Last time I checked I did not own Fairy tale... but that was 5 seconds ago, so you never know.


It was frigid. Freed despite the cold. He could not understand why anyone would choose to live in the mountains like this several hours from the nearest city. How would you get more books? He highly doubted that whatever library this little village had would hold any ones interest for more than a few days.

Freed scowled harder and pulled his coat tighter around him. After reporting the unnerving conclusions of the two celestial mage, Master Makarov had told them about some rater disturbing reports.

Approximately 32 hours ago the Titan Nose guild had been viciously attacked. There hadn't been any casualties but their hall was decimated and they had sent a request for aid and a magic expert to the magic council. No other details were given which was all the more worrysum.

In response the council had not only sent aid but, due to the unknown nature of the assailant, also demanded all guild check in with a status report. The Dwarf Gear guild had responded with a gurgled and broken message that they had also been attacked three days prior. There were many injuries and several casualties. They needed help. Any other details were lost due to the broken nature of the distress call.

Then there was the Hound Holy guild. They had not responded to the council's request. No one had heard from them in days. Last known contact with anyone from that guild was seven days ago.

Freed sniffed and readjusted his gloves. The thunder legion was not heading to either of those locations. As usual, Master Makarov had his own theories on the occurrences. A small mountain village had been attacked 9 days ago. The village had not guild but there were rumors that a mage and his apprentice lived there. The Magic Council had ignored this event because there was no guild located in the aria. There were, however, rumors that a celestial mage and his apprentice lived in those mountains. Makarov believed that this was the real first attack. Freed agreed, but that didn't mean he wanted to be traveling down this snow covered path. He sighed and continued to trudge along behind Bixlow.


Gajeel and Levy

Gajeel was bored out of his mind and he was starting to get a really bad feeling. He just wanted to leave. Jet and Droy had stayed back at the town to ask question (not that he was complaining), he and Levy had gone to the guild to see if they could get any answers there.

Hound Holy was completely destroyed. The place was deserted. Levy was doing her thing and seem thoroughly fascinated by the various "types" of destruction. There were only two things Gajeel could tell and it was not making him feel any better. First the building was completely obliterated. Nothing but rubble and ash remained. Second, if the lingering smell of blood was anything to go by, all of the guild members had been destroyed with their guild hall.

They had been lucky to get here before the Council's investigators showed up. Levey said she could get more done that way, but it also mean they were more exposed and Fairytale was hours away if something went wrong.

Something strange was going on and Gajeel didn't like it. He had an itch in his brain telling him that their lives were about to go to hell, again.


Erza and Wendy

Wendy had been trying to heal the survivors of dwarf gear for hours. There was everything from broken bones to magic depleason to magic related injuries, some some of which kept reappearing even after they had been healed. The relief unit sent by the council was doing the best they could but some of the injuries were far beyond what even they were capable of.

Erza had been using that time to attempt an interrogation while the council stooges were busy elsewhere. It was not going so well. The few members who remained capable of reporting were babbling about a maniac with a sword who could steal magic and turn it back against them.

The townspeople were even less help. They had seen nothing and heard nothing until the guild hall had gone up in smoke.


Destruction.

They hadn't even made it to their destination. Sure, they always ended up fighting whenever they went on a mission just the two of them but they usually got the job done first. This. This was different.

The parts of the clearing that weren't ashes were frozen solid. Craters surrounded them and the battle was still raging on. Happy had flead back to the guild to get help and his own safety.

It had only been a day but already Natsu and Gray were battered and bloody. The war had left its scars and not the physical kind. Gray had thought that Juvia was dead. Natsu had though both Happy and Lucy were dead. Things like that change a person, even if it turn out not to be true in the end.

Then there was the whole END thing. Fate had pitted them against each other. Fiver vs Ice they had been rivals from the very beginning. END vs Demon slayer two different kinds of insanity seeping through their souls as they not only tried to hold on to them selves but also pull the other out of their own hell.

