The knives in my hands were itching, just waiting for action, especially against people who had done so much harm to me in the past. I wanted nothing more than to plunge them into my mentors' necks and watch the blood spray out, painting the world red...

I wanted it, but I needed to control myself, I needed to be rational now more than ever, especially with Grimoire Heart around. I needed answers, and I knew exactly who could give them to me.

"If you just came here for me, then you can turn around and go back, I have no intention of joining you again." I practically growled, knowing that they wouldn't listen.

Master smiled, the sight unnatural and twisted on his face, "Is it because of this guild? Fairy Tail? I know we raised you better than to trust those institutions. Do you really think they would let you live if they knew about your past? At least with us, your skillset will be useful."

The Mistress stood tall beside her husband, eyes flitting around, looking for danger as her hand curled around one of her whips. She said nothing for the moment, waiting for my response.

I took a deep breath... A small part of me was screaming for me to obey, to lay down and become their dog again, but I ignored that part... I had to if I wanted to keep the small amount of sanity I had left, "You're repeating yourself, Master." I sneered, "You said the same thing to me in Shirotsume. I would have thought you'd know when to give up."

Mistress finally spoke, her voice terrifyingly sharp, so much so that I winced away. Her voice was as sharp as the whips she wielded with sadistic pleasure, "Give up? Why in the world would we give up a fine specimen such as yourself? We've yet to meet someone who can handle our training as well as you did."

Oh yeah, because that's really going to make me want to come back with you, Uh-huh... 

I could feel my hair shadowing my sunburnt face as I began to chuckle, "Well that's funny, why would I ever leave a place that I've learned to call home when torture is the only thing waiting for me? Did you join Grimoire Heart for this too?" I had noticed the mark when they first came walking up. Not on the Master, who was wearing his signature black suit, but I could see it on the Mistress' back.

"Well, since you seem to have forgotten our conversation, allow me to remind you of what I promised you," My voice was low, deadly, and more than enough to cut through the condescending remark that I could practically see forming on the Mistress' tongue.

"I promised that if you ever messed with Fairy Tail, I couldn't guarantee that you'd escape with your lives." My breath hitched slightly, and I glanced up at the large ship that seemed to be spewing forth people... Already I could feel the massive influx of heartbeats that were descending on the island.

This day really was turning out to be terrible, "And guess what? You've messed with Fairy Tail in a pretty major way. At this point, it would be an honor to end your pathetic fucking lives."

Neither of my former mentors showed any sign that we were about to enter combat, you would think that we were having a calm conversation. The only indication that something was wrong was the fact that the Mistress' whip had unfurled and was lying dormant at her side.

"Are you sure you really want that Ember?" 

I couldn't see myself, but I knew my blood-red eyes were boiling as I looked at her sharply, "The fuck do you mean?" I spat, my posture dipping as I prepared to engage.

"Isn't it obvious?" Her voice was beyond cocky as she smiled at me... It was a smile that promised pain once she got a hold of me. "You may not like us, but you owe us your life. Without us, you would be dead on the streets and have absolutely no skills.

We made you who you are, killing us would only take away the only people who accept your blood-soaked past."

I see now. She thought she could hold my past over my head...

Fuck that.

A feral grin spread on my lips. If she thought she could blackmail me into rejoining them, they had another thing coming. I was so close to springing towards them and showing them just how much I needed them, but I needed a bit of information first.

That is... If I could drag that out of them, they were master manipulators, the best in their field. But I needed to try.

"So what?" I rasped as my hair covered my eyes, "You come here just to collect me? What next? Why do you want me so bad?"

The master let out a short bark of laughter at my question, "Are you trying to pump is for information? That was sloppy, even if it's been too long since you've had a lesson."

It was unfortunate, but I had seen this coming, "Of course I'm trying to get information," Just keep going, Ember, maybe you can turn this around without flopping, "You leave me without warning or explanation and now you want me back, over a decade later. I think it makes sense to ask questions."

