S.R: Time for a bit of fun. Oh, and for everyone claiming Natsu for Guild Master…. Nope.
Since Natsu wasn't the only one looking, it didn't take long for the group searching the library to find a special book. Granted the reason it was special is that it was left behind by the first master Mavis Vermilion. The problem they encountered however was that the book had a powerful magic seal.
"I don't have the magic to break it."
Warren Rocko, the guilds resident Telepathy mage commented after he tried to undo the seal. Natsu just held his hand out. A few members of the guild backed away, worried he might try to brute force it and accidentally burn up his surroundings. But instead Natsu just focused heavily, slowly feeding his magic into it. To their surprise there was an audible click like sound when he stopped using his magic.
Warren just stared at Natsu dumbfounded.
"What, gramps taught me how to do this. Apparently seals made by a Fire mage are extraordinarily hard to break, so he had me make the seals on some of the crap in his office."
Since he gave them a valid reason, the group that had followed him into the office just shrugged. With that out of the way Natsu opened up the dusty old light green book that had been handed to him. His eyes went wide before he began to read out loud for them all to hear.
"To any who may break the seal on this book and read it, I say this is the magic journal of Mavis Vermilion, founding member and first guild master of Fairy Tail."
"Does that mean is has the answers we're looking for?"
Max Alors, the guilds shop manager spoke up. Natsu ignored him and kept reading.
"Inside this book you will find descriptions of what the spells I have created are capable of. However, the details of how to preform said spells are not inside this journal. This is not a training manual, nor an instruction booklet. These spells are far too unique and powerful for me to feel comfortable recording the instructions for. Even if this journal managed to get sealed away somewhere, I wouldn't feel safe leave those details in the open."
Since it seemed to be what they were looking for Natsu skimmed through the pages, till he found something that seemed to explain what they had seen.
"Fairy Sphere. This spell is the ultimate defense, at least as far as I have found. Using the bonds grown between members of my guild as a source of power, I managed to create a massive sphere as a barrier. The unique thing about this barrier however is that everything within is protected from everything, even time itself. Basically this spell acts as a stasis chamber, transporting everything inside of the sphere into a pocket dimension where time does not flow."
"Holy shi-"
Max started to say as he listened to what the spell was capable of. But he was elbowed in the ribs by Warren. Just in time too as Natsu was glaring lightly at him even though Michiko wasn't in the room to hear. So the guilds Sand mage gulped before glossing over the word and continuing with what he was going to say.
"That's absurdly powerful magic!"
Everyone in the room just nodded, agreeing with that assessment.
"So they're still safe. But how long does Fairy Sphere last?"
Warren commented, drawing everyone's attention back to the actual mater at hand. Natsu shook his head.
"It doesn't specify. The only other details are that the amount of time the spell lasts for depends on the amount of magic used to power it… But if it can convert even our bonds into magic power, then it could be a long time. After all there isn't anything that can overcome Fairy Tail when we all agree on something."
Max and Warren both nodded following Natsu's words. The others weren't as sure, but they didn't want to voice their opinion and risk upsetting them. Mostly because even though they found proof that it was possible for their friends to have survived, they didn't know how it would have happened. After all the book in Natsu's hands didn't explain how to cast Fairy Sphere. So who could have known how to cast it?
"What do we do now though?"
Warren asked as he realized the situation.
"You guys think you could help Cana with calming Mira down?"
Natsu asked as he looked right at Max and Warren. Since Mira was basically out of it at the moment he was the only S-class available so he had to take charge.
"We can try at least."
They responded together. Natsu nodded before turning towards the door where Jet was standing.
"Jet, I need you to get master Bob from Blue Pegasus and master Goldmine from Quatro Cerberus. Since they used to be members of Fairy Tail it's only right that they know what's going on. Plus I have a feeling we'll need their help."
The High Speed mage nodded before vanishing from sight with the aid of his magic.
"I'll be back in a bit."
Natsu told the rest of the group that was in the library as he moved to leave the room.
"Where are you going?"
Max asked, concerned about what Natsu might be up to.
"I'm going to see the Magic Council. We can't afford not to deal with them right now."
Natsu answered, his words reminding them that Fairy Tail tended to aggravate the council a bit too much. Unless Natsu was very careful the council could even use this incident to disband the guild.
No one responded to him as they all filed out of the library. Natsu walked right up to Cana and Michiko with a small smile.
"Can I leave Mira to you and the rest of the guild?"
Not sure what was going on, Cana slowly nodded her head.
"Good. I'm going to go prevent the council from taking advantage of the situation. I don't know how long it'll take me. But I'll let Max and Warren explain what we just learned."
The pink haired man told her. Since it was a good idea she just nodded, understanding that Natsu wasn't going to let things get any worse for the guild. Happy that she understood Natsu gave her a quick kiss before crouching to be eye to eye with Michiko.
