large leaf housing Luna's portion. "It's better to eat now, even if you're not hungry. Your appetite might not catch up to your mind, but your body needs the energy. Eat." She added when Luna did not move, "Please."

It worried Ena when Luna looked like she had not heard, but she closed her eyes in brief reprieve when Luna went for the honeycomb first. Thank goodness she's eating. She's been quiet for a while now. Guilted browns flickered to the burrow. Although I can understand why. It's hard to say much when he's still asleep. She went for her berries, taking her eyes off him. How long will he remain like this? How long will I have to worry about him?

She sighed. None of that now. Becoming overly emotional will not do me any good. You know better than that. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't.

With that in mind, she polished her hands off one of the wipes she had packed away in her PDP and asked Luna, "Barring Silver's sickness…how are you doing?" She went for her water—

"I miss Igneel."

Ena faltered.

Luna continued in a mumble: "I know it's stupid—to miss him, y'know? I know he'll come home. And it's only been a few months since he's been gone, but…" She could not bear to eat anymore. "I don't know. Times like this make me miss him…remember him, I guess. I know he wasn't always a good person growing up. He got into fights and he stole and he set stuff on fire…"

"He pissed me off," Ena muttered.

A little amused smile toyed on Luna's lips. "Yeah. He liked getting underneath people's skin. He did it a lot to you and Gale and Nashi and…"—her smile fell for sadness—"and Luke too… He was… He was really mean to Luke."

A rock-like heaviness burdened Ena's heart as she murmured, "I remember that."

"Yeah." Luna tightened her grip around her legs. "I feel bad missing him sometimes. He hurt a lot of people and did a lot of things, but I remember him differently. He was my brother, and he was kind and a little goofy. Sometimes, he could get scary if someone hurt me. But he protected me a lot back then." The flames danced in her eyes. "I keep wondering if I was more like him, then maybe…maybe I'd be farther ahead. And I wouldn't have moments like this. I could be confident and strong, not…patient."

Ena chose her words with care. "You shouldn't feel guilt for missing him. He adored you, L. Anyone could see Igneel loved his little sister. And for all of his faults, I had to respect him for his work ethic." Now the fire seduced her gaze with its dance. "Anyone could see he was strong. He downplayed it. I know he did. Why? I don't know. But he did. I can't say I ever admired him, but I respected his confidence and prowess. But I'm happy about who you are now."

"Why?" Luna's stare dropped to the side. "I'm nothing like him or the rest of my family. I'm…patient." The word tasted like acid.

Ena answered, "Because the you you are right now has never ceased to amaze me. You're nothing like Igneel and I'm thankful for that. Igneel was…" Eyebrows knitted together. "He was…cruel. Even his kindness felt like a blade. And even with the respect he had, there was fear there too. And that worked for him. But you… Your kindness is genuine, and your heart is gentle. You're exactly who you should be. And if Igneel was here, he would say the same."

Luna could not disagree with that.

Ena sipped her water—

"Do you ever miss Mystogan?"

That made Ena pull away her water to think about such an obscure question. In the end, she replied, "No." She made sure Luna could see only truth in her eyes.

"I understand." Luna meant that. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ena dismissed, sipping more water. "I'm certainly not. You know how it is with Mystogan." Fingers clutched the bottle. "How could I miss someone who saw me as nothing more than a weak nuisance?"

Luna would not dispute that. "I just don't understand him."

"And neither would I want to. He's never bothered to understand me." Ena let the flames cast an unpleasant shadow on her face to sharpen her features. "I should return the courtesy."

If I was the sister he never wanted around, then I shouldn't refer to myself as his sister. Dark browns jaded. He can have his perfect sister in Aine when he comes back to Magnolia. I have no interest in ruining that for him. Words that once made her tear only blackened her heart. And I'm sure Aine will be happy about it too. She won't have to pity the unwanted sister.

Luna saddened. E… Her lips parted, but she could not force the words. How could he treat her like this? Like she doesn't matter? But he treats Luke so well, and even Luke doesn't understand.

She questioned, "Are you ever mad at Luke for how Misty is with him?"

"Why would I be?" Ena wiped her hands again. "On a professional level, Mystogan is a brilliant Wizard. For Luke to be his apprentice is the deal of a lifetime. I've never once been upset about it."

