Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
I'm sorry for the long update, but aside from being busy...this sucker was LOOOOONG! I mean WOW! I considered slitting it up like Nikolias' history, but I couldn't find places to cut it where it would still flow nicely. So I decided that since it had already been a while since the last update, I'd treat you guys with a mega-chapter! I apologize to anyone who hates long chapters, but it is segmented so there are places to stop and rest.
Anyway, I loved writing this chapter and I think it's really great how it turned out! I hope you all enjoy learning more about where Gracie Amier came from. Enjoy, my friends!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 67
32 YEARS AGO
A tall young man dove behind a wall in a dark alley. He pressed his back against the cool, rough concrete while he tried to regulate his heavy breathing. A briefcase was clutched tightly in his crossed arms as he held it against his chest. Sweat rolled down his fear-stricken face as he closed his eyes. He ran a shaky hand through his short light brown hair as he slowly inhaled and then exhaled.
'I wonder if I lost them,' the young man thought to himself. He decided he needed to find out. He couldn't very well just stay there for the rest of his life. The information contained within his briefcase was far too important. The world had to know. With a gulp and a quick nod, he slowly leaned to his left and peered around the corner while remaining as invisible as possible. The hard sun beat down on his face, but he ignored the heat. He was far more concerned with staying alive.
And to his luck, the coast was clear.
He turned to make sure that it was clear in the other direction as well. It was. And that was all the young man needed. He pushed himself up and bolted from the alley's cover. 'I'm almost there! Just about half a mile to go and the truth will be revealed!' The young man banked around a corner, but forced himself to a skidding stop.
Standing in his path was a beautiful woman with the face of an angel and skin as fair as one, too. Long golden blonde hair cascaded down her back to her shoulder blades. She wore a simple short sleeve black dress that clung tightly to her gorgeous figure. The smile she gave the man was pure and innocent, yet it was contradicted by the glistening scimitar that was clutched tightly in her right hand.
The young man gulped as he took a step back. "H…How did you find me?"
The beautiful woman slowly opened her eyes, revealing green irises that sparkled like emeralds. "We know exactly where you plan to go with that briefcase," she said softly with one of the sweetest voices the young man had ever heard. "Determining the route you would choose was simple. Now I'd really appreciate it if you could stand still for me, okay? I really shouldn't be running so much."
The young man took another step back. "Why don't you want this information to be released?" he asked. "Can't you see that what I'm doing is for the greater good? This is for the people!"
The woman pressed a dainty hand against her cheek. "It's not a matter of what I want and don't want. Simply put, orders are orders. We were ordered to take that information and kill you, so that's what we'll do."
"You're monsters!" the young man hissed.
The woman seemed genuinely hurt. "How cruel…"
"I'M CRUEL?" the young man bellowed in disbelief. "YOU WANT TO KILL ME TO KEEP ME QUIET WHEN ALL THAT I'M DOING IS SHOWING THE PUBLIC THE SEETHING UNDERBELLY OF THEIR HOMETOWN!"
The woman held up her scimitar. "I already told you that it doesn't matter to me your reasons or how just they are. All that matters to me is the job. Now stop backing away and stand still. I beg you not to make me overexert myself."
"FUCK YOU, YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!" the young man shrieked as he turned around to run in the opposite direction. However, he didn't get more than a step before a large and strong hand grabbed him by the face to stop him completely. The hand roughly picked him up and thrust him to the ground. The impact with the ground dazed the young man and allowed the hand to migrate to his throat. He could feel the hand tighten around his neck and he gasped for breath as he looked up at his attacker.
The pair of intense slate gray eyes that met his sent shivers down his spine. His attacker was a rugged and muscular man. His face was strong and serious, making it seem like he could never smile no matter how much he may want to. He had very short, spiky white hair and his skin was incredibly tan. He wore a black, sleeveless tunic with golden trim and black pants. The leather fingerless gloves he wore matched his attire.
The attacker leaned in close. "Oh, I know I must have heard you wrong." His voice was deep and rough and vibrated through the young man's very soul. "I'm quite positive that you didn't just call my wife a heartless bitch. Because I'm sure you know how angry that would make me."
The young man couldn't stop shaking as he continued to fight for air. 'H…Help,' he thought since he couldn't possibly call out.
"Now I'll give you the chance to apologize," the strong man said. "That's just the kind of guy I am. I'll always give people a shot at redemption. So," he paused to weaken his grip on the young man's neck, "let me hear it."
The young man was crying from fear. "I'm…sorry," he rasped.
The large man nodded as he released the frightened young man. "Much better. Thank you." He then swung down his fist with incredible speed and strength, immediately caving in the young man's skull and splattering his head across the dirt. He picked up the briefcase and slung it over his shoulder before smiling over to the woman. "Mission accomplished."
The woman's scimitar disappeared in a flash of brilliant light as she elegantly strode over to her husband. "Well done, my dear."
He stood and began walking over to her. "I really hope you didn't push yourself too hard."
She giggled. "What was I to do? He wouldn't stop running away."
The two stopped once they were face to face. The man sighed. "You promised me that you wouldn't push yourself and yet there you were, running all out like usual."
The woman cupped the man's cheek. "I'm sorry, my love. I couldn't help myself. This was going to be my last mission for a while."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You never told me that. When did you decide?"
"Once we got the assignment."
The man smiled gently at the woman, something that didn't seem possible for the man. He bent down on one knee and hugged his wife around her waist, pressing his ear against her stomach. "I'm so glad."
She combed her fingers through his short hair with a smile. "You really will make a wonderful father, Blaine."
"And you will be the most wonderful mother, Jewel," he replied.
Blaine and Jewel Amier, the two most lethal mercenaries in the Jarvan Organization, were expecting a baby. Jewel was a month into her first trimester.
Blaine stood up and took Jewel's hand. "Well then we should go to the Boss, right? He needs to get this briefcase. Plus, he needs to know that we'll be taking the next eight months or so off."
Jewel nodded. "Of course."
The two walked the empty streets of Calione towards the northern outskirts where a small, rundown house sat. The two walked inside the wooden front door to reveal the poorly maintained three-room interior. At the far right where the kitchen sat, a young boy was eating some food.
The boy turned when he heard the door open. When he saw who had walked in, he nearly choked on his food. He banged his chest to force the food down, swallowed, and then rushed over to the two. "Good afternoon, Mr. Amier! Mrs. Amier!"
Blaine sighed. "I told ya kid, enough with the 'Mr. and Mrs.' crap. Just call us Blaine and Jewel."
The boy nodded swiftly. "Right. Sorry!"
Jewel giggled as she pet the boy's head. "Good afternoon, Cahill. My, look how big you're getting. How old are you now?"
"I'm 12," Cahill said with a smile.
"12?" Jewel said with pretend shock. "My, how the years have flown by. I still remember when you were just a small thing running around and getting into trouble."
"I have to be more mature now," Cahill said with a very serious face that made him look like a toddler playing soldier. "I have to be of use. It's the only way I can make it up to the Boss for taking me in and caring for me after finding me on the streets as an orphan."
Jewel giggled. "Of course. Keep working hard and I'm sure that the Boss will think highly of you."
"Right!" Cahill said excitedly.
"Is he in?" Blaine asked bluntly.
Cahill nodded. "He's downstairs. Want me to take you there?"
"No thanks, kid. We can see ourselves there," Blaine said while making his way down the short hall to the back room.
Jewel waved to Cahill as she walked past him. "Take care now."
Blaine bent down and rolled back a purple wool rug to reveal a small piece of rope. He pulled on it and opened the door to a secret basement level. He motioned for his wife to go in first. "After you. And for the love of God, take your time please."
Jewel positioned herself to go down the stairs. "Of course, dear." She began her descent into the darkness.
Blaine positioned himself to head down and began climbing. When only his head remained, he paused to look at Cahill. "Make sure you…"
"Close the door above you," Cahill finished.
Blaine chuckled. "Nicely done. There's hope for you, kid." He then disappeared into the darkness.
Cahill did as he said he would; he closed the door above them. Once the door was back in place, he did a small leap of excitement and joy. "I can't believe I got a compliment like that from the Blaine!"
Blaine and Jewel walked through the dark halls with ease. They had been through the labyrinth many times over the years, so navigating the halls was no trouble even without a light. They kept walking until they reached a large maple door at the end of one of the halls. Blaine lifted his hand and knocked slowly two times.
"Enter," came a man's voice from the other side of the door.
Blaine swung the door open and walked inside with Jewel right beside him. He closed the door behind them and the two walked up to a large desk. "Boss."
A young man, perhaps in his late twenties, sat at a large desk. He had jet black hair that was slicked back and shone in the light of the room. He was clean shaven, which made him look younger than he was. He wore a fine black suit with a red tie that fit snuggly against his tall and muscular frame. His blue eyes showed confidence and intelligence as he looked at his guests. "Ah, Blaine and Jewel. Just the two I was thinking about."
"Are we interrupting?" Jewel asked.
The man shook his head. "Not at all. I was just running over some reports from the latest weapon I developed. So how'd it go?"
Blaine tossed the briefcase at the man, who caught it with ease. "No issues whatsoever. The target has been eliminated and the information has been secured without so much as the tiniest leak."
The man patted the briefcase happily. "Good! Glad to hear it." He put the briefcase beneath his desk. He then sighed as he put his feet onto his desk and locked his arms behind his head. "When will people learn that I don't like information about my organization and its operations being leaked to the public?"
"I'm not sure, Boss," Blaine replied.
"That's why I'm glad I can count on you two and all my other mercenaries to keep the golden silence."
