July, 17 x778: Magnolia

In the early morning, about dawn, the city of Magnolia was bustling with the morning rush. Civilians were preparing for their day on the city streets, and the ports were already packed. The train station was bustling with travelers ready to begin their days, and mages were preparing to depart for a new adventure.

"Hands off Natsu! Get your own food!"

Speaking of mages...

"Oh, come on, just a piece, Gray! Don't be so stingy!"

None were more rowdy than those at Fairy Tail, with the two most reckless and inherently talented mages constantly at each other's throats.

"I told you not to take a bite, Fire brain!"

"Don't flaunt it then, frost face!"

Natsu and Gray never seemed to have a reason not to fight each other. It was apparent why.

"You wanna go, Pyro!"

"Bring it on, Stripper!"

Fire and Ice never got along.

"Ice Make" / "Fire Dragon's"

Not unless someone else made them get along.

"La-" / "Iro-"

"KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO"

Erza fit that role to a tee with an armored fist that crashed into Natsu and Gray's heads, instantly knocking the two rowdy boys out. Erza huffed and glared at the rest of the guild, watching, "The master is gone, so we can't make a mess."

Safe to say, everyone had already learned to have a respectable fear of Erza; even if she was young, it didn't matter. Her iron glare and harsh judgment could make a grown man cry. It had made Macao weep on more than one occasion.

"Now..."

Although they also learned...

"Can someone fix Natsu and Gray..."

She was still learning to control her strength.

"Please?" Erza asked with an embarrassed mumble as the guild erupted into laughter. Her face flushed as she watched a few guild members, Bisca and Alzack, pick up the two unconscious boys and toss them to a table. Erza sighed in relief as she saw them dump glasses of water onto the boys, resulting in a yelp of fire and ice as they woke up.

"It was Popsicle's fault!"

"Dragon freak did it!"

"What do you mean I did it, Natsu? You ate my food!"

"You should've shared if you didn't want me to eat it, Gray!"

"That makes no sense, Ash for Brains!"

"Oh yeah!"

"YEAH!"

Not even a few seconds later, the two were at each other's throats, Erza sighing as she cracked her knuckles and got ready to intervene again since the guild master was gone and had already assigned Laxus on a mission before he left. Before Cana called her, "Hey Erza, have you seen the new rankings? You're 7th already!"

Erza glanced at Cana, giving a quick punch to Gray and Natsu for good measure before she went over to the card mage. Her eyes were drawn to that week's issue of Sorcerer's Weekly. "What is that, Cana?"

Also, 7th in what?

Erza tilted her head in confusion as she got to her seat and took a strawberry cake out of her requip space, looking over Cana's shoulder as she saw her face on a new list, something called the 'Rising Stars' list that had been buzzing around Fiore lately. There was a person per page, and she was on the 7th, next to someone from Quatro Cerberus who looked like they had drunk too much beforehand.

"You haven't seen this yet, Erza. They just updated the rankings. The first issue came out last week; you were 8th in that one," Cana said as she put the list in front of Erza, watching as the redhead looked at her picture and murmured, "Is this what everyone's been making a big deal about? What's the basis for it?"

"The guidelines say it's about the strength of upcoming young mages under 25," Cana explained as she tilted her head before adding, as an afterthought, "Popular vote is also a pretty big part of it, though."

"Oh, that's disappointing," Erza mumbled as she took the paper and handed it back to Cana before returning to her meal. Her eyes sparkled as she took the first bite, but Cana, who drank fruit punch from the seat beside her, caught her attention with a small quip: "Aren't you going to read it, Erza? Some of the rankers look interesting."

Cute too...

Cana giggled as she looked at the blue-haired cutie on page 10, her eyes flicking over the page to see if Erza would want to take a look, only to see her shake her head and continue blissfully eating her cake.

"There's no reason to."

Erza took a bite of her strawberry cake, her feet kicking slightly happily as she mumbled through her bites, "I don't see the point in reading it. The rankings are based on popular opinion, and even if it was based purely on strength..."

Erza wanted to be strong enough to help her friends someday. To protect her new family and save the one she left behind in the tower's rubble.

"It wouldn't matter."

Erza would become a knight who never bent or buckled regarding her ideals.

