Only days after the Fantasia Parade, the Master had an announcement. Yelling loudly from his place on the railing, he called, "Attention Fairy Tail! I ask for a moment!"

"Everyone quieted, but several still whispered.

"What's up?"

"Do you think it's about Laxus?"

"Maybe the Master's retiring for real this time- I mean, we did all fight each other. It had to have been hard to watch. Maybe he's finally calling it quits."

Makarov broke off the chatter, announcing, "We have a guest in the guild for the next month. The mage Guildless will be staying with us."

Shock spread like wildfire through the guild hall, evident on the faces of the wizards.

Erza gasped, "Guildless? Here?"

Lucy frowned, looking to Mirajane behind the bar. "Guildless? Who's that? It sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

Mirajane explained, "A nameless wizard who goes around fighting dark guilds. All anyone really knows is that she's a girl and she uses Lost Magic. The Magic Council and just about every dark guild wants her head, but no one's ever seen her up close, much less caught her." Mira glanced worriedly at Makarov. "I hope Master knows what he's doing..."

Lucy murmured, "Guildless... I think I read something about her."

Natsu suddenly raced up to Gramps and excitedly rambled, "Ah yeah, I'm going to fight Guildless the minute she shows her mask! What if I take her mask as a trophy? Oh, I'm fired up now!"

Makarov gave him a sharp glare. "You'll do nothing of the sort! No one is to challenge Guildless or delve into her personal life. She is here at personal request of mine and anyone who forgets this..." A devilish gleam appeared in the Master's eyes, the threat not needing finishing.

Natsu's fires quickly quelled, though it was obvious he was still intent on a fight. "I'll leave her alone..."

"Actually, if they want to challenge me, let them." Everyone turned to lay eyes on the cloaked figure that had appeared next to Gramps. Fairly tall and hidden by the black cloak, her face was too shadowed to see beneath. "If I have to prove to them I'm not to be trifled with, then there's nothing else to be done about it."

Shock kept growing, Natsu trading shock for a grin. "Oh yeah! Let's rumble!"

He leapt into the air toward Guildless, fists flaming. Guildless held a hand forward, everyone's vision going black for a few moments, causing cries of panic. When the flash of darkness ended, Natsu lay on the ground, his clothes peppered with holes, having been disoriented by the darkness enough to take whatever attack she used.

The black magic circle at her palm disappearing, Guildless inquired, "Would anyone else like to challenge my strength?" When no answer met her, she asserted, "Good."

She leaned against the farthest wall, almost swallowed by the shadow of the balcony.

Lucy stared in terrified awe. "Natsu... was down... in one spell?"

Mirajane nodded gravely. "If the Master's called in a favor from Guildless, he must be really worried."

Lucy did as everyone else was- she cast glimpses at Guildless, trying not to be caught staring, though it was impossible to know if the wizard was looking or not with her hood and mask.

Seconds later, Lucy murmured, "I wonder..." Looking at Mira, she said, "I'm going to run home quick. If Natsu asks, I'm not there!"

Lucy set off at a jog back toward her apartment, arriving quickly and glancing around her room. It has to be somewhere, she thought. It can't have gotten too far.

Lucy searched her table, rummaged under her bed, and shuffled through her dresser, no results found. Yet when she looked in her desk, she found what she needed. "Yes! Okay, issue... Oh, what was it?"

She flipped through the handful of Sorcerer Weekly magazines until she found one from a few weeks ago. Pulling it from the others, she flicked through the pages until she found a two-page article about a mysterious mage, titled Guildless: Who Is She?

Lucy murmured, "I knew I'd heard of her before!"

Reading through, the column was debating theories of who Guildless could be, what she looked like, or what her powers really were. Pictures were scattered across the pages- fuzzy images of a dark form, far-off pictures of swirling cloth.

In the center of the passage, a single picture was the most praised: a clear shot of a cloaked figure, face turned to the viewer, the hood over her head making it impossible to see the face of the person.

Lucy mused to herself, I've already seen more of Guildless than most people do in all their lives. Incredible.

Despite the collection of around ten theories, ranging from Porlyusica reliving the glory days to Karen Lilica having faked her death and now acting as a solo wizard, nothing seemed extremely plausible to Lucy. She knew Master had forbidden nosing around... but her curiosity was nearly overwhelming.

Lucy looked through the article again, reading for something she could've missed, but she could find nothing.

She slumped in her chair, complaining, "Ah man, I thought I was really onto something."

"What'cha doing?"

Lucy turned and yelped to find Natsu sitting at her table, chewing on a chicken leg. Lucy grabbed her chair and cracked it over his head, yelling, "Get out of my house!"

Happy flicked through the magazine Lucy had set down, asking, "So you're disobeying the Master, huh?"

Lucy quickly turned to hail her chaired wrath upon Happy. "That's not yours, cat!"

Natsu rubbed his head while Happy flew up out of reach, already bruising. However, he still held the magazine. Throwing it to Natsu, the fire wizard grinned as he saw the highlight on the cover, Guildless' cloak wrapped around the words New Theories Come to Light!

Natsu exclaimed, "Awesome! Tell ya what, Lucy. We won't tell Gramps about this if you tell us what you found! Which theory is right?"

Lucy smirked. "You wouldn't tell him. I know you, Natsu."

Dragneel then fell to lesser methods. Kneeling at her feet, Natsu begged, "Come on, you know something! Just tell me how to beat Guildless!"

Lucy growled in annoyance, "I don't know, now get out of my house!"

Natsu sighed, his excitment deflated as he said, "Well, thanks anyway, Lucy," before jumping out the window.

Lucy yelled after, "Use the door next time you break in!"