A/N: Yeah, I bet none of you expected this story to be updated. So, why did I decide to work on another chapter? I was inspired by having a nice talk with someone who really liked the story and wanted to know more about it. That conversation made me want to work on another chapter with an idea I've had for quite some time. So, let's get on with the chapter. Oh, and if any of the people who followed this story before this chapter update, I highly suggest rereading the previous chapter. I changed a few things, FYI.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and/or Black Clover. They belong to their original owners. The OC that appears here belongs to me.
Fulfilling A Promise
Chapter Two: Blood vs Bonds
Magnolia Town year X784
Noelle was running through the streets of Magnolia while breathing heavily. She was injured and some of the civilians took notice. "Noelle, what happened to you?"
"Are you okay, Noelle?"
"Where are you going?"
She wanted to tell them the truth. That Laxus was holding the whole town hostage with his Thunder Palace. She still couldn't believe he'd go this far. Hell, she didn't think he'd do something like this at all. She knew their relationship had been souring ever since that day. "Laxus, you jerk!" She, like the rest of the Fairy Tail guild, was forced to partake in Laxus's Battle for Fairy Tail. And she lost.
She fought against Freed not too long ago and lost to him. She felt so frustrated when it happened. As much as she hated this tournament, this was the only chance she had to find Laxus and stop him from doing this. And now that chance was gone. Or so she thought. Before Freed left, he said something to her. "Kardia Cathedral. That's where he is."
Noelle didn't waste time running toward the cathedral. While doing so, a message appeared in front of her. "Freed vs Mirajane, both forfeit. So that's how it ends, huh?" She felt bitter but she didn't have time to dwell on it. She was coming right up on the cathedral. She arrived and pushed the doors open. "Laxus!" She saw him sitting on the stairs before the organ and from the looks of it, he didn't look too happy. She didn't care about that. "Laxus, please stop this now! This isn't funny! Grandpa's not doing too well. If you stop this, maybe he'll be easy on you." Part of her at least hoped he'd listen to reason.
"What do you think you're doing here, Noelle?" A few sparks came out of from and he stood up. "Last time I checked, you lost to Freed. Meaning you're out of the battle."
"I don't care about the battle, I care about my family! What you're doing is beyond crazy! Having Ever turn every girl in the guild into stone? Having everyone fight each other? Holding the entire town hostage? This is insane! Just stop this, please!" She was desperate to hope the Laxus she'd known her entire life was still in there. The kind, caring older brother she's come to know and love. The Laxus she knew would never do such a thing as this.
"You know the reason why I didn't have Evergreen turn you into stone? It's because I gave you a chance to prove yourself if you're worthy of joining my guild. But you lost to Freed." Lightning sparked around Laxus's arm and leered at Noelle. "You've had your chance AND I HAVE NO NEED FOR WEAKLINGS IN MY GUILD!" He sent a powerful bolt of lightning right at her.
Noelle stood dumbfounded as the attack came close to her. "Laxus..."
An explosion occurred and smoke appeared. When it cleared, Laxus scoffed at what he saw. "So, you're here."
Noelle, on her legs, looked up to see a person she hadn't seen for a long time. "Mystogan..." He had his staff in front of her.
"So, you're here." She looked over at Laxus. "Didn't think you arrive so soon."
Mystogan glared back at him. "How strange. I remember you and Noelle being quite close. Isn't she supposed to be your younger sister?"
"I don't need someone as useless as her." Noelle's eyes widened when she heard that. "She's weak and the weak should be discarded." She felt her heart crack. "She belongs in the trash like the rest of them!" More cracks appeared. Tears fell from her eyes as memories of her and Laxus flooded her mind. He was with her through good times and bad. He was the one who encouraged her to work on and improve her control over her magic. He was the one who saved her. He was...the most supportive. And now the very same person disregarded her.
"Laxus..." She barely spoke in a frightened whisper. "Do you really hate me that much?"
"Hate you?" Laxus questioned. "I can't stand you. I can't stand how pathetic you are. Someone as weak as you is better off rotting in the gutter. In fact, you can just drop off from all of Fiore for all I care!"
Her heart shattered. The brother she once knew her entire life was no more. The person standing in front of her was not her brother anymore but a monster. She was overcome with much grief. Her heart hurt so much she couldn't stand it. Before she could utter a word, Mystogan pointed his staff at her and used a sleep spell on her. She fell to the floor and sleep took her over but not without saying one more word. "Lax...us..." Everything then went black.
When she came to, she learned Natsu of all people beat Laxus and Mystogan disappeared. Shortly after that, Master Makarov banished Laxus from the guild for what he's done. Before she could get ready for the festival, she searched for Laxus high and low until sunset. Finally, she found him on top of a hill with a tree overlooking the town and the guild. "I found you."
Laxus, bandaged from his previous fight with Natsu, turned around to face her. "Noelle..." As soon as he saw her, he was racked with guilt. He said things to her he'd never take back. "Shouldn't be getting ready for the festival?"
"I still have some time left. I want to say something to you before you leave."
"You do, huh? Then go ahead." He knew he deserved whatever harsh words she had to say to him.
Noelle walked up to him and pounded on his chest. "Stupid!" She hit him again. "Stupid!" And again. "Stupid!" And again. "Stupid! You're so stupid! You're the stupidest person I know! Stupider than Natsu even!" She continued to hit Laxus in the chest until she stopped. "Let me talk to Grandpa. Maybe I can convince him to let you stay." Even though he said horrible things to her, he was still her older brother in the end.
"We both know that's not possible. Once the old man decides on something, that's it. There's no changing his mind." He placed his hand on Noelle's head and she looked up at him. "There's no forgiving for what I've done. What I've done to you. What I said to you. You deserve so much better. I don't deserve to be called your brother." He removed his hand and walked away from her. "Live your life, Noelle. You're better off without me."
Tears once again began to fall from Noelle's eyes. "You're wrong." Laxus stopped and turned around. Noelle did the same and faced him. "You're still one of the most important people in my life! I wouldn't be where I am without you! No matter what you say, you're still my brother! I know this won't be the last time we see each other! The next time you see me, I'll be stronger! I'll be a sister you can be proud of!"
Laxus had no words to respond to Noelle's declaration. He truly felt like he didn't deserve a sister like her. He also felt proud of her. He remembered how sad and frustrated she was when she had trouble controlling her magic power. He remembered how he had to save her life by putting the Sea Dragon Lacrima in her. A moment he wasn't proud of but he had no other choice. Yet the very thing helped her master her control over her magic. He knew she'd keep her promise and maybe one day see how strong she could truly become.
Not long after, Laxus left Magnolia. It would be a long time before both siblings would reunite once again.
...
...
...
Noelle groaned as she opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. She was temporarily confused. "Where...am I?"
"Noelle!"
She turned her head to the right and saw Alice brimming with happiness. "Alice..."
"You're awake!" Alice jumped on the bed and hugged her. Noelle sat up on the bed and hugged her friend back.
"Hey, I'm happy to see you too. So, where am I?" The last thing she remembered was she was in that coliseum.
"You're in the infirmary. After you roared, you shortly passed out." Alice explained.
Now it came back to Noelle. "Oh, right. I fought against that stupid lion lady and I beat her. Man, she was tough."
"Stupid lion lady, am I?" Noelle gasped as she heard this new voice.
She turned to the other side and saw a very familiar woman. "It's...you." Mereoleona Vermillion. The captain of the Crimson Lions Magic Knight Squad of the Clover Kingdom. The woman who challenged her to a fight and lost. It wasn't an easy win and was one of the hardest fights Noelle had. She was sitting on a chair next to another bed and was bandaged. "What the hell are you doing here!?" More importantly, she heard her insult.
"She's been waiting for you to wake up this entire time, I know because she was here with me," Alice explained.
"What for?! And how long was I out?! And why didn't you tell me that at first!?"
"A whole day. Your whole group visited you too. That little brat was the one who healed you." Mereoleona said.
"Do not call Wendy a brat." Recovered or not, Noelle wasn't afraid to fight the older woman again for insulting the sweetest girl she knew.
"Maybe you're right. The girl does have some interesting healing magic. It's different than what the healers here use."
"You guys have healing magic here!?" Healing Magic was a Lost Magic back at Fiore. To think the Clover Kingdom had such a thing easily was unbelievable to Noelle.
