Hello, hello, friends!

So, this chapter ended up being a monster (well over 15k) so I broke it into two. Part 2 is complete as well, so I will post it on Sunday (promise).

In a word, these chapters are Heavy! But we're dealing with Tartaros and the like, no one was expecting fluff right? ;)

'Happy' reading!

~Onward

51

Too late, I was too late.

Everyone…

Lucy felt heavy; her mind incessantly replayed the blinding light that had peeled off the lacrima orb, preceding its explosion. She pressed herself up slowly, her ears still ringing with the sound of the bomb's detonation.

Is anyone else alive? –How am I alive?

Lucy lifted her arms with some effort and pressed the heels of her hands into her temples, trying to ease the dull throb in her head, the ringing that assaulted her ears. Finally daring to open her eyes, she expected to be surrounded by devastation, by her home in ruins. She found none of that.

Her eyes flitted around a dome-like space, walls without edges surround her in a melding of colours she struggled to pinpoint. Furnishings dotted the room, a dresser, a mirror, a couple chairs. She occupied a bed… and clothing she didn't recognize…

What happened… she thought dully.

Prying herself out of the bed, Lucy moved toward the door, her body felt weak, and nausea unsettled her. Emerging from the strange room, she found herself surrounded by deep blue skies, millions of stars piercing the darkness around her. The ground beneath her shimmered in a rainbow of colour, blueish crystals lined the path before her like shrubs and other islands floated in the distance. She shook off her initial wonderment as concern returned tenfold, "Erza?! Mira?! Anyone?!"

Lucy moved down the path calling frantically for her friends and came to another series of pristine white structures… 'white' for lack of a better descriptor. The structures almost appeared to be formed from light, emitting a faint shimmer constantly. "What is this…" she wondered. "Mavis, are you there? What happened?" There was no answer this time and the silence left Lucy with a strangely empty feeling.

Natsu… I wish you were here…

"Princess!" Lucy's eyes bulged, she spun around, her dress flaring around her legs with the movement. "Forgive me for not being there when you awoke! I deserve punishment!"

"Virgo!" Lucy ran forward, snagging the maid-spirit's hands in her own, "do you know what is happening?"

"Yes Princess, Horologium sensed the distortion… we are sorry we could not save your Guildhall—"

"But everyone else! Are they okay?!" Lucy interrupted frantically.

"LUCY!"

Lucy's eyes widened at the chorus of voices blending behind her. Virgo smiled simply at her, "We were able to bring everyone to the Spirit Realm just in time, Princess." Tears welled in Lucy's eyes and cascaded down her cheeks as a body slammed into her from behind, and then another, followed by a speeding ball of blue fur. She wrenched herself around in the bear hug of her friends and found Mira and Levy bawling with her, as Happy clung to her arm.

"You guys, you're okay… thank goodness." Lucy whispered. Erza stood just behind the girls with Gray and Juvia, they were all clothed in brilliant colours as well, none as bright as the smiles they wore. Lucy's gratitude was immense.

. . .

Leo explained everything once they were all reunited in a large hall around a long table that appeared to be marble or glass or anything in between. An array of food and beverages covered its surface, and the mages eagerly scarfed down the meal presented to them as Leo spoke, apparently travelling dimensions worked up an appetite. The Zodiac's leader made it clear they had been exceedingly lucky more of their guildmates hadn't been present at the time of the attack. The Zodiac had already struggled to transport their number safely, and had been forced to pull on Lucy's magic in order to strip the Fairies from their world… The sudden and forceful demand on her reserves had left Lucy unconscious for hours.

Unfortunately, nothing remained of their Guildhall.

Leo explained that they'd rescued the reporter who'd set off the detonation as well, but it had turned out she'd never been alive to begin with… Crux had hypothesized her reanimation to be the work of a curse.

Tartaros.

Makarov patted Lucy's hand from his spot beside her, no one voiced the demon guild's name aloud, but they were all thinking it. Suddenly no appeared interested in the food, each mulling over the information. After infiltrating the Grand Magic Games, Tartaros had vanished again. Though Lucy knew Natsu, and the Eclipse team had been chasing the idea that Tartaros was behind the disappearance of various dark guilds.

"We can handle anything thrown at us," Erza announced from Lucy's other side, and sounds of agreement slowly rang out around the table.

"First things first…" Gray said sullenly, "where are we going to go? The Guild's in ruins, we need to find somewhere to regroup with everyone."

"Maybe Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus could put us up…" Juvia pitched.

