A/N: Next chapter will be the last chapter before I go on winter break, hope you enjoy :)
August 13th, x779
Phantom Lord headquarters wasn't advertised to many. Commissioned by the third guild master, it was located on a rocky hill far outside the city. Miles away from Oak Town, it was isolated from prying eyes and selected for guild matters deemed too confidential to leave to the main guild hall atop Oak Town's grassy hill.
The building was grand, more prominent than even the guild hall in Oak Town. A stone archipelago with decorated archways, spiraling towers towards its corners, and a bronze dome ceiling topping its main walls, it stood like a grand chapel fortress forgotten to time and lost in revelry.
Its imposing entrance was open wide as phantom Lord mages across all parts of Fiore streamed inside, waiting in the central room where a monumental dome stood above, so high that the only reason the mages could see the mural atop was its slit windows letting light trickle through the ceiling.
There were hundreds of mages mulling about, sitting at the tables left for the occasion. Standard wooden meal tables that would have been found at the guild hall, angled so everyone could see the second story overlook towards the back, with Phantom lord banners hanging loosely over the sides.
It was an imposing display of Phantom Lord's status.
It was also a little cold.
"Sorry, it gets a little drafty," Totamaru told Juvia and Gajeel. The two had followed the swordsman to the building on the long walk from Oak Town, past the town's forests and through the rocky landscape surrounding the headquarters.
The main hall was so big that it felt a little drafty, but she had her dress coat, so she was well-adjusted.
Gajeel was wearing a sleeveless black tunic and just didn't seem to care.
"Cool. Can we fight now?" Gajeel narrowed his eyes, watching as the man rubbed his neck sheepishly and glanced around nervously. "Sorry. I have to go tell the guild master you're here. Maybe later."
Gajeel growled as the swordsman slipped into the crowd, leaving him alone with Juvia and without a fight. His eyes twitched with anger as he tried to calm himself. This was the fucking fourth time he hadn't been able to fight someone that looked decent. It was pissing him off.
The fact that he was surrounded by hundreds of people, making his ears bleed with how noisy it was and his skin crawl with how surrounded he was, made his entire mood sour beyond compare.
"Fuck this," Gajeel murmured as he sniffed the air and searched for Vera. The only one that seemed to actually have a backbone in this guild.
He caught onto the scent of leaves and smoke before Juvia asked, "Why do you want to fight so badly?"
"Because I need to get better."
"Why?"
"So I can punch Metallicana and Ru in the fucking face."
"Oh." Juvia tilted her head, asking sincerely, "Do you wish to fight Juvia then?"
"You?" Gajeel scoffed, cursing silently as he lost Vera's scent and turned back to the water mage. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, "No offense, but I doubt I'll get a good fight out of you."
"Why?"
"Because you've never fought before," Gajeel said flatly, watching as the girl blushed slightly and fidgeted nervously. "Is it that obvious?"
"To me, it is," Gajeel shrugged.
It was the way she held herself, unconfident and uncoordinated. He couldn't tell how she was in magic, but physically, he could tell a lot about a person with his dragon slayer senses, and she screamed inexperience. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't know how to throw a punch.
He was surprised when the girl looked him in the eyes and asked, "Can you teach Juvia then? Juvia is worried about the test we would soon take and didn't want to make Aria look bad."
"Who the hell is Aria?" Gajeel frowned, recalling that she had asked about him yesterday, too.
"He is Juvia's savior." Juvia said happily, "He is very strong."
"Really?" Gajeel perked up, nearly distracted before he saw her smile a little too brightly and realized she was trying to butter him up.
"Juvia will introduce you if you teach her to fight." She said sweetly, "What do you say?"
"I'll pass, thanks," Gajeel chuckled, slightly impressed as he continued sniffing the air, searching for his target, "Nothing I say is gonna help. You ain't learning how to fight in a day, much less an hour. You're on your own."
"But-"
"I'm not here to hold your hand." Gajeel snapped as he lost the scent again, "If you wanted to come here, you should've been ready. You're a mage. Act like it."
Gajeel heard it start to downpour outside, the heavy droplets bouncing against the bronze dome ceiling as he turned away. He was annoyed that he had to force himself to ignore the girl's sad expression.
