Author's Note 1: I own nothing except my OCs, original magic, and my own opinion that ending of both the Tenrou and Tartarus arcs suck! Trust me, you won't be seeing that shit in this story!
Chapter 5: Azure Flames and the Cursed Song
"Come on! BREAK THROUGH!" Natsu yelled as he punched the Wind Barrier with an Iron Fist attack, only for the barrier to knock him back. So far, things were not looking good for Team Morningstar and their two allies. Soon after Erigor had left, Gray had uncovered Eisenwald's true goal from the now frozen Rayule; Their true goal was to use Lullaby to kill all the guild masters in Clover. Alyssa, Zeke and Erza had gotten information that the only one who could dispel the Wind Barrier was the shadow wizard Kageyama. But when the group had found him, Natsu had knocked him out after he had come after the dragon slayer. Erza managed to slap the shadow wizard awake, but a hand had phased through his stomach, courtesy of the Eisenwald wizard Karacka. After Natsu beat the crap out of the phasing wizard, the group reconvened outside as they tried to break through the wind barrier.
"Don't stop now!" Zeke exclaimed as he pulled out the sword on his belt. The black-handled sword had a thin blade until the brunette pumped some magic through it, creating a spinning green blade. This weapon was known as a Spiral Blade, a weapon that channels the magic within it, spinning the magic at such high speeds that it could potentially disrupt other spells. However, that wasn't the case this time, as the archer was pushed back.
"We have to hurry!" Alyssa said as she fired a Vibration Blast spell at the massive torrent of wind, only to have the blast fired back and causing her to dodge. "There has to be someway past this stupid barrier!"
"Wake up, Kage!" Erza exclaimed as she treated the injured man's wounds. "We need you so dispel the barrier!"
"He's not gonna wake up anytime soon." Lucy stated before turning towards a certain ice wizard. "Gray, why don't you freeze the barrier so the rest of the team could smash it."
"If I could do that, I would've done it when I saw the it earlier." Gray answered, turning his attention to the trio that keep trying to break through. "It's no use guys! The more you throw at the barrier, the more damage you guys take!"
"It's a small price to pay!" The orange-haired woman retorted before unleashing another spell. "Speed Queen: Hundred-Strike Punch!" With every punch, Alyssa felt backlash from the barrier but pressed on despite the pain until she was violently blasted back. Lucy ran towards her friend and saw that her hands were bleeding. She looked and saw Zeke slashing at it again, the backlash damaging his right hand some more.
"Guys, you need stop this! If you keep this up, you'll end up killing yourselves!" The blonde girl cried.
"Not an option! We have to save Makarov!" Natsu yelled as he unleashed another fire attack. He scowled as he tried to push forward. Lucy watched in worry as he pushed and saw his flame turn blue for a second until he was pushed back.
"Okay..." Zeke started as he put away his Spiral Sword, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I think it's evidently clear that brute force isn't going to break this barrier and Kageyama can't dispel it. Anyone got any ideas?"
The group started to think of ways to get out. Natsu turned to the newest member of Morningstar. "Hey Lucy, do you think you can teleport us to other side?"
"What makes you think I can even do that?" The blonde asked.
"Well back at Everlue's mansion, the three of us went through gate and teleported from the foyer to the sewer."
"But in order for your plan to work, we would need another celestial wizard to have one of their spirits already on our side and for them to be the other side." Lucy explained the holes in Natsu's plan.
"Damn it." The salmon-haired man sweared as Happy started to think.
"Everlue...Everlue. AHHH!" Happy screamed, catching everyone's attention. "LUCY, I JUST REMEMBERED WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU EARLIER!" The blue cat quickly ruffled through his backpack and pulled out a golden key.
"That's Virgo's spirit key!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Happy, did you steal that from Everlue?" Alyssa asked with a disappointed look.
The cat shook his head. "When we stopped for the night after the mission, Virgo came and told me that her contract with Everlue ended when he was arrested. She said she was willing to form a contract with Lucy and gave me her spirit key for safe keeping."
"That was three days ago!" Natsu exclaimed. "Why did you wait until now to say that?"
As Happy tried to justify something about cats having short recall, Zeke was thinking back the team's encounters with the maid spirit, suddenly getting an idea. "Happy, you just gave us our way out!"
The group looked at the archer and Lucy caught onto what Zeke was saying. "That's right! Virgo can dig us a way out." Happy handed her the key as the group stood back.
"Say Gray, you didn't have a heavy lunch today right?" Natsu asked.
"No, just a sandwich. Why?" The ice wizard asked.
"You'll see."
Lucy held out the golden key in front of her and started to chant. "I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate!" A magic circle appeared beneath her. "Open, Gate of the Maiden - Virgo!"
Out of gate came a petite woman with short pink hair, blue eyes, a maid outfit and broken chains on her wrists. The five who had seen Virgo before were gaping like fishes as Gray and Erza looked at them with confusion and Virgo gave Lucy a small bow.
"You called, Mistress?" The maid asked.
"Who...are you?" The blonde asked.
"Is it me, or did she drop 400 pounds since the last time we saw her?" Alyssa asked, pointing to the maid and getting her attention.
"Oh, you're referring to my previous appearance." Virgo replied. "You see, I'm a loyal spirit with the ability to alter my appearance based on my master's preference."
