The Cat with the Twisted Whiskers
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The silent air of Magnolia rang with distressed cries as four wizards from the past unexpectedly plummeted through time and sky alike into the future. "Not good!" Levy cried out in alarm. "Shadow?!"
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Neirah whimpered as she tried to secure her wings between her shoulders with her magic, but it had taken everything she had to get them where they were. Neither of the women expected a fall. "I… I've got nothing left," Neirah admitted in panic. She sealed her eyes tight with a distressed cry. "It took all I had just to get us here!"
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"Crap… Some flyin' cats would come in mighty handy right about now!" Gajeel growled, scrambling around mid-flight. "And that ground's gettin' awfully close!"
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Laxus shifted his alert gaze to the rubble they approached on their descending, and before the ground would have him, he grabbed onto one of the beams to slow his approach before he was expelling effort to land on his feet with no more than an exasperated grunt of impact. He watched Gajeel strike the ground next to him as he slowly straightened, his expression dim and unsympathetic as the iron dragon groaned in the crater he'd created upon meeting the earth. Laxus quickly shifted his attention as Neirah's uncertain cries grew near. He stepped over the mess that was Gajeel and threw his arms out to catch his wife before the ground had a chance at coping a feel.
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Gajeel scrambled to his feet, goose-eggs be damned, and threw his fist out towards the cinematic couple. "Damn it! Why do you always have to be so damn cool!? Take a fall for once and stop makin' the rest of us look so bad!"
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Laxus and Neirah blinked back at Gajeel as the piercing screams of Levy cut the iron dragon's fury. "Waaaahhhhh! GAAAJEEEEL!"
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"Hm?" Gajeel tipped his gaze skyward as Levy sailed down towards them, his expression paling in terror.
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Laxus and Neirah tipped their bewildered gazes to the mass that had become the pair when Levy crashed into her husband, sending them both into the ground. "Ow…" Levy groaned grimly and rubbed her burning backside. "Well… that was graceful."
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"Yea..." Gajeel grumbled weakly, trying to crawl out from under Levy's presence. "We… we gotta do this… again sometime…"
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Neirah laughed weakly as she was set back delicately against the ground, but before she could make it too far, she was relying on Laxus' assistance to keep upright. "Sorry to disappoint you, Screwball, but I don't think we'll be doing this again for a very long time…"
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Laxus gently curled his fingers around her head, stroking her windblown tresses out of her face. "You ok?"
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Neirah turned to face Laxus with a sheepish smile, her expression heavy with exhaustion. "I'll be fine… It's just been a while since I attempted anything like this…" She sighed and melted into his comforting embrace. "If it weren't for Levy, we wouldn't have made it at all."
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Gajeel was growling impatiently with the mushy display between Laxus and his little sister when a piercing glare from Levy had his blood chilling submissively. "Whoa, what the heck is that for?!"
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"I'm the one that fell on my head and he asks her if SHE'S ok," Levy scolded irately. "Well? Aren't you going to ask me?!"
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"Uhm…" Gajeel blinked at her nervously. "Are you…"
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"No, I'm not ok, you thoughtless brute!" She scolded him heatedly and swatted his arm. "Maybe try learning a thing or two from this little trip of ours!" She threw her nose up in the air and turned away with a curt scoff.
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Gajeel flexed his fist, scrambling to his feet impatiently. "Alright, Blondie," he hissed. He shook his fist in Laxus' face, seething jealous rivalry. Laxus opened one eye and looked back at Gajeel's display as the frantic iron dragon lashed out at him. "You may have points for husband-of-the-year, but I'm still super dad! Got it?!"
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"Laxus…" The men immediately turned their gaze to where Neirah uttered her shrill whimper in utter disdain.
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In response, Laxus' eyes widened and his heart stopped as he looked out over the smoking mass that was once the city of Magnolia. Flames licked the rubble of where structure used to stand, charred skeletons of the homes around them standing scarred with the marks of war under a crimson sky. "We… did this…?" Laxus rumbled hoarsely. He tried desperately to force a breath from inside the aching walls of his chest, but it caught with his sudden realisation and his hands started to tremble.
