Underneath the ruins of the Era council building, Doranbolt stood inside the empty cell that once housed Cobra. He stared at the wall of the vacant space, replaying the words told to him by the artificial dragon slayer.

"Tartaros is after a weapon called Face." Cobra revealed.

"Face?" Doranbolt questioned. He had never heard of such a weapon before. "What sort of weapon is it?"

"It's a magic pulse bomb." The criminal explained to Doranbolt's shock. "Once it goes off, its supposed to render all wizards on the continent unable to use magic."

"Then how will Tartaros be able to accomplish anything without magic? They'll be affected as well!" Doranbolt countered.

The dragon slayer smirked at the councilman's distress. "Apparently Tartaros doesn't use magic…they use curses."

Doranbolt's eyes went wide. "Curses?"

"Yep. Rumor has it that they are supposedly much more powerful than regular magic." He then looked up at Doranbolt. "That's all you get for free. You want the rest, you know what to do."

So, in spite of everything he felt was right, Doranbolt released Cobra and the rest of the Oracion Seis from their cells. Although he had allowed them their freedom, he was not going just let them run free. He teleported out of the cell and to the surface, walking to the makeshift graveyard a small distance away from the building ruins. Though the graves were only marked with sticks tied into crosses, he knew exactly which one was Lahar's. He stood in front of it, clasping his hands in a brief prayer before glaring at the ground.

There's no going back now. He reminded himself. I will crush Tartaros, but I will leave the Seis to you…Jellal.


The Oracion Seis rejoiced for their newfound freedom in a wasteland far away from the ruined council building. With Cobra leading the exposition, Midnight, Angel, Racer, and Hoteye – who was still using his real name, Richard all journeyed to parts unknown. The sky was the limit for the former prisoners.

Cobra stretched his arms over his head, exhaling in relief. "Nothin like the taste of fresh air, right guys?"

"Those words are so cliché." Angel commented.

"Yeah, freedom sure is great." Racer agreed.

"It seems our love was received by someone…oh yeah." Richard smiled.

"It is certainly better than being trapped within that lowly prison." Midnight said.

Though enjoying their freedom, the Oracion Seis were missing a member.

"You think the council will come after us for killing Brain?" Racer asked.

Cobra didn't turn around as he answered his friend's question. "That gut wasn't a 'father' to us at all. He only used us his pawns for his own goals. I heard him. Right, Midnight?"

"Yes. If you heard him, then it must have been true." Midnight grinned and nodded, approving of Cobra's actions. Father…sleep now. We will march on in your stead.

"So what are we going to do next?" Racer inquired.

"I want to take a shower." Angel spoke up.

"I'll continue my search for my brother-"Richard began.

"Hold on!" Cobra called to the others, silencing them.

They all stopped walking, taking notice of the cloaked pair in front of them, a man and a young woman. Though concealed beneath hoods, the members of the Oracion Seis instantly recognized the man before them. It was Jellal.

"Well this is quite the surprise." Midnight smirked.

Jellal removed his hood, his eyes never leaving the rogue wizards. "Meldy, get out of here."

"What?" the magenta-haired girl looked to Jellal with worry. "There are five of them, Jellal. I should stay here and –"

"No." Jellal shot down. "I can handle this myself. There is no need for you to be involved."

"You don't think much of us, do you?" Racer irritably asked.

"Upsetting." Angel spat.

"I see now." Cobra smirked in amusement. "Doranbolt set this up. Sly bastard."

"You wish to send us back to prison?" Midnight inquired to Jellal.

"A fugitive returning others like himself to prison?" Jellal questioned rhetorically. "That's a funny thought."

"We just got our freedom!" Racer shouted. "There's no way we're going back!"

"We'll kill you, Jellal!" Cobra threatened.

"Hmm…" Richard mused. "Seeing as how I have vowed to follow the path of love, I will remove myself from this battle."

"Hoteye!" Angel scolded. "You're still under Nirvana's spell?!"

