Chapter Thirty
Chaos.
That was the only word that could be used to describe the scene inside the Cult of Zeref's tower as the slaves rose up to fight for their freedom. Underfed, overworked, and clothed in rags, it seemed as if the slaves would be overwhelmed shortly as they rushed in against their oppressors. However, one thing gave them hope, gave them spirit, and gave them strength.
"Push forward!" Erza yelled as she took down slaver after slaver with her sword, her shield moving around almost effortlessly to block whip and rod strikes from her oppressors. Their desire for freedom rekindled by this ten year old girl, the only ones that weren't down in the thick of it had been ordered to break off and free the others from their cells. So fierce were her strikes, so strong her presence, that the slavers found themselves torn between trying to focus their attacks on her to take her down and staying far enough away to avoid her. Those that tried to converge found that they had more to contend with than only her abilities.
"Take this!" Simon yelled as he struck slaver after slaver with one of their rods. He fought as if possessed; doing everything in his power to make sure nothing happened to the girl in front of him. His dark eyes glinted with determination as he desperately blocked blows or dodged around whip strikes.
Nearby, Milliana and Sho pelted rocks at the slavers, unsure of their ability in close quarters combat but determined to do their part as well. The young duo's accuracy was unnerving as rock after rock found their mark, throwing off the attention of slavers despite not actually knocking them out. "That's enough!" One larger man yelled as he rushed in at Milliana and struck down hard with his rod. "Nya!" Milliana screamed in panic as she closed her eyes.
She heard a familiar sound, a rod striking flesh, but felt no pain as she also heard a familiar grunt. "After all this time, you bastards need to hit harder to bother me anymore!" Wally yelled and she opened her eyes in time to see him take out the slaver with a sledgehammer. "Are you okay?" He asked, blood dripping from his skull, and she nodded her head slowly. The dark-haired youth grinned before turning around to rejoin Simon in the fight.
The scene repeated itself everywhere, with slaves helping one another and working together to tear through their tormentors. "Keep going! We have them on the run!" Erza suddenly yelled as she stood on one of the platforms used to overlook their work. No one seemed to mind though as they roared with one invigorated voice as they all saw her bright red hair above the crowd.
A volley of fireballs suddenly shot into the crowd, sending dozens of people flying from the resulting explosions. Roars of victory suddenly turned to screams of fear as they all realized the same thing. "They've called in their mages!" Several people yelled as numerous figures appeared on the higher levels with staves topped with red rubies pointed down at them. "Fall back!" One person yelled unnecessarily as everyone started running for cover.
Despite the explosions going on around her, Erza refused to retreat. "Stop!" She cried out but to no avail as people continued to flee. "We can't run, not when we're this close!" Erza pleaded as Simon, Wally, Milliana, and Sho came up to her.
"Erza, we don't stand a chance against the mages like this!" Wally yelled over the explosions, Sho covering his head and tears streaming down his face. "We need to regroup and come up with a new plan!" He continued when Erza looked at him with a one-eyed glare.
"What about Jellal?" She demanded angrily. "We need to save him!" The redhead declared in a mixture of anger and desperation that took the four of them aback.
"Erza…" Simon said slowly before he looked to the side. "Do you love Jellal?" He asked and his eyes snapped back in time to see her one-eyed blink of surprise.
"Wh-what?" Erza stammered out as Wally, despite their situation, gave a small grin as Simon finally started to voice his feelings. "Why are you asking about something like that right now?" She demanded as she blushed in embarrassment before crying out when she noticed a fireball coming for her.
"Look out!" Simon yelled as he jumped forward to push her out of the way, taking the blast to the face. The brave move cost him dearly as he dropped to the ground, barely breathing with his lower jaw disfigured from the blast.
"Simon!" They all cried out as they dropped to their knees around him, and unseen by them a nearby figure that had been working their way towards them froze in shock.
Bowed by age, bowed by hopelessness, and bowed most of all by a loss of spirit, old Rob straightened for the first time in many years. Anger tightened his usually relaxed and mellow features into an expression that belonged to a man from long ago, a man with the power to do something about these overwhelming odds. "Get down!" He ordered as he rushed forward into a concentrated barrage aimed at the five children, and such was the force of his presence that they hunched down in anticipation.
Five fireballs came in as Rob jumped in the way; a movement that Erza barely tracked and took her by surprise. "Rob-jii-chan!" She screamed before freezing as Rob's arms moved in a blur. The next thing she knew all five fireballs were flying back at the mages that had launched them. Five yells of pain followed as the mages were brought down by their own magic, making the remaining seven mages pause in shock.
"What the-?" "One of the slaves is a mage!" Came the yells and all seven put their focus on Rob. Unfortunately for the elderly mage, that last barrage of reflective magic had taken its toll on his body. Sweat dripped down his face as he breathed heavily, but a glance behind him narrowed his focus again as he prepared to defend the children behind him as a volley of seven fireballs came down.
Three fireballs were repelled, taking down three more slavers, but the remaining four slammed into Rob with devastating force. "AAARRGGHH!" Rob yelled as the resulting blasts sent him sliding back, barely managing to stop before he collided with Sho. He remained standing despite the blasts for a few seconds before he dropped to his knees, spent.
"Rob-jii-chan!" Erza cried out as she ran up beside him, tears in her eye. "Are you okay? When could you do magic?" She asked the heavily breathing elder. "Wally, Sho, Milliana, get Simon out of here!" She ordered before turning her attention back to Rob as they carefully picked Simon up to get him to safety. "Come on, let's get you-" Erza started to say before a trembling hand reached up to grab her arm.
"No." Rob said with his normal contented smile back in place as sweat dripped down. "It won't do any good." He wheezed out before looking over at her. "This old man… has nothing left…" Erza's eye widened as tears started to form in her remaining eye. "Thank you child… for giving this… old fool… something to fight for… one…last…time…" The light in Rob's eyes slowly died out before he dropped down the ground, his long hair falling away from his back.
"No…" Erza said as she dropped to her knees next to him, barely noticing the strange black mark that almost completely covered his back. It seemed to be a simplistic drawing of a winged bird on top of a line. One end of the line ended in a half arrow, with the pointed part on the upper part, and the other end curved up in a way to more resemble a tail. "Rob-jii-chan…" She sobbed out before covering his head as more explosions happened around her.
"Nee-san!" Sho screamed in panic as they narrowly avoided one of the explosions while carrying Simon and something inside Erza snapped.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Erza screamed to the heavens and the very air around her seemed to warp.
"Wh-what the-? " One of the slavers stammered in confusion as he took in the sight before he and several others noticed all of the abandoned weapons nearby start to shake uncontrollably. "Is that kid- GAH!" Another started to ask before he, and dozens of others, yelled in pain as Erza's eye snapped open, filled with determined rage, and she thrust her hands out; which was immediately followed by all of the shaking weapons launching forward to take down every slaver, mages included, in the area.
