XxChapter 2: Foreboding DarknessxX

Eva had been with the guild for about a week. She refused to meet eyes with Natsu, but for the most part she did fine. Nobody but perhaps Makarov and another saw something different about her relationship with Gray, so to the rest they were just fast friends. Eva's skills in ice magic helped sell a level of chemistry between the two, allowing her to hang out with Gray more and more without suspicion. It made Eva stop and think about certain members of the guild and how she meshed with them.

Natsu Dragneel was of course an enemy in her eyes. The boy constantly sniffed audibly in her presence, and he refused to even attempt to talk to her. That was fine with the vampire, seeing as she didn't much like the boy in the first place.

Lucy Heartphilia was Natsu's friend; his other half Eva would assume if she didn't know the story. She suspected the girl had a crush on the pink haired boy, but that was pure conjecture without further observation. She was a simple enough girl; bright, but not obnoxiously so. She seemed to be a little self-conscious about her appearance when around men. Lucy was beautiful, no doubt, but she always seemed to be overshadowed by the other beauties in the guild. It made her question her figure on more than one occasion. Eva also took no small notice of the keys on her belt. A Celestial Spirit mage was a rarity.

One of those beauties was Erza Scarlet. Now SHE was a tough woman. She was one of only three S-Class mages in the guild, and also the most recent one. Eva had of course seen Erza's sword, and perhaps noticed her change clothes through Requip once or twice, but there wasn't enough information to get a general grasp of how she fought. Personality wise, Eva like the girl quite a bit. She didn't take any nonsense, but also seemed to be a bit too short tempered.

Besides those individuals, Eva didn't interact with anybody else on a regular basis. Hell, the only reason she was around the aforementioned people was because they were on Gray's team. She talked to Makarov a bit, as well as Mira, but beyond that she was a bit introverted.

Which is why she was surprised at what she saw before her at the moment. Before her stood a tall man, with slicked back brown hair and a light beard. He wore a large cloak that covered most of his body, but multiple bandages could be seen across his torso, and Eva could have sworn the man's left arm was artificial.

"You're the newbie right? Katherine?" He asked her.

Eva numbly nodded while gesturing for the massive man to sit across from her at the table.

"I am. Is there something I can help you with, Gildarts Clive?"

Gildarts rose an eyebrow at her demeanor. "I can already tell you're a strange little girl. There are a few reasons that I wanted to talk to you about. I've noticed your subconscious magical aura getting stronger over the weak. I don't know why you're doing it, but stop. Erza and Mira sense it as well, but can't pinpoint it. Your aura is surprisingly strong considering your age, so it's throwing a few guild members off."

"I had forgotten…" Eva said lowly. The self-imposed seal she placed was finally loosening, and she wasn't keeping her presence in check. "As the wounds from my traveling continue to heal I start feeling better in general. I was simply letting the healing process run its course, and hadn't thought to be conservative. I apologize." She responded, telling the truth but not all in the same breath.

Gildarts eyed her closely. Eva hadn't broke eye contact, and seemed nothing more than calm. Suddenly, he noticed her aura disappear completely. Wait, almost. He could still feel something small. The man was actually impressed.

"Peculiar, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. "Something seems off about you, and Natsu's little outburst the day you joined doesn't help the notion. The only thing that stops me from taking action is Gray. I've seen the way he acts around you, and all I see is absolute trust. But the strangest thing is that it's not mutual. The boy explicitly trusts you, yet I don't feel it from you. Why is that? Why does a girl of only a week make such an impression on him?"

It was at that point that Eva managed to give her first pointed look of the conversation. "Perhaps there's a good reason for that, Gildarts-san. Maybe your suspicions would diffuse themselves if you knew more about me. I must say, I'm disappointed at your approach, actually. It's a bit too hostile if your intention is to make friends." She told him.

