March 24, Year 776

Oak Town was a quiet place; the old stone houses were lit by sunrise every morning. A sun that peaked over the faraway mountains on the horizon and lit up the sky with its bright lights. The sun that rose from the east, where its lands were cold and dangerous, warmed the atmosphere every morning without fail.

"Hm..."

Aria was always there to watch the sunrise.

"You arrived early?"

Aria enjoyed watching the sunrise more now that someone else could see its joy. It made the mornings less lonely than they used to be.

"I always get here early, Aria; you just get here earlier," Vera huffed as he climbed up the last of the stones, his shadow helping him up as its arms, which had been sprouting from his back, dug into the old stone and tossed him up to the roof. Vera stretched in his barely thrown-on workout clothes, which included sweatpants and a long-sleeved white shirt. His dirt-covered tennis shoes stained the green tiles as he walked over to Aria and sat beside the gentle giant.

"I suppose you aren't wrong," Aria said with a slight chuckle, standing beside Vera, who watched the sunrise with a relaxed sigh. Speaking over the quiet atmosphere, Aria said, "How have you been enjoying Oak Town so far? You and Siegrain have been here for a month already."

Aria watched as Vera kicked his feet over the ledge, the boy's eyes on the horizon as he shrugged, "It's been nice. The guild library is amazing; I never thought you would have such a big one."

The guild library was incredible, a full three stories with a spiral staircase in the middle. The walls were lined with books of all times and names, where you could find a history book next to the fiction books and vice versa. Vera and Siegrain spent most of their free time there, for one, because it was quiet, and two, because Siegrain liked to read. He enjoyed reading different little worlds on pages; Vera was pretty sure it had something to do with that Number Seven he kept close to his chest.

As for Vera...

He liked drawing in his free time, and the library was quiet. He could have been better, but drawing was fun and something he and Sho could do together. Vera was still a little worse than his budding shadow, but he would improve with time. Although, considering Sho only ever drew animals, Vera probably wouldn't beat him in that category anytime soon.

"Ah yes, the library is wonderful. However, I was more interested in how the town has treated you. Have you and Siegrain made any friends?" Aria asked, pulling Vera out of his thoughts as he shrugged and stood up. His eyes were on the horizon as he spoke with a deigned, disinterested tone, "It's alright. Siegrain and I don't know many people, but they haven't been horrible..."

Vera scowled as he heard the signature tap of a foot on the roof behind him. Vera purposely spoke loudly as he prepared for the day, "Except for Jose. He's been an asshole of massive proportions."

"Pity, and here I thought I was being welcomed," Jose said sarcastically, glancing at Aria before he grabbed the unruly boy by the collar and floated upwards. Vera gave a slight huff before he yelled goodbye to Aria over the rushing wind that came with Jose's patented throw towards their training grounds, "See you later, Aria!"

Aria, in turn, sighed as he waved goodbye to the guild master and his protégé. He watched as they began their daily training as they always did. Aria watched with covered eyes as Vera barreled towards the river with Jose flying after him.

"Still no friends..."

Aria sighed as he turned back to the horizon.

"How sad..."

It seemed that particular day would start with more tears than usual.

After a month in Oak Town, Vera had come to two conclusions. The first was that Jose was still an asshole; becoming a member of his guild didn't change that, and it didn't change when it came to training, especially since Jose seemed intent that his first lessons would be 'evasion' training for the foreseeable future.

"You're boring me..." Jose yawned as Vera scowled, his eyes flaring back as he dodged past another shade. The boy's grumbling was ignored as he continued to avoid the swarm of shades Jose had unleashed on him, darting with Sho's help between the various shades. The forest branches creaked every time he landed, and his body shivered every time one of the quicker shades flew through him.

"On your left," Jose mumbled uncaringly, watching with a smirk as Vera flicked his head to the left, just for a shade to shoot through him on the right. Vera's growl of annoyance only elicited a chuckle from the tired guild master as he watched from above the forest. The morning sun had fully crested the horizon and told him their daily training was close to over.

I won't be able to do this daily, but I'm sure I can shove it off on Aria or someone else otherwise...

Jose hummed mildly at the thought, his eyes lazily turning back to Vera, who looked a second from attacking the cackling shade out of spite. Jose tilted his head boredly as he snapped his fingers, and the shades dissipated, with a particularly funny one flipping Vera the bird on the way back to Purgatory.

"Fuck you too!" Vera huffed, his breath heavy and body sweaty after an hour of dodging practice. His hands went to his knees as he let a shadow crawl to his palm, a bottle of water slowly pulled out for him to drink immediately. Vera sighed in relief as the excellent taste hit his tongue before putting the water back into his shadow closet and turning back to his asshat of a teacher.

