The Operation Begins

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Tatsumi Port Island.

June 18, x788.

After the introductions, Takeharu led the wizards from Fairy Tail and his daughter, Mitsuru, to take seats on the previously mentioned couches. Shuji, on the other hand, stood behind the couch where the Kirijo father and daughter sat.

"Allow me to tell you a little more about the quest you've accepted." Takeharu said in a solemn tone.

"Yeah, considering it has been uncompleted for ten years, I'm pretty sure you have a lot to say." Alfonzo, acting as the group's leader, replied.

"That's right." Takeharu replied with a nod. "Before anything else, let me talk about that strange period you experienced last night. We call it the Dark Hour."

With that, Takeharu went on to explain about time stopping during the Dark Hour, normal people transmogrifying into coffins, and, perhaps the most important part of this quest, the tower that only appears during the Dark Hour. However, he was not done with just that.

"Then, there are the special magic beasts that show up only during the Dark Hour, as well." Takeharu said, nearing the end of his explanation. "We call them Shadows, and they are created from the negativity, or darkness, in people's hearts. And from what we know, normal weapons and magic do not work on them."

"So, that's why no one had ever seen the tower mentioned on the quest sheet before, huh?" Bisca asked.

"And what's up with those magic beasts?" Alzack asked in a confused tone. "What do you mean normal weapons and magic don't work on them?"

"Well, that's a bit inaccurate." Takeharu said. "We don't actually know if normal weapons work on them. Since normal people are stuck in their coffins during the Dark Hour."

"In other words, you have no idea what their weaknesses are?" Elicia asked while tilting her head in curiosity.

"That's not completely correct, either." Takeharu replied as he gave Shuji a signal. "We do know one thing that can hurt them."

With that, Shuji picked up a briefcase that was placed behind the couch where Takeharu and Mitsuru sat. Then, he handed it to Takeharu, who placed it on the coffee table between the two couches.

"With these, we've found a way to combat the Shadows." Takeharu said as he opened the briefcase.

Inside the case, there was a silver pistol. However, when the four wizards saw it, they all wore strange expression, though Alfonzo's and Elicia's were faked. Takeharu had just said that normal weapons did not work on Shadows, after all.

"Seriously? A gun?" Alfonzo asked in a tone of feigned disappointment.

"*Chuckle* I know what it looks like." Takeharu replied in an amused tone. "but I assure you, this is no normal pistol. Please, take a look for yourself."

With that, Takeharu gestured towards the pistol. And Alfonzo wasted no time picking it up. He wanted to see what it was made of, after all.

'Hmm... It's made from the same alloy used in the construction of asauchi.' Alfonzo muttered to himself internally. 'On top of that, the sigils carved into it have a limited effect of manifesting an [Armament Spirit] or something similar. The only question is, how do people give birth to Personas, which are basically Zanpakuto or [Armament Spirits]. Do they have to confront their inner selves like in P4 and P5?'

After his initial check of the pistol in his hands, Alfonzo slipped into his own thoughts, forgetting where he was. Luckily, Elicia knew him well enough to see what had happened. So, she nudged him with her elbow to bring him back to the here and now.

"Ah! Sorry about that." Alfonzo exclaimed with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. "I was just surprised how similar this thing was to some of the stuff I've come across in the past."

"That makes sense." Takeharu replied with a nod. "I've heard that you have a good relationship with the former master of Mermaid Heel, Retsu Unohana. So, it doesn't surprise me that you've seen something similar."

'Now I get it.' Alfonzo said to himself while nodding internally. 'These things are probably made from failed technology they managed to reverse engineer from where Master Unohana came from. I wanna call it Soul Society, but I'm not sure if that's right.'

At that point, Alfonzo passed the pistol to the rest of his party. And they all felt something familiar coming from the pistol, as well. However, until Takeharu mentioned it, they could not figure out what that feeling was.

"So, it's just like our [Soul Armaments], huh?" Alzack asked curiously.

"[Soul Armaments]?" Takeharu asked in a confused tone.

Not only Takeharu, but Shuji and Mitsuru also wore expressions that made it clear they had no idea what Alzack was talking about.

"It's actually the reason we can move during what you call 'the Dark Hour'." Elicia said as she lifted the wristband holding the golden, dragon motif sewing needles on her left wrist. "Fonzie made these to imitate the Zanpakuto Master Unohana wields."