Gildarts paused for a sec, and then broke out into a laugh. "I suppose you're right. How's this? We're going to have a promotional trial for making it to S-Class in a few weeks. Most newer members get to come along as spectators to see how things in the guild work. I'll be one of the examiners this year, so maybe you wouldn't mind following me around during the exam?"

Eva was interested now. "From your words, it appears as though I'll be invited either way. Why with you?"

"To get to know you better. Didn't you just suggest I do that?" He slightly mocked.

"I did, didn't I? Very well, I'll join you for the exams. How many participants are there this year?"

Gildarts put a hand to his chin and thought it over. "I count eight. So with their partners, that makes sixteen people actually participating."

Eva eyed him slyly. "I don't suppose you can tell me who they are?"

"I shouldn't, but I really don't care. You'd be interested to know that Gray's been nominated, along with Natsu."

Eva's face brightened at the mention of Gray, but darkened immediately after at the mention of the Dragon Slayer.

"He's really that good? I doubt it."

Gildarts just sighed in exasperation at the girl's attitude. "You need to let this go, Katherine. Natsu may be… different, but he's not a bad kid. I think you should just give him another chance. You're very introverted for a girl your age. Even if you ARE quite new, you should at least learn to talk more. Everybody here's a nice person for the most part, a few strange quirks aside." He finished while giving a sideways glance towards Gray, who had stripped to his boxers without even realizing it.

Eva just grunted before changing the subject. "Is this Gray-kun's first nomination?" She asked.

"Yep." Gildarts said with a quick nod. "In fact, only Cana, Freed, and Mest are repeat nominees. Mest got damn close last year, but he should probably make it this time around. Kid's fast as hell. I do feel bad for Cana though, seeing as though this is her fifth nomination."

"Sucks for her." Eva said with no sympathy. Gildarts was beginning to get a slight feel for how the girl really was as a person. She seemed so… detached from everybody besides Gray. It was strange.

"Well, I don't think I have to tell you to not tell Gray, so I'll see you." He said before walking away, not waiting for a response. Something about "Katherine" was bugging him.

Eva chuckled to herself before taking a swig of her drink, then pulling out a fairly thick book. It was titled "Advanced Molding Magic", written by an "Albireo Imma". She dove right in and didn't stop reading until she was brought out of her musings by a young girl's voice.

"That book looks complicated. How is it?"

Eva turned and saw a young girl behind her. She was a young, teenage girl with a slender build that stood at a height below average for her age. She sported blue hair, with the top cut short and the bottom longer, tied up with a colorful bandana around her head. She wore a low cut orange dress with white trimmings that stopped high on her legs.

"You're… Levy, right? It's fine, but it's more of a crash course for me right now. I've got the theory down just fine, but I'm going over the facts to see if I missed something."

"Hm… Well, Molding Magic is a complicated thing to learn. Besides Gray and I, there are only a few others in the guild that even do it at all." Levy told her.

"I've been practicing in this magic type for a long while now. I'd like to say I'm damn good for my age, but then I'd be bragging." The vampire in disguise said, a tiny hint of arrogance laced in her words.

Levy hummed in thought again, not really caring about Eva's tone. "What do you mold? I mold words and change their qualities. It's called "Solid Script", and I can't think of a magic more perfect for me."

"It IS quite the appropriate magic for the academic types, that's for certain."

Levy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, you really know about Solid Script magic?"

Just as Eva was about to go on a rant about how the magic worked and make Levy inferior, she remembered her cover. "I've… heard about it from a friend. He knows how to use it, and he's a total bookworm to the core." She revealed.

It was a half-truth. What she knew about Solid Script DID come from her bookworm of a friend. Levy didn't have to know that the man created it as well…

"But when it comes to molding, I'm very partial to ice. It's not like Gray-kun's 'Ice Make', per se, but an older type."

Levy brightened up at the revelation. "Old style? Like how old?"

Eva smirked at the bookworm's enthusiasm. "The kind that requires a chant."

"WOAH!" Levy exclaimed. "Those are like, so rare it's not even funny! That's almost like a Lost Magic!"

