A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWELVE: SKY LABYRINTH
Nighttime, Crocus...
Night had fallen as Sebastian was currently walking around Crocus with Romin. His teammates were off doing their own thing, but they all had to be back at their assigned inn by midnight, for reasons unknown. Both of them were wearing their usual attire.
"It's really peaceful at night." Sebastian commented, looking up at the nightly sky.
"Indeed." Romin agreed.
Sebastian took Romin's hand, who was taken aback but didn't pull away. Sebastian closed his eyes and sighed. Nothing could ruin this peaceful night.
"The dragons who taught us Dragon Slayer Magic were slain by our own hand, so we could become true Dragon Slayers..."
He spoke too soon.
Recognizing that voice and the two scents, he followed it. Romin trailed behind Sebastian. Sure enough, he found Sting and Rogue with their Exceeds, along with Natsu, some blonde girl, and a blue Exceed.
"Still going around bragging about that, Rogue, Sting? Tsk, tsk. What would Skiadrum and Weisslogia think if they heard you brag about you two killing them?"
An irk mark appeared on Sting's face. "I know that voice from anywhere..." He muttered before turning around. "If it isn't my favorite person."
"Feeling's mutual, kitty. I'm not a big fan of yours either." Sebastian stated. "You really shouldn't go around bragging about how you killed Weisslogia. After all, your dragon was like a parent to you." He turned to Natsu. "Ain't that right, cousin?"
"Cousin?" Lucy repeated in shock.
"I didn't know you had family, Natsu..." Happy muttered.
"I don't!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Don't be mistaken. Natsu and I aren't blood-related. Our only relation is between our dragon fathers." Sebastian claimed. This shocks Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. "You're the son of Igneel, correct?"
"You know Igneel?" Natsu asked.
"Not personally. My father was close friends with him, however. He told me stories about the Fire Dragon King. Considering my Magic is fairly similar to yours, that would make us cousins." Sebastian replied.
"Similar to Natsu's?" Lucy questioned in her head.
"Did you murder your own parent, too?!" Natsu accused.
"Seb-" Romin began as Sebastian's face grew dark.
"For you to even ask that is unbelievable. Atlas was my father. I'm not some heartless monster like these two." Sebastian claimed, gesturing to Sting and Rogue. "Atlas left me in the year 777, much like Igneel did to you."
Natsu's face softened. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed." He apologized.
Sebastian snorted. "It's whatever. Not like I care about it anyway." He replied.
Lucy looked at him. "He says that, but he did look really hurt by Natsu's accusation." She noted.
"Anyhow." Sebastian then turned to Sting, getting in his face. "Black Sun will be the one to finally overthrow Sabertooth this year."
The familiar name leaving Sebastian's mouth grabbed the three Fairy Tail Mages attention. "...Black Sun?" Natsu repeated.
"That's the guild Macao and the others were talking about..." Happy mumbled.
Sebastian and Sting clashed their heads together. "Don't get cocky, Sebby." Sting taunted.
"I'm only saying the truth, you laser breathing bastard." Sebastian shouted back.
Romin sighed. "They're doing it again..." He muttered while Rogue just simply rolled his eyes.
Sebastian pulled away. "Forget it. I always feel like I'm losin' brain cells talking to you." He sighed, making Sting more irritated with him then he already was. Sebastian smirked as he looked at him.
"All I'm saying is, there's two other members of the Assembly of Ash on my team. So you and the rest of the kitties better watch your back." Sebastian declared, making both Sting and Rogue get taken aback. "Let's go, Romin. I need to make it back to the inn before curfew."
"Yeah." Romin said.
Sebastian turned his head around. "Tell your bastard of a guild master that Master Souta sends his regards, will ya?" He smirked when Sting stepped forward but Rogue held him back.
"Keep your composure, he's trying to provoke you." Rogue stated.
"I knew you were the smarter one, Shadow Dragon." Sebastian grinned before walking away with Romin.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Romin scolded.
Sebastian laughed. "Because it's hilarious seeing Sting's face." He replied. "But no matter. Both the White Dragon and Shadow Dragon will fall. Either by the hands of my cousin, or myself. The Games will be interesting this year, Ro. I'll tell you that right now."
Aster was currently roaming around Crocus with Zane and Raden. "Not that I don't mind your company, Raden, but how come you're with me and not Sebastian-nii?" He questions the Exceed.
"I want to leave him and Romin alone." Raden replied.
"What about you, Zane-san?"
Zane shrugged. "Crocus is nice around this time of night." He responded.
