Your Time, Part 3
After Giuseppe successfully formed a live feed with the chairman of the Magic Council, he flips the screen around so Arielle can have a good look at him.
"Hello, Chairman Hyberion." Arielle greeted calmly with her hands behind her back. "I apologize if I have caused any inconvenience for you, but I'm sure you must have already gotten word about the current situation in Singapore."
"Yes, I did." Draculos Hyberion said sternly as he sat behind his work desk in the Magic Council headquarters. "What you did to the civilians of Singapore is absolutely unacceptable. We have already dispatched a unit of mages and knights, and I assure you that you will be met with the appropriate punishment."
"Oh? Will your men arrived in time before I crush all my hostages to death?" Arielle smirked as Giuseppe forms another screen beside her. Draculos gapes his mouth open as he sees a clear aerial view of the dome above and around Merlion Park. Arielle holds up her left hand and slowly curls her fingers. Draculos watches in horror as he clearly sees the size of the dome shrinking.
At the Merlion Park, the children and teenagers who are standing near the boundaries of the dome panicked as they see them coming closer towards them. They turn around and group up with the other civilians at the centre of the area along with Erza, Gray, Happy, Carla, Yuri, Estelle, Judith, Karol, Virgo, and the Praetorians.
"The dome is shrinking! It seems Arielle is planning to crush us slowly!" Gray cried as he and his friends look around the area.
"Without our gauntlets, we're doomed along with the hostages!" Ximena cried as she and the other Praetorians stare at each other in horror and realization.
Erza holds up her communications lacrima and said to the Fire Dragon Slayer, "Natsu! Arielle is shrinking the dome. She is planning to crush us slowly if she doesn't get what she wants. You have to stop her now!"
"Don't worry, Erza! We are almost at Hong Kong Street!" Natsu said to Erza through his lacrima as he, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Taki, Mitsuha, Wendy and Sheena are now standing several meters away from the south end of Elgin Bridge. After Natsu dematerializes his lacrima, Wendy leans her head forward to Taki's ear.
"You can put me down now." Wendy said to him. Taki nods his head and kneels to allow her to get off his back. As Taki stands back up, Darren points his finger to the direction of their destination.
"This way!" Darren shouted to everyone. With no time to lose, the eight of them run down the sidewalk together.
"Stop! Do not hurt these civilians!" Arielle watched Draculos shouting at her while holding out his hand. The demihuman gazes at the chairman for a brief moment before she lets out a chuckle and spreads out the fingers of her left hand to stop the shrinking.
"If you truly want me to put an end to all this, you will comply with my request." Arielle said.
Draculos growls in frustration as he curls his fingers on his desk into fists. "What do you want?"
"I want you to send a unit of Rune Knights to the town of Petunia and forcefully remove every human resident including its mayor Lacus Clyne and her husband Kira Yamato." Arielle said flatly to Draculos. "Upon their removal, you will order the Rune Knights you have sent to Earth to escort me back to Petunia. Under your order and jurisdiction, I, Arielle Dugarry will be appointed as the new mayor of Petunia when I arrive there. Failure to comply with my request will instantly result in the deaths of all the civilians that I have held hostage in the Merlion Park. Surely after the Tartaros Incident and the invasion of Crocus, you don't want another tragedy to stain the credibility of the Magic Council, do you?"
Draculos stares wordlessly at Arielle for a moment before he lowers his head and elicits a heavy sigh.
"You win, Miss Dugarry." Draculos said, looking back at the demihuman with eyes of defeat.
"Good." Arielle said with a smirk.
After Giuseppe dematerializes all the screens, Arlene glides down and lands beside Arielle. Arielle turns to the half-bat demihuman and inquired, "What is it?"
"I've detected eight lifeforms approaching our location." Arlene said as she stands up.
"What?" Arielle said incredulously as she and Giuseppe widen their eyes in shock.
"I've also sensed four of them having magic inside of them." Arlene added.
Arielle frowned. "Mages…inform the others to get ready."
After crossing a few more roads, Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha run to the end of the sidewalk and stop in front of a pedestrian crossing. They see at the other end of the crossing is a road sign that reads 'Hong Kong Street'.
"We are here." Darren said after everyone take a moment to catch their breath. As they all stand back up, Sheena summons a lacrima orb in her hand and sees it glowing very brightly.
"My orb senses a strong presence of several lifeforms in this area. Arielle and her accomplices are definitely here." Sheena said. She turns to her right and holds up her orb as she faces the street. She looks around the area until her orb glows brighter when she is facing a small road going between an office building and a four-storey hotel at the other side of the road. "There is their hideout."
"I've walked past the other end of this street many times before while heading to my favourite shopping malls or the Clarke Quay MRT Station." Darren said as Sheena dematerializes her lacrima and they all turn to the other end of the street. "That alleyway has two entrances on this side and the other."
"Alright, here's what we do." Natsu said as he, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Wendy, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha huddle together in a circle. "Taki, Mitsuha, both of you get to a safe place. Darren, Alicia, Sheena, walk through that small road and enter their hideout from there. Lucy, Wendy, and I will go to the other end of the street and get inside their hideout through the other entrance."
"Got it." Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Wendy, and Sheena all said in unison.
"Good luck, you guys…um…kids." Taki said to them.
"We will stop Arielle and get your wife healed." Wendy vowed to Taki and Mitsuha. The couple nod their heads to her before they all back away from each other. Darren and Natsu quietly nod their heads to each other before the latter gestures Lucy and Wendy to follow him. As the three Fairy Tail members walk to the other end of the street, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena silently cross to the other side of the road.
"Come on." Taki said to his wife as he gently grabs her hand. Mitsuha stares at Darren, Alicia, and Sheena in concern for a few more seconds before she turns around and walks away with her husband.
After arriving at the other side of the road, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena make a sharp right turn and crouch down as they sneakily make their way over to the road between the office and the hotel. When they are at the left side of the road, the three turn and lean against the office stairway behind them. Sheena holds up her lacrima and whispered to Natsu, "We are in position. What is your status?"
"Lucy, Wendy and I have arrived at the other end of the street. We see another small road through some buildings." Natsu replied softly.
"That's it. That leads to the other end of the alleyway. Get in position." Darren said softly to Sheena's lacrima.
"Got it." Natsu said before signing off. Sheena dematerializes her lacrima and turns to Darren and Alicia.
"Let's take them out." Sheena said softly to them.
"Care to explain to me how?"
Darren, Alicia, and Sheena gasp as they look up and see Spinner placing his hands and legs against the office's large windows while looking down at them with a grin.
"A demihuman!" Darren cried as Alicia quickly gets up and throws her yo-yos at him. Spinner leaps out of the way to dodge her attack. As soon as Spinner lands on the sidewalk at the other side of the road, he summons a machete in his right hand, turns around and runs towards the three children. Darren, Alicia, and Sheena quickly jump out of the way before Spinner swings his machete diagonally upwards at the railing of the stairway instead.
Sheena rolls over the ground and finds herself standing at the centre of the small road. This allows Caitlin to fly over to Sheena and grab her by the back of her robes. Sheena yelps as Caitlin yanks her up and hovers in the air. The summoner looks back at her over her right shoulder and tries to throw the back of her right fist at her face. But Caitlin grabs her fist with her other hand.
"Don't bother resisting." Caitlin said flatly before she throws her head forward and knocks Sheena out by slamming her right demonic horn against the back of her head. Sheena groans as she rolls her eyes back and hangs her head.
