CHAPTER 26

It had taken several months back and forth traveling on the words of breathy rumors and heresy for Lucy to get even slightly close to their target of Makarov. One thing was for certain, when he didn't want to be found, he made it damn near impossible for anyone to track him.

Even master Bob, who was one of his closest friends had no idea where he could have disappeared to. He claimed Makarov sort of appeared when he wanted to, and not before then. Him and his mysterious grandson.

Now they were closer to Makarov than they ever had dreamed of being. Lucy was almost hopping with excitement, Erza walking with purposeful strides, and Gray slouching less than usual.

They made it to a small looking cottage by the side of the road, Gray setting a hand on the white fence that surrounded it.

"This is the place old man Gildarts took me and Lyon when he found us," Gray marveled, somewhat awed by the memory of the place where he had been taken in before joining Lamia Scale.

"Funny, I don't remember it being here before though," Gray frowned, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Likely because of the magic placed on the home," Levy smiled at him, walking past through the gate ahead of them, "it's meant to be folded up and carried from place to place. They're nomads."

"Powerful magic, yet very elegant," Erza said, impressed, "it employs a similar technique to what I use to store my armors and swords."

"And yet you can't figure out a way to make your luggage smaller," Gray groaned and looked at the massive cart Erza tugged behind her.

Before Erza could murder her adopted brother, Lucy edged between the hunters with her hands raised, "Come on you two. Let's go talk to this Makarov so we can get back to finding that cult. I want to follow up on Natsu's lead."

Her favorite demon had called her a few days ago, sounding exhausted but the feel of victory heavy in his silky voice.

He had informed Lucy that he had just gotten through kicking the ass of a man named Zancrow who possessed a unique brand of fire that burned even Natsu.

Until he apparently figured out how to eat it.

Zancrow had been a high end lieutenant for the very cultists that Lucy was hunting, and he had provided information concerning their leader's position.

Hades.

Likely he was gone already, but there was always a chance that someone else was still there to provide them enough of a lead to follow his breadcrumbs.

Lucy was torn between wanting to pursue Makarov, who they had finally nailed down, or go after the fleeting rumors of Hades.

She didn't want to be rude to the old man, or their dream of a guild. It was something she desperately wanted to see happen. She was just tired of living with cultists hanging over her head. How Gajeel had put them down even temporarily was honestly beyond her.

However, the decision had already been made for her since they were here, and she had no intention of leaving without the others.

She followed Levy as they walked up to the door and politely tapped on it.

There was a moment's silence before the door cracked open and an old man Lucy instantly recognized appeared with a warm smile.

"It's you!" She blurted in surprise and immediately flushed brightly, "Er, sorry... that um, didn't come out right."

"You don't say Lu." Levy said dryly, but they were interrupted as the man laughed brightly at them.

"I'm pleased you remember me Miss Heartfilia." He greeted, "I didn't think you would considering the circumstances of our meeting." He looked around, "Well... this is quite an eclectic blast from my past." He pushed the door open invitingly, "Do come in. You must've been quite determined to see me if you're all the way out here."

"Thank you Master Makarov." Levy smiled sheepishly as they filed in, checking slightly as they found what had to be Makarov's grandson eyeing them curiously from where he was cleaning up some dishes.

"Leave off the dishes for now Laxus." Makarov said, "And help me get some drinks for our guests would you?"

"I got it gramps." Laxus drawled with a careless wave, "Go sit down."

"We're terribly sorry to intrude." Levy said as Makarov led them to the small dining table and waved for them to sit down, "But you were the first person we thought of that might be able to help with our problem."

"And what problem might that be?" Makarov asked as Laxus joined them and passed drinks around.

"Well... perhaps it would be better for you to read this for yourself." Levy replied and handed over both their proposed guild charter and the council's response to the application.

Makarov hummed thoughtfully as he read through both sets of papers carefully and passed them on to Laxus, "I see. So you're hunting for an established light wizard to lead your guild, but you've all already experienced how pig headed many light wizards are so you want one who is more open."

