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!

146. Adventure 146

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: a trip in the past showed Yara's time as a Royal Healer for the royal family of Bellum—and her troublesome ward Prince Johann! Between dealing with her mentor's insistence she call him "Father", the royal family's over-the-top tendencies, and Prime Minister Göran's silver tongue, Yara had much to carry on her shoulders. But one thing she did not expect was a pure love to bloom between Orisa and Johann. And one thing Gale did not expect was to see someone who looked almost exactly like him.

"Brother."

Looks like Gale will have a lot more than Yara's memories to sift out. But at least it's comforting to know Johann's family, even while the leaders of Bellum, loved not only their son but his wife too.

---

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

WIT • — • – 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

SST • — • — Shamballa Standard Time • — • — Shamballa • — • — UTC – 2

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

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

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

She holds up a finger. "Pease keep in mind, the author does not condone certain actions from characters. A scene marked X-X-X to indicate the start explicit, nonconsensual content and the Y-Y-Y will indicate the end of such content. Please only read what you are comfortable and do know for our heroes of the story, it does get better in the future." She winks with a thumbs up. "See you at the end of the episode!"

---

DOTADOTADOTA!

How curious the flames were at this new person fleeing through the complex of tunnels, but once she passed, the flames died away just as quickly as though unwilling to let her see where she had been.

DOTADOTADOTA!

Yara looked down at the projected map. The series of tunnels were none of her concern, but the red diamond caught her hard interest. The entry point into the Black Auction—I can't miss the window this time. She followed the guide and took a right at the fork in the tunnel. I missed the window before when I could feel I was being followed. But I only have today to get the philosopher's stone before it goes onto the stage.

Her blues darkened. I need to get that stone. I know the risks, but… This could be the only thing that saves His Majesty and gives Bellum a chance at being restored. I let the Prime Minister chase me out before. Her fingers tightened. Not again.

She glanced back down at the unmoving red marker. Still, though, my contact… Without Heinrich backing him, I wouldn't have been able to trust him. A person with his sort of abilities… He could easily destroy the world. So why help me? Why help my country? He even said he has no loyalty to Bellum or His Majesty or even Orisa. So then why…?

"Healing Human."

Yara stopped with her guards up and her mental shields strengthening at the intruder before her. "Who are you?" Her hand slipped beneath her cloak to find her dagger. "What do you want with me?" I didn't even hear her approach me. And she doesn't look…

"There is no need for you to draw your blade, Healing Human." A woman had crossed Yara's bath with skin a dark brown and her twisted locs woven with beautiful lavender flowers that match the light violet of her eyes. Nature clothed her with a layered dress of moss and leaves. But even with her lavender eyes, her sclera inked pale yellow. "There is no time. I know who you are, Yara Sandström, and I know what you desire."

Yara stayed put. "What do you want?" Heart pounding, she assessed this wrench in her plans. Something tells me I shouldn't make sudden movements or try anything. And she doesn't feel threatening, but I can't trust anyone.

The woman lifted her chin. "My son is in terribly danger, Yara Sandström. This earth is too poisoned, and he cannot survive me shifting his body. I require you to heal him." She sniffed. "And I know you are a Healing Human. You smell of herbs and Spirits."

'Her son'? Yara straightened. No. This could be a trap to distract me from the entry point. And the window will be closing soon. "I'm sorry about your son," she apologized tightly, "but I can't stop right now. I need to—"

"You are trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone."

Yara tensed at how calmly the woman spoke. How did she—?

"If you heal my son, you will have what you desire," the woman confided.

Yara still did not move. "Who are you?"

The woman lifted her chin. "I am the Heart, Soul, and Spirit of the Nature Dragon, Sycaña. And you are to heal my son"—her teeth showed—"the last Black Dragon."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

"Ame no youna kaze no youna

Dareka no koto jama suru youna

Hito ni nante naritaku wanai kara?

Hare no youna hikari no youna

Dareka no koto teraseru youna

Hito ni naritai!"

nante itai tte dareka no koe ga?

Kikoetara nanda

Nagutte kowashite sayonara DILEMMA!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia knew something was off and it had nothing to do with Chunhua this time.

"And now, we'll move onto the car segment of today's auction."

The congregation murmured to themselves about their potential bids. Some had used their bidders to look at the preview the next selection of cars they could be taking home. Servers came out with drinks and bite-sized hors d'oeuvre. Rather than a lecture hall, all those invited for Shamballa's altruistic auction had assigned seats at round tables with screens to the side to show the stage.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Al-Yamama Art Centre

Baraka City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

18:09 SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia covered her glass when a server came by to refill drinks. Once he passed, she took a delicate sip and feigned disinterest. But her eyes settled on the empty seat next to her. Where is he? He shouldn't be taking this long. She fiddled with her earring. Noko had these earrings specifically designed to work out for long range. Why hasn't Gale contacted me? Is he in danger?

She gripped her champagne flute. It makes me nervous he hasn't contact me in this long. We're in a den of snakes. He might have fangs like them, but still…

Hasim took up the podium and announced: "All right. We are now in our cars portion of our auction. Let's start with…"

Julia ignored the auctioning to take another sweep and homed on Chunhua. She sat obediently at her brother's table and dared not look up. Chunhua hasn't been looking good. Though I guess it shows she has some moral compass left after teaming up with a rapist. Disgust toiled her stomach. The fact that she's not only doing that, but she's going to kill that son of Báihǔ person, someone who seems to be very important to Zhōnguá and its culture. How could she betray her people like this?

She pursed her lips. I should ask Noko about this 'Cultivator'. She snorted into her next sip. Or maybe Tesla. I think she was a fan of those BL mangas about them, wasn't she?

• — • — • — • — •

"How could they just end this in this season?"

Julia sighed as Tesla sobbed into her shoulder with tissues everywhere on Tesla's coffee table as credits rolled for the ending of Heaven's Official Blessing (and Julia had not even bothered to understand a single word of it). "Tesla, they aren't real—"

"Shut your mouth!" Tesla reached for another tissue and blew out her nose. "I read the MTL novels, but to see it like this… A-And to end it when Xie Lian finds out…" She sniffled. "It's so cute and so sad!" she cried. "And they're both so hot! Ugh, I want them so much."

Julia sweatdropped as she patted Tesla's back. "You know, Jaxton would like a word with you about that."

"Oh, shut it." Tesla waved Julia away and cleaned her nose to get more tissues. "He knows I'd leave him in a heartbeat for a Cultivator boyfriend. I mean look at them!" She pointed at the LV as it showed the two titular characters. "Who wouldn't want to be their bitch?" She blew her nose again.

"I thought you wanted a werewolf boyfriend," Julia reminded. 'Wait. Why am I encouraging this?'

Tesla rolled her eyes. "It's called a reverse harem, Julianna." She grew giddy at the thought. "And I'd be so worth it. Having a werewolf boyfriend and a Cultivator boyfriend? I'd be in heaven!"

• — • — • — • — •

Julia smiled a little. She would obsess over that. And Jax always looked like a kicked puppy. She chuckled remembering Jaxton's sour look whenever Tesla went on another tirade of her future boyfriend Aaron Gray. I hope their vacation is going well.

Her eyes flashed over to Enmerkar, the eighth prince of Dilmun. Once I get home, I'll need to tell Tesla about people searching for her. As of now, I don't know if she's told Jaxton the truth. Then again, if anyone would know the truth about her, it would be him or Dante. Even more things to worry about.

She suppressed her sigh. Gale… She looked down at her drink. Where are you?

"Is this Julia?"

Julia stiffened hearing a feminine voice. Wait… She casually touched her earring and hid her mouth behind her flute. "Who are you?"

"There's been a bit of a situation," the woman told him. "He's badly injured and needs to be taken back to a safe facility for treatment. You will need to make all the necessary arrangements."

Julia sharpened. Gale's been injured? Still, she did not move. "All right. But who is this?"

"His mother."

Her eyes widened. 'Mother'? But that doesn't sound like Aunt Levy— And it all caught up to her. No way…

"Be quick about it, Hunter. My son needs treatment from this Healing Human. If he fails to be treated"—a growl came through her words—"I will tear this world apart until I kill the creature who hurt the son of the Nature Dragon."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 146

•

The King: Part II

The Wife

•

王様: 後編

奥様

•

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

No, vodka and whiskey could never replace anesthesia and fuck whoever started that myth.

BAKI!

Yara and Julia supported Gale on either side as they helped him into the hotel suite with his civilian clothes ruffled. Thankfully, with the way he staggered, they could pass off his behavior to concerned employees as having one too much at a local bar. But the moment they shut the doors to the suite, Gale muttered curses in every language he knew.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

19:09 SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"Motherfucking rapist," he snarled as Yara helped him to his bedroom with his eyes hot. "Goddammit—Nnngh!"

"Careful," Yara warned as she helped him sit on the bed. "I was able to superficially heal you, but you still have deeper wounds, and you shouldn't agitate them." She called to Julia, who hovered worriedly at the doorway, "Get me some towels. Now."

Julia jerkily nodded. "Right. Of course." And she hurried for the bathroom.

Yara looked at Gale and took in the sweat dampening his skin and every angry pant. Her hands came up as she ran a diagnostic spell. The screen showed her a stream of medical data alongside a scan of his body and all its hidden wounds. Luckily, those scales I saw on him protected him from most of the damage. But he'll need more work with his other wounds. And not only that. She looked at him as her eyes glowed. Darkness huffed around him, but a pale kaleidoscopic aura pulsed. His Magic… Could it be…?

"I've got towels," Julia breathed as she came back in. She tried not to wince seeing how ashen Gale looked, but it was difficult. He's badly injured. I've… I've never seen him like this before.

Yara dismissed her screen and blinked away the glow in her eyes to straighten. "First thing is first: we need to clean you off. At the extent of your injuries, it wouldn't be wise to put you in a shower, and doing a sanitation spell wouldn't be smart either. We'll need to do a sponge bath—"

"Don't fucking touch me." Gale's reds turned reptilian with his teeth out.

Yara, however, remained calm in the face of danger, if a bit curious. So he really is a… "I never said I would touch you," she told him. "But before I can administer proper healing, you need to be cleaned. How you clean yourself is up to you, but with those injuries, you'll need help."

"I can help," Julia inserted, though she gave Gale a wary look. "Would you be able to handle that?"

Gale put his teeth away with his growl silencing. Another labored exhale. "I need Blondie," he gritted. "I can't—…" He shifted, but that cost him a snarl of pain. "I need her."

"I'll help him clean off," Julia told Yara.

"Are you sure?" Yara had to ask as Gale reached for his Compact with rickety movements. "I've read about…creatures like him. Your touch might agitate him further—"

"Out of the two of us, though, no offense, but I have the best shot of him not biting my hands off," Julia said. "Trust me. I can handle him."

Yara nodded. "Right. Then let me know when he's clean. I'll need to start working right away. The longer his wounds persist, the harder it will be for me to expel the energy trying to infect him."

"I understand."

Yara turned away—

"W-Wait!"

The Healer looked back to see a humbled Julia looking at her. "Thank you."

With one last nod, Yara exited the room with a flutter of her cloak and shut the door behind her. She waited a bit to move away, tense as she heard Gale's snarling, but when his warning noises lessened, then and only then could she move into the living room. I can't believe it. So it's true. A Dragon—that boy, that creature, is a Dragon.

She sat down on one of the couches to realign her mind and collect her racing thoughts. I thought they had died mere centuries ago. I had heard rumors about a rampant Black Dragon that had defied death, of course, but… He looks so young. Then again, his mother told me he and the notorious Black Dragon of legend were not one and the same.

• — • — • — • — •

"A Black Dragon?"

Yara could not hide her disbelief as she looked at Sycaña. And if the words this phantom spoke were true, trying to hide such a naked emotion would do more harm than good. "That… That's not…possible," she ended up saying. "Dragons are dead just as the Gods abandoned us and the Demons were killed off." Getting a grip on her emotions, she dropped back into her cautious attitude. 'I still can't sense malicious intent. But still—why would she lie about a Dragon? What is she plotting?'

Sycaña flashed her teeth. "I don't have time for such human dramatics. My son needs you. He cannot die."

"I'm sorry, but I need you to stand aside," Yara warned. "I'm in a hurry and I have no time for—"

"Stubborn human." Sycaña conjured a snake-like vine and it launched for Yara. "See with your own eyes I speak the truth."

Yara tensed, panicked, and went for her dagger just as the vine touched her forehead—

• — • — • — • — •

She absently touched her forehead again, mystified. She wasn't lying. I saw it—the memory she showed me. He truly is a Black Dragon. Remarkable. Yet he doesn't act like the Black Dragons of old myths. Those Black Dragons had been mad creatures set on wreaking havoc. But this boy… I didn't sense that sort of bloodlust from him.

Blues darkened. If he is the last Dragon, he's an invaluable resource like that Winter Devil. And considering he's in Shamballa, I'm amazed he isn't offered as a prize. I saw he had a guild stamp on his shoulder. So the Dragon is part of a Wizard Guild? 'Gale Redfox'…

She brought out the device from before and had it project the map of the underground tunnels, but the red diamond marker vanished. Blues narrowed. As I thought. The window to get into the Black Auction for the Philosopher's Stone closed. However, Dragons were told to command an impressive amount of power just like the Gods and Demons. Maybe… Maybe I could strike a deal with him. If I heal him now, would he be able to heal His Majesty? Perhaps if I—

Yara grew taken aback when the map disappeared to show she had an incoming call for ANONYMOUS. That's my contact. How did he…? She tentatively answered the call. "H-Hello?"

"You missed the window of opportunity, didn't you?"

Yara tensed. "Are you calling to scold me?"

"'Course not," Anonymous soothed, his voice young and laid-back. "You know I have contingency plans for everything. And just like you, I want Orisa out of this entire mess and King Johann back on the throne and in good health."

"So what now?" Yara wanted to know. "What do we do now that I've failed?" She looked at her lap with a clenched jaw. "Are you going to take away your support?" Her nails gripped her pants. Already, I've foiled most of our agreed plans. By now, I'm sure he thinks cutting his losses is better than—

"No way in Hell."

Yara blinked at how serious Anonymous sounded.

"I told you when I approached you that I wouldn't stop until Orisa was safe. And I meant that," Anonymous said, steadfast. "I have backup plans for my backup plans. All I need to do is some damage control. I'm not giving up on you and Fatimah, Yara. So don't give up on me."

Tension receded until Yara slumped over with a loud breath. She pressed her hand to her temple and tried to steady her heart. A humorless chuckle left her. "I still can't understand it," she admitted to him. "You told me you aren't even a citizen of Mangan or Bellum. You don't even know Their Majesties. Yet you'll still help us. I can't understand the reason you would go to such extremes."

Six beats.

"When you took your Healer's Oath or creed or whatever you call it—you made a legal vow to use your abilities for any injured, right?"

Yara did not know where this was going. "That's correct."

"Well, I didn't even take that sort of legal oath," Anonymous told her. "You're right. Ninety-nine percent of what I do? I don't need to. And to be honest, I've never wanted to."

"So then—why do you?" Yara asked.

Two beats.

"Because even if it's not law-binding…I still made a promise." Anonymous' voice gentled. "I made my own vow with someone. And this is my way of keeping that promise."

Yara blinked. A promise? She closed her eyes with a small smile. I don't understand him at all. I've never met him in person, only his assistant. It's obvious he's wealthy and even more obvious he could use his power for more important things. But still… He takes the time for a case like mine. "I don't know how to pay you, Guild Master of The Underground."

"Money isn't my goal here, so don't worry about it. I get paid in other ways."

Yara's brow furrowed. 'Other ways'?

Before she could inquire, Anonymous continued: "For now, focus on healing your new patients. They're trustworthy, I promise."

Yara broke into a snort. "I should've known you would know them."

"I know everything," Anonymous boasted. "I'm like a god but actually fucking sexy! With a super hottie of a goddess I worship every day! Did I tell you how cute my girlfriend looked today? She looked like a piece of Heaven! No, she looked just like what Heaven looks like! How dare mere mortals even stare at her!"

Yara grew dreary as Anonymous continued bragging. He reminds me a lot of the former king and queen of Bellum. She put a stop to his gloating when he treaded into swimsuit territory. "Well, thank you. I'll do my best then." She hesitated. "A-About Orisa…"

Two beats.

"She's holding on," Anonymous grimly put, "but she's going to need a lot of time to recover. Thankfully, everything in the safehouse is set up and she'll have as much time as she needs to heal. But her powers are stretching thin. And…"

Yara straightened. "'And' what?"

He sucked in a breath. "I received some answers. Normal human sperm can last up to five maybe seven days inside a uterus. However… Zayed's been tampering with his sperm. Because he's not a Demon and he's just a Warlock, it's hard for my source to tell. But… Demonic sperm can last longer than that."