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Neirah let out a sharp cry and dropped to her knees, holding her hands in front of her gasping lips. "This… we're…"
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"Exactly where we stood before we cast the spell…" Levy mewled softly. She laid her fingertips gently against the top of Neirah's head as the heartbroken mother sobbed.
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"H-home…" Laxus forced out breathlessly.
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"Lyra, wake up…" Erza stroked the girl's tousled locks with soft, murmuring encouragement. "You must eat something."
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Lyra sat up slowly and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "I-I can't…" She whimpered softly, curling in on herself as she removed her head from Erza's lap. "I don't feel well…"
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"Maybe that is because you aren't eating," Erza offered softly. She slipped a piece of bread into the little girl's hands. "You have to stay strong if you want to find your brother."
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Lyra's tears rolled down her face and to the dusty offering as she munched on the dry loaf. Her soft and heartbroken whisper was weak, but just as piercing as a strong one. "Momma's bread is better…" She let the tears fall a little longer before she sniffed them back and wiped her dirty little arm across her face. "She made… all sorts of treats for us." A heart-wrenching smile crossed her lips with her thoughts before she continued. "Daddy would steal all the best ones and hide them for himself… and then we'd tell on him and mommy would make him… give them… ba-"
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Erza's eyes grew weak and glossy as she watched Lyra try to laugh, only to end up choking on the dry bread she was trying to eat. "Here, drink," Erza encouraged.
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"Master-Daddy loved momma's cookies so much… He'd try to steal them all… He loved… h-he loved momma… so much…"
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Erza silently clutched the child's head to her breast as she coughed out weak little whimpers of gratitude. Erza gently wiped away the tears starting to join the various, jagged scars along her face from the battles that had destroyed Magnolia.
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Erza had known how much Laxus had loved his wife, she knew how much they had been through together, how much they had sacrificed to remain together. If Laxus were forced to choose between his family and the air he breathed, he would smile his last few breaths by their side before death slowly took him.
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But he had changed.
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The brutally savage shadow of their former guild master running rampant through the continent was nothing short of a nightmare given the breaths Laxus surrendered for his family. Her body, in particular, harboured more scars that she could count in defence of the monster he'd become. She wasn't necessarily opposed by his magic, but by the destruction that was left in his wake. It was endless.
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Neirah had become no better. Strangely enough, though, she was less of a beast than her husband, and she was the dragon born. Luckily for Fiore's kingdom, she didn't take her true form once. Instead, her conceited air of superiority had reminded her of a forgotten alias. Now, the Infinity Empress ruled had plunged half of the kingdom under her dark command, forcing even the kingdom's military resistance to surrender their resistance. Together, the continent's once perfect, fairytale couple had become a plague among the land and lived for one purpose; to rid the world of each other.
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'I'll do everything in my power to help you find your brother…' Erza silently promised herself. 'But your mother and father as you knew them… are gone…'
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"Mistress."
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Despite the hot amber flecks in her reptilian gaze, it couldn't be any colder as she turned and faced the woman approaching her rear. "What is it, Levy?"
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The petite woman dressed in gothic black approached swiftly, according to the rapid clicking of her heeled boots. "I have a lead on the other refugees from Fairy Tail's ruin," Levy informed sternly. She proudly took her place at Neirah's side as they joined and pattered down the stone corridor in sync. "Lisanna and Elfman were seen sneaking provisions into Hargeon."
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"And that city has been destroyed," Neirah crooned thoughtfully. She turned to look out one of the monstrous breaks in the stone of her fortress.
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"Yes," Levy added with a sharp and decisive nod. She flipped her long cerulean locks back over her shoulder. "Which leads me to believe that is where they are hiding."
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Neirah postured, looking down her nose into the rocky, desecrated plain expanding towards the horizon. Her crimson gown rustled in the breeze sweeping past them, her thigh-high leather boots grinding with the flex in her stance. "Then the queen rat has led her pack underground," Neirah snarled wrathfully. "Lisanna and Elfman wouldn't be from her side." She quickly turned to face Levy. "What about Erza Scarlet?"
