Magic Mayhem

"Feeling faint Princess? Don't worry, it's just a matter of time before its all over for you all" Hisako laughed watching her "Fight it all you like, there's no escaping this destiny"

“Y...your wrong.” She said. “I won’t become this thing.....I won’t let you win.” She said as she stumbled out of the room.

Hisako watched and laughed as she fled the dungeon "Run all you want, the clock is still ticking" he called after her "Your destiny has been decided from the moment of your birth"

“This was a mistake.” She thought to herself as she navigated the tunnels back toward the main hall. The entire time, tears threatened to fall and anger swelled inside of her. A voice in the back of her mind calling her a monster. How everyone would be safer if she just vanished. She reached the main floor, a hallway just off the main hall.
She was about to pass the open entrance way of the main hall and stopped just before crossing it when she stopped to listen to the happy laughter and chatter of her guild mates.....her family.
She was happy to see them happy but pained that she may bring them pain and death.

In the garden, chichi, Nekka, and Aki were waiting. “Layla has been gone for a while now-chi”

"Yeah, she didn't say she was going to be gone this long..."Akihiko said as he sat up scratching the back of his head "You don't think she might have done something reckless again do you? Ever since she found out about this whole demon business she's been completely on edge"he commented as Nekka nodded "You're right about that, but wouldn't you be too if a demon inside you ended up hurting her?"she asked as he frowned "I didn't get hurt that bad...I wish she would stop holding onto that so much"he sighed as he then stood up "Alright then, let's go back inside to find her."


At that moment across the main hall from a second set of steps Kenji came down from his Guild Master's quarters looking extremely tired and disheveled as he headed over to the bar area "I'll take a cup of your strongest tea please"he said through a yawn "Burning the midnight oil late into the afternoon certainly takes its toll at some point"he reprimanded himself with a chuckle. Despite all the stress going on, Kenji was still attempting to keep a bold face in front of the other guild members. Only Calista knew of the internal strife he was dealing with in failing to keep members of his Guild protected.

Calista grabbed a cup and saucer and placed it in front of Kenji while her secret blend was steeping off to the side, “already ahead of you.” She said and gave her husband a sweet and sympathetic smile. “I won’t say anything, I know you already have a lot on your mind....but I’m here for you....you know that right?” She asked as she placed her hand over his and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles.

“But you know how Layla is-chi.” Chichi said as she floated up while Aki got to his feet. “She is always afraid of someone leaving her, or disappointing someone when she gets to close-chi.” She paused, “especially those she loves-chi.” She began to rub her paws together.
“Hurting you-chi.....Losing Roscoe-chi....what happened to her original family-chi.....she knows I one blames her for any of it-chi. But she blames herself and that’s something she may need time to sort out-chi.”

Kenji gave her a soft smile and nodded at her "I do know, and I appreciate you for it."he commented fighting through another yawn "After today I promise to actually get some rest. The reports I'm receiving from the other guild membres is positive. However Yumeko's newest revelation about who our cultist leader may be is deeply troubling indeed. These people are all quite dangerous....the Council, the Saints....everything is in chaos and the Balam Alliance is turning up their savagery. I don't know if the law abiding guilds will be able to contain all of this. Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus are already spread thin as is."

"Yeah I know..."Aki said with a soft sigh "Well let's go inside and find her. Letting her be alone in all of those dar kthoughts cant be healthy for her at all."he said as the trio headed back into the main hall of the guild which was alive again with laughter despite the recent battles that have taken place

She nodded and began to pour the tea and placed a tray with cream, sugars and honey placed beside him just Incase he wished to you them, “are you hungry st all? Maybe something to eat can help....”

The Exceeds nodded and followed him inside. The entrance yo the gardens was across the guild hall from where Layla was hiding at. She watched all the happy faces and wondered if she should just run away to keep them all safe....all she had to do was run out the back door which wasn’t too far away from where was.

"Ahhh I'll take a muffin if you happen to have one"Kenji said with a smile towards her as he readied his tea before taking a sip, letting out a sigh as it passed his lips "As delicious as ever. How are you doing though? And the little one? Are you getting enough rest?"he asked worriedly, always more concerned about others than his own well being

Before she had the chance however, she was suddenly knocked over as Iroh came charging down the hall pausing to look down at her "What are you doing creeping around the hallways kid?"he asked sternly before looking into the guild hall "Shouldn't you be in there with the rest of those weaklings?"

Calista turned and grabbed from a display container that was sitting in the back counter. “Here ya go. Your favorite.”

Lay hit the ground in her hands and knees. “.....no....” she said softly as she started to pick herself up off the floor. “Just....about to head out for a bit. Forgot something that I wanted to bring to the guild.” She lied and made to head for the door

Kenji smiled taking the muffin and taking a bite out of it followed by another sip of tea "You know Calista....I'm thinking of taking Layla and Akihiko back to Fayluna Village again. I feel like there is still something more there that we are missing. It doesn't help that we are constantly being attacked whenever we arrive there. It means the enemy is still monitoring the village looking for something."

