The man had walked down the same streets of Crocus everyday for what felt like an eternity. He would start by walking around the markets, doing some window shopping, before making his way to the castle. Once there, he jogged a couple laps around the gardens as a sort of morning workout, even though he didn't really need it to keep his muscles toned. He'd then eventually make his way over to the barracks, looking to see if any interesting Wanted posters were posted.
He wasn't looking to collect any bounties, even if he had the time to spare at the moment. No, he always stopped by to make sure his mugshot, along with those of his fellow guild mates, wasn't placed among the common criminals. This rarely happened, but on the off chance that someone was able to snap a picture of a member of Tartaros, he'd be sure to quickly take the poster down before too many eyes caught sight of it. Silver wasn't fully loyal to his guild, but he knew when things could end up bad for him.
Entering the barracks, everything was as usual. Being fairly early in the morning, only a few guards were in the public portion of the building. Silver had become well known to the morning guards, and he even bought them coffee from time to time. He figured it was a good idea to get into the good graces of the military, even if it was only through some of the lowest people on the totem pole.
Giving the guard a casual salute, he made his way over to the bulletin board. It looked pretty much the same as every day. Posted here were all the current bounties the kingdom and magic council had out. They were labeled with a difficulty score of F through S, including the person's known strengths, weaknesses, and any magic they knew. Silver had to give credit where it was due, they were very thorough in their investigations.
The board was filled to the brim with mugshots. Most were common criminals, all falling into the F and E classes. One level up, and you'd begin running into those who knew magic. It was usually nothing dangerous, maybe telepathy or a small pocket dimension, nothing the average soldier couldn't handle. Classes D through B were filled with these rogue mages, as well as some mob bosses and crime families. However, from here, the difficulty truly began to escalate.
Once a bounty reached A class, you were dealing with full-fledged wizards. Usually these targets were from dark guilds and knew powerful magic. These sorts of bounties were usually given out to wizard guilds, but they were still posted here regardless. It seemed like any challenger was welcome, no matter how stupid. These bounties, however, were still claimed relatively quickly compared to the next level.
S class bounties were the real deal. These targets were all well known dark mages, usually the leaders of a dark guild or escaped criminals. No one was stupid enough to take one of these without proper training. This led to them staying unclaimed, sometimes for years. Either the target was too elusive or too powerful to be taken down easily. This usually led to guild collaborations in order to take them out. Silver remembered something similar happening to the Oracion Seis awhile ago.
Silver perused the board, taking note of every mugshot he could see. There were, of course, many he had seen before. Erigor the Wind Scythe, Jellal the Fallen Saint, and Rustyrose the Prideful were names he'd seen on this board for years, all S class targets. Silver chuckled to himself, seeing that D ranked Bora the Fake Salamander was also once again a resident of the board. He found the names the council gave the dark mages hilarious and wondered what they'd name him if he was ever caught.
It took him only a few minutes to reach the bottom of the board. Nothing so far seemed to have changed since yesterday. He knew it never did, but he still made his daily rounds just in case. And he still had the final row to investigate, the row that usually contained the newest bounties.
To his surprise, Silver found the row absolutely filled with class A and S bounties. He assumed this meant a new dark guild had risen into power, so he paid close attention, making sure to take note of the newcomers to the underworld.
Among those ranked A were characters like Juvia the Rain Woman, Cana the Drunk or Elfman the Beast. They looked like formidable opponents, but nothing he couldn't handle if their group got too rowdy. No, he was more interested in the new S class criminals. These would be the true threats he'd have to keep an eye on.
As he scanned them, he came across mages like Erza the Fairy Queen, Laxus the Raging Thunder, and Gajeel the Iron Dragon. There was even one of the extremely rare SS class bounties for a man named Gildarts the Calamity. All seemed powerful in their own way, but none made him pause the way the last one did. He quickly grabbed the paper off the board before running out of the barracks and into the bustling streets of Crocus. The wanted poster for S class bounty Gray the Ice Disaster never leaving his iron grip.
Gran Doma paced back and forth in his office, his pace quickening with every lap. Fairy Tail had been disbanded for roughly a week at this point, yet he didn't feel at ease. He thought that getting rid of the guild would force the hooligans who caused him so much trouble to scatter. Everyone on the council figured that they would be less of a hassle to deal with separately. No one thought they'd vanish into thin air before re-emerging as a dark guild.
