Chapter 88:

Despite being prepared for the pain he was still fairly certain he had at least gasped. Not that he heard it. He scowled, biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood which he promptly spat. The grip on the uneven round lump that was his eye tightened momentarily before he tossed it away and he brought the blood coated hand to press the empty socket.

He truly hoped this would work because if he stayed blind – or gods forbid eyeless – he will feel immensely stupid. His breathing was coming out in short bursts as he tried to push away the pain. Why did he think this was a good idea? So much for not doing anything rash. Even with most of his emotions locked away, he was still able to feel frustrated. He gingerly pulled away the blood coated hand, gingerly blinking only to grimace again.

He stopped suddenly, magic and curse gathering in equal measures around the empty socket and he held his breath, recognizing the feeling that accompanied the restoration of his arm.

The pain took his breath away. Not even pulling his own eye out hurt this much. A short scream ripped from his throat without him even realizing it and a moment later he blinked again. For a moment panic seized him at the muddled images in front of him, only truly seeing the light and the shadows before he remembered that this was very normal for the damaged eye. Apparently, it didn't give him a new eye but the one he had before. He wondered briefly if it was because of how he pulled it out without damaging it too much in the process – his arm certainly returned marked.

Natsu sighed as he stood up. Whether his other eye would return to its previous state or be damaged was not something he was willing to test. Which meant that he was stranded on a demon-filled island deaf and mostly blind. But it was better than it had been before which meant that he could go back to searching for Mira and Ultear.

Jellal got his message, of that he was sure because he had heard the man's voice even though he hadn't exactly acknowledged it. Should he try and contact them again? He would've thought they would've caught up to him by now. His hand went to the bag on his shoulder and he looked inside at the lacrima only to find it shattered and in pieces. He scowled again.

This was turning into a disaster.

Well. Tartaros will regret it regardless of his current predicament. He wasn't the only one who underestimated his opponents. They did the same to him and for that, they will pay. First, he will have to find Mira and Ultear and hopefully get an idea on what exactly the demons planned. He looked around and once again scowled in irritation. He'll get nowhere if he couldn't at least see properly.

'To Ausul with consequences,' he decided and pressed his fingers into the socket of the other eye.

When the eye reformed, he couldn't help but hesitate before he blinked them open again. His lips tilted upwards, a dangerous edge to the smile and he moved with purpose, disappearing into a Void.

He reappeared inside the ruined hallway his fight with Silver and Franmalth left. It was empty now. He will need to do this carefully. He needed information and it will be easier to get it if he didn't have to fight his way through the entire guild. Not to mention less time-consuming. He'll need to find Mira and Ultear as soon as possible. His grasp on illusion magic was not by any means great but he was more than capable of casting something as simple as making people not notice him.

Once the spell was cast, he looked around again. As much as he would like to transform into a dragon and destroy the whole island he couldn't because Mira and Ultear would be in danger of the place crashing on their heads – or the demons could kill them before he reached wherever they are.

Deciding on his actions he started moving through the halls, keeping he illusion in place. Two guards rounded the corner and almost collided with him before Natsu pressed himself against the wall and they managed to not touch him. He watched their backs with a snarl when a thought struck him and he moved towards them.

He grabbed the first guard by his head and broke his neck before he could do more than gasp and by the time the second guard turned the first was already dead on the floor. The second guard got a brief look at the red, hateful eyes as the illusion faltered before Natsu drew his fist through his chest and pulled out his heart.

He looked at the two dead demons coldly, wishing it was this easy to punch through the ribcage of every demon here. But he'll take what he can get and, reinforcing the illusion, he moved again. His red eyes flashed dangerously and a sinister smile lifted his lips. It was disturbingly easy to fall back to the dark thoughts of his younger self, especially after his death. But he couldn't bring himself to care because Tartaros deserved every ounce of his bloodthirst. He will enjoy tearing apart each and every demon he comes across.

"How the fuck is he doing this?!" Kyôka snarled. The foot soldier that had delivered the news shook like a leaf at her tone and Kyôka's expression turned darker as she grabbed the man's head and slammed it into the wall, shattering his head across the wall.

Silver looked at her unimpressed, hands crossed over his chest as he leaned against the table. Lamy shrugged, putting away the needle and the thread she used to patch up the ice mage. "We should've killed him when we had the chance," Silver told her and Kyôka glared at him. The raven-haired man didn't flinch, still looking at her through half-open eyes.

"It's your fault he escaped!" she declared and before Silver could object, she continued, "How can a blind and a deaf human kill thirty demons without anyone noticing him?! He's leaving behind a trail of corpses miles long!"

