"Mister Aelius, can you tell me about Miss Vanessa? I know she's only been around less than a day, but she was… fun, kind of chaotic? But the air around her tasted different," Wendy said, her tone hesitant at first but quickly growing curious. "She was nice to me too… when she got thrown across the room because of Mister Elfman. But she flipped on a dime after that."
Aelius almost dismissed it, the same old irritation bubbling up when people pried into his life. But Wendy's voice didn't carry that same hollow curiosity the others had. There was no gossip behind her question, no hidden motive. She wasn't trying to dig up secrets. She was just… interested. Genuinely. That alone earned her an answer.
He sighed, brushing a bit of dust off his shirt as they walked. "Vanessa is… odd. That's the simplest way I can put it." His voice had a calm weight to it, not dismissive but thoughtful. "She's not like anyone else you'll ever meet. She doesn't just feel what people give off; she literally tastes it. Every emotion, every shift in mood, it changes how the air hits her tongue. She's a god slayer, like me. Her domain is excess; she eats emotions."
He glanced forward, keeping his tone steady. "If you tasted anger, fear, guilt, all the time, it'd get exhausting. So she learned to match people. She switches her moods, her tone, her entire self depending on what she's surrounded by. That's why she feels so unpredictable; she's mirroring what she's tasting. Around me, she's herself because I don't give her much to work with. Everyone else?" he gave a small shrug. "She adapts. It's instinct for her now."
He fell quiet for a bit before adding, more quietly, "She's fun, like you said. But because she considers the guild fun."
"Is that why she was so quiet… after everyone disappeared?" Wendy asked softly, her voice hesitant, like she wasn't sure if she should even bring it up.
Aelius didn't answer right away. He slowed his steps a bit, hands slipping into his pants pockets as he looked out across the strange terrain of Edolas. The silence between them stretched for a while before he finally spoke.
"Yeah," he said, tone low, distant. "That's exactly why. I was going to talk to her once we got here, but… You know how that went." He exhaled, eyes unfocused as his thoughts drifted. "The best way I can describe it is, imagine the air around you just disappearing. Not just gone, but ripped away. You'd feel it physically, like a vacuum pressing against your skin, and magically too. That's what happened to her."
He glanced at Wendy briefly before looking ahead again. "For her, emotion isn't just something she feels in her chest or reads off a face. It's literally in the air. The tension before a fight, laughter in a crowd, fear when something's wrong… she tastes all of that. It's what tells her the world's alive. And then, in one instant, everything went dead silent. No emotion, no magic, no presence. Just emptiness. You or I would call it eerie, maybe uncomfortable. For her?" He shook his head slowly. "It's like going blind and deaf at the same time. Every sense she relies on just… cut off."
Wendy's brow furrowed, the corners of her mouth dipping in quiet sympathy. "That must have been awful…"
"It was," Aelius said simply. "She masks things well, but she's not made of stone. When all that emotion vanished, she probably felt like she did, too. The shock alone would've been enough to paralyze her." His tone softened slightly, the faintest thread of regret beneath it. "If I know her, she probably felt every bit of that panic before it was gone. Then nothing left to hold onto."
He went quiet again, gaze fixed on the horizon as if he could still see the storm that brought them here. "She'll come back to herself eventually," he said at last, more to himself than Wendy. "She always does. She's stubborn like that. But when she does, it'll hit her harder than most could handle."
For a while, the only sound between them was the crunch of their boots against the dirt. Then, quietly, he added, "That's the problem with people like us, Wendy. The ones who feel too much, even when we wish we couldn't. When the world goes silent, it doesn't just get quiet; it feels wrong."
"I… think I understand why the others call you scary," Wendy said, her voice small, a faint tremor in it. She wasn't looking at him anymore, eyes fixed on the ground ahead as if the dirt might save her from whatever heavy weight hung in his tone.