"Not at all." Richard beamed. "I have truly become a being of pure love. As such I will do as Mr. Jellal demands."

"Are you serious, Hoteye?!" Cobra yelled.

"It doesn't matter." Midnight waved off.

"But-"Racer began to protest.

"We all have our freedom now. We can do whatever we wish with it, that includes Richard." He patted his friend on the back as he walked past him. "He has the right to choose his path for himself."

"Thank you, Midnight…oh yeah." Richard bowed his head.

"My name is Macbeth! And I will destroy anything that stands in the way of my freedom."

Jellal prepared himself for battle. "Then come at me." He challenged. Suddenly Racer appeared behind him.

"I'm already here! I got sick of waiting!"

"Jellal!" Meldy cried out.

Racer swiped at Jellal at high speed, but the azure-haired wizard evaded his strikes with relative ease. "You're fast, Sawyer." He complimented.

"Who said you could call me that?!" Racer angrily shouted. While Jellal continued to evade him, Racer managed to push him back far enough for Cobra to attack.

His fist covered in a poisonous aura, he lunged towards Jellal. "I can hear your movements!" To his shock, Jellal caught his punch, unaffected by the poison.

"I can hear yours too, Erik." Jellal clutched Cobra's fist and threw him into Racer.

Angel summoned numerous little balls with sharp teeth and feathers, sending them forth towards Jellal. "O Angels!" she prayed. "Devour Jellal! Swallow him bones and all!"

The cherubs circled around the Crime Sorciere wizard, but once again he showed no signs of distress. "I see you've learned some new magic, Sorano." he held out his hands, creating a force that blasted away all of the cherubs around him.

"My angels…" Angel quavered.

Racer and Cobra glared at Jellal, while Richard simply smiled. Macbeth smirked in anticipation. "This will be much more fun than our last fight."

"Guess we can start getting serious then." Cobra grinned. He coated his arms in his Poison Dragon scales and rushed Jellal, slashing at him with his claws.

Due to his opponent's increased speed, Jellal barely had enough time to block. The force of Cobra's attack forcing him backwards, Racer appeared, striking Jellal in the back with the point of his elbow.

Angel raised her head, looking down her nose at the now defensive Jellal. She then licked her lips in satisfaction. "That's more like it. I finally feel warm again."

Jellal glared at his enemies, readying himself for their next attack.


Aura floated inside her liquid chamber, her senses all but blocked from the outside world. What's happening? Where am I? She whimpered internally.

Aura. A voice called out.

Atty? The frightened child answered. Where are you? I can't see anything.

I know. It seems we were captured by the enemy.

The enemy?

Yes. The ones Fairy Tail spoke of, Tartaros.

Tartaros? Aura repeated, her fear growing. How did they get us? Where's Mr. Alzack, and Ms. Bisca, and Asuka? Where's Ms. Flare?

It only makes sense you would not remember. I will try and recount the events for you.

Hours Earlier

"What's going on?!" Bisca shouted.

"Get the girls back!" Alzack told his wife. He stepped in front of them, guns drawn as he waited for their mysterious attacker to reveal themselves. When the dust settled, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"Elfman?!" Bisca questioned in complete confusion.

"Did you do this to Flare?" Alzack interrogated. "What's wrong with you?!"

"I'm sorry." Elfman apologized. He was on the verge of tears. His mission was made clear to him by Sayla, capture Aura, but he didn't know why. Though even if he did, he wouldn't have liked the task any more. "I don't want to hurt you guys." He held out his hand. "I just want Aura."

"Aura?" Alzack moved closer to defend Bisca and the girls, there was definitely something off about their friend. "What's going on, Elfman? Why do you need Aura?"

The Dragneel progeny clung to Bisca's leg, shaking in fright.

"I can't explain. Just please…give her to me." Elfman pleaded.

"I can't do that."

"What's wrong with him?" Bisca asked her husband. "Do you think something happened?"

