The Giant King hadn't expected Kael to move so quickly, but he welcomed the urgency. Every passing second meant the children were in greater danger.
Whoosh!
Kael spread his wings and shot out through the window. Since the culprits were from the Troll Kingdom, their destination was obvious. It didn't take long for Kael to spot them: the silhouettes of ten giant children marching steadily toward the border. Trailing them at a distance was a small search party from the Giant Kingdom. Kael immediately dove toward the group.
"Who's there?!"
His sudden appearance startled the search party into a defensive stance.
"I'm a wizard from Fairy Tail… Wait, Ayla?"
Kael recognized a familiar figure among them. It was Ayla—the very first giant he'd met upon arriving in the kingdom. Now, though, her face was carved with desperation.
"Are you… Kael?"
Ayla stammered, uncertain. Kael's current appearance was drastically different from before. But remembering how he had transformed outside the city earlier, she realized it had to be him.
"It's me,"
Kael confirmed.
"Kael! Something terrible has happened! Buri has been abducted by an evil wizard!"
Ayla cried, her voice shaking.
Kael glanced ahead at the children. Sure enough, among the ten giants, he saw Buri—the young giant who had tried to grab him earlier that day.
"What happened exactly?"
Kael asked, his tone sharpening.
"I… I don't know,"
Ayla sobbed.
"We were all resting when I realized Buri was gone. I ran out to find him, and then I saw him like this. No matter how much I called his name, he didn't respond. When I tried to stop him, he went into a frenzy—he even tried to bite me. I was so afraid he'd hurt himself that I had to let him go."
"Don't worry, Ayla,"
Kael said, steady and reassuring.
"Buri is clearly under a mind-control spell. I'll bring him back safely. The King has officially tasked me with this mission."
"Really?!"
Hope flickered in her eyes through the tears.
"Oh, thank you, Kael! Thank you!"
"The King and his reinforcements will arrive soon,"
Kael said.
"Go meet up with them. Leave the rest to me."
With that, Kael took off again, closing the distance between himself and the children. Up close, the sight was even more unsettling. Each child wore a vacant smile, eyes glassy and unfocused, like sleepwalkers caught in a deep hypnotic trance.
At least I don't have to search for their hideout, Kael thought. They're leading me straight to it.
Kael suppressed his presence and slipped into Buri's pocket.
The controlled children soon reached the Great Wood Bridge—a massive span formed from a fallen ancient tree, stretching thousands of meters across the chasm that separated the Giant and Troll Kingdoms. Even after getting used to the gargantuan scale of this land, Kael was still stunned by the tree's sheer size.
On the Giant Kingdom's side of the bridge, the King arrived with his elite soldiers.
"Your Majesty, are we really going to just watch them cross into Troll territory?"
a general asked, barely containing his anxiety.
"Kael told us to wait here,"
the King replied sternly.
"He said he would bring them all back."
"Kael? Can a single human wizard really handle this?"
The general's doubt was plain—someone that small didn't look like much next to giants.
"He is one of Makarov's children,"
the King said, his expression softening.
"If Makarov sent him, I trust he has what it takes."
"Makarov?!"
The general stiffened.
"You mean the human wizard from sixty years ago?"
The name carried weight. In the Giant Kingdom, Makarov was a legend—a hero, and a dear friend to the royal family.
Soon, the trolls appeared.
They were hideous creatures with bluish-black skin and jagged, ferocious fangs. They looked more like demons than living beings, and they stood even taller than the giants.
The trolls herded the children into massive iron cages and hitched them to a monstrous beast. The caravan began the long trek toward the Troll Capital. Unlike the Giant Kingdom's majestic architecture, the Troll capital was primitive and chaotic—less a city and more a sprawling, violent tribal camp.
The transport went straight into the palace and descended into a dark underground prison.
Click! Click!
One by one, heavy iron collars were locked around the children's necks before they were shoved into cells.
As the mind control finally wore off, the giant children woke up. Confused and terrified by the unfamiliar darkness, they began to cry out. In moments, the prison was filled with panicked wails.
"Where am I?! Why is it so dark?!"
"Waaaah! Mommy! I want my mommy!"
The deafening noise echoed through the dungeon—until a harsh voice cut through it like a blade.
"Shut up! All of you!"
A human stepped forward, flanked by several figures in mysterious black robes. Watching from the shadows, Kael felt cold recognition crawl up his spine. The way they spoke, the way they carried themselves—he knew it instantly.
"The Black Magic Dark Guild,"
Kael hissed under his breath, eyes narrowing.
"These guys are like a persistent plague. They even have a branch out here."
"Slaves? No! I don't want to be a slave!"
"Daddy! Save me!"
The children's cries intensified the moment they heard the word slave.
"I said no crying!"
the man barked.
"If you don't shut your mouths, you'll be punished!"
The children were too young to understand the full weight of the threat. They kept sobbing, terrified and helpless.
Suddenly—Boom!
A bolt of magic shot out and struck the child who was crying the loudest.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The boy shrieked as a bloody wound tore open on his leg, as if he'd been hit by a high-caliber bullet.
The other children froze, bodies trembling in absolute terror.
Kael's fists tightened. A cold, murderous intent rose in his chest. These monsters… they don't even hesitate to hurt children.
"Do you understand now?"
the member sneered.
"This is what happens when you disobey. From now on, you do exactly as I say. If you listen, you eat. If you don't, you suffer. And don't even think about running."
He picked up a spare collar from a nearby table, tossed it into an empty corner, and pressed a button on a remote.
BOOM!
The collar exploded with violent force, the blast rattling the cell bars. The children recoiled, faces drained of color, too frightened to even breathe properly.
"The collars on your necks are just like that one,"
the man said with a sadistic grin,
"but ten times more powerful. Try to escape, and I'll blow you into pieces."