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"Jailed," Levy informed swiftly. She flashed some of her papers towards her master with an uncharacteristically sinister smirk. "She was captured by the magic council while aiding in the escape of allied forces." Levy flipped quizzically through her notes. "And there are still no reports of Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfillia's whereabouts."
Levy didn't flinch as Neirah threw an iron fist through the pillar at her side without as much as a second thought. "That traitor," she hissed venomously. "He has thrown his lot in with HIM."
"Old allegiances die hard. But it is odd that he hasn't made a fuss either way. He certainly hasn't ever been known for his stealth. It's more likely that he is secreting another rebel faction," Levy added. She followed close by Neirah's side as they started to rush down the hall. "His presence is not an easy one to conceal."
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"This is UNACCEPTABLE!" Neirah roared furiously. "The Infinity Empress should hold the leash on every dragon in the continent! I would have them all at my disposal for the war to come…"
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"I would see it done," Levy agreed promptly. She turned her darkening hazel gaze towards the frustrated empress. "Another matter presses though," she continued hurriedly. "Cana and I ran into some interference on our travels. It looks like Freed has been setting traps around our borders."
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Neirah craned her golden gaze around venomously with Levy's remark. "What can they hope to gain by this?"
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"The only thing I can think of is that they're whittling our numbers down in preparation for a frontal assault. If I hadn't of been there, they would have no doubt taken Cana prisoner. His enchantments grow more complex, though, and it has become difficult for me to keep up."
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"What do you require of me?" Neirah rumbled gently.
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"Permission to gather forces and retake the archives." The script user did not hesitate in reply. "It's all I need to keep tabs on his advances."
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"Done," Neirah agreed decisively. "Take Pantherlily and see to it that we disarm as many of these hindrances as possible. I will not have that barbaric creature out-strategizing us."
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Levy gave a sharp nod, stalling their advance. "And what of Rogue and Sting who have recently returned from scouting southern terrain?"
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Neirah looked down on her ally confidently. "I would have them by my side should enemy forces try to push through our defence."
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"It will be done, Mistress," Levy cooed obediently. The women quickly pressed their lips to one another's in a hard kiss before Levy started swiftly off in the opposite direction.
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Neirah turned and took her place against her golden throne, watching daylight retreat beyond the horizon as she folded one of her lean legs elegantly over the other. "Just try it, you beast," she hissed to the thin, mountainous air around her.
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"Master!" Freed demanded frantically, hustling through the dimming guild's halls towards where his old ally was hunched over in silent contemplation.
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"We got trouble boss!" Bickslow demanded equally as alarmed.
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Before the men could approach, a darkly clad crop bearer was dropping her whip before them to cease their approach. "Juvia will decide what constitutes the declaration of 'trouble'," she snarled impatiently. The act of halting their progression left her master to meditate on his thoughts, but anyone with eyes could see the rage and tension threatening to unleash at any moment.
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"Laxus! You can't be serious!" Freed defended helplessly. "How can you allow her to walk freely when she's come from the enemy's clutches?!"
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Freed cried out in utter agony as he was struck by the spontaneous combustion of crimson lighting above him, the merciless strike sending him back across the guild hall floor.
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"Freed!" Bickslow cried out worrisomely.
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Laxus' deep scarlet gaze flashed open and rolled lethargically to one side. Silently observing the clamouring in his midst, he slowly climbed to his feet, his adjusting muscles straining against skin bearing far more tribal marks than before.
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"Juvia is the only one that knows how that snake operates," Juvia announced coldly. Her dark navy gaze flashed as she glared down her fair nose at the trembling heap Laxus had dismissed. "Maybe if you two had more of her knowledge you wouldn't be scampering away from her fangs like rodents!"
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Freed trembled hesitantly as he struggled to remain conscious in Bickslow's grasp. The Juvia before them was far from the kind woman who once claimed herself to be Neirah's sister. Nothing seemed real anymore. Everyone was changing, it seemed, and it sickened him.