"I guess that explains why you looked like a gorilla before." Natsu stated.
"You mean this?" The maid transformed into her 'gorilla' form, freaking everybody out.
"Could you please change back?" Lucy asked.
"In fact, never do that again!" Zeke begged.
"Very well." Virgo said as she transformed back into her smaller form.
"Look, I don't have time to set up a contract right now. Is it okay with we settle it later?" Lucy asked.
"Of course, Mistress."
"And could not call me Mistress. It's kind of creepy." The celestial wizard said as Virgo noticed Lucy's whip.
"Then may I call you queen?"
"I don't know about that."
"Princess?" Lucy grinned and nodded. "Yes that'll do. Okay Virgo, I need you to make a tunnel to get us past this wind barrier."
The maid nodded as a yellow magic circle appeared beneath her, bursting into the ground and creating a tunnel.
"Excellent work, Lucy." Erza commented. "Now let's go!"
"Hold up." Natsu said as he lifted the injured Kageyama on his shoulder as the group traveled through the tunnel and emerged on the other side, the barrier blowing powerful winds through Oshibana.
"Princess, Your panties are showing." Virgo said as she held down Lucy's skirt.
"You should worry about yourself." Lucy replied, noticing Gray looking at Virgo's rump with steam coming out of his face.
"Oh, wow." The blushing ice wizard said.
"Alright, we should..."
"Natsu, Alyssa, Happy!" Zeke exclaimed, cutting Erza off as he pulled out a pair of goggles from his pocket. "You guys go after Erigor! We'll catch up with you!"
"Right!" The three of them nodded as Happy activated his wings. Natsu grabbed onto his pal and blasted off into the air with streams of flame coming his feet. Alyssa activated her speed magic and took off at full speed. Lucy, Gray and Erza looked in astonishment before they heard honking, turning their attention to Zeke in driver's seat of the Magic-Mobile.
"Come on! Get in! And bring Kage. I got some medical supples in my pack." The archer explained.
'I've never seen Zeke act like this.' Lucy thought as Virgo disappeared. 'But then again, the guild masters are in danger.'
The magic-mobile soon took off with the four Fairy Tail wizards and the injured Eisenwald wizard riding it. Erza held onto the roof as Zeke drove.
"Don't you think that you were a bit quick on sending the others ahead?" The requip wizard asked the driver.
"We wasted enough time trying to break through the wind barrier." Zeke replied. "Erigor's probably half way to Clover by now. And besides, Natsu and Alyssa can handle him. Or at least keep him busy."
And then...
'Just as planned.' Erigor said as he flew through the valley that lead to Clover. With the derailed train blocking the tracks, the only way through the valley besides the train tracks was by flight, which Erigor had no problem doing with his wind magic. 'I see the town up ahead. I bit farther and I'll have my revenge.'
"We've got you now!" The silver-haired killer turned and saw Natsu and Happy blasting towards him. "Didn't know cats could fly at mach speed, did ya?"
With a fiery kick, Natsu knocked him onto the tracks. The salmon-haired wizard then caught his little pal as he landed onto the tracks. "You okay?"
"Ya, but...I'm so tried...can't fly." Happy answered with exhaustion in his voice.
"Don't worry buddy. We can handle it from here." Natsu reassured the cat before turning his attention back to Erigor.
"You're one of those pesky Fairy Tail flies." The reaper stated.
"Speed Queen: Momentum Punch!" The reaper turned and was hit by a powerful punch as Alyssa zoomed past the silver-haired man and stopped near her boyfriend.
"You again?!" Erigor exclaimed as he got his second wind.
"That's right! It's time for Round 2, Reaper!" Alyssa stated as she cracked her knuckles while Natsu engulfed both his fists in fire.
"Good luck getting past us you dress-wearing windbag! Cause I'm gonna burn you and that stupid flute of yours to a crisp."
"So you two were able to break through my Wind Barrier. You little flies can be such a nuisance." Erigor stated as he glared at them. "Now get out of way, kids. Or else." He unleashed a strong gale at them as the wizards struggled.
"Is that all you got?" Alyssa asked as she fought against the wind, only for the wind to implode and cause a lot of smoke to kick up. However, Natsu blasted out from the smoke with his feet on fire and leaped at Erigor, the reaper evaded a flaming fist as it came down on the tracks. But as the reaper evaded, Alyssa ran towards him and gave a kick that was only blocked by the flat end of Erigor's scythe.
'So they use their respective magics to move and attack? This might actually be a challenge.' Erigor thought to himself as he flew up into the air. However, he saw Alyssa hold her arms out as she aimed another spell at him.
"Speed Queen: Twin Twister!" The reaper grinned as the two funnels of wind headed for him. With a swipe from his hand, he caused the twisters to change direction and hit some rocks in the canyon, shocking the two Fairy Tail wizards.
'So he can control wind that's not his own.' Alyssa stated in her mind. 'That's three of my spells made useless.'
"What are you doing up there you coward? Come down here and fight us!" Natsu taunted.
"Don't get too cocky, fly." Erigor replied as he created a magic circle in front of him. Before either of them could react, the couple was consumed by a massive tornado that formed underneath them. "Storm Breaker!"
As the two were continuously spun by the tornado, Happy tried to re-cast his Era magic but failed. "It's no use, I don't have enough magic energy."
