And we are back. I'm a few a head on chapters, so there should be no reason these go out late. We got the news about the Trail of Magic last chapter. We get a look at what each character is thinking today, and then it finally begins. I think 10 chapters of build up was enough. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Separation

"Are you sure we should've left the others?" Happy asked as he flew by Natsu.

"Of course." Natsu grunted, lifting himself upwards. He refused to look down, knowing he wouldn't be able to see the ground from this high up a mountain. "If we're against each other, they can't see us training."

"Well, what's the plan?" Happy looked at him. The pinkette hoisted himself up to the peak of the mountain, high above the clouds.

"I meditate." Natsu replied simply.

"You'll what?" Happy's jaw dropped. "You don't meditate, you punch stuff!"

"I know." Natsu dropped his bags to the ground. He walked to the middle and sat down. "But, I need to get in tune with my magic somehow."

"What do you mean?"

Natsu smirked. "I've realised my magic can do a lot. Apart from being a fire dragon, I've absorbed god slayer magic, Laxus' magic, Leo's regulus magic, and I've entered dragon force. If I can utilise all of those forms of magic in battle, it'll be so unpredictably powerful." His grin widened. "It'll be awesome."

"You think you can do all of that?" Happy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I can activate Lightning Flame Dragon Mode at will. Why not Fire Dragon God Mode?" Natsu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He held his hands out to the side, concentrating. He let the magic run through his veins, and remembering his fight with Zancrow on Tenrou Island. He remembered being completely drained of magic power, which allowed him to absorb the black fire. Then he remembered the destructive force it gave off, and how it helped him overcome Zancrow.

"Natsu?" Natsu opened his eyes to find his right hand covered in his usual flames, but his left surrounded in a black flame. Natsu gasped at the sight, before feeling his energy drain away. The flames faded and he laid flat on his back.

"Are you ok?" Happy fluttered over, concerned.

"That drains a lot of energy..." Natsu panted. "But if I can do that, I can do the others. Just need practise."

"Open, Gate of the Spirts. Leo, Gemini, Aries, Scorpio!" In a flash, the four spirits appeared. Lucy stood strong, proud of the three months of training she'd endured.

"Excellent work Lucy." Leo applauded. "We're all so proud."

"Thanks guys." Lucy smiled. "Being able to use four spirits in battle, while fighting myself will be really useful."

"You been practising your whip?"

"Of course. I'm getting good at it."

"Kinky kinky." Gemini chanted.

"It's not kinky." Lucy snapped at them. "It's a way of tying them up."

"Kinky kinky." They repeated.

"Gonna use it on Natsu?" Scorpio joked.

"Don't make me send you all back." Lucy growled.

"We're messing." Leo smiled.

Lucy shook her head. "I know."

"S-So Miss Lucy. Wants the p-plan over the next three months.?" Aries asked timidly.

"We're going to practise combos and quickly summoning spirits." Lucy told them.

Gajeel dropped his bag down, staring at the forest in front of him.

"So the plan?" Pantherlily asked, looking up at him.

"I'm going to cut down as many as these trees as possible before I run out of power." Gajeel smirked.

"I don't see why." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"In fights, Salamander has the advantage due to him being able to eat explosions. His magic can be replenished. I don't have that luxury. There isn't iron in every match for me to eat. So, I need to be able to go long amounts of time without restoring magic for longer fights." Gajeel explained.

"Hmmmm, I see." Lily nodded. "But what about your shadow magic?"

"My what?"

Lily looked at him in confusion. "Your shadow magic? The magic you absorbed from Rogue?"

"Oh, right, that form." Gajeel snorted. "Unlike Salamander, I don't have control over my duel slayer magic. Not sure how to activate it at will, I've only used it a few times. I'd rather focus on my normal magic."

"Good point. I'd still try."

"Yeah I will. But first..." Magic flared around him as he bared his fang like teeth. "I wanna see how many trees I can rip up at once."

"But what about nature?" Lily questioned.

Gajeel laughed. "Who cares? Iron Dragon Roar!" A blast of energy was released from his mouth, ripping trees from the ground instantly. Dust flew into the air as trees toppled over. A straight line of destruction was put through the trees as Gajeel stopped his attack.

"Impressive." Lily complimented.

"I know." Gajeel grinned.

"You sure you wanna leave Romeo?" Macao asked his son.

Romeo nodded. "Thanks for the training Dad, but I want to see what I can achieve on my own."

"Be careful kid." Wakaba told him. Romeo nodded again.

"But are you sure?" Macao questioned.

"Dad." Romeo sighed. "It's only for a while. I'll keep in contact and I'll be safe. I promise."

"If you're sure..." His dad muttered. "But you have a lot to get to get to a level like Elfman. Even more so to get to Natsu's power."

"I know." Romeo grinned, his eyes glinting with determination. "I plan to get to that level."

The water collapsed back into the ocean. The bluenette dropped to her knees, panting. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of her face.

"Again..." Juvia muttered. She slowly rose to her feet, staring at the vast ocean before her. "Need... to try... again." She raised her arms, and a large orb of water rose in front of her. Juvia's arms shook slightly as she held the water high, trying to not let it splash into the ocean again.

She gritted her teeth as she felt her magic drain from her body. Little orbs of water fell back into the sea, yet she managed to keep the majority of it high in the air.

Once again, the water fell from the sky back into the sea. Juvia swayed on her feet, light-headed. She fell backwards onto the floor, panting again.

"I need to train." Juvia muttered. "How can I be with Gray if I'm not even on the same level as him? No..." She closed her eyes, thinking. "I need to do this for me. To become stronger. That way... I can protect those I want to. Including Gray."

Her eyes flashed open with determination.

And we are done. 10 chapters of build up to the Trail of Magic. We finally move forwards. Let's get the plot of the story started. Hopefully you all enjoyed!