"Master Jarvan," Jewel said softly, "there's something I'd like to ask you about."
Jarvan smiled at her. "But of course, my dear Jewel. You may ask anything."
"My husband and I will be requesting an eight month sabbatical starting immediately," she said.
Jarvan nearly fell over in his chair. He caught himself and sat straight up. "A sabbatical? For eight months? For what purpose?"
Jewel smiled as she put a hand on her stomach. "I have to look out for more than just myself and my husband now."
Jarvan was a very smart man, so he easily and quickly put the hint together. His eyes widened. "You're kidding. You're pregnant?"
Jewel giggled as she beamed. "Yes!"
Jarvan let his head hit the wooden desk. "A baby. My two best mercenaries are having a baby and want time off."
"Look, you've got a lot of great talent here, Boss," Blaine said. "There's the Razor, the Serpent, the Iron General, and that's just to name a few of the best mercenaries. You can get by. Besides, there are rarely any jobs big enough that require you to call on us. You'll barely notice we're gone."
Jarvan sighed as he sat up and rubbed his red forehead. "I suppose you have a point. Over these past eight months, I believe you two have only done two jobs including today." He nodded his head. "Very well. You have your eight month leave request granted."
Jewel clapped her hands. "Oh thank you, Master Jarvan!"
"Of course. Now go take care of your child. I'm expecting her to be strong and healthy."
The two both bowed and exited the office.
Once the door swung closed, Jarvan groaned audibly. "I know I barely call on them, but to know that I won't have their skills at my disposal for eight months is slightly off-putting. They're the aces of the Jarvan Organization after all." He reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out two files. He flung them on his desk top and looked at the attached pictures of Blaine and Jewel Amier.
"Blaine Amier, nicknamed the Phantom. The best close combat fighter I've ever seen. He possesses incredible strength and speed that borders on the inhuman. He's never failed an assignment and he could never be identified afterwards. He's in and out before anyone can bat an eyelash. The very definition of the perfect mercenary.
"Jewel Amier, nicknamed the Angel of Death. She is my prize, for not only is she a weapons master, but she also possesses a unique skill; magic. Her ability to use Requip Magic to arm herself with a wide variety of weapons and armors makes her suitable for any mission she takes on. She's beautiful, yet deadly. Her movements are graceful, but lethal. She's far stronger than she appears and it shows in her craft. She also has an incredibly high intelligence and her ability to observe and strategize is second to none." He sighed. "Can I really get by for eight months?"
Suddenly, another knock came from the door. Jarvan groaned again. "Oh for the love of…what now?" he called out.
The door swung open and a middle aged man quickly walked inside. He was fairly short and stocky and he had a head of brown hair. Thick glasses sat on his plump face. He wore a white lab coat that had various stains all over it. "Sorry to disturb you, Master Jarvan, but this is critical information."
"Dr. Vyril Lyno," Jarvan said. "What is it?"
Vyril adjusted his glasses. "I stumbled upon something of incredible interest."
"Out with it. I'm not in the mood for games," Jarvan said tiredly.
"Of course," Vyril replied. "Then I'll get right to the point. Do you recall that small pool of dragon's blood that I stumbled upon near the Corrupt Mountains while searching for research subjects for my experiments?"
"Yes. What about it?"
"I was setting up my laboratory for a new experiment I'm working on. You see, I want to discover the relationship between one's size and their pain threshold. My hypothesis is that a man of average height and build will pass out from pain after losing just two fingers. Based off of that, I believe that the equation would indicate that someone of a larger build would create a negative correlation in the data and…"
"Enough," Jarvan said. "It's sad how appropriate the name Mad Surgeon of Seven is for you."
Vyril grinned wickedly and chuckled. "My apologies. Do what you love for so long like me and you'll get lost in it. Anyway, the point that I was trying to make was that I was rearranging my laboratory. I decided to move the dragon's blood over to where I store all of the other blood samples. You know, the ones that were required from all associated with the organization?"
"Yes, I know of the blood samples. Get to the point."
Vyril's grin widened. "The dragon's blood reacted to one of the blood samples."
This time Jarvan did fall out of his chair, which was impressive considering the fact that he had been completely stable beforehand. He shot up to his feet and stared at Vyril with wide eyes. "You can't be serious!"
"Oh, but I am!"
"Whose blood was it? Come now, don't keep me in suspense!"
Vyril adjusted his glasses once more. "The blood sample belonged to one Jewel Amier."
Jarvan burst out laughing. "Jewel Amier! Of course she would have it! It's my own fault for not thinking to ask. I should really brush up on my knowledge of magic." He settled down and took a deep breath before asking, "So she has it, huh?"
"The data doesn't lie," Vyril replied. "Jewel Amier is in possession of the treasure that your family has long been in pursuit of; the legendary Dragon Rider armor."
"Get out!" a young and muscular man with short light brown hair exclaimed while slamming down the mug of beer that was in his hand. A large grin was splitting his face as he looked at Blaine and Jewel.
"Easy now, Cliff," Jewel said with a giggle. "You'll break our table."
Cliff gave Blaine a playful punch in the shoulder. "I didn't think that you had it in you, buddy, but look at you go and proving me wrong! You two are gonna have a kid! Man I never thought I'd see the day."
Blaine laughed heartily. "Always an ass."
Cliff chugged back the rest of his beer and leaned forward. "Maybe usually, but I'm not trying to be this time. Seriously, I'm beyond happy for you guys. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Cliff," Jewel said with a soft smile.
Cliff leaned back. "I can only guess that you got the okay to skip out on work while you have the baby, right?"
"Yeah we're on vacation for the next eight months," Blaine answered.
Cliff nodded before closing his eyes. "Still, as happy as I am for you two, you do know what this child will be exposed to once it's born, right? I mean, you two aren't exactly secretaries."
Jewel began washing dishes in the sink. "We know that and we talked about it before we started trying. We decided that having a family was something that we both wanted. We also decided that we would do everything we could to keep our child out of harm's way."
"So you basically want to keep her 100% in the dark for the rest of her life," Cliff said in an attempt to summarize.
"Yes. We don't want our child to be involved in any of what we're involved in," Jewel replied.
"I'm assuming you disagree?" Blaine asked with his arms crossed over his chest.
Cliff opened his eyes and smiled at his friend. "On the contrary; I support everything you just said. I would hate to see your kid follow the same path that we did." He put down his beer mug and stretched. "Make sure that I'm the first one you call if ever you need help, alright?"
Blaine offered his hand. "It's a deal."
Cliff took his hand tightly and nodded. "Good." He released Blaine's hand and waved. "Well I'm off."
"Oh, so soon?" Jewel asked while looking over her shoulder. "You just got here."
"Hey I'd love to stay, but Boss Jarvan put me on assignment today," Cliff said with a smile. "He said it was perfect for the Iron General."
"I still don't see what about your 28 year old ass makes you General material," Blaine said with a mocking smile.
Cliff made a muscle. "If you haven't figured it out by now then you're just a lost cause." He bent down and picked up a large sword that was resting against the wall near the door. He strapped it to his back before opening the door. "I'll catch you two later!" With that, he bolted out of the house.
Blaine kept his eyes fixed on the door. "How much do you want to bet he'll completely forget making that offer?"
Jewel dried her hands, walked over to her husband, and draped her arms over his shoulders while resting her chin on his head. "He's a caring person and a good friend. I'm sure we can count on him."
Blaine closed his eyes. "It's gonna feel weird not having to wait for an assignment for eight months."
"It will be a good chance to rest and unwind," she soothed.
He chuckled. "You have a point. I can put all of my energy into making sure you and the baby stay healthy."
She sweatdropped. "Not exactly what I had in mind…"
He stood up and pumped his fist. "Yes! I know what I shall do! From this day on, I shall take care of you and the baby!"
She sighed, but still smiled at her husband's kind heart. "If you say so, dear."
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
Jewel panted heavily as sweat clung to her skin. Her eyelids were half closed and she fought with all of her strength just to keep them open. She tried to lift her head, but could barely move it off of the pillow. "Where…where is she?"
Blaine stepped towards his wife, a small, beautiful crying baby in his arms and a soft smile on his face. "She's right here," he replied gently. "Do you want to hold her now?"
Jewel nodded weakly. "Yes. I…I want to hold her."
Blaine bent forward and carefully transferred his baby girl into his wife's arms. "Here she is."
Jewel cradled the baby girl in her arms. She was smiling, but tears were pouring down her cheeks. "She's beautiful."
"Yes she is," Blaine said as he kissed his wife's forehead.
Jewel gently rocked the baby in her arms and she soon stopped crying. "She's such a good girl. What should we name her?"
Blaine blinked before slapping his forehead. "Gah! A name! I forgot to think of names!"
She giggled. "It's okay. You were so busy pampering me that it's only natural for it to slip your mind."
He began bowing rapidly over and over. "Please forgive me! Please forgive me, Jewel!"
"Calm down," she said while laughing weakly. "I thought of some names, so you tell me what you think. Okay?"
He looked at her with tearful eyes. "Okay," he said, even though he still felt disappointed at failing a duty that he wasn't told he had.
Jewel looked back to the small girl in her arms. "Let's see. Now that I can see you, what name will suit you well?"
Blaine looked as well, trying to think up baby names as fast as he could. "Well she's beautiful. What about Elle?"
Jewel shook her head. "No. Elle doesn't work."
"She seems like a happy baby. What about Joy?"
"No. She's not a Joy either."
"We're going to love her a lot. What about Amia?"
"No. That's not right, either."
Blaine scratched his head. "Wait! I can do better!"