"I see." Takeharu replied with a nod while his visible eye focused on the wristband.

Mitsuru was also focused on the wristband as well.

"Would it be possible for us to buy some of those?" Mitsuru asked.

In response, Alfonzo shook his head.

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Alfonzo replied. "[Soul Armaments] are one of our guild's trump cards."

"I see." Mitsuru replied in a disappointed tone.

With that, Mitsuru lowered her head. She wanted to ask if she could join the guild to get one. But she realized that was not the right thing to say. Even if she was anxious to destroy the Shadows and the tower, she would not let that desire blind her. Since she did not have the desire to be a wizard in the true sense, joining the guild would be a bad idea.

Able to see through Mitsuru's thoughts, Alfonzo smiled.

"That wouldn't' have worked, even if you were willing to join our guild." Alfonzo said. "These are only given out to newly promoted S-Class wizards. And with the amount of magic power I can feel coming from you, it would take a long time for you to reach that point."

"Anyway, what did you mean you would be working with us during this quest?" Elicia asked, trying to change the subject after seeing that Mitsuru seemed a little demoralized.

"Yes, allow me to explain." Takeharu said with a nod. "Mitsuru has awakened the ability to use what we call a 'Persona'. The power to manifest one's true self to assist them in battle. And each Persona is unique, having its own set of powers and abilities."

"So, they really are like [Armament Spirits]." Bisca muttered in interest. Then, she turned her attention back to the pistol she was holding. "But where does this come in?"

"That is what we use to bring out our Personas during battle." MItsuru replied. "It's called an Evoker."

Hearing that, Alfonzo and Elicia could tell that Alzack and Bisca expected Mitsuru to point the pistol at an enemy and fire like any other gun, despite the fact that there was no ammunition in the pistol. So, they were really looking forward to seeing their reactions when they saw how the Evoker was actually used.

"Back to the topic, Mitsuru will not be climbing the tower with you." Takeharu said. "Instead, she'll be on the ground floor, where we know that Shadows do not spawn. From there, she will guide you, as her Persona gives her some limited mapping abilities in the tower."

Hearing that, Alfonzo and Elicia exchanged glances while thinking the same thing.

'If she's gonna be leading us, that means Fuuka isn't part of S.E.E.S. yet.' The couple thought simultaneously. 'But if its already mid-June, why isn't she part of the team already? Wait, does this mean we're in a prequel arc?'

"Why don't you just give us the map ahead of time so we can study it?" Alzack asked with a slight frown on his face.

"*Sigh* It's because the floors of Tartarus change every time the Dark Hour comes." Takeharu replied while shaking his head. "So, even if we gave you a map to study, it wouldn't help at all."

Alzack and Bisca were dumbfounded when they heard that. Naturally, Alfonzo and Elicia faked similar expressions.

"So, where does this tower actually show up?" Alfonzo asked, trying to move the conversation forward. "I think it would be better for us to get there before the Dark Hour starts. That way, we'll have more time to move around in the tower."

"Agreed." Takeharu replied with a nod. "It transforms from the only secondary learning institution located on this island, Gekkokan High School."

Everything they've experienced ever since they landed on this island has done nothing less than shock Alzack and Bisca. Despite that, it never felt like they would get used to it.

"This place is so weird." Bisca muttered.

"Yeah, what makes an island have so many abnormal things on it?" Alzack asked.

In response, the Kirijo father and daughter remained silent. And had Alzack and Bisca been paying attention, they would have noticed a flicker of guilt in their eyes. Unfortunately, they were too focused on all the weird things they had experienced since they arrived on Tatsumi Port Island.

"So, is there anything else we should know?' Alfonzo asked after glancing at his overwhelmed friends for a moment.

"No, that's all the information I can give you." Takeharu replied. "If I knew anything else, I would tell you, though."

Hearing that, Alfonzo narrowed his eyes. However, he did not say anything in the end.

"If that's everything, then let's go." Elicia said excitedly as she stood up from the couch. "We've got a long time until Midnight."

Then, without giving anyone the time to react, Elicia ran around the coffee table, grabbed Mitsuru by the arm, pulled her up from her seat on the couch, and started dragging her towards the office's door.