Aelius didn't stop walking. His boots pressed into the soft earth with that same steady rhythm, unbothered. "I'm not sunshine and rainbows," he said after a beat, tone flat but not cruel. "I'll give it to you straight. Though I'll spare you, in particular, every detail." His hand brushed aside a branch, and he stepped over a fallen log, the movement lazy, practiced. "Don't expect me to change."
Wendy blinked at that, caught somewhere between confusion and disappointment. "I wasn't asking you to…" she murmured, barely audible, her hands clutching the strap of her bag tighter.
"I know," Aelius said, not looking back. "Doesn't change the fact that most people do. That's how it starts: someone wants you to smile more, talk more, laugh when you don't feel like it. Then it turns into pretending. Pretending becomes habit. And before you know it, you're wearing a mask that doesn't fit." He tilted his head slightly, catching sight of her out of the corner of his eye. "You've got a good heart and a good head, Wendy. Try to keep it that way. The guild needs at least one person with both of those."
She blinked up at him, uncertain if he meant it as a compliment or something else entirely. Before she could ask, Natsu's voice broke the quiet ahead of them.
"Hey! I think there's a building up ahead!"
The tension thinned instantly, like fog burned off by sunlight. Wendy exhaled, grateful for the distraction. Aelius, on the other hand, only sighed and muttered, "Of course there is," before pushing the branch aside and following the sound of Natsu's voice.
They approached the building in a slow, measured silence. It sat crooked at the edge of the clearing, half-swallowed by the weeds that had crept up along its foundation. The wooden walls were greyed and warped with time, paint long stripped away by wind and rain. No signs hung from its eaves, no symbols marked the doorway. Just a building that had forgotten what it was supposed to be.
"Doesn't look like much," Wendy murmured, glancing toward him.
"Sometimes the ones that don't look like much are the ones you worry about," Aelius said quietly. He shifted his stance, boots sinking slightly into the damp soil. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, thumb brushing the guard as if confirming it was still there. He didn't raise it fully, but the angle changed, just enough to close the distance between calm and ready.
Up close, the place smelled faintly of rot and iron. The door hung ajar, its hinges whining in the faint breeze.
"Could just be abandoned," Wendy said again, though her voice lacked conviction.
"Could be," Aelius replied, stepping ahead of her. His tone was almost indifferent, though his eyes scanned every shadow, every crack in the wood. "Or it's meant to look that way."
The air grew heavier the closer he got. He stopped just short of the threshold, shifting his weight, the sword tip hovering low but steady. Magic or not, his posture said it plain: if anything came through that door, it wouldn't make it far.
"Stay behind me," he muttered, then pushed the door open. The hinges screamed, dust spiraling into the faint light as he stepped inside.
"…and it's a storage hous,e" Aelius said, lowering his sword more, "better than nothing, check the boxes and look for food, mostly, Carla had a point about disguises as well, we don't know if the denizens of this world look like us…..and find me a cloak, i feel disgustingly naked without it,
"…and it's a storage house," Aelius said after a moment, lowering his sword until the tip rested against the dusty floorboards. "Better than nothing. Check the crates, see if there's any food or supplies worth keeping. Carla had a point about disguises. We don't know if the people here look anything like us."
He exhaled, scanning the dim room. It was cramped and stale, filled with the smell of old grain and dry wood. Dust floated in the faint beams of light pushing through the cracked roof. Most of the boxes were stacked carelessly, and some burst open from rot or damp.
"Happy, can you start from that side?" Wendy said softly, pointing toward a small pile near the window. "Miss Carla, help me with these."
"Right!" Happy called, already prying open a half-crushed crate with both paws. Carla followed with her usual grace, though her ears twitched at every creak.
Aelius paced deeper into the shadows, his eyes adjusting fast. "And find me a cloak while you're at it," he added. "I feel disgustingly naked without one."
The air fell quiet for a beat. The small sound of shifting boxes and Happy's humming filled the silence. Then Natsu's voice broke it again.
"So you really think we'll need disguises?"
Aelius straightened, brushing dust from his arm. "No need to risk it, if it covers us and keeps us out of a fight, it's worth it." He kicked aside an empty barrel, gaze fixed on the far wall. "If we're lucky, they'll mistake us for travelers. If not, "
"Then we fight," Natsu finished, grinning.
