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[X784, Fairy Tail, Four days later]
— Freed Justine —
"This place is a mess." Evergreen's voice had a tinge of worry as she crossed her arms, looking down at Magnolia from their elevated vantage point.
The three of them stood atop a steep hill near the outskirts of the town, where they had a clear view of the city and the aftermath of the battle.
From this high up, Freed could see the scorched battlefield around Lake Sciliora, especially the long deep trench that Dannis had cut in his attempt to destroy the Jupiter Cannon. The lake itself looked murkier than usual, still bearing whatever traces of magic that contaminated the water.
"Well, it was a battle between two guilds of the more powerful guilds in Fiore. This amount of destruction was expected." Bickslow commented. His Seith orbs hovered around him, repeating the last words of his every sentence. "At least they're already rebuilding."
Freed remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Fairy Tail guild hall in the distance. The repairs were well underway, with guild members working tirelessly to reconstruct what had been damaged. Despite the recency of the attack, Magnolia itself was still bustling with life.
'Indeed.' Freed mused. 'Though rebuilding isn't quite the right word.'.
If anything, it looked more like a renovation. From what he had read, their guild building didn't really suffer many damages.
The foundation of the old guild hall remained, but everything else was being redone from the ground up. The Master, in his enlarged Titan form, was lifting massive wooden beams into place, while Erza took it upon herself to direct everything. She even had the whole ensemble, with a foreman's clothes and even the yellow hard hat.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
They had been away for months, helping chase Laxus' goals, and in that time, the guild had gone through battles, hardships, and changes—ones they hadn't been there to witness or support.
'We've been so focused on following Laxus-sama that we missed everything happening at home,' Freed thought. The guild had suffered without them, and that realization sat uncomfortably in his chest.
Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside.
'No. I made a promise to Dannis-sama. My duty is to Laxus-sama. That hasn't changed.'
"Come on," he said at last, turning to the others. "I heard Dannis-sama is with Porlyusica."
Evergreen clicked her tongue but followed without complaint, while Bickslow gave an exaggerated sigh, throwing his arms behind his head as they made their way toward the Western Woods.
…
The three of them travelled to the small hut that was hidden within the Western Woods, a forest that bordered Magnolia.
It was a peaceful place. There was the occasional monster that liked to nest in these parts, but they were exceedingly rare. The Western Woods was a place that many Fairy Tail members use as a training ground and the Master had set up periodic schedules to clear it of any powerful monsters.
It was an easy way to get combat experience for the lower ranked mages since the monsters here are low ranking themselves. Porlyusica herself based herself here due to its distance from the larger civilization as well as the peaceful quiet that's here most days.
It wasn't long before they spotted Porlyusica's hut.
The small wooden house was built into the roots of an enormous tree, giving it a rustic, almost hidden quality. Vines crawled along the walls, and various herbs were hanging from the eaves, drying under the shade. Despite the peaceful exterior, the unmistakable sound of raised voices reached their ears.
"Both of you, get out!"
A pair of figures were suddenly ejected from the hut's doorway. Jet and Droy hit the ground with twin thuds, sporting fresh lumps on their heads.
"Man, that old lady never pulls her punches," Jet groaned, rubbing the growing bump on his scalp.
"Tell me about it," Droy grumbled.
The doors swung open again, and a much calmer figure emerged.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Miss Porlyusica."
Laki walked out with an elegant bow, completely calm and unscathed, as if she had just been a guest at a tea party rather than a patient of the notoriously irritable healer.
"Whatever," Porlyusica scoffed, waving a dismissive hand before her sharp gaze landed on Freed and the others. "Hm?"
Freed straightened immediately. "Miss Porlyusica," he greeted with a respectful nod. After all, her reputation of hating 'humans' was quite well known. "Is Dannis-sama here?"
The old woman narrowed her eyes, clicking her tongue in irritation. "Tch. More visitors?" she repeated under her breath, but after a moment, she let out a tired sigh. "He's inside, but do not make any loud noises, you hear me?"
"We'll do our best to adhere to your rules," Freed assured her.
Bickslow, however, leaned over to Jet and Droy, grinning. "What's with the lumps? Did you guys say something dumb again?"
Jet scowled. "Why are you here? Don't tell me Laxus is back?"
Droy's eyes widened slightly, glancing between them. "Yeah, what's the Thunder God Tribe doing here?"
Evergreen scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "That's none of your business."
Freed ignored them as he stepped past Laki and into the hut.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs and dried potions. The small space had a few beds set up for patients, each with simple but clean sheets. A cauldron of some foul-smelling concoction was simmering in the corner, sending wisps of bitter steam into the air.
Across the room, Freed immediately spotted him.
Dannis was sitting up in one of the beds. His shirt was off, revealing his lean and muscled torso that was wrapped by bandages. His black hair was slightly disheveled, but his eyes were as piercing and kind as he remembered them.
Sitting beside him was Mirajane, who was lifting a sphere of darkness in her palm. She casually passed it to him, and Freed watched as Dannis bit into it without hesitation.
'Right, I had heard that Dannis-sama had unlocked some kind of Slayer-type magic. Is Darkness his element?' Seeing this, that feeling of missing out came back at full force, his fist clenched involuntarily.
