Babysitting the Rich

The last person he was expecting to see in Sin was Aeron, which was kind of an oxymoron in its own right. The last place he had seen her, the place that her guild had called home, had been the barren wasteland. But given the guild’s disbanding, he figured all of its members would go running for the hills to get as far away from the terrible land. He never imagined that anyone would remain, though there was certainly a place for it. The guildhall was still rumored to be around, hidden from prying eyes and it would make for a good base of operation if anyone willed it. That or a place to simply be away from anyone and everyone -- which ironically made it perfect for Aeron.

She didn’t look any different from the last time, though a bit more surprised to see him there. He gave his hand a light shake, freeing himself of the remainder of his spell before he turned to face her fully. “Uh… hey,” he said, almost absent-mindedly. The Director truly hadn’t expected to run into anyone while he was training, so he hadn’t mentally prepared himself to converse. For people like Mythal, it took a great deal of mental and emotional preparation to go about his day and talk to others like himself. Though the Faera’s influence on his emotions was gone, the specter of its effects still clung to him, mostly out of habit. The former dark mage, if she was truly former, asked him what he was doing there, a deserved question, considering the location.

“Well uh…” he said, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “The last time we was here, I got ta’ thinkin’. I’d been hopin’ to get back into trainin’ my martial arts and wanted something similar to what I went through to learn it in the first place. I was trained in a Midian monk complex and they went hard in makin’ us work. I thought about goin’ back there but ya know, I learned all I had’ta there. So when I saw how wild this place was, it made me think; this would be a good place to work on some stuff. Truly put my skills to the test, ya know?” he explained, idly gesturing to the land around them.

“Granted…” he started to continue but gave himself a moment to reflect. As much as he liked Aeron, he wasn’t entirely sure where she stood yet. And admitting that his magic had changed seemed like valuable knowledge that a dark guild could use. He didn’t think Aeron would necessarily let that slip but if Thana were to find out, even on accident… “Granted it was gonna to be a lot tougher and unexpected but, seems to have worked out so far. But enough about me; what’re you doin’ here? I’d heard that Elysium had split apart shortly after the… uh… attack on Fairy Tail.” That left a bitter taste in his mouth. Fairy Tail had been his original guild and was Vandrad’s home at the moment. The damage and destruction there had been a personal insult to him and frankly, Elysium had put itself in the very real danger of being attack not just by the members of Fairy Tail but Mythal himself.

“Are ya okay? You uh… look good so I’m guessin’ yer doin’ well.”

Mythal was not the most aware of social cues. Even when he was, he usually elected to ignore them if they had any kind of hindrance on his own actions. If they fell in line or they didn’t interfere in his routine, then he was willing to, at least, attempt to follow what was considered protocol. So as he attempted to explain, in a rational way, why he had returned to Sin, he couldn’t help that Aeron seemed… distracted. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her attention seemed less on his eyes and more on everything below. He managed to finish the details but his brow was furrowed in slight confusion as he looked at her, now more confused than anything else. Was she… checking him out?

For a woman that seemed to despise people, her eyes did seem to be analyzing him. It was only after the silence turned into that of a deafening orchestra that her attention returned to him and her face turned to a shade of red that he was honestly concerned it had drained blood from the rest of her body. She managed to regain some composure, shifting the tension with an answer to his compliment and answering his question with a curious, albeit concerning remark. Being okay and alive wasn’t necessarily the best state to be in and he could tell, even before she began explaining, that something was bothering her. Rather than push the topic, he let her work it out in her head before she spoke up once more.

Apparently Elysium was just simply gone; they hadn’t come to some kind of communal decision to break apart and go their separate ways. The guild members had just up and vanished without an explanation. Aeron had just come back from somewhere else and had found her former home empty of its occupants, abandoned. Thana apparently was still around, though she explained that the mad woman wasn’t presently near them. Without a direction or an idea of what to do with herself, Aeron had chosen to stay in the remnants of the guild, idly waving in the direction she had approached. Apparently the former hall was still there and far closer to him than he had expected it to be. He was surprised he hadn’t sensed it earlier but then again, he was still working on figuring out all the new senses he could pick up on. It would take some time for him to truly master it.

“That’s awful…” he said softly, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I got a pretty good idea what it’s like to have people just up an’ abandon you without reason or explanation. But you were an Ace… a big deal within the guild. To think they just left while you were away…” The Director scoffed in annoyance. Elysium had always painted itself as some kind of juggernaut for righteousness but then they had shown their true colors in Magnolia. Mythal knew that several of the former dark guild’s members had fled to other budding organizations and to think none of them had made any kind of attempt to reach out and explain. Aeron was part of a dark guild, sure… but she seemed a decent person. One that had gotten caught up in a wave of companionship. He knew that all too well, though his result had come out in a far different manner.

Now that she had calmed herself down, she turned the questions back on him. The idea of him returning just to fight monsters was, apparently, a bit of a crazy one and she wondered how long he had been in Sin. “Uh… this is only my second day. I can pop back and forth between here and Era pretty easily. And yeah, Seri thought it was a bit nuts too. But I’ve uh… recently had some changes happenin’ and I need a place where I can truly feel my power without puttin’ anyone else in danger. No one is gonna miss a few monsters from Sin, right?” He gave her a soft shrug. “Don’t’cha get lonely out here? I can’t imagine Thana is anythin’ akin to good company. And I know you ain’t exactly a people person but I imagine havin’ some kind of interaction, however brief, is gotta help with the boredom.”

