Souls Betwixt (Dark Souls / Fairy Tail) (Complete)

[kesharrad]

Doesn't Erza have an artificial eye? An arm should be much easier to replace, all things considered.

 

[Naron]

"A healthy mind births healthy magic, or so the saying goes at the time of writing. While not a general occurence, severe enough trauma is capable of blocking one's magic to an extent. The current consensus is that the flow of Ethernano becomes unstable in resemblance of the emotional state, consequently shattering any but the most basic spell circles as they lose coherence. This matter is understandably difficult to research and requires further study."

-excerpt from "The Love of Magic"

---

Priscilla raced with the fading sunlight, pushing Diver to its very limit. She left several deep gouges across the land, but cared naught for them. In the end, she arrived at sunset. A heaving, sweat-soaked dragon rose out of the guildhall's floor.

"Pris?" Mirajane immediately bustled over, worried. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

She could not meet the kind woman's eyes. Conversation had halted with her arrival, all eyes on her. Makarov studied her calmly from the bar, even Laxus peered down from the second floor. Priscilla took several deep breaths to calm her thundering heart. "The village we inspected was eradicated," she began hesitantly, unwilling to explain it all. Mira would be hurt. But she had to say it. "A demon attacked and-" "What?!"

Interrupted by the shrill cry, Priscilla had no time to react when two firm hands grabbed her cheeks and painfully forced her head around. Large amber eyes met tear-filled blue orbs, the human woman shaking. "What happened to the others?" she demanded, then her voice broke: "Where are they?!"

Quiet buzzing preceded a muscled arm winding around Mira's waist, pulling her away from the giantess. The agitated woman's elbow hit Laxus' gut with a meaty thwack, but he ignored it without so much as a flinch. "Calm down already," he grunted, then placed Mira on the ground and glanced up at Priscilla.

Taking the unspoken order, she now answered Mira's question: "They took the train and should be here shortly."

"All of them?" he asked. "Alive?"

"Yes."

Mirajane finally relaxed with the reassurance, prompting Laxus to let go of her shoulder. He made way for Makarov when the old master approached, a thoughtful frown on his face. He knew, Priscilla could tell even before the question was asked: "They did not make it unscathed, did they?" He sighed when the dragon shook her head mutely. "Then let's see what we have."

New tension gripped the hall as they left; no one followed, though their somber silence held at least until the gate closed. Mira dashed away with fluttering skirts, Laxus turned to lightning and flashed in another direction, but Priscilla and Makarov walked side by side. "The next train won't come before we're there," he explained sagely. He was right, too: by the time they caught up with Mira at the station, there was no train in sight. The distraught woman stared down the railway, waiting anxiously. She gnawed on her lips, almost drawing blood when it finally arrived.

Not many people disembarked at this time of day, so Priscilla's prodigious height was unnecessary to spot the group of four. They slowly left the middle carriage, Jet and Droy helping Levy and Elfman respectively. The moment Mira saw her little brother, she broke into tears and rushed forward to hug him. Elfman twitched once, then gathered her in his arm and returned the embrace. He was crying moments later, too. The others gave them space and came together a few metres distant.

Levy chuckled mirthlessly, more tired than anything else. "How are you so fast?" she asked of Priscilla, who shrugged.

"Nevermind that. Are you alright?"

"About as well as you'd expect," the blunette returned with a sigh.

She was about to comment further when lightning struck between them, making Levy flinch back. The static made everyone's hair stand on end, revealing Laxus. Moreover, he carried a very, very displeased Polyushka currently yanking his ear. "-get it in your thick head that...." her tirade trailed off the moment she saw Elfman's lack of arm. She even let go of Laxus' ear, though her leer merely lessened by a fraction. "I'll let it slide this time, boy."

Laxus snorted. He stepped aside after putting the elderly woman down. Priscilla wanted to say hello and thank her again, but felt now was not the time; Polyushka acknowledged none of them, rather ushering Shadow Gear and Elfman along toward the local clinic with clear impatience. Jet and Droy kept supporting their friends. Mira helped steady her brother.

Once they were out of sight, Priscilla turned to Laxus with a grateful nod. "Thank you for acting so fast and bringing her." He just grunted and walked away, leaving the crossbreed puzzled. Makarov sighed quietly. Nonetheless, he smiled and made to follow his grandson.

They returned to the guildhall, where silence still reigned; everyone watched their entrance anxiously. Laxus ambled away to where the Thunder Legion sat and loomed over them momentarily. "Kick back for now," he instructed all three, "we're taking a break." Bixlow and Evergreen shared confused looks, but Freed merely nodded. Laxus did not even wait for confirmation and rather waved for Mira's junior barmaid, Alicia. "The usual."

"Ah, c-coming right up!"

Off the young woman went, right past Makarov who settled back on the bar counter. Priscilla wondered if she should say anything, but he did it first: "You can stop worrying. Everything will be fine." The tension dissipated immediately, which once again reminded her in how high esteem the guild held its master.

"What about Natsu?" Loke questioned moments later; indeed, there was no trace of the Dragonslayer.

When Makarov did not respond beyond a shrug, Priscilla chimed in: "Did he go somewhere dangerous?"

"Right, you weren't there." Loke rubbed his orange hair almost bashfully, then motioned for something in the distance. "He stole an S-rank job off the board and ran. Lucy, er, went with him." He hesitated after the blonde wizard's name, but no one commented on him being uncomfortable; Priscilla did recall some notion of him being bad with Celestial Spirit wizards. "Then Gray followed to bring them back, and then Erza came back, heard about it, and marched off to fetch them all." He shuddered there. "Brr, I really don't want to be them when she catches up."

Even Priscilla felt somewhat comforted to not be on the wrong end of Erza's legendary temper. Although usually mellow, the knightess could be mighty intimidating once agitated.

"They're probably fine," Wakaba waved off the concern, "but I get what ya mean; some of our youngsters got attacked by a demon on a normal mission. Damn weird times we live in."

"Aye," Macao agreed next to his friend, both of them enjoying some kind of drink again. "You hear anything about where that demon came from? Or why it was there?"

Priscilla had to shake her head. She only recalled one useful tidbit. "Nothing concrete, I am afraid. She did not say much beyond belittling our collective weakness. Though she did say she is, well, was with Tartaros."

The men both exchanged meaningful looks while Makarov groaned. "Tartaros? Oh great, more problems. They usually stay away from here." He immediately emptied his mug and slammed it down, then glanced back to Priscilla. "Did she say anything else?"

"No, only annoying commentary about our lack of power." Less annoying now, considering which of them was still alive. So there. Priscilla nodded to herself and switched the subject, recalling what else she learned some time ago. "Although I think she was not just a demon, but an Etherious specifically. An artificial demon built by Zeref," she added when seeing the lost looks around. Everyone got her meaning right after. "They are made with combat in mind, I believe."

"Who told you that?" Makarov inquired from his seat; he and most of the others appeared intrigued by the news. Priscilla made to respond, only to realise she made a blunder.

"A wandering scholar I met on the way back from my job in Acalypha," she ultimately said, sheepishly dragging her foot. "It never occurred to me to ask his name. He helped me learn magic, and we got to Etherious from Mirajane's Take Over. He thought it was odd that someone managed to key it to an artificial subgroup of a race." The suspicions as to Mira's lineage, she kept to herself. Going by Makarov's grimace, he might even have similar thoughts.

As if on cue, they were interrupted when a pale Mira wandered back inside, followed by Droy. She slumped at the nearest table while he settled at the bar and turned around to face the room: "Levy will heal, but she's going to keep some mean scars. Elfman's arm can't be put back on." Quite a few people winced at that and Wakaba placed a comforting arm around Mira's shoulders. Droy grimaced, too. "They need to stay at the hospital for a few days for treatment and observation."

"Where's Jet?" someone called, which received a dismissive motion.

"Went to take care of stuff. Stow away our packs, feed Levy's cat, those things."

"You should all find some rest," Priscilla remarked right afterward, a contemplative glance going toward Mira. Now that the immediate issues were resolved, she once again remembered the bag she unconciously carried along. While Cana sat down on the distraught woman's other side, she carefully rose to approach as well. "Mirajane?" Her question prompted a listless look, though she turned attentive when Priscilla took the bag off her shoulders. "Elfman said to bring this, I believe you can make use of it?"

She turned the sturdy cloth around and shook it a little, dislodging the frozen corpse within. It flopped onto the ground with a crack, but the severed head bounced off and rolled away. "Pardon," Priscilla apologised quickly, "I forgot I beheaded her." She reached for the errant part and picked it up, only to become aware of a sort of shocked silence surrounding her; everyone was staring, either at the dragon or at her victim.

"Damn it, Pris," Macao cursed, his hands over a squirming Romeo's eyes, "there's children around!"

"I... am not sure I understand?"

The shock clearly made way for disbelief, telling Priscilla that yet another of her assumptions was wrong. She did not get to figure out which one however, as hysteric laughter shattered the silence. Mira rose abruptly, walking around the table to kneel next to Priscilla's offering. "This thing hurt them?" she asked rhetorically, then giggled again. Her smile was somewhere between saccharine and deranged as she took hold of the head and stared into the demon's slack expression, her body beginning to glow on its own. "Well, I guess I should make use of this. Let's see."

The gleam intensified, quickly wandering over the demon's still form as well. Mirajane breathed in. "Take Over," she whispered. Her skin rippled as the demon's form was absorbed, bulging and buckling. For a moment, Mira grew a plume so reminiscent of a bird, her fingers turning to vicious claws. Then they reverted to normal, the woman nodding with her eyes closed. "Makes sense this goes easily," she mused in the silence. "The dead can't fight back. Her name was Kyoka."

A dark purple, almost black magic circle snapped into being above her as she stood; the air shuddered under a titanic amounts of flowing Ethernano. "Satan-" she began, only for the circle to shatter violently. Mira hiccupped and lost her balance, falling back onto her rear. There, she just sat in heavy silence before heaving a sigh. "I guess I still haven't got it back," she murmured before smiling up at the intrigued Priscilla. "Thank you, regardless. How much do I owe you?"

The question confused her, more so than that using Satan Soul apparently failed; she already figured that must be the block she heard about. "How do you mean?"

"I can't just take something this valuable from you. I only had Sitri so far, so this is a big boost if I can ever get my Satan Soul back. I've got to give you something for it. And don't say it's fine," Mira immediately cut off the expected response, making Priscilla's mouth click shut. "I insist. Money, books, rare items, contacts, whatever you want. I have some of each lying around."

"...very well." Despite having accepted defeat in this instance, the crossbreed had no idea what to ask for. "Give me some time to consider the matter."

"Of course."

"Mira."

Their attention turned to Makarov now, who studied Fairy Tail's poster girl with a mixture between worry and curiousity. "A question. Your Satan Soul used to have two forms. The normal form and Sitri, correct?" Mira nodded. "And taking over this... Kyoka, it gave you a third form?"

"I think it did, yes. Why do you ask?"

In lieu of answering, Makarov followed up with another question that gave Priscilla pause: "And you never took over any other demons?"

"No?"

Priscilla caught his thought process; two demons devoured, but three forms in total. Take Over had no automatic base form, even she knew that. Of course it could be something induced by keying it to an artificial race, but she was not quite certain about that. She would have to ask how else one could have a demonic form like that, beside being a demon. Not that throwing more questions as to her ancestry at Mira felt like a good idea, especially not right now.

"Just idle curiousity," Makarov responded to the implied question, then hopped off the counter. "Now, Priscilla? Come with me for a moment, we need to have a talk."

She did so obediently, figuring it was about the previous observations. Unfortunately, she rather received a lecture about not depositing corpses in the guildhall, regardless of species. The master explained in detail why this was an issue, much to her embarassment. She severely underestimated the fragility of human children, both in body and mind.

Afterward, the somber mood following their return persisted for several days; Priscilla spent that time skulking around Magnolia in search of something, anything to distract herself with. She visited Levy and Elfman twice a day, but also began to inquire about furniture and other amenities for her humble abode. It was not great, but at least she had something to do.

On the third day, the atmosphere began to grow lighter again; Mira's anxiety and distress slowly ebbed away, which seemingly affected everyone else as well. Levy strode inside on the fourth day, prompting a small party in her honour. The blunette cheerfully showed off the scar along her waist where Kyoka struck her. Then the door slammed open and Erza marched in, dragging Natsu inside by the ear.

All conversation ceased as the knightess strode up to where Makarov sat in his usual spot on the bar; Natsu's complaints were the only real noise in the taproom. Erza's severe expression gave nothing away as she deposited the troublemaker on the floor. Gray, Happy, and Lucy all scurried inside after the other two without a peep. Erza chopped Natsu's head to shut him up, then spoke: "I am back, Master. Things got a bit complicated."

Priscilla watched the unfolding scene from the sidelines, intrigued but also worried. Makarov kept his silence in favour of a disappointed look levelled at Natsu, who hung his head. "I see," the elderly man finally said. "What exactly happened?"

"Gray did not bring the other three back and rather decided to join the madness," Erza began in a clipped tone, shooting a dark look at the ice wizard when he made to object. He immediately cowered, with which she turned back to Makarov. "By the time I caught up with them, they were already on Galuna island and locked in battle with hostile wizards. They also managed to start on the actual mission, too." Here she sighed, running a hand through her scarlet mane. "I have to admit that Gray managed to convince me to let them finish it. He had personal business with the enemy leader and the demon hidden within the island."

The entire room grew tense at the mention of a demon, Priscilla included. Erza waved Gray forward, who cautiously stayed out of her reach. Natsu remained on the ground before Makarov, hesitantly joined by his remaining teammates. Only Lucy seemed to pick up on the shifting mood, though.

The master nodded at Gray, who was just about done shedding his shirt. He caught the garment before it hit the floor and put it back on, but began to speak in the meantime: "You probably don't remember, but I told you about Deliora back when I joined. My teacher encased him in eternal ice to stop his rampage. Iced Shell uses the caster's life force and forms their body into the prison, so breaking that ice is basically impossible." He paused there and took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, Lyon, that's her other pupil, found a way to get Deliora out. He wanted to defeat him as a way to surpass our teacher. I don't get how it works, but it's some kind of extract made from moonlight. That's what caused the Galuna job, too; the people living there are all demons, but the ritual setup made them forget and think they're humans who take demon forms."

Erza nodded a few times while Gray presented his stumbling report. Makarov listened intently, only to offer a quiet nod when he fell silent. "What happened to Deliora, then? Did your friend succeed?"

"He did," Gray confirmed with a grimace. "But after ten years in Iced Shell, Deliora was already dead. Lyon didn't get the fight he wanted."

"It was one of Zeref's demons," Natsu supplied from the ground, no longer petulant but rather thoughtful. Makarov's, Erza's, and Gray's attention instantly snapped to him, but Priscilla noticed how Mira became attentive also. The Dragonslayer shrugged. "I think the old guy who smelled like women's parfume said something like that, at least."

"Regardless," Erza chimed in, "the Galuna job can be taken off the board. I refused payment because this lot was not authorised to work on it to begin with." Only then did she become aware of the anxiety surrounding them. "Did something happen?"

This prompted a quick recounting of events in Starlet from Levy, as well as the news about Etherious demons. Priscilla understood their shock quite well, especially the horror when Elfman's arm was mentioned. She mainly kept an eye on Mirajane at first, but for once she was not depressed; rather, her undivided attention lay on Natsu during the entire story. He appeared neither angry like Erza and Gray, nor cheerful as he usually was. Rather, his expression was oddly thoughtful. She had no idea what to make of this, or why Mira seemed to think it relevant.

"Demons on the move are certainly an issue," Makarov concluded the storytelling gravely. "Fiore and the surrounding countries are on high alert, but nothing else was observed so far. As we understand, the perpetrator was one of Zeref's creations and not a common demon, children. Be sure not to blame them for crimes they did not commit. There are far too few natural demons left thanks to prejudice and overzealous wizards, anyway."

The guild accepted his wisdom somberly, though he himself shattered the mood with an echoing clap. "That said, time for punishment. Natsu, Gray, you're getting that." The young men grew chalk white and everyone else winced in sympathy, even Erza; except for Lucy who was just as confused as Priscilla. Unfortunately, no one explained. Makarov then turned to the blonde and Exceed. "Lucy, Happy, you two did not instigate this madness or went with orders to retrieve Natsu, but you both went along with it regardless. So for the next month, you will stay after sunset and help clean the guildhall. Without any magic, just to be clear."

Two dejected "Aye" were their only response and Makarov laughed. "But for now, we celebrate your safe return! Mira!"

"On it!"

Off she went to get more drinks and the atmosphere changed entirely once more. The whiplash Priscilla felt left her settled on the ground for long minutes, uncertain how to treat this new situation. Then she pushed her worries aside and joined the party.

The next two days remained a little weird. Normalcy eventually returned around the time Elfman was released from the hospital. With a full week up since Starlet, Priscilla decided it was time she got back to proper work. For her next job, she picked a mission about supplying smaller villages; the item box Erza taught her and Priscilla's own speed through Diver were a perfect fit.

So she picked up everything at once and began to make her way across Fiore again; it was not a large mission, though she still made better time than expected. By noon the following day, she had delivered to all seven villages and shook the last elder's hand; just as she was about to leave however, a familiar face appeared by her side. Dark eyes studied her curiously, a friendly smile on his features; he looked different by day, though his black robe and equally black hair made him quite distinct.

"What a surprise to meet you out here," he greeted with a gentle wave. "I see you got used to Diver."

"I did indeed," Priscilla responded while inclining her head in turn. "It is a pleasure to meet you again." She truly had hoped to meet him again in her travels across the country. "How have you been?"

"Quite well, all in all. Sometimes I do meet bothersome people, but most are pleasant to talk to." So saying, he smiled at Priscilla when the giantess crouched by his side. They stood a ways off from the nearest house, unobstructing but still in sight of the village. "I mostly kept wandering the countryside to ponder. How about yourself?"

"Well, where do I start?"

And it was indeed a curious thought; so much happened the past weeks since their last encounter. Not to mention she felt news about Atlas Flame and the Dragonslayers ought to not be spread too far. In the end, Priscilla decided to tell him about the events in Starlet and to be careful; his smile froze over and fell away entirely once Kyoka came into the story. She felt her own mood grow bleak as well, but also recalled a question Levy could not answer. "And that is why I was hoping to learn healing magic," Priscilla concluded. "But all I got from others is that it was lost despite its utility. Do you know why?"

Her friend wiped his eyes at first, removing wetness that accumulated over the tale of carnage. "I do," he admitted, then absently flicked an avalanche of glowing orbs toward a duo of children sneaking up on them to listen in. Their delighted cries and attempts to catch them created an uncanny backdrop to his words: "While healing is powerful and potent, the problem with it is that utilising this branch of magic requires knowing the body's makeup; to prompt the correct parts into growing back, or knitting bones together correctly. An incompetent healing wizard is just a particularly gruesome killer. And on top of that, a competent healer can quickly and easily manipulate a body's growth. Horrible mutations lie that way, people turned into mindless beasts or shambling monsters. So any prospective healing wizard would require intelligence, knowledge, and impeccable morals; needing all of these together made it too tedious to guard the discipline from others, so rather it was left to be forgotten."

"I see," Priscilla murmured; she had never considered the implications of a magic that influenced the body directly. It was so obvious in hindsight, though. "I shall refrain from it, then. I could not be trusted with such a power."

He did not comment on her musings, but rather moved on: "Speaking of learning a new discipline, I take it you brought Diver to enough proficiency and wish to branch out?" Priscilla gave a simple nod and he clapped his hands in delight. "Wonderful! Is there anything in particular you were considering?"

"Well, Aera did intrigue me, but I heard it was difficult to learn."

"The Exceed magic? Curious."

"You know of Exceed?" She studied her friend curiously, taking note how he froze momentarily. "How so? They are not native to Earthland."

At first he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, but it quickly transitioned into a sigh. "You are right. I visited Edolas a few years ago and met the Exceed there. They were working on something big to save their race from extinction back then, so I lent a hand."

"Pardon, extinction?"

"Ethernano deprivation. It is fatal for Exceed and detrimental for humans here on Earthland, both inherently magical and linked to it since birth." He shook his head softly, disrupting Priscilla's quiet worry. "With Exceed appearing here, I figured they succeeded in their efforts. Anyway, Aera is not something I would recommend for you yet; it belongs in the particularly difficult disciplines, well, at least for humans. We do not have any inherent sense of flight like a bird or Exceed has, and so need to painstakingly learn it even when we manage the intricacies of growing wings."

Priscilla felt she might have a certain advantage, what with her entire race being born to claim the skies. Nonetheless, she figured she should rather defer to his wisdom once more; he had not led her wrong thus far, though the prospect of flight remained tempting. "Very well. What would you recommend, then?"

"We have quite a few options," he reassured, absently turning the orbs from earlier into a rainbow carpet that carried the children to their waiting mothers. "Heavenly Body magic might be interesting to you; it offers a versatile set of spells and favours speed as well as dexterity. Quite complementary of Diver, too. Greater versatility than that would lie in runic magic, which allows to inflict any kind of rule on an area. Or perhaps Telepathy? Silent communication is a force multiplier in larger engagements, not to mention useful to any creative mind. Maybe plant magic, or lightning-" "No."

Her sudden refusal brought his musing up short. Priscilla quickly shook her head. "No lightning," she elaborated. "My kind is averse to it." Then she pondered what else he suggested so far. "Runic magic sounds like a lesser version of my innate powers, so I would not give it much of a priority at this time. I have to admit, Heavenly Body magic does intrigue me."

"Heavenly Body magic it is." He nodded to himself and drew a stack of parchments from nowhere. "What you have to understand is that it aligns with Celestial Spirit magic, in that both connect to the stars that dot the night sky. Technically, the spirits use a special kind of Heavenly Body magic among their own powers. They can instinctively access power from whatever constellation they are aligned with. That is actually where the discipline was adapted from. Now, the basic spell circle is this."

