Bridges Burned To Ash;; Intro

Even when things did not change or move locations she had difficulty finding them. When something had moved locations and changed its purpose, well that made finding the location next to impossible for her. “Are you sure boy?” her small voice spoke up as they stopped on the edge of some town. “Yerf, yerf.” the large blue wolf nodded that he was indeed sure the place she searched for was somewhere within the city ahead of them. He had never been wrong before, yet, she hoped he was because she didn’t actually want to find where she was looking for this time. Part of this? Had been the large wolves idea. Considering he had recently gained the ability to turn into a humanoid man when the urge struck, he got his way this time around. Sure, he was happiest and perfectly content remaining her barking wolfy companion and guardian, but if he needed to she had no doubt he’d transform.

“Dragonbane Avenue, that’s.. interesting.” she could remember the last time that she had been in this town, it had been in shambles. At least the rebuild seemed to have gone well! Since there didn’t appear to be much lasting damage, maybe the bad blood from that day would be less than anticipated. Unconsciously she touched the brown duffle bag sitting on his back in front of her, making sure it didn’t go anywhere against her own knowledge. Within that case? Existed a protection of sorts, albeit the object contained was far from wonderful. “Let’s go boy.” she nodded slightly, seeing that they were in front of a building that read fairy tail on the front of it, no one could mistake where she currently was as anything other than her goal location.

A small ruckus would be heard as a large wolf strode up to the appointment desk and the young mage there clearly didn’t know what to make of it. “Frey Rune. I need an appointment with an Ace or the Guildmaster.” it was only when she spoke up that the one behind the desk finally noticed the wolf wasn’t alone. Upon his back? Sat a girl barely past her toddler years with light bouncy green hair and bright eyes. “I have something that was stolen from the guild to return.” pay no heed to the fact she was technically the thief in the first place. Of course, anyone newer would likely have no idea how someone who looked to only be around four could even had gotten mixed up like that.

…

It was morning now. What felt like an old dream of the past had turned into subconscious images in his head that quickly faded away. With light shining through the window, he assumed that the moon had turned back to normal again, in which he suddenly gained courage. Perhaps those weird phenomenon would take a break for now - and that meant that he could take one, too.

Jumping into his Toad Hermit gi, Mura would slung Kyuken and Zirconis out through the door as he dashed out himself, landing his feet firmly on the rail of the balcony and jumping down to the street. He didn’t remember anything weird having gone about with his own body or mind previously, so he just thought that most issues were solved by now. Today was ‘take-a-break-day’… he would have to inform Sorano to do that too, since she was quite a workaholic. However, upon approaching the guild headquarters, something caught his attention… a certain signature in form of two very familiar auras.

“… I-Is that-“
“The little Earth Lizard from back then… yes, she’s back. But how…?”
“*flashbacks of the attack on Magnolia and Frey’s encounter with her mother* Didn’t she reunite with her mother back then? What’s this, then? Why’s she here?”

Kyuken would turn his gaze back to Mura’s face and ask him about it, but the samurai ghost only noticed a small tear drop trickling down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off and approach the desk where she was requesting an appointment with an Ace; perfect. He was here.

He didn’t know what she expected from him… perhaps grudge, agony or hatred towards her mother now turned towards her… but Mura only had love in his heart for his dear, old guildmate who had returned. He showed that through his usual, goofy smile. Even her wolfy companion hadn't changed much since then.

“Long time no see, Frey-chan…”

Cloaked in invisibility, and frozen to the ceiling by hands and feet, Little Arcadia's long wait would have seemed to have finally paid off. Kyuken, Mura and Zirconis were all in range. HEr arm holding the the small bucket of confetti and glitter was getting tired. Yet there was someone new down below...again. Every time she went through the trouble to set up this dump stuff on your guildmates prank, some visitor would inevitably show up. Maybe it was one prank that was just not meant to be.

Dropping her invisibility, the younger than usual slayer dropped from the ceiling. A pair of dragon-like wings of hoarfrost spread from the barefoot girl's back, helping her glide to a landing just to Mura's side. Looking about five years old herself, the faerie-green eyed slayer smiled to Mura and this girla nd wolf he seemed to recognize. Without explanation of why she had a bucket of glitter and confetti, she just casually set it aside on a table. "I heard that Kyuken. I've been hearing you in my head from time to time ever since my exam. Maybe being stuck this little is your fault."

She smiled to Frey, "I should say welcome to Fairy Tail! But uh..Mura already seems ta know you and your doggie."

5 Year Old Arcadia:

Frey indeed did expect at least some sort of grudge or hatred. While she had not really hurt anyone or something like that? Marceline would have never gotten the mask without her betraying fairy tail to give it to her mother. At the very minimum she would expect they require her to show some kind of remorse for what she had done, which she had none of. The reason for her return was less sentiment or regret and more that silver and herself had agreed it was their best bet now that mother had vanished the way she did, leaving the young girl to fend for herself again. However, everything seemed much easier than she expected things to be, honestly it was kind of disgusting in spite of the smile on her face. Sheep, Mura was no better than the herds that she and silver helped herd back home before they got separated during the attack! Unable to judge one by their actions strictly, letting innate and dangerous trust guide their actions.

