Going from Fiore to Isvan was much quicker than the other way around. Between Jose's status giving them first class priority on all trains in Ishgar, his ability to fly over insane distances, which allowed them to skip most train stations, and Vera's ability to cling to his leg for dear life, they ended up making it to Black Voxx in a little over a fortnight.

Vera had to admit...

Black Voxx was fucking huge.

Holy shit...

Black Voxx wasn't known as the stronghold of the East for nothing. It was a magic prison shaped like a pitch-black cube made of enclosed steel that could probably withstand a meteor. The cube was the size of a small iceberg and was tilted on its axis so that a single point hovered slightly over the snow-covered ground. It was giant, daunting, and isolated in a small forest between Monne and Nano's village.

"Impressed brat?" Jose said with a smirk, watching Vera stiffen and try to play off how he gawked at the magic compound. Vera, shrugging in the winter coat he had worn from the many spare clothes he kept in Sho's world as he walked towards the compound. Vera's initially decent impression of the place took a hit as a familiar face greeted him at the door, "Hello, little criminal. Glad to see you've grown a bit."

"Screw you," Vera said with a huff, ignoring the slight chuckle that escaped Grog's scarf-covered mouth. Grog was still holding his spear and wearing a winter-specific guard uniform instead of his usual attire, his stance slightly relaxed yet stiff, like a guard dog on duty. Grog turned to Jose diligently and bowed, giving a formal greeting that made Vera want to vomit, "It is an honor for you to visit our facility, Wizard Saint Jose Porla. Mr. Torch is waiting inside with everything you asked for."

"Why thank you, warden of Black Voxx. I'm glad to see Torch's student has some actual manners," Jose said with a pointed glance toward his unruly pupil, who stuck his tongue out in response. The two followed Grog shortly after into the facility and walked into the main room, an open area that took up most of the cube. Vera's eyes widened as he saw the opaque magic cubes floating in the air like large bubbles. Each one held a different prisoner, with the detail of guards wearing similar uniforms hanging around the ground floor to Grog, making sure that nobody got in or out without permission.

"How do they even fit in there?" Vera asked as he poked a box the size of a football, watching it float into the sea of others. Grog answered quickly, "There's rune magic on each cell. The space inside is equivalent to a normal jail cell, and there's only one prisoner per box, so the space constraints are nothing to fret about."

Grog used his staff to tap the ground, the various boxes floating around them moving to form a staircase for them to use. Grog stepped towards the small entryway towards the interior of Black Voxx, with Vera and Jose following closely behind. The trio made their way through the back rooms until they got to a large storage room, locked and secure. Grog used his staff to open the door and reveal the magic tools Black Voxx had collected over the years.

"Welcome to Black Voxx's collection."

Vera let out an impressed whistle as he saw the rows of boxes filled with various tools ranging from useless to somewhat dangerous. Vera followed Jose as they walked inside, and an old, familiar, kind voice called out to them, "Well, it's been a while, Jose. I must say I never expected to see you as the one to visit me out here. Much less with a familiar face," Torch grinned softly as he turned to Vera, ignoring Jose's eyebrow rising in curiosity, "Hello Vera, glad to see you made it to Fiore all right. How's Number 8 doing?"

Vera smiled at the old man, already liking his friendly nature and squishy face that reminded him of a marshmallow, "He's doing good. Oh, and his name is Siegrain, by the way. Number 8 was just a" twisted identity was the first thought that came to Vera's mind, "a nickname he used."

Vera watched as the man let out a soft 'ah' in understanding, looking between him and Jose with an amused expression, "Well, I guess I shouldn't wait too long to let you browse our selection. If you're anything like your teacher, you must be itching to start looking for something."

Jose scoffed in response, rolling his eyes while Vera opened his mouth to deny the horrible accusation that he was anything like Jose before closing it because Torch wasn't wrong. It's not about the comparison but about Vera dying to get a chance at a new magic tool. "Sure, can I look at anything?"

"Yes, just tell Grog if you will activate a tool. Some of these tools are demanding on the controls," Torch said with a chuckle, moving out of the way so the young apprentice could browse the selection with Grog. Meanwhile, Torch walked over to Jose, who glanced over everything with a vague disinterest. "Well, Jose, it's been long since I last saw you. Care to tell me how life's treated you?"

