One's Road to Remembrance

by Insane Dominator

For 4 years, a lone guy has been suffering from memory-loss, and can only remember his name: Craig Crius. The 4 years have been very unfriendly, and in turn has become rather desolate. With the help of Cana Alberona and from Fairy Tail, Craig will endure horrific hardships, take on dangerous tasks, and unleash power he never knew he had in order to understand who he was. OCxCana.

37. Craig - The Blade Dragon Slayer

Thousands of feet up, Caig was left with little recourse than to hang onto the horn, unfortunately, fate always had a way to screw him over.

"Say goodbye, foolish boy!" Xixen swiped his arm, and as his Ethereal Magic came to fruition, the Tahungadon at last whipped its massive head and horn up. The gravity was so potent that Craig could've sworn his skin came off. He was so glad it didn't but the wind was making his lips quiver. His eyes were wide, the only view he saw being sky blue.

The Tahungadon whipped Craig into the air at full peak. Craig soared far higher into the sky than anyone had expected. He grunted as he was fighting wind resistance - again – and soared like a missile at over 200mph into the blue norm that Ace made shine onto Tahunga.

Cana's mouth gaped open. "No!"

Xixen's malicious smirk never faded. "Farewell to you, fool."

Craig's body twisted and turn as he let out a roar equivalent to that of a cross between a full-grown dinosaur and a raptor. His body twisted and turned as the gravity went against him. His throbbing head couldn't compare to the constant twisting and the muscles twisting inside. The endless weight against him was not in his favor, and he could feel his sides burn and the blood in him pulling away from his joints. He could only continue his ascent, his mind beginning to black out. 'The hell. I can't stop flying. Gravity's got it in for me.' He even mentally strained to even think. 'This dragon, it's so massive, and it's tough. Not even the freakin Dragon Slayers could cut him to pieces! What does it take to-!' His eyes widened as he barely made it to cloud level, where he found oxygen as thin as paper. He was nearing the peak of the ascent when the world around him revolved, yet so silently that his mind raced at lightspeed.

'Fight fire with fire! Of course! Beat a dragon with a dragon!' Mentally, he then grunted. 'Damnit! I gotta improvise! Who was there to help me? Slicerax?' He thought back to the time he encountered the enormous serpentine dragon years ago. The remembrance made his insides hurt a little. 'The Blade Dragon, huh?' As he continued to slowly reach the maximum point, his eyes diverted down towards his two blades. Thankfully his mouth blade was still sheathed. That item came to his mind. '…that's what I do best. I slice.'

As the wind passed his face, his mind lost track of time, slowly drowning into the depths of that singular night he honed with Slicerax.

As the moon was on the rise, night was beginning to wade away. The sky in the distance was beginning to brighten up, but only by a dim amount. Even in the grove, Slicerax and Craig could tell that sunrise was on the horizon.

Craig looked at the rising atmosphere, and then back at Slicerax. "We're not gonna make the time!" He yelled.

Slicerax raised his head, the weight of all his metallic and spiny body straining him. His age was not helping him in the remote slightest. The wrinkles beneath his eyes were evident, and thus his age was not helping him. He looked down at Craig, seeing all his blades were sheathed. "If what you say is true, then time is of the essence." He began to bend downwards. "Hurry on, brat!"

Craig raised a brow. "Uh…sure." Opening his mouth, he reinserted the golden mouth blade and diligently used one of the long, sharp spines on Slicerax's side to make way onto the sharp beast's back. Even his back spine were sharper than battle axes. "Where are we-whoah!"

Craig was suddenly silenced as Slicerax began to spiral up from the ground. As the dragon constantly went in a spin, his body left the ground and grove alike. His sharp prowess sliced up the nearby rock, shrubs, and the waterfalls. Slashes were everywhere, and as Craig looked back, the boy went wide-eyed as he witnessed the grove falling apart from Slicerax's ascent.

"What the heck?! Slicerax!" Craig yelled through the atmosphere. "You just…!"

"The journey shall end, where it has began!" The old dragon declared. As he ascended in a spiral continuously, his spinal blades shriveled, shuddering as they sliced through the wind. The dragon swirled into the high atmosphere as daybreak was on the rise. As he blazed through the sky, the wind itself was ripped apart, thus not slowing him down in the remote slightest. The dragon reached the clouds, where they were instantly split apart and diminished into thin air high above the atmosphere.

Slicerax let out a bellowing roar that emitted shockwaves in the high sky. The ripples themselves were so sharp and so widely spread that the clouds within the sky and all throughout the eye could see were vaporized. The craggy tips of mountains and tall trees far below were split apart and fell.

What Craig was witnessing was the raw power of Slicerax. While he's grown to have been able to cut like the dragon, never had he'd expect his chilling roar to not only make spines shiver, but anything heard by it feel like it's being cut apart. His own skin hairs were splitting into shreds.

"Come!" Slicerax made a straight course away from the sun. The flying dragon was as fast as he was mighty; his razor-sharp, serpentine figure enabled him to slipped straight through the atmosphere with no wind resistance. He was there and then gone.

Craig held on for dear life. His grip on Slicerax's heavily bladed scales were what kept him alive and onboard. He struggled continuously until he managed to ascertain a fair hold onto the dragon, which blitzed on without a care in the world it seemed.

As Slicerax went in a straight line high in the sky, not only were the clouds ripped apart, but the fabric of space itself was torn to shreds. Above and behind, Craig turned his head, gasping as he witnessed that behind him, there was a trail just a little above where Slicerax was flying, which was sheer space sliced in half. Time. Atmosphere. The near-daybreak sky above actually splitting apart! It was like looking into outer space itself, only for it to be repaired minutes after Slicerax passed by.

"Whoa…" Craig looked ahead slowly, his eyes widening when he saw a huge mountain coming up in front. From the looks of it, Slicerax wasn't gonna stop. "GAH!" He screamed.

"What?" The dragon replied back, not losing any momentum.

"You stupid reptile! We're gonna crash!"

Slicerax merely scoffed as he faced ahead. "You brat. What did I teach you?"

"Uh…NOT to fly recklessly into large mountains?!" Craig bellowed.

Slicerax narrowed his eyes. "Watch and learn, kid! I taught you this before! We can cut anything! Space itself is nothing!" Slicerax let out another slithering bellow as he charged head-on into the mountain at its very center. As he increased his speed, Slicerax began to make a sound familiar to saucers or a jet-like mechanism. He was flying faster than the speed of sound, and sound itself was cut. He looked very similar to a spiny needle thrown at the greatest haystack.

Craig tucked his head, watching wearily as Slicerax closed in one the mountain…

KABOOM!

Before he realized it, at the moment of impact, the entire mountain and all of its massive valleys…were sliced apart into diced chunks. The ground, water reservoir, even the nearby mountains, were all decimated at the point of impact. The diced pieces of hard rock were literally suspended in midair, flying haphazardly. Slicerax zipped through the diced mountain chunks, flying on as if nothing happened.

Craig, however, was perplexed. Miles upon miles of land was decimated and diced, and Slicerax only made contact when at full speed. The shockwaves pulsated everywhere, the winds further sending the shaking land to chaos.

"…whoa." Craig only stared with absolute shock. He was so glad he kept his head down, otherwise he would've lost it.

Slicerax looked behind, scoffing proudly at Craig's bewildered state. "Hmph!"

The dup continued to fly across the sky, disregarding the various locations and towns that were far below. People down below only saw a tear in space and saw the stars and blackness of the final frontier. It was shocking, and the tear was continuing and repairing minutes after the tear continued on.

At some point, Craig noticed Slicerax slowing down, the old dragon's eyes getting exhausted. "Slicerax?" He was unable to put his worries above him when he saw a foreboding shade of lightning gathered near a river at the base of another mountain.

Slicerax and Craig looked down below, seeing lightning channel through the trees and overgrown forest. A pillar of lightning was generating in the far reaches, the center being a seven-foot-tall man in a dark armor. The dark armor itself had a demonic face in front, with the edging all around said armor being gold. The pauldrons were crackling with stored energy of lightning, which resonated from the silver guard in the grip of the man's black gauntlets. The blade itself was red lightning that was gathered into a compressed blade. The blade crackled with red lightning drawing in currents from around the mountains and land, taking in so many ions at once.

The one responsible and wearing said armor was Tai-sui, he who longed to wear the armor of the Lightning God. It took him 30 years to dig into the depths of the arts of lightning, and it took him even more years to gather men and loyal friends – which he electrocuted in front of Craig's eyes – to manipulate and turn against when the mystery of the God's armor was found and brought to him. With it, he could conduct all means of electricity, and he could fry the world. He could generate endless lightning, and an entire sea could be cooked with all the sea life in it.

"So…THIS is the power that has been away…for 1,000 years!" Tai-sui looked down at his hands, using the one to keep a hold onto the sword that came with awesome lightning mastery. His skin was crackling with red energy, flickering like fireworks. His dark eyes and white hair reflected the burning sun, which was about to rise.

Slicerax closed in on the pillar of red lightning, his pacing slowly diminishing. His eyes were getting dreary and heavy. His altitude was starting to diminish a little, though they were already so high up.

Craig leaned off to the side, looking down at the red pillar in the far distance. "That's him. That's the one." He reluctantly said.

"He who shall make the world burn in lightning once the sun's light brightens the blade." Slicerax repeated. "This is the one with the sword that cannot be broken…" His altitude suddenly diminished a second time, his strength fading.

Craig went wide-eyed from that shocking bounce. "Slicerax."

All Slicerax did was smirk. "Tch. You're being too sentimental, kid…but whatever."

Craig narrowed his eyes. For some odd reason, he was getting a bad feeling.

"…my time in this world is up."

Craig heard Slicerax's phrase, his eyes widening as everything around him was completely meaningless. He knew the dragon was old, but he never thought he'd be THAT close to kicking the bucket.

