It took a week and a half to find a lead.
Their first idea was to investigate any towns that was known for having mages living there. That felt like the most obvious thing to do since mages only represented ten percent of the world's population. Since Bosco was more towards the west where most mages are likely found, it was reasonable to believe that they'd have difficulty searching. However, the names Zack and Domilia were not unknown to Bosco.
When visiting a town, they decided to check the local job posting for mages. Joining a guild wasn't the only way to earn money after all.
In one of the towns they visited, they learned that Zack and Domilia often came over to the office to take on jobs. Their success rate brought a good reputation to the office, allowing more jobs to come in for freelance mages. Afterwards, they mentioned that they heard that they were planning to head to the northeast of Bosco. So, they started going into towns that were more towards that direction. They spent their nights either camping or sleeping in inns.
Lyon, who served as the navigator considering how he had more knowledge on Ishgar after spending years searching for a way to liberate Deliora, noticed how serious Clarus had become ever since they began this little journey. But he still maintained his bright smile while remaining focused on his goal.
Clarus could be some times too optimistic, so it naturally made others worry. Sherry didn't want to see him in low spirits for not finding anymore leads.
...
...
...
"I found her under the rubble the morning my master and I went to check out the aftermath of Deliora's rampage. When I first saw her, she looked so helpless and scared. I had to hold her hand just to have her follow me. I didn't think she'd emotionally recover from it. She also thought that Pandora and Van perished when they returned back to town. She really loves her family, that girl. But instead of seeing her look glum, I tried to be friendly with her to help her open up more. And it worked. She was the easiest to get along with unlike that gloomy Gray. I enjoyed being around her."
"You must have really liked her." Clarus said in awe. "You two were close, right?"
A little startled by this, Lyon looked at him curiously. "... What makes you say that?"
Blinking, Clarus tipped his head. "Oh, was I wrong? I just thought you two were very close because your tone got softer."
"..."
Clarus smiled obliviously. Yuka, Sherry and Toby glanced over at Lyon who chose to remain stoic.
"Anyway, she was very energetic and competitive. She was eager to learn from my master and would regard her as a mother figure like Gray and I did. She would often smile happily. I liked that about her."
"Is she still the same person today?" Clarus wondered curiously. He had already finished painting the image of her child self in his mind. He wanted to know about the current Karissa too.
"Well... she doesn't really smile as often."
"Is she sad?"
Lyon shook his head. "She's just much more reserved and introverted. She still cares very much about her friends. She can also be kind when she judges that the person earns it." He recalled the way she was kind enough to help him find a better place to rest after the whole Deliora ordeal. The others left him be while she stayed behind to help him and treat his head wounds with whatever she had. "She's a smart and strong mage too."
And that same person he was speaking of was supposedly gone from this world.
Seeing the way Lyon's face became coloured with a tint of solemn, Clarus decided to pull out a map of Bosco and discuss about the towns they were planning on visiting.
...
...
...
It took five days to find another lead in the town of Olios.
They went down to the local job posting office as usual to ask for any leads. And they found a big one. Apparently, Olios was the town where Zack and Domilia settled down in once. They lived in the empty house up on the hill that overlooked the entire town. However, the house no longer existed there. It just vanished one day along with Zack and Domilia. Because of the sudden disappearance, the locals stayed away from the hill out of fear of the place being haunted. It seemed like the logical thing to think for the inexplicable. Whatever the staff had left to say about the two was left unheard by Clarus. He immediately went dashing for the hill, surprising his guildmates.
Presently, Clarus was running up the hill as fast as he could. He was practically leaving them all behind after they realized he had left. He didn't even think of using his gravity to get him there faster. His mind was just telling him to move and get there to find something. Anything. He wanted to find any trace he could find.
