Ultear and Erza had been "crying" in the clearing for nearly ten minutes.
Their performance was Oscar-worthy, complete with hiccuping sobs and trembling shoulders.
Yet, no one appeared.
It was unclear whether they were overthinking things or if their target was simply too cautious.
"Maybe they left?" Erza whispered between sobs, wiping her eyes.
"No," Ultear muttered, her voice low.
Gradually, they let their crying taper off into sniffles.
"Erza, we can't keep crying," Ultear said loudly, her voice trembling. "Mom isn't coming. We need to find a way out quickly."
"Alright, Tia," Erza sniffled, grabbing Ultear's hand tightly. "I will definitely get you out. Big sister promises."
They began to wander aimlessly again, moving deeper into the forest.
An hour passed.
Just as Erza was considering dropping the act, a rustling sound came from the bushes.
'He took the bait'. Ultear squeezed Erza's hand.
Erza nodded imperceptibly.
"How did two little girls end up here?"
A man stepped out from the shadows.
He wore a black wide-brimmed hat and a mask covering the lower half of his face and his eyes were cold and calculating.
"We... we got separated from our mother while playing," Ultear stammered, rubbing her red eyes.
"We're lost."
"Where did you get separated?" the man asked, stepping closer.
"I think it was called Luca Park," Erza lied smoothly, recalling the name from the city map. "We were chasing a puppy and ran too far. We lost the puppy too."
"Oh, I see," the man nodded, his eyes crinkling in a mock-friendly smile. "Poor things. I'm heading back to the city. How about I take you to the park? I know a shortcut."
"Really?" Ultear looked up, hope shining in her eyes.
"Yes, follow me. It's getting dark, and these woods are dangerous."
"Thank you, thank you, mister!" Both girls choked out their gratitude.
"Haha, stay close to me."
The man turned and began to lead them—not toward the city, but deeper into the forest.
"Mister, are you sure this is the right direction?" Erza asked innocently after ten minutes. "I don't remember seeing these rocks before."
"Yes, this is a shortcut," the man explained in the gentlest tone. "It's faster this way. Your mother will worry if it gets too dark."
"I see," Erza nodded, pretending to be reassured. "Thank you."
They walked for another twenty minutes until they reached a rocky outcrop.
"We're almost there," the man said. "Just through this cave."
He pointed to a dark fissure in the rock face.
The cave was a labyrinth.
It twisted and turned, with multiple branching paths leading into darkness.
The cultists had clearly chosen this spot for its complexity; without a guide, it was a death trap.
The man lit a magical torch and walked ahead.
As they followed, Ultear casually brushed her hand against the cave wall at every fork.
From her pocket, she dropped pinches of glowing white powder. It was subtle, nearly invisible in the dim light, but magical enough to be tracked.
Far behind them, Raizel moved silently through the shadows.
The tip of his finger glowed with a faint white light, tracking the trail of powder like a beacon.
"Alright, we're here."
The man stopped in a large cavern.
He turned around, the torchlight illuminating his face, revealing a sinister grin that dropped the "friendly uncle" act entirely.
"Welcome home."
Around the cavern, over a dozen figures in black robes emerged from the shadows.
In the center of the room, a large iron cage held the missing children.
Erza's eyes scanned the cage quickly.
Nineteen children—the ones from the orphanage—plus at least ten others.
It seems.... they had been busy.
"Why did you bring two more?" A man with a jagged scar over his left eye stepped forward, frowning.
"The Council is cracking down hard on us. We can't risk exposure."
"They were lost on their own," the first man shrugged. "I was just scouting and found them wandering. Easy pickings. Besides, look at them. High magical potential both of them."
"Good," the scarred man nodded, appeased.
He pulled a heavy iron key from his belt and walked toward the cage. "Toss them in with the others."
"You said you were taking us to find our mothers?" Ultear asked, her voice trembling as she huddled close to Erza.
"Where is this?"
"Your mother?" The man laughed maniacally, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "You'll never see her again! You belong to the Tower now!"
