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CHAPTER START---
Stepping off the train, Oberon takes a breath of fresh and fragrant air, ignoring the crowds of people quickly gathering at the sight of him.
A few people take out their Kameras to document the moment, but he simply walks through the train station wearing an excited expression. Exiting the building, he finds himself on a platform raised above the town, giving him a view of most of Margaret Town.
The buildings were simple yet beautiful, all perfectly kept. No building was shorter than three stories, compensating for the fact that Margaret Town has no roads. Instead, there are canals of sparkling blue water with gondolas ferrying people and cargo around.
Glancing about, he sees the walkways beside the nearby canals are crowded, filled with tourists and locals alike enjoying the town, and far in the distance, he sees the lake beyond the town, which all the canals connect to.
"Excuse me," he calls out to one of his admirers in the crowd. "Do you know where the Lamia Scale Guildhall is?"
The man nods excitedly and points to the far end of the town. "It's the building at the far end, on the river. They have a big sign on the front, you can't miss it once you're on the street. There are signs in town too if you get lost, but the gondolas will also take you directly there."
"Thank you," Oberon says before walking down the cobblestone steps toward the town.
With a wave of his hand, he summons Virgor and Aries's keys, then flows Magic Energy into them. Both Celestial Spirits appear beside him, falling into step for a moment before silently nodding and breaking away from him.
While they perform their usual duties when entering any town, going to the Magic Shop, and finding anything interesting for him, Oberon takes to the skies and moves directly to the guildhall.
Many people call out to him and take pictures, cheering for the boy as he flies through the clear and sunny sky. He smiles and waves to them, dutifully maintaining his public image and keeping the people calm.
However, some people were concerned about his presence. Over the past few months since the laws changed, Oberon has been in nearly every issue of Sorcerer Weekly, always on the front page or hosted in a report about some dangerous Dark Guild or Dark Wizard he took down.
Because of this, his presence is assumed to mean there are dangerous and powerful people nearby. After all, why else would they call upon the King of the Fairies? But even now, after reading about his exploits and seeing his pictures for months, even the most diligent of people can't match the accolades to the person flying above them.
An innocent and young face, 10 years old, with a head of black hair dotted with strands of white. Wearing a pair of simple black boots, blue pants, a white shirt, and his S-Class coat with the Fairy Tail Emblem on the back.
Innocence and power, youth and reputation clash in their minds while trying to understand him. But to be such an exceptional entity, is to be the exception, and by definition, to stand alone. Beyond the understanding of all but one.
"Found it," Oberon mutters as he spots the Lamia Scale building. There is a large plaza between the building and the canal in front of it, hosting benches and a small crowd of people admiring the Lamia Scale Emblem in statue form in the middle of the plaza. "This town must really love them…"
He lands in the plaza, avoiding the people taking pictures while walking to the door.
'This place looks more like a museum on the outside,' He knocks on the door, then steps back, waiting patiently.
Moments later, the large double doors open to reveal a man wearing simple green pants and a white shirt. "Oh, you got here quickly. Please, come in."
Oberon follows the man into the main hall, where he sees stone walls and exquisite wood furniture, along with a short old woman on a rocking chair, reading Sorcerer Weekly.
"Hi. I'm here for the joint operation. I'm Oberon," He waves awkwardly, and the woman takes a moment to respond while the man walks off into the hallway.
She glances at Oberon, as if not believing what she's seeing, then closes her magazine to look at the cover. Which is Oberon standing on a defeated Dark Wizard. "That Stealth Magic of yours really is something. I guess Jura wasn't just making excuses after all."
'Stealth Magic?' Oberon wonders, but simply nods along. "I hope he isn't upset about that."
"I'm not," Jura says as he walks into the main hall from a hallway, carrying a small duffel bag over his shoulder. He still wore white and black monk robes, but now boasted the Lamia Scale emblem in black on the right shoulder sleeve of his clothes. "My guildmate informed me of your arrival. It's been a while."
"Yeah. How is being a Guild Wizard?" Oberon asks as Jura walks over, towering over him.
"Strange. I've grown far stronger since joining Lamia Scale. And I now better understand why you couldn't simply hand over the tablet, or your clients information. You Gui— I mean, we Guild Wizards take our Jobs very seriously, after all."
Master Ooba laughs from her seat. "Be sure to remind Makarov that Aven sent his protege to me, not Fairy Tail! Those two may be Wizard Saints, but I'm still the favourite."
Jura sighs. "You know that's not why he sent me to Lamia Scale, Master Ooba."
"Doesn't matter, you're here now, I won."
"Actually," Jura turns back to Oberon. "I'm here because of you, Oberon."
Oberon snickers. "What? I beat you, now you want to train and even the score?"
