Citrine having spent the night adjusting her magic seals to account for the Pillar's presence, has returned to Fairy Tail in her now stable form of Layla.
Having been met upon return by Team Natsu, she is now receiving a tour of the Building.
"Wow this place is rather impressive, and it has such a warm inviting feeling" Layla said standing inside the hall.
"AYE!" Happy exclaimed.
Mira waved with a warm smile from behind the bar upon seeing Layla with the now happy Lucy.
"We have a library with lots of old books you should check out" Lucy said holding her mother's arm leading her out of the foyer
Layla could tell Lucy was quite excited about literature which pleased her so she accompanied her daughter to the small library.
"I'm glad you still enjoy literature Lucy" Layla said with a smile.
"It's my dream to become a famous writer some day. Fairy Tail has given me lots of great experiences that I wish to share with the world" Lucy responded with great fondness for her guild.
"I look forward to reading them" Layla said with a smile.
"Ah, Layla. Welcome to Fairy Tail" Makarov said interrupting the pair.
"It's a rather heart warming place" Layla responded.
"Lucy, could I borrow your Mother for a moment?" Makarov asked this nicely but showed signs that it wasn't a game which Lucy picked up on.
"It's ok Lucy I wouldn't mind getting to know your Guild Master some more" Layla said reassuring Lucy who showed some signs of worry.
The 2 exited the library to head to an upstairs office to talk in private. Lucy returned to her seat at one of the corner tables, as she awaited her mothers return.
Natsu and Wendy spotted Lucy sitting alone now and decided to join her to find out what was going on.
"Hey Lucy, Where's your Mom?" Natsu asked puzzled to see her alone.
"Oh she went to talk to Master in his office" Lucy replied.
"WOW! Master likes your Mom!" Happy said covering his mouth.
"It's not like that you damn cat!" Lucy said angrily.
"I don't know what they are talking about but Master gave the impression it was serious" Lucy replied with a sign
"Well I don't think your mother is in any trouble" Gray said as he sat down in his boxers.
"Gray's right Lucy" Erza said joining the group at the table
"I just get the feeling that something big is happening" Lucy said as she placed her head down.
Makarov sat down in a swivel armchair behind a large wooden desk in his office.
"Please take a seat Layla" Makarov said in a friendly manner.
"Thank you" Layla said this as she sat down.
Mavis appeared beside Layla holding her hand, Layla's eyes changed to blue and she fed a small trickle of energy to her to make things easier.
"So, that's what you did at the Banquet" Makarov said looking at the interaction.
"Yes, Because Mavis' spirit is of the light, I can reinforce it with my power giving her form for a small duration" Layla responded.
"You're power, Mavis' told me it is related to the Light Pillar." Makarov said slightly squinting as he stared at Layla.
Layla's eyes changed to purple as she looked towards its presence.
"Yes, I can see the pillar through the floor about 100 meters below my current location." Layla responded.
"WHAT!" Makarov said shocked that Layla was able to be so accurate.
"So I guess there is no point trying to tell you it isn't here... First didn't tell me the specifics of your relationship with the Pillar but did tell me that you 'had a reaction' to it when you first approached here" Makarov asked.
"It is probably best that I explain precisely who I am, this may help put everything into perspective" Layla said as she stared at Makarov. Mavis gave Makarov a nod, so he agreed to hear Layla out.
"Long Long ago... When the Original Titan's of creation were defeated by their Children God's... The young naïve God's tried their own hand at creation, siring the Race of Dragons. However their creation was flawed..."
"Due to their ignorance of balance, the Original Dragons were unstable, they could not manage the power they had and it was slowly expelled. The Dragons were unable to replenish their strength as insufficient sources existed in the world at the time, so they slowly began to perish."
"The Gods eventually realising this devised the Twin Pillars, the embodiment of Magic which would radiate and sustain their fledgling life they desired, as well as open the door to more creations. Of the Original Dragons, only 2 survived before the Pillar's were created. Those 2 Dragons because of their superiority over the lesser Dragons that followed were assigned the duty to Protect the Pillars of Creation."
"That means..." Makarov said showing signs of sweating.
"Yes." Layla replied before continuing "I was one of the Original's. I was assignment to the Light Pillar by the gods and my scales mutated in the presence of it's power, turning gold. This eventually lead to my name of Citrine."