Several men moved behind Ultear and Erza to block the exit.
The scarred man reached for the cage lock.
Now.
Ultear and Erza pretended to cling to each other in terror, but their eyes met.
A silent signal passed between them.
"Requip!" Erza's voice rang out clear and strong.
A flash of light erupted from her hand, replaced instantly by a heavy black shortsword.
Slash!
She turn around, slashing the legs of the man behind her.
He collapsed with a scream, caught completely off guard.
"So they're Mages! Damn it!" The scarred man roared, drawing a curved dagger.
"Kill them!"
"Leave it to me!" Ultear shouted.
She and Erza stood back-to-back.
Ultear raised her hands.
"Arc of Time: Flash Forward!"
Several green crystal orbs materialized in the air around them.
They shot beams of concentrated light outward, striking the approaching cultists like laser fire.
"Gah!" The scarred man was blasted backward, slamming into the cage bars.
The cavern erupted into chaos.
Mages charged, wielding swords, staves, and daggers.
Erza met the charge head-on.
She parried a sword strike, ducked under a staff, and delivered a spinning kick to a cultist's chest.
Her movements were fluid and brutal.
From the shadows, an assassin lunged at Erza's exposed side with a poisoned dagger aimed at her ribs.
"Ice Make: Shield!"
A wall of ice sprang up instantly, blocking the dagger with a metallic clang.
"Take this!" A long-haired mage shouted, firing a fireball and a lightning bolt from his staff.
"Useless," Ultear sneered. Her crystal ball flashed.
"Return!"
The fireball and lightning bolt sizzled and vanished into nothingness, reversed to their pre-cast state.
"Ice Make: Lance!"
Ultear didn't pause.
She slammed her palms together, launching a volley of ice spears that pinned the mage to the wall by his robes.
Within minutes, the cavern was quiet.
Only the assassin remained, trying to meld back into the shadows.
"Not so fast!" Erza hurled her sword like a javelin.
It struck the assassin in the shoulder, knocking him out of his stealth and onto the ground.
The battle was over.
Ultear and Erza stood amidst the groaning bodies of the cultists.
"Tie them up," Erza ordered, pulling coils of rope from her pocket dimension. "They might know where the other towers are."
They bound the cultists hand and foot, linking them together in a long chain.
Erza stood guard over the prisoners with her sword drawn while Ultear approached the cage.
"It's okay," Ultear said softly, melting the lock with a touch of her magic. "We're here to help."
She opened the door.
The children huddled in the back, clearly terrified.
"We're from Fairy Tail," Ultear smiled, showing her guild mark.
Erza produced a bag of sweets from her storage space.
"Here. You must be hungry."
The sight of chocolate broke the tension. The children rushed forward, grabbing the snacks and weeping with relief.
"Bravo, bravo," a voice clapped slowly from the entrance.
Raizel stepped into the light, leaning against the cavern wall.
"That was textbook."
"You have the exact same smirk as that villain from earlier," Ultear remarked with disdain.
"Agreed," Erza nodded. "You looked like a pervert."
"Hey! I'm your supervisor!" Raizel protested.
The rescued children, hearing the banter, finally relaxed completely.
These terrifying mages were just... weird siblings.
...
They led the children and the prisoners back to the surface.
It was a slow trek, but the children were fueled by hope and chocolate.
When they arrived back at the orphanage, the scene was emotional.
Sister Elsa burst into tears, hugging each child as if they were her own.
Erza fired a magical signal flare into the sky.
Within twenty minutes, Mayor Warren arrived with a platoon of Council soldiers to take custody of the cultists and secure the orphanage.
"Thank you so much," Mayor Warren said, handing Erza a heavy pouch. "Here is your reward. 1.2 million Jewels. Please, join us for dinner tonight."
"Thank you," Ultear accepted the reward politely.
She exchanged a glance with Erza, and they nodded.
That night, they ate like kings at the Mayor's mansion.
Raizel watched them split the money 50/50 with a proud smile on his face.
"Not bad for a first mission," he said, raising his glass. "Not bad at all."