Fairy Tail: Swallow the Fire

44. Derailment

A/N: Writing this chapter was the bane of my existence.

.

.

.

Oshibana Station stood over the town as a proud monument to the tourist destination's economic success. It was one of the first stops many entering Fiore by train in full would have, with the other being Clover Town which sat on the border between us and Bosco.

Oshibana was, without question, home to the largest train port in the country and acted as the major loading bay for a transcontinental railroad that spanned from Crocus, the capital of Fiore, to the farthest reaches of the Pergrande Kingdom, all in the effort to connect the peninsula of Ishgar to the rest of the continent.

The size of the train bay lived up to the stories around it, and it would've left us a long while to find the one we were looking for were it not for the high-density magic presence surrounding it.

Our train looked like a standard passenger train, designed for comfort and public transportation above all else.

Everyone on the train looked like a normal passenger, some being couples flirting with each other, others taking a nap, and even children playing in between the seats and isles. The only thing that broke the illusion was my artificial eye and the ever-so-slight magic aura in the air.

Upon my gaze, a second image merged with the others – Rune Knights stationed in an armoured train car, prepared and devoid of emotion on their faces. Some clenched iron staves with tightly gripped fists revealing their concealed anger or fear. Whichever the emotion, they maintained their composure.

Lyubov and I occupied a car exclusively ours, positioned adjacent to the three cars under our protection. Even with the ability to pierce through the illusion, I couldn't discern which one housed the Etherion, showcasing the pervasive nature of the magic.

"How are we supposed to hide these magic rocks if any passerby can practically smell them coming from this damn train?" I sighed to the woman sitting across from me who was absentmindedly staring at the passing trees through the window.

"I can't smell anything."

Her voice was monotonous and bored, annoyed by her assigned task.

"I don't mean literally smell."

"Oh, I get your drift. My stance hasn't budged an inch. I spent my formative years in this guild, under the 'guidance' of an old bat – you know, back when she was deemed powerful enough to be a Wizard Saint, a title I almost held for a hot minute. I lost it, though, thanks to Guild Master Jose inflicting some major injuries and my bum knee outdoing me. Yet, even with my stellar credentials, I can't pick up on ethernano as pristine as what's tucked away in those cars over yonder. Doubtful that a bunch of bandits could pull it off either. And even if, by some miracle, they did, they'd be toast against yours truly."

"That doesn't make sense then. If you're as powerful as you claim then you should be able to sense the Etherion."

"Well, obviously not. Unless you're not exclusively powered by the magic that has replaced the blood in your veins." Her steely gaze snapped away from the passing environment in the window to me, sage-like and cocky. "It's almost like oil isn't a fan of combining with water, causing them to push against each other rather than combine."

My relaxed composure gave way to one of apprehension, causing me to raise my hackles in preparation to defend myself. The experienced wizard only chuckled in response.

"No need to get excited. You've set a name for yourself as the infamous book thief in the guild. It would surprise no one if you learned a few 'forbidden techniques' so to speak. Hell, Jose would encourage it. Thus the powerful in Phantom Lord."