X792

One year has passed since the battle fought against the demons of Tartaros. After their one year separation, Fairy Tail will once again assemble and one of Fiore's strongest and rowdiest guild will reappear.

Over this year, Lucy had been keeping track of whichever guildmate she could, in order to one day, reunite the guild again.

Just a few days ago, most of the core members had come back, ready to join the guild, reunite with their family once again. After rescuing their master from the Alvarez Empire, the guild soon got busy with reconstructing the Guildhall, previously destroyed in their fight against the demons.

Back in Magnolia, the newly reformed guild was back to their usual activities, not ignoring the threat of Alvarez, but since the empire has yet to declare any wars, they assumed they were safe.

It was early on the morning, the sun shined brightly on the streets of Magnolia, as the townspeople had started their day, opening up the markets and shops, leading their ordinary lifestyles.

Lucy walked through the streets first thing in the morning, doing some shopping before the streets get busy and town fully wakes up."So, what to buy first? I should probably pass by the market first. I'm running low of food." She talked out loud, as she looked at her shopping list. She strolled as she hummed happily.

She had missed Fairy Tail a lot over that one year, and now that the guild was back, everything seemed to be going back in place and returning to normal.

As she continued walking, she found herself in deep thoughts, thinking back at the disbandment of their guild, her experiences in that one year...She then frowned when her thoughts were turned to her best friend, the resident dragon slayer, who she had no clue where he could be at this very moment. She was lying to herself if she said she wasn't worried. It's true that he's strong and more than capable of fending for himself, and Happy's with him so she shouldn't worry. But there was something inside of her, giving her a bad feeling about his disappearance. Like a premonition. She decided to put those feelings aside for the time being since she had previously tried to track him and hindered unsuccessful each and every time. She chose to continue with her morning shopping before going to the guild later on.

Guildhall

The early daylight gleamed from the windows inside the guild, lighting the hall with the bright light of the morning.

A few people were currently at the guild. It was still too soon for the guild to be rowdy, however, ever since reuniting, the guild had a lot fewer members than before. But it didn't seem to bother anyone in particular, and it's not like it's abnormal. The guild was disbanded for an entire year.

The people currently present in the guild were Makarov and Mavis, who were sitting by the bar, along with Gajeel and Levy, who were researching. Well, Levy more than the dragon slayer.

The doors of the hall opened. The armored mage walked inside, her armor clicking as she walked towards the matters.

"Good morning Master, First. I was wondering if any decent jobs were available. I'm not sure we'll be getting very good ones for a while." Erza said before walking to the request board, looking around at jobs.

"Good morning Erza. I'm sure we'll be getting good requests soon enough. Some people are still not aware of our revival. Give it time." Makarov grinned.

" I almost forgot Wendy left this morning for Lamia Scale. She said she wanted to visit Shelia. She'll be back before nightfall." Erza announced as she began walking back to the masters.

Makarov took a sip of his drink and looked down at his mug "Yes, she must miss her dearly. They did spend one year together. It's not surprising."

The scarlet mage then walked to a table, sat down, and got busy with polishing her swords as well as enjoying the peace and quiet of the guild. That was quickly changed as people started showing up one by one, shattering the calm of the hall. The members began talking, eating...each attending to their own business.

A few hours later, Lucy came to the guild and directed herself to a table where Erza, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy were seated.

"Hi, guys!" She waved as she sat down next to Levy."What are you reading?"

Levy looked up, being so deep in her readings, didn't notice her friend's arrival. "Oh hey Lu! These are just some stuff I recorded from the council's archives since I don't have access anymore. There are so many things about Fiore that are hidden from public views. It's amazing how much a council can hide." She passionately continued reading.

The celestial mage then looked at Gray who was quietly reading his book and then at Erza who was polishing her armors.

She opened her mouth to say something but Erza beat her to it "Lucy, you told us you've kept track of the members this past year. Do you happen to know where Natsu and Happy are? I would imagine them being one of the first ones to come back after hearing the revival of the guild." She looked at the blond girl, waiting for answers.

Lucy looked down and frowned "I'm sorry Erza but I have absolutely no idea. It's like he's fallen off the face of the earthland. He left before hearing of the disbandment and it was just after watching his father...die. He just wrote a letter saying he's going to train for a while." She finished.

