***Present Day
We stayed in that family hug for hours, just enjoying each others presence. The entire time, I was wondering how to break it to Mira that she was going to be a mother, especially with family around. I wasn't entirely sure how the whole brother/sister relationship worked, but I was pretty sure getting ones sister pregnant was grounds for a beating. That, and I was pretty sure Mavis would never look at me the same way again.
A familiar voice entered my mind, "Go for it master! Oh, this is exciting!"
I said out loud, "Hey, Deliora! Good of you to join us! You feeling all right?"
Everyone around me chuckled, then he said through my mouth, "I'm doing swimmingly now master. I wasn't sure if I'd ever wake up, but I guess being in the middle of a blast that large is a wake up call to anybody."
"Blast? Should I even ask, brother?" Lisanna said.
"Ha, I'll tell you all later. For now, let's just enjoy the moment."
Deliora seemed to want to retain control over half of my body, and I let him, givin the circumstance. The ENTIRE family was present now.
I finally just decided to try and get Mira to say it, if she was aware. If not, I'd take her to the clinic the next day, WELL out of range of Elfman and his rapidly growing….everything really. He was putting on a lot of muscle. I never even noticed before I was away from him for awhile.
"Mira, now that I'm back, do you have anything to say?"
"Besides never leave again? Maaaybe."
She was being coy? Could she read me that well?
"Oh? What would that be?" I asked, trying to hold my enthusiasm.
"Hmmm, I don't know if I should say it actually. Convince me!"
"Convince you? Hmmm….got it!" I said as I broke the family hug and picked up Mira, and then put her on the bed. She was smiling, ear to ear, only more so when I started tickling. Everyone quickly caught on and joined in, with Lisanna even turning her arms into that of a bird. It wasn't long before Mira was yelling "Mercy!" through her shortened breath.
"Okay, okay! You win!" She said, laughter still dying off.
"So? What did you want to say?" Mavis said with a huge grin.
Mira sat up and hugged me close, causing my heart to race. Was she really….oh god; am I even ready for this?
"Mar…Elfman…Lisanna…Mavis…I think I only have the strength to say this once, so listen closely. Everyone…I'm pregnant!"
The following reactions were absolutely priceless. Lisanna passed out right there, Mavis turned red and couldn't maintain eye contact with us, and Elfman, while still slack jawed stunned, hit me in the head hard enough to send me to the ground while I shouted "Knew it!"
Elfman helped me back up, blaming the hit on reflexes, and once we got Lisanna on her feet, it got really quiet. Everyone just stood there, not knowing what to say. I finally broke the silence and said, "Mira? How far along are you? Will you be able to be in the games?"
"A week, maybe. Don't you remember that morning I got really sick?"
"Wait…so, that…..oh god! This would certainly explain why Regeneration didn't fix it; there was nothing wrong with you! Mira, this is great! I'm going to be a dad, and you'll only be coming up on a month or just over when the games come!"
"Yeah!...So….Mar? Any ideas for a name?"
"Do we know what gender it will be?"
"Not yet, I guess we'll need two, ha-ha!"
"Two names, huh? Hmmm…I would name off Raiden or Mavis, but that sort of thing only goes when the person you're honoring is dead."
"Hey, I WAS dead for over two hundred years! Does that not count?" Mavis said, still obviously a bit shaken at the situation.
"Sorry, you're alive now, and that wouldn't be in memoriam."
"…Oh fine!"
"Haha…Oh! I got it!"
"What, Mar?" Mira asked.
"A name. How about Maya if it's a girl?"
"Maya…I like it." Mira said. "What made you think of that?"
"No idea. Just feels like a distant promise I made a long time ago."
"Wow. That's kind of deep! I guess it falls to me to think of a guys name now, doesn't it?" She said while rubbing the back of her head, eyes closed. "Mar Jr. would be corny, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah. Very." Elfman said, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Hmmm…How about Lang?"
I stroked my chin for a second, and then said the name out loud. "Lang Strauss…Oh yeah, that fits perfectly! I think we have a winner!"
Everyone was brought in for one more group hug, and we all passed out on the same bed together, as one big happy family.
It had been almost two weeks since my Mira dropped the P bomb, and I found myself helping my friends prepare for the games more often then not. Most frequently by far, however, was Laxus and his Rajin Tribe. They seemed to take an extreme liking to me, moreover when I started teasing Evergreen about getting together with my brother. Laxus in particular saw me as a close companion, likely due to our shared Magic. We would often spar to improve each others skills, since there was no need for either of us to hold back.
I remember having a really good day one fine morning. I woke up, the sun was shining, and Mira was fast asleep on my arm, looking as adorable as ever. I got dressed in my usual coat, slipped on my guns, and went to the guild with my family just like any other morning. That all changed around one in the afternoon, when that blonde haired bastard Sting stumbled into our guild, wounded severely. He was bleeding heavily from punctures on his neck.
I got him to the back room and got him in bed, despite my reservations about him, and asked, "What the hell happened to you?" while I lit some matches to burn the wound shut.
"Some guy ambushed me on the way to Sabertooth today. I felt his teeth sink into my neck and my Magic leave me…what the hell did he do, Ma-AAAAGGHHHH!" He shouted as I burned the holes shut.
"Sorry. It's for your best interest, trust me on that. As for what happened, I have no idea, honestly. But Sting, why did you come here?"
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably the best Mage in town right now short of a guild master. I need you to help me! To find this guy and get my Magic back!"
"Sting. I owe you nothing, especially since you are competition for me come a few weeks. However, for that very reason, I will help you. An unfair fight is a boring one, after all. Now, can you tell me anything else?"
"Mar…thank you. I don't know anything else….except…"
"What? Spit it out already!"
"Rogue was targeted too. He managed to fight his attacker off, but he didn't get a good look at him either, save for the blackened cloak he wore around his entire body."
"Rogue…that's your Dragon Slayer friend with the sword, right?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"Hmm, two Dragon Slayers. That can't be a coincidence. At least Natsu and Wendy are gone for now. Gajeel is with Levy, training for the games, so one man is not going to get the jump on them. You are sure it was just one guy, yeah?"
