And Onto the Story!
A few minutes ago...
Ultear watched as Natsu set Yukino and Lucy on the ground behind her gently, letting them rest on the ground before he disappeared in another flash of flames, prompting Ultear to turn around and quickly ran her own inspection of their injuries, honestly surprised they were still alive as they were easily the weakest mages on the island.
'multiple scrapes and cuts, Yukino even has a few burns, but why doesn't Lucy...' Ultear though as she quickly approached the girl while keeping an eyesore on Deliora, as she refused to lose her mother twice in one lifetime, as she wasn't sure she could ever survive that...
'Oh? It seems Natsu is more resourceful than I thought...' Ultear noticed as she kneeled beside the blonde before she looked back at Natsu, surprised at the ease he was fighting with, even though he was furious beyond belief. 'Are... Are those the flames of emotion?' Ultear thought in shock, having had never known a fire mage with such an ability, as they amplify the heat and power of the flames exponentially... 'Zancrow would stand no chance.' Ultear concluded with a nod as she stood up, weirdly curious as to whether Natsu would be able to fight Bluenote.
Her consideration was cut short when Gray and Erza appeared beside her, making her turn to them, only to see both Fairy Tail mages run to the girl's sides, Erza already handing out gauze and a homemade antiseptic, courtesy of Porylusica as they began to clean and wrap the Celestial Mages cuts. Ultear simply watched with an odd curiosity as Erza requipped into her Medical Armor, a sinfully short white lab coat that hugged her curves making Gray almost choke on his own to the while Ultear rolled her eyes, disappointed that her mother died for a pervert.
They continued yes to glance up at Natsu, knowing just how tired, and exhausted he must have been, making Erza hesitate before Requipping the gauze away as she stood up, standing g beside Ultear as they watched, prompting Gray to put his wrap down as well, before standing up, watching as Natsu head-butted Deliora Deliora's legs, the aura of a dragon surround him as Deliora stumbled, before flashing out of the path of Deliora's gargantuan fist, before using his secret arc, making them all gawk as Deliora was burned and soldered within the five gates, watching as Natsu fell to the ground, exhausted as even he watched as one by one the gates began to close...
...Leaving no sign of Deliora at all.
Erza was the first to run. Forward, Requipping into her flight armor as she ran towards where Deliora had stood, shocked to see a book where Deliora had stood, but she was even more surprised when Natsu had flashed in front of her before falling to his knees, and Requipping the book away.
She looked at him, anger clear on her face until she saw just how pale he was. She sighed as she knelt down before helping him up, ignoring his bumping as Gray ran forward before helping Natsu as well, making him gawk at them when he realized just who was carrying him, having had been so exhausted he had forgotten where he was, as he felt Gray's naturally cold arm helping him stumble and limp towards the others, to notice Ultear staring at him in confusion, having had not understood why Natsu took the risk of feeling extreme magic withdrawal to simply... Do something.
"Where are the demons remains?' Ultear thought skeptically as she raised her recording lacrimas in the air before closing her eyes, her bird's eye view unable of finding any sort of remains. Erza glared when she saw Ultear close her eyes, having a good idea what that lacrimas was, her flight armor also enhancing her vision and hearing so that she would be able to see weapons and people clearly as she flashed around them.
When Ultear's lacrimas returned, she opened her eyes, completely unaffected by Erza's flower as she looked at the pinkette in front of her before turning around and sitting beside her mother, even as she sat on the dry grass she maintained her grace and regal nature as she inspected her mother once more, tears building in her eyes as she looked at her mother, being so close, but so far from where she wanted to be, grateful she was alive, but upset that she still seemed to be in a coma.
Gray and Erza sat Natsu down gently, ignoring his groan of pain as he grasped her chest making Erza shake her head in annoyance as Yuka began to wake up, having had accidentally fallen asleep during the fight, as he had laid there exhausted, years of sleep deprivation from having to supervise and aid in the moon drip leaving him exhausted as he had fought to stay awake, only to lose before he even had a chance to fight.
His head began to twitch as his eyes fluttered, his ears picking up on nothing but the occasional groan of pain and sigh, making his eyes open slowly, confused to see no sign of Deliora other than the destruction he had left in his death. His eyes open further as he attempted to turn his neck, until his neck screamed in pain making him clumsily raise his hand towards his neck, bracing his head as he looked at him, surprised to see that Natsu was the one who was groaning in pain until he began to connect the dots, as he saw the rest of the mages patching eachother up, but most importantly they were calm... 'For the most part... Yuka thought with a wince as he noticed the frown on the Titania face.
Ultear was the first to notice Yuka had woke up, until a flare of magic shot up, prompting everyone to look towards the barracks. Yuka felt the anxiety build in his chest as he was more than familiar with that certain magic signature, prompting him to try, and fail to get up, making Erza flash towards him to assist, as she had finished bandaging the white-haired Celestial Mage.
"What happened to you two?" Erza asked curiously as she set him back down on the ground, only to get a shake of a head as Yuka continued to stare into the origin of the magic flare before he noticed Erza's question.
"Once I found Sherry, we were going to exit through another cave, until it happened. Blistering heat shot out everywhere, melting the stone floor above us. We both did our best to shield ourselves until we slowly began to run out of the air to breathe. It felt as if we were locked in a Sauna, cramped in a small space as we prepared to die. Then, more fire came, but this time, it moves fluidly like it was an entity itself, it seeped through the cracks of the rock above us, before it began to wrap around us, leaving us in a protective bubble. And the. We were lifted upwards, through the hundreds of tonnes of melted rock and rubble until we were on the surface once more... Turns out Natsu had lifted us out with his bare hands... He is truly a force to be reckoned with." Yuka said with a despondent smirk on his face as he continued to stare in the direction of the barracks, knowing that he will be coming, and he wasn't quite sure how he would react.
Unbeknownst to the two mages, Ultear was also listening, her recording lacrimas still on as she took in all the information she could about this man who had changed her life in the matter of a few hours. She looked at the pinkette, knowing he was clearly hiding something, but honestly couldn't care, as she looked down at her mother, knowing she had no right to be suspicious of him after all he did for her.
Erza looked at Natsu with respect and amazement clear in her eyes, looking at the man who was still laying on the ground, holding his chest, and tried her hardest not to be impressed, even though he left so many unanswered questions. 'I do still have questions for him... But I will ask later...' Erza thought as she looked at him before s
Walking towards the slayer, Requipping her Fire Empress Sword before she swung a blade of fire down towards him, which he graciously gobbled up, no longer feeling the pain of an empty magic containers he slowly sat up, smiling at the Scarlet Haired knight, and mistaking the slight reddening on her cheeks as the euphoria for having destroyed another demon of Zeref within a week.
She looked at the two Celestial mages, before remembering that Lucy also needed training.
"Natsu," she called out making him look up at her with his arms behind him, holding his torso up as he relaxed, curiosity clear on his face. 'I request that you help train Lucy as well." Erza stated as she glared at the pinkette, daring him to deny her, as they both knew he wouldn't be able to protect himself in his current state. Natsu stared at her shocked, before a small, but sure smile grew on his face that made Erza's flower diminish.
"Do I have to provide her a roof and food too?" Natsu asked, slightly worried as to what Mira would think k about this, inviting two women to stay in his home without asking her first, as her opinion mattered to him. Erza seemed to think over Natsu's question while everyone looked in, amused at how the wizard saint was being tossed around by an S-Class mage, that was until Natsu's head shot to the side, his ears picking up on the galloping of a horse until he remembered that the Villagers were on the other side of the island, assuming it was them.
He requipped a small flare, before lighting it with his finger as it began to shoot up red smoke, signaling to Happy that the demon was finally dead. Yuka sat there, dread building I. His chest as he watched the edge of the forest, worried about the Cold Emperors reaction, knowing that if he was full in magic they may not survive his rage.
The horse got closer, garnering even Ultear's attention as they watched the edge of the forest. Erza was confused, as she didn't remember, or understand why the villagers would have horses, as this was a far-off island, away from any and all civilization, removing the need of a steed due to the small size of the island, unless...
