Hey guys! I said I'd have this chapter out fairly quick and I'm here to deliver. I'm glad you all liked the last chapter and I hope you're all ready for more of the Tower of Heaven arc. I don't know how far we'll get in this chapter, but I hope we can through quite a few manga chapters before I decide to end the chapter. Also I want to thank you all again for your continued support. This fic just passed 600 reviews, and is creeping up on 1,300 followers and 1,200 favorites.
P.S. I want to make this abundantly clear. Last chapter I was absolutely not bashing Gray. I will not, and never will, bash any character. I may dislike some characters, but I will never bash them. Bashing characters, in my opinion, is sort of childish, but I guess some people enjoy doing it. Yes, I exaggerated Gray's anger towards Juvia slightly last chapter, but if you go back to the earlier chapters of Fairy Tail, Gray was genuinely a real ass to Juvia up until the Tenrou Island/X791 arcs. It was around these arcs that he started to treat her nicer and wasn't as openly disgusted by her romantic advances. So just know that I may exaggerate Gray's aggressiveness or irritation towards Juvia at some points, but I'm never bashing him. I love Gray, he's my third favorite male character in the series next to Natsu and Gajeel, and I would never think of bashing him.
With all of that out of the way, let's get to the fic!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of its characters. They're all still owned by Hiro Mashima.
(Several Hours Earlier; Magical Council Meeting Hall)
"What do you mean a fragment of the R-System still remains?!" Org shouted, slamming his fists down onto the table. His one open eye wide with anger and worry. "That's not possible!"
"Eight years ago a dark cult invested a large sum of money to start construction of the R-System." Leiji explained, as he rubbed his chin. "But those seven towers? The council put a halt to their construction. There shouldn't be anything left of them."
"But there was an eighth." Belno said in a frustrated tone, clasping her hands on top of the table. "It's currently off the coast of Kaelum."
"Don't...tell me...it's been completed..." Org said, starting to break out into a cold sweat.
"Our scouts would not lie about something so serious." Belno said in a grave tone, as she softly shook her head.
"So it has been completed." Ultear mused, gazing intently at Siegrain.
"Why in blazes would the R-System pop back up now of all times?" Michello questioned with a hint of annoyance, as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"The Tower of Heaven." Siegrain replied cryptically, getting all of his fellow council members' attention. "It's not called the R-System...it's called the Tower of Heaven."
"Yes, I believe that was its other name..." Michello said, as he quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "What's your point?"
"Enough, Siegrain!" Org roared, glaring at Siegrain from across the table. "It doesn't matter what the hell we call it! The R-System is a dark and taboo magic! It inflicts incredible harm on anyone subjected to it! It creates untold havoc and chaos!" Org slammed his hands onto the table once again and rose from his seat. "We have to mobilize the army this instant! We need to stop this before it gets out of hand!"
"But Org, we know nothing of our opponents. Perhaps we should do some more recon-" Belno tried to calm her colleagues, but she was but off by Hogg.
"Know nothing!? But Leiji just said-"
"Actually, it appears as though the forces currently occupying the R-System have no connection to the dark cult I mentioned earlier." Leiji interrupted Hogg, before he could go any further.
"What?!" Org yelled, as he turned his attention to Leiji. "Then who are these mysterious new forces?!"
"We don't know all of their current members..." Yajima said, picking up where Leiji left off. The elderly council member cast a suspicious look at Siegrain. "But they're under the supervision of a man named Jellal, a man shrouded in mystery."
"Jellal? I've never heard of anyone by that name." Belno said, as she turned to look at Yajima. "Do we have any possible records on him?"
"Other than his name, we know nothing of his background." Yajima replied, releasing a light sigh. As the council members continued to argue and bicker, no one but Yajima noticed Siegrain and Ultear exchange uneasy looks.
(Several Hours Later; Back with Natsu's Group)
"Where the hell did you lead us flame brain!?" Gray exclaimed in annoyance, as he continued to row the small boat they had commandeered. "Because it sure as shit looks like we're in the middle of fucking nowhere!"
"It does appear as though we've been drifting aimlessly for quite some time..." Juvia said, glancing at the pink-haired dragon slayer, who's head was currently resting in Lucy's lap. The water mage didn't know why, but she was overcome with jealousy as she watched Lucy gently comb her fingers through Natsu's hair. "But Juvia doesn't think that Natsu would mislead us."
