So, uhh. I may or may not have forgotten about this story since I got sidetracked for a year with working insane hours and keeping grades afloat. I'm really sorry for not keeping this going like I should, but hopefully this will make up for it. Odds are this chapter is going to make it obvious that I've gotten a little rusty with my writing, so we'll see how it goes. Have fun and be sure to check out some of the other stories for FT.
Gildarts cleared his throat. He and Makarov had been spending the past several hours staring at a lacrima display showing footage from Kazro's recent excursion to Stella in the east. The recordings weren't great since they were made out in the field by scouts trying to stay hidden and away from everything, so any kind of close up visuals were out of the question. This didn't bother either of the two viewers since they could easily pick out Kazro's distinctive green flames streaking across the evening backdrop.
"He's fast. Not as fast as Natsu or Gray but he definitely hits a hell of a lot harder." Makarov thought out loud.
Gildarts simply nodded. He was losing himself in the spectacle before him. Every feint, every set up, he took it all in and watched as a glowing ball of fire in the center of the screen waded through wave after wave of resistance and crushed each one in a grisly display of supremacy. The ball would move quickly through the ruins of a once thriving town, quickly dropping magic circle traps that were triggered by proximity. A handful of them were bluffs to funnel the ever growing mass of enemies into a narrow corridor of destroyed buildings.
"A chokepoint? Clever. This dark guild didn't even seem to realize that they were being baited." Gildarts uttered.
"It didn't do too much good, though. Look at that map up in the corner. The information that the scouts had gathered indicated that a two guilds worth of mages were on their way in. They were just using this small batch to pin point where he is so they could surround him." Makarov stated.
The attempt to surround the devil slayer had worked, but the final outcome was far from the dark guilds' desires. A guttural, bone chilling roar pierced the air and could clearly be heard through the shoddy equipment the Magic Council's scouts had been using. Within an instant, a column of flame streaked upwards and rapidly expanded outwards in a pillar of cataclysmic destruction. The hellfire was gone just as quickly as it had appeared and nothing was left standing, save a small handful of walls and columns.
"By the gods. Master, how many did he take out with that one blast?" Gildarts asked in disbelief.
"According to the report, Kazro ended this fight with a total tally of two guilds worth of mages. Apparently there wasn't a single survivor from their side." Makarov sighed as he spoke.
An uneasy silence settled over the two mages. The air had become stifling and the diminutive Makarov made his way to a window to let in a cool breeze.
"That kid is a strange one. He's a hardened warrior, tougher than a coffin nail but he also has a profound respect for human life." Makarov mused while still facing the window. "At the games, we saw first-hand what he can do while limiting his power. This footage that the Council gave us is only part of what they have. It doesn't even show how his arm came to be the way it is now."
"Is there any reason why the Council wouldn't hand that footage to us?" Gildarts asked with an arched brow.
"Supposedly the disruptions in the ethernano particles during a lot of what happened was so strong that it fried the equipment the scouts were using. You know what that means, don't you?" Makarov asked with a smirk.
Gildarts grinned at the Fairy Tail master. "It means that his level of power is at the very least on par with Laxus."
"Let's just hope he's not as reckless as you and Natsu." Makarov teased.
Once more, their eyes drifted to the lacrima hovering above the master's desk. A different scene appeared before the two. Dense woodland filled their vision with a few watchtowers breaching the canopy. Clouds filled most of the sky with the sun peering intently through the few gaps of cover. Despite what appeared to be a day in the middle of spring, frost still clung to parts of the treetops.
"This must be from near the border with Iceberg." Makarov observed. "Even in the summer the temperatures there can be brutally cold."
Gildarts said nothing as a plume of green fire blossomed in the left third of the visible scene. A series of rapid explosions followed by shouting could be heard shortly after the burst. The clouds formed closer together and started to darken as they blotted out the last hopes of seeing sunlight for the day. A series of small flashes could be seen through the thickly wooded area.
"Master."
"Hmm?" Neither man had taken their eyes of the magic fed device sitting in front of them.