His impromptu lecture concluded, he produced another pattern for Priscilla to copy. She studied it carefully, slowly shaping her Ethernano. Meanwhile, her friend created a second circle and closed his eyes to focus. "But I can definitely recommend script magic to you, for later," he remarked. "Thought Copy."

And just like that, with a vial of ink thrown into the gleaming circle, letters began to inscribe themselves on the parchment. Dozens of pages were filled with sharp writing and diagrams within seconds, then offered to the stunned crossbreed. "Here is everything you will need to learn the discipline. There is too much to it to grasp in a single tutoring session."

"Astonishing," she murmured while receiving the parchments and storing them in her own item box. "To be able to turn your thoughts into writing directly, you must be truly wise."

The response she received was short and wistful: "I always loved magic."

After that, she returned to shaping her spell circle. Humbled though she was, Priscilla's mind began to wander and soon dragged back a memory from earlier in the week. "I just remembered," she began sheepishly, "I never asked your name." She kept working, but took notice of the lack of response; he did not meet her curious gaze, which hurt a little bit. She slowly moved past the feeling and smiled anyway. "But if you prefer not to tell me, I shall refer to you as 'friend' until such a time."

He smiled back now, clearly relieved and delighted by her declaration. They quickly switched back into a long conversation about magic that lasted long into the night.

The next morning, a tired but content wizard saw Priscilla off before making his way out of the village. He made certain to take another path than her, but the children waylaid him with demands of pretty colours and magic; he just could not resist and entertained them another hour before saying goodbye. They waved cheerfully and shouted after him to come back soon, but he knew it would be a while; getting attached never ended well, after all. For now , the curse began to act up; he willed it back down for the time being and sought solitude.

The moment he began to wander down a slope however, he saw her and his mood took a downturn. Black hair cascaded down her back and a navy blue dress ran down her voluptuous figure. Aside from the generous cleavage, it was slitted all the way to her waist. Perhaps she wished to entice him. He figured it was mostly just the chosen, or expected wardrobe a councillor of the Magic Council would wear. Not that she was here in her official function.

Resigned to yet another long conversation, he merely walked past her, ignoring the kneeling woman. "Ultear Malkovich," he greeted, which made her head snap up.

"You know my name?"

He did not respond and rather kept walking; she quickly scrambled to her feet and followed, delightely chattering at him: "It is such an honour to meet you in the flesh!" And so it went, a hundred meaningless platitudes interspersed with requests for lost knowledge. He barely managed not to groan in annoyance.

"So I beg of you, Lord Zeref," she finally ended, "please grant my Master of Grimoire Heart an audience."

He stopped for the first time since they met, having made certain there was no one in sight in either direction. Ultear stared at him hopefully, smiling oh so brightly. Her expression faltered slightly upon seeing the lack of emotion on his.

"No," Zeref said, and promptly erased her memories of the entire conversation. Centuries of knowledge and practice wrangling a divine curse through force of will were brought to bear on the young woman's mind; strong as she was, she could not resist for long. He utterly erased everything Ultear said to him, the conversation itself, and then him. Then he replaced the memory with a fake notion of mistaking someone else for him.

He left behind a dazed Ultear, staring into nothing for another ten minutes before his grasp would fade. Zeref sighed to himself, having had this conversation at least seven times now; she stopped giving him any new information after the fourth. For now, he wanted a deserted place to let his curse run wild for a time. A quick teleportation brought him far away from Ultear, who was only one step above any of these silly cultists he kept hearing about. Zeref really wished people would stop looking for him.

 

[Familiar]

I can tell that I am going to greatly enjoy Priscilla and Zeref's interactions every time they meet.

On another note, the way the topic of Mirajane's Take Over was presented in this story has my inner completionist lamenting the missed opportunity for her to grab Deliora, even though I know it's unrealistic.

And finally, hello Kinana, you've arrived very early. I wonder what's different that has her working at Fairy Tail so soon.

 

[Naron]

Doesn't Erza have an artificial eye? An arm should be much easier to replace, all things considered.

Click to shrink...

I admit I forgot that was actually the case. And honestly, I can not make any statement on how easy or difficult it would be to make an artificial arm in comparison to an artificial eye.

 

[Dahaka1e]

I admit I forgot that was actually the case. And honestly, I can not make any statement on how easy or difficult it would be to make an artificial arm in comparison to an artificial eye.

Click to shrink...

From a biological point of view? much easier. But then again, Gildarts walked around with advanced prosthetics for the rest of the story.

 

[Iseeyou]

Would Zeref's curse even affect Priscilla? Cause I'm going to lmao if Zeref realizes that Pris is immune to Zeref's curse, and cannon takes a nose dive with Zeref trying to woo Pris instead of going crazy and trying to end the world. Imagine that. Earthland loses one of its main antagonists because Zeref now has a possibility of getting laid.

 

[Waterfly]

From a biological point of view? much easier. But then again, Gildarts walked around with advanced prosthetics for the rest of the story.

Click to shrink...

I don't think it's that easy. You'd have to worry about rejection on a whole other level, bones, muscles, regulating muscle growth, nutrient intake, vascular systems, skin pigmentation for radiation shielding, nerves, finger nails and sweat. Anyone of those issues has to be done well enough to not cause complications down the line. Meaning you are looking to make something that works acceptably for about a 100+ years before breaking down and that if you do it to human normal levels.

An eye while finicky as hell has fewer points of error. It might be horridly difficult to get right initially, but far less prone to develop complications form normal use.

 

[Dahaka1e]

An eye while finicky as hell has fewer points of error. It might be horridly difficult to get right initially, but far less prone to develop complications form normal use.

Click to shrink...

The eye is an incredibly complex and at the same time fragile organ, the slightest deviation and Erza would have huge vision problems. Moreover, she cannot cry, which means replacing not only her eyes, but also what surrounds her. At least muscles and glands. Another factor,
eye is in the privileged zone of the immune response. In which case, rejection of the eye will most likely kill the user. As well as any disease that has penetrated through the implant.

 

[Naron]

"A basic application many prospective wizards neglect is multitasking. Through focus, one can project a layer of hardened Ethernano along one's skin to serve as protection against powerful blows and magics. Any seasoned battlemage will have mastered this skill and every career wizard is best served knowing to maintain it while casting other spells."

-excerpt from "The Heart of Magic"

---

After the disaster at Starlet, time thankfully passed in peace. Priscilla did the occasional mission if something caught her fancy, though she found no pressing need to complete many of them for a while; her bargain with Erza still covered more than ten months, not to mention the substantial amount of money Mirajane insisted to pay her for the demon corpse. As it were, Priscilla would be good on currency for a while.

Otherwise, most of her time was spent combing through the detailed and concise notes on Heavenly Body magic. Especially the Meteor movement spell intrigued Priscilla; she saw parallels to Jet's speed magic, but also a curious synergy with Diver. In addition, she received tutoring: Makarov helped her become proficient in leveraging superior size, especially for non-lethal takedowns. He also organised for a venerable member of the Bloodhunter hunting guild to teach her the intricacies of the scythe.

As it had taken weeks to truly reign in her desire to hunt humanity to extinction just because she could, Priscilla greatly appreciated all the lessons. She took to them with determination and enthusiasm, pleasing both Makarov and the old hunter Gehrman. Her nights were spent practicing whatever she learned during the day, creating a cycle of incredible progress; before long, Priscilla could hold her own in battle without any need for Lifehunt.

She always hated to hurt others and thus never learned the art of combat. Now that she did, Priscilla realised it felt good to excel in it, more so than she ever imagined. She held more control of life and death than ever before, being the sole arbiter of when her strikes were meant to kill. Now she could promise herself that no one else would get hurt under her watch.

Around the middle of October, the year's first snow fell; it began an hour before dawn, the first flakes cold against Priscilla's skin. She interrupted her practice to watch for a while, observed Magnolia being covered in a white blanket. The crows that watched her as usual hid away in their nests along the cliffside; not a single one had left for warmer pastures, even though she read the species was at least in part migratory. Priscilla reminded herself to learn enchantments and create a permanent warming spell around their nests. Then she went inside to prepare a small breakfast for herself and the birds, who flocked to her.

Several crows and a raven rode on her shoulders by the time she wandered back into Magnolia, a thick coat of snow crunching under her feet; it felt nostalgic, almost reminiscent of the world Ariamis made for her. Yet at the same time, the painting had never been this vibrant; early risers greeted Priscilla with great joy, men and women shoveling snow off their roads and into large heaps that children of all ages climbed. Snowball fights began about as soon as enough little ones were awake; even Gray and Natsu had joined in. She spied them each leading their 'troops' against the other. Gray acted as a living shield for the children, completely unaffected by the cold despite having shed his clothes along the way; Natsu did the opposite and emitted waves of heat that melted the projectiles before impact. He cackled maniacally until half melted Ice Make orbs slammed into his face.

Priscilla left them to their fun and moved along, pondering whether to shed her garments as well. She ultimately decided against it; clothes began to grow on her by now. Today she wore a teal blouse with orange accents and ruffles that ran out in tight, black pants. She also bound her white hair into a long ponytail, kept together by an equally orange ribbon.

"So cool!"

Then a shout interrupted her musings and Priscilla found herself accosted by an enthusiastic man; clad in a simple pink shirt and blue jeans, his blond hair short beside the one upward spike it formed atop an angular face, he admired her with a starry-eyed gaze. A large, white bag and a camera swung along his body as he stepped closer. "You're one of Fairy Tail's newest members, right?" Taken aback, Priscilla responded only with a nod; his grin grew wider in an instant. "Perfect! I'm Jason, from Weekly Sorceror! Do you mind giving an interview, introduce yourself to the people?"

She shook his hand, both bemused and amused about the curious demeanor. Lucy had explained how entertainment worked before, though the prospect of taking part in it directly was still quite different from being a consumer. Then again. "Do you believe doing so would make people less likely to be afraid of me?"

"Oh, absolutely!" He kept excitedly shaking her finger and began to pull Priscilla toward the guildhall. "I can see it already, everyone will love you!" Mostly amused now, the giantess followed his prompting; Fairy Tail was not far.

Curiously, just about every one of her guildmates they met along the way greeted Jason by name, either with a wave or a high five. The only exception there was Mira, who giggled when the two of them entered. "So you met him already. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess this is fine. Lucy won't come in before nine. I think you wanted to interview her, too?"

"Yup!" Jason finally let go to rub his hands eagerly. He emitted about as much childlike glee as Natsu had in the middle of his snowy campaign against Gray earlier. "I got a free pass for an article about your new members in the first November edition! Oh, and my team will be here around noon. I was thinking everyone could have lunch together and then we do the shoot?"

It took Priscilla a moment to remember the other part of entertainment, the one Mira explained to her some time ago. She was still not quite sure what to make of that, but if humans had such need to satisfy their libido, she would not criticise them. Especially because Mira was paid handsomely for her work and took joy in it.

Right now however, the model's expression fell into a familiar frown. "I knew I forgot something," she muttered before sighing; then she shook her head at Jason. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do it today. Something nasty happened a few weeks ago and I still don't feel all that well. I don't think I can live up to my usual standards."

"Oh." For the first time since meeting him, Jason did not shout. He left a long pause before shrugging. "Well, if you can't, you can't. Guess that's what I get for trying to hit two birds with one stone, but I need that lot for the other pictures, anyway."

"Thank you," Mira responded, already brightening up again. Priscilla shuffled awkwardly at being reminded of Elfman's fate, but her friend gave no indicator that she having noticed. Rather, she hummed in thought. "Actually, how about someone else did the shoot instead? I know at least one person who was interested. Maybe I can get you a few substitute models?"

"Oh? Absolutely!" And Jason, too, was back to rubbing his hands for some reason.

While sidelined for the moment, Priscilla wondered; she heard about the practice before and from everything Mirajane told her, she enjoyed the work. "Pardon," she found herself asking, "but is modeling fun?"

"Hm?" Mira glanced up at the curious crossbreed, her lips twitching. "Fun? Yes, absolutely. But it's hard work, too."

"But oh so rewarding if the shoot turns out just like you wanted, or not at all but even better," Jason added. He easily caught the contemplative look on Priscilla's face and beamed up at her. "Do you want to try?"

"Yes, I think so." She had never done much of anything, so trying out something new ought to be interesting. Jason whooped and the few wizards already present whistled at her for some reason. Mira giggled, too.

"Alright," she began while pushing Jason to another room and motioning Priscilla to follow. "I'll see if I can find some more people for you, now you go have that interview."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The giantess went along, though she had to phase through the wall with Diver; none of the doors could accomodate her still. At least the guild's sprawling library was spacious enough for Priscilla to stand in. She quickly picked up a desk and chair to place centerwise and settled on the other side, facing the reporter with anticipation and curiousity. Jason was already scribbling in some kind of notebook, his expression almost vacant. He stumbled into the chair and sat down mostly on reflex, muttering the occasional "Cool". Whatever temperature had to do with the situation. Perhaps the term had a different meaning in certain contexts, but Priscilla did not pick up on that yet.

"So," he finally addressed her after more furious scribbling, "let's start with the simple things. What's your name?"

That was indeed quite simple. She answered him easily enough, remarking not to put much mind to her last name; questions to her likes and dislikes were easily answered, seeing that she adored people and food while abhorring violence. Or rather, needless violence. Then Jason asked about her origins, which gave Priscilla pause.

"I do not think you will find it on any map," she ultimately settled on. "It is that far away. I still do not know how I ended up arriving here, nor how to return from whence I came." Though her scholarly friend might know; he did say he went to Edolas, she remembered. Then again, why would she want to return to Lordran and her bleak painting?

"Hm. Mysterious home country, I dig it." And Jason was muttering again. He carried on quickly, all but bouncing in his seat: "Now, your magic. What do you have?"

"Well, you saw my Diver earlier. Erza taught me a basic item box for convenience as well, and right now I am practicing Heavenly Body magic." She indulged the clearly curious man by going a little into detail with what her friend explained before; soon enough, the reporter was back to taking notes. Once she was done, he grinned again.

"How about a demonstration?"

"Very well," Priscilla agreed, a spell circle snapping into place. "Meteor."

Jason almost fell out of his chair when a teal blur left his field of vision, vanishing past a bookshelf. He did jump when, half a second later, a giant finger gently tapped his shoulder. Whirling around, the reporter stared up at Priscilla; not a hair was out of place. His mouth opened and closed rapidly before he shed the shock like a wet dog would water. "That was sooo coooool!" he declared while punching the air. "Do you have anything else?"

Going by his eager expression, he hoped for a positive response. Priscilla's face fell, however. She did not want to lie, but letting everyone know about her Lifehunt just could not be right.

As the silence grew longer, he made an understanding noise. "Ah, I see. Something that needs sanctioning?" She just nodded and he scrawled a few quick words. "Cool, cool. I'll just not mention that, we all got our little secrets, don't we? Now tell me about that tail."

The interview went on a while longer, though she carefully skirted around divisive subjects such as her heritage. By the time it concluded, Lucy had arrived and was ushered inside in Priscilla's stead; the young blonde seemed quite happy by the time she reemerged, displaying her Celestial Spirit magic by once again calling on Lyra to sing for the guild. Quite a few children were drawn in by the harp spirit's beautiful song, most of them climbing onto or cuddling with Priscilla; Jason cheerfully took pictures.

There was a bit of a break then as they waited for his team to arrive; Jason himself spent that time talking to various people in mini-interviews, including Makarov. Just about everyone indulged him. His good cheer was clearly infectious.

His team, it turned out, consisted of a dozen motivated men and women, all dressed casually and carrying various kinds of equipment. They took lunch together while discussing suitable locations; their considerations seemed to surround lighting conditions and scenery, among other things. Priscilla wisely stayed out of it, well aware of her own ignorance. While chewing on her pasta and enjoying the spicy sauce however, she suddenly realised a glaring issue.

"Erm, Jason?"

"Yeah?"

Though immediately attentive, he likely picked up on her trepidation. Priscilla hesitated. "What exactly would I have to wear for a photoshoot?"

Several members of his team began an animated discussion amongst themselves while Jason raised his hand, one finger extended. "Well, usually we do bikini shoots." Another finger went up. "Sometimes we do fancy dresses or casual wear." And a third, though more hesitant. "Or nude shoots. Why do you ask?"

"Because," Mira chirped while pushing a large package onto Priscilla's lap, "until just now, she had no swimsuit. Madame Greene is doing god's work with how fast her wardrobe fills, but she is no miracle worker. We figured swimwear is the last thing Pris needs."

"Which is correct," the giantess added as she began to unwrap the package. "I usually swim in the nude." Mira gently slapped her finger, stopping her from revealing the swimsuit; meanwhile, Priscilla's comment certainly drew attention from the partly filled hall. She rolled her eyes, a gesture since learned from her friends. "You really need to stop getting so worked up over nudity. All beings are born naked."

"Soooo," Jason interjected curiously, "you wouldn't mind a nude shoot?"

"I would not mind, no. However," she unknowingly dashed the hopes of several dozen people in an instant, "I just received a new swimsuit for this occasion. It would be rude not to wear it, as I am certain it will be gorgeous."

"I'll let Auntie know you put so much faith in her," Mira quipped with a light chuckle. Then she gave Jason a comforting clap on the shoulder. "Who knows, maybe she likes the work and wants to do another? That aside, I found you two more."

"Oh, really? Cool!"

And so it was that, along the snow-covered beach stood Jason, his team, and three Fairy Tail wizards. Priscilla felt mostly curious while people rearranged her into different poses. Cana seemed to enjoy herself even more than the crossbreed. The brunette sported a daring, black bikini that glittered ever so slightly thanks to the afternoon sun. Priscilla herself wore a dark blue two-piece that stood out sharply against her pale skin. No amount of sunlight would ever change her complexion.

Meanwhile, Laxus appeared a little more grim about the whole thing. It may just be Cana's occasional whistling in his direction, though. "The ladies will love the eye candy," she cooed, drawing cheers from Jason's entire team. "Oh shut up," Cana playfully shouted at them, "you're just happy about the bonus you'll get from the sales!"

"Ain't no one who doesn't like money," a middle-aged woman retorted before motioning Cana along. "Now come over here and sit on our darling's lap. I never thought we'd get to do something like this again. Finding photogenic models that also know body alteration is just impossible, you know?"

"Wouldn't body alteration make people more photogenic?" Laxus asked from his spot at the side, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. His dark yellow swimming trunks stood out starkly against the white countryside. The question prompted a few shrugs.

"Kinda, but not really," one of the men explained with a sigh. "It's like, the lot of them think just 'cause they can adjust their sizes and height and stuff, they don't need to put in work. Don't wanna pose right, pretend they're the most wanted on the market, try to tell us our job, that kinda stuff. 's not like we have that many to begin with, body alteration is hard."

Priscilla listened curiously, hands folded over Cana's legs to hold her steady; the brunette sat firm against her belly, face cast in half-shadow. Anyone but the giantess could see her sly grin as she pointed upward, making big eyes and mouthing 'whoa' to the flashing camera. The giantess herself paid little mind to the occasional snickers. Once they were done with this particular shot, she idly addressed Laxus as it was now his turn to be put into poses. "You do not seem quite happy about this arrangement?"

He scowled momentarily, but ended up shrugging. "I can think of better things to do than standing around in the snow like this. But Mira owes me one for pitching in."

"Oho," Cana purred, sidling up to him while the team simply turned their interactions into another scene. "And what, pray tell, does she owe you? Have a thing for the cute ones, eh?" He did not grace the brunette with an answer, regardless of how much she tried to pry gossip out of him. Priscilla observed the futile effort for a time until it was her turn again.

Three weeks later, in early November, the results of their work were displayed for all to see. A general notion of awe accompanied what Jason's team made with the three models, though Levy pouted about being told off by Mira. As it turned out, while both Levy and Lucy were interested and of age at 17, the older woman decided that three were enough to stand in for her.

Not that Levy's mood held for long. She soon giggled about the headlines and pointed a teasing finger at her blonde friend. "Lovely Lucy, eh? Isn't that a little too cute for you?" She ducked under the unamused swipe before grabbing Lucy's hand and cheerfully throwing her over her shoulder. "But don't worry, I love you anyway," she teased.

While those two were busy scuffling, Priscilla studied her own article. Jason had done good work for both of them, spinning a pleasant tale while also shining an air of mystique on the newcomers. She noticed that Lucy, too, forewent her last name. "I am not quite certain what to make of the title he chose for me," she mused to Mira, who was one of the few people still nearby; most others were already embroiled in the all-out brawl Lucy inadvertently started.

"It is quite fitting, isn't it? 'The gentle giant', that is just like you." Mira beamed up at the dragon lady, who felt divided on the subject. Happy indeed, that the moniker reflected her desire to be kind; a little indignant about such a harmless title, but also worried about living up to it in the future. The events in Starlet still weighed on her mind from time to time, reminding her that slipping once was all it took. And thinking of, she spied Elfman staring at the table he occupied; even before Erza beat down the brawlers for disrupting her cake break, everyone gave him space.

She could not help but ask. "How is he doing?"

Though surprised by the non-sequitur, Mira quickly caught her meaning and leaned against Priscilla's side. "It's tough on him," she explained sadly. "Shadow Gear is back in action, but he can't get himself to take another job. He's afraid of other demons and I can't go with him right now." She hesitated there, but Priscilla understood; it was pride.

"I see. Regardless, he should not sit alone like this." So saying, she rose to approach Elfman and settle by his side; he glanced at her over the rustling of cloth, offering a faint smile that Priscilla returned. "What are you thinking about?"

