EMPIRE | j. fernandes

Chapter Seven: Power

Jellal could hear his own steps whenever he walked across the marble floor. He remained silent. It was only natural, the girl deserved a room to herself. He caressed a hand against the top of the grave, a forbearing smile now visible. With one last moment given to the grave, the man took a few steps back, now exiting the sepulchre.

He pushed his muscular hands into his pockets, then realizing the broken jewelry had still been there. Pulling it out, he gently held it in the palm of his hand. Gosh, whoever wore this sure must've been rich. Jellal only wished he had that kind of money. Maybe after he found the bounty, he could sell the piece for a few million jewel.¹

No, he couldn't do that. He would have to return it to it's rightful owner. Jellal sighed.

He was doing this alone whether he liked it or not. As much as the others probably wanted to help, he didn't want to get them dragged into combat along the way. This was for the best. If he found the girl by himself, he could ensure the rest of Crime Sorcière's safety. But, maybe he should bring Meredy along. She knew more about jewelry than he did. What if he brought Sorano? She's done quite a lot of bounty hunting before— at least, that's what he heard. There was no way to know if it had been true or not.

With a sigh, Jellal hadn't exactly understood where to go next. After visiting his old friend, he seemed pretty low in spirits. What was all of this for anyways? Oh yeah, for some money. He needed money, Crime Sorcière needed the money. They were going broke, no, they were already broke. There was really no use to mope, his friend wouldn't want that of him. Now thinking about what his old friend would've wanted, he took another step, feeling the stone ground fade into grass.

That was when it hit him. What... was that? He stopped dead, eyes widened in utter confoundment. The feeling was brutal, his body trembling with trepidation.

It wasn't quite like anything he's felt before. His eyebrows raising, slowly turning his head over to lock at the sepulchre which now stood at a far distance. It wasn't coming from monument. Frozen on the viridescent grass, he's never feared something so much. With his chin turned over his shoulder, he was stunned. This was superlative. Where was this magic energy coming from? A sweat broke from his forehead, trickling down his temple. Jellal tensed, turning his body around until his front was now facing the small monument he had just left.

What was that?

Was he dreaming? His own life flash before his eyes. No, he couldn't take another step. Gaping, Jellal paused his lips swallowed. He leaned forward, taking a single, shaky step forward. The mage was frozen again, the unknown feeling growing profound with each inch that he moved forward. Then, it was gone. Gone.

"What was... " Jellal didn't even get to finish. Taking a step backwards, he could hear the crack. His heart stopped beating for a mere five minutes, but it felt like eternity.

"Jellal?"

The voice. He slowly turned around, his eyes now focused on the pink haired woman. It was Meredy. How did she know he was here? Meredy had felt the energy from a far distance, so she had come to see who it might've been. It came from here but, there had been nobody but Jellal. Meredy knitted her eyebrows, her gaze altering from Jellal over to the small monument that has been at least thirty metres away.

"What was that?" Meredy asked, locks of hair falling onto her forehead. She too, was quite startled at the sudden force of energy. It was concentrated; thick and choking. Thank god it had been gone.

"I really don't know." Jellal answered, his hand pressed onto Meredy's shoulder. "Stay safe. I fear that there may be— "

There it was.

Both of their heads whipped up, wanting to see where the noise came from. There was nothing. Not wanting to get involved, Meredy tugged on Jellal's wrist.

"Come on, we have to go." It was their job to assess these situations and make sure nobody was harmed. Although, Meredy doubted that anyone had been injured. There would've been a scream, or a cry for help. With a nod, Jellal quietly followed after. His wrist still enveloped in Meredy's slender fingers. He took a breath, both of them exiting the small valley dedicated to the white-marble mausoleum. The unknown energy left the aftertaste of perturbation. They would leave, both of them still unsettled with what had just previously happened.

They made their way onto the cement road, Jellal was tired. As much as he enjoyed visiting his friend, it took quite a toll on him. He remained silent.

"Who were you visiting?" Meredy asked, curiously. "That's if you're comfortable sharing. I understand if you don't want to talk about it." She let out a subtle laugh, a fingers running through the ends of her soft locks. Meredy was quite curious as to who he held so close to his heart. Of course, it must've been a dear friend. Though, Jellal had never spoken of anyone else other than who he knew from the Tower of Heaven.

Jellal was silent for a minute. He debated with himself, not exactly knowing if he could trust Meredy. Of course he could, she was his friend after all. He clenched his teeth, jaw tightening. His defined jawline revealed for a split second before the skin could relax.

"Alright, I'll tell you." He spoke. His eyes softens once be begins to speak. A muscular hand rose, playing with the hair at the top of Meredy's head. Jellal gave her a side-eyed smile, head lowering. "But please, keep this between us. I don't feel as if it is the right time to tell the others." The mage removed his hand from Meredy's bubblegum locks. They could hear their patterned steps against the rough concrete. It had just been Meredy and Jellal, just the two of them.

With a nod, Meredy returned Jellal's simple gesture with a smile of her own. Cheeks painted a faint shade of pink due to embarrassment.

"Alright, your secret is safe with me."

And with that, Jellal turned his gaze to the oceanic sky. It would be quite a lot to recite to the girl beside him; he had known this girl for a good period of his life. It was only natural for Jellal to get sensitive when reminded of the topic. He swallowed.

"She was someone I've known since I was young. Of course, she's gone now. It feels like yesterday we'd go over to the lake. I'd try to get her to swim, but she was too caught up admiring any flower she could get her eyes on. She would forbid I pick it, because the flowers also had lives of their own. She had pretty blonde hair, her knees always bruised. It wasn't until... "

There was a pause.

" ...It wasn't until the Resurrection System began to forgather troupes. That is when it happened."

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INDEX

1: Jewel is Earth Land currency.