Chapitre 239: The Aftermath

{A/N: I added a couple of paragraphs to the end of the last chapter if you're interested.}

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Worth Woodsea.

November, x784.

After seeing Ur's feat of power, all the onlookers could only stare in amazement. Where the Nirvana once stood, there was only a large crater which they just watched crumble into ice dust along with everything standing above it.

"Holy shit…" One of the wizards on sight muttered in pure disbelief.

Though no one was sure who it was, everyone that heard it could only nod their heads in agreement with the sentiment.

A few moments later, the sound of footsteps and the crunching of ice dust echoed through the eerily silent surroundings. Shortly afterward, Ur's silhouette could be seen walking to the edge of the affected area.

Though everyone wanted to rush over to her to ask her about what just happened, the biting cold produced by her spell greatly deterred them. Eventually, Ur walked far enough away from the epicenter that everyone could approach without endangering themselves.

Meanwhile, when Ur was close enough, everyone who could see her face, noticed that she was wearing a scowl.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Ultear asked, rushing over to her mother once her instincts said it was safe to approach. "Did something go wrong with your spell?"

"*Sigh* No, everything went fine." Ur said, shaking her head with frustration. "Other than being a little low on magic power, I'm perfectly fine."

At the same time, everyone else, or rather, those who had spread out to attack the six lacrima, had Ur's spell failed to destroy Nirvana, rushed over to see Ur, as well. And considering how strong they were, they were just in time to hear Ur's response to Ultear's question. Like Ultear, however, they were all curious about why she was scowling.

"Then, why is your expression like that?" Ultear asked in a confused tone.

"*Sigh* Because I get the feeling that old man is not only going to withhold any points from this quest for me…" Ur said, explaining the reason for her sour mood. "… but he's probably gonna take some away from me."

Hearing that, Gray, Ultear, Natsu, and Happy wore wry smiles as they immediately began to sympathize. The wizards from the other three guilds, however, were even more confused than before.

"I'm not sure what these points you speak of refer to, but surely it can't be more important than having captured the members of the Oración Seis, captured Jellal Fernandes, stopped and destroyed Nirvana, and saved the Cait Shelter guild, could it?" Jura asked, confusion overflowing from his words.

"No, of course you're right, Jura." Ur said while shaking her head sadly. "But since you're not a member of our guild, you'd never understand."

In response, Gray, Ultear, Natsu, and Happy nodded their heads in agreement.

In response, the confusion from the other wizards grew.

Meanwhile, at the end of the path Nirvana was travelling, where the village that served as the headquarters of the Cait Shelter guild stood, Roubaul, Cait Shelter's guild master stood atop the wooden walls that surrounded the village with an astonished expression on his face.

"To think, there is a wizard with such power in this era." Roubaul said. Then, he shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. "No, it no longer matters for me… for us."

As he spoke the last part, Roubaul looked back at all the villagers/members of the Cait Shelter guild.

"Our time has finally come." Roubaul continued as he turned back towards the direction where Nirvana once stood. "Our mission here is over."

Earth Land, Ishgar, Era.

In an area surrounded by dense vegetation, a grand building stood next to a large lake. In front of this building, a large ship is docked at a rather impressive dock that leads to the building's front doors. And hanging above the main entrance of this impressive building is a banner with the Magic Council's emblem stitched onto it.

Inside the largest meeting room of this building, A familiar group of people, with a few exceptions, are sitting in a meeting room as they await the outcome of a quest they requisitioned with the aid of the Kingdom of Fiore's Royal Family.

"I can't believe that damned Yajima retired just because things were not going well for us." Org, the second seat of the Magic Council said in a disdainful tone. "It's obvious that his favoritism for Fairy Tail was dictating his decision."

"That's enough, Org." Gran Doma, the new Magic Council chairman, said in a stern tone. "Speaking ill of someone who is not present to defend themselves is unbecoming of a member of the Magic Council."

In response, Org quickly shut his mouth with a scowl.

Before the conversation could continue, however, a clerk rushed into the meeting hall with a handful of documents.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Chairman." The clerk said between hurried breaths. "But we just received a report about the Oración Seis subjugation quest."

With that, all the other conversations around the meeting hall died down.