"Why is Juvia becoming so upset?" Juvia thought, as she slightly glared at Lucy. "Lucy-san is no longer Juvia's love rival, and will no longer get between Gray-sama and Juvia...but when Juvia sees her so close to Natsu...Juvia's heart seems to ache..." Juvia sighed heavily and gazed longingly at Natsu. "Juvia wishes she could do that with Natsu..." Juvia's face suddenly burned bright red when she pictured herself being so intimate with Natsu. But the water mage quickly shook her head to get those thoughts out of her mind. "No Juvia mustn't think like that...Juvia would be betraying Gray-sama if she thought like that..." Juvia glanced at Gray and remembered how he had treated her earlier. "But...Juvia doesn't think it will hurt to imagine..."
"Hey Natsu..." Lucy whispered, smiling softly down at her mate. "You're absolutely sure it's around here?"
"Y-Yeah, Luce..." Natsu replied in a somewhat groggy tone. The dual dragon slayer did look quite queasy, but thanks to Lucy he was able to keep his composure. "I'm p-positive it's somewhere a-around here..."
"Thank you, Natsu." Lucy said softly, as she placed a kiss on Natsu's cheek. "Now just relax and focus on sniffing out where Erza is."
"Yeah, we're relying on that nose of yours!" Gray said in an irritated tone, stopping for a moment to rest his arms. "So try to get a grip will ya!"
"Gray-sama...Natsu is trying his best to guide us despite being sick." Juvia said barely above a whisper, as she avoided Gray's gaze. "He's not trying to upset you. So please try to go easy on him."
"Whatever." Gray said, crossing his arms over his chest. "As long as we find Erza before something happens to her."
"T-Thanks Juvia..." Natsu said weakly, forcing a toothy grin. "I k-knew you'd have m-my back."
"N-No problem, Natsu." Juvia said, as a fierce blush spread across her face. Juvia quickly turned her head so Natsu wouldn't see the large smile spreading across her face. "T-That's what friends are for."
"Hmm..." Lucy thought with a small smile, continuing to stroke Natsu's head. "Looks like you're already winning her over Natsu. It's only a matter of time now."
"Damn it!" Gray exclaimed, as he grit his teeth in anger. "I can't believe took Erza and Happy while I was unconscious...how pathetic is that?"
"That's true..." Juvia muttered, looking down at her lap. "To think a mage as strong as Erza would be defeated..."
"There isn't any way she was defeated..." Gray said in a dark tone, as he glared fiercely at Juvia. "You don't know a thing about Erza, so you'd best keep your mouth shut about her." (A/N Again, I'm not bashing Gray right here. If you go back to this part in chapter 78 of the manga, he says this almost word for word to Juvia, I only added the part at the end. Like I said he was an ass to her at first.)
"I-I'm sorry, Gray-sama." Juvia said in frightened tone, slightly cowering away from Gray. "Please forgive Juvia."
"Oi!" Natsu exclaimed in anger, as he surprised everyone by standing up. It looked as if the dragon slayer's motion sickness had completely vanished as he stared Gray down. Then to Gray's surprise, Natsu tightly grabbed his shoulder and roughly shoved him down into his seat, rocking the small boat. The ice mage was surprised to see the pure anger in Natsu's eyes. "You don't talk to her like that..." Natsu audibly growled and got right in Gray's face. "Now apologize before I throw your sorry ass overboard."
Gray knew that the dual dragon slayer was dead serious, and his tone showed that there was no room for argument. So Gray hung his head and released an annoyed huff. "Sorry Juvia." The ice mage had turned his head away so everyone wouldn't notice see his face flushed red in embarassment.
"I-It's fine...Juvia shouldn't have said something like that." Juvia said, as she fidgeted with her jacket.
"Good..." Natsu said, just as his motion sickness suddenly returned. Almost immediately the dragon slayer was once again in Lucy's lap, a groaning mess. "Damn it...I was being so cool too..."
"Natsu is always looking out for me..." Juvia thought, smiling softly at the dual dragon slayer.
"Erza did mention those guys were her former nakama..." Lucy mused, as she rubbed her chin. "I guess when it comes to Erza...Natsu is the only one who knows a lot about her."
"So flame brain..." Gray said, nudging Natsu with his foot. "You know anything about Erza's former nakama?"
"First...I'm hearing of 'em." Natsu replied, as he suppressed another urge to gag. "W-Whoever these guys are...and wherever they t-took her...Erza never m-mentioned them."
"Hmm, that's odd for Erza not to tell even Natsu something." Lucy muttered, scanning at the horizon ahead of them. The blonde celestial spirit mage's eyes widened when she spotted a looming object in the distance. "Look! There's a tower ahead!" Lucy gulped when she got a better look at the menacing tower ahead of them. "T-That must be...the Tower of Heaven!"
