Broken Fairies

by EnergyMageFrea

Light Magic has won over Dark in the battle to decide the Balance of the world, but shadow has never settled so thickly over the Fairy Tail Guild as it has now, and that darkness does not seem to want to leave. Is it possible, after all the evil and the pain suffered, lived through and triumphed over by the Guild- that Fairy Tail has finally broken? {Fourth Story in Series!}

19. Chapter 19- Adgnei!

Chapter 19

Adgnei!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas

.:+:.

Everything was spinning, whirling, falling- all sense of up and down and left and right was just... Gone.

She couldn't make sense of the world, she couldn't hardly breathe- let alone open her eyes to see where she was and what the hell was going on. Her thoughts wouldn't click together, it was all a rush and mix of things too few and far between and all at once.

She was so off balance, she couldn't see, could hardly hear- every part of her body was unresponsive, numb, weak... She could feel herself shaking and twitching as she tried to get up, and failed. She was so confused and lost- what the hell happened?!

Her head spun and her stomach went with it, flipping over as nausea hit her full force as she rolled over, trembling still, muscles screaming, freezing and yet burning up all at once.

She felt the bile rise up her throat, her stomach knotting painfully as she coughed up all of it's contents- breathing ragged and hardly able to keep herself up. Her arms were pushing down but she hadn't the strength to even keep her own body weight up. Her arms collapsed underneath her, sending her into freefall- but something or someone stopped her from slamming back down again.

There were hands pushing her onto her back, pinning her, making it harder to move and thrash- and she tried, but she still could scarcely open her eyes and when she did- the world was so blurred and indiscernible, there was bleeding color everywhere and the light hurt her eyes so much she groaned.

There was whispers and murmurs, some far off voice saying things she couldn't hear nor make out. She had no clue what was being said, she had no clue who it was, where it was, how many- nothing. She was so lost and so freaking confused, her whole body ached, her head was pounding.

The whole world was lost on her entirely, there was no making sense of anything- and she had very little time to remain panicked and dazed as what little consciousness she had failed her entirely.

She plunged downward into sheer black and total silence.

---

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN FREA'S BEEN TAKEN TO ADGNEI?!"

The Guild erupted in an insane amount of noise, people jumping to their feet, chairs sliding and falling back in their haste. They yelled out questions and exclamations of rage and shock, demanding more answers, pressing closer to the stage- looking ready to tear the building down.

Aisha hardly moved an inch under the noise and the rush of bodies getting closer to the stage- she hardly looked perturbed by any of it at all and her purple gaze just remained locked on all of them. Moon, Chase and the Thunder God Tribe all flinched, sweatdropping heavily and leaning back from the rest of the Guild, their eyes not wanting to meet the rest of the members and flickering anxiously toward stony-faced Aisha.

Of all the ways to break the news- she had to be that blunt?

"How the hell did that happen?!"

"Shit!"

"We have to get her back, right now!"

"What happened?!"

"Oh no!"

"You gotta be kidding, right?!"

"Damn it!"

"What the hell..?!"

"Explain this, at once!" Master barked, scowling and eyes glittering as he glared upward at Aisha. Beside the Old Man Laxus was glowering, his person rigid and tense as lightning sparked around him in sheer agitation at the words.

"I just told you the gist of it." Aisha replied lowly, shaking her head slightly. Master took a step forward, his eyes hard and looking none-to-happy with the reply.

"Yes and what you've just told us is that Frea has been taken Prisoner to another Country- with no precedence, authority, or reasoning!" Master replied gruffly, "And to add atop it, you expect us to sit on our thumbs and do as you please, no question, no argument!" He growled and Aisha seemed to let out a silent, exasperated breath. "Tell me what is going on exactly, that is an order!"

"Tch..." Aisha growled, her eyes falling closed as a ghost of a frown appeared on her face. "... Moon and Frea were headed out of Fairy Hills to meet the Thunder God Tribe this morning, but they were stopped by a man and his two guards. Frea was detained by them, and they used a Magic Tool capable of instant Teleportation to Adgnei in order to get away- she is likely being held inside the Capital, and in the Palace; Okeal, itself. It may be she was taken to fulfill or assist in some project set by the King or Corielain, but as it is; there is very little we actually know about the situation and reasons why they took her in the first place. That is why I'm going to lead a small team into Adgnei to learn more, and then we can make a rescue plan." Aisha replied lowly, her eyes flashing as she glanced to the Guild and the Old Man again. "The man who detained her is one of the Vaide; Adgnei's elite warriors. He has the backing and support of both Corielain and the King- things are going to be hard, getting any information is going to be harder. Adgnei has tight security and powerful tools, we can't just barge in and start a riot, things are too delicate right now. I plan to get in touch with my contacts and associates, and find out just what the hell is going on. But I can only get the information we need- and Frea back- if we do things my way. Which means all of you need to follow my orders and do as I say."

Her eyes trailed up toward the Guild, "I'm the only one here who knows anything about Adgnei. I know the cities, the streets, the people, customs, and Castes- all of it. If anything is going to actually work, you need to trust me and my judgment. Got it?"

"Why should we waste time on all of that?!" Natsu snapped, fists clenched and blazing. "I say we just head off to Adgnei right now and get her back!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Let's get goin'." Gajeel snapped,

"Right behind you." Gray growled, the three boys on their feet with a slew of others rushing off toward the front doors in a stampede. Aisha sighed slightly, shaking her head a little as she watched them go with no intention of calling them back.

A few moments later there came the unmistakable sound of bodies slamming into a wall- followed by a series of curses and yells. Some of them backtracked into the Building again in sheer anger while others (like Natsu..) Stayed to pound their fists against the barrier in anger,

"What the fuck?!"

"Freed?! Why the hell is there a barrier around the Guild?!"

"You better take it down, now!"

"... Apologies..." Freed mumbled, looking flustered at hearing the angry comments and his eyes avoiding the angry looks.

"Are you trapping us here?!"

"What the hell?!"

"Get over it." Aisha snapped lowly, her voice breaking clear through the noise. "Getting Frea back can't be done by charging in and demanding it. Even though I know that's the favorite tactic of this Guild, you cannot do that. Adgnei is a hub of Magical Tools and Weapons that surpass all other countries, including this one. You will be outmatched and outnumbered, we need to take this slow and with our heads on straight."

"So you trapped us here?!" Gray snapped,

"That's an extreme measure." Erza grumbled lowly, her arms crossed about her chest and standing rigid on Master Makarov's other side from where Laxus was still- though he looked considerably more displeased than maybe even anyone else.

"Take the warding down, now!" Natsu snapped from outside, fire blazing and anger on an all time high as he still crashed against the barrier that wouldn't budge.

"Extreme or not, I'm not taking any chances." Aisha grumbled, ignoring Natsu entirely. "And you should listen to what I say, if you want Frea, and everyone else who goes to get her to come back, alive and in one piece." She added in lowly, her tone dropping to something icy as the Guild sweatdropped.

"Adgnei is run on Magical Inventions and Weapons that would put most of your own Caster Magics to shame. You will get ripped apart in a full frontal assault. If you go around starting fights, you will be detained and captured with little issue. Your Magic will not help you if you are reckless with it, the Kullui will be on the lookout for anyone in Fairy Tail. They will have Nullification Collars on hand and will not hesitate to use them on you." Aisha told them all, her voice steady and gaze too. "The Collars are absolute and cannot easily be taken off, you will be Magicless if they put one on you; and believe me, you will never see them coming."

The Guild seemed to blink, a look of shock and question passing over their faces at the words.

"It will do no good if more people are captured, one person is bad enough. It's fortunate enough already that they took her with the intent of her helping them- meaning she's in custody, but not in any immediate danger. But if you go to start a war, people are going to die."

"These Collars; you mean to say they have Nullification Magic that can cut off Magic entirely?" Master asked lowly, Aisha nodded. "... Enough even against Frea?" The Guild stiffened as Aisha nodded, just once.

"Wait, you mean Frea got captured because she couldn't use Magic?!" Elfman snapped,

"Silver's plenty capable of kicking ass without Magic." Gajeel hissed, Moon's ears fell.

"These people were incredibly skilled, and their Magic Tools were... Very powerful." Moon told him softly, "... It happened really fast, one minute we were walking and the next they popped up out of nowhere- and immediately put the Nullification Collars on us. We didn't stand a chance. And I don't think Frea ever even felt their Energy Signatures or caught their scent. They had some sort of Tool that could keep them hidden, even from Frea. We only realized they were there after it was too late." Moon broke off, looking wary and nervous. The look was shared among Chase and the Thunder Legion, all of their eyes falling from the rest of the Guild pointedly.

Laxus' eyes narrowed to slits at the way his Team kept from looking at anyone else, the way they were shuffling, fidgeting.

".. Seriously...?!" The Guild echoed breathlessly, Master grimaced.

"Your S-Class and Wizard Saint was detained, subdued, and transported off to Adgnei in the matter of a few minutes." Aisha growled, the Guild seemed to swallow at that. "If that doesn't make it clear that we need to be smart about this, I don't know what will. You need to trust me, and listen- Fairy Tail is on unfamiliar ground in Adgnei. You are all already at a huge disadvantage on that alone. I know Adgnei, and I know it's Tools, and it's Power Plays. Navigating the streets and the different Castes and Families at play in this is going to be difficult, and it needs a tempered approach." She sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"So in simple terms; this is a Stealth Mission to be carried out by only a few people, until I see fit to do differently." She murmured, "Is that understood?"

The Guild glanced about each other warily, all tense faces and shoulders and hearts pounding, blood roaring. They felt the itch to run off still, the need to run off and get to their missing Family Member as fast as could be managed...

But Aisha's hard, cold violet gaze had them stiff and motionless. Her words chilled them to the core, and made them more frantic too- but they also knew she was making sense. She was dead serious about all of this, and of everyone and even with how much they knew she and Frea did not get along- she was standing up on that stage, calm as ever and so clearly determined and focused as hell to get that Energy Dragon Slayer back. And to do it without getting anyone hurt, or even killed.

For Aisha to look like that, be asking this when it had to do with saving Frea-

This is serious, and she's right

"...tch... Fine....!"