"Huh? Hey! Wait!" Mitsuru shouted in a confused tone as she struggled to get out of Elicia's grip. "Let go! I can walk by myself!"

"We're gonna have so much fun." Elicia said, not paying any mind to Mitsuru's struggle. "So, what's your favorite style of clothing? What's your favorite color to wear? Do you like..."

Elicia quickly dragged Mitsuru out of the office, leaving Alfonzo, Alzack, and Bisca smiling wryly while Takeharu and Shuji could only look on in dumbfounded amazement. Then, the two middle-aged men turned their gazes towards the three Fairy Tail wizards as the sounds of Mitsuru struggling while Elicia bombarded her with questions echoed through the corridors of the Kirijo Group HQ.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Alfonzo said while scratching the back of his head. "Lici's just going to take her somewhere where she can take your daughter's measurements and design a few outfits for her.... Whether she wants to or not..."

The dumbfounded expressions on Takeharu and Shuji's faces remained after Alfonzo's explanation. And to be honest, he could not really blame them. So, he just stood up and got ready to leave, as well.

"Well, I guess we'll get going." Alfonzo said. "We shouldn't have any problem finding the school you mentioned. So, we won't need a guide."

Then, without giving the two a chance to reply, Alfonzo gestured for Alzack and Bisca to follow him. Then, the two left the Kirijo Group's headquarters and headed back to their hotel. However, when they got there, Elicia was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, because she did not want any accidents to happen while Elicia was taking her measurements, Mitsuru strongly refused going back to the hotel where the others stayed. So, she led Elicia to the villa where she lived with her father, when she was not at school, as she stayed in a dorm Gekkokan High School. In fact, she should have been at school right now. But since this was so important, she asked for a day of leave.

Like that, time passed quickly. After disappearing with Mitsuru, Elicia did not return to the hotel. However, Alfonzo and the others were not worried. They figured that Elicia had gotten carried away with making clothes for Mitsuru, which was correct. But ever since the day she made herself and Alfonzo late for their first B-Class quest, she never let her passion get in the way of her job again. So, they knew they would see her at Gekkokan High School before midnight.

Ten minutes before midnight, Alfonzo, Alzack, and Bisca had gathered outside the front gate of Gekkokan High School.

"I thought Lici would be here by now." Bisca muttered as she looked at the clock tower in the town.

"Don't worry, she'll be here on time." Alfonzo said with a smile. "IN fact, she's on her way here now. And she's with Mitsuru."

*Vroom!*

As if waiting for Alfonzo to say that, the sound of an engine could be heard fast approaching. Then, after a few seconds, the vehicle could be seen. And it was a white motorcycle with two people riding atop it.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Alzack muttered. "I thought only Master Unohana was the only lady on Ishgar who was into motorcycles."

Eventually, the white motorcycle, that looked like a Honda CBR 1000RR pulled up next to the trio. Then Mitsuru, who was driving, and Elicia, who was hugging Mitsuru's waist took off their helmets.

"See, I told you we wouldn't be late." Elicia said with a smile as she climbed down from Mitsuru's motorcycle.

"We would have been here even earlier if you had just listened to me." Mitsuru replied in a disgruntle tone.

"But then you wouldn't have had that riding suit, would you?" Elicia asked with a cheeky smile on her face.

As Elicia said, instead of the sleeveless turtleneck and white pants she was wearing earlier in the day, Mitsuru was now wearing a black, leather motorcycle riding suit with red and white accents, which made her look incredibly sexy.

"Yes, I would have." Mitsuru replied as she swung her leg from over the motorcycle's seat. "Because you had already given it to me. But you forced me to wear it, even though it was already time for us to leave."

In response, Elicia smiled innocently while whistling a tune as she clung onto Alfonzo's arm. This only caused Mitsuru, who was strict with herself and others, to glare at her. Meanwhile, Bisca leaned close to Alzack and whispered into his ear.

"Should I ask Lici to make me an outfit like that?" Bisca asked in a seductive tone.

"Huh? But you don't have a--- Oh~~~~!" Alzack replied before he understood what Bisca was getting at. Then, he nodded his head vigorously with a lecherous smile on his face.

Like that, the group continued to wait for midnight. Then, when it finally arrived, the atmosphere on the island changed once again. However, an even bigger change started on the other side of the Gekkokan High School's gate.