The ceremony had ended several minutes ago but Wendy could still hear the cheering ringing through her sensitive ears. She was sitting down on the bed in the room she was in previously, it seemed like she was going to be staying in this room. She looked down on the floor before lifting her hands up slightly. Her mind began to wander, she was clearly overwhelmed and indecisive.
Just earlier, she was attacked and forcefully brought to this place. Now suddenly, she's being hailed as some kind of "hero." Not only that but the person she was requested to cure was this country's leader! Sure, she has done many things that would consider her a hero, as well as done many healing related jobs. However the blunette couldn't help but find this situation much different from an average job. She continued to look at her palms. "What should I do...?" She thought to herself.
"Pardon me, but how long do you plan on spacing out?" Hahlos interrupted, which snapped Wendy out of her thoughts. She didn't notice that he was standing in front of her. His expression was emotionless as ever.
"H-how long were you standing there...?" Wendy stuttered.
"Several minutes." Hahlos cleared his throat. "I didn't want to interrupt your thoughts. But now that things have calmed down from the ceremony, it's time for you to meet the ruler of this country." He urged before gesturing his hand towards the door. Wendy sighed softly before hopping off the bed and following the tall angel outside of the room.
As the two walked in the castle hallways, Wendy once again realized there was no one else in sight. No soldiers or royal members, she definitely wasn't seeing things earlier. The sky dragon slayer looked up at Hahlos and asked "How come there's no one else here?"
"Due to our lord's sickness, we can't afford too much traffic or noise right at the moment." Hahlos began to explain, not looking back at Wendy. "The soldiers were moved to a fortress in the main town. The only ones staying here besides us and the master are Exahelm's own personal guard. They're labeled as the 'Tenhei', the lord's most trustworthy associates."
Wendy tilted her head after listening to the overly long explanation. Before she could ask, Hahlos took a complete stop. She looked ahead and noticed an average looking door with two torches in between them, they were the only things that made this specific room stick out compared to the rest. Hahlos slowly opened the door to prevent creaking and once again gestured to Wendy to enter, in which she complied.
As soon as the girl entered, she immediately saw the one they called 'god' here. She covered her mouth and felt her skin crawl in horror. His skin was a very dark tan with clear cracking all over. His eyes were sunken into the point where they were pitch black and his hair was completely gone. The fact that he was still alive and breathing was a miracle in itself. However every breath he took seemed like a challenge as he would go into an occasional coughing fit. Hahlos shut the door behind him slowly before walking to the side of the bed. He leaned in and spoke softly.
"My lord, The Sky Sorceress is here."
The mummified looking man tried to speak. However as soon as he raised his voice, he began to cough more violently. Wendy felt so much pity and sympathy for this person that she was on the verge of tears.
"That's no good..." Hahlos lamented. "You can't even speak properly now..."
Wendy was still standing by the door as she looked down and fidgted her hands. "I-I'm...sorry...I don't think my healing magic can help here..." She regretted.
"I'm well aware." Hahlos responded before backing away from the bed and pointing at it. "Use one of your sky magic attack spells on him."
"W-what?!" Wendy squeaked, eyes widening. "But...that would kill him! Besides, didn't you say that using that kind of magic here is dangerous for someone like me?!"
"Do it." Hahlos demanded. "One attack will do, your body will ache a little but you won't be in any danger." His tone was forceful and intense.
Wendy was still hesitant, she didn't want to hurt him. However the intense force Hahlos gave left no room for questioning, maybe he knows it'll be okay? She took the gamble and gave a deep breath before murmuring a quiet apology. "Roar of the Sky Dragon!" She unleashed a light roar attack and it directly hit the bed. Wendy felt her body ache slightly as she gripped her chest and looked down, however once she looked back up she noticed the wind growing smaller as nothing seemed to be damaged. Was the wind vanishing?
The master was sucking in the attack right into his lungs, basically eating it. Once he fully consumed the winds, he slowly pulled himself and sat up. Hahlos walked back over to the bed and held his chin with intrigue. "Ah, you're able to move again. Are you able to speak my lord?" Hahlos wondered.
"...Yes." He responded, his voice was deep and raspy. He let out some light coughs before he urged the Sky Sorceress to come over. Wendy quickly complied as she tried to act formal by lowering her hands and placing them together. Although she couldn't help but feel bothered by something about this person.
"Are you a..." Wendy started before she was interrupted by Hahlos.
"Indeed, he is the Sky God Izanagi."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stark groaned as he threw away the remaining shards of the mug he dropped earlier. Despite all the cleanup he had to do, the slim angel couldn't stop thinking about what he witnessed earlier.