"Gray!" Erza barked, making him look at her, a brow quirked as he waited for her demand. "You said Lyon had Dynamic Ice-Make? As in living and moving objects?" Erza asked as she requipped into her flight armor, hoping that if she caught him off guard he wouldn't be able to put up a fight,
Gray's eyes shot open at her inference as she watched the treeline, the horse even audible by his ears now as they all watched with bated breath, now knowing who was approaching them. They watched as a batter up, but angry Lyon emerged from the tree line riding a green-tinged horse made of ice. His head shot around, noticing the lack of temple, before his eyes trained onto the mages before him, angry beyond belief that his loyal followers and subjects were lying and resting with the enemy who dared to kill his dreams. His anger made him oblivious to the truth as he failed to recognize neither Ultear nor Ur due to his rage.
"Where is Deliora! Did he escape? Didn't he?! I knew you were all too weak to defeat him! Where is he!" Lyon screamed maniacally as he stared at them, making Yuka cringe as he saw his longtime friend lose his sanity. He looked Lyon in the eyes, surprised to see how red and bloodshot his eyes were, noticing many patches of ice around his body, his usual bandage as he looked around with a crazed expression on his face.
Gray glared at his fellow pupil but found himself unable to be too angry as he turned back, seeing his master's chest rising and falling with her breath, the healthy color returning to her pale skin as she recovered from her decade-long coma. Natsu stood up, wanting to take control as he was the one who leads them through this whole process, for the most part, making him the one responsible for his anger.
"I killed him," Natsu said simply, but firmly as he approached the white-haired ice mage, unknowingly becoming the sole focal point of his rage as he stood in front of the mage, unwavering as he knew he had a very good chance of winning this fight if it came to it.
"No! That's impossible! It was my destiny! My dream! You're lying for the praise, and for the honor aren't you?!" Lyon screamed angrily as he glared at Natsu, his screams u knowingly awaking some of the women around him, while Natsu raised a brow, getting a different intention as to their reasons here, as he had originally believed that they were ensuring nobody else would die to the demon.
Lyon began to lose control of his magic as he stared at the unfaltering stature of the Saint before him, causing his horse to literally Exide with his anger, sending shards of deadly ice everywhere. He was only more incensed when he saw the Saint produce a small wave of heat, completely evaporating the ice making him scream as he lunged towards the pinkette, years of planning and training all for nothing, as he was defeated by Gray of all people before he had a chance to fulfill his destiny and surpass Ur.
Everyone rushed forward when they saw Lyon tackle Natsu to the ground who simply laid there, intending to bare his hate until he understood his anger. Even when he was getting beat he raised his hand, stopping the others from approaching as Lyon continued to vent his anger, his knuckles beginning to bleed as he huffed and puffed, exhausted from this collision of emotions and pain.
They were completely unaware to the other pinkette waking up, too entrances By Natsu's selflessness and control as he let himself get beat up, in hopes of quelling Lyon's pain. Her eyes began to flutter open, stifling a groan as she heard the sound of flesh impacting flesh until she realized what has occurred before. Her eyes shot open as she saw Lyon beating Natsu, who made no effort to defend himself, making her feel upset, as he saved her, he saved Ur, he saved them all.
"It's all your fault! Now I am never going to be able to surpass Ur!" Lyon shouted as he punched Natsu in the face once more, making Yuka and Sherry stare in shock while Gray simply glared at his fellow student, angry beyond belief that she would kill her for something so petty.
Ultear simply stood there, stewing in rage as she looked at the man, killing her mother so that he would be able to surpass her, her magic flared around her as thousands of shards of ice shot toward the silver-haired fool, only to watch in anger as the shards melted before they even had a chance of killing Lyon, having been melted By Natsu who lifted Lyon off his body, showing that Lyon had literally left no mark, no scar of his hits.
He stood up, brushing off his clothes nonchalantly making Erza roll her eyes, as Ultear could have technically hurt him as well. The Scarlet Haired knight turned to the councilwoman, deciding not to reprimand her for technically assaulting Lyon, since he was being a fool, and it was then that she realized Sherry was awake holding Natsu's cloak to her chest as tears slowly running down her cheeks as she looked at the man who she had thought she loved, her heart broken by the fact he didn't care that some of them were injured, only about the fact he wasn't able to kill Deliora.
Ultear finally snapped, no longer able to keep her calm facade up as she looked at the man who tried to murder her mother, and would have succeeded if it wasn't for Natsu...
"You pig! Do you not understand what you have done?!" Ultear screamed as she stormed towards the silver-haired man on the ground, who was no longer stuck in his anger as he looked up at the woman who looked so much like his master, only for every guy to cringe as she slammed her foot into Lyon's pelvis, making him scream in pain as tears ran down his face.
"In trying to surpass my mother, you almost killed her! Did you know you were killing her? Or were you simply too stupid to care?!" Ultear screamed as tears ran down her face as she pulled her foot back, preparing to kick Lyon again. Only to be pulled back, stopped by warm arms wrapping around her midsection as she was embraced by warmth, so comforting that she simply melted into the arms behind her, completely aware of who was behind her as she sighed, before turning around, burying her face in the man's shoulder as he kindly rubbed her back.
"Does it not matter, when your mother is alive once more? You have this chance, and as much as you might hate him for it, remember she sacrificed herself for him, and Gray." Natsu said aloud making Lyon shoot up, ignoring his pain as he looked around, ignoring Gray's glare and Yuka's sad expression as his eyes searched for her, knowing that his dream may not be over yet, but most importantly he was glad she was alive, until the pieces began to come together, making him look back to Ultear, shock clear on his face.
"Ul-tear..." Lyon whispered, his a temporary castrato due to Ultear's violence. Natsu shook his head as he looked at the ice mage on the ground, surprised to see Gray walk forward, before bending over, extending his hand to a man he considered his brother, before brought the man to his feet, amused through all his disappointment as he saw Lyon struggle to stand, a red spot on his torn and ripped pants. He supported Lyon by laying his arm across his shoulders as he walked his fellow pupil towards their master, wanting to prove to Lyon she was alive.
Sherry, Yuka, Erza, and Natsu simply watched as Gray walked Lyon towards Ur, his eyes releasing unshed tears when he finally saw her Lyon on the ground, wearing simple garments, but most importantly she was alive... And somehow, he never even noticed his longtime friend sitting not even four feet away, watching with a broken heart as she looked at the man who brought them together under false pretenses, a man she had begun to lose confidence, strength, and leadership as he allowed them their revenge, their closure, and what. 'If they never came... Would he have allowed us to aid him in this fight?' Sherry though with a heavy heart as she looked at Lyon, her heartbreaking further because he never once thought about her, or Yuka, or even Tobi, and the fact the only thing he was worried about was where the damned demon had gone.
"How..." Lyon choked out as he fell to his knees, his whole world crashing down as his dream was replaced, no longer needing to surpass her, as now he can grow with her, not having to compare her to his memory, as that is how he was deciding to honor her death.
"Flame Brain over there isn't a saint for nothing, but we had to repair the iced shell from years of moon drip, then Natsu removed the properties of iced shell... Did- did I not make her body properly?" Gray whispered, knowing that beside him, Lyon was the last person to see her. He was relieved when he saw Lyon nod his head silently, his breathy pants being the only sounds as they stared at the woman who was now truly alive for the first time in a decade. He felt even worse when he realized that if not for him, the chances of reviving her would have been much higher.
He looked at Ur once last time before standing on his own, limping as he approached Natsu and Ultear, who were no longer in an embrace, but standing a couple feet apart as she kept her eyes on Lyon, unable him after all of this.
"You... You have the right to my life, Ultear Milkovich. My life is in your hands for my great sin against you," Lyon said as he fell to his knees before her, making Erza sigh as she prepared to intervene, unaware as to whether or not Ultear would kill him, putting her hand on her sword as they all watched, curious as to what she would do.
Ultear simply shook her head, even though she was mad at him right now, she wasn't going to kill him, she didn't need to kill anymore. She used her ice magic, forming a sword in her hands. It was pink, with a rose for a guard and iced thorns placed so that it was a better grip, the blade of the sword was engraved with throned vines climbing the flat of the blade to a rose at the tip. She raised the sword making Erza begin to pull her sword out of her scabbard, only to halt as it was stuck in place, and when she went to requip a sword her hand was encased in a blue ball of ice, restricting her from being able to remove her sword. She glared at Gray, mad that he believed his fellow student deserves death, only to watch as he shook his head, pointing to the two.
