As the rain was slowly extinguishing the remains of the flag, Rorge thanked everyone for their time and stepped off the stage, which the crowd took as a sign to leave.
Levy and Wendy remained in their place, still too shaken up to even move. Soon they were the only people not leaving the square. Knowing it'd make them stand out, Levy bit her lip and turned around to sobbing Wendy. She grabbed her by the arm and led into the leaving crowd.
The young Dragon Slayer couldn't see a thing, her eyes misty, her right hand covering her eyes. Soon the inevitable happened, and she bumped into someone rather hard.
This someone was a quite big man wearing a white, stained with blood apron, most likely a butcher from the nearby shop. The man looked at the girl, angered, his brow furrowed.
"Hey, watch it!" he warned her, irritated. "The hell are ya whining for? Better watch the damn road!"
Sensing trouble, Levy quickly ran up to them and hugged Wendy, forcing a smile at the man. "I'm sorry for my sister, she used to look up to Fairy Tail...To learn all this about her childhood heroes...It was too much for her." she lied to blow away any suspicion.
The butcher's expression softened. "Yeah, nasty stuff. I find it hard to believe meself...My kid used to like them, too. Sorry for yellin', little one. Bad day." he said and gently tousled Wendy's hair.
The girl sniffed and nodded. "No...I'm sorry for b-bumping into you."
The man grunted and walked away, leaving the girls to themselves. Levy looked at Wendy and tried to put up a reassuring face, which she failed at horribly.
"We have to tell the others what happened." she said. "I know it's hard, but try to stay strong, okay? We can cry later."
Wendy wiped her eyes and nodded, her eyes red and puffy. "Okay."
Suddenly, someone from the crowd grabbed her by the hood and started to drag her into a nearby alley, much to Levy's shock. Were they found out?
She ran after them, ready to fight if needed. As soon as she cut the corner, the man turned Wendy around so that she faced him and kneeled before her, taking a good look at her face. Fully convinced their cover has been blown, Levy was just about to ready a spell, but something stopped her.
Wendy's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the man's face, tears forming in her eyes again. Levy used this chance to cut through the alley and get in front of Wendy. When she did so, she looked at the man and felt her eyes widen as well.
His hairline may have receded, his hair may have lost its pure dark-blue color, his face may have gotten more wrinkly, and his 3-day old beard may have turned into a fully grown mustache, but she'd recognize him any day. She'd always recognize this goofy, always smiling face of Macao.
They all stared at one another in awe, unsure what to do next. Macao's skin paled, disbelief and pure shock painted all over his wrinkled face. He looked like he was staring at ghosts, which in his case wouldn't be that far from the truth.
The girls, on the other hand, were once again reminded just how much time has passed since they left Magnolia the last time. It wasn't even the age progression that stunned them – it was how destroyed he looked, his cheeks sunken and eyes tired. Tired of trying.
Just before they could speak out, Macao quickly pulled them down and hugged them so hard they hissed from pain. They didn't mind, though. Not at all.
"How is this possible…?" he mumbled into their hair.
"It's a long story." replied Levy while patting him on the back.
"Looks like they were right..." he sniffed, shame creeping into his voice.
After a minute, Macao let them go and stood up, wiping his eyes. "Come with me, to my house. We can talk there, it ain't safe here, not anymore."
The girls nodded and followed him through the town, trying to not be recognized by anyone else in the meantime. During their trip, Macao didn't say a single word.
Fifteen minutes later they were taking their shoes off in the hallway, muddy puddles leaking from beneath their shoes.
"Don't mind it, there's more dirty stuff in here. Trust me." chuckled Macao and stepped into the kitchen.
As they followed him, they were soon proven just how true his words were. His apartment was a disaster and definitely not by choice.
The room looked old, very old, paint falling off the walls and ceiling, revealing cracked bricks and cement. The windows were old, rotten even, one of them missing glass, which let the cold breeze sneak in uninvited at all times. The cabinets were falling apart, as proven by Macao, who had to catch the door after opening one of them with a little too much force. The apartment was not dirty, however. The floor was as clean as it could get and all the dishes and the sink were clean. It was clearly the best he could do at the moment, which was definitely better than sleeping outside.
"You'll have to excuse me, all I have is some instant coffee...I don't really spend a lot of time in here during the day." said Macao, ashamed. He pulled out two mugs and put the kettle on gas.
"That's okay." smiled Levy. "Where's Romeo?"
"At school, he's taking extra classes. He shares the same sentiment to this apartment as I do."
Wendy looked around the apartment curiously, at the same time trying not to pry too much. After two minutes Macao placed their mugs at the table and sat down, the girls following him shortly.
"Well, then. Don't keep me in the shade any longer." said anxiously Macao. "What the hell happened? Where have you been? Did Blue Pegasus bring you back? Where are the others?"
Wendy and Levy looked at one another and nodded.
They said everything that happened since they left for the exam. The Exam itself, Grimoire's invasion, Tenrou Tree's destruction, battles, Zeref being on the island, Acnologia's arrival, Gildarts' death, Mavis' appearance and how they survived, loss of the island, way back home and being driven away. They told him every little detail they knew, taking short breaks from time to time to get a grip, emotions still strong and raw. All this time, Macao listened without saying a word, without asking any questions. He simply listened, his tired eyes becoming sadder with each bit of the story.
Once they told him everything there was, Macao grabbed his face with both hands and sighed tiredly, unsure what to feel.
"Let's put aside me, because that's not important right now..." he muttered, his voice hoarse from being silent so long. "When I think that, to you, it all took place in just under 48 hours...I just can't imagine it." tears flowed down his face again. "I'm so sorry..."
Levy looked at her feet, frowning sadly. She knew that, to him, it must have been just as hard, if not even harder, not knowing what happened for so long.
"Gildarts...Where did you guys…?"
"On the island. That way, even if it's no longer our guild's sacred place, we can still visit it and treat it as such."
"What about Master and the others? Are they safe?"
Levy's face grew grim. "Master is in a coma. His leg will never be as functional as before. As for the others, they're beaten up but alive."
Macao nodded and wiped his eyes. He stood up and started to prepare a mug of coffee for himself. He could have made it earlier, but they knew he wanted to have something to do after listening to their story. He was restless.
"Blue Pegasus contacted me yesterday, in fact, they've been doing it for a while now." he told them. "They kept calling me whenever they thought they found a clue. The first twenty times I actually had hope, so did the others, but past that number...not so much. That's why I made nothing of their call yesterday. I thought it was yet another fluke, another dead end. But it wasn't." he added, his voice choked from guilt.
"Don't beat yourself up about it. Nobody will blame you, you know that." assured him Levy.
"Even if you won't, I will, for quite some time, I believe."
Wendy took her mug and took a sip, her face immediately twisting from the bitter taste. She respectfully put her mug down and wiped her lips, before asking a question. "Speaking of others, where are they? What happened while we were gone?"
Macao took the kettle off the gas and poured hot water into his cup, before stirring it with a spoon. He grabbed his mug and sat back down.
"Quite a lot, I'm afraid." he said with a forced smile and sighed. "And it all began two days after you left for the exam."
"Two days?" gasped Levy.
Macao nodded. "The Council arrived and let us know what happened, that a dragon came and obliterated the island. They told us about their defeat, too. The news leaked and soon everyone knew Fairy Tail lost its core members, along with their Master. That's when the vultures came."
He took a sip of his beverage and continued.
"Those who stayed started to wonder what our next step would be. Many believed you guys were already dead and there was no coming back, so they simply left. After a week only the oldest members remained. We were trying to get some help, we wanted to look for you guys. Lamia and Pegasus helped us a lot. The Council was in a bad shape, both publicly and inside, so they were of no help whatsoever. We searched day and night for a month, but found nothing. At this point, even your bodies would have made us happy."
