Hey guys this one is slightly shorter then the others due to it feeling better to end it where I did. Also I have revoked my decision to take Brandish out as a love interest and after thinking on it found a way to make it work. So I hope you all enjoy.
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Varion decided they would set camp right there in the ruined clearing. He quickly cleared a small area with a sweep of stellar energy, creating a safe perimeter and a basic fire pit. He then walked over to the large rock where Ultear had hidden the unconscious pink-haired girl — Meredy. She was still deeply asleep, breathing steadily. Varion gently picked her up, cradling her small body carefully in his arms, and carried her back to the camp.
He laid her down on a soft patch of ground he had prepared, then turned to Ultear, who was still pressed against the tree, trembling.
"If you leave this camp," he said, his voice cold and absolute, "I will hunt you down and kill you. Do you understand?"
Ultear nodded rapidly, tears still streaming down her face, her body shaking with fear. "Y-Yes… I understand…"
Varion stared at her for a moment longer, making sure she knew he was serious, then turned away.
"I need to deal with the other dark guilds in the area before they destroy anything else. Stay here. Don't move."
Without another word, he spread his wings and launched into the sky, disappearing into the distance at maximum speed.
The next 14 hours were a relentless blur.
Varion tore across the entire region like a silver comet, moving from village to village without rest. Wherever he found dark guilds causing havoc — raiding, burning, kidnapping — he descended like judgment itself. He didn't hold back. Star Dragon's Roars lit up the night sky, Comet Fists shattered dark mages mid-spell, Wing Attacks sliced through their ranks. He moved with terrifying efficiency, taking down entire dark guilds in minutes, leaving only the unconscious or the dead behind.
By the time the sun began to rise again, he had cleared every reported dark guild presence in the area. His body was exhausted, his magic reserves were low, down to roughly 20% of his full power. His cloak was covered in small specks of blood, his muscles burned with fatigue, and his breathing was slightly heavy as he finally turned back toward the camp.
He flew slower on the return trip, the weight of the long, brutal night pressing down on him. When he finally landed back in the clearing, his wings folding away, he looked worn out — dirt, ash and blood streaked across his face, his clothes torn in place, but his eyes were still sharp.
Ultear was exactly where he had left her, sitting against the tree, Meredy still asleep beside her. She looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes as he approached.
Varion dropped to the ground near the fire pit. "It's done. The other guilds in the area are finished."
He reached into his bag, pulling out some preserved rations and a water conditioner. He tossed a small portion and a water bottle toward Ultear.
She caught them with shaky hands, whispering a quiet, "Thank you…" before taking a small sip.
Varion stared at her for a long moment, taking her in. She was developed and curvy for her age, with long black hair framing a striking face. The more he looked, the more something nagged at him — she looked eerily like Ur, the ice magic teacher Gray had told him about and even shown him a picture of once during a late-night talk.
Finally, he spoke. "What's your full name?"
Ultear looked up, surprised by the question. "…Ultear Milkovich."
Varion's eyes widened slightly. "Milkovich? Are you related to Ur Milkovich?"
Ultear froze, her expression shifting from fear to shock. "How… how do you know that name?"
Varion leaned forward a little. "A kid at my guild — Gray Fullbuster — was taught by her. He mentioned she had a daughter who died from illness before she took him and her other student in. He said the death of her daughter hit her really hard."
Ultear's face went through a rapid series of emotions — confusion, disbelief, then a sudden explosion of raw pain and anger.
"That's a lie!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "She replaced me… she… she abandoned me! She—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as the words sank in. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The timeline, the way Ur had abandoned her in the magic research institute, the stories Gray had told Varion… everything clicked into place like a horrifying puzzle.
Ultear's hands started shaking violently. Her breathing became ragged as the realization hit her like a physical blow.
"She… she didn't replace me?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "I was… I was alive. She thought I was dead?"
Tears poured down her face as the weight of years of lies and manipulation crashed down on her all at once. She curled in on herself, sobbing harder than before, the pain of betrayal and lost time tearing through her.
Varion watched Ultear break down, her body shaking violently as the weight of years of lies and manipulation finally crashed down on her. The raw grief in her sobs, the way she curled in on herself like she wanted to disappear — it hit him harder than he expected.
She wasn't all bad. She had been lied to. Traumatized. Used as a tool by Hades, fed false hope about saving her mother. She had done terrible things, but she had also tried to protect Meredy when no one else would. She was broken, not evil.
He moved without thinking.
Varion gently reached out and pulled her into his arms, drawing her trembling body against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, one hand resting on the back of her head, the other around her shoulders, holding her close as she sobbed. He didn't say a word. He just held her, letting her cry into his shirt, his presence steady and warm.
Ultear stiffened at first, surprised by the contact, but then she broke completely. Her hands fisted into his cloak as she buried her face against his chest, her sobs growing louder and more desperate. Years of pain poured out of her — the abandonment, the lies, the guilt, the horror of what she had helped cause.
Varion held her tighter, his own chest aching in sympathy. He knew what it felt like when your entire world shattered. He had lived it the day he lost Veldanava. The feeling of everything you believed in crumbling, the guilt of surviving when others didn't, the desperate search for something to hold onto… he understood, even if only in a different way.
So he stayed silent, simply being there, letting her cry until the worst of it passed. The night air was still around them, the only sounds were her muffled sobs and the distant crackle of dying embers.
-later-
Ultear's sobs gradually subsided, her body going limp as the emotional storm finally broke. She slumped against Varion's chest, her head resting heavily on his shoulder, too exhausted to pull away. He held her steady, his arms still wrapped around her, giving her the time she needed to catch her breath. The clearing was silent now, save for her ragged breathing and the distant rustle of leaves in the wind.
After a long moment, she lifted her head slightly, her tear-streaked face looking up at him with a mix of fear and resignation. "What… what happens to me now?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and broken.
Varion loosened his hold but kept a firm grip on her arms, his expression unreadable as he met her gaze. "You have two options. One: I take you straight to the Magic Council, and you rot in jail for what you've been part of."
Ultear's eyes widened, fresh tears welling up as she shook her head weakly. "Please… no…"
"Two," Varion continued, "I take you to master Makarov at Fairy Tail and He decides what to do with you. Maybe he'll let you into the guild, considering you haven't personally killed anyone innocent… right?"
She nodded hastily, her hands clutching at his sleeves. "Yes! I haven't—I swear! I"
Varion studied her for a second, then nodded. "But that'll be up to him. Not me."
His eyes shifted to Meredy, the pink-haired girl still asleep nearby. "As for her… I'll be taking her. She can live at my place with the other kids. And if Makarov decides you're safe, you can stay there too—for now, or until you do something that makes me kick you out."
Ultear swallowed hard, nodding again. "I… I understand."
Varion's voice turned cold, his grip tightening just enough to emphasize his words. "But don't get this confused. I'm not trusting you. I'll be watching you constantly. You slip up, go back to doing dark guild stuff, or even think about betraying us… I'll ship you to the Magic Council so fast it's not funny. Got it?"
She nodded rapidly, tears spilling over again. "G-Got it… I won't… I promise…"
He released her fully then, standing and stepping back, his eyes still hard but the immediate threat gone. For now.
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Hey guys one more thing im in the process of writeing another fanfic but this one is is a mha one. So im just letting yall now to build interest in it before hand. I plan to release 2 chapters initially with 2k words each then 2 a week per week 1k words so it doesn't interfere with this fic. The mc has the quirk command T if yall are interested check it out Monday.