5th chapter

Makarov was investigating a cave where – according to the villagers of the nearby village – mages practiced magical rituals when he heard faint footsteps behind him. He exhaled before he turned around, facing the only one who had the ability to sneak up on him. "It has been a long time, Tempest-san," he said, wondering what the second-in-command of Zephyr Heart was doing here and why she had not announced her presence before.

"Indeed," she replied, approaching him quickly. "Can I assume that you lost faith in the innocence of a certain someone since you are here, investigating this cave?"

"You love to be right, don't you?" he asked, crossing his arms. "But … what have you been up to?"

She scrunched her face. "I was under the tender care of our healer for a few weeks," she said. "I failed a job … the Hundred-Year-Mission … seems like it just got impossible to complete it."

"You still like to play and to speak in riddles, I see," the man said, sighing lightly. "And here I hoped that the prettiest second-in-command that ever would be a little bit friendly by now."

"I happen to know where they are really hiding – and that's sure as hell not here," she replied, ignoring his comment. "I can lead you there … but you will not like the result of this, Dreyar."

"Why did you even investigate them? Usually, you are not supposed to involve yourself with other guilds' problems, Tempest-san," he stated.

She snorted. "Your son is using my brother's parents' mansion for whatever he is doing," she said sharply but then again, this was the way she mostly spoke because her character was harsh and unforgiving. "Seeing that you are looking for proof, I came to tell you that you will find what you are looking for there. This is all everything I have to say."

"…are you sure that she will be alright on her own?" Gildarts asked as they had left Serena Alen to herself. "She looked … pretty upset when we told her what we saw."

Cornelia lowered her head. "She's a guild master and a former S-class mage," she said. "I think that she has seen enough pain in her life to deal with this as well. And she won't be alone once night falls. I have known her for too long to believe that Master Philippe will leave her alone."

He wrapped his coat around her as air begun to fall. "Are you worried?" he asked.

"Not for the guild and not for myself," she replied tiredly. "And I should not worry for my guild master either because … no one but Master Philippe will be capable of fixing her and he will heal her … because this is just how he is. He would never abandon her … he was always there for her after all and why should he stray away from her now?"

The truth was that she was not sure. Since she had known the both masters, she had always considered them as a union, a unit that did not function without the other one. She knew that both Philippe Tempest and Serena Alen had had a strange start into their career as mages as children out of a good and wealthy family. They had been friends as little children when Serena had been recovering from the loss of her older sister who had been killed in cold blood and when Philippe had been desperately looking for someone he could dedicate himself to.

But what would happen now? Serena had been empty when they had left her to get back to the house. Cornelia trusted her master who was like an older sister and a dear friend to her but this time, she did not trust the blonde's ability to get back up no matter what happened because in her eyes, there had to be a limit for the times a person could recover from traumatic experiences without suffering any consequences.

"He loves her too much to abandon her now," Gildarts said as the burden of knowing what had happened to Serena Alen in the original timeline was heavy on his shoulders. She had survived, of course, because she had always survived everything but she had grown harder and very lonely along the years, pushing everyone away – including Master Philippe.

"Love isn't the answer to every question," Cornelia said calmly as they walked down the street to her village, to her house with the children in tow. Cana and Juvia were asleep in Cornelia's arms while Laxus sat on Gildarts' shoulders, too tired to follow their conversation.

"But it is an answer when it comes to emotional trauma," Gildarts said as he shrugged.

"I-I certainly hope so," the Card Mage said. "It should be helpful when it comes to dealing with emotional trauma … poor Serena. She is probably reliving the day when her sister was found."

"Cornelia-san?" Laxus asked tiredly. "When I'm a grownup like you and Gildarts … will Cana-chan and I go on cool jobs too … just like you two?"

Gildarts' grin dropped for a moment. "What about Juvia?" he asked. "Isn't she nice too?"

"She's cool but Serena-san said that she's a water mage and water and lighting don't mix," the boy said sagely as he clapped his hands. "And Cana-chan likes cards and Serena-san said that she will be able to use many, many different spells…"

"Gildarts," Cornelia said warningly as her husband opened his mouth to protest before she smiled at the young mage. "You are sure a nice little boy," she said kindly. "And it's true – the most successful teams consist of either a caster and a holder mage or two mages of magical types that work well together … so never water and lightening."

