feral | sting eucliffe

XXXV | RTP

TW: su*cide

Episode 35: Revealing the Past!

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"WHAT THE HELL?" Y/n blinked. In front of them, a red barrier. It was very similar to Akane's, but it seemed to be made out of multiple lines of solid script. Chase let out a loud groan, being able to detect the lines behind it. "This'll take hours to dispel," He commented, reading the complex statements of solid script magic.

It was a rather large mansion meant for only the richest. Around the mansion—other than the barrier—was a pretty garden filled with beautiful flowers that had enticing scents. Chase went to touch it, testing the reaction between the barrier and him. His hand easily slipped through, eyes widening. Erza grew confused, brandishing her sword. "Is it an illusion?"

Nikos put his hand on the barrier, his hand touching a solid red surface. "No. It definitely isn't, so how is he able to get in?" Chase's orange eyes filled with panic and it was obvious that he wasn't okay. He was the only one able to decipher the solid script, growing more and more confused by the second. Suddenly, the front door opened, revealing a rather old man with a weird cane.

He slowly descended the steps, staring at the people outside. His first action, however, was to reach out for Chase. Akane was the first to speak, "Don't you dare touch him, you filthy hag!" She screamed out, growing worried for her older brother. The old man looked at Akane blankly before grasping his arm and helping him up. Chase blinked frantically, glancing at him.

He said in a soft yet slightly raspy voice. "Are those your friends, sonny?" He stared at Chase. Chase nodded quickly, the red barrier dissipating as the others were let through. As soon as they were in, the barrier went back up. He wandered towards the steps, everyone taking a protective step in front of the orange-eyed male. "I'm sure you know what that means, sonny."

Everyone glanced over at Chase, confused at what the old man was going on about. "But there's no way!" He started to mumble about things that the others didn't understand. The elder looked over his shoulder with a kind smile, "I suggest you all come in for a cup of tea. I have a lot to discuss now that you've finally arrived, my grandson."

As the group settled in, sharing looks as they were handed cups of green tea, the older man sat at the middle of the entire team, facing them. Nikos sniffed the tea, blinking. "I don't smell anything weird. There's no poison in this." Everyone took that as a good thing, sipping the drink slowly. The elder sighed, speaking. 

"My name is Shirazu Lock and years ago, my village was burned."

He continued in a solemn voice, obviously having not spoken about it very much. "After that, I wandered for a job of some sort. A kind woman—I'll never forget her name—offered me a job at her mansion. Her name was Layla Heartfilia and I owe her my entire life." He said, Lucy's eyes widening at the realization. "Th-That's my mother," She blurted.

He smiled kindly. "No wonder. I felt a similar energy that I got when I met Layla for the first time. At the time, my daughter was with me. She was young and pregnant, so I grew desperate for a job. We settled into the Heartfilia mansion and after finding out Kira, my daughter, was pregnant, she bought a house just for us." A fond look grew in his eyes.

"So, we settled there. Everyday, I would commute to work. However, while I was at work, my daughter gave birth to an adorable baby boy, Chase." Chase glanced up at that, still staying silent. "I didn't want him to grow up in such a cursed family. We held years of stress due to our secrets and I wanted him to be born anew. So, I kept part of his last name."

He continued, "We kept the last name as Lockton. As fate would have it, Chase was stolen from us at a young age. He was kidnapped by a dark guild and we didn't know where he was. We searched everywhere, but there was only so much we could do. At that time, Layla was nearing the time of her labor as well. So, we were especially busy." 

Shirazu's face fell, "Weeks after Chase's kidnapping, my daughter committed suicide. A few years later, Layla passed, only able to stay for part of her daughter's life. Turns out, part of her inheritance was listed to me in her will." He paused, scrunching up his wrinkly hands in his lap. "I never stopped looking for you, my grandson." He stared at Chase.

His eyes teared up at that before his gaze faltered onto his own lap. Shirazu spoke up, "I know you're not close with me as I was to your mother, Lucy," He stood up slowly, grabbing a small box that was above the fireplace. "However, I heard there was a celestial key auction and I couldn't help, but go. Layla used to go; it was one of her favorite pastimes."

"And I found her," He opened the box. Inside, a golden key. The golden key was so familiar, Lucy's eyes tearing up as she slowly took out the zodiac key. Now in her hand was Aquarius's key. Getting so emotional, she couldn't help, but hug the old man. "Thank you, thank you so much." He smiled fondly, hugging her back gently.

Shirazu sat back down, "Now that I've spoken all about my past, it's only fair you tell me who you are and how you're related to these two people." He smiled at them. Y/n tilted her head with a shy smile, "Nikos, Akane, and I grew up with Chase." She pointed at them respectively, each of them flashing their own smiles before waving as a greeting.

Erza looked towards team Natsu, "And we're mages of Fairy Tail, Chase and Lucy's guild mates." As everyone introduced themselves, Shirazu slowly got to the point. Resting his hands back on his lap, he looked towards the audience of exceeds and mages alike. "So," He paused, looking towards them. "What brings you here in the first place?"