"Sli-!" His heart pulsed suddenly when he suddenly felt the pressure around him diminish. He looked behind, seeing the tip of Slicerax's unique tail starting to glow white. Slowly, fragments of it were slowly reducing to white sparkles. He remained wide-eyed as he looked back ahead at Slicerax.

"Boy, consider yourself a lucky guy." Craig shook his head frantically at what Slicerax said. "I never liked being around others. I end up cutting them. I made a resolution hundreds of ages ago, and if they only see me a blade, then fine, it's me against the world. I had nothing against their own will. Humans, dragons, whoever I come across. I grew dormant for a reason, and that reason was also why every life in this earth has a purpose. No matter how small." He pondered back to when he hatched from an egg hundreds of years ago, far before Acnologia or Zeref's time. He thought how amusing he was when he looked like a cross between a snake and a kitchen knife. Days that were long gone. "I dared not pass my own powers for a reason."

"Slicerax…" Craig remained silent as the dragon continued to slowly get engulfed in a bright light.

"I'm not finished, brat! No waterworks!" Slicerax berated. "…anyways, I was always a selfish dragon. I sliced everything around me. I could cut steel with my own breath. There was one thing that separated me from my kind, however…and that was magic. The dragons of Earth Land had the most powerful resources of magic on the planet at the time, but my magic was not comprised in my own traits. Dragon roars, elemental attacks, those dragons can do it all…but my only weapon…was my blades." The recollection of the dragons who could roar and breathe fire constantly came to his mind, and even now, Slicerax felt scorn since he couldn't do any of those. "But…that's a good thing. With my body as my weapon, I needed no roars, no attacks to defend. My blades were my defense, as they were my offense." He felt glorious pride then when he recalled blitzing straight through fire from a Fire Dragon, giving him scars in the process. He remembered swinging his tail and cutting a lush forest to splinters. He felt glory when he went up against a mountain and obliterated it, where other dragons happened to be, without much of a care to him of course. The shouts of anger didn't bother him much. "My power could not be taught to humans, for they wanted magic and power. I could not even convert it to lacrima. Their insides would be cut apart. They'd all decimate without reason. I aged and hibernate, knowing that I refused to die without my purpose fulfilled." The dragon turned around, looking back at Craig, wide-eyed and staring with shock. "But now…I have found my true successor."

Craig was speechless. No words could describe what he felt. Was he happy? Was he sad? He was both, because Slicerax's own life force was expiring slowly.

"Everyone has a purpose. I believed mine was to find the one who shall learn the ways of true dragon slaying, the way of using the blade. It mattered not of their magic. If I needed my will, then so could the one who I found…." Slicerax looked at Craig's eyes. "Sharp eyes of reprehension and sincerity, and he who has blades to use for teeth as I. These traits are but the bare minimum. I'm a picky creature, and you're a brat." He grinned. "But you sure know how to keep going on with a broken spirit."

Craig mournfully looked on as Slicerax's entire body was starting to glow white.

"Craig Crius, in memory of those who you loved, and to save those who will carry out their own legacy, unsheathe the swords! So that you shall face the seas and mountains without a dull prospect!" Slicerax – coincidentally as Craig – was thinking back to last night, when he trained Craig in cutting him. It was hell since no one could cut him, not even the greatest blacksmith or dragon claws since they were cut up on contact. However, Craig survived since he 'got used' to his sharp skin. He even managed to cut the dragon, surprisingly deep. The wound was still fresh, but not even close to killing him. Still, it pleased him knowing there was someone who even did it without proper swordsmanship, but a unique style with the mouth blades as well. A plus.

Slicerax began to glow almost all white, illuminating the sky with a speeding white needle. "I shall be with you always…guiding the swords…from your heart."

Craig could feel his tears coming up, but he had to choke them down. He knew it was time for Slicerax to pass on, but accepting is harder. It was gonna take some time, but it was Craig who shall inherit the honed blades of Slicerax. His eyes wincing in silent mourning, Craig maintained a high spirit in honor of the Blade Dragon. He sat straight up, unsheathing his blood and dark red swords. With them in hand, his eyes opened back up, a striking and intimidating ferocity dwelling within.

"Don't worry." He opened his mouth, inserted the mouth blade last. The clanging echoed as his teeth gripped the handle in between. His eyes narrowed. "You just rest in peace…I'll get slicing in your stead."

Slicerax's eye shut. "Hmph! Just beta it already, brat!"

With those final words, Slicerax's shining white body finally reduced to white sparkles, his life finally ending with a worthy successor of bladesmanship. Although, there was one problem as he passed on…he could've done it a little closer to the ground.

"You're a real jerk~!" Craig yelled as he fell hundreds of feet towards Tai-Sui.

Craig's eyes blinked, flashing back open when the memory resurfaced. 'The damn reptile. A pain in the ass he was! But...' As he was about a peak, he began reaching back for the golden sheath. 'He sliced for a reason. Nothing kept him down, and he knew the rights and wrong. If I died here, that'd be dead wrong of me!' His mouth with rows of sharp teeth was evident, snapping down on his mouth blade. "Time to do what I do best…tear this overgrown bastard up like the mountainous bastard he is!"

With the sun overhead, Craig reached a critical peak hundreds of feet above the clouds. With his swords in hand and mouth, the refracting light made him glisten far in the sky like a star. He was a small, shimmering glint that refracted light, and with blades up, the light itself was beginning to cut apart.

He closed his eyes, his concentration beginning to sharpen. For a very brief moment, he thought back to that old man and Batto-Ba, ages ago. He recounted that demonstration the first time he saw the piece of paper spin from underneath the bowl with his own chi.

"You see Craig…" He stuck the pen into the ground and balanced the piece of paper. "Chi is perhaps one of the most powerful forms of utility ever devised. There's technology these days, and there's magic, and then there's this." He held up the glass bowl. "This bowl is made of a special ceramic liquid that keeps it immune to being penetrated by magic. The trick, is this." He put the bowl upside down on the pen and piece of paper."

Craig looked up at him. "So…"

"Watch…"

Craig cascaded his eyes down below, watching as the old man closed the eyes. He seemed to be focusing on the particles if possible, He had both hands the same distance away from the glass bowl and he breathed in and out. The paper was then seen moving very slowly counterclockwise, much to Craig's disbelief.

Craig began to envision the various wavelengths all around him. 'I gotta keep a calm head, otherwise I won't be able to convert chi like he did. Must channel my own power into the blades. I must…root the energy…and transfer it into the swords…' As he was suspended high above Earth Land's very own sky, he took a very long, very deep breath. All time and space was irrelevant as he took a very long and deep breath. To cleanse his own mind and will, he had to envision the chi and that alone. With a stable and clear picture of the energy waves all around, even the clouds, he could compare that to his own chi embedded into his palms, gripping the inanimate object in hand. 'I can see the waves…' He would have to draw every fragment of chi in the magical atmosphere if he had to get this right. This was his only shot. He saw an entire ocean of chi all around. The sky was the limit…or so they say. 'All this chi…I will use its own strength…and end this horrendous nightmare. This is for Slicerax. This is for Thaunga!'

Craig thus initiated an intricate hold. As he gripped the mouth blade with his bare teeth, he used but his thumbs, index, and middle fingers to grip the swords. With his two other fingers in each hand free, he envisioned the valleys the chi flowed. Taking deep breaths, he began his descent.

'I can convert chi into energy blades.' He remembered his fight against Essence. 'I can use it as a compression blast.' Again, he thought back to when he quarreled with Laxus. 'If I can do both, then I can convert chi from the sky into my blades!' At last, he began to fall.

It started out slow, his momentum gradually gaining. Envisioning with eyes shut, he used both his fingers as he held the blades close to one another and began to draw in chi through the air. As he descended further into the unknown, he began to twist his hold on the handles. The blood and dark red swords began to twirl in his center, as well as his body. He spun in the air, spiraling upside down in a manner similar to Slicerax. As Craig gripped the blades and twirled them, he began to feel the nearby chi he was gathering in his little fingers channel the ascertained energy into the swords, which began to spin faster. Craig was similar to a spinning meteor, his mouth blade and blades alike forming great swells of natural energy that resonated from the sky itself. As he gathered chi and converted it through his entire body, the blades sharpened, splicing in a helix, trailing white energy gathered from the chi he ascertained.

He cared not. All that mattered as that he was doing it. He slowly stopped spiraling as he was beginning to see his blade slashing and twirling making the air currents around him white. As the white trailed through the sky, the sound made was no different from a meteor coming down.

---

Below the clouds, Xixen extended his arms forward, using the Ethereal Magic he had left in massive reserves. He made Tahungadon have its enormous wings reel back, ready to pull off another attack.

Ace spread his legs, creating a stance in which he held onto Katsyu. "Here he comes!"

Tahungadon let out another violent roar, sending harsh soundwaves all throughout the area. They were accompanied by the massive wings coming forward. A vicious hurricane scourged the skies, roaring haphazardly through the monstrous remnants of Tahunga. The wind blast blazed like it had no business amongst the smaller buildings that were barely in one piece. As it closed in on Natsu and the group, its volume intensified.

Ace brought Katsyu around, attacking with full might. With one fell swing, the supposed-three-foot-long sword slashed and cut straight through the tempest, bisecting it completely and ensuring their safety. The rest of the tempest blew past them, ploughing down the streets and desecrating what was left of the debris. Debris was kicked up and blown off in various piles in the area, making large mounds.

Ace suddenly faltered to a knee, grunting in pain.

"Hey! What's wrong?! Don't tell me you're out of gas already, old man!" Natsu shouted.

"He's not even that old, Natsu!" Happy corrected scornfully. The small Exceed looked back at Ace, seeing how sickly he looked. As Ace coughed, it only intensified the worries of the group. "But…"

Andrea looked equally as worrisome. "His body hasn't recovered from the previous arts of swordsmanship he's unleashed. His Eye Magic has left him nearly blind as well." She said.