"Yeah." Alzack nodded. "I don't know what it is, but Elfman is definitely not himself."

"What's going on with you, Elfman?!" Bisca shouted.

The male Strauss sibling wanted to tell them about Tartaros, but he couldn't Sayla's Macro rendered revealing their plans forbidden, as well as disobeying her orders. "I just need her." He explained. "This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely."

"Bisca." Alzack began. "Take the girls and run."

"What? But Al-"

"Go! Head back to the guild and let them know what's going on. Tell them there is something wrong with Elfman. Hurry!"

Bisca reluctantly nodded in acknowledgment. "Ok, we'll go. But you better be right behind us."

He huffed in amusement. "Don't worry. I won't be long."

"I'm going to hold you to that." She looked down at Aura and Asuka. "Come on, girls. We're leaving. Now."

"But Papa-"Asuka started.

"Will be fine." Bisca finished. "We have to go." She grabbed the girls by the waists and ran out through the backdoor of the Connell home.

"Come back!" Elfman shouted. He made his way to the door, but was cut off by Alzack.

GUNS MAGIC: SPARK SHOT

Alzack fired a bullet of electricity at Elfman, stopping him in his tracks. When the debris settled down, Alzack grimaced at the sight. Elfman had blocked the bullet with his Iron Bull arm, subsequently unfazed by the attack.

"Don't make me do this, Alzack." He warned.

"Hey, you started this." Alzack reloaded his gun. He then summoned more that floated all around him. "Just calm down and we can talk about this. Just tell me what's going on with you, man."

"Sorry, but I can't. I'm doing this for Lisanna!" Elfman changed into his Belcusas form and rushed Alzack.

Bisca ran as fast as she could with Aura and Asuka in tow. She feared for her husband's life, but she knew that telling the guild and protecting the girls was more important at the moment. Al will catch up. He just has too. But what is going on with Elfman? He wasn't himself at all. Why does he want Aura?

"Ms. Bisca." Aura whimpered. "I'm scared. Why did Mr. Elfman hurt Ms. Flare? He said he wanted me. Is it my fault, she got hurt?"

"I'm scared too, momma." Asuka spoke up.

"It's going to be ok, girls." Bisca reassured. "It's all going to be ok, don't worry. We'll be safe once we reach the guild hall." An explosion rocked their ears, forcing Bisca to look back. Her eyes widened in shock upon seeing her house in ruins in the distance.

"Poppa!" Asuka cried.

"Alzack!" Bisca screamed.

They saw Elfman walk out of the wreckage and change into his Weretiger form. Suddenly he dashed forward, closing the distance between himself and Bisca. He swiped his claws at her, but the gunslinger was a fraction of a second faster.

"Get down!" She grabbed the children and dove to the ground, Elfman's claws slashing through the surrounding trees. She saw the girls crying in fear and quickly gave an angered glare to her guildmate. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You could have killed them!"

Elfman said nothing and raised his claw for another strike. Bisca looked into his eyes, seeing the overwhelming remorse radiating from them. He slashed down, but Bisca grabbed the girls and rolled away, managing to summon her twin machine guns. She reluctantly pointed them at Elfman before pulling the triggers.

BULLET STORM

A barrage of magic bullets erupted from the barrels of the guns, providing enough cover for her to escape. She grabbed the girls – who were unconscious – by the waists and took off again.

Elfman – who had changed into his Lizardman form to defend from the attack – resumed his chase. He changed into his Beast form, letting out a deafening roar before slamming his hands into the ground. The shockwave cracked the fertile earth, causing Bisca to trip and lose her hold of the girls.

"Aura! Asuka!" she reached out, cradling the girls in her arms before she slammed shoulder first against the distressed ground. She slid a small distance, somehow managing to keep her hold of the children. Elfman returned to his normal self.

When he reached the trio, Bisca and Asuka were unconscious, but Aura had begun to stir. When her eyes reached Elfman's face she froze, completely overtaken by fear.