Jose glanced at the older man, his shoulders involuntarily relaxing because it was hard to be on edge around Torch. Torch's entire demeanor screamed honest and not threatening; even as a wizard saint, Jose couldn't stop that aura from falling onto him, "Same as always. The annual wizard saint meeting is coming soon, and the guild master meeting is in summer, as always. Besides that, I only have paperwork and making sure the runt doesn't kill himself."

"Oh? Well, I'd usually say that sounds like an exaggeration, but considering he fought Grog the first time they met, I'd say you're right," Torch said with a small laugh, watching as Jose's eyebrows rose in surprise. Jose's voice teetered with disbelief and slight confusion as he asked, "The runt fought your student? When could he have possibly done that?"

Jose watched with growing intrigue as Torch chuckled softly, walking over to a mechanic-style workshop in the corner and sitting down. His voice took on the classic storytelling style as he spoke, "Well, it was about a year ago, right before I was supposed to come to Oak Town for my vacation."

Jose wasn't sure if he was pissed or pleased to hear that the brats didn't reserve their recklessness for only Oak Town.


Vera felt like a kid in a candy shop...

"What does this one do?"

"It hypnotizes whoever looks at it for too long."

If that candy shop sold magic weapons and antiques instead of candy.

"What's this do?" Vera said as he pulled out a button, just a random red button from the box. Hearing Grog attempt to tell him before his instincts, honed from years of human evolution, took over, and he pressed it instantly. The simple remote exploded in pixie dust, and confetti as Vera just looked at it in shock, tossing it into the box with a smile and ignoring Grog's face that screamed he regretted everything, "This is awesome, Smog."

"It's Grog."

"Sure thing, Bog," Vera said with a grin as he walked down the aisle, looking past the storage shelves and various boxes. His little sightseeing trip was cut short as Grog spoke with a thinly hidden irritation, "You know I can take you to the 'actual' magic weapons."

"What if I want to keep looking?"

"We have magic swords."

"Take me there immediately," Vera replied instantly, his eyes wide with eagerness as Grog slammed his hand into his face before moving along, taking them to the end of the aisle and pulling out a box of magic swords ranging from pristine to rusted over. Grog carried it to a table in the back and set the heavy box down with little difficulty. Vera gave an 'ooh' and an 'ah' for dramatic effect and to get on Grog's nerves as the warden pulled out five candidates for Vera to look through.

"Here, these are all the usable magic swords we have available at the moment. There are others but they're either in cold storage or being loaned out to the guards. You can hold them and unsheathe but ask if you want to know what they do. I don't have the time to repair anything you break in here," Grog said with a resigned sigh, watching as Vera waved his hand absentmindedly and nodded, already holding the first heavy sword in his grip.

"Too heavy," Vera said as he put it back on the table, discounting the other one since it was a long blade before looking at the last three. Three katanas: the first one had a deep green-black sheathe, and a black wrapped handle, the second one had a deep blue sheathe and white bandaged handle and the other had a white sheathe with a sleek yellow handle. Vera pointed to the three as he looked over to Grog, who watched intently to ensure he didn't break anything, "What do these do?"

"The blue one is Mizunoiki, and it can create a dome of water around its user, it's not the most useful for attacking but as a defensive blade it's stellar," Grog explained, ignoring the slight frown that graced Vera's lips as he pointed at the next one, "The green one is called Kaze Kokyu. It can fire an air slash, but you have to charge it by keeping the blade sheathed for a certain amount of time," Grog said with an expert eye, pointing to the white and yellow blade with a more favorable light, "That one is called Raimei, it's blade can be coated in lightning, and it has a function that allows you to quick-draw it. I recommend that one. I find it the most useful out of the three."

Grog watched patiently as Vera nodded slowly, holding the white blade and unsheathing it. Vera's eyes furrowed as he looked at the yellow lightning bolt design in the blade with a slight frown, "This feels weird. Is this how magic tools are supposed to work?"

