Rise of new dark guild

Chapter 10: The Thread That Snaps

The streets of Magnolia glistened beneath the early morning dew, cobblestones damp and cool underfoot. Smoke curled from chimneys, mixing with the scent of bread, spices, and the slow-burning wood from bakeries just starting to stir. Lanterns hung from wrought iron posts still flickered faintly, the soft light gradually giving way to the sun.

Tovis Blayne stood in the corner of a quiet square, half-shaded by the awning of a closed herbal shop. His pale fingers curled tightly around a half-read book, its spine bent and marked with ash from one of the many conjured creatures he'd lost control of in the past. His silver hair hung in light wisps just above his collar, unkempt but not uncared for, a mirror of the man himself.

He watched the town wake around him: merchants rolling up stall shutters, mothers hauling children to market, guild apprentices moving in tight little groups, buzzing with the energy of some half-sensed tension. It was in the air now. Everyone could feel it.

But only a few knew why.

Tovis shifted his bag, adjusting it to hide the guild emblem partially stitched on the strap. A gesture more of habit now than secrecy. He wasn't sure when it happened—when his loyalty became a lie. When his fear for his family eclipsed his pride in Fairy Tail.

He remembered the day they contacted him. Obsidian Fang.

It was raining. He'd just returned home, soaked and tired, only to find a letter on his table. No wax seal. No name. But the contents were clear: they knew about his daughter, about his wife's illness, about the money he was quietly borrowing from mission rewards just to keep them afloat. They weren't asking for sabotage.

Not yet.

They just wanted information. Meetings. Names. Patterns. Weaknesses. Just enough to stay ahead.

And in exchange, his family remained untouched.

He thought he could control it. Balance it. Feed them scraps. Misdirect. But Obsidian Fang wasn't stupid. And they weren't patient.

Tovis exhaled through his nose, glancing up at the rising sun.

Two weeks. Precht would leave for the council. The strongest shield the guild had would vanish. And the rumors he heard from the relay contacts? The Fang was moving. They weren't waiting anymore.

He had to act.

He spent the next few days pretending. Teaching younger guildmates how to imbue magical text into scrolls. Smiling during communal dinners. Kissing his daughter goodnight and helping his wife sip from a warm potion when her cough grew too dry. But inside, he searched. Desperately. For someone to trust.

Victor? No. Too unstable. Too distant.

Junia? Maybe. But she was a performer at heart, and her priorities were with public perception.

Corvin Hale? Too cold. He wouldn't lift a finger unless logic demanded it.

It wasn't until two days before the attack that he saw it—a gap in the security lines, a safehouse barely used by outliers on the east end of town. He could slip out with his family. If they moved fast. If no one followed.

He planned it for the night.

They left under heavy cloaks, his daughter clutched to his chest, his wife coughing softly beside him. He used an old illusion scroll to mask their presence, one he'd written himself, fragile and fading.

They made it through three alleys before the spell failed.

A shimmer in the shadows.

Footsteps that weren't theirs.

And then the voice.

"Tovis Blayne. Orders are to silence you. All of you."

A tall man stepped out of the alley mouth, clad in layered dark leathers, bearing the unmistakable brand of Obsidian Fang across his pauldron. Lightning danced between his fingertips.

Tovis backed away, shielding his family. He began chanting.

But he was slow.

Too slow.

The Fang enforcer raised his hand—only to stop.

A blur passed through him.

Blood sprayed.

His arm fell from his shoulder before he even understood what had happened.

Akatsuki stood behind him, blade already coated in crimson, her form fading into the shadows again before his knees hit the cobblestones.

The second slash was silent.

The body dropped without a cry.

Tovis fell to his knees, shaking.

Akatsuki appeared beside him.

"You were compromised," she said simply. "But you chose to protect. That buys you silence. And perhaps redemption."

She looked toward the rooftops.

"Get your family to the safehouse at the western ridge. I'll clean the rest."

Then she was gone.

Tovis ran. He didn't stop until the trees swallowed him.

Back in Magnolia, the night stretched on. And in the heart of Obsidian Fang's forward camp, their spatial mage began drawing the runes that would send them into Fairy Tail territory by morning.

End of Chapter 10