"I don't recall any fireworks planned..." Stark mumbled to himself while holding his chin. He walked out of the library and began to pace the castle hallways. "It was so far away too, were the ranchers celebrating...?" He continued to talk to himself.
"Hey Starky!" A bubbly high pitched voice began making itself known behind Stark.
"Although those fireworks seemed unnatural, were they even fireworks to begin with...?"
"Uh, Starky?" The small angel girl Sync began to walk by Stark and stare at him, trying to get his attention.
"That explosion looked violent too, it even looked like it was charged with magic..." Stark came to a complete stop as he drifted away in his thoughts further. "Could it be..."
"Boop!" Sync leaped up in front of Stark and poked his forehead.
"G-GAH!" Stark stumbled back before falling over. The girl began to giggle as she stood over him. Stark quickly stood back up looking very peeved. "What do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack you stupid girl?!"
"Don't be like that Starky!" Sync was unphased by the older angel's harsh comment. "You were spacing out there, what's on your mind?"
"It's none of your-" Stark was about to shoo away the girl, however he suddenly hatched an idea. "Actually...I may need to borrow your abilities for a moment..."
"You mean you need my help?" Sync's eyes glistened with glee.
Stark rolled his eyes. "Yes, that." The thin angel cleared his throat. "I need you to investigate something in the ranchers' land."
The small angel girl lowered her brow. "But I can't leave the castle..."
"Don't you think I know that?!" Stark pinched his nose and groaned at the girl's naivety. "You still know how to use that spell right?"
Sync then smacked her fist on her palm. "Oh right! Sorry about that Starky!" She then grabbed the large scythe that was strapped on her back. She twirled it around effortlessly before lightly tapping the ground with the tip of the blade. The small angel hummed a tune while drawing a circle on the ground.
The circular symbol glewed until a white orb popped out of it. The orb then grew bug-like wings as it fluttered in the air. "Buzz buzz." The orb made a light buzzing noise. Stark stared at the orb for a moment before grabbing his chin in thought again.
"Will this be good enough though...?" The male angel thought as he shook his head. Sync tilted her head in confusion, wondering what's gotten the elder angel so worked up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendy knew she felt this presence before. It admittedly gave her bad memories of another god she and Chelia faced against a year ago during the war with the Alvarez Empire. Although this god had something different about him, besides the poor condition of his body.
"Sky girl..." Izanagi spoke suddenly which spooked Wendy a little.
"Y-yes...?" Wendy hesitated. Even though the god still looked near death, Wendy was still a little intimidated.
"T-tell me...where d-did you...get those powers...?" The half dead god was clearly struggling speaking.
"Oh! My mother, Grandeeny, taught me." Wendy answered with a soft smile. "She was the sky dragon and she adopted me several years ago."
Hahlos raised an eyebrow. "A dragon you say?" He questioned. He looked back at his master and noticed that Izanagi had an expression of annoyance. However before the god could speak again he suddenly got into another coughing fit. He gestured his hand to his green haired associate before laying back down. "It appears the recovery only lasted a short time." Hahlos sighed before directing his attention at Wendy again.
"D-did I say something wrong?" Wendy wondered, she noticed the disapproving vibes Izanagi gave after answering his question.
Hahlos placed an arm on Wendy's shoulder. "We should head back to your room, the master needs rest." He softly smiled.
Wendy looked up at the green haired angel before looking back at the god again. He was laying down on his side and she could hear his wheezing breaths from here. She lowered her brow before slowly turning around and walking outside of the room. Once the two left, Hahlos slowly shut the door again.
"So what exactly do you want me to do?" Wendy asked as they began walking down the empty hallways.
"We'll need to borrow your power. There's a way we can use your sky magic to fully recover the master's frail body without it being temporary." Hahlos answered, he then looked at Wendy and softly smiled. "Do not worry though, your body won't be harmed and you won't be losing your powers. However, it will take some time to prepare." He reassured.
Wendy was still feeling pretty hesitant about the situation. It was looking like in order to heal this country's god, he would have to absorb some of her power. Hahlos' reassuring tone did come across as truthful but she still didn't trust him. Although she still wondered what got Izanagi upset once she mentioned how she got her magic powers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You will report back here immediately once you discover what you've found, got it?" Stark ordered. He was standing by the entrance of the castle. Sync was sitting on the lobby stairs while she rested both hands on her cheeks.
"Of course master Stark sir! I shalt swear on it!" Balrus saluted. Stark decided to send both the armored angel as well as one of Sync's white orbs.
"You can quit with the double title." Stark rolled his eyes while crossing his arms.
"What exactly did you see anyways Starky?" Sync wondered. "Do you really need to send Balrus too?"
