Filial Devotion 2

Chapter 2 : The book that writes its own story.
(by Yankee-chan and slightly me)

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The train had departed since a whole hour now. Again at least four hours before they reached the destination. Kôkô was apparently the next one after Crocus, near the mountain range to the southwest of the continent. Levy had never been in this part of Fiore, at least she will see new landscapes, it was the positive point. And she prayed that it'd be not too cold because the town was built on the mountainside.

Watching the paraded landscapes through the window with music on her ears, she imagined what could happen during this mission. Especially with that "Monster". The fight seemed inevitable now. Of course Gajeel was with her now, but it didn't prevent her to be worried... especially for him. She  was fearing the idea to fight, but she knew she'd have to do so sooner or later. She was just hoping she would be not useless. Despite the fact that Gajeel told her what he was thinking about it, she couldn't help but feel weak sometimes and she had self-confidence issues. She sighed deeply, slightly bothered by the monotony of the journey, stopped contemplating the landscape and turned to observe the Dragon Slayer, sat in front of her. His forehead set against the glass of the window, he seemed lost in thoughts too, and like her he had headphones trained on his ears. Levy wondered what kind of music he was listening, but knowing perfectly that he'll never tell her, she stared back at the outside, she didn't want him to notice that she was watching him. After a moment, tired because she had nothing to do, she closed her eyes and fell asleep during all the journey.

When the train finally stopped at their station, Gajeel shook her awake and he and Levy were the only ones to leave, that seemed strange considering the wonderful landscape they discovered when they left the trains station. They were barely out when they found themselves in the main street of the town. Built on the mountainside, it could be seen rising and losing in the sky just behind the houses. They saw a forest on the right too, a bit away from the village. On the left, the mountain chain was extended in the horizon. There was no doubt, it was because of this "monster" that no one came here, it was the only reason, the view was really beautiful. It was a bit cold, Levy was happy to have her waistcoat, but it was supportable. She didn't complain.

"What now?" Gajeel asked and stretched as he yawned, somewhat sleepy from the trip.

Levy stopped admiring the landscape and glanced at him with a doubtful expression and said, hesitant:

"Well, I guess we should go find the mayor to complete the formalities. Besides him, I can't see who would have sent this mission to Fairy Tail."

"'kay, let's go then."

Both of them walked in the main street which was cutting the town in two, noticing here and there ruins of houses. It was strange, it was just like a bomb had fallen on them, because those near them wasn't in the same state. Gajeel narrowed his eyes as he noticed this detail and sniffed the air loudly, before giving up, it was certainly not important. A few inhabitants were watching them with amazement, seeming to wonder why they were here. And it was understandable, the town as lost, just like the two mages. The city was so big and there was a very few indications. As a consequence, Levy decided to go to someone asking for directions, since the Dragon Slayer categorically refused to do so. She found a little girl playing in the street and approached her slowly as she ignored the rumblings Gajeel was regularly emitting behind her.

"Hi dear! Excuse me for disturbing you, my friend and I are searching the city hall, do you know where it is?" The young woman asked as she knelt in front of the child facing her.

When she saw "the friend"'s threatening aura, the little girl turned white and her terrified eyes widened. We could understand. The iron mage was glaring at her with a "speak or I cut your throat, vermin" look. And the blue haired woman noticed it.

"Gajeel you are scaring her, go away." She sighed.

The Dragon Slayer growled and imitated Levy's voice in a ridicule way before he turned around and left, hands in his pockets and shooting little rocks. The mage rolled her eyes before she asked the directions again. The little girl explained that the city hall was standing just a little higher, in the extremity of the street. She couldn't take her eyes out of the Dragon who offered her his back and was muttering. This fact exasperated even more the iron mage because they could have found it easily and wouldn't have needed to ask. Ignoring her friend who seemed really in a bad mood today, Levy thanked the kid and walked toward the indicated place. It was only after a while that she noticed something strange.

"Hey Gajeel, it's been a little while that a cat is following us." She whispered.

"...What?!" The mage exclaimed, astonish.

He stared at the young woman like if she was crazy and glanced behind his shoulder to check. Indeed, there was a cat. The animal was gray and rather big for its specie. However, when the cat saw the two mages had noticed its presence, it did something really suspicious. It quickly hid in another street and only let a quarter of its head to be seen and one of its weird blood-red colored eyes. The Dragon Slayer narrowed his eyes, but he shrugged it off and kept walking. Worried, Levy glanced behind her sometimes to see the same scene repeat again an again. When the two mages finally reached the city hall, the cat disappeared. Strange...