Grog nodded understandingly, his tone taking a teaching one since he had also felt the same thing when he first started using magic tools, "Yes. Magic tools work in odd ways. The good ones, the functional ones, are designed so that they don't work for everyone. You must understand how it works to use it; the best I can describe it is like learning how to walk again."

Ver couldn't help but nod; his eyes furrowed as he set the sheathe down and held the blade in a gentle hand. His eyes narrowed as he tried to mimic using it like he did when training with Totamaru, and he came up short. The blade moved differently than he imagined it would, and even if he tried, he couldn't activate whatever made it become coated in lightning.

Huh...

It was weird, like a gate was shoved in front of the electrical signals sent from his brain, the signals telling his body to use the sword correctly. Vera could figure it out, but it would take a while; it made him look at people like Erza and Mystogan in a new light.

They must be insane to use more than one of these...

Vera felt he was trying to learn a new language with just one magic sword; using hundreds or even five incredibly complex magic staves made him want to vomit. Vera frowned at the blade before he quickly sheathed it and turned to the green one. A frustrated huff left his mouth as he ran into the same problem: "This is annoying. Is your staff like this, too?"

"It is, although mine is a little more complicated since it has different levels," Grog said with a hint of pride, watching as Vera clicked his tongue before putting the dark blade with green serrations detailed onto the spine into its sheathe. Vera glanced at the blue katana on the table, not bothering to unsheathe it and slightly shaking his head, "Okay, I'll take this one."

Vera held up the green one, watching as Grog's eyes widened slightly in surprise. His voice dipped in curiosity as he asked, "Really? Is there a reason you chose that one in particular?"

Vera shrugged, letting the green sword with a cool name drop into Sho's world. Vera stepped back, letting Grog put the magic swords back into the box and away onto the shelves while Vera explained his thought process, "I need a ranged attack. Sho and I can fight close range; having a sword that gives me long-range slashes will increase our options."

The fact that Vera wanted to cut a tree in half with one swing was just a tiny bonus.


Torch finished his story at about the same time he heard a poof from the shelves. A chuckle left his lips as he muttered, "Looks like he found the button."

"You still have that thing here?" Jose said with a raised eyebrow, still trying to get over the fact that the little runts he met a year ago nearly got a sentence at Black Voxx without his intervention. Jose decided it was best to assume that lucky break at face value as he listened to Torch's old chuckles, "Oh, yes. It's always fun to see the few guests we have press it. I swear there hasn't been a single visitor that hasn't."

"That is... unsurprising," Jose said with a sigh, putting the old button of mystery out of his mind as he glanced at the old workstation Torch was sitting at. The table was littered with recent blueprints for new magic tools and had Torch's signature on their surface, with a few of the oldest designs having a separate signature that few others would recognize.

"Surprised you haven't tossed those out. He's been dead for ages, Torch," Jose said with a thin frown, watching as Torch merely chuckled and shrugged his aging shoulders, "It's always good to keep them on hand. Besides, I like figuring out how his mind worked from these prints, even if that mind took a small step backward in his later years."

"Isn't that an understatement," Jose muttered under his breath, ignoring Torch's frown as he crossed his arms and walked over to the wall. Jose leaned on it as he spoke sarcastically, "Still, if you're so set on building something, you could always come to Oak Town permanently. Retire there and set up a magic shop."

"Oh? So that I can become Phantom Lord's personal mechanic?"

"That could be a benefit, yes," Jose said with a playful smirk, already knowing the answer to the question he had asked multiple times prior, as Torch laughed with a joyful expression. Torch shook his head with an aged smile and said, "Unfortunately, I'll have to decline. I've lived in this place most my life; I might as well be buried in the soil that gave me so much."

Torch glanced at Jose, who only rolled his eyes at Torch's unsurprising dismissal. Torch offered a soft smile as he tapped his finger on the desk and spoke with a deep, warm understanding, "You know, I was surprised when you called about getting your apprentice a suitable weapon. The Jose I remember would have died before doing something like that."

"Don't read into too much Torch; the brat has potential. I want it under my guild versus another one's," Jose retorted with narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth as Torch gave him a slight chuckle. Torch, shaking his head with a grin on his wrinkled face, said, "Yes, that may be the case, but who knows? You might change your mind one day. After all, you now have an apprentice who will follow after you when you're old and gray like me."

