Kia could smell it on the air as the three hurried the rest of the distance to the guild at a breakneck pace. A smell that she couldn't exactly pinpoint, but it immediately brought two words to her mind: pain and fertilizer. She knew her nose shouldn't have been sharp enough to pick up on anything, but even the subtlest of quiffs could take her back to that place. Her brain had hardwired that scent into itself as a defense mechanism, wanting her to run as soon as she caught the faintest hint of it.
Everytime she blinked against the wind, unpleasant images coated the inside of her eyelids. The stone walls, the approaching thorns, her old cell door. Her ears were starting to play tricks on her as well, turning the wind into cackles and laughter or her young screams. She felt like she was going to lose her lunch.
What made it worse was that she could swear that the smell was growing stronger.
Kia shook her head, refocusing her thoughts on getting to Magnolia and the guild hall as quickly as they could. She peeked down at the blur of lightning that she knew encased her two friends. Verani hadn't missed a step since they shot from the train.
'Focus,' she told herself. 'One step at a time. Just keep coming.'
Her wings flickered in her peripheral vision. Kia could be formulating a plan right now, but she needed to speak with Master first. But could she afford to lose track of this scent?
There were so many times over the years that the Mythics were roaming after Acnologia and Zeref when she had tried to locate that damned floating island. That was one of the only places she had left to look for that book and something in her gut always told her that she would have to face that place again if she was going to get it.
||~x~||
The protection teams for the ex-council members had already left when the Mythics touched down outside Fairy Tail. They had walked in as Erza and Mira were heading out. Their eyes scanned the girls, giving each other only nods of understanding before continuing on their ways.
Every person in the guild was busy. Some were pouring over books or loose pages while others were pinning notes and flags into a large map of Fiore. A few people looked up and greeted the girls, but didn't stop what they were doing and the three didn't bother them. Instead, they each split off in their own directions. Verani turned for the hall, Amber stepped toward the map when Cana was helping coordinate the information with Warren, and Kia continued straight through the center for their Master. They hadn't spoken about their plans before stepping through the door, but they each fell into a role naturally. Verani would go to the infirmary and see how her brother and the Thunder Legion were doing, while Amber would get a status report about where they were in their search for Tartaros and the former council members, mainly who had been sent where. She would also see where she could best jump in to help. The pinkette nodded toward their Master when he noticed her coming in his direction.
"That was faster than I expected, but I'm glad to have the three of you back home."
Kia stepped up beside him, turning to watch the organized chaos before them, "Not as fast as we would have liked, but it couldn't be helped."
The old man shook his head, "There's nothing extra I could ask from your girls." There was a pause before he spoke again, "Mira said that the reports weren't exaggerated. The attack on the Council was that bad."
"As far as I know, Doranbolt was the only survivor topside." Though the information wasn't new to her, it hurt Kia to say it outloud, to acknowledge the true scale of damage. "Has anyone learned what caused them to act?"
Master's features hardened, "The first set of teams just checked in and are on their way back. Master Michello was able to fill us in on a weapon that we believe they are after." Kia's brow quirked as she took her eyes away from the room. He continued, "It's an anti-magic pulse bomb that could wipe magic from the entire continent."
Her hand went to her chest, her heart skipping a beat. Wiping out all magic would be devastating for every wizard alive, but there was another fear running through the Phoenix Slayer. If all magic was erased, her seal would disappear. Without knowing, her fingers curled into a fist around the front of her shirt.
"Natsu's team faced off against someone from Tartaros. They were able to win, but they also learned that the members of Tartaros use something called curses instead of magic."
That wasn't new to her, she was painfully aware of some of the curses that ran through the dark guild. But she found her mouth drying and her heart picking up speed thinking of Natsu potentially facing one of the Etherious. From what she heard from Mira, Laxus and the Thunder Legion had most likely faced Tempester and been triumphant, not knowing what calamity their victory could cause.
It should have made her nerves ease when she thought about how they had beaten two members of Tartaros, but that dwarfed in comparison to one thing. Between the attack on Era and 8 Island, Kia knew that Tempester and Jackal had left the netherworld. The Etherious were taking actions on their own, not caring if they were seen or that they were setting foot in the "mortal" world.
Kia swallowed, trying to produce any saliva to moisten her mouth, "Did Natsu's team give you anything on who they fought?"
The specificity of the question didn't go unnoticed and she watched his brows raise ever so slightly.
"Yes. Lucy said that they were a demon that seemed to specialize in a kind of bomb curse."
Kia nodded, turning her gaze back to the others in the room. Amber had started helping Cana collect the information from the different groups across the hall.
"Kia."