(Same Time; Tower of Heaven)
"So..." Erza said, as she gazed up at the tower before her. "It's true...it really was completed."
"Well it has been eight years, nee-san." Shô said, shrugging his shoulders. "We were actually the ones to put the finishing touches on this place."
"Enough talking." Simon said, as he shoved Erza forward. "Get moving."
"Fine, I'm going." Erza said quietly, hanging her head. "Eight years...you've all changed so much."
Shô and Simon escorted Erza through the large and imposing tower. After ascending a long winding staircase, Erza was tossed into a small cell, with her hands bound above her head. The cell itself was very small, only sporting a single barred window that barely illuminated the room with pale moonlight.
"The ceremony will be tomorrow at midday." Shô said, as he finished tying Erza's restraints. "I know it's not very appealing, but this will be your quarters until then."
"Ceremony!?" Erza thought, her eyes slowly widening. "Does that mean they're trying to activate the R-System!?"
"There's no hard feeling, right?" Shô asked, as he placed his hands in his pockets. "You're a traitor, so you dug your own grave, nee-san. Now it's time to lie in it...Jellal is actually pretty pissed at you...He even decided to make you the sacrifice for the ceremony." Erza seemed unfazed by the news and simply glared at Shô. "We won't ever be able to see you again, nee-san. But...it's all for the sake of heaven." Erza flinched away when Shô leaned closer. "Are you trembling, nee-san? Does being our sacrificial lamb frighten you? Or is this place brining back some nostalgic memories?"
"Nostalgic isn't the word I'd use..." Erza said, continuing to glare at Shô. The scarlet-haired knight was doing her best to suppress the memories of this awful place. Something that Natsu helped her do. But her mind still wandered to one of their failed escape attempts from the tower. How they had been caught and Jellal had pretended to be the mastermind behind the escape so that the rest of them wouldn't be hurt. But their captors didn't believe Jellal and thought it was actually Erza. Jellal had tried to stop them, but it was in vain. Erza had put on a brave face back then as she was lead into the disciplinary chamber. All the while Shô, the real leader of the escape plan, had remained silent and was too afraid to speak up.
"I'm sorry for putting you through all that back when we were kids, nee-san." Shô apologized, as he gazed down at the floor. "Even though I was the one who planned that escape attempt." Shô released a heavy sigh and his eyes filled with regret. "But...I was such a coward back then...the only thing I could think about was saving myself..."
"I don't care about that anymore. I put all of that behind me a long time ago when I joined Fairy Tail." Erza said, her eyes hardening. "But more importantly, do any of you truly know the risk of using the R-System to resurrect people?"
"Wow, impressed nee-san." Shô said with a small smirk. "You actually know what the R-System is used for..."
"Revive System." Erza said, as she continued to glare at Shô. "In exchange for one living sacrifice, one person can be brought back to life. It's a disgusting and forbidden magic that's completely devoid of any humanity."
"From the moment of its creation, magic had nothing to do with humanity." Shô said, wagging his finger. "All magic slowly wears away at humanism."
"Tch, you sound just like those black cult members." Erza said, as she grit her teeth in irritation. "You're all just like them now."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, nee-san." Shô said with a twisted smile, once again leaning extremely close to Erza. "Those foolish cult members could only recognize the R-System as a basic anti-soul restoration magic device...they all lacked Jellal's foresight." Erza flinched away when an insane look spread through Shô's eyes. "He's going to guide us to the 'heaven' that awaits us ahead."
"Heaven?" Erza repeated in a low tone.
"Yes, when Jellal revives 'that' person the world will be reborn again." Shô said cryptically, as he began to laugh hysterically. "And then we shall become that new world's rulers!" Erza watched on as Shô fell further and further into madness. "The remnants of those who stole our freedom...the friends of nee-san who betrayed us...all those ignorant fools living without a care in the world...the idiots on the council...we'll inflict fear and sorrow upon all of them! And then we'll rob everyone of their freedom! We'll be the true rulers of this world!"
"I won't let you lay a hand on my nakama!" Erza thought, releasing an audible growl. "Sorry Shô, but I have to stop you all!" Before Shô could finish his rant, Erza swiftly smashed her knee into Shô's chin. A sickening crunch was heard as Shô's head snapped back and fell to the ground. Then showing her impressive strength, Erza lifted herself off the ground and quickly gnawed through the ropes around her wrists. A sudden white hot rage filled Erza as her body was engulfed in bright white light. "What have you done to make my friends change so much?!" Erza's face was twisted in anger just as she finished re-equipping into her armor. "I will never forgive you for this Jellal! I'll definitely put an end to this!"
