AN: I AM POND SCUM! I AM ATERRIBLE AND HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING! I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG! AAAAAAAAHBIDHFSDUKLHBLJSDHFKVBSKHDFBVKLJSDFGJV!

Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait, but school started and I completely lost all momentum in my writing, and I have been fighting to get it back. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Some Cliffhangers, some NaLu fluff and a new villain is introduced! Enjoy! Also, leave a review or Ghriahim will kill a kitten! He'll do it, he's horrible!

Chapter 10: The Limits of Power

The others were sound asleep, but Simon was wide awake. In truth he hadn't slept since… Gods since before that damn escape attempt from the tower. He should be exhausted, thankful for the chance to snooze for a while, and yet he felt no fatigue at all. The only thing that his brain could do was run through everything that had happened in these past hours.

The escape, the battle, the ensuing chaos, the loss, it was seared into his mind as if by a cattle brand. He had hoped that merciful lady adrenaline had let him reduce it all to a blur or at the very least a few fractured images. But no, he remembered everything about it with perfect, crystal clear clarity. He couldn't think about it, not really, all he could do was replay the whole thing through his mind over and over again, hoping for a better outcome each time. But of course, it remained the same. Rob dead, Wally gone the same way, and Jellal more than likely mutilated beyond the point of being recognizable, even to his own friends and family.

Simon gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes, pushing the tears back. How could this have happened? How could they have won their freedom yet paid such a terrible price for it? Like all of them he had been prepared to die, but he hadn't been prepared for others to die for him. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. And the worst part of it was, no one could do anything about it. No one could speak up against fate and campaign to have their loved ones brought back. Death was death and loss was loss, there was no way around it.

Simon looked at the peaceful forms of Sho, Milliana, and Erza; all sleeping in the comfortable cots in the basement of Fairy Tail. Link was upstairs, getting to know his new uncle. He was happy for Link for finding actual blood family, but a more selfish and frightened part of him was afraid of losing the boy with all of the stories at his fingertips.

His family, it was so broken and frightened now. Even here in Fairy Tail they were afraid of the ghosts of the past, the guards and their vicious hounds, and especially that pasty freak Ghirahim. Even now three of the people he held dearest to his heart shook in their sleep, frightened of the terrors that haunted the night. Simon sighed and pulled the blankets up on each of them, hoping to give them some comfort. He briefly wondered after Erick and that new girl that his snake had turned out to be. He hoped they were being treated well.

He looked at the eyepatch covering the burned out socket of Erza's eye and he felt a fresh wave of anger, and a surge of protectiveness for them. They were his family, small though it might be. They had been beaten, cut, knocked about and spat upon but still they were together and stronger because of it. They had lost some, but they had gained others, and still they were afraid of what might come. HE was afraid of what might come.

Well no more.

No more of that. No more being afraid, no more hiding in the dark, letting other people take his hits for him like Link, Rob, and Jellal had. No more cowering before those stronger than him. He had unlocked some sort of power in the battle of the Tower, and he would be damned if he didn't use it. Even now it burned in his veins. What he wanted now was strength, power, to be untouchable by his enemies. He would be the Thane of Fairy Tail and the Sworn Shield of Erza, Link, Sho, Milliana, Erick, and all those that he would grow to love.

There, in the quiet darkness, Simon vowed to become the strongest there was. And nothing, NOTHING was ever going to hurt his friends again. He clenched his fists hard, staring down the shadows. He was never going to be scared of them ever again. The Ghosts of his Past weren't going to cow him into submission any longer. Not while his family lived.

So, he silently kissed each of the three on their foreheads and crept away, afraid of waking them. The basement was located directly adjacent to the Fairy Tail library, and the library was where Simon needed to be right now. He needed answers, and no man could give them to him. The door to the library creaked open loudly and he winced at the noise it made. He checked over his shoulder and saw no signs of waking from his friends aside from Erza mumbling something about cake and turning over in her sleep.

