Makarov Dreyar, the third Guild Master of Fairy Tail, the most powerful guild in the Kingdom of Fiore, and one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Capable of enlarging oneself to gigantic proportions, mastery of light magic, Fairy Law, has shown weak affinity toward the elements of Fire, Wind and Ice. Immense magic power, incredibly durable, high acrobatic skills, and a master sensor.

Walsingham noted, sending a glance to the other occupant in the room, busied chatting way with the Guild Master.

Erza Scarlet, Titania of Fairy Tail, a recognised S-Class mage and an accomplished swordsman. Unprecedented mastery over Requip magic, capable of utilising any elements imbued in armour and weapon, a skilled user of telekinesis. Tremendous magic power, great agility and speed, vast physical durability, endurance and possesses incredible strength.

Perhaps Janvier's bullets? No, that won't do…

Quite a dilemma, indeed, both far too prominent to dispose, their disappearance would be too apparent.

"Walsingham?"

"A detailed report, I suspect, the Magic Council meant to have Miss Scarlet conduct an observation and nothing more. The rigid organisation is unlikely to let her do as she pleases, not before they know what the threat is."

They both blinked at him, and he gave a slight tilt of his head, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no…" Makarov smiled kindly. "I thought you weren't paying attention, it didn't seem like you did just now."

That is because he didn't, but one does not lurk in the shadow with an absent mind.

"If that is all they wanted, why do they have to send me?" frowned the Titania.

"To ensure that we, the Austellan, do not act out of place, or any sort of things that escape their notice." He replied with ease, with their motivations so obviously seen.

"The longer this goes on, it won't be just dangerous for sailors at sea, but towns and villages on the coast as well." Erza slammed the table, and he almost reached for his weapons underneath his cloak out of instinct. "Waiting for them to take their time talking is not an option!"

Makarov leaned back in his chair, "Yes, it's not unheard of for coastal settlements to come under attack from sea monsters."

Inefficiency, the one thing he loathes the most. If it were the High Council of Austellus making the decision, the mages could formulate a plan of their own should the directives given to them proved insufficient. So long as the results prove themselves, the High Command need not know of every detail on the matter at hand. This degree of freedom is enjoyed by the army and the navy as well, where independent operations will be granted so long as they serve to achieve the strategic objectives.

"Just do what you need to do, Erza." Makarov raised a finger, stopping the question that was about to come. "They never said you can't do anything but watch."

"You might get in trouble, Master."

Makarov laughed, "When was the last time I cared about their scolding?"

Erza simply shook her head, a small smile graced her face.

"Anything else you can tell us about this anomaly? I'm sure Austellans know more about the sea than we do." The elderly man whipped toward him, "The Magic Council didn't give us much to go on with, I bet they don't know anything about this themselves."

Walsingham sighed inwardly, there really is no way going about this without attracting the attention of the Magic Council. Even if the pulsing magic abruptly ends, the Magic Council could chalk it up to Austellus, that only their vessels, unlike Ishgar's primitive ships, can get so far out on the ocean, so it must be their doings.

No way out, it seems.

"It originated from the Shrouded Island, magic sensors are unable to penetrate the thick purple fog surrounding the island, and a layer of magic prevented entrance into the fog."

Makarov rubbed his temple, pouring him a cup of tea.

"We have found traces of magic similar to that of the fog, engraved in eight seals littered around Ishgar. Their destruction has enabled us to proceed inside." He took a sip of the tea, much to the fascination of the onlookers, who had been unnerved by the dark mist surrounding the hood. "Ships that enter it do not return."

To undo the seals without the Dark Mage's notice, Sablier's power was necessary, a creature born in the same way Aiken did, with power over time. Sablier would freeze the time within the area whilst Enra burnt the seals down to the ground, through the Dark Mage's power. Clean and effective, the last embers of ethernano would fade out before they could notify the Dark Mage. Yet, Enra and Sablier both would fell into a deep slumber, drained to their very core, and not wake for 11 years. Time which he has put to good use, searching for the other seals.

Hence, 8 seals, 88 years.