Aelius frowned faintly. "That seems to be your answer to everything."
"Usually works," Natsu shot back.
"Usually," Aelius said under his breath, eyes narrowing as something faint glimmered beneath one of the crates. "But not always."
They continued the search for a while, each of them going through boxes and sacks in silence, the only sound being the dull scrape of wood and the faint rustle of fabric. Aelius already had what he needed, a cloak of some kind. It wasn't great, but it would do. The thing was made of some odd vegetable-based leather, thin but flexible, dyed a deep orange that reminded him of old pumpkins left too long in the sun. Against his hair, it made him look almost coordinated, though that was never something he cared about.
He tugged the collar up, testing the weight, when something caught his eye. Out the cracked window, across the faint line of trees and abandoned fencing, a wooden sign swung lazily in the wind. He almost ignored it, but the faint shape burned into the grain stopped him cold. The paint was nearly gone, but the mark remained, the symbol of Fairy Tail.
Aelius froze, eyes narrowing, every muscle tense. It was old, almost bleached from the sun, like it hadn't been touched in years. Still, he knew that shape better than most.
"Over here," he called, voice low but sharp enough to carry through the still air. He adjusted the mask he'd found earlier, the motion automatic. It wasn't like his old one, that familiar piece bound by magic to his skin. This one was held by a simple ribbon tied behind his head, makeshift but serviceable. The material felt odd, light yet solid, like someone had sliced the front half of a helmet and called it decoration. It covered enough of his upper face for him to feel like himself again.
Ridiculous as it looked, he didn't care. What mattered was the sign swaying in the distance, the ghost of a guild mark in a place that shouldn't have known it.
The moment Aelius spoke, Natsu's head snapped toward the window. His eyes locked on the faint emblem in the distance, and in a flash, that usual reckless fire sparked behind them.
He didn't wait. "That's it! That's them!" he shouted, bolting past Aelius and through the door before anyone could react. Dust kicked up in his wake, and the creak of the warped door echoed as he disappeared outside.
"Natsu, wait!" Aelius barked, but it was pointless. The idiot was already halfway across the field, a blur of motion heading straight toward the sign and the building it hung near.
Wendy gasped, eyes wide, and for a second she looked between Aelius and the open doorway, then she ran too. "He might need help!" she called back, Carla and Happy both darting after her, legs moving frantically to keep up.
Aelius swore under his breath and followed them to the threshold, stopping just long enough to see where they were heading. The structure wasn't a normal house at all. Up close, it looked alive, like a massive tree that had grown into the shape of a hall. Its bark gleamed a dull green under the fading light, roots curling into the earth like ancient fingers. Two enormous doors rested at its base, each carved with winding vines that almost looked like veins.
Natsu was already at the foot of the steps, grinning like a fool. He turned back, waving both arms. "We found them! Aelius, we found the guild!"
Aelius didn't answer right away. The symbol still swung gently from the signpost, the faint trace of Fairy Tail's crest catching what little light remained. Something in his chest tightened, not hope, exactly. More like the weight of what that sign might mean if it was real.
He started forward, slower than the others, eyes locked on the massive tree-like hall.
"Morons," he muttered, before following after them. If they wanted to run headfirst into whatever waited ahead, he'd at least get something out of it. His pace was leisurely, deliberate. Let them set off the traps or trigger whatever surprise this world had in store, he'd follow once the dust settled.
By the time he reached the door, the others were already gone, swallowed by the building. He did the smart thing and peered through the crack, and what he saw on the other side made him pause.
It was Fairy Tail, or close enough. The layout was familiar, the energy almost right, but everything was… wrong. Reversed, even. Jet and Droy were bullying a crying Elfman of all people, while Cana was dressed like a proper lady, her usual bottle nowhere in sight. Gray stood across the room, buried under layers of clothing like he was allergic to skin exposure. It was like someone had flipped the guild inside out.
