A/N: See ya in january :)
P.S. Sorry i'm a little evil ;)
Deep in the control room of Phantom Lord headquarters, working with mages of mechanical backgrounds, an old man with faded hair supervised the deployment of a highly sophisticated magic tool. One that only he and one other could have ever thought to develop, much less operate.
"You always have a way of surprising me, old friend." Torch Endeavor murmured, observing the various levers and pipes needed to operate such a high-level magic tool. He had spent days preparing for this, and since his friend's old pupil entrusted him with such a great task, he would follow it through.
"Get ready." Torch ordered as it struck time for him to play his part. A chorus of agreement followed his order as Phantom lord's mechanics followed his instructions to the letter. Flipping switches and operating gauges that would be impossible for someone without his knowledge to operate.
"I wonder what you wanted to use those for... old friend." Torch murmured as he skimmed his fingers over the blueprints left behind by one Mikhail II. The third guild master of Phantom Lord and a genius in almost everything he touched. It was a marvelous machine, truly a masterpiece.
"Start the machine."
Torch was honored to be the first to activate the spell hidden beneath its chambers.
5 Minutes Prior
It is said that when silence is purest, one will be able to hear their own heart beating.
If one asked what the mages of Phantom Lord thought of such a claim after the words 'you all disgust me' fell from their guild master's mouth, they would have agreed without question.
"What?" Some unfortunate soul whispered reflexively, his eyes wide as he slammed his hands over his mouth as Jose's haunting gaze fell upon him.
Jose's face twisted into a vicious smile as he spoke callously, "Need me to repeat it? Sure. Why not?"
Jose grinned as he released his magic pressure, letting it fall upon the shoulders of his guild members in harsh reminder.
Some kneeled, others fell, and few were able to sustain it, but no matter what, they understood. That Jose was being serious and utterly truthful in everything he said. No one dared to say a word. They probably believed that if they did, Jose would kill them.
"You all disgust me."
They weren't far off.
"Every. Single. One of you." Jose chuckled, his shoulders trembling as he laughed at the horror-stricken faces of his subordinates. It was truly invigorating to have his suspicions answered.
Out of 400 mages, he could count the number of defiant ones on one hand. That was it. He had collected an army, and less than ten had a spine.
Phantom Lord truly had gone soft.
He was here to rectify it.
"You're all pathetic." Jose cursed, collecting himself as he floated above the crowd. He was using a thought projection, so his actual body was with Aria, ready to enjoy the show, but he wanted to ensure none of his minions had any questions about his mood. His anger and irritation with his guild.
"Look at you." Jose scoffed, descending near the ground as a vacuum in the crowd instantly opened up. His mages cowering back as he scoffed and touched lightly to the ground, letting his magic reverberate with noxious fury.
"Cowering before me." Jose spat through clenched teeth, floating towards an unlucky morsel that couldn't back up in time. Holding out his hand with vile intentions, an inch from the sniveling woman's face, he growled, "What would you do if I decided to kill you? What would you do besides die?"
Jose let his magic power flow freely through his thought projection. He couldn't summon his ghosts here; they would have to travel, but his power was conveyed with partial clarity. Enough that he could let his eyes burn with violet energy and watched as the woman paled to the point of fainting, collapsing in the arms of her trembling partner. At which point, he scoffed.
"Nothing." Jose scowled, floating above the crowd, "You would do nothing. The guild I assembled, I paraded to be the best in Fiore, would sit still and cower as I reap their lives one by one. How pathetic."
Jose watched critically as his mages waited with unbridled fear and cautions. No, mages was too generous a word.
"I really am a Shepard calling myself king."
They were all sheep that believed themselves to be wolves.
"Well, no longer." Jose snapped his finger, and a giant magic projection appeared above his head. His mages looked up to them, seeing one that displayed a complete list of their names and magic. A subsection seemed to indicate written messages, but it was blank for now.
"I am gravely disappointed," Jose said as the guild turned from the strange projection toward him. His eyes burned with anger as he spoke. "You all have become pigs fattening yourself on the food my predecessors have left you. It is inexcusable."
Jose saw a flash of fear unanimously cross everyone's face.
"If it was the old days, I would have had you all executed and started over," Jose smirked, watching his mages take a cowering step back. Some idiotic fool tried opening the gates, but with a flick of his wrist, they shut, and the silly fool's arm was crushed without mercy. His bellowing screams pierced through the hall until he passed out.
"That is what I think of you now," Jose said, silencing any inkling of protest his subjects could have had with a sly smile. "However, I am generous, and as such, I have decided to give everyone here a chance to reclaim my favor. To crawl back into my good graces. We will try something new."
Jose snapped his fingers, watching with a grin as the name of his event flashed in bold letters above his guild, letting everyone know the reason he had brought them here.
"We will be having this year's S class trials."
