Chapter 16

'Thinking' – thoughts

"Speaking" – speech

'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking

"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.

Monxu Aki: I will not be going into detail about that just yet, but I am glad that you liked it.

Amanny: I hope I didn't disappoint in the way I developed Erza's character in this chapter, and I'm glad you like the way I played this arc out.

Issou: Thank you very much, I hope you keep on reading.

Vincent blames: I have an idea as to how I will set up the events concerning the Battle for Fairy Tail Arc. My last team is on the 2nd of December and the next week is for supplementary exams if that is needed, so up until then, my updates will be unpredictable at best.

NinjaFang1331: Glad you liked it.

-With Natsu on top of the tower-

Natsu watched as Ultear and the others quickly made their way out of the tower. He walked to the edge of the tower and waited until he saw them exiting the tower and getting in a boat. 'Good they are out of the way, now I can focus on dealing with this problem,' Natsu thought to himself as he looked at the lacrima that was beginning to become unstable.

Natsu closed his eyes and began concentrating on the massive amount of raw magical energy beneath his feet. 'This lacrima will not be able to hold the magic contained for a long enough time to allow me to drain it all," Natsu thought as he studied the lacrima.

Natsu started draining as much of the raw magical energy from the lacrima as he could. The light blue lacrima began to dim as the power was absorbed by Natsu. 'If I keep up this rate I will have enough power to destroy the tower just before it becomes too unstable. Good thing I entered Dragon Force,' Natsu summarised as he felt his magic container overflowing with magical energy.

'This will at least require a few days of resting before I will be back in action, well here's hoping Ultear will get me somewhere to rest soon.' Natsu sighed as he began covering his fist in the energy he absorbed.

"Death Dragon Force Art: Eradication Impact" Natsu called out as he readied his fist that was now radiating pure magical energy. He smashed his fist into the tower which caused the tower to tremble. The massive amount of energy he put into the hit caused a geyser of Death Dragon Magic to erupt behind him and into the sky.

The spell Natsu used was one of the strongest spells a Dragon Slayer could learn, and it was only achievable when the slayer enters Dragon Force. The spell consumes such a large amount of magic that the only way for a mage to possess enough magical energy was to overload their magic containers.

The Tower of Heaven began to crumble under the overwhelming force of the blow Natsu dealt. The magical energy that was stored in the lacrima exploded due to the lacrima crumbling. The resulting explosion from the release of the energy along with the blow curtesy of Natsu caused large waves to form around the island.

Natsu began to fall with due to the tower crumbling beneath him but thanks to his wings he managed to gently float down to the ground. He would have liked to fly towards the boats that held the other mages but due to his depleted magic containers, he could only manage to not crash into the island. Natsu landed unceremoniously and stumbled until he fell and decided to just wait there until either Ultear returns or he managed to regain enough energy to start walking. Natsu laid his on some the ground and stared up at the beautiful night sky.

Natsu was on his back with a peaceful look on his face while watching the brilliant stars speckled across the vast black canvas while being surrounded by the chaotic ruins of the Tower of Heaven. A small smile spread across his face as he took a deep breath of the cool air.

It didn't take long before Natsu heard footsteps approaching but he also smelled that it was Ultear and the others so he just continued waiting for them. He felt someone kneel next to him and when he opened his eyes he was met with Ultear's worried face.

"I'll be fine, I'm just exhausted," Natsu said as he saw the worry in her eyes.

"Are you sure, what did you do?" Ultear asked as she began looking over him trying to see any serious injuries.

"I'll tell you once we get to the hotel, but for now I think I'm going to take a quick nap," Natsu said with a small smile as he closed his eyes again.

"Can you guys please help me get him to the boat?" Ultear asked the gathered mages as she bent down and lifted Natsu up with one of his arms over her shoulder. Simon quickly offered his help since he was the most capable between the other men there and together they made their way back to the boats.

