Back with the next chapter!
"Speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
Island shoreline
Carla and Lily walked on the beach, with Lily continuing his previous thought.
"The Prince has avoided making contact with people of this world. Even when he visited the guild, he'd always put everyone to sleep, so that no one could see his face. I find it hard to believe he'd take a disciple."
Carla gulped anxiously. "Where are you going with this?"
Pantherlily exhaled through his nose and looked into the sky. "It might be just a wild guess, but...is that Mest person really a member of the guild?"
Carla's eyes narrowed. Now she wished he did not finish his thought. Her bad feelings only getting deeper, she looked at the island, her thoughts with Wendy.
Unbeknownst to both of the Exceeds, they were being watched from a cliff as a male figure, with his earring gently reflecting in the sun.
In the forest
And so, the Second Stage of the Exam has begun.
Makarov's instructions were quick, and easy to follow. The remaining candidates were to find the grave of the Fairy Tail's Founder – Mavis Vermillion. No clues, no hints, just a time limit of six hours and the title of S-Class for taking upon finding it. With this in mind, everyone scattered with the thought of how easy this stage was going to be.
Thought being the key word.
10 minutes after leaving, Lucy and Cana found themselves being chased by a giant lizard, too big and tough for them to just defeat. Gray and Loke had to run away from a swarm of bird-like creatures with sharp teeth, Levy and Gajeel stayed quiet behind a rock, with a giant dinosaur lurking around, and Elfman and Evergreen continued to argue while running away from a giant boar.
All candidates were on the defence ever since the stage had started.
At the base camp
At a campsite, Mira with Lisanna and Juvia were there while Natsu was out finding Mest and Wendy
"so, Elf-nicchan tricked you, Mira-nee?" Lisanna asked her big sister who was cooking
"yeah, they got me good" Mira replied to her sister as she remembered how their fight ended
"well, if you think about it, they do make a great pair" Lisanna said while peeling some beans and putting the beans to a bowl with Juvia cleaning the beans
Lisanna and Mira started imagine the child Ever and Elfman might have if they did go out
A horrifying baby with whose facial looks was the combination of Ever and Elfman that made the two shuddered in disgust a bit
"That reminds me, where are Bickslow-san and Freed-san?" Juvia asked suddenly.
"They left the island with Gildarts after the First Stage." Mira replied.
"Already? They should have stayed to the end, and watch who gets the rank!" Lisanna said with a bit of disappointment.
"well they had some things to do back at the guild." Mira told her sister as she continued cooking
"I wonder what's taking Natsu-san so long? He should be back by now" Juvia said as everyone thought the same
"well, this island is still new to him, so it might take him a while to find Wendy and Mest" Mira told her as she pulls up her ladle and took a sip of her cooking
With Elfman and Evergreen
Elfman and Evergreen was running away as a giant boar was on their tail.
"MAN!" Elfman screamed
"SHUT UP!" Ever shouted at him before the two went flying off a cliff and was falling down the cliff.
Instinctively, Elfman grabbed his partner and tried to shield her, as they rolled down the cliff.
With loud thuds they both landed on their back at the bottom, the pig no longer following them, as it stared them down and turned back around.
"Yeah...you better….run." grunted Elfman and slowly sit up, massaging his sore neck. "You ok?" he asked Evergreen.
She groaned and stood up, dusting herself off. "Nothing you should be concerned about."
Elfman sighed and also stood up. "No need to be so fussy. By the way, I've yet to thank you for that cowardly strategy, I wouldn't have come up with such a plan on my own."
"Don't call it cowardly! That was the only way we could have walked past that monster of a sister of yours!"
Elfman opened his mouth to retort, but caught something with the corner of his eye.
They've been approached by a strange young man with black hair and black and white robes, too big to fit his body. His expression was that of mixed boredom and indifference, his messy hair covering a big part of his face.
"People…?" he wondered out loud to himself. "On this island? I thought there wouldn't be anyone..."