"Oh no you don't"Iroh said reaching down and picking her up by her collar "You are under strict orders to not go anywhere unattended or did you forget?"he said reading the look on her face as he sighed putting her down again "Come"he said in a short tone as he began walking forward knowing she'd follow, however as they walked Iroh began tapping various walls of the guild as they began shifting and moving around before soon they had entered a large room that illuminated when they arrived. Inside on each of the walls was a picture, first of a woman with long raven black hair standing next to a man that looked very similar to Iroh, with the exception of having Kenji's Heaven Eye "Did Kenji ever tell you how our guild was founded? And more importantly why? And how our grandfather died?"he questioned

“That does sound suspicious if they are that protective of the ruined city...I’d ask Mr. Oliver.....maybe he might know something, since he was hiding there for so long.”

“Not a lot....what I know is that it also had something to do with your grandmother and why she’s in this spirit form that we all can see....but honestly, I don’t know much else and I don’t ask. He doesn’t seem to like talking about it.” She said as she wrapped her arms around herself

"That's not a bad idea. He's definitely been a wealth of information thus far"Kenji said nodding his head as he finished his muffin "Alright, since I don't see him serving I'm going to assume he is probably in his room, I'll go pay him a visit"he stated as he stood up blowing her a kiss before heading off

"I'd pay you to do some research before just blindly."Iroh stated as he crossed his arms "That's a problem with a lot of people in this guild though. So I can't fault you for it."he stated as the painting of Iroh and Aria lit up "My grandmother was an Enchantress, and a powerful one at that. Since an early age, because of her unique brand of magic, she dedicated her life to studying the unique properties of magics both regular and dark, in search of the Source of Magical Creation. My grandfather Iroh, was not a good man...at first. He used his Heaven's Eye to conjure and control powerful demons, and used the Metal Make magic our family is known for, as a means to cage and subdue the demons he summoned. It turns out Demons are much closer to the original source of magic than human wizards are. After a long battle that ravaged the country side Aria's magics prevailed and sealed the ability for the Heaven's Eye to summon new demons, only control existing ones. As such, after the two of them fell in love, they traveled the countryside, subduing demons and studying their magics. However the cost of Aria's abilities had a price as her lifespan was severely shortened due to the use of her advance level magics. In order to preserve her life, the two created a spell that would enshrine her body forever, while leaving her spirit free to roam and protect the guild, at the cost of my grandfather's life instead sealing her body in an impregnable metal. However before he died, he passed along his Metal Make magic and his Heaven's Eye to my father Craven. Craven, in all his wisdom and foolishness, decided to separate the two magics once and for all and decided to teach me his Metal Make, and gave Kenji the Eye when he passed away. Kenji also was the one to inherit Aria's Celestial and Heavenly Body Magics and enchanting abilities as well, while I became a prodigy in my own right with my Steel Make far surpassing old Iroh's Iron."he explained "That is why Kenji is such a big part of this along with you.....I'm going to go out on a limb and say that bastard needs Kenji's eye to pull out whatever demon is sleeping inside of you. And since he has Aria's power.....he is the only one who can break the seal that was previously placed on our Grandfather's eye, which is why they need him alive instead of just killing him and taking the eye for themselves because it'd be useless in helping them summon any more demons in its current state."

“A demon is what resides in me....why that cults after me at least.” She said as she looked at the painting. “Hisako told me that the cult has something to do with the founder of the guild.....!but other then chasing and studying demons.....I don’t see a connection yet.” She sighed and looked down. “You knew I was going to runaway didn’t you? That’s why you brought me here?”

"Of course I did. Children are easy to read and you've been around for over a decade in this guild. But do you think running away is going to help anyone? You aren't alone in this you know. Sofia's sister, the other brats brother, they were involved long before we realized what they were truly after. You running away gives them exactly what they want because Kenji would stop at nothing to save his kids, and good luck talking sense into him when he gets into one of those moods." He told her "I dont fully understand all the connections either, just know that there is a much bigger picture here to realize" he told her "I'm not the brainy type so I don't know what Aria and this guy's connection is eithee but just know that as a guild, we stick together, for better or worse"

She groaned. “I know I know....and I love everyone. I do.....I would fight and do anything for everyone here. But I feel like I’m bringing danger into our home. I hurt Aki. I had no control....what if that happens again and I hurt someone? What if I kill some one?” She asked and looked down at the the floor.

"And what? You think you'd be better off alone? What happens if you lose control then and destroy a farm or a vilage or city? Then you arent endangering the lives of the toughest wizards in the world, you're endangering innocent, defenseless people" Iroh stated coolly "You hurt Aki, and he's already up and walking again it hasn't even been a full day yet. You should give the rest of the guild a bit more credit, no one is going down without a fight" he told her as he looked down at her "Don't be foolish"

She suddenly tensed, she hasn’t considered that and she remembered the image from her nightmare of the destroyed guild hall and the bodies of her family and guild mates strewn about her.
He was right...instead of her guild, it could have been a village of completely defenseless people, complete strangers dragged into something that they were not apart of...all because she thought it would be safer.


