"Morning, kids; how are you two doing?" I heard Marika's voice ask as she entered the tent, where I slept overnight. Zancrow and I were each given our little tent since we had to stay overnight. I tried sleeping but would get nightmares of the corpses, so I only managed to get a few hours of shut-eye, if that.
"Oh, Ms. Ainsley, morning. How did the investigation go?" I asked her since she and the Rune Knights were searching all over the town. I heard that they even went to neighboring towns and villages just to be sure there weren't any remaining Demons of Zeref.
"Pretty well, all things considered," Marika said with a smile. "There wasn't any evidence of suspicious activity, and we even looked at nearby towns just to be thorough. Our final conclusion was that it was just a Demon acting to heal itself."
At that, I gave a sigh of relief. "That's great news, Ms. Ainsley. I was worried that someone might be behind all of this." I admitted, glad that the whole fiasco with Ixtal was officially over.
"We had thought so at first too; while doing our search we found out that the Demon was in truth the leader of the Mountain Wolf bandits and had been keeping up that disguise for quite some time. Whilst our encounters with other Demons of Zeref have been infrequent, and we don't know much about their kind, one thing we know for sure is that they're all prideful beyond anything else, so for this Demon to act as a human set of red flags for us.
So we continued with our search and came to the conclusion that it had only acted as a bandit to cover up the fact that he was a Demon so the Magic Council would not make him one of our top priorities to deal with; Ixtal really was quite cunning."
I sat there listening to the Rune Knights' findings and was shocked by what I had just heard. My shock didn't truly stem from anything to do with the Demon, but more so from just how efficient the Rune Knights were in their investigation.
Marika continued, "But we'll keep a closer eye on any reports of Demon activity from now on. It's always better to be safe than sorry." She paused for a moment before adding, "But enough about that. How are you holding up, Ethan? I can imagine that seeing something like that could be traumatic."
I shrugged, not wanting to admit just how much the whole thing had affected me. "I'm doing okay, I guess. It was just a lot to take in."
She nodded understandingly. "Don't hesitate to ask if you or Zancrow need anything. We're here to help in any way we can, and if you're not comfortable with that, talk to your Guild master or someone close to you."
"Thank you, Ms. Ainsley," I said gratefully. "I really appreciate it."
With a warm smile, Marika nodded and left the tent. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, grateful for her reassurance and the knowledge that the Demon wasn't part of a larger scheme. Maybe, with this new knowledge, I would be able to rest without the constant stream of nightmares, though I doubted it.
'Ah shit, I wonder how Zancrow is holding up. Best to check on him, even with Gramps here you never know what kind of trouble he can find himself in.' I walked out of my tent and was immediately hit with a blinding light from the morning sun.
I rubbed my eyes a bit to get rid of the strain on my eyes, and whilst doing so, I heard a voice call out to me.
"Yo, Ethan, come over here." I saw Kenny gesturing for me to join him in going inside the biggest tent that the Templar Knights had set up where the twenty civilians were being treated. It was a good feeling knowing that we had saved them from the Demon's attack, and I was eager to see how they were doing.
As I entered the tent, I saw gramps, Ms. Ainsley, Kenny, and even Zancrow inside, helping out in any way they could.
"Yo, morning Ethan," Zancrow said while warming some water. I greeted him and everyone else before taking a proper look around the room.
The civilians were lying on cots, some still unconscious and others groaning in pain. But my and everyone else's eyes were drawn to one person who had just woken up and began looking around in confusion.
"Hey, you're awake!" I exclaimed, walking over to the person's cot. "How are you feeling?" I asked lowering my tone a bit so it wouldn't startle him.
He looked up at me, still groggy from his sleep. "I...I don't know. My head hurts, and my body feels sore."
I nodded sympathetically. "That's to be expected after what you went through, but the Knights here will take good care of you. You're safe now."
I turned to see Kenny approaching me. "Hey, Ethan, good timing. We think most of the civilians are going to wake up soon."
"What did you guys do? When we found their bodies, it looked like they were going to die." I asked curiously since I knew no one here had healing Magic.
"Oh, that would be our doing, Ethan. Ms. Elara here used her wood Magic to send nutrients back to their back while I merely strengthened her Magic circle by supplying it with some external Ethernano," Gramps spoke, walking up to me with a young female Knight with short green hair and green eyes as well.
"You give me too much credit, Master Roubaul." Elara looked a little shy from all the attention she was getting.