"Then it looks like we're on our own." Erza said.

Gajeel cracked his knuckles. "We're just gonna have to find another way of reaching it."

"How?" Gray asked. "Did you forget that thing can blast us to pieces?"

"Well then how else are supposed to beat its ass?" Natsu exclaimed. "Let's get back in there, and-!"

"You don't have magic left, Natsu. None of us do." Elfman pointed out.

"Well too bad! I ain't losing!" The Dragon Slayer fumed.

As they were all trying to strategize, Cana was staring up at the sky. She knew their chances of getting out in one piece seemed low. Without her Fortune Telling Magic, she could tell the odds were stacked against them. She observed Tahungadon and Xixen alike as both reigned in the sky, but it was more of what lied above them instead. The brunette's eyes narrowed as she saw something small and twinkling in the sky high above.

"What the…? Hey!" She called back.

Natsu and everyone turned towards her with curiosity. "What is it, Cana? Have you proposed a strategy?" Erza asked.

Cana pointed up at the sky. "Rather than talk like children amongst ourselves, why not look up?"

"What are you…?" Gray looked up towards the sky. "Huh?" He saw something bright shooting down. "Hey, look at that."

Gajeel's eyes widened. "What the heck is that?" He could hear the slicing sounds and the vocals of a shooting jet.

"It's coming down hard!" Lily stated.

"Whatever it is, it's coming down on the dragon." Evergreen pointed out.

"What do you think it is?" Erza asked.

To the others, it was a complete mystery, but to those of Ace and Cana, their eyes, not matter how far or hurt, could miraculously see the center of the light coming down. Those two, out of all the wandering eyes, had a funny suspicion crawling up and down their spines.

Cana's gave a nervous smirk. "I'll give you one guess."

Natsu halted. "Wait…" He looked back up at the sky, seeing the 'meteor' close in. "You mean that's Craig?"

"You've gotta be kidding!" Gray shouted.

"What the heck is he doing? What is that stuff around him?" Elfman asked.

"Don't ask me, that monster's got more than a few mysteries in his own closet." Evergreen said.

Erza's eyes widened as she saw the airspace higher above Craig twisting and cutting apart, giving way to the stars in the sky. "His velocity is breaking the sound barrier. What did that flick do to him? He's gonna fall and die!"

Happy began to sprout his signature wings once more. "Hang on, I'll go catch hi-!" However, Ace brought his arm off to the side, cutting Happy off from flying ahead.

"Don't bother. You'll only end up sliced to ribbons." Ace informed.

"But look at him! He's falling!" Gray shouted.

Ace gave a sharp glare back. "And you should look. What do you see?" He looked back at Craig, who was approaching cloud level. The sight was truly miraculous, and even Gray couldn't find the words.

Craig was encompassed in some form of 'dragon'. It was really more of a cross between a comet and a dragon. It was twenty feet long, and was looking like a dragon with no wings, and only a white serpentine body of light. The head and upper body was big with Craig's arms and blades twirling. The mouth blades gave it a similarity to having an axe jaw. In a way, similar to a certain Blade Dragon. As it descended in a straight line, the sound it made broke the sound barrier and echoed louder than several jets. As the sound reached their ears, Natsu, Gajeel, Ace, and everyone else cut feel their skins ascertain small cuts. Their hearing was starting to deter. Andrea and Cana were getting deaf a second time. How good for them.

"The boy, he looks to be gathering massive reserves of energy somehow. He's manifested whatever energy that is and was able to draw in refracting currents in the atmosphere, the slicing pressure so great that the wind resistance is being ripped apart." Ace informed. "Just what kind of technique is that exactly?"

"I don't know." Natsu said. "I thought he wasn't able to use magic?"

"Aye, he can't." Happy informed. "It's gotta be something like he did against Laxus."

Cana's eyes widened yet again. 'Cranky…did you just learn another new form of that thing you did?'

As Craig descended, he fell faster and faster, the dragon-shaped comet having chi shape it. Not for a moment did it slow down. Craig's eyes sharpened, looking at absolutely nothing, thinking of absolutely nothing, but the one thing he saw was shaping. He shaped the chi he manifested into his blades, which became the shape of what he was now. He dove down, attacking with vicious might.

Xixen looked up, seeing Craig descend. "What's this?" He saw the spatial tears behind him, and what he saw also was the small tear in the clouds Ace made earlier instantly widened when Craig passed a certain altitude. If one could get technical, the clouds – which was vapor – was sliced into nothing. "You want to be finished off in a fight?" His fists clutched. "Fine!"

Stretching his arms up, he fired several more Dragon Lacrima blasts. The hundreds of lacrima with more than enough power left blasted Craig. Several beams of various elements went blazing through the sky, like an upside-down meteor shower. They all closed in on Craig, but before they could make it within ten feet of the dragon-shaped energy, they were all reduced to nothing. Every individual energy was reduced to diced bits, their trails scrambled and vaporized as Craig continued bypassing.

"Impossible!" Xixen shouted.

"He…he went through all of those like they were nothing!" Gray shouted.

"But how?!" Erza shouted.

"He ripped through raw Dragon Slayer power?" Natsu bellowed.

Xixen's patience was wearing thin. Though it did irritate him to a reasonable extreme, he began to collect himself as he recalled as to how he still had the Tahungadon's awesome power. His confident smirk returned to his face. As Craig grew closer, Xixen reached up. "Alright then, we'll have it your way! Go! Ram and crush him!"

The Tahungadon roared violently, sending soundwaves through the atmosphere. One again, all means of matter didn't make it to Craig as he continued to bolt downwards at such disastrous speeds. Xixen yelled upwards, the Tahungadon following its reviver's command. He flapped his wings and craned his huge head up. The large monster began to slowly raise his entire body, making the new direction aimed for Craig. As he slowly ascended, he looked like a mountain incoming. The Titan Dragon moved at such an astonishing pace it made an equal jet-like sound, or something similar to a falling meteor.

Everyone down below watched as the huge dragon was reaching Craig, and yet Craig was moving almost three times as fast, blitzing and howling through the air and staring coldly at the dragon's jaw, in which case, was the landing point.

There was tension as Craig continued twirling his chi-powered blades. He glared down like a monster at the dragon's snout, and images between him, Craig, and the snout began to flicker. The process was slow, but gradually increased. Craig, Snout, Xixen; that was the order. After repeating the order nine times, the instantaneous shot went lightspeed, until finally, the tension stopped at Craig, his eyes widening as he was about point-blank range.

"Energy Arts – 1 Million Demon Caliber - Flying Dragon Supreme Revolution!"

A billion glints flashed at the same time upon instant contact with the Tahungadon's snout. There was a glistening shimmer that reverberated through the skies, and all time froze just for that one moment. Nobody saw anything…until finally, the Tahungadon suddenly split apart into several massive pieces. The Titan Dragon was perfectly diced, the tail cut into sections and torn off of the body. The legs were chopped off, as were the ankles to them. The wings were split into three huge segments, the last bit still attached to the main body. The entire body's head all the way down to the bottom was split into two, and cut right into segments. The horns were all chopped off. That wasn't even half of it, as the hundreds of Dragon Lacrima all around the Tahungadon were all sliced indirectly, completely obliterated. They weren't even fractions, let alone fragments, after that assault. The hurricane-like shockwaves were so massive, that not only were the winds generated nearly split apart the dragon, but that attack had a cataclysmic effect on the atmosphere. All around, there wasn't a single cloud left in the sky. The sky itself had a huge hole overhead, and it was so massive that its diameter equaled half of Tahunga. One could've seen outer space directly.

Everyone who was watching was severely affected. Erza, Andrea, Natsu, everyone down on the ground was at a loss for words. Happy's fur nearly scared itself off. There were no words that could be said. Craig split that thing into pieces! Cana, Erza, and Andrea had horrific shock and gaping mouths as their eyes were also shuddering beyond comprehension.

Ace stared up, showing genuine shock for what appeared to have been the first time. His eyes were wide, shuddering as well. "My god…"

As the Titan Dragon's split body was still suspended in the air, Xixen was wide-eyed, hanging onto the horn of the beast, which was split apart, and looking at horrific awe of the spectacle several yards away. "Im…possible…" He couldn't believe it, the mightiest dragon with the toughest of scales and size, split into pieces by Craig.

Several feet away, the energy around Craig dissipated, turning into thin air. With his hands gripping his blades still, he maintained a slash pose as he too was suspended in midair, a pissed off look best describing his face at the moment.

"What have you done?!" Xixen bellowed.

"He…he cut that thing to pieces." Natsu muttered.

"Not only that, but he cut right through time and space itself." Erza said, disbelief underlying in her shocked tone.

With all of the Dragon Lacrima in the atmosphere split apart, the segmented Tahungadon began to deteriorate. All the scales he had were starting to vanish into thin air. All the flesh, tissue, and organs; the wing membranes, eyes, and everything else was deteriorating to thin air. The split dragon became nothing but split bones that were suspended in the air.

"N-no! My Dragon Lacrima!" Xixen screamed. He looked around, seeing them all broken to glistening pieces. Sparkles were all around, lighting up the dismantled bones as they all began to fall back to the ground.

"Wait." Gray realized the situation. "If the Dragon Lacrima were what powered the thing…"

"Then with all of them destroyed, the dragon can't be revived to a full state." Erza finished. "Craig just killed two birds with one stone. Amazing."

Cana flashed a smirk, revealing that she was getting over her shock. "Now that's the way."

Craig landed on a falling joint of a bony right arm, which was near the same level of elevation as the horn and bony skull Xixen held onto. He stared with his blades drawn and Xixen regaining balance. He saw how Xixen's composure was shattered, his plans ruined, and Craig just stood there as he reveled in despair.

