Midsummer Festivities[Event]

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With a flash of chaotic energy, and a ripping sound air being sucked into a vacuum a dark figure appeared within the sunlit streets of Magnolia. He was dressed… stranger than usual. His normal black pants, and sleeveless black vest, white wrappings, and black scarf were nowhere to be seen. In the space of his normal attire was a slick black short sleeved kimono. The front was open leaving a large portion of his chest showing, and his lock crimson hair was drawn back into a high ponytail. His weapons were no were to be seen, and to anyone watching he would seem to be but a normal festival goer, dressed for the occasion.

Markus could feel drained with even the slight use of magic, in Void, the current festivities and magical workings did not affect him. However, now that he had returned to Earthland, he could feel the pull of the summer solstice, the weakening of his dark magic. In fact, that is what brought Markus to where he was now. The solstice made him too weak to continue his quest, he could not very well take out the next stronghold in his weakened state, and rather than spend the time within void the idea came to him to check on a particular white-haired individual.

As Markus walked up to the house, he took a deep breath. His knuckles hanging inches from the door. For a brief moment, the chaos mage debated whether or not he should just head home. After all, it had been a while since he had seen her, before fully leaving she had been… distressed, though she seemed better during her birthday.

Without thinking any more, his knuckles would rasp twice upon the door.

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Markus did not end up waiting long, after his knuckles had rasped against the door and fell to his side. Still however, he couldn’t help but wonder, what if Nessa was not even home. What if she was already celebrating, or out, or even on a mission. Not being in Fairy Tail any more meant Markus really had no idea where, or when, she might be available.

However, that brief thought proved to be a useless worry as soon as the door opened. Suddenly, Markus found himself face to face with the person he had come to see. A brief glance told her immediately, his worries were unfounded. She looked better, far better than she had the night they confronted Mythal. Taking a breath Markus would listen to her question before glancing at his own appearance, suddenly realizing he looked a far cry different that what she probably expected.

Still, the chaos mage adopted his cocky grin, and uncaring attitude before steeling himself and his emotions. “Nessa… Why am I not surprised to find you at home?...” Markus started simply, giving himself a second to think. “I could use company for the festivities… and you should get out of the house, be certain to eat…” Markus said, a little harder than he meant to, referring to when he had first left.

“Besides, it is too dangerous to continue with my… goals… Right now, I feel weakened with the Summer Solstice, and well… Now im here.” Markus finished ungracefully, trying to answer her question, and get his point across. He hated talking about himself, and his magic. He hated even more admitting to a weakness, but he trusted his fellow mage.

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Markus would watch with a curious look as the Starlight Maidens eyes would seem to brighten, not with magic, but with joy. She would smile wider, look at him before suddenly stepping forward and giving Markus a quick embrace. Without thinking, the chaos mage not use to such overt sighs of affection would freeze in place, holding his breath for the smallest of instances before Nessa would release him stating that she would in fact be joining him. As she rushed off to get read Markus would stare blackly at the spot that remained, wondering still. What had happen.

It was not until Markus’ eyes fell upon Richard as he poked his head out of the doorway that Markus caught up with his own mind. As the older man walked up to him Markus would nod back. “Good to see you as well Richard.” The chaos mage would start simply, never one for social orders. “I am doing well, and yourself?” Markus answered as the older man placed his hand upon his shoulder.

Glancing towards the appendage before looking back at the man he would listen to what she had to say. Markus would look serious as the man spoke. “I understand why you are thanking me, but there is no need. Especually not when… I am certain I was part of the problem.” The chaos mage said honestly, “I was leaving Fairy Tail, my path taking me elsewhere. It was not till after I saw her… change… that I stepped in.” The chaos mage would say. “But, I too am glad to see that she is doing better.”

Markus was never one to lie, not unless needed, and if he was honest, he saw no reason to withhold any information from the older man. Besides, he did not feel he deserved the gratitude, and definitely did not see things the same way as Nessa seemed to.