'I gotta bust out!' Alyssa thought as she decided to take a gamble. She once again channeled her magic as she started rapidly spinning her entire body. "Speed Queen: Tornado!" With her own personal wind funnel, the orange-haired wizard burst through. Only to see her boyfriend get blown into the chasm below. "Natsu!"
"Let's see your fire power get you out of this." Erigor taunted with a smirk. However, his smirk disappeared as a large plume of fire blasted into the sky before transforming into a giant claw that grasped onto the tracks. Almost like a bungee cord, the flame lifted Natsu up into the air before disappearing.
'Thanks, Macao.' Natsu thought to himself as he landed, thinking back to how the Purple Flare Wizard taught him about altering the shape, density and temperature of his fire.
"Nice one!" Alyssa complemented with a smile.
"But...that's impossible!" Erigor exclaimed with an astonished look.
"You must be pretty cold up there half-naked like that." Natsu said to the hovering reaper. "Want me to warm you up?"
"Your flames are powerless against me!"
"Oh yeah! We'll see about that!" The dragon slayer retorted before sucking in some wind for his next spell. Alyssa followed suit as she started vibrating her arms and creating a ball of vibrational energy.
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
"Speed Queen: Vibration Blast!"
"Storm Wall!" Erigor reacted, creating a wind barrier that barely stopped the fire and vibration attacks. 'I can't believe these guys. There's no rhyme or reason to their attacks. Is this what all Fairy Tail Wizards are like?' He thought before speaking out load.
"Although your powers are remarkable, I'm afraid you two are still no match for me. So enough of this cat and mouse game chase. It's time get serious."
The couple gave their own respective grins as they stared up at their opponent. "Bring it!"
Erigor grinned back as he started spinning his scythe in front of him. "Storm Mail!" Another torrent of wind blew, but this time the wind wrapped itself around it's caster, forming a sort of swirling armor around the silver-haired wizard. "Here I come!" He turned to a twister aimed from them as Natsu and Alyssa charged, armed with an Iron Fist and Vibration Burst attack respectively. But the two were knocked back as Erigor floated, unphased by the combo attack.
"What the matter? Can't handle the breeze?" The wind wizard taunted.
"Coward! You just had to go and wrap yourself in a wind barrier!" Natsu replied as he charged. "This'll break through it! Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Erigor threw his own punch and the two fists collided. But to Natsu, Alyssa and Happy's shock, the fire on the salmon-haired wizard's fist had disappeared as the reaper chuckled.
'Why...why did my fire go out?' Natsu asked himself as he heard Erigor laughing.
"Just as I suspected. You're completely helpless without your flames. Looks like I have the upper hand." The winds grew stronger and blasted Natsu back, Alyssa catching him. "Unfortunately for you, the winds of my Storm Mail attack blow outwardly. You get to close and it'll smother your flames, leaving you powerless against me!"
However, Natsu's only response was to give his infamous smirk. He got out his girlfriend's arms and stood up against the wind defiantly. "In that case..." His usual orange fire started flowing around him. "I'm gonna need a bigger fire!"
Alyssa and Happy smiled at this declaration. 'So he's going to use that.' The orange-haired woman thought to herself, remembering the conversation that eventually led to what was about to happen.
Eight years ago...
"Hey Natsu." The salmon-haired boy turned to his friend. The three young wizards were on there way back from a mission and set up camp for the night, the fire cooking their dinner and Happy sleeping in Alyssa's lap.
"Did you know there's different colors of fire?" A bespectacled Zeke asked.
"You mean like Macao's Purple Flare?" Natsu asked back.
"Kind of, I guess." The archer replied. "You see, I read that the different colors of fire can change depending on their temperature. Your flames are orange, which is actually the basic temp of usual fires."
"Oh, I got it!" Alyssa stated. "It's like how a welder uses blue fire to superheat metals." The budding amazon stated.
"That's right." Zeke replied. "So I was thinking; what if you could make your fire so hot it changes to blue or green or even white? Apparently that's the hottest fire can get."
Hearing this gave made Natsu's eyes go starry as an excited smile appeared on his face. "Let's find out!"
"Don't try it now!" Alyssa yelled. "You'll burn the tents!"
Realizing this, the young dragon slayer rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that."
Back in the present, Alyssa and Happy moved away from Natsu as the flames started getting stronger around him. The dragon slayer closed his eyes, reaching into a pool of inner power within him.
"RAAAAAH!" With a powerful yell, the fire covered Natsu expanded dramatically and the flame changed from orange to a raging blue.
Erigor's eyes widened before his face turned into a scowl. "It doesn't matter what color your flames are! I'm going to put an end to this now!" He proclaimed as he brought his fingers together in an X sign. "My Soaring Phoenix Magic rips everything to shreds! Ema Rebarum!" Several magic circles started spinning in front of the reaper as his winds increased their ferocity. "Goodbye, FAIRY TALE FLIES!" Erigor yelled as he unleashed his strongest blast of wind yet.
Natsu channeled the now blue fire into his hands as the massive stream of wind approached. "Fire Dragon Shield!" He unleashed a massive burst of fire in front of him, causing the wind to split into two and destroy two nearby cliffs. "Now what was that about ripping me to shreds?"
Erigor stared at the dragon slayer, dumbfounded that his strongest attack was deflected. "How...what...WHAT?!"