"But you've been upset with Aine."

Ena's cheek twinged. "I'm not upset with her," she stiffly rebuked. "I've told you that before. How could I be upset with her? She's a darling with everything she could want for. Case closed

"She has everything you wanted."

Ena huffed. "I thought we were finished with this? I said, 'case closed'."

"And I didn't agree to it."

That made Ena freeze. "Excuse me?"

Luna re-clasped her hands as she found the strength to say, "I know…Aine is a touchy subject, but—"

"She's not worth another nanosecond of time to talk about when we have other pressing matters to worry about, starting with Silver and ending with us leaving," Ena cut in, tone firm. "We're done talking about her."

Luna's lips quivered for a moment before she said, "We're…not."

Ena had enough. "I don't think you heard me when I said we have other pressing matters—"

"A-And we do, but we can't do anything about those 'matters'," Luna pointed out, finding the backbone of her voice. "We can't leave until Silver wakes up, and we can't hurry Silver to wake up, so we have to wait until Silver awakes up. But if you want to focus on Silver, we can."

"Gladly." The flatness in Ena's voice could dent a mountain.

Luna shifted. "Fine."

"Fine." And Ena went back to plucking and eating berries.

Five beats.

"Why do you let Silver win?"

The question threw Ena for a loop. "I've never fought him in battle before."

"No, not…" Luna sighed and rephrased. "I've known you all my life," she preface. "And I know you have a heart of steel and iron. You always told me you had expectations to meet being the daughter of a Dame and a Guild Master, and I've never doubted that. But lately…"

Ena prompted when Luna did not continue, "What?"

"Lately…" Luna wiggled her toes. "It's just… I'm…happy that you're trusting Silver more with yourself is all. I'm happy you're friends and that you two respect each other and you can talk to him, even when you don't want to."

Ena should have held her tongue, but she let slip, "What do you mean by that last part?"

Luna hesitated. "Promise you won't get angry?"

"I promise."

"Okay." Luna exhaled with her whole chest. "It's just…" She started slowly, "I know there's stuff you don't like to talk about. And I know Silver doesn't push back, like, a hard limit. But he can tell when you need a little push. He doesn't break your glass, but he taps it so it cracks. Like at Savant Hall and everything."

Ena flushed. "Yes, well, that was not one of my finer moments." Her gaze went back to Silver. "And he used quite the grand scheme to get me to understand him, so I wouldn't take advice from him if I were you."

Three beats.

"I'm jealous."

Ena swung a questioning gaze onto Luna.

"I'm jealous of him," Luna clarified.

Ena gave a disbelieving chuckle. "What? Why would you be jealous of him?"

"Because…he can talk to you," Luna murmured. "And I…can't."

Ena's laughter faded for a puzzled frown. "What does that mean?"

"He can talk to you about those subjects I can't, and I'm jealous," Luna explained, tone quiet. "I feel like I've been a bad friend all this time to you."

"Of course you haven't," Ena interjected to assure, even with her own mind spiraling. "Surely you can speak to me about the same subjects. There's nothing to be jealous of, okay—"

"Then how does he get you to talk about what you don't want to talk about, but you shut me down?"

That shocked Ena, blindsided her. "I don't do that." But her statement sounded too unsure for her taste. "I wouldn't… I don't shut you down. I-If this is about Aine—"

"No." Luna gently shook her head. "I know Aine isn't a subject you want to speak to anyone about." Brushing back her flyaways, she confessed, "I'm so proud of you, E. Because before, it was us. You went to Fairy Tail with me if I asked you to. You went to parties if I asked you to. But I tried not to ask you too much because… Well, because I knew you didn't like being around people. You didn't want to trust people or make friends. I knew that. And I wanted to show you I respected you."

Ena murmured, "You did."

"But you've changed," Luna continued. "It's not just me and you anymore. You're…opening yourself up and you're talking and you're listening and I'm honestly so happy to see you shine like this. I guess…" She played with her fingers. "I kept thinking if I had just…pushed a little more like Silver does, I…" She shook her head.

Ena came to Luna's side and brushed back her bangs. "That's why you're jealous?"

Luna nodded.

Ena softly smiled. "You're adorable, L."

Flushed red, Luna hid her face against her knees. "Shut up."