Meanwhile, as Natsu, Lucy and Wendy hide behind the back of a car that is parked beside a worn-out building, the three poke their heads out and notice that aside from a few trucks and some dumpsters, the alleyway is completely empty.
"There's no one here." Lucy commented before Natsu gets out his lacrima.
"Sheena! Can you hear me?" Natsu asked softly.
"Where is everyone?" Wendy asked as she and Lucy look around the alleyway.
"Right here." Arlene replied mockingly as she swoops down and lands behind the three of them. As Natsu, Lucy and Wendy turn to her, the Fire Dragon Slayer quickly places himself in front of the two girls, throws his head back and enlarges his cheeks.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu roared as he throws his head forward and…blows out a small blast of fire that only measures up to a few inches and nowhere near the half-bat demihuman. The others stare blankly at him before Natsu stops blowing and takes a moment to catch his breath. "I forgot…the Law of Retrogression lowers my magic."
Arlene bursts into laughter before she runs over to the three children.
"Run!" Lucy cried as she, Natsu and Wendy make a sharp left turn and flee while Arlene thrusts her right hand and ends up crashing it through the back window of the car instead, causing its alarm to go off.
"Come back here, little kiddies!" Arlene shouted to the three fleeing children. Natsu, Lucy and Wendy didn't get far though as Warren suddenly comes out of the corner of the building on their left at the other end of the road to block their exit. As Warren runs over to them on his hands and feet, Lucy gets out her whip in time before the half-wolf demihuman leaps into the air. She tosses her whip at him and coils it around his neck. Lucy yells as she pulls her whip and turns around, swinging Warren over to Arlene. Arlene drops her jaw before Warren collides with her. She slams against the back of the car while the half-wolf demihuman falls to the ground. Lucy however also collapses onto the road on her face as the amount of strength she had to use to swing Warren through the air had taken a toll on her body.
"Lucy!" Natsu and Wendy cried as they go over to her side. But suddenly, Charles swiftly goes over to Natsu, grabs him by his throat and slams him against the wall of the building behind him. Natsu gasped in pain as Charles adjusts his glasses with his other hand.
As Wendy turns to the half-deer demihuman, she forms a small orb of wind in her hands and tosses it over to him from behind. While still staring at Natsu, Charles swiftly throws his other hand back at Wendy and forms a rectangular-shaped orange translucent wall between them to block the attack. He turns around while still holding Natsu in his hand, lifts his right leg up and delivers a powerful kick to the wall to send it flying over to Wendy. Wendy quickly rolls out of the way to dodge the attack and the wall slams against the building behind her instead. Charles tosses Natsu over to her and the Sky Dragon Slayer lifts her head up for less than a second before the Fire Dragon Slayer collides with her. Both Dragon Slayers fall onto the ground while Warren and Arlene walk over to them. As Natsu gets off Wendy, both of them look up and gasp as the two demihumans stand above them. Arlene chuckles at them before she and Warren lift their feet up and stomp on their faces to knock them out.
Meanwhile, Darren swings his katana horizontally at Spinner, who easily deflects it with his machete.
"Well, that felt weak." Spinner said mockingly before he turns and swings his right leg horizontally at him. Darren backs away and throws his head back to dodge his kick. When the half-gecko demihuman throws his left fist at his face, Darren ducks down to evade his punch. He curls his free hand into a fist and throws an uppercut to Spinner's stomach. The punch did little effect to Spinner however thanks to his vest, and he lifts his left knee up to kick Darren at the bottom of his chin. Darren yelps as he stumbles and falls on his rear end. Spinner quickly grabs his hair, makes a 180 degree turn and tosses him to the ground.
Alicia throws her yo-yos over to Caitlin, who easily dodges them by hovering to her right. She throws her head back for a moment to illuminate her yellow horns. When she throws her head forward, her horns fire two large bolts of electricity at Alicia. Alicia quickly jumps back before the bolts hit on the ground where she originally stood. As Alicia lands back on the ground, she swings her yo-yos horizontally and over to Caitlin, and their strings coil around her lower torso. Alicia pulls the demihuman over to her, but Giuseppe suddenly leaps over and slashes the strings with his cat claws. Alicia gasps as she turns to her left and sees Giuseppe landing and crouching on the railings of the office stairway. Giuseppe quickly turns to Alicia and pounced at her, pinning her onto the ground.
"Alicia!" Darren cried as he gets back up. But as soon as he tries to run over to her and Giuseppe, four yellow rings of energy form around his wrists and ankles, yank him up into the air and turn anti-clockwise to hang him upside down. Darren turns his head to the left and sees Arielle standing a few meters away from him with her left hand extended.
"Not bad for a couple of people with no magic. But not good enough." Arielle remarked.
After Giuseppe punches Alicia in the face to knock her out, Arielle waves her hand horizontally to throw Darren over to Caitlin, who swings her left leg up to kick him in the face when he is near her. After Darren drops his katana and slips into unconsciousness, Arielle releases the rings and Caitlin grabs him by his right leg.
"Take them away." Arielle ordered her comrades. Giuseppe gets up and carries the unconscious Alicia over his shoulder while Spinner picks up Darren's katana. He whistles at his reflection on the katana's blade before putting it on the back of his vest.
As they stand behind the pillar of one of the buildings about a block away from Hong Kong Street, Taki and Mitsuha watch in horror as they see the demihumans bringing the unconscious children into the alleyway.
"They have taken them all out. What do we do?" Mitsuha asked her husband softly and concernedly.
"What do you mean what do we do? We can't fight like them." Taki replied barely above a whisper.
"But we need them to remove my poison and free the people back at Merlion Park." Mitsuha said sternly to him.
"I…" Taki furrows his brows as he struggles to reply. "I don't know."
"Taki-kun…" Mitsuha turns to her husband and places her hands on his shoulders. "I don't ever want to hear you say that. Eight years ago, you never gave up on me. You went through all the trouble to travel to the body of my family shrine's God and switch bodies with me one last time to motivate me to tell my father to evacuate everyone in Itomori before the comet struck. We must do so again for the sake of these people."
Taki stares wordlessly at his wife for a few moments. As much as he cared about the people who are willing to help them, he is admittedly afraid to face these demihumans. Although he had gotten into some fights back in his teenage years, he obviously had never face anyone with magic and supernatural powers. So how can a couple of humans who have no fighting experience possibly go up against them head-on?
But at the same time, his wife is right. Eight years ago, Taki grew to develop strong feelings for the girl he briefly encountered in the train. It was his strong desire to know the girl who gave him her braided cord and switched bodies with him that motivated him to travel to the Gifu prefecture and find the town of Itomori. And even after learning that the town was destroyed by Comet Tiamat three years ago, Taki never gave up in wanting to meet the girl he cared so much for, which is why he ended up climbing to the top of the crater where the body of Miyamizu Shrine's God lies and switched bodies with her one last time to save her and all its former residents.
Now, although he and his wife had only met Natsu, Darren and their friends about an hour ago, they certainly cared for them enough to fight against these demihumans despite their current forms, so they could save the lives of Mitsuha and everyone else back at the Merlion. Just like how he cared enough to not just save his future wife, but also her friends, family, and everyone else she used to live with. If they are brave to face the enemy despite the odds, surely Taki and Mitsuha can do the same as well.