"Why was Kazro chosen instead of myself, or even Laxus?"
Makarov hadn't expected this question from his ace but could easily answer it to placate the crash mage.
"Three reasons. One: you were not in town at the time. Two: his control is at a point where I wouldn't have to worry about anybody getting tangled in the wake of destruction he would leave behind. Three: he has a degree of ruthlessness that makes him far more suited to a task like this than anyone else in the guild."
Gildarts let these words echo in his head as he thought about the third point Makarov had made. He was in no position to argue the first two, as he tended to come and go as the wind blew and wasn't renowned for his restraint in close quarters. The one part that stuck out to him like an eyesore was the third point the elderly master had made. Ruthlessness. The idea of a hardened killer did not sit well with the crash mage in the slightest. Makarov's description of the devil slayer was far from what constituted every other member of the guild.
"Look, Gildarts. I can see the worry on your face. If it helps his case any, he didn't kill a single bystander." Makarov reassured Gildarts.
Gildarts let out a sigh of relief. While he did not like the idea of killing short of a last resort, he could live with no innocents getting caught in the crossfire. He got up from his seat and left the master's office. He made a mental note to keep an eye on Kazro for the time being until he could be sure of the fire mage's character.
"Where is he, master?"
"Hmm?"
"Kazro. I haven't seen him hanging around the guild since we got back from the Games."
Makarov glanced sidelong at Gildarts before answering. "Erza said something about finally showing him around Magnolia since he hasn't really had a chance to get to know the town. Besides, after his little venture in Stella and fighting in that free for all, I think he's earned some time to just relax and do nothing."
The sound of frantic knocking at the office door roused the two mages from their conversation as Gildarts hastily made his way to the door to open it. A frantic Lucy burst through from the other side, breathing heavily as if she had sprinted from the other side of Magnolia.
"Master…" she struggled to regain her breath as her lungs burned from the exertion. "It's Kazro and Erza!"
Concern began to etch itself into the master's face as he waited for the blonde to regain her composure. "Take a deep breath and calm down, Lucy. What happened to them?"
"S-something came from out of nowhere and attacked us! Natsu tried fighting back first but was shoved aside as if he wasn't even there and Erza caught a gash in her side…" she trailed while still struggling to breathe normally.
"Where is Erza?"
"She's with Kazro, but…"
"But what!?"
"Kazro beat whatever it was but then grabbed Erza, started speaking in that language he uses for his spells and the two of them vanished through what looked like a portal!"
Gildarts spoke up this time. "What do you mean by a portal? Where are Natsu and Happy?"
"They're both okay, mostly. All Natsu got was a fractured arm and a concussion. Happy should be guiding him back here."
Lines of worry were made much more apparent on Makarov's face as he and Gildarts exchanged apprehensive looks. Something that was able to sneak up on and injure several of his strongest mages was not something that he was wanting to hear.
"Lucy. When this "portal" opened up, did Kazro say anything to you or Happy at all?"
"Something about a place called Acherus and how they can treat injuries from demons."
"Holy shit. You mean to tell me that place actually exists?" Gildarts asked.
"I still don't know why you brought her here." A deceptively smooth, albeit slightly distorted, voice stated.
"That little bastard weaseled his way out of his cell and caused chaos in a human settlement. Think of it as me calling in that favor you owe from several years ago and a chance for you to play around with my blood like you've been wanting to do for so fucking long." A more familiar voice spoke this time, but it still had the same distorted sound as the previous.
"Hmph. Fine. But we're even once I'm done, human."
"Deal."
That's all she was able to do. Listen to a handful of footfalls and voices that sounded like they were hovering over her. They had both sounded irritated, the familiar one more than the other. She could almost picture the face that owned it, but the pain in her side kept derailing her conversation. She felt herself drift off into unconsciousness as the physical agony began to subside.