Mythal glanced in the direction that she had indicated only moments ago. “Is the guild hall like… cloaked or somethin’? Or did you guys dig yourselves a really pretty pit to hang out in?” It was his attempt at breaking the obvious tension, a soft but self-amused smirk on his lips as his eyes flitted back to meet hers.

Aeron was quick to shut down any ideas that her being an ace meant anything in terms of gaining some kind of appreciation. As she would tell it, she didn’t feel like she offered much as a higher ranking member of the Elysium guild. Thana was far more interested in partaking but for Aeron, she didn’t exactly know how to turn it down and accepted so as not to come across as ungrateful. With the promotion came responsibilities and by her admission, it had become a bit much for her to handle and she kind of just made it up as she went. In the end, Aeron simply wanted solitude. Mythal nodded softly. “I get that. I was like that when I first joined Fairy Tail. Wanted to just make jewel and nothin’ else. Funny how things work out though,” he said with a soft laugh.

Mythal had honestly kind of forgotten about the fact that she had been a dark mage and, as such, was a wanted person. As she spoke up about choosing instead to be bored rather than chased down, the Director nodded his head, reaffirming her words. Apparently, according to her, Thana had proven herself to be a relatively decent person, at least in terms of caring for Aeron. And apparently part of that care came from leaving her a person called Darius, which was an odd statement, especially since she said he kind of counted as company. She tried to find a way to explain Darius and in the end, couldn’t come up with anything. The Rune Knight decided to let that go, his curiosity piqued but not enough for him to push the subject further. As he remarked about the guildhall, Aeron explained that it was well hidden and after a long moment of consideration, she offered him the opportunity to go and see it.

“Oh…” he said, letting out his surprise without a chance to stop it. After a moment he gave a small shake of his head. “I mean yeah, absolutely. Better somewhere safe than out here, right?” he said, taking a small glance at the pile of bodies he had left in his wake. With his agreement, Aeron turned back and guided him in the direction that she had come from. On they went, heading through a large bone yard, filled to the brim with the remains from fallen monsters. Mythal’s eyes traveled slowly around the area as he followed her, scanning over the skeletal remains curiously. As they continued, they came across a large skull, massive tusks erupting from its jaw and a rib cage set below it. Aeron led him under the skull to a trap door, conspicuously disguised to blend in with the ground.

It led into a passage below the ground, a dirt-filled tunnel that was lined with self-lighting torches. At the end was a pedestal, ominously set against the dead end. But as Aeron came within range of it, it automatically opened up a portal against that same wall and as they stepped through, they found themselves before an underground city. Mythal’s mouth opened in a look of shock and awe, his eyes scanning over the expanse of the meticulously carved buildings that had been etched out of the ravine on either side. Bridges were strewn throughout the open air between the cliff walls, creating a veritable web of rope and wood. There were sconces about the city in several different areas, giving it much needed light but below them, on the bottom of the ravine, was a river of glowing, simmering hot magma. It was an ominous sight to behold and true spectacular evidence of how little they had known about Elysium.

“Holy shit,” Mythal said, putting his hands on his waist. “Elysium was an entire city?” he turned to look at Aeron with his question. As he took a moment longer to take everything in, the former dark mage started moving and the Director was forced to catch up to her. “Oh, Seri is Serilda Sinclair, the Field Marshall of the Rune Knights and also my fiance.

“So was the city actually inhabited by other people while the guild was here? I’m assuming you guys used it as free housin’,” Mythal said as he continued to look around. He’d already picked up on several dark points in the immediate area but opted not to pursue them, more interested in just following after Aeron.

There simply couldn’t be any way that this town was just abandoned and occupied by the guild solely. If it was, he would have wanted to know more about the history or, at least, whatever they had found. Such elaborate structures underneath the ground was worthy of investigation, even for someone as disinterested in history as Mythal was. Aeron confirmed that there had been a good amount of people living in the city as well. They weren’t just members of the guild but ordinary people that had become outcasts for one reason or another. They had left as soon as the guild members had as well and, considering the arrangement they’d had with the dark guild, it seemed for the better. It was probably safer to leave their former home, in case it became too dangerous from the wildlife or even former guild members coming back for a violent little fun.

Yet it seemed that the agreement between the non-guild members and Elysium had been a fruitful one. Janet, the one that had acted as the master of the guild, had gone out of her way to make sure everyone was happy and comfortable. Her only stipulation seemed to be that she was viewed as the leader and people could come and go as they pleased. They acted more like citizens banding together rather than what could be considered a normal dark guild. In a way, it was too bad -- all that camaraderie and friendship and compassion hadn’t been wasted but it had bound them together on a course that was pitting them against the world. Elysium might have proven fruitful, even beneficial, if it hadn’t been for their awful attack on Magnolia.

A topic that Aeron seemed steadfast in approaching and dealing with sooner rather than later. They had been walking for a bit until Aeron’s gait started to slow and then came to a full stop. Mythal, brow ruffled, looked at her as she seemed to be weighing something in her head. She was moving back and forth from one foot to the other, her face scrunched as she slowly became more resolute on speaking up about whatever was on her mind. Finally she came out with it, confirming that she hadn’t been at the attack on Fairy Tail, or at least involved in it. She had taken part in planning, mostly because of her role as an Ace in the guild. She had been tasked with sneaking into the guildhall and causing a mess along with Thana but instead, Aeron ran away.

As if that wasn’t hard enough, she felt that her abandonment was punishment for her supposed betrayal. And she believed that it was, in fact, her turning her back on the guild. She’d done horrible things before without a second thought, a fact she’d already expressed to him, but the plan against Fairy Tail had rubbed her the wrong way. She could understand the ideology that Elysium stood for but to try and gain momentum by attacking a town had felt wrong. She was anti-social but she wasn’t for the utter annihilation of people either, plus going out and attacking with so much power wasn’t just going to gain the attention of Fairy Tail.