"I'm bringing this back." the cracked object seemed to be laying entirely dormant now, as if it no longer held any power, but it was clearly the same mask from before. "Thought if I'm right, the earth-mate seal I placed on it renders it only an average object now." everything had an innate level of magic, which her initial home called Runes and manipulated to accomplish various tasks. With those skills? She had altered the runes of the mask, causing it to be no more than some child's play toy now, absolutely no real magical affinity left unless another earth mate came along to restore it.


Ignoring Mura for a moment she turned her attention to the new girl around the same height as her, noting the frozen wings. "Your related to dragons too?" Frey had some difficulty understanding what she was, but from what she had come to understand her father was draconic while mother had still been a simple vampiric something or the other death incarnate when she was born. Regardless she was still related to a dragon as her half sister was part dragon"He's not a doggie, his name is Silver he's an ice wolf and my bonded partner." not to mention he was intelligent to the extent any of them were, able to take a shape much like theirs just simply choosing not to as they both preferred the way things always had been for the pair of them. "We share a magic between us, it's what freed me from any influence from my heritage." with that comment she looked at Mura, expecting him to understand she had been partly influenced by her heritage to stay away so long, a darkness inside overtaking her until the bond with Silver had completed itself thus cooling any evil that had taken root.

Since when did Arcadia turn out to be younger than she appeared to be? Was this a trap? “Wait, what?” Kyuken asked out confusingly, “How’s it my fault? *innocent face*” Meanwhile, Frey did seem a little relieved about something. The item that she brought with her, too… wait, that was-

Just like the one that Marceline stole from their guild back then… the Mask of… something. It was certainly the ancient artifact that, technically, their guild had stolen after defeating an old guildmaster of Savage Skull, then it returned to them through who turned out to be the mother of this little Dragon girl, and now… it’s back. “Oh… that’s the mask that we lost back then… that means…” he expressed his surprise - he clearly recognized it by its appearance, but it lacked the same magical atmosphere as back then. Maybe it was… yeah, it was obviously because of Frey’s seal on it.

Arcadia continued to greet the little girl, and Frey mentioned her magic between her and Silver, the loyal ice wolf who accompanied her ever since she first joined this guild. It reminded him; what had she been through ever since then? Last time was at the attack on Magnolia where she joined up with her mother… but now, she was here. She even looked up at him now as he was thinking about all that; her heritage from her mother and her background with her magic…

Her relationship with her mother was alike Mura’s relationship with his own ancestor, Hades… maybe that was what she was pointing at. Although, did she even know about that? He never remembered telling her, but he knew about her and her background faintly due to what he experienced. Then again, since then, Mura had seen and been through a lot; he’s experienced, and he easily saw how people felt with things, even if he couldn’t replicate those feelings inside himself. He, himself, would never allow his heritage to force anything upon him that he didn’t want. And in the end, her ice wolf companion freed her in some way…

Mura would instinctively begin to stroke Silver’s head in delight. “It’s a wonderful companion you have, Frey. Also… Kyuken,” he spoke, suddenly turning his gaze towards the samurai ghost, “Apologize. You know why.” “W-Wha-“ the samurai ghost asked out confusingly, until it got to him that, uh… they had seen some weird sides of Frey, “… Y-You know, if anyone deserves an apology, it’s you, Mura.” Mura was picking up the mask and allowing a shikigami to transport it to a hidden chamber left underground when he answered: “I can’t bother. The mask is here, so your mother probably ran into issues... what happened?”

He would pick up Frey and carry her on his shoulder given her smaller size, which was complimenting Mura's height as he was quite short for a guy his age. He felt happy being the taller one this time... although, about the mask and all; it didn’t seem like the self-proclaimed embodiment of Death to lay siege on a town just to steal one, powerful mask, then have it returned to the guild like this. Otherwise, it’d feel like a joke… something had happened between them.

Arcaida nodded to Kyuken, "Yepyepyep! Your fault! Maybe. There's a chance it could be my Dragon Seed still acting weird. So that could be your fault or the lacrima from my mom or something else entirely. But! it COULD be your fault."

The littlest slayer turned her faerie green gaze to Freya, and she nodded, "That would be a yes too.  Uhh, my mom was a dragon. Though you'd have to be as old as Zirconis to have heard of her."   She watched the seemingly unremarkable mask pass hands. Without knowing  how or why it came to be in Freya's hands, the young slayer didn't really think much of it.  

She figured with her recent promotion from intern, if it was really important she'd learn more about the mask later. Meanwhile Mura had reached the tallest by hoisting Freya up to his shoulders, so while she listened to the two catch up, Little Arcadia dragged a chair over to the reception desk to climb up. She stood up on the desk itself, claiming the tittle of tallest.