Shogunate Pride

by Bluestar076

In the region of Caelum, miles away from the guild of Fairy Tail, there's a special guild made of samurais that is always ready to dive into new adventures to save their region from supernatural threats by clashing their weapons. This is their story, as a girl that controls both light and darkness joins them (SYOC Closed.)

3. The Blade of the Eclipse

Shogunate Pride Chapter 1: The Blade of the Eclipse

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with the first chapter of this new story! I know I said that the story wasn't going to start until the characters were selected, but recently, after seeing a bit of silence, a friend of mine fairly suggested that by doing so, I wouldn't have gotten so far and that I should have written something to give you an idea on what the story would have looked like. So, I've decided to write this chapter in order to give you a fair presentation of the story and a good look on the main protagonist! It's something I've been holding onto for quite a while and I hope that with this "Pilot" if we can call it, it can give you the right sparkles of curiosity to see how it will continue and try to make an OC! So, sit tight, relax and enjoy the start of this long adventure!

05/17/23: This is an edited version made with the help of a friend of mine where some grammar errors have been corrected. I hope you enjoy it better!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks.

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Chapter 1: The Blade of the Eclipse

Desierto – Asmar Desert.

The desert is known to be a place of misfortune in both day and light, since it can drain out any type of energy. And such a vast territory like the Asmar Desert was no exception. Recognized as one of the biggest deserts in all of Earthland, it was referred to as a place where death could knock at your door at any moment if you weren't prepared. Even the cities that opened up to the area were kilometers apart from one another. Even mages belonging to a guild, who were known to explore places of all kinds, were extremely careful when it came to ending up walking in the desert. Or at least… the legal ones were.

Those who dedicated themselves to the dark arts didn't hesitate, and they were ready to anything in order to get on their goals - even if it meant to end their lives before time could. There had been many times in the story of this world's history where this was proven true.

In this particular era, on this particular dark night, a group of mages were gathered in that desert. All of them were standing in front of their target: A tall shrine made of orange stone. A place that was impenetrable and hard to find even for the fools that dared to brave the desert. But this dark guild didn't care. It was something that they'd laid their eyes on for quite a while by now, and they were finally going to start their operation. But… the process turned out to be harder than expected.

One of the mages came closer to the entrance of the shrine, which was blocked by a giant wall of cement. The boy gave a careful look at the seal and gave a small smirk. He then started to rub his knuckles to the point where static energy was beginning to form in his hand, becoming faster and stronger.

"HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Once the electricity was charged enough, the mage released it all against the wall of cement. The earth crumbled. His companions watched the attack and hoped that it would work.

In the end, a small explosion took place, leaving a large plume of smoke in its wake. The mage still had the smirk on his face, but as soon as the smoke disappeared, his expression soon turned out into one of astonishment. "Uh!?"

Even after an attack of that capacity, the wall was still intact and the entrance was still blocked.

The other mages of the guild were shocked as well.

"Are you kidding me!? Even after all that charge!?" the one who attacked exclaimed.

The Master looked at the wall and frowned, not willing to quit that easily. "Let's try it again. This time, we'll all attack at the same time," he simply ordered.

Soon everyone gave their best attacks, all aimed at the same target. The combination of all those techniques, which was a mix of unique and destructive power, was effectively a united raid by the dark mages.

But still… even with all of that… the wall didn't want to go down. Their goal was still unreachable.

The mage that attacked before scoffed out of frustration. "I can't believe it! All these years of research and we get our road blocked… BY THIS FUCKING PILE OF ROCK!? No, I just can't stand it!" he commented, already turning around.

"Be patient, Jericho. The ones who built this shrine four centuries ago were extremely careful in creating the right defense. They truly wanted to make sure that this place would remain untouched and that no one could ever enter. Still…" the Master said, before starting to tremble. But not from fear. "This simply raises my curiosity. There's no doubt. That power… That treasure… It must be inside this shrine."

"And what the hell can we do about it? You saw it yourself! The entrance is impenetrable!" Jericho protested.

"I didn't train you to quit that easily, Jericho. It's clear that this defense isn't a regular wall of rock, but rather was likely built with a large amount of ethernano. We just need to find the right way to counter it," the Master explained. He took a few steps forward to be in front of the gate. Even if the road was blocked, he just didn't give up. He was still on time.

"I know that my years of study weren't wrong. Now, more than ever, is the perfect chance to make it through. With the destruction of the Balam Alliance, the fall of the Alvarez Empire and the death of Acnologia, there's nothing that can stand in our way. If we play our cards right, we'll get our hands on that treasure… And with its power, we'll finally have our righteous place in this world," he added. He then turned around to face his minions. "I'm sure you feel the same."

The remaining members of the guild, including Jericho, soon calmed down thanks to his words and nodded. The leader turned back on the entrance.

"A forbidden source of unlimited power… All we need… is to find the right way to enter… before someone can get in our way…"

---

Caelum – City of Elba

A beautiful opening on the sea, where ships from all over came full of tourists and workers, and where the seagulls liked to sing. Small houses made mostly of cement and brick. Lively citizens that filled the streets; kids that played and hung around in peace and happiness, and activities of all kinds that carried on the life of the place.

This small description could perfectly summarise the city of Elba, situated in the island of Caelum. This small town was the entry point for most of the travelers that wanted to enter the region; it's also the safest, and perhaps easiest point of entry to the region, thanks to the calm seas that gave safe travel even amid storms.

Those who lived in the town described their lifestyle as simple but satisfying. It was all seemingly repetitive, yet somehow also relaxing. But even with its peaceful reputation, the city wasn't entirely devoid of troubles. Much like the other regions of Ishgar, even Caelum had to deal with several problems and implement the use of the guilds - the organizations of mages that were ready to go out and fight to defend the innocent through the use of magic. And one such mage, coming from another region, had just arrived for that specific reason.

Among the various ships that arrived at the city port that morning, there was one that stood out from the others with its silver coloring and the flag that portrayed a well-known, regal symbol. It was a ship coming from the famous region of Fiore, and it was there to bring tourists and newcomers to the small city. As soon as the ship anchored to the port, one of the passengers jumped from it and landed on her feet, surprising the workers that looked at her.

For them, it was a cool and impressive feat, to jump from that height; but to her, it was something simple. The girl with long red hair and black eyes was wearing what seemed to be a silver armor, with a black skirt and a pair of black boots. Some of the younger people that were standing there were caught by her beauty and were already blushing. This didn't bother her enough though. She always had other things to pay attention to.

After landing, the girl gave a look at the city and sucked in a deep breath, enjoying the breeze that was already howling around her.

"We're finally here. The city of Elba," she spoke. "Now that I think of it, this is the first time I've ever done a mission in the region of Caelum. Apart from some expeditions, like that one time at Veronica, we rarely make missions in regions out of Fiore. Oh well, not that it matters. Time to get to work!" she added, pointing her mind on her mission - a thing she was used to ever since she joined her guild. A natural thing for her, especially considering her role.

Erza Scarlet – Titania – Fairy Tail

The S-Class mage started to walk around the city and could observe that it was and overall calm place, with a lot of people walking around her.

"This does seem like an ideal place to spend some calm days," she commented, before she gave a small smile with lightly pinkened cheeks. "I might write it down among the next locations for future vacations. But ok, let's not diverge too much or I could get distracted… as always. Let's see here…" She then took a paper with the information of her quest. It was a mission to capture a wanted criminal that controlled a small sector of illegal trafficking in the city.

Wanted – Kabuto – A-Rank Criminal - Dead or Alive – Reward: 20.000

"So, the one I'm looking for is a certain Kabuto. This paper doesn't show a picture of him, so I guess I'll have to do a bit of investigation first," she observed before looking around. "Judging from this sight, this doesn't seem to be a big place. Though he might be hiding anywhere."

After saying that, she could see two men wearing jackets walking ahead of her. She saw them as a good start for gathering information.

"Uhm, excuse me?" she asked. The two men turned around and looked at her. "I'm not of these parts and I'm a mage from a Guild. Have you perhaps noticed something unusual in this city recently?" Erza then demanded. But as soon as she asked it, the two individuals looked at her with eyes wide open and sweat on their faces.

"Wah- Uhm… no? I didn't see anything! Am I right?" one of them asked the other.

"A-Absolutely!" the other one immediately replied. They then turned around and started to walk away. But Erza could hear them whispering.

"She's trying to capture that guy, right?"

"We could help her, but who knows what would happen to our tongues…"

Hearing such comments, Erza's expression became skeptical over the way they acted; but she also noticed something else.

"Hmm… So some of the citizens are terrified of him? If so, it could be hard to get information. But it's just the start… I need to-" Before she could finish her thought, a growling noise sounded out loudly. She looked down and noticed that it was coming from her belly. "Dammit… I should have asked to Mirajane to prepare some lunch to bring with me…" She sighed, since now she had to make a little pit stop. At least she could try Caelum's cuisine.

As she continued to wander around in search of a fine place to eat, she went deeper in the city and began to notice some bustling at a certain point of interest.

"Hm?"

This clearly caught her attention and turned to her left and observed what was, apparently, a normal sight in Elba. A group of people, a mix between Caelum citizens and foreign tourists, were all gathered around in a crowd, looking at something with interest. Erza was able to make her way through some less condensed space and could see what their attention was glued on.

A merchant that wore a keffiyeh and a pair of sunglasses had set up a small stall, where he showed off precious merch coming from the sea - such as clams, shells, pearls and pebbles of particular colors. The people were naturally attracted by their radiance and their beauty, and some of them already had purchased some. The merchant was delighted by this.

"Yes, yes, please give a look and feast yourselves on such wonders! All this natural merchandise comes straight from the depths of the Sirius Ocean, at the north of Caelum, which has stood untouched for years; but thanks to the efforts of my diving crew, we were able to finally get these treasures for the sole purpose of amazing you! Please, come closer and get your chance to decorate the desks of your houses with these items! Only 2000 Jewels for each one!" The merchant gave a detailed and charismatic speech to make sure that more people would come closer, and it worked fast; as soon as the people heard the origins of these aquatic treasures, they joined the crowd already forming at his stall.

Even if it wasn't really something she was used to, Erza couldn't hide a sparkle of curiosity after hearing the merchant's speech and tried to move closer.

"How interesting… I did hear talks about the Sirius Ocean, but to think that someone could have actually retrieved something from it is impressive…" she thought. It was in that moment that someone walked closer to both her and the stall to get a better look at the merch. Erza raised her gaze after sensing someone close, and she noticed that they had a strange yet particular look.

