Thank you all so much for your patience, I can't believe how many views this story still gets. I love this story and I will definitely finish it.
Reviews mean the world ^^
Thanks a lot for proofreading, CJ!
''Who's next?'' Natsu shouted from the center of the battle circle, steam emitting from the evaporating sweat on his arms. Around him, people had sat down in exhaustion from fighting him. So far, no one stood against a chance against his powers and he was loving every second of it.
Lucy looked at him with a glowing warmth in her chest. She still couldn't believe he was hers.
''He's your boyfriend, isn't he?'' She heard a voice next to her say.
Beside her stood the short-haired girl from one of the other groups. She had a beautiful smile and her light-green dress complimented her platinum hair perfectly.
Lucy was caught off guard by her question. Of course he was, but she just realised she had never called him that before.
''Yes,'' she proudly said, realising how it made her heart glow once again. ''He is.''
''Lucky you,'' she replied with envy in her voice. ''He seems like a real catch.''
Lucy giggled. ''That's one way to put it.''
''You're a celestial mage too, aren't you?'' she asked.
Lucy's eyes widened. ''Yes, how did you-''
The girl laughed and gestured to the keys on Lucy's belt.
''My name is Yukino.'' She introduced herself. Her demeanor was proper and reserved, yet her eyes glowed with fighting spirit. ''Shall we fight next?''
''Stupid fucking cards!'' Cana let out a shout in frustration, wiping her deck off the table in her tent. She was fuming with anger. Why did all her friends learn their magic so easily while she did not even awaken a single spark, element, or whatever her magic was supposed to do?
Tears started to well up in her eyes. ''I don't belong here, this is all a misunderstanding..''
''It's not.'' A voice suddenly resounded.
Cana turned around as if being stung. Her breath got stuck in her throat when she saw who it was.
Without making any sound or even disturbing the air, the professor had appeared in her tent.
''You.'' She whispered, remembering what happened the last time they met. She quickly stood up, prepared for whatever was going to happen.
He started approaching her and she felt her entire body tense up to his presence. ''You're exactly where you are supposed to be.''
''Not a single step further.'' She warned him, hastily looking left and right to seek something to defend herself with. Her gaze shot away for a second to look to the side, and when she looked back, he was gone.
Before she could even look around, a hand cupped her mouth and her other hand was held down with force.
She gasped, but couldn't make a sound. It was here again. That overwhelming feeling of deja vu. His presence, his body, all of it felt too familiar.
A warm breath behind her tickled her ear. ''I hate to do this, but you have to promise to let me talk before you give away my presence.'' His voice still somehow sent shivers down her spine. ''Will you please promise to listen?''
She had no choice but to agree. As much as she feared his intentions, part of her needed to know the story. She nodded.
He slowly let go, which allowed her to quickly grab the hand that had covered her face. She turned around to face him and was surprised to see him flustered.
''Sit down, please.'' He asked, not making eye contact.
''I think I'll decide that myself,'' Cana said as she let his hand go and crossed her arms.
He slowly turned his head to let his eyes meet hers. Her purple eyes were still as fierce and wise as ever. If only he was allowed to tell her how he had missed those eyes.
''You must wonder who I am.''
She rolled her eyes. ''A shady stalker who threatens my friends.''
He let out a small chuckle. ''I did a bad job tracking you, didn't I?'' He sighed deeply and walked over to a chair.
Cana stayed wary and didn't let her eyes leave him. For some reason, he seemed to be able to vanish into thin air. It must be his ability as a mage.
He sat down in front of her and folded his hands together on his knees. His ash green eyes looked up, straight into her soul. ''My name isn't Doranbolt Seyir and I'm not a professor. Remember how you realised two last names couldn't be traced? Gryder and Clive?''
Her jaw dropped. ''You spied in my apartment too? What the hell!''
''Shh!'' He gestured for her to lower her voice and looked through the tiny opening of the tent's door if anyone had overheard them.
''My real name is Mest Gryder,'' he said.''And I'm a mage too.''
Some wires connected in her already tangled brain. That name...
''That means... my name should be Clive.'' She whispered.
''That's right, you're currently using your mother's surname.''
Cana felt like her head was spinning. This new information wasn't only hard to process, but her mind was hazy too.
''I'm not supposed to be here now,'' he said. ''Meet me behind the training fields tonight.''
She raised a brow. ''And why should I trust you? That sounds shady as hell. You lied to my friends to get to me.''
''Because we need to talk about your father.'' He stated.
A breeze blew through the entrance of the tent and he vanished with it. A sharp pain pierced her brain and she grabbed her head in reflex.
Cana sat herself down on the ground and let her back rest against a pole of the tent. The pain had vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She felt something tickle on her cheek and reached for it.
Tears. It was tears streaming down her face.
Cana couldn't understand. Why was she crying? All she felt was confusion and a sudden overwhelming feeling of lacking something.
She hugged her knees tightly, letting her fingernails dig into her arms. All these feelings were too much for her, yet she had to face them. She could finally learn more about her father, but could she trust this man? Her mind told her everything about him screamed danger, but why did his presence put her at ease as well?
''Don't lose form, Lucy!'' Laxus yelled from the side of the practice field. ''Think about your stance!''
Lucy turned to him in a panic. ''She summoned a literal ginormous snake! How do you expect me to pay-'' A gust of wind produced by the giant serpent's tail blew both her and Loke to the ground.
''Yup, my pupils are ready to save this country,'' Laxus grunted as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Mirajane laughed. ''You're taking this mentoring thing very seriously, don't you?''
''Of course I am,'' he replied. ''The last time the mages came to power, I lost my mother.''
Mirajane gasped. ''I-I'm so sorry, I didn't-''
''Just a few people know about this, you couldn't have known.'' He assured her.
Mirajane clenched her fists.
''I wish I could help, but my magic is too dangerous. I'm only allowed to take part in dire situations. I'm so scared to not be there to protect Lisanna and Elfman.''
She felt his hand brush against hers and let their fingers intertwine. He gently squeezed her significantly smaller hand. A little static shock went up her arm, giving her goosebumps.
''This time nobody will die, I promise.''
His golden eyes were locked on hers, sending waves of feelings down her spine she hadn't felt before. They were childhood friends, but lately, things felt differently. In a good way. She knew he saw her as a friend, but slowly it started to feel like more than that.
Their intimate moment was cut short by a loud ring of a bell.
Everyone gathered at the entrance of the camp, curious why they were being called.
Makarov cleared his throat. "Prepare yourselves for inspection. The King will pay us a visit today."