"Thank you two for all your help; I can't imagine we could save everyone here without help from the two of you."
"Thank you for saving our lives. I didn't think anyone was going to come, I thought we were left for dead, it was so dark," The man who has just woken up shuddered as he began to weep, most likely out of gratitude, and anguish.
I felt a warm sense of pride and satisfaction in my spirit, knowing that our efforts had made a difference. "It was nothing, really; I'm just glad we were able to help."
"Yeah, don't worry about it; it's natural we do that as Mages," Zancrow said, puffing his chest out.
As more people in the tent started to wake up and the Templar Knights continued to tend to their needs, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to use my Magic to help others. It wasn't something I always thought about when I joined the Guild, but it was becoming increasingly important to me as I saw the difference it could make.
"Hey Ethan, Zancrow, help in the back; they're preparing some food right now," Kenny commanded, gesturing to the back of the tent where a few crates of supplies, mostly frozen food, had been brought in overnight. The Knights had set up a station where they were currently cooking the supplies.
"Come on, Ethan," Zancrow said, opening a cart filled with snacks. As we started passing them to civilians who were awake, I noticed some of the people still seemed shaken and scared, even though they were safe now. I made a mental note to try to talk to them, especially the few kids, so they would have someone their age to talk to about their fears.
I could barely handle the sight as a bystander, so I could only imagine just what the people who had been through it themselves would feel.
After a while of helping out, Zancrow and I took a break and sat outside the tent, watching the calm sky and the clouds.
"You know, seeing all of this just brings back memories I try to forget, seeing the kids crying and parentless," Zancrow said, breaking the silence between us.
I turned to look at him, surprised by his words. "What do you mean?" Zancrow had never really opened up about his past, so I wasn't really sure what he was referring to.
"I mean, I know how hard it is to see something like that. When I was a kid, my family was killed by a dark Guild. I had to watch them die right in front of me. It's not something you ever forget," Zancrow explained, his voice quiet as he looked down.
I wasn't sure what to say to him, so I sat there just providing him with some company, hoping it would be enough.
"Sorry to hear that, but you know we are Mages now; we can make a difference," I said, trying to comfort him trying to make it so I wasn't pitying him, knowing he doesn't need that.
We might have our differences, but at the end of the day, we are members of Cait Shelter and brothers in arms.
"Ethan, come here." I heard Gramps say to me from inside one of the smaller tents where Ms. Ainsley and Gramps were sitting, seeming to discuss something important.
I gave a quick wave to Zancrow as I made my way over to where they were all situated.
"What's the matter, gramps?"
"What do you think about the idea of our little village becoming bigger?"
"Hmm? What do you mean by that, gramps?" I asked, not entirely understanding what he was trying to elude to.
"I was thinking of bringing the civilians to our village. They don't have any place to go to, and this town would serve as nothing but bad memories for them."
I didn't need any time to think and nodded right away, "Yeah, that would be great, we have the space for it, and it would be nice having new people around. Besides, being able to leave this place should help them heal faster."
"That sounds like a great idea," Marika spoke, "If you need any help moving them there or creating accommodations, my squadron would be more than happy to help."
"Is that so? Then we'd very much appreciate the help," Gramps thanked her.
"Oh right, Ethan, while you are here, I have just received a message from Lord Anos, the representative of the Magic Council and one of the 10 Wizard Saints," She paused. I could only wonder why she told me about such a big shot, "In which he asked me to bring you and Zancrow to Silard for a reward because of your outstanding work in defeating Ixtal."
"After all, it's not every day two nine-year-old kids beat a Demon of Zeref." She continued.
I turned to Gramps and saw him give a slight nod; seeing that, I gave a small bow to Marika, "It would be our honor to be able to visit the Enchanted City." I told her, barely being able to hide my excitement.
Even though Zancrow wasn't here, I knew he would agree as I had heard him speaking about wanting to try out Alchemy before, and there was no better place to begin than the Magic Capital of the World.
(4 Hours Later)
"Is everyone ready?" I heard Kenny shouting orders to the twenty civilians. They were now all healed up and healthy enough to walk once again. And so the grown-ups and civilians decided to move back to our village, and try to start their lives again by putting this incident behind them.
Gramps, Kenny, alongside some of the Templar Knights, would escort them back to Cait Shelter. Marika assigned some of the Knights to help move and build new infrastructure for them.