"What about Magnolia? Why did they suddenly start to hate us?" asked Levy.
"Around two months after you disappeared, Raven Tail came to the town. They went to our guildhall, Ivan leading them. He demanded to know where Master and the rest was and whether the rumors were true. We told him to get lost, that he had no place in the guild anymore. Much to our surprise, he obeyed and left quietly. Or at least that's what we thought."
Wendy frowned. "He started to talk to the people."
Macao nodded. "At first no one believed him. He spoke the truth, yes, but it was nothing that could make people hate us. When that didn't work he started to dig deeper, to our war with Phantom. People obviously remembered that, but they have long forgiven us, at least some of them. Some families did lose their loved ones that way, no way they would've forgotten that, that's how he obtained his first followers. When that didn't work, he started to reveal some darker facts, the ones that ginger cunt mentioned, such as Erza's past, or that we took that Salamander kid in. He also brought up Gajeel and Juvia, who were basically smuggled into the guild under the Council's nose."
Wendy cringed upon hearing Macao say such a vulgar word. He'd never done that around her before. This must have been one of the many changes that occurred in him during the years.
"And they believed him?" asked Levy. "Did he have any proof for all of that?"
Macao looked at her with a grim expression. "He did."
"Erza told me Natsu's custody was given to us with the Council's permission. Him being a member of Fairy Tail is not illegal!" threw in Wendy.
"We know that." chuckled sarcastically Macao. "The people didn't. All they cared about was what he did before he joined us, but his case was not that serious. Erza was one of the final nails to the coffin, to put it lightly. And not just her."
Levy's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Macao put his mug down, disgust written on his face. "That bastard Ivan made sure to search for anyone who was harmed by Fairy Tail in the past, to testify in his favor. He brought up a young girl, not that older than Wendy, to that atrocity of a stage they put on the main square. He made her strip half naked in front of a crowd and show them her scar. A nasty one, I'll admit. It ran up from her right cheek down to left side of her pelvis, across her entire torso. A scar made with a sword. A scar made by Erza."
Levy and Wendy gasped in shock, their eyes growing wide. Levy stood up, her chair pushed back loudly. "Lies! Erza would never-"
"Except she did. And it's not like I believed those bastards, I just know she did." interrupted her Macao, livid.
Levy stared at him in fear and limply plopped back on her chair.
"There's no way...True, Erza may have had problems in the past, but-" pleaded Wendy. She refused to believe it.
"I know it's true, because the entire guild could hear Master's yelling. It echoed across the whole guild. I've never seen or heard him as furious as back then. It happened shortly before he threatened to stop covering for her, which made her go back on the right track." interrupted Macao yet again.
Wendy stared at him in disbelief. "How did it happen?" she whimpered.
The man shook his head. "I don't know, I've never learned the details. All we knew was that she attacked a kid, at least that's what we understood from the screaming. When we asked him about it, he'd simply scowl and walk away. We dropped it, because none of us wanted to believe Erza would actually attack a child. But...as soon as I saw her, I knew it was her. That it was true all along."
Macao pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He then started to massage his brow and continued.
"Ivan brought up few others as well. Residents of Blackhill Village, people who lived in the village that was destroyed during Laxus' fight with Salamander, some folks who claimed Mira stole their cattle in her demon form...It didn't take long for the people to start turning on us. That was his plan all along, to make the town hate us. The Mayor was one of those people, and a week later, Raven Tail had an official permission to storm our and search it thoroughly. All we could do was watch."
"He had no right." stated Levy. "A guild can be searched only by the Council, not another guild."
"He was well aware of that. He brought some Council officials along, too." laughed Macao. "Bastard thought everything through..."
Wendy's face paled. "Is that where they found...that...thing?"
Macao looked at her. "Yeah. They couldn't find anything in the hall, which was quite pleasant to see, to be honest. He was growing desperate, and our case was getting cleaner. Until they went down to the basement, that is. We had no idea what was stored under the building, to us it was a discovery as big as it was to them. But neither the Council, nor Raven Tail cared. Ivan knew exactly what it was, but played for a fool and used it against us. While we were being interrogated one by one, he pulled that thing out and showed it to the public, with the Council confirming what it really was. After that, the Council had no other choice but to let us free, without any charges. They used everything they had to make us talk, but none of us knew what it was. As for the people..."
Macao's hand started to shake, his grip on the mug increasing so much he was about to break it. Emotions took the best of him, which was not surprising to the girls. They knew reliving it must have felt like hell.
"No one wanted to live in the same place as people who keep a dead body encased in stone in their basement. All of the dirt Ivan brought to the table combined with that discovery were like a hammer, with us being the nail. The people demanded our leave, and the Mayor complied. We were banished from Magnolia, with Raven Tail being established as the new guild. Apparently, they did some favors for the town, favors that made it possible. All of this was Ivan's plan. We were forced to make a new guildhall outside of the town, but even then we were not safe, as everyone wanted us to be officially disbanded as a guild."
"And has it?" asked Levy, dreading the answer. "Has Fairy Tail been disbanded?"
Macao shook his head. "We refused to bend to everyone else and stayed true to the guild. But even the most loyal members could only take so much. Lack of work and constant abuse, both verbal and physical, were too much, and so, people started to leave. Laki, Warren, Vijiter, Nab...they all left at some point. It hurt them to do so, but they knew it was hopeless. Soon after our banishment, the Council has completely reformed itself, both military and law-wise. By a new law, a guild could not be disbanded without its Master's knowledge, and since Master Makarov was gone and none of us took his absentee title, Fairy Tail has been without a Master for seven years. We were not disbanded, but we had no members, either. We became a ghost of a guild. Technically still alive on paper, but dead in reality."
"Did none of the allied guilds try to help? Intervene somehow?" asked angry Levy. "We helped them all so many times, why couldn't they do the same for us?!"
"No matter what they said, facts could not be changed." retorted Macao. "Our guild did lots of dirty stuff in the past, stuff we were not even aware of at times. They did take some of our old members in, but that's about it. When we closed the door to our second guildhall one last time, they knew our minds were set. They tried to help us find you, but we've lost all hope by then. Deep down, all of us were convinced Fairy Tail has come to an end. We've officially become a page in someone's history book, our last deeds being vile ones, full of deception and lies."
The man stood up from his chair and walked up to Wendy. He kneeled before her to meet her eye level and smiled dearly, his jaw muscles strained and not used to the motion. "And yet here you are...alive and well. Not dead. I'm glad at least this one thing did not come true." he sniffed and hugged her, more for himself than her. She hugged him back, tears flowing down her cheeks as well.
Levy looked at her hands, which clenched into fists on her knees. Was this truly what was left of their guild? Forgotten and despised? Its members afraid to walk during the day in fear of being recognized in the town they were born in? Raised in?
"Three years ago I was able to rent a place, the one we're in right now." Macao broke the hug and wiped his eyes, continuing the story. "This was the only good thing about getting old, no one recognized me. I moved in here with Romeo and sent him to school. He hated me for it, but I think he's slowly growing up. He's starting to understand what exactly happened and why things are the way they are."
"That's no way to live." muttered Levy. "Hiding, barely meeting one end with the other..."
"What else can we do?" scoffed Macao. "Not all of us were fortunate enough to be accepted somewhere else, believe me, I tried. We had no other choice."
"You do, now." said Levy. She stood up from her chair again. "We all do, because Fairy Tail is back."
Macao arched an eyebrow. "What, are you gonna start talking to people and try telling them everything they have been told throughout the past seven years was not true? You heard them yourself. We're dead to them."
"That doesn't mean we should stop trying!" she blew up, her emotions finally finding a way out. "We can't just leave things the way they are. We have do fight back!"