"Look at what you've done! You destroyed a piece of important history!" He frantically bellowed. "How dare you! How?!"

Craig paid no attention. He envisioned the chi flow around him and moved his right arm around, slowly and gently, using the few fingers to gather chi.

Xixen's fists showed veins, his pressure swelling. "What are you-!"

Craig swung his right arm, sending an invisible wave of chi he was able to manifest and convert into his blade. With the immense energy in the air, the unknown force of energy reached the skull, and Xixen's heart pulsed as he was suddenly found seeing a shockwave running up towards him. In a desperate attempt, he dodged right, avoiding the blade of chi that stretched out and completely split the half-skull into another section. The mountainous, hollow, yet also very thick, material that stretched beyond any comparison fell apart down the middle, again.

Down below, Natsu and everyone could feel their skin pale. They couldn't bring themselves to speak aloud out towards the shock that was unbottled from that second strike. The one swing, and it was split apart. Ace could barely keep himself in line from witnessing the spectacle.

Xixen lost momentum and relucted to jump. Pouncing in high altitude, he crossed over to another diced bone section, which was right next to the headpiece he was on. He ran along the long bone, reaching a higher point than Craig. Looking down at Craig, the air began to manifest around his angry face.

"You destroyed a very important piece of history! But as long as the Dragon Lacrima energy released is still in the atmosphere, I can still use it to eliminate you, here and now!" He extended both arms forward, unleashing several beams that resonated from the ethernano-rich atmosphere. Colorful rays arched down to strike Craig, but Craig merely pivoted, and swung his mouth blade to the left. The right-sided blade sliced straight through the attacks, deflecting them all around in various smaller beams that traveled to areas unknown.

Craig looked back at Xixen, the same snarky expression on his face. "You have a very skewed perception of history."

Xixen's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean? Like you would understand history!" He continuously resorted to swatting his arms, firing arrows of Dragon Lacrima energy still barely hanging around in the atmosphere. Craig held his falling ground, using his blades and deflecting every shot, even some without direct physical contact.

"People show no appreciation for the things that brought them to the present. The past was what guided us, it's what made humanity learn from its mistakes. One's childhood is a past that all reflect on, and some can't help but wish for it to be that way forever! Museums hold precious pieces of time that made us pass towards now, so how could someone like you even begin to appreciate what history had to offer if you just go and change or destroy it?! Tell me!"

Craig glared up at the man, seeing the hostility fixed into his eyes. By no means was he the same man who was so confident before his 'precious history' came crashing down, along with Tahungadon. The more he spoke of history, the more times Craig had to relive it. His sharp teeth gripped the blade tighter. "You wouldn't know." He bitterly scorned.

"What?"

"I can feel sympathy from where you're going with your little plan." He thought back to the lives that were lost, the ones he held dear and those who sacrifices themselves for his sake. He thought back to when he traveled through time in the past, and made a profound impact on the history of some places. Even in some small way, he was one who's made a name. Not to mention names of others he's had die. "I can agree that past is something dear that's brought one forward. It helped me overcome fears, ascertain a higher will, and I can certainly all the faces of my friends…" His grip tightened on his dark and blood red swords. "But, the past isn't something you can forcibly play with. It's meant as a reminder of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If you dwell on the past, there's no hope moving forward. You need to only reflect on the past, because the contents back then are what kept you alive and strong now!"

"You dare?!" Xixen swiped his arms again, launching another full-scale blast of ethernano back at Craig. Once again, Craig denied it by slashing hid dark red sword diagonally. Xixen's frustration was at a peak. "You speak of such valuables without yearning them! If you miss them so much, if you speak or think of them that way, you can never move on!"

Craig's eyes narrowed. In a way, Xixen hit him in a sore part. He's stuck in limbo every day. Every attack he's unleashed against any means of an opponent, was either to vent frustration, or to commemorate a certain someone. Every punch thrown was the strength of a hundred, because of what many had taught them through their way of life. Craig can't deny how it hurts to constantly get traumatized by them being dead, but that doesn't mean they were truly gone. That's what separated Craig from Xixen.

Craig cleared his head, imagining the chi energy. "You and I reflect on the past for answers, but…" His eyes flashed open, bringing his blade back after a few weak yet effective strokes to ascertain chi. "Unlike you, I learn and grow from my mistakes rather than force them on others!" He swiped his blood red blade sideways, sending yet another unmeasurable wave of energy at his foe. Xixen felt the long bone shudder like a mountain, and then another shockwave ran right through the marrow. The society leader had no choice but to evacuate off the bone as it suddenly spliced horizontally in half all the way from one end to the other. Xixen fell down onto the bone end, the same massive bone Craig was on.

Craig turned towards the distraught Ethereal Magic utilizer. "There's a reason why the past is in the past. Some things are best meant be. I'd be nothing but a hollow shell if I only sought to see my friends again, but…" He readied his attack. "I know I'll see them again someday, but to do that, I have to move forward, towards the future!" He lunged with all his might at Xixen, blitzing across the falling bone.

Xixen lunged ahead as well, attacking with the energy around his body enwrapped in Ethereal Magic. The residual draconic energy left inside the ethernano all around began to sparkle, and said sparkles began to encompass his fists, forearms, and his shoulders, like glimmering gauntlets.

"How can anyone move forward if the past is what made them?!" He countered. "Reflecting on things won't make anything happen! It's nothing but false hopes that people use as an excuse because they wanna see reality change! Reality can only be shaped by one's actions!" He reeled his fist back. "And I intend to make my reality come forward to now!"

"Well here's your reality! Screw you and your damnation!"

"Die! Go back to the past!"

A bright flash came between Xixen and Craig as they finally met. Both passed right by the other, time slowing down drastically as the shattered bones continued to fall, and yet all that mattered was both parties passing the other.

Xixen smirked as he thought he got a hit in. "Hmh. It's over."

Behind, Craig was reaching behind, grabbing the sheaths that were strapped to him. "Yeah, it is." Shadows were covering his eyes as he looked forward, the sheaths themselves barely clutched in his fingers. Arms crossed, he slowly pressed his fingers, slowly sheathing the four blades at once.

Xixen suddenly felt his limbs unable to move, like the nerves and muscles were snapped. The startled man was unable to speak, his thoughts running miles on end as he realized his attack was unsuccessful. 'Wait-!'

"900 Demon Caliber – Bloodlust Blitz!"

The swords sheathed with a huge clang sound, which reverberated all throughout the atmosphere. Three long glints were seen on Xixen, starting from the gut and splitting three glints straight through the head and shoulders alike; no different than what Craig did with Amaren and Grander a long while back. The clang went off like a gunshot, and Xixen exploded with blood. His entire upper body was bisected, head, shoulders, and all. His blood splattered everywhere, his lower body the only thing intact as the upper half was gutted ribbons. Craig looked away, continuing to fall as even the bone snapped in two behind, separating Craig from the remnants of Xixen.

Down below, Erza and Cana, amongst the others, was beyond flabbergasted. They were caught awestruck by what they saw as the impossible completely vaporized, again. Craig completely demolished the society leader, ending the hard-fought struggle to save Tahunga. Ace was left exceedingly baffled, unable to comprehend what had transpired. In all his years of swordsmanship, he did not expect Craig to do something as such.

"My god…"

"He…he destroyed him!" Gray stuttered.

Elfman was still at a loss for words, unable to speak properly.

Natsu was left at a mixture of horror and awe. "Whoa-huh?!" He realized a looming shadow overhead, and it was evident what was their issue now. The Dragon Slayer shrieked as he saw all the bones fall from the sky, coming down onto them.

"GAH! We're all gonna die!" Happy shouted.

"The bones are falling down on us!" Andrea shouted.

High in the sky still, landing on another bone still falling, Craig looked down at them. "Brownie, now!" He yelled.

"Uh, right!" In a hurry, Cana pulled out another deck of cards. Holding the deck in one hand, and her arm stretched up towards the bones falling, the Alberona girl closed her eyes and began to concentrate. 'This is gonna take a really big toll on my Magic Power for a little while. It's gotta be worth it.' Her eyes opened up, her Magic Power fully ready, whatever was left that is.

"Card Dimension!"

A bright flash illuminated a large mass of Tahunga. Erza, Ace, Andrea, and everyone else watching shut their eyes as a bright light encompassing the area and the falling debris began to disappear. As Craig jumped up, evading the bone that was encompassed in the bright light, he was eft spared, and took an indirect course in falling…painfully.

Just as the bone vanished into the card, he jumped off and tumble rolled onto a nearby building, rolling from shoulder to shoulder, grunting with every painful roll. He took a heaping breath as his eyes were wide, his vision more than a little disoriented from that shock. He could only regain his breath.

Cana sank to her knees as nearly hundreds of cards fell to the ground like lead weights. Each card had a large piece of bone inside, yet some parts were chipped so that they would fit inside. All those cards and all of that mass dispelled by so much Magic Power left Cana completely wiped. The brunette panted as she breathed heavily in and out, catching whatever breath she could.

Gray grew a big smile. "Alright!"

"Wait a go!" Elfman cheered.

"Now that wasn't half-bad." Gajeel snickered.

"Awesome! All those bones didn't crush us one bit! Ha-ha!" Natsu gullibly cheered. He pointed up at the sky, mainly towards the hole in space that had just closed. "In your face, Dragon Emperor Society!"

Erza smiled at Natsu, glad he was unhindered. She then fastened her gaze over towards the sky as well, seeing the sun glistening in the wayward west direction. As space was restored, the sky all around was left with no clouds, giving a clear, blue sky that was radiant as life itself; life which was left alive.

A small sparkle rained down onto Cana's nose as she caught her breath. "Hm?" She looked up, seeing all thousands – perhaps millions – of small sparkles raining down from the sky. She blinked, witnessing the colorful sparkles illuminating the atmosphere. "Wait, aren't these…?"

