Chapter 35 - Key to the Hearth

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

The next day, with the event all but finished, the mages of Blazing Soul where packing up for the trip home. They where hoping to catch the early train, so right after breakfast they gathered in the foyer to say their goodbyes.

Sinann threw her arms around Kat's shoulders, finally free of the regal façade she'd been attempting to keep up throughout the event. "You guys need to come over more often." She said, taking a step back and glancing at Fiona as well. "I'd kill for someone to just hang out with every once and a while."

"Sure we could do that." Kat chirped.

Fiona nodded as well, and Sinann moved onto the others. "Thank you for your help protecting my sister." She glanced over the whole group, but stopped the longest at Amber. "I can't thank you enough for stopping that thief."

"No worries." Rift flashed a grin of his jagged teeth. "Think nothing of it."

"Says the guy who didn't do anything!" Zeke shouted.

Everyone began to laugh, save for the stone faced Ramosa who had just arrived with their baggage. "Well, here we are." Despite everything, he still seemed to be ushering them out the door.

Lir tugged at Shelly's arm, looking like it had only just dawned on her that they where about to leave. "Hey, you'll come to visit too, right?"

Shelly was surprised by her request, so she didn't answer right away. Luckily, Kat was there to speak for her. "Don't worry, we'll bring Shelly along too. We promise."

Lir's eyes lit up, and Shelly quickly nodded her head. "Y-yeah, I'll come too."

"Uh-oh, guys, we got to go." Fiona said after glancing at the clock.

"Right, see you two later!" Kat waved, leading the others out. They made out half way down the driveway before she placed her hands on Shelly's shoulders, who had begun to look a bit downtrodden. "You're missing her already, aren't you?"

It was obvious she was talking about Lir, but Shelly was still bugged that she'd seen through her so completely. "A little..."

"Word of advice, that's what it's like being a big sister." She reached over and pulled Fiona under her arm by the scarf, much to her apparent annoyance. "Remember that the next time you get mad at Leo for worrying about you."

Shelly puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and stepped away, not liking being lectured. She fell back to walk between Amber and Axel, who both began to giggle when she mumbled. "I guess..."

The group had made it back to Merow City by around eight in the afternoon. Kat, Fiona, and Geno all decided to head to the guild; the sisters had some paperwork to fill out, and Geno wanted to get a workout in. Rift headed off on his own, saying her had personal business to attend too, and Shelly decided to head straight home. Will nothing else to do after depositing their reward money at a bank, Amber, Axel, and Zeke all headed home as well.

"Hey, do you think the renovations will be done?" Zeke asked, swooping down to Axel's shoulder.

The three of them exchanged glances. All the excitement of the Omnison event had made them completely forget about fixing up the house. "Hopefully." Axel shrugged. "It'd suck if there's another storm soon."

"I bought some slippers." Amber said with pride. "I'll be fine with the cold."

"The rain will still suck trough." Zeke leapt from his perch and soared on ahead, apparently anxious as to weather the work would be done or not. Not wanting to fall behind, Amber and Axel ran after him.

It took only a few minutes for the house to come into view, where they saw Jon waiting on the front steps next to a large cart "Ah, you're back." He smiled as they approached, clasping his hands behind his back. "So how was your job in the capital?"

"It was pretty boring." Axel sighed, looking over the contents of the cart. "We stopped a thief though, and I didn't break anything this time either."

Amber couldn't help but laugh, even as Jon gave a long sigh. "Yes, well, I suppose that's an improvement." He was still smiling, but he seemed somewhat disappointed that one of the highlights of the story was that nothing got damaged.

"Oi, is that Axel I hear!?" Exiting the front door of the house was a large box with a pair of legs underneath. The box turned, revealing the unmistakable round profile of Elligr Wraith carrying out one of the large dressers from Amber's room. "Hey lad, how's life been?"

"Hey Uncle." Axel waved, quickly running up the hill to inspect the bay window looking out from the living room. "So did they get everything fixed?" He asked earnestly.