(Same Time; Milliana's Room)
"Ugh, where am I?" Happy muttered, as he rubbed his throbbing head. The blue cat slowly opened his eyes and was shocked to see that he was in a room filled cat paraphernalia. "CATS! Cats are everywhere!" Happy immediately began to panic and quickly started scanning around the room. "Where the heck am I!? Natsu!? Where are you!?"
"Meow?" Happy nearly jumped off the couch he was standing on when the cat girl from earlier suddenly appeared in front of him. "How's it going?"
"How's...it going?" Happy repeated in a confused tone.
"Meow! It's a talking cat!" Milliana cheered, as her eyes lit up in excitement.
"Milliana..." Wally said, leaning against a nearby wall. "Make it dandier."
"You!?" Happy yelled, as he pointed at Wally. "You're that weird square guy from the casino!"
"It's not a talking cat." Wally said, giving Happy a thumbs up. "It's talking, so that makes it a cat."
"Oh! Now I totally get it!" Milliana exclaimed, as she clapped her hands.
"That...makes no sense at all." Happy said with a sweatdrop, hanging his head in defeat. "Anyway! Where is this place?! Where's Natsu!?"
"Hey cat..." Wally said, as he lit a cigar and took a quick puff. "That little punk should be meeting his maker right now."
"No..." Happy said in a deadpanned voice. "Natsu melted your gun and burned your hand. Then before he could fight you, you teleported away."
"Tch, shut up you stupid-"
"Wally! Milliana!" Simon exclaimed, as he burst into the room. "Erza has escaped!"
"Erza's here!?" Happy said, feeling a large burst of hope. "If Erza is here then Natsu will definitely be coming to rescue her and I!"
"Escape, ah that sure brings back memories." Milliana said with a smile.
"Come on Simon, you have to be dandier than that." Wally said, as he took another puff of his cigar. "There's no way she could escape this tower."
"That's the thing, it doesn't look like she's trying to escape." Simon said, causing Wally to quirk an eyebrow. "It appears as if she's heading straight for Jellal. Now come on! We have to stop her!"
"Meow! Wait for me!" Milliana yelled, as she ran after Simon.
"Tch, women are a pain in the ass no matter what time they're from." Wally said, running his hand down his face.
"What the hell is going here?!" Happy muttered to himself.
(Same Time; Jellal's Throne Room)
"Hahahaha!" Jellal began to laugh hysterically after he received the word that Erza had escaped. "Ah thanks for the update Vidaldus."
"Jellal-sama..." Vildaldus said in a confused tone.
"Heh heh...Erza's an excellent woman just as I suspected...she truly is fascinating." Jellal said, resting his head on his fist. "Will I be victorious? Or will it be Erza? I say we enjoy it...dancing together between life and death...past and future. The game of heaven."
"But what of the council?" Vidaldus asked, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Their moves are quite concerning."
"Oh..." Jellal said, a large smirk spreading across his face. "I wouldn't about the council too much."
(Ten Minutes Later; Magical Council Meeting Hall)
"The R-System ignores the law of human life and death. It's an extremely dangerous magic, that can give rise to chaotic ideas." Org said, as he gazed at his fellow council members. "Whoever's occupying that tower now, we must consider them our enemy! We have to dispatch the army immediately!"
"You're all weaklings." Siegrain muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear him.
"How dare you Siegrain!" Belno exclaimed in an offended tone.
"You all don't seem to get it." Siegrain said, slamming his hands onto the table. "I'm telling you all now that as far as I'm concerned, simply dispatching the army is weak-willed. It's dangerous...far too dangerous."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Belno asked, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Since we're all so weak-willed and you apparently seem to have all the answers."
"You people don't understand anything!" Siegrain exclaimed, surprising all of his fellow council members. "Right now there's only one way to destroy the Tower of Heaven! Satellite Square: Etherion!"
"Are you insane!?" Belno shouted, as she sharply rose from her seat. "That's magic so destructive that it transcends space and time! Do you have any idea how much damage that weapon could cause!? It has the power to single-handidly wipe out an entire country!"
"Yes! Etherion is our ultimate weapon!" Org yelled, quickly backing Belno. "It's far more dangerous than the R-System."
"But Satellite Square can target anything on the planet's surface." Siegrain reasoned, balling his fists on the table. "And if we want to destroy that huge tower, Etherion is the only option."
"I must agree with him." Ultear said, as she raised her hand. "I truly see no other reasonable options."