Shit, was that a tremor in my voice? I couldn't do this... Damn it, I thought I had dealt with the emotions they left behind years ago...

Unfortunately, I could practically feel how smug they were at my hesitation, "Did you miss us?" The Mistress crooned and a crack of her whip made me flinch, "It sounds like you missed us, doesn't it Darling?"

The Master nodded for only a moment before taking a step towards me, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you just a little bit, that is how a give and take works, after all.

"I'm sure you know that Grimoire Heart isn't exactly our cup of tea, they're a brash group to be sure. But their ambition is... Refreshing."

Mistress shook her head as she jumped in, "They have so many ambitious plans, but I must admit that I don't care to help them too much longer. We miss the old days, the infamy we had in our old guild."

"How is the old guildhall, by the way?" The Master smiled at me. If it had been anyone else, I would have assumed he was simply making small talk but I knew him. I could see the shadow that was hidden well in his Cobalt eyes.

Fuck... This made him even more terrifying as far as I was concerned.
That simple statement let me know that my suspicions were right, they had been watching me.

"We want to retake our former status, and with you by our side as an assassin for hire... No, as the Ghost of Fiore, we'll take the world by storm."

So that was their plan, was it? It made sense, they had always been the Masters hidden in the shadows, playing second fiddle to a bigger threat was not their style.

My whole body was frozen. I needed to move but the intimidation they exuded forced me to remain still. I was always inferior to them, especially when it came to terrifying people.

... I... I didn't want to go back...

I loved Fairy Tail... I loved the chaos, the energy they brought with them into everything they did. They loved passionately and they protected each other fiercely.

Even the idiot and Squeaky... They cared.

And... Well, Laxus. Leaving him would be... Unbearable.

Just the thought of the blond spurred my frozen muscles back, away from my former mentors, who were now only feet from me. They had been approaching steadily and I didn't want to know what would happen if they touched me.

My hands gripped tightly around my knives once again as I steeled myself. I would be fighting these two and I would win.

"You think you still have control over me, don't you?" I snarled, driving myself to look them in their eyes, "Too bad, my family needs my help now. You are in. My. Way."

The master barely was able to jump back in time as my knife flashed forward, cutting the man's hair just enough.

"So you've made your choice?" He bit out and I caught a flash of steel sliding into his hands. His longsword.

The Mistress cracked her whip again and stepped back to give herself more room, "That's no matter. It'll make beating you into submission all the more exciting."

The feeling that was coursing through me was unlike anything I had felt before. It felt like an electrical current was hitting every part of my body. Even fighting Jellal and Jose hadn't made me feel like this.

We squared off and all was silent for a moment... Would I... Be able to win this fight?

For as painful as the silence was, it was over in a moment. The Mistress made the first move, her whip crackling forward as a red glow surrounded it.

The red glow was familiar, I knew the pain that her whips could bring personally. My magic immunity could only brush off so much of the burning sensation. At the worst possible moment, my body seized up again, a thousand memories of lashings hitting me and I froze.

My entire being was screaming at me to move, I had plenty of time to dodge, but I just didn't.

The metal encrusted whip circled my waist and the pain came back like a bad dream. It was red hot and every time it adjusted, I could feel my skin being torn just a little bit more with a combination of her magic and the cruel nature of the whips.

Before I could regulate my emotions again a pained whimper slipped out, showing my weakness to the people I wanted least to see it.

It took a moment, but before the Master could close in on me and get a solid hit in, I was able to squirm out of the cruel grip of the whip, a bloody signature left around my waist and more than one chunks of flesh left in the metal barbs.

My body jumped back instinctively, leaving me gasping for air as I tried to regain control of my body, but I was given no time.

As soon as I freed myself, I was dodging another strike from Mistress, which was followed up immediately by a harsh slash from the Master.

Neither of them looked concerned, the Mistress was grinning sadistically, and the Master could be in an office doing paperwork for all the emotion he showed. They were cruel people... I could practically feel my mental state reverting back to what it had been as a child.

