A display popped up on the infirmary wall.

"Nice!" Hisoka did a fist pump. "Now we can watch the contest from here."

"Thanks for setting up the LacrimaVision," William said.

"No problem," Chapati replied. "Now if you don't mind, I have a contest to cover." He exited the infirmary.

"Maybe I should have eaten breakfast," Hisoka noted. "I got up late, but I'm not planning to be in the contest anyway." He shrugged and turned back to William. "I'll grab something later."

"Welcome to the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games! I'm your emcee, Chapati Rola, accompanied by 8-island restaurant owner Yajima-san, and today, as our guest speaker, we are joined by none other than Queen Hisui E. Fiore."

A thunderous cheer rose from the crowd.

"Now for the rankings so far: in eighth place, having been quite unfortunate this year compared to other years, we have Lamia Scale with three points. In seventh place, with eleven points: Crime Sorcier. In sixth place, we have Sabertooth B Team with twenty-six points. In fifth place, with thirty-two points: Fairy Tail A Team. Tied in third place with thirty-four points each are Dragon King and Sabertooth A Team. In second place: Fairy Tail B Team with thirty-seven points. And in first place, with forty-five points: Hallowguard! And the contest of the day is called: Nightmare."

"Nightmare, huh?" Emma speculated. "I'd say I'm a nightmare myself. I'll do this."

Nashi rolled her eyes. "You? A nightmare?"

"No," Akane argued. "You were just in yesterday's contest, and up until now, I haven't participated in the Games. I'll do it."

Emma thought about this for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough. But I'd like to be in the tag team battles today."

Akane nodded. "I'm not going to stop you." He headed out into the arena.

"From Dragon King, we have Akane Skofnung!"

Gildarts stood up. "I think this may be better suited for me than yesterday."

"From Fairy Tail A Team: Gildarts Clive!"

"I've dealt with my fair share of nightmares," Macbeth noted. "And in some cases, I can be a nightmare myself. I will do this one."

"From Crime Sorcier: Macbeth!"

Hisoka, Wendy and William watched as more contestants stepped out into the arena.

"From Sabertooth A Team: Dobengal! From Sabertooth B Team: Hiromi Dragneel! From Hallowguard, we have Ulsu Sakrav! From Lamia Scale: Wally Buchanan! And from Fairy Tail B Team, we have Romeo Conbolt!"

"I wonder what this is going to be," Hisoka speculated.

"Now for an explanation of the contest: like yesterday's competition, the contestants will be sent to a pocket dimension. However, they will be in a dreamlike state but still active, and the dimension will be procedurally generated by their subconscious minds. They are essentially living a dream, and it is possible to become lucid. If you die in here, you will find yourself unharmed in the arena. The goal? Escape without dying. Begin!"

The contestants dematerialized, and the arena on the screen was replaced by a snowy landscape.

Akane looked around. "This place…" His mind was clouded by the lack of consciousness, but he recognized the setting nonetheless.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea…" Macbeth looked around in horror at the monsters advancing on him.

The LacrimaVision switched between the various situations for the contestants. Then it fell back on Akane.

"I know that place," William whispered, her voice filling with dread. "Akane's dreaming about the day I got crushed."

Hisoka's eyes widened with fear. "He's repeatedly made it clear that that's the worst memory of his life." He turned to William. "Not only that, but he tried to kill Mau. I saw the look in his eyes. If he becomes lucid… no, even if he remains unconscious…" He bolted out of the infirmary. "We have a problem."

Romeo looked in horror at the gunshot wound in his heart, then up at Asuka with the smoking gun. "This is the dumbest nightmare ever…" His view faded and was replaced by the arena. He looked over and saw Hisoka running over. "Hisoka, what are you doing out here?"

"Akane's in trouble." Hisoka looked at the LacrimaVision display.

Akane looked around frantically, hearing the sound of a dragon roaring and his friends screaming. His eyes fell on the frost dragon, which was now picking up a stunned William.

"Will…!"