Ena laughed. "Don't be like that." She nudged Luna before glancing over her shoulder at Silver. "You did—push me, I mean." She turned back to Luna. "You pushed me when I needed to be pushed, L. You're the best friend I could have. That's never changed."

"It has," Luna mumbled into her knees. "You have Silver now."

Ena chuckled. "Yes, but you are still and will always be my best friend and he's my…my…" She faltered for a moment. "He's my…very good friend. And he's also my assistant."

"Is he?" Luna peeked an eye at Ena. "Is he really just that?"

Ena cleared her throat and hoped the oranges of the flames hid her blush. "Of course he is. He is an excellent companion and a resourceful assistant," she commented, resolute. Hoping to diverge attention, she told Luna, "And anyway, he has superior homemaker skills that I'm very sure his lady-love will be smitten with—"

"Ena."

Puffing a cheek, Ena crossly muttered, "You know I hate it when you say my name. It makes me feel like I'm about to get scolded."

"Sorry, should I call you 'Mistress'?" Luna teased, giggling catching Ena's red ears. "Aw…!"

"Not a word," Ena warned Luna, but her lips twitched as Luna laughed. "What are you giggling about, principessa?"

Luna colored, but in her defense, she claimed, "Mama told me when someone gives you a pet name, it means they care about you."

"Mm-hmm. And Redfox mauling you and moaning 'princess' means he very much cares about you and wants to make you his queen," Ena jested, shaking her head. "I don't know how you can see beyond his boorish behavior."

"He's sweet underneath."

"Yes, well, 'sweet' will not save him once Igneel is home and rains fire on Redfox for what he did to you."

"Yeah, that's…true…."

Ena caught the discomfort blatantly cross Luna's face and softened. "I know you and Gale talked about it, but… Are you sure you're okay with what happened?"

Luna slumped. "I…thought I was. I thought everything was fine. But…" She sighed. "Can you be honest with me?"

"Always."

"Do I…?" Luna dropped her eyes. "Do I…forgive and forget?"

The answer to such a question was a mind field that Ena did not mind stepping in. "I think you do," she answered, honest. "It's not always a bad thing. You're just that kind of a person—" Upon Luna's further withdraw, Ena asked, "L, do you think you forgive and forget?"

"I don't know," Luna confessed, small. "I didn't think I did. I just…make people angry sometimes."

Ena's heart chipped. "You might invoke anger in a person, but what they do with their anger is on them, not yours." She swallowed what she wanted to say when she saw that Luna was too withdrawn for comfortable discussion. "It's been a long day," she soothed. "Why don't you sleep and I'll take first watch and look after Silver? If he feels better, I'll wake you."

Luna nodded as Ena moved back to the other side. "M'kay." As she went to the saddlebag to retrieve a blanket, she mentioned, "It's the same for you, you know."

Ena grunted in relief as she found a comfortable spot. "What is?" Perhaps I should see if Silver packed away the novel I was reading—

"Silver calls you 'Mistress' because he cares about you."

Ena went for her PDP and unzipped it with a titter. "I'm aware he cares for me, but he calls me that because I'm his boss, L, not for another motive." Her movements faltered when she found the old book titled Lost in Time: Fae Edition. A frown became of her. Wait… I never took this, so how…? Shoving down her confusion, she stated, "And anyway, I doubt he would assign me a pet name with some romantic nuance behind it."

"He gave me a name," Luna pointed out as she found the light blanket.

"I hardly consider 'Lulu' something you should drool over and I think Redfox wouldn't be happy if you perceived your 'baby' as a love interest," Ena said dryly. "No, he…" Her thumb ran down the book's fragile spine. "Silver's undermined his care for that young lady enough because of me. I'd rather not add on to that list. 'Mistress' is just a sign of respect, nothing more."

"But he calls you that outside of work," Luna reminded.

"I'm always working," Ena was quick to reply.

"Are you working when you're asleep and he's next to you?"

Ena had no argument for that.

Luna snuggled into her blanket, eyes low. "I'm not saying this to be mean or corner you," she promised, quiet. "I know you and Silver are friends—"

"And that's all we'll ever be," Ena finished, finding her voice. "He is simply friendly. I have seen you in his arms before, and it meant nothing outside of friendship. The same applies to me. I'm sure the romantic implication is there with his young lady. He's just…kind to me. That's all."