"Congratulations on not dying, brat. Surprised someone with your muscle mass can run that long, much less jump around like a headless chicken," Jose taunted, his eyes widening a fraction as he saw Vera freeze as if he had been struck. The boy reacted much more venomously than expected: "Yeah, well, I'm not an idiot that doesn't know how to run away!"

Vera grits his teeth, crossing his arms and looking away from Jose with a pissed-off gaze that travels through the forest, looking for something to direct his ire at, "Maybe if you taught me something useful instead of this, it would be less boring! Maybe instead of wasting my time pointlessly running for the last month, I-"

Vera's words got stuck in his throat as magic pressure the size of a mountain dropped on him, instantly crashing him to his knees. Vera struggled to breathe as the back of a boot slammed his head into the ground, a strangled groan escaping his lips as Jose hissed from above him, "Pointless? Are my teachings pointless? Why don't you shut your damn mouth and think of why I'm making you do this? Have you ever considered that I can't teach you anything more useful yet because your half-baked skeleton of a body isn't ready for it!"

Vera groaned as his face was pushed into the dirt, Jose's boot shoving his head into the ground and forcing him into a kowtow against his will. The magic pressure roared in his ears as Jose muttered coldly, "Do not think for a second that you know more than me, brat. You agreed to learn from me; that means learning how I deem fit."

Vera grunted as Jose raised his foot and stomped it on his head again, "I will tolerate your rudeness and complaints, but not your disrespect. Is that clear?"

Vera only growled, his eyes burning with anger as he slightly nodded. Vera was willing to comply with Jose's demands if it meant he would eventually get stronger. Even if he had to waste how many months it would take for his body to recover from years of starvation. As long as Jose kept his promise to teach him something useful, eventually, "Crystal."

Jose grunted in response, containing his magic pressure and moving his foot back. Letting Vera tiredly get to his knees and then his feet, spitting out stray dirt and a hint of blood before glaring at Jose, who shrugged it off as if it was a slight breeze, "Now, whenever you're done whining, you should get yourself dressed in something presentable. You and your friend will go on your first job, and if you're late, I will pass it on to someone else."

That made the unruly child change his tone instantly, his red eyes wide with barely contained surprise and a hint of excitement as he immediately took off towards Oak Town. His shadow was helping him with a few well-timed boosts from the soles of the boy's feet.

What a troublesome brat...

Jose liked the quiet one better.

The second conclusion Vera had come to about Oak Town had to do with its guild hall. The castle rested on the hill, overlooking Oak Town like a giant. Its guild hall entrance consisted of two oak wood double doors engraved in purple Phantom Lord carvings, and the main hall was a tavern-turned bar with rafters going high into the ceiling overhead. The ground floor was littered with tables and chairs, stone pillars, torches, and a bar to the back with a balcony overhead. The entrance to the back end of the castle labyrinth rested behind that second-floor overhang.

"Hey! The moody brat is here!"

"Everyone hide your beer!"

"Children present! No fucking cussing!"

"Tell that to yourself, you dumb fuck!"

"You wanna go, pansies!"

"Bring it on!"

The people in it were the definition of rowdy. It wasn't the fairy tail type of rowdy, although it looked similar at first glance. If Fairy Tail was a bunch of friends gathering at a bar for a good time, Phantom Lord was a bunch of sailors at a bar for a good spectacle. It was a way to unwind after the long missions or dull days they had in Oak Town, the city of the retired and retiring. Vera also had a hunch that this was the place they let loose because lord knows what Jose would do to them if they acted like fools out in public and ended up giving Phantom Lord a bad rep.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Sometimes, if Vera squinted really hard, he could see that the only difference between this guild and Fairy Tail was that these guild members were ten twenty percent ex-convicts trying to make a new living in Oak Town. They only had a few limitations regarding morality or ethics in the guild; the only rule they abided by was not to act out in public and risk embarrassing Jose. Case in point, they were now betting on the winner of two battling mages, whose names Vera forgot and would continue to ignore.

"Get him, Sam!"

"I got money on you, Belly, don't lose!"

Ah, that was their name...

Vera still wasn't going to remember them.

"Hey, place me down for the... the bald one," Vera said to the one taking bets, his young voice cutting through the crowd as they all turned to him. Even the fighting idiots stopped to stare at them, their eyes wide as Vera held out a crisp, 100 jewels he had saved from the travel to Isvan and handed it over to the gobsmacked money counter.

The bet counter's short, buzzed green hair was odd, and he had reading glasses that nearly fell off his nose. The skinny, slightly tall man, maybe in his early twenties or late teens, wore a haphazard beige suit that made him look like a failed accountant.

Why does he look familiar...

Vera furrowed his brows before shaking his head and handing the money with a dull tone, "Well, hurry up. I don't get all day."

