"You sure you're okay, Blues?" Bacchus asked the water dragon slayer.
"Oi, I'm fine, don't worry!" Blues waved a hand, attempting to show his injury was nothing. The injury he had was a constant reminder of the battle with Rustyrose. What was his injury? An X scar over his right eye from when he protected Twilight Zone's water dragon slayer, Melanie Hasani from Rustyrose's attack.
"That's a pretty nasty scar…" Warcry said, starting to cry randomly just from the sight of it. "The sight of it just makes me want to cry!"
"No! NO TEARS!" Blues shouted. He then looked at Warcry with a "eue" short of loko as he got an idea. "Wait…If I drink your tears….will I get stronger?"
"…That's a weird idea…" Yeagar said with a slight sigh.
"You have to admit, it's worth a try!" Blues said defensively.
"Sounds wild…I'd try it!" Kuro, the water god slayer, said.
"Sometimes I wonder about you two…" Goldmine said with a sigh.
"We can't help it that water is the best thing ever!" Kuro and Blues said in unison.
"I think there's a line…" Rocker coughed.
.
.
The sun started set, and within a nearby forest, Jellal and Meredy started to build a fire as they started to plan out their next move after the incident with Silent Sanctum. "Grimoire Heart has gone down…" Meredy started. "That takes care of one problem…"
"That is true," Jellal nodded in agreement as he rested his back against a tree. "But…we still have the issue of Silent Sanctum…"
"They still have Ul…" Meredy said as she looked down at the ground, fighting back tears.
"Don't worry…they may have Ultear for now…but we'll get her back." Jellal said in a reassuring tone. A few seconds later, a familiar voice echoed through Jellal's ears, causing him to perk up. "That voice…?"
"You ain't ready…" The voice said, slowly getting louder.
"…MOVE!" Jellal jumped forward, tackling Meredy to the ground just as Byron appeared where Jellal was standing with his Explosive Hammer.
"For the big bang!" Byron swung at the tree, causing a large explosion after impact. Byron then landed and turned with his hammer in both hands, smirking over to the two independent mages.
"W-What!? Again!?" Meredy shouted as she and Jellal stood up.
"Oh, it's not just me this time…" Byron smirked as Horoki, Myuu, Veronica, Aloysius, Ultear, and Jikan walked in from the surrounding area, thus circling around the two mages.
"U-Ul!" Meredy's eyes widened at the sight of her mother figure.
"I wouldn't recommend going near her at the moment," Jikan said while shaking his head.
"Now then, we can either make this quick and easy, or long and painful, either way, we're getting what we want," Horoki said while taking a puff of his cigarette.
"And what is you want?" Jellal asked while narrowing his eyes, quickly thinking of a way to get out of this current predicament.
"We want Siegrain." Jikan replied.
"What!?" Jellal's eyes widened at the request of the Silent Sanctum master. "Are you mad!?"
"You heard the man!" Veronica said. "Siegrain, now."
"We want Ultear!" Meredy shouted, not keeping her eyes off the time ark mage for a second.
"You hear this girl!?" Byron let out a hearty laugh at Meredy's request.
"What's so funny…?!" Meredy turned her attention over to Byron, confused as to why her request was funny to him.
"There is no feasible way to get Ultear back to how she was when she was with you." Jikan said. "In fact, there are only two ways to return her to normal, and it's quite impossible for the two of you."
"What are the ways…?" Meredy asked, her eyes locked on Jikan's.
"There is no easy way; in fact, the hardest one would be killing me…" Jikan started, and within that very same instant, Meredy used her Magulity Sense magic to form a sensory link between her and Jikan. This didn't catch anyone off guard at first, but in the next second, Meredy formed a sensory blade, pointing it directly at her chest.
"Kill you, huh?" Meredy said with a serious expression on her face.
"W-What the hell?!" Veronica's eyes widened.
"I don't think you want to go through with this, Meredy," Ultear said with a low voice. She didn't want to...
"Screw that…!" Aloysius snapped his fingers, creating green magic circles on Meredy's body as he prepared himself to use his Rapture Magic.
"Aloy, no!" Jikan shouted.
"Too late!" Meredy used Aloysius' own action against him. That split second Aloysius was ready to attack Meredy to protect Jikan was a sense of emotion, and she used this to form a link between the three of them, all while the sensory blade still pointed at Meredy.