"He's looking for something, obviously," Lamy commented but she only half-listened to the two, her concentration on the terminal in front of her. Kyôka's look turned from anger to a satisfied grin that made Silver's skin crawl. "Oh, I know exactly what he's looking for"

"Really?" Lamy looked up, smiling sweetly before her eyes narrowed dangerously and she hissed, "Then let's lure him out already!"

"He's looking for someone called Mira and Ultear," Silver noted, glancing at the tubes around them, specifically at the two on the far end. "I take it this is them?"

Kyôka nodded, her mood obviously improved. "And I bet he doesn't even know that they are not the only ones we brought here"

"Right, Seilah brought some brat as well, no?" Lamy asked, her face once again peaceful. "It's a shame you didn't bring her here too"

Silver looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you have your hands full?"

"Well true," Lamy acknowledged, her face once again darkening a moment later "But I'd love nothing more than to mess up some more fairies! I don't know why I even bother with this guy!"

Kyôka glanced at Crawford. The man looked dead truth to be told but the monitors indicated that he was still alive. Not for long probably if the readings were any indication. Whatever Souleater did to him was apparently very painful. But they didn't know what it was which was exactly why he was here and Lamy knew that. So, the green-haired demoness didn't bother to respond, simply looking back at the two female mages that floated in the bluish liquid unconscious. "Make sure to not change their appearance too much. I want Souleater to know it's them"

Lamy's mouth fell open before her cheeks turned red in indignation. "I had plans for them! They don't deserve those faces! You know I hate doing work on female humans! As if that Minerva chick wasn't enough!"

Kyôka eyed the other demon with a glare but Lamy only continued to fume, "You can't tell me what to do, Kyôka! That's the deal! I do what I want with them!"

"You will do as I say," the demoness said in response, voice cold and Lamy scowled but in the end spoke through gritted teeth, "Fine"

Silver stayed silent through the exchange, his eyes still fixed on the two Fairy Tail mages before he pushed himself away from the table and grabbed the top of his armor in order to put it back on. "I'll go and check on our guest in the dungeons"

Kyôka nodded, not even looking at him as she stared at Lamy who glared back but went back to her terminal. "I want you to start working on them now"

"What about Crawford?"

"We can find out what poison that brat used after he's dead just as easily," Kyôka said with a shrug. Lamy sighed in annoyance, "Fine. Hours of work – wasted. With who should I start?"

Kyôka looked at the two Fairy Tail mages and walked towards them. She stopped in front of them, hands on her hips before she shrugged. "Start with the dark-haired one"

Lamy cracked her fingers, "Will do!"

Kyôka left the laboratory as Lamy started laughing. "Let's see what we can do to you, bitch"

"SILENCE!" Acnologia's voice thundered in the full council room and every king and queen fell silent at once. They have been talking for hours and no one apparently had anything actually useful to say. How he missed his crazy days when he could just kill whoever annoyed him the most without feeling particularly guilty. Not that he would feel far too guilty now but he did find himself caring what certain others thought. Horrible. Sanity was quite high on his list of things he hated. "We are getting widely off the topic. I don't care how many creatures General Pachua killed," he glared meaningfully at Kindra who pursed her lips. "I don't care how much forest got burned by Brantley," he looked at Emerald who managed to look both insulted and embarrassed.

"What I care about is where are they coming from and what do they want?" he paused, glaring at the gathered dragons. "Well?"

"We were fairly certain they were moving underwater to reach the Island undetected," Himmel spoke when no one else moved. "But we are not above the ocean any longer which makes that theory null and void"

Acnologia blinked, staring at the white dragon with a look that was bordering on startled. Something no one around the table could say they witnessed before. "What did you say?"

Himmel frowned. A bit perturbed by the rather rude gesture. Did the High King even listen to what he was saying? "We are not above the ocean? Surely you know this, my king"

Acnologia's eyes narrowed into annoyance and the dragon king's nostrils flared. "Yes, I know that. But king Himmel. The Void!"

Igneel seemed to catch the meaning behind it faster than Himmel, his own eyes widening. "You're not saying what I think you're saying?! But that makes no sense! Only you and prince Natsu can move through the Void"

"But you can move through the fire – almost every form of a dragon has some sort of transportation to carry them over grate distances," Kindra noted, her own eyes wide but she frowned soon after, eyes moving to look at Acnologia whose eyes were trained on her as well, seemingly waiting to see if she caught on to what he realized. "But the Void is the best way to do it, safest and cleanest. Not to mention untraceable unlike what Igneel or I could do"

"And it can get you further than anything else," Acnologia finished grimly. "But what could be doing this? Havoc is dead and I'm certain it isn't me or Natsu transporting those beasts here. The Supreme are not responsible either – had any of them crossed to the Mortal World we would've felt it"

"Who else could it be then?" Adalstienn countered but he realized the answer before he even finished asking the question. "You're not saying that Zeref showed his face again?"