"You don't have to hurt yourself, my love," Jewel said. "I've already decided."
He blinked. "Really? What have you decided?"
Jewel smiled. "This baby girl is a true gift. With all of the hell we see and the sin we commit, we shouldn't be worthy of such a beautiful and perfect little angel. This baby girl is a blessing." She hugged the small infant closer to her chest. "This girl is our Gracie."
Blaine smiled at the name. "Gracie, huh? I like it. It feels right." He wrapped his arms around his tired wife and laid a gentle palm on his baby girl's head. "Hello there, Gracie. I'm your dad."
Fresh tears began flowing from Jewel's eyes. "And I'm your mom. Don't you worry about a thing. We'll be there for you to love you and protect you forever." She sniffed. "Our little Gracie."
"So?" Cliff asked. It was late at night, but he was still bouncing like a small child at Blaine and Jewel's front door.
Blaine clapped a hand on his shoulder. "The delivery went off without a hitch. Both Jewel and the baby are doing fine."
"That's wonderful," Cliff said as he patted his friend's thick arm. "Sorry I couldn't be there for support. I had another damn job to do." He tried to peer around Blaine to see into the house. "So where are they?"
"Both of them are sound asleep."
"Okay, gotcha. I won't stick around. Don't wanna disturb them after all. But before I go, I just have to know; what did you name the little one? Did ya name it Cliff after me?"
Blaine sighed. "First of all, we had a baby girl. Second of all, even if we did have a boy, there's no way in hell we'd name him Cliff."
"That was a shot," Cliff said with a huff. "Okay, okay, so you didn't name your girl Cliff. So what did you name her?"
Blaine smiled. "Her name is Gracie. You can meet her another time."
"Gracie, huh?" Cliff said. "I like it. It feels right."
"That's what I said."
Cliff turned on his heels and waved as he walked. "Well I'll stop by tomorrow to check in on the two girls. Look forward to it, okay?"
"You got it."
Cliff stopped. "Oh. And one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"You going back to work tomorrow?"
Blaine sighed. "We have to. We used up our vacation and I doubt Jarvan will let us take any more time off. We're going to the office tomorrow to throw our hats back into the bloody ring."
"I can keep an eye on Gracie while you're out."
"It would be appreciated. We wouldn't be long."
Cliff nodded and kept walking. "Just make sure you keep that kid out of the crosshairs. I haven't even met her yet and I already want to protect her with my life."
"I won't let her get involved. Don't worry," Blaine assured.
"Good," Cliff called out before fading away into the darkness.
Blaine closed the door and released a heavy sigh. 'Gracie, I swear that your life will be one filled with happiness and wonder, not blood and corpses. Dad swears it on his life. Mom and I will protect you. No matter what.'
"Ah, Blaine and Jewel!" Jarvan said excitedly as the two entered his office chambers. He was sitting at his desk while reviewing reports. "So good to see you again! How's the baby?"
Jewel smiled. "She's happy and healthy. We couldn't ask for more."
"Oh I'm so glad. What did you name her?"
"Gracie."
"Gracie. What a lovely name!"
"Thank you."
"It's great to have you back. We all missed you around here," Jarvan said.
"Well we are officially back now," Blaine said. "We wanted to let you know should you require our services again."
"Thank you for informing me," Jarvan said. He then propped his elbows on the desk top and folded his hands. "While I have you here, may I ask you a question, Jewel?"
"Of course, Master Jarvan," she replied.
He closed his eyes. "I heard an interesting rumor right after you took your sabbatical. I'm inclined to believe it, but I'm also one who likes concrete proof before jumping to conclusions. So I'm going to ask you outright and I'm hoping for an honest answer."
Jewel's instincts snapped to full alert. She didn't like the way he phrased that. Something was amiss, but she couldn't put her finger on what. She heightened her guard to ensure that no key information slipped past her and nodded with her same soft smile. "I will."
"Thank you." Jarvan grinned at her. "Now tell me, my dear Jewel; are you in fact in possession of the Dragon Rider armor?"
This time Jewel could not hide her surprise. Her smile vanished and her eyes widened. "How do you know about the Dragon Rider armor?" she breathed.
Jarvan stood from his seat. "My family has been running this weapons organization for centuries, as I'm sure you're very much aware. As those years have past, my ancestors have created incredibly potent weapons. They even began gathering the world's strongest mercenaries to ensure that their secrets remained a secret and that the organization itself remained in the shadows."
Blaine was standing protectively in front of his wife as inconspicuously as he could. "And why would you ask about the Dragon Rider armor?"
Jarvan stepped out from behind his desk. "I bet what you didn't know about this organization is that it was first founded all those years ago because of my great-great-great-great-grandfather's dream. And that dream was to possess the legendary armor that granted the one wearing it complete control over a dragon; the Dragon Rider armor. He searched for his entire life and never found even the slightest clue as to where it was hidden. Hell, he had no proof that it even existed except for what he heard in stories and rumors! But he never gave up on his dream. He created this organization with a focus on powerful weapons with the hope that one day it would lead him to the treasure. He continued working hard and searching until the day he died. However, his dream did not die with him. Since his death, my family has continued this organization and continued his search. Never did we find evidence of this armor's existence, but we never let my great-great-great-great grandfather's dream fade away. And now, after all this time, his dream has seen the light." Jarvan held out his hands to Jewel. "After all this time, I have found the legendary Dragon Rider armor and now my great-great-great-great grandfather's dream has become a reality! And it's all thanks to you, my dear. Now, please give me the Dragon Rider armor."
Jewel took a step back. "I cannot, Master Jarvan."
Jarvan's face froze. "Come again?"
"I said that I cannot," Jewel repeated.
Jarvan felt like a knife was tearing through his heart. "W…Why not?"
"It is not mine to give any longer," Jewel replied.
"Not yours to give?" he whispered. "How is not yours to give? Don't you have it in your possession?"
Jewel shook her head. "I do not."
Jarvan clenched his fists. "How?" he shouted. "Dr. Vyril said that dragon's blood reacted to your blood! That's the indicator of the presence of the legendary Dragon Rider armor; the armor that can control a dragon!"
Jewel closed her eyes. "I did have it, Master Jarvan, but like I said before; I no longer possess it."
"THEN WHERE IS IT?" he roared. He couldn't bear the thought that his family's dream was slipping through his fingers.
Jewel shook her head. "I cannot tell you that."
"Can't or won't," he growled.
"I don't like the way you're talking to my wife," Blaine said. "I'd advise you to watch your tone, Boss."
Jarvan kept his glare on Jewel. "At least tell me how you came to possess it in the first place."
Jewel shook her head. "I cannot tell you that either."
It was silent for a while before Jarvan closed his eyes and started to quietly laugh. "I see. I know all that I need to know."
"What?" Jewel asked.
Jarvan opened his eyes slightly. There was an evil twinkle in them that matched his menacing laugh. "You're brilliant as always, Jewel. You were very careful in your approach, making sure to be as vague as possible even with your rejections. A true strategist. However, you forget that I'm quite intelligent myself. You also forget that I know you very well. You're very obedient. Normally, you'd tell me everything despite your surprise at my knowledge of the armor. However, all that you were willing to say was that you no longer had it with the hope that I'd leave it be and move on with the search."
Jewel gritted her teeth. "What are you talking about?"
"You wouldn't tell me where it is currently and you wouldn't tell me how you originally came to possess it. That leads me to a simple conclusion. You're protecting someone you care about very much. As far as I know, that list is limited to your husband…," he paused as his wicked grin widened, "…and your precious baby girl."
Fear for her child reflected in Jewel's eyes. 'No…I was so careful!'
Jarvan sat on the edge of his desk. "So tell me if I'm wrong, but my guess is that the Dragon Rider armor is a family heirloom of yours. It would explain why it has remained hidden for so long and why you no longer possess it. I bet it moves from generation to generation, becoming a possession of the first born in each line." He leaned forward. "Sound about right?"
Jewel didn't reply. 'How could he figure all of that out? I didn't reveal anything!'
Jarvan stood up again. "There's only one thing to do now. I would ask that Gracie be given to me. I shall raise her as my own and, when she's old enough to call out the Dragon Rider armor, I will take it as my own."
"We would never allow that," Blaine refused. "She's our daughter. You won't lay a finger on her!"
"It's the only thing that can be done," Jarvan said. Suddenly, he found his back being slammed against the wall of his office, a forearm against his chest and a blade against his throat. A pair of furious emerald eyes pierced through his blue ones. "What are you doing?" he grunted.
"There's always another solution," Jewel said softly, yet her words were laced with malice and her tone was lower than normal. "I could always kill you here and now."
"You wouldn't dare," Jarvan growled.
Jewel inched her blade closer until it was just a hair away from his skin. "Threaten my Gracie again and I'll skin you alive."
"Back off, Jewel. That's an order!"
"Not until I'm sure that you understand me completely," Jewel replied. "My husband and I will continue to serve, but let me make one thing clear. If you ever come anywhere near our baby girl, I will castrate you and gut you and hang your worthless carcass from the town hall. That's a promise."
Jarvan clenched his jaw. He knew what Jewel and Blaine were capable of. He had no other choice. He sighed. "Very well. I will stay away from Gracie."
Jewel stepped back and allowed her blade to disappear before giving Jarvan her usual smile. "I'm so glad that we could reach an understanding, Master Jarvan. My husband and I will wait for our next assignment." With that, she spun around and walked towards her husband. She took his hand and the two made their way out.