"There are nine of us." Yajima said, crossing his arms over his chest. "If three more members agree with this, we'll use Etherion."
"We don't have time for this!" Siegrain yelled, as he glared at Yajima. "The R-System must not be used!"
"Tch, I don't like this but we must stop the R-System." Leiji said, raising his hand. "I also vote to use Etherion."
"We still need two more votes!" Siegrain pleaded, frantically looking at his fellow council members. "There's no time left!"
(Back in the Tower of Heaven)
"Out of my way!" Erza roared, slashing her way through a wave of guards. The scarlet-haired knight was storming through the tower at a breakneck pace, taking out anything in her path as she searched for Jellal. After dispatching the latest group of guards, Erza grabbed one of the ones still conscious by his throat and slammed him against the wall. The guard's eyes shot open when Erza pressed her blade against her cheek. When Erza next spoke, her voice was calm and menacing. "Where is Jellal? I won't ask twice."
As Erza grilled the guard for information, Natsu and his group had just arrived at the base of the tower. But the group was immediately halted when they saw the sheer number of guards protecting the Tower's entrance. The group quickly took cover near the water so that they wouldn't be seen while they formulated a plan. Juvia had quickly volunteered to search for a possible entrance under the and disappeared underneath the waves.
"That's a whole lot of guards." Gray said, as he peeked over the pile of rocks they were hiding behind.
"Who cares?" Natsu asked, tapping his foot impatiently. The dual dragon slayer could feel his irritation growing by the second. His mate was in that tower, possibly in danger, and here he was sitting outside doing nothing. Natsu needed to hit something, and he needed to hit it soon. "Please just let me plough right through them! It would only take a second!"
"Please calm down Natsu." Lucy said, as she rested a hand on Natsu's shoulder. This seemed to have the desired effect, as Natsu stopped impatiently tapping his foot. "They have Erza and Happy in there. One wrong move and we'll be putting them in danger." Lucy suddenly released a light sigh and glanced at the tower ahead of them. "Still, that tower is right ahead of us. If we're discovered, we won't stand a chance out here."
"Hopefully Juvia finds a way for us." Natsu said, gazing at the water behind them. Almost as if on cue Juvia rematerialized out of the water. "Well would you look at that...so did you find anything Juvia?"
"Yes, Juvia has found a way into the tower's basement through the water." Juvia said, as she pulled her self back onto the land.
"Nice job, Juvia!" Gray said, giving Juvia's a thumbs up. The water mage blushed brightly, because of Gray's compliment.
"U-Uh, it will take about ten minutes underwater." Juvia explained, as she fought back her raging blush. Regaining her composure, Juvia formed a sphere of water in her hand. "Please wear this. This will use water to enclose your head, allowing you to breath underwater."
"Awesome work Juvia!" Natsu cheered, placing the ball of water on his head. "Alright guys let's get in there!"
(Ten Minutes Later; Tower of Heaven's Basement)
"So this is the tower's basement?" Gray asked no one in particular, as he scanned around the empty room.
"Erza and Happy are in here somewhere, so we better hurry." Lucy said, wringing the water out of her clothes.
"Oi!" A sudden yell caused everyone's heads to snap up. Natsu's group was surprised to see that they had already been spotted by a passing group of guards. The guards has been walking past on a walkway above them and had happened to spot them. "Who the hell are you guys!?"
"Oh shit!" Lucy exclaimed, as she reached for her celestial spirit keys.
"We've already come this far..." Gray said, gathering ice magic in his palm. "Looks like we'll just have to fight them."
"Juvia agrees." Juvia said, as he body became surrounded by a flurry of water.
"You want to know who we are!" Natsu roared, slamming a flaming fist into one of the walkway's support pillars. The pillar exploded and rest of the walkway burst into flames. "We're from Fairy Tail and we're here to get my knight back!" Immidiately the basement turned into a raging battleground. But since none of the guards knew how to use magic, they were all at a severe disadvantage.
"I got you!" A guard yelled, as he swung his sword at Lucy. But the guard was surprised to see Lucy easily backflip and dodge his attack.
"Open Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" The celestial spirit emerged in a bright flash of gold light and attacked the guard, knocking him out. "Great job cancer!"
"It's always a pleasure, ebi" Cancer said with a grin.
"It's two on one, we got her!" A guard yelled, as he charged towards Juvia with his friend. However, the guards were shocked when their blades simply passed through Juvia's body, leaving the water mage completely unharmed. "W-What the hell is she?!"
"Water Slicer!" With a flick of her wrist a blade of water cut both guards down. "Do not underestimate Juvia and her water."