"Have they succeeded?" Gran Dom asked in an authoritative tone.

Hearing Gran Doma's question, the clerk straightened his back instinctively. Then, he stepped forward and handed the report in his hand to the chairman as he responded.

"They did." The clerk replied as Gran Doma accepted the documents. "However, a large part of the Worth Woodsea was destroyed in the process."

"And let me guess, that's due to a member of Fairy Tail, right?" Org asked in a derisive tone.

In response, most of the members of the Council nodded their heads in agreement. Meanwhile, Gran Doma silently read through the report.

"Y-Yes." The clerk replied nervously after feeling Org's gaze land on him.

"Ha!" Org guffawed. "I knew it was only a matter of time until they went back to their old ways. Even if they have been keeping their destructive tendencies to a minimum over the last few years."

Like before, most of the members of the Magic Council nodded their heads while throwing their own insults at Fairy Tail and calling for its disbandment.

"I believe you are speaking too soon, Org." Gran Doma said, his voice cutting through and silencing all the chatter.

"What are you talking about, chairman?" Org asked, a disbelieving expression making it on to his face.

Not only Org, but all the members of the Magic Council wore similar expressions after hearing the no nonsense, by the book, Gran Doma defending Fairy Tail.

"Read this report, and you'll understand." Gran Doma replied, handing the report to Org.

Taking the report, Org pulled out a pair of [Gale Force Reading Glasses] with an 18x reading speed amplification before he began reading through the report.

"What?" Org asked, the disbelief in his tone growing after he finished the report. "You mean to tell me that the Oración Seis managed to revive an ancient weapon like Nirvana? How did they even know where to find it?"

"We'll have all the time we need to find out when we start interrogating the criminals." Gran Doma replied.

"Even so, this does not change the fact that a large swath of the forest was destroyed and turned into ice dust." Org said, snapping out of his stupor.

"And if you can tell me how they could have destroyed Nirvana without destroying the surroundings, I'd like to know." Gran Doma said calmly.

In response, Org could only shut his mouth and lower his head while clenching his fists in frustration. In his opinion, this would have been the perfect chance to disband the nuisance that is Fairy Tail.

Though, if Gran Doma had known that there was a potentially less destructive way to deactivate Nirvana, he would also agree with Org. Fortunately, expecting something like this, Ur was able to convince everyone to leave the fact that Nirvana could be stopped by destroying the lacrima at the base of each of its legs. Otherwise, at the very least, Fairy Tail would have been fined once again for causing excessive damage to the surroundings.

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Worth Woodsea.

About an hour after communicating with the Magic Council and sending in their report on the quest's completion, a Magic Council airship arrived to take the criminals into custody. And unlike in the canon, there was no altercation with the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit, led by Lahar, over Jellal's incarceration, since Natsu was not present to see4 provide aid during the quest.

Before Jellal and the members of the Oración Seis were taken away, however, Jura did ask Richard for his brother's name so he could keep his promise to help find him.

"Oh, his name is Wally Buchanan." Richard said with a fond smile on his face.

While most of the wizards only nodded in response and decided they would keep an eye out for someone with that name, Ultear wore a surprised expression.

"Now that I look at you, I guess it makes sense." Ultear said with a wry smile.

Richard only turned a confused gaze in Ultear's direction.

"I actually ran into him a couple months ago." Ultear added. "Right now, he's out traveling the world, seeing everything it has to offer."

Hearing that, Richard smiled brightly.

"Thank you for telling me." Richard said in a happy tone. "Hopefully, I'll get to see him if I ever get out of prison."

With that, Richard was escorted along with the rest of the Oración Seis, Jellal, and all the captured dark wizards into the Magic Council's airship. Then, before the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit departed, lahar thanked the members of the alliance for their service to the continent before he boarded the airship as well.

For the next few moments, the members of the alliance watched the airship take off before flying off into the distance.

"Did someone from the Magic Council just… thank us?" Natsu asked in a confused tone.

"Well, now that Fairy Tail's not destroying everything they touch, the council won't be so antagonistic." Sorano said while rolling her eyes.

"Hey, we don't destroy… everything." Natsu said, his words getting more and more unsure as he spoke.