"He is the only one that could be doing this. He is a Chaos Devil Slayer after all," Acnologia spoke watching as the faces around him darkened further. "But if he is making a move like this…," Emerald whispered, glancing at the black king hesitantly, "King Acnologia… you know him the best…"

Acnologia's expression darkened further at the reminder. "What is he planning?" Acnologia voiced her question, "Zeref has been hiding in Lurioa for centuries now, creating demons and who knows what, all in the name of Ankhseram. If I had to guess, Zeref is going to attack this plane and seize control over it with the demons"

"For Ankhseram?" Himmel said after a moment of silence.

Acnologia felt like shrugging if that motion wasn't so inappropriate for this type of setting, "I do not know. That is a safe conclusion but who knows. That mage only sunk deeper into madness over the decades"

The silence fell over the room. Demir broke it, clearing his throat in an uncharacteristic display of uneasiness. Everyone probably shared the sentiment. "So… What do we do?"

"We still need to find the source of those blasted flying beasts. If we find the source, we will find who is causing it – if it is Zeref of Ankhseram or someone else entirely. Natsu is keeping his eyes on the ground. If… When something big happens, he will call us. And whatever happens, it will happen soon and it will happen here in Ishgar"

The dragon royalty nodded, eyes and wills steeled. It had been a different age when the dragons had gone to war. Humans and demons alike forgot what it meant but they will be reminded.

Igneel broke the silence this time, the fire dragon's voice oddly quiet, "What if it's END that's doing this?"

Acnologia stilled as did every dragon in the room that had lived through the last war. "His book was never found. It is not even certain that he exists"

"And if he does exist? You know the stories as well as every dragon here that has been there when we fought Zeref and his army the last time. Zeref said it himself. His perfect creation. A demon more powerful than himself"

Acnologia's eyes narrowed, "And a demon created to finally kill him. I know how you feel about this king Igneel but you have to admit that it is unlikely"

"Unlikely," Igneel agreed, his own eyes narrowed, "But possible"

"It's not END," Acnologia's voice left no room for an argument, his wings spreading slightly behind him in his anger. He sounded almost… defensive.

"You know something we don't, king Acnologia?" Kindra asked, her scaly eyebrow raised. Acnologia looked at her, obviously relaxing his stance with great difficulty. "I know who END is," he declared and at once the council was in an uproar.

"And you tell us that only now?!" Igneel boomed, eyes ablaze, fire dancing over his claws, "Who is it?!"

"You can rest assured that he is not a threat"

"He?" Igneel echoed, eyes still furious and Acnologia held his gaze, knowing exactly in which moment Igneel realized the truth. It was hard not to. There were not many options to choose from after all. Acnologia would hardly be this protective if it was anyone else. Fury disappeared out of Igneel's eyes and the dragon jerked as if Acnologia slammed into him. "How?"

Acnologia looked around the room, finding different levels of understanding. Most of the dragons seemed confused still. But Himmel apparently realized as well because the sky dragon looked like he was torn between being sick and fainting.

Acnologia's blue eyes turned to steel as he looked at the dragons gathered around him. "This meeting is over. Dismissed"

His statement was met with an expected uproar. But he didn't care. It was a private affair as far as he was concerned and as such, he had no obligation to share it with the council. He made his way out of the council, ignoring the kings and queens demanding answers. Igneel caught up to him moments before he left the Palace and the two wordlessly took flight. Acnologia glanced back, making sure no one else was fallowing them. His eyes locked with Himmel's and he sighed, leading the two to a secluded part of the Island. No one spoke as they landed and Acnologia didn't feel inclined to start.

Igneel did, "How long do you know this?"

"A little over two decades I think," Acnologia spoke, his voice carefully flat. Himmel didn't say anything, simply staring into the two.

"So, you knew who it was while I was still searching for the demon?" Igneel demanded and Acnologia shrugged, not bothering with proper manners when the other dragon obviously didn't care either. "I think you are getting the wrong idea here, Igneel," the dragon king spoke, "Natsu is not END"

Himmel took in a sharp breath, hearing the name making it more real yet the statement confused him further. "What do you mean it's not Natsu? Is this your idea of a joke?! You all but said it's him not a moment ago!" Igneel demanded. "That kid's like a nephew to me! You can't keep this from me like that!"