It was a girl with pale skin, green eyes and black long hair styled in two long twin tails that were low decorated by blue ribbons. What stood out in her appearance was her wearing: She wore a large black kimono with long sleeves that gave the impression of her wearing a long jacket that covered even her legs. The area around her waist was held on by a white knot that held the kimono snugly, to make sure that the dress wouldn't fall. On her feet, she was wearing tabi socks and a pair of sand-colored sandals.

This wasn't the first time Erza had seen someone with such an appearance; in fact, another mage she knew well dressed in a similar way. But still… That girl had something exotic and peculiar about her. The girl, on the other hand, stared at the merch for a few seconds and then picked up a big clam.

"Aaaah! A most excellent choice, young lady! That clam is one of the most precious treasures here in display. Let me tell you, one of our divers found it inside the den of a large moray eel! Its radiance makes us certain that it's made of pure silver! This costs 3000 Jewels, but I can assure you that it's worth the price!" the merchant told her as soon as he saw the interest in the clam.

The girl kept on staring at the clam in silence for a bit. But then… She seemed to notice something in particular that made her blink.

"Uhm… Excuse me but… this clam is fake."

"Ah!?" everyone, including Erza exclaimed.

"Pardon!?" the merchant asked.

"I could notice it by looking it when exposed at the sun. The texture doesn't seem the same one as silver, rather like simple plastic… which makes me think that it's one of those decorations you can buy at the market for just 500 Jewels. You just painted it grey to make it look like silver," she said with an outstandingly calm tone.

The same couldn't be said about the other people, who were astonished and quiet - especially the ones who already purchased the merchandise. Soon their eyes landed on the merchant. Erza, on the other hand, kept on looking at the girl. "She could notice something as that?" she thought.

The merchant started to sweat and breathe heavily, implying to the crowd that something was off. But he still tried to maintain a cool figure and protested, "HOW DARE YOU!? Are you perhaps implying that the efforts of my crew are a story I've invented!? Don't spit on others' work! Can't you see that-"

But before he could finish his sentence, he could hear a cracking noise and saw the clamp shatter into pieces in front of him. "AAAAAAH!" He was so shocked that his glasses fell, and his eyes grew larger.

The other people gasped as they saw how quickly and easily the girl could destroy the clam. In particular, their attention was caught by the tool she used to break it. The mage of Fairy Tail slightly widened her eyes, as it was something she was well affiliated with. The girl was holding a medium-long katana with a dark grey blade and a black hilt. The impact of her cut was swift and immediate, and the blade was still shining under the sunlight.

Once she finished the swift action, she raised her head towards the merchant. "If that clam was really silver, my sword would have struggled a bit to cut through it and perhaps would have even been slightly cracked itself." She then made a sceptical face. "Do you really sell cheap objects at prices like that?"

"A-Are you crazy!? You can't just do that! There's a reason I've put those prices and that's because-" The merchant still tried to defend himself in one final desperate speech, but he ended up screaming again as soon as the girl used the katana again to cut the rest of the exposed merch. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Soon in all that was left in the stall was just a bunch of shattered plastic remains.

After she finished, the girl slid the sword into the sheath attached to her waist and looked at the merchant again. "Look, if it was just me, I wouldn't have been so mad. But seriously, you've scammed all these people with all those knick-knacks, and you pretended to be a hard worker instead of doing the actual work! That's seriously messed up. But I'll stop here. There's someone else who wants to deal with you."

With those simple yet critical words, the girl started to walk away in the same mood she'd arrived in.

The merchant was still under pressure after what he had witnessed. But there was something else that terrorized him as soon as he raised his head.

The rest of the people were glaring at him with dead-eyed stares, especially the ones who had already purchased his merchandise. After the lie had been exposed, there was only one thought in their minds: Sweet vengeance.

"Well… I guess there's nothing else to add! I'll just be leaving!" Since the deal was already made, Erza decided to get out of there, thinking she was lucky that she got the chance to see through his lies.

Clinging to little hope, the merchant tried to calm the public down, but the only thing he got was the only ending possible. The people started to go down against him. "U-Uhm, ladies and gentleman… I-I can explain… I-I have more items far more beautiful than-"

"BASTARD!"

"LIAR!"

"GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!"

"NO! NOT THERE, PLEA- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

All that could be heard from the crowd was the sound of punching and items falling to the ground and breaking. But the mage of Fairy Tail didn't care anymore at that point and continued on her original path.

While she still thought of finding a place to eat and then getting on her search for the criminal, she thought about that girl from the stall. She didn't hide her skills, and that made Erza curious. "To think that in this city there's someone that could do something like that. I wonder if she can fight as well…" she thought. Then, by pure coincidence, as soon as she raised her head after thinking… the girl was right there.

The girl with the kimono was walking around the area, presumably out on a stroll. The girl known as Titania was one whose life revolved around swords, so she couldn't possibly miss the chance to discuss with someone who possibly had the same interests.

"Hey! You there!" she called out for the girl.

"Hm?" The girl turned around as soon as she heard Erza and could see the other girl coming closer. "Oh! I remember you from the stall. Were you looking for me?" she asked.

"Yeah, just to know a bit more of you. You did a pretty good job back there, you know that? Even I couldn't tell the difference at first! How did you notice it so easily?" Erza answered, asking a question in return.

"Well…" The black-haired girl gave a small, nervous laugh upon hearing that question. "Let's just say that… through a long part of my life, I've ended up knowing a bit more about minerals, that's all… I'd rather not talk about it."

Erza could see that she was starting to feel uncomfortable and decided to not continue. "Oh, sorry… Didn't mean to upset you…"

"No no… It's fine…" the other girl said, sweating a little.

"If it doesn't bother you… May I ask about that katana you carry? As you can see, I specialize with swords, and that cut from before was impressive!" Erza then switched to her main interest while holding her own sword, making the other girl smile.

"Oh, this one?" the girl asked before taking her katana. "This treasure here belonged to my father. It's a blade he left to me after he passed away. Since it's something very dear to me, I bring it with me everywhere. It was also him who taught me to use it." she explained.

"I see… My condolences for your father. So… If you were ever to get involved in a fight, would you actually be able to use it?" Erza continued.

The smaller girl gave a small laugh. "Why yes, of course! I may sound cute and harmless, but I actually know how to defend myself! Back there, after noticing that the merch was fake, it just bothered me seeing that so-called merchant trick those clueless people, so I decided to act."

"I never said that you were weak! And I can agree with your way of thinking. If I had noticed it as well, I think I would have done the same. Maybe something even worse," Erza answered, giving a small laugh as well. "I hope I'm not bothering you with all these questions but… You could be of help to me with something about this place."

"Oh, please, go on. I'm not annoyed!" the girl continued.

"You see, I'm actually a mage coming from a guild. And I came here to get track down a criminal with just a small amount of information. So… Did you perhaps notice something strange? Someone a bit suspicious? Some strange noises at night… Anything?" the mage of Fairy Tail then asked, making clear her goal.

By hearing the words 'mage' and 'guild', the girl started to look at her with a more intrigued stare but didn't say anything further. "Mage, uh? Well… The strange thing is that… I don't know either. You see… I'm not actually from these parts. I've arrived here three days ago for something, and as far as I've seen… I didn't notice something that strange."

Erza was a bit disappointed and gave a small, sad sigh. "Oh well… No problem for that. Guess that I'll just dig a little deeper." she said before turning around. "This guy really seems skilled at hiding, seriously…"

"Do you perhaps need some help?" the girl asked.

"Oh no, it's not that big a deal, seriously. You're busy with your own reason for coming here and I don't want to take more of your time. Don't worry, I can handle it! I'm an S-Class Mage after all!" Erza answered.

"Really? That's cool!" the girl commented.

"Took me a while to achieve it, but as long as I can get back home to my friends, there's nothing that frightens me," Erza told her with a genuine smile. "Oh well! I'll be going then. Considering the aura of mystery that surrounds around this guy, I have a lot of investigating to do. I'll be going then! Good luck with your purposes!"

"A pleasure to have met you! Good luck with your mission!"

And with those words, both Erza and the black-haired girl started to part ways, both busy with something. After a few steps, the queen of fairies from Fairy Tail turned around, remembering that she didn't ask a particular thing.

"Oh! I forgot! My name is Erza Scarlet!"

The girl heard her and answered as well: "I'm Tsukuyomi! Tsukuyomi Dragneel!"

"Dragneel…" Erza whispered. It took her a bit of seconds, but she realized something was off. "WAIT DID YOU SAY-"

But before she could get confirm what she heard… She found that the girl had already disappeared among the crowds walking through the city.

"S-She's gone…" she spoke with a dull face. She regained her composure quickly, but still… The thought of what she just heard lingered. Tsukuyomi was surely a beautiful name… But the last name… Was it a coincidence? Or perhaps there was something more? After all… That wasn't the first time she heard that last name. Someone she knew also had it… Someone from her guild.

"Dragneel… Is… Is she related to Natsu? Somehow?"

---

The girl in the kimono, known as Tsukuyomi, kept on walking through the city before deciding to take a break and sat down on a bench.

"Hmmm…" As she started to relax, something important of her came back on her mind - something related to the reason why she'd left her original home and had travelled to Caelum. Since there was nothing much to do or say, she took something from her pocket: A small piece of paper with something written on. It was just a short message, but it was something that held great importance to her.

We have accepted your proposal. Come at the city of Elba in the coming days. We'll search for you.

"It's already been three days since I've got here, but they haven't showed up yet. I've taken a room in one of the hotels in the city for a week in case they took longer, but this is really a lot!" she commented before making a sceptical expression. "I just hope that they didn't play some sort of joke on me. That would be really messed up…" As she thought of it, she started to look up at her left. In this small city, there was a small mountain covered in green that overlooked the area, as if it was looking down at the town like some sort of guardian. The girl lost herself in looking at it for a couple of minutes in silence, with her eyes seemingly unfocused.

"Hmm… Maybe I should be the one searching for them…" she spoke.

In that moment, her attention was distracted by some footsteps that were getting louder. "Hm?"

When she turned around, she could see a figure approaching her. It was a young man with shoulder-length, dark blue spiky hair that was parted at the middle of his forehead and green eyes. He wore a short, sleeveless shirt with a spiky starfish on it, along with long white jeans and a pair of brown shoes.

"Well, well. What's a young girl doing here all alone?" he asked, looking at her with a calm smile.

Tsukuyomi maintained a neutral expression. He didn't do anything yet, but there was a strange air around him that made her suspicious. For the moment, she decided to not move or jump to conclusions.

"You don't seem that old either," she simply spoke.

The man didn't bother the comment and came closer. "Mind if I sit?" he asked. Tsukuyomi shook her head, and so he sat on the bench, near her. "I'm Mukago. What is your name?" the man asked after introducing himself.