"Alright. Alright, alright." Taki said before he turns around and rubs his temples. "Think Taki, think. How can we defeat these guys without any magical powers?"
He thought hard for a few moments until a memory flash inside his mind. It was something he vividly remembers Gray said to his friends while he and Mitsuha were standing near them.
"Back at the Sun Village years ago, we reverted to our older forms after I made the one responsible for the spell to lose his cool."
"That's it." Taki said as he opens his eyes and lowers his arms.
"What is it?" Mitsuha asked. Taki turns around and faces his wife.
"I think I have an idea."
"Rise and shine." Caitlin deadpanned as she gave a light kick to Natsu's right shoulder. The Fire Dragon Slayer groans as he is rudely awakened back to consciousness. After groggily opening his eyes, Natsu looks up and sees Arielle and Caitlin standing in front of him.
"Natsu…" Lucy said softly to him. He turns his head to his left and sees Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena all kneeling beside him in a horizontal row with their hands tied behind their backs by Arielle's rings of energy as they look back at him. Spinner, Arlene, and Giuseppe are also standing in front of his friends. Natsu growls as he looks back at Arielle and struggles to break free from the rings around his wrists.
"You with the large ears, you must be Arielle Dugarry." Natsu said with his eyes narrowed.
"Clever boy." Arielle replied flatly before she leans her head towards his. "So, tell me. Who sent you here?"
"Your mother?" Natsu responded. Arielle chuckled at him before standing back up.
"That's very cute. But I have no time for jokes." Arielle said icily as she holds up her right hand and snaps her fingers.
Suddenly, six more rings of energy appear around the bodies of Natsu and his friends. While still holding up her right hand, Arielle slowly curls her fingers to shrink the size of the rings, causing Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena to throw their heads back and cry in pain and agony as they slowly crush their arms and torsos.
"Every time you fail to answer my question, I will tighten them. So please be more cooperative." Arielle said flatly to them before she snaps her fingers again to stop the shrinking. Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena breathe heavily as they look back at her. "Now then, my friend Arlene said there were eight people approaching our hideout. But there is only six of you here. Where are your other two allies?"
"Leave them alone. They are not fighters like us." Darren said.
"Even if I believe you, enemies are still enemies, and they need to be dealt with." Arielle said icily.
"Ma'am! Look what we've found!" Warren shouted to his leader. Everyone turn to the left end of the alleyway and see Warren and Charles approaching them while clinging onto the arms of Taki and Mitsuha as they drag the couple along with them.
"No way!" Natsu yelled as he, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena watch in horror.
"Taki!" Alicia cried to him.
"Mitsuha!" Sheena added.
"Well, speak of the devil." Arielle said with a wide smile. "Place them alongside their friends."
Warren and Charles obliged as they pull Taki and Mitsuha over to Sheena. They get behind them, place their hands on their shoulders and forcefully push them down on their knees. After doing so, the demihumans place their hands behind their backs and Arielle snaps her fingers to form rings around their wrists and torsos.
"Why did you come back? You are no match for them!" Sheena said softly to Taki and Mitsuha as Warren and Charles walk away from them.
"Silence!" Arielle yelled at Sheena as she curls the fingers of her right hand again to tighten the ring around the summoner's body.
"Sheena!" Taki and Mitsuha both cried as they helplessly watch the summoner cry in pain.
"Stop hurting her!" Alicia cried at Arielle.
"Did you humans ever stop hurting us after the Tartaros Incident?" Arielle asked Alicia coldly.
"Even still, you will gain nothing if you end up killing her!" Darren shouted at her before he narrows his eyes and said flatly, "So stop hurting her…right…NOW."
Arielle glares at Darren for a few seconds before she lets out a sigh and lowers her hand. The ring around Sheena's body loosens a bit, allowing the summoner to catch a few breaths.
"Isn't it pathetic how ruthless and aggressive humans can be to get what they want, yet they would immediately beg for mercy when they are being held prisoner?" Warren said before giving Taki and Mitsuha a snarl. The couple yelp and throw their heads back in response. Warren gave them a chuckle.
"Indeed, Warren." Arielle said, gazing at the humans before her and her comrades. "Ever since the Tartaros Incident, we finally realize that humans are sly, selfish, arrogant and greedy. Our past friendship with them meant nothing all along. That is why once we've removed all humans from Petunia, we will form a new nation and haven for demihumans. One where demihumans can live without fear and shame again. And within time, our actions will inspire other demihumans to do the same. Humanity will control us no more."
"Arielle, we know what you have lost. Your home, your family…even the one you loved the most." Lucy said sadly to Arielle.
Arielle glares at her. "How do you know this?"
"Your buddies back at the Merlion Park told us everything about you." Natsu said.
"The Praetorians?" Spinner said, arching an eyebrow.
"I knew they would fail somehow." Caitlin deadpanned as she turns her head away.
"Arielle, we know you love Laurent Mendy." Natsu said to Arielle. "I got to meet and talk to him before he died."
Arielle gasps and remains speechless for a few seconds. "You did? You actually met him in the West Forest before his death?"
"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "Like you, he will never forgive the humans who drive him and his parents out of Petunia. His parents later died from the injuries that the humans inflicted on them."
"Then surely you understand the justification of my actions." Arielle said frowning.
"But I too know how it feels to lose someone you love." Natsu continued. "And during his final moments, I manage to get into his head that while he chose to walk down the path of revenge, I chose to keep my head high and become a better person. I made him realized that if he continues walking down the path he had chosen, he is only destroying himself further." He paused to lower his head. "But sadly, before we could become friends, he sacrificed himself to protect me from a praetor who tried to kill me from behind." He looks back up at Arielle with a solemn frown. "Arielle, I bear no ill will towards Laurent, and I'm sorry I could not save his life. So, to honour him, I want to make the same appeal to you that I have made to him. Stop walking down the path of revenge. Stop hurting these innocent people and start learning to walk down a new path of hope and optimism."
Arielle looks at Natsu closely. His eyes are serious. He genuinely meant everything he had said to her, and he is truly sorry for not being able to save the boy she loves. She hangs her head and stays silent for a few moments.
Suddenly, she looks back at Natsu with an ugly scowl as she holds up her right hand again and curls her fingers to tighten the ring around his body. The Fire Dragon Slayer throws his head back and yells in pain again.
"NATSU!" Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena cried to him.
"You think I want your apology for the role you played in Laurent's death? It doesn't matter anymore. All I care at this point is making the humans in Petunia pay for what they did to us." Arielle said to Natsu. When the Fire Dragon Slayer looks back at her with his teeth gritted, the demihuman leans her head forward and said coldly to him, "And none of you will be able to stop us."
"Speaking of Petunia, what exactly are you going to do after you become mayor?" Taki suddenly spoke.
"What?" Arielle asked Taki incredulously as she turns her head to him.
"Taki! What are you doing?!" Sheena whispered to him in alarm.
"I mean, do you really think a girl like you who hasn't reached adulthood yet can handle the pressure and responsibility of not just being the leader of a town, but also an entire race and nation?" Taki said to Arielle.
"Shut your mouth!" Warren shouted at Taki. Mitsuha gave Sheena a quick smirk and a wink of an eye. The summoner stares wordlessly at the couple for a moment before her lips form into a smile.
"Okay then." Sheena said softly before Charles grabs her by her collar and pulls her up to his face.
"What's so funny?" Charles asked her icily.