"That girl's crazy!" Veronica shouted while her eyes widened in surprise.
"Meredy!" Jellal shouted, clearly taken aback by the girl's actions.
"I suppose that was terrible planning on my part…" Jikan said with obvious regret in his decision. "But…you're really willing to risk your life for the sake of Ultear?" Jikan asked while raising a brow.
"She risked her life for us…" Meredy replied, her tone matching her serious expression. "I will do anything to make sure Ul is safe…even if it means my life." Just to prove her point, she allowed the tip of the sensory blade to stab into her chest a little bit. There was no physical injury, but the pain could be felt by all three of those linked together. Meredy was willing to end this here and now. The fate of Silent Sanctum was in her hands.
"She's serious…" Horoki said while watching intently, keeping his eyes on Jellal in case the heavenly mage decided to do something, but it seemed highly unlikely that he wouldn't.
"Well, well…isn't this quite the predicament we've gotten ourselves into…" Jikan said quietly while Ultear just looked on. "Fine…I suppose I'll play this little game with you, Meredy."
"G-Game…?" Meredy narrowed her eyes at Jikan. She was threatening his life and he called it just a game? "What's what supposed to mean…?"
"We both have something the other wants…not just wants, that's a bad word to use. We both have something the other needs, yes?" Jikan asked. "So, in this case, it's a game of negotiation. You need Ultear, we need Siegrain."
"And just why do you need Siegrain?" Jellal asked.
"The Council is weakened; no one has faith in them anymore. What better a man to lead the Council to its former glory than Siegrain?" Jikan replied causally.
"For some reason I don't think you're doing this for the wellbeing of Fiore…" Jellal replied. "The Magic Council won't allow him to return, you know that."
"That isn't something you need to worry about." Jikan replied with a smile. "It isn't about what the Magic Council allows or doesn't allow. It's about needs to be done."
"You know…the one with the sword pointed at herself usually gets what she wants in this situation…" Veronica said while filing her nails.
"I can see that, too," Jikan replied.
"Should we hand over Milkovich?" Aloysius asked.
"It appears we have little choice," Jikan said with a slight sigh. "But, we want Siegrain before we leave."
"Return Ultear…and I'll give you Siegrain." Jellal said, not wanting Meredy to put her life at risk should the plan backfire.
"Well, if that's how you want it…" Jikan started as a smirk started to form on his lips.
"We want her at her current age too!" Meredy interject, thus catching the dark mages off guard slightly.
"Wha…that was quick…" Bryon grunted slightly.
"We've dealt with your kind before," Jellal said. "How are we supposed to know you won't turn her back into that old woman before handing her over?"
"And you can't bother us when we leave!" Meredy added in quickly.
"Clever…clever…" Jikan nodded somewhat respectfully to the deduction to two independent mages came to. "Alright, alright, I will return Ultear to you, good, and at her original age. But I want to see Siegrain first." Jellal looked over at Meredy, then Ultear, and then nodded with a slight sigh. A few minutes passed, and the thought projection known as Siegrain appeared next to Jellal, much to Silent Sanctum's joy. And Jikan kept to his word, releasing Ultear from the dark lacrima he implanted inside her body a while ago, destroying it, allowing Ultear free reign once again.
"Ul!" Meredy immediately vanquished the sensory link around her, Jikan, and Aloysius, and then hugged Ultear tightly, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I-I missed you!"
"M-Meredy…Jellal…" Ultear hugged the pinkette back, feeling horrible for her actions.
"Ah…it's good to be back…" Siegrain grinned slightly. "Now…if you'll excuse me…I believe I have a Council to take charge of…"
"Yes, Siegrain…take hold of the Council for us…we have someone waiting for you when you get there…" Aloysius said with a devious smirk. Siegrain nodded to Aloysius, and then proceeded to walk off.
"Now, get out of my sight before I decide to kill you," Jikan said. The three independent mages nodded, and then quickly made their escape.
"Now what, Master?" Veronica asked. "Wasn't she important for later!?"
"Actually, my pupil…" Jikan started as he turned around. "That all went just as well as I thought it would…it actually went perfect."
"Perfect?!" Bryon asked.
"Though he agreed to it, Jellal did not want to create Siegrain once again, meaning that Siegrain was created due to negative emotions, not positive. In the end, even though Jellal may have fooled himself into being a good mage, Siegrain won't exactly be the nicest Councilman, which is exactly what we want."
