(A few days ago)
Tia was in a questioning room in the Magic Council, being questioned by Kermuri Lahar, Odin, and Doranbolt, while Correll Siegrain, and Layanna watched. Lahar let out a small sigh from Tia's lack of cooperativeness. "You still won't answer our questions…? This doesn't bode well for you, you know."
"I don't need to answer your questions, Captain Lahar," Tia said in an indifferent tone. Her lack of answers were making things go nowhere.
"She's being rather difficult…" Layanna said in a slightly annoyed tone. "At least the others humored our interests."
"I'm not going to ask you again…" Lahar said in a slightly serious tone now, his patience running thin. "What is Dealer after."
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me, so why bother? I know how this Magic Council works," Tia said while brushing her hair behind her ear. "I looked at some of the prisoners in here, and the conditions they're in. It doesn't matter what I tell you, the result will be the same, won't it?"
"Suddenly she got talkative…" Doranbolt said over to Odin.
"Yes, but that's not what we're looking for," Odin then looked up to Siegrain, who just gave a nod. "Alright, Queen Tia. My patience has run out for you and your lack of cooperativeness." A white magic seal appeared on Tia's throat, spinning around in a clockwise motion beginning to suck out the oxygen form Tia's lungs. "Now if you have something to say, I suggest you do so before you keel over. Now, tell us about this "order" you wish to create."
Tia merely looked down at the magic seal on her neck. She could certainly feel her breaths getting shorter and quicker, but she played it off as though it didn't bother her, and it didn't for the most part. "That is something I cannot tell you about. You'll try to stop Jack and I. I can't allow that to happen."
"Stubborn mule…" Odin said with an annoyed tone, though he smirked because he was certain Tia would break eventually from the lack of oxygen.
Tia remained strong despite her lack of oxygen. Her face eventually began to turn blue after a few minutes, but she refused to give it. "…."
"It's clear she's not talking." Doranbolt said to Odin. "At this point, we're just wasting our time."
"You're right," Odin said, immediately dispersing his magic seal. Tia began to cough and gasp desperately for air. "I'm not feeling the interrogation just yet. I haven't done one in a while…let's wait a few days."
"Hopefully it won't have to come to that." Kemuri said calmly. "She's a pretty face, there's no reason go too far. If you comply, we'll make sure you have a nice stay here."
"..." Tia did not respond to Kemuri at all. In response, he gave an indifferent shrug.
(Present Day, just hours after the last chapter)
Tia sat in her cell, head down. She was questioned every day, and she refused to talk each time. There were bruises and cuts all over her face and body from the questioning, but she harbored no hatred towards the members of the Council. She lifted her head up, her indifferent expression showing once again as she looked around the cell block, catching a particular prisoner in her sights. "I know you…The former chairman of the Magic Council…Gran Doma…"
Doma's ears perked at the voice before turning around slowly. Even for an old man, it was clear he'd seen better days. "That is me…who are you…?"
"That doesn't matter," Tia replied, using her hand to wipe her face clean of any dried blood. "What does matter is that you allowed a mere thought projection to take over your position."
"…I had no say in the matter," Doma replied.
"Or maybe you were just too weak to begin with?" Tia questioned. "I'm honestly curious as to how you lost your power to a mere thought…perhaps the power here in Fiore isn't as strong as I thought…"
"He's manipulated them..." Doma replied. "He's just using the Council for his own selfish desires..."
"Excuses..." Tia then began to talk to herself, questioning a few things she knew before while ignoring Gran Doma now. Her thoughts ended with her sudden flashback to her battle with Ace, leaning against the edge of the cell while staring up into space. "Leave Dealer, huh…? I can't do that…not now, anyway…"
[Flashback]
Ace and Tia were walking alongside each other, taking a nightly stroll on a field. There wasn't any work to do, so they could take this time to relax. "Say, Tia..." Ace called out to her. Tia was hugging Ace's arm, but she looked up at him curiously.
"What is it, Ace?" Tia asked.
"...Do you ever get doubts...?" Ace asked. The question came out of the blue, which surprised her.
"Doubts?" Tia repeated that last word curiously.
"...Just. The things we do..." Ace said with a sigh. "Following King..."
