Alright, welcome back to another chapter.
At first, I considered splitting it into two chapters, but I soon realized it would make it even shorter than it already is, so I decided to stick with just one.
So yeah, I got nothing much more to say. I hope you enjoy this one.
The following days passed rather smoothly so far. Thanks to Azazel and Yasaka's help, the three mages of Crime Sorcière avoided to spend the nights on the streets of Kyoto. Azazel was helpful enough to offer them a place to stay, which happened to be one of Grigori's unoccupied apartments in Kyoto. Meanwhile, Yasaka had promised them sufficient money to survive on their own for some days. Firstly, the mages were reluctant to accept, but Yasaka's resolve to pay them back made the wizards eventually cave.
Of course, having absolutely no knowledge about that new world's whereabouts, they agreed to take some days off and concentrate to learn more about the new place. At least until they were certain on what to do next. Usually, they wouldn't stay in a place for more than couple of days due to them being an independent guild and not having a stable place to stay, but now that was inevitable.
Surprisingly, as explained by both Yasaka and Azazel, the Earth's social system functioned similarly to that of Earth-Land, despite some apparent differences, such as the currency, political system, and so on. Although the concept of magic and the supernatural was either unknown to most, or was thought to be simply non-existent, technology was certainly far more advanced than that of Earth-Land as in their world things like vehicles, devices and machinery were accessible/usable through the solely use of magic. Furthermore, this world was much more diverse and the technology was much more utilised, and it was based on the use of different energy sources, which drastically extended the possibilities of exploiting the technology itself. Fortunately many of the items were very similar if not identical to theirs, so it wasn't difficult for the newcomers to settle in. Having to quickly learn how this new world worked, Jellal, Macbeth, and Erik had a general grasp on pretty much everything important that they needed to know. The three wizards of Crime Sorcière even started to adapt the "Earthlings" customs, all of them bought themselves a phone, which pretty much was the same as a Miniature Communication Lacrima. For the time being, they also got used to watch Earth's films and general TV entertainment, which in some way was more enjoyable than what Earth-Land had to offer.
Back to their situation…
Their typical day began simply with a search in the outskirts of Kyoto, of course to make sure there were no demons with funny ideas of hunting them down or attacking the city, followed by a training sessions. Surprisingly, although days of searching the three wizards found absolutely nothing, it seemed as if the demons had vanished into thin air, which was odd since Crime Sorcière and Tartaros had entered the exact same portal. In any case, during the lunch hour the three typically ate in Azazel's rented house and, thanks to Yasaka's monetary help.
Agreeing they should pull their own weight, they accepted the leader of the Youkai's 'job request'... a part-time job in truth, as 'her provisional bodyguards'. This job request would've made sense since only a few days ago she and her daughter just faced the possibility of being abducted by mysterious terrorists, if it weren't that it was Yasaka's blatant excuse to make it was more of a babysitting job for Kunou alongside Asia. Jellal had no problem with this seeing as the two had already begun to build a brother-sister bond, he was also very friendly towards both girls, maintaining his calm and gentle persona. Macbeth kept his laid-back and taciturn self, but that hadn't stopped him from opening up a bit with them, and did show to be friendly at times. Erik, on the other hand, was for the most part bored with the assignment, initially pointing out how this was all a pain in the ass. Kunou somehow didn't find him intimidating at all, making fun of his bad boyish attitude when she had the chance. Asia tried to make him feel comfortable, and while the Dragon Slayer seemed bothered by this, a great part of him appreciated the nun's attempts.
On top of all of that, there was still the 'how to get back home and reunite with the rest of the guild' issue, but in all honesty, that could wait as there was a chance Tartaros could still be around and kicking.
- FLASHBACK: 2 days ago -
"So, you guys train steadily?" Asia asked. Currently eating breakfast with Kunou, Yasaka and the Earth-Landers at a café. Azazel had work to do at Grigori so he couldn't join them.
"Yeah we do. We gotta keep in shape in one way or another, ain't we?" Erik joked bluntly. Jellal chuckled at his friend's disposition, while Macbeth sipped his cup of coffee quietly.
Truth be told, Crime Sorcière guild was used to training with each other, Macbeth and Erik specifically, after all, since they were still Oracion Seis as well as when they joined the independent guild they had established that they would step up their training. In fact since their last confrontation against Acnologia, they well knew it was the key to become stronger, after all, neither Jellal nor his companions had managed to scratch the black dragon of the apocalypse.
"I just thought you were born talent, maybe humans from your world are different from ours as well as their past." Asia stated unsure. The trio quirked their eyebrows, Yasaka noticed this and went on explaining.
"Let me clarify." She spoke gaining their attention pouring her own cup with some milk. "For the most part, the strongest individuals of the supernatural are natural talent, as such they usually have no need of training. Although many Youkais are born with natural talent and remarkable strength, we do need to refine and train in magic and the use of Ki, but I believe I already explained it to you. Still I have to say, I'm rather curious about the topic as well."
