For the second time, Harry and Kagura and Minerva sat around a campfire. The mood — and setting — were vastly different this time. The roar of a waterfall and greenery of the forest had been swapped for open plains and an expansive night sky.
"Hold still!" hissed Minerva. She had one hand on the back of Harry's head, the other pressing gauze against his lip. The cotton fabric slowly turned red as it drank up the blood spilling from his cut.
"Thanksh Minerva," Harry said. "You're a lifeshaver."
Unable to move his lips normally with the medical treatment being applied, he slurred the words slightly. Minerva huffed.
She held the gauze tight for another five minutes before she finally sat back. A small bundle of cotton was shoved up one of Harry's nostrils, stemming the flow of blood there. His lip had closed up too, until they ate dinner and it reopened. Minerva squinted at him, then turned her nose snootily to the side.
"You'd better not let it open again," she threatened.
"Could you not heal it with your magic?" Kagura asked.
"I'm all out of that for now," Harry said, smiling.
Minerva had been listening in, keeping half an eye on him. When she heard this, she turned her back fully, but not before Harry caught a smile starting to form.
While only Kagura was looking, Harry winked and put a finger to his split lip. The serious girl squinted at him, ultimately deciding that a roll of her eyes was the best response.
Not far away, the dark mages captured on the mission were laying on their sides— bound, blindfolded, and sent into the embrace of unconsciousness by a few spells on Harry's part. At first, they kept a close eye on the three in case of escape. Now, hours after the fight ended, it was clear they weren't so much as twitching.
It left the trio with a surprisingly peaceful night. They would rendezvous with their allies the following day, at which point the destruction of Death's Head Caucus would be complete. Harry hoped there were no casualties. But he believed in Team Crime Sorciere. If anything, sending them alongside Jura was overkill.
So he found it easy to relax now, staring at the vastness of the night sky.
"Where I come from," Harry said, "all mages have to learn the stars. There's magic in them."
"Heavenly Body Magic," Kagura said.
"Celestial Spirit Magic as well," Minerva said.
Harry reached up, looking between his fingers at the dots of light. "It's different back home. The stars help us make potions. Some spells only work when the stars are aligned, just like certain plants need to be harvested on a full moon, or a waning one. Some people even use the stars to look into the future. There's power to them, make no mistake."
Minerva was looking at the sky like she was considering ways to harvest it; ways to turn it into some spell or another. Kagura's expression was different. Harry thought he might've spotted a tear, so he looked away.
"We all see the same stars," Kagura said. "Even if you're separated by miles, or countries, or continents. Anyone can look at the stars. We can look at them together, even if we can't be together any other way. Maybe… even the dead can see them."
"Maybe," Harry agreed.
Kagura looked at Minerva, and so did he. Feeling the weight of their gazes, Minerva looked over, crossing her arms. "What? Is it my turn?" She huffed. "They're just stars, aren't they? Little dots in the sky. It's not any deeper than that."
"Minerva," Harry said, his voice gently scolding.
A blush scattered across her cheeks.
"They're just dots!" Minerva insisted, before biting her lip. "But maybe… When I was a kid… I might've thought they were pretty."
Her voice got quieter with every word. Suddenly, Kagura was laughing.
"Ha… Ha… Hahahahahaha!" The swordswoman doubled forward clutching her stomach, tears dripping from her eyes as she laughed uproariously.
"What was that? That was such an anticlimax!" she gasped. "They're pretty? That's all? They are pretty, yeah!"
"Sh-Shut up!" Minerva hissed, colorful lights appearing around her hands. She was tempted to slam Kagura's head into the ground. Or try, at least. There was no guarantee Kagura would let that happen.
As Kagura continued laughing, and even Harry offered a few chuckles, Minerva reluctantly let her magic fade.
"I'll remember this," she said. "We'll see who's laughing after the Grand Magic Games."
Kagura gradually sobered.
"Mermaid Heel is coming for Sabertooth's crown this year," she said, wiping tears away with her finger.
"Sorry, girls," Harry said, lurching forward to lean over the fire, its light shining off his pearly teeth. "Fairy Tail's got an important meeting with the trophy, and we're not looking to reschedule."