"Indeed they did. But half the job seemed to be undoing all your quick fixes." Jon mumbled. "I wish you'd have dealt with this sooner..."

Axel grumbled, but Zeke ignored him and flew to the dresser Elligr had just finished loading onto the cart. "So what're you guys doing with all this stuff?"

The massive man huffed and scratched his thin beard. "Your merchant friend wanted to charge us for pickup and transport, but I figured we could save some cash if I hulled it over me-self." He flipped the end of the cart closed and glanced at Amber, flashing a massive grin full of missing teeth. "Room's all yours now lassie, hope it's to your liking."

"T-thanks." Amber stuttered. He still looked intimidating, but she found it hard to not like him.

Elligr walked around the front of the cart and leaned on the seat, causing the whole thing to groan under his incredible bulk. "Well Jon, I think that's everything. Ready to ship out?"

Jon nodded and clambered aboard, and Axel skidded half way down the hill after them. "Wait, don't you want a hand dad?"

"No, no, that's alright." He motioned for them not to follow, even as Elligr began to drag the cart away. "You three must be tired, so you should take it easy for the night."

Axel looked a bit perplexed, but gave an appreciative wave as the cart rounded a corner. "OK thanks, bye." Amber followed after him through the front door, and the second they where inside Axel dropped down on the couch and stretched his arms out above his head.

Meanwhile, Amber tossed the bag of stuff she'd bought into her bed and took a look around. It was much roomier now that it wasn't full of Axel's junk, which made it feel more like it was hers now. There where little indents in the carpet where the legs of some of the furniture had been, but that didn't bother her in the slightest.

She strolled out to find Axel flipping through the TV for something to watch, and tried to start a conversation. "So... that Elligr guy is your uncle?"

"No, not really. Him and Dad where bounty hunters a real long time ago; we've known him since before we joined the guild." Axel explained when Amber gave him a quizzical look. "Dad quit to become a chef, and when he took us in, Zeke started calling him uncle." He rolled up on the couch to make room for Amber, who sat down instantly. "I guess it just kind of stuck. Even a few people from the guild call him that now."

"So, wait... Let me see if I get this." She paused a moment, fighting back the urge to chuckle. "You're all family, but Jon isn't really your dad, Elligr isn't really your uncle, and Zeke isn't really your brother?"

"What's wrong with that?" Zeke huffed, sitting on the sill of the bay window.

Amber shook her head. "Nothing, it's just kind of funny." She drew her legs up to her chest and smiled to herself as Axel picked a comedy skit on TV. "Having a family is good."

"What about you, Amber?" Zeke asked excitedly. "Shelly said you had a dad somewhere, don't you?"

Amber tensed up, but only for a moment. "Y-yeah, I do. But I don't know where he is."

Zeke thought about it for a second, then perked up slightly. "Wow; that sounds like us and Jelonghoul. Right Axel?"

As Axel began to grumble, Amber did a double take. "Jell-what?"

"Jelonghoul." Axel repeated, sounding a little annoyed. "That was the name of the dragon that taught me how to use magic." He waved his hand like it was no big deal, which made Amber laugh considering all he was capable of.

"He taught us more than that..." Zeke huffed, beginning to sound agitated himself. "He taught us how to find food, how to fish. He had a bunch of cool stories too."

"What happened to him?" Amber asked, finding herself intrigued. "The dragon, I mean."

"Don't know..." Axel shrugged disinterestedly. He couldn't blame her for asking, he'd already had this talk with almost everyone from the guild. "We all lived on an island to the south, and one day the old man just kind of... Left." He began laughing at something that had happened on the television, but it was obviously a bit forced. "Dad and Elligr took us in the next day. And we never really found out what happened."

"Oh..." Judging by the tone in her voice, Amber was expecting a bit more of an ending. Still though, she didn't ask any further. "Sorry."

Unfortunately for her, Axel wasn't quite as astute to her mood. "What about you? How did you get separated from your dad?"