"..." Tia remained silent for a moment. She didn't like where this conversation might be going, but she would humor it. "No. I don't have any doubts. I'm quite happy here. I have Jack and you. Anything that I have to do is of little consequence. I have my own dream I want to fulfill, and being here at Dealer is one step closer to achieving it."
"A dream, huh?" Ace looked up at the night sky. "My dream...I just want to keep you and Jack safe. You guys are a package deal."
"You're smart for saying that." Tia said with a slight snicker. "I'm not going anywhere without Jack. But if I don't have you by my side...I don't know. It would feel like a part of me is missing. I know King doesn't tell us much and makes strange demands...it's dangerous work. But I'm alright. I can handle myself, and so can Jack. I can...feel a little relaxed around you. Whatever doubts you have, I'll help you through them."
"...Heh. I guess I was worried for nothing." Ace rubbed the back of his head. At the time, Tia didn't think much of it. But she really wouldn't understand the gravity of this particular conversation later. The ripple effect was strong...
[End Flashback]
"Relaxed..." Tia grumbled to herself. "What a fool I was for believing in those words..."
.
.
"Mistress…" Daigo started to Heartless, who was in a towel after just stepping out of a shower.
"Hm?" Heartless looked over to Daigo, brow raised curiously. "What is it, Daigo?"
"I was just wondering…what ARE we going to do now that Queen Tia has been captured? We don't have any plans." Daigo questioned.
"That's a good question…" Heartless replied, pondering on the thought as she dried her hair. "I suppose we'll just have to wait it out and see what opportunities arise."
Just in the outside hallway, Diamond was storming down with Spade and Club attempting to calm her down. "D-Diamond, calm down!" Spade said while flailing his hands. "You can't just go storming down the hallway!"
"Don't you idiots understand!?" Diamond shouted at the males. "If Jack and Tia were just pawns, what does that make us!?"
"They were always wishy-washy!" Strong said in defense of King. "King wouldn't be anywhere without us!"
"That's right! He needs us!" Spade nodded. "Those two were expendable."
"I don't believe you two right now…" Diamond pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out an aggravated sigh. "Or are you just saying that because you're trying to cope with the idea that we're expendable as well?"
"Don't tell us you're having doubts?" Spade asked while raising a brow. "What is there to doubt? We're still here, aren't we?"
"A lot of things." Diamond said in an honest tone. "I've been doubting things ever since Joker killed Lisanna Strauss! When have we ever stooped so low?!"
"I wouldn't let Joker hear you say that…" Strong said with a gulp, imagining how painful the punishment would be for the three of them. "But...I don't disagree..."
"...I know things are in a state of disarray right now. But we can't let that stop us from looking up ahead." Spade said calmly. "I...er, we can't afford to get distracted. King would not be able to get nearly as far without us. I believe that part to be true."
"I don't care..." Diamond said with a sigh, rubbing her temples. "And you know what else? I still have my suspicions about Heartless."
"Is it because she's a demon?" Spade asked while crossing his arms.
"I don't know…! She and that assistant of hers rub me in a weird way…" Diamond replied with an aggravated huff.
"Well, it is rare for demons and humans to coexist. Demons usually belong in the pits of Hell while he humans deserve the right to walk on the surface." Spade nodded after stating his point of view in a matter of fact voice.
"That's a rather human opinion…" Heartless said while stepping out of her room, still in her towel.
"EXCEPT YOU!" Spade immediately said, backing away fearfully.
"There you are!" Diamond said with a huff. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Which is?" Heartless asked while raising a brow.
"When are you going to get rid those STUPID SPIRITS?" Diamond nearly screamed. "They're so annoying! That cow won't stop checking me out and those twins keep making comments about me!"
"Maybe if you wore clothing that actually covered your body…" Strong said while pointing to Diamond's outfit, a simple tanktop, shorts, and flip flops.
"I'D DIE OF HEAT STROKE IF I DID THAT." Diamond shouted to Strong. "Back to those spirits, why are they still here!?"
Heartless sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "I thought they'd be back to their owner by now, but it appears she wasn't as strong as I thought she was…But, I suppose I can make use of the Gemini Twins and Taurus Fire while we still have them…perhaps we could shake things up a bit…"
.
.
"Dealer, hm…?" Calium said while pouring a cup of tea. "It appears we have yet another threat to deal with…"
"They won't get the drop on us again like that," Cygnus said with a nod before turning to the group that went to the tower with Fairy Tail. "You guys should take it easy."