"Only one man attacked Rogue and me. Now, Mar, you have a Dragon Slayer's nose, right?"
"Yeah, of course I do. I've learned how to ignore what it takes in most of the time, but yeah, I do."
"Good. The man reeks of blood. You'll be able to smell it from miles away."
"Good to know." I said as Mira walked in to check on us.
"What's wrong with him Mar?" she asked.
"I think he may have been attacked by a vampire, actually."
"VAMPIRE?" Sting yelled.
"Relax. Your heart is still beating, so it's clear he was only after your Magic. We'll find him, don't worry."
"Right….right, thanks Mar."
"Now, I just need a specialist. Someone who is skilled in tracking down monsters….hmm…"
Sting spoke up. "I looked a guy up after Sting was attacked, just in case. Here."
Sting handed me a piece of paper with a phone number on it, so I went to call our hunter. Man seemed to have a trash compacter in his throat, or at least that's what it sounded like. That or he was Batman. I told him where the guild was and what had happened and he advised me to keep Sting there so he could get a look at him. I agreed and hung up after telling him to look for the man with white hair and wings, then walked away from the phone, only realizing I never got his name once I got back to Sting's room. I shrugged it off and got Elfman and Mavis to stand watch over him, just to be sure whatever got at him didn't come back and finish the job. Lisanna, Mira, and I waited at the bar for our monster hunter.
We sat at the bar and started talking and laughing about events that were going on in our lives. Our training for the games, my odd position as a tag team member with Elfman, and how much fun it was going to be for me to walk in next to him, shape shifted. Not long after, a man walked in, hair as white as mine, with scars covering most of his face and arms, and the eyes of a cat. He was lightly armored, and carried two greatswords on his back. He came and sat next to us and said, "Ladies, is this young man with you mister Mar Strauss?"
"Yep! That's my brother alright!" Lisanna said, cheerful as ever. Lisanna and I swapped seats so I could talk to the man, and we got to just that.
The man's name was Geralt, hailing from a city known as Rivea, far, FAR away. He explained that he was the perfect man for the job since he had close to twenty years of monster hunting experience. That and he was purposely mutated into a being of Magic known as a "Witcher" when he was still a child. He told me that Witchers were literally made to hunt, there were no finer in the land. I decided mentioning Deliora was out of both of our best interests, and the demon agreed with me.
After he was finished, I complimented his obvious mental and physical fortitude, and then we went to see Sting. Geralt immediately bent over to take a look at him as I introduced him to Elfman and Mavis. He checked any part of Sting that wasn't covered, and then concluded with where Sting was bit.
He stood back up and turned to me, then said, "Strange, he shows nearly every sign of being attacked by a vampire, yet he still lives."
"With one key difference; his Magic has been drained."
"Hmm, I thought it was odd my medallion didn't go off around him. Even stranger still."
"Your medallion goes off in the presence of Magic?"
"And danger. Incidentally, everyone in this building is absolutely amazing at holding their power at bay."
"Thanks…I think. Any idea on what did this?"
"It was definitely a vampire of some sort, but likely a breed I have never seen before. Has anyone caught a look at it?"
"No, the only time someone got a look at it, it was wearing a cloak."
"Damn. Actually, now that we're running with vampirism, what TIMES has it struck?"
Sting spoke up and said, "Rogue was attacked at night, I was hit this morning. The sun was in clear view."
"A daywalker? Shit, that makes things complicated."
"Daywalker?" I asked, half knowing the answer already.
"Daywalkers are vampires that don't fear the sun. They have a substantial amount of demonic blood in them, they are usually only born of a union between one of the night and one of the demon world, however, there have been cases of rapid mutation. Sting, how large did Rogue say this thing that attacked him was?"
"Shorter then him by at least five inches. Rogue is about six feet tall."
"Hmm, so it's around five and a half feet tall, give or take. It might still be growing. That probably spells natural born."
"When do they stop?" I asked.
"Same time humans do; late teens or early twenties. Only, they last a lot longer then men."
"Hmmm. How are we going to find this thing?"
"Without me, for starters. I don't deal with demons well. However, get me a phone and I'll get two expert slayers down here in the hour. They are a couple friends of mine in the area, and if I'm not mistaken, their business has been slow recently, they'll probably help you out for a nice price."
"That's very generous of you Geralt." I started. "How much you want for the diagnostic?"
"No money is needed, Mar. I was in the area anyway, and I haven't killed a monster, so I don't expect payment."
"A man of intense honor. I like that. Alright, fine, but if I ever run into you again, I'm buying you a round."
"Fair enough, now where's that phone?"
I led Geralt out into the guild's main lobby and pointed him to an older phone mounted on the wall.
"Wow. I heard Fairy Tail was on a bit of a rough patch, but….just wow."
"Yeah yeah, we're working on it, hurry up and call them damnit!"
Geralt chuckled as he dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up. I got just out of human earshot and sat down with Mira and Lisanna, intent on listening in anyway. What can I say? I'm nosy and I was curious to hear the voice of these "Slayers".
"Hello?" a female voice asked attentively.
"Hey Bayo, its Geralt. I think I have a job for you two!"
"Oh? Hey, demon! You hear that?"
Demon? Well, I guess it takes one to know one, to track one, and to kill one.
"Don't call me that babe! But yeah, I did! Ask him where he's at!"
It was a male voice, much quieter then "Bayo", probably across the room. He sounded vaguely familiar.
"Hey Geralt, whe-"
"Fairy Tail, just outside of town. Look for the winged man named Mar Strauss, he sticks out like a sore thumb."
"Heard that!" I yelled at him, not thinking what that would imply.
Geralt only chuckled and said, "Oh right, Bayo? Make sure your boyfriend is in a good mood. I have a feeling he's about to meet his biggest fan."
Biggest fan? Who in the devil was this guy? Wait…nah, stupid thought. Those are just games, right? RIGHT?
