August was not in his office, his study, or even Mercurius. The man, draped in his standard flowing robe, sat at a fountain in the heart of the city in an abandoned plaza. Ruins surrounded him, still not cleaned up even after the fighting that rocked the capital two weeks prior.
Minerva pushed away the rocks and rubble in her approach. She walked without fear and certainly without hesitation. For a fortnight, she'd been attempting to get the man's attention but he wouldn't have any of it. He was busy in meetings with Mard Geer, or Ajeel, or the goddamn Queen. Never for Minerva. She was always redirected to Invel, but that worm wouldn't give her any of the answers she was looking for.
August raised his head as Minerva stopped. The echoes of her heels on the uneven pavement also ceased. She stood, arms crossed, a few feet from him. He didn't stand for her.
"You know," he said, "when I was young, much younger, I wondered what it must be like to live in a place so grand as Mercurius. Now that I am here, an old man, I am quite aware that it is nothing special. It's a common village dressed up and done to look more impressive. But look at these foundations—as broken as the towns and villages we marched over in our conquest."
"Shut up and listen to me, you old cretin," Minerva said. "I won't have your disrespect anymore. Do you understand what I did for you, for the Empire? Rufus was a threat to many of our soldiers and was a critical component of the rebellion's communication network. Notice how they haven't been able to do anything for two weeks? That's because ofme. WhatIdid. Take command from that oaf, Orga, and give it to me. I earned it."
August looked down at his hand, then touched it to his forehead.
"Memory Make: Water."
Minerva set her jaw but said nothing as the magic circle opened behind August and the fountain sprang to life with water once more. August stood so he wouldn't get wet, moving his cloak from the fountain.
"I want you to know," August said. "That you have never had my disrespect, Minerva Orland, because you never had my respect in the first place."
Minerva balled her fist, but her magic wasn't appearing. She glowered at August's closed fingers in his opposite hand. His own Territory magic was shutting off hers. Damn him.
How was he real?
"You snuck your way into our ranks by marrying an experiment that has proven, until recent events, worthwhile. However, I'm coming to understand the extent of a Dragon Slayer's true magic potential, and that what our great Emperor did was insufficient. Not misguided. Insufficient. There is one final test I am putting forth before the Dragon Division may be, as another in recent days, folded under my supervision."
"What are you saying?" Minerva asked. "What other?"
"Without Jacob Lessio I see little value in the Hunter's Division," August said. "Fairy Tail's tumultuous tirade upon the land isn't without recourse against our own structure, you see. Look at yourself. You're incapable. You had them in your hands, prior to any of them having their Second Origin available and completely fumbled. You lost to a girl whose magical latency is hardly in its infancy."
Long ago, Minerva's father would take her into the woods to train. Out there, she was beaten bloody and senseless by the elements and by her father. She took it back out on her enemies. She twisted and broke them, left them as little more than heaps.
Without having to throw a punch, August was already doing the same. The walls of the forest were closing in around Minerva again.
She was alone, no Sting, Rogue, Yukino…none of them. They'd all fled, they'd all abandoned her. Even Rufus, even Orga. Dobengal was about as friendly as his shuriken.
"Of course the obvious counterargument there is that Orga could not sufficiently defeat Laxus Dreyar," August said, "and has also repeatedly failed me, and you did indeed assassinate Rufus." The old man raised his finger. "But, do you know what Orga has not done that has earned him some reprieve, enough to elevate himself?"
"What?" Minerva asked through seething teeth.
"Come to me," August said, "like a child attempting to reprimand their parents after accomplishing a good deed. You are loud, Minerva, so loud I can hear you from my tower. You tromp about no better than Fairy Tail, and while you serve your Empire well, you do not do so with an ounce of grace or responsibility that would earn you any right to stand, purely by rank, next to me."
August opened his hand and let Minerva's magic flow back, and in doing so, unlocked his own.
Her soul left her body as the world faded around her until it all rushed back to crush her. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, and thinking felt like such a great miracle. August towered over her, his magical presence so grand it eclipsed the stars.
A soft yet wrinkly hand touched her forehead.
