Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. However, the fanfic idea is mine, so that's that.
"What?" Said a mildly surprised Makarov.
"You mean this pipsqueak is their Master?" Asked Natsu.
"Yep, that's me! It's a pleasure!" She giggled. That's when the questions started pouring in.
"What do you damn freaks want with our guild!?"
"Why did you do this to Lu-Chan?!"
"Who do you think you are?!"
"Now, now. I didn't come here to answer your questions-"
"I don't care. Start talking." Said Makarov, magic swelling around him again. Everyone around him shut up.
"Ok. First off, let me say I am completely sorry for what happened to your guild member-"
"You sound almost as though you didn't give the order to attack." Gray accused.
"...I didn't. The wizards responsible were disobeying me-"
"Shut up. Why are you here?" Interrupted Makarov.
"Why, to deliver the final message, of course!" The girl said with a smile.
"I'm listening."
"I'm only gonna say it once, so liste-"
"Tell me now." His magic began to take form of a knife that pointed at the girl. Veins bulged out of his forehead, and the bystanders braced themselves or gave fearful looks toward the angry man. The girl just brushed off the threat and unfolded a piece of paper she had in her hand.
"Ok, ok, I'm going, don't rush me! It goes as follows:
Congratulations, pursuers, you have availed,
Through tedious journeys, you have not failed,
You've done well, that much is true,
So we have one final riddle for you.
Solve it, and you'll find us,
Don't, and you won't.
As simple as it may seem,
The ones who will solve it are most keen.
And so, without further ado,
We present you with a final clue:
Our location hereby lies,
Directly in front of your eyes,
Put the clues together and you will see,
The truth of the riddles, where you want to be."
She giggled a little bit to herself.
"My, Kocel really outdid himself this time." She folded up the paper again as the members of Fairy Tail stared, confused and still very angry. She smiled, then said a little louder:
"Well, Fairies, it's been great, but now our paths diverge-"
"Wait you scum, I didn't say you could leave!" Said an angry Natsu, a Fire-Dragon's Talon a foot from the hologram.
"Best of luck figuring out our riddle!" She peeked out from an inch away Natsu, right towards Lucy, and held out a peace sign. "Sayonara!" The thought projection vanished right as Natsu's spell would have hit it. It crashed into the pavement right in front of the main guild door.
"Dammit!" Yelled a ferocious Natsu, realizing the girl was gone. He charged through the doors, overturning chairs and tables.
"Where is that little-"
"Natsu, stop it!" Said Gray, who had run in after the Dragon Slayer. He held him back to the best of his abilities, while others ran to fix the new dent in the pavement, fix the tables and chairs, or simply turn into smaller groups and nervously discuss the event that had just shocked them all.
All except one, a small girl with light blue, uneven hair dressed in adventurers clothing. Of course, just like everyone else, she was shocked over the current event, but her grief overrode her surprise. In her lap, she cradled he head of one of her greatest friends, who became victim to a terrible spell. Levy wasn't an expert on dark spells, but the effects of the spell were certainly showing themselves. A tear fell on the cheek of the unconscious girl, one of genuine sadness. Because while everyone else was paying attention to the catastrophes around them, Levy was sobbing over one truth she just couldn't bring herself to say out loud.
Lucy was dying. And there was nothing Levy could do.
Her tears were coming out abundantly now, and wishing she could be even remotely useful, whispered to Lucy,
"I'm sorry, Lu-Chan."
"Yes, cry."
"I'm so sorry."
"You're useless, a nothing." Levy silently sobbed even more over her friend.
"Which makes you a perfect target." Levy looked up.
A demon, with horns like a ram, a tail like a snake, and a fin on its back was staring at her in the face. It's yellow, cat like eyes flicked and it leaned up to roar. It's scream was like that of a mountain lion, dragging everyone's attention to where the monster was inches from devouring Levy. No one had noticed it's sudden appearance, but now several people were rushing to her side.