"We're getting off track. Now that you're awake, I can tell you this." To Noelle's surprise, she saw Mereoleona smile. "You've gotten strong, Noelle. You definitely take after your mother."
Noelle stared at her dumbfounded and swore she misheard her. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"
"I said you take after your mother."
Mother. The word repeated in Noelle's head rapidly until it felt like her head was going to explode. "YOU KNOW MY MOM!?" She took out the locket she kept since she was a child and showed her the picture. "This person right here?!"
Mereoleona chuckled. "So, you still have that old thing, huh? I see you took good care of the locket I gave you."
And now it felt like a bomb went off inside her head. "Wait, you...gave me this? Does that mean-"
"I was the one who left you in front of that guild."
It felt like everything Noelle knew before shattered into pieces. This piece of new information felt like it railroaded over her like a train. She immediately got out of the bed and stood up. "You did? Why? No, never mind that, how do you know my mom? Who am I?!" These were questions she asked herself for so long and now she may finally have them.
Mereoleona crossed her arms. "If you really want to know, I'll tell you. The truth about you is you're from House Silva, one of the royal families of the Clover Kingdom."
Noelle found that almost unbelievable. "Wait, royalty? Me?"
"That's so incredible, Noelle!" Alice had stars in her eyes. "I knew you were an incredible person, but royalty too?"
"I'm...royalty." That was the furthest thing Noelle thought she'd be. She wasn't expecting such a thing. "Wait, does this mean I'm richer than Lucy was?" She quickly dismissed that thought and focused on more important questions. "How do you know my mom?"
"Your mother, Acier, was the one who trained me. She was an incredible woman and I could never defeat her. To think that would extend to you, her daughter, as well."
Noelle hasn't even met her mother and already she thought she was an incredible person. To think she trained this absolute monster of a woman and even she couldn't beat her. "Do you think I can meet her? Am I allowed?" Right now, this was the most important question she had. Mereoleona said nothing and summoned two fire lion paws to grab Noelle's and Alice's heads. "Huh?"
"Huh?"
The older woman said nothing and began to walk away from the infirmary they were. She dragged both Noelle and Alice behind her. "H-Hey! Let me go, you old hag! What's the big idea?!"
"Noelle!"
"I'll kick your ass again!"
B
"What is this place?" Mereoleona brought Noelle and Alice to what was probably the largest mansion they'd ever seen in their lives. "It's freaking bigger than our guild was after the first remodel!"
"It's so incredible."
"This is the Silva Estate," Mereoleona clarified. "You can say this is your true home."
"My true home..." She didn't know what to think of that. For her entire life, the guild was her home and now here she was seeing a place that was her actual home. Seeing the building in front of her, she couldn't help but compare the estate and the guild. The guild always had this warmth and abundance to it. This estate looked like it'd be so cold and empty to her. She couldn't imagine herself living in such a place. "And my mom lives here?"
Mereoleona walked toward the estate. "Come on. Those three shouldn't be here now."
"H-Hey!" Both Noelle and Alice followed her to the estate. Once inside, Noelle was impressed by how it looked. She was afraid that even cracking a vase would put the guild in debt.
After going upstairs and taking a turn, they stood in front of a door. Mereoleona knocked on it a couple of times. A few seconds pass. "Come in." Noelle gulped when she heard the voice from the other side of the door. The older woman opened the door. "Oh, Mereo! How unexpected to see you. To what do I owe a visit from you?"
"I brought a surprise."
"A surprise?" Mereoleona moved to the side and Noelle saw who she was talking to. It was an older-looking woman who still had her youthful features. Her was silver like hers and was put up in a ponytail. She knew this woman. This was the woman in her locket. This woman was her mother.
As soon as the woman saw Noelle, she dropped her teacup, and it smashed into pieces when it hit the floor. Both mother and daughter shared the same shocked expression. Deafening silence filled the room as the two stared at each other. Then, Noelle tried to speak. "Mom-"
The next thing she knew, Acier hugged her. She hugged her tightly like she didn't want to let go. She even heard her mother cry. "Look at you. I thought I'd never see you again. Noelle, my daughter."
Daughter. That word struck something deep inside Noelle. There was a sort of warmth to it. Sister, granddaughter, friend, guildmate, these were words she heard before. Hearing "daughter" coming from her mother felt so different from the rest. It felt true. She closed her eyes and hugged her back. "Hi, mom."
B
After a quick cleanup and having a maid bring in more tea and snacks, all four sat at the table. Acier couldn't stop smiling while looking at her daughter. "You've grown to be quite the beautiful woman, Noelle. I bet you have many suitors after you."
Alice giggled while Noelle laughed awkwardly. "Not exactly." The few times she did have guys interested in her, Laxus scared them away.
"Are we really having a cat sitting at the table?" Mereoleona pointed out. She wondered if a cat could drink tea and eat these sweets.
"It's fine, Mereo. She's Noelle's friend. And I must say, it's quite interesting to see a talking cat."
"I'm honored you think so highly of me, Miss. Noelle, your daughter, is the most amazing, wonderful person I've met." It was still surreal for her that she was talking to Noelle's mother. The very person she wanted to meet for so long. Now seeing it, Noelle truly bears such a strong resemblance to her mother. It felt so different than comparing it to the locket.
Acier laughed a little. "I'm so happy my daughter has such a wonderful friend like you." The compliment made Alice starry-eyed. She was never going to live this moment down. "By the way, Noelle, how old are you?"
"I'm eighteen." She responded.
"Eighteen? I knew you looked young but..." Noelle didn't think her answer would bother her mother this much.
"What's wrong?"
"She's wondering how you can be eighteen when you should be twenty-five." Mereoleona pointed out.
"Ohh." Now it made more sense to Noelle. Of course, time would continue in the Clover Kingdom. She forgot about that small detail. "About that, it's...a long story."
"Noelle..." She saw her mother gently hold her hand and smiled softly at her. "It's fine. Tell your story. I want to know everything that happened to you. We have plenty of time."
This was one of Noelle's biggest wishes, as she wanted to tell her mother about the adventures. About her guild. About how much her guild family meant to her. She wanted her to know everything and now she finally had the chance to do so. She nodded at her mother. "Okay. Let me start from the beginning."
B
As time passed and snacks and tea dwindled, Noelle told her mother and Mereoleona everything she'd been through. How she had trouble controlling her magic, becoming a dragon slayer, Laxus became her older brother, Phantom Lord, the Battle of Fairy Tail, Edolas, how she met Alice, what happened at Tenrou Island and why she was eighteen now, the Infinity Clock, training for the Grand Magic Games and how she obtained her Lightning Sea Dragon Mode, the Grand Magic Games itself, fighting dragons from four hundred years ago, Tartaros, Fairy Tail disbanding and finally, Alverez. By the time she was done, it was almost sunset. "And that's basically everything."
Throughout her entire explanation, Acier and Mereoleona are dumbfounded by how much she's been through. "She's been through so much more than your average Magic Knight. Even a captain." She was curious about one detail in Noelle's story. "This First Master, to have a spell that stopped time for seven years. Not even Julius couldn't accomplish something like that."
Meanwhile, Mereoleona was thinking of something different. "A black dragon powerful enough to destroy an entire country with one blast. That sounds like something fun to fight against." It's too bad she'd never get the chance to do so. Fighting aside, she'd never imagined Noelle would have these kinds of adventures when she dropped her off in front of the guild. One thing's for sure; despite everything Noelle had been through, she truly was living her best life. If it weren't for the people in her guild, she didn't know where she'd end up.
"You've led such an eventful life, Noelle," Acier said before taking another sip of her tea. "So, what brings you to the Clover Kingdom then?"
"Apparently, this thing." Noelle reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, shimmering turquoise stone. She presented it to her mother and Mereoleona. "These weird cloaked people attacked me and according to Mest who read one of their minds, they came to Fiore to get this thing. I've had it for as long as the locket. When we learned they were from the Clover Kingdom, we took a boat that was gifted to me by a town to here. We wanted to find out more of them and to kick their asses. Even if they're from another land, no one gets away from attacking Fairy Tail."
"I see." Acier now understood better why her daughter arrived in the Clover Kingdom. She was almost in awe of how far this Fairy Tail guild would go for one of their own. Perhaps it wasn't that far of a stretch since they did fight against the Alverez Empire. "To answer what that stone is, you can think of it as a family heirloom of House Silva. It's been with the family for so long, that its origins are unknown. I left it to you as a memento." The fact The Eye of the Midnight Sun attacked Noelle for this stone made more questions appear.
