"They're not going to stop that thing in time…Fiore is going to perish at this rate." Sidney mumbled as he and Jaxon continued their full sprint to what was to Jaxon, an unknown location. Sidney was actually worried; the situation Aiden forced upon Fiore was so dire even Sidney was finally reaching desperately reaching for straws at this point. Jaxon recognized this immediately and forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat.
"W-Where are we going…!?" Who knows how long it took Jaxon to ask that. For the last several minutes he was just running obediently behind Sidney with no questions whatsoever.
Sidney didn't lose his stride, not even staring back at Jaxon while he projected his voice to him. "Listen carefully. When we get there, do NOT look him directly in the eyes, and stay twenty feet away from him at all times! Is that understood!? Tell me now!"
Jaxon couldn't believe it, this was the first time he'd ever heard Sidney raise his voice in such a fashion. Whatever Sidney thought of was clearly dangerous…yet Jaxon did the worst thing he could possibly do in this situation and that was question the legendary ace of White Eclipse. "Sidney, what are you talking about!? What the hell is going on!?
Sidney was slightly annoyed by Jaxon's inevitable questions, yet understanding since he was keeping the weather mage in the dark. "We're going to Silent Sanctum. We need…Jikan."
…If there were ever a "holy shit" moment…this was it. Jaxon's eyes widened at the incredible bombshell Sidney dropped on him. That single piece of information was more than enough to shut Jaxon up. He recalled the encounter with that guild back during the initial Fiore's End incident and a few more times over the course of the last two years. The rumors he heard beforehand…they were not good.
The silence the two now shared was louder than any rebuttal that could be made. The pair was out of the mountains and proceeded along the snowless plains. "I brought you along, because there's something you can do that I can't."
Jaxon was normally a talkative guy…but even he couldn't think of anything to say for a few moments until Sidney began speaking once again. "Yeah…you said that already. I don't suppose there's a chance you can tell me what that thing is?"
"It's just a hunch…so we'll see when we get there." That was Sidney's final reply. Who knew how much time was left before Aiden fired again. By now, those that were going to stop him probably just reached the tower…but Sidney was unfortunately super confident in their inability to stop him in time. Now, the two were at the front doors to Silent Sanctum…
"Haaa….haaaaaa…." Jaxon hunched over, placing his hands on his knees as the two stood before the dark guild. "There's my exercise for the next week…"
"Hurry up." Sidney ordered while pushing the doors to the guild open and stepping inside. Almost immediately he was greeted by a few remaining members of the guild; Rail, Aloysis, and Volt.
"Unwelcomed guests?" Rail stood up from his seat, cracking his knuckles with a somewhat wide grin. "It's not often people just line up to die…"
"Perfect…" Aloy said with his lips stretching into a sadistic grin. "I was beginning to get a little bored just sitting around…maybe I can make these two scream…"
"Uh…is this a part of the plan…?" Jaxon worriedly asked while looking at Sidney.
"No." Sidney shook his head, not even bothering to stare at Rail, Aloy or Volt. For his attention was diverted to the throne that was exactly twenty one feet away. On that throne sat not a man…but a child. No ordinary child.
"Oh…? Visitors…? Here we go again." Jikan sat with a sadistic grin. His acknowledgement of the two mages alone was enough for those followed him to back down and step away. "And a familiar face. Hello again, Sidney Castle. What brought you here?"
Sidney didn't speak quickly. His gaze was just under the direct gaze of Jikan; a gulp…of all things to come from the ace of White Eclipse before he pulled on his scarf. "Jikan…we're here for your help. After this we'll never bother you again.
It's about your old man."
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"Separate corridors!?" Lucy exclaimed while looking between the multiple pathways. "How are we supposed to know which way to go…!?" It was at that moment, she felt an intense pulse in her chest. Her heart pulsed strongly, and she gasped a bit. She was...reacting to something within this building. "She's here..." Lucy's voice lowered a bit. It...didn't sound like it was just her voice, but it was too low for anyone else to pick up on it.
"Of course Wendy's here." Ace crossed his arms. He didn't really get it, but Lucy was acting a bit strange.
"Huh?" Lucy shook her head a bit. Wendy...right...
"I assume each path leads to a different dragon slayer…" Erza said while tapping her chin. "We don't have time to pick and choose, let's just split up and see who it takes us to!"
"Ooh, that's a good plan!" Yumia's voice echoed throughout the main hall, causing everyone to look around until their eyes landed on the pair of twins sitting in the corner of the room, their hands fiddling over something.
"Yeah, with those numbers they'd save everyone in no time…" Yukia said while placing her gloved index finger on her cheek. "But then we'd be out of a job and stuck with such crappy pay…"
"Wizard Hunters…!" Juvia pointed at the two girls.
"It's the annoying twins…" Lucy grumbled.
"I remember them too well…" Yukino gulped.
Yumia wagged her finger disapprovingly, wearing a smirk on those painted lips of hers. "It's such a good plan, but unfortunately we can't let you do as you please! So, we've already set up who's going to be meeting who! We hope you have a wonderful time with your new dates in this tower!"