Aura! Atlas shouted. You have to run! Now! Get up and run away now, child!

"I'm sorry." Elfman apologized once more. "I didn't mean to scare you, and the last thing I want to do is hurt my friends, but I just need you to come with me now."

Aura could do nothing but shake in terror, tears pooling in her eyes. "Mama…Papa…Happy…Aunt Kagura…Help me…

Aura! Atlas yelled again, but once again Aura ignored him due to her own fear. Dammit!

As Elfman's hand inched closer, Aura's mouth suddenly opened.

HELL'S FIRE

A torrent of crimson flames flowed out from the girl's mouth, scorching Elfman. As the Takeover wizard yelled in pain, Aura released herself from Bisca's embrace and ran away. Atlas had taken control.

Curse this body! Atlas snarled, feeling the effects of Aura's minor injuries. I only had enough energy for that one attack. I have to find a way out of this forest! I must find the son of Igneel or his mate and- Atlas was quickly cut off by a girl with bunny ears.

"Peekaboo!" she chirped. She grabbed Atlas by the neck and hoisted him into the air. He struggled in vain, but he couldn't release himself from Lamy's clutches. "Why don't you be a good girl and go to sleep?"

Atlas could feel himself fading the longer the air was drained from Aura's body. No…not now… Soon Aura's arms fell to her sides, and she closed her eyes. She was completely unconscious once again.

Elfman caught up to them, his expression showing his displeasure with the entire affair.

"Aw don't be so glum." Lamy smiled. "We got her! See?!" She held Aura up by the neck. This only made Elfman madder.

"Shut up! And hold her right! She's not some doll! She's a little girl!"

"Ok, geez." Lamy relented in annoyance. "Someone is testy. I thought you would be happy we completed this mission. That means your one step closer to getting your sister back."

"You don't mention her, got that?" He then looked to Aura, who was now being cradled in Lamy's arms.

"You know, kids aren't so bad when they're quiet." She poked Aura's nose. "Look at you." She cooed to the unconscious girl. "If you were born a boy I would kiss your little cheeks."

"Stop that." Elfman demanded. "What do you guys want with her anyway?"

"You don't need to worry your big, muscly head about that." Lamy deflected. "You still have another job to do, right?"

Elfman reached into his pocket, pulling out a lacrima with strange symbol in it. "…Yes." He answered.

"Well I'll be taking her back. See you later!" With that Lamy vanished, leaving Elfman alone with the burden of what he had done, and what he must do next.


"What do you want with my daughter?!" Erza demanded of Kyôka. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"That is not entirely true." Kyôka argued. "She is a valuable asset to this one, or rather what's inside of her is."

"Inside of her?" Erza's eyes slowly widened in realization. "Atlas Flame…"

"Yes." Kyôka nodded. "The spirit of the fire dragon Atlas Flame is very important to this one."

"For what purpose?"

"You need not worry about that. If you reveal Jellal's location, we will return your daughter and Mirajane to you."

Now Erza wished she knew where Jellal was, but even then she probably still wouldn't reveal his location to her torturer. It was a nigh impossible choice to make. She cared not for her own life, but she had to weight Jellal's against Mirajane's…as well as her own daughter's. She just couldn't bear that burden.

"I swear…I don't know where he is. Please…release my daughter and Mirajane."

Kyôka smirked and readied her whip once more. "I see. You will give this one much more enjoyment then."


Gray, Juvia, and Alana rode back to the guild hall on a massive cheetah-like beast. Each of them more than uneasy at their current predicament.

"We're gonna go check back in at the guild!" he told them. "They said they've found the addresses of more ex-councilmen."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Juvia worried.

"Me too." Alana agreed. "There is something here that just doesn't make sense with what we know so far."

Gray thought of their concerns and remembered the state Elder Hogg was in, along with the town. "We're up against guys who can reduced an entire town to a disaster area with ease. I can see how you two would be worried about that."