"Oh, it's you guys," Dannis said as he noticed their entrance. A tired smirk tugged at his lips. "It's been a while."
Freed felt a strange tension loosen in his chest. Even after everything, Dannis still looked the same—still as steady as he remembered.
He was still the same man that had saved him a long time ago. The same man that he made a promise to, long ago.
A small, shaky smile formed on his face.
"It's good to see you again, Dannis-sama."
…
— Laxus Dreyar —
Laxus breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling in slow, measured movements. Blood dripped from a cut above his brow, mixing with the dust and ash in the ruined hall. Sparks of residual lightning crackled faintly around his body before they faded entirely.
The fight had lasted four days. And now, the entirety of Raven Tail lay in ruins.
Craters marred the wooden flooring, massive scorch marks blackening the walls. Pieces of the ceiling had caved in and broken beams stuck out of the ground everywhere. The air smelled of smoke, sweat, and blood.
Laxus exhaled sharply, stepping over the unconscious—or possibly dead—bodies of his father's soldiers.
Kurohebi was sprawled over the remains of a shattered pillar, a massive wound on his chest from a lightning blast. Not far from him, Nullpudding's body was charred beyond recognition, second-degree burns covering him from head to toe.
Laxus spit a bit of blood to the side. 'What a bunch of weaklings.'
They had numbers. That much was true.
But numbers alone meant nothing when faced with overwhelming strength. If they had been stronger, maybe this battle would have lasted longer. Maybe it would've actually been challenging.
Instead, they relied on tricks, illusions, and underhanded tactics.
It had slowed him down, sure. It also didn't help that Laxus fought them all right in their own guild hall. Homefield advantage was a surefire thing, and it made him take hits that he otherwise would have dodged.
But in the end, it didn't matter. They lost.
They were always going to lose.
Still...
Laxus' grey eyes flickered toward a crumpled figure slumped against a half-destroyed wall.
'That girl.'
He eyed the form of the pink-haired girl, her hair frazzled up and standing on end from the last lightning blast he had hit her with.
'She was a good bit stronger than the rest and put up a bit of a fight.' He rolled his shoulders to thin out the ache. 'I guess that's to be expected from a member of Grimoire Heart.'
He remembered being surprised by the true nature of her magic. Maguilty Sense, she called it. A Lost Magic meant to link the senses and emotions of other people.
She had connected him to the pain of every single mage in this battle. Every hit he had landed, every lightning strike, every single moment of suffering he had inflicted—he had felt it all.
But once again, it didn't matter. Because unlike the rest of them, he could take it.
After all, pain was nothing new to a kid who grew up sickly and weak.
His coat lay discarded near a pile of rubble, slightly torn but still intact. He picked it up, shaking off the dust before swinging it around his shoulders in one fluid motion.
The weight of it felt familiar. Comforting, even.
As he turned toward the ruined entrance, Ivan's voice echoed in his mind.
'Remember Laxus, in this world, strength is what matters.'
His steps slowed. It was a memory he thought he forgot. A conversation that they had after Ivan put the lacrima inside him.
'Without strength, then you might as well go through life always watching your own back, always worrying about what the future has in store. Those with strength have the right to utilize that strength to do anything and everything they want. It is the right and the privilege of the strong.'
"But you never worked for that strength, did you, old man?" he muttered.
Laxus put a hand on the left side of his stomach, where he knew the dragon lacrima was located. "Always trying to find shortcuts, right?"
He stepped through the broken remains of Raven Tail's guild hall, his boots crunching against shattered wood and debris. The cold night air hit him as he emerged, carrying the faint scent of rain.
Above him, the sky stretched endlessly, dotted with thousands of stars.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his communication lacrima and activated it. The glassy orb pulsed with light before flickering to life.
A moment later, Freed's face came into view.
"Laxus-sama?" Freed asked.
"I've finished on my end. How about you?"
"We're done as well." Freed angled the lacrima until he, Bickslow, and Evergreen were visible on the screen. From the looks of it, they were in the middle of walking through a forest.
Laxus recognized it, it was the patch of woods near Porlyusica's hut.
"Dannis-sama is alright. Injured, but recovering." Freed continued. "According to Porlyusica, he should be out of bed rest tomorrow."
Laxus exhaled, shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Alright," he said at last. "I've got a new lead on our mission. Meet me at Akane Beach. We're gonna take a trip."
Freed nodded. "Of course, Laxus-sama. We'll see you there."
The lacrima blinked off with a soft blip, the screen turning dark.
Laxus stood still for a moment, staring at the orb in his hand before glancing back at the broken, crumbling structure behind him.
'Strength, huh?'
His fingers curled into a fist.
Without another word, he turned and started walking.
…
AN: With another figure to look up to as a mentor, Freed didn't become as infatuated to Laxus as he did in Canon. He is still fiercely loyal to Laxus and Dannis, but it also made him realize just how much he missed in Fairy Tail itself.
I debated whether or not to show the whole fight between Laxus and Raven Tail, but decided not to in the end. There's plenty of chances to showcase Laxus' abilities in the coming chapters.
Hope you enjoyed this one! Gimme youre stones if you did :D
Cheers!