The instant it was done, Erza's scream cut off as she slouched forward and barely caught herself, panting heavily. What… was that? She wondered, barely recalling what had happened.
"Erza…" Wally said as he slowly walked up to her, uncertain of what might happen. "Did… did you just do… magic?" He asked and Erza blinked in surprise at the question as more people started to walk up to her.
Ma… magic? She thought before she looked over at Rob and sniffed. "That's… that's not important." Erza said as she slowly stood up. "Magic or not… we now have our chance to be free!" She declared as she looked back at everyone, the exhaustion in her eye swallowed up by her determination. "Get everyone to the boats; we're getting out of here once I get Jellal!" She ordered and tears started to form in everyone's eyes before a loud cheer started. I'm sorry… Rob-jii-chan… Erza thought as she looked back down at him. But thank you! She finished as she turned to run up to the Punishment Room.
It didn't take her long before she arrived at the highly ornate doors that signified the torture room of the sadistic slavers. "Jellal-!" "PLEASE STOP!" Erza's cry was cut off as someone inside yelled before unleashing a long scream of pain punctuated by loud grunts. The young redhead froze in surprise, the voice sounded like her own tormentor that had ruptured her eye. Erza slowly opened the doors and she immediately homed in on the blue hair of Jellal as he stood in the middle of the room, facing away from her. "Jellal…" She said in relief. She walked in before freezing as she noticed the quivering form of the fat slaver in front of him.
"Ah, Erza." Jellal said in a casual, almost amused, tone of voice that immediately put her on edge. "I'm glad you were able to make it back." He continued as he turned around and the look on his face made her eye widen in surprise. Though he was smiling, the usual warmth and light from his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold fire that screamed of the same evil as the Cult. "From what this fat pig had to say," Jellal said before glancing back, a move that increased the slaver's shivers of terror, "it seems a little rebellion has been underway." He finished as he looked back at Erza and walked towards her.
Erza swallowed before she nodded her head and walked forward uncertainly. "Th-that's right, we've beaten them and can gain our freedom." She said and Jellal's eyes twinkled with a cynical humor before he pulled her into a hug, making her blush.
"Erza… in this world…" He started off in a gentle tone of voice before his grip tightened slightly. "There is no such thing as freedom!" He finished in a hate-filled voice that made Erza shiver in fear. "Don't you see? " Jellal asked as he suddenly spun away from her and walked back to the slaver. "This world allows scum like this to do as they please, to enslave and torture people that just want to live their lives!" He continued, his voice rising, as he stopped in front of the still cowering form. "But I have to thank you." The blue-haired youth said in a suddenly calm voice as he crouched down to look the man in the eyes. "If it wasn't for you… wasn't for all the pain and misery you put me and my friends through, I would have remained blind to the one way to obtain freedom." He said before casually reaching and dragging the man up by his collar as he stood up straight. "Zeref!" Jellal cried out before the man was sent flying back to slam into the wall. "As my thanks to you for letting me hear his voice, I'll end your suffering now!" He laughed and the man screamed before simply exploding.
"No!" Erza screamed in denial at the unnecessarily cruel act, unable to believe that Jellal was capable of such a horrible thing.
"No?" He asked in mild confusion. "Wasn't he the one that destroyed your eye?" Jellal asked and Erza hesitated before she looked down.
"Y-Yes, but… that doesn't mean I wanted him to suffer like that." She said and Jellal blinked before he sighed and shook his head.
"Erza, that's no good." The blue-haired youth said as he walked back towards her. "If you're going to able to see Zeref, you need to feel hatred as well." He lectured as he reached a hand out towards her.
"I don't want hatred!" Erza screamed, her eye closing with the force of her cry, making Jellal freeze in surprise. "What I want is to leave! Everyone is waiting for us on the boats right now!" She declared before she looked at Jellal again.
The look on his face made her step back in fear, twisted in hatred as he glared at her. "Very well… you can leave." He said softly before she was sent flying back by a heavy force she couldn't see.
"Kyaaa!" She screamed and grunted before coughing up blood as she slammed into a wall with bone-jarring force. Erza slowly started to rise before she was once again scooped up by some unseen force, only this time she was reeled back to Jellal, her throat slamming into his open palm. "J-Je…llal…" She gasped out around his iron grip, still trying to come to terms with the change that had overcome him.
"But as for the others… they're mine now." He said with an evil smirk and her one eye shot open in surprise. "Oh, don't worry." Jellal chuckled softly as he let her go, allowing her to fall to the ground and gasp for breath. "I'll take much better care of them. Beating our slaves endlessly is so counterproductive; hardly any quality work can be done. Though should you return, I'll kill them all and start over." He said as he walked past her out of the room. "They'll live in luxury, not wanting for anything as long as they continue to build this glorious tower… the Tower of Heaven…" Jellal tried out and chuckled maliciously as Erza started to get her breath back. "Perfect, with a name like that they won't be able to resist staying to ensure a true freedom." He decided before he looked back as Erza started to stand, scared but determined. "Are you still here?" Jellal asked light-heartedly before his face twisted in rage as he thrust his hand out. "Begone, and enjoy your shallow freedom!" He yelled and the next thing Erza knew she was flying through several walls and out into the ocean beyond.
Present Day
Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Juvia looked at Erza in horror as she finished her story, unable to comprehend the level of brutality they had just heard committed when she was so young. Link, however, walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder in support as she breathed deeply, the memories overwhelming her for a few seconds before she regained control. "Wh-what's with that nonsense at the end?" Sho suddenly asked as he stepped forward, his expression torn between rage and confusion. "Don't try to twist the facts, we know what you did!" He yelled as Milliana and Wally nodded their heads in angry agreement.
"What did you say?" Natsu demanded angrily as he took a few steps towards Sho, only to be stopped by an equally angry but more controlled Gray.
"You'd better explain yourself. I'm still not sure why we haven't beaten you unconscious." Gray said coldly as he glared at the blonde Card Mage. Unnoticed by him, Juvia shifted slightly in preparation to attack at his word.
"She destroyed the boats that were meant to take us to safety!" Sho shouted and Erza's eyes snapped open in shock at his words. "We were almost free! We were almost ready to go home!" He continued as he took another threatening step towards Erza, ignoring the Fire Dragon Slayer and Ice-Make Mage. "Then you destroyed the boats, almost killing all of us!" He continued and Erza's eyes were now filled with confusion. "If it wasn't for Jellal, most of us would have died for certain!" Sho was now only a few steps away from Erza, and only a gesture from her kept anyone from getting between them.
"So that's what happened." Simon suddenly sighed, immediately pulling everyone's gaze to him in surprise. "I knew something was up… but I didn't think it had been that bad." He said before slowly walking towards Erza. His large frame had no problem gently moving Sho aside so he could stand before her, looking down with gentle eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, especially after everything you had done for us." He apologized and Erza's left eye started to well with tears.