"Do you truly think," he said with a voice so quiet it was blaring in her ears, "that you can stand with me?"
The stars came speeding back into reality as the world fell into place like a puzzle. When Minerva awoke with it, she had a hand pressed against a fountain back in its full function, in a plaza that appeared untouched to what it'd been before Fairy Tail's arrival. Her forehead burned, her chest ached, and something warm slid down her face. She gingerly touched her hand to it.
Tears glistened in a crimson beauty. Minerva crushed it in her gloved hand, but could not stop them from coming.
The secret bunker door eased open, allowing sunlight to pour in save for the long shadow that blotted it out. Hisui moved into the hallway, her arms folded. Her right hand's fingers tapped the hilt of her blade.
A fellow swordswoman approached, alone. It'd been a mere day since Hisui heard of Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere's plans, and already, it seemed, they were well in motion.
Kagura Mikazuchi strode forward with a perfectly straight back and not a hint of fear in her eyes, solely determination. It was, of course, completely offset by the goofy smile of the little Exceed sitting on her shoulder, Frosch, as well as the more awe-struck one that walked beside her, Lector.
"Hey, you're the Princess!" Lector exclaimed as the bunker door sealed behind them.
Hisui smiled. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, I'm glad to see you're in good spirits after what'd happened to you."
"Yeah, I've gotta admit, being able to walk sure beats the hell outta being stuck in a crystal," Lector said, "even if I don't remember much."
"Frosch has never been in a crystal before," Frosch said.
Hisui laughed at them. The ongoing war hardly seemed to linger on their minds. Kagura, though, had it written all over her face…on second thought, perhaps that was simply her normal expression.
"I'm here on behalf of Crime Sorciere," Kagura said. "I wanted to come with a word on some of Fairy Tail's latest movements. I traveled a good way here with the Dreyar family and Thunder Tribe."
That bunch was the least of Hisui's concerns. The group going after Jellal seemed far more at risk of being in trouble, given their personnel, but Laxus had a streak for not only finding trouble but thinking he could take it on full force.
"Good," Hisui said. "As well as Crime Sorciere?"
"Yes," Kagura said.
"Follow me. Let's get the others."
Hisui led them out of the small bunker and out into the headquarters proper. Kagura was greeted warmly by most of the refugees and rebels there. Mest was nowhere to be seen, as he was helping oversee Lyon's unbreaking along with Bob, having to relay all that Gray told him about Lyon, what the wizard used to be. The Exceeds pranced off to find Ichiya, who was all too happy to see the little cats again. He asked about Nichiya, who Hisui had only heard whispers of as being one of the Exceeds from the little village that was tucked away, supposedly safe from the Empire.
They stopped in the war room. Hisui shut the door, simply out of precaution. There were no spies or leaks in their building, but she still couldn't help herself.
Dim lights lit their faces from below, casting long shadows over both women. Kagura leaned against the opposite wall while Hisui stood near their strategy table.
"Tell me about Fairy Tail first," Hisui said.
Kagura nodded. "The Dreyars and Thunder Tribe are closing in on some of the other Fairies, in their estimation. They want to train, catch everyone up to speed, essentially."
"Should do some good," Hisui said. "The more Fairies we have at a higher power level, the better, I think."
"You're right about that," Kagura said. Kagura met Hisui's eyes as the doors opened behind Hisui, granting Mest entry. They acknowledged him with nods. "Meredy has similar plans, although hers are a bit more risky in the process."
"How so?"
"Scores of former Dark Guilds are getting ready to rise up again on some sort of mercenary plan the Empire is devising," Kagura said. "Meredy intends to shut them all down before they can make any headway."
"Who is organizing this?" Hisui asked.
The ice in Kagura's words chilled Hisui: "Tartaros."
"They're readying to make a move?" Mest asked.
Hisui's hand trembled. They all knew about the move to prepare the Cedar Airfield, and how that'd been crushed. Sure, Torafuzar was already back in action, but the plans for the Airfield were scrapped in the Empire's scramble to keep up with structural changes. From what Lucy reported a week ago, things weren't all peachy in the capital, as the near-collapse of the Dragon Division and Queen's insistence on taking power, politically, from August was creating issues.
