Ultrear stared at the damage done to the apartment complex. Her hands began to clench into fists, and she wanted to throttle Ivan for getting in the way of her life. He was going to get them all killed if he weren't more discreet. That man got on her last nerves, and she thought he won every damn day she didn't kill him in his sleep. Ultrear knew she was just as powerful as he was despite being years younger. Ivan was a force to be reckoned with, but she had clawed her way onto the Magic Council. By no means could that have been mistaken as an easy feat. A part of her was still annoyed with him for using them in the ultimately futile incident at the Tower of Heaven. She knew as well as anyone that she never could have resurrected Zeref. That R-System had represented one thing to her: the chance to see her mother again. Zeref had only been a means to an end, although he wouldn't seem to leave her alone even now. Ultrear was infuriated every time he entered her consciousness, just as infuriated as she was with Ivan for stepping on her toes time and time again.

"I'm going to kill that good-for-nothing son of a bitch," Ultrear muttered to herself, briefly glancing over her shoulder to make sure she was still alone. "Some day."

"What the hell happened here?"

Ultrear narrowed her eyes at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice. So far as she had been concerned, their deal was off. She had far more important concerns than talking his brat into coming home.

"Jude," Ultrear said, not bothering to turn around and meet his gaze. "If you want your daughter back so badly, maybe try talking to her yourself."

"Lucy wants nothing to do with me," He said grimly. "But she's my own family now, isn't she? You know, if you —"

"Forget it," Ultrear said hardly, her back still turned. "I'm not particularly interested."

Jude raised an eyebrow and stepped in front of her. Ultrear pursed her lips, waiting for him to speak. She never liked it when people wasted her time. Glancing at the glowing marks on her wrists, she zapped Zeref right back for trying to get in her way. The last few weeks had changed her, at least, in seeing the way Jellal had changed. She wouldn't be able to shake Zeref quite yet, but that was her ultimate project. She deeply questioned her change in heart, but she couldn't help it when she remembered she needed to be there for Wendy or when she saw how gentle Jellal was with her. He was gentle with both of them, actually.

"Yes," Jude conceded with a note of superiority to his voice. Ultrear frowned, disliking the way he removed her from her thoughts. "But what if I made you an offer you couldn't refuse?"

Ultrear laughed dryly. "Oh?" She said, turning on her heel with a glare. "In that case, I believe I'm listening."

Erza managed to heave herself onto a bench in the guild hall but nearly passed out in exhaustion in the process. To little surprise, Lucy, Natsu, and Gray were the first at her side, trying to steady her. They were quickly joined by Caity, Siegrain, Laxus, and Hisui. All around them, the rest of the guild was humming about what could have possibly happened, let alone where in the town. The jovial mood had been lost, and it was clear that something was very wrong. Erza was one of the strongest in the guild. It would take quite a bit of power to put her in such a state. Makarov sat on top of the bar, frowning. He immediately wanted to blame his son, given the way Ivan had mercilessly tried to kill them in the Tower of Heaven months before. Yet, now, he came up short. There was simply no clear answer as to what in the hell had happened here.

"I'm a reckless fool," Erza said in between her heavy breaths. "I...I never should have tried to take her back myself."

Laxus raised an eyebrow, exchanging a nervous look with Hisui. "We're going to need more context than that."

Erza swore upon Lucy applying a bit of ointment to the cuts on her arms. The stinging sensation was almost unbearable, just like the ringing in her ears.

"I was...I…" Erza took a moment to collect her thoughts before forcing herself to go on. "I tried to take my daughter back myself."

Lucy dropped the tube of ointment she'd been holding in shock. Natsu let out a small war whoop, for which Gray smacked him upside the head. Laxus sighed, both unsurprised and bewildered by her behavior while, by his side, Hisui gave Erza a sympathetic look. Siegrain shook his head and gave his wife a squeeze. She merely stared at Erza before speaking.

"Kidnapping?" Caity remarked dryly. "You thought kidnapping your daughter would be a good idea?"

"Until I know for myself why Ultrear is in town, I would like her to be away from Wendy," Erza scowled at her. "Don't be so damn patronising. I may not have known about my daughter until recently, but at least I'm trying to be a mother."

"Still," Caity countered. "That's illegal."

Natsu snorted. "Like you've ever cared about what's legal."

She nearly pushed him back with her magic but Siegrain restrained her. The last thing they needed was a brawl.

"That doesn't explain why you look like you were in a knife fight," Laxus said mildly. "How exactly did that happen?"

"I crashed through a glass window down two stories," Erza weakly turned towards Gray. "I need a drink."

Gray rolled his eyes but went and got her a glass of wine nonetheless. He all but slammed it down in front of her. Erza didn't even flinch. After a long minute, she started to drink. Never before had the numbing sensation that enveloped her entire body felt so good.

"You fought Ultrear?" Hisui incredulously pressed.

Erza grimaced. "No. I fought someone strange. I've never seen anything like it, but they fought with shadows. I could barely tell what was happening until I was crashing into the streets."

Hisui eyed her sharply. "I don't understand how that could be possible."

"I've seen it before," Laxus admitted, albeit hesitantly. Much go his surprise, Siegrain nodded.

"I have too," Siegrain told them, holding his wife tightly in his arms. "Only by one person. A reclusive witch named Constance. Of everyone on the Magic Council, I'm the only one who has ever seen her face except for maybe Ultrear herself."

Laxus turned to him in shock. "I've heard that name before."

"Did you see her use that kind of magic?" Hisui asked. Her nerves were rising in her chest, and she did not object when he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I've only seen my father use shadow arts," He sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "We don't have much to go on."

"It's plenty!" Natsu declared. "This person is probably still in the city, which means —"

Lucy grabbed him by the collar of his vest before he could run off and find someone to punch.

"Look what they did to Erza," She told him. "I don't think any of us would stand a chance against them."

"It's odd," Caity noted, grazing her fingers over some of the cuts on Erza's hands. "This energy signature is familiar. Familiar to the one of Lord Greymatter's tome, actually."

They all turned to her in horror. Siegrain pulled her a little closer. Hisui tensed, her hand tightening around Laxus' while he glanced to Erza's wounds. Lucy was visibly disturbed, Gray couldn't even strip like he would in any tense scenario, and Natsu took on a dark look in his eyes. This was anything but child's play.

"I don't like the sound of that," Erza said, her hands shaking despite herself. "No, I don't like that at all…"