Jarvan glared at the empty doorway. "Mark my words; I will get my hands on the Dragon Rider armor. Even if I have to wait just a bit longer…"
5 YEARS LATER
"Daddy! I want up!" Gracie cried as she held her arms out to her father.
Blaine smiled at his daughter. "You want up, huh? Okay then!" He grabbed her by her small waist and hoisted her up. He then began to spin around in place holding her high above his head. Gracie giggled and held her arms out to the side.
"Dear, please be careful," Jewel begged from the kitchen. "Don't let her get hurt."
"She'll be fine," Blaine assured.
"Look, Mommy! I'm a birdie! Look at me fly!" Gracie cried.
Jewel smiled and giggled. "Yes, you're a very pretty birdie, Gracie. Lunch is almost ready, you two."
"Kay!" Gracie said before returning to giggling happily.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Blaine stopped and put down Gracie. "Geez, who's coming by at a time like this?"
Gracie was spinning around in circles. "Heehee. I'm dizzy!"
"Gracie, sit down before you walk into a wall," Jewel begged.
Blaine opened the door. Standing there was a tall man with short dirty blonde hair. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with a brown vest on top of it, brown leather pants, and black boots. A long sniper rifle was slung over his shoulder. He had a smile on his face as he waved. "Mornin'," he greeted with a thick Australian accent.
"Walker? What the hell are you doing here?" Blaine asked.
"Mind if I come in?" Walker asked.
"Sure, but leave the gun outside," Blaine said as he stepped aside.
"Much obliged," Walker said with a small nod. He placed the rifle butt-down on the ground outside the house before entering.
"So what is it?" Blaine asked as he shut the door. "You never visit."
"The Boss told me to fetch you two. He's got a job for us," Walker explained.
"A job? Now? Doing what?"
"We've gotta take down a growing peace organization."
"And he needs us for that?" Blaine asked with a sigh. "What a pain."
"The Boss said that I'm the only one really needed, but since I'm still somewhat new he wants you two there in case things go south. Personally I'm offended since I'm good at what I do and I've been in the organization for three years, but orders are orders."
Blaine ran a hand through his short white hair. "Shit. What a pain in the ass."
"Daddy!" Gracie cried as she ran to her father. She latched onto his pants and tugged. "Mommy says that lunch is ready and it's time to eat!"
Blaine smiled at his daughter. "Thank you, Gracie."
Gracie looked at the blonde man and blinked. "Who's he?"
Walker smiled and held out his hand. "Hello there, Sheila. My name's Walker. How do you do?"
Gracie smiled as she took the man's hand and shook. "I'm Gracie!"
Walker laughed. "So I've heard. How old are you?"
Gracie thrust out a hand. "I'm five!"
"You're pretty smart for someone your age," Walker complimented.
"I'm super smart!" Gracie cheered while hopping up and down.
Walker chuckled and looked at Blaine. "She's quite the energetic one, ain't she?"
"She sure is," Blaine agreed. "Gracie, can you ask Mommy to come here for a moment?"
Gracie tilted her head cutely to the side. "But why? Lunch is over there."
"It's something that Mommy needs to talk to Walker about."
"Oh. Okay!" Gracie said as she took off for the kitchen.
"Sorry to disrupt your meal," Walker apologized, "but he wants us to move out now."
"It's not that," Blaine said while shaking his head. "We need to get in touch with Cliff to ask him to babysit. We can't leave her alone." He narrowed his eyes. "Not even for a moment."
"Makes sense. She's still a squirt," Walker said.
"Here's Mommy!" Gracie said as she led her mother by the hand towards the front door.
Jewel looked at Walker and smiled. "Oh, Walker. What a pleasant surprise. Can we do something for you?"
"We've got a job," Walker said.
Jewel blinked. "Right now?"
"'Fraid so."
Jewel sighed. "Will we be able to get a hold of Cliff on such short notice, dear?"
"I hope so," Blaine replied.
"I'm not going if he's not here to watch Gracie," Jewel said bluntly. She knew Jarvan well. If she left Gracie unprotected even for an instant, he would find a way to steal her away. She just knew it.
Walker held up his hands. "You know what; I don't wanna put you two out. Clearly this was way too short notice. I'll tell you what; I'll go solo and tell the Boss that you were there to back me up. What he doesn't know won't hurt 'im, right?"
"Are you sure?" Jewel asked. "That would really help us out."
Walker winked at her. "As much as I'd love to watch you work your magic, Jewel, I realize that you've got higher priorities. Consider it a favor for my two good work friends."
Jewel gave him a big smile. "Thank you very much, Walker. You're so kind."
Walker scratched the back of his head and blushed. "What are you saying stuff like that for? Geez. Anyway, I'll see you two later I suppose." He leaned down to look at Gracie. "And I hope to be seeing you again soon, Sheila."
Gracie giggled and nodded emphatically. "Kay! Come back soon! And thank you for not making Mommy and Daddy work."
"My pleasure," he replied before opening up the door. He gave a final nod and smile and shut the door behind him.
"Yay! Mommy and Daddy don't have to go to work today!" Gracie cheered as she danced around.
"Yes, it's a wonderful thing," Jewel said. "Now go eat your lunch, sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy will be right there."
"Kay!" Gracie said as she skipped to the kitchen.
Once she was gone, Blaine sighed. "I'm guessing you picked up on it, too, right?"
Jewel's smile faded and she nodded. "Yes. Jarvan is scheming up something. Walker's the best sniper in the world. There's no reason for us to have to tag along with someone as skilled as him."
"So Jarvan is doing whatever he can to force us into leaving Gracie alone," Blaine said.
"He'll do whatever he can to reach her." She looked at him with worry in her eyes. "We can't let him get her, Blaine!"
Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I promise you, Jewel; Jarvan will never get his hands on Gracie."
She hugged him back. "Thank you, Blaine."
"Mommyyyyy! Daddyyyyy! I'm going to eat your lunches too if you don't hurryyyyy!" Gracie called out from the kitchen.
Blaine and Jewel both laughed. "Guess we should eat, huh?" Blaine asked.
"Yes. Let's eat together and focus on enjoying the day with Gracie," Jewel said as the two walked hand and hand to the kitchen.
2 YEARS LATER
"Uncle Cliff!" Gracie called out over the whipping winds. "You're so slow!"
Cliff chuckled as he jogged to catch up to where Gracie was waiting for him atop a hill. "Hey, you take that back!" he shouted back.
She crossed her arms. "Uncle Cliff, I think you're getting old."
He finally reached her and panted while trying to catch his breath. "You've got quite the mouth for a seven year old, you know that?"
She gave a big grin and giggled. "I'm super smart!"
A wicked grin crept over his face. "You're also toast!" He sprang at Gracie and began to tickle her sides. The small girl burst out laughing as she squirmed around.
"Hey! Ha ha ha! Stop that! Hee hee ha! That tickles, Uncle Cliff!" Gracie yelled as she tried to escape Cliff's dancing fingers.
"No can do, kiddo. This is your punishment," he replied with a laugh.
Gracie fell over and Cliff followed, continuing his relentless tickle attack. "Stop! Please I…I can't…can't breathe!" Gracie begged.
With a final squeeze, he released Gracie and watched as she lay there, panting heavily with a big smile on her face. He lay down beside her and looked up at the sky. The two were on the rolling hills just outside the town of Calione on the north side. They went out there often whenever Gracie's parents had to work and Cliff had to babysit. They would go on many adventures together, traveling far from the town borders. One day they even found a train station and Gracie had watched with amazement as the trains went racing along. "You alright there, kiddo?"
Gracie had finally recovered and lay quietly as she looked up at the clouds. "That was mean, Uncle Cliff."
"You started it."
"I did not," she huffed.
"Yeah yeah. Keep telling yourself that."
Gracie rolled up into a sitting position and held her knees close to her chest. "Hey Uncle Cliff?"
He sat up as well. "Yeah?"
"What exactly do Mom and Dad do?"
Cliff sighed. He had been answering that question for years. The first time she had asked he panicked and fumbled over his words. He acted like a complete idiot, but Gracie was still young enough to find it funny and when she had finished laughing she had completely forgotten her question. Cliff knew from that day on he would have to be prepared for such a question again. It was only natural that she would want to know. After discussing it with Blaine and Jewel, they determined what they would tell Gracie. "I've told you a million times; your Mom is an office worker and your Dad works construction."
She rested her chin on her knees. "And I've told you a million times that I don't believe that. They both come back looking completely fine when they should be really tired."
Cliff shook his head. 'Honestly, seven year olds should not be so observant. I guess she really did inherit Jewel's smarts.'
"Well?" Gracie asked.
"Well what? I've already told you the truth."
She pouted. "Fine. Be a meanie and a liar."
He ruffled her blonde hair. "Oh, don't be like that." He got to his feet. "Come on. Let's head home."
Gracie fixed her hair and got to her feet. "Aww, already? Why?"
"We don't wanna stray too far away. Your parents should be home soon."
She giggled. "Okay then! I'll race ya!" With that, she took off running back to Calione while laughing.
He chuckled and shook his head. "She really is her parents' child." He took off after her. "Hey wait up, kiddo!"
"Uncle Cliff is soooooo slow!" she sang out as she ran. The two ran all the way back to the Amier house. When Cliff finally got there, Gracie was standing there waiting for him, out of breath but a triumphant smile on her face. "I won!"
Cliff stopped in front of her and tried to catch his breath. "Yeah, you sure did."
"So what game are we gonna play now?" she asked excitedly.
"What next, huh? Let's see…"
"Oh, look who it is."
Gracie and Cliff turned to see Blaine and Jewel walking over to them with smiles. "Mom! Dad!" Gracie cheered as she ran to her parents. She leapt at her father who caught her and lifted her up. "Welcome home!"