"…Tsukuyomi," the girl simply said. She kept on using short replies with him.

"Hm…your parents gave you a nice name. And how old are you? If it doesn't bother you, that is," Mukago then asked, and Tsukuyomi answered with the same tone.

"Twenty."

"I see. So, you're old enough to drink and you're old enough to take responsibilities of your actions. That's really good," Mukago commented.

"What do you mean?" the girl asked.

Mukago took a few seconds before giving an answer. He gave a quick look at her. "In order to give your answer, I must know if you're from these parts."

Tsukuyomi simply shook her head.

"I see. Well, let me tell you something, Tsukuyomi. I don't know if you've ever travelled before, but the most important thing a visitor must use in another land… is respect. Whenever you put foot on another land, you need to make sure to work like them, and that appreciate their food and their traditions. If you respect all these rules, you can guarantee yourself a nice stay wherever you'd like," Mukago explained.

"Isn't that prejudice? You speak of all this like I've done something wrong, even if you've never met me," Tsukuyomi asked. But that statement made Mukago laugh a little.

"See… This is where you are wrong. True, I may not know you, but if there's one thing certain… it's that you broke one of the rules I've said. And that is… respecting the traditions."

"How so?" the girl asked before suddenly finding a small scythe just a few millimeters away from her throat, which made her sweat. "A-Ah!?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME! I know what you did at my companion with his stall! You think it's funny to make fun of business out here, HUH!?" Mukago's mood suddenly changed, and he became completely hysterical with his eyes wide open. He then pushed away Tsukuyomi with a kick, making her fall off of the bench.

"Ngh!" Tsukuyomi felt an itching pain on her belly but managed to not fall and actually keep her feet on the ground. She raised her head and glared at her aggressor, now knowing why he was there.

"Just as I thought. It seems that someone didn't teach you the proper manners. Let me tell you something: This city may look peaceful and everything, but you don't know how things work here. Both me and the merchant you have humiliated works for the great Kabuto, one of the top criminals in all of Earthland. We control a good portion of trafficking in this town, and if there's one thing we can't stand, it's someone who tries to mess with our business… Just like you did," Mukago told her while making his small scythe rotate.

"That man was trying to scam other people. It wasn't something I could overlook," Tsukuyomi retorted, but this made the man only madder.

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME, YOU LITTLE BITCH! Like I said, it's all about respect. If you don't give it, it's only natural that danger comes for you! We're all like a family in Kabuto's eyes, and if you disrespect one of us, you're disrespecting ALL OF US!" he shouted. He then pointed his scythe at the girl. As a defensive instinct, Tsukuyomi placed her hand on the hilt of her katana.

"So, I guess you already know what's gonna happen now. Everything started when you told my companion that his clam was fake. It was your tongue that created this mess, right? Which means it's only fair that I cut it out and leave you to choke on a fountain of blood!" Mukago threatened her. He lowered his stare for a moment and noticed that Tsukuyomi had lost her wallet ealier when he kicked her. So he grinned and grabbed it. "And since we're here, I guess I'll take your Jewels as a payment for breaking his stuff! It's the least you could do to pay for your mistakes, don't you think?" he added before opening the wallet and noticing something. "Uh?"

In her wallet, Tsukuyomi had a picture of a man that was wearing an elegant black and white outfit and had short black hair and dark eyes.

"Who is this? A parent of yours?" he asked.

"I suggest you give me that back… if you don't want things to get messy," Tsukuyomi warned him with a calm yet intimidating stare. Her eyes had thinned and seemed to show a black ring on her pupils. "Usually, I'm a kind person who likes to play around, but if someone angers me, I can assure you that I won't be able to control myself."

At this point, Mukago's patience had reached his limits. Even after everything he tried to do, this girl still tried to stand up to him and disrespect him. "GRRRR! You still try to talk back to me, after that!? You don't know nothing about what happens here. We're the ones that control you, and if you're not fine with it YOU CAN DIE!"

With those words, Mukago tried to dash against Tsukuyomi, with the intent to kill her with one strike of his scythe. But one thing was for sure: He didn't know what was coming for him.

As soon as he came closer, a grey smoke started to spread around Tsukuyomi, making her apparently disappear and causing him miss his target.

"W-What!? Where did she-" Mukago didn't know what was happening… And then, all of a sudden, several cuts appeared all around his body. "GAAAAH!" His shirt was cut to pieces and his chest was bleeding, but the cuts were only shallow, and the bleeding wasn't enough to be fatal. The criminal could feel his senses abandoning him as he fell, knocked unconscious.

Tsukuyomi reappeared behind him with the grey smoke that slowly started to disappear. "Don't say I didn't warn you." she spoke. She noticed that her blade was still soaked in blood, so she made a swift movement to clean it up and then slid it back into its sheath. "You know… This reminds me of an old saying that my father used to tell me: Don't send a rabbit to catch a fox." And with those words, she took her wallet back and decided to leave, leaving Mukago unconscious on the ground for the next couple of hours.

The danger had passed, but even so, Tsukuyomi couldn't help but think a lot about what Mukago told her. In fact, this reminded her of what that mage had told her.

"A criminal that controls a portion of the trafficking in this city… Could it be that… he's the guy that girl talked about?" While continuing her walk, she thought about this. Strangely enough, that day turned out to be quite exciting for her. It was supposed to be another day of waiting for her big event, but she may have ended up involving herself in a bigger mess.

There was no doubt that, now that she had disposed of two of his servants, this so-called Kabuto would start to target her. The thought made her glance around and look at the bystanders that were nearby.

"This seems like a calm and happy city… and yet… there are devious people who are ready to fool the others and control them. Just… like…" Even if everything seemed normal for the moment, the reality of pesky criminals oppressing everyone around them… was far too familiar for her.

Her home… had suffered for the same reason.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"NO, PLEASE!"

"WE KNEW WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUSTED THEM!"

She could still remember all of it. The flames… The blood… The corpses… And the people crying for mercy.

"AH!" Reembracing all of this startled her for a moment and she hurried over towards a nearby wall. She leaned against it and started to breathe heavily while her heart was beating fast. It was a common occurrence for her. A scar that cut deep within her and would probably never disappear. She tried to fight against it… but the episodes still happened.

She was able to calm herself down… but the bad thoughts still lingered, so she looked up at the city and all the carefree citizens. They probably didn't know about this Kabuto person, who was manipulating the peace of Elba from the shadows. And Tsukuyomi knew well how it felt to live under the oppressive hands of someone who decided your life for you. It was that experience that made her decide what she wanted to do with her life.

And it was the same reason why she was there… waiting for their answer.

"…I need to do something," she decided. It may have been dangerous for her, since she was alone and didn't have a guild to back her up. But she was still confident. She still had her skills and her magic. For her, it was more than enough to try and end a criminal's career. She wanted to get stronger just for this reason.

"I'll try! Maybe the guilds nearby don't know about him, so it'll be my chance to help!"

Her decision was made. She was going to dig deeper into the identity of Kabuto and see if there was a way to stop him. With that in mind, she decided to wander in town and see if there was something she could find. This eventually made her think of something from before.

That S-Class mage. She had the same goal.

"Hmmm… Perhaps it might be a good idea to find her and cooperate with her. She's surely a reliable and skilled person…" she thought.

As she continued to walk around, the girl kept an eye on everyone that passed her by, even if it was headache-inducing, just to be extra certain. But for a long while, everything remained the same. All the people that she observed seemed normal in her eyes. All the wandering and watching ended up exhausting her, and she had to sit down at a fountain in the main plaza of the city.

"Dammit! How can a criminal hide in a city just like this? This all looks… too calm and peaceful!" she commented before looking up at the sky. "The sun is starting to go down… Maybe he'll come out when it's dark? Criminals usually do that…" she thought to herself. "Yes… Maybe I should wait for that. Considering that it's summer, it'll take a while before the sun goes down. I'll have to find myself something to do in the meantime. But I guess it's feasible. If that guy really controls a portion of trafficking… I can't allow him to continue."

Luckily, she was able to come up with a new idea of what to do, even if it was only to persevere… for the most part. While thinking about what she was doing, Tsukuyomi took a look back towards the mountain.

"Besides… It's what I would do if I got aceepted there… Right?" she thought. A new plan was made, and she still had a chance to do something. All she needed to do… was wait.

---

A few hours passed, and it was around 21.00 P.M. now. The sun had set, and the sky was already illuminated by a myriad of stars.

At the current time, Tsukuyomi was sitting inside a bar and enjoying a medium ice cream sundae. As soon as she looked outside and noticed that the time was right, her expression changed to a more serious one. "Nice! Time to go," she spoke. She quickly grabbed her katana, paid the barman and headed outside.

It was still early in the night, so there were still a lot of people wandering around. Tsukuyomi noticed that most of them were young, presumably out on dates. The crowd didn't change that much, but surely… the suspicious behavior might become more obvious.

To be extra sure, the black-haired girl started to head towards the darker and less frequented alleys to see if anyone was passing through. Since they were a bit distant from the main parts of the city, those paths were darker than the rest. But this wasn't a problem for her, since she had sharp sight that allowed her to see in the dark. In a way, the darkness had always been part of her.

Tsukuyomi continued to run through these alleys in an attempt to find something suspicious, something that could lead her to Kabuto, or at least someone close to him. As she searched, she heard something above her.

"Uh?" When she raised her head, she could spot a figure jumping from one roof to another. Due to the low light, she couldn't see the figure entirely, even with her excellent sight. Still, this was something useful to her. She looked around to see if there was anything that could help her reach the roof and noticed a large dumpster nearby. "Eugh…"

Hoping she didn't end up inside of it, she climbed the dumpster and with a big jump, she managed reach the roof of the building. From up here, she could notice the figure continuing onwards. Without thinking twice, Tsukuyomi started to give chase after them, to the point that she was able to match their pace.

"There they are! Now it's time to-" The girl thought that she was finally going to get some answers. But, after recognizing some familiar red hair and silver armor, her eyes widened. In a way, she got what she was looking for - but not entirely.

The figure in front of her stopped and turned around, revealing herself to be Erza, who was surprised to see her as well. "Uh? Tsukuyomi?"

"Erza… Scarlet, wasn't it? Is that you?" Tsukuyomi asked as well.

"Yes, of course. What are you doing here? Were you chasing me?" the girl from Fairy Tail fairly asked. She didn't want to suspect her, but it was a bizarre coincidence.

"Well… Yes and no. I was going after you, but I didn't recognise you at first. I assumed that you were some shady figure," Tsukuyomi replied. "The fact is… Remember about that criminal you told me about?"

