(Fairy Tail)
The atmosphere in the Fairy Tail guild had grown heavy. Yet, life couldn't just stop; some members left with urgent matters, others with things to do, all wrapped in a somber air. Still, the more restless and iconic troublemakers stayed, though they seemed downcast.
Levy had begun reading several books, thoroughly researching the Rune Knights. Everything pointed to something serious. Levy had started her relationship with Lucy on the wrong foot, but when she saw her sitting at a table as if the sky had fallen on her, she clicked her tongue and returned to her research. If Allen were taken to trial, she might be able to intervene for him.
Cana was about to drink but put down her barrel, surprising Macao and Wakaba.
"I'm just not in the mood, that's all," Cana sighed. She felt bad, especially after hearing Allen's story. "Isn't this way too unfair?!"
"Lucy, are you okay?" Laki asked, approaching the blonde who was holding Timcampy in her arms. Allen had left the golem with her as a sign he would return.
"I'm fine. I know Allen won't have problems, but I worry that he might become a fugitive and have to escape from Fiore."
Lucy knew, she understood. After seeing the incredible things Allen was capable of, she couldn't imagine him ending up in jail. However, the other possibility scared her even more. She felt there was a strong chance Allen wouldn't come back, that he might leave the guild, even the country.
'If that happens, will I be able to keep living like nothing happened?', Lucy smiled sadly. She didn't want to consider that possibility. Even more than her feelings, Allen was a warm light that seemed to shine beside her at all times. She was just getting used to that warmth and didn't want to lose it.
Lucy hugged Timcampy tighter, who tried to comfort her, but the golem couldn't speak or reassure her that his master was capable of moving heaven and earth and would definitely come back.
"Come on, Lucy!" someone said unexpectedly. It wasn't impulsive Natsu but Mirajane. "If there's one thing I know well, it's the pain of losing someone when you were too weak to save them. It's awful, and it will haunt you for the rest of your life, so come on!"
"Mira-san?"
Lucy felt a surge of adrenaline in an environment where everyone expected her to give up.
"Mira!" Makarov scolded the albino.
"Don't stop me, Master!"
"Don't say nonsense. What can you do without your magic?!"
"Sis," Elfman approached his sister, but she looked at him angrily and with tears. Of course, he knew the memories that seeing Lucy so down awoke in her.
"Tsk… Hey Natsu, you'd normally be eager to go. What's wrong?!" Gray felt things were getting out of control, but didn't know what to do. He wasn't really a fan of Allen, but just turning his back on him felt wrong. As for Erza, she didn't seem to have a serious problem but he was worried too.
To everyone's surprise, Natsu sat down on the floor as soon as he regained consciousness, crossed his arms, and didn't move.
"Natsu?" Happy, beside him and looking downcast, asked.
"He said he'd handle it, that he'd protect Erza and come back. If he doesn't, I'll chase him down and punch him wherever he is!" Natsu growled, releasing fire from his mouth. His words left a mark on everyone, reminding them of what Allen had said to Natsu before knocking him out.
– Believe in me a little! –
"He's strong! He's disgustingly strong! If he can't protect Erza I'll despise him for the rest of my life!"
"Natsu..." Makarov smiled, 'You've grown up...'
Certainly, the guild's first instinct was to protect their comrades, but speaking of Allen, more than protecting him, could they trust that he'd solve this on his own? The young man who seemed like a depressed guy suddenly looked like a reliable bastard. They didn't know why, but the image of him entering the door with Erza in his arms seemed almost tangible.
"At Fairy Tail, we don't abandon a comrade, but we also trust our people!" Makarov stood up. "Let's give him a day! If that bastard doesn't come back with Erza in his arms, we'll look for him and make him regret making Lucy-chan and Mira-chan cry!"
Oh!!
"They weren't crying!" Lucy replied, embarrassed.
"Master…" Mira stopped resisting and smiled.
...
(Magic Council, ERA)
The interior was an elegant but stern contrast. Long corridors are adorned with portraits of former Council members. The light descending from above did not come from the sun, but from a floating tear-shaped orb, whose blue glow filled the space without casting shadows.