"You should consider yourself lucky, Erigor." Natsu smirked as the blue flames continued to dance around him. "You're one of few people to see my special trick. My Azure Flames!"
"You...no matter! You still can't get past my Storm Mail!" The sweating reaper exclaimed.
"You wanna test that theory?" With another roar, Natsu's azure flames started growing bigger, expanding into a large pillar of fire.
'What is this?' The reaper thought with a bit of fear, not noticing that the wind was starting to change direction. 'All he did was change the color of his flames and he's suddenly more powerful! What kind of fire wizard is this kid?!'
"He's really doing it." Happy stated. "He's changing the direction of the wind!"
Erigor heard the cat and looked down. His Storm Wail was starting to waver as the wind around was drawing to the top of the blue pillar. "This fire...it's drawing my wind towards it."
Alyssa smiled as her boyfriend's fire pillar drew more and more wind towards as it became more intense. 'Natsu's flames are creating a vertical updraft and a low-pressure area. And wind always blows from high pressure to low pressure areas. Guess I'm not the only one who paid attention to Zeke's physics lessons.'
"I'M GONNA TAKE YOU DOWN!" Natsu yelled at Erigor as he got into a starting position.
'His fire magic is so strong!' Erigor thought to himself. 'Surely he couldn't be...'
The reaper's train of thought of broken as he was grabbed by the stomach. He turned and saw that Alyssa was the one holding him, catching him off guard with a burst of speed. "Go for it, Natsu!"
"Are you crazy?! He'll burn you too!"
Like a rocket, Natsu launched himself at Erigor, his body still engulfed by the azure flames. Just before he reached them, Alyssa speed away, leaving the silver-haired reaper to be hit by the full attack.
"FIRE DRAGON..." Natsu grabbed Erigor and spun him twice before launching him into the air with a crescent-shaped blade of fire. "SWORD EDGE!"
'The dragon slayers! They do exist!' The burnt Erigor thought to himself before landing headfirst onto the tracks, finally knocking the wind wizard out. The Lullaby flute fell out of his clothing and landed nearby.
"That's what you get for messing with Fairy Tail." Natsu smirked as the azure flames finally died down.
"Aye! You showed him if you mess with the Salamander, you're gonna get toasted." Happy cheered as Alyssa rushed towards Natsu, lifting and spinning him the air.
"That was so awesome, babe!" The orange-haired amazon said with a smile. The dragon slayer smiled back.
"Hey, you did great yourself. Thanks for holding down Erigor for that last attack." The salmon-haired man said put his hand affectionately on her marked cheek. Happy started to sweat drop as the air around the two started to sparkle.
"Oh Natsu."
"Oh Alyssa."
"There they go again." Happy shrugged as the two enter another couple trance and repeated each other's names.
Unbeknownst to the three, the voice inside Lullaby started speaking again. 'It would appear that Erigor has failed. The time has come for me to take matters into my own hands. Soon this wretched world shall bask in the glory that is...' However, whatever consciousness the cursed flute had noticed a vehicle coming towards their location and silenced itself.
"Hey guys!" The couple broke out of their trance and turned their attention as Zeke stopped the magic-mobile near them.
"Don't worry!" Erza exclaimed as she summoned her twin blades. "We've come to..." The redhead then noticed the unconscious Erigor a few feet away. "Oh."
"See? And you doubted them." Zeke said to the armored woman as the rest of the passengers (including a now awake and treated Kageyama) existed the vehicle.
"Woah, you guys actually beat him." Lucy said in surprise.
"Ya, how did you even do that?" Gray asked, not believing that Flame Boy could beat someone like Erigor even with his girlfriend helping.
"What? Did you think we couldn't beat this guy?" Natsu replied, slightly offended by his rival's question.
"Actually, I believed you would do it." Erza replied before turning to Alyssa. "Slamazon over here, not so much."
Alyssa scowled and bumped heads with the requip mage. "And you would do soooo much better, right Metalhead?"
"You are aware that I have an armor built to handle wind magic? So yes Big Bertha, I could have done better than you!"
Lucy, Zeke and Happy sweat dropped as the two pairs of rivals continued to argue. Kagayama however, was still trying to process Erigor's defeat. The shadow wizard then saw Lullaby on the ground. The eyes of the flute glowed as the shadow wizard's eyes opened, revealing a sinister purple shade as he grinned. Before any of the Fairy Tail wizards could react, Kageyama quickly strapped himself into the Magic-Mobile and using both the vehicle and his Shadow Magic, he grabbed Lullaby and speed past them.
"See you in Clover, flies!"
"Kage!" Erza screamed.
"You asshole!" Gray yelled.
"This is the thanks we get for saving his life?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"After him!" Zeke yelled as the group ran after the increasingly distant magic-mobile.
And then...
Night had fallen over the kingdom of Fiore as the moonlight shined down on a large regime of royal knights were marching towards Clover, having received word of Eisenwald's plan to assassinate the guild masters. Unbeknownst to them, a man in a black and white cloak was watching the advancing army from a nearby mountain. While his face was obscured, his spiky red bangs were visible as he sniffed the air.
'Looks like we got something exciting going on.' The man thought to himself as he watched the regime move through the valley. 'Better get a front row seat for this.' The cloaked man jumped into the air higher than any human should be able to, following the knights from a distance.