He planted his hands on their heads, ruffling their hair, which immediately drew squawks. Kagura's white bow ended up askew on her head before she fought him off. Minerva's strength mysteriously failed her as she tried to push his arm away, resulting in his hand staying on her head for more than thirty seconds.
Despite the smiles and the good-natured ribbing, all three of them were pensive when they lay back in their conjured sleeping bags that night. The Grand Magic Games were coming up, and no one wanted to lose.
Even Minerva, who just a day ago had been utterly confident in Sabertooth's continued supremacy, was possessed by a sudden zeal. There was work to do for whoever wanted to lay claim to the trophy… and Harry was no exception.
O-O-O
"Holy!" Macao twisted the lens on a telescope, leaning as he looked down the path leading to Magnolia Town from Fairy Tail's Guild Hall. "I can't even see the end of them."
A line of mages snaked away from the front door. Some carried weapons, others had animalistic features, there were short mages and tall mages and narrow mages and wide mages, but no matter what they looked like, everyone was eager. Harry squinted, standing next to Macao and Laki just inside the building, staring along their front path.
"This is going to take longer than I thought," Harry admitted. "We're going to have to turn a lot of people away."
"Who knew so many would show up?" Macao said.
"It's only natural." Laki was failing to hide how pleased she felt. "After news spread that Fairy Tail is back on the rise, it's only natural people would want to be a part of it."
Those at the front of the line were starting to shift. It was almost time for the interviews to start, as advertised on the fliers Harry's guild members spent the last week spreading around. Word had been sent to every corner of Fiore, and even trickled beyond its borders.
After defeating Hydra Shadow and starring in the defeat of Death's Head Caucus, the former number one guild was back in business, and they were looking for new members. That kind of offer stirred a lot of interest.
The clock behind them chimed, telling them it was nine o'clock. Time to get started.
A glow enveloped her. When it faded, Laki had swapped her glasses for a thicker-rimmed pair that looked more official, as well as summoning a jacket emblazoned with the guild logo.
While Macao went to let the first trialist in, Harry gave Laki a considering look. "That's called Requip Magic, isn't it?"
Laki smiled. "Yes. It's sure handy, isn't it?"
As she spoke, a clipboard and pen appeared in her hands, further piquing Harry's interest.
"It's not a unique skill," he said. In addition to Laki, he'd seen Bisca and Alzack use it to summon their guns, and even Minerva used it on their mission. "Could anyone learn it?"
"Any mage? I think so," Laki said. "Some users are more skilled than others. One of Fairy Tail's lost members could change her entire outfit in an instant. But the process itself is simple enough, you just have to imagine a bag in front of you made out of magic, until you're good enough to actually place things inside. Then, you can call it out any time you want."
Laki summoned another clipboard, handing this one to Harry with a smile. As they took a seat behind the table that had been chosen for conducting interviews, Harry followed Laki's description.
After multiple tries across a few seconds, Harry felt like he was starting to get it. He could envision the space, created with his magic, like it was an open bag hovering in front of his face.
A second later, he frowned.
"Should it feel like there's already something in there?"
Laki looked up. "If you've never used Requip before? No, it should be empty. How could there be anything before you've put something in?"
She giggled at the absurdity of the idea. Harry frowned.
He could swear something was there, sleeping just out of reach every time he made a grab at it. There were three things, feeling both close and impossibly far away, leaving him frustrated and nursing the beginning of a headache.
Macao arrived at the table, leading a grizzled mage who looked at the guild hall with barely-disguised disdain, taking in its poor rundown state.
Harry turned his attention away from Requip for now, scribbling a negative note about the first applicant before he'd even sat down.
Time to get to work.
O-O-O
As faces ticked by, hours passing with them, a handful of applicants stood out from the pack, distinguishing themselves by skill and character.
"Yukino Agria! Celestial Spirit Mage!"
The curvy young woman had short blue hair and a nervous, earnest expression. She was trying not to fidget. Looking to her waist, Harry saw a link carrying the keys her magic worked with. Two of them were gold, something that Laki made a note about on her paper.
"Nice to meet you, Yukino," Harry said, smiling. "Can you tell us a bit about yourself?"
Already, she was starting to look nervous.