While we would go to Silard, The Enchanted City, where the Magic Council is located, and the Magic Capital of the world with Marika and the remaining Knights.
"See you two later," Kenny said, rubbing Zancrow and my hair, effectively messing it up.
"Behave, you two, and don't trouble Marika while you're with her. And be safe." Gramps continued after Kenny, hugging us.
"Knowing this idiot's luck, we'll probably end up fighting an S-rank Magical beast in the city somehow," Zancrow laughed.
As much as I wanted to, I didn't dispute it knowing how shit my luck has been so far.
"Gramps, Kenny, stay safe," I said as I watched five carriages start moving. About five minutes later, we were ready to leave as well.
"Alright, boys, get moving. Next stop, Marshall Town." Marika ordered as everyone started walking.
We were told we would take the train from the town to Silard. We arrived on time, about an hour before the train left. As we boarded the train, I couldn't help but marvel at the luxurious accommodations. The carriages were filled with plush seats and ornate decorations, and the dining car boasted a wide variety of delicacies from around the world.
This was one of the few trains that went directly to Silard without any stops, so it was built to be luxurious even for people who weren't seated in first-class seats. Initially, Marika wanted to take regular seating to be fair to everyone, but once we realized how much of a rush there was for those seats she moved us up to first class so we wouldn't take up space for anyone who may not be able to afford higher priced tickets.
As the train began to move, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of the smooth metal rails beneath them.
I closed my eyes as I slowly drifted off to sleep; I could hear Zancrow talking with Marika, about something related to Anos.
(6 Hours Later)
"Attention, please exist safely and in order. And welcome to Silard- The Enchanted City." A voice said over the speakers waking me up. We started existing without trouble as the people gave us free space to see the Templar Knights.
"WOAH!" I heard Zancrow from my side say from amazement at how pretty and beautiful the city was. The fact that it was nighttime just accentuated its breathtaking beauty.
From what I had been told, the city of Silard is the most important city on the whole continent. Its unique location surrounded by water and centered around the River of Magic has made it a renowned destination for Magic users seeking to improve their abilities.
But what really caught my attention was the massive statue in the middle of the river and the giant island floating above it
The statue was of Lior, the esteemed founder of the Magic Council. And the giant floating island above it was the headquarters of the Magic Council.
The island floating above the golden statue of Lior is a sight to behold; it was mythical and out of this world. The statue is located in the center of a wide and tranquil body of water, with the sun shining down on it and casting a warm, golden glow. Lior, the founder of the Magic Council, is depicted in the statue as a powerful and wise figure, with one arm raised to the sky in a gesture of triumph.
The floating island itself is massive and imposing, dominating the skyline with its sheer size. At the center of the island stands a grand castle, with tall spires and intricate turrets that seem to reach for the sky. The castle is made of white stone and gold trim, and it shines in the sunlight. The castle is surrounded by lush greenery and colorful flowers, making it seem like a paradise in the sky. Connected to the floating castle are two smaller islands. The left island is designed for festivals and celebrations, with a large open space where people can gather and dance. The island is decorated with colorful banners and streamers, adding to the festive atmosphere.
The right island, on the other hand, has a large body of water that sparkles in the sunlight. It is a peaceful spot where people can relax and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Overall, the scene is one of wonder and enchantment. The floating island, golden statue, and castle all combine to create a breathtaking sight that is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who sees it.[Statue Of Loir IMage Here Just Imagine It's Golden]
The island was the ultimate way of showing the Magic Council's prestige and authority in the whole continent. And it's here where the members of it govern the Magic World, coming up with new laws.
"Silard is busy like this every day and night. The shops here sell Magic potions, items, rare ingredients; anything you can imagine related to Magic is here." Marika said as we walked through the streets filled with shops.
I kept looking around, the architecture of the city was something I had never seen before, and the same with Zancrow as well. The city was split in half by the River of Magic. The streets were lined with crystal lacrima lighting up the whole city in purple and blue light.
"If you're interested in any form of art, the city has tons of museums and galleries from some of the most renowned artists and craftsmen in the world."
"What about alchemy?" Zancrow asked Marika, looking around in wonder.
"Alchemy huh? It's not that popular in Ishgar, but we do have quite a few alchemists, the Magic Council employs most of them due to their versatile set of abilities. Even though it isn't really taught, I can see if I can help you find someone who would be willing to impart their knowledge." Marika explained.