"Ice Make: Hammer!" Gray formed a ice giant hammer and slammed it into a large group of guards. "Heh, you guys weren't so tough."
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Natsu's cheeks bulged as he unleashed a powerful stream of lightning, taking out almost a dozen guards instantly. "Stay the hell out of our way!" After a few more minutes the fighting had died down, with Natsu's group coming out completely unscathed. Natsu was just about to tell everyone to search for an exit, but a sudden creaking sound caught his attention. Looking upwards, Natsu spotted above them trapdoor had been opened. "Hey guys some door just opened!" Once everyone had gathered around, Natsu crossed his arms over his chest. "They're definitely calling us out." Natsu's eyes narrowed as he imagined what could possibly lay before them. "Jellal...what are you planning?"
(Jellal's Thrown Room)
"Jellal-sama how could you simply let the intruders in like that?!" Vidaldus exclaimed, completely baffled by his master's actions. "What were you possibly thinking?!"
"I've told you before, this is all merely a game." Jellal replied, a cocky smirk on his face. "All this means is that those guys passed a level. Hahaha, this has truly gotten intriguing. I wonder what will happen next?"
"But Jellal-sama, if we don't quickly proceed with the ceremony, sooner or later the council will come after us." Vidaldus reasoned, which caused Jellal's smirk to widen even further.
"Vildaldus...you're still worried about that?" Jellal asked with a slight chuckle. "It can't be stopped anymore."
(Back With Natsu's Group)
"Hey you square headed fucker!" Natsu roared, as he stormed through the Tower of Heaven's halls. "Where the fuck are you?! And where did you take Erza and Happy?!"
"Natsu stop!" Lucy hissed, slapping a hand over Natsu's mouth. "We're in the middle of the enemy's base! We don't need you giving our position away! I get that you're upset, but please don't yell."
"I agree with Lucy-san." Juvia chimed in, as she walked up to Natsu. "We don't want to ruin any element of surprise we have left. So please keep your voice down Natsu. We'll fine Erza and Happy eventually, but there's no need to make our task more difficult."
"Fine, I'll try to keep it down." Natsu relented, releasing a heavy sigh. It would be enough for Lucy to make the request, but since another one of his potential mates backed her up there was no way Natsu could refuse; his body and mind simply wouldn't let him.
"Yeah, we could only go crazy earlier because we were underground." Gray said, as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "So calm down hothead."
"It's quite strange..." Juvia said, crouching next to the trapdoor they had emerged from. "This door wasn't opened by someone on the other side. It's being remotely controlled by magic. So the enemy must be completely aware of our movements. I guess that gets rid of any element of surprise we had."
"If that's true, then who opened the door?" Lucy asked, as she rubbed her chin. "We're the enemy so why let us in willingly?"
"It's probably like flamebrain said." Gray said, crossing his arms over his chest. "They're trying provoke us into fighting them." It was then that Gray took notice of Lucy's appearance. Without anyone noticing, Lucy had slipped into an entirely new outfit. The blonde celestial spirit mage was wearing an elaborately designed green dress, with a green bandana on her head. "Actually...when did you change?"
"These clothes are from the celestial spirit world!" Lucy said with a small smirk, as she flaunted slightly for Natsu. "I just hate wearing wet clothes, so I asked Cancer to bring me these earlier. So..." Lucy strode over to Natsu and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How do I look Natsu?"
"Y-You look amazing Luce." Natsu replied, a blush spreading across his face. As much as Natsu loved seeing Lucy without her clothes on, he had to admit she looked great in her new outfit. "And if we weren't trying to save Erza and Happy now, I'd rip those clothes off you and tear into you for teasing me earlier in the casino."
"Mmmm, I'll be looking forward to that once this is all over." Lucy said, as she ran her hand down Natsu's cheek. "Now let's find Erza and Happy and get out of here."
"How can they act like that in public?" Juvia thought, staring at the couple with a faint blush across her face. The water mage sighed and gazed at Gray out of the corner of her eye. "Juvia wishes Gray-sama would look at her like that..." She then turned to look at Natsu once again. "Juvia wishes anyone would look at her like that..."
"There they are!" The sounds of approaching guards immidiately put everyone on alert. "We have to stop the intruders!"
"Man these guys never quit." Natsu said, sliding into a fighting stance as his entire body became engulfed in flames. But before the guards could attack a scarlet blur mercilessly cut through their ranks. After a few moments all of the guards were defeated and Erza Scarlet stood before them. "ERZA!?" Natsu wasted no time, running up to Erza and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're not hurt."