Yara's stomach dropped. "What are you trying to say?"

"She's going to come to you exhausted. Her power… It's not natural for her to use it on herself for months on end. Her psyche is extremely warped and fracturing from this stress and if she can't uphold her power…"

Yara fought down the urge to tighten her throat. "You don't have to say it. I-I… I know." Blues shimmered. She can't get pregnant by that monster.

"The moment you get into the aircraft I sent you, you'll see a potion there. You need to have her drink it immediately," Anonymous told her. "Consider it a spiritual Plan B. And it's foolproof. As long as she drinks it before she enters Hibernation, even if her abilities slackened, she'll at least not have to worry about anything nine months later. But if she starts Hibernation before she drinks that potion—"

"That won't happen," Yara said sharply. I failed her so many times. I won't fail again.

"I know, but still. You're the only one who knows about her Hibernation and the consequences, Yara," Anonymous told her. "You can't fail on Friday, Yara. You can't." A beat. "She's the last one alive," he said in a murmur. "And she's…my only hope too."

Yara closed her eyes and swallowed. "I…" She clutched her device. "I didn't know you…"

"Don't worry about it," Anonymous dismissed, delicate. "Friday will work. You, Orisa, Fatimah—you'll all be escaping to the safehouse."

"'Fatimah'?" Yara echoed, perturbed. "But… She's the princess."

"She'll be coming with you."

Yara wanted to argue, but she sighed it out. "Well, when you say it like that, I can't exactly deny you." She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door before asking, "About the Black Dragon… Is he…?" She turned around to whisper, "Can you tell me—? Is he like the ones from the legends?"

Three beats.

"As of now, no. But could he be? Yes."

Yara smirked. "That's not assuring."

"As of now, you don't have to worry about him turning against you," Anonymous assured. "He's safe and tamed. And he's going to be the one to help you heal King Johann."

Yara's eyes widened. "What do you—?"

"Yara." Julia poked her head out from Gale's bedroom. "He's ready. Cranky but ready."

"That's my cue," Anonymous said. "I'll be in touch."

"No, wait—!" Yara sighed when the call ended up. There he goes again. She got up and adjusted her cloak. Well, never the matter. I can't afford to dwell on such thoughts. She approached the bedroom. Right now, Orisa is my priority. Heinrich was right. She clutched her device. She is what remains in Pandora's Box.

°•°•°•°

He lowered the Compact to tap it against his chin. Hmm…

"Sir." T.A.D.A.S.H.I.A appeared, the ever neat and tidy butler. "I have confirmed the Necromancer's position. And I have returned with the object you required. The Auctioneer would like to present you with a most gracious thank-you and has invited you as an esteemed and personal guest to the House of O and to The Citadel."

He set down his Compact. "Thank you, T.A.D.A.S.H.I. Could you bring it here?" He smiled when the butler did not move immediately. "What's the matter? I won't break it."

"Yes, Sir. However, if I may speak my mind…"

He waved a hand. "You always do."

T.A.D.A.S.H.I. cleared his throat. "I believe you have been working harder than you need to. Perhaps you should spend time with Miss. This is to be your vacation. And…" He looked a tad awkward as he added, "Well… As strong as Miss is, she still hides her emotions. Perhaps it would be best to…romance her for the evening, Sir."

He sighed. "You don't think I know that?" He ruffled his hair. "I know this is our vacation. I didn't want to work on it. You know how much I love my girl, T.A.D.A.S.H.I. But this project right now…"

"I will handle the rest, Sir," T.A.D.A.S.H.I. decided with an elegant bow. "Please—enjoy the rest of your evening with Miss. I have already ordered her favorite snacks and her favorite movie will be on your LV."

He chuckled as he removed his VR headset. "Geez. I get it, gods. I'm goin', I'm goin'." He got out of his chair and his controller and headset disappeared into ones and zeroes. "You can be so pushy sometimes, y'know?" He abandoned the desk and went to T.A.D.A.S.H.I. With a pat to the butler's shoulder, he murmured, "Thank you."

"I just want you happy, Sir," T.A.D.A.S.H.I. said quietly. "You and Miss. Happy and married."

He grinned. "Is this when you start complaining about wanting grandkids?"

"I don't know if I want to handle children with your personality, Sir," T.A.D.A.S.H.I. admitted, blunt. "But if they took after Miss, it would be an honor to be their grandfather."

His smile turned tender. "Yeah. I'd want them to take after her too." He slipped his hand away to shove them into his pockets. "Good night, T.A.D.A.S.H.I."

"Good night, Sir." T.A.D.A.S.H.I. straightened as data streamed through his eyes as the processes initiated. "Sending acceptance to The Auctioneer. Sending a request for confirmation to Pasban zero-zero-two-C. Accepting correspondence from Coeus. Sending an email to…Chairman Draculos Hyberion and…Doctor Adrian Flamel. Subject…"

PLINK!

A small chest dropped into his hands and opened without nudging. A velveteen pillow couched a raw and jagged sanguine jewel.

"…The Philosopher's Stone."

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

And so…

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

Normally, before sunrise, Shamballa kept busy, but this was the sweet spot for unadulterated quiet time.

Bars and restaurants had made their last rounds an hour ago or so ago before shutting down shop. 24/7 cafés and ghost kitchens had their fair share of excited tourists, but the cars fled the streets for a good night's rest.

Yara had left for the evening, but last night's remains lingered all over the hotel suite. But it would get by for now. Julia slept like the dead; impossible to sleep after a night like she had, maybe, but then again, one could only take so much stress before their body decided enough was enough.

If only someone else had that luxury.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

3:01 AM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale settled in his bed with his bandages wrapped tight and his covers knocked off. It felt too hot for him to sleep with them. He turned one way and then the next almost in frustration, but his mind was buried in sleep. His teeth flashed as he shook his head before turning to his other side.

"Not her," he mumbled. "Not her." He reached for the empty side of his bed and more frustration wrinkled his face.

Not her.

• — • — • — • — •

"Shh, it's okay, Princess."

The flames were going to kill him.

Gold and blinding, they eat at everything around him with no remorse. If he strained his ears, he could hear the flames cackling in glee.

MERAMERA!

Emma stood in the flames with her red-hazels reflecting flames. Chains cuffed her wrists, but they were not because of a punishment. Blood—his blood—stained her burned-off chains. And as the flames climbed higher and washed over her, she stood there with her bloodied chains. Burns marks tore at her arms and bled largely across her face. Yet she still looked at him with that hatred as though he could never forget it.

"It'll be over soon."

He drowned in the earth until he was reborn elsewhere. His skin side exchanged for scales as he overlooked the Boundary Forest. He watched as such darkness drained such a bountiful and green forest slowly of all its life. The chirping birds and chattering woodland creatures and roaming monsters went away in pairs until such a forest was full of silence. He looked down to see a pool before him with his reflection half man and half Dragon.

A scarlet comet burst through the sky.

He watched as this grayed and darkened forest exploded in scarlet. Trees walked on their own. Monsters lived in fear of little woodland creatures. A magical feline regurgitated water instead of lapping it up. The bloody sky let its autonomous clouds terrorize the land below.

Tāne stood beside him as they watched the Boundary Forest fall. The great forest spirit dipped its head toward the pool and touched the surface with its nose.

The pool rippled.

He was half man and half Dragon, but now, there was someone else in his shoes. Someone who looked like him with gold eyes stared back at him in both skin and scales. Destruction and devastation ruled behind him. And leashed to this golden-eyed lookalike was Luna, a grown woman who cried as she protected her pregnant stomach from this destroyer, from her child's father.

"Such a good princess."

The universe was vast, and he stood among it.

A star flashed past him.

He saw the first Black Dragon—The Ancestor. How massive such a beast was with scales darker than black and red eyes predatory. A loner, this Black Dragon, always rejected during the Cycle and humiliated for his lack of a future. Shadow Dragons had each other and could at least lure juveniles from their own thunder. He had no one and nothing to offer, his powers not of shadows or darkness. Oh, how he had tried to sniff Shadow and Dark thunders only to come back with claw marks and bite marks. What a mockery—a Dragon born of no Magic. It was no wonder he found no scent of his dame and sire nor hordemates. He had been a diseased egg.

No one wanted him.

He made a shabby hoard for himself in a forest. Creatures had been unwelcoming—damn unicorns and Fae tried to poison him and Banish him—but a nearby Devil had been friendly enough to let him be under his protection. Devils were misunderstood like him; he sympathized when he watched this Devil long for his angelic half who thought him vile. And plants were kind. He liked talking to plants, nature. Nature never judged him, only nurtured him. He made friends with a few trees and the flowers always liked blossoming in his presence. Pity dumb animals liked him. What sort of Dragon attracted such creatures? But…they did not judge him. Yes. Maybe, he could live like this—

Then the next Cycle hit.

Dozing in a meadow, a stench awoke him and he realized, one, the flowers withered, afraid for him, and, two, that he was not alone. He had never seen a Dragon so large—and one so drenched with lust. The Cycle rarely affected him, but this Male smelt ready to have a future. He looked around for a Female, but it was just…him.

Oh.

Oh, no.

He never stood a chance.

Left battered and bleeding and dying, he stayed in the clawed-up meadow with nothing left to live for. This… This was what the Cycle was? He hoped for death. Being this way—a sham of a Dragon—must have been some sort of punishment. The flowers wept for him—Nature tried to comfort him—but he was ready to die. No one wanted him and the one who did only took took took until the Male had finished his part of play in the Cycle and left his submissive with the humiliating bite marks to prove it. He closed his eyes as he could feel Nature finally give him the rest he deserved—

"He… Hello?"

His nostrils flared.

A Female. A Female had come close to him smelling of the Spirits and stardew. He could sniff out the nerves in her perfume and heavy grief, but he found no disgust. Had he died? Was this the Great Hereafter the Devil had told him about? Scenting this Female more, she smelled almost like she was waiting to bloom, a flower to be treasured. He liked this scent. If this was the Great Hereafter, then he readily accepted her as his guide.

He opened his eyes—

—and he was a goner.

It strung together, this love story of a Dragon with no gift and this Female of the Spirits and stardew. She healed his wounds inside and out without hesitation, peering up at him with curiosity. Nature seemed to like her too with the plants he befriended eager to present themselves to her. And as he got to know this strange Female, he found himself preening his scales and watching where he put his claws in the hopes she would give him another smile.

Their days grew longer together as they talked and walked. Her Spirits were her friends, but so were the Gods, Demons, and even the Devil who treated her like his sister and his angelic other half who constantly tried talking her out of befriending her devilish future mate. She was a Beloved Child, fairykind. Even unicorns let her ride their backs. But even as well-loved she was, she spent her time with him.

And he cherished that gift.

The Devil had been little help in courting Females with his own mate out for his blood, but he learned step by step. She was a Meat-Eater to his surprise, but that made him strut a bit when she drooled over his hunts for the day and didn't mind the blood and bones. She had no family—no memory of how she was born, really—but the Spirits raised her, and they herded her from one race to another to learn other cultures. She met the Devil as a mere babe and referred to him as her brother. A mischievous Meat-Eater, this one, always trying to bring the She-Angel around and her charm seemed to be working as She-Angel watched her male from a safe distance with more reserved curiosity than bloodlust.

Gods, he loved this little Female.

And…

And…she loved him too.

Their bond grew as he recognized her blushes and the way she fidgeted and how her scent changed if he nosed her there or if his tail touched her here. It amused him she argued with her Spirits about loving him since he was a beast and she a mere little thing. The Devil had taught him how to exchange skin for scales, but he never thought he needed it.

The look on her face when she realized he could turn human—priceless.

Their love deeper, they interacted as human and human. She guided him into human villages where he carefully watched how human males treated their females. All this "hand-holding" and "kissing" seemed strange for an outsider, but with her, that was all he wanted to do. In his den, he learned human intimacy meant much more skin to skin and she was perfection. Their chaste kisses grew fonder and deeper until they were too consumed in the throes of their passion to realize a Bond had taken. Without words, they moved as a mated couple, adoring each other, loving each other, and even…planning a future with each other.

Because she was with their child.

He quickly built a nest for his little Female, spoiling her in furs and silk. The Spirits and other creatures imparted gifts for their child—the Devil and his new Angel mate were gushing about being things called "aunt and uncle"—but it made him happy she liked his gifts the most. He was going to be a father. A Dragon ostracized with no gift of his own…had a future. He could not stop purring and rubbing against her every chance to thank her for such a present, even if she giggled at him and told him she was grateful to him. But as her belly grew bigger and her pregnancy worsened her body, worry took hold. His little Female was sick. He needed to take up the Angel's offer of this "midwife". So he left the den—

And he felt it.

He felt her and their future die.

Dragons had never taken life mates. It was against their nature, considered a weakness, but no one understood why—until now.

They were wrong about him; the Black Dragon did have a gift. And that gift had been the near end of the world.

Blood and ash rained down on the earth as he raged upon all he saw. He slaughtered all who dared stop his tirade with his claws the same red as his eyes and his teeth stained in blood. There was no use for this world if he could not have her and their future. Why did she have to die? Why? Was she punished for mating him? Was he truly that Cursed that she was his price to pay for this life? As the apocalypse lay at his claws, he roared his agony. Why? Why? Why?

The Devil approached him with a look of pity.

And he made the Black Dragon's death a swift one.

The scene shifted.

He saw another—Obscuritan, an ancestor. A callous, sadistic Dragon who had no trouble eating his kin, stealing eggs, and snapping up humans. How strange he had no care for breeding his own. The Cycle never bothered him, but juveniles often tried tempting him with Lures when they caught whiffs of his power and prestige. One had even tried getting beneath him as he feigned sleep, the desperate little thing in heat. Killing it had been so amusing. The humans trying to kill him were easy to swallow whole for a quick snack. But those Gods were so meaty. The demigods and the minor ones gave him a bit of an adrenaline rush and he was an addict to their blood.

He had heard whispers of these Lessers contracting to the dark gods and Demons. His visit with Chaos moons ago to jeer in her face that her Champion—the one whom she promised herself to—was raw-fucking a common wench and gotten her pregnant had gone awry when her little guards bullied him away, but at least they told him a change was coming, one that could benefit him. Perhaps weighing in on this little war would be interesting. Before, he had dismissed calls from other Rogues asking him to lead them, but maybe he would.

After all, if they annoyed him, he would simply kill them.

He let the forces gather, disinterested in all their little meetings and strategies. It was the same thing—greedy Lessers sought power to control the masses and, eventually, this realm. He had seen it all before. Why would this be any different?

Then he met her.

And their fate had been cursed ever since.

She stormed his Labyrinth with her keys and smelled of Spirits and stars. Never had a Spirit Daughter tried to kill him. Intrigued, he baited her into his hoard and toyed with this intriguing little mouse. Hmm. He liked that her hair was gold; it meant she should be treated like part of his hoard. And with her strength, perhaps he should add her to his hoard as a pet to trot around. It was easy enough to steal her from her place in the realm and trap her in his hoard. Without her keys, she still proved lethal, and he liked how murderous she was at every turn. He liked how she stabbed him, snarled at him, even going as far as to try and rip out one of his horns.

He liked it a lot.

How curious, this little mouse. Dragon Females did nothing for him even when they were aggressively in heat. But this little mouse made something in his belly twitch. It excited him to see how she would plot his death next. He looked forward to all her attempts. Screw this meaningless realm war; he had enough entertainment to last him a lifetime.

Until he returned to find her gone.

His little mouse was trying to escape him.

That… That was unacceptable.

She had been able to summon Spirits to her aid. Smart little mouse, so smart. But it was not enough. His Labyrinth meant his domain, and he could hunt her down with ease. This little mouse planned to leave him after all the amusement she provided him? Not a chance. Unfortunately, even Dragons had to adhere to Spirits. Only the Mad messed with a Spirit and they never returned. So he had to find another way. But his little mouse was too cunning for obvious tactics. What to do, what to do…

But then…a strange creature approached his Labyrinth. He meant to eat it—perhaps have some fun and drop a half-eaten carcass at his little mouse's feet to watch her be disgusted and he would purr smelling her hatred and vomit—but the creature provided a trade: information for an alliance. This creature would tell him how to keep the little mouse as a pet, but in turn, this creature would observe them from a distance and only asked for a tiny favor in the future.

Accepted.

So he tried this creature's methods. Keeping the little mouse chained and naked was a favored tactic. He never bothered with human anatomy, but her strange body grew on him. No horns, no scales, no tail, no wings, how ugly—but that space between her legs smelled inviting. His tongue could not resist a swipe or two when he deprived her of sleep until she dropped, exhausted. When she tried to starve herself to try and leave him in death, it amused him greatly how hateful she looked when he force-fed her and sprinkled in the mixture the creature gave him that would tame his little mouse.

