Thank you for all the congrats on my little bundle :D can't wait until he's here 4 days left!

Anna5949: It's just gonna get better and better I promise, gotta set the stage so to speak :)

Wonderwomanbatmanfan: trying to be as creative with my explanation as possible without dragging it on and on I promise more action soon

CVBlovesu93: no lie I love creating some suspense :) and thank you!

Katnibal94: muahahaha we shall see just who does what ;D

Ember Reverie: I seriously appreciate your consistent reviews, it really has helped keep me writing this. And there is a present just for you in this chapter I'm sure you'll catch it :D

FireShifter: Thank you so much for sticking through my explanations I'm glad I could keep them entertaining and pulling Anna into this just felt so perfect. No lie was really stuck on how to sneak her in there.

NaLuAlways26: yea prepare for a lot of those cliffhangers lol I get an evil chuckle every time I leave one.

Jcat007: Thanks! Can't have too many new little guildmates ;)

Chapter 26

All the girls started asking one question after another but before it could get too out of control Porlyusica let out an ear ringing whistle. "Enough the lot of you! We know this is shocking to everyone but keep your traps shut until the end we are short on time. Now before Anna continues Wendy is passing out the potion I mentioned. If you decide to not take it you are aware of the consequences and I remind all of you to not judge anyone's decisions."

Anna shook Porlyusica's hand and turned back to girls, "instincts are all impulse and emotion. They are being driven by adrenaline, and are currently hyper focused with their battle instincts making all the decisions. I will get to the book in just a moment but you need to hear this." She raised her brows and shot Levy a look that quelled her squirming.

All the girls looked sheepish as they were thinking the same thing as Levy. Trying to mentally hurry the older woman and starting to ignore what she was currently saying. They all said their apologizes and asked her to continue.

Anna smiled, "I understand your impatience but you need to understand just what you are going to be dealing with. They are not themselves they will not be able to be tender, or soft."

She took a breath, "I'm getting ahead of myself. Right now they are still themselves, they still have slivers of their personalities shining through during this stage. However the moment the hunt begins those slivers will slowly be overridden by instinct. They will become more and more feral. If a Dragon or Dragon Slayer's chosen mate denies them or dies before they are claimed then they loose all intelligence, all sense of self, basically everything of who they once were."

She paused to let it that information sink information caused a sense of dread to form in the air. "Your Master wanted this information kept from you until we knew for sure there was still no cure. Grandine had hoped with the change in medicine in the future there could possibly be something. But the odds were severely against that from the start, so she made sure to tell Wendy there was absolutely no cure."

Wendy's shoulders fell in relieve, "I was worried I'd misheard her when you told to try. I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me not remembering everything."

"Oh child you know none of us expect you to remember everything," Master ruffled her hair.

"Yea Wendy, if it weren't for you we wouldn't have even gotten this far." Mira smiled and the others' nodded their agreement.

Anna squeezes the young slayer in a light hug, "Grandine knew it was a long shot Wendy. The potion her and I created, combined with the latest one created by you and Ms. Porlyusica we can achieve what Grandine and the other Dragons were hoping for."

With one last squeeze Anna stepped back and turned towards everyone, "I'll explain that in detail in just a moment. Your mates will come and speak to you, they will be basically persuading you to agree to the kiss. Now I'm sure all of you have been having some interesting dreams."

All the girls looked anywhere but directly at Anna, not meeting anyone's gaze. A few were as crimson as Erza's hair while others were only lightly flushed. Anna covered a chuckle with a cough, Master out right guffawed, while Porlyusica tried very hard to not smile causing only her lips to twitch.

"Those dreams are to enthrall and entice you into submission. Now once you are actually in their physical presence they will give off some pheromones that will lull you into further compliance. Now the kiss is seen as acceptance and it won't be a simple peck. It will be a transfer of some of their very essence. This will take root within your body and will be vital to you surviving the mating."

"This will manifest as a mark on your skin each will be unique to the individual and their partner. The essence of each slayer will work its way through its mates body prepping it for the mating ceremony. The basic changes include: heightened senses, faster reflexes, and extended life span. Now when I say basic changes I mean the minimum amount of time a mate has between the Kiss and being caught by their Dragon."

"These minimal changes take 72 hrs to occur within your bodies and thankfully that is the same amount of time Ms. Porlyusica's pregnancy potion will take effect. On a serious note if you are caught before this time limit the essence within your body will become toxic. Very few have survived and none have been the same. Dragon culture has many attributes they hold in high regard but strength and intelligence are ultimately the most important."

"Igneel's mate was one of these unfortunate souls, she was caught under the 72 hour mark. She was one of the very few that survived however Igneel's essence slowly poisoned her to death. Now when I mean slowly I mean she was able to live out a normal human life span however she had to watch as Igneel never aged and the poison ate away at her humanity. It...it was not a pretty site in the end."

Anna took a moment to grieve her friend while everyone else slowly let this information sink in. When Anna spoke next it was somber, "A Dragon or Slayer will become themselves after the final stage is completed The Exchange. By this point there is nothing that can be done to change the mates fate. Dragon's live for centuries a single human lifespan would seem like a blink of an eye and for Igneel he had to slowly watch his loved one not only age but descend into madness."

"Now," Anna clears her throat and looses her somber attitude, "after The Marking happens the slayers immediately try to catch you. They will no longer be able to help themselves, they will come at you with everything they have. As I mentioned previously they will slowly be consumed completely by their instincts, and those slivers of humanity I mentioned will gradually disappear. The longer they are unable to catch you the stronger the bond will be. It can develop things such as telepathy, control over their mates element, magic sharing, and even the possibility to consume their element as a power if they are unable to capture you before giving into their instincts they will become mad permanently."

"That unfortunately was what happened with Acnologia and ... myself." Anna's shoulders slumped and Lucy immediately jumped up to comfort her as did Wendy. Everyone else sat in shock and tried to collate the monster that was Acnologia to Lucy's sweet and caring long lost relative. Anna gave a sad smile, "I know he was a monster in the end but he didn't start out that way."

"When this is all over I'd love to tell you our story in every detail but for now let's focus on all of you. The speed of the madness depends on each Slayer. We believe the more hatred and darkness that lurks within the soul the faster the madness will grab hold. Now has developed a potion that can extend their sanity for only a short period of time."

"The potion Grandine and I developed will almost completely pull the Slayers out of their instinct induced sickness. However while Ms. Porlyusica's potion can be turned into powder mine has to be willingly ingested. The plan is for you ladies to initiate The Mark and The Hunt to then lead the Slayers to Tenrou."

"What!? Why Tenrou?" the girls all pretty much exclaimed at once.

"Because as fate would have it, it ended up there somehow. Although from what your Master has said of Master Mavis I am not actually surprised she came across my book. Now as for the reason for this plan we all want everyone to come out of this for the better and to give all of you the best possibility at a long and healthy relationship. Once a Slayer catches their mate they will want the begin The Claiming immediately."

"Now I will try to not embarrass you when explaining this but I believe for your comfort I must ask you to leave Master Makarov." Anna turns with a kind but firm look on her face.

The Master chuckled, "I know my children are in capable hands."

As he left Mira looked on with a little frown, "not even a joke or remark Master must be really worried."

"Of course child," Porlyusica murmured, "There are so many ways for this to go wrong."