"No, it's not THAT old, I assure you. It's recent enough for this book to help me with it at least. Did you want to borrow it? Like I said, I was just reviewing the material. There's even a chapter specifically for Solid Script, if you're interested."

Levy brightened up even further, if possible. "Definitely! You won't mind?"

Eva shook her head. "Go ahead. Keep it if you like. I need to be going anyways." She finished while sliding the book towards Levy and standing to leave. "It was nice to finally meet you personally."

Levy was already nose deep in the book. She just gave a quick "likewise" and went right back to reading. Eva couldn't help but laugh out loud at the girl's attitude. She was a strange one, that was for sure. She left so abruptly though because she was going to miss Gray if she didn't. He was hovering around the job board and looked like he'd finally chosen one. She managed to stop him just in time.

"Gray-kun, hold up." She said, grabbing the man's attention.

"Katherine? What's up?" He asked, having finally gotten used to addressing her by her cover.

Eva got closer and spoke in a quieter tone. "You're trying to do a bunch of jobs to increase your chances for getting nominated for that exam thing in a few weeks, right?"

Gray raised an eyebrow at her amount of knowledge, but still nodded.

"Well, I just talked to Gildarts and he said you were nominated already. We can stop over by your place tonight and get straight to training. I figured I might help you get a leg up on the competition, so to speak."

Gray brightened up considerably. "You mean I really—" He was promptly cut off by Eva slapping her hand over his mouth.

"I don't really care that I did, but I wasn't supposed to tell you about your nomination. Just shut up and we'll talk about this later, okay?" She whispered sternly.

With a quick nod and a smile, Gray put his current job request back on the board. It was finally his time to shine.

XxBreakxX

A pale-skinned woman with dark purple hair and brown eyes stood on the deck of a large airship, her attention attached to a moderately sized crystal ball that floated above her wrist. She had a rather voluptuous figure, and wore a long, revealing blue dress that sported a striped pattern

"We've finally pinpointed his located, Master Hades." Ultear said. "But the location is a bit… volatile."

"Really now? It's unlike you to be worried about such a thing, Ultear. Where have the keys traced him?" Hades asked.

Hades was a tall, elderly man with long, slicked back, silvery white hair, revealing his forehead. He also had a mustache, and a similarly long yet mildly thin and curly beard, reaching down to his lower chest. He had some wrinkles on his face, as evident of his extremely advanced age; nonetheless, despite this age, his figure was muscular and well defined. His attire consisted of a dark shirt paired with armored shoulder pads and shiny gauntlets, as well as chain-mail covering the parts of his arms remaining exposed, simple light pants with flames near the edges—held up by what looked like a light belt composed of two straps with the relative buttons, possibly part of the pants themselves, and dark, simple shoes/boots. Over this outfit he wore a large, dark cape, bearing Grimoire Heart's symbol on the back and sporting a mantle with a high collar, lighter-colored borders and jagged lower edges. He's also seen wearing a helmet matching his armor, with a prominent metal plate protecting his forehead, with two lines of studs on the front, siding his face and jutting out in a protrusion on each side, and a darker rear part, adorned by a crest reminiscent of those seen on Greek helmets.

Ultear gave him a nervous look and paused, but managed to speak up regardless. "Tenroujima, sir."

Hades' eyebrows shot up, but he quickly composed himself. "I can see why it would be surprising, but the creatures on that island are far from a threat to us."

"That's the thing though. While it's been a considerably long time since you interacted with Fairy Tail, I have dealt with them personally on many an occasion while I was on the council. I learned enough to know that there's a great chance of Makarov and the stronger mages of Fairy Tail to be there by the time we arrive." The black haired woman explained.

"So we're just in time for the S-Class Promotion Exams, eh? I can see what you mean by volatile, now. Regardless, I believe that with the exception of Makarov and perhaps Gildarts, you and the other kin can defeat any mages that would be there."

