During the time Jellal was informing the others about the civilians and their magic here, Chelia overheard everything while waiting outside the alleyway. While the news was shocking to her, she also couldn't help but feel a little more stand out here given her lack of magic. The former God Slayer then realized that they were wrapping things up as they left the alleyway. She looked up at them.
"Apologies for the wait." Jellal apologized. "I take it you haven't seen anyone yet?"
Chelia shook her head. "No, just more angels. You don't have to tell me what you talked about, I already heard it all."
"Jeez, what a mess we're in." Gray grunted while scratching his head. "Can't we just have one thing go in our favor?!"
Right after Gray said that, he swore he heard a familiar voice call out his name. Turns out he wasn't the only one as the rest looked to their left and noticed Juvia sprinting her way towards them. More specifically, Gray. She leaped in the air and crashed right into the ice mage.
"G-GAH!" Gray fell over as Juvia landed right on top of him, almost losing his halo hat. Before he could react, Juvia was hugging his neck and streams of water were leaking out of her eyes.
"Oh my Gray! Juvia finally found you!" Juvia sobbed. "She thought we'd never seen each other ever again!" She nuzzled on Gray's chest.
Gray attempted to pull himself up. "H-hey! We weren't separated for *that* long!" Being unable to pull himself up, he sighed and turned his head away for a moment. "Although, it's good that you're alright, Juvia."
"NATSUUUUUUU~!" Another individual came crashing into someone. This time it was Happy as he flew right into Natsu's chest. The pinkette immediately caught him and wrapped him in a hug. The rest of the group catching up as well.
"Everyone! You're all okay!" Lucy beamed.
"Hey buddy! You found us, great work!" Natsu praised, gently patting the Exceed's head.
Happy looked up at his partner with tears in his eyes. "Aye! I never want to get separated from you again! None of the other dragon slayers I was with are as cool as you!"
Happy felt three violent presences loom over him, but he decided to ignore them.
Chelia ran over and gave Carla a quick hug in which the white feline returned. "Thank goodness we found you." Carla was relieved. "A lot has happened for the short time we've been separated."
Gray gently shoved Juvia off of him as he stood up, with the water mage standing up shortly after. "You too huh? We've had to deal with a bunch of trouble ourselves…"
"Indeed." Erza commented. "But we shouldn't share here, it would be best to find a place less crowded and private."
Carla released her hug from Chelia. "Actually, I happened to pass by an inn on our way here." She noted.
"What good will that do us?" Natsu asked, Happy now sitting on his shoulder. "We don't have any money here."
"Actually…" Sting corrected as he pulled out the Dalla he received. "We end up getting a good amount earlier!"
Lucy clapped her hands. "Wow! Great job guys!"
"How much did you receive?" Erza inquired.
"One thousand!" Sting answered.
"Good, we'll need to borrow seven hundred of that to pay this ticket we received." Erza said while pointing at Jellal who had the ticket in his hand.
"...I'm sorry?" Dumbfounded Sting.
"Just how much trouble did you guys get into?!" Gajeel scolds.
Jellal sighed. "Our apologies, but it was partially my fault. I'll take the responsibility in paying this off."
"Natsu was the other one responsible." Gray snarked, to the annoyance of the hotheaded mage.
Natsu glared at Gray before looking back at the general group. "Why do we have to pay anyways?! It's not like we'll be here for long!"
"If you recall, we were told that the longer we wait, the bigger the punishment." Erza reminded. "We don't need to make ourselves look more suspicious."
Carla pinched her nose in annoyance. "Very well, let's hope the remaining amount will get us a room…"
Despite the issues that were reported seemingly being taken care of, Hahlos' mind was beginning to cloud with uncertainty. Which was ironic given he reassured his master that everything was going just fine. But at the same time, the timing of that report felt a bit too convenient for the green haired angel. Even if the people he ran into didn't match the description of those he ran across in the world below. However, the most important step right now is making sure the healing process is completed.
Hahlos landed right in front of the castle gate and folded his wings. Right at the same time, he saw Balrus right at the front door. Before he could enter, the armoured angel turned and approached Hahlos.
"Ah, master Hahlos sir. Fancy engaging with thou here." Balrus greeted with a salute. "Hast thou heard of the events from earlier?"
Hahlos smiled. "Indeed. Sync has already reported to me and Stark. So you don't need to trouble yourself with that task." Suddenly, Hahlos hatches an idea to ease his worries a bit more. "Actually, Balrus…can you do me a favor?"
"Hm? What does thou request of me?" Balrus wondered.
"If it isn't much trouble, may you stay stationed in one of the soldier fortresses?" Hahlos requested.