"Take it easy? You don't have to tell me twice…" Luke said while crashing on the main room's couch. "I don't want to move for a week."
"That's too bad." Reve said while walking into the room. "Because our training for Dealer begins now."
"Are you serious…?" Selene said with a groan.
"They won't let you rest, so you better get used to it!" Reve replied with a slight smirk. "Anyone have any objections?"
"We don't have a choice anyway…" Almaz mumbled under his breath before raising a fist into the air. "But, I'm going to show Dealer how a Hero really does things with this training!"
"That's more like it." Reve nodded in approval to Almaz.
"I can't take it easy even if I wanted to, not today, at least!" Aira said with a look of determination.
"And why's that?" Zalen asked while adjusting his glasses.
Suddenly, Aira pulled out a comically large needle from out of nowhere, giving a grin. "It's checkup day!" Everyone's face immediately went pale from the sight of the large needle, which was dripping fluid from the tip.
"…Are you sure?" Luke asked with a gulp.
"I thought that wasn't until next week…" Jaxon said while taking a step back, sweating nervously.
"Nope! It's today! I haven't forgotten!" Aira exclaimed while pointing the needle at everyone. "Who wants to go first?" Aira looked around before pointing the needle at Sidney. "Sidney! You can show everyone that this needle is nothing to be afraid of!"
"Touch me with that needle and I will end your life." Sidney replied.
"Oh, you're just saying that!" Aira inched the needle closer to Sidney, but before she could jab him with it he vanished in a puff of smoke. "Aw…"
"It's nice to see everyone so lively…" Marlene giggled before heading into the kitchen, planning on preparing something for everyone, but she saw the fridge was pretty empty. "Huh…? I just restocked it last night…"
"I got hungry." Takeru said with a shrug.
"I guess I'll have to restock then…" Marlene said with a quiet sigh.
"Serious question!" Waiston exclaimed, causing the panic in the room from Aira to stop. "How is this training going to go down, Reve?"
"We start now, train for four hours, rest, then repeat. But I warn you, it'll be harder than the last training regimen." Reve explained.
"If we can't take this, then what match will we be for Dealer?" Nami asked, and everyone agreed.
"Guess we don't have a choice in the end…Oh well, might as well get ready…" Jaxon said with a nod.
Saeko was somewhat distracted from the ongoings of everyone else. Instead, she was talking with the stars, giving a solemn nod to what she was hearing. "That's going to happen soon…? I see…Well, don't worry. I'll protect them."
.
.
"So, another battle with Dealer is coming up soon?" Alexander asked the members of Twilight Zone.
"From the way Ace made it sound, yeah." Rylo nodded. "Who knows what they could do now, especially on a larger scale."
"We'll just have to prepare then," Evanee said in a straight forward tone. "They shouldn't be getting the jump on us again like they did before. I won't allow it."
"Are you going to put them through your training…?" Alexine asked while internally cringing. She trained under Evanee and she still questions how she's alive.
"I trust you all can go train independently," Evanee said while crossing her arms. "I don't have the time to train everyone."
"You can count on us, shorty!" Ceaser said while giving a thumbs up.
"I told you to stop calling me that…" Evanee said with obvious annoyance.
"So we train until something comes up?" Flynn asked while jogging in place, unable to stand still.
"Exactly," Evanee nodded. "Are we all set?"
"Aye!" Tsami nodded. "I'll train super hard!"
"So will I…" Taranis said with a nod. "Perhaps going on a job or something."
"I'll come with ya," Adacore said to Taranis.
"Then we're set. Don't slack off." Evanee said with a more demanding tone than before.
.
.
"Ngh…" Cynthia stirred, feeling the pain of her injuries still around, but her injuries were gone. She looked around, noticing Carla and Lucy asleep in the infirmary. She turned her head to Wendy, whispering over to her. "Wendy…are you awake…?"
"Mhm…" Wendy turned over, giving a slight smile. "How are you feeling…?"
"Like a truck hit me…" Cynthia replied. "What about you…?"
"I don't have the strength to do anything…" Wendy said with a frown.
"Wendy…" Cynthia frowned in response. "I'm so sorry you got sucked into that…if I got there sooner you wouldn't have been forced into that machine and I…"
Wendy shook her head slowly, letting out a heavy sigh afterwards. "Cynthia…I wasn't forced into that machine…I went in it voluntarily…"
"W-What…!?" Cynthia's eyes widened as she sat up, wincing afterwards. "But why would you…!?"
