New S Class Monster in the making; could Laxus have some competition!? READ to find out the inside scoop on VERA: Phantom Lord's Rising Star!
On a train heading to the east, following the train tracks that passed nearest to the most reclusive guild in Fiore, the other Rising Star of Phantom Lord was sitting quietly. His brown eyes narrowed, and his blue hair bristled as he read the newest article from Sorcerers Weekly with a frown, "10th..."
They gave me tenth...
Siegrain could understand that he wasn't the strongest on the list, but tenth was just rude, especially when Vera had been placed second. He knew he didn't have as much buzz going around him as Vera since he wasn't a Wizard Saint's apprentice, but he figured the fact that he was considered Vera's 'friendly rival' by the public would have put him higher on the list. Especially since the person the press had deemed fit to be Vera's 'rival rival' had been strong enough to grasp a solid hold on the first place.
Laxus Dreyar...
Siegrain had heard of him; it was hard not to. The grandson of Wizard Saint Makarov, who climbed to S class before any of his peers at the young age of 17. Years before most other S classes in Fiore's history had gotten to that level, barring the few exceptions among exceptions like the guild master.
Could I make the S class before 17?
Siegrain gave it an honest thought; he was only 14 right now and had already surpassed all the mages in the guild besides the S-class ones. The only person outside of S class who was a challenge to fight was Vera, and that was just because they knew each other so well that it was hard not to predict each other's moves. That made their spars longer and more brutal than they used to be, although Siegrain still won the vast majority of the time.
Maybe...
Siegrain could see himself well within Totamaru and Sol's level in three years; that was of little issue. The only trouble was that the most powerful S class in the guild, the ace of Phantom Lord, still seemed far out of his reach. Not as far as Jose, who he couldn't even see the tail end of, but still far enough that Siegrain knew three years wouldn't be enough time to close the distance.
When Aria's back, I'll have to ask for another spar.
Siegeain didn't care much for his public image; the dirt-covered photos of him spoke to that, but the fact that he was below Vera on the list irked him. He'd have to make S class quicker than Vera to make up for it. That way, Vera wouldn't have any ammunition to tease him with.
Ugh... he's never gonna let that go.
Siegrain clicked his tongue at the thought, pulled out of his head by Wendy's curious voice from across the booth, "What are you reading?"
"Nothing," Siegrain said as he tossed the newspaper into his requip space, ignoring Wendy's pout as he shrugged and looked out the window. His lips curled up as he spoke into the light from the morning sun, "We should be able to reach Cait Shelter by tonight."
"Really?"
"Really," Siegrain said with a small smile at Wendy's excited expression that was almost contagious. In turn, Wendy jumped towards the seat closest to the window and saw if she could spot the forests around her guild as they arrived, "That's great! I can show you the guild hall and Mr. Raubol, and the rest of our guild, and the rivers and-"
"You should breathe, Wendy."
Wendy gasped in realization, catching her breath while Siegrain chuckled silently. Wendy gave a sheepish laugh as she looked at her lap and mumbled embarrassedly, "Sorry, I'm a little excited," Wendy glanced up at Siegrain, who was watching with a raised eyebrow as her eyes gained a little twinkle in them, "I just want to show you, my guild, since you've been so nice to me."
"I didn't do anything special, Wendy."
"You listened to me about Jellal and gave me gifts."
"I asked about Jellal, and those weren't gifts," Siegrain mumbled as he turned to the window. Refusing to admit that when the little girl in front of him had asked him to show her his magic, he got carried away, "Just practicing my magic."
"I disagree..."
They had been on the train for a couple days, and in that time Wendy learned that Siegrain shared a bit of his brother's quiet nature. He also shared Jellal's kindness and soft generosity, case in point the small floral pattern he had sewed onto her dress at her request, "This is too pretty not to be a gift."
Wendy marveled at her new dress as she jumped out of the booth and spun in the middle of the train cart, her childish laughter falling as she tripped with a loud yelp. Her eyes were wide as she saw the floor closing in, only for a pair of threads to latch to her back and stop her fall because Siegrain had learned that Wendy was clumsy and, as such, made preparations.
"I'm glad you like it, but please be more careful next time."
Siegrain glanced away from the window, watching as Wendy stood up with a flushed expression and mumbled under her breath, "Sorry."
Siegrian only hummed in response, his lips twitching as he turned back to the window before his attention was pulled back away as Wendy sat back down. Her quiet yet determined voice hit his ears, "I still think it's a gift, though, and Grandneeny said that when someone gives you a gift, you should give them one back."
Wendy wanted to repay Siegrain for the gift, just like she wanted to one day repay Jellal for the gifts he'd given her. She wouldn't buckle on this, even though she felt a little squeamish under the annoyed glare Siegrain sent her, the seconds ticking by as Wendy fidgeted nervously under his gaze before he sighed, "Only if it's small..."
