The Side Where No Stars Shine

Followed

A week later...
Freed's POV

Laxus, the rest of the Raijinshuu, and I were currently out on a job.

Well, we were more finishing up.

"Hey, Freed... you ready yet?" Bickslow asks me.

"Yeah, just let me do this one thing."

I finish what I was doing, heading out the door to meet them all.

After a long day of hard work, it'd be nice to head back to the guild.

"Finally! What took you so long?!" Ever yells at me.

"Sorry... you can go back and see Elfman now." I say with a smirk.

She scoffs.

"For the last time, it's not like that!"

Bickslow and I laugh.

We continue walking along, but I soon come to a stop.

A mysterious figure was located in an alleyway, and it looked as if they were staring right at us.

My team looks back at me.

"Freed, you okay?" Laxus questions.

I turn back to them, shaking it off.

"It's nothing... sorry to be a bother."

As we begin to walk again, I glance back at the figure.

I was certain their eyes were on us.

I readily made some protection runes around my team and I, though they were unaware of the magic I laced onto their bodies.

After everything that's happened lately, there was no such thing as being too careful.

My only question was that if this person was in fact after Fairy Tail, who were they, and what did they want?

Things with Black Rose had been resolved, right?

I was cut off from my train of thought as we passed another shadowy space between buildings.

There they were... again.

I pick up my stride, getting in front of my team.

"Freed, what's—" Evergreen starts.

"We're being followed." I interrupt.

Their eyes widen, and they also begin to quicken their paces.

"We can't lead them back to the guild. Let's take a detour and hope we can lose them." I tell them.

We all begin to run, quickly turning corners.

I could hear the heavy footsteps not too far behind ours.

It was obvious the unknown figure was running after us.

I try to bring us down a more difficult path to follow, but no matter what, it seemed as if we were unable to get them off our tails.

Then, abruptly, they stopped.

I was confused with their actions.

They adjusted their blood red hood, pulling it up more.

Then, they turned and left... just like that.

We all stop running, exchanging looks of confusion.

"What was that about?" Bickslow asks, waiting for my answer.

I look back at the spot where the figure just stood.

"I don't know, but we need to tell the guild."