"'My feet were tired, so I'm resorting to this method of walking,' she says tiredly," said Horologium. Lucy was inside his small chambers sitting with a blanket around her.
"I was just asking you know," said Natsu. "I didn't think you'd get that tired by only walking for an hour. Maybe you should start working out more."
"'Hey!' She shouts," said Horologium, "I am perfectly fit!"
"Just be thankful you don't have to put up with Evergreen's complaining," Erza said, backflashes of their expedition together during the Infinity Clock incident making her shudder in frustration.
Gray felt the ground and said, "Well it is a bit rough, but I don't think it's that bad."
"I say we set up camp since nightfall is in an hour," said Wendy.
Erza nodded and said, "That's a good idea. I'll set up the tent. Natsu, work on making a campfire and getting firewood. Gray, try to catch some fish or something to eat. And Lucy and Wendy, you can help me with the tent."
"She groans and says, 'do I have to?'" said Horologium.
Erza gave her a cold death glare and said, "Would you rather me throw you into Natsu's fire?"
"She screams and says, 'No! I'll help you!'" said Horologium. "And by the way Miss Lucy, I have to go now. Ta ta." he said, disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving Lucy in the wide open.
"Crap...," Lucy said, "I guess I had him out for too long."
"That had to happen at some point Lucy," Wendy said, smiling.
"Yeah I know," Lucy said, grumbling under her breath.
"Carla and I will take lookout duty!" said Happy, enthusiastically.
"Are you sure?" Erza asked with concern.
"It'll be easy for us since we have our wings," Carla pointed out.
"I suppose you're right," Erza said smiling, "Very well, if there's a single sign of trouble, don't hesitate to come back here at once, okay?"
"Okay then!" Happy shouted out as they began flying away.
As they started flying over the forrest Carla said, "Just so you know, we can't do anything fun or special, this is purely business, alright?"
"Aye...," Happy said groaning.
"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu shouted shooting fire in every direction.
Lucy dodged all of the embers and flames that went everywhere and shouted out, "Hey! Do I look like firewood to you?!"
"You really should be more careful Natsu," Erza said calmly while wearing her Flame Empress Armor. "If I hadn't protected our base camp from your attempts, the tent would have been burnt to a crisp and Wendy would have gone with it."
"You know I didn't catch all of this fish for nothing," Gray said holding a basket of fresh fish, "If you want to have a decent meal tonight, you should actually try to hit the firewood you pyro."
"Oh yeah?" Natsu said angrily, "Well I doubt you could do any better than I can you pervy snowman!"
"Wanna bet on that flamebrains?" Gray said leaning up in Natsu's face.
"Bring it on!" they both shouted in sync.
"Oh no you don't!" Erza said, punching both of them upside the head, "If you two started fighting, you would demolish our entire camp, and we'd have to start all over from the very beginning."
"Sorry...," they said, hanging their heads low.
Despite the fact that she had them under control, she made Natsu and Gray sit by the edge of the woods while she finished setting up camp herself. Using her Flame Sword, she started a small fire, and set the fish over a small spit to cook while she finished, setting the tent up. Meanwhile, Lucy and Wendy decided to stand off the the side and stay out of Erza's way for the moment. Rather than feeling calm and relaxed for the control they had over this mission, the thought of coming home from a mission in peace for once made the two of them shiver, for they feared that something ominous was bound to happen.
Unfortunately for all of them, that foreboding feeling spoke the truth.
Trying to break the tension in the air, Lucy asked, "Wendy, what was Grandina like?"
Releasing some of the stiffness in her muscles, Wendy eased into the conversation and said, "Well, if you ever met her, I'm sure she'd love you. She loved all humans in general, but I think she would have been even more happy if she could have met Natsu or Gajeel or maybe even Laxus."
"Well I guess that makes sense," Lucy said, smiling, "I mean they're dragon slayers and really strong ones at that. It would be only natural!"