"The other Original, my only surviving Brother, was assigned the Dark Pillar. His Scales absorbed the shadow it emitted and became black as night. His dark colouring earned him the name Obsidian." Layla explained.
"So you're one of 2 Original Dragons..." Makarov said rubbing his chin.
"The pillars themselves are neither good nor evil, however through outside influence and assumption by the Lesser Dragon Race. The more stable second generation the god's created having learnt their mistake, they took me as being the embodiment of Good, but ridiculed my brother as Evil."
"At that time Obsidian was quite caring and protective of the Lesser Dragons but after hearing the same assumption for centuries, he eventually began to act the part." Layla couldn't help but shed a tear at this.
"Because of this I begged the Gods to help Obsidian, but they had become complacent as they toiled with their new creation, Humans... Feeling abandoned both Obsidian and I defiantly consumed the power of the Pillars we were entrusted to protect."
Makarov Gasped at this revelation, while Mavis remained silent saddened by the circumstances.
"Before the Gods had realised this, we pre-emptively attacked them with the overwhelming power they had carelessly left us. We overthrew the Gods, but I was too late, the damage was done."
"Obsidian had already started his decent into madness, and was now fueled even more by the additional power he had gained. He began referring to himself as the Dark Dragon God and used his power to torture the gods last creation, Man."
"And this Obsidian now?" Makarov asked fearing his suspicions.
"He used his power to divide his essence which now resides in 2 different entities, but they are both linked consciously, Zeref and Acnologia."
Makarov fell back into his chair "The Black Wizard and The Dragon of Apocalypse.."
"Because of my consumption of the light pillars power, I resonate with the pillar below us, I wasn't prepared for its presence here in Magnolia so the seals on my power and Dragon Form came undone against my will. I was forced to flee the area to avoid casualties." Layla said with some shame
"Casualties? Would you lose control of your senses and attack the town?" Makarov said slightly worried that a ticking time-bomb was before him.
"No. Because of my unfathomable power, my magical pressure alone would decimate the town and kill all but the strongest lifeforms within 1KM of my unsealed form. It would not require me to actively attack the town." Layla replied, Makarov had gotten behind his chair and was cowering at the thought.
"But, Citrine didn't want that so she left the area, she wants to preserve life" Mavis said reassuringly as she defended Layla.
"Yes, after being forced into my Dragon Form, I circled the area in the sky but I eventually picked up on Obsidian's presence... I saw Zeref in a forest outside of town and with my acute sense of hearing, I was able to hear what sounded like the ramblings of a mad man having a 1 sided conversation with himself, but what I heard was his open declaration of war against the world."
"So Zeref is looking to start a new war..." Makarov said in deep thought of the situation.
"Yes, my confronting him putting a hold to his short-term plans, however at the least it will take him 6 months to adapt to my presence, so that is how long we have to prepare." Layla said laying it on the line.
"Hmm, and you are also taking an active role in this Mavis?" Makarov asked looking at the first master.
"Yes, but I lack information to work with at this time, Acnologia we are aware of but Zeref has his other cards to play" Mavis said with concern.
"Demons..." Makarov said echoing Mavis' thoughts.
"Acnologia is a force I can take out of the equation once he shows up, but it will take some time preparing the Dragon Slayers. I can refine their power considerably, helping them realise their true potential. This will result in the removal of the Acnologia piece from the board."
"I also have the power to aid in the developement of the human wizards expanding their magical affinity. This should offer some relief against the Demons." Layla said offering a course of action.
"You can do that?" Mavis said surprised
"Yes, it is similar to how Second Origin allows the caster to have a reserve source of mana. However, what I would do is increase the throughput itself, allowing them to both expend and replenish their mana more quickly and efficiently. The result would vary, but you could assume twice the throughput of power and probably 3x the magical replenishment" Layla said clarifying.
"Hmm that would push a number of Fairy Tail Wizards into Saint territory for power. It would help, but they would need to master their new power or it would lead to more destruction and ultimately be counter productive to our cause." Makarov said as he thought about his wayward children mastery of magic and how they already destroy buildings casually...
"I will need to inform the magic council of the looming threat, so that they can have other wizard guilds prepare." Makarov said
"I have access to a small pocket dimension I created for personal use and storage, but because of the flow of time inside it, it can serve as an ideal training ground for Fairy Tail without endangering the public, it also will be out of sight of any spies that Obsidian may use." Layla suggested.