"The only one who can judge my strength is me."

She didn't need to read some dumb list to know that. She had self-confidence, so she didn't bother reading the rankers list. One day, she would be strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the best of the best, whether SW recognized that or not.

"The more time I spend comparing my strength to others, the less time I'll spend improving it." Erza finished with a shrug, sparing a glance at Cana, who seemed a little disappointed in her response, "Aw... I should've known you wouldn't be into this stuff."

Here, I thought I could see if Erza had a celebrity crush...

Cana pouted as she looked down at the newspaper, giving a playful sigh before she got an idea and flipped to the top two runners, "You have to be a little curious about him, though, right?"

The one who showed up out of nowhere and won the tutelage of a Wizard Saint. The one who walked forward unapologetically and unabashedly.

"Vera of Phantom Lord."

The one who people speculated might give Laxus, of all people, a run for his money.

"What do you think of him?" Cana asked as she opened the newspaper to show his page next to Laxus. Her eyes glittered excitedly as she saw Erza glance up from her cake with a minor quirk of her eyebrow before shrugging.

"He seems confident in his skills."

Erza didn't know if she bought the 'Laxus's newest rival' bit, but from rumors she heard of his interview, he sure acted like Laxus—arrogant. His lack of other magic was a surprise, but either way, there wasn't much else to say on the matter. Erza couldn't give any final judgment on his strength since she hadn't fought him herself, but she figured it must be impressive enough to boast about.

"Other than that, I don't have much opinion on him... although."

Erza would be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

"I'd like to have a bout with him one day."

About the strength of a Wizard Saint's apprentice.

Clover

Jose hated dealing with his ghosts.

"I'm warning you..."

Sometimes, though, it was necessary. He had to remind them of their place. Otherwise, they would riot, especially some of the older ones.

"Control yourself."

They just loved to think they still had a life to bargain with.

"What I choose to do on the matter of Makarov and his band of fairies is not under your control." Jose finished with a glare as he watched his shade, the oldest and most bitter, reverberate angrily. Jose barely gave it a second thought as his hand shot forward and snapped the shade's neck. The elder ghost let out an annoyed hiss as it dissipated, leaving Jose alone in the living room.

"That took far longer than I expected..."

After a whole night of wrangling his ghosts under his control, he finally got them in order. The problem was it had become morning, and he would have to head to the guild master's conference in an hour. The only bright side was that he would have a chance to sleep during the more tedious parts of the meeting. That way, he could be fully rested when he was forced to deal with that energetic idiot-

'Knock' 'knock'

Jose was pulled out of his thoughts as a loud knock came to his door. He had rented a house for the visit since he had the fortune and prestige to do so. The current owners must be checking in on it.

'Knock' Knock' 'Knock'

"I'm coming, you old hag. Just wait a minute," Jose said dryly as he bit back a groan and put on his uniform. Fighting back a yawn, he turned to the door and opened it with a sigh, "What do you?" Only to see who was behind it and instantly slam the door shut before returning to the couch.

I'm not doing this right now.

Jose collapsed on the sofa with greed, tuning out the loud shouts of an old man with nothing better to do from the other side of the door, "Yoo-hoo! Jose! It's me! Makarov! I've brought gifts!"

"Take them back, Makarov. I'm busy," Jose mumbled with closed eyes as he got ready to get at least five minutes of sleep, only for him to hear Makarov's offer triple in his eyes, "Even if it comes with a cup of tea?"

Jose did love tea...

"As well as a game of chess."

Jose also loved showing people he was better than they were. Chess was the easiest way to do that.

"Come on, Jose, just one game before the conference starts! I can even go easy on you!"

Pair that with the fact that Jose wasn't going to stand for such a ludicrous statement, and he was up in an instant, opening the door and snatching the cup of tea from the old fool's hand as he turned to the living room with a vengeance, "One game, Makarov."

Jose was lucky his ghosts were under lock and key.

"You can tell me what you really came here for after you lose."

They would have burned down Clover at this point.

20 minutes later*

The first game wasn't even halfway through, and Jose had come to reevaluate his first impressions.

The old fool's not bad...

Jose would still win, but what he figured would have been a quick game took a while.