One day, he understood.

His little mouse smelled like a Female in Cycle.

She writhed, sweaty and slick with her lust intoxicating. He enjoyed watching her struggle between hatred and need as she curled up on the ground and tried to keep her legs closed. He had to admit, breeding her had crossed his mind if to make her hate him more, but he seldom gave it more than a blinking thought. It surprised him seeing his own spur. He had heard they only appeared in Cycle, but he found them inconvenient. His body thought he was in Cycle with his little mouse as a viable submissive to fuck—amusing.

He had meant to watch his little mouse suffer and scream at him for days on end, but when her whiny need won out against her heat, and she spread her legs—

He could not control it.

His little mouse proved to be tamable when she cried for him to rut her. A feverish mating turned into twice, then three times, until they slipped in and out of their lust-filled consciousness. His little mouse turned into a pliant thing afterwards, always eager for his touch and even hopeful for him to sleep near her. And he…liked it. She gazed at him with a soft emotion often, so much so that it grew harder and harder to leave her alone. He did not like that she remained by herself so…he built her a nest. It relaxed him seeing her sleep in it, enough that he could leave to go with the Rogues.

But…if he took part in this war, what about his little mouse? Would he still have time for her tender looks and their passionate matings? He might have yearned for a good fight in his youth, but… Well, he was an adult past three Cycles. Normally, Dragons had their own horde by now. He should have sired strong drakes by now, right? If he were in this meaningless war, what about their future? He should be working on putting a drake in her belly, not listening to the greed of Lessers.

But wait.

No one knew he had claimed a life mate. He was no fool; if someone or something knew about his precious little mouse, they would kill her first to get to him. She was his weakness.

He made his choice.

By day, he strove to please his little mouse with gifts and couplings, scenting her for creation in her belly. The strange creature told him they would be with child any day now. But by night, he tucked her in their nest to deal with these boring meetings with the Rogues and Warlocks. She worried for him when he came back a bit tired, but all he could think about was the day they had a horde of their own. They need not stay in his realm. He could take her on another one to raise their horde. At least five little ones would be fine. His little mouse wanted to seven, the eager thing. But if she wanted seven, he would be more than happy to oblige.

So when the strange creature announced she had twins in her belly, he saw his dream coming true.

He grew ravenous with her with the need to provide for his little mouse too strong to ignore. Withdrawing from the Rogues and Warlocks, he tended to her every need, from her cravings to her bouts of lust to her bouts of nausea. She cried she was ugly, but he had never seen a more beautiful creature. The strange creature helped with potions and making sure their twins were safe. He demanded this strange creature tell him about Halflings. How would he father a Halfling? Were there complications? But his little mouse always hushed he would be a wonderful father, so he supposed he would not worry too much. Except trying to build a thing called a "nursey". This work felt aggravating, but he would do anything for his little mouse and their hatchlings/

But he still had duties to fulfill.

So, as she lay naked in their nest, fresh from another mating, he left her to join the Rogues and Warlocks.

He did not realize that would be the last time he saw her alive.

He did not realize what his grief and rage for the loss of his future did to the world.

And he did not realize as he died, his Heart was missing. All he had was a frantic hope he would see her in the Great Hereafter.

The scene shifted.

More Black Dragons appeared as the stars grazed him—The Ancestors. He saw their pasts, their histories, their legacies. He saw their loneliness and ostracism. The way all had been born without a way to scent their dame and sire, left alone to discover if they were worthy of this life. Some grew up twisted and bloodthirsty. Others grew up kind and shy. But they all had one thing in common: their love for their mates was the destruction of their world.

The universe rippled.

He was half man and half Dragon again.

"Her Majesty will be so proud of you."

He Locked his mate with him in their nest.

Such a tender mating this was as he worshipped her for this gift. He kissed away her tears and made sure every inch of her skin had his scent. When he shifted, she winced, adjusting to his size, but he swept her into an embrace and littered her neck with wet kisses and harmless nips. He could get lost in her. She was his strength and weakness, his love, his light. And she had even gifted him this moment. Maybe in the coming months, she would grant him another gift—a child. But for now, this—this right here—was more than enough.

"You look so beautiful, Your Highness."

Those words—he felt his lips move, but that voice was not his.

He pulled back—

DRIP-DROP!

Dress torn, Luna stayed beneath him with tears wetting her cheeks and the stench of potent fear drowning everything else out. Someone had bitten her breast and drew blood. But the look in her eyes toward him no longer held that one-of-a-kind love; it held sheer terror.

"Her Majesty will be so proud of you."

He looked up—

Hemlock stared back at him, buried in a sobbing Luna with bandages over his eyes. And as Hemlock's mouth moved, so did his own.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

"You're mine now, Your Highness."

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale shot up with sweat covering his body and his eyes wide. Making it to the bathroom would not help with the bandages on his body, but the bucket next to his bed was as good as any for him to dry heave over. His stomach showed mercy, empty from all his retching before, but his throat gagged as heat burned his eyes and that urge to get out get out get out spurred him.

After a few more minutes of dry heaving, Gale tackled his nausea into something more manageable and shakily reached for the anti-nausea potion at his bedside. The tasteless potion soothed his throat and gurgled in his stomach before settling down. Panting, he put down the potion and bucket on his nightstand so he could flop back into bed and calm the harsh thumps of his heart.

"It'll be over soon."

Gale laid an arm over his eyes, wincing as he tugged at his wounds. Dammit. He gritted his teeth. Dammit.

"Please stop it!"

Gale's growl rumbled in his chest.

Clear brown eyes. "Gale."

His hand shook into a fist until all his malice and rage bottomed out into pain and exhaustion. Blondie… I'm… He closed his eyes with a shaken breath. Wordlessly, he reached over for his Compact and checked the time.

3:07 AM SST

Fuck. He scrubbed the sleep from his face. She's probably asleep. But I…

"So tell me"—hands clamped around his throat—"where is she?"

The Wild clawed in a muted panic. What if the Deathsayer hurt his Little Moon? What if that monster found her? The Deathsayer had latched onto little moon's scent in a way he had never seen. If the monster tracked her down—if he had her—

Gale immediately went for Luna's contact and called her. He sat up with a heavy heart as the line rang and rang. Please pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up—

"'Lo?"

He should not have been so relieved that he could faint, but all the weight on his body lightened and he could breathe again. "Blondie?"

"Mmmm…"

An unexpected laugh came from Gale as he combed back his bangs with shaky fingers only to grunt from the movement. She's okay. She's okay. But even as he repeated it, the Wild paced and urged him to change to scales and surround his little moon before the Deathsayer came for her. He bit back at the urge to be gentle. "Sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"

"Mm-mm." Luna yawned. "No, no, I've"—another yawn—"I've been up for hours…" Two beats. "Had my morning workout, so I'm awake."

Gale sat against the headboard and tipped his head back to listen to Luna's sleepy mumbles like they were his salvation. She's okay. She's okay. "Oh, yeah? Red run you ragged? It's, like, five your time. I'm surprised you're not eating breakfast."

Luna yawned again. "Uh-uh. That's later." She shifted. "Silver's here too, but he's sleeping."

The Wild's first instinct was to snap and growl, but Gale cooled down the instinct with memories of Silver and Luna's friendship. The Wild grumbled, tail lashing, but it settled in a crouch. Gale kept his tone light as he remembered, "You're seeing that boy band today, right? You must be excited."

"Mmm-hmm…"

Rubies softened. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you're sleepy. I just…" He clutched his Compact. "I just…needed to hear your voice," he confessed quietly. "I miss you, Blondie-girl."

Six beats.

Gale closed his eyes. She must've fallen back asleep. He meant to farewell and apologize—

"I miss you too."

Gale smiled at Luna's shy admittance. "Yeah? Wish I was with you instead of Silver?"

"Mmm… Why not both?"

Gale choked into a chuckle. The Wild lashed its tail, displeased of the image of his little moon with two Dragons. "I am not sharing you with my cousin, Blondie." He felt lighter and the Wild hunkered down with a pleased purr hearing her tiny giggle. "I wish you were here with me. Not gonna lie—really wanna cuddle with you right now. I bet you smell all sorts of amazin' right now—"

"Stop…!"

Gale laughed at Luna's mumbled whine. "What, it's true. You don't know how addicting your scent is, Blondie."

"I can smell her on you." Hemlock's surprise and desire. "That's why you smell exquisite."

His lips jerked downwards.

Luna shifted—she must have been adjusting in Silver's hold—and sighed to Gale, "You smell nice too."

"Yeah?" She's okay. She's okay. "Should I be giving you more of my shirts? Not sure your old man would like it though. Igneel would flat out murder me if your closet smelled like me."

"My bed already does."

A tingle shot down Gale's body and he groaned, "Ah, dammit, Blondie, you don't have to say it like that. Don't you know what words like that do to a guy?"

"Gale, don't do this!" A wild plea and the furious wet slaps of skin. "Nnngh, no, no stop it—!" A blood-freezing scream.

His knuckles strained.

"—ale? Gale?"

He blinked when he realized Luna called for him. "Uh…" He rubbed his face. "Sorry, Blondie, I totally spaced. What'd you say?" It's not like that. The Wild curled. It's not like that. I would never do that. I'm not Hemlock.

Two beats. "Did something happen?" Luna might have sounded exhausted, but her worry set in her tone. "If I could teleport to you, I would." She added softly, "Are you okay?"

Gale opened his mouth, but the words—a quick joke and some flirting—would not come out to blow over her concern. It felt too much. It felt like too much to try and find a humorous way out of this. It felt like too much to write this off as a one-off, make an escape, and shut it down. It all felt like…so much. "No." He sucked in a breath. "I'm not okay."

Two beats.

"Mmm, Lulu?" That must have been Silver.

"I'll be right back." CHU! (The Wild flicked its tail and hoped for its thunder-mate's sake that kiss was on the cheek.) "Go back to sleep." Feet moved until a door slid and shut. It took two more beats until Luna asked him with that sweet voice that could make him purr, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Gale blurted a laugh, strained and breaking. "No. Because it's so fucked up." He tugged at his hair as he lay on his side and pretended Luna was there, curled into him. "All of this—all of me—is just one big fucking mess. I don't know how someone like you even puts up with someone like me. I really don't." He shut his eyes as the words kept tumbling. "I hurt you…so many times. And I can't stop seeing it. I can't stop seeing how much I could hurt you."

"Nnngh, no, no stop it—!" And that heart-stopping scream.

He curled in on himself as he tried to get it out of his mind, but the more he tried, the more those grotesque scenes clung to his mind's eye. "Gods, I should've died," he croaked. "This is so fucked up, Blondie. I'm supposed to love you, but I just keep…" He sucked in a breath before shaking it out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He gained control of the tremors in his voice. "I didn't mean to throw this all on you—"

"No, Gale—"

"I shouldn't have dumped this on you like this—"

"Gale, wait—"

"Just forget what I'm saying. I'm probably drunk—"

"Gale, stop it."

He grew quiet.

Luna sighed. "It's okay," she soothed. "It's okay that you said all of that, I promise. I don't want you to bottle all of this up." A beat. "Would…? Would you like me to say anything back?"

"No." Gale sniffed and rubbed his nose. "No, it's fine, it's fine, I just—…" He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. "I just…want you to be okay. I want you to feel safe. And I hate that I didn't make you feel safe. And please don't tell me you feel safe now," he added when he heard Luna's sharp intake. "Don't; just don't."

"I-I…" Luna swallowed. "Okay."

Gale felt guilt at how weak Luna sounded. "Shit, I'm sorry—"

"No, no, it's oh—!" Luna broke off for a moment before coming back. "I… I won't say anything back. I'll listen and be here."

"Are you outside? Alone?"

"I'm just on the balcony. Why?"

Gale took a breath and tried to word his next ask as casually as possible. "You didn't have to do that. You can go back to bed with my cousin, honest. I just…needed to hear your voice and know you were okay."

Luna's hesitation was audible. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Gale soothed his ruffled scales. If she's with Silver, I know she'll be safe. "Get back to bed, princess," he eased. "C'mon. Let's sleep together."

"Ah… Okay."

Gale listened to every single one of Luna's movements and footsteps, tense, but the Wild laid down its head when Gale heard Luna come back to bed. Silver mumbled something and kissed her—he assumed on her cheek or else he would be having words with Silver the second he saw him, Wild to Wild—and there was some shifting. Gale checked, "You good?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Good."

Quiet.

Then Luna murmured, "I just want you to be okay too. And safe."

Gale cracked a smile. "I know. Go to sleep, Blondie-girl. And pretend I'm right there with you."

"Mm'kay."

Gale held in his amusement when he heard how drowsy Luna had become. The second she hits a pillow, she's knocked out, ain't she? He could imagine curled up beside him and already halfway to dreamland. She could so expressive when she slept. A nose twitch combined with open drooling—and maybe she would accidentally bite him—meant she had a dream about food. He begrudgingly learned most of her blushing came from strange dreams with Silver (the Wild did not care she explained she dreamt of childhood with Silver; it still growled, hurt and envious she dreamt of his thunder-mate and not him). But then her brow would pinch, her lips would frown, and he would know her dreams dipped into nightmares.

The Wild prodded he shed his skin for scales and curl around his little moon. It flashed a homey image of nudging his little moon into a plump and silken nest and purring for her. If he asked his dame, she would lend him the power to use the earth and see little moon.

Gale sighed and closed off that want taking root in his chest. I need to get it together. There's still so much I have to do here. And she doesn't deserve me breaking down on her. But the early morning of his departure came so vividly in memory with Luna tucked into him. Ha… He wished she was swept in his arms as he murmured, "I don't deserve you."

Luna sighed in her slumber.

"If you knew how much of a monster I was… If you knew I killed him… Would you still love me?" Gale did not want the answer to that. "Sweet dreams, Blondie." Greedily, he drudged up every memory of Luna's scent to ease his mind. "I love you."

Nothing.

So Gale listened to Luna's quiet breathing lull him into his own dreamless sleep. But as he drowned in the void, he felt that subtle, intimate touch against his mind. Almost like a pinky finger curling around his own.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

I love you too.

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

The day started, but Vinyl felt ready to go back to bed.

Sunrise came and went, but in Shamballa, watching it happen felt like a once-in-a-lifetime event. Tourists and natives took up the streets with restaurants opening up and associates brightening their smiles. Already teenagers and tourists spammed the malls and parks. Some checked out of hotels while others checked in to settle in before the unity concert at the dome tomorrow.

Vinyl's suite bedroom looked clean, but that was solely because she had to be ready to grab her things at a moment's notice. She tried to turn this way and that to get back to sleep, but the sun had risen, and her body decided so would she.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

08:13 AM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

With a sigh, she rolled onto her back. Blues stayed half-lidded. He didn't come back last night, did he?

No one answered her.

She pushed herself out of bed to get into the morning routine. Opting out of wake-up calls from the hotel felt like a smart choice, but now, she wished she had it to see if Thirteen would have answered the door.

ZAAAAAAA…

She was supposed to be fawning of this rainfall shower and conjuring up steamy daydreams of Thirteen and her having too much fun together, but her blues were still dim and she dragged out cleaning herself by standing under the spray. Thirteen…

"Thank you…Vinyl."

Blues dimmed even more.

"I'll be back soon."

Vinyl lifted her head and let the shower water fall down her face like tears. Thirteen… You said you'd be back soon, but… You still haven't come back. The memory of Thirteen leaving with that plague doctor and Swan came back to haunt her. I know you're strong and capable—you do secret missions for Master all the time—and I know that you have your allies beside you, but I… I…

She sunk into a crouch as she hugged herself. I'm so worried. Now that I know what this country is capable of… Now that I know what's beneath us… I'm so scared something went wrong. And it's my fault. I'm the one who dragged him here. I was just a pawn to get him here. She sucked in a ragged breath before dipping up her head and letting the hot water mix with the tears on her eyelashes. How could I be so stupid? I didn't even question how Great Auntie could know where I live, even after Master pulled all those strings to protect me. And now, Thirteen…

Her bottom lip trembled.

Gentle oranges. "I'll be back soon."

Vinyl picked herself up with a deep breath. She went into her routine of shampooing, but she did not let herself falter again. I can't break down crying. That's the old me. I'm in Fairy Tail now. The best thing I can do is support Thirteen. Protocol calmed her down. Right. We always wait twenty-four hours until we had out after a guild mate. Thirteen knows that. So right now, he has at least seven hours until I go and find him. And until then, I need to keep moving forward.

Aquamarines darkened. A Fertility God Slayer—that's what they said the other night. Vespers, the prince—they're all in on this plan for a Fertility God Slayer. But…why do I feel like I'm missing something? Why do I…?