Just then, a new, quite youthful voice interjected. "I believe that there will be somebody ELSE there that not even you could defeat, Hades-san."

Both Hades and Ultear turned their attention to the new arrival, an individual covered from head to toe in a black cloak that even concealed his face (think Kingdom Hearts).

"Oh, it's you…" The elderly man said. "I'm afraid I might have misheard you. Did you say there was another member of Fairy Tail that I don't know about that surpasses myself?"

"Well, if you're lucky you might be able to draw if you got her on the ship, but otherwise yes. She's a… peculiar individual to say the least."

Ultear was interested now. While she may not like Hades in the least, she DID in fact acknowledge his strength. MAYBE drawing even with the aid of the Devil's Heart? Who was this woman the mysterious figure spoke of? "Do you plan to give us her name, or are we to guess?" She asked.

"Evangeline A.K. McDowell." The man revealed.

Surprise was completely evident on Hades' face. He was not expecting this at all. "Why on Earth is she with Fairy Tail? Makarov would never let a woman like her enter the guild."

"She's undercover. From what I've managed to find out, she has a long standing relationship with another member of the guild. She's posing as a little girl with only above average strength. I suspect she's hiding from the Paramecian government, but—"

He's cut off by the sound of a large crack. Both the mysterious figure and Hades turn to look at Ultear, who had just crushed her crystal ball into pieces with her bare hands, a look of absolute fury plastered across her usual collected face.

Neither of them could tell, but both Hades and Ultear had the distinct feeling that the mysterious figure was smiling under his hood. "Do you truly despise your mother enough to unconditionally hate people even connected to her in any way?" He asked in a light hearted tone, almost amused.

Ultear turned her furious glare onto the mysterious figure, not bothering to hide her ire for the man. She then abruptly closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Once she was finally composed, she returned her attention to the cloaked my.

"I personally have no grudge with Evangeline herself, in fact I learned a good deal of magic from her when I was a toddler." Ultear revealed. "She just reminds me of Ur far too much, enough that I can't stand her presence. Evangeline should have pushed Ur to look for me when I was kidnapped, but instead she left me just like my mother did. But if she will truly be in our way, then… I must agree in the sense that you cannot defeat her. Not alone."

Hades grunted in affirmation, acknowledging the fact but not willing to do so verbally. "Makarov will definitely invite her to attend the exam since she's new. Perhaps she won't be interested enough to go? If not…"

"I will stall her." The mysterious figure suddenly input. "Evangeline and I have a… history, to say the least. I know how she fights, and while I'm not confident in my ability to take her down, I can work my hardest to keep her in place while the kin take care of Fairy Tail."

Ultear gave the man a suspicious look. She obviously wasn't convinced. "You may have been right about Zeref's keys, but I'm not certain I agree with this plan. Your word only means so much."

"You've never seen him fight, have you, Ultear?" Hades asked, getting a shake in the negative from the woman. "Well, when it comes to matters relating to Zeref, I've yet to find one more well-versed in information regarding him. His skills are indeed appropriate to at least stall her, especially if he knows as much about her fighting style as he claims he does. I will handle Makarov while we leave Evangeline to him. I'll have Azuma and a small scouting party go in ahead of us. I'd like him to make preparations to control Tenrou Tree since Fairy Tail will be there. She tree is magically linked to the guild's members through their mark, and Azuma should be able to remove their magic power if given enough time. In the meanwhile, Capricorn will drop the rest of you off and you'll both look for Zeref and take out some of the higher profile Fairy Tail members." Hades instructed, pulling together a sound plan surprisingly quickly.

Ultear nodded at the plan and made a note to inform the rest of the guild at a later date.

"What of Gildarts Clive, though?" The mysterious figure inquired. "I assure you he can defeat all of the kin."