Vera's words cut through the surprised air like a knife, eliciting a roar of laughter from the crowd. Their attention returned to the two fighting drunkards, now resuming with renewed enthusiasm. The two fought without magic in a makeshift boxing ring since it was well-known that Jose would eviscerate anyone who did any lasting damage to the guild hall, with few exceptions.

"Come on, Belly, you can't lose now!"

"The kid bet on you!"

"How you gonna impress that broad from the bakery if you can't even keep the kid his allowance!"

"Belly! Belly! Belly! Belly!"

The crowd chanted as Vera watched with a mildly interested eye. Vera only participated in the 'guild's antics' since he was still waiting for Siegrain to catch up. Since, let's be very clear, Vera had to throw him off the bed to get him to wake up, and by then, Vera had to book it so at least one of them was at the guild in time to accept the mission.

I might as well get a better viewing point...

Vera sunk into his shadow, Sho taking him up a nearby stone pillar onto one of the rafters hanging above the gothic, tavern-style guild hall. Vera was spit out, with Sho going dormant soon after since Sho didn't care about the crowded nature of the guild hall. Vera sat down; his eyes glazed over the fight as it went into the third and final round before an amused voice came behind him.

"Say, kid, I'm surprised you're betting at your age. Isn't that a bad habit you should be avoiding?"

Vera turned back to see a man in his late teens with medium-length black and white hair. He has a small katana, a red jacket on his waist, and a small black bandage over his nose. His black eyes glanced at Vera amusedly as he jumped over to the free space on the raptor beside him with a light-footed smile, "So, what brings you here this early? Usually, I don't see you until around noon. You going to hide yourself in the library again?"

Vera frowned as he looked at the man, long and analytical, before his eyes widened in recognition. Vera gave a small huff as he turned back to the fight and spoke distractedly, "Jose was going to give Siegrain and me a mission today, so no. Also, the library's quiet, unlike here with you idiots."

Vera merely hummed as he heard Totamaru laugh, whom he had taken a second to recognize because he looked much younger. Vera's eyes flicked over to the entrance as he saw Siegrain walk in, almost immediately creating a dagger. Siegrain threw it with a perfect aim towards the rafters and pulled himself upward, his makeshift grapple landing him above the chaos as he jumped towards Vera. He was skipping over the rafters like cutting on rocks across a riverbed until he got to Vera's other side and gave Totamaru a wary glance.

"Who's he?"

Siegrain asked Vera, who gave a practiced, nonchalant shrug as he patted the seat beside him, "No clue. Come on, the fight's almost over."

"I'm right here, you know!" Totamaru yelled in protest, earning a shrug from both the little shits that proceeded to ignore his whole existence. The two watched the fight dwindle as Totamaru crossed his arms and analyzed the two new, reserved, young recruits recently joining Phantom Lord's ranks.

What is the guild master thinking...

Totamaru had only joined Phantom Lord recently; the official age limit stopped him from entering earlier, and the 'unofficial' age limit of 16 pushed it back further. Yet, the kids couldn't be more than thirteen, no twelve, and they looked about as feeble as dominoes. Totamaru couldn't even think of a time since the fourth guild master that anyone under 16 had joined the guild; it was just that unprecedented.

Totamaru couldn't for the life of him figure out what would compel the guild master to let them join early, especially when they hadn't done anything to try and fit in since they got here. The only times he'd seen them, they had immediately gone to the rafters with their lackluster magic, to be nice about it, and jumped past the main room, booking it to the library in the back of the castle where they spent the rest of their time.

I guess it is kind of hard for kids to fit in with so many drunkards...

It wasn't like Phantom Lord was a place for children; the members could sometimes get crude and crass. Lord, help the kids if they come to the guild hall after hours. That was when the hall became Oak Town's number one tavern, and those nights were rated PG-13 minimum.

Maybe their parents are wealthy or something?

Totamaru could see the guild master making an exception if their parents were loaded. They didn't seem like prodigies of the century or anything, with the black-haired boy only showcasing elemental shadow magic, the ability to sink into his shadow and go up surfaces, and the blue-haired one only using thread magic. They had reasonable, maybe even great, control for their age, but it was nothing groundbreaking.

Hmm... but they don't scream pampered... Oh wait, the match is ending.

Totamaru turned his gaze back to the fight, watching as the crowd roared as Sam hit the deck. Clocked for good as Belly roared in victory while the money for the rest of the bets was redistributed. Totamaru sighed as he glanced over to the boys who were getting up and ready to head towards the back of the guild before Totamaru stopped them with a question, "You aren't gonna collect your winnings?"

The two turned back, the black-haired kid giving a slight smirk as he shook his head, "Nah, Sho will get it for us. See you later, samurai."

Totamaru felt his eyes twitch as he watched the boys jump off towards the second floor leading to the castle's interior. His eyes furrowed as he heard the shuffle of sand next to him, where the heavy French accent of his partner pulled him from his thoughts, "Very brazen boys, no?"

