Author's Note: Sup? Another chapter out and the excitement continues. Not much to say on this one other than enjoy! Let me know what you guys think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

Diana watched as the matches got under way, her every other glance being directed to Horus. Milliana defeated Semas from Quatro Puppy. Rufus then made short work of defeating Eve from Blue Pegasus and now the third match was under way. Laxus vs Alexei of Raven Tail, a fight between Fairy Tail and their enemies once again only this time, they didn't stand a chance. She watched as Laxus made his way down to the arena, his coat with the Fairy Tail emblem proudly displayed.

"You think they'll cheat again?" Mira asked beside her.

"They wouldn't get the chance. They don't know how powerful he is and probably miss it before they could do anything," she replied while glancing at the guild, all members remaining overtly stiff.

'Odd … not reaction?' she wondered as she returned her attention to Laxus and Alexei. The pumpkin man was between them, following the usual rule explanation before they could begin. She glanced around as she noticed Fairy Tail's preparations should Raven Tail or Ivan move in any way. Bisca was near one of the statues, her sniper aimed at Ivan while the Thunder God Tribe kept tabs near Raven Tail.

"The match … may begin!" the pumpkin man declared.

As soon as he said it Alexei rushed forward, an obvious cross aimed for Laxus' face. However, Diana's eyes widened in shock as the blow actually landed. Laxus stood like an idiot as Alexei started to wail on him, completely dominating the exchange.

"What's going on?" Lisanna asked as she looked on.

"I don't know … something isn't right," Diana replied as she looked at Raven Tail again.

"What is this!? Laxus can't lift a finger as Alexei relentlessly attacks!" Chapati announced as the crowd watched in anticipation.

Diana watched their movements, each blow and reaction, and as the seconds passed she noticed something was off. Alexei cut Laxus across the chest, the crowd grimacing at the sight but Diana just frowned.

"Where are they?" she asked suddenly as she narrowed her eyes.

"What?" Mira asked beside her but Diana looked to Gajeel before asking.

"Do you smell any blood?"

Gajeel took a deep breath through his nose before his eyes widened as he shook his head. Why didn't they smell blood if blood had clearly been spilled? She returned to looking at Raven Tail before shifting to her real eyes, the souls of anyone in sight being clear as day … and there was the problem. Raven Tail didn't have any souls … just empty husks. She looked to Ivan in the crowd and she got the same thing so she looked at Laxus as Alexei kicked him and … nothing. She then scanned around before she spotted a glowing white soul with electricity crackling around it.

She recognized it as Laxus' soul and there were five other souls in front of it, all white as well meaning that they were human souls. She thought back to what she knew about Ivan … Makarov said that he was a coward at heart, always hiding and using … illusions … She smirked as she waited around, the others looking at her suspiciously so she glanced at them.

"Don't worry," she said easily. "Laxus will clean things up shortly."

She then looked back to the arena, watching as Laxus' soul began to move. 'You're a fool Ivan … you just gave Laxus all the cover he needs to discipline you and your guild after everything they've done …'

"So … got anything else?" Laxus asked in a bored tone as he looked at his father.

He'd just finished letting Ivan in on a little secret. Gajeel was a double agent and they knew all of Raven Tail's activities. Members, funds, strategies … they didn't have anything up their sleeves. Makarov knew, Gajeel knew, Laxus himself knew, and Diana, who'd kept a tab on them during the seven years Fairy Tail's main group was gone. She kept them back when they tried to have another guild buy the old guild hall, she'd eliminated some of their satellite guilds … now he had the pleasure of personally disposing of them.

"You!" Ivan shouted as he glared at him, his little posy behind him trying to look intimidating … pathetic.

"Yes?" Laxus asked innocently.

"Silence you insolent brat!" Ivan shouted as he blasted a torrent of his little illusion papers.

Laxus leisurely held a hand out, the blast falling apart like water against a boulder as the attack was blocked. Laxus sighed in disappointment … was this all his father could do? And they thought they could harm Fairy Tail with this.