To change this guild back to the way it used to be. Away from its current status, where its abundant mages had grown lazy on its laurels and celebrated victories they didn't earn. He would turn Phantom Lord back into a guild of change.
"And everyone will be participating."
A guild where only the strongest gathered.
There was a time when Vera believed he could predict what Jose would do next.
Those times were long gone.
What the hell is he doing? Vera thought as he saw the idiot that tried to escape get slipped out of the room by a mage with teleporting magic. The scar on his cheek looked oddly familiar before the man vanished and left blood stains and a crumpled arm behind. The gruesome sight was ignored as Vera turned to his old master, watching the man smile evilly.
What are you planning?
It was never a good thing when Jose looked to be enjoying himself.
How the hell is he gonna test everyone here?
S-class examinations are usually just individual evaluations.
That's how it had always been, apparently. The guild master or the ace would test an applicant, and if they passed a certain threshold, they'd be considered S class. Aria fought Sol and Totamaru separately for their S-class trials, and both passed eventually.
That's how they became S class.
Vera didn't understand how Jose planned to change things with over 400 people present, but as he melted into the crowd and watched the guild master perform his duties, he felt a sinking feeling.
That he wasn't going to like it.
"Now then." Jose said, catching everyone's attention as the giant floating words, 'S class examinations' faded from the air. Leaving a quiet and cowed crowd gathered, awaiting instruction and explanation—their moods ranged from worried to excited.
"I will only explain this once, so don't forget anything," Jose smirked, snapping his fingers as a number appeared in the top right corner of the projection, containing a list of names.
"There are 426 members of Phantom Lord currently in attendance for this meeting," Jose said, chuckling cruelly as the number ticked down to 425. At that exact time, a name from the list of over 400 appeared in the subsections supposedly reserved for messages and was crossed out in red—a few hushed whispers revealed it to be the man who had tried to escape just moments earlier.
"Anyone that loses a fight or is indisposed will be eliminated and lose the right to be considered for S class at the end of the evaluation period."
Jose tauntingly floated above the crowd, lazily drifting through the air, "As for the evaluation period, it will be three days, and by the end, I will choose from three candidates who I believe have the potential to be S class. Their names will be revealed when the trails formally start."
Jose grinned confidently as a few in the guild began murmuring nervously. His voice echoing with a deep sense of cockiness and arrogance. "Should any of you defeat a named candidate, you will take their place for evaluation at the end of these three days and, upon my judgment, may earn the right to be S class. That is how all of you shall participate."
Jose smirked as the guild began fidgeting excitedly. Their nerves slowly melted with opportunity before Jose poured cold water on their parade.
"However," He scoffed, "I don't believe a single candidate I've chosen will lose. So, I've compiled basic information about their capabilities as a crutch. Try not to waste it."
Jose chuckled deviously as the guild's excitement plummeted into irritation and frustration. Their wounded egos were none of his concern as he got ready to proceed with his agenda, only for a single hand to rise above the crowd of silent cowards.
"Excuse me," a girl with blue hair, Juvia, said, much to the horror of most sitting by her. "It seems like the candidates will be at a disadvantage in this, yes? Is there a reason, guild master?"
"A reason?" Jose snorted, ignoring the confused looks some sheep sent his way. They were probably wondering why he didn't annihilate the girl immediately.
"Does it matter?" Jose asked curiously.
"Juvia simply wants to know that her abilities won't be publicized for no reason." The girl said kindly, softly waving her words through the crowd—the apparent confidence or obliviousness it took to make such a comment offended some and amused others.
Jose fell into the latter category.
"Good question." Jose praised, floating before the girl as her comrades backed away. The exception was the white-haired runts, albeit the boy looked like he was a second from bolting.
"If you must know," Jose said, watching as the girl met his gaze uncertainly. Scared, or maybe nervous, was the better word, but nothing debilitating. She seemed to have something else on her mind, and while he wasn't pleased that she was distracted, he preferred it over cowardice.
"These S class exams are meant to simulate reality." Jose offered as an explanation, ignoring the girl's confused expression as he floated above the hall and ensured his words were heard by everyone. "S class are kept to the highest degree of scrutiny by the public, mine more so than any other. You would be lucky to keep your abilities secret for a day once you turn S class. That's just how it is."
Jose's lips twitched upwards as he watched the girl nod slowly in understanding. Then, turning back to the rest of his slowly accepting guild, he added, "As for the candidates being at a greater advantage, well, the reason for that is obvious. This is an examination, after all."
Jose yawned as he laid it out in a way that even idiots could understand.
"S Class isn't a right. It's a privilege. I'd be damned if I didn't make you earn it." Jose said, dismissively ignoring the wounded looks of the weaklings hiding amongst his subject, and proceeded to dive into the crux of the matter.
The reason he finally stopped dragging his feet and took a stance against his guild's past hubris.
