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CHAPTER START---
---December 16th, X769, 8 AM…
"I assumed you would be brimming with energy and excitement, Macao," Master Makarov says as he enters the Guildhall.
Only Macao and Enno were in the Guildhall this early, with the man silently eating his breakfast, bag packed beside him, while she prepared the bar for today's customers.
Macao doesn't even look at Master Makarov, simply lifting his cup of coffee for a moment before putting it back down.
"Oh, is something wrong?" Makarov asks as he walks over and hops onto the counter, taking a seat. "How did your training go?"
"Tch," Macao just keeps eating as his scowl deepens.
"Oh, did you not make any progress?" Makarov asks as Enno brings him a cup of coffee.
Macao sighs and relaxes for a moment.
"Master, have you ever felt like…life picks its favourites?"
"Hmm, what do you mean by that exactly?"
"What I mean is, yeah I made progress, but the entire time it was nothing in comparison to how much stronger Oberon got while we were there," Macao says. "Not like I could even beat him when we began, but now I don't even think he'd notice if I attacked him…"
"Ahh, so you're dejected by the realization of his innate talent," Makarov says. "Well, I'm not surprised he could have such an effect on people, but remember, while he is still competition within the Guild, he is a member of Fairy Tail, so the stronger he gets, the stronger we all get."
"Yeah, I know that, still feels like crap all the same though," Macao says. "I just need to get S-Class before he and Laxus start competing. There's no way I'll be able to beat them in a few years."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck since things will only get harder from here," Makarov says before taking a long sip of his coffee. "It won't be long before this era ends, New Magic is always a sign of that. A sign that the stagnation of the past is about to end, and the world is about to move forward."
"So I was born at the end of the old era huh," Macao mutters, sadly. "But you know, that means I get to witness both eras, the changing of the guard and all that, and that itself sounds incredible."
"Why do you think I've lived this long?" Makarov chuckles. "That's my dream, to see the new era of Fairy Tail, to raise and guide the better versions of myself in these very halls."
"Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me," Macao says with a peaceful smile on his face.
Over the next hour the Guildhall fills up, and Wakaba walks in, a travel pack slung over his shoulder.
"Well well well, look who it is," Wakaba says as he sits beside Macao at the bar. "You know, maybe you should save yourself some time and embarrassment and drop out now, I've learned some new tricks these last few days, no way you're beating me."
"Yeah right! I'll be S-Class before you!" Macao says. "And that's a damn fact!"
"More like a delusion, a dream, save yourself some headache now and just accept that I'll get promoted before you."
"Never!"
"Well, I'll show you!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Bring it!"
"Consider it brung!"
Both men immediately activate their Magics, Macao's Purple Flare Magic creates a small fireball in his hand, while Wakaba's Smoke Magic creates a fist from the smoke of his pipe.
"Enough!" Makarov roars as he gets everyone's attention. "Save it for the trial, which starts right now!"
All six of the participants walk over to the small stage within the Guildhall where Master Makarov was standing.
"Good, now, the first part of the trial is actually quite simple, at the summit of Mt. Eivor is a Fairy Tail Emblem made of bronze, whoever brings it to me within 24 hours, will get to the second part, that's all," Makarov says. "Good luck!"
The Guildhall immediately gets tense as the six participants look at each other, then all rush toward the Guildhall entrance at once.
Oberon barely jumps upward in time to avoid being trampled as they stampede out the door.
"What was that about?" Oberon asks as he floats over to the bar, where Master Makarov is already enjoying a beer, while Enno takes bets on who will get to the second stage of the trial.
"Oh, they're just excited about the first part of the trial," Master Makarov says. "They just have to get a little trinket from the top of Mt. Eivor, shouldn't take them too long."
"Mt. Eivor?" Oberon asks, giving Master Makrov a curious look. "In the middle of winter? Doesn't sound that easy, for them at least."
"Well, would you like to place a bet?" Enno asks, gesturing to the board where she's listing the current favorites.
"Uh, I don't know them well enough to do that, besides, I'm sure Master Makarov has some kind of sneaky trap on the route or something, like a big hole with an illusion of grass over it."
"Ha, as if I'd so something so childish," Makarov says. "I simply told Gildarts to wear the trinket and not let them touch it."
Half the Guildhall choked on their food and drinks, glaring at the betting board.
"All bets are final!" Enno yells as she quickly scoops their money off the counter.
As they grumble, already mourning their lost Jewels, Oberon looks over at Enno. "What's the betting limit?"
"Up to fifty thousand Jewel," Enno says.
"Ok, I'll bet on none of them passing this challenge," Oberon says before laughing maniacally.
"Now that sounds like a safe bet," Enno says as she writes his bet into a small notebook.
After a few minutes of enjoying breakfast, Oberon is done eating and ready to head into the library when Laxus barges into the Guildhall.
"Oberon!" Laxus yells out, getting everyone's attention. "We've got a job to do!"
Oberon turns around, giving him a curious look, "What?"
"Check it!" Laxus walks over and takes out a Job poster, "I had Grandpa save this one for us, look at the reward."
With a wave of his hand, the Job poster floats away from Laxus and hovers in front of Oberon.
He reads it for a moment, then his eyes widen.
"Let's go!" Oberon says as he rushes toward the door.
"I'll call the client and tell them to expect—" Makarov stops talking as they're already out the door, running to the train station. "---Well, at least they're keeping busy."