"Only because you think it's better for getting Frea back...!"

"You do know more than us...but damn it...!"

"If this truly is a delicate situation, then it would be wise to defer to your experience." Erza murmured lowly, she earned stiff nods of approval from most everyone else.

Carla had sprouted wings and floated forward, looking a few inches away from full on panicking as her eyes locked with Moon. Moon blinked, shaking her head a little,

"For now, please don't mention the Vision to the Guild, Carla." Moon's voice appeared in Carla's head via Telepathy, Carla's ears fell against her head.

"And why not?" Carla replied sharply,

"You see how worked up they are now, Aisha wants to handle this- and for now that means refraining from telling them about the Vision." Moon replied, Carla's tail lashed behind her in agitation.

"That is ridiculous." Carla hissed,

"I know, but I think it'll be better to wait for Aisha to tell you directly, to talk about the Vision." Moon said lowly, "I'm sorry, but for now... we do have to follow her instructions."

Carla huffed, her eyes narrowing to slits as she crossed her paws over her chest.

"Fine."

"So, what is your plan of action, precisely?" Master asked, "You said you intend to send a small team into Adgnei, but how do you intend to get there?"

Aisha waved a hand at him, "I think I have a few Beans left, so getting into Adgnei shouldn't be an issue right off. The biggest part is staying inconspicuous once we're there." Aisha told him, turning toward the chest that Bixlow and Chase had dragged to the Guild Hall.

"And you wanted to send yourself, Chase and the Thunder Legion? No one else?" Erza asked next,

"I wanna come with." Natsu was back in the hall again, leaning over the edge of the stage.

"Me too," Gray piped in,

"I'm definitely comin'." Gajeel said gruffly,

"So am I!" Elfman growled,

"Not a chance." Aisha shot back lowly, they scowled.

"Why the hell not?!"

"Natsu is the opposite of stealth, and you aren't much better Gray." Aisha growled, her fingers curling under the edge of the chest. "And Elfman will stick out with how big he is."

"And what about me?" Gajeel snapped, "I'm plenty good at keepin' my mouth shut, or did you forget I worked as a double agent between us and Raven Tail? And they never caught on to me."

"I have not forgotten." Aisha grumbled back lowly, she pulled the lid of the chest open and shot him a look. "But that is beside the point. I already chose who I want coming with me, and even if I was willing to let someone else tag along for the first half- I most certainly wouldn't bring anyone of you who participated in the Grand Magic Games."

"Huh? What?" Natsu mumbled,

"Why?" Gray and Elfman asked,

"What does the Grand Magic Games have to do with anything?" Gajeel growled,

"Most everyone in Adgnei watches the Grand Magic Games. They will recognize you, since the Games were such a big upset this year with Fairy Tail winning." Aisha replied, "And I mean everyone. Regardless of Caste or Family Name, they all watch the GMG because Wizards who use Caster Magic are a... Well, novelty in Adgnei..."

"That's because the number of Mages who use Caster Magic is very, very low in Adgnei- right?" Levy piped in, pushing her way to the front of the crowd. Aisha cast her a hardly surprised look, Levy shrugged a little. "... I read up on it, after learning you were one of the Noble Caste there..." Levy added in,

"Yes, that's right." Aisha sighed,

"Novelty doesn't seem like the right word, though.." Levy mumbled, Aisha shrugged. "... Aren't Caster Mages sort of... Revered? And respected?"

"That perspective depends on who you ask, and what Magic you use. Not all Caster Magics are respected in the same way that mine is." Aisha huffed, "The ones closest to powers of Nature and the Gods are more revered than other ones. So in that regard; Solana, Wendy, and Juvia would be more accepted, with a few others..." Aisha trailed off for half a second as she glanced inside the chest. "... Gray, Natsu, Laki, Max and Laxus being fairly respected too, but less so than the first three. Everyone else is novelty, but not exactly respected."

Everyone who's names were spoken blinked, looking confused as everyone else in the hall- Solana had passed through her own gate with Loke in tow. Wendy, Max and Juvia looked flustered at being pointed out so directly, while everyone else listed off simply tilted their heads in question.

Levy on the other hand nodded slightly, looking thoughtful. "... I suppose that would make sense... Since they all use Magic related to Nature and the dominions of the Four Gods..."

"How the hell do you know so much about this, Shrimp?" Gajeel grumbled, "How long did you look into Adgnei anyway? I never noticed you doin' that."

"I looked into it the day after Aisha called the Druhma." Levy told him softly, he sweatdropped. "I spent most of that first week researching Adgnei... Trying to distract myself, I guess." He glanced away,

And he never noticed because he had disappeared pretty early on after Porlyusica told them that Frea hadn't been likely to survive.

"... Right." he mumbled, Levy's eyes flashed a little.

"Juvia wonders, what are the dominions of the 'Four Gods' in Adgnei..?" Juvia mumbled quietly, stepping up beside Levy.

"Yeah, and why would that make us... A big deal..?" Wendy asked,

"I'm wonderin' that too." Solana grumbled, Levy sweatdropped slightly.

"I... Well, I'm not an expert or anything..." Levy started slowly, casting Aisha a glance. The MoonLight Mage waved a hand at her for her to go ahead, "... But from what I read, Adgnei's culture holds belief of Four Gods; Drennios, Rehvan, Kallin, and Jirrai. Rehvan holds power over the sun, moon and stars. Jirrai holds power over air and sky... Kallin over the oceans, and other forms of water. And then Drennios is the most powerful of the four, sort of like their leader- and holds dominion over earth, and brings all forces of nature and Magic together as one." Levy explained, "... Does that sound right, Aisha?"

"That's the basis, yes." Aisha replied, her hand waving as her Magic appeared and streamed in toward the chest- bringing back out stacks of books and documents and a few boards and stands, and tables too. They set up on the stage, papers and diagrams attaching to things in a rush of white and blue.

"... Oh, so since I use Sky Magic, and Juvia uses Water Magic... And Solana's the Sun Dragon Slayer, we fit into the powers that some of the 'Gods' have?" Wendy mumbled, Levy nodded.

"And Max, Gray, Laki, Natsu and Laxus all use a sort of Magic that can be found in the basis of nature." Solana mumbled, "So they fit in that way, while everyone else's Magic is a bit farther from the elements of nature in their natural form..."

"Iron's pretty damn natural." Gajeel grumbled, looking a little miffed.

"It's not the same." Aisha told him lowly. "You'd be lumped in with the Tool-Makers with the way you manipulate metals, which in itself is not a bad job in Adgnei's economy, but you still wouldn't be on the same level as someone like Juvia and Wendy. And nowhere near Solana or me, seeing as how we are literally the mortal souls of the sun and the moon."

"... But what about Frea, then?" Levy asked. "Her Magic isn't a basic element in nature, but it is sort of... Everywhere. Wouldn't she be viewed the same as someone with Water or Sky Magic? Chase too?"

"They are." Aisha grumbled, "Chase fits the category, and Frea more so... Corielain has named her a true Energess."

"That Saige guy called her that." Natsu grumbled,

"Yes, indeed he did. Though even I am not quite sure what it means." Master grumbled, Levy shook her head a little.

"... I didn't see anything about it.." The Script Mage mumbled,

"... Uh, well in my mind 'Energess' is a title given to an Energy Mage with and incredible amount of Power." Chase broke in softly, rubbing the back of his neck a bit. "Kinda like appointing someone S-Class, or even a Wizard Saint. Teach is one hell of a Mage, and one hell of an Energy Mage at that- so it's a title to go with her Skill. It's an Energy Mage thing, I'm pretty sure- back when they were still around... Though I am getting the impression 'Energess' means a bit more than just that in Adgnei." His eyes trailed toward Aisha,

"... Tch... It's an old story. Rumor really, that goes along with the theory that Adgnei was once upon a time, ruled by the Energy Mages." Aisha replied lowly, people in the hall blinked in surprise.

"Seriously..?!"

"No one knows for sure, since what record of the Energy Mages was all but wiped from the planet... by Mordren, as we all learned." Aisha mumbled,people stiffened and flinched at the very mention of his name. "He said he destroyed them all, and I assume he also laid waste to their city and country at the same time. Nowadays, most people think that Adgnei was built up on the ruins that were left behind of the old, Energy Mage ruled Adgnei. But since so little is known about them, we aren't sure, and we aren't sure how much of their culture stuck around either. It's pretty commonly believed that Adgnei kept it's original name, as well as the names of the Valley, the Capital City, and the Palace from before Mordren's attack- but from there, there is no telling what's been changed and what hasn't. There is literally near no record of them at all, spare a few old paintings and depictions in the stone and foundations scattered in the deepest, oldest parts of Adgnei. And its been so long since the start of Adgnei, information of its founding is all but gone entirely."

"... Frea mentioned Adgnei being home to the Energy Mages, a long time ago." Moon intoned quietly, earning a blink of surprise from Aisha and dropped jaws from everyone else. "She said it was true, and that people had moved back in after Mordren tore it down... she also said names and traditions from the Energy Mages had persisted, at least a little."

"How would she even know that..?!" Several people asked instantly, Moon sweatdropped.

"... I think her Dragon mentioned it, and she put the pieces together after seeing Mordren." Moon replied, Chase cast her a sideways glance- because with what unease sparked from the Exceed just then, he knew the words were a lie. Which likely meant that the real reason Frea knew had something to do with being the Malurey, if he had to guess.

Laxus let out a low breath, his eyes flashing as he growled a little. He knew that wasn't the reason why too- because he knew why Frea would know about Adgnei. She'd told him that night, even through the fever and whirling mind- she'd been forced to see Mordren's Memories, which meant she'd seen him destroy Adgnei, and seen the Adgnei that the Energy Mages ruled once upon a time.

Now whether or not Moon knew that, he hadn't a clue- but a part of him had a feeling Frea probably didn't disclose that part to anyone else.

Secrets as always...

"... Hmmph... that just makes it worse." Aisha growled, shaking her head in agitation. "... In all the old legends, Energess' are supposed to be feared and respected, and counted among the highest of nobility and warriors. An Energess in this age should be seen as the same... If the King and the Noble Caste have named her and Energess, and still dared to take her by force and against her will- they are going against what respect her title should afford her. They are literally ignoring custom and law... Tch... Has the great and bloody God-King and all his mindless, greedy little lacky Nobles lost their damned minds...?"