Erza's eyes shot open as she inhaled sharply; her chest heaved with influx of air. Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. Faint twilight filtered into the room but something about it seemed off. The incoming light had a slight purple tint to it. She rubbed her eyes and let them readjust to the light. Still the same purple tint to the soft natural lighting. The Knightess flung off the sheets that had been covering her and began trying to recap the last chain of events that she remembered. Some kind of yellow and gray blur. A head of pink hair being tossed to the side like a ragdoll. Blue blood surrounding a pair of silver eyes as they looked into hers with something akin to fear and desperation. Then there was nothing but black and voices.
She reached to her right side. It felt normal enough to her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She looked around the room again. It was painfully plain. No decorations except for an ornate tapestry hanging on the far wall and a small reading lamp on an end table beside the bed she occupied. As she adjusted, she felt a small wave of heat rush through her blood stream. It was concerning and comforting at the same time. Her brown eyes drifted to a chair on the other side of the bed. Fresh clothing made of an unfamiliar material were folded neatly on the seat. Erza swung her feet off the bed and pressed them onto the cool stone floor and stood to stretch. A knock at the door followed by it opening shortly after sent her into a defensive stance. A shadowy cloaked figure stepped through and reached for a switch on the wall, unleashing a soft cascade of light.
"Ah, you're finally awake." The voice was calming and motherly, but still retained something of a youthful spark to it and had none of the distortion she had heard earlier. "Please get dressed and follow me. I'm sure you have many questions and I'll be more than happy to answer them for you once we get moving."
Erza was taken off guard by this. "Where am I? Who are you? Where's Kazro and the others?"
"After you're dressed, Knightess." This time the voice was slightly more forceful, but not more than needed.
The red head sighed and quickly threw on the clothing on the chair. She paused for a moment or two to get used to the feel of it. Sky blue in color, light and airy in feel, but seemed like it could stand up to almost any kind of abuse. She slipped her feet into a pair of simple gray shoes that had a similar feel to what was covering the rest of her. She looked up at the figure who had somehow remained shadowy despite the lighting in the room and it motioned for her to follow.
Erza quickly caught up and was walking side by side with the figure as opposed to following.
"That's much better, now what questions did you have for me?" it asked sweetly.
"First, where exactly am I? The last thing I remember is Kazro holding me as everything went dark."
"Ah, yes. He explained that entire ordeal when he arrived here with you. As for where you are, you are currently in Acherus."
"Wait. I'm dead?" Erza asked with disbelief.
"On the contrary. You are very much alive but you were on the brink for several hours."
Erza shot a side long glance at the figure who had guided her out of what seemed almost like a hospital and through a series of winding cobblestone streets. She looked around as they walked and was taken off guard by how similar everything looked when compared to many of the cities she had visited at some point in time.
"Okay. Where is Kazro?"
"He should be at the training grounds, which is where we're headed as well. Once you were stabilized we had quite a time calming him down. He even injured several of our realm guards while bringing you here." The figure let out a chuckle. "He's a piece of work. Even though he's human, he acts much like some of the other demons here."
"What do you mean?"
"The process of becoming a Devil Slayer would take far too long for me to explain to anyone except for another slayer."
"I see. I do have another question for you."
"Fire away."
"Who are you?" Erza asked.
The figure stopped walking. It turned its still cloaked head to face the Knightess. Erza could feel the figure's gaze fixed on the royal blue mark on her left arm. The figure began walking again.
"I take it you have some sort of connection to Kazro?"
"Yes."
"Well then I guess I can drop a large part of this act."
Erza raised an eyebrow as the figure's pale hands reached for the hood of its cloak and pulled it back. She was greeted by a head of wavy thick black hair pulled neatly into a ponytail, a pair of elf-like ears, skin that almost glowed in the shadowy twilight and a pair of piercing silver eyes. The Knightess lingered on the eyes slightly before noticing a mark on the right side of her guide's neck. The mark was an image of a deep red skull with fractured lines running over its entirety.
"You and Kazro were in the same guild." Erza stated in shock as her eyes widened.
"My name is Kizara Fhlosten. Shadow Demon of Acherus and once known as the Matron of the independent guild Shattered Grin."