A shrug was his first response, followed by a long silence. "I'm thinking about stopping," he ultimately said, drawing attention from the people around them. "Being a battlemage, I mean. Guess I'm not made for it." He mirthlessly twitched his stump, though Priscilla kept her mouth shut and let him speak, regardless of her desire to comfort him. "I just don't know what else to do. I worked for this for years."

"Were there any other interests you had when you were younger?"

Her question prompted a pause as he tried to remember, then Elfman laughed. "Yeah, wanted to be a veterinarian. Animal doctor," he added upon seeing her confusion at the unfamiliar term. "But I doubt that'd work with one arm."

This time Priscilla did arch an eyebrow, though her tone remained light. "Well," she began, "I see a challenge more than a hindrance." When she knew she had his attention, the crossbreed made a motion for the world around them. "You can mitigate the lack of an arm with a mastery of telekinesis, and likely at least one or two other disciplines."

She proceeded to steal one of the pancakes Mira stacked on her brother's plate while he was distracted, flipping the whole thing into her mouth and chewing it happily. "Regardless," Priscilla finished after swallowing, "I will practice some more. Until later."

Once she was gone, Elfman laughed humourlessly. "Damn, that girl outpaces me like it's nothing."

"She outpaces all of us," Mira responded from where she was hovering nearby; others agreed from all around them.

Natsu hummed in thought, offering his own thoughts: "Well, Igneel kinda was like that, too. Perfection in all things. I think it's a pride thing for dragons?"

Elfman laughed again in response, though it was more of a sigh. Taking a deep breath, the large man stood, his one clenched fist held to his chest. Be it the reminder of Priscilla's hard work or her challenge, new fire burned in his eyes. He marched through the taproom, coming to stand in front of Erza. Her attention was solely on her strawberry shortcake; she did not even react when he slammed that same fist onto her table, making both woman and platter jump. "Teach me telekinesis!" Elfman demanded.

Erza, unperturbed for but a faint smile, nodded. Then she took another slice of cake as if nothing happened.

"Oh my," was Mira's only comment.

Time began to fly afterward; Elfman went through Erza's brutal training regimen without complaint, much like Priscilla grew proficient with her scythe and Heavenly Body magic. She was proud of her friend as well as herself, having all but mastered the basics and intermediate steps. Two months passed in such a manner and she enjoyed the budding winter, feeling truly alive amidst cold winds and snowfall. It was not quite the same for her guildmates, but most of them remained cheerful also.

Soon, she once again found people decorating; the year was about to end and Magnolia would celebrate. This time there was no parade like Fantasia, but rather a homely celebration within the guildhall. Fairy Tail mostly remained to itself this time, not that she minded. Neither did the townsfolk care, though; various people from around town dropped by the guild to chat. Beside food and drink aplenty, Priscilla spent a great amount of time in conversation, playing games, and belting songs with everyone.

Some hours after nightfall, Makarov ushered them all outside for a fireworks display; anyone with suitable magic at hand participated, from Alzack and Bisca over Natsu to Laxus and his Thunder Legion. Every element imaginable shot into the sky to explode in myriads of colours, yet another display she knew she would not forget anytime soon. Moreover, Priscilla ultimately joined them with a bright smile. Stars shone above and below as she focussed, adding showers of golden sparks to the display with her newest spell, Grand Chariot.

While humans around the city cheered for their fireworks and various pets sought shelter from noise and light, Priscilla felt content. Her draconic side was once more in tune with her, leaving the dragon free of malevolent urges. It was for the best indeed, seeing that soon she would be tested again.

 

[Naron]

"The practice of inscribing spell circles into crystals to conduct Ethernano is commonly referred to as Lacrima. It is the first and easiest step of crafting magical artifacts, removing the difficulty of forming and holding the circle active during battle. Lacrima have no theoretical limit in size, though a greater bulk is naturally more difficult to move. Magical warmachines often function on various synchronised Lacrimas. Special preparation of Lacrima crystals can also allow them to serve as Ethernano storage."

-excerpt from "The Heart of Magic"

---

The night after New Year's day, Priscilla found herself in bed for once. Lying on her belly under the oversized blanket, tail curled up in-between her legs. She breathed evenly, reminiscing the merriment; celebrations lasted till morning and few people slept last night. The first ray of sunlight announced this next year and despite general exhaustion, everyone remained in high spirits. She had to admit, the intricacies and exceptions of the human sleep cycle were intriguing.

Unfortunately, her good mood did not survive even two days. Just after getting out of bed at the crack of dawn and tending to her regular chores, Priscilla wandered into Magnolia to find the guildhall demolished. Great pillars of dark steel impaled the building from all angles, though its sturdy construction kept it standing.

Priscilla was not the only one staring at the gruesome sight with trepidation; even the townsfolk passing by stopped to gaze at it, though there were not many at this time. Only when Makarov strolled up to stand by her side did the dragon snap out of looping anger and worry. "What happened?" she asked him at once.

"On a guess?" He scratched his arm, unconcerned. "Phantom Lord decided to escalate."

She had no idea who this referred to, but felt her hackles rise nonetheless. "And we just let them destroy our home?"

"Ha! Good one!" Makarov laughed cheerfully and waved her inside; he quickly made his way down into the untouched basement with a confused Priscilla in tow. "It's a bit of a shame, of course, but in the end this is just a building. We can rebuild it. They even struck in the midst of night when no one was inside, so we lose nothing that can't be replaced."

"I see," she murmured, calming herself. The master was quite right, even if seeing her favourite place in the world attacked remained agitating. "So all they really hit was the guild's budget." Makarov winced, reminding her of Fairy Tail's loving relationship with Council fines for collateral damage. "Although I believe we can cover most of the work with our own members," she quickly added to console him. "We have varied skillsets at hand, after all."

The elderly man laughed in relief, apparently agreeing with her assessment. "Right, right," he began with a renewed smile. "Now help me set up the basement and bring down the job board. We need some place to gather, after all."

"Of course. Would you tell me about Phantom Lord in the meantime?"

"Certainly."

And so Priscilla learned of the rivalry between Fiore's two biggest guilds. It never really quite went through her head that competition was so fierce, at least on the other end; from how Makarov told it, Fairy Tail did not care much for that. Nonetheless, she missed it entirely with how much she focussed on her own matters, a trend Priscilla felt would continue. She remodeled the storage area into a pub of sorts by the time Mira arrived and others began to trickle in.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. Right the next night, Shadow Gear was attacked. The moment she heard rumours on her way into town, Priscilla raced to the hospital and found three bandaged forms; the doctors did not even bat an eye at her arrival and directed the worried dragon inside. Levy waved from her bed, wincing. "Why do I keep coming here?" she complained weakly. "This is a shitty start to the new year."

She stewed in her own thoughts for a time, expression cycling between wariness and anger. It only stopped when the blunette noticed Priscilla's quickly darkening demeanor. "Don't look like that, I had worse." She winced again while pushing herself up. "I'll be out in a few days. What the demon did to us was way worse."

Priscilla took exception to her flippant attitude, but said nothing. She carried her growing agitation back to the imminent war council in the basement, only hearing half of it. By then she was seething.

A merry shout of "Let's hit them where it hurts" brought her back into the present. Natsu seemed as enthusiastic about it as everyone else, though she missed the details. Yet despite her desire to join them and rend Phantom Lord asunder, Priscilla raised a hand out of the ground with forced calm; the basement was too small for her to occupy fully.

"Will we kill them?"

Her question carried a chill with it that made those closest shiver from actual cold. Makarov immediately shook his head. "No," he denied. "We're giving them the beating of their lifetimes, but I don't want any deaths at this point. Right now the Magic Council will accept justified retaliation, but not escalation."

Unfortunate, but understandable. Priscilla nodded. "In that case, I will have to refrain from joining you." Her meaning was abundantly clear to the master, who likely noticed her bubbling anger; combine that with Lifehunt at her disposal and even she knew she would be tempted to use it. Her uncertainty about whether she could hold back was accepted, at least. Makarov smiled at her.

"Well, we need some people to stay behind anyway. Protect the place and the other members who won't join." He motioned for Lucy and Elfman among others, but Priscilla knew the gesture included Levy and her team as well.

"I will sit out as well," Mystogan added from the room's back. He almost wilted from the many gazes now focussed on him, but remained leaning at the wall. "With Laxus away for his mission and Gildarts out of touch, I rather have an S-ranker back here to make sure." There were murmurs of agreement among the crowd while Erza scowled, though he made certain not to meet her gaze. "I have some ideas of my own, too."

His proposal was accepted without issue and the main force soon headed out. Only a sparse few wizards remained, with Lucy stepping outside to visit Shadow Gear. Priscilla remained in the basement, now alone with Mystogan. He sat down on a crate and ruffled his hair, sighing. "I worry that this will escalate," he confided in the crossbreed after some time. "From what I heard and saw, Master Jose has grown more bitter over the last few years. Phantom Lord went from a guild full of life to a cold place where people only go for work."

He hesitated, though Priscilla nodded her understanding and coaxed him into continuing. "If he does escalate, I'd like to have your help with something. Do you think you can control yourself if it's just us and not everyone riling you up?"

"I do not know, but I believe so."

"Good enough", he decided, producing a map of Fiore with various marks that was smoothed out on another crate. "I could do it alone, but help never hurts."

Through the haze of slowly receding anger, something about the situation sparked curiousity within Priscilla. "Why would you ask me of all people?" she inquired, to which Mystogan shrugged awkwardly.

"You're our most likely contender for S-rank come the next trial, and, well. I have been here for a few years without ever showing my face. And I put people to sleep whenever I came in to pick a job. So connecting with any of them now is, er, awkward. You and I don't have that standing between us."

She could not quite follow why he felt that way, but understood his meaning well enough. The part left unsaid had her smiling. "I will gladly be your friend," she agreed, prompting another embarassed ruffling of Mystogan's blue hair. They then proceeded to shift awkwardly, neither quite certain how to act around a new friend; Priscilla had the convenience of knowing headstrong people who happily dragged her into their interests. Mystogan likely never took initiative before, either. Then again, she reminded herself they were Fairy Tail wizards. The Fairy Tail way was a simple one. "What do you do in your free time?"

"Traveling, mostly." He shrugged lamely. "I go from place to place and complete my missions. Sometimes I read a book, if I have any."

Priscilla could work with that. She leaned in curiously. "So you like to travel?" A hesitant nod kept her going: "What about it would you say you like? Myself, I adore the many beautiful landscapes I see along the way."

"That's...." Mystogan trailed off, clearly lost in thought. "I never really thought about it," he finally admitted. "Going from place to place with my own two feet just feels nice. I like the quiet and the feel of untouched nature, to walk where no humans were in years." He stopped there and glanced at Priscilla, who nodded encouragingly, but her new friend merely shrugged again. "It's not really the places, just the feeling. I don't know how else to describe it."

"I think I understand." And she did, though Priscilla hummed in thought afterward. "Hmm, I do appreciate some introspective peace and quiet as well."

"Could have fooled me." His murmured retort may not have been meant to be said, but she heard it anyway.

"Pardon?"

"It's just, every time I see you, you are right in the crowd." Mystogan motioned for the taproom above. "It's just weird to imagine you not being right there."

"A fair point," she admitted with a faint smile. "Truth be told, I mostly relegate my own introspections to when I am alone. After centuries spent locked away in a painting, I much appreciate the chance to interact with people who were not also thrown in there or came to me because they desire death."

"...wait, what?"

"Hm? Oh, I am a bit older than humans generally become. My mind tends to wander is all. So I can not quite say how many centuries it has been since my birth. Perhaps my first millennium is already complete? Maybe more, even."

Priscilla's kind recounting left Mystogan staring at her. After a few seconds, he slowly shook his head. "Nevermind that, not what I meant. Why were you locked up, and in a painting, and why do people come to you to die?"

In retrospect, she should have expected that to be what bothered him. Priscilla offered a miniscule shrug. "Fear, both of myself and mine creator. They feared me because my touch was death, even to the gods. Yet Lord Gwyn ordered my banished instead of killed, for my creator held great favour in his court. And so the painter god Ariamis created a prison for me, to be hidden until world's end."

"Your creator being?"

"A kinslayer."

"Were you a weapon, then? Did he make you to fight his enemies?"

"I... do not know."

It stung to admit this, but she never asked. Priscilla winced, thinking back to the few days she had spent near Seath. "He never offered that knowledge, though perhaps I am to blame. Conceit was always my greatest vice, as it were for most of our kind. It took me centuries of meditation to rein in my pride. What little time I spent with my creator, I spurned him at every opportunity while believing him beneath me."

"But you did not kill him?"

"And make myself a kinslayer?"

"Fair."

He actually winced while saying that, which amused Priscilla. She liked the conversation, even if this subject matter was not one of her favourites. Speaking of her origins felt nostalgic, if nothing else. "But to answer your other question: a curse developed among the humans of my world. The Darksign would appear on their bodies, making them Undead that kept reviving after death. No matter how badly maimed or destroyed the body ended up, it always came back; the human mind would erode over lifetimes or deaths, sometimes both, leaving them mere husks that they call hollows."

Mystogan followed her explanation with a grimace. "Your world sounds awful," he finally commented, then winced. "Uh, no offense." She shrugged, not quite disagreeing with that assessment. "But you could kill them?"

"Yes. My Lifehunt is potent enough to kill anything which has a soul. Gods and Undead alike, they are all equal before death." So said, Priscilla sheepishly bit her lip. "Would you, ah, keep these details to yourself? I have not explained the specifics to anyone else, and I feel knowing would needlessly disturb them."

His nod was all the answer she needed to smile again; they quickly transitioned into other, less uneasy subjects from there. Priscilla slowly coaxed other hobbies out of her new friend, such as an appreciation for woodcarving; he actually carved his five staves himself before having them enchanted. From there, she also learned that he focussed on holder-type magic, the art of using magical objects, because he lacked the innate ability to sense Ethernano just like her. Each stave had its own set of inbuilt spells that he used at will and could combine with the rest; this was supported by a decently sized capacity for magical power.

Unfortunately, the slowly easing atmosphere quickly regained its tension when their main force returned, sans Natsu but with an unconcious Makarov. Alzack and Bisca rushed the master to Polyushka, but Priscilla's thoughts short-circuited at the pitiful sight of such a powerful man brought low. His skin was discoloured in a sickly green; she vaguely recalled that lack of Ethernano could be detrimental, but to a human far past his prime? It may well be lethal. No one saw how it happened.

Then Natsu wandered in, bringing a disheveled Lucy and a more personal failing; neither her nor Mystogan even realised their guildmate was kidnapped. She apologised immediately, but Lucy waved her off. "It's fine. I mean, they would have come after me anyway. This is all my fault."

She began to brood at the table Natsu put her at, refusing any notion to the contrary with stoic silence. "Master Jose told me himself," she finally answered the guild as a whole, unable to meet their eyes for how much trouble she made. Of course the past would catch up. Sighing heavily, she resigned herself to at least tell them the truth. "My father is Jude Heartfilia. You probably heard of him." The collective gasp was answer enough; everyone would have heard of Fiore's third richest man, the only one who worked himself into wealth instead of inheriting it or being the king. "And he wasn't happy that I ran away. So he hired Phantom Lord to bring me back."

"That is...." Priscilla began, but was drowned out by a cacophony of shouts from all around; Cana dragged Lucy into a tight hug, followed by Mira and Wakaba. She was then passed around without any care for her share of the blame, receiving hugs and reassurances along the way; Lucy's eyes stung, but she somehow managed to force down the tears. By the time Macao gave her a push toward Mystogan and Priscilla, she was smiling again. The S-ranker gave her an awkward pat on the head before the giantess hugged her tightly. While doing so however, she finished her sentence: "That is illegal. The Magic Council strictly forbids assassination, kidnapping, transport of volatile materials and drugs."

She chuckled weakly against the far taller woman's chest. "The Magic Council needs to figure it out first. They obviously didn't plan for me to escape and tell anyone. Besides, when you're rich the law is more of a guideline, you just pay the fine or the judge and go on your merry way." Something she admittedly had done once or twice in the past, not that anyone needed to know.

"I see." When the half-dragon lady put her down, her expression was strangely empty. At first Lucy thought she offended her somehow, but then she noticed Mystogan walking away; five staves were strapped to his shoulder and he stopped at the stairs, glancing back at Priscilla. She rose without a word and phased through the ground to follow.

"Where are you going?" Mira demanded, to no response from the giantess. Mystogan met her gaze head-on.

"Working on something. You have Erza here just in case." The moment he said her name, the redhead flinched; Lucy reminded herself to drag the whole story out of her friend (?) sometime soon. Erza walked on eggshells around Mystogan everytime they met, either annoyed or depressed.

With those two gone however, some idle chatter popped up to discuss what they might be up to. Lucy let herself be pushed back onto her seat and was presented with a full meal, which she appreciated after the excitement. While eating, she idly listened to Mirajane's Lacrima-based conversation with Laxus.

"Are you serious?" he inquired with some mixture between confusion and annoyance. "Fairy Tail has the best wizards in the country. They had the old man and Erza leading the charge. How could those weaklings still lose?"

"Someone ambushed the master, most likely one of their Element Four. He's with Polyushka right now, but we don't know if he will even survive Ethernano deprivation at his age."

"...I'm on my way." The sudden shift from arrogant to serious had Lucy lift her gaze, finding not a trace of conceit on Laxus in that moment. He leered through the crystal ball, the force of his mood almost palpably affecting a room he was not even in. "But you," he added while pointing at Mira, "owe me a favour."

The model rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure," she agreed with a dismissive wave. "Just hurry." The connection cut off and Mira slumped into a nearby chair, muttering about idiots and posturing. Lucy reached over to pat her shoulder, which earned her a tired smile.

That eventful day soon came to a close, thankfully without any further issues. Unfortunately for Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord did not give them more than a single night to rest; just the next day, their rival guild's headquarters came marching into the harbor on giant legs, having turned into a golem of some sort. Natsu rushed inside first while Mirajane had to put Lucy to sleep, keeping the enemy's objective from following her friends into battle.

It got worse when Jose himself unleashed dozens of reforming phantom automatons on the guild, unable to be slain. They could not ignore them lest they attack anyone in sight. And then, to make it even worse for Fairy Tail, the golem expressed a military magic cannon, Jupiter.

Unfortunately for Jose, no amount of firepower could pass by the iron will of Erza Scarlet. Armour inlaid with protective enchantments and her most powerful shield weathered the blast, but were destroyed. The force of impact threw her back, making the knightess roll on the ground for a few metres. Coming to lie on her back with nary any reserves left, she blinked faintly while half hearing the enemy Master's taunts. Her lips twitched upward, however.

"Fool," Erza told no one in a soft whisper, interrupted by a violent cough. "I'm just buying time."

While she fainted and others ran to drag her to safety, Mirajane passed them transformed into a perfect copy of Lucy. Elfman and Gray charged up into the walking base while the cannon reloaded. And far above them, the dark clouds raining atop Phantom Lord's base shuddered as distant currents neared.

 

[Naron]

"Take Over is a powerful and surprisingly versatile combat magic discipline. Originally adapted from other species, the wizard absorbs a specific type of creature and subdues their soul in a battle of wills. The type of creature depends on what the Take Over is keyed to, but can be just about anything, excluding their own species. Great caution is advised here; if the battle for dominance is lost, the wizard will find themselves subdued and become a host for their mark. Should they stand victorious, they can now adapt traits from the subdued enemy and use them in battle at will."

-excerpt from "The Soul of Magic"

---

By himself, Jellal of Edolas, or Mystogan as he was known, decided that he chose correctly; removing Priscilla from the main battle may have been his most brilliant idea to date. Between his Speed magic and her own Meteor, they raced between villages and towns. He barely even had to do any work, what with her working through some pent-up aggression as they went. This same aggression was the other reason he felt reassured; leaving her near a far more volatile situation without proper supervision could have spelled disaster.

Wandering through yet another devastated building, he noted various bodies crumpled on the floor or against the walls. Some were moaning faintly and two unharmed ones were busy fussing over their downed guildmates; a quick Sleep spell took them down. Then he proceeded to administer first aid where needed, wincing ever so slightly at the almost casual beatdown his new friend delivered. That was still weird, he mused while tending to one woman in a small crater on the ground, solid stone split apart by brute force. He did not have a friend in years, even before his odyssey to Earthland.

"Please, help...." a weak voice called from nearby, but he ignored the woman. She would be fine. Priscilla did not go overboard too often, though the desperate shouting up ahead spoke of more work for him. Shame.

Mystogan strolled along, making certain they got every wizard in this Phantom Lord outpost; it was times like these he wished for the ability to sense Ethernano. There may be a dozen ambushes or hideouts he simply missed for its lack.

The silent complaints stopped when he entered the manor's main hall, where a group of five were still under fire. Showers of golden light rained from the walls, swallowing up the lot before exploding violently; Mystogan closed his eyes in time to not be blinded. Thanks to that, he got to watch Priscilla erupt from the floor, grasping two of her unfortunate victims and smashing them together. She twirled around an errant fireball and transitioned into a hard kick against the third; Mystogan heard bones break from where he stood, wincing when the body slammed into a wall left of him. That was too far.

"Priscilla!"

His shout may be a little less steadfast than he wanted it to, but being a little intimidated by her prowess was justifiable to himself. By her own admission, she had driven fear into physical gods as an infant. Thankfully, Priscilla did come to a halt just before her fist smashed the last wizard standing into the ground. The woman crouched, trembling arms raised to protect her face.

"Calm down," he added, still thankful that his friend was a reasonable person. She held the position a moment longer before pulling back, taking a deep breath. The battered woman she was in the process of brutalising stared up fearfully, a slowly emerging spark of hope extinguished when her eyes fell shut and she slumped forward. Mystogan attached the stave to his back again afterward.