"Simon, what are you saying?" Wally demanded as he walked forward. "You don't actually believe this nonsense, do you?" He asked, though his question was tinged with a hint of desperation. "If that's true… then… then everything we've done…" The Block Mage trailed off before he shook his head.
"What makes more sense?" Simon asked as he turned to face his three friends. "That the one who had just freed us suddenly went crazy, or that the one who had been subjected to the Punishment Room had snapped?" He continued and all three locked up as the odds hit them like a slap in the face.
"But… but Jellal said that suddenly gaining magic can make you… go… crazy…" Sho trailed off as the import of that statement fully engulfed him. "Jellal… he could… do magic as well after that…" He realized in growing horror, the truth within a lie for eight years exploding in his mind.
"Then… then all that work… all those things we did… were… were…" Milliana trailed off as tears formed in her eyes before she looked at Lucy, whom she had almost killed. "I… no… our freedom…" She trailed off before she slumped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"No… no!" Sho suddenly shouted as he shook his head. "How can you believe this?" He demanded of Simon as he grabbed the larger man's arms. "How can you just accept this?" He continued and Simon looked down at his friend before smiling.
"I just chose… to keep believing in Erza." Simon answered as he rubbed the back of his head. Gray, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all grinned at each other at the simple yet powerful statement. Juvia was dumbstruck by the idea of that kind of faith lasting years while Erza brought up one hand to wipe at her tears, Link offered a small smile at the larger man's back before he took his hand from Erza's shoulder.
"Why…?" Sho whispered before he slowly dropped to his knees. "How can you believe in her so easily?" He asked, tears falling from in his eyes as he went down on his hands as well. "Why… why can't I believe in Nee-san so easily?" He choked out while Wally removed his square sunglasses to wipe at his square eyes. "What am I supposed to believe? Tell me what I'm supposed to believe!" He begged, a sentiment shared by a shaken Wally and sobbing Milliana. The mages of Fairy Tail could only look on helplessly, unsure of what to do, before Erza walked around Simon to kneel by the distraught Card Mage.
"Sho…" She started gently as she Ex-Equipped her armor to her simple blue and white blouse. "I won't tell you what to believe." She said before she put a hand on his shaking shoulder. "What I will tell you is that I never once stopped thinking about any of you, not once in all this time." Erza said and all of them, including Simon, were rocked by that statement. "It's so good to see you all again." She said with a smile as she looked at her friends.
"Nee…" Sho sobbed out before he launched himself forward to wrap her in a hug. "Nee-san!" He cried out as Erza returned his hug. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Nee-san!" He sobbed and Erza nodded her head against his.
"Of course I do. I'm so happy that you all were able to survive." She said as Milliana, Wally, and finally Simon joined in the hug, the five friends finally reunited despite the lies from long ago.
Magic Council Headquarters
"Very well, Siegrain." Org said with a sigh. "If what you say is true, then we shall have to take action at once." He agreed then looked to the other Council Members. Some were quick to agree with the Second Seat, though a couple were still skeptical.
"How can we be sure he's right?" The Third Seat, Michello, asked grumpily as he glared at the younger Council Member. Short and hunched over, the elderly mage's hair was still brown, though styled like cat ears, as was his bushy mustache and even his tail. "If we move too quickly and with too much force, we could very well start a war." He said as he pointed his cane at the tower. "You all can see what waters this tower is in, can't you?" He asked and the others blinked in confusion before they realized what he was saying.
"But if we don't-""Quiet, boy!" Michello snapped, cutting off Siegrain and making his eyes flash in anger, before he looked back at Org.
"But if he's right, we risk the darkness of Zeref returning." Org stated and Michello nodded his head briskly in agreement.
"I'm not saying to do nothing, Org." He grumbled impatiently. "What I'm saying is that we need to go over the facts and then decide, not go off half-cocked like we're Fairy Tail." He continued, getting several chuckles from the others, including from Siegrain and Ultear.
"Apologies, Michello." Siegrain said with a small bow. "I just want to make sure the importance of acting quickly and not getting mired in debate." He explained and Michello nodded his head briskly.
"Then let's use our time wisely." He said while Yajima looked on with trepidation in his eyes. Something about this just didn't feel right to him.
Akane Resort
After several minutes went by, the five reunited friends finally let go of each other and stood up; all five still smiling at their reunion. "What should we do about this Jellal?" Natsu suddenly asked, quickly taking the smiles from their faces.
"Natsu…" Lucy sighed as she covered her eyes with her right palm.
"What?" He asked defensively at her response. "This guy is still holding a bunch of other people in this tower thing, right?" Natsu went on and Gray sighed.
"The hothead has a point, not to mention that if he's really planning on trying to revive Zeref…" Gray trailed off and looked over as Juvia stepped forward.
"Juvia will go as well." The Water Mage stated firmly and Lucy offered another sigh before she looked back up and smiled.
"I can't let you guys run off without me, I'm in too." Lucy said with a nod of her head.
"Aye!" Happy declared as he pumped one paw into the air.
"No." Erza said as she Requipped back to her armor and everyone immediately looked to her in surprise. "I don't want any of you getting involved; this is something I'll take care of with Simon, Sho, Wally, and Milliana." She stated and the four named looked at each other uncertainly. They were strong, but they all knew even together that they were no match for Jellal. Erza might be as strong, but that would still possibly leave only four of them to take on the rest of the Tower.
Link stepped forward, his eyes narrowed, and shook his head in disagreement with Erza's statement; an action that caused Gray and Natsu to internally sigh in relief. If anyone was going to out stubborn Erza without getting beaten down, it was Link. "This doesn't concern you, Link, this is personal." Erza said and Link blinked as his ears twitched.
"We're partners." He said simply, reminding her that any troubles she encountered would be faced alongside with him.
"Yeah, and we're all a team now!" Natsu declared, but neither Link nor Erza seemed to notice him as they continued to lock stares.
"Very well." Erza said with a brisk nod of her head after a couple of minutes. "I am now ending our partnership, you are free to leave." She said and Link's eyes went wide in shock and pain at the abrupt tone while ears drooped limply to his neck. "I am also leaving this team, none of you are com-"
"No." Link suddenly cut in firmly before anyone could interject, though they too were still trying to process Erza's sudden declaration of her and Link's partnership being ended. "Even if… even if you no longer see as partners…" He slowly got out before swallowing against the pain in his voice. "I will not turn away." Link finished firmly and Erza's left eye twitched before she turned away, her hands tightening into fists.
"Link…" She gritted out before she took a breath and turned back. "Very well then." Erza said with an unhappy nod before her face went calm. "I had planned to have them smuggle me in as a prisoner to get to Jellal." She explained with a glance back at her four friends. "What do you propose?" She asked coolly and Link was silent for several moments, still trying to read her expressionless face, before he turned towards Simon, Milliana, Wally, and Sho while pulling out a Light Pen from his pouch.