Totamaru turned to his partner, who had jumped to the rafters in a whirlwind of sand, before tilting his head. Sol scratched his chin thoughtfully; Totomaru was sure he wanted facial hair but had failed and held out a bag of 120 jewels. His reading glasses dipped on his nose as he held up the bag to inspect it with a slight hum, "Especially the pale one, no? Why he placed a bet and didn't collect the winnings? Blasphemy!"

Totamaru chuckled as he turned to Sol with a slight smirk, "Maybe the kid realized it was bad to gamble and called it before it was too late. You know, so he didn't end up like you."

"Et tu? I'll have you know I won seventy jewels off masseur Belly's victory!"

"Compared to how much you lost at the casino last weekend?" Totamaru spoke knowingly, watching with a cackle as Sol deflated. Sol's barely acceptable gambling addiction was one of the main reasons he chose the French man as his partner for missions.

"Seven hundred jewels... oui..."

Sol needed that S-class salary if his wallet was to survive his favorite pastime, which was perfect for Totomaru, who was gunning for S-class as soon as possible. Having a partner who was just as motivated as him to get there, albeit for more questionable motives, would help him improve. It was easier to reach a goal with someone hot on his heels; it would keep him from getting complacent.

A few more months...

He would be in S class in a few months, a year max. Totamaru was working on eye magic to help him with his flames; once he got that perfect, he'd be the premier anti-fire mage. With that kind of power, he was guaranteed a spot in S class, assuming he could pass the trials. In the meantime, though, he could enjoy messing with his teammate about his bleak financial future.

"Seven hundred, how terrible. Maybe you should get the kid to play blackjack for you; he might do better," Totamaru said with a mocking shake, chuckling as he saw Sol deflate to a limp heap of sadness on the wooden beam. His arm held out over the edge with a forlorn expression as he looked at the bag, "Oui... Still, it isn't nice to not take the winnings. How can I-"

Sol's words were cut off as a shadowed hand, pitch black with razor-sharp nails, shot out of the beam they were on, like an inky drawing coming to life. Its clawed hand grabbed the bag from Sol's grip instantly before retreating into the shadow, then sliding down the pillar to the floor before slithering quickly away. Making a beeline for the back of the guild hall...

"Oui?"

Down the same path the boys had taken.

"Are my glasses dusty?" Sol said, confused. He cleaned his glasses quickly before putting them back on and watched the shadow disappear into the castle. His bewildered gaze turned to Totomaru, who was watching the path the shadow took with wide eyes, his voice wobbling on astonished as he mumbled, "So that's Sho, huh..."

Totomaru might have spoken too soon about those boys having lackluster magic.

After counting his winnings from the bet, Vera was glad to say he had won a solid twenty jewels. A pleasant little surprise for himself as he went into the guild office with Siegrian, and they got their first official mission from Phantom Lord. They would have gotten one earlier but were technically too young to choose their own from the job request board. At least until they prove on paper that they can handle C-rank, maybe even B-rank missions without assistance.

"I hate him..."

Jose gave them a job...

"Bastard..."

Jose gave them a D-rank trash collection job request on the outskirts of Oak Town, between a motel and a late-night bar with too many customers and drinks the night before.

"I'm gonna kill him... feed him to his stupid ghosts... see how he likes it..." Vera muttered obscenities under his breath as he collected trash in stray bags and tossed them into a bucket. Sho refused to carry around garbage, leaving Vera to clean up the mess that littered the streets of Oak Town.

"Creepy thin eyebrow jerk with no soul..." Vera muttered as he tossed a stray beer bottle into the bag, his eyes narrowing at the garbage before him. Vera was working the inner half of the alley while Siegrain worked towards the street. The two split up the alley half in half for what Vera assumed would be an hour of work until he heard Siegrain call out, "I'm done with my side."

Vera turned around, nearly dropping his bag, as he saw Siegrain dragging three full trash bags tied with threads. Vera blinked in confusion at how he got them done so fast before Siegrain manipulated his free hand. He made a threaded needle that he threw at a tin can, retracting it like a yo-yo and plopping it seamlessly in the bag.

"Wanna trade?" Vera asked immediately and with zero shame, to which Siegrain replied just as swiftly, "No."

"Please."

"No."

"I'll give you ten jewels."

"No, that's cheap. You just won twenty."

"I'll pay for lunch then," Vera countered, watching with hope in his eyes as Siegrain stopped to consider the offer. His hand to his chin as he looked at Vera's barely finished side and back to his complete side, "I want curry, and you have to pay for dinner, too."

"You know we're in debt, right?"

"Fine, you clean and save us money."

