Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.

-The Enchanter of Fairy Tail-

Chapter 69: The Author's Reveal

Year: X759. 25 years till Canon begins.

Cade POV:

"Christopher? What the hell?" I exclaimed with surprise as I got a better look at the man. He had hardly changed since I last saw him, though I noticed that he had a book under his right arm that he was holding tightly to his waist.

"W-What are you doing here?" I said with caution. This was... rather sudden for my liking.

Christopher adjusted his glasses, pushing them up his nose a little. "I was paying a visit here to see if they had any old books for me to read up on. This house is abandoned so I believed it would be fine if I entered."

"So, that brings me to my next question. What are you doing here Cadewell?" Christopher asked as he raised his head a little. He looked curious, as if my appearance here was a surprise to him

I was a bit hesitant to answer him at the moment.

Christopher… from what I just learned he was the rightful owner of this mansion, as well as the brother of Trillo. The photo on the family tree I had certainly proved that.

Did he… cover up his family background up to make sure that he would be a successful author? The message on the note I just saw certainly hinted that would happen.

Christopher was giving me a calm yet hard gaze. I had to say something but what? Perhaps I can skirt around the truth so to speak.

"I was… here on a job." I answered, not lying to him.

"A job you say? How did it involve you coming into this decrepit old building?" Christopher questioned with a small but curious look.

'Does Christopher know that I've figured out that he's the owner of this place? Should I tell him that I know? Hell, do I have the right to leave with the album and the letter now?'

I was thinking of all these questions quite fast, but I had to keep answering Christopher to not be seen as suspicious.

"I was chasing a mercenary around here. Jones he was called. I injured him and I thought that he would run in here, so I asked the mayor for approval to come in here and search for him."

I had lied. And I wasn't to sure how to feel about that right now. Sure I had lied before in the past, but this felt different. This wasn't the case of me lying for fun or to keep a secret for a friend. I felt like I was keeping some rather big truths from reaching Christopher's ears. There was a deep and dangerous look in Christopher's eyes. But it was matched by an eerie calmness.

"J-Jones you say?" Christopher's face twitched a little as he heard me say that. "W-Well he sounds like a dangerous man. Good for you choosing to chase him down." Christopher said as he raised his head and gave me a small smile.

"Thanks." I said with a smile and a gulp afterwards.

"Well it was nice to see you again Christopher. I have to be going now. I have to catch that mercenary after all." I said with a nod as I moved pass Christopher to leave the room.

"Wait."

I stopped as I turned around to face Christopher again. He had a rather cold look.

"What are you holding in your right hand there? I can see that you are holding a book of mine in your left hand, but what do you have in your right hand?" Christopher requested with a stern tone, his eyes were locked onto the album I held.

I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous here. But why? Why was I so nervous all of a sudden? I was never this nervous around Christopher before. Is it because I've learned that he is the brother of a murderer? Or did I suspect him to hide more from me?

I casually raised my right hand and showed Christopher the photo album. "I just found this and had a look through it. Nothing that interesting."

Christopher immediately moved towards me at a rapid speed, and took the album from my hand. He began to skim through it at a quick pace looking at each of the photos in detail, his eyes skimmed the pages as he looked at the different pages.

His eyes and fingers halted when he got to the page that had the photo and the letter behind it. Currently it was just a blank page with them removed.

"Where's the photo in this page?" He questioned as he shifted his gaze to look up at me.

I gave a small shrug. "No idea. Was gone when I looked through it."

Christopher gave a hum under his breath before he went back to skimming through the album. When he had finished, he closed the book and examined the front cover.

"How peculiar. I have been in this old mansion a few times for inspiration and I have never found such an album before. Where did you find it?" He frowned his eyebrows at me.

"I found it under a bed. This one actually. It was just sticking out from underneath and I couldn't help but examine it." I answered.

Another lie. A feeling of relief somehow came over me, as if I was dodging bullets here by lying to Christopher. There was something off about Christopher, like he was ready to snap at any moment.

Christopher gave me a long and hard gaze, as if he was trying to find out I was lying to him. After a minute of trying to see through me, he relaxed a little, smiling as he looked at the album again. "I don't think these photos have much use in here anymore wouldn't you agree Cadewell? I'm sure everyone who lived here is now dead."

I gave an awkward chuckle as Christopher sat the album down on a table near him.

"Well it was nice seeing you again." I smiled as I turned around and made way to exit the room.

"Stop right there."