Lahar and the messenger guided them to a large door.
"Titania, it's strange to see you in this situation~" Ultear appeared from the right with a somewhat mocking smile. "You were always the one to avoid these things, weren't you?~"
"Ultear Milkovich…" Lahar said cautiously.
"Don't get upset, Captain, your mission is over…"
"…" Lahar looked at Allen but knew he had to leave if the mission was finished. "Then…"
Lahar turned and walked toward another hallway with his knights. He wore a grave expression but did not disobey. The Council members were also competent mages, some very strong, so there was no need for extra security. However, his mission was not yet complete; before Allen met the Council members, he had to give an urgent report so they would know who they were facing.
The messenger also said goodbye with a scared attitude and left, leaving the two girls and Allen alone.
"…" Erza didn't respond to Ultear's question and simply looked at her seriously.
Ultear snorted, "How boring you are, Erza Scarlet… as for your boyfriend…"
Ultear's gaze settled on Allen as she slowly scanned him, but the expectation was quickly broken. Ultear had expected someone more 'impressive,' but he turned out to be a 'Villager A,' at least in terms of magic power, appearance, and presence. That didn't mean he was ugly, just that nothing about Allen stood out at first glance. If he stayed quiet and still, she might forget he was there.
"Hmm, a bit disappointing, but I guess I had too high expectations…" Ultear averted her eyes from Allen.
....
Gwen – Objectively speaking, she seems like a Femme Fatale (Vixen)...
Felicia – Good idea, Gwen!~ Objectively speaking, it feels like she's going to stab you
Rogue – Objectively speaking, she looks like a B, but maybe there's a reason...
Ruby (Jean) – Objectively speaking, she seems to have a troubled past...
Kitty – She's complicated!
Cate – Kitty, that's not the way to say.
....
Ultear smelled like a manipulative witch, but in the end, did it matter? He wasn't an innocent kid to be swayed by a pretty girl's words.
"Are they here already?"
A deep voice sounded behind Erza and Allen; the latter had sensed the presence long before, but he simply ignored it.
"And what do you think, Siegrain?" Ultear asked with a smile.
Allen immediately noticed a change in Erza; she seemed to tremble for a moment but controlled herself.
"Well, you can't judge someone by their appearance. This young man should be a promising mage; he helped defeat Eisenwald…" Siegrain said while analyzing Allen with his eyes but soon lost interest, though he tried to hide it. Of course, none of that mattered to Allen, who saw Erza's state.
"…!" Erza turned and upon seeing the familiar face of the blue-haired young man with a tattoo beneath his eye, she glanced at Allen to tell him she was okay and then spoke, "Siegrain…"
Erza managed to calm down as if putting on a mask, but unlike before, it felt forced. No matter how good an actress she was, she didn't fool Allen. Inside her was a mix of fear, regret, confusing feelings, panic, and even anger.
"What are you doing here?" Erza asked angrily.
...
The Emperor – It's a projection.
Athena – If it weren't, Allen could have killed him…
MJ – Disgusting!… Seems like we found part of Erza's trauma… probably…
...
"I'm not really here; I'm just a projection. Behind that door, the elders are also projections. No one would bother to come over something this simple… or so I hope…" Siegrain approached Erza and used his hand to touch the redhead's chin. "I hope you don't mention anything—"
Seeing this, Allen's gaze cooled. "Get lost… Finite Incantatem…"
"...?!"
"...!"
Ultear and Siegrain felt as if a hammer had hit their heads, and they vanished instantly. Erza looked back at Allen with a sweat drop on her cheek, nervous. She could feel the anger in him.
"Allen… I…" Erza tried to say something, but didn't know how to respond.
"…" Allen passed by her without stopping. "I'm not going to ask anything, but if I see him in person, I can't promise I won't kill him…"
Allen didn't know the story between those two, but one look was enough to know that the blue-haired guy was very unpleasant to him.
"…" Erza remained still, watching Allen walk away with a mixture of feelings she couldn't understand.
Allen reached the door where the Magic Council members were waiting with a determined look.
....
...
....