"Curry it is," Vera caved as he tossed his half-filled bag to Siegrain, the two trading positions so Vera could pick up the two cans left behind while Siegrain breezed through the mess on his side of the alley. Siegrian quickly finished up with the entire inner alleyway in ten minutes until all he had left was the garbage by the dumpster in the back...

Huh...

The dumpster...

A person is hiding in the dumpster.

Siegrain blinked, once to ensure he wasn't imagining things and a second to ensure he blinked the first time. His eyes only saw the same thing as he looked at a teenager with shaggy black hair, maybe 16 or 15, crouched at the edge of the open lid. His ringed yellow pupils peeked over with a slight flinch as he saw Siegrain looking directly at him.

"Uh... I can explain."

Siegrain simply stared, waiting for said explanation as the teenager with black shaggy hair spoke undeterred by how crazy he looked, sounded, and probably was, "This was the best hiding spot I could find on short notice."

Siegrain watched as the teenager stopped talking like this was the end of the conversation. Even though Siegrain still had a lot of questions, most of which included why a teenager was hiding in a dumpster. It also included why the teenager was wearing a green cloud pattern pajama onesie and glancing around nervously, fidgeting like a rabbit a second from bolting.

Okay...

Siegrain hadn't been in the open world for long, but he still felt this was strange. There was no way this was a regular occurrence; he would have noticed it by now in some of the cities he and Vera visited on the way to Oak Town.

"Um... why-"

"Hey, Siegrain. Did you finish? If we hurry, we can make it before..." Vera's words trailed as he caught sight of the hermit in the dumpster, the hermit's yellow eyes peering at him, and Vera simply staring back before he leaned to Siegrain and whispered gravely, "Did he try to sell you anything?"

"No, why?"

"Nothing, just making sure," Vera muttered, ignoring Siegrain's confused expression and the pajama boy's offended one. Vera was about to drag Siegrain away from the creep before a slightly angrier voice cut through the screen of the alleyway and stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Doronbo! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Vera, Siegrain, and Doronbo turned to the street, seeing a boy with short, owlish grey hair, probably 12 or 13, walk into the alleyway. He had black rectangular glasses and black eyes. He had a leather back book filled with papers in his hand, his sweater and pants slightly ruffled, probably from looking for his friend...

Who was in a dumpster...

Yeah, things still didn't add up.

Vera and Siegrain sat at the local curry restaurant with Pause Lightless and Doronbo, who had just gotten done with a sentencing of 'lockdown' in a nearby town. Their supposed punishment for being members of Dark Guilds that were destroyed over half a year ago by a kid named Gray Fullbuster...

Gray Fullbuster.

Vera asked to make sure he heard it right.

"Gray... destroyed the dark guilds you two were a part of?" Vera asked, his head tilted in confusion as the two nodded, with Pause giving the run down on what had happened after the ordeal, "Yupp, he took down Doronbo's first, then mine. Then, after he took down Circus Night with the help of some Fairy Tail wizards, he got to join Fairy Tail, and the rune knights took us away for questioning."

Pause flicked his eyes to the guild mark on Vera's hand, something Vera chose not to comment on as the normal one of the strange duo continued with his explanation, "Since we were on the younger side and helped in the battle, they let us off with a few month's community service."

"Sounds like a good deal, actually," Vera muttered, recalling how his chances were like years in prison and a fortune he still had to pay off. His thoughts stalled as he heard Doronbo speak while tapping his fingers with an abundance of pent-up energy or nerves; Vera couldn't tell which, "We lucked out. Gray's new guild master put in a good word for us."

Vera only hummed in response since that sounded like something Makarov would do. He honestly had half a mind to ask them how the old man was doing before Siegrain cut in with his question for Doronbo, which must have been bugging him for a while, going off his urgency, "Why were you in a dumpster?"

"I was hiding."

"From who?"

"Pause."

"Why?"

"I used the last of our money to get my pajamas cleaned," Doronbo answered all Siegrain's questions without missing a beat, ignoring the disbelief on Vera's face and trying his best to ignore the lingering anger on Pause's. His dry-cleaned pajamas were only saved from a beating from Pause because Siegrain, who had quickly become Doronbo's favorite, barreled forward with a new set of questions seemingly just as important.

"Why are you wearing pajamas?"

"They're comfy."

"Isn't it hot?"

"Not really. Besides, I lived near Foss before, so it's not like wearing layers is new," Doronbo said with a shrug, his attention immediately taken by the server coming over with their food. Doronbo dug in without much room for conversation while Pause sighed in exasperation and shot Siegrain and Vera apologetically, "Sorry about him, and thanks for the food. We owe you one."

Pause then went to eat his bowl, stopping to hear Vera drop his fork and let out a horrified whisper, "Wait... I'm paying for all of this?"

The rest of the table looked at Vera before immediately returning to their food without a word. The consensus of the three consumers was that they didn't have the money or will to help Vera with his costly decisions.