"That would be a lot to ask, I will take a look at the Guild's reserves…" Makarov trailed off, Lucy could see the distress on the Master's face at the thought of dipping into their still dwindled funds. The prize money from the Games had been split between the top three contestants, so they were far from replenished.

"No need," Lucy interjected in their discussions, they all fell silent and turned her way with curiosity.

Two Days Later

Lucy frowned at her reflection; noticeable exhaustion clung to her face as she drew a brush through her damp hair. She set the brush down and Plue mewled from his spot on the desk, patting her hand to bring a small smile to her face. Last night had been the first that she'd gotten a few hours of sleep, she glanced away from her mirror to the early dawn through the glass doors leading to the balcony.

Sighing, Lucy stood and dropped her towel and moved to the suit case she hadn't unpacked yet, pulling out a skirt and top for the day. "Natsu and Haru should be back in a couple days…" she said to herself as she latched her Gate Keys to her belt. 'If we're lucky, they've found something useful on their mission.'

Not knowing what Tartaros' next move was, or why they'd attacked Fairy Tail directly… specifically when the Twin Dragons were away, was a total mystery. They'd only ever seemed interested in Natsu and Haru, and possibly Jellal, given the guys muddling in their affairs. A pit settled in Lucy's stomach as she met her own eyes in the mirror, unless of course, this had been about her. Raven Tail had expressed their desire to get their hands on the Grand Fairy Spells… and Meredy had forced her hand to reveal her connection to the magic…

Lucy hadn't really thought about it since that day, as no threats had surfaced immediately, or even the day Tartaros had attacked… But it was a possibility she couldn't outright dismiss.

Though, to be honest, they couldn't even be certain it was Tartaros who'd attacked them. Fairy Tail had its fair share of enemies in the dark magic world and curse power could be wielded by more than just the Etherious. But their conflict with the Demon Guild had certainly been building to a head, the Games had been solid proof of that.

She missed Natsu. She missed them both. But at some point, nights had gotten long and lonely without the fire mage curled against her. It had been less than a week, but the attack had a way of stretching time out and the days that had passed felt much longer. She wished she had some way to contact the guys… hopefully they returned to Magnolia soon and got her message.

Smiling fondly at the blue cat still fast asleep on the pillow at the top of her bed, Lucy tossed the door open and headed down the hall toward her father's old study. Plue danced along on her heels, singing in his mindless chatter. Being back at the Estate after all these years was an odd full circle feeling. The mansion that had felt like a prison after her mother's death, one she'd spent her days planning her departure from and her nights dreaming of escape, turned out to be Fairy Tail's salvation. She knocked on the heavy door and admitted herself to find Mira and Levy hard at work over a stack of paperwork.

The girls looked up, offering her good mornings and Mira pointed to the tray of coffee and mugs, "Coffee Lucy?"

The blonde nodded gratefully, "You are a Godsend Mira…" she said, accepting a steaming mug. "Making much progress?"

"Mmm, Some Lu. I've put together the paperwork to declare the Heartfilia Estate our temporary base of operations at Master's request… that should at least get missions redirected here."

"Where is Master? I thought he'd be here."

Mira held a letter out to her, "He left early this morning for Margaret Town. Summoned to an emergency Guild Masters' meeting—Mavis knows what that's about."

"I wish… I'd ask her myself," Lucy droned sarcastically. She had re-established her connection with the First, but Mavis still had difficulty maintaining regular contact. The residual magic that it had taken to bind her spirit to her grave marker, and then to Lucy decades later, was dwindling slowly. So, she tended to save their contact for pivotal moments of dire need.

Lucy took a sip of her coffee as Mira chuckled lightly and moved toward the door with the coffee tray balanced against her hip. "I'm going to start getting those lazy guildmates of ours up…" she told them and left the room to start knocking on doors.

Only the few who had been present at the time of the attack were currently settled into the Estate. Leo had only just planted a message at the ruins of their Guildhall yesterday, it would be triggered by a member's guild mark to ensure their enemies couldn't find them quite so easily. Lucy assumed that no one had tried to return home yet from their various missions, but they'd start trickling in sooner than later. Thankfully the mansion boasted plenty of space to house the Fairy Tail members comfortably, while they regrouped. It would be better for them to stay together, away from Magnolia where their enemies knew them to be. They could worry about rebuilding after they had a better idea of the threat they faced.