During the trip, Siegrain also learned that Wendy, as nervous and shy as she was around people, could be stubborn when she wanted to be. Healing seemed to be the first instance he'd seen of it, with how her timid nature seemed to disappear whenever someone needed her help, and he figured he just stumbled into her second one.
"I don't have a lot of room left in my requip space."
Siegrain knew when to stop fighting a losing battle, and his choice seemed to be correct because Wendy gave him a wide smile in return. Her eyes were alight as she excitedly rambled into her ideas for his gift, the most interesting being books from Cait Shelter. It would be cool to have a chance to read the books from a guild as reclusive as Cait Shelter; he probably wouldn't find them anywhere else.
Cait Shelter...
Siegrain wandered in his thought for a bit, his mind circling the guild Wendy had said that Jellal had dropped her off at. Most people probably wouldn't even know the guild existed, it was that reclusive.
What is it like?
From Wendy's stories, it is a tight-knit group of good people. They were willing to help each other and her whenever she needed anything. It was a wonderful place for Wendy to grow up after Jellal had left her there. After taking care of her for a month with as much care and gentleness as could be expected from someone who found a child alone in the woods.
I wonder...
From what Siegrain had heard, Jellal seemed like a good person, even if Siegrain thought he messed up by leaving Wendy alone.
Did Jellal know Wendy would love that guild as much as she does?
Siegrain didn't know, but he didn't know much about his brother. He only knew about his brother from a year ago, who took care of Wendy without hesitation and found her a good home before disappearing to do who knows what, although if he had to guess, going off Vera's warning, Ultear found him at some point.
I wonder why he left...
Siegrain still believed Vera's warning was sincere and took everything he learned with a grain of salt. Jellal sounded strong, even if it was a surprise that he was a magic tool user. Siegrain hadn't met many magic tool users; but he couldn't let that blind him. Jellal could still be dangerous; even if he wasn't Ultear would always be a serious threat to his life.
I wonder what he's been doing...
Siegrain knew all that, but it wasn't easy to remain unbiased. If he was only going off of a year ago, off of the stories of the girl who missed Jellal so bad she burst into tears the first time she thought she had seen him again, it was hard for Siegrain not to think his brother was a good person.
I wonder if he'd be willing to come back.
Siegrain's first impressions of his brother only made him want to meet him more.
July 9th, x778
Devi was the closest town to Cait Shelter, and Siegrain could see why. It was small; located by forests that Cait Shelter rested in, most people that went there only visited to hunt or sightsee.
"Cait Shelter? What's that?"
Almost no one went there because of the guild hidden in the depths of its forests.
"Never mind," Siegrain said to the cashier with a small sigh, turning back to Wendy sitting on a nearby bench with ice cream in her hand. Her feet swung happily, unaware of the dilemma that had ended up on Siegrain's shoulders.
No one knows where Cait Shelter is...
90% of the townsfolk he'd ask didn't even know it existed; the other 10 thought it was a myth. That was how reclusive the guild was, making Siegrain's task of bringing Wendy back there much harder than needed. Siegrain didn't know where it was; only that it was deep in the forests. Wendy also didn't know where it was because she hadn't left Cait Shelter since she had been dropped off there.
Where am I supposed to go?
Siegrain had hoped to get to Cait Shelter by nightfall, but he was bound to get lost in such thick greenery. That coupled with the fact that he didn't want to risk losing his way when night fell, and he was stuck.
Should I just rent us a place till tomorrow-
"Godammit!"
Siegrain whipped his head over to the merchant who had cursed; his eyes narrowed as he placed his hands over Wendy's ears before the rest of the merchant's curses reached her. Siegrain ignored Wendy's confused and slightly annoyed expression as he took a second when the merchant had stopped to catch his breath to make earmuffs for Wendy.
"Wait, why-"
"Too young," Siegrain said as he put the threaded earmuffs on Wendy's head. Wendy huffed as she returned to her ice cream while Siegrain took a second to see if the merchant was still around. Siegrain's ire faded slightly as he saw the merchant wheeling his cart away while muttering obscenities under his breath. Siegrain watching the man leave with a detached gaze before he felt a tug on his shirt, prompting him to glance over at Wendy who still had her earmuffs on and spoke with a slighg loudness she probably didn't realize she had, "What happened?"
Siegrain took a moment to think about what to say, opening his mouth to make up a small lie before a voice came out of nowhere and cut him off, "One of the farmers he works with lost their cattle earlier this week."
Siegrain felt his neck prickle, his eyes wide as he whipped his head around to see a man with tan skin, dark eyes, and black hair. The man dressed in Native American garb and a laid back posture, "He'd been having trouble selling all week."