The two mages entered and approached the secretariat where a woman who reminded them Evergreen was working, looking more strict and her clothes were more... decent. Sat at a large desk standing in the middle of the room and invading all the space, she was sorting papers before putting them in weird draws.

"Er, good evening. Excuse us for disturbing you, we're here for the mission." Levy began as she took the request she brought with her.

The lady straightened, caught the request and inspected it with a calculative look. With a big smile she quickly handed it back to the mage and went knock one door on the left to announce them before they entered and the door closed behind them. They barely had the time to observe the room before a tall man in a suit rushed toward them. Half bald, he had a long funny gray mustache which ended bellow his chin, like a viking. And it was also curled. He seemed to be the prime of life considering how he moved and gesticulate.

He rushed like a fury and shook Levy's hand vigorously, nearly snatching it, but his own hand was nearly crushed when he tried the same with Gajeel and he half-calmed down. The blue haired mage quickly introduced themselves, explaining why they were here and what they could do before the man introduced himself too, smiling like he was the happiest man of the world right now.

"My name is Fiorenzo, pleased to meet you. I think you already understood it, I am the mayor of Kôkô. I'm really happy to know that such mages like you decided to help us, it's fantastic! So you are from Fairy Tail? Even here your guild is famous, its reputation is proved." He babbled.

His capacity to speak quick without stop or take a breath was just spectacular. And also annoying after a moment. Levy blushed, embarrassed by so many compliments. But Gajeel didn't feel the same.

"Yeah of course. And now, we could maybe see the fucking reason of our presence here?" He stated without any form of politeness.

The Solid Script mage glared at him with a reproachful look and he joyfully replied with one of his best annoyed expressions. Although she also wanted to start the mission as soon as possible, it wasn't a manner to cut someone in a conversation, even if it was one-sided one. Fortunately, Fiorenzo wasn't even offended and only changed the subject as he lead them in a room behind his office, filled with ancient books and objects. There was one particular book, placed under a glass bell and sealed with a large padlock. Apparently it was the book Levy was supposed to translate. Fiorenzo opened the padlock, took the book and handed it to Levy who took it carefully. Its cover was green colored, a bit faded by the years. There was just a little problem...

"Oi." Gajeel demanded as he observed the object over Levy's shoulder. "Can we really call this a book? How many pages does it contain? Ten?"

Indeed, the book was extremely thin. And that wasn't all. As she opened it slowly, Levy noticed that only one page was written. And the layout was weird. There was a contour composed by small strange symbols, forming sentences, and in the middle of the page there was other prints written bigger. Then the mayor hastened to explain everything.

"Yes it's normal. To tell the truth it's a magic book. We contacted experts from the Magic Council to examine it and they discovered that the book was writing its own story progressively due to an antic spell. They also thought that this symbols in the middle are a kind of clues or puzzle we have to solve after the translation to be able to read the sequel. And the symbol on the contour seemed to be information, like a real book."

"If they found all that, they could have translated it too, couldn't they? Any pretext to act lazy huh?" The Dragon Slayer replied.

"Unfortunately no they couldn't, because this is an unknown language, they'd never seen it before."

"We'll study it in a calm place, okay Gajeel?" The blue haired mage interrupted before the iron mage could say something stupid, even if he already said too much.

She didn't want to be in bad terms with the mayor just because of this idiot.

"Mmh." He grumbled. "Hey, I have one more question. What's this story of "unknown monster"?"

Apparently it was his turn to ask questions and the mayor's turn to answer.

"Oh, yes. To be honest it's been six months we are waiting for some mages to help us about this. But I guess they were thinking it was a joke and as a consequence no one came. So we decided to  highlight the translation to see if someone would be ready to help us."

"Yeah but it's stupid. You are telling us that you'd never seen your aggressor when it's been six months he attacked you."

"Yet this is the truth. It always attacks during the night, and never regularly. We can't tell when it will attack us, it could be this night or in a month. Sometimes there are warning signs, like a cattle disappearance, but despite this we are never prepared. And since it never approached the village, we can't tell what it is. The mountain offers so many hiding places, and this creature manages to strike without being seen, that's a real problem. The only certitude we have about this it's that it is incredibly big considering how the earth quakes when it approaches."

"Yeah. Well after all, I'm the one who take care of this, so there's no problem, I'll kill it no matter what." The Dragon Slayer declared with a confident smile.

Levy examined the book a last time before she put it in her bag. She would begin to work when they would be alone and in a quiet place.