Ultear had stabbed the sword into the ground, mere millimeters from slicing his neck. He looked up at her, co fused as to why she would do that until he saw the look on her face, a face that had seen too much pain, suffered far too much.
"Nobody has to die today, repent but be aware, there are charges for attempted murder..." Ultear said making Erza's eyes shoot open in shock, until she sighed in agreement, knowing that she needed time to sort out his life. Both Sherry and Yuka stared at their friend, torn that he would have to spend time in jail, until the saw the safe smile on his face, realizing that this was a step he had to take to become a better person, to finally let go of all his anger and accept reality, because he had given up on Ur, having had believed there to be no way to save her.
"He looked at Ultear and then to Natsu, who stood arms reach away from Ultear, he then turned around, seeing Yukino and Lucy lying on the ground, injured but otherwise alright. He even saw Gray with his arms crossed, and Erza who had shattered the ice around her hand, releasing her sword as she stared at him. And then he saw Sherry, he tried her in the eyes, attempting to convey his emotions only to watch as she turned away from him. He looked at the ground before him before looking towards Natsu.
"Thank you," he whispered as he watched Natsu nod in acceptance, and then he requipped a pair of magic cancelling handcuffs as he approached Lyon, watching as he stood up and put his arms behind his back, allowing Natsu to cuff him as he stood there's the only sounds being of the crisp metal, the gears turning as the cuffs tightened.
Natsu's head shot up, making everyone look to the sky as they saw Happy divebombing from the sky with an injured, but otherwise alright Tobi flying down, before resting the dog man on the ground. He looked up at his father figure, another huge smile on his face as he sped into Natsu, wrapping his tiny arms around his father while Natsu squeezed his little blue buddy into his chest, smiling and laughing as he heard Happy's rambles.
Yuka crawled forward,.motioning for Sherry to stay put while Lyon simply stood there with his head down, his mine torn between guilt and pain, anger and sadness as he found himself unable to look at his friends, having had even acquired a sleeping serum so that he would have been able to fight Deliora on his own. Yuka stopped beside Tobi, unwrapping his shoulder to see the extent of the damage while Sherry watched with her heart in her throat. She watched as Yuka sighed in relief, finding his shoulder simply being relocated, with the cloth and wrapping for support so that it healed properly.
They smiled as they watched the small, but heartwarming reunion as they hugged, their love for each other clear as day when they let go, smiling ear to ear as Happy sat on Natsu's shoulder, rambling off a hundred questions.
"Whoa! What happened to the temple! Where's Deliora! Who's that! Did you destroy the moon yet!" Happy shot off at a rapid pace making Natsu laugh until he heard the last part, the Fairy tail mages remembering the part where they accepted both quests. He looked towards Erza, curious when she quirked a brow until he realized she may not have understood Happy's max speed rambling.
"So, ready to destroy the moon?!" Natsu cheered, excitement clear upon his face as Yuka, Sherry, and Lyon stared at him worried as they were partially sure he was capable of such a thing. Erza Sony laughed while Gray smiled, having had completely forgot about their secondary mission as they were so focused on Ur and Deliora.
"You-you're not seriously considering destroying the moon, right?" Sherry asked hesitantly, her voice but a mere whisper, but everyone heard it. Natsu just laughed harder making Sherry pout, believing he was making fun of her before he looked her in the eyes.
"You are aware of the villager's problem, right? The fumes from the Moon Drip ceremony solidified into a glass film over the island, causing the moon to appear purple." Natsu explained making everyone look up, noticing the cracks already present in the film from all the fights from today.
"Hey Erza, mind giving me a light?" Natsu asked as he requipped a strange glowing lacrimas, unlike anything they had seen before, except Ultear. She stared at his hand in shock, confused as to how he would even be able to get his hands on something like that, as they were restricted, and extremely rare. It was about the size of a large Tankard, the outside of the lacrimas being an ambered course crystal with purple, yellow, black, blue, green and white energies swirling around inside it, almost as if they were battling for dominance.
"Natsu Dragneel! How do you have that?! No! Give it to me!" Ultear yelled as she watched Natsu walk into the center of the temple while Erza requipped her Fire Empress Sword, trusting that Natsu wasn't doing anything too crazy as she watched the councilwoman scold him like an angry parent Natsu simply laughed as he reached the centre of the battleground, turning to them with a smirk on his face as he simply stared at them, which it served to infuriate them more.
"You! Urgh! Do you have any idea what you're doing? That could kill you?!" Ultear screamed as she watched him, making a somber look appear on Natsu's face as he looked at the woman, realizing that she simply cared, in her own weird way.
"Yep, well, for the most part..." Natsu said, trading off into a mutter making Ultear throw her hands up in the air, frustration clear on her face as everyone looked on, confused since they just met, and yet they were acting as if they've known each other for years. Erza continued to look between them before noticing the look on the pinkettes face, realizing she should probably trust him on this, especially after everything that's happened. She channeled her magic around her sword, causing fire to swirl around the blade only to watch as he gestured for her to stay back, which did nothing to calm everyone's minds.
"Flame Strike!" Erza cried out as she pointed the tip of her sword towards her sky, shooting a ball of fire into the clouds. Natsu held the lacrimas over his head, clasping it firmly in his right hand as he closed his eyes, preparing to control the flames around him. Everyone watched as a large ball of fire came crashing down, almost as if Natsu was being smitten by a god as it comes tinged to gain momentum, accelerating to its terminal velocity before it smashed into Natsu, causing a large explosion.
Everyone watched in shock as, within the matter of half a second, a huge, deadly wave of fire shot towards them. Gray fell into his Ice-Make stance in an attempt to protect them, only to watch in shock as the flames began to get sucked in, spiraling towards the clouds as they could hear a sucking sound, signaling Natsu replenishing his energy. They watched for a minute as the flames began to get sucked down into its center point, showing Natsu standing there, the broken amber in his hands as red scales trailed up his arms, onto his face, and down his neck. They stared at him as he stood there, his ski. Healthier than ever as he looked at them before he cheered aloud with a gravelly, deeper tone making Happy cheer as he flew towards him as he flew around his father figure excitedly, while Ultear sighed, relieving her stress as she saw he was able to control the explosion.
Erza simply stared at him, shocked, as there was no way her strike was able to produce such an explosion, until she noticed that the amber in his hands was broken, making her grit her teeth as she realized what happened, even if some of the specifics were unclear. The others stared at the pinkette, a close sweat rolling down their cheeks as they realized just how close they were to being charred and toasted, with nothing left to be healed or even recognized.
"Natsu! I have had enough of all these secrets, and unanswered questions! what that was, or so help me Mavis even Mira won't love what is left when I'm done with you!" Erza yelled, angry that he had simply abused her trust like that, almost killing them all in the process, and it would have been her fault.
"That wouldn't work too well for you," Natsu said as he practically teleported to her side, but this time he never even used his flaming steps, it never even looked like he moved a muscle, his posture the same as he stood beside her, the moonlight reflecting eerily off the scales on his arms. "This is the strongest form of Dragon Slaying magic, Dragon Force. I now hold the true power of the dragons in my claws, I doubt even Makarov or Gildarts could stand up to me as I am now, I could probably give even God Serena a run for his money in this state. My magic amplified a tenfold as my skin has strengthened into the strongest substance on earth, a dragon's scales." Natsu said making everyone look at him in shock, as he just claimed that he was the strongest mages on the continent, but the worst part is that it was believable.
Ultear was shocked as she stared at him, having a more in-depth understanding of Dragon Force than the other mages, curious as to how he would stand against Acnologia, or even his father as he stood there, power literally wafting off of him, which made them feel weak to their knees and pale as they struggled to stand, before it was dispelled, Natsu having had taken pity on the mages around them as he pulled his magic back in, making a seal glow in his heart before disappearing once more.
"And for your information, it's called and Ether charge, it's a lacrimas containing pure ether about, but what makes it so special is that it conforms to the magic it interacts with, and in this case the increase of fire magic allowed Fire to take over, conforming the other magic to its will, creating the explosion you saw earlier," Natsu explained making everyone but Ultear's eyes shoot open, having had already been aware of it as the others watched shocked as to how he was even able to get his hands on such a thing.