The first Chairman would be furious that it took so long, ah, well…

When the last seal turned to ashes was when the dark magic lurking behind the fog burst forth, but no one needs to know that.

"Sounds dangerous..." Makarov mumbled, and his voice stopped short at the sight of Titania, whose eyes sparkled in excitement.

"We will be ready to leave by tomorrow's morning." declared Erza.

"We?"

"I'll take Natsu, Gray and Lucy with me." with that said, the red-haired mage stormed off, her calls for the other members echoing down the hall.

The Guild Master sighed, sending a look full of sympathy his way. "I hope your ship can handle them."

"We'll managed." nodded Walsingham. "I've gotten used to careless tonnage of magic wandering about."


The sun poured out its brilliant light down onto Hargeon, down onto the roofs, the trickling fountain of water they sit upon. Erza could feel the summer air with each inhalation; the air so thick she could cut through it. A small gust of wind blew past her, and she could feel her skin softly shiver before returning to its warmed state.

Next to her, Natsu were giggling with excitement, hearing that this mission is unclassified, and depending on the dangers, could be his first S-Class mission. Gray has settled down with entertaining Happy and Lucy with his ice magic instead.

The Shrouded Island, it sounded like the sort of place where one would hide away their most precious possessions, their deepest secrets. She would be lying, if she said that she wasn't excited by the prospect. A mission that demands discipline and caution, it might be, but this is also something else. It is an adventure, a trip into the unknown, and the sea most certainly is the unknown to most people in Ishgar.

With a continent so large, no one ever thought of looking out to the great ocean. Even for those who might took an interest, the ocean would eat away at the ships, the woods will rot away as time passes during the long months on the sea. Iron and steel proved too heavy for the sails, and steam machineries kept together by magic would broke down without a constant maintenance like the one the trains received. Far too unreliable for use on ships and the likes. Gradually, interest was lost to the challenges at hand, and most never bothered, after all, Ishgar have everything one could ever ask for, massive as it is.

Erza looked up, and she could make out a black shade moving toward them. Walsingham seemed like a ghost, it looked as though he was almost drifting, slithering through the crowd of people. No one seemed to pay him any heed, as if he wasn't there at all. Now that she thinks about it, when he left the guild yesterday, not a single person spared him a look. His postures were well-guarded, his steps purposeful, seemingly ready to strike out from any direction, the sort of caution, if not paranoia, one would expect from one who has clashed with death far too many times.

"Miss Scarlet." He stopped in front of her, turning toward the others, "I trust you are ready?"

"Just Erza is fine." She nodded, gesturing to the stack of suitcases next to her.

"I feel that would be inappropriate."

"I insist." She brushed his concern away, nudging Natsu, who seemed to fail to take notice of Walsingham's presence.

"…very well."

"Whoa!" Natsu let out a shout, pulling in the rest of the group's attention. "Where's your face!?"

The question prompted a slap behind his head from Erza, sending him to the ground.

Walsingham looked down at Natsu, "I've lost it somewhere along the way, I'm afraid."

Gray, Lucy and Happy for their part, have gone stiff at the intimidating sight.

"I believe introductions are in order?" Walsingham turned to the others, introducing himself, and quickly jotted the names uttered into his memories.

"Shall we head out to port then?" Erza said, pulling her belongings, moving ahead as the rest scuffled to follow. "How long will it take for us to reach the island?"

"Two months, normally, perhaps a bit more." Walsingham matched her pacing, holding out his fingers, "We have Sablier with us, that makes it five days."

"Sablier?" Erza asked.

On cue, a long, distinctive hoooo sound reached their ears, from the sky an owl landed on Walsingham's shoulder, its feather a brilliant white that would even make snow look grey. Its wingspan well over a meter, standing some 60cm long. It titled its head, yellow-eyed and black-beaked, peering into her.

"It's massive…" Gray muttered, failing to wrap his head around the creature he'd seen for the first time.

"And beautiful too." Lucy said, her eyes glued to the bird, and Sablier gave a slight nod, as if agreeing with her.

"What's so special about a bird, anyway?" Natsu pouted, pointing to Happy, "We already have Happy-"

The blue Exceed stared at Sablier's wings, sprouted out his own, glancing back and forth, confidence sapped from him with each turn of his head.