"N-Natsu?" Erza breathed out, as her mind tried to process that the dragon slayer was actually there. Once Erza was sure that Natsu was actually hugging her, tears stung her left eye. "Natsu!" Erza immidiately returned Natsu's embrace as her tears fell onto his shoulder. "I knew you'd come save me. I knew you'd never abandon me."
"Of course I'd save you." Natsu said with a warm smile, locking eyes with the scarlet-haired knight. "A dragon has to protect his knight." Erza chocked back a sob and returned Natsu's smile. Both mages soon got lost in the other's eyes and they began to lean closer. Natsu's heart thundered in hist chest as years of pent up love and passion bubbled inside him. He would show Erza just how much he loved her and prove to her that he was the man that she deserved. The rest of Natsu's group watched with bated breath as Natsu and Erza drew closer and closer together. Juvia in particular was near fluorescent red, steam practically blowing from her ears. But just as Natsu's lips grazed Erza's, the scarlet-haired knight quickly pulled back. Erza's face was flushed red and she clutched a hand over her rapidly beating heart.
"N-Natsu I'm sorry...I can-"
"*Sigh* He's here isn't he?" Natsu asked in a voice full of frustration and pain. The dragon slayer crossed his arms over his chest and looked Erza dead in the eyes. "The other man you love, he's in this tower isn't he? That's why you couldn't kiss me, right?"
"No...Natsu-"
"Please don't try and argue Erza." Natsu said, releasing another heavy sigh. "Your face and the way you're acting are a dead giveaway. If that other guy is here then that's great. I can finally meet him and you can work on getting your feelings together. Once this is all over you can decide which of us you truly love." Natsu forced a grin and patted Erza on the shoulder. "Now I gotta hurry up and get Happy, so we can get the hell out of here."
"Jellal, if you're really here we need to talk." Natsu thought, as he stormed out of the room. "I don't see you for seven years and when we finally reunite you take my girl and my friend! You've got some serious explaining to do!"
"Natsu you can't! You all should leave-" But it was too late, the dual dragon slayer had already left in search of Happy. That left a bewildered Erza with the rest of the group.
"Oi Erza, what the hell is going on?" Gray asked, as he walked up to the scarlet-haired knight.
"I'll take care of Natsu and Happy." Erza said, turning her head to look at Gray and the rest of the group. "The rest of you need to get away from here right away."
"There's no way we could do that!" Lucy exclaimed, as she took a step forward. "We're definitely not leaving without you!"
"Please..." Erza pleased, tightly balling her fists and turning away from everyone. "This is my problem and I don't want any of you getting involved. It's already bad enough that you had to come all the way out here to try and save me."
"It's too late for us to not be involved." Gray reasoned, as he shrugged his shoulders. "You saw flamebrain run off now, and we've already taken out a bunch of their guards. We're already tangled in this mess, so there's no point backing out now."
"Erza...what is this tower?" Lucy asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Who is this Jellal guy? Do you and Natsu know him? Because Natsu seemed to tense up when I mentioned his name." Lucy suddenly hung her head and avoided looking at Erza. "Though, it's okay if you don't wanna tell us...I know you said those guys were your friends before, but we're your nakama now..." When Lucy raised her head, she smiled softly at Erza. "We'll always be here for you, Erza...Especially Natsu and I, we'll always be at your side."
"G...Go..." Erza stuttered out, as she began to slightly shake.
"This really isn't like you Erza." Gray pointed out, placing his hands on his hips. "Why don't you stop saying all this useless stuff and give us some orders to follow you like usual? We'll help you out, even you're allowed to be scared sometimes." When Erza turned to face everyone, Gray was surprised that she had tears in her eye. "Shit, I didn't meant to make you cry Erza."
"Sorry." Erza muttered, as she wiped the tears from her eye. "In this fight...whether we win or lose...I don't think I'll make it back."
"What?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. "We won't let anything like that happen!"
"What are you talking about Erza!?" Gray asked, as his eyes filled with worry. "What do you mean you won't make it back!?"
"It's an almost unavoidable future. So..." Erza replied, a small smile spreading across her face. "So while I'm still here I'll tell you everything I know." Erza took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she recited what she knew. "The name of this tower is the Tower of Heaven. Otherwise known as the R-System. About a decade ago a cult studying black magic tried to build a tower whose magic could bring the dead back to life." Everyone's eyes widened when Erza said this. "The project wasn't sanctioned by the magical council or the government, so the cult members forced hundreds of people to work as slaves on the construction...When...When I was young, I was one those people forced to build the tower."