"The moment you guys try to attack Raven Tail will be the moment all of you are thrown in jail." stated Macao in a monotone voice, like he was telling the time. "Even if you somehow get past the town, you will never get to speak to Ivan. He will have his men throw you out, only to be found by the guards. We've been through this many times already."
"I never said we would attack them. There has to be a way to confront them."
"Unless you wait for a chance they get out of town on a job with Ivan tagging alone, you will never get close to him."
As Macao and Levy argued, Wendy looked out the window into the evening sky. Her throat was dry and her eyes stung. She felt horrible, both physically and mentally, her mind on the brink. They've lost everything.
"So what do you want to do next?" asked Macao, his patience wearing thin.
"Laxus left for the Council this morning in Master's stead." said Levy. "He will bring answers. We'll decide what to do afterwards."
"If they don't imprison him on the spot." scoffed Macao and buried his face in his hands. He sighed tiredly and massaged his tired eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just...this is too much. I just can't bring myself up to have any hope."
Levy smiled and patted him on the shoulder with compassion. "I understand. It was much harder for you than us."
Macao looked at her from behind his hands. "At this point, I'm really not that sure."
He stood up from his chair and walked up to the window. "Do you guys have anywhere to stay? I could let you sleep here for the night."
Wendy shook her head. "No, we have a place to sleep. It's in the forest outside of town. We could take you there." she added with a smile. She knew he needed some happiness in his life.
Macao clenched his fist. "No. Thanks, but...no. I don't think I'm ready. I gave up on you all, I allowed myself to believe you all died. For now, I can't face you. I just can't."
Wendy wanted to keep persuading him, but Levy shook her head gently, telling her to drop it.
"If you change your mind, you're always welcome." smiled the older bluenette. "All of you are. Even if the world keeps kicking us, we will never give up. That's just how Fairy Tail is, right?"
Macao bit his lip, fighting back tears. There it was, this dumb stubbornness he'd seen so many times. He missed it.
"Yeah. You're right."
Lucy turned the tap off and squeezed the cloth into the sink, the excess water flowing down the old pipes. She frowned sadly and looked at the couch in the living room, painful moaning and grunting caught by her ear every few seconds.
It's been an hour since Natsu had collapsed. He threw himself around in pain for at least five minutes before passing out, which allowed the girls to carry him onto the couch and start treating him. They couldn't do anything about his inside, so instead they focused on wounds he inflicted on himself while in agony.
Lucy walked up to Erza, who was sitting by his side with bandages ready. She gave her the cloth to the redhead, who didn't notice it for a second.
"Oh. Thank you." she muttered and took it, cleaning his chest of blood soon later.
Natsu's breathing was irregular, shallow and hoarse breaths escaping his mouth in-between moans of pain. His skin paled, so much it was almost as white as snow. He had very short and sudden periods of consciousness, only to fall back asleep seconds later. But that wasn't the only abnormality about his body.
He was sweating, so much he'd already stained the blanket he was sleeping under, along with the couch itself. His body, however, was as cold as ice, despite occasional flames appearing here and there, usually around his shoulders and palms. Juvia was sitting on a chair nearby on standby, told to extinguish any fire he may have started in the house.
His magic was all over the place, which was really hard to deal with. Every now and then they'd find themselves under an incredibly heavy rain of magic power which, truth to be told, could be handled only by Erza. At one point it was so low one could mistake him for a non-magical human, only to spike up to its maximum in a second.
Carla ran out of the house in order to find Gajeel, who was tasked with finding Porlyusica, Elfman accompanying her. They knew looking for Wendy was too dangerous and time consuming for now – Gajeel was closer, and the old healer was the one who knew exactly what to do in this situation.
Erza wiped the last bits of dried out blood off Natsu's chest and started to bandage it. Her hands were shaking, her skin filled with just a little more life than his. She was worried, that much was obvious. She knew his condition could end up in a disaster and yet...Hearing his throat ripping screams of pure agony hurt her quite possibly just as much as his insides hurt him.
Lisanna stepped into the room. "I checked up on Master, he's stable. Still sleeping." she announced and looked at Erza with a sad frown. She walked up to the knight and put her hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be okay. Carla, Elfman, Gajeel, and Lily are looking for Porlyusica as we speak and Wendy should be back soon. They'll help him."
Erza nodded weakly and continued to bandage Natsu.
Suddenly, knocking on the door echoed across the house. Lisanna beamed and ran to the door. "See? I told you! They're back already!"
Erza felt like a rock was pushed off her chest. As Lisanna opened the door, she felt her lips curve into a reassuring smile. She leaned onto Natsu and whispered to him. "Everything's going to be all right."
"Um...who might you be?" she heard Lisanna ask the newcomers, which immediately triggered her senses. She sharply turned her head to the side, towards the door.
Her eyes began to widen, blood rushing into her head. Her fists clenched on their own, her magic activating on its own accord.
As she Requipped a sword, she got off the couch and dashed across the door, thrusting her blade at his face, much to everyone's shock. The face she still saw in her dreams, haunting her months after that incident. There was no way she could ever forget this cocky smirk, this tattoo. This blue hair.
"Jellal!" she roared and tried to pierce his face, much to everyone's shock.
The man raised his hand and caught the blade just before it could stab his face, blood dripping down his now cut hand. Erza pushed as hard as she could, but he was too strong. She lowered her head, bangs covering her eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here, you fiend?!" she hissed in pure fury. She was way past her limit. Normally she would have hesitated before attacking, but her patience was wearing extremely thin right now. And so was her ability to care.
Jellal did not reply. He simply smiled under his hood and let go of Erza's blade.
"Huh? Who is this? What's going on?" asked confused Lisanna.
Lucy and Juvia, who were already on guard, pulled the girl close to themselves and carefully watched the newcomers.
"This man is a member of Seven Commandments!" warned her Lucy.
Lisanna gasped. "What?! That dark guild from back then?"
Erza bent her knees, ready to strike again, however before she could do so two figures ran up front of Jellal, waving their hands.
"Wait!" pleaded one of them in a mature, female voice. "Wait with trying to cut us into pieces! Let us explain!"
"Who are you?" asked Juvia. "What do you want from us?"
The other figure gasped under her hood.
"Juvia?" she asked and reached to her hood.
At the same time, all three of them took down their hoods, their faces now fully visible. There stood Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy, the last one's eyes focused entirely on Juvia.
"Hello, Juvia. It's been a while." she smiled at the rain woman.
Juvia stared at her in awe, her eyes wandering up and down along her body. "Meredy?! You've grown so much..."
The girl smiled so genuinely Juvia felt something tap her heart. To her it was only a day or two since they last met. She remembered that lost, gloomy kid she talked some reason into. Now, she was a young woman with much longer hair tied behind her head and a smile glued to her face. Seeing her all grown up and truly happy made Juvia feel happiness on her own.
"Huh? You two know each other?" asked Lucy.
Juvia nodded. "Yes. She was a member of Grimoire Heart. We fought each other."
"Grimoire?!"
Erza continued to glare at Jellal, her sword still aimed in his direction. She was just about to speak out, but she was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the couch.
Having woken up, Natsu noticed who came to visit, and he did not take a liking to the guests. He was scowling at Jellal, his teeth bared, as he desperately tried to get up despite the pain.
Jellal watched Natsu's attempts with a stoic face, not making anything out of the bloodlust he was being thrown at. Erza quickly ran up to Natsu and tried to calm him down, but he did it by himself, passing out just before he could fully sit up. He collapsed onto the couch, his consciousness fading away yet again.
Erza readjusted the cloth on his forehead
"I am well aware just how ridiculous and bizarre this meeting is." began Ultear, taking the commotion as a chance to calm the situation down. "But trust me, it will be much more bearable if you let us talk for a moment."