The dragon looked Akane directly in the eye, then tightened his grip on William with the sickening crunch that had remained in his memory all these months. He tried to move, but realized he was frozen in place as the dragon dropped William to the ground and then brought down its claws, impaling the girl with three of them. Akane screamed in rage and suddenly was able to run over to where William lay. His eyes widened in horror as he realized that this time, the dragon had succeeded in killing his friend. He looked up, then sprouted his wings and shot directly into the dragon's chest while engulfing his body in crimson energy. Suddenly, his view of his surroundings shattered and was replaced by the arena. He looked around, then spotted Mato.

Hisoka looked over at where Akane had appeared, with the other contestants also falling out of the hole he had punched in reality. Hisoka stared in shock at Akane's wings, which, instead of the normal batlike dragon wings he normally had closely resembled those of Acnologia, with the only difference being that the markings were red instead of blue.

"Shinkuryuuken!" A large crimson blade grew out of Akane's arm as he headed for the referee, who had frozen in fear.

"Akane, no!" Hisoka sprinted towards Akane.

There was a wet crunch as the blade ran through both flesh and bone.

Nashi stared in horror for a split second, then dashed out into the arena, followed by the rest of Dragon King, as well as Elkhart.

Akane's consciousness slowly returned to him, and he looked over Hisoka's shoulder at the crimson blade that was now sticking out of Hisoka's backside, a bit to the left of his spine.

"Akane…" Hisoka spluttered through a mouthful of blood, "…your… wings…"

Akane turned his head and realized what Hisoka was trying to say. He looked back at his best friend, and the blade running through Hisoka dematerialized. The river dragonslayer fell back, hitting the ground with a thud.

Nashi dashed over and knelt next to Hisoka. "Hisoka, are you alright?! Hang in there, Hisoka!" Fear rose in her voice, and tears streamed down her face. "Hisoka!"

"Move aside!" Thomas hovered above Hisoka, taking a few seconds to examine the stab wound, then turned back to Nashi. "Get over here!" He pulled on a small, floppy, disc-shaped organ that was missing a chunk, pulling out slightly. "I need you to cauterize this. Quickly! I estimate he only has three minutes before he bleeds to death. This is the spleen. It's bleeding the heaviest."

Nashi nodded and heated up her right index finger until it glowed a faint red. She looked Hisoka in the eye. "Hisoka, if you're still conscious, I'd like to warn you that this is going to hurt. Don't you dare try to make a sound!" She placed her red-hot finger on the bit of the spleen that was bleeding, feeling awful as she watched his face twist in pain.

Thomas pushed the cauterized spleen back into place, then pulled out two ends of intestine. "Now cauterize this back together, to prevent infection."

Henri walked over to where Hisoka's head was. "You're going to be okay." Her eyes watered, and the fur around them started to get soaked.

Nashi stuck the two parts of the large intestine back together, then ran the red-hot finger around it, sticking it back together.

Elkhart moved a hand under Hisoka, blocking off the exit wound. "Dammit, Hisoka. You'll never get to all that stuff you were talking about if you die here!"

"Alright. He has more time now, but he's still in trouble." Thomas held the two halves of the stomach together. "Nashi, I can't pull the stomach out, but try to get it without damaging the stuff around it. Elkhart, whatever you do, don't remove that hand."

Henri continued to speak to Hisoka gently to deal with the shock, while Nashi ran her red-hot finger along where the two halves of Hisoka's stomach were pinched together.

Just then, a pair of men from the Council came in with a stretcher and set it down next to Hisoka. Elkhart, Nashi, Emma and Merlin carefully slid him on, while Akane stood there, staring at his blood-covered hand in horror.

"It seems this contest has taken an unexpected turn," Chapati announced. "One of the participants, while not even in the contest, has been badly injured by his own teammate."

Porlyusica took a dropper, and dripped a bit of strange fluid on the wound.

"What is that?" asked Nashi, concern rising in her voice.