"Are you serious?" Laxus breathed in shocked awe, "You really got those crusty old men to sign off on a guild? How?"

"I'm sure you heard the news about Jellal and the tower of heaven?" Levy asked, "The one that caused so much damage around Akane?"

They nodded and Levy nodded towards the other three, "They were three of the four people to bring it down. A necromancer, an Amazon queen, a devil slayer, and a demon all worked together on that. It's proof that diverse backgrounds can work together effectively."

Makarov chuckled at that, "Something that is no doubt making waves on both sides." He smirked, "Well played young Levy. That's a move worthy of your ancestors." He hummed slightly and looked at his grandson, "What do you think m'boy? You interested in settling down in a grey guild?"

"What about Magnolia?" Laxus asked curiously, "How open are the people there to this?"

"More open than you might think." Levy assured him, "We have a werewolf pair and their new daughter living up at the converted windmill and a family of half demon siblings as well as these three, Natsu, and Gajeel."

"Natsu being your demon I presume." Makarov eyed Lucy shrewdly, "I'm not sure I dare ask how old you were when you made a deal with him."

Lucy's lips twitched upwards, "Ten." She replied in amusement, "It was just after my mom's death. I wanted a friend and Natsu answered my call. We made a deal to be best friends forever and for him to always protect me."

"So how come he ain't with you?" Laxus asked and Lucy raised an eyebrow at the genuine curiosity in his eyes.

She shrugged lightly, "Natsu was my age when I summoned him." She replied carefully, "He's had to go deal with demon puberty and everything that goes with it. He'll be back once that's over."

Laxus sucked in a surprised breath at that, "An apocalypse dragon..." He breathed, "I thought all but one had died out..."

Lucy stiffened in shock, her eyes flashing wide to Levy for an explanation on how this man seemed to be able to put together the information so quickly.

At her panicked expression, Laxus grunted at her, "Relax. I'm not a hunter or anything."

"Laxus is a large reason why I sit on the side of the fence I do," Makarov admitted and gave his grandson an annoyed look, but it was clear there was deep affection there.

"My son attempted to dabble in necromancy, an art he had no talent in," Makarov said without compliment, "He sought to summon an Apocolypse Dragon from beyond the grave and sell the soul of my grandson while he was still in the womb to take on the abilities of the dragons."

"That—That can be done?" Lucy gasped, horrified over the perversion to her magic. The more she heard about dark necromancers, the more she understood the fear.

So many wished to use their powers to manipulate others, both alive and dead.

"Not in the way he thought, Apocolypse Dragons are too powerful while alive for their physical bodies to be resurrected, however their spirits can be called on. Luckily the dragon that responded to Ivan's request had no desire to devour the soul of an unborn child," Makarov sighed.

"The dragon gave up its own spirit and identity to stay within my body," Laxus gave Lucy a careful look. There was a clear hesitation in his eyes over how he and the dragon had both technically cheated death.

"If he didn't do so, my soul would have died," Laxus continued, "But the cost was that we are now... one being."

"You don't feel like a demon, I wouldn't have pegged you as one if you hadn't told us," Gray frowned.

"Because he's a human with the soul of a demon," Makarov said with a warning edge, the quiet threat that things would very swiftly become sour if they spoke ill of his grandson, "he's very familiar with Apocolypse dragons and their habits as a result..."

"We mean no disrespect." Erza interjected, "Gray's senses are simply sharper than most. He's normally very quick to pick up on demons or even those who are possessed by them." She looked at Lucy in concern, "Is this anything like what happened with Natsu?"

Lucy frowned slightly and studied Laxus contemplatively, "I don't think so." She replied, "Natsu willingly hosted his parent's souls after the mess at the tower, but his was strong enough to withstand the strain without a problem." She reached out her hands and smiled at Laxus, "May I take your hand? I promise I won't do anything to hurt you."