Geralt shook my hand and left me with Mira and Lisanna, and within half an hour a woman walked in, alone oddly. She was tall, with slender limbs, and she wore a full black suit with a strange, stringy art hanging from her arms. Adorned just over her bust was a medallion, around five inches across, with a red gem in the middle. She walked over to me and said, "Hmmm..I guess Geralt wasn't kidding. You really are a big fan of his, aren't you?"
"No idea who you're talking about….Bayo, right?"
"Bayonetta. A pleasure to meet you Mar, and who are these ladies with you?"
"My wife, Mirajane, and my little sister Lisanna." I said while pointing to the respective people.
"Hi Miss Bayonetta!" Lisanna chirped happily. She seemed almost completely oblivious to the situation. Oh well, everyone could use a smile right now.
"Haha, they are lively aren't they?"
"You have no idea." I replied.
"Haha! Anyway, come on Mar, you have to catch me up, Gerlat forgot to tell me what's going on." she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me off my stool. She was abnormally strong for someone with her frame. I took her to Sting and brought her up to speed, and she identified the creature that attacked Sting as an "Industria Vampire", Industria being Latin for Energy. She took me by the hand once more and said, "Come on, you need to meet someone!" as we dashed out the door.
We darted for some nearby woods and jumped through the trees for a few minutes, until I heard Bayo muttering, "Hmm, where was he sitting?"
As if on cue, some trees nearby fell over with a mighty crack and a thud. "Found him." She said.
We jumped over to a new clearing and the man we saw there caused me to freeze in m tracks. A man, just over my height, wearing my favorite red trench coat, and holding a sword his size stood before us. He stood up straight and turned to be met by Bayonetta throwing her arms around him and kissing him. As she broke off, she whispered "Industria Vampire", earning a "Got it" from him.
As Bayonetta let go, I got a good view of the man's face. White hair, shorter then mine and let down. I couldn't believe it! This man was none other then Dante!
"How….how are you real?" I asked, amazed.
He smiled at me and said, "Well, my father kind of liked human ladies. He married one and here I am!"
"Human ladies…are you really a half breed?"
"And proud of it! Best of both worlds I say!"
"….Amazing! Dante…sir-"
"Just Dante. I'd let you pass out 'Son of Sparda' or 'Son of a Bitch' if you were a demon, but you're not."
"Oh? You think I don't have a little…darkness in me?" I asked coyly, confidence and composure returning.
"Haha! That's more like it! Be yourself!" Dante shot back. "Now, let's see that darkness!"
"Ha! As you wish! Know that you asked for this!" I said before my body began transforming, my aura rapidly growing. I held myself back here, releasing my energy much slower then I usually do. I didn't want to hurt either Dante or Bayonetta.
All at once, my power peaked and I shifted to Archangel completely. I opened my eyes and looked to Dante and Bayo, who were standing there holding their chins.
"Well babe, what do you think?" Dante asked.
"Very impressive! It's everything we heard about and more! Neither angel or demon, but something more!"
"Thought so! Mar, you get that form from a demon sharing your soul, right?"
"Actually, at this point it has more or less been assimilated into my own Magic reserves. I keep Deliora around because he's damn good company and a damn good friend."
"Thank you sir!" the demon said in my head.
"Hang on." Dante said, "Mar…you can do this by yourself?...What colour were your eyes when you were born?"
"That's a weird question, but alright." I said while dismissing Archangel, "I had one red and one gold. They both turned gold when I took on Archive, and most recently this one turned green thanks to a bit of a mix up on Tenrou Island."
Bayonetta's face sunk as I said that. Dante let out a sigh and said, "One red and one gold? You're sure?"
"Yeah, why?"
"The main way to identify an Industria is its mismatched eyes. One red and one gold, each representing half of its heritage." Dante said, coldly.
"Wait…are you implying that I….oh god!"
"I'm not implying Mar. I know."
"You know?"
"Mar, I've heard of your Magic. Archive right?"
"Yeah! What does that have to do with anything?"
"You invented it, am I right?"
"Yeah…what of it?"
"Mar, how did you finish that Magic? How did you get it to work for yourself?"
"I…did nothing! It worked for me as soon as I put it i-…..oh holy fuck."
"Yeah."
"I….hang on, so are you saying anyone who used Archive in my time was the same? Anyone who uses it today?"
"It was perfected after you left, and it can be used by all now, but is looked down upon as a huge waste of Magic. Most people, who don't have enough Magic Power to use it, will get stuck with it and not be able to use ANY Magic. But, yeah. Anyone in your time would have had to have been the same."
"And they all…"
"Yeah. Died. Every single one. Not only did I hunt them down myself, but so did Bayonetta here! We didn't stop until we were confident there were none left. Not only that, but Mar, that Magic you invented had a violent repercussion. On the user's twenty seventh year, the Magic would degrade and lose any stored Magics, ending with a violent implosion of Archive itself. The users never survived and would simply cease to exist. This knowledge was lost to the ages with the users who died."
"That can't be possible! How would you know? On top of that; I'm still ali-….oh holy hell, that wasn't from over exertion, was it?"
"No, it wasn't. As for me, I witnessed it. Half demons have a hell of a long lifespan. As for your survival, circumstances somehow played out to let you live. I'm still working on how."
"…..When Archive degraded, Regeneration quit my body as a large amount of lightning was shot at me, concentrated through a thunderstorm. It is likely I consumed Regeneration with the lightning, and the sheer Magical Power around it caused it to mutate into what it is now."
"What it is now? Show me!" Dante yelled as he dashed across the plain, a broadsword drawn. I didn't have time to react before he slashed me across the chest, opening a sizable wound and knocking me to the ground. I stood back up as Athena patched the wound, leaving not even a scar.
"Thought so." Dante said, sadness in his voice.
"What? And why the hell did you do that!"
"Mar, you've reached the peak of an Industria's evolution. You didn't absorb Regeneration, and those powers of yours are god damn natural. For you anyway. When faced with death, Industria will adapt, and even forcibly evolve several phases down their own chain. When Archive implodes, however, it is always so quick that the body had no time to react. You somehow held on for enough time for your body to adapt! Mar, how many times have you fed? How many innocent people were robbed of Magic because of you!"