"Apologies," Priscilla murmured after a minute of studying her handiwork. "I was losing myself. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

He quickly saw to stabilising the last few wizards in need of medical attention. In the meantime, his friend stepped forward to gather up Phantom Lord's banner from the room's head. Where Fairy Tail remained centralised, their rival guild held small dwellings and outposts throughout the country; they sported a lot more members as well, but their quality suffered from that approach. Some of the people here did not even know how to protect themselves with a shroud of Ethernano, a practice even Mystogan figured out without the senses to know when it covered his skin.

He received the banner and put it into his bag, noting that it was already bulging with similar pieces. "Just a few more," he commented, then checked the map to make certain. "Up north now."

"Lead the way."

And so they left yet another confused town. Neither wizard was willing to elaborate, or even stop to hear anyone's questions. They were gone as fast as they appeared, mere whispers on the wind.

Meanwhile in Magnolia, the rain atop Phantom Lord's main base intensified. None of the Element Four worried about the handful of intruders, though two were soon locked in combat. Down below in the golem's belly, Natsu faced Totomaru of Flames, the fire ruler. Happy watched in despair how his friend and foster father's flames were taken control of; by all accounts, Totomaru was the worst kind of opponent for Natsu.

"Have you really not learned it yet, buddy?" the other wizard taunted just after making Natsu punch himself with a fire-wreathed fist. "It doesn't matter how much power you put into it or how hot the flame becomes. The moment it ignites, it's mine!"

Happy fretted at the sidelines, hoping against all hope that help would arrive in time. Natsu could break through walls with his hard head, he could definitely figure something out sooner or later, too. Happy believed, but at the same time he hurt every time his Natsu got injured.

With the next misguided punch, he had enough. "Leave Natsu alone!" Happy shouted and dashed forward on white-feathered wings. From deep within he drew power, his other magic that he never dared use. But if not now, then when? "Nephilim Fist!"

"What are you going to-" was all Totomaru managed before a tiny, blue paw hit his shin. The moment Happy's magic connected, it violently tore through the human's protective Ethernano like a hot knife goes through butter. His leg broke and he dropped with a scream.

But Happy was not done. "Nephilim Fist!" he shouted again as the magic came once more, bopping Totomaru in the face and knocking him out despite the lack of force. He had only a little skill in hand-to-hand combat, but the surprise assured a swift victory. A red paw print remained on the downed wizard's forehead, spider cracks of broken skin radiating from the point of contact.

Once his shallow breathing evened out however, Happy realised the fight was over. And that Natsu saw it. He was tempted to take wing and flee from what he knew was coming, the disgust. But when he forced himself to look, all Natsu had for him were a fond if tired smile, and a thumbs up. "Good job," he praised. "I didn't even know you could do that. What's it called? 'Nephilim Fist'? What kind of magic is that?"

So it was because Natsu did not know. Happy averted his gaze, unwilling to say but even less willing to stay silent. "Humanslayer," he muttered, hoping against all hope Natsu did not hear. Unfortunately, a Dragonslayer had great senses; the way his bestest friend's expression grew first shocked and then somber, he definitely heard.

Elsewhere, Monsier de Sol of Earth had just finished taunting Elfman and displaying a helpless Mirajane, captured by the golem base's hand. To the earth wizard's shock, his opponent proceeded to go past his limits and unleash the King of Beasts he could never quite control before.

Up above, the rain began to let up as Gray's battle with Phantom Lord's Juvia came to a close; she could still fight, mind, but her heart raced too much for her to want that. There were some miscommunications and maybe she overreacted a tiny bit, but her opponent revealed himself as a not just attractive but also kind man. They both lay on the ground, staring upward as the afternoon sun broke through the clouds; Juvia had not seen it in years.

Before her rainclouds vanished entirely however, lightning zig-zagged through the blackness and struck the base's headpiece. Juvia blinked in surprise and breathed the smell of ozone that followed. "Weird," she murmured. "I never have lightning in my rain."

For some reason, he chuckled at that; when Juvia glanced his way, he threw her grin. "That's because this wasn't normal lightning."

"Oh." It took her a moment to remember who of Fairy Tail controlled that particular element. Once she did, Juvia turned a little more pale. "Oh."

Meanwhile, Master Jose laughed boisterously and ignored his three underlings twitching on the ground. "What do we have here?" he jeered, gaze focussed on the imposing figure standing in his control room. "Makarov can not come to join us, so he sends his cherished grandson instead? Ah well, perhaps you are an actual challenge."

Laxus merely snorted, arms crossed and an almost disinterested look on his face. "Don't lump me in with the losers," he drawled at the older man. "None of them are on my level. But I've gotta say, you are such a brave man. Having your weaklings fight instead of coming to us yourself. Last time I checked, cowardice wasn't one of Phantom Lord's tenets. Afraid of facing the old man yourself, weren't you?" He snorted again over Jose's furious grimace. "But looking at you in person, I can see why."

Despite his boiling anger, Jose did not snap. Rather, he channelled it into condescension. "Hah. Makarov will die and your guild is destroyed. In a few minutes Jupiter-" was as far as he got when a blaring siren cut him off; a nearby set of lights went dark, indicating that the magical cannon's power source was destroyed.

Laxus offered a dark chuckle in response, clapping his hands ever so slowly. "How impressive, you needed an ambush to defeat an ancient man who could have dropped dead any day. As for my guild...." he trailed off with a nod downward, where Ethernano spiked beneath them.

On their way up the animated base, Happy rode on Natsu's shoulder; even if his friend took the news well enough, the little feline, or Exceed as Mystogan told him he was, could not bear to speak. After some time, Natsu picked him off with a kind smile. "Don't be down like this, it's not like you." Any backtalk was prevented by a soft flick to his forehead. "It's okay."

"B-But, but this is, I am...."

"Shh, it's okay." Natsu hugged the child he helped hatch against his warm chest, nose twitching. "We're both monsters, so it's okay."

"So saddening!" another voice shouted from up ahead. Happy's head snapped around despite his confusion. Before them stood a massive man garbed in a long, green coat with some orange visible around the collar; even his top hat was green. A gauze blindfold hid his gaze, though the fabric was damp from continuously streaming tears. "So heartwarming!" he continued, "A man and his friend, speaking from the heart! So unfortunate, that your path is cut off now."

"You're the one that did gramps in," Natsu stated calmly. "He smelled of you." The fur on Happy's entire body stood on end in response and a feral snarl loosed from his throat. Someone who hurt the master had to be hurt back. However, his fury broke away when Natsu only gave him a soft pat on the head and placed him down. "Remember what I just said?" he reminded the Exceed with a gentle smile. "Watch."

At the same time, Elfman's handicap of possessing but one arm saw him defeated. Before Mirajane's helpless eyes, Sol beat her little brother down one last time; he did not get up, buried under half a ton of rubble from the surrounding corridor. Their rampage left this entire area in ruins, not that Sol seemed to care; he was bruised, the ochre suit torn and his monocle lost, but chuckled anyway. "Non non non," he taunted cheerfully. "Never would a second rate cripple surpass a man such as myself. Now it is time for you to accept your early grave."

Horror scenarios had run through Mira's head for a while now, worry warring with fear and hope in equal measure. Now that hope was dashed and the other two became overbearing, she struggled against her bindings again with a strangled scream. Despair entered the mix, riding on the memory of holding Lisanna's cold body in her arms that day. Mirajane shuddered, hyperfocussing on her brother as the rubble began to press in on him. To crush him.

Then something within her broke, and magic flowed. The lump in her throat vanished, a cascade of Ethernano pouring forth from every pore of her body. A black circle snapped into place, its presence drawing Sol's shocked attention. Mira howled so loud that even Fairy Tail underneath could hear; then a pillar of darkness followed, enveloping her and breaking the mechanised hand. "Satan Soul!" she roared.

When the black light fell away, Mira was already halfway toward Sol. Her feral snarl sat on a face oh so similar yet different, framed by a soft plume belying the razor sharp claws growing from every single finger. Avian feet tore gouges into the ground as she ran.

Meanwhile, Natsu's skin began to discolour, growing black scales while his pupils turned into slits. "Demon King's Flaming Wreath," he intoned, and was encased by dark fire so hot it made the ground beneath his feet liquify. A pair of horns grew from his head, curling backward in reminiscence of a crown. Aria stood before him with clear uncertainty, having taken a single step back when Natsu inhaled, a spell circle forming before him. "Demonic Dragon's Breath!" he shouted, and exhaled a noxious black flame. It drew in the wreath and exploded forward. Aria of the Wind would have survived it even, had the elusive wizard not tried to evade by turning into air. Air that the flame consumed in its entirety.

At the same time, Mirajane's claws tore open Monsier de Sol's chest and splattered blood all over the corridor. Her banshee's scream reverberated, then changed in pitch when she grabbed his head and threw him forward, where he was engulfed by a beam of demonic fire. The enraged demoness blinked at that momentarily, then stared into the metres-wide hole; it reached over fifty metres through the colossus, revealing a softly panting Natsu. The moment their eyes met, he waved before grabbing Happy with his clawed hands and running off. Compelled to follow him, Mirajane roared challenge upon the intruders that dared lay hand on her family. She raced through the molten tunnel, uncaring for the heat. Rubble shifted behind her, a battered but alive Elfman slowly digging himself out.

"Do you hear that?" Laxus smugly told the flabbergasted Jose. It was impossible not to hear the roars and sounds of rampaging demons below. The entire structure shook, tilting precariously. "That's the sound of your guild going down the drain."

"Enough," Jose glowered, wrapping himself in thin blankets of shadow. "You will pay for this, and then I will deal with the rest of your mangy guild."

"Hmph. Bring it."

With a crackling burst, lightning struck the screen of shadows covering Jose. Laxus bounced off and reformed behind his opponent, backhanding a phantom that tried to gnaw on him. Jose responded with more shades while shrouding the shaking room in unnatural darkness; it did not last because great currents speared the air and disrupted his spell. The pieces disintegrated around them, revealing a dozen phantoms circling Laxus. Jose chuckled. "So much for being Makarov's grandson. You-"

A fist met his face, having punched clean through the protections. Jose went flying into the wall; only the coat of living shadows prevented him from taking a bath far below. The two combatant stared at each other momentarily, one in shock and the other with a grim expression. "You still don't get it," the younger man drawled, cracking his knuckles. "This isn't about the old man. This is about the guild." His voice grew in volume until he dashed forward. "I'm Fairy Tail's LAXUS!!" he screamed, a supercharged fist breaking through the wall Jose just occupied. The force of impact broke every fibre of reinforced stone over several metres.

"And you picked a fight with the wrong guild," Laxus finished while turning to where Jose reappeared.

That was the last they said and their fight began in earnest. Jose snaked through the darkness he exuded, continuously sending his ever reforming shadow soldiers at Laxus; where any lesser wizard would be caught off-guard and overwhelmed however, he kept up his offense. Every time Jose made headway in outmaneuvering him, the lightning wizard turned to his favoured element and repositioned instantly. Often with a devastating blow against his enemy's defenses. But where a single strike of his would have felled lesser wizards, Jose had earned the title of Wizard Saint and kept fighting.

The momentary explosions of darkness and flashes of lightning, the racing hearts, their focus on each other, made neither of them notice Natsu passing by nearby in search of Lucy. He had since reverted to normal and parted ways with Mirajane, who kept rampaging below. Though tired from the previous exertion and a little shaken from accidentally killing a man, Natsu was ready to face Black Steel Gajeel, the Iron Dragonslayer. The fact he obviously beat up Lucy after capturing her again made Natsu's brow furrow, but he focussed on the oddly familiar man.

"I thought about it before," he mused idly, "but now I'm sure. Where've you been all these years? Phantom, seriously?"

"None of your business," Gajeel groused back, his wild mane of black hair fluttering in the wind coming in from broken windows. "Not like you ever showed your face." He slammed a fist into his palm, producing sounds more akin to steel hitting steel. "What're you gonna do about it, huh? Think you can take me?"

Lucy and Happy stayed at the sidelines, more confused than anything else. "Do they know each other?" the blonde asked her Exceed friend, who shrugged. Natsu had heard, though.

"Yeah, I know that guy," he called loudly, eyes never leaving Gajeel. "Bit of an asshole, him. Anyway." Natsu sniffed once, twice, and frowned. "Did you find her?"

"Her? Oh, right. No."

Neither of them elaborated for their small audience, though the response left Natsu decidedly unhappy. Even if the little one ran away, that neither of them found her was a problem. He sighed. "Alright. She's probably fine anyway, if your ugly face made it this far." He cackled about the anger filling Gajeel's expression, the line of piercings over his eyebrows almost popping out. His tattered, dark robe fluttered over thick leather pants. He looked healthy, at least. Natsu let his fire ignite around one fist and grinned. "Now it's time for your beating. I'm all fired up!"

Gajeel's skin discoloured in response, taking the properties of actual iron. He scowled. "We'll see which of us is better, Salamander."

They proceeded into a battle in Gajeel's favour; even the general advantage of iron against fire aside, Natsu already fought earlier. Happy and Lucy watched them go at each other, neither willing to interfere for fear of distracting their friend; moreover, Lucy had no Gate Keys on her, having lost them in the earlier chase.

Minutes later, both fighters were panting heavily, bruised and scorched but still standing. Just as they made to charge each other again however, a bright light shone down on the ravaged room. The Dragonslayers glared up, Lucy and Happy raised their gazes. Jose did the same not far from them, singed and bruised. A giant spell circle floated above the invading golem.

Phantom Lord's master stared in incomprehension, having received a second haymaker to the jaw that made him see stars. His eyes flickered to the stationary Laxus, his clothes torn and body sporting various tiny cuts where the phantoms struck; between the hands raised before him floated an orb of gentle, golden light. "We're done," the Fairy Tail wizard declared with finality, eyes dilating as he crushed the orb between his palms. "Fairy Law! Activate!"

And then there was light. It flooded the colossus from above, filling every nook and cranny. Jose's phantoms were washed away like stains of dirt, his protections faded. Down below, Fairy Tail's struggle ceased as their remaining enemies evaporated; the shine made them all feel at ease. Natsu and Gajeel stopped their battle, fully aware that such light did not belong to Phantom Lord; Lucy basked in it, felt it soothe her many bruises.

Deep in the golem's belly, Mirajane raised her head and stood still to behold the beautiful light. She slowly exhaled and let go of her wrath, the transformation washing away.

On the path home, Mystogan and Priscilla saw it as well; they stopped in their tracks to watch from afar, mesmerised by Fairy Law's glory. Not far from them, a faintly breathing Makarov opened his eyes a crack to glance out of the window; he soon fell asleep again, a soft smile playing around his lips.

A diminutive, blonde girl watched the display from the rooftops. She kicked her legs and bare feet idly, smiling. "I told you you can do it," she told no one. "That is why I taught it to you." A moment later, she was gone.

And even further away but also on the path to Magnolia, Zeref stopped in his tracks. He could not even see, but his senses told him all he needed to know. "So I am not needed after all," he murmured, relieved but also despondent. Even though he felt it in the air earlier, the scent of flame and darkness entwined, he could not bear to draw close now that he knew they were alright. "At least I now know where you were all this time. Natsu."

 

[Euroteres]

Oh, interesting. Looks like Priscilla's appearance in the world has caused or was caused some notable changes before her appearance.

 

[Memoria]

"Are you serious?" he inquired with some mixture between confusion and annoyance. "Fairy Tail has the best wizards in the country. They had the old man and Erza leading the charge. How could those weaklings still lose?"

"Someone ambushed the master, most likely one of their Element Four. He's with Polyushka right now, but we don't know if he will even survive Ethernano deprivation at his age."

Click to shrink...

Huh. What changed with him from canon to evoke this reaction?

Going back over the story, he reacted to grab Porlyushka when he heard their people were hurt by a demon, which is too serious to just pass off as losing for being weak. Then perhaps with the memory of Elfman getting maimed so fresh in his mind, the idea of his grandfather not making it is more real and he can't just laugh and brush it off. Am I right?

 

[Naron]

Huh. What changed with him from canon to evoke this reaction?

Going back over the story, he reacted to grab Porlyushka when he heard their people were hurt by a demon, which is too serious to just pass off as losing for being weak. Then perhaps with the memory of Elfman getting maimed so fresh in his mind, the idea of his grandfather not making it is more real and he can't just laugh and brush it off. Am I right?

Click to shrink...

Kinda yes, kinda no.

As I do not ascribe to the philosophy that being punched really hard suddenly makes someone a better person, the result of the Battle Of Fairy Tail arc was... meh. I like Laxus' character concept, the jerk with a heart of gold, but always felt Mashima went about one step too far into making him an obnoxious jerk early on. Then suddenly the big guy can not kill everyone with Fairy Law because he cares deep down? Yeah, uh... no.

Add to it the thing with Elfman and we have a completely different story beat there.

Effectively, I dialed Laxus' degree of asshole down by a notch or two compared to canon. Which is actually something I have done with quite a number of people and things across the board; once they are no longer so extreme, suddenly they become a lot more pleasant to my sensibilities.

Another example would be the gratuitious fanservice, especially the portions with Lucy as the victim. I still included some, as is the Fairy Tail way, but all of it by the people who do not mind flaunting it a bit.

 

[ArcherOfBlades]

Oh, interesting. Looks like Priscilla's appearance in the world has caused or was caused some notable changes before her appearance.

Click to shrink...

Dont you just love it when a writer has more than a few reasons for an AU than "Just cause"

 

[Naron]

"Magic is inheritable, to an extent; this shall be referred to as Affinity. Any spell circles a wizard internalised properly by the time they sire or bear a child, will be inherited by that same child. They lie dormant until the offspring begins to actively use Ethernano themselves, though moments of strong emotion may unlock them instinctively. These imprints upon the soul are often lost between generations if a child does not actively practice magic. Sometimes one's grandchildren may retain the ingrained spell circles, a process which is not quite clear at this point. My personal suspicion is that the more complex a circle is, the less likely it is to be passed through dormancy intact."

-excerpt from "The Heart of Magic"

---

A crowd of exhausted wizards gathered before the rubble that used to be their guildhall. Most sunk to the ground for precious rest, but all still offered smiles to their returning vanguard; Natsu and Lucy were first, both beaten up but happy. Then Gray limped along, followed by Laxus steadying the battered Elfman. Finally, Mira arrived in a dress mostly shredded and wearing a smile ever so somber.

"So it is over," Mystogan broke the exhausted silence, himself and Priscilla joining the group soon after. He carried a large bag containing their spoils while the crossbreed remained alert, searching for enemies but finding none.

With her instinct satisifed, she focussed on the group curiously. "Whatever was that light we saw? It reached us even from such distance."

"I was wondering about that too," Lucy admitted from her place on the ground next to Cana. The brunette offered a wineskin, of which she took a measured swig before continuing. "Is it one of the Fairy Magics?"

Priscilla tilted her head in wonder, though everyone else nodded. Mirajane leaned forward to pat Laxus' broad bicep as she explained: "Keeping them a secret is basically impossible, so we don't. Only a handful of wizards get to learn one of the three Great Fairy Magics, and even less are able to cast them. They are Fairy Sphere, the perfect protection spell, Fairy Glitter, the absolute point destruction, and what you saw today, Fairy Law, the absolute area denial. It's famous for destroying only the caster's enemies and nothing else. I had no idea you even knew it," she added with a faint, impish grin.

Laxus just grunted in response, standing more relaxed than Priscilla ever saw him. Maybe it was the exhaustion. "Little brat told me where to find the book. No idea how she knew." His gaze hardened somewhat when he focussed on the two returning members. "Where were you anyway?" In response, Mystogan opened the bag and upended it; dozens of Phantom Lord banners in various dark colours spilled out, pooling on the cobblestone for all to see. A momentary silence followed as everyone digested that. Laxus simply nodded. "Alright."

Priscilla's gaze was inevitably drawn by the devastated guildhall during that pause; it was just too much to miss, the entire building demolished. She already managed to remove most furniture and the library in preparation, but the sorry sight still had her at the verge of tears. It still had her want to march into the giant golem in the bay and slaughter whoever survived.

Her mood seemed contagious, seeing how the general atmosphere shifted when others followed her gaze. However, the uneven steps of a limping Erza distracted them somewhat. Though clad in but a thin gown that revealed various bruises over her body, the knightess still radiated calm and pride. "It is just a building," she reminded the guild as a whole of Makarov's words. "We can rebuild it."

"Hey guys," another faintly familiar voice interrupted whatever speech she planned. "I got- the hell happened here? And what's with the walking fortress in the bay? Wasn't there a fight?" Everyone now stared at Gildarts, who dropped his pack without a care in the world and approached them.

"It... ended half an hour ago, old man," Laxus finally got out, just as dumbfounded as the rest.

"Well, shit. Sorry about that."

Despite everything, the exchange drew some laughter from the defenders. Macao chuckled, then got up with a grunt to clap Gildarts' shoulder. "Well, now that you're here, I guess we've got a job for you." He motioned for the ruins with a wry grin. "Time to rebuild it, better than ever."

Priscilla wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment, though a sudden wail made her head snap around. Be it the realisation that it was over or simply a breaking point, Lucy began to cry her heart out from relief. Laxus, standing almost next to her, rolled his eyes. "Stop bawling already," he drawled without any heat, patting her head once; the motion earned him several knowing smiles. Even Erza chuckled.

Then Gray gave Natsu a push, making the Dragonslayer stumble forward; he had a crying Lucy clinging to him moments later. Gildarts used the chance to check on Cana, but found his daughter perfectly fine. Others soon began to embrace as well, celebrating the end of their battle; Priscilla found herself almost buried in bodies for a while. Some time passed until they could get to work, though the townsfolk thankfully gave them space.