That answered one more question Noelle had for a long time. Now this stone felt more precious to her since it was a gift from her mother. She still had one other about the cloaked people who attacked her. "I'm still wondering about those cloaked people. From what Mest reported, they're called The Eye of the Midnight Sun. That's all we know about them. If either of you have any info about them, my guild and I would greatly appreciate it."
"Unfortunately, we don't," Mereoleona answered. We don't know any more than you do. Other than the fact they have attacked the Kingdom before and were responsible for putting my younger brother, Fuegoleon, in a coma. He was the previous Captain of the Crimson Lions. I was called in to fill in the position."
"So, these Eye people caused trouble for them too." Noelle thought. She had a little more sympathy towards Mereoleona. She could only imagine how she felt when she learned something horrible happened to her family. "I'm guessing you want payback for what they did to your brother?"
"Damn straight," Mereoleona replied quickly.
Perhaps Noelle could get along with her after all. She looked to her mother next and wondered something about her. "Oh yeah, mom. This craz-" She noticed Mereoleona glared daggers at her the moment she began describing her. She ceased immediately. "Er, she said you trained her and she couldn't beat you. You must've been incredibly strong." Mereoleona put her through the ringer in their fight. She couldn't imagine how strong her mother was even the current Crimson Lions Captain couldn't defeat her no matter how many times.
Acier laughed happily as she loved to reminisce. "Oh, yes. Mereo here was quite the wild child. You can say the only two people who could reign her in were Sister Theresa and I. She was Mereo's and Fuego's magic instructor when they were young children back when she was a Magic Knight in her younger days. She works as a nun now." Already Noelle was impressed by this Sister Theresa if she could reign in someone like Mereoleona. She hoped to meet this woman one day.
"As for me," Acier continued. "I'm...no longer as strong as I used to be." She slightly looked down and had a forlorn expression. "It happened quite a long time ago."
Noelle could tell this bothered her mother quite a bit. She did notice her mother's magic power was weaker than a child's. "What happened?" She wondered how could her mother, who she heard was powerful, lose so much of her magic.
She saw her mother was hesitant to answer her question. "I was attacked by someone powerful and...that person took most of my magic power. I had to retire as a Magic Knight shortly after. Since then, I've spent all my time living in the Estate."
"How awful." Alice felt sad that such a horrible thing happened to Noelle's mother.
"A person who can steal magic power, huh?" The power to steal another person's magic sounded frightening to Noelle. It reminded her how Makarov was ambushed by one of Phantom Lord's Element Four, Aria of the Great Sky, and used his Drain magic to scatter his magic. That left him incredibly ill and almost died from it.
"Is everything alright, Noelle?" Her mother's voice snapped Noelle out of her train of thought. She saw her expression change to a worried one. "You seemed distraught." She hoped her explanation didn't worry her daughter too much.
"No, no," Noelle replied. "It just something similar happened to my Grandpa a long time ago. It wasn't stolen but scattered to the winds. Because of that, he developed what we call in Fiore Magic Deficiency Disease. A person could even die if they don't have enough Ethernano. Oh, that's what gives us magic power other there too. I think you guys call it something different over here. I'm getting off track. My Grandpa did get his magic back."
"A disease where you can die without having enough magic, huh?" Mereoleona counted Acier lucky that she didn't have such a thing.
"I see. That's wonderful to know." Acier was relieved to know her adoptive grandfather recovered. She almost felt envious before smiling. "I wish I could meet this Makarov and thank him for looking after you."
"Heh, heh. I'm sure Grandpa would like to meet you too. You could still meet Laxus, though. That's good enough."
"Yes, Laxus. The man who you say is your older...brother..." Acier slightly looked down at her teacup. It was clear something was bothering her.
"Is something the matter, mom?" Noelle had noticed Acier acted a little differently when she mentioned Laxus was her older brother. She wondered why that was.
Acier sighed as she knew she had to tell her. It was inevitable that she should know the truth and deserved to know. "Noelle," She began. "There's something you need to know. What you must know. It concerns you and why I had to leave you."
This was the most serious Noelle had seen her mother thus far. It was a good thing Acier was going to bring up this subject because she was going ask herself. Why did her mother order Mereoleona to leave her at the guild? What was the reason? She'll finally have her answer after being tormented by these questions for so long.
B
After spending time with her mother and learning about the truth, Noelle and Alice with the rest of the Fairy Tail group. They were all in a rather large meeting room since she called them on her Mini-Lacrima. She wanted to tell them what she learned. Needlessly to say, their reactions were expected. "YOU'RE A NOBLE!?"
"NO WAY!" Natsu and Happy screamed.
Lucy shared their disbelief. "That's...incredible."
"So, you being a princess was true after all." Gajeel joked.
"Oh, shut up." Noelle glared daggers at him. She always hated how he kept calling her princess to get on her nerves.
"A noble, huh? I didn't see that one coming." Gray commented.
"It's quite shocking, to say the least," Carla said.
"Hey, can you imagine Noelle acting like a noble?" Happy asked.
Natsu wondered the same thing. "I wonder what that version of Noelle would be like?"
Noelle heard that and imagined how she act if she was raised as a noble. She envisioned herself wearing some fancy noble garb and flipped one of her twin tails. "Hmph. How dare you approach me? I am a noble after all." She dismissed that thought quickly. "Yeah, I already want to punch that version of myself in the face."
"I think it's wonderful. You finally know something about yourself, Noelle." Wendy praised. Laxus said nothing about the new Noelle told them but he was happy on the inside. He knew better than anyone else how much not knowing anything about herself bothered her. Yet despite this seemingly happy news, she seemed a little melancholic. Like something bothered her a great deal.
"More than you know, actually," Noelle said.
"What's wrong?" Erza asked as she also noticed something was wrong with Noelle.
"Might as well rip the band-aid off now." Noelle took in a deep breath and exhaled. She was sure this news would surprise them as it did her. "The truth about me is...I'm an illegitimate child." As expected, there were several surprised gasps and shared the same expression. "It turns out that while my mom was visiting Fiore, she had a fling with a noble. Because of that, she had to stay until she had me. After I was born, she had that lion lady who was with her take me to a place where I could grow up happy. That happened to be Fairy Tail."
"And that's how she ended up at guild." Laxus thought.
"I don't get it," Natsu began to speak. "Why not take you back? You're her kid, right?"
"It's not that simple," Lucy started. "Noelle said she's an illegitimate child. Her mom couldn't take her back."
"Why not? Who cares if she's illlilligant?"
"Illegitimate," Lucy corrected. "It means she was born by wedlock. Since she was born into a noble family, It's a big deal. The name and reputation mean everything to nobility. If her mother did bring her back, it'd bring irreparable damage to her family. Not to mention she'd be ostracized from society. Her mother didn't have a choice."
Natsu nodded at Lucy's explanation. "You used a couple of words I didn't understand." The blonde sighed as she facepalmed.
"Basically, Noelle's not fully born into her family. If that was found out, it'd cause a lot of trouble for her and her family That's why she was left at our guild." Levy explained.
"Oh, I get it now." Lucy sighed again at Natsu's simplicity.
"Speaking of being left at the guild, there's more to that." Noelle continued. "That crazy lion lady brought me to Fairy Tail because she met some random guy and told her about it. I asked who he was but she never got his name. She just said he wore a white toga and stood far away from her."
Natsu's eyes widened as he immediately knew who Noelle was talking about. "Zeref! She met Zeref!"
"WHAT!?" everyone shouted.
"Now it kinda makes sense," Gray started. "When I confronted him at the guild, he did mention Noelle was different. I didn't understand what he meant by that. I guess this is what he meant." Noelle found it ironic that their enemy, Zeref, was responsible for her being with Fairy Tail. She never would've guessed someone like him would play such a huge part of her life.
"But wait, isn't Noelle being here now a bad thing?" Juvia wondered. "That was the whole point of her being left at the guild." She brought up a good point. That was one thing Noelle didn't account for when she first arrived in the Clover Kingdom.
Thankfully, her mother had an answer that alleviated her fears when this was brought up. "I don't think that'll be a problem. Nobles don't come down to the more commoner places of this kingdom and it's not as if they keep up with the names of the nobles. The only ones who know about me are my mom and that crazy lion lady. At least, I think so but..."
"But what?" Mest inquired.