That thought wasn't fully true. Gran Doman remembered a conversation he shared with Belno the day after the vote. She had told him of her last conversation with Yajima before he resigned. He had alluded to something negative coming from their vote, something that would make their lives all the more difficult. Gran Doma had laughed when he heard about it. He didn't believe it for an instant. And yet, here he was, driving a rut into his floorboards trying to find a way to stop the new dark guild.
He had sent the wanted posters about as soon as he returned to Era from his trip to Magnolia. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be put up for another day or two, with all the legal work that went into setting a bounty. He ordered many search parties to investigate the woods and fields around Magnolia. He figured the guild wouldn't stray far from their beloved home, but he had to continually widen the search area, not finding them anywhere close. The last plan he had tried was to bait them out.
His plan was to send a soldier disguised as a wealthy merchant into Magnolia and have him somehow contact Fairy Tail. He assumed they had to have some informant in the city or else they wouldn't be able to find any work. From the reports he had gotten, the soldier had indeed found the contact, but they had sent him into a vacant building before disappearing into a cloud of smoke. It seemed that they wouldn't be so easy to find as he originally thought.
And so he paced his room, racking his brain for a strategy that would work. He knew there had to be some way to locate them. There's only been a handful of dark guilds that have eluded the magic council before, and he didn't plan to add another to that list.
Suddenly, a knock was heard on the office door, breaking his concentration. While this infuriated him, he looked at the clock and saw that it was time for a scheduled meeting he had with the head captain of the custody enforcement unit. He cleared his throat before saying in a deep voice, "You may enter."
The man that entered didn't look all that intimidating for a high ranking rune knight, but looks can be deceiving. He appeared slim and lanky, with long black hair tied up behind his head and piercing purple eyes behind a pair of glasses. He may have looked bookish, but he was ranked rather highly for a multitude of reasons. First was his keen mind that went well with his appearance. There were few in the military that could match his strategies. He had even been able to trap Fairy Tail once before after they helped take down the Oracion Seis.
The second reason was much harder to grasp at first glance. The man's strength was comparable to that of a top guild wizard, though he wouldn't be considered S class. He had undergone the most rigorous training the magic council offered and proven himself time after time. This combined with his powerful and flexible rune magic made him a force to be reckoned with on and off the battlefield. In short, no one messed with Lahar.
Lahar entered the office of Gran Doma, closing the door behind him. He gave a quick, but very respectable, bow to the man in front of him before making his report. "Sir, Fairy Tail is still evading our search teams. It might be best to extend our search to the entirety of Fiore." His tone was calm and even, never letting any of his true emotions show.
Gran Doma sighed before sitting behind his desk. He gestured to another chair across from himself, which Lahar quickly took. "I suppose we have no choice in the matter. I'm getting to the end of my rope. I'd do anything to find those fairies at this point." He then flopped onto his desk, showing plenty of weakness to the captain in front of him, displaying his trust in the man.
At Gran Doma's proclamation, Lahar gave a slight smirk. He thought that maybe now the man'd go through with his original plan. "If I may, sir. It might be time to finally go with the plan I originally drafted." Lahar then pulled out a file from within his coat and placed it onto the desk.
The chairman sat back up and opened the file, knowing full well what the plan entailed. Lahar had pitched it to him before, but he didn't want to put all his eggs into that basket. He would never understand why Lahar put so much trust into that man. "If I wasn't so hard pressed at this time, I'd turn this plan down again and again, but at this point my hands are tied. You're sure that this traitorous drunk can do the job?"
Lahar didn't let the insult at his friend show on his face, even though he raged on the inside. "I assure you, sir. This man is the best at this sort of work." He then added with a bit more force than needed. "Also, he sobered up quite a bit ago. When Fairy Tail rose back to power, he no longer felt guilty about leaving them for dead. It's a shame what he went through, but he's back to being one of the most capable men in the Magic Council." With that, the deal was made and Lahar exited the chairman's office with a wide smile on his face. With Doranbolt's help, they would finally catch those fairies and bring them to justice.