Not better than them, though.

Jose huffed at the thought, tuning out the memories of old games he had played with his masters, one now deceased and the other still alive but irritating. He turned to Makarov and spoke thinly, "Well, Makarov, what do you want?"

Jose moved a knight.

"I know you didn't just visit for a chess game."

Makarov moved a bishop.

"Well, how can you say that for certain, Jose?" Makarov quipped with a chuckle as he watched the game progress. His voice tilted teasingly as he spoke after defending his Queen, "I could just be an old man looking for a good game of chess."

"You would have saved it for the bar then."

"The bar? You must get out more, Jose; no one plays chess at the bar!"

"No one goes to a bar during a work week either."

"Tch! Touché," Makarov grumbled as he moved his rook and lost his pawn. Tapping his finger as he spoke with an open reflection, he said, "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday."

"What in particular?" Jose commented dryly. His pawn lost as he gained new leverage on the battlefield before Makarov dragged him out of the game with a shockingly honest attack, "Laxus."

That wasn't what Jose expected, especially since it wasn't what he truly cared about.

"So my student's incident just slipped your mind?" Jose griped. His irritation curbed slightly once Makarov instantly refuted the notion, "Of course not, but I'd rather save that peculiar case for when I can focus my full attention on it. Otherwise, I'll never be able to come up with an answer."

Jose couldn't deny the logic behind that.

"Preferably during the conference when I have nothing better to do."

Jose also couldn't deny that.

"Laxus isn't something I can piece together just by thinking on it," Makarov admitted with a sigh as he sacrificed a knight and got a cheap pawn, "I've been thinking about it for years, and no answers have come from it. Only more issues."

"Oh, really, and am I to assume those issues don't revolve around that coward Ivan?" Jose inquired sarcastically as he lost a rook and then another pawn. His frown was evident as he heard Makarov speak with a self-deprecating chuckle: "I'd love to say no, but that would be a lie."

Makarov was old enough to recognize a lost cause.

"Ivan left an impression on Laxus."

Ivan was as close to a lost cause as Makarov could imagine anyone would be.

"When I banished him, it only got worse."

Makarov was grateful that Laxus hadn't reached that point yet, but he was in the early stages of that dark and dreary path.

"Laxus won't listen to me anymore..."

That's why Makarov came to Jose, of all people.

"I don't know what to do."

He needed to talk with someone who didn't have the love-tinted glasses Makarov's eyes were blinded by.

"I don't want Laxus to follow Ivan's path." Makarov admitted with a downtrodden expression as he lost a piece and got close to checkmate, "You got any advice for me, Jose? I'm all ears."

"Well, I would've told you not to make the brat S class for starters," Jose replied as he broke through Makarov's defenses and got closer to victory. His eyes locked on the game as he spoke blandly: "Honestly, I can't fathom why you did such a thing."

There was a reason Jose had so few S classes despite having the largest guild in Fiore. For some mages, it did more harm than good to have their importance labeled for all in and out of the guild to see.

"It was like you wanted to boost his ego."

It wasn't hard to see that Laxus had been one of them.

"What were you thinking, Makarov?" Jose asked as he moved a piece and instantly regretted it. He was only saved from losing said piece because Makarov didn't notice it.

"I thought the weight of the title would make him feel more responsible for his guild and the mages he represents," Makarov admitted with a deep breath, knocking over a pawn as he struggled to take back a salvageable position before explaining his thought process at the time of Laxus' S class promotion.

"I wanted him to grow into the role of S class."

"You would've been lucky if that worked one out of 100 times," Jose snarked as he punished his opponent's hasty attempts at a comeback before adding fuel to the fire. "It would've been better if you had taken that opportunity to knock him down a peg. You might've given him a reality check."

"Guildarts mentioned a similar idea at the time."

"Huh, I'm surprised that the walking damage report had any good ideas," Jose commented idly, smirking as he saw Makarov cringe at the mention of 'damage' before continuing his analysis as the game moved to its final stretch. "It's not like you can take that decision back now, Makarov. All that'll do is make you look incompetent in his eyes."

Jose took Makarov's Queen at the cost of his own.

"Any chance you have at 'changing' your lackluster grandson will go up in smoke at that point."