"No." Juvia shook her head against Gray's back. "This is…different. I can't explain it but…" Juvia stopped talking when Gray gripped her hand.

"Don't worry." He said. "We're here with you."

"That's right, Juju." Alana smiled. "Fairy Tail always pulls through in situations like this, right?"

"Right." Gray nodded in agreement. "We'll win just like we always do. You can count on it."

Juvia smiled softly at her companions' words, but she still couldn't shake that feeling in the bottom of her heart.


Crawford and Franmalth walked the halls of Tartaros' guild hall, the former chairman less than pleased with the demon. "Your men completely destroyed my house!" he scolded.

"Oh, calm down, chairman." Franmalth said.

"I gave up my retirement fund to take part in this little plan of yours!" Crawford angrily reminded.

"Ah, but think about it…" Franmalth prompted. "How much will you make after our plan succeeds?"

Crawford sour mood instantly shifted to one of joyful glee. "Well I suppose losing the house is no problem if the 'Crawford was captured by Tartaros plan' works out in the end. By the way, what did you do with the two girls I brought in?"

"Mistress Kyôka is currently interrogating them. They're in for quite the painful death." The demon cackled.

"They better be!" Crawford waved his finger. "If they were to live then they would most certainly out me!"

"I wouldn't worry about that. No one will ever be able to find this place." Franmalth reassured.

"I certainly hope so." Crawford looked out of one the windows he and Franmalth were passing by. Seeing something odd, the elderly man squinted his eyes at the object in the distance. "What is that?"

"What is what?" Franmalth asked, now looking out the same window.

As the object grew in size. Crawford's eyes widened in fear. "It's coming straight towards us! Franmalth, you said no one would be able to find this place!"

Both Crawford and Franmalth yelled in fright as Natsu and Happy burst through the wall with a loud crash.

"I found you!" the dragon slayer punched Crawford in the face, knocking his dentures loose from his mouth.

The rumbling was heard throughout the building, alerting all the other members of Tartaros.

Seeing Crawford was unconscious, Natsu turned his attention to the still shocked Franmalth. "Where are Mira and Erza?!"

"An intruder?! Impossible!" Franmalth shouted. "No one should be able to find this place!" He looked up to the wall that Natsu had busted through, his surprise increasing. "How much do you think that broken wall is going to cost to fix?!" he barked. "How much?!"


Upon hearing the rumblings from down the hall, Kyôka retracted her finger whip. Realizing that she was not going to any info out of the now unconscious Erza, the demoness thought it best to check on the ruckus outside. "It is raucous without." She sighed, then looked to the ceiling. "Yakdriga!"

Hearing its name, a frog-like demon with tentacles slinked its way from out the shadows, awaiting its master's command.

"Watch this woman." Kyôka ordered. "This one will go check on the commotion."

The frog demon smiled openly, its wet tentacles slithering towards Erza.

"She is not to be touched." Kyôka added, deflating the beast and freezing it in its tracks. She then turned her head and grinned lustfully. "You may deprive this one of much anticipated enjoyment." With that she left the room, leaving Yakdriga alone with Erza.

Erza's mating brand began give off a faint light that went unnoticed by her slimy watchman. "Nat…su…" she muttered.


"Give Mira and Erza back!" Natsu snarled, his eyes focused on Franmalth.

"Oh my!" Franmalth voiced with pleasant surprise. "You mean those two captive human girls? Then you must be part of Fairy Tail!"

"So they are here." Happy surmised. He had to admit that even after all these years he was still surprised at times at Natsu's detective skills.

"How did you find this place?" Franmalth interrogated. "You must have followed the chairman here. How much will he pay for this blunder? How much?"

Natsu gritted his teeth and launched himself towards Franmalth. He drew back his fist, flames flowing around it as he hit Franmalth with an uppercut that sent the demon spinning round in the air before falling back to the ground. "You talk too much!" Natsu complained.