"Oh nothing." Sheena laughed at him. "It's just that…Taki has a point. You guys know how to commit terrorism, but can you do politics afterwards?"
"Shut up, you filthy human!" Arielle yelled at her as she and her comrades glare at the summoner.
"Yeah, I mean even George Washington knows how to run a country after helping his people win the American Revolution." Darren added with a grin as he, Alicia, Lucy, Wendy and Natsu finally understand what Taki and Mitsuha are trying to do. Ticked off by his comments, Spinner draws out Darren's katana and points its tip at his face.
"Shut up right now or I will slice off that annoying mouth of yours!" Spinner yelled at him threateningly. Darren remains calm and expressionless as he gazes at him.
"Really? Pointing swords at children? Do you have no shame as a swordsman? Maybe the humans of your world have the right idea about you guys after all." Mitsuha chided the half-gecko demihuman.
"Silence!" Giuseppe shouted at her. But as their comments keep coming, Arielle grits her teeth and narrows her eyes as she quivers and breathes heavily with rage.
"You guys keep talking about how ruthless and aggressive humans can be, yet here you are doing the exact same thing by putting innocent lives at risk!" Alicia yelled at the demihumans.
"Quiet! You know nothing about us!" Arlene snapped at Alicia.
"We know all about demihumans and how it is possible to achieve unity and friendship between us and your race more than any of you!" Wendy shouted.
"ENOUGH!" Arielle roared as she holds up her hands and curls her fingers to tighten the rings around their bodies. Charles tosses Sheena away from him and the summoner had her back slammed against the wall before falling onto the ground.
But as Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha cry in pain, they can feel their muscles, legs and chests slowly growing. Lucy manages to crack a small smile as she looks down at her slightly larger breasts for a moment.
"I-It's…w-working…" Lucy whispered to Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer gave a slight nod to her before looking back at Arielle.
"Besides…even if your actions on the humans of Petunia will inspire other demihumans to do the same…it will also inspire humans to fight back and harder…" Natsu said, causing Arielle to widen her eyes at him. "Face it…the cycle of hate between humans and demihumans will continue…the suffering of your race will never stop…none of you will ever achieve everlasting peace…" Natsu manages to lean his head forward to Arielle and gave her a slight grin. "All thanks to you."
Finally, unable to hold back her anger and frustration any longer, Arielle lets out a furious roar as she charges at Natsu, grabs him by his throat and pins him against the wall.
"Humans will only fight back, all thanks to me?!" Arielle yelled at Natsu directly at his face. "Once I've taken over Petunia, I will unite all demihumans of Earth Land to take a stand against humanity! We will do everything in our power to put them in their place!"
"Not unless we stop you." Natsu smirked as his entire body suddenly turns white. Arielle gasps as he and his friends all illuminate in bright white light in front of her and her comrades and they all start to grow.
"Oh no!" Arlene cried as she and most of her friends watch in horror and realization.
"What have we done?!" Charles yelled with his eyes wide.
"Oh well." Caitlin shrugged.
As their bodies grow, Sheena could feel more of her magic coming back to her, and she quickly uses Volt's Lightning to electrocute and break the rings around her wrists, arms, and torso.
Nine more bolts of lightning burst out from her hands. Seven of them land onto the rings around the wrists and bodies of her friends. One bolt of lightning landed on the blade of Darren's katana and flows through Spinner's body as he holds its hilt. The half-gecko demihuman screams in agony as he drops the katana and falls to the ground.
The last bolt of lightning lands in front of Arielle. The half-rat demihuman screams as the bolt creates an explosion in front of her, and it sends her briefly flying through the air and slamming against the wall of the building behind her.
"Arielle!" Giuseppe cried as he, Caitlin, Charles, Arlene, and Warren run over to her.
Thanks to Volt's Lightning, the rings disintegrate as Natsu and his friends grew larger, and when they finally reach their normal sizes, the white light around them fade away to reveal their normal looks and clothing.
Darren picks up his katana while Sheena draws out a paper. They hold up their weapons in front of them as they, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy and Wendy get into their fighting stances. Arielle lifts her head up and points her finger at them.
"ATTACK!" Arielle ordered her friends. Warren, Spinner, Arlene, Charles, and Giuseppe all yell as they and Caitlin charge towards their enemies.
"Get back!" Sheena said to Taki and Mitsuha before she quickly dodges a vertical slash from Warren's claws by moving to her right. Taki and Mitsuha quickly turn to the left and run over to the nearest dumpster to hide behind. Warren turns to Sheena and swings his left arm horizontally at her. Sheena dodges him again by leaping into the air and performing a flip over the demihuman's head. After Sheena lands on the ground, she gets up and slaps her paper onto Warren's forehead as soon as they turn around to face each other. Sheena leaps back and performs several swift hand gestures before a bolt of lightning comes down from the night sky and strikes down onto where her paper had been placed. Warren howls in agony as the lightning surges through his entire body. And when her attack dies down, Warren wobbles about and collapses onto the road on his face like a heap of bricks.
As Darren and Spinner clash their katana and machete against each other and stay in a stalemate, the demihuman said with a grin, "Now that you are back in your adult form, I will have no regrets when I stab you."
"Not today, lizardman." Darren replied before he manages to push Spinner back and swings his katana horizontally at him. Spinner backs away to dodge it and Darren runs up to him to deliver a few more diagonal strikes at the demihuman. Spinner barely manages to block all his attacks in time, but Darren suddenly lifts his right leg up and delivers a roundhouse kick to his chest.
Spinner groans as he backs away again. He puts the hilt of his machete in his mouth to bite it, whirls about, jumps into the air and lands against the wall of the building in front of him. Spinner swiftly climbs up the wall by five meters before he jumps off, turns around and summons two more machetes in his hands. Spinner briefly throws his arms back and swings both machetes down onto Darren, who quickly performs a backflip to dodge the attack. As soon as Spinner lands, he gets up and swings his right machete diagonally at Darren. Darren quickly moves to his right to dodge it. Spinner turns to Darren and swings his left machete diagonally at him. Darren blocks the attack by holding up his katana. Spinner swings his other machete down onto his katana before he lifts his left knee up and kicks Darren in the abdomen. Darren groans and Spinner swings his left machete horizontally to knock him at the left side of his head with the bottom of its hilt. Darren falls onto the ground and turns around to see Spinner dematerializing the machete in his mouth and holding up his right machete as he walks over to him.
"And this is why I'm Arielle's best swordsman." Spinner said to Darren with a lopsided grin.
Suddenly, a dumpster rolls over to Spinner on his left and slams against him. Spinner yelps as he collapses onto the ground while Darren turns to his right and sees Taki and Mitsuha smiling and waving their hands at him as they stand at the end of the alleyway. Darren smiled back and gives them a thumbs-up before he and Spinner get back up. Spinner yells as he charges at Darren and thrusts his machetes at him. Darren leaps into the air to dodge the attack. When he is above Spinner's head, he quickly performs a somersault and kicks him on the back of his head, sending the demihuman stumbling forward.
As soon as Darren lands on the ground, both swordsmen whirl about, hold up their weapons and face each other again.
