Naruto x Fairy Tail: Fairy's Shadow

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"Normal Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

[Year X???]

Shisui considered Echorim's words while Echorim continued it's explanation about the nature of the magic that flowed through Umra Noctis.

"The particles that give this world its magic do not flow in Umbra Noctis. They cannot exist in this realm. Instead, our realm is sustained by Void Essence. The breath of nothingness itself. It is internal."

Shisui's eyes widened as the explanation made sense in a way that Shisui found both fascinating and unsettling. 'That's why I can be here. Because I don't use Ethernano.'

"Precisely," Echorim said, and something that might have been approval flickered in its dark eyes. "The energy that you use is entirely different in principle. It is internal, generated from within rather than drawn from the environment. In a realm where external magic cannot exist, you remain unchanged."

Shisui flexed his hands, feeling his chakra flow through familiar pathways. It was strange to think that what had always been natural to him was completely alien to this world.

"This is why you were detected so easily," Echorim continued. "To beings attuned to Void Essence, your presence was like a candle flame in an endless night. Not because you were bright, but because you were completely different from everything around you."

The conversation lapsed into contemplative silence, and Shisui found himself thinking about the scope of what he had stumbled into. These beings had been watching and guarding for longer than this world had recorded history, maintaining a vigil that most people didn't even know existed.

'Why tell me all this? Why bring me into something so... significant?' Shisui asked finally.

"Because the balance we maintain is not static. It requires constant vigilance, and vigilance requires witnesses. You are here not by accident, but because forces larger than individual choice have recognized a need."

Shisui looked at the mark on his palms again, understanding now that it represented far more than he had initially realized.

'There's more, isn't there?' He said, though it wasn't really a question.

"Much more. The reason you were selected begins with the moment you first appeared in this world. From the instant you arrived in Earthland, the Nox Aeternum sensed your presence."

Shisui raised an eyebrow. 'Nox Aeternum?'

"Our leader, you might say. Though 'king' or 'ruler' would be more accurate terms in your language. The Nox Aeternum is the oldest among us, the first to emerge from the void when Umbra Noctis was still finding its shape. It watches over all that transpires in both realms, maintaining the balance we spoke of."

The implications of being noticed by such an entity sent a chill through Shisui. 'How could it detect me from so far away?'

Echorim's head tilted in what might have been amusement. "Distance is a concept that applies to your physical realm. In Umbra Noctis, awareness transcends such limitations. The moment you arrived, carrying Chakra instead of Ethernano, you became an anomaly that resonated through the void itself."

Shisui stared at the bat, the full implications hitting him as a hint of defensiveness appeared in his stance. 'How do you know about Chakra? I never told anyone.'

"You need not be alarmed. Certain knowledge of your origins was learned by the Nox Aeternum when you began the trial. Of how he learned of it, even the Nox Aeternum is unaware.'"

Inwardly, Shisui had a suspicion on just who was responsible for this. However, he also knew that it would be a lost cause if he were to delve any deeper into it. So, he did the only thing he could and just moved on as he thought about the other details that Echorim spoke of.

Shisui thought back to his first days in this strange world. He had been so focused on understanding the magic around him that he hadn't considered how his own presence might affect things he couldn't see.

"The Nightwings, as we are also known, were dispatched to investigate. We followed the traces of your presence, observed your actions, learned your nature. What we found was... unexpected."

'Unexpected how?'

"Most anomalies we investigate prove to be threats or mistakes. Tears in reality that need mending, lost entities that need guidance back to where they belong. But you were neither. You were purposeful, likely brought here by powers currently beyond our own comprehension.

Shisui felt a strange mix of awe and discomfort at being observed so thoroughly without his knowledge. 'You've been watching me this entire time?'

"Some of us, yes. It is what we do." Echorim's tone carried no apology. "The Nox Aeternum determined that you were not a threat to be eliminated or a problem to be solved, but a potential ally to be... recruited, for lack of a better term."

The word 'eliminated' hung in the air between them, and Shisui realized how close he might have come to dangers he never knew existed.

"As I explained earlier," Echorim continued, "Umbra Noctis is a dimension void of Ethernano. Only entities and beings which do not possess Ethernano can exist there freely. Your chakra-based nature made you not just detectable, but viable."

'What do you mean by "exist there freely"? You mean anyone else from this world couldn't have done what I just did? Couldn't have survived the trial?'