"Yes?" Erza asked.

"I… may have ended up getting some information about him." With that, Tsukuyomi started to explain the encounter she had earlier on that day, and how it was connected to Erza's quest.

"I see… So Kabuto seems to have more control than expected. No wonder he had a high bounty and danger rating," the red-haired girl commented.

"If… it isn't too much… I would like to assist you in your mission. I know that I'm not affiliated with anyone and whatever happens will fall directly on me, but… I just can't let this continue. I've been in a similar situation to the people in this city, and I don't want to see it repeated here. That's… partly the reason I'm here," Tsukuyomi then asked, feeling a bit insecure. She couldn't tell how the other girl would answer her request.

Erza looked at her in silence for a few seconds with her usual stare. But then her expression changed into a warmer smile. "That's ok with me. You can follow me."

"Really?" Tsukuyomi asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes! Judging by that expression on your face, you seem sincere. You really want to help the weak, am I right? I'm of the same mindset, considering that it's also a policy in our Guild!" Erza answered before turning around. "And… I can understand how you feel. I don't know what happened in your life to feel that way… but I also went through hard times, a long time ago. You're not alone on that," she added.

Once again, Tsukuyomi was impressed by Erza's response. True, she already knew this was a trustworthy and strong person, but to hear that Erza could understand her with such ease and sincerity really moved her. She stood in silence as she listened to her, and then she nodded her head down a few inches and gave a little smile.

"So… That's how it feels to be a mage… eh?" she said in a very low voice. She then raised her head. "Thank you."

Erza nodded and then turned away again. "Before we go further, I want to know if you are ready to face a potentially dangerous mage. I could see that you appear skilled with your sword, but do you think you can stand up against someone who can use magic?" she then asked to be sure.

To that, Tsukuyomi smiled and winked. "That's no problem! I have my tricks for that!" she answered. Erza wasn't sure what she meant by that, but after talking with her, she could see that Tsukuyomi could be trusted to handle herself.

With everything settled, the two of them started to run through the City of Elba from the rooftops.

"So where are we heading exactly?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"To be fair, I don't know myself. But… I may have gotten a hint," Erza replied.

"How so?" the black-haired girl asked.

"I've seen two hooded figures running quickly in this direction. Before you stopped me, I'd heard them mumbling something about 'explaining things to the boss'," the mage of Fairy Tail explained.

When hearing that, Tsukuyomi deflated a bit.

"N-No! It's not like you've disturbed me! It's fine!" Erza exclaimed, worried. "I still remember where they were headed," she added. And this time she was the one who winked.

Following her directions, Tsukuyomi and Erza continued their run. From up on the rooftops, the girl in the kimono could see the mountain more clearly and wondered something to herself. But for now, it was better to not think about too much. And then… their chase finally came to an end, as the girl known as 'Titania' stopped, with Tsukuyomi moving closer to her. She could understand soon why Erza did so. "Woah…"

Standing before them was a white and gold mansion that was much larger than the surrounding houses.

"Looks like one of those resorts I see in magazines…" Tsukuyomi commented.

Erza, on the other hand, looked down, and she noticed someone familiar. "Hm!"

The two hooded figures from before were approaching the mansion, but not from the front - rather from behind, as if they knew of another way to enter.

"It's those two," Erza spoke out. Tsukuyomi could see them as well.

"What are they doing in such a fancy place?" she asked.

"We can't say… Unless we go inside ourselves," the other girl said, ready with a smirk on her face.

"What, you mean like going there right now?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"What did you expect? If Kabuto and his little crew are gathered there, it's only fair to go inside, find them, and knock them out," Erza told her. Tsukuyomi stood silent for a few seconds and then…

"You know what? I can't really argue with that." She then gave Erza an excited smile. "Let's do it!"

The two jumped from the roof (hoping that no one saw them) and started to head towards the building, but instead of going towards the entrance, they headed in the direction they'd seen the two figures approach. Following them might have brought them right to their target - that was, if Kabuto was actually inside.

"A fancy place is a common hiding place for some criminals. A friend of mine ended up in such situation and got into trouble a long time ago," Erza explained while walking.

"Like, pretending to be good-looking people and then you get in through the back, right? Yeah, I knew someone similar. They're messed up," Tsukuyomi commented.

Trying to follow the exact movements of the two suspicious individuals, Erza and Tsukuyomi ended up arriving at the left side of the building, where apparently… there was nothing.

Erza was confused. "Uh? Strange… They clearly went here…" she said before looking up. "Perhaps they've climbed the roof? There couldn't be any other way since they didn't use the main entrance…"

But Tsukuyomi wasn't trusting entirely what her eyes were seeing, and instead, she started to inspect the wall, touching it carefully.

"Hm? What are you doing?" Erza asked.

"Just making sure of something… I think that there's more to see if they passed through here…" the girl in the kimono replied. She continued to move along the wall while keeping her hands pressed to it. After a few seconds doing so, she could feel a specific part of the wall was… different. "Hm? This doesn't seem like cement…" she said with a suspicious tone. Maybe she was right, but she needed to confirm it. So, with one of her hands, she touched a portion of the wall, closed her eyes and used a small amount of her magic on it. It changed into a tall rectangular form, revealing… a door.

"Woah!" Erza exclaimed.

"Camouflage magic. A common type of escamotage for those who hide in particular places," Tsukuyomi explained with a smile, satisfied after having confirmed of her suspicion. "We can go in, now!"

Erza was still surprised, especially considering that she also had her suspicions confirmed. "My thoughts were correct then! You're also a mage?" she asked.

"Hehe! I did say I have some tricks up my sleeve, didn't I?" Tsukuyomi answered with a joking tone.

"You like to have an air of mystery around you, eh?" Erza commented with the same tone. "Very well. Let's see what's hiding in here." She then entered through the door.

Tsukuyomi waited a bit before entering and looked at the door. Even if she proved herself to be confident enough to go in there and face that criminal, she still wondered if she could actually do it. Was she able to face Kabuto? But… She rememebred Erza and the smile she'd given her a few moments earlier. She had trusted Tsukuyomi, and if anything happened, she would have been there to fight alongside her. Plus… She'd vowed a long while ago that she wouldn't let what she'd experienced happen to anyone else.

She wanted to act. And that was what made her decide to go inside easier. So, she took a deep breath…

"Let's do it."

And she walked through the door.

---

Once they'd passed through the door, the two girls could see a staircase that led upwards. Without hesitating, they started to ascend. Once they made it to the top, they could see a large corridor covered by a long blue carpet beneath their feet, several stretched oval windows along the walls and various empty suits of armor lining the hall, 10 centimeters apart from the next, on their right and left.

"Well, look at this…" Erza said while looking around. Tsukuyomi, meanwhile, was getting a closer look at the armors and widows. "We're probably at the east wing of the building. This makes me wonder why there's a secret entrance for this area? If this place is public, there shouldn't be any reasons to hide the east wing, right?" she asked.

The only way to find an answer was to check the place out. They could see that there were two doors at the two farthest sides, excluding the ones they've entered from. "Even if it probably has only two floors, this palace might be big enough…" Erza spoke. "Can I trust you to be left on your own?" she then asked.

"You intend to split up?" Tsukuyomi said.

"Yes. I'll check what's on the door to the right. You can go to the one on the left. You think you can handle it?"

"No problem," Tsukuyomi replied.

"Very well. Good luck!" With those words, Erza started to head towards the right.

"You too!" Tsukuyomi concluded before starting to run towards the door on the other side. Both took advantage of the fact that there was no one in the corridor.

Once Erza reached the door on the right, she pressed her ear against it to make sure that there wasn't anyone on the other side when she opened it. Surprisingly for her, she could hear what seemed to be a buzz of chatter.

"There's someone here…" she spoke. She didn't know who ould have been on the other side of the door, so she made sure that she could activate her Requip magic at any time. Once everything was checked, she turned the knob and opened the door.

On the other side, she could see that she was standing on top of a small staircase inside a large hall. Before moving any further, she turned around for a moment and noticed that there was a small sign attached to the door with the words: 'RESERVED. KEEP OUT.'

"The east wing is private, huh?" she spoke. "Considering that itis got a secret entrance, this is quite suspicious…" Making a note of this information, she moved further inside and looked beneath the staircase, and noticed a fairly normal event inside the building.

It seemed to be some sort of party, with various people dressed in a fancy clothes. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the night, with tons of food and drinks.

"Is this… a party?" Erza wondered while she started to go down the staircase. She noticed that everyone was apparently enjoying themselves and as such, she couldn't afford to cause a panic and force them to leave. Still, she needed to investigate, and as such… "I may need something that will help me…"

After deciding this, she hid behind one of the columns so that no one could see her change outfit. She quickly used her Requip magic and changed herself. A few seconds later, she walked out from behind the column in her Red-Black Twin Blades armor. "Out of all the armors I have this is surely the most plausible one," she thought.

Now that she could go unnoticed, she went down to the staircase and mixed herself within the crowd. While walking through the hall (and eating some of the food), she started to give everyone a careful look as she passed them. They seemed to be normal people who came there to have some fun at a party. But right in that moment, she could see someone who stood out in particular.

The ones who were serving at the tables and were guarding the doors… were dressed exactly like the two figures she saw entering the castle. Apart from thinking that it wasn't a proper outfit for a butler, she started to make some deductions about the place and what she should do. "Hooded… like those two. This could mean two things… That the owner knows of them, and this might turn out to be some sort of trap, or… I've made a mistake and me and Tsukuyomi ended up breaking into someone's property and the door we entered through is an emergency one… In this case, I should add it to my bad impressions, dammit…" she thought. And right when she was thinking it…

"Excuse me, ma'am, is there something wrong?" a voice from behind asked.

"EECK!" Erza hipped and turned around on a battle stance. But when she turned around, she could see what seemed to be a young boy with short black hair and blue eyes, wearing an elegant white suit. As soon as Erza turned around, he raised his hands up and seemed scared.

"Woah woah! Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."

Erza blinked for a moment and recomposed herself. "N-No… The apology is mine. I got startled," she spoke up.

"No, it's alright. It just makes me happy to see another person at my party, that's all!" the boy then said. This made Erza gain a glint in her eyes.

"This is your party?" she asked.

"Yes! I host them on occasion. Just a fun event to help people enjoy themselves and maybe have some lucky encounters! Naturally, I don't host them often, as they tend to cost a bit, but once in a while I do them!" the boy answered. "I'm Ernst Bluegrad, by the way! A pleasure to meet you!" he then introduced himself.

"Erza Scarlet. I'm a mage from Fairy Tail," Erza introduced herself back, surprising the boy.