"There's not much to tell. You already know my name, and my magic… My teacher said I have a lot of potential!" Yukino babbled. "She said she'd never seen someone who worked with spirits so naturally. But it hasn't been long since I left my village. I've done a few jobs! I'm sure I'll do a lot more in the future! I—"
"Yukino." Harry cut her off. Not out of malice, but to help her calm down. "Why did you want to be here today?"
For a moment, Yukino was frozen.
Then she set her jaw, swallowed, and answered.
"I want to be a great mage," she said.
Macao tilted his head, and Laki smiled politely, waiting for more, but Yukino said nothing else. She stared straight ahead, directly into Harry's eyes, no longer flinching or twitching.
Harry pushed his clipboard aside, nothing written on it.
"Congratulations, Yukino. You're through to the next round," he said. "Why don't you go and wait behind us."
O-O-O
"Chrissack. I use wind magic."
The man had a thick moustache and a jutting beard, both of them dirty blond in color. Atop his head, he wore the rest of his hair in a peculiar vertical ponytail, making it look like a fountain spout or a flower bud.
He was a broad man, wearing a heavy red coat that went down to his ankles. His outfit struck Harry as old-fashioned, at least by British Earth standards, but they weren't here to judge apparel. And the man had come prepared.
Macao released a low whistle as he finished reading over the paper Chrissack handed them at the start of the interview. "This is some resume, son."
Macao passed the paper to Harry, who gave it a quick but thorough read. Over thirty C-Class missions completed, nearly twenty B-Class ones, and five A-Classes. It was neatly presented and — based on the reaction of Macao and Laki — was quite the impressive achievement.
"I've worked as Dullahan Head's ace for more than three years," Chrissack said. "While we never qualified for the Grand Magic Games, we're close to that level."
"Why are you applying for our guild, then?" Laki asked, chewing the end of the pen.
Chrissack observed her calmly.
"I believe you can climb higher," he said.
Harry took in the man's cool self-assurance. He was reminded of Dawlish or Savage, long-time Aurors who were professional to their core. Giving the resume one more glance, Harry nodded to himself.
"You're through."
O-O-O
"I'm Totomaru, the former fire mage of Phantom Lord's element four!"
Harry paused. "Phantom Lord?"
The man sitting opposite them swelled his chest out. That was an easy motion to make because, well, he was naturally swollen.
His hair was half white and half black, split down the middle and kept in a top knot like a samurai. He had a sword on his hip and was wearing a red outfit that, presumably, had once fit him snugly. Now, his gut was visible below his bellybutton as his straining shirt failed to cover him. His pants were similarly tight. Harry felt bad for him. He could tell by the way the man was sweating that the outfit was uncomfortable.
"That's right, Phantom Lord! Once, we were strong enough to be Fairy Tail's rival!"
"Until you started a war with us," Laki said, scowling.
Totomaru lost some of his excitement. "We paid the price, though," he said. "The guild was disbanded. Our master lost his title and disappeared. Two of our strongest mages joined Fairy Tail. And then they…"
Harry couldn't say who those might've been, but Totomaru's wince was clear to see. Laki lost her hostility as she recalled Fairy Tail's lost members.
"What have you been doing since then, Totomaru?" Harry asked.
"W-What does it matter?" Totomaru asked, carefully avoiding looking anywhere that would show him his reflection. "I was an amazing mage! I've done S-Class jobs!"
"What have you been doing?" Harry repeated. His voice was steely, insisting he be answered.
"I— I—" Totomaru squeezed the hilt of the sword at his side. Abruptly, he lifted his pudgy chin. "So maybe I've been giving some lessons. I'm not some stinking magic teacher, though! I'm a real mage, a mage so good that I had people lining up outside my house, begging me to teach their kids fire magic! That's why I did it. It's not my job! I'm just… training for my next deadly mission. That's all!"
Harry leaned sideways, whispering to Laki. "Is there something wrong with teaching magic?"
"Some people consider it beneath an active mage," Laki whispered. "They say real mages would be taking jobs. Only someone weak, crippled, or old would waste time teaching."
Across the table, a chair clattered to the ground.
Totomaru had shot up. Harry's eyes sharpened. The man had done it fast enough that Harry failed to track his movement. Though just getting to his feet at that speed seemed to have left him winded.