Doranbolt walked through the Council's prison, sulking the entire time. He wasn't sure how to process the order Lahar had given him, but there was no way he could disobey now. He had only been back with the council for a few months, so he didn't have the same power he had seven years ago. He supposed he'd have to go along with the plan, even though he opposed it.
There were few people in the council who actually liked Fairy Tail, and he was no different before he actually met them. He'd seen them as the threat that everyone else saw them as, not as the family of traumatized children most of them were. It's hard to hate someone when you humanize them, and that's what his time on Tenrou Island had done; humanized the Magic Council's villain.
That's why he left. The pain of leaving them for dead hurt, but what hurt more was the members or the council celebrating Fairy Tail's loss of status. He couldn't stand to see those he trusted reveling in such a huge loss for the magic community. He now understood why the council was looked down upon by all those mage guilds across Fiore. They had become a corrupt power, no longer seen as a simple way to help create laws that helped all wizards. Something would have to change sooner or later, or else they might all come to regret it.
Doranbolt was broken from his train of thought by a roaring laughter that came from the end of the hall. The sound reminded him why he was here, so he began to walk faster towards his goal, which happened to be the same cell the laughter was currently coming from.
When he approached the cell, he wasn't given a chance to speak before the man inside started talking. "I heard through the grapevine you guys finally tried to cut the wings of those fairies." He laughed again. "Even I could have told you how bad an idea that was. They beat my ass twice, maybe you guys should learn the same lesson."
Inside the cell sat a man with spiky maroon colored hair and a single pitch black eye, the other being forced closed by a scar that ran over it. His features were often described as serpentine or reptilian, having fangs and pointed ears. Every few seconds, he let a small purple cloud escape his lips, assumedly a way to try and intimidate any who saw him. The man certainly lived up to his name.
Doranbolt looked at the man in the cell with disdain. He couldn't argue with the man's logic, but he hated that the criminal in front of him was most likely right. He decided to ignore it for the moment, instead getting straight to business. "I'd like to make you an offer, Cobra. Should I assume you already know what it is?"
Cobra raised his arms, causing the cuffs around his wrists to jingle. "You damn well know I can't hear anything with these on. The best I can do magically is release small puffs of poison, and the only reason I can do that is because of the damned lacrima in my stomach." He ranted to Doranbolt, annoyed by his stupid question. He then glared right into Doranbolt's eyes. "Also, the name's Erik. Don't call me by that stupid name that Brain gave me."
Doranbolt decided to accept this without a fight. He had found their code names ridiculous anyways; no better than the names the council gave to rogue mages. "Alright, Erik, here's the deal. I'm going to take you outside for a minute so you can help me find Fairy Tail. You do this, then," he paused for dramatic effect, and to irritate the convict in front of him, "I'll have the sentences for you and your friends reduced by a few years. Won't help you much, but you might get to see each other before you die at least."
Erik was silent for a moment, assumedly thinking the idea over. A minute of silence went by before he spoke again. "I'd like to add one last thing before I accept." Doranbolt nodded for him to continue. "I want to at least see the rest of the seis before we leave, catch up for a minute, ya know?" His face tried to look as innocent as possible, which was hard due to his many scars and dragon-like features.
Now it was Doranbolt's turn to think. He didn't see the harm in allowing a short meeting with one of his former guild mates, but allowing a meeting of all of them was probably a bad idea. However, he knew it was probably the only way to get Erik to agree. He shrugged, knowing that any backlash would only make his current reputation worse, but there was nothing else to do at this point. "Fine, but you only get five minutes. After that, you're coming with me on a hunt for fairies." He then walked away to arrange the first, and hopefully last, meeting of the seis that would happen in this prison.
Silver perused the streets of Magnolia, looking for anything out of place. He'd done too much research and spent too much money to come up empty handed at this point. Kyoka would surely have him gutted if she knew just how much of the guild's treasury he'd stolen just to get this far. He'd also never hear the end of Franmalth's stupid annoying voice asking why he'd spent so much on a fruitless endeavor. If that demon wasn't so damn useful, he'd have frozen him years ago.