Simon crept into the doorway, and was promptly gobsmacked by the sheer size of the library. It was at least three stories high and thirty feet long, giving the appearance of a narrow ravine. From what he had seen, Fairy Tail did not seem like the type of place for intellectuals or people of an academic nature. And yet here he looked upon a collection of literature that he had never seen before. He had never seen this many books in one place before! Granted all this did was make his task harder, but oh well, he could bear it. With a resigned sigh, Simon walked into the room, he had a lot of work to do.

Makarov and his family lived in a comfortable farmhouse on the outskirts of Magnolia. It was a colonial style two story affair painted a robin's-egg blue and with what was a total of an acre of land fenced in by a stone wall just tall enough to keep out pests of various nature. The lawn was not carefully tended, but rather was wild and overgrown with wild plants including various wildflowers and a couple of willow trees The area around the house was kept clear and was used as a vegetable garden growing tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, grapes, zucchini, and other vegetables. Truth be told this is where Fairy Tail got most of its produce, provided generously by Mariane Dreyar. The air was thick with the smell of honeysuckle and pollen.

Link loved it instantly. That was good though, this was the place that he and Cana would be staying until Gildarts returned from his jobs with the money for their house. Makarov led the two of them up the stairs to the patio where the old oaken door stood, awaiting their entrance. Link and Cana looked about, awestruck at the floral beauty around them.

"This is… this is amazing," said Link to himself more than anything. The air, the house, the plants, all of it was so much like his grandmother's farmhouse. This was a place of beauty, of love, of life. He could get used to this.

"You're right about that." Said little Cana beside her newly discovered cousin. She wasn't quite sure what she thought of her new family member yet, mostly she was just grateful that he showed up. If he hadn't she had no idea how long it would have taken her to confess her connection to her father. She was also a tad jealous that he had been able to so fearlessly and with such certainty go up to Gildarts and proclaim, 'you are my uncle'. Where exactly did one acquire the stones to do such a thing?

He seemed nice enough though. Might not be bad to have him as family.

The inside of the house was just a cozy as the outside. The foyer led into a living room which consisted of a couple armchairs that looked sinfully comfortable and a couch with a futon attached. A lacrima television was in one corner, and pictures of family hung on the walls. Everything about the house seemed to speak of home and family. The kind of place where you could feel safe and warm. Oh yes, Link could get used to this.

"So, um, I guess you kids are hungry?" said Makarov in an unsure voice. It had been some time since he had taken care of children, Ivan had been grown for years now, and he was a little rusty at it. But still, kids liked food right? That was something they did right, eat? Both kids nodded quickly and Makarov breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Okay, uh, I'll get some snacks together. Cheese and crackers sound okay?" he asked. The two nodded again. "Got it, be back in a jiff." He said brightly. Oh thank the Gods they were normal! He didn't want to have to run into town to buy weird shit again. People already thought he was nuts from when Ivan went through that pickles and horse radish phase.

Link looked around, uncomfortable being in a room with just his new cousin. He honestly had no idea what to say to her, he'd only just met her after all. Still, it would be rude not to talk to her. "So… um… hi?" he asked cautiously. "Um… nice to meet you." He finally said.

"Hello as well." Said Cana equally awkwardly. After a few tense moments she finally said, "I'm… I'm glad that you came." She said in a quiet voice. "If you hadn't… I don't know how long I would have gone without telling Gildarts that I'm his daughter." She said. "So, thank you." She said, a little more firmly than before.

Link blinked once like an owl. Honestly, he had not expected gratitude of all things to come from the girl. If anything he had expected a bit of quiet resentment, but not gratitude. It was a bit unnerving, but he decided to go with it. After all, it was better this than what he had anticipated. "Okay." He said a little sheepishly. "But, I think we should, well, properly introduce ourselves." He said.

"All right." Said Cana, her face lighting up in a sunny smile. "My name is Cana Alberona, or Cana Clive now I guess." She looking a little nervous at the idea.

Link extended a hand to shake and she received it. "Hello Cana, my name is Link Atreides. It's nice to meet you." He said with a smile.