Twenty minutes later they all stood around a magical drawing of a dissected Tower of Heaven. With its twisted body and sporadically jutting sides, the Tower of Heaven appeared very chaotic and asymmetrical. The bottom and main body of the tower were comprised of overlapping and intertwining lengths of metal tubes which wound together from the ground and straight up into the sky. The giant pipes were held together through a series of smaller tubes which linked the main sections as well as many differently sized and shaped golden decorations which looped over and around the frame of the tower, creating a chaotic image. At the top of the tower was a green sphere encased with crystal formations jutting out and a large, golden, unicorn-like horn jutting up to the sky. The interior portions they could see were more simplistic, at least from the comments from Sho.
"I would like to see you do better, Sho." Wally said as he handed the Light Pen back to Link. Sho sighed, unable to deny that the Block Mage was more of an artist than he was.
"I'm surprised that you can draw so well." Lucy said, for the blocky body didn't look like it should be able to make a pen move so gracefully.
"Oh, Wally is great at drawing." Milliana said with a wide smile. "He's always making cute cat drawings for me, they're adorable!" She declared as she hugged Wally's arm, making him lock up before bringing a hand to his fedora.
"W-Well, a dandy has to be able to do more than simply fight." He commented with a hint of red on his cheeks, unseen by Milliana, which got a grin from almost everyone in the room but Natsu, Erza, and Link. Natsu barely noticed, thinking it only a friend complimenting a friend, while Link and Erza had their entire focus on the drawing. While this wouldn't be seen as unusual to the Fairy Tail Mages, the obvious tension as they refused to look at each other was worrisome.
"Juvia, can you create a bubble underwater?" Link asked suddenly as his eyes picked up on something interesting. Juvia looked at him curiously before she nodded her head. "Here's what I propose…" He said before outlining his plan.
It started off simply enough; they would all go on the ship that Simon, Sho, Wally, and Milliana took to get here and ride it back to the Tower of Heaven. Once there, they would utilize Erza's original plan and those four would bring her in as a prisoner. After a few minutes had gone by, the others would slip off the boat into the water; where Juvia would create a bubble and take them into what had caught Link's eye, an underwater entrance. Once in the grotto; Link, Juvia, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy would attempt to sneak up to the cells to meet up with Erza and Sho.
"Why do we have to sneak around?" Natsu complained as he crossed his arms petulantly, which got a sigh of exasperation from Gray.
"It'll be like we're ninjas." Lucy said with a small smile and Natsu froze before he wrapped his scarf around his face like a ninja mask, thus ending that argument before it could truly begin.
With that out of the way, Link went on to say that the reason they would only be meeting Sho and Erza was because the other three would go up to report to Jellal that they had brought Erza back as ordered. If the others moved quickly enough, they could catch up with them before they arrived or shortly after they did and all attack Jellal together.
When Link was done, all the Fairy Tail Mages, with the exception of Erza, looked at the green-clad mage in surprise. It was, without a doubt, the longest any of them had heard Link speak before. Usually Erza would pick up on a few signals and be able to explain everything just as well, and that only seemed to make them more distressingly aware of what had happened to the bond between the two S-Class Mages. Erza, though her eyes were sharp as she continued to study the image, looked as if she was barely paying attention to the plan at all.
"Simon, I would like to ask you something." He said after a few moments of silence and the large Darkness Mage looked at him curiously. Link motioned for him to follow and led him out to the balcony, closing the door behind him. The blackout curtains completely hid them from view as Erza walked over to Wally and whispered something to him.
Wally froze before he looked over at her uncertainly. Her eyes, now filled with an urgent sorrow, stopped any argument he might have made. After what he had done despite all her efforts to free them when they were kids, he couldn't say no to her now. "Hey, what's going on?" Gray asked and Wally just grinned as he tipped his hat with his right hand.
"Nothing, Erza just wanted to check on something." He said as both Sho and Milliana suddenly jerked in surprise. They looked at each other uncertainly before their eyes hardened for a second then went back to normal. "There is something I would like to say, though." Wally continued as he brought his hand back down and there was a slight shimmer by his left hand that drew everyone's attention. "Thank you for everything." He said, a statement that had Juvia's, Gray's, Natsu's, Lucy's, and Happy's eyes widen as they realized his hand no longer had fingers.
"Nya!" Milliana shouted as she sent her Nekosoku Chubu out to grab Juvia's arm, sealing her magic, right before Wally's five digits materialized behind them and shot them with tranquilizer darts.
"Gah!" Natsu and Gray shouted in surprise before all five dropped down, unconscious, and the sound brought Link and Simon quickly running back in.
Link's eyes went wide at the scene before him before he jumped forward to avoid a shot from Wally's right arm as it materialized to his left. The attack was only a setup though, as Erza suddenly rushed forward in the instant of his distraction to deliver a punch to his stomach that made him cough up blood. "Er…Erza…" Link said weakly as he looked at her in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Link…" Erza said with only a hint of regret in her eyes. "But as I said, we are no longer partners, and I won't let any of you become involved in what happens next." She said before she chopped him in the neck with her other hand, instantly knocking him out.
"Erza, what are you doing?" Simon demanded as Erza gently eased Link to the ground before reaching for his pouch.
"Exactly what I said." She explained calmly as she stood up, a bottle with a clear liquid in her hand. "This is personal, this is something the five of us need to do alone to truly be free of Jellal." Erza said as she let her determined gaze fall upon Simon.
The iron-jawed giant looked at her uncertainly for several seconds then looked at the steely gaze of his three friends. "Very well." He said impassively with a nod of his head. "Then let's go, Jellal will become suspicious if we take too long." Simon declared, getting a nod from the others.
Five Hours Later
"DAAAAMMMNNIIIIITTTT!" A loud roar made Link jerk in both pain and surprise, instantly bringing him back to consciousness. It took him a second to get his bearings, but when he did his eyes snapped open and he looked around quickly. "I can't believe that blocky bastard shot me in the back!" Natsu continued as before he ran out to the balcony to look around. "IT'S GONE!" He roared angrily, not seeing the ship that had been part of the plan to take them to Tower of Heaven.
"Of course it is." Gray said coldly as he clenched his hands into fists. "Erza and the others are already long gone." He stated as Juvia stood up while Lucy and Happy were just starting to stir. "I can't believe it, why would Erza do something like that?" He asked no one in a suddenly heated tone.
"Erza had already said that she didn't want us involved." Juvia reminded him as Natsu ran back in and started sniffing around. "What… is he doing?" She asked and Gray's eyes snapped open as Lucy sluggishly came up to her knees, still fighting off the remainder of the tranquilizer.