"Understandable. Humans of our world aren't very different from those of yours, humanity's story is as tragic as one might think." Jellal replied to their questions putting down his cup. "Hundreds of years ago, Dragons were considered the absolute owners of Earth-Land, humans were nothing but food or toys for them." He kept going as everyone minus his companions had their eyes on him. "However, at one point some Dragons questioned their ways, theorising that humans and dragons could find a way to coexist together. Unfortunately, this conflict of ideals led to part of the dragons siding with humans, while another part against them. At that point, the most capable humans had to develop quickly in the use of magic, especially a certain type of lost magic."
"Dragon Slayer Magic?" Asia wondered.
"Yup." Erik confirmed as he took a bite of his brioche bun before continuing the story. "It's thanks to that humans were no longer pushovers and could actually give a run for their money. Eventually, turned into a pretty messed up shit, a war between humans and dragons to be clear, which was called Dragon King Festival. Y'know typical wars, countless victims, immeasurable destruction and lots of bloodshed." He continued shocking his listeners even more. "Anyway, point is; humans had to fight their ass off to handle and survive as much as those of this world." He finished.
The girls couldn't help but feel uneasy, Yasaka in particular, usually the Kyoto Youkai faction was accustomed to a life of peace, they were always well known for their coexistence with humans. Unfortunately, she was well aware that not all of the supernatural world shared her way of seeing things, there were still many individuals who saw humans as insects to be crushed, especially in the Three Factions' front.
- FLASHBACK: end -
At the moment, the Dragon Slayer and the Nightmare Mage were having a sparring session in a spot away from the built-up area. Normally, Jellal would participate as well, but since Kunou asked him to spend some time together, he couldn't really say no. They weren't alone, Asia had volunteered to accompany them and eventually heal their possible wounds. Having no intention of attracting unwanted attention, the two wizards decided to train in the woods and had asked Asia to summon a barrier, which strangely was kept in place unlike the last time. Was it because they weren't going all out? Maybe, but then again, they didn't exactly use their full power against Deliora.
Observing her two new acquaintances' fight blow after blow, it wasn't hard to notice for Asia that both Erik and Macbeth shared a long-lasting experience in combat and magic usage. And not only that, the two, along with Jellal, seemed to know each other for a long time, it was as if both could predict what the other's move was. Erik didn't even need to read his mind to figure out his next move, meaning their trust was solid.
In terms of strength, the three mages were close, yet not equal: Jellal was undoubtedly the strongest of the guild, being a former member of the Ten Wizards Saints back in Earth-Land made him a formidable and dangerous opponent at the same time; his magic power was immense, according to Azazel who was considered a master magician, the blue-haired mage's power could rival the strongest of the Dragon Kings, Tiamat if not greater. As for the other two, while weaker than Jellal, were a force to be reckoned with, they both had enough strength to make the most powerful beings of the Underworld and Heaven go pale. What was hard to believe was the fact they were humans, with no Sacred Gear into the bargain.
The mock battle went on. Erik charged at Macbeth at high speed, delivering a punch on his guildmate's face. Macbeth was able to evade it just in time, he then swung around his leg attempting to kick the scarred mage's rib cage, Erik backflipped away landing a few metres back. Erik moved forward and brought out his arms, his fingertips surrounded in poisonous aura. Macbeth wasn't caught unprepared, his eyes glowed redder, his body started to be covered in his dark-greenish aura, he rose his hands forming a dark orb above his palms.
"Poison Dragon Twin Wings!" Erik cried as he slashed with powerful scratches.
"Dark Night Outbreak!" Macbeth yelled slamming his hands downward. A dark glowing force of magic exploded from the slam that directly clashed with the Dragon Slayer's attack causing another cloud of dust to appear.
Erik sprung forward emerging from the smoke while engulfing his feet of poison. "Poison Dragon Spiral Jaw!" He shouted swinging his left to the reflector wizard.
"Dark Rondo!" Macbeth exclaimed fired his beams of darkness causing another explosion.
On the side-lines, Asia was staring at the battle in awe and admiration, being under Grigori's care, she was well-aware of what power meant in the world of supernatural, but never before in her life has she witnessed such strong individuals and humans, no less.
"Poison Dragon..." Erik paused, his fists glowed in dark-red poison.
"Dark..." Macbeth covered his own fists in dark-green magic.
"Gouge Horn!"
"Slash!" They both yelled at the same time.
The two fists met together, colliding violently causing a huge shockwave. Poor Asia had to cover her face with her hands from the coming dust. Nonetheless, the girl couldn't help but look away from the fight, true, she wasn't exactly fond of fights and violence, but she wasn't naive or gullible enough to believe everyone would think her way, this is one of the main reason why she asked to be trained in magic by Azazel himself to at least be capable of defending herself. Meanwhile, another explosion caused by the two brought Asia out of her thoughts. The wizards backed away from one another for a moment, the Dragon Slayer had a smirk on his face.
"Looks like your physical strength hasn't dropped in the last year, Midnight. And here I thought you'd slack off." Erik stated jokingly.
Macbeth reciprocated the smirk. "The same could be said for your senses, Cobra. You're not even using your Hearing Magic."
