Twilight Zone, one of the guilds that participated in the quelling of Grimoire Heart, slowly started to make a name for itself for its participation, as rumors of the dragon slayer who defeated the mighty Bluenote Stinger started to circulate around the southern area of the Fiore. Inside the guild, however, the guild master, Caelestis, congratulated those who took part in the fight against the dark guild with pride. "Nice job, nice job, all of you!" Caelestis said, showing appreciation.
"It was Evanee do really managed to do something…" Flynn said in slight disappointment, feeling bad he was unable to defeat Zancrow.
"She wouldn't let anyone else do anything anyway," Alexander said with a light shrug.
"It doesn't matter in the long run," Rylo said while using his index finger to spin his top hat around his head. "All that matters is that they're gone!"
"Yeah, and Evanee-chwan did great too!" Tsami said with joy.
"Stop calling me that…" Evanee said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Ah, relax a little…!" Taranis said with a wave of his hand.
"Yeah…no…" With a simple wave of her hand, Evanee walked over to the request board and snatched a random SS class job, then walked out of the guild.
"Ah…always so distant…" Flynn sighed.
"She cares though," Caelestis said with a cheesy grin. "Even when she doesn't act like it, she cares. Trust me."
As Evanee walked down the southern mountain, she looked back at her guild briefly, shaking her head as she sneezed, raising a brow after. "What was that about…?" She shrugged, and then looked down at the flyer she grabbed. "Take down a monster in the southern area…? Shouldn't take long…no trains, so I'm good." Finally, some alone time. Bluenote was a pretty difficult fight, all things considered. She didn't like that feeling. Even though she won convincingly, it was still too uncomfortable for her liking. A high ranking mission was the perfect chance to keep herself strong.
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Everything at the Cosmic Star guild seemed to be the same, even after the Grimoire Heart attack. Though the guild was beginning to make a name for itself with their participation, it wasn't as large as the reputation Twilight Zone started to build. "The old man's still not here to congratulate us…same with Shadowlore and Hiruka." Alex, the red haired S class mage, sighed as she trudged around the guild.
"I bet no one even knows it was me who took out Kain," Daryan sighed. "Lore took Hiruka somewhere and it feels so quiet, ugh."
"Actually," Magnus started, scratching the back of his head. "We have a name…it's just not as big as Twilight Zone made."
"The hell is Twilight Zone?" Gaia asked.
"Another new guild, started around the same time as us," Magnus replied.
"The fact you know all this stuff and you barely leave this place is amazing…" Yakuza said while sitting down in a chair.
"I leave this place!" Magnus said rather defensively. "You know my Foresight allows me to see without needing to leave."
"Not really…" Gaia said with a stern tone; though the brown haired mage held back a slight snicker. "You need to get out more and train your muscles. Your mind and magic are strong, but without a good foundation, you'll crumble." So, make a name, huh?" Gaia walked over to the request board, and snatched an SS class job. "Alex, do you want to come with me?"
"Do I!?" Alex's eyes sparkled, and the red haired mage bounced over to Gaia happily. "I would love too, Gaia-chan!"
"…Chan?" Gaia blinked a few times, unfamiliar with the term.
"…Let's go!" Alex just nodded.
"What's the job…?" Yakuza asked. He was curious, even if it didn't seem like he cared enough to actually do anything just yet.
"Taking out some beast in the south, doesn't seem like a problem…come on, Alex," Gaia nodded, and she and Alex walked out the Cosmic Star front doors.
"Gaia really likes Alex to take her on every other SS class mission…" Daryan said between bites of the bone he was now chewing on.
"She IS stronger than you, after all," Magnus said with a teasing smirk.
"Only by a little bit!" Daryan replied. "She hasn't had a single battle in forever though! Too busy looking at the model section of Sorcerer's Weekly and drooling over the models in there…" He said that like he didn't do it himself.
"She was a model once too, I think…" Magnus said, obviously getting sidetracked at the thought of his fellow female member in a modeling position.
"Why do you think Gaia's taking her then…? So she can fight and get back in the game…I heard some large guild tournament is coming in a few weeks, and if we can get in…" Yakuza started.
"I heard about that." Daryan nodded. "Alex is strong when she's in control of herself. I think Gaia takes her on hard missions so she can learn to keep herself cool. I don't have that problem."
"You have a bunch of other problems we can't even begin to iron out." Yakuza said with a roll of his eyes.
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Gran Doma, along with the other captains, took a small tour around the cells of the captured Grimoire Heart members. The first one they made a stop at was Kain Hikaru's. "Tch, this fat ass…" Correll said, still highly annoyed that Kain had the nerve to steal his hair and use it against him.
"Calm down, Correll," Odin said. "At least we caught the one who defeated you and Lahar, along with the other ones."
"Zancrow escaped before we were able to catch him…" Aloy said in a slightly annoyed tone, but he was clearly hiding something with that tone deep, deep down.
