Phoenix Storm || Fairy Tail [2]

➝ 𝐯𝐢. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙮𝙣 𝙛𝙩. 𝙨𝙫𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖
❛ 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳... ❜

◊

The group had returned to the hotel after Natsu and Gray failed to capture their attacker. They stood in various places around the room, with Rose leant back on the wall beside the window. With her arms crossed over her chest, she looked more like a prison warden than one of the people who'd be protecting Éclair – the distrust in the phoenix slayer's eyes was evident.

"I... think that this may be what my pursuer was after," Éclair began reluctantly. Displayed in her palm was what appeared to be half of a stone medallion. Rose recognised the power signature and the markings almost instantly.

Suddenly, the reason for her uneasiness became all too evident. 

Éclair had been carrying a phoenix stone.

Rose kept her shock concealed, but the unreadable expression her face was set in didn't seem to reassure her teammates. As much as she wanted to tell them about the stone and the dangers associated with it... it was best not to tell them. She had to return to the guild and alert Makarov as soon as possible.

The guild—no, Fiore itself was in danger. There was only one reason for someone to want a phoenix stone so desperately, and it certainly wasn't a benevolent one. Rose could feel the malevolence of the creature sealed within now that she was aware of it. That was probably why she'd been so on edge after making contact with Éclair; being inherently hardwired to resent sealed phoenixes.

It had been imprisoned for a reason.

"He wanted that stone?" Lucy inquired. She'd changed into a set of clothes after having accidentally dropped her towel in front of Natsu and Gray.

Carla was the next to speak. "I sense a peculiar power emanating from it."

Rose felt a frown tugging on her lips. She hoped they wouldn't ask her anything, because it'd be difficult to keep them out of danger if they knew too much. She was fully aware of Team Natsu's tendency to charge recklessly into dangerous situations... and to then miraculously escape unscathed.

This wasn't an enemy they could pull their usual stunts with, though. This person was going to try and release a phoenix; that made the mission personal. Rose had a duty to fulfil, and after neglecting it for centuries, she was determined not to fail.

"This... Callard, his name is unfamiliar to me."

Rose didn't recognise the name either. Then again, she rarely remembered the names attached to her memories. She probably hadn't met him anyway, considering that most of her time was consumed with fulfilling the requests piled upon her by her previous guild; she didn't spend much time speaking to civilians.

"So, what's the deal? Do you know what's special about it?"

Éclair shook her head.

"She told me that she has no memory of its significance," Momon explained. "But she's had it for as long as she can remember."

"My past is blank, like an untouched canvas. Just white nothingness that's spreading out. Nothing to remind me of who I am, or the reasons why I keep going." The brunette stared at the stone in her hand. Rose wondered why she was so poetic. "But, lately, the image has been filling in. Slowly. This stone must be a clue to my past."

"I bet this Callard guy knows something! We've gotta go find him and ask." Natsu's words stirred the team's love for adventure. Rose could see many of them visibly perk up at the prospect of the journey.