After a few seconds Franmalth rose from the ground, his surprise now replaced with anger. "You dare to hit me?! How much will your punishment cost you? How much?!" Suddenly spikes protruded from his back and he pulled his fist back before lunging forward. "The price is 10,000 souls!" To the surprise of Natsu and Happy, his arm stretched.

"Watch out, Natsu!" Happy warned. "He can stretch!"

"I see that!" Natsu retorted, dodging the demon's fist.

Franmalth turned his body, causing his elastic arm to wrap around Natsu. "Contact."

Natsu felt a surge of pain throughout his entire body, making him cry out in pain. "What's happening…my strength…it's fading…!"

"Hold on, Natsu! I'm coming!" Happy flew to his friend's aid, biting Franmalth's arm and making him let go of Natsu.

Natsu felt his strength returning as he landed on his feet on the ground. "Thanks, buddy!"

"That hurt, you pest." Franmalth swiped at Happy, knocking the Exceed into a nearby wall.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Natsu shouted. Franmalth extended both of his arms in a series of rapid, wild punches but Natsu evaded them all. When the dragon slayer was close enough he grabbed the demon's eye, placing his other arm on the inside of his elbow to brace himself.

FIRE DRAGON GRIP STRIKE

The scorching hot flames, burned the demon, knocking him off balance, but not quiet knocking him out. "Your cost just went up to 20,000 souls, you idiot!" he yelled.

Happy – who could barely move due to Franmalth's attack on him earlier – looked on in shock. "He took Natsu's flames at close range and he still…"

"That's enough, Franmalth." A voice interrupted. "Let me take it from here. You get the chairman to safety."

Natsu looked at this new challenger with confusion. Franmalth was more than happy to step aside out of fear.

"M-master Silver." He announced shakily.

Natsu felt his nose twitch, he smelled something familiar from Silver, and it only grew stronger the closer he got.

Franmalth grabbed the unconscious Crawford and began a hasty retreat. "I-I'll just leave the intruder in your hands then. I'll see to the chairman's injuries and make sure he gets the necessary procedures started."

"Alright, alright." Silver groaned. "You don't have to go over every little detail."

After Franmalth had retreated – leaving only Natsu, Silver and Happy – Natsu felt a slight chill. "The temperature here just dropped." He noted.

"I-I'm c-c-cold, Natsu!" Happy whined, shaking like a leaf.

"So you're the one who melted Sun Village, huh?" Silver asked Natsu.

"Wasn't there, but I heard about what happened." Natsu answered. "You the one who froze it?"

Then tension between the two dissolved when Silver began to laugh. "Well whoever did it I gotta make sure I thank them, seeing as how the whole thing was an accident. Kind woulda felt guilty if it stayed that way forever, ya know?"

As Silver continued to laugh, Natsu finally pinpointed the scent from earlier. "I know who your smell reminds me of…" He shock nearly rendered him speechless.

"Hm?"

"Gray…"

Silvers mood shifted and he swiped two fingers across the air, flash freezing the dragon slayer into a statue.

"Natsu!" Happy cried out.

"Do not speak that cursed name." Silver ordered.


Within the laboratory, Sayla approached the chamber that contained Aura. It stood next to Hela's. She looked to Lamy.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes ma'am!" the bunny girl saluted. "Everything is hooked up and ready to go!"

"Then at last we can begin." Kyôka said, making her way into the lab.

"Mistress Kyôka!" Sayla squeaked. "I did not expect you back so soon."

Kyôka placed her hand against Sayla's cheek, the horned demon-girl nuzzling lovingly into it. "This one would be a fool to miss such a long-awaited event. This will bring us one step closer to our goal."

Aura, open your eyes. Atlas requested. Tell me what you see.

The child slowly flitted her lids open, seeing the three demons looking up at her. I see three scary ladies.

Scary ladies? Atlas questioned. They must be demons of Tartaros.

What are they going to do to me?

Fear not, Aura. I will let no harm come to you.

"It appears she has awoken." Sayla noted.