Elfman quickly got in a fighting position. "Who are you?" he asked sharply.
"Only members of our guild are permitted on this island." said Evergreen.
The man's eyes widened a little. "A guild? I see...so this island belongs to a guild. I was not aware of that."
Elfman couldn't quite put it together. Although he didn't feel any extraordinary magic from this man, his senses were screaming in danger. He was beyond confused, and he soon let the intruder know that. "I asked you, who are you?!" he yelled and took a step forward.
"No!" screamed the man and raised his hand, signalising Elfman to halt. "Please, do not approach me. Very well, I shall take my leave, but please, do not come any closer."
"What is he talking about?" frowned Evergreen.
"Can we even let him off this easily?" wondered Elfman.
Suddenly, the man's face twisted in a painful grimace, as he clutched his head with his hands. "No...It's coming..." he grunted through his teeth. "The Death Predation...is coming!"
A black sphere began to form around his figure, rapidly expanding to nearby areas. The grass beneath his feet started to wither, losing its colors and turning into ashes. The leaves traveling with the wind have turned into nothingness, as the wave of death marched towards Elfman and Evergeen, both of them unable to move.
The pair felt a strong grip on their heads, as someone forcefully dragged them to the ground, lying on top of them. The wave went over their bodies, taking nearby trees, bushes, as well as animals.
Shortly after, it stopped. Elfman lifted his head off the ground and looked to his left, his eyes landing on a familiar pink coloured hair.
"N-Natsu?!" choked out Elfman.
Natsu released the pair from his grip as he hoisted the two up.
"Don't surprise us like that..." Ever told to Natsu as she sighed in relief.
Elfman looked over at the black haired man as he sees him crying
"what the hell?" Elfman said as Natsu looks at the stranger
The black hair man was looking straight at Natsu who raised an eyebrow at him
"Natsu..." he muttered in disbelief.
"Who are you?" Natsu asked him while crossing his arms
Ever and Elfman looks at the stranger before looking at their surrounding
"The trees, no...the whole area has withered." noted Evergreen.
"No." Elfman shook his head gently. "It died." he finished, his eyes focused on the dead birds and mice lying on the ground.
"Was that this person's magic?" Ever said while sweating a bit in fear
"I think that this person is the reason behind the negative magic I felt" Natsu said as he started to walk towards the stranger
"this island belongs to Fairy Tail. Leave this place in a calm way before I am forced to use violence" Natsu told the stranger who wasn't listening to his words
".. Natsu...I wanted to see you for so long..." the stranger whispered out
"who are you?" Natsu said while getting impatient with the stranger
Natsu walks towards the man and grabs his hands
"come, I'll show you the way o-…?!" Natsu was about to take the man away but stopped as soon as he got into contact with the man, images appeared in his mind
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
Natsu screams as he holds his head in pain
"Natsu!?" Elfman exclaimed as the man was screaming as if he was going crazy
Natsu's eyes went around like crazy as he started seeing bits of bits of images forming into his mind
""what….what is this?!""
Natsu thought as he sees the image of the stranger in his head and another figure was standing beside him. they were standing in a field of a barren wasteland that was filled with destruction and chaos
""who?!"" Natsu thought as he couldn't see the other figure's face before he then saw a giant dark shadow appearing behind the two figures as it had glowing red eyes
Flames started to burst out around Natsu as his flames were going wild
"get away from me!" Natsu shouted as his magic was going out of control\
The black haired stranger looks at Natsu as he was still crying
""remember….remember who you really are""
The man thought before he disappeared into thin air
Elfman looks at him before he snaps out and grabs Ever as he heads for cover
BOOM!
Natsu exploded as his flames burns away his surrounding
As soon as he exploded, Natsu heard a voice in his head
Remember who you really are
….,Natsu,…
In the middle of the ocean
In a dark ship
"He has woken up." announced an elderly tall man sitting in a throne and raised his right arm, his long, silverwhite beard following the movement of his body, flowing in the air. He was speaking to a crowd of people, with six individuals standing up front in a line.