The lessons he learned in Clover.
He would now deliver it to his guild.
"Phantom Lord is a guild that needs to change, " he said, his words washing over the silent atmosphere like a cloud. "My master taught me that, but in my time as guild master, I've forgotten that. I grew complacent and let my mages do the same."
Jose grinned ruthlessly as his magic brought a sudden chilling effect in the air.
His mages shivered slightly as he spoke with the most direct intentions and serious threats. "S class only needs the best, and it will only accept the best, so if you want to become a part of it, prove you belong."
Jose grinned hungrily as he grasped control of his mage's mind and turned towards Phantom Lord's purpose. It's the truest sense of self—the ideals they had forgotten in hubris and laziness, when they stopped pursuit by mistaking their current selves for perfection.
Jose spoke to every single soul watching, and told them all the same thing.
"Prove you can change. Prove you can grow. Prove you deserve to be in S class. Prove you deserve it more than the candidates I have already chosen. Prove that I was wrong in my judgment, and prove you can take the position you rightfully deserve."
Jose let the words flow from his lips with the same message his master uttered long ago. The stirring sense of greed and gluttony that only those in his guild could understand. Phantom Lord was a guild that changed you for better or worse.
"Prove yourself."
Nothing mattered as long as you never stayed stagnant.
"Only those capable of that much will be permitted to join S class." Jose finished, approving of the fire lit in the asses of his minions. His smirk told his idle thoughts as he finished his little rant with a graceful departure.
"This year's S class trials start now."
Jose smirked as he saw his soldiers watching in awe and confusion. He let his thought projection fade, leaving with a cackle and a haunting declaration.
"The battleground is Oak Town."
The second he was gone, an earthquake shook headquarters to its very foundations.
An earthquake erupted after the guild master vanished, unlike any Paise had ever experienced. It felt like the world was angry, shaking beneath his feet and shaking the loose tables and chairs without remorse. Many mages fell in surprise and shock, forced to deal with the aftermath of such a violent and sudden quake, while others were busy trying to minimize the possible damage.
Only two people were calm and composed enough to ignore the quake, knowing it wasn't the primary concern.
Instead, they looked at the projections above, ignoring the list of every guild member in Phantom Lord and instead focusing on the new projection that appeared beside it.
There were three hidden slots, almost like possible cards in a game, each marked Candidate 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The identities of the ones in said slots were shadowed out, and a question mark was left over the blurred faces of the candidate to hide their identities.
Pause was the first to understand the significance of the new projection and what it would mean for the trials.
Vera was the second.
"Siegrain!" Pause heard Vera shout amidst the rumbling and panicked voices. Pause turned, watching silently as Siegrain nodded. The two vanished, followed by a startled Mira a few moments later. The two had undoubtedly kidnapped the third to leave before things turned ugly.
Or uglier, at least.
"What's going on!?" Doronbo yelled, holding onto the chandelier he held for dear life as the ground shook in the most violent of earthquakes. His eyes were wide as green glowing lines shot out across the ground, walls, and ceiling, coming from somewhere deep inside the headquarters's walls.
The mages watched the glowing lines, almost vein-like in appearance, shoot past them with wide eyes. Sliding crawled across the grand doors and out the giant windows, spreading like a magic virus.
Unaware of where they were going, some mages tried to follow, but a roar of powerful magic filled the room before they could—pulsing off the lines tattooed across every conceivable surface. Showering the guild in green light before the walls, floors, and even the dome ceiling began to change. Transforming into different materials of different sizes.
"Watch out!" Someone screamed as stone pillars began descending from the high roof, falling in hastily abandoned places as the mages began scampering to survive the building that was transformed with them still inside. A few were injured, and Pause had to catch Doronbo as the chandelier he was holding changed into a less extravagant one, and he slipped.
For the next minute, it was utter chaos. Strange magic, with rumblings that seemed to shake the foundations of the ground they were standing on, stirred panic as people tried to avoid being crushed by new objects and were surprised by fading ones.
There were a lot of injuries by the end of it, one unlucky soul even ending unconscious, but these were all mages of the strongest guild. They survived without any fatalities, and once the rumbling had finally stopped and the green veins across the grounds and walls faded, there were over 400 mages cramped in a room that looked nothing like the one they had entered.
Yet the lack of space was not what kept most people's attention.
It was the fact that room, while not the main gathering hall of headquarters, did look awfully familiar.
"Isn't this the guild hall?" Someone asked, having fallen on the table he frequented whenever he went to drink at Phantom Lord's main guild hall. His sentiments of estranged familiarity echoed as those accustomed to the stone walls and lacquer tables of Phantom Lord's main guild hall, began pointing out the same things.
They were no longer inside the Headquarters meeting hall.
Instead, they were inside Phantom Lord's main guild hall.
No one could understand how it happened.
