Arc 2 - Fate From the Souls Make
Episode 1
X787
Winter
Spirit Walker
After a few months, mages started going on jobs again. The Council came by briefly, some to give their regards, some to get the paperwork.
Life started moving on, and things seemed to be getting back to normal.
Well, mostly.
Magnus' brows drew even closer together as he stared hard at the closed door leading to the balcony. Spirit was out there—had been for the past few hours—and while the kid had always liked the warmer months, the unusually sharp chill of the day should have been enough to keep him of all people inside. Yet, he had gone outside with not much more than a light jacket on.
Tatsuki sat down beside him, following his gaze to the doors. "He's still out there?"
A nod.
She pursed her lips in thought, expression now mirroring his own. "He's changed so much in only a few months."
"He's a completely different person." Magnus finally spoke, soft and quiet and just a little hoarse. "That guy out there? I don't know him."
They lapsed back into silence after that.
…
Sophie gripped the edge of the ad, making as if to pull it off, only to sigh and release the paper once more. She couldn't bring herself to go on a mission, hadn't for months. She needed the money, but…
Miwa met her eyes for a moment, blue staring into brown, and Sophie sighed once more, this time in defeat as she stroked the kitsune's fur. Miwa didn't say anything about the way her hand shook, and for that Sophie was grateful.
They'd all been struggling to return to normalcy, not just for Spirit's sake, but for their own. In the wake of the senior members' own grief, though, the rookies had been really picking up the slack. Asha went on missions left and right, sometimes dragging the more sullen members to join her and get them out of their rooms. Zack had followed her example rather quickly, sometimes tag-teaming it with the others. (They'd tried to drag Sophie on a mission, but it had been a bad day and thankfully, Miwa was able to ward them off.) Anya and Aisen had practically taken over the duties that Mia and the Master had formerly done. Keeping the Guild clean, the members fed, and on occasion even attempting to herd the ghostly inhabitants.
Sophie frowned at that. The ghosts were usually a scarce presence; most members who'd been around less than four years had never even seen them. They stayed out of sight, more often than not invisible to the naked eye for all but the more… spiritually inclined, noticeable previously only because the Master would stop to talk with them. Many thought her crazy for talking to the air. Sophie had too, until she'd seen her first spirit.
But since the funeral, they'd practically run rampant, shimmering into visibility and scaring the wits out of most people. They wandered through the halls of the Guild, sometimes walking in on someone changing in their room in the Hermitage, at other times phasing right through someone's food. They didn't interact with the rest of the Guild much, perhaps with the exception of Spirit, but it wasn't hard to notice. They were agitated, frantic.
"You know, I don't think you're ever going to go on another mission. You've been standing here every day but you haven't chosen one yet." Sophie sighed in slight annoyance, staring up at the young boy hanging upside down over the Job Board. She had rather quickly learned that spirits still retained some of their magic. Whether or not they had enough energy to utilize it on top of maintaining a solid form was another story. Kneph, the Zero Gravity mage, grinned down at her. Sophie tried to avert her eyes from the gaping hole in his chest as he turned over midair. "You waiting for the right one?" He snickered, flipping onto the floor in front of her.
"I thought you couldn't use magic." Sophie raised a brow at him, though she'd like nothing more than to leave at that moment. The kid—it was disturbing enough that she was talking to a dead child—had been bothering her for weeks.
Kneph snickered. "With the amount of magic energy all you mages are giving off while sitting around and moping, it's not that hard."
"I can't see the jobs behind you, Kneph." The boy jumped as golden eyes narrowed in his direction. The Celestial Mage tucked a wayward bright orange strand of her bobbed hair back behind her ear, her other hand resting on the sword at her hip. Kneph jumped back into the air, eyeing the blade warily.
"Fine, fine. Just keep that thing away from me." He glowered at the weapon once more before letting himself float up and into the rafter beams. When Sophie glanced up, she could see him peeking down below.
Olivia Payne rolled her eyes at the ghost, brushing off her skirt and adjusting the red blouse she wore, jostling the loosely tied black bowtie as a result. She scanned the Job Board with a practiced eye, frowning for a moment before plucking the one that Sophie had been eyeing off the board.
She glanced back at the weight of Sophie's gaze. "What?"
Sophie pressed her lips together, feeling once more Miwa's comforting warmth on her shoulder and the tickle of fur against her face. Her eyes stared at the pink nose ring on Olivia's nose rather than meeting her eyes (she couldn't show weakness, she had to be vigilant and on guard at all times) before ultimately deciding it was best to say nothing and turning on her heel.
