"The Bureau of Magical Development is right below."
Gildarts and Raizel lay prone on a snow-covered ridge, gazing down at the massive facility built into the side of the frozen cliff.
It looked less like a research center and more like a fortress, its steel walls stark against the white landscape.
"Whew, we made it. The Bureau hasn't been destroyed yet." Raizel slowly let out a sigh of relief, his breath misting in the frigid air.
This meant Ultear probably hadn't run away yet.
The timeline was still intact—or at least, intact enough to save.
He wasn't sure if she had already returned to Ur's residence only to find it empty and come back, but seeing the facility standing was a good sign.
"Is this place going to be destroyed?" Gildarts frowned slightly, squinting at the complex.
"Yeah," Raizel nodded. "In the future I saw—it gets destroyed by a young girl with incredibly strong magic power. Her power goes out of control, she destroys the facility, and then runs away, believing she has nowhere to go."
Gildarts raised an eyebrow.
"But...?"
"But today, this Bureau is definitely getting destroyed, not by her. But by me—because I said so." Raizel's eyes hardened.
"Oh~ I'm getting more and more interested. She has such strong magic power at such a young age?"
Hearing that it was a child who could level such a fortress, Gildarts seemed genuinely excited.
"Let's stick to the plan," Raizel said, pulling out a map. "First, let's locate the Council's outpost nearby. There are likely many lost or kidnapped children inside the Bureau. After we're done, we need the Council to take custody of them and find their parents. Also, try to keep the destruction to a minimum inside the facility initially. Avoid damaging the archives."
"Why?" Gildarts scratched his head, looking disappointed. "My magic is literally called 'Crush.' It's kind of hard for me to hold back."
"Because the documents might contain information about the children sent here," Raizel explained patiently.
"There could be records of who their parents are, where they came from. If we destroy that, some of these kids might never find their way home. Plus, we need evidence of the crimes committed here. Having proof will make explaining our actions to the Council much easier."
Additionally, Raizel was hoping to find surveillance records or logs that could prove to Ultear that Brain had lied to her mother.
"In that case, you handle the infiltration for now. If Brain isn't inside, there's no need for you to act immediately. Just focus on evacuation once the chaos starts."
Gildarts nodded, accepting the strategy.
"Got it."
The two moved swiftly to locate the Council outpost, marking it for later contact.
Then, they returned to their vantage point above the Bureau.
Raizel handed a black mask to Gildarts.
"Put this on. We don't want to be identified immediately."
Gildarts pulled it on without a word, though he grumbled about it itching.
"Take Over: Jesmon."
Raizel's transformation was instantaneous.
A pillar of light erupted and in the blink of an eye, he was clad in sleek, sharp armor of silver and crimson.
Three data spirits—At, Rene, and Pol—materialized, orbiting him like faithful satellites.
"Alright, let's go in."
Just as Raizel was about to dive, he paused.
Gildarts was making a strange face.
"Wow~ Your armor is so cool," Gildarts drooled, reaching out to touch the floating holographic cape of Jesmon.
He poked the armor left and right, even stroking the blue crystal on its chest reverently.
Then, his attention shifted to the three floating swords.
"Can you teach me? This would be a killer move for picking up girls! Imagine walking into a bar with floating swords!"
Gildarts tried to grab one of the spirits, but At darted away, buzzing with irritation.
"They can act independently," Raizel deadpanned. "It seems they don't want you touching them. They probably sense you're a creepy old man."
"Hey! That's hurtful! I'm actually quite popular with the ladies!"
Raizel ignored him and dove.
He plummeted straight down, crashing through the reinforced glass skylight of the main atrium.
CRASH!
Glass rained down like diamonds.
"Enemy attack!" The guards at the entrance screamed, seeing the murderous aura radiating from the silver knight.
They raised their magical staves, but it was useless.
Raizel didn't even slow down.
He left the three Sword Spirits to deal with the grunts, instructing them to only incapacitate.
Locking onto the magical signature of the command center, he used his arm blades to slice through a blast door, charging straight toward the heart of the facility.
Inside the control room, the Deputy Director—a man with a weaselly face and a white hat—was lounging in a chair, watching monitors.
Suddenly, the floor beneath him was sliced open.
He scrambled back as a silver-clad giant rose from the destruction.
"Do you know where this is?!" The Deputy Director shrieked, backing against a console. "This is the Bureau of Magical Development! You're challenging the Magic Council itself!"
Despite his words, he was trembling.
The immense magical pressure radiating from Raizel made it hard to breathe.
"You're conducting illegal human experiments on children, and you have the nerve to hide behind the Council's name?" Raizel's voice was distorted by his helmet, cold and metallic.
"You... you... how do you know that?" The Deputy Director's pupils dilated in shock.
This was a top-secret project; no one outside Brain's inner circle should know.
"Good, your reaction saves me the trouble of interrogating you." Raizel blurred into motion.
He appeared behind the man instantly, delivering a precise chop to the back of the neck.
The man slumped.
Raizel extended his tail blade, wrapping it around the unconscious man to secure him.
Then, he turned to the monitors.
"Where is she?" Raizel scanned the screens rapidly. "Subject Ultear."
His eyes landed on a feed from Cell Block A.
Inside a sterile white room, a small girl with dark hair was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees.
