53. Stepping Stones

.

.

.

Looking at the updated flier for the ballet class in my hands, I felt a flurry of happiness for the usually stoic man.

Happiness, because Akihiko proved himself the superior instructor and took over the studio. He wasn't one to ever really get excited over anything, and most of his efforts were solely dedicated to following in his family's footsteps. Knowing that he had found something new to dedicate himself to alleviated a slight burden I didn't know I was feeling.

But it had slowly become something that weighed heavier on my mind after seeing the memories of the girl from Himura. Just one of many whose lives were ripped out from under them, most with nowhere to go and relying solely on luck and the kindness of others to find new lives.

Not many, if any, were to be as lucky as Totomaru and myself. And our situation blinded me to the reality that was left in the wake of those fires.

Maybe I could make contact with them, and help in any way I can.

Sighing, I let my head fall onto the cushioned wall of the passenger car, watching the rolling green hills of the "Flower Kingdom" pass by the train. Even in the heart of winter, Fiore still managed to blossom with its strange eternal beauty.

It was idyllic, and serene, and would have washed away the stress or sense of guilt with ease for anyone else. But the sense of shame sticking to my skin only seemed to grow thicker as I remembered why I wanted to take ballet lessons in the first place.

To be able to grasp in some way how a mortal man like Ito Tatsuo could achieve pure resonance with flame through something as mundane as dancing.

I could easily just ask Akihiko to reunite me with the Captain, to train under him again instead of using his family for my own potential betterment, but going back into old habits wasn't desirable when I could instead keep pushing boundaries with concepts I have no true comprehension of.

The dream I had last night brought several such ideas to my mind. It wasn't the first time I had decided to change my avenue of study because of my dreams, though it would be better to say I had been driven by weak curiosity and found fonts of concepts that I could grasp with ease. My decision to study darkness magic and its connection to demons was one such venture.

But my dreams had never been as clear as last night. And so, my insatiable curiosity is dragging me towards a new avenue of study again. Two, actually, one that can potentially be a net positive depending on results while the other will be able to set me back to a comfortable ground zero where my efforts won't be tainted by the efforts of the folly of those who proudly call themselves an Overlord. But those can be developed at length later.

Stronger than my sense of curiosity was my bloodlust, for lack of a better term. It was so pure and natural to me that I can easily link it back to the only time I've truly felt this way - when I killed my slavers and earned my freedom alongside my fellow captives. Even if only two of us did find freedom on the outside, no matter how hollow that freedom feels at times.

Beestenbloed is enslaving innocents, taking the downtrodden and getting them hooked on euphoria, and actively trying to burn down magic society. That alone would make them a stain in my eyes, but they committed the cardinal sin of making me kill some of the enslaved.

Whether they themselves are victims doesn't matter anymore. They have acted, and now I will enforce upon them the consequences of those actions.

But the real fruit is the potential of becoming a Wizard Saint candidate through singlehandedly tearing down one of the four corners of the Ballam Alliance. I'll just have to play my cards right, and Jellal, or rather, Siegraine will be able to feel my hands slowly coming around his skinny little neck.

The metallic screeching of the train's wheels breaking to a halt at Oak Town's train station pulled me out of my self-indulgent fantasies. Following the precession out onto the train dock, I quirked up my eyebrow at the sight of a familiar mop of white and black dual-toned hair.

Approaching Totomaru, I could only feel that I was in danger for some reason. He was leaning against the wall, his hand idly tapping the handle of his katana while hiding his eyes from view. If it wasn't for his fame as a Phantom Lord wizard, he would have likely caused a small panic by now…

Before I could even say I word, he sent me an accusing glare. "I felt a disturbance in the Force, Lyssa. What'd you do?"

"Wha- how dare you accuse me of something without even telling me what it is!?" I huffed, crossing my arms with a pout. "I guarantee it wasn't even me that did something stupid. That Dragon Slayer kid has been missing for a week. It could have been him! And what even the hell is 'the Force?'"

"Not important!" He shouted even as a strange blush bloomed across his cheeks. "At approximately four in the morning, I woke up instinctively cursing you. When that happens, you tend to be caught up in mischief. So. What. Did. You. Do?"

My blush ended up matching his as I remembered that something did in fact happen at four in the morning. Unfortunately for me, Totomaru wasn't a total idiot and noticed. "Something did happen, didn't it!?"

"Nope! Nothing at all happened!"

"Tell me what you did, you little gremlin!"