"I'm telling you, I'm not some tutor!" Totomaru said. "I swear, I'm an elite mage!"
Some of those waiting for their turn to be interviewed overheard, snickering. Harry looked at those who laughed, memorizing their faces.
"Sit down, Totomaru," he said.
"I—"
"Sit."
Totomaru froze. Moving quite quickly, he righted his chair and sat in it again, his stomach jiggling.
"I used to be something," Totomaru said quietly.
"You still are something. You are a mage," Harry said. He leaned forward. "Last week, I ran into your Guild Master and another member of the Element Four. Aria was his name."
Totomaru's head jerked up. "Where?" he asked, bewildered. "I haven't heard from them in years!"
"They were killing for money."
Totomaru's jaw dropped.
"No," he said. "We were a little rough, but we were a Legal Guild. They wouldn't do that. Not even Jose." But his tone didn't match his words, carrying more than a hint of doubt.
"They joined Death's Head Caucus, an assassination guild," Harry said. "They were powerful. Jose fought two S-Class mages, and Aria nearly ruined our mission with a sneak attack. They had honed their magic beyond what you remember, reaching a new level. Despite that, they're nothing compared to you."
Harry leaned further over the table, looking Totomaru in the eyes.
"Instead of throwing away your morals, you sacrificed your pride. I can see it hurt you," Harry said. "Keep your head high. You've already succeeded where your old master failed. Take a seat behind us, Totomaru."
"I'm through?" he asked.
Harry smiled. "Good luck in the second round."
O-O-O
Harry, Macao, and Laki stared at the girl across from them, silently prompting her, but they still didn't receive the introduction they were waiting for. Harry cleared his throat.
The interviewee wore a red dress and had very large red eyes. She wore a wane smile that hadn't grown or faded since she stepped into the Guild Hall, and she seemed more interested in looking at her surroundings than actually auditioning for the guild.
Harry cleared his throat again, this time drawing her attention.
"Do you have a cold?" the woman asked. "I've always wanted one of those."
"Crazy," Laki mumbled. Macao was too busy staring at the woman's tits to comment.
"Give us your name," Harry said. "And your magic."
"I'm Flare. I'm traveling to see the world. My magic is my hair," she said.
Harry had noticed that her red hair was so long it almost reached the floor. Now, the two twintails she wore it in reached out like tentacles. One stretched across, poking Harry on the tip of the nose. The other one sought out the pen Laki had been using, plucking it out of her hand mid-sentence. Laki scowled.
"I want to fail her," Laki whispered to Harry. "She's too weird!"
Harry gestured for patience.
Flare had retracted her hair back to her side of the table. Instead of sharing anything else about herself, she was using her hair like an extra hand, turning the stolen pen over in the air. She poked it a few times with her finger, once jabbing the sharp tip hard enough to break the skin. After that, Flare just looked at her finger, watching a single drop of blood bead and drip off.
"Why do you want to join Fairy Tail, Flare?" Harry asked.
Flare looked at him again. She cocked her head, smile fixed in place.
"I want to see new things!" she declared. "I saw one of your fliers. This seems like a place to start."
Looking to his left, Harry saw Laki shaking her head. On his right, Macao nodded vigorously, still looking at Flare's loose dress.
Sighing, Harry said, "You pass."
Flare got up and wandered to the other side of the room, though she got distracted on the way and ended up picking up a dirty ale mug, turning it over in her hands to look at all the different sides.
O-O-O
"Mary Hughes. I use Control Magic."
The pretty woman flipped some of her hair over her shoulder. Other than a shock of white above her face, the rest of her hair was purple, and her eyebrows had been carefully cut into the shape of arrows. For some reason.
"Well, Mary, tell us a bit about yourself," Harry said.
"Is there much to say? I grew up an orphan, and was fortunate to have my magical talent noticed." Mary generally wore a smile that never faded, but unlike Flare's, Mary's was a smirk. "I had a place in the Zentopia Church, and that was well and good, but I'm ready for a new challenge. What better place to start than a legendary guild looking for new legends?"
"You believe you can become a legend?" Laki asked, a challenge entering her voice as she thought of the legends they'd lost.
"I don't let barriers stand in my way for long," Mary said simply.