"If it gave you so much magic, why didn't you use it earlier? That could have done some serious damage to Deliora?!" Gray asked angrily as they looked at the injured mages around them, six on the ground, passed out or unable to walk or even stand, leaving only a mere five of them still standing, two of which weren't even part of the fight.
"Well, honestly? I forgot." Natsu said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head everyone looks at him confused as to how someone renowned for their strength could be so forgetful, especially since he seemed to have complete control over the dragon force.
"But, since Yuka's wave magic had little to no effect upon Deliora, we honestly have no idea where it's magic stemmed from, so to introduce so much of a new magic like that could have been catastrophic," Ultear interjected, making everyone turn to her, as she cemented why she was part of the magic council, even at such a young age, having such an innate understanding of not only magic but how they interact with eachother. Natsu nodded his head, agreeing, even though some voice in the back of his head argued that his HellFire Flames had properties to the wave magic, consuming rather than dispelling, but for some reason, his worked.
"Well, let's go give those villagers a show they'll never forget," Natsu said as he requipped a gold key, but it had a black snake wrapping around it, making everyone look in shock as they were seeing his second Celestial Spirit of the day, making them curious as to why he planned to use it, instead of during the fight earlier.
"Open, Gate of the Thirteenth Spirit! Opichius the Snake charmer!" Natsu chanted as a magic circle formed under him that seemed to draw in all the shadows and darkness around them, causing a dark purple haze to surround them like a fog as the magic circle continued to grow.
They were confused, as there were only supposed to be twelve Zodiac Spirits, comprised of light, but here he was, summoning a thirteenth, that seemed to thrive off the dark as the haze continued to thicken. They heard the iconic sound of a doorbell as the magic circle under Natsu's feet became a black and purple swirling portal, from which a giant snake shot out, with Natsu riding its head as it soared towards the sky, having dark purple scales layering over its black body.
Opichius seemed to be even larger than Pisces, it's body about a foot or two thicker and maybe six feet longer as it pulled its tail out of the circle, watching as it closed in a puff of smoke as it relates around, flying back towards them as Natsu stood on its head as they flipped around, becoming parallel to the ground as it stopped in front of the gawking mages before him.
Opichius seemed to be a mixture between bionic and organic, it scales appearing to be large metal plates, rather than actual snake scales. there seemed to be a cut out in every scale, of a cubically drawn tree, two squares shifted into diamonds, stacked up on eachother with a trunk on the bottom corner. Opichius eyes glowed a sickly pink while its tongue slithered out, showing that it was, in fact, bionic, with small little barbs on it. Opichius had a pair of large, massive vangs sprouting from its top jaw, standing at least three feet long as a purple venom dripped off, burning upon impact with the ground. She had very small, barely visible nostrils on its nose, making it appear as if it was an actual breathing creature, with dark motifs upon its forehead. The bottom part of Opichius jaw was obviously bionic, having its chin covered in metal plates, while instead of a jaw bone, she had three piston like objects on each side, which was only a small testament to its bite strength. The is a massive blade on the bottom of the snake's jaw, sporting jagged and deadly edges curving towards the rest of her body, secured by a protrusion, fixing it in place.
He jumped off of the Snakeshead, landing soundly on the ground below him making them snap out of their respective shock while Happy flew towards the snake, fluttering around its head, almost as if he was talking to the snake making Sherry stare at Natsu with hearts in her eyes, seeing that Natsu clearly has more love for creatures than Lyon ever did, making her curious as to where Anjelica ran off to.
"Erza, do you have some blankets and rope?" Natsu asked as he walked towards Sherry, picking her up gently as he approached Opichius who lowered her head towards the ground, allowing Natsu to jump on before safely placing her on the snakes back somehow unaware of the woman's watching as Opichius turned her head, inspecting the blushing pink haired girl on her back before looking at the others.
Erza simply requipped some rope and blankets, even an old tent that she folded up as padding for them to lie on as they went towards the villagers, which would allow them to see them dispel the curse, so that they could properly, without a doubt complete the quest, without having to destroy the moon. And then they went, with Happy flying rope round Opichius body, giving them a kind of stirrup to hold onto as they rode the ancient snake, feeling excitement bubbling as they prepared for a once in a lifetime experience.
Once everyone was tied down, or at least in a point where they could hold on, Natsu jumped onto Opichius head, giving her a rub as he prompted her to move, easily maneuvering through the trees as they slithered away from the place of battle,.towards the village where they could rest up and get everyone the proper attention they required, and hopefully some food to eat.
The mages that were awake watched in amazement, as they covered dozens of feet within seconds, the world flashing by around them, puddles, fallen trees, leaves and flowers all mixed together into what appeared to be a painting, as beautiful as a sunset as the stopped in front of the village gates, noticing the area at which they had fought Tobi.
Natsu whistled as he looked around, noticing the crater in the ground, and with a little bit of deductive reasoning, he realized who caused such carnage. 'Daamn... Looks like they do make a great team.' Natsu thought as he saw the crater from where Polaris clipped the dog man's shoulder, putting two and two together.
Unfortunately, the village watchmen had heard their approach, exiting their watchtowers as they walked across the bridge over the door, shocked to see the Wizard Saint, standing on the head of a huge serpent, causing them to scream in fright, afraid for their lives as the snakes eyes trained on them, it's tongue slithering out mere inches away from them.
Their screams brought everyone out of their homes, carrying things from brooms to rolling pins as they prepared and protect their village, having had been scared of all magic being thrown around, having had felt it even from the other side of the islands as a particular heatwave or blast of cold found its way under their clothes.
They never expected to see the wizard saint, the same one who played with their children, standing atop a giant serpent, holding his ears, scaring the children as it seemed to be attempting to eat the guardsmen, a single child running through the crowd, afraid for their father as their mother chased after them, not wanting their child to get anywhere near that monstrosity.
Unbeknownst to the everyone, the screams of the watchmen at such a close interval had caused Lucy to stir in her sleep, her muscles sore due to her awkward mounting on Opichius' body as her eyes began to flutter, signaling her inevitable awakening.
By now the watchmen had stopped screaming, simply frozen in place as the snake co tours to watch them, too close for comfort as they held their hands, Palms out in an attempt to save their lives. The only sounds could be the hobbling of Moka as he approached the crowd, seeing the Saint, and becoming worried, as they had all hope he would be able to end their years-long nightmare.
"Don't you touch my daddy, you big meanie!" The kid yelled as he ran to the gates, staring up at the giant snake he feared was going to kill what seemed to be his father, only to be caught by his mother before he could go any further.
"Calm down young one! Saint Dragneel, what on earth happened over there? I hope you can explain this as we could feel the island shake, even from over here!" Moka cried out as the crowd of villagers parted before him, showing their respect for their wise leader as he went forward to deal with the mage. Natsu took his hands off of his ears, noticing the others climbing forward, and trying their best not to anger Opichius since she did just lower herself to being a method of transportation.
"I can, in fact, Moka, you had but another Demon hiding on this island," Natsu announced as Opichius pulled her head back, raising Natsu above the others allowing the watchmen to quickly bolt away, after opening the door so that Moka would be able to talk to the Wizard Saint, without having to strain his neck. The villagers gasped when they heard his statement, confused as to who, or what had been hiding on their island for so long, while Moka simply glared at Natsu, unsure as to this demon's relevance to their curse.
"Also, we have not only found the culprit behind the curse and, I can even break it, right now. But," Natsu said, only to be cut off by the cheering of the villagers below them, as they began to dance, excited beyond belief that their lives would now be able to be without fear and pain and that they could be happy once more. Natsu simply smiled as he put an index finger in each ear in an attempt to protect his hearing while Erza and Gray jumped up behind him, joining him on Opichius head while Moka was yelling at the villagers, trying to calm them so that Natsu could finish his statement.
