A/N: Welp, I'm back. I took a well-needed break, and now trails will return. Just a reminder, these won't be consistent releases. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it at one every week or two, but I make no promises. This set of trails will probably be a longer one, like seven at the very least. I'll leave another AN when the last chapter is up. Until then, I hope you enjoy :)
August 13th, x778
Early in the morning, high in the skies above Bosco, where the sun had yet to break, and the kids could still hide their descent, an airship carrying the most dangerous mages in Ishgar landed atop a large stone plateau. Two figures were waiting patiently: one with long dark purple hair and red eyes, and the other younger, with pink hair and a thin frame.
"Is that your home, Ultear?" Merudy asked as she watched her savior give a half-chuckle-half-scoff. "Please." Ultear crossed her arms with a half-smirk as she watched the mighty ship descend toward the ground. "It's more of a workplace."
Merudy let out a murmur of understanding, storing that tidbit of knowledge and everything else her savior had told her the past few days. Ultear was so kind, telling her all about the world she would be living in now that she was being taken in. Merudy's despair over losing her family was kept at bay because Ultear would take care of her now.
So this is Grimoire Heart...
Ultear made everything better.
It's like a flying whale.
Merudy kept her quiet awe to herself as she watched the giant aircraft touch down softly. A metal ramp descended, and two nameless guards saluted them as they walked aboard before one called back to the conductor, "Ultear of Grimoire's elite command has boarded." The grunt glanced at Merudy, his covered face indicating a shift of perplexity and cautiousness before Ultear spoke, "She's my guest."
It was like lightning; Merudy would have missed it if she had blinked. The second Ultear's words hit the air, the guard's suspicions vanished instantly.
"We have both personnel aboard the aircraft!"
Ultear must have a lot of power in this place.
"Prepare to take off!" The Gaurd yelled as Merudy followed Ultear into the giant ship. Her eyes wide as she heard the ramp retract behind her and saw halls of countless torches and drafty passages. Some random people were in cloaks and robes, but none looked to stop them or intervene. They also seemed to give Ultear a vast berth.
Why are they acting so scared of her...
Merudy didn't get it. They looked terrified. It came off in the glance away of their heads, the slight hush of their words as they crossed paths. The way their breaths hitched at the sight of her. They were all scared, even with strange face coverings on their face. It was easy for Merudy to see, but it didn't make sense. Ultear was incredible.
Idiots.
If they didn't see how amazing Ultear was, they must be dumb in the head. Maybe that's why they wore those face coverings—to hide their idiocy. Merudy almost felt bad for them.
Whatever...
Emphasis on almost.
More Ultear for me, then.
Merudy's lips curled upwards at the thought as she followed Ultear to an offhanded corridor with single rooms lining the sides of it. Ultear opened a random one with a flick of her hand, revealing a twin bed with a single desk. The room was tiny enough to be a big broom closet, yet the second Ultear strolled inside, Merudy followed.
"This will be your room." Ultear commented, flicking a fake plant on the desk before she added as an offhanded afterthought, "I would offer up a better one, but Grimoire Heart is about strength, and you haven't proven it yet. Once you do..."
Merudy felt admiration swell in her chest as Ultear glanced back with a simple comment. Her smile was as mystic as it was beautiful. Merudy couldn't believe it. She was so lucky.
"I will talk to Hades about getting you a better one."
Merudy had met the best person in the world at her lowest point in life. She had to do good in this place, Grimoll- Grimoire something. It was the only way to pay back the kindness she showed and to make good on Ultear's expectations.
"I promise I'll do good, Ultear!"
Besides, if this place worked on the principle that a bigger room equals a stronger person, then Ultear must have the biggest room. In that case, Merudy's room needed to be bigger so she could see Ultear more often. It would be unfair to have Ultear always visit her small room. No, she had to advance swiftly if possible.
"How should I start!"
Thankfully, Merudy was a quick learner.
