Beta read by Shigiya
.
.
.
-Magnolia-
(Evening)
The sun was going down, and Magnolia was starting to wind down with it. People were heading home, filing into bars, crowding the dinner spots that lined every other street. Lucy would have loved to do that last one, grab a table somewhere with her friends, order some food and drink until she passed out, forgetting the past day. But right now she just wanted to go home and sleep for the day. And the next day, if possible. She and Cana made their way back through the streets, both of them lugging a bushel of vegetables. Lucy's arms were already complaining about the weight and long travel. Cana, naturally, was laughing.
"Hahaha! What a day! The quest was pretty good! Look at this haul!"
Lucy, on the other hand, just felt disappointed and fed up since the ride back. "How can you be so happy? We literally had to clean an entire diner in an hour after a lunch rush! Someone puked twice! It was so disgusting! Even with my nose blocked, I could still smell the stench!" She smelled her fingers, then pulled them away with a gag and looked ready to throw up herself. "Oh god! I can smell it on my fingers!"
The brunette card wizard just chuckled. "You should have worn gloves."
"We were only given a single pair!" Lucy exclaimed, still cursing that rotund old man just because he was more charmed by Cana's bikini-clad, abundant chest and gave her everything! "And even if I were to strut around in a bikini and get those, they were too small." She looked at Cana with disbelief. "How the hell do you have smaller hands than me?"
The latter just wriggled her fingers as if showing them off like some kind of hand model. "Just genetics, and they are not smaller. They are just slimmer."
"Are you calling me fat?"
"Kinda. Nah, I'm just messing with you. You're just fat in all the right places."
This woman… Well, she had gotten used to her antics, and the blonde was too tired to even try to come up with any snarky comebacks. "Look, I get it. It was pretty gross at the end, but a quest is still a quest. And for such a small quest, the pay was pretty good. Eighty thousand jewels is still a lot and that's not including the tips we got for shaking our money makers. If we keep doing this, we could earn enough to check out some new places to live!"
Lucy stared at her with an incredulous expression. "You want to move again? We just barely managed to make rent, and now you're asking to move again? I like our new place, ain't no way we are buying anything with a hot spring for less than ten million jewels!"
"No, not buy," Cana clarified quickly. "But like, go on a vacation somewhere and rent a beach house for a month or two. That would be amazing! Taking a break from all the wizard stuff, nothing bothering except how to cure our hangovers the next morning. For you, it might even be the proper treatment for jelly legs, soreness, and improving your stamina."
"Cana!"
"Hahahaha! Joking, just joking~!"
A joke that made her cheeks feel like they were on fire. The image of what happened at the hot spring between Broly and Aquarius resurfaced with a vengeance, making her face heat up even further and nearly drop the bags she was carrying. Pushing those dirty images aside, she thought about it for a moment.
"You know what?" she muttered, mostly to herself. "A beach house doesn't sound half bad or maybe head somewhere new."
"And the beach isn't new?" Cana asked.
"It's not that," Lucy explained. "It's just that we went to the beach not that long ago, and I just wanted to see if there's something else out there."
This made Cana think. "There's an entertainment park in the Fiore Kingdom, along with a stadium coliseum where they have regular battles between powerful mages. We could go there and enjoy the sights."
Lucy was starting to look interested. "I've never actually been to the Fiore Kingdom before."
This surprised Cana. "Really? I expected a rich girl like you would have gone there several times for meetings and stuff."
She grumbled. "Don't call me a rich girl. I'm not sure if you noticed but I'm dirt poor, and for most of my life, I lived in the woods after leaving home. How the hell does that sound like someone who grew up as a rich lady or a princess?"
"I suppose you are a former rich girl, hmm~," Cana said, tapping her chin in thought before a grin crossed her face. "How about Jungle Princess? Or Princess of the Wilds? No, Jungle Princess sounds better!"
That made her roll her eyes, but she didn't stop Cana when she pulled her into a one-arm hug and pressed her cheek against hers as they made it to the guild. But right as they passed through the door, a figure smashed into the wall beside them.
"Hiya!"
It happened so fast that she jumped into Cana's arms in fright.