Noelle just sighed as this was something to worry about. "There's something else. On top of me being an illegitimate noble child, it turns out my mom isn't my only family." Laxus listened very closely. "I have an older brother. His name is Nozel Silva and he's the Captain of the Silver Eagles."
Though it didn't seem like it, Laxus was slightly bothered learning this. "So, she has an actual older brother."
"Nozel Silva..." Erza tried to recall the faces of some of the Magic Knight captains they met. One person came to mind. "Come to think of it, there was one man who bore similar features to Noelle."
"That'd be him. The one with the stupid-looking front braid." Noelle added. "I also have another brother and sister and they're part of the Silver Eagles too. And they all saw me fight against that crazy lion lady. At this point, they must have an idea of who I am."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Happy asked. "Your family knows you now."
Noelle laughed a little at that. He wasn't wrong but he wasn't right either. "They're indeed my family but they're still just total strangers to me. As far as I'm concerned, my mom and Fairy Tail are still my family." He didn't show it but Laxus was relieved to hear that.
"So, what are you going to do about them?" Lily asked. "You can't avoid them forever."
"I know. My mom said she'll properly introduce me and explain everything to them." Noelle did feel a little nervous about meeting the rest of her family. Not because she doesn't know anything about them but because they're nobles. She had no experience dealing with nobles. The worst thing she thought they could do was think she was a barbarian and never speak to her again. She was okay with that. She only really cared about her mother.
"In any case, it's been an eventual day for Noelle," Erza announced. "We should all turn in for now." That was probably for the best. Noelle felt like she needed all the rest she could get if she wanted to deal with her noble siblings.
"Hey, I wonder if I could fight that Leone woman next. She seems fun to fight." Natsu relished the challenge. He wanted to find out how he stacked up against her.
"Again, it's Mereoleona." Lucy corrected.
B
Night came to the Clover Kingdom and the Fairy Tail group went to their respective rooms. They all slept soundly in their beds. Most of them. Laxus was still awake thinking about what Noelle said about her actual family. He should be happy and he was. She's asked so many questions about herself and now she finally has her answers. Now he wondered how her family would treat her. "Well, I suppose that's a problem only for them."
Still, as an older brother, he was worried. Aside from her mother, her other siblings knew nothing about her. They knew nothing about how hard she worked to control her magic and what happened to her. He thought about one of the times he saw her trying to control her magic.
F
A young Noelle shrieked as water droplets fell around around her. "It blew up again." She was currently standing at the edge of a large lake. She whined as she felt dispirited about her latest attempt at learning to control her magic. Ever since she could use it, she's had little to no control over it. Some of the guild members were a little angry with her when she accidentally flooded the entire guild. Natsu especially. So, here she was training as hard as she could trying to control her magic better.
So far, there wasn't any improvement which made her sadder. She sat on the ground and sulked. "Why can't I control my magic? Why's it so hard to control it? I won't be able to help the guild if I don't." She began to envision what others would say about her lack of control.
"What kind of wizard doesn't know how to control her magic?"
"You'll just hold everyone back."
"You won't be useful to anyone."
It's not the first time she's had thoughts like this. She knew her fellow guild members wouldn't say such things but it did little to halt these thoughts of what other people would say. She brought her knees up to her face, attempting to hide her shame. "Why? Why am I so useless?"
"Noelle?"
Noelle lifted her head and looked to see Laxus. "Laxus? Why are you here?"
"I came looking for you. What else?" He casually walked over to her. "What are you doing here? His sister gave no reply other than a small whine. He stood next to her and looked at the lake. He took a gander at what she was doing. "Trying to control your magic? This is the only lake near the town. And judging from your look, it's not going too well." Noelle responded by closing her eyes. "How about I help you out? We can figure this out together."
His suggestion caused Noelle to open her eyes and look at him in surprise. "You will?"
Laxus smiled at her. "Sure. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't help out my kid sister? So, to start, what have you been doing?"
Noelle stood up and set her arms in front of her. "I've been doing this." She concentrated and summoned a small sphere of water. It seemed simple enough for Laxus until he saw it swelled up rapidly. Again, Noelle struggled to contain it no matter how hard she tried. The sphere erupted and the water doused them. "It's been doing that. I try to start small, but it gets bigger until I can't control it. Then it blows up." She explained while trying to wipe the water off.
"I see," Laxus wiped the water off too. After seeing the demonstration, he had an idea. "Tell me, Noelle, what do you feel when you use your magic?"
"What do I feel?" She gave some thought to the question. "I feel...scared."
"And why do you feel scared?"
"Because..." She saw her hands shake a little. "I'm afraid I'll hurt people." Her magic was powerful and that's what scares her. If she doesn't learn to control her magic, she's afraid it'll go out of control and hurt people. At times, she thought her having so much magic power was a curse.
Laxus surmised as much and placed his hand on her head. She looked up at him wondering why he was doing that and saw him smiling at her again. "You know what I think? I think your magic is powerful because it has the power to help people."
"Y-You think so?"
"I know so. Right now, it's not you controlling your magic. It's your fear that's preventing it. It takes over and that's why it runs wild. It would help if you had more confidence in yourself. You need to believe in yourself."
"Believe in myself?" Indeed, she didn't have much confidence when trying to control her magic. Deep down, it did feel like something was holding her back.
"Now, when you do it again, calm down. Take in a deep breath." Laxus advised.
"But what if I can't do it?" Noelle worried.
"Then believe in me who believes in you. I have faith in you, Noelle."
Noelle felt a little easier after hearing Laxus's words. She created another small sphere of water. "It's fine. It's fine. It's going to be fine." She repeated the words but was already to see that her hands were shaking. She began to feel her fear grow and as it did, so did the water sphere. Seeing that made her more scared and her breathing quickened. "No, no, no, no, no! It's happening again!" She was going to lose control again and fail.
"It's alright, Noelle." She heard Laxus's voice. "Calm down. I'm right here. I know you can do this."
Noelle calmed down after hearing his words and her breathing steadied. "Laxus believes in me. I believe in him believing in me I can control this. I will control this!" She grunted and intensely focused on the sphere. Little by little, she felt her fear ebb away. She noticed a change in her water sphere; it was growing more slowly than it had previously. She put all her concentration in it until it finally stopped growing. It took her a second to realize that she was controlling her magic. Happiness swelled up inside her like no other. "Laxus, look! I did it! I did it-" The sphere rapidly grew in size and then blew up.
The water splashed on the two siblings. Noelle shrieked and both were drenched. They looked at each other for a second before laughing. "You did great, Noelle. You just need to work on keeping your control next."
Noelle nodded and smiled. "Right, I will!" It may have been a second, but it was a second she was proud of. It marked the first step. Now she just had to walk the rest of the way.
"Good, I'll be rooting for you. To celebrate, I'll treat you to some ice cream."
"Really? You're the best, Laxus!" Noelle took his hand and left together to enjoy some well-deserved ice cream.
F
After that, Noelle was slowly gaining control over her magic. Only after the Sea Dragon Lacrima was put into her was she able to fully control it. That moment still left a bitter taste in Laxus's mouth but he didn't have much choice. How ironic a desperate situation like that helped Noelle in the end. Before he could remember more of the past, he heard a light knock on the door. It caught his attention and walked to the door. He opened it but found no one there. "Strange. Who was here?"
He then noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor in front of the entrance. It caught his curiosity. "Did whoever knock on my door leave this behind?" He picked it up and read the contents of the note. After reading it for a few seconds, his eyes grew wide with worry, and tossed the note away. He then ran in a hurry with a worried expression.
B
Meanwhile, Noelle was leaning on a marble railing that looked over one of the large courtyards of the castle. Beyond that was the land darkened by the night. The reason she was up was because she was still thinking about her true origins. Thinking that much was bound to keep someone awake. She left Alice still sleeping on the bed and didn't want to disturb her sleep. Seeing this kingdom and its land, made her feel strange. "Noelle?"
Noelle turned to see Alice walking toward her. "Alice. Why are you here?"
"You weren't in bed," Alice explained. "I noticed something felt missing when I was sleeping. I woke up and saw you weren't there. I figured you went somewhere. Thankfully, it was just outside the door." She jumped on the railing. "So, is there something on your mind?"