Olivia narrowed her eyes at the abrupt departure, but left the thought alone. The sooner she was on her way with this mission, the better.
X787
Spring
Spirit Walker
Spirit stared at the jagged cliffs of the mountain; the last of the frost still clung to life up in the crags, where civilization had yet to touch. The harsh winds cut through his clothes and skins and right into his bones, but Spirit hardly felt it. The chill had been there since the depths of winter, an absence of space that had settled into the marrow of his bones, the veins that coursed through his body and his heart, the very life that made up his soul.
He didn't quite know how to explain it. Grief didn't seem to describe it, as if his very spirit had been torn from his body.
Death had always been just a transition, a movement from one state of being to another. But Gran… it was more like she'd been ripped away from him, as if her soul had been swallowed whole by oblivion. Was this what it felt like, for the people that never understood Death?
"You could get sick dressed like that out here."
Spirit glanced at the newcomer from out of the corner of his eye, seeing the unkempt turquoise hair and knowing immediately who it was. Suna's aqua blue eyes bore into him, despite the disinterested expression on his face, with a knowing that had Spirit folding in on himself a little. Suna's olive skin tone hinted bronze in the sunlight as he stepped closer, black boots silent on the creaky wood. He stripped the black tailcoat he wore, draping it over the younger mage.
"Did you do as I asked?" Spirit didn't voice his appreciation, but it was communicated nonetheless.
Suna pushed up the rolled up sleeves of the navy turtleneck he wore, fiddling with the navy clasps on his black vest as he spoke. "Yes. Your hunch was correct."
Spirit sighed heavily, resting his arms atop the balcony. The wood was cold, but he didn't bother to brush off the frost. "…What am I supposed to do now?"
"Shekinah would tell you to stand tall," Suna leaned against the balcony next to him. "You're the Guildmaster now. You can't shut yourself away anymore. You have a job to do, people who need you." Beneath the stubborn determination and dull intensity of his eyes, there was a gentle warmth, and Suna smiled reassuringly. Spirit's lips twitched, but otherwise he remained sullen, staring out into the mountainside. The older mage straightened, stretching against the cold. "Just don't forget that you have people you can lean on, too."
Suna ruffled a head of dark hair and headed inside.
Spirit sighed again, watching his breath puff out before him, rubbing the amulet around his neck. His thumb traced the outline of the footprint, the symbol of their Guild. "People who need me… huh?"
X787
Spring
Lilium
There was something wrong. Magnus could inherently feel it, a feat he was probably only capable of because they'd known each other for over seven years. He watched Jack, the way he was more distant than usual, refusing to open up even to those he'd known the longest. At first, he'd thought it was just grief. Every member had their own way of grieving after Shekinah died, and Jack tended to be a little more reserved than others, and despite his friendly demeanor, he liked having time to himself. Magnus himself wasn't the same after that, and that was without mentioning the case that was Spirit.
But, as more and more time went on, he was starting to realize that grief wasn't the problem. No, it only hid the real issue.
Carbuncle nudged his hand, snapping Magnus out of his thoughts. He looked down, only then noticing the white-knuckled grip he had on his glass. Magnus frowned. He couldn't recall when he'd started drinking. That was definitely a bad sign, and he grimaced as he pushed the whiskey away, murmuring a thank you to his friend, who only continued watching him with large concerned eyes.
White and blue stripes flashed into vision as Bayen slid onto the barstool beside him, taking the abandoned whiskey and downing it himself. "You mind if I have this?"
Magnus rolled his eyes, but he cracked a smile nonetheless, feeling a little more like himself. "You already drank it."
The brunette shrugged, leaning back and watching the other Guild members. It was a quiet day; the rowdiest happening was the poker game between some of the Guildmembers (a couple ghosts included). "But seriously, are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately." The whiskey glass filled itself on its own, but neither of them questioned it, and Bayen downed it once more.
"I could ask you the same question. How are you handling things? And how's Mia been doing?" Magnus didn't need to look at his friend to know the expression on his face. He took the offered glass of whisky.
…
On the other side of the room, the poker game was heating up. The dealer—one of the ghosts, who looked extremely intimidated by the other members of the table—laid down the cards, and Mister Impossible smirked.
"Full House," he sat back, spreading his cards out on the table. Riley groaned, lavender hair flopping as he slouched back in his chair and threw down his cards. July already had a sizable pile of jewels stacked carefully beside him. Riley's own spread was pitiful in comparison.