Erik shrugged. "What can I say? You know me too well." He then stretched his arms and neck causing a loud crack to be heard. "Oi Asia! What time is it?" The Dragon Slayer asked aloud to the nun who was still observing them fighting.
"Huh!…" Asia immediately pulled out her phone. "Uhm, it's 17:00!"
Erik nodded at her and turned his head to his friend. "Guess we can call it a day. What do you say?"
"Yes, we should go meet the others." Macbeth said. "Yasaka and Azazel asked us to go see them, the appointment is in an hour."
"Shit, I almost forgot." Erik grunted while scratching his head. "Well, can't be helped. She did say it was serious stuff."
Throughout all of this, Asia approached the two wizards and began healing them much to their surprise.
"Asia, we appreciate the sentiment, but there's no need for that. We didn't take much damage." Macbeth spoke. Erik just rose a curious brow sharing his friend's view.
"I-I know, but I believed it was the right thing to do, you've spent hours training right?" Asia murmured to the mages. Erik and Macbeth shared a look.
"No harm, no foul." The Dragon Slayer shrugged. "It must be hard for you to stand two guys beating up one another even if it's a spar huh?" Erik pointed out.
"Even so, I can see how you wield your Twilight Healing, and I have to say it's somewhat unusual." The Nightmare Mage noted. "You could just use that power to heal yourself when needed, but instead you go on and help people. That's very noble of you, Asia." Macbeth praised the nun.
Asia felt a bit flustered by their claim, but nodded sheepishly. "Thank you so much, Midnight!" She smiled sincerely. "But yes… I truly believe we all should try to conduct ourselves in a peaceful manner and reject violence when necessary. Sadly, not everyone shares my opinion on the matter, so some time ago I decided to train my magic and my Sacred Gear so that I can learn to defend myself first of all, but at the same time help others in need. I know it may be foolish, but I think this is why the Lord granted me this power from birth, so I get to help good people like you guys." She told them. "But I still have a long way to go… I couldn't even unlock my Balance Breaker yet."
The mages were quietly listening to her, but decided to not comment on her statement of them being good people. Sure, they were trying to redeem themselves, and they were putting effort on it, but they were far from being 'good'. At least in their opinion.
"Based on what you're saying, you must be pretty proud of your power." Erik claimed putting his hands in his pockets.
Asia's smile dropped slightly. "I am, in some ways. It's a bit of a two-edged sword. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for my power, but it's also one of the primary reasons I couldn't truly socialize with people." She shook her head. The two were still silent knowing she was about to tell something else. "After I was abandoned by my family, I was taken by the Church's supervision in Italy. And because of my Sacred Gear, I used to be seen as a special person even by the higher-ups, more than a saint actually, I was called Holy Maiden… I had to live under Vatican monitoring and in seclusion. As a result, my requirements came in second place." Erik and Macbeth's features softened as they kept listening Asia's story, however her tone became more melancholic. "Years ago, I ran into an injured Devil, he was in poor conditions so I chose to heal him…" She continued while her tone turned gloomier. "Sadly, that gesture didn't go unnoticed and the Church found out what I did, I was branded as 'the witch who heals Devils' and banned from it, until Mr. Azazel took me under his wing. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"
The Nightmare Mage frowned, though the scarred slayer showed off a more visible scowl which Asia didn't fail to notice. Both of them couldn't believe some indoctrinated followers had the guts to just ditch a child. Yes, their past may be ignoble, but for all of their many sins never once they directly hurt children, elders or defenceless women. Dark as they used to be, they still had standards and a sort of morality.
"But don't worry!" Asia quickly waved her hands. "I'm not mad at them for what they did nor do I seek a payback, at least not anymore, it happened when I was eleven."
'I can hear it, the sound of sadness and grief this girl went through because of those pricks. Tch…' Erik closed his eyes picturing Asia's sincerity. He and Macbeth started to sympathise with the former nun, for who better than them could understand what it was like to be abandoned by parents or exploited for someone else's selfish ends? He then opened his eyes and spoke. "Asia, you barely had any friends in your life, didn't you?" He asked compassionately while recalling his old-self.
"Well… save from Kunou and a few others, not really." Asia replied while looking down awkwardly.
The Dragon Slayer couldn't help but have a small throwback in his mind, recalling to lose his only friend, Cubellious as well as his prayer… Shaking his head, he snapped back to reality and spoke.
"Then… how about you add us to the list?" Erik continued with a friendly smirk.
"Huh?" Asia perked up her head.
"Asia." This time Macbeth was the one to speak. "Would you like us to be your friends?" The reflector mage asked with a small, honest smile.
Asia stared at them with an expression that mixed surprise and glee. Shaking her head, she gave her reply. "Yes, of course! I would really like to! Thank you Cobra. And thank you too Midnight!" She answered with happiness.
Erik patted her head like an older brother would do making her smile, while Macbeth crossed his arm and nodded in appreciation. Yes, showing affection to someone wasn't exactly their forte, especially for Erik, he would kill himself before showing fondness to anyone, the fact he was opening up so quickly with Asia meant he cared, right?