He needed to be thorough in his search. Every dark guild had a way to be contacted, but some hid it better than others. For instance, he remembered when one of the guilds under Tartaros had the idiotic idea to post ads in the newspaper. Seilah was quickly dispatched before anything went awry, but that guild never truly recovered. Silver believed they were currently being experimented on by Lamy to find out why they were so idiotic. He couldn't really feel any sympathy for them.
From his research, he'd learned that Fairy Tail kept an informant present in the city of Magnolia. If his sources were correct, the informant was a member of the guild who wasn't capable of handling most of the jobs dark guilds were given. They must not have been a user of offensive magic. Silver had to agree that there wasn't much use for magics like archive and illusion in the underworld. He then thought for a moment and corrected himself, realizing just how useful those magics could be in keeping a dark guild hidden. He now understood why Fairy Tail had been able to elude the council's grasp.
Silver came to a vacant building in the heart of Magnolia. It didn't look like much, most likely an abandoned shop, but for some reason it called out to him. He couldn't explain the feeling, but whatever it was, he knew he needed to act on it.
He approached the building, checking for anything out of the ordinary. To his surprise, inside the door frame, barely visible if you weren't looking, were runes. He wasn't sure what they said, but he could tell that whoever wrote them was both very strong and very smart. He wouldn't want to get on their bad side.
Not having any better ideas, he knocked on the door. He didn't know what would happen, since rune magic could literally make anything possible, so he prepared himself for the worst possible outcome.
He took a stance that could easily defend against both physical and magical attacks, knowing from his research that Fairy Tail excelled in both categories. He heard the door begin to open, but was surprised when a tall, thin man with tan skin opened the door and gestured for him to enter. Silver could feel the tension leave his body as he walked into the building.
Inside looked just as he had expected. The building was barely being held together, most likely by magic at this point. The only furnishings were a desk and two chairs, along with a small bar to the side that seemed to be filled with refreshments. The floors were surprisingly well kept for a dilapidated building, looking like they had been swept only a moment ago.
Silver watched as the man walked over to the desk and took a seat behind it. He gestured for Silver to take a seat, which he did respectfully. Sitting down, he was finally able to get a good look at the man. His features were relatively plain for the magic world, the strangest thing being the point that his black hair formed at the top of his head. His attire was also surprisingly normal, probably so he could better fit in with a non-magical crowd. He wore a green button up shirt with brown pants. To any who couldn't feel the magic radiating from his body, he probably appeared to be a merchant of some kind.
The man cleared his throat before confidently giving Silver what sounded like a rehearsed speech. "Welcome to Fairy Tail's outpost, the only place to reach us at the moment. If you are here to offer us a job, please write it down on the sheet of paper in front of you in clear language. Your job will be followed to the letter."
Silver looked down to see a sheet of paper and pen in front of him. He assumed the words spoken by the man were specifically chosen so they could get out of certain jobs, since they were most likely still a good guild at heart. If the job didn't specifically say to kill the target, then the quest giver had no right to be mad when the target wasn't dead by the end of it.
Silver was brought out of his thoughts by the man, who was still speaking. "If you are here for any other reason, please speak why and I will decide how to proceed." The man sounded almost robotic at this point, almost as if he was running on auto-pilot. It wasn't likely that anyone would come here without looking to hire them. They likely tacked that last bit on just in case something ever did come up.
Once the spiel was over, Silver cleared his throat and thought carefully about what to say. Finally he spoke, "I'm here to see Gray Fullbuster."
The man across the desk looked surprised, not expected to hear Silver speak. He then looked to the ceiling in thought, most likely deciding how he would handle Silver's request. He thought for a minute before saying, "Unfortunately, Gray is out on a quest at the moment, I could take a message for you and deliver it when he gets back." His face was a mix of faux-sadness and seriousness. Silver assumed this was the first time anyone had requested a meeting with one of their guild members since joining in the underworld.
Silver thought the idea over, but eventually shook his head. "If I'm going to leave him a message, it sure won't be with you. I'd feel much safer leaving it with your master." He smirked, seeing the man's eyes open wide. He knew he was being presumptuous and probably a bit forward, but if he couldn't see Gray directly, their master would suffice.
The man appeared to be at a loss for words, not sure how to proceed with the conversation. Luckily for him, they were interrupted by a booming voice that seemed to come from nowhere and yet everywhere. "You can let him in, Warren. He means our family no harm." Warren quickly stood up and moved back towards the entrance to the building, gesturing for Silver to follow.