He followed the obvious path that led him straight to the top. The black haired mage huffed when he finally stopped when he got close enough to get a peek of what could be at the top. Just as the staff had said, there wasn't any house in sight. There was no sign of a house getting destroyed by a natural disaster of some sort. It just looked like nothing existed there aside from the nearby forest.
Clarus heaved out pants as he moved closer to the empty area. His head kept glancing around to find something. He was thinking that he might be missing something every time he turned to look around. There was literally nothing out here.
Disappointment is what he felt first.
Not here, huh?
He fell on the ground to his knees and then sat on his rear.
"Clarus!" That was Sherry.
Clarus fell on his back to tilt his head back on the ground. Upside down, he watched his guildmates run over to him. He lifted a hand and waved at them. "Hey, guys. Sorry I ran off by myself." He smiled sheepishly and used a finger to scratch a non-existent itch on his cheek. "I got a little too excited."
"They told us there was nothing up here." Lyon reminded him. "I know you want to find something, but try not to get your hopes too high. It's good to have hope, but just don't go believing in it blindly."
Clarus sat up, showing his back to them, and nodded once. "I understand, Lyon."
As Sherry went over to Clarus, Yuka glanced over to the empty space with his hands tucked behind his back. He kept thinking back to what the office worker told them. The residence of Zack and Domilia just up and vanished into thin air? That seems quite impossible. And even if it was, there should have been at least something to show that a house used to be situated here. If no one came up to the hill, there should been a trace of something.
Bristled, Toby snarled at the empty space. "I bet that person was lying to us!"
"You're so loud." Yuka sighed and walked away from him.
It seemed like the locals were being honest about staying away from the area. The grass was way overgrown. The shortest member of the group walked towards the empty space. Then he felt it. Something electrifying ran across the back of his hand. His black eyes widened by a fraction. As an Anti-Mage, his ability to sense magic were honed enough to detect even the smallest presence. It was necessary.
There was magic in the air.
His thick eyebrows narrowed. How intriguing.
One of his hands came out from behind his back and it emitted a glowing blue light. He brought his hand in front him and created a circular shape with his Wave Magic. Lyon looked over to where he was. He pushed the circle further in front of him with slow caution.
A fissure like crack appeared in the form of a bright light.
Everyone turned when they heard the sound of something breaking.
"What is that?!" Toby freaked.
"There's something hidden away." Yuka revealed. He forced his Wave magic further until the crack became wide enough for someone to peer inside. Clarus leaped up to his feet and ran up behind the older mage with curious eyes. The others followed after him and watched Yuka's magic doing work. Eventually, the fissure opened wide enough for a human to pass through. The other side became clearer enough.
Clarus' eyes widened at the sight.
There was a house on the other side.
Eager, he started making his way to the front only for Lyon to grab the back of his coat and yank him back. "Eh?"
Lyon gave him a narrowed stare. "Don't be so hasty. Be careful. We don't know what's on the other side."
"Ah, sorry."
"What is this?" Sherry stared at the glowing cracks.
"It looks like light magic." Yuka identified. He stopped his wave magic and watched the cracks carefully. Very slowly, it looked like they were becoming back to join together to seal the entrance closed. "It'll close again if we let it be."
"I didn't know light magic could do this." Sherry spoke.
After examining the entrance and testing if it was safe, they all crossed through and entered. It seemed like the light magic outside created some sort of light refraction to make it seem like the area was empty. Yuka deduced that air in the sealed off space had more magic compared to outside, leading him to believe that light magic wasn't the only thing keeping the house hidden away. The grass on this side looked neatly cut and there were little dandelions scattered around.
"It almost feels like time has stopped here." Sherry mumbled as she ventured further in.
"That does seem like the case." Lyon said.
Despite Lyon's warning, Clarus continued to venture forth without thinking too much. He went straight for the door of the house and opened it without an ounce of care. He saw a living room, a hallway and a kitchen right off the bat. What he noticed was the lack of dust in the air. The interior looked fairly clean.
As if being called, Clarus went inside the house and glanced around.