"The same." Said Cana with a little nod. "But, if we're going to be staying here, maybe we should get you some new clothes." She said. Link looked down and realized he was still wearing the ragged, burned, and bloodied sackcloth that had served as his clothing on the island. With all that had happened he had not given a thought to changing. Honestly he was a bit nervous about changing out of it. It had been his companion for those six tortuous months, especially since he lost his green cap. But still, he needed something new to wear.

"Do you think Makarov will mind if we find some clothes to use?" he asked.

Cana shook her head. "No, Guildmaster is a very generous man." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Makarov had been very kind to her, a poor and lonely orphan who had shown up at Fairy Tail one night. He had no reason to, but as a true Fairy Tail mage he had taken in one less fortunate and seen to her welfare. It wouldn't be the first time she borrowed clothes from the kind old man who ran the Guild. "Come on, we can use some of the Guildmaster's grandson's clothes, his room is upstairs." She said brightly, grabbing Link by the hand and leading him up the stairs.

The stairs led up to a narrow hallway with a door on both sides and one at the far end. Cana led Link into the door on the right, leading him into a spacious room that was clearly the home of a boy about Link's age. Posters of movie stars and superheroes covered the walls, and there was a great mess strewn about. A Lacrima television sat on the chest-of-drawers across from the bed which was in as sorry a state as the room. "Gods this place is a pigsty." Said Cana with a sigh, as it had always been this horribly messy whenever she had visited the Guildmaster. "Come on cousin, maybe Laxus has some clean clothes in his closet." She said without much hope. Laxus was about as neat and tidy as a rat in the sewers.

Link, however, had found his attention drawn to something else. He turned around as Cana went through the closet and looked at the door across the hall. It was a normal door, same as the one they had just entered, but he couldn't deny that there was something interesting about it. He couldn't not look at it. Slowly, he walked over to it, hesitantly placing his hand on the oaken wood.

The moment he touched the wood it was as though he could feel pain and misery behind it. It was the strangest thing. How could he feel these things by touching the door? It was so strange, but it felt completely natural at the same time. It was as though he was meant to be able to do these things. Was this part of the powers of the Hero?

He slowly pushed open the door to find a comfortable looking room. The walls were a soft cream color, and the carpet beneath him was a comfortable. A large bed dominated the room, and a woman rested upon it. Certainly she must have once been beautiful, but now she seemed to be… hollow. Her eyes were sunken, her golden hair was dull and lusterless. She was thin, terribly thin, and she stared up at nothing. Link could only stare in horror at the state of the woman. Who was this woman? Was she a relation of Makarov? He slowly approached the bed and the woman upon it. She took no notice of him, continuing to stare listlessly at the ceiling.

It was then, as he looked at the dying woman, that a verse from the Tale of Angeal: the Hero of Time sprang to his mind. Angeal, the bearer of the Ocarina of Time, was said to be able to wield great gifts, including the ability to heal. Was that one of his abilities? Could he heal people's injuries? Could he heal this woman?

Link recalled the battle on the island. He remembered the power that had been at his fingertips, the Olympian feats he had performed, and he felt a bit of hubris within him. Why should he not be able to do such things? Was it really so strange an idea that he might be able to help this dying woman? No!

"Here goes nothing." He said to himself. Unsure of what he was doing, he gently reached out and gripped the woman's hand. She took no notice of him, but he could feel that she was alive. Link closed his eyes, attempting to recall the power that had been at his fingertips the day before. He reached around, trying desperately to find the secrets within his own mind. He had awakened it once, why not again? And yet he found nothing.

Then suddenly, he felt it. It felt like, some sort of warm liquid within his soul. It was a trickle compared to the mighty ocean that had raged within him when he was on the Island, but it was something. He reached for the power, and he felt it once more. The buzzing in his fingertips, the fire in his heart, he felt it strongly.

And that was when things started to go wrong.

When he tried to command the power to heal the woman, it resisted. It was like he was telling a microwave to extract blood from a patient. It flatly refused to do it. Now he was frustrated, and he concentrated harder. Still the power fought him. It did not want to heal, it wanted to fight, to destroy, to kill. He tightened his grip on the woman's hand and he extracted every bit of his will onto the magic. 'HEAL HER NOW!' he commanded mentally.