Christopher's tone in his words there were not that of a request. He had a demanding tone in his voice as he said that. I froze as I heard his words.

Still turned away from Christopher, I moved my hands a little and shrugged my shoulders. "What?"

"What have you got in your pocket?" Christopher demanded with a low and seething tone.

'Oh… How could I forget…' I thought with sudden realization.

"I can see what looks like a small sheet of paper in your pocket. You don't mind showing it to me, do you?" Christopher questioned with warning tone.

I froze. What the hell do I do now?! It was bad enough that I was going to walk out here with the piece of paper if Christopher hadn't stopped me there. Now Christopher was onto the fact that I was hiding it from him.

I had no choice. I had to be truthful here. It'd be bad if I kept trying to hide the truth.

Slowly I took the piece of paper out of my back pocket and turned round to show it to Christopher. Currently I was showing him the side with the writing from Trillo on it.

Christopher's face shifted into one of seriousness. "That writing-!" He started, as he cur himself off. He then shifted his face back into his usual relaxed expression. "Ah, I'm sorry Cadewell but I can't let you leave with that." Christopher raised his head giving a cold look to me.

"…"

"Well hand it over." He ordered as he held out his hand.

"You know, I wouldn't tell anyone about it. You have a right to change your name after all." I said as I remained firm.

"But it's not you is it?" Christopher's face twitched a little. "I know that handwriting, and I know who really wants that piece of paper there."

"…That'd be your brother right?"

Christopher did not rebut the claim, but his face had a dangerous expression on it.

"You were a part of this family growing up and your name was Christopher Woods. Your brother was Trillo Woods. Ten years ago, Trillo killed a journalist and would be imprisoned. This tarnished your family's name, extinguishing any chance they would have at a second chance – but you had plans to deal with that." I began as I recollected the details.

"You changed your name and ordered that the house here be locked up – I'm guessing so that no one could find out your true background. You were able to begin your career as a writer and leave the past behind you. Interestingly enough the bibliography about you in your books barely mentions your past." I finished.

"…"

"Well?" I questioned.

Christopher gave a chuckle and moved his glasses up his nose. The light shining in the room hide his eyes from me as he smiled. "Yes, that's about it. Not bad Cadewell."

"So you don't deny anything?" I questioned with a bit of surprise.

"There was no point. You had already seen the evidence. I was hoping that you hadn't and I could convince you to leave before you saw too much." Christopher gave a light shrug after saying that.

"For ten years I've built a career like no other. I'm one of the most popular and well desired men in all of Fiore. As the soon-to-be number one writer in Fiore, who to say that I don't make it into all of Ishgar?" Christopher stated with some pride

"Letting go of my past was not a difficult thing to do. I mean that in a physical and emotional sense. My family were nothing but selfish and condescending, only caring about themselves. Father always said to me and my brother that we would never be successful if we couldn't make sacrifices along the way. I suppose he was right in a way. Had I not let go of my background I would have never made it as far as I have now." Christopher remarked with a smirk.

"You know, they've all came to me at least once. All of them begging for money and acceptance. Hmph, they saw the gold under the rainbow, yet missed the leprechaun guarding it. I've refused every single one of them for how they've treated me in the past. I was always seen as the quiet and honest one in our family and was treated like garbage." He hissed with rage at his family, hate crossing his face as his eyes became visible to me again.

As Christopher finished his story, he gave a quick sigh, before addressing himself to me again. "So now you know why I have to keep my identity a secret. I'd be ruined! And it would be the absolute worst if my brother was able to hear that from whatever cell he was in."

"Please Cadewell. Just hand over the piece of paper and this can all be over." Christopher requested as he held out his hand again.

I was about to hand over the sheet of paper, but something stopped me. I took another quick glance at the paper and then a curious thought arose in my head.

"Something I've been wondering for a while now… If your brother wanted you exposed this whole time, why is he only now doing something about it? He's had ten whole years." I spoke with interest mixed with curiosity.

Christopher looked a bit confused. "I haven't the slightest clue to that. But what does it matter!? He-"

"There was something written on the other side of the paper. It said, 'Just in case the smart-ass gets any ideas about trying to use me and the company in some way. This'll bomb his reputation all right.'. I find it interesting."

Christopher narrowed his eyebrows, his face growing impatient with me. "So? What is the point of the pointless writing.

"Now obviously the smart-ass here is meant to be you. So tell me this Christopher; why did your brother write this little comment here? And would he be acting on it now?"