Aisha sweatdropped slightly, her hands falling behind her head as she looked down into the chest in silence.

"... You don't really like the King or the Noble Caste, do you?" Levy asked quietly,

"Not at all." Aisha replied lowly, the roughness of her tone making Levy and several other people flinch. "... Grr... away from that- I already chose who I'm taking with me, and I'm not changing my mind. We'll be in Adgnei for a few hours or even a day at most, we'll walk the streets, scout the city and find out just what in the hell is going on. I'll get in touch with my contacts and hopefully Seyre can find Frea and a way to her in little time. For now the objective is to learn what we can and go from there." Aisha cast the Guild a glance.

"Seyre?" Master grumbled,

"She's a friend, she'll likely be the only person I have in Adgnei who has a chance of getting into the Palace and locating Frea without breaking in directly. She's perceptive, and very clever... and I trust her. We will need her help, and I'm sure you'll likely meet her at some point in all of this. I already contacted her about finding a way into Okeal and trying to piece together why Frea was brought there in the first place."

"And how are we supposed to stay in contact with all of you, once you enter Adgnei?" Erza asked lowly, "I doubt Warren's Telepathy will reach that far."

Warren sweatdropped, looking nervous as he shook his head a little. "Y-yeah, no way. That's a whole other country, Erza..."

"I can send letters to and from Adgnei with little issue." Aisha replied,

"And what if you are indisposed or captured yourself?" Erza grumbled, Aisha sighed.

"Everyone who goes into Adgnei will have a Communication Body-Link on them." Aisha mumbled, her hand raising as she traced her finger in air, her Magic flaring as she drew the shape of a circle before her. She waved her hand at it as she was done, and it splintered into several pieces.

Chase and the Thunder Legion stiffened, their eyes snapping down toward the glowing white emblem that appeared on the back of their hands out of nowhere. One appeared on Aisha's hand too, though she had moved to pull something out of the chest and stood up with a large, smoothly polished spherical Lacrima set in a silver basin etched with Runes along the sides. She moved to set it down on one of the tables she had erected out of that same chest a few minutes beforehand with all the other books and stands. She tapped the top of it as she glanced back toward the Guild again.

"This is called a Chatterbox. It uses Telepathic Magic enhanced to a great degree to cover hundreds and thousands of miles between itself, and the people it's connected to via Body-Link Magic." Aisha announced lowly, "This is a smaller one, so it can only link up about twenty people at a time. Anyone here need only lay a hand on it and it will connect your thoughts with everyone else's. Or only someone specific, if you wanted."

Eyes all around the hall went wide in wonder and slight awe.

"Coriisette has Anti-Magic Warding around the borders of the city for anything not approved or wanted- but this Chatterbox was made to bypass the barriers of the city. There is additional warding around the Palace that will block the signal though. So if and when we do end up inside of Okeal, if you want to keep contact with us- we'll have to find a way to bring down the warding. Which we'll already need to do if we plan to get more than one person in and back out again..." She sighed, looking incredibly exasperated for a moment as her eyes fell closed in thought. "... which is another issue entirely... and one we'll need some help with from a few other of my contacts. Which is where we will head first, once getting to Adgnei. We'll work to settle a small base inside of Coriisette and to gather together the allies and tools we need. Once we have some way of getting into Okeal without starting a Civil War, we'll band together again and go from there."

"And how are you getting into Adgnei?"

"A Bean, didn't I already mention that?" Aisha deadpanned lowly.

"What the hell is a Bean..?!" Natsu snapped impatiently.

"You mean the food?" Happy asked,

"Oh, those are one of Adgnei's biggest inventions, right?" Levy broke in at near the same time as Natsu and Happy, "They can Teleport people to and from nearly anywhere, no matter how far. And they do it in seconds." Aisha nodded at her,

"Yes. Using a Magic Bean will be the easiest, fastest, and most reliable way of getting into and out of Adgnei. I brought a few with me when I left, among other things." Aisha grumbled, "But before going there, we need to get a few things straight about Adgnei and how it works-"

Chase and the Thunder Legion stiffened slightly as Aisha's purple gaze landed on them again.

"... And you all are gonna need to change. You can't walk around Adgnei looking like that, you'll be pegged as outsiders immediately." Aisha told them lowly,

".. Change...?" Freed and Bixlow echoed uncertainly,

"Into what..?" Evergreen grumbled, Chase's head tilted a bit though he didn't question the sudden order. Aisha waved a hand a little,

"I have spare clothes and things from Adgnei that we can use to make you blend in." she sighed, "For the most part we'll just have to worry on color and Dyann's... And we'll have to hide the Fairy Tail Marks too."

"What the hell is a Dyann?" Evergreen and Moon both deadpanned at the same time.

"They're sashes- and they're divided by color and everyone wears one. It's traditional, as well as ceremonial, and they also serve as show of your status and Caste." Aisha replied, "Anyone without a Dyann is clearly not from Adgnei, so if we want to blend in- you need to wear one. I have a few for the express purpose of fitting in, so you will borrow those."

"And what else about Adgnei's culture and society need they know before going there?" Erza asked slowly,

"Adgnei is divided into social Castes. Royal, Noble, Middle and Lower- Caste is recognized by your Family Name, and recognized most easily by the color Dyann you have. You are allowed to interact freely with someone of the same Caste as you, but you are limited from interacting freely with people of higher Castes than you. In general, it's uncommon for someone of the Lower Caste to talk to anyone in the Middle, and entirely prohibited to speak with a Noble or Royal Caste Member. Middle Caste Members can speak to both Noble and Lower, though doing so is stigmatized to a degree- and it is severely stigmatized for a Noble Caste to speak to Middle or Lower Castes at all, unless absolutely necessary."

The Guild blinked, several people sweatdropping and looking both surprised and wary.

"... That seems... Extreme.." Mira murmured,

"Yeah, what's with splittin' everyone up like that?" Natsu grumbled,

"Its a different way of living than us, Natsu." Lucy reminded him lowly, "Even if it seems weird, that's their culture- that's what they know and have grown up living like. You can't just turn your nose at it because it's different."

"Lucy is right, of course..." Master Makarov mumbled. "... Please continue, Aisha. If learning the basics of Adgnei's innerworkings is truly important to the success of this Mission, we will listen in earnest."

"... Fine." Aisha mumbled, "... the Royal Caste is not to be addressed by any other Caste Member, not even Nobility. The Royal Members are akin to true Gods, and can never be spoken to, nor looked upon directly. Currently there is one Royal Family, and as far as I am aware- there is only one person in the Family's Name. And that one is the God-King; Drennios. He rules Adgnei, and He is a God... Or at least, the mortal Manifestation of the true God; Drennios."

"Huh?"

"Wait, people really think he's a God?"

"Seriously?"

"They believe it enough to have him share the name of one of those Four Gods Levy mentioned before...?"

"... That's... Huh..."

"Yes. The people of Adgnei see Him as the incarnation of the deity." Aisha huffed, "He has unrelenting, questionable authority. His word is law, everything He says- it gets done, no matter what. You do not disobey Him, ever." The Guild seemed to sweatdrop,

"... And... People ain't even allowed to see this dude? Or talk to him?" Gray mumbled,

"Drennios is never looked upon, or seen by anyone." Aisha murmured, "The only ones who have contact with Him are the Vaide, and Keistae who have been given leave to work inside of Okeal." She sweatdropped slightly, "Even me, being in the Nobility Caste- I've never seen Him for myself..."

Not that I want to, mind you...

"... The whole Country is run by a guy hardly anybody's seen?" Gajeel grumbled,

"How do you even know he's real? And not some made up story?" Elfman asked,

"There's no proof of it, but there isn't a single person in Adgnei who doesn't think Drennios is real." Aisha replied steadily,

"It seems Adgnei's people believe quite deeply in their Gods, and their religion." Lily commented, "Perhaps even more fervently than those that follow Zentopia's teachings.."

"Probably." Aisha told him, "All of it, the Gods, Drennios, the Powers and Forces in Nature and Magic- even the division between Caste and the importance of Family Name- its all ingrained deeply into everything people in Adgnei do, and think."

"And what of those you said have seen the 'God-King'?" Erza asked, "The Vaide, and the Keistea...?"

"Keistea are the religious leaders, priests and priestesses that serve the Gods and their Powers, and care for the world. They are respected just as much as the Nobility, but they aren't bound by Family Name... And for the most part, they don't worry about interacting with anyone from any Caste. They are meant to serve the people of Adgnei as a whole... And in a way, they have more freedom than most anyone." Aisha told her, "And the Vaide, as I already mentioned; are Adgnei's most elite, and powerful Warriors. The ones so powerful that they can serve Drennios as His generals. They command armies of their own, and carry out Drennios' bidding whatever it may be. Traditionally, someone can be named a Vaide and come from any Caste if they prove themselves worthy of it- but there hasn't been a Vaide not belonging to the Nobility Caste in centuries."

"... This is a lot..."

"... Man my head is reeling already, are you getting all of this..?"

"..uh... Sort of...?"

"So I take it these Vaide are who we should be wary of, if we are to come to blows with Adgnei?" Erza asked- unaware of, or uncaring of the uncertain murmurings passing quietly around the Hall- Aisha nodded stiffly toward the redhead.

"Do not take them lightly, they are named Vaide for a reason- these people have the means to decimate armies, and most won't hesitate to do so if they see fit. They are dangerous, maybe more so than anything or anyone else in Adgnei." Aisha warned, Erza nodded slightly.

"How many of these Vaide are there in Adgnei?" Mira asked,

"As far as I am aware, currently- only two." Aisha replied, "I could be wrong, though. I've been away from Adgnei a long time, that is why I want to gather more information before doing anything." She shook her head slightly, "... But away from that, outside of the Vaide and the various Tools and Weapons- the biggest, most common problem we will be facing is the Kullui. They are the soldiers, police, and personal guard of Adgnei, Drennios, and the Nobility. They enforce all laws, capture criminals, oversee trade and contraband- and all such things in between. They in themselves are incredibly capable fighters, and they do follow whatever order they are given. They have little minds to think for themselves, they exist to serve and nothing else- they will be hunting Fairy Tail and they are everywhere. I cannot give you a definite number, but it's likely near a thousand in just Coriisette alone."