"You can read this eager little girl," Ultear chuckled as she pulled out a book on elemental magic and tossed it to the pinkette. Merudy's eyes immediately went to the cover, and its basics of magic title before she opened it to read the information inside. She had never practiced magic, but she would learn.
Magic is about will...
Then, she would be a little closer to Ultear.
Ultear watched silently as the little girl she found in the backwater village buried her head in the most fundamental books. The sight was almost cute. The girl had abandoned all awareness of the outside world at a moment's notice. Merudy's single focus was that book. All because she wanted to read what Ultear had given her. It was almost adorable.
She should do...
Emphasis on almost.
I'll need a sheep if I'm ever to move freely here.
Ultear grinned at the thought. Her voice echoed through the room as she watched the little girl's head snap up immediately at her voice, "Read as much as you can. I am off to explain your arrival to Master Hades." Ultear watched as the little girl nodded swiftly, her eyes determined as if death itself wouldn't stop her from following orders.
"Wait here until I return, Merudy."
Ultear couldn't have asked for anything better.
"Yes, Ultear!" The girl exclaimed enthusiastically. A puppy proud of itself for doing the trick was what she reminded Ultear of, but that could be saved for later. Ultear had to report to Master Hades, so without a second glance, she left the room and walked through the bulking hallways of the airship. Her footsteps echoed through the halls as she passed nameless grunt after nameless grunt until she arrived at Hades' tacky halls and tackier doors.
"Enter, Ultear."
Ultear swore these things were the opposite of scary.
"Yes, master Hades," Ultear said with a plastered smile. The damp air of the old man's lair lingered as she entered, and the giant doors slammed shut behind her. The dim room, brightened by dimmer torchlights, revealed a man with a long grey beard and a single green eye peering out from the shadows. The fading night sky highlighted his gaze from the giant window in the background, "I heard you brought a survivor, Ultear. Explain."
"Of course, Master Hades," Ultear replied obediently as she recounted her burning of the village and retrieval of the key. Her voice remained the same throughout until she reached the end. She explained how she found a survivor and realized her potential: "The little girl had a large magic container for her age. She could be useful."
"I highly doubt a traumatized little girl could be of any use to our cause Ultear."
"Then I'll kill her, and there will be nothing wasted but time, Master," Ultear replied simply as she bowed her head lightly and waited for Hades's judgment. A few seconds passed before the old man chuckled beneath his breath, "How morbidly practical."
Ultear raised her head before she shrugged and watched Hades tap his finger with a slight smile, "Very well then. She can join. If she dies, you'll be reevaluated for mismanagement of resources."
"As you wish, Master Hades," Ultear responded with the same devoted infliction in her voice that she knew he couldn't get enough of. A wolf that loved to be surrounded by sheep, Hades couldn't be described in any other terms.
"Is there anything else you need from me, Master?"
It made her sick, but there was at least one good thing about it. Ultear never had to guess if the bastard was lying. It made him a more straightforward person to read at times.
"Now that you mention it, Ultear..."
A wolf had no reason to lie to pitiful sheep.
"There is something I've been curious about," Hades said, unknowingly interrupting Ultear's internal monologue as he reached into his requip space and pulled out a recent newspaper. Ultear raised an eyebrow as he tossed it to her, and she got a good look at a face she wasn't expecting to see.
"Your old friend met a very gruesome foe, it seems."
Especially when it looked like he was the one who lost a round with an avalanche this time.
"I was curious about your thoughts on the matter." Hades asked plainly as he watched Ultear's face for any minor detail he could glimpse. His silent gaze was rewarded as he saw the faintest widening of Ultear's eyes before they deadened along with her voice: "Erigor seems like a useful piece."
Pity.
"We could use him in the future."
She still needed to rely on that old trick.
"Is there anything else, master?" Ultear asked, unaware of Hades' observations as she tossed him the newspaper. He sighed in response. His leisurely response filled the room, and he leaned forward to get a good look at the newspaper. His other green eye peeked out from the shadows.