"You created a Dimension?" Mavis asked surprised by this revelation.
"Yes, I guess even I couldn't help but try my hand at creation after destroying the gods, but I had the foresight to do it on a lower scale than sentient life, instead I mastered space and time manipulation as well as healing and reinforcing magic." Layla proclaimed
"I'll create a stable doorway to the dimension for use inside your hall. It will be shielded completely and using Mavis' example, ill make it invisible to those that do not bear the Fairy Tail insignia which will act as a key." Layla smiled at Mavis
"I must admit it took me longer then it should to figure you out Mavis" Layla said with a grin.
"Are there any downsides to this pocket dimension of yours?" Makarov asked being a concerned parent.
"I would suggest people try to limit their exposure to a week inside at a time, it isn't that it is hurtful physically, it will just ensure they remain firmly grounded in the reality of Earthland and its flow of time."
"From the perspective of someone here in the hall, anyone passing through the gate should return about 2 hours after they leave, the flow of time is 90:1 so 2 hours here is 180 hours there or just over 1 week. If the person has not returned after 3 hours, I will... retrieve them" Layla said this with a slightly evil grin.
"I'll create lodgings inside the dimension and appropriate amenities for various magical training. However I will forego creating any form of living creatures for them to fight, instead I would recommend partnered or team sparing if they wish to test themselves in combat." Layla added with a nod.
"Sounds like it will be quite useful and it will take the edge off the deadline of 6 months." Makarov said before adding "Ill organise the guild into sub groups that can rotate in and out of the space when it is available"
"I have 1 request in that regards, I wish to have all the first generation Dragon Slayers Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel as well as Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet and My daughter Lucy teamed together."
"Their training I will be taking a personal interest in." Layla asked as she had plans for the six of them.
"That should be perfectly fine, the group in question works well together so that isn't a problem." Makarov said agreeing to Layla's terms.
"Is there anything else you would like to discuss while you have me here separated from the group?" Layla asked opening herself to the floor.
"As an Original Dragon... Is there anything about Lucy we should know?" Makarov asked wondering if Lucy was a Dragon also.
"Lucy... is Human. However... currently I have placed seals on her power which I will be removing over the next 6 months. When complete she may well be one of the most powerful Wizards in Earthland." Layla responded truthfully.
Mavis' eyes widened at the scale of power Lucy must have.
"I see, Well your daughter shows no signs for concern and her attitude has been a shining example for Fairy Tail publicly. I'm sure with your guidance she will be an exemplary wizard"
"Well I guess we best inform the guild that we will be organising training groups, probably no point scaring them with the reasoning just yet." Makarov announced to the group.
"I'll finish a stable doorway for Fairy Tail's use in the next day or two, but for the remainder of today I'm going to spend it with my daughter." Layla said standing up from her chair.
Mavis' simply smiled at the two before trying to leave via a side wall, however she crashed into it forgetting that she was corporeal.
Layla giggled before saying "Remember you are corporeal for now, but it will wear off in about 10 minutes"
Mavis' quickly opened the door and rushed outside at the reminder of this.
"Why do I get the feeling she has gone to eat..." Layla said slightly embarrassed.
Makarov just sighed before saying "You know I could just make you a member of Fairy Tail... that way you wouldn't need to feed her power"
Layla thought about it for a bit "I wouldn't really be able to do any jobs or anything of the like, however I could join under the tertiary role of magical development advisor or something along those lines I'm sure you can come up with something appropriate"
"That shouldn't be an issue" Makarov grinned before adding "Welcome to FairyTail, to get a stamp see MiraJane down stairs"
"Oh I'll come up with something... Fitting to signify my membership, ill just analyse the stamps magic ill need it to code the doorway anyway" Layla grinned a mischievous smile which Makarov couldn't help but wonder what she was up to
Layla got up out of her seat to head downstairs to meet Mira, before she left however she stopped at the door before opening it "I'd like to visit the Pillar in about 1 weeks time, but for now keep it safe" she then opened the door and continued on her way back to the Foyer.
Makarov let out a small sigh as he thought about everything that was to come and how much bigger his job just got. However once he realised this he couldn't help but get mad before exclaiming "This is why I should-be retired! GILDARTS!" as he flailed about in his chair.
