Just a reminder guys, if I hit chapter 399 too fast, I will slow down and post 400 on the anniversary. That's only fair!
Enjoy!
The silence in the lobby was painfully thick, and Nashi really just wanted someone to say something. She kept looking between the Hunters, trespassing where they were not desired. Then she'd look to her friends, who looked just as impatient as she felt. Then, her eyes always landed on Neptu and The Cross, who all seemed to stunned to speak.
"You lie," Neptu finally said, finding his voice. "There's no way you found him."
"Why do you say that?" Melanie asked, tilting her head.
"I searched for years," Neptu said, "And I never found him. How is it in a year you all found him? How?!" Nashi flinched at the mans tone of voice, going from shock to anger. What was he angry at, though?
"It's true!" Melanie insisted, "what's more, he made it easy! When he found a signature that felt like-" She cast a disgusted look towards Gin before continuing, "-him, we tracked it down and found him. He admitted it to our faces!"
"That's not possible!" Neptu shouted, his anger growing. "There's no way you found him after all of this time! This is just some trick to get me to come and lead you al again!"
"Why would I want a man who sympathises with demons to lead us?" Melanie demanded, her eyes dark. "I don't want your leadership. But, I acknowledge your strength. You'd be able to finish him off if he transforms. Us, I don't think we could."
"And why is that?" Elizabeth asked, also looking irritated.
"Because I've seen the strength they posses," she said, glaring at Gin again, "I have no doubt if he were to transform, We would die. But I know Neptu is strong enough to beat him. So I came looking for you." Neptu looked positively livid. He gritted his teeth and stared at the ground, not saying a word.
"Get out of my guild," Xeros said, finally speaking up. "If I see you in here uninvited again, I will have no choice but to punish you. Out, now." Melanie raised her hands in innocence, smiling at him.
"Of course sir," she said, "we just wanted our voices to be be heard. Neptu, we'll be waiting outside. If you want, we can take you too him. Take your time." With this Melanie and the Hunters left the lobby the same way they came, which was the hole they'd created. Silence reigned again, making Xeros sigh.
"Did you teach your Hunters no manners, Neptu?" He asked, the man not responding. "Lucille," he said, looking at a girl in a green dress and brown hair braided over her shoulder, "Find Dharen and have him patch this up with vines until we get the masons from New Avalon over here. Don't want a chill in here."
"Right away, sir!" Lucille said, running off. As the girl left, others members of the guild who had been around starting going back about their own business. Save for them, of course, who were waiting to see what they were going to do.
"Neptu?" Elizabeth asked, touching his shoulder. He didn't respond. "What should we do?" He didn't reply as everyone walked up to them, eventually sighing.
"We should tell Zynna what's going on," he said, "she's more level-headed than I am."
"They said WHAT?!" Zynna shouted, making Neptu flinch. Everyone had returned to the study, except Anna had been sent off by Xeros as he joined them. "They actually found him?!"
"I doubt that," Neptu said. "I still think they're tricking me."
"I mean," Tristan offered, "she did say she didn't want your leadership. Maybe she was being truthful."
"Maybe..." Neptu said. "I don't know."
"What should we do then?" Quinn asked, crossing his arms. "Should we just tell them to go to hell?"
"I'd appreciate any action that clears them off guild property," Xeros said. "They'd nothing but disrespectful vandals."
"Sorry," Ultear said, raising her hand to get attention. "Could I get a synopsis to get in the know here? I'm lost."
"Yeah, me too," Michael said. "Who is this Drakehold guy?"
"Drakhosz," Zynna corrected, spitting the name out like it was poison. "He's the Demon Lord of Pain."
"And the one who destroyed our home," Neptu said. And so he told them. He explained how, over ten years ago, the Demon Lord had appeared in Avalon, which was destroyed in the ensuing chaos to defeat him.
"Our father tried to fight him," Neptu said, staring at the ground, "but it was to no avail. Drakhosz was unstoppable. Eventually, he found our home here in the forest. Destroyed it too and killed our mother as well. Zynna and I only survived because..." He trailed off, gritting his teeth.
"...Because our mother cast a protective spell," Zynna finished. "We were able to avoid death because she protected us. But he destroyed everything else."
"Which is when you decided to hunt him," Nashi's father, "and now we're here."
"Basically," Neptu agreed. There was a beat of silence, no one saying anything. Soon, Nashi's father sighed.
"I hate to impose," he said, "but I think we should go with them." Nashi's eyes widened at this, turning to him as everyone else did.
"Why?" Abigail asked.