"Do you think I can ask Jellal too?" Asia asked in hope.
The duo nodded gaining another content beam from Asia. "Thanks guys!" She beamed at her new friends.
Maybe they did change for the better.
In another part of Kyoto, Jellal and Kunou were having some time together, the young Youkai offered to accompany the mage on a small tour of the city in the meantime. Both of them were strolling the streets of Kyoto as Kunou had just showed the wizard the notorious Bamboo Forest of Kyoto.
"I have to admit, Kunou. Kyoto is quite a fascinating city. It definitely stands apart from many cities I've seen back home in Earth-Land. Thanks for the tour." Jellal said gratefully.
Kunou nodded smiling. "It's no problem at all, Jellal! I was going to ask Cobra and Midnight to join us, but they told me they'd rather not skip their training."
"Yes, last time we sparred, I've beaten both of them. Stating they'd have a rematch; they chose to train every day. Since then it kind of turned out to be a friendly-rivalry." Jellal explained with a chuckle.
"Hehe, I can see that." Kunou giggled lightly. "Especially when it comes to a certain Dragon Slayer." She joked.
"Leave him alone, Kunou." Jellal chuckled. He wasn't disappointed at how things went in the last week they spent in Kyoto. His guild got along with the other rather well, he particularly found Kunou and Erik's friendly bickering quite funny.
"Oh come on, you can't say he doesn't look like that type!" Kunou retorted letting go her more childish side.
"Can't really argue with that. You may find it absurd, but Cobra does a really good job in hiding his shyness." Jellal stated.
"Yes, he actually does." Kunou quipped sharing a laugh with Jellal.
The blue-haired man was grateful to the blonde Kitsune for spending time with him and showing him around, yet his mind was partially somewhere else. First of all, one of the most feared dark guilds of the Balam Alliance was back in action, then they were forcefully teleported away from their homeworld and, to make matters more complicated, said dark guild just vanished away leaving no trace with a high possibility to be there. Eying him, Kunou could tell her new friend was feeling conflicted, and she couldn't blame him, their situation wasn't exactly rosy. She did want to help, maybe trying to get him off those concerns with small talks, but Jellal was still pervaded by his thoughts.
'Based on what we've learned so far, this world doesn't seem to be plugged to Edolas, as the latter has no trace of magic left. This world's magical sources are distinct from Ethernano, yet they have certain similarities, which may explain why we didn't need them to restore our power.' Jellal pondered as he briefly took out of his pocket a small bottle of E-Pills, special "medicines" that enabled the user to retrain and utilise their magic without the need to absorb Ethernano. 'Still, we shouldn't take anything for granted; it was fortunate the princess gave us that medicine in case someone else attempted to cancel magic from Earth-Land like Tartaros tried to do with Face…' His thoughts were now on his guildmates that were left behind. 'I hope Meredy and the others are doing alright…'
"Uhm, Jellal." Kunou called the mage as she noticed him spacing out.
Jellal shook his head and snapped out of his thoughts, now looking down to the young fox Youkai. "Yes, Kunou?"
"Is there something bothering you? You seem to be doubtful and a bit distant. You can talk to me if something is wrong." Kunou gently offered.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was actually thinking about our situation." Jellal reassured. "Ever since Tartaros has showed its face again, I cannot help but feel a bit anxious… who knows what their next move could be. Dark guilds are known to be vile and unpredictable." He paused. "What about you? You also look thoughtful, a penny for your thoughts?" He asked.
"Mhmh." She nodded her head. "I was actually wondering a couple of things, if you don't mind answering of course…" Kunou trailed off.
Jellal nodded with a smile. "You don't need to worry Kunou, if you have questions, ask away."
"Cobra and Midnight." Kunou named the wizards.
"What about them?" He asked.
"The day we met, while we were having dinner, when we told you about the supernatural of this world, specifically when the Evil Pieces were mentioned... I noticed something." Kunou listed off in a concerned tone as she tried to find the right words. "I meant to ask them personally at first, but I felt like it wouldn't be a good idea. They looked sad… almost sorrowful. Is it because of what Azazel said?"
Jellal stopped walking falling silent for a moment, the young girl noticed it and halted as well, having the feeling she said something wrong. "I'm sorry, I should've never…"
"It's ok, Kunou. And to answer your question, it is sadly." Jellal answered.
"If you wish to tell me, I can listen." Kunou offered. "My mother is worried about you too…"
Jellal rose his eyebrows in surprise for a bit, but looked down unsurely. "I don't know Kunou. Our past is kind of troubled, tricky and not easy to tell. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Yes, I'm willing to listen." Kunou firmly nodded in response. 'Hm? Our story?' She asked to herself, maybe that involved Jellal as well? Looking at his face, she soon realized. Despite her young age Kunou wasn't that naïve, she could tell when someone felt uneasy to discuss about certain topics, so she waited for him to tell.
Jellal let out a sigh before answering. "Alright then. I will try to summarise it… Let's sit up for a little bit." He said sitting on a bench, Kunou followed and sat near him.