"She has." Kyôka nodded. She walked to the chamber. "Hello, human child. This one is Kyôka." The demon introduced. "Do not fear, we shall not hurt you…much. We only require the flame within you."

What is she saying, Aura? Atlas asked.

She says she won't hurt me. I don't believe her, Atty. I'm scared.

I will talk to her. Atlas possessed Aura's body, making her eyes glow. He glared down at the demon woman. "What do you want with this girl?" he demanded.

"You must be Atlas Flame." Kyôka surmised.

"Answer my question, demon!" he roared.

"You vile creature!" Sayla shouted back. "How dare you-"she stopped when Kyôka held out her arm in front of her.

"This one will tell you." She pointed to Hela. "We aim to place your essence inside that girl's body."

"You what? That's impossible."

"Ah, but this one has already done a similar process." Kyôka revealed.

"What is so special about that girl?" Atlas asked.

Kyôka smirked evilly, her eyes dripping with malicious intent. "She is an artificial recreation of our Master! Zeref!"

Atlas' eyes widened. "She's what?!"

"Though she is still imperfect. She was created using a combination of curses and cells from our Master gathered from various places. Unfortunately the cells were damaged. Which is why she is in the sorrowful state she is now."

"What possible reason would you have to do such a thing?"

"Is it not obvious? We aim to fulfill our Master's ambitions. We first thought of waiting for our Guild Master to finally return, but this one became bored of waiting and decided to improvise. This is why we need you."

"What purpose do I serve in this horrid experiment?"

"Our Lord Zeref seems to have an affinity for a dragon slayer named Natsu Dragneel. So we aimed to implant dragon slayer magic within our creation, but it proved to be a much more taxing procedure than we thought. What luck that a fire dragon would still be lurking around now."

Atlas gritted Aura's teeth in anger. "You plan to make me part of this patchwork of a girl?"

"Yes." Kyôka nodded. "Your essence will disappear, but all of your magical energy will be implanted into the creation."

"What of the child I'm in now? What happens to Aura?"

"Regrettably, the child will feel unimaginable pain from having her magical energy drained from her body. In the worst case she will be rendered comatose, at worst she will perish altogether."

"I will not allow this!" Atlas barked.

Kyôka smirked. "Threats made in vain. This one knows you do not possess enough strength to escape. It would be best if you accept your fate."

I don't want to die, Atty. Aura sobbed. I want my Mama and Papa. Why haven't they saved me from the bad people? I wanna go home. I don't wanna be scared anymore. Aura began to shut down, distressing Atlas.

Get ahold of yourself, child! I promised I would let nothing happen to you. Trust in me.

Kyôka spoke to Lamy without turning her gaze away from Aura. "Start the machine."

"Okie dokie!" Lamy saluted. The bunny girl hopped to a control console between the two chambers and grabbed the black lever. "Operation Dragon Drain is a go!" she pulled the lever down and the chambers began glowing.

Atlas could feel a tingling sensation within his spirit being. What is this?

Aura clutched her stomach. My tummy hurts, Atty. It hurts really bad! What's happening?

My strength…it's fading away. Aura! Are you ok?!

Make it stop, Atty! It hurts! Aura pleaded desperately. She then screamed in pain, her eyes glowing again and her mouth opening wide. A red stream of light exited Aura's mouth and flowed through a tube that connected her pod and Hela's. The flow of light wrapped around the creation before slowly seeping into her body. Aura then closed her eyes slowly, her consciousness fading as her body floated in the liquid.

"The process is complete!" Lamy chirped as the machine powered down. "100% integration!"

Kyôka grinned in satisfaction. "At last."

"Where does the story lead next, Mistress?" Sayla inquired.

"This one will see how things with Face are progressing."

"What of the human child?"

"She is of no more use to us. We can return her to her mother…after she reveals Jellal's location."

Kyôka exited the laboratory. "Come with me, Sayla."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Lamy, continue work on Jackal and Tempesta's regeneration, as well as Mirajane and Minerva's reconfiguration."