"A-aye…"

Erza pursed her lips, it doesn't seem like Walsingham would give them the exact details as to how Sablier can be of use. "Five days, I wonder if Natsu can handle it."

"Of course I can!"

"Hmm?" Walsingham cupped his chin, well, if there were one behind that mist. "Does he struggle with seasick and the likes?"

"All form of transports." Lucy confirmed.

"Here." Walsingham procured from his cloak a packet. "Drink this with water."

Gray eyed the packet's content, and he could make out what looked like salt, with a hue of teal. "What does it do?"

"It'll deal with nauseating sensations, easing him into the motion of a ship until he get used to it."

"Does it work?" Natsu's ears perked up, his voice a little desperate. The notion of spending five entire days on any sort of transport…

"We have been giving it to sailors who struggled with such things since the days one might associate our ships with piracy. It hasn't fail us."

"I thought it was nothing but a myth?" Lucy asked innocently, with a hint of curiosity.

"What myth?" Gray turned to Lucy questioningly, whilst Natsu snatched the packet away.

"They say that the Austellus Merchant Guild began with 17 notorious pirate captains and their fleets." Lucy began. "One day, they decided to abandon their ways, and sailed from all over the high sea to Enca. Each picked out their most prized possessions, acquired from their life of looting and robbery, as an offering to the God of the Sea, on the objects smeared their blood and within a part of their soul. Half to the God and the other half to their flagships, to eternally sail the sea. Ever since the treasures were thrown into the depths of the sea, the winds and waves are always in Austellus' favour."

"It does sounds rather far-fetched." Erza smiled, "I can't imagine pirates not rushing to kill each other for treasures, let alone working together."

Lucy grinned, "And that there are skeletons of those captains on the helm of the ships, even now."

"Every rumour has a sliver of truth." Gray pointed out promptly.

"Why, today we will be sailing with one of them."

Walsingham's jovial remark pulled in incredulous stares from all of them, save for Sablier, dozing away on his shoulder.

"You're joking." Natsu exclaimed, without his usual enthusiasm.

"I did."

"Knew it."

"Captain Howard can no longer steer the helm, so we have him hanging in his old cabin instead." That prompted another sharp turn of heads, and Walsingham nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, it's quite nice really, very nice indeed, he doesn't have to do anything anymore. With mere thoughts he can control the ship, from every strand of rope to the great sails above."

"I don't want to go anymore." Lucy said gravely and did a 180 turn, followed by Happy.

"Aye! Aye!"

Natsu's hands were already on their collars, pulling them in.

"This trip sounds fun! I'm all fired up now!" shouted Natsu, grinning ear to ear, rushing ahead toward the harbour, with his terrified friends dragged behind him.

"A cheery fellow, isn't he?"

Erza chuckled, and Gray simply sighed, lips curling up.

It didn't take long for them to catch up to the others, with them spotted by the dock, gawking at the sight. Gray and Erza were also taken back, in front of them is a ship unlike anything they have seen before.

"Ah, there it is, the Britannia."

With the length of 80m and a beam of 20m, the ship of the line dwarfed all the other ships in port. A hull crafted from the sturdiest wood and armoured with steel plates, enchanted with magic glyphs that lower its weight, its speed would hover around 16 up to the maximum of 22 knots depending on the wind, the sort of speed unimaginable for the ship of this size without the aid of magic. Featuring 130 68-pounder smoothbore cannons over three decks, 65 on each side, the firepower brought to bear surpasses any pitiable attempt of challenging the naval supremacy of the Republic.

"Is it even possible to sustain so many cannons with magic?" Gray inquired as they make their way toward the ship, with the other three in tow. His eyes firmly on the ship, taking in all the details.

The black-haired mage's question prompted a chuckle from Walsingham and garnered a confused look.

"No, gunpowder is what we would use."

The answer only further the confusion, and rightly so.