(Ten minutes later, Fairy Tail)
"Wait, let me see if I got this right… They just let them go?! Just like that?!" Lucy said, sitting next to Allen, clutching her head in confusion.
"Yeah…" Allen said while sipping his coffee, the same one he hadn't finished half a day ago. Luckily, the inventory can keep food and drinks hot or cold.
"But that's… I don't know what to say…" Levy dropped the books she was holding before collapsing onto the floor with a broken laugh. "What was the point of my effort?"
Cana squinted her eyes as she approached from behind Allen, then she leaned in close to his face. "You didn't make some kind of unfair deal with them and you're just saying that so we don't worry, right?"
Lucy and Mirajane looked at Allen worriedly, but he blinked and shook his head. "None of that. They only asked me two things: if I was a spy and if I intended to stay in Fiore…"
"And what did you answer?" Lucy asked, eyes anxious.
"First, I told them what I thought. If I were a spy, I wouldn't choose Fairy Tail to infiltrate—it'd be dumb. I'd have infiltrated the Magic Council or something," Allen stroked Lucy's head, "As for staying, well, I'm not interested in any other country outside Fiore, and honestly, I don't think they'd let me leave that easily…"
"Of course! You're not leaving until I beat you!" Natsu shouted with a grin, punching his fist. "In fact, fight me! –Ugyah!"
Erza hit Natsu and then sat next to Allen on the opposite side of Lucy. "Calm down, Natsu, we're tired…"
Erza crossed her arms as if she hadn't just knocked Natsu out, then started sipping a cup of coffee like Allen. This made everyone feel a strange sensation, as if she'd gotten closer to Allen. Lucy snapped out of her worry and eyed the pair suspiciously. But realistically, both had been arrested, so it didn't seem like an appropriate atmosphere for flirting.
"Hmph!" Lucy grabbed Allen's arm as if challenging her.
"Lucy?"
"Oh, you've got guts Lucy, but I already... nothing..." Erza smiled slightly, as if proud of some hidden advantage, then immediately blushed for some reason.
'I knew it—something's going on between these two!' Lucy thought. She might not be the sharpest girl, but when it came to romantic feelings, Erza was an open book. Allen, what did you do?!
Lucy grabbed Allen by the neck and glared at him with eyes full of anger. Instead of reacting, he stayed calm and then pinched Lucy's nose with his fingers.
"What are you doing?!" Lucy pulled away, blushing. "D-don't casually touch a lady's nose like that…"
Allen leaned on the table playfully. "Sorry, I just felt like doing it."
"Huh?!" Lucy froze, processing his words before noticing everyone staring at her. The blush spread across her face, and she collapsed onto the table, her brain fried. Allen sure knows how to break the princess's bad mood, but maybe he went a little too far.
"Mmm…" Mira watched him silently, raising an eyebrow. She realized Allen had done all that to avoid Lucy's questioning, which made her doubt if nothing really happened between them… but unable to read anything from Allen and Erza's faces, she shook her head and smiled again. "Never mind, I'm glad you're back. You better rest for today~"
With Mirajane's words, everyone began to disperse as the atmosphere noticeably improved. But Makarov remained silent. He couldn't understand how the old grumpy Magic Council wizards had let Allen go so easily. He thought about asking Yajima, so he got up to go to his office to write a letter.
Allen shrugged, "Maybe they realized I'm as harmless as a rabbit..."
"Sure..." Said Gray.
...
(Flashback)
The council was about to discuss matters regarding Lullaby. Erza was only going to be officially reprimanded and released. After all, the damage wasn't too bad—a damaged train, some destroyed buildings, damage to Oshibana Station...
In Allen's case, they were going to interrogate him. They had to know the truth, no matter what...
"I still think we should wait until we gather all the information…" said Yajima.
"Nonsense, we have to act immediately!!" Michello objected.
"He's just a mage, stop being paranoid, Michello," Belno said with a sigh.
At that moment, Siegrain and Ultear had left to receive the guests first. This wasn't well received by Org, who didn't like having them on the council, harboring prejudices against their ages.
"Honorable council members!" a humanoid frog entered the room, sweating and scared. It had brought all the information it could find about Allen, which wasn't much.
