CONTROL - Ver. 2

XXXVII

Less than a week had gone by since Rin's return to Era and their research was continuing to prove fruitless as Tartaros' whereabouts were still unknown. They'd run through every piece of information that they'd had access to, even going as far as to interrogate prisoners. Even then, their success was minimal.

Today was slow. There was a large meeting scheduled with all of the Council Members present today and Rin was set as a guard. That meant that there would be no investigation today and that she'd be going home disappointed again. Today had also proved to be terrible as Rin forgot her lunch and the meeting would be starting in the next few minutes. She had sent Leese to go and retrieve it for her, but she had a feeling she wouldn't make it back until it was too late.

Rin sighed as the Council Members took their seats, ready to start this dreadful argument about the whereabouts of Tartaros. She straightened up her posture beside the door and presented her position proudly even though she thought this was a waste of time. Instead of arguing about the problem, they could be figuring out how to solve it. She stood on the opposite wall from Doranbolt and Lahar who stood on either side of the doors which had been shut for the meeting to begin.

"Fairy Tail won the Grand Magic Games, eh?"

"The moment the Tenrou group comes back, this is what they give us."

"That guild really enjoys standing out, it appears." The three guards all looked at each other as they listened to the chatter happening within. Rin rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall. This was definitely a waste of time.

"Moreover, there is also the matter of whether we should keep hosting something like the Grand Magic Games or not... When an entire country throws their support behind it, it becomes that much harder to step in and try to dictate such matters."

"Silence, everyone," they heard Gran Doma demand. "Our topic of conversation today is Tartaros." Rin's ears were set on that word and she began listening to every breath, every grunt, and every comment. "As you are all aware, guilds thought to be affiliated with Tartaros have all been wiped out in the past seven days. We have yet to identify those responsible. And we are both thankful and troubled by this." Rin frowned. If they had let her into the field to investigate the disappearances, they'd have found Tartaros by now. "If this was the work of an official guild, we would have to worry about a possible retaliation."

"What about that independent guild?"

"Crime Sorciere?! They're a definite possibility."

"This reeks of something that Fairy Tail cooked up again..." Rin frowned at the words of the old bat. She had faith in her guild, but there was no way they'd be able to pull something like that off in just seven days.

"Perhaps with great power comes a desire to show it off."

"I think it would be unfair to pin everything on Fairy Tail," Org defended.

"Org-Roshi always tends to take Fairy Tail's side in such matters..." Rin rolled her eyes. They were rowdy and unceremonious, but they didn't deserve the hate they were getting.

"This is just a hypothesis... But, what if the perpetrators were Tartaros themselves?" Now things were getting interesting. Rin's ears perked up, but not because of the conversation. Someone was lurking close to the outside of Headquarters but she couldn't catch a scent from where they were posted. She shoved off of the wall and sauntered down the hall in the directions she heard movement. Lahar and Doranbolt called out to her to return to her position, but she ignored them and turned down the hall.

Rin's nose scrunched up as she finally caught a scent. It was not pleasant and it was most definitely not human. Whatever was outside was not friendly and she had a bad feeling in her gut. She sprinted back around the corner to warn the others. She attempted to use her magic to create a barrier but fell just short of reaching them.

"There's an intruder! Run―!" Smoke and debris filled her senses as explosions ignited from all around them. She felt her feet leave the ground from the force of the bomb, her body flying and through the crumbling wall to her right. Bricks and wooden posts from the foundation fell onto her leg, crushing her bones and making it impossible for her to get on her feet. She used her magic to remove the pieces that were keeping her trapped and cried out in pain as her right leg lay shattered and stiff. Her whole body shook as she tried to catch her breath.

The air finally settled, presenting the sight of an entirely destroyed Council hall. She could hear Org in the distance yelling out to Doranbolt, but her hearing was so muffled. The only sense she could rely on right now was her sight, though she wasn't grateful for it. Lay before her were the bodies of every single Council Member that she had just been making fun of. Alongside them was the body of Lahar, laying motionless.

Rin strained her ears, desperate to hear his beating heart. She attempted to drag herself to him, though crumbling as she already knew she was too late. Sobs tore through her body as she realized that the only person who had been there for her for the last seven years was gone. Her family―her brother―had been taken away from her.

Her fist pounded into the shattered earth as she drowned herself in guilt over not being able to protect him.

"Found you~" Rin froze in place, the only movement being the quivering from the pain of her injury. She didn't dare look up at whatever leered over her. He was a fucking asshole, she could tell that much. "Oh, did someone get hurt?" Rin clenched her fists and slowly lifted her head to glare at this monster. He had eerily golden eyes and shaggy blonde hair with what looked like cat ears. He crouched down to be closer to her level, his position revealing his tail to her. She gulped. This was one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros. "Lucky for you, Kyoka has taken an interest in you. She'll patch you right up."

Rin's glare became furious as he reached out to grab her. "Someone's mad," he teased. "I wouldn't bite the hand that feeds, if I were you."

竜

Leese meandered around her and Rin's shared apartment in Era. She had come to collect the girl's lunch which had been forgotten this morning but took just a few extra minutes to herself considering she knew she wouldn't make it back in time anyways. Rin would have to wait to eat until the meeting was over, which wouldn't be for nearly an hour, so Leese took her sweet time.

The exceed heard the panes of the apartment windows shake, seemingly from a strong gust of wind. However, there wasn't a single gust present today. She padded over to the window and felt her stomach drop as huge plumes of smoke rose into the sky in the direction she had just come from. Whatever had happened, it was definitely at the Council hall and smoke wasn't a good sign.

She didn't even bother to shut the door behind her as she flew back toward where she had left her best friend, though it was much too late. In her wake was a completely destroyed hall, the walls shattered to bits and pieces and leaving the floorplan an unidentifiable mess. Bodies littered the floor, Council members and staff alike. Leese spotted Lahar's familiar hairstyle and flew down beside him, shaking him to get up.

After minutes of pleading with his still body, she gave up and began to cry. Rin had been with Lahar when she left, so where was she now. The girl's body was nowhere to be found, not even a hint of blood. However, she knew well that whoever was strong enough to do this much damage in such a short time was much more powerful than Rin at the moment. There was no way she was able to fight back.

Leese sobbed out at the unknown whereabouts of her best friend. There wasn't a single soul left behind in this place as they'd all been taken out one by one. There was no one to help her or even tell her what had happened after she left. She was all by herself and she knew she had to seek help. For all she knew, Rin's life ticked away with every minute unless she could find her. She had to find her, and fast.