At the top of Lucy's list of plans for the day… track down a newspaper or two so they could see what the media had had to say about the attack. She was certain the NMC would have been quick to spin a story to keep up public appearances but hopefully there were some hints to go on. For now, they'd been completely in the dark as to the response or news of the last couple days, prioritizing getting themselves situated so they could begin planning counter measures.

"I'm going to head down Lev. Don't spend too much time with your nose buried in those books, you need to eat too."

"I'll be right behind you Lu, just gonna finish this up." Lucy gave her a skeptical look. "Promise!" Levy added with a laugh. Bidding a farewell, Lucy gave up and headed downstairs to join Gray, Juvia and Erza at one of two long wooden tables that now occupied each side of the oversized foyer. Fairy Tail's banner hung on the back wall between two grand staircases.

"Morning," she greeted her teammates and Juvia as she took the seat next to the redhead.

Erza gave a cheerful reply, though Gray, still looking dishevelled from a fitful sleep, just grumbled something about the reality of She Devils being worse than any nightmare. Mira popped up behind him as though summoned by those words, "Got something to tell me, Gray?" she chirped, causing him to jump in surprise.

"N-no Mira!" he quickly responded.

"Gray darling, your shivering," Juvia pointed, cuddling in closer to him. Mira seemed pleased by the reaction. Their other sleepy comrades were starting to shuffle down the stairs as well, Levy was with Shadow Gear now, taunting them with her chipper morning perkiness. Lucy hid her smile behind a hand.

Smiling sweetly, though somehow no less demonically, Mira announced to the group, "Kinana and I are going to start breakfast, what does everyone want?" Immediately, everyone began perking up, and Mira made her way around their temporary common room to take orders. Happy shot down over the bannister with a yell of 'fish' on his lips and settled at the table with the present Dragon Soul mages.

"No Carla or Wendy yet?" he asked, large eyes begging Lucy for good news.

"Sorry furball, not yet."

"She took a pretty simple tracking mission, if I recall," Mira put in as she reapproached for their own breakfast requests.

"And shockingly, Gajeel got all protective and went with her…" Lucy chuckled, "he really is a softy under all that iron…They'll arrive soon," she predicted.

"And so will the others when they finish up their missions. It's only been a couple days after all, no need to worry." Mira gave the cat her brightest smile, "now, how about that fish Happy?" With Happy's shout of approval following her, Mira disappeared toward the kitchens to join Kinana.

The group slipped back into idle chatter, avoiding talk of their present situation or the looming unknowns for now. A metallic clang of the iron door knocker echoed through the grand foyer, derailing the conversation. Lucy shifted and glanced toward the door as did her companions that she shared the table with. "Happy? You mind?" she asked the exceed. It seemed strange for someone to knock, being that the Heartfilia mansion had become the temporary base of operations for Fairy Tail… Lucy had guessed most people would come and go as freely as they did at the actual guildhall. She considered that it might be one of their more polite guildmates, like Freed or Wendy, but given both mages' known company, it still seemed unlikely.

"Aye sir!" Happy answered, springing into the air before pearly wings burst from his back.

The blonde's eyes flicked up as Mira and Kinana sauntered through the open French doors that led to the living area and kitchens beyond, pushing carts with various plates of food. Lucy smiled and nodded her thanks at her friend as she placed plates of strawberry pancakes and fresh whipped cream down in front of her and Erza.

"Luuushy!" Happy sang loudly from the large doors. Lucy paused midbite, eyeing the cat. With a sigh, she lowered the spoon and left her breakfast momentarily untouched. She got up to see what Happy wanted and Mira followed on her heels. She was overseeing the Guild in Makarov's absence, as usual.

Lucy pressed the doors open further and Happy dropped to her shoulder, wings disappearing as he made himself comfortable. Lucy's eyebrows pinched together in confusion at finding the green-haired princess and Meredy on her doorstep. Laxus and the Thunder God tribe stood a short distance back, conversing with Arcadios, which only added to Lucy's confusion. They must have returned to Magnolia and gotten her message but that didn't explain how they'd ended up in the Princess' company. Last she'd heard, Laxus and his team were out on an internal request, one that she hadn't heard any details on. Lucy had just assumed Makarov had sent his grandson out for one reason or another… the pieces simply didn't fit together.

"Princess Hisui, Meredy?" Lucy questioned, "what would possibly bring you here, is everything okay?"