Fucking... fuck.
Gajeel bit the inside of his cheek as he turned his head away. He was about to... he didn't fucking know. He just felt like he had to do something, but before that could happen, he caught a familiar scent, and a menacing grin spread across his lips.
Found you.
"Look, I'll take the test first or whatever so you'll get a better shot," Gajeel offered as an olive branch, not fully focusing on the girl's reaction. "Until then, just ask someone who looks like they know what they're doing. Anyone here can teach you the basics."
Gajeel grinned as he started shoving his way into the crowd and said his goodbyes haphazardly.
"Even if most of these losers are shit, I'm sure they at least know how to throw a punch."
Gajeel would be damned if he missed out on a fight for the fifth time since he got to Oak Town.
Juvia frowned as she watched the boy she kept running into, Gajeel, walk into the crowd, pushing his way to somewhere else. She didn't know how to classify him yet. He didn't seem friendly, but he was nicer than the train, so she considered it progress.
He did offer to go first... that was freindly... maybe it was the cookies?
Juvia noted to give him more later, hoping more cookies would get her closer to friendship.
Ah, but Juvia has to pass first... that's a problem.
Juvia knew magic; she had learned all the water spells in the book Aria had given her, but she didn't know how to fight. She'd never been in one before.
Who should Juvia ask?
Juvia looked around, immediately reserving the burly men and jaded women for last resort. They were all adults, and she didn't want to make friends with adults. She already had Aria for that.
She wanted to make friends her age.
She read that teaching each other things was a good way to make friends.
Having a friend teach her how to fight would be a wonderful way to greet each other. Then, she could give them cookies to assure their friendship.
Her plan was foolproof.
She just needed to figure out who to ask.
Where should Juvia go?
Juvia glanced around before spotting someone familiar.
Oh? It's the boy from yesterday.
Juvia smiled slightly as she spotted the short boy with short, owlish gray hair, black-framed glasses, and a grey scarf around his mouth. He was sitting alive at a quieter table, pulling parchment from his knapsack full of stray papers.
It looked like he was writing a letter with a magic quill. Ignoring the ruckus around him as he looked up above and asked, "That sound good?"
"Nuh-uh," a boy said from above, causing Juvia to look up and see a taller boy with black hair, ringed yellow eyes, and a green cloud pajama onesie sitting on one of the handing chandeliers. Shaking his head slightly, "Get rid of how we beat that cyclops last week. It was so scary! I almost cried."
"You did cry, " the short boy said, shaking his head. "Also, it was our first successful A-class mission. Why shouldn't I tell him about it?"
"Because we almost died! Gray shouldn't hear about that!" The pajama boy yelled, and the one with glasses below sighed and shook his head. Seemingly drafting a new version of the letter as the two argued about what to put in it. Juvia moved to talk to them and ask them how to fight, as Gajeel suggested, before another familiar voice called out to her.
"Hey, Juvia, over here!" A girl's voice called out, and Juvia glanced back.
She was shocked to see the white-haired girl from yesterday sitting at a crowded table with two people sitting across from her. A boy with tan skin and a girl with short hair, possibly Juvia's age. They all shared the same white hair and blue eyes.
"Come on," the girl from yesterday idly shoved a full-grown man out of the seat next to her like it was nothing. "We got a free seat."
"Hey! Who the," The man growled, turning back with a snarl before seeing the girl with white hair and freezing. The girl glanced back slyly, giving a shark-toothed smile. The man started muttering curses under his breath and walked away sulkily.
The girl seemed to sit taller at that, turning back with a bright smile and patting the seat next to her.
Juvia glanced at the seat, sparing a glance at the boy from yesterday and his friend, still busy arguing, before deciding to sit with the girl.
She had offered, and Juvia didn't want to seem rude.
"Thank you for the offer," Juvia said as she sat next to the girl from yesterday. Juvia watched as the girl smiled and nudged her arm, "Don't worry about it. I think I forgot to mention yesterday, but I'm Mira. These are my little siblings, Lisanna and Elfman."
"Hello." The boy, Elfman, mumbled shyly, shrinking behind his little sister, Lisanna.