"You help your mommy cheer up aunt Mira okay?"
With that said he kissed Michiko's forehead. The little onyx eyed girl just giggled at him before grabbing onto his check. She tried to pull him closer, so Natsu obliged her and moved his face down for her. He felt a wetness on his check and chuckled as he realized she was trying to give him a kiss to.
Ruffling her hair he smiled before taking a step back and turned towards Lahar and Doranbolt.
"Considering the situation can I ask you two help me get a meeting with the council?"
Wordlessly the two nodded as they stood up from the seats they had taken after Natsu told them to recover. Despite the fact they knew he was capable, they were still surprised to see just how well Natsu was handling the situation. Almost as much as they were when Natsu pointed out the faint barrier appearing in the recording they had of Tenrou island being destroyed.
"They're already expecting someone to be sent as a representative. We'll escort you to the meeting room though."
Lahar managed to say. Still not saying anything Doranbolt just nodded his head, before placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder, and the other hand on Lahar's. With that he activated his Teleportation magic, and the three of them appeared just in front of the building known as Era.
"If you would follow me."
Lahar lead the way. Moments later the three of them were entering a rather large room. There was a large U shaped table that faced them and the doors they entered through. On the other side sat several figures. Only a few of which were familiar to Natsu from the last time he had met the council, but he pushed the thought to the side.
"We've been expecting you."
A voice spoke up. Natsu was quick to zero in on who it was that spoke, and he had to refrain from letting out a relieved sigh when he saw it was gramps friend.
"Considering the circumstances I figured a meeting was better sooner rather than later."
A few of the council members snickered, thinking that Natsu was chosen by the guild to represent them thanks to his power rather than believe his statement. But he ignored them, knowing that they wouldn't know the truth of the matter anyway.
"Yes that is true. With so many of your key members gone, there are very few choices available and they all require our involvement."
Spoke up the man who was directly in the middle of the U shaped table. Considering his position and the fact the others went silent when he spoke, Natsu realized that was the Chairman of the council.
"I don't want to be rude, but they aren't gone. At least not like you are thinking."
Natsu cut in, interrupting the speech that was about to come from the chairman.
Most of the council rolled their eyes, believing Natsu to be an idiot who couldn't understand what was going on. Yajima, and the council chairman however went wide eyed. Unlike the other members of the council they knew just how powerful Natsu's senses were. So they understood there was a chance he noticed something they couldn't.
"When Lahar showed us the recording, I noticed a very faint flash of light just before the island was destroyed. Our video lacrima has the ability to go frame by frame, and to zoom in. So using those two settings I managed to get a clear image of the flash that I saw."
Here Natsu turned to Lahar and gestured for him to show the council what he had discovered. When the image of a barrier with the Fairy Tail symbol appeared before the council, several let out surprised gasps.
"We took some time to look into what that could have been, and after searching the guilds library this book was found."
Natsu explained as he held up the magic journal. He opened it to the page that held the description of Fairy Sphere and read it out loud for the council. At that point everyone in the room was staring wide eyed at Natsu and the journal in his hands.
"Something that absurd!"
"Is that even possible?!"
"What kind of power would that take?!"
Several people shouted out. But then the chairman tapped his staff on the floor, his magic amplifying the sound.
"Enough."
With that the room went silent. Most of the council used the silence to help regain their train of thought. A moment later he began to speak.
"Even if this is true, we do not have even an estimate on how long it would take for them to return. A spell with those abilities is just so absurdly powerful, that it could theoretically take centuries before it runs out of power."
"The official stance of the Magic Council on this matter isn't going to change, not unless they return. As far as we are concerned they are dead until they can stand before us to prove otherwise."
Natsu frowned, but he had expected it so he didn't try to argue.
"That means, even if you all believe they will return someday, that Fairy Tail must hold some kind of memorial for them."
"What kind of memorial?"
Natsu asked, a bit shocked that the council would suggest such a thing.
"Whatever you all chose."
It was then that Natsu realized why only a few familiar faces were present. The council had changed. Instead of being a group that was bound and determined to disband Fairy Tail because they wouldn't be controlled, the council was now a group that wouldn't turn their back on the guild just because they were a thorn in it's side.
He felt a bit better knowing that the council wasn't going to just abandon them or force Fairy Tail to disband now that they didn't have the power to stand against the council.
"I know this may be a sudden shift topic wise, but I have to ask what Fairy Tail's plans are going forward."
"We haven't discussed anything like that just yet. But I will be damned if I let the guild fall apart because of this."
Yajima nodded his head having expected Natsu to stand strong for the guild. He was so used to Makarov's complaining about the pink haired man, that he felt Natsu's personality wouldn't allow him to stand aside and left Fairy Tail fall.