Swan's heavy blues. "Your old friend Vespers isn't the only one after the Emira."

Vinyl's expression broke, stunned. The Emira… Why didn't I connect it before? That's what they were talking about. All of this! Vespers, the prince, Thirteen's enemy—they aren't after the Emira because she's the queen. They're after her because she's a Fertility God Slayer. With her power, she controls the Wastes and can even control all of us. She could stop the population or start it.

She gritted her teeth as she rinsed out her shampoo. Dammit. I was too slow. Swan and Thirteen laid it all out and I didn't even notice. But now I do. And now, I have a plan.

She went for the condition to let it sit in her hair before lathering her skin with soap. The luncheon—Salentino mentioned Vespers and him are attending. I'm sure the luncheon tomorrow will host all these associates who want to use the Emira for her abilities. But we can't let that happen. Even if keeping the Wastes at bay sounds good in theory, it's not as altruistic as I'm sure they'll make it sound. Miss Lucy told me all those stories—the one about her friend Éclair. I'm sure the Emira will be drained of her powers whether she likes it or not. And that's where we come in.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

SQUEAK!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Dried off and dressed in a big t-shirt, Vinyl came out of her room with a towel around her neck. The Emira needs to be sneaked out of this country, which is impossible. She rubbed her ear with the towel. Or it would be if I couldn't cast Glamour on myself. If Vespers being here told me anything, it's that we can't leave this up to chance. Something big will happen Friday, which means the Emira needs to be taken away before they have her.

She stopped. But the question is: how do we smuggle someone out? And how do we even get to her? Thirteen mentioned those 'Pasbans', hidden guards for the royal family. As long as I keep laying my illusions, that could get us by, but… Then what? She can't come with us on a skyboat. She'd need a new identity and new account and new…everything. And who would even—?

Aquamarines widened. I know just the person.

Vinyl ducked back into her room and dove for her Compact to find his contact. He said he's out of office, but we could call for emergencies and this is an emergency. She waited impatiently for the call to connect. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, pickup, pickup, pickup.

The call connected.

"Someone better be dying because I'm on vacay with my hot girlfriend and I'm seriously trying to get laid," Genius growled.

Vinyl meant to lay in her plan, but she froze. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Why does no one believe me when I say that?" Genius complained. "Yes, I do have a girlfriend and she's real and she's really hot. What, did you think just because I never leave my house and I'm obsessed with J-pop that I couldn't get a girlfriend?"

"Uh…" Vinyl sweated. "No…?" That was exactly why. "Um, well, congratulations? You'll have to introduce me to her sometimes, but that's beside point—"

"You can meet her at our wedding! Did you know I'm gonna marry her someday? She wants a small wedding, but Hell no, I want the world to see she holds my leash! She's so beautiful and perfect and godly!"

Vinyl pulled away her Compact from Genius' swooning. Is he sure he's not dating some online personality? Because I could see that. She cut him off, "Genius, I'd love to hear about your girlfriend, but I'm calling for an emergency. I know you're on holiday, but I need to ask you something."

"I'm not looking into Thirteen's Lacrinet search history for his possible kinks, Vinyl, so don't ask me. Goodbye."

Vinyl reddened. "Wait! Th-This time, it's an actual emergency!" She cursed. Dammit! I thought he forgot about that! She cleared her throat. "If possible, could you help someone who needs to be under protection like, say, give them a new identity?"

Silence.

"I can," Genius slowly confirmed. "But you know new identities include things like PINs, social numbers, bank accounts, housing—even language and cultural learning knowledge transfers. Remember how I had to transfer Fioren English to you to help you blend in?"

Vinyl rubbed her forehead. "Yes, yes, I know, but could you do it?"

"I mean, yeah, I can. If this is an emergency, like on level with J-pop stan getting past security emergency, I can have everything finished by the end of today." He shifted. "What's going on? Everything okay?"

Vinyl went to tell him everything, but she paused. Wait. How do I even explain this? Would he even believe me? No, this is Genius—guild. He'd believe me. So she came out with it. "I'm in Shamballa and it's been a bit of a…trying week. And Thirteen and I sort of uncovered a minefield."

"What happened?"

"It's about the queen." She took a breath. "We have reason to believe the Emira's a Fertility God Slayer, and she's being used for anything but pure causes by Warlocks. And if I'm right, they're going head-to-head with their plan to use her tomorrow. She needs to escape before then."

Six beats.

Vinyl tensed. Does he believe me? I mean, even I know I sound insane. She closed her eyes. But… If he doesn't believe me… She gripped her Compact. Then I—

"I'll help."

Vinyl's eyes flew open. "Huh?"

"I'll help," Genius repeated, and she could hear him shrugging. "You need to sneak the queen out and get her to someplace safe? I can help with that. But you're gonna have to follow my instructions down the letter, Vinyl. Every single word."

"Uh…" Vinyl blinked. "Uh, yeah. Ye-yeah, yes, yeah, of course." She sat up. "Sorry, I just…" For a beat, she was a loss for words. "I didn't think you'd believe me."

"You said it was an emergency. And you're guild. You wouldn't make something like this up on a whim," Genius said like it was all so simple. "So yeah, I'll help you and Thirteen out."

"O-Oh. Ah, right. About Thirteen, he's, ah…" Her eyes flashed down. "He's…"

"Hey, don't sweat it, Vinyl," Genius told her, and it sounded like he was munching on something. "I'll make sure you and Thirteen and anyone else who comes along is clued in on The Plan trademarked. So be on the loo out for my instructions. We'll make sure the damsel in distress operation goes well."

Vinyl felt a weight leave her chest. "Thank you, Genius."

"No. Thank you, Vinyl."

She frowned. "For what?"

A beat. "For having the empathy I always knew you had," Genius summed up. "Look, I gotta bounce because I wanna put my goddess on my lap and pretty much make-out with her. But I'll be in touch soon. Bye…!"

The call ended, and Vinyl blanked. Did he just say…? She shook it off. Never mind that now. She grinned. Now, we have a plan. And with Genius on our side, nothing we'll do wrong.

She got up to get ready for the day. Some modest pants, a blouse, and some earrings would serve her well for the auction today. I still can't understand it. How does Vespers factor into this? I get he's a Warlock, but… Why is he involved in Middle West politics if he's not a citizen here? How is he benefiting from this? I can understand him going after Salentino's cousin and his family since they're Ishgar-basted, but the Middle West?

She went into the bathroom to brush out her hair. Either way, he's in this. And we'll need to be careful to make sure Salentino isn't harmed in the process of this either. But I wonder something… About his cousin…

°•°•°•°

Marceaux knew his master's study was off-limits.

A special order to Traditionalists made sure every piece of furniture would serve hell or highwater, dark mahogany and leather as preference. Like the rest of the house, everything had its place. But clippings and pictures pinned to one of the floor-to-ceiling pinboards with red strings connecting everything and anything. Little notes scrawled in alternating Perench and Stellian helped put the pieces together, but without fluency in both languages, the average snooper would not stand a chance.

Chace sat at his desk with screens up from his DAL when a call came through from the one person he wanted to hear from the most.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

'What kind of person is Chace, anyway?'

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

He answered it with a smile, "Ah, ma chérie, have you called to accept my offer of a spoiled vacation…?" He trailed off for a dark frown. "What's wrong? Don't cry, ma chérie, you're breaking my heart. Tell me what's the matter." He abandoned his desk to listen to Asako's every watery word and tried to coax the truth from her.

The screens on his DAL looked like normal research from a passing glance as he synthesized data and finished up his normal teaching assistant work. But the email he had drawn up had its place. A work offer, it was, and quite the prestigious one at that. And it was from quite the prestigious doctor.

JOHANN FAUST, PH.D

---

Fatimah paced the length of her room and chewed on her thumbnail. Her etiquette teacher would have been appalled had she seen this and probably would have slathered that lemon gel on her nails to break the habit. But bad behavior be damned when she was frustrated and had no outlet.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Morgiana Estate

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

10:06 AM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Today's Thursday. One more day until the luncheon. One more day until we leave this country. She threw an irked glance at her closed doors. The guards outside my door wouldn't let me through except for prayer and my escort for functions. I wasn't able to check on Yaya. She tried not to feel helpless remembering how quiet Inayah had been the other day. I know Zayed did something to her. And my father—no. And Kamir is turning a blind eye. How disgusting. Is that bastard letting his own son rape his wife just to secure another heir?

The sheer thought of Inayah carrying Zayed's child made her want to throw up her breakfast. No. That can't happen. Yara and I will get her out of here. And so will Sooraya and Mohammed.

Her eyes glinted. I can't believe…all that happened to them. I knew the holy war in Ruda was terrible, but… They took Am'mah Sooraya as a live hostage. They forced her to be a wife and…she was… Her lips pressed together. I had thought all of my family fell in line with Fathe—Kamir. I'm glad to see that's not the case. But even with all their help, the Pasbans will be impossible to outmaneuver. They have loyalty to the Emir and no one else.

She chewed on her thumbnail again. So what next? How will we be able to escape? If it comes down to it, I'll sacrifice everything—everything—if it means she can escape from this prison. Because—dark browns glinted with flecks of blue—because… She's my…

KONKONKON!

Fatimah straightened. "Y-Yes?"

"It's Mohammed, Fatii. I've come to escort you."

Fatimah blinked. 'Amm Mohammed? She came to the door. "I-I'm coming!" She opened the door to see her bear of an uncle waiting for her and the guards keeping silent. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Fatii." Mohammed regarded his great-niece with affection. "Sorry for the wait. I had a meeting to attend." He offered his arm. "Are you ready?"

"A-Ah… Yes, of course." Fatimah wrapped her arm around her great uncle's and allowed him to guide her down the corridor. She could feel the guards pour intensive stares on her back. Their stabbing scowls made her curl over her and her breath hitch. I… I need to no longer worry about this. Yaya needs me to be strong for her. But I… Her stomach churned. I'm…

"Keep your back straight and chin up," Mohammed murmured. "You are still the sheikha over this house, Fatii. There is no need for you to cower before the true ungrateful ones."

Fatimah swallowed and unhurriedly straightened her back. "R-Right. You're right." She held his arm tighter. I want to ask him more about his story. I want to ask…how he's defied the Emir this whole time, but… If we spoke about it openly…

"Zayed is caring for your mother today."

Fatimah flinched. "What happened? Is she sick?" When her uncle did not speak, she looked up at him and her bottom lip quivered seeing the solemnity shadowing his face. "'Amm… What happened?"

"She is of weak constitution right now," Mohammed relayed. "Right now, she's come down with a mild fever and some nausea. Your father thought it would be best for her to be dismissed from activities today. And Zayed volunteered to help look after her with the servants. He's moved his study into the Emira's apartments for now with approval from your father."

Fatimah's trembling fingers touched her headscarf. "I… I see." The words she wanted to demand, to scream—she felt them boil her throat and she wanted to gag. "Before we leave…could… Could we visit her?"

"Of course," Mohammed obliged in a murmur.

"Thank you." Fatimah set her eyes on the ground. Swallowing felt like she was pushing down her food. I have to stay strong for Yaya. She's going to be free from here tomorrow. We just need to hang on until tomorrow. Everything will be fine.

Getting to the queen's apartments took a minute or two, but with Mohammed taking charge, the guards had nothing to say nor a reason to stop him. The servants bowed in the presence of the second princess and a minister, and two guards by the queen's bedchamber opened the doors. Mohammed nodded for Fatimah to step through first, but when he did not follow, she offered a questioning look.

He softly looked at her. "Take your time."

Fatimah could have hugged him, but she restrained herself. "Thank you." She entered the bedchambers with no reservations and shut the door behind her. Turning around, she braced herself. "Yaya, I'm—"

She stopped, breath restricted. Yaya…

Propped with pillows, Inayah lay in bed with her veil off and a damp rag across her forehead. Sweat glistened against her skin. Her lashes were low with a glaze to her unique eyes, and her lips parted as she kept insistently mumbling words in her mother tongue.

"Oh, my…" Fatimah swept to Inayah's bedside with all her worry naked and her fear battering her stomach. "Yaya…" She brushed Inayah's cheek and her brow twitched in anguish when Inayah kept mumbling like she could not feel Fatimah beside her. She promised me she wasn't pregnant. But this… What is happening to her?

She took Inayah's hand and clasped it to her lips as she recited in whispered reverence: "As'alullahal-'Azima Rabbal-'Arshil-'Azimi, an yashfiyaka… As'alullahal-'Azima Rabbal-'Arshil-'Azimi, an yashfiyaka… As'alullahal-'Azima Rabbal-'Arshil-'Azimi, an yashfiyaka…"

As she continued repeating the prayer, she found her voice shaking, but she gripped Inayah's hands and tried to pour all her hope into her words. When she finished the prayer a seventh time, she put Inayah's hand on her cheek. "Please get better soon, Yaya."

It's going to be difficult to get her out if she's sick, but… An insurgence of resolve threaded blue in her eyes. It won't deter me. This just makes it imperative she be in a safe place to rest.

"There's our little Fatii."

Fatimah stiffened as the blue in her eyes receded. She looked over her shoulder to see Zayed leaning against the now open entryway to the queen's personal study. He had shed his thobe and cotton pants for an eastern look with his bespoke pants and rolled-up button-down.

"I figured you would come see her." Zayed walked into the bedchamber like he owned it, but his eyes were only on the rambling Inayah. He settled on the edge of the bed opposite Fatimah. "The physician came this morning to prescribe her medication. It's a shame. None of it will work on her."

"What did you do to her?" Fatimah snapped.

Zayed raised his hands in surrender. "Actually? Nothing. Believe it or not, I'm just as worried as you. Her fever is too high." He frowned down at Inayah. "I was told she might be feverish when she's pregnant, but it wasn't supposed to be anything like this."

He… He doesn't know about this either? Fatimah seethed, "She's not pregnant."

Zayed loudly sigh. "Well of course she's not, Fatii." He took up Inayah's other hand and kissed her palm. "But she's still in a delicate place with her body right now. All this stress isn't healthy when we're trying to bring a child into the world."

"An unwanted child born from—!"

"Fatimah."

She choked when those invisible chains collared her throat and locked down her body. Every twitch and surprised pant made the restrained tighten their noose until she was running out of breath. And all she could do was look into Zayed's dark eyes and see her own struggle reflecting.

"I'm being generous in letting you visit her right now," Zayed told her, airy. "Let's not ruin such a precious moment with your ranting again. My love doesn't need that sort of stress around her." Darkness inked the whites of his eyes as whispers and giggles swirled around the room with their tempting promises. "So control yourself."

Fatimah shook as those whispers brushed past her ear and she could feel the slithering chains try to part her mouth and break her, but just as the last of her resistance whittled away, the whispers and restraints vanished. She keeled over with a heavy heart and juddered pants as she tried to control all her violent shaking and the heat in her eyes.

Zayed's eyes returned to normal and focused on Inayah. "But don't worry. I know being in this place has given her unnecessary stress. But I'll make sure she's in a place where she can properly feel at ease." He kissed her fingers. "She is my life. She'll be safe with me." Another kiss on her palm. "Just me. Just mine."

Fatimah brought up her head with her throat still stinging, but it was the look in Zayed's eyes that made all her fear and disgust turn into morbid bemusement. I thought he was using her for something political. But now, he sounds like…

KONKONKON!

"Your Highness," came a guard's call, "Prince Naseer of the Alvarez Empire has come for his meeting with you in the queen's antechamber. Shall we escort him in?"

Zayed called back, "Yes. That will be fine."

Wait… 'Prince Naseer'? Fatimah questioned, "Why are you meeting with Prince Naseer? I thought you hated him for being so spoiled?" She braced herself for those chains again when Zayed looked at her.

His lips twitched into a smile. "Oh, don't look so scared, Fatii. I'm not going to hurt you for asking a question." They both heard the delighted mocking in his tone. "Prince Naseer used to have the reputation of a spoiled prince, but he's become…rather valuable. And he and I have a lot more in common now more than ever." His smile broadened. "Would you like to meet him?"

"Trying to marry me off like I'm cattle now?" Fatimah snapped back.

Zayed laughed. "Oh, Fatii…" He reached over to rub her head, dark eyes aglow with bloodlust. "An insane bitch like you isn't even worth that much." He pinched her cheek only to chuckle when she slapped his hand away. "And Naseer is already intended for someone actually valuable. I think you'd like his future sister-in-law. He tells me she's an energetic little girl. Even his Necromancer likes her."

The way Zayed purred those words had Fatimah retreat a half-step. 'Little girl'? She warily asked, "What do you mean likes her? And how old is she?"