"Well, you're not wrong-" Aster pauses his words and stops in his tracks.
"Hm? Something wrong, Aster?" Raden asked, wondering why he stopped so suddenly while Zane just looked in confusion.
Aster doesn't answer him and takes off in a certain direction. Zane and Raden shared a look with one another before following him. There, they saw a young girl around Aster's age being attacked, along with a white Exceed.
"Fire God's Eruption!" Zane shouted, slamming his hand onto the ground as black flames erupt from the ground, attacking the unknown figure.
Aster quickly catches the girl before she collapses to the ground while Raden transformed into his battle shift and caught the white Exceed. "Damn it, we're too late!" Aster exclaimed.
Zane walked over, taking notice of the sky blue Fairy Tail guild mark located on the girl's right shoulder. "Aster, this girl is from Fairy Tail." He said.
"We got no time to think. We have to bring the Master here so Wendy-chan and Carla can get their strength back." Aster informed.
Zane doesn't question how Aster knew this girl. "I will find the Master while Raden waits here with them. You have to get back to your team's inn before midnight, remember?" He reminded him.
"Right, right." Aster sighed.
"These two will be fine. Stop worrying and focus on getting the top spot." Zane added.
Aster nodded as he walked towards the direction of his team's inn, leaving Wendy and Carla in Zane and Raden's care.
"Wendy-chan, I hope you'll be okay..."
"Am I late?" Aster asked, entering his team's inn and found Sebastian, Orion, Daegon, and Kida already there.
"You just made it." Daegon responded.
"Good." Aster said. "You wouldn't believe what happened. Someone attacked Wendy-chan and Carla. I was too late to save them."
His statement surprised the rest of his teammates. "Oh, my... Are they okay?" Kida asked in concern.
"They're with Raden right now. Zane-san went to find the Master." Aster replied, clenching his fist. "Damn... If only I sensed the danger sooner..."
"Come on now, Val. Don't beat yourself up just because you couldn't save your cute little crush on time~!"
"I know the guy who still hasn't confessed his feelings to Romin-san isn't talking!"
"Ouch. Careful, Aster. That's a touchy subject for Seb." Orion teased, making Daegon and Kida chuckle.
"Screw you guys!" Sebastian huffed out.
The clock soon struck midnight. "Everyone in the guilds who have gathered together for the Grand Magic Games... Good morning!" Someone began speaking.
Everyone looked at the balcony. "Outside?!" Orion asked as they went to the balcony, seeing a man in a pumpkin suit.
"Beginning now, we're going to take the 113 participating teams and have an elimination round to pare them down to ten!" Mato announced.
"Elimination round?!" Kida repeated.
"Why weren't we informed of this?!" Daegon questioned.
"Kida-chan, you were apart of the team last year. Was there an elimination round?" Aster asked.
"No. This is new." Kida responded.
Mato soon started dancing. "Every year, the number of participating guilds increases and it is pointed out that the events were getting stale. This year, there will be only ten teams competing in the official games. The elimination rules are simple!"
The inn started to shake as Sebastian tried to steady himself all while trying not to puke his guts out in the process.
"The inn is transforming!" Orion announced.
"Look! The other inns are doing the same thing!" Aster pointed out.
Mato turned around with his index finger still up in the air. "All of you are going to race each other. The goal is the Games arena, Domus Flau. The first ten teams to arrive there will go on." He said. "You're free to use your magic. There are no restrictions. But remember, only the first ten teams to get to the goal will survive this round. However, all five members must arrive together or it doesn't count!"
"And one more thing! We take no responsibility for any lives lost in the labyrinth."
"Labyrinth?!" Sebastian repeated as a huge ball appeared.
"The Grand Magic Games elimination round! Sky Labyrinth... begin!" Mato shouted.
The Black Sun representatives soon rushed up the steps towards the Labyrinth until they finally entered.
"So it's a three-dimensional maze in here..." Daegon commented.
"Looking at this is making my head spin." Sebastian stated. "Anyways, let's get to the goal before Sabertooth does. So I can see the look on Sting's face when Team Black Sun enters first in the arena!"
"He really takes his rivalry with Sting too far sometimes." Orion sighed.
"Agreed." Aster said.
"We should head east. The arena is in that direction." Kida informed.
The group soon began running up the steps. "You doing okay?" Orion questioned Sebastian.
"Yeah. I don't know why, but I'm not feelin' sick at all." Sebastian answered.