Jose was then pincered by Makarov's last two good pieces.

"Your best bet is to find someone his age who'll be able to put him in his place or keep up with him at the very least," Jose idly suggested as he got ready to strike the fatal blow. "That way, he'll be humbled, and his age won't be an excuse he can use. It'll be the easiest way to break his mountainous ego."

Makarov moved his bishop a space too far, and Jose punched with his remaining pieces.

"Checkmate Makarov."

One quick blow, and the game was over.

"Now get out so I can rest at least ten minutes before the conference," Jose ordered as he watched Makarov look at the board with wide eyes before giving a dramatic sigh. Holding his hands up in defeat, he stood up with the dignity of a gracious loser: "Alright, Jose. I see when I'm beaten. I'll be leaving. Thanks for the advice, though."

Something was off, though. Makarov looked a little too chipper after losing. The minor quirk of his lips was irritatingly optimistic as Jose watched the old fool pick up the game pieces and tea set and leave with a childish grin and parting wave.

"It's helped ease my worries on the matter."

Then the door was shut, and Jose was left alone with a confused view of the lacquer wood door frame. The seconds ticked by as Jose tried and failed to figure out what he had said, making Makarov's mood do a complete 180. "What was that about?"

Jose was pretty sure he had implied that Makarov was screwed since Laxus-level talent wasn't going to pop up twice in one guild. Not unless that bastard Ivan tried his go at another child prodigy.

"Well, whatever..."

Jose would never be able to understand the oddities in Makarov's mind. Frankly, it wasn't even his top ten concerns at the time.

"It's not my problem anyways."

All he knew was that there was a comfortable couch with his name on it.

Vera seriously needed some advice.

Okay, Sho, could you give me some ideas?

He refused to sleep in a shitty tree again.

I'll take anything.

Vera glanced over at Sho as he walked a reasonably decent distance behind Mira, making sure not to set her off because she was pissed after last night. To be fair, this was understandable because he had accidentally taught Lisanna her first curse. In his defense, though... actually, he didn't have a defense; he just forgot to filter himself. He didn't mean it, though! That should count for something!

Could you help me out, Sho?

Vera watched as Sho raised its finger.

And don't tell me to hope she doesn't try to kill me later and forget about it.

Before putting it back down instantly and giving a shrug—Sho's usefulness as an advisor was nonexistent as Sho continued carrying Elfman along. As if Vera wasn't still screwed with no saving grace in sight.

You're no help.

Vera scowled, and Sho shrugged once again. The conversation lulled as Mira stopped ahead with Lisanna on her back before she turned and started walking towards him.

Oh great, now she's going to try to pummel me.

Vera clicked his tongue as he got ready to block, only to stop and shiver as his skin prickled in a warning.

What's that...

Vera flicked his head past Mira and watched the woods with hawklike eyes as she spoke, "Hey, bad influence. I think I heard an animal or something-"

"Set Lisanna down behind us and wake her up," Vera interjected as Mira blinked in surprise. A flash of irritation crossed her face before she noticed his seriousness and nodded. Shelving her questions before moving Lisanna to a small log behind them, "Sho, do the same with Elfman,"

'Tug'

Vera felt Sho fulfill his request as he stepped ahead and tried to figure out what was putting him on edge. He stopped ahead of where Mira had halted and looked around the woods.

I don't see anything...

Vera didn't get it, but his skin felt weird. It felt like he was being watched, and he didn't like it.

What was that, though?

Vera couldn't tell; it was odd. He felt like he had felt something but didn't know what it was. Nothing had shown up when he stood and stared ahead for a minute. The woods were still woods, and all he had done was waste a bit of time.

Am I overthinking things?

Vera frowned as he scratched his head before he relaxed and decided to stop spending so much time with Doronbo.

I need a break...

That anxious energy had rubbed off on him.

I'm getting too paranoid.

Vera clicked his tongue as he turned back with a grimace. Feeling a little shitty because all his paranoia had gotten him was Lisanna and Elfman, now fully awake and confused, while Sho tried to calm them down, and Mira walked up to him with a mix of confusion and worry, "Why did we stop?"

Mira could hold her grudge later.

