Fairy Tail Guild
The Guild was buzzing with the usual noise, but a new topic had seized everyone's attention.
Wendy had a cat!
A white talking cat named Carla, who wore dresses and spoke with the haughty elegance of a princess.
Everyone was curious about where Wendy had found her.
"I want one too!" Max shouted. "Where is the cat store?"
Unfortunately, asking Wendy yielded no results.
"Raizel-san found her," Wendy would explain innocently.
Since Raizel was currently "in hiding" (training in the forest to avoid his fans), there was no one to ask.
The guild members had to drop the matter, though envy lingered in the air.
It's a shame Natsu isn't around, some members thought.
Natsu was off on a mission with Happy. If he were here, maybe Happy and Carla could have had an early romance.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.
"Eh... this feeling again..."
A heavy drowsiness washed over the room.
Members slumped onto tables mid-sentence. Macao's head hit the bar with a thunk. Wakaba's pipe fell from his mouth.
Within seconds, the entire guild was asleep.
The heavy wooden doors creaked open.
A figure wrapped in layers of cloth and bandages, carrying multiple staves on his back, walked in.
Mystogan.
"Master," Mystogan said, his voice muffled by his mask. "I'm here to submit the mission."
He walked past the sleeping bodies to the bar, where Makarov and Ur were the only ones still awake (thanks to their immense magic resistance).
"Good work," Makarov nodded, taking the paperwork.
He stamped it quickly.
"By the way," Makarov added, looking up. "There is someone who wants to see you."
Mystogan paused.
"Raizel," Makarov said. "He is in the East Forest training grounds. He asked me to tell you to go meet him... if you are willing."
After Raizel spoke with Carla, he had left this message with Makarov.
He made it clear it was an invitation, not an order.
"Raizel?" Mystogan frowned beneath his mask. "Why does he want to see me?"
"He didn't say," Makarov shrugged, closing his eyes. "He just said it's important. The choice is yours."
Mystogan stood silent for a moment. Raizel was one of the S-class mage of Fairy Tail.
"Alright," Mystogan said.
He turned and vanished into a swirl of mist.
...
East Forest
The afternoon sun filtered through the canopy.
Raizel sat cross-legged on a flat rock in the middle of the lake, meditating.
From a distance, a figure emerged from the trees.
Mystogan stopped.
He had heard Raizel's name often while traveling across Ishgar to stop the Anima portals.
The "Knight" was famous.
"Sleep Magic: Misty Fall."
Mystogan tapped one of his staves. A wave of potent sleeping magic rippled through the clearing.
Thump.
Raizel clenched his right fist and slammed it hard against his own thigh.
The sharp pain jolted his nervous system, fighting off the sudden drowsiness.
"Hey thats kinda effective," Raizel muttered.
He stood up and looked toward the trees.
"In Magnolia, you'd have to be an idiot not to know it was you, Mystogan."
Mystogan walked out of the shadows. Seeing that his magic hadn't knocked Raizel out, he didn't press the attack.
"Nice to meet you," Mystogan said warily. "I am Mystogan."
"Nice to meet you. I am Raizel."
Raizel stood on the water's surface, his magic—keeping him afloat.
"What did you want to talk about?" Mystogan asked, cutting to the chase.
"I wanted to discuss Edolas with you."
The air froze.
Even with his face covered, Raizel could see the flinch.
The panic in Mystogan's eyes was palpable. He was still young, not yet the hardened guy he would become.
"You know about Edolas?" Mystogan's tone was laced with disbelief.
Raizel shrugged. "The existence of another world isn't some top-secret government file. A lot of high-level mages know about it. Even the Council probably has records."
Whether the Council knew everything was debatable, but the power gap between Earthland and Edolas was so immense that the Council likely didn't consider the magic-less world a threat worth intervening in.
"What do you want?" Mystogan asked, sitting cross-legged on the shore, mirroring Raizel's posture but keeping his guard up.
"I know you've been stopping Anima portals across various regions," Raizel said, nodding respectfully.
"Honestly, I'm grateful to you. You're cleaning up a mess that isn't even your fault."
'He even knows about Anima?' Mystogan was inwardly startled.
"I also know," Raizel continued, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips, "that you are the Prince of Edolas, Jellal."
Mystogan stiffened.
"Who exactly are you?"
Mystogan leaped to his feet, grabbing three of his staves.
His stance was aggressive. His secret identity was his life's safeguard.
Raizel waved a hand dismissively, not even bothering to draw a weapon.
"Sit down, Prince. First, you can't defeat me. Second, your identity doesn't matter to me. Third... I want to collaborate with you."
"Collaborate?"
Mystogan hesitated.
He sensed the immense magical pressure radiating from Raizel. It was true; fighting him would be unwise.
Slowly, he lowered his staves.
"If there comes a day when you can't stop a Super Anima," Raizel said seriously, "come find me. I want to go to Edolas and resolve this issue permanently."
Mystogan stared at him.
"I won't ask you to agree right now," Raizel added. "Because I know you're still hoping to save your world without drastic measures. You hope to persuade your father, the King, to stop."
Mystogan looked down.
He loved his world. He didn't want to destroy Edolas.
His efforts to stop Anima were to prevent his father from committing genocide against Earthland, not to doom his own people.
He needed time—time to find a way for Edolas to survive without magic.
Raizel admired him.
It took guts to stand against your own king and father for the sake of morality.
"I understand," Mystogan said slowly. "If I truly can't stop it... I'll contact you."
"Good."
Raizel had another reason for this alliance.
He didn't know how to safely travel to Edolas.
Charging into an Anima portal without preparation could turn him into a giant Lacrima crystal.
He needed X-Balls—the pills that allowed Earthland mages to retain their magic in Edolas.
Only Mystogan had them.
"Also," Raizel added, "I won't be going alone. If we go, we go to win. Your world has powerful enemies. I'll bring backup."
Mystogan nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"If you need assistance gathering information in Earthland to help your people, let me know," Raizel offered.
"My magic allows me to search for data across the continent instantly. Archive Magic."
He gave Mystogan a knowing look.
"You need to find a sustainable energy source for Edolas, don't you? Information is key."
Mystogan was stunned.
Raizel was offering him the keys to the library of the world.
"Thank you," Mystogan said, his voice heavy with gratitude. " truly."
"No need," Raizel shook his head. "Like I said, I should be thanking you for protecting our world."
"Then, I'll take my leave." Mystogan bowed slightly.
He turned and walked deeper into the East Forest, away from the town.
Raizel watched him go.
'That direction..'. Raizel narrowed his eyes. 'He's heading toward Porlyusica's cabin.'
'I wonder if he knows about her? That she is the Edolas Grandeeney?'
'It would make sense. A lost prince seeking out the only other exile from his world.'
Raizel stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.
"Well," he muttered to himself. "Another seed planted for the future."