"I think that's enough questions." Zayed leaned down to kiss Inayah's temple. "I'd like you to leave." Before Fatimah could protest, Zayed kindly reminded her, "Fatii, this isn't me asking you. This is me telling you. You have no authority here. Father entrusted his wife's care to me." He feathered his hand over Inayah's stomach. "And I'll make sure she's cared for. So run along while I'm in a good mood."

Fatimah bit down on her bottom lip when her retort nearly tore out. As she stood up, all she could say was, "Everything you do to her—I'll make sure to give it back to you tenfold, you disgusting monster."

"Oh, little Fatii." Zayed kept his eyes locked on the barely conscious Inayah. "You have no idea the type of monster I am."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

BAKI!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Mohammed escorted a tense Fatimah away. A rough silence shrouded them as they left the queen's apartments for the main corridors of the estate. Fatimah never broke the tension. Not when they walked to the entrance of the house; not when Mohammed asked her if she had everything; not when they were escorted to their armored car for the day; not even when they left the property.

So Mohammed went first as he took his great niece's hand in his. "She will leave," he promised her in low tones. "As will you."

"And my mother?" Fatimah wanted to lash her uncle with a look, but she held firm. She had to—for Inayah. "Would you have done the same for her?"

Mohammed smiled a sad smile. "Who is to say we did not try?"

Quickly, she wiped beneath her eyes and sniffed before throwing her stare to the tinted window. She vaguely watched the scenery pass them by. "He's a monster," she told him, straight no chaser. "He can't be the Emir."

"Your father recognizes it too."

That threw Fatimah for a loop. "What?"

Mohammed sighed as he sat back in his seat. "Your father is well aware of Zayed and his ambitions. Haya may have her own alliances, but to your father, she's another puppet to control if she succeeds. She's too hungry for power and shows it too blatantly. But Zayed is different. He's subtle with his greed. He's quiet and careful. Even our imam finds him the perfect son. And that makes him dangerous."

"So Haya will be the next Emir?" Fatimah asked.

"I didn't say that." Mohammed's eyes darkened. "Zayed is dangerous, Fatii. If Haya becomes the Emir, we both know he would kill her and make it look like the perfect accident. Your father knows he needs to either kill Zayed first or come to an agreement. And…they have, in a way."

Fatimah frowned. "But what have they…?" She clammed up at Mohammed's single look. "This is madness," she whispered. "Yaya has done nothing wrong, 'Amm. She's innocent in this—"

"But she is also a hope for millions if not billions of people, Fatii," Mohammed said tiredly. "And she's the last of her kind."

Fatimah straightened and latched onto her uncle's words. "I don't understand. What does Father have over Yaya that would put her in this mess? Why is she 'hope'? And what do you mean 'the last of her kind'? She's a human like you and me. What…? What is going on?" She could not keep the helpless frustration gnarling her words. "Why all the secrets? Where does it end? I need to know something, 'Amm, please."

Mohammed sighed and clasped his hands as he thought. But when he came to a decision, he tapped on the partition. It lowered and he murmured, "Āmi ṭhika nā dē'ōẏā paryanta āmādēra niẏē yāna."

The driver gave their affirmative and rolled up the partition.

Mohammed looked at his great-niece and leaned forward. "Fatimah—I understand you have a close relationship with Orisa. That out of your siblings, you were the closest to your mother—the only one to believe the truth of her death. That's why my wife told you her story. What I will say now, I saw in confidence to you solely because we know you will care for Orisa just like your mother had been waiting to do."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Fatimah rapidly blinked. "A-Ah… 'Orisa'? My mother? 'Amm—you're not making any sense. What does my mother have to do with this? And who is 'Orisa'?"

Mohammed said without blinking, "Orisa is Inayah's true name, the name she left behind when your father rescued her from an unfortunate situation."

Fatimah's eyes widened. That's her name?

"Believe it or not, he did rescue her. But Orisa…" Mohammed shook his head. "Sooraya had been trying to steer Orisa away from thinking my brother was an actual savior. But it's…hard to undo that thinking. Even now, I'm sure she would insist to you your father is her savior and she can't leave him."

"Your father… H-He's good to me—"

"He's treating me well."

"Yes." Fatimah's lashes lowered. "She's…said something like that before." A conclusion shored up. "Is that why she doesn't know about tomorrow? Because she won't want to leave my father?"

Mohammed nodded. "Yes. We've hinted before about escaping, but she always insisted she had to stay here and how grateful she was to my brother. And…" He hesitated. "I'm aware Kamir brought her here for political means, but… Even Sooraya and I have noticed how gently he treats her—"

"Like how he treated my mother?"

Mohammed expected that bitter retort. "Not at all," he calmly put. "But that's neither here nor there. While my driver can keep us going, we cannot take long. Even now, I'm sure Zayed has me secretly monitored. So listen closely." He shifted. "Your mother was a brave woman. But the reason your father married her wasn't that she was a trophy from a political war. It was because she was one of the last relatives from Prophet Zarqā's bloodline."

The prophet who helped founded our country? Fatimah's brow knitted. But why does that…?

"Prophet Zarqā had her devotees who served the three-chief goddesses," Mohammed went on. "When most of the gods abandoned us, Prophet Zarqā still served as the messenger. And the first part of the last message before our goddesses' Great Silence was this: Shamballa would receive back the love it had graced us with."

Fatimah tried to piece it together, but the puzzle felt too complex. "But what does that mean?"

"At the time, no one but Prophet Zarqā knew and her devotees understood."

"Okay, but…what about the second part?"

"No one knew," Mohammed said. "Not even our ancestors learned the truth. And because of Prophet Zarqā's silence, the Shamballans were quick to call her a 'Witch of the Wastes'. As our records state, she passed away in her sleep. But that's not true. She and her devotees were targeted and burned at the stake. And dying with them was the last message our goddesses offered before the Great Silence."

They… We killed her? Fatimah had to come to terms with this quickly. "Okay. So how does this relate to my mother and Yaya? Or 'Orisa'?"

"Your mother was the last descendant of those devotees, Fatii."

And that was how she put it together. "So she would have known the final message of the goddesses," she understood. "That's why Father married her—to figure out what was coming to Shamballa. But she…she never broke. And she was…" Her heart pounded. "She was burned…like the rest of her people."

"Yes." Mohammed glanced to the side. "Even now, my brother and the Emirs before him obsessed over finding her tomb and unraveling her secrets."

But Fatimah barely listened as more pieces fit the puzzle of her life. "That's why he always hated me, isn't it?" She looked at her uncle. "I was the closest to my mother. He must've thought she told me about the message. He thought I was useful." At Mohammed's nod, she went on: "But…she never told me anything. Not a word or anything. I-I… I don't understand…" She paused at his sorrowful look. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Your mother could only trust so many people while she was alive," Mohammed told her. "And those she did trust were people from all around the world—one of which was Sooraya. And like those people, she took a Vow to keep their secrets from being leaked to the world. But, Fatii… There are some secrets we can't hide anymore." He smiled, but his eyes held such grief. "Sooraya will die before me. I'm sure Zayed or Kamir will make it so I watch. My own brother will use this to win my loyalty. But there is no loyalty left."

"Don't say that," Fatimah quickly soothed. This could not be happening. This could not be happening. "No one has to die—!"

"There is a price to knowledge, Fatii," Mohammed said. "And I'm willing to pay mine. Are you willing to pay yours?"

Fatimah stilled. Six beats ticked by in her silence. "Yes."

Mohammed expected this too and looked like a proud father. "Your father married your mother for her secrets, secrets she could not afford someone like him to know. She had bided her time for the day to come, but…she passed before she could see it through. And now, it seems like you're the one who awakened her most precious secret." His hands tightened. "You're not just a princess anymore, Fatii. You've been chosen to take up your mother's secret. You've chosen to be your goddess' Custodian."

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Fairy Adventure

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

Fatimah reeled. A…'Custodian'? She asked, "What's a… 'Custodian' for the gods mean?"

Mohammed continued: "Custodians were those who served the gods. Some did so as prophets, like Zarqā al-Yamama, but it depended on the religion of what Custodians meant. But the gods chose their Custodians based on trust and devotion. And, in turn, they armed their Custodians with abilities. Prophet Zarqā served the three chief goddesses as their Custodian when the goddesses still walked among us."

Fatimah tried to take this all in. "But then…" She shook her head, speechless for a moment. Then she asked, "How does this relate to me? I'm the goddess' Custodian? But I thought they have still kept to their Great Silence? My mama and me… We're to serve them now?"

"No." Mohammed shook his head, pensive. "The gods are still silent, no matter what we do. And Custodians… Well…" He sighed. "Alakitasia is in a state of mess. Without Emperor Spriggan, the Wastes have grown more and more comfortable with its trickery. The holy wars, our declining birthrate—our continent is seeing a crisis and the people are too blind to see it. The gods still may not speak to us, but… Your mother and others were waiting for a sign—a sign that told them there would be a great change, where the Wastes would be controlled and we could have hope again. And that hope was born into being called God Slayers."

'God Slayers', Fatimah echoed. "Wait. You mean like those Dragon Slayers in the east?"

Mohammed nodded. "Exactly that. These God Slayers received powers from our silent gods to help restore balance. Custodians who were once bound to the gods were to serve these God Slayers. But… Things didn't go as planned. And…" He looked like he aged ten years. "Many God Slayers in our home, like around the world, were killed by the very same people meant to serve them."

"Why?" Fatimah demanded to know. "Why would they kill innocent people?" She hugged herself. "Why is it always killing?"

"The world has always been painted with red, Fatii. You've just been fortunate your canvas was mainly white." Mohammed rubbed his beard. "From what your mother and Sooraya explained, the Custodians have been divided in how to handle the incoming of God Slayers. Some are too bitter and resentful their gods abandoned them that they would kill, torture, or do unspeakable things to these Slayers to get even. Others are loyal to their God Slayers, but if other Custodians knew it, they would be killed as well. It's why Prophet Zarqā was invaluable. She was thought to be the last connection and sole Custodian to the three chief goddesses."

"But she wasn't," Fatimah put together. "Mama and me… We are. We're Custodians. We…inherited that from our ancestor."

"Being a Custodian isn't something you inherit," Mohammed amended. "It's something you choose when you and your god or goddess have a strong bond. Your mother awaited the day the three chief goddesses would bore their Child, a God Slayer. The tomb of Prophet Zarqā would only open to the next Custodian and it was anyone's guess what was in her tomb. But your mother died before that day could come."

"But then you said I'm a Custodian." Fatimah's brow furrowed. "Which means I choose to serve the new Slayer for the three chief goddesses, right?" That did not sit well with her. I don't remember feeling anything like that though. And I can't serve some Slayer. I have to protect Yaya first and foremost. Flickers of blue sparked her eyes. She's my priority, no one else. She asked her uncle, "Could you tell me how to get rid of this?"

That took Mohammed back. "Why would you want to?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't be this 'Custodian' for someone I've never met," Fatimah determined. "Right now, Yaya—Orisa—comes first for me. I need to make sure she's safe. It doesn't matter if being a Custodian means I get power. Because"—she looked to the side—"what good is power if I'm not using it to protect my own family? My true family?" I'm sorry, Mama. I can't be what you thought I would become. Not until Yaya is safe and sound. Her eyes glinted. Because Yaya…

Shimmering oranges like the setting sun.

LUBDUB!

Fatimah feathered her fingers over her heart. She's my family.

"Fatii."

Fatimah looked up. "Look, I—" She stopped when Mohammed looked frozen. "'Amm?"

Mohammed tried and failed for the words. Her eyes… So she really is… He found his speech again. "Fatii, you misunderstand me. While it's true your mother was waiting for a Slayer for the three chief goddesses, it would seem you found a different Slayer you will serve and protect."

"Well… That's not possible," Fatimah said, stilted. "I-I've never felt that type of way towards any…"

Her breath caught.

"You really have no idea what our little stepmother is, do you?" Zayed's dark gaze. "The real reason why Father spent a month spoiling her in jewels and riches until she agreed to be his dutiful, little wife?"

"She's one of them, isn't she?" Fatimah's stare darted back to her uncle. "She's a God Slayer, isn't she?"

"The last one of her kind, yes," Mohammed confessed. "Orisa is the God Daughter of Oshun, and she is the last Fertility God Slayer."

---

KONKON!

Wake-up calls and room service were popular this morning. If the last auction was not enough to be excited about, everyone and their mother grew excited about the concert tomorrow. Famous middle western singers, indie singer-songwriters, and the famous all-women orchestra would be performing with illusionary galore—how could they not be excited!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

10:34 SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

KONKON!

Yara peeked into Gale's room when she received no answer. Ah. She turned on the lights to see Gale dead asleep in bed. I thought he'd be awake by now. But then again, he did face a powerful opponent last night.

Gale stretched.

Yara waited for him to wake—

GEFU!

Yara's eyebrow twitched at Gale's loud belch. I forgot—teenage boys can be some of the worst creatures. Then again, teenage girls can be worse. Blues softened. That makes me wonder…how Hendrika is doing. I couldn't risk bringing her into this. She clenched her hands. Will she hate me when we meet again? I've seen all the pressure the prime minister has been putting on her. Does she know why? Is she surviving?

She sighed. I shouldn't dwell on such things. I need to focus on saving Her Majesty and healing His Majesty. And—she focused on Gale—he's the key to it, apparently.

"He's safe and tamed. And he's going to be the one to help you heal King Johann."

Blues glinted. I still can't understand how he'll help me. And I'm sure it'll come for a price. Yara's throat tightened. Everything comes at a price. But…Their Majesties are worth that price. She let go of that tightness in her chest to wave a hand over Gale. All right. Let's see how he's feeling. Her eyes glowed—

Gale's eyes opened, slitted.

"Ah!" Yara stumbled back when Gale shot up with scales flaring and his teeth about to lock down on her hand. "It's me! It's Yara, I promise!"

Gale's slitted pupils faded, and he rescinded his scales with a deep exhale. "Sorry 'bout that," he gruffly put. He combed back his hair and laid back down. "I'm a little on edge right now with my senses will all over the place."

"It's all right." Yara tried not to gasp and clutch her heart. Except I would have lost my hand! She hovered over him with a few checks he would not aim a bite again. I guess the stories were right to never wake a sleeping Dragon. She explained, "I came in to check your progress and do another healing session." She smiled. "You weren't as receptive last night, so I figured it was better to do it while you slept."

With a dark aura, she sweated as she remembered Julia holding down a roaring Gale. Had he been a Fire Dragon, she was almost certain she would be in ash. I didn't think Dragons could throw such tantrums, but I guess he is still a child.

Gale waved vaguely. "It's fine. You can go ahead. These bandages are annoying my skin."

Yara frowned. "They shouldn't be. Healers have specialized bandages to keep away skin irritation." She realized it. But these are bandages for human patients. She peered at Gale. Fascinating… Just how different is his anatomy and physiology from a human's?

Gale's face flattened when he saw Yara's shiny aura. Why is she looking at me like she wants to dissect me? He sighed. "Let's just get it over with."

"All right." Yara flourished her hands, and her powers made her eyes glow. The diagnostic screen popped up before her and she looked at the charts and scans. How strange. His body has healed, but his powers…

"So?" Gale sat up and plucked at his bandages. "Can I get rid of these or what?"

"O-Oh. Ah, yes." Yara banished the screen. "Your wounds are virtually gone," she informed him. "I see no reason you need any more treatment."

"Oh, thank fuck." Gale made diamond claws and shredded free from his bandages with a grateful groan. As he stretched out like a housecat, he grunted, "Thanks for the healing. 'Preciate it." He yawned and cracked his back. "That's the stuff."

Yara sweatdropped as Gale scratched his stomach. He's not very mannerly, is he? She sighed. "Well, while your physical wounds are here, magically, you're still a little low on power. Luckily, I have a few potions to help get you back to your normal baseline, but first, if we could just go over your medication history and make sure there are no contraindications—"

"Thanks, but no thanks."

Yara frowned when Gale got up and strode for his suitcase. "Mister Dragon, I understand you may feel invincible at this age, but considering the severity of your enemies and mine, you should take care of your Magic levels. If we could discuss your medical history first—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Gale dug out a box and waved dismissively. "Magic levels are important, sure. But I don't need any potions." He tapped the box to undo the Lock Sigil. "And my name is 'Gale'."

TICK!

Yara smiled with her eyebrow twitching and her tick mark prominent. This little... "All right, Gale. Nevertheless, you need to take care of your body." She set in to lay down a lecture. "Even though you may be an adult Wizard, but you need to understand that, magically, you are still growing and require a substantial refractory period when you use too much of your ability—"

KARIKARI!

Gale blankly looked at Yara with his mouthful. "Wha?"

TICK!