The man wasn't threatening them, but that didn't stop Siegrain from shifting in front of Wendy with magic brimming under his fingertips, his words laced with suspicion because he hadn't sensed the man coming, "Who are you?"
Siegrain hadn't sensed him at all.
"How did you-"
"Mr. Qecha!"
Wendy's cry of recognition and excitement cut off Siegrain's suspicions; his eyes widened slightly as Wendy took off her earmuffs and ate the rest of her ice cream before tackling the man in a hug. The man, Qecha, someone from Cait Shelter if he went off the cat-shaped guild mark on his neck, chuckled, "Hey Wendy, the master heard you would be coming back today, so he sent me here to guide you."
"Really?"
"Really," Qecha said with a soft laugh, patting Wendy on the head before turning to the mage from Phantom Lord, who had escorted her back. Qecha's eyes quirked as he saw the boy or teen, he guessed, looking at him with narrowed eyes before asking in a suspicious tone, "How'd you do that?"
At that moment, Qecha came to the internal realization that he probably hated Phantom Lord. All of their mages, or at least the two he'd met so far, seemed keen to try and look through the illusion that was his life.
Of course, this one's perceptive...
Qecha mentally groaned as he plastered on a fake smile, ignoring the suspicious gaze of the boy with blue hair and a strange tattoo as he patted Wendy's shoulder in a show of reassurance, "I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean," Qecha didn't need to be alive to tell that the boy was glaring murder at him, "But I'm here to take Wendy back to Cait Shelter. Thank you for bringing her here; we'll be leaving now."
Qecha tried to turn Wendy towards the forest so they could leave the boy with too good an instinct before a thread wrapped around his wrist and held him still. Qecha internally groaned as he heard Wendy call out at the same time that her 'friend' had decided to hold him in place, "But we can't go without Siegrain; I promised to show him Cait Shelter and get him a gift."
Qecha fought back the urge to die again; that would have been easier than placating Wendy's panicked eyes while avoiding the boy's, or Siegrain's, skeptical ones, "Wendy, you know how the guild feels about privacy. Are you sure it's good to bring strangers around-"
"He's not a stranger!"
Wendy yelled suddenly, stopping Qecha's pre-planned argument in its tracks. Qecha's eyes quirked as he saw Wendy flush at the realization that she had cut him off before glancing down and mumbling softly, "He's been nice to me. He sewed my clothes, listened to my stories, and wants to read our books..."
Qecha felt his stubborn defense start to chip as Wendy looked up with comprehensive, pleading eyes. A sniffle escaped her as she grabbed the leg of Qecha's pants and tugged it softly. "Can he please come with us?"
Qecha wanted to make it clear that he tried for a solid two seconds to say no. He battled with himself for what felt like an eternity before the puppy dog eyes of the seven-year-old girl won out. His shoulders slumped as he turned to the boy watching with crossed arms. Siegrain flicked the thread he'd attached to Qecha's arm back to his finger as Qecha bit back a groan and spoke as politely as he could manage, "I don't suppose you have anything else you could be doing?"
"No."
"Wonderful," Qecha spoke flatly with a sense of defeat, turning to the forest at the edge of town with a sigh as he waved at the two blue heads to follow along, "Guess that settles it then."
Qecha idly heard Siegrian and Wendy following him, already lamenting that he couldn't ditch the suspicious teen as he stepped into the forests and towards the guild hidden in the woods.
"We should get to Cait Shelter before nightfall if we hurry."
Qecha only heard a hum in response from the stoic blue-haired kid, choosing to ignore it as he began thinking of how to explain this to the guild. Cait Shelter was a guild of ghosts: it was an unsaid rule that no one should bring any mages back (besides Wendy) unless it was unavoidable, and Qecha wasn't sure if this counted as unavoidable.
"Thank you, Mr. Qecha."
Wendy's broad smile and grateful expression made him feel a little better though.
It took about half a day to get to Cait Shelter on foot, with Siegrain carrying Wendy when she fell asleep towards dusk. His footsteps are quiet and measured as the night sky rose, and they finally made it to the elusive Cait Shelter hidden in the woods.
Is that...
Siegrain's first impression was simpler-minded than he would have liked to admit.
A cat?
Siegrain blinked in surprise as the cat-shaped guild hall came into view, overlooking the small village made of wood and straw. Its wooden beams were high in an oval arch with windows to make the eyes and two wooden ears atop the roof. It was bigger than the other buildings, which were simple and more minor in design and construction.
Did they name the guild Cait Shelter because of the guild hall...
Siegrain was already thoroughly invested In the strangeness of the guild hidden in the woods.
Or did they shape the guild hall like that because-
"Can you stop gawking," Qecha cut in with an annoyed glance, watching as Siegrain flinched before throwing him a glare that would have shot his nerves if he had any, "I'm not gawking."