"Does that mean you will step up to be the guild master?"
"Me? Guild master? I couldn't handle that responsibility. Plus I'd probably get frustrated and burn all of the paperwork."
Yajima couldn't help but laugh at Natsu's response to his question.
"I can't answer anything else about the guild right now. But if you'll give us a few days to get a proper response ready, we'll show you why Fairy Tail is number one."
"Very well. You may return to your guild Natsu Dragneel."
The chairman spoke, ending the conversation. Since he was thankful they didn't try and force Fairy Tail to disband, Natsu was polite and bowed to them before leaving the room. Lahar and Doranbolt also left, knowing that they weren't supposed to hear the council's conversation.
"That boy is a fool."
"Quite the fool if he believes Fairy Tail can withstand this."
Two of the new members commented.
"He's always been a fool."
Another spoke up.
But Yajima couldn't let the talk continue that way.
"Natsu may have once been a fool, but he can no longer be called as such. Especially after the last talk I had with Makarov."
"Oh? I had no idea you were close with the 6th wizard saint and his guild."
the woman to his right spoke up.
"I left Fairy Tail in order to join the Magic Council years ago. But that's not germane to this discussion."
A few other members of the council just looked at the short old man and sighed.
"Yajima is right you know. I haven't yet revealed it to the rest of the council, but after that emergency request we made to Fairy Tail for their help in dealing with the Wyverns, Makarov promoted Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox to S-class."
The council Chairman told the group, shocking most of them, as they knew one of the reasons Natsu was never made S-class before was because of his carefree attitude.
"Yes, well suffice it to say Natsu Dragneel has had to grow up quite a bit in these last couple months."
Yajima continued, having already known about Natsu's promotion. The chairman just nodded his head agreeing with his fellow council member.
Meanwhile
Mira was still inconsolable even after Max told the rest of the guild about Fairy Sphere. Not even Michiko babbling at her was enough to draw Mira from her grief. Which was very upsetting for the little girl, who just wanted to hear laughter from everyone like she was used to.
Cana was at her wits end with the situation. Mira wouldn't listen to anyone, and Michiko was already pouting heavily and on the cusp of flat out wailing because she couldn't get her way. Wendy despite being tired from training with Natsu for most of the afternoon was trying to be helpful, but even she didn't have much luck in keeping things together. Finally Cana sighed, having realized she didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Wendy can you hold Michiko for a moment?"
"Sure."
The young blue haired girl agreed, gently taking Michiko from the older brunette's outstretched arms. She instantly began a rocking motion, hoping to soothe the baby and prevent her from outright crying.
"I really hate to do this Mira, but we can't get through to you like this."
Cana mumbled as she searched through her deck of cards for a specific one. When she found it, a small frown came to her face as she poured a bit of magic into it.
"Sleep Card"
Focusing the effect of the card onto Mira, Cana forced the white haired woman to fall asleep. Luckily she was close enough to catch the slumped figure of Mira's body as she passed out. Max and Warren who both had been trying to help Cana calm Mira down stepped forward to take the barmaid from her.
"We'll get her up to the infirmary."
Warren offered as they gently carried Mira towards the second floor where the infirmary was.
"Hey Cana?"
"Yes Wendy?"
Hoping she didn't sound as tired as she felt, Cana turned back towards the young Dragon Slayer and her daughter.
"We're going to be okay right?"
Wendy asked, concerned about how things looked. Even if their friends weren't gone, they didn't know how long it would be for them to return. Plus Wendy had been around long enough to hear Makarov complaining about the magic council constantly being on his case. Not to mention how the public would react when they found out, because everyone from Fairy Tail understood that the council would have to make an announcement about it.
The more Wendy thought about it, the more it seemed like Fairy Tail was going to fall apart under the stress. It was enough to make her cry.
When Cana noticed the tears coming to Wendy's eyes, she quickly wrapped her arms around the younger female.
"It'll be okay Wendy. Natsu won't let us down."
"ga-ba-daba-da"
Michiko echoed, trying to be part of the conversation too. It was enough to make both of them smile and let out soft giggles. Since Wendy didn't seem like she was going to break, Cana pulled away from the Dragon Slayer, and began to play with Michiko.
At that point the doors to the guild opened up to reveal Jet who was accompanied by two others. Wendy didn't know them, but Cana recognized them.
"Jet, why'd you bring master Bob and master Goldmine?"
"Natsu said they had a right to know what was going on since they used to be part of Fairy Tail. Speaking of Natsu, where is he?"
The man replied before looking around the room for Natsu. Cana opened her mouth to respond when Natsu and Doranbolt appeared in the middle of the room.
"Thanks for bringing me back Doranbolt."