Across from the two was another of the resident spirits, his free-floating head giving off an obnoxious smirk as he spread his own cards out, hands detached from the pieces of arms the hung together by nothing at all.
"Royal Flush," the Puppet Master shot back, the other players shooting forward to get a closer look. Shankara smirked, head bobbing as he nodded in arrogance.
"You totally cheated!" Erie shrieked, pointing at the ghost, who simply lifted his hands as if to say, 'and what can you do about it?'
The third and last spirit sitting at their table scoffed. "You used your hypnosis magic on Mallory, didn't you? There's nothing beautiful in cheating." She tossed her hair back, standing. Her legs passed through the chair momentarily as she did so, peering down her nose with cloth-covered eyes at the two large piles of jewels on the table before stalking out of the room, heels silent.
Shankara snickered as he pulled in his winnings.
"What are you even going to do with all that money? You're dead." July's fingers twitched, as if he was trying not to reach for the money receding from him, and Shankara's smug look intensified as his eyes flickered down to the twitchy fingers.
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Shankara shrugged with his hands, seeing as he had a torso but no shoulders, and Riley groaned again—this time, though, it was for an entirely different reason.
"Aahh, I give up. I'm going to go take a nap." The Iron Skin mage stretched as he stood, very pointedly looking away from the spirits in the room as he escaped.
Erie heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Well, we might as well throw it in here. The only other players that play fair just left."
July rose a brow, "And what are you insinuating, Five-Knuckle Sakamoto?" She stuck her tongue out at him, the two slapping away the dismembered hands reaching for their winnings. Shankara glowered.
Appearing from behind an armchair by the fireplace, Bringer yawned, glancing over at the game. "I can play, if you don't mind."
Leaping from her chair, Erie dragged him over, the droopy-eyed mage nearly tripping over the couch as his arm was taken hostage. "You got money, right?"
Bringer nodded, sharp purple eyes watching as he sat, narrowing. But when deep blue turned to find the source, their owner turned away again, downing another glass of whisky.
X787
Spring
Shirotsume Town, Central Fiore
The Castle Hook Café was a small place, with most of its seating consisting of quaint tables with a couple chairs outside, allowing customers to enjoy the mild weather and gentle atmosphere of the town. It was a slow day, with most everyone working, and a lone mage enjoyed the sun, sipping at a cup of tea.
"Arden?"
A tall, slender person glanced up at the young man staring down at them. They adjusted the navy bowtie around their neck, brushing off a formal vest of the same color before standing. They smiled, honey brown eyes sharp despite their overall relaxed demeanor.
"Suna, it's been a long time."
He nodded, tucking a stray turquoise strand behind his ear. "That it has." Suna took a seat across from Arden, waving off the waitress that rushed over to their table.
Arden rose a brow at the action. "No tea?"
"I won't be here long," the mage shook his head before continuing, "But how is Silas? He has been hanging out with your Guild, hasn't he?"
Suna watched as Arden's dark brown braided bun fell loose, the dark-skinned mage reaching back to retie it at the nape of their neck. "Unfortunately," they heaved out a large sigh, leaning back in their chair exasperatedly. "He's been draining our supply of liquor, and as I'm sure you know, physical punishments do no good against a masochist. I tried to give him some advice on his attire the other day, but…" They shrugged, a smile flickering across their companion's face.
"That sounds like him. Thank you for looking after him for us, and I apologize for all the trouble."
Arden's haughty expression softened, their honey-brown eyes aging a few hundred years. "But your Guild has been going through a lot lately, hasn't it? That's why one of your core members has been hanging around us; he's seeking the comfort of a blood relative." Their expression was sharp with the depth of an intelligent mind honed by time and rigorous study. "That's why you sought me out as well, is it not? You need something of me concerning the death of Shekinah Hugues."
All pleasantries dissipated with that statement, and the Burning Leviathan grimaced. "Yes. There is something I wish to confirm."
Before Suna could say another word, however, a man's thin build stopped before their table, dressed in black pants and a black jacket with scarlet lining. The silver dragon's head that made up the buckle of his belt gleamed. Wide, round eyes looked down on them with constricted pupils, small and feral. Dark rings only served to emphasize the inhumanness in his gaze.
"Ohhh, well if it isn't the Astronomer. I never thought I'd see your face again." Arden went rigid in their seat, eyes taking in the newcomer's appearance, from the reptilian-esque, long green hair to the silver ring on his left index finger with the inscription 666 engraved in a bold black font.