Yara restrained her shaking fist. Keep it together. He is a powerful Dragon. I shouldn't anger him. She let out all her frustration in a sigh and tightly said, "Look, I don't think you…" She squinted when Gale continued munching. What is he…?

A glint of sapphire caught her eye.

Her eyes rounded. Is he eating…?

KARIKARI!

Gale ignored a gawking Yara as he crunched more raw gemstones. This hits the spot. He popped in an emerald gemstone. The green ones really are my favorite. He dug a handful—

"No, don't eat that!"

SMACK!

Now Gale was left gawking when all his jewels slathered the ground.

Yara looked positively flummoxed and terrified. "Dear child, you shouldn't eat jewels!" she implored him. "You're going to make yourself sick! No, worse than that! You could kill yourself eating such things!" Her mind spiraled. We need to get him to an A-and-E. The poor boy must have head trauma from last night and my diagnostic spells must've not picked up on it.

"My… My…"

Yara flinched as Gale's movements were creaking as bangs covered his eyes. Is he going into shock?

"My… My…breakfast."

A question mark pinged off Yara. 'Breakfast'?

Slowly, Gale scooped up his gemstones with a tremor in his hands. "My breakfast. It took me so long to get raw jewels and clean them—and you just throw them to the ground," he said, voice hollow.

Wait. Yara blinked twice. He's saying…he actually eats those?

"Yo, lady." Gale bared his teeth as he gripped his jewels. "You…"

Yara flinched back as she sensed pressure all around her with a murderous aura misting around Gale like he was a Grimm. When he got up, all she could see from such darkness were piercing red eyes that looked like they wanted her demise. Oh, no. He's angry with me. She shuffled back. How am I supposed to fight against a Dragon?

"You…" Gale stepped towards her with his fangs prominent. "How dare you…" Scales adorned his skin as he glared at her. "You—!"

BAKI!

Julia burst into the room with her hair tied in twin buns and dressed for today. "I heard voices. Gale, are you up yet?"

Silence.

Yara looked ready to ascend while Gale was knocked to the ground with a sizeable red mark on his forehead from where the door hit him. Julia was the one who had her expression frozen in place. Um… What just happened?

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

KARIKARI!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale grumpily ate his cleaned gemstones on one of the suite couches and growled when Julia passed him. She rolled her eyes to put down Yara's plated room service on the coffee table and warned Yara dryly, "Don't mind him. He's all bark and no bite, honest."

"O-Oh? Is that so?" Yara smiled and held in her dread as she felt Gale's murderous aura aimed at her. It feels like he's more bite, though.

"Now then." Julia sat down as well and looked at Yara with all the seriousness in the world. "Who exactly are you?"

Yara sat up tall. "My name is Yara Sandström. I was a Royal Healer from the House of Nietzsche." Her eyes danced away. "Or…I once was," she murmured. "Healer Heinrich Linderhof was my mentor and…father figure. He raised me and I chose Wiccanry to learn how to heal. As his apprentice, I served the entire royal family at the castle. But my mentor assigned me to His Majesty, King Johann, when he displayed the ability of the future king."

"Chess." Gale wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked at Yara. "I've heard about it before. But why is it so important for the next king to have it?"

Yara tucked her fingers into the bottom of her blouse. "Bellum was founded when the first king stood up against Rhine the Conqueror, brother to the Red King, set out to conquer eastern and central Ishgar. The olden king had learned about Chess from Masaalan slaves Rhine had brought over and manifested Magic into it. In doing so, the king freed her people from Rhine's terror and established what would become Bellum. No one knew her second child would be born with Chess, but it was the will of the councilmen to crown the next king if he or she had Chess. It's a symbol of our country's freedom and protection."

"But King Johann never wanted that power," Gale said.

Yara sighed. "No. He didn't." Blues sparked. "Even as a child, he was bright. But he was horribly afraid of the world. His obsessive thoughts would make him inconsolable, and he constantly feared he'd become a tyrant so much so that he'd make himself vomit. He begged his parents to strip him of his power, but…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm getting off-topic."

"No, it's okay." Julia watched Yara slump her shoulders. She must still be grieving. I…can understand that. She said, "Gale and I gathered everything about your job here—that you're here to rescue the Emira. But you haven't said the reason she needs to be rescued."

"Or why she was in danger when she was a child," Gale inserted.

Yara braced herself for a tale. "It's…best if I started from where I can answer." She looked at Gale. "Your mother told me I needed to show you enough. Do you believe me?"

"I do," Gale said, "but if we're about to bust our asses and possibly die here, it's better we don't go in blind."

Yara humorlessly chuckled. "You're right." Two beats. "From the beginning, the prime minister knew it all," she said. "Most royal families have secret protectors. For Shamballa, it's the Pasbans. But in Bellum, we have Mares."

"Shit."

"What?" Julia looked between a taken aback Gale and a grimacing Yara. "What's a 'Mare'?"

"Ancient things and dark," Gale told her. "You have to be a double S Shadow Charmer to speak to them. They're basically the embodiment of nightmares and you have to do a crazy amount of spell work to ward them off you. They're worse than parasites. If a Mare has you, you're as good as gone as a cow in a butcher shop." He looked at Yara in a new light. "The royal family had Mares for protectors? So that castle must've been stacked with Shadow Charmers at least."

"That's still classified information, but the royal family was always protected," Yara assured. "I just didn't know how closely the prime minister worked with a Shadow Charmer strong enough to influence a Mare. He'd known how much Her Majesty meant to His Majesty—or how much Orisa meant to Johann. But proving he was starting a coup would've been impossible. To the family, the prime minister had been a great friend. Even Johann admired him. I…didn't."

She cleared her throat. "Cutting a long story short, the prime minister convinced Johann marrying Orisa would save her from what was waiting for her back home. And, because of Bellish royal law, it was legal. And I attended their wedding as one of the witnesses. And because the Holy Eye officiated and because Their Majesties consummated their marriage, Orisa and Johann are the official queen and king of Bellum."

"But that's what your memories didn't tell me," Gale cut in. "I get that they're the new monarchs, sure, fine, whatever. And I saw that the prime minister orchestrated this. But, if that's the case, why isn't Orisa back in Bellum as the queen? Why did the prime minister turn against Johann when he had the perfect pawn?"

"Because Johann didn't want to become the perfect pawn," Yara confessed. "From what I understood, the prime minister was trying to officially move Orisa to Bellum as she was at the time technically a princess. Per protocol, she would have been moved to the prince's official estate as a consort. But something in his conversation with Johann went south. I don't know why, but all Johann told me was that they had a disagreement. And after that, the prime minister wasn't around as much. And I assume that's when he decided Johann wasn't needed."

"But he was, wasn't he?" Julia piped up. "You said that Chess represents something deep to the Bells, right? King Johann is still a symbol for his people, even unconscious."

"He's playing an unwilling perfect pawn," Gale finished.

Yara sagely nodded. "Yes. And if Orisa's found, she'd be another pawn on the chessboard."

"But it's not because she married the king," Gale deduced under careful observation. "There's more to her story. There has to be. I get she's from Mangan, but that's pretty far away from Shamballa and the fact that the king changed her name has me thinking she's on the run for her home—or at least, from anyone who knows her. So I'd be honest right here, right now." He leaned forward. "Who is Orisa?"

Yara kept quiet for a few beats. Then she confessed, "She is the last Fertility God Slayer."

That certainly shook up Gale and Julia.

"Are you serious?" Julia had to know, out of her depth. "You know God Slayers aren't natural Slayers, right? How did she steal her power?"

"I don't think she did, Lady J," Gale said slowly as he watched Yara. "I think she's like me. Isn't she?"

Yara drew back her bangs. "I'm assuming you mean she was born this way with a God Parent. And yes, she was." She further divulged, "Orisa's mother was one of my Wiccan Sisters, even if she came from another culture. But Wiccanry in Mangan called for abstinence. Having a child could have you stripped of your power by your Spirit Mother. But Orisa's father, however, was a powerful man. And from what I understand, her mother didn't have a say in rejecting him."

She continued: "He sought her for her beauty, but they never married. Cultural differences in Wiccanry rules happened, and Orisa's mother came from the same practices that forbid Healers from wedding or conceiving. But she fell pregnant. He pretended not to know her when she sought support, and her Wiccan council stripped her of her title as a Healer. But her Spirit Mother allowed her to keep her powers. And she had Orisa."

Yara could not hide her sadness. "Orisa's eyes were the first sign she was a God Slayer. Her God Mother has the same eyes and orange eyes in their history were a sign of divine blessings. But with the gods gone, her mother knew someone would discover Orisa as another Blessed Child. So she tried to conceal Orisa's eyes."

"But she couldn't hide Orisa's abilities," Gale strung together.

Yara shook her head. "No. Orisa helped where she could as her abilities manifested. When drought hit and not even Green Wizards could grow plants, she made the impossible possible. She helped an infertile couple have their first child. And she even helped a woman desperate to never have children become sterile. Whoever she met, she offered them love and beauty and a choice in their fertility."

Her fingers curled. "And her father took notice."

She looked at both Fairy Tail members. "Her father was a famous politician with two faces. He had his own family, so Orisa's mother was unfortunately a squandered secret and one he could forget. But being a politician gave him ears to the ground about his daughter's abilities. And when a shaman confirmed Orisa was born as a natural Fertility God Slayer, well… That was the end of Orisa's freedom."

"She was used as a political pawn." Gale clenched his hands. "A God Slayer is one thing and Fertility Magic is another. But a Fertility God Slayer?" He shook his head. "I could imagine she'd be the perfect bargaining chip."

"She could give people with infertility issues perfect help," murmured Julia. "She could turn a desert wasteland into a forest."

Yara tightly nodded. "Exactly." She restrained her anger, just barely. "Her father knew better than to boast about her powers. But she was still his pawn. He never directly talked about her abilities, but she was still used as a lure for his allies. But when his allies saw her, they didn't just want her power." She blinked hard. "They…went for her body as well."

Gale's throat flexed as vivid images of Hemlock's past with Luna stabbed him.

"Against her will, she'd be marked for marriage," Yara went on. "Her father wanted an alliance with a remote eastern tribe who harvested a rare magical metal. That tribe had been riddled with miscarriages and western conquerors committing deforestation that made their agricultural sections uninhabitable."

"And Orisa was the answer." Julia shook her head in disgust. "She could give them children and bring back their land. And in return, her sperm donor had access to precious metal."

Yara nodded. "Yes."

"So she's on the run for that then." Gale sat back. "Well, fuck. Now I see why she has the veil, religion notwithstanding, and why the name change."

"But how did the Emir know about her?" Julia asked. "Politics?"

"I'm not sure." Even Yara sounded perplexed. "That part was never told to me, but I assume so. Their love story was legendary. It is true he met her in Mangan, but I don't know the details."

"But we do know the Emir will keep a tight watch on her," Gale recognized. "So how exactly do you plan to sneak someone that valuable and that powerful out of one of the most secure countries in the world…alone?"

"And where do you plan to go?" Julia questioned.

"I have an ally," Yara told them. "They've been helping me for years now and they're trustworthy. They've made all the necessary arrangements. I'm the one who has been mucking them up." She shook off her guilt. "But this time, I won't fail. I can't."

"What about the Philosopher's Stone?" Gale asked. "Isn't that also why you came to Shamballa? Find the stone and save the king from whatever nightmarish diagnosis he has? You know injecting him with that will turn him insane, right? Like, no offense, but you're not the first person to try doing that. It's historically confirmed anyone outside the Flamel family will die from using the Philosopher's Stone no matter how good and just your reason is."

Yara tensed. "I'm aware of the consequences, but my options are slim. And my ally assured me there's a way to use the stone without causing insanity."

"And how is that?" Gale challenged.

Yara clenched her jaw. "He didn't say."

Gale barked a malicious laugh. "And you believe him?" He pressed forward when Yara did not answer, "Think carefully about this. A person who is keeping an awful lot of secrets from you is going against the grain and telling you to inject your king with a drug that could kill him. You've mentioned you didn't like failing. You could fuck up big time if something goes sideways. So I want to remember what you say to me right here, right now. Do you actually trust your ally?"

Yara took a breath. "Yes." She seared Gale with a resolved look. "I do."

Gale raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, I always thought old ladies grew to be insane, but you take the cake."

PIKA!

Lightning struck a cracking Yara. 'Old'?

"That said…"

Yara blinked at Gale's large grin. What is he…?

"Your level of crazy makes you the perfect client," Gale determined.

Yara blinked in confusion as question marks circled her. "Huh?"

Julia laughed as she sat back and crossed her legs. "I guess this really checks all the boxes for a Fairy Tail job. Barely any knowledge of our allies, damsel in distress, foreign country with zero work VISAs, logic—who needs logic?—and we're probably gonna die."

Gale snorted. "Fuckin' A. Now our parents' stories are actually believable."

"Now wait a minute." Perturbed, Yara tried to lecture, "This isn't some sort of game. These are real lives at stake here—"

"We know."

Bewildered blues met soft blues.

"Trust me, we get it," Julia murmured. "And we're willing to help you if you're willing to trust us. We came to this country because of someone. And maybe…maybe this is the reason why." Did Maxim send me here to free the queen? But then, why give me the Black Auction invite?

"And you couldn't have asked for two better Fairy Tail members." Gale jerked a thumb at himself. "You're lookin' at the Geo-Dragon of Fairy Tail. This entire city has some wicked tunnels beneath. If it's a discrete escape you need, I'm your guy."

"And I'm a Magic Hunter," Julia confessed. "Spells and Curses don't work on me and I'm always armed with Anti-Ether weapons. And trust me when I say this country doesn't have anything to defend against Hunters."

Yara tried to take this all in. "You'll… You'll really help me? Help us?"

"Sure." Gale shrugged. "I mean it's not like we have anything better to do."

"Have some tact, dumbass," Julia scolded.

Gale scowled. "Well, it's true. The fuck else are we supposed to do here outside of trauma, trauma, fight, fight, rest, rinse and repeat? Or did you really want to go back to being some rich bitch with a thing for me?"

Julia flipped him off. "I'll have you know this rich bitch gave you a vacation to Shamballa for free."

"Oh hallelujah! Sure, we got to see some poor women's uterus be sold like a fucking stock market, I got attacked not once but twice from some weird D-and-C mindflayer and then a goddamn plague doctor, I had to fight a Necromancer, nearly died, but hey, it was all for a free fucking vacation."

"Well, I did warn you you'd have to work."

Yara tuned out Gale's seething and Julia's mocking as she looked down at her lap. They'll help me. They'll help me free her from this mess. And free His Majesty. I can undo my mistakes. And I… Her bottom lip trembled as her eyes clouded when she remembered that summer of Johann and Orisa's love, of the royal family's silliness, or her own daughter and mentor living with her, loving her. I can…

Blues shimmered.

"Thank you."

Gale and Julia stopped their arguing to see Yara struggling to pull herself together.

"Thank you…for all of this," Yara said in a watery tone. "You don't know how much this means."

Gale and Julia softened.

Yara bowed her head as she tried to clear her eyes, but when someone offered her a tissue, she looked up to see Gale standing before her.

"We're Fairy Tail. Breaking the law to save people is our thing," he told her. "I'm sure you've been working hard. But now? You're not alone. We're in this together."

Yara could not speak when she felt the dam of her emotions crack, but she patched it up with a smile and accepted the tissue. "Yes, of course." She extended a hand. "Then I make an official request to your guild for your services."

"We accept." Gale shook her hand with a grin. "And thanks for keeping us employed."

---

The queen's personal study was technically one of the antechambers of the apartments. Drizzled in sand-washed white, deep browns, and gold accents, the study had seen Minstrish-influences all thanks an old Minstrish queen who wanted to establish a good friendship with a past Shamballan queen with Traditionalist making the furniture for the study. Granted, the past queens seldom used their personal study. It had been a perfunctory chamber, but most queens worked outside their estates.

How ironic Zayed was the first in a few generations to use the study, and he was not even a queen.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Queen's Personal Study, Morgiana Estate

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

11:19 SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Rather than the DAL system, he worked out of his PAL and examined the infrastructure sent to him. Some would look at the message and think someone had sent him random numbers and letters, but he studied the cypher and jotted down the hidden password in the encryption. Once he had the answer, he clicked the screen for a password prompt to come up. And the moment he put it in and hit ⟪ ENTER ⟫:

BING!

Screens popped up with texts and scans and translations all at his disposal. There we go. So—that spoiled prince is actually good for something.

He put his clasped hands before his mouth as he studied the information before him. I see. With this, the Middle West will be completely united. Not only that, but we have been gifted Al'Umm. Darkness glinted. Father thinks he'll be the one to whisper in the Sylph Empress' ear. How foolish. Mother might have had her uses, but he should have known she was a lost cause. His stubbornness and greed have no place here.