His eyes tracked across the chaos until he spotted the others, huddled beneath a table. The looks on their faces told him they'd come to the same conclusion.
Then a flash of movement, someone had found them. Aelius's gaze shifted, and his brow furrowed when he recognized her. Lucy. Or at least, a version of her. Confident, aggressive, the kind of energy that practically radiated danger. The way she moved told him she wasn't afraid to kill if it came to it. And judging by the eyes turning toward her voice, the rest of this twisted guild felt the same. Predators staring down prey.
Aelius's hand went to his sword. He was ready to step in if it came to that, though part of him wondered how the others back home would react if he ended up cutting down their counterparts. Not that he cared much; it wasn't like these copies mattered. The only thing that might've stopped him was the slim chance the real guild was still alive somewhere. But that was a thought for later.
His hand stilled when Lucy suddenly wrapped Natsu in a hug.
"Definitely more confident," Aelius muttered. His gaze drifted toward the bar, and his expression soured. "Damn. She's still alive here, too, huh?"
Mira stood behind the counter, just as pristine as ever. He wasn't sure why he even thought she'd be gone; he never had that kind of luck.
"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT THE HELL UP!"
The shout came from somewhere off to the side, followed by a wrench flying across the room. It was aimed straight at Lucy, who casually used Natsu as a shield.
The voice's owner revealed herself a moment later, Levy. She was dressed in a red outfit that exposed her midriff, a gold necklace glinting under the light. This version of her looked mean, sharp-edged, and full of spite, especially when it came to Lucy. That alone was enough to throw him for a loop. His Levy couldn't go ten minutes without gushing about the girl, half the time sharing gossip with him just because she knew he wouldn't repeat it.
This Levy, though? She practically lunged at Lucy, their foreheads colliding hard enough to echo through the hall. He couldn't make out what they were yelling, but he could appreciate the raw hostility of it.
He leaned against the wall, watching the scene unfold with an amused snort. "Gotta hand it to this version of the guild," he muttered. "At least they've got some teeth."
The argument between Lucy and Levy dragged on longer than he thought it would, a mix of shouting, name-calling, and a few well-aimed objects being thrown. Eventually, Levy scoffed, grabbed her wrench off the floor, and stomped back to whatever she'd been doing before. That left Lucy free to turn her attention back to Natsu, who, judging by the look on his face, had realized far too late that she wasn't his Lucy.
She circled him like a cat with a cornered mouse, clearly enjoying herself. The others under the table looked tense, unsure whether to step in or stay hidden. Aelius was half a second from doing something when another voice broke through the noise.
The sound of a door opening.
From the back of the hall stepped someone he never thought he'd see again.
"Lisanna?"
The name left his mouth before he could stop it. His eyes widened, breath caught in his throat. She looked almost exactly the same, with short white hair brushing her neck, bright blue eyes, and that same gentle look that somehow stayed even in this place. Just… older. More grounded.
He froze. For a heartbeat, everything in him stopped moving. The last time he'd seen her was before the labyrinth, before he'd gone under, and before the world had started to fall apart. They told him she'd died while he was gone. He'd believed it. Needed to believe it. Her death had made the distance easier to justify, the walls he'd built easier to keep up.
But now, seeing her again, alive, even if it wasn't his Lisanna, something cracked. His control, his calm, the thin line he walked every day, it all slipped. His grip on his sword faltered, and it nearly fell from his hand. He barely managed to catch it before it hit the floor.
Didn't matter.
Because the second he steadied it, someone shoved past him from outside, a man in a rush to throw the doors open. The hilt was knocked clean from his grip this time, and the blade clattered loudly against the wooden floor.
The sound hit the guild like a gunshot. Every head turned toward him.
Lucy's mouth opened, ready to say something, but the man who'd just entered shouted first, his voice cutting through the sudden silence.
"THE FAIRY HUNTER IS HERE! WE NEED TO GO, NOW!"
Panic erupted instantly.