Ace smiled in delight. "It seems fate has given us a hand as of this glorious day."

Everyone went wide-eyed when a sudden and loud roar reverberated through the atmosphere. The roar was blood-curdling, and yet its startling radiance was all too familiar. Turning their heads with great shock, they looked up at the building above, seeing Craig roaring with his mouth wide open. All sharp teeth with a formidable attitude apparent. His bellow stretched over Tahunga's skies as the sparkles rained down, signaling the end of the long and hard-fought struggle.

Cana looked up, smirking at Craig. "That freak's in a league of his own." She chimed.

"I heard that!" Craig shouted above.

---

Saving Tahunga was a grace of its own, but it took quite some time for the citizens to come around again. With many in the port cities, evacuated to safety, the numbers were large enough to help ensure the cleanup of Tahunga. It took a lot of help from overseas, but eventually, the Rune Knights and the Navy were able to gain access to Tahunga, where they seized all of the remaining society members and imprisoned them for the atrocities that transpired. They began setting up stable and safe routes throughout the tropical country. Businesses and homes were destroyed, but tents and shelters were established, and thanks to the gratuity of Tahunga and its citizens, they were able to come around and prosper with what resources, food, and water they were able to find.

In one of the gardens or parks of what was supposed to be District 4, there were a few tents pitched up. There were two tents pitched up, both of equal size and of equal range of each other. In one tent were the boys, while in one tent were the girls.

After two days of rest, everyone was settling down…sort of. Natsu's snoring howled through the tent as another day was coming to an end. His body was coated in bandages, yet the others were no different it seemed.

"How the heck is a man supposed to sleep when he's snoring so loud like that?" Elfman testified as he saw up in the tent.

"The idiot's been sleeping it off for hours now. Geez." Gray groaned.

Gajeel looked away, an angry look on his face. "Tch. Big deal. His snoozing ain't ranging my ears."

"That's because got got wrenches for ear drums." Gray berated.

While he was heavily provoked, Gajeel could only turn towards Gray, his body still unable to put up much of a fight. "Quit complaining. It's annoying. If you hate it so much, then just go sleep somewhere else." He countered. "And while you're at it, wear something."

Gray crossed his arms, grunting as his shirt was off for days now, bandages covering his chest and stomach.

Ace was sitting upright in his tent, munching passively and calmly on a small panini sandwich he purchased earlier. He needed his strength to return. What he could manage, that is. He didn't seem all that bothered with Natsu's apparent snoring like the rest. Guess being around someone as loud as Andrea really doesn't make a profound impact on a guy like him. He opened the newspaper, continuing his small snack as he saw a picture of an overview of Tahunga. It looked like a mess, especially with the hole in the center and the long trail he left all the way towards the opening of the rock formations.

"So much for collateral damage expenses." He muttered. "The country is a wreck. At least folk are pulling themselves together in times like this." He digressed for a moment, realizing that something was out of the picture. "Hm? That's strange." The swordsman looked towards the red tent wall, disregarding the noise pollution and hearing little from outside. "The girls are awfully quiet over there."

"I heard Erza and Andrea went off somewhere. Saying something about attending to some business." Happy chimed in, his mouth filled with a small fish he managed to get.

Ace looked down at the Exceed, his eyes sharp even when he's sick and weak. "Is that so?"

"It would seem to be the case. Should we go find them?" Lily suggested.

Ace closed his eyes, resting his still-sore gaze. "No. I'm sure that our friends are well enough to handle themselves. My honest concern lies within our own numbers."

"What's that mean?" Happy asked.

"You're talking about Craig, aren't you?" Lily corrected, as if the answer was obvious.

Ace said nothing, rather he remained quiet.

"Now that you think about it, it has been awhile since he's been inside the tent." Gray said, catching whim of the conversation. "Knowing him, guess he's somewhere else as well."

"Well we at least know Cana is around, so wherever he is, the other might as well be too." Gajeel figured.

Natsu turned towards him with inquiry, suddenly awake from the commotion and engaging in the conversation. "How do you know?"

"Maybe if you'd pay attention, Salamander. You'd understand."

"Understand what?" He turned towards the others. "Gray? Elfman? Happy?"

"Takes a brain for you to think and see, idiot." Gray groaned.

"See what?!"

"Would you boys keep it down over there! We can hear you from way over here!" The sound of Evergreen's exasperation rang through their ears, naturally sending a chill down everyone's spine. The only one who seemed to be taking it well was Ace.

"Our apologies." Ace replied back, just loud enough for Evergreen to hear.

Lily could barely hold back a snicker. "If we're causing this big of a disturbance, then it's obvious that our strength's returned."

"Aye!"

"It would appear so." Ace looked down at the newspaper and flipped to another page. "We've done our part. Our agreement on eliminating the common enemy has been realized. Starting tomorrow, we'll be sailing off."

"Heh, been awhile since we've been at the guild. Wonder how everyone's doing?" Natsu smiled.

"Probably wondering how we pulled it off like real men." Elfman chimed.

"For once, that actually makes sense." Gajeel sneered.

Ace ignored everyone's thoughts as he was more inclined to his own dilemmas. Even after the days of rest, he was still feeling weaker. Natsu and Gray asked earlier, but all Ace did was ignore them. When Natsu pushed it further, Ace threatened him with just a glare from the corner of his eyes. With his thoughts only to himself, he was able to reflect back on the battles. What's been on his own mind as of late was that chi move Craig used. In all his years, Ace has never seen such an unbelievable sword caliber. He's read legends of swords forged by dragon scales, and tales of how some swords can distort time and space itself, even go so far as to destroy an entire sea. He believed those to be folklore, but after what he's seen, what was there to disbelief. Lost in his thought against the blade-wielder, a small, passive grin fell upon the swordsman face.

When he looked back at his sword Katsyu, he saw the glimmering sunlight outside reflecting the blade, as if it too were grinning. This served to make Ace's grin widen, much to Happy's confusion.

"Why's he smiling?"

"Maybe he's starting to have a good dream, I suppose." Lily answered.

In the tent nearby, Evergreen was busy doing her hair. "Honestly, boys." She sighed. "Such wild beasts. Can't they ever learn to simmer down? How is a girl expected to concentrate when there's barbarians right next door?" She looked over to where Cana was. "You'd have something to say as well, am I right?" But when she looked over, Cana wasn't there. "Hm? Wait, where did she go? First Titania, and now her?" Evergreen crossed her arms, looking with disappointment. "What a bore. So much for some girl chatting. Oh well, guess more room for me until they get back~!"

---

The sun was beginning to set over the large rock formations, covering Tahunga in darkness in which many would hope to sleep well in. Close by the park, on one of the tallest hills established in the district park, there was a tall tree, lush full of life, untouched by the calamity. At its base was Craig, adorned with simple dark gray lounge pants and a navy blue t-shirt. What hasn't changed, however, was that he still had his casual leg weights, which seemed unnecessary, but to someone like Craig, every second counts.

He looked to be half-asleep, growling on a casual basis. He didn't seem all that pleasantly at peace, which was normally common. It's only been maybe two days, and Craig's been wayward. He's been unable to find his need for rest, mainly due to the trauma of falling asleep alone. Finding Cana was a suggestion, but the aspect of her pissed him off. It rattled his head, and as a result, he had lost critical sleep again. What rattled through his brain at the moment was a mix of the deaths he's seen in his sleep again, and Ace. He could barely sleep a few hours during the day, which of course results in his constant 'power naps' again. He was all alone, arms crossed, and head and neck against the base of the tree, staring off into the sunset. At times like these, it hurt Craig as suns set. It's a time of ending, as well as the dawn of one's adventure drawn to a close.

Disoriented best described him. He couldn't hear much as he was drowning in his own nightmares. Xixen's words rang through his head about the past. In a way, it was permanent. Craig can learn from the past, and he always tried to move on, but the past, however, would dare not let go of him. It was like a ghoul that clung to him like a piece of gum and forced him to wrestle against his own sorrow. With his past thoughts resurfacing, he was seeing all forms of fire burning, friends obliterated, and repeats of the graves made by his own hand.

In all honesty, if Craig could cry right now, he would, but something was keeping him from not doing so. He was thinking back to Ace now, recollecting how the man was coughing up blood. For the past few days now, Craig's been weary of Ace's condition. He's been coughing more often, and his eyes were looking sickly. That grave feeling he's had in his gut was precisely why he hasn't slept.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't acknowledge the footsteps heading uphill right next to him. They belonged to none other than the bane of his existence. "There's the Cranky." She said.

However, Craig didn't immediately respond. He had his head down, staring into space,

Cana raised a brow, waving her hand in front of his face. "Hey, you-who? Anybody home?"

Craig blinked a couple times, finally coming around. "What?" He looked around, eyes half-open and his brow furrowed. His disposition turned sour again, his eyes narrowing as he caught whiff of the surroundings. He looked up at Cana, finally realizing she was there.

"Oh…" He looked back at the ground, a spiteful look with narrow eyes. "Great, just what I needed. Someone to kill the mood."

"What's that mean? You're the one with a sour look on that face." Cana countered.

Craig glanced up to her and bared his sharp fangs, hissing before waning his head away.

The brunette looked at his eyes, seeing the red cracks on the sides. It was evidence Craig was trying to nap, but trauma bit him bad again. She frowned seriously. "Hey, you good?"

Craig shut his eyes, his expression turning bitter. "The hell you still talking for?"

"You've been MIA for a little while. So I thought I'd digest a little of my sips and drop by." Cana put a hand to her large hip. "You've been here more often than what Natsu could've counted. I'll give ya credit there."

Craig's shut eyes and irritated look softened. It looked like he was just gonna mourn or cry.

