After having a rather rowdy dinner with Lucy and Cana, mainly because the latter unsurprisingly ended up getting drunk, we retired to our rooms, well, Cana and I did at least; Lucy decided to walk around instead, which I had no problem with, though I had to use my magic to enhance my senses to ensure Ultear wasn't anywhere nearby.
Closing the sliding door behind me, I tossed Cana, who still had a bottle in hand, onto the futon. "Haha, s-so aggressive, big bro; d-don't you know how to treat a lady?" "Yeah, I do, but what lady drinks enough alcohol to kill someone many times over daily?" Folding my arms, I sternly eyed Cana, who could not refute my words and merely laughed, causing me to sigh as I plopped onto the futon beside her.
"W-Where is L-Lucy?" "She's exploring the resort." With a final gulp, Cana downed the bottle and tossed it onto the ground as she crawled towards me before mounting my lap, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "Don't you think you're a little old for this? You're not 7 anymore; you're also sitting backward."
I was given no response as Cana merely smirked before untying her robe, causing me to get a glimpse of her breasts and nether region; nothing I hadn't seen before, but unlike previous times, this time, the atmosphere was a bit unique. 'Tsk, don't tell me she has a crush on me? Dammit, I can't even tell because she's drunk; she might just be horny.' "Big bro, s-since it's just y-you and me, l-let's h-have some fun."
Just as Cana seemed to lean in for a kiss, I quickly flicked her head, knocking her unconscious as her head plopped onto my shoulder, causing me to faintly smirk since it reminded me of when we were younger, though I ended up sighing. "I hope Cana doesn't have any romantic feelings for me; that's a conversation I'd prefer not to have." Rubbing my head, I shook it and sighed, dispelling such pessimistic thoughts lest I get needlessly stressed out.
'Let's just think about something else.' While my hand subconsciously rubbed Cana's back, my mind drifted to what Ultear and I thought about, causing my expression to worsen as I felt stressed. Thinking of the Balam Alliance only reminded me of how weak I was, let alone the Alvarez Empire, which had twelve supposed people on the level of God Serena, someone even stronger than Gildarts.
I've grown powerful within twenty-two years, capable of killing a Wizard Saint like Jose while avoiding any major injuries, but it still wasn't enough to protect Fairy Tail. 'With Etherion, I don't need to worry about the Alvarez Empire for now, but the Balam Alliance is an immediate threat.' Honestly, I wasn't too concerned with Oración Seis or Grimore Heart, although they were strong; I was confident Fairy Tail would emerge victorious if we were to fight them, but Tartaros, I had no confidence.
'Just half of the Nine-Demon Gates would be enough to push Fairy Tail to the brink of destruction, let alone the other half and their Guild Leader.' I couldn't help but tightly clench my fist as I felt a familiar sense of helplessness again; if Tartaros were to suddenly attack us, I'd be unable to protect Fairy Tail.
"I need to get stronger faster!" However, despite my resolve, such things were easier said than done; training by myself was too slow, and I wouldn't grow stronger fast enough, so I'm constantly seeking strong opponents who can push me further. I would ask others to train with me, but Gramps is busy managing the guild, Gildarts is who knows where, Laxus and I might really try to kill each other, and as for everyone else, they're too weak to push me to my limit, even if they all attacked me at once. 'Quantity wouldn't close the gap in quality.'
I've thought about heading to the Alvarez Empire to fight stronger enemies, but with the Balam Alliance, I'm not confident in leaving Fairy Tail. 'Gildarts is unavailable, Gramps is old and past his prime, and I honestly can't trust Laxus right now.' Rubbing my head in frustration, I closed my eyes and sighed. "Maybe I should just attack Oración Seis? I might die, but if I survive, I'll come out much stronger than before. Urgh, so annoying!"
"Eh, did I come at a bad time, big bro?" Opening my eyes, I turned and glanced at Lucy, who was gesturing to Cana, whom I'd forgotten about, only to shake my head. "No, you're fine, she's sleeping." "You didn't do anything naughty, right?" "Hmph, you should be asking her that, not me." Rolling my eyes, Lucy sat next to me with a troubled expression.