Gunpowder as it is known to us, never reached the level of power and lethality it did during its evolution over the centuries in our world. Earth Land is a world of magic, and the power of early gunpowder is pitiful in comparison to magic. Long, complicated reload process, horrendous accuracy and questionable piercing power, it never left its infancy state in this world. As such, the armies and navies of Ishgar still make use of swords, spears, shields and medieval weaponries to this day, even if the quality of steel is being improved as time passes, even as the level of commerce, culture and industry approaches the early Victorian era.

Calling it as such, even then, is an overestimation. Earth Land grew up with magic, and its denizens have grown accustomed to it, relying on magic on every passing steps. Even what they call guns in this world relies on magic to propel the bullets forward, and such things are exclusive to only mages that could make use of it, lacking the mechanism developed throughout the centuries. This sort of reliance has seeped into machineries, steam engines, metallurgy and chemistry, where a critical part of the developments made with human's hand and ingenuity were replaced with magic.

Magic might time to time gives birth to exceptional pieces of technology far beyond its time, such as a four-wheeled automobile, but that is all it is, exceptions. Feat of technological wonders were born not from the hand of the common people but magic and mages.

Lelouch may know of the concepts to pass such things down to the Republic, but he lacks the technicalities to truly recreates the technologies he described. The Austellus Republic have been living in the shadow of a greater civilisation and attempted to bridge centuries of gap in mere decades. Driven by the ambitions and the visions the first Chairman left behind, the High Council has pushed the Republic into a scientific renaissance, where magic and mages, whilst important, will stand alongside of the achievement of the common people, not in front of it. It has always been there, waiting for a switch to go off, much like the discovery of Greek and Roman literatures and gave Europe the cultural rebirth it needed for its ascension.

The Republic possesses the wealth needed to fund the education necessary, and has the drive needed to press on. Mass literacy and meritocracy revealed the diamonds in the rough, brilliant individuals that would otherwise be squandered away.

Commerce, culture and industrial development of the Republic are moving toward the late Victorian era, and free of magic influences. On the other hand, its army, still armed with late medieval weapons of exceptional quality, now possesses divisions with flintlock rifles with artillery technology catching up to Napoleonic cannons within the decade to come.

"Ah, well, I found the concept hard to wrap my head around years ago myself. Don't think much of it, one day Ishgar might catch up to us." Walsingham sauntered ahead, his eyes on the fluttering symbol of the Order of the Black Knight as he waited for them to take their first steps on deck. "Welcome aboard."


an hour later…

"This is a lot better than what I have in mind." Erza pressed her hands down the bed, thick and irresistibly soft, like a billowing cloud.

"This cabin is really spacious." Lucy agreed, and she felt the need to shred a tear, as she looks at the cabinets on the side, the desk showering in sunlight in the middle of the two beds, with the window giving clear view of the sparkling sea ahead. This room alone is remarkably better than the one she could afford with the current rate of rents.

"I heard there's an entire deck below that serve as a large public bath as well."

"Really!?" Lucy beamed, "Where do they get the fresh water for something like that?"

"There is an entire order of enchanters that specialises in magic seals, glyphs and the likes in the Republic." Erza said, sorting her belongings as she speaks. "There are seals that are used to recycle water and for more mundane matters that improve the quality of life for their sailors during their long service on the sea."

"I have never heard of it before… the world really is a large place, huh?" The blonde-haired mage mused.

Erza inclined her head. "None of us have left Fiore before, save Gildarts, we will be the second group in Fairy Tail to do so."

Now that she thinks about it, Fiore didn't have much contact with the other nations, save for occasional trade ships from Caelum and caravans from Bosco. Fiore is a country that values neutrality, it has steered clear out of other nations' conflicts, guaranteed by the large population of mages it possesses. There is no reason why one would leave the peace afforded to them by Fiore for the neighbouring countries, which have little to offer.

"It works!" Natsu slammed the door open, oblivious to the little jump from Lucy that he caused.

"You are still standing." Erza noted.

"Let's head on deck, I want to watch the sea." Natsu grinned. "Happy and Ice Cube's waiting for us!"

And so, they left the cabin, making their way through the hallway, scaling the wooden steps up to the deck. On the deck are the Austellan crews, manning the ships, moving about in their grey trousers and white shirts. Standing officers wear an additional black, single breasted frock coat, directing orders in a language beyond their understanding.