The more I was thinking about this and some things that I had heard from Trillo yesterday, the more it added up.

A rather interesting and honestly shocking conclusion was reaching itself in my head. It was one that I had never could have guessed unless Christopher had came here and stopped me from leaving. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense...

Christopher gave me a vicious glare, a dangerous and nasty one at that. "I suggest you halt this line of thinking Cadewell. It would be best for you."

"No can do I'm afraid. I'm pretty close to figuring this out you see." I said recalling all the details.

"When I went to see Trillo in jail he said that his company had been doing badly. One reason for that was because that he had been sending money from it to an anonymous person. That wouldn't be you would it?" I questioned with slight suspicion.

Christopher winced a little as he turned his head to the side a little and flicked back some of his hair. When he turned back to look at me, his face twitched a little. His cringe there answered the question for me.

"So… that answers that then. I'm guessing that your brother hated the fact that you were doing that to him and wanted some way to get back at you. So he remembered that there was a piece of paper that could reveal your true family."

Christopher had an unusual calm presence on him. He gave a small smirk and shook his head. "Well I don't think I have confessed anything in regard to that."

"…!"

"Who are we to believe here hm? A vicious and violent murderer that was illegally harboring jewels from his company, or a well-respected author? One who has one of the highest net worth's in Fiore no less."

"But you-"

"How do you think I have been asking for the money? Do you think I have been kindly requesting it, or have I been committing blackmail? If you can't even back that up, then your claim is worthless." Christopher remarked with a sneer.

"Now, I think we are finished here. Hand over the slip of paper and I will let you leave here Cadewell." Christopher sternly ordered as he held out his hand.

No. I couldn't hand it over now. Too many things made sense!

Now that I think about it… blackmail might be the only way to force someone to hand over money to then.

Could Christopher have been blackmailing Trillo into forcing him to hand over money? It all seemed to add up, yet I didn't know what the source of blackmail is for this case.

Blackmail is quite the serious crime, especially if it involved laundering money. All that had to be done to confirm it, is interview Trillo back at the H.M.C to find out.

Also, Christopher was acting VERY aggressively with wanting that slip of paper. Perhaps he was more worried about being charged for the blackmail rather than the identity of his family begin revealed. If he was innocent, then he'd have nothing to hide.

"I can't." I rebutted back. "Too many things make sense for me to just let this go. I'm taking this sheet of paper back with me to the H.M.C."

Christopher let out a scoff at my decision. "Well then you've left me no choice I'm afraid." He stated with a look of anger, putting that book he had under his arm on the desk next to him, and he began to move towards me.

I quickly fired the piece of paper and the book I was holding into my Requip storage and powered up my magic. "Watch it Christopher." I warned him. "Remember that I have magic and you don't."

Christopher gave me an amused look with a playful smile. "What makes you think that?"

I gave a scoff. "Any wizard can sense magic, no matter now low they reduce it. I know you don't have magic."

"...Oh that's right. You don't know do you?" He realised with a chuckle. "Then again, most don't. I try to keep it a secret."

Before I could question what he was talking about, Christopher rolled up his right sleeve and I saw that there was a small bangle of sorts around his lower arm.

"What… is that?" I questioned with caution and utter confusion.

"You've heard of magic sealing stones correct? Well to better cover my tracks, I have this little bangle of mine made out of them." Christopher smirked as he undone the bangle with it falling to the floor with a clatter. "Wearing it completely blanks my magic power."

Right as that happened, an intense and strong magical aura was being unleashed from Christopher.

'What the-!? He was hiding the fact that he had magic the whole time!?' I thought with astonishment.

Christopher rolled down his sleeve and straightened his outfit a little. "Now then. Where were we?" He said with a smirk.

In an instant he lunged forwards and punched me square in the face which sent me flying out of the room and crashing into the floor of the main hall.

I gave a few coughs of pain as I tried to get up. I had flown several feet there, and had crashed without my armor on. So it goes without saying that attack there hurt.

I was able to stand up again and looked for Christopher. I didn't see him above me on the second floor, so he must still be in the room – for what reason I have no idea.

As I was getting my breath back I saw peculiar sight. The large doors to the mansion had opened, and someone was running towards me.

What the…? Who was that?!

I was surprised to see that it was the mayor of the town that I had spoken to earlier! But why was he here?!

I tried to wave him off and tell him to get out of here, but he ran to my side anyway.

"You're ok!" He shouted with concern. "I was worried about you and came up here to try and warn you when Christopher said that he would deal with you."

