A/N: Hey guys! I want to say, to those of you still following and reading OSD, thank you for your continued support and reviews. I can't help but notice that I lost a good following after I introduced Sânge into the mix, which, as discouraging as that may be, doesn't particularly surprise me. I knew it was a risk, throwing a dragon slayer into my fanfiction. I simply hoped that, by now, I would have established a good enough repertoire with you readers that you would give the character and plot a chance. It's a bit wounding, for sure, but I will continue to deliver for you readers who are loyal to the story and want to see how it progresses. Thank you for staying with me, you guys. It means so much. :)

Chapter 53: The Truth

Dreamer released a heavy sigh as she reached down to pick up the eighth stuffed animal from Syllest's floor. The room was an absolute disaster. Toys scattered everywhere except the toybox, make-up strewn across the plastic vanity, and random pebbles under just about everything. Plus, she was sure she'd seen a frog hop behind the dresser.

She set to making Syllestra's bed.

Cleaning was all she could do to calm her mind now. She had to keep busy—had to keep in motion. If she sat still for a moment, she knew she'd be lost in her worry. Consumed by thoughts of what might have happened to Jezran and Macbeth. Something must have happened. The days continued to stretch on without a word from either of them. It was slowly killing her.

She tried not to think about this as she pulled Syllestra's pink fleece sheets up and swept the wrinkles from them. She picked up a frilly white pillow to fluff it and set it at the head of the bed, but as she shook the case, she felt something hard under the material. Curious, she slid her hand under the pillow case. Her fingers connected with something short and stiff. She pulled the object out to examine it.

Her eyelids shot open.

"Syllestra…"

There was no mistaking it. A hard hilt, an ornately carved sheath, all crafted from pink diamond. She slid the sheath off and blanched at the sight of a dangerously sharp dual-edged blade.

Syllestra… Her little, innocent Syllestra, had crafted a dagger.

"No…" Dreamer touched the blade with her thumb, then cried out in pain and dropped it on the bed. Purple fire had flared up as soon as her skin brushed the blade part of the dagger. Like there was no mistaking that the diamond was a mark of Syllestra, there was also no mistaking Romeo's purple flames. The two children had created an enchanted diamond blade and Syllest was hiding it under her pillow—right under Dreamer's nose.

"Thanks for walking me home, Romeo." Syllestra grinned cheekily and gave Romeo a hug. They stood on the sidewalk outside of Mira and Dreamer's apartment, afternoon sunlight shining down on them.

"Well I can't let you walk by yourself," he said, as if this were obvious. His cheeks took some color. "Someone has to keep you safe!"

"Teehee!" The raven-haired child giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Ew! Don't kiss me, Syllest!"

"Sorry! I couldn't help it!" Her face showed no remorse. She giggled again and waved goodbye, before fixing her backpack on her shoulder and hopping the steps to the front door.

"See you at school!" Romeo waved in return before heading his own direction.

Syllest went inside and dropped her star-patterned backpack on the floor. "Auntie Mira! Piper? Mom? I'm home!" She started toward the back hallway that led to the bedrooms. But before she reached the archway, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Mom?"

Dreamer sat on the couch, as still as a statue. So still and quiet that Syllest hadn't even noticed her. Her eyes were closed, lips pinched together, and her face looked pale. For some reason, something about her made rocks sink in Syllest's stomach. She knew she was in trouble.

"Syllest…" she sounded tired or sick, or both.

Syllest put her hands behind her back and toes together, bracing for what was coming.

Dreamer leaned back and reached into her gray vest-pocket. She pulled out something that made Syllest gasp.

"Do you want to tell me what this is?" The diamond dagger rested in her palm, pink hilt matching her eyes, but for the dull glow in them.

"I don't know." Syllest dropped her head shamefully, black bangs hanging in front of her eyes. "I've never seen it before."

"Don't." Dreamer snapped, loudly. Then somewhat softer, "Don't do that, Syllestra. Don't lie to me."

The child swallowed and looked up at her mother with determined eyes. "I… I just thought…"

"You've been practicing your magic with Romeo!" She slammed the diamond dagger onto the coffee table and stood up, shoulders shaking with fury. "How did the two of you learn enchantment?! How dare you go behind my back like that, Syllestra!"

"I had to!" Syllest screamed back, tears welling in her eyes. "You never let me do magic!"

"It's dangerous, Syllestra! Especially your magic!" Her eyes were wet with tears too. "As if I don't have enough to worry about with Macbeth and Jezran gone! I can't take this! I can't believe you would make a weapon out of diamonds!"