"Why hasn't Mom come to get me? Ultear is in so much pain... I miss Mom so much..." Her muted sobs were barely audible through the audio feed.
"Found her," Raizel whispered. "And there are so many others..."
He saw dozens of children on other screens, locked in solitary confinement.
He tapped his comms crystal.
"Gildarts, I have the Deputy Director. I'm heading to Ultear. There are dozens of kids in the lower levels. Start the evacuation."
"On it," came the gruff reply.
Raizel tied the Deputy Director to a pillar securely, then smashed the console to unlock the doors remotely before heading to Cell Block A.
...
Cell Block A
Raizel stood outside the heavy alloy door labeled Subject 104.
He took a deep breath.
Changing Ultear's path had been his primary goal for this trip, and now that he was here, he felt a surge of emotion.
The rooms were soundproof.
Ultear had no idea a rescue was happening.
Slice.
Raizel's arm blade cut through the hinges and the lock mechanism in one smooth motion.
The heavy door groaned and crashed outward, hitting the floor with a deafening BOOM.
Inside, the girl jumped.
She looked up with wide, terrified eyes.
"Who are you?" Ultear shrank back against the wall, trembling.
Raizel canceled his helmet, revealing his face to appear less threatening.
"I'm someone to take you away from here."
"Take me away?" Ultear shook her head violently. "No! I'm not going! I'm waiting here for my mom! She said she would come for me! If I leave, she won't find me!"
Her resistance was heartbreaking.
Her faith in her mother was the only thing keeping her sane.
"Come down with me, and you'll understand," Raizel said gently, kneeling to be at her eye level.
"Your mother, Ur, was deceived by the Director of this Bureau. Brain... he told her you were dead. He told her you died during treatment."
Ultear froze.
"Dead? No... Mom wouldn't believe that..."
"He lied to her so he could keep you here," Raizel extended a hand. "We have the Deputy Director upstairs. He's tied up. He will tell you the truth himself. If you find out I'm lying, you can always come back here."
Ultear hesitated.
She looked at his hand, then at his face.
The longing to see her mother warred with her fear.
Finally, the desperation won.
"Alright... I'll go with you." She stood up on shaky legs.
"Stay behind me first," Raizel said. "We need to get the others."
Raizel moved through the cell block, freeing the other children.
The girls were terrified, huddled in corners.
Ultear, driven by a sudden need for answers and seeing Raizel's gentleness, actually helped.
"It's okay," she told a younger girl who refused to move. "He's not like the doctors. He's here to help."
Once they were gathered in the hallway, Raizel addressed them.
"We've contacted the Council. They are on their way to take you to safety. If you know your home address or your parents' names, tell the soldiers when they arrive."
"Really?" an older girl asked, tears streaming down her face. "I miss my mother so much."
"I promise," Raizel nodded solemnly. "Now, hold hands. We're taking the stairs. The elevator is... out of order."
"You come along too," Raizel looked down at Ultear, who was clutching the hem of his cape.
"Be careful."
...
The Control Room
Raizel threw the bound Deputy Director onto the floor in front of Ultear.
"Tell her," Raizel commanded, pointing his arm blade at the man's throat. "Tell her what Brain told Ur."
The Deputy Director, sweating profusely and terrified of the giant silver knight, stammered out the truth.
"That day... Brain told the Ice Mage Ur that her daughter couldn't withstand the magical energy treatment... He told her the child had died."
Ultear gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"That woman... she left heartbroken. She looked like a walking corpse," the man continued. "We deleted the records... Brain wanted to keep the specimen for the Arc of Time project."
Ultear fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands.
"Mom didn't abandon me... She didn't leave me..."
Raizel canceled his Take Over completely, returning to his human form.
He crouched down and gently ruffled her bangs.
"See? She loves you."
"You're messing up my hair," Ultear sniffled, trying to wipe her eyes. "Why do you want to find Ur?"
"To invite her to join our guild, Fairy Tail," Raizel smiled. "Ur is a powerful mage. We'd be lucky to have her."
"But how did you know about me?"
"We saw someone kidnapping children outside and followed them. As for you... we found a file mentioning your 'exceptional talent' and realized who you were."
It was a partial lie, but it sufficed.
"Then I'll take you to her," Ultear said, standing up with new determination. "I know where we lived."
"We need to wait first," Raizel said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Gildarts is coordinating with the Council troops outside. We have to make sure every single child gets out safely first."
Ultear looked at him, surprised. "You're so eager to see Ur, yet you still put their safety first?"
"That's what mages do," Raizel winked.
....
Outside on the Cliff
Raizel, Gildarts, and Ultear stood on the windy ridge, watching as Council transport vehicles arrived to load the rescued children.
Raizel handed a magical data storage device to the oldest girl among the victims.
"This contains evidence of the Bureau's crimes and a recording of the Deputy Director's confession. Give this only to the Council Captain. It will ensure they can't cover this up."
Gildarts watched Ultear, who was staring at the horizon, shivering slightly in the cold wind.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Why do I feel so familiar with this little girl?" Gildarts murmured to Raizel. "It's like I've seen her somewhere before. Those eyes..."
"You'll figure it out soon enough," Raizel chuckled. "Alright, everyone is safe. Let's set off for the Northern Frontier. It's time to reunite a family."