"Our story started about 22 years ago, in a place we will never forget. A place where we shared tears, prayers and hope." Jellal started to tell.
Kunou already caught up by the tone of his voice. "Hope?" She inquired.
"Yes, hope for freedom from the Tower of Heaven..." Jellal started as Kunou had her eyes fixed at him, yet she couldn't help but feel worried already.
"Over the past two decades, a cult that worshipped Black Arts began its construction with the purpose to cast a forbidden spell that could bring the dead back to life. However, that spell required a lot of human sacrifices, so the cult kidnapped random citizens all over Ishgar, and get forced to build the tower as their slaves. That building, the Tower of Heaven, also took the name of the R-System and the leading cult was known as 'the Cult of Zeref'."
Kunou widened her eyes in shock, it was once again that name, Zeref, the same name that sent chills down her spine, the same man who created vast amounts of demons that brought terror and chaos across their homeworld. She could never imagine people could be fanatic to the point to enslave people for 'his sake'. On top of that, Jellal and his friends were enslaved by the same people who saw the Black Wizard as a god. "So..." She could only mutter.
Jellal nodded in confirmation. "We were all prisoners. All of us were captured and forcibly separated from our families as children. Trapped against our will at the Tower of Heaven. That's where our childhoods were taken away from us, where we would've spent the rest of our lives. Anyone who tried to resist, insult or flee from it was severely punished, and in many cases, that punishment included torturing... to death, resulting in 'casual disappearances'." Kunou gasped loudly, tears welling up in her eyes, but she refrained from crying. "Life wasn't easy, the dark wizards in charge had no qualms about using any means to hurt people, even unnecessarily. Not even children were spared from the horrors of that hell."
Kunou couldn't prevent herself from trembling, holding her hands in front of her mouth and listening in horror to what Jellal was telling her. Despite her young age, she was aware there were rotten people in this world too, people who would probably act the same.
"I-I…" She tried to muster. "I apologise..." The kitsune whispered before Jellal could carry on. She got up from her sit and bowed in front of him. "I… should've been more careful before asking something so personal and delicate. You don't have to go on if you don't want to." Kunou pronounced in a low tone, Jellal could swear he saw some tears watering up in her eyes.
Jellal felt conflicted, should he go on and tell her the rest? All the sins he committed? The Oracion Seis? And the initial purpose of Crime Sorcière's creation? He didn't want to admit it to himself, but there was still a part of him still locked in those memories. As his comrades were. So, maybe he should wait and tell his story when the time comes.
'I'm not sure if I could ever entirely forgive myself for what I did to them and… to her.' Jellal thought looking down with drooping eyelids. A blurry image of one of his dearest childhood friends Erza appeared in his mind. But he quickly brushed off those thoughts. Kneeling down to her, he smiled warmly.
"Hey Kunou." He gracefully called her as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to look up to him. "You don't have to worry. This belongs to the past, it's hard to forget, yes, but what matters is moving on and look to a better future for us and everyone else. That's what we vowed to accomplish after breaking away from our past. So please, don't feel too bad about us."
"Still, I…" The blonde kitsune voiced.
"It's alright. I don't blame you for asking, Kunou. You didn't know." Jellal immediately assured.
Kunou sobbed a bit. "I know I cannot understand what it means to be taken away by your home and enslaved in such conditions. But I can understand what it means to lose someone dear to you." She said gloomily. "You see, my father passed away three years ago due to a mortal disease. I know it's not as tragic as…"
"Don't say that. Everyone has their own moments of weakness, and you shouldn't belittle them in any way just because you heard someone else's story. There's no shame in sharing your emotions with the ones you consider friends." Jellal told her soothingly.
"We're friends?…" She asked while still sobbing.
"Yes. Of course we are." He nodded with a warm smile.
After hearing it, she wiped away her tears and smiled. Kunou wrapped her small arms around Jellal's neck. "I'm so sorry for everything you and the others had to experience, Jellal. I couldn't even imagine the pain you guys had to go through because of those people's selfish and cruel actions." She said softly while embracing him.
"I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me your… accident too. I'm so sorry for your loss, it was unfortunate, losing one of your parents at such young age." Jellal remarked in a sincere tone causing the small Youkai to hug him tighter.
"Yes… It was tragic. I couldn't stop crying for days, but my mother was there for me…" Kunou sniffled. "And as much as it pained us, mum and I were able to move on and live through." She said, her voice became muffled as she was still hugging the blue-haired wizard.
'So young, but I can sense how brave and mature she is for her age. She somewhat reminds me of Wendy…' Jellal smiled inwardly recalling the Sky Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail. "You know Kunou, You sort of make me think of one of my friends back in Earth-Land."
Kunou tilted her head blinking in curiosity. "Really?"
"Yes." Jellal replied. "She is roughly the same age as you, and is one of the many people who helped us to defeat Zeref."
The young girl hummed in appreciation but remained quiet, deciding she already asked too many questions. After a minute of silence, Kunou and Jellal released their hug, still smiling at one another.
"Shall we go now?" Jellal inquired gaining a nod from the little girl.
With that being said, Jellal and Kunou stood up and started walking to their destination.