Photos. There were several photos hung on the wall.
The first one he saw had a man and a woman in it. He could only assume that they were Zack and Domilia. The other pictures had children in it. Two children that looked similar to them. The older girl looked like Domilia while the other looked like Zack. Then his eyes were drawn to another photograph that had two other children. His feet were automatically moving towards that particular one. Next to that photograph was a family picture. From the left it started with Pandora standing next to her father who carried Karissa followed by Domilia holding Clavis with Van by her side.
They looked so happy.
When Lyon and the others followed Clarus into the house, they found him gently raising a hand to touch the hanging photo on the wall. They could see the childlike wonder on his face as he stared at the people in the picture. Sherry quietly walked into the house to stand with him. The others followed to see it as well.
Two infants sitting on the couch and staring blankly at the lens of the camera. They didn't have the trademark moles on their face. They both had short hair. But the colouring of their clothing gave away their genders. The one on the right wore pastel blue while the one on the right wore pastel pink.
"This must be you and Karissa." Sherry cooed as her fingers traced the picture frame of the twins' photo. "You two look adorable."
In awe, Clarus reached for the picture next to it in which he was being held by his mother.
This isn't fake, right?
It's real.
He had a place that he belonged to. This was the place that was once home. It was real. He really had a family out in the world.
He had a mother's love.
Yuka and Lyon turned away from the sight and continued looking around the house. Instantly, Lyon spotted some writing on the wall. It looked like Zack and Domilia were keeping track of their children's heights. Squatting down to get a better look, Lyon's eyes softened when he saw Karissa's name written on the wall. Meanwhile, Yuka was walking into the hallways and checking out the rooms. There were three rooms. The first one he came across had a bunkbed. The next room had two separate beds. The last room had a single large bed. What he noted was all three rooms were left untouched and clean. It really looked like the people living in this house just vanished.
As he ventured further into the hallway, he came across a locked door that had a window. He noticed that there was a backyard. There was a white fence and everything.
Huh?
Yuka rushed back the way he came. Everyone was looking around and checking out what pieces of history lied in this house.
"What's the matter, Yuka?" Lyon asked. He was looking through a bookshelf in the living room.
"I found a grave."
―
A wooden cross with the name Clavis Sinclost was engraved into it. It was shoved into the ground near the upper right corner of the backyard. Clarus stood in front of the grave warily. This is where he began to have doubts about all of this. What if he wasn't the child of this family after all? What if he was just a stranger thinking he belonged in their space?
"I actually don't want to find out..." Clarus mumbled quietly but yet loud enough for others to hear. Everyone looked at him and saw how conflicted he looked. "I mean... what if there's really a dead body in there that belongs to someone named Clavis?"
"Whaaat?!" Toby shrieked. "You can't be serious! We came all this way!"
"I know."
"We made it all this way and your want to back out now?" Lyon quirked an eyebrow. He crossed his arms and gave Clarus a look. "Why are you hesitating now? Everything we've seen so far points to you."
"But what if it's all just a coincidence? It would be disrespectful to dig up someone's grave. And you said that Karissa never once mentioned she had a twin brother. This... This might all just be a mistake."
"Don't be scared, Clarus." Sherry told him. Clarus looked her and stared at her sapphire eyes that seemed to settle his racing heart. There was always comfort in Sherry's presence. "We're here with you."
Clarus stared at the faces of his little group that came all this way to help him find his origins. It's true that it would have taken much longer if he did it all on his own. The fact that they came here with him just showed how much they supported him and his wish to find out the truth. Was he really going to waste their efforts just like that? All because he was scared of said truth?
No.
He wasn't allowed to do that.
"Okay. Let's dig it out."