"Hey hothead, do you have the scent?" Gray demanded before hesitating as Natsu let out a growl of disbelief.
"No! It's like they were never even here!" He declared angrily, trying to figure out what had happened. "Link, we need to- Link?" Natsu froze as he saw the green mage. "W-what are you doing?" He asked, anger starting to form in his confusion.
Calmly sitting on the ground, his legs crossed and forearms resting on his knees with the thumb of each hand touching its corresponding middle finger, Link appeared the epitome of calm as he took easy breaths in and out. "Erza used a potion to mask their scent." He said softly, having recognized the almost empty vial's contents that had been left out by him. "With no way of knowing where to go, it's pointless to go after them." He finished in a clinical tone before he resumed his breathing.
"But Link, we can't just abandon Erza!" Lucy said vehemently as flames erupted from Natsu's hands, his black eyes burning just as intensely with anger at Link's statement. Before he could say anything though, Link's ears were flicking violently for a few seconds as his fists tightened angrily before he calmed again; quieting everyone for several seconds.
"You knew." Gray suddenly said as he stepped forward, his gaze now cool as he stared down at Link, but got no answer or reaction this time.
"What are you talking about?" Natsu growled out, not wanting to believe what Gray meant as Lucy, Happy, and Juvia looked at Link in shock.
"You knew Erza would pull something like this, didn't you?" Gray asked but once again Link didn't respond.
After a couple more seconds Natsu suddenly came up and pulled up a still impassive Link by his tunic. "Answer the question, you bastard." He growled out, smoke literally coming from his mouth in his anger, and Link sighed before he opened his eyes and grabbed Natsu's hands to gently yet firmly take them off his tunic.
"Yes." He said simply as he stood before them, his eyes clear and focused, and it clearly took all of Natsu's willpower to not punch Link in the face.
"Juvia does not understand." The Water Mage suddenly remarked as she looked at Gray in confusion. "Juvia thought that Fairy Tail Mages never abandoned their own, called them nakama." She said and they froze in their complaints as a powerful presence suddenly filled the room. It only lasted for a second, but Happy had fallen back to the ground, Lucy had dropped to her knees, and the final three had sweat on their faces. When they looked back at Link, they saw him with his eyes closed as he once again took easy breaths.
Once Natsu shook off his surprise he walked over to Happy and Lucy to see that they were shaken but okay. Gray walked up and gently placed a hand on Link's shoulder. When he looked back, he saw Gray was no longer angry but now determined. "What's your plan?" Gray asked, something he realized he should have asked from the start, and Link's ears flicked once before he offered a sad smile.
Elsewhere
In the middle of the ocean, a ship sailed serenely through the gently lapping waves. About the size of a frigate, this ship was a dark blue in color with golden markings swirling the hull. Simon was quiet as he looked solemnly looked over the railing into the water, the full moon showing his somber expression. "Simon." Erza suddenly said from behind him and he turned back to see her looking at him solemnly. "I need you to give me that crystal." She said and Simon blinked, his single eye showing surprise and confusion at her statement. "I can see the tower; we should be there in an hour or so." She explained but Simon's confusion didn't clear.
"What crystal are you-"
"Please don't lie to me, Simon." Erza cut Simon off gently but firmly, the statement making him close his mouth with a click of his teeth. "For their sake as well as ours, we need to do this alone." She continued and Simon's eye hardened.
"This is complete foolishness, Erza." He said firmly as he looked down at her, though the difference in height did little to help him in this confrontation. "For everyone's sake, we should be using all the help that we can." Simon continued, his voice rising and getting the others' attention from their various spots on deck. "What you remember about Jellal is nothing compared to what that bastard is now capable of, the extremes he'll go to in order to achieve his goals!" He was now shouting as eight years of repressed frustration and fear started to break through.
"You're wrong, Simon." Erza said as she looked up at him calmly. "Just from one moment… from having you four sent to bring me in, knowing I would be too paralyzed to truly fight back, I know what he can do." She said before she shook her head. "But if we don't stand firm against him alone, the nightmare that he is will haunt us for the rest of our lives!" She finished off with such passion that Simon found he could say nothing to refute her words.
Wally, Sho, and Milliana stayed quiet as they watched, feeling that the winner of this argument would decide what they would do next. "I understand what you're saying Erza… even if I don't agree with it." He eventually said with a sigh before he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a small crystal with what looked like a green orb encased in it. While the other three looked at it in confusion, Erza nodded her head as she carefully took the crystal from Simon and then Ex-Equipped it. "Promise me something." He said and she looked up at him questioningly.
"Promise me that if it looks like Sho, Wally, or Milliana will die or be captured, you'll break that crystal." Simon said as he glared down at her in frustration.
Erza hesitated as she looked over towards the ever closer Tower of Heaven before she sighed. "That won't be a problem, Simon." She said before she knocked them all out in a blur of movement. "I had no intention of endangering your lives either." She explained as they all dropped to the deck. After ensuring they were knocked out, she moved to drop the anchor. "Farewell, my friends. It truly… was good to see you all one last time." She said then Requipped her Flight Armor and jumped down to run across the water in a blur of movement, her feet barely seeming to touch the gentle waves.
Simon groaned softly, having barely regained consciousness, and the only thing that kept him from passing out completely was the pain of a hard object jabbing itself against his head from within his turban.
Tower of Heaven
Up on the top of the tower, within the massive green sphere, a man that appeared to be a carbon copy of Siegrain sat on a throne, complete with the red pendent shaped tattoo over his right eye. He wore a dark blue coat, its hood over his head, with light blue edges and a shield shaped pendent hanging down from each collar and a golden symbol over the left chest area; two lines arcing up to resemble a wing and a third going out to resemble a curved tail. Under the coat he wore a high collar white shirt and dark pants tucked into black boots. "Hmm… those fools should be almost done." The man said idly with an amused smile as he propped his head up on his right fist. To his right stood a tall table with an octagonal chess board on it, empty of pieces.
A pale man to his left with long black hair garbed in a simple white robe stepped towards him. "Which fools, Jellal-sama?" He asked respectfully with a bow, getting a chuckle from the blue-haired mage.
"I suppose you have a point, Vidaldus." Jellal admitted as he looked over at him. "I have so many people moving as I determine, it can be hard to keep track." He said with a dark chuckle. "This time I'm referring to the four I sent to retrieve Erza." The tattooed man clarified after a few seconds and Vidaldus nodded his head.
"As a matter of fact, they should have arrived ten minutes ago." He corrected and Jellal paused as he sat up straight.
"Is that so?" He asked, still sounding more amused than anything else. "I must have lost track of time monitoring another part of my plan…" Jellal mused before a green circle appeared in front of him.
In the circle stood the image of a man wearing a black, hooded robe and the look on his face made Jellal's right eyebrow lift slightly. "Jellal-sama, Erza is here!" He exclaimed, something Jellal had been waiting to hear. However, the man's tone seemed to indicate that this expected step was not going according to plan.