"It'll be a date to die for…" Emphasis was placed on 'die' by Yukia. The blue eyed girl then forcefully pulled the lever down along with her sister. This caused the floor to rumble violently before several springs emerged from the ground, forcefully pushing people into various hallways without their consent. The surprised yelling of the light mages brought joy to the girls' ears and they giggled as a result. "That…That was pretty fun."
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Juvia's rear landed on something soft. It took her a moment to even recover from being launched so suddenly. "Oof…what did Juvia land on…?" Someone's face. Was it her beloved Gray-sama!? Juvia stood up with sparkles in her eyes…but no, it wasn't her dear Gray-sama. It was just Lucy who had comical swirls in her eyes after. "L-LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia pointed accusingly at Lucy while shouting just loud enough to wake her up.
"H-Huh!?" The shouting was enough for Lucy to regain consciousness, rubbing her head at Juvia's shouting. "I didn't do anything! You landed on me!"
"Juvia is innocent." Juvia replied while huffing and crossing her arms under her chest. "…But more importantly, aside from being torn apart from Gray-sama…Juvia believes we should see where this corridor leads. Perhaps one of the dragon slayers are down the hall…"
"Ladies, ladies…" The sound of slow clapping from down the hall caught their attention. Aeon of the Wizard Hunters appeared, fixing his white hair before giving the two of them a grin. "A pleasure to see you both again."
"Another one…? Oh, it's you." Lucy grumbled while placing her hand on her key ring. "It's been a long time, but I'm still sick of seeing you guys already…" A bright light wrapped around Lucy's body for a split second; when it faded, she was wearing her Stardress: Taurus, stretching her whip out to show that she was ready for a fight.
Aeon's eyes widened in intrigue at Lucy's transformation. This was new! But he liked it. "Yumia and Yukia can be quite the annoying pair, I do agree…" Aeon said while shaking his head. "I don't particularly enjoy dealing with children such as them…women like you two, however..." Was he…coming onto them? Yes, yes he was. Shamelessly at that.
"JUVIA IS SOUNDLY RESERVED FOR GRAY-SAMA AND GRAY-SAMA ONLY!" Juvia screamed while throwing her hand forward, unleashing a massive beam of scalding hot water towards the high class Hunter.
"Whoa now!" Aeon leapt out of the way, allowing the beam of water to pass right by him. The corridor was a little narrow so dodging widespread attacks was going to be quite the task for both parties. Once his feet touched the ground he placed his arm forward, a white magic seal forming before him. "A-Cannon!" From the sphere, a white sphere shot out directly for the two women.
Lucy and Juvia both jumped to the side to avoid the sphere and the ensuing explosion after it, however due to the narrow hallway and the force of the explosion, the both of them were forced into crashing into opposite walls with grunts of pain. "Oof…" Lucy rubbed her head. "This hallway is going to make things a little more difficult…"
"One of your beloved dragon slayers is being held just beyond me. It would be a shame if you were unable to defeat me before Aiden fired off the cannon again…it would lead to the end of this country, after all." The grin on Aeon's face widened upon seeing the distraught visages of Lucy and Juvia.
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"Oof…" Luke shook his head slowly, looking around at his surroundings only to see that he was quite alone...but he landed on something soft. "Back to this again, huh…?" The copycat sighed before picking himself up. "Let me go see who's up ahead before I get wrapped into something…" He then looked down, realizing he was right on top of a surprised and flustered Yukino who couldn't even muster the willingness to say a word. "A-AGAIN…!?"
"…." Yukino's face was bright red. They awkwardly stared at one another, before she picked herself up, coughing while looking away. "I…uhm…hope you're not hurt, Luke-sama…"
"No…I'm fine…" Luke shook his head before pointing ahead. "Anyway…let's get moving…someone might be up ahead."
"How about we play a little game first?" Kai stepped from the shadows of the corridor ahead, arms folded over his chest as he stared Luke down. "Take a minute to relax, freeze, and smell the roses…"
"Yeah…" Luke quirked a brow at Kai before shaking his head, moving to take a stance. "I don't have time to play silly games…"
"Please…we don't have the time for this…" Yukino pleaded. "We have to rescue our friends…"
"That's a shame…" Kai didn't move a muscle…for the game he wished to play was already complete. He was the winner. In a flash he appeared before Luke, slamming his fist against the Eclipse mage's chest; the impact was so strong Luke was sent flying backwards before regaining his footing, sliding across the ground with widened eyes.
"S-Shit…that hurt…" Luke admitted with a grumble. "What the hell was that…?"
"Luke-sama, are you okay!?" Yukino questioned with widened eyes at Kai's strike. How odd that he didn't strike her, then again she didn't move a muscle at the time.
"It's not very kind of you deny my offer like that." Kai spoke while cracking his knuckles. "So I will tell you what we're about to do…we're going to play a game, and you are going play along with me. Is that clear?"
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Aiden watched as all the encounters began to occur on a screen from the main room, a wide grin stretched along his lips. "Everything is going perfectly. Even if those Hunters are defeated, it won't matter, for they'll have wasted more than enough time. The cannon is set to fire again in 30 minutes…and this time I will not be so merciful."