She apologized to him, though she admitted that she didn’t think that would mean much given the circumstances. But before her voice could fully trail off, Mythal spoke up. “It’s fine,” he said, his response swift and concise. After a moment, he reached up and scratched the back of his head. “I mean it ain’t -- that kind of attack ain’t fine in any way. But I understand what yer gettin’ at. And as I’ve told ya before, I understand what the guild was tryin’ to do. It was an honorable goal, one that I get and believe in too. And to tell ya the truth, Aeron, even us legal guild people have to get their hands dirty once in a while. The world ain’t black and white; there’s a whole lotta gray to get lost in.”

“And yeah, I was pretty pissed. But I also knew you weren’t there; at least, that’s what I was led to believe. I read the reports on the attack and nothin’ said anythin’ about you bein’ there. That don’t free you of the guilt of havin’ helped organize it but… when the chips were down and there was only one last exit remainin’, you took it. That means more to me than all the apologies in the world.” He gave her a considered look, one that spoke of his understanding and empathy towards her situation and feelings.

He sighed. “It’s just too bad to hear that Vandrad didn’t manage to kill Thana. I know she’s been there for ya and all but she keeps gettin’ worse and worse. And he ain’t exactly the forgivin’ type. He pulverized her enough that she had to use some kind of devastatin’ attack to get away. That’s twice she’s escaped; if she didn’t make me sick to my stomach, I’d honestly be impressed. Hell, I might be anyway.”

“Yeah, Vandrad was the one that she ended up facin’ off with. I took his statement after the attack so I gott’a pretty good idea of what went on. Sounded pretty similar to when I fought her.” Thana had been downright repugnant during her assassination in Era, operating off of underhanded and disgusting tactics to try and rile Mythal up. To her credit, she had managed to activate some portion of his darkness but all that had done was mellow him out rather than amp up his emotions further. For the longest time, he’d thought he’d killed her, only for her to show up on the front page of the Sorcerer’s Magazine. Bright-eyed and cocky, she had been rather boastful – while only served to sicken him further.

“He and a lot of other Fairy Tail members are friends so I was quick to try and help wherever I could. His magic is uh… complicated to explain. But he can basically absorb most magic and use it however he wants, and I guess he uses it to boost his physical abilities. The color change is an indication of that; I dunno, I’m only going off what he explained to me and even then, it’s a little over my head,” Mythal admitted with a small laugh. All he really knew was that the prince’s magic was rare and people of his caliber were considered walking pinnacles of magic control. Based on what he’d personally seen, it was fair to say that Vandrad fit right into that group.

After Aeron had said her piece and delivered her apology, they continued through the dark, abandoned city. As they did, she continued to talk about Thana and how her antics had horrified other mages of the darker realm and how focused she got on someone once she had them in her sights. He didn’t say it aloud but he wondered if he had, inadvertently, put himself within her range due to his interference. It was concerning, considering her abilities and cunning, and he made a point of rotating the thought back to the front once he had returned home. He’d prepared for a lot of problematic issues, including her, but perhaps he should invest a little more time and effort. Now that Serilda was pregnant, there were a lot of factors to take into consideration for their joint future.

Soon enough they were walking through the literal palace gates that served as the entryway to the guildhall. Elysium had chosen to work with the environment rather than against it, carving out the towering walls and almost-portcullis out from the stone. The sheen and vibrant white stone seemed to glow against the dark backdrop, the ominous crimson light splaying against its smooth surface from the lava flows. Mythal’s gait slowed a bit as he took it in, immediately impressed with the way nature and construction had been fused for a single-minded purpose. On they went and soon they were entering the hall to the palace, as the Director had just made the mental choice to dignify the building with the awe it deserved. The theme continued, with the former dark guild simply cutting out stone doors and hallways to add to the cavernous design rather than push back. Symbols that held meaning for the guild had been etched into the stone upon several doors and around the frames. And the naturally appearing cave life had been given space to grow as immense vines and moss covered the walls and pillars that towered up into the ceiling. The only part that wasn’t completely returned to nature was the floor, which had been polished to give off a smooth, clear shine.

Aeron welcomed him to the guildhall, about as unsure in her greeting as she was in most conversations, save a few. It probably had to do with the fact that wholeheartedly granting him entrance to her former guild’s home was strange, considering their countering positions. Only a few months ago, he would have paid a lot of jewel for a chance to be here… if only to bring down the terrorists living within it. Funny how fast things could change in only a matter of months. She invited him to look around, as only Thana and her were the ones living there anymore. She even offered him the chance to see if he could find clues to where the other guild members had gone, providing him an opportunity to catch the criminals after the fact. It was a truly tempting offer and he had a really hard to turning it down but: “Thanks but that’d be rude. Yer invitin’ me into your home and I don’t wanna disrespect the space. As much as I may want to,” he admitted with a dry laugh. “It’s a lot of space for one… well, two people. I’d go outta my brain with boredom. I’m assumin’ you got plenty o’ food stores though, right?” His question was genuine, wanting to know that she was in a good place rather than struggling. He didn’t want her to be suffering anymore than he imagined she was, after being abandoned.