Hisui shifted her weight anxiously, adverting her gaze back to Arcadios and the mages behind her. Lucy absently realized Laxus, and his team looked battle worn… such a state was rare to see a team of their calibre in. She was getting a sinking feeling, a heavy weight that settled in the pit of her stomach. The Fiore Knight remained as stone-faced as ever when he noticed the princess' attention and began approaching them.

"Princess, is it Tartaros? Whatever it is, Fairy Tail will do whatever we can to help," Mira pressed, having apparently come to the same concern as Lucy.

Bringing her attention back to Lucy, Mira and Happy with worry etched across her face, Hisui visibly steeled her emotions, settling into her royal detachment. "We've lost Mercurius… and Natsu and Haru are missing, we lost contact with them."

Lucy's initial reaction was to tense and suck a breath in. The confusion about what the Princess meant by Mercurius being lost, picked at the back of her mind as well, but she couldn't bring herself focus on that just yet. Logic warred in denial against Hisui's alleged report. "They only left on their mission four days ago though," she pointed.

"They also said they were staying in Era longer than expected, and might not be able to check in on lacrima comms," Mira added quickly. "Surely we shouldn't be concerned about four days, this is Haru and Natsu we're talking about."

The Princess' lips parted, "Four days?" she breathed. Then a defeated look flitted across her face, "–you don't know…"

Lucy and Mira exchanged a look, anxiety climbing. "Know what?" they asked together.

Eyes snapping to Meredy who looked equally disheartened, Hisui informed them, "You were missing for over a month after the attack on Fairy Tail…"

A month.

But that meant…

Lucy looked at Mira again, cold fear surging through her. Tears were already glistening in her friend's blue eyes.

. . .

"Lucy, we're waiting on you."

Lucy stopped in her pacing up and down the foyer, meeting Laxus' gaze as he leaned over the railing from upstairs. She shifted the lacrima cell in her hand away from her ear and caught Mira's attention. "Mira, can you take Dragon Soul up to the Study … I will be there in two." The demon mage visibly shook herself from her thoughts, blue eyes clearing as she focused on the blonde before agreeing.

After processing the news, Mira had immediately attempted to contact the Master, but had been unsuccessful. It had been another blow, albeit a small one. But the mild inconvenience had Mira coiling into herself, she sat at one of the tables, temporarily defeated and stared into space. Lucy had thrown herself into tasks, anything to distract herself from the news, anything to get as much information as possible.

She'd led Hisui and Laxus to her father's study and promised to return once she'd made a couple quick calls. Part of her wasn't ready to hear the details of Hisui's information yet. Another part of her realized that if a full month had passed in the spirit realm, it was likely their guildmates had found the Guild destroyed long before Leo had ever left her message for them. She had been desperate to reach a few of them off the list Freed had provided, to let them know what had happened. They would need the whole Guild regrouped as quickly as possible to be prepared for the battle with Tartaros.

"Sorry about that," Lucy said, returning to her call, nodding as she listened, "so it wasn't just Mercurius…" she said despondently.

Erza was standing in front of her, having refused to follow Mira up just yet. She was barely maintaining her patience as she shifted anxiously between her feet. Lucy breathed a long exhale, arching a brow at the hovering redhead. "I believe Erza would like to talk to Wendy…" she stated, "travel safe Gajeel, we'll see you soon."

Lucy handed the thin lacrima crystal to her friend, absently listening to the overprotective sister figure drill Wendy with a hundred questions. She could still hear Wendy blubbering on the other end, the teen had been crying since learning they'd survived the explosion. Erza trailed along behind her and reluctantly ended the call as they entered the office, handing Lucy's comm back to her.

"The NMC headquarters was also attacked…" Lucy stated grimly, receiving Mira's and Erza's gasps of surprise as she pocketed the device.

Hisui dropped her head, shame tinging her cheeks, "Yes… so many lives," she whispered, "even despite planning for the attacks, we—"

"Planning?! You knew about the attacks prior?!" Erza snapped incredulously, putting voice to Lucy's thoughts immediately.

"Not entirely," Laxus said, pulling Gray's and the girls' attentions to himself, "it wasn't as simple as that. I was only told there was a threat of potential attack on Mercurius."

Lucy's eyebrows pulled together, "So that was your internal mission? To protect Mercurius? Then Master—"

"It wasn't Gramps. Natsu asked me to protect Mercurius," he glanced at the Princess, "and the royal family."
"What? Why?"

"At the time, I didn't know why he and Haru weren't doing it themselves either. After all, it's their team in the palace. But I didn't ask, Natsu and Haru aren't ones to freely ask favours, so I knew they had a good reason."

