Why had she come here? Even now the question still lingered on the vampire her mind as she wandered among the lush scenery the forest provided around her. Ever since the war between Bosco and Stella, it had been clear that whatever the outcome of the conflict would be, it would have quite a monumental consequence on the future.

Speaking of consequences, Esperia had started to notice that the portal she had found within the caves near the port of Hargeon was not an exclusive case. It appeared that according to her sources another portal had emerged in a settlement in Stella, and it was for that reason Esperia had chosen to travel to this region.

The settlement was fairly large, too large to call it a village, but not to the point it could be considered a city, and yet the large plaza in the center of the settlement felt so different compared to most places she had seen in Fiore. Perhaps it was the difference in culture, but there was something intruiging about watching the people go and experience their everyday life. But equally curious was the large gaping portal that was right nearby a wall, the inside swirling like a vortex, and yet none of the people passing by seemed to pay it any attention, nor did they seem to even be affected by the existence of the portal.

Peculiar to say the least...

A hand raised to her chin Esperia couldn't help but ponder as she was seated on a nearby bench, casually observing the portal from a distance as people walked past it without even giving it a glance.

"So most people can't even see the portals, nor are they pulled into them. That raises the question about who can see them, and what qualifications does one have to meet?"

A soft whisper escaped her lips as she pulled forth a small tome, spreading it open on her lap as she flipped the pages swiftly. "I doubt it requires one to be chosen by Gaia, there are too few individuals to confirm that claim, which likely means that only people with a strong enough presence on Earthland can enter those portals."

Of course, she had two additional reasons for visiting this particular settlement. One was related to her personal research, for she had learned that something of immense usefulness to her could be found in Stella, and the other part was the presence of a man. By all means this man was a stranger to her, and yet she knew even more about him than most of his friends would, or even his loved one. After all, all it took was but a mere glimpse for her to know so much, knowledge which sometimes was considered a curse.

Who was this man she was waiting for? Well, that individual was a powerful mage who also led one of the guilds in Fiore, yes... she had heard that Kazimir was in Stella for reasons of his own, and her sources told her he was right here in this settlement.

Kazimir walked into the small town with a tan bag thrown over his shoulder. All his belongings from travel were packed tightly within. He unrolled the small note and read aloud, "Bread, salt, leather and..." he looked around the plaza. People strolled by as the sun was beginning to set. The mage cast a false shadow behind himself to aid with blending in with the people. He was on a mission to restock the food stores and gear of the village that lay on the far border of Stella. No doubt it was abandoned by now or at most a few sentries remained. Nonetheless, he needed to be ready for conflict.

All the shops were scattered in a dizzying array for the foreigner. He turned in a slow circle, scanning the area only to shake his head and sigh. Not one store was what he needed. The mage crumpled the paper and tucked it away. He turned around corners and slipped by pedestrians, almost unseen among the people as he moved without sound.

The mage turned a corner and set his back against a wall, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. It felt like an eternity since he had come through here on his way anywhere but the village he was raised in. He stood with a heavy grimace weighing down his mind. The thought of conflict swirling in the chaos of his thoughts. The resonance of war blew to the far reaches of his mind with a gentle gust as he opened his eyes and stilled his thoughts.

"Only a few more days," he muttered and pushed off the wall to continue out of the alley and down the plaza. He stepped by a strange glow and stopped before his foot hit the ground. He leaned back and gazed at what seemed to be a portal in the middle of a wall. People walked by him without missing a beat or paying any attention to the strange event. Kaz glanced back and forth at the people, but none seemed to think anything of it, even to the point of giving him weird stares. Kaz leaned on the wall next to the portal to examine it without looking too suspicious. "What in the world are you?" he said, but there was only one real way to find out. He bent over to pick up a small stone.

The war between Stella and Bosco was currently in a tense state that Esperia liked to compare to the calm before a storm. It would be only a matter of time before the ascension conflict between the siblings in Bosco was resolved, and then it was quite likely that depending on the outcome of that conflict, the future of Stella would change drastically.

Yet despite all this Esperia found her interest wavering from the conflict, perhaps because in her eyes she had something more important to worry, something which was even larger in scale compared to the conflict between two nations.

It was fortunate that her gaze had still been fixated on the portal, for her red eyes had spotted the arrival of the man she had been waiting for.