"What? Fairy Tail? Seriously? Wow… Such an honor, eheh. I've heard of your tales, and I remember when you won the Grand Magic Games three years ago. You were that one mage who took out 100 monsters all alone, correct?" Ernst asked.

"Oh, yes, that's me! Glad to see that you remember that," Erza said, genuinely pleased he remembered the event.

"So, what does you bring here in Caelum? A job?" the boy then asked.

Erza nodded. "Yes… And… I don't want to ruin the mood or something but…" She didn't want to tell him, but since they were there and she and Tsukuyomi had spotted too many strange elements around that house, she needed to tell him. The news, naturally, didn't please him.

"WHAT!? A CRIMINAL IN-" Ernst was shouting, but Erza quickly shut him up and looked at the other people with an innocent smile.

"P-Please don't shout that loud… You won't make a great impression."

"S-Sorry… But how is that possible!? I mean… There are a lot of guards settled in the mansion, so how can it be that there's someone dangerous in here!?" Ernst asked, still bewildered.

"Please understand that we're basing this on our investigation at the moment. We saw two hooded figures enter here through a hidden door on the side wall with a camouflage. We followed them and arrived here," Erza started to explain.

"A-Absurd. I didn't know that there was something like that… Someone really got in here…" Ernst commented, astonished. "I-If there's anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask me. I don't want my guests to be harmed in any way possible."

"Well, for starters… Do your guards wear those hoods normally? The two we saw enter the mansion had the same ones," Erza asked first. That was one thing she wanted to make sure.

"Y-Yeah. I know that they look creepy, but those hoods are actually made out of silk made with ethernano, in order to make them resistant to any possible attacks," the owner of the mansion answered.

"Is that so? Hmm… This may mean that those two disguised themselves as guards…" Erza thought. "In that case, it's better if we keep our eyes wide open. They could be still hiding in here. Also, if it isn't too much for you, I would like to ask your permission to inspect the whole mansion. A friend I brought here with me is already looking the east wing - which, from what I've seen, is private - while I was checking this areas."

While she spoke, Ernst tilted for a second, but soon composed himself. "Oh, please! You're free to explore every inch of it! Please set this house free. This mansion housed several generations of my family, and the thought that it has been a refuge for wanted criminals it breaks my heart. Please, help us," he spoke.

Erza watched him for a moment, but then nodded. "Leave it to us."

And with those words, she left. Still, after walking a few steps, she turned around and gave him a look as he walked away as well. She surely didn't imagine it. She had noticed his reaction. And she couldn't think of anything else other than one explanation.

"Is he… hiding something?"

Meanwhile, Tsukuyomi remained at the east wing and headed towards the door at the far left. After making sure that no one was following her, she continued on her way through the empty, somewhat creepy corridor and reached the door. She didn't want to enter immediately, and like Erza did on the other side, she pressed her ear to the door to be extra careful. And by doing so… she could hear them.

"We looked around everywhere, but we still couldn't find her."

"Hm!" Tsukuyomi could hear someone speaking from the other side. She ducked lower and tried to see the people talking through the keyhole. From there, she could see a quite bizarre view.

There were two hooded figures standing in front of a desk in what seemed to be an office. She presumed that they were the ones she and Erza were chasing, but the figure that took her attention the most was the one sitting on the desk.

What seemed to be a tall chameleon was colored all in black with a venetian hat. Tsukuyomi was a bit creeped out by the sight of such a creature and wondered if it really was there, but she didn't want to be discovered, at least not immediately, and tried to continue listening to their discussion.

"We kept in mind the description the merchant gave us, but she's really good at hiding!"

"I see. It's understandable though. Even if it's a small town, there are indeed a lot of people. Chasing her down is a bit challenging… THAT IS! If she was just like everyone else! But the merchant clearly gave you a description on what she looked like! Did you really tell me that you weren't able to spot a girl wearing a kimono and carrying a katana with her?! What are you, blind!?" the chameleon shouted out.

"AAAAH! WE'RE SORRY!" the two hooded figures yelled, scared.

"Were they… searching for me?" Tsukuyomi thought… But that was natural, since Mukago also tried to get rid of her.

"I-In our defense, boss, she isn't the only one that dressed in an outfit like that!" one of the figures spoke.

"Y-Yeah! Even those of Shogu-" the other was about to add, but as soon as he started to speak a specific name, the chameleon freaked out again.

"SILENCE!"

"AAAAAAAH WE'RE SORRY!"

"Don't you ever say that name again! That disgusting guild still hasn't discovered me, and I won't let anyone like them, or a little girl stop my trafficking! Today's party ended up having a lot of people. If we play the right cards, we can make them submit to us and get more members for our work! Recently our sales haven't been the best for us, and since that miserable merchant I've hired and Mukago have both been arrested after getting exposed by that, we need more people to exploit everything they can! We should also start thinking about exploiting our staff outside of this town, maybe through the rest of Caelum or even all throughout Earthland!" the presumed leader then said.

"Yes…" The two figures liked the idea.

"BUT!" the chameleon then continued, making his two servants shiver again. "If we want this, we need to make sure that no one stands in our way! Not that disgusting guild, not any other guild and certainly nothing as stupid as a little girl in a kimono, GOT IT!?"

"Y-Yes sir!" the two minions answered.

After hearing this, Tsukuyomi had no more doubts. Whatever that creature was, it was the one that was trying to control the city from the shadows by tricking civilians.

"That's him… That's Kabuto!" she said in a very low voice. "Still… I don't know if it's a good idea to enter right now… I may cause a bit of havoc…" She then thought for a moment before turning around and starting to head towards the other side. "Maybe I should talk about it with-" She had the idea of find Erza first, but… she ended up slipping.

"WOAAAAAAH!" Since she couldn't keep the balance, she ended up falling against the door, opening it, and revealing herself to the trio in the room, who turned around quickly.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" all of them said in unison.

"Ah dammit! I've tripped over the kimono!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed while getting up. As soon as she raised her head, she could see that the people she was spying on were staring at her, causing her to make a dull face.

A moment of awkward silence followed… and then…

"B-BOSS! SHE'S HER! That's the girl that took down Mukago! The description is the same!" one of the two hooded figures exclaimed at the boss.

"You're lucky that she ended up coming for us! This surely makes things easier for us…" the chameleon answered before looking at the girl with a devious stare.

"Dang, at this point, I don't have a choice…" Tsukuyomi thought, realizing that the only way to get out was to fight. This made her unsheathe out her katana. "Are you Kabuto?" she then asked.

"Oh, so you were actually searching for me? Well, congratulations! It's quite a coincidence, we were searching for you, especially…" Kabuto replied before starting to growl, and he inexplicably grew bigger. "After you decided to mess up with my things. I'm sure that Mukago already told you how much we value respect, but it seems that you don't want to listen, do you?"

Tsukuyomi didn't expect to see that, but even so, she stood still. "And what did you expect exactly? Seeing someone try to take advantage of the others simply disgusts me! If you see me here, it's because I want to put a stop to this!" she exclaimed.

"Ahahah! Look at this brave heroine! Thinking that she can do whatever she pleases! Well, sorry to crush your dreams, but we have clear rules in this world, and if you disregard them, there's only one fate for you! KILL HER!" Kabuto shouted, ordering at the two subordinates to attack her.

The two hooded figures immediately aimed their index fingers at the girl and started to shoot at her with several lightning bullets. The girl widened her eyes and started to move and jump around the room to dodge the attacks aimed at her, revealing an impressive speed in her movements.

"Ngh! Stay still dammit!" one of the minions shouted, getting frustrated, but the other one already started thinking of an alternative.

"Leave it to me!" He then started to form a large whip of darkness from his hands and threw it at Tsukuyomi, with the intent of making her fall.

But the girl, who was standing with her feet on the ceiling in that moment, didn't seem to be scared. She instead held her sword tightly before jumping. Even with an attack coming straight torward, her she continued to remain confident, mostly because… it was an element she was well acquainted with.

"If you think you can get me with a dark power, then it's clear that you don't know me enough!" Tskuyomi proclaimed before jumping towards the attack.

"What is she-" The minion thought that Tsukuyomi was starting to panic and had thrown herself into the attack, but he couldn't predict what she was actually going to happen. As soon as he saw it, his eyes started to widen even more, looking like two large balls. "WhaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Tsukuyomi began to fill with a grey aura, making her look like a shooting star; by doing so, she could go through the whip of darkness and nullify it. As soon as she landed between the two minions, with Kabuto looking disgusted at the scene, she raised her cold stare and her blade.

"I consider myself a daughter of both light and darkness… and as such, it is them who show me the way. I cannot be harmed by them!" she exclaimed before swinging the katana, which was quickly surrounded by the same energy that covered her body. By putting strength into her hand, she delivered her blow. "Dance of the Eclipse Blade!" She released a long slice that cut through the two minions' bodies, leaving them with long slashes on their chests.

"GAAAAAH!" The two of them fell, knocked out, with Tsukuyomi rising up and looking at Kabuto, who started to sweat.

"S-Such swiftness! Just like…" Seeing her made him remember the people he hated so much. The way of fighting, the way she held her blade… resembled them. And this made him only more furious. "NO! I won't allow you to continue further!" He shouted before releasing seven balls made of black energy at the girl.

Tsukuyomi kept her feet steady and was ready to throw herself once again. "It is you who's going to stop! I've had enough!" she exclaimed. She immediately dashed towards the enemy, cutting the balls in half with the blade still covered in the grey energy; she made several movements to destroy them and reach Kabuto, who opened his mouth and tried to grab her with his tongue. Tsukuyomi covered herself in the grey energy and moved around the tongue, until she could finally reach Kabuto and attack with the sword. "TSEAAAH!"

The katana ended up cutting through his throat, and Tsukyomi landed behind him before turning around and delivering another blow to his back. "HEAAAAAAAH!"

"NGAAAAAH!" The attack sliced him, and Kabuto cried out of pain before his body started to distort itself into a ball that exploded.

"Uh? What… What happened to him?" she wondered. She looked around and tried to sense if his presence was still in the room, but he seemed completely gone. Since there weren't any signs of danger, and the two minions wouldn't be waking up for a while, she cleaned her sword with a swipe and slid it back into its sheath. "Is… Is it done? I mean, he disappeared, so I suppose he should be gone for good. Was he even human? Hmmm… Am I missing something?" Even when everything was calm, she kept questioning herself, to the point that she slapped herself. "Aaah! Stop it, Tsukuyomi! You're asking yourself too many questions! Alright, chill out… and investigate… Maybe there's something more." she then said to herself, giving herself a new task. She started to look around the room and could see that overall, it was almost clean, and there weren't too many things that could have been suspicious.