Mr. Oliver sat at the desk in his room, a piping hot cup of tea beside him as he looked through some of the records of his former hom on the request of Layla and Aki to see if Akihito and his family may have lived there before the tragic event that resulted in Faylunas downfall. A knock at the door made him look up, “com in.” He called and gave a warm smile to Kenji when he walked in. “Good afternoon Master Kenji. How may I be of service?”

"You are best served staying put and following the plans we've come up with. Kenji may be my weak little brother, but we've got to put faith in him and his mastermind ideas" Iroh said "Besides, I dont think Aki would take kindly to you leaving either. Have you gone and talked to him yet? He was outside looking for you with those cats"

"Afternoon Mr. Oliver" Kenji said with a smile as he headed into the room "I hate to bother you again, especially on such a nice day like this one, but I have some questions regarding Fayluna Village. So I've noticed that the village is still being closely monitored and was hoping you might have some insight as to why that is?"

“Yeah....we were going to just sit outside for a while and just talk.....but I went and did something stupid and talked to Hisako.....” she admitted. “.....I wanted to know about this demon or something at all about the cult and....all I got was doubt and fear...” she tightened her hold on her aides. “I’m such an idiot...”


“Not a bother at all, anything I can do to help.” He said. “I was actually looking through the family registrations from the village for young Akihito. The young man in the cells had information about the kingdom and made our young man think they may have lived there and asked that I confirm it. I haven’t found anything yet, but I still have a ways to go.” He explained and then listened to the Guild Masters request.
“Well I wasn’t privey to everything that went on behind the closed door. But the king was adamant on a record for everything. I’m sure there is something in the old tomes here that can shed a light on something.” He said. “But off record.....there were rumors and those spread faster then anything else I could write down.” He said and looked back to Kenji. “And I do remember seeing figures roaming the ruins of the village while I remained there, gathering all I could to preserve its history. Did my best to avoid them. I think that’s why I ran from your group because I thought I had finally been caught.”

"Yeah you are. But it takes a smart person to realize how dumb they've been. So it's not too late to wise up."Iroh reminded her "You're the thing that they want most, so pf course he's going to do things to make you easier to get. And with your volatile state of mind you're easily manipulated into playing right into their hands. They probably have someone watching the guild right now just waiting for a chance to snatch you out in the open."he commented "Keep your emotions in line and use your head if you plan on surviving"

"Only for all of us to be attacked by Sonia's sister and the guy with the black flames...the same one that attacked the Magic Council and 10 Wizard Saints meeting" Kenji frowned "What were these rumors that were going through your village?"

She nodded and looked up him and couldn’t help but smile softly. “You know, you’re of such a dick when you want to be. You can actually be quite nice.” She said. “Keep it up and maybe your wife might see that too.” She teased, remembering the lady that had helped Aki when they first ran into Hisako.

“Some were about a dragon that lived near by. But with Layla having become a dragon slayer, I can assume that one was true. The other was about a high concentration of magical energy. Many believed that the king was building a weapon of some sort under the city. Others thought it was the dragon that lived near our village. Others thought it was possibly a concentration of magical ore. No one really knew for sure as the energy sales to come and go.” He said, “though.....I always felt it had to have been an experiment that the kings asvisor was working on.”

"Ex-wife" Iroh mumbled under his breath his breath as he turned putting his hands in his pockets as he began walking off "And stay out of the damn basement" he called over his shoulder. However from behind her a shimmer coud be felt coming from the portrait of Aria Raven before her spirit started to materialize before her very eyes

"A strong concentration of magical energy? That's odd, because none of our magical instruments went off when I investigated the last two times I was in the area....magical ore or a weapon under the city hm.. I think that's worth some investigation....unfortunately our Earth user is currently the object of our enemies attention"

Layla stepped back when she appeared. It wasn’t the first time but she was still caught off guard. “Lady aria....what are you doing here?” She asked before clearing her throat and collecting herself. “Sorry...I mean...what can I do for you?” She asked

“She does seem to the center of their attention.....yourself as well if I may say so Master Kenji.”

The young woman smiled at her as she touched down "Sorry didn't mean to scare you there. You just look so troubled, and Iroh can be so rude sometimes, I felt the need to come and speak to you myself. What is it that has you so deeply troubled my young dragon slayer?"she asked with concern in her eyes "I sense a deep fear and sadness within you."

"Ahh yes, just a little but that connection I've recently discovered. It seems our enemies grand plan is to summon the demon that's been locked away inside of Layla, and they wish to use my eye's unique ability in order to bring that about. Hisako let at least that much slip when I questioned him last."Kenji said "Which is concerning to me because I don't fully think they comprehend the power this eye is truly capable of"