"Let this be a lesson for you. It's important to take precautions." Stark advised. "As for what I saw, if you must know it was an unusual explosion by the ranchers' land." He then pointed by the front gate. "Now get going!"
"Yes master Stark sir!" Balrus saluted once more before both he and the orb took off outside.
Stark groaned in annoyance by being referred to by the double title again. He then caught a foul smell and gagged slightly before turning around and seeing Argus walking towards him and Sync.
"What's the hub dub about?" The muscular angel inquired.
"Starky said he saw an explosion." Sync answered, completely not bothered by Argus' stench.
"I've already sent Balrus to investigate. And can't you do something about that foul stench?! I can smell it from over here!" Stark chastised. He plugged his nose while Argus got closer to him.
"You actin' stressed again? HA HA HA!" Argus laughed while patting Stark's back. Although the slimmer angel winced in pain after each pat. "Say, how about you come with me to the bar? Bet that'll ease your nerves!" He offered.
"I'll pass." Stark smacked Argus' hand away from him before walking off in a huff.
"Starky's always shy." Sync whispered while giggling.
"Heh heh." Argus chuckled. He and Sync shared a friendly wave before he left the building.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How long are you going to be watching me?" Wendy asked. She was sitting on the edge of her bed.
"You still don't trust me? I guess that's fair." Hahlos chuckled. He was standing across from her. The two were silent for a couple minutes, the blunette was starting to feel awkward.
"You know, Sky Sorceress."
"It's Wendy."
"Apologies, Wendy." Hahlos cleared his throat. "I've always taken quite an interest in you humans, unlike the others." The taller angel attempted to make conversation. "You were at war with each other a year ago weren't you not?"
Wendy shot her head up. "You knew about that?"
"Indeed, I only saw glimpses of it." Hahlos pulled up a chair and took a seat. "But I saw so many kinds of magic you humans use, it fascinates me."
"Do you angels only know wind magic?" Wendy wondered.
"No, however our magic situation here is...different..." Hahlos paused. "But that's not really important, I'm actually curious about how you were taught sky magic."
Wendy was surprised by how interested Hahlos had in humans and herself. "Well, like I said my foster mother taught me. I don't exactly remember how she taught me since I was very young."
"You mentioned she was a dragon. Was that true?"
"Oh yes!" Wendy bubbled. "She had the softest feathers! She was so caring and loving to me!"
"That's fascinating!" Hahlos was intrigued. "Was the fire wizard that was with you also taught by a dragon?"
"You mean Natsu? Yeah! He was taught by his father, Igneel!"
"Amazing, I wouldn't have thought that humans and dragons shared that kind of bond." Hahlos marveled, he showed signs of excitement in his tone and body mannerisms. "Please, Sky-I mean Wendy. Tell me more!"
Wendy didn't expect Hahlos to be this friendly. She talked in great detail about her guild, Fairy Tail and several of her closest friends. Hahlos occasionally nodded and paid close attention to each detail, giving compliments too. The two even shared some laughs when she told stories about some of the mayhem her guild caused. They chatted for around an hour.
"Humans really are fascinating, it's like learning about a new world." Hahlos stood up. "It makes me wish I was able to interact with them more often."
"You told me that your master forbids you to interact with us, how come?" Wendy asked.
"Our master has a strict policy that forbids us from engaging with the lower lands." Hahlos sighed. "Since he considers it to be a completely different world from ours, it could cause potential danger to either land so it was decided it was best to mind our own business." The tall angel then noticed the time and began to walk towards the door. "I should be heading out for now, I have some business to attend to."
"You're not keeping watch?" Wendy tilted her head. "Aren't you suspicious of me?"
"You are our guest, our savior. Not our prisoner." Hahlos opened the door. "You are free to explore the castle as you please, however I advise you to not leave as you will get too much attention from the citizens." He requested before leaving the room and closing the door.
For the first time since she arrived here, Wendy was completely alone. She wasn't sure what to do since even if she did leave the castle, she would get easily lost and gain too much attention like Hahlos mentioned. The blunette was thinking of exploring the castle but she suddenly felt extremely tired. The overwhelming situation was beginning to take its toll on the girl as she laid her back on the bed.
Wendy then tucked herself in the bed, perhaps a quick nap would do her good. Although she couldn't help but think about her friends after she talked about them in great detail to Hahlos. They must be worried sick, especially Carla and Chelia. The Sky Sorceress wanted to see them again as soon as possible, it was looking like she'll have to complete this mission first.
"Everyone...I'm sorry, but I'll be back soon. Please be okay..." She thought before drifting to sleep.