"Yes, I'd really like to know why former dark mages are in our house." stated Cana from the stairs. She was in a very foul mood, her eyes red from crying all night.
"Cana!" Lucy ran up to her. "You don't have to be here, go and take some rest..."
"Hard to rest with all this ruckus."
Ultear nodded in agreement and spoke. "Yes, you do have all the right to ask for this knowledge. My name is Ultear, this is Meredy and...well, Jellal." she introduced herself and her companions to everyone.
Erza's head snapped upwards upon the introduction. "Ultear? As in Ur's daughter?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, that's me."
"Wait, you know her?" Lucy asked Erza.
The redhead nodded. "Gray told me. She is the daughter of his late master, and the person who restored the Tenrou Tree during our battle with Hades."
The blonde's eyes widened. "Wait, that was you?!"
Ultear grimaced in displeasure. "That kid...I told him not to say a word..." she sighed.
"It's not that bad. The more recognition you get, the better. We don't get to experience that nowadays." smiled Meredy.
Ultear looked at her and sighed in defeat. "Yes, I guess you're right..."
Upon making sure Natsu was all right, Erza stood up and walked up to the trio. "I shall give you my gratitude later. First, explain. Why are you here? And why is he with you? How did he get out of jail?" she asked, glaring daggers at Jellal.
Ultear cleared her throat. "Yes, that comes first. I don't expect you to know anything about what was happening the past seven years, so let me explain everything. The three of us are an independent guild that goes by name Crime Sorciere. Jellal joined us after we broke him out of prison to help us. We have been contacted by Blue Pegasus, who gave us your location and the situation you were in. We came here to provide you with any help you might need, be it physical or in a form of plain information."
Erza listened in silence. For now, she had to put her grudge aside and keep her head clean. At least try to.
"What's the purpose of your guild?" she asked.
"We are a guild created with the sole purpose of defeating Zeref. We destroy any dark guilds that may have a connection to him and anything that is involved with his name."
Erza barely stopped herself from laughing. "You do realise just how ironic and absurd this all sounds, right?" she asked them, her eyes focused entirely on Jellal.
Ultear smirked. "I catch myself thinking that every single day."
"All of us know just how wrong our way was and how lost we truly were in the past." explained Meredy. "We've experienced it. That is why we wish to put an end to this, so that no one will ever succumb as low as we did."
"So, you're trying to play the redemption game." stated bluntly Cana. She had no room in her heart to care about being rude.
"To put it shortly, yes." said Ultear, not taking the bait. "And that precisely is the reason we freed Jellal from prison, to help us do it."
Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean?"
Ultear met her eyes, hers burning with resolve. "I'll be blunt. I was the reason Jellal turned out the way he did."
Erza's eyes widened a little. Jellal quickly put his hand on Uktear's shoulder, not pleased with her choice of words.
"That's enough. I've already told you, I don't-"
"Even if you don't, I do." she shot him down and knocked his hand off her shoulder. She turned back to Erza. "When he was still a slave, I have used magic to possess Jellal and alter both his memories and personality. I wished to use him in Zeref's awakening, a plan that was partially Hades' creation. Still, I was the one who did it and I did it with gladness."
Erza clenched her fist. "Go on." she whispered.
"Later on I was using him to infiltrate Seven Commandments and destroy them from the inside. As a rival guild, one that potentially equaled us in power, it was in our best interest to eliminate them. Their goal was similar to ours, so I used Jellal for years to come, until his defeat by your hand. That is when my control over him broke, returning him to his original, true self." continued Ultear.
Erza took a step forward. Jellal immediately walked up front and extended his arm to guard Ultear if needed.
"I already told you to stop." he turned to the woman, his voice stern. "You were not in the best place either, we were both being used. I've never blamed you for it and you know it."
Ultear smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone messing up with my memories. I was a monster on my own accord."
"And I had multiple moments of struggle between my true memories and what you forced onto me." retorted Jellal. "I always chose the vile ones, because they felt the most convenient. I had many chances to break free and I didn't use them. We both committed atrocities out of our own will."
Erza grit her teeth.
"So, you're meaning to tell me you killed Simon and the others because you were brainwashed? You watched people die throughout years and you weren't even yourself at that time? That's very convenient."
She was furious, unable to understand who should be on the receiving end of her anger, Jellal, or Ultear.
The tension in the room was so thick one could hang an axe in the air. No one dared to stand between livid Erza and Crime Sorciere. Lisanna kept shifting her eyes between both parties, still not able to grasp the situation.
Jellal broke the silence. He lowered his raised arm and faced Erza. "I am not asking for your forgiveness, for I know I do not deserve it. Not from you, not from anyone else. However, I do not intend on letting you kill me, either."
The knight's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"If you wish to fight me again out of hatred, so be it. I shall accept your challenge and defend myself. But I will not let you kill me. My role in this world is far from over."
"Who exactly do you think you are? What are you even talking about?"
Ultear stepped in-between the two of them, fully aware the situation was slipping out of control.
"We both know we're terrible people, regardless of whether we were brainwashed or not. I took a step in the wrong direction and that pulled Jellal down with me. We both blame ourselves and frankly, neither of us deserve to live. But we have to. We all have a new purpose and if fulfilling this purpose makes up for even a fraction of all the evil we caused, then we will do whatever we can to achieve it." she explained.
"A good deed does not wash out the bad, nor a bad the good.." said Cana all of a sudden.
Everyone in the room looked at her in confusion. Seeing all the eyes on her, the brunette flushed.
"Gil...Dad used to say that." she said with a broken voice. She turned to Erza. "I don't know what happened between you and them, but what they're saying makes sense. No matter what they do, they will never answer for their sins, not even with death. You will just stain your hands. Let them do their thing and stand down. At least that's what I would have done."
"She's right, Erza." added gently Lucy. She walked up to the knight and put her hand on her shoulder. "You did it already, have you not? You've conquered your past, no point in going back there. All that happened recently...it's getting to your head, as it is for all of us."
Erza sighed through her nose and sent her blade back. She closed her eyes and dragged her right hand across her face.
Taking it as a sign the situation has calmed down, Crime Sorciere relaxed. Lucy rubbed Erza's back and decided to take over the conversation.
"Is your guild official?" she asked. "What's your current status?"
"Due to all three of us being former fugitives, no, we are not an official guild." answered Ultear. "As for now we are trying to get to one of the big fishes, a guild I was once quite familiar with in the past."
"Tartaros." added Meredy. "They're going to make a move soon. We don't know what yet, but everything points in that direction. We want to stop them before they can even think of their next move."
"However, it's easier said than done. They are using the same tactics as Seven Commandments did in the past and they never carry out their jobs by themselves, they always use subordinates." said Jellal. "We cannot use them, no matter how often we catch them. Every single member of Tartaros we have caught committed suicide within seconds from getting captured."
"Why is it that something grim always happens within days from one another..." sighed Juvia.
"Tell me about it." sighed Meredy.
Erza breathed out loudly and faced Crime Sorciere. "You said you've come here to aid us, is that correct?" she asked Ultear. Her voice was still shaky but she has regained her composure.
The time mage nodded. "Yes, if it's within our capabilities, we will help you."
"One of you could provide us with information, that'd be of great help. However, there is something I'd like you to help m...us with." she bit herself in the tongue and stepped aside to show them the couch.
Natsu was once again wheezing quietly, his magic all over the place. Crime Sorciere looked at him, the girls concerned.
"What seems to be the problem?" asked Ultear and walked up to Natsu.
Erza frowned. "I'm afraid I cannot give you a proper explanation. From what I understood, it's his magic container, at least that's what I've been told. It got damaged in the past, but after we came back it's gotten worse, much worse than before."
Jellal walked up to them, but kept his distance. "Did it happen during his battle with Silva?" he asked.