"That's odd. It's so unlike him to just disappear like that. He should've been back by now. I starting to get worried. Could it be that something happened?" Erza wondered and frowned as she thought of the places that he could've gone to.

Gray looked up with a neutral expression "He doesn't have the brains to hide on purpose. He probably got lost in the middle of a forest or something" He said with a smirk.

"Should we go look for him?" Lucy asked the group.

"Salamander's not lost that's for sure. Don't underestimate a dragon's nose. He's probably just training" Gajeel stated

"Yeah I mean, Happy's with him too right? But I really hope they're alright" She mumbled the end of her phrase.

Erza took on a serious expression as she suddenly got up and walked over to Makarov "Master, who is still missing from the guild?"

Makarov scratched his chin as he began thinking, he looked up "I think it's just Gildarts, Natsu and Happy"

"Master, I don't really know why but I'm worried for Natsu. It's not like him to just go up and disappear like this. Can we per-"

"Erza. Natsu is one of our finest mages and more than capable of taking care of himself. We should wait some more before assuming events" Makarov took a sip and closed his eyes. Of course, he was worried for his children, that includes Natsu. But he believed in him. Erza walked away and went to her table.

"So anyway, where's Wendy? I haven't seen her around today" Lucy questioned

Erza answered "She went to see Shelia. She misses her a lot."

After a while of silence, Erza slammed her hands on the table, getting everyone's attention "I don't like that Natsu is nowhere to be found. I have a bad feeling about this."

"I know what you mean Erza. I'm worried for him" Lucy said as she let in a sad smile.

"I suggest we go look for him. At least ask around and get some information on his and Happy's whereabouts. Get some leads. We'll leave tomorrow" She said in a very authoritative tone, leaving no room for discussing.

Gray starched the back of his head "That Flame brain just had to go and disappear." He said annoyingly. Lucy looked happy about her decision and completely on board with the plan.

The next day

Erza, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, and Carla walked to the train station. They decided to travel to different towns in order to gain more information on their friends.

"Do we have to take the train?" Wendy asked, becoming pale just by looking at the transportation.

"Yes, child. We'll get to nowhere by walking. It'll take too much time" Carla responded as she pated Wendy's shoulders.

"Wait can't she use Troia?" Lucy wondered since Wendy usually didn't have too many problems with transportation.

"No, ever since a year ago, the spell doesn't work anymore" Wendy answered, gulping as they got on the train.

A few hours later, they arrived at the port town of Hargeon and decided they would split up to gather more clues. Erza, Carla, and Wendy went off in one direction and the rest of them went to another.

Lucy, Gray, and Juvia walked down the streets, asking about their friend form shopkeepers and random people.

"Aahh, this is getting us nowhere" Gray whined, becoming irritated by the lack of information.

"You would think a pink-haired man with a flying cat would be noticeable to people" Juvia stated.

They kept wandering around. After a few hours, they met up with the others. Both groups were unsuccessful in finding a single clue about the fire dragon slayer. They decided to go to Crocus next since it's a large city, people were bound to have heard something about Natsu.

After arriving at the blooming capital of Fiore, they continued their search in the same way as they did in Hargeon.

Erza, Wendy and Carla were walking while asking whoever they found about their friend. Erza's questioning method seemed a little excessive but the other two didn't dare to comment on it.

As they were walking, they ran into some familiar faces. Sting, Rogue along with Frosh and Lector were strolling down the streets.

"Those two are the dragon slayers of Sabertooth aren't they?" Erza asked looking at Wendy.

"Yeah. Maybe they'll know something." Wendy ran off in their direction while waving her hand.

"Hello, Wendy. It's nice to see you again. Hello Erza." Rogue saluted.

"It's fairy tail again. I heard you guys were back. Congrats!" Sting waved and grinned. "What brings you around here?"

Erza advanced "We've looked for Natsu. You guys haven't seen him have you?"

Rogue and Sting looked at each other before facing Erza again. Rogue spoke "no sorry. Is he missing?"

Wendy nodded sadly.

Sting approached Wendy and stroked her hair "don't worry. I'm sure he's fine. We'll keep an eye out for him."

They talked for a while before a deafening yell filled the air around them.

"Weendyyy!" A small flying figure yelled as he approached the group. It only took them a few seconds to recognize that voice and shape.

"Wendyy!" The blue cat flu as fast as he could, throwing himself in Wendy'a arms.