"None! I would never do anything like that!"
"Then explain to me how an extinct race has begun attacking Dragon Slayers in this city! Maybe the last remaining member is greedy, and wants to strengthen his own power!"
"That's insane!"
"Is it? Only Sabertooth Dragon Slayers have been attacked! You probably see them as competition!"
"Without a doubt I do! But I look forward to a fair fight!"
"You say that now, but what do you really think, I wonder?"
"What the hell are you going on about now!"
"Industria are capable of running their basic urges subconsciously, feeding while they sleep!"
"What?...If you are telling the truth, and I have no reason to doubt, really, what should I do?"
Bayonetta finally spoke up again, and said, "Come with us Mar. We're going to turn you in, and put you on trial. We will be present to make sure a fair verdict is passed, one way or another."
I sighed and shook my head, then said, "Fine. If I am hurting people without even damn knowing it, I'd like to be stopped."
Dante seemed kind of stunned by my reaction. "Industrias weren't known for their co operation skills. You would likely be the first one to come quietly….ever!"
"Well, I'm not that normal. Take me to the council. And Bayonetta? Please tell my wife and family what has happened. One of them may be able to vouch for me. Get Sting and Rogue too."
"You got it!" Bayonetta said, determination clear for all to see. It felt good to know I had at least one of them on my side.
As Dante bound my hands and carted me away, I told him, "I'm going to do my best to be found innocent. I really don't believe that I'm doing this."
"You don't have to." He shot back.
I was incarcerated for just over a day before my trial began, and I was told I got one of the best Defense Attorneys out there, and also one of the best prosecutors. It was going to be interesting, to say the least.
While I was locked up, my family came to visit, and having been filled in by Bayo, they asked me about every little detail, looking for anything they could use to help. In the end, I told them, "If I am indeed guilty, I expect to be treated as such. If not, don't count on me to stick around to take the fall."
My family seemed content with this. They had nothing but confidence in my innocence. I guess that means I can't let them down!
The trial commenced, and I was sat at the defendant's chair. I looked around and noticed that I had been in this court before! During Kasu-errr, JANE'S trial. I looked to the defense's desk, and sure enough, that same blue clad lawyer that was there was there once more!
My gaze shifted to the prosecutor's bench, and sure enough, there sat Miles Edgeworth! He had changed over the last seven years, but it was still plainly him. Upon seeing me, he seemed to recoil in surprise.
"What's wrong, Mister Edgeworth?" The judge asked.
"Your honor? I know this man! He's a friend actually."
"You're sure?" The judge asked.
"He is." I said. "I was the bodyguard in the Shadow Thief case a few years back, and I bought Miles here a few drinks sometime later. Then I went to Tenrou, and well, we all know what happened next"
"Hmm, this is indeed problematic! We can't have a prosecutor that is friends with the defendant! It might bias the trial!"
"If I may, you honor?" I said. "I honestly am not sure if I'm guilty or not, and I wish this trial to proceed as is. If I really am hurting people without my knowing so, I wish to be found guilty and stopped."
"A noble soul! Sadly rare to find these days." The judge said. "Mister Edgeworth, are you alright with this?"
"It sounds like I would be doing Mar a favor if I found him guilty, CORRECTLY. I will accept, and I will try my best to prove guilt, however, in this case, I hope to lose. Got it, Phoenix?"
"Got it." Said the blue clad defender.
The trial commenced right there, and the gong show began. The trial seemed to swing moods like a pendulum the entire time, first to guilty, then innocent, then back again. My entire family, and all of my friends that showed up for me, or to act as witnesses, were all discredited. They could have delivered biased testimony, that's true. Sting and Rogue took the stand together, mainly because Sting was still having trouble standing on his own, and they told their story from a neutral point of view. They established my motive, handicapping Fairy Tail's competition in the games, and then were asked to step down. I couldn't argue that it was a good reason, and I accepted Edgeworth's logic.
The last witness to be called was Dante, and he gave us the run down on Industria Vampires, including how they were thought to have been extinct. He said that I confessed to being one to him, which I admitted. It made sense, after all.
Phoenix almost seemed defeated at this point. After all, if you are the only person in the world capable of a crime, it's pretty obvious. I caught on as well, and I fell into despair.
Suddenly, the pointy headed attorney shot straight back up and yelled, "HOLD IT! The victims were bitten on the neck by two long fangs! Mar Strauss! Let's see your teeth!"
Without hesitation, I bared my teeth, exposing my perfectly normal, mundane teeth.
Edgeworth was shaken by this but then retorted with, "Hang on! Mar here has an alternate form! What if his fangs form there!"
"Objection! Mar's second form radiates power enough to tear the walls of this courthouse down! You think Rogue would miss something like that?"
"Gah!" Edgeworth yelled.
"There's one way to prove it! Mar! Let's see your teeth when you are in your other form! Please try not to destroy the courthouse!" the judge said.
"Very well!" I said while quickly going Archangel and repressing as much power as I could. I then smiled wide, revealing two enlarged fangs.
Phoenix's heart sunk. It was all possible now.
Edgeworth began attacking again, claiming that I wore a cloak when I attacked Rogue, negating the ability to see me, and the fact I had kept even the stand I was on in one piece as proof of my ability to suppress my power enough for it to be un noticeable.
My heart sank as well, and tears fell from my eyes as I reverted back to myself. I was guilty. I had to be. My head fell, and tears poured onto the stand. The fact was slowly sinking in for everyone there.
"Mar Strauss, do you have anything to add?" The judge asked.
"Yeah. I do. Find a way for me to be in control of my actions all the time. I have no desire to harm anyone that doesn't have it coming."
"The council's R&D team will be set to work immediately. Until they come up with a solution however, you are sentenced to life imprisonment effective imme-"
A smashing sound was heard, heralding the doors flying onto the center of the courtroom floor, and someone yelling, "STOP THE TRIAL!"
I turned to see Panther Lily in combat form, standing with his fist in a post striking position.
"Stop the trial! Now! Mar can't be guilty!" He yelled.