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Laxus snarled raggedly, detached from the pain of his followers. The hot flash in his gaze was moments from seeking further punishment for the ignorance of his subjects when Juvia held her arm out against his chest to halt his advance. "Juvia can handle this on her own, Master," Juvia raged in derangement. A demon-like flash illuminated her dark gaze. "That witch took my beloved Gray from this world!" She bellowed her wrath to the sound of cascading blades circling with the cyclone of her fury. "I will see to it that she is delivered to the most tormented of ends!"
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"Auntie…" Lyra whimpered softly, rustling beneath her plush lavender comforter.
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"Yes, Lyra, Auntie is here," Juvia cooed softly from where she sat at Lyra's bedside with her hands in her lap.
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"I had a bad dream," she whispered gently. She crawled up against Juvia's thigh and buried her face in the fair woman's lap.
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"Would you like Auntie to get you a glass of warm milk?" Juvia smiled down at the girl as she nodded her little golden head. "Stay here, safe in your bed, and Auntie will bring you a glass of milk. She promised your mother that she would keep you safe until her return." Juvia caught her breath as Lyra reached out and grabbed a hold of the woman's skirt hem to keep her from leaving. "Oh? Is something the matter, dear?"
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"You love momma too, right?"
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Juvia's brow furrowed softly with her confusion. "O-of course… your mother is very dear to your Auntie. Since she was very small," Juvia stammered out awkwardly. "Why do you ask such things?"
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Lyra hid her face and quietly crawled back beneath her sheets, breathing her solemn reply in hushed tones. "I had a bad dream…"
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Gajeel's expression paled as he helped Levy to her feet, their company struck into dumbfounded silence with the sight of the desecrated land around them. "What did you do…?" He rumbled out uncertainly by Laxus' side.
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"Me?" Laxus defended edgily. "Have you forgotten the little psycho your little sister's capable of bein'?"
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"Boys, please! I'm not going to ask you again!" Levy interrupted. She quietly held Neirah against her as the woman whimpered through her devastation. "This land is clearly divided enough without us fighting each other."
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"I still don't get what could have happened to cause all this…" Laxus caught his breath when Neirah crashed into his chest, throwing her arms around him tightly. He forced a hard swallow down his drying throat as he rested his palm against the back of her head. "Neirah…?"
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"I love you," she whimpered out shrilly. She tightly fisted her hands in his shirt and rocked her head from side to side against him; trying her hardest not to dampen the fabric with her tears. She threw her head back and looked up at him with glistening eyes. "I just… I need you to know that before we-"
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He quickly pressed his lips to hers in a firm kiss to silence her anxious rattling. When he backed away from her, his expression was stern with determination. "I know," he assured her confidently. "And I know you're scared, we all are…" He held her tight to his chest, one hand gently stroking her hair as he observed the barren landscape that used to be their home. He ground his teeth and backed away from her, casting his gaze her way. "But right now, we need Fairy Tail's Shadow back." He smiled as he took her hood in his hands and slowly raised it up over her head from between her shoulders. "Let's find our daughter, and get the hell back to the way things are supposed to be."
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She closed her eyes for a long moment to enjoy the affection in the gentle kiss he placed against her brow, and when they flashed open again, she silently promised the absence of tears for the duration of their stay. She looked towards Gajeel and Levy for a moment as they too concealed their presences beneath their hoods. "Laxus, your bag," she encouraged. She quietly held her hands out to receive it. She dug through a pocket before retrieving a strip of gauze, tearing it off with her teeth.
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"You weren't hurt when we landed were you?" Laxus offered in concern. Levy cast Gajeel an impatient glare with the sentiment.
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"Of course not," she rushed out upon approaching Gajeel. She reached around his arm and wrapped it with the gauze, hiding his guild mark beneath it.
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"Uh… thanks? I guess," he stammered out hesitantly.
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"If what Lyra said is true and two dark guilds remain in force against the Magic Council; our Fairy Tail doesn't exist." She tugged on the bind tightly to secure it before backing away and adjusting her cloak over her breast. "It's not that I want it to be easy for us to blend in with our future selves because the last thing we need is to get mixed up with them. But we'll have a better chance moving about if we're not seen embracing the mark of the tyrants running rampant over the continent."