"I've lived in the shadows all this time!" Ivan shouted as he increased the power of the blast to no effect. "I will obtain Lumen Histoire!"

Laxus remained silent, looking on at his so called father with pity. He couldn't believe he'd once stood up for this man and yelled abuse at his grandfather in his name. He was almost tempted to kick his own ass for it, maybe even get Diana to do it … okay, not that far but still.

"Go Obra!" Ivan shouted. "Drain his magic! Show him how weak he is!"

"The one that hurt Wendy and Carla," Laxus mumbled as he closed the distance to Obra before any of them could react.

He looked at the strange man for a fraction of a second before driving an electrified fist into his face, shattering his jaw as his body careened away.

"You dared to mess with the family of a dragon …" Laxus said lowly as he looked to his stunned father.

"We'll be gone before she even realizes what happened!" Ivan shouted as Nurpuding and Flare charged.

"I wasn't talking about her," Laxus muttered as he appeared behind Nurpuding. "And this is for attacking Gray."

He brought his heel up before slamming it down own the middle of his back. He heard the subtle cracking of bones but didn't feel the slightest pang of pity for him. He looked at Ivan with a scowl, his frame crackling with electricity.

"I was a fool for believing in you and then I let the power you forced into me go to my head," he said as he watched Flare attack him.

Her hair tangled around his forearms as he looked at her, the girl smirking at him as if she'd just won.

"I got you now!" she shouted in glee.

"Wrong," he said as he grabbed the hair. "I got you."

He gave a sharp tug, the girl's light body sailing to him easily before his free hand lashed out and grabbed her by the jaw, stopping her from uttering a sound.

"This is for Lucy," he mumbled just before he allowed his natural current to flow through his body.

She thrashed in pain, her veins becoming visible on her skin as the electricity charred her from the inside. He held on for roughly five seconds before unceremoniously dropping her. He didn't give her a second glance as he looked to his father, the man beginning to quiver in fear as he looked on.

"H-how?" he asked in trembling voice.

"When you gave me this power … I thought it was something to be used," Laxus said as he turned to Kurohebi, the mage still too shocked to react. "I treated it like a tool for my own purposes and abused it. I denied the instincts that came with it … called it dragon's magic like some would call the sword strapped to their hips. It took being beaten, excommunicated, defending my family with my life … even to the inevitable death, and the words of a real dragon to make me see otherwise. This isn't a dragon's magic that I use … it's my magic and I am now that dragon. It flows within me, responds to my emotions, and fights alongside me."

Laxus closed the distance to Kurohebi, looking down at the man with the ferocity of a true Lightning Dragon.

"I don't know what you did … I guess this is for the dog guy," Laxus said as he backhanded Kurobehi, his lightning shooting through the little snake's body.

"My elite troops!" Ivan shouted in shock as Laxus turned to him.

"I don't care what it is you're after, you tried to harm my friends," Laxus said as the current flowing through his body increased. "My family … and a dragon always protects his family."

Laxus rushed to Ivan, their faces barely a foot apart as Laxus snarled, his enlarged fangs glinting as lightning passed through them.

"And to protect his family a dragon will crush his enemies!"

He delivered a devastating punch to Ivan's gut, the armor crumpling like a cheap tin can as Ivan's body was blasted back into the far wall. A small crater formed around him as he coughed up blood, having lost consciousness the moment Laxus struck him. A few seconds passed before his illusion faded, the crowd gasping at the sight revealed. He glanced around as his eyes momentarily widened before sheepishly scratching his head.

"Whoops … overdid it," he muttered as he looked at Raven Tail.

Nurpuding firmly planted into the ground with a possibly broken back, crispy Flare, Obra with a broken jaw and blood pooling around his head, Kurohebi twitching with a bit of smoke coming off him, and Ivan knocked out at the wall, his armor being caved in. He sighed as he glanced to his booth, Diana smirking down at him before mouthing, 'Little much'. He shrugged as he started to walk away, the pumpkin man calling the match.