But all of that was always, it seemed, ignored by Mard Geer. He seemed to have a will tied directly to the Emperor as if an extension of his very malice. Tartaros swept across Bosco and wiped it out. Tartaros was a weapon poised against the rest of the magical world—even the old FACE bombs proved useless against them, should any other country even bother using them.
"Do it," Hisui said. "Wipe them out, Kagura."
"Wait, Hisui," Mest said. "An attack like that would exhaust Crime Sorciere, it may even draw the Empire's attention."
"If it's true that they are just mercenaries," Hisui said, "then it's no real loss for them to be destroyed. Mercenaries for the Empire are either neutral or a positive gain; they have nothing to lose in this endeavor."
And, Hisui thought, solely a means of wiping out guilds like Fairy Tail or throwing all of their power against Blue Pegasus's defenses, without losing a single Imperial life.
"But we do," Mest said. "Even a single member of Crime Sorciere is critical to our operation."
"And I can assure you," Kagura said. "That not a single member of our group is weaker than any one of these pathetic dark guilds."
"Dark guilds that contain the likes of Erigor? You're telling me someone like Millianna, no offense, can take him on?"
"Mill never fights alone," Kagura said.
Mest shifted. "Hisui, this is too big of a gamble."
"And one I can't really control, can I?" Hisui said.
Kagura shook her head. "Meredy appreciates your support but you aren't her commander. Fairy Tail is going to go find him."
Hisui nodded. "Then go rejoin your team, Kagura, and good luck."
"Thank you," Kagura said. "I actually branched off from my original hunt to come tell you. I must be off with the Exceeds now before I lose track of where we're headed."
Hisui joined her in leaving the room. Mest's dour mood lingered but Hisui didn't let it creep on her own. This was their opportunity to seize another leg up on the Empire. If they could cut off Tartaros's plans before they even got started, it'd be another display of their viability, another glimmer of hope they could give the people.
Erza stood atop the small ridge overlooking the plains before the rest of the group, who were all resting after a long stretch of traveling. The wind tugged at her hair, pulling it in all sorts of directions. She held her stance steadily.
They weren't far from a local train station, which would take them to Bosiore Station, and from there have the choice to go up or down the border of Fiore and Bosco. As Erza understood, there wasn't much to see in Bosco, but more importantly, the train would take them to the shores or to the three-way border between Fiore, Seven, and Bosco.
She narrowed her eyes. The shore.
From that shore, they'd reach the docks, and from there, it was a mere matter of time before they'd reach it.
The Tower of Heaven.
It was the first, and truly only, place she thought Jellal could run to. Perhaps the ruins of Nirvana, but there was nowhere for him to hide. All of the illusions created by Nirvana were wiped out.
If Jellal got out, if Jellal wanted to recuperate some sort of power, he likely wouldn't stay at the Tower of Heaven, but would more than likely leave some sort of of hint for his friends to find. Or, if anything, it'd at least give Erza and the others some sort of starting point. The open countryside of Fiore wasn't lending them a hand in the slightest.
The wind swept over the rolling plains. There was truly nothing as far as the eye could see, save for that little train station. No villages, no threats of Imperial forces marching on them. So far as the Dragon Slayers could sense, there wasn't anyone even coming for them.
Erza was able to stand and think for the first time in so long. Those two weeks in the forest were spent in intense magical meditation and training, sparring with the likes of Laxus, Natsu, Master Makarov, and even Yukino, who displayed Celestial Spirit powers far beyond the likes of Lucy.
She wasn't worried about the composition of the group she had with her, nor their mission. She only worried that Jellal wasn't lost—he wasdead, his body discarded somewhere and forgotten about. Pursuing him was a dream held aloft by the Empire as a means of drawing out his supporters.
But Kagura held out hope, as did Meredy. If anyone was going to find him, they insisted it was going to be Erza.
She balled her fist.
"What happened to you, Jellal?" she muttered. "Where have you gone?"
Laxus let out a slightly gruntled snort as they came up toward the little ramshackle hut. It bore no insignia, but there was no mistaking the amount of accidental damage around it, something only Gildarts could create. Makarov gave a little grin, too.