"What the fuck is going on?" Someone said as Pause helped Doronbo out of the mess of plates and food he landed in. Their wonder cut short as someone finally had enough of the crowded space, the main guild hall not having enough room to sustain 400 people, unlike headquarters, opened the gates.
"What the hell." They murmured, looking out the open gates and seeing a grassy hill with abandoned castle battlements and houses built in blinding abundance. Every guild member looked towards the entrance and took in the unbelievable view beyond it.
"How?" Someone murmured as they looked in the distance and saw a forest luscious forest surrounding the once-rocky hill. There was a river and a tower in the distance. There was even a train station near the edge of town, with a functional train.
It was a perfect replica of the town they could barely see a hint of on the horizon, backed by mountains, luscious trees, and rivers. The once rocky landscape that had surrounded headquarters had been transformed.
"How is this possible?"
Into a perfect replica of Oak Town.
"What are you waiting for?" A voice echoed through the quiet air. Everyone turned back, looking at the guild master floating high above the crowd. His smile was dastardly amused as he snapped, and the hidden profiles hovering above were revealed.
Candidate 1
Siegrain
Magic: Thread Magic, lightning Magic, fire magic, etc.
They listed the names and magic of all those selected to be the S-class candidates for this year. The wolves to be hunted by sheep. All were projected in full display.
"The trials have already begun."
Jose vanished, leaving the crowd in disbelief as they looked up and read the candidates. Their eyes widened with disbelief as they read each name and magic, and a sudden, quiet uproar began brewing among them.
"Oh shit," someone laughed next to Pause, "I actually have a chance to be S class."
Pause kept his gaze low as he heard a shift in the room. The front doors opened, and a crowd began rushing out, chasing the targets they thought would be the easiest. The guy with a bunch of piercings and Boze immediately grinned, before pursuing the rest of the crowd. It looked like Sue was still considering, and the blue-haired girl hadn't moved either.
Mira's siblings were staring at the projection with angry expressions, but Pause felt it was reserved for the guildmaster over anything else.
Everyone else had taken a quick Look at the projection and chosen their targets.
No, targets were generous, Pause knew they chose one and it wasn't even a contest.
"Pause?" Doronbo asked, shifting around nervously as he looked from the quickly emptying room to the projection hanging atop the guild hall. His ringed eyes fluttered through the names, "What will we do? Do we have to go for one?"
"Probably." Pause said glumly, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he mumbled, "The guild master didn't exactly make it seem like an option."
"What'll happen if we don't?"
"We'll be kicked out if we're lucky," Pause mumbled, walking towards the back of the guild hall.
"Wait, Pause." Doronbo said hurriedly, "Where are we going?"
"The library." Pause murmured, "If this is a replica they'll have one."
"Why?"
"So I can think."
"B- but, wait for me!" Doronbo shivered, following along with a tremble, "What do we do, Pause? I don't want to fight any of them, Pause! It sounds scary!"
"Does angering the guild master sound better?"
"Eep! No!" Doronbo shrunk, hiding in his pajamas as he peeked through the hood, "What do we do?"
"I don't know." Pause shook his head, dragging his feet as he walked towards the library, "We'll figure it out later. We have three days."
"Yes!"
"We'll still probably have to fight one of them, though."
"No!" Doronbo cried in downtrodden silence as they passed the few mages still considering. Doronbo cried in fear as he thought of the inevitable fights ahead, while Pause considered which fights they had a decent chance of winning.
Actually, he was pretty sure that they were all fights they couldn't win, but he'd rather pick the one that was less one-sided if at all possible.
"Quit overreacting, Doronbo." Pause sighed, "We can just pick the fight that hurts us the least and get it over with it. As long as we try our best and put up a good fight, I'm sure the guild master won't kill us. It's not like he expects anything of us."
"Yeah, but it still kind of sucks," Doronbo mumbled as they moved to the back halls of the replica guild hall, their footsteps echoing in the silent path no one else in the gulf had decided to take. Doronbo liked back at the emptying guild and sighed.
"It really sucks... don't you think Pause?"
Pause usually would've assumed Doronbo meant it sucked that they had to fight three of the scariest people in their age bracket, and Pause was certain he still meant some of it, but in this case, it was also sympathy at play.
Doronbo felt bad for them, having been chosen for slaughter before the entire guild.
Pause felt similarly.
"Yeah, somewhat," Pause mumbled, "but you know how the guild master is. Just be glad it wasn't us. Those three can handle it."
On August 13th, the S class trial began, with more than 400 Phantom Lord guild members in attendance. Lasting three days, one would think the variety of targets selected was somewhat well distributed, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest.
Candidate 2
Mirajane Strauss
Magic: Takeover Magic
On day 1 of the S class trials, 90% of guild members chose a single target.
Candidate 3
Vera
Magic: None
On August 13th, Vera became public enemy number one.