"Pardon me." A sailor called out, the crate he carries narrowly dodge out of Natsu's way.

"Was he talking to me?" Natsu pondered, watching the sailors behind him fade away amongst the others.

Lucy glanced at an officer, inspecting a crate all while speaking to another next to him. "I don't understand a single word."

"Master said that Austellan have a language of their own." Erza explained, her sight on the foremast in front of them. "They all can speak Ishgar's common tongue fluently as well."

Gray and Happy were already at the forecastle, by the bowsprit of the ship. Natsu and the others joined them at the hull, taking in the sight, full of awe.

The waves are a shade of teal, a great mirror that bounces the sunlight off and brighten the world above. Up and down, up and down, the white crested waves play a calming lullaby of the ocean against the sound of seagulls circling the masts and the murmurs of the crews on deck. The sky is clear of clouds, two shades of blue stretching all the way to the horizon, as far as the eye can see. All the sails were hoisted, catching the air and propel the ship onward. Beneath them, they could see the sea splitting itself as the ship soared ahead with the western wind bellowing behind them.

"I can't believe we're boarding a warship just to get there." Gray smiled, giving a light shake of his head at the notion. "How much did the tickets cost?"

"None, the Magic Council will handle it." replied Erza.

"Really?" Lucy found herself almost gasping. "It must be something really important for them to do that. It's rare for them to ask for mages from guilds to fulfil their requests."

"The pay must be really good then!" Natsu grinned.

"Starting with three million jewels, it could go up depending on the dangers we face."

"T-t-three what!?" The entire group chorused, evidently shocked by the mentioned amount.

Happy was already drooling at the prospect, "Imagine how many fishes we can buy…"

"I am worried." Erza commented, pulling them all out of their day-dreaming trance.

"What's there to worry about?" Gray inquired, a small frown on his face.

"Wouldn't it be faster if they chose a smaller ship?" Erza gestured toward the crews and cannons. "I heard there's 1300 sailors manning this ship, do we really need this much weapons and peoples just to get there?"

"Comes to think of it…" Lucy tapped her chin, her countenance thoughtful. "There's a lot of odd things that man said."

"We already beat Lullaby, we can take anything that show up!" Natsu declared, Happy nodding alongside in agreement.

"Aye!"

"Pinkie here's right." Gray promptly ignored the retort thrown at him, turning to Erza. "We're already on the ship, we can't just back out now."

Erza let out a deep breath, a smile on her face. "Yes, I suppose we'll see soon enough."


two days later

"Oi."

"Hmm?"

"Give me some sweets."

Walsingham tapped his foot, absently spinning the globe by his side. "You know I can't do that."

"Drop me somewhere with a mountain of sweet, come back and pick me up later."

"Can't do that either, we need you."

"Absolute rubbish, it's been two uneventful days, someone needs to rock this ship up and down now and then."

Sighing, the mouse leaned back, peering into the socket of the unmoving skeleton that is known as Howard, donning the same outfit as the standing naval officers outside, albeit with yellow epaulettes and a black tricorn hat, resting on an armchair.

The cabin they were in was that of the captain's, spacious, packed full of maps and navigation instruments. The table he sits on was masterfully crafted with tropical woods, on it stacks of papers Walsingham'd sorted a moment ago, ledgers, a small model of the globe, with only half the world charted, an hourglass, and pens laying around. The sunlight drizzled through the curtains, it came to the point that he could see the speck of dusts drifting in the air, and the cobwebs on Howard's neck.

"Get Heinrich to toss him into the sea, he needs a proper bath. That'll wake him up."

"I don't imagine he'll enjoy it." Walsingham stood up. "Right, behave, soon enough you will get to stuff your face with sugar. It won't be pretty if you get all excited from the sweets, he's not here to restrain your power."

"Yes, yes." He droned. "Go on then, tell that owl to work harder."

Walsingham strode out, shutting the door with a quiet click, and not long after, it was swung open again.

Goodness, one would think he was inviting guests to come in, lock the bloody door!