"And why not?" Acnologia shot back, his gaze darkening as his mind went back to those dark years. "Natsu was my property," he spat, obviously referring to his state of mind at the time. "I barely had the boy for a year when Zeref appeared and told me who he could be. I remember the war Igneel. I knew what the Council would do and I was unwilling to give away a human as strong as I had been before I became a dragon. The fact that he wasn't fully human did not exactly bother me too much and that he was Zeref's made it even better because I could use the kid against him."

"Could be? And what do you mean Zeref told you? I was not aware you two were still in contact," Igneel spat and Acnologia glared at him in affront.

"We were not. We are not! I do not know how Zeref knew that Natsu was with me but he was using a thought projection to gloat. He knew I would not turn the boy away or kill him. 'He will be even stronger now, Acnologia. Thank you' – his exact words. END is something Natsu could become if his book was ever found. Until that happens, he is and will remain Natsu Dragneel"

Himmel took a sharp breath in, and both him and Igneel looked wide-eyed at the dragon king. "Are you saying… You can't be serious!" Himmel finally spoke.

Acnologia nodded darkly. "But I am. Zeref Dragneel and Natsu are brothers"

The three fell silent. This time it was Himmel who broke it. "Does Natsu know?"

"I never told him," Acnologia said grimly. "But I have a feeling that Ankhseram might have"

Igneel shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you two. What else did you never tell us about? Are we going to find out Havoc is alive as well? After what happened to Atlas Flame I wouldn't be surprised"

Acnologia flinched at that and Igneel almost regretted saying anything. Almost.

"Havoc is dead," Acnologia said, closing his eyes momentarily. He looked at the two, eyes surprisingly honest. "I never told you what happened then, have I?"

"I know you won on a fluke," Igneel put in bluntly and Acnologia's nostrils flared for a moment before he nodded, despite the circumstances, his pride still hurt. "More or less," he allowed, "I turned sides in the war after Irene was killed as you well know. I joined the 'Fallen'. I lost my mind. Those first few decades were filled with madness," he gave a mirthless chuckle, "You all know Havoc came alone to fight me almost a year after I left. It was the first time we even saw each other since I left. Despite everything that I did the old bastard still could kill me. I had no such restriction. You know that story about how I sunk a continent? Don't give me that look – I'm telling the truth. It wasn't a continent though but an island and I didn't do it alone. Havoc and I did it in our fight. The fight that lasted for hours. And then, in one moment, Havoc just… stopped. He tried talking, the idiot. Tried to come close, to make me see reason. And when he was close enough that he couldn't dodge I tore his neck open with my bare teeth"

Now, centuries after it happened, centuries after he hasn't even truly thought about it, it hurt. He once again cursed the moment Natsu died for it caused a switch in him to flip and the last remnants of the madness in him disappeared and left him with this disgusting guilt. What happened in that fight with Havoc was not something he will ever say out loud. Not the whole truth. Not to anyone.

'You are a son I never had. I already lost my brother. Don't make me lose you too. See reason, Acnologia'

'It's your own fault Belserion died, you stupid old dragon. You think I care about you? That I ever cared?!'

'You did. You have just forgotten'

'You're delusional, master'

'Please, Acnologia. Stop this madness'

'Stop? It's beautiful! Why should I stop?! Do you know how freeing it is?! Irene's death was a blessing in disguise. I am finally free, Havoc!'

'You are breaking my heart'

'Exactly my point! Get rid of it! There is nothing left in me to brake'

'Because everything is already broken'

'Do you ever stop lecturing?!'

'I will stop when you learn'

'Shut. Up!'

Acnologia swallowed, almost tasting the blood in his mouth. Himmel and Igneel were nowhere in sight and he stood alone.

She was sitting on the railing of the second floor in the guildhall, hidden in the shadows. Only a few candles were still burning and the guild was empty for some time now. She should go to bed,, she could feel how tired she was and her head dipped down every few moments.

A corner of her lips lifted. Now, wouldn't that be embarrassing? Ultear Milkovich, the former he leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, falling down from the second floor and breaking her neck because she fell asleep. She sobered quickly, looking down at her hands. Six months have already passed since Tenrou sunk. Most of the guild stopped glaring at her – not that she cared but she was getting rather tired of it.

What was she doing here at this hour? She could not remember now that she thought about it.