"Yeah," Noelle nodded. She and Alice looked at the land beyond the kingdom. "I've been just thinking that since my mom is from here, this place is my home too. It feels so foreign to me like the Silva estate I went to. I grew up in Fiore and Fiore is my home but the Clover Kingdom is my home too. It just feels so weird to me. But, I am happy I came here. I finally met my mother. I found out who I am. I found out why I was left at Fairy Tail. Everything I've been through, it's been worth it."
"I'm happy you're happy, Noelle." The two smiled at each other. It was a nice moment between the two.
The nice moment was interrupted when Noelle heard a small noise around the corner. She turned to where it came from. "Okay, come out, now! I know you two are there!" She'd make them pay for interrupting a sweet moment between her and Alice.
Out of the corner, they saw two figures emerge from the corner. They had shimmering silver hair like Noelle's and wore familiar silver-colored robes. Noelle leered at the two. "Oh, it's you two." She said with a disdainful voice. The two were none other than Solid and Nebra Silva, her two siblings. She wasn't expecting to see them so soon.
A sly laugh came from Nebra. "My, my. So, this is our esteemed long-lost sister. You truly do resemble Mother."
"To think our Mother harbored a secret child," Solid said. "Though, your age doesn't quite match up."
"That's a long story," Noelle replied. "So, what brings my wonderful family here? I don't suppose you're here for a nice, friendly talk and getting to know each other?" She joked but felt these two weren't here for such a thing.
Solid scoffed at her. "As if we'd speak to the likes of you." He placed his hand in front and summoned a large sphere of water to trap Noelle within.
"Noelle!" Alice shouted. She saw an air bubble leave Noelle's mouth.
Solid laughed at the sight of his estranged sister trapped in his magic. "The Silva Family has no need of a bastard child like you. However strong you are, you'll run out of air eventuall-" He heard a strange sound from Noelle. "Huh?" Then he saw her open her mouth and begin drinking his water magic. Both Solid and Nebra were bewildered at the sight. "Is she drinking my magic?!"
Within seconds, Noelle drank the entire sphere and glared at Solid for what he was trying to do. He had no idea how she pulled it off but wasn't finished yet. His Grimoire glowed brightly beside him. "Water Creation Magic!" He created a large water bullet behind him. "Holy Water-"
He was powerfully punched in the face by a fist surrounded by swirling water. "Sea Dragon's Pressure Fist!" Noelle's punch sent him straight to the floor and cracks spread throughout. Solid was immediately knocked out. She turned to Nebra next. "Your turn next, bitch."
Nebra took a step back but wasn't alarmed. Her Grimoire glowed. "Mist Magic: Transient Illusion!" A large mist cloud covered the entire hallway.
"Hey!" The mist was more of a bother to her. She wasn't going to let her sister get away. "Mist is still water, you know!" She opened her mouth and inhaled the surrounding mist. It quickly went away and the hallway cleared up.
"What is that obscene trick you're doing?"
"Noelle!"
Noelle saw Nebra holding up Alice by the head in her hand. "Alice!"
A little underhanded for a noble like her, but Nebra would take any advantage over this monster calling herself family. "What will you do now, you wrenched bastard girl?" She knew she wouldn't risk harming this strange talking cat. It'd provide an opportunity to be rid of her.
"Take that back." Nebra looked at Alice. "Take back what you said about Noelle."
Nebra scoffed as she wasn't the least bit afraid of the small cat. "I'm only speaking the truth. She is nothing more than a cur in this world. A mongrel."
"Shut up."
"She is inferior and deserves to be eliminated for the Silva name!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
A large puff of smoke came out of Alice and Nebra let go. She took a few steps back and was bewildered by what happened. "W-What happened?"
Noelle just sighed at her sister's stupidity. "Your funeral, bitch."
As the smoke cleared, Nebra saw what happened to the cat. Instead of a small cat, it was a tall woman with a slender body and dark skin, wearing the same outfit as the cat. Her rust-colored hair extended to her waist. Nebra stared at this strange cat-eared woman in disbelief. "What is this? Is that the fleabag cat?" She'd never heard of a cat that could transform into a human.
Alice growled and bared her teeth at Nebra. "I'll make you regret for insulting Noelle!"
Noelle wasn't surprised by this. "She really doesn't like it when someone talks bad about me." Not that she blamed Alice as she learned Transformation magic to help her when Fairy Tail disbanded after Tartaros.
She opened her right hand. "Magic Kendama." A magic circle appeared and pulled out a giant iron hammer with a ball situated on the top. There was a chain connected to the base of the hammer.
Despite this, Nebra wasn't intimidated. "Whatever you are, you're still inferior to me!" Her Grimoire glowed. She placed her hand in front and sent a large cloud of spider-thread mist. "Mist Restraining Magic: Mist Spider Binding Thread!"
Alice lifted her hammer. "Lightning Wrecker!" The ball was charged with lightning and swung her hammer, sending the ball to the mist attack.
The ball struck the mist but was caught by it. It resulted in the mist being electrically charged. "How pathetic!" Nebra gloated. "All you've done is waste your attack!"
"That was the plan, you dumb bitch!" Alice spat. She held her hammer with both hands and pulled back. "Tornado Hammer!" She put her right foot forward and put her weight into it. She swung her hammer and fierce winds came out. The winds blew back the spider thread mist and back at Nebra. What's worse is that her mist was currently electrically charged.
The mist enveloped Nebra and screamed painfully while being electrocuted by her magic. When the mist cleared, she was paralyzed and felt terribly tingly. She momentarily couldn't move. A moment was all Alice needed to put her down. She jumped toward the other woman and pulled her hammer back, along with the ball. Her hammer glowed a bronze color and swung down. "Terra Hammer!" Her hammer struck heavily down upon Nebra to the floor. Like Solid, many cracks spread throughout. Nebra groaned as she was completely knocked out.
Alice lifted her hammer and set it to the side where the ball landed on its spike. Her hammer vanished and turned around to face Noelle. "Noelle!" She immediately embraced her friend in a warm hug. "Did you see that?! I took her down! Serves her right for what she said about you!"
It was sometimes surprising to see how quickly her personality changes whenever she's in this form. Noelle thought it was a cute aspect. "You did a good job." She petted her friend's head and Alice mewled happily. As good as this moment was, there was still the question of why two of her other family were trying to get rid of her.
Then they were alarmed by feeling a heavy pressure coming down on them. "What's with this magic power? It's incredibly strong!" Noelle thought. She and Alice turned around to see a lone man calmly walking toward them. The shadows of the pillars hid but when he stepped out, the bright moonlight revealed who he was. Like Solid and Nebra, he too had features similar to Noelle. He was someone she immediately recognized. "That's...Nozel Silva."
She saw him stop walking and saw the unconscious bodies of his family. "Two Magic Knights of the Silver Eagles lying on the floor." He turned his attention to Noelle and Alice. "This is a most grave offense."
"Yeah, well they attacked me first. They had it coming." A part of her suspected he was involved since the other two wanted to get rid of her. If so, her words fell on deaf ears. So, she went with the next best thing. "So, is this how you treat your family? I knew I wouldn't receive the greatest reception but this is a little much, don't you think?"
"I refuse to acknowledge a filthy abomination as family," Nozel said coldly. Alice snarled at him for insulting Noelle like that.
"Oh good, the feeling's mutual. I refuse to acknowledge an asshole like you as my brother. By the way, your front braid looks stupid." She retorted. "So, this is the rest of my family. A dick, a bitch, and an asshole. I don't think Mom would be too happy to learn that her three kids are trying to kill me."
"That is a trivial matter," Nozel responded. "I can easily convince her that you are nothing more than a mistake. Your existence threatens the Silva Family and will be eliminated."
"Like hell you are!" Alice jumped right at him with her hammer already out.
"Alice, wait!"
"Brother or not, I won't let you insult Noelle!"
Nozel wasn't phased and his Grimoire glowed. "Mercury Magic..." Small silver spheres appeared around him and he sent them to Alice. "Silver Bullet." All of them pelted Alice at high speeds over her body. She and her hammer fell to the floor after the attack was over. She transformed back into her original form now that she was unconscious. "Filthy animal."
He heard Noelle yell as he saw her jump at him in anger. Her right arm pulled back with swirling water surrounding her fist. "Sea Dragon's Pressure Fist!"
Nozel conjured a shield created from his Mercury magic and blocked the attack. As Noelle's attack was blocked, she saw something protruding from the shield and kicked off from the shield. It was just in time as a silver spike jutted out from the shield. She was about to counter when she noticed more of those small, silver spheres surrounding her. She immediately felt dread. "Mercury Magic: Silver Bullet." His attack struck Noelle all over her body at high speeds.