"Hi, Juvia." Lisanna smiled. "It's nice to meet you. By the way, I love your dress. It's so pretty and blue. Is it as fluffy as it looks?"
"It is," Juvia said quietly, slowly opening up as she looked at her dress coat. "People in Midi use it for winter when the cold rain sets in, but my mother fashioned it for me back in Bosco. It helps with the wind there."
"You lived in Bosco?"
"Yes, my family loves it there."
"That's nice," Lisanna smiled. "What's it like? Elfman and I can only take C-class missions, so I've never been out of Fiore."
"It's... expensive. In some places." Juvia said quietly, doing her best to ignore the curious glances sent her way as she spotted the guild mark on Lisanna's left shoulder and asked, "You joined early, too?"
"Oh, technically." Lisanna smiled shakily, rubbing her neck, "But I'm not really good enough to get in early. The only reason I was allowed was Mira."
"Hey," Mira barked, reaching over and flicking her sister in the head, "Don't say that. You're still learning, and you kicked ass yesterday."
"I nearly fell on the river and drowned."
"You nearly kicked the river's ass. The river was lucky." Mira grumbled, and Juvia tilted her head in confusion. Watching as Mira elaborated, "Lisanna is still mastering takeover magic, so she was practicing with Siegrain yesterday. He's the blue-haired guy at the shop with me."
"Oh." Juvia said, tilting her head, "Where is he now?"
"Somewhere with Vera." Mira rolled her eyes, "They'll probably join up later. I didn't want to wait for their lazy asses to wake up, so we got here early."
"Way too early," Elfman complained, slumping against the table as he muttered. "We've been here for hours already."
"And?" Mira smirked, "Do you want to see what the guild master does if we're late?"
"No!" Elfman shook his head frantically, pale in fright as Mira laughed. The two quickly fell into sibling banter as Juvia and Lisanna pursued their conversation. Continuing from where Lisanna's training had left off.
"Did your training go well?" Juvia asked, watching as Lisanna fidgeted nervously, "Uh, a little? Siegrain's nice, and he means well, but he doesn't... he doesn't really know how to teach magic to someone."
"How so?"
"When I asked him what I should do if the magic I've learned is difficult to use, he said that's never happened to him before." Lisanna sighed, "Mira's been helpful too, but takeover magic doesn't seem to work well for me."
"Is it too difficult?"
"No, I don't think so." Lisanna shook her head, "I've already taken over a few smaller animals, and I can use their powers well enough. The problem is I can't I use them for long periods and I have problems taking over bigger animals. Like a tiger."
"You took over a tiger?"
"I tried taking over a tiger." Lissana sighed, "It almost bit me."
"Have you tried other magic?"
"No, not yet." Lisanna shook her head. "I know I can master takeover magic, so I'm going to do that first before trying anything else. It's honestly fine; it's just,"
She glanced away glumly. "It's a little sucky that I'm the only one struggling with it."
"What do you mean?"
"Mira and Elfman also use takeover magic," Lisanna said, before smiling and whispering in mock sneakiness. "And they're really good. Picked it up almost instantly. They're so cool."
"Thanks, sis," Mira rejoined the conversation as Elfman shrunk in happy embarrassment.
Mira smiled proudly, "You're pretty cool too."
"The coolest?"
"Damn right."
Juvia watched the Lisanna laugh. The siblings were smiling, supporting each other. She thought it was nice.
"You have a wonderful family," Juvia said softly, watching the siblings stop teasing each other. Turned back with rose-colored cheeks.
They all mumbled some variation of 'thanks' before sharing a smile.
Lisanna asked, "What about you, Juvia? You said your family lives in Bosco. What are they like? Do you have any siblings?"
"Juvia does not. She only has her parents, and they," Juvia started, her voice catching in her throat before she spoke hollowly, "They love Juvia."
The heavy tapping rhythm on the bronze dome ceiling echoed through the walls, slightly distracting Juvia.
"They love her a lot."
She completely missed the confused looks the others gave her and continued, "They supported my path as a mage and suggested I come here and become S class. Juvia does not know if she can."
"Why?"
"Because the guild master said she has to take a test and does not know how to fight." Juvia said, bowing politely, "If possible, will one of you teach me? My other... acquaintance said I should learn the basics. Before the guild master's test."