"Ah… so that's how he figured out that I was up here. He came to your office then?" I grunted as the facts came together.

"Gah, never mind that! Get out of here! Christopher just attacked me! You'll be caught in the crossfire if you stay here!" I ordered, trying to wave the man away from here.

"Just listen to me first! Christopher came to my office and threatened to buy out the entire village and burn it to the ground! But I was able to record it when he wasn't looking!"

I gasped with shock. "You mean…?"

"That's right! He must have attacked you as you had something that could destroy his reputation. That's why if you beat him here he'll probably be arrested. I'd be able to use that recording and your fight with him as evidence to get him locked up!" The mayor proclaimed with eagerness.

"He's a powerful man Christopher. I've always been afraid of what he could do to this village. But if he's arrested then I'd be free of his threats! Not to mention I can finally tear this place down and sell everything off to help the village grow!" The mayor finished.

"Do you know what magic he uses?" I asked quickly, as I feel we didn't have long.

"I don't know… but Christopher had always tried to keep it a secret by using that ridiculous bangle to conceal it. Just be careful!" The mayor insisted.

"I will. Now go!" I said with worry. The mayor nodded once more before turning away.

"R-Right! Good luck! I'll be hiding in my office! Come down if you win!" The mayor then ran off and exited the mansion, shutting the doors behind him.

Relieved that he was safe, I turned my attention back to the second floor where I saw Christopher standing with a look of irritation. I Requiped into my armor to stay better protected.

"I thought I heard someone there. It sounded like… the mayor of this village. He's always been trying to find some way to challenge me. I should have gotten rid of him years ago." Christopher remarked with a scoff

"As long as there's blood still running through my veins, you won't be harming him or this village." I stated as I glared upwards, raising my magic higher to try and match Christopher.

"You're out of your league here." Christopher began as he outstretched his hands. "You've never faced a wizard like me before."

"We'll see about that!" I yelled as I looked up at him. "I'll defeat you and you'll be sharing a cell with your brother."

Christopher smirked. "You're welcome to try. This is the end of the line for you, Cadewell Philipe!"

"Take this, Five-Layered Stoneflake!" I shouted as I sent the shards of stone upwards towards Christopher. He watched as the shards approached him, as he prepared to counter them. But all he did was... pull out a piece of paper and crunch it up?

Christopher gave a scoff as he fired off several blasts of fire from his fists. "Fire Blast!" He cried as he destroyed my stone before it could reach him.

'That was Fire Magic!' I realised. 'All right! I've had experience with plenty of wizards that use Fire Magic.' I prepared to counter Christopher, having some idea of what I should be doing now that he uses Fire Magic.

Christopher then pulled out a piece of paper from thin air – presumably his Requip storage and clenched it with his fist. The piece of paper then disintegrated into dust. Why was he doing this?

"Go! Ice Cannon!" Christopher suddenly yelled as he widened his eyes with ange, firing huge clumps of ice towards me in the shape of cannonballs. Now this shocked me.

'What!? He has Ice Magic as well?' I thought with surprise at his attack. I quickly dodged by leaping to the side and firing off a counter spell. 'Let's see if he can dodge this!'

"Now! Stone Beams!" I cried as I fired off several beams of stone upwards towards Christopher. The author saw them coming as he scrunched up his face in annoyance.

"How irksome of you to keep fighting when you are clearly outmatched!" Like he did before, Christopher pulled out another piece of paper, clenched it with it turning to dust. Immediately after that happened, Christopher moved at an incredible speed! I barely caught him going down the stairs and was just able to block his fist meeting my face.

I was sent backwards a fair distance and crashed into the nearest wall. 'He was so fast! Speed Magic?' I thought with sheer confusion. But I didn't let that punch of his slow me down, as I leapt back up and let out another attack. 'How will he handle this?!'

"Scared Slashing!" I sent the powerful slashes of magic outwards to Christopher. He responded by quickly dodging out of the way of all the slashes, even running in between them at times. Using his quick speed he leapt towards me. But I had a plan incase he planned another close range attack.

"You fell for it! Stone Buster!" I cried as I casted off my powerful melee attack. Christopher looked a bit shocked to see this, but he smirked and quickly pulled out another sheet of paper and crushed it. "Why do you keep-"

"Gravity Shift!" Christopher cried as he immediately sent a strange force towards me that caused my fist to be pulled upwards, I was staggered somewhat from this sudden attack.