Echorim replied in matter-of-factly tone. "The trial would have killed them. Ethernano users cannot maintain their magical reserves in the void. They would have been drained of all power within moments, leaving them defenceless against the psychological and physical pressures you endured."

The casual way it delivered this information made Shisui realize just how unique his situation truly was. He had stumbled into something that was, quite literally, impossible for anyone else in this world.

"Now, you should understand the allies you have gained through this pact. The Nightwings serve different roles, each with their own capabilities and purposes."

Shisui leaned forward as he recognized the shift to practical information.

"Warden Bats maintain and guard the seals that keep the prisoners of Umbra Noctis contained. They are the strongest among us, but also the most bound to their duties. They rarely answer calls unless the threat relates directly to their purpose."

Echorim paused, allowing this to sink in before continuing.

"Scout Bats are smaller, faster, and excel at gathering information. They can move through shadows undetected by most magical means and can cover vast distances quickly. They are often the first to answer calls for reconnaissance or surveillance."

The practical applications were immediately clear to Shisui. In his old world, intelligence gathering had been crucial to mission success.

"Harbinger Bats watch for signs of corruption or threats leaking from the imprisoned entities. They have the ability to sense magical disturbances that others might miss. While Executioner Bats..." Echorim's voice grew colder, "Destroy anything that threatens the balance. They are not called lightly, and once summoned, they show no mercy."

Shisui nodded, but a curious question formed in his mind. 'If Warden Bats are recognized as the strongest, and Executioner Bats destroys anything that threatens the balance, then which of the two are the actual strongest?'

Echorim simply stared at Shisui like how a mother would stare at her child asking a stupid question. "Warden Bats. If pit in a fight, Warden Bats would win easily."

Shisui awaited further explanation, but received none. In the end, he sighed and gave Echorim a nod to continue its explanations.

"Finally, Whisperer Bats like myself serve as communicators and guides. We can speak across realms, translate between different forms of consciousness, and provide counsel when needed."

The list was impressive, but Shisui sensed there was more to learn about working with these beings.

'How do I... summon them?' he asked.

"You do not summon them," Echorim corrected. "You invite them. You request their aid. The Nightwings are not summons in the way this world understands the term. We are allies bound by shared purpose, not servants bound by magical compulsion."

This distinction felt crucial, and Shisui found himself appreciating the respect it implied.

"Focus on the mark. Feel the connection it provides to Umbra Noctis. Then speak to the shadows, not as a master to a servant, but as one ally to another. Ask for assistance, explain your need, and trust that if your purpose aligns with ours, help will come." Echorim instructed.

Shisui looked at his palms, feeling the warm pulse of the mark. He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, trying to feel the connection Echorim described.

'There.' A subtle thread of awareness extending from the mark into the darkness around him.

"I need a scout. Come to me."

Nothing happened.

Echorim's eyes grew sharper. "You are willing for a scout to appear. That is not the same as inviting one to assist you. Remember. We are not subservient, and you are not our master. One does not demand a Nightwing."

The correction stung, but Shisui recognized his mistake. He had spent years in a world where power commanded obedience, but this was different. This required a different approach entirely.

He closed his eyes again, this time focusing not on commanding but on connecting. Through the mark, he could sense the presence of other Nocturnae, distant but aware.

"I would be honoured," he said, softly this time, to the shadows, "if a Scout Nightwing would heed my call and help me understand this new bond we share."

The response was immediate. His shadow deepened, and from it emerged a bat noticeably smaller than Echorim, its form more streamlined and graceful. What struck Shisui most was that he could not detect its presence at all. No chakra signature, no magical aura, nothing that his trained senses could identify. It was there, visible and clearly real, but somehow existing outside what his perception was able to recognize.

The Scout perched silently in the air beside Echorim, its dark eyes intelligent and alert.

"Well done, you begin to understand the nature of cooperation rather than command." Echorim said, and Shisui could hear approval in its voice.

"Now then, let us begin your training in the Shadows."

Shisui looked between the two Nocturnae and a smile spread across his face.

'This is going to be good.'

However, unbeknownst to Shisui, time… moved differently in Umbra Noctis than it did in Earthland. While he was training and familiarizing himself with the Shadows and the Nocturnae, Fairy Tail was in a state of emergency when their only S-class mage was declared "Killed in Action" after more than a year without any contact.

~ End of Chapter 68 ~

We're going into a few chapters of Fairy Tail in X790 and early X791 before Tenrou Return!