"I..." She began, not too sure how to explain. "I ran away." Axel finally pulled his attention away from the TV, looking for some indication that Amber was joking. Sure enough, she wasn't, and picked up on his reaction just as fast. "Don't get me wrong, he raised me, fed me, taught me how to... Survive."

Armeria jumped away and reformed on the floor between the two of them and Zeke. "And how to use magic." She almost sounded like she didn't want to be forgotten, which was weird considering she rarely spoke at all.

"But, he was dangerous." Amber continued. "He was a really powerful mage, and he did some things that... Well..." She didn't really feel the need to continue, which didn't paint a very good picture in Axel's mind.

"Was he a dark mage?" Zeke said, sounding concerned.

"I suppose he would be, yeah." Amber shrugged, uncurling her legs and lifting Armeria up onto her lap. "But I don't think the council would have even heard of him."

Zeke turned his head to the side in confusion. "What'd he do?"

Amber glanced at Armeria, who did nothing but stair right back at her. Apparently this was all the encouragement she needed, because after a deep breath, she said. "He killed some people." Both Axel and Zeke did a double take, but Amber said something else before either of them could comment. "I don't know how many..."

The guys where stunned, neither one knowing what to say. Hell, the way Amber had said it so nonchalantly made them wonder if she was making it up. "So... You ran away because you where scared of him?" Zeke asked after a moment.

"No." Amber shook her head and smiled. She didn't actually look happy, more like she was trying to play it off. "I just didn't want to be a part of it anymore. I don't even think he realised I'd left."

That explanation seemed to just raise more questions than answers, but it suddenly donned on Axel how much Amber was confiding in them. He didn't think it was fair for him to ask any more, considering he'd been pretty stingy on the details about Jelonghoul. He rolled up to his feet and stretched out his back, then looked at the stove. "Well, forget about it. I'm getting hungry. How about you guys?"

Amber smiled, sincerely this time. Apparently she was just as happy to end the conversation as he was. "Sure, thanks."

Zeke flew over to the empty spot on the couch where Axel had just been sitting, then hopped up on the armrest to get a better view of what Axel was doing. "What're you making?"

"Dunno. I was planning on doing groceries the day Kat dragged us out on her job." Axel began rummaging through the fridge, occasionally pulling something out and placing it on the counter. After about a minute, he popped his head up above the door. "How about hamburgers?"

"Yeah!" Zeke yelled excitedly.

Amber nodded as well, and Axel flicked the stovetop burner on. He placed a pan on top to heat up, when he suddenly looked back into the other room. "Oh yeah, I just remembered..."

The others watched him walk back to the bedrooms, and on the way by Amber asked. "Remembered what?"

"Hold on." He called from his room. They could hear him shuffling around for something, followed by a zipper. "Dammit, where did..." It sounded like he was quickly unpacking from their trip, when they suddenly heard a slight metal clink and the shuffling stopped. "There it is..." He stepped around the corner again, with a big grin on his face. "Here you go."

He tossed something into Amber's hand on the way back to the kitchen, quickly getting back to making dinner. Amber meanwhile, began looking over the object, a small key hanging by a purple lanyard. "What's it for?"

"Well, it's a key." Zeke said with a sarcastic grin. "It unlocks things."

"It's for the front door." Axel huffed, shooting an annoyed glair at Zeke. "I figured it'd suck for you if you came back one day and we weren't here to let you in, so I had a spare made up yesterday after my shift."

“Really?” Holding up the lanyard, Amber watched the key spin around a few times before catching it again and holding it to her chest. “Thanks.”

"Don't worry about it." He didn't want to blow her off, but at the same time he didn't want her to feel indented to him either. She was living here after all, so it only made sense for her to be able to come and go as she pleased. "Hey, do you like onions?"

Amber nodded, before both she and Zeke began to laugh at something on TV. Axel held each end of a small onion in his hands and sent a jolt of electricity through it. The bright red skin turned dark brown, and flaked off with just a flick of Axel's thumb.