He did as instructed, as Warren led him back into the streets of Magnolia. To his confusion, Warren simply reentered the door, holding it slightly open for Silver to enter. He was surprised to see that the inside of the building had completely changed. He now stood inside what appeared to be a rustic bar, the place filled to bursting with magic energy. He could only stare dumbfounded at the sight.
Silver was led to what he presumed was the main bar. There sat a short elderly man, looking just the slightest bit red from alcohol. When they approached, the man looked up and gave a knowing smile which unnerved Silver. He gestured for Warren to go, tossing him a stack of Jewel, assumedly his payment for the day.
The elderly man gestured for Silver to sit in the seat next to him, giving it a pat to show how soft it was. He sat down, not knowing who or what this man was, only knowing just how ungodly strong he was. The magic energy he possessed was almost suffocating.
Before he could speak, a beautiful young woman with long white hair walked behind the bar and poured him a large glass of beer which he hadn't asked for. He was about to protest before being interrupted by the small man. "It's on the house. Wouldn't want someone related to the kiddos to go thirsty, now would we?" His grin widened at his own words, knowing the effect they would have.
Silver, to his credit, only flinched slightly at the man's bold proclamation. He had said it in a voice that would only be heard by them, showing he wasn't planning on giving away the secret too easily. Silver took a swig of beer before finally addressing the man beside him. "How'd you know?"
The man chuckled. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. I mean, Gray does have some of your features after all."
Silver chuckled, "I'd say he looks more like his mother, but I guess different eyes see different things." He downed the rest of his beer, slamming the wooden mug down on the bar. Before he knew it, he had another full glass in his hand. If he took anything away from this experience, it would be that Fairy Tail had excellent service.
The elderly man, who he was now realizing was most likely the guild master, took a few large gulps of his own drink before finally speaking again. "Let's get down to business then. Warren wasn't lying about Gray currently being out. His current mission will probably take a few weeks, but if you'd like to stay here and wait, I can have Mira make you a room."
Silver was surprised by the master's hospitality. "That's quite alright. I'm sure he wouldn't want to see me. I'm already dead in his mind anyways, it's probably best to keep it that way." He reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a worn scroll. "I just came here to give him this. It should help him stay alive here in the underworld. Since he's already using ice magic, he should acclimate to it rather quickly."
He handed the scroll over to Makarov before downing his beer and standing up. As he was beginning to walk away, the master made sure to get in another word. "I'm sure he'd love to see you again, but I understand your feelings. You're welcome here whenever you want. The door will always be open for you to see your son. Just make sure your guild doesn't catch wind of where we are."
A tear came to Silver's eye, one that he quickly wiped away before he marched full speed to the door. He knew his emotions had been muted by his resurrection, but he never thought he'd feel sadness again. He rushed for the door, glad that his task here was complete.
As he burst from the door, he felt himself collide with another person who must have been entering. He was able to stay upright, but he heard them hit the floor with a thud as he came back to his senses. The guild master had found a way to rile him up. He'd have to account for that if he ever did come back.
He finally looked down to see a woman who could only be described as blue. She had blue hair, blue eyes, and wore nothing but blue with accents of white and black. Silver thought he recognized her from the wanted board, but was unable to put a name to the face, assuming she hadn't been among the S ranked threats. He'd gone to the trouble of memorizing them.
He extended an arm to help her up, which she took before examining Silver's face. He could feel her glance and was beginning to wonder if she somehow knew him from somewhere. He always tried to act as innocuous as possible, making sure he acted just like the human he appeared to be. He also tried to never make acquaintances with those that wouldn't benefit him in some way, so he was sure that this girl couldn't have recognized him.
Eventually, the woman stopped staring at him and said, "You remind me of my beloved. I'm getting the strangest feeling when I look into your eyes."
With that simple statement, Silver understood the situation clearly. He'd accidentally run into someone who Gray was particularly close to, and she could obviously see the resemblance. He supposed this had its pros and cons, but currently he could only think of one thing to say.
He began to walk past the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder, before saying in a proud voice, "I give you my blessing, You'll make him a happy man someday." He then walked into the busy streets, not looking back to see the mix of confusion and bliss that erupted onto the woman's face.