"Where is he!?"
The furious roar echoed through the guild hall, loud enough to rattle windows and silence the entire room. Both Lucy and Cana instinctively turned toward the source of the commotion just in time to see a familiar figure hurtling through the air.
"Natsu!"
The Dragon Slayer crashed across several tables before skidding along the floor, splintering wood beneath him until he finally came to a stop in a heap. Concerned, Lucy dropped out of Cana's arms and hurried over to the unmoving fire breather before gently nudging the side of his head with her foot.
"Are you still alive!?"
Dark brown eyes flew open.
"What kind of question is that!? And stop kicking me with your smelly foot!"
"Hey! My feet don't stink!"
Ignoring Lucy's squawk of indignation, Natsu sprang upright as though nothing had happened, cracked his neck and knuckles, then jabbed an accusing finger toward the opposite end of the guild. "What the hell was that for!? Fight me, bastard!"
Without a shred of hesitation, he charged.
A deafening crack of thunder interrupted him. Lightning descended from the ceiling almost instantly, swallowing the Dragon Slayer in a blinding flash. His body stiffened before being launched clear across the guild once again, disappearing through another row of tables with an even louder crash than before.
Lucy felt goosebumps spread across her arms. Unlike Natsu, she was fairly certain getting struck by that wouldn't end with simply standing back up.
Only now did she get a proper look at the source of the commotion.
Standing near the center of the guild was an enormous man, nearly as tall as Broly himself. Fresh bandages wrapped portions of his body, yet despite the injuries, the pressure coming from him filled the room. Thin arcs of lightning danced across one outstretched hand, snapping loudly through the air as his gaze swept across everyone present.
"Where the hell is the bastard who struck such a cowardly blow against me!?"
"..."
Nobody answered.
Not a single member dared to open their mouth. Some avoided eye contact, while others quietly stepped farther away, unwilling to attract even a fraction of the lightning crackling around him. The atmosphere had become so tense that even breathing too loudly felt like a mistake.
A lone figure eventually broke the silence.
Hands buried casually inside his pockets, Gray walked toward the agitated Dragon Slayer with an expression that suggested he was already tired of the entire situation.
"You need to calm down and stop yelling," he remarked. "No matter how much noise you make, Broly already left on a quest. He won't be coming back anytime soon."
"Broly?"
Confusion briefly replaced Laxus' anger before irritation returned almost immediately.
Gray shrugged. "Oh right. You probably don't know him yet. He's one of the newer members. My advice? Don't go looking for trouble. He's a decent guy... but he's also ridiculously strong." His eyes drifted toward the windows for a moment before returning to Laxus. "If you need proof, take a look at the moon."
Electricity intensified around the Lightning Dragon Slayer's arm.
"You actually expect me to believe something that Vulcanshit?"
…Vulcan what?
"He's not lying."
Every head turned toward the bar.
Makarov sat comfortably on a stool with a mug of beer resting in one hand, looking entirely unconcerned by the destruction surrounding him. Taking one final drink, he set the mug aside, hopped down onto the floor, then leisurely approached his grandson with both hands clasped behind his back.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, Broly isn't what most people would call a normal wizard." The older man stopped only a few steps away. "Picking a fight with him isn't going to solve anything. It'll just end with you getting your ass kicked in front of the entire guild." His eyes briefly wandered across the bandages covering Laxus before a grin crept onto his face. "Actually... what happened to you before you got here? Looks to me like somebody already beat you to it."
Veins stood out across Laxus' forehead.
"Don't talk to me like that, old man! It was a surprise attack! If we'd been prepared, it would've been the other way around!"
A dismissive wave from his grandpa was his answer back.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." The guild master yawned. "Why don't you head back to bed and think up a better excuse while you're at it?"
Several members immediately looked uneasy.
"Oi, stop provoking him," Bisca pleaded from nearby. "You're supposed to be the grandparent here.'
Too late.
In the next instant, Laxus was already standing directly in front of him. His towering frame cast a shadow over the older man as sparks danced wildly across his body.
"Call me weak again," he warned, voice low enough to make several nearby members instinctively step backward, "and I'll remind everyone exactly why nobody talks to me like that. Maybe it'll get that senile brain of yours to finally step down as guild master and let me finally take over."