"Because if I didn't it would've been you…and I promised you I wouldn't allow what happened before to happen again…" Wendy replied.
"Wendy…I…." Cynthia was speechless at how far Wendy went to protect her, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned away. "Y-You're so stupid…! T-Thank you…"
.
.
"And that's everything that happened," Erza said, finishing up the detailed version of the Hyde incident to everyone in Fairy Tail.
"So, that's what took you all so long…" Makarov said while nodding. "We were beginning to get worried once it hit daybreak and there was no sign of you."
"We were just coming home too, so that was a big hold up…" Mirajane said while wiping off the bar with a cloth.
"So, who is…er…was, this Hyde person?" Freed asked with a brow raised. "He seemed like quite the individual from your story…"
The doors opened, and Cynthia, Wendy, Lucy, and Carla walked in. Though the two young slayers shouldn't have been moving, they were anyway. "He was an associate of my father…" Cynthia said, causing everyone to turn and give a look of shock.
"Cynthia, Wendy, you shouldn't be moving yet!" Lisanna exclaimed.
"Wait, an associate of that bastard?" Natsu raised a brow. "How could you tell?"
"His was familiar…he smelt almost just like him…" Wendy said with a slow nod, leaning against Cynthia for support while Cynthia did the same.
"I see…" Makarov said in a low tone. "What does this mean…"
"It means he's likely active again, somehow…and he's plotting in the shadows…" Carla said while frowning. She didn't want a repeat of the end of Fiore's End.
"Then we'll just have to stop him again!" Natsu exclaimed with a smirk.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there…" Erza said over to Natsu. "For now, we'll just focus on Dealer."
"Oh, and one more thing..." Cynthia started, looking down at the ground. "I may...he a walking bomb..."
"What?!" Those who weren't aware all shouted in shock.
"I've already known for awhile..." Cynthia said while rubbing the back of her neck. "I just haven't said anything because I didn't want you all to worry..."
"You know you can tell us anything, dear," Makarov said with a gentle smile. "We can't help you if we don't know."
.
.
Yukino jumped back, sliding across the ground while looking up to her opponents. Two Bounty Hunters, while the third one just watched. Her opponents were a finely dress male in a white suit and white hair, while the other was a male in black armor and black hair. "Bounty Hunters…" Yukino mumbled to herself while reaching for her key ring.
"Wizard Hunters, to be more precise," The male in a suit said while running a hand through his hair. "My name is Aeon, and it is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of a beauty such as yourself. It is a shame, however, that I must play a role in subduing you."
"And I am Bass (pronounced Base)." The male in black armor said. "We'll make this quite for you."
"Don't take me so lightly…" Yukino said while pulling out a key. "I am a mage of Sabertooth…Gate of the Heavenly Scales, I open thee!" Yukino's key began to give a bright glow. "Libra!"
"I don't think so…" Aeon said while swiping his hand, creating a magic seal over Yukino's glowing key. The magic seal shattered, and the golden key lost its shimmer.
"W-What…!?" Yukino's eyes widened at the sight of her summon being canceled. "How did you…!?"
"Dispelling magic…" Aeon said with the snap of his fingers. "Now then, Bass."
"But of course. "With a smirk, Bass pointed his arm forward, gathering dark energy in the palm of his hand. "Dark Pulse!" A spiral of dark energy shot from Bass' hand and traveled towards Yukino, who rolled to the side to dodge the explosion of darkness. "Ah, Cain, I CAN hurt her, right?" Bass asked while turning his head to the blonde male who was watching.
"She's worth more alive than dead. And you know how we roll," Cain replied.
"Allow me, then…" Aeon said while pointing his hand forward, creating a white sphere of energy in his hand. "This sphere will simply incapacitate you, leaving you subdued. It was a shame I had to do this, but it's a part of my job. A-Cannon!" Aeon fired the sphere forward, which connected with Yukino. She flew into the wall and fell on the floor, KO'ed from the hit, but she wasn't damaged. "All done…" Aeon said while dusting his hands off.
"Excellent work you two…" Cain said while giving a nod of approval. "We have our first target. Now, onto the next."