It was only then, as his body finally started to settle from his workout and the cool air ran over the length of his body, that he remembered that he was completely shirtless and in her home. He glanced down and a slight shade of pink blossomed on his cheeks. “Shit and here I am, standin’ around half-naked in your home. Jackass,” he chastised himself with a shake of his head. He snapped and opened a dark portal, reaching in blindly and fumbling for a minute before his arm retracted itself, now holding a simple gray shirt. As he dismissed the portal, he was quick to pull the shirt on and make himself appropriate. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Perhaps at some point he would take the time to come back and look through what was left in the guildhall, if she was willing to let him come back. He didn’t want to assume he could just pop in for a visit anytime he felt like it. After all, it was still her home. He was curious to how she was staying fed, glancing over at the wall and spotting what looked like a crude drawing of a stick figure with breasts doing something grotesque to another stick figure with greenish hair. He made a face and looked back at Aeron as she explained that most of the food storage had been empty, cleared out by the members most likely as they left. Hunting for her food was something she was used to so if she ever got low, she went out and got new stuff. She joked about not all of the monsters tasting good, not sure if it was her cooking or just the meat itself. “I’d put money down that it’s the meat,” he added to her joke. She continued, explaining that fresh drinking water would have been a challenge had it not been for some kind of enchantment on the building that provided that. So for the most part, she was surviving.

“Well that ain’t gonna work for me,” he said with a shake of his head. “If you really plan on stayin’ here, then yer gonna need more. I’ll arrange somethin’. We have several outreach programs in the Rune Knights and we’re all about helpin’ people when we can. Nothin’ crazy; but just a small somethin’ to give you a different taste palette beyond Sin monster la grava. I think that’s a type of meal.” He imagined, like him, she wouldn’t be that excited about being treated like a charity case, so he opted not to overwhelm the offer. A little bit here and there was more manageable and more acceptable than suddenly having one’s food plan bankrolled by the Rune Knights.

But it seemed that surviving was far more important to her than anything else. She claimed to have ways to keep herself occupied, including reading and using her iLac. She could watch things on the device and beyond that, there didn’t seem much more that she needed. Aeron was a woman that was, clearly, created by mere survival and having to keep her brain active and working through hobbies or points of focus didn’t matter as high as the former. It was something that Mythal understood very well -- he’d been in the same mindset before he’d joined Fairy Tail. The only difference is that the Director had found solace in alcohol and it seemed that Aeron had managed to avoid that.

Finally he realized that he had been standing there half naked for most of their interaction. Embarrassed, he expressed his apologies to her and quickly did what he could to rectify it by summoning a portal home and grabbing himself a shirt. She said it was fine, the heavy blush on her cheeks lost by Mythal as he took his time putting his shirt on. In fact, he was so distracted pulling on the article of clothing and apologizing that he missed the change on her face as she argued within herself. He had just about gotten himself appropriate when Aeron suddenly snapped, grabbing for her neck and ripping a crystal pendant that had been hanging there. She tossed it hard across the room, causing it to bounce along the stone floor a few times before coming to a rest. She stared at it in a fury, deeply offended at the very sight of the odd piece of jewelry.

She then realized that she had done so in front of him. Now he could see her blush as she stumbled over her apology, Mythal’s brow raised slightly. He glanced over at the gem and then, after a moment, he realized it was the same exact one that Thana had been wearing when they had fought. That was odd. Aeron spoke up once more, drawing his attention back to her as she haphazardly tried to appeal to him, asking that he not think that she was unstable. “No, no, I don’t,” he insisted. Mythal knew something was going on, his gut told him that her tossing the necklace wasn’t some act of instability. It helped that his magic confirmed to him that she wasn’t lying to him; she was fully aware of her faculties.

That wasn’t going to stop her from falling into a shame spiral. She was frozen in place, her body fidgeting as she looked about ready to run as far away from him as possible. He struggled to find the words to offer some kind of comfort, not really sure what he could say or do to make things easier for her. They’d only spent a short amount of time together and besides what she had shared and their mutual connection to Thana, he didn’t know a whole lot about her. But before he could even start trying to build some kind of rudimentary foundation for offering comfort, she finally spoke again. She claimed she needed help, her words hitched with nervousness and emotional turmoil. He met her gaze evenly as she said she was at a loss at what to do or where to go. Then she said that someone was going to find ‘them’ at some point, as ‘he’ always did and that Thana was drawing attention by acting out as she did. As she fought back what must have been an absolute payload of tears, she wrapped her arms around herself and insisted that she didn’t want to go back.

There was much more to this than he even understood, that much was certain. She was struggling with a lot but there were far darker things hidden beneath her neutral, dismissive countenance. Yet again, it was like looking in a mirror of himself, a feminine picture of what he had once been. Desperately needing help and some kind of support system but unwilling to admit to it and even actively pushing it away. But Aeron’s walls were cracked and damaged and the pain from beneath was coming to the surface, a rare event, he imagined, especially in front of company.

Silently he walked forward and then gently put his hands on her arms, placing them directly on her hands. “If you need help, then I’ll help,” he said softly, making sure she was looking at him so she could understand he was serious. “You don’t have to stay here, Aeron. There are places you can go and I can help ya along the way. And whoever this ‘he’ is, I’ll do what I can to protect ya from him and Thana. You don’t have to go back. I’ll protect you anyway I can. But I might have to know what we’re lookin’ at. You don’t have to tell me anythin’ you don’t want to but all I ask is you give me enough to help. You’re not alone, Aeron. I’m here.”

“You were a dark mage. As of right now, you’re technically guildless. And sure, you’ve done some things and ain’t no one gonna overlook that but… no one deserves to suffer on the bare minimum either. Besides, sometimes the first step to makin’ better choices in your life is gettin’ a leg up,” Mythal informed her. “I know what it’s like to have to do anythin’ to survive. And I also know that I only started bein’ able to see the bigger picture after people helped me out and didn’t expect anything in return. This ain’t a quid pro quo situation; I just wanna help ya out.” And that was it. There was no ill intent, there was no underlying meaning for his words or his actions. He saw someone that could use a bit of help and he was willing to provide it.