"May I ask why, master Hahlos sir?"
Hahlos looked over at the closest fortress to the castle, which had a blue flag with a yellow halo symbol imprinted on it. "You are the captain of the soldiers here. Since we're about to hold the festival for master Izanagi's revival soon, it would be best to have you be able to send out soldiers just in case something arises." He explained.
Balrus immediately placed his hand on his armored chest and slightly bowed. "Thou bringiths a valid point. I shalt do just that."
"You have my gratitude, Balrus." Hahlos thanked before the obese angel saluted and took off towards the larger fortress nearby.
Sending in the royal guard captain did ease Hahlos' concerns. He went on inside the castle to check up on Wendy like he initially planned on earlier.
Wendy found herself staring out the window a little too long without realizing how long she was staring out. She witnessed some Exceeds flying around the town, albeit not a lot. But it still surprised her that some of the eggs landed up here of all places. She made a mental note to herself to find a way to let the Extalia citizens know their location before shutting the small curtain on the window. Admittedly seeing those Exceeds reminded her of Carla, she can't possibly imagine how stressed out she probably is right now.
Curiosity got the better of her as she took a bite of the air around here. It was shockingly good. But because of the denser Etherano around here, she stopped herself from consuming more so she wouldn't get herself sick.
The Sky Sorceress wasn't so sure what to do next. But since she was given full reign to explore the castle, that was what she decided to do to pass the time.
however before she could even leave the room, she heard gentle knocking on her door. Wendy wasn't able to answer as whoever knocked immediately let themselves in. She saw the same mature looking woman whom Wendy met earlier before the big ceremony.
Arya noticed Wendy already awake and smiled softly. "It looks like I caught you at a good time." She commented as she entered the room. "I apologize if I interrupted anything, but I was wondering if you've eaten at all lately?"
That's right! Wendy has been so worked up thinking about the current situation that she hasn't even had a proper meal all day. The bluenette politely placed her hands on her waist and bowed. "It's okay! But yes…I would like to eat something…" She felt her stomach grumble loudly. At this rate she could probably eat as much as Natsu usually does.
Arya leaned her back on the door so it stayed open and gestured her hand out of the room. Wendy quickly left the room as Arya followed behind her. Wendy couldn't help but recall her first meeting with her where Arya caused a weird jolt in her body. She wasn't sure what that was about since it felt a bit different than a typical electric surge. However, the hunger was easily taking over her thoughts as she began to follow the gray haired woman down the hallway.
The two didn't say anything to each other as they began to make their way down some very wide stairs. Wendy realized that this will be the first time she'll be on a lower floor of this castle. The hallways still blended together from the rest. If she did decide to explore on her own, she probably wouldn't have been able to find her way back to her room. Once again the castle was as empty as ever, although the two suddenly spotted a tall looking figure walking down the other side of the hallway. He appeared to be wearing some gloves and a sun hat. Although, the most striking part of his appearance to the young girl was his fin-like hair and pointy nose.
"Off gardening again, Torian?" Arya guessed as the two met up.
Torian lifted up a bucket he was carrying as he grinned showing off his sharp teeth. "Heh heh, yeah! Izanagi's glass dome tower garden ain't just gonna take care of itself you know!" He commented before noticing a small blue haired girl standing right next to Arya.
Wendy couldn't help but look surprised at this angel's height, he looked taller than Hahlos. The slender angel looked down at her and caressed his chin. "Hmm, so you must be the Sky Sorceress, amiright?" Torian asked. "You're a lot…smaller than I'd thought."
Wendy quietly groaned at that comment, she really didn't like being called small due to her being so self conscious about her physical appearance.
Arya rolled her eyes. "You say that about everyone. Quit comparing your abnormal height to everyone else's." She criticized.
"Heh heh, right. My bad." Torian scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Although I do wanna know, little missy. How'd you get a title like Sky Sorceress anyways? You've never been up here, right?"
"Honestly, I don't know. People just started calling me that." Wendy answered, slightly fidgeting her hands. "I'm sorry if that title offends you, I usually just want people to call me Wendy."
Torian suddenly reeled back slightly, his expression looking one of feeling bad. "O-oh! I see. Sorry, I didn't mean anything of it! Promise!" He clapped his hands together in an apologetic manner, spilling some of the water in his bucket by accident.
"Oh! No no! It's okay!" Wendy waved her hands as she exclaimed.
"Are you done?" Arya interrupted as she puffed out a light smoke from her cigar. "Our little healer here needs something to eat y'know?"