"Did something happen?"

She just wanted to ensure Vera hadn't stopped them because a monster was around. Thankfully, she saw him shrug apologetically, "Sorry, Mira. Nothing happened. I just thought I... saw something."

Well, that was anticlimactic.

"It was probably an animal, like you said."

Mira had thought something was seriously wrong-

"Hello! Can anyone help me!"

A voice cut through Mira's thoughts and the woods ahead as she and Vera whipped their heads toward the voice. The two watched as a young man walked out of the woods with a small gash on his shoulder and a panicked expression. He had narrow eyes, black hair, and a white jacket with a green shirt, brown pants, and boots.

"You! Can you guys help me? There was a monster!"

He looked terrified.

"It was a Vulcan or something like that! It kept trying to chase me, but I ran, tripped, and my arm got caught on a branch and—and I," the man said with an expression of rising panic. The man's words became hurried, each word after the next, making Mira more concerned for his safety. She knew she had heard something from the woods earlier. It must have been that Vulcan he was rambling about.

"You have to help me!"

Mira didn't know if she could take on a Vulcan, but she felt it was possible. Even if she couldn't, she was confident Vera and Sho could handle one.

"Is there any way you can protect me!? I don't want to die to that thing back there, please!" The young man asked desperately as he stumbled forward. Mira gave a worried nod as she saw the cut on his right shoulder, turning to get some bandages before she saw Vera freeze. His expression struck still, and his eyes furrowed as if piecing together a puzzle before something must have clicked, and his eyes widened with a slight murmur, "Shit..."

Mira tilted her head in confusion, opening her mouth to ask what was wrong before Vera dashed forward with Sho in tow. His shadow crawled along his arm, leaving a small pool of black on his palm where a sheathed green sword fell. Vera grasped it as he closed the distance between himself and the stranger and swung to bash the man's head open.

"MIRA! GET THEM OUT OF HERE!"

At the last second, the man stumbled back in surprise, falling to the ground and sinking into it. No, he didn't sink into the ground. It was a shadow.

"NOW!"

The man was a shadow mage.

What's going on? Who is he? Why is Vera attacking him? What do I do? Should I help?

Mira could only watch in a stunned manner, her panic rising as she saw Vera charge after the man before she stepped up to help him.

I have to do something-

'Step'

Mira froze. Her instinctive reaction was stalling as she heard a heavy step come from behind her. She whipped her head around and saw a round man with big lips and green hair lumbering towards her siblings with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Sorry, little ones..."

That was the moment it clicked in her head.

"Erigor will get mad if I don't kill you."

That was also when she exploded forward, slamming her fist through the man—no, the mage—with zero resistance. She landed in front of her siblings and picked them up instantly. Their eyes widened with fright as she looked back and saw the man standing unharmed.

I missed... no that isn't right.

Mira's target was on point.

He made me miss.

Her punch had phased through the mage.

He's here to kill us...

Mira wasn't dumb; she was the only one who could be responsible for his appearance. Vera wasn't being hunted for his magic; it was her. The villagers...

It's because of me...

Those villagers must still want her dead.

All because of me.

Mira gnashed her teeth as she glanced at Vera's fight in the background before making a split-second decision as an older sister.

Sorry, Vera...

She dashed into the woods with her siblings in tow, blurring past the trees and away from the large man probably lumbering after her. Her breath was quick, and her mind was moving as she tried to get away and find a place to hide her siblings. That way, she could circle back and help Vera.

I'll come back as soon as they're safe.

It wasn't until much later that this surprise attack in the woods was long over.

I promise.

That she would come to regret this decision.

Vera didn't have time to see if Mira listened to what he said. He could only hope the desperate shuffle behind him was her getting to her siblings. That left Vera to focus on the shadow mage that had sunk to the ground and slithered away from his attack.

Where the fuck do you think you're going.

He wasn't faster than Sho, though. Sho blurred after the fleeing shadow and heaved the stunned shadow mage, Kageyama, out of the ground, slamming him into a nearby tree. The force cracked the bark as Sho took the breathless man and threw him back to Vera, who was ready to unsheathe his blade before black ribbons shot through the woods in spades.

There's more than one.

