Fairy Tail: Lost One

Rudra turned to find himself surrounded by soldiers and mages, their weapons and staves trained on him.

At the forefront stood a muscular man clad in the gleaming full-plate armor of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron. His stern face and commanding aura made it clear he was in charge.

The man stepped forward, his voice cold and unwavering. "Drop any weapons and surrender. You're surrounded, Dark mage."

Rudra raised an eyebrow, his expression a blend of amusement and mild confusion. He glanced around at the encircling forces before pointing to himself. "Me? You're talking to me?"

"Yes, you!" the knight barked, his patience visibly thinning. "Now tell us where the princess is."

"The princess?" Rudra repeated, genuine confusion flickering across his face. "What princess are we talking about here?"

Before the knight could respond, Kagura stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana. "Sir Arcadios," she said firmly, "we're wasting time. Let's deal with him and move on."

Arcadios, clearly irritated, tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. "Stand down, Kagura. I'm handling this."

The tension was thick when a calm, authoritative voice broke through. "That's enough." Jura stepped forward, his composed presence commanding attention.

He glanced briefly at Arcadios and Kagura before focusing on Rudra. "Stranger-dono, let's keep this simple. Answer one question, and we'll let you walk away."

Both Kagura and Arcadios protested in unison. "Saint Jura!" Their disbelief was evident, but Jura ignored them, keeping his sharp gaze locked on Rudra.

Rudra folded his arms, intrigued. "Alright, one question. Let's hear it."

Jura's tone remained calm but probing. "Are you involved in the kidnapping of children?"

Rudra's response was immediate. "No."

Jura studied him for a long moment, his penetrating eyes searching for any sign of deceit. Finally, he gave a small nod. "You may go."

The soldiers and mages exchanged uneasy glances, their weapons still raised, but after a curt gesture from Jura, they reluctantly parted to allow Rudra passage.

As Rudra walked forward, his strides deliberate and unhurried, he passed Jura, Kagura, and Arcadios. Pausing briefly next to Jura, he said quietly, "You're a reasonable man, Saint Jura."

Without waiting for a response, Rudra turned and walked away, his figure gradually disappearing into the shadows of the passage. As he moved, a thought crossed his mind: That ended peacefully, at least. Things could've gotten messy if it had come to bloodshed.

Soon, he arrived near the docks. The rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the wood greeted him as he approached the edge. He prepared to jump into the water, hoping to make his escape, when a familiar notification from his system flashed before his eyes.

[New Quest: Unforeseen Interference]

Rudra's eyes scanned the details, and his lips curled into a mix of irritation and disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. His plans, it seemed, were about to take an unexpected turn.

***

Meanwhile, back in the underground lab, Jura, Kagura, Arcadios, and the assembled soldiers and mages stood in tense silence, the echoes of Rudra's retreating footsteps fading into the distance.

Kagura's eyes lingered on the darkened passage where he had disappeared. Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, a sudden thud drew everyone's attention.

Kagura turned sharply to see Millinna, collapsed onto the floor, her face pale and drenched in sweat. Alarmed, Kagura rushed to her side and crouched down.

"Millinna! Are you alright? What's wrong?" Kagura asked, her voice laced with urgency.

Millinna let out a shaky, almost hysterical laugh, her breathing uneven. "Nya… Ahaha… We're alive. We survived…" Her hands trembled as she pressed them to the ground, trying to steady herself.

Kagura placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Millinna, calm down. Take a deep breath. What are you talking about?"

It took a moment for Millinna to compose herself, but her trembling didn't entirely subside. She nodded slightly, her voice still shaky. "I'm fine now… I think."

"What happened?" Kagura pressed again, her tone gentler this time.

Millinna's gaze darted nervously around the room before she locked eyes with Kagura. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Kagura, you're not going to believe me, but… I saw something—something terrifying."

Kagura frowned, her grip tightening slightly on Millinna's shoulder. "What did you see?"

Millinna swallowed hard, her words faltering as she continued. "It's… my cat intuition. I saw—" She shuddered, her voice breaking. "I saw you attack him… and then, in an instant, everyone here… was dead. Heads flying… blood everywhere."

Kagura's expression hardened as she froze, processing the mage's trembling words. Her gaze narrowed, her voice calm but skeptical. "Millinna, you've been working hard. You're probably just exhausted. No one could kill all of us in a single moment."

Millinna opened her mouth to argue, but Jura stepped forward before she could speak. His voice cut through the room like a blade.

"Enough."

The sharpness in his tone silenced everyone. Kagura turned to Jura, her brows furrowing. "What are you saying, Jura?"

He met her gaze with calm authority, his expression unreadable. "Millinna's intuition shouldn't be dismissed so easily."