Torian snapped out of his apologetic phase. "Right! It was nice to meet you Wendy, the name's Torian by the way!" He waved before quickly leaving the two before Wendy could reply back.
Wendy was a bit thrown off by the very tall angel's pushover behavior but quickly went back in following Arya to the dining room. It wasn't that much longer of a walk as they made it to a double sided door. Arya opened one of the doors and immediately witnessed the muscular angel, Argus, sitting on the dining room table chowing on some steak.
Wendy covered her nose as her dragon senses were picking up the angel's foul stench. She was reluctant in saying anything however as Argus noticed the two come in. He waved at them.
"Well I'll be! You must be the little hero that I've heard so much about!" Burst Argus as he finished his meal.
"Uh, yeah…" Wendy hesitated, she still wasn't sure how to feel being called a hero. "My name is Wendy, it's nice to meet you."
"Call me Argus, shrimp! HA HA HA!" Argus laughed loudly. Wendy turned away and pouted after being called small once again.
"What are you doing here?" Arya wondered as the two entered the dining room. "Weren't you out eating at the bar earlier?"
Argus burped before slightly pounding his chest. "Yeah, I was. But I didn't get to eat anything since I sorta blew all my money on some new people in town. HA HA HA!" The muscular angel confessed. "Just had my usual drink there!"
Arya approached Argus, not bothered by his smell, and smacked the back of his head. "You bumbling fool! You do realize that's also the master's extra Dalla too! You have to stop wasting money on civilians!"
Argus didn't flinch at the smack as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah yeah! I get ya." He chuckled before getting out of his seat. "I'll go ahead and leave you two alone and get some grub."
Wendy was still standing by the door as Argus passed by her. He gently placed a hand on one of her shoulders and slightly knelt down. "I know all of this is sudden kiddo. But trust me, you're doing the right thing! Keep your chin up!" He encouraged her before leaving the room shortly after.
Arya whips her smoke pipe, causing it to vanish into thin air. "I swear, he'd blow the master's money on criminals one day." She proceeds to walk over to the kitchen fridge.
The blunette sighed softly as a small puff left her mouth. She then watch Arya open the wide fridge and pull out something that was wrapped with foil on a plate. As soon as the female angel unwrapped the foil, Wendy could feel her mouth shrivel up.
"Tada! I'm so happy we still have some winged fish! They're a real delicacy here in Exahelm. I'll get it ready for you shortly!" Arya showed off before carrying it to the counter after closing the fridge.
Before Wendy could politely decline the meal, Arya already began preparing it as she suddenly summoned not only fire which cooked the fish, but some spices as she sprinkled it all over the fish. Wendy noticed that Arya was using magic to create the flames and spices. She wished she could decline the meal, but she didn't want to be rude.
"Aaand done!" Arya finished as she summoned pink smoke and used it to carry the fish to the table. She proceeded to summon two large knives as she cutted a piece for herself and Wendy. "Go ahead and take a seat over there." She requested.
Wendy reluctantly went to her spot and sat down. She was sitting right across from Arya on the slightly long white table. The female angel was already eating her half as she delicately cut small pieces and grabbed them with her fork. The bluenette grabbed her fork and knife and gently poked her meal with the knife. She picked up a small piece and slowly bit into it. She tried her best to hide the gagging sensation, unfortunately the fish wasn't any good up here either.
The quiet atmosphere caused Wendy to get warped in her thoughts again. There was a lot about this that bothered her. Whether it was about her client or the entire situation in general. Perhaps it's a good time to ask some questions.
"Excuse me…miss-" Wendy started.
"Oh right, I never introduced myself." Arya already finished her meal and placed her utensils down. "Please, call me Arya."
"R-right. Arya?" Wendy corrected herself. "May I ask some questions?"
"Why, of course. Ask away." The female angel allowed.
Wendy took a deep breath. "What's your…god like? I don't really know much about him."
Arya paused for a couple of seconds. She then folded her arms and leaned forward on the table. "You've met Izanagi already right? In case it wasn't obvious, he's not usually like that. He's not known to make public appearances or interact with others. He's our boss through and through, not even I spoke to him often."
"You don't talk to him much?" Wendy was surprised. "Do you get along with him?"
"Despite how little he interacts with the people here, Izanagi is a very strict ruler." Arya explained. "He's obsessed with world peace to the point where he outlaws magic entirely here." She proceeded to pull out a small green card. "Unless one has a permit like this one that is."
Wendy was taken aback. "Magic is outlawed here?! What happens when someone without one of those permits uses it?"
Arya lifted one finger. "You start by getting a ticket, it has to be paid within twenty four hours." She lifts another finger. "If one doesn't pay the ticket within the time limit, the fine increases." She lifts one more finger. "Finally, if one continues to neglect the laws here. They get banished or executed from Exahelm."