"Really?" Zancrow asked with excitement shining in his voice, "I would really appreciate that." Zancrow gave a short bow in thanks.
"Don't worry about it, you've both done quite a lot to help Fiore and you've picked up on the slack of the Rune Knights this is the least I can do."
"It took you longer than I would've thought," A voice cut in as I recoiled in surprise; I hadn't even sensed the speaker even though I was still using my Magic to sense my surroundings.
"Lord Anos," Marika gave a short bow, "I didn't think you would be meeting us here."
Anos was a tall man with curly black hair and was sporting black glasses, though they didn't hide his crimson pupils. He had on a long suit with a white dress shirt underneath. He also had a cocky air to him, along with a smirk filled with arrogance.
"I was planning on meeting you at the Rune Knight's residence initially. However, I got bored of waiting and decided to drop by to see how the old geezer's proteges are doing." He smirked as his gaze practically bore through me and Zancrow.
I resisted the urge to look down from the weight of his gaze, and met it dead-on, with Zancrow doing the same.
"How interesting," He spoke as he turned toward Marika, "Let's continue to the original meeting point so I can get the details of the mission, and more information on Ixtal." He told her as he began walking away.
"And what of the two children?" Marika asked.
"Bring them along, of course, they're the ones who fought and killed a Demon of Zeref. We owe them a debt do we not," He smiled in a mysterious manner as he turned to face us.
Marika gave a slight nod as she turned to us, "Not many your age have even visited the Rune Knights' quarters without having some relation to the Rune Knights; you two should be proud of yourselves," She smiled as Zancrow, and I nodded.
We followed Marika and Anos along the path until we got to the middle part of the city, which was all water.
"We taking a boat now?" Zancrow questioned.
"Of course not," He smirked, "We don't need such trivial forms of transportation."
"Then how are we going to get across?" I questioned, wondering just what he was up to.
"Lord Anos has quite the knack for theatrics so it would be better if you just played along." Marika cut in.
"Now now, don't go spoiling all the fun," He chuckled as suddenly a translucent circle formed around the four of us.
"This will be our form of transportation," He turned to us as he spread his arms out showing off the beautiful lake view.
"Isn't this just a barrier?" Zancrow asked as I nodded.
He didn't bother replying as promptly the translucent circle began to rise up in the air, allowing the four of us to fly.
"Woah," Zancrow and I exclaimed in unison, as we took in the breathtaking sites from the vantage point we were currently at.
"Now, use your Magic to stabilize yourselves as traveling at such slow speeds would take forever," Anos warned as suddenly the speed that the circle was traveling through the air multiplied at least tenfold.
Even though Anos had warned us, the extreme change in speed had still caught me off guard, and due to that, I almost ended up losing my footing, but Marika helped me remain upright.
"Thanks," I muttered as she smiled in response.
"And we're here," Anos told us as the circle slowly descended. "Welcome to the home of the Rune Knights."
"Damn, I didn't think you would live in such a lavish castle," Zancrow said while I just stared with wonder at the giant castle with three towers.
'Woah, everything in this city is so extra,' I thought to myself but made sure not to voice it out lest I anger Marika, and considering how kind she had been, that was the last thing I wanted.
The Rune Knight's Headquarters was situated at the edge of a cliff at the very back of the city, as if not to ruin the city's architecture.
The castle stood proud at the edge overlooking the Enchanted City. Its light blue and white facade gave it an elegant and regal appearance matching the city it swore to protect. To me, it looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale.
"The castle was built long before I was born; in fact, it was made for the royal family of Fiore, but later, they gifted it to the Rune Knights as an act of appreciation for what they had done for the country," Marika informed us with pride shining in her voice.
As we entered the castle, I noticed the inside of it was just lavishly decorated as the outside. Rune Knights of the highest rank were going about their business, giving Zancrow and I looks of confusion while bowing to Anos and Marika.
About four minutes later, we entered a rather large room, one that seemed to be used for meetings.
The room had two fancy couches, a table in the middle, and ten fancy chairs on each side of the table.
"I apologize for having you two speak on such a sensitive topic so soon after you have been through it, however, this matter is of the utmost importance so we aren't able to delay it," Anos apologized once everyone had taken a seat.
Zancrow and I were seated together opposite Anos and Marika.
"I'm guessing this is about that bastard Ixtal?" Zancrow asked to which the two adults nodded.