"As did Rustyrose," Doma sighed slightly, but then turned to the large man. "Where are you comrades? I know you know of their whereabouts."
"I don't know where they are now!" Kain replied.
"Don't lie to us!" Correll shouted.
"G-Gah! I don't!" Kain said once again.
"How pathetic…" Cobra said from his cell, listening to the interrogation while shaking his head. "Cowering in fear…"
"Stay out of this, Cobra," Lahar said from afar.
"Oh, don't mind me…I'm just listening to the idiots play…" Cobra replied as he closed his eye.
Ignoring the poison dragon slayer, Doma went over to the next two members, Hades and Bluenote. "You two know, don't you?"
"You may have me captured, but you won't get any information from me," Hades replied.
"It is as he says," Bluenote nodded slowly.
"Wanna be stubborn, eh?" Odin asked.
"It matters not," Aoy replied. "They will appear soon enough…as for you three…your execution will be soon."
"Execution…?" Hades asked while raising a brow.
"You three have done horrible things, and attacking Council members is one of them. Your crimes can only be matched with a punishment just as bad," Aloy replied. "We missed our chance to arrest you seven years ago, but we have you now." Hades just remained calm, he already died before, so he really had nothing to fear from a bunch of council members, but the old man knew when to keep his mouth shut, so he just nodded.
"I don't remember saying anything about this!" Doma said as he looked towards Aloy.
"Then what do you suggest, hm?" Aloy asked. "Allow those who made a mockery of us to continue living? I think not."
"W…We…we're going to have a discussion about this, understand?" Doma growled slightly.
"As you wish," Aloy replied with a simple nod.
In the background, Kemuri was silent, listening and watching the whole thing go down. He took a drag of his cigarette while letting out a silent sigh, a puff of smoke exhaled out of his lips. "It's not my place to say it, but I do think we could use some management changes around here." He said quietly, watching as Gran Doma proceeded to walk off.
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"What's this plan you're going on about, Master?" Ultear asked, clearly out of the loop.
"Ah, yes, you were out when we were discussing it," Jikan said with a nod. "It's quite simple, really."
"All ears," Ultear replied.
"You see, after the attack on Grimoire Heart, the Council's recovery has been a slow, and steady process," Jikan started.
"Don't we have Aloy there, though?" Byron asked.
"That is correct," Jikan nodded. "Aloysius' thought project; Head Captain Aloy, has been our eyes and ears in the Council for quite some time now. And now, it's the perfect time to strike."
"What do you mean?" Ultear asked.
"The Council was unable to defeat any member from Grimoire Heart when they attacked," Aloysius started, continuing for Jikan. "Furthermore, the Council was unable to protect the very people they swore to protect."
"Needless to say," Jikan said as he took over for Aloy. "The people's trust in the Council has begun to waver, thus making the Council weak it both numbers and in terms of credibility."
"Let's not forget that assassin roaming around…" Myuu said quietly, her speaking up actually reminding the other members that she was there.
"Oh…almost forgot about her…" Byron mumbled under his breath as he looked off to the side.
"Ah, yes, thank you for refreshing my memory," Jikan said with a nod. "People have been dying under the protective and watchful eye of the Council; even more of a reason for us to use this opportunity to our advantage."
"And what is the opportunity you are speaking of…?" Ultear asked as she raised a brow, looking towards Jikan and Aloysius with an interested look.
"We need someone who can rule the Council with an iron fist, and restore their lost glory…also, someone we can manipulate practically at anytime…" Jikan said as a smirk started to form across his lips. "Unfortunately, we missed our first chance to get this person, but I believe now is a better time to do so anyway…"
"Wait…who is this mystery person?" Byron asked. "I don't believe you've ever said the same, Master."
"Oh, I didn't? How careless of me…" Jikan shook his head slightly. "The person we need to rule Fiore with an iron fist is none other than the former wizard saint himself; Siegrain."
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Cynthia was sitting under the big cherry tree in the middle of Magnolia, letting out a heavy sigh as she stared upwards at nothing. Wendy soon approached with Carla lingering behind a little it. "...I'm gonna talk to her." Wendy told Carla.
"Okay. I'll be here." Carla nodded in understanding and just decided to hang back for a little bit.
Wendy walked over and sat right next to Cynthia, smiling faintly. "Hey. Are you okay...?"
"Oh, hi, Wendy." Cynthia looked to Wendy with a slight smile in turn. It was a little forced, but she was always happy to see Wendy. "What's up?"
"I came to see you. You've been so down since the fight with Hades." Wendy placed her hand overtop Cynthia's gently. "What's wrong...?"
"Oh, that." Cynthia looked down at the grass for a minute. She stayed silent for a little before deciding to speak. "I just...don't know what to do. That was the first time I was able to control my power. I felt so much of it. I felt like I could do anything and take on the world. But it wasn't enough to do anything. You and the others were standing right behind me, but I couldn't win the fight. What good is my power if I can't use it when I need it?" Cynthia frowned, fighting the urge to cry. Her power was used for destruction against her will, but when she needed to use it to protect, it fell short...
