Chapter 3- 'You can see just how much you've grown, how strong you are.'

"Your sister?!" Natsu yelled in surprise, Gray, Lucy and Happy looked stunned by Erza's words. Erza nodded, "Why didn't you say something about having a sister before?" Natsu asked curiously. "She could've joined Fairy Tail and gone on jobs and stuff with us." He smiled.

Erza gave him a weak smile but then looked away, her smile fading. "The reason I didn't mention her ever, is because I forgot about her." She glanced at their stunned looks but continued before anyone could make a sound.

"You see, she is my older sister. When I was young, no more than a toddler, I looked up to her like nothing else in the world. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up; she was my role model in everything." Erza said with a fond smile. "One day she told me that she was going away for a while. I protested, told her I didn't want her to go but the very next morning she left our house without really explaining to me why. I remember that I didn't understand why she'd left, I'd thought that I'd done something wrong and she didn't want to be my sister anymore. My parents later explained to me that she was able to use very powerful but very dangerous magic. It had been her idea to leave to find someone to train her so one day she didn't accidentally hurt me or anyone else. When I learned that she'd left to find a way to protect me from herself, I was so angry at myself for how I'd acted. I hadn't said one word to her after she told me she was leaving, I didn't even say goodbye. I wanted to go after her and apologize, but being as young as I was my parents wouldn't let me for obvious reasons. A year passed and Lilura hadn't come home. My parent began to fear the worst, as there was no reason she shouldn't have come back, even if it was just to check in and say hello."

Erza looked down at the ground and gave a soft sob before continuing with her story. "I was prepared to leave that night. I was going to sneak out and go find Lilura, no matter what my parents thought. I was only 5 years old and was prepared to take on the world. But that was the same night they came. I remember it all too well." She closed her eyes and said "A large group of men wearing helmets broke into our house. I ran to my parents room to tell them and already found them fighting, they'd managed to beat a few of the men but soon were beaten. I ran to their side but one of the men wrapped a magic chain around my neck and pulled me back. I passed out from lack of air quickly, the next thing I knew I was in a jail cell with 15 or so other people, all wearing shackles on their wrists and ankles. Luckily my parents were in the same cell as I was or else it would have been much worse.

My father explained to me that we'd been kidnapped by a dark cult of wizards in order to complete the building we were in. I didn't want to believe him, I kept telling myself that Lilura would come and save us; we just had to be patient. But days turned to weeks and weeks to months, soon I to began to lose faith that my sister was coming, that she'd died in her effort to find a way to protect me. But it was there in the Tower of Heaven that I met the first friends I ever had." She smiled ever so slightly and looked up when Lucy said "Those wizards who took you? That's why they were acting like that back at the resort, like they knew you."

Erza nodded and said "Simon, Wally, Milliana, Shô and Jellal. They were all children like me who'd been taken from their homes, though I was the only one with parents still alive. At first they, along with the other children were jealous that I had my parents there with me but my mother and father realized this and soon became like a mother and father to all of us. We were all one big family, including Grandpa Rob. And for a time, living at the tower wasn't so bad, sure it was difficult work, little food and we were often beaten, but it was all we had.

At least until the day my father decided he wasn't going to put up with it anymore. He'd watched countless innocent men, women, and children get taken away to be punished and never return. Families torn apart and people abused because they were too injured to work. He stood up to the guards and said he wasn't going to do anymore work." A tear slipped free from her left eye and she softly said "They killed him on the spot. Right in front of everyone. My mother was so anguished she ran to his side and started cursing the tower and everyone in it, she tried to fight the guards that attempted to pull her away from his body. They killed her to." She whispered with a small sob.

She sobbed a few more times before continuing "If Jellal hadn't held me back, I probably would have done something drastic and gotten myself killed to." She was shaking a little bit at this point "It was then when I truly felt alone in the world, even though I was surrounded by people who cared about me, in my mind there was no one, only me and the guards that had murdered my parents. The men in charge quickly learned what happened and came to investigate. At Jellal's insistence they allowed me the rest of the day off of work. While I was alone in my cell, it seemed that everyone had come to the silent agreement that I was the scared little sister in our family, instead of the lucky oldest child. Everyone gave me a little bit of their food even when I had my own, did their best to make sure I was comfortable, even if it meant they went without. Over time I got over my parents death and simply became another orphan. And we lived like that until I was eleven years old.

Shô realized the same thing that my father had; there was no reason for us to continue being treated like we were and that if we really tried we could break out. We warned him against it, everyone thinking of my parents but no one mentioning them, but he wouldn't abandon the idea. Eventually he got Jellal on board and then Wally, Milliana and Simon. I was the only one of our group that didn't agree, I was too scared of seeing my friends hurt like my parents. But eventually Jellal convinced me as well.

A few weeks later we had it all planned and were ready to go. We had supplies hidden away and had a way to get to the guard's boats, but the guards found out our plan and stopped us. Jellal tried to take the blame so none of us would be punished, but the men in charge decided that it was my idea and took me to be punished. As a result I lost my right eye, it could have been worse if Jellal hadn't come to save me. The guards let me go but he took my place."

She looked down and said "When I was taken back to my cell something in my mind changed, I was furious at the men for what they'd done to me and were doing to one of my best friends. My strong emotions allowed me to use my magic for the first time, blowing off the door to our cell and levitating various tools and weapons. I led the revolt of the slaves, we all took up whatever weapons we could and fought back. It actually worked for a while, until the guards got a hold of themselves and started attacking us back. I watched people die around me, including Grandpa Rob, who sacrificed himself to protect me."