"Slow down Lily!" I yelled back. "What do you mean I can't be guilty?"
"Gajeel! Gajeel was just attacked! Not ten minutes ago!"
The courtroom erupted into chaos, to which the judge called for order and calmly asked, "Lily, is it? Who is this Gajeel? When was he attacked?"
Lily stood up straight and said, "Gajeel is a Dragon Slayer in Fairy Tail! From what I would guess, that completely destroys Mar's motive!"
Edgeworth recoiled again. Lily was right!
"On top of that, Gajeel was attacked barely ten minutes ago! And Mar was here at that time, with this entire court as his witness!"
The courtroom once again burst into a roar of voices, causing the judge to clang his gavel a few times before calling for order again.
I spoke, "Judge, I can move very fast, but it is very noticeable, and even I can't be in two places at once. I request a suspension of trial until I can investigate this lead to its end."
"Hmm, I guess givin our new circumstances, I can not pass judgment! Mar, catch this new man, and bring him in! Do so, and your name will be cleared of all charges!"
"ALL charges, your honor?"
"Yes Mar, all of them. The council was going to pardon you for that incident with Lahar anyway, and I was told to tell you, 'You were agitated, and he was an...' Oh my, the council uses some colourful language these days! Off you go!"
I dashed out of the court house, leaving everyone but Lily behind. He helped guide me to Gajeel, since I couldn't feel his Magic. We soon arrived an elderly woman's house, where Gajeel was layed out on the couch, pale as a sheet and bleeding into a dark towel he was holding to his neck.
"Gajeel!" I shouted as I ran over to him. "What the hell happened! Did you get a good look at who did this?"
Gajeel coughed and turned his head to me, then said, "Oh, Mar. You made it." He paused to cough again. Unlike Sting, Gajeel's condition seemed much more terminal, causing me to worry heavily. "Did it work?"
"Did what work! What did you do?"
"Ha! I heard that thing was going after Dragon Slayers….I couldn't let you take the fall."
"Couldn't let-…Gajeel. Are you saying-"
"Yeah. I made it easy for him. If I was attacked during the tria-" Gajeel had to pause to cough again, this time hacking up blood.
"Don't talk, you're hurt badly. I know what you are going to say, and I thank you. They were about to drop my sentence, and I would have accepted it. I owe you."
Gajeel smiled, content. Then said, "Pay me back by getting my Magic back! Take the bastard down Mar!"
I smiled back at him and stood up, then said, "That, that is something I can do."
I scanned Gajeel's energy for a trace of his assailant, and sure enough, I found just a small remaining Magical Power. It left a very vile taste in my mouth, despite me standing over it. It almost tasted like sulpher.
I got the feel of this new Magic strain, then got outside and jumped onto a rooftop, leaving Lily to help out Gajeel, and thanking the lady for accommodating my friend.
I scanned around the city until I finally found this bastard. Walking casually like nothing happened on the north side of town, far from where I was.
I decided to let him "Get the drop on me", so I used Lightning Form to get reasonably close, yet still out of ear and eyeshot. I blended with the crowd and made my way toward him slowly. I finally got close to the cloaked man and "Accidentally" bumped him and apologized, then continued walking. I took a couple of strange turns, leading me into a dark back alley, and I felt his presence following me. I was so focused on him that I almost didn't notice the large brick wall in front of me, but I turned around anyway and said out loud, "You can come out now. I just want to talk." In reality, yes, I did want to kick his teeth in for getting me put on trial, but that wasn't important now.
"Sharp! Exactly what I would expect from my prize!"
"Prize? What are you talking about?"
"You, Mar! Your power will feed mine, and I will become a god!"
"Heh. That's nice and all, but I hope you weren't planning on jumping at me from behind. I can see where you are."
"Lies! I am completely hidd-"
I replied by drawing Ebony and firing a shot just over his head, making a hole in the wall behind him.
"Get out here. Now." I demanded.
"Amazing." The cloaked man said as he stood from the shadows. "It really is you Mar! I would expect nothing else from one of my own."
"Yeah yeah, we're both Industria, I know. Now, would you kindly come with me and clear my name?"
"Mar…do you not remember me? I know it was a long, long time ago, but still, you have to remember me to some extent."
"Remember? No, no, there's no way we know each other, you're messing with my head."
"That's just it Mar. I'm not." The man said as he pulled back his hood, revealing his red and golden eyes, along with his young face, and pale white hair, lazily drooping down the sides of his head down to his shoulders. I felt like I was looking straight into a mirror.
"What? Who are you?" I asked, horrified for the first time in ages.
"Mar, can you really not remember me? Mar, I'm your twin brother!"
I was taken aback, memories long since forgotten flooding my mind. I remembered my youth, before I met Mavis. I was one in a house of Industria, five in total. My parents died early, leaving me, my brother, my sister, and myself to fend for ourselves at a very young age. I remembered my sister giving her life to protect us from hungry wolves, and my brother storming off into the dark of that accursed forest, never to be seen again. I made a silent vow to gain as much power as possible to protect him and any others I would come to love. I wandered for a time, and eventually stumbled upon Mavis' home town. The rest was already there.
I shook my head and scattered my thoughts.
"You remembered, did you? Good."
"Brother…Lang."
"Your original name was-"
"I don't care about what it was. My name is Mar now."
"Fine. Now, Mar, will you help me? This world doesn't deserve life, not when it takes the innocent for no reason. Our sister had never fed in her life, never even raised her hand in anger, and our folks only did so in life or death situations! The reaper took them all! My friends, my family, EVERYONE was taken from me! Help me brother! Help me purge this land of life!"
"Is that why you've been collecting Dragon Slayer energy? To kill?"
"Exactly."
"I won't let you do that Lang."
"What?"
"You heard me. I'm stopping you here. I can tell diplomacy won't have an effect here, so I will have to kill you."
"You fool! Do you honestly think you can win?"
"I know, actually."
"Haha, brother, you were always so cocky. I have ascended to the peak of Industria evolution! I cannot be killed!"
"Oh? Lang, you don't seem to understand. My cockiness stems from the knowledge that I WILL win. I am the same."