The ones sneaking in were a pink-haired boy, wearing a sleeveless, black waistcoat, a white trouser reaching to the knees, and a scarf clearly of dragon origin, a dragon slayer then, interesting. Following him is a girl cladded in armour, her hair a clear scarlet colour, her stance guarded as she steps in. Behind her a black-haired mage, a blonde-haired one, and… an abomination of a cat. By the gods, what is that?

They closed the door behind them, taking in the sight of the room, and naturally, Howard's presence stands out the most. Save the pink-haired boy and the girl in armour, their faces were coloured with curiosity, the rest were rightly disturbed. After a chat amongst themselves, in which the cat also participated, he noted, they approach the table.

"Keep your hands to yourself." He warned them as their hands close in on Howard, in Ishgar's common tongue, switching to their language. Gazes full of wonderment were directed at him, as usual, the ones who first met him always had the same reaction. "What, never seen a speaking mouse before?"

"No, we haven't." The red-haired girl replied, voice tinted with amusement. "Especially not one with a monocle, moustache and a top hat."

"You've got a speaking cat, I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"I can fly as well!" said the cat, sprouting its wings and taking into the air.

He took one good look at it, and turned away, disinterested. "Disappointing."

Its enthusiasm was killed quickly and decisively, stuttering incoherent words.

"Hey!" shouted the pink-haired boy, clearly the closest one to the cat.

Well, it's true, he has met better cats than that, this one didn't even try to pounce on him at first sight, what sort of cat is that?

"You ought to introduce yourselves." He turned to the others.

"My name is Erza, and this is Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy." She gestured to each of them.

"Right, right, have you got some sweets? I can smell the macarons they serve down there for the officers." To ensure that the request is fulfilled, he followed up with an offer. "I'll answer any questions you may have."

The sweet meringue-based confections, stored in tiny plastic bags, were pulled out from their pockets the moment the offer reached their ears. That was easy, he'd expected some haggling, or worse, they might demand him to give them whatever they wanted from this dusty place first.

The texture and surface are smooth, a fine product, unlike the chunky ones. The crusts were thin, the texture underneath light, a little chewy, and soft, but not to the point of mushy. Perfect cookie and filling ratio, the filling itself smooth, firm, but light and not sticky at all.

"Brilliant." He offered a simple compliment as he moves to the second one, split into sizeable portions by Erza, how considerate.

"Why don't we start with you?" The black-haired one began, Gray, if he remembers correctly.

"Most refer to me as Aiken." He introduced himself. "Do not be deceived by my appearance, I am well over 90 years of age, and I know great many things… and that is all you need to know about me."

If it weren't for the absolute confidence that accompanied his words, he was sure that they would burst out laughing, or at the very least levelled some incredulous stares at him.

"We came here looking for more information regarding our mission, to get rid of the source of dark magic emanating from the Shrouded Island." Erza said, taking the seat in front of him, resting her chin against the back of her hands.

"Two powerful mages clashed against each other there, a long time ago. The sort of power that can cause a cataclysm, I'm surprised there weren't any tsunami pounding Caelum's western shores back then." He answered evenly. "I imagine they had ways to keep their power constrained to the proximity of the island."

"They made use of dark magic." said the girl.

He clicked his tongue, the way she said it like it was a big deal... "Can't be good for the environment, that ghastly mist must have been the by-product of great concentration of the residues, dark or otherwise. I imagine wildlife might be affected too, which, certainly makes the island a place one would considers dangerous."

"How do we stop it then?" The one with the scarf, Natsu, asked.

"One does not simply stop energies. You either trap it behind something, a barrier perhaps, or gather it all up and shove it somewhere else."

"None of us can do those kinds of things." Gray bit his nails. "We don't have time to wait for the Magic Council to find someone who does."

"It will take months of travelling, not to mention how long it might take for them to negotiate with the Republic." Lucy noted.

Erza hushed the restless Natsu, turning to him. "Do you know anyone who might-"

"Why, I'm glad you asked." A calculating smile crept up to his face as he reached for another piece of macaron. "I know what the Magic Council sent you there for, why don't we make a deal?"

"I'm listening."

