AN: We had to break this into two chapters because it ended up longer than we thought it would be … and it's late at night for us, so let us know if we left it a little too disorganized or whatnot. We'll either update in, what sounds good … five days or when one of us sees that we hit 7+ reviews for this chapter. That sounds reasonable, considering we have an average of 11.6 reviews per chapter (reviews are ego-feeding snacks – feed us! We love hearing what you think will happen).

We really do need Erza-armor ideas because she'll be getting some in the next arc. We don't know what yet and we only have two or more three chapters until we HAVE to know. That's why we need ideas. Be as insane as you want. Make it elemental, make it animalistic, Kitty answers this round and I'm going to go add to the OC chart on our profile. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: If we owned Fairy Tail … Zeref's name would actually be "Zeffy." Yes, we're going to get all of you to call him that.

Under the Flames

A Fairy Tail Fanfiction by Kitty & Foxy

Chapter Thirty Six: Nirvana and the Beast (Part 1)

As the sun rose the city breathed a sigh of relief; the machinery halted, whirring down and steady. The western quadrant had been severely razed this time, though the attack had been a few mere hours. What have we done … the King thought as he watched his city, night after night, face the destruction of the beast they had created.

But some hope at last – they had responded, and they would arrive soon.

They spent the entire morning after yet another night of terror to prepare for the guests - only termed 'guests' because they were needed, not necessarily well liked – the council assembling at the King's Perch as the lacrimas encircling it throbbed with great energy, stabilizing their city above a smaller village in a protective stance. They had been forewarned not to move the city while their guests were aboard, presumably because they would take it as a sign of attack.

The council fully assembled, in their colorful garbs, tattoos and body-paints, each representing a different tribe, status or division. The King had been among the first to arrive, perhaps the most worried of all the citizens and members of the Nirvit.

Sometime later, several descended from the sky, dropped off by their more fearsome counterparts. One of the men went to go below to the village beneath the guardianship of the Nirvit, while the other two joined the council and listened to the explanations and the apologies of the Nirvit.

"… and that's what happened."

The red haired man, probably in his thirties or so, scratched the back of his head nervously as the council of the Nirvit lamented on what they had done. A white haired boy about ten or eleven years old sat next to him, fuming about something or another. He was not pleased to have come, or to meet the Nirvit in any way, shape or form.

"I'm sorry, but what did you expect would happen?" The red haired man sighed, looking a bit bewildered. "That it would lie down and let you kill it?"

"It has been destroying villages near us, following us where we go." A council woman added, her face paint starting to drip down her sweaty skin.

Another member nodded. "And if there's no one to attack at night outside our city, it comes to feast upon us …"

The red haired man tilted his head. "Is there no way for you to reverse what's been done?"

The council members looked upon one another, frowning nervously. "Perhaps, but …" "It's likely that the evil has multiplied. We have lost many of our people to its attacks, making us lesser … if we throw it back onto ourselves we might end up doing something worse, as we hold the power of Nirvana."

"You do realize that we've been considering eliminating all of you as revenge." The red haired man spoke sternly, glaring each one of the members down with his white eyes.

The council members nodded slowly. "We understand that may be the price we must pay."

"Let it be known if we survive, even if we are attacked by your kind, we're prepared to ensure that this never happens again." The Nirvit King bowed his head to the two visitors, his feathers scraping the ground. "We understand what we have cost you … we deeply, sincerely regret it."

"How do we know you do not regret it only after the fact?" Came the retort. "Would you have regretted what you would have done to her if she hadn't attacked you? Why even target her in the first place?"

"It was bad judgment." He continued to humble himself, forcing tears down his face. "Very bad judgment … we only wish we had understood what she was before we fired on her … We should have found a better outlet for the evil …"

One visitor, however, had had enough. "Do you morons even know who you targeted?!" The white haired boy snapped at the council, fed up with hearing the apologetic words. "Who you turned into complete darkness?! Our parents are in complete chaos right now because our leader went insane thanks to you boneheads - OWW!" the white haired boy flinched as the red haired man brought down a strong fist on his skull, effectively silencing him.

"We will never again let any evil we absorb leave these walls." The Nirvit King promised, the rest of the council bowing their own heads on the ground as they all sat upon the top of the Kings' Perch. "We will absorb only what we can handle, and let it dissipate before absorbing anymore … we do not intend to ever let it get so far again."

After a thoughtful silence, the red haired man stood, sighing. "I understand that is the promise of this generation, but your children may not understand the severity of what you've done. I will tell my kind what you have said, and I cannot guarantee there won't be retaliation. But hear this: should you ever let the evil you've gathered escape these walls again, we will destroy everything you have spent centuries creating."