Lyon put his hands together. "Ice Make: Wolf." Two ice wolves molded in front of them and waited for Lyon to give his command. As soon as the others stepped away, Lyon gave the order. The two wolves began digging a hole to search for something. With a racing heart, Clarus could only watch the ice wolves dig, dig, and dig. It didn't take long for their claws to rap against something solid, alerting Lyon to make them stop. They all peered down and found the surface of a brown coffin peeking out. It wouldn't be much longer now.
After much more careful digging, the box was finally out of the earth. When Toby and Yuka pulled it out, they all remarked that the coffin was big enough for a child to fit inside.
"Why is it so light?" Yuka wondered.
They set the coffin down on the grass and allowed Clarus to open it. He kneeled down on the grass and then carefully lifted the lid, revealing the contents to everyone around him.
"Eh?" Clarus blinked.
It was a soft child mannequin doll.
"They buried a doll?"
"Voodoo?" Toby tilted his head.
"I doubt it." Yuka responded.
Blinking curiously, Clarus hummed and cocked his head. He spotted something. He reached inside the coffin and carefully pinched the top of its head to pluck out a single strand of hair. He tugged on his light blue top to rest the hair against it to clearly see the contrast. The hair was black.
"What does this mean?" Clarus held up the strand of hair up to the sky.
Sherry eyed the doll with a thoughtful look. "I find it hard to believe that Zack and Domilia would pretend to bury their child. Those pictures were filled with love. Were they... duped?"
"We won't find out anything like this. Perhaps the town would know something or two." Lyon theorized. "We might find something if we talk to some townspeople."
"Should we try the office?" Sherry asked.
"That seems like a good idea." Clarus set the strand of hair back inside the coffin and placed the lid back on. He heaved the small coffin into his arms. "I want to find out anything related to the incident related to Clavis Sinclost's death." He said spoke in a rather serious tone when he started making his way back inside the house.
The mannequin's coffin was left sitting on the dinner table.
―
"You know, I do remember that they had four children with them. I actually saw them when Zack and Domilia would come down into town." The office worker at the local job posting recalled.
"Do you know anyone else who knew about the four children?" Clarus asked.
"Hmm... no, I don't— oh, wait. You should ask Miss Izunea. She runs the small grocery store a few blocks away from here. I heard she got along well with Miss Domilia so perhaps she might know more details about the family."
"Thank you."
―
...
...
...
"Domilia?"
Izunea, a brown haired woman with emerald eyes looked surprised by the sudden name. She placed a hand on her cheek and sighed. "I haven't heard that name in years, not since word of her passing reached Olios. It's such a shame. She was rather young too. But I suppose that's the life of a mage..."
"So, you knew her?" Lyon clarified.
"Of course." Izunea smiled nostalgically. "We would talk a lot when she would pass by to buy food here. I like to believe we were good friends until she just disappeared."
"What do you know about her children?" Clarus suddenly asked, eager. Izunea looked taken back by the sudden question. She looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
Clarus was shocked at how her eyes viewed him warily. He realized that he might have come to strongly with his question. Seeing as how Clarus just stiffened with no excuse, Lyon decided to step in and inform the woman that they were researching about the two mages to try and help with an article. Their guild insignias weren't visible to her so he didn't see any harm in lying to her.
"Oh, I see." Izunea relaxed. "Sure, I can help with that article. You wanted to know about their children, right? Domilia had four beautiful kids. The oldest was Pandora, the second was Vanitas, and the last two were Clavis and Karissa." She beamed a smile as she remembered the Sinclost children. "They were all so cute, especially the twins." She paused when she remembered something else. Her smile then turned a bit solemn as she averted her gaze. "It's a tragedy that the oldest twin died so young though."
"Oh, no." Sherry put a hand on her chest. "What happened?"
Izunea softly shook her head. "Domilia told me that he broke into a fever and couldn't recover from it. Doctor Mentir couldn't do anything to help either even with how exceptional he was. He really tried his best, you know? But in the end, Doctor Mentir... he just couldn't..." Izunea closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "It was tough on the doctor. He took it really hard. The poor boy was only two years old."