The trip back to the Akane Resort was uneventful, with everyone being tired after the ordeal they went through. Erza was talking to her old friends, Ultear was looking over Natsu and the rest of the Fairy Tail mages with Juvia were all silently resting.

Ultear and Simon helped Natsu back to his room where Simon left Natsu and Ultear alone. Ultear took a seat next to Natsu on his bed and just looked at him with worry-filled eyes.

"There is no need to worry Ultear. Give me a couple of days and I'll be back on my feet," Natsu told the woman as his eyes rested on her worried expression.

"But how do I know that you aren't just saying that, what happened after we left?" Ultear asked, desperate for answers to ease her mind.

"I promise I'll tell you in more detail once I have rested but the short version is that I absorbed a large amount of the magic that was stored in the tower before using all the magical energy I had in one attack. The consequences of using such a large amount of magic with it being everything a mage had is that the mage will take some time to regenerate the used magic," Natsu explained.

"But won't you suffer from Magic Deficiency Disease," Ultear asked in an alarmed voice, knowing that a mage can die due to the condition.

"That is where the beauty of the spell comes into play I guess since it requires me to be in Dragon Force. Dragon Force allows me to become as close to a Dragon as possible without overstepping the line. One perk that comes from it is that Dragons don't suffer from Magic Deficiency Disease. As I said I'll explain everything late in more detail but for now I think I'll rest," Natsu said as he closed his eye, but not before seeing a relieved look forming on Ultear's face as she began running her fingers gently through his hair.

-With Erza-

Erza was in her room and was looking at Jellal, who was on the bed. He hadn't gained consciousness yet and Erza was beginning to worry since it also didn't seem like he was improving. The only sign that he was alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

'I have to ask 'Death Walker' about this,' Erza thought to herself since he was the man who put Jellal in this condition. Not that she wasn't grateful that he was no longer possessed only that she didn't like it when she didn't know what the situation was. This was one of the reasons she was so strict in the guild. She wanted to know which cards were in play at all times to prevent anything like her past from happening again.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts and she moved to open the door. Erza opened the door and saw it was Lucy.

"Hey Erza, I wanted to know if you might want to go to the amusement park with us and invite your old friends. It might be fun to get to know them," Lucy said before glancing at Jellal's prone form.

"I'm sure he'll be fine here. I'll go and invite my old friends so you go on ahead and I'll catch up," Erza said as she saw the glance Lucy threw to the blue-haired man. Erza also wanted to talk to her old friends alone so that was why she told Lucy to go on ahead.

"Sure thing, don't take too long," Lucy said with a smile. She guessed Erza wanted some alone time with them to sort out some things before they all have fun together.

Erza smiled as she looked at Lucy walking over to Haru, Happy and Gray before the four of them made their way to the stairs. Erza walked to the room where Shô, Wally, Millianna and Simon were staying and hesitated with her fist ready to knock. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she gave too firm knocks on the door.

"Erza, what are you doing here?" Millianna asked in a cheery voice as she opened the door.

"Hey Millianna, I wanted to talk to all of you," Erza said with a sigh while looking down at her feet.

"We are really sorry Erza, we never meant to hurt you or nothing," Wally said while scratching the back of his head

"We would never have hurt you if we knew the truth," Millianna said, her cheery voice disappearing and being replaced with a voice filled with sadness.

"I'm the one who has to apologize to you guys, I left you in that tower all those years ago. I hope that you can forgive me," Erza said in a wavering voice while clutching her left arm with her right hand.

"We have already forgiven you, sis. It was our and Jellal's fault that we thought you abandoned us," Shô said, still angry at himself for thinking Erza betrayed them.

"You said it yourself Erza, you always thought about us and worked hard to gain enough strength free us. You had our safety at the forefront of your mind so please there is no need for you to apologize," Simon added, hoping to convince Erza that she had done no wrong to them.

"Still, feel the need to apologize. I want to start anew with you where we can put this ordeal behind us. The members of my guild wanted to go to the amusement park and they wanted to invite you," Erza said with a soft smile.