Makarov refused to give even an inch. Instead, he met his grandson's glare head-on… or at least looking up given their size difference.
"Watch your mouth, brat. Is that any way to speak to your elders?"
The guild fell completely silent.
Lucy had already retreated behind one of the thicker support walls, peeking around the edge just enough to watch while silently praying she wouldn't end up caught between the two. The air itself felt charged as lightning continued snapping around Laxus, bits of broken wood occasionally lifting from the floor before falling again.
Then another voice cut cleanly through the tension.
"Laxus. That's enough."
Everyone instinctively turned toward the entrance.
Erza stood there beside Mirajane, both having arrived only moments earlier. Before anyone could react, a massive shield spun through the air and slammed into the floor between grandfather and grandson with a boom, the force shaking the surrounding tables. Dust burst outward from the impact as Erza stepped beside it without taking her eyes off Laxus.
"Don't start a fight in the guild," she ordered. "This isn't the time, and it certainly isn't the place. You're still supposed to be recovering. Porlyusica said your body would need several more days before you're fully healed. You should still be in bed."
The crackling around Laxus eased slightly as his gaze settled on her.
"You've gotten bolder since the last time I saw you."
"I could say exactly the same thing." There wasn't the slightest hesitation in Erza's reply. "From what I can see, you haven't even been out of bed for five minutes before deciding to challenge the Guild Master. Between the two of us, I'd say you're the reckless one."
He just clicked his tongue.
"You're lucky you're strong enough to say that to my face."
"I'm not saying this because I'm strong," she added with the same expressionless face. "I'm saying it because I'm a member of this guild. Looking out for everyone, even you, is part of that."
Laxus dismissed the remark. "We're getting off track. I didn't come here to debate pointless nonsense. I want to know who this Broly is... and where I can find him."
Erza's eyes widened slightly, but before she could answer, another voice cut in from behind. Freed had just stepped out of the infirmary, still adjusting the sling around one bandaged arm as he approached behind Laxus. "We only heard about him ourselves a little while ago. Master mentioned something about him destroying the moon." His calm expression didn't quite hide his disbelief. "Tell me honestly... is that actually true?"
Unlike Laxus, there was no mockery in the question. Only genuine curiosity. Even the Dragon Slayer remained silent this time, waiting for the answer instead of interrupting.
A faint look of discomfort crossed Erza's face. "It wasn't intentional. Nirvana affected him and caused him to lose control for a brief period." She paused before continuing firmly. "He never meant to destroy it."
"So... it's true?" Laxus muttered.
Freed stared in silence, while Evergreen's eyes widened alongside his. Around them, conversations throughout the guild came to an abrupt stop. More than half the members turned toward Erza at once, several blurting out questions in disbelief, convinced it had to be some exaggerated tale that had grown more ridiculous with each retelling.
"Noisy as always." Her voice wasn't loud, yet it immediately silenced the room. "I said enough. Everyone, return to what you were doing. Now!"
"Y-Yes!"
Nobody argued. One by one, the guild members quietly dispersed, far more willing to obey her than continue satisfying their curiosity. Their whispers gradually faded until only a handful of people remained. Laxus stood motionless in the middle of the guildhall, his eyes lowered as countless thoughts ran through his mind.
"A wizard capable of destroying the moon..." His gaze slowly lifted again. "Someone like that can't simply appear out of nowhere. If a mage possessed that kind of power, the entire continent would already know his name."
"It's... complicated," Erza admitted. "He came from a distant land and spent much of his life imprisoned within the Tower of Heaven before going into hiding." She met his gaze directly. "And let me warn you now. Don't waste your time trying to recruit him into your group. He already has companions, and the way he views strength is nothing like yours. The two of you would never see eye to eye."
The warning went in one ear and out the other.
"Power recognizes power." A faint grin appeared across Laxus's face. "Whether he destroyed the moon through his own strength or because of Nirvana doesn't matter. A man like that will understand exactly what I'm trying to accomplish." His attention shifted toward everyone else. "Who are these teammates of his? Natsu?"