She didn't move at the sound of her name, but she responded, "They aren't just any demons, Master." Her words came out barely above a whisper, "The one Natsu's group fought was responsible for Era. He and the one who went after Mr. Yajima are from Zeref."
Makarov's eyes widened, he turned completely where he stood on the tabletop so he could face her fully. "You don't mean?"
"I do." She nodded, her grip tightened around the front of her shirt again, "I don't doubt we have the strength to go against them knowing that two were taken down, but...." Kia's words trailed off. This wasn't a decision that she could make lightly, it would change everything. "If it comes down to it, I may need you or V to break my seal."
The sounds around the pair seemed to fade. The old man knew the weight that those words carried for the woman in front of him. Though he had never pried for the full story, Makarov knew what power he had helped Kia seal away. He understood just how severe the situation would have to be for her to even debate revealing that power around anyone in the guild.
"Do you think it will come to that?"
"I hope not."
||~x~||
No one else was in the room, but that was something Verani was grateful for. It just meant everyone was doing what they could to get the five figures out of these stupid beds. It also meant that no one had seen her standing stiff as a board outside the door for the last five minutes, trying to work up the nerve to step inside the infirmary.
Bane sickness and Magic Defiance Syndrome, that's what she had been told when she stepped out of that hotel bathroom. That was what was causing the pained expression on the faces of some of the most important people in her life.
The blonde had walked around the room, checking in on each of them before pulling up the stool beside one of the beds closest to the door. Laxus' chest was rising and falling much faster than it should, exhaustion clear on his features. Without a second thought, Verani slipped her hand under the sheet, wrapping it around her brother's.
"You're an idiot."
Her voice was flat and quiet, but her words felt broken. She squeezed his hand, resting her forehead on the fabric that covered it.
"I'm so frustrated. Why did you have to go and play the hero?"
But that wasn't exactly what was on her mind. Those weren't the words that were playing through her head. V wanted to know why they had arrived in Era after the attack was over, why they hadn't been home when Tartaros had come after Mr. Yajima, why couldn't she be on time to help anyone?
She was the Storm, one of the fastest mages in Fiore. People referred to her as a force of nature, but right now she only felt useless. She had always prided herself in her speed, but this time she had been too slow.
Laxus' large hand clenched around hers as a wave of pain ran through his body, unconsciously gripping his younger sister for support. She squeezed back, but not hard enough to hurt him.
Verani closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. Her body not moving from its hunched position when she had enough control to speak, "You're not allowed to go anywhere." The words came out barely above a whisper. So low, that they may not have even registered in Laxus' sensitive ears if he were awake, but her tears would have been heard if she spoke any louder.
"I don't care how shitty things are. You have to keep your promise."
||~x~||
Nothing that Amber was hearing from those that were returning was making her feel any better. Even with only Gray and Gajeel's groups back, she made the decision to mark the other Mythics with communication runes.
It was something that they didn't use often because they never really had a use for it, but something in her gut said that now was the time to use that spell. She and Kia had received a few odd looks when they stepped out the backdoor, but no one openly stopped them.
"You planning on trying to leave Verani behind?"
The Blood mage shook her head as she drug her bloody finger across the skin just below the inside of the Phoenix Slayer's left elbow. "I can mark her later. I don't want to bother her just yet."
"Hey you two," Cana's head popped out the back door. "Master wants everyone to gather up. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla just got back."
"Okay," Amber nodded, finishing up the rune on her own forearm. "We'll be right there."
That seemed to be enough for the brunette, because she ducked back in. Within seconds, the two were heading back inside to see everyone now standing around Master on the stage. Kia's eyes scanned over the crowd, trying to find the head of pink hair that should have returned with Lucy's group.
"It's not good news." Carla said. "We went after Natsu to the former chairman's house."
"But he was already gone by the time we got there, and so were Happy, Erza, and Mira." Lucy explained, "On top of that, the house was completely destroyed."
Wendy was staring at her lap, dejected, "I did try to track them down, but my sense of smell wasn't strong enough."
Then Gray vocalized Kia's biggest fear in that moment, "You don't think that they got caught, do ya?"
Her mind was spinning. The fear, anxiety, her past, his safety, everything was in a panic in her head as Kia clenched her fists tightly. She forced herself to blink, staring at the floorboards beneath her feet.
'Breathe.' She told herself. 'They don't know who he is. He'll be okay. This is Natsu. So breathe.'
Her mental ramblings gently slowed her brain enough for it to remind the rest of her body how to function. Amber rested a hand around one of her's calmly, making her realize the pain in her palms from where her nails had cut through her skin. Kia gave her a nod before focusing back into the world around her.