It had been almost a week since Doranbolt freed Erik to help him, but it felt like they weren't making any progress. For the first couple days, all the dragon slayer did was complain about the noise, talking about how regaining his perfect hearing would take awhile since he'd been chained up for so long. Apparently all the noise flooding in made it impossible to parse out anything specific, and it would take a few days to retrain his brain to listen for certain people. And so they took it slow for the first half of the week to allow Erik to recover.
Once his ears seemed to be back up to their usual standards, Doranbolt was surprised when he was led straight to Magnolia. The Magic Council had already searched this place from top to bottom. There was nowhere else for Fairy Tail to hide. He was about to voice his complaints before Erik held a hand up. "You know you don't have to tell me what you're thinking. Just trust me, they're here, somewhere."
Doranbolt scoffed, "I'd say I'm a long way away from trust. I'll only believe you at this point because you're the council's last hope." He dreaded the thought but knew how true it was. If this plan failed, they'd have nowhere else to turn for help.
The duo spent days wandering the city of Magnolia. Every few blocks, Erik would place his ear on a building or to the ground, listening for who knows what. Doranbolt didn't like to admit he barely understood how Erik's sense of hearing worked. If this was how he'd track them down, then so be it.
It was now their seventh day searching in the city. It turned out that Magnolia was a big place when you were forced to search street by street. They were now searching through one of the run-down districts when Erik's face had an unexplainable reaction. It appeared to be a mix of sadness and relief, two emotions Doranbolt never thought he'd see on the dark mage. Before he could comment though, Erik was marching towards what appeared to be an abandoned building.
He gestured towards the door and, without thinking, Doranbolt went to open it. He walked past Erik and was about to place his hand on the doorknob when he felt a searing pain in this side. He looked down to see that Erik had transformed his arm into that of a dragon and was currently digging his poison tipped claws into Doranbolt's abdomen.
The pain was excruciating. He had been trained to resist many types of torture, but it appeared that no training could help you against a dragon's claws. Doranbolt doubled over, unable to deal with the pain and numbness that throbbed in his stomach. His hand was able to grasp the doorknob though, keeping himself from falling to the ground completely.
Erik bent down, looking Doranbolt in the face. There was no malice in his eye nor joy on his face. "This isn't personal. If it was, I would have attacked you as soon as the cuffs were off." He then straightened up and turned his back to seething man. "If it's any solace, that poison shouldn't kill you. Even if it would, I'm sure the pipsqueak inside wouldn't let you die." Erik then began to walk away, not saying another word.
Doranbolt's thoughts were dulled by the pain. He barely processed everything that Erik had said, but he was able to at least guess at one thing. He had been led to Fairy Tail. It seemed the poison dragon wasn't as heartless as he was rumored to be.
He turned the doorknob with all his strength before collapsing onto the wooden floor inside. He was on the verge of passing out, but was able to hear the many gasps from inside. He was aware he was being restrained, feeling a large pressure on his back which caused his brain to swirl. He could no longer hear what was going on around him, but knew that people were talking. Before he completely lost consciousness, he felt himself being picked up by a muscly hand and being thrown over an equally muscled shoulder. With that, he was no longer able to deal with the pain and was out like a light.
Master Makarov sat in his office, staring at the scroll that Silver had given him. The magic it contained was powerful but exceedingly dangerous. He wouldn't go against the wishes of the father, but he'd have to make sure Gray knew the consequences before taking any power from this weathered piece of paper. Once he started along this path, there would be no turning back.
The master was broken from his thoughts by a knock at his door. He hadn't been expecting anyone this late into the day, but would never ignore a meeting with one of his children. He called for them to enter, surprised to see Juvia with a blank look on her face.
The young woman had grown tremendously since joining Fairy Tail; both physically and emotionally. She'd seemed so emotionless during her time with Phantom Lord, so it was a joy to see her so full of emotion at all times of the day. Although Makraov had to admit, when she was sad, the bill for the water damage could be staggering. That's why he couldn't believe what he saw in front of him.
Before he could offer her a seat, Juvia was already walking towards his desk. She took the open seat, and tried her best to hold in what she had come here to do.