"Nothing of the sort. But you showed me that no matter how noble my intentions, sometimes words cannot reach all hearts. And in those times, power is needed. I believed myself above Guild Wizards because I used my strength to preserve knowledge and protect people from evil.
But I learned that there are people in this world, younger than me, who are far more powerful. Before you, I always looked to my elders. Gildarts Clive, Master Makarov Dreyar, Master Aven Etis. The latter two are Wizard Saints and our mentors, but I never considered them my competition.
Because they've had decades. I'd always been strong for my year, so following my path I likely would have matched my mentor at his age. But you opened my eyes, and he spoke to me during my weeks recovering. The era is changing, Magic is moving forward. Keeping pace with the norm is no longer enough, not when someone like you exists.
Someone who runs a marathon in the time I can sprint. So, I simply decided to make you my new measuring stick. Instead of looking to the great Wizards of the past, I've chosen to look to the greatest Wizard of the future…or at least that is what Masters Aven and Makarov call you."
Oberon responds to Jura's heartfelt outpouring with a bored look. "Well, thanks. At least you don't hold grudges."
"You don't seem very moved, or surprised."
Oberon shrugs. "I've been hearing that for over a year at this point. 'You're going to be the strongest Wizard of the age', and 'Your talent is inhuman'. It gets old pretty fast. But thank you for not taking it personally."
"I should have expected as much. However, I actually do what a small rematch," Jura says. "Not a combat rematch, more like a contest of sorts."
Oberon raises an eyebrow at that. "Alright, I'm interested. But I don't want to hurt you before we go fight a Dark Guild…"
Minutes later, they're both standing in the stone courtyard behind the guildhall, on the riverside. The massive river hosts a few restaurant ships and smaller tourist boats that sail by, curious but unable to see exactly what's going on.
Closer to the building, the members of Lamia Scale and Master Ooba have gathered to watch the show as Jura and Oberon take their starting positions.
"Are you ready?" Jura asks. "This is the best way I've found for Wizards to understand each other. Even if we cannot measure each other's hearts, the distance between us will be clear."
"I can't say I've experienced that. But, just so you know, this really isn't a fair contest. Magic Energy is kind of my thing. I already have about as much as Gildarts."
"Everyone, back up!" Master Ooba yells, cautious due to her deeper understanding of Gildarts's power. They get as far away as possible while being able to observe the contest, and she gives a solemn bow to Jura. "My condolences…"
"I'm not as clumsy as Gildarts!" Oberon yells before stopping himself. "Sorry. But really, I won't accidentally hurt anyone or destroy anything. My control is also perfect. That's why I can fight for so long."
"I trust you," Jura says before placing his hands together as if praying. "Now, may I begin?"
"I figured we'd flip a coin first. But sure, you can start…"
Jura begins to excuse pure Magic Energy. His body glows with soft white light as the courtyard gently rumbles. The changing pressure around him stirs up gentle winds as he grits his teeth, releasing even more Magic Energy.
His thin aura of white light becomes dense, forming a full outline as the courtyard rumbles, with the cobblestone beneath his feet shaking loose and cracking.
"Wow," Oberon mutters, not amazed by the volume of Magic Energy, but by the color. Gildarts releases a similar white Magic Energy, but Master Makarov's is golden. "So you have good reinforcement like Gildarts, that explains how you so easily mastered 'Iron Rock' moves."
Jura smiles, even while focusing on releasing more energy. "I am honored to be compared to Gildarts Clive."
"Yeah, he's really amazing," Oberon then flashes a devious smile at Jura. "But don't forget, I'm also a Fairy Tail S-Class Wizard…"
Jura's smile instantly crumbles, and his focus breaks as Oberon releases a solid five-story pillar of void black Magic Energy, dotted with shining white stars, as if the night sky had condensed around him.
His white silhouette appears in the void as a humanoid white figure with solid black eyes, releasing childish, joyful laughter that echoes through the courtyard, beyond the guildhall and plaza, into the rivers connecting the islands of Margaret Town.
Half the city shakes, as if hit by a continuous earthquake, and Oberon's laughter only grows, amazed by the growth in his own power. But at a glance, he sees the water in the nearby river rising into the air, carried by raw Magic Energy saturating the environment.
And he instantly stops, placing the seal back onto his Magic Container. "Sorry. I don't usually get to do that, so I got a bit excited," he says innocently.
Jura smiles, rubbing the back of his head. "It seems you not only began with a lead, but you also grow faster than I. I will work harder to reach you."
"That's half the fun of being a Guild Wizard, growing with everyone. All your guildmates and even friends from other guilds."
"Well said!" A deep and charming voice yells from above.
Everyone looks up to see an airship above them, and a figure leaping off the side to the courtyard…
CHAPTER END---
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]