Before the guild could do more than clear rubble however, the Magic Council's Rune Knights appeared to take them all into custody; Priscilla bristled, but Mira and Erza took over talking to their commander before unfortunate things could be said or done. When the stern-faced woman who asked for Makarov learned that he was still in critical condition and with a healer, she relented on that matter. Her subordinates gathered the Phantom Lord members they could get ahold of and brought them away. Even a pale, shivering Jose was found where Laxus left him. As it turned out, Fairy Law did not kill the man; rather, it burned away his magic reserves. This would probably leave him his powers, but stunted them at the same time. He would never wield the might of a Wizard Saint again.

Once everyone's statements were taken, the Rune Knights left them to their work; just as they hoped, Phantom Lord took all of the blame for the entire conflict. Fairy Tail's non-lethal approach and surprisingly strict focus on minimising collateral damage earned them some goodwill. The latter part also earned Mystogan and Priscilla some looks because they did try to limit destruction to Phantom Lord property.

Then it was time for work and she quickly made herself useful; while Gildarts efficiently carved away torn parts of foundation and turned it into whole metal bars or wooden planks with Crush magic, Priscilla carried the new raw materials away in her arms. For that first afternoon, she was just about the only one still up to hard work.

As it turned out over the next days, Jose had kept a close eye on his guild's movements. He shouldered most of the blame and received a lengthy prison sentence, to be spent recovering from the ordeal in custody. The surviving Element Four each received hefty fines, but everyone else without previous criminal offenses was let off the hook. Most of Phantom Lord's coffers, however, were confiscated and offered to Fairy Tail as reparations. They quickly allocated the funds to the rebuilding effort.

Loke joined them two days after the battle was over; he had gone who knew where afterward, but on his return he handed Lucy's gate keys back to Natsu. The blonde herself was absent. While Priscilla worked however, she soon heard that apparently, Lucy left for home without telling anyone; Natsu, Gray, and Erza rushed after her to bring their friend back, for which she wished them the best of luck.

On the third day's morning, the whole guild was already hard at work when Makarov hobbled up the road. Their old Master's breath puffed in a white cloud like everyone else's. He himself leaned on a tiny cane with every step; his determined expression prevented anyone from trying to help. Although the furious Polyushka hovering over him may have played a part in it. "Why do you have to be so difficult?" she kept berating him with clear exasperation. "You're not working, not today and not anytime soon!"

"I know," the elder rumbled in response before gently reaching out; his arm elongated until he could give Laki a soft pat on the head, her having been the nearest to him. "But I still want to be here and comfort the little ones. I'm not dead yet."

"Unbelievable!" The matron threw up her hands and turned to leave. "Do what you want!"

After heaving a sigh, Makarov found himself accosted by a gently smiling Mira. "Welcome back, Master," she greeted. "But just because she left does not mean we let you work. Come, I will bring you a chair and a few blankets."

"There is no need to treat me like an old geezer," he complained under his breath, but stopped when Mira glanced over her shoulder with a look promising pain on being difficult. "Alright, alright! Feisty children." He allowed himself to be wrapped in two warm blankets and placed in a quiet corner, protected from the cold breeze by a Solid Script wall Levy already built there. The blunette waved with a sardonic grin.

"Heya, Master. Fancy seeing you in the invalid corner."

"Very feisty children," Makarov repeated mostly to himself, though inwardly glad that he could take it easy. Mira pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before prancing away, leaving the elder with a fond smile and joy in his old heart. "But such is the burden of age." Finishing his introspection, he glanced at the mostly recovered script wizard; chances were she would not remain at the sidelines for much longer, so he ought to make use of her presence. "She seems awfully happy today."

Despite his condition, Makarov knew his children inside and out. Mirajane was never quite this joyous; he had considered it might be his return, but ruled that out. Levy nodded sagely as well, cluing him in that something happened. "You didn't hear yet," she concluded. "Turns out, being out of practice after recovering from loss of limb didn't do Elfman much good. He got beaten by one of the Element Four." Levy frowned while Makarov outright scowled, but she waved him off. "Mira, er, took offense. And her Satan Soul came back."

"Ah."

That would do it. The master nodded his understanding, though Levy grimaced. "The guy is kinda dead, by the way. We had two casualties total, technically both on Natsu. The wind guy did a dumb and tried to dodge a fireblast by becoming air, and that fireblast roasted the guy Mira was about to kill before she got to finish him."

Makarov winced at the recounting, but was ultimately relieved; only two casualties, and none of his at that. Natsu was nowhere to be seen, but he doubted the boy would be too torn up about it; he was a strong one. It felt a little odd, however; glancing to the towering golem still stuck within Magnolia's harbor, he could clearly see the slagged hole in its shoulder. "They fought near each other and Natsu could not come help Elfman?"

"More like fifty paces apart, but Natsu just burned a hole from somewhere around the chest area. He won't say how he did it either, but I've seen the fire come out from halfway across town." Seeing his arched eyebrow, Levy raised her hands defensively. "What? I had nothing to do and my home was under attack, so I stayed at the window to watch and try sniping someone with Solid Script. That didn't work, by the way." She was clearly not happy, but refrained from further complaints when Makarov snorted.

"At least you didn't do something foolish like leaving the hospital to join the fight," he teased one of his more level-headed members. Left unsaid but known to both of them however, was that Levy absolutely would have, had things become more dire.

For her part, the script wizard hummed her agreement. Then she glanced back at him. "Master? I was wondering, the Element Four were equivalent to our S-rank wizards, right?" He nodded, wondering where this was going. "So, were there always four, or did they have to change the name every time someone else joined the club?"

Makarov had to chuckle at that, nodding his head in response. "Ah yes," he reminisced fondly, "one of Jose's greater embarassments. They used to be named Elemental Lords, but he decided that was too unoriginal with Phantom Lord's guild name, so he renamed the group. Some time later, he probably realised that with giving an explicit number, he could not really appoint more wizards. So he didn't. The Element Four were static for the last, oh, six years? Ever since that fire boy took over the spot from when a previous holder retired."

"So that's why Gajeel wasn't one of them?"

"Exactly."

While Levy turned her attention back to the building effort, Makarov frowned at the reminder and wondered where that boy had gone. Gajeel Redfox was young, around Natsu's age at most and also a Dragonslayer. If he fell in with Phantom Lord as early as Natsu had joined Fairy Tail, well. He could not forgive the attack on his children that easily, but he was also old enough to recognise a child not raised right. That particular thought reminded him of Laxus, who just barely managed to keep his own issues in check at times. Yes, Makarov really could not throw stones there. His grandson was just made of sterner stuff and surrounded by people who could keep his worse tendencies in check.

Thinking of them, Mira wandered by with two mugs of hot chocolate; Levy chirped her thanks and Makarov rasped his as well, but after a few sips of the sweet goodness, he cleared his throat. "Get everyone to gather, please. I have an announcement to make."

Half the guild surrounded him before the statement was finished, the rest quickly drawn by the commotion. Once Priscilla and Laxus had shuffled over as well, he sat a bit more straight before settling back down with a sigh; no chance to look dignified while bundled up like this. "After everything that happened," Makarov began with a clear and strong voice, "Fairy Tail's S-class trial for this year is cancelled. The guild is not in any state to hold it. That is all."

He quickly sipped from his mug to soothe the raw throat even just that much exertion gave him; he really needed to recuperate. At least the announcement and following chatter distracted the little ones from his bout of weakness.

Everyone went back to work afterward, having cleared the detritus entirely by the first week's end. The Thunder Legion joined them as well, dumbstruck by the destruction. They were in the neighbouring country, Ka Elm, for a job and missed everything. Nonetheless, cheers and drinks were had while the guild took that afternoon off to rest; Shadow Gear joined the restoration effort by then, having gotten a clean bill of health. Just as the first warm drinks were handed out however, Natsu and Gray marched in carrying a sheepish Lucy between them. Erza followed the lot, with Happy draped over her head. "Found her!" the Dragonslayer cheered, presenting his teammate like a rare catch. Lucy struggled weakly before falling still with a sigh.

Once she gave up trying to free herself, the summoner explained that she never meant to leave the guild. She merely went home to clear the air with her father, which she did. He would not make any more trouble for Fairy Tail, that she was certain about. It felt a little odd to Lucy nonetheless, having turned her back on the place she was born and raised in.

While Makarov called Natsu away for some kind of discussion about the other Dragonslayer they met, she settled at a table and played with her keyring. Levy quickly joined her with a high five, though Lucy's reponse was lackluster. "What's with the long face?" her friend teased, peering up into her troubled expression from below. "That time of the month?"

"No," Lucy denied with a sigh. "I was just thinking, I focussed so hard on my spirit magic that I never learned anything else. Then I didn't even learn the gates properly, so I was basically helpless when I lost my keys. I got abducted twice in as many days for crying out loud." She buried her face in her arms with a groan, relaying her recent realisation: "I better learn some more magic to protect myself, but it all feels so difficult. And there's so many things I could learn, I don't know what to pick." At least Lucy felt a little better after airing her feelings.

"Mhm, I know how you feel." Levy stroked her friend's back soothingly. "I was thinking about picking up something new, too. Script magic is dead useful, but the number of times I go to the hospital tells me I need to step up my game." Lucy groaned at the reminder while Levy chuckled. "Don't give me that," she admonished. "You got beaten up almost as much. I'll have you know I didn't even have any broken bones."

While true, it really highlighted how different Fairy Tail was from the common folk; Lucy noticed it also, having recovered from Gajeel's ministrations in days due to both Polyushka and her own body's recent hardiness. When did the little Heartfilia princess turn into a bar brawler, she wondered.

"Anyway," Levy redirected her thoughts with a clap to her shoulder. "I take it you want combat magics?"

"Maybe? I'm not sure, but I definitely want something that's not Celestial Spirit magic." Lucy shrugged, more than a little uncertain where her priorities lay. "I'm even thinking about Speed magic so I can just run away, but at the same time I feel that anyone who really wants to catch me won't just stop. So I probably want to beat them."

"How about Body Enhancement?" Erza suggested, joining their conversation as she settled opposite of Lucy with a piece of cake. "You already use its very basics like all wizards do, but with some study you can become a good bit sturdier. It is subtle, too; no one will expect you to be overly strong or durable." While the comment stung a little, it did sound tempting to Lucy. Levy snapped her fingers.

"So that's what you use?"

"Yes. As for other suggestions," the redhead continued toward the pondering blonde, "you could get yourself some enchanted items as well. As your primary magic is Holder-type, this might suit you."

Lucy nodded again, fully aware that Erza seemed keen on passing on her own type of combat. She could not stop the lopsided grin from imagining herself as Titania the Second, or the sheer horror of two like Erza running around. Then she went about gently dismantling her friend's proposition: "The whole idea is that I don't need to rely on items I carry around, so I can't do that second one. Unless I put together an entire treasury like you do, someone can just steal or break the items and I'm back at square one." Erza inclined her head in agreement, so Lucy swallowed the other point about having no money to buy expensive magic items. "But the Body Enhancement is worth some thought," she finished instead, if just to appease her friend. "I could fight with... hm."

Suddenly, a thought presented itself. Lucy paused, eyes narrowing at the keys still in her hands. What if she combined Body Enhancement with Celestial Spirit magic? Was it even possible? But if yes, she could hit two birds with one stone and build herself a secret weapon no one would see coming at the same time. Fighting with her spirits, she had meant to say; perhaps she could do it literally in some way? This bore investigating.

"Lucy?"

Levy's hesitant question snapped the blonde out of her musings; she offered her bookish friend a winning grin. "Don't worry, just had an idea. I'm probably going to dabble in Body Enhancement, at least a bit." After that declaration, she went back to musing about her combat capabilities. "But I do not think it is the game changer I would like it to be. How many dedicated wizards can be defeated by being a little stronger?"

"All true," another voice joined them. Mirajane stood behind Erza, resting both hands on the knightess' shoulders to her annoyance. The barmaid smiled down at Lucy. "I hope you forgive my eavesdropping," she began cheerfully, "but I think I know just the thing for you. Nasty surprises are my favourite surprises. Try Mirror magic."

Levy and Erza both became attentive at that, though Lucy was more confused than anything. "I, ah, don't know that magic," she admitted a little shily; though Mira quickly wormed her way into the blonde's heart, she was still larger than life. "What does it do?"

"Oh, that's simple." Finally letting go of Erza, Mira clapped her hands in delight. "It is a tricky discipline to learn, I admit. But once you know how to use it, you send every damage you take straight back at the other person. You can even hurt them more than they hurt you if you are good enough."

Lucy blinked, surprised by the existence of such a discipline. Then the possibilities unfolded in her mind and she began to match Mira's now sinister smile. "And anyone who thinks the summoner in the back is easy pickings," she mused with a soft chuckle. The sentence would be forever left unfinished, but everyone knew where it went. "I like this," Lucy decided. "I like this a lot. Thank you, Mira."

"It was nothing. All for our sweet youngsters."

The model sashayed away afterward, leaving Lucy to ponder how to go about her new plans. She brainstormed some more just in case there was something even better to choose, but the Body Enhancement idea already festered in the back of her mind. Ultimately, this was what Lucy went with.

As for Mirajane, after giving her suggestion, she was reminded of the other Mirror wizard Fairy Tail had. As well as the 'favour' she owed him still. Not that Laxus used it often, but that was the surprising part about it; then again, something that hurt the direct attacker right back would not be useful against a summoner like Lucy or Jose.

Her musings were interrupted when she spied Laxus wandering along the street; a quick few spells to muffle sound and sight were cast on the approach, then she ushered him into an alleyway. From there, Laxus was easily pushed against a rough stone wall; he did not even resist. Two heads taller than her and packed with muscle. Mirajane chuckled and ran a finger over his broad chest."You know you can just stop with this 'favour' deal, no?" He huffed in response and she chuckled. "Ah well, not that I mind. I'm free tomorrow, so do you want to cash it in now?"

"Fine by me."

It was ever so cute how he kept posturing even now. Exasperating, annoying at times, but still cute. "You're lucky, you know? I still haven't found a boyfriend, so I'm game. Then again, you obviously don't have a girlfriend, either." That said, she unceremoniously dragged Laxus away without regard for his embarassment.

The rest of the guild remained unaware of their arrangement beyond the odd rumours, though Makarov had his suspicions why it took his grandson close to two weeks before he headed out on his next mission. Laxus adored the thrill of battle and enjoyed the satisfaction of a job well done. Then again, it was not his business what the youngsters got up to unless it broke the law.

Much like the lightning wizard, various others took up missions of their own as the weeks went by; evil never slept after all, and neither did the landlord. Architects drew up blueprints for a new guildhall, far larger in general as an allowance for Priscilla's size. It would be expensive and time-consuming, but he did not mind; every member of Fairy Tail ought to feel at home.

He also had to send Happy to Crocus for sanctioning; to find their youngest full member wielded something as divisive as Humanslayer magic, that had been a shock when Natsu brought it up. As he thought, the boy was fine despite the death he accidentally caused. Mostly just miffed about it having come that far. Mira remained unrepentant, citing that she would gladly slaughter anyone to protect her family. Makarov hoped by himself that her resolve would not be tested again. But yes, Happy. He was just glad the Council's investigation did not reveal his magic, else they might be in deep trouble.

Admittedly, legal trouble was probably the furthest from Happy's mind. He had been mortified of the idea that anyone else would find out, insisting Makarov promise to keep the secret after Natsu coaxed him into telling it. No one else even suspected anything, however; at most, their feline friend being antsy drew their attention.

The old master heaved a sigh, wondering if he would ever get back into the work instead of sitting at the sidelines as an observer. It was fun the first week or so, but by this point he really missed being able to do much of anything. One of the S-rank wizards always kept an eye on him, as if they just waited for misdemeanor. So he spent his time watching the guild, greasing the wheels to assure everything went smoothly, doing paperwork, and thinking.

The night after Natsu's team headed out to destroy a magic cult in Lupina, he actually resisted his caretakers and stayed out a bit longer; settled on one of the first support beams, Makarov breathed the cool night's air and pondered a recurring subject. He could not keep up with the excitement anymore; being almost ninety and having been guild master for nearly fifty years, it was high time to step down. Maybe tutor a successor to take over instead of dumping it on them, or worse, have it dumped on them through an untimely death.

So Makarov wondered just who may be a suitable successor; of course his first idea were the S-rank wizards. The master's duty went past mere administration, after all; when all else failed, they needed to protect their guild to the last breath. Yet another failure of his.

Unfortunately, none of the current S-rankers were quite what he imagined his successor to be. Mystogan was anti-social and only just began to connect with the guild; it was a work-in-progress, facilitated by his budding friendship with Priscilla. Then there was Laxus, who had the right mindset but needed at least a few more years to learn he could drop the tough front around family. Not that anyone was fooled by it, anyway. Otherwise, Gildarts did not want the job and said so before.

As for the women, Erza was too much of a hardliner in regard to decorum and 'proper' behaviour; handing the reins to her would quickly see the free spirit of Fairy Tail sapped away. He loved the girl to bits, but she was not made for such a position. She mellowed out a little since Lucy joined, but it was not enough of a change to make her a valid choice.

Now Mirajane, that was a conundrum to him. Had he not know her for a decade by now, he might have thought her perfect. Mira brought patience, understanding, wisdom, and the might to destroy their guild's enemies. But at the same time, Makarov saw the darkness that lived in her heart. She was a good girl in spite of her sadistic tendencies, but he worried where making her the master may lead. Power corrupted and she certainly felt its allure already. A single step was all it could take to become a monster.

A soft sigh headed off the thought. Perhaps he was overthinking this. Mira proved herself time and time again, though he could never stop worrying about her. Neither did he want her to lose that kind cheer she only just developed, crushed under the burdens of leadership.

His musings were interrupted by a soft scraping sound; Makarov snapped to attention and found, much to his surprise, a certain dragon lady still at work under the full moon's light. She may not even be aware of his presence, silently carrying materials this way and that; now he finally knew who kept organising everything over night, too.

He was about to call out when a thought gave Makarov pause; Priscilla was not with them for long, but she certainly brought the nurturing nature and the power he sought. She already proved her ability to run herd on others and to address their troubles; right now, she happily worked on rebuilding day and night, about the only constant in his recent interactions. Having gotten to know her, Makarov knew that even without Erza covering her bills, she would still refuse to head out in favour of tending to the guild.

Priscilla left while he was lost in thought, pondering the ups and downs; she, like Mira, could fall to the corrupting influence of power. Then again, the scales felt different here, perhaps even quite literally. The thought that both of his most likely candidates were not human had the old master chuckle softly, though.

"What do you think of her? Would she make a good fourth Master?"

His voice filled the silence, quiet though it was. And the blonde now seated next to him answered gently: "She would be lovely, I'm sure. Even I feel inspired looking at her." Her arrival long since failed to spook Makarov, though a nearby crow took wing in surprise; she listened intently to his worries afterward, but never ceased to smile. "And I believe it is fitting that these two are your choices. Mirajane needs more time to mature, I feel."

"How do you mean, 'it is fitting'?"

Giggling, the timeless girl faced him fully for the first time. "What do you think is more impressive: to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature by force of will?" Her question gave him pause, for even he did not consider the matter like this before. "Priscilla is clearly born a being beyond any human, with power and pride to match. She could destroy anyone in this guild at any moment, rule with an iron fist, perhaps even bring all of Earthland to its knees. Yet she doesn't, not because she lacks the urge, but because she doesn't want to."

"This could just as much be an argument against giving her a leading position."

"But it isn't. Remember, Makarov: do fairies have tails?" He huffed, the reminder of their creed unnecessary. An eternal adventure indeed. "I give her my blessing as the founder and first master. Make her your successor, Makarov. Have faith in her, and in Mirajane as well."

The elderly master chuckled in response, inclining his head toward the older woman. "I accept your wisdom, Master Mavis."

Her smile grew a fraction before she flickered and faded; the young girl's apparition would come and go as she pleased, he was not surprised. Yet at the same time, he now had work to do; as weird as it felt to prepare for his retirement, Makarov began to like the idea as he kept thinking about it. He would believe in his Fairies, just like they believed in him.

 

[Orchamus]

*stare*Huh...did not see that last bit coming...like, holy shit, way to go my friend, totally blew my mind, Priscilla as guild master is an awesome idea.

 

[Naron]

"Learning a new discipline from scratch is referred to as Merit. Any fledgling wizard can be assured that the process becomes easier as one learns more magic. Possessing Affinities for certain disciplines does not make learning a new one any easier, though."

-excerpt from "The Heart of Magic"

---

A month passed since Happy revealed his Humanslayer magic to Natsu. Just as long since he learned his best friend's big secret in turn. One month, that was how long it took him to gather his courage and actually ask about it. Natsu rarely talked about himself or the past, he just faced the present and future with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, it vanished when Happy spoke up: "Natsu, that fire you used against Phantom, um, what was that? Why did you grow horns?"

They both knew the answer, of course, but Happy needed to hear him say it. Natsu sat down on their old couch with his arms crossed, frowning at the bare wall. Their little house outside of town was not large or impressive, but it was theirs and cozy. Gildarts helped build it years ago.

"I'm a demon," Natsu finally said, meeting Happy's pleading gaze head-on. A flicker of black crawled over his forehead before vanishing. "And I've been for all my life. With what Pris told us a while ago, I figure I'm one of Zeref's."

"But, how?"

"Dunno." He shrugged, then huffed and broke into a faint smile. "I didn't even know until Mira almost Take Over'd me a few years ago. She didn't know either, was an accident," he quickly added upon seeing the momentary horror appearing on Happy's face. "Don't worry, it's fine."

"So... is that why Mira never touches you?"

"Yep. Her Take Over acts up from time to time, so we keep our distance."