"I don't understand…" Lucy mumbled, mind reeling to make sense of the information. If the guys were concerned about an attack on the palace, what mission could be important enough to supersede that? Her mind filled in the blank in an instant, "the Council, they sent you to Mercurius and they went to Era, cover all bases."

The lightning mage shrugged a shoulder, "I didn't know about Era, not until the King informed me after the attack had already happened. And that, of course, happened after Fairy Tail had been attacked…"

"It's my fault," Hisui mumbled, "we never even considered Fairy Tail could be a target… Natsu told us Jackal had implied planned attacks on high-profile institutions when the two of them fought during the Games. When the Eclipse Team met, we only considered the Capital, the Council and Zentopia Church as targets. It's all my fault your guild was attacked," she whispered again.

"That doesn't even matter!" Mira growled, suddenly regaining her fire, "no one was hurt in that attack, but the other two… Tartaros is playing with us! They warned Natsu of the impending attacks, knowing he'd respond. Which means they knew there was nothing that could be done to stop the attacks." Lucy reached out and clasped the takeover mage's forearm to calm the emotions that set her friend's muscles shaking.

"They're trying to break us mentally…" Erza realized then, "emotional warfare, knowing how it would affect those of us trying to protect innocent lives, only to inevitably fail…"

A subtle static danced over Laxus' arms in response to his own emotions, "It is hard not to blame ourselves. Should we have evacuated the people? Was there anything we could have done differently? But we had no way of knowing when or even if they really would attack. This could have all been to spread our forces thin, I think that's why Natsu didn't alert more of the Guild for assistance."

"It is likely Tartaros would have had another plan of action had you called an evacuation anyway, this wasn't about the structures, but the people within." Erza pondered, placing her hand on Laxus' shoulder.

"They kidnapped my Father," Hisui added, she was staring at her hands clasped in her lap, "it's likely they've captured Natsu and Haru as well, or they'd have checked in by now. What can we do?" she asked brokenly.

Lucy felt like steel had replaced the blood in her veins. Natsu…Haru…

Silence stretched out over the room. "We find them. We kick the asses of whoever's got them and if that's Tartaros, then our counterattack starts a little early."

"Lucy that's… reckless," Gray said carefully.

Eyes flashing, she rounded on the ice mage. "Well then, I guess Natsu finally rubbed off on me. Now are you with me or not?" she asked hotly, looking at the rest of her team, "because nothing any of you say is going to stop me."

Erza, Gray and Mira all exchanged fleeting looks before all three gazes settled on her. Lucy raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms under her bust defiantly. Then widening grins spread across each of their faces and a familiar chant warmed her heart.

"We're all fired up!"

Era

"It's impressive really…" Gray droned. The rest of the team faced him, and he gestured with a non-definitive hand to the citizens that passed by. "Just about as uptight as the Council," he concluded sarcastically.

Erza's initial curiosity turned to disapproval, and he swallowed thickly under her gaze, cheeks colouring as he realized how distasteful the comment was. No one else responded. The detonations had taken a chunk out of the peak that the Council headquarters had pridefully occupied along with the building itself. They had also taken the lives of some of the citizens.

The ice mage's sarcasm was just a defence mechanism Lucy knew. The entire team had been on edge since they'd been alerted to the reality of their missing friends, the attacks, the time they'd lost, again. With a heavy sigh, Lucy took in the rubble that remained to mark the attack. Not for the first time since arriving, she wondered if the guys had gotten caught up in the attack somehow. She wouldn't put it passed them to throw themselves into the fray. And if they had, where were they now, and why hadn't they tried to get in touch with anyone? Lucy refused to believe they hadn't made it out.

The group had paused, their collective focus on the destruction before them. "We'll find them," Jellal stated, breaking the team's tense silence. He continued down the streets of Era toward their destination once more, "come on, let's keep moving."

Lucy pulled her travel cloak around her tighter, trying to keep the chill at bay, and followed Jellal and her comrades. They wound through Era in silence and continued to remain quiet as Jellal led them into a quaint Inn. He paused to knock a knuckle against a door to announce their arrival but didn't wait for an answer, letting himself in with the rest of the team on his heels.

The small room was familiar, curiosity had Lucy scanning the entire room, wondering why. Rohan stood across the room; he didn't look up from a lacrima comm that monopolized his attention. Lehar, on the other hand, straightened from his position hunched over the travel bag he was sorting through.