"Raven Tail had all five members fighting and their guildmaster was posing as one of them, by all accounts it is foul play!" he declared. "The winner is Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail B!"

Laxus smirked a bit as he listened to the Rune Knights taking Raven Tail into custody.

"Is Fairy Tail full of beasts?"

"He took out the whole guild!"

"Damn, wish I could have seen that!"

He soon arrived back in the booth as they got the arena cleaned up.

"Welcome back sparky," Gajeel said with his own damn smirk. "Hog all the good stuff why don't you?"

"Luck of the draw," he replied as she stepped beside Diana and Mira but then felt a nudge to his side.

He looked down to see Lisanna smiling up at him, those big blue eyes drawing him in.

"Nice one … but a little overdone," she teased with a wink.

"Sorry, didn't think I needed to hold back everything," he answered while trying to shrug off the wink.

She noticed his slight discomfort and giggled, the sound being too pleasant for his ears as he tried to look off somewhere else. Luckily, the pumpkin man reappeared getting everyone's attention.

"Raven Tail has been disqualified and their participation right has been revoked for three years," he announced. "Now then, one to the next match … we have Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell vs Lamia Scales' Shelia Brendi!"

The crowd cheered as Laxus glanced to Wendy's booth, the girl having changed into a set of leggings and long shit with attached skirt, her hair pulled into twin pony tails.

"Sweet!" Diana cheered as she watched Wendy move down to the arena.

"You really wanted to see her competing huh?" Mira asked with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, Wendy got stronger when I trained her and now with second origin, she'll blow everyone away," Diana said confidently as they watched Shelia and Wendy arrive at the arena.

The girls approached each other, waving their greetings to the crowd before … unceremoniously falling on their faces with an arguably cute, 'kyah'. They all sweat-dropped at that, Diana laughing sheepishly as she scratched her head.

"She still has a way to go," she admitted before returning to looking at the little slayer. "But this will be a big one … an age old showdown between dragons and gods."

"What do you mean?" Lisanna asked as she looked at Shelia.

"Can't you recognize the magical signature? It's the same as Sabertooth's Orga," Diana explained as the pumpkin man announced the match.

"You may … begin!"

"They are simply too cute! This old man has been made very happy!" Chapati gushed as the girls faced each other.

"Here I go!" Wendy shouted as she got into a fight stance.

"Ready," Shelia answered.

"Sky Dragon's Talon!" Wendy shouted as winds swirled around her before blasting towards Shelia.

Shelia responded by dodging swiftly, jumping through the gaps in the wind. She then jumped back as she looked at Wendy, black winds beginning to form around her hand.

"Sky God's Ploias!" she shouted as a black funnel of wind attacked Wendy.

Wendy reacted in time to use a small wind wall to block the brunt of the attack. Shelia used the opening to Wendy before she could adjust.

"Sky God's Dance!" Shelia shouted as the black winds blasted Wendy fully.

Wendy's body swirled up into the air as Shelia pursued her but made the mistake of leaving her own opening. Wendy used a small burst of wind to gain balance before ducking down with her heel shooting out.

"Sky Dragon's Hook!"

The attack caught Shelia and sent her back down as Wendy landed at a distance. Both girls inhaled as they aimed at each other.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky God's Howl!"

The attacks collided as rapid winds blasted throughout the stadium, blowing some people back while others just squinted. It didn't help Laxus that both Mira and Diana's hair was flapping in front of his face … why couldn't they have shorted hair like Lisanna? As the blast died down both fighters skid back, Wendy looking worse for wear than Shelia who was unscratched.

"That surprised me," Wendy commented as she stood up straight.

"I heard about you from Lyon, a girl that uses similar magic to me," Shelia replied with a smile. "I'm sorry, it looks like I overdid it. Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," Wendy responded while looking firmly at the Sky God Slayer.

"Alright then, let's have fun!" Shelia continued.

"I don't know about fun but I'll do the best for my guild," Wendy replied.