"Antibiotic fluid," Porlyusica explained. "You said the large intestine was severed, so any bacteria that got out into his body would need to be dealt with." She put on a pair of rubber gloves and examined other parts of the wound. "Other than the organs you were able to cauterize, the pancreas lost a big chunk, and the left kidney's beyond recovery. And the blade barely missed his heart. Plus, the diaphragm and left lung have been slashed, with the lung collapsing, and the blade cut clean through five ribs."

"A good portion of that didn't make sense to me," Nashi admitted, "but it sounds bad."

"It is," Porlyusica agreed. "Especially the collapsed lung."

"I can't use healing magic on this, of all things," Wendy muttered.

"It's not your fault. It's mine." Akane sat in the corner, looking down at his bloody hand.

"It's nobody's fault," William argued. She climbed out of her bed and crawled over to Akane. "You saw me die, and you weren't fully awake. I know you would never do something like that intentionally."

"Would I not?!" Akane snapped. "In my dream state, I was actually convinced you were dead, and I was going to kill the referee for it. I nearly killed him, and I just may have ended up killing my best friend, all because I saw you die!"

William wrapped her arms around Akane. "I'm here. I'm alive, and you can see it plain as day. Anyone experiencing a reliving of events like that would have reacted the same way you did. I know you, and you're no murderer."

"You don't know me," Akane argued, pulling away. "Not everything, anyway. You wouldn't be saying those things if you knew who my father was."

"Yes, I would," William argued. "You are not your father. You're you."

Tears formed in Akane's eyes. "You're sure about that? I just did something really shitty that resembles what he did."

William nodded. "Even if your father was Zeref or Acnologia, you are not them."

"Yeah, about that…" Akane began.

"It is Acnologia, isn't it?" William queried. "I saw your wings, and I've seen pictures of Acnologia."

Akane's eyes widened.

"It doesn't matter," William repeated. "You are your own person, and I still feel safe around you. You are still our friend."

"Merlin," Porlyusica called. "Over here, please."

Merlin walked over, while Porlyusica stuck her hands in the wound, messing with Hisoka's ribs. "Go wash your hands very thoroughly, and then reach in here and bolt his ribs back together. And use nickel. Any other metal I've seen you use would be dangerous."

Merlin nodded, washing his hands at a nearby sink, then headed over to Hisoka, running his fingers along the ribs and bolting three braces across each crack, trying not to puke at the wound as a whole.

"Remember, it went all the way through," Porlyusica reminded, "so do the backside as well."

Merlin nodded and carefully tilted Hisoka up to reveal the exit wound. He felt his stomach convulsing, then quickly turned his head away and threw up on the floor. He was about to wipe his mouth when he suddenly remembered that he was sticking his hands inside Hisoka's wound, where he didn't want to be mixing in his own bacteria. Luckily, only three ribs were broken in the back, and Merlin was able to bolt them together.

"Now, clean that up while I stitch up everything else." Porlyusica indicated the puddle of vomit on the floor. "Also, I will say that you are clearly not cut out to be a doctor."

"I noticed." Merlin got some towels and began wiping up the vomit.

Porlyusica stitched the lung shut, then the diaphragm, followed by the small intestine. Finally, she placed some gauze over the entry and exit wounds, and wrapped some bandages around it all.

"He'll be okay, right?" asked Nashi.

"He's not going to die," Porlyusica reassured. "However, it was very close – on the same level as what Mau did to William. He will be able to walk again, and even fight to an extent, but I'm afraid he will not fully recover. His breathing is permanently impaired."

Tears ran down Nashi's face. "Well…" she sniffed, "…he's not dead, at least…"

"I'm sorry…" Akane began.

Nashi put up a hand to stop him and shook her head. "It's not your fault," she choked. "You weren't yourself, and he's the one who jumped into the path of your blade."

Akane sat there for a moment, then returned William's embrace. "Thank you for trusting me."

"She's not the only one," Emma added. "It doesn't matter who your parents are. You're a Fairy Tail wizard."

Nashi nodded. "Did you know that the black wizard Zeref was my uncle?"

"No, I didn't know that…"

"The point is, you don't have to worry about your bloodline," Nashi interrupted. "The only person that matters in whether we trust you is yourself."