"Will the kitty be there?" Millianna asked with big eyes. This got a chuckle from all the others there.

"Happy will be there," Erza confirmed with her own chuckle.

"Then we have to go," Millianna declared and grabbed Wally and Shô's hand and started dragging them out of the room.

Erza and the Tower of Heaven mages met up with the other Fairy Tail mages at the amusement park and enjoyed the rest of the morning together. The all went to a restaurant for Lunch. While they ate the Fairy Tail mages told the Tower mags about the adventures they went on when they were asked about the world.

"Why don't you give guild life a try and join Fairy Tail?" Erza proposed as she saw the longing in their eyes to see the world.

"Are you sure that would be okay?" Millianna asked as all the Tower mages gained shocked expressions at hearing the proposal.

"Of course, being in a guild is awesome and Fairy Tail is the best guild around," Haru happily replied with a huge grin on his face.

"You don't have to decide right away, I don't want to put any pressure on you, so you can think it over for a bit," Erza said, not wanting to force her old friends into something they didn't want.

"That doesn't sound half bad," Wally said as he thought about how the Fairy Tail members treated one another.

"How about we go and enjoy the casino, last time we had a little interruption," Haru suggested with a grin.

"You'll just go and lose even more jewel," Gray taunted the red-head man.

"I bet I can win more jewel than you can before dinner Ice Princess," Haru challenged Gray.

"As if, you need brains to win with this and your brain is burnt, Flame Brain," Gray retaliated.

"Boy's no fighting," Erza said in a stern voice as the two teens began to stand up and looked like they were ready to attack one another.

"Fight never," Haru said with a bit of sweat forming on his forehead as he slung an arm over Gray's shoulder.

"It's just a friendly competition," Gray said as he copied Haru's gesture and slung his arm over Haru's shoulder.

"Then if you don't mind I will join this competition," Erza said with a smile.

"I want to join too," Millianna cheered as she swung Happy around, who was planted in her lap ever since they sat down to eat.

"Then what are the stakes?" Wally asked with a grin.

"The loser has to pick up the dinner tab," Erza suggested.

And so the games began with Haru and Millianna dashing towards the lottery number game, Gray and Wally taking on the slot machines and Erza, Shô and Simon taking to the poker tables, leaving Lucy alone at the table.

"Here is the bill ma'am," a waiter said, handing Lucy a slip.

"They left me to pay?" Lucy shouted in rage, but unfortunately, she had to pay up, since everyone else was gone already.

-With Ultear-

Ultear woke up and realised that she had fallen asleep on Natsu's chest. She quickly sat up with a prominent blush on her face. She looked over to Natsu's face and saw that he was still peacefully sleeping. Ultear decided to make her way to the casino and see if there was anything to eat at the restaurant there when she heard her stomach grumble.

As Ultear made her way to the restaurant and found herself a secluded table she began observing the other visitors. She began daydreaming about herself and Natsu enjoying a meal at a fancy restaurant like she saw a few couples doing before she was brought out by a rather loud commotion.

"See I told you I can win more than you Ice Princess," Haru's voice sounded from the entrance of the restaurant.

"In your dreams Flame Brain, I clearly won more jewel than you," Gray's voice came as a response.

"That was so much fun," Millianna said as their group entered the restaurant.

"Let's get a table and order some food," Simon suggested as they found a large table that could host all of them.

"I want a recount, there is no way I lost," Erza's grumbling voice sounded from next to Simon.

"I'm sorry Erza but I counted everything twice and you lost this challenge," Lucy said.

"Why was it that you didn't join in the game?" Wally asked Lucy.

"Because you guys left me with the bill during lunch so even if I wanted to join I had no money, to begin with," Lucy answered with a bit of residual anger about the situation still lingering in her voice.