"Alright then, for the love of my guild too!" Shelia responded as black winds suddenly built up under Wendy.

She didn't have time to react as the winds pummeled at her, forcing Wendy to stay on the guard. As soon as the attack dissipated Wendy stood panting as she looked at Shelia. She then clicked her teeth before beginning to suck in the air, trying to add up some power for her next attack. Seeing this, Shelia also started to eat the air around her, both replenishing their stores of power. Once done Wendy assumed a battle stance, the power spiking off her.

"Secret Dragon Technique!" she shouted as some looked in surprise.

"She's already learned one of those techniques left by her dragon!?" Mira asked in shock as Wendy's power continued to rise.

"Oh, she's done more than that," Diana replied with a smile.

"Shredding Wedding!" Wendy called as a wind wall formed around her and Shelia, keeping them locked in.

Shelia looked around in alarm, probably wondering how to get out but missing the bigger threat as Wendy executed the full attack.

"Piercing Winds!" Wendy shouted as a concentrated blast of wind struck Shelia dead on.

Shelia tumbled back as the attack dissipated, her body riddled with injuries from the impressive attack. Wendy panted as she watched Shelia remain down, the crowd looking on in tense silence to see if Shelia would get back up. The pumpkin man was about to declare the match but then Shelia stood back up.

"Oh sorry, give me a second," she said as Wendy looked on in disbelief, Shelia being completely fine and without a scratch.

"She can heal herself!?" Lisanna said in surprise.

"Apparently," Diana sighed as Shelia continued to speak.

"Are you ok? You look pretty tired, want to give up?"

Wendy grit her teeth as she looked back at her, Shelia remaining smiling all the while.

"Sorry but I might have to get serious from now on," Shelia said with a small smirk.

Wendy didn't reply, she simply panted as she tried to recover from spending that much power. Taking her silence as a cue to speak Shelia continued on.

"So you're not going to give up? Really?"

"Here we go," Diana sighed as she leaned forward. "Real fight starts now."

"How come?" Lisanna asked.

"You don't mock a dragon and get away with it," Diana answered simply.

"It's ok to give up," Shelia continued, unaware of the pit she was digging herself into.

"I can't …" Wendy finally replied with her hair covering her eyes.

"Why not?" Shelia asked with a tilt of the head.

"Because …" Wendy said as she looked up at Shelia with fierce eyes. "I'm a dragon of Fairy Tail!"

Shelia looked taken aback by that while the Fairy Tail mages smiled proudly at their smallest dragon. She'd come a long way from the little girl that first entered the guild, once cowering at the thought of combat. Now she stood proud, her eyes clear as she readied to fight with everything she had. After a while Shelia smiled as well before she started to condense her magic around her.

"God Slayer Secrets …" Shelia said as black winds focused around her.

"Shelia don't use that!" some Lamia mages shouted in alarm.

"Do you plan to kill your opponent!?" their master asked as she looked at the small girl.

Laxus could feel it, there was a substantial amount magical power condensing around Shelia, enough to seriously harm Wendy.

"Diana …" Lisanna said in a nervous tone. "If Wendy can't dodge … do we intervene?"

"No …" Diana replied with narrowed eyes as she glanced at them. "Wendy has another move up her sleeve …"

They looked at the little slayer, seeing her placing her palms near her center, the wind beginning to almost glow as it swirled. They watched as it slowly grew, forming a small sphere of wind nearly as big as Wendy's hands cupped together. Laxus could also feel Wendy's power concentrating, more directly than Shelia's though not to the same amount … not yet.

"Original Slayer Arts …" Wendy mumbled as the ball grew bigger, the winds starting to almost solidify into a sphere of rapidly twisting wind.

"Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!" Shelia shouted as a large funnel of wind barreled towards Wendy with wind wings in it.

"Wendy!" Laxus heard her team shout in alarm but he didn't look as he watched Wendy continued to focus.