"I see. That must have been though." Sherry displayed a sympathetic look, nodding her head. "I hope the doctor was able to recover from it."
"It took some time, but he did. He's still doing his best as Olios' doctor!"
"Oh?" Yuka raised an eyebrow. "And where might we find Doctor Mentir?"
"Ah, he's actually not too far from here. If you keep walking left, you'll eventually find his clinic."
Once they got the information they needed, Clarus was the first to walk off to the left. He kept his gaze focused in front of him as the aligned all the pieces of information together in his mind. If what Izunea said was true, then Doctor Mentir was the last person to see him 'alive'.
What do you know Doctor Mentir?
―
The doctor was at least about sixty years old. He had black hair and hazel eyes that held kindness in them. Despite the obvious curiosity on his face, he welcomed the Lamia Scale mages into his clinic even though it wasn't even opening hours. They claimed that he knew one of the patients he once treated and that they were looking for said patient since they had gone missing. Wanting to help, Doctor Mentir brought them in.
"How can I help with this search?"
Clarus was sitting down on one of the chairs in the waiting room and folded his hands together when he leaned on his knees. He took in a deep breath and looked at the doctor with a serious look. "What can you tell me about the child of Zack and Domilia that died?"
Everyone carefully watched Doctor Mentir's reaction to the question. He stiffened at the question and his eyes displayed surprise. "What's this about? I thought you were searching for someone?"
"That was a lie." Yuka told him flatly. "We're actually searching for a truth."
"Truth?" The brown haired doctor skittered his gaze away when he saw how Lyon was carefully observing him. "What do you mean?"
"We heard from someone that you were the last person that saw Clavis Sinclost alive when Zack and Domilia came to you for help. He had a fever and they wanted you to help reduce it." Clarus said slowly. He noted how awkward the doctor's posture became. "Is that true?"
"Y-Yes, I couldn't help the boy's fever. I did everything that I could, but I still couldn't save the boy's life."
Lyon's expression became apathetic as he took in the details of the doctor's current mannerisms. He was giving off all the signs of telling lies. He wasn't even being discreet about it either. Lyon glanced over to Clarus who was keeping his dark brown eyes on the doctor without even blinking. He looked so lost in thought and serious that it reminded him of how Karissa. There was no sign of the happy Clarus now. Everyone from Lamia Scale could feel the tension rising in the room.
"Why are you lying?!" Toby barked angrily. The doctor flinched at the sudden volume. He took a step back when Toby started growling at him. Yuka had to tug his arm back before he even thought of attacking the town's doctor. Sherry was also looking quite displeased by his obvious lies.
"Then explain why I'm alive today." Clarus sat back in his seat. He looked patient. "If you're the one who saw me dead, why am I alive and why is there a little mannequin doll in the coffin where I was supposed to be buried? I doubt my parents who have kept my corpse tucked away in their house just to watch it rot away."
...
...
"Grave...?" Doctor Mentir's eyes widened immensely. "You... you're Clavis?"
Clarus didn't answer him and just stared. The look in his eyes gave away the answer.
Doctor Mentir's mouth fell half open when he tried to find the words. He couldn't say anything. His posture became lax. Weak laughter started to echo in the empty waiting room. The doctor was laughing softly to himself while still staring at Clarus. It made the gravity mage tip his head.
"What's so funny?"
Was he losing it?
"You are Clavis Sinclost!" he said, eyes wide as a pitiful smile stretched on his face. "Yes! You are! You're not dead!" The doctor put his hands on his chest. "I'm the one who sold you to that trafficker when you were two years old!"
"You what?" Sherry gasped. The others were staring at the doctor in disbelief as well. A doctor had participated in human trafficking.