And then the pain started.

When he had commanded the power to heal the woman, he had simply thought it would cleanse whatever was harming her from her body. It seemed, though, that that was not the case. It felt like the magic was sucking out the malady and transferring it to him. And oh did it burn, oh did it harm him. He tried to scream but his mouth was frozen shut. He tried to rip his hand away but he could not. He tried to stop the power but it flowed through him as powerful and torrential as a herd of bulls. He could hear nothing, see nothing, and feel only the burning pain of the blackness that infected the woman.

And then, when it seemed the pain would devour him… blackness.

The closest thing Lucy Heartphalia had ever had to a friend were the Celestial Spirits her mother left her. Even then they could never stay long, so they weren't very fun playmates. The other children she had met just wanted her money, and the servants were paid to be nice to her. Her father… well… he was her father. Needless to say she didn't know much about having friends or being around others her own age. So when she found the happy, semi-feral, and all around goofball named Natsu Dragneel in her kitchen she had no idea what to do with him.

Natsu, on the other hand, seemed to have very specific ideas what to do, and most of them involved being outside and generally proved to be running around screaming. She had been hesitant at first, but a few minutes later she was running around just like him. Currently they were playing a game Natsu affectionately called "kidnap the princess".

"MINE, MINE, MINE!" cried Natsu as he slung the little girl over his shoulder and running around the large field, fires spewing from his mouth and laughing like a maniac. Lucy was laughing just as hard. This was the most fun she had had in years! Scratch that, this was the most fun she had had ever! Natsu's spirit and joy were just so infectious that she couldn't help but be swept up in his games. He dress and pretty clothes had been torn up and muddied by their escapades, but she couldn't care less.

"Eek! Help me! An evil dragon is kidnapping me!" she laughed as Natsu charged into a shed. "Oh won't some valiant night rescue me!" she cried, flinging herself onto the straw in a parody of the typical damsel in distress.

Natsu did his best evil laugh. "No one will rescue you Princess Lucy! The tickle dragon has you now!" he proclaimed, and quickly began to tickle her all over as Igneel had done to him when he was smaller. He was surprised at how fast Lucy had gone along with him in his games. It was as though the girl had always been his friend, Gods she must have been starved for real human companionship. It made Natsu angry to think about how many years of loneliness this girl must have spent.

"N-no more!" cried Lucy between fits of laughter as Natsu mercilessly tickled her. "P-please Natsu! N-n-no m-more!" she cried.

"NEVER!" cried Natsu, renewing his attack. Lucy screamed in laughter as Natsu tickled her, but she really wanted him to stop now! So she did the only thing she could. She head-butted him as hard as she could. And very quickly she learned the reason behind the saying 'no one wins with a head-butt'.

"Owwwww." She groaned holding her head as Natsu stumbled backward, a dazed look on his face. He quickly recovered and grinned at her.

"Wow Lucy! That was a great hit!" he cried with a thumbs-up. He didn't know the girl had it in her, but she could pack a serious punch when she needed to. Really he hadn't expected it. The girl looked like she couldn't lift a thumbtack without straining something.

Lucy blinked in surprise. She had attacked him, and he was complementing her? Man this guy was weird. Was he raised in a cave or something? And who were his parents? Weren't they worried about him? He should probably be getting home now, it was getting late. Standing up, Lucy said "Natsu, thank you for the wonderful time today. But I think you should be getting home now. Your mama and papa are probably worried." She said.

Instantly Natsu's eyes became downcast and he looked glum. He looked down and said nothing, merely glaring at his feet. Lucy became worried. Had she upset him? Were his parents dead? Had he run away? "N-Natsu? Are you alright?" she asked a little nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said sullenly, not meeting her gaze. Now Lucy was scared. It was like a black cloud had descended over the cheery boy. What had happened to his parents?

"Natsu… did you run away? Did something happen to them?" she asked, now very concerned for him.

