~~~7~~~
"Hey, Levy," Gray called the petite bluenette and she greeted him kindly. "Juvia and Gajeel went on a job a while ago. They haven't come back, have they?"
"Not that I know of, no," Levy replied. "Now that you've said something, I'm kind of concerned. You think they're alright?"
"They used to be S-Classed wizards, but I don't know. They've been gone for twelve days now. Usually Juvia would send something, but as far as I am aware she didn't this time," Gray grunted in frustration.
Levy set her book down and got up from her seat. She motioned for him to follow and they greeted Mira at the bar. Mira informed the duo that Gajeel, Lily, and Juvia took a wanted poster to find a crook on the loose that should have taken only six days to complete for the ex-Phantom Lord members. The information did not sit well with the two.
Lucy overheard the conversation and questioned, "You think they were interfered by something? Should we go looking?"
Natsu added, "Naw, I'm sure they're fine. It's Gajeel and Juvia. They can handle themselves."
Lucy retorted, "That doesn't mean that they couldn't be in danger or hurt or something!"
"How long have they been gone?" Erza questioned as she added to the group around the bar, joined by Wendy and Carla to her side.
"Twelve days," Levy replied. "They've been gone for twice as long as they should have been. I'm really starting to get worried."
"We'll give them another three days, if they're not back by then, we'll go out in search of them. I'm sure they are fine," Erza reassured.
Carla looked distantly as the group quieted down on the topic of Gajeel and Juvia's absence. She was getting a vision of the future:
Red… No, it was maroon… And it was everywhere. There was a splotch of blue. Azure hair stood against the backsplash of what could only be presumed to be blood. Dark and flowing. There was slight movement, and it appeared that the azure hair belonged to a seemingly familiar face. Juvia?
Black took over the vision before a white, cool aura fluttered into her vision. The guild came into view but then stood the figure of the ravenette. He stood strangely before his body convulsed and straightened. Black markings stretched across the man's bare chest and face. An arm seeming to be the source of the icy glow. Carla sensed the cold through her vision which she had never been about to sense before. Ice stretched across the wood floors before her vision faded to anew.
Raven hair greeted her as a new image came into view. There was blood over the face of what looked to be Gray Fullbuster. As Carla looked closer, blood wasn't the only liquid on his face. Tears mixed with the maroon blood. He was crying. Gray seemed to be shouting and reaching out, but to what Carla could not tell. Then, a white aura seemed to envelope her vision entirely as if some kind of magic spell was being cast before her vision seized.
The white feline shook at the apparition of horrid things. She questioned herself if she should share her vision with the others. Juvia bleeding could mean she's in danger. Though Carla had no idea about why she saw Ariana's uncle and Gray nor what they could mean.
Reaching a conclusion, Carla announced, "I saw something. Something terrible."
"Carla? Is it about Juvia?" Wendy asked worried.
"Yes. There was so much blood. I couldn't make out much but her azure hair and the sound of her voice," Carla replied, shocking the group gathered at the bar.
"What did she say?" the voice of the ravenette called from behind the group and they turned to greet him and Ariana.
"I'm not sure, I couldn't make it out," Carla responded.
Gray exclaimed, "What the hell does it matter?! She's in trouble! They're in trouble!"
The ravenette retorted, "It matters more than you think. Carla, what else did you see? You usually see in threes."
The exceed blinked away the strange knowledge and replied, "Gray, he was crying out before a spell or some bright light blocked my vision… And… You were being controlled by some kind of dark splotch. Perhaps your demon magic?"
Ariana stuttered, "She saw… It's…"
"Nothing to be concerned about…" her uncle finished.
"Nothing to be concerned about?! The hell'd you say?!" Gray yelled, pulling the ravenette by his scarf. "First you ask about her, now you don't give a crap about her?! What's your deal?! I'm gettin' real tired of your bullcrap, man! If you don't start talkin' soon you'll be the next laying on the ground in your own blood!"
"Gray! Stop it!" Lucy called as she, Natsu, and Erza pulled at their friend away from the ravenette.
"If you'd let me finish a god damned sentence then you'd know that I can sense her magical power!" the man exclaimed back, shoving Gray off his scarf forcefully. "I don't appreciate you grabbing my scarf. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to leave now."
"Running away?!" Gray challenged before stopping himself when his attention is drawn to the bluenette that entered the guildhall. "Juvia…"
Juvia looked confused as she joined the group to be hugged by Lucy. Levy explained how they were worried about her and Gajeel. The bluenette apologized for worrying the group, saying that she and Gajeel weren't somewhere she was able to write to the guild to tell them they would be longer than expected. The bluenette had no idea about the tension that existed just moments before.
Ariana grabbed at her uncle's waist tightly, almost as if hiding her face away. The ravenette held her shoulder tightly as if to support her, or himself. Her uncle seemed to stable himself as he sunk to his knees to hug her. Muffled cries alerted the guild of the strange occurrence.
Lucy asked gently, "Ariana? What's wrong?"
"I can't be here. Take me away, please. I can't see her," the brunette blubbered in her uncle's shirt.
"Me neither," he replied simply, lifting her up into his grasp and walked out the guild.