*
"Kalusa …" The red haired man warned, grabbing a fistful of the white haired boys' hair and tugging him forward as they walked down the Nirvit streets, no doubt catching attention in their foreign garb and accents. Though now the two chattered in the tongue they'd been taught, in the guttural, foreign tongue spoken by beasts. "Can't you hold your tongue? If you convinced ol' Kyronite to let me teach you more, you've got to learn a bit of patience –"

"Don't lie to me! Kyronite told me you used to be insane and brainless! And that your dad had to sit on you to get you to calm down!" Kalusa snapped back, sticking out his tongue at his elder.

"Hahah, damn right!" The red haired man flashed a toothy grin, white eyes gleaming back. "But now I try to keep it for the battles. Remember? We're trying to establish better relations with humans. They're sticklers for politeness. Also, don't eat any raw meat in front of them … I learned the hard way they're disgusted by that. Heheh …"

"Why'd I have to come with you to that meeting?" Kalusa sulked, trailing after his teacher. "You saw how they stared at me, 'cause I'm really young –"

"They stared at you because you had an outburst, like you really are young." The red haired man offered, shrugging. "You can't let humans get to you like that. Besides, you and I are the only ones that can remotely understand the Nirvit tongue. Just like how Achin understands the Syre people in this land – that's why he's down on the ground and not up here."

"I don't like diplomacy …" he grumbled.

"Hah! None of us do. But that's the way we are." The teacher grinned. "Now you go check the perimeters of this … thing. Spider thing. I'm going to go relay our message, eh?" And with that the two of them parted ways, Kalusa continuing to sulk. How can he be so lighthearted over something this horrible?

*
"… We really have to kill her, don't we." Kalusa spoke sadly as night began to fall across the horizon, the blanket of stars stretching out across the sky. He was waiting with Achin along the edges, looking out where their target would likely ascend. They watched from the edge of Nirvana, feeling a sense of foreboding anger as the wind passed them by. He felt like crying. He could already feel snot running down his nose.

"It's the only way to stop her at this point. The Nirvit have made it clear that reversal is not an option, and sadly I have to concur." The blond haired man clapped a hand on Kalusa's shoulder. "Because she is so powerful, her darkness has grown exponentially … to reverse it would be creating a villain with equal firepower but with greater numbers. It's true the Nirvit were wrong to do what they did but they did so out of necessity. And they truly regret what they have done."

"But why? Why do we have to?" Kalusa stomped his foot. "Why can't we go on as we always have? Okay, so she's 'evil' now – she's still her! And we'll be killing Gunya-chan too, and she has been doing everything to help us!"

Achin blanched, and this didn't go unnoticed by Kalusa. "What? What are you hiding from me?"

"Realities of our lives." Achin responded stiffly, wishing the younger would stop staring at him – he knew Kalusa had a bad tendency to stare until he got answers, and that could last days. "… Stop that."

"Not until I get answers."

Achin rolled his eyes. "You really think that our kind agreed to assist in this if something hadn't gone horribly wrong?"

Stare. "Come on kid, you're going to hate me if I'm the one that breaks it to you."

Stare. "… Fine." Achin's voice lowered as he bent down to Kalusa's height, staring out over the horizon with him. "It's not just Nirvana she's been attacking. She's been after the colony to the West too."

Kalusa's eyes widened. "W-what?" She's been attacking them too? But …

"We only agreed to meet the Nirvit because we realized that she's beyond helping through our means alone. A few days ago she ate Gunya."

The younger white haired boy froze, processing the information. "She's … dead …?"

"That's what happens when they go mad. It may not be her fault that she did, but she did." Achin responded firmly, bending back up while Kalusa looked a bit lost.

"We also have to do it now because she has a nest somewhere." The red haired man spoke, returning to his two teammates, comrades, whatever they were to him. "If we let her raise that nest directly, we'll be dealing with a generation of horror even we can't imagine. And we'd best hope that she didn't lay any of the eggs while in this state of mind."

The red haired teacher tussled Kalusa's hair, giving a trademark grin. "A thousand years from now, and even longer … we won't regret this decision. We can't have a mad Queen, even if it is by fault of humans. We need to befriend the human race better … after all, we're all a part of it."

"Everything's set with the ambush?" Achin asked, glad to be able to change the conversation.

"Of course – though a few of them are getting antsy. Not every day we turn against royalty." The red haired man frowned.