It was obvious to Makarov that something was on her mind, so he decided it'd be best to just let the floodgates open. "What seems to be on your mind? I can tell it's bothering you." He was talking in the most serene tone he could muster. He wanted to make this a place she could come to in times of need.
It seems his question was all Juvia needed. She began a stream of thought he wasn't expecting to hear. "So, when I was coming back from my recent job, I bumped into a man as I was entering the guild. I didn't recognize him, so I assumed he was a client at first, but then something clicked." Makarov could see where this was going, but decided not to interrupt. "He looked very similar to my beloved Gray and gave off a similar magic, but it felt somewhat darker and more complex. He also said he gave me his blessing, which really confused me at first, but also excited me. I think I have an idea of who he is, but that conflicts with what I know about my beloved. It's strange."
Makarov tried his best to hold back a chuckle. It would seem that Silver had, whether intentionally or not, left an impression on Juvia. It was enough for her to come speak with him about it at least. The master's smile grew a tiny bit, knowing that Silver still acted like a good father, even though he was practically dead inside.
Master Makarov calmed himself down enough in order to speak. "I'm not at liberty to exactly disclose who that was, but I will say two things." He took a deep breath. "First, Gray hasn't lied to you about anything, and second, your suspicions are probably correct, but it wouldn't do anyone good to work on assumptions."
The master then received an idea he should have thought of before. "Here." He tossed the tattered scroll to Juvia, who caught it with a skilled hand. No matter how she acted around the guild, she would always be a skilled mage. "Give that to Gray when he gets back. I know you'll see him before I do." He then paused for a second to take on a serious tone. "Just make sure to warn him about the many dangers that scroll has. He shouldn't partake in it if he's not ready."
Juvia nodded and was about to respond when the door to the office burst open, Laxus standing behind it with a calm demeanor that hid a very concerned face. "Gramps, we got some trouble on the first floor." He then zipped away, not giving Makarov any time to respond.
Makarov's face grew very serious. It wasn't often his grandson came to him for help, so he assumed this was a truly dire situation. He looked at the startled woman in front of him. "Thank you for coming to see me, Juvia. It warms my heart to know you trust me with your inner thoughts and turmoils." He then hopped up from his chair and began walking towards the door. "It would appear I'm needed downstairs now. My door will always be open to you." He then walked away, hoping to any higher power that his guild wasn't in trouble.
What he found when he descended the stairs didn't surprise him much. Most of the guild members were already back to their usual spots, although he could feel the tension they were giving off. Whatever happened must have really spooked them.
Looking towards the door, he could see the cause of the alarm. Freed was examining the doorframe, going in and out multiple times. Evergreen was sitting on a stool next to Elfman, who appeared to be grappling someone on the ground. Bickslow was being his normal self, cracking jokes and trying to lighten the mood around the stressed group. And lastly, Laxus was crouched in front of Elfman, assumedly looking at whoever was under his large body.
Walking up to the group, Makarov was immediately hit with the sensation of poison magic. It would appear that whoever found their way into the guild had been inflicted with a fairly powerful toxin, or at least one potent enough to register to the old mage as a threat.
Before he could give the group instructions to move, Freed bolted to the master's side in a deep bow. In a rushed, but firm tone, he said, "I'm sorry for this grievous lack in our security master. I was so certain I had written the runes to only let guild members in." He then looked dejected as he admitted, "I guess I'll have to have Levy take another look at them once she returns." The green-haired man was obviously upset by this situation, but Makarov was just glad he wasn't about to shave his head again.
Giving Freed a pat on the shoulder, Makarov said, "There's no reason to sell yourself short. These ruins have far exceeded my expectations. Not everyone can make a door lead to two separate places." He made sure to give the sulking man his widest smile.
He continued up to the rest of the group, taking the spot right next to his grandson. Laxus shifted his gaze to his grandfather before speaking. "This doesn't look good gramps. It appears the council is finally on our tail." He then gestured to the man underneath Elfman, which caused Makarov to gasp in surprise.
Mest laid there, fighting to keep himself conscious. Makarov knew why this situation had occurred, but didn't have the time to explain everything. The poison in Mest's gut wouldn't kill him, but it definitely wouldn't leave him unharmed. "Get him to Wendy," he said in the most even tone he could muster, although anyone could have felt the venom in his worlds.