Staring at his pain, Cana found her seat right next to his. She looked at him with a serious look. He wasn't bellowing back, which was so uncharacteristic for someone like him. He would've said maybe at least a few more words to her – by choice those words would've been adult-rated material – but he looked so lost. It was like his frustration and lack of sleep just shut down.

"Craig…"

Craig rolled his head to look up at the sky, taking in a deep, deep breath. "Brownie, did it not process in your thick head as to why I am alone to begin with? How'd you even find me anyway?"

"Well if I was an unstable guy with trauma issues and wanted to find some relevant peace, where did you think I'd go?"

"Up your own rear end, how's about that?" Craig bitterly countered. "Can't you be caring somewhere else? I'm a no-care zone, Brownie."

Cana blinked at Craig's harshness in tone. It sounded much like him, save the part where he didn't look at her. "Honestly, what's your deal?" She sighed.

"Don't ask me. I'm just the unstable guy with trauma issues and immense sleep deprivation." Craig sarcastically mused.

"Oh ha-ha~." Cana began unzipping her purse. A long, uncomfortable silence fell between the two, and it seemed apparent that Craig didn't wanna break it. Cana wanted to say something, and she was gonna…until Craig got in a word of his own.

"I'm not caring for a reason."

Cana said nothing. Instead, she stared back at Craig in silence.

"You should know by now why I wanna be alone. There's times when I just wanna shut the door on ya and run away. I just wanna run somewhere and just cry. You wanna cry to get the stress out of your system, and yet why the hell can't I cry?" With his arms still crossed, his fists began to ball, despite the strength and frustration barely there anymore. "You know what happens when I start caring. You'll just end up getting killed, and in the end it's another grave that's both our faults. You relive that…over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, until it's all that you really are anymore. You can't think straight. Every step of the way is nothing but past experience reborn. The resurrection is nothing but bitter reminders of the loved ones that give themselves up for me, because they cared for me, and I cared for them." He sat his forehead on her crossed arms, resting them over his huddled up legs. "I hate explaining these things, because they don't make sense. Not in the slightest, and that's what frustrated me to no fucking end!"

"Craig…" Cana could barely make out her own words. She was lost in what Craig was saying. This was rare to see, but in some bizarre way, it made her recount her experience with him that night when he was crying hard in front of her face after everyone took a peek at his memories. Once again, Craig was at one of those breaking points.

"I hate people. They always think it's best to pry in others business, when they know when someone distinctly says no. Why? Because they think they have the power to do something about it. Well there's a reality that they're too blind to see. There are some things you just can't accomplish when you don't have the experience. It feels like my fault constantly; guilt bites me every way in my heart. I don't even know why I'm speaking to someone who wouldn't understand." He shifted away from Cana, his back towards her. "You think it's easy to just go through every day without looking at shops or human beings who say or look like something that has made such an impact? These words I'm saying are so jumbled up that I can't make sense! I can't communicate, and I tried, and I just can't communicate anyway else! You go through that a thousand times and then you come back and sit next to me, otherwise, just go drink up a bar or whatever you-"

He got up to move, but a sudden grip restrained his wrist. He wanted to pull away, but he could feel that the grip was not of desperation, but the hold was just the right amount for him to know that he was needed. He remained still, slowly turning his head to glare over his shoulder at Cana. His sharp sea-blue eyes were like a predator staring at prey, but Cana wasn't so willing to scurry off while Craig trudged away.

Taking a harsh look right back at him, Cana looked seriously at him. "Look…Craig…I can't deny someone like you is sociably worse than Erza…or scarier or bent on slaughter for that matter." Her commentary only served to aggravate him, making him bare his sharp fangs. "But, despite you being a pain in the butt, I don't care that you want to pull away. Look, I can't understand myself right now. Why am I wanting to help you? Why do I want to check up on you? Why am I asking all these questions? You're right when your pain is unbearable. It's a battle that goes on forever in your mind, that much I know. You've had a lot to think about in your time here, right? I bet the colosseum was hard to look at because you may have lost someone there."

Craig's muscles remained stiff as Cana had his attention.

"You can't communicate other than snarking. Because you don't wanna get close to people. You find them stupid, and unable to accept what you are and what you've become. Right? I don't know what that guy said that caused you to get all touchy with your history like this, but I'm telling you that as long as you're here, you may as well make the best of it, right?" She began to sit down once again, slowly dragging Craig down. "So, just for now at least…just calm down, and do what you do best. Nap it off." She looked away from him, a furrowed brow on her face. "It doesn't hurt when I'm around, right?"

Craig's sharp eyes eased. It took him a minute to process what was going on around him, and about the past continuing to haunt him in his sleep. It frightened him to sleep, especially at night, and yet ever since that night, some time back, having Cana around was – dare he think it – enjoyable. Just that prospect made him want to keel over in shame. He can't lie about it though. He's learned to accept the past, and now it was his turn to accept Cana.

When he looked at Cana, she was what exemplified that link. She was his past, his long-forgotten history buried within his noggin somewhere. And here she was again. For the umpteenth time now, the dead past has influenced him.

Slowly succumbing to what his long-lost friend advised, Craig relented, growling with a vibrating throat as he slowly curled right by Cana's side, his back barely connecting with her leg. He looked away from her, a scowl on his face, with a small pout to boot. It was like a tired kid who had no will to bark at his mom. Craig's fatigue began to roll in, the light breeze again settling the mood as he was succumbing to another nap. By his count, his 5th one today.

"You really do suck, Brownie." Craig lowly muttered, laying there with eyes half-open.

Cana smirked as she looked back at the sunset. "You suck more." She coyly rebuffed.

"Touchy-feely people make me wanna spew." Craig followed.

"The little baby's a little tired."

Craig groaned as his eyes shut. "You're a…stupid…Brownie…don't go all touchy on me…"

Cana watched as Craig finally fell asleep. What amazed her was how fast he fell asleep. Then again, she has been amazed that Craig's always fallen asleep whenever possible. Though she couldn't blame him, how could she? She hated the guy. But at the same time, he's a broken glass whose shards were sharp enough to cut anyone who dared to pick him up sort of speak. That's what Cana realized that night when Craig's memories were interrogated. It was just one of those times again.

She pulled out a small flask of alcohol and continued to smirk as the sun began to turn dusk.

"Whatever Cranky…you're welcome."

---

Somewhere in the abandoned district streets, furious glints went left and right, parrying blow after blow. Nearby buildings that were already at ground-level were coated in cuts. The white flashes of parrying swords resonated from the two figures that had the audacity to use whatever strength available.

Andrea and Erza passed the other, both wielding two swords and managing to hold their ground. Another glint resulted in a powerful gust that blew dust around behind the other's back. As the raging dust settled, Erza turned to look back at Andrea and vice versa. Both swordswoman stared at the other, a hardened resolution in their eyes. Erza stared at Andrea with a dignified yet graceful stance, while Andrea held her two swords with pride and a few good pants. As a small cloud of dust cleared, both women took another lunge at one another, meeting the middle. Erza's two blades met Andrea's, parrying faster than what the eye could see. Sparks flared as the fire in the other's eyes intensified. They had no recourse other than to prove themselves to one another.

Erza slashed and she flipped overhead, but Andrea blocked overhead and continued to block and dish blows as Erza landed behind, forcing the orangette to pivot and block continuously as Erza completely had her on the defensive. As Erza gained ground against her, Andrea feigned right, catching Erza to slice in that direction, but then Andrea feigned left, finding momentum to plant a foot to Erza's abdomen, pushing the redhead back several feet against the ground.

Andrea huffed, her breath almost completely out. The wind was suddenly knocked right out of her when Erza suddenly regained herself and attacked up front once more. Andrea blocked with both swords, but the force from Erza's vicious lunge and sword slam made such a powerful blow that not only did it make Andrea slid back, but her swords cracked apart yet again.

"I'm sorry, Andrea? What was that?"

Andrea looked at Erza with a stout look. "You heard me, Erza Scarlet, I want a fair rematch." The orange-haired swordswoman declared.

Erza was caught by immense surprise. She couldn't picture what was going on in Andrea's mind. Why would she want a rematch right now? Wouldn't it make sense to heal or have the swords repaired first? If this were that very case, why such an arbitrary action?

The redhead looked around, seeing as how Evergreen was so fixated on her own style and trying out the clothes that she got flooded with, and Cana was busy drinking up a storm with all new and eloquent wine and liquor she managed to get. It was clear the conversation seemed closed on them and them alone.

"Andrea, why?" She asked.

Andrea sat upright in her knees, glaring at Erza with that same level of determination. "Because, I wanna redeem myself."

"Redeem you say?"

"I put you all in harm's way and was being nothing more than a selfish wannabe. It took me a few good smacks to my own head thanks to a certain someone." She sheepishly remembered when Craig brutalized her, causing her swords to be the way they are now. "I was only contributing to my own cause, not the big picture. I…" She clutched her fists tighter. "I made a terrible mistake. And I wanna apologize for only considering my pride. That's why it's best that we have a duel, at sundown. Let's make this duel to put what's been done behind us."

Erza stared back, her inquiry answered then and there. In a way, in some shape or form, Erza could actually picture one person in particular. Herself. There were times in the past when she put her pride on the line rather than think of others. It was her choice, and it proved how selfish she was. She put others feelings in jeopardy, and she was at fault. It was a mistake she had to repent for. That's what Andrea was doing.

With a nod, Erza accepted. "Very well. Let's be on our way."

Erza leaped into the air, requipping only one sword left. With her Heart Kreuz Armor barely intact, she mustered what power she could into her sword, falling down onto Andrea. As she screamed down, imaged of her guildmates began flooding her mind. She began to feel her drive flourish, especially when it increased ten-fold when Natsu came up.