"No problem Natsu."
With that Doranbolt left. Natsu wanted to sit down and relax with Cana but he noticed the two men that were standing beside Jet.
"Nice job jet."
Rather than the High Speed mage it was Goldmine who responded.
"What's going on Natsu?"
"Right. It's rather serious news, so why don't we use the masters office to talk."
Hours later the three exited Makarov's office with tired but determined looks on their faces.
"I'll send Ichiya and the Trimens out with Christina in the morning to look around and see if they can't pick up anything unusual."
"There isn't much I can offer ya, well besides sending some of our requests your way to help keep you supplied with jobs."
"That should be more than enough. Thank you, both of you."
Natsu told the two as he plopped down besides Cana. Michiko was yawning, but still awake as she sat in Cana's lap playing with Wendy who had made it her job to keep Michiko happy while everything was still chaotic.
"I know you're worried, but take care of yourself okay Natsu?"
"I will master Bob. I will."
Natsu responded as Cana leaned into him. If it weren't for the fact that Natsu looked worn out, and Cana looked like she'd been on an emotional roller-coaster it would have been a really cute scene.
As Bob and Goldmine left, they both sighed.
"They'll endure. Natsu will make sure of it."
"Natsu won't settle for just enduring it. He'll make sure they stay at the top no matter what."
Bob said, having noticed Natsu's conviction long ago. He knew the pink haired man was someone that could literally be defined as 'The heart of Fairy Tail'.
Unknown to them no one left Fairy Tail that night. They were all too emotionally drained to even think about leaving the guild hall.
The Next Morning
After everyone but Mira woke up Max, Warren, Jet, and Droy all approached Natsu.
"So what did the council have to say?"
"As far as they are concerned, until such a time that they can stand in front of the council and provide proof otherwise, those that were on Tenrou island are considered dead."
Natsu told them. While it wasn't what they wanted to hear, it was something most of them were expecting. Especially since they couldn't truly prove that they were alive.
"Because of that, they are also expecting slash demanding that we have some kind of memorial for everyone that was on Tenrou island."
"We probably would be doing that anyway just help remind us that they're okay."
Warren muttered, which got an agreeing nod from Max and Natsu.
Jet on the other hand brought their attention back to the matter of the council.
"What's their stance on us right now?"
"We've got a few days to figure things out, then we have to inform them of our decisions."
"You mean they aren't going to be breathing down our neck or trying to disband us?"
"For right now, yeah."
Natsu responded with a sigh since he was still a little worried about how the council may act in the future. They may have played nice and respectful (somewhat) with him while he was there, but for all Natsu knew that was because they didn't want to upset him and risk being attacked.
"Well I'd think it's obvious that we're going to fight tooth and nail to keep Fairy Tail alive."
Droy stated.
"Yeah, but we have things to do in order for that to happen. With Mira still out of it I'm the only S-class right now. We've got to increase our power, to make up for the lack of the others."
"Not to mention someone has to take over for the master until he gets back."
Max commented. The five men all sighed in unison. It was going to be a lot of work to keep Fairy Tail from falling behind without everyone that was on Tenrou island.
Macao and Wakaba had been listening in as they ate breakfast, so when they walked up to join the discussion the duo didn't need anyone to fill them in.
"It should be obvious who takes over for Makarov while their gone."
"Yeah. Natsu's done great with taking charge so far, and he's got the power for it."
They commented, knowing the others would agree. After all they all saw the same thing. Natsu was the one to step up and take charge. Natsu was the one to cheer them up, and even before all this it was typically him that cheered up the guild when they were feeling down. He had the same charisma as Makarov, which meant they'd follow him just as easily as they did Makarov.
"No. I can't be the master. Until we can get Mira to snap out of it and listen I'm the only S-class. If anything I'll take Gildarts spot as the guild's ace."
Natsu commented, reminding them that his strength would be better suited doing jobs and bringing in money for the guild rather than dealing with the council.
"Natsu's right. Right now our guild master just needs to be someone that can handle the paperwork."
Cana commented as she finished preparing a bottle for when Michiko woke up. As she said that an idea came to Natsu's mind.
"The guild master still gets a portion of the guilds income right?"
"Yeah why?"
Macao responded. A wide grin came to Natsu's face as he told them about his idea. Somehow knowing it involved her, Cana shuddered when she saw his smile. But she ignored it in favor of getting ready to feed Michiko. Though that didn't stop her from going wide eyed like the rest at Natsu's words.
"Cana could probably handle the paperwork, not to mention she's pretty strong anyway. Why not have her take over as guild master?"
S.R: How's that for a twist? Anyway the next chapter will pick up right here, so Natsu can explain why he made the suggestion. Or at least explain a little better than he did right here. So I'll see you guys next time.