Ultear let out a sigh, she wasn't ready to talk to them yet, she still didn't think up an excuse for most of the questions she imagined they might have since she was far too concerned for Natsu's safety up until now.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on Ultear's side this night since as soon as Erza sat down their eyes met one another. Ultear let out a sigh as she saw Erza walking over to her after saying a few words to her party.

"Councilwoman Ultear," Erza greeted her as she took a seat at Ultear's table.

"I don't know if that title will fit me for much longer 'Titania'," Ultear said. Her role as a Council member according to her mission ended after Jellal's role to play was completed anyway, and there wasn't anything else she could necessarily gain from staying on the Council. She had all the information that Natsu might want already at her disposal so staying with the council wouldn't provide any benefit it would only hinder her in the future.

"How is 'Death Walker' doing?" Erza asked she didn't want to share too many words with eh woman in front of her so she immediately got to the point.

"Still resting," Ultear answered.

"Any idea when he will wake up?" Erza asked.

"He said a few days, but that is as specific as he got," Ultear answered.

"I see, would you be willing to tell me when he wakes up, there are a few questions I have for him," Erza requested.

"What questions do you have for him?" Ultear asked in a defensive tone, from all the reports involving 'Titania' she read while at the Council her 'questioning' can easily turn violent when she isn't told exactly what she wants to hear and seeing that Natsu was still out of commotion she didn't want to take any chances.

"It concerns Jellal, he hasn't improved at all and I wanted to know if there was a reason for that," Erza said.

"I'll mention it to him, but you will not search him out on your own, got it," Ultear replied emphasizing the last part.

"Fine," Erza relented with a sigh. She suspected that Ultear and 'Death Walker' had some sort of relationship judging by how they acted during the Tower of Heaven incident and she didn't want to antagonise them if it would result in him not answering her questions, which judging by previous interaction between them, he had no problem denying her any answers and leaving.

With that settled, Erza walked back to her table, leaving Ultear alone as her food arrived.

-Late the next day-

Ultear returned to the room after another day where Natsu was asleep. When she entered the room she was overjoyed to see Natsu sitting on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Ultear asked with a bright smile, happy to see that Natsu was really okay. She trusted his words when he told her he would be fine but there was always a voice in her head that kept on asking what would happen if he wouldn't be fine but seeing him sitting up silenced that voice instantly.

"Not ready to take on another fight just yet but well enough to enjoy the small vacation," Natsu replied with a smile.

"You must be hungry, how about we go and get a nice meal?" Ultear suggested.

"That would be nice," Natsu agreed with the suggestion and got up to freshen up before he and Ultear went down to the restaurant for dinner.

Natsu and Ultear enjoyed the dinner without any disturbances and when the end of their meal came around Ultear remembered what Erza asked.

"Erza wanted to talk to you, she said it was about Jellal," Ultear said.

"It would be a pain to ignore her, she can be quite crazy with that sword of hers," Natsu said, remembering the times she demanded answers from him with a sword at his throat. Ultear and Natsu chuckled at the thought of the crazed red-head.

"I'll talk to her. There is only one person I will trust enough to look over him, seeing as I will have to help with his recovery," Natsu said.

As if some unseen forces were at work the Fairy Tail and Tower mages walked into the restaurant. Ultear and Natsu were seated in the far corner of the restaurant so the mages couldn't easily spot them.

"Since we are done here I think this will be the best time to talk, I'll see you back at the room," Natsu said to Ultear before getting up and walking over to the mage group.

"Meet me by the beach. Come alone," Natsu said to Erza as he brushed past them. Erza snapped her head to where the voice came from but Natsu was already walking out of the door. Erza was confused as to who told her to meet at the beach but with her being Erza 'Titania' Scarlet she wouldn't back down from the challenge and seeing that her past demons were taken care of she had no fear.

"You guys begin ordering, I'll just be a moment, there is something I want to check out," Erza said to her companions and before they could reply she had already left the restaurant.