"I understand," he said cheerfully. "Say, why is it suddenly so silent?"

Cornelia turned around, dread written all over her face as she stared back to the building of her guild and with a little bit of fantasy, she could see the coat of Zephyr Heart's guild master. "Well, he is there now," she muttered calmly. "Let's just hope that he won't lose his life."

"Remove the bracelet, Serena," he said as he closed the door. For those who had met Philippe Tempest before, the kind man with the warm eyes, this version of the guild master was surely a shock because cold steel had replaced the warm emerald of his eyes. "Remove it and follow me."

The blond woman turned around as she sat up. "I can't," she said. "I won't break the law, Phil."

"We are the only masters who choose to limit their power … Makarov didn't seal himself," he replied as he grabbed her wrist and ripped off the thin silver bracelet with the red gem. "I want you to fight me all out, seriously for a change. And if you don't take me seriously, you will be hurt and you know how much I hate to see you hurt."

"And yet you are the only one who has ever been able to leave a scratch on my skin."

He shrugged. "Take it or leave it," he said as he dropped the bracelet on her desk. "What happened to the proudest of all guild masters, Serena? You cannot be broken this easily. I don't allow it."

"You just don't want me to break because you still think that you are the only one who is allowed to break me," she said as she took off her beautiful coat with the insignia of her guild and bound her hair to a tight ponytail afterwards. "But here I am. I am done running away now."

He grabbed her hand as he led her out of the guild building. They had been friends for the longest time of their lives and yet they had hardly fought – because both of them would take the fight too serious and would end up destroying everything in sight. They reached the field where they would battle and for a moment, he considered to forfeit before he realised that she needed this fight and that he would not be able to piece her back together without destroying her first.

It was like when they had been children and her sister had just died. It was the same silence radiating from her, the same inner loneliness. In his mind, he still saw the swing on top of the hill where she had been sitting, staring into the sunlight and waiting for someone who would never return. And he knew what would happen once she'd let go of everything. The dark clouds had already appeared over their heads and the rainstorm would break lose soon.

"Are you ready?" she asked as she moved into her offensive stance. "And I won't let you cast any spells that will improve your defence and speed now."

He dodged her first attack, a simple water slicer with sheer speed and luck before his own stance became an offensive one. To fight her strictly defensive was a dumb form of suicide because it was easy for her to break through any defence known. "Just a water slicer?" he asked, slightly hurt and feeling very insulted. "Honey, I am sorry to break it to you but that one never worked on me. You might want to get out the bigger guns."

"S-shut up!" she yelled as she inhaled. "You will regret saying this! But since you asked for it … Water God's Second Requiem – Lost Pearl."

The impact of the spell was nothing he had imagined. For her to resort to Water God Slayer's magic was already rare enough and even when she used it, she never used more than the First Requiem – Black Jade. That she had skipped all her usual attacks based on water magic was a sign that she was close to breaking apart. The black water surrounded him and for a lesser mage, this would have been the end but he was guild master level, an extremely strong mage.

"Air God's Shield," he replied calmly as the black air surrounded him and protected him from her attack. "You are pretty mad since you use this spell…"

"Maybe I'm just annoyed by the way you fight me," she replied as she moved back into her regular fighting stance. "If you expect me to break out the hardest spells, forget it. I have not worshipped this friendship to kill you off like this. Do not underestimate me, Phil. If anything, I will defeat you fair and square but I refuse to harm you."

He smiled at the ground. "You don't breathe correctly, Serena," he said as he charged at her, fists clenched and magical power surrounding him. "You never breathe the right way…"

"I do not have to breathe," she said. "I am a water mage. I cannot be suffocated."

"You may not need air but you need people," he said in disagreement. "Talk to me, Serena."

She sighed as she dodged his attack. "If I smile now and tell you that I'm alright, will you believe me?" she asked with a wary smile.

"No," he said. "You are not alright. I know you too well to believe this."

"I will wake up one day and the nightmare will be over … so why are you bothering?"

He sighed deeply. "Because I've known you for too long to believe this," he said. "You are not sleeping now so why would you wake him?"

"You are trying to fix someone who has not been broken," she snapped, too aggressive for him to believe a single word she said. "Phil, please, let this go for once."