"No problem, Juvia. I got it," Mira grinned confidently, "You came to the right place. I'll have you throwing a punch in twenty minutes tops."
Juvia smiled lightly as she saw Mira stand, beckoning her to follow so they could start practicing with the bit of time they had left.
Juvia wanted to think she was one step closer to making friends in Phantom Lord.
It took Gajeel a while to find who he was looking for. Having to force his way through hundreds of mages idling around.
Still, Gajeel was surprised when he finally saw Vera sitting next to a guy with blue hair. The two whispered as they drank orange juice by a table that no one seemed to want to approach.
The isolation was surprising, but Gajeel wasn't really paying attention to it. The second he saw the blue-haired boy, he felt like he had won the lottery.
Vera had a strong friend. Who knew?
I'll fight Vera, then the other one. Gajeel decided instantly, making his way towards the table where the two were sitting. He was halfway there, ready to introduce himself into the conversation, before his sensitive ears picked up, whispering at a corner table nearby.
"Why is that prick still here?"
Gajeel clenched his jaw, finally getting sick of the shit he'd been hearing behind his back. He took a turn from his original course, following the jaded whisper of its source as he found two people sitting amongst a few others. A boy and a girl with dark skin and dark eyes. They were taking amicably and looked like decent fighters—especially the girl.
The girl had light brown skin, shoulder-length dark green hair, a small oval green jewel on her forehead, and a purple jester hat with phantom lord's insignia. She wore a blue shirt with ripped sleeves and green pants held by a belt buckle. Her forearms were wrapped with red fighting bandages, and she looked confident enough to use 'em.
Meanwhile, the guy had brown skin, a bald head, and gold-framed glasses with purple lenses. He wore a violet V-necked shirt under a pale green jacket with a fur-trimmed collar. He was the one that said, 'Why the fuck is that prick still here?'
Hence, he was the one that Gajeel walked up to, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up with a snarl, "Oi! Want to say that to my face, bitch!"
"What?" The guy asked,d slightly stunned. Mostly confused. His eyes widened slightly as he looked around like he was the only one seeing what was happening, "I don't even know you, dude. What the fuck are you talking about? The hell did I say?"
"Why the fuck is that prick still here." Gajeel snarled, "I fucking heard it, bastard. Don't try to play dumb."
"I wasn't talking about you dumbass!" The guy growled, trying to remove Gajeel's grip but failing. Gajeel sneered as the guy's eyes widened, and it looked like he would start using magic—a look of confusion but seemingly justified anger on his face.
"Wanna let go, dude?" The guy warned, a magic circle spinning beneath his feet.
"Wanna make me?" Gajeel grinned, his arms coating metal as he got ready to slam the dude into the ground. His fun halted as the girl sighed and said exasperatedly, "Seriously, Boze? Everything has to be a fight with you?"
"What the hell, Sue?" The guy, Boze, apparently, pointed to his current situation. "This guy obviously started it!"
"You were the one talking shit about me!"
"I wasn't talking about you!" Boze hissed, glancing around at the growing spectators before whispering begrudgingly, "I was talking about that asshole, Vera. So, mind letting me down now."
"Vera?" Gajeel asked, now curious. "What the fuck did he do that you need to bitch about it so much?"
"Hey!" Boze shouted as Gajeel dropped him and waited for an answer.
Gajeel crossed his arms patiently before noticing the crowd watching him curiously.
"The fuck you looking at!" Gajeel glared at the surrounding mages.
"Nothing." A chorus of cowed voices responded, everyone turning back to their conversation.
Gajeel scoffed and turned back to the two he'd inadvertently begun interrogating. He watched as the girl, Sue, snorted and laughed, "Vera kicked Boze's ass a while ago. Hence the bitching."
"The hell he did," Boze snapped, dusting himself off as he frowned, "I thought it was a fucking spar, and he up and tried to kill me. It was bullshit."
"All I'm hearing is that he nearly decapitated you," Sue sang; "And. That's. A. Loss."
"Oh fuck off," Boze rolled his eyes, "everyone that was there and has eyeballs agreed he was acting fucking crazy. The only reason you're sticking up for him is cuz of your stupid crush."