Emeraude leaned against the wall, glancing between the monitor that showed all the unconscious dragon slayers and those trying to fight to save them. To her, this was truly an entertaining show; her purple painted lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "Well…this mad scientist plot may actually succeed after all. I don't think there's a wizard alive that can stop this…certainly not that band of wizards trying right at this very moment." It was then, she briefly saw someone vaguely familiar pass by on one of the security cameras. Her expression shifted. "Who was that?" "Is it in here...!?"
"Who cares?" Aiden shrugged before snapping his fingers. "Hyde! Let me speak with the royalty of Fiore. I'm sure they'll come to a decision rather quickly under these circumstances."
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Jack was the most annoyed out of everyone so far. The hallways were large but narrow, which prevented him from using his armor to its fullest capacity. He was engaged in battle with Bass, doing his best to avoid blasts of Crash magic being shot his way. "Crash, real original!" Jack taunted while lifting his hand into the air, hurling a purple flame towards his opponent. "Wicked Flare!"
"Hmph! You won't be laughing when I crush you into nothing!" Crash pointed his hand forward, releasing a gigantic burst of Crash magic forward. It shot ahead, exploding against Jack's attack. Jack flew through the smoke, aiming a punch at Bass's face, but the Hunter was capable of evading this by twisting his body to the side, grabbing Jack's wrist. Bass's free hand had a dangerous white glow and he thrust it towards Jack's chest.
Jack grunted when his wrist was caught, but he was able to avoid Bass's attack, as his wings released a sudden burst of Wicked Flames. This granted Jack momentum as he flew forward, twisting his body around as he threw Bass into the nearby wall. "I don't think so!"
"Gah!" Bass grunted, but he quickly rebounded and snapped his fingers forward. A tiny black dot flew forward, and Jack noticed it at the last second. "Crash Bomb!"
"Oh crap...!" Jack recognized the threat and crossed his arms at the last second. An explosion took place and it knocked him out of the sky. Bits of his armor were broken off as he landed on the ground, an eye clenched shut from the explosion. The S class of Dealer let out a heavy breath, as Bass landed in front of him.
"This is none of your business, kid." Bass said with an indifferent expression. "Do you really think you can defeat me, anyway? I've got more experience than you've years. You're wasting your time, and mine. Now run along home before I destroy you. This is your only warning."
"You think I give a damn about that?" Jack said with an annoying scoff. "...My friend is grieving, and you assholes have the audacity to kidnap and hurt her." Purple flames wisped around his body as he glared at Bass. "Cynthia would kill me if anything happened to Wendy. So I'm gonna gonna say this once...get the hell out of my way."
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"The old man? He's dead right?" Jikan asked with a wide grin, each word flowing seamlessly from his lips. "Old age finally caught up to him, huh?"
"You and I both know…" Sidney paused for a moment, glancing over at Jaxon for he realized that he was about to reveal one of White Eclipse's darkest secrets to someone other than Jikan and himself But he shook his head for he had no other choice. "You and I both know he's not truly dead. We're here because we need you to speed up the process of…Eclipse Soul."
This was definitely some next level shit going on. Jaxon couldn't even comprehend what was being said right now, he could only mumble "Eclipse Soul…?" in a lowly whisper.
Even Jikan was caught off guard, eyes widening for a brief moment only to return to a satisfied state. White Eclipse came to him for help…but considering who he was, this was not going to be so simple. "This is more than worry of Fiore being in danger of extinction, isn't it? You want me to bring back that overpowered fool, and in the peak of his life no less? Fine." Jikan stood up, dusting himself off as though he were really going to travel. But…his index finger pointed down to the ground. "But first, Sidney…you know this isn't just a cut and dry deal. You want my help? You'll have to beg for it. Right here. Right now. Get on your knees and beg."
Disgusted. Sidney felt his stomach churn as Jikan demanded him to beg, teeth bearing in anger underneath his scarf. He didn't have time for such demands. Nobody but Jikan noticed that he took a single step forward, now crossing the line and standing nineteen feet away from Jikan. Blinded by desperation and his pride as a person…Sidney clenched a hand into a fist and refused. "I don't have time for this. Revive him, now."
"S-Sidney…!" Jaxon couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew Sidney was enraged by Jikan's demands, but he didn't know what else to do…he was paralyzed.
There was a glint in Jikan's eyes; a maniacal, dramatic glint that was unmatched by the joy any human could possibly experience. There Sidney was, in his range, and refused to meet his demands. This was a moment he'd been waiting for his whole life. "Naïve clown. You always have to learn the hard way, Sidney. Fine, I'll always get some joy out of doing this! Very well…allow me to help you out instead!" The master of Silent Sanctum then snapped his fingers, a bright flash enveloping the guild. Everyone excluding Sidney was caught within the adverse effects of Jikan's magic. Sidney's body shone a bright white and it began to shrink until…all that was left was Sidney's red scarf, and an infant baby boy crawling his way out of it.
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Next Time: Who's The Hunter?