Right after that was when she had her breakdown, something sparking her anger which then led into a shame and anxious spiral. She begged him not to think she was crazy and then went even further and asked him to help her. She was lost and incapable of finding reason or answers for her plights. All the concerns and questions that she had thought over herself finally bubbled out of her and she needed guidance. So Mythal stepped in to try and offer some. As far as he was concerned, if she needed help, he was there to provide it in any means she needed. A new place, separate and away from Thana, was fairly easy to get. He just needed more details. Gently she shook her head and told him that he didn’t understand. Location didn’t matter to her -- in the end, she believed she couldn’t escape Thana. No matter what efforts she put in to put space between them, the psychopath always found her plaything. And Aeron had all but given up on ever being free of her.

Her anxiousness resulted in her opening up even further, her eyes shifting away from him as she explained that she had been sold into slavery. A Bellum native, her family had taken payment in exchange for her life, as she had seemingly no magic. A man named Calahan had bought her for the sake of using her as a food source for his pit fighting monsters. But when she was offered to them, she blacked out and when she woke up, she was feasting over the bloodied corpse of the monster that had been loosed to devour her. Of course, this resulted in her ‘owner’ using her as a new attraction. Once Thana arrived, she, too, took advantage of the situation and defeated the monsters to provide herself food as well. In time, they began to absorb the traits of the beasts they ate and could transform into them. That explained why Thana and Aeron both were able to morph their forms. While Aeron just kept her head down and did what she had to survive, the psychopathic woman began to idealize the fear that the audience regarded her with.

They managed to spring free, thanks to Thana, and slaughtered a number of their jailers upon escape. It hadn’t even been that long ago; a year and a half at least. But it seemed Calahan was the man she was referring to, as she revealed he had been hunting them since their escape and had even managed to catch Aeron again before she got away. Thana seemed like she was intentionally trying to draw attention to herself but that hardly surprised Mythal. The sick woman seemed to delight in any kind of focus and leaving a trail for her former captor seemed to liven up her sickness more. When Aeron eventually looked at him again, she stated that she didn’t need a new place. Thana would find her and if she moved somewhere more populated, it would put more people in danger. But there was one thing she needed from him and after a hard swallow to find the courage to finish her thought, she stated that she needed Thana dead by his hands and she was willing to repay him in any way if he did.

Mythal regarded her in silence for a few brief but certainly tense moments. His face was stone and unreadable, his eyes firm as they met her evenly in staring. After the insufferably long and short time of tension, he released the air in his lungs that he had apparently been holding onto without knowing. “When I first met Thana, I thought I had killed her. She’d already brutally murdered an official representative and was intent on slaughterin’ others as well. I held nothin’ back and hit her with enough magical force to send her literally flyin’ away. I still ain’t sure how she managed to survive, let alone not be fuckin’ handicapped. I’ve been collectin’ reports of sightin’s and murders that may have been her or definitely were her, just to see if there’s any kind of pattern. I’m sure you ain’t surprised to hear that there isn’t.”

He sighed softly. “Both officially and unofficially, she’s considered too dangerous to take in. She’s willin’ to take prisoners and to kill anyone around her just out of amusement. I was hopin’ that Vandrad may have been able to finish the job but the sick snake managed to slither away again. That’s twice she escaped and I ain’t plannin’ on lettin’ her get a third. The Rune Knights don’t generally condone killing on sight when it comes to marks but Thana… well, let’s just say she’s in rare company.” If that wasn’t enough verification, he squeezed her hands with his. “You don’t have to give or do anythin’ for me, Aeron. Thana is goin’ to die and I’m going to be the one that makes sure it’s done. I had my reasons before but bein’ able to free you from her cruelty is one major incentive.”

He made sure he, once again, held her gaze so she truly understood he was serious and honest. Not everyone could just pick up on truths and lies like he could and frankly, the Rune Knight Director had forgotten a little bit what it was like to have to figure that out. But perhaps that ability granted him an aura as well; one that created an openness to others so they understood what he was telling them. It could work to deceive and sell a lie… or it could double down and help them feel at ease when he assured them. Giving her a soft nod, he managed a small smile. “But I ain’t budgin’ on the food thing. Everyone needs more than monster meat.”

There was a lot more to Aeron but that hardly surprised Mythal. A woman that was as antisocial and aloof as she was definitely had a past that she did her best to ignore and move past. It was yet another similarity that they shared and the more he spent around her, the more he saw what he could have become, had it his path diverged in a different manner. Fairy Tail had been an option for the Rune Knight Director because it was the easiest option for employment, as well as a drunken choice while he was getting his passport. Had someone come forward and offered him the option to join one of the dark guilds, citing no need to hold himself back and not needing to interact with the general populace, he might have taken it. Now he was filling the role that Serilda had served for him, acting as the stalwart and stubborn companion to this woman that was hurting but not fallen completely to darkness. And much like Faera had hung over his life like an ominous, murderous shadow, Thana did the same for Aeron.

She asked a big favor of him and luckily, it was one he was willing and capable of granting. Asking a Rune Knight to commit murder was not cut and dry and if it was someone that was considered far less dangerous, he wasn’t sure he could agree to it. But Mythal had faced Thana himself; he’d watched and sensed the mercilessness, viciousness and the hunger to cause pain in her. She was not someone that could be reasoned with or convinced to change her ways. She was rotten to the core and the only way to prevent any further destruction and death at her hands was to put her down for good. He outlined as much to Serilda and the Magic Council, detailing the need for a file on people that had done too much or were too far gone to try and capture alive. Of the mages on Earthland, she was easily the top of the list.