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Levy held her hand to her chest apprehensively with her thoughts. "Ehn… am I the only one who gets crazy chills associating 'tyrant' with Laxus and Shadow?"
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"I get chills just associatin' Laxus and Shadow…" Gajeel admitted gruffly.
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Laxus slipped his own cloak hood up around his face and turned to look out over the remains of Magnolia. "Ok, now what?" He rumbled anxiously with a heavy sigh. "Lyra said that she hadn't left her room in the letter she sent, but there's nothin' left of home." He looked over his shoulder, observing the staircase leading to nowhere at his back. "Did we screw up?"
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"No…" Neirah assured him swiftly, taking his side. "We're right where we should be."
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"How can you be sure?" Gajeel added cautiously. "He's gotta point."
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"No Gajeel, Shads is right." Levy corrected swiftly. "I found the note Lyra sent moments after she had cast her spell. I watched it bob up out of the water in the past." Levy tipped her determined gaze towards Neirah with a reassuring smile. "Lyra must have been by the same stream when she sent the letter."
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Laxus took a deep breath, ignoring the scent of decay and brimstone filling his senses as he folded his arms over his chest. "Sounds to me like a damn good place to start."
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"Alright then," Gajeel agreed at his side. "Let's get movin' before we find out what happened to the city between now and when the kid sent us her message."
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Seventy-Two Hours Remaining
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Freed slowly sat up in bed, his body aching from recent wounds he'd suffered at the hands of his guild master, and previously, most treasured friend.
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"Freed, you're up."
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"He's up!"
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"How ya doin' Freed?"
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Freed turned and looked towards Bickslow, the little totems floating around in his presence a most comforting sight. "Bickslow…"
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"Yea, I'm here buddy."
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Freed lowered his gaze to his lap, observing the various bandages his companion had obviously dressed him in. After a humbly silent moment, he quietly shook his head. "What are we doing here?"
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"Well…" Bickslow started slowly. "We're helpin' Laxus-"
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Freed silenced Bickslow's response with the look of hurt in his eyes. "Helping him what?"
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"Uh…"
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"You have to admit… this is strange… even for Laxus." Freed struggled to articulate his sentiment, turning his gaze away from Bickslow's. "Why didn't we leave with Mira and the others? Even Evergreen stayed by Elfman's side as part of the rebel covenant. I know she had children to think about, but didn't he also?"
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Bickslow scoffed to himself in amusement with Freed's validity. "Y'know, it's been so long since I was allowed to question anythin' that I don't have a clue how to answer that."
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"You must be capable of admitting that the man currently seeking his wife's life isn't the man we knew. He cherished Neirah above all else. For God's sake, Bickslow, he abandoned his young son and daughter for this!"
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"That's cool and all…" Bickslow rushed out. "But you saw what he did. There's nothin' we can do now. If we turned our backs on him now, he'd roast us both." Bickslow snorted grimly. "And what he didn't rip apart, Juvia sure as hell would…"
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"She's a psycho."
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"Psycho, man…"
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Freed sighed softly and tipped his gaze back towards his lap. "No… I could never turn my back on the friend I know still exists somewhere inside the monster of what he's become."
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"You think there's hope then?"
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"I have to…" Freed whispered softly. "I feel like someone else has clouded his judgment and made him what he is. I agree that leaving would seal both of our fates, but there is a lot we can accomplish under the cat's nose before poking our heads outside the protection of the cracks in the wall."
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Neirah's gaze frantically scanned the shore of the stream they followed, every bush that rattled with fleeing birds, every shadow that crossed their path belonging to a scurrying hare. "I was resting against that tree when I saw the bottle appear," Levy assured her certainly as she slid her fingers over its bark. "It was in better condition six years ago, that's for sure."
"And no Lyra," Gajeel added curiously. He quickly scanned the area with high suspicions and a tight fist. "But I'll tell you what I'm gettin' a real good whiff of and that's the Magic Council's lackeys…" He narrowed his gaze protectively as his teeth ground and he grew desperate to protect his family.
