"Kid, get off the ground. Spit your blood and bare your teeth; go down a savage. Go down fighting."

I never knew my mother.

I had not and would never know the face or name of the woman whose love and cries had carried me kicking and screaming into this world. Sometimes, I tried picturing her, wondering if I had her hair or her smile or her nose. But I'd never know. And I never knew. There were no pictures or records, no way for me to fully know the woman who'd given me life—transplanted into me her body, her mind, her spirit.

But there were things I knew from what she'd passed on to me. Every time I looked into a mirror, I saw her eyes staring back at me. Every time I fought, I felt the strength and fire of my bloodline roaring like a lion in my veins—unwilling to die or fade from memory through the loss of my existence. I knew my mother had been strong. I knew she'd been a fighter. I knew she'd borne enough love in her heart to produce me.

My mother bore a girl with a gun for a mouth, my teeth dripping lead, lips dripping red, fists clenched for war. She'd brought me into this world screaming and covered in someone else's blood and I wasn't afraid to leave it the same way.

I never knew my mother—no—but I knew she would have loved me. Knew she would have been proud. I knew she would have looked at me with that mix of pleasure and longing, the way I imagined all mothers do when they see their daughters picking up the mantle of their cast-aside youth.

And I knew she would have praised me for doing this—even when no else would. My mother would look at me with emotion and terror filling her slate grey eyes. "Whatever it takes," she would tell me, trembling hands cupping my tear-streaked face. "You do whatever it takes to save them. And, whatever you do, I will love you."

It was this thought that spurred me on.

The plan was simple. I had to find a former council member and wait alongside them until a demon appeared. Once said demon appeared, I would kill it after first forcing it to tell me Tartaros' location and direct myself to their guild. If, on the off chance, said demon refused to give up that location, I would kill it and move on to the next council member's home, repeating the process all over again. Whatever number it took, I was ready.

After finding their guild, I would slaughter the demon whose blood had released the Bane particles and carry its carcass back home with me. Tempester, Freed had called it. I shook at just the thought of its name…

The breeze brushed against my body as I ran. A mile from the guild to the nearest place I could rent a magical vehicle. I arrived—uncomfortable, sweaty, and panicked.

"Welcome in," a bored voice drawled from behind the counter, and upon looking up from his magazine, the clerk gave me a skeptical look.

"I'd like to take out a rental," I blurted, yet still he seemed unimpressed.

"Woah, slow down there, little lady. I'll need to see some ID first. Don't you mages have any patience?"

I gritted my teeth and scrounged through my pack until I found what he needed. It took an ungodly amount of time for him to check my identification papers, find a proper vehicle, and apply the Fairy Tail discount (and accompanying insurance premium) to my purchase, but finally I was strapped into my seat and ready. I wrapped the SE-plug around my wrist, threw the car into gear, and I was gone.

The council's seat lay west of Magnolia, so that was the direction I sped off into. For two hours I drove on, guided by the fading light of the late afternoon sun. In Bellnau I paused, deciding to rest at a local café while I replenished both my reserves of magic and my appetite.

"Do you have a private room?" I asked the manager after I'd finished eating. "Somewhere I could make a quick lacrima call? Please, it'll only take a few minutes."

"Five minutes," She said and begrudgingly motioned me down a hallway. I offered her a mute nod of thanks as she shut the door behind me.

Withdrawing a small, pink lacrima from my bag, I closed my eyes as I called out to its twin. I did not know exactly where the other would be, but I could feel in the strain it took me to reach that it was a fair distance.

After about a minute of waiting, I felt the twinge of a connection establish itself and opened my eyes to see Meredy's face looking gravely back at me.

"Lex?"

"Hey, Meredy," I breathed.

"What's happened? Are you alright? Is this about—"

"Tartaros. Yes, they attacked –"

"Who's there Meredy? Is that Xandria?" Jellal's face quickly followed his voice, and he peered at me from behind the rose-colored glass.

I decided it would be best to get straight to the point, "There was an attack in Magnolia," I said.

"Yajima…"

"He's still alive," I noted, "but barely. One of their demons exploded and released a bunch of anti-magic Bane particles into the city."

Jellal's jaw flexed. "They're trying to unseal Face."

"What?"

"Face," he explained, "It's their last and strongest weapon. If they kill all of the past and present council members then the spell keeping it locked away will be broken and all the wizards across the continent will be given magic deficiency syndrome."

"Lex, it makes Etherios look like a toy; this has the power to remove all magic from our continent."

I felt the blood in my veins freeze over, gooseflesh pelting up across the exposed skin of my arms and neck. No more magic? How could we defend ourselves from the demons then? Surely manmade weapons and armor alone would not be able to fend off their curses.