The chaos mage ended up not waiting long, his slayer senses picked up her footsteps before he saw her. Even though he knew she was coming, he could feel the quickening of his heart, and knew without meaning he took a sharp intake of breath when she came into view. She was wearing a beautiful pale blue kimono, and her hair had been changes slightly. As she spoke, Markus could catch a tone to her voice, yet he ignored it.

Markus wasted no time with his response, this time however realizing his usual complement would not do her justice. “You look absolutely stunning, gorgeous.”

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Markus had listened to every word the older man said, taking in the statements without fully believing in their meaning. It is easy to confuse a situation, and Markus knew the truth always lay somewhere in the middle. Still, he appreciated the sentiment, and nodded as the man finished.

The next statement however would cause an eyebrow to raise in amusement, or even curiosity. He had spoken the truth after all, surely, he was not acting in any way that seemed… Googly?... right… The chaos mage thought to himself as he heard the sweet, but venomous laughter of the being that shared his mind. Though other than that, she seemed to remain quite on the subject.  The next series of events however caused total confusion for the progeny, he was pulled and moved one way, followed by a flash of light, and a brief ‘edgelord’ comment. He completely failed to add a smile to whatever was expected, but kept up his generally demeanor as the flash soon followed.

He was still blinking, trying to catch up with this family when the next thing he knew, he was being pulled from his hand hurrily out the door. He could hear the chuckling of Nessa’s father even as they left the house, his slayer hearing picking up the final detail before Nessa spoke, her hand still within his own. Something he had yet to fully register.

In truth, the chaos mage had not planned this far. He was not even sure if she would be home, and part of him hoped that would have been the case, the entire festival scene was far from one Markus knew anything about. The last, and only, Festival he took part of was the Fairy Festival, and even that was from the sidelines. How was he supposed to… ‘lead the way’?

"Alright... lets go."

In the end, Markus did what he did best and just went with the flow. He started walking, and once he saw people, we went to join them. The day was bright, and the sun was warm on his pale skin, he was glad that his garb was opened in such away, allowing what breeze there was to cool his chest and body.

As they walked, Markus having not dropped her hand, they suddenly heard a voice call out.

“Oih, Look at this couple! Acting like they haven’t a care in the world!” A quick glance would show Markus that the man was sitting on a board over a large tub of water. He could make out a target of some sorts, and could see people were laughing. Markus wondered if this man was some sort of comedian. “Look at his arms! I bet he couldn’t throw a ball and dunk me to save his girlfriends life.” The man would say, very pointily towards the two mages. Markus’ eyes would narrow, not understanding why someone would insult him in such a way. Besides, the man also fully misunderstood the nature of their relationship. Obviously, they were not together together.

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The chaos mage found himself looking at the white-haired woman who held his hand, almost as much as the festivities and excitement that surrounded them. He could see her glancing about excitedly taking in the sights, the sounds, and the atmosphere. Her excitement, and merriment was almost addictive. Markus soon enough found himself forgetting about his doubts and worries, at least for a moment. For a brief moment, the chaos mage took a deep breath, and relaxed.

At least… until he heard someone calling out to him. His eyes narrowing, a flash of energy would spur within his dark irises, and he would take a step forward. Just as Nessa did the exact same thing, with a raised eyebrow he watched as the ace of Fairy Tail started to speak. Markus would listen as she defended him, and spoke of what he ‘could’ do. He had to hide a small grin as she offered to take a shot. After all, her power was even greater than his own, as an Ace, a Wizard Saint, and an X Rank Mage. She certainly didn’t need his protection… at least, as long as she was eating properly.

Markus took a few steps forward, but kept his distance as she walked over to the stall and grabbed the small round balls. Markus watched silently, his eyes once more narrowing as the man continued to insult Nessa. However, he remained motionless watching the reaction Nessa had. He knew, soon this man would regret his decision to bother the two advanced mages… not that he knew who they were. Though he was soon to learn, the chaos mage winced when he felt the power flow from Nessa, a fierce aura of magical proportions, Markus could see the man start to visibly shake, his human form reacting to the aura of a full mage.