"Momma your back!" Lucy said excitedly as she spotted Layla come down the stairs with a smile.
"So did everything go Ok with master?" Gray asked noticing that Layla seemed happy.
"Oh yes everything went well, I'm going to be joining" Layla said with a smile.
"WHAT?!" the room said upon hearing this as they all stared at Layla in shock.
Mirajane waved at Layla beckoning her to the Bar at the same time Makarov appeared on the upper floor balcony.
"OK that's enough!" he exclaimed getting the rooms attention.
"I'd like to take this moment to introduce the newest member of our family, this is Layla Heartfilia." Makarov said pointing at Layla which no one needed as they were all well aware.
"She is going to be joining us in a similar capacity to Porlyusica, and will be filling the role of Magical Development Advisor" as Makarov said this he gave a thumbs up to Layla who didn't think he would use the name she came up with on the fly.
"Layla will be offering her help to guide you all to reach your potential, so those of you that wish to grow stronger as wizards, would do well to head her advice." Once again Makarov flashed a thumbs up causing Layla to facepalm.
"Well any case Treat her with the respect you would show me, as she has the power to kill us all... that is all!" Makarov disappeared from his place on the balcony back to his office.
"Best introduction ever!" Natsu exclaimed
"AYE!" Happy agreed
"I can't believe he said that" Lucy said as she face palmed.
"I look forward to working with her" Erza said with her arms crossed giving a nod.
"Lucy's Mom is wise like Grandine, im sure she will do whats best for us" Wendy said.
"Well im not against it" Gray added.
"Hell yeah, Citrine will make us strong" Gajeel said from a nearby table.
"That was one MANLY introduction, SHE'S A MAN!" Elfman proclaimed
"Wait, how am I a man" Layla said to herself confused at the bar
"That's just Elfman's way" Mirajane said from the bar "Where would you like your stamp?" she asked proudly raising it.
"Ah I don't actually need the stamp itself I just need a look at it, I have some plans for it" As Layla said this her eyes turned Blue and she stared at the Stamp then they changed to purple and she looked at it for another couple of seconds before proclaiming "All done"
"Wait what did you do?" Mira said confused.
"I analysed its magical signature aswell as the design that way I can incorporate it into my Dragon Form" Layla said with a smile.
"Scary" Mira said as she put the stamp back down under the bar.
"Oh would you like to see?" Layla asked innocently
"What now? in here?" Mira said worried that Layla was suggesting turning into a Dragon inside the building.
"Oh it's perfectly safe, I don't need to show much so it wont effect anyone" Layla said as she turned walking back towards the open area of floor in front of the stage.
"Hmm whats wrong Momma?" Lucy said noticing that Layla was approaching their table.
"Oh I just analysed the stamp so I made some... adjustments to incorporate it. I was going to show it to you all" Layla responded.
"Adjustments?" Gray asked confused
"Oh I just personalized it you will see" Layla said this as she closed her eyes.
A green fire engulfing her body in the centre of the hall as the Fairy Tail wizards starred on in shock. Lightening cracked with in the flames that reminded some of them of Natsu's Lightening Fire Dragon Mode but it was short-lived as the fire dissipated to reveal Layla with her Citrine wings.
On the center of each wing was a glowing Fairy Tail insignia made of pure green fire and above her head, at a point suspended between the highest tips of her wings was a Fairy tail symbol made of pure lightening.
"THAT'S AWESOME! FAIRYTAIL DRAGON!" Natsu yelled in excitement.
The rest of Fairy Tail couldn't help but be in awe of the sight, they had been terrified of the idea of her joining and being a dragon, but seeing this seemed to strike a chord with them all.
"NOW THAT'S MAN!" Elfman proclaimed
"I have to admit that is pretty cool Momma" Lucy said with a smile
"WOW" Romeo exclaimed standing on a bench staring at the sight
The rest of Fairy Tail broke out in cheer and applause, Makarov looked down from the second floor at Layla's display with Mavis floating nearby him giving him a smile.
"A Fairy Tail Dragon... I never thought I would see the day..." Makarov said unable to contain his pride as the burning symbols radiated warmth in their proximity.
"It's a new age for Fairy Tail 3rd" Mavis said with a beaming smile as she floated off.