Laxus and Makarov exchanged glanced before the large blond reached out and placed his hand in Lucy's. Immediately her eyes slid shut and a soft gold glow wreathed their hands.

"His state is completely stable." She reported after a moment, "His soul is in fine condition." She smiled softly as she opened her eyes and looked up at Laxus, "Though there's more human in you than you might think. Whoever your dragon was, and I'm convinced he was probably one of Igneel and Grandine's siblings, he knew what he was doing."

"What did he do?" Laxus asked, barely breathing at the thought he was more human than they'd thought.

"Effectively an artificial rebirth." Lucy replied, "That's advanced and complex magic. I can't even imagine how you would do that. However, it's the only thing that explains what I'm seeing in you. A soul that's half human and half dragon. Perfectly merged in every way, but unlike a true rebirth you remember your past." She patted his hand, "He didn't sacrifice his own self exactly. But neither did you survive."

"He forced us both to be reborn in that moment." Laxus rumbled as Lucy groped a little for how to explain it, "Our old selves died and a new Laxus was born."

"Essentially." Lucy agreed, "That's why your condition's stable. It's about the only way such a thing could remain stable." She smiled, "Regardless of what your grandfather says today about Fairy Tail... would you let me pick your brain? Natsu is kind of flying blind regarding his own people. Acnologia wasn't a reliable source and he only had a couple weeks or so with his parents before I had to send them on."

Laxus answered with his own smile, inordinately pleased with the knowledge that his dragon might still be in the afterlife and he would get to thank the scaled bastard one day, "Sure thing."

It felt like the least he could do really.

"Well isn't that interesting," Makarov noted the interaction with barely concealed interest, "Laxus isn't what you would call the most forthgiving of information."

"He must like you," Makarov winked at Lucy, causing Laxus to give his grandfather an annoyed glare.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how successful a venture like this would be," Makarov said after a long moment of once more reviewing the documents, "And I had wanted to avoid ever getting involved with council dealings again."

He tapped his fingers together and looked at the hopeful faces gathered around him, "You all have worked very hard to get where you are, and it would certainly be a shame if this was where you couldn't go on."

He let out an exhausted sigh, "I guess I'm coming out of retirement to be your brats Master."

Levy let out an excited shout, the other three unleashing similar shrieks and shouts of joy. Laxus seemed to cringe at the noise but looked amused nonetheless.

"Now I will of course have rules before we just jump right into this," Makarov said sternly, "I once knew a man who wanted something similar, but he let his ideals slip out of control. He became a dark mage."

"I'm sure you've heard of him before," Makarov sighed, "His name was Precht, and once he was a wise and kind man."

"Now he has abandoned that name and lives to shape the world into what he believes it should look like," Makarov frowned, "He and his guild, Grimoire Heart."

The four immediately exchanged worried looks, the name of the guild having come up when Natsu reported back to him about his fight with Zancrow. Grimoire Heart, the nest of the cultists.

And their guild master was Hades.

"Sir," Lucy tried, her heart hammering at the sudden lead she had no idea they might have stumbled on, "Do you happen to know where this Precht is?"

Makarov eyed her intently for a moment before his expression softened into regret, "I'm afraid not." He replied regretfully, "At least, not recently. Grimoire Heart is a mobile guild. They travel by airship. Which makes tracking them down at any given time extremely difficult."

Lucy's shoulders droop. Why could she never catch a break with this?

A cool hand dropped onto her shoulder and she looked up at Gray, "Hey, we'll find him." He replied, "No matter how long it takes."

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life dealing with this though!" Lucy burst out in frustration, "I just want to live my life! Is that so much to ask?!"

"Of course it's not Lu!" Levy assured her, "But we knew going in that this would be a long-term problem. And we have made progress."

"Um, not to interrupt or anything..." Laxus spoke up, confusion all over his face, "But what's going on?"

Lucy sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly, "My name's Lucy Heartfilia." She said quietly, "I'm a direct descendant of Anna Heartfilia. And for the last four hundred years Acnologia's cultists have been hunting my family down one by one."