Mato's face soon appeared. "I'll explain! For the elimination round, this entire Sky Labyrinth has been treated with magic so that even those with motion sickness or fear of heights can compete fairly!" He explained before his face disappeared.
"Makes sense." Kida said.
They soon continued heading east. "By the way, I should've asked this sooner... Can't you get a whiff of the goal or something, Seb?" Orion asked.
"My nose isn't working." Sebastian replied.
"Maybe that's due to the magic cast in this labyrinth..." Daegon stated.
"Fair point. They wouldn't want any guild to gain the upper hand if they have a wizard with a keen sense of smell." Orion agreed.
"Thanks for getting me quickly, Zane."
Zane had gotten Souta as they arrived where Wendy and Carla were. "What happened to them?" Souta asked as a pale light appeared from his hands. He began to heal Wendy first.
"Aster, Raden, and I were just walking and they were ambushed by someone." Zane explained.
"I see... It's possible it could be someone competing in the Games." Souta sighed.
"But who could hate Fairy Tail so bad that they don't want them competing?" Zane asked, making Souta shrug.
"I've sent Percy and Romin to look for any Fairy Tail members who are not competing. You and Raden should join the search." He stated.
"Right away, Master." Zane said as him and Raden took off.
"Hey! Sebastian-nii, Daegon-san..." Aster suddenly alerted as he stopped.
"Yeah." Daegon said.
"I heard something, too. Looks like we got company." Sebastian informed.
"Hey, it's Black Sun!"
"No way! That's the second strongest guild? They don't look like much!"
"Huh? Underestimating us? That's a big mistake." Sebastian said, lighting up his fist in flames. "We're going to show you..."
Aster gets covered in golden energy. "...the power of Black Sun's strongest!" He finished.
"We're here, too..." Daegon and Kida commented.
"Out of our way!" Sebastian, Aster, and Orion shouted in unison, using their Magic to attack the unknown guild members, making them fall down towards Crocus and being eliminated.
A statue's eyes soon flashed red as the labyrinth began to shift. "What the...?!" Daegon questioned.
"Hey-hey-hey-hey!" Sebastian exclaimed.
"What's happening?!" Kida asked as Aster was holding onto her wrist.
"The floor... No, this is..." Aster trailed off.
"The entire labyrinth is rotating!" Orion informed.
"Huh?!"
Both Sebastian and Kida fell towards Crocus as other unknown guild members were in the same boat, while some were holding onto dear life and trying not to fall. "What the heck is that?" Percy wondered.
"Hey, don't tell me..." Romin trailed off.
"Zane, look!" Raden pointed out, gesturing to the labyrinth.
"People are falling!" Zane exclaimed. "You're disqualified if you're outside the zone, right?"
"I hope Sebastian is okay..." Raden muttered.
Aster held himself on two of the platforms with Orion just above him. "It's rotating on a Z-axis!" He informed.
"Everyone, move to the flank!" Orion ordered.
"You couldn't have said that earlier?!" Kida scolded.
"I could sure use Raden here right about now...!" Sebastian exclaimed.
"You don't need Raden! Chimerism Magic: Eagleeye!" Daegon shouted as a pair of powerful feathered wings appeared from his backside. He leaped forward, catching both Sebastian and Kida in his arms. He landed on the ground just as the wings disappeared from his back.
"N-Nice catch!" Sebastian praised.
"Thanks, Daegon!" Kida thanked him.
"No need to thank me." Daegon grinned.
"Are you guys okay?!" Aster shouted.
"Yeah!"
"It's stopped." Orion noticed.
"But this is seriously screwed up. What kind of contraption is this?" Aster wondered.
"Remember, the idea is to take over 100 teams and narrow them down to ten. This is a logical way." Orion replied.
"And a lot of teams were just shaken right off..." Aster concluded.
"Let's get going, they might not give us a warning again if they decide to rotate the labyrinth." Daegon stated. His teammates agreed as they continued on their way.
"Max! Did you find anything?!" Alzack asked.
"No. There's the lateness of the hour for one thing, and no relevant into at all out there..." Max replied.
"I know, right? Where the heck did you go, Wendy?!" Warren questioned.
"Hey! Fairy Tail members!"
Alzack, Warren, and Max turned to find Zane, Percy, Romin, and Raden rushing towards them. "Those people..." Max muttered, spotting Zane's purple Black Sun guild emblem on his left shoulder.
"Black Sun?" Alzack finished.
"We've been searching all over the city for you guys!" Romin informed.
"Not the whole city, he's exaggerating." Percy sighed.
"What can we help you with?" Warren questioned.