"Say Jellal. Will you and the others be willing ever share your story with my mother, Asia and Azazel?" Kunou questioned.
"When the time comes, we will." Jellal replied. He knew he had to tell her his full story sooner or later.
Sometime later…
The two were now in front of the Youkai's Palace's huge yard waiting for Azazel, Asia, Macbeth and Erik to arrive. It was just outside the former capital. Said palace was the typical example of a Japanese castle architecture, a massive building with walls mainly made of wood and stone, and hip-and-gable roofs at the top and hip roofs below, with a design that mirrored Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. At the entryway, there was a wide stairway flanked by gigantic stone walls.
"So this is the place." Jellal stated as he looked around interested.
"Yes, we live here with my mother's other Youkais who work for her." Kunou informed him.
In the meanwhile, Azazel appeared near them via magic circle. He was now wearing a dark-grey Japanese kimono, a dark green obi and flip-flops.
"Yo Kunou, Jellal. Fancy seeing you again." The Fallen Angel greeted with a two-finger salute.
"Hey Azazel." Kunou waved at him.
"Good to see you too, Azazel." Jellal pronounced his greeting.
Some moments later, the beautiful Nine-Tailed Youkai walked out the palace. This time she wore a bright yellow kimono, which was open at her shoulders giving a good view of her huge breasts, a golden obi, combined with a black pelt, with gold skulls and lines printed on it. "Good afternoon, everyone." Yasaka greeted those present with her usual smile.
"Hey there Yasaka, how have you been?" Azazel asked.
"So far so good. This week went better than expected. There haven't been unpleasant surprises thus far." Yasaka answered. She then set her eyes on Kunou asking. "So, how was your day with Jellal, Kunou?"
"Oh, it was great! I took him on a little tour of Kyoto. I showed him the Kyoto Tower, the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove." Kunou asserted.
"Excellent choices I'd say." Yasaka nodded at her daughter but her eyes now where on the blue-haired wizard. "So, what does our charming resident think about our humble home?" She asked sweetly while walking over and leaning forward at Jellal, still respecting personal spaces.
Jellal let out a chuckle. "I have to admit, I've never seen a city like this before. The shrines and temples of Kyoto, as well as the varied scenery, offer a stunning panorama overall. Kunou also gave me a summary of every place we visited." He told her. "I can see you treat this city and its citizens very well, Yasaka."
"My, such a gentleman." Yasaka giggled with a hand over her lips. "But you give me too much credit than I deserve, this city isn't perfect, especially during the recent events. That's why I am attempting to ensure its safety as well as improving as its ruler."
"I'm sure you will accomplish it." Jellal encouraged flashing a smile at her. "From what I could see and verify so far, Kyoto is one of the cities with the lowest crime rate in Japan, people seem to live peacefully and the supernatural coexist in tranquillity with humans. Not to mention, the threat of Strays is non-existent. From my point of view, you're more than appropriated to rule it."
Yasaka stared at him for a short while. From the moment she started to learn about the wizards and some of their past, she has grown interested, especially in Jellal. The magician was an assortment of strength, knowledge, and noble soul. Needless to say, his attitude surprised the Youkai leader, although now she was closer to him, she hadn't even caught him looking at her breasts, which meant that the man in front of her was well-mannered and certainly not perverted. His encouraging words made a small shade of pink appear on her cheeks; her heart skipped a bit, but she quickly recomposed herself.
Azazel smirked at their interaction as he noticed Yasaka's small flush, but decided to not pry. For now.
"Thank you for your kind words, Jellal." Yasaka bowed politely before him.
"Again, it's no problem." Jellal smiled with a nod in return.
Kunou noticed her mother's strange disposition as well, ever since her father passed away, she rarely saw Yasaka approaching other men like that. Could she really have taken an interest in Jellal? Or maybe she just overcame that phase?
"Hang on Jellal, do you know where are Asia, Cobra and Midnight?" Azazel refocused.
Jellal looked back at the Governor General. "Uh, I have no idea. I haven't seen them since this morning."
"Perhaps something happened?" Kunou wondered. "Maybe I should call Asia and…"
As soon as she was about to say something else, the three people in question were approaching. Asia was walking next to them, while Macbeth was assisting a sick Erik, bringing the Dragon Slayer's arm over his shoulder, while he looked like he was puking his guts out as his face was a shade between green and blue.
"Hmm… Midnight, are you sure Cobra is going to feel better?" Asia asked concerned as she walked beside them. "Even my Sacred Gear failed to heal him."
"I told you Asia, he'll be fine." The reflector mage replied with nonchalance. "Give him a few minutes and he'll turn as good as new."
"Ok then..." Asia replied with reluctance.
"Sorry, we're late." Macbeth said turning to everyone else.
"Nngghh…" Erik groaned in despair and gulped as much as he could, making the Fallen Angel and the Youkais look at him in confusion. Asia still looked worried for her friend. "Have we stop movin' yet? 'Cause I still feel like I'm gonna throw up in seconds…" He weakly grumbled holding his breath.