His smile dimmed while saying that, telling Happy more than enough; he knew those two were close and that Mira treated Natsu more like a second brother. He winced at the reminder of Lisanna, only understanding how close she and Natsu were in retrospect. But his mind remained on the subject of demons, and of the bond he himself shared with the man in front of him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Err, well." He shrugged again in a bid to buy time, thoughtfully staring at the wall as if to seek inspiration. "Never felt like something to tell people, you know? Before last month, only Mira knew. Heh." A soft chuckle followed and Natsu threw Happy a grin. "I figured it would come out sooner or later, anyway."

The Exceed climbed onto Natsu's lap for a hug with an agreeing noise. "I promise I won't tell," he murmured into his friend's embrace. "You didn't even tell the master?"

"Nope." That said, Happy was lifted up and carried in Natsu's arms. "Now enough heavy talks, let's go find Lucy and do something fun!"

Alas, fun was not in their immediate future; their teammate and Natsu's new crush was brooding over a book from the library when they found her. She waved absently when the duo greeted her, snatching Happy without even looking and hugging him instead; he had to admit that Lucy's hugs were almost as good, but not quite. Not that he said that out loud. Rather, Happy peered up at the blonde. "What are you doing?"

"Learning Mirror magic," Lucy answered with a sigh. "And it's harder than I thought it would be. It's like my mind goes in circles."

"Well, you want a circle in the end, right?"

The quip earned him a soft squeeze as well as a pointed look, though Lucy let him off with that. Natsu grinned, at least. "Look at it this way," the Dragonslayer added cheerfully, "I can barely learn any other magic at all 'cause I got Slayer, so you're still better off than me." Happy nodded along, the gesture unseen by their friend. She just groaned.

"I know. Mira says I'm doing well enough, so do Erza and the master. But then there is her," she noted with audible dejection, throwing a light glare across the room. Following it, Happy saw Priscilla and Elfman levitating building materials around under Erza's tutelage. Where Elfman worked with visible skill after several months of dedicated training, Priscilla only started on it a few days ago and was already catching up. "And I just get frustrated because she makes it look so easy. I'm still banging my head against the basics of Mirror, and my Star, er, my secret project isn't going anywhere yet. No, I'm not telling you," she pre-empted Natsu's since expected response to any mention of her secret work.

While his friend pouted, Happy tapped Lucy's leg for attention with a question of his own: "Isn't Celestial Spirit magic super hard?"

This gave the blonde pause for a few moments; she began her response with a shrug. "Honestly, I keep hearing it is, but not for me. Learning to open a spirit gate is and takes months at best, but I take to everything else like a fish to water. I guess I got it from Mama."

"Oh, what is this I hear?" And so Cana inserted herself into their conversation, sidling up to Lucy and throwing an arm over her shoulder. "You come from a distinguished line of wizards?" Her wording made the younger woman fidget sheepishly and Happy soon found himself once again changing his seat. Since Cana made sure not to drip any of her booze on his head after he clawed her because of that. So he was alright with the new arrangement.

"Kind of?" Lucy tried. "My family has been Celestial Spirit wizards for generations."

"And there is your problem."

"...pardon?"

Cana grinned, Happy could tell even without seeing her face. But before she got to say anything, a loud crash drew their attention back to their friends; Priscilla just ruined a block of stone and chipped the new foundation. She grimaced and apologised while Cana turned to Lucy again. "Inheriting magic makes you good at that one and nothing else, but even if it's something super hard like yours, you never really had to learn anything the normal way. That's why it takes longer, and you even start with a tricky one. I mean it," she added over Lucy's curious expression. "Look."

Cana then proceeded to raise her free hand toward the block Priscilla broke. A lavender spell circle popped into existence and magic flowed from her hand. The spell quickly broke down the stone into two smaller, completely intact blocks. She then did similarly with the ground, leaving a block-shaped hole and a slightly smaller block, with some excess. Everyone watched with interest and the brunette received thumbs ups from various people; one of the new blocks was inserted easily, sealing up the foundation again.

"Was that Crush magic?"

"That it was," Cana confirmed Lucy's question. Then she paused, studying the younger woman for a moment. "You, uh, you do know Gildarts is my father, right?"

"Must have missed that bit, he isn't around much." Lucy tapped her chin in thought while Happy made certain not to show that he forgot about it, too; Cana was nice and loved doting on Natsu and him, but they were still not as close. Gildarts served as a bit of a father figure to many children in the guild, at least when he was around.

Cana, unaware of these thoughts, gave Lucy a pat on the head. "Anyway, that's what I meant. I could use Crush as a toddler to escape my crib, and let me tell you my mom hated it. It comes as easy as breathing, but fortunetelling was a bitch and a half to beat into my head. It will work out if you're diligent, don't worry. Pris is just Pris."

"Thanks," Lucy murmured while Natsu and Happy chuckled at the mental image. But the way the conversation went, the Exceed got curious.

"What's your mother like, Lucy?"

And there went that budding smile. Happy regarded her with innocent curiousity, to which the blonde sighed. "Mama was the best. I don't think there was anyone who didn't like her, she just got along with everyone. She loved to walk into town and entertain the children there with magic."

"Past tense?" Cana asked cautiously, tipping Happy off to what he just stumbled onto. Lucy nodded with a wistful look plastered on her face.

"It's been over seven years now," she added, not even squeaking when Cana wrapped her in a sidehug. Natsu rounded the table to cover her other side. A soft chuckle loosed itself from Lucy, her head now leaning on Natsu's shoulder. "At least I won't ever forget what she looks like. Heartfilias breed true." She received Happy back on her lap without any complaint, hugging him tight; the reminder of bad memories was forgiven.

"How do you mean?" Natsu asked, probably to change the subject; Happy decided to keep his mouth shut and be cute for now.

"I mean that I look just like my mother, and she looked exactly like her mother, and so on. The same goes for the men in our family. It's why we are still Heartfilia, our spouses usually take the name."

"So if you had a daughter, she would look just like you?"

"Exactly," Lucy responded to Happy's eager question, completely missing the sly grin he threw Natsu. His bestest friend fidgeted under the mouthed 'You likeeee her', but pretended he did not see. Happy had trouble keeping his giggles contained. Their teammate remained unaware, merely finishing the sentence: "But I won't have kids anytime soon."

He left that uncommented, but only barely; going by Cana's wry smirk, she caught on to something as well. Instead of teasing however, she let off and downed the remaining half of her ale. "Anyway, I've got to get back to work. Good thing I'm not Pris right now."

As she said that, the master waved their super-sized friend away for help with some paperwork again; he did that for a few days now, saying that the practice ought to be good for her. Priscilla did not mind as she loved to learn, but Happy knew a lot of people were secretly glad it was not them having to do boring busywork.

Priscilla herself was perfectly happy with the arrangement; Makarov taught her a great deal about Fairy Tail's inner workings, from suppliers and contractors over a set of laws to keep in mind and all the way to their national and international contacts. It was humbling to realise just how far their guild's influence reached; many former members had moved into the world to set roots of their own, but they rarely forgot from whence they came. Neither did many of their clients, seeing that while Fairy Tail was known for collateral damage, they also got the job done.

The master indulged her curiousity with something akin to joy. He regaled Priscilla of the other prominent wizard guilds and how several of their current masters were his former guildmates. They spoke of the Magic Council in Castle Era, of the Rune Knights they employed, the kingdom, and the Guild Master League. Months passed like this, February and March flying by as the new guildhall grew around them; they finished construction in a timely manner and began to furbish its inside a few days before April. Old and new furniture were put into place while Reedus directed a batallion of children both of guildmembers and townsfolk to painting the many empty spaces. Priscilla joined them as well, just for the fun of it. Diver allowed her to reach the ceiling, where she let her rotund friend create a mural.

It was around this time that Loke vanished; he simply failed to appear for a time, much to Priscilla's worry. Mira reassured her that it was fine, that sometimes people just vanished because they needed some time to themselves; not to mention that Lucy was already after him.

Before she could do more than start to worry, they already returned. As she and the guild learned afterward, their friend was actually the Celestial Spirit Leo, one of the twelve zodiacs. Neither he nor Lucy explained why he was banished from their realm, but she apparently petitioned the Spirit King to accept him back. The fact this powerful being granted her plea still rattled Lucy a week later, or so she told Priscilla. The dragon herself felt curious about this king's benevolence, but even a dedicated Celestial Spirit wizard knew little about him.

They talked every once in a while from that point onward. Lucy spent quite some time in introspection, having come to realisations about herself that she did not share. Most of their conversations were idle subjects such as the current geopolitical situation and the markets, which Lucy was happy to educate Priscilla about. A few days in however, the human woman began to fidget.

"Pris? You're good at magic, right?"

"I would not presume mastery just yet, but yes. Is there something you need?"

She could already guess at this point, having heard of Lucy's secret project on occasion. Her Mirror magic progressed quite nicely as well over the months. Yet she hesitated a little longer before speaking: "Okay, so I'm working on a new Celestial Spirit technique. Think Body Enhancement, but instead of reinforcing myself the usual way, I draw some of a spirit's power to use. I talked it over with them and they love the idea of sharing their skills with me. But I just can't figure out how to do it without actually opening the gate, and then I can just call them over."

After making sure no one was nearby to overhear, Lucy quickly produced several drawings of prototype spell circles and a sheet of notes; she ran Priscilla through a concept that built on basic Body Enhancement, which impressed the dragon. At not quite eighteen years, Lucy Heartfilia already advanced her preferred discipline of magic by adding a new technique to it.

"So there we are," she finshed after a few minutes. "I read enough magical theory to know how to build a circle, but none I put together actually works. At this point I just can't keep hoping to randomly stumble on the right one and until I have that, I'm stuck. So, well, any advice?"

Priscilla hung her head sadly. It almost hurt that she had none. "I am terribly sorry, but my theoretical knowledge is severely lacking." Lucy awkwardly patted her shin while the dragon considered her options. "I will rectify this posthaste, but even that will take time." Then she paused, remembering just who might be able to help. "But perhaps my friend could assist. It has been a few months since last we met, but if you allow, I can present your conundrum to him the next time?"

Her question prompted a lengthy pause, but Lucy accepted her proposal in the end; aside from a certain confusion when Priscilla could not give her friend's name, she put it all aside soon after. Then Lucy declared that after so much work and excitement, she was up for a vacation. It appeared that Loke left tickets for Akane Resort with her and she even invited Priscilla, who declined politely; her own threshold for work was greater and she actually anticipated her next job eagerly. It did not phase Lucy much, who wished her good luck before luring her own team away with the promise of relaxation at the beach. That was the first day of April.

Two days later, the new guildhall was finally completed and Fairy Tail celebrated once again. Larger and better than ever, they easily housed many of the townsfolk who came by to share their joy; Priscilla cheerfully sampled various bits of Fiore's cuisine, Mirajane and others sang for them, a small orchestra formed from the various people playing instruments. Makarov had recovered from his ordeal as well, still on his cane but ultimately more secure as he walked. The elderly master spent his time amusing the local children and consuming a carefully measured amount of alcohol.

Over it all, even Laxus had to smile from the new second floor; the mood was infectious like that. Of course he hid it behind a mug and soon returned to glowering, but he could not help being in good cheer. Yes, there were no more limitations on who could sit up here, meaning he was surrounded by other wizards, but that was fine. He was still one of five who may pick from the S-class jobs. He absently clacked his mug against Gildarts', then Mystogan's. All in all, life was good. Their guild was back in action and better than ever.

Unfortunately, life decided the attack on his hometown was not this year's biggest curveball; a mere two days later, word of Castle Era's destruction reached Magnolia. Councillor Ultear Malkovich razed the entire area, annihilating any semblance of order for the Magic Council. She turned from one of Fiore's most respected figures to a wanted fugitive in a matter of hours, outright vanishing afterward. The Council was defunct, which Laxus could admittedly not care less about.

He was only slightly annoyed when his grandfather introduced old man Yajima to the guild, a former member, old friend, and acting Councillor. "Though I was about to retire anyway," the short elder told them with a faint smile. "It is about time the old guard steps down. Thank you for having me." As it turned out, he would take shelter with them until the current situation was resolved.

No, what blew Laxus' gasket were the words Yajima spoke upon meeting Priscilla. Shaking her offered finger with a smile, the old wizard inclined his head. "I heard a great many things about you, my dear. Now that I meet you in person, I agree that you will make a fine guild master."

The entire hall fell silent. Laxus stared, unable and unwilling to believe what he just heard. His shock dispersed slowly, but he noticed that even the dragon woman was flummoxed; so was Yajima, after seeing everyone's surprise. "Did he not tell you... oh." Seeing his old friend palming his face, the elder caught on that he let slip a secret. "Oops?"

Laxus' gaze drilled a hole into the back of their current master's head by this point, emotions bubbling up. A surge of anger, a hint of betrayal, but also a strong sense of confusion; he expected for it to be him ever since he obtained his S-rank. And now here the old man went, giving the guild's most important position to one of their newest members. Gildarts or Erza, he could have accepted. But Priscilla? What did she have that spoke in her favour?

Ignoring the fact he barely ever interacted with the giantess before, Laxus ground his teeth and stepped forward; his footfalls rung loud in the continued silence. "What's this then?" he growled down at Makarov, whose expression firmed up in response. "Explain yourself, old man."

"There is nothing to explain," he countered calmly. "I have decided that Priscilla will succeed me."

Laxus almost snapped, but reined himself in; shouting and throwing a tantrum was not the way to go here. Though through clenched teeth, he ground out his own response with a modicum of civility: "And why, exactly, did you pick one of our newest, least experienced and proven members?"

The whole guild followed their exchange, he noted absently. The smell of lightning wafted around him, an ever so faint buzzing filling the silence like static. Makarov was unmoved. "You are correct that she has few testaments to her strength to this day," he conceded, but Laxus already knew the riposte was coming. "And while it is true she has been with us for only a bit over eight months, Priscilla is one of us at heart. She seeks to assist her guildmates whenever they are in need. She sees to their wellbeing without any regard for recognition or gain. Some of them, she personally saved the lives of and slew one of Zeref's demons to protect. A master's duty is to see their guild prosper, Laxus. I believe she will fulfill this duty the best."

Levy and her team shuffled around in the corner of his eye, but somehow the reminder did nothing to quell his anger. Laxus tried to formulate a response, but nothing came to mind. It's not fair, he wanted to say, that after all this time and work, he would not even get a chance for the position. But he knew that argument would be dismissed.

So instead of trying to change that stubborn old man's mind, he stomped off. Irate though he was, Laxus Dreyar already pondered his next move. He would do something about this, and if it was the last thing he ever did.

In his wake, Laxus left a stunned guild hall that soon erupted in noise; Priscilla remained quiet during the confrontation because she herself did not know whether she was a good choice. It pleased the vain, draconic part of her without doubt, not to mention that being Makarov's first choice made her feel warm about his trust. But to actually take up the position?

After a storm of questions, apprehension, and congratulations, she held a long conversation with the guild master. Despite the reassurances and reasoned arguments however, he could not quite convince Priscilla that she was suitable. Then Cana went and began to organise another party; her enthusiasm was not shared by everyone, however. Priscilla clearly noticed how uncertain the guild's less prominent members were about her rise. Mirajane congratulated her without hesitation. Mystogan merely shrugged when she told him that very morning, which was a relief. Laxus remained absent, though Mira told them he was plotting with the Thunder Legion. How she knew that, she did not say.

Soon after, someone new walked in; Priscilla became attentive only when Levy's soft gasp alerted her to the newcomer. A wild mane of black hair sprouted from his head, only a few shades darker than his rugged trenchcoat and the same colour as the Fairy Tail mark on his shoulder. Nubs of iron protruded from his forehead and arms in clean lines; Priscilla's interest remained solely on him as he strode, no, shuffled inside without looking at anyone.

"Who is this, Levy?"

"...Gajeel."

"Ah."

It only took a moment to match the name and understand this was the same man who went after Shadow Gear in January. Now there he sat at a table, all by himself and radiating displeasure, muscular arms crossed as he scowled at whoever looked at him. Priscilla blinked once and wondered; he did have the guild mark, meaning someone must have let him in. A glance to Mira revealed the barmaid just as surprised, meaning it must have been Makarov.

More and more people became aware of Gajeel's presence; conversation ceased for a time as others drew the same conclusion she had. Levy stared at him intently, but the moment their eyes met he moved on instead of trying to stare her down. Which was how Priscilla got her chance to peer into a curious shade of crimson. Remembering how Fairy Tail taught her however, she rose the moment she had his attention. The guild as a whole seemed to hold its breath when their future master approached Gajeel, whose scowl grew more pronounced. He did not budge even though Priscilla loomed over him, which earned him a smidgen of respect from the dragon.

"What?"

Ceasing her study of his hard features, Priscilla ignored the amateur attempt to scare her away. Instead, she offered him a smile. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. I am Priscilla."

By the way his jaw went slack, this was the last he expected to hear. Indeed, it was an exertion to go past her instinctive desire to eviscerate Gajeel on the spot. But Makarov saw something in him, and that alone was worth the attempt. Their newest member slowly returned to scowling, but he offered her a faint nod. "Gajeel," he introduced himself before returning to his brooding silence.

Once it became clear this was all she would get, Priscilla sunk into the ground and returned to her previous spot that way; simply walking back felt plain wrong in that moment. Either way, the tension hanging over the taproom was gone for the most part.

Into this newly relaxed atmosphere however, Natsu's team returned with yet another fantastic tale; not only were they kidnapped from Akane resort, they fought a cult at sea, based in the Tower of Heaven. The Dragonslayer got distracted there when he noticed Gajeel, but Lucy brought him back in line while Gray kept explaining; apparently, this place was where Erza spent her childhood as a slave. "Don't worry," he reassured the agitated room with a dismissive wave. "The original cult was long gone and now the tower's gone, too."

That calmed them somewhat. As the tale went, apparently, Mystogan's local counterpart Jellal was at the core of this kidnapping. His bid to revive the black wizard Zeref failed. Mystogan was also present for this tale and Priscilla could tell he felt awkward about it. Jellal convinced his cultists, Erza's old friends, that she fled on her own and abandoned them. But that misunderstanding was cleared up and the following battles with mercenaries and cultists saw Jellal defeated; unfortunately, only after he maneuvered the Magic Council into firing some kind of powerful magic cannon at his tower, which was mostly a giant lacrima to absorb the energy.

"What happened to it?" Priscilla could not help but ask, only for Gray to chuckle and point at Natsu, who apparently beat up Jellal when Erza could not bear facing him. The man himself even turned around in the end, preventing the unstable lacrima from exploding. He lost his life in the process. The crossbreed nodded, though felt this was not enough to absolve Jellal of his sins. It did explain Erza's absence, the knightess currently at home to grieve alone; both for the loss of Jellal and another friend who sacrificed himself for her sake.

"Now that's one way to get the mood down," Macao murmured while Mirajane provided food and drink for the returning group. "Can't have happy endings recently, can we?"

"Well," Lucy began with a soft chuckle and a nod toward the bar, "Juvia got a pretty happy end. She helped us out in the tower, too." Just as she indicated, there was Juvia Lockser, formerly Juvia of Water. Moreover, Makarov was in the process of pressing a blue guild mark to her outer thigh, just above the knee. Dressed in white and blue with equally blue hair, her pale skin almost rivalled Priscilla's.

Others were once again surprised by her presence; Priscilla thankfully took charge in welcoming Juvia. It still felt a little weird after the other woman abducted her just a few months ago, but Lucy felt they came to an accord. Now Natsu already snuck away to talk to Gajeel about their dragon parents, Happy went off in search for fried fish, and she was left alone with Mira and Cana.

"We need to stop this," Mira commented at that moment, drawing Lucy out of her introspective thoughts.

"Yep," Cana said simply.

"Stop what?" Even while asking, Lucy followed their gazes to where Juvia once again clung to a disturbed Gray with great enthusiasm. "Oh, that. Good luck, I guess?" She did not really like how both older women looked at her then; it was easy to guess their thoughts. Lucy sighed regardless, well aware Gray needed the help. She just hoped to be spared Juvia's less personable side a while longer. "Oh fine, I will fetch her for you, but you two talk to her."

"Deal," Cana pounced immediately. Mira added a gentle thank you that made Lucy feel a little better about entering the lion's den of her own volition. While walking away however, she heard the brunette continuing their conversation: "This definitely takes priority over Gajeel being antisocial. Worst case, we put him next to Mystogan and they can brood together."

"That would be prudent," Mira agreed. "We're running out of corners for the loners to brood in, anyway."

Lucy could not help but grin about the banter. Then she steeled herself and began to approach Juvia.

 

[In search for story's]

This fairy tail guild is one I can believe in.

 

[JadeKaiser]

The couple of chapters before this one felt a bit lackluster, I felt. They felt a bit stiff in their dialogue and narration to me, a bit rushed and dry in how they pushed through plot points. Like you were just trying to force them out, instead of enjoying the writing process. I was kind of guessing it had something to do with the kick to your motivation's nuts that you mentioned on Discord, from the jerks over on SV.

This one seems like you're getting back into your groove a bit. Glad to see you're doing well.

 

[Naron]

The couple of chapters before this one felt a bit lackluster, I felt. They felt a bit stiff in their dialogue and narration to me, a bit rushed and dry in how they pushed through plot points. Like you were just trying to force them out, instead of enjoying the writing process. I was kind of guessing it had something to do with the kick to your motivation's nuts that you mentioned on Discord, from the jerks over on SV.

This one seems like you're getting back into your groove a bit. Glad to see you're doing well.

Click to shrink...

No such thing, honestly. I can not quite say why it may have felt lackluster to you, though the main reason I could see for that is stations of canon knocking on my door. I am not a fan of running through those, and I did want to just get them over with to do more of my own stuff.