Lucy and Wendy spent the next hour talking about how their lives had been growing up. Wendy told Lucy all about how she and Grandina had lived in the lived high in the mountains by a small lake. She explained how Grandina made herself comfy right by the lake and how Wendy had needed to make herself a small little cottage so that she wouldn't get cold at night. She had been in training all of her life, and the Sky Dragon had supported her the whole way, and she told her that the most important thing she had to do was believe in herself. She had taught her to become one with the not just the wind, but also with the air and other people. This deep connection with the flow of air was the true secret to her capabilities in support and healing magic. Wendy said that she believed the only reason she was able to master sky magic in general was because she learned it at such a young age, when she could allow her mind to smoothly flow with nature.
Lucy was fascinated by the story as Wendy told her about the training she went through. When she was finished with her story, Lucy began to tell Wendy about what it was like growing up in the Heartfilia estate. She said that the best parts of her life there were when she was a little girl, for that was when her mom was alive. Her mother had also taught her to believe in herself and to be strong, and before she died, she had, through some of the servants, passed on to Lucy two of the Zodiac keys, Cancer and Aquarius, so that she could become a celestial spirit as she had been as well. Lucy's tone changed, and she told Wendy of the life she lived after her mother died, the one where she lived in fear of her father. She said that was the reason she ran away and ended up in Fairy Tail, and she didn't hold a grudge against him anymore since he had truly changed. In the small frame of time where she knew him before he died, he had become a kinder, more caring man and father and worked hard to make his own living. But most importantly of all, even after he died, he had shown her that he truly cared for her and loved her. That fact alone was enough to make up for everything that had ever happened negatively, and even though he was gone, she felt as if for the first time in a while, she and her father were truly connected.
Lucy looked over and saw tears running down Wendy's cheeks. "What's wrong Wendy?!" Lucy asked, feeling really guilty for making her cry.
"Oh, it's nothing Lucy," Wendy said, smiling, "It's just such a wonderful story."
As they ate around the fire that night, Gray and Wendy were talking about his childhood, Erza and Lucy were talking about what kind of job they wanted to go on next, Carla and Happy talked about what they thought the other exceeds did when they got to Earthland, and Natsu sat by himself, thinking.
Gray told Wendy about the horrors he had experienced as a child due to Deliora's destructive paths, and how that led him to meet his master Ur, the ice-make magic master, and his childhood rival Lyon, her other disciple. He also explained that his hatred for Deliora was the only thing that kept him running through the intensive training that Ur gave him. But that hatred led him to blindly go after Deliora one night, and it brought about Ur's death through her Iced Shell spell and just as much destruction was caused as before. He said that ever since that day, he felt so much guilt for that event, but he learned to control himself and he was grateful for the sacrifice that she made to protect him. He stated that her actions, her dedication, her love, her sacrifice was what had finally freed him from the darkness that had corrupted his heart back then. Nevertheless, the pain would remain with him forever. Wendy felt sorry for him, and tried to cheer him up, saying that the future had many stories for them to unravel.
Erza and Lucy had decided that their next job would be one much more peaceful since they didn't wish to destroy anything again. They were on a record for having not destroyed half the town on their mission this time, and they wanted to drag that out for as long as they possibly could. Lucy politely put most of the blame on Natsu and Gray for the massive amounts of destruction on their previous fights however Erza admitted that a substantial amount of that destruction was also her doing.
Happy and Carla were wondering about the exceeds who had been born in Earthland, and the friends they had made with the other exceeds. They remembered the friend Lily had made during the Zentopia events named Sammy, and Happy began wondering if he could also possess the ability to go into a battle form like Lily and Sammy could. Carla said that it probably wouldn't be possible since Sammy and Lily were both born with the ability to use a battle transformation, leaving Happy a bit disappointed.
Everyone suddenly, noticed that Natsu wasn't talking at all, which was strange for him.
"Hey," Lucy said, "Are you alright Natsu?"
"Yeah you usually aren't this quiet," Happy said.
"Something doesn't smell right about this place," Natsu said.
Concern growing in her, Erza asked, "What do you mean Natsu?"
"I smell a person," Natsu said, "But they smell so similar to Mavis I can't even tell if it's her or not."
"Is it close?" Gray asked.
