The World

Prologue

(Before the Grand Magic Games)

The women snickered behind their fair hands as he stood there in shame. They had stripped him down to his small clothes and were demanding him to remove that as well. He pressed himself into the corner of the crude shack they made him live in.

"I-I do not want to." He meekly protested, but they only giggled more.

"But Jian, you said you wanted new clothes. You have to take your old ones off before you put new ones on." Something dangerous seemed to sweeten the older girl's tone. He knew better than to defy her when she spoke like that. Reluctantly, he slipped his last garment down his legs and tried uselessly to cover himself.

"Does that feel better? Being out of those dirty rags?" It was the younger one that spoke now. "I bet you would like a nice hot bath, too." While her voice sounded more genuinely sweet, Lim was just as, if not more so, dangerous as Lin. He could only nod as he looked at the floor, trying to keep them from seeing the tears that had begun to well in his eyes. Lin grabbed his face in an iron grip then, forcing him to face her.

"I did not hear your answer Jian. You are going to have to speak up." She held tighter to his chin. The bruises would come by morning. He winced and tried to speak, but his lips and mouth were dry. Seeming to also take note of such, Lin placed one thumb on each side of his bottom lip and tugged in opposite directions, causing the skin to split open and bleed. Instinctively he yelped and tried to back away, desperately trying to pull his head from her grasp, yet she held tight. He was just a small boy, weak from starvation after all. A small whine was all he could muster after he finished his wriggling.

"Now look what you have done. You got your dirty blood on my dress." Her hand released him with a push, sending him to fall backward on the dirt floor onto his bare behind. Timidly he looked and sure enough, there was a small droplet on her white silk sleeve.

"Pity. You had only just gotten this dress, too." Lim shook her head with a smile upon her lips. "I wonder what mother will say." Fear gripped the poor boy's entire being, rattling inside him at the mention of Lady Heng. He began to tremble at the thought of what punishment would be given for ruining Lin's new dress.

"Look Lim, he is shaking all over." She laughed as she stood up.

"His soul is probably shaking, too." Her sister stood as well. The wicked grins they donned could have stopped his heart had it not been pounding so hard in his ears. The shadows on their faces began to darken until only the gleam of their smiles shone through. Soon enough, the sisters were growing, larger and larger, into monstrous shadows. "Jian." Their voices were distorted and deep. In horror he watched as the figures loomed toward him slowly. Their laughter echoed all around him, the shack walls were gone and he was steadily becoming surrounded by darkness. No. No please. I'll be good. He couldn't speak. Please. He put his arms up in front of his face and leaned back. Something grabbed his wrists and tried to pry his arms apart. I'll be good! But still they persisted, eventually succeeding in spreading his arms apart, holding them tightly so that he could not cover himself again. He began to scream as the shadows overtook him, surrounding him, drowning him. Despite the choking blackness, he continued to cry out and try to free himself.

"Bacchus." The shadows said. "Bacchus." They repeated. Bacchus? Who's Bacchus? "BACCHUS." The voice boomed again. Am I Bacchus? "Wake up you idiot!" Something cold suddenly washed over him then.

His eyes shot open as he gasped sharply as if taking a breath for the first time after nearly drowning. Slowly his foggy vision cleared as he glanced around trying to take in his surroundings. He was in the guildhall. On the guildhall floor more precisely, and with both of his arms securely held by Rocker and War Cry. Blinking, he shook his head, trying to get grasp what was happening when someone knelt down to meet him face to face.

"Master." He gave a slow grin (in relief, truly) but the man did not return it.

"You idiot." Goldmine frowned, looking up at someone standing behind him. He gave a curt nod and his friends released his arms.

"Dreaming again, huh?" Bacchus said after shrugging to loosen up his arms. The grin became a small smirk as he hung his head, closing his eyes. Absently, he rubbed at his aching biceps and shoulders. The boys held me down good.

"You were screaming this time." Goldmine looked on, never truly showing it outwardly, but undoubtedly with some worry.

"Screaming?" This was new. A dull ache pounded in his chest as he flexed his hands and rotated his shoulders once more to rid himself of the stiffness. I was screaming then, too. He sluggishly realized, suppressing a shudder.

"This is the fourth time this week Bacchus." His guild master said with a heavy sigh. Though he knew Goldmine wasn't entirely upset with him, he also knew that he had sleepwalked himself into the guild's main dining area and made a bigger mess than just a few broken tables. Again.

"Guess I'm wild even when I sleep." Was all he said with a light laugh, though with a little bitterness, too. Goldmine stood up and extended his hand down. Taking it, and standing himself up, Bacchus followed him out of the guildhall, but not before giving his fellow guild members thumbs up and a wink in gratitude. It seemed to ease them.

They were silent for a bit, walking side-by-side back to his home. These night terrors of his were getting worse. There was no doubt about it. It wasn't always the same dream either, but it usually involved the same girls. Lin and Lim. Something rattled in his chest when he thought of their names.

It was like this last year, too. And the year before that... They continued on until they reached the front of Bacchus' complex.

"Thanks for the escort service." He broke the silence only to be answered with a soft grunt. "Goodnight, Master." He said giving another nonchalant grin. It was just as he turned to walk up the steps that Goldmine finally spoke.

"There is a mage that might be able to help you with your… problem." The older man seemed to hesitate with that last word, causing the grin on the Palm Mage's face to fall uncharacteristically. Before he could protest, Goldmine spoke again. "These incidents are getting worse Bacchus. You've been drinking a lot, too."

"I always drink a lot." Bacchus pivoted to half-face Goldmine. He quirked an eyebrow smartly, but the prominent frown on his guild-founder's face was grave enough to silently tell him this was not a man to be fooled.

"So you noticed that." He frowned back.

"Just because you can drink a lot, doesn't mean we can't notice when you're suddenly drinking more." The older man sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You haven't gone on any jobs lately either."

"I'm flattered you've been paying so much attention to me." That earned an annoyed glare. He let off some and waited for him to continue.

"The others are worried about you, too." They looked directly at each other now. "You haven't been yourself since you came back from your last job."

He recalled something then, and broke from the old man's gaze. Tch. He found the cobbled street to be more interesting to look at. "Just had some trouble is all." They met gazes again before he tried once more to retreat into his home and end the uncomfortable conversation.

"There is a mage named Cana Alberona. She is a Fairy Tail wizard." That stopped him. "They say she is a card reader of sorts. Maybe she can help you resolve whatever it is keeping you, and me, from getting some decent rest." The name had shocked him. Sure, he'd heard of Fairy Tail, back when they were the number one guild in all of Fiore. Everyone knew them. But those days were done when the guild's star members vanished just over seven years ago. Frankly, he was surprised the guild still existed. Then again, rumor was that the missing mages returned from out of the blue just recently alive and well. Another curious piece about them become immortal and ageless had been tacked on, but he found that difficult to believe of such a guild. Refocusing on the current moment, he and Goldmine only looked at each other for a moment before reaching a silent understanding. Despite wanting to or not, he would seek out this card wizard and consult with her. With a nod Bacchus watched as his guild master continued on down the block before finally withdrawing himself into the building and to his apartment. Fairy Tail's Cana Alberona, huh? My soul is shaking. A smile curled onto his lips as he finally entered his home.