While Ur, Gray, Ultear, and Happy looked away, the other wizards either snickered or rolled their eyes at Natsu's statement. All except one of the wizards present, that is.

"Um… Excuse me." Wendy said in a soft tone.

Though she spoke softly, everyone, with their enhanced senses, heard her despite the conversation taking place. So, they all quieted down and turned their attention to the blue-haired, petite, Dragon Slayer.

With all eyes on her, Wendy quickly grew nervous. However, because they saved her home from being destroyed, she mustered her courage to continue.

"We're really close to my guild." Wendy said shyly. "So, would you like to spend the night there before you all head home. I'm sure our guild master would like to celebrate with all of you."

In response, all the wizards present, other than Karen, smiled. Despite not smiling, Karen agreed with the rest of the wizards as they accepted Wendy's offer to spend the night at the Cait Shelter guild to celebrate their success.

Just like that, all the wizards in the allied forces, with the exception of Sherry, who was still recovering from her injuries, made their way to the Cait Shelter guild. And before long, they were welcomed into the village with open arms before they were thanked for what they did and partied the night away.

Unfortunately, things were decidedly less jovial the following morning.

After waking up, Roubaul summoned Wendy, Carla, and the rest of the wizards from the allied forces into the guild's meeting hall. Then, he told them a story. The story of a certain tribe. More specifically a certain man from that tribe. The man who created Nirvana.

This man created Nirvana to protect his tribe, the Nirvits, against the dangers that plagued the entire world four hundred years ago. Unfortunately, he overlooked something crucial during Nirvana's creation. Nirvana was intended to absorb the darkness residing in the hearts of those who would seek to do the Nirvit Tribe harm.

However, he never considered where all that absorbed darkness would go. Unfortunately, it ended up being transferred to the peaceful Nirvit tribesman. As a result, they ended up destroying themselves from the inside.

Meanwhile, Nirvana's creator, who ended up as the last survivor of the tribe, managed to seal away the Nirvana. But he ended up losing his life in the process. Then, as a way to atone for what he had brought upon his people, instead of passing on after his death, he vowed to watch over Nirvana until it could be destroyed.

And for the next four hundred years, he did so… alone. Until a young man and a little girl appeared outside the gates of his tribes ruined village, asking for shelter for the little girl.

By this point, everyone had a bad feeling about where this story would go. Still, they continued to listen.

Then, he explained how the man, with his vast magic power, weaved an illusion so real that the little girl never realized the truth even after living in the village for the next seven years. This illusion encompassed the entire ruined village, bringing to life an entire guild. Just so the little girl, Wendy Marvell, would have a place she could call home.

"And now that you've grown up into such a splendid young woman and wizard, I can finally leave to join my people." Roubaul said, ending his story.

By now, not only Wendy, but even Carla was crying uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the village that served as the Cait Shelter guild began to fade away. First, it was the buildings, revealing all the people who had watched Wendy and Carla grow up waving at them with sincere smiles on their faces.

Then, one by one, each person also vanished.

"No!" Wendy shouted, in tears as she watched everyone she recognized as her family disappear one by one. "Please, don't go! Don't leave me alone!"

Carla, on the other hand, could not even speak, completely overwhelmed by sadness.

Meanwhile, everyone else could only look on with sympathetic gazes. Until Ur approached the two crying children.

"Hey, you two need to stop crying." Ur said in a soothing tone. "I know goodbyes are hard. Believe me when I say this, no one likes to say goodbye."

As she spoke, Ur patted both Wendy and Carla on their heads with a smile on her face.

"But if you have to say it, you should say it with a smile." Ur continued. "That way, you can let the person you care about know that you'll be alright. And they won't worry about you so much when they're gone."

Hearing that, Wendy and Carla looked up at Ur blankly for a moment. Then, after processing her words, they both tried their best to wipe away their tears. Yet, their tears never stopped. Still, they both turned to Roubaul and put on the brightest smiles they could muster.

"Thank you for taking me in all those years ago, master." Wendy said, trying her best to smile happily. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened to me. But now, I'm all grown up and I can take care of myself and Carla thanks to everything you taught me. So… Please rest well, you deserve it after so long."

"Thank you, Master." Carla said, smiling for the first time since the quest started. "And we'll both miss you."