"Have you? Then prove it."
"You first, but first, we need a better venue. I'm pretty sure there's a bum in the box over there filling his pants right now."
"Very well. We'll take to the hills.
I placed my hand on Lang's head and teleported us both to the plains outside of Magnolia, then took a few steps back and prepared to fight.
I drew Yamato and prepared to strike, but I quickly realized my brother was unarmed. I threw Ikaruga's sword to him, giving him the size advantage, in addition to one of my handguns. I set the Widow aside, since I only had one and its ammo was a pain in the ass to make correctly in this age. We both threw our coats to the ground, revealing my wings, yet prompting no response from him, and his rather well tanned body. A mild note of jealousy hit me before we began.
Both of us, sword in one hand, and gun in the other ran at each other, screaming and shooting each other while we did. When I was close enough, I swung for him and Yamato met his blade, bringing us close together. My eyes widened and I smiled enough to reveal every one of my teeth. I was going into my battle mindset head first! We broke apart when we both kicked simultaneously, sending each other flying from the force behind the blows. On the way to the ground, we both opened fire once more, both of us taking serious injuries before we hit ground.
We both stood up, and sure enough, both of our wounds stitched themselves closed. We smiled at each other and ditched the firearms, going mad at melee range. Blow after blow was struck, splattering blood and severing limbs with every strike. Every one of them was healed nearly instantly.
I decided it was time to amp it up a notch, so I kicked Lang away and drove Yamato into the ground, then extended my arms out and began screaming, letting Archangel overtake me.
As the smoke cleared and Yamato was firmly in my grasp, I reached out my free hand and gestured for James to "Bring it!"
"What the hell is this!" He yelled at me. "There's no way! No Industria has mastered that technique! It was imperfect!"
"Imperfect? I guess I fixed its flaws. Now come! Come and meet your maker! You will pay for what you did to my friends, and to my name!"
"Is that all you fight for? For vengeance?"
"I fight for my friends and my family! And so long as you draw breath, neither are safe! It pains me brother, to kill one of my own kin, but I swear, I WILL do it!"
"Mar, I'm going to be honest here. That form is the only thing in the world with enough power to kill an Industria who has evolved completely, Zeref and that damned black dragon not withstanding. Well, that, and the Magic you invented apparently. People were saying anyone who disappeared thanks to that Magic were sent back to the big bang! Either way Mar, I know you're old enough to have been through Archive's destruction. You lived, obviously, likely only due to your own power. If I die, you have no chance of ever dying. You will be immortal, beyond the very edge of time."
"Then so be it. I will be time's most loyal guardian, steering history in the manner most positive."
"….You really ARE willing to kill me, aren't you? How do you expect to get your friend's Magics back?"
"Us Industria have ways. I'll bite your damn body if that's what's needed."
"I couldn't stop you from doing that. I can however, cut your winnings!" Lang said as he shot his hands out and started channeling Magic. He forced both Gajeel and Sting's Magic from his body, letting them out in huge blasts from either hand.
I smiled at his action. Last mistake, I thought. I transformed both Magics into Materia and slipped them into my coat pockets after dismissing Archangel, then re engaged Archangel and drew Athena's Blade.
"What! What did you do!"
"Cut your winnings. Now I don't have to sink to your level and bite you. If it is any consolation, I'll be naming my first borns after you and sis. Maya…Lang…they are good names."
"You really do remember….at least I can take solace in that. End it."
I darted forward once more, infusing all of my Magic Power into Athena's Blade and swinging as hard as I could. My swing was thrown downward, and missed my brother completely, however, his legs still flew from his body. I had literally put enough power in the air to cut his legs with wind pressure.
He screamed in pain, and I knew those legs weren't coming back. I looked down at the now glowing blade that my arm had turned in to. The power to fell even gods themselves. This was something I knew I could never use again, lest I need to change history juristically. I brought the blade onto my brother's neck, and his head flew through the air. To make sure, I followed up by impaling his heart, then cutting the torso vertically down the middle, all the way through.
The bloody mess fell to the ground, and I watched it to see if I had properly dealt with him. Not a twitch was made. I stood up and reverted to my regular self, then stood over what remained of my brother. I felt tears roll down my eyes as the prospect finally caught up with me. I had killed my own brother, the only link I had left to my time before Mavis, and the only way I had of remembering my family. My tears became heavier and I fell to my knees.
I heard footsteps behind me, lots of them. I didn't care who it was right now, I just wanted to let my emotions out.
"Mar! Are you alright?" I heard Mira yell, followed by the rest of my siblings.
"Strauss! Answer us!" I heard Dante and Bayo yell behind her.
I cleared my throat for a moment and stood up, then turned my head to them, just enough to acknowledge that they were there, not enough to show them my tears.
"I'm here. The criminal is dead."
Dante looked down at the mess, then back to me, then back down as he reached for my brother's head.
"Who…who was he Mar?" he asked while examining the eyes and fangs.
I thought about telling them all, but it would only cause un needed worry. I would, of course, tell my family in private later.
"Don't know. Apparently us Industria's have a preset definition of perfection implanted in us at birth that we strive to become. I guess my body is desirable."
"Mar…you're not telling me the truth. I hunted these things, remember?" Dante said.
"I gave you my answer. Now, I need to go save a friend and an asshole. I'll be home soon, it's been far too long a day." I said before collecting my weapons and coat, then flying off.
I made the first stop at Gajeel's recovery home, since his condition was worse then Sting's. I swiftly dashed in to the living room and pulled out the metal grey Materia, then placed it on Gajeel and backed up.
Gajeel released the last of his Magic into the orb, then absorbed the Magic that came out by eating it, and by the time there was no Magic left, Gajeel was already sitting up with that stupid toothy grin on his face. My work here was done, so I flew back to Fairy Tail.
I repeated the process with Sting, and he shook my hand when he was able to, thanking me over and over for getting his Magic back. I put on a smile, even though it was a lie, and I escorted him back to Sabertooth. He could tell quite easily that something was on my mind, not that I was trying to hide it.
"Hey, Mar?"