As he began to chop the rest of the onion, Amber peered around the corner. "Hey, did that dragon teach you that magic eating thing too?"

"Yeah." He didn't skip a beat in his cooking, but couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride. Besides, who wouldn't want to hear a story like that? "It's not just magic though; I can absorb any electricity around me." He flipped the burgers over in the pan, then spun around to face her. "Why do you ask?"

"We knew someone else who could do that too." Armeria interrupted. "When we where in the capital."

Axel stared in disbelief, but Amber shook her head. "Not like yesterday. Before we met, I lived in the capital. And this one mage I knew could heal herself the same way you do."

"Was he a Dragon slayer?" Axel asked earnestly.

"She, her name was Yuki." Amber corrected. "And I don't know. She was an ice mage, and could power herself up by eating a bunch of ice."

"Really?" Zeke soared into the kitchen, landing on Axel's shoulder. "But... Axel eats lightning. Anybody can eat ice, right?"

"She had a cat with her too." Armeria added, watching them from the couch. "Like Zeke, except with purple fur."

There where a million ideas running through Axel's head. Was the person Amber mentioned a dragon slayer? Did that mean she was taught by a dragon too? If so, did that mean she might know what happened to Jelonghoul? He took a breath to calm himself, realising he'd sound frantic if he said anything first. "Do you know where she is right now?" He asked slowly.

Despite his hopes, Amber shook her head. "Sorry..." She looked apologetic, aware that Axel had high hopes. "Yuki and I where separated, and I don't know what happened to her. It's been a few years since I've seen her last."

Axel moaned. It wasn't the first time he'd thought he had a lead, but this was the first time he'd heard of another person who might use Dragon Slayer Magic. Outside of rumors and stories, that is. "Well, forget it. What're the odds she'd know something anyway, right?"

Amber shrugged, slowly beginning to watch the burger patties sizzle away in the pan. Her stomach growled, and she hungrily licked her lips. "Hey... Are they done yet?"

Axel glanced back, finding one side of the patties had begun to char. "Ah, shit..." He flicked off the gas and dumped their dinner onto a pair of plates. After a bit of work, he handed one to Amber and mumbled. "Sorry, don't tell dad..."

Amber giggled and returned to the couch with her food. Zeke took one of the other burgers off the plate and began eating as well, and soon the two of them became absorbed in watching the TV.

Axel however, remained in the kitchen. Partly to scrub the burnt stuff out of the pan he'd been using, and partly because he'd found himself with a lot on his mind. He couldn't seem to put the memories of Jelonghoul abandoning him to rest, which was strange because he thought he had gotten over that particular part of his life a long time ago.

Making his way back to the den to eat, he also found himself laminating on Amber's words about her father. He tried thinking back to the job board at the guild, recalling some of the wanted posters for dark mages he'd seen lately. But she said the council wouldn't know about him, so that was probably pointless. But how could he kill a bunch of people and remain hidden from the authorities?

He thought in circles for a good while, becoming steadily more annoyed with each loop. No conclusion presented itself, and with a heavy sigh, he eventually gave up trying. He couldn't get over one thing however, Amber's reason for running away. She said it wasn't because she was afraid of him, but Axel didn't really believe that.

Confident that he wouldn't be able to sleep much with this on his mind, he tried asking again. "Hey Amber, I-."

"Shhh." Armeria shushed him instantly. "She's asleep."

Axel shook his head and looked away from the TV. In his thoughts, he'd failed to notice how much time had passed. The sun had long since set, and the lights of the city where all he could see through the bay window. Zeke had changed the channel and was now watching a cartoon on the floor next to Armeria, while Amber was slumped over on the armrest, curled into a ball and deep asleep.

Axel couldn't help but chuckle. Amber always seemed to be able to fall asleep in the most uncomfortable of positions. Her head was resting on top of her crossed arms, pushing her glasses lopsidedly up onto her forehead. He found it kind of cute how carefree she seemed right now, deciding he could put off any more questions he might have had.

Until tomorrow, that is.

Next Chapter – Gigaman