"Nothing." Hades replied offhandedly as he perused the newspaper and glanced at the boy in the photograph isn't a passing interest, "Your idea has merit, I'll remember it. In the meantime, keep an eye out for anything..." Then Hades's words lulled, and Ultear blinked in confusion. She thought it was odd. Hades wasn't one to be easily distracted. Especially by weaklings, he held no care for in the slightest.
"Familiar..."
Yet, his demeanor shifted as he looked at the newspaper image of the boy with black hair and pale skin who looked halfway to the underworld. His previous train of thought seemed to peter out, and she saw it the moment he realized something. His lackadaisical tone fell to one of utter seriousness as his eyes widened imperceptibly before he looked at her with a new gaze.
"His magic..."
A calculated yet hungry gaze.
"Explain his magic in detail."
Ultear felt a shiver crawl down her spine as Hades commanded her without a hint of hesitation. His words reverberated through the room, and his microscopic gaze lingered on her face, searching for the barest hint of a lie. Ultear had never been under this much scrutiny before. She always performed exceptionally, but this was a new experience.
"Shadow Magic"
Thankfully, she didn't have a reason to lie about it.
"His shadow can become tangible and protect him. It can also move on its own and move along surfaces. It's like he has a silent guardian at all times."
There wasn't even that much to talk about.
"It's useful. He used it to gather information and contact me in the lab without getting caught. It could also be used for scouting if applied well, but..."
There was only so much that could be done with what she considered to be a big shadow puppet.
"It's not inherently strong magic, in my opinion." Ultear finished honestly as she failed to trip any of Hades' mental lie detectors. Her confession was dutifully rewarded with the almost comical sight of Hades' frowning in distaste and his entire body slumping in disappointment. "A weakling then. Never mind."
Ultear watched with a raised eyebrow as Hades tossed the news into his requip space instead of burning it like she assumed he would. "I thought he looked familiar but it must have been my imagination."
Ultear furrowed her brows as she saw the frown on his face was still present before he waved her off, "You may leave. Send the girl here later so I can assess her and give her a lost magic if she is worthy."
Hades looked like he was expecting something else.
"Preferably after dinner."
Ultear for her life couldn't figure out what.
"I don't like to deal with children before I eat." Hades finished with a sigh and a weak shooing of his hand. Ultear caught herself surprised before she nodded, "Yes, Master." Then, she left the room as swiftly and orderly as she entered it. Her footsteps took her down the dreary halls and past the faceless grunts, but she ignored their existence.
What was that...
She had barely gotten a few minutes from the tacky doors before she started replaying the conversation. Before she knew it, Ultear spent the entire trip back to Merudy's room revisiting Hades's shift in mood. His sudden and unfounded seriousness lingered in her mind. She couldn't understand what got him so invested. A liar and a weakling was nearly killed, that was it. Ultear couldn't wrap her head around it. Hades had never once taken an interest in her past cellmates. They weren't strong enough to be helpful, and Jellal was already a good enough piece that they didn't need to look for lost lambs that got lucky.
I don't get it...
Hades should have had zero interest in a weak liar's public downfall.
Hades said that fucking liar looked familiar...
The fact that Hades did this was concerning.
Do they know each other?
Ultear frowned at the thought and furrowed her eyes as she walked through the empty halls. It didn't make sense, but she couldn't discount the option. The liar was why she found Hades so quickly, but it was from the resources he'd peaked at in the lab.
Unless he lied about that, too...
The whole thing was an annoying development she didn't need right now. Not when she still had so much work to earn Hades' trust.
I wouldn't doubt it.
Ultear scoffed at the thought as she discarded the endless cycle of questions in her mind. She licked her lips as she focused on a more tangible and important task ahead of her. One that was bound to come up within the next few years. After she got Jellal's dumbass in the council and among the Wizard Saints, she needed to focus.
I only have a few years left.