"Quiet Down! I will have order!" Moka shouted as he slammed the tip of his cane on the ground, sending a small shockwave throughout the village, making the villagers look at him in shock while he sighed before turning to the Fairy Tail Mages before him, trying to keep a calm facade up and hide his excitement within himself. 'Oh, what I want to do to the person who made us suffer! We lost people, good people to the curse... I even... had to kill my own son...' Moka thought as a lone tear ran down his disfigured face, before anger grew within him, his mind calling for vengeance while his heart called for repentance.
"But, I do ask that we get supplies for our wounded, and food for our hungry," Erza concluded, her hands on her hips as she stared down at the villagers, having had figured out the curse herself, especially once Natsu had told them of some type of lens surrounding the island. The villagers quickly ran, gathering food and medicine from within their homes, while Opichius lied her head on the ground, as the others jumped off, some of the villagers walking forward, helping them carefully unload the unconscious passengers. Gray was surprised that when he was helping Lucy off, she shifted in his arms, making him worry as he looked down, surprised to see her eyes fluttering open before she screamed in shock, confused as to why a shirtless Gray was holding her. He almost dropped her, if it had not been for Erza who had caught her, glaring at Gray while Happy laughed, amused at the buxom blonde's reaction.
When one of the villagers went to go help Ur off of Opichius, Ultear literally glared at them, striking fear in their hearts causing them to back away, before running back into the village, which did not go unnoticed by her fellow mages. Natsu approached her, after having had helped Sherry and Yukino down, resting them on blankets that the villagers had set up on the ground, while Erza began to check Yukino's injuries as Gray began to fill in the rest, answering any questions as to what went down. Moka was overlooking his villagers, instructing them on where to set up the spit for boar while he sent one of his watchmen to go and fetch the village healer.
Natsu walked over to Ultear, sighing as he jumped up onto Opichius back without any extra effort, making the children gasp in awe, as they were sat on the ground, supervised by a few of the parents while the rest went about their respective jobs.
"You didn't have to scare him to death, he was only trying to help..." Natsu said as he looked the councilwoman in the eyes, slightly surprised to see the sheepish look on her face as she wrapped her arms around her chest, slightly annoyed at herself since they were only trying to help, but she was so worried about her mother she could care less, as she hasn't even moved at all yet.
"My mother... has been gone for so long, I... I just can't let someone I don't trust carry her, I cannot fail her again." Ultear said as she looked him in the eyes, making him nod, accepting her answer as he would probably do the same, insist on taking care of his loved ones himself, unable to trust anyone else to do the job properly.
"Do you trust me?" Natsu asked as he looked her in the eyes, surprised when he saw her slightly nod her head, before smiling softly as he knelt down, untying Ur from her harness to the snake charmer before gently picking her up, stepping off the snake only for his foot to land on a staircase made completely out of fire, making the children gasp in amazement when they saw that everytime he stepped down, another stair appeared. Ultear smiled when she saw the extra care he was putting in, glad that she had taken the risk to talk to him, rather than disappearing after he unmasked her.
She followed him down, before sitting beside her mother when he laid her down on one of the pallets provided, before returning back to Opichius, and rubbing her head gently, asking if there was anyone else on her back before she flew into the sky, a similar black swirling portal opening up in the ground before she shot through it, flying down through the tunnel before completely disappearing, while all the children looked on wide-eyed, shocked as the parents looked at their children, amused at their amazement.
Moka approached Natsu once everything had been organized, curious as to when they would finally break the curse, especially since he had noticed the silver-haired man in handcuffs, standing near Gray, Yuka, Sherry, Lucy and Happy as they all talked about what had happened, before talking about their different experiences, and how Deliora had ruined their lives while the others listened, as Gray, Yuka and Sherry all found common ground through pain.
"Saint Dragneel, you had mentioned you had found the person behind all our suffering... Is it that man?" Moka asked as he pointed to Lyon with his cane, making Natsu look at them while everyone stopped, Moka's voice having carried over conversations through the silence, making everyone stare at Lyon, the villagers feeling anger build while the mages felt worried, as they wouldn't be able to safely stop, or hold off the villagers if they had chosen to get vengeance upon him.
Natsu looked to Erza, and then Ultear, unsure as to what he should say, his first instinct was to be honest but was left unsure since diplomacy has never been his strong point. Erza made to approach Moka, only to be stopped by Ultear as she gracefully stood up, her beauty attracting everyone's eyes as she approached Moka, slightly swaying her hips as she continued to draw everyone's attention. Erza rolled her eyes at Ultear's performance, even if it was admittedly very successful at dissuading any possibly fights.
"Greetings, Chief Moka... I am Ultear Milkovich, A member of the magic council. In fact, I was the one who sent the emergency quest to Fairy Tail." Ultear introduced, making everyone gasp in shock at the presence on their island. She extended her hand to Moka, who shakily returned the gesture, grasping her hand with his demonic hand and giving it a shake, surprised that she showed no surprised or shock at his disfigurement.
"I am Moka, chief of the Galuna Tribe... I ask again, is that the man, responsible for all our suffering." Moka asked again, but this time it was only a statement, Natsu's silence from earlier being an easy tell while everyone looked between Moka and Lyon, it almost being like a tennis match as they watched, worried as to what would happen next.
"It is, and for his crimes he will be tried under the council, for trying to resurrect a Demon of Zeref," Ultear replied smoothly, making everyone gasp once more while Happy giggled, finding it almost too cliche while Lucy sighed, just glad that everything was over, until she remembered that they still had to break the curse. Lyon's eyes were locked on the ground, finding himself unable to look at any of the villagers or even mages around him, as he was not only responsible for their injuries, but their pain, and any trauma after that.
"Oh, so you are completely aware of the villagers we lost to the curse?" Moka asked, his voice hard as steel while every mage present stared at him in shock, as he never mentioned that the curse had caused a sickness or virus. When Lyon heard him, he just felt even worse, as he could have killed women or even children in his futile venture of surpassing his master. Natsu opened his mouth, about to ask why they were not informed of this earlier until Ultear raised her left hand, gesturing him to stop while she looked at the chief, annoyed that he was trying to strong arm the mages into giving Lyon to them.
"No, but what we are aware of, is that the curse had begun to drive some of your villagers crazy. So crazy that they went out of control, and when you tried to lock them up the only began to hurt themselves in an attempt to break free. It got to the point you had to put some of them down. This is not that man's doing, as you could have contacted for help, rather than killing your own son." Ultear said aloud making the villagers look at the ground, having had tried to forget the people they had lost to the curse, while Moka swung his staff at Ultear, angry that she had brought his son Bobo into this, only to watch in shock as Natsu caught the staff in his hand, crushing it into dust in his fist as he glared at Moka, daring him to even attempt striking her again. The Fairy Tail Mages began looking around, finding her statement confirmed upon the faces of the villagers around them, as they had a moment of silence, respecting their fallen family.
Moka looked at the ground, ashamed that the council was aware of the steps that had taken to protect the village. he let go of the last parts of his splintering shaft, hearing it fall to the ground in the silence that encompassed everyone around them.
"However, our job is not done," Natsu said, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention to himself as Erza, and Gray got to their feet, approaching Natsu as they stood behind him, prepared to interrogate the villagers before the broke the curse, as knowledge of both the barracks, and the temple would have been very useful, saving them not only time but possibly even the temple itself, if they had only been aware of everything on the island.
"During our quest to annihilate the Demon from the book of Zeref, we came across a temple, from which a ceremony could be held, using the strength of the moon to break any spell. We also came across a barracks, in which the cultists of the temple could reside between ceremonies. Why were we not informed of this before we left this morning?" Erza asked aloud, glaring at everyone but the children as she waited for some sort of answer, only to find none. She turned to Moka, her glare intensifying, prompting him to speak.
"We-... We were aware of the temple, we discovered it when a year ago when we went to investigate the purple light in the mountains..." Moka said softly making Gray and Lucy look at him weirdly, as he had lived here his entire life, and only recently discovered it?
"It is part of our villages code, to never venture too far, it was the ruling of our forefathers, after a child had gone to play, and died of starvation... as he had been lost in the woods, before he was brutally attacked, ripped apart by the wildlife, with tears on his face," Moka said as he looked at the ground, making the Fairy Tail mages understand, to a certain degree, but in larger parties, or even with a map...