"I promised you that I would keep you sane when you feared that your power would destroy your sanity," he said, calmly wondering how to attack her next. "And you should know by now that I like to keep my promises, Serena Alen."

The both God Slayers clashed again, in midair this time where Philippe had a slight advantage over the woman due to his element. But Serena had not been made master of a guild for no reason. She twisted her own body in midair, somehow managing to kick him away, and as she landed on her feet, he fell into the sea. By now, she was lost. She had no longer any kind of control over her own power and mercilessly followed him into the realm where she had the advantage. Underwater, she was nearly impossible to beat and the anger and desperation she felt made her even stronger.

"Serena…" Philippe uttered soundless, wondering when he had seen her like this the last time. But even though this was water and thus her domain, he still managed to cast the only spell that could stop her even here and now. "Air God's Third Sonnet: Book's End."

The spell sent her backwards before invisible chains bound her and finally, underwater where no one would ever see it, a first tear fell from her eyes, disappearing instantly. Philippe released her and wrapped his arm around her as she hugged him tightly and trembled.

And there was the moment, the moment when she finally let go. Deep in the sea, far away from everything else, Serena could let go of everything. This was the only place where she felt save at all, the place where only Philippe could reach her.

He coughed as they reached the surface, still hugging her.

"I am sorry," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I forgot about what it meant to be home when I was fighting … I forgot who I was battling."

"You have lived without a fight like this for a very long time after all, yes," he replied as he swam back to the shore as the rain slowly stopped. "But if anything, I will heal you, Serena. I made this promise and I am going to keep it, too."

"Shut up, Phil," a sharp voice said as his sister stepped out of the shadows, holding the both bracelets. "I found those … that's when I realised what you idiots did this time."

"Calm down," Serena said as she wrapped the bracelet around her wrist once more. "It's not like you never went a little bit too far, right? I can remember the time you were trialled for this…"

"That was when I learned the lesson you have not understood yet," she snapped, turning away and staring at the moon. "I expected more of you, brother dear. I believe that you were rumoured to be able to defeat any opponent in less than three minutes."

"Serena is not any opponent – she is the only one who has an equally great power, sister," he said, gently patting her shoulder. "But I was not aware that you stayed in the area. You told me that you would stay away for a few months because the guild started to get on your nerves."

Serena watched how the black-haired woman turned away, light steps and straight back. There was no reason for her or anyone else to doubt her abilities because she would be there when the guild needed her, fighting on the behalf of her nakama.

They were on their way back to the guilds as a few rogues stepped into their way. Under usual circumstances, Serena would have taken them out in a single blow but she stopped when the other woman raised her hand. "Not tonight, Serena," she said warningly as she pushed back her coat and grabbed her katana. "This is not your fight, understood?"

Sometimes, the blonde hated the stoic mage because no matter what by the time she, the guild master was staggering and hardly able to stand, the nameless woman was still moving gracefully. She watched how Phil's sister charged forward, knocking out everyone in her reach. This was the difference. The other woman was a refined blade, sharp and impossible to break and compared to her, Serena was merely thin paper.

"This is enough," Phil said slowly and his sister lowered her unsheathed weapon. "Good job, though. We have to return now. Don't bother chasing them anymore."

He was sometimes truly scared of his sister because her strength was not healthy and the closer she got to him, the louder screamed his instincts that he would back up, that he should run away. She was a fair fighter, as much was a given, but she was only as fair as her opponents so that if she considered it necessary, she was not above backstabbing and blackmailing.

For a moment, the face of the black-haired woman was hidden in the shadows and no one could see what it looked like. Then, she took a wobbly step forward before she collapsed and would have fallen to the ground if it had not been for her brother's fast reaction. "Shit," he whispered.

Serena moved like the water she used for her magic and ripped the sword from the woman's side before she dropped it, hands stained in blood. "Two things," she said. "Your sister has completely run out of magic … and it seems like her weapon did not like the way she pushed herself … and burned away the skin from her hands. That's bad, Phil, that's seriously bad."

"…you are the fastest among us, the strongest and by far the most agile," the blond woman said, twisting her braid into a tight bun. "You are rumoured to be capable of protecting everyone but yourself because you have a preference for techniques that require sacrifice…"

"True," the black-haired woman replied emotionless. "But … how does this concern you?"