"Levy! Run!" Yelled Jet. But he was too late.
As quick as a flash, the monster struck, bearing its foot long fangs and sticking them into Levy's neck. Her scream was even cut short by its speed. It cackled, and as soon as the wizards approached, it disappeared into the brand new gash on the petites neck. Droy, Jet, Gajeel and Natsu leaned over both bodies, now laying side-by-side.
"Squirt! Stay with us!" Gajeel urged, shaking Levy.
"You idiot! Stop that!" Said Jet, trying to stop Gajeel.
"I just don't want her to die!" He Said, now slapping the blue haired mage gently across the face.
"Gajeel, I mean it! Or am I going to have to force you to cut it out?" Now both Jet and Droy were eyeballing the Dragon Slayer. "I'll take you on-"
"Shut up already!" Said Natsu, who had been listening to the bickering. "If you would just shut your asses, you could observe what's going on." He pointed to Levy's body and they all looked and gasped.
Bruises, burns and deep gashes had started appearing on Levy's body, all of which were similar to the ones on Lucy. And also, just like Lucy, Levy's face had started to lose all of its color, turning her the shade of porcelain. Both laid there, like corpses on a battleground. The four men were speechless.
"Wha-" began Jet, "What's happening to them?"
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"Everyone stay back!" Yelled Mira, pushing back the angry crowd in the hallway before the Infirmary. Only eleven people had gone into the infirmary, and as of yet, none had come out.
After Jet's statement, Porlyusica Came barging in the crowd.
"Move! Everybody out of my way!" She managed to get to the front of the swarming people.
"The four of you, stay put! Everyone else, get away!" No one argued. As soon as a five foot parameter was established around the party, the healing wizard yelled,
"Hold on! This might hurt a little!" She made a motion with her hands then thrust them towards the six people. Automatically, a large bright blue hexagon forcefield surrounded the six people, and all in unison, the four men yelled in pain. Six wisps of grey magic came out of the people, joining together in order to form the monster that had terrified Levy. The thing appeared to be in pain, holding its ugly head in its hands and shaking. It took one of its hands and tried to break free of its entrapment, but Porlyusica was quicker than the monster.
"With all of the Saints and Heavens agreement," she began to swiftly draw a magic circle.
"With the consent of man, beast and other creatures of the earth, sky and sea," the magic circle was more than halfway finished and now glowing green.
"And with the disapproval of all the evil in existence," the magic circle became complete and shined even furiouser.
"I expel you to the pit of darkness from which you came!" The hexagon then shrunk around the demon, causing it to roar even louder. Porlyusica had now raised her hand in a position where only her ring finger was down. She blinked, and then with the same speed swung her arm down and touched the ground. At that moment, the brightest flash any of the bystanders had seen shot from the demon, as the hexagon suddenly broke into millions of tiny pieces, which disintegrated into thin air. Severe gusts of wind blew outwards as the crystal broke, and by the time the dust had cleared, Porlyusica had rushed up to the small middle group.
"The six of you need to come with me. Don't make any contact or even look at any of your guild mates. Unless, of course, you want them to die."
No one argued. Gajeel lifted Levy over his shoulder, and Natsu carried in Lucy, as the six of them ran to the infirmary, the rest of the guild right on their tails. The stairs creaked greatly, and Porlyusica held open the door as the six dashed in. The first four people that were pursuing slipped in in a blink of an eye, which Porlyusica allowed, and as the fifth person approached the door, Porlyusica cracked the door so that she could whisper:
"Mirajane. This curse is dangerous. Don't let anyone in or out until I say so."
"Yes ma'am." The door shut and locked, and Mirajane began her ranting to the rest of the members.
Hence, our current situation.
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For the first five seconds of getting in the Infirmary, no one said anything. Natsu and Gajeel laid their selective passengers in the two beds as Porlyusica and Wendy, who was one of the four people who had slipped in, grabbed a handful of herbs and vials from the cabinets. Droy and Jet were now being questioned by the three other people, who were recognized as Gray, Erza, and Makarov.