Meanwhile, a certain Shadow Wizard was overlooking the Guild Master's Conference Hall from a nearby hill, gripping Lullaby in his hand. 'Ya, this'll work. Surely they'll be able to hear the lullaby song from here. Finally, the time has come!'
"There's some hot little numbers in this week's issue." Kageyama's attention was caught as he turned and saw Makarov sitting on a stump nearby as he read an issue of Sorcerer Weekly. Specifically the centerfolds and swimsuit sections. "Wow! Young wizarding ladies are so much more powerful now than they were back in my day. And sexier too."
'Um, ew.' The squinty-eyed man said in his head as the short man continued to give a perverted chuckle. 'Wait a second, isn't that...'
"Bah, what am I doing? I need to catch up with those fools before they destroy a entire town!" But as the short man got up from the stump, he noticed the spiky-haired man near him. "AH! It's not what you think! I was just looking over some potential recruits for my guild! That's all!"
"I don't care what you're doing." Kageyama replied, making the shorter man calm down. After he calmed down, the older man saw the bandages across the younger man's torso.
"You've been hurt badly boy. You shouldn't be wandering around the woods in your condition."
"Yes sir. You're right." The black-haired wizard answered. 'Now I recognize him. That's Makarov, the master of the Fairy Tail guild. Why do I keep running into these flies?'
Makarov stared at the young man for a second before turning away.
"Excuse me. I don't suppose you care to hear a song?" Kageyama said with a fake smile. "They wouldn't let me play my flute while I was in the hospital, and it would a lot to play for somebody again."
The tiny man looked at the wooden instrument in the injured man's hand. "That's one creepy looking flute you got there."
The Shadow Wizard gave a light-hearted chuckle. "I know, but it has a beautiful sound."
"Hmm. Well, I should be going..." Makarov said to himself before addressing to the taller man. "But I guess one song couldn't hurt."
"Oh, thank you." Kageyama said with a smile as the eyes of the flute gave a faint glow. 'We win.'
Close by, Team Morningstar, Erza and Gray ran through the Clover forest. "He's this way!" Natsu said as he lead the group with his enhanced senses. However, the group was stopped in their tracks at the sight of a certain dress-wearing man looking into the distance.
"Shhhh. We're just about to get to the good part."
"Master Bob?" Erza and Zeke recognized him.
"Ezekiel, Erza! Great to see you two again." The bald man greeted as he pinched Zeke's cheek. "Haven't seen you two since this little darling's S-Class trial."
"Nice to see you to." Zeke greeted the weird man. "By the way, how's Ichiya doing?" He asked, having not seen his acquaintance from Blue Pegasus since they went on a joint Treasure Hunting mission a few months ago.
"Great actually. He even got himself a sweet girlfriend."
"Whaaaat?" Zeke asked, happy for his friend as Erza found it hard to believe that the flirtatious wizard got himself a girlfriend. "That playboy finally settled down? Good for him."
"So wait, this is the Blue Pegasus Guild Master?!" Lucy asked.
"Yup. So what brings you brats here?" The group turned and saw Masters Goldmine and Sicilia walking towards them.
"There's a wizard with pineapple hair and a death flute nearby!" Natsu stated.
"Oh, you mean that guy?" Sicilia said as she pointed towards Makarov and Kageyama.
"Don't worry." Goldmine said . "We're just about to get to the good part."
As the group watched the two, Natsu noticed the look on Kageyama's face. It was similar to one he had during their battle in Oshibana. As the two were trading magic attacks of fire and shadow, Natsu asked if the Shadow Wizard was planning on killing the guild masters like he killed the renegade wizards in the forest. The spiky-haired wizard's eyes opened as a look of guilt and disgust appeared on his face for a second before he launched another attack. His fighting was sloppier now and gave the dragon slayer a chance to knock him out with a Roar spell.
And now, Kageyama was having that same look on his face as he held the flute close to his mouth. 'Why I am I hesitating? Just blow the flute and kill the geezer!' The shadow wizard yelled at himself. 'It's not like you...haven't...killed...before.' He starting thinking back to how he overheard one of the tied-up wizards from the other day mentioning Lullaby. He knew that Erigor wouldn't tolerate it if her took too long and he couldn't let these guys reveal their plan. So he did the only thing he could and crushed them with his magic before quickly fading back into the shadow, a sickening feeling haunting his stomach for the last few days until he reached Erigor.
That same feeling was resurfacing as his internal struggle. 'I...I can't..."
'Yes, you can.' A demonic voice whispered in his mind. 'You've already taken a few lives. What's a couple more?'
'But...I...why do I feel a pit in my stomach? Is this...is this guilt?' He then started to recall what his guildmates said about the legal guilds, but he also started to remember what the Fairy Tail wizards had said over the past few hours
"You should try and look for the positive. You and your buddies."
"Kage! We really need your help right now!"
"So you're gonna kill the guild masters! Just like you killed those guys in the forest!"
"Well?" Makarov asked, getting his attention.
'I can do this.' The shadow wizard tried to reassure himself. 'I just have to play one song and that'll change everything.'
As he struggled to go through with the act, Makarov said something as though he was reading his mind.