But Kalusa wouldn't hear it. He turned back to gaze at the horizon, sniffing the snot back up his nose only to have it sting with the night air. He knew his teacher and Achin could pull off the task assigned to them – they were the duo that brought down the Wryvens when they had attacked the heartland, the corpses sparkling in fire and in gold … and he himself could easily keep guard of the Nirvit. And the ambush was set up, they had enough assistance. Raised the way they were, they had far greater power than most humans could dream of. But he remained troubled … they'd be killing at least one of their friends. One turned evil not by her own fault.

The dark horizon was shattered with the piercing howl of a beast, and the two older men dashed off to their positions to prepare for the attack. Going up against her would be no easy feat, but it would be done … he would have the unfortunate chance to witness the death of the Queen of the Dragons in his lifetime.

Kalusa clasped his hands over his ears, allowing his magic to seep through the ground of the Nirvit city to strengthen its foundations. He didn't want to hear the cries if he could prevent it. He thought of Kyronite, of what it would mean if someday they had to kill him … and he dreaded it. I hope we never have to do this ever again. Don't ever let this happen again … please …

*
Nearly four thousand years later …

*
Two mages hit the street floor with great intensity, shattering the foundations and causing the buildings around them to tremble. Jura was the one to land on his feet, using his earth warping magic to hold him steady.

"Tell me your purpose." Jura growled, his body growing rigid as he took a few steps forward Brain, who climbed back onto his feet while sneering. What an interesting enemy, Brain had to think. "Why should Cait Shelter be your target?"

"There's no need to tell you about the answers." Brain chuckled, still holding the staff in his hand. "You will see true hell!"

"There are other guilds closer to here than Cait Shelter – there must be some reason you are headed for them over others."

Jura felt his brow crease, an inner infuriation brewing, fueling his prodigious nature. "You have one final warning."

"I have no words for you – you will be dead before you know. I shall be king of the darkness and I will gather new generals! You should bow down to me!" Brain boasted, raising his staff and allowing the orb within the skull's mouth to shine green.

There's no talking with him. Jura concluded, flexing his arms as he tuned his magic to synchronize with the earth and the stones around them. Within the flash of a blink dark green energy clashed with the golden earth energy, sending an explosive shockwave that shattered walls and sent both flying backwards.

This time, Brain landed on his feet. He witnessed Jura advancing towards him with composed swiftness. What is this magic? The Oracion Seis master wondered, though his thoughts came from sadistic curiosity. To manipulate the earth with such ease, and with no apparent ties to any creatures or other-worldly contracts … this enemy that had come to stop him had to be the most interesting of the bunch. Jura, wasn't it. … A Wizard Saint. Heh, seems he was chosen well. But Brain believed he would be capable of winning.

Yet in that instant of bragging Brain's face curled into a grimace, side glancing towards the King's Perch as a tattoo along the side of his face burned away. Midnight has fallen as well?

"If you are serious about fighting for the answer, I recommend you pay attention." Jura lectured while his neck muscles beginning to bulge as the golden aura engulfed his body. Brain nearly dodged a new attack, inwardly cursing as he realized that as the last one standing he would be the only thing standing in the way of him.

*
Crickets chirped and bullfrogs croaked in the grasses around the huts and the tents. Rarely did this place receive visitors, and rarely did it do anything beyond the ordinary. It was a relatively quiet and peaceful evening. But no one was in their homes; no one felt safe. They had all rushed into the main tent: a rounded dome with ornamental woven colors and fabrics, with two very distinct pointed triangles guarding the sides of the hut. The tent flaps dyed in a rich purple, two windows woven in a lightly woven fabric so the light would cause the windows to glow in the night. A band of feathers topped the upper half of the dome. From afar it appeared in the likeness of a cat – and rightfully so, for it was the guild called Cait Shelter.

As the members quietly assembled inside, many of them appearing anxious, the master of the guild – a small, bearded old man donning a feathery headdress, as he sat upon one of their richest tapestries draped across a wooden bench in the very heart of this tent. They could all sense the trouble; they all felt fear from the master's silence.

One man, an older balding one who appeared to be a worker or a smith of sorts, came dashing into the tent, whipping away the tent flaps to the side as he broke through part of the crowd enough so that their Master could see him. "Everyone! Everyone!" He panicked, out of breath – he had run from the hills, having seen the horrors from along the mountain ridges. "Everyone, Master, we have trouble! Nirvana is heading this way!"

"Wh-what?" Finally, their fears had been given reason for existence. "The alliance plan failed?" "But we called from four different guilds! How can this have -?"

The balding man pushed his way forward, catching his breath as he neared the round table before their silent, pensive master. "Master …"

"Nabula …" he muttered, picking up his locally brewed ale and pouring it into the glass. "Hmm …" instead, he chose to drink from the jug, turning his head to the side and chugging it down.

