Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 31 - The Wizard and the Writer

A thousand worlds splintered from one, each a piece of a broken mirror that reflected the same dimension of the world that could somehow occupy the same space and yet infinite spaces. The horizon remained as out of reach as ever, the rolling prairie an endless march of beauty and death. Yet it all, in its grandiose scope, paled in comparison to the wavy-haired, big-bearded individual standing in front of Levy, who, without her even noticing, splintered her away from the rest of the refugees. It left her. It left him.

He set his staff into the ground casually, then removed his cloak, unfurling it gently upon the low grass. The lozenges that appeared to be a part of his cloak continued to float behind his head, stuck in place.

"Tell me," August said as he took his seat on the cloak, "of your days with Fairy Tail."

"What is going on here?" Levy asked.

"I wanted to carve a bit of your time," August said. "And though I could have sequestered your group toward one of our bases, it would have led, potentially, to a massive headache in dealing with the logistics of rehousing these slaves. Lahar, alone, would make things difficult to manage. Come, sit. We may be here a moment if you'll continue to ask questions."

He didn't have to exert any magic power at all for Levy's hands to shake. In the span of his arrival, he'd locked them in a time-space bubble, broken that bubble, and completely cut Levy off from the rest of the world. All without a single utterance of magic, without even an exertion.

Levy nodded and took her seat on the soft ground.

"So I imagine you joined as a young woman, full of heart and eager to see more of what the world had to offer," August said. "A dutiful, bright-eyed guild wizard."

"You're right," Levy said. "And I wanted to make friends. Life-long friends."

"And did you?"

"Yes."

"And now they're dead."

"Not all of them."

August placed his hands on his knees. "Your friends, the survivors of Tenrou Island, have caused quite the stir. Your merry band has as well, though not so much as they. Captors of Jacob Lessio, a Captain in our military, and victors of the Grand Magic Games. You should be impressed. None have made such an impact against the Empire as they."

"We're Fairy Tail," Levy said.

"You were Fairy Tail," August said. "For that guild, and all the others, are no more."

Levy sensed her guild mark on her back. "We still wear our guild proudly, and we'll do so to our dying breath. Nothing you do can take that away from us. So long as one of us stays alive, Fairy Tail will continue."

"My understanding of your guild is that it has always been based on such sentiments, no doubt seeded by the overwhelming emotion carried forth by your First Master, Mavis Vermillion."

Levy sat up straighter. Was this just a history lesson? And what, with all the power he had, did this August guy care about Fairy Tail for? The Grimoire Heart guys seemed as intent on Fairy Tail, too. Maybe Master Hades and August had similar goals in mind.

"Probably," Mavis said. "I've always read that First Master was the kindest and most pleasant soul you'd ever meet."

"Is that so?" August asked. "And you feel bound to this legacy? To show the world the guiding light?"

"No. But we'll help people that we can, and step in the way of bullies."

"Like the Twilight Empire, in your opinion." August adjusted and his staff floated down so that it was on his knees, too.