She fell to the ground but Nozel continued his onslaught and his attack struck her in her back. He ceased his attack and Noelle was motionless. Or so he thought when he saw her slowly stand up. Despite being injured, she smugly smirked at him. "What's wrong? That's all you got? That crazy lion lady hits harder than that."
Nozel said nothing at first and his Grimoire glowed. "Mercury Magic..." Multiple silver spears appeared around him. "Silver Spea-" He was attacked from behind and went through the railing. His attacker chased after him to the courtyard.
Noelle was shocked at first before she grabbed Alice and saw who was it. She stopped at the destroyed railing and looked down to see who attacked Nozel. "Laxus?!" She was surprised to see him.
"Noelle, stay back!" Laxus saw Nozel stand up after being hit by his surprise attack. "I'll handle this guy." He leered at Nozel for what he tried to do earlier. "You want to explain what you're doing attacking my sister? She's your family too, isn't she?"
"That filthy abomination is nothing more than a plague," Nozel responded coldly. "Like all plagues, it'd be better if it was eliminated from the world." Lightning sparked from Laxus as soon as he heard those words. It brought up a very hateful memory. "Earlier, you said that abomination is family. How ridiculous since you share no blood between."
Every time he called Noelle an "abomination", Laxus grew angrier. "Family is more than just blood, pal," Laxus corrected. "It's about the bonds we share. About how we laugh, cry, celebrate, and share each other's pain. I'm sure that's something you nobles haven't experienced."
Nozel could care less. "All that proves you Fiore wizards are nothing more than barbarians. The blood of nobles is all that matters. I'll demonstrate its superiority to put you in your place." From the open railing, Noelle hated Laxus saved her again, but she was interested in this match-up. Her older brother is against the asshole of the Silva family.
"Just try it. You're not the first to underestimate the power of our guild's bond." He raised his right fist at Nozel as lightning sparked furiously wildl all over his body. "I'll make you pay for attacking my family and I don't forgive anyone who tries to hurt Noelle!"
Insert Fairy Tail OST: Jaaku no Tsuchioto
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus released a concentrated blast of lightning magic straight at Nozel.
Nozel stood and conjured another large shied created from his Mercury Magic. The lightning attack struck the shied and absorbed it. Laxus was caught off guard by it. "I see. So that's how the abomination could use that power on Mereoleona." Nozel said. "However, your magic is at a poor disadvantage against mine. Mercury is a liquid metal and it can easily absorb your attacks." His Grimoire glowed as his shield, now electrically charged by Laxus's lightning magic, split into countless small silver spheres. "Mercury Magic: Silver Bullet."
He sent his attack at Laxus at high speeds. Laxus crossed his arms to protect himself. The barrage pelted him all over in the front. The hits from the attacks were small but inflicted sharp pain. Nozel ceased his attack momentarily, only to scatter the spheres around Laxus. He twisted his wrist and closed his hand. Now his attack was striking him in every direction. Laxus grunted in pain from being attacked everywhere. He had to escape quickly. He figured there was only one way to end this onslaught. He transformed into lightning and headed straight to Nozel. He could go around him and attack from behind but he suspected his magic would draw him in like Gajeel did with his iron during their fight back at Kardia Cathedral. He might as well attack head-on.
When he neared, he materialized and pulled back his right arm. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"How foolish." Nozel conjured another shield and blocked Laxus's attack. Like before, the shield absorbed his attack. "Mercury Magic: Silver Bullet." His shield dispersed into countless small silver spheres and struck Laxus once more. The attack sent him back. "Now do you understand the difference between us? You have no chance of defeating me."
Laxus regained his footing while blocking some of the attacks with his right arm. "That's what you think!" He transformed into lightning and shot up to the sky. He materialized once he was high enough.
"That will not help you." Nozel raised his open hand at Laxus. "Mercury Magic: Silver Rain." He summoned countless mercury droplets above Laxus. All the droplets struck him and he was sent back to the ground. He found him pitiful seeing him struggle. "As expected. Barbaric commoners such as you should know your place."
"I'm not giving up if that's what you want." Laxus painfully grunted as he stood up. "I'll never give up until you pay for attacking my family!"
"If you wish to struggle pointlessly, so be it." Nozel put his right arm forward and his Grimoire glowed. "Mercury Magic: Silver Bullet." He sent another barrage of silver spheres at Laxus. This time, however, Laxus smiled as he transformed into lightning. His lightning charged toward the silver sphere barrage. As soon as he hit the first sphere, he immediately traveled to the next and the one after in rapid succession. "What?!" Nozel scarcely believe what he was seeing. "He's using my attacks as conduits." He was surprised to see his opponent utilize such a tactic.
Once Laxus was near again, he materialized with his next attack ready. Lighting surrounded his right arm again. Nozel was unimpressed by this attack pattern before and he was still unimpressed. "No matter how many times you try, your magic is still powerless against mine." He conjured another silver shield.
Which Laxus counted on. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Hammer!" He punched the ground with his lightning-clad fist and unleashed a torrent of lightning. Since the ground itself was being used as a conduit, Nozel's shield couldn't absorb it. He ended up taking the full brunt of the attack. He was shocked thoroughly and his shield vanished. He was left wide open and Laxus didn't hesitate to take the opportunity. "DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS!" Lightning enveloped his whole arm and rushed at his opponent. "ROARING THUNDER!" He yelled as he punched Nozel straight in the chest with unbelievable power.
End OST
Nozel's outfit was partially destroyed and was pushed back by the attack. He groaned weakly before falling to the ground. Laxus exhaled loudly before huffing. "Looks like you weren't all that after all."
Back at the destroyed railing, Noelle was beyond overjoyed. "Alright, Laxus! You did it! I knew you could do it!" She laughed.
While happy, she recalled what Laxus said to Noelle before the fight. "I don't forgive anyone who tries to hurt Noelle!"
"You don't forgive anyone who tries to hurt me, huh? Does that include you too, Laxus? I guess you still haven't forgiven yourself." She told him before she forgave him about what he did in the past. Yet it still seemed like he hadn't forgiven himself.
"Ngh, what happened?"
Noelle looked down to see Alice waking up. "Alice! You're okay!" She hugged her friend.
While Alice was happy Noelle was hugging her, she was still confused. "Noelle, what happened to the man who tried to hurt you?"
"Oh, Laxus arrived just in time and beat that asshole. He stood no chance against him."
"Really? Thank goodness."
"Yeah. Now we just need to figure out what to do with him nex-" A sudden powerful pressure came down on everyone in the area. It sent shivers down her spine.
Even Alice was alarmed by the sheer strength of it. "T-This magic power..."
"It's stronger than last time. Which means..." Noelle had a very bad feeling about what was to come.
Laxus was just as surprised when he saw Nozel stand up before him. "You're still not down?" He was sure his last attack would do him in.
His last attack heavily injured Nozel but the Captain was far from defeated. His magic power expanded throughout the courtyard. "Mana Zone." Multiple large mercury blocks surrounded Laxus from all sides "Royal Burial of the Fallen Shining Silver Empress!" He swung his arm down and all the blocks collided with Laxus before he could react to them. They stacked until they formed a pyramid.
Noelle was speechless. She refused to believe what she witnessed. Yet reality unfortunately settled in. "There's no way. It...can't be..." She dropped to her knees and began to feel numb. Alice was in the same state of shock. "You can't lose. You can't. Not to this guy." She began to hyperventilate. LAXUS!"
The spires began to dissolve while Nozel looked at the pyramid. "This is the price you pay for going up against nobility. This is as far as your bonds will take you." He hated to admit Laxus was a tougher opponent than he thought. Nevertheless, the fight was over and he was the victor. Then something caught his attention. It was but a small red spark. "What?" More red sparks began to appear from it.
"Huh?" Noelle didn't know what was happening either. Then the whole pyramid was destroyed by a large, powerful column of red lightning.
Insert Fairy Tail 100YQ OST: Beyond the Quest
They heard a loud scream from within the lightning column. When it vanished, Laxus stood with dark red lightning crackling over his body. "CHANGE MODE: RED LIGHTNING DRAGON!"
Noelle happily laughed at his triumphant return. "It's Laxus!"
"What is that power? It looks similar to the power Natsu uses." Alice observed.