"Is she being taken to the cells?" Jellal asked curiously then paused as the man's expression became panicked.
"No, she's tearing her way through us!" The man shouted before looking back and the image disappeared in a cry of pain.
Jellal remained motionless for several moments, his face devoid of emotion, and Vidaldus stood there patiently and waited for a reaction. "Hehehehe…" Jellal suddenly chuckled as laced his hands together in front of his face. "Unexpected… Erza." He said with amusement back in jos eyes. "To think you would have the will to actually fight back against them… perhaps I underestimated the terror I instilled in you that day…" He mused then shrugged before standing up, his hands dropping to his sides. "In the end, the fact that you're here is all that matters." He declared then looked over at the chessboard and snapped his fingers on his left hand. Immediately figures appeared on its surface; a white figure with a golden crown, a pink-haired figure wearing a white kimono top, a brown owl, a blue guitar, and two crossed swords with red blades. "Because now the game can truly begin!" Jellal declared with a bout of malicious laughter, echoed by Vidaldus' evil smile.
Into the Past: The Dragon Egg
Inside the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Link and Erza sat at a table as they ate their lunch. In front of Erza was a chicken salad, though she kept glancing at the cheesecake waiting as dessert, and Link was enjoying some glazed mushrooms and assorted fruit. "After we finish, we should continue to work on increasing our stamina." Erza said after she swallowed a bite of her salad, and Link nodded his head agreeably.
"Tomorrow let's do another job." He added and this time Erza nodded her head. It had been over a week since their last job and they were both ready for something new. They continued the rest of their meal in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Well, they were silent at least while the rest of the Guild Hall was at its usual bustle.
Suddenly the doors burst open and young Natsu came rushing in. "Look what I found!" He yelled as he brandished a huge white egg with blue claw-like markings on it and Link offered a small sigh as his ears flicked a couple of times from the sudden yell. The young Dragon Slayer had only been a part of Fairy Tail for a couple of months and already he had caused more damage to his ears than the rest of the Guild together, and that was saying something.
"You've finally done something useful, Natsu." Gray said when he turned around in his stool, wearing only his boxers, when he saw the giant egg. "That's going to make one hell of an omelet." He said as he licked his lips.
"No way!" Natsu shouted as he shifted his body to put himself between the egg and Gray. "This is a dragon's egg, and I'm gonna hatch it!" He declared and everyone looked at him in surprise except for Link, who locked up before looking over to glare at the egg.
"Fufufu… Natsu sure has an imagination." Erza chuckled softly when she looked back over and blinked at the look of anger on Link's face. She barely heard Makarov comments on the importance of bringing life into the world as Link stood up, his face resolute, and walked over to Natsu.
"To hatch an egg, I just need to warm it up?" Natsu asked as he tilted his head to the side before grinning. "Like this?" He asked as flames shot from his mouth to engulf the egg, only to be quickly snatched away by Lisanna, her short hair and pink dress ruffling with her quick movements.
"Not like that!" The young girl scolded as held it protectively away from the pink-haired fire hazard. "Like this." Lisanna said then closed her eyes. "Animal Soul: Bird!" She declared and was engulfed in light. The light cleared to show her in the form of a large, rainbow-colored bird; its neck long and thin yet muscular, yellow beak gracefully curved in the manner of a gatherer, and long tail feathers seemed to sparkle in the light. "Like this." She explained as she tucked the egg under her right wing and Natsu let out a noise of understanding and awe at her appearance.
"My parakeet…" Elfman suddenly sobbed and brought his hand up to rub at his eyes, the tears slightly staining the left sleeve of his blue suit, as he recalled his missing pet and Mirajane offered a small sigh before she patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.
"It needs to be destroyed." Link said as he walked up to Lisanna and everyone looked at him in surprise as he continued to glare at the egg, his expression causing the young girl to shift uncomfortably even as she moved to hide the egg from Link's view.
"No!" Natsu shouted as he got between Lisanna and Link, his gaze determined, and the blonde paused to look at him.
"It's evil." Link said and Makarov's right eyebrow lifted as he rubbed his chin speculatively.
"It's not even hatched, you don't know that!" Natsu shouted back and Link's ears and eyes twitched with repressed emotion, something that was making most of the Guild Hall curious.
"It's a dragon; it only will bring destruction and death." Link insisted, his usual soft voice now sharp as he clenched his left hand.
"Igneel was a dragon, don't you dare say that!" Natsu roared before he ran in to punch Link in the face. The young Hylian blocked the attack, but his face grew troubled as he looked into the anger and indignation on Natsu's face. He had forgotten Natsu's claim to be raised by a dragon, had forgotten his insistence in finding his lost "father". But still, he could not forget what had been inflicted on his Sworn Brother and his people by another dragon.
"Link, you need to calm down." Erza said as she came up to push the two apart, making them both stumble, and he looked at her for a few seconds, obviously torn, before he ran out of the Guild Hall. "Link!" She yelled in surprise, but the green-clad mage was already gone.
"What… the hell was that about?" Gray asked in confusion, a sentiment echoed by everyone else.
Magnolia Forest – Six Hours Later
The sun was starting to move towards later afternoon as Natsu followed Lisanna through the large trees. "I'm going to get Link back for that…" Natsu grumbled, still angry about the insult to Igneel, and Lisanna gave him a pat on the back.
"It'll be okay, Link usually is a good guy, remember?" She asked and Natsu grunted. Though he had only known him for a little bit, Natsu couldn't deny that Link's attitude had taken him by surprise. He sort of noticed how surprised everyone else was as well, but that meant little to the Dragon Slayer. "Ah! This place is perfect!" She announced as they came up to a hill and Natsu looked around the egg in his arms before looking at her questioningly. "Hold on." She said brightly as she skipped ahead then paused and closed her eyes. "Animal Soul: Rabbit!" The Takeover Mage declared and was surrounded by a bright light. When it cleared, it was revealed she had turned into a ten foot tall pink rabbit.
"That's so cool!" Natsu declared and Lisanna blushed as she rubbed the back of her head with her right paw.
"Anyways, just wait." She said then turned around and got to work. In a few minutes, she had created a large den with an opening just large enough for them to go in one at a time with the egg. "Tada!" She declared as she changed back with a bow and Natsu accordingly put the egg down to applaud.
"This is awesome, now we have a home for the egg!" Natsu said happily then paused as Lisanna put a finger up and moved it back and forth.
"Not quite, first we need to make a door." She said and Natsu blinked before he grinned and took off into the forest. This time it was Lisanna that was taken by surprise as she went up to grab the egg and looked out curiously.