"Yes." she replied, not looking at him. "According to Porlyusica he overused his magic and strained his body and the organ responsible for magic power. He was told to not overdo it, but our battle with Hades was a lost one. He had no other choice."
Ultear kneeled by the Dragon Slayer and touched his chest. Her eyes widened a little at how cold he was – it felt like she was touching a corpse.
Her hand glew gently, as she scanned his torso in search of the culprit. Upon finding it, her face paled.
"There is no doubt about it." she said and stood up. "It has definitely broke. Right now he's being poisoned by his own magic. If we don't do anything he will be dead before we know it."
Erza's heart dropped. Lucy quickly awakened from her shock and grabbed a jacket from the kitchen table, before running up to the door. "I'm going to run to Magnolia and bring Wendy!" she announced and opened the door.
"Wait!" Lisanna called after her. "We've sent enough people out already! If you go, there is a chance you will simply get lost, or worse, caught!"
"But none of us can help him right now!" shouted Lucy. "Only Wendy or Porlyusica can help him!"
"I'm not so sure about that." said Ultear. "I may be able to help him, but I will definitely require assistance from someone proficient in healing. I cannot use my magic on humans, so I can't restore his body back to normal. I can, however, grant him something new."
Erza looked up at the woman. "What do you mean?!" she asked hopefully.
"As you all know, mages possess an additional organ that is called a magic container." Ultear started to explain. "Every person in this house has one. However, according to recent studies, mages possess an additional container, one that may or may not develop itself if one if proficient in the art of magic. Scientists call it "Second Origin". Unlocking this additional container not only boosts one's magic, it also acts as a survival policy of some sort."
"Just like kidneys." wondered Lucy. "Even if a human loses one, as long as the other one is in-tact they can live a happy life."
"Exactly. Seeing how this is Salamander we are talking about, I have no doubt he does in fact possess Second Origin. My Arc of Time can help bring it out, thus stopping the poisoning and restoring him back to normal."
Lucy beamed and looked at Erza, who felt like her legs were made out of wool. This roller coaster of emotions was too much for her already shredded nerves.
"There is one problem, though." warned them Ultear. "Bringing out Second Origin is an extremely painful and time consuming task. If I were to start doing it now, he would die within a minute. If I am to help him, I will need someone to continuously heal the damage I inflict upon him with my magic. It will render him in a stage of agony, he will scream and try to make it stop, so we will also need to hold him down. It may sound horrifying but if we succeed, he will live."
Everyone looked at the Dragon Slayer, various expressions scattered around the room. Erza looked out the window in hopes of Wendy's small figure walking out of the woods but in vain. Her fist clenched itself, dread crawling up her neck.
Wendy please, hurry.
Earlier this day, Magic Council HQ, Era.
Laxus and the Thunder Legion beat the last step of the mountain on top of which stood a giant, recently built building. It looked nothing like that Laxus remembered it to be, a clear indication that changes have surely been made.
It was almost twice as big and rather plain looking. The previously over detailed building was now simple in design, white and grey in color. If it was just a few stories higher it could easily pass as a castle.
"Man, and here I thought the previous one looked bossy." whistled Bickslow.
"It is to be expected. The Council has grown in size from the last time we've seen them. Appearances are important." said Freed.
Laxus stared at the building for a minute longer and sighed. "Let's get this over with."
The group entered the building, the first major change meeting them at the doorstep. Instead of the usual giant lobby, they were greeted by a much smaller one, with a single desk being placed in front of the entrance. Behind it was a giant door, which must have led to the main parts of the building.
Behind the desk sat a young lady with long, black hair. She was wearing a traditionally white Council uniform, except it was cut out to look like a female suit. She threw a quick glance at the group from behind her square glasses and went back to her documents.
"How may I help you?" she asked in a monotone voice.
Laxus walked up to the desk and leaned on it.
"My name is Laxus Dreyar, Fairy Tail's acting Master. I'd like to speak with someone in a higher seat."
The lady stopped gaping at her documents and lifted her eyes, disbelief written on her face. She looked at each one of them and then back at Laxus.
"I'm sorry sir, did I hear you correctly? Fairy Tail?" she asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yeah."
The lady nervously adjusted her glasses and got off her chair. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."
With that said she exited the room, leaving the group to themselves.
"You think she went to get the guards?" scoffed Evergreen.
"If she did, not locking the door behind us was quite foolish." pointed out Freed. "We've been gone for seven years. It will most likely be a shock to see us alive and walking."
"Hopefully we do not walk downstairs in chains." sighed Bickslow.
After a few minutes the lady came back, alone. She sat back in her seat and addressed Laxus. "You are free to enter the main hall. I'm afraid that as a representative of your guild you are the only one allowed to proceed further. Everyone else must remain here."
Laxus nodded and turned to his team. "Stay here, this won't take long."
"Very well. We shall wait for you downstairs." nodded Freed and signalised the others to follow him.
Laxus turned to the door and sighed tiredly. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
He pushed the door and entered the main hallway, which didn't really change that much from what he remembered. It was just as big and spacious as before, except now it was supported by giant pillars. Council members strolled back and forth, some of them overloaded with papers, a sight that genuinely impressed Laxus. He'd never seen them work too much.
"I had no reason to have any doubts and yet I am still surprised." echoed a deep, cheerful male voice. Laxus turned to his right and felt his lips tug into a small smirk. Maybe this visit wouldn't be that bad after all.
Before him was Jura Neekis, Lamia Scale's ace as well as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Having met him during their joint operation against Oracion Seiss, Laxus grew rather fond of him.
He ditched his earth-like clothes for a very wide and baggy robe that was dark grey in color. He had wide sleeved pants that were light brown and his feet were dosed with straw sandals. He grew out a very long beard, one that reached his chest, with a small mustache glued under his nose. He was still bald and his face was more wrinkly, but his usual smile has not changed a bit.
The man walked up to Laxus and extended his hand in his direction, his smile never leaving his face. "It's good to have you back, Laxus. I am glad Pegasus was not wrong for once."
The Dragon Slayer smiled as well and accepted the handshake, giving it a firm grip. "I'm not so sure if I should be glad I am, though." he said, much to Jura's amusement.
"I am aware of your dislike of such comparisons, but for a second I felt as if it was your grandfather who was standing here." chuckled the Wizard Saint and let go of Laxus' hand. His face changed into worry and concern as he asked. "How are the others? How is Master Makarov?"
Laxus looked him in the eyes. No point in lying.
"Gramps is in a coma, we don't know when he will wake up." he said, his voice a little choked as he spoke of his grandfather's condition. "The rest is fine, banged up but alive. Except Gildarts. He died."
Jura paled. He closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his face to cover it for a second. "Dear God..."
Laxus turned away. He didn't want to receive any pity or condolences. "You're here for a reason, right? I doubt they let you greet me just to talk about good old times.."
Taking the hint, Jura regained his composure and cleared his throat.
"That I am." he said. "Come, I am sure there is a lot you would like to know. Luckily, I have been appointed to be your guide for the time being. I shall accompany you to the hearing." he said and gestured to his right before turning around to walk in said direction.
Laxus arched an eyebrow as the men started to walk across the hallway. "Hearing?"
"Yes. As it happens, today is the day the Council is hosting its usual monthly meeting. All of the Sages and the Chairman himself are in the building. Upon hearing of your guild's comeback they requested for you to stand before them."
Laxus' eyebrows have now turned into a frown. "Sages?" he asked as they took a turn to the right. "I've never been too good at dealing with the Council but I don't think I've ever heard of such title."
Jura nodded. "Yes, it is only natural you feel lost. I shall let you in on everything in the right order."
The duo passed by a group of soldiers, their equipment foreign to Laxus. The usual robes and magic lances were gone, now replaced with a set of armor and weapons of a soldier's choosing. One of them had a mace while the rest's hips were holstered by swords.