The rest of the scene went about as well as Markus would expect. Nessa, in her radiant way, would still cause the man to fall into the water, and the machine needing a quick fix to return to working order. As Nessa skipped back to him, a smile plastered upon her face his eyes, Markus would look towards the man with his incredulous face. Suddenly, Markus’ eyes would spark with a dark energy, chaotic magic flooding forth. A single crack would appear on the glass as Markus spoke out, his voice mixed with another.

“My ‘Girlfriend’” they stared, emphases added to the word, “certainly doesn’t need my help.” The chaos progeny would say as his aura died down and his arm would wrap around Nessa. He would turn to her as she spoke up, a smile on his own face. “Let’s go.” He would say, his voice back to normal, he did not mean to damage the glass, and knew it was his magic acting up with the magic in the air.

As they walked, they passed various festival events, and other interesting sights, from a dance troop, to a balancing act. Markus was noticing the large amount of food, and various venders about when his eyes fell upon a rather large tub filled with delicious apples. With a quick memory to the first night Markus had met Nessa, he led the two to the tub before reaching down, getting his hand wet in the cold water. He would grasp an apple, and lift it up to find a vendor when suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his wrist, causing him to drop the delicious looking price back into the pool.

“Wha’cha doin youon!” Markus heard a sharp elderly voice speak up, looking up his steel eyes would meet those of an elderly lady, her hair greyed with age, and her eyes white with blindness. Yet, somehow, she had accurately hit his hand. It was perplexing. “Ya gotta win un like all deh otters.” She would bark, her voice not mean, but stern.

Standing Markus would give Nessa a quick glance before speaking up, his voice betraying how little he knew about festivals. “Win? How would I do that?” the chaos mage asked looking for balls.

“Not a festival un eh?” The woman would ask, looking at Nessa. “Ya gotta get an apple with only ya teeth!” She would explain, pointing at the tub with her cane. Markus would once more look at Nessa, wondering if this was some elaborate joke, when he realized, he still wanted to get an apple.

Taking a deep breath, he would reach over to his kimono and drop if off his shoulder, letting it fall down to his waist, caught by his sash, leaving his torso bare. He did not want to get the item wet after all. Taking a deep breath, he would lean forward rapidly, plunging his head into the ice-cold water, searching a bit before his moth bit around one of the apples. As he came up, his long hair would flick behind him, sending a splash of water towards anyone too close, before landing flatly on his back, dripping down his spine. Water would fall from his lips and face, down his chest as he looked triumphantly at the elderly woman, then to Nessa.

Reaching up, he would take a bite of the apple realizing it was certainly one of, if not the best, he had ever had. Its flavor was just magical. He looked towards Nessa, handing her the morsel, “You must try this.”

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Markus’s let Nessa take the apple from his hand, and watched as she seemed to enjoy the delisious taste just as much as he himself did. Taking the moment to rerobe himself, he would pull the garment he was wearing back over his shoulders, pulling his damp hair from the collar and laying it upon the side of his neck. He could feel the cool water drip down his chest.

Taking back the apple he would watch as she reached up and moved the remaining strands of water from his face, and would keep eye contact as she stepped forward. For just a moment, the chaos mage debated stepping into her arms… before allowing the thought to fade, remembering that they were ‘just friends’.

As the two turned away, determined to carry on with the festivities, Markus lost in thought was brought back into reality when someone ran directly into Nessa. Glancing about he suddenly realized, the entire area was thrown into chaos. Glancing about the chaos mage would see various people running, and he would catch the screams of terrified sould.

… Markus sighed deeply, obviously annoyed. With a deep breath he would hear a voice in his mind. ‘Progeny… You must be careful. You are weakened, and in this state, you are in danger. There is something… more.’ The voice was that of a woman, Aporia speaking up for the first time in the day. Markus, his mind already at work ignored the warning.