"It's not a crush. I just think he's cute." Sue smiled. There was a faint blush on her cheeks, "Plus, he's a badass. Did you see the way he fought you? It was hot."
"He tried to kill me."
"And it was hot."
"I'm telling you, something's off with him." Boze continued. Ignoring Sue's wistful sigh, he muttered. "He acts cocky and refuses to use magic against anyone, like he's too good for us, but then tries to kill me the second I use mine. It's bullshit."
"Maybe he got tired about all that shit you were talking," Sue smirked playfully, "What was it you were telling everyone before the fight? 'Just watch. I'm gonna prove Vera isn't all that tough.' You should've known he would take it personally."
"Like you're one to talk." Boze huffed, "At least I had the guts to challenge one of Oak Town's so-called 'best.' You didn't even try to fight Siegrain. Even though you said, he didn't look all that tough."
"I never said that," Sue rolled her eyes, "I just don't get the big deal. From my point of view, he's a pretty face that learned a lot of half-ass magic. I don't get why everyone's treating him like he's gonna be the next Laxus Dreyar. Feels weird to me, is all."
"Then why didn't you challenge him?"
"Cuz I'm not a dumb guy that gets into a fight every time I want to prove something." Sue smirked, "So I see no reason to fight Mira's boyfriend when I can just sit back and admire the view."
"Boyfriend?" Boze raised an eyebrow, "That robot? No fucking way. You're out of your mind."
"Oh, come on, they hang out all the time."
"They're partners." Boze rolled his eyes, "They're basically forced to hang out."
"Oh, I never thought of that," Sue hummed mockingly. "But if that's true, maybe that's why I hang out with you, too. " She cracked a smile. " Because I'm forced to."
"You," Boze sputtered, shutting his mouth as he turned away. "OK, whatever. This is pointless."
"Pretty sure the point is I'm a genius, and you're a sore loser."
"What I'm saying is" Boze ignored Sue's cocky grin, directing his speech back at Gajeel, "I was wondering why Vera was still here because he shouldn't be. He nearly killed me, and everyone saw it. He's insane."
Boze scowled, "And even if the guild master didn't care, I'm sure Vera's still hiding something. Why else would he leave for months all of a sudden? And he doesn't even go on missions anymore. Shit's weird."
"That's cuz he doesn't have a partner, dipshit." Sue shook her head, staring at her drink.
"Although," she admitted, "that part I find kind of strange. Those two not being partners anymore."
"Ever think they just hate each other's guts," Gajeel said flatly, unimpressed with the conversation. He didn't need the dude's personal life. He just wanted to know why he was getting shit talked. Now that he knew it was just because of a sore loser, he didn't care anymore.
He just wanted to fight the dude. All this stuff wasn't relevant.
Apparently, they disagreed.
"I would've." Sue shrugged, "If they weren't still friends. Hang out all the time whenever they're in town."
"And that's an issue because?"
"Why would they stop working together if they weren't fighting," Sue asked, earning an uncaring look from Gajeel and an uncaring shrug from Boze.
"Oh, whatever, last time I fucking contributed." She clicked her tongue, before glancing at Gajeel and surprised to see a 'weirded out' look on his face.
What?" Sue asked, offended, "What's with that face."
"You guys know a lot about them, don't you?"
"Well, yeah," Sue mumbled, suddenly looking away shyly. "We live in Oak Town, and around here, everyone wants to join Phantom Lord. It's the best guild in Fiore. But they don't let people in for a while because the guild's master is prickly about age."
She gestured to Boze, "he had to wait till he turned sixteen last year to join, and I barely squeaked by a few months ago when I turned fourteen. Mostly because the guild master liked my magic. But Vera and Siegrain were the first kids, like ever, to get let in before fourteen. So it was cool, you know, for us to know that other kids were let in."
"It would've been cooler if they lived up to the hype." Boze grumbled bitterly, leaning on his palm as he yawned, "But Vera got destroyed by Laxus Dreyar last year, and Siegrain doesn't do anything besides lose to Aria, so not much to talk about, really."
"You act like losing to Aria's a bad thing."