"Nothing's going to change." Kageyama's eyes widened as he looked down at the Fairy Tail master. "You cannot change the fact that those wore are weak will forever remain weak. Now maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean we humans are weak creatures by nature. Our insecurities are the reason that guilds even exist. And they're why we have friends. When we're surrounded with allies, it's easier to stay positive about the future. Think of it this way. If we're clumsy, then we may stumble and bump into things. But as long as we have faith in our future, we can continue marching forward. Our inner strength emerging on it's own. But we have choose that path and pledge to live our lives to the fullest."
The two wizards looked at each, one who's eyes held optimism mixed with experience and one who's eye held surprise and guilt. "Don't let that silly flute get in the way."
As the weight of the speech came down on him, Kageyama dropped the cursed flute and got down on his hands and knees. "I surrender."
The younger wizards watching from a distance were happy at the turn of events and ran towards their master.
"Nice going, Master!" Alyssa said.
"You stopped it!" Natsu cheered.
"Way to go gramps." Gray said.
"Waah...how did you kids end up in Clover?" Makarov asked in surprise.
"Master Makarov, your words touched me so deeply I was almost moved to tears." Erza said as she hugged the shorter man, unfortunately slamming him against her chest armor.
Natsu looked down at Kageyama and smiled. "I knew there was some good in you."
The shadow wizard looked at the dragon slayer in shock. "When I mentioned the guys from earlier, you definitely looked like you regretted. If you really a bad guy, you wouldn't have felt bad taking someone's life."
"So that's why you brought him with us when we escaped the wind barrier." Alyssa replied.
However, the tender moment was ruined as the sound of evil laughter soon filled the air.
"Does anyone else hear that?" Zeke asked.
"I'VE GROWN TIRED OF YOU COWARDLY WIZARDS AND YOUR ANTICS!" The group were shocked as black smoke and energy started pouring out of Lullaby.
"Did that thing just talk?!" They yelled. Suddenly, a massive demonic seal appeared over the town, purple lightning crackling down as the wizards, Clover citizens, Royal Knights and the cloaked man watched in shock. The cursed flute transformed into a stream of black smoke that flew towards the seal.
"I CAN NO LONGER HOLD BACK! I SHALL COME FORTH TO DEVOUR MYSELF!" A light blinded everyone for a second before they looked back, horrified at what they saw. Out of the seal came a massive monster 40 stories high, dwarfing the guild conference hall that stood underneath it. It's body made it look like wooden skeleton as it's three eyes glowed with power as it looked down at the wizards. "I SHALL FEAST UPON YOUR PITIFUL SOULS!"
"It's so big!" Lucy shouted.
"Way to state the obvious!" Happy replied in terror.
"Kageyama, what the hell is that thing?!" Zeke asked.
"I don't know!" The shadow mage replied. "Erigor never said anything about a monster!"
"We're in a pickle." Bob said as he sweated.
"That's an understatement." Sicilia retorted.
"It must be a demon from the Book of Zeref." Goldmine stated as the guild masters and civilians started running for their lives. Far a distance, the cloaked man scowled.
'Damn it! I want to help! But if I do that, everything will go to hell for us! Wait.' He sniffed the air and smiled at a familiar scent. 'Looks like I won't have to.'
"Why did the flute turn into a monster?" Lucy asked as the gigantic creature watched them.
"That's what Lullaby's true form looks like in the flesh." Goldmine replied.
"It's forbidden black magic. Living magic." Sicilia followed up as she scowled at the monster. "Zeref's specialty."
"Who's Zeref? Wasn't he some ancient wizard?" Gray asked.
"He's the most powerful evil wizard the world has ever known." Bob explained. "He was very powerful in his day. But in my wildest dreams, I never thought his dark legacy would pop back up again."
Alyssa looked up at the monster with hated in her eyes. 'So it's just like...' Her mind conjured up images of a caravan being destroyed, blood on a young girl's hands and the silhouette of a man with yellow eyes. The orange-haired wizard started to shake until she felt someone grab her hand. She turned and saw Natsu holding her hand with a concerned expression.
"It's gonna be okay." He reassured him, calming the speed queen's anxiety.
"NOW THEN..." The couple turned and saw Lullaby lean down towards them. "WHICH OF THESE DELECTABLE SOULS SHALL I DINE ON FIRST?"
"No giant wooden demon is going to scare off the Fiore army!" The royal captain exclaimed. "Charge!"
"Yes sir!" The soldiers shouted, getting Lullaby's attention.
"YOU DOUBT MY POWER? I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU!" A magic circle appeared in front of its mouth as it launched a blast, actually destroying a nearby mountain!
"C..Captain, are we scared yet?" A soldier asked in fear.
"Now men, retreat! Run for your lives!" The captain yelled as the army regime ran off.
"I HAVE NO NEED FOR THOSE PATHETIC HUMANS!" Lullaby said as it turned its attention back to our heroes. "I PREFER THE TASTE OF A WIZARD'S SOUL AND I WILL CONSUME ALL OF YOURS!"
"Oh yeah!" Zeke yelled as he conjured up his bow. "Try it then, you oversized splinter!"
"Good luck!" The guild masters cheered from a distance.
"Can those five really defeat Lullaby on their own?" Lucy asked.
"You should help them." Happy said to her.
"Normally I would but none of my celestial are available right now and I'd probably just slow them down." Lucy quickly answered.
"Good excuse."
"Don't judge me cat!"
Lullaby's three eyes glowed as it started preparing its death song with an ear-hurting roar that affected Lucy and the Guild Masters. Sicilia was about charge in to help but Makarov help his arm out in front of her, a smirk on his face.
