"What is this?" Kai asked.

Ichigo held his hands up innocently while Hisui had him close the door so no others would hear.

"Your father and I began working together to stop an impending disaster," the Princess said. "His arrival at the Games this year was most auspicious, given all that he knows of Eclipse."

"How do you know about that?" Kai asked.

Ichigo sighed and then chuckled. That wasn't a "ha-ha" laugh, either, it was a laugh one gave when everything was all coming crashing down and they could do nothing but laugh.

"Eclipse has been around about as long as I have," Ichigo said. "I'd only heard whispers of it long ago, but I recently had it confirmed for me."

"Confirmed by who?" Kai asked.

"A man from the future. Thus far, he has correctly predicted everything that will happen in the Grand Magic Games down to the smallest of details. He's come to use the Eclipse as a means of killing Acnologia."

"Arcadios said that was the plan," Kai said, and glanced at his father. "You'd mentioned working on something in secret. This it?"

"This is it," Ichigo said with a sigh. "It took me a while to understand just what Eclipse was, how it worked and what it could do. But once that man explained things to me, it all made sense. It all became clear. He introduced it to the Princess and I've been working with her to ensure it goes smoothly."

"Did you know about the knights trying to kidnap Lucy?" Kai left that question open. He was still in shock that the Princess of Fiore knew his father.

Heck, he was still in shock that he was standing in her bedroom.

"No. I was too preoccupied with you and the Games. The good part about the two of us working together is that it allowed me to spend some time with you before we needed to ensure things went according to plan. It's why I didn't participate today. I had more important matters to attend to."

Kai nodded, trying to wrap his head around all of it. Hisui glanced at him rather apathetically while Ichigo braced Kai with a warm clap on the back.

"I joined Lamia Scale to gain power, to gain strength and allies strong enough that I may challenge Acnologia," Ichigo said. "For centuries, I wandered Earth-land in search of such. I wandered for him, for Acnologia himself. And then I discovered you were alive, Kai, and I had to change my ways. So I did. When you vanished I thought I'd lost everything, but I hadn't. Now I have the tools and allies necessary to do what Kairi could not, what the other Dragons could not."

"Which is?"

"Use the Eclipse. It's the most powerful thing ever created, and it's lain dormant far too long." Ichigo approached the window of the room, Hisui letting him go unperturbed.

"With Eclipse we shall stave off the horrifying future that is to come," she said. "A future that appears to be set in stone already."

"What future?"

"An apocalypse," Hisui said. "Where the world is ravaged by dragons. Where all the wizards of the world are about to go extinct. Tonight is the turning point of destiny. We can prevent that future, we can prevent all of that devastation if we use Eclipse. And thus far, we are ready."

"But there are some who want to stop it," Kai said, though it leaned a bit into being a question.

"Yes," Hisui said. "A few who doubt it, but they haven't been following as closely as I have. You need to understand, everything this man has predicted has come true."

Kai sighed. Arcadios seemed a reasonable enough person, too, given how he wanted to stop Acnologia and Zeref.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "I thought the point of all of this was to defeat Zeref?"

"It is a goal, but not tonight's," Hisui said. "Eclipse has a second function, known as Eclipse Two, or, the Eclipse Cannon. It can fire a powerful beam of temporal energy and eliminate almost any threat."

Kai crossed his arms. Why hadn't Arcadios mentioned that part, then?

"What will we use that for?"

"To stop the coming of the dragons. Tonight, ten thousand Dragons are set to appear in this world and we are the first and only line of defense against it. Only with the Eclipse Cannon can we change things. Once Fairy Tail is declared the victor of the Grand Magic Games, we will know that it is time to commence the operation."

A bubble of surprise burst in Kai's heart. "Oh, wait, Fairy Tail wins?"

"It is the most unlikely of outcomes," Hisui said.

Kai shrugged. "I mean…I wouldn't say that."

Ichigo chuckled. "It's really not, Princess. I don't know how much you've been following the Games, but if Fairy Tail wins, they'd have deserved it."

Ichigo left the window and approached Kai, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Shame we didn't get to go at it. Maybe next year when Lamia Scale takes the top spot and you're on the team."

Kai shook his head. "Next year I'll be even stronger than now."

"Looking forward to it, kid."

He stepped away from Kai, who couldn't wipe he smile off his face. Still, there were a fair bit of nerves floating around in him. Ten thousand dragons? That number seemed absolutely astonishing, and practically insurmountable. If the kingdom had a weapon that strong, why hadn't they used it on Acnologia before? Perhaps he knew of it and knew to avoid Crocus at all costs because of it.