Dark drowns went downcast. And perhaps his kindness comes from pity of me. But… Even if it is him pitying me... Is it bad of me to not be upset he's this close?

Luna searched Ena's face. "If he didn't have that crush…would you think he was being just kind to you all this time?"

"I-I…" Ena tried not to entertain the thought. "Of course I would." She clutched the book. "If you're implying something, I would rather you say it to me instead of talk in riddles."

Dark browns and chocolate clashed.

Luna closed her eyes for a moment. "All right." Opening them, she held herself firm. "Why don't you think his kindness could be romantic towards you?"

Ena's mouth opened, but the retort was not there. Her lashes lowered, painted in the flame's warmth. His kindness…could mean more? Her fingers splayed over her heart.

LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB!

"Mistress!" A wide smile. "I missed you!"

Red touched her neck.

Teasing blues. "If you get reckless like that again, I'll have to accept your kisses, Mistress."

Her fingers wrinkled the material.

"Mistress." The scent of ocean and rain around her. "Welcome home."

Her side braided lock fell forward.

LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB!

Her lips parted—

Cold dark oaks. "Don't be stupid. Jellal never loved us. You can't rely on anyone but yourself. Don't you get that? Or else they'll leave you just like him."

Luna worried seeing a shift come over Ena as she dropped her hand. "E?"

"That's enough," murmured Ena, tone light. "Silver would never mean any of his kindness in any other way than being a friend, L. That's all. Nothing more and nothing less. It will never be nothing more. It can't be." Dark browns shimmered in a vulnerable despair. "No one could ever mean that to me."

"But what if he—someone—did?" Luna gently pressed. "What if…they really did love you?"

Dark browns sparked. 'Love me'?

Warm blues. "I love you, Mistress."

Ena turned away. "Then, I…" The outright rejection she normally conjured did not seem to be viable for this conversation. Then I… If he had…

Hard dark oaks.

Ena's hands clenched. "I would reject them." Words that could cut steel with not an emotion to their name. "I don't have time for such foolish ideals. They would only get in the way."

The flames made her eyes glint. 'Love'? How stupid. It would cause nothing but false happiness and in the end… The young memory of seeing her mother weep in Lucy's arms burned her. It would cause nothing but unnecessary pain. And I'm not a masochist.

Luna shrunk a little seeing all emotion wipe from Ena's face. She tried to appeal, "B-But it wouldn't—"

"You should sleep."

The order made Luna flinched. She did not have it in her to argue, so she gave a weak, "Okay." Tossing onto her side and with heat backing her eyes, she buried her face in Icarus' fur and feared, I think I made everything worse.

No, Pup. Icarus shifted his eyes to Ena. But your friend has her own Demons to face, a fight none of which can help her.

Luna suppressed the urge to tear up. But I want to.

I know you do. But you cannot. She must conquer her fear alone. Icarus' gaze flickered to the burrow. For fear is nothing more than assumptions of the unknown. And her assumptions will bring her nothing but pain if she does not try to seek the answer. He exhaled through his nose. Tell your friend to sleep. I will watch over all of you.

Luna nodded and told Ena, "Icarus says he'll watch over us if you want to sleep."

Six beats.

"All right." Ena closed the book to lie atop her bag, and she tucked the aging edition close to her chest. L and Silver might think love is a blessing, but it's a curse—a curse I refuse to have. I don't need it. Her chest expanded with her inhale. And I will never want for it.

A buzz reached her ears, and an exhaustion she did not think she had swept through her bones.

I'll never…want that pain. Scarlet lashes went half-mast. I'm better…alone.

The buzz sounded familiar, but her mind drifted into the sea of sleep.

Everyone…leaves… Her eyes closed without her permission. The crackles of the fire and the awareness of the rock were tossed into the tides and left her alone on this sleepy cruise. No one…wants me…

DRIP…

The droplet fell off her cheek.

DROP…

Sleep took over.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

'Daddy… I miss you.'