My pulse was pounding in my ears and I could feel my waist going numb as I avoided another blow. They were aiming to kill, I could see it in their eyes.

No... It was worse, they were aiming to destroy me completely.

A slash across my cheek wasn't enough to wake me up, even though I could feel the blood pouring down from the cut, staining my messy hair that was already sticking to my cheek.

"I think our intelligence was wrong." The mere sound of the Mistress' voice caused me to stumble, which earned me another cut that could have been so much worse. "It seems our protege has let herself go. She needs far more help than I think we anticipated."

My body was moving on autopilot as I maneuvered around the small clearing, systematically avoiding each blow by only a hairsbreadth. 

There was a fire in my lungs... I couldn't keep this up for long, my mind was already on the edge of shutting down and the worst part? My mentors could see it. They were herding me, forcing me into a corner, and while I knew it was happening, I could do nothing to stop it.

I yelped as the whip's lash caught me again, just for a moment, but it was enough to send an electrical shock through me that had my back arching in pain.

An agonized howl split the air as I crashed to my knees. 

Breath Ember... You have to breathe.

My pulse was pounding so hard against my ears that I could hear nothing else. Who was screaming?

It felt as though red hot irons were being shoved down my throat as the panic only grew. 

They were going to take me again.

I'd failed everyone... My demons were too strong.

God... I thought I had gotten over them... I thought they were the least of my worries...

Who was screaming? They sounded like they were in pain.

My eyesight was almost completely greyed out as I looked around frantically... 

Was I hyperventilating? Was I breathing at all?

A thick boot connected with my head, causing a slight pause in the screams that seemed to be constant. 

Everything felt distant, though I was aware enough to sense something coming at my back, and I rolled over automatically.

The screaming, as well as every other sound, ceased suddenly as an earsplitting crack echoed through the air, pulling me out of my panic long enough to realize that I had been the one screaming. That is, if the blood rolling down from my mouth was anything to go by.

All three of our eyes shot to the source of the noise, the large tree in the center of the island.

To my horror, the tree tilted far more than was normal, falling with a dramatic crash. I vaguely remembered the old man talking about the origins of the tree, but I really didn't get why it was significant, but it was easy to tell that this was a really bad thing.

The worst was yet to come though, which I quickly realized as my magic began to drain. It wasn't as obvious as when Ivan was using me as a lacrima, but the sensation still forced a gasp from me as I struggled to my knees.

"So they did it, did they?" The Master sounded almost as though he was about to laugh, "I suppose I owe Hades a thousand jewels, don't I?"

The Mistress pulled on her whip sharply, which made me realize that one of her whips was connected to my ankles, you could practically hear the flesh tearing. "I told you it was a bad bet, Darling. It's your own fault that you lost."

He grumbled, but I barely noticed, far too busy trying to figure out how to contain my magic... Well, that and I needed to get the whip off my leg.

I didn't want to run, but I needed a bit to recoup. My mental state was not what it needed to be in a fight like this. There was no reason to die here. I needed to call for backup as well, so this worked out well.

Before I could even reach down to free my leg, a voice cut through my mentors' banter, sending an immediate spike of panic to my heart as I heard it, "Ember?"

My eyes shot to meet those of Lily, who looked equally concerned, as well as the white cat that stood slightly behind him.

Shit.

Without thinking about it, my body moved and I sprang towards the cats, I knew my mentors... They didn't like having spectators.

Just as I thought, a knife entered my back smoothly, sending yet another ripple of pain through me, but I didn't stop.

Before either of them knew what was going on, I had scooped them up and was running, dodging through the trees as best I was able to with as many injuries as I had. They would die if we stayed there, and it was perfect because they gave me the motivation I needed to escape, even when I was lashed yet again as a parting blow.

"What's going on Ember?" Lily shouted to me, but I didn't respond. Honestly? I didn't think I could even if I wanted to.