"Fuck."

Vera's wallet was going to be a lot lighter after this lunch.

Siegrain hummed happily after he'd eaten his meal, watching Vera's soul leave his body as he paid for their meal. The two acquaintances finished their meal soon after and apologized to Vera.

"Sorry, Vera, I promise I'll pay you back." Pause said sincerely, already working through the math on how much he owed their benefactors until Doronbo cut in with a response so shameless it threw Pause for a loop, "I also promise Pause will pay you back."

Doronbo yelped as Pause stomped his foot under the table and shot him an annoyed glare. Doronbo wilted before glancing away, his eyes flicking towards the castle on the hill before flicking back to the table. However, his gaze must have been noticed because Siegrain asked, "Is there something you need with the guild hall?"

Siegrain watched as Doronbo flinched slightly before tapping on the table faster. Siegrain tilted his head in confusion as Vera cut in with a less despairing tone since there was a chance he could get some money back after the fortune he had spent.

"Yeah, you guys never said why you came to Oak Town. Do you need something from Phantom Lord?"

It wasn't a hard guess; the two had been stealing glances at their guild marks during the meal. That, plus their constant glances at the guild hall, made it obvious they were looking for something Phantom Lord-related. Something important going by the look the two shared before Pause opened his mouth, "Do you think it would be possible-"

"Are those real?" Doronbo interrupted with a blunt curiosity, pointing at the two guild marks and instantly earning the ire of the two very real, very much almost died to get them, Phantom Lord mages. Pause kicked Doronbo out of his chair immediately as he tried to salvage what little he could before Doronbo and his filterless mouth ruined it, "Wait! He didn't mean it like that! He asked because people our age can't get in!"

Vera and Siegrain blinked in surprise at Pause's words, the two shrugging as Vera said blandly, "There's an age limit. 14, if I remember right. Although I'm pretty sure there's an unwritten limit of 16. We got in because Jose made an exception."

We also destroyed a tower...

Vera immediately decided that was something best kept to himself. He wanted to avoid the embarrassment of explaining how they destroyed a historic landmark, mainly since Jose played it off to the public as a structural failure. His attention grabbed as Doronbo sat back up on his chair like he hadn't been kicked off it, to begin with, "Hey, you think he could make exceptions for us?"

"Did you destroy-" Siegrain's blunt remark was cut off as Vera covered his mouth, speaking with a forced laugh as he tried to get them off the topic, "Uh, I'm not sure if that's possible? Jose's pretty strict about that kind of..." Vera paused as he looked over at Siegrain, who stared back without a hint of remorse. Vera scowled as he removed his now saliva-covered palm from over Siegrain's mouth and wiped it on one of the napkins, "Gross."

"Don't cover my mouth."

"You were saying unnecessary things."

"I was asking a logical question," Siegrain muttered as he crossed his arms and looked back at the two travelers who were now watching with confusion. Siegrain receded his earlier question because he guessed it was pretty unlikely they destroyed a tower, "What kind of magic do you two have? The guild master let us in because he said we have potential-"

"And he's an opportunistic scumbag," Vera interjected, only for Siegrain to shrug in response since he didn't spend nearly as much time with the guild master as Vera, "Possibly."

"Definitely."

"Either way, if you two have strong magic, he might make an exception."

Siegrain and Vera watched as the two potential recruits glanced at each other before Pause held up his book and opened the stack of pages in it, "I use page magic," he then tilted his head, a light pale magic circle shining over the book as three of the pages folded themselves into origami cranes and flew into the air. Vera and Siegrain, watching with wide eyes as the cranes flew towards the town, fluttered towards a few wandering children, even younger than them, and were instantly claimed as pets.

"The magic will wear off soon, but they won't notice it till they get home," Pause said with a gentle smile, his eyes turning back to Vera and Siegrain, who had matching smiles; the two then deferred to Doronbo, who got very quiet very quickly.

"So, what magic do you have?" Vera asked, his head tilted curiously as he saw Doronbo, who, going off the bundle of nervous energy he figured would be excited to show off his magic. Instead, he grew sullenly shy and silent. Doronbo scratched his cheek as he turned his head, "Okay before I show it to you, it's not what you think it is."

"Why do I feel like you've said this before," Vera said blandly, his remark ignored as Siegrain nodded for them before watching Doronbo clap his hands together. A green magic circle flashed over his clapped hands before he opened them and revealed...

"Medicine Magic: X-Strength"

A red pill.

"I said it wasn't like that!" Doronbo yelled as soon as he saw the scowl on Vera's face, which thankfully hadn't crossed over to Siegrain's, which was filled with innocent confusion. Siegrain's curiosity unanswered as Vera spoke with a hint of amusement, "You can see why I would think that though, right?"

I mean, come on...