In response, Roubaul smiled with the love of a grandfather swirling in his eyes. Then, his body began to glow brightly.

"You two have made me so proud." Roubaul said as the last of the villagers vanished. "I know you'll go onto to become great wizards and do great things. So, please liv well and be happy."

With that, Roubaul's voice faded and his figured vanished. At the same time, Wendy and Carla's guild marks faded away, as well.

Then, as soon as Roubaul could no longer be seen, Wendy and Carla's expression broke and the tears started again in full force. A moment later, both girls felt a pair of arms wrap around them and pull them into a warm embrace.

"I know it's hard." Ur said soothingly. "And I know it will take time, but things will get better. I would never presume to replace the family you've lost, but if you follow me back to Fairy Tail, I can promise that you'll be able to find new people you can call family."

Instead of responding immediately, Wendy and Carla both cried themselves to sleep in Ur's embrace. When they woke up, however, they agreed to Ur's proposal and Fairy Tail gained itself another Dragon Slayer, as well as another talking cat.

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Chapitre 240: Meeting an Old Acquaintance

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Karakura.

November, x784.

While Roubaul was explaining the story of the Nirvits and Nirvana's origin to Ur's team, Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Marin finally entered the town of Karakura. And before long, Alfonzo parked the Escalade in the courtyard of the hotel that would serve as the team's meeting spot.

"This town feels weird." Marin commented from the Escalade's passenger seat. "It's almost like the ethernano in the air is more concentrated than anywhere else I've been."

"Yeah, I can feel it, too." Mirajane said, leaning forward between the two front seats. "Which makes it even weirder that there are no guilds in this town."

'In Bleach, Karakura Town was quite possibly the place with the highest concentration of spiritual energy in the human world.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'So, the fact that it is saturated with ethernano doesn't really surprise me.'

"Actually, I think I understand why that is." Alfonzo said, putting the Escalade in park. "With such a high concentration of ethernano, a lot of strong magical beasts are attracted to this town."

Hearing that, Mirajane nodded in understanding. Marin, on the other hand, was even more confused by the fact that there was no guild presence in the town.

"That would be even more reason to have a guild in the town, wouldn't it?" Marin asked curiously.

"In most cases, yes." Alfonzo replied as he opened the driver's side door. "But that would only be the case if there wasn't a strong guild near the town. Don't forget, Quatro Cerberus guild hall isn't too far away from here."

"Oh, that's right." Marin replied with a smile. "I actually forgot all about them."

"How could you forget about them?" Mirajane asked with a chuckle. "They're one of the guilds we're teaming up with on this quest."

Instead of responding, Marin only stuck out her tongue before she too opened her car door and hopped out of the Escalade. Shaking her head with a smile at Marin's antics, Mirajane also opened her car door and stepped out of the Escalade.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo had already opened the Escalade's trunk, pulled out his luggage, and slung his bag over his shoulder. Then, he pulled out both Mirajane and Marin's luggage, which consisted of a large rolling suit case and a smaller bag for each.

"We probably won't be here for more than two days." Alfonzo said while shaking his head. "I'll never understand why you girls need so much luggage for such a short trip."

"Trust me, it's for your benefit, Alfonzo." Mirajane said, pressing up to Alfonzo as she spoke. Then, she gave him a quick kiss before continuing. "It takes a lot of time and effort to look this good."

After she spoke, Mirajane took a step back and made a little spin, allowing her dress to flare around her.

"Well, if that came completely natural, I'd be calling bullshit." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Being that hot without any effort would be unfair to the rest of the world."

Giggling in response, Mirajane stepped forward and planted another kiss on Alfonzo's lips. Then, she picked up her luggage with a smile on her face. Meanwhile, Marin was pouting as she watched Alfonzo and Mirajane with envy.

'Just wait, one day, I'll be the one flirting and making public displays of affection with him.' Marin thought to herself as the trio started walking towards the hotel's front entrance.

Before the group entered the hotel, however, they were approached by a black cat with golden eyes that rubbed its self on Alfonzo's leg while wrapping its tail around it as well.

"O. M. G!" Marin exclaimed, temporarily forgetting her plan to gain Alfonzo's affection. "That cat is, like, uber-cute."