I simply ran faster, the adrenaline that was destroying my ability to fight earlier now helping me to avoid the obstacles. "Just don't let go!" That was all I could manage to get out. I was in pain, I was scared, so fuck me sideways, I wasn't too concerned about being specific.

There was no way I would be stopping until I was on the other side of the island, I knew my mentors, they would probably be able to track me down, no matter how far I ran, but at least this would give me a moment to not die and... Well, I would think of what else needed to be done when I finally stopped.

"Would you at least let us go? I don't think you should be running right now, wouldn't flying be quicker and better for you?" The white cat yelled. It was a nice thought, but I couldn't risk it, I wouldn't allow them to be hurt.

My voice was strained as I ran, I could practically feel myself trembling, "The airship." That was all I was able to get out, but it was enough for the moment, it got the message across for now.

I couldn't tell you how far I ran, even if I wanted to. My legs were ready to fall off and everything was turning numb, but that was okay. By the time I stopped, my lungs were ready to stop working and I could tell the cats were sick of being carried like large bags of flour, but they were alive. It hardly mattered whether or not I could feel thick rivulets of blood running down my back.

Once the cats were down, I immediately slumped down with them, mindful of the knife that was still in my back.

"Do you mind telling us what that was all about?" The white cat asked, a bit snippily, "I believe we deserve some form of explanation, seeing as how we were just dragged across the island."

She wasn't wrong. I sighed heavily, trying to get my breathing back under control, "They... They confronted me. I was-was loosing. They would have killed you, so I... I ran."

No doubt the cat wasn't pleased with that explanation, but I had more pressing issues to deal with... Or maybe the term is stabbing issues? It would fit better... Oh, gods, I could practically feel Freed groaning at that bad pun. Ever would probably disown me for it.

With a sad amount of practiced ease, I reached behind me and pulled the knife out, causing the two cats to shout for me to stop. Something to do with how we needed to wait for someone who knew medical stuff to do this. Unfortunately for all of us, I was the only person around for quite a ways who could do this, there was a solitary heartbeat not far from here, but they didn't seem familiar, so I wasn't going to risk it.

"Bitch, I am medical support right now," I mumbled, which the white cat seemed quite offended by, but I brushed that off.

The white cat moved in, probably deciding to ignore my 'poor manners' for now (yeah, I had heard her and the small girl talking in the guildhall from time to time, I knew all about her sensibilities), "That wound looks nasty, was the blade by chance poisoned?"

I nodded grimly, "Yeah, that sounds like him, he enjoys creative methods of torture." 

Both cats sucked in a deep breath as they stared at me, "Did... Did you by chance know those two members of Grimoire Heart, Ember?" This time it was Lily who spoke up, his eyes serious.

Not gonna lie, the idea of denying all claims sounded amazing, but... as much as I hated to admit it... It was time for the lying and the secrets to end. Several people in the guild knew about me, and while they were certainly more cautious of me now, they had accepted my past. I wouldn't allow my secrets to destroy what I had.

"Yes." It took a lot to force those words out, but I knew I couldn't stop there, "They took me off the streets when I was a child and taught me most of what I know about fighting. They... Aren't nice people."

Lily wasn't too surprised about this, he knew some of my past, but I could probably push the white cat over with a feather. "You... You were... You were trained...? Members of Grimoire Heart?"

She seemed to have lost the ability to form sentences, I couldn't help but grin as I moved my hand to cover my wound. There was a lot of blood, I would have to use my magic... God, I was so glad that I at least trusted Lily. "Not really, they were the leaders of their own guild back in the day. Though that wasn't a legal guild either, so it hardly matters."

I could feel the poison being worked out of my system as we spoke, it was a sedative of some kind, but it was being rejected by my blood. There were no words for how glad I was that my mentors didn't know about my magic.

My other hand fished around for the necklace I always kept on me as I asked something, "Do you guys know what was up with that tree?" It had seemed so significant, not to mention the fact that I could still feel my magic draining, though it had slowed considerably since I was regulating it.

