"Are you really okay..?"  A concerned voice was heard from the Lacrima.

 

"Yeah... As I said, a mage here has already healed me. We'll head back pretty soon too." Ciel replied.

 

A week has gone since they had arrived at Cait shelter. Wendy used her healing magic, for the past week to fix most of the damage Ciel had.

 

Previously he had asked the master of Cait shelter to deliver the report papers, regarding the mission to Makarov.

Somehow or the other he managed to deliver it so fast. The old man sure has his ways.

 

And now, Makarov had contacted Ciel through the Lacrima he borrowed from the guild here. Even though Ciel asked not to inform him about the attack yet, it seems like it was still done.

 

"Are you sure you're fine. We'll send some people to pick you up."

 

"I am fine, gramps. Besides Mystogan still hasn't left yet. So we'll come back together." He assured the old man.

 

"Sigh...you kids are gonna be the death of me. I almost had a heart attack when the messenger said that you were attacked by a demon from Tartaros."

 

"Haha ha...what can I say..?" he replied laughing sheepishly.

 

"Well come back fast then. And this time, if any trouble comes, call us for help before jumping in."

 

"Ya ya..bye gramps.." Ciel hung up the call, saying his goodbyes.

 

"Seems like he was very worried about you." Ciel turned around hearing a voice.

 

"Ohh...Wendy...Yeah, he's always like that."

 

"He's correct you know. Your body is not fully healed yet."

 

"Nah..I'm good. See." He demonstrated his fitness by jumping around.

 

"Haa...You're..leaving tommorow..aren't you..?" She asked in an uncertain tone.

 

"Yeah..I've been away for about a year now. Now that, the attack also happened..everyone back home will be worried too much if I don't show up."

 

"I..see..they must be worried.." she lowered her head disappointed.

 

"Hey, don't be so gloom. It's not like I'm gone forever or anything. I'll come to visit you sometimes. "

 

"Really..!"

 

"Yeah..really. We're friends. Aren't we..?" He said offering his hand for a handshake.

 

"Of course." She replied cheerfully shaking his hand.

 

"Now..why did you even come here now.."

 

"Oh..I was told that dinner is ready."

 

"What..! And you're just standing here..? Come on let's go. I'm starving.." He ran to the main hall yelling.

 

"Hey, wait for me too." She also ran behind the boy.

 

At the corner of the hall, an old man happily looked at the two kids running around.

 

"They've became quite close fast...huh," A man sitting on a nearby bench said to the elder. He had a bandana covering his lower face.

 

"Hmm...It's good. There aren't many people of her age here after all. Besides she will need real comrades in the future."

 

"Hmm...what..?" The other man turned his head to the old master questioningly.

 

"Nothing..just a thought.."

 

---

 

The next day Mystogan and Ciel left the Cait Shelter bidding farewell to everyone. It was time for them to return to Fairy tail.

 

Taking all their stuff both the mages started walking towards Clover Town which was the nearest town that had a train station.

 

"Once again, thanks for saving my life, man," Ciel said to the older mage who was walking beside him.

 

"It's alright. I did what anybody else would do."

 

"Like jumping in the middle of a fight between a demon..!"

 

"..!" Seeing that Mystogan gave him a look Ciel continued.

 

"I mean...not many people would risk their lives like that."

 

"...As I said, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself knowing that I could have saved you." He said in a serious voice.

 

Ciel didn't reply to that. So there was an awkward silence between them for some time as both continued to walk.

 

"Ahhh...come on. Don't leave it like that. I can't bear with this awkwardness. Why don't you say anything...?" Unable to suffer anymore Ciel burst out.

 

Suddenly Mystogan stopped for a second, startling Ciel. And continued to walk again. Without uttering a word.

 

"What's with him..?" Ciel thought silently.

 

Meanwhile, Mystogan himself had too much on his mind during the past week. It was crazy after all. Not mentioning the encounter with the demon, he had magic in him now.

 

Which is physically impossible because humans from Edolas normally don't have it. Only exceeds have. There is no knowledge of an incident like this happening prior to this. So he was in the dark about this too.

And talking about exceeds, there was an exceed with wendy too. So it pretty much concludes the fact that his father had the queen send them here for harvesting the dragon slayers. Which could be a giant pain in the ass in future.

 

And most importantly he was having some kind of visions during his sleep lately. More like nightmares. A young him was forced to work as a slave. Initially, he thought it was just a bad dream. Until last night, when he saw a young Erza in there with him.

 

That's when he started to feel something's not right. Even though she hasn't revealed much, it is an established fact that Erza was once captured as a slave. And she had contact with his counterpart of Earthland, Jelal.

Which only means that these must be his memories. But why..? Why would he have the memories of his counterpart...?

 

Like that Mystogan's mind was running at full speed trying to process all the things. During that Ciel asked him some questions which he answered absentmindedly.

 

But suddenly a jolt of shock made him stop for a second. His whole body froze. And the next second it was gone.

 

"What the hell was that..?" Continuing to walk he thought to himself.

 

The rest of the day was pretty much quiet. Ciel didn't try to ask him anything again after that. So the duo moved towards their destination quietly.

 

By the end of the day, they camped out. Deciding to continue the journey for the next day.

 

"We'll reach clover by about tomorrow afternoon if we start walking early on. From there we can catch the direct train to magnolia." Mystogan informed the boy as they sat down by the campfire.

 

They had some beef jerkies that the Cait shelter had given them before parting. Munching on the jerky Ciel once again asked the man as the mood between them had improved a little bit.

 

"Say. Mystogan... Can I ask you something..?"

 

"Hmm..?"

 

"I mean..I can shut up if you want me to."

 

"No. You can ask."

 

"Wow..didn't expect that...Well, why do you use sleep magic when you come to the guild."

 

"..."

 

"Are you shy..?"

 

"No...It's just that..I don't enjoy being in social interactions very much.."

 

"Hmm..that's what you call shy, normally."

 

"No. I'm not shy." He reinforced the fact once more.

 

"Well, you look shy to me..! Why do you wear a bandana over your face then..?" Ciel shot another question.

 

"That's.."

 

"Are you a criminal..?"

 

"No." An immediate reply.

 

"A hero, then."

 

"No..!"

 

"A ghost..?"

 

"N..No..?!"

 

"Are you by chance a person from another world, who came to this one, and you have an evil counterpart of yourself here, so because of that you can't reveal your identity to anyone..?"

 

"That..was awfully specific." He replied in a very questioning voice after being speechless before the boy's questions. 

 

"Are yo.." As the boy was going to continue bombarding questions again, the older mage interrupted by clapping his hands.

 

"All right. That's enough questions for today. Go to sleep."

 

"But..!"

 

"You're gonna be on guard after three hours when I will sleep. So get some sleep till then. Or don't complain to me when I wake you up." He said in a stern tone.

 

"Huff...fine." Finally giving up, the boy took out his blanket and lay down. After some time, he was fast asleep.

 

Mystogan looked at the sleeping boy and thought.

 

"He really is a kid after all. After seeing him be the one to compete against me in the trials and holding his own with a demon, I forgot that he got a childish side to him too.."