Fairy Tail: The Adventures Of Rin Fernandes

XXXIV. Unmasking The Rose-tinted History

XXXIV. Unmasking The Rose-tinted History

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"Natsu!" Erza shouts as Natsu's flames illuminated their surroundings. "You light up the room for Lucy and Mari to find the book. Freed, find the power supply and get it back. Happy, come with me. We're going to check out the outside of the library."

Freed was the first to accomplish his goal, reaching the power generator. He analysed the lachryma, and came up short. There was nothing wrong with the power generator, which meant the electricity was running normally. Quickly, he drew out his sword, scribbling a rune hastily as he slapped it upon himself. His vision cleared, revealing the room as if nothing had occurred at all. Even if it was temporary, he was going to write a rune around the whole library in an attempt to dispel the darkening illusion placed upon them. It would take a while for it to be effective, but he had passed a couple of such exams that required speed writing. He closed his eyes and focused, knowing that a clear mind would help with both the accuracy and implementation of the rune and its conditions within the confines of the library.

The journey back to the room where Mari, Natsu and Lucy were at was done with relative ease. Freed had only decided to return after he had written the rune, and by the time the effects were implemented, he would have reached his comrades. Their eyes widened in surprise when they realised they darkness had vanished, and they had been searching for a muddy, green book that seemed to be seeping a neon green fog.

"How did I get my hands on a cursed book?" Mari questions, staring at her stained hands. "Was it really just a power outage?"

Glancing around, Freed realised they were at a restricted location. Books were all locked up and stored in magic glass cases, and one had been open, though the key was nowhere to be found. Freed too had touched the book, but his hands were free of the ink stains that were present on Mari-Anna's hands.

"It wasn't a power outage. I have temporarily dispelled the magic with a rune, and that is all. I'm unsure of how long it will hold, but I do believe Erza and Happy would be able to find the source."

"But that extract I read..." Mari trails, reaching out for the cursed book once more. Her eyes were glazed over as she stretched her hand towards the book, the emerging green fog almost wrapping a tendril of mist around Mari's wrist to guide her towards the book.

"Mari!" Lucy shouts in warning as she pulled the older woman back. "Don't touch that book! You weren't searching through the restricted areas just now. We were at the historical records...if the magic made you think you were there, surely the original book would be there."

The Fairy Tail mages watched in anticipation as Mari sighed, picking up her discarded wind-reading glasses as she stood up with a weak smile. Lucy's explanation had made logical sense and in her desperation, she had barely been able to think properly. "You're right, let's go."

As they headed for the historical records, Mari couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness that consumed her. Her head still felt fuzzy, probably shaken by the scenes that seemed to repeat in her head about Eircon's death. She had to accept the fact that the man she loved had died, even if she was never moving on from him. How could she? Thinking of Eircon, Mari decided she might as well check up on Eyalle and Paul, on whether they had found Elizabeth Henrietta's brother and family. She knew Claudius Henrietta's entire family would be there when she contacted Eyalle, but it wasn't as if she was worried about his wife. After all, Mari had moved to Alchemilla with her sister, but moved away to Hargeon six months later, only visiting her sister and brother-in-law a few times a year. She, after all, wasn't one to toggle between two locations like Elizabeth Henrietta and Mary. For now, none of that mattered. She was going to contact Eyalle as a member of the Ventury, and not because her sister was likely to be there as well.