"Plus, my dad did some pretty awful things while he wasn't himself," Elkhart added. "And he was forgiven. If you're really feeling bad about what you did, go talk to him about it."

Hisoka's eyes opened, which Porlyusica noticed immediately. "Don't try to talk," she warned. "Your left lung collapsed, and I still need to work on it."

"If you have anything to say, send it to me telepathically," Elkhart offered. "I'll relay it to the others."

Sorry, guys, Hisoka apologized. I don't know what I was thinking. Who's in the room here? I would check myself, but I'm guessing I shouldn't be turning my head.

"You're right about that," Porlyusica agreed. "There's me and William, obviously, as well as Wendy and the rest of Dragon King."

Right, Hisoka acknowledged. Akane, it wasn't your fault. Please don't stress about it.

"Easy for you to say."

Funny that you're saying that, when I'm the one who nearly died. Look, as the person you accidentally stabbed, I am asking you to please not beat yourself up over it. If I can't get that message through to you, I don't know who can.

Akane sighed. "Right…" He started trembling. "My wings were different, though… What if that means I'm becoming more like him? What if I become the next dragon of the apocalypse?"

Don't you dare say that! Hisoka snapped. The others could see his hand forming a loose fist. Acnologia became what he became because everyone he loved died. And even he was able to redeem himself. Plus, we're not going anywhere. Got it?

Akane nodded. "Right…"

"If you really value your friends, protect them," William advised. "You've been doing it, so keep doing it."

"Anyway," Elkhart interrupted, "I found out what the pairings are for the tag team battles. The first match is Sabertooth B Team versus Lamia Scale, then Sabertooth A Team versus Crime Sorcier, then Dragon King versus Fairy Tail B Team, and finally, Fairy Tail A Team versus Hallowguard."

"I'm most certainly not doing this," Akane decided. "I nearly killed my best friend. I certainly don't need to be going back out there any time soon."

"Yeah," Merlin agreed. "It may not have been your fault, but things need to cool down with the audience as well. Oh, and I think I'll be staying in here with Will."

I obviously can't be in this, Hisoka added. I don't think I can even be in the final battle.

Nashi nodded in acknowledgement. "I suppose that just leaves me and…" Her eyes widened as she realized the end of that thought, and she turned her head slowly towards Emma.

Emma shook her head. "No! Absolutely not. Merlin, please don't do this. It's a really bad idea."

"I don't see the problem," Merlin innocently replied.

"There's no way I'm working with Emma!" Nashi snapped. "In what way is that at all a good idea?"

Well, it's a good way for you to both develop, Hisoka pointed out.

"Hisoka's right," Elkhart agreed. "Part of being a powerful wizard is being able to get along with people who get on your nerves. Work with someone you hate with a burning passion, and you can adapt to any situation."

Emma eyed Elkhart suspiciously. "Are you just saying that because you know it won't end well?"

No, Hisoka replied. He's actually trying to give good advice. Akane, what do you think?

"I think it would be interesting," Akane confirmed. "In fact, if you two can learn to work together, flames and metal make an excellent combo."

"And you won't tell anyone on your team, will you?" asked Nashi.

Elkhart shook his head. "We've already decided whom we're sending out there. I will assure you that I'm not one of them."

"And now for our first match: Sabertooth B Team versus Lamia Scale! It seems that Sabertooth B Team has chosen Eallesander and Hiromi Dragneel, while Lamia Scale has gone with their classic combo of Lyon Vastia and Yuka Suzuki."

"You ready for this, Hiromi?"

Hiromi nodded. "I hope so."

"Have you been able to unlock anything?"

"I'm telling you, Ealles. I'm not a demon."

Eallesander sighed. "Look, I know you were born to two human parents. However, I know a demon when I sense one, and a demon can be born to humans, especially if one of those humans was previously a demon."

"Yeah, but I've never been able to do anything other than dragonslayer magic. And why is my sister still human?"

"Because that's how things turned out with her. Besides, with everything Lucy did with E.N.D.'s book to keep Natsu alive, there would have had to have been side effects, such as demonic DNA."

