Over the past year, Kael had seen his share of the world. He had stood before Sobea's hundred-meter walls and faced literal demons. He considered himself difficult to impress.
But standing before the Kingdom of Elbaf, Sobea's fortifications suddenly felt like a child's toy. Kael craned his neck, estimating the city walls at no less than three hundred meters—piercing the low clouds like the spine of the world.
Even more shocking than the architecture were the guards at the gate. They stood twenty to thirty meters tall—living mountains of muscle clad in ancient iron.
Kael was still staring when a shadow swallowed him whole. Before he could react, a massive hand swept down and plucked him off the ground.
"What—?!"
His instincts flared. He was a heartbeat from activating a Take Over—until he heard a voice like rolling thunder… oddly high-pitched.
"Mom! Look what I found! A dwarf! Can I keep him?"
Kael looked up and found himself face-to-face with a giant child. The boy was nearly ten meters tall, with a perpetually runny nose and an innocent, wide face missing a few front teeth. He held Kael between thumb and forefinger as if he'd found a rare beetle.
"Buri! What are you doing? Put him down this instant!"
A woman over twenty meters tall hurried over, her expression caught between horror and embarrassment. She gently took Kael from the boy's grip and set him back on the ground.
"I am so sorry! Are you alright?" the giantess asked, squatting so she was closer to his level.
"Buri is a handful, and he doesn't realize how strong he is. I hope he didn't hurt you."
Kael brushed dust from his coat and looked up at her.
"I'm fine. No harm done."
"That's a relief," she said with a warm smile.
"My name is Ayla, and this brat is Buri. You're a human, aren't you? It's extremely rare to see your kind in Elbaf."
"Is it? I figured travelers would be more common," Kael said.
"Not at all! Most humans are terrified of us," Ayla laughed, though there was a faint edge of sadness to it.
"And besides, very few can survive the journey through the Grand Canyon and the mountain ranges. It's a death trap for the folk."
Kael nodded. Having flown over the canyon as Ulquiorra, he'd seen the swarms of monsters and the treacherous terrain. Without flight—or speed that bordered on absurd—reaching Elbaf would be nearly impossible.
"So," Ayla asked,
"what brings a human so far from home?"
"I'm a wizard from the Fairy Tail guild," Kael explained.
"I accepted a request from your King."
"A wizard?!" Buri's eyes lit up like lanterns.
"Are you like the ones in the stories? The ones who can throw fire and lightning?"
Kael couldn't help smiling.
"Something like that."
"Whoa! So cool! Can you show us? Please?" Buri begged, bouncing on his heels and causing miniature tremors with each thud.
"Buri, don't be rude," Ayla scolded.
"I'll give you my candy if you show me!" Buri rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a piece of hard candy the size of a basketball.
Kael's mouth twitched. If I eat that, I'll get diabetes before I finish the first layer.
"Keep your candy, kid," Kael said, amused.
"You want to see magic? I'll give you a show."
He thought back to his own childhood. If a real wizard had offered him magic back then, he would've been the happiest kid alive. So he decided to give Buri something memorable.
"Full-Body Take Over: Ace!"
In a flash of orange light, Kael's form shifted into the Fire Fist.
"Whoa! He changed! He turned into a fire guy!" Buri shouted, jaw dropping.
Even Ayla stared in stunned silence—she'd heard of magic, but seeing a human transformation in front of her was something else entirely.
"Fire Fist!!"
Kael's arm became a swirling pillar of flame. He punched a massive boulder near the gate, unleashing a torrent of fire that reduced the stone to glowing embers and dust in an instant.
The blast was loud enough to draw the gate guards immediately.
"What's going on here? Who's discharging magic?" the lead guard demanded, voice booming.
"It's alright," Ayla said quickly.
"This human wizard was just showing my son a trick."
The guard looked down at Kael, eyes narrowing.
"A human wizard? You're a rare guest. Welcome to Elbaf. What is your business with our kingdom?"
"I am Kael of Fairy Tail," Kael said.
"I'm here to answer the King's summons regarding the S-Class request."
The guard's posture straightened at once.
"The King's mission… the one concerning the children?" He inclined his head.
"Respected Wizard, please enter immediately. We have been waiting for someone of your caliber."
The guards stepped aside and pulled open the massive gates. Kael passed through a tunnel nearly eight hundred meters long before the world opened up on the far side.
It was like a dream magnified a thousandfold. Everything—houses, market stalls, even the cobblestones—was gargantuan. Kael felt like an ant walking through a forest of legs.
"Are you headed to the palace?" Ayla asked, catching up.
"Let me give you a lift. It's a long walk for someone your size, and I'd hate for you to get stepped on by someone less careful than me."
"I'd appreciate it," Kael replied.
He could've flown, but he didn't want to draw attention—or offend the locals by buzzing around their heads.
Ayla gently picked him up and set him on her shoulder. To Kael, it felt like sitting on a broad, steady platform. From that height, he could take in the capital: a city of stone and timber built with rugged, ancient beauty.
"Don't thank me," Ayla said warmly.
"You showed my son a miracle today. You gave him something I've dreamed of since I was a little girl."
"Is magic really that rare here?" Kael asked.
"Very. We're isolated, and humans rarely visit. Even when wizards do come, they're usually too frightened of us to stop and talk—let alone perform."
Kael chuckled.
"I can see why. It's a little intimidating being the smallest guy in the room. So what brings you to the capital today? Shopping?"
Ayla's expression dimmed.
"No. We came for refuge."
"Refuge?" Kael lifted an eyebrow.
"Is there something out there that even giants fear?"
"It's not war," Ayla said quietly.
"But recently… a predator has been hunting our lands. Someone—or something—has been abducting our children. Dozens have vanished without a trace. The King ordered all families to move into the capital until the threat is dealt with."
Kael's eyes sharpened. So that's the mission.
For the rest of the ride, he spoke with Ayla and Buri, telling them stories of the outside world—of the sea, floating islands, and the many guilds of Fiore. They listened with rapt attention, curiosity as vast as their stature.
Half an hour later, the massive spires of the Royal Palace rose into view.
"We've reached the end," Ayla said, carefully lowering her shoulder so Kael could hop down.
"Good luck, Mage. Please… bring our children home."