 

[Naron]

"Not all magic is deliberate. Especially Affinities may sometimes connect to a person's emotional state and activate on their own. The kind of emotional trigger usually depends on the type of magic. Fire is drawn by anger, ice by melancholy, and so on. The full impact of such unintentional magical discharges is not investigated yet; neither is the connection between specific magic types and specific emotions, especially beyond the elemental disciplines. The next two pages contain a table of my own findings and best guesses."

-excerpt from "The Love of Magic"

---

Life was bliss for Juvia; being able to snuggle up to her darling Gray just made all the depressing thoughts fade away, at least for a time. The future could wait, as could the past. Her heart almost burst out of her chest, drunk on joy as she was.

"Juvia? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Then Lucy came and ruined it. Juvia's eyes snapped open to glare at the blonde, who almost but not quite shied away. She still appeared awkward, but Juvia did not care right now. "Can't that wait?" she inquired testily.

"No. Just, just come with me, please."

The way Lucy's expression firmed up a little told Juvia her friend (?) would not let up. Moreover, remembering that they were in a state that may approach, dare she think it, friendship made her relent, if hesitantly. "Alright." Letting go of Gray, the blunette smoothed out her blue and white dress before following Lucy. She failed to notice the discreet thumbs up exchanged between the two teammates as her awareness expanded to normal again; without Gray's scent and firm body to distract Juvia, the room's overall cheeriness returned. As did the exhaustion. Her smile dipped.

Glancing back halfway through the room, Juvia bristled when she saw Gray talking to another woman. Lucy saw as well, but firmly grabbed her arm to pull her along. "Relax," she all but demanded; even Juvia's renewed glare did not deter her. The water wizard once again wondered if perhaps Lucy was also a rival for Gray's affections; she would not lose to anyone, for any reason. But while she could break out of her tentative friend's grasp like water is wont to do, she let herself be led to the bar instead.

There she was received by Mirajane and Cana, both prominent and popular Fairy Tail women. Their serious looks already told Juvia to expect rejection or ridicule, though for once she was uncertain which would be worse. The room grew bleaker already as the last remnant of cheer vanished; Juvia met their gazes blankly, staring until at least Cana fidgeted and broke the silence. Juvia was good at silence, at least.

"Ahem," the brunette coughed. "So. You and Gray?"

The mere mention of his name from a woman at least twice as attractive as Juvia summoned a deluge of jealousy and worry. Was she after him? Did she already have her hooks in him? Was it too late? Juvia grimaced, barely preventing to hiss at Cana; the edge to her voice remained, transitioning almost into a growl: "What's it to you?"

Though off-balance, Cana caught her bearings and met Juvia's gaze calmly now. "He's one of ours, so I'm watching out for him," she reasoned. "Same for you, because you're clinging too hard."

That second part almost implied that Cana cared about her. They never even spoke a single word to each other before and Juvia knew she was not worth random kindness. Then again, Fairy Tail in general was not known for deceit. Flummoxed, the blunette tilted her head quietly; her blank expression broke also.

"What Cana means," Mirajane interjected gently, "is that you come on too strong. Gray is uncomfortable."

Juvia blinked in response, unable to make sense of it. She was used to people pushing her away for one reason or another, it was just a fact of life. Then again, someone being revulsed by her attempts to relay her feelings should not come as a surprise. And to make matters worse, her ears caught the familiar pitter patter of rain hitting the roof. Just a light drizzle, but yet another reminder of how undesirable she was.

A soft touch made Juvia start; Lucy soothingly rubbed her back in an effort to comfort her. "H-Hey now," she whispered, "no need to be so down. It's alright."

Juvia threw a weak look at her blonde friend before staring back at the counter her gaze deviated to. She appreciated the attempt, but her cheerless musings remained. "What else do I do then?" Juvia asked, sitting down on the nearest stool before her legs gave out. "Being with Gray makes me happy. Am I not supposed to show him that? T-That I want to be with him?" Cana now settled on her other side, bearing a softer expression Juvia failed to see as she fought tears. She would not break down here; not over this, not ever again. Up above the clouds cried for her instead.

"Hey, it's okay," Cana drew her into a warm sidehug that helped disperse some of the melancholy. "What we're trying to say is, ugh, hold on." She proceeded to down the contents of an entire tankard in a single pull, which was enough to draw Juvia's attention. "Ahh, much better. Anyway. Being madly in love is okay, Juvia. It's not wrong at all. What's wrong is if you push it on someone who isn't ready for it."

Juvia did not understand. Why would Gray not be ready? At the same time, she eyed the empty drink in wonder how Cana did it. Moments later, a mug clacked onto the bar, drawing Juvia's attention back to Mirajane, who pushed the drink in front of her. "How old are you?" she asked gently.

"Um, twenty-three." Pondering the mug, she gently pushed it back. "And I do not drink anymore." Thankfully, the model accepted her refusal and quickly passed the mug to Cana, who had no such reservations; then again, she also lacked any reason to just dissolve in the sea. None of them acknowledged Lucy wondering how she was the youngest among them.

"And did you have a boyfriend before?" Mirajane inquired next. "Or a girlfriend, maybe?"

Though the subject made Juvia uncomfortable, it was brought up with unprecedented gentleness. Lucy's and Cana's comforting presences gave her enough confidence to leave that protective shell of apathy, at least this tiny bit more. "A few, I guess. But nothing ever worked out. No one ever saw me for me, only my body and the rain." By now, the drizzle had become a downpour that just about everyone noticed; Cana glanced to a nearby window and winced, though Juvia failed to notice as she was caught in her own mind again. "I just don't want to be alone anymore."

A soft sigh came from Mirajane, who smiled at her still. "Oh, I know that feeling." Juvia doubted that. "Believe me, I do. But now you are one of us, Juvia. You won't be alone." The reassurance felt empty, seeing that Juvia noticed quite clearly how many of the other members gave her suspicious looks. However, she did not get to refute it because Mirajane kept going: "Anyway, this is where the issue starts. Gray is seventeen. He's never had a girlfriend before." Now Juvia was actually surprised; with his firm body and general maturity, she thought he was older than that. "And he is a bit shy, at that," the model finished.

"Despite the stripping?" Lucy interjected from the side, only to receive a shrug from Mirajane. Meanwhile, Cana squeezed Juvia's shoulder.

"So here's the thing," the brunette explained, "Gray likes his space, so you have to give it to him if you want to get anywhere. Make sense?" It did, in a way. Juvia remained uncertain, but Cana just kept going: "So no squealing and sudden hugging, no declaring your undying love or whatever. Just talk to him, strike up a conversation, the like. You can scream in your pillow before bed if you must, or whatever. I guess it's hard for you, but this is important. Got it?"

Juvia nodded along; these women definitely knew more and better than her, so she could at the very least make an attempt. Lucy trusted them as well. Then however, Juvia faltered as another devious thought snuck into her mind. "What if someone else is interested in him, too? What if-" "Shh."

Mirajane shushed her gently. "Don't worry about that now," she soothed. "If it happens, it happens." Juvia's gaze flicked to Lucy, which drew an actual giggle from the model. "And don't worry about Lucy here, she has the hots for Natsu."

While the blonde fidgeted and Juvia worked the words into her mind, Cana threw an empty mug at Mirajane, who caught it deftly. "Your pun is bad and you should feel bad," she declared, not that the other woman seemed to care. Then Cana's attention switched to past Juvia. "But speaking of, Lucy, you ought to talk to him about this. Natsu doesn't really notice these kinds of things, even if he likes you back."

"You make that sound so easy," Lucy complained quietly. And just like that, Juvia felt herself a little more connected to her first ever friend. She was not the only one with love problems after all. Even the rain let up to an extent, not that Juvia noticed. Lucy, meanwhile, glanced between Mirajane and Cana. "Ah, while we're at it, did Natsu have a girlfriend before?"

And just like that, the mood dropped. Mirajane's face stilled entirely while Cana grimaced, both expressions uncharacteristic for them from what Juvia saw so far. The brunette sighed. "Yeah. He did. You alright, Mira?"

"No, but it's fine." Schooling her features into what Juvia could tell was a mask, Mirajane explained to them: "My little sister Lisanna was the boldest thing the guild has seen in decades. She already decided to be Natsu's bride before either of them turned ten. It was only a puppy crush at the start, but she never changed her mind."

The somber note to her words and clear absence of a little sister made Juvia worry. She could not help but ask: "What happened?"

"She passed away a few years ago. Please don't bring it up around him, okay?"

"Of course," she agreed right after Lucy, but then averted her gaze; she really should have known better than to ask that question. "And, my condolences."

Cana gave her another gentle squeeze. "If you want to know more, you better ask one of us. The guild didn't take her loss well at all."

Both of them nodded, Lucy deep in thought. Juvia fidgeted now, wondering if it was alright to offer. Mirajane quickly noticed her furtive glances and after already being caught, she weakly spoke her mind again: "Um, if you want a hug or something...." She trailed off there, muttering half-words as she had no idea how to comfort someone. The next time she looked, Mirajane wore a weak smile.

"Well," the model began wrily, "I won't say no to a nice hug. Gimme." She opened her arms and Juvia turned liquid to simply flow over the counter, embracing Mirajane; the other woman's hands sunk a little into her back before Juvia solidified entirely, but it was comforting nonetheless. Odd how that could be when it was her who wanted to spend comfort for once. This entire conversation had been a riptide of emotions.

Once they separated, Cana clapped Juvia's shoulder and turned her around with a grin. "Now go get him, girl," she demanded with a push, forcing the blunette to make a first step toward Gray.

When she approached him this time, Juvia felt uncharacteristically shy; if she really was so overbearing that it bothered him, she must control herself. Yet every step she took made the room feel a little brighter, made her heart beat a little faster. Flowing through the crowd with ease born of practice, she approached the lone ice wizard. Gray noticed at some point, but he did not smile like she hoped he would; no, now that she had it pointed out to her, Juvia could see the signs of wariness. He expected her to leap at him again. The realisation almost broke her heart, but she refused to back down. Just this once. And if all else failed, the ocean's endless expanse was not far.

Once she stood in front of his table, Juvia fidgeted a little awkwardly. "May I sit here?" she asked, hoping against all hope he would not send her away. Gray was definitely surprised by the question, but then he motioned for the seat opposite to him; not ideal, but better than expected.

"Sure. What did they want with you? You've been talking for a while."

"Oh. Ah...." What did she say here? Would he feel awkward if Juvia told him the truth? He would absolutely feel awkward.

"Ah, girl things. Got it."

And just like that, Gray dropped the subject. Juvia almost got whiplash from how accomodating he was all of a sudden. She had no idea what to say or do for a while, but eventually struck up a meaningless conversation. To Juvia's delight, Gray talked to her without any issues. If anything, he was more animated than usual; the realisation made Juvia bite her tongue in order not to squeal and tacklehug him. The world was brighter again, at least for now.

Back at the bar, Cana and Mirajane shared a high-five while the rain stopped entirely. Lucy received the same a moment later. The two older women repeated this when Gray and Juvia walked in together the next morning, chatting and more at ease than before. Cana threw a smile to her friend. "Looks like she's doing well."

"I'm glad for her," Mira agreed from her spot behind the bar. "Now for the other problem child." She nodded toward Gajeel, who once again sat on his lonesome.

"Weird that he's here again. He could just take a mission, right?"

"Yes. Maybe he's trying but too proud to approach anyone?" Mira's musings were all but confirmed when Juvia left Gray's side for a moment to talk to Gajeel, who for once did not scowl. Rather, he just answered whatever question with a shrug before the water wizard left him be. Mira left her spot with the feeling this would be a chore. "Well, here I go. Don't clear out the bar while I'm not looking."

"No promises."

On the approach, she noticed that Gajeel kept up his scowl for just about everyone. After seeing his reaction to Juvia however, she began to wonder if perhaps they had another Laxus on hand. From there, she pondered whether this was how her fellow S-ranker might have ended up without Fairy Tail reining him in. Well, nothing for it; at least she knew how to handle his type.

Implacable smile in place, she settled opposite to Gajeel; his gaze snapped to her in an instant and, to his credit, only slipped beneath eye level for a second or two. Most men his age had less restraint. "Why the long face?" Mira greeted him cheerfully. "You're not getting people to sit with you if you act like that. Won't get a girlfriend, either."

The trace of suspicion he had before was wiped away in favour of confusion; poor thing really was not used to being treated nicely, or with humour. His almost immediate wariness was a testament to that. "The hell are you on about?"

"Just an observation," Mira responded primly, but changed the subject before he started to feel she was just messing around. Her eyes roamed the iron Dragonslayer's features again, taking note of his shaggy hair and rugged clothes. "That aside, what's with the wild look? I'm curious how you got to it."

"None of your business."

Mira barely suppressed a sigh; there was no real heat to Gajeel's answer, but he still blocked off her attempts to make conversation. She had to start somewhere and the instinct to keep teasing was not helpful; it would work on Laxus, but she had known him for a decade by now. "Fair enough," she agreed. "I do want you to take proper care of yourself, though; no matter what kind of look you go for. So if I find out your hair is like this because of neglect, so help me I'm going to give you a bath and a good brushing."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed as she continued, but he said nothing; Mira assumed he was confused about the mixture of genuine care and threat he just received. Threats he knew how to respond to, the other part not so much. It was almost painful how easily she could read him. To take out the sting a little, she added a tiny jab: "Or we could try stuffing you in a suit, slick back your hair a bit, that might be interesting, too."

"How long is this going to go?"

"I don't know," Mira answered honestly this time. "As long as it takes until you talk to me." She may not have Lisanna's bratty energy, gods bless her soul, but that little minx certainly got her tenacious side from where Mirajane had it as well. "You're one of us now and that means we will not let you just sit here on your own. That's not the kind of place Fairy Tail is. Resistance is futile unless you tear off that mark and walk out the door."

While she had just spoken from the heart, Mira quietly worried that he might actually do it. Thankfully, Gajeel did not even twitch toward the black guild mark on his shoulder; rather, he sized her up. Studied her. Or perhaps he sought to see if she meant it?

Whatever it was, they were interrupted by a ballistic Gray passing between them. A despairing "Nooooooo" followed as Juvia rushed after him. She turned liquid to flow over and around the table. Gajeel twitched out of reflex while Mira allowed herself a sigh; both turned to the beginning of yet another brawl, coming up at perhaps the worst time. The older wizard pinched the bridge of her nose. "Excuse me for a moment," she murmured before rising.

A few quick steps brought her over to the trouble spot. Droy and Alzack were locked in a grapple on the ground with several others around them cheering; although Bisca looked half a moment away from socking Jet... or Levy, she could not quite tell which. Regardless, Mira reached into the grapple, dragged both to their feet, separated them to confused noises from all around, and pacified them with a punch to the solar plexus each. As the men crumpled and wheezed in a frankly alluring manner, at least to her, Mira focussed on the small crowd instead. "How about not right now?" she asked them with her best saccharine smile. Everyone fled, leaving Droy and Alzack to their fate.

Shaking her head, Mira instructed them to raise their arms above their heads and breathe before returning to Gajeel. Seeing his intrigued look, she figured this interruption might have been helpful after all; the Dragonslayer arched an eyebrow at her, which she did not acknowledge. "Where were we?"

She knew full well that the entire room watched her for now; meanwhile, Gajeel kept studying Mira intently. Something in his gaze worried her as the silence dragged on, all but triumphant as it were. Only when conversations started back up around them did Gajeel answer her, if not like she expected: "You say it's different, but you're more like Phantom's wizards than you think." When Mira only tilted her head in wonder, he elaborated: "You beat down the weaker wizards and enjoy it."

"Excuse me?"

This actually shocked her. Gajeel just smirked like he won the lottery. He tapped his nose. "I can smell it. You get off on that stuff."

Ah. Right. Improved Dragonslayer senses were a pain to deal with; so many awkward questions from Natsu when he was younger. Mira could not help but roll her eyes, although she was well aware she just brought herself in a precarious spot. "I never denied I'm a sadist," she began to justify herself. "People just keep forgetting that I am. Besides, I don't do it willy nilly like you imply I do."

Gajeel's snort told her all she needed to know of his opinion. Mira was half tempted to beat him up too, make him cry so she could revel in his tears. But not only would that prove his point, it was also wrong.

Thankfully, Gajeel's gaze snapped away and his demeanor changed entirely. Where he was confrontational and aggressive so far, now he almost ducked his shoulders. The reason he appeared close to fleeing became obvious when Levy sidled up to Mira's side and bumped her shoulder with a lopsided grin. "Wow," she drawled playfully, "are you Erza in disguise today?"

Mira huffed and decided to answer in kind, focussing her Ethernano to transform into an exact copy of Erza. Her wine red dress remained the same, though; she did not feel like putting too much into a joke. Levy laughed off the stern glare levelled at her and Mira turned back. "Not really," she answered at last, "but I'm a little annoyed today."

"Oh, I wonder why." Levy threw her a wink before turning to Gajeel; most of her humour fell away at that point, though it was curiously him fidgeting and not her.

Gajeel, being Gajeel, only moved forward when the silence dragged on: "Not like I asked for you to hang around here." The defensive response made both women groan openly now; it really was like trying to talk to a piece of iron.

Shaking her head, Levy nudged Mira's shoulder again. "You mind if I have him for a moment?"

"Not at all." Now she was curious what would happen. Levy smiled mischievously.

"Good, good. Come on, get up." She rose from the bench and stepped aside for space. Mira only noticed the small spell circle appearing in the hand Levy hid behind her back because she saw it. There was enough ambient magic to hide it. Her index finger slowly began to draw a word. Meanwhile, the undaunted blunette stared up at a man almost two heads taller than her; their standoff quickly drew attention and conversations fell silent across the hall once again.

"So," Gajeel began after a while, clearly awkward. "What do ya want?"

Levy arched an eyebrow at him and cocked her hips. "Well, usually people apologise if they did something bad. How about we start with that?"

Her sass had Gajeel's nostrils flare, but in a display of restraint he did not snap at her. Mira was surprised, especially now that all eyes were on them. Many people would have become defensive at once. Then again, as he showed them once again, Gajeel Redfox was not 'many people'. He took a deep breath, then another, and forced himself to relax. "I'm, er," he started flounder, "Damn. I'm sorry, okay?"

There was faint whispering that a combined glare from Gajeel and Mira cut off; Levy mulled it over and for a moment, the older woman worried she would try to draw it out to embarass him. She thankfully knew better and nodded. "Alright, I'll take it. The next time, you better believe I won't let you off the hook that easily. By the way." So saying, Levy reared back and punched Gajeel in the face. It came so seamlessly that the Dragonslayer was caught completely off-guard and went flying; he bounced off the ground once, then slowed down as he rolled against the wall. Mira winced.

Gajeel stirred a moment later, unharmed except for a slowly darkening bruise around his eye. His befuddled gaze sought Levy, the diminutive wizard wearing a victorious grin. The word 'Indestructible' was wrapped around her fist. "Now we're even," she finished the sentence. "Welcome to Fairy Tail."

As if her absolution was their cue, the hall burst into cheers and toasts, both for her display and Gajeel being one of them. While the Dragonslayer growled and picked himself up, Mira clapped Levy's shoulder with a soft chuckle. The blunette's impish grin remained until the three of them were seated once again. Levy leaned forward to study Gajeel momentarily, him being less uncomfortable under her scrutiny now. "Really, I'm not even mad about the beating, Natsu and Gray gave me bruises almost like that over the years. And I had a lot worse than hanging around the park for a few hours recently. But I mean it, don't do that again."

"Got it."

"Good boy." And with that final tease, Levy got up to saunter away; she sashayed provocatively and even Mirajane followed her retreating back momentarily; she almost but not quite giggled over Gajeel's attention being focussed in the same direction. The blunette certainly made an impression on him.

"Now," she distracted the Dragonslayer before he actually started to ogle, "I feel we got distracted. Brawling is just about normal here, as is me beating someone down. The same for Erza, though it's usually her getting upset when people don't behave." She jerked her head toward Alzack, who was seated at a different table now, bantering with Elfman and Bisca. "Mine come when someone gets too grabby." Not that she minded the attention too much, though the married men and women better kept their fingers to themselves. "Now tell me about yourself, I'm curious. What do you do in your free time?"

It took some more coaxing from that point onward, but Gajeel cautiously opened up to her. He could read music and played strings, something which Mira immediately leapt on; they had a few instruments, but another was never amiss. It only took a little convincing to get him to play for music night, where Cana had planned to hold her premature celebration of Priscilla's becoming the next master.

Sadly, she soon realised that Gajeel lacked for other decent hobbies. He spent most of his remaining time sitting around and thinking, or on missions. Worse, as it turned out, he did not know how to read. No one taught him to this day and he never made an effort to learn; the fact he was clearly embarassed even admitting it told Mira just how that might have happened. She urged him to learn with a little carrot included, mentioning that Natsu did not know either until Erza hammered it into him. Alternately, Priscilla or Levy would probably do it, too; once she had him to the point of agreeing to try, he quickly picked the dragon lady. Probably because he worried about Levy being smug, which she absolutely would be.

Priscilla herself was surprised by the hesitant request, all but strongarmed by Mirajane. She accepted it regardless, odd though the experience of being the teacher was; it felt more intimate than teaching magic or other subjects. With the guildhall completed, she settled back into a normal rhythm in-between tutoring sessions, seeing that Gajeel learned slower than she did. Priscilla spent that time doing odd jobs, moving supplies or helping with buildings. Especially the latter helped hone her newly acquired telekinesis.

As the weeks passed and life kept on going, she slowly accepted the idea of succeeding Makarov. It truly felt like a new chapter in her life was about to begin.