"D-didn't you hear him?" A hooded, veiled woman repeated, trying to reason with their old master. She was perhaps one of the kindest to him, thoughtful and smart in her wisdom. "Nirvana's heading this way!"

"Nirvana is heading this way …? Is this fate, or merely coincidence …?" The master had to wonder out loud as he watched the other guild members fret. They began discussing amongst themselves as to what they should do, but they felt useless. So incredibly useless. Despite being a guild, they were more of a traders' guild specializing in fabrics than any actual magic guild. Much like how Fairy Tail operated a tavern, or Blue Pegasus offered services as hosts and hostesses, Cait Shelter offered its business in mercantilism – though they did not dabble in nearly as much magic as the other legal guilds.

"Master, what should we do?" A doe-eyed man asked, his facial tattoos scrunching up with his expressions.

"The power of light still shines brightly, it does!" The Master encouraged, taking another swig from his jug. It gave some of them hope, for they believed in their Master – although they knew it was far more complicated than what a mere pep talk could solve.

"This still can't be coincidence …" one member mumbled, another nodding in agreement. "There has to be someone who knows our real identity."

"That must be why they're heading here, even when there are other guilds they can easily target." The veiled woman agreed.

"Master, shouldn't we evacuate? Our barrier can't protect against Nirvana!"

The Master grew disturbed, his concentration and his thoughts broken by the scrambles from the guild members around him. "You idiots!" He offered a hand out, still trying to quell their fears. "There are people who are fighting – nabula, and trying to stop it! There is no need to move for those who believe in victory!"

They could hear his words, but even they knew they had to doubt his sanity. They would always trust him, but to not evacuate when danger clearly headed their way?

The Master picked up on their sentiment, sighing as he set the jug down. "So I say …" his mood returned to contemplate, sighing heavily. "But perhaps the time has come. The time for us to pay for our crimes."

*
Their battle destroyed nearly an entire sector of the city, and it had yet to end. Earth versus dark magic tended to become explosive, and both mages were exceptionally strong.

I've been underestimating the power that the Alliance sent. Brain decided, knowing he was on the losing side of the battle. I don't have the time to play with the brats anymore. Brain decided, knowing that the energy within his staff was growing and would eventually bring out the seventh personality within the staff – he was too close to letting him out. He felt the machine bumble once more, beginning to tilt ever so slightly as they reached the mountain ridges.

Soon we'll be near Cait Shelter… and I don't want to miss witnessing their destruction. The clan that were the descendants of the Nirvit … the only thing standing in the way of his reign of terror. The gleam in his eye grew as she saw another avalanche of earth head towards him, and he huffed. "Dark Capriccio Scream!"

The resulting explosion was far more intense than what had been happening before in their ongoing exchanges. Brain took the chance to escape down a revealed chamber while the dust obscured his actions, heading towards where he knew he would be able to witness the attack best.

Jura knew what the other was doing – after all, he was a mage of the earth – but he waited for the dust to clear so he could confirm the cowardly actions. So he has run off. Jura didn't show it, but he took it as a great insult. And we can't let him continue to run around either.

"Seems he gave you the slip."

Jura nodded at the familiar voice near him, agreeing. "He believes that there are more important matters.

"Quite the fighter you are," Gajeel commented, standing on a nearby heap of rubble having watched the fight. He had decided it would be better to observe until he his participation was needed – this Jura guy was something worthy, unlike the pretty boys. "Wonder where he went off to?"

"He won't be able to hide." Jura nodded calmly, glancing to the Dragon Slayer. He knew that the Iron Dragon Slayer had been observing the battle, and he took pride and respect in that. "You have a good sense of smell, correct?"

"Geehee …" Gajeel sneered, hopping down next to Jura. "He's headed to the head of this thing – where its canon is. Let's go get him."

*
"It looks like Jura's having a tough time with Brain …" Sherry noted, keeping her distance from the edge but watching the exchanges of the green vapor and the golden glows below. They were tearing apart the remnants of the ancient city, reducing it to the rubble it should have become in a matter of seconds.

"He can handle it." Lyon nodded, proud of his senior. "I suspect Ichiya, Gajeel or Erza will come to his aid if they run across the battle."

"That's a relief …" Lucy sighed. To know that there are other crazy strong mages in other guilds.

"I've been meaning to ask," Lyon drawled, looking to Lucy, "what happened to Gray?"

Lucy let out an involuntary squeak, a faint blush grazing her face. "Y—you know, I really don't know what to say happened … heheh heh …" She chuckled nervously, hoping that the topic would change.
She knew she'd have to talk to him whenever he regained consciousness (why hadn't he already?), but even more the image of Ichiya …! She wanted to gag.