"Hey there, Gracie," Blaine greeted with a smile. "Were you good for your Uncle Cliff?"
"Mhm!" Gracie nodded.
"Good."
Jewel bowed her head at Cliff. "Thank you for watching her again, Cliff."
Cliff waved his hand. "Think nothing of it. I'm always happy to watch her. She keeps my blood pumping with all of her energy."
"Uncle Cliff is a slow runner," Gracie said. "I beat him twice today."
Jewel giggled. She knew Cliff and his abilities very well. Aside from the fact that he was an adult, he was an extraordinarily fast man. He could keep up with Blaine in a race, after all. "Oh really? That's my girl."
Gracie looked at Cliff. "So what are we gonna play next, Uncle Cliff?"
Cliff shook his head. "No, it's time for me to go, kiddo."
Gracie pouted. "But I don't want you to go. I want to play some more."
He smiled at her and messed with her hair again. "Sorry, kiddo. You know how it goes. I can only stay long when your parents have to work."
"But why? Why can't you stay?" Gracie asked sadly.
Cliff turned around and walked off with a wave. "Because Uncle Cliff has to work, too!"
Gracie waved back. "Okay! Come back and visit soon!"
"Can do, kiddo!"
"I love you, Uncle Cliff!"
"I love you, too, Gracie!"
2 YEARS LATER
"You've got to be joking!" Blaine shouted.
"Shh! Keep your voice down, dear," Jewel said quietly. "Gracie's sleeping."
Blaine gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he glared at Cliff. "Have you lost your mind, Cliff?"
Cliff shook his head. "No, I'm dead serious, Blaine."
"Think this through, Cliff," Jewel said.
"I have, Jewel," Cliff replied. "I've thought it through and there's only one option for me. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving the organization."
"Don't be an idiot," Blaine hissed. "Jarvan would never allow that. Once you're in you can't get out again. As mercenaries, we possess too much sensitive information on the inner workings of the Jarvan Organization. If you leave, he'll have you hunted down and killed for sure."
"Please. I told you I've thought this through," Cliff said with a smile. "Faking my death should be no problem for the Iron General."
"But why? Why do any of this? Why leave?" Jewel asked.
"Because I've finally woken up and realized that what we're doing isn't right. Hell, what this whole organization is doing isn't right," Cliff said. "Come on, Jewel. You can't tell me that you haven't noticed it as well."
"Of course I have. We both have," Jewel said. "But there's nothing we can do. We have to think about Gracie. If we leave the organization, we're putting her life in danger. Even if staying with the organization taints our souls further, we won't do anything that could prevent Gracie from having a happy life."
Cliff sighed. "I see. I guess you're right. Your hands are pretty much tied. But my decision stands. In fact, there's a whole bunch of us who plan on leaving."
"You can't be serious," Blaine said. "How the hell do you plan on pulling off a grand escape of this magnitude?"
"We've got this," Cliff assured.
"What about Gracie?" Jewel asked. "She loves you, Cliff. What are we supposed to tell her when you stop showing up to watch her or to visit?"
Cliff looked at the floor. "Honestly, that's the one thing that almost kept me from doing this. It was a difficult decision for sure." He took a deep breath and looked at Blaine and Jewel. "All three of us already decided that Gracie wouldn't learn the truth. So, as much as it kills me, you're going to have to tell her that I died."
Blaine looked as if he was about to explode. "You want me to tell my daughter that her beloved uncle has died when in reality he's very much alive? What kind of father do you think I am?"
"I understand how difficult it will be for her, but it's the only thing that can be done," Cliff said.
"Cliff, please reconsider," Jewel begged.
"No can do. This is happening. All of us are going to escape. We're going to run away to some far off place, regroup, and begin planning a new organization; one whose goal is to bring down Jarvan and his twisted group." He picked up the bag that was at his feet and headed for the door. He grabbed the handle, but before he turned it he froze. "You know I love Gracie and both of you. It hurts me to leave, but I have to. I just can't do this anymore."
"Look, I understand that some missions are harder than others, but for God's sake Cliff, you can't do something so reckless because of one bad day," Blaine said.
Cliff glared at him over his shoulder, one of the few times he ever looked at his friend with so much hatred. "When your assignment from the Boss is to kill a six year old child of someone suspected of leaking information, then we can talk, Blaine." He opened the door. "Take care of Gracie and yourselves. I'll be seeing ya…maybe." He closed the door and disappeared into the night.
Jewel put a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Blaine, what do we do?"
Blaine sighed as he took his wife's hand. "The only thing we can do, Jewel. The only thing we can do."
"NO!" shrieked Gracie as an oak coffin was carefully lowered into the ground. "DON'T PUT HIM IN THERE! HE'S JUST SLEEPING! HE'S JUST PULLING A PRANK LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES!"
"Gracie, hush," Jewel said softly, gripping her daughter's shoulders.
"TELL THEM TO STOP! TELL THEM NOT TO BURY UNCLE CLIFF!" Gracie cried. Tears were pouring from her green eyes like waterfalls as she fought to break free of her mother's hold. She wanted to run to the coffin. She wanted to throw open the lid to show everyone that Uncle Cliff was just joking around with them all, that he was alright and alive.
"It'll be okay, Gracie," Blaine said gently. "All living things must die. It's part of life. Uncle Cliff wouldn't want you to mourn his death. He'd want you to live and be happy."
"BUT I WANT UNLCE CLIFF!" she shouted. "Who else will play with me when you're at work?"
Tears rolled down Jewel's cheeks, but not from the fake funeral of at least two dozen men. It was killing her to have to lie to her beloved Gracie about Cliff's death. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around Gracie's chest. "Oh Gracie. I'm so sorry."
Gracie could no longer speak. She just turned around and cried into her mother's chest, balling her black dress in her fists. 'I don't want to lose anyone else that I love. I lost Uncle Cliff, but I won't lose Mom or Dad! Not ever!'
Blaine narrowed his eyes as Cliff's coffin disappeared. 'Damn it, Cliff. Whatever you're doing now, it better be worth it for the hell that you're putting Gracie through.'
ONE YEAR LATER
"Cahill told me that you needed to speak to me, Boss," said a thin and mousy man.
"Yes, Harry. I do," Jarvan said with a wicked grin.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
Jarvan waved a book around. "I've been going over the books and something isn't adding up here."
Harry's eyes widened. "What? That's not possible! I'm always careful with the finances, Boss!"
Jarvan set down the book. "Oh I believe you. However, I do believe that there was some level of carelessness on your part in this particular situation."
"What are you talking about, Boss?"
Jarvan jabbed the book with his finger. "Like I said; I've been going through the books and it would appear that one of the families loaning money from you is repeatedly behind on their payments."
Harry gritted his teeth. "How could I have missed that? Damn it!"
Jarvan narrowed his eyes at the scrawny man. "Harry, this cannot be overlooked. It cannot be known that there are no consequences for disregarding debts. Those who borrow money must repay their debts when the time comes."
"I deeply apologize, Boss," Harry said with a low bow. "I have no idea how this slipped past me. Who are these fools that would dare try to skimp out on paying debts to me and your organization?"
"The books say that their names are Amier," Jarvan replied.
Harry nodded. "Got it. Rest assured, Boss; I will make them pay dearly! I will show the world that you can't try to steal from Harry the Horrible and hope to get away with it!"
"You better. Dismissed," Jarvan said with a wave of his hand. Harry nodded and took off down the hallway without even shutting the door. Jarvan sighed as he stood up from his desk to close the door. Once it was shut tight, he burst out laughing. "Finally! The time has finally come! I've waited ten years for this day, but the pieces are all in place now!" He leaned against the door. "You will be mine, Gracie Amier."
PRESENT DAY
Cliff sighed. "And that's as much as I know." He looked over to Gracie, whose eyes were cast down at her lap. She seemed sad, but no tears fell. "I know it's a lot to take in at once."
"So my parents were mercenaries?" Gracie asked softly.
"Yeah, we all were. We all worked for Jarvan, blindly carrying out tasks of murder," Cliff answered.
"And that's how that sniper guy knew my mom," Gracie said.
"Yeah. Walker did jobs from time to time with you parents. He loved working with Jewel the most. I think he had a thing for her, but that's beside the point." He leaned forward. "You alright, kiddo?"
She balled up her fists. "No. How could I be alright after hearing all of that?"
"Right. I guess it was stupid to ask."
She looked up at Cliff with tears beginning to form. "Why? Why would you all lie to me? Why wouldn't my parents tell me what they did? Why did you pretend to die?" Her questions were spewing out faster than even she could comprehend.
"We did everything for you, Gracie," Cliff replied gently. "This life you're living—being chased down by Jarvan for the Dragon Rider armor—is exactly what we wanted to avoid. Your parents wanted a happy life for you."
"But now my parents are dead and he's still after me," Gracie said flatly.
Cliff closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Gracie. I should have pushed them to come with me. I should have known that Jarvan had something in the works. But I never dreamed that he would wait so long to act and I never imagined that he'd target your parents."
Gracie squeezed her eyes shut as tears fell onto her hands. "It isn't fair," she rasped.
"I'm so sorry, kiddo. I really thought that your folks could handle anything that came their way. They were the best of the best. They were like gods. Honestly, when news of their deaths reached me, I was beyond shocked and devastated." He took a deep breath. "If it's not too much for you, would you mind filling me in on exactly what happened? I'd like to know how my best friends died."
"They were murdered by Harry the Horrible, but you already knew that," she responded as her lip began to quiver at the very memory.