The doctor laughed and covered his face, trembling. "For a sum of money, they asked me to give away one of the Sinclost twins to them. They used a type of illusion magic to fool your mother and father into thinking the doll was your corpse. But in reality, you were being shipped off to another country." Clarus silently let his words sink in. Doctor Mentir lifted his head, revealing tears streaming down his face. He looked directly at Clavis with a pitiful smile. "I was the one who did it!"
"What, so you thought that because there were two that losing one wouldn't be a big deal?" Sherry challenged him, arms crossed. Thinking he'd argue against her, Sherry was prepared to shoot another argument until they saw him nod his head and lower his head to hide his face. Sherry couldn't help but feel disgusted.
"For a doctor, you really didn't think twice when it came to someone's life." Lyon spat.
"Because of you, Clarus didn't know his family!" Toby stomped his foot on the floor. "You stole that happiness away from him! You're horrible!"
"For once, I agree with you." Yuka told Toby.
"I knew the day that this would come back." Doctor Mentir admitted. He clenched his hands to his sides and dropped down on his knees. "There's no way it wouldn't come back to me..."
Clarus sighed heavily and just lifted his head to ruffle the back of his hair. Something didn't sit right with him. Izunea said that Doctor Mentir was doing his best as the town's doctor. She also said that he was exceptional. That would mean that this doctor that traded him for money took his job seriously. He cared about the life of his patients. So, why would this doctor give away a child without a single thought?
He got up from his seat and then moved closer to the doctor to squat in front of him. He rested his hands on his knees and peer down at the doctor who meekly raised his head to look at him. "I don't know who you sold me to but I ended up in a laboratory where I was forced to experience pain because of experimentation." Doctor Mentir's eyes widened in horror at his casual tone. "I don't remember it all, but I know I experienced a lot of pain for a number of years. I didn't even know my real name was Clavis until recently. All I wanted now is to learn what you took from me, and I got it. But tell me, is there another reason aside from monetary gain that you decided to sell me?"
The calmness that Clarus exuded practically coaxed the answer from the doctor.
"... I ... They wanted one of the Sinclost twins... I-I don't know why... At first, I refused because... you two were on my list of patients, I practically watching you two grow." He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. "I am not a mage. I'm just a local doctor. I couldn't defend my family when they threatened them. So... I chose my family over you. That's all it was. I was being selfish." He opened his eyes and looked at Clavis. "And I'd do it again if it meant protecting my family!"
The doctor didn't move from his pose as if he was ready for judgement. It was like he was staring into the eyes of the executioner.
"... Protecting your family means to even do the worse things, huh?" Clarus mumbled curiously. As someone who didn't have an immediate family, the concept was a bit foreign. Sure, Lamia Scale was his family, but it wasn't the same. The familial love that drives a person to do the worst almost seemed fascinating to him.
The gravity user straightened up and stared down at the doctor with a solemn look.
"Clarus?" Lyon couldn't read the expression on his face.
A smile.
"I see. Thank you for telling me the truth. You were a big help, Doctor Mentir." He bowed down to the doctor.
The doctor's eyes widened again, in shock this time. "What?"
The black haired mage tipped his head. "What? Did you think I was going to hurt you?" he waved his hands in front of him to dismiss the thought. "I won't do that, promise!"
"But I was the to one who...!"
"I forgive you. I won't condemn you."
Everyone stared at Clarus as if he grew another head. Sherry hurried over to his side and grabbed his arm. "Are you sure? He's the one who took your family's love away from you!"
"You can't forgive this scumbag!" Toby insisted. "He sold you!"
Clarus chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his head. "That's true. I won't forget what he did. But that was a long time ago. Remember what I said? I came here to find the truth. I didn't come here to beat anyone up. Besides, if I don't forgive him, I won't be able to move forward."
"You really forgive me...?"
That sudden sense of relief that the doctor felt was washed away the moment Clarus looked down at him again. His face became devoid of any emotion. "Yes. Revenge won't give me anything but temporary satisfaction so I don't see any worth in it."
You're not worth the effort.