He scrolled down only to pause. His brow furrowed. What's this? A report about an…Anti-Ether User—?

"Nnngh…"

Zayed stopped to glance over at the open doorway to the bedchamber. Inayah's soft cry made his muscles coil. He meant to move, but he shook off the urge to stay in his seat. What am I doing? She's fine. He looked away. It's better she grows weak. The quicker she wears herself out, the better chance I have. He returned to his work—

"Ha… Nnngh…"

Whispers tickled his ear with their sweet temptations coddling him. He clenched his jaw. Ignore her.

Inayah whimpered.

The whispers grew in numbers, buzzing around his head. His fingers twitched the more Inayah mumbled and muffled her cries. Beneath his skin, he could feel those incessant urges warm him. He closed his eyes and tried to stamp them down—

SCRAPE!

Zayed got up and straightened his button-down with a locked jaw. He abandoned the study to stride to Inayah's bedside. Her feeble tossing and turning made the darkness clinging to him grow heavy and agitated. The tears wetting her cheeks had his fingers ache, but he fisted them to stop from touching her skin.

Where are her servants? They should be tending to her. He went for the call bell and rang it. Do I have to do everything to care for this woman?

Only seconds later did one of the servant passages open for a nervous little thing to pop in. "Y-Yes, Your Highness?"

"Why aren't you doing your job?" Zayed gnashed. "Your queen lays here crying and you decide to hide away?"

The servant's eyes widened, and she trembled. "N-No, Your Highness, I-I'd never—!"

"Then why aren't you at her bedside and tending to her every need?" Zayed demanded to know. He stalked over to her and jabbed a finger beneath her chin to hiss lowly, "She's in pain and yet you do nothing. Should I consider this treason?"

"N-No, please! Please, Your Highness!" she sobbed, eyes watering. "I would never! Never! I love Her Majesty!"

"Then what excuse do you have to let her suffer before me?" Zayed snarled.

The servant blurted, "You told the servants not to touch Her Majesty!"

That disarmed Zayed. "What?"

The servant had not expected to be thrown to the floor, but she dared not gather herself. All she did was bow at his feet and controlled her cries. "Please forgive my insolence, Your Highness!" she blubbered quickly. "I would never wish to harm Her Majesty. She is the hope for this country, I swear this on my name!"

Zayed blinked, taken aback. I…ordered them not to touch her? He touched his temple as he tried to recall the memory. But how…? He narrowed his eyes. "You're lying to me."

"No, never! Never!" the servant vowed. "It is an honor to serve Her Majesty, Your Highness. I swear on my name and the name of my family that I speak only the truth. Please, believe me. I-If you'd permit, I will tend to the queen now, I swear. Please."

Zayed could feel his Curse wind around him like a hungered serpent. I can't hear any lies from her, just desperation to survive. But I don't remember giving that sort of order. He tucked back his Curse. "Then go," he commanded. "Tend to everything she needs. If she suffers more because of you, I'll see to it you can enjoy being in one of the camps."

"Yes, Your Highness. A-As you command." The servant got up and hurried to start her tasks.

Zayed let out a frustrated sigh. None of this would be happening if I had taken her to our home. She would be outfitted with the best servants—

He stopped himself with gritted teeth. What does it matter? She's useless to me until she's pregnant. He offered an unsavory glare at Inayah as the servant fussed over her with a bucket and a rag. I thought she'd be easier to break. Why is she this resistant? Why isn't she pregnant already?

His pupils dilated as the whispers picked up again. She's supposed to be mine. Why does she keep fighting me? She can't fight me forever. Is it Father? Is he fucking her when she's not with me? Does she actually love that bastard? His Curse snaked around his arms. I should've killed him when I had the chance. He can't take her away from me. He can't. She's mine now. She's my queen.

The servant had peeled back the light blanket to help the queen disrobe—

"Don't touch her!"

The servant choked when invisible chains noosed her neck and hung her in the air. She flailed and choked out her squeaks as the noose pressed down even more to squeeze out every last bit of air.

Zayed stepped toward her with his hand raised and darkness filming his eyes. "You're trying to steal her away from me," he snarled with a rougher voice accompanying him. "Insolent human. You dare steal what's mine?"

The servant gasped as tears streaked her face and her body thrashed like a wild animal to break free.

Zayed narrowed his eyes. His hand curled into a fist—

SNAP!

The servant dropped down with her eyes glazed and a few drops of blood trickled from her mouth.

Zayed, however, spent no more time on the corpse. With a wave of his hand, snappish Curses came to life in a jarring cloud of darkness, and hungry, they devoured the fresh body. He paid attention to Inayah. She was trying to take her away from me. No one will take her away from me. No one will touch her but me.

Inayah grimaced and whimpered.

He soothed, "Don't worry, ya hayati. No one will steal you from me." He had no time to shift off the chemise. His Curse happily cut through the material so he could part it away from her skin. Even sweaty, she looked like everything in his eyes. He took up the servant's task as he wetted the fresh rag in ice-cold water, wrung it out, and gently massaged the cloth over her skin.

Inayah flinched away.

"Shh-shhh… It's all right," Zayed assured her. "No one will touch you now." He bent his head to kiss her breast before slowly licking her nipple, reveling in her taste. At her whimper, he continued his ministrations and muted his groan. My little goddess… You're so perfect. He kissed around her nipple as he could feel that heat warm his chest and travel south.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

"'Ant li ya, Inayah."

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"No, wait, don't turn on the lights—!"

PIKAPIKA!

I couldn't help it. The moment one of the lamps clicked on, I shored up the covers around me and did everything I could to cover my back. I didn't want him to see this. I know what he would think of me.

I didn't want him to see me like this.

"Orisa?" He touched me—

"N-No, please!" I shuffled back on the bed. My eyes darted to the bedroom doors. Everything looked like a hot blur. I didn't want to cry. Not now. I couldn't cry here. I found the bathroom doors. Maybe if I made a run for it, I could hide in there until he left. "Could you please turn off the lights—?"

"Orisa—"

I tried to spring up from the bed, but the soreness down there tanked all my balance. Hands helped me before I could fall onto the ground, but I ended up back in bed with him against his chest. I scrambled off, but he locked his arms around me. I couldn't breathe. I didn't want him to see this. "J-Johan, please—" But the words wouldn't come when my entire body shook and robbed me of everything I wanted to tell him.

I didn't want him to find out I was everything my baba said I was.

"Orisa, it's okay," Johann soothed me. He sounded so gentle and nice and kind. "Did…? Did I hurt you?" His soothes sounded smaller now. "Did you not like it—?"

"No!" I whooshed out. I stopped struggling to look at him and the fear on his face. His red hair was all messy, no thanks to me. Baba told me I wasn't supposed to touch men unless they ordered it. I hoped Johann wouldn't be mad at me. "No, no, it's not that, it's not—…!" But the longer he looked unconvinced, the harder it was for me to want to run away. This was…weird. Did he actually care if I liked it?

"I…" I swallowed. "I thought…it mattered if you liked it."

Johann looked stricken. "What? I-I mean…" He colored. "I mean… I liked it," he confessed. "But did you like it too? I've never had sex before, s-so I wasn't sure if I did everything right and…" H flushed even more. "I-I know I…you know…really quick…"

I couldn't help it.

I laughed.

He pouted, almost as red as his hair. "D-Don't laugh at me!"

But I couldn't help it. "I-I'm sorry," I managed to gasp out. "B-But you're so…!" I broke into giggles again.

"Orisa," he whined with a hand covering his face.

"I'm sorry." I tied down my laugh to smile at him. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. You're just so nice." I looked at his chest. 'He's been so worried about me. And he's so nice to me.' "I've never met anyone like you before."

Johann looked uncertain as he asked, "Do you mean white?"

I snorted and went to roll off him, but he kept me at his side so I could rest my head on his chest. "There are white people in Andüsa. Maybe not near me, but they are there, Johann."

"I-I knew that!"

I wanted to giggle again, but I had a feeling that would make him embarrassed even more and I didn't want that. "You're just kind," I told him, honest.

"You don't have kind people where you live?"

"I do," I promised. "There are a lot of kind people in the community I live in. We all help each other, but…" I didn't want to ruin this. The more time I spent with Johann, the more I didn't want him to see what my home was like. I didn't want to ruin this. This was nice. Why couldn't I have something nice?

"'But'?" He nudged me. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

"Not even Loki?"

"Well…"

I laughed. He always knew how to make me laugh, and he didn't do it because he wanted something. He really was kind. Is this how it was supposed to work? He could make me laugh without it meaning something later? I sighed against his chest and smiled when he tangled our fingers together. "You really like touching me, huh?"

Johann stiffened. "Is that okay?"

"It's okay." I didn't want him to pull away. I hoped he didn't. "I like it when you touch me."

Johann groaned. "Don't say it like that!" He pulled me closer to him with his arm coming down to circle my waist. "Because it makes me—"

Oh, no.

I tried bolting when his hand went down my back. "W-Wait, don't touch me—!"

It was too late.

Johann went rigid.

Why did I have to ruin everything?

I closed my eyes when I felt his fingers touch the scars on my back. Why did I have to ruin everything? I tried so hard so he wouldn't see it. He won't like me any more now.

"Orisa…"

I wanted to jerk away and lock myself in the bathroom. Màmá told me foreigners would find my back ugly. She always cried about my marks and said to hide them. But when Baba called for me me, he was always angry I hid them. He said I should be proud of them. They meant I was worth something to the men he brought over.

I didn't want Johann to think I was ugly, but I couldn't be proud either.

"You should go." Hollow. I knew I sounded hollow. I couldn't look at him when I knew he would look at me like I was broken and ugly. "I know what you think of me now. It's okay. Thank you for being nice to m-m-me." No, no, I wouldn't cry now. Not now. I could wait until he left. Màmá told me I should never cry around anyone.

I tried leaving my bed, but Johann wouldn't let me go. My hands clutched the sheets. Maybe this was when I was supposed to insist for him to let me go, but I couldn't. Baba said I wasn't supposed to leave a man's bed until he was finished. But Johann wasn't like those men, right? He wouldn't tell anyone I left the bed without permission. He was kind to me.

DRIP.

He was so kind, and I was so ugly.

DROP.

I barely felt Johann pull me down. Numb—I was numb. This was routine. I wasn't to leave the bed until he felt satisfied. My body moved on its own. My mind just stayed there, numb and floating. My body went through the motions of getting on top of him. Here, I was supposed to please him until he was ready—

"Orisa, stop!"

My body halted.

My mind floated back down, and I could see Johann again. He grabbed my wrists. I didn't understand. Was this…? Was this not what he wanted? "I-I…" I shrunk away. "I-I…" But the more I moved my mouth, the more I didn't know what to say. Was this when I was supposed to apologize? But even when I wanted to apologize, something wet lodged in my throat and I swallowed down a cry. I wasn't supposed to cry. I wasn't supposed to—

"You're beautiful."

"You don't mean that." I didn't mean to respond so quickly.

"I really do." Johann looked at me with those gentle eyes and that sweet smile. I had never met someone who smiled at me like that. "You're beautiful. I honestly thought that when I first saw you." His hand touched my cheek and thumbed away a few tears. "And you were crying like this too. But you still looked really pretty."

"You don't mean that," I tried to insist, even if it came out weak. "You're saying that because you've never seen someone like me before."

Johann's smile widened a bit. "We have black people in Bellum too."

I laughed. I didn't expect that.

When he sat up against the pillows, I didn't fight him when he wanted me on his lap. He held onto my hip with on hand and cupped my cheek with the other. And then he said, "I told Yara you were beautiful that day. Even Loki was excited to see you again."

"Dogs are always excited to meet new people," I reasoned. "And looks aren't everything." I didn't know how to do this. We were talking. I was on his lap, and he was talking to me like…we were just talking. This was new. When I was on a man's lap, it meant I needed to please him and ready him for more. But Johann…didn't want that.

Is this what it was supposed to be like?

"I know that," Johann murmured. "My dad didn't marry my mom for her looks, and they got married in a day. He instantly fell in love with her when she saved him from buckbears." He looked sheepish. "And my mom married him since he was a better option than the options my grandfather lined up for her."

I thought back to Johann's mom and all her stories of her hunts. "She seems pretty powerful," I admitted. "Do all your sisters hunt?"

"Yeah. We do foxhunt here, but it's different." Johann shifted me, and I shivered when he traced my whip marks. "Ah, sorry. Does it hurt?"

"No." I was honest in that. "I-It's okay. No one's ever…" I couldn't tell him touching my marks back home meant sex. "You can keep doing it if you want."

Johann went back to tracing my scars. "We have fox and stag hunts, but they're raised by Tamers. So when my mom and my sisters go hunting, we don't kill them and they know we won't hurt them. They'll quote-unquote 'capture' the stag or the fox, but it's all harmless."

"That's…honestly really nice." I couldn't keep the surprise out of my voice. But I sighed out "nice" when Johann's lazy trails made my spine tingle. He made me feel good, warm. Cuddling was off the table normally, but I really wanted to snuggle into him.

Johann hummed. "I don't like participating. I normally watch it."

I hummed back and docked my chin on his shoulder. And for a moment, it was just Johann stroking my back and me buried into him. Now I understood Agụụ, the community Chimera. He always purred if you so much as touched his back. Johann touching me made me want to curl more into him.

But something bothered me.

"You… You really think I'm beautiful?" I wanted to take the question back the moment I finished it.

Johann nodded. "I really do," he murmured. He hugged my waist. "Would I ever be able to visit you in Mangan?"

No.

No, I never wanted him to see my home.

"Ah…" How was I supposed to tell him "no"? What if he wanted an explanation?

Johann nuzzled me. "It's okay. You don't have to answer." I could feel his smile. "You can stay here as long as you like. Loki would be such a brat if you went home. I think he likes you more than me."

I pressed my own smile into his shoulder. "That's not true. I know he loves you."

Silence.

"I…love you."

I froze.

More silence.

Johann and I both pulled away. I hoped he would look like he didn't mean it, but he looked at me like I would yell at him. I didn't want to yell at him.

I didn't know what to say either.

Johann looked away with a rough swallow. "I mean… I… I do. But I…" He released me to pick at his nails. "You think I'm creepy now, right? Because I said that? You think I'm weird now? That I'm—"

"Johann." I put my hands on his cheeks to stop him. "I don't think you're weird. Well, not that weird. And I don't think you're creepy."

"Are you sure?"

I wanted to hug him when he sounded so small. "I'm sure," I promised. "You're the nicest guy I've met. You're really funny. And you're the only one I can play chess with. Plus"—I grinned—"your dog likes me more."

"Hey!"

I laughed when Johann pretended to look offended, but it all sighed out when he pulled me back in for a hug.

He murmured, "Do you love me too?"

He was always honest with me. I know I should be honest with him. "I…don't really know." Did he hate me now? I only knew what love to my friends and my Màmá meant. "I'm sorry—"

"No, that's okay," Johann dismissed, squeezing me. "You'll love me back soon anyway."

I snorted. "You're crazy."

"Crazy for you."

I groaned and buried my face in his shoulder when he laughed. "That was so awful. Maybe you should flirt in Bellish and not Minstrish." I shifted my weight—

Oh.

Oh.

Johann stiffened. "Ah, um, sorry, I, um…!" He flubbed for words. "I just…! I…!"

"Did you want to have sex again?"

"O-Orisa!" He pulled away to cover his red face with his hands. "Y-You can't just say that!"

'He's so cute.' I gently parted his hands from his face. "If you want to, it's okay. I don't mind."

I expected him to flush even more, but his serious look toward me was a surprise. "Are you sure? Are you really okay with that?"

I blinked. "If you want to, then it's okay."

Johann, however, did not move. "Do you want to?"

I didn't understand. "If you want to."

"No. That's not it." He cupped my jaw. "I'm asking if you want to. I, y'know…" Now he broke into a bit of pink. "I-I want you to want it too. I don't want to be the only one to enjoy it. I…" He thickly swallowed. "I want you to want me like I want you."

He… He was…asking me if I wanted this? He was asking me?

Johann hurriedly followed up with, "A-And I promise I won't finish as quick this time, really! I-I want you to feel good too and I'm really sorry about before. I-It was my first time and you felt really, really good, and I didn't know it could feel like that, but I'll last longer! A-And I…!"

His eyes were practically swirling as he kept stuttering, but I had to hold in my laughter. 'He really is cute.' I thought about his words. 'Is this what I want? Is Johann…?' But my thoughts slipped when I looked at him—all of him. Maybe this would be a mistake later. But I could feel it. He wouldn't hurt me. He made me feel…good and happy. "Johann?"

He stopped his rambling to look at me.

I gave a tiny nod. "I'm… I want to do this with you."