Even though she had no fear for this mystery person, she aired on the side of caution, not wanting to be jumped again like she was with her old friends. She was constantly scanning her surroundings and focusing on any and all magic sources. She could only sense one magic source and that belonged to the person on the beach who invited her here.

Erza stood at the edge of the beach while taking cover behind one of the trees for one final scan of the area.

"There is no one else here 'Titania'," Natsu's voice called out to her. Erza recognised the voice of the person she wanted to talk to and walked over to him, seeing his mop of pink hair as she came closer.

"You told Ultear you had questions for me concerning Jellal," Natsu said while staring out over the ocean, not turning to look at Erza.

"He hasn't made any improvements since he was knocked unconscious, it's like he is barely alive," Erza said.

"That is to be expected since he was possessed for quite a long time," Natsu stated.

"Will he recover?" Erza asked.

"Yes, but it will take some time, and I will be the one to oversee his recovery," Natsu replied.

"Wait why are you going to look over him?" Erza asked.

"Because I'm one of the few who can actually help him recover, otherwise his recover might take years, that is if he recovers," Natsu answered.

"I guess we can allow you to help him at our guild then," Erza sighed, she would have liked not to feel any more indebted to 'Death Walker' but seeing as what the possible consequences can be along with their lack of knowledge on what's wrong with Jellal she had to accept his help.

"That won't be how this will happen, you will hand him over and I will oversee his recovery at a location where there is someone I have put my trust in many times," Natsu said, still looking out over the ocean.

"What, why can't you just look over him at our guild?" Erza asked in confusion.

"There are things I would prefer stay hidden," Natsu replied as he glanced at Erza for the first time since their conversation started. He could see the internal conflict she was having in her eyes.

"You will have to place your trust in me," Natsu said as he turned to look at her.

"How can I trust you when I know barely anything about you, all I know is your alias, how you look and that you are not against taking a life if they have apparently done wrong in your eyes," Erza replied with a dejected look on her face.

"You ask me how you can trust me when you know nothing about me, yet if I am correct you demand trust from your guildmates, yet you have never told them about where you came from," Natsu countered.

"That's completely different," Erza said with a wavering voice.

"You have convinced yourself that you were the only one who could stop Jellal and thus you kept all your guildmates at arm's length. Tell me is this accurate so far?" Natsu said in a neutral tone.

"No, that's not true,' Erza retaliated but her voice started trailing off at the end.

"There is no use lying to yourself 'Titania'. You kept those who could have helped you at arm's length because you wanted to prevent any betrayals from occurring again. You should learn to rely on other more," Natsu said.

"Look who's talking, all records of you show that you work alone," Erza replied, finally getting something to say that would use his words against him.

"Who said I had no one that I trusted, I have my own small support group, the only reason I seem to work alone is the nature of each mission I take and how my support group looks with each having their own role," Natsu replied.

"Fairy Tail is my support group just like yours so your argument is still hypocritical," Erza huffed back at him.

"My support group knows who I am and what my goals are, the same can't be said for you and Fairy Tail," Natsu stated.

"This isn't getting us anywhere, I still don't know if I can trust you not to kill him when you feel like it," Erza said, trying her best to keep her composure.

"If I wanted him dead, don't you think I would have done it during our battle, instead I released him from his possession," Natsu questioned the red-haired knight.

"It's just really hard to put my trust in your words even though what you are saying makes sense," Erza replied with a sigh.

"I can understand your misgivings, considering the betrayal you faced in your past, so I what would you say to a deal?" Natsu suggested.

"What are you planning?" Erza asked. She began wracking her brain to attempt to figure out what he would possibly be able to get out of this deal, seeing that if he doesn't help Jellal might die and if he does there is no gain in it for him as far as she could tell. As she was thinking this over he began to question why she was so against him taking Jellal.

"If you agree to this I will be placing a spell on you that will let me know if you have betrayed my trust, and then I will retaliate as I see fit," Natsu said, just to let Erza know everything that will be placed on the table.

"This must be something very important then," Erza guessed.