"I made it so I could fight the bad guys when they come to take us away, Mom!" Tears rolled down her face. Her white hands clenched into fists. "I want to be strong! I want to fight too, just like Macbeth and Grandpa are fighting! I'm strong!"

Dreamer didn't answer immediately. The only sound in the room was the choked sobs coming from them both. "What do you mean, 'when the bad guys come?'" she asked finally.

"I'm not stupid!" Syllest wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I listen, you know?! Even when you think you're being quiet, I hear you! You keep secrets too!" She shouted furiously, little body wracked with sobs. "That man! The bad man called The King of Diamonds, he's trying to kill us and he's the one Macbeth and Pops went to fight! I know it!"

Dreamer winced at both Syllest's harsh tone, and the mention of Resmond.

"Why does he want to hurt us, Mommy?" she cried out and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Vulnerable. Terrified.

"Syllest…" Dreamer couldn't speak. The words lodged in her throat. She could only stare at her little girl, hyperventilating a few feet in front of her. Syllest, with that same long, raven hair. With that same pale skin. The same magic. She might have had Rosy's pink eyes, and her beautiful smile, but in so many more ways, she resembled her father. She resembled the man who murdered Dreamer's sister.

"Is he my dad?"

Dreamer's breath caught in her throat. Syllest was looking at her in desperation. Tears streaked her cheeks and dripped from her petite chin, wetting the fabric of the green striped romper she wore.

"The King of Diamonds," she whimpered. "He uses diamond magic like me, right?" Her voice was a shaky whisper. "Because he's my dad."

Dreamer collapsed weakly onto the couch, stumbling backward as if hit by a physical blow. She looked down, unable to answer. It was all the confirmation the girl needed.

"That's why you hate my magic, right?" Syllest accused, raising her voice again. "You hate it because my dad uses it too, and you hate him! And you hate me too!"

"N-No, Syllest, I—"

"Why do you hate him?! If he's my dad and you're my mom, why don't you love him?! Why is he trying to find us?! Why are Macbeth and Grandpa trying to get him?!"

"Syllestra…" Dreamer put her face in her hands. "I'm sorry."

The littler girl continued to sob, her tears splashing onto the carpet below. "Tell me the truth, Mommy…"

Dreamer couldn't take it anymore. She stumbled off the couch and on her knees to pull Syllest into an embrace. They wept in each other's arms, black hair swirling with cream. Pink eyes snapped shut as the tears fell. Mother and daughter. Aunt and niece. Family. All the pain and strain of years of this unnatural relationship finally breached the surface. For a moment, they were both children. A seven-year-old and a thirteen-year-old, scared and alone and confused. For a moment, Dreamer was the young teen forced to make the impossible choice to raise her infant niece all alone, in a world where murderers ran free and magic couldn't save the ones she loved.

"Okay," Dreamer whispered against her hair—that raven-black hair. "I'll tell you."

She took the child's hand in hers and gave her the most broken, forced smile she could manage.

"Let's get ice cream," she said, through tears. "And I'll tell you the truth."

Syllest whimpered and nodded. Her fingers squeezed around Dreamer's hand, revealing her desperation. Her trust.

Dreamer led her out onto the streets of Magnolia. They walked silently, but for the occasional sniffle. Her body was stiff, heart somewhere in her throat as she braced herself for the conversation she had always known she would one day have with her Syllestra. She knew she should have had it sooner, but… She glanced down at the little girl walking beside her. I just wanted to protect you.

They stopped and got ice cream cones. Two scoops of vanilla for Dreamer, a strawberry and a chocolate chip scoop for Syllest. After this, Dreamer led her to a nearby bench, where they sat in the late afternoon sunlight, soothing the pain with sugar.

"Syllest… you're right." Dreamer's voice quavered. "The King… That man is your father."

The child listened quietly—she listened thoughtfully, in a mature way that a seven-year-old should not have to.

"But… Syllest he's…" She gave a wavering sigh. "He's a really bad man. Do you understand? He's hurt a lot of people, and he's trying to hurt us too."

"…Why?" She weakly licked a drip of strawberry ice cream.

"I… I don't know." This was the truth. Dreamer understood Resmond's motivations as much as she understood quantum magical physics. "But I know that he's really strong. The magic he uses, and you use… It's called Diamond-Make magic, and it creates the hardest natural substance in earthland. It's rare, and it can be used to make all kinds of things, including weapons." She swallowed. "And you already learned that it can be enchanted, too, which just makes it even more dangerous."

Syllest was looking at the palm of her free hand, imagining the magic circle that often appeared there.

"Your dad… He uses it to do horrible things. His diamonds are enchanted with dark magic, and he uses them to hurt people. He kills people, Syllest."

