"I don't like this Nash," Kyra sighed wrapping her cardigan tighter around her frame as the wind whipped around the young adults.
"I don't either, but what choice do we have?" the pink haired teen spoke as he finished his calculations, closing one of his notebooks and tucking the pen behind his ear before reaching into his bag on the ground for another.
They were in Minstrel standing on a hill overlooking a bustling town. One that had been built right on the center of what was once Calme. Hisui, Emperor Cross, and the republic of Alverez were doing everything they could to convince the governments of Joya, Minstrel, and Desierto to evacuate the area where Acnoligia would be waiting.
"We could wait, Alverez is making some head way with Joya, and it's only been a week," the red head offered as she pulled her long tress over her shoulder and began braiding it.
"And it still wouldn't be enough!" the pinkette shouted as he glared out over the village, annoyance written plainly on his face. "We have no idea when he will come, and this is the only way to ensure innocent people won't die in the battle."
"I know but..." she protested as she finished her work with her hair.
"Kyra, you are the only one who can do this," Nash growled looking away from the village turning his eyes on to her. Sighing Kyra looked out on to the town again. Watching as children played and people went about their business unaware of the horror that could be here in a matter of days. "Talk me through it one more time," she finally spoke focusing her attention on the teen next to her.
"We need almost a thousand square miles cleared of people and animals. So, what I want you to do is using your illusion magic make everyone and everything in this radius believe that there is a parasite in the water that makes it undrinkable and then with in a day the air toxic. The people and animals will flee to safety which is here, here, and here," He said pointing to the opposite sides of the country for each area.
Thankfully most of this was taking place in Minstrel and Desierto or else the Joyan's would be pushed out of their country completely. Happily, she noticed that the Sting's land was far enough away that it shouldn't be disturbed by the fight. She had made it a personal mission to make every spec of land that was owned by the old dragon high council as sacred and under the ownership of whomever held the seat on the council. Thankfully most of the lands were uninhabitable and the surrounding governments were agreeable. Only Pentergade stood in her way. But Penna's swap was toxic and not even the most advanced poison mages could get with a few yards of the boundaries without nearly dying, no matter how many times Pentergade had tried to claim it.
"That's a tall order," she said as she looked over the area.
Nearly three thousand people would be affected if the information was to be believed. Never before had she tried to work her illusions on this many people at once. But she knew Nash had chosen her for this because unlike her father and Terra, mass illusions came easy to her. At one point in her training she had stopped a deadly prison riot by making every inmate believe they were in a meadow with their loved ones in their arms.
The scary thing was that it shouldn't have worked. Illusions are meant to be personal. They work best when fighting one on one. Even her father could only use his magic on no more than ten people at a time; and even then, if the target questioned enough the illusion fell apart. While she had instinctively used it on over three hundred men at once and while it only lasted for an hour, it was more than enough time for all the guards to subdue every inmate for she fainted due to magical exhaustion.
"I know that's why I developed this," Nash said as he pulled out a vile of liquid. It was pitch black in color and as Kyra took it into her hands. She could feel the magical presence with the vile which sent her on edge, Kyra frowned as she glanced back up at the teen.
"What does it do?" she questioned.
"It's a stimulant. Its harmless until anyone who ingests this is hit by illusion magic. Once that happens there is no way to not believe that the illusion is true. I added it to the water supply a week ago when I learned where this was to take place. By now everyone who lives here has enough of it in their system for it to work," the pinkette said as he took the vile back and placed it in his pocket once more.
"How did you come up with this?"
"I told you, we were always plan B," Nash grunted as he put away the map.
"Nash you've been saying that since you were twelve," Kyra screeched in confusion as she looked over at the teen.
"Yeah it took a while to work out. I knew we would possibly have to clear out a large area for the battle. The only question that remained was were. Now nothing will stop us since only this antidote will stop the effects, even if you were to die everyone would still believe the illusion to be true," Nash said pulling out another vile this one containing a golden liquid.
"What if you don't make it out of the battle?" Kyra asked in a small voice.
"The regent at the palace of Alverez. He has all of the antidote and if we don't survive he has orders to implement it," the pink haired teen said pulling out another note book.
"I always wondered why Master always called you little Zeref and not Little Mavis. The first master was never this deceitful," she chuckled shaking her head.