"Where are you?" they asked, almost in unison.

"I'm in Bellnau," I blurted, "headed west toward the council's seat. I knew they were hunting council members, but I didn't realize why. That's why I called."

"We're headed to Era too," Jellal said. "Doranbolt called; he's the sole survivor of the bombing and wanted our help when he releases the Seis from prison."

"He's letting them out?"

"Yes, and rightly so. I think he wants us to recruit them to Crime Sorcière."

"And what do you want?"

"I want to rehabilitate as many lost souls as I can, Xandria. I know you don't care for the Seis, but I think they'd make a significant contribution towards our cause."

A sharp knock echoed through the walls of the room I stood in, and I glanced up at the sound of a gruff voice shouting, "Hurry it up in there!"

I gritted my teeth, "Jellal, look, I don't have much time. You know as well as I do that Tartaros is moving swiftly, and if we don't take action soon, we won't be able to prevent Face from launching."

"I know that as well as you."

"And that's why," I went on, changing tactic, "I'm hunting former council members. I knew they were up to something, and I called because I was hoping you could give me several addresses. My plan is to intercept a demon on their way to their next target. That way I'll be able to—"

Jellal cut me off, frowning, "You? Xandria, what about the rest of your guild? Why are you alone?"

"I didn't want to endanger them."

"I don't understand how you prevented them from coming along with you…. Unless—"

"I left on my own, alright?" I snapped, expecting one of his signature lectures.

Meredy, however, was the one who sighed at me. "It's Makarov's grandson, isn't it?" She asked. "He was wounded, wasn't he? Lex, you know better than this!"

"Xandria…" Jellal trailed off. "You know my opinion about personal vendettas. I can't condone this, certainly not if it means you throwing away your life so recklessly. Come with us. If you continue on towards Era you would most certainly be able to meet us by—"

"Look Jellal," I snapped. "I didn't call you to ask for your permission; I called because I want to know the locations of the remaining council members and I want to know them now." I paused, my gaze hardened. "Am I being rash? Sure. Selfish? Yeah, probably. But do you think I fucking care at this point? No. Four people are going to die very soon if we can't track these demons down. Even more are going to follow." I glared at them. "Tell me the locations, Jellal, unless you want even more blood on your hands."

They both gaped at me, stunned, no doubt, by my callous words. But I was at the end of my rope.

Another sharp rap on the door.

"It's now or never, Fernandez."

He fixed me with a searching look through the shimmering glass, and I supposed he found whatever he was looking for satisfactory because finally he spoke, "Fine. Fine. Keep heading west another hour or so, then take the highway through Orilon south for about twenty minutes. You'll come across another small town home to two council members, one on the eastern side near the edge of town and one south in the plains. Both homes are blue, with a sigil you'll notice near the crest of the roof."

"We'll be waiting for your call after you arrive," Meredy announced. "And if we don't hear from you by morning, we'll drop the Seis and head your way. Be safe, Lex. Please."

I released a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. "Thank you."

When I finally reached the town, the midsummer sun had almost fully set. The final tinges of red light were just sinking into the line of the horizon when I knocked down the door of the first house, a similar crimson stain meeting me as the sight of a body lying prone on the floor flooded my vision.

Shit.

Tartaros had claimed yet another.

I shrieked in frustration. How had they moved so quickly? Only this morning had they claimed their first victims hundreds of miles away, and yet already this rural city had been ravaged by a harbinger of grief. What would be waiting for my guildmates when they began their search tomorrow morning, or the day afterward? What would await me when I returned home? If only Ultear were still with us. Her time magic would have certainly provided us with an advantage over a guild that could move so quickly.

After quickly surveying the house and calling for the local authorities, I began my trudge back through the heart of town. I was exhausted—physically, emotionally, mentally, even spiritually. Not only was I still working to rid the Bane particles from my system, but I'd also spent the day having my magic reserves sapped by a vehicle in the highest gear. Not to mention the emotional trauma seeing my guildmates nearly lose their lives had caused me.

Perhaps Makarov had been right. I wasn't in the best condition to be fighting off a horde of Tartaros' demons at that moment. The walk back was excruciating.

I saw his name everywhere. In the carts that drove by, the words Dyer stamped proudly across the side and translating to Dreyar in my sick and tormented brain. A local bookstore, with the smudged words Lexus tattooed across a display of law books recalling to me his name.

I collapsed into a chair on the patio of the town's inn. A waitress appeared with a menu, and I ordered more than I knew I would be able to eat. With a sigh I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, hoping to relieve myself of the uncomfortable, itchy sensation that came from sweaty strands sticking to the nape of my neck. Strangely, the disagreeable feeling lingered.