"The Council's expedition to Tenrou Island ended sooner than it began." explained Jura. "Not just that, all of the prior events and incidents have gradually damaged their reputation. Upon returning from the island an official order was born, one that reformed the Council from its very roots. The military, laws, rules, headquarters – everything has been changed, from minor to major ones. One of the biggest changes was stripping the Chairman of his ultimate power. He still possesses the highest authority in the Council, but his decision can be overthrown by Sages, who are right beneath him. There are five Sages in total. If four Sages vote in favor or against a certain decision, not even the Chairman can change said decision. This has been implemented as a counter-measurement to what happened seven years ago, when Seven Commandments held the power of the Council by brainwashing only one person."
"And who is the Chairman now?" asked Laxus.
"The position is still held by Org. He has always favored your guild and, to be honest, he is one of the only reasons your guild is still considered an active one."
Laxus scoffed. "Well, that's promising. What else?"
"The military has changed drastically. Rune Knights are no more, now they have been replaced by Twelve Divisions. Each of them specializes in something different and they are run by..."
Jura stopped relaying information to Laxus and looked to his left. The Dragon Slayer did the same. Their eyes fell on a rather young, short man with curly brown hair and a young beard on his chin. He had bags under his eyes and he was very pale, a clear sign of fatigue. The man noticed the duo and smiled at Jura from above his papers he was relaying to his subordinates. He mouthed something to them and changed his direction, now walking towards Jura and Laxus.
He was wearing an armor Laxus immediately recognized to be very similar to the one Erza wore at daily basis. It lacked its usual Heart Kreuz insignia and was white and silver in color, it also looked significantly heavier and more durable. He had a two-handed sword strapped to his left hip, its crossguard gold in color, a pummel with the insignia of the Council dosing the end of its handle.
"Jura! Long time no see!" he greeted the Wizard Saint and reached out to shake his hand. His voice was quiet and thick with sleep, or rather its lack.
Upon answering, the man smiled. "I believe the last time we've seen one another was six months ago, Rickard." laughed Jura.
"You know how much I enjoy being here. I much prefer my own apartment in Crocus." said the man. He then spotted Laxus and frowned a little. "Have we met before?"
"Oh, that's right, where are my manners...Laxus, this is Rickard Smith, Captain of 7th Division. Rickard, Laxus Dreyar, Fairy Tail's active Master." Jura introduced the men.
Laxus shook Rickard's hand out of respect for Jura and quickly broke it. The captain smiled at this reaction but made nothing of it.
"Fairy Tail, eh? It sure has been a while since the world's heard of you." joked Rickard. "I hope the geezers won't chew you up too much, I've heard it was quite a nasty business, your disappearance that is. Technically no reason to throw you in jail, but….we all know how they can be."
Laxus nodded, not fond of the knight in the slightest. Seeing that small talk wouldn't work out, Rickard turned back to Jura.
"I have some information on that matter you wanted mt to look into, but I doubt we can find a moment to talk about it thoroughly. I will come by your guild on my next mission, it's rather close. Make sure to be home this time."
Jura laughed and raised his hands apologetically. "I will, I promise. I am going home soon and do not intend on leaving for a longer while."
The knight nodded and yawned. "Now, if you excuse me, I still have some things to do before leaving this cursed place. With some luck I'll get some sleep on the train...See you later, Jura. Been a pleasure, Laxus."
The captain bowed gently to both men and took his leave. Laxus watched his back for some time, before turning back to Jura with a questioning look.
"7th Division, other known as Defense Against Black Arts and Disasters. Him and his division were the ones leading the case of your disappearance, until he was ordered to drop it after a year of no results." explained Jura and resumed walking. "As I said, there are 12 Divisions in total and each of them specializes in something different. Each of them is led by a Captain, to whom answer Squad Leaders, who command Units. Their numbers can vary, from one to even ten. Each Squad Leader can command up to five Units. One Unit is worth 100 men. The smallest Division has 502 men, while the biggest has 5011. All of them have been trained in the arts of magic, meaning every single soldier at Council's disposal is a mage."
Laxus whistled. "Maybe now they will be able to deal with something other than civilians." he said sarcastically.
"Your bitterness is understandable, however I must warn you the Council today is on a whole new level when compared to its old self." said sternly Jura. "Even the weakest Captains rival S-Class mages in strength. That is one of the requirements to becoming one. The man you've just met, Rickard, is said to be one of the most powerful soldiers the Council has to offer."
Laxus hummed gently. He then frowned a little. "I'm having a hard time believing everything you've just said. If this was twenty years we were talking about, sure, but all of those changes in just seven years? It just doesn't add up."
"I do not have any proof of this, but I've heard these changes have been in plans for years before being brought to life. When preparations are made early, even something as drastic can take as little as few years."
"Right."
The men spent the rest of their walk in silence. Upon meeting the quite familiar door to the courtroom, Laxus sighed through his nose and turned to Jura. "Anything I should watch out for?" he asked for last bits of advice.
Jura wondered for a second. "I've yet to see you lose your temper, but I would suggest being on your best behavior with your words. Fairy Tail's situation has never been as brittle as it is now."
Laxus frowned. "Wait a second, what are you-"
"You will find out soon enough." cut him off Jura. "I wish you luck, Laxus."
With that said the Wizard Saint left Laxus to himself and entered through the door for Council members.
Laxus sighed and put his hands on the door. Better get it over with.
He pushed the heavy door and was immediately blinded by the sun coming from behind the windows placed directly before the door. Frowning, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, passing the guards on his way. Upon adjusting his sight to the new lighting, he spotted a rather tall stage in front of him, in which many Council members were seated. He recognized a few faces here and there, but the biggest and quite possibly most pleasant surprise met him at its very top.
On the second highest level, by a table in the shape of a half-moon sat five old mages, who Laxus took as the so called Sages, one of them being Yajima, his old face smiling down at the Dragon Slayer. Above them on a chair that could easily pass as a throne sat Org, his staff held tightly in his right hand.
Laxus noticed Jura making his way to his seat, their eyes meeting for a moment. The blonde smiled under his nose. A hearing, yeah right. He was standing in front of the court and no one would tell him otherwise. Taking Jura's advice to the heart, Laxus beat the remaining distance and stepped on the pedestal his grandfather had stood on so many times in the past.
Chairman Org struck his staff into the stage, silencing the room and cleared his throat.
"Please, forgive us the appearance, Laxus Dreyar. Normally we wouldn't have accepted you in such manner, however your timing acted not in your favor." said the elder.
Laxus barely stopped himself from snorting in amusement. "So I've been told." he said instead.
A small elderly man that resembled a cat scoffed and reached out to the papers in front of him.
"Let's get this over with." said Michello. "We will be blunt, boy. By the law we could not disband your guild without informing your Master and since none of your remaining members took the mantle, we were forced to acknowledge that corpse of a guild as a part of us. Now that you have returned and you are the representative of your guild, we can finally inform you that your guild has been officially disbanded." he said with a condescending smirk. "Any objections?" he asked the Councilmen, confident of his selfish decision.
"Key word being representative, my dear Michello." said calmly Yajima. "As you have been informed, Master Makarov is incapacitated. We cannot disband the guild just yet."
"Fully agreed." said Sage Belno from the opposite end of the table.
Michello grit his teeth and scoffed while looking away.
An elderly bald man sitting next to Yajima reached out for the papers, reading them for a moment before speaking out. "We have already received the reports, however, we would like to hear your version before proceeding further. What exactly happened seven years ago? What caused your absence?"
Laxus put his hands on the railing. "We were attacked by both Grimoire Heart and Acnologia, one after another." he said shortly.
Murmurs of disbelief echoed across the room.