"One of those powerful mages is an important figure to the Austellus Republic." He pulled out a crystal the size of his hand, glowing a soft shade of amethyst. "He is still alive, somewhere on that island, this will lead you to him. Make your way through that accursed island and find him. He will handle the rest, in exchange, you will keep the Magic Council ignorant of this development. Leave him out of your report and keep quiet."

"You want us to let a dark mage walk free?"

She did not take his suggestion well, no, not at all. Just his luck to stumbled in one with a strong sense of justice.

"Calling him a dark mage is a little…"

Yes, certainly dark, dark for certain, very dark. Bleeding pigs, he can't come up with any good defence.

Is being a good, upstanding citizen so bloody difficult, old chap?

"For the greater good. How many around Ishgar have this remnant of dark power harmed? How many more will give their lives as this goes on, with its influence growing by the days?"

"He's right, Erza." Gray mumbled. "Another monster like the Demons of Zeref might step into the world, born from dark magic. We need to act quickly."

There's one like that sitting in front of them, and another perching on the main mast, but they don't need to know that.

Natsu found himself struggled to weigh the merits of both side, has opted for silence, he will trust Erza, whatever her decisions might be. Lucy and Happy found themselves in the same predicament, even more so when they lack the power of the other three.

"Tell me who he is, and I'll consider it." Erza narrowed her eyes, arm crossed.

He smiled, the type one would give to their clients after reaching a satisfying conclusion for a deal. "Lelouch vi Britannia, one of the founders of the Austellus Merchant Guild and its first Chairman."

Her eyes were on him a good while, but he knows, that she has already caved in to his proposal.

Now, back to sipping coconuts and bathing in the sun. Best of luck trudging through an island with its climate all jumbled up and what only the gods know live there. I'll be right behind your backs if you lot do mess up.

Maybe not right behind, a lot further away, but still.

"I agree." Erza resigned to the offer with a small sigh.

"Excellent~" He handed her the crystal promptly. "Anything else we all need to know?"

Lucy raised her hand up. "Walsingham said that with Sablier, an owl with snowy feathers, we will be able to get to the island quicker. I have been wondering…"

"Sablier possesses power over time." Much like its master, he noted inwardly. "He could create a pocket of time, where within, the flows of time can be sped up. We would have him coat the ship with it every night, where the ship's average speed will be nothing but a blur in the regular flows of time."

"There's a magical creature like that in the world? How common are they?"

"Yes, incredibly rare, one would have better luck finding phoenixes."

That was a lie.

If any creature naturally evolved into such a thing, it would be considered a freak of nature. No, Sablier is an artificial construct, made by a man who's too impatient to wait for his kettle to boil, and too slothful to use his magic to speed the bloody thing up.

"I want to know more about that guy, Walsingham." Natsu began. "He is going to join us when we get there isn't he?"

"Why don't you go and ask him yourself?"

"I couldn't find him."

"You lot have been looking for him for days now, haven't you?"

They collectively nodded.

"It's quite difficult, finding someone like that. Walsingham drifts between the planes of existence, the living and the dead, but he is never fully in one place. Few can sense his presence, and even fewer can see him. The moment a normal person could see him like any others is when he makes his move, blades or magics, and leave a mark in the physical world." He smiled. "Some calls him the Ghost of Endion."

"G-ghost!?" Lucy and Happy stuttered, almost in unison.

Natsu frowned, "Endion?"

"The provincial capital of Midi, previously the capital of the Kingdom of Midi." He pointed to the peninsula south of Minstrel on the map laid on the table. "It is now a part of the Republic, but before that, one of the most ancient and prestigious kingdoms in Ishgar. It is no coincidence that kingdom was the only one in the region not conquered by Minstrel, it was left to its own device out of respect for its culture and ancient traditions. In its last days, it was a kingdom drowned in poverty, strife and ruin. As its economy collapsed from corruptions, wasteful and lavish life of the nobles, whose taxes were exempted along with the clergy. The peasants struggled to carry such burden upon their backs."

Erza gestured for him to continue, and he complied.

