Strength to Forgive and Trust (Lance's Exam)

"When the man saw me he sent you after me. I don't know if he was controlling you or if you were acting on your own conscious but one of your spells was about to hit me and my brother tried to save me. The move ended up hitting him dead on and killing him."

Those words would continue to repeat themselves in Mari's head as she stood motionless with her arms beneath her chest, watching the sun set beyond the ocean's horizon as she stood by the edge of the cliffs. Biting her bottom lip she'd remember the situation she was in as it obviously was associated with the Era accident, realizing that what happened before was with Fredrick and his scheme's to miss use her both mind and body. That time the control Mary used must of been so strong that Mari's consciousness was lost for that time being, not able to recall anything that happened during that time.

"...I know what to do"

She spoke under her breath as she awaited Lance's arrival. She had sent a message through some of the Fairy Tail members, as she was to concerned with this situation to speak to Lance directly.

~Moment's Earlier~

"Oi can someone tell Lance that I'll await his arrival at Serene's Cliff"

She said in a emotionless tone, more or less. Some of the members looked at her in worry as she walked through the large doors into the bright light and slowly fade away as she progressed farther and the door closed behind her. A few sighed.

"It looks like being a Master is pretty stressful. Especially not really being caught up with anything and doing by instinct."

A few agreed as they nodded.

"....But then again. That's one of Mari's best traits."

He stated.

Lance sat at a table in the back alone as he thought about the moment he had a couple of days ago. He wish that she hadn't pushed him to say that but it was going to come out sometime or another. He thought about what she had said about finding your own family and put his head down on the table to think for a second, and it wasn't long until he heard a voice "Mari is waiting for you at Serene Cliff Lance!" the man yelled as Lance brought up his head. He knew she probably wanted to talk to him about what was on his mind as well so he nodded as he got up and walked out the doors of the guild hall and made his way to Serene Cliff.

On his way there he couldn't help but think about what he was going to say when he got there because just a simple Hello wouldn't really fit in this situation.

When he arrived he walked with light footsteps as he stared at the ground and then looked up to see if he was the first one there. When he saw he wasn't he walked next to Mari and sighed "What do you need?" Lance muttered as he stared up at the sky "If you want an apology then I am sorry..." he said in a low voice.

"What do you need? If you want an apology then I am sorry..."

Mari ignored Lance's plea, she'd release a large sigh before turning around and walking away. Grabbing her overcoat she'd toss it aside letting it drop to the ground, lifting dirt from the ground into the air as Mari left her arms to drop beside her, cracking her neck and standing proudly.

"Don't apologize! I should be the one to be sorry, there's a part of me that not even I am ready to reveal to the guild let alone a few people. It's been a curse with me since I could remember."

Before anything she suddenly released a large amount of magical energy that would crumble the very ground she stood upon, rising small amount of dirt and stone. A red aura would cover over her as she'd continue to increase the amount of power released, enough that even Lance would be able to feel the pressure of such strength.

"Keep those feelings of anger and regret, let them teach you further on your journey for the future! Strike me down, if you wish it! But I shall not make it easy for you! If you really want to make a difference, then prove it to me! Don't hold back!"

Mari shouted pushing on Lance wanting to show him that he shouldn't let his guard down even around her. Where she knows that even she might be the destruction of her own future, she'd be grateful to Lance if he could be the weight that pulls her heart and her mind of the path of righteousness. But for him to be able to contain her, he must first become stronger and learn to control himself.

Lance listened to Mari speak as and as she started to get a red aura around her he slid his right step back and stood ready on guard. "Keep those feelings of anger and regret, let them teach you further on your journey for the future! Strike me down, if you wish it! But I shall not make it easy for you! If you really want to make a difference, then prove it to me! Don't hold back!" she told him and he suddenly didn't feel like he wanted to kill Mari anymore. Lance shook his head slowly "I wont strike you down but I will keep the anger I hold deep inside to guide me along my path to finding the answer to questions that I have..." Lance said as it suddenly hit him that the answer to what a family was and why his brother loved Fairy Tail so much. "Guilds are supposed to help each other grow stronger, be by each others sides when things are sad. I am a part of this family now and its time for me to act like that..." he muttered as he closed his eyes and let his body erupt in an aura of black. The aura only came out when he was mad but he wasn't mad at Mari, he was mad at himself for not realizing these answers sooner.

Lance took a deep breath before crossed his arms over his chest and making a sword appear behind him "I will use this power to protect my guild and to protect the people I love..." he started as the sword started to grow a black aura around it "Dusk... BLADE!" he yelled as he threw his arms down and the sword sped towards Mari. Lance quickly flicked his hands five times and the sword split into five identical swords. He was not trying to strike Mari down but instead was trying to prove to her that he had power.

"Family is still a problem for me but I now know that I am not alone because I am a...." Lance said as he looked up at Mari with a smirk on his face "Fairy Tail wizard!" Lance ended it with a little bit of his breath taken away.

Abilities/Spells used:

"I wont strike you down but I will keep the anger I hold deep inside to guide me along my path to finding the answer to questions that I have..."

Anger filled in Mari's eyes as he heard him speak. Her power swelled as it increased even further to the point of destroying the ground beneath her very feet. Continuing to listen to him shout forward finding his ambition to continue further within the guild, allowing his members to see past his own fault as well as himself but that wasn't every thing she wanted to teach him. She watched him summon his own power within himself covering himself in a dark aura, he'd throw his arms before his chest summoning forth multiple blades crafted by the shadows themselves before thrusting them forward toward Mari.

"Dusk Blade!"

He'd shout but even Mari can feel the sense of his power being pulled back, she'd throw herself in a crouching position as a large aura surrounded her, crimson red and burning as it takes physical form before her. As the blades came in contact with her own aura they'd shatter simultaneously without making a single mark. She retracted her aura removing the physical barrier around her.

"Lance! Become the mountain unfazed by the raging winds! Be the chain that holds our sanity down to the guild. In the future many will succome their own hatred, I shall be one of those! I hope.........NO! I know you'll be there to strike the sense back into me."

She shouted as she begun to walk toward Lance with still a serious face unfazed by her emotions and words neither hers or his. Placing her hand onto his shoulder she'd look up to him.

"You don't have to think of me as your master but do think of me as a friend. Lets just start with that, huh?"

She spoke with a large smile on her face with her pink lips glistening in the sunlight. Nudging his chin she'd turn around and retrieve her over coat that she left on the ground, continuing onward back to the guild.

"Oh you passed, if you didn't realize"

She spoke again before continuing.

Lance's aura slowly grew dimmer as she spoke "Lance! Become the mountain unfazed by the raging winds! Be the chain that holds our sanity down to the guild. In the future many will succome their own hatred, I shall be one of those! I hope.........NO! I know you'll be there to strike the sense back into me." she said as she walked towards him. Lance nodded with his fists clenched "I will do whatever I can and I promise you that..." he muttered with a feint look of determination on his face. Mari placed a hand on his shoulder and Lance looked her straight in the face. "You don't have to think of me as your master but do think of me as a friend. Lets just start with that, huh?" she had said with a big smile and Lance returned the smile with a smirk and a nod "Yah... friends..." he muttered as she started to walk away.

Lance turned around and looked down from the cliff the up to the beautiful sky. Lance sat down with a smile on his face because he was no longer mad at Mari but instead he trusted her.