"What could get them that excited?" Enno asks as she leans flirtatiously against the bar.
Makarov shrugs, "Some client posted a Job, terrible pay, but the bonus is a Silver Gate Key."
"Wow, that explains it," Enno says. "Do you really think Oberon will be able to resist using it until he becomes S-Class?"
"If he wants access to my journals as much as I think he does, then yes, it should be quite easy for him," Makarov says.
---Hours Later…
Sitting on a train heading toward a city in the South-West region of Fiore, Oberon is excitedly fiddling with a Light Magic Rod between his fingers as he watches the landscape rush by.
'My first Celestial Spirit Key, I wonder which one it is,' he thinks before glancing at Laxus, who was sitting across from him with his eyes closed, trying to focus on his music. 'I'm lucky he got to that Job poster before the others, or else I wouldn't have known about it.'
"You look like an idiot," Laxus mutters as he opens one eye. "With that stupid look on your face."
"What look?"
"Your face," Laxus says. "Especially when you're thinking about new Magics."
"Hmm, I bet there is a book about the different Gate Keys you know," Oberon mutters.
Laxus rolls his eyes, then tries to focus back on his music, "Such a nerd, just like grandpa…"
---Meanwhile, at the peak of Mt.Eivor…
Sitting on a pile of unconscious Wizards, Gildarts takes a sip from a flask and sighs, enjoying the light snowfall as the night grows darker.
"This…is bullshit," Macao mutters as he lies on the floor, a few feet from the Gildarts and his unconscious cushions.
"Hey Wakaba, you got any more?" Gildarts asks as he looks over to see Wakaba sitting on the floor.
"What the hell man?" Wakaba asks, holding his aching shoulder. "First you beat me up then you emptied my flask, that rum was vintage!"
"No wonder it was so smooth," Gildarts says. "But I'm freezing my toes off at the top of a mountain, you could have at least brought more."
"Stop acting so relaxed," Macao says as he forces himself to stand, eyes locked onto the pendant of Gildarts's shiny new chain. "I'm not giving up, just because of some broken ribs," he winces as he drops to one knee.
"Sorry about that, really, I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Gildarts says. "You guys just swarmed me and I reacted, reflexes, you know how it is, right?"
"Hate to break it to you, but we're normal," Wakaba says as he gets up and sparks up his pipe.
"Have you ever considered that, maybe that's the problem," Gildarts says.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Macao says as he creates a small purple fireball in his right hand, then forces himself to stand.
"Why do you even want to be S-Class?" Gildarts asks, suddenly speaking in a serious tone. "Have you ever even considered that?"
"Money."
"Fame."
"Women."
"Respect."
Gildarts sighs and tosses the flask over to Wakaba, who catches it, "What lame answers, and do you really think those things are worth putting your life on the line?"
Macao and Wakaba share a concerned look, then both deactivate their Magics.
"Yeah, I figured as much," Gildarts says as he removes the necklace, holding it by the pendant. "This little thing, you hand this to Master Makarov and suddenly all the big bag Dark Wizards are gunning for you."
He walks over to Macao, ignoring the groaning from his seat, and dangles the pendant in front of him.
"Fairy Tail is famous for having the highest standards for S-Class Wizards, so killing one of us is the easiest way to prove you're tough, not to mention if Master Makarov puts you on the Emergency Request list, you'll get all the most dangerous stuff on the continent."
He holds the pendant out, then grabs Macao's hand and raises it to almost hold the pendant.
"So, is fame, money, women, and adoration, really worth all that?"
Macao looks at the pendant, then looks into Gildarts's eyes.
And puts his hand down.
Gildarts smiles and stands up, looking over to Wakaba, who heard everything, and shamefully looks away.
Seeing this Gildarts nods, "I'm proud of you, both of you."
They both look up at him, surprised.
"But, we gave up," Wakaba says.
"No, you didn't give up, you chose to live," Gildarts says. "In our world, people think if they stop growing and pushing forward as a Wizard, then they've fallen behind, but in truth, this world is too dangerous to think like that.
The most difficult choice is often figuring out when you've had enough, when you've achieved enough. I'm proud to call anyone with the sense to back off and live another day my friend, just as I'm proud of you young men for understanding what you value most out of life.
To understand how much you want to risk, and how much you have to discover about yourself before you make such a big decision…"
As he's done talking, Macao and Wakaba are silently crying, realizing how lost they've been, following the path of strength for the sake of debauchery.
"Not normal," Macao mutters, then looks up at Gildarts with teary eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, people willing to become S-Class Wizards in our Guild, they need to be a bit crazy, to have something they value more than their own life pushing them forward," Gildarts says. "For me, just the idea of there being places I've never been is enough to get my blood flowing and my Magic Energy raging. My thirst for adventure is all I need, being S-Class was just a means to an end, when you find a goal that big, then I'll gladly welcome you to the ranks of S-Class…"
Wakaba wipes his tears and walks over, helping Macao to stand up, "C'mon man, let's head back to the Guild, we've got a lot of thinking to do."
"Uh, before that," Gildarts points at the pile of unconscious Wizards. "Let's get these guys and gals down the mountain…"
END CHAPTER---
Discord: discord .gg /eHuxNeZfyS [Come chat with me]
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene [Read ahead & support me]
You.tube: @KeanuEugene [Giving away all my writing knowledge]