"Story has it the youngest prince of the royal family invited all the lords in the realm to celebrate the birth of his son. He claimed that the feast would be the grandest in the continent, and indeed, it was the grandest." Chewing on a piece of macaron, he continues. The sunlight that lightened the room now far too insignificant, leaving them with the flickering flames from a lit lantern. "That night of the feast, the debaucheries of the nobility knows no bound, carousing without a care for the world. Soldiers would drag women from the street into their barracks and not a single person would bat an eye as fathers cried for their daughters. Unarmed peasants were being pitted against trained knights for entertainment, a terrible time…"

Natsu face was feral, his anger clearly felt as the temperature of the room rises. There were tiny cracks on the table from Erza's grip, Gray was more restrained, and simply settled for a narrow of his eyes, biting his lips.

"That night, the city gates were locked, if not by unbreakable mechanism then by some dark magic. A great fire sparked from the grain storage the nobles have hoarded, creeping its way through the city, nigh unquenchable, and somehow the peasants just happened upon a cache of weapons. The brewing tensions exploded." He finished up the last bit of macarons, his tail prickling at a spot on the map, unseen by the others. No, not just a cache, more. "And so, began the Nights of Blood, the city descended into madness, humans turned into rabid animals, all their sense of right and wrong discarded. Once given the power to kill, free of shackles of morality, not even the most ruthless predator can match a human. As the fire raged they spill each other's blood, peasants, priests, nobles, and soldiers, they all bleed the same colour, a river of blood flooded the sewers. A shadow would lead the vengeful masses to their target, pointing them to the right direction. From time to time it was seen amidst the corpse of the nobles, huddled together in their hiding places with their throats slit. The old Endion burnt for four days and four nights, few survived the chaos, ashes were what remained of the old, ancient and glorious city. Two days later, Austellan ships landed on Midi's shore, the rest is history, they joined us."

Lucy was so still in her spot, hugging Happy, that one wouldn't notice them at all if she didn't speak up.

"What about the royal family?" She asked quietly.

"The last of the survivors passed away a long time ago, a servant to the young prince, she wasn't in the right state of mind." He sighed contently, satisfied with the sweets, racking up his memories. "She claimed that the shadow was there, watching the prince's body hanging from the ceiling as the fire consumed the royal palace. His wife was already dead, she ended her life with poison, the infant cradled in her arms. The rest did not survive, save the four years old son of the young prince, who the maid brought with her into hiding."

"Walsingham was that shadow?" Gray deduced, his voice uncertain.

"How would I know?" He shrugged, "It might just be a romanticised myth, this is why no historians have gone into the details of Endion's fall. He's earned that title due to the nature of his… ethereal existence, and where he hailed from, but no one knows of his past, or if the shadow and Walsingham is one and the same."

Erza was absorbed in thought, leaning back in her chair. "And the child?"

"The du Midi is a part of the Austellan patriciate, the name lives on through the young prince's line."

A sudden turn of the ship knocked them all out of balance, pulling them down to the floor. Outside the cabin was quite the commotion, with incoherent shouting and thundering sounds of lightning.

"And that concludes our conversation. Thank you kindly for the treats."


The Fairy Tail mages rushed outside, and in their sight is a complete opposite of what they last saw when they had snuck into the captain's cabin.

The sky was low and dark, a blanket of grey covering it, sunlight struggled to trickle through the thick clouds. The rain was pelting down, its drops quick and heavy, whipped into a frenzy by the howling winds. There was a certain rhythm to the downpour amidst the winds unleashing a torrent of their own. Thunder rumbled in the distance and a bolt of lighting cracked the sky into two, with jagged flashes of pure light casting a glow against the monochromatic background.

There are more peoples on the deck than they have seen during their time on the ship, whilst certainly wary and alerted, with the officers having to scream to have the orders heard, everyone seemed to know their roles and what they must do, there was never a moment of confusion or a single movement wasted. No, the panicking part were mostly done by them, the ones who never have to dealt with such things before, but even then, the atmosphere they found themselves in, amongst the crew, helped a great deal in calming themselves down.

Alas, the slam of the door behind them was anything but calming. The skeleton that strode out even less so.

"Which idiot fed the fucking mouse!?"