Natsu didn't answer for a long moment before finally saying, "He's gone okay. My dad is gone."

And that was all Lucy needed to know. Natsu hadn't run away from home, he had been abandoned. She knew how distant her father was, but at least he was there for her. At least he was around. But for someone's parents to flat out abandon them, to leave them alone to fend for themselves; the thought made her sick. How long Natsu had been on his own, she had no idea. But she knew that somehow, someway, he had managed to stay a happy and good boy.

A host of feelings rose insider her at this revelation, but the greatest among them was a surprise to her. More than sympathy, more than sadness, she was angry. She was downright furious with these evil people who had abandoned so sweet, wonderful, and loving person like Natsu. Good people like him didn't deserve to be abandoned like yesterday's garbage. Natsu had reached out to her when no one else would. How could you ever hurt a person like him in such a way? It was despicable.

Acting purely on instinct, Lucy flung her arms around Natsu in a tight hug, surprising the young Dragon Slayer. "I'll be your family then. I'll be your family from now on." She promises, unshed tears in her eyes. As for Natsu, he suddenly felt a very warm feeling spread throughout him. It was what he felt around Igneel, what Ferez had shown him. With Lucy, here and now, he felt love. And more gently than he had ever touched anything in his life, as though she were an illusion that might fade if he touched her, he returned her hug.

Merrygold Strauss leaned over the crib and smiled at her little girl. Lisanna, her youngest daughter and one of the three jewels of her and her husband's lives. The baby was only one and one half years old at the moment, but the tiny bundle of joy had brought a whole new love into the Strauss family. Merrygold gently kissed the baby's forehead and stroked her white hair as gently as the wind upon the rushes. "Goodnight my little angel, sleep tight." She said the baby who gurgled in her sleep.

Merrygold was a beautiful woman by any standards. Her white hair shimmered in light with a thousand different colors, and was tied into a long braid which hung down to her waist. Her hourglass figure seemed totally unaffected from being the mother of three, and her blue eyes gleamed with kindness. Her face had a few wrinkles, the marks of her advancing age. And yet she seemed all the more beautiful with them. A rare woman indeed.

Merrygold next went into the room of her son, Elfman. Currently the four year old was on his bed asleep, curled up with the mountain of stuffed animals that surrounded his bed. The softhearted boy mumbled a bit in his sleep, clutching his birdie close to his heart in a death grip so tight that Merrygold half expected the poor toy's head to pop off. Sighing to herself Merrygold kissed the sleeping boy on the forehead. "Goodnight my beautiful beast." She said to Elfman, who seemed to visibly relax in his sleep.

Elfman took more after his father, Dedrick, than Merrygold. While he had his mother's silver-white hair he resembled his father in all others aspects.

Merrygold entered the last room in her nightly rounds, the room of Mirajane: her oldest. The eight year old girl was lying peacefully while the various pop idols she worshipped were plastered all over the walls. Merrygold sighed and shook her head. She really hoped that this whole boy band thing was just a phase. Please oh please Gods let it be just a phase.

Ignoring the very creepy boy bands whose eyes seemed to follow her as she went, Merrygold bent down and kissed Mirajane's forehead. "Good night, Moon of my Life. May the stars watch over you Mira." She said to the eight-year old girl. Mirajane didn't move from her spot, but as Merrygold turned to leave, she thought she heard the whisper, "I love you momma."

Merrygold, her nightly rounds completed, returned to her own room for a good night's rest. She looked at the empty bed and sighed wistfully to herself.

Dedrick worked so hard to support them. Three children and a mortgage to pay was no easy task though, and he found himself working three shifts in order to cover their expenses. It broke her heart to see her husband work in such a way, but she loved him all the more for it. She wished he could be home more, for the kids more than for herself, but she knew that he had to do this until she could find work again. Or at least until Skinflint Steve gave him the raise that he needed and asked for plenty of times.

With such thoughts in her mind, Merrygold lay down for some rest. Taking care of the three kids was hard work, and it left her stressed out and tired before the day was out. She needed this sleep, and maybe an all-expense paid trip to Paradise Falls. But even as she closed her eyes, Lisanna's wails sounded from the baby monitor like an infant banshee. Groaning, Merrygold rose up from the bed and padded down to Lisanna's room.