"I take it that look means I wouldn't let him live it down." Lyon answered, smirking. "I will be sure to find out from him later."

"Heh … heh …" She continued nervously, quickly looking away. He better not tell all of it. Then again, maybe he wouldn't remember all of it … which might be best for everyone. She needed a distraction, so she decided Hibiki would be the best choice. She stood up, walking over to where he and the other two Blue Pegasus mages were. "H-Hibiki! Any progress?"

"A little," he answered, smiling back at her in confidence. "But the majority of the code is in a dead language, it's taking some time to translate."

Dead language, huh. Lucy thought as she scratched her head. We should've brought Levy along. That girl could translate and read just about anything. Though I don't really know how she would have fared against the Oracion Seis …

Wendy had finished her healing and came to Lucy, slumping down a bit though still worried for her guild. "So … will he be alright?" Lucy inquired.

"Mmm," came the agreement, "He should be, though I've made sure he'll stay unconscious …"

Yeah, we don't really want him to wake up right now do we? Lucy shuddered. She jumped a little when she opened her eyes to see Angel standing in front of her, taking a split second to remember that Angel wasn't exactly bad anymore.

"You're Lucy … the Celestial Mage of the alliance, correct?" Her question seemed rather harmless, though Lucy remained wary.

"Err, yes?" Lucy chuckled, her hand automatically going towards her keys. She saw Angel smile, kneeling down to see the sitting Lucy on eye-level. Lucy averted her eyes a bit; Angel's outfit really was too revealing, she didn't want to be forced to stare.

Angel reached her fingers into a feathery pouch, pulling out two items with a familiar jangle that brought Lucy's attention snapping back to her. Angel held them out to her and Lucy could see the familiar zodiac signs written on them, despite the hour before the daylight. "Here."

"I," Lucy swallowed, shaking her arms in front of her, "I can't take your keys."

"My contract with them is already broken … and if it hasn't been, it should be." Angel smiled, grabbing Lucy's wrist and pushing the two gold keys into her palm. "You both are good examples of what a celestial mage should be, and there's no one I would rather trust. After all, I expect to be in jail despite any willingness to cooperate … I would rather start out as a reformed mage when I am permitted to live in society once more."

"Err, thank you …" Lucy answered in defeat, wrapping her fingers around the keys. Part of her was inwardly squealing at the fact she just received two new golden celestial keys – but another part remained worried. Then – "—wait, both?"

Her inquiry went ignored by a reverently happy Angel who returned to sitting near her former comrade, leaving Wendy and Lucy by themselves. It's still weird to see her like this. But her inner self pushed such thoughts aside, the child in her dancing at being given two new keys! And two more golden keys of the Zodiac signs, no less! I'll make contracts with them later, when I actually have enough energy to summon them. Or in case this was somehow an elaborate trick or dummy keys. She still wasn't sure what to expect of Angel.

"She really seems nicer … do you think it's permanent?" Charle had to wonder, scratching her cheek with a paw.

"I hope so." Lucy deadpanned. "It's possible she'll return to the way she was, right? I mean, if darkness and light have to be exchanged, then when whoever went dark while went light changes back …" she trailed off, not wanting to continue. But they were duly interrupted by a voice no one reeeaally wanted to hear (except perhaps the Trimens).

[Men, my Honey, who out there can hear this wonderful voice?]

"Ichiya-sempai!" Hibiki spoke with reverence, typing rapidly with his left hand while controlling the telepathy connection with his right.

Lucy shivered. They were all telepathy-connected right now. Ichiya's so creepy … and narcissistic. But he has to be something if he scares even Erza.

"I appear to be within a chamber at the base of the leg, men~" Ichiya hummed, staring up at a giant glass orb before him. "This is the second one I have come across. The first one appeared dead, and the leg was immovable – but this one is active and I believe it is walking."

Hibiki checked his screens, nodding. "Your location affirms you came from a dead joint to a more active one."

"Way to go, sensei!" Eve commented with a smile. "It seems you've found the power sources!"

Wendy perked up at hearing this, smiling. She understood where this could go. "T-then, could we take out the power sources if we're unable to turn off the auto pilot?"

"It is possible." Hibiki said, turning to the others. "Which means there would be six active legs. Ichiya-dono is already at one of them – do you think you can destroy it?"

"Hmm …" Ichiya frowned, observing the giant mass of lacrima crystal. "With enough firepower perhaps it is possible. I am a bit worried that destroying it could cause an explosion – none of them appear too stable."

"Perhaps, but taking out the lacrima would be a lot easier than trying to chop through this things' legs." Ren tched.