"If I ever end up sitting in a box in Isvan, I'll have Aria finish me off to save my dignity," Jose muttered as he ignored Torch's booming laugh. Jose shook his head as he got up to get the runt; it had been almost half an hour, and he should have found something passable by now, "Well, it was fun talking to you, Torch, but I think I'll go get the runt now. I'm not exactly in the position to stay away from Oak Town for long, and the less time the brat stays here, the less likely he is to break something."

Torch chuckled in response, getting up and walking with Jose to get their two students. Torch took a chance to give Jose a little advice he felt like his friend's successor could use, "You know, when I was a kid, I thought of every way to leave Isvan and every chance to change my life, but I stayed. I grew and learned to love this place; I loved it so much I spent my entire life dedicated to keeping the criminals that would ruin the icy beauty of this country."

Torch gave Jose a passing pat on the back, having to reach somewhat since he was much shorter due to his old age, "Yet out of all those years and all those things, Grog and the others were the best thing that has ever happened to me. From teaching them to use tools, how to guard the prisoners, and how to protect Black Voxx after I'm gone, all of it was wonderful. I've lived for decades, and I can confidently say that passing on my will to the next generation is the greatest gift I have been given."

Torch gave Jose a small smile as he walked past the confetti on the ground and left with a parting word, "You should use the gift you've been given, Jose. Once you're old, it'll be too late."

Torch didn't bother to look back to see if his words affected the wizard saint.

"Seriously, Torch? You couldn't keep one of your life lessons out of a conversation to save your life."

Torch has been through enough years to know that time was a better teacher than anything.


The second time Vera took a train into Fiore, he could confidently say it was a thousand times better than the first time. For one, the dog problem had been solved since they were only allowed to populate so much because Bosco and Seven didn't know they existed in the Ripple Back Mountains.

Kaze Kokyu...

The second was that he had a magic sword he was dying to use. He couldn't help himself from holding it and staring at the deep green sheathe, moving the blade out of it in intervals so he could admire the design imprinted in it. The green waves carved into the spine made it look like the blade was serrated.

I'm going to figure this out as quickly as possible...

One reason was obviously to get stronger, but there were more subtle reasons, too. The fact that he could slice a tree in half with a swing and that he could use this to get the jump on Siegrain in their future spars were others.

Then, I'll be able to hold my own.

A more minor part of him, a more guilty part, wanted to master it because it would make his body strong. It would make it so that when he and Sho fought, it wasn't just Sho covering for him; Vera could also attack. It would make it so that his magic wasn't only with Sho; some would stay with Vera, too.

I'm going to be strong.

Vera felt his lips twitch at the thought, his eyes eager as he clenched the sword in his grip. The hypnosis he had unknowingly put himself under shattered with a snide comment from Jose, "Rodent, you know you don't have to carry that everywhere, right?"

"Screw you. I'll carry this sword into my grave." Vera replied before sticking his tongue out at Jose. Jose only scowled as he glanced at the green sword in the boy's grip since he got it. Jose typically not caring about it, but considering they were sitting first class, and Jose would instead not create a stir with silver-spooned morons that probably had never seen a weapon in their lives, he wanted the sword somewhere out of sight.

"Leave it in your shadow; you can play with it in Oak Town."

"But-"

"Now," Jose ordered, his voice iron and eyes flashing purple. Vera growled in response but eventually acquiesced and left his new sword in Sho's world, "You're such a buzzkill."

"Oh wow, that was nearly an insult. Did it take both of you to come up with that?" Jose replied with a sarcastic drawl, watching as Vera opened and closed his mouth in protest. The boy lost the battle of words with a less-than-graceful huff, crossing his arms and turning his gaze out the window.

Jose took the boy's silence as a sign that the conversation was over and requipped his book. His eyes moved to the pages before Vera, bored and curious, asked with a thinly hidden inquiry, "How do you even know Torch anyways?"

Vera was curious because Grog mentioned that they don't sell their collection to anyone. He made it seem like the only reason Vera even got one was because Jose was a friend of Torch, and Vera had trouble wrapping his head around that.

There's no way Jose has friends...