Three more Lamy's appeared next to the one already there. "Yes ma'am!" they said in unison.

Kyôka and Sayla returned to the room they shared, the former sitting upon the couch close to the bed as the latter stood across from her. "You say you know which three humans constitute Face's ward?" Sayla questioned.

"Precisely." Kyôka boasted. "Even this one will concede that the former chairman's Super Archive is an impressive magic."

"Does this mean we no longer need to exert energy on extermination missions?" Sayla wondered.

"In a way." Kyôka answered. "Two of the three have already been removed by us. The remaining link is Jellal. Once we rid ourselves of him, we will be able to activate Face."

"A magic pulse bomb." Sayla mused. "It seems like a most frightening weapon."

"And yet we require it."

"I am well aware of that. How close are we to finding this...Jellal?"

"That depends on Erza." Kyôka chuckled.

"Loosening lips is your specialty, Mistress. I am surprised she has lasted this long. We have captured both her friend, as well as her daughter."

"In honesty, your Macro would be more effective in coercing her, but that method offers too little sport for this one. That being said, we must prevent Fairy Tail from meddling further."

"I have taken care of that, Mistress." Sayla smiled lovingly. "I have crafted the perfect ending for Fairy Tail's story."

Kyôka looked at her subordinate with satisfaction. "Come here, Sayla. You have been deprived of this one's affections for far too long." She lead her to the bed.

"Mistress Kyôka." Sayla breathed.


Jellal crashed against the ground from the force of Angel's attack.

"Jellal!" Meldy called out. Oracion Seis had gained the upper hand, and Meldy was powerless to help. Everytime she tried, Jellal would always push her away and insist on doing it on his own.

Jellal rose to one knee. "Get out of here, Meldy!"

"But...I can't just leave you here by yourself!"

"This is something I have to do on my own!" he insisted. Racer and Cobra rushed him again.

"Nobody's taking our freedom from us again!" Racer proclaimed.

"Nobody!" Corba added.

They both punched Jellal, who managed to block. Racer zoomed around and kicked him in the back of the neck while Cobra pushed him back with his poison claws.

"The chains that bind us are no more!" Angel declared, summoning more cherubs.

"Our paths began in a dark tower..." Macbeth began. "We thought ourselves freed by Brain, but it was a false freedom!"

Jellal remained on the defensive as Macbeth continued his speech.

"We were torn away from our families, and for that reason we cursed the world. We were nothing, mere pawns used to bind Zero. But now...our true freedom is right before our eyes...and we will-"

"I will free you!" Jellal shouted. His body glowing from his Meteor spell, he evaded Racer's kick and countered with a punch to the speed wizard's face and slammed him into the ground much to the shock of Oracion Seis. "The 'freedom' you think you have now is still a lie!" He then zoomed past Cobra, his target being Macbeth. "As long as you continue to be mired in darkness, it always be a lie!"

Macbeth's eyes narrowed. "You dare...?!"

A few kilometers away from the battle, the marks on the face of the felled Brain began to erode away. He then opened his eyes, a sadistic smile flashing across his features. Zero had been awakened once again.


Kyôka returned to Erza's cell, eager to continue her 'enjoyment'. "You have finally awakened." The demon smiled.

"My…daughter…Aura" Erza muttered, not looking up.

"There is no need to worry." Kyôka smirked. "She is perfectly safe."


Next chapter is up. This one was kinda dark, well in fact the entire arc is that way and there is more to come. I know this one is shorter than the one before it, but I kinda wanted to just focus on what's happening to Natsu and his family (as well as Jellal). Hela's purpose has been fully revealed (She will also be undergoing a name change eventually. As of now she has no name, but I just keep using Hela since that's easier to right for all of you).

Don't know when the next chapter will be up. Have other things to work on, but I promise it won't be too long.

As always, leave a review, let me know what you think and thanks for reading! :)