Another tear ran down her cheek "I went to the top of the tower where I knew Jellal was, intent on saving him. But when I got there I realized he wasn't the same boy I knew. I don't know exactly what happened, but something changed him. He had a sadistic smile on his face and seemed to have a dark aura around him. When the men in charge came in to try and catch me, he killed them instantly. I was horrified, and stunned when he asked me to stay with him, claiming that he could get us true freedom. He said that Zeref had promised him paradise if he was free, and Jellal wanted that.

I refused and begged him to leave with the rest of us. He suddenly grew furious and told me to leave and never return or else he would everyone else, and if I ever told anyone about the tower, he'd find me and kill me and anyone I cared about. Of course I left, but as I was headed to a small boat, my father's katana appeared on the ground in front of me, a note was tied to the handle that said 'I'm sorry' and I assumed my father's spirit had given it to me. The katana had been passed down through his family for generations and I thought that because I had finally realized my requip magic it was my turn to use it. I stole a boat and made my way to shore, eventually finding my way to Fairy Tail because I had heard stories of the guild from Grandpa Rob. The rest is history."

The Fairy Tail wizards looked stunned by the story and no one spoke at first, they'd all been through their own personal hardships in life; Igneel leaving, Ur's death, Lucy's overbearing family, but none of them could have imagined going through what Erza had.

It was then that Juvia came running up the hill "Juvia has docked the boat at the bottom of this hill. Juvia suggests we hurry." She said. Everyone looked at Erza and Lucy asked "Erza? What are you going to do?" Erza looked at her "What choice do I have Lucy, I have to go save her and stop Jellal." She said, standing up and looking determined. "Then we're coming with you." Natsu said, giving Erza a thumbs up. "As much as I appreciate that, I have to do this alone. She is my sister and Jellal is my problem. You all need to leave though; I will find another way off the island once I find Lilura."

"Nice try, but we aren't leaving you here alone Erza, we are all members of Fairy Tail and the same team. We stick together no matter what." Natsu smiled. Lucy and Gray both smiled and nodded, Juvia gave a small nod as well.

Their plan was decided though when a Giant Owl suddenly swooped out of the sky and grabbed Happy, flying back up and through a window "Happy!" Natsu yelled in anger, before running off after his friend. "Natsu wait!" Erza and Lucy yelled. "I'll go get him." Gray said, running after him. The three girls watched the ice mage run off and didn't notice another wizard come up behind them. There was a loud guitar riff and Lucy and Juvia were blasted through a wall and into a large arena, an insane looking man with extremely long hair jumping over Erza's head and landing in the hole the other two girls had made.

Erza prepared to attack him, but her blade was blocked by a long Katana. A pink haired woman smirked at her from the other end of the katana with a challenging expression. "I am the swordstress Ikaruga, the leader of Trinity Raven. Do you dare challenge me Titania Erza?" Erza looked confident and focused, Ikaruga prepared to swing her sword but there was a flash of light and Erza had disappeared.

A few feet away was an extremely tan boy with blonde hair, in his hand he held a single glowing card and looked terrified. He and Ikaruga made eye contact and he fled into the tower. "What are you doing Shô?! Let me out!" Erza commanded, beating her hands against the magical barrier that held her trapped in the magic card. "I can't, you're safe in there. I promise." He said, "I put a shielding spell on the card, no one can get to you."

He ran into a large meditation room with a wooden bridge surrounded by cherry blossom trees. Suddenly Shô fell to the ground, Erza's card fluttering to the ground in front of him. "I have just severed your nerves without cutting your skin or clothes." Ikaruga said, walking slowly into the room. Shô looked at her in stunned fear.

Ikaruga looked at the card in front of the boy "Card magic, hm, I wondered where you were hiding Erza." She positioned the sword and barely moved, the only show of an attack was the streak of silver from the blade and the sound of it clashing with another. She blinked in surprise and said "Trapped in a card yet you still manage to block my blade. Such skill Titania, it is a shame we will not have a proper fight." "She can cut across the dimensional rift?!" Shô said. "My katana can cut through anything." She said calmly.

A few seconds of silence passed and suddenly there was a flurry of sword clashes and a bright flash of light as Erza blocked every strike against the card and used the weakness of the barrier to break free. "I suspected your attacks would weaken Shô's shielding spell, allowing me to cut right through into freedom." Erza said determinedly. "You said your name is Ikaruga? Well I didn't come all this way for you. Be gone." Erza said calmly.

Ikaruga gave a small smirk "My apologies, but I think I'll stay." Erza's armor suddenly shattered and she let out a gasp of pain. "You seem surprised. A skilled warrior like you should have seen that coming." Ikaruga said.

Meanwhile Zeref sat in Jellal's throne, Lilura kneeling at his side. 'There are now eight votes in favor and only one against. Therefore an Etherion blast will be used to strike down the Tower of Heaven.' Siegrain smirked ever so slightly, as did Zeref. "Everything is falling into place as it should. Excellent. Perhaps you weren't as useless as I thought." Zeref said to Jellal.

"Your single minded focus on Jellal has rendered you a fledging novice, completely unaware to my katana flashing about you." Ikaruga said. Erza's gaze hardened in determination and focus. "Yes there's the look I've been waiting for you. You may be skilled, but you don't stand a chance against me." "You're my enemy and I will defeat you." Erza said as she requipped to her Heavens Wheel Armor. "I always do."