"The deal is you give me your trust and in return, I will reveal something personal to me. This should satisfy your argument that you don't know anything about me," Natsu suggested while holding out his hand.

Erza was hesitant to accept the offer, it would give her personal knowledge of this man and it didn't seem like he would gain anything from this. He also made a good point that if he wanted Jellal dead he wouldn't have saved him at the Tower. 'What does he gain from this?' Erza thought to herself with confusion written on her face.

"I am not trying to deceive you, there is nothing for me to gain from this and even less for betraying the trust you place in me," Natsu said after seeing the confusion on her face and guessing what she was thinking.

"You truly are a mystery 'Death Walker'," Erza said as she took his hand. "Death God's Seal of Silence" Natsu whispered as the purple and black energy engulfed their hands.

"Natsu, my name is Natsu," Natsu said as the light died down. Erza was shocked that he gave his name to her, remembering how he evaded her question of what his name was during the Eisenwald incident.

"Will you tell me where you will be taking Jellal, Natsu?" Erza asked, using his name for the first time instead of his moniker.

"Unfortunately that information I will keep to myself, it's not because I don't trust you to keep it secret but rather because I want to keep the identity of those who I will be leaving him with hidden," Natsu replied.

"I see, would it be too much to ask that you send a message if there are any substantial changes?" Era asked.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem, but don't expect too much any time soon," Natsu answered.

"Thank you Natsu," Erza thanked him with a bit of relief in her voice.

"It would be beneficial for you to allow true bonds to form with your guildmates, they don't seem like the kind of people who would betray you," Natsu said as he saw the tired look on Erza's face due to this entire ordeal finally reaching its conclusion.

Erza stayed silent at hearing his comment and began mulling the idea around in her head. The past few adventures she had with Gray, Haru, Lucy and even Happy turned out all right, and if she was honest with herself she couldn't say with complete certainty that she would have been able to achieve victory over the enemies they faced if they weren't there with her.

"Even though armour is there to protect the wearer, a shield that is too large or armour that denies too much mobility can easily become a liability in any battle, and this applies to the mind as well as the body. I'll leave you with that 'Titania'," Natsu said as he began to make his way back to the hotel.

"Natsu, wait a minute," Erza called out making Natsu stop and turn around to look at her.

"Two things, first will you please call me Erza, it's usually my enemies who call me 'Titania' and second, would you consider coming to the Fantasia festival?" Erza asked.

"I can't promise that I will attend this festival, and even if I do the chances that you would notice me are slim, but I will consider it Erza," Natsu replied.

"Thank you, and I hope the next time we see one another will be under better circumstances," Erza smiled.

"I hope so too," Natsu replied before heading back to his hotel room where Ultear was waiting for him.

Erza stood for a moment and thought about the words Natsu had said regarding armour. She understood what he meant by armour that restricts movements were detrimental in battle since it allows your opponent outmanoeuvre you and easily strike your weak points and a shield that is too large can be too difficult to block with, even her own Adamantine Armour wasn't useful in a melee and only used for blocking huge attacks.

The thing that puzzled her was when he mentioned it applying to the mind as well. She first thought about defences against mental attacks, but in that case, there were no such restrictions as the 'armour' being too large or restricting movements.

She knew that Natsu was knowledgeable in battle since he had taken out multiple dark guilds so him saying something like that with mental attacks in mind didn't make sense. Then she remembered his previous comment about forming bonds and that was when she realised the 'armour' he was referring to when he mentioned the mind was the 'armour' she wore around her heart, the reason she didn't form any deep bonds within the guild. She had formed the bonds of guildmates and she cared about all of her fellow guildmates but she never formed a bond with someone from the guild that allowed her to open up to that person and ask for advice.

Sure Master Makarov was the one she would ask for advice but there was no one she could confide her troubles in, no one who she could easily talk to without fearing that her reputation would be affected. And talking about her reputation, she knew the reason she was so hell-bent on everyone following the rules was that she was afraid of returning to the environment she faces as a child while being a slave in the Tower of Heaven.