Ten minutes went by before Natsu came back with a curtain made of entwined grasses. "Here we go, a door!" He said. Lisanna blinked as looked at Natsu curiously. "Igneel showed me how to make one, though I never needed to actually do it before now." Natsu said with a wide smile and got an answering smile from Lisanna.
The rest of the day was filled with them playing together with the egg, always careful to watch it and keep anything from happening to it, and as the sun started to set they went back to their "home". When they were almost there, Lisanna ran up ahead. "Wait here." She said and went through the grass door first. Natsu blinked, his head tilting to the left curiously, as he waited a few seconds. "Come in." Lisanna finally said and Natsu carefully walked inside. "Welcome home." She said brightly as she knelt on the ground by the door, and Natsu blinked as he looked at her in surprise. "Wel. Come. Home." She repeated in an irritated voice.
Natsu jerked at her tone before nodding his head. "I… I'm home." He returned uncertainly and her smile came back full force.
"You know, Natsu." Lisanna started off as they sat on each side of the egg. "You're a really nice guy under all that yelling." She said and he looked over at her curiously. "Usually you're just being loud and obnoxious, challenging Erza and Mira-nee, but today you were cute as you took care of the egg." She explained with a giggle and Natsu's expression soured.
"I'm not cute." He pouted as he crossed his arms sullenly and looked away, getting another giggle from the youngest Strauss sibling.
They continued to talk until the sun had fully set and the moon could be seen in the sky. "I think we should get some sleep. " Lisanna said with a yawn, and Natsu nodded with a yawn of his own.
"Keep the egg warm… like this…" Natsu said sleepily as he rolled to his side to carefully hug the egg, and after a tired giggle Lisanna did the same.
An hour went by and Link quietly came in through the grass door to stare at the egg. Natsu had rolled away from the egg at this point, and Lisanna had settled more into cuddling beside it. The young blonde barely registered that though, as he could only focus on the dragon egg. Images of the young Goron named after him crying for his father, Link's Sworn Brother, and the beaten images of the other Gorons trapped in cells waiting to be devoured played through his mind.
I need to destroy it… it could be another Volvagia… Link thought as he looked at it.
"Igneel was a dragon, don't you dare say that!" Natsu's angry roar suddenly went through his mind, and Link finally looked down at the peacefully sleeping child. "Igneel…" He mumbled and Link's ears flicked once as his eyes widened slightly at the happy tone.
Link was truly torn by this point and didn't know what to do. Suddenly an image of Ganondorf appeared to him, followed by the image of him aiming down an arrow at a Gerudo standing guard at a large stone complex in a vast desert; the same determination to take down a threat going through his body. He blinked in surprise and a small gasp escaped from him, and when he looked at the egg again his eyes became determined as he walked forward.
Fairy Tail – Following Morning
Gray sighed as he played with his scrambled eggs in a disinterested manner. Damn Natsu… now I'm not even in the mood to eat my eggs… He grumbled mentally, for Natsu's strong rebuttal concerning the safety of his egg had temporarily rubbed him of his desire to eat any.
"Gray!" A loud roar from said person was heard as the doors burst open to reveal a visibly upset Natsu and Lisanna. "You bastard!" Natsu roared when he saw what was on Gray's plate, but he only got a confused look from the Ice-Make Mage.
"What is it now?" He asked then barely dodged in time to avoid a small fireball. "What the hell?" He shouted as he rolled back to his feet. "Isn't it bad enough your stupid egg obsession won't let me eat any other eggs?" Gray demanded and Natsu froze.
"Wait… you're not eating my egg?" He asked, surprise reflected in his onyx eyes, and Gray blinked when he noticed Natsu didn't have his egg with him.
"Where is it?" Gray asked and paused uncertainly as tears started to form in Natsu's eyes.
"Erza!" Lisanna called out as she noticed the young Requip Mage, and the redhead looked over at her questioningly. The thing that truly worried her was that a certain someone wasn't with her. "Do you know where Link is?" She asked and Natsu looked over in a panic as everyone's eyes widened at the implication, Erza included.
"No… I haven't seen him since he stormed off yesterday." She said slowly and despair washed over Natsu as he slowly sank to his knees. He… he couldn't have… Erza thought before she remembered the pulse of anger that had come from him when talking about dragons after Natsu first arrived.
"Our… our egg…" Natsu stammered and tears came to his eyes, certain that it was gone forever, as the door behind him opened up.
"Natsu, Lisanna, are you here yet?" Elfman asked as he walked in and everyone looked over. "There you are. I wasn't sure if you would be here or not." He said with a gentle, nervous smile as Link walked in behind him, carrying the large egg.
"Our egg!" Natsu shouted happily as he looked at Lisanna, who was smiling back with equal fervor, before he got up and rushed at Link; who held the egg out before him. "Why did you take it?" He snapped as he quickly took the egg back and started to look for damage.
"It looks like you move around in your sleep." Elfman said and Natsu froze in his inspection. "You had moved too far away from the egg, the night chill could have killed the embryo." He said which caused Natsu and Lisanna, as well most everyone else watching the drama, to look at Link questioningly. "I found the den last night, wanting to check on Lisanna, and when I found the egg missing tracked Link's scent with Beast Soul." He went on as Link stayed silent. "I found him talking with the egg, wrapped up in a couple of blankets to keep it warm." He said and Natsu blinked in surprise as Erza came up. "When I sat down as well to keep him company, he pulled out something and played a song…" Elfman trailed off as he closed his eyes. "It was fast and powerful; it made me think of a volcano ready to erupt." He said with a smile while he opened his eyes back up.
"But… I thought you wanted to destroy the egg…" Natsu trailed off and Link's ears flicked as he looked to the side before returning his gaze to Natsu and Lisanna as she walked up next to the pink-haired mage.
"I was wrong." He said and Erza stopped in surprise, only a few feet away. "I forgot something important…" Link trailed off as his eyes assumed a far-off look.
Link's eyes were sharp as he aimed down the arrow at the unsuspecting red haired Gerudo guard from his cliffside vantage point. The guard suddenly yawned in the moonlight before resuming her vigilant guard, her eyes scanning the wasteland before her. The Hero of Time continued to wait for several minutes, easily holding his pose, but eventually he lowered the bow without taking the shot; his eyes now uncertain.
"Link, are you sure?" Navi asked quietly, safely tucked in his tunic with her light as dim as she could make it to avoid being seen, and he slowly nodded. "Then we'll need to be extra careful in sneaking in." She said and this time got a quicker nod from the blonde in agreement.
Two Days Later
Link sat around a campfire outside the same compound with multiple Gerudo, all of them equally alluring in their revealing attire and highly toned yet curved bodies, and clapped along to a high tempo song while several others danced about in high speed, graceful, and sinuous movements to the beat. A smile was on his face as Navi sat on his shoulder, also enjoying the party, before he pulled out the Ocarina of Time and joined in the song; much to the delight of the highly energetic women as they cheered his playing.