Hades was getting closer to finishing his team of elite mages. In one of his countless ' villain ' monologues, he had bragged about his so-called 'Sins of Purgatory'. In a few years, they would be complete, and when that happened, she needed to be chosen as its leader. Doing so would put her in a position second only to Hades himself. She could use that authority and, more importantly, the trust that came with it.
Hades is still hiding something...
Ultear had figured Hades out mostly. His endless tirades about his desires for a 'perfect' world made that an easy task, but the details were still blurry. There were still some rooms in the ship she couldn't access. Ultear wanted to clear those up as soon as possible. The more she knew of Hades' plan, the easier it would be to implement hers, and hers had to be perfect.
Just a little more.
Ultear had to be perfect to get what she wanted.
Just a little more, and everything will be perfect.
Ultear clenched her fists at the thought. Her deep memories burned behind her eyes as she froze them instantly. Her shoulders relaxed so casually no one could tell they were forced, and her smile was as kind as the beautiful sun. In an instant, her roaring thoughts had been hidden in a layer of ice so pristine that nothing could shatter it.
So he lost, huh...
Not even a reminder of that liar that had toyed with her back in the mountain tops. The first and last person to play her like a puppeteer.
Funny.
The less time she thought about him, the better.
I guess some things never change.
Ultear hummed idly at the thought as she approached Merudy's door. Her hand flicked open, and the door swung to reveal her new tool, still head deep in her book. This time, a new visitor was sitting on the bed, glancing over her. His blond hair and red eyes trailed the pages surprisingly sharply before he spoke without hinting at her arrival.
"Hey, Ultear, where the fuck did you find this girl?"
Ultear's perfect mask was the only thing that kept her from skewering Zancrow then and there.
"She didn't even blink when I threatened to burn her. She's fucking insane!" Zancrow laughed as he glanced up and was met with a floating orb an inch from his nose. The reflective surface showed him his own shark tooth smile and circular red eyes as a cold voice filled the room, "Get the fuck out, Zancrow."
Zancrow must have done something right.
"Now."
This Ultear was way more fun than the stuck-up bitch he was used to dealing with.
"Is that an order?" Zancrow cackled as black flames flickered off his back, and he tilted his head around the orb. His red eyes met Ultear's in a brutal glare that made the room fluctuate between cold and razing heat, "Last time I checked, I don't take orders from you. So unless Hades ordered-"
"You should stop riling her up. She's going to kill you." An uninterested voice cut through the tension with the fact of a ballistic missile. The two mages flicked their surprised gazes towards the little girl whose voice came from behind the book she was still buried head deep in, "You're just saying what you're saying because you're bored and want to fight."
Ultear watched with interest and confusion. Meanwhile, Zancrow's eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth in rage at the girl's words.
"You can't fight if you're dead."
This little shit.
"You willing to bet on that pinky," Zancrow growled as he put a hand atop the little girl's head and felt the room drop below zero. He knew Ultear was ready to knock his head off with a single orb somewhere in his periphery, but he didn't care. His eyes were focused on the brat as he kept his magic an inch from exploding beneath his palm."You think I'd fucking lose to Hades' little pet over there."
One wrong word, and he would char the little girl before Ultear could fucking blink.
"Are you willing to die if you're wrong?" Zancrow snarled as he watched the little girl process his words and flip a page. She never looked back, never even moved her eyes from the pages she was reading, but only said two words: "Of course."
That was it. The little girl read her book, and Zancrow was left without words to say for the first time in a long time. He could have laughed if he was in a better mood, but now he was disappointed. He came here because he heard rumors that the ice Queen herself brought a defenseless little girl back from her last mission. Zancrow had planned on mocking her bleeding heart for bringing a bag of deadweight into Grimoire Heart.
"Hey, girl..."
Fucking a waste of time, that would be.
"What's your name."
This girl was about as deadweight as a feather.