"Very well, I'm going to take you to the hotel, please follow me." Fiorenzo said.

They left the building and crossed the city in a quick pace, climbing a bit more because the hotel was standing in altitude. And even here they saw a large amount of ruins, it was disheartening. And mostly they wondered what kind of living being could cause so much damages. And the fact it was "incredibly big" wasn't necessarily an excuse.

Finally they reached a great building which was wearing the same gray-white color than the mountain and was dominating the town. It wasn't really a very big building but the architecture was really pretty, with simple but good-calculate shapes. They passed a large door and Fiorenzo left them in front of the reception to settle his business. Both mages were led to their chamber and took the time to look the interior decoration. The hotel was rather simple but very pretty. Everything was made with wood, the stairs permit to access to the upper floors and there was a lot of windows, offering a great view on the wonderful landscape. Despite this, the two Fairy Tail mages were the only clients for now. So they were led to the best suite.

"I hate the hotels." Gajeel grunted suddenly when they were alone.

"Why that?" Levy asked and stared at him with a surprised look.

Grumbling the iron mage violently opened the door of the bedroom and quickly growled.

"Because there is always a single double bed only. That's why."

Right after his words, he collapsed on the said bed (the double bed) and sighed loudly before he turned and turned and turned again in all directions on the blankets. Levy's eyes widened, her mouth wide open before this creepy show.

"What are you doing?" She inquired dumbfounded.

"Marking my territory." The Dragon Slayer quipped and stuck his tongue out at her before he added: "Kidding, I just test if it's enough comfortable for me."

The young woman blushed and quickly turned away, leaving him doing his antics in peace. And also because a little voice in her head suddenly whispered "what about joining him and doing the same?" She nearly slapped herself.

It wasn't a chamber, it was squarely a suite. With a huge living room composed by two large sofas, a round wood table and a big TV, a splendid bathroom large enough for fifteen persons at least, and of course THE majestic king sized bed. It was without a doubt the only negative point. She could never fall asleep with him beside her!!! They have to find a solution. Besides this, they have a beautiful view on the village below and the landscape beyond.

It was when Levy started to relax and sat on the couch that Gajeel reappeared, completely disheveled and looking pleased with himself. Apparently, the bed was comfortable, another positive point.

But the two mages, too busy installing their stuffs and themselves, didn't notice the weird black and gray bird which flew away from the window where it was perched a second before.

When the young woman finished with her stuffs and finally got used to the arrangement of the suite, she took her bag and sat at the table. Gajeel stood behind her, observing every movements she made in a very disturbing way.

"Well, let's work!"

Levy rubbed her hands with a cheerful and motivate way and she opened the book before examining the symbols. The first thing she noticed was that they were complex. An ancient language, so now she had to find which one. But she didn't have to search for a long time because, amazingly, Gajeel found the answer before she could. Glancing at the book over her shoulder, he narrowed his eyes and surprised the mage.

"Weird. A book written in ancient dragon. Why is it in this rural village?"

"You know this language?!"

The young woman jumped from her chair and watched him, eyes widened to the point that they were nearly out of their orbits. She knew this language too and now that he mentioned it, she was sure, but she would have need more time to confirm. Seeing the Dragon Slayer found the answer before her was staggering.

"A little. Just saw it before. Metalicana showed me a book like that, but since it was a language which disappeared at least three hundred years ago, he didn't bother to teach me that." Gajeel confessed as he dug his hands deep in his pockets and he looked away.

Basically, Levy would still have needed her manuals to translate it. And she'll do it without the Dragon Slayer's help. Indeed he just collapsed on the couch and turned on the TV, cursing under his breath. Quickly, Levy took her books and found herself quickly surrounded by at least thirty big manuals. Now she could start to work.

Quickly opening the thin green book, she caught three big dictionaries and began to translate the inscriptions on the contour word per word on a paper. What she thought was confirmed, it was indeed dragons who had written this kind of symbols. That's why they were cursed. The dragons loved the puzzles and the riddles, it was typical from them.

The night had just fallen and someone came to bring them food when the mage finished the first page of the book. Basically, the sentences on the contour were describing the nature of the dragons, explaining how they had cursed the book and other information of that kind. And in the center, the text was saying :

"Now you have arrived here,
The adventure can begin.
Here I am to help you to move on,
But you must first decrypt me now."


That was clear. Apparently the book was conscious that somebody was trying to pierce its secret. When she recited aloud this kind of... "riddle-poem", Gajeel growled that the rhymes were stupid before he turned his attention back to his meal.