Lucy sweat-dropped. I bet Gajeel could rip through the legs, they appeared to be made of hollow metal underneath the brick … maybe that's what he'll try to do.

*
Erza shivered, having heard the entire conversation within her head. He called me that again … oh, she wanted to growl. Happy was trailing behind her as they searched the city, aiming for its limits.

"Erza, what're we looking for?" The blue cat queried.

"It seems Ichiya already found power sources … it is reasonable to assume there is a power source deeper near the mouth of the machine." Erza pondered, continuing her pace forward. But her feet stopped as she saw a panting figure dart out from a cross-street in front of her, turning an all too familiar face to her as his own eyes widened in surprise.

But no surprise could match the surprise Erza felt wash over her.

"Je …" Erza felt her bottom lip drop open, her brown eyes widening in shock at the man running towards her. Her heart froze, her mind froze, her very being felt far more solid than the rock she stood on. She almost let the clean sword she exchanged a while back clatter from her hands. "Je … lall?"

The floodgates in her memories broke open. She saw Jellal the boy she had admired, Jellal the boy who made her an outcast, Jellal the man who had attempted an ultimate feat of evil, allowed Simon to die and forced everyone to suffer whether they deserved it or not. She couldn't control the response to her memories, her actions deciding rage the best choice to deal with this situation.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Erza howled, unable to keep the tide of emotions at bay as shot forward and swung her sword at his throat.

"I don't know you!" Jellal answered quite hastily, knowing he probably reeked of fear and narrowly dodging an attack. He didn't know her, but somehow he knew her.

"Aaah, Errrzzzaaa, calm down!" Happy panicked, fearlessly using his little paws to latch onto the back of her armor and flapped backwards, pulling her back ever so slightly as she was startled from her rage. "What's gotten into you? He's not one of Oracion Seis, right?" He spoke quietly, but she heard him.

She was still on edge before; it had begun to bother her. How quickly she acted to maim someone to save a friend … I've maimed before, but not another human, and not in a situation I didn't fully understand … something had changed in her. She didn't know exactly what or why, but something had. And Jellal is HERE … when he should be dead.

Erza's being scary … Happy shuddered a little, but still kept a hold of Erza, moving so he could float over her shoulder to see what would happen. For once, he would keep quiet. He'd never seen the Titania go mad like that. Mad, yes … especially when something happened to her treasured cakes. But rage in this sense he'd never seen yet. The flying cat glanced at Jellal, seeing the man for the first time. I remember he was the bad guy on the speakers at the Tower of Heaven, but he doesn't look like he's here to hurt us. Not right now anyway …

"What are you doing here?" She repeated coldly. "How did you survive -?"

"I don't remember." Jellal spoke quietly, his eyes growing sad as he slowly backed off a few steps to give her room while she glared him down. "I woke up around unfamiliar people who all claimed to know me, but I don't remember a-anything … I don't know who you are, or what I've done to you … but I know I had to warn someone, everyone on here."

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Erza asked cautiously. "And warn us of what?"

Jellal conveniently ignored her first inquiry, remembering he needed to tell someone as soon as he possibly could. "We … we need to get off of Nirvana!" He straightened his back. He appeared genuinely worried, but Erza still couldn't be sure that he wasn't an enemy. What is he even doing here? He should be dead … gone … the images of the Tower of Heaven shattering from its crystal form remained strong in her memories. She couldn't fathom what had happened to even allow Jellal here. Was he even real? Why appear now? What side was he even on? He had cowered when she nearly attacked him. He didn't seem to recognize her. To understand how they ought to be behaving, or even his own position. "We need to get everyone that's on out of here!"

"And why should we do that?" She replied sharply, her eyes narrowing. "Whatever you say could very well be a trap. Or even an illusion."

Why doesn't she want to trust me? Jellal subconsciously wondered, feeling that pang of knowing and not knowing ache once more. Yet he ignored the feelings; he wanted to start anew instead of struggle for hours, days, however long it lasted. And there were more urgent issues he needed to get across. "It's no trap of my own doing, there's something worse than Nirvana out there. We and anyone else on here needs to get off as soon as possible. He told me that –"

"Who is he?" Erza demanded. Oracion Seis? Who else could it be.

I wish I knew what was going on, Happy wondered, worried about what could happen if Erza thought this guy was lying. I don't think he is, but it is possible, right?

Jellal froze, caught for a moment. It was now he realized he never even got the pink haired boys' name. Even with that sense of familiarity, he had never bothered to ask for the name! I can't forget that now!