Suna's eyes narrowed, standing and subtly moving in front of Arden. "Gecko."
Gecko smirked. "Well, well, well. What a reunion this is. All we're missing is the Sun Goddess. Is she on her way?"
X787
Spring
Just Outside Lilium
The world was quiet, almost eerily so, as the last of the sun's rays disappeared below the horizon. Two people stood at the base of the mountain, alone, staring down at the town below. Above them, the biting cold wind was unforgiving, the lonesome peaks intimidating as they looked down upon the rest of the world.
"Now what?"
Cloaked in black, a crimson snake's eye glowered down at the town with an iciness that threatened to bring them back into winter. Long, curly brown hair fluttered in the wind, contrasting with the tight leather they wore. Heterochromatic eyes watched their partner more than the scenery.
"Let's have some fun~!"
The cloaked figure turned to the heterochromatic eyes watching them. "We're here to see that woman's progress, not to goof around."
A green eye and a blue eye turned up to the sky, and their owner sighed. "Ahh, that's true. The Master wouldn't be happy if he found out, huh?" They hummed, their cheerful demeanor contrasting with the burn scars marring their left side. "Well, if we keep a low-profile it won't be a problem, right?"
The scarlet snake's eye disappeared for a moment as its owner sighed. "Your definition of fun isn't low-profile."
"Now, now, I'm sure it'll be fun! If anything happens, I'll take responsibility~!"
Night fell, and darkness descended upon Lilium.
(So I think I'm going to start doing these for each arc, since I moved that cliffhanger I was going to make you hate me with.)
Next Episode…
The large dog nearly broke down the doors, shaking bits of grass and brambles from his fur as he ran into the Guild, nearly bowling Spirit over in his haste.
The Guildmaster blinked as he righted himself, staring down with raised brows at the Saint Bernard in bewilderment. "Barik…? What are you…" he paused, changed his question, "Where's Elin?"
Mia ran her hand over the canine's fur in an attempt to calm him, scratching behind the ears before letting her palm run along Barik's side. She let out a noise somewhere between a shriek and a gasp, jerking away, and her hand came back stained red. "Blood…?"
ACTUAL NEWS YUP
But this arc is going to be fairly short—probably only three to four chapters, and then we'll be moving on to the next arc. :3 I hope you'll be looking forward to it, haha. Also, submissions for the other Light Guilds will probably close soon, but before that I need a few more men for all of them. I promise they'll have more appearances than just the GMG, as I'll try to showcase them often, but men (and at least one gay/bi/pan guy) would be wonderful thanks. ;3
MY RAMBLING YAAAY
I'm so shocked; we're already at 50 reviews holy crap. *^* You guys are so amazing. I apologize for the long wait, especially after that. This chapter was hard to write, especially since I'm just introducing this rather short arc. The next chapter is very thoroughly planned out, on the other hand, so while I can't promise being faster, it'll at least be much easier to write.
This chapter was definitely hard to finish, especially with my workload and family stress, haha. If I don't know exactly what to do, I tend to flounder, and I didn't exactly have a lot planned for this particular chapter, so I screwed myself over a little whoops. That was mainly because I wanted to put all the action in the next chapter. (But if that one gets long enough, I may split it into two, so if it takes long, it's cause I'm writing two chapters at once, probably.)
And you guys gave me such great characters for the more minor Guilds, I feel guilty not using them. So for most of the arcs, I'll be featuring several arcs in one, so to speak. The main Guild's arc, of course (sometimes that'll also have two, depending), and at least one other Guild will have its own arc, featuring at least one character. The exceptions, of course, are the few arcs that'll be featuring all the Guilds relatively equally, such as the GMG arc.
Characters We Met:
Olivia Payne – A sixteen year old celestial mage that's been a member of Spirit Walker for three years. By LittleMage1996
Suna Dire – An A-rank mage good enough to be S-class, the Burning Leviathan is in his late twenties and has been a member since around the Guild's opening, though little else is known about him. By HiroshitheHawk
Arden Tempest – Considered one of the strongest mages in Wilted Rose, this S-class mage looks twenty-five, and has been a member for two years. Their gender is unspecified. By InkwellPrincess
Gecko – An independent dark mage, the Zombie's rank is unknown but presumed to be at least S-rank. Despite his preferred pronouns, he's actually genderless. By PainX65