The Sky Sorceress' eyes became wide as dinner plates. "T-that's horrible! That doesn't sound like world peace at all!" She slammed her palms on the table.
Arya glared at Wendy. "Calm down. Don't make too much noise here." She demanded. "If you must know, he has a very low opinion on magic and what it has done to the world. Izanagi believes those who don't believe in his peace would potentially destroy it." The female angel bluntly explained.
Wendy sat back down and paused. To the sound of things, this ruler sounds more like a tyrant than this world's god. So why are the people here excited to have him healed? Why do they want him to be healed in the first place? There was one more question on her mind, as she recalled something else Hahlos said.
"When you understand the circumstances, you won't be able to refuse."
"...Then why do you want my help to heal him then?" Wendy hesitantly asked.
The mages of Fiore were currently waiting outside in a semi-open area of town. It was surrounded by fields of clouds with a blue stone fortress in the middle. There were four paths linked to said fortress, leading to four separate entrances to the building. The group were standing a bit away from the building, waiting for a certain blue haired mage, as well as a pink haired fire mage.
"How long are they gonna take?!" Gajeel grumbled while crossing his arms and sitting on the floor.
"I know time is of the essence, but it's only been ten minutes." Rogue stated.
Gray stared at the fortress while leaning by a nearby wall. "Are you sure we had to send in Natsu too? Is he gonna be okay in there?"
"He should be fine, Jellal is with him." Erza brought up. She wasn't paying too much attention to the group as she was looking at the castle in the far end of town. The red haired wizard was trying to see if she could spot Wendy, however there was no such luck.
"Can't find her either huh?" Chelia approached next to Erza. She gave a depressive sign and slumped down. Erza placed a hand on one of Chelia's shoulder and gave a soft smile the young girl.
Their moment was interrupted however as the group overheard panic by the fortress. They saw a hole beginning to form in the cloudy fields as some angels were swiftly moving away from said hole. It stretched out several feet before stopping. The hole was big enough to almost fit a building through it.
"What's going on?" Juvia wondered. "Do holes like these usually form here?"
"There was one just like this where we landed actually…" Lucy recalled.
As the panic calmed down, some of the angels flew near the hole looking distraught. One female angel in particular began to pray as she gazed at the castle. "Please…hurry…" She pleaded quietly.
Erza raised an eyebrow when she faintly heard what the female civilian said. The S-class wizard began to wonder if these holes were related to anything. She was snapped out of her thoughts however as she notice Jellal and Natsu leave the fortress.
"Guys! Here they come!" Lucy called out, pointing at the two. Natsu was crossing his arms and glancing to the side while Jellal was looking as calm as ever.
"Did you two get through okay?" Carla wondered.
"Indeed." Jellal relieved. "We paid it off, so we should be off the hook for now."
"It was an annoying process though…" Natsu mumbled. "The guy at the counter kept going on about world peace or whatever."
Erza approached the two. "That's good to hear, let us head to the inn then. Mind showing us the way Carla?"
"Of course." Carla nodded.
While they begin to leave, Erza took one last look at the hole. She had a weirdly sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Izanagi is the only one holding this country together. That is why we need him alive." Arya answered with a straight face.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Wendy tilted her head.
Arya lifted a finger and pointed downward. "If he dies, then the clouds holding this area will crumble. Causing this entire country to plummet. Destroying not only this kingdom, but whatever it hits below it."
Wendy felt her stomach drop and heart stop. Her face ran down cold when she heard that. Realizing that her town and guild more than likely rests below this country, she began to feel the weight slam on her shoulders at that moment. "N-no way…But why?!" She questioned.
"Izanagi is the *sky god.* He controls the sky, if no one can control the sky then it'll cease to exist." Arya finished before wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.
Wendy however, didn't want to believe it. "B-but is there any other way?! It's dangerous to rely on one person to hold an entire town high in the sky!"
"Nope." Arya bluntly responded.
"Can't you find someone else to be the ruler though?!"
"Nope. That's impossible."
"B-b-but…" Wendy quivered, looking down and clenching her legs.
Arya sighs. "You're pretty young so I'll go easy on you. But things aren't always perfect. If you don't want this land to fall then you just have to accept reality and follow through with the healing process."
Wendy began to feel dizzy, her anxiety shot up in less than a minute. Even though she was hungry earlier, she immediately lost her appetite as she stood up and slightly pushed the cooked winged fish away.
"...Thank you for the meal…" Wendy turned around and left the room, looking down the entire time.