That was something Noelle could ask later. Right now, there was only one thing she could say to him. "Laxus! Show this Eagle asshole what happens you go up against a dragon from Fairy Tail!"
That was all the encouragement Laxus needed. "RED LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!" Laxus unleashed a powerful stream of dark red lightning at Nozel.
Nozel quickly conjured another shield and blocked the attack. "How many times must I tell you? My Mercury magic will absorb-" He stopped talking once he saw a large dark red spot in his shield. He moved to the side and saw the attack destroyed his shield. A feat he thought would never happen. "How? How could his lightning destroy my Mercury magic? Does it have to do something with its color change?" It reminded him of how that one commoner boy in the Black Bulls had the power to destroy magic. Then he thought of something inconceivable to him. "No, did he somehow change the properties of his lightning? That's imposs-"
His thoughts were interrupted when Laxus punched him in the jaw with his fist clad in dark red lightning. "RED LIGHTNING DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" He yelled while delivering heavy punch after heavy electrified punch all over Nozel's body and pushing him back. He delivered an uppercut with his right fist underneath Nozel's chin. He groaned before Laxus grabbed his robe with his left hand. He pulled back his head and brought it forward while pulling Nozel's to him. He gave him a powerful headbutt and it undid Nozel's front braid. He kicked him in the solar plexus next and his lightning magic added more power.
Nozel was sent flying into the air and Laxus transformed into red lightning to quickly catch up. When he did, he materialized, locking his hands above him and red lightning sparked from them. "RED LIGHTNING DRAGON'S JAW!" He brought down his fist upon Nozel's back and red lightning crackled throughout the sky. In the next second, Nozel was sent crashing to the ground, creating a large crater.
Laxus wasn't finished as he arched his right arm with red lightning sparking from it. "RED LIGHTNING DRAGON'S..." He threw his fist forward and sent a red lightning-shaped fist at the downed Nozel. "DEMOLITION FIST!" When the attack traveled to the ground and created a massive red sparking explosion.
When it subsided, Laxus landed on the ground and saw the aftermath. Nothing remained in the desolate crater which disappointed Laxus. From the other side of the crater, he saw Nozel standing. His magic robes were tattered, his hair disheveled, and was looking at him menacingly. "How. How dare you. A lowly, inferior, worthless, insignificant barbarian dare inflict such damage on me."
"Better a barbarian than a scumbag like you." Laxus countered. "It's about time you were knocked off your high perch. I don't know much about this kingdom but I do know that you nobles spend all your time looking down from above. When you finally fall to the ground, you'll realize how big the world really is. Your magic isn't as special as you think it is. You're not the first one who claimed they can counter my magic and it didn't end well for that guy."
Nozel had heard enough and raised his right arm above. His Grimoire glowed. "Mercury Magic!" Countless double-edged silver swords covered the night sky. They were all pointed at Laxus. "Silver Blade!" He brought his hand down and all the swords were sent at him.
Despite this, Laxus smiled. "Oh, please. What a poor excuse for copying Erza." He raised his arm above and clenched his fist while red lightning crackled around it. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!" A massive, red lightning bolt came crashing from above and destroyed all the swords. "RAGING RED BOLT!"
Nozel scowled as he extended his right arm in front. "Mercury Magic!" A long beam of shining mercury shot out from his palm. "Silver Shining Regal Spear!"
Laxus raised both hands above and generated dark red lightning between the palms. It formed a massive spear. "RED LIGHTNING DRAGON'S HEAVENWARD HALBERD!" He threw his attack straight at Nozel's attack. The two attacks collided with Laxus's cutting through Nozel's straight down the middle. Nozel couldn't avoid the attack in time and it struck him. When it did, a column of dark red lightning shot up and quickly faded. The attack momentarily paralyzed Nozel. Laxus followed up by charging at him and dark red lightning coated his right fist.
He yelled as he threw his fist forward straight to Nozel's chest once he was near enough. "MEGATON: RED LIGHTNING!" Dark red lightning sparked wildly upon contact and ripped through the ground. Laxus pushed through his attack and sent Nozel through the ground away from him. He finally stopped and remained motionless once more.
End OST
It took Noelle several seconds to process what she'd seen. Then she broke out a smile and laughed. Alice was the same and held hand to paw cheering. "He did it! He beat him!"
"Your brother is incredible, Noelle!"
"Of course, he is! He's the best ever!"
When Noelle looked at the courtyard again, the cheering was cut short. "Oh, you got to be kidding me."
"What?" Curious, Alice looked too and gasped in shock. "B-But how?"
Laxus was also annoyed by what he saw. Nozel slowly stood back up even after taking his attack. However, he was badly injured and let out pained, raspy breaths. "Even when I increased my Mana Skin before his first attack struck me, it still caused this much damage. I can...barely stand. I'm...barely conscious..." His vision was becoming blurry, and he could sometimes not make out his opponent. It felt like his body would give out any moment but he refused to do so.
"Tch, you're a tougher bastard than I thought," Laxus said.
Nozel continued to painfully wheeze. "I refuse...to fall to someone like you. There is only one man...who I'll allow to best me in battle." He thought back to his rival, Fuegoleon Vermillion.
"Yeah, well, you should've thought of that before going after Noelle." Dark red lightning sparked from his right arm. "I'm going to end this fight right here, right now!" His lightning sparked intensely.
Nozel gathered what magic power he had left. He refused to lose to the man who calls himself Noelle's brother."On my pride as a noble of House Silva..." They prepared their final attacks.
"Time Magic: Chrono Stasis."
Both Nozel and Laxus were encased in light blue spheres with a ring around them. They immediately noticed they couldn't move. "W-What the hell?! I can't move!" Laxus thought.
"This magic. It can't be."
"I think that's enough from the both of you."
Noelle and Alice saw someone descend from the sky and recognized him. "Hey, it's that guy." Everyone saw Julius Novachrono, the Wizard King himself, appear before them. She was astounded by the magic he was using."Is that Time Magic? He can use a Lost Magic?"She never imagined she'd see someone use such powerful magic. It gave her a small glimpse of how powerful the Clover Kingdom's Wizard King is."I wonder how he stacks up to that August guy."
Julius landed in between Laxus and Nozel. "Well, this is quite the spectacle. One of our esteemed guests and one of our respected Magic Knight Captains having a nighttime brawl. You do realize you're making it difficult for people to sleep at this time. Especially with all this lightning." He snapped his fingers and undid his magic. The spheres went away. "So, would you two care to explain?"
"Hey, Wizard King guy!" All three turned to see Noelle with Alice carrying her to them. She landed on the ground and Alice let go of her.
"Ah, you're the young girl who fought against Mereoleona yesterday. It was quite impressive. Especially since you managed to defeat her. With you here now..." He immediately went up to her and had stars in his eyes. "Please, you have to tell me about your magic! And your flying cat friend too! I've never seen such an interesting cat before! Do the other cats who are with have the same kind of magic? Are there more over at Fiore?"
"Okay, slow down there!" Noelle put her hands in front to create some distance between her and Julius. That seemed to have done it and calmed him down. "First, I'll explain about these two. What happened here is that asshole," She pointed at Nozel and Julius followed. "And his two crony siblings attacked me and tried to kill me. Alice and I dealt with the previous two before he showed up and then Laxus appeared and protected me from him. If you don't believe me, you can ask your Magic Knight Captain yourself." She figured Nozel wasn't the type of person to lie since he was a noble.
Julius looked over at Nozel while sternly looking at him. "Nozel, is this true?" If it was, there would be grave consequences even for a respected Magic Knight Captain such as him.
Nozel had no choice but to tell the truth. "It is true, sir."
Julius sighed as he felt massive disappointment in Nozel. "Never have I ever imagined someone of stature like you would commit such an act, Nozel. I'll decide your punishment, as well as the others who cooperated with you. Just be fortunate this'll be an isolated indecent. If word of this got out, it would massively damage the Silver Eagles's reputation."
Nozel closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. "I understand, sir."
Julius turned to Laxus next. "As the Wizard King, I sincerely apologize for this endeavor." He gave an apologetic bow to him. Laxus felt a little awkward seeing the most well-renowned person in the Clover Kingdom bowing to him. He ceased his bow. "Now then, we'll be leaving, and take the remaining two Silver Eagles Knights."
Before they could leave, Noelle remembered something important and panicked. "W-Wait! What about the courtyard and the railing?! And the hallway!" Laxus suddenly realized that now since his fight with Nozel had heavily damaged the courtyard. They could be in big trouble for causing damage on the castle grounds.