Now that she had translated the first page, she had to wait for the second, as the book had said. Exhausted and no longer having something to do, Levy walked toward the bathroom to take a shower and relax, leaving Gajeel alone in the living room. She had some difficulties to adjust the water, not knowing how the new high technology shower was working, but she managed to understand and succeeded to wash herself quietly. After half an hour spent under the warm water, she slipped in her pajama, put on a bathrobe and opened the door. She was surprised when she noticed that Gajeel wasn't in the living room anymore. He wasn't in the bedroom either. Maybe on the roof: the Dragons Slayers loved being outside, she noticed it with Natsu and Wendy, it was a possibility. And then she was surprised again when she saw that the second page of the book had been written. Gajeel could wait, she wanted to continue now. Well, she just translated the puzzle in the center, it was more exciting after all. She'd do the rest the next morning, they weren't in a hurry. Happy and proud, she left the suite and walked toward the roof thirty minutes after she began to translate the second page. And this time the enigma was:

"Everywhere, he is amongst you.
Changing form according to his desires.
Since you're here, he's following you.
Beware, he isn't your friend, mightier than fire."


This one slightly worried Levy. What did it mean by "he's following you"? Not to mention the last rhyme which was also disturbing. Lost in wild guesses, she climbed up the small stairs and opened the door leading to the roof, letting a breeze rush down the corridor, before she saw the Dragon Slayer, sat near the edge. Well, he wasn't dizzy. He was watching the moon that lit the snowy peaks of the nearby mountains with a soft light. His long ebony hair was floating free on the wind, making him like a black cape on his back. Eyes lost in a awake dream, he didn't turn when Levy opened the door, but there was no doubt, he heard her. She sat down beside him, trying to not look at the ground a few meters below them. Sighing she contemplated the mountain, not knowing what to say to start a conversation, and she savored this peaceful calm so rare to find. And finally, it was Gajeel who broke the silence :

"So, what about your work?" He asked turning toward her.

"I manage to translate a part of the second page which appeared after. It worry me to be honest."

The young woman recited him the text and the Dragon Slayer scowled.

"Hmpf, I'm not really convinced, if someone or something was really following us, we would have noticed it already, right?"

"I don't know. It's still strange."

Gajeel answered by a growl, staring back at the horizon. It was late, the whole town was asleep now and the only light was coming from the silver orb above them.

"It's beautiful, don't you think?" She sighed and glanced at the iron mage.

"Mmh."

"Come on, stop playing the insensible guy and tell me what you think."

"What the hell do you give a damn huh? As if anyone care to know what I think." He growled as he looked elsewhere.

"I care."

"Hmpf."

He crossed his arms and answered by turning his head in the opposite direction, closing himself like a clam, under the young woman's insatiable look. Fortunately for the Dragon Slayer, the conversation would be soon forgotten, replaced by something much more creepy.

Suddenly a roar pierced the sky, like an tearing echo, which disappeared along with the wind as fast as it came. The two mages stood abruptly, surveying the horizon and the shape of the mountain range drown in the fog, hoping to hear it again and proved themselves it hadn't been a fruit of their imagination.

"What was that?" Levy whispered as she wrapped her arms around her own chest in an instinctive gesture, watching the sky with fear.

"Don't know. I go back inside." Gajeel declared with an hoarse voice.

He turned around quickly and his eyes met the blue haired mage's for a split second. Just enough for her to see something strange in them. Hastily, he slammed the door and left the young woman outside alone. Why... why had she read fear and apprehension in his eyes?

When she decided to go back in their room a few minutes later because she was cold, she saw that the Dragon Slayer was already laid on the bed, only his hair were visible, out of the blankets, and his coat was on the couch. Oh God, she forgot the single king sized bed. Fatal error. Shyly she sat on the edge before slipping under the blanket, each move was full of hesitation, embarrassment and nervousness. As tense as a pique and as red as a beet, she pulled the blanket up to her nose and hid underneath, discreetly observing her partner's back. God, if someone learned she was sleeping in the same bed with him... but she had to think straight, nothing would happened, he wasn't going to try anything with her, even if it was horribly embarrassing. Plus he was shirtless. She timidly whispered a "Good night" and he replied vaguely, already half-asleep. Sighing she emptied her mind and relaxed, knowing perfectly that if she was thinking too much, she couldn't fall asleep. Finally she closed her eyes, let her thoughts fly away and plunged into a deep sleep.