Zane turned towards him. "You have Telepathy Magic, right? Contact the rest of your guildmates. We found your missing guild member." He responded, shocking Alzack, Max, and Warren.
Lisanna and Happy arrived with Zane and Raden at the king's palace. "This is the palace of the King of Fiore?" Lisanna asked.
"The Flower Light Palace, Mercurius..." Happy muttered.
"First time seeing it?" Zane questioned as Lisanna and Happy nodded. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Zane Xerces."
"Warren told us you were the one who found Wendy and Carla." Happy stated.
"Mm, yeah. Me and one of my guildmates found her. My Master is with them now." Zane said.
They were soon stop by the Royal guards, who prevented them from going any further. "Hey, you four!"
"What are you doing here at this time of night?!"
"Let them through. They're here for their guild member who was meant to participate in the elimination round for the Grand Magic Games." Souta informed, pushing the two spears away. "Follow me. I'll lead you right to them."
Happy and Lisanna followed Souta, Zane, and Raden towards where Wendy and Carla were. "I'm surprised they let us in, you know?" Happy said.
"The garden is open to the public for sightseeing." Zane explained before lowering his voice. "Plus, Master Souta becomes a demon when he's angry. It's best not to anger him. Especially since Black Sun is one of the guilds participating in the elimination round."
"Daegon Litching!"
"Orion Tybolt!"
"Kida Gwyneira!"
"Aster Valor!"
"Sebastian James..."
"Congratulations! You passed the elimination round! Getting fourth place!" Mato announced.
"Well, fourth place is better than nothing, I suppose." Kida commented.
Mato soon appeared as a hologram once more. "So, our ten teams are all present! Sky Labyrinth, the elimination round of the Grand Magic Games, is over!" He announced.
"I wonder how Sebastian and the rest did..." Romin mumbled.
Percy chuckled. "Knowing Sebastian, I'm sure they did fine." He soon lowered his voice so the three Fairy Tail Mages in front of them won't hear him. "I'm more interested to find out if our second team made it."
"Oh, you're right." Romin agreed. "It was hard keeping the second team a secret. Man, Seb's gonna lose his shit at the opening ceremony if both teams made it through."
"Here they are." Zane informed as Lisanna and Carla rushed towards Wendy and Carla.
"What's that?! You found them?!" Warren questioned. "Are they okay?!"
"Actually, they're both unconscious! Hurry up and call someone, Warren!" Lisanna ordered.
"Carla! It's me! Wake up!" Happy pleaded, shaking Carla awake.
"It doesn't look like she's injured, but it's strange... I hardly sense any magic power from Wendy." Lisanna informed.
"I did my best to get their strength back to normal. Unfortunately, there's only so much Healing Magic can do and restoring magic power isn't one of them." Souta explained.
Lisanna gasped. "You mean...!" She trailed off.
Souta nodded. "Someone drained all of her magic power. It's the same for the Exceed." He said.
"What should we do?!" Happy asked.
Wendy opened her eyes weakly. "She's awake!" Lisanna stated.
"Wendy! What happened?!" Happy questioned.
Wendy held up her arms and shook her head. "No!" She exclaimed.
"Wendy, it's me! It's Lisanna! Do you remember me?!" Lisanna asked.
"I'm here, too!" Happy added.
"Happy... Lisanna-san... What happened... to me...?" Wendy questioned.
"You were attacked." Souta was the one who responded. "I'm Souta Akito, Black Sun's guild master. Three of my members found you getting ambushed."
"Do you know who it was?" Zane asked.
The elimination round of the Grand Magic Games... Elfman stepped up in place of Wendy. Natsu and the rest barely managed to make it through the round. Our protagonists were able to make it in fourth place. And... The Grand Magic Games proper are about to begin at last.
What will become of Team Black Sun's battle to dethrone their longtime rivals, Sabertooth and become Fiore's number one guild?
A/N: The GMG Arc has finally begun! As you may have noticed, I skipped the "Sky Labyrinth" episode with God Pegasus and Twilight Phoenix, but I decided to write it for Black Sun.
Also, you may have noticed one thing in common that I'm trying to portray in my SYOC stories.
God Pegasus = Sabertooth's ally.
Twilight Phoenix = Humiliated by Sabertooth.
Black Sun = Sabertooth's rival.
I'm doing this so my SYOC stories will be different from one another, and I won't be writing the same thing over and over. But all of them will end with the same result: the protagonist guild winning the Games. And yes, I just spoiled all of my SYOC stories.
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.