"Sadly, I'm unimpressed." Darren said to Spinner. Spinner yells angrily as he charges at Darren and swings his left machete down at him. Darren blocks his attack by holding up his katana horizontally. Spinner takes the opportunity to swing his right machete horizontally at the left side of Darren's torso. But Darren swiftly slides to his right to dodge his attack. He quickly uses his left foot to kick Spinner at the back of his left leg, causing him to groan and fall on his left knee. The demihuman yells again as he turns back to Darren and swings his left machete at him. But Darren backs away to dodge the slash and he retaliates by twirling around and delivering a horizontal kick across Spinner's face with his left leg, causing him to turn around and fall to the ground on his face. Darren waits for Spinner to get back up on his feet and turn back to him with both machetes still in his hands. Spinner yells one more time as he runs up to Darren and swings both machetes horizontally at his face. Darren makes a brief run and dodges the machetes by getting down and sliding through the ground on his knees. He throws his head back and the blades of Spinner's machetes barely miss him. As Darren gets up, he and Spinner turn around to each other again and the former swings his katana horizontally at him. Spinner holds up his left machete to block the attack, but the impact knocks it out of his hand. The demihuman desperately swings his right machete diagonally at his head but Darren dodges it by tilting his head far to his left. He swings his left fist and punches Spinner on the right side of his head before he turns to the building on his left and runs up the wall. Darren turns back to Spinner as he jumps off it. And when the demihuman recovers and turns back to his opponent, Spinner could only gasp and widen his eyes in horror as Darren brings down the bottom of the hilt of his katana and hits him hard on his forehead to knock him unconscious.
Caitlin swoops down on Alicia and throws her right fist down on her. Alicia quickly turns around and rolls away to dodge the attack and Caitlin slams her fist onto the ground instead. Alicia runs up the wall and after jumping off it, she twirls and swings her yo-yos around in the air. When Alicia is near Caitlin, her yo-yos slam across her left cheek two times before the demihuman stumbles to her right. As soon as Alicia lands on the ground, she gets up and twirls around a few more times to deliver three more horizontal swings of her yo-yos across Caitlin's right cheek. As the third swing sends her twirling and falling to the ground on her back, Alicia throws her arms back and swings her yo-yos down to deliver one final vertical strike down onto Caitlin's face.
"Ah, great." Caitlin muttered right before the yo-yos collide onto her face and knock her into unconsciousness.
As Natsu pulls his flaming arms back and runs over to Charles, the half-deer demihuman quickly forms two rectangular-shaped orange translucent shields in front of his arms. When Natsu reaches him, the Fire Dragon Slayer swings his flaming fists at Charles, who deflects both punches with his shields. Charles quickly closes his arms together to merge his two translucent shields together and fires them at Natsu. The shields collide against Natsu and send him slamming against the wall behind him. Natsu quickly recovers and sees Charles charging towards him with his head leaned forward and aiming his antler horns at him. Natsu steps forward and clings onto Charles's horns when he is near him to stop his charge. They both push against each other, trying to overwhelm the other.
Beside them, Lucy leaps back to dodge a horizontal slash from Giuseppe's claws. The half-cat demihuman quickly leaps into the air and swings his claws down onto Lucy. Lucy evades his attack by rolling over the ground to her right. She quickly gets back up and swings her whip at Giuseppe as she turns back to the demihuman. Giuseppe swiftly grabs Lucy's whip and pulls it out from her grip. He quickly pounces at Lucy and pins her onto the ground. Lucy looks up and gasps as Giuseppe holds up his right claws and prepare to swing them down on her.
Meanwhile, as Natsu and Charles continue pushing against each other with all their strength, the half-deer demihuman pulls his arms back and summons two more rectangular-shaped shields over them, preparing to attack the Fire Dragon Slayer with them. Natsu however, quickly stomps his foot hard on the ground and lets out a roar as he manages to carry Charles up in the air with all his strength. The demihuman cry as he helplessly flails his arms around while being lifted by the Fire Dragon Slayer. Natsu quickly turns to Giuseppe and tosses Charles over to him. Both demihumans yelp as Charles collide against Giuseppe's back, getting him off Lucy. As both demihumans fall onto the ground together, Lucy quickly gets up and turns around while Natsu runs over to her side.
"Are you ready, Lucy?" Natsu asked as he ignites his feet with flames.
"Always." Lucy replied as she gets into her fighting stance. As Giuseppe and Charles get back up and face them, both Natsu and Lucy leap into the air and thrust their legs at them.
"FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!" Natsu shouted as huge amounts of fire form around his right leg.
"LUCY KICK!" Lucy yelled.
Charles quickly holds up his hands and forms a large orange translucent wall in front of him and Giuseppe to block their kicks. However, when their feet make contact with the wall, both Natsu and Lucy shouted in unison, "PHOENIX IMPACT!"
The combination of Lucy's attack and Natsu's flames suddenly creates a giant phoenix that breaks through the wall and sends Giuseppe and Charles flying through the air. Both demihumans yell helplessly before they collide against the wall on the building behind them. The smoke is cleared a few seconds later, revealing Giuseppe and Charles having their jaws dropped and their eyes rolled back. After Charles's glasses split in half, both demihumans groan as they fall off the wall and collapse onto the ground on their faces, slipping into unconsciousness.
After generating large amounts of wind magic around her right leg, Arlene twirls around and swings it horizontally to fire a huge blast of wind at Wendy. Wendy leaps into the air to dodge the attack and generates huge amounts of wind around her own right leg as well.
"SKY DRAGON'S CLAW!" Wendy yelled as she performs a flip in mid-air and fires a vertical blast of wind down at Arlene. Arlene swiftly moves to her left to dodge the attack and throws her head back.
"SUPERSONIC!" Arlene screeched as she throws her head forward and screams multiple large rings of sound waves at Wendy while she is still in mid-air. Wendy cries as the sound waves sent her flying up and over to the wall of the building behind her.
After her opponent slammed against the building, Arlene swings her arms and wings back and glides up to Wendy. She generates a large amount of wind around her right arm and pulls her fist back as she prepares to deliver a powerful punch to her. However, when the demihuman is only a meter away from the building, Wendy quickly gathers enough wind at her feet and swiftly flies off from where she originally laid. The smoke is blown away to reveal just a large crack on the wall.
"What?" Arlene said bewildered, and she couldn't get out of the way in time before she slams against the wall.
When she reaches the building at the other side of the alleyway, Wendy places her feet against the wall, crouches down and looks up at Arlene. She gathers a huge amount of wind at her feet again to launch herself from the wall and fly over to Arlene at incredible speed.
"SKY DRAGON'S…" Wendy pulls back her right hand and generates a large amount of wind around it. "CRUSHING FANG!"
When she is near Arlene, Wendy swings her hand and slams the back of her head. As the impact creates huge clouds of smoke, Arlene screams in pain by the force of Wendy's attack. A few seconds later, Wendy plummets and lands on the ground safely while carrying the now unconscious Arlene in her arms. She gently places her opponent down on the ground and bows her head to her.
"That will be enough from all of you!" Arielle shouted to everyone still conscious in the alleyway.
Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena turn to the left end of the alleyway and gasp upon seeing Arielle standing behind Taki and Mitsuha, who are both kneeling on the road with several rings coil around their torsos, arms, and legs.
"Taki! Mitsuha!" Darren cried to them.
"Move one more muscle and I will mercilessly crush them to death!" Arielle yelled threateningly to them as she holds up her right hand and ready to curl her fingers.
"Do you really have no shame at all in hurting civilians?" Alicia said to Arielle with her eyes narrowed. "How would Laurent feel knowing that the girl he cares so much has turned into a monster?"
"Stop bringing him up!" Arielle snapped at her. "Laurent can't feel anything anymore! He is dead…and he is never coming back."