However, to her surprise, when she got to the room the cries had stopped. Frowning, Merrygold pushed open the door, and was surprised to see that there was already someone in the room, standing over Lisanna's cradle.

The person was a thin and lightly built creature, it was impossible to tell if it was male or female. They seemed to be covered in a cloak that obscured their entire figure from sight, but they seemed to be rather tall. But more than that, there was something… off about him. He seemed to give off a twisted feeling, like he was a generator of negative energy. It was like a toothache but… unclean.

Fear clawed at Merrygold and she fought desperately to swallow it. This stranger was a threat to her child, and she had to face it before he hurt Lisanna and her other kids. So swallowing her terror she snapped. "Who are you?! Show yourself now!" she said, desperately praying that there was no tremor in her voice as she imagined there would be.

Slowly, very slowly, the figure turned around, and from the depths of its robe two cold pink eyes glared at her, glittering with amusement and a dark, terrifying malice. Looking into those horrible, evil eyes made Merrygold want to run, to hide, to flee from the malevolent gaze that seemed to regard her as nothing more than an upstart rodent attempting to defy a lion.

"I, dear woman, am Agahnim. I am the Servant of the Flame of Udoom. And you, my pretty dear, are a rather unfortunate woman."

(Ten minutes later, the Strauss residence)

Dedrick Straus walked into his home, fighting off the sleep that threatened to overtake him. He silently cursed the twelve hour work days he suffered through, his skinflint boss, and above all he cursed his parents for being wretched and unfeeling bastards.

He and Merrygold had been High School sweethearts and party animals at that. They had fallen in love while young, and their hormones had gotten the better of them one too many times. When Merry had gotten pregnant their parents had turned their backs on them, stuck up old pricks that they were. He and Merry had been thrown out into the cold to fend for themselves. Most had expected the young couple to leave or at least beg for their parents to take them back.

Too bad Dedrick and Merrygold didn't roll that way. They had quietly married and made a life for themselves, and for their firstborn child Mirajane. Somehow, with only the barest money in their pockets and the clothes on their backs, they had made a life for themselves and were damn happy too. They had beaten the odds and been blessed twice more, with a boy named Elfman and now a girl named Lisanna. Unfortunately more kids meant more money, and that meant more work for him since his wife had gotten fired from her previous job.

His boss knew desperation when he saw it, and he had exploited the hell out of it forcing Dedrick into inhuman hours and unbelievable labor to scrape together barely enough to keep his family afloat. Hopefully it would be only temporary as Merrygold was looking for her own job again. Gods it would be nice to eat dinner at home for a change instead of the crap they served at the company-run cafeteria.

Dedrick sighed and made his way up the stairs, hoping to wish his kids goodnight before he himself collapsed into the arms of Morpheus. The kids were probably asleep though, given the time, and Merrygold probably was too, but he still wanted to wish them goodnight.

He pushed open the room to Lisanna's room, surprised to find the baby still awake. Shrugging to himself he walked over to his daughter, smiling down at the baby. Lisanna was gurgling happily, smacking her lips as though she had just been fed. He slowly reached down to stroke her head, when he felt something drip onto his hand from above.

'Shit.' He thought to himself. 'Is the roof leaking AGAIN?' he thought in frustration to himself. But then he noticed the color, and he felt his heart freeze in his chest. The liquid was red, blood red. In fact, it was blood. Two more drops landed on his hand, and he slowly looked up at the ceiling.

Adhered to the ceiling, held in place by some unseen force, was Merrygold Strauss. Her face was frozen in a look of horror, and her usually vibrant eyes were cold and dead, like a mackerel. Across her torso a symbol had been carved, an inverted Triforce.

Dedrick couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, he could not process what he was seeing before him. All he could do was mindlessly stare at his wife's corpse as fire sprung from the wound.

AN: MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

REVIEW MY LITTLE CUPCAKES! REVIEW!