"Are you Okay?" Asked Erza.
"No symptoms of bruising, bleeding or fatigue?" Asked Makarov.
"We're here for you, let us help."
The two men looked at each other.
"I think I can speak for the both of us-" began Jet, " but, I think we're fine. Just need a little time to process what the heck just happened." All turned to face the healing master, and Erza managed to ask the question that was on the top of their tongues.
"Porlyusica, " She began, "What was that thing? What happened to Lucy and Levy? Does it have something to do with the recent attacks on Fairy-"
"Will you just hush, child!" She fumed angrily, "Let me finish what I'm doing and then I'll explain whatever questions you might have." She was now standing over Levy, and Wendy was standing over Lucy. Both had begun to cast some sort of healing magic, and slowly all of their wounds began to glow and disappear. After about five minutes of this, Porlyusica finally said something.
"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what has just occurred in front of you. In order to keep everyone in the loop, I'm going to tell what happened as straight forward as I can." She took a breath and looked up.
"That creature is known as Rafios, one of the Seven Demons of Calahara. Many, many decades ago, it ravaged the lands of the north and east, killing all it touched, or bit, so to speak during the Villinonas Wars. The creature, along with its frightening appearance and massive body, also gained the intelligence to speak and to cast magic. It learned Wind Magic, along with spells such as Drain, that make a man lose his magic power."
"That's the same kind of magic that almost killed Master during our battle with Phantom Lord." Pointed out Gray.
"Correct. I have a feeling that these girls are under something of the same sort, only this form of Drain shows the damage on the outside. This spell, I believe is on par or far worse than the one placed on Makarov, and I'm most intrigued that they're both still alive." She looked back down at Lucy.
"Especially this one." Lucy remained still, pale, and slowly breathing. Erza broke the silence.
"Porlyusica, How was Rafios even alive? The Villinonas Wars occurred even before Fiore became a kingdom. He surely would have been dead by now."
"That I am not sure about myself." She admitted. "I know for a fact that during one of the last battles of the war, Rafios was inevitably killed, burned, and buried in an ancient tomb in the middle of no where. There was no possible way he could be alive after that. However!" She shouted suddenly. "I do believe I know why he came back."
"Do explain." Said Makarov. Porlyusica sighed.
"Assuming I'm correct, this makes your opponent more threatening, Makarov." She breathed again.
"I believe that one of their members can reverse time, and because of it, they are able to revive objects of the past." Everyone stayed silent for a second.
"How can you tell?" Asked Gray.
"When I cast Entrapment, it was harder than usual, because someone kept reversing my hand to before I could cast the spell. Also, the cage was less stable, if it would have been at full power when the beast touched it, it would have met its doom. Someone kept trying to reverse time before I cast the spell. Unfortunately for them, my spell was stronger and overpowered theirs." She shifted in her stance and stood up.
"A being that can bring back monsters from the past, and reverse everything you believe. I would suggest extreme caution for all of you, for your own sakes."
##########################################################. Several hours of healing and observing later, Porlyusica and Wendy's efforts began to pay off. Lucy and Levy were showing signs of recovery, much to everyone's relief. After the initial reaction to the girls condition had ended, Porlyusica gave everyone else a look of utter disgust.
"They need rest!" She suddenly exclaimed, "Go away, and no one disturb them until they fully recover!"
"Porlyusica-Sama, aren't you being a little sensitive-" began Erza.
"Out!" Bellowed Porlyusica. Everyone did as they were told, and as she rushed past them to the door, Droy swore he heard her say something about "defiant humans."
"What are we supposed to do?" Asked Gray, Head in his hands. He was sitting at a table with Juvia, Erza, Gajeel and (a scarfless?) Natsu, all of whom had been silent for the past few moments.