"Arielle, surely deep down, you still know what is right and wrong. So please, let them go." Lucy said concernedly.
"Enough with your lectures." Arielle said icily. "Now, if you really do care about their lives, stand down and let me and my friends go."
There was a moment of tense silence between Arielle and everyone else. Natsu, Darren and the others know they can't let Arielle and her friends get away with what they have done to Taki, Mitsuha and the other civilians. But at the same time, they know Taki and Mitsuha will get hurt as soon as they try to take any hostile action towards her. Natsu, Darren and the others remain silent as they gaze at Arielle, trying to think what their next move should be.
Suddenly, the silence was broken when Mitsuha moans and rolls her eyes back. Arielle and the others turn their heads and watch her fall to her right and collapse onto the ground.
"Mitsuha!" Taki cried as he and everyone watch in horror.
"Oh no. It must be the poison." Wendy uttered with her eyes wide.
"Poison?" Arielle said in confusion as Taki slowly crawls himself over to Mitsuha despite having his limbs tied. He soon loses his balance and finds himself falling onto the ground. But he ignores the pain and turns himself to look directly at Mitsuha's face.
"Mitsuha!" Taki cried to her again with his eyes shaking. He could see sweat all over his wife's cheeks and forehead, and he can feel her breathing is shallow. "MITSUHA!"
Mitsuha slowly opens her eyelids and whimpered, "Taki…kun…"
"Mitsuha, please! Hang in there! We are so close!" Taki bawled as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Taki…I…I'm cold…" Mitsuha replied weakly. Knowing that his wife is on the verge of death, Taki grits his teeth and shuts his eyes tightly to let his tears roll down his face.
"Mitsuha…" Taki choked as he looked back at her. "I don't want you to go. I don't ever want to lose you again…not after everything we have been through…"
Mitsuha gulped as tears began to form in her own eyes as well. "Taki-kun…I don't want to die too. I want to create…even more wonderful memories with you…you are everything to me…"
"So are you to me, Mitsuha…" Taki said with his voice trembling. "This time…I won't be able to go back and save you…"
"Taki…even without me…you have to take care of the shrine…look after Hitoha…and Yotsuha…and my father for me…live the rest of your life…with happiness…" Mitsuha whispered.
"I…I don't know if I can do that…" Taki replied.
"You have to…" Mitsuha sounded serious. "It was my father's refusal to get over my mother's death that tore our family apart…I don't want you to make the same mistake as him…So please…stay happy…can you do that?" Taki remains silent for a moment before he pursed his lips and reluctantly nods his head to her. Mitsuha manages to crack a faint smile as more tears pour out from her eyes. "Arigatou…"
Taki takes a gulp and says softly, "I love you…"
"I love you too…Taki…" Mitsuha responded before she and Taki manage to crawl closer to each other and rest their foreheads against each other. As the couple began sobbing and waiting for their relationship to come to a tragic end, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena gaze sadly at them. The women could feel tears forming in their eyes as Wendy hangs her head and tremble, knowing that she and her friends have fail to save Mitsuha in time.
Arielle also felt her heart sank as she stood there and watch the couple show their love and dedication for each other. Ever since her exile from Petunia and her discovery of Laurent's death, she had developed a grudge against humanity. She had always thought humans are incapable of love and care. And after what they did to her race after the Tartaros Incident, she believed they are beyond redemption. She can never forgive them for what they did to the boy she loves.
And yet, Taki and Mitsuha are proving her wrong. Whatever these two humans had been through together, their feelings and desire to be together are genuine. They have display something completely different than most humans she met had done, and it is something that Arielle had not witnessed personally for a very long time.
Shutting her eyes tightly, Arielle lowers her head as another memory suddenly comes to her mind.
6 Years Ago…
"I'm coming!" Arielle yelled and rushed into the living room after hearing a few knocks on the main door of her home. She grabs the doorknob and gives it a twist before pulling the door open to reveal her visitor. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing their face.
"Hello, Arielle." Laurent greeted with a warm smile.
"Laurent!" Arielle cried with her eyes wide. "W-What are you doing here? I thought you are supposed to be accompanying the miners to the West Forest."
"I just thought of making a quick visit to your home before I go off." Laurent replied.
"Well…what did you come here for?" Arielle asked.
"I um…I wanted to give you something." Laurent said as he nervously stuffs his hand into his pocket. After removing his fist from it, he gently grabs Arielle's right hand and places it onto her palm. He uncurls his fingers, and his friend felt a small object. When Laurent removes his hand, Arielle widens her eyes and gapes her mouth as she discovers it is a golden heart-shaped locket.
"I apologize for the shape of it. It was the only thing they had left in the shop." Laurent rubs the back of his head. "But go ahead. Take a look at what's inside."
Arielle gently opens the locket and lets out a small gasp when she sees a small photo of her and Laurent standing close to each other and smiling for the camera stored inside of it.
"This…this is the picture we took together that day." Arielle said.
"That's right." Laurent replied. Arielle looks up and sees a warm smile plastered across his face. "Whenever I'm away…whenever you thought about me…just carry this locket with you and take a look at that photo. Because like I said, no matter how far we may feel from each other, you will always be my friend."
Arielle and Laurent gaze silently at each other for a few seconds before the latter yelps in realization.
"I-I-I mean…we really are just friends, you know?" Laurent panicked as his cheeks blushed. "Don't get the wrong message because of the combination of the shape of that locket and what I said-"
Laurent stops in mid-sentence when Arielle bursts out into cheerful laughter.
"I love it." Arielle smiled back at him as her cheeks blush as well. She suddenly yelps. "I-I mean the locket of course."
"I know." Laurent replied before the two friends laugh together. They stare at each other and smile again. "I look forward to the day we can regularly hang out together again."
"Me too." Arielle nods her head. With the locket still in her hand, she and Laurent pull each other into a warm embrace.
They break away from their hug a few seconds later, and Laurent said to her with a heavy heart, "See you around, Arielle."
"See you around too, Laurent." Arielle said.
With that, the two friends wave their hands goodbye to each other before Laurent turns around and makes his departure.
Tears cascade down Arielle's cheeks, and a few of them splash onto the road. As she finally remembers how she got her precious locket in the first place, Arielle trembles and falls on her knees as she began sobbing uncontrollably. Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena watched her, confused over what made her suddenly break down into a sad and pitiful state.
"Laurent…oh Laurent…" Arielle whimpered. With whatever ounce of strength she has left, she holds up her shaking right hand and performs a snap with her fingers. In an instant, the rings around Taki and Mitsuha's bodies disappear. Wendy gasps upon seeing this and quickly generates huge amounts of wind beneath her feet to launch herself and fly over to the couple within a second. Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena on the other hand run over to Arielle to apprehend her.
Wendy places her feet and bends her knees against the wall of the building beside Taki and Mitsuha before she turns around and lands behind the latter.
"Hang in there!" Wendy cried to Mitsuha as she quickly turns her body and places her hands on her left shoulder. Taki gets up and watches in anxiety while an aura of light blue energy forms below Wendy's hands as the Sky Dragon Slayer proceeds to heal his wife, and hopefully in time before she fully succumbs to the poison.
Taki gazes at his wife who lies motionless on the road with her eyes closed. Taki closes his own eyes and says softly to her, "Mitsuha…come back to me…please…"
The aura of light blue energy fades away when Wendy removes her hands from Mitsuha's shoulder about a minute later. She looks up at Taki and said to him, "It is done."