Natsu nodded in response. "So why don't you go see if it really is Master Mavis or not?" Lucy asked.
"Good idea!" Natsu shouted, jumping up and startling everyone. He ran off in a random direction of the woods leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Erza sighed and said, "Well I guess we should go with him."
"Aye!" Happy said laughing. And they all ran after him to see what his nose had discovered.
When they finally caught up to him, they found him on a small beach, staring at a large black mass lying on the sand. They got closer to see what it was, and the closer they got, the more they could see the shock on Natsu's face.
"What's wrong Natsu?" Wendy asked. When he didn't respond, everyone took a careful look at the person lying before them.
Lying in front of them, wearing a leather jacket, a black shirt, and jeans, was a man who looked almost exactly like Zeref. He had the midnight black hair, and similar facial features. However he was a bit taller than the Zeref they remembered from Tenrou Island, and they didn't get a sense of omniscient foreboding from the man lying in front of him. But the resemblance was incredible.
"Natsu," Erza said, trembling at the memories of Zeref, "Who is this man?"
"I don't know," Natsu said removing the man's jacket, "But he isn't Zeref."
"Then who exactly is he?!" Carla exclaimed. No one knew the answer to that.
But to make matters even more confusing, Wendy noticed something on his shoulder, under the sleeve of his t-shirt, as Natsu pulled his jacket off. "Hey," she said, "Pull up the right sleeve of his t-shirt. I think I saw something there."
Natsu did as she asked, but he stopped as soon as he saw what it was that she saw. Everyone strained to see what he had found, and it left everyone in utter shock and confusion.
On his right shoulder, a deep ocean blue, was the Fairy Tail emblem.
"Master," Mirajane said, a look of concern on her face, "Erza's team just came back from their last mission, and there's something you need to see..."
Makarov sighed and said, "What did they destroy this time?"
At that Mirajane frowned and said, "Actually they destroyed practically nothing."
Makarov turned around to face her and said, "Well, I suppose that is something to be grateful for, but why are you so unhappy about that, Mira?"
"It's actually a confusing situation that I really don't understand," Mira said, "It seems nearly impossible..."
"Let's have a little look at this ourselves, okay?" the master said cheerfully, "It can't be that bad..."
"I beg to differ..."
The master sighed. "If you're so concerned about it, then make sure no one finds out about it, get Erza and come back to me with a full report on what happened."
Mira nodded and turned to go and get Erza. Laxus came into the room with Gildarts and started speaking with the master.
"Hey Gramps," he said, "Would you mind approving of a little one-on-one match between me and Gildarts here?"
"Where on Earth is this coming from?" Makarov asked, shock written all over his face like a book for everyone to read.
"Laxus and I have been improving ourselves quite a bit since that time where Laxus beat Jura, and we wanted to see which of us is stronger," Gildarts smiled, "That's all there is to it."
"It's going to have to wait boys," the master said, bluntly, "Erza's team came back with news that they think should be kept confidential, so I can't supervise a fight right now. Believe me, I'd like to see who would win, but let me just examine this for a moment. For all we know it could be nothi-"
Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Natsu burst into the room shouting. "Gramps!"
"Geez Natsu...," Lucy said sighing as she walked in behind him, "Haven't you ever heard of secrecy?"
"C'mon Lucy," Gray said, "You know he doesn't even know the word secrecy."
"Like you can do any better than me, snowflake!" Natsu roared.
"Easy Natsu," Gildarts said.
Wendy stood in the corner trying her absolute best not to laugh at their idea of so-called confidentiality. And failing.
Mira walked into the room frowning, her brow furrowed, not saying a single word. And last but not least, Erza came walking into the room carrying a full body bag.
As she closed and locked the door behind her, Makarov jumped out of his seat and shouted, "Don't tell me you kids actually killed someone!"
"No.. but before I unzip the bag is it really okay to have Laxus and Gildarts here to see this?" Erza asked, glaring at them with fierce eyes.
Mira put her hand on Erza's shoulder and said, "Relax, we can trust them."