Julius and Nozel looked back at them. "Oh, don't worry about it. Some earth magic will fix it right up. I'll make sure you won't be held liable due to the circumstances." Noelle let out a huge sigh of relief. "Until then, enjoy the rest of your night." He and Nozel left.
After they left, Noelle felt like a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders and felt just as tired. "I think I'll be sleeping in. It's been a long night."
"It has." Alice was beyond tired after tonight's event.
Noelle looked at Laxus and smiled at him before hugging him. She giggled a little. "What's with this all of a sudden?" It's not like he was complaining. He was just glad he kept her safe.
Noelle let go but still smiled at him. "I just want to say I'd expect nothing less from my big brother. You really are the best."
Laxus smiled as he put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair a little. Still, while this whole ordeal was over, something was still bothering him. The note he read earlier said someone would attack Noelle. While it proved to be true, he didn't know who left him the note. "Who exactly wrote that note and how did they know Noelle was going to be attacked? Also, it happened shortly after I received it."
Something about this didn't seem right. It almost felt like it was planned. If so, why? What was the point? When he really thought about it, something came to mind. "Did that guy have something to do with it?" Though he couldn't prove it now, he suspected Nozel was involved. He'll know if he confronts him the next chance he gets.
B
"Honestly, I am greatly disappointed in all three of you." Acier stood in front of Solid, Nebra, and Nozel who were kneeling before her in her room. Noelle and Alice were standing next to her. Acier had her arms crossed and glared daggers at her three children. "You're lucky I managed to convince Julius I would be the one to deliver your punishment. A mother should discipline her misbehaving children."
Noelle wasn't on the receiving end and she felt intimidated by her mother. "Mom's as scary as Grandpa. Are all mothers like this?" She'd do her best not to get on her mother's bad side. Magic Knight or not, they couldn't do anything when it came to their mother.
"M-Mother, it's all just a misunderstanding-"
"I am speaking, Solid!" Solid whined in fear.
Nebra clicked her tongue. "Idiot." She muttered.
"I heard that, young lady." Nebra winced at her mother's raised voice.
Acier sighed and her expression lessened. "I know all of you have misgivings about me having another child none of you were aware of. Noelle may have been the result of a choice I made but it's a choice I don't regret. Do all of you think of me any less because of that?"
"Of course, not!"
"Never!"
Nozel took a second longer to respond. "No."
Their response was acceptable but they needed to say one more thing. "Good. Now, isn't there something else you want to say?"
"We are sorry, mother." All of them apologized at the same time.
"Ah, ah. It's not me you should be apologizing to."
Both Solid and Nebra were reluctant but they didn't have much choice. Lest they infuriate their mother more. "We're sorry, Noelle." All three apologized at once. Speaking those words hurt their pride more than anything else to Solid and Nebra. Nebra more so since she'll never live down being defeated by a cat of all things.
Such a simple apology but it filled Noelle with happiness. As much as she wanted to rub it in their faces, she had something important to say to them. "Let me be clear on one thing to all of you. Silva blood indeed runs in my veins, but the bonds I've made make me who I am. I am and always will be Noelle Dreyar."
Acier laughed a little and was proud of her daughter's declaration. "Very well said, Noelle. I do hope you'll still visit whenever you can."
"Of course. I still have so much I want to tell you." Now that Noelle has spoken to her mother, she wants to spend more time with her.
"Good. I look forward to our time together. Now then, Solid, Nebra, you may leave for now. Your punishment will be decided later. I wish to speak to Nozel alone. You can leave too, Noelle."
"Yes, mother." Nebra and Solid said at the same time.
"Okay, sure. I'll see you later, Mom." All three and Alice left the room. They were currently going downstairs to the foyer. "You know, you're lucky my Grandpa isn't here. He would've torn you three a new one for what you tried to do nobles or not."
"As if we care about what a decrepit old man would do." Nebra spat.
"He's probably on his death bed right now-" Solid was interrupted when he and Nebra felt an incredibly powerful magic coming down on them.
They saw Noelle go into her Dragon Force and slowly turned around to face them. She had a furious look in her eyes. Before they could say anything, she pulled down their robes and brought them to her level. "Listen here," She spoke in a deep, threatening voice. "You can talk crap about me all you want but the moment you insult my guild, the family who raised me, this dragon won't hesitate to have a couple of eagles as an appetizer. Understand?"
Noelle instilled a deep fear in them for the first time, other than their mother. Her magic power was far stronger than they realized and knew they wouldn't beat her. She let them go and exited her Dragon Force. "Oh, and for your own sake, stay away from the rest of my guild. We're the type to hold grudges against people who try to attack one of our own. The moment they see you, they will beat you within an inch of your life. Remember that." She walked away from them. "Oh, and never come near me again."
"If you do, you'll have to deal with me first," Alice warned before catching up to Noelle.
The two Silva siblings saw Noelle exit the front door. "She truly does take after our mother," Nebra admitted.
"Indeed." Solid was still bitter about how she punched him in the face. He hated to admit he underestimated her and feeling her magic power proved how much stronger she was than him. That greatly irritated him. "Just you wait. I'll become stronger and prove what I can do."
Back at Acier's room, she sighed at Nozel. "What were you thinking, Nozel? Dragging poor Solid and Nebra into this? You owe an explanation to me. Nozel remained quiet which was fine for his mother. "Is this related to Noelle?" She saw slight movement from her eldest son. She was a little closer to the truth. "You know, Nozel, I remember how ecstatic you looked when I told you had a younger sister when I was bedridden after that attack."
At that time, she felt she owed Nozel to tell the truth. She was worried about what her son would think of her about what she'd done. Thankfully, he didn't think less of her and was just happy she was alright. He was also happy to know he had another sister. Though he was sad he wouldn't be able to meet her. However, that was also the day he changed and wanted to become stronger. "I'll ask you again, Nozel. Why did you attack Noelle? Because of what you did, she greatly dislikes you. I figured you'd like to get to know her better."
Nozel was silent for the first few seconds. "I had two reasons. The first is I wanted to see what she was like. I've seen her power firsthand when she fought against Mereoleona. Honestly, she lacks the grace of a noble and fights like a barbarian." That made Acier laugh a little. "However, her strength reminds me so much of yours, mother. That I cannot deny. As for my second reason, I wanted to test his strength."
Acier looked at her son with a quizzical expression. "His strength?" She figured out who Nozel was talking about. "Oh, you mean Laxus Dreyar. I remember Noelle highly praising him when we spoke." A sudden thought
occurred to her. "Oh, were you somehow jealous of this man? Because how close he and Noelle are?" She saw a slightly irritated look from Nozel for a brief moment. That told her all she needed to know and laughed a little. "How cute. What spurred this on?"
"When he said those words to her."
He remembered what Laxus said to her near the end of Noelle's fight. "NOELLE! SHOW THIS LION WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO UP AGAINST A DRAGON FROM FAIRY TAIL!"
"And what are your thoughts about him?"
"As barbaric as he is, I have no choice but to acknowledge his strength. He's...acceptable." He was the one who left that note in front of his door. If someone like Laxus had looked over his sister all this time, he could trust him. That was enough for him.
"Still, what you did means Noelle won't ever speak to you again. Are you alright with that?"
"I am." Nozel knew fully well what the outcome would be when he set out to do this. All that mattered to him was Noelle being safe. In more ways than one.
And that was something Acier suspected. "Did you also do this because of what happened to us all those years ago? To create distance between Noelle and the Silver Eagles? To protect her? Nebra and Solid still have no idea and you can't speak of it. Noelle asked me why my magic was so low and I admit I fully didn't tell her the truth. I couldn't. As strong as she is, I don't want her to go after that woman. I fear what she would do if she ever learned of Noelle." Acier had fought against many opponents but that woman was among the strongest she'd ever fought and paid the price by losing most of her magic.
Nozel felt equally guilty since he was around when it happened. If he weren't, his mother would have her magic. To have Noelle fall to the same fate, he couldn't allow it. He wouldn't. If it meant her hating him, it was a small price to pay. Even if he couldn't be near to protect her, he knew her guild would. But if the time would ever come, if they do face that woman again, he'd not hesitate to do everything to protect his younger sister. If there was one thing he'll admit he and Laxus have in common, it was to protect their younger sister they love so much.