"Yeah?" I replied half heartedly.
"Want to talk about it? I think the least I can do is lend an ear for what you did for me."
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. What's in my head will stay with my family. Probably won't even reach Fairy Tail."
"Gotcha. Anyway, Sabertooth is here, want to come in and get a drink? I NEED to pay you back, you know."
I thought about it for a second, then sighed and said, "Oh fine. I could use a drink anyway."
As soon as we walked in, cheers erupted throughout the full lounge. Sting replied by going into Dragon Force to show he had his Magic back, but as soon as he did, a large, elderly man took a swing at him. I caught the fist before it hit Sting, causing the entire room to drop dead silent.
"Sting you idiot! Why did you let that freak get the jump on you!" he started yelling.
"Sir, the person who jumped Sting knew how to stay out of sight. Unless it was me, no one would have stood a chance. Rogue got lucky."
"And just who the hell are you!" He snapped back at me while trying to free his arm.
"I'm still working on that. For now, Mar Strauss."
The large man seemed to tense at the name, "Mar Strauss! From Fairy Tail? Sting, did you let this chump help you?"
"I didn't ask, and I couldn't move." Sting said coldly.
"You, Fairy Boy. My guild is going to wipe the floor with your sad excuse for a bunch of mages, just like always. What do you say to that?"
I quickly went Archangel and tightened my grip to a bone breaking level. "I say you just made the biggest fucking mistake of your life."
My aura expanded rapidly, causing damage to the building around me as I twisted the man's arm backwards. He tried to strike me with his free arm, but I caught it with mine and squeezed hard enough that I heard his knuckles crack.
As I finally brought the man to the ground, Sting ran in and grabbed my arm away from him, yelling for me to stop. This man, Sabertooth's master, always ran his guild like this. The thought made me sick to my stomach, only more so when he got back up and offered me a place in Sabertooth for overpowering him.
I turned to him at the question, still in Archangel and said, "Are you fucking kidding me? Why would I want to join a bunch of power drunk soulless bastards? No offence Sting."
"None taken."
"Good, anyway, take your offer and shove it. I'll be participating in the games, know that, and when it comes to Sabertooth, I will restrain myself only where it is necessary."
"To insult us?" The man said.
"To protect you. I've learned that me going at full strength means death for my opponent, with no exceptions."
"Don't be so full of yourse-"
I picked the massive man up by his throat, and said, "Don't test me, Master of Monsters. I'll see you at the games." I then dropped him, safe and sound, and walked away.
When he tried to follow me, I drew one of my handguns and fired a shot over his head, hitting the large quilted Sabertooth emblem on the wall and putting a hole in it and the wall behind it. No one followed after that.
I flew to the courthouse next, and got the whole thing straightened out. Didn't take very long though, Dante and Bayo had already reported in and explained what happened, so I went to Fairy Tail to tell everyone I was in the clear, then home.
My family arrived shortly thereafter, having had to finish a days business before coming home. They found me with my head in my hands on the couch.
I heard them all sit next to me and then Lisanna asking, "Brother? What's wrong? It's about that Industria isn't it?"
I nodded in response, prompting her to ask, "Mar, are you really one of them? Are you alright with that?"
I raised my head out of my hands and looked to Lisanna, then said, "That was far too serious for you. Really, that was about as out of character as I've ever heard you, but thanks for your concern all the same."
Everyone chuckled. I was right, after all, Lisanna was so relentlessly happy most of the time that it was contagious!
"Come on Mar! I really wanted an answer there, and I'm sure everyone else is thinking it too!"
"Yeah. As for your questions, yeah, I'm one of them. However, I didn't have too many problems with who I am before today, and that hasn't changed. I just know WHAT I am exactly now. What that man was."
Mavis caught on to my odd tone and asked, "Mar? Who was that man? Was he someone you know?"
"Knew. That man…that monster was my brother."
"Your BROTHER?" Everyone yelled.
"Yeah. I must have blotted out my memory after I left them, or maybe it eroded itself when I used Arc of Time for the first time, I don't know, and I really don't care. It's irrelevant now. I can only remember brief glimpses of my parents, and my siblings….I don't want to remember them. Their memories are nothing but pain. All I see is my parents wasting away before their time, my sister being torn apart by wolves, and…Lang."
"Lang?" Mira asked.
"Lang was my brother. Freaky, I know. As it turns out, Maya is my sister as well. Heck, it's probably why I wanted to name a daughter that."
"That would make sense. Emotion like that can't be blocked out." Elfman said, with Deliora agreeing with him.
"Either way." I started, "That is just a remainder of a life long since passed. I don't care what I am, I know WHO I am. My name is Mar Strauss, and my family is right here. Supernatural creature or not, that will never change."
"But Mar, he was your brother!" Mavis spoke up, concern more then obvious to everyone.
"Mavis, I remember my brother as being a kind, generous, gentle soul. I want my child to be named after that, not the thing I fought today that disgraced his very name with his plans of genocide. That thing was no brother of mine."
They all could detect the sternness in my voice, despite the sadness that came with it, so they dropped the subject.
"Anyway, speaking of families and drama, what's the doctor saying about the child, hon?" I asked, my regular personality returning.
"It's progressing very well, and I've even worked out something with the games' officials in case I'm not in fighting shape come the big week!"
"Ooh, I like the sound of that. Nothing risky, promise?"
"Promise!" Mira chirped back.
The next couple of weeks were thankfully quiet, leading right up to the day that everyone was due back from the Spirit World, and I was waiting on the beach with Juvia, Jet and Droy. I was, however, called out once by Jellal, but that was minor. Leak a few documents that would lead to the disbanding and arrest of an entire dark guild, nothing exciting. Either way, everyone else was hard at work, so we had to cut back on the welcome wagon. We had an odd feeling they wouldn't want to talk much anyway.
A sphere of light appeared before us, and when it disappeared, there stood the rest of our friends, the same as they were three months prior, only looking absolutely dumbfounded.
Completely incapable of reading the situation, Juvia ran to Grey and took them both to the ground. Sadly, that did nothing to lighten the mood, as everyone began shouting at the lord of the Spirit World to "Give them their time back!"