"Erza..." Lucy breathed out, cupping a hand over her mouth. "I never knew something like that happened to her. Natsu never mentioned anything like this...does that mean she hasn't even told Natsu this?"
"That's when I first met Jellal..." Erza began to recall her escape from the Tower of Heaven. How Jellal had inspired her to start a revolt after he had taken her place in the rehabilitation chamber; she also mentioned that her stay in the rehabilitation chamber was the reason she now had an artificial right eye. After returning to her cell and hearing the cry and complaints from her friends, Erza had attacked the guards and began rally the rest of the slaves to revolt. "For the sake of freedom...and rescue Jellal, we revolted against our captors...back then Jellal was our leader...he had such a strong sense of morality and justice...I admired and looked up to him more than anyone else...However, after his stay in the rehabilitation center Jellal became a very different person...if you could ever call someone truly evil, that's probably what you'd call whatever Jellal became."
After taking another calming breath, Erza began her tale once again. After escaping their cells, Erza and her friends began to fight their way towards Jellal. Erza was dead set on saving him at all costs, there was no way she was going to leave him behind after all he'd done for her. Eventually the cult members had brought in their mages to squash the revolt. One by one the revolters were taken out by the cult's mages, until Erza was the only one who remained on the frontline. Erza was so caught up in rallying everyone that she didn't notice that an enemy spell was coming towards her until it was far too late. Clenching her eye shut, Erza prepared for the spell to hit...but it never did. When Erza reopened her eye, she was shocked to see that one of her fellow slaves, an elderly man named Rob, had jumped in front of her. The elderly man had taken the brunt of the spell and was covered in injuries. As the smoke encasing Rob began to dissipate, the elderly man told Erza that she had unlimited potential and that if she dug deep into her heart she would be able to unlock her magical potential. As Rob breathed his dying breath, Erza had spotted the Fairy Tail mark emblazoned on his back.
Erza released an anguished scream as she cried over Rob's body. All around Erza the ground began to crumble and shake as she unconsciously tapped into her magic. Then everyone watched in awe as all the discarded weapons around Erza began to rise into the air. Giving another anguished cry, the weapons began to attack the enemy mages. Summoning two swords into her hands, Erza once again rallied her fellow slaves and began to fight her way towards Jellal once again. After almost an hour, Erza finally managed to find Jellal. But what Erza found wasn't the Jellal she knew anymore. Erza had cut Jellal free and was helping him towards the boats they had secured. But Jellal broke free from Erza's grasp and began to speak of true freedom in 'Zeref's world.' Jellal then said that he'd be the one to complete the tower. Then to Erza's horror, Jellal began to use magic to repeatedly slam the surviving cult members into the stone walls; their blood pooling on the floor.
Erza tried to convince Jellal to leave with them, but he wished for her to stay and complete the R-System with him. Seeing that Erza wasn't going to comply, Jellal used his magic to send Erza flying across the room. Jellal said he'd allow Erza to leave by herself, but he was keeping everyone else, because he'd need sufficient manpower to finish the tower. Once again Erza tried desperately to convince Jellal, but he wouldn't listen to her. Jellal had used his magic to form hands that began to choke Erza, effectively silencing her pleading. Then Jellal warned Erza that if she told the government or if she ever returned to the tower, that he'd have to kill everyone to help bury the evidence. Then with tears streaming from her eyes, Erza lost consciousness. When Erza awoke she was on a random beach, far away from the Tower of Heaven. Erza began to roam around aimlessly, until she heard of a mage guild named Fairy Tail. Instantly she recognized the guild's mark as the one that was on Rob's back. Deciding that it was her only option at the moment, Erza started her journey to Fairy Tail. Along the way she met a strange boy named Natsu Dragneel, whom she had quickly befriended. Natsu was a loudmouth and was very energetic, but he somehow managed to put her at ease and bring a smile to her face despite the dark event that had just transpired. After learning that Natsu was also heading to Fairy Tail, Erza decided that she would make the rest of the journey with him. And from there the rest was history.
"I..." Erza said, finishing her tale. Everyone stood in stunned silence, as they watched Erza begin to shake once again; tears falling from her left eye. "I want...no...I have to fight Jellal."
And done! So all the players are now in the tower, and Natsu has stormed off in search of Happy and possibly Jellal. Erza has told everyone, minus Natsu, about her past. Next chapter will begin with the magical council once again before we can get back to the action in the tower. The next chapter will be the last quick update chapter for now, and I should have it out soon. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (Come on guys! Let's see if we can really pick it up with the reviews.), and PM me any ideas you have for any of my fics. Also if haven't remember to vote in the poll on my profile. So until next time, I'm outta here!