"What would you describe your goal as?" Harry asked.
"I despise being used," Mary said. "It's become clear that the church isn't willing to give me the kind of freedom I desire. That means I must seek it out myself." She spread her arms. "What is Fairy Tail, if not a haven for those wishing to be themselves?"
Laki made a positive note on her paper. Macao nodded approvingly. Harry looked between them, briefly squinting at Mary.
"You're through," he decided.
She stood up, still wearing her smirk, and walked to the waiting area.
O-O-O
"Yomazu. I use Orient Solid Script. A form designed for true combat."
The man sat with his hands on his knees and an intent look on his face. He was one of the members of the crowd that Harry had picked out at the start as animal-looking. Yomazu had the features of a goat, with his face clothed in brown fur and floppy ears hanging on either side of his head. He was garbed in red samurai armor, carrying a katana on his hip like Totomaru.
"Nice to meet you, Yomazu. Have you belonged to any prior guilds?" Harry asked.
"One. The Dark Guild, Grimoire Heart."
Yomazu's tone gave nothing away, nor did his face. Something about his goat features made it harder to get a read on his emotions.
"I was caught and arrested by the Magic Council. I served my sentence," Yomazu said. "After five years, I was released for good behavior. I'm ready to hone my skills once more. I promise, my abilities will not fail your expectations."
After sharing a look with his c0-examiners, Harry nodded.
"You're through, Yomazu. Show us what a second chance means to you," he said.
Yomazu bowed so low that his head sank between his knees. When he walked to join the growing group of passed trialists, he moved with a straight-spined posture, his head high.
O-O-O
The day got later. Some of those who already passed began looking anxious, while those who were rejected left more angrily than the earlier applicants, frustrated to have waited a whole day in line for nothing. Finally, the line dwindled, and the last applicant took a seat.
Harry took one look at him and raised his eyebrow.
"You didn't break out of jail to get here, did you? Because unfortunately, that would be an automatic fail."
The orange jumpsuit the man wore was unmistakable. He even had metal manacles around his wrists and ankles, though the chains that once connected them had been broken. His shaggy black hair looked to have not been cut for a long time, while his black eyes peered at Harry.
"I didn't escape. I was released yesterday," he said. Looking down at himself, the man allowed a brief grimace. "I didn't have time to change clothes. It was a close thing, getting here from Cedar Town in a day."
"That's on the opposite side of Fiore!" Laki squawked. "How could you have made that trip?"
"I'm quick when I need to be," the man said, smiling. "My name is Kageyama."
"Sounds familiar…" Macao said.
"Eisenwald," Kageyama said.
"Ah!" Macao smacked on hand against the other. "That's it!"
Harry's questioning gaze got him to explain.
"They were a pretty big Dark Guild years ago," Macao said. "There was a plot to kill all the most powerful Guild Masters at once with one of Zeref's Etherious. Kageyama got close enough to pull it off, but Makarov talked him down and got him to surrender." Macao snickered. "The old man was so proud of that one."
"He showed me how stupid I was being," Kageyama said. "I learned what I lacked. When I turned myself in, I knew what I really wanted was to be a man like that. The kind of man who makes the world better around him."
Without judgement, Harry asked, "And if you fail? I'm curious. What will you do if we don't accept you?"
Kageyama was perhaps the first person all day who didn't flinch even a little at the implication he might be rejected. He didn't look embarrassed, ashamed, angry, or insulted.
"You don't need a guild to make the world better," he said. "I came today to give back to the guild who helped me, now that they're in need. Whether I'm accepted or rejected, it won't change the man I am, or the man I'll be tomorrow." He shrugged. "Once you see things clearly, it's all simple."
He and Harry held a staring contest. Kageyama reminded Harry of a monk with his placid, firm expression. "What kind of magic do you use?" Harry finally asked.
"Shadow Magic," Kageyama said.
Harry grinned. "I look forward to seeing it in the second test."
Kageyama nodded, pleased but not celebrating, and rose from his seat.
The finalists were decided. One more test, and they'd have new recruits on their hands.
Harry stood up, spinning his wand around his fingers while Kageyama went to join the other six. Harry stretched, popping his back, and sighed happily, glad to finally be out of that stiff wooden seat.
It was time for the fun part.