"Because we need information," he replied. "Maybe this guy knows something we can use. Another Demon Lord we know about would be nothing to scoff at, at the least. This is a good chance to get anything."
"They won't go with you," Neptu pointed out.
"I know," Natsu said, "which is why we need you to go too. We need to see this guy and glean anything we can. Can you do that for us." Neptu was silent for a moment, staring at his hands.
"I don't think I can," he said.
"Why not?" Nashi asked.
"Because I don't know what I'll do if I see him," he answered shakily. "I-I know that Demon and the people they are hosted by aren't the same, but...I may just kill him all the same. There's too much hate in my heart to let him live."
"Neptu..." Zynna started.
"I know it's bad," he said, putting his head in his hands. "I know he's probably just been strung along like Gin, I know that. But...We lost everything because of him. He'd need to be the sorriest son of a bitch I've ever seen for me to even consider letting him live."
"No ones saying this isn't going to be hard," Natsu said, "but this is a chance we need to take, and we can't make use of it unless you go, Neptu."
"With all due respect, Mr. Dragneel," Xeros said, "this is not something you have any say in." Nashi's father looked annoyed at being confronted, but Nashi knew he had a point. If Drakhosz's takeover wizard could give them anything, they needed to check it out.
The silence in the room was making her uncomfortable again, and thankfully Zynna seemed to pick up on this.
"We should table this for later," she said. "We're being bad hosts." She walked towards the door, gesturing for them to follow. "We've prepared empty rooms for you all to stay in during your visit. Please, follow me."Casting one last look over her shoulder at Neptu, Nashi followed Zynna out of the study and down the hall. She didn't pay any attention to where they were going, took wrapped up in her own thoughts from what had happened.
This was all such an odd coincidence. Well, would you even call it that? How was it that Drakhosz's takeover wizard was within reach for what seemed like the first time in ten or so years, just now as they were looking for them? Was this planned by someone? It reminded her of what had been said in the study, about how in couldn't just be chance that every Demon Lord had been showing up in Fiore. Just what was going on? They knew so little, and all it did was amplify her anxiety.
She was taken out of her thoughts as they rounded a nearby corner, turning down a new hallway filled with doors.
"All these rooms are for visitors," Zynna said, "please, take anyone you like and rest. A lot has happened, and you've had a long journey. We can reconvene in the morning."
"Uh," Elise said, "I hope you don't expect us to find our own way through this place." Zynna let out a soft laugh.
"I will be sure to send Ava and Lucille to collect you for breakfast," she said, turning away. "I'll leave you to, I must return to Neptu." With this their guide left them, everyone watching her turn the corner again.
"So," Keita said, "now what?"
"I guess we wait," Elise replied, "Xeros said it; this isn't our fight."
"It's going to be soon," Michael said, "if Neptu won't go, we should."
"Do you think she'd do that for us?" Nashi asked curiously.
'If she won't, we make her," her father said. "We can't afford to be nice here. We need as much information as possible."
"Guess I need to practice my interrogation skills," Michael joked. No one really said anything. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. I guess we'll have to see where this goes in the morning. Dibs on that room!" Michael ran into the room closest to them, making Nashi smile a bit. His attitude was a bit infectious.
"He's got a point," Ultear said. "Let's rest on it. It's up to Neptu where this goes from here." At this they all decided to break off, Nashi taking a room on the left side of the hall. When she entered, she saw a queen-sized bed waiting for her in the middle of the room. There was also a closest, which she didn't need, seeing as she had to change of clothes, and a bathroom to the side. It was definitely a nice room, she had to admit. Lying down on the bed, she stared up at the roof and tried to think about anything but the situation at hand. Of course that failed, and she was left anxiously wondering what Neptu was going to do. She knew from her memories that he had changed and no longer went scorched earth when it came to demons, but surely this was different, right? This was the demon that ruined his life. Surely he would go for that.
She couldn't dwell on it. She had to wait and see what he would do.
It hadn't taken Neptu long to escape the study after Fairy Tail and their friends left. He'd gone to his own room, saying he needed some air. And that was exactly where he was, on the balcony of his room staring at the sky. Why was this happening?
Since he'd disbanded the Hunters, he'd fooled himself into thinking he'd changed. That he now valued the lives of people forced to harbour a demon. and yet, here he was, wanting to run after Drakhosz again after all this time. He'd been foolish to think that he was a better man. He wasn't any better than he had been, he was still a foolish boy looking for revenge.
"Neptu?" A voice asked, one he recognised as Zynna. "Are you okay?"
"If I said yes, would you believe me?" He asked.
"No."
"I figured as much," sighing, he lowered his head. "I don't know what to do."