"I'm not too sure. Maybe we should try and focus on solving the final riddle, Gray-sama." Suggested Juvia, Who was sitting beside her senpai with a innocent smile. Everyone looked at the blue-haired mage. The chaos that had happened had made everyone temporarily forget they still had one last piece of the puzzle before they could see the whole picture.
"I suppose. But what can we do? None of us are really very good at figuring out things like this." Erza said pessimistically.
"It's almost too ironic that the ones those creeps took out are the ones who we really could use right now." Gajeel included. Everyone sighed. All except one, that is. The misfit who didn't sigh instead buried his fist in the table. His hand was shaking, his mouth a line of absolute anger. He hesitated before saying in a gravelly voice.
"C'mon Guys. Grow up." His pink head of hair also began to shake. "We cannot let our spirits be drug through the mud by a bunch of lunatics without our opinion on it. We may be weaker without two of our greatest members out of play, but that's what should be driving us to work harder. To find out and fight for them. If there's anything those two have taught me, it's that there's always a right answer, sometimes it just takes a little digging to find it. I know we aren't the smartest in the kingdom, but I have faith in all of us that the passion to help our companions will lead us to the right answer." He finally looked up, and his face shocked everyone.
Natsu Dragneel was crying.
"So please," he began to sob, "we can't just give in that easily. We can't. For them."
##########################################################
"I think I have the basic objective of the riddle." Said a triumphant Erza. Herself, Gray and Juvia were sitting over a piece of paper, Mira, Wendy, Carla, Happy and Natsu looking over their shoulders. Erza continued:
" 'Put the clues together' is what I mainly focused on in order to solve it. The main location clues, in other words, the most crucial parts of the sentences put together should put a picture in the mind. Let's all think. What is a guild that has an M emblem, that's second best, and a place where people go to admit to their crimes?" Everyone thought for a moment, then Wendy spoke.
"Hold on guys. What if we've been wrong this whole time?"
"What do you mean, Wendy-San?" Asked Juvia.
"I mean, we've all been naturally assuming that the place we're looking for is a guild. But what if-"
"Are you suggesting it's some other place other than a guild?" Asked Gray.
"I'm only saying, there is no guild I know that has all three of those traits." Wendy confirmed.
"Then What is the place?" Asked Mira. It hit most everyone like a light bulb.
"The Magic Council."
##########################################################
At first, all Lucy could see was a blank area. Grey and bland, like rain clouds on a summers day. Then there was warmth, like cuddling up under a blanket during a snowstorm. It felt comfortable, familiar, soft. She rubbed it up against her face, letting the ends rub across her cheek. She knew what it was, she didn't even have to use her eyes to know. It was something she'd found attached to someone in her bed, or all sweaty in her laundry. It was something belonging to one of the most treasured people in her life.
As she breathed in the the scent, she whispered the name of the person it belonged to.
"Natsu."
##########################################################
"Natsu!" Where are you, you little punk?!" Yelled Gray. Out of all of the days to play hide-and-seek, why today?
The previous night, six out of seven of those who had solved the riddle had decided to head to the Magic Council the next morning. The six included, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Happy and Natsu. Everyone had showed up, all except the last one. And life would just so have it that the flame-brain was playing the game very well.
"Natsu, come out or we're going to leave without you!" Yelled Gray, doing an about face and heading back toward the guild. A growing worry in his stomach was beginning to grow larger as he saw the rest of the search party had already returned empty handed.
"He's not at his house, not at the guild, not at the fishing pond, or anywhere!"
"Dammit! Where is he? We'll leave his sorry behind-"
"Wait, Erza. What if he's not in Magnolia at all?" Questioned Gray.
"Gray! You're not suggesting he left last night on his own, right?" Gray regretfully nodded. Everyone gasped.
"That idiot!"
##########################################################
The Magic Council had been busy lately. After the rebuilding of their main facility (again) in the small town of Hrdenya, the works had been flowing in like a waterfall. Someone stole this, someone else broke this law, and this person used a forbidden spell. The list was almost never-ending. However, thanks to the effort of the new council, the list had been completed, giving the Said people a little time in the morning.