"Yeah well, sometimes people get in their own way." Nash sighed as he looked up from the paper work he held in his hands to gazed at the surrounding area. "It's beautiful here, hopefully this valley will regrow like this once it's over,"
Krya nodded her head in agreement as she looked over the land. Trying to imagine how the land would look after Igneel had explained what had happened with Layla's magic test. Running her hand over her left bicep, she caressed her fresh mating mark, the head of a dragon that if you stared at it too long would shift into the face of a demon as her mind wondered to her mate.
"Dad, have you seen the earrings Igneel gave me?" Kyra shouted as she ducked to look under the couch in the living room.
"Are you sure you didn't leave them at your mothers?" Midnight laughed from the kitchen before swearing as a loud clap came from the backyard. "Igneel what?" as all he could get out before the young man in question marched straight into the living room scooping up his mate and disappearing in a column of smoke and flames.
"Igneel where are we?" Kyra asked as she finally got her bearings and choked back a gasp as her vison revealed two active volcanos' in front of her.
"The isle…" he growled as he ran his nose down her neck, sending goosebumps all over her body. "It's time my mate,"
"But what about…" Kyra spoke but was stopped as Igneel latched on to one of her ears with his teeth.
He'd been on edge over the last few weeks. Unfocused to the point where he'd been grounded from taking jobs for a month, thanks to the destruction that had occurred on their last job. And for the first time in months, Igneel felt calm and in control as Kyra relaxed in his arms.
"I can't face him without knowing you will always be by my side. If I lose you in the battle…" he began but stopped as tears splashed down on Kyra's shoulder before being absorbed by her red hair. Sighing she turned around in his arms careful not to break the hold he had on her.
"Well then my mate, what are you waiting for?" she spoke raising one eyebrow before running off in a challenge.
They had returned yesterday, which was when Nash pulled his new sister in law away and teleported them here using a crystal that Mest had designed for guild use. She knew both Igneel and Lexie were fit to be tied and once they returned home neither of them will be without their mates for a while.
"Okay I'm ready," Kyra said as the sun disappeared behind the hill.
"What's taking them so long?" Igneel growled as he paced in front of the guild hall doors.
Waiting for his mate and brother to return was agonizing. He hadn't even gotten the chance to show her the house he had built for them in the forest. Growing up he heard all about how his father had built a home for his mate and hatchlings and Igneel was determined to do the same. He'd bought a parcel of land not far from his father's and had spent the last two years building a house on it. But his little brother was keeping him from surprising his new mate.
"Igneel you may be my brother in law, but I will pummel you if you harm one hair on my mate's head," Lexie snapped from her stop at her father's table as she reviewed membership applications for the guild, a new task that became necessary when a member of a dark guild tried to join to spy, and a few artists that wanted to sign to Fairy records.
The two had been gone for nearly twenty-four hours and even Lexie, whose mate was known to disappear for days at a time when he was in the middle of an experiment, was starting to get worried. But just as she was about the threaten Igneel with suspension and bodily harm if he kept up the pacing and burning a hole in the guild hall floor, the two missing mates reappeared.
Nash supporting a clearly exhausted Kyra as the red head was half collapsed against her brother in law. Igneel and Lexie rushed towards the pair as Nash's knees gave out. The two were separated as Wendy pushed through the guildmembers to reach them.
Waiving a glowing hand over each of them she sighed in relief. "Their fine just magically exhausted," she reported as she stood and stumbled doing so knocking her to her knees.
"Wendy?" Romeo called out as he handed Gale over to her grandfather before rushing towards his mate gathering her up into his arms.
"No, no, not now," the sky dragon whispered as she felt her body being cradled by her mate.
"Pipsqueak you ok?" Gajeel asked his youngest on his hip. "Bit go to yer mom," he grunted as he placed the toddler on the ground as the little dark blue haired girl toddled over to her mother.
"I'm fine," Wendy reassured as she looked over the worried faces of her guild mates.
"If you're fine then why did you collapse?" Isabella asked as she handed the healer a glass of water.
"I forgot," She said smiling into the glass of water.
"Forgot what?" Igneel asked in confusion as Kyra began to stir.
"About the hatchling," Wendy said smiling as the guild shouted in joy. After all new life in the guild was always something to celebrate.