"Mm. I don't either."
"I mean," Neptu started, "I want to go, I do. But...I can't tell if I want to go to kill the bastard, or if I just want to see his face. Maybe I just want to see him to see if he can help Fairy Tail out. I don't know. I really don't."
"So we've discarded the idea that Melanie was lying?" His sister asked, standing next to him now.
"I guess," he said, "I just can't see why she would. Her coming to find me so I can kill him, that makes sense."
"I suppose," Zynna said. "Want to know what I think?" Neptu tried not to flinch at this. He was worried what she thought.
"What's that?" He asked finally.
"I think you should go," she said. Widening his eyes, Neptu turned to look at her. She wasn't looking at him, eyes far away.
"You do?" He asked, "why?" Zynna continued to stare off into the distance for a while, before she sighed.
"Because we need the closure," she said. "You want to know why you want so desperately to do?"
"Why?"
"Because we haven't gotten any closure about our loss," she said, "we act like we're over it, but we aren't. We're still a couple of kids, angry we lost our parents and wanting to know why." Neptu stared at her in confusion, looking down at his hand.
"What if I do kill him?" He asked slowly. "What if this feeling is who I really am?"
"How will you know unless you go and meet him?" Zynna asked. "I've given this some thought too, brother. I'm just as conflicted as you are. And yet, if we don't go and look the man in the eyes, we'll never know which feeling is what we truly want. What will give us closure, will finally let us heal, we'll only find it if we see the man who did this and judge him for ourselves."
"...I don't know," Neptu said after giving it some thought. "I'm worried I won't give him the chance. That the second I see him, I'll try and break his neck."
"The fact that you're even concerned about your reaction shows you've changed," she said, smiling at him, "you used to not care."
"I guess so..." There was silence between them as they stared off into the forest, neither sure what to say.
"I've got a confession to make," Zynna said suddenly.
"What is it?" Neptu asked curiously.
"It's getting harder and harder to remember Mom as she was." She said, making Neptu look over at her. Tears were rimming her eyes. "Dad too. All I can see is how they is in the family photos that survived. I can't...I can't remember their day to day expressions. Mom's real smile. Dad's laugh. It's fading away. All I can remember is that photo."
"Zynna..." Neptu started, unsure of what to say. When he thought of his parents, he found he was in a similar situation. He could still see their faces, but they were faded. the features were never quite the same every time he thought of them. He was forgetting too. That horrified him.
"So I want you to go," she said, turning to him. "I want us to go together, like we did when we started hunting him. And when we see him, I want to know if I'll feel just like you do. Or, maybe, I'll forgive him. I don't know. But I want to know who made me forget my own mothers face."
Nashi's slept like a baby in the bed provided for her, which surprised her given how stressed she was. She woke up feeling more energised than she had in months, ready to go. After having a shower, Nashi put her clothes back on and was just about to leave when there was a knock at the door.
"Nashi," Elise's voice said, "breakfast, let's go."
"Coming," she called back, jogging towards the door. She opened it and stepped into the hallway, seeing everyone else was already ready to go.
"Now that you're all here," Lucille, the girl from yesterday said, "allow us to guide you to the mess hall." She and the girl she was with turned and began to walk away. everyone following close behind. Nashi made it a point to try harder to remember the hallways, but it was hard with everything looking the same. Before long they reappeared in the lobby, and descended the stairs before entering another hallway below them on the first floor. It didn't take long for them to reach the mess hall, given that the sounds of clanking utensils could be heard from the hall. Once they entered, they were greeted by a massive room with a 'U' shaped table inside, several dozen people eating inside. At the far end of the room, at the bend of the 'U', was Neptu and the others. He saw them enter, and greeted them with a small wave.
"Neptu wishes to speak with you all," Lucille said, gesturing towards him. "Please see him before eating." Heeding her advice, the group walked down the table and towards Neptu, who was waiting for them.
"Sleep well?" Xeros asked from his spot at the head of the table.
"Yes," Nashi answered, making him smile.
"Good," he said, "we have enchants on the beds to help with sleep. It's good they worked."
"I'll have to find those out," Elise said. "I haven't slept that well in years."
"Moving on," Nashi's father said, "Have you made up your mind, Neptu?" Neptu looked uncomfortable at being called out, but he nodded.
"I have," he said. There was a beat of silence after this, everyone obviously waiting for him to say something.
"Well?" Ultear finally asked. Neptu sighed.
"I'll do it," he said, "I'll let them take us to see Drakhosz."
Going at my own pace, as per usual. This arc will be a fun one though! I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!