"We should start heading down now," Hisui said. "Come, Ichigo, Kai. Let's witness the changing of fate."

Darton waited for them not far down the hallway, and looked quite angry initially but settled down when he saw that both Kai and Ichigo stood behind Hisui.

"Please, Princess, you must reconsider all of this," Darton said. "For the good of the realm. Our scouts have reported nothing back to us. If there were dragons incoming for us in even a few hours, we'd know!"

"Or not," Hisui said. "Dragons are treacherous beings. We cannot know their true intent or powers. Eclipse will commence. How are the Games looking?"

"Sting Eucliffe is the sole remaining member of any opposing guild to Fairy Tail," Darton said, admittance heavy in his words. "All five members of Fairy Tail remain."

Kai's heart sang. Erza was still in? The Games were basically over, then. And she'd defeated Minerva! They'd have to celebrate after the Eclipse Cannon was used to destroy the dragons.

A small part of him was dismayed by that thought. Those dragons could potentially know something about Kairi. He wondered if any could be willing to talk to him, and then wondered, more importantly, why they'd attack humans at all.

Then again, based on what Zirconis said the previous day, it sounded as if dragons already had enough animosity build up toward humanity.

Darton and his guard joined them on their walk through some of the finer halls of the palace. Kai and Ichigo exchanged a few looks every now and then, mostly because they could hardly contain their excitement about getting the chance to walk through Mercurius of all places.

Kai never imagined he'd get the chance to do so with his guild mates let alone his own father who'd been missing his entire life. Just the first of several adventures together, Kai thought.

Hisui led them into the chambers with the Eclipse Gate, or Eclipse Cannon as she kept calling it. Several guard were posted around there. Kai once more did not notice the sapping of the power. Ichigo glanced at Kai, who nodded. Ichigo no doubt knew all about the loss of magic power around the gate.

Darton sighed and lowered his walking stick to the ground. Hisui blatantly ignored him.

"I was wrong to accuse Fairy Tail of misdoings," Hisui said. "I should have known you all would be noble of heart. I was fed misinformation by trusted advisors, who likely had the kingdom in mind, and I apologize."

She bowed but Kai bowed in return, surprising her.

"We never wanted to make an enemy out of you," Kai said. "This whole thing is just one big misunderstanding. Your goals are the same as ours, Princess: to protect the future. And that's just what we're here to do."

"Fairy Tail is filled with honorable wizards," Hisui said. "I look forward to working with you all further in the future."

Kai's eyes widened and Hisui, formal as ever, stepped aside. Kai gulped. Jobs directly from the Princess would mean the world to the rest of the guild. Ichigo chuckled.

"She said the same thing to Lamia Scale, don't think you're too special."

Kai deflated and Ichigo barked out a loud laugh.

It was several minutes before anyone else joined them. Arcadios came sprinting up, now in full-body armor that made him almost unrecognizable save for the scent that he gave off.

He knelt before the princess.

"My Princess," he said. "You don't deserve the treatment and mistrust I have thus far placed upon you. When you had me arrested I—I did not know what to think. I won't pretend to understand, and I won't allow this dishonor to color you. Here is my blade." He set his sword down between them. "Please…do as you will."

Hisui bent over and picked the sword up. Kai watched with interest, readying his hand on his own sword. Hisui had no right to kill Arcadios; he believed he was serving the kingdom. Arcadios did wrong things, absolutely, but death was not the proper response.

"I will have you stand and watch as we save the future," Hisui said. "Old friend."

Arcadios gasped and nodded, a fear tears rolling down his face. "Absolutely."

She handed him the sword and he used it to pick himself up. Kai nodded and smiled, but stopped when Arcadios said,

"I'm glad you can be so confident when the girl Lucy from the future was quite uncertain about opening the Eclipse Gate."

"Lucy?" Kai asked.

"Wait, there's another person from the future here?" Hisui asked.

"You didn't speak to her?"

"No, I spoke to a man."

"Who?"

"He didn't tell me his name."

Kai glanced at Ichigo, whose eagerness had given way partially to stoicism. He stared rather blankly at Arcadios, then, with a blink, was back to normal.

"Who?" Kai asked. "Surely you know."

"Rogue Cheney," his father said, then titled his head down at Kai. "He came from the future, the last surviving Dragon Slayer."

A pit formed in Kai's stomach. He hadn't thought about it before, hadn't even considered it when Hisui mentioned that most of the world's population had died out, but in that future…

"I died?"