"If that is truly the case then I will send in Bluenote. I'd rather him not go since he gets quite obnoxious during operations like this one. He'll probably have his own agenda that might conflict with our own. I'll try to keep him in the ship, but if enough of the kin fall or Gildarts poses a problem, he'll leave himself, regardless of my orders."

The cloaked figure accepted the makeshift solution, and turned to Ultear for one final suggestion to the plan. "Zeref has changed due to his isolation. Without the keys to release his darkness, he's much weaker and less apt to agree with us. He may turn hostile in the event that your attempts to persuade him fail. His magic will be restricted enough that you should be able to restrain him in that situation, but be on your guard. Asleep or not, Zeref will prove a difficult opponent."

Listening to the man talk, Hades couldn't help but appreciate the fact that this man entered his life. He was a treasure trove of information relating to Zeref, and was more than willing to aid in Grimoire Heart's plans. He remembered the day he first met him very well…

XxFlashbackxX

Hades stood atop a cliff and looked out into the horizon. His physical features were almost the same, with only his mustache missing. He sported a light cape bearing Fairy Tail's mark on the back, complete with a dark fur-lined mantle, and what looked like a loose robe below it. He held onto a large staff with the Fairy Tail insignia carved out of the top. With a cold look, he crushed the staff and tossed it down the cliff.

"So you have made your decision, Purehito?" A voice sounded out.

Turning quickly, Hades was met with none other than the mysterious figure, looking the same as he does in the present. "Who are you?" Hades asked him.

"I am a man that shares in your ambitions, Purehito. You believe that the path of magic leads to darkness, correct? Well, I agree. If you wish to truly enter the Abyss of Magic, than there is only one individual who has truly achieved such a state already."

Hades eyed the man carefully, but was interested in the information the man was bringing forth. "You mean to say that there already lives an individual who has walked the path of magic to its furthest and achieved the One Magic?"

The mysterious figure nodded and crossed his arms. "The legendary black mage, Zeref."

Hades' eyebrows shot up, and surprise was quite evident across his features. "He lives still? Truly?"

"He does, but is currently in a state of slumber. I'm not aware of his current location, but finding him right now would be fruitless anyways. His darkness has been sealed by Nagi Springfield, and he's in no position to aid us in our quest. But there IS a way to awaken him. There exist keys capable of releasing the darkness that lay deep inside Zeref's heart, and I know most of their locations."

"You believe Zeref will aid us? Teach us what we strive to know? Guide us down the path of magic?"

"In a sense." The cloaked man responded vaguely. "Zeref wished truly for only one thing: A world for mages and mages only. That world will be one of pure enlightenment, and I assure you that the answers we seek lie right in that very world."

Hades carefully considered the information that was just brought forth to him. It was so sudden, and he knew nothing about the man before him. But deep down, he knew it to be true. He would follow this plan, and the truth of magic would be revealed to him soon enough.

"So are you with me, Purehito?"

Hades turned back to the cliff and resumed his gaze into the wilderness. "Call me Hades."

The mysterious figure chuckled. "An appropriate name for one bathed in darkness…"

XxFlashback EndxX

Hades folded his fingers together and laid his chin across them, leaning forward. It wouldn't be long now. Zeref was finally within his grasp.

XxBreakxX

In a forest somewhere, there was a curious young man all by himself.

He wore open-collared red and tan robes with gold trimmings, along with a large, flowing white toga draped across, and around—his torso. He had messy black hair, dark eyes, and abnormally sharp canines. He also wore a circle-shaped necklace

He sat in front of a pond, drinking water in desperate gulps. Pulling his head out of the water and taking a deep gasp, he paused, some liquid still trailing down his mouth. Around him were the bodies for almost a dozen dead wolves, and the foliage was just a dead.

"Where are you… Natsu...?"

XxChapter EndxX

As you can see, I'm making quite a few changes right off the bat, introducing the Mysterious Figure much earlier and giving Hades a MUCH larger part. Hopefully you like the changes I'm making, and I'll try my best to make the S-Class trials as good as possible!

Xeno out, peace.