In mid-May however, Priscilla once again met her unnamed friend. This time they approached each other along the road in opposite directions, expressions brightening upon recognising the other. Priscilla knew she had some time to spare and settled down to talk, appraising her friend of recent events she wished to hear his opinion on; about as expected, he frowned when hearing of the Tower of Heaven and the plot to revive Zeref himself. They also spoke about the battle with Phantom Lord, and the need to rebuild the guildhall.

"Ah, of course. How could I forget?" Upon remembering her promise, Priscilla quickly fetched Lucy's notes from her item box. "One of my guildmates was working on a new spell, but found herself stuck on composing a correct spell circle." Handing him the notes to peruse, she quickly explained the theory: "She wants to use a framework akin to Body Enhancement to infuse herself with a Celestial Spirit's power and abilities."

While he had already been scanning the first page, he stopped dead upon hearing the summary. When he looked up, his eyes were bright. "This is incredible!" her friend breathed, gaze now racing across the page. "I never even considered such an application! This is brilliant! Let's see."

Priscilla watched with rapt attention how the scholar studied every note carefully. He then produced a piece of red chalk and proceeded to mark issues on these pages. After that, he added notes of his own in fine, archaic cursive. "The basic idea is just fine," he decided after about half an hour. "There are some clear beginner's mistakes in the theory sections, but nothing problematic. Spell circles are always the issue in crafting something new, anyway. You can determine their composition through several formulas, but some simply do not conform to mere logic. You need to intuit them depending on the discipline, but studying other existing spells often gives us a good idea how the new circle needs to look like. From these prototype circles, I see she already grasped this to an extent."

Several dozen spell circles snapped into place around him, all of a dark purple. Priscilla recognised none of them. "Which discipline is that?"

"All these are Celestial spells," he explained with a motion for three fourths of the array, "the rest is Body Enhancement. This discipline is rather rigid in its structure and most circles are quite alike. Celestial magic is the opposite, unfortunately. The spirits are all individual beings after all, so their circles align with them." His explanation done, he began to muse again: "But needing a different circle for every single spirit would make this too unwieldy. Or maybe, how about...."

The circles vanished and an empty piece of parchment appeared before him. Several circle designs were quickly inked on it with script magic, work that would take an ordinary scholar hours done in seconds. "But perhaps if the user personalises it and combines with the gate they wish to call upon. Here." The parchment was offered to Priscilla, who took it gingerly. Another page of instructions and recommended reading followed, created as swiftly as the first. "Take this to your friend, the rest is up to her. And do tell her it was a delightful conundrum to ponder."

The dragon felt Lucy may be upset that an issue plaguing her for months had been solved in about an hour.

Just as she stored the solution, her friend locked up and grew pale. "You need to leave," he urged the befuddled Priscilla. "And quick. Please!"

Seeing him in distress only caused the opposite reaction. "What is the matter?" Priscilla inquired while leaning forward to appraise her black-clad friend. He grew ever more frantic, grabbing his chest as if to push something down. His eyes glistened, the first tear fell just as a wave of darkness rolled out from within him; Priscilla fell still when the foul magic rushed past her, plants withering and a few crows falling dead from the dying trees.

When the darkness faded, a perfect circle of death surrounded the two of them. Priscilla stared down at her friend in shock, much like he stared up at her while tears ran down his cheeks. "T-Then you, too?" He coughed out with a sob, the question confusing her. "You too, suffer this curse?"

"I believe not," she denied, though this energy had felt familiar in a way. "What is it?"

His demeanor slowly changed, the previous energy leaving him. He slumped for a long moment, muttering under his breath. "You truly are different. Perhaps if you can resist the curse, there is something to be done." More crows had gathered, some to prod their dead and others to watch the duo. Her friend slowly rose and wiped away his tears, meeting Priscilla's gaze head-on. "I believe introductions are in order. I am Zeref Dragneel, whom they call The Black Wizard."

 

[Iseeyou]

When the darkness faded, a perfect circle of death surrounded the two of them. Priscilla stared down at her friend in shock, much like he stared up at her while tears ran down his cheeks. "T-Then you, too?" He coughed out with a sob, the question confusing her. "You too, suffer this curse?"

"I believe not," she denied, though this energy had felt familiar in a way. "What is it?"

His demeanor slowly changed, the previous energy leaving him. He slumped for a long moment, muttering under his breath. "You truly are different. Perhaps if you can resist the curse, there is something to be done." More crows had gathered, some to prod their dead and others to watch the duo. Her friend slowly rose and wiped away his tears, meeting Priscilla's gaze head-on. "I believe introductions are in order. I am Zeref Dragneel, whom they call The Black Wizard."

Click to shrink...

Yes. Now Priscilla will help out with Zeref's curse, Zeref falls in love with the drussy, and Mavis will start crying over how she got NTR'd.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Ah, Zeref the nerd. I wonder if this means he has fiddled with celestial spirit keys in the past or spoken to the Celestial Spirit King. That sort of interaction could explain any number of odd behaviors from the lesser spirits, even centuries later.

 

[Rgrif9]

Ah, Zeref the nerd. I wonder if this means he has fiddled with celestial spirit keys in the past or spoken to the Celestial Spirit King. That sort of interaction could explain any number of odd behaviors from the lesser spirits, even centuries later.

Click to shrink...

Zeref and Anna Heartfilia together were the ones to come up with the 400 year plan and he was the one who actually built the eclipse gate, so it would honestly be surprising if the spirits and king didn't know him.

 

[Naron]

"Death magic is often seen as the height of heresy, but in truth is quite inefficient. The amount of time necessary to learn even the easiest types can be better spent learning a combat focussed magic to induce death through battle. This has the added benefit of not being useless the moment one's target does not die to Death magic, which can be defended against. Any trained wizard is capable of fighting back through their Ethernano, not to mention most forms of Death magic can be dodged. I shall withhold explanations on how to learn this discipline and urge anyone interested in the subject matter to learn something more useful instead."

-excerpt from "The Soul of Magic"

---

After burying the dead crows and vacating the no-man's land of Zeref's creation, the two settled around a hastily created fire as dusk approached. The revelation surprised her without doubt, though Priscilla mainly pondered her companion's identity in the heavy silence engulfing them. "What befuddles me," she finally admitted, "is how no one noticed the Black Wizard's presence. It certainly explains your mastery of magic."

"Well, I am versed in memory manipulation. I do not like using it, but it is necessary to avoid all those cults. I cull some of them if they get too dangerous, but usually it is just crazies that the wizard guilds can take care of." He scowled at the crackling flames before shaking his head and changing the subject. "I am honestly surprised that you even allow me a conversation. I had hoped, of course, but my usual experiences after revealing my name are... less pleasant."

Priscilla weakly raised her shoulders in response. "Were I a hypocrite, perhaps. Thou art one I call friend, however. And I believe tis time for a true introduction also." Perhaps he would understand then; the image everyone else had of Zeref was obviously flawed. She knew how that felt like better than anyone. Inclining her head, she spoke: "I am the crossbreed Priscilla, born as part Everlasting dragon, part god. The gods loathed my existence from the day I first took breath, for within me rests not only the pride of dragons, but also the Lifehunt, my own Death magic that can slay any being with a soul. They feared me, for I was born to be their slayer, and cast me into exile in a painting of Ariamis, forgotten to the world with but other heretics and exiled for company."

Much to her own relief, Zeref appeared unaffected by her declarations; the most she could find were widened eyes, though his expression slowly began to brighten. "Then perhaps you can aid me," he began, which was about the last thing she expected to hear right now. "You see, what happened earlier is due to an ancient god's curse, the curse of Ankhseram; no one knows exactly how it came to be, we do not even know if his name is correct. It strikes at any who dare command the laws of nature and dooms them to eternal life. It also frequently kills everything around the victim as you saw earlier, making my life a lonely one even after I got proficient in suppressing it."

While Zeref explained, Priscilla's mind was racing; she knew the name Ankhseram. Moreover, it was an important name to her. She only needed a few seconds to remember why, too: it was an Everlasting Dragon's name. Ankhseram, the first to fall in the First War. But how did all of this fit together?

"I only know of two people suffering from it today, myself included."

Now he had her attention again; Priscilla tilted her head ever so slightly, a gesture learned from humans. "Only two people were affected over millennia?"

Zeref shook his head sadly. "No," he admitted. "Kings and queens of the fire dragon swarm could burn away this curse in the past. Their flames were that strong and their kindness without compare." He left a pause in order to sigh, telling Priscilla exactly where this line of thought was going. "Now there are no more fire dragons. King Igneel passed away long ago as the last of his line, struck down by Acnologia."

"That can not be right," the crossbreed murmured. "Natsu is certain he last saw him a mere eight years ago." The mention of her fiery guildmate had Zeref perk up, but Priscilla was lost in thought. "Then again, Atlas Flame was also certain his king had died. The truths are mutually exclusive here, unless," she finished with a glance to the immortal in front of her, "there is plotting afoot. Could it be you are planning the kinslayer's downfall?"

"Pardon, who?"

"...Acnologia. Speaking a kinslayer's name is not done among my kind; they do not deserve to have one for their sins."

"I see." Zeref hummed in thought, clearly considering her question or perhaps whether to trust her with the information. That he only needed a moment to decide in her favour pleased Priscilla: "I am. We are, really. Many people contributed in various ways. Although I would like to mention that Acnologia... pardon, the kinslayer, was not originally a dragon. He was a Dragonslayer who murdered so many dragons and bathed in their blood that when he turned, his scales grew black and resistent to magic in general."

Priscilla exhaled slowly, running the words through her head. This did not change the situation or her feelings, but it was good to know. One little detail stood out to her, though. "Why did he become a dragon?"

"The greatest downside to Slayer magic in general," Zeref answered, "Adapting power and traits from a being so much your greater makes the body want to follow suit. With too much exposure to the given species, a Slayer will turn into it if the gap between both is too big."

This was bad news indeed. Priscilla could not prevent her eyes from almost bulging out of their sockets at the thought of Natsu or Gajeel turning into proper dragons. Zeref, however, waved her off with a reassuring smile. "Worry not, our plans are solid. When Acnologia... sorry. When he killed the last dragons, some persisted. Their souls were strong, spirits unbroken. The queen of the skies, king of iron, and king of fire. Grandine, Metalicana, and Igneel all remained even beyond their cooling bodies. They sought me out as the only one who even he could not kill, and we strategised. Each of them took a child as their own and raised them to be Dragonslayers. Grandine chose Wendy, the youngest. In her soul rests inherited healing magic. Metalicana picked Gajeel, who you already know. And to Igneel, I left Natsu. My brother's soul reborn by my hand, the act for which I received Ankhseram's curse."

He laid it out in somber silence. Even the crows surrounding them once again were quiet while Priscilla listened. Into the lack of noise after he finished, Zeref sighed. "That was four hundred years ago, a time in which the genocide of dragonkind left the world sparse of Ethernano. Not enough to support Dragonslayers. So I built Eclipse, a time travel device, and created the golden Zodiac Keys to activate it with. The Celestial Spirits lent their aid to make it work, and we sent all three Dragonslayers into this time."

Now he had her full attention as ideas began to race through her mind; going back in time was not inconceivable, what with its flow being convoluted in her home world. The Undead spoke tales of old heroes randomly appearing centuries after their passing. But if it could be harnessed, perhaps to intercept the Lords before they could destroy her species.... "How does it work?"

"Barely," Zeref said after mulling it over. "The fabric of time is difficult to pierce and just as hard to even study. The spirits are the only reason I could figure out a solution. I will spare you the details, but the basic idea is for the gate to open at two different points in time. Then it connects to itself that way. I needed to work around time going only one way and looking back at it, forgot most of the workaround I found back then. It included routing the gate's traffic into a different world where time is less rigid and making the connection there."

He explained a few more minute details while Priscilla discarded her wild dreams as fast as they appeared; of course she could not undo the fate of her species. In a way, that was also a guilty sort of relief; had she been given the choice, she would gladly undo the circumstances of her creation and, likely, herself in the pursuit of her kind's survival. Now that she did not have the choice, she could keep on living.

Zeref finished during her introspection, his momentary smile already fading again as he returned to the previous subject: "The Dragonslayers are our last trump against him. Their parents' spirits put everything they could into them, sacrificing themselves in the end to undo what wrought Acnologia to begin with. I carefully calculated at which point contact with the parent species needs cutting off to prevent turning into a dragon. The energy of their fading souls powered Eclipse. And that is why I am still here." He sighed once again, staring into the fire. "Igneel offered to end me once everything was set in place, but back then I was young. I thought I could endure at least that long to make sure it all works out, but humans are not meant to live for centuries. I lost myself long ago."

"And that is where the dark magic comes in?" she inquired curiously. He nodded.

"Indeed. I plunged myself into research, examining any avenue I could think of to end my existence." The result was obvious to both of them, so he skipped it: "Which is why I think you can help me. If your Lifehunt is truly this potent, would you fulfill my wish?"

"Certainly," she agreed without hesitation. Immortals seeking salvation from their torment was nothing new to her. "The Undead of my world sought me for the same reason. Though it is a shame as well." Priscilla mused idly, realising that she never truly bonded with one of her victims-to-be before. "We are close in age, I believe. Time spent in the painting never quite mattered to me, so I can not tell for certain. If only you were not born mortal, it would be wonderful to have a lasting companion."

Zeref nodded sadly, her point understood. Though solitude and the passage of time mattered little to a being such as her, she found the recent company of her guild to be most wonderful. Regardless, while they were still sitting, she returned to an earlier point made. "But you mentioned another suffering from this curse. Who are they?"

Here he hesitated, hanging his head. "...Mavis," Zeref said. A single word tinged with melancholy and adoration. "My wife, the light of my life. She is why I am still me at this point, or rather why I am me once again. I met her about a hundred years ago, a prodigy if there ever was one. And I foolishly taught her magic. Her excitement for it made me forget where that path lead. The next time I met her, she cast it and did not even realise she was cursed. Yet another life I ruined," he ended his recounting, a singular tear rolling down his cheek, soon joined by another: "More than that, the curse left her comatose soon after we found together. We only had a year and a half before it took even her from me. She is kept somewhere around Magnolia in stasis. I do not know where. Would you free her as well?"

"Of course," Priscilla agreed immediately. Reuniting two lovers through death may be one of the weirder tales, but if that was what it took to give them happiness, she would do it without hesitation. Still, her location was curious. "Why Magnolia, though?"

The inquiry earned a weak smile from Zeref. "Because she is the founder of Fairy Tail. My Mavis. Makarov is the son of one of her original companions. She picked his name, even."

Their fire crackled in what silence followed. Threads flitted through Priscilla's mind, information clicking into place where she had the information needed; a proper conclusion was amiss, but she began to see the hidden truths of Earthland. Just like Lordran hid the existence of an abominable crossbreed within a painting and whatever other plots they wove, the people here had their own secrets.

A sigh from Zeref returned Priscilla's attention to him. The immortal wizard wore a tender smile. "She is the only reason I can not call refusing Igneel the greatest mistake I ever made." Shaking his head, he glanced up at her. "Now, shall we?"

The dragon made to nod, but paused with a glance at her surroundings. "Not yet," she declared a moment later. "And not here. For now, may I make a selfish request? Please tell me more of your travels and your pursuits."

The Black Wizard studied her with a mixture of emotions she could not disentangle, but he ultimately nodded. So they spoke for hours, mainly him regaling her of the many wonderful sights, tales, and magics of his home world. He told her of Edolas, of living under dragon rule, of the great dragon swarms; the belief that the fire dragon king, ever the greatest of the lot, could hold dominion of the sun made Priscilla shiver. It felt too similar to Lord Gwyn for her liking. Then Zeref taught her of the great change; that Ability-type magic, mainly brought forth in conjunction with one's own body, would over time become Holder-type defined by equipment imbued with spell circles. Celestial Spirit magic was one of these, though Guns magic also qualified, among others.

"Holder-type magic is much easier to learn," he explained when she inquired as to its use. "Meaning that more people can access it. Even completely ordinary people can use magical items as long as Ethernano is provided; I devised Lacrima-based batteries some time ago and planted the design across the continent, so once their use spreads, more and more people can benefit from our wonderful magic."

At this point, Priscilla felt she truly began to understand the man before her. Though the assumptions of his personality many made were clearly unfounded, his moniker was certainly deserved. The reminder brought her to ask of the one other thing on her mind: "You created Etherious, then? Were they a means to your end as well?"

"Yes."

His answer hung in the air for a time, though Zeref did not meet her gaze. "I did some awful things in my pursuit of their creation, sins I do not wish you to bear. Natsu is Etherious, the first and most powerful; he was actually the final plan to my death before you came along. With Igneel's flame he inherited and the abyssal fire I instilled in him, he might be able to break my curse. Sadly," he commented with a note of humour, "he was the one Etherious that never got the chance to try. Every other gave their best attempt and fell short; only afterward did I realise how much it hurt them to strike at their creator. They only acted because I ordered them to. So I removed the memory of these days and set them free."

"For what reason exactly?" she asked at once, remembering Kyoka and her blatant disregard for human life. Zeref sighed.

"The folly of living magic," he responded. "My Etherious are sophisticated enough to possess free will and a soul. I created them for selfish reasons they could never fulfill. But even in my bitterness, I could not dare destroy them. So I set them free to find their own path. But with what I heard of Tartaros, well. Perhaps I should have accepted a few more sins upon my shoulders."

"If they have free will, their actions are not your fault."

"I disagree. Let us leave it at that."

Priscilla scowled, but accepted his desire to speak of it no more. Glancing upward, she began to see the sky brighten as dawn approached. "Very well," the dragon declared as she rose. "It is time. I know where to go."

Though befuddled, Zeref allowed her to pick him up; a single stomp of her bare foot extinguished the fire while what few things they spread around were gathered via telekinesis. Priscilla then began to march at a brisk pace, climbing the nearby hills in the quiet of night; a handful of crows followed her across the land while the man held in her arms spent that time pondering.

He interrupted her silent progress halfway up the steep incline: "Something you should know is that I figured out his, the kinslayer's, weakness. He is immune to magic based on Ethernano, but not to purely physical strikes. The size and strength of a dragon's body hide it, but the best way to deal with him is a magically accelerated boulder. Dragonslayer magic will work as well, but even that is less useful."

"Only magic based on Ethernano?" she inquired without slowing. Zeref shrugged against her arm.

"I never had any other magic to test against his resistances. Your Lifehunt may work, or it may not. I will not make any claims about it." Though the crossbreed bristled at the notion of her absolute death being found wanting, she grudgingly conceded the point; neither of them knew what to make of this interaction right now. "Either way, pass on the word if you wish. Heh, if you so want, you can claim you found an old text from me mentioning that."

Though her lips quirked upward with the joke, she could not quite feel the levity. "This would require presenting said text, I am afraid. Then again, I am a dragon myself; with some more time to build a rapport with the people here, I may just make the claim without anyone doubting me. Few know that I am not of this world, after all."

"That may just work."

"We have arrived," Priscilla added right after, ending their short conversation. Atop this hill they could see dark clouds and a brightening sky. No sign of the sun just yet. Priscilla stared into the distance before nodding to herself and pulling her scythe from storage. It almost gleamed in the darkness, black as the night.

Just as she ran a finger over its ever sharp blade, Zeref reached into his own item box. "Oh, and one other thing," he prefaced before producing several books. A stack of three plus one more, all offered to her with a faint smile. "My magnum opus, the Magicae Universalis. I worked on it over the last few decades, ever since Mavis reminded me of my love for magic. Please take it, and maybe pass it onto others if you wish. This however," he made the separate tome wiggle. "I want you to have just in case. Do not let anyone know. These three do not contain any dark or too exploitable spell circles or theories. They are all in here, various kinds of lost and dark magic. I entrust them to you."

"Your trust honours me," a solemn Priscilla murmured as she accepted the tomes. She began to feel the weight of a parting near; with it surged grief and a hint of desparation. Even if they rarely met, Zeref was one of the first friends she made on Earthland. He taught her magic, offering aid and council without regard for any reward.

The man himself smiled, though. Behind him the sun rose at last, casting light onto lush forests stretching into the distance. Veins of crystal blue ran through the land and the world woke. It put his silhouette in stark contrast, almost hiding his smile. "If this is truly the last we speak, thank you, Priscilla. Thank you truly, even for just trying. And if Mavis wakes, please tell her I will wait on the other side. Wherever it may be, however long it takes."

Nodding mutely, Priscilla let her might flow through the ebony scythe; Zeref turned around to gaze across the wonderful world he loved one last time. If he noticed her quivering eyes, he did not say. A large blade settled against his throat, thrumming with the crossbreed's power; the half-heard screams of dragons reverberated, but for once they did not roar in anger. Rather, they offered grudging respect to a lesser being. The Black Wizard exhaled one last time.

"F-Farewell," Priscilla choked out, then pulled back her scythe.

And half a continent away, Etherious Kyoka woke up screaming.

 

[Vajra]

Bloodborne Ending A achieved.

 

[Vannevariable]

I wonder how Mavis will take this news, and if she will ask to join her dearest Zeref.

 

[DarkKing]

I kind of hope that without Zeref ordering an attack August meets his mother because him fading away literally within eyesight of his mom with her having no idea was the saddest shit I've ever seen.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Llllllllisten. Priscilla has built some strong bonds in Fairy Tail, she has people who will support her if she shares a version of what happened here. But this is not the only thing going on in the world, she will not receive the time off she likely needs (whether she'd admit it or whether Makarov has to push for it). Laxus has a plan in motion for her. Acnologia may react to Zeref's death. Mavis may awaken early. Any of the dragons or dragonslayers from the post-timeskip arc could have been outside of Zeref's plans.

Priscilla is not going to mirror Makarov's style as guildmaster, assuming she takes over soon. So I wonder if, as a person who deserves more than solitude and imprisonment, if she will lean on her guildmates in some ways. For support of a few different flavors. Or to uphold obligations she inherits to do good deeds.