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Levy held her hands to her lips uncertainly, catching her startled gasp behind her fingertips. "You don't think they've captured her, do you?"
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"No… this place is covered with her scent," Neirah whispered frantically. "Lyra!" She cried out to the silent space they occupied. "She's smart, she'd hide." She rushed around with the beat of her racing heart. "LYRA!"
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"Kid…" Neirah turned around with the sound of Gajeel's raspy voice cutting the unresponsive air to reach her. "It's Lucky…" Neirah's heart dropped in her chest as Gajeel approached and offered her the bloody cat with the twisted whiskers.
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"Lucky," she whimpered breathlessly. As a result of her promise, she focused on restraining her tears with all of her efforts.
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"Gajeel and I worked with the magic council for a bit… and there's no doubt…" Levy rushed out gently.
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"Rayden's got 'er…"
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Laxus put his arm around Neirah and clutched her to his chest. He tipped his lips to the top of her head as she clutched Lucky tightly between them, closing her eyes to deny the sight of his sorry state. He took a minute to collect his thoughts before his steel gaze was cutting sharply towards Gajeel. But moments before he could open his mouth to speak, Neirah's raging ocean blue gaze pierced the distance between her and her big brother. Her breath was ragged and words dripping with malice as she sneered them through clenched teeth. "Where are they keeping my baby?"
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Erza winced as she gently peeled back Lyra's bandages, using what little water they were offered to clean the child's wounds. "There are so many people…" Lyra whimpered softly, sitting cross-legged next to Erza's side. "Why are they all here? They don't look mean at all… Would they really join the war?"
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Erza's brow creased sadly with the girl's questions. "I'm sure they are not, but the council just can't afford to take that chance," Erza assured her gently. She watched through her peripherals as many others cried and clamoured inside their cells. If they possessed magic, they were detained, and as more bodies filled the prisons, accommodations grew bleaker. "They're in here for the same reasons as you and I. We are at war… and wizards can no longer be trusted."
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"Because of mommy and daddy…"
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Erza took Lyra by her shoulders and turned the girl to face her. "You mustn't place so much of their weight on your shoulders," she stated firmly. "Lyra, what is happening here has nothing to do with Fairy Tail's Angel…"
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"I don't want to be Fairy Tail's Angel…" Lyra rushed out in a hoarse whisper. "I want to be theirs…" She turned and looked up at Erza with a distressed look on her gentle features. "Why don't they love us anymore?"
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Seeing the tears surfacing in her eyes, Erza backed away and offered her a piece of cloth to dab them with. Even though Erza hated the state that their family had found themselves in, she couldn't deny the child her ray of hope. "You probably don't remember the first time that your parents brought you to the guild." She started her story quietly, wrapping her cloth back around Lyra's cleaned wound. "I have known your father for years and I have never seen him so absolutely entranced with anything before." Erza laughed to herself, diverting her gaze with the memories. "He was so proud… He didn't want to let you go. And he was capable of lowering the volume of the entire guild so that they wouldn't wake his sleeping angel." She gently stroked some hair from where the wiry strands clung to her face. "And your mother was so delighted when you spoke your first words. She came to the guild and told us all that we had better cherish our last free moments before the sound of your voice put a spell over us all."
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"And she was right… any one of us would have given anything to stop your tears." Erza wrapped her arms around the girl as she buried her face against Erza's chest with fretful tears in her eyes. "I wish I could spare you this, Lyra… I cannot justify what has happened between your parents, but they loved you and your brother more than anything…" Erza rested her face against the top of Lyra's head. "I wish I had the answers for you… but I can't deny the things you've seen…"
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"Rest now," she assured the child gently. "I don't know how, but I will find away to dry these tears. And we WILL find your brother…"
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Lyra tipped her weary gaze back and smiled up at Erza. "Will you help me save mommy and daddy too?"
