⚜ ɴɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴᴛʜ - [ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ + ᴛᴇxᴛ ]

[deathsought]

{ Zeref can be seen seated at a booth in the inn at Fayren, a no-longer-steaming, barely touched mug of black coffee placed next to his copy of the Genessia Tribune. The page is turned to the story about the Fayren magic citizens losing control over their powers. For the longest time, Zeref stares at the page, his expression unreadable, before he finally sighs. }

I've seen this before. Others who have been in this world since last year should also remember something along these lines. I need to speak with these people as soon as possible.

{ Zeref folds up the paper, and turns to the screen. } I will also need somebody from the Genessia Scientific Research Foundation or the hospital who will volunteer to perform a blood test. { In a barely audible voice: } I hope that I'm wrong about this.

Text, Private to Mavis:
Read the "Magic Glitch" news article in the Tribune. I've left the paper on your bed. I need you to meet me at the Silverleaf Institute. If they're back, or if someone is taking a page from them, let's not wait around for them to make the first move again.

Also, can you ask the rest of Fairy Tail if they've felt odd fluctuations in their ethernano levels recently?

...I'll be waiting.

Comments

video;

[livable]

You're going to have to tell me what kind of blood test.

video;

[deathsought]

I need somebody to test their blood for poisons. I can't be certain that they're back, but the possibility that a certain group with something to gain from mages losing control of their magic haven't crawled out of whatever hole they've been hiding in since they were driven from Fayren needs to be ruled out.

video;

[livable]

What kind of poisons? It's not that I don't want to, I just don't come from a world with magic so my expertise about what affects things like that isn't perfect.

video;

[deathsought]

How familiar are you with the native flora of Fayren?

video;

[livable]

Not very. I'm a medical examiner with a background in surgery, not a botanist. But if it comes to testing for pathogens or toxins, I can do that as long as I know what I'm looking for.

video;

[deathsought]

If I'm right about this - and I sincerely hope that I am not - the autopsy reports from the victims of the Hands of Decay should still be on file, somewhere. Nobody could quite tell the exact makeup of their without a live sample, but whatever it was, the victims had their magic not just drained, but tampered with. The tox-screens from the postmortem examinations should help.

{ Zeref was no medical examiner himself, but he did know how magic works better than most. And he's seen what those monsters were capable of, firsthand. }

Mages do not simply lose control over their magic for no reason. There is almost always an external cause, whether the cause is physical or psychological. To be clear, I don't suspect the Hands of Decay have returned; they know they'd be killed on sight if what's left of their movement showed their faces after they were run out of town. But someone deliberately causing mages to lose control over their magic needs to be ruled out, regardless.

Re: video;

[livable]

If worse comes to worse, I am an assistant medical examiner back home if you need to send me a body. I might be able to get more out of that than blood samples if there's a substance that's decaying outside of the body.

[ For.. various other reasons. ]

video;

[deathsought]

That's... likely a decision that will need to be made by Fayren's Guardian, but I'll see what I can do.

{ If only Eileen or Wahl were here. Either of them would have been able to identify the cause simply by meeting with one of the mages; Eileen with her encyclopedic knowledge of enchantment and disenchantment, and Wahl with his magitechnology. Of course, out of the Spriggan Twelve, they'd be among the least capable of even trying to get along with Fairy Tail no matter what he said to them, so... }

Thank you.

[Text - Private to Zeref]

[fairysoul]

I read the news article. There might be no connection but I agree with you: I don't want to take the risk of letting it happen again.

...To be honest, I've felt fluctuations myself. I just thought it was related to the Curse. I was about to ask you about that but I didn't want to worry you.

I'll ask Fairy Tail, though. And join you at the Silverleaf Institute.

[And since they've spent quite a bit of time together lately, she can read between the lines. That last sentence brings a smile to her lips.]

I'll be careful.

[Text - Private to Zeref]

[deathsought]

To be honest, there likely isn't. But the possibility must be ruled out regardless.

{ A pause. }

So you've felt it too, then. I don't know whether to be relieved or worried.

{ He sighs, reading the next part. }

Then I'll see you shortly.