Syllestra's little palm closed. Ice cream dripped on her lap. "Are you afraid I'm going to kill people too?"

Dreamer's eyelashes fluttered open wide in shock. "No, Syllest, I…" The memories flashed. The sound of Rosy's screams. Running. Too late. Her body at his feet. The black diamond dagger in his hand, so reminiscent of the one Syllest had created on her own… "I'm just afraid that you're too young to be using a magic that powerful."

"But I want to use my diamonds for good things!" She protested, stubbornly, meeting Dreamer's eyes. "I want to use them to protect my friends, not hurt them! I'm not like that man!"

"I…" Dreamer looked at her melting cone in shame. "I know…"

Did she? When she saw Syllest use her diamond magic, all she felt was fear. All she could see was Resmond, standing over Rosy's body, the wicked smile on his lips. Was Dreamer really trying to protect Syllest? Or was she trying to protect herself?

"Why did you marry him if he's so bad?" Syllest asked, as her child-like mind tried to understand the logic.

Dreamer's heart sank. Uninterested in her ice cream cone now, she tossed it into the garbage can next to her. "I didn't."

Syllest blinked at her, eyelashes encircling those oversized eyes.

"Syllest… I'm sorry." If somehow she could make the child see, she'd just wanted to keep her safe from him. She'd just wanted to give her the life she deserved.

"Why are you still crying, Mom?" Syllest's lip quivered. Her intuition detected something hidden, but she was too young to understand.

"Syllestra, I'm not your mom."

The sentence hung in the air, the words frozen between them. The top scoop of Syllest's ice cream splattered onto the bench.

"Yes, you are," she argued, but there was panic in her eyes.

"No." Dreamer shook her head fiercely, slinging tears. "I've taken care of you since you were a baby, but I'm not your mom. I'm your aunt."

Syllest trembled. She threw her ice cream cone. "You're lying!"

"I'm not." Dreamer wanted her to understand. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the matching pools of pink. Trust. Trust. Love. Please, know that I love you.

Syllest sniffled, her body seemed to relax, ever so slightly.

"Your mom." Dreamer smiled weakly. "Her name was Rosy. She was my big sister." Instinctively, she reached and cupped Syllest's face. "She was my best friend."

The sun continued to set behind this exchange. Only a few citizens of Magnolia walked by on the sidewalk, but if they noticed the intensity of the conversation happening on the bench, they said nothing of it. Everyone was dealing with their own problems, their own business. This time belonged to Dreamer and Syllest.

"When you were a baby, your mom died." She still couldn't bring herself to telling her that Resmond had killed her. That her father had slaughtered her mother. "So I took care of you. I kept you safe from that bad man, and I told you I was your mom, so you wouldn't feel alone."

Her poor young mind seemed to barely be processing this news.

"I'm sorry I never told you the truth, Syllest. And I'm sorry for the way I treat you and your magic. I just… I only ever wanted to protect you. And I'm scared."

Without warning, the little girl placed her hand on Dreamer's. She uttered words that jolted Dreamer to the very core.

"Don't be scared, Mommy."

Dreamer stared at her. Amazingly, by some miracle, the girl was smiling. Black hair framed her round face. Her cheeks were bright, eyes shimmering. Her smile was Rosy's.

"My dad can't hurt us." There was wild determination in her eyes. "Because we're part of Fairy Tail. We're strong! And our family is strong!" She squeezed Dreamer's hand. "So we don't have to be scared of anything."

"Syllest, I…" She was lost for words.

"It's okay." She leaned against Dreamer's arm. "I forgive you. You're still my mom."

"H-How can you say that?" After she'd told her the truth? After she'd practically admitted to being terrified of Syllest's magic?

"Blood doesn't matter, in the long run," the child recited, as if she'd only recently heard this phrase. "Mom, I don't care if you're not my real mom! Auntie Mira's not really my real aunt, right? And Uncle Piper, and Grandpa Jezran. They're my family because I love them!"

A sense of incomparable awe settled on Dreamer. She stared at the vibrant face of this child in utter disbelief. Somehow, Syllest understood something that Dreamer had never been able to grasp. A depth of wisdom had been granted to a seven-year-old, the kind of understanding that people spend lifetimes trying to achieve.

"And I don't care if that King of Diamonds is my real dad, because he doesn't act like a dad! Daddies shouldn't hurt their families!" She huffed, angrily. "That's why my real daddy is gonna kick his ass!"

"Syllestra Raine Cumula!"

She grinned sheepishly, and snuggled against Dreamer's arm.

"Wait, who's your 'real' daddy?"

"Macbeth, silly!"