Sage Yuri nodded lightly, his eyes still on the reports. "Both versions match each other. If I may ask, how exactly did you manage to survive?"
This is where the fun begins. Thought sarcastically Laxus. "We have been suspended in time by a spell casted by our Founding Master, Mavis. Her soul remained on the island, to watch over it. She used her magic to protect us."
"Mavis Vermillion has been confirmed as dead almost a hundred years ago." stated Sage Belno. "Are you trying to say you have been saved by a deceased person?"
"You said your men saw Acnologia blow up the island, right?" asked Laxus. "Get those men on a boat and sail to where they saw it happen. They will be extremely shocked to see the island back where it was. Maybe that will help you believe it." he finished, sarcasm filling every single word.
"Watch your tone, boy." warned him Michello.
"That's enough." Org struck the floor once again, calming the situation down. He then addressed Laxus. "The Council has questions for you, Laxus. Do you swear to answer them truthfully in the face of the Council?"
"I do."
"Very well. Let's get to the first matter." said Org and waved his hand at the Sages, who nodded and collected their papers from the desk.
Yajima cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable, and spoke out first. "As you have been probably told by now, Raven Tail is the new guild of Magnolia. If we decide to reinstate your guild to its full privileges, how do you expect to deal with this situation?"
Laxus frowned. Truth to be told he'd gladly storm the guild and nail his good old dad once or twice. But as nice as that'd be, it would also act as a one way ticket to prison, not to mention the complete destruction of the guild.
With a very heavy ball in his chest, the Dragon Slayer answered. "We shall respect the town's decision and settle someplace else. We do not wish to start causing trouble as soon as we get back."
"That sounds very promising and reasonable." said Belno. "However, there are certain matters we have to address first, matters that can no longer be ignored. Matters that have been brought up by Raven Tail to both us and people of Magnolia, which was the deciding factor in Fairy Tail's banishment."
Laxus threw a quick glance at Jura, who closed his eyes and lowered his head a little. So this is what he must have been talking about…
Belno straightened up her paper and continued. "Let's start with the simplest ones – property damage. Your guild is responsible for the destruction of two villages in a matter of three months – Blackhill Village and Stonehill Village. The last one must sound familiar to you."
Laxus clicked his tongue. He was familiar with it all right. He still remembered the houses being set on fire like matches from his very own lightning and his flames, their elements splashing everywhere like water under the shower each time their fists connected.
"It does." he said shortly.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Both villages have been destroyed with the help of your guild, their destruction happening outside of any legal actions, meaning their demise cannot be considered as collateral damage." continued Belno. "Your guild has disappeared before we could make any official statements on this matter, however now that you are here, we can finally deal with it. What do you have to say in your defense?"
Laxus found himself in a pinch. Truth to be told he knew very little of the incident Erza and the others were in, all he could do was try and save his own skin.
"I'm afraid I can't speak for the Blackhill incident, but I can explain the other one." he said truthfully. "Originally I was hired to deal with a problem within the village, however one thing led to another and I was forced to act in self-defense. My attempts of taking the battle outside of the village were ineffective and as such, the village burned. I'm certain I had paid for a portion of the damage caused by the incident with my own money."
Belno looked at the documents. "Again, that is true. It is unfortunate you cannot tell us about Blackhill, however..." she said and scratched something on her papers. "In that case, allow me to get to the other case, one that connects both of these incidents. Salamander."
Here we go. Sighed Laxus internally.
"We are well aware of the agreement we have made with Makarov Dreyar seven years ago." stated Belno. "The deal was to keep the SS-rated criminal Salamander under close watch for a period of five years, with constant monthly reports on his activity that was ordered to be limited to bare minimum expected of a mage. Instead, Makarov has elected Salamander as a candidate for the S-Class Exam, sailed him far away onto a foreign to us island and failed to fulfill his end of the bargain, by not only missing the monthly report, but also missing the deadline of the agreement by two years. As the situation stands right now we have every right to storm your current place of residence and seize him at once, to spend his rightful sentence in jail."
"As I've said before, we were gone for seven years against our will, with no way of breaking out on our own." said Laxus, trying to not facepalm from the stupidity he was being thrown at. "Even if we wanted to, we could never fulfill this deal. We didn't miss it by choice, we missed it, because we had no other choice."
"Quite convenient, isn't it, boy?" threw in Michello. "A magical spirit that seals you away against your will for years, without any proof in sight. Quite the alibi."
"I have absolutely no doubt you'd be able to come up with a better explanation of why an island that was seemingly blown up is back in its place." said Laxus. "I could even take you there myself."
"You insolent little-"
"Silence!" roared Org and repeatedly struck the floor with his staff. "Speech is permitted only to the listener and a Sage leading the questioning. I will not repeat myself."
Michello grit his teeth and drank some water from his cup. Laxus looked at Org, impressed. It looked like the seemingly timid man has grown a backbone in his time of rule.
Belno cleared her throat. "As the situation stands right now, we are fully permitted to take Salamander back, by force if needed. We will not, however, do that, unless the sentence is settled. I consider my questions as answered. Sage Yuri?"
Yuri nodded and turned to Laxus. "I'd like you to tell us about Erza Scarlet and her...activities. We were well aware of her impulsive and destructive tendencies, however, we have been told of things we had never heard before. Would you mind filling us in on that?"
"There is nothing I can tell you." said truthfully the Dragon Slayer. "Her actions have been and still are none of my concern. For all I know they are stories."
Yuri arched an eyebrow. "Surely, as her fellow guildmate, you must have heard or seen something you could share with us."
"What I know is most likely what you have already written in your records nine years ago." said Laxus. "The only person who could know more than us is my grandfather, who is comatose. Seeing how you have no proof of Raven Tail's claims and I cannot provide you with any, I think it'd be for the best to close this case."
Yajima smiled under his mustache. Laxus was definitely his grandfather's grandson.
"Yes, that would seem to be the case. For now." agreed Yuri and put his documents away. "That's all from me."
Michello quickly picked up his share of papers and cleared his throat, clearly itching to get to it. "Let me get straight to the main point of this farce of a hearing. Do you want to know how exactly have we come to know of your Founder's fate, Dreyar?"
Laxus shrugged. "Probably written down a hundred years ago."
Michello smirked. "Playing fool at this time...Boy, your grave is getting deeper with each minute. No, we have not come to this information by old records. Mavis' corpse your guild has been keeping under their boot was how we've found out."
Laxus' face expressed shock for the first time he came here. "What?"
"You really want to keep playing this game?" asked Michello with disbelief. "Very well, I'll play along. Upon searching your guildhall, the Council and Raven Tail have found the body of Mavis Vermillion encased in a foreign stone stored in the basement of your guild. This could have been acknowledged as some sort of a weird funeral ceremony, however the stone emitted magic, magic none of us is familiar with. For all we know it is some sort of dark magic known only to your guild."
Laxus felt sweat running down his neck. This was the first time he actually felt cornered since coming here. He knew nothing of anything like this and they had no reason to lie about it, Jura's troubled face confirmed it. Even if he played the card of ignorance, the guild would still be in trouble.
Just when he was about to speak out something in his mind clicked, as if gears started to rapidly turn one another. Why exactly did the Council let a guild help them search his guild? Even before the reform they always did this sort of stuff by themselves. Why the change? Unless…
"Where is this...crystal, now?" he asked.
"Do not answer question with a question." said Michello.
"Raven Tail has it now, doesn't it?"
"I said it once, boy, I shall not repeat myself!" exclaimed Michello, his face red.
"Yes, the crystal remains in the custody of Raven Tail." said Belno.
Michello looked at her, outraged. "I am the one asking questions!"
"And the listener has every right to ask them in return if it means his testimony is to be true and genuine." replied calmly the woman.