"..."
Not a single person spoke.
Instead, every eye in the room slowly drifted toward the same direction.
Following their line of sight, Laxus turned around just in time to find Lucy awkwardly trying to sneak toward the exit while rolling a barrel of alcohol behind her and to the Cana hiding outside the doorway of the guild. Every movement was painfully slow, as though she genuinely believed nobody would notice. The attempt ended the moment Mirajane appeared beside her and casually smacked the back of her head.
"Don't steal barrels for Cana!"
"Oww! Cana told me to do it!"
The barrel stopped rolling. Laxus looked from Lucy and Cana... to the crowd... then back again.
"...You're serious?"
The silence itself became confirmation.
"These?" His eyebrow twitched. "These weaklings are the people he's teamed up with?" The remark had barely left his mouth before the guild doors slammed open.
"Hey!"
Natsu stormed inside, pointing directly at him. "Lucy and Cana aren't weaklings! Take those words back! They've been on plenty of quests with me, and both of them can handle themselves just fine!"
Lucy nearly had a heart attack.
"Natsu!" she hissed, frantically waving both hands. "Would you please stop talking!? You're only making things worse!"
Gray, completely oblivious to the atmosphere as usual and somehow already down to his underwear, nodded in agreement. "He's right. Broly even said Lucy's strong enough to wipe out an entire army of Vulcans if she really wanted to."
A high heel immediately flew across the room.
Smack!
"Ouch!" Gray spun around before collapsing face-first onto the floor. Lucy stood frozen in place, breathing heavily after throwing the shoe.
"I am not that strong!" she protested, looking completely horrified. "Don't listen to these idiots! They're exaggerating! I'm just a weak little girl!"
Laxus stared at her for a long moment before letting out a disappointed scoff.
"You're attractive enough," he admitted, eyes looking at her breasts to make his point, which earned a jealous scoff from Evergreen. "But that attitude is pathetic. If Broly surrounds himself with people who think like you, then he's weaker than I expected."
Something inside Lucy snapped the moment she heard that. Before anyone realized what she was doing, a golden key was already between her fingers.
A brilliant circle of light opened behind Laxus. "What?" The Dragon Slayer sensed it too late.
A gloved fist burst from the summoning gate and drove straight into his face.
Crash!
Several chairs exploded apart as Laxus was launched across the guildhall. Dozens of guild members stared with mouths hanging open, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. Standing beside Lucy was a well-dressed Celestial Spirit wearing an immaculate tuxedo. Capricorn calmly adjusted one of his cuffs before offering a polite bow.
"How was my performance, Lady Lucy? I believe that the delinquent has received an appropriate lesson."
"Thanks, Capricorn."
Only then did Lucy turn toward the fallen Dragon Slayer.
"You can call me weak all you want," she declared, her voice far steadier than anyone expected. "Honestly, I know I'm not among the strongest people in this guild. But don't you dare insult Broly." Her grip tightened around the key still in her hand. "He doesn't choose people because they're powerful, nor is he someone like you who looks down on everyone. He went through a lot and always just wants to live a simple life. That's something someone like you clearly doesn't understand."
Rather than growing angry, Laxus laughed. "Hehehe… hahaha!" The chuckle quickly became louder until it echoed throughout the guildhall. Rising back to his feet, he rolled one shoulder before the other, then cracked his neck.
"You've got some backbone after all."Two fingers rose in front of him as arcs of lightning danced across both forearms. "Let's see how long that confidence lasts."
"That's enough."
Makarov's voice rang through the hall before anyone else could move.
"I won't allow guild members to seriously fight each other."
"This isn't serious." Laxus barely spared him a glance. "Guild members brawl all the time. You never had a problem with that before. We're just seeing what everyone can do."
With that, he began walking toward Lucy.
The blonde instinctively stepped backward until Capricorn stood between them.
"O-Oh god! W-What am I even doing!?"
"You may rest easy, Lady Lucy." The spirit lowered his stance, one hand resting on his hat. "I am more than capable of dealing with this delinquent."
Laxus laughed again.
"Even your spirit talks big." Lightning crackled louder around his body. "I'll rip those horns off and shove them where the sun doesn't shine."