"T-that.. Huh...?!"

"That's like... Like a lot of people..!"

"Juvia wonder, what do you mean they have 'little minds of their own'?" Juvia asked,

"Kullui are trained to follow orders without question. They exist to be soldiers, they grow up on obeying commands... They don't know anything else. Most don't have names, let alone families... Most aren't even really human, either." Aisha told her lowly, the Guild stiffened a little.

"What do you mean, they aren't really human..?" Lucy stammered,

"A large number of them are Dolls." Aisha explained, Lucy blanched a little at what was an unsettlingly familiar topic- Doll.

"Y-you.. You mean like, how Michelle was...?" The blonde stammered, Aisha sweatdropped slightly.

"Sort of. They're more complex than that, more powerful too. And they don't have feelings, or emotions, or even individual thought, as far as we're aware." Aisha told her, "They are made to be soldiers, and taught how to fight, and to listen at all costs- they don't feel anything, not pain, or compassion, or mercy... They are empty, but they aren't controlled by someone else. There is no Host or Puppet Master behind them, so they are 'living things' in that sense. They are just... I guess, hollow."

Aisha broke off a moment, her eyes snapping away from the crowd in front of her as she sweatdropped a little, suddenly looking a little unnerved. Chase bit the inside of his cheek as he felt that unease start to come off of Aisha in the next instant,

"... The Kullui that are Human have been... Essentially brainwashed, I guess. Stripped and kept from all human contact and interaction... And the Dolls are just..." Aisha mumbled, her eyes dropping a moment as she shuddered- shuddered!

"... Honestly, the Kullui Dolls kinda creep me out.." She admitted lowly, "... Which is another reason we are going to avoid them at all costs, not just to mention everything else I already said."

"... Seriously, what do these things have to look like to make Aisha squeamish..?"

"S-scary..."

"... So for the most part, that is basically what you need to know." Aisha retracted back to the original line of thought. "Evergreen, Bixlow and Freed will blend into the Lower Caste- which means if you see anyone who is not wearing a Dyann that's either green, tan, orange or yellow of some hue- don't talk to them, and don't stare at them openly either, got it?"

The Thunder Legion nodded slightly, "Right..."

"And what about you and me?" Chase murmured, moving to stand at Aisha's side as she blinked at him.

"While the Thunder Legion is listening around in the Lower Warrens, you and I will focus on the Middle and Noble Castes." Aisha murmured, "People know who I am on sight, so there's no chance I'll be able to stay out of sight among the Lower Caste. But I can avoid too much trouble if I'm careful, so you'll come with me as my Ilaen."

"..Ilaen..?" He mumbled, Moon's ear twitched.

"... that's a word in Old Telips." Moon mumbled, Chase and Aisha both blinked in surprise. "It means 'Loyal Guardian'..." She explained, Aisha sweatdropped slightly, glancing away from her and looking... flustered.

"... I didn't know that." She explained quickly, "Ilaen is the title given to the people that serve as Special Guards for the Nobility, and who are not Kullui... you'll act as mine, since I have authority to name whoever the hell I like- and you're used to playing a spy. So we'll cause much less a stir." Chase smiled at her, just slightly.

"... I wonder if Old Telips is used in Adgnei more than just the one Title..?" Freed murmured softly, Moon blinked, her head tilting in his direction.

"... I don't know, I mean this is the first thing Aisha's said that I've recognized." Moon told him, "... but to be honest, not a lot is really known about Old Telips anyway. Not where it started, or who used it... or came up with it." She paused, "... but given if the whole thing about Adgnei being home to the Energy Mages, maybe they came up with it to start with? And it's faded away over the centuries, branching off into other places after what Mordren did?" She shrugged slightly, "That's probably a riddle for another day, to be honest..." Freed nodded slightly in agreement,

"I agree." He mumbled,

"The other thing you should know about Adgnei," Aisha mumbled, her eyes turning back on the Guild and away from Chase. "For awhile now, things inside the country have been pretty tense. There's a lot of unrest between the Lower Castes and the Nobility and Royalty both. There's been a lot of poverty springing up all over Adgnei's Lower Castes while the Nobility seem to keep gaining more money and more power. There's been a number of riots and protests, and the Kullui have grown more severe in punishing misbehavior and crimes- of which most punishment befall the Lower Castes, even when it seems the Nobility are at fault. A part of me thinks that perhaps the Nobility have taken direct control over the Kullui and are bending them to their own aims, and twisting them against their original intent of serving everyone without bias- and not just one Caste. Tensions have grown high enough that illegal Weapon's trading has grown significantly in this past year, and it seems likely that there will be a Civil War to break out soon."

Aisha's hands locked together and fell atop her head in exasperation,

"... given the sheer devastation that a number of Adgnei's Weapons can cause, a Civil War between the Nobility and the Lower Caste- who far outnumber any other group in Adgnei- that conflict can and probably will spill out of Adgnei's borders. Other countries will get involved, unwillingly or not- and that's going to cause a lot of problems for everyone. We'll be headed into a country already on the brink of war, if we do anything stupid, or start any trouble- we might just end up being the reason Adgnei falls into a Civil War." Aisha told them lowly, the Guild sweardropped, all looking tense and uneasy at the words. "That is another reason we need to be careful."

"And another reason we need to get Frea out of Adgnei quickly." Erza mumbled, Aisha nodded slightly. Aisha snapped her fingers, a piece of paper appearing in front of her via Magic as she sighed.

"... Hello Therigist, please save me your amusement at contacting you now- but I need you to meet me in Banore. I should be there in the next few hours or so, I don't doubt you'll have already heard something from Seyre; but one of our Wizards has been captured by Edryd and taken to Coriisette. A named Energess no less, and we need her back- quickly, before the God-King does something unseemly with her. Which means I need your help getting into Okeal, and taking down the Anti-Magic Barriers, and contending with the Kullui... amongst a slew of other things I'll probably need." Aisha said lowly, her eyes tracing the paper as the words flared across the surface as she recited them. "I'm asking for discretion, naturally... so find me who you can, and who we'll need... please." Aisha broke off a moment, her eyes flashing as she grimaced, her voice dropping so low only the Dragon Slayers and those on the Stage with her heard anything.

"... and I swear on all Four Gods, if you even try and make a joke about Edryd; I. Will. Kill. You." She finished in a growl, Chase sweatdropped slightly with a small, slightly amused smile, though his eyes narrowed toward her in question.

Who is this Edryd guy to Aisha, anyway..?

Aisha snapped her fingers and the paper disappeared- sent off to whoever the hell Therigist was,

"Now, I'll leave books and things about Adgnei for you to look over if you want to." Aisha announced, gesturing toward said books and rolls of paper that appeared on the table tops all around her in a flash of white and blue. Her hand moved toward the Thunder Legion, "You three, follow me. You too, Chase." She ordered, before she glanced to Moon.

Moon blinked at the look, seeing Aisha's head tilt sideways toward the crowd and... Carla. She nodded slightly, her eyes moving to match Carla's gaze as the white she-cat huffed, looking unhappy still. She floated forward regardless, stopping at Moon's shoulder as Lily moved to place himself on Moon's other side on instinct.

"Anyone else can come if they want, just not all of you- there won't be enough room for the whole of the Guild." Aisha growled, sounding irritated.

Aisha turned to the chest they had dragged with them to the Guild Hall and in which she had been pulling everything out of constantly. Her finger traced a rune in air before her, and the inside of the chest let off a faint glow of white light- Chase blinked at the Magic coming from it so suddenly. Aisha didn't cast anyone even the smallest of glances, before her hands fell on the rim of the chest, and her feet left the floor as she hopped inside of it and- she fell out of sight?!

"HEH?!"

"What the-?!"

"Did she- she just fell into the floor?!"

"Where did she go..!?"

Chase sweatdropped, leaning over to look into the chest- but it was just the bottom, empty... normal. And yet Aisha was gone and he did feel Magic coming up from it,

"... uh, Aisha?" He called softly, smiling nervously to himself as the Thunder Legion and many in the Guild pressed close behind him.

"Are you coming or what?" Aisha's still irritated voice came up from the bottom of the chest. Chase sweatdropped a little more, before shrugging a little and following suit- he fell through the seemingly solid chest bottom and out of sight just like his Partner. The Thunder Legion cast nervous glances behind them toward Laxus- who settled them with a steely glare- before the three of them did as they were asked and followed Aisha inside too.

Laxus was next to Master for no more than another second before he flitted away in a line of gold and down into the chest with little a word, Erza, Master and Mira both watched him go warily.

"Oh my god!" Levy nearly squealed the words, her eyes glittering and smiling in utter excitement as she pushed her way through the crowd around the chest. "This is one of the Clandest Bureaus, right?! I read about these, they're fascinating! I didn't think I'd ever get to see one for myself!"

"Clandest what now...?" Several people echoed,

"You know what this is, Shrimp?" Gajeel grumbled,

"Yes! They're storage containers imbued with Magic to act as dimensional gateways to some separate place, where you can store things, or hide people, or live! The containers themselves seem normal on the outside and can only be accessed by the people with the key or pass-phrase, and there can be whole buildings connected to them and you can still carry them around like they were nothing more than an ordinary box!" Levy beamed, her curious and inquisitive side flaring even despite the situation. "They're supposed to be really rare and really hard to make, the book I read said there probably isn't any more than ten of them in the whole of Adgnei!"

She paused, her eyes snapping away from Gajeel toward the chest.

"Aisha, how did you get one?" Levy asked quickly, there was some annoyed grumble that came from the chest but little else.

"... what do you mean you stole it?" Natsu asked, his head popping in beside Levy and his ears catching what hers couldn't.

"... Stole...?" Levy mumbled,

"Quit asking so many damn questions, I'm busy right now!" Aisha's voice grew loud enough for Levy- and more agitated too. "Gggrr... now where the hell is..."