"Then why did you not inform us? Important time was wasted, combing through the jungle... Lives could have been lost, your entire village could have died..." Erza questioned making Ultear sigh, as this seemed more like an interrogation than a conversation. Surprisingly it wasn't Moka who replied, but a young, fit woman who emerged from the crowd, bearing no sign of the curse's effect at all.
"You would not have believed them, as I had not. Every time Moka would send a search party to the temple, once they got within twenty feet they would suddenly black out, only to wake up on the edge of the village." She said as she walked towards them, making Happy fly over as he said hi to his first friend on the island. She seemed to be wearing a brown cloak, comprised of animal skins. Her dark green, hair was tied up into a ponytail on at the back of her head. Her face clean and smooth with a few freckles dotting her nose, with wise brown eyes, made of the most succulent chocolate. She had on a simple, but tight black tank top under her cloak which went to emphasize her athletic figure, with plain brown trousers adorning her legs.
Everyone looked at her, confused as to why she, part of the village had not suffered as the others had.
"My name is Shiko Higoshi... When The curse first struck, three years ago... Moka had requested I come to his village, and try and cure the curse. These past years, I have studied the curse and was unable to cure it, leaving me to believe that it was no disease or infection. I came to enjoy my stay here until my focus became trying to help those, who lost their minds to the curse." She explained as she hugged the little blue cate, before approaching the mages on the ground, unwrapping the bandages making Erza open her mouth before Happy flew over.
"She helped me with Tobi earlier, she's one of the village healers." Happy whispered making Erza close her mouth before turning to Natsu, both of them coming to the same conclusion, before they turned to the others, surprised to see Shiko's hands engulfed in a bright _ magic, as she began to methodically heal the burns on Yukino's body, making her stir as she began to wake up.
She was shocked, to see a stranger leaning over her, hands engulfed in _ magic, hovering over her body making her shriek, before Happy flew forth, making her calm down as she noticed her body began to feel better, no longer feeling the pain from Deliora's blast, as the sheer force of it felt like her bones cracked, even with Sagittarius taking the brunt of the hit.
"Hello, my name is Shiko, I'm a healer here on Galuna Island. If you give me a second, I should be able to finish patching you up," She said, not even looking Yukino in the eyes as she continued focusing on her magic, making everyone watch as the last burns and blisters receded into Yukino's skin, before Shiko stood up, approaching Ur, shocked to see her in some sort of comatose state, but without any signs of muscular atrophy, or any signs of injury at all.
Natsu walked over to Yukino, kneeling down at her side as he checked on his new apprentice's well being, while Moka opened his mouth to object, his patience running thin since all he wants, is for this bloody curse to be over. He was about to yell, until he noticed Gray's hand on his shoulder, daring him to prevent Shiko from checking over his Master, because even if Natsu is capable of healing her, Shiko has studied medicine and health, therefore enabling her to give a proper prognosis on Ur's state of health. Moka then promptly closed his mouth, knowing that the health of the mages before him, is more important since the moon has already fallen, giving them time before they revert back.
"How in the Hell..." Shiko muttered as she ran her magic encased hands an inch above Ur's body, unsure as to why she was unconscious as her body was in perfect condition as if she had been training for months, getting into peeking physical condition before somehow falling into unending sleep. After a few more minutes of trying to diagnose Ur's condition or the cause of her condition, she looked up to the mages, needing more information as to how she entered this state.
Natsu extended his hand to Yukino, before helping her up, walking her over to the other unconscious mages while Lucy shifted to the side on her pallet, indicating with her hand where she offers Yukino to sit. Natsu gently lowered her down, knowing her head may still be rushing after such a hit before she sat beside Lucy. He turned to Gray, motioning him over to the rest as he stood beside Natsu, curious as to why he was called upon. Natsu gestured to Gray to wait a second before he turned around addressing the village.
"Both me and Erza both know how to resolve the curse, so, I propose a challenge," Natsu said as he turned towards the non-S-Class mages, making everyone look at him curiously while Erza simply shook her head in amusement, already knowing what he was going to propose.
"We will give these three, five minutes, to figure out a way to break the curse, using the information we have gathered. At the end of the five minutes, they will then start to explain the curse." Natsu called out making some of the villagers annoyed, and even a little nervous as they had waited three years for this, and now they had to wait, five, more, minutes.
The three mages began to talk, trying to work out the curse at Gray continued to look up at the sky, the same point at which their attacks had affected the barrier, causing cracks in the film.
Natsu then walked towards Shiko, intent on explaining what the situation was as Ultear walked over as well because any information about her mothers well being was important to her.
"I assume you have some kind of explanation as to how 'this' happened?" Shiko asked rhetorically as she gestured to the sleeping Ur, making Natsu chuckle as he knelt beside her, engulfing his hand in green flames making her worried until he tapped his right index finger on her temple, engulfing her whole body in green flames, making Natsu concentrate before he removed his hands, the flames dispelled as he looked at her, annoyed that it had no effect.
"Hey! Want to tell me what the hell you're doing? And while you're at it, who the hell are you?" Shiko asked, annoyed that he had completely disregarded her question before introducing his unknown magic into this woman's body. She then turned to Ultear, noticing the Council Woman's presence before turning back to the patient, noticing similarities between the two women, facial structure, hair color, body type, they were even the exact same height.
Natsu had noticed Shiko's observation, before deciding he should probably answer her question...
"I'm Natsu Dragneel, S-Class Mage from Fairy Tail," Natsu introduced as he extended his right hand out to Shiko, who clasped his hand firmly, before turning to Ultear, extending her hand, "And you?" She asked.
"I am Ultear Milkovich, of the magic council... Can you please tell me what's wrong with my mother?" Ultear asked as she looked into Shiko's eyes, practically falling to her knees as she looked at her mother, the pain of not know seeming to be far worse than when she had believed her dead, as pretty much nothing had changed, other than an increase of hope, which only made it much, much harder.
"Honestly? Nothing, which is why I need answers," Shiko replied as she turned to glare at Natsu, who simply returned her gaze with a smirk, which only served to infuriate her further.
"What if I were to tell you, that this morning, she was a block of ice..." Natsu trailed off, making Shiko's eyes shoot open in shock before turning to Ultear, noticing the honesty in their eyes, and finding herself even more gobsmacked at the fact she was now, perfectly healthy.
Time Skip
By the end of Natsu, Ultear's, and Erza's explanation, the Scarlet Haired knight not trusting Natsu to include every important detail had walked over, joining them. Shiko was beyond shocked, as she looked at the mages around her, feeling a deep respect for Natsu, even though he seemed to be quite dense at some points, learning that he was less of a jackass and more of a fool. Moka approached them, signaling that the five minutes were up, so they could finally be rid of this curse, and return to their natural forms...
The S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail stood up, before gesturing to the three mages in question, making them step forward.
"So, we figured out most everything, and we know how to break the curse, but, we still can't figure out a way they couldn't enter the temple," Gray started off with a sigh as he looked at them, making the villagers cheer, as, after all this time, they could care less, especially since the temple no longer stands, not that they knew that of course.
"First off, I want you all to look up, at the moon," Lucy said as everyone did what she asked, the villagers finding nothing out of place, but the mages noticed the small cracks in the film, which only went to prove that there was, in fact a dome surrounding the island.
"Nope, over there!" Yukino cried as she points to the cracks, making the villagers turn their heads, before one by one, a few of them began to notice the cracks in the film, but they had mistaken it for the moon was breaking, making them cheer in joy as the Fairy Tail Mages once again achieved the impossible. Shiko stared in shock, not believed that the moon was in fact shattered, but was unable to see the film due to the lack of sunlight, making her look at the mages around her, confused since she obviously didn't have all the information.
"What you might not have known, was that during the past three years, Lyon and his band of cultists..." Gray started off, only to stare in the direction of the temple, shocked as he had completely forgotten about them, which could only mean that they too, perished in the fire. Everyone looked at Gray, confused until they realized that the cultists were uncounted for, before Yukino, surprisingly, decided to finish his statement.
"... were conducting a Ceremony called Moon Drip, which uses the power of the moon, channeling it to break any seal or spell. And they happened to use it, to release the Demon of Zeref, in the hopes that they would be able to kill it, ridding it from the face of the earth..." Yukino explained making the villagers look at Lyon, confused as to why he would take such a risk until they realized if he failed, they would have been in the crossfire next. It seemed that Moka knew his subordinates quite well, as he had shut them up with a glare before they could even begin to protest.