Vera believed that fact was iron, so he wanted to hear what Jose did to get them into Black Voxx's arsenal. Vera's current bet was on threats being exchanged, and Sho had put a soda on their being money involved in the transaction. So Vera and Sho, who had shimmered to life with a morbid curiosity, watched as Jose raised an eyebrow and gave a predictable answer, "That's none of your business, brat."

"Come on, give me something."

"I'll give you a beating if you keep asking."

"That's child abuse. I don't think the train conductor would appreciate it."

"I'll pay him off."

"You're cheap, though?"

"I'm frugal, hence why only one of us is in debt," Jose replied with a slight smirk as Vera's shoulders slumped in defeat. Jose gave a silent chuckle as he turned to his book, tapping the page he was on before deciding to throw the kid a bone, "If you must know, he knew the third guild master."

Jose watched as Vera's eyes widened in interest, his head tilted as he murmured with a sudden revelation, "So that's why he didn't hate your guts..."

"You must really dislike that sword of yours."

"What's this? Sho's asking me something. Sorry, I'll get back to you later," Vera said with no shame as he turned his full attention to Sho, who popped out with a pencil and a sketchbook for the two of them. Jose watched the exchange with a roll of eyes as he returned to his book.

Well, at least he'll be quiet now...

Jose would always welcome that opportunity, especially since the trip would only last a few more days. He would take every opportunity to relax before being forced behind a paper desk and crushed dreams. Especially since it would be years before he got another chance to have a complete vacation, much less go to Isvan and visit Torch, assuming he made it that long.

Won't that be a dreary day...

Jose hung around death a lot, much more than most, so he knew it wasn't pretty. He knew that a lot of deaths were painful and lonely, and there were very few who actually died peacefully. Mages, in particular, rarely got that option, although with the growing number of solid mages each generation, that was changing slowly. Sadly, that little buffer didn't apply to Torch, who had probably passed his prime before Jose was born and only had his mechanical skills to keep him going.

Then again...

The day Torch Endeavor died would be a long day.

He didn't seem like he minded it.

At the very least, Jose wouldn't have to worry about another ghost clawing at his ankles.


Around nighttime, the two finally returned from their trip to Isvan over two weeks later, and Jose left the runt at the station immediately. As much as Jose enjoyed ditching his work for a few weeks, it meant he had much more to catch up on, and he didn't have time to deal with the boy's excitement at getting a new toy.

At least he has a decent magic sword. Now, he should be able to cover his weaknesses better.

Jose had seen that the range was Vera's most significant disadvantage. Since his shadow only had claws at the moment, and Vera didn't have access to other magic that might help balance the faulty distribution, getting a method of ranged attack, any attack, was the highest priority on Jose's checklist.

That wind magic should work out nicely.

Thankfully, Black Voxx had that spare sword. It could have been better, and the restrictions were harsh, but it was viable. Vera at least had the option to attack without putting his body in harm's way and could even start looking into combinations where his shadow attacks close range and his sword handles long-range simultaneously.

That should be enough to keep him on a steady path for improvement.

Now all Jose had to do was beat the little shit once a week and let the boy develop new ways to use his magic and better ways to use his already learned magic. The boy had the tools, but it was up to him to learn how to make the best use of them, and if Jose were right, that would only be a matter of time.

So Jose returned to his office in the middle of the night, flicking on the lights and sitting at his desk. His eyes tiredly gazed over the mountain of paperwork he'd gotten after only a few weeks away from Oak Town. However, considering he had more influence than the town's mayor, this was probably to be expected. It didn't mean Jose wouldn't try to scramble around his brain for any, and he meant any, other task to push this off until later.

Can't there be a monster sighting or something...

Jose almost wished another pair of kids would show up and destroy some other part of Oak Town. He could push this off until tomorrow and possibly gain another pair of future S-class wizards. Assuming they kept improving like they had been in the past year.

It's already been a year, huh...

Jose hummed as he leaned back into his chair tiredly, looking out the window with a small, reminiscent look. The moonlight fluttered over the horizon as he turned back to his desk, his finger tapping the desk in deep thought, with Torch's little confession ringing in his ears the entire time. Jose scowled as he remembered the sentimental fool and his weathered, almost grateful outlook on the long life he had lived.