Her voice faded away as everyone encircling the chest paused, looking skeptical still-

"You said these things have rooms right?" Cana smiled, tapping a finger against Levy's cheek. Levy nodded a little,

"I mean.. They can have rooms, most do-" Levy started, but Cana just grinned.

"Ooh! I bet Aisha's got a lot of saucy stuff she hides in here~" the brunette smirked, "Now I have to see, hehe~" Cana jumped in with little a care and leaving most people behind with blank stares.

Levy was the first to move after that, looking intrigued and nervous too as she stepped over the edge of the chest hesitantly,

"You seriously goin' in there, Shrimp?" Gajeel grumbled,

"Why not?" Levy hummed, "I'm curious to see how big it is inside." He sweatdropped a little, looking unamused as Levy settled on the edge of the chest- before dropping herself in. She went through the bottom of the chest and out of sight, with a grumbling Gajeel not far behind. Moon shrugged slightly as she, Lily and Carla floated down soon after.

"Well, if everyone else is already going-" Natsu smirked, his hand clapping down onto Lucy's as the blonde jumped.

"Why the hell are you grabbing me-?!" Lucy snapped, before letting out a yell as Natsu picked her up and jumped inside the chest with Happy close at hand. Gray jumped in after, with Solana and Loke close behind- Juvia too, and Wendy who had moved to follow Carla, looking confused.

Erza stepped into the chest with little a care nor hint of expression on her face, Mira after her, then Lisanna and Elfman, with Master following behind. Everyone else in the Guild Hall shuffled up on top the stage and looked into the chest, and milled about the confines of tables and books and things scattered about now- uneasy, and casting glances back and forth at the chest.

"... This is... Crazy..." Macao mumbled,

"Oui." Reedus mumbled,

"Honestly, can't we ever catch a break?" Wakaba grumbled,

"Poor Frea never seems to catch one either." Kinana murmured,

"... Don't remind us.." Max, Jet, Warren and Droy sighed.

"I'm sure she's fine, this is Frea we're talking about. She's as resilient as they come, she's probably already got Adgnei quaking in their boots." Laki huffed, earning small, slightly hopeful smiles from those in earshot.

"... You're probably right.."

---

"... This is much bigger than I was expecting." Moon mumbled, her blue eyes scanning the hallway and the rooms she passed by slowly- following the sound of Aisha's grumbling and the sound of things being thrown about further up ahead at the last room in the corridor. She hardly took time to glance inside the rooms they passed by, but they were all packed and filled with things (books and crates mostly, from what she could tell...), tools and dressers and blankets and clothes. All of it stuffed in and with no known order to any of it- which seemed a little odd, considering how organized Aisha seemed to be about her work.

Lily and Carla floated beside her as they headed further in the 'Clandest Bureau', the people having come in behind them trailing more slowly and some of them breaking off to search the rooms they passed by. Levy stayed close to them though, Wendy too- though in the Script-Mage's case she seemed pained to force herself from exploring. Gajeel glanced around warily as if he didn't trust what he was seeing and where he was, staying close to their group as they made their way toward the doorway the Thunder God Tribe has disappeared through a few moments before.

"... It's messy." Carla grumbled, "Everything is tossed about, how can she possibly find anything in here?"

"... And no... No... No... That's useless... Where the fucking hell...?!" Aisha snapped from further up ahead, their small group sweatdropped a little.

"From the sound of it, she's already having trouble locating what she wants." Lily mumbled, "Moon, you were with Frea when she was captured- are you alright? Did you get hurt when they showed up?" He asked, Moon shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I got knocked around a little, but nothing I can't handle." She assured.

"Did Frea get hurt before they took her, Moon?" Wendy asked softly, her eyes glittering. Moon sweatdropped at the question, her eyes flashing a moment as she smiled slightly.

"No, I don't think she got hurt, Wendy." She hummed, Wendy let out a small breath of relief along with Levy.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed to slits, his eyes landing on Moon and quirking a brown at the smile that looked... Forced.

His jaw tightened a little, though he stayed quiet.

"Aisha! Ya got any fancy Adgnei Booze in here?!" Cana called from behind them, in one of the rooms they had passed- to which she was surely snooping around like several others were, with the exception of Master, Erza, Mira, Elfman and Lisanna (all of who were headed toward the last room like they were).

"... Tch... Not now!" Aisha snapped back, her voice carrying easily.

"That's not a no~!" Cana smirked,

"And the rest of you, don't touch anything!" Aisha went on, ignoring Cana's comment or just not caring.

"Alright alright... Geez." Gray sighed,

"What a killjoy." Natsu grumbled,

"She's so loud..!" Happy mumbled,

"Your sister seems... A bit of a hoarder, hmm?" Loke mumbled to Solana as they stopped outside a particularly full room.

".. Apparently." Solana mumbled,

"I'm amazed there really is this much space inside of one chest." Mira mumbled,

"Indeed... This Magic seems similar to my Requip, but larger. And people themselves are able to move inside the stored away dimension." Erza mused, "... Adgnei's Tools are incredible, even with what little of them we have seen so far..."

"Very much so." Master grumbled ahead of them, his eyes narrowed and expression serious. Of course... Since it was from Adgnei that a Limiter powerful enough to contend with the overflow in Frea's Magic had come from.

"... What is it you are looking for?" Evergreen asked cautiously, her skin crawling a little as she did her best not to glance toward a somewhat looming Lightning Dragon Slayer in the corner of the room. Freed and Bixlow could feel their Leader's stare just as fervently on their backs, and were doing their best to stay their attention on anything but him.

The room they were in was larger than the other ones that had been passed by in the hallway, and circular in shape. Like the rest, it was filled with shelves and stands and cabinets and tables, with other things set on the floors and pressed to the walls. On the far right side of the room the wall dipped into a small little alcove in which pillows and blankets and things that served as mattresses were strewn about the floor with a curtain hung over the entrance a bit- where Aisha was currently, was near the wall directly across from the door, rummaging through a large wardrobe that was bordered by two massive shelves on either side, pulling things out of said wardrobe to set them on top of a long table in front of it.

The Thunder Legion fidgeted, sticking close to one end of that table while Chase stood on the opposite side of it from Aisha, looking around the room slowly. There was an archway molded into the wall over to the left of the entrance, bordered by stone and marked along the sides by Runes and engravings. Moon, Wendy, Carla, Lily, Levy and Gajeel drew through the entrance and looked around the room with wide eyes, hardly pausing on the figure of Aisha or her constant moving of things. On the table behind her were two piles of clothes all folded up and stacked together, to which she was adding too slowly.

"Things for you all to wear." Aisha shot back lowly, though she never glanced over her shoulder toward the other woman. "... tch... another one of the Dyann's for the Lower Castes, other clothes... ink..."

"Ink?" Chase murmured, Aisha waved a hand back at him.

"For tattoos... there should be some here..." She mumbled,

"Tattoos..?" Several people echoed,

"You are not giving us tattoos!" Evergreen snapped, a vein ticked on Aisha's forehead as she cast the other woman a small glare.

"I wasn't planning on giving you three any." She shot back lowly, Chase sweatdropped.

"And me..?" He smiled slightly, she huffed.

"You don't have a choice." She replied simply, "If you're gonna blend in as a Ilaen, you need a few. Most people in Adgnei have them, it's odd to see anyone without at least one- and it's near impossible to find any of the Higher Castes without any." She paused, sweatdropping slightly as she glanced away. "... It won't be permanent, there's some ink here meant to be used as temporary disguises, so don't worry about it." Chase smiled a little more,

"I wasn't worried about it, a few tattoos isn't something I'm gonna complain about." He chuckled lightly, "... but you said it's near impossible for the Higher Castes not to have any? Where does that leave you?"

He blinked, a wash of embarrassment hitting him and it came from Aisha.

"...I do... have some..." She mumbled quietly, "... but I've been keeping them hidden, since I left Adgnei..." His eyes widened slightly,

"Seriously?" He murmured, "Where? I've never seen any-"

"And just how much of her have you seen!?" Evergreen snapped, looking incredibly flustered as she smacked Chase roughly across the arm with her fan. Chase jumped slightly, sweatdropping a little and looking confused. "Honestly, is this an appropriate conversation with other people around!?" Chase's head tilted slightly,

"Heh...?" He breathed, Aisha pinched the bridge of her nose, her back still to them and her cheeks tinted just slightly red. "That wasn't where I was going with that, Evergreen..." Chase mumbled,

"Tch... just drop it!" Aisha ordered sharply, snapping up a cloth of a green color with darker green stripes running through it, and pale yellow lace tracing the edges on one side. She through said cloth in Evergreen's direction, the woman scrambling to catch it as Aisha grabbed something else and tossed it her way too, and then a pair of green heels. Her hand swept sideways toward the alcove with the curtain hanging over it, a vein ticked on her forehead and eyes flashing. "Use the Dyann as a skirt, and put the rest on!" Evergreen sweatdropped slightly as Aisha rounded on Freed and Bixlow next, tossing the other two piles of clothes she had set up at them as they scrambled to catch it too. "And you two, get dressed!"

"Y-yes ma'am..." They stammered, skittering off in the direction Evergreen went toward the curtained alcove and looking put off.

"Like I said... strict..." Bixlow mumbled, Chase sighed.

"Aisha, maybe you should try and relax a little?" Chase murmured, "If not for your sake, or everyone else's- but mine?" He smiled slightly as she shot him a glare, "You are very tense, and you're starting to make me tense too."

"Tch, we're about to go on a undercover mission into the heart of a hostile, and powerful country. It's not a wonder I am tense." Aisha shot back hotly, he sighed silently, but relented anyway. She let out an aggravated huff and moved toward one of the shelves, her hand reaching up as she pushed a few things aside and pulled down a small box- opened it, growled- and then put it back before starting the process over again until she found what she wanted.

"... and what am I gonna wear?" Chase asked after a minute,

"I'll pull things together for you after I find this ink." She replied shortly, he nodded a little.

"Do you want help?" He asked lightly,

"You have no idea what anything I need looks like." She grumbled, he shrugged.

"Maybe not, but I'm pretty smart you know. Give me a general description and I think I can figure it out." He smirked, she sighed.