"Cynthia..." Wendy bit her lower lip. She had a feeling that was what was bothering Cynthia. "You did an amazing job protecting all of us. We're still here because you were able to fight and use your power."
"But I couldn't win. It's not enough to control my power. I have to be able to win with it!" Cynthia exclaimed while looking over to Wendy. "I need to be stronger so I can protect you. So I can protect everyone else if I need to. I want you guys to rely on me, too. I don't...want to cause trouble like I did last year. Everyone got hurt and it could've been so awful." The incident of Fiore's End still weighed heavily on her mind. Even though it had been half a year since then, Cynthia would never forget how helpless and powerless she felt the whole time.
Wendy squeezed Cynthia's hand. "I felt powerless for a moment too. But then I saw you fighting with all your might. Even though I could barely move, I wanted so desperately to stand next to you. I...I also have power I haven't been able to make use of so well." To illustrate her point. Wendy's hair and eyes flickered pink. She was attempting to make use of Dragon Force, but while the potential was there, she wasn't able to access it again. "I don't feel strong enough either. But I feel stronger with you."
That was the first time Cynthia had actually seen Wendy attempt to go Dragon Force. She never saw it for herself, but it was her power that granted Wendy the ability to push into that threshold. "Wendy..." Cynthia paused for a moment, before deciding to smile. "Let's get stronger together..!"
"Yeah...! We'll get stronger together." Wendy then leaned in, pressing a very faint kiss to Cynthia's cheek. Her cheeks were red, as were Cynthia's, but she didn't regret the action. "We will get stronger. You and me..."
"You and me!" Cynthia said with a sheepish grin.
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Evanee arrived at a large cave entrance, raising a brow somewhat at the dampness of the stones under her feet. "Hmm…This seems to be the place…"
"Oh my…" Gaia said as she and Alex approached Evanee. "What are you doing here, little girl? This isn't a place for people like you."
"Yeah!" Alex said as placed her hands behind her back. "The monster here is dangerous, so please, allow us to do the job, and you can run along home!"
Evanee scowled noticeably at the attitude of the two mages before her, highly annoyed that she was just called a little girl. "Excuse you?" Evanee started as she rested her hands on her hips. "I am not a child, and I am more than capable of handling myself."
"Ah…I've heard many children say that before…" Gaia said with a slight chuckle before patting Evanee's head, which Evanee thought was rather condescending, so she slapped Gaia's hand away with a grimace. "Wow…rude…"
"Don't treat Gaia-chan like that!" Alex flailed her arms. "She was only trying to watch out for you!"
"I just told you I'm not a child." Evanee said in a highly annoyed tone.
"Then what are you, dear?" Gaia asked once again, deciding to play along with what she thought was a child's attempt to prove their worth and fight a monster.
"My name is Evanee, and I am the ace of the guild, Twilight Zone." Evanee said, rather short too as she started to walk inside, but Gaia grabbed the girl by the arm and pulled her back, which Evanee immediately responded by pulling her arm away. "Don't touch me."
Gaia completely ignored Evanee's demand as she looked the girl over, quite interested now. "Oh…the Stone Dragon Slayer…I've heard of you."
"Isn't she the one who defeated Bluenote a few days ago!?" Alex asked with a slight gasp.
"I'm surprised people have heard of it…" Evanee shrugged slightly before turning around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."
"Ah, so do we!" Gaia said as she clapped her hands together, her usual stern attitude clearly nonexistent at this point, but it was clearly replaced by something else. "I am Gaia, the SS class mage of Cosmic Star, and this is my fellow member, Alex, an S class mage of the very same guild."
"Wonderful." Evanee said as she started to walk inside the cave. She wasn't going to acknowledge these two if she could help it. But it didn't sound like she was going to be able to ignore them.
"Your scent…" Gaia said quietly, but just loud enough for Evanee's ears to hear. Evanee stopped, but she didn't turn around. "You were raised by that dragon…" A quiet snicker escaped Gaia's mouth, but she did well to hide it. "Interesting…" With a groan of annoyance, Evanee walked inside the cave, leaving Gaia and Alex outside. "Let's see how strong your foster daughter has become, Stalagmus…"
"Huh…?" Alex looked up to Gaia with a somewhat confused look. "Did you say something…? Do you know that female…?"
"Hm?" Gaia looked down to Alex, and then rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish, yet partially serious laugh. "Oh…you could say I know OF her…but this is the first time we've actually met. I'm curious to see what she can do, since she supposedly slayed that dragon…"
"I'm confused…well…kinda…." Alex sighed defeatedly. Whatever, she'd just make sure to do her part.
"I'm sorry, let's just go, and see what she can do." Gaia said with a nod, and walked into the cave with Alex following right behind her.