This was all he needed to know. Laxus smirked ironically under his nose. That damn old man…He knew something like this existed and used their disappearance as a chance to finally put his dirt hands on it. He would never dare do that when the guild was at full strength.
"I have to say I have no idea what that thing was doing down there." said Laxus. "However, I can definitely say we were not using it to perform dark magic."
"And where exactly is your proof?" asked Michello.
"If we did and you left this thing in Raven Tail's custody, only for them to continue what we were doing, that wouldn't exactly fit your current goal as the pillar that holds this world together, would it?" Laxus asked the whole room. "It would burn down all the trust you've regained io the past seven years."
"What did you say?!" Michello stood up from his chair.
Laxus ignored him and continued to speak to the whole room. "I came here for two reasons. To get information and let you guys know we have come back. I don't care about Raven Tail and what they've found in our basement – that's not my problem. I don't know what Erza did, I don't know what Salamander did. I don't care. If you want answers, talk to my grandfather once he wakes up. Ask me whatever you want, use magic on me, put elixirs in my mouth - my answers will never change. I'm not the Master, I'm a representative. Either acknowledge us as a guild once again or throw me in jail and try to wake my old man to answer in my stead. " he said, completely fed up at this point.
The fifth Sage, one that remained silent this whole time raised his eyebrows and picked up his share of documents. He was rather young, the youngest on the table. He bald, just like Yuri but much less wrinkly on his face.
"That may be true, however what we've discussed is only a tip of the iceberg that was put by Raven Tail before us." he said, his voice monotone, sleepy even. "Your was with Phantom, illegal smuggling of their formers members into your ranks, selfish actions against dark guilds, the destruction of many towns and ports-"
"All of those have already been discussed with you in the past. Some of those by me." cut him off Laxus. "The only difference is that this was shown to the public by Raven Tail years later."
The unnamed Sage nodded and put his papers away. Seeing that the situation was starting to slip out of his hand, Michello tried to bring up another fact that could bring Fairy Tail down.
Before he could do so, however, Jura raised his hand and spoke out. "Chairman, may I please have a word?"
"Yes Saint Jura, you may." said the elder.
Jura stood up and addressed the higherups. "I cannot argue with any reports of property damage and actions of some of their members, but Fairy Tail has acted in favor of the magic world on many occasions. They have seen into the destruction of three biggest threats of the Baram Alliance and helped reclaim the Council from the hands of those, who wished to use it to destroy the world as we know. If we disband them right now because of rumors we cannot provide any proof of as of right now, we will spit in their face and everything they have done for us. For the people. Chairman, I plead you to consider holding back with the decision of disbanding Fairy Tail, at least until Saint Dreyar returns to full health."
Org watched Jura for a good minute, considering his proposal. After a while he broke the eye contact and stood up. "Fully agreed. Fairy Tail will continue to operate as an active guild until Saint Dreyar provides us with necessary explanation. Those, who disagree with this decision, raise your hands."
Michello quickly raised his short arm and so did a few of the other present members. Laxus quickly looked around the room and felt relief fill his chest – less than a half disagreed with Org.
Considering the matter to be closed, Org struck the floor with his staff. "It's been decided. Laxus Dreyar, your guild will continue to remain a part of the magic world. For now, at least." he said. "I also order an investigation of Mavis Vermillion's body, overlooked by the Captain of 12th Division. He shall appoint a team that will deal with this matter. Inform Raven Tail of this event immediately. That is all for now. You are free, Laxus Dreyar."
Laxus bowed gently and turned around to take his leave. Although he felt relief, he knew trouble has only just begun. Their execution has only been postponed and now they had to deal with his good old dad, who was definitely trying to pull some shit.
"Give me a damn break..." he sighed tiredly as he exited the room.
Wendy and Levy strolled back home through the forest, both lost in thoughts. The younger girl could not get rid of the image of that burning flag, chanting still echoing in her ears. Sheer thought brought her to the brink of tears. Tears she would successfully fight back, her resolve to change things around getting stronger by the minute.
"Let's tell everyone what we've learned as soon as we get home. We can decide our next move tomorrow, when everyone gathers around." she said to Levy.
Levy blinked, surprised by the initiative she was taking. "Uh...sure. Do you have any idea how we could do that, though?"
"We have to clear our name first. I...I'm not sure how, but we can't leave things the way they are."
Levy smiled. "Yeah. You're right."
The girls crossed the already familiar bushes, their home greeting them in the night light. Just before front door sat Lucy, who snapped her head up upon spotting them. She quickly got up and ran up to the girls, her face worried.
"Wendy, quick, you have to get inside!" she called and grabbed the girl by the wrist, dragging her inside. Levy ran after them, worried.
The trio entered the house, the living room crowded with people. On the couch laid Natsu, still unconscious, Erza by his side. She continued to change the towels on his forehead, which were now being soaked in hot water to warm him up. At the girl's sight the redhead sighed in relief, some color returning to her pale face.
The table was occupied by Mirajane and Gray, both of whom returned from their hunt, their prey stuffed in the kitchen. They both looked relieved to see Wendy. Gray's side was taken by a woman Wendy did not recognize, who stood up from her chair and walked up to her with a smile.
"You must be Wendy." said Ultear and reached out her hand. "I'm Ultear, nice to meet you."
Wendy shyly returned the handshake, her eyes landing back on Natsu almost immediately. "What happened?"
Erza frowned sadly. "His body broke down this afternoon, soon after you left. We-"
"Perhaps it would be for the best for me to explain." said softly Ultear. Erza hesitated for a moment, but nodded and went back to tending to the Dragon Slayer.
And so Ultear explained everything to Wendy, detail after detail, not sparing her from the pressure of her idea. All of this dwelled on Wendy but did not break her, as she asked for every possible detail she needed to know.
"In other words..." she repeated what she'd learned, her face pale and voice quiet. "You want me to use my magic to make sure his level of damage stays the same until you're done with your procedure, and a single moment of distraction could kill him, is that right?"
Ultear grimaced a little, now that she heard what she just asked this little girl for. "Yes, that's basically it. Under normal circumstances you would not be needed, but he is dying as we speak. We need someone to keep him alive through the procedure if he is to make it.
Wendy took a deep breath through her nose. Carla walked up to her and put her paw on the girl's hand.
"You can do this." she said softly. "I know this is scary, but you can do it child. You're stronger than you think."
"She's right." said Lucy. "We're all here to help. You won't be alone."
Wendy blinked slowly and sighed deeply once again. "My mind was set the moment I learned what happened." she declared. She got off her chair and walked up to Natsu. "I just needed to focus. Give me a few minutes to make his condition more stable, Ultear, then we can begin. Everyone else, please hold him tight when it happens, if he as much as touches me it will be the end."
Ultear nodded and took her robe off. She pulled out one of her orbs and light it up, preparing herself for the procedure.
Gray and Mira walked away from the table and positioned themselves by Natsu's legs, ready to pin them down when needed. Lucy and Erza took care of his shoulders.
"While they're doing their part, tell us what you've learned in the town." Juvia told Levy. The smaller bluenette nodded and walked aside with Juvia, Cana, and Lisanna, to not distract Wendy.
Wendy closed her eyes and took one last deep breath, before putting her hands over Natsu's chest and lighting them up, her magic doing its work already. She opened her eyes, her face scowling a little, the image of dying Gildarts still imprinted on her mind.
I will not let anyone die ever again. She declared in her mind. The light around her hands increased in size, her resolve influencing her healing. Natsu's self inflicted wounds have already started to close, taking some strain away from his body, color returning to his skin.
I will keep getting stronger, so that I can be strong enough to protect everyone close to me. Just like her.
Just like Grandeeney.
End of Chapter 33. To be continued in Chapter 34: Feelings.