"... you can start looking for the Beans, then." She mumbled, "They should be in some sort of box or bag... somewhere. They're spherical Lacrima with a white color and a metal band around them." Chase nodded slightly, recognizing the description from the replay of Moon's Memory.

"Got it." Chase told her softly, circling the table and starting to dig through the containers on the shelf she hadn't touched just yet.

"... uhmm... we can help look for them too, if you want, Aisha." Moon offered softly,

"... fine." Aisha sighed, Moon's ears twitched as she smiled a little and floated toward a stack of drawers and boxes close by. Lily followed her over with Levy and Gajeel in tow, Carla growled and floated straight up toward the long table with a nervous Wendy behind.

"Aisha, we need to discuss this." Carla growled lowly, Aisha glanced over her shoulder toward the she-cat, pausing in her looking for half a second.

"... there is little to discuss." Aisha replied lowly, Carla's tail flicked in annoyance.

"Somehow I doubt that." Carla growled back, Wendy blinked.

"Uhm... talk about what..?" The little Dragon Slayer murmured, Carla sweatdropped slightly as Aisha's eyes fell closed.

"... I've been having the same Vision over and over for a few weeks now, Wendy." Carla murmured softly, "I apologize for saying nothing... but I wanted to be sure of what it was, and I asked Aisha for her input since I thought it was likely about her."

"Vision..?" Wendy echoed,

"... tch... I cannot say if it is about me specifically, but I am well aware now that it does have something to do with Adgnei." Aisha told her lowly, Carla stiffened. "Moon replayed the memory of it, and I recognized the location. It was in Coriisette, in the Lower Castes district. The palace you saw was Okeal."

"B-but you... you said Frea has been taken to Coriisette..!" Carla stammered,

"She has." Aisha growled, Carla seemed to pale.

"If that Vision comes to pass...!" She started, Aisha shook her head.

"We will get her back, and get everyone out of Adgnei long before that happens." Aisha growled, "As it is, we have no idea what it is that is actually going on in that Vision of yours, or what happens that leads up to it. The future is never a set thing, us going in to Adgnei may spark a chain of events that keep that from happening."

"But it might also be the chain of events that make it come to pass!" Carla retorted lowly, Aisha looked away.

"I already told you, we have little to go on. We need to learn more, I will do what I can to figure out what it is that is going on, and why Frea was taken in the first place- and if it has anything to do with what is going on in your Vision. But until then, we need to stay calm and focused- freaking out isn't going to help anything." She paused, "... has anything changed? Have you had a different sort of Vision since Frea got taken?"

"No." Carla mumbled, Aisha looked away and started searching the shelf again.

"Tell me right away if you get something else... but for right now, we're just going to have take it in stride..." Aisha mumbled,

"What is going on in this Vision, Carla...?" Wendy asked quietly,

"... it's not very pleasant, child." Carla murmured,

"... tch... you can tell the rest of the Guild if you want, though I don't know what good it'll do right now." Aisha told her lowly, Carla blinked. "... it's not like there is anything they can do at the moment, and they are stir-crazy enough already..."

Laxus was silent still over on the right side of the room, his back against the wall and watching Aisha and Carla carefully- his ears easily catching the conversation that was clearly meant to be low enough only to stay between them. Talk about a Vision with something going on in Adgnei... and clearly kept secret from everyone else. A secret of something bad, given how worked up Carla seemed about it- and how quick Aisha seemed to be about telling the Exceed to maybe keep it to herself.

Secrets... there was clearly something that Aisha hadn't told the Guild, though she hid it well, and Frea's brat too. The only reason he had any suspicion on the matter was how the Thunder Legion was acting. He knew them well enough to see it when they were hiding something, they were too quick to apologize, too tense, and too uneasy. Given the situation, tension and unease would be expected- but they would hardly look at him- and that was because they knew that he could see it. They knew Laxus had already guessed something else was wrong, and that they were trying to keep it to themselves.

This Vision, maybe?

... somehow he had a feeling that wasn't it, and he growled.

Aisha broke off as the room filled with the sound of Levy's startled yelp, all eyes turning in her direction as she slammed the lid back down of a small box she had picked up in her search for Magic Beans. She set the box down in a hurry and scuttled away from it, looking unnerved and shaking slightly as Gajeel caught her shoulders when she backed up into him in her haste. Master, Erza, Lisanna, Elfman, and Mira had by now made it through the doorway- and they paused upon seeing Levy jump up.

"Oi, Shrimp, what the hell is the matter with you..?!" Gajeel snapped, Levy stepped away from him quickly, her hands folded together against her chest as a bead of sweat dripped down her jaw- she cast Aisha a shaky look from across the room.

"A-Aisha... is there a reason.. you have a box full of... eyes...?" Levy asked, Aisha blinked.

"Eyes...?" She mumbled, Moon and Lily exchanged glances as they moved to pick up the box Levy had set down so hastily. They opened it cautiously and their ears fell as they bristled a little,

"... human... eyes...?" Both Lily and Moon stammered in unison, looking incredibly disconcerted. Aisha's face fell a little, her eyes dropping closed as she grumbled under her breath.

"... Gods..." Aisha mumbled to herself, "... just close it." She ordered,

"But why do you have eyes..?!" Gajeel, Elfman and Lisanna snapped,

"Not all of this stuff is mine!" Aisha shot back, "I don't even honestly know half of the crap that's in here, and they are not real eyes! They are fake, glass eyes that people use for extra help in targeting things! With Weapons!"

"Why don't you know what's in here?" Lily asked,

"... you said you 'stole' this Chest thing, right..?" Moon murmured, "Stole from who?"

"... one of the Masters of Adgnei's Black Market, and leader of the Thieves Guild." Aisha replied lowly, everyone in the room stared, their jaws dropping slightly. "... he stored a lot of his 'merchandise' in here, among other things... I really don't have a clue what all is in here, just some of it... and I honestly don't care to spend time sifting through it all." A vein ticked on her forehead as she growled, "So fair warning; be careful with what you pick up."

"That's the sort of warning you should have given right off the bat..."

"... you stole... from a thief...?" Erza murmured,

"And the leader of a Thieves Guild..?" Mira smiled nervously, "I can't imagine that was easy..." Aisha sighed, again.

"It wasn't as hard as you think." She mumbled, but didn't elaborate. Moon and Lily sighed a little and shut the box, then set it down.

"Where are Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen?" Lisanna asked softly, following her brother, sister, Erza and Master up toward the long table where Carla and Wendy were still.

"Changing." Aisha replied flatly, her head tilting toward the drawn curtain away on her left.

"What prompted you to steal this, might I ask?" Master murmured lowly,

"Nothing in particular." Aisha replied simply, "When I decided to leave Adgnei, I figured it might come in handy. So I swiped it. Since then I've kept a few things in here, used a few things... and now I'm using it again."

"Is that all..?" Master mumbled,

"Yes." Aisha grumbled, "Need I complicated motive for everything?"

"I suppose not." Master relented softly, "This 'Therigist' person you contacted earlier, how do you know him? You asked him to collect allies and supplies."

"He's... the first person I came to know, when I reached Adgnei. I learned a lot from him, and for a long while I worked for him. He's good at getting his hands on things, as well as breaking into places." Aisha murmured, dropping on to her knees as she started to search the lower sections of the shelf. "... he's actually the one I stole this Bureau from." She added lowly, everyone who heard the words stiffened, their eyes widening a bit.

"Huh..?!"

"And you asked him for help..?!"

"Wouldn't he be angry with you, for stealing from him?" Erza asked quickly,

"Are you telling me you used to work for the guy who's in charge of a Thieves Guild, and someone in charge of the Black Market..?!" Elfman stammered,

"Are you... weren't you like a criminal, then..?" Lisanna mumbled,

"Spare me your judgement!" Aisha snapped hotly, "I'll have you know the people in charge of the Black Market are much less corrupt than the actual government in Adgnei!"

"Seriously...?" Wendy, Elfman and Lisanna echoed. Mira and Erza exchanged small glances with one another and Master let out a small breath,

"If this man is the same you stole from, it seems odd to me you would ask for his help, and expect to receive it." Master murmured, ignoring or altogether casting aside the very true realization that Aisha had in some ways, been a criminal once upon a time. "Let alone trust whatever aid he sends your way."

"I suppose that makes sense, but you don't know him like I do." Aisha mumbled, "He might have been a bit irked in the beginning that I swiped the Bureau out from under him, but I honestly don't think he's held a grudge. He's not that sort of person." She paused, her head tilting to the side a bit as she sweatdropped a little. "... at least... not with me."

Chase's eyes shifted sideways toward Aisha at the comment, his eyes narrowing slightly at the way her voice dropped.

The first person she came to know when she reached Adgnei... a tale in which Aisha had gotten into, at least a little- with him. It wasn't a pleasant story, and the circumstances that befell Aisha after her village was attacked she was separated from Solana were nothing pleasant either.

His eyes fell into the small pouch he had picked up and he found the 'Beans', with a small sigh he closed it up again and stepped toward Aisha with a small smile.

"Your Beans, M'Lady." He told her lightly, she grimaced slightly at the name and shook her head at him as she pushed herself onto her feet again. He dropped the pouch in her hand as she held it out to him, "Any luck with the ink?" He asked lightly,

"... shut up." She huffed, he only smiled in amusement.

"... uhm, would this happen to be what you're looking for?" Levy asked, Aisha's eyes moving across toward the bluenette that had continued rifling through things with Lily and Moon. She held up a glass bottle filled with shimmering blue ink, and a badly faded tag hanging from the top.

"... yes, actually." Aisha murmured, blinking a few times. "... how the hell did it get over there...? I swear I left it..." She trailed off, before shaking her head and tossing the thought away. "Nevermind." She grumbled, Levy moved over toward the table and handed the bottle over.

"I honestly don't know how you find anything in here." Solana mumbled as she and Loke made their way out of browsing the rooms, Lucy practically dragging a reluctant Natsu and Happy behind her.

"I didn't organize it." Aisha growled back, Solana sighed.