He sighed. "Yeah, I heard. What I don't understand, though, is how that greedy little weasel pulled off something like that? I mean, your parents and I never met the guy since he was just a finance worker, but he was no mercenary."
Gracie wiped away the tears, but more kept falling. "It's my fault. My parents died because of me."
21 YEARS AGO
"No, Gracie. You can't have any yet," Jewel said as she cut through a large cake. "Wait until after lunch."
Gracie kept trying to wriggle around her mother to obtain her prize. "But I want some now! It looks so good!"
Jewel smiled. "I'm glad you think so, but flattery won't help you get some any faster."
"Boo!"
"Just wait like a good girl," Blaine said as he read the newspaper.
"I am being good! Mom's the one who's being mean! She won't let me have any cake!" Gracie complained.
"You'll spoil your lunch if you have some now," Blaine retorted. "Just be patient."
"But I don't wanna!"
A knock at the door drew everyone's attention. Blaine sighed as he put down the paper. "Not a moment's peace, I swear," he groaned as he stood and went for the door. He opened the door and looked at the scrawny and lean man before him. "What can I do for you?"
"Excuse me," the man began, "but are you by chance Mr. Amier?"
"That would be me," Blaine replied. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt cold steel pierce his heart. His eyes widened as he slowly looked down to see a sword protruding through his chest. Blood ran from his lips. "You're…kidding me," he rasped.
The mousy man put more weight into the sword. "You should never steal from Harry the Horrible and expect to live," he whispered.
"You son of a bitch," Blaine said, his vision getting blurry.
Harry ripped out the sword with an audible squelch and watched Blaine's large body crumple to the floor. "You, sir, have officially repaid your debt to me."
The sound of Blaine's body hitting the floor caused Jewel and Gracie to turn. Both stared in shock at Blaine's lifeless body, the blood that was collecting on the floor, and the man with the bloody sword who was standing above him and grinning evilly.
Gracie was in complete shock. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She could only stare in silence with disbelieving eyes as her intelligent mind struggled to comprehend what she was seeing.
"BLAINE!" Jewel shrieked. She didn't know what to do. She desperately wanted to keep Gracie from finding out about her fighting skills in order to protect her from a horrid future. However, she knew that she had to protect Gracie from being killed. She picked up a rolling pin and charged Harry.
Harry was surprised to see the woman on top of him so quickly and fighting back with a rolling pin of all things, but reacted in time to block with his blade. He was even more surprised to feel how strong this woman was. "Fighting back? So not wise on your part."
"Gracie, run!" Jewel shouted. "Run away!"
Gracie was too immobilized by fear and shock. 'Dad…Daddy…why did he kill my Daddy? I don't understand.' A single tear rolled down her cheek, yet her face remained motionless.
"Gracie, please!" Jewel begged. All she needed was for Gracie to run away and she could destroy this man. She would have no problem explaining things to Gracie. But she didn't want her daughter to see the monster that she was on the inside.
More tears began to fall from Gracie's eyes. 'No more…no more! I don't want anyone else to get hurt. I don't want anyone else to die like Uncle Cliff and Dad.' Her face changed for the first time and it was one of anger. Without hesitation, she reached towards the counter, grabbed the knife that her mother was using to cut the cake only a minute ago, and charged at Harry. "GET AWAY FROM MY MOM!"
Harry looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Gracie charging. He huffed. "What a pathetic attempt. A squirt like you can't hope to defeat Harry the Horrible!" Right before Gracie could swing the knife, he lashed out with his foot. Out of sheer luck, he managed to catch Gracie right in the center of her chest, effectively knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying into the kitchen table. The furniture broke and fell on top of her.
And that moment of sheer luck turned things in favor of Harry the Horrible.
Seeing her daughter flying into the table with such force switched off her killer instincts and sent her mother instincts into overdrive. She turned to try and run to her daughter. "Gracie!" Suddenly, she felt steel slice diagonally across her back, leaving behind a deep gash. Her eyes widened as she collapsed to the floor, the dented rolling pin leaving her grasp.
Harry smirked at her motionless body. "Mrs. Amier, you have officially repaid your debt to me." He sheathed his sword and looked around. The body of Blaine Amier lay at the door, the body of Jewel Amier lay across the hall, and the injured body of the daughter, Gracie Amier, lay underneath the wreckage of the table. "All debts have been collected." He smiled an evil smile. "Have a nice day now." And with that, he left.
Gracie began to stir as her eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw was her mother lying on the ground with one hand outstretched towards her and her blood pooling on the ground. "Mom…," she rasped, but breathing was difficult. She began to crawl out from underneath the broken table, but she was moving very slowly. Tears were rolling down her face even harder than before. "Mom!" She crawled and she crawled until her legs were free. Once they were, she slowly crawled on her hands and knees to where her mother lay bleeding. "MOM!"
Jewel coughed and slowly opened her eyes. "Gracie…I'm so sorry." Her voice was very quiet.
Gracie took her mother's outstretched hand. "Sh. Don't talk. Just rest and you'll be all better."
Jewel smiled softly. "I never wanted any of this to happen. I wanted you to be happy. We thought that everything would work out. I'm so sorry, Gracie."
"You really shouldn't talk. Use your energy to get better," Gracie begged, her voice scratchy as her sorrow was overwhelming her. "I'm sorry, Mom. I couldn't protect you, even after I swore to myself that I wouldn't lose anyone else I loved."
Jewel knew she was fading fast, but she had to warn Gracie. She knew that with both her and Blaine gone and Cliff off somewhere, Jarvan could come after her daughter. "Gracie, listen to your mother. You need to protect yourself, okay? Don't trust anyone. Do you hear me? No one. People are not kind, Gracie. They will hurt you if they can."
Gracie blinked. "I don't understand, Mom. You can protect me once you're better."
"Promise me, Gracie," Jewel begged. "Promise your mother and your father and your uncle that you will not trust a single soul."
Gracie sniffed. She still didn't understand, but she still nodded. "I promise. I won't trust anyone."
Jewel smiled as she closed her eyes. "Thank you." A tear ran down her cheek and mixed with her blood. "I'm so proud of you, my little blessing. My darling Gracie. I love you so very much." With those words spoken and her hand still clutching her daughter's hand, Jewel Amier drew her last breath and died.
PRESENT DAY
"Gracie," Lucy said sadly, the story she had just heard causing tears to run down her cheeks.
"I can't believe that happened to you," Christina said through sobs.
"Wish I could've gotten my hands on that Harry bastard," Gajeel said while punching his palm.
Cliff's face was resting in his hands. He had not moved from that position since the story began, for he wanted to absorb every detail. Finally, he lifted his head and his eyes were red, for he had been crying. "I see. So that's what happened. Damn that Jarvan."
Gracie's shoulders were trembling as she fought back the flood of tears that were desperately trying to break free. "That day was my tenth birthday. We were going to have cake right after lunch and then spend the day having fun. And in the blink of an eye, everything changed. My parents were murdered and my life was never the same. No more innocence. No more naiveté. I had to grow up on that day."
"What did you do, Gracie?" Cliff asked. "What happened after they died? What became of your life?"
She clenched her fists as her gaze remained downcast. "You wanna know, Uncle Cliff? You wanna know what became of my life?"
"Yes."
She looked up at him with the coldest green eyes that anyone had ever seen from Gracie. "The day my parents were taken from me, my life was consumed. Consumed by revenge. I kept my promise to my mother for four years and didn't trust a soul, but I needed to avenge them. I needed to kill the man who killed my parents. I knew the man's name. I knew his face. I knew how to find him. All I needed to do was train—and train I did. I moved out to the fields where I wouldn't be able to interact with anyone, only taking a few necessities with me. For four years, I practiced my fighting every hour of every day out on the fields outside of Calione, only stopping to eat and sleep. I didn't want to be weak. I wanted to keep anyone from getting hurt ever again. I would become strong for my parents…and you. I worked on every weapon imaginable, doing my best to master whatever I could get my hands on. As time passed, I found broad swords, halberds, and dual wielding katanas to be my forte.
"After two years of training, though, I discovered that I had a small amount of magic power when I wished that I had a place to store all my weapons since it was annoying to just have them all lying there in a heap on the field. They all disappeared in a flash of light upon my wish. I was beyond confused and wished for them to return and, in a flash of light, they did. It was then that aside from practicing in weapons, I began working on my magic.
"On my thirteenth birthday, I decided to revisit my old house. It had been shut down when my parents' bodies and my bleeding self were found inside, but I for some reason felt the need to see it again. I snuck inside and had a look around. It brought back a lot of wonderful memories and only ended up deepening my drive for revenge. Once I had looked around, I said my goodbyes and left forever.
"Finally, after those four years had passed and I was 14, I began trying to seek out Harry the Home Wrecker. It took more time than I thought, but I finally found him in an alley completing some back alley transaction."
17 YEARS AGO
"HEY!" Gracie bellowed as she stood at the entrance to an alleyway, a broad sword firmly clutched in her hand.
Harry turned around. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked as he tucked away the money that he had just received.
Gracie raised her broad sword and pointed it at him. "Harry the Horrible, my name is Gracie Amier!"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Gracie Amier?" Suddenly, realization hit and he laughed. "Oh wait, I remember you! You're that brat from four years ago! My, time has passed, hasn't it?"
"Enough," she hissed. "I don't want to hear you talk. Your voice is like a chorus of demons. I don't plan on saying much either, though. I plan on letting my sword do most of the talking." She charged forward. "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!"
Harry chuckled. "Is that so?"