"Jellal… you didn't mention you weren't coming alone," the commander grumbled, pouring his irritation over Lucy and her team.

"You wouldn't have taken this meeting then."

"If you understand that, then why did you bring the Fairies…"

"I am a Fairy now. And my allegiance lies with them, not the Council." Jellal reminded dryly. The expression on Lehar's face betrayed his irritation, though he said nothing to dispute. "My proposition to share information still stands, if you can get over your issues with Fairy Tail."

"Your council-influenced bureaucratic issues with how we do things doesn't matter anyway… hate to be blunt, but the Council is gone," Lucy pointed harshly.

Lehar's mouth opened, anger flickering through his eyes, but Rohan took that moment to intervene. "Deal," he said, turning from the window and pocketing the lacrima comm. "I'll start. We were investigating the attack on your guild before we were attacked the following day. None of your guildmates that we were able to reach, had any idea what had happened, that, or they were unwilling to cooperate…" He crossed his arms and leaned back against the desk behind him. "Somehow, I get the feeling you lot could shed more light anyway. Your team always seems to be at the center of everything."

"We'll tell you what we know about the attack on our guild, if you tell us about the attack on Era." Erza negotiated.

"Before I explain what happened here, satisfy my curiosity… why does our attack matter to you?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Mira growled uncharacteristically, "Tartaros attacked our family, you didn't think we'd stay out of it, did you?"

Rohan considered them as a group, "Sure… but that isn't what brought you here. Why would the surviving council members be your first lead?" he asked astutely.

"Some of our friends are missing!" Lucy snapped impatiently, "they were on a mission here when we last heard from them. So, are you going to help us or not?!"

With an elongated sigh, Lehar yielded. He confirmed that their attack was also thought to have been orchestrated by Tartaros. It had begun with two of their demons taking Yajima and himself hostage—Lehar paused to complain about his initial incompetence allowing the pair in question to escape in the first place— Rohan and a few others had been around, attempting to manage the situation, when suddenly the one Lehar remembered as Soren, had announced to his partner that they'd been too late...

Lehar still didn't know what' he'd meant by that. He couldn't make heads or tails of the sliver of panic that had seemed to mar the demon's tone.

Everything that had happened after that statement, had been a blur.
Lehar had come to, outside their burning and crumbling headquarters, disoriented by the ringing in his ears and the surrounding chaos. Rohan, Yajima and a couple of his colleagues had been in various states of confusion around him. None of them knew how they'd ended up outside, and the pair of unknown demons had already vanished without a trace...again.

"They succeed in blowing up the NMC, so they likely retreated. If I had to guess, they dropped us out of the blast radius to be a reminder of Tartaros' power… That maybe we'd keep the Saints and our affiliates out of the fray."

Jellal blew out an irritated breath, "Honestly, Rohan, for an intelligence operative, you really are in idiot."

Attempting to defend, Lehar barked, "What?! You insolent—"

"The two men you keep referring to as demons, Lehar, are our missing comrades. But you know them better as Ghost," Jellal stated, "and you owe your lives to them."

Erza's hand whipped up to snag Jellal by the upper arm and wrenched him back, "What were you thinking?!" she demanded in an angry whisper, ignoring both Commanders' stunned disbelief.

"What does it matter Erza?" Jellal rebutted, "this is all clearly leading to the final battle with Tartaros, they don't need the alias anymore… Besides, it's likely Tartaros already knows who they are, and probably have for a while."

The muscles of Erza's jaw worked as though she literally chewed on the validity of his statement. Rohan recovered before his fellow commander, "So you're telling me, some of your guildmates are in league with Ghost..." he clarified.

"No, I'm saying they are Ghost, the two of them," Jellal corrected.

"That's impossible—"

Lehar interrupted, "It is impossible. I've been stuck dealing with Fairy Tail, since most of your brats were just kids and I've never seen the two of them. On top of the that, I didn't sense any magic from them. None."

"Okay, you must know about magic suppression, for someone adept in the ability, it wouldn't be hard to hide spells from someone of your magic level."

"Excuse—"

"You know what? We really don't have time to nurse your wounded pride over not being able to figure it out." Lucy cut in, "Tartaros likely has them. So, do you have any useful information? Or are we wasting our time?"

Sighing, Rohan raised a brow at Lehar who was still seething. "I don't know if this is at all related," he started, "but I did see that Sabertooth woman, her guild mark wasn't Sabertooth's though."