"...So that they could enact revenge, on the demon that had destroyed their homes, and torn apart families on its rampage through the Northen Continent, leaving children alone and scared with no way to survive. Some of those children, are standing before you today." Gray finished making the villagers lose some of their anger, as they could understand how painful it would be to be alone like that, with no knowledge of how to get anywhere in the world, unless you were aided, but the problem is, who could there have been to help, if the demon had killed everyone?
"That same Ceremony that released the Demon, is the one that had caused this curse on the island, as three years ago was the first time Moon Drip was active, which coincides with the time period of your suffering," Lucy explained making everyone glare at Lyon, unaware that three of his accomplices were sitting not even a metre away.
"The cracks you see in the sky? Is not the moon breaking, but in fact, the effects of our earlier battles, having had broken the hardened, gaseous dome around the Island, which we will break, right now." Yukino explained before looking towards Natsu, feeling warmth grow in her chest at the happy smile on his face before she turned to the others, surprised to see that Even Erza had a small smirk on her face.
"Are we right? or are we right?!" Gray cheered as he looked at his superiors, even if he wouldn't admit it. He was glad to see that Erza nodded in response, meaning that they were correct, even if they hadn't solved why the villagers were unable to approach the temple.
"So, who thinks they can break that bubble?" Natsu asked with a smirk on his face while Shiko looked at the mages around her, shocked that they had deduced the solution in less than a day, whilst it had taken her more than three years of research, with no results. Both Yukino and Lucy turned to Gray, as they were either too tired, unable to break the barrier, since Sagittarius was down for the count after blocking Deliora's attack.
Gray sighed as he began to walk forward, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to see the diameter of the dome, before looking around him, seeing if there were any possible height boosts he could get from climbing a tower, or tree. He lowered into his ice make stance, his magic flaring around him as an icy wind began to pick up as a blue magic circle formed under his feet, while everyone, including the children, watched in anticipation as they waited for their pain to finally be over.
"Ice Make; Tower!" Gray shouted as ice began to shoot out of the magic circle under him, propelling him into the sky before it stopped, standing at fifty feet high, with just enough space for Gray to walk in a small little circle on top. The children gasped in amazement at the sheer detail Gray had put into the tower, with a door at the bottom near the ground, while the walls seemed to be made out of icy stone, almost like a more controlled cobblestone. There were even a few window holes, spaced around the tower. Everyone craned their neck, in an attempt to watch Gray's next spell.
"Ice Make, Gungir!' Gray cried as a large magical circle formed in front of him, shooting out a large, intricate spear as it shot into the clouds, accelerating quickly as it approached the crack in the sky, intent on breaking the curse, literally. They watched with jaws dropped as it seemed so close, only for the mixture of air resistance and gravity to be too strong for the spear, as it began to plummet down from the sky, making them cry in anguish as their pain had to continue.
It was even more shocking when they saw an explosion of fire at the butt of the spear, rocketing it towards the sky before it easily broke through the film, making the cracks grow quickly as pieces of the film began to break off, making the villagers scream in fear until they saw it turn back into gas, right before their eyes, the sheer force of the spear creating enough heat and energy to excite the particles back into a gaseous state.
The mages turned to Natsu, noticing the smile dancing across his lips as he watched the villagers dance in happiness, his eyes shining with warmth as he saw couples kiss, and friends hug as they all awaited their bodies to turn normal, uncaring that it would hurt as it would be the last time they would ever have to experience such pain.
And they waited...
They turned to the mages, grief clear on every face as they stared at the mages, their grief turning to anger when they saw the smile on Natsu's face, as some began to cry, losing hope for the last time, until a flash of white light enveloped the whole island, and when it died down the villagers looked at their hands, the feet, their legs, and arms, and were shocked to find no difference.
"You can stop looking because this IS your body," Natsu said aloud making everyone but Ultear, and Erza looks at him in shock, until Shiko began to put together the dots, as she can heal physical ailments, but not mental...
"The Bi-Product of the Moon Drip, that lens that was over the sky, it didn't mess with your bodies, only your minds. It's something like the Placebo Effect, in which your mind believes something so much that it makes it so. Galuna Island is the Island of demons, the only exception is that you all have the ability to blend in with us so that nobody is panicked or disturbed. Everyone time the moon came out, and you saw the bright purple light, you believed that it was causing you to become demons when all it did was return you to your natural form." Erza explained making everyone look at her in shock, while Yukino and Lucy stared at her in amazement, looking up to the female S-Class wizard who was able to stand on equal grounds with Natsu, not because of sheer magical power, but because of her knowledge, and bravery.
"I was glad I left this in your hands... Once I saw the Wizard Saint on the boat, I knew for certain that my village would no longer have to suffer, allowing me to come home..." A new voice said making everyone look around, trying to see who had snuck up on them. They looked left, and right, and couldn't see anyone for miles until they looked up. Shiko was shocked, having had not known one fo the Ten were on the island, as she looked between the mages around her, confused to see the Wizard Saint robe wrapped around the pinkette on the ground, before looking to Erza, assuming that she is the Saint, as she is both intelligent and strong, unlike Natsu's who is fairly oblivious.
Moka nearly cried when he saw the unmistakable form of his son, with large, demonic wings on his back, keeping him in the air as they continued to flap. The rest of the villagers were shocked, having had held a funeral a year ago for the same man they had to execute, having had broken his shoulder, collarbone and three of his ribs in an attempt to escape the healer's hut. Natsu simply smiled while the other mages let out a sigh of relief, glad that their ferry master hadn't died when the boat overturned.
"Hello father, What they say is true, the others and I simply figured it out as well, and when we tried to tell you... you thought we were crazy..." Bobo said as he wings immediately curled around his body, making him plummet towards the ground, causing some dusty to fly while Moka ran forward, before tackling his son with a hug while the other villagers watched with small smiles, as one by one their memories came back, as they began to celebrate, the truth being the greatest gift anyone could have given them.
Bobo smiled over Moka's shoulder looking at the fairy tail mages, and the mages he didn't even recognize, just glad that he no longer had to stay away from his home, from his family, and those he grew up with. 'Thank you...' He mouthed as the villagers began to run towards them, not even caring about how on earth he survived, just glad he did as the village was encompassed in quite possibly the worlds largest group hug, making the watching mages look on with pride as they saw the villagers cheer and found themselves able to love themselves once more.
"How did you know?" Gray asked as he turned to both Erza and Natsu, annoyed to watch as Erza simply tapped her head while Natsu tapped his nose, proving that even if Gray was smarter, Natsu is still more observant, genetically, not mentally.
"So, uh... Who get's the reward?" Yukino asked softly making the others look at her, before everyone turned to Lucy, curious as to what she wanted to do with the situation. Only Natsu saw the conflict in Lucy's eyes as they thought about it, the silence making her uncomfortable as they continued to look at each other until Erza turned to Yukino.
"Since, you helped break the curse, and were here before us, you will get the full reward for the breaking the curse, but will not get any of the rewards from the S-Class quest," Erza said making Yukino look at them in shock, not having had ever believed they would allow her to get even the gate key, until she realized she had no idea which key it was, or even if it actually was a gate key.
"Thank you so much, for bringing my son back to me, and for restoring peace to our home, protecting us from the evil hiding in the dark. Please, allow us to treat you all to a feast in your honor!" Moka cried out, hearing his people cheer with them as they looked at the mages before them, before turning to Shiko.
"Shiko, thank you so much for your help... However, we are no longer in need of your services, if you wish to stay here, you are free to stay here if you wish..." Moka trailed off, as everyone turned to her, curious as to where she would go, only to see her eyes locked onto Ur, before she made up her mind.
"I have found, yet another impossible case... And I intend to see the patient through, I am honestly curious, and I've never seen, or ever heard a case like this, ever." Shiko said with a smirk making Gray let out a sigh of relief, glad that they will have another healer to watch over his mentor until she is able to travel across Earthland once more.