"Did you have any other contact with the person?" Lyon decided to ask.
"No. I never saw them again. I don't know anything about them." The doctor proceeded to get back on his feet. He was still crying a little from the shame. He was wiping his tears with his sleeves.
The trail goes cold from here.
Lyon put a hand to his chin. He found it odd that this person who wanted to buy one of the twins knew about them. If Zack and Domilia lived away from the town, then they probably didn't really want to attract attention to themselves. That's why Ur lived so far from town.
Clarus hummed in satisfaction. He pushed himself up and rolled his shoulders back, and then he looked at the others. "We should get going now." He was ready to head back home and recount all that he learned to Jura. After reassuring the others that he didn't want to do anything to him (but it was another story if they wanted to report to the town what the doctor had done because he wasn't going to stop them), they started leaving the clinic together. The doctor all but stared at Clarus; broad back. He remembered how Clarus mentioned that he didn't even know his own name until recently. And since he was given away at the age of two, he probably didn't even know much about himself. The file he had on Clavis Sinclost was already gone since he wanted to erase signs of his guilt, but he always recalled one detail about him and his sister.
"November 21."
Clarus stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "Hm?"
Doctor Mentir was staring at him.
"That's the day you were born on the year X766."
―
...
...
...
Clavis Sinclost was the third child of Zack and Domilia Sinclost.
However, their family doctor, Doctor Mentir, exchanged him for money and assured protection of his family. From there, Clavis was brought to the Bureau of Magical Development for experimentation where he was supposedly going to become a young soldier for Brain. However, due to his heart's desire to escape, he managed to break through and escape the facility at the age of six years old. He had spent four years there which he still couldn't remember. He was found on the shore by Jura Neekis who took it upon himself to take care of the boy and bring him into Lamia Scale when he learned that he could use magic. He spent thirteen years in Lamia Scale as Clarus.
And finally, Clarus learned of his true identity as Clavis Sinclost and his origins.
There were still a few blanks but most of the important details were filled in.
...
...
...
Fairy Tail was barely managing to maintain their reputation with the loss of its core members. Macao Conbolt was having trouble keeping the current guildhall. The diminishing strength and financial loss was hitting hard fast. Not even Max Alors' Souvenir Shop was helping anymore. He wasn't as good as Karissa when it came to making new items for the store either, so it was hard.
Currently, the sand mage was just sitting there at the shop by himself and waiting for anyone to buy something. He didn't want to give up on the possibility that one day he might earn enough money with the shop. Desperation to help pitch in for the guild was what motivated him to keep coming back at the shop. When the news of Tenrou Island reached Fiore, people were lining up to buy as a sign of their support, but that support was also dwindling down.
His hand was propping his head up tiredly. He really missed his business partner. Those little charms she so excitedly proposed to him were still so new and it was a shame that they weren't selling as much. As he thought about her charms, the memories of her came to mind.
...
...
Karissa jumped when she heard a voice suddenly speak up behind her. She looked up from her sketchbook and timidly looked back to see a light brown haired boy looking over her shoulder. Once he saw that she was looking at him, he smiled a friendly smile.
"That's a nice drawing!"
"Oh, uh, thanks." She skittered her gaze away and looked back at her drawing awkwardly. Max went around the table to sit in front of her, surprising her. She fidgeted with her long sleeves of her hoodie. Her fingers tugged them enough to hide her fingers shyly.
"I'm Max Alors. I just joined the guild a few weeks ago. You probably didn't know since there's so many people here." He finished with a light laugh. He had noticed that Karissa, one the members who was around his age group, was usually sitting alone sometimes whenever things got too exciting. However, he also noticed that she got along well with the other members around her age such as Gray, Levy, Cana and Erza. He figured she was a nice person but was just timid.
"Oh, that's good." Karissa nodded her head once. "Welcome to the guild."