"You don't know it? –Can you draw it?!" Erza asked quickly, requipping a notebook and pen.

Rohan accepted the materials and returned a rough sketch a moment later, but no one recognized the mark. Lucy reached for the pad, "I don't recognize it, but I know how might…" she said as she pulled her lacrima comm from her bag.

She turned to leave the suite for a quieter location when Lehar stopped her, "Hey, you still owe us some answers."

"Right, deal's a deal," Erza replied, "Lucy, go ahead, we'll catch up with you out front."

"I'll go with her," Gray said.

"Me too," Mira added, narrowed eyes on the two Commanders, "not a fan of the current company."

Erza chuckled despite everything and watched as the trio of her comrades took their leave.

Unknown Location

-3 Days Later-

An old forest loomed in front of them, each tree gnarled looking on the edge of death, despite the thick foliage that clung to the branches. Somewhere hidden amongst the trees, Succubus Eye awaited them, if Meredy's intel was correct. Lucy stood with a clenched fist over her heart, trying to slow her rapid heartrate. It had taken an additional three days to cross Ishgar, wasn't like their destination had been a short hop from Era…

Lucy said nothing to her companions, just started forward, knowing they would follow without hesitation. The dense canopy swallowed the sun and left them carefully picking their way through the dark, despite it being midday. They didn't dare cast any light to guide their way, for fear of losing the element of surprise.

So, when a bright light burst between them for a split second, they all flinched in surprise. Lucy whirled in the direction of the fading glow, "Leo?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she whispered angrily. Her own whispers were joined by her comrades expressing their own exacerbation as well.

"Sorry, sorry… I didn't realize you were in the middle of—what is this exactly?" he whispered back.

Lucy remained frozen to the spot, requesting his silence with a single finger as she scanned their environment for any movement. Minutes passed and no one moved. "I think we're okay…" Mira said, keeping the conversation to whispers.

"We're going after Succubus Eye, Leo," Lucy explained curtly. She did regret snapping at him, the Zodiac leader would never purposefully put her or her comrades at risk and he had no way of knowing the precariousness of their current circumstances. To top that off, Leo didn't pop in on her randomly, without reason. She sighed, adopting a gentler tone, "why are you here Leo?"

"I can sense Natsu again," he replied.

"Wha…" his words sunk in slowly, and then Lucy threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him as she murmured words of gratitude. It was some small consolation that whatever they were walking into wasn't going to be for nothing. Lucy had summoned Leo before she and the team had even planned their next move from the Heartfilia estate. She'd hoped he might be able to summon himself to Natsu, as he'd been able to with her before she'd gotten her keys back. Natsu still held a celestial contract with the lion, and thus a bond, however weaker than hers.

It didn't pan out; Leo had told her apologetically, that she was an exception to the rule. He couldn't normally manifest himself without being in proximity of his key holder. He explained her affinity with celestial magic was greater than any the spirit realm had seen in centuries, not since Anna herself… and thus, the Zodiac's potential was unlocked far more with her.

She still wasn't sure what to make of all that. She'd been too busy absorbing her disappointment.

Patting her back reassuringly, he continued, "My bond with Natsu isn't that strong, especially without my key in his possession, so he must be close."

"Th-thank you Leo…" Lucy mumbled into his chest. The memory of the loyal spirit appearing to tell her Natsu and Haru were still alive, flickered through her mind. She let it fade, as Erza dropped a hand on her shoulder, finding a determined grin on her friend's face.

"This time the princess rescues the dragon!"

"Let's bust 'em out of there! –and you'd better believe I'm not letting them live this down!"

"Yes, let's get our guys back, Lucy!"

Lucy looked around at her friends, absorbing the new flare of confidence, "Yeah!"

Succubus Eye

The occasional pained scream echoed down the hall, each an unrelenting reminder of the Demon Gate just a short distance away. Haru paced the small space of the cell he and Natsu had been cycled in and out of over the past weeks. He desperately wished he could find a way, any way out, but he'd long since given up searching the cell itself. That had proven to be a waste of energy.

He remained stuck on the belief that their way out rested in Natsu's etherious, the cuffs on their wrists sealed their magic… but Tartaros couldn't be aware of Natsu's true identity. Of course, that meant Natsu would have to dredge up more than the simple defensive pulse or dabbles of curse power he'd been able to wield instinctually.

Haru had already tried to convince him to release more of his etherious power, but Natsu still wasn't over his fear of losing control. The fire mage worried he'd harm him if he unleashed the amount of power that he predicted they'd need to escape, or worse.