"Very well, Chefs! Prepare a feast!" Moka cried out making the others cheer as they prepared for a feast, in the honor of the mages who had practically saved their lives, only to watch in shock as Natsu raised his hand, stopping everyone in their tracks as they looked at the Saint, confused as to why he was rejecting food.
"We appreciate the offer, but unfortunately we have to get back and start on the paperwork, plus we have to get Lyon's trial on the way as well," Natsu said aloud making everyone but Erza and Shiko sigh, as they had wanted to have a chance to relax, until they looked at him, confused as to how he planned to get back.
"Very well, but at least let us give you a ride back, stocked with some supplies?' Moka offered, making Erza smile as she nodded, before Moka gestured to the people around them, instructing people to prepare food while others went to go set up their ride home while Gray glared at Natsu, annoyed that they wouldn't be able to rest for a few hours longer. Natsu simply blew Natsu off while Lucy, Erza, and Happy went to the hut they stayed in earlier before Gray followed them so that they could clean up and collect their stuff, leaving Natsu alone with the Mages of Galuna Island while Ultear went off, to most likely sit with her mother once more.
"So..." Natsu said with a smirk on his face as he looked down at Sherry, Yuk, and Tobi, before he dropped to his knees, engulfing his hand in his green flames making Shiko and Moka watch in curiosity as he touched Tobi's shoulder, watching in amazement as he began to stir, meaning that Natsu had somehow accelerated his healing process exponentially. "What are your plans now? that you have finally avenged your families," Natsu said softly as he looked at them, making Sherry blush while Yuka sighed.
"I... need to train more. I had trained hard for years, and yet the best I was able to do, was move Deliora's hand." Yuka said, his voice laced with anger, but he was too tired to do much with it while Sherry simple looked at Natsu, before looking back at the ground, unable ask Natsu what she had in mind.
"Fairy tail always accepts those that have lost their ways, so that we can guide them back on a better, healthier way of life. And as a result, if any of you wish, Fairy Tail's doors will always be open to you." Natsu said as he looked at Sherry, glad to see the growing smile on her face as she nodded her head gleefully, warmth growing in her chest as she looked at him.
"Yes, please! All of you have accepted me, not because of my magic, or my looks, but because you genuinely love me... for me." Sherry said as she looked Natsu in the eyes making him slightly worried until he remembered that her quirk was that she held so much love inside her, that's why she spoke of love so much.
"Alright, I will supply you two money if you decide to head out on your own, but you are free to join us on our travel towards the mainland. I'll give you some time to think," Natsu said with a smile as he stood up, before looking to find Ultear, curious as to whether she wanted him to help with the report to the Council, until he heard a voice behind him.
"Wait! Why didn't you tell them we were also responsible?" Sherry asked curiously, looking around to make sure nobody heard her over the new happy din encompassing the village, everyone overflowing with happiness as they were now able to understand the truth, no longer afraid or worried that they would be stuck in a body that wasn't their own.
"Because of why you did it... If a demon like that had killed someone in my family... I would have done worse, so I can't really judge any of you for that. Hell, some of us Have done worse, but the defining part of this is what you do now. Do you choose to be better, to grow as a person? Or do you simply allow yourself to continue to fall down that wrong path? Natsu said as he looked each and everyone one of them in the eyes, even Tobi who had literally just woke up, only to be stuck already in a moral dilemma as he left them to their own devices as he searched for Ultear, having had already cleaned his stuff up earlier that morning.
When Natsu was unable to see Ultear anywhere around him, he looked around, before closing his eyes, preparing to follow her scent using his Flaming steps, until he felt a small hand grasp his, prompting him to turn around and look down at the two children who had who had approached him. Unbeknownst to both him and the children, Shiko was standing behind them, leaning against a house as she observed him interact with the children, finding this to be a perfect time to judge his character as she was quite familiar with the children.
"Well hello there, what brings you to over to little old me?" Natsu said with a gentle smile on his face as he crouched down, looking the young boy, and even younger girl in the face as he waited for them to answer his question.
"We... We just wanted to say thank you, for bringing our daddy back..." The young boy said, with small tears rolling down his demonic face while his sister simply sniffled, making her brother give her a hug while Natsu simply stared at them, feeling his heart slowly break as he watched the children in front of him break down in tears.
"C'mere," Natsu said softly as he leant forward, before wrapping his arms around the children, bringing them in for a hug, unaware that everyone had stopped what they were doing, even his guildmates had stopped approaching him, curious to see how he would handle this situation, only to have their hearts melt when they saw him give them a hug.
"Ho-w... *sniff* How can you to-uch us... we're demons..." The boy whispered softly, making Natsu's heartbreak even further as he gently increased his hold on the children while Shiko felt a tear rolling down her cheek, having had never expected him to be able to handle the situation this well.
"What you look like, does not define who you are... embrace who you are, and learn to be better than people expect," Natsu said softly making both children stop crying as they looked at him, small smile's growing on their faces as they returned his hug, squeezing him as hard as they could as they began to smile, before they backed off, full-blown smiles on their faces as they ran towards their mother, and true to nature, Natsu was completely oblivious to the fact he held everyone's attention as he flashed away, as he followed Ultear's scent.
When Natsu excited his Flaming Steps, he was unsurprised to see that Ultear had chosen a secluded area, probably having had wanted some space, especially after everything. She was sitting atop one of the tallest trees on the island, hiding in the brush of the leaves as she sat on one of its branches.
"So, Are you going to be coming with us? To Fairy Tail I mean?" Natsu asked softly as he noisily approached the tree, having had warned her of his approach.
"Unfortunately... First, we are both going to have to report back to the council and fill them in on everything that has happened, and then I'll try and come down to check how my mother is going..." Ultear said with a sigh as she jumped down onto the ground, joining Natsu on the grass as they looked out into the luscious green forest.
"That's fair, about how long do you think it will take for the meeting and such?" Natsu said with a sigh as he laid on the ground, surprised to see Ultear joining him as they looked up at the beauty around them, as they had even though they would have died earlier that day.
"Maybe a week or so? It depends on how long Lyon's trial will take since we will both be called to the stand, we won't need to bring in the others, but..." Ultear said making Natsu laugh, without humor as he stared through the branches above him into the sky. They continued to lay there in companionable silence until a burning question appeared in Natsu's head.
"Hey Ultear, do you ever think you'll tell me why you were even on this island in the first place? going around as a green haired dude in a mask?" Natsu asked making Ultear giggle as she looked over at him.
"Are you ever going to tell me why you used Flaming Steps to approach the last spot where Deliora stood, and explain why there were no remains after that?" Ultear asked with a smirk on her face making Natsu smirk.
"Touche".
Before the reviews, I have a little note. I'm sure you all saw me cut off at the beginning. Some people believe the fight should have continued, and others believed it is over. I'm torn between the two, so I'll leave it a mystery, allowing me to wrap up the arc. Someday when I'm better at writing, I may come back and finish this, but, for now? I've spent far too long on the Galuna Island arc, and all good things come to an end. I know I've disappointed some, but even Natsu has a limit to his power, and I felt it really hard to continue such a fight with his power running low.
And can I just say something? I've been writing for over half a year now… Over 410 favorites, over 480 followers. That's just crazy, and I honestly can't believe that it continues to grow a little every week. Thank you all for somehow enjoying my still story :D And I can only hope you all continue to enjoy it as I continue to grow as a writer.
And onto the reviews!
Guest/28- I'm glad you think so! I hope you aren't disappointed by how I decided to do this, but I do believe it's better than saying it is done and over, rather it's up to your own imaginations until I decide to come back to it.
Natsuharemfan/21- I do agree with that, in fact, I always believed that Hiroshima had committed a sin. Every character had perfect backstories and character development throughout the arcs but had the stupidest quirks or personalities for it. I do intend to do something, about it.
Guest2/28- The reunion will be good, hopefully, I just plan not to make it all at once. The point I don't get, is if Natsu is END, why does he need devil slayer magic? He's a devil Himself! Ergo requires no special magic to kill demons.
NatsuHaremLover/28- I do agree with you on that certain point, but if you take into account Natsu's HellFire Flames, most, if not all magics are weak before him due to that. Sure it will drain him faster, but. They will have new spells, I plan on maybe making one or two Amaterasu Formulas, and maybe giving them new, better spells based on their current magic, but we'll see.