"But, Master," Bickslow retorted, "he's a member of the council. Aren't they after our heads now?"
Makarov unleashed just a small portion of his magic, showing the group just how serious he was about the situation. "I'll explain everything in time, but for now, just do as I say." No one could disobey his words now. There was no arguing once Makarov showed his true strength.
Elfman picked up the now limp man and strung him over his shoulder. Wendy now spent most of her time in the back of the guildhall. She only ever went out on jobs when asked, and even then it took some real convincing to get her out of the guild. She always said she was of more use as their healer now. Especially since they couldn't always see Porlyusica.
Makarov followed close behind Elfman, preparing himself for another long conversation. He was starting to get tired of Mest's council infiltration plan and was glad that it would most likely be over now.
Doranbolt woke up with a splitting headache. He placed a hand to his forehead, hoping pressure would cause some of the pain to subside. It was at moments like this he really wished he knew healing magic or kept potions in his pack. It was only when he reached for his bag that he realized he wasn't in his room.
Currently, he was in what appeared to be an infirmary. One wall was lined with beds which were all fitted with the same beddings. Each bed was accompanied by a small nightstand, most of which were filled with what appeared to be medical equipment. He looked to his nightstand to see a few blood stained clothes and some bottles which smelled like a mix between alcohol and vomit. He really hoped that fluid hadn't come out of him.
The other side of the room was filled with cabinets, all of which contained a plethora of colorful liquids. He could only assume that these were potions. He noticed that one of the cabinet's glass doors were still open, meaning that either someone had just been here, or that someone had forgotten to lock up. Either way, it appeared like he was being treated for the poisoning Erik had given him.
Finally, in the corners of the room sat small groups of wooden chairs, which he thought were most likely for visitors or maybe for the doctors once they were finished. It was only then that he noticed a small body with blue hair passed out in one of those chairs.
Just seeing her made his eyes water. He already knew she was alive, that she was okay, but just seeing her in person again brought back all the negative emotions he felt for those seven long years. He knew there was no way he could repent for what he'd done to her; to her guild, but he'd do what he could while still following the council's law.
He was about to get up and approach Wendy, before he heard a soft grunt come from his other side. To his surprise, Master Makarov had appeared out of nowhere. It was either that, or he was too out of it to notice him at first.
Before he could speak a word, Master Makarov spoke in a hushed tone. "It's time to wake up, Mest. You've been asleep for far too long." Without warning, the pain of Doranbolt's headache increased, his mind being flooded with streams of information. There were memories and emotions, regrets and sorrows, joys and successes, and most important of all, a name.
Mest couldn't stop the tears from pouring down his face. Those seven years had been torture as Doranbolt, but knowing he'd missed seven years as himself almost hurt more. But now he was back, and unlike Doranbolt, he had no affinity for the council. The only exception was Lahar, who he still thought of as a friend. He was sure there'd be some way to open his friend's eyes to the evils of the council.
He calmed his thoughts. For now, there was only one thing he needed to do. He looked at his master, doing his best to stop the tears welling in his eyes. "What are your next orders, Master Makarov? What am I to do now?"
Makarov's smile was bittersweet. "Get some rest, my child. There will be ample time to discuss your place in the guild and to unlock the memories of the others. For now, regain your strength. It will be needed in the coming battles." With that, the master hopped off his chair and exited the infirmary.
Mest laid back down in the bed, not sure if he'd be able to get any sleep after being woken back up from his seven year slumber. He had so many memories to go through, looking for any deeper meaning behind the council's words or plans. He wasn't sure how long he was awake before sleep eventually took him. It would be a long time before he once again awoke and caused a huge commotion for the guild.
A/N: I think I've fully settled on this story taking place post GMG but before Tartaros. There will still be parts that don't fit into the canon timeline that I'll explain in the story or in my notes, but I'm just glad I finally settled on a concrete time period. The only discrepancy to explain away this time is that Silver didn't see Gray participate in the games. Whether the reason for that comes up later, well we'll just have to wait and see. Also I refuse to have Juvia talk in the third person. I enjoy it in the show, but can't bring myself to do it here.
The story should get into full swing within a chapter of two. Just needed to get a few things squared away first.