Kagura crossed her arms, her frown deepening. "Then explain it to me. Why did you let him go?"

Jura exhaled, his voice steady but firm. "Because he wasn't with the dark guild."

The room went still. Kagura narrowed her eyes, confusion flickering across her face. "What do you mean by that?"

"If he were truly aligned with the dark guild," Jura said, his tone measured, "he wouldn't have hesitated to attack us the moment he saw us."

Kagura's stance stiffened, skepticism creeping into her voice. "And yet, you still let him walk away? Why not capture him, just in case?"

Jura shook his head, a trace of patience in his reply. "That's where you're wrong, Kagura. If he wanted to leave, we wouldn't have been able to stop him. And if you or Arcadios had tried to force him, things would've turned ugly—fast."

Kagura blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Are you suggesting we wouldn't have been able to handle him? We're some of the strongest mages here, Jura."

Jura's gaze didn't waver. "Strength isn't the issue. It's what I felt from him. If we'd pushed him, many of us wouldn't be standing here right now. Avoiding a fight was the only choice."

Kagura's jaw tightened, doubt lingering in her expression. She glanced at Millinna, who still trembled slightly, her face pale. Kagura's gaze shifted toward the darkened passage Rudra had disappeared down. Jura's words hung heavy in the air, sinking into her thoughts.

Unease coiled in her chest, though she didn't want to admit it. "If he's as dangerous as you say, then why was he here in the first place?"

Jura's expression softened just slightly. "That's the real question, isn't it?"

Kagura's shoulders sagged as she stared into the distance, unease growing with every moment of silence that followed.

The room grew heavier with silence as Kagura mulled over his words. Finally, she broke the quiet. "Where's Sir Arcadios?"

Jura's expression softened slightly. "He's already gone. We've confirmed the princess's location, and he's leading his soldiers to retrieve her."

Kagura nodded slowly, though her mind was still troubled. Millinna's eerie vision lingered in her thoughts, and Jura's unsettling assessment of the stranger only deepened her unease.

More than ten minutes had passed, and Arcadios and his soldiers still hadn't returned with the princess. The uneasy silence gnawed at Kagura's nerves. She shifted on her feet, her impatience breaking through.

"What's taking them so long? They should have been back by now—with the princess," she said.

Millinna, now calmer but still visibly uneasy, offered hesitantly, "Nya… maybe we should go check on them."

Kagura turned to Jura for his opinion, but his focus was elsewhere. He stood still as a statue, his gaze locked on the darkened passage where the stranger had disappeared. His tense posture sent a ripple of unease through the room.

"Saint Jura?" Kagura called, her voice tinged with concern. She followed his line of sight, only to freeze as the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the air.

The figure emerged slowly from the shadows. It was Rudra.

The air grew thick with tension as everyone instinctively braced themselves. Jura stepped forward, his tone firm but wary. "Why are you back, stranger-dono?"

Rudra's expression remained calm, almost indifferent. "Relax, Jura," he said smoothly, "I'm not here to fight."

Jura's eyes narrowed, his stance unyielding. Kagura, unable to hold back her frustration, cut in sharply, "Then why are you here? What do you want?"

Rudra tilted his head slightly, an amused glint in his eyes. "I forgot to take care of something."

Kagura's brow furrowed, suspicion lacing her voice. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Before Rudra could reply, a deafening explosion shook the room. The walls of the laboratory crumbled as a violent blast sent debris flying.

Everyone shielded their faces from the dust and chaos. Amid the wreckage, a figure was hurled through the air, landing with a heavy thud near their feet.

It was Arcadios. His armor was shattered, cracks running through the once-gleaming metal. Blood seeped from numerous wounds, and his ragged breaths were the only sign he was still alive.

Eyes snapped to the massive hole in the wall, where a dark, towering figure emerged from the swirling dust.

The creature was monstrous—a winged humanoid demon, its ridged horns curling menacingly from its head. Glowing purple eyes burned like embers, their gaze cold and calculating. Its entire body was encased in dark gray, metallic armor that reflected the dim light like a sinister sheen. Two massive wings unfolded from its shoulders, their span adding to the creature's overwhelming presence.

The demon let out a low, guttural growl, the sound reverberating through the room and gripping everyone's hearts with dread.

Rudra stepped forward casually, as if unfazed by the horrifying scene before them. His tone was calm, almost playful, as he glanced at Kagura.

"Well, beautiful lady," he said, gesturing toward the towering demon, "it's him."

Kagura's breath caught in her throat. Her hand instinctively tightened around her sword hilt, the cold reality of the situation sinking in.

Chaos erupted as the demon's malice radiated through the room. It wasn't just a fight they were facing—it was survival.