South Side (2)
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Percht Gaebolg's Pov
It had been a long time since I had felt the familiar presence of the Mark. The mark of Fairy Tail.
The guild we had founded...
'Those times...'
I looked at the boy below me. That red hair. The aura he had. The quiet confidence.
So he is 'Red-haired Shanks.'
He had become one of the most famous and possibly the strongest Young Mage.
His Son was bound to be strong.
"Second Guild Master?" He looked surprised.
I gave him a small nod.
"I wish to talk with you. Descendant of Tower." I internally smirked looking at his reaction.
His eyes widened for a split second but he maintains his poker face again.
'He sure is experienced for a young man.'
"Descendant of Tower huh. What do you know about that?"
His voice was calm and steady.
"Let's talk."
He nodded at my words.
I willed my Magic and slowly floated downwards right besides him. My hands on my back.
"Let's go to the land, shall we?" I questioned.
"Alright."
.
…
Shanks Pov
I looked at the man In front of me leaning on a tree. The presence he excluded was comparable to even Gildarts but his presence did not feel like Raw Power like Gildarts.
It was that of a scholar. A wise man.
"So, why do you want to talk with me?" I asked the former Guild Master.
"What do you know about the Tarot Gods?"
He asked me back.
"Not much. Just that I am a descendant of one of the Gods. The Tower."
He nodded.
"Let me tell you about it and before you ask me why it should concern you. I have found that they want a certain child of the Ace of a certain Guild."
I understood what he meant and my blood boiled.
WHOOSH
The air stretched. My conquerors leaked out.
I could feel Percht's face change. Even he seemed affected.
INHALE EXHALE
I controlled myself.
"What did you say...?"
"I am telling the truth...Let me tell you about my travels and about The Fake Gods but before that I want to know what happened in Occident. When you went their to the Land of Giants."
…Fake God, he says?
My mind flashed back.
My scars ached.
I unconsciously placed my right hand over that scar.
"Occident was a place I regret going to. It had all started when one of the Elders of Sun Village - Elder Brott had asked me for a favor. To deliver a letter."
He nodded.
"Go on."
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Flashback
Shanks Pov
"Oi Shanks. Move it."
I glanced up. The voice came from behind me deep, rough, and familiar. Rock. The Giant stood tall, his massive form casting a long shadow over the stone platform.
We stood before an ancient teleportation circle, etched into the rock with runes so old even Rune Mages would struggle to decipher them.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the circle.
"This thing only opens once every five years, yeah?" I asked.
"That's right," Rocks grunted. "So unless you want to wait another half a decade, move your ass."
The circle lit up. Magic Power surged beneath my feet, and in a blink-
-we were gone.
The space morphed.
When my eyes adjusted, I staggered slightly. The stench of burning wood hit me first. Then the silence.
We'd arrived.
And everything… was in ruins.
I looked around. Buildings, if they could even be called that anymore, were reduced to twisted piles of rubble. Smoke hung low in the air. Craters lined the earth. The sky above was gray, choked with ash.
"...What the hell happened here?"
Rocks didn't answer.
He just stared ahead, his face grim.
The flames crackled around us, licking at the ruined streets. Somewhere in the distance, we heard it.
A chant. Low, guttural.
"All hail the DEVIL..."
The words echoed through the wind like a curse. Again and again.
"All hail the DEVIL..."
We flared our Observation Haki.
And-
Everything and everybody was dead.
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