In response, Andrea crossed her blades and went speeding up at her in return. The swordswoman hollered out like a banshee as she and Erza closed the gap between one another. With their resolves opposite, Andrea and Erza brought their swords around and swiped with all their might in the middle. A bright flash erupted as time slowed down, revealing Erza and Andrea passing the other. As they landed on both feet opposite of the other, they held their own swords, faces stern.

A harsh wind passed right by them, their backs still facing the other. Once the wind stopped, the buildings that were beside them were cut down, crumbling to dust and splitting apart. As the ground shook and the debris shattered through the air, Andrea felt a sharp pain in her body. The shock caught up to her, her mouth gagging spit as her blue and jungle green swords finally shattered apart. The pieces of her two blades fell along with her body, plopping to the ground on a knee alone.

Erza requipped the sword away, the battle won. She turned back towards Andrea, looking down at her with her hand stretched out. "Andrea…" The swordswoman in defeat heard her call, and she managed to catch her breath. She looked back up at Erza's grin, seeing how warm it looked. "Are you alright?"

Managing to stand, Andrea slowly accepted Erza's hand, clasping it and rising up to her feet. She accepted Erza's hand, finally arising to her two feet, looking refreshed. To Erza, it looked like Andrea was finally able to smile in gratitude for once, which was a big improvement.

"I'm fine." She answered.

Erza looked past the vanquished, seeing the two swords broken and shattered. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

Andrea looked back at her swords, taking a long moment of silence as she stared at them, quite longingly for that matter. A sympathetic grin came across her yet again. "Don't worry." She looked back at Erza. "It was bound to happen."

The two woman's tension finally subsided, their rivalry at long-last over.

"Thank you." Andrea said.

"For what?"

"You know, for helping me realize who I was." The orangette turned away, looking at the dusk sky in the very distance. "And yet, that question still lingers in the air. Who am I? Who am I? I am Andrea, but that's my name…" She trailed off as she looked back at her dead swords, watching as their fragments get picked up by the passing breeze. The wind was surprisingly strong as it carried the pieces off the ground and into the air, into the unknown. Andrea and Erza both watched as her sword fragments got whisked away like a passing soul. All Andrea did was smile strongly. "Farewell, my blades." She said.

A moment passed before Erza turned away. "Shall we head back with the others?"

Andrea nodded. "Let's." The reformed woman kept a slow pace as she followed behind Erza back towards the tents, where the others were ready to hit the hay.

---

The next day had dawned upon them. The group got up bright and early so as to make a quick start back to where they came from. They all maneuvered through the streets and through the same opening in the rock formations and made their way towards the sandy shorelines. Once they made it through, they found themselves at the shores of Tahunga once more.

However, unlike before, there was a considerate change. The one ship that was present when they landed the other day had two other ships accompanying it. They looked to have been well-made and fastened for long, overseas trips.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Whoa! Check them out!"

"Awesome" Happy cheered.

Gray crossed his arms, smirking. "Hey, looks like we were rewarded after all. Got us three ships? What's the occasion?"

Elfman gave a cocky smirk. "Probably a many entourage till we get home!"

"I'm afraid that is not the case."

Everyone looked towards Ace.

"The citizens and authorities were more than willing to repay us with our coincidence and services. I have been giving a special order to which I applied for transportation for our separate voyages."

Happy looked back ahead, staring at the three boats. "But…why are there three?"

"Seems a bit excessive much, don't you think?" Cana asked.

Gajeel examined the boats. "Even I can do math. Two boats for two voyages, but what's with number three?"

"That would be me." This time, Andrea became the attention. She stepped forward, turning towards everyone with a resolution in her gaze. "Everyone, this is where we all part ways."

"What's she on about?" Natsu asked. "I thought she followed Ace like a shadow or something?"

"Yeah, and doesn't she seem a little…different?" Gray whispered.

Craig looked on, looking at Andrea with a mild grin. He could see the calm in her eyes has finally swelled.

"After this experience I've had, I realized something that I needed was missing all along. I wasn't able to achieve it, even when I was bent on my own gains." She looked towards Erza, and then at Craig, continuing her prosperous smile. "It took me a few good years, and some hard lessons…but I've made up my mind."

"And what might that be?" Cana asked.

"I am leaving for home. I shall sail back to my country, to my home. I will re-enter the dojo, and rediscover my training. It's time I start from zero, and rediscover my destiny as a swordswoman."

Erza nodded in agreement. "I see. Then we wish you the best of luck."

Andrea nodded back. "Will do. Next time we meet, I'll be stronger than ever. You'll see." She then redirected her attention towards Craig, who kept his mild look of mutual appeal. "As for you, mister, I will say thank you for all your help…but that's all."

Craig rolled his eyes away. "Whatever."

Andrea smirked. "You may have bested me, but next time, I'll be sure to leave a few good wounds of my own." She noted.

Again, Craig gave no care. "Hooray for you then."

"Yup, that's Cranky alright." Cana chimed, receiving a growl from said person.

Andrea looked at everyone else. "I can't thank you all for your help." She turned towards Ace, staring up at the world's greatest swordsman. Ace stared down with his sharp eyes, meeting Andrea's own glare. Andrea clutched her fists tightly, her breath deep. "Ace Hunter, I will make you a proud man. I shall train until the day that I am ready, ready for when I am ready to challenge and take your title." She smirked with pride. "I will not rest, not until I have dedicated myself to being a true swordswoman. Until then, wait for me."

Ace gave no immediate reply, rather he just looked down with a sharp stare. He didn't falter in his gaze, and yet he didn't seem too worries either. After a swift and steadily minute passing, Ace's straight face broke into a grin.

"You were always persistent, Miss Andrea." Ace noted in a chuckle. "If that is what you wish. Until we meet again, someday." He looked towards everyone else. "And to you all, this I can say with my heart, I was very proud to have been your acquaintance. Your help has been invaluable to the end." He praised. He thus bowed to them. "I thank you."

Natsu gave a cheeky smile. "Don't sweat it! It was kinda cool teaming up with the world's greatest swordsman." He thus held up a fist. "But next time when you get better, let's say we tussle a bit?"

'Seriously?' Gray, Elfman, Gajeel, Happy, and Lily thought.

Ace gave another mused chuckle at Natsu's ambitious demeanor. "My, spunky even after a calamity." He looked at Erza next. "Ms. Scarlet, be sure to keep an eye on this one especially."

Erza smirked as she looked at Natsu's confusion. "Don't worry, I will."

"Well then, guess this is where we head off. Let's get moving already people." Cana hoisted the two barrels of Tahunga wine she managed to get just before departure. She hauled her own reward up towards the loading dock. Not far behind her was Evergreen, with bags overflowing with Tahunga Italian-style dresses. The only catch for her was that she was now broke. Evergreen sure knows the term 'shop until you drop'.

Elfman and Gray were next to board, and then came Natsu and Gajeel, who were more than reluctant to get on. They paled once more as they proceeded onto the boat, with Lily and Happy following behind as moral support. Unfortunately, moral support doesn't help a Dragon Slayer's sore belly.

Lastly, Craig made it towards the loading board, where he stopped and looked at Ace. The two swordsmen looked at one another, glaring daggers into the other's gaze, at least to what one would believe. The tides rolled in and out as they looked into the other's gaze, brimming with seriousness. Until at last Craig broke it with a snicker.

"Didn't think it's be like this, huh?" He asked, almost as if joking.

Ace snickered back, "I suppose."

"Hey, you remember the day after I won?" Craig asked.

Ace blinked with a questionable look on his face. "Hm? Of course? What events are you talking about?"

"You remember. We parted similar to now." Craig made the older swordsman recollect the exact morning. It was maybe a day or two after the fall of that pirate, but that was when Ace took an interest in Craig's potential. Although understanding Craig's hostility at the time, Ace didn't find it wise to ask him to be trained. He chuckled at the prospect of Craig training under him, but to someone like Craig, he'd be nothing more than a handicap. He didn't wanna weigh people down, and he wanna be weighed down. That's what Ace respected most in Craig. It was Ace who only gave him a few tips in wielding a sword, but otherwise, he did nothing to influence Craig's progress. They parted that country on separate boats, heading in two opposite directions.

The owner of Katsyu smiled. "Déjà vu, I suppose."

Craig looked away, his grin slowly turning into a frown. He gave a mild nod as he began to turn away. "Ace…" He said, looking away.

"Yes?"

There was a long silence that passed until Craig spoke yet again. "…take care."

Ace smiled and tipped his hat. He turned away from Craig, his smile still on his paled skin. "As you…Craig Crius."

---

All of Tahunga's folk waved thanks and prayers to their saviors as the three ships diverged out and away from the other. Many shouts of thanks exerted and everyone departed. However, as Craig and Ace got on their separate ships, both looked at one another, staring once more. Their gazes were once again soft, with half-grins. Ace gave one last nod before he departed on the smallest of the two ships. Once Ace looked away for the last time, Craig's half-grin turned mournful as he started walking along the deck. He was hesitant, but he went off his way, with his guild.

Andrea's ship went the furthest west, while Ace's smaller boat went north, while Craig's boat went northeast, back towards Fiore. With that, all their time together in Tahunga had come to an end.

As Natsu and Gajeel hurled on one side of the ship, Craig walked passed them with raised brows. "Keep hanging in there." He groaned towards them.

Both Dragon Slayers gurgled in response.

Gray looked over to where Cana was, which was along the side of the ship. Coincidentally, Craig joined up there as Gray looked back at them.

"What?" Craig asked.

Cana stopped drinking and looked at the man with no shirt. "Eh?"

"Where were you two last night?" Gray asked. "You were gone until daybreak. What held you up?"

The sudden question made Craig and Cana go wide-eyed in shock. The two were stiff as boards, and Cana almost spit out her drink. Last night was really much of a blur for Craig, consider all he felt was a sense of warmth as he dreamt of a flashback where he and Cana were having a lemonade-drinking contest. He also remembered Cornelia huffing as both kids were in the bathroom in and out for hours getting the lemonade out of their systems.