"That's what he told me. And it's why I will not let that future come to pass. You'll be safe with us, Kai, I promise. We'll soon have the power to defeat Acnologia and the future will be a bright one. Trust me."

Kai bit the inside of his lip. Rogue didn't seem as brash as Sting, so, perhaps he had a good heart underneath all of that shadow and brooding. Ichigo approached Hisui and Arcadios to check how things were going. Kai rubbed a brewing headache that was forming.

"Have the cannon charged!" Hisui exclaimed. "And the city evacuated, even the wizards! No doubt they're worn out from the Games today. Tomorrow we will have a grand feast in celebration of the events!"

Kai glanced at the moon. Midnight was fast approaching. July 7. Fourteen years ago, Kai lost everything.

Now? They'd have the power to change everything. Maybe even to defeat Acnologia. Kai clenched a fist. Much though he wanted to do the deed himself, he would be happy as long as the beast fell no matter what.

Time continued to pass as Hisui dolled out more orders to others. Jitters formed in Kai more and more. He could've joined them in the evacuation efforts, to make sure Fairy Tail got out of the city just fine, but couldn't help wondering how this would all go down.

He took long stares at Eclipse while he waited. His father would come up and they'd have a bit of idle chit-chat about Eclipse and some other methods about how Ichigo tried to find Acnologia in the past.

Eventually, Lucy, Wendy, Lily, Happy, and Carla surfaced nearby, sprinting toward the location rather hurriedly.

"Hisui!" Lucy exclaimed.

Hisui turned toward Lucy, while Arcadios raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Hisui asked. "What are you doing up here?"

"We just—we got back from downstairs," Lucy said. "There's a future Rogue down there right now fighting Natsu."

"What?" Kai asked. "Why are they fighting, aren't we all on the same side?"

"I don't know. He wants to use the Gate to fight the dragons and Acnologia, and he accused me—future me—of trying to close it." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And then he killed her."

Kai's heart dropped. Lucy tried to stand tall but couldn't and wiped the tears away from her face.

"Perhaps she came back in time to close it," Ichigo said.

"No, we'd never do that!" Lucy exclaimed. "We need to use it to stop Acnologia and the others."

"He said Acnologia would be here?"

"The dragons in the future are led by Acnologia, he takes over the entire world!"

Kai sighed. So, he would get to see Acnologia fall tonight after all. A faint smile came to his lips before he wiped it away seeing Lucy's tears.

"I don't understand," Hisui said. "If she wouldn't do it, then why take her down?"

"I—I don't know."

Kai glanced at Wendy and the others. They were sullen too, no doubt there when Future Rogue took out Future Lucy.

Kai's head swam. None of this was adding up. Rogue wanted to use the cannon to defeat the dragons, so why would Lucy, the most virtuous of all Fairy Tail members, come back in time to ensure the gate did not open?

"She must be…an anomaly, or something." Ichigo approached with a comforting expression that plummeted when Lucy scowled at him.

"She cried when she died. It wasn't because she couldn't get the world to end, it was because she wasn't able to spend more time with her friends."

"Besides," Wendy said. "I don't think Future Rogue was even aiming the attack at Future Lucy. She got in the way."

"Who was he aiming for, then?" Hisui asked.

Ichigo turned away and examined the gate. Lucy balled a fist and let out a long breath, still shaken, and sat,

"Me."

Kai grasped Lucy's arm, mostly to help himself brace against the shock. Ichigo still faced the wall. Kai wanted to reach out to him, but, Lucy was still physically shaking. Hisui bit her lip and, to distract herself, barked an order at those manning the gate.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," Kai said, and wrapped Lucy in a hug. Wendy and the Exceeds couldn't help averting their gaze as well.

She stepped away, patting his chest to let her know she was doing okay.

"I want to have Crux check the gate out," Lucy said. "Excuse me."

Lucy wandered away for a bit to get enough distance from the Eclipse Gate, which opened ever so slowly, to summon a Celestial Spirit. Iggy waddled her way over toward Kai.

Ichigo glanced back at the two of them but made no noticeable expression. Everything about him had grown so much colder. Hisui still stood as the paragon of royalty near the gate, surveying her grand weapon and grand design.

Guards continually strolled up to her to give updates. It sounded as if the wizards hadn't actually vacated the city and were standing guard should anything happen. Kai disliked the sound of that; no doubt Fairy Tail would go through a quick recovery after the Games, but Dragons were no small threat.