Vera watched as Doronbo slumped over in his chair, his face one of defeat, which suggested he had been mistaken similarly before. Pause took over as he took the pill from Doronbo's hand and proceeded to explain with a practiced attitude that made it seem like he had this conversation many times before, "Yeah, he gets that a lot. These aren't like that, though; these are magic pills-"

"So that's what they're calling them these days."

"Magic pills! Nothing else!" Doronbo yelled defensively as Vera nearly burst out laughing, only to keep his chuckles down because Pause looked seriously defeated. Siegrain also looked seriously close to asking a question Vera didn't want to answer, "Sorry, please continue."

Doronbo huffed as Pause patted him on the back and held out the magic pill with a swift and honestly a little impressive explanation, "Doronbo can make pills that have certain benefits for thirty seconds after use. This one is for strength, but he also has one for speed and jumping. Although they do have some side effects..."

Pause shivered, obviously indicating he had experienced said side effects firsthand. Vera and Siegrian were now fully invested as Pause explained the caveats to Doronbo's unique magic one by one, "The big one is that you can't use other magic when you eat them, so for those thirty seconds these buffs are the only things you have. As for the other one..."

Pause sighed as he tossed the pill to Doronbo, who shrugged and ate it without question. The boost in strength passed without any significant indication as Doronbo looked around before picking up Pause's chair with a single hand and with him still in it.

The display was impressive, not even taking the breath out of Doronbo as Pause was set down and explained the last caveat of Doronbo's unique magic, "He's the only one who can eat them without getting serious indigestion afterward. I was in the bathroom for hours the first time I tried it."

Pause shivered at the memory, his eyes flicking over to Vera and Siegrain, looking at Doronbo with interest as the thirty-second timer passed. The two thoroughly entertained boys on the edge of their seats as they waited to see if Pause was right and Doronbo wouldn't react adversely.

'BURP'

They only saw the loud belch Doronbo gave, scaring nearby customers and earning the ire of a few others. Doronbo rubbed his belly full of food as Vera let out an almost impressed hum before tilting his head with genuine curiosity, "How many can you make at once?"

"Only one. Someone has to use a pill before I make a new one." Doronbo responded quickly, his head tilted as he murmured thoughtfully, "I guess there's also a limit to how many I can make in a day since I don't have a large magic container. Limit's probably a handful in that case..."

Doronbo's words trailed as he blinked in surprise. Pause did the same as they saw a large man standing behind the two phantom mages. Doronbo and Pause watched in utter confusion as the giant man with a green coat started sniffling, "How wonderful... you've made friends your age!"

Doronbo and Pause flinched as the man started balling, and Vera and Siegrain both gained a pale expression. The two seemingly attempted to dart out of their chairs before being hugged by the giant, who cried, "I'm so happy you two aren't alone! It's so sad!"

Doronbo and Pause were pretty sure they heard a grunt of pain from Vera and Siegrian, who were being smothered to death by the giant. Pause, and Doronbo shared a glance before they stiffened as the emotional man turned his blindfolded gaze toward them, "Ah, my apologies."

The man lifted a hand, and the two newcomers watched in awe as a seat flew towards them and settled down at the table. The man smiled and dropped the two phantom mages, who immediately gasped for air. The man floated gently to his chair and sat down before he spoke with a sparkle that fell underneath his blindfold, "My name is Aria. I'm the ace of Phantom Lord..."

Aria smiled as he saw the two new faces stiffen, his tone taking one step towards curiosity as he let a gentle smile fall, "I couldn't help but overhear you wanted to join our guild?"

Aria was glad Jose had sent him to check what was taking their two new mages so long.

Jose needed a new ace...

"Aria... why are the two runts not here?"

"Vera said their fish died, sir... how sad..."

Aria sniffled as Jose pinched his nose. Leaning back in his chair, he made a mental note to send someone else after the brats if he ever needed them. Aria was too sentimental for the job, and Jose already knew his budding talent would use that weakness to his advantage.

He's a clever brat... It seems emotional manipulation isn't a skill I need to teach him about...

Jose sighed in resignation, his tired gaze trailing from the day of paperwork back to Aria. Jose's gaze only got more tired as he pointed it at the two, not Phantom rugrats, not his problem children, that were standing in front of his desk. The grey-haired one looked at his bookshelves with stars in his eyes, and the shady one tapped his feet like he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Aria..."

Go figure; Jose also wanted them to leave as soon as possible.

"Why are these two new brats here?"

Jose watched as the two brats stiffened at his question, their gazes nervously glancing away as Aria spoke for them, "They wanted to join Phantom Lord guild master."

"No, get them out of my office."

"But if it's possible-"

"Aria, what is the point of this? You know my stance on this," Jose said pointedly, watching with narrowed eyes as Aria sighed and motioned for the brats to leave. The two took their cue gracefully and left the office, so it was only Jose and his suddenly eccentric ace.