"You see, even though Marika wrote a report on what happened in the town of Arlington and how you two were involved, we need official statements from both of you. That's how dire this situation is, having escalated to the point where I had to get involved." Anos explained seriously, losing the arrogance in his voice, and switching to a more professional demeanor.
'Hmm, he has a point; Wizard Saints mostly stay to themselves unless they are involved with Guilds or the Magic Council. And Anos is the only one that fits the role currently, making him extra busy.'
"I didn't want to tell you this before, though it seems that I have no choice but to do so now. In the investigation, we discovered 2000 deaths caused by the Ixtal, that's just over 99% of the town's population," Marika continued looking down at the table in what I think was shame.
"To make things worse, the King of Fiore heard about this a few hours ago and demanded an explanation on why we couldn't prevent this. Of course, the Magic Council took full responsibility, but at the same time, we must insure that the civilians of Ishgar feel protected and view this incident as an accident instead of the norm.
If they believe for such things to be of common occurrence, the people's faith in the Magic Council, Rune Knights, and Light Guilds would begin to waver; resulting in an era of far more Dark Guilds and criminals." Anos explained as he rested his head upon his right hand.
"Originally, I was planning on just rewarding the of you two for your outstanding achievement, but as you can see now, we have some matters to deal with before we can do that."
"I didn't think it was going to be this complicated," I replied to Anos, trying to push down the guilt I felt at the number of deaths.
He gave an amused smile, "You don't have to worry about that; just leave the cleaning up to us adults. You two just need to answer me truthfully. Oh also, quick warning, I will know if you're lying." Anos explained, his crimson eyes glowing behind his glasses.
"Got it," Zancrow said from my side.
"First, when you picked up the quest, did you know if you were going to fight a Demon of Zeref instead of an A-rank bandit leader who had been injured severely."
I shook my head as I decided to respond to the first question since I was the one who chose the quest, "I was informed by my Guild master, Roubaul, that I would be taking out the Mountain Wolf Bandits and their leader when I picked up the quest."
"When you arrived in the town, what was its state?"
"The entire town was overrun by vines, trees, and plants. There was no civilian in sight."
"When did you encounter the Demon, and when you fought it, what form did it take?"
"We encountered it at the very back of the town where we could feel a foul presence," I paused after that trying to remember just how the Demon looked before continuing, "It took the form of a Demon, but it was missing one of its legs and arm. It also had other injuries as well; due to these factors, I believed the Demon wasn't capable of using transformation or didn't use it to save Magic to heal itself."
"What did Ixtal do with the civilians?"
"He used them as fuel to heal himself and regain strength."
"Last question, do you know of the secrets of the Demons of Zeref?"
"What do you mean secrets of the Demons of Zeref?" I questioned confused.
"Oh, I suppose you didn't. In order to kill a Demon of Zeref, one must destroy their true form which is those books. The Demons of Zeref were created by Zeref using forbidden life Magic." Anos explained, answering our unspoken questions.
"Oh, we had a feeling that it had something to do with the book considering it appeared right after we had defeated it, however, we weren't sure and didn't want to mess with it without having the proper understanding of just what that book was," I answered.
"If the Demon transformed into that book after its defeat, why don't you just destroy the book?" Zancrow asked.
Anos took a sip from the glass of water that sat in front of him before answering with an amused smile, "Well that's to study it of course. There might be a day when we're forced to confront multiple, more powerful Demons of Zeref, and if we hope to defeat them then we need to get as much information on them as possible."
"And that brings me to why I was called in, even though I'm the Magic Council's representative, I'm not typically called in for matters dealing with children, however, it is my responsibility to study and seal all forms of Magic that the Magic Council has deemed "forbidden"."
Anos answered, as I clocked just how dangerous of a job he did, and wondered how strong he must be.
"It sounds like a tough position to fill." I said yawning a little accidentally, as I immediately went red in embarrassment.
I saw Anos smirk, and Marika cover up a chuckle behind her hand.
"My apologies for taking up so much of your time, but I believe I asked all the questions I needed to. Why don't you two get some rest and tomorrow we can discuss the rest of your visit."
"Yeah sure, I wouldn't mind getting a good nap. Zancrow replied getting up from chair.
"Then it seems this meeting is officially concluded. Marika, I'd appreciate it if you could show them to their quarters for the night."
[Word Count 5019]
That's the end folks.
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