Erza sighed and put the bag on the floor. As she unzipped the bag and pulled it away from the person inside, the tension in the room doubled. Seeing Zeref's face, Laxus subconsciously started emitting electric surges from his body, and Gildarts also started giving off a deadly aura. Mira looked at him in fear, backing away from him until she felt her back hit the wall. Natsu and Gray held their ground, stern expressions on their faces. Lucy and Wendy stayed with each other, Lucy holding Wendy like a child. Carla and Happy joined them, the need to protect their friends filling their feline bodies.
As for Master Makarov, he glared at the unconscious man before him, trying enormously to stay analytical of the situation. As memories of the Tenrou Island incidents and the war with Tartaros filled his mind, his anger began building up, and he wanted nothing more than to kill the man right there and then so as to not regret letting him live.
"Master," Erza said, tense as everyone else, "What should we do?"
He thought for a moment. Then after a bit of time, he sighed, lifted his head, and asked, "Where did you find him?"
Natsu stepped forward and said, "I picked up his scent on the way home through the East Forrest."
"We eventually discovered him by the ocean," Erza said, "But there's more. Look at his right shoulder."
Makarov stepped towards the man and removed his jacket. He rolled up the right sleeve of his shirt and gasped at what he saw.
"That can't be," Gildarts said.
Laxus stared at the man's shoulder.
"Impossible...," Mira whispered, cupping her hands over her mouth.
Everyone's attention was on his right shoulder where the Fairy Tail guild mark lie.
"Who is this guy?!" Laxus roared, veins sticking out of his forehead.
Gildarts stared, deep in thought, "How could this guy be a member of Fairy Tail?"
"Master," Erza said, fear clutching her, "Do you know this man, where he came from, or if he has any ties to Zeref?"
The master sighed and said, "All we know for certain now, is that this man has some kind of connection with us. However it's hard to tell what it is. For now I think we can assume that this man isn't Zeref although the resemblance is incredible. Additionally, it seems odd that he has our guild's mark on him."
"He's right," Mira said, "We never recruited a man with this appearance."
"If he isn't Zeref, who else could he be?" Lucy cried out from the corner.
That question stumped everyone. No one knew what to do. Fear was encircling the room like a thick fog that nobody could see through. They were about to do something rash when all of a sudden they felt a kind and warm presence come into the room.
They all turned to see the ghost of Master Mavis Vermillion walking into the room a gleeful smile on her face.
Master Makarov walked over to her and said, "First Master! We need you to help us with this situation! There's a man here that looks almost exactly like-"
Mavis simply smiled and said, "I know." Everyone looked in shock towards her. "I thought I felt his energy."
Laxus took a step towards her and exclaimed, "So this man really is Zeref?!"
Mavis giggled and said, "No, silly. He's not Zeref."
Everyone sighed a breath of relief, but Erza said, "How do you know he's not Zeref?"
Mavis walked over to the man and said, "First of all, Zeref gives off a foreboding aura of death wherever he goes, whatever condition he's in, so even though he's unconscious, if this man were Zeref, it's possible that some of you would be dead right now." Everyone realized the truth in her words, and they opened their ears to her next point which shocked everyone. "Second of all, this man was once a good friend of mine, many years ago."
Everyone stared at her for a second before all shouting out, "WHAT?!"
"That's crazy!" Gray exclaimed.
"Does that mean he's like a ghost or something?!" Laxus shouted.
"Sort of," Master Mavis said happily. "This body he has right now is made completely out of a fragment of his magical energy."
"Where's his real body then?" Master Makarov asked.
"Are you sure you all want to know?" Mavis asked everyone, receiving nods of approval from everyone. "Very well, this man's body is now in the form of the crystal that surrounds my body. His magical energy is the source of power for Lumen Histoire."
Laxus, Gildarts, and Master Makarov couldn't even begin to describe their surprise at this news, but everyone else looked simply confused, as they didn't know about Lumen Histoire. However what Master Mavis said next affected Natsu and Wendy more than anyone else in the room.
"This man's name is Kurai Mizushima, he's the Water Dragon Slayer, and he's also the one of the first men who ever truly mastered Dragon Slayer Magic."