Before another step could be taken, a suit of crimson armor blocked his path. Erza planted herself firmly between both sides.
"Enough. Haven't you argued with enough people today? They just returned from a job. If you're looking for a fight, pick another day."
"I'm getting tired of you interfering," Laxus growled.
"And I'm getting tired of stopping you from making stupid decisions." Her expression never changed. "Keeping guild members from going too far is part of my responsibility. You're not thinking clearly right now."
A muscle twitched near his jaw.
"...Freed."
The response came instantly.
Runes suddenly erupted around Erza, forming glowing walls that surrounded her before she could react. The moment she struck one, another appeared beside it. Similar barriers materialized around several nearby guild members, including Makarov himself.
"Laxus!" the guild master roared, slamming both fists against the magical prison. "Don't do something you'll regret!"
The warning went ignored.
Without another glance, Laxus continued toward Lucy. The blonde had already drawn another golden key.
"I'm not scared of you."
The gate opened with a booming moo. A towering bull spirit carrying a massive battle axe stepped through, planting himself in front of his summoner.
"Who dares approach Lady Lucy's magnificent bosom!? This mighty Taurus shall not allow it!"
Laxus spat onto the wooden floor.
"...What a circus. No wonder people have stopped respecting this guild."
A sudden flash exploded beside Lucy before he could advance any farther. Cana stepped into view, cards already spread between her fingers.
"What are you doing here?" Laxus asked with open contempt. "Shouldn't you be drinking until you pass out somewhere?"
She arched an eyebrow. "I can't exactly sit around while my teammates are getting bullied."
"So you've decided to join them." Lightning crackled louder around his arms. "Oh well, just one more face added to the pile. I always wanted to correct that lazy attitude of yours."
Cana's eyes twitched. "You're being a jackass, Laxus."
"Fine." A grin slowly spread across his face. "I wasn't interested in wasting time on weaklings today, but the three of you clearly need a lesson. Especially you." His eyes settled on Lucy once more. "That punch earned you my full attention."
{Break}
While this was going on, Broly hovered in the air and flew towards the forest before descending and landing in a patch of dirt and grass. He casually passed through a large boulder, which clearly was an illusion, and headed down a flight of stairs before appearing inside the hideout of Irene. The woman was sitting in a chair reading some books. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"You got here early."
"Is everything going well?" After dropping off both Erza and Mirajane at the entrance of Magnolia, he gave an excuse that he had to check up on a friend. Part of him wanted to tell them the truth, but he did not want to worry them. Especially Erza, there was absolutely no way she would stay still after learning about Jellal, and he figured this was not the best time for her to see Irene again.
Irene just pointed a finger to the other room, where Broly went over to see Seilah standing in front of Jellal's unconscious body. The patterns around his body seemed to flow across his skin like insects. As if able to hear Seilah's words, those things moved and started to crawl upon her skin as she touched his forehead, but the woman was not at all afraid or even concerned about their effect on herself. She continued to absorb the effects for several minutes as he stood there not to disturb her, just waiting until Irene arrived.
"Curse magic is quite unique, and I have managed to record a lot about this," Irene mentioned. "But truth be told, I'm no longer interested."
He looked at her with some surprise, given that as far as he got to know her, she was very research-minded and always sought to learn new things. "What changed?"
"What changed is that we encountered a monster who could practically absorb anything and everything to get stronger at an unfathomable degree," she explained, making a frustrated face. "Something with an ability almost similar to Acnologia but on a completely different level. Acnologia alone is one of the strongest beings in this world as far as I know, and this demon is probably amongst the strongest in yours, right?" She looked at him for confirmation.
To that, he just shrugged. "I don't know, given I've never ever heard of someone named Moro. And I'm not really the best person for information about this because I've been mostly stuck on a single planet with my father and a planet called 'Earth'." He paused, recalling the conqueror Frieza, who, despite his actions of killing his father, did show him just how vast the world was. Perhaps he would have known something about Moro, but it goes without saying that getting him for information was impossible, let alone something he even wanted to do. "But even if I don't know him, I know for certain that the demon I faced is not the strongest one."