"The day the great dark mage, Zeref comes back to life, has come. We've looked forward to this moment for a long time, and now, all the keys are finally within my grasp." said the elder and clenched his fist. "Today, we shall awaken what slumbers deep inside Zeref."
"Congratulations, Master Hades." bowed a young woman with black hair.
"Raise your head, Ultear." ordered Hades. "You have done well figuring out his location. It is thanks to you our goal will become reality in a matter of hours."
"Your words honor me greatly."bowed the woman with a smile. "However, it appears there is a small problem we may have to deal with first. The strongest guild in Fiore, Fairy Tail, is now present on the land Zeref resides in. They are a fearsome adversary, one capable of destroying two corners of the Baram Alliance. The confrontation may harvest casualties on both sides."
"You're giving them too much credit, Miss Ultear." threw in someone from the line.
Ultear looked to her right, her eyes landing on a young man with long, spiky blond hair, a condescending smirk glued to his face. "Even if they did manage to take care of those weaklings, they are nothing when compared to us. If they try to do anything funny with us around..."
The man licked his lips, black flames forming around his body. "I'll just burn them to a crisp. I've always wondered what does a burned fairy smell like, I can hardly contain the excitement."
"This carelessness will one day be the cause of your downfall, Zancrow." said a tall humanoid goat. He was wearing a suit, with black sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.
Zancrow extinguished his flames and looked at his comrade. "You say that, but you're looking highly confident as well, Caprico."
"That is because I was born ready for this day. Confidence and carelessness are two different things."
"Aren't you just being stiff?" asked him Zancrow and playfully smacked his stomach with the back of his hand. "There is nothing wrong in a little bit of danger. The thrill of almost being killed in battle is what makes it feel so good." he finished with a sinister smirk.
"Caprico is right, Zancrow." said a young man with silver hair styled into a pompadour, with square glasses on his nose. "You are being not only careless, but vulgar as well. You lack the ability to realise how marvelous and refined this day truly is. It is the day our guild faces its biggest obstacle, and overcomes it in the most beautiful fashion. We shall release our desires and reach Nirvana."
Zancrow frowned. "Now you're just being creepy, man."
"Your jealousy does not reach my ears."
"I'm not jealous."
Next to them was a giant man with pale skin and a face too small for the size of his head. He was breathing very quickly and loudly, his eyes bloodshot. "I..." he wheezed out. "Ifeelthesame!"
"You're talking too fast, Kain!" yelled Zancrow.
"Should I translate?" asked a young girl with pink, short hair. She was wearing a helmet in the shape of wings placed on both sides of her face, as well as a red cape hanging over her pinkish-black battle suit.
"That won't be necessary." said Ultear. "Are you planning on fighting as well, Meredy?"
Meredy nodded. "Yes. Fight. I will fight."
Hades laughed gently at the eagerness of his subordinates and stood up from his throne, clapping. "Interesting! Truly interesting! They have yet to experience true darkness, for the absolute darkness lurks in the abyss. Today, we shall drag them down into this very abyss. Today, demons and fairies will squabble - eat and be proud, be eaten and scatter! Show me your worth, my Seven Kin of Purgatory!"
The Kin all stood up straight and bowed to their master. "Yes, Master!" they chanted, some of them barely able to contain their excitement.
Hades smirked and looked out the window. "This is the decisive battle, Fairy Tail."
Back at the island
Lucy stared into the horizon, her head supported by her right hand, which was resting on her knees. She didn't even realise her head was slowly, but surely sliding off her palm, and as soon as it did, she dropped her head low and sighed tiredly.
"Figured out anything?" asked her Cana, also tired from thinking.
Lucy shook her head slowly in disappointment. "How are we supposed to find anything without a single hint? I have absolutely no idea what to do." she moaned.