Link blinked then returned his attention to the waiting young mages. "What you are does not determine who you are. One evil person does not mean an entire people are evil. " He said, his words making everyone blink in surprise, and then bowed forward. "I'm sorry." He apologized, his voice full of regret at his previous actions, and Lisanna walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay." She said with a bright smile and Erza walked up to stand by Link. "Thank you for taking care of our egg." Lisanna said and Natsu offered a happy sound of agreement as he nodded with a wide smile on his face.
"Though I hope you have an equally good explanation as to why you missed our practice yesterday afternoon." Erza said with a glare and Link froze before swallowing nervously, getting a laugh from Natsu.
"You know, I think I'll definitely call us even now." He said with another laugh that everyone echoed as Link looked over at Erza and brought his hands up in a placating gesture, his ears low.
Suddenly a loud cracking sound could be heard and everyone looked at the egg in surprise to see several long cracks appear along its side. Everyone's eyes went wide as smaller cracks started to appear before Natsu looked over at Link. "Hey! Play that song Elfman was talking about!" He demanded and Link looked over at him questioningly. "It sounds like the perfect song to say hi to a baby dragon!" He said and Link paused before he nodded his head with a grin and brought out the Fairy Ocarina.
Du du du du, du du du du
The song started off, quick and powerful notes that immediately brought images of Igneel to Natsu, and Link continued to play the Bolero of Fire as more cracks continued to form. Everyone was getting caught up in the melody, their hearts beating fast in anticipation, when the egg suddenly broke apart. White wings spread to reveal a blue… cat.
Link stopped playing as everyone blinked in surprise as the blue cat flew up and slowly drifted to land on Natsu's head, its eyes drooping from the exhaustion of hatching. No one quite knew what to make of it when Natsu cheered happily. "The egg hatched!" He cheered as he pumped his right arm into the air and Lisanna giggled as she reached up to pet the cat.
Makarov sat up at the bar and thrust his mug into the air. "To new life!" He declared and everyone cheered out as several others thrust their own mugs up to join in the toast. Everyone started laughing as some walked up to congratulate Natsu and Lisanna on a job well done caring for the egg.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Lisanna asked as she watched everyone celebrating and Natsu looked over at her curiously. "Just by being here, this little one has made everyone so happy." She said then giggled as she looked up at the napping cat. "He's like a blue bird of happiness." She said and Natsu blinked as, if on queue, Elfman was suddenly jumping in joy as he held up a blue parakeet.
"My parakeet is back!" He yelled happily as he celebrated anew.
"I could have sworn it was red…" Mirajane said before quietly before offering a happy smirk at her brother's exuberance.
"That's it, then." Natsu said as he grabbed the cat and held it up. "His name will be Happy." He declared with a wide grin.
"Aye!" It suddenly said in a squeaky voice as it raised one paw up, its eyes still closed, before the paw went limp again as it passed back out.
"Happy the dragon!" Natsu finished as Lisanna looked up in surprise at the talking cat, as was everyone else who had been close enough to hear it.
While everyone was still celebrating, Link looked on with a hint of sadness in his eyes. Erza put a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked over to offer a small smile. "That was well done, Link." Makarov said as he seemed to appear next to them, making them both jerk in surprise. "It's not easy to overcome a strong anger like the one you bore." He said with a proud smile as he looked up at Link, making his ears droop as he scratched his left red cheek in embarrassment. "Take heart, and don't think on what almost happened." Makarov said as he extended his left hand up to pat him on the shoulder. "Instead, focus on what you actually helped to achieve with your actions." He finished as he motioned at the laughter still going on as Natsu danced in sync with Elfman, both of them showing off their blue companions.
Link didn't move for several seconds as he absorbed Makarov's words, before a true smile finally came to his face. "Fitting for a dragon." He said quietly as he brought the ocarina up to once more play the Bolero of Fire, to Natsu's roaring approval.
*bursts out from a closet wearing banana leaves as clothes* Which one of you rolled a five or an eight?
I almost wish I had a reason as good as that, though on the other hand just as glad as I don't.
Honestly, my reason for this delay and assumed (not that I can blame anyone) abandonment of this story? I had writer's block on the flashback for the revolt. The thing that by all logic should have been the easiest thing to type out. For some reason though, nothing felt right. That and some moves within a year time frames, crazy work schedule, two computers dying on me and removing what progress I had been making so I had to start from scratch with a memory as sharp as a porous sponge, made this more aggravating that it should have been. Most aggravating part? I was finally able to sit back down and start on it, AGAIN, from scratch. It literally took me a week. A *&^*& ^*&^ WEEK TO GET THIS DONE! Everything just suddenly flowed smoothly, I don't know how else to explain it.
Okay, enough about my ineptitude. No, this story is not abandoned and I'm very much hoping to have this updated by end of February at the latest. I appreciate the patience, or at least lack of threatening me.
So, regarding the poll about Lisanna. Overwhelming number say yes, so I will be bringing her back at some point. I would like to explain my dislike about it, at least. Mild spoilers if you've just started watching/reading Fairy Tail recently. First thing, I went through Fairy Tail the first time with the manga. I'm not saying manga is superior to anime, but there was a key difference that threw me for a loop and left me no reasonable way, even reading through it again after the fact, to set up for this like had been dropped in the anime. There was no word I could recall about her body having never been found, which by itself wouldn't be such a big deal. No, the big thing for me was the change of how Rob died to explain how Lisanna seeming to disintegrate in front of Mirajane being plausible. In the manga, Rob died in a similar manner as in my chapter; NOT by exploding into fragments by overuse of magic, though I did like how his final moments showed as more of a badass in the anime. Even if, IF, I would accept that overuse of magic could allow that to happen, how was Lisanna, not even breathing hard or sweating, to be said to have overused her magic to such a degree that a backhand would have caused her to come apart at the seams? Mirajane obviously took quite a few blows from the Beast and did not seem to be in danger of disintegrating. Furthermore, Edolas Erza vs Earthland Erza. The ending of their fight was literally about having no magic left and still being able to live and fight while riding a floating island crashing to the ground; like the boss she truly is. Furthermore, and this will sound cold so please forgive me, what was the point? Don't get me wrong, the Strauss sibling reunion was very touching and happy to see. But before she "died", she and Natsu had been very close. Other than his initial joy at finding her, I've barely seen him spend that much time with her; still mostly with Lucy. As much as I would have hated to see a romance triangle, assuming Natsu had the mental capacity to understand one, it would have at least given more impact for Lisanna's return other than, "Cool, she's back. Now how about next week's spades tournament?" Again, this is why I personally did not like it. I like her character, I truly do, and if I had been thinking more about it when I first started this story I probably would have thought about a way to have her not be dead. But how she was brought back, I did not like in the slightest. So yeah, I'm gonna have to find a different way to be able to make it work.
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.
Till next time.