The shift was immediate; every trace of arrogance or swagger in the room vanished. Fear spread through the crowd like wildfire. Tables overturned, chairs clattered to the floor, and the same people who looked ready to kill moments ago now scrambled for the exits.
Even Lucy's expression twisted from smugness to something he never thought he'd see on her face, terror.
Aelius stood in the doorway, mask catching the dim light, and for once, he didn't move. He just watched them scatter, confusion settling deep in his gut.
Fairy Hunter.
He wasn't sure what that meant here. But judging by the way they reacted… whoever it was, the name carried weight.
Lucy barreled to Levy's side, hair and skirts flying. The doors were thrown wide, and Aelius could see Levy hunched over a panel set into the wall, hands moving frantically and precisely across a mess of copper and glass. Sparks dared to jump when one contact slipped.
"I need more time! You morons would not stop fighting, and I could not fix this," Levy snapped, hauling at a wire so hard her knuckles went white. She was halfway to ripping Lucy's hand off when the other girl grabbed her wrist.
"Oh, so it is our fault? You had one job, and you could not do it. Now we are all going to die because of you," Lucy shot back, voice sharp, but still not physical. Her words were knives, meant to wound and shame. Levy did not back down.
"Wanna go fight her, then? Fine. I only need a few minutes to get this up and running. Surely your life is worth all of ours," Levy spat, voice low and dangerous. The wrench at her hip glinted like a promise.
For a heartbeat, the argument hung there, brittle and ridiculous in the open doorway, while everyone else seemed frozen between panic and action. Then Aelius turned his head and looked out.
What was coming did not belong in any map he knew. A huge winged thing barreled through the green sky, muscles and membrane rippling as it cut the air. It was not a dragon, and it was not a bird. Its wings beat with lazy brutality, stirring the floating islands with gusts that smelled faintly of ozone and iron. On its back, a silhouette hunched, a rider with a long spear that gleamed like bone.
They were close enough now that the rider's profile sharpened. Too far to make out fine features, but close enough for Aelius to see the spear's tip slice a weak sunbeam into silver. The beast's cry rolled over the field, a sound like weather breaking.
The room went quieter in that instant, the sort of quiet that demands attention because it is the sound right before everything breaks. Natsu's grin vanished. Wendy clutched at Carla's fur. Even Happy looked smaller than usual.
"Damn it, I need more time," Levy growled, slamming her wrench into a bolt hard enough to make the metal ring. Sweat clung to her temple, eyes flicking between the sparks and the open doorway where the sky was darkening.
Aelius was already beside her, his hand tightening around the sword's hilt until the leather creaked. "How much?" His tone wasn't rushed, just sharpened to the moment.
Levy glanced up, startled. "Who the hell—"
"An ally of Natsu's. Answer the question. How long do you need?"
She hesitated, suspicion flickering through her expression. He caught it and didn't blame her, caution was the only smart thing left in the room.
"A minute, maybe two," she said finally, snapping her gaze back to the device. "You're not seriously thinking about fighting her, are you?"
"I am. Who's the Fairy Hunter?"
Levy froze halfway through tightening another bolt. "You don't—"
"Just tell me before she gets here."
Her jaw clenched. "Erza Knightwalker. Captain of the Second Magic War Division. She's the one responsible for killing half our guild."
Aelius nodded once, expression unreadable. "Erza, huh. That'll make this easier."
He turned and started toward the open doors, cloak trailing like smoke in the wind. "Buy you your two minutes then. Natsu and the others will fill in the rest."
He passed the Strauss siblings on his way out. Elfman's fists were clenched, torn between charging out and freezing in place, while Lisanna stood slightly behind him, wide-eyed. When Aelius's gaze met hers, she flinched but didn't look away.
Fear and confusion stirred in her eyes, but under it, something else glimmered. Curiosity, faint and unguarded, like she couldn't quite decide if he was walking to his death or toward something he'd done a hundred times before, and perhaps, hidden under all that, a glimmer of recognition, like she recognized a stranger's eyes.
Aelius only gave a small nod, then stepped past her into the sunlight as the ground trembled from the beating of massive wings above.