"Yeah, it's fur is so glossy." Mirajane said, crouching down to pet the cat. "I wonder if it belongs to someone who lives around here? I mean, it's wearing a collar."

While Mirajane spoke, the cat quickly dodged away from her hand, causing her to pout slightly. However, it did not stop rubbing against Alfonzo's legs. However, when it dodged away, both Mirajane and Marin missed the glint of mischief that sparkled in its eyes.

Reaching down, Alfonzo managed to pet the cat without issue, causing Mirajane's pout to deepen while Marin giggled at her expense. Then, while scratching behind the cat's ears, eliciting a purr from it, Alfonzo gave his opinion on the cat.

"Even though I'm not really a fan of cats…" Alfonzo said, pulling his hand away from the cat as he spoke. "… I gotta admit, this really is a pretty pussy."

In response, Mirajane and Marin rolled their eyes at Alfonzo's choice of words. Nonetheless, they followed Alfonzo as he started walking towards the hotel's front entrance.

After stepping away from the cat, yet before he could take his second step, a cloud of smoke burst from behind Alfonzo. Then, where the cat once sat, a short, around 5'1" (approx.. 1.56 m) tall, slender, athletically built, yet well endowed, brown skinned woman with dark purple, waist-length hair pulled back in a ponytail with chin-length bangs framing her beautiful face, and golden eyes leapt forward and clung to Alfonzo's back while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"*Sigh* You're no fun, Alfonzo." The brown skinned woman said with a pout as she rested her chin on Alfonzo's left shoulder. "Can't you, at least, pretend to not know it's me?"

Hearing the new voice, Mirajane and Marin both quickly looked back to see a brown skinned woman clinging onto Alfonzo while wearing a short orange dress, a black choker, black arm warmers around her forearms, thigh high black boots, and a white cape.

After seeing an unfamiliar woman where there should have only been a black cat, the two women raised their guard immediately.

"I told you this the last few times we ran into each other, Yoruichi." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "If you wanna fool my senses, you'll have to be able to hide that stupid high amount of magic power of yours and find a way to change your magic power signature while in your cat form."

"And that's why I asked if you could pretend." The brown skinned woman, Yoruichi, said, continuing to pout in annoyance.

Meanwhile, after noticing that Alfonzo knew the woman hanging off his back, Mirajane and Marin slowly lowered their guards.

"So, I guess you know her then, Alfonzo? Mirajane asked as she casually wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's left arm. "Mind introducing us?"

"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a shrug while smiling at Mirajane's show of possessiveness. "This is the Flash Goddess, Yoruichi Shihouin, the ace of Mermaid Heel."

"Then, she was the cute cat?" Marin asked. A moment later, she wore an enlightened expression. "Is that why you complemented it the way you did?"

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied with a chuckle. "Last time I did it that way, she dropped her transformation in surprise."

"Well, excuse me." Yoruichi said, letting go of Alfonzo before darting in front of the trio. "I grew up in a guild full of girls. It's not like I was used to hearing men talk dirty like that."

"Yeah, but you bounced back quick enough." Alfonzo replied with a smile.

"Of course." Yoruichi said with a smug smile on her face as she puffed out her impressive chest. "Just who do you think I am?"

"Anyway, where is the other member of your guild?" Alfonzo asked curiously.

"Oh, you mean Kagura?" Yoruichi asked nonchalantly. "She's inside. Probably just getting out of the bath if I had to guess. But why don't you introduce the members of your team? Though, I'm pretty sure I know one of them already."

As she said that last part, Yoruichi glanced at Mirajane.

"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "This is Mirajane Strauss, also known as the She Devil, an S-Class wizard from my guild. And this is Marin Kitagawa, one of the best A-Class wizards in Fairy Tail. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she was an S-Class candidate this year."

"Oh, stop it, Alfonzo." Marin said, weakly swatting at Alfonzo's shoulder with a blush on her face. "We both know I'm not ready to be promoted, yet."

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you." Yoruichi said with a smile. Then, she took a step forward and pressed herself against Alfonzo's chest. "But I'm actually really surprised that you didn't bring Elicia with you."

"There's actually a pretty good reason for that." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "And when Quatro Cerberus' team shows up, you'll probably understand why, right away."