Both Lily and the white cat shared looks before she sighed and shook her head, "Not really, it seems to be connected to the energy of the island... That's all I really know."

Ah well, no surprises there. 

I pulled out the lacrima and activated it quickly, waiting for it to connect, "Who are you calling right now?" Lily asked as he took a step toward me, careful of the small pool of blood that was forming.

My smile was small and grim, "Someone we need... And the only person I can trust to come immediately."

As expected, Laxus picked up almost as soon as I activated the lacrima, "Well, well, well, how does it feel to be the newest S-Class Wizard?" His familiar cocky tone had a wave of relief filling me as I stared up at him. Once again it looked like he was in a bar, which almost had me quipping out a sarcastic remark about how badly he needed help.

But... The situation was dire. Any trace of a smile faded as I sensed two familiar heartbeats... We were running out of time, "Sorry, Laxus," I said, "This isn't that kind of call."

Both cats leaned forward at the name, though Lily seemed far more interested, having heard about Laxus from Gajeel and me.

The man didn't see me at first, but when he finally chose to look at me, he nearly spat out his drink, "What the fuck happened to you?" Well, at least he was already ready to murder someone. We needed that energy.

"It's a shitshow, Laxus, Grimoire Heart's here... I'm not sure the guild can win this fight on our own." My mentors were still a ways away, I had a bit more time.

He glared, his drink already forgotten as he leaned towards the lacrima, scrutinizing what he could see of my face, "That doesn't explain what train ran you over. You looked better than this after a fight with my Thunder Palace."

If the cats received any more shocking information today, I was afraid that they would keel over in shock. They were both staring at me with some amount of horror as I grimaced.

The fear I felt while fighting (If you could call it that) my mentors was coming back to me. Would I really be able to beat them? Honestly, I was sure that I needed to be the one to finish them. They were my problem.

"My mentors showed up too. I... well, I was struggling with them."

Laxus said nothing. I could tell he was getting up and leaving the bar, no doubt he was close to the coastline, he said he'd stay close, "You know?" He said eventually, "If you're holding back because you're scared of them, then you shouldn't be."

Well shit, why'd he have to call me out like that?

I didn't speak. I didn't need to, Laxus wasn't done yet. "They've got nothing on you Ember. You've been through worse shit than them and you've come out of it stronger than ever. Take that magic of yours and destroy them... I mean... Well, try to keep them alive this time, but destroy them anyways. You've got us now..."

He stared right at me with an intensity that had a warmth spreading through my chest, "You've got me now. Do you understand me?" Oh shit... I needed to get going but... God that... That was something.

I nodded mutely and he sent me his signature cocky grin, "Good girl (Did he want me to have a fucking coronary?) Don't you dare let them beat you, because then I'll have to hunt them down and get revenge and all that shit. Hang on."

The call disconnected with a rush of static and I stared at where his face had been for a moment, trying to restart my brain.

Right...

The fight...

My mentors...

Right.

The sedative was fully out of my system, so I rolled just a little and focused on all the spots that were bleeding freely still. The cats besides me were staring at me in horror, probably at all the new information that call with Laxus had given them, but I simply shot them a lopsided grin (It's amazing how much confidence he had helped me regain), "Do you guys want to see something crazy?"

Before they could do anything I allowed my magic to swell to the point where their fir was raising, "Blood Control: Harden."

Immediate pain shot through me as the hardened blood spiked under my skin, but it was nowhere near as bad as the feeling of the Mistress' whip. I forced myself to my feet, groaning in pain as I did so.

"Blood magic?" The white cat asked and I nodded down at them, taking control of the blood that had pooled under me, as well as the blood that was stuck to my skin.

"You two need to get out of here. This fight isn't going to pretty." I smiled gently down at them before stepping through the underbrush towards where my mentors' heartbeats were coming from. The blood I collected was spinning around me in a gruesome tornado and my vision was slowly being saturated with red, but I didn't feel out of control.

There were some pests from the past hanging around and it was time to remove them.