Aiden's fingers danced across a lacrima based keyboard. This small keyboard led to a larger machine; a much, much larger machine. A small grin found its way onto the mad scientist's face as the preparations were just about complete. "Just a few more minutes…" Aiden spoke aloud to himself, but Hyde was also present. "Just a few more minutes until we can shake things up a little bit, eh?"
Hyde let out a small chuckle as he paced back and forth. "Oh, yes…the script is going just the way I've written…the plot will soon begin to thicken."
"So, tell me, Hyde, how is my precious little girl?" Aiden asked, though he could barely contain the laughter building up from that sentence.
"Oh? The small little dragon seems to be doing quite well." Hyde replied with a slight nod, now resting his arm on his lance-like cane. "It has been over a year now since she's joined the Fairy Tail guild. As my plot says, it's only a matter of time before things fall into our hands…"
"Excellent…" Aiden nodded as he began to finalize the preparations on the machine. "I'm curious, Hyde…does your script have the scenario ready for if she blows up?"
Hyde stayed silent for just a mere two seconds before letting out a boisterous laugh. "My oh my! Don't tell me you actually doubt the brilliance of my plots?"
Aiden merely smirked at Hyde's response, turning around after. "That's all I needed to hear. The machine is ready!" Aiden then pressed a button, and the large machine let out a low whir type sound before it began to shake vigorously, nearly shaking the entire laboratory. A minute or so passed before the shaking died down, and the large machine now had a type of portal just a few feet above it. "I present to you, my Anima Machine!"
"Anima…" Hyde smirked slightly, his top hat covering his face. "Impressive…"
"I've long theorized that Earthland is not the only world in existence." Aiden said as the portal remained opened, and stable, in front of them. "I hardly know what the other worlds may be called, but I do know one thing. This portal leads to a world known as...Edolas. From what I was able to gather, Edolas is a world without magic. But more importantly, it has familiar faces. One of which, we could use to our advantage."
"However did you learn about such at thing? Even I didn't know, and I can imagine such information is not exactly easy to come by." Hyde questioned. He didn't doubt Aiden, but he was opening his eyes to the vastness of not just the world, but existence.
Aiden crossed his arms and began to pace around the room. "Admittedly, I'm not sure how I learned of this. While I was consistently fading in and out of consciousness within intensive care in the Council, a voice spoke to me. I cannot discern who it was at this point in time, but they told me about Edolas. And how, should I recover, I should be able to be the one to create a link between our two worlds. Something about Fairy Tail...it sparked my scientific interest."
"I see..." Hyde nodded. "I wonder who this mysterious interloper was. I suppose that doesn't matter at the moment. We have actors to gather!"
"You have the item, yes?" Aiden asked, raising a brow to double check to see if Hyde was organized before hopping in the portal.
"But of course I do," Hyde replied before jumping into the Anima portal.
After Hyde jumped in the portal, it closed. Aiden didn't seem worried though, he had faith in Hyde and his superb abilities. "Heh…Watch out Earthland, we're about to turn you upside down…"
.
.
Era, home of the Magic Council. The Council's security has improved immensely since the attack months ago when Tartaros made their move. The only thing missing from the Council was the First Captain; and it had been that way for several months. Siegrain sat in his office in the same way a king would sit in his throne room. Before him were Correll, Odin, Lahar, Doranbolt, Kemuri, and Layanna. "I called you all here to make an announcement; one that will change the way we treat criminals."
"What would that be?" Odin asked with obvious curiosity.
"The Council Stronghold." Siegrain replied, and this brought interest and confusion from the captains and the guard.
"Council Stronghold?" Lahar blinked a few times before fixing his glasses. "What is it…?"
Siegrain merely smirked at the question; it was though he was just waiting for someone to ask. "Heh…I believe I'll leave the explaining to the one in charge of the Stronghold…our new Council Warden."
A male stepped into the room on cue, the light straying away from him, leaving his face and figure mostly a shadow. "A place where we make sure those criminals…yes…criminals…never see the light of day again. And there is the perfect execution process…On Siegrain's orders, I've been told the first person it is used on is the assassin that has been plaguing Magnolia for months now…"
"And another quick note…" Siegrain added in. "I advise you all to keep an eye on Fiore's End. I know Gran Doma enjoyed keeping a close eye on the little girl, and I can see why. If she does anything that could endanger the people of Fiore, I want her here, understand?" The guards nodded, understanding Siegrain completely. It looks as though the Council's eye on Fairy Tail will be just as watchful as before. "Also…keep an eye on White Eclipse as well…and if possible…that Twilight Zone guild."
"Yes, sir." Doranbolt nodded.
"And lastly, I've made a decision." Siegrain said, looking towards the Council Captains. "I've been thinking long and hard about the state of this Council. We were betrayed by one of our very own. However, he had been present since Gran Doma was in power. As much as I would like to shift the blame to him, it equally falls to me for not being aware of the situation. But, I have decided on our next First Captain."
"Who will it be?" Layanna asked? "I...I do not think it should be me, if you are looking in that direction." She shook her head at the thought. She failed the Council once before already, and tried to assault the land as a reborn angel. There was still a halo over her head to signify that she was one of them, she simply did not have the time to return after her retreat.
"No." Siegrain said bluntly, for the reasons Layanna assumed. "Even though your strength has improved vastly, it is not strength that matters. Someone with cunning and smart. I am looking at you, Kemuri."
