A/N: A lot has changed for me since I put this story on its hiatus, but don't worry, readers, for I have greatly improved since then, and forgive me for keeping you all waiting so long.
Sorry if the chapter is not particularly long, but I wanted to essentially set the stage for the new Thirros Arc as well as let all of you know that the story is back online.
Chapter 15: The Mysterious Thirros!
Out in the outskirts lining Magnolia, Thirros was in a dash for the city several miles away, his horse lying dead from exhaustion a short distance away. Whatever has been chasing him for the last several days is still pursuing him. He spotted Magnolia over the hills and dashed for it, but suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared in front of him, freezing him to the ground. The figure was clad entirely in black, the only things visible was his amber eyes and strands of wood brown hair.
"Stop where you are, Thirros," the figure ordered. "We won't allow you to do this." Three other figures similar to him appeared and surrounded him. "Just surrender now." The leader of the group drew a long knife from his belt and held it in reverse under his arm. Thirros merely grinned and crossed his arms before him, and waved them both in a semi-circle, then the leader was lying on his back a few feet away with large gashes in his chest; whatever happened to him happened so fast that none of the others were able to track it. The remaining three members converged on Thirros, but he waved his hands at them in swipe-like movements and the remaining people went to the ground hurt and unconscious. A grin spread across Thirros' face as he walked towards Fiore, his cloak close around him.
It was a few hours later that the four masked strangers woke up. "Damn, Thirros got us there," moaned the leader of the group as he drank a potion, which healed the gashes on his chest. "We'll have to go find him and kill him before he ruins everything!" The others gathered themselves and headed straight for Magnolia, their desire to kill the mysterious Thirros greater than ever.
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At the Fairy Tail guild, everyone was a tad on edge regarding the strange letter from Thirros a few days prior, especially the Straw Hat pirates. The letter alone made everything suspicious considering that strange people appear to be following this Thirros, but for what reason? And how in Fiore can this man be able to return the Straw Hats back to the Grand Line when not even the Magic Council was able to? Their only option was to wait for Thirros to appear, but how long will that take to happen?
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Thirros wandered the bustling streets of Magnolia with his hood lowered to avoid suspicion, his long silver hair hanging on his head with his gleaming green eyes to match it. He was clad in a black suit with a cobalt blue dress shirt, a black tie, and black dress shoes. He wore black gloves, and gold buttons and chains adorned the front of his jet black jacket, held together at the fastens. He bought himself a juicy-looking apple from a vendor and munched on it as he headed for the Fairy Tail guild hall. He soon found the large building depicting the mark of the fairy. When he entered, everyone gave him a hearty hello.
"Hello, are the Straw Hats here?" Thirros asked aloud. All members of the Straw Hat crew stepped forward. "Ah, so these are the strange travelers with even stranger magic powers, isn't it?" he said in a gentle voice.
"So you might have a way to return us back to the Grand Line?" Nami asked. Thirros answered with a nod.
"I am not quite sure if it will work, but if it does, then you all will safely return to the Grand Line from whence you came. We will have to depart tomorrow morning, as there are some people after me who wish to see you remain here forever; I will rent a room at an inn for the night and I will need all of you to stay incognito."
"Incog-what?" went Luffy, who was picking his nose while barely paying attention. Nami groaned and gave him a slap upside the head.
"He basically means we need to stay out of sight to avoid whoever is after him," she explained, secretly wishing she did not need to.
"What sort of procedure will we have to follow for all of this to work?" Robin questioned.
Thirros cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Well, while I would rather not admit it, it takes some dark magic in order to perform such a spell of this magnitude. But please know that I mean no ill will towards you, Straw Hats."
Makarov overheard Thirros and strolled over to him. "Young man, you do realize that the use of dark magic in Fiore is strictly forbidden, correct?" he professed. Even with his small stature, Makarov clearly towered over the mysterious Thirros.
"I understand that extremely well, sir, but there's a difference between using black magic for evil and using it for neutral use," Thirros noted. "And like I said, I mean no ill will towards the Straw Hats or any member of the Fairy Tail guild, for that matter." Makarov gave the silver-haired man a stern glare before wandering back to the counter where he sat. Thirros turned back to the Straw Hats. "So, I shall meet you all here tomorrow." He gave them a bow and exited the guild hall.
"He seemed really kind," Lucy noted.
"I thought he looked rather handsome," Mirajane mentioned, giggling at the thought of the silver-haired man. Elfman himself swore to plummet Thirros into dust if he so much as think about hitting on his sisters.
"Master, do you think we should trust this Thirros person, even knowing that he plans to use dark magic to help the Straw Hats?" Levy asked the dwarfed master.
"I am not sure, but we will have to be careful with him," he answered, scratching his chin. "Team Natsu, I want you five to accompany the Straw Hats and Thirros to ensure nothing fishy is going to happen, understand?"
"Aye, sir!" cried Happy.
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Thirros wandered down several alleys avoiding the general public as he made his way to a little inn at the edge of town, far from the Fairy Tail guild. He came out of a small alley and made his way across the street quickly, weaving in and out of the public crowd, then slipping into another alley. When he made his way down at the end and turned the corner, a masked man with a knife grabbed him and propped him against the wall.
"Give me your wallet," the mugger demanded.
"Leave now and I will allow you to live," Thirros warned, prompting another slam against the wall.
"Tough guy, huh? Well, you won't be so tough after I slit your belly open." The mugger aimed his knife at Thirros' stomach and rammed the blade for it. Suddenly, a black hand clad in shadows appeared and stopped the knife. The mugger was confused, but when he looked at Thirros' grinning face and his confusion shifted to pure horror. From behind his left shoulder, a dark horned head with narrow slits for eyes and an open mouth with sharp, jagged fangs for teeth glared at the mugger; its eyes and open mouth glowed with an otherworldly bluish hue.
"I suppose I should introduce my shadow to you as well," Thirros commented. The shadowy creature gave a deep, evil laugh and swarmed over the mugger, who left out a bloodcurdling scream that none could hear over the daytime bustling in the streets. When it was over, the mugger laid dead at Thirros' feet and the young man simply tugged on his jacket and walked on, the shadow creature disappearing into Thirros' own shadow. Later that night, Thirros laid awake in his rented bed staring up at a glass ball that had dark clouds swirling around in it. He hummed to himself as he thought about his approach to the Straw Hat pirates. "It will all work out, some way or another," he said to himself.