As far what Cana remembered, she could recall sitting right next to Cranky as he slept. And then a little later after a few good drinks, she was out. She only remembered waking up as her monster cleavage was against Craig's back, holding him as though they were in Craig's bed.

In unison, their faces dropped and grew despondent. Cana resumed drinking with a straight face, while Craig trudged forward along the ship.

"Well?" Gray questioned. Craig looked back at him, opening his mouth and hissing with all his razor-sharp teeth bared at Gray. The Ice-Make Mage recoiled and backed off from Craig's sudden outburst, leaving him more than a little on edge.

Craig resumed his small walk along the ship, snorting from shutting Gray up.

"Huh?" Cana spotted something, which caused her to call out. "Hey, Cranky!"

Craig turned back towards her, brow raised and sharp teeth ready. "What do you want?" He retorted.

"You got a little something." Using her index finger, she pointed to her own waist.

"What?" Now out if irritation and into questioning, Craig's brows furrowed and he looked behind him. True to what Cana had informed him of, there was a piece of paper wedged in between his shirt and his jacket he had around his waist. This caught Craig by sheer surprise. His confusion arose as he reached back before the gentle sea breeze decided to take it from him. He held it with whatever fingering manageable.

"The heck is that?" Gray asked.

"Don't ask me. Wasn't in my waist." Cana shrugged.

Craig looked back with a scoff before he decided to trudge away from the others, sway from the company. As he pulled away and off towards another section of the ship, he looked over and saw Erza tending to Natsu and his motion sickness. The cranky and rude being looked back down at the note, recognizing the handwriting. Slowly, very slowly, his eyes widened.

"You…you've gotta be kidding me…this handwriting…" He trailed off in his mumbling as he deciphered the intricate yet fancy cursive. He walked slowly around the ship's deck, staring at the note and reading it. "My god…"

To Craig Crius,

Craig, if you are getting this message, it means that by some stroke of fate, I was able to impart my last words onto you. Our last physical meeting on the shore was but a brief one, no words needed. As those who respect the other, it would be a crime to bestow final words in person when they may as well be grim. You of all people are woefully aware of what has been transpiring in me. It was all my fault, and I take responsibility for the recourses that have been taken. I can only tell you this…because you are the only one worthy of such news.

Craig stared at the paper as he stopped on the side of the deck, his eye beginning to grow hollow.

From the first day that we crossed back in Awkinaw, my Eye Magic saw you, and your potential. My eyes were drawn to what you and only you had to suffer. I saw every horrific means to an end, and every side to a human being. What I saw straight through your pupils was more than just loneliness. I knew it was best to look no further than that, but I digressed, and after you have succeeded in saving the Awkinaw population, I took a look at you once more. I saw death, mourning, anger, hostility, remorse, and yet…even against all odds, it was proven in your battle, that you had to relish in that constant scar that never heals. It's a wound that left me with no words as I watched from the sidelines. I saw the fire in your eyes, the killer instinct, the tears as you recalled the ones who didn't deserve death in such manners, yet despite the trauma, it's what I realized that made you a greater human being than what I saw in myself. I know we have promised to never declare ourselves as friends, and we succeeded…but, your life story had so many more chapters than mine. Your battles, your fears, your will to fight, and what you believe on compassion and love, it cuts deeper than any sharp blade that has been forged. Forgive me, but I have broken my word, and saw the history within you once again.

Craig was feeling his eyes starting to hurt, his gaze turning worrisome.

Not long after we parted, I have come to realize I was diagnosed with a terminal illness. My Eye Magic and my sharp sense of focus has caused my body to exert too much. I knew my life was to come to an end then. With pride, I could've had Katsyu slay me, but…I didn't. I chose to follow you, an inferior who relies on nothing but improving. I made up my mind then, that I shall take your lead, and live on for those who have made it into my heart, until I meet them someday once more. I have been doing my own works, and have finally found you, after so long. Now at last, I was able to have my final adventure fighting alongside the one human being who has endured the worse fates imaginable. This was where I casted my final judgment onto you. I saw that you have changed yet again, but in a positive way. You have continued to keep a resolve, even when all of us couldn't. My ultimate blade technique was perfected 20 years ago, long before you were born, I suppose. And yet…the greatest swordsman in the world, has been bested.

Craig's eyes widened.

That is correct, this was my own battle, to see what prowess you have over my own; my capabilities of swords or your own. In the end, you cut not just the sky, but time and space. You have gone to new heights, and have proven yourself that you have strength far beyond a hundred years of my time. I may have been declared the world's greatest, but the greatest, in my opinion, has been realized. What you did to end the dragon once more, and end the battle, was what I wanted to see. I saw him, the Craig Crius, the four-blade user…and, the truest successor to the title of the world's greatest swordsman.

Craig's hold on the paper tightened as his hands shuddered, and his lips began to quiver. There was a dark shadow looming over his eyes.

I know it means nothing to you, but this is important to me. The legacy left by those you loved and befriended cannot go in vein. Take the title by granted, but in my respects, you have the conviction to uphold that title. Tell no one, nor Andrea. I may have forged Katsyu on my own, but one day, after I have departed from this world, my blade will find you. You will have Katsyu held in your hands one day, and it shall cut with every fiber of your will…better so than mine.

As Ace's ship was long-gone, the greatest swordsman's hat covered his eyes. His pale skin and his red gaze was barely looking out to sea. All he needed was to hear the sound of seagulls and the calm ocean waves. He sailed off towards his destination: his home town. There was a lot he was to do. It was going to be a pain, and it will break their hearts, but he will have to tell his folk and the proud town of how he has less than a week in his life left. There was gonna be planning a funeral, and a will to who gets what. But even with all that, he was still looking forward towards his final days. As he sailed off for home, a lone tear fell, a passive smile on his face as he silently sailed towards the beyond.

I am afraid this is where my journey ends. But as to where my own book draws to a close, your next chapter unfolds. Thank you for everything that you have proven to me in this final voyage. When we meet again, someday, somewhere, let us share a good chuckle.

Until then, farewell, and live on.

Ace Hunter

Craig found himself in the back of the boat, far away from the others. A lone tear dripped from his eyes, a blank look plastered onto his face. Another tear fell onto the letter. And then another, but he kept a straight face. He looked up slowly at the sea as the ship treaded water. Craig's misty eyes were starting to envision Ace Hunter, even the last moments face to face. The unstoppable swordsman chose to go down fighting rather than choose dignity, all the way up to his final days. Craig's eyes diverted towards the sky, where he saw one last image of Ace as he saw him get farther away.

A gasp emanated from Craig as his eyes widened, seeing the various other people he's met over the years, robots, animals, spirits, and other creatures all behind Ace. All of them showed proud faces, no matter how different.

Even though he was supposed to smile for them, he finally broke. Craig Crius, the unstoppable maniacal, bloodthirsty beast…was crying. With his forehead against the ship's railing, he began to sob tears as they fell onto the deck and into the ocean. His hands gripped the railing so hard it actually began bending. He just cried, silently mourning over the new memories shared.

"Hey, Cranky, you there?" Cana began walking around the ship, heading to where Craig was at. "Come on, lunch is rea…"

The Card Mage stopped cold in her tracks, growing quiet, dead quiet. She stared at Craig with wide eyes, her shock surmounting her casual laid-back demeanor as she saw him pouring tears overboard. She could understand last night was one of his 'moments' again, but did he have another somber memory? If so, how drastic?

Cana seemed to have notice something that was sticking halfway off the upper cabin wall, right beside her. "What is…?" Curious, the brunette seized the note just before the air picked up, holding it tight as her inquiry arose. As she began to scrutinize the letter, she looked back and forth between it and Craig. With each sentence that unfolded, her eyes widened in shock and horror. Nothing was left out. Her gaze turned to graphic when she got to the ending, realizing that Ace's fate had been sealed years ago upon meeting Craig. When she finished, the note flew out of her hand, whisked away by the sea winds, carried into the glistening water reflecting the sun, making it disappear. The note mattered not, but Cana looked back at the crying Craig with a deep sense of mourning. "Oh no…Craig." Craig could only cry. While Cana just stood there, Craig was pouring out his own loss, and all he could manage was just that.

Feeling remorse, and now realizing why Craig was so unstable last night, Cana's eyes closed halfway. She slowly and passively walked over towards Craig as the man was mourning. The brunette took her place right beside him, frowning and comforting him. Without a care for her own being, she slowly and tenderly brought her arm to Craig's head, pulling him in and allowing his head in the crook of her neck.

Cana held him, giving Cranky warmth as he let out his sorrows as the ship sailed back home.

---

Somewhere in the world, there was a massive cloud of mist, where it housed giant precipice blades of stone with greens flourishing, like huge mountain stacks. It looked far out of reach, but the mist was but cover as something massive seemed to be inside. It was silent as a grave, yet it didn't make any sounds.

Two human-sized figures closed in, looking up at the figure in the distance. They could see the horn, and the numerous, long, three tails it had. The mist distinguishing feature, however, was that the horn glowed, and the tail ends glowed, as well as the chest area of the unknown titan-sized beast.

"Looks like we found the Five-Gem." One said.

The other nodded. "Good…let us pray it's as easy as the Three-Gem was."

---

Happy Valentine's Day! Here's a nice, long chapter for you guys, and to show how much I love writing for you guys, I added extra development for Craig and Cana. So here's the end of the Tahunga Arc, just as I have promised. It took longer than expected, but you know that life gets ahead of you. Still, I added a lot of great things this chapter, so I hope you show your love and support by throwing a review and favoring my OCxCana story.

I'll be jumping ship for awhile over towards A Contender's Bonds for a bit before coming back here to start the next arc. I will spoil that it does involve something to do with what he's also been mutated with amongst the other things.

Until next time, review and OCxCana forever! :)