"Yes, we have a minute ago. Pull yourself together." Macbeth answered him.
"So easy for ya to say, you're not gonna puke your guts out…" Erik muttered while cursing. "Uggh… crap…" He held his hand over his mouth.
"Uhm… Cobra?" Yasaka rose a brow concerned. Her daughter's face matched her mother's confusion.
"Did something happen to him?" Kunou asked.
"After he and Midnight were done with their training, we chatted for a while, then they asked me to show my magic and also gave me some advice on controlling it. But it was getting late and we were supposed to meet you, so we took a taxi... that's when he started to feel sick." Asia recapped. "I tried to use Twilight Healing, but it was no use."
"Well, that's why." Jellal chimed in. "It's a trait shared by all Dragon Slayers, they suffer from extreme motion sickness, making them vulnerable and frail anytime they travel in any kind of vehicle." He explained to the Youkais and Azazel as Asia has probably already heard it from Macbeth. "And because it's still new to Cobra, it appears that he'll have a harder time adapting."
"I… won't get into that… fuor-wheeled death trap ever again…" Erik was still suffering for his serious motion sickness.
"Pftt… HAHAHAHAH!" Azazel barked out a laugh. The scarred slayer twitched his only eye giving him a glare, despite his weakened condition. "Holy shit, that was surely out of the blue! Who would've imagined the edgy delinquent Dragon Slayer was so weak to transportation?" He sneered.
"Now, now Azazel, let's not tease our favourite slayer too much for it." Yasaka stated on Erik's defence.
"I know, it's just too priceless!" Azazel added with a laugh. "Make sure to take a picture next time, Asia."
"Sh-Shut it, Azazel…" Erik grunted out as he was slowly recovering his senses.
Yasaka and Kunou let out amused giggles at their antics, while Jellal and Macbeth just smirked at their friend which caused him to frown. Asia on the other hand patted the scarred Dragon Slayer's shoulder in comfort.
"I-I'll try to find a way with my Sacred Gear to fix your problem, you can count on it, Cobra!" Asia affirmed.
"Now, as much as amusing this is, I believe we should get down to businesses now, shouldn't we?" Yasaka said while walking back near the stairway. "Unless Cobra wants to take some minutes to rest?" She glanced at him.
Erik just sat on the lawn and inhaled deeply trying to catch his breath. Although he still felt a bit under the weather, he could at least walk on his own. It took him a minute to gain his senses.
Swallowing once again, the Dragon Slayer slowly rose to his feet. "Alright…" He sighed. "I'm good now. Let's go."
"Very well. Follow me." Yasaka instructed before entering the building with the others in tow.
Inside the Youkai's Palace…
The seven gathered themselves inside a traditional Japanese room: sliding doors, cushions on the wooden floor covered by a tatami and some furniture as well as decorations on the walls. Jellal, Erik, Macbeth, Kunou and Asia sat around in semi-circle, while Yasaka and Azazel sat before them.
"First and foremost, I would've liked to arrange this meeting earlier, but my duties as the Kyoto's governor prevented me from doing so. In any case, I would like to thank you for taking care of my daughter for the last week." Yasaka started. "Kunou told me how she enjoyed spending time with you to get to know you better, and Asia seems to be satisfied in her own way." She thanked the mages.
"It was no problem, Yasaka." Jellal replied. "You and Azazel did offer us a place to stay."
"Don't mention it." Macbeth stated calmly.
"Yeah right, no hassle at all, especially with the blonde pipsqueak over there." Erik replied bluntly with clear sarcasm while glancing at Kunou who smirked at his direction.
"I know you enjoyed my company, you perp." Kunou countered the Slayer's statement.
"Whatever, brat." Erik rumbled rolling his eye and glancing away which caused the leaders to chuckle while the others looked amused.
"Moving on." Yasaka said turning serious. "Speaking of the latest events, as you well know, in the last period a faction unknown to us has started targeting both my daughter and I, but thanks to the help of Azazel and Grigori, we managed to calm things down. This is one of the reasons we called you here is to propose an alliance between our factions and Crime Sorcière."
"Yeah, after all, who would miss the chance to make allies with some strong mages coming from another dimension?" Azazel added with a grin.
The wizard trio was a looking a bit incredulous, but were seeing that coming. They couldn't really blame her; anyone would want to gain allies in her situation. Normally they would stay independent back home, but now it wasn't an option, circumstances had changed. The three shared a look and nodded before giving their answer.
"Well, it's not like we can't stand you. You guys gave us a place to stay." Erik shrugged.
"Indeed." Jellal agreed. "We're more than willing to join in an alliance with you; we did enter an unfamiliar world and need allies as well."
"On one condition though." Erik spoke again gaining looks from the others. "We'd like to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible."
"Respectable. We understand." Yasaka acknowledged in understanding.
"But that's not all, isn't it?" Macbeth voiced.
"No, there is more indeed." Yasaka replied with a nod. "We may have some theories about Tartaros' whereabouts."
Now the mages were caught up interested.
"Really?" Jellal asked with his eyes open.