'Maybe he can be one of the people I can confide in,' Erza thought to herself, seeing as how he pointed out her problems without knowing her, meaning that he was a very observant person, and since he seemed to trust her to a degree he might help her find bonds that she already formed, but she wasn't able to see. 'I'll ask him if I run into him again,' Erza decided.

Erza returned to her group with a slight smile and enjoyed the rest of the evening with them until Simon stood up at the end of dinner.

"We have decided that being in a guild would be great but that we would be able to see more of the world if we were free to travel," Simon said.

"We want to see the world that we live in, up until now all we knew was the Tower of Heaven," Shô added.

"Maybe somewhere down the line we will join a guild but until then we want to enjoy this sense of freedom," Wally continued.

"If that is your wish all we can do is bid you good luck, but please don't be afraid to stop by Magnolia ever once in a while," Erza said, she had a suspicion that they would want to see the world before they settled somewhere, seeing as that is what she would have done if she wasn't so determined to free her friends all those years ago.

"Yeah, Fairy Tail's doors are always open to friends," Haru agreed with a grin.

"And we accept member regardless of their past, the only thing that matters is their convictions to do what is right, so if you decide to join our guild we will be waiting," Gray finished.

"We will definitely come and visit whenever we are close by," Millianna said with a huge smile.

"Then there is only one more thing to do," Erza said as she led the group out to the beach while giving Haru and Gray a nod.

"Re-quip: Farewell Fairy Tail Armour" Erza called out as she was covered in a golden glow. When the glow died down she was wearing an extravagant set of armour, with metal pauldrons and tasset with yellow decorative markings. The armour bared a resemblance to one of the renaissance era with the main colour theme of blue, yellow and white. On her head was a winged headpiece and over her shoulders was a velvet cape with white fur to complete the armour set. In her left hand was a massive lance with a flag bearing the Fairy Tail symbol on it.

"Whenever a mage wishes to leave Fairy Tai, they are free to do so, however, they are expected to follow three rules," Erza started the ceremony that all mages who wish to leave Fairy Tail hears.

-With Natsu-

Natsu silently opened the door to his and Ultear's room as to not disturb her if she was asleep. Ultear was sitting on her bed reading a book, but when Natsu entered she closed the book and looked over to him.

"Said what you wanted to say?" Ultear asked, referring to his talk with Erza.

"Yes, by the way, do you know what the Fantasia festival is?" Natsu asked after answering her question.

"Yes, it's a festival hosted by Fairy Tail. It is a way to show the prosperity of the guild and the town's people seem to love it judging from what I heard. I heard that there are even people who travel quite a distance to attend it," Ultear answered.

"Erza invited me to attend it. I think it is her way of thanking me for the help. Would you want to go?" Natsu asked.

"I think it might be fun," Ultear replied with a smile.

"When will the festival be?" Natsu asked.

"If I'm not mistaken it will be in a week," Ultear said as she striking a thinking pose.

"Will you be able to find the time or excuse to join me there?" Natsu asked, knowing about her role in Grimoire Heart.

"I think I will be able to come up with a reason the will convince Master Hades that it will be beneficial to be there," Ultear replied with a giggle.

Just then they saw fireworks go off in the night sky. Natsu took a seat next to Ultear to look at the beautiful sight. There were blue and orange fireworks going off and lighting up the night sky. Ultear rested her head on Natsu's shoulder as the two enjoyed the show.

There you go, my wonderful readers. This chapter marks the crossing of 100k words in this story. Sorry for the long wait, and I am sorry to say that there will be more waiting for the next chapter, but I will spend my free time while I'm not studying to write the next chapter, however, my next upload will be on my other story. This chapter was interesting to write as I wanted to use it for the character development Erza want through during this arc of the anime. Please let me know what you thought about it. Other than that, I will see you all in the next chapter.