"Merudy," the little girl answered plainly as she finished her book and closed it. She then tilted her head back with rose-colored eyes that didn't seem the slightest bit afraid of him. "You're angry," she said.
Leave it to Ice Queen to bring another freak aboard.
"Are you always like that?"
At least this one was more bearable.
"Fuck if I know." Zancrow shrugged as he moved his hand from atop the girl's head and walked to the open door. He passed Ultear and caught her shocked expression before he waved behind him with a bland voice, "Welcome to Grimoire Heart, pinky."
Well, there went Zancrow's plans for the evening.
"Next time, pick a book that's less boring."
Maybe he could find those grunts that started that fake rumor and burn them instead.
Merudy wasn't sure if she had done something wrong.
"Merudy..."
She must have because the second the angry blond man left, Zancrow, if she remembered correctly, Ultear turned to her with an expression that should have been pleasant but was probably hiding anger. Merudy could tell by the slight way her smile struggled to stay on her face. Merudy could practically feel her anxiety rising at the idea that maybe Ultear would abandon her, but thankfully, what Ultear said next proved otherwise: "Don't let that psycho into your room."
Ultear must have forgiven her for messing up and was telling her what she did wrong. That was perfect! Merudy wasn't supposed to let Zancrow into her room. That was it! That's what she did wrong! Thank goodness. That was an easy fix. She could fix that. She would never let him in her room again. She would bolt the doors and threaten him with a haircut if he didn't comply. That would probably work.
"That walking pyromaniac is bad news," Ultear finished as she watched Merudy's frantic nod of acceptance come as quickly as the air she breathed. It was like she took Ultear's words as gospel, and the following only solidified that, "I finished the book Ultear."
Hades could keep his sheep.
"What should I do next?"
Ultear had already found hers.
"Nothing for now, but I will take you to see Hades later," Ultear commented offhandedly as she sat down on the single bed and watched the little girl latch onto her every word like a waiting puppy. "If he approves of your potential, then you may be able to learn strong magic from him."
"I'll do my best, Ultear!" Merudy replied with utmost respect and gratitude. Her words echoed through the room, and she seemed to get a slight smirk out of Ultear, who found her energy amusing. "I'd expect nothing less. Now tell me what you learned. That book is from the ship's library. You'll spend more time there if you want to be useful."
"Yes, Ultear!" Merudy exclaimed as she closed her eyes and recalled the first sentence of the first page in perfect clarity, "Magic is about will..."
To be honest, the book was boring. Some parts were vague, and others were specific. The author sometimes seemed a bit fanatical, but she didn't care. The most important thing she gleaned from the book was that magic was practical, so Merudy aimed to learn it.
"Those who have it are perfect."
Merudy had to learn magic from this Hades person. It was the best way to be helpful, Ultear. Otherwise...
"Those without it are nothing."
Otherwise, she would have rather died on the day her world fell apart.
Amid Oak Town's waking hours, deep in the forest at the edge of the castle on the hill overlooking the sleepy city, a boy sat in the center of a training field of dead grass. At the break of Dawn, this boy with black hair and red eyes was in deep concentration. His eyes closed, and his face grave. There was nothing joyful in his expression.
"Still nothing..."
It had been five days since Vera woke up.
"How much do I have to say it, Sho."
Nothing had changed. No matter how much Vera asked and pleaded, silence greeted him. Countless hours each day had been devoted to it.
"I'm sorry."
He only heard the stray breeze of the empty training field. When he opened his eyes, the reminder of his newfound isolation was like a knife to his gut. His shadow wouldn't shift; it wouldn't even move, and more than anything, he felt alone. For the first time in a long time, he was truly alone.
"Dammit..."
The realization brought a newfound irritation in his voice because there had been one change. Not with Sho, but regarding his life, there was an unspoken tension with his master. This was less than ideal because Vera would have really enjoyed some advice right about now, but ever since he explained what happened to Jose a few days ago, the prick hadn't sought him out once.
"What's taking that bastard so long."
Even for this day's training session.