She stared down into her cup, "For me, it was my mom first when I was little. Then it was my dad two years later. Now they're after me. After Natsu had to leave for his adult surges with Gajeel, the four of us started tracking down the cultist network. Gajeel had done it once before, but he was never able to find their leaders. Grimoire Heart."

She looked up at the pair, "I admit I wanted to hunt them down not long after the tower. As revenge for my parents. But when they attacked Levy and Gajeel's wedding..." She shook her head "I don't want to live my life constantly looking over my shoulder the way my mom did. I want this to end."

"It'll never truly end until Acnologia is dead child." Makarov said gravely, "Nevertheless, you have every right to want what peace you can get. Though I'm not certain you're going about this entirely the right way."

"What do you mean?" Levy asked and Makarov cocked his head slightly at her.

"Grimoire Heart is not an opponent to be taken lightly." He informed her gravely, "I've no doubt of your conviction, but rushing into a conflict at the first sign of them is little better than suicide no matter how strong you are. You will need your guild beside you if you hope to prevail."

He turned his gaze to Lucy, "Are you willing to do that?" He asked, "To put your desire for revenge and freedom on hold to build something much greater than that? So that when the time comes, and come it will, Grimoire Heart will face an army?"

Lucy gaped a little at the straight forward and even way he spoke. He cut right to the heart of the issue and put a balm right on the open wound of frustration that had welled within her.

The thought was staggering, to rely on other people for a fight that had no connection to them.

"I can't ask others to fight for me," Lucy said softly, frowning a bit at the older man.

"And yet you have your companions here," Makarov spoke with a smile that almost caught Lucy flat-footed.

Almost. "Each person here has their own reason to want to fight Grimoire Heart," Lucy crossed her arms, "I'm not interested in building a guild so they will serve as my army against a dark guild."

And it was at that point, Lucy felt as if she walked into a verbal trap. With the way Makarov smiled even wider at her, she felt almost as if that pretty balm he had spoken against her soul had an actual basis in reality.

"My dear, it pains me that you do not know this, but your guild will never let you fight alone," Makarov reached out to gather her hands in his, "If you make a guild, you are forging a family. A family that will live and die for one another against any enemy."

"It is not always the case," Makarov gave Levy an apologetic look, "But that is the basis on which guilds are built."

He looked at Erza, "Even if you did not have a vested interest in this fight, would you allow Lucy to go into battle alone?"

"Absolutely not," Erza responded without hesitation and Gray looked offended that it had even been suggested, "She will always have my sword."

Gray cracked his knuckles, "No one is laying a hand on her with us around."

Lucy couldn't help the affectionate warmth that saturated her face at the resounding faith and steadiness of her friends. She felt Levy reach around and squeeze her shoulders, looking over at her with a soft smile.

Makarov nodded in approval.

"You already have an excellent start," the man gave her a sunny smile, "focus on your guild for now Lucy. The battles will come in time, and you will be ready for it. You have been alone for long enough there are so few you trust."

"But perhaps it is time to start to change that?" He asked her.

"Perhaps it is time to start..." Makarov looked over the paperwork again, breaking eye contact, "now what was the name of this guild again..?"

"Fairy tail," Levy interjected, a crooked grin on her face.

"After your heritage no doubt," Makarov gave her a knowing look, "and that old rumor of their tails?"

The answering nod caused the old man to chuckle, his eyes moving fondly to Lucy.

"So what do you say?" He asked her, "will you help us start this crazy dream of yours and put away your fight for now?"

Lucy bit her lip, the allure of the guild significant on its own. But he was right. One day, and one day soon the battle was going to come for her.

There was no use racing to the finish line. Not when there was something productive she could be doing for her friends instead.

A safe place for them all...

The beautiful lie Jellal had believed, but made into reality in their little town. A neutral guild.

She took Makarov's hand, grasping it firm and her heart leaping as he answered her smile.

"To a new adventure then," Lucy promised.