Footsteps echoed down the empty hallways of the colossal Magic Court building. It was so early, most of the security had not yet taken their places, and the sun had barely showed itself. The rays of sun stretched in between the pillars of the building, making small shadows the pair of feet kept stepping on. The person didn't care though. He was only set on one thing. Finally, he reached the end of the hall, where two huge doors bearing the wizard saint symbol stood, towering over him. They cast the biggest shadows of all, and the man could tell that this is where his enemy was waiting.
"I know you're here, scum. Come out so that I can see you." Silence for a moment, then a boy's obnoxious laugh.
" 'Come out?' That's all you can say? Pathetic." Natsu blinked.
Three teens stepped out of the shadow. The voice belonged to a boy with grey-lilac spiky hair, who was wearing a punk rock shirt and jeans. The girl on the far right had strawberry blonde, long wavy hair, and was wearing a sleeveless pink floral cocktail dress and red ballet flats. She blushed at Natsu's gaze.
The middle one, also a boy, had layered lemon hair that stuck up in some spots, and eyes rivaled that of emeralds. He was dressed in a pair of grey grieves, a layered light blue shirt with green trim, and a pair of loose khaki boots. The three just stood there, returning Natsu's icy glare.
"Who are you?!" He commanded. Another obnoxious laugh, then a more mature voice spoke,
"Now, now, Eli, don't mock him too much. Then he might call the rest of his insufferable friends." Another laugh, but not from the same boy.
Four more figures stepped out. Two, a man and a woman, Natsu recognized from the description Gourd the Tailor had given him, but the other two were a sight to behold. One, a man, who stood behind the boy called Eli, also had lilac hair, and wore leather pants, boots, and a jacket that showed his chest with nothing underneath. The other, also a man, wore a tattered jacket with a white top, untied green tie, and torn khaki capris. His untamed Carmel hair shot like sparks off of his head, and he topped the outfit with an almost crazed look. He was randomly giggling like a maniac. The fight was becoming too real and one sided too fast.
"Who are you!?" Asked Natsu again. This time, his answer was not sniggered at, but straightforwardly answered by a silken voice.
"What an interesting question, Salamander, Natsu Dragneel-Sama." A small group of snowflakes drifted out of the shadows and landed in front of the whole group. The snowflakes then reformed themselves into a woman. She had on a baby blue hood with white fur trim that almost completely covered her, other than her creme boots that stuck out the bottom. The only portion of her face one could see was her dark red lips, which had turned into a semi smile.
Natsu grunted. The Tailor hadn't lied. The woman under the hood was radiating magical power, like a strange and terrifying barrier he did not want to go into. The rest of party giggled fiendishly in the background, as if they could feel the ever rising panic rising in his chest. The two sides stared each other down, in silence, trading only unspoken threats. After a few moments of this, the voice under the hood spoke:
"Fool. Why do you ask us questions you already know the answers to?"
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I'm baaaaack!
Sorry that took so long guys, my internet was down for like a week, then I've been super slammed with work and, of course, Everyone's friend, Procrastination stayed over for a few weeks. However, I'm back, boys! (For real, hopefully...)
In case anyone's confused, allow me to explain why the final riddle's answer was the Magic Council:
M Emblem-(that's obvious right?)
Second Best-refers to the fact that the Magic Council is the second most important form of government in Fiore, besides the Royal Government.
Where Sinners go to Repent-(also pretty obvious, but) because the Magic Council is a court system, it is a place where wizards go to either get proved not guilty or guilty, hence, that's when they repent.
Don't know when next chapter will be out, but hopefully soon, because we're out of the slow part. Yay! Everything will start making sense soon, I promise.
Don't forget to Follow, Favorite or leave a Review! I love hearing what you guys think!
Oh, and by the way...
You're all amazing!
-BetaTest401