As the attack got closer Wendy looked at it, the sphere in her hands now the size of her head. Without a word she rushed forward towards Shelia's attack, the sphere now held in her right hand like a rapidly spinning ball. As soon as she reached the wind torrent she pushed forward with the sphere, the spinning wind tearing apart the black winds like tissue. They watched in amazement as Wendy ran straight through the black winds. None were more surprised than Shelia as her eyes widened once Wendy arrived in front of her.

"Shredding Sky Core!" Wendy shouted as she slammed the sphere of wind into Shelia's gut, winding her as the sphere tore into her clothes and skin.

A few seconds after contact the sphere compressed for a moment before bursting, the force sending Shelia packing. The crowd watched in amazement as Shelia nearly collided with the wall behind her, her body tumbling to a stop a few feet away. The injury to her gut was severe and bleeding profusely, a wound that would down even the stronger mages present.

"Wow! Since when can she do that!?" Gajeel asked Diana.

"She got the idea when I explained some of the shapes I can form with Vector and then I helped her figure out how to condense the winds," Diana answered as she looked at him. "I'll tell you this, once she masters that attack, even I'll need to be careful."

"Yeah … and Shelia's getting up," Mira commented as they returned their attention to the arena.

"Not bad," Diana commented as they watched the pinkette get up.

Her wound was somewhat healed, enough at least to not bleed as badly but Shelia was still wincing as she looked at the panting dragon.

"That was some attack …" Shelia said.

"Thanks … it isn't an easy one," Wendy replied as she recovered her breath.

"I bet," Shelia said while managing a small smile which Wendy returned.

"Then let's continue!" Wendy declared as she ran forward.

"Let's!" Shelia responded.

They watched as the girls went back and forth, neither giving an inch. They moved like the wind, graceful and swift as their attacks collided. At times Wendy got in a good attack, at others Shelia won out. The crowd cheered at the two little slayers, ignoring the billowing winds around them as the tiny fists collided. Laxus glanced at Diana to see her smiling proudly, watching Wendy's every move as she fought with all her heart. Time passed on as neither gave in … until the clock ran out.

"Time over! This match is a draw!" the pumpkin man announced as the crowd cheered.

"She did great," Mira said warmly as Wendy panted while dropping to her knees, her injuries finally getting to her.

"She fought like a true Sky Dragon," Diana agreed as she nodded when Wendy glanced back at her.

"Does it hurt?" Shelia asked in concern, most of her wounds gone except for the gut injury, still bleeding slightly.

"I'll be okay … what about you?" Wendy asked as she gestured to said injury.

"Hehe … I should get through it by tonight," Shelia answered sheepishly as she walked closer before offering Wendy a hand. "Want to be friends?"

Wendy looked at her in surprise before smiling back as she reached for the hand.

"Yeah … Shelia!"

Both girls stood and shock hands, the crowd cheering their approval. As they soon started to walk back to their booths Laxus noticed Mystogan … Jellal's disguise … chasing after something through the crowd. Diana turned her head to it, frowning, before she walked passed her team.

"I'll see what's up," she said before she left without another word.

As she left Laxus returned his attention to the arena, the next match between someone from Twilight Ogre and Rehea from Immortalis. Really, those poor suckers just couldn't get a break … oh well …

"Cheers for another awesome day!" Makarov shouted from his table, beer held high.

"All the awesome fights!" Natsu agreed.

As more cheers followed Diana tuned them out, her face scrunched up into a frown as she thought about the day. Her head was reliving that moment when Horus looked at her, finally revealed to be another dragon hybrid like her. It felt so … comforting … to see that she wasn't alone in regards to species. Even with all the memories her mama left her she still had questions about herself and dragons. Had they really all died? Where other dragons ever told about the theory on hybrids and other dragonification methods to prolong their race? So many questions and she just didn't see an answer coming any time soon.

She was so entrenched in her thoughts she didn't bother to sing along or join in the games around her. She noticed some heartwarming sights and fun but barely reacted to any of it. Romulus playing keep away with an annoyed Lily wanting his sword back, Asuka egging Romulus on without any mercy for the cat, Cana chugging away with Macao and Wakabe, Natsu being the clown that he is with his game of wine barrel surfing. She didn't laugh or react to any of it, her eyes simply looking over those gathered.