"Something wrong?" "I wouldn't quite say wrong, but I happened to meet Loke; he was flirting with several women, but for some reason, he fled quickly after greeting each other, and it's not the first time he's done that. He's constantly keeping his distance from me." "Oh, that's probably because he's a Celestial Spirit." "Oh, he is? I didn't know."
Nodding, I leaned my head back, thinking about how to get stronger, only for Lucy to practically yell in my ear. "HE'S A WHAT!?" Wincing in pain as I was still enhancing my senses, I retracted my magic power and glanced at the shocked Lucy in annoyance. "Yeah, he's a Celestial Spirit. He's never told anyone but I've met his previous contractor before, she was an ass by the way and very weak, though that was years ago."
"Is that why you think all Celestial Spirit mages are weak?" "Yes." "A-Anyway, what happened to her?" "She's dead. Apparently, she died on a mission. I don't know the details since she was from a different guild, nor did I care about her either." Standing up with Cana in my arms, I carried her to the bedroom before returning to the futon, where Lucy seemed confused. "O-Okay, I get that, but who is his current contractor? They must be in Fairy Tail, not to mention the large amounts of magic power they need to keep Loke constantly materialized in this world."
"Is that how celestial spirit keys work? Huh, well, there isn't any other celestial spirit mage; you're the only one in Fairy Tail. If you want more information, ask Loke, but he doesn't really talk about his past; no one but me knows he's a celestial spirit… well, and you know." My words only served to further confuse Lucy as she tilted her head, only to shake her head while sighing. "Haa, well, I'll ask him when we return to the guild, I'm tired right now." "Good night, Lucy." "Good night, big bro."
With Lucy heading to sleep, I followed suit and slept directly on the futon, dreaming of ways to defeat powerful opponents.
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After enjoying a vacation for several days, which I mainly spent training, we returned to Magnolia, and we stood in front of our brand-new guild building. "Woah, our guild looks amazing!" "Yeah, it sure does. Much bigger as well." Standing between Cana and Lucy, we observed the guild, only for Cana to take the lead as she kicked open the doors. "We're back! Mira, I want a bottle of beer!" "At least ask how I've been first, Cana."
Shaking my head, Lucy and I followed behind Cana while I headed to Gramps' office to turn in the mission; once I returned, I took my time observing the S-class mission, though other than ten-year quests, there was nothing else. 'Where are all the S-class quests?' "Oi, Mira! What happened to all the S-class quests!?" Leaning against the railing from the second floor, I glanced at Mira, who huffed in annoyance. "Laxus took them; he was mumbling about being your equal, which seemed to really upset him. Honestly, I kind of hope Laxus doesn't return for a few months; he's been a real ass." "Ohh, Mira cussed! I'm telling Erza!"
Seeing Jet running toward Erza, Mira rolled her eyes while I faintly chuckled before leaping off the second floor. 'Since there aren't any S-class quests right now, I might as well train.' As Erza stomped her way toward the bar, using the excuse of Mira cussing to cause problems, I grabbed the back of her collar and lifted her into the air. "You're coming with me; I need a training partner." "Eh!? I-I'm a better training partner, Big bro! T-Take me instead!"
Mira promptly landed in front of me while faintly smiling, causing Erza to unsheath her sword, though before things could escalate, I picked Mira up with my other hand and exited the guild. "I'll take you both then; just one of you isn't enough to handle me." "Tsk, nosey bitch." "Shut the hell up, redhead!" "Oi, you two are fighting me, not each other; remember that." Sighing softly, I quickly left the Magnolia and entered the forest, where I finally released Mira and Erza, prompting the former to enter Satan's Soul while the latter equipped her Purgatory Armor, one of her strongest armor sets.
"Don't hold back, you two." Smirking in excitement, I quickly tied my hair down and cracked my knuckles while Mira and Erza shot each other a hateful glare before shifting her gaze to me. "We won't." "We know fully well what'll happen if we don't."
Grinning, Mira and Erza made the first move as they lunged towards me, prompting me to do the same as I shot toward them.