"Oh, me?" Kemuri pointed at himself. "I was just a humble guard last year...and now I'm first captain? You honor me too much, Siegrain-sama." But as humble as Kemuri was feeling, there was a grin on his face. "I'll be sure that your expectations of me do not fall flat."
"..." Lahar adjusted his glasses. There was something on his mind, but he opted not to say anything instead.
.
.
"Hrm…" Spade walked around with his hands behind his back, appearing to be in deep thought.
"Oi, Spade…"! Diamond shouted in a demanding tone. "Get your ass over here now!"
"No need to yell…" Spade sighed before walking over to the cold blooded ice princess, crossing his arms as he gave a slight look of annoyance. "What could you possibly want NOW, Diamond Ice?" Spade said her name in a condescending manner; he knew Diamond hated it when people called her by her full name, let alone with such a tone of voice.
"You will respect your superiors!" Diamond shouted as a vein popped from her forehead.
"You know…" Spade started as he continued to push Diamond's buttons, a smirk now appearing on his face since he knew he was getting under her. "You're quite the mystery, Diamond Ice. You're so hot heated, yet cold blooded at the same time…!"
"WHY YOU…!" Diamond coiled her hands around Spade's neck and began to strangle him in a comical fashion, leaving the multi colored mage to flail comically as he gasped for air.
"What the hell are those two doing…?" Jack Corvus asked while tilting his head. "Idiots…"
"That's enough," Said Joker in a stern tone as he literally appeared out of nowhere, causing Diamond and Spade to straighten up. "Diamond, I expected you to be able to handle the simple task of telling Spade what his assignment was…"
"I-I…" Diamond began to shake; she hated getting on Joker's bad side.
Joker held his palm out, creating a large red sphere; without a word, he fired off the sphere that traveled at a blinding speed. Neither Spade nor Jack could see the sphere travel, all they saw was the sphere exploding on contact with Diamond, sending the mage flying into the nearest wall, already in critical condition. "Next time, you will do what I tell you to, or this WILL happen again. Now pick yourself up and go to the infirmary."
"Y-Y-Yes…Joker…" Diamond winced as she just lay on the ground for a few moments; nobody dared to go against Joker's orders. Diamond had to do this on her own.
"Now…" Joker turned to Spade, who was still shaking in his boots. "Stop shaking."
"A-Aye…!" Spade nodded, and willed his body to stop shivering from fear.
"Your assignment…" Joker started as he handed Spade a lacrima. "You will go out with Club Strong and use this lacrima to scan the country of Fiore. This lacrima will give us an overview of where everything is."
"Is that is? Ha, easy…!" Spade then stopped as he looked at Joker with a "what" expression. "I gotta take Strong…?"
"Don't whine," Joker immediately barked. "You will leave tomorrow afternoon, understand? You know what happens if you don't."
Whatever that meant, caused Spade to stiffen and immediately give up. "Yes, Joker…" Spade nodded and walked off, resisting the urge to sigh because he knew Joker would hear him and he would end up like Diamond.
"Ha…" Jack merely chuckled to himself before walking off, finding some entertainment in that little scene.
(I can see Joker is as ruthless as ever…) Heartless thought to herself as she watched the entire scene.
.
.
Edolas; a world without magic. Has been a world without magic for many years now. The reforms King Jellal ordered have been more or less a success, and the people couldn't have ever dreamed that they would be happier. In the castle of Edolas, Jellal, formally known as Mystogan by his former Fairy Tail companions, was overlooking the balcony, gazing into the sky as he thought to himself. "It's been quite a bit of time…" Mystogan sighed. "I wonder how things have been going for them…" It occurred to him that he could go have a trip to see for himself, but he could never do that, as he had a job here as the King of Edolas.
In another section of the castle, the former Fairy Hunter, Erza Knightwalker, made her rounds. Her hair had grown back to its original length after she cut it off. "Everything seems alright…" She mumbled to herself.
"Erza Knightwalker, I presume…?" Asked Hyde as he appeared from the shadows.
Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, the Edolas knight immediately stood on guard as her muscles tensed; she was ready for combat. "Who are you?"
"I pose you no threat…" Hyde replied as he walked around the female, moving his gaze up and down. "Just as the summary described…weak, frail…boring…"
"Excuse me?!" Knightwalker nearly exploded in anger, glaring daggers at the Dark Phantom.
"Now, now…no need to become so defensive, my dear…" Hyde said as he let out a slight chuckle. "I've come to give you something you've been missing for quite some time now…Plus, I have a proposition for you."
Knightwalker raised a brow, seeming to relax, but she kept her guard up in case Hyde tried something. "And what would that be?"
"My plot requires you and only you…and for has been written, you are going to need a particular weapon…" As Hyde spoke, a magic circle appeared; this immediately made Knightwalker suspicious. How was Hyde using magic in a world where that didn't exist!? A few seconds later, and the magic circle revealed Knightwalker's former weapon; the Ten Commandments.
A look of shock painted Knightwalker's face as she glanced at her former weapon, now in shock. "What is this…Who are you!?"
"I am merely a script writer in need of actors…" Hyde replied as his top hat covered his face, but his grin was visible. Knightwalker paused for a few seconds before reaching out for the Ten Commandments Spear, and just as she did, a dark surge of electricity flowed through her body. When this happened, Hyde's lips curled into a menacing smile.
"It's time for the curtain call. Act 1, begin!"