His name … his name … suddenly he felt a strange sensation, a memory of crystal and a voice – Erza's voice – shouting to the very pink haired boy. His name – his name was in her let his eyes meet Erza's, seeing her raise an eyebrow at his suspicious behavior. "… His name's Natsu, right? Natsu."

"… Natsu." Erza repeated, her own breath catching. How is it your remember him but claim not to know anything? Jellal knowing and recalling Natsu was one thing – and it was another that indicated he was sincere, if he knew Natsu was even near Nirvana in the first place. But something was just as equally clear and troubling to her. "He … told you?"

"Yes, he told me!" Jellal nodded almost too eagerly. "He –"

"Fool." She growled, letting her fingers wrap around the sword's hilt again. Happy jumped, seeing this action and beginning to wonder if he should let Erza do what she might do. "E-Erza, wait a moment –"

But the cat went ignored as she took a step forward. "'Natsu' is unable to speak. Either you're pulling a clever ruse or –"

"He did speak to me – it wasn't with his words, he has some kind of –" Jellal froze, remembering that he had promised to keep it quiet with the pink haired boy. What do I say? What do I say?

But Jellal was lucky. In that moment, they were interrupted by a deep, penetrative sound that shot across the city. A howl that could make anyone's skin crawl.

*
Natsu ambled over to the ledge, feeling his body sway forward, backward … he had no fears of vertigo. But fears of puking and falling flat on his face? Without a doubt. When will this stupid thing stop moving?!

Not to mention that they were nearing the mountain ridge, and the beast still tailed them. Natsu frowned. He was too far away to provoke it mentally. He could sense it slowly following the machine beneath the surface, stalking it like a predator to its prey. Has to be a good, simple way to get it to come out earlier … he glanced in the other direction, the direction that the machine was heading towards. The closer it gets to the ridge, the harder it'll be …

Okay, so maybe provoking a beast wasn't such a great idea. Especially when he knew others were on board with little to no warning as to what the beast was truly capable of. They'll be fine. He doesn't like to come out of the ground if he has to, he'll pull it in leg first. Natsu reasoned. It wouldn't be his fault if the others were so incredibly stupid not to get off then. If they were even on. But a quick sniff or two and he realized they were. The whole lot of them.

A sly grin crossed his face as he thought of something, keeping track of the beast tracking them. Territory. Any creature will answer a challenge to its territory. He almost wanted to laugh, but he knew he couldn't. So he hunched down a little, locking his fingers around the edge wall to prevent from being thrown over with any new lurches Nirvana might give.

He leaned his head forward, stretching his throat at odd angles, hearing the all too familiar clicks of bone inside his throat. His Adam's apple popped inward, another bone of unknown origin popping upward and pressing at the sides. It wasn't exactly as painful as it sounded – more like popping a finger out of its joints, cracking one's knuckles or slamming on one's funny bone. The pain transferred to the inside of his chest, where the muscles and organs were more prone to the rearrangements. Usually, he didn't have to re-arrange anything to this extent – but he had to if this was to be effective. Hopefully his throat wouldn't end up sore again.

He inhaled, deeply, slowly; his stomach began to expand – an unfortunate side effect for human wielders of Dragon Slayer magic – letting the air hiss and begin into become imbued with the firepower brewing in his stomach. His magic mixed with the air, making it unique and prepared. When it was ready, he let it escape against the shifted bones, the muscles and through his throat – emitting a sound that hadn't been heard in these parts for a long, long time.

A dragon's roar.

"-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AARRRRRRRR-!" A long, spine-shivering howl ran throughout the city and boomed across the lands, causing everyone to jump, glance around in an attempt to locate it while covering their ears from the howl that shook the very land. It lasted for a few moments before it began to fade, echoing out to the furthest reaches of the lands and beyond the mountains as it faded. But it left many startled members standing there, their mouths agape.

"What was that?!" Lucy's voice was shrill as she pulled her hands off of her ears. Everyone had been caught off guard, startled by the shriek that resounded throughout the city.

"It originated very, very close to us." Hibiki answered. He had hacked through part of the code, though they were nearing the mountain ridges where soon enough they would be peering down at Cait Shelter.

"Wendy, are you alright?" Charle asked. The twelve year old Dragon Slayer had jumped straight up, her healing of Midnight complete but she remained startled, her head pointed in a direction that Nirvana was not ambling towards but instead the source of the roar.

"T-that was …!" Wendy stuttered, her eyes still practically bulging from her head. It was like Grandeneey's roar, but different ... she felt her veins turn cold. Is … is a Dragon h-here …?!

Jura and Gajeel also exchanged looks at where they were as the roar settled down, both immediately tense at its sound.