"Happy! It's so good to see you." Her eyes widened when she saw what state the exceed was in "Oh my, Happy, what happened? How did you get injured like this? Let me heal you right now!" Wendy put him on the ground and started summoning her magic.

Happy sobbed. He looked so pale and his body was covered with cuts and bruises. "No! There is no time!"

"Happy what happened? How did you get this hurt?" Carla flu next to him.

"What happened? Where is Natsu?" Erza demanded as she walked over to him, along with the two other slayers and their exceeds.

"Natsu...*sob*... Natsu is... he's hurt. They have him. They're hurting him. I didn't know what else to do. I escaped when I got the chance and tried to find help... I don't know if he's still alive. Please! Help him!" He pleaded before his vision blackened and passed out.

Everyone stood shocked at what they had just heard.

"Dammit! I knew something was wrong. I hoped I was wrong but now." Erza said in frustration and anger. The Sabertooth mages stepped away from her, not wanting to be caught in her anger firmly.

"Happy's badly hurt, and extremely exhausted. Both magically and physically. He needs rest. We have to go back to the guild." Wendy said as she took Happy in her arms and stood up.

"We have to rescue Natsu as soon as possible. By the Happy talked he could be in grave danger." Erza said as she clenched her fists.

"Happy's the only one who knows where he is. We have to wait till he's well enough to answer." Wendy stated.

"Let's go find the others and then we'll go report to the guild and get Happy to Porlyusica." Erza declared as she began walking.

"We'll try to find as many clues as possible till Happy wakes up. We'll report if we find anything" Sting announced as he and Rogue and the exceeds left

The group joined the rest of the mages and began d explaining what Happy has told them. They were all shocked and surprised.

"No way. Natsu..." Lucy held her hands to her mouth in shock.

"And here we thought everything was fine. Dammit!" Gray expresses in frustration.

The mages took the train back to Magnolia. Before going to the Guildhall, they went by Porlyusica's to help Happy treat his injuries. Wendy stayed with her while the others went to the guild. Once they arrived, they explained the situation to Makarov and the rest of the guild.

To say they were shocked was an understatement. They were left speechless. Makarov cursed himself, regretting not going after him sooner. The only hope they had was to wait for Happy to wake up.

"Master, Happy looked like hell. He said something about escaping. Wherever Natsu is, it can't be good. Happy even stated that he wasn't sure if Natsu was still alive. Master! We have to go now! Before it's too late" Erza shouted. It seemed unlike her. She would never yell at her master but now...

"Erza please listen. I'm as worried as you are right now. I regret not going after him sooner but, if we look for him now, we'll be going on an empty trail. The moment Happy tells us where he is, we'll go. For now, we just have to have patience. Trust me when I say that it's hard for me to just sit here and wait but it can't be helped. So please, do not go after him yet." Makarov frowned and looked down at his beer. It pained him to see that Happy and Natsu were hurt. The thing that most troubled him was that he didn't even think of the possibility that he might've been in such a situation.

Erza gritted her teeth and left the Guildhall, not bearing to just sit and wait. She went off in the Porlyusica's house direction, hoping to be the first to hear about his friend's whereabouts form Happy.

Back at the Guildhall, Gray and Lucy sat quietly at a table, both looking troubled and probably as frustrated as Erza for getting answers.

"Dammit! We just had to ignore his disappearance. We should've gone look for him sooner. Who knows what he's going through right now?!" Gray yelled, angry for not acting sooner.

"We didn't know. But I understand. I'm angry at myself for letting this happen. Happy said he might be dead. You don't think..." she couldn't hold the tears anymore, after thinking that her friend might be very much dead at this very moment. Gray slammed his fists at the table.

The guild was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Nobody dared express joy in this grim situation. They didn't want to imagine the worst but some couldn't help it.

Two days later

It was around noon and sun heated the streets of Magnolia, as people enjoyed the summer heat but also became quite tired from the hotness of the sun.

At Porlyusica's, Happy lied down on a bed, while Wendy talked with the healer. The blue Exeed's eyes flickered open. He suddenly moved, ignoring the pain, making his presence known to the others.

"Happy!" Wendy shouted happily, hugging the Exceed. She was careful not to put too much pressure on him. His body was minorly injured.

"What happened?" Happy questioned as he looked around, trying to understand his surrounding.

"You passed out. You were badly injured and very exhausted. You're lucky you found Wendy and the others before losing consciousness." Carla said.