"As I heard, most of it isn't yours." Solana mumbled, "Good to know you aren't an actual hoarder... just a shady salesman." A vein ticked on Aisha's forehead and Loke sweatdropped,

"Solana..." He warned, the redhead shrugged.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing." She replied back easily,

"Luce, I wanted to look around some more..!" Natsu whined,

"No way! Knowing you, you'll blow something up!" Lucy snapped back,

"You're no fun, Lucy..!" Happy mewed,

"We're not here to have fun!"

"... still makes you curious, though." Gray mumbled, his eyes trailing from Natsu as he followed behind them.

"Juvia can scarcely wrap her head around how large this place is..." Juvia breathed,

"Aisha, you should probably know that Cana is still looking for alcohol." Lucy mumbled, Aisha shook her head.

"Tch... just let her, I really doubt she'll manage to do any damage rummaging through everything." Aisha huffed, the reply earned several small smiles and confused looks at how lenient Aisha was about Cana looking- but not on everyone else doing the same thing.

"Well... I suppose these clothes aren't completely horrible."

Everyone's attention diverted toward Evergreen's voice, the Thunder Legion moving slowly back toward the long table and fidgeting a little at the new clothes they had put on.

For Evergreen, she'd tied the green striped Dyann around her waist, and had it coupled with a snug fitting, crop top with a heart shaped cut on the top and lined in pale green on top and bottom, with one darker green strip around the middle. She wore the green heels Aisha had given her, her hair falling about her shoulders in it's regular fashion and her glasses perched on her nose.

Freed had a long, pale grown coat on that split down the middle and had a split tail at the back. With these he wore tan pants that he had tucked inside a pair of leather boots that tied up the inside, and a mesh shirt underneath the jacket. He kept his sword at his side, while Bixlow's Tiki Dolls hovered around their master. Bixlow had on a dark, sleeveless shirt with paler lines running along the bottom, and a long skirt that was wrapped in three belts at the top and over the dark pants he had on. For him he had dark colored boots on, and his visor like always. For both men though, they were lacking that Dyann that Aisha had mentioned before-

"Almost there." Aisha mumbled, she tossed a green band toward Evergreen and a pair of golden earrings. "Put the band on your upper arm, and put the earrings in." She ordered, Evergreen huffed but did as she was told.

"I kinda like it." Elfman mumbled, Evergreen shot him a small, embarrassed glare. "It's a little different, but it looks nice-"

"Of course it does, idiot! I make everything look nice!" Evergreen huffed, Mira and Lisanna smiled in amusement.

Aisha hardly cared for the small squabble as Elfman stumbled to apologize and reply, picking up a Dyann of a tan color and bordered in white in the shape of triangles, and a few bands of gold. She stopped in front of Freed and he blinked at her,

"Sit still." She ordered, he sweatdropped a little but complied as she quickly wove the Dyann around his waist and over one shoulder, before tying it off on the side. She handed him three lengths of gold necklaces, and circled to his back. "Put those on." Was the only thing she said as she turned her attention on pulling the hair tie at the bottom of his hair out- and replacing it with two golden-metal bands to tie it instead.

And then she moved to Bixlow with two leather bracers for his arms and a Dyann of a dark green color with lighter stripes, and beads handing off the ends. This one she draped over his shoulders as he put the bracers on, the Dyann held together around his neck by a silver ring.

Aisha let out a sigh as she backed up, her eyes moving over the lot of them. "And... you look the part, besides the Guild Emblems." She mumbled, gesturing toward said Fairy Tail Symbols. The Thunder God Tribe sweatdropped slightly, she noticed the reaction and shook her head a little. "I'm not gonna make you erase them, just hide them-" She tapped a finger against the glass of ink that Levy had found. "... I'm not touching your tongue, Bixlow. You can drink a little bit of it, it won't taste good but it won't kill you either." He smirked,

"Hehe, fair enough."

"Do we get fancy get-up's when we go too?" Natsu smirked,

"No." Aisha grumbled, "If I let you go to Adgnei, it won't be for blending in. And that is a huge if."

"Oi!" He snapped,

"Keep complaining and I might just dress you in all white, Salamander." Aisha growled lowly, he blinked at the comment, confused. Levy smiled nervously though,

"... that's a little harsh, Aisha... isn't it.?" Levy mumbled quietly, Aisha only huffed.

"...tch... harsh yes, but he'd never fit the part anyway. He's too freakin' loud." Aisha replied lowly,

"Huh? What do you mean?" Gray mumbled,

"Well, Dyann's are different colors reserved for different Castes. Tans, yellows, oranges and greens go to the Lower Caste, Blues got to the Middle, Purples are for the Nobility and Greys are for the Kullui and Gaurds... and I think Blacks go to Royalty." Levy murmured, "But the people in Adgnei known as the Barren don't wear Dyann's, and they don't wear any colors at all. They can only wear pure white." Her eyes trailed toward Aisha who nodded,

"Yes- the last 'Caste' I didn't mention." Aisha mumbled, "The Barren are the people forced into servitude, and serve as the lowest in power. They have no rights, no authority, and are not usually permitted to speak with anyone- let alone look at anyone directly. They serve their Masters and nothing else, many of them don't speak- at all."

"They sound less like servants and more like Slaves." Erza growled, Aisha settled her with a flat stare.

"That's because they are Slaves." Aisha replied flatly, Erza frowned along with several others, while everyone else went rigid in shock.

"What?"

"Adgnei allows Slavery..?!"

"What the hell?!"

"That's despicable." Erza growled, Aisha's eyes fell closed.

"But that is how things are in Adgnei." The MoonLight Mage replied, Erza's eyes narrowed at the utterly calm response.

"You don't seem bothered." She pointed out lowly, Chase sweatdropped a little and cast Erza a glance that was meant to warn her away from the topic-

"Once again, spare me your judgment." Aisha replied, her voice borderline a growl. "I do not like it anymore than you do, even if I do not seem like it outwardly. I understand your feelings on the matter, given your own past." Erza's expression darkened a little at the mention, but Aisha hardly paused. "You have every right to have that look on your face, Erza- but trust me you have no right to accuse me of partiality on the matter. I have earned my own convictions and dislike for it in near the same way you have." Erza blinked,

Solana grimaced a little, her shoulders tensing a bit as she cast Aisha a look, pain pulling at her face that she saw nearly matched in Chase.

It was hardly talked about, what with Aisha being a harsh, reserved personality- the Guild had some clue about why Aisha and Solana had been split up as children. They understood that their Village had been attacked and burned, and in the conflict- Solana thought Aisha dead, while Aisha disappeared... but had known her sister alive. Where Aisha had been and gone following their separation, the Guild really didn't know. Aisha never told them and never seemed willing to either, it had taken her calling the Druhma to know that she had been in Adgnei for a time.

Solana had found out. What story Aisha told her that first day they had found eachother again, and the day that Frea mended the Balance- that story about being captive to Pheonix Tear for 'a month or two' was true, but not in the way she had first told it. She did leave Pheonix Tear after a month- but Aisha hadn't been free.

She'd been sold as a slave into Adgnei, she had been one of the 'Barren' as they were called.

It had taken Solana a lot of prodding to earn this bit of truth, and that was all she earned. Aisha seemed content to never telling her sister what had happened pending becoming a Barren in Adgnei, and Solana had given up trying to fight for the answers... but Chase knew. He was the only one Aisha was willing to let know.

"Now let's leave it at that." Aisha hissed, Erza seemed to back off a little.

The sudden tension on the air shifted as a small folded piece of paper appeared in air next to Aisha, who snatched it out of air quickly.

'Hello Aisha my dear, I have already gotten inside the Gates, and am doing my best to paw my way further into Okeal and find your friend! I will be sure to send you a longer letter once I find her, and I'll be sure to work quickly. Oh, and you contacted Theri already, yes? My Pups said he was looking for me~

-Seyre'

Aisha read the letter in silence, before folding it up and setting it on the table.

"What is it?" Master asked,

"Seyre has made it passed Okeal's Gates, she's looking for Frea now." Aisha murmured,

"... she works fast, huh..?" Gray mumbled,

"Of course." Aisha grumbled, her hand moving to pick up the jar of ink and snapping her fingers as a paintbrush appeared in her other hand. A cup appeared on the table as she poured a small amount of the blue liquid inside, and handed it to Bixlow- before moving toward Evergreen. "With Seyre getting closer to Frea and picking apart the Nobility and God-King's plans from the inside of Okeal, we can focus on learning more from outside. Therigist will pull together his resources and his own contacts and workers, and scrape together the Tools we'll need to get into Okeal. I'm also planning to look into what is becoming of the looming Civil War..."

"And what the cat keeps seeing in her 'Visions'?"

Everyone around the long table went rigid at the low growl, eyes widening and jumping slightly- because they honestly had nearly forgotten he was even there, with how little he said or even moved. Aisha frowned a little and shook her head in slight agitation, while many people eyes snapped from Laxus (who was stalking toward the table, looking nowhere near happy), and then toward Carla.

"Visions?"

"Carla, you've been having Visions..?"

"About Adgnei...!?"

"Why is this the first we're hearing about it?"

"Tch... yes, and about that." Aisha replied lowly, her tone a growl as she shot the Lightning Dragon Slayer a small glare he returned tenfold. She looked away and dipped the paintbrush in the ink, Evergreen watching her carefully as she brushed over the Fairy Tail Emblem to cover it- before waving her hand over it. The ink shimmered gold, before turning the exact shade of Evergreen's skin and hiding the Emblem from view entirely.

"Explain." Master told Carla lowly, the she-cat lighting down on the table and crossing her paws over her chest.

"They started a few weeks ago..." Carla started slowly, Aisha tuned her out entirely and focused on her work as she moved to Freed and he held his hand up for her to paint over the Fairy Tail Emblem. Bixlow drank what ink Aisha had poured for him, coughing a little and grimacing at the taste- before feeling his mouth tingle. He turned to Lisanna and stuck his tongue out, she sweatdropped and nodded.

"It's hidden." She told him softly,

Aisha moved to Chase as she finished with Freed, his blue eyes watching her silently as the noise of Carla talking with small little inputs from Moon faded into the background. Her eyes didn't meet his as she focused on her brushing,

"... Therigist is the one who raised you, right?" He asked casually after a few moments, his voice low and soft- Aisha visibly stiffened at the question. "... after you got to Adgnei, taught you how to find information, keep tabs on people... use your Magic."