Blowing out an exhausted breath, Haru spun around and dropped his weight against the wall, sliding down to his butt. Natsu screamed again, and Haru dug the heels of his hands in to his temples, trying to focus through the sounds of his best friend's pain. It wouldn't be long before Kyôka appeared to toss the Natsu back in the cell and drag Haru off again. She wouldn't kill them, yet. Hell, she wasn't even causing true injury… she was simply inflicting a magnified response to the pain processing centers of their nervous systems. It was excruciating to be sure, but ultimately harmless, so long as they kept up the mental fortitude to endure it.

Haru wondered if Kyôka was aware the emotional torture she seemed to inadvertently instill was far worse than the effects of her curse. She'd shown up a few days after their capture and begun torturing them during her visits to… wherever they'd been taken… for information. Information she wanted on their allied light guilds, and the surviving members of Fairy Tail.

Surviving.

The slave demon seemed all too certain that Tartaros had succeeded in decimating Fairy Tail, and all the members inside. The attack had apparently occurred just a day after he and Natsu had failed to prevent the attack on the NMC. At first, they'd both refused to believe anything Kyôka said, but the demoness' anger in not being able to confirm whether Lucy had been eliminated in the attack eroded that refusal. She was just too reactive when they refused to give up details on any of their guildmates.

Every time Kyôka's temper flared at not getting what she wanted, she'd rant furiously. Promising to end the rest of Fairy Tail in the most brutal ways possible, if they didn't start cooperating. The accompanying overstimulation to their pain receptors being pushed far beyond any normal threshold, paled in comparison to reliving the dreadful year following Acnologia's attack.

Haru lifted his head off his knees when the tapping of metal on the rungs of his cell alerted him to company. He expected to see his exhausted partner in the clutches of the random demon that always carried out Kyoka's demands. But it was Kyoka herself, blue eyes sharpened by her fury. Haru swallowed thickly, if Natsu wasn't with her, what did that mean?

"All rested up?" the demoness mocked cruelly. Haru remained silent, meeting her sharp gaze with a stony expression. He refused to give her any satisfaction that might come from finding fear, despair, loss… or whatever she might take as proof of breaking him. He wouldn't ask where Natsu was either, no matter how desperately he wanted to. She clicked her tongue, fit the key in the door, and wrenched him to his feet. Her sadistic expression was back in full affect when she looked down at him, "if my curse won't get either of you talking, maybe I should reward that indominable spirit with a front row show…"

She laughed to herself and dragged him down the hall, throwing him at the feet of another of her underlings. Pushing himself up to his knees, Haru scanned the familiar room and locked eyes with Natsu who was still slung up on the far wall. Natsu looked as tense as he felt, apparently no more aware of what the change in their awful routine had in store.

"Of course, I still need Natsu…" Kyôka started, as the other demon worked Haru back into his own set of chains. "If that pretty little fairy girl is still out there somehow, then you," she said, now looking directly at the fire mage, "are the perfect bate, no?"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Natsu yelled, the ferocity in his tone completely untouched by his current state.

Ignoring him, Kyôka turned and walked back toward Haru. She ran a single sharp claw down the front of his exposed torso, and his pain receptors immediately answered at a scream, sending searing pain through his body. Then with a wild look, and the flick of her tongue over her lips, Kyôka repeated the action. White hot pain exploded through Haru, and it took him long minutes, before he realized Natsu was yelling again. Panic now tinged his partner's voice though, and Haru panted for air, not entirely sure what had changed. Neither he nor Natsu, had reacted to one another's torture yet since confirming there was no lasting damage. Then, as the thrumming of his nerves calmed, he became aware of the wet sensation of fresh blood running down his abs.

"Let's see if you'll talk now, Natsu… or are you prepared to lose your partner?" Kyôka asked emotionlessly, sucking on her blood covered claw.

A/N: Okay, so there we have it, part 1, and once again, I promise part 2/chapter 52 will be up on Sunday.

Does anyone have any theories about where Era actually is? Every time it comes into play it drives me nuts that it is in an "unknown part" of Ishgar. I just kind of play with it being somewhere North or Fiore.

Anyway, not that important. Shit's gonna get real pretty fast from here on out, so hope you all are looking forward to some action!

What all are you hoping to see? Any predictions?

Review shout outs will be added on Sunday, but big thanks to everyone who's been reviewing chapters new and old lately! You rock!

R&R

xx. LokaMuse