"O-Oh." He cleared his throat. "Okay."

I smiled. "Okay."

He said, uncertain, "We're… We're going to have sex now."

I smiled wider. "Okay."

Then he cringed. "I shouldn't have said that," he lamented with a pout. "You think I'm creepy now."

"Mm-mm." I shook my head. "You're just…you. And I like that."

He brightened. "So you like me? Right? You like me?"

I couldn't help my giggle. "Well, yeah. I really like you." It felt like something defogged my mind when I realized my own words. I felt light. I felt…right. "I like you." Saying it again made that light inside me bubble and I wanted to laugh and smile until my cheeks hurt. "I really like you, Johann."

"I really like you too," he confessed back, relieved. "I really like you, Orisa. And I think you're really beautiful inside and out." His face twisted as he asked, "Do you still want to sit in my lap? I-I want to… Well, um…" His neck turned the same red as his hair. "I wanted to try something. But it's okay if you don't want to—!"

"It's okay," I soothed. "How do you want me?"

He looked like a tomato as he gulped. "O-On your back."

I moved, but he helped me shift onto my back while he crawled on top of me. I winced a little—Johann hadn't been rough, but I hadn't been with one of Baba's friends in a little while—and hoped it didn't show on my face, but Johann fretted, "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" He shot up. "M-Maybe we shouldn't do this—"

"Johann." I reached up and brought him back down to me, catching every second of his worry. It warmed me, touched me. "I'm okay." I felt my own cheeks heat when I caught a glimpse of him down there. I wondered if he would let me kiss and lick him there. "I want to—with you."

That made him weak as he took one of my hands and threaded our fingers before kissing me. All his shyness from the first time we kissed was gone now, but he kissed me like how Màmá told me kisses were supposed to be—like I was worth the time to be gentle and loved. And I kissed him back. He didn't push me when I didn't open my mouth. There was no punishment when I pulled away for air. He would chase after me after a few breaths and kiss me again.

I wanted to always be worth his kisses.

With Johann, it was never rough and continuous until he was finished. Sometimes, he would retreat and keep asking me if I felt hurt or if I actually wanted him or checked if I really liked him. His awkward jokes made me laugh, but it felt…fun to laugh like this. When I was naked with Baba's friends, I couldn't speak unless spoken to. But here, we could still laugh like this and talk like this. No pushing or pulling, just…us. He surprised me when he went down on me last time. Maybe this was an eastern thing. I'd never been touched like that there—Johann had to pry me away from my pillow when I tried to hide my face when I realized I came all over his face—but when he stammered out he learned about it recently from porn on his efforts to make me feel good, I wanted to cry.

My Johann—why were you so kind to me?

I felt like I was in a dream the second time I came. My head was full of clouds and my body felt like air, but he was my gravity, my anchor. But he kissed me again like I was his gravity.

DRIP.

DROP.

He pulled away and he saw the tears I couldn't hide. But he didn't question me again. He breathed, "You're beautiful. You're so beautiful." He glanced down before looking back at me, but he didn't question me.

So I gave him my answer, a nod.

He took his time lining up with me, my Johann. Everything he did, he did it with care. I hissed when he rubbed against me, but I couldn't look into his eyes when he did shallow thrusts. The first time had me wince, but he slowed the next time. When I was brave enough to look at him, he took my breath away when I saw how lost in the moment he was. I was the one who was supposed to look at him like he was my king.

But he looked at me like I could be a queen.

This time, he stopped his shallow thrust and asked me, "Are you ready?"

I clung to him and nodded.

I knew my tears wouldn't stop even as I gasped feeling him and he groaned feeling me. It took a moment between us until he consumed me. I buried all my moans into his skin, but he didn't return the favor. And every whispering moan in my ear made more tears fall as something warm and clear and bright burned in my chest. Distantly, I could feel something shift in my body, right beneath my skin, something important. But I didn't want to worry about it.

I didn't want to worry about anything.

Maybe tomorrow, he would find me ugly and cursed. Maybe he would look at me how the others would look at me. But right now, I just wanted this to be enough. I want being here with him to be enough.

I lifted my face from his shoulder to breathe, "Johann."

He grunted into his next thrust that had me cry, but then his lips brushed my ear.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

„Ich liebe dich, Orisa."

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Orisa tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy. She could feel heated kisses graze her skin and delicate fingers feather her nipples. The tingling on her whipped scars made her hum, and she tried to open her eyes—

Bright red hair.

Relief lightened all the burdens on her chest. With a smile, she wetly rejoiced in a breath, "Johann… You came back to me." She could not help it when her hands moved to cup his cheeks. Tears blinded her eyes, but she always knew that bright red hair. "I've missed you so much, my Johann. You really came back like you promised. You came for our son."

A beat.

"Our…son?"

She smiled and combed through his hair. "He got your hair color," she told him. "Loki loved him so much when he was born." She could taste the saltiness of her own tears, but nothing mattered. He had come back to her. "You really came like you promised. Oh goodness, I missed you, Johann." She craned her neck and pressed her lips to his.

He did not move.

Orisa pulled back, confused. "Johann?" She blinked with her eyes still fogged and half-mast, but that bright red hair started darkening. "Is…? Is that you—? Mmmph! Mmm…" She lost it all to the aggressive nature of his claiming kiss. She played her hands on her cheeks as he consumed her and she loved every moment of it like they were back in Bellum that summer. She had thought they were just a passing dalliance, but he had coaxed it into more.

How she had missed him.

Her Johann pulled away to kiss and bit her throat as he got on top of her, and she gasped when he bit the juncture of her neck and shoulder. "J-Johann!" she gasped. More tears slipped as she clung to him. "I missed you so much," she breathed to him. She placed a kiss below his ear and then on his shoulder. You came back like you promised. When he dragged his lips back to hers, she whispered against him, "I love you, Johann."

And she kissed him.

If only she knew the truth.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

X-X-X

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Zayed drank her in with his eyes open and her eyes closed. Who…? Who the fuck is Johann? He broke from the kiss to bring her up and give her a punishing bite on her shoulder that made her cry out. She has a son? He pressed a harsh kiss against her skin until he moved and latched onto her nipple and squeezed the other breast with his hand. My source didn't tell me that. I was told about her being on the run from her biological father and his allies as well as those Custodians. She has a son? And she…

The darkness in his eyes swirled until red pupils pierced through. She had another man she fucked like this?

The whispers in his head picked up to gurgles and giggles and hyena laughter.

Zayed trailed scorching kisses down her stomach as she writhed until he reached purchase. Spreading her legs apart, that guttural urge hit him seeing how slick she had become. But that anger could not be squashed. She's wet like this because of this 'Johann'? Is that it? She had a son with him? But she's mine. She's all mine. Red glowed. I'll make her mine.

"Johann?"

Zayed purred at Inayah's worried call, "I'm right here."

He settled between her legs and bothered with no preamble as he tongued her pussy. His hands clenched her thighs to keep them apart when she gasped and wriggled, but he seethed as he hungrily lapped her heat. She's losing control. I should be satisfied. She'll carry my son. But… He spread her pussy while his thumb rubbed her clit. Someone else had her. But she's mine. No one else can have her. No one but me.

She shuddered with a wordless cry when she came.

Zayed spread out her wetness as she jolted. That's right. She's mine now. We can start over. I just need to kill this 'Johann' and his spawn, and then it'll be the two of us and our son. She'll never leave. She'll be mine. The whispers and gurgles and giggles loudened as a twisted smirk overcame his face. Black glyphs etched onto his skin of hellspeak and darktongue. And you'll be mine, my little goddess.

He sat up with one last kiss on her slit before he removed his belt buckle and unzipped his pants. You'll be mine in every way. With more kisses to her breasts and one on her lips, he moved her legs onto his shoulders and brought out his leaking cock to position it at her entrance. He could not help but groan when he teased his tip, and he could feel how wet she was. So perfect. All mine.

He braced himself atop her and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Let's have another son."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Y-Y-Y

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

— • — • — • —

Starry Sky nemurenai yoru nee aitai yo aitai yo

Kirameita ittousei osaekirenai kimi e no omoi wo

•

Gyutto dakishimete mou hanasanaide

"aishiteru" dake ga zutto kagayaki tsuzukeru

— • — • — • —

---

He found her outside again.

She leaned against the balcony with the wing combing her hair and his shirt barely covering her ass. Thank goodness he had deliberately gotten them a penthouse suite to see such a gorgeous view. Modest dress was a must throughout the entire country, but moments like this—him seeing her in his shirt only—were worth law-breaking.

But his heart broke when she tipped a little over the balcony and reached out to catch a slippery breeze.

Kyary said nothing when her partner wrapped around her and nuzzled her shoulder. It was a phantom impression when her shoulder blades flexed as she felt the wind change. But then it died away, she murmured, "It's okay, Jiro."

"No, it's not," Fusajiro murmured into her shoulder. "This was supposed to be me romancing my favorite hottie for a week."

She smiled, resigned. "There's always other holidays."

But they both knew that was a lie.

"And hey." Kyary thumbed his fingers. "You kept your promise. I couldn't ask for more."

"You could ask me to marry you."

Kyary hummed her slight mirth when he kissed her neck. "I thought you wanted to propose to me? You made such a big deal about it at School. You kept saying that you would propose first since you made the deal."

"Then you should yell at me for taking too long," Fusajiro mumbled into her skin, "and tell me to hurry up and put a ring on it before I lose you." He tightened his hold on her. "I know this isn't the holiday we wanted. I'm sorry."

Kyary closed her eyes.

Fusajiro took a break. "I hate leaving you alone," he admitted, tone thick. "Because I know that's all you've had to be. And I promised you that you wouldn't feel that way. You're everything to me." He could not help it. "If you'd just let me—"

"Jiro." Kyary turned in his arms to cradle his jaw and look deep into his eyes, those inhuman eyes she adored so much. "There are so many more people that need you," she told him. "And you promised me you would save them first before you helped me. You promised."

"How can I save them when I only care about you?" he whispered. "I know how hard this is for you—"

"It's not hard." Kyary shook her head with her smile. "It's never been that hard for me, I pro…" But her words faded when Jiro swooped down to press a slow and long kiss against her lips and she fell helpless against it.

He pulled away first, but he brushed their noses together, keeping them only breaths apart. "Do you remember the first time you sang for me? The first time you truly sang? When you could feel that power in your heart? Do you remember when I asked you to teach me how to sing like you?"

Kyary hummed. "I do. And I told you I couldn't teach you how to sing like me because it just…felt so hard to explain."

"And you remember what I said afterward?"

Kyary frowned when he pulled away to rummage in one of his shorts' pockets. "What are you—?" She stilled when Fusajiro knelt before her and instantly, she stepped back. "Wait—"

"No." Fusajiro clasped one of her hands. "It's not that, I promise. You know I'm going to propose way cooler than this."

"Oh." Kyary could breathe. "Thank goodness."

He pouted and muttered, "Well no need to look so happy about me not proposing." He perked at her quiet titter as he got out what he hid in his pocket. "I told you you were right. I could never sing like you. But you said you'd sing any song for me." He opened her hand and slipped in a folded note. "And I need you to do that for me." He curled her fingers and pressed a kiss on each other her knuckles. "Lend me your voice, songbird."

He looked up at her with those scanner retinas only focused on her. "Will you sing my song for me?"

Heather greys glinted.

• — • — • — • — •

"Then sing it for me."

White walls.

White floors.

White ceiling.

No doors.

"You can sing it for me." So much determination and finality from him, a Student from School. "I could never sing like you, but if I write a song, I only want you to sing it for me, Songbird. No one else. I only want your voice." Ocular retinal scanners looked dangerously serious. "And I'll make sure my song shows you I meant what I said." He took her hand. "All of it."

• — • — • — • — •

A smile. "Yes."

Another wind blew through.

Fusajiro could not stop being entranced when he saw Kyary's smile or her eyes—all of her.

"I'll sing it for you," Kyary promised him. She leaned down to be at his level and cradled his cheeks. "So come back to me," she wanted him to swear, "so I can give you my proper answer. You have to come back to me." Even as she kept her smile, she could feel the heat in her eyes and leaned into his touch when he knuckled a few of her tears away. "Come back to me." She closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead. "Please."

Fusajiro hugged her close. "I'll come back to you."

And they both knew that was true.

---

Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance

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Yara Sandström -

Sycaña – Christen Auten

Julia Fullbuster – Michelle Ruff

Tesla Greer – Galena White

Gale Redfox – Greg Cipes

Anonymous – Derrick Snow

T.A.D.A.S.H.I. – Greg Chun

Hemlock – Alex Organ

Luna Dragneel – Brynn Apprill

Silver Fullbuster (voice only) – Yuri Lowenthal

Vinyl de la Muse – Alison Viktorin

Thirteen – Mathew Mercer

Swan – Kayleigh McKee

Genius – Derrick Snow

Chace Duchenne – Ezra Weisz

Fatimah bint Kamir Al Marwan – Summer Bishill

Mohammed bin Saif Al Marwan –

Zayed bin Kamir Al Marwan – Fady el-Sayed

Inayah / Orisa – Chipo Chung

Johann Nietzsche –

Fusajiro – Derrick Snow

Kyary – Raye Boyce

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Additional Voices

Opening Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Closing Narrator – Melissa Fahn

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⌜OPENING SONG

⟪ SAYONARA DILEMMA ⟫

Vivid undress

Lyrics by

yu-ya⌟

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⌜ENDING SONG

⟪ Starry ⟫

ClariS

Lyrics by

丸山真由子⌟

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Next time, on Fairy Adventure

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Episode 147

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THE THIRD AUCTION

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TIME TO TEAM UP, FAIRIES

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Chibi-Luna holds up a peace sign. "Good day, class!"

"Good day, Teacher!" her students chorus. "What's our Fairy Lesson of the day?"

"Today's lesson is…"—Chibi-Luna reveals large bubble letters on the blackboard with chibi drawings of a Demon, a Dragon, a God, and other creatures—"Hibernation!"

"Yay! Hibernation!" her students cheer.

Chibi-Luna giggles. "It's not the same as normal hibernation," she explains. "Hibernation for more powerful races is actually a lot longer, depending on why it's been incurred. When Dragons Hibernate, it's because they've reached old age. They normally enter Hibernation, but they call it Sleeping Death. Dragons will use their Hibernation to prepare for their death, which can take a hundred or so years."

She spins over to a Chibi Demon. "Demons are different with Hibernation, and they do it like Gods. If a powerful Demon or God is severely injured, they enter Hibernation to help them recharge. Like Dragons in Hibernation, their minds are still active, but unlike hibernating Dragons, they can still interact with the world around them since they aren't preparing for death. When a Demon Hibernates, they go deep into their Labyrinth and usually act through their Shadow or even subordinates. Gods can project themselves or act through their Custodians or servants."

A hand goes up and a student asks, "Does that mean Slayers can Hibernate?"

"Not necessarily," Chibi-Luna says. "The Slayers of the previous generation aren't able to Hibernate. But this current generation can. It just takes a lot of psychological and physical stress to enter Hibernation."

PINPON!

"That's the bell!" Chibi-Luna chirps. "And now a message from the author!"

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I'm so tired.

The prayer Fatimah recited is one of the du'as from the Sunnah for when you are visiting the sick. It translates to: "I ask Allah, the Mighty, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, to cure you" or something to that effect.

Note: I am not Muslim. The characters in this story practice a mixture of Islam and pre-Islamic Arabic religions.

The whip marks on Orisa's back are inspired by a ceremony in Ethiopia for the Hamara tribe where women are whipped as a testament to their love for their partner or male relatives. More scars equate beauty and desirability. Tantalia is the Andüsan equivalent of Africa's Ethiopia, where her father comes from. Orisa's reaction to her marks is her own, but the in-real-life ceremony, while having its fair share of foreign ethnic dilemmas, is beautiful, has cultural significance, and should be respected.

The rest 2022 Episodes of the two other arcs (Harvest Festival/Battle of Fairy Tail Arc, Festival of Gratitude Arc) will be updated to FFN when the revisions are finished, but they will still be posted every Sunday on AO3. Episodes left now that I re-shuffled things around:

Episode 147: The Third Auction

Episode 148: Friday Prayer

Episode 149: Moving Pieces

Episode 150: Eat

Episode 151: Lend Me Your Boice

Episode 152: Spring Holiday Medley

(Mental Health Break for Miss Author, but episode revisions will continue to be posted on AO3 every Sunday around 16-18 EST)

And then we finally touchdown on Episode 153: Let's Go to Mount Altana! Welcome to the Inter-Guild Training Camp! and get back into lighthearted debauchery.

The incoming episodes may be a little shorter. I apologize. And thank you for your support.

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Chibi-Luna waves. "That's it for today! See you next episode!"