Suddenly, two men appeared out of nowhere. Each one grabbed one of Gracie's arms and pinned her against the alley wall. The force of hitting the wall caused her to shriek in pain and drop her sword. "Where the hell did these two come from?"
Harry laughed. "That was it? What were you hoping to accomplish here? How laughable was that?" He walked over to Gracie. "Since you're here, what should we talk about? Would you like to talk about my grand successes over the years?"
"Let me go!" she demanded as she tried to escape.
Harry grinned wickedly at her while his muscular companions kept the struggling blonde teen pinned against the wall. "But Miss Gracie, I thought you wanted to see me?"
She spat at him. "I want to kill you, you son of a bitch. Big difference."
"Kill me? Why?"
"You know damn well why. You killed my parents!" she screamed at him.
He grabbed her face roughly with his hand. "Ah, but they were behind on their payments consistently. What choice did I have? They served as an example for the rest of my customers, so don't worry your pretty little head. In the end, they were quite useful to me."
"An example?" she hissed. 'I didn't even know they had debts. Is that really why this asshole killed them? For money? You must be joking!'
"Yes. People can't think that they can just borrow my money and pay me back whenever. This is a business after all."
"You make me sick."
"My, such a vulgar thing to say. So sad, since you really do have a pretty face." He reached down and picked up the broad sword that lay on the ground by Gracie's feet. "Maybe I should cut out that tongue of yours with the very weapon you intended to kill me with."
She glared at him, but said nothing as she struggled against her captors.
Harry walked towards her while eyeing the blade. "A handsome sword. Too bad you have no skill with it."
"I have plenty of skill with it, you bastard, but your boyfriends jumped me. Fight me one on one and I'll show you just how skilled I am."
He laughed. "Sorry, not interested. I think I'll just punish you for your attitude."
She struggled with all of her might, but couldn't escape the grips of the muscular men. All she could do was watch as her parents' killer lifted the sword over his head, prepared to strike her down.
PRESENT DAY
Cliff was listening intently with his eyes closed, but was surprised to hear Gracie stop. He opened his eyes. "And then what?" he asked, but was surprised by what he saw. Gracie wasn't crying. She didn't look angry. In fact, she was smiling gently. "Gracie? You're smiling."
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm smiling because of what happened next."
17 YEARS AGO
"Hey."
Everyone turned to see a tall muscular man with golden brown eyes glaring at Harry from the entrance of the alley.
"Who the fuck are you?" Harry called out to him.
"Let her go," the stranger said coldly.
"Sorry, but no can do. She brought this upon herself. She needs to be taught a lesson," Harry said.
"And I can't accept that," the stranger retorted. "I heard the conversation. She has every right to kill you, but you have no right to do anything to her."
Gracie looked at the man with wonder. 'Who is this guy? Why would he step in to help someone he doesn't even know?'
Harry turned and glared at him. "You dare interfere with Harry the Horrible?" The stranger burst out laughing. Harry gritted his teeth. "You dare laugh at me?"
"You…you call yourself Harry the Horrible? You? HAH! I've never seen anyone less horrible. Have you considered changing it to Harry the Helpless? Oh, what about Harry the Hamster?"
Harry pointed Gracie's sword at the stranger. "So, you think you're a tough guy, huh? Well, I think I can take you. Then I'll show you just how horrible I am!" He charged the stranger, blade drawn back. "Prepare to die, mother fucker!"
"Look out!" Gracie shouted. She didn't want to see the stranger who was trying to save her get killed.
The stranger stopped laughing as he watched Harry charge and his expression returned to the cold exterior from before. He sighed, held his hand out to the side, and whispered, "SHADOW BLADE!" In his hand, shadows quickly began collecting and formed the shape of a sword. With incredible speed, the stranger charged Harry, prepared to strike.
Harry was shocked at what he'd just seen. Suddenly, this guy was armed. Out of nowhere, he had gotten a sword. And just like that, Harry didn't feel too confident in his chances of winning.
And his uncertainty is what got him killed.
The stranger easily ducked Harry's weak swing and, when the sword passed overhead, he straightened up and plunged his Shadow Blade into Harry's abdomen.
Harry's face froze from the pain. Blood began dripping from his lips as he coughed, sending droplets of his blood flying onto the mysterious stranger's face.
The stranger seemed unfazed. He just glared at Harry with cold eyes. Then, with one swift motion, he pulled his blade upwards, slicing cleanly through Harry's chest and head as it rose. He watched as Harry's body collapsed to the ground and his blood began pooling on the ground underneath him. He allowed his Shadow Blade to disperse before turning his cold glare to the bodyguards, who were staring at Harry's dead body with fear in their eyes. "Leave or die. Your choice."
The men looked at the stranger before dropping Gracie and running off, screaming as they went.
PRESENT DAY
"He saved me. Niky saved my life that day," Gracie said fondly.
"So this Niky character, the one you called brother before, is just some random guy you just so happened to be saved by 17 years ago?" Cliff asked.
"He's not random. He's my brother," Gracie replied.
"But what about the promise you made with your mother?" Cliff asked. "What if this Niky was someone sent by Jarvan? You would have walked right into a trap."
"First of all, I had no idea what was going on," Gracie said. "My mother made me promise something that I didn't understand. I didn't know who Jarvan was or even that he was after me." She placed a hand over her heart. "And secondly, even though I had just met him, I felt like Niky was someone I could trust."
17 YEARS AGO
"Damn it," Gracie mumbled as she stood, brushing herself off. "Thanks for the help. So what's your name?" She looked up to find the stranger walking away. "Hey! Hey hold on!" she called out as she ran after him.
He stopped and turned. "What do you want?"
She stood in front of him. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me out and for killing that weasel. He's a total bastard and this world is better off without him in it."
"Fine," the stranger said as he started walking again.
"Hold on, I'm not done talking to you!" Gracie shouted. She couldn't believe how anti-social this guy was. Then again, she couldn't really talk. She had been living alone in the fields for four years to keep her promise. All she ever did was train. She ran up and walked beside him. "So what's your name?"
He looked down at her as he walked. "Nikolias." He then turned his head back to look forward.
"Nikolias? That's a weird name. I'm gonna call you Niky!"
"No, you're not."
"Why not?"
"It's not like you're ever gonna see me again, so you might as well call me by my proper name."
"You're a downer. Oh yeah! I never introduced myself."
"I don't care."
"Sure you do! My name is Gracie Amier. That's pronounced ah-me-air."
"I don't care."
"I'm 14 years old and quite the skilled swordswoman."
"I don't care."
"Man, you're a broken record, Niky."
"Don't call me that."
"So what did you mean when you said that I'm never gonna see you again?"
"What do you think it means? I'm leaving this town as soon as possible."
"To go where?"
"Who knows?"
"Then why leave?"
"Cuz I don't wanna stay."
"Why not?"
"What's the point in staying anywhere?"
Gracie raised her eyebrow. "You're strange, Niky, but I kinda like you. You mind if I travel with you?"
"Yes, I mind."
"Aw c'mon, why can't I go with you?"
"I travel alone."
"That's so lonely, though."
"Exactly."
She could see some sadness on Nikolias' otherwise stoic face. "Why do you want to be alone?"
"I'm done answering your questions."
"Alright then. Can I come with you? Really? Great!"
"You're not coming with me."
"Sure I am. Why wouldn't I? There's nothing for me here now that that Harry douche is dead."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I heard your parents are dead, but I'm sure that there's someone here that you care about; other family members or friends. Go with them."
Her heart felt slightly heavier. She only ever really had three people that she loved or cared about in this world and they were all dead now. But for some reason she felt a connection with this mysterious man known as Nikolias and she wasn't about to ignore it. "No, I don't have any other family. And I especially don't have any friends. Well, except for you."
"We're not friends."
"Of course we are! After all, you saved my life."
"I just happened upon some filth and eradicated it. Nothing more."
"You're a terrible liar. You know we're friends."
"We're really not."
"There's the lying again! I think you have a problem."
"Yes, and it's you."
"That was cold."
"Please just leave me alone."
"I can't do that. How else are we gonna travel together?"
"We're not traveling together."
"But you said that we could!"
"I never said anything of the kind."
"Liar!"
"Would you cut that out?"
"Nope. Not until you tell the truth and say that we're traveling buddies."
"We're not traveling buddies."
"Liar!"
Nikolias groaned. "Look kid, I'm sorry that you're alone, but believe me when I say that sticking by me is a recipe for death. So goodbye." With that, he summoned large black wings from his back and leapt into the air. He flew swiftly away.
Gracie watched him fly with wonder. "Wow. That's new." She smiled as she watched him fly away. The promise that she had made with her mother on the day she died was still present in her mind, but for some unknown reason, her gut was telling her that she could trust Nikolias. He had saved her life, the life of a total stranger, for nothing in return. He had a kindness to him that appeared masked by some unexplainable darkness.
And most of all, even though he was cold and distant and didn't appear too friendly, talking with him made her feel more like herself than she had felt in four years. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled or wanted to joke around with someone—perhaps it was when her parents were last alive. He seemed like he could fill that void in her heart; the hole that made her feel like there was nothing worth living for except for revenge.
She giggled as she took off running towards the northern exit of Calione. "You're not getting away from me that easily, Niky," she said to herself. She had made up her mind. She wanted to stay by his side. She wanted to stay with her friend. She ran and ran until she found the exit. She flew out of the gate and onto the empty field until, sure enough, she found her prize. "Where you goin'?" she called out.
Nikolias stopped walking and whipped his head around. "How the hell did you find me?"
She smiled and winked. "I'm a good tracker."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Bullshit."