Then she decided to give a look at the desk where Kabuto was sitting and could see a paper with something written on it. Judging by what was written, it clearly belonged to the criminal, and it held notes about Kabuto's strategy to increase his illegal trafficking. Tsukuyomi became even more disgusted with his actions as soon as she saw all the things he was planning to do. But then… She stopped herself once she noticed something. Among the notes, there was a small part that in the procedure on how to hide while executing the plan.

1: Occupy the Bluegrad Mansion

2: Knock out and hide the owners

3: Take their appearances

4: Leave the Shadow Chameleons in one area to keep in contact with the subjects

5: Act like the owners. Keep an eye on the whole mansion while the trafficking slowly starts to get bigger, to the point where we'll be able to stay on top of Earthland's economy.

Tsukuyomi widened her eyes while reading this. She did hear something about their plans, but now, the rest seemed suddenly clear. "I… I knew it! It was too easy to end it like this… Which means…" As she started to recollect all the information, she could hear some noises from the wardrobe that was to the right of the desk - almost as if something was moving inside of it.

When she opened ot, she could see two individuals tied up and hung inside of it. One of them was a man around his seventies with a white and the other was a rather young boy with short black hair and blue eyes. Both of them were in their underwear.

"What the!?" Tsukuyomi exclaimed, a bit embarrassed by the sight, before she finally took off the gag and the rope that was binding them. As soon as they were free, the two people breathed heavily and the boy raised his head.

"ANF… ANF… Thank you so much! You don't know how long we were in there! Are you perhaps a mage from some guild?" he asked.

"No, but I came here to get Kabuto. I suppose that you are one of the owners of this mansion?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Y-Yes. My name is Ernst, and this is my father Orion. We are the current heads of the Bluegrad family… A few weeks ago, Kabuto and his men assaulted us during the night and took over the mansion. They are everywhere now! And I've just heard what they were saying!" the boy answered.

"Don't worry, we're here to put a stop to this. I've read his plan; I assume that he took the form of one of you?" Tsukuyomi then asked.

Ernst nodded. That answer was enough for the girl, who stood up.

"Leave it to us." she reassured them before leaving the room. Now that she knew everything, she needed to let Erza know.

The mage of Fairy Tail, in the meantime, had explored most of the mansion by this point, and everything seemed fine. But after seeing the reaction of the owner and the secret entrance, she was almost certain that they were hiding something. After doing a quick investigation of the room she checked, she realized she missed one room.

The kitchen.

All of that food must have come from somewhere, especially considering the size of the place. After making her way back to the main hall, she gave a look at all the doors to see if she had spotted one, she had yet to enter… and there was indeed one.

A door standing between two columns, which was guarded by one of those hooded figures. In fact, she had seen that door before when she was talking with Ernst. There was only one thing to do.

Moving quickly, she headed towards the door, but the 'guard' stood in front of her, blocking it. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but this room is off limits to the public. Please, enjoy the rest of the party!" he spoke.

Erza could clearly see that he was trying to send her away, but of all mages in Fairy Tail, she was surely one of the most insistent ones, so that wasn't going to happen that easily. "Oh really? How so? I don't know if your boss told you, but I'm here for an assignment and I've got the permission to explore every corner of the mansion."

Upon hearing this, the guard started to sweat. "R-Really! There really is nothing to see here! Why don't you get to know some of the men here? I've seen a couple of them - quite handsome!" he tried to insist, but… that excuse wasn't really something he should have used.

Erza made a sceptical face and then pushed the guard aside. "Move."

"AAAAH!" The man ended up hitting the column and fainted, giving the mage a chance to enter.

Once inside, she realized that her hunch was right and that this door led to the kitchen, which was small but full of items and utensils that seemed to be of high quality. But what caught her eye was that there were more guards dressed in those hoods, cooking at each station with chef hats on their heads. As soon as Erza opened the door, all of them laid their eyes on her.

After thinking that the chef hat on their heads was silly, she looked at what they were cooking. Apart from the regular food, they could see a green liquid that was boiling in a pot, which she recognized.

"…What… is… that?" she asked.

The hooded figures stood silent for a few seconds. "Uuuuhm… soup?" one of them said, trying to give a plausible answer. But at this point, Erza thought that they were getting stupider and stupider.

Once again, she made a sceptical face and changed her outfit to the Clear Heart Clothing. The men immediately understood what she was trying to do and tried to attack her, jumping and unleashing every type of portable magic possible at her.

But Erza knew well how to move and dodged their attacks with ease by making clear movements with her body. Then, while standing in mid-air she started to spin while holding her sword, appearing similar to a whirlwind, and managed to form several cuts throughout their bodies.

"WAAAAAAAAAH!" Since they couldn't keep up with her speed and power, they all were inevitably hit and fainted. Erza, on the other hand, landed on her feet with perfect form.

"Those robes may help them resist to magic, but this surely doesn't help them with physical resistance… Now… Let's see," she commented before giving a look at the pot. And after a few moments of watching, she was able to confirm what she was thinking.

"…Sleeping liquid," she simply spoke. She took the pot, threw it at the sink and then looked at the hall. If they already served it, she hoped to make it in time.

Even Tsukuyomi was running from the other side of the corridor, hoping to find the impostor and block him.

Erza came back to the hall and gave a careful look at the people at the party. They still seemed fine, but she then looked at the table and could see that the sleeping liquid was served in bottles. "Dammit…" she thought.

In that moment, Ernst was standing at the staircase. "May I have your attention, please?" he asked of the crowd, who turned around and looked at him. "I wish to thank you for coming at this party. In life, it's good to take a break from everything and enjoy ourselves - in friendship and love! And to that, to this moment, and to a possible future prosperity… I propose a toast! There's a special drink we've prepared for this night, which is really delicious! Please have some!" he said, raising a glass.

The crowd soon started to gather a glass of the sleeping liquid, making Erza widen her eyes and run. In that moment, Tsukuyomi came out from the top of the staircase and spotted Ernst from behind. "Found him!"

"To this night then!" the false owner said.

"To this-" The crowd was about to make the toast, but just before they could bring the drink to their mouths-

"STOP! DON'T DRINK IT!" Erza shouted as loud as she could to gather everyone's attention. Luckily she succeeded and everyone turned around, confused.

"What!? Erza, what are you doing!?" 'Ernst' exclaimed. And right in that moment, she could hear someone yell from behind, prompting him to turn around.

"I GOT YOU!" Tsukuyomi jumped from the top of the staircase, aiming at the impostor with her sword. Seeing how she was intending to attack him, Erza decided to follow her lead by making path through the guests and aiming for the impostor as well. "WREAAAAAAAAAH!"

"W-WHAT!? WHAT IS-!?" 'Ernst' was even more confused and bewildered at this point, but before he could do anything, he saw his façade break apart as the two girls attacked him with their blades, making him bleed. "GAAAAAH!"

Tsukuyomi landed perfectly and kept on holding her sword, while Erza pointed her own at the enemy. "I knew that there was something fishy as soon as you blinked. You were trying to put these people to sleep and then do God-knows-what to them. That's the 'special drink' you were offering, am I right!?" the red-haired girl exclaimed.

Gasps arose through the crowd and throughout the main hall. 'Ernst' could see as the people started to doubt and waver and gritted his teeth in frustration.

"It's pointless, you've ran out of tricks. It's time you expose yourself, Kabuto!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed, pointing the katana at him.

"What!?"

"That's Kabuto!?"

"That criminal that was hiding in this town!?"

"How is that possible!?"

The people were even more confused and waited for an answer from the host himself.

'Ernst' stood completely silent and with his head lowered.

"There's nowhere to run, surrender now," Erza warned him, but the boy didn't seem to show any signs of cooperation and stood still.

And then… he let out a long sigh. And while doing so, smoke escaped his body - which started to change, removing the disguise and revealing his true form.

A tall man with long, spiky black and white hair, icy blue eyes and sharp teeth, and he wore what seemed to be a black tunic. By seeing this, the guests were horrified, but the man instead smirked and turned on the two girls.

"Bravo… You really did a good job out there, messing with my men and ruining my future employers. I'll admit, it was my fault. As soon as you told me that you were a mage, I should have attacked you," he spoke. "But it's fine… Nothing I can't remedy now."

"That's the real you?" Tsukuyomi asked while maintaining her guard.

"That's right! You preferred me when I had the appearance of the owner, am I right? But I guess that you never understood that curiosity kills the cat. Dammit… I can't even express how pissed off I'm now. Everything was going fine and the road to the top was in front of me, and immediately after I get blocked by an annoying mage, and an even more annoying girl with a katana who can use magic. Why couldn't you just mind your damn business!? In life, people like me exist! You just need to accept that!" the man - Kabuto - explained.

"A pretty childish reasoning, don't you think? Getting wealth through deception and scams won't lead you anywhere. You should have understood that!" Erza told him.

"Playing with other's lives and money isn't something you can have fun with. People like you are what I despise most. I can't stand you any longer, I hope that you're ready now!" Tsukuyomi added. Erza could see that she as starting to get upset.

"Understand it? You think you can make me pay the price that easily!? Perhaps you have forgotten who you are talking to. I'm Kabuto, the greatest criminal in this city, and if you think that you'll be able to get out after offending me in such way, you are dead wrong! AND ALL OF YOU WILL BE THE ONES TO PAY!" After answering, Kabuto took two small scythes, like the one Mukago had, and started to charge an attack. The two girls were ready to answer, but to their horror, they could see that the attack made of dark energy was actually aimed at the guests. "AH!"

The peoples started to yell. There wasn't any time to run away or hide. But just as they thought that they were dead… they could hear that something blocked the attack.

Erza quickly jumped in front of the attack and blocked it with her sword. "NGHHH!" She took a strong stance against it, and she was able to push the attack away, but in doing so she got hit. "AGH!"

"Erza!" Tsukuyomi shouted out. Once the smoke came out, everyone could see that the girl was still standing.

"Don't worry… A mage of Fairy Tail doesn't go fall that easily. Let's take him down, Tsukuyomi!" she exclaimed. She then turned around and told the guests to escape. The girls would engage the enemy while they ran.

After receiving the confirmation, Tsukuyomi glared at Kabuto and threw herself against him with her katana. "BRING IT ON!"

As soon as she was in front of him, the criminal answered her attack with his two small scythes, forcing the girl to start a small clash of weapons. Kabuto turned out to be skilled enough to match with Tsukuyomi's katana, delivering one blow after another as his scythes rotated.

"He's fast! This is clearly the real one - it's completely different from the shadow I've faced!" the girl thought while attacking.