"Sorrytoobusyby!" In a blink of flame, I warped from the train station to the fireplace inside the Oak Town branch's main guild hall. A few of the guild members that were huddling around it for warmth suddenly jumped back, some falling onto the floor in the process.

Awkwardly offering them my apologies, I walked over to the bar counter where Giles was stationed as usual. "Royal fog cutter."

"Another drinking contest? Or are we setting up a casino night?" The moustachioed bartender asked as he started to mix the orange cocktail.

"Drinking context would probably be the most likely, given the season and all, but I don't think anyone's going to try to beat me again anytime soon. Except for that one kid maybe…Gajeel, was it?"

"I believe so. Though, from what I've heard around Curly Caterers, Quatro Cerberus has a few members who would be eager to shoot their shot at beating 'Spirit's Bane.' We can probably set something up at the next guild masters' meeting."

"If Jose ever goes to them again…"

"He won't, but that doesn't mean no one should." As he slid me my drink, right next to it was a familiar clear crystal plaque. Smirking at my recognition of the card, he tapped it before going into the storage room behind the counter.

Carved into the crystalline object was a list of details; my name, residency, age, birth date, and primary office of affiliation within the guild. Carved into the side was a simple large S.

When Giles came back out of the storage room with several other lacrima cards he looked down at me with a quirked brow. "You're supposed to inject your magic into it. Considering your memory I consider it a surprise you've forgotten what to do with them."

"Explain."

"Explain wha-oh! I suppose the old hag wouldn't explain anything. That mission was your promotion trial. As of today, you - Lyssa Wisteria - are the youngest S-Class wizard in Phantom Lord history. Usually, there'd be a celebration or something to go along with such an occasion, but you've never properly pegged me as a people person so figured clearing your tab would be a better reward."

"But what does this have to do with the guild masters' meeting? If you're insinuating what I think you are then seem to be ignoring the pretty obvious prerequisite for showing up."

"Not necessarily. A couple of the guilds send representatives who are recognized as candidates for succession of that guild's title of master. Since the guild master's meeting is always just an excuse to share rumours and parties, you can use it as an opportunity to make some high-ranking connections.

"If you're worried about Jose retaliating against you, don't. Legally, he should have been sending a representative anyway if he wasn't going to show up, but it was always overlooked due to him being a Saint and master of the largest guild in the country. And if you're not going to do it yourself, just remember the favours you owe me for getting you into contact with Calliope."

My cheek twitched at the mention of the last part, but that was always going to be a debt that needed to be repaid sooner or later. "What do you expect to get out of this anyway?"

"What our usual arrangement entails. Go there, use your perfect memory to soak up as much info as you can and I'll pay you for it all. Accept instead of city streets and bars, you'll be eavesdropping on some of the oldest and most influential members of this magocracy."

"Those whiskers really aren't for show, are they? You sure you aren't a ratman in a skin suit?" I sighed as I let my magic flow through the crystal card. The clear material began to glow a shadowed purple before settling into a mirage of violet and light blues with stars of red and a black frame. "Here."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Giles took the card with a smiley smile before pressing it against one of the blank ones. Within seconds it became a matching copy. Giles handed me my card back before going through the process of creating duplicates out of the others to be handed to the other guild branches.

I just sighed at his all-too-pleased expression and began to sip on the citrus cocktail. Several minutes passed by while I read through the memories and manifestos I had memorised, and Giles began to neatly organise the cards inside a pristine briefcase.

"By the way," Giles started as the briefcase clicked shut, "You should be expecting a representative of the council to show up soon. I handed them a dossier with all the legal information I have on hand about you, but I think they'll want to talk to you personally."

"Any details about them?"

"A few. Ultear Milkovich. Black hair and brown eyes. Nothing stands out about her appearance other than how young she is. My contacts say she's soared through the ranks, and that she's adept at Time magic. She might also be the daughter of a late Ice-make master, by the name of Ur, though she was also thought to have died. Specifically at the Bureau of Magical Development which is known to have conducted illegal and unethical experimentation, with one of the heads overseeing it now known as Brain, and is one of the four pillars of the Ballam Alliance."

"And your personal assessment?"

"If you find an opportunity to kill her quietly, do it. Some of my informants had conflicting information, so she definitely had something to hide. When it comes to the Magic Council that can mean anything."

"Hmph. As if I'd trust those dogs to do anything other than bark."

.

.

.

A/N: Happy Pride Month! And sorry for the unintentional hiatus, but I ended up doing quite a bit of rewriting for this arch's plotline and other stuff got in the way of me being able to put it onto digital paper. But! Should be good for now though updates might still end up sporadic for a month. Apologies ahead of time.