"Well I'll be," Makarov said. "I suppose they wanted to migrate a little closer."
"Lisanna and Elfman must've told them where we'd be," Evergreen said.
"Probably to be closer to you, Ever," Freed muttered. Evergreen blushed and swatted at Freed's shoulder.
Laxus approached the hut, leading the group. They hadn't traveled too long in the day since leaving their place in the woods—by virtue of Laxus's magic, he was able to move them along nice and quick, so they could cover more ground more efficiently.
He didn't think, though, that they'd come up on Gildarts and the others so fast. Then again, it wasn't as if they could be statically training in a single place without raising some Imperial eyebrows. Gildarts was, no doubt, on some sort of Imperial radar. Cana, the holder of Fairy Glitter, was probably also on their watchlist.
Laxus swung open the door and Makarov stepped inside, the Thunder Tribe hanging out for a moment to ensure nobody was watching.
It was empty, save for some discarded pieces of clothing that were left behind.
"Moved on already?' Laxus asked.
Makarov didn't say anything. The little old man approached what seemed to resemble even Gildarts's tattered cloak, the one everyone knew him to wear. Laxus tapped on a scarf, one of the many that little pipsqueak Romeo had.
"It would seem like it, wouldn't it?" Makarov muttered.
"It would," Laxus said and closed his fist. Lightning arced out of his hand. "You wanna deal with this or me?"
"I can," Makarov said. "At least I won't make a mess of where we are if I do."
Laxus nodded, then spat. This was just…great.
Makarov swirled his hands about, letting two magic circles appear over his hands. He waved them closer to gather, revolving them until a sphere formed between them, and with a sudden shove downward, the magic circles slammed into the ground and disabled the illusion around Laxus and Makarov.
The Thunder Tribe looked about, shocked, yet not as shocked as the man feebly standing off to the side, holding his hands aloft as if to maintain the illusion of a spell.
What should have been shocking, perhaps even some sort of twisted joy, in Laxus was instead a heaping load of anger. The man's mouth was agape as he stood frozen in fear. Makarov quickly yanked his arm and the man flew toward them.
"Freed," Laxus said.
The man understood and cast a spell that encased the man in runes, locking in him a box of pure magic. Evergreen approached, lowering her glasses and revealing her eyes.
The man snarled at Laxus and Makarov. But he couldn't hide his trembles.
"So what do you want with us," Laxus said, "Dad?"
The village was tiny, no more than ten huts total, yet it was still something on the Empire's radar, apparently. Or, perhaps not the Empire, but whoever the thugs were that gallivanted about pretending to be the Empire. This guy, this Doriate, pranced about with a bunch of other goons, kicking down the hapless guards that hardly stood a chance against the wizards.
Dark wizards.
Villagers begged on their hands and knees for mercy, something Doriate promised if they'd just pay up to the Empire what was owed—some sort of new tax, or toll, being brought down on them.
"And this is what'll happen if you don't pay up!" Doriate exclaimed, bringing his massive fist down on the village elder. But it didn't connect.
Screaming, Doriate reeled back, flailing an arm that once held a hand on it. The other mercs looked about, and in a single wave of white magic, were tossed aside like nothing.
"Not here either, I guess," said Sting.
"Nope," Rogue said, looking around. The villagers approached, tears in their eyes, but the two Dragon Slayers ignored them.
Sting sighed. "Those Crime Sorciere bastards always liked to hide behind the tiny people. Guess these mercs are going to be puking them, now."
"Makes this more frustrating," Rogue said.
They strolled out of the village, leaving it in ruin while the guards scrambled to tie up Doriate and the others. Whatever. Not even Sting and Rogue's problem.
They weren't Imperials anymore. What befell those people wasn't their problem.
The only things they cared for were their Exceeds, Frosch and Lector. Rumor had it they were traveling with Kagura, and the other Crime Sorciere goons, who used to hide in the small places of the world, where they could spring forth and make their attacks. Thus, the two had to check there. And they'd continue to do so, until at last Frosch and Lector were in their arms again.
Nobody was going to get in their way of this.