Canna covered her lips with her fingers and wondered for a moment. "Maybe that's the problem?" she asked after a while.
Lucy blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Do we really have no clues?" continued Cana. "I've participated in this exam many times now, so it's just a hunch, but all of the tests I've taken were rational and made sense once given a thought. There has to be a hidden clue somewhere, we've just yet to see it."
"So, you're suggesting that this exam is not all about luck, but intelligence as well?"
"Exactly."
Lucy frowned. "Maybe it's supposed to be some sort of a puzzle, with words used as elements?"
"Words?" laughed Cana. "Well, we are searching for a grave, so maybe stuff related to death? Death, end of the line, funeral, coffin, tragedy? Demise?"
"Did you really have to use such grim terms?" shuddered Lucy, making Cana send her a teaseful grin.
"Yeah, I guess your analogies would be better. When people die, they turn into stars and all that."
Suddenly, Lucy's eyes widened. "That's it." she whispered in disbelief. She then beamed and jumped up. "I know where the grave is!" she exclaimed happily and grabbed Cana's hand, dragging her into the trees.
"I have no idea how you've managed to figure anything out from this gibberish, but as expected! You rock, Lucy!" cheered Cana with her free hand.
As the girls vanished behind the trees, Gray and Loke peeked out from behind nearby bushes, sinister smirks glued to their faces.
"I told you following them would pay off." said Gray, proud of himself. "Levy might be book smart, but when it comes to weird stuff like this, Lucy is the queen."
"And here I thought I couldn't fall for her more than I already have." sighed Loke with misty eyes.
Gray ignored him. "I knew it - this exam was all about intelligence, greed and-"
"Backstabbing our guildmates in the back?" Loke finished his thought in amusement.
"Yup." nodded shamelessly Gray. "Come on, let's follow them." he stood up and carefully followed the pair, with amused Loke following him in suit before feeling a rumbling sensation coming from the ground
"what was that?" Loke whispered to Gray who has no clue
At Fairy Tail
Everyone was doing their normal thing as they wait for the others to come back from Tenrou
"this goes here, this goes there" Max said while placing one letter to a box before doing the same to another one
"man, how does Lisanna arrange all of this?" Max said as he had tons of letters that he had to arrange and sort out by himself
"we got some more" Nab came in while carrying a bag full of letters
"you've got to be kidding me!" Max exclaimed at him
at another table was Ikaruga, who was taking care of Rose and Mary
"Yoshi Yoshi" Ikaruga sooth the two's head as they were in the middle of their afternoon nap
Surprisingly, the assassin is a great babysitter to little children
"I wonder who's going to be an S-class?" Wakaba wondered
"probably, Gray or Elfman or maybe even Cana" Warren replied to him with the three people possible to become an S-class
"I think Cana has the best chance of becoming one" Macao suggested as the two nodded in agreement
Now our attention is to the eastern forest where Erza was at with Porlyusica
"drink" Porlyusica told to her patient as she passes a glass full of green liquid
Erza took the glass and drinks the liquid while her face turns blue a bit to the bitter taste of the medicine
She coughs a bit as she passes back the glass to Porlyusica
"now I want you to eat these fruits" Porlyusica told her as she placed a bowl full of pink coloured grapes beside Erza's temporary bed
Erza looks at the grapes and took a piece
She looks at the piece of fruit and took a bite
Erza had to squirm a bit to the immense sour flavour of the fruit
"don't whine, the Polkarian Grapes will help you recover faster" Porlyusica told her as she was in the middle of mixing and grinding some herbs
Erza reluctantly eats the grapes while trying to ignore the sour taste
She was about to eat her fourth piece before she stops as she felt a little stinging sensation coming from her shoulder
she winced a bit as she looks to her shoulder and sees her mate brand glowing a bit
""Natsu"" she thought as she looks outside the window
""did something happen at the island?""
That's a wrap!
Bye bye