She giggled. "Okay, you caught me. I lied. Of course, I guess it does take one to know one." She really did enjoy joking around with him. She was having fun again.
"I never lied. We aren't traveling together."
"It sure looks like it to me."
"You followed me without my permission. Now tell me how you found me."
She pointed to her brain. "I'm a master strategist, so it was really easy to figure out. You wanted to leave, so when you flew off—neat trick by the way—I knew that you would head for the exit gate. I just had to get there as fast as possible so that I could follow you."
"Fine. Congratulations on being a fucking genius. Now go away."
"Nope. My prize for finding you is getting to travel with you!"
"Absolutely not. I travel alone."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuz being with you means death. I get it. Well I'd rather be with you and die then go back home and live." He just stared at her. When he didn't answer, she continued. "Hey Niky?"
"Stop calling me that."
"Do you want to be alone because someone close to you died?" She wanted to know because the connection she felt like she had with him seemed too real. It was like they were similar somehow. He once again just stared at her, but this silence was different than just ignoring. This silence held pain. "Your silence tells me yes. I'm so sorry. But don't you see? This is how we go together perfectly! We both lost people who are close to us and now, we feel lost. We can comfort each other."
"No. No we can't," Nikolias said through gritted teeth. "There is no comfort. There is only pain."
"Now that may be the most negative thing that I've ever heard in my life. Unless you deal with it, the pain will never go away. And unless you move on, you will always be haunted. You just have to try and keep your spirits up." She couldn't help but laugh inside at her own words. Until Nikolias had appeared in her life a few minutes ago and killed Harry, wasn't she feeling the same way as him? But for some reason her own words made sense to her and made her question why she didn't discover this fact beforehand.
"You may have lost your parents, but you could never understand what I went through."
"My parents were killed for money. It's such a bullshit reason to kill."
"You want bullshit? All of my friends and my wife were murdered out of fear."
Her eyes widened slightly. 'I knew it. We're the same. We've both had loved ones taken from us unjustly.' She walked over to him and hugged him. "I'm sorry. But you don't have to be alone anymore. We can be there for each other from now on. That's what friends do."
"We're not friends. Now get off."
"No."
Nikolias sighed, but for some reason he didn't sound as annoyed as before. "Get off."
"No."
"Now."
"No."
"Gracie…"
"You said my name!"
"Yeah…what?"
She smiled up at him. "By saying my name, we are official travel partners, Niky!"
"That's not my name and no we're not."
"You can keep lying, but you should know that I'm just going to keep following you."
"I'll just fly away."
"I'll find you again."
"Hah. Good luck catching a Shadow Dragon." His eyes widened after those words left his lips.
"Whoa, you're a dragon? That would explain the wings." Even after hearing this, she didn't feel afraid. She didn't want to run. She still wanted to be with him.
He sighed, sounding defeated. "I'm a Half-Dragon. Nikolias the Shadow Dragon."
"Whoa. So what does that mean?"
"It means that I can partially and fully transform into a dragon."
"That's so cool!"
The two talked for a while and Gracie couldn't get over how much lighter her heart felt. Life didn't seem so difficult anymore. She felt like she could have a life with Nikolias and enjoy living once more traveling by his side.
"Say, Niky?"
"What?"
"I have an idea."
"And that would be?"
"Let's travel the world together and help people!"
"Oh? And how would we do that?"
"With your abilities and my abilities, we could take down criminals who escape the law!"
"So you wanna join the police?"
"No. I want to take them down as in kill them."
Nikolias appeared surprised. "You want to kill your own kind?"
"You got a problem with that?"
"No, but that's because I'm not human and I'm not a fan of humans, so I have no problem killing them. You, on the other hand, are human."
"I don't want to kill everyone. Just the really bad ones. You know, the ones who hurt the innocent."
Nikolias chuckled. He walked closer to her before bending over to be face to face with her. "Very well, Gracie. I will agree to that. But don't blame me if you get yourself killed."
She looked at him with absolute joy. "Hooray! Thanks, Niky!"
He put a hand on her head. "Whatever."
The two began walking into Seven, Gracie skipping along and Nikolias sighing at her overenthusiastic behavior.
It was then that Gracie remembered something. "Oh, and thanks," she said.
"For what?"
She smiled at him. "For letting me call you Niky! The past two times I said it, you didn't correct me!" The look he gave her made her laugh hard to the point where she was holding her stomach. 'Yeah. I could get used to this.'
PRESENT DAY
"Since that day, Niky and I have traveled Earth Land in search of bad guys. We did that for ten years and then we found and joined Fairy Tail where we met all of these amazing people. We quickly all became friends. Not long after joining, though, there was an incident that caused a number of us to be sealed away for seven years so that we didn't age. And that's just about all of it."
Cliff sat back exasperatedly in his chair. "Just who in the hell is this Nikolias anyway?"
"I already told you; a Half-Dragon," Gracie said with a giggle. 'Even just talking about him, Niky can make me feel better without fail.'
"And all of this really happened to you?" he asked.
"Every bit of it."
He let out a loud sigh. "Magic and dragons. Unbelievable. You've got quite a life, kiddo. Not the life that your parents and I wanted for you, though, but still something incredible."
"Yeah, I love it."
He smiled at her. "You seem better. I'm glad."
She nodded slowly. "It's still hard to hear everything. I mean, there's so much that makes sense now after hearing the truth. I wish I knew all along, but I can't fault my parents or even you for not telling me. Now that I've calmed down and thought things through, I feel better because everything that happened, as tragic and sad as it is, led me to Niky and Fairy Tail and being with them is amazing."
Cliff chuckled. "There is so much of your parents in you, especially your mother."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Forget about your fighting style, which is a wonderful combination of them both, but the way you are just reminds me so much of them. It's nice and nostalgic."
She giggled. "Whatever you say."
"Excuse me, Cliff," Mira said as she stepped forward. "There's one thing that wasn't quite clear from your story. Why would Jarvan take Nikolias?"
Cliff crossed his arms. "My guess is that Jarvan figured Gracie was closer to Nikolias more so than anyone else, so that's why he chose to use Nikolias as bait to lure her out. It obviously worked if you're all here."
"So is he alright?" Mira asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid I don't know that," Cliff admitted.
"I got a question," Natsu said. "Are you and your friends this organization that was going to take down this Jarvan guy?"
"Yes. We're that very group. We all worked under Jarvan for some time before coming to our senses and escaping."
"Then why hasn't he been taken down yet?" Natsu asked. "If he had been, none of this would have happened."
Cliff nodded. "I realize that of course. The answer is simple if not pathetic. By the time we got everything together, a few years had passed—four years to be precise. Once we had the necessary manpower and firepower, we decided to make our move. However, fate was not on our side, for that very year the Jarvan Organization brought in a new mercenary. This mercenary brought something to the table that we weren't capable of or prepared to handle. His blade was infused with magic and his body was scientifically enhanced to make him stronger, faster, and deadlier than any human being should be. The enhancements also twisted his mind to take away his emotions and free will and to give him a never-ending bloodlust. His name was Xeeval Boran, nicknamed Xeeval the Executioner."
"You mean…the same guy I just cut open?" Gracie asked.
"One and the same. We watched your fight from here. I was very impressed," Cliff said.
She sweatdropped. "If you were watching you could've helped, you know."
He shook his head. "To this day, we still don't know how to defeat someone like Xeeval. Had we joined, we would've only been a hindrance."
"Fine whatever," Gracie said. "He's dead now, though. So what happens next?"
Cliff stood and grinned. "What now, huh? We march for Calione, of course. We're going to take down Jarvan's organization once and for all!"
Gracie stood as well. "We're coming, too! We need to save Niky and I wouldn't mind taking a few limbs off of this Jarvan guy."
Cliff laughed. "So much like your mother. Still, your parents would hate that you've chosen this life."
"It's like you said; I'm just like them," she replied with a wink.
He nodded. "That you are."
"Let's get moving then!" Natsu said while engulfing his fist in flames and thrusting it into the air.
"Yes. We shall save Nikolias and take down this organization," Erza said.
"We'll end this once and for all," Mira said.
Gracie smiled at her uncle. "I hope you're not too old for this, Uncle Cliff."
"Still got the mouth I see," he said with a grin. "I ain't too old just yet."
She held out her fist. "You ready for this?"
"Yeah," he said while bumping her fist with his. "The war starts today."
"Boss!" Cahill exclaimed as he burst into Jarvan's personal laboratory. He could see Jarvan standing and staring at a computer monitor so his back was to Cahill. The computer itself was plugged into a large tube filled with some strange fluid that prevented him from seeing inside. "I'm sorry for intruding, but it's an emergency!" Jarvan didn't reply so he continued. "It's Xeeval, Boss. According to the Vitals Lacrima, he's been killed! That can only mean that he failed to apprehend Gracie Amier!"
It was silent in the room until the monitor made a small beeping sound. Once it did, Jarvan burst out laughing while throwing his hands in the air. "YES!"
"Boss?" Cahill asked. "Did you not hear me?"
"Oh I heard you," Jarvan said, "and I couldn't care less!"
"But Gracie…"
"She'll find her way here since Xeeval was supposed to inform her, so stop worrying!"
Cahill shook his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Boss, but what on Earth Land has you so excited?"
Jarvan laughed again. "What you ask? It's the experiment! The experiment, Cahill!"
"What about it?"
Jarvan turned to look at him, his eyes wide and filled with excitement. He motioned to the tube beside him. "The experiment is moving far faster than I anticipated. We have already reached Phase Four! After that, it begins!"