"That was fast…" Leiji frowned. They had only known about Allen for a day, and tracking his origin shouldn't have been so quick.
"Sorry… there wasn't much to find…" the frog said nervously. Before the others, they may have appeared competent and cold officials, but in front of the council, they knew their place.
"Don't keep us waiting. Speak," Org said impatiently.
"Alright... Allen Walker…"
Everyone's looks were relaxed and somewhat disinterested, but they still paid attention.
"Allen Walker first appeared in the port city of Hargeon, where he saved the celestial mage Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel from Bora 'The Prominence' and his men."
"Wait, wasn't Salamander the one who defeated Bora?" Belno questioned, recalling the incident from a week ago.
The frog got nervous. "Our initial report said that, but after interrogating the criminals and victims, we know Salamander only delivered the final blow. It was Allen Walker who did everything…"
"I see, continue…" Yajima said, and no one objected. Bora was an elite mage, famous, but defeating him wasn't that incredible for the council—though that mentality would soon be shattered.
"After that, both accompanied Salamander to Fairy Tail where Lucy Heartfilia joined the guild. However, Allen didn't. Instead, Makarov Dreyar himself convinced him to join the guild."
"What?" Org stroked his beard.
Everyone was confused by this matter. Makarov was known for accepting almost everyone, which made it easy for a spy or two to get in and for them to know so much. However, his taking the initiative to recruit someone was quite unusual…
The frog coughed, seeing everyone deep in thought, and continued, "Natsu Dragneel didn't take long to challenge Allen Walker. As a result, he was defeated… with one blow…"
"...!"
This time, everyone's expressions changed. Although Salamander wasn't an S-class mage, he was well known for his strength. Defeating him with one blow was noteworthy.
The frog continued with a paler look, "He joined Fairy Tail, then looked for a house. He bought a ruined property and restored it... using an unknown spirit…"
"Is he a Spirit Mage?" Leiji asked, interested.
"That…" the frog smiled ironically.
"Let him finish speaking," Belno interrupted.
"Lucy Heartfilia and Allen Walker formed a team, and on a mission, they overthrew the corrupt Duke Everlue. Then they took a restoration mission in Onibas Town, where Allen met Erza Scarlet and had a fight that ended with Titania's defeat…"
"What did you say?!" Org raised his voice.
"How is that possible?!" Michello shouted, scared.
"Why didn't we know about this?" Leiji questioned.
"Sorry!" the frog kneeled. "It all happened just a few days ago!"
After a moment, everyone became cautious. A mage of Erza's caliber was something to take seriously. This was no longer a simple talented novice, but a very strong mage of unknown origin.
"What kind of magic does he have?" Yajima asked with a serious look, rare for him.
"Well…" The frog started sweating; no one was prepared for what it was about to say. "Since his appearance, Allen Walker has shown several terrifying traits. For starters, his magical power cannot be sensed, making him very dangerous and hard to detect. He demonstrated very strong barrier magic, healing magic, wind magic, teleportation magic, spiritual magic along with a contract with the great spirit of time, flight magic, combat magic (suspected), enchantment magic, runic magic, sealing magic, tracking magic (suspected), special Requip-type magic (suspected)… and we believe he can nullify spells… not only that… he has terrifying physical capabilities: supersonic speeds, colossal strength able to throw a person dozens of miles, endurance we haven't measured yet, defense we haven't measured yet, and in none of his battles so far has he been seen injured… People compare him to Gildards in power, but in my humble opinion, Allen is much smarter than him..... so much so that we suspect he has created most of his magic…"
After finishing, the room fell into terrifying silence…
However, time was up as the door opened and Allen entered. The looks the council members had up to now changed to serious, even scared…
In front of them walked a young man in shackles who looked like an ordinary person, but everyone there knew it was a lie. This young man was a monster…
...
On an island far from the coast, a black-haired young man lay on the withered ground surrounded by dead trees, a stark contrast to the rest of the lush forest…
"What was that just now? Was it my imagination?" The young man closed his eyes as a butterfly carelessly flew nearby, died, and fell to the ground. He picked it up. "I guess it doesn't matter…"
===
A/N: 🫠
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