I sighed at the sight of everyone breaking down, and remembered what Ultear told me. "Bring them to me, and we can do something about the three months of training they missed."
I just hope she didn't mean time travel. I had enough of that for five lifetimes.
They all slumped up against a makeshift wooden fence and lamented the loss of their three months, rather humorously. I guess it didn't help that I convinced Jet and Droy to make sure they wouldn't forget, and that Juvia was in the complete opposite mood for what was appropriate.
Eventually, Erza just stood right up and proclaimed the beginning of a five day training course from hell to bring them back into shape, which was followed by a pigeon landing on her head. She noticed there was a note attached to it, so everyone gathered round as she read it out. "Fairy Tail, come to the broken suspension bridge in the west woods."
Knowing they had nothing to lose, they decided to go, and the rest of us decided to tag along. Me especially when I identified the writing on the note. Jellal leaves a very odd loop on his E's.
It felt good walking alongside my team again, it felt like an eternity since I had seen any of them. Natsu's pink hair and burning personality (Literally), Lucy's schoolgirl look and golden hair, with a heart to match, Grey and his horrid tendency to misplace his clothes, Happy and Carla, our two flying feline companions, and Erza. I missed every one of them much more then I thought, and despite the mood being as low as a snake's bellybutton, I still felt great being around them again.
On the way through the woods, I filled my team in on what everyone was up to in the past few months. Everything from that promised exotic double date between Juvia and Grey, and Mira and I, to Elfman becoming massive, to my unfortunate trip to the future and the people I met, leading right into my trial, new identity, and face off with my brother.
I was worried about telling them about my Industria roots, but they were more accepting then I could have ever hoped. As Grey said, "You're still the same psycho that I remember took on Deliora, so who cares what you are?"
We soon arrived at the destroyed bridge, and while everyone was wondering who called us out, the bridge began repairing itself. When everyone else was chatting amongst themselves about what it meant, I just sighed and started across the bridge, prompting the others to follow.
Shortly past the bridge into the woods, we ran into our hosts. Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear all greeted us warmly and apologized for the cryptic message and the remote location. We understood, they WERE technically still criminals, after all.
Ultear spoke up after introductions were through. "How many of you have heard of the Second Source?"
I was the only one who raised my hand. I decided to leave me blowing out a space ships observation deck out of my story.
"Ah, Mar, what do you know?"
"The Second Source is exactly what its name implies, a second inborn source of Magic. Its size varies between people. Mine was roughly five times the size of the original."
"….This explains a lot. I take it yours is open?"
"Without a doubt."
"Good! Now, Mar, I take it you know the link between Arc of Time and the Second Source?"
"Not a clue. Mine was opened by a blue alien that attached her being to mine."
Everyone turned to me and shot me weird looks, to which I replied with, "Sadly, no. I am not kidding."
Everyone then shrugged and turned back to Ultear. People half expected this from me by now. Good lord.
"Anyway, the Second Source opens naturally later on in life, a factor contributing to why guild masters are so powerful. With Arc of Time, however, I can age your second source to its age of opening immediately. Don't worry, it's no where near a vital organ, and it won't quit until your heart does. The only side effect is the treatment itself, right Mar?"
"Yeah. Hurt like hell, even to me. Also, your Magic may or may not need to hit its new full power before it comes back down."
Ultear raised an eyebrow and said, "I've never had that problem before."
Natsu, of all people, then said, "Hang on Mar, the only time you would have had to get your Source opened would have been on that ship. And if your power peaked there, you would have torn the thing to shreds! You didn't tell us something!"
I sighed and said, "Yeah. I left out the part where I blew out an observation deck and had to sit out in space on an asteroid that my very aura disintegrated. What can I say? Us Fairy Tail mages excel at breaking things."
Everyone burst into laughter and once they calmed down, Erza keyed in on something odd. "Hang on Mar, what about the blue alien…Liara I think you said her name was?"
"I threw her out of the room and shut the door before the worst happened. She was safe."
Erza smiled. "Good to see you haven't changed Mar."
I grinned and said, "Why would I change? I kind of like the man I am now."
In silent agreement, we gathered around Ultear, who then grabbed my hand and pulled me to the center of the ring.
"I take it you don't know my method, Mar?" she asked.
"Not a clue."
"Good. I'll hit you with it first. It won't do anything, but Archive will be able to show you how to do it. Then we'll split everyone up and crack their sources open."
"Got it."
And just like that, the runes appeared on my body again, prompting me to look over myself. I didn't get a very good look last time. It almost looked like a diagram of the human body. The runes were rounded at key points on my body, perfectly symmetrical on both sides.
It quickly faded and I said, "Alright, I got it. So everyone, split into two teams, two, along with Happy and Carla for Ultear, and three for me."
Erza, Natsu, and Lucy lined up in front of me, and I cracked my knuckles, then rolled my neck. I got them all to link hands, and I apologized in advance for what they were about to feel. The runes appeared on all of them simultaneously, and I maintained my focus as I set the spell up. I saw Jellal and Meredy walk away. I guess seeing Erza in pain would have been too much for the big guy.
I was soon ready and I said, "Brace yourselves." before activating them.
Each of them dropped to the ground straight away, Erza included. They began screaming, and I had to close my eyes to prevent myself from stopping the spell from the sheer sight.
As the spell came to an end, I heard Natsu stand and roar one final time before dropping to the ground again. As soon as the spell was complete, I released my control on them, and I could immediately feel that they had grown stronger. MUCH stronger.
Natsu, Lucy, and Erza stood, and looked over to Grey, Juvia, and the Exceeds, who were also just recovering, and once they shook the stun from their minds, I smiled at all of them and gathered them to check their current level of Magic.
Everyone had become at least two or three times as strong, easily. It made my heart jump for joy to see my friends grow so quickly.
I turned to Ultear and said thanks, before Jellal and Meredy walked back to us.
Jellal turned to me and asked, "How did it go?"
I replied with a smirk, and said, "Fairy Tail is back!"