"Maybe … I am just wondering when you finally take this seriously, little one. This is no longer a game for us to take part in whenever we please – this became a serious problem for everyone."

"I do know this," the pale woman stated. "And I will protect what I have to protect."

"This means that you will protect your brother and your nakama with all your might and that you will allow yourself and everyone else to die," the blonde snapped. "Aren't you a cold-hearted girl, little one? Never caring whether other people will be hurt because of you…"

"How long have been friends now?" the black-haired woman asked. "Ah well, let me reply this one: twelve years without that you ever saw me using any kind of magic even though you recognised my power when we first met … unlike you, I am always in control."

"You simply know that you are too fast – any magical attack would hit your opponents seconds after you hit them in a direct attack," the blonde said as she ruffled her friend's hair. "Take care, little one, okay? I will be out for a few weeks … but I will be back soon."

"I really wished that you would call me this no longer, Nessa," the other woman sighed.

"I might reconsider this nickname when you get yourself a proper name," the blonde said as she left.

Serena sighed as she wiped away the sweat from the Zephyr Heart's mage's forehead. "She is still not conscious yet," she said as she turned to face Phil. "This time, she really went too far, Phil."

"She has never used a single drop of magic for as long as I have known her," the black-haired man said as he looked at the pale woman on the bed. "Whatever happened to make her explode like this is certainly something we should not underestimate. We should be careful now."

"When she has fallen, we might be targeted again, I agree," the woman said as her fists clenched in her lap. "Your sister was a dear friend of mine and so I will view this attack on her like an attack against my own flesh and blood. From now on, we are in war."

The black-haired woman pushed open the door and entered quickly. "Oi, Nessa – are you home?" she called out as she flipped back her hair before she froze on the stairs that led up to the chambers of the family lay her friend, the blue dress blood-stained and motionless.

"N-Nessa?" the woman asked as she approached her friend. "Oi, what … what happened to you?"

"I am sorry, little one," the blonde apologised. "I won't be there when you find your real name. I wanted to stick around a little bit longer but … I won't be able to. See you in the next life…"

"She has suffered for long enough, Master Philippe," Cornelia said as she visited. "Maybe … a magical sleep would be helpful and she might regain her emotional strength which she had lost the very second when Nerissa-san has died from that attack."

"You are suggesting that we put her into an artificial slumber until she has the power to face what is left from her old life, Cornelia-san?" Philippe asked as he turned to face her.

"Yes," she said. "A memory can warm us in lonely and cold nights but it can also tear us apart. The worst part of keeping a memory dear and vivid is not the even the pain it brings sometimes when you wonder why it had to happen this way. It is the loneliness you feel when you cannot share it … memories are meant to be shared and she never talked about her journeys."

"What do you suggested me to do when she wakes up?" the guild master asked, feeling tired and weary after so many days of sitting at his sister's bedside.

"Let her go and let her face her demons … let her continue her journey after her one true name … because she needs this name more than you can imagine. She needs something of her own."

"Nerissa-san used to call her little one … it seemed to be some joke between the both of them."

"She hated it, never wanted to hear it … but I think that she secretly liked it somehow…"

"I wonder what kind of name she will have in the end," he mused. "At the moment, it could be any name … maybe one of those I spoke before, one that rolled off my tongue without a second thought … when she will have this name, I will feel something for this name … there will be a meaning connected to it. A formerly unimportant name will be the most important to be, then. It's a strangely scary and yet happy thought. I won't use this name in any conversation, only when I speak to people who are worthy of knowing the name she finally chose after so many years." He smiled as he looked at his sister. "Just wait for it, sister. You will have a name to fit you … a name that you can be proud of."

"I hope so as well … that one day, we can speak of her as of one of the greatest mages of our time – which she is, without a doubt. Her magical ability which was not witnessed so far has to be amazing because she beat the S-class exam of our guilds after than anyone before."

"I have my suspicions about her magical ability," Gildarts said, turning around from his place by the window. "She is very fast – rumoured to be able to cross the country in the time it takes a cup of tea to fall from the table. This made me think that she's a user of Heavenly Legs – or God Legs. But then again, she has this unspoken drift for Air Magic … I mean … your parents were maybe the most skilled users of air magic in the country until their untimely death, Master Philippe, so it would be a surprise if your sister would not taken after them at all."