This made Irene surprised. "Is there someone stronger?"
"Yes, and I fought him."
Her eyes grew brighter with curiosity; at this point, she looked no different to Erza whenever the latter found or heard about a new strawberry cake, "Is it another demon?"
He shook his head. "No, it was a Saiyan, just like me. Or rather, two Saiyans fused into one, given it possessed both of their Ki."
She looked at him strangely. "Fused?"
"I'm not sure how it works," he admitted, the memories from that moment still being nothing more than a foggy mess, "but that person I fought was definitely the two others I defeated previously who fused somehow and became one stronger person, and that caused their powers to grow exponentially. It was one of the toughest battles I ever had, and the strongest opponent I had ever faced in my life. Even more so than that Moro guy, as he didn't give me the feeling that I would lose no matter what."
As expected, this only made the redheaded dragon even more interested. "If there is a way to fuse two people together in order to achieve greater power, what would the requirements of such a thing be in the first place?"
Broly just shook his head. "You're wasting your time asking me. But if I had to make a random guess, then maybe they have a similar power level, as both of their Ki were in perfect harmony."
She took out a notebook and wrote something down. "Tch, so I can't fuse with you. Still, something to research in the future." He did a double take on the first part but she then looked at him. "It's surprising that there is something or someone out there that you believe you can't beat."
"It's not a matter of belief; rather, I know it for a fact," he corrected. "Even now in my current state where I'm in more control of my rage, I do not feel like I'm strong enough or can grow fast enough to outpace him. Without any strong opponents to fight against, I haven't really grown in terms of raw power yet"
"This is just getting more interesting," Irene said with excitement. "Clearly, Ki manipulation is the correct path to take but I do feel like it's way too good to be true, time will only tell the hidden costs." She slapped her books shut. "I know what my next experiment will be, and I'll need your help."
"How so?" He asked, feeling genuinely curious about what she had in mind.
"I will further advance my research on Ki and see if I can wield that power efficiently. And see if I can even harness it."
"Like I said before, you already have Ki, you know."
"I know, you said it yourself — every living thing carries it. Plants, animals, the ground under our feet." She glanced toward Broly. "That includes me."
"I can find your signature whenever I search for you," he confirmed. "Same as anyone else's."
"Then it's possible." Irene said it more to herself than to him, pen already moving across her notebook.
"It's not that simple. Having it and using it is completely different. I tried teaching others before. Lucy never got anywhere with it. Erza kinda, she showed something, but nothing like what I can do."
She just waved a hand without looking up. "You tested your methods on weaklings. Humans, on top of that. I'm neither."
"That's not a nice thing to say about your daughter." His look flattened. "She could be just as strong as you; there is still a lot of room for her to grow."
"..."
Irene didn't respond to his chiding. The notebook got her full attention again.
Shaking his head, he felt it would be best to focus on more important matters.
The bench Seilah had been examining Jellal on remained empty of markings by the time her attention shifted back to him. The characters spread until they swallowed her arms, her throat, most of her face, leaving only pieces of her visible beneath the shifting text. Her lips moved with a few words he could not hear flowing out of them. A moment later the characters split apart into fragments, then ash, scattering before any of it reached the floor.
"Wow."
For something so troublesome, practically impossible to get rid of, it definitely got handled rather quickly.
The Saiyan crossed the room and dropped to a knee beside Jellal, pressing two fingers against the man's wrist first, then resting a palm near his chest. The life energy there had stopped its slow drain and settled into something that resembled a normal pulse. He exhaled and looked up.
"Thank you. For saving my friend."
Seilah studied him for several seconds without answering.
"You're free to go," he added, satisfied that she did not play any tricks by planting something within Jellal and that she remained true to her word. Even though she first tried to kill him, he did not feel any sort of resentment towards her. "I won't stop you. Just don't go picking fights with the guild or the town after this, because then I won't have much choice but to take you down for good."
"I have no intention of doing that." Her tone was still flat like every other time he spoke with her. "I would be an idiot to do so since both of you here can stop me. You alone are enough. I saw enough."
"I see." Seilah's gaze drifted back to him. "What are you?"