Taki looks down at Mitsuha again, who continues lying still on the road. His brows furrowed, wondering if Wendy's spell had worked or were they too late. But eventually, he could see Mitsuha's eyelids make a slight twitch, causing him to skip a beat. His wife slowly opens her eyes, and her lips form into a weak smile.
"Taki-kun…" Mitsuha said barely above a whisper. Taki smiled back at her as he fails to hold back his tears.
"Mitsuha!" Taki cried to her with joy and relief. Mitsuha gets herself up from the ground before she and her husband pull each other into a warm and tight embrace. Wendy watched as the couple wail and shed tears of joy, both overwhelmed with happiness that Mitsuha is finally freed from the poison, and they can continue living their lives with each other after all.
Taki and Mitsuha look back at each other with tearstained eyes. They stare for a few seconds before they plant a kiss onto each other's lips. They both turn to Wendy and bow their heads to her.
"Arigatou." Taki said as he and Mitsuha smile at her.
"You're welcome." Wendy smiled back at them before turning to her friends. "We did it. Mitsuha has recovered."
"And we have apprehended Arielle." Darren said as he, Lucy, Natsu, Alicia and Sheena stand behind the demihuman girl who kneels on the ground with her hands cuffed behind her back. Natsu summons his lacrima and contacted Erza.
"Erza, the mission is a success. We've saved Mitsuha and captured Arielle." Natsu said.
"And everyone here are back to normal. Good job, all of you." Erza said to Natsu through her lacrima with a wide smile before dematerializing it. Although the dome remains intact, she, Gray, Happy, Carla, Karol, Judith, Yuri, Estelle, and Virgo all look around the Merlion Park and see all the civilians cheering and hugging each other after reverting into their normal forms and clothes. The Praetorians however hang their heads in shame and defeat, knowing that Arielle's plan had been foiled.
"I admit, it was fun being a kid again while it lasted." Estelle said to her friends.
"Yeah." Yuri said to Estelle as he stands beside her. "And um…you were kinda cute too as a kid."
Estelle giggled in response. She and Yuri smile at each other as they hold hands.
At the alleyway, Arielle sobbed and lets her tears roll freely down her cheeks as Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, and Sheena look down at her. Wendy, Taki and Mitsuha walk over to her, and the Sky Dragon Slayer inquired, "Why did you do it? Why did you let them go?"
"Because your friend was right. Killing them would only destroy my memory of Laurent…and myself further." Arielle answered after managing to bring her sobs to a halt. Natsu solemnly nods his head. "Whenever I was down and frustrated, Laurent was there to cheer me up. Every time I was by his side, he would make my world a brighter place. But I never experienced that again after our exile from Petunia. Humanity robbed me of the boy I loved. I thought all of them were awful." She looks up at Taki and Mitsuha and takes a gulp. "But these two…they proved to me I was wrong. Just as Laurent have provided me care and warmth, they showed me that there do exists humans out there who are capable of showing that as well. And I'm sorry…" Arielle paused as she lowers her head and lets more tears pool down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry…that I tried to take your happiness away from you two. I was wrong…to do that…"
As Arielle continues weeping, Taki and Mitsuha walk over to her sides, kneel beside her, and place their hands on her shoulders.
"We know how you feel, Arielle." Mitsuha said to her. Arielle looks up at her again with puffy red eyes. "We have all been through something that hit our lives hard. Taki and I have experienced that too. But as long as we have the will to keep living, we will find happiness again."
"We lost our happiness when our mothers died. But we got it back when we found each other." Taki added. "We're sorry for your loss. But that does not mean your life is over."
"So stop crying." Natsu spoke up. Arielle turns to the Fire Dragon Slayer and sees the wide smile on his face. "Stand back up and show the ones you love how much you've grown, and how you have lived your way since." Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, and Wendy nod their heads in agreement.
Arielle turns back to Taki and Mitsuha. The couple smile at her for a few seconds before they wrap their arms around the demihuman girl. Arielle closes her eyes and rests her chin on Mitsuha's shoulder while Wendy and her friends smile and watch the three of them stay in their warm embrace.
Another twelve minutes later, the unit of mages and Rune Knights that was dispatched by the Magic Council have arrived in Singapore. Ten unit members went to the Merlion Park to meet up with Erza and the others and apprehend the Praetorians. Another ten of them, led by Medea, head to the alleyway in Hong Kong Street to arrest Arielle and her accomplices. Medea stands in front of Arielle while a mage with long red braided hair stands behind the demihuman girl and pulls her up from the ground.
"The culprit is secured." The mage said to Medea before turning to Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha who are all standing at the side of the road. "Thanks to you and your friends, blondie."
"No problem, Flare." Lucy replied with a warm smile.
"So what's going on in Petunia now?" Darren asked.
"And what will happen to Arielle and her friends?" Alicia added.
"Don't worry about Petunia. We have already informed Chairman Hyberion that the situation in Singapore has been taken care of, and Lacus Clyne will keep her position as the mayor of Petunia. And both Judith and Makoto will work on encouraging any remaining former demihuman residents of Petunia to return to their hometown when they get back to Earth Land." Medea explained before everyone turn to the right end of the alleyway where eight Rune Knights are escorting Spinner, Caitlin, Charles, Warren, Arlene, and Giuseppe into a large portal that leads to Singapore's transport hub to Earth Land. "As for Arielle and her friends, they will be sent to Era where they will stand trial for putting civilian lives at risk and the attempted murder of Mitsuha Miyamizu."
As the knights and her accomplices began entering the portal, Arielle turns back to Natsu, Darren and the others one last time.
"I will be going now. Take good care of yourselves." Arielle said sadly to Taki and Mitsuha.
"You too, Arielle." Mitsuha said as she and Taki nod their heads to her.
"I hope you will find your happiness again soon." Taki added.
"May your time in prison help transform you into a better person." Natsu said.
Arielle nods back to them before turning to the portal and lowering her head. With Flare following her closely from behind, Arielle begins walking towards the portal without showing any resistance and hesitancy. Natsu, Darren and the others silently watch until Arielle and Flare step into the portal together, and they are both gone from their sights.
"So um, that dome Arielle created over the Merlion Park, it has gotten a lot of attention from the public." Darren said to Medea as he and his friends turn back to her. "I hope you guys know how to fix this problem."
"And admittedly, we did use some of our own magic as well to heal Mitsuha and fight against Arielle and her accomplices. So, we will face the consequences of our actions too." Sheena said as she, Lucy, Natsu and Wendy lower their heads.
"Unfortunately, rules are rules. Any Earth Landers who isn't a member of the Magic Council will be punished for exposing too much of their magic in other worlds." Medea said sternly. Sheena, Lucy, Natsu and Wendy nod their heads to her. But Medea's solemn frown quickly turns into a cheerful smile. "Buuuutttt…there is no punishment for using your magic out of self-defence. So, I am allowed to let you guys slide on this one." As Medea finished with a crafty wink, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Sheena, Darren, and Alicia all smile in relief.
"As for what happened at the Merlion Park, our mages are currently getting into their positions to wipe away all memories of this incident from every non-Earth Lander in Singapore before any news about it spread to the rest of the world. Any photos and video footage they have taken of this incident will also be erased from their devices. Be glad that all this is possible because Singapore is a tiny dot on the map. Once we bring down the dome, we will begin the spell." Medea explained.