Mythal didn’t wholly believe in vengeance, not anymore. There was a time in his life where he would have felt the need and desire to pay back Faera for all that she had done but eventually, logic and reason won out. Now stopping the Prime of Love was simply for the protection and salvation of the living world and he viewed his task with Thana very much the same. Aeron was a person he could help save if he brought a criminal to permanent justice and, as such, he intended on following it through. He didn’t go into as much detail over it with Aeron but he told her enough that she would understand he was committed to the goal. And deciding to alleviate some of the tension and seriousness, he insisted that she still accept his offering to get her more food by means of refusing a ‘no’ as an answer. She acquiesced, if only because he was going to be stubborn about it. “Trust me, I used’ta be a lot less stubborn. Curse of having responsibilities and carin’ about the world and shit,” he admitted to her with an amused chuckle.

She relaxed then and as she settled into a relatively even emotional state, her eyes cast a glance over to the necklace she had so unceremoniously tossed just a few moments ago. After a moment of consideration, she drew away from him and walked over to retrieve the piece of jewelry. She seemed lost in thought as she held it in her hands before she started to walk back over to him. She stated that she didn’t believe there was much she could do to help but then followed it up by offering a mysterious ‘this’ as an option. It seemed she was hinting towards the necklace, the one that both she and Thana possessed. He looked at her curiously as she held it out to him and then, after a moment, he started to reach out before she insisted that questions be answered and not in a difficult fashion. Mythal’s gaze narrowed ever so slightly at the remark before his hand continued its journey and took hold of the necklace. Immediately he could sense a mysterious light within the core of the crystal, though the gem itself seemed completely empty. As he held it, the glow within became stronger and it was as if something was waking up and turning to meet him. It wasn’t far from the truth as, a moment later, a mysterious voice spoke up in his head and addressed him by name, rank and introduced itself as Darius Stormborn, some kind of powerful mage and scholar. He stated that he would answer any question asked.

Mythal glanced at Aeron as he realized what she had been up to. This Darius had been speaking in her head every time she had made a face or reacted, including throwing the necklace earlier. "Hello… Darius," he awkwardly introduced himself back to the archmage. "Safe to say that yer some kind of magical item or is it more complicated than that?"

Not the greatest first question to a telepathic piece of jewelry but an understandable one, he reasoned. "I guess my first real question would be, are you unique? What I mean is I’ve seen Thana wearin’ this thing as well; do Thana and Aeron each have one or is it somethin’ that Thana takes for herself when she wants it?" To others, this would seem like a strange direction to head but for Mythal, as a Rune Knight, it was fairly important. This Darius seemed to possess a vast bit of knowledge and the Director had to know if that was only open to Aeron or if Thana utilized it as well. The pit in his stomach seemed to foreshadow an answer already, as he could only assume that Thana was able to morph herself to look like Serilda because of Darius’ knowledge.

"And Thana. I want to know as much as yer willin’ to tell me about her." Mythal highly doubted that Darius would be willing to divulge everything. Aeron had insisted that his questions be answered without the archmage being a prick but the Demon Slayer had yet another gut feeling that it wasn’t as simple as that. Mostly because nothing ever was.

So Darius was not just some magical creation; in essence, he was a former mage that utilized his power and research to split his spirit from his body as it decayed, saving him from death. Of course, that ultimately led him to getting trapped inside the crystal but based on the arch mage’s tone, it seemed that was intentional. Perhaps he saw the benefit of simply existing as a form of great magical influence and study. His explanation was obviously practiced, as he had to, no doubt, relay it to Thana and Aeron and countless more, depending on who found it. Darius went on to explain that he was well aware that Mythal could sense lies and decided to provide proof that the Rune Knight Director would have no issue with sussing out deception. It was a simple, easy lie but there was no denying that the Slayer was able to pick upon it. He glanced at Aeron. “He’s explainin’ who he is and provin’ that I can trust his word,” he explained to her quickly, wanting to keep her involved in the conversation.

Darius moved to Mythal’s first question, ready to answer it in full and more. He established that he was a unique object and was shared between the two women. He went further and managed to pick up on Mythal’s inner question and stated that Thana had used Darius to answer questions that provided seemingly impossible knowledge. Aeron had the capability to do the same thing but she didn’t seek the same answers as her more sinister comrade. It was concerning to note that Darius was capable of finding out knowledge that was not rightfully his, even capable of finding out questions or answers that were locked within the mind. It was the kind of thing Mythal had never truly prepared any kind of defense from before and now that he heard it, he was already thinking about crafting some kind of spell to protect him from such readings.

But the meat of Mythal’s curiosity lay on Thana herself; any bit of information he could gain about her from the arch mage that had been her companion. He started out by stating that the madwoman was complicated, which was saying a lot. He attempted to explain that, while Thana presented herself as a villain, she was acting out as a result of the punishment and pain she had gone through, turning her agony back on the world and its people. Thana saw it differently but Darius saw the truth of the matter, understanding that the madwoman had not been given much of a choice and had followed a preset direction without understanding it herself.