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Erza's heart sank, but she was unwilling to admit to the child that she thought the effort would be in vain. "Yes," she forced out quietly. "I'll do everything I can to-"
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Erza's instinct was to immediately clutch Lyra's screaming figure to her chest to protect her from the debris falling around them with the tremoring of their cell. "Lyra! Stay down!" She instructed boldly while protecting the child's head. She whirled around to face the rush of guards storming down the corridor with wide and fierce eyes. "What on earth is going on!?"
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"How could you not notice the similarities?!" Rayden demanded at the lead of his troop. "She is a mirrored image of him!"
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Erza's wide gaze trembled as she clung to Lyra's whimpering figure tightly. 'He's here,' she thought in terror. She caught her breath and recoiled over the child when a deafening crack of thunder shook the walls around them, the light so bright it illuminated Rayden's horrified expression in front of her. 'No! But why would he come for her now?! After all this time!'
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"Erza, what's happening?!" Lyra cried out softly.
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"Quickly! Into the corner!" Erza rushed out authoritatively. "Cover your head and wait for my signal to retreat!" Erza threw her hand out at her side, the scars of her battles past flexing in anticipation. "As soon as this door opens, I will stop at nothing to defend you!"
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"Solid script!" Levy cried out her command, wrapping her arms around her body. "Fire!" Erza's gaze flashed with the flames licking the path before them, sending Rayden and his men backwards in retreat. "Move!" Levy demanded sternly. "I'll check these ones over here!"
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'No…' Erza thought dreadfully. She could no longer keep from trembling with her mortification. 'It's the sound of Neirah's lightning?' Erza was aware that Levy had taken Neirah's side in the conflict, but neither of Lyra's parents had sought out their children before that moment. The proof rattled behind her shrilly. Her hands shivered in reflex, waiting for the moment they released the magic keeping her from using her own. "They will not have her!" Erza snarled in determination, watching Levy's shadow approach. She wouldn't let them use Lyra as leverage in the war between the deranged wizards. "Lyra, get ready!"
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Levy gasped as her gaze met Erza's and she fumbled as quickly as she could with the keys in her hands. "Over here!" Levy cried out. "I found her! And she's with Erza!"
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Erza's gaze flashed as she heard the tumbler roll over in the lock. "I won't allow you to summon back-up!" She wailed. "REQUIP!" Lyra let out a piercing scream and closed her eyes as Erza lunged forwards, sword in hand. Levy's expression paled, her eyes widening in utter terror. "I won't stand for another tear!"
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Levy's scream was almost as sharp as the sound of steel ringing against an iron defence. Erza caught her breath, letting her wrathful gaze clear in disbelief as Gajeel stood firmly between her and Levy. "G-Gajeel…" Erza stammered out trembling words, tears immediately bubbling in her eyes as she fell backwards a step.
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"Gee, real good to see you too," he grumbled gruffly. He reformed his hand in the doorway with an unimpressed look on his rough features. "Is the kid alright?"
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Levy caught her breath and rushed past Erza as the woman dropped her sword to the floor, listening to its shrill rattle against the cold stone beneath. "Lyra, you have no idea how good it is to see that you're ok!" Lyra didn't move as Levy embraced her, her bright eyes wide and trembling as she watched Gajeel carefully in the prison cell doorway. Noticing, Levy backed away and looked down at her in concern. "Lyra…?"
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Lyra slowly turned her gaze to face Levy, her heart aching as she stared back at her godmother with silent tears streaming over dusty cheeks. "You came," she breathed out weakly. "You found it… my note… Y-you came for us."
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Levy's expression faltered in concern with the little girl's words; words that she had yet to hear the girl speak in the past that they existed in. She turned and looked over her shoulder to where Erza had collapsed in front of Gajeel, her expression pale and uncertain. In her moment of panic, Levy turned back to face Lyra, struggling with her words for her indecision. "What… what makes you think we were summoned by your note…?" Levy started breathlessly.
.
"Uncle Gajeel…" Levy's heart dropped in her chest as the little girl pointed her finger out towards Gajeel, causing the man to flinch with guilt. Levy's gaze couldn't be any more ghastly vacant as Erza whispered the words past her lips.
.
"But you're… dead."