She knew they had questions, about her power she'd shown in the competition, about Horus and how he exists as well … but she didn't know. Nothing in her current memories held a sliver of knowledge … as far as she had known, she was a onetime thing. Her mama had been desperate to correct a terrible mistake while also passing on her power. 'The world needs the Dragon of Purgatory to maintain a balance' she said but now … what role did Horus play in all this?

She sighed in frustration before her hand shot out on reflex and caught a runaway Lisanna, having joined in the barrel surfing with Natsu and Gray. She set her down before looking towards the door, remembering what Horus said about meeting him in the square near the gardens of the Mercurius castle. She was about to turn towards the door when Lisanna broke her out of her stupor.

"Diana … you ok?"

Diana looked at her, forcing a smile.

"Yeah … just feeling distracted," she replied while moving around her. "I'm getting some air."

Lisanna didn't chase after and Diana could see others glancing at her. They were worried and wanted to help … but knew pushing for answers wouldn't do any good. Then, as she reached the door, Mira stepped in front of her, her eyes asking all the questions as her face showed her worry. Diana looked back, hoping Mira would understand that she just didn't know. After nearly a minute Mira gave a hesitant nod while stepping out of the way but not before whispering too low for anyone to catch.

"Be careful … please …"

Diana gave a faint smile as she passed, knowing that Mira had spotted it. She walked out into the quiet night, the usually bustling streets mostly empty aside from the rare bar hopper. Diana let the quiet soothe her as she headed in the direction of the castle. Her thoughts momentarily went back to Jellal when she glanced to see the stadium off in the distance. He'd detected the presence again but didn't have any features and Diana had been too late to distinguish a scent to follow.

Then there was the run in with the Rune Knights, getting a little stickier than she preferred when they unmasked him but Yazima saved their bacon … otherwise Diana might have had to discreetly … persuade them … to let them go. At least Jellal got away but she also noticed something odd. She'd spotted Kagura and the girl Milliana glaring at her but she couldn't remember why was it that she got the look? She hadn't done anything to Mermaid Heel as far as she could remember and didn't know either of the girls personally. In the end she dismissed it and went back to her thoughts, all the time falling back to the same question … how is there another hybrid?

She shook her head as she continued to walk down the cobbled street, occasionally glancing at some bars and wondering who was inside. It'd be funny to run into Damian again. He was a happy and clingy drunk that could hold his liquor just as well as Levy … one good mug and he was gone. Annoying bit was he healed to fast to pass himself out and so stayed hammered until he usually fell over and bonked his head … or she hit him if her patience ran thin … whichever came first.

She giggled at the memory of those times. She honestly had so much fun for that month they spent together. Damian just had a way of living in the now and making others forget about their worries. It made it that much sadder when she knew he wanted nothing more than to meet his own end … he could do so much good if he honestly tried but it was his choice and she respected that. She sighed as she looked forward, the gardens already in sight as she entered the large square.

It was usually full of flower vendors and tourists, the prime hub for reaching a bar or café and enjoying the aroma of lilies, roses, and a whole slew of other variations. There was a small fountain in the center of the square, the design of a little flower with water trickling out of some leaves. She breathed in the scents, feeling her mind clear and her body relax as she sat down on the edge as looked at the night sky. The pitch black void somehow always offered comfort to her, in seamless uniformity only interrupted by the stars, a sense of tranquility washing over her … now all she needed was Mira sitting beside her and she would try to freeze time itself to stay in the moment.

But alas, it just wasn't the time for that. She sighed as she looked forward, a tall man standing just a few feet away, silver locking onto amber …

Author's Rant: I know, short chapter but essential. Another cliffhanger ... been a while since I had one. Hope everyone enjoyed and is looking forward to the next chapter!

A pleasure, Jbubu