Dreamer flushed and gave an awkward cough. She chocked this choice up to Syllestra's insane logic.

"Mom… I love you."

"Oh Syllestra…" Dreamer kissed her forehead.

"Do you… love me too?" Her eyes were wide with uncertainty.

"Of course I do!" She squeezed her tightly. "I love you, Syllest. You're my daughter, no matter what!" She scooped the child onto her lap and looked apologetically at her. "I'm sorry I made you think I didn't like you because of your magic."

Syllest played with the strings on Dreamer's vest.

"Am I still grounded from using it?"

Dreamer swallowed and was silent for a moment. "…No. You're right. If you want to use your magic to protect your friends and family, I can't stop you. And I don't want to you to have to hide things from me ever again."

Syllest threw her arms around Dreamer's neck and hugged her tightly.

It was strange. Everything in the world seemed to be going wrong. Resmond, Diamant Blanc, Macbeth and Jezran disappearing… but Syllest had somehow convinced Dreamer that it wasn't so bad. Strange, the emotion mage had to be calmed down by a child. By her daughter…

She leaned back on Dreamer's lap with a befuddled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I really thought you and Mystogan were my Mommy and Daddy." Her bottom lip pouted.

Dreamer's cheeks flushed.

"W-What? Mystogan? What on earth gave you that idea?!"

"Everyone says you went on dates in the forest!" Syllest beamed. "And I found this in your closet!" She pulled a letter out of her pocket, which Dreamer immediately snatched out of her hands.

"We weren't dating—you know what, it doesn't matter. Don't ever mention this again." Her face was the same color as the sunset. "Especially not around Macbeth, okay? You'll be grounded for a week!"

Syllest giggled. "Ooookay, whatever you say, Mom. I won't tell Macbeth."

"Won't tell me what?"

Dreamer and Syllest gasped. Syllest crawled off Dreamer's lap and faced the sound of the familiar, drawling voice.

There, walking down the sidewalk toward them, outlined by the setting sun, were Macbeth and Jezran.

They looked worn. Their clothes had rips in them, and Jezran was leaning against Macbeth for support as he walked, a thick bandage around his thigh. Macbeth's skin was littered with small cuts that had scabbed over. But despite their tattered appearance, there was a liveliness in both of their eyes when they saw Dreamer and Syllest. Jezran proffered up a mustached smile. Macbeth's red eyes gleamed, a smirk already dancing on his lips.

"You're home!" Syllest ran to them. She threw her arms around their legs, causing Jezran to grunt in amused pain.

Dreamer's hands were clasped in front of her chest, tears spilling down her face as she looked at him. His swirling red eyes met hers. There was a depth there, unspoken darkness about what had transpired in their absence. But there was also relief, excitement. Joy.

"You're safe," she whispered.

Once Syllestra had been pried off their legs, Jezran knelt and pulled open his pack, bearing gifts. She squealed in delight when he produced a small doll. Meanwhile, Macbeth strode purposefully toward Dreamer. Her breath caught in her throat as he closed the distance between them.

"What happened to you?" she whispered quietly. Up close, his cuts were more profound.

"Shut up."

He wrapped his arms around her. She inhaled sharply at the act, tensing up immediately. The reflector-wizard said nothing more. Just held her close, burying his face against her hair. For the tiniest moment, she thought she could feel him fighting tears. She breathed in his chamomile scent and returned the embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist as a deep sense of relief washed over her.

He was home. He was alive. He was in her arms.

Syllest giggled, snapping her out of the reverie. She was whispering in Jezran's ear, and he was looking thoroughly amused.

"What secrets are you keeping from me, Dream?" Macbeth whispered against her ear. She could feel the smirk.

She blushed harshly.

"Come on," she pulled away from him. "We need to get you guys back to the guild before we catch up."

Macbeth chuckled under his breath. Jezran righted himself and began to limp forward, until Dreamer and Macbeth went to help support him. Together, the three of them—with a little black-haired tornado bustling in circles around their feet—returned to the Fairy Tail guild hall.

They were home.

A/N: I had a guest ask me to write a chapter which shows what Mystogan said in his letter to Dreamer. xD I don't think you know what you're asking for, friend. Lemme tell you, 40% of that would be the sappiest poetry you've ever read, comparing Dreamer to everything from the sunrise to the sunset. The other 60% is probably the most embarrassing lemony erotica of all Mystogan's detailed fantasies involving her, which embarrasses me to think about just as much as it embarrasses Dreamer to read. So, I'm going to let your imagination fill in the details of the letter. HOWEVER, I will say that one of my post-fic fillers IS an entire chapter showing when Dreamer and Mystogan met for the first time. You can look forward to that. ;)