But through it all, they had never hated each other. They were nakama. They were more than nakama. They were the closest thing either of them had to a brother. Gray had pulled Natsu out of his blind 'I must kill Zeref'. Natsu had saved Gray from his slayer powers tainting his soul. Then Lucy had done whatever it was and permanently granted them control over their powers... neither was sure they were really okay with that. It might have been better if they had lost their magic rather than have their demons weighing on their consciousness.

So, hear they fought. Not because they hated each other because they were grieving for the fear those scars that had been created and the pain of what could have been. Of what could happen. Neither were ones to worry or obsess so the had to get past it. This was the only way they could cope. This was all they could do.

They fought for hours. Decimating the landscape around them. Finally, as they lay bloody in the ashen snow, no longer able not move let alone fight.

"We good?"

"Yah."

Neither of them noticed they were being watched.


Lucy

Under normal circumstances Lucy didn't drink. It is not that she disapproved, it just didn't hold that much appeal to her. Today was an exception.

Her team was gone on various missions, her spell had taken enough of her energy that she couldn't open a gate if she wanted to, and Aquarius was at the bottom of the ocean.

After the initial shock of that revelation had worn off Lucy had done to obvious thing. Begged Juvia to help her.

"Juvia would be happy to help Lucy but Juvia is afraid that Juvia will not be much help. You see at the bottom of the ocean there is so much pressure that Juvia can not go in her water form and Juvia is not sure she would be able to retrieve such a small object from so far away with simple manipulation."

Lucy was drunk and frustrated. So, when pore happy came busting through the guild doors with a frozen ear and singed tale panicking about Natsu and Gray, Lucy just smothered the fuzzball in a hug and fell asleep on the bar Happy still struggling in her death grip.


Makarov

Couldn't decide if he was pleased, unhappy or worried. Honestly the day had had so many twist and turns he didn't know what to do next.

The thunder legions information had been eye opening and worrisome. But unfortunately with all of the attacks happening on guilds he couldn't spare the manpower to have them look into it further. Sending them to that village was a stretch as it was. It was not until he had already assigned them to their new project that Makarov had discovered that it was highly probable that a Celestial mage lived in the mountains village. Unfortunately, Makarov didn't believe in coincidence.

In fact Lucy's spell had revealed the probable locations of all of the Celestial mages though he suspected the brat had not realized this yet. There were quite a few towns where there were far too many keys there for them to be sitting in a magic shop. He felt sorry for the brat. But she would figure out what to do soon enough. Nothing could stop a determined Fairytale mage.

Then there was Gajeel and Levy who had reported in not 5 minutes ago. Levy had stated that the destructions (yes plural) was caused by a mages with lots of power and no control over their magic. This phenomenon almost never happened. The majority of mages learned control when they still didn't have enough power to really do any harm. But what was more disturbing was Gajeel assessment that it was unlikely there were survivors. Along with the surprisingly cryptic warning that everyone needed to be on their toes.

Erza and Windys assessment had not been much better. The idea of recurring injuries sounded disturbingly similar to Levys idea about power without control. But at least they had somewhat of a description now. Brown hair with a sword. Makarov was not sure about the idea of stealing magic. He felt like he had heard something similar before but he couldn't remember where or when. That didn't bode well for anyone. He was missing Something.

He sighed to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He should give the description to Natsu and Gray. They were the most likely to run into their misery mage if they ever managed to stop fighting each other. Makarov really hoped that they worked out whatever then needed to workout soon.


I know not a lot is happening right now but it is about to get better, I promise! It looks like my writing schedule is going to be reduced to a chapter every two weeks. I am sorry but you can blame my collage comp class. Who assigns a major paper due every other weak?

ShadowKnight Ash ~ THANKS!

Alexa60765 ~ Thank you! I intend to. :)

KaixinPhoenix ~ Nope, I can't make it that easy. But Juvia will be going with her. I have no plans for Lucy to ever have a love life. I mention the canon pairings (Gajeel X Levy and Gray X Juvia) but I am not going to do anything with them. Thanks for your continued support!

fairy tiger ~ Thank you. It is good to hear my work is paying off! :3

Question, Comments, Concerns, Corrections? Let me know how I can improve! :3

Enjoy the rest of the weakened!