Finally, my food arrived, and after stuffing myself and paying the bill, I lingered on the patio. It was dark now, yes, but only just. Certainly, I had enough time to pay one more visit before I retired for the day. But first—my promise.

I pulled the device from my pocket with as much discretion as possible. Exhaling, I reached through the connection it offered to guide me through, but despite my best efforts, the lacrima lay lifeless and dull in my hand. No response. I sighed and decided to leave a message, in case I later grew too tired to call. There was no need for them to worry, after all.

"I am here," I said. "Not in a private setting, so don't feel the need to respond. But I wanted to let you know I was safe, as you requested. The first councilman was dead already. The body was fresh, though, so I'm going to check on the next home. I might call you later, but I'll probably be too tired to bother, so don't get mad if I don't get back to you. Good luck with the Seis, by the way. And, seriously, stop worrying you two. I'm fine."

Shoving it back into my satchel, I rose.

~XXX~

The figure watched the mage from a distance, eyes narrowing and fingers twitching, itching to pounce. With a sharp hiss of breath, she rose, slinking away from the bistro and into the alleyway behind it.

Pressing a finger to her temple, she spoke, "I've found one."

"And? Did you take care of it?"

The blond woman chuckled, "Oh, come now, where would the fun be in that?"

"And so, you let the human live? You know how—"

"This one," she said, "Is different. She's a fairy, just as you'd predicted."

"How are you so sure?"

"I saw the mark when she lifted the hair from the back of her neck."

"And yet her head is still affixed to it?"

She clicked her tongue, frowning, "Think, my Lord; think of the possibility! She's a member of their guild, come for justice or vengeance or some other one of those moral ideologies you know humans love to entertain themselves with." She paused, a wicked smile forming from her fanged teeth. "She's angry, too; I could taste it! Positively dripping with that delicious human rage. And she's strong—stronger than most of their kind. She's got some of Tempester's particles in her, yet she seems to be managing fine. Can you just imagine what would happen if we—"

The voice scoffed. "No. Not another one of your experiments."

"My Lord, will you not at least consider? Just think of what they would do when faced with one of their own—"

"Faced with one of their own? Need I remind you that if all goes according to plan, those filthy creatures will never have the chance. Unless," He snarled, "You doubt Seilah's abilities?"

"Of course not!"

"And yet, Kyoka, despite already allowing you to capture the other female human, you still have the gall to come asking me for more?"

"With all due respect, my Lord, I am not asking." She snapped. "We need as much strength in our legion as we can muster. I am doing what is best for Tartaros' own interests. Call it intuition, but I swear that this is what Master E.N.D. would want. When I return, this human will be with me, and I'll do with her as I please."

~Xandria's POV~

The second house was more challenging to locate than the first.

Shrouded by the cover of night, nestled deep within a thicket of brush, I would have never found it were it not for the shriek called out to me, piercing the blackness.

Perfect timing.

I sprinted blindly in the direction of the sound, brambles snagging on my clothes, thorns tearing into my side. Finally, a dilapidated house came into view, a dark blue façade visible in the thin moonlight. I inhaled sharply and blasted the door open.

A figure stood in the living room and yelped in surprise. The old councilwoman, I realized, dressed in plainclothes.

"Where are they?" I roared.

She could not even find the words to respond.

"Where is Tartaros?!"

"Please, the only one here is me," She said, stumbling away from me. "I have jewel, if that's what you want. Gold too. Plenty. Just please don't hurt me."

I took one step backward, then another. To this day I remember her eyes—slate grey, like mine—shining with so much terror. I thought once more of my own mother, of my mother's mother, of all the women that'd come before me. Did they look like this councilwoman? Would they look at me as she did, as though I were as monster?

"I—I heard screaming; I thought—"

The councilwoman—likely someone's mother, someone's grandmother—shook her head. "There were no screams," she said. "Please, just take what you want and leave."

"No, I—I don't want to take anything. I didn't come for you. I thought… I thought…" I trailed off, the anger fading from me. What had I thought? Was I truly so consumed by my rage as to hear voices? To fabricate a helpless scream?

"She's right," called a voice, high and cold. It slithered through me—like poison, like a plague. Get it off, I thought. Get it off of me! But there was nothing there—nothing tangible to escape.

"Her business," it said, "lies with me," and turning I beheld the creature that spoke. "My name is Kyoka, and I am the first of the Nine demon gates of Tartaros. You, I presume, are the fairy who has come to kill me."

A/N: Short chapter & a cliffhanger. Whoops!