"I think it would be good for Vera and Siegrain if they joined," Aria said bluntly as soon as the door shut, his eyes covered by the blindfold but watching as Jose stiffened. Jose's eyes narrowed as he huffed and leaned back on his chair, "So that's what this is about? You're wasting my time, Aria."

"I disagree." Aria rebutted stubbornly, his usual lax nature nowhere to be seen as he firmed the nauseous magic pressure that rolled off Jose. Jose nearly growled as he spoke with a barely held-back annoyance, "You disagree? Well, by all means disagree. It will not change my stance on-"

"They don't talk to anyone in the guild," Aria interjected, ignoring Jose's expression that teetered between bafflement and rage at his interruption, "It's been a month, and the only people they talk to are you and me. If they ever come to the guild, they go straight to the library and never linger. They don't have any friends among the other children in Oak Town either."

"I highly doubt those two boys will want to waste their time hanging around spoiled brats that have no idea how cruel the world is," Jose rebutted, earning a flinch from Aria as he gave a slight nod in acquittal, "Yes, but that's why those two might be helpful. It was only for an hour or two, but Vera and Siegrain seemed to get along with them. Having them join would make this place seem less daunting."

"I believe I sent you to bring them back, not take notes on how they foolishly spend their free time."

"You know how my eyes work, guild master; I can't help what I see..." Aria rebutted heavily, his covered gaze lowered as he spoke with a seriousness that forced Jose to consider his request seriously, "And what I saw was important. Not to us, but to them, even if they don't know it."

Aria watched as Jose frowned; his teeth were nearly bare as he looked out his window. His stance was rigid as he grappled with control of his raging magic before spitting through clenched teeth, "You're asking me to bend the rules again, Aria. Something I only did before because those boys were outliers when these are not."

They were decent, sure, and in a few years, might even be able to take in some B class or possibly A class missions, but that was it. They didn't have the potential to reach S class, and Jose could find a decent amount of wizards that would end up just like them. The only thing unique about them was that they were looking to join his guild specifically, which meant they probably had a criminal record that hindered them from other options. Surprising for two younglings, but nothing compared to the two demolitionists he had already let in.

Aria seemed to understand that since he had the decency to look a little ashamed as he nodded, his voice understanding but still stubbornly firm, "I know."

Aria watched as a frown graced Jose's lips; his eyes narrowed as he looked again toward the window. His jaw's smallest clenching and unclenching filled the silence as his gaze was pointed toward the riverside at the edge of town. The seconds turned into minutes before he spoke with a dull tone, "How old is the jumpy one?"

"15, soon to be sixteen," Aria answered instantly, his gaze watching tensely as Jose muttered a few obscure words under his breath. Jose then turned back to Aria and pointed at the stamper on the desk, "They'll have to be partners since the nerdy one is too young. They won't be allowed anything above C rank and must be supervised for anything out of Oak Town. Since you're so stubborn about this, that'll be your job until the sketchy one is sixteen."

"I am fine with that. Thank you, guild master." Aria said honestly, a grateful smile on his face with his back turned to tell the recruits the excellent news before Jose cut in with a toneless question, "That guild member, the one who has potential for S class. His name was Totomaru, correct?"

Aria turned back, giving a small nod as he watched with confusion and slight intrigue as Jose tapped his desk, "Tell him to give the runt sword lessons," Jose then waved Aria off, ignoring the giant's now teary ducts as he got a pen and paper. He was ready to add a new set of names to the guild roster that he had not originally planned or expected to add.

What troublesome brats...

Jose swore they were giving him more work.

A/N: Hello, I know I said I was gonna post in January and I still mean that, but I kinda forgot about trails. Figured I'd explain it here, so for better or worse here goes: Trail's are gonna be my version of breathing room between arcs. That being said I didn't want to start off January/February with like a month of trails so I figured, might as well post them for the December break since I already got them. Also just to clarify the next main arc in the story still won't start until January/February, this is kinda just my way of making it so there's not a drought between now and next year.

P.S I was also wondering about how I'm gonna work with this story since its so long, and I came to the decision that I'll probably do it in spurts. So I'll write an arc, take a few months break to plan the next, hopefully having some Trails during that time, and rinse and repeat. If I have to go on like a really long Hiatus, which will most likely happen for a few of the chunkier arcs, I'll mention it.

P.P.S. Probably should have mentioned it sooner because I saw a comment wondering about it, some side characters I use in this story come from Ice Trail, which is a short manga series that explains how Gray got in to Fairy Tail. I just thought they were really cool so I added them on a whim, it's a pretty good series I would recommend it.

P.P.P.S. Pretty sure all Trails will average between 3 and 5 chapters, so don't expect like ten trails in a row. I'm not that evil :)