'Passing on my will to the next generation is the greatest gift I have been given.'

"Of course, Torch would try and turn a favor into a lesson," Jose said with a sarcastic drawl, his eyes closed as he sat for a minute and rested. A stupid, dumb, insane idea playing in his head as he murmured under his breath, "Gift huh..."

Jose tapped his fingers more aggressively, a frown taking his face and an instinctive dislike of the idea in his head running through his mind. Jose furrowed his brows before he clicked his tongue and opened his eyes, quickly summoning his CL and placing it on the desk. His thoughts slowly churned through the few pros and many cons of the idea before he stopped, his eyes dulling as he turned around with a slow, commanding drawl, "Death must have made you forget how this twisted connection of ours works."

Jose stared unblinkingly at the beady red eyes that hovered a few inches from his face, the unruly shade's eerie presence crawling along the walls and its rage wafting through the air. Jose took all of it, uncaring for the seething hiss that escaped the shade as he reached a single hand out and grasped its neck. His eyes were cold, and his words were colder as he squeezed with an iron grip: "If I wanted your opinion on the matter, I would have asked."

Jose watched with dead eyes as the shade popped like a balloon, its vile body fading back to Purgatory without so much as a grunt, the shade's raging red eyes never leaving Jose's until it had completely dissipated. Jose didn't even give it a passing thought as he turned back to his desk and mulled over his options. Jose glanced at the paperwork on his desk before using the lacrimal because he said he would do anything to push it off till later, and this counted as anything. Besides, even if he disliked the old fool and utterly despised his fugitive of a son, he was more experienced in this matter than Jose, and Jose would rather bother that senile idiot in the middle of the night than Torch.

Jose leaned back and waited for the line to pick up, the magic lacrimal ringing a few times before a line was established. The crackle of the other end playing in his office as a surprised and sleepy yawn sounded over the call, "Huh? Wow, I thought I was still drunk."

Jose rolled his eyes as he waited, listening to the sound of stretching and shuffling papers, meaning that the old fool was probably in the same situation as he was. He was stuck in his office and dealing with the horrible workload required of both a wizard saint and a guild master.

If he can even be counted as a guild master... all he does is get drunk and let that ace of his destroy everything.

Jose scowled habitually as he rethought his life choices for a few seconds until the old idiot finally got his act together and was ready to converse.

"Well, this sure is a surprise, Jose. What's the call for? Is something wrong with the wizard saints?" The old and surprised voice on the other end of the line asked, its aged and curious tone littered with disbelief. It was as if it had never occurred to him that Jose would call him in his long lifetime.

"No, it's nothing that urgent, you old fool..."

Which was fair.

"I just have a quick question to ask."

Jose thought he would die young before he willingly called Makarov.

"Those strays you pick up..." Jose forced the words through his teeth like they were vomit, "What do you get them for their birthdays?" Jose watched the sound lines on the orb flicker in surprise, the shock evident in Makarov's tone as he let out a small, understanding yet disbelieving chuckle, "Well, I'll be damned..."

Jose did his best to reign in his temper as he heard a booming laugh from the other end. He tapped his foot impatiently as the aged voice spoke like it was his birthday they were discussing, not the two runaways: "Don't worry, Jose! You're asking a veteran! I'll make sure you get them the best gift possible!"

Jose only grunted in disbelief, ignoring the trailing, knowing chuckles as he took out a pen and paper to write down whatever ideas the old idiot had to offer. His initial notion that this would be a quick favor he'd, unfortunately, have to pay back got tossed down the drain when he heard Makarov's gossipy tone, "So what are their names? Ooh, tell me about them; gotta suit each one to their gift style."

Jose flicked his pen, his eyes twitching as he set it down because he realized he would have to talk to the old fool for an unbearably long time if he wanted to get anything decent back, "Siegrain and Vera..."

Jose was already lamenting the time he would never get back telling this old geezer about his new talents. So he decided to make it enjoyable. His lips curled, and she spoke with the thinly hidden smugness in his voice, "They'd wipe the floor with your pack of strays."

Bragging to the old fool sounded like a great way to pass the time.