"Ready?" Erza asked as she summoned up two blades.
"Oh yeah!" Natsu, Alyssa and Gray replied.
"Than let's do it!" The five wizards charged ahead as Zeke summoned a spinning arrow and aimed it at the monster. "Arch Shot: Drill Arrow!" He fired, unleashing a spinning arrow that blasted strait through the demon's chest.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel!" Erza exclaimed as she changed into her silver army and flew up, slashing at Lullaby with her swords.
Gray made a stance and laid his fist on his palm as frosty air surrounded him. "Ice Make: Lance!" He conjured up a blue magic circle and blasted several lances of ice at Lullaby.
Alyssa started using her magic to run all over the wooden demon, tearing apart any piece she could get her hands before jumping in front of its face. "Speed Queen: Thousand-Strike Kick!" And with that, she unleashed a barrage of a thousand kick in less than 30 seconds, making the beast groan in pain.
"Now it's my turn!" Natsu yelled as leaped at the demon with his fist in orange flames. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He punched Lullaby in the cheek, making it wobble a little.
From a distance, the guild masters were watching as the five young wizards continued to through everything they had at the demon. Swords, Ice, Fire, Speed, and Arrow spells keep being flung as the massive beast keep trying to swat them.
"YOU'RE MAKING ME ANGRY!" Lullaby yelled as it swing its arm in an arc, making the five jump away.
"Speed Queen: Cannonball!" Alyssa exclaimed as she got into a cannonball position and launched at its chest, knocking it back as Erza came down with some more sword slashes. Zeke and Gray stood side-by-side as Gray conjured up a massive bow of ice and Zeke summoned several specs of light that merged into one arrow that he loaded.
"Ice Make: Arrows!"
"Arch Shot: Arrow Rain!"
The two streams of arrows launched towards the demon as Natsu charged in with a Wing Attack. The demon took the blunt of the attacks as it absorbed the hovering seal into its body.
"This can't be good!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Here comes its song!" Happy followed up as Lullaby continued to roar, draining the life out of the nearby plant life for energy.
"JUST ONE NOTE AND YOUR SOULS WILL BE MINE!" The demon flute exclaimed as it readied its voice, everyone quickly covering their ears in an attempt to block it out. However, the only sound that came out of the flute was a wheezing sound, confusing the flute demon.
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened!"
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" The wooden demon asked in confusion. "WHY CAN'T I PLAY MY MELODY OF DEATH!?"
"It must be because of all those attacks." Kageyama reasoned.
"They punched so many holes in that it messed up its sound." Sicilia followed up.
"All that build up for this?" Lucy asked. "Talk about going out with a whimper."
"Ya, flutes are pretty lame to begin with." Happy stated.
"YOU DARE MOCK ME?!" The monster roared as it prepared its next attack at the spectators. Alyssa widened her eyes and grabbed Gray, bringing the two of them towards the guild masters.
"Gray!" Alyssa yelled as she dropped him.
"Right!" Gray channeled a massive amount of Ice Magic front of him just as Lullaby unleashed a massive blast at them. "ICE MAKE: SHIELD!"
As the attack hit, Gray protected the guild masters with a massive ice barrier, blocking the large torrent of fire around them.
"That boy's Maker Magic is spectacular!" One of master commented.
"What's maker magic?" Lucy asked.
"Its users can give magic energy a tangible form." Happy explained. "However, there's another type of magic that can destroy it."
"I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" Lullaby proclaimed. But its attention was soon drawn to the flames changing direction and being absorbed by Natsu.
"Well then. Now that I got a fire in my belly, there's no need to hold back!" With a powerful roar, Natsu's body was engulfed in a massive torrent of azure flames once again.
"What the hell happened to Natsu's fire?" Gray asked, Erza also looking at the new colored flames in shock. In the distance, the cloaked man gave a hearty chuckle at the sight of the blue flames.
'Way to go, kiddo!'
"YOU'RE NOT HUMAN! YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Lullaby yelled as it tried to punch Natsu, only for the dragon slayer to jump and land on its arm.
"Oh, like you can talk!" The flame-covered man exclaimed as he ran up the massive arm, leaving burnt marks with each step before he jumped off high into the air.
"Alyssa!" Erza flew towards the running wizard and changed her armor. "Requip: Black Wing!" Her armored changed into a demonic-themed outfit as she grabbed the speed queen's hand.
"Let's do this!" The redhead nodded and flew the two up before tossing the orange-haired woman at Lullaby.
"Speed Queen: Tornado!" Spinning at high speeds, the Speed Queen blasted through the demon's torso as Erza came down for a another swing of her sword as Zeke and Gray fired their own attacks.
"Ice Make: Saucer!" The spinning blade of ice blasted off part of Lullaby's side.
"Arch Shot: Seeker Arrow!" Zeke fired a stream of energy that pierced the demon's shoulder and keep circling back and hitting the monster as the archer motioned his right hand at high speed until it dissipated. "Natsu! FINISH IT!"
"You got it!" The airborne dragon-slayer replied as a massive blue magic circle appeared behind him. He conjured up two powerful balls of fire in each of his hands as he started to chant. "The flames of my right hand and the flames of my left! Put the two together..." Natsu slapped the fires together and held them over his head, roaring as the large azure fireball became bigger. "AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET! FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME!"