Hiromi sighed. "Look, even if I have demonic blood, as far as my powers are concerned, I'm human."

Eallesander laughed. "Well, I wouldn't call a persistent double dragon mode human, but whatever. It works for this fight." The two of them turned to face Lyon and Yuka.

"Begin!" Chapati commanded.

Yuka instantly rolled to one side, being lucky enough to predict Eallesander's first attack.

Hiromi turned his head towards Yuka, power welling up in his stomach. "Raienryuu no Houkou!" The torrent of electrified flames surged towards Yuka, who reacted quickly by throwing up an anti-magic sphere. Unfortunately, the lightning seemed to still be getting through slightly.

"Ice Eagle!" Lyon created a flock of eagles with his ice and sent them towards Hiromi. Some of them were melted by Eallesander, while others hit Hiromi, breaking his focus.

"I see…" Yuka muttered to himself.

Eallesander charged towards Yuka, the air around their hand liquefying. Suddenly, however, it all boiled off, and Eallesander grabbed Yuka, expecting his arm to freeze, but nothing happened. Hiromi dropped to his knees suddenly, hands over his ears.

"Natsu, Gajeel, what's wrong?" Lucy asked. She looked over at Nashi and Emma, who also had their hands over their ears.

"What the hell is that noise?" Natsu asked.

"What noise?" Levy inquired.

"Dragons, and even dragonslayers can hear a much wider range of frequencies than normal humans," Elkhart explained, looking over at Laxus, who was also covering his ears. He then glanced over at the exceeds, who were doing the same thing. "Even exceeds can hear it."

Torden desperately tried to keep his balance on the head of the statue while also covering his earholes. "You know, Yuka, you could be a bit nicer to the audience."

"16.7 megahertz," Yuka explained. "That is the resonant frequency of magic. However, I have learned a few more frequencies over the years, such as in the battle against Tartaros. Bring it down nine octaves, and you get 32.7 kilohertz, the resonant frequency of curse. Unfortunately, it's within the hearing range of dragons and dragonslayers, so it may be a bit uncomfortable for your friend there."

Eallesander looked over at Hiromi, who was curled up on the ground, with Lyon advancing on him. "Dammit! Pull yourself together, Hiromi. It's just noise. I can hear it, too, you know." They turned back to Yuka. "How did you know?"

Yuka shrugged. "Lucky guess. I won't bother asking how you're still alive, but curse is pretty much the only thing that can resemble magic so closely, and while I'm not detecting any magic coming directly from you, I am sensing traces of Zeref's magic." Suddenly, he twisted out of Eallesander's grasp and kicked them in the stomach, sending them sprawling.

Hiromi painfully looked up at his guildmate. Even with his hands covering his ears, the noise was still agonizing. "Ealles!" He started to stand up, but had the wind knocked out of him as he was body-slammed by Lyon's ice gorilla. He lay there, trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry," Yuka apologized, "but magic works fine at this frequency. Also, due to the lower frequency, I can expend the same amount of magic with a much greater range. The entire arena is within my wave."

Hiromi trembled. "Dammit, I'm probably going to get permanent hearing damage from this…" He slowly removed his hands from his ears, wincing as the high-pitched ringing of Yuka's anti-curse bubble became much louder. He stood up and looked over at Lyon's ice gorilla, which was now charging towards him. "Raienryuu no Tekken!" The creation shattered as he struck it. Then he headed for Yuka.

"Ice Wall!" Lyon threw up a barrier in the nick of time, causing Hiromi to run face-first into it.

"Nice…" Eallesander grunted, slowly standing up. "I knew you'd pull through…"

"That still hurt, though," Hiromi complained, rubbing his nose.

Eallesander chuckled. "Well, anyway, this is nice. I always enjoy a good challenge."

My apologies for leaving off in the middle of a fight. I always enjoy a cliffhanger. Also, when I started writing this arc, I will have you know that I did not see coming what happened to Hisoka (though I poured more research into the medical implications of that stab wound than I've ever poured into a single element of a story). Anyway, hope you enjoyed!