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

— • — • — • —

Ah-ah-ah-ah-akkanbe—

Yodonda sekai to te wo tsunagu no sa

Wo ai ni, wo ai ni

•

Ah-ah-ah-ah-akkanbe—

kibanda sekai ni mo itte agerusa

Wo ai ni, wo ai ni

•

Wo ai ni, wo ai ni

Wo ai ni, wo ai ni

Wo ai ni, wo ai ni

Wo ai ni, wo ai ni

— • — • — • —

---

The fire had long since died.

Even without the fire, even without the lava, this abandoned chamber carried a warmth for its inhabitance. Ariel remained awake and comfortable as she looked after Silver. The worst was almost over for him, but she would not leave his side. Ena slept like a log, quiet for once, with Lost in Time: Fae Edition close to her.

Icarus' ear twitched.

Kāne rose back to all fours, but she did not move straight away. She watched and she waited.

Luna shifted.

The blanket slipped from her like silk, and her movements to rise were fluid and silent. She needed no support from Icarus as he got to his paws.

She turned around.

Glowing white faced star-cursed eyes.

Kāne turned and her hooves did not make a sound as she moved to leave the little island. But she did not leave alone. Luna followed, blank-faced, and those white glowing eyes open. Icarus kept close to his human, but he caught the Kelpie's eye.

Ariel swished her tail and turned her attention back to Silver.

Icarus dipped his head and kept a watchful eye on Luna as she drifted after Kāne's footsteps.

It was too late when Ena stirred with a little grunt. Her eyes squeezed shut before cracking open. The reason for her surroundings took a moment to decipher and remember, and it was automatic for her gaze to go back to burrow and see Silver still unconscious inside. A bit stiff in the neck, she sat up to rub out the kink. What a strange dream…or a memory…

It dawned on her something was out of place. No. Someone was out of place.

Dark browns roamed to see no sign of Icarus or Luna. "L?" Panic eradicated her lingering lethargy. "L?"

Against her body's wishes, she pushed herself into a stand and fought hard to keep calm as her flight stare roamed about the chamber. No, no, no! I promised I would keep her safe! Where is she? If she's hurt—!

HIIN.

Ena shot Ariel a look, but the Kelpie buried and bounced her muzzle in one direction. What does she…? Her gaze shifted—

A flash of blonde and white.

Ena started when she saw Icarus and Luna ready to descend into a shadowy tunnel and she called, "No, wait!"

Luna stopped.

LUB-DUB!

Ena twitched. My heart… It hurts. What's going on? Where is she going? And…why can't I move?

Luna turned her head—

Glowing white struck into wide dark browns.

Ena's breath hitched. No… What the…?

Luna turned away and the shadows claimed her with Icarus following in suit.

LUB-DUB…LUB-DUB…LUB-DUB…

Ena could not believe it when the glimpses were taken from her all too soon and she was left replaying what she thought she saw over and over again. Fear tried to petrify her. What just…? Her eyes… What was that? What's going on with you? Where are you going? Don't… Shakily, she reached out her hand. Please don't…

Her bottom lip trembled.

Luna… Please don't leave me too.

---

Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance

— • — • — • —

Ena Fernandes – Xanthe Huynh

Silver Fullbuster – Yuri Lowenthal

Luna Dragneel – Brynn Apprill

Amare –

Igneel Dragneel – Bryce Papenbrook

Mary Jane Dreyar – Erica Lindbeck

Gary Fullbuster – Griffin Burns

Nashi Dragneel – Laura Landa

Icarus – Christopher Sabat

Odette Gosling – Tia Ballard

Eros Normandy – Travis Willingham

Sylvie Gosling – Leah Clark

Raimana "Rai" Kalupe – Chris Hackney

Kalua – Chris Burnett

Holland – Thomas Doherty

Atticus Gosling / Addy – Steve Cannon

Natsu Dragneel – Todd Haberkorn

Lucy Heartfilia-Dragneel – Cherami Leigh

Ignia –

Mercuphobia –

Mystogan Fernandes (child) –

Mystogan Fernandes – J. Michael Tatum

• — • — •

Additional Voices

Opening Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Closing Narrator – Melissa Fahn

— • — • — • —

⌜OPENING SONG

⟪ Star Train ⟫

Hi-Fi CAMP

Lyrics by

Hi-Fi CAMP⌟

•

⌜INSERT SONG

⟪ Fly ⟫

Seven oops

Lyrics by

MICHIRU⌟

•

⌜ENDING SONG

⟪ Champon ⟫

hockrockb

Lyrics by

堀胃あげは⌟

---

•

•

•

•

— • — • — • —

Next time, on Fairy Adventure

•

Episode 127

•

THE SIXTH PILLAR

— • — • — • —

•

•

•

•

GONE WITH THE WIND

---

Chibi-Luna has all the lights off except a plot light on her. "Good day, class!"