"A Saiyan."
"That demon you fought." Her head tilted slightly. "Was it one of Zeref's creations?"
"Not sure. Unlikely, though. It came from my world." He thought about it for a moment before adding, "Who's Zeref?"
"The Black Wizard," Irene replied without lifting her eyes from her book. "The one who created her. I told you about him before."
"Right." He nodded faintly. "I remember hearing that name before."
For the first time since the fighting had ended, Seilah's expression shifted ever so slightly. The change was almost imperceptible, but there was genuine curiosity behind it. "You aren't going to kill me?"
"Why would I?" A confused look crossed his face. "We made a deal, and you kept your side of it."
"...That's unusual." She studied him in silence for a moment. "Most people wouldn't let an Etherious, a creation from the book of Zeref walk away after everything that's happened."
"Good thing I don't really care about the book of Zeref." He gave an indifferent shrug. "As long as you stay away from my friends and don't cause trouble for this town, I honestly don't care what you decide to do."
Without waiting for another response, he bent down, carefully lifted Jellal into his arms, and headed toward the exit in search of somewhere quieter where the wounded man could recover. The two women remained where they were, the silence between them lasting several minutes before Seilah finally turned and walked toward the guild entrance.
Her footsteps slowed just before reaching the doorway.
Nothing blocked her path, nothing stood in front of her, and yet something kept her from taking that final step outside.
"I didn't expect you to hesitate."
Irene's calm voice came from behind. Turning slightly, the demon found her standing a short distance away with her arms folded across her chest, watching quietly.
"It isn't hesitation," Seilah answered after a brief pause, looking through the open doorway toward the empty street beyond. "There's simply... a great deal to think about. I've seen things today I never expected to witness." Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon. "The others are probably dead. Jackal included. Destruction on that scale wasn't something they could have simply ignored."
"That alone isn't much of a reason to stay away."
"No." She slowly shook her head. "But for years our existence revolved around a single purpose." Her voice became quieter, though it never lost its usual composure. "Everything we did, every order we followed, led toward one objective. Our creator wishes for Lord Zeref's death." A brief silence followed before she quietly finished, "Only END is supposed to accomplish that, but we can always try ourselves, even if the chances are abysmal."
"I'm aware."
A faint smile appeared on Irene's face, though it carried little amusement.
"Personally, I've always found that goal rather unrealistic. Zeref's power has continued growing for centuries. Whatever your creator believes he'd prepared with the Book of Zeref is a failure, or rather, I don't think it's enough. Certainly not with the strength I've witnessed from him."
The demon finally turned to face her completely. "You know him…"
"But of course. He helped me in the past."
"And those two?"
"The man from another world... and the one beside him?" Irene lifted one shoulder casually. "Neither of them should even exist here, yet fate has placed them in this world regardless. Whether either could accomplish what your creator wants, I honestly couldn't say. But if I had to place my faith somewhere, I'd choose them long before I'd choose whatever plan your master has spent all these years chasing."
"I serve no one except Lord Zeref... and Lord END."
The crimson-haired enchantress had already started walking back toward the damaged guild hall before the sentence was even finished. A dismissive wave of her hand was the only acknowledgment it received.
"I have no interest in who you choose to serve. The terms have already been made perfectly clear." Without looking back, she continued, "Leave his friends alone. Leave this town alone. Do that, and you'll continue walking away with your life. Ignore that warning, and you'll end up scattered across the pavement."
Seilah parted her lips, intending to answer.
Rumble!
The opportunity vanished before a single word left her mouth. The ground shaking beneath their feet.
"Hm?"
Windows throughout the guild vibrated from the force as a deafening crack rolled across the city. Both women instinctively raised their eyes toward the horizon just in time to see a massive pillar of lightning erupt into the sky beyond Magnolia. The brilliant column tore through the clouds overhead, illuminating them for several seconds before slowly fading away, leaving only distant thunder echoing across the landscape.
Watching the last traces of electricity disappear into the darkening sky, Irene let out a quiet breath.
"Well..." A faint smile returned to her face. "It seems someone else has already decided to go looking for trouble."
----------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Taimanin with 3, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.