'W-What!? Did he just-?'

I was then blasted to the side by another magic of Christopher's. "Sand Explosion!" Cried Christopher with glee as I was fired backwards across the room, I struggled to regain my footing as I was scattered backwards.

As I was being flung backwards, I fired off another spell to try and damage Christopher. "Delirium's Blades!"

As the blades were sent towards Christopher, he counted by raising up a sandstone wall to block my swords.

...But right as the wall was summoned and formed, it immediately turned to dust leaving Christopher aghast.

"No! I was just out of time there!" He grunted as he was forced to take my swords head on. He blocked them with his fists and gave a yell in pain as they struck him. My blades damaged Christopher a little, but it hardly enough to knock him down for good.

Taking this opportunity, I quickly regained my footing, leapt forwards and landed a punch square on Christopher's chest. "Stone Punch!" I yelled.

Christopher was the one sent flying backwards this time, and he crashed into the opposite wall. Most of the dust in the room was scattered across the air as I waved my hand to clear most of it.

'Finally, took long enough, but I landed a hit on him. What's with him anyway? How many magics does he have?' I thought with puzzlement as much of the dust had cleared up, allowing me to see Christopher again. 'Actually, how many MORE Magics does he have?'

As I was trying to think about this, I saw Christopher stand back up and pull another sheet of paper from his Requip Storage. He gave a scoff as he clenched that piece of paper, with it turning to dust afterwards.

"You put that sheet of paper that I was wanting into your Requip storage. All I have to do to retrieve it is kill you. Once you kill a wizard that has a Requip storage, then all their items are expelled from it." Christopher remarked giving me a cold look.

"You monster… How are you using so many different magics?! There's no way you've really learned them all and have that good of an understanding of them!" I demanded.

"Why don't you figure it out? I think an up-close demonstration would help you, wouldn't you agree?"

"Wind Pull!" Christopher shouted as a gust of wind suddenly hit my backside where I was unable to see it coming. The harsh wind ended up pushed me towards Christopher.

I was just able to see Christopher clench another scrap of paper and pull back his fist. "Beast Arm: Iron Bull!" He cried as his fist turned into that of a bull's arm, before he then punched me in the chest with it. That punch seemed to have also clocked my brain to figure out what his magic was...

'I see… So that's how his magic works… How'd it take me so long to figure it out…' I thought with regret as I skidded across the floor, I leaned forwards and used a fist to stop myself from skidding, causing the wooden floorboards to break apart.

"I've figured it out… I know how your magic works Christopher!" I shouted as I stood back up and faced the man.

Christopher gave me a coy look as he raised one of his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah… The truth is you don't know Fire, Ice, Speed, Gravity, Sand, Wind and Beast Take-over Magic. I think your actual magic revolves around you destroying sheets of paper that have spells on them. Then you get to use that spell." I said with a grunt, figuring that to be the truth

Christopher looked a bit impressed to hear me say that. "Well, I'm not too surprised that you figured it out. I certainly demonstrated enough of my collection of magics on you." He remarked with a cold laugh.

"But you are right." Christopher continued. "It is as you said, my actual magic allows me to intake the knowledge and power labelled on paper and use it as I wish; a magic truly befitting a writer and collector such as myself."

Christopher then gave a wicked smile. "But it's not any old magic. It's a forgotten lost magic called Knowledge Intake! I wasn't lying to you when I said that you were out of your league here Cadewell!"

I got into a fighting stance as I prepared myself. This would not be easy. This was my first time facing a wizard with a lost magic. What was I too expect here? How many different spells did Christopher have?

If I made a mistake facing a magic like this, it would be a life ending one.

There's that chapter done. Feel free to leave a review if you liked it!

University is hard (big shock I know), but I'm getting there.

Finally, we made it to good old chapter 69. Not a long chapter by any means, but it was meant to set up for the next chapter which will have the big fight.

I decided to be a bit creative with Christopher's magic, giving him a lost magic that I think felt his previous mentioned need to collect a handful of magics for his book. Yes, some might think that Letter Magic would have been a bit better, but I like the idea I came up with here.

It's certainly fun to look through ALL the different magics that exist in this universe when writing this fight. Of course there are some weaknesses to this magic – like almost all lost magics. A big one as a matter of fact, can you guess what it is?

Next time, Cade will be fighting to stop Christopher and make sure that he gets locked away. Also it would mean that the village will be saved from the terrible economic crisis that it faces.

We shall see how Cade fares then. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you next week!