"Nah," Gajeel rested his hand on Wendy's head, "If this kid couldn't hack it, then neither could I."
The little Dragon Slayer didn't move, "I feel so useless."
Gajeel continued, "Also, it's been a while. Natsu smells, but he don't smell that much."
"We haven't heard anything from Elfman and Lisanna for a while either."
Jet and Droy both looked at Cana before the former asked, "And the people we sent after newly found councilmen?"
His buddy answered, "They've reported no attacks."
A growl was trying to form in Master's throat, "There has to be some way of locating their base of operations."
"Me and Natsu found it!"
A bobbling blue form slid over their heads, before his wings began to flicker, "Their base. I know where it is, we gotta go back!" Before he could say anything else, his magic winked out, sending the poor Exceed tumbling across the table in front of them.
Kia's head immediately snapped to the guild hall door, but saw no one. Happy had returned alone.
"Erza and Mira got captured because that former chairman guy, he's a traitor!" Happy's words came out quickly as he flailed his arms in the air around him, "And me and Natsu, we followed their trail and we busted into their base, but Natsu, he-he!"
"You need to calm down!" Carla gripped his cheeks firmly, her large brown eyes locking with his black ones.
"A-aye..."
||~x~||
Erza, Mira, Natsu, and now Lisanna. If Kia bawled her fists any tighter, she was going to start dripping blood on the guild hall floor. Things were bad enough with Laxus and the Thunder Legion down because of Tempester, and she couldn't imagine what Tartaros had to gain from kidnapping anyone. But that didn't stop her from imagining what could be happening to them while the four of them were in the enemy's hands, she knew what they were capable of four hundred years ago and there was no telling how much stronger they had gotten in that time. Then there was all of this stuff about an anti-pulse bomb called Face.
"I'm getting some air," she mumbled to Amber, not even bothering to look up.
The Blood mage opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she saw how Kia was grinding her teeth as she turned. Even without being able to see the other's eyes for her bangs covering them, Amber knew this was eating her alive. And Elfman wasn't looking much better, especially after Cana ripped into him for just moping back to the guild hall instead of going after his little sister.
At the thought of little sisters, Amber turned for the infirmary. As much as she wanted to let Verani have her space right now, she needed to tell the blonde what was going on. And with how fast everything was happening, she would feel better getting that communication rune on her sooner rather than later.
But she didn't even make it around the corner when she saw said blonde heading in her direction. There was a sagging in her shoulders and eyelids that suggested she had just woken up from a nap, which won't be surprising. They hadn't really stopped moving since they left for that special mission from the council and hadn't slept since before their stakeout. Add all the excitement with Tartaros on top of that and it was a wonder that the three of them hadn't passed out from overload.
"What was all the excitement about a few minutes ago?"
Amber's arms wrapped around herself subconsciously, "Tartaros has Erza, Mira, Natsu, and Lisanna."
Verani's eyes widened, quickly whipping her head around to scan the room. "Where's Kia?"
Amber sighed, "She stepped out for a second."
"I'm going to find her." She wasted no time stepping around her friend and heading for the doors, but a hand around her wrist stopped her.
"Just give her a minute. I need to mark you anyway."
The blonde wanted to argue, but Amber had already popped the scab on her finger from earlier, tracing it along the inside of V's arm. She grumbled, "I don't like her being alone right now." Her hazel eyes drifted to the floor, "You know what I'm talking about. This is all too personal, and with them having Natsu..."
"I know." Amber gave her wrist a light squeeze as she finished. "But as reckless and stupid as she can be, Kia won't act without thinking if it involves him."
"I know that's supposed to make me feel better, but I don't think that's going to be for a while."
Amber sighed, giving her wrist one more squeeze before letting go. "I understand."
The two locked eyes for only a moment before Levy's voice rang out over the hall, "Based on everything Happy told me, I've done it."
||~x~||
The newer guild hall's roof was higher than the old one and Kia found comfort in that right then. The wind from Lake Scilliora pushed her hair forward past her shoulders as she stared out over Magnolia. Being up high normally helped the Phoenix Slayer calm her nerves and be able to think straight, but her fingers were curling under the shingles beside her. She didn't want to think straight, she didn't want to think at all.
And that was when she smelled it.
The second Kia wasn't inside her head anymore, that overwhelming pressure came over her body as her gaze snapped upward. She scanned every cloud she could see, trying to spot any distortion in the sky.
"Kia!"
Amber's voice rang through her mind as the rune on her arm tingled. "Levy found Tartaros. It's-"
"Over Magnolia." Her words were faint, but they reached through the link as she rested her fingers against her arm. "I can see it."