He tossed the massive fireball, hitting Lullaby. The massive demon roared in agony as its entire being started to burn away until the flame exploded, creating a massive streak of light that pierced the night sky. When the light faded, the cursed flute known as Lullaby was no more.
"Well done." Makarov congratulated the wizards.
"You're amazing!" Bob swooned.
"You kids made defeating Zeref's demon look easy." Goldmine stated.
As everyone cheered, Kageyama looked at the five wizards as they headed. 'I can't believe how strong they are? Are all of the Fairy Tail wizards as powerful as these guys?'
"Great work out there guys!" Lucy cheered as she ran towards her friends. "You really are the strongest team!"
"Aye!" Happy followed up.
"We're an awesome guild, aren't we?" Makarov said with pride.
"Don't get used to it." Erza said, surprising the three of them before turning to founding members of Team Morningstar. "It's clear that you three work better if its just you guys, Happy and Lucy. If me and Gray joined, we'd probably end up bickering with each other all the time. And beside, it's clear you have your own secrets." She said, referring to Natsu's Azure Flames.
"Hey, don't be discouraged." Zeke replied. "Just because you're a part of this team doesn't mean you can't form your own."
Gray and Erza looked at each other for a second before nodding. "You know, that actually sounds like fun." Gray stated. "And I got the perfect name; Team Fullbuster."
"We'll work on it." Erza said with annoyance.
"Hey." The group turned and saw Kageyama standing a few feet from them. "So I'm probably going to go to jail for my part in Eisenwald's recent acts. But when I get out..." He looked specifically at Natsu and Makarov. "It would be alright if I joined Fairy Tail?"
The two looked at each and grinned. "No problem." Natsu said as he gave the shadow wizard a smirk. "There's always room at Fairy Tail!" The shadow wizard smiled back, a slight tear in his eye.
"Bravo." Sicilia said as she gave slow clap. "You Fairy Tail wizards did save your lives by defeating Lullaby. However...YOU WENT OVERBOARD!"
The Fairy Tail wizard turned around and saw a massive crater where the conference hall used to be. Makarov turned pitch white as his spirit floated out of his mouth.
"Something came out!" Zeke yelled.
"Oh come on!" Natsu yelled. "I wasn't even aiming at the conference hall!"
"Well, Lullaby was standing over the hall when you launched your last attack." Alyssa said with a sweat drop.
"Way to overdo it again, Natsu." Gray taunted.
"Please forgive us, Master!" Erza begged as she tried to bring Makarov's spirit back into his body.
The group started noticing the angry crowd of guild masters heading towards.
"Well, I think this requires only one course of action." Zeke said as Natsu and Alyssa nodded.
"RUN AWAY!" The three yelled as Lucy, Happy, Gray and Erza carrying the still unconscious Makarov followed suit. As the eight Fairy Tail wizards fled away from the angry mob, the cloaked man looked at group with a smile revealing his fanged teeth.
'You've really come a long way, kiddo. I know it sucks that we can't be together right now.' A red magic seal appeared behind his him as red dragon wings materialized on his back. 'But the second this whole mess blows over, I'm coming back.' He started to take off into the air. 'Until then, say strong son. Stay strong, Natsu.' And with that, the cloaked man flew off into the night sky.
Author's note 2: Okay, this was by far one of my favorite chapters to write so far! Now I'm sure you all have questions so let me explain:
1). The Azure Flames; I wanted give Natsu a legitimate reason for pulling victories seemingly out of his ass. And since blue flames are hotter than orange flames, it seemed it a naturally progression of his fire magic.
2). Gray and Erza forming a team; Like I said, I already have two other OCs planned to join Team Morningstar in later arcs, so I figured having the two forming a team would still be cool. And I already have plans for a certain Manly wizard and Heavy Drinker to join up with them.
3). Alyssa's flashback: FORESHADOWING!
4). Kageyama becoming a Fairy Tail Wizard: Even though he's an expy of Shikamaru, I've always like Kageyama and I'm kind of bummed that they never did anything with aside from a cameo in the Battle of Fairy Tail arc. So look forward to seeing this shadow wizard in the future.
5). The Cloaked Man: As said in the first note, I hated the ending of the Tartarus arc and felt like it was a huge slap in the face! Seriously Mr. Mashima, what the hell?! I'm not spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen or read it, but I do hope you guys realize where I'm going with this.
Omake Time:
(We see chibi Natsu and Lucy in front of the job request board.)
Natsu (excitingly): YEAH! I'm fired up now!
Lucy: Why is that?
Natsu: I got to use my Azure Flames, fought a giant demon, and we when get back to Magnolia, I get to see Alyssa kick Erza's ass!
Lucy giggles a bit.
Natsu: What's so funny?
Lucy: Well, most of the time you act like a wild animal. But when it comes to Alyssa, you suddenly turn into a big teddy bear. Kind of makes me wish I had a boyfriend.
Natsu: Don't worry, Lucy. I'm sure you'll get one soon. Maybe he'll out of sky right in front of you.
Lucy: Somehow I doubt that.
Natsu and Lucy: Next time: Alyssa VS Erza!
Natsu: NOW I'M EVEN MORE FIRED UP!
Thanks for all your supports guys. And please remember to read and review! See ya next time!