"So…we went through the trouble of finding Ultear…just to hand her back?" Horoki asked for confirmation.
Jikan shook his head, waving finger. "Oh no…I still have plans for her…they just wouldn't have been complete without Siegrain to take charge…now we just sit and wait. I will admit, I didn't think this would be the timeline where Meredy would pull such a maneuver, but it worked out well for us."
.
.
Lyon sat in a secluded area on the shoreline, near a cave, to be more precise. He stepped out of the cave and looked on to the ocean, remembering the events seven years ago just before he joined Lamia Scale. "I will carry out your will…" Lyon said to the ocean as he clenched his fist. "As the star pupil, I have to."
A few minutes later, a portal opened up, and Rugal stepped out with a funny looking container in his hands. "Hm…he just needs a little bit, yes…"
"Who are you?" Lyon asked, surprised by the sudden appearance.
"None of your concern," Rugal replied. "I am simply here to gather the remains of Ur Milkovich."
"You will do no such thing!" Lyon shouted. "She is with the ocean now, and I won't allow anyone to disturb her long rest."
"I don't think you heard me…" Rugal sighed slightly, placing the container back in his pockets as he immediately started to scout Lyon in his head. "Judging by his attitude, I can tell he must've been a student of this woman…meaning I can expect ice magic…" Rugal thought to himself as Lyon slid into his Ice Make pose.
.
.
"GAH!" Evanee, in her Stone Drive, crashed into the rocky cave ground hard on her back, unable to help but let out a minor yelp of pain. Evanee was facing off against a large ogre with a battle axe in hand, and Evanee quickly realized how this was a task for only an SS class mage. So, she could handle this. Evanee jumped up quickly, and allowed stones to encase her arms as she jumped forward once again.
"She's really going at it…" Alex said to Gaia, who was watching Evanee fight from the sidelines.
"I can see the power…but I don't think she's quite strong enough to perform such a daunting task on her own…" Gaia sighed slightly.
"Well…this is our job too! We can't let her take all the credit!" Alex huffed.
"Yes, yes, you're right," Gaia nodded. "Alex, go assist her, if you would be so kind."
"Yes, Gaia-chan!" Alex nodded cheerfully, and then jumped forward, extending her arm as it turned into an inhuman shape, literally extending towards the ogre with a claw on the tip, stabbing the ogre with it, causing it to let out a cry of pain as it looked over its shoulder, enraged at Alex. "Uh oh…" Alex squeaked before the ogre gripped her extended arm, pulling out her arm from its back, then swung Alex around wildly, slamming her down on the ground after. "Ugh…"
"Stone Dragon's Roar!" Evanee threw her head forward, unleashing a whirlwind of stones that struck the distracted ogre, resulting in massive cuts to appear on its back. The ogre turned once again, raising its axe high above its head. Evanee let out a quick gasp as she rolled to the side as the axe came down, surprised that the blow ripped the ground in half, splitting it apart.
"That this is crazy strong…" Alex said as she rubbed her head, groaning slightly. "But…!" Alex then held her arms at her sides, the black substance covering the upper part of her arms, but her hands now morphed into dangerous claws. "I can take it!"
"You're not even the SS class mage here…" Evanee commented as the ogre looked at the two females.
"She's not using Dragon Force…Does she think she can win without it?" Gaia thought to herself. Evanee's performance was subpar in her eyes, and yet, she was refusing to go all out?
"What are you…?" Evanee asked Alex as she glanced at the claws.
"Just your average S class mage!" Alex replied, winking after. Alex then jumped into the air, clawing at the ogre furiously, creating multiple deep cuts all over its face. After having enough, the ogre swatted Alex away using all of its strength, and knocked the girl into a stalagmite, knocking her out as a result. "Ooof..."
"Alex that offense was great until you got greedy…" Gaia sighed.
"Are you going to just stand by and watch or are you going to do something, Ms. SS class?" Evanee asked as she evaded another strike from the ogre's axe.
"You really want me to do something, little girl?" Gaia asked with a yawn.
"I am not a little girl!" Evanee shouted, narrowly avoiding an incoming swing. But, Evanee landed on the tip of the axe, then jumped forward, swinging her leg at the ogre's face, landing a direct hit at the ogre stumbled back into a wall, breaking the rock behind it.