"You were."
Qecha shrugged off Siegrain's glare again as he walked into the village. Siegrain followed behind him with Wendy still on his back as he saw the guild members of Cait Shelter glance at him wearily. They seemed unsure what to do near him, and he could hear a few asking about his sudden appearance.
They're not used to outsiders...
They seemed weary of him, and he could guess they were tired of outsiders in general, but the second one of the villagers saw Wendy on his back, they yelled, "Hey, Wendy's back!"
That changed the entire mood, with the previously cautious attitude towards him dissipating as a few guild members approached him. The buzz of the town now solely focused on the girl sleeping on his back without a single hint of what was going on.
"Is that Wendy?"
"Oh, she's back!"
"How'd she do at Oak Town?"
"Did she have fun?"
"She's tired, be quiet!"
"Is she sick? Does she need anything?"
It was heartwarming and overwhelming at the same time. Siegrain had gotten better at managing crowds but he still hated being at the center of such a large group. All of them were asking him questions about Wendy, and it was making his head spin, but thankfully, Qecha interjected with a hushed yell that saved him from the crowd's persistence, "Wendy's sleeping! She can answer all your questions tomorrow!"
"No!"
"Buzzkill!"
"We want to talk to Wendy!"
Siegrain nearly laughed as the crowd of haggling guild members quietly betrayed Qecha. His amusement was only shaken as his attention was pulled away.
With the suddenness of a freight train, a light finger tapped his shoulder, startling him so badly he nearly turned and attacked the person on instinct; if Wendy wasn't still on his back, he might have. Thankfully, he restrained himself, and the second of shock faded as the feminine voice that the finger was attached to introduced herself.
"Hello there, I'm Pepe," Siegrain turned back to see a middle-aged lady with long black hair and a feather tucked behind her ear smile at him, "I'm sorry for the mess, but could you hand me, Wendy? I want to take her back to her room to rest."
Her words and intentions were seemingly honest but unable to calm his nerves because it had happened again; he hadn't sensed her behind him. This time it wasn't even in a quiet place where he might have pointed to his guard being down as the reason for it, he was already on edge with all the people around, he should have noticed her.
How did she-
"Hello? Do I have to wait here all day?"
Siegrain flinched at the woman's cutting tone, his eyes narrowing before giving a begrudgingly short shake of his head, "No, sorry."
I need to calm down...
"Just got lost in thought."
This isn't what I came here for.
Siegrain didn't want to make a scene, and everyone here obviously cared about Wendy, so he handed Wendy over with little reluctance as the woman took her away. His ears prickled as a curious voice cut in through the dispersing crowd, "Hey Qecha, who's the new guy? Did we get a new member?"
Siegeain turned to see a young man with brown hair, green eyes, baggy pants, and no shirt on, the cat-shaped guild mark plastered proudly on his chest. He was walking towards Qecha with a smirk, only to receive a look of annoyance in return, "We never get new members, Magna, and no, he's here because..."
Qecha paused, turning to Siegrain, looking at the two blankly. Qecha raised an eyebrow because he hadn't asked the moody kid during the trip here; Wendy had filled most of the journey with her retelling of Oak Town and its sights. Then, once Wendy fell asleep, the two hadn't talked to each other under the mutual understanding that neither wanted to, "Huh, what are you doing here, kid? Did you come along just because Wendy asked you to?"
Qecha tilted his head as Magna did the same, the two watching as Siegrain frowned and crossed his arms, "No, although that was a big reason..."
'That was the main reason' was a thought that crossed Magna's and Qecha's minds, but neither commented. The two instead listened intently as Siegrain spoke with a thinly hidden eagerness, "I came here to talk to your guild master."
Siegrain didn't know where to start in his search for Jellal, but he knew Cait Shelter was the first step. He had already gotten as much as he could from Wendy, who knew Jellal as a person but didn't know where he could have gone. So now he had to talk to the only other person who had seen Jellal before he vanished a year ago. Wendy mentioned one when she spoke about how she joined Cait Shelter; apparently, it was the guild master who agreed to Jellal's initial request.
"I heard he met my brother."
Siegrian wanted to meet Raubol, the guild master of Cait Shelter. He would have the information Siegrain needed, and once he gave it up, Siegrain would be able to leave and follow the trail Jellal left a year ago. He would stay for a day, maybe two so he could let Wendy show him around like she wanted, but then he was going to throw himself headfirst into his search. He would find his brother, and he would do it as soon as possible-
"No."
Siegrain's thoughts stalled as he blinked in surprise, his eyes wide as he stared at Qecha and Magna, who ignored him and began talking to each other again. Siegrain feeling a vein pulse in his forehead as he murmured lowly, "Huh?"
Siegrain's stay at Cait Shelter was already off to a rough start.