"... yes." Aisha replied lowly, her eyes flashing. Chase nodded slightly, his eyes following her with ease as she circled to his other shoulder- her free hand pushing him against the table as she softly ordered him to sit down on top of it. Chase did as he was asked with no argument, content in silence as he followed Aisha's hand, her fingers holding the paintbrush lightly as she started to draw the ink across his right arm and shoulder. She painted a crescent moon and snaked down his arm with swirling, branching little designs as he smiled slightly after awhile.

He wanted to ask her about how she had reacted upon learning that Frea had been confronted by that 'Edryd' guy, but for the moment he figured he would leave it be. He'd have time enough to ask her when they were alone in Adgnei,

Aisha set the brush down as she finished, her hand pausing over her work as she closed her eyes. "White." Was the simple, one word order- before the shimmering blue hue of the ink flashed, and turned to a crisp, clean white color.

"Hmm, it looks pretty good." Chase smiled, "I might let you make it permanent," She flicked her hand against his shoulder in a soft, gentle little hit and shook her head- though she did blush a little.

"Shut up." She grumbled, he chuckled lightly.

"... none of that is comforting." Erza mumbled as Carla's recant of the Visions came to a close,

"Seriously, what the hell are we gonna do if that does happen?" Natsu growled,

"We need to get Frea out of Adgnei before it does." Lucy murmured,

"And you truly have no idea why it is Frea was taken to Adgnei in the first place, Aisha?" Master asked lowly, looking grim as his eyes moved toward the MoonLight Mage.

"No, but I do intend to find out." Aisha mumbled, putting the cap back on the ink bottle. "With any luck, Seyre will find something soon enough... or at least some lead, so I can focus the scope of the information we need to gather."

"And what about your name in Carla's Vision?" Mira asked,

"I haven't a clue about that." Aisha sighed,

"You said Adgnei is ready to break into Civil War, right?" Levy asked, "... with what Carla described, do you think all of those people being attacked might have something to do with it?"

"That's a possibility, for sure." Aisha told her, "From what I saw of the Vision via Moon's Magic- the people doing the attacking do look somehow similar to the Kullui, though not quite."

"And the Tower?" Loke asked lowly, "With all that Magic making it collapse?"

"That Palace is Okeal, you're sure?" Solana muttered,

"Yes, it was definitely Okeal." Aisha replied, "And what tower that's crumbling in Carla's Vision... it's an odd thing, but I'm not sure anyone's ever been to the top of it." Everyone blinked in question at the words. "I'm pretty sure that tower has been shut up and closed off for centuries now. I don't know of anyone who's actually been up there, of what few who are even allowed to set foot in Okeal. I didn't really care why it had been boarded up, I assumed it was just decrepit and falling apart... but seeing the Magic circling around it, seeing it fall- I think maybe there's a more serious reason why it's been closed off. So while we are in Adgnei, I'll try and pick apart what it is that is actually up there... because maybe it has something to do with why Frea was taken. Edryd did say something about 'opening the way'... I'll look into it."

People nodded stiffly, "Alright."

"You told Therigist to meet you in Banore, where is that exactly?" Mira asked,

"Banore is a house of temples and gardens in the Lower Warrens. It's run by the Keistae, and it's something of a hideaway spot that people use. Whether it's running from the Kullui or simply as a place to rest... Therigist used to use it a lot with his business, I'm not sure if he still does but it's common enough ground and the Kullui won't invade on it lightly." Aisha explained, "It's Holy Ground, safe haven, a meeting place... it serves as a lot of different things."

"And the Keistae don't get... I don't know, offended? With thieves and Black Market Leaders running their business through it?" Lucy asked uncertainly, "I mean it sounds kinda like a Church to me.." Aisha shrugged slightly,

"It is a sort of Church, but the Keistae don't discriminate against people for their skills, Caste, or their occupation." Aisha explained, "For the most part, as long as you don't harm anyone or start conflict on their grounds, they will not frown on you, or refuse you to enter. And as it stands, most of the Black Market Master's have more morality and compassion than the Kullui, and the Noble Caste do." Lucy sweatdropped,

"... Adgnei is kinda backwards, compared to Fiore.." the blonde mumbled, "But if that is true about the higher Castes... I guess it's maybe not a wonder that there is a threat of Civil War."

"If the Nobles are pretty mean... does that mean they're gonna be the same way toward Frea?" Wendy mumbled, her eyes flashing. "They already took her by force, even though you said she should have more respect than that because of the 'Energess' thing, do you think they're gonna treat her badly?"

Aisha sweatdropped, her eyes narrowing slightly as Chase, Moon and the Thunder Legion all seemed to tense up at the question- Laxus and Gajeel both noticed it, as they had been (Laxus with how the Thunder Legion had been acting, and Gajeel when he had a feeling Moon had lied earlier on..).

"... no, as long as she doesn't cause too much trouble, she should be fine." Aisha murmured,

"The man who took her, he told her that she wouldn't be harmed if he cooperated." Moon murmured softly, "I realize Frea has a bit of a temper at the best of times, but I do think she'll do her best not to fight too much if it's better that way. She knows we're gonna come and find her, so her first priority isn't escape- instead it's being patient." Wendy nodded slightly, looking only a little bit comforted by the words.

"Let's hope that is her plan to be patient." Lily grumbled softly,

"Is there any other questions, then?" Aisha murmured, her eyes trailing over the group of people around them. "It's not like you can't contact us with the Chatterbox if there is something else, but it's easier to focus and get all questions out of the way now."

People cast eachother glances, but no one said anything- most of it had been covered and while they may not like the plan, they weren't going to argue it, and all bases had been covered for now at least. It was a lot to process and take in, but what they did manage to settle in their heads- they understood Aisha's plan (what of it she had so far) and what she was going to be doing, along with Chase and the Thunder God Tribe in tow.

"No, we understand your plan." Master murmured, "You have thought this through with the limited information you have, as always- you are thorough, and detailed. I wish you luck in your endeavors once you reach Adgnei, all of you."

"Be careful, will you?" Mira murmured,

"Yeah, don't get yourselves in trouble." Lisanna told them,

"If you do need us, we will come in an instant." Erza told them, Chase and the Thunder Legion nodded.

"Thank you."

"... I'll find you something to change into." Aisha told Chase lowly, turning away from the group and starting into sifting through the wardrobes.

"And you?" He murmured, Aisha waved a hand at him dismissively.

"I have some things stored with Requip." Was the short answer,

The others around the table shifted, starting back toward the entrance and their Guild Hall and leaving Aisha and Chase in their searching, as the Thunder Legion trailed near the back, casting fervent glances between the floor and the Lightning Dragon Slayer that placed himself outside the door and wouldn't budge as they moved closer.

They drew up reluctantly as they came through the door, their eyes finding their leader standing to the side as they wilted a little under the glare they earned from him. All three of them swallowed a little, looking incredibly nervous- though they were trying their best not to.

"What happened?" Laxus growled lowly, his tone a growl that would have sent anyone running. They stiffened at the question, their shoulders tightening a little as they sweatdropped.

"... we apologize, Laxus.." Freed murmured lowly, "Had we known that she was in danger, we would have done anything to help her."

"Yeah," Bixlow mumbled while Evergreen nodded.

"That's not what I mean." He hissed, "You three can't keep your eyes up, what the hell happened? You three and Aisha, and Moon, and Frea's Brat are all hiding something, something you won't tell the rest of the Guild." They flinched a little, and he hissed, his fangs baring slightly as his agitation flared higher.

"... you want us to lie..?" Freed asked quietly,

"Yes." Aisha mumbled, "... I realize that's gonna go against every fiber of your beings, but you need to do as I say none the less. Lie, and do it because that is the only way we're going to get into Adgnei and get Frea back without getting anyone seriously hurt, or even killed."

They promised they would say nothing, promised even though the idea made their stomachs turn. They promised not to tell the Guild, because if the Guild knew- no one would willingly listen to Aisha's plans and trust in her experience about Adgnei. What little calm the Guild had now was because they were under the impression that Frea was in no immediate danger- and surely not suffering under a Collar designed to hurt her so frequently.

They hated keeping to themselves, hated more that glare they received from Laxus on the matter- because of course he had already pegged they were hiding something. It wasn't even a surprise.

But they couldn't-

"Boss, we promise you we are gonna do everything we can to get your girl back safe and sound!" Bixlow said firmly, his nervousness fading slightly in a wash of determination and firmness that Laxus hadn't expected at all.

"Yes, we may have failed to spare her being taken in the first place, but we will not rest until she is found! You have our word on that!" Freed told him quickly too,

"I promise, Frea will be fine. We'll make sure of it, she's coming back and she'll be no worse for wear than before!" Evergreen grumbled hotly, looking just as determined now as Freed and Bixlow. All three of them stepped closer, pressing in and fists clenching in front of them as their eyes flashed, Laxus blinked, sweatdropping slightly.

Where did this come from...? In all three of them, determination... and for... Frea...?

"We will get her back, and we will make sure she is safe! That's a promise, Laxus!"

---

Purely informational, I hope this Chapter wasn't too boring for all of you. Things begin to pick up significantly in the next Chapter, so look for it! BUUUT, since today is my Birthday (or at least, yesterday was- I didn't post it because Fanfic decided to go down XD ), I decided to be nice and give you an extra early update!

Thank you all for continuing to read this story! I appreciate your support~!

**The Adgnei Arc has supplementary Images of the Outfits that Frea, Chase, Aisha and the Thunder Legion wear- as well as pictures of some of the characters that appear new in Adgnei itself! They will be posted as the Chapters get posted, so you can see them on my DeviantArt Page (literally just google: EnergyMageFrea on Deviantart) or up at the top, if you are reading this through Wattpad!

***Also also~! That thing about maybe doing a My Hero Academia/Boku No Hero Academia fic? I am very tempted, but I will warn you it's probably gonna be about a character that was in UA at the time All Might, Aizawa and all the others were training to be Heroes.

Please, Follow, Fav and Review if you can! Thanks!