"I'm not too sure about that, Ev…" Gaia said.
"What did you just call me…?" Evanee asked, raising a brow to make sure she heard Gaia correctly.
"Ev." Gaia replied. "Evanee is kinda long for my taste, so I prefer Ev."
"Don't call me that," Evanee replied with a scowl.
"Oh well Ev, I guess you wouldn't listen to me if I said…" Gaia started, but then the giant ogre rose from the ground once again, swiping its hand at Evanee, the speed obviously catching her off guard as she slammed into a nearby wall, falling to the ground on her face after. "Oh ouch…"
"Tch…" Evanee mumbled under her breath as she attempted to get up, but before she could, the ogre picked her up, and held her tightly within its hand, practically constricting her. "D-Dammit…!"
"Come now, I'm sure you can do something about this…" Gaia said as she watched Evanee.
"I can't breathe…" Evanee replied in a low voice, trying to draw enough air for another roar, but she was unable to.
"Really…? Nothing?" Gaia asked once again, highly disappointed in the mage.
"I can't even move…!" Evanee managed to shout.
"Oh FINE…" Gaia sighed, and then started to suck in breath of her own. "Earth Roar…" Gaia then threw her head forward, unleashing what was essentially a stone dragon's roar, but much more powerful as the rocks struck the golem, causing it to release Evanee and fall on its butt. Evanee landed on the ground, panting heavily as she gasped for air, standing up straight after a few seconds, cutting her eyes towards Gaia.
"This is the thanks I get for attacking…?" Gaia asked as she eyed Evanee.
"Took you long enough…" Evanee replied as she eyed the golem, who was half conscious.
"Just remember, you're alive because of my help~" Gaia said tauntingly.
"I didn't need your help…!" Evanee replied.
"Sure, kiddo, sure…" Gaia patted Evanee's shoulder a few times, much to the annoyance of the stone dragon slayer. "Now, watch how a REAL earth mage works…" Gaia held her arm out the side, morphing it into a sharp stone blade. "Earth Blade."
"What the…!?" Evanee said as her eyes widened.
Gaia then rushed forward, ruthlessly plunging her blade into the ogre's stomach, slicing it in half, killing the beast. "Mmm…" Gaia sniffed the air, her nose invaded by the scent of blood, which drove her wild. "Smells great…"
"Gaia-chan, you did it!" Alex shouted as she limped over to the ace.
"Hm?" Gaia shook her head, snapping out of her little trance as she smiled at Alex warmly. "Oh, yes, I did!"
"Tch…" Evanee crossed her arms, allowing her stone drive state to fade. Gaia and Alex then walked over to Evanee after.
"So…Twilight Zone as weak as you are…?" Gaia asked in a serious tone.
"Excuse you?" Evanee asked, enraged by such a question.
"You heard her!" Alex said in an innocent, cheery tone.
"You couldn't even take down a simple beast such as that…it didn't take me much effort at all…" Gaia replied while examining her arm. "I had to waste magic getting you out of that little jam…"
"Which only happened because you were distracting me…" Evanee replied, attempting to keep her cool, but her eyebrows started twitching, which was a signal saying she wouldn't be able to much longer.
"Excuses, excuses…after seeing that performance, it's a wonder how you defeated Bluenote Stinger…" Gaia sighed. "I guess the guild just has one barely decent mage after all, Alex."
Evanee wasn't going to stand there and take the verbal abuse from Gaia, so she encased her dominant arm in stones, and swung towards Gaia, but to Evanee's surprise, Gaia blocked the caught her fist, though she winced just slightly from the impact of it nonetheless "What…" Evanee thought to herself.
"My, my…that probably would've tickled it if actually hit…" Gaia said with a condescending giggle. "It's okay, little girl…I guess your guild isn't as strong as everyone thought them to believe…" With a shrug, Gaia backed off, and then turned to Alex. "Are you ready to go?"
"Haiii!" Alex nodded, and started to skip out of the cave.
Gaia also started to leave, but she stopped so she could say one more thing to Evanee. "Oh…and I can say with the upmost certainty…your dragon was a failure of a dragon, and a horrible teacher…A shame, really…"
Evanee's eyes widened immensely at this comment, and she turned, firing off a Stone Dragon's roar at Gaia…but the female was already gone… "Damn it." What a waste of time."