Markus watched as beautiful feminine creatures started their attack, their magic a polar opposite to his own, even from this distance he could tell they were powerful, but he knew it would be nothing he couldn’t handle. As Nessa surged forward, her auric energy flaring brightly Markus had to squint his eyes feeling the force of it. As she surged away Markus would pull chaotic energy to his hands, filling his already depleted reserves surge within him, a feeling of exhaustion would wave over him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward…

Just as he did, he watched as a green light formed in the center of the arena. Wasting no time Markus surged forward, his magic propelling him at a rapid speed, his hand balled. He was determined to stop whatever was stepping through, and planned to waste none of his power. His fist surged forward as a head emerged from the light, changing his trajectory the chaos mage struck forward…

Only to stop suddenly, his momentum coming to an end in an instant. He would hear a snap as his shoulder was dislocated. Eyes wide he would watch as a massive clawed hand was now holding him. The face which looked at him had green eyes, and horns. Stepping through the portal the creature would stand at full height, its eyes looking at Markus, pulling him off the ground.

The creature stood easily twice the height of the chaos mage, and the eyes that looked at him were wild, and beastile. It would move the chaos mage closer, holding him by his dislocated shoulder Markus would cry out. With a deep sniff the creature would smell Markus before adopting a look of discus.

With a simple movement of its arm the creature would toss Markus like a doll. They would fly meters away landing on the far end of the clearing, a sharp pain entering his side. Slowly rising back up, the chaos mage would take a labored breath, his eyes flooding with chaotic magic, as he started to pull more power from the Void.

‘Progeny… You can not lose yourself to rage here. You must take my power before you get…’ The rest of whatever was said to Markus was lost as magic exploded at his feet. Markus would move forward faster than even many of his spells, the magic he was using dedicated to a devastating attack, his aura would flare out, his full power on display… anyone who watched the chaos mage would however see the fluxuations of his aura, and any proficient mage would be able to tell… something was wrong.

A blast of chaotic energy was to fire from Markus’ hands as he moved, exploding in a massive display of power as they collided with the creature. Dust and smoke were kicked up, obscuring the view, a black cloud of miasma forming from the attack, corruption the area. As Markus surged into the cloud, determined to end the threat he would feel a massive pain and suddenly be launched backwards as the creature lazily backhanded the chaos mage.

Markus found himself once more airborne, and felt a sharp pain as he smashed into a nearby stall, the remains collapsing on his unmoving form. His vision would blur and then fade as a form appeared in his minds eye. ‘Progeny…’ The voice of the Nephilim would ring out as her beautiful form appeared before him. ‘Why do you hesitate? I have offered my power… and now look at you….’ She would scoff looking at him with disgust. ‘Your weakness is going to get you killed. Why don’t you sleep for a bit.’ She would say as Markus started to fade.

‘Do not worry… I will handle this…’ The voice faded away.

Suddenly, the stall which had collapsed would explode with a magical force of pure dark energy and chaotic fluctuations of matter. Once more the body of Markus would be standing. She would look down at the hand she now controlled, and smile. Aporia had not been in control in a while. Looking up, she would cock her head, adopting a carefree smile, her chaotic nature plastered within the glowing black eyes.

The body she controlled would have changed, its form fully adopting to the takeover. Black wings would have sprouted from his back, and his skin would have gained in bulk, turning pale and angelic in nature. His hair would be streaked with black, and the upper part of his kimono would be shredded from the armor which formed upon his body, and the wings which extended outwards, pure black and beautiful. They would flex, as Aporia got used to his body.

Holding out her hand she would say something in an ancient language lost to time, speaking to the Primordial both she and Markus followed she would open a portal into the void, from which would come two items. The first being a large spelltome made of warn leather, as it entered this world, Aporia would feel her magic grow stronger, and feel the replishing nature of the void. The second item was a spear, a weapon the Nephilim had not used in a very… very long time.

Surging forward she would pluck the spear from the air and hold it towards the creature that had damaged Markus so much. With an explosion of energy, the form of Markus would disappear, suddenly appearing behind the monstrous form. With two strikes of her weapon she would cut its legs out from under it, cutting the tendons in its back. As the creature fell, a cry of pain upon its lips the spear would change, a second point appearing before a black aura of immense power would flood from its form.

As Aporia would send the weapon into the back of the creature, she would watch as its life left its eyes, a smile upon the face she currently controlled. “Filthy Creature. How Dare you harm my vessel.” The voice would say, once more a combination of Markus and Aporias voices.

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