"You mean…my wife and I will forget everything about this incident, including our meeting with them?" Taki asked dishearteningly as he and Mitsuha frown at Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and Sheena.
"Yes. That is right." Medea said firmly to him and his wife. Taki and Mitsuha sadly lower their heads for a moment before looking back at them.
"I guess this is farewell then. It was nice knowing all of you." Mitsuha said to them grimly. Darren and Alicia sadly stare at her and Taki as well before they turn to Medea.
"Medea, wait." Darren said. "Would it be alright to make these two an exception?"
"Why is that?" Medea inquired.
"Because I trust these two will help keep the existence of Earth Land and all its magic a complete secret." Darren replied.
"Taki and Mitsuha have shown a great display of courage and bravery to us tonight. If it weren't for their assistance, we never would have defeated Arielle and her accomplices and save everyone in the Merlion Park." Alicia added.
"I agree." Sheena said. "They have proven themselves to be trustworthy. That is why as the summoner of Mizuho, I urge for their exception as well."
"Me too." Natsu added with a solemn nod.
"So do I." Lucy said firmly.
"I urge too." Wendy said, nodding her head as well. Medea silently look at the solemn frowns on their faces for a moment before turning back to Taki and Mitsuha. She smiled at the couple and nods her head.
"Very well then. Taki and Mitsuha are to be trusted in keeping the existence of Earth Land, its magic and its people a secret." Medea said. Taki and Mitsuha perked up, knowing that they can keep their friendship and the memories they have with Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Sheena, and the rest of Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia after all. The eight of them turn to each other, and they all laugh and chuckle as they give themselves a large group hug.
"Arigatou." Mitsuha said to them.
"You're welcome." Alicia replied smiling. After breaking away from their hug, they all turn back to Medea.
"Right, you all might want to put these on." Medea said as she holds up her right hand and summons eight large silver metallic helmets with blue visors in the air. Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha watch as the helmets float down in front of them.
"So, we just put them over our heads?" Taki asked as he and the others each grab a helmet. Medea nods to the eight of them, and they all place the helmets securely over their heads and tighten the safety straps underneath their chins.
"I can't see through these helmets though." Sheena said as the helmets conceal their eyes, noses, and most of their faces, but still leave their mouths exposed.
"You're not meant to. The visors are what help you not fall into the effects of our memory wiping spell." Medea explained.
"Oooooohhhh, I get it." Darren said, nodding his head slowly. "It's like that movie-"
"Silence." Medea said flatly to him.
"Okay." Darren replied and folded his arms, causing Taki, Mitsuha, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and Sheena to laugh at him.
Medea summons her communications lacrima in her hand. "Is everyone in position?"
"Everyone here in Merlion Park is ready, ma'am. The Earth Landers in this area have put on their helmets and the Praetorians have been brought to the transport hub." A Rune Knight named Alphen responded to Medea as he and a mage named Rinwell stand in the centre of Merlion Park. He currently wears the same silver helmet over his head to keep his memories intact. Erza, Gray, Happy, Carla, Karol, Yuri, Estelle, Judith, and Virgo are also wearing their own helmets as they stand near them.
"This is Mage 1 at the northwest corner of Singapore, ready." A mage replied to Medea through his lacrima while standing on top of a tall pillar that is temporarily erected at the Singapore side of the Johore Strait and near the island of Pulau Sarimbun.
"Mage 2 at the northeast corner of Singapore, ready." Another mage responded to Medea with her lacrima as she stands on top of a pillar somewhere near the reefs of Beting Bronok.
"Mage 3 at the southwest corner of Singapore, ready."
"Mage 4 at the southeast corner of Singapore, ready."
"Mage 5 at the north part of Singapore, ready."
"Mage 6 at the south part of Singapore, ready."
"Mage 7 at the east part of Singapore, ready."
"Mage 8 at the west part of Singapore, ready."
After hearing all their responses, Medea ordered Rinwell through her lacrima, "Good. Rinwell, bring down the dome and proceed with the spell."
As Rinwell raises her hands, the civilians in Merlion Park look around in awe as the dome is being dematerialized and brought down.
When it is done, the mages on the pillars at all eight parts of Singapore hold out their hands and form an enormous amount of bright white energy throughout the city-state. And for the next forty seconds, the entire island nation went white.
Later that night, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha reunite with Erza, Gray, Karol and the others at the Merlion Park. To their relief, all the civilians in Singapore have completely forgotten the events of the incident caused by Arielle and her accomplices. Darren, Alicia, Taki and Mitsuha also check through the social media sites on their phones and notice that any photos and videos of the incident have been erased as well so no one on Earth can ever know about it. But they are relieved that the photos they have taken of themselves and with their friends remain intact.
Darren, Alicia, and their friends later follow and accompany Taki and Mitsuha back to the Marina Bay Sands hotel. When they arrive at the hotel lobby, Taki and Mitsuha thank them for what they have done for them tonight. They also hand Darren and Alicia two business cards to Mitsuha's braided cord shop at the Miyamizu Shrine and two pieces of paper with their home address and contact numbers written on them.
"Here you go." Mitsuha said to Darren and Alicia.
"Thank you." Darren replied as he and Alicia take the cards and papers from them.
"If you ever come to Tokyo again, Mitsuha and I will make sure your next trip will be better than your last." Taki said, winking an eye at Darren.
"I definitely will. And I'll take Alicia along with me." Darren smiled at him as he wraps an arm around the shoulders of his girlfriend.
"Once you arrived, you can call us and drop by our home. Taki and I will give you both a tour you'll never forget." Mitsuha said cheerfully. "We'll also show you our family shrine and introduce you to Kasumi and my grandmother. I'm sure you will love them both."
"We look forward to that." Alicia smiled at the Miyamizus.
After removing his arm from her, Darren, Alicia, Taki and Mitsuha bow to each other at the same time. Natsu, Lucy and the others also bow back to the Miyamizus a few seconds later and they, Darren and Alicia all wave their hands goodbye to them.
"Goodbye Taki! Goodbye Mitsuha!" They all said to the couple.
"Goodbye everyone!" Taki said as he and Mitsuha smile and wave goodbye to them.
"Thanks for everything!" Mitsuha added. With that, she and Taki turn around and grab each other's hands as they make their way back to their room. As Darren and Alicia watch them leave, Natsu and Lucy walk up to them.
"They are such an interesting couple, aren't they?" Lucy asked them.
"They sure are." Alicia said to her.
"I look forward to meeting them again in the future." Darren said.
"Us too." Natsu said with a broad smile. He and Darren turn to each other and wrap their arms around their shoulders. "This night was a lot more interesting than I expected."
"Me too." Darren replied before they, Alicia, and Lucy all chuckle and smile at each other.
After returning into their room, Taki and Mitsuha walk up to the large glass windows showing an aerial view of the Singapore River and its surrounds including the Merlion Park, the Fullerton Hotel, Boat Quay, and all the downtown area.
The couple wrap their arms around their waists as Mitsuha asked her husband, "This is an interesting world we live in, isn't it Taki-kun?"
Taki elicits a sigh and replies with a wide smile, "It sure is."
The End
Song Suggestions:
Theme of Mitsuha by RADWIMPS (During the last two scenes of the story)
Zenzenzense by RADWIMPS (After you have finished reading this story)
Sovereign: And that's the end of my brief return to this story. I hope you all enjoyed it!