Happy suddenly got up, stumbled, losing his balance on his two feet. He was still exhausted, but he decided to temporarily ignore it. "Wendy! You have to save Natsu! He's in trouble! Please!" He pleaded.

"Happy, let's go to the guild. There you can explain to everyone what happened to you and Natsu. Let's go!" Wendy announced as she took Happy, and left the healer's house.

In the Fairy Tail Guildhall, the rowdy guild was surprisingly quiet.

The doors flew open as Wendy with Happy in her arms, along with a flying Carla entered. Without any hesitation, Wendy walked to Makarov at the bar. Her guildmates began to gather around her and Happy.

"I'm glad you are doing better Happy. You look mostly healed, but you must still be exhausted." Makarov smiled. Wendy put him on the counter. "Erza and the others explained what you told them back at Crocus. We need to know were Natsu is. But first, tell us what happened over the past year. What happened to the two of you?" Makarov questioned.

Happy looked down, bearing sadness in his eyes. He then began explaining. "Well, a year ago, we went off to train. It was fine at the beginning. Then, Natsu started suspecting that someone was following us but couldn't really find a scent. More like a premonition. Anyway, it was fine until the day some people showed up. When Natsu went hunting, they captured me, so that they could lure Natsu in a trap. They really wanted to take him. They were strong and heavily armed. I'm not even sure they were mages. Natsu started fighting them. After they used me to get him to surrender. It was because of me that they got him" Happy said while tears began forming in his eyes. Wendy hugged him, trying to comfort him. He then continued " They took the two of us to some sort of weird building. They separated me from him and the crazy women in charge of the place made me stay with him. They chained Natsu and locked him up. And that's when they began torturing him." Happy broke down in tears.

The others appalled and became startled after hearing their blue friend.

"Tortured...? You've gotta be kidding me" Gray said in whispers.

"No way..." Mira muttered while she held her hands to her mouth, shocked and saddened after hearing that.

Makarov frowned and clenched his fists, looking ready to explode in pure rage." please continue" he voiced in a low tone.

Happy nodded "I'm not sure how much time has passed since we've been there. There is no more time to explain. Please, we have to go get him. I don't know how much time he has left before..." he sobbed.

"Happy, we need to know more so we could come up with a good plan" Makarov insisted, stopped when he saw Happy in pain. "It hurts. I can't tell you more. I'm so sorry" He trembled and shut his eyes close.

"What is that?" Levy asked while looking at the thing that appeared on Happy's stomach and causing him pain. "It's a seal. It's supposed to not let me talk too much about the place. It hurts. I'm really sorry I can't tell you more."

"Master! We have to go get him now! There's no time to waste" Erza yelled, having lost all patience. They all looked at Makarov, awaiting his orders.

"Happy, how strong are they?" He asked.

"I don't know about man strength but they have arms and strong equipment. They were able to subdue Natsu to some point. Master, they're a military guild. " Happy replied, clenching his fists.

"I've heard military guilds are supposed to be really strong. But they also answer to the crown and the magic council. They're not a dark guild. So why would they take Natsu?" Cana questioned. Whispers could be heard, all agreeing with Cana's reasoning. Happy looked away.

Makarov jumped down the barstool and his expression turned into a determined one.

"No more sitting around. Let's go, rescue our family!"

Elsewhere

In the depth of a forest, hidden from the outside world, resides a building in the form of a fortress.

In this obscure structure, in the center of a large room, was a man with chains covering and piercing through his body, holding him still.

We say man, but he looked more of a beast than a human. Parts of his body was covered in scales, but in that dark room, the most visible feature was his wings and claws, along with horns coming out of his pink locks.

Inside that dark room, the eyes suddenly opened as the sound of doors opening and shutting came. The eyes shone a golden light, pupils slit, looking like the eyes of a beast. Similar to the eyes of a raged dragon.

A woman who looked like she was in her twenties, walked inside and approached the chained figure. The golden eyes followed her movement as she put a hand on his burning cheek. She gently stroked it and smiled.

"Soon enough. You will be complete. I will make you feel despair like you've never felt before. That will end whatever humanity you have left."

The man glared darkly, his eyes filled with rage and agony alike. Showing pain, fury, wrath, and suffering.

After having spoken those few words, she slowly made her way out, leaving him behind, bound by chains.