Iggy stood with him while they waited for midnight to at last arrive. No dragons, nor any signs of them, caught his attention. That greatly bothered him. If Acnologia, specifically, were to arrive, he wouldn't be that far off, and he would no doubt be able to sense him. And if it were thousands of dragons? Even a normal wizard might notice that spike in magic power.

Kai and Ichigo reunited with only a few minutes until midnight.

"You ready to witness history?"

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

"The dragons, father. How am I not noticing them at all? An entire horde of dragons would be so easy to notice."

Ichigo grimaced and rested a hand on Kai's shoulder. "They'll be here. The future dictates it. And after midnight, after the Eclipse is fully opened? Everything will be different."

"You're speaking so vague."

"Because as much as I trust in this path we're going down, I also don't want to jeopardize things. There are lives on the line here. We're gambling with too much to just let it all go now because of mistakes and wavering faith."

Iggy shifted uncomfortably on Kai's shoulder. Ichigo spoke harsh truths. He believed in whatever was about to happen as if his own life were depending on it. The tension in Kai's chest tightened but he ignored it. He desperately wished for Erza to be there with him.

After a few more minutes, though, Lucy came storming back. Hisui declared that midnight had arrived, and still, there were no signs of the dragons.

"You have to close the gate!" Lucy exclaimed.

Hisui spun around. Ichigo glared at her.

"What?" Hisui asked.

Kai and Wendy followed her. The Eclipse Gate continued to open as the actual eclipse took place overhead, sending butterflies through Kai's stomach.

"You have to close the gate right now, Hisui," Lucy said. "Whatever you've been told is going to happen, whatever you're planning, you need to stop it."

"You're delusional," Ichigo said.

"Hey." Kai nudged his father aside. "Don't talk to her like that."

"She wants to undo everything." Ichigo gestured at Lucy. "Based on what?"

"This gate was made with Celestial Spirit magic," Lucy said. "I had one of my Spirits examine it from afar."

"From afar!" Ichigo barked. Kai's irritation toward Ichigo only grew. What'd gotten into him?

"The gate can't function as a cannon, it only acts as a portal through time," Lucy said. "Hisui, whatever you were told by Future Rogue is a lie!"

"No," Ichigo said. "Hisui, she's working with her future self who tried to stop this, remember? She wanted to stop the plan."

"Because Rogue is lying!" Lucy exclaimed.

Kai stood between Lucy and his father across from Hisui, who also glanced back and forth between the two, unsure of what to do.

The knots in Kai's stomach tightened. Ichigo, for the first time Kai ever saw, grew angry toward Lucy, and the two shouted back and forth at one another. Kai wished to just curl up in a ball and hide from it all.

If Ichigo was right, they could use the cannon to stop a draconic attack. If Lucy was right, then there was no attack, and Future Rogue was a monster that killed a future version of one of his closest friends.

What could he believe?

Who could he trust?

He glanced down at Iggy, who also wore an expression of concern, but she did so while looking around. As an Exceed, she should also have some sort of animalistic instinct to sense things around her. She would also be able to sense the dragons, right?

Just like Kai.

He could trust himself, his senses, his instincts.

All of which told him one thing:

There were no dragons coming.

"She's right," Kai said, and stopped Ichigo's ranting dead in its tracks. "Lucy is right. Where are the dragons if they're supposed to be here? Wendy, can you sense anything?"

"I can't," she admitted.

"Kai…" Ichigo started, but Kai cut him off.

"You've been weird this entire time and it's not because you're nervous. What's really going on, father? What's Future Rogue's plan with the Eclipse Gate?"

Ichigo's hardened expression stayed. "You'll find out soon. You won't close the gate in time."

Lucy sprinted toward the gate. Hisui didn't even try to stop her—even the Princess didn't know what to believe.

"This gate connects to Fiore from four hundred years ago!" Lucy shouted as she blitzed for the Gate. "That means it connects to—"

Kai's eyes widened and Ichigo leapt back as the Gate shone a bright light, and, at last, Kai did sense a draconic presence…

From within the Gate.

"Father!" Kai yelled before a massive roar and a gust of wind knocked him off his feet and blasted everyone back away from the gate.

A massive beast dashed out of it, almost taking Kai down with it, and its roar rocked the very castle, sending tremors everywhere. Kai slammed against the ground as another dragon came soaring out of the gate. All of the guard screamed in terror, and admist the cries of fear, there was one who howled in victory:

Ichigo Nakamura.

"Acnologia cannot be stopped by mere Dragon Slayers, Kai!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Come on, get up and let's go hunt him down with an army of our own!"