The arch mage continued, stating that he had observed Mythal picking upon the similarities between himself and Aeron but it seemed he had a lot more in common with both Aeron and Thana than he previously thought. They were called Avatars of Ataxia and it was a name that ran cold in his veins. He knew very little about the woman but from what he’d heard of from Mercury and Gren during the incident with the Order of Souls, she was a goddess not unlike Faera. In fact, the Divine of Love had taken over the realm once controlled by the Divine of Entropy once she was gone. Aeron and Thana together acted as vassals, in a sense, though he imagined it was far more complicated than that. They were Ataxia’s chaos, her living rebellion against reality. In that case, It was… odd that somehow both women had managed to wind up in the same place and grow up beside one another. Fate had a funny way of trying to work behind the scenes but that was almost too conspicuous. Nonetheless, Darius didn’t know much more, stating that trying to understand Ataxia was trying to work out something that had no sense about it. He could identify it but not much more than that.  “He said that he is shared between you and Thana. Explains how she was able to impersonate Seri with such focus on detail back when I fought her. He also said that Thana is more than just a monster. She’s a byproduct of her trauma and grief. She coped with her pain by inflicting pain on others and she isn’t aware that she’s following a set path, believin’ that she made that choice herself. He also says…” he paused for a moment and sighed. “I picked up on some things between you and I back when we first met. Your magic was like Thana’s and there parts of its energy signature that felt familiar. Apparently we have more in common than we thought and Darius confirmed it. You and Thana are somethin’ called Avatars of Ataxia. I dunno if you know much about Ataxia, mostly ‘cuz not many do, not even Darius. What I know is that she used to rule a realm called Kingdom Darkness before getting ousted. Another goddess, Faera, moved in in her place and she’s the one that resulted in me gettin’ my magic… hell, she’s the reason I was even born. That’s a long story.” This was all groundbreaking, eye opening information and he highly doubted that Aeron had asked about any of it. As far as he was concerned, it was her right to know as well and he was going to share the information with her.

Darius went on to explain that if he planned on killing Thana, he would have to learn more about her power. Once he understood Thana, then he would be able to put her down for good and Darius seemingly predicted that it would be Mythal that would take her life. But before too much consideration could be put into that precognitive statement, Darius threw a curveball and stated that when the opportunity arose to kill Thana, he should hold back. Aeron would be able to see Mythal’s face twist in confusion and a bit of surprise, the archmage’s statement hypocritical in both execution and philosophy. He would be the one to eventually kill her but he couldn’t kill her when his opening was there? What was more concerning was how serious the archmage’s tone was, an overwhelming sense of hidden details echoing out. And Darius confirmed that he couldn’t say everything he knew, as it would take the march of time for Mythal to figure it out on his own. The hard truth came after as he stated that saving Aeron from Thana was impossible as he was, the Rune Knight Director lacking the power to complete the task. In the end, he would have to pursue that goal with a mind unclouded by any kind of outside influence or bias. His last statement was to repeat his groundbreaking one; when he had finally defeated Thana, he had to hold back the urge to deliver her final justice. In doing so, he would save not only Aeron’s life but influence more than he even understood.

Mythal hated riddles and he hated predictions. The idea that there was some kind of fated destiny or path that had to be followed and could be read was utter bullshit to him. And frankly, Darius’ words just worked to annoy him further and solidify his dislike for such means. It wasn’t necessarily the archmage’s fault but he did utilize the power in counterintuitive ways, as far as the director was concerned. With another soft sigh, he looked at Aeron once more. “Darius is tellin’ me that I will be the one to kill Thana but I lack the ability to do so right now. And even then, when I’m able to beat her and have my opportunity, I need’ta capture her instead of kill her. He insists that it will save not only your life but others as well. Plus I need to find more power or another power or somethin’ to be able to save you from her. A lot of predictive, clouded bullshit that archmages are known to spit out. No offense, Darius,” he admitted with a grumble, not even hiding his dislike for the position he was in.

It put him between a rock and a hard place; a position he rarely, if ever, liked being in. Why hadn’t this happened to Vandrad? The prince of Bellum loved challenges. Deciding to weight in on the previous topic later, he changed the subject. “Alright Darius, new question. You seem to have some knowledge about the Divines and Sins, more than even people that have been lookin’ for them for years. Do you have names and titles for them? Any idea which of them are more interested in killin’ people rather than protectin’ them? And what of Faera? Any tips or tricks to help bring her down once and for all?”

“Unfortunately it ain’t a joke, though I wish it were. As to why she picked you… I don’t have an answer for that and I don’t think your pal Darius will answer that,” Mythal told Aeron calmly. She looked very disturbed by the news or, rather, the fact that facts she had been told before were true. It seemed she had been unwilling to believe everything that Darius had told her before and now the sudden realization that the truth had been right there the entire time had hit hard. It was a terrible thing to experience and while the Director wasn’t feeling the full brunt of it, he had an idea of what she was wrestling with. He reached out and touched her arm with his free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as a form of comfort, something he didn’t often do save for the people he truly cared for.

Darius didn’t seem to take offense at the Demon Slayer’s words, continuing to speak as cryptically as before. Something about those that could see the future just irked Mythal the wrong way, even if their intentions were meaningful. But he decided not to return to outright insulting the archmage, as that gained him little ground and offered no benefit. Instead he focused on Aeron as she spoke up about Thana’s pregnancy. She explained that if he killed her before she came to term, the baby would certainly die too. As much as Aeron didn’t want to damn the child for having the madwoman as a mother, death was hardly the punishment for an innocent child. Mythal nodded. “I recall her comments in the magazine and it makes sense,” he admitted. Though frankly, that seemed like something hardly worth a riddle over. Darius had put his words in a certain perspective for Mythal and it didn’t seem possible that it was Thana’s child that he was solely referring to. There was more to it… but unfortunately that answer seemed cursed to remain hidden.