"More or less." Azazel answered. "We could come up with some options." He started raising a hand as well as his index finger. "The first option they died, but we rejected the option since you were sucked in the same portal and survived." He then added his middle finger. "The second option, and most likely, they got transported in this world too, but in two different locations."
"Different locations?" The ex-Wizard Saint wondered.
"Precisely, Heaven or the Underworld, and we hope for the latter." Azazel added with an unusual serious tone.
"Hold on a sec, isn't the Underworld the Devil's turf as well?" Erik asked quirking a brow.
"Yeah..." Azazel with a slight scowl, the subject was relevant to him as it could put a spanner in the works of an eventual peace treaty between the Three Faction. 'Because some unknown bastards going after Yasaka and Kunou wasn't enough, damn it.' "We need to make sure that Tartaros won't try anything funny. Who knows what could happen if a third-party threat will show up during these times..."
"That's why we have a job request for you. That includes two separates jobs, to be more precise." Yasaka informed them.
"Hm?" The mages rose their brows.
"Two?" Jellal proceeded asking.
"Yes, they are rather patrol jobs. We would like you to scout two different areas to find more information about Tartaros and any kind of anomaly as well." Yasaka clarified. "One happened to be the Underworld, and the other one in the Human world."
"I suppose it's acceptable. We'll have to split up, and since we're three one of us is going alone." Macbeth considered knowing that going to Heaven wasn't an option for obvious reasons. "How will we reach for the Underworld?"
"As you know, the Underworld is divided into two main areas, a part where we Fallen Angels reside, and another where the Devils live." Azazel explained. "But there is still an area that hasn't been occupied by any of us, it's never been officially named, but is commonly referred to as the Demilitarized Zone. I want you to scout the demilitarized zone in the Underworld."
"Wouldn't it make us sitting ducks for those Devil pricks?" Erik asked.
"No worries, that area is basically deserted, ironically it is desert-like. Usually, none sets foot in there except Strays, and criminals, but they'll be no match for someone of your calibre." Azazel outlined. 'We're damn lucky we've heard nothing from Heaven and the Devils yet…' He mentally sighed. "You'll have no back-up, but I do have a plan if the shit hits the fan."
"What would that be?" Macbeth inquired.
Azazel stuck his hand out making appear two dark coloured metal rings with a stone set. "Here you go. Since you can't teleport, here's two of my inventions, Artificial Sacred Gears, I named them 'Teleport-Rings'. They got basic teleportation magic; works pretty easily, I've already set it up so that it can transport you to the demilitarized zone of the Underworld, just channel some of your magic into the rings and you're good to go. Do the same thing vice versa and you'll pop up on the same spot you left off." The Governor of the Fallen Angel told them. "Normally, wrapping between worlds would be considered illegal, but since it's an uncharted territory, this isn't gonna be an issue. So which of you stays here?" Azazel asked after he was done explaining.
"I'll stay behind."
Macbeth and Erik both looked at Jellal's direction.
"Are you sure about this Jellal?" Macbeth asked thinking he made a rushing decision.
"I am. You two have been working together for a longer period, so it's only fair you stick together." Jellal told him.
"Hmph." Erik scoffed. "Just don't bite the dust on us, alright?" He added.
"Don't worry, I'll be ok." Jellal assured.
"Then it's settled." Azazel said satisfied as he threw the rings for the Dragon Slayer and the Nightmare Mage to catch, grabbing the two small Sacred Gears, they put them in their pockets. "Maybe someday I could teach you a thing or two about Teleportation Magic." The Fallen Angel pointed out.
"Thank you." The reflector wizard nodded.
"Much appreciated, Azazel." The scarred slayer told him.
"So, am I safe to assume our alliance is now official?" Yasaka asked with a smile.
Erik had his familiar smirk. "Sure thing, we're gonna need someone of the big shots if things screw up, right?" He joked.
Macbeth nodded as he closed his eyes with a small smile on his face.
"Both your job request and your alliance proposal are accepted." Jellal confirmed.
Alright you guys, finished one more!
I know this chapter is kind of short, or not as long as you may have thought it was, but I had to re-write and cut out some of the material, and honeslty I'm still not sure about the outcome.
And yes, I know Asia's Sacred Gear isn't supposed to heal sickness in canon, but this time I decided to make an execption and let her try, and yes eventually she may find a solution for Cobra's problem with transportation, because come on, we can't really have him go sick every time he gets him on a vehicle, can we? Oh and about Asia, yes, I made her less shy and more well-aware about the world around her. To tell the truth, I've never really liked her in canon, too much naive, clueless and way too comfortable with Issei's perverted nature.
Erik and Macbeth turned a bit softer since Alvarez Arc and I think it was noticebale from the show (still I tried to mantain Erik's sarcastic and easy-going personality, as well as Macbeth's more laid-back and cool disposition). Jellal is pretty much the same on the other hand as he gets along with everyone so far.
As for Azazel and Yasaka, well Azazel is the same and Yasaka too, just lowered her teasing and flirtatious side.
And that's pretty much it. Hope you liked reading this one. Comment, review and point out my errors so I can eventually improve. See you the next chapter!