"… That was a Dragon." Gajeel answered, his face turning dark as his teeth began to gleam in his smile. About time one decided to show its face. Funny, he didn't smell any new scents.

"Are you sure?" Jura asked sternly, feeling the consequences of a Dragon on the scene atop their current battles and status.

"Sure was the cry of one," Gajeel nodded, frowning as his nose scrunched up. "But if it's anything like Metalicana, that kind of roar doesn't mean anything good."

*
He knows what it is. Erza could see it in his eyes, and she could also see the terror of it. He knew more than he should but she realized he was probably sincere – as strange as it sounded – about the need to leave. She felt rigid as the blue cat began to panic around her. "Erza, what're we going to do?"

Erza pressed two fingers to her temples, feeling the wave of Hibiki's telepathy magic. "Hibiki!" She spoke loud and clear. "Everyone! We need to leave Nirvana as soon as possible!"

[We can't leave – we're in the middle of un-programming it.] Hibiki responded anxiously. Erza could sense the frenzy in everyone else at the sound and the tremors beneath their feet.

"I have a feeling it won't reach its destination. Everyone, evacuate!" Came the cold response from the Titania who then broke the telepathy, glaring at Jellal who looked as if relieved at her belief. "You, you're going to explain everything once we're on the ground – is that understood?"

"Yes," Jellal nodded, and proceeded to follow her as Happy grabbed on as the two mages started to run towards the edges Jellal had come from. He knew her … he knew he knew her … but he also knew he didn't have the time to contemplate.

*
Gajeel and Jura heard the conversation. Now was not the time to worry about what was up to.

There must be a reason Gajeel did not say what it was in front of the others. "What was it, Gajeel-dono?"

"That was a territorial challenge." Gajeel answered Jura.

"Which would mean—" Jura began, but stopped as he turned his head to look at the ground, his eyes widening. As an earth mage he could feel the tremors before anyone else would, but within seconds the ground began an ever so faint rumble before it erupted into a full blown tremor.

It's the energy … the energy pinkie stopped me from going towards earlier! Gajeel realized, digesting what might about come to pass. "Geehee! Forget Brain. Let's go to the edge to see what this thing really is!"

Jura couldn't agree that it was appropriate to "forget Brain," but he understood that this new situation may need more urgent attention. So he followed the excited Dragon Slayer, knowing that the latter's' sense of tracking could guide them to where they needed to be.

*
"Now what?!" Lucy hollered, bending down onto her knees to keep closer to the ground – despite said 'ground' being atop a great central tower meant the shaking felt far, far worse, and her sense of stability far less than what it would be within the city.

"You don't think there's another Nirvana coming out of the ground?" Sherry mumbled bitterly. She hoped that wasn't the case.

"Whatever the case, Erza-san said we should get off," Wendy bit her lip. That was a Dragon's roar … I don't remember much about what the roars meant, but this wasn't a good one. She wasn't sure if she should tell them what it was either.

Lyon grabbed Gray, Angel carried Midnight, Hibiki let the programming go on the Nirvit magic and everyone made their way down the spiral staircase – the one that wasn't collapsing from the tremors.

*
Natsu was coughing, still recovering from that roar – damn, it had hurt his throat. The bones snapped back into place but they'd bruised the fleshier parts, and the quaking didn't help with that or his motion sickness. But that was why he chose to the edge. He needed to get off. Now.

He needed to get off before it got close enough to discern exactly whom the challenge had come from. If he was to trick it into destroying Nirvana instead of him, he needed to leave.

He saw the trees start to uproot in a straight line, presumably as it charged through the bottom of the forest, tearing up the ground as it went. Its weight was thrown around enough to cause its own tremors, even after having dug its way out. For a moment Natsu looked back into the city. They're all in here, aren't they? Idiots. Every one of them. He felt something tug at him but he knew to brush it away.

Nirvana needed to be stopped. The beast needed to be temporarily sated. I can't chance it. They'll have a chance to get off on their own … it'll probably attack the cores first. And Gajeel and Wendy were here; they wouldn't have a chance fighting it. They were too inexperienced. He couldn't personally fight it. The translocation magic drained him – it was not his natural magic and took far more out of him than he would have liked. The motion sickness and the previous 'stroke' had taken a toll on his stamina.

I'm sorry, everyone. You're on your own. Natsu hated to think it, but it was true … he couldn't let himself begin to think of any of them as permanent. Otherwise, that kind of thinking would get himself killed.

He pushed himself up on the ledge, watching an impending doom race towards the city and disappear underground once more.

With its first attack, the very next large jolt the walking city suffered – he let himself fall.

Next: Nirvana and the Beast (Part 2)