"It is, if he's been doing it since he was twelve." Boze clicked his tongue, "Years before we were allowed to join. I feel like if I had the ace of Phantom Lord fighting me for that long, probably giving me tips and helping me out, I'd have figured something out by now."
"Sounds like excuses." Gajeel rolled his eyes, unfazed as the guy narrowed his eyes in return.
"You got something to say?" Boze said, ignoring Sue's eye roll as he jabbed his thumb at the entrance, "Or do you want to take to outside, asshole."
"Really? Can we?" Gajeel perked up, ignoring Boze and Sue's confused looks as he persisted, "No taking it back bullshit, right? You're down to fight."
"What? Yeah." Boze said, slightly less confident and way more confused than prior, "But after this is over. I don't want to piss the guild master off."
"Pansy."
"Hey, fuck you, dude." Boze said, "I don't see you itching to fight the guild master."
"That's different," Gajeel said flatly. "I know I can't beat him yet, so I need to practice fighting decent opponents to get better. You're decent."
"That's... uh," Boze blinked, confused by the compliment. "Well, thanks."
"So once I'm done beating you into the ground, I figure I'll have a better chance against the prick."
"Never mind, you fucking bastard. Hope you die." Boze clicked his tongue, "And good fucking luck. I don't know what chance you think you have, but there's no way you're beating the guild master. His magic's too strong."
"Those monster things?" Gajeel asked, curious about how much Boze actually knew about them.
Apparently, it was a lot, as Boze raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Monsters? They're ghosts, dude. His magic is shade magic, for crying out loud. He controls them."
"How do you know that?"
"Everyone knows that," Boze said, unimpressed.
Meanwhile, Sue teasingly said, "And Boze was a total fanboy when he was little," before laughing as Boze's face burned red.
"What?" He sputtered unconvincingly, "No, it's not. No, I wasn't. That's bullshit. She's bullshit."
"Pretty sure that's why he hates Vera."
"Sue, quit it! I wasn't a fanboy. She's delusional."
"Boze wanted so badly to be Jose's student, but Vera got chosen instead."
"Shut up!"
"Wait." Gajeel smirked, interrupting their argument as he smiled eagerly, "Vera is that prick's student."
"Was." Boze corrected. "Not anymore."
"The fuck? Why?"
"Cuz he's a psycho." Boze shrugged. "Bet the guild master finally cut him loose after realizing it."
"Or it was because he lost to Laxus last year. Very publically, remember." Sue shook her head, "That seems more up the guild master's alley, but either way, we don't actually know if Vera's no longer Jose's pupil. We just know they stopped training together a year ago and haven't picked it up since."
"Seems like he got booted to me," Boze grumbled, ignoring Sue's exasperation and Gajeel's disbelief as a chill fell over the air. Silencing all conversations, including their own.
"But hey," Bize whispered cheekily to Gajeel before the show could start, "if you feel like it. Feel free to ask the guide master. I'm sure that'll end well."
Gajeel growled as Boze jerked his head over to the second-floor overhang in the back of the room, a natural podium the guild master walked to without any hint of hesitation or fear.
There was only confidence in himself and his control over his guild.
"Hello, everyone." The guild master's voice echoed through the room, quieting the noise as he continued without breaking a sweat, "Now, I am certain you are all wondering why you're here, and as such, I've come to shed some light on the situation."
Gajeel huffed and slouched in his chair, uncaring for whatever speech the guild master was spewing. He simply listened in silence with all the others and waited for Jose's announcement to be over so he could start whatever test the bastard had planned.
Gajeel meant it before. He'd quit if it were too easy.
Little did Gajeel know the test's difficulty wouldn't be a problem.
"We all have places to be," Jose said dismissively as the entire guild tuned into his announcement. "That's why I'll make this brief. Yes, I called you here, and yes, it was because I wanted to tell you all something."
On August 13th, for the first time in recent decades, the entirety of Phantom Lord gathered to hear the guild master's announcement.
"The reason I've gathered everyone here is quite simple."
Waiting with bated breath, the jaded mages of Phantom Lord, a collection of over 400, watched the guild master curiously. Their wonder slowly melted to confusion and caution as the guild master smiled and spoke calmly, rationally, and patiently.
"It is because you all disgust me."
To all those in attendance, there had never been a quieter moment.