"Thanks. By the way, how old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Oh really?" Max blinked. "I thought you were younger. I'm fifteen so you're older than me."
Karissa scratched her ear with a finger. "Some people always think I'm younger. Weird."
...
...
...
"Yo~ Karissa!"
The black haired girl lazily lolled her head to the side to see Max striding over to her with a pep in his step. She eyed him curiously and asked why he looked so happy. He all but smirked smugly and dropped his hands on her shoulders, causing her to quirk her eyebrow.
"I'm planning on opening a Souvenir Shop for the guild!"
"Oh yeah? That sounds like a lot of work. Have fun." Karissa started playfully shifting her body the other way while knowing full well that Max wasn't done talking.
"Oi, oi, oi! I'm not done."
"I know." She smirked.
"But anyway, I want you to be my partner and help with the designs and stuff!"
"Haah?" Karissa gave him the most laziest look she could muster.
"Come on, it'll be great! You have a lot of imagination so I'm sure you could come up with some cool things to sell! Oh, and I'll be helping too!"
Karissa snickered and motioned her head towards Gray. "Why not ask Gray? He's got some artistic talent. Laki too."
"I don't want to have a naked business partner nor do I want someone who's got some sadistic tendencies..."
"Ehh..."
"Come on, pleaseee!" Max hugged her as he pleaded. Karissa let him hug her while maintaining a deadpan expression. She was actually pleased that she was chosen as Max's partner because she was interested in his Souvenir Shop.
"Alright, fine."
"Really?!"
"Yeah, I guess I'm interested in what your little shop will become."
"Awesome!"
...
...
...
Max Alors let out a heavy sigh and ruffled the back of his hair. When he lifted his head, he jumped in his seat when he saw that someone was looking at what he had displayed out on the shop's counter. It was a guy with black hair and dark brown eyes. He was dressed in a light blue turtleneck with a gray and blue jacket with a white scarf since it was winter. He wore a black belt for his brown pants. He was also carrying a blue duffel bag on his person.
"Uwaa~" they said as they picked up one of the charms. "These are so cute."
He plucked out the one of Karissa and held it up to the sky so that the sun could shine on it.
The sand user blinked when he took a good look at the person's face. For some reason, he was reminded of the girl he was just thinking about. They had the same kind of eyes and mole on their chin. Their skin tone was also the same too.
The peculiar young man turned his gaze on Max Alors. He smiled angelically and greeted him. "Chilly day, huh?"
"Oh... uh, yeah. You here to buy something?"
"Uh-huh." He nodded and proceeded to pluck out three more charms that were out on the counter. This time, it was Pandora and Van. Her cheerfully brought them over to the cash and showed it to Max. "I wanna buy these."
At first, Max was taken back by his choice until he figured that he was a fan of the Sinclost siblings. He did a quick computation and asked for the fee which the young man eagerly dropped into his palm. With a little hum, he opened his bag and gently dropped the three charms into an inner pocket. Then he looked at Max with curious eyes.
"By the way, do you know the Sinclost siblings personally?"
"Uh, I get along more with one of them..." Max replied after a pause.
"Can you tell me about them?"
Max's eyes squinted. "Huh? Why do you want to know?"
The young man pouted a little. "My friend said he couldn't tell me much since he didn't belong in the same guild as her so he said it was better if I went to go ask over here." Then he straightened up. "Oh, I'm a Lamia Scale member, by the way." he added.
"Lamia Scale, huh?" Max remembered how Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were the two guilds who didn't want to give up hope just like Fairy Tail. "What's your name?"
The young man beamed a smile.
"Clavis Sinclost."
―
Happy Birthday to the Sinclost twins!
With this, we've wrapped up this short Clarus-Clavis Arc! We'll go back to the hiatus Fairy Tail gang now~
Oof, Doctor Mentir basically means Doctor Liar since Mentir means lie in french.
There might be some mistakes here and there that I will correct later lol. I just wanted to get this out now.