Vera clicked his tongue as he abandoned unsheathing his sword and instead started using it as a covered blade to deflect the ribbons. A series of sparking blows flew through the air as Kageyama's mocking laughs inched closer, flying on a collision course due to Sho's earlier toss.

"I didn't know you were a shadow mage, too, kid!"

Vera cursed as he raised his guard, and Kageyama threw a high kick that slammed into his raised arm.

Weaker than Mira.

Vera, firming the kick, latched onto the man's leg, yanked him in the way of the ceaseless ribbons, and watched as they stopped inches before turning Kageyama into a pin cushion.

Dumber than Siegrain.

Vera watched as Kageyama froze in understanding before letting out a curse that gave Vera a moment to slam a fist into his stomach.

Bring the other one here, Sho.

Vera's fist sunk into Kageyama's diaphragm and stole his breath away, and before he could catch it again, Vera had already connected with a head kick that slammed him out of the way and to the side.

It'll be easier to deal with them in one place.

Vera glanced to the left as the ribbons shot forward without their friend in the way and tore through the air. Vera had to use a bit of agility as he dodged their attacks before he heard a mumble from behind.

"Shadow Knuckle"

Vera clicked his tongue, and he was pinned between cutting ribbons and stretching shadowed punches. His eyes glinted as he firmed a punch to his gut to avoid the cutting ribbons before he heard a loud bang from the forest, followed by the ribbons going slack and falling to the ground as if cut.

There you are...

Vera's eyes flicked toward the forest as a mage with tan skin, an Egyptian headdress, and black stripes around his fingers crashed through the trees.

Thanks, Sho.

Vera let out a controlled breath as the mage tumbled to a painful stop. Vera charged at him with haste, watching from the corner of his eye as the other tried to send shadows to save his friend, only for Sho to tackle them out of the way and leave Vera free with the ribbon mage struggling to his feet.

"I'll start with you..."

Vera didn't know how many were out there. He had to be quick if he wanted to lower the numbers.

"Nothing personal," Vera murmured as he moved his hand to unsheathe his blade and cut down the stunned ribbon user before he heard a howling wind cut through the woods. Vera's hands moved instinctively as he turned to the side and slammed his sheathed sword against the slash of wind that stuck him with the force of a freight train.

Goddammit...

Vera tumbled to his back as he blocked the attack. His eyes narrowed as he saw another cut through the air and bisect Sho. Vera's shadow returned to him instantly as he grasped his surroundings.

There's more of them.

Vera clicked his tongue as he kept his hand in his sword, watching as the two he was fighting, Kageyama and the ribbon mage, turned to the woods. Their moment of distraction was followed by a sudden gust of wind and an unmistakable sound that echoed through the tense air like a bell.

'Click'

Vera unsheathed his blade instantly and watched as it released a blade of wind that tore through the air in a horizontal slash that threatened to cut both of his enemies in half. Their momentary loss of attention slowed them as they only had time to half-defend themselves.

"Wind Magic"

They would have fallen to his attack then and there.

"Wind Blade"

Suppose it wasn't for the blade of wind that soared from the woods behind them. The vertical slash of air arced between them and clashed with Vera's horizontal slash head-on, resulting in an implosion of wind that whipped at the ground and arrived with the voice of another.

"Well, not bad, light mage..."

Vera felt his heartbeat ring in his ears. His eyes ringed with bloodlust as he turned to where the attack came from. His teeth gnashed as his mind worked overtime to drag everything he needed to know out of the foggy terrain of his mind, in tandem with the new mage's taunting voice as a young man floated out of the woods and into the open.

"I thought dogs of the council didn't have the stomach to go for the throat."

Thankfully, this person was more distinctive than Kageyama's bland and forgettable appearance. He hovered an inch off the ground, possibly in his young twenties, with storm-grey hair and tattoos cutting under his eyes and swirling across his bare chest. His black eyes met Vera's glare as he let out a dry and deep chuckle before swinging his wood scythe over his shoulder with a leisurely grace.

"Now, now, don't give me that look. It's nothing personal..."

His voice was light, and his face was contorted in an egocentric grin that was uncaring and mocking.

"It's just business."

Erigor of Eisenwhalde had come to collect a bounty.