"That's too bad." Yoruichi said in a seductive tone. "Even though I have no interest in joining your harem, I would have loved to have some fun with you and Elicia. The offer still stands, you know."

After that, Yoruichi winked at Alfonzo before she pulled away. Then, while swaying her hips seductively, she walked towards the hotel's front door.

"Come on, you guys should get checked in." Yoruichi said with a smile while looking back over her shoulder. "Then, we can get something to eat before the 'men' from Quatro Puppy show up."

With that, Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Marin followed Yoruichi into the hotel. Then, the trio from Fairy Tail took care of the check-in procedures. To Alfonzo's surprise during the check-in, however, Marin insisted in staying in the same room as himself and Mirajane. Even more surprisingly, Mirajane agreed without a fuss.

'Well, I guess it doesn't really matter.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'We probably won't be spending too much time in the room while on this quest, anyway.'

"Alright, since you have your room I'll head over to the dining room." Yoruichi said after the Fairy Tail wizards checked in. "After you put your stuff down, meet me there."

With that, Yoruichi turned around and made her way towards the dining room on the first floor. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Marin made their way up to the fourth floor to put their luggage in their room.

"So, what did she mean by wanting to have fun with you and Elicia?" Mirajane asked, narrowing her eyes at Alfonzo after they entered their room.

"*Sigh* After a quest in Crocus, Lici and I were… unwinding… at a hotel before we came back home." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "And at some point, a black cat started peeking through our window. Well, since we were done with our quest, neither one of us had our [Magic Power Detection] spread out. Plus, we were working off our excess energy at the time. So, neither of us noticed that abnormality."

"And that cat was Yoruichi, right?" Marin asked.

"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Then, while we were eating breakfast the next morning, Yoruichi showed up and told us that she happened to see how wild we were the night before and she asked if we would mind if she joined us for the next time, even though she was a virgin."

"Seriously?" Mirajane asked in a surprised tone. "She really told you that she had been peaking."

"Yeah, that chick has very little in the way of shame." Alfonzo replied. "Anyway, she told us that she was into both boys and girls, boys more than girls, and that she wanted to play with both of us for her first time."

"It sounds like you never did it, though." Marin said. "I'm actually pretty surprised to hear that. I mean, you know how Lici is."

"Lici was actually fine with it." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "But I'm not into having casual sex. I don't touch anyone if they aren't at least my girlfriend."

Hearing that, both Mirajane and Marin nodded their heads. That was something they liked about Alfonzo, after all.

"Anyway, let's get going." Alfonzo said. "We shouldn't leave them waiting for too long."

"Okay~." Mirajane and Marin replied simultaneously as they put their luggage on the beds in the room.

A few minutes later, Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Marin made their way down to the dining room on the first floor. After quickly scanning the room, however, they were unable to spot Yoruichi. So, Alfonzo spread his [Magic Power Detection] to locate her and her teammate from Mermaid Heel quickly.

"Oh, they got us a private room." Alfonzo said, not retracting his [Magic Power Detection]. "I guess that makes sense, we don't' need to have these serious conversations around normal civilians."

"Yeah, besides, we don't know if any of them are informants for our target." Marin said as she and Mirajane followed Alfonzo towards the private room.

Hearing Marin's statement, both Alfonzo and Mirajane nodded their heads. At the same time, Alfonzo quickly glanced towards a certain corner of the dining room. Though, neither Mirajane nor Marin seemed to notice.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Hey, Yoruichi, it's me." Alfonzo said as he knocked on the private room's door.

At the same time, in the corner of the dining hall where Alfonzo glanced moments ago, a small purple snake was coiled up under a side table with a decorative vase atop it. Then, just as Alfonzo knocked on the door, it turned around, preparing to leave. Before it could, however, a sharp metal spike appeared above its head. Then, with great force the spike shot downward, piercing all the way through the snakes head. A moment later, both the snake and the spike dissipated into motes of magic power.

"It took you long enough." Yoruichi said as she opened the door to the private room. Then, she continued while ushering the trio into the room. "Anyway, come in, let me introduce you to the most talented up-and-coming wizard in Mermaid Heel, Kagura Mikazuchi."