"HEHEHEHEAHAHAHAHAAAH!" While fighting with the girl, Kabuto released a portion of his dark aura and made two slashes of energy directly at the girl, who widened her eyes in shock.

But just like she did with his chameleon shadow, something like this wasn't going to make her falter, and she stood ready. "Eclipse Spear!" She then dashed straight forward against Kabuto to pass through the two slashes and neutralized them. Even with this, the girl didn't stop and continued her charge against Kabuto, who wasn't scared either, and was actually able to block the blade with one of his small scythes.

"So, what you did before wasn't a coincidence, eh!? You really pass through darkness easily," Kabuto commented.

"I think I made myself clear! I'm on both sides!" Tsukuyomi retorted while trying to push against him.

In that moment, Erza was already running towards the enemy and jumped to attempt a dive attack against him, but Kabuto's reflexes were fast enough to allow him to block the attack with a scythe. But the mage known as Titania wasn't going to end there.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both Tsukuyomi and Erza started then to go at high speed with their blades, making an ever-faster combination of blades in an attempt to surpass the criminal. Even if he was skilled enough to keep up with their pace, Kabuto could see that they weren't going to stop and started to sweat.

"You're making me tired here, how about you stop? Which is what you should have done… FROM THE BEGINNING!" He then released his energy into a spiral made of shadow chameleons that went directly against the two girls, sounding like errant ghosts.

"BENIKAZURA!"

"DANCE OF THE ECLIPSE!"

Both Tsukuyomi and Erza started to use their blades at maximum power to counter the attack, but they could soon notice that the chameleons weren't going to stop appearing and try to devour them. The girls started to sweat as they continued their attacks, while Kabuto continued to emit energy from his body in order to send the chameleons, which started to look more like a dark tempest that was slowly devouring the hall.

"NGHHH! N-No… Don't quit! Please hold on!" Tsukuyomi thought while continuing.

"Keep moving! Don't let him win!" Seeing that her companion was starting to falter, Erza tried to encourage her. "Think of what you really want and push it through!"

Once again, Tsukuyomi was genuinely surprised by the other girl. Even if she was busy and the enemy was going straight for her, she didn't lose her composure and continued to attack. She always wondered what it felt like… but now she could see it.

The true nature… of a mage. Someone who doesn't give up.

After hearing this, Tsukuyomi gave a more determined stare and continued to attack the chameleons, which became greater in number and even bigger, to the point that they could have devoured that room. But no matter what… the two of them didn't stop.

"WREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tsukuyomi and Erza continued… and then… they were devoured by the blackness.

Kabuto could notice that the two of them disappeared, and as such, he stopped the attack. Due to the effort, he panted heavily for some seconds, but in the end… He was smiling… Delighted at what he had accomplished.

"Anf… Finally! I've got rid of them! Ahahah! See? If they only minded their own business from the beginning, they wouldn't have been erased! This will serve as a proof to those who will try to defy me in the future!" he said, thinking he had won. He then turned to the main door and started to walk down the stairs. "Now… Time to get back at the guests. Now that the mages are gone, there's nothing to prevent me from taking-"

But before he could even reach them…

"BLARGH!" A cut on his chest suddenly appeared, making him lose blood. "W-WHAT!?" he shouted. "W-Where did this cut come from!?"

And then…

"Mukago fell for the same trick. It seems that you're not that superior from your crew, aren't you?" Tsukuyomi said, appearing from behind him.

"W-What is the meaning of this!? I saw you disappear; you should have been erased!" Kabuto exclaimed, starting to freak out.

"Nothing much… Just what a mage would do, right? Use their magic to win!" Tsukuyomi answered while turning around, and she gave him a smirk.

"That's right." In that moment, even Erza appeared in front of Kabuto, with her sword on her hand. "I have to say… I'm surprised that you came up with something like this!"

"This is the benefit of being in the middle of both light and darkness! As one, I can merge within… and form an eclipse!" Tsukuyomi answered. "What you've seen is a technique that allows me to become one with the element and disappear as a smoke for a period of time, so that I can take the enemy by surprise! A trick that works with simple enemies!" she then explained with a silly and happy tone.

By hearing her… Erza started to feel even more curious about that girl. "Eclipse… magic?"

"S-Simple?! YOU THINK I'M SIMPLE!?" Kabuto exclaimed, feeling utterly offended. His pride was completely shattered with this. All that he could think in that moment was to chop the head of those two girls. He didn't hesitate, he immediately went for the kill by using the darkness in his two small scythes. "I'M KABUTO! THE ONE DESTINED TO STAND AT THE TOP OF THE ECONOMY! I WON'T LET ANYONE-" But, at this point, it was useless.

Those two already know what to do.

"Double Cross Eclipse Attack!" In an instant, Tsukuyomi surpassed Kabuto's speed and used the katana to form a large X on his body, sending him flying.

"GAAAAAAH!" Kabuto thought that this was the absolute worst… but then he turned around, he noticed that Erza was standing there. "NONONONO!"

The mage of Fairy Tail changed her outfit in the Heaven's Wheel Armor and made one decisive blow in the form of several swords attacking in a delta formation. "TRINITY BLADE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Making a ridiculous shout, Kabuto found himself full of slices all over his body and was sent flying again, this time outside of the mansion, where the guests could see him. "G-GH…I-I'M NOT…" He tried to stand up, but he could already see a small pair of imperial soldiers standing above him. It took just a second to handcuff him. Kabuto turned around and could see that even his minions were caught. "…Why didn't I listen to my mother and do that crochet course?"

Erza changed back into her normal outfit and looked at the defeated opponent with a smile, while Tsukuyomi looked delighted as well. "We did it!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. And it's also thanks to you," Erza told her while keeping her smile.

Upon hearing that, the girl in the kimono blushed a little. "Oh, come now… It's not that big of a deal… I just… helped."

"But you still did a lot! And you've helped a legal mage catch a criminal," the mage of Fairy Tail insisted. "Plus… Someday you'll have to explain to me that Eclipse Magic of yours. You've caught my interest, I'll admit it!"

"In that case... I thank you… for letting me help you…" Tsukuyomi replied.

In that moment, the true Ernst and his father came out of the east wing and looked at the two girls. Ernst had found some spare clothes to put on. "Is it done?"

"Yes! Kabuto is out of comission! You can take your mansion back!" the girl in the kimono said with a smile.

Both the young boy and the older man let out a breath of relief. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If there's anything I can do to repay you this… Please don't hesitate to ask," Ernst then said.

The two girls looked at each other with a smirk. They had an idea.

---

After everything was over, Ernst cleaned everything all by himself, surprising the two girls and removing all the sleeping liquid from the mansion. A while later, all the guests were back inside the main hall, where Ernst was standing at the top of the staircase. This time, for a real speech.

"I humbly apologize for all the inconveniences you've been put through on this night. During these past months, we'd been taken hostage by an outlaw. But thanks to the efforts of two young girls, that miserable man has been stopped. So, I dedicate this party for those two! Thank you, Erza Scarlet and Tsukuyomi Dragneel!"

An applause followed the speech, with the two girls standing there alongside the crowd.

"And now… Let the party begin! For real this time!" Orion added. And then, just like it happened before, the people inside the Bluegrad Mansion were enjoying a normal and happy party where they could have fun and meet new people - this time without the ulterior motives of a criminal. Both Erza and Tsukuyomi decided to stay there for the night, as a way to make Ernst repay the debt. Needless to say, both of them had fun.

Then, during the party, Erza could notice that Tsukuyomi went out to one of the terraces of the mansion, staring up at the starry sky. The girl of Fairy Tail thought that maybe she wanted a moment alone. She deserved it, after all. Then… She remembered of one peculiar thing that she needed to confirm. That last name that Tsukuyomi had.

"I'm Tsukuyomi! Tsukuyomi Dragneel!"

It sounded way too familiar. It was funny, now that she thought about it. When they met during the day, she had thought that it would have been a one-time encounter and that there would have been a low chance that they would meet again. But instead, Tsukuyomi was the one who found her and actually wanted to help her.

Now that they knew each other a bit better… maybe she could get an answer. Perhaps not the one she was expecting… but it was worth trying.

Tsukuyomi was looking at the sky, thinking that it was still incredible how she ended up fighting against a criminal. It all started because she didn't want to relive another scenario like the one she had in her past… And yet… While helping Erza with the job… She felt alive. For her, it was natural at this point to look again at that mountain that stood above the city. Now more than ever… She thought that she could go there. Her thoughts were stopped when she heard someone approaching, which made her turn around. It was Erza.

"Am I disturbing something?" the red-haired girl asked.

"No, not really. Just chilling out," the black-haired girl replied. Erza came closer and gave a look at the sky as well.

"…What a busy day, eh?" she then asked.

"Absolutely. And to think that it all started because I spotted that fake clam," Tsukuyomi commented with a small laugh. "But… I feel fine, overall… I don't know… I almost felt like I was capable of anything. And… Seeing Ernst, his father and you being thankful for me… made my heart warm."

"You're not used to compliments? For someone like you, it should be only natural," Erza told her.

"It's not that. It's just that… I've had a lot of difficulties in my life and there were some events that made me stop smiling for a bit. Maybe I've decided to take action because I wanted to feel better for just a little longer. And well, because I couldn't stand Kabuto after hearing what he was doing," Tsukuyomi answered.

"I can totally understand it. You really seemed to have the nature of a mage… but I know that you are one, after seeing you fight," Erza spoke. "Eclipse magic… It's the first time I've heard of something like that. How exactly are you able to control both light and darkness?" she then asked.

After hearing her question, Tsukuyomi made a small laugh. "To be honest, I don't know either. It was just something I've always had ever since I was born. Both light and darkness exist in my heart and through time, I found a way to make them merge and generate this element. It's almost like those days when the moon covers the sun, when pure light and pure darkness become one. That is why I called it eclipse. I don't know if it has a specific name."

"Oh, don't worry, there's not as far as I know. People like you are very rare. I only know a few of them," Erza commented.

"Really? Even for someone like you?" Tsukuyomi asked.

Erza nodded. And then… she thought that it was time. "Now that I think of it… While I was busy with my mission, I couldn't help but think of something when you said your name. Dragneel… Am I correct?"

"Uh? Oh, yes. Tsukuyomi Dragneel," the other girl confirmed.

"…Is there perhaps a chance you know someone called… Natsu Dragneel?" the girl from Fairy Tail then asked.

Tsukuyomi stood silent for a few seconds, trying to think about it, but… she was coming up with blanks, and so she shook her head. "Hmmm… No. Not really. To be honest… I've only discovered that this was my true last name… just a few years ago."

Erza was confused. "What?"