Aeron continued, talking about how Thana had tricked a man into sleeping with her, resulting in the pregnancy. She couldn’t directly recall the name of the man but Darius was quick to hop in and correct her, identifying the man as Nathaniel Stratford. Apparently he had been a member of the now-defunct Dies Irae and had been a mentee under Sivvy, who was the former guildmaster. She and Thana had fought and the madwoman had captured her and violated her in, Darius’ words, every sense of the word before shipping her back to her guild. He suggested that he reach out and find Nat and give him the opportunity to seek out answers that he rightfully deserves. “I guess this Nathaniel Stratford could be someone that I reach out to at some point. I didn’t know that Sivvy had been attacked like that…” He hadn’t ever met Sivvy directly but he’d had some interaction with Dies Irae. At one point, the Rune Knights and Dies Irae had been considering an alliance to further bring criminals to justice. All that was lost now though.

According to Darius, Victoria had provided information about the Divines to Gren, which was yet another detail he really shouldn’t have been able to divine himself. Mythal had been curious to hear the names again, wanting to see just how much the archmage could truly bring to the light. As he agreed to speak of them again, Mythal reached into his pocket and pulled out his iLac, switching open the notepad on it. As Darius listed them, the Director put down the words onto his iLac. There was a moment of surprise when the very visceral image of each Divine appeared in his mind, painting a perfect portrait of what they looked like. The only ones he didn’t provide pictures of were Faera, as Mythal already knew what she looked like, and Ataxia, who it seemed he lacked sufficient data about. It made a morbid kind of sense, even if he had hoped to catch something.

Darius continued, listing off the names, titles and providing an image of all the Sins as well. The archmage took it a step further and even connected the Sin and Divines together by the elements they controlled, filling out the pantheon that had, unfortunately, been pretty bare up to that point. Moving onto their stances in terms of views on mortals, that painted quite a complicated picture. It seemed a good amount of Divines and Sins didn’t view the mortal realm with much sympathy and Darius was happy to provide the names of the ones that held predispositions, ones that were compassionate and others that were more independent in their beliefs. Though none of them were considered the leaders by any official declaration, each side seemed to follow along with the strongest and Ramuh and Ozorith took up those roles. It disgusted Mythal a bit to learn that Ozorith was considered the leader of the Sins but it also tracked with the way he presented himself. Darius suggested he reach out to Ruzatz to learn more about Ramuh and discuss it with him and, more specifically, Agatha. It seemed that she had once had a relationship of some kind with the head Divine. Darius didn’t seem inclined to go any deeper than that, showing a kind of respect towards Agatha and Ruzatz’ personal lives.

Moving along, Darius circled back to Faera, admitting that he could provide more information than even the Seals were capable of figuring out. He could name the members of the Immortal Thirteen, a group made up of humans that Faera had picked as followers. Mythal had only learned about them from the Order of Souls, having had no knowledge beyond the Sons of Faera before then. He’d been attempting to track one of them -- the one that had attacked Gren and Monica -- but hadn’t managed to catch him yet. Darius started with Jihl, his biological mother and Mythal paused his notetaking for a moment in surprise. He had half-expected to learn that his mother was dead. He knew she had given birth to Vriko after him and had been there while she grew but it didn’t seem like Archimedes to leave any strings tangled. When he made his move and betrayed Vriko, Mythal had imagined that Jihl had suffered the same fate. Apparently that was not the case. The Director was quick to catch up, typing in the names and the origins of the other members as Darius listed them off.

The archmage wasn’t able to discern where the Thirteen were and much more details than he had already provided, seemingly prevented by some kind of spell. He did know that each one of them contained a portion of Faera’s magic and could come and go from Kingdom Darkness as they pleased. Most likely using similar keyswords like Gren and the other Trumpet had. He was able to tell Mythal that Petra was still in Pergrande and was one of the officers in their army, which was alarming to say the least. Rumblings of war had nearly overtaken the world in recent months and Pergrande had been at the head of the movement. He could only wonder if this Petra had been a catalyst to the effort, perhaps as a motion to help with Faera’s plans. Darius also named the man that had attacked Monica and Gren as Thrand, the one from Iceberg.

As a final note, Darius imparted information to Mythal in the situation that they were able to bring down Faera. It seemed that Kingdom Darkness required someone to be in control of it or otherwise it would act up. He understood that the Director had no desire to step up and become the oft heralded Darkness King but it seemed there weren’t many that could hold back the tidal wave of destruction should Faera be killed and not become a pawn to its toxicity. In short, killing Faera would not result in the end of his problems unless he had a means of preventing the realm she ruled from growing out of control. “I ain’t plannin’ on bein’ any kind of Darkness King. And all I want is to keep her locked in her room for the rest of eternity without her intervenin’ with this realm. I’ll take that over killin’ her, as much as I hate ta’ say that,” he said aloud before he looked over at Aeron. “He’s talkin’ a bit about Faera and how her realm would go berserk if she is killed. Other than that, he was just tellin’ me about her followers and givin’ me names.” There was no need to overwhelm Aeron more than she already had in the short time they’d been together.

“Well Darius, I’m sure there’s a million other questions I could use answers to but… frankly, this is already a lot more than I was expectin’ to get today. I’d rather not have my head explode from too much overload. Thanks for everythin’ and uh… try to be less of a prick to Aeron. She’s a good woman,” he said, glancing at Aeron and giving her a small smile. And then, a bit reluctantly, he held the jewel back out for Aeron to take. But before she could fully take it, he would reach back out and put his hand on top of hers. “Thanks Aeron. This has been a huge help. You have no idea.”