As she had expected, Kazimir seemed able to see the mysterious portal, his initial glances earning a mixture of curiosity and confusion from the villagers, after which he took the smart move of leaning against the wall near the portal. Still, the moment she saw Kazimir bend over to pick up a small stone, Esperia could already predict what he was going to do, clapping her tome close as she called out to the man. "I'd advise against disturbing that portal Kazimir, lest you want to become trapped in another universe."

Her voice was soft, a hint of cheerfulness in her tone despite the direness of her warning. As she rose onto her feet and turned toward Kazimir she smiled calmly and continued. "By the way, I would offer you a seat at this bench, it's more secure compared to the fact that being so close to the portal will make you at risk of getting sucked into it once the dimensional breach grows more erratic.

She smiled calmly at him, a light wave with her hand at the spot beside her and soon she returned to her seated pose. "My name is Esperia~ I actually been looking for you, fortunately I found you in time~"

A soft chuckle followed as the vampire gazed up ahead at the plaza. "Don't worry, the people here are unaffected by the breach, it takes a certain amount of 'presence' before someone reacts to it. So far my theory is that those strong or influential enough to leave a mark on Gaia- I mean Earthland's history, whether past, present or future are at risk of being able to cross into those breaches."

Esperia pondered for a moment, after which she turned her gaze at the man. "If you're wondering, both of us meet the qualification. You, as the leader of Fairy Tail are considered a symbol of hope and defiance against all that is evil, and I?" She paused, her lips curving up slightly as she hummed in amusement. "I'm an unfortunate soul who knows too much about this world and its people~"

As her gaze turned toward the portal she heaved a sigh. "It's a pity that world beyond the portal is on verge of a calamity, and with the breaches being a one-way trip, it's not as easy as: Hey let's send a group of heroes to save the world."

She laughed softly, after which she turned her focus back at Kazimir. "But I'd understand you might have plenty of questions, feel free to voice them and I'll try to answer them~ Despite my former reputation, I have sworn to stay out of problems, and I doubt my wife Priscilla will appreciate it if I return home with a bounty on my head~"

Kaz tossed the rock up and down in his hand, eyeing the portal. Debating on when to toss the rock. It landed one last time and his muscles tensed ready to launch it when a woman's voice called out. He gripped the rock and looked over with a cocked eyebrow. Someone had known his name all the way here? Was it someone from his past?

A quick glance back to the portal that he was warned about and then toward the mysterious woman. "Another Universe," he replied and stepped away from the portal still keeping his eyes on the phenomenon. Now he had to wonder who this person was and how she knew about these things. "Well I don't want to get sucked into anything," he gave a lopsided smile and dropped the rock.

"You know a lot about these breaches?" He asked and made his way over to the smiling woman and took a seat next to her on the bench, that faced the portal.

"Oh?" he replied upon hearing she was looking for him. "Esperia? That name comes with a reputation of its own. Why are you looking for me?" he asked calmly not wanting to jump to any conclusions, and the woman seemed pleasant and helpful. "This is a far cry from our Fiore. But thank you for saving me from a potential universal swap," he added with a bit of a chuckle.

"Hmm," was his only response to the theory of the portals. "So do you think they are created by someone attempting to make contact with strong people from our realm? How do you know they lead to another world?" He had a lot of questions. And most importantly was if this was a potential threat on top of all the dragons that had arrived.

"You don't seem too upset to be that unfortunate soul," he mused back at the woman's delight in her situation. "Just what is it that you know?" he asked, aware that the woman wielded powerful magic but to the extent, he wasn't sure or what sort of mystical knowledge she possessed. He felt an eerie crawl up his spine that she knew more than most did about him.

"Calamity," Kaz spoke softly and looked at the portal, His feet almost tapping to go to the people's aid. But even so, he had work to finish here first. "There has to be a way to get back," he leaned forward and placed his chin in his hand.

"So. Esperia. You have decided to sideline yourself to the events of the world? Why make that decision and why now?" It was a strange situation. To just sit with someone seemingly unknown to him and have the chance to ask a million questions. But the most puzzling was why now and....

"Priscilla? Does this Pricilla happen to have a child named Hasani?" he asked with full acceptance that it couldn't be the case but just to be sure.