"Remember when I told you that this katana belonged to my father? Well… The truth is that he was my adopted father. I was found on the banks of a river… That's where the people I call my parents found me… and decided to raise me. In fact, my name should actually be Tsukuyomi Mikadzuki, which is the last name of my parents. But then… when I was eighteen… they told me the truth… and how, through a particular series of coincidences… they'd discovered the identity of my real father. When i've moved out to live on my own, my father wanted me to use the name of my real family, even if it wasn't that big of a deal with me," the other girl explained.

Erza left her continue, still confused.

"You see… The region from where I come from, Iceberg, knew of the conflict between the kingdom of Fiore and the Alvarez Empire two years ago… and the most figures involved were primarily mentioned the newspapers… Including the face of my father," Tsukuyomi then continued.

Erza tried to think of explanations… and then came up with a plausible answer. But when she thought about it… It made her heart stop for a second.

Tsukuyomi then took her wallet out, reaching inside to grab something. "My parents told me that when they found me… there was a small, tattered paper with the name 'Dragneel' written on it. And when they heard about the leader of one of the two factions… They told me." She then handled the item to Erza, who grabbed it. "They said that this man… was probably my father."

Erza looked at the picture… and her thoughts became reality. A man with short black hair… and dark eyes, wearing an elegant black and white dress. "A-AH!" Erza was shocked to see it. It was an old story of both her past and that of the guild, but hear it again was like getting hit by a truck. For a long time, they thought it could have been impossible… but there was Tsukuyomi. The living proof.

Tsukuyomi could see that Erza faltered for a moment. "I-Is everything ok?" she asked.

Erza hesitated to answer at first… but she needed to tell her. Both of them deserved to know. "You… You know… who this man's name was?" she asked.

"Uh… My parents told me that in the empire, he was known as Spriggan… but here at Ishgar… he was known at… Zeref Dragneel… Am I right?" Tsukuyomi replied.

There was no doubt. That was the answer. The fact that her parents found her, the fact that she was a mage and that she could control both light and darkness… and now that Erza looked at her more closely… She had the traits of both of them.

Erza took a deep breath… and spoke. It was only fair. "…I don't know if you wish to trust me but… me and my guild… know about both your father… and most likely your mother as well. It's a story that is regarded by us deeply. Do you want to hear it?"

Tsukuyomi's eyes slightly widened. "Ah! Please… Please do. I… won't hide the fact that I'm curious," she spoke. And it was true. For a while, she wanted to know more about her true origins. And she was even going to know about her other parent.

"It's… a really sad but moving story… that brought a lot of discomfort to both your parents and many other lives, but that ended in love," Erza started. "First of all, what your adoptive parents said is surely true. As far as we know, there aren't many people with the last name 'Dragneel', so it's sure that… Zeref is your father. As for your mother, she was a girl named Mavis Vermilion, the co-founder and first Master of the guild where I come from, Fairy Tail."

"Really? Woah…" Tsukuyomi said surprised.

And so, Erza told her most of the story. A story about two people that ended up meeting by pure coincidence and were bonded by magic… and a curse that brought despair, battles and sadness… but that ended in a happy way, thanks to the love that everyone shared. The tale of the black mage and the barefooted girl that continued to live throughout the centuries.

"And… that's the whole story…" Erza concluded, worried of what Tsukuyomi may have thought.

"I…I see. So, my parents were finally able to break the curse thanks to their love… and passed away with the help of this Natsu that you mentioned, who is… my uncle? I guess?" the girl in the Kimono spoke.

Erza nodded. "Your father and his warriors ended up harming a lot of people, but deep inside… He never forgot what was important for him. I'm sure that… he wanted to make things right… and your mother knew that."

"…I… I have no doubts on that…" Tsukuyomi said. And Erza could hear… sobs coming from her.

"Uh? Tsukuyomi?" she asked worried.

The samurai girl raised her head… and her face was covered in tears. "I-It's just that… hearing that… It saddens me. I know that it's strange, since I've never knew them, and I was raised by foster parents who loved me but… to hear such story… and hear what they had been through… It just makes me feel sad… GH… M-Maybe if I was there… things might have gone differently… It… Dammit… It's painful." The sobs started to get stronger…

Erza felt genuinely bad for her. "Maybe I should have stayed quiet…"

"No no… You were right to tell me. Now… I know what happened to them. Me and my parents… wanted to know the truth for a while by now, even if I don't know how I could have been born," Tsukuyomi said, while continuing to sob. "It's just… some sort of… grieving. I… I wish I could have met them…"

Erza could understand her grief in that moment. Even if she hadn't had the exact same experience, she knew what it felt like. "…They would have loved you."

The two girls stood in silence for some seconds. Tsukuyomi then came closer and hugged Erza, who hugged her back in silence. The girl's sobs became a full cry. It was indeed strange… but the attachment was true.

"…It's alright. Wherever they are now... they're happy… and they wouldn't want to see you like this," the girl from Fairy Tail told her.

Tsukuyomi drew back from the hug, tears still in her eyes. "I… I know. And… eheh… If anything… this gave me a new purpose," she spoke. "My mother seemed to be a really caring person… I wish I could show that same love to other people, by helping them. And... this makes me sort of accept my last name. I could go follow in their footsteps..." she then said, wiping away her tears. In that moment, Erza could see how the girl seemed to blend in with the pale moon, almost as if she resembled it. It was just perspective, but a cute comparison to think about.

It was then… that Erza came up with an idea. Tsukuyomi had all the requirements for it… so it was worth Erza's while to give her a proposal.

"If so… Would you be interested in joining Fairy Tail?"

"Uh?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"You are a strong fighter and someone who holds dear the safety of other people. These are things that we absolutely respect at our guild. I want to give you the chance of accomplish this new wish in the same place that your mother founded. I can assure you that you will find a warm and loving home, a ton of adventure and friends that will always stay by your side. Sure, they can be lousy, but they are the most trustworthy people you could ever find!" Erza explained. "Gee, I sound like I'm selling something…" she then commented. "Anyways… What do you think?"

Tsukuyomi looked at her in silence… The expression on her face seemed to say that she liked the idea.

"You could also get the chance to know your uncle!" Erza added.

Tsukuyomi thought carefully about it. The world that her mother built over a century ago… The most famous and strongest guild of them all, and a place that she could called her new home. Plus, she'd gotten to know Erza and she really liked her as a person. This could have been the perfect chance.

But… She looked at the mountain again. Erza's offer probably would have been the better option… but she could still feel that she wanted to achieve her goal here. She heard of the people living in the mountain and thought that maybe… that could have been their ideal place. Fairy Tail was still an option, but… she wanted to make something different.

"…Erza… this is a beautiful proposal and… to join a place full of people like you would be the best," she started. "But unfortunately… I have to decline."

Erza was surprised. "Uh? Really? I mean, I don't want to force you but… May I know why? Just for curiosity," she asked.

"What I just said is true… I want to experience that same spirit of love and friendship that my mother showed but… I want to make it… in my own way. That's it. I won't hide the fact that it would make me curious to stay in your guild but..." she replied. "There's something I haven't told you yet. I've actually… had ideas for joining one…" she spoke.

At this point, the girl known as Titania was fairly interested. "Really? Which one?"

For the first time, Tsukuyomi could point at the mountain. When Erza looked in that direction… she could see it.

A large palace built in an oriental style, looking like some sort of temple. "Woah… I didn't notice it actually…" she commented.

"That palace… is actually a guild. One that is made for those, like me, who seek the path of the warrior and the path of altruism. I've sent a request to join a while ago and that's the reason why I'm here! To see if I could get accepted in that guild, one of the most renowned guilds here in the region of Caelum," Tsukuyomi explained.

Erza didn't know the place but judging by its look… She could tell that they were hiding something special. "I see… Glad that you already have an idea. What is the name of this guild?" she then asked.

Tsukuyomi said the name with a happy tone.

"Shogunate Pride."

"Shogunate Pride…" Erza repeated. "A truly elegant name."

---

The next day, both their roads were settled. While Erza would return to Fiore, Tsukuyomi would stay in the town, which was now more secure after Kabuto was sent away.

The two girls stood at the port. Before getting on her ship, Erza handed 10.000 Jewels at Tsukuyomi. "Half of the reward for Kabuto's capture," she told her.

"Are you sure? I mean… The work was yours…" Tsukuyomi asked.

"You've helped me a lot back there, it's only fair that I share part of the money with you! Perhaps it could help you with the guild!" Erza answered back with a wink.

"True enough… Well… I guess that this is where we part ways, right?" the girl in the kimono asked.

"I guess so. But I hope that we'll be able to meet again. I wouldn't want to miss the chance to fight together with someone like you. And remember… If you were ever to change plans, Fairy Tail will always have its doors open for you," Erza answered, making the other girl nod.

"Absolutely and… thank you for giving me the chance to help you," Tsukuyomi then said. "I hope you'll have a nice return.

"It is I who needs to thank you. You've helped me a lot. And I wish you good luck with Shogunate Pride! Do your best!" Erza concluded.

"Absolutely!" the black-haired girl exclaimed.

And with those words… Erza's stay ended. Her ship started to sail and headed back to Fiore. It was a nice experience for her. She met a formidable warrior… and a new friend.

"BYE ERZA!"

"BYE TSUKUYOMI! TAKE CARE!"

A few minutes later, the ship was far enough in the distance to have to yell. Tsukuyomi was really glad to have met such a girl. She gave her confidence, strength, told her the truth and gave her an idea on how mages worked.

All traits… that she would have used there.

She turned around and looked at the mountain… now more determined than ever as she held her katana.

The guilds were places where mages gathered and served their lands, to protect them from any deviant forces using magic. And in the city of Elba, in the region of Caelum, there was a guild made for those who wanted to seek the path of the warrior… and the path of altruism.

A guild where the weapons clashed, and the magic was at its uppermost level.

A guild… made of Samurai.

"Shogunate Pride…Here I come!"

---

And that's finally it! Gosh, I never would have thought this chapter would have turned out to be that long! But I guess I have to blame myself for all the ideas that come in my mind. But at least, I've got what I've wanted. This chapter served mostly as a prologue to give you an idea on what the story will look like once it will officially start. The chapter was a bit different at first, and it went on various changes, but the general idea remained overall the same. And I hope it stimulated you to make your own OCs! Let me know if you liked it, and I hope to see a lot of you here! Remember that, for those who want to submit their characters, the deadline is 05/28/2023, and then the story will begin for real, and we'll see the adventures of this new guild!

Update 06/05/2023: As of today, all characters have been submitted and the SYOC is officially closed. The next chapter is the second and is currently on work.

From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!