"Hi, Teacher!" her students chorus. "What's our Fairy Lesson of the day?"

Chibi-Luna raises a hand. "Today, we'll be learning about elemental regulation!" She lets the spotlight hit her wheel of elements. "You see, Wizards and magical creatures all have to regulate their powers, or else it could harm the body. But we're going to focus on Flame Wizards!"

She puts photos of Igneel, Natsu, and Romeo by the flame symbol. "Flame Wizards are more likely to have higher body temperatures and higher metabolism due to the nature of their Magic. Metabolic influences depend on how advanced the Wizard is, though. If someone is born a Flame Wizard, babies can't naturally regulate their internal fire.

"That's why parents and guardians are warned Flame Wizards-born normally risk constant high fevers and possible neurological damage. To combat this, Wiccans and Healers help new parents learn how to cool their newborns until they're old enough to release their flames. Releasing their flames can temporarily lower their temperature, but it's not a permanent solution."

Chibi-Luna continues: "Once toddlers become children, they can be taught how to control their temperature, but it's still pretty tricky. Because kids don't know how to separate their emotions from their powers, Flame children Wizards often steam and run hotter when their emotions are extreme. But it takes time to keep your temperature regulated even when emotional.

"From there, Flame Wizards have to learn how to regulate their fire in different types of weather. Acclimating to dessert biomes and summer heat might seem easy, but it's still a balancing act. In humid climates, Flame Wizards have to actively keep their body temperature lower than the weather. In contrast, colder environments prove challenging. If they overheat themselves to keep warm for a long time, it can cause a fever, internal organ shut down, and other bad symptoms that can affect them for life."

A student inquires, "How come Flame Wizards don't burn off their clothes or the people around them?"

"As for the clothes, it all depends on the clothing brand," Chibi-Luna answers. "As you know, my best friend is an Enchanter and often puts enchantments into her clothes. But that's not feasible for one Enchanter to do that for an entire brand. Wizards have special stores and tailors that can proof their clothes, depending on the Wizard's primary Magic.

"As for the people around them, it comes down to control," Chibi-Luna educates. "A controlled Flame Wizard could have their flames all over the forest, but it wouldn't cause a forest fire. A less-experienced Flame Wizard might burn someone through a handshake."

A light bulb goes off. "Oh!" Chibi-Luna exclaims. "One other thing. Flame Wizards have to be careful with hot items. While their body is internally resilient to heat, their skin might not be able to absorb the heat in time. Flame Wizards able to withstand magma and lava are only in myth. But Fire Dragons and Salamanders often bathed in both since their external bodies were designed for those temperatures."

PINPONPINPON!

"That's the bell!" Chibi-Luna chirps. "And now a word from the author!"

•

『 I have been watching Pokémon once more for the nostalgia. Watching Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea gave great inspiration for Silver in 2017. Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest had not come out, but I had always wanted Silver to become, well, you know. His entire future was influenced from that Pokémon movie. It was a happy coincidence Mashima had created the Water Dragon God Mercuphobia.

If you are a Miraculous Ladybug or a Yuri on Ice fan, I have finished two crossover episodes to come. Our French Ladybug and Chat Noir will meet Luck Incarnate Liberty Justine and her very own bad luck black cat. Together, they'll defeat the Akuma and unlock a mystery around Liberty's past.

Carlisle's appearance is based on a younger, long-haired Viktor from Yuri on Ice. Writing two chaotic pro skaters felt very chaotic. And neither Yuri nor Dante are impressed their respective fiancé and boyfriend ditched them for shopping and selfies.

A Pokémon crossover has sat in my mind as the one more crossover. And of course, because of crossovers in Fairy Tail's past, it would make sense for the Seven Deadly Sins sequel series Four Knights of the Apocalypse to crossover with Fairy Adventure.

Thank you for your support.

End of speech. 』

•

Chibi-Luna waves. "That's all for our lesson! See you next episode!"