"Are… you alright?" the voice was hesitant, almost as if not used to asking such questions but even quiet as it was it startled her enough that she turned around too quickly and almost fell down.

She gave a surprised yelp, hand shooting out on instinct and a cold, strong hand grabbed her own, pulling her up without a problem. She landed on her feet without truly regaining her balance and she stumbled, falling onto the chest of the one who startled her. Black fabric met her eyes and she straightened, eyes wide as she looked up at the red eyes that stared down on her with an expression that she couldn't place.

"Natsu," she finally spoke when the dragon didn't say anything. A corner of his lips lifted for a moment, amusement at her unease flickering in his eyes before he hid it away. "Ultear," he returned before he gestured to the railing and added dryly, "We do have chairs"

A small smile lifted Ultear's lips as well. Of all the people in the guild, Natsu seemed to have the least problem with her, surprisingly enough. Really, the guy was the only one who willingly talked to her. He was not much of a talker, as Ultear soon learned but his company was… pleasant. She blushed suddenly when she realized how close she was standing.

"Are you alright?" he asked again, this time his tone showing the barest traces of curiosity, and Ultear's face turned a darker hue of red much to her mortification. Natsu stared at her for a moment and she could see the moment he realized what the problem was because there was a mischievous glint in his eyes for a brief moment that looked completely out of place on his usually impassive face. He leaned forward, one hand sneaking to her waist and she froze, her breath catching in her throat.

His lips were surprisingly warm and she could feel the way he angled his face to the side a moment later, gently opening his mouth and beckoning her to do the same. He was a good kisser and a good part of Ultear's brain shut down as she leaned closer into his hand, her hips pressing against his.

Her eyes flew open suddenly and she pushed him back with a snarl. "What are you doing?!"

Natsu stared at her, his face carefully blank. She had admired that control before. Now she hated it. "Don't just look at me like that! What do you think I am? I know you and Mira are together! I'm not going to be someone's sideshow!"

Natsu opened his mouth to say something but apparently thought better of it because he closed them again and stared at her for a moment longer. The shadows in the darkened guildhall seemed to grow. "You are not a sideshow," he finally said, infuriatingly calm, "And you never would be"

Natsu took a step back and into the shadows, disappearing. A sense of loss almost drowned her as it crushed into her, making her gasp for air only for her mouth to fill with sickly sweet liquid. "Natsu!" she called the name desperately as the darkness around her grew and the guild disappeared around her and the floor opened beneath her.

This is a dream, a memory, Ultear realized even as she kept falling into the abyss. Still, she couldn't shake that feeling of loss and despair. "NATSU!" she was terrified, where was the light?! "NATSU! HELP ME! MIRA! ARTHUR! ANNIE! ANYONE?!"

She stopped falling, suddenly floating in midair but still in the dark. Still drowning in it.

Arthur's eyes flew open. One moment he was asleep, the next he found himself awake. His throat was dry as if he had eaten sand and he felt light-headed and sick but he was alive. So, they managed to get the poison out in time.

"You're awake!"

He blinked, turning to look at Wendy who had apparently been sleeping on the edge of his bed. "Wendy?"

The girl ducked her head, nodding as she spoke, "Natsu brought you here yesterday. Not a moment too soon either. I managed to get rid of the poison just in time but you will likely feel sick for a while"

Arthur smiled in response, "Thank you, Wendy"

He looked around, noting that Laxus and the rest were still looking as pale and miserable as he remembered. "Where is everyone?"

Wendy bit her lower lip and he knew immediately that he had missed something important. Her next words almost made him throw up. "Lisanna, Ultear and Mira have been captured by Tartaros. Natsu went after them this morning and he managed to find them but we haven't heard from him since he sent the coordinates. Gajeel and Jellal were there and Gajeel went after Natsu and Jellal came here. Now we can't find Gajeel and we have no idea where Tartaros is either. Their guildhall is on a flying island and they are moving constantly. Levy is calculating their most likely trajectory and destination but it's going slowly"

"You don't think that they captured Gajeel and Natsu?" Arthur heard his own voice without even realizing he had opened his mouth. Wendy gave a weak shrug, "I would like to say no… but we have no idea"

"Is Annie safe?"

"She's… pretty shaken up right now, what with all the people missing and you being unconscious until now. She went outside to walk a bit on the grounds of the guild and get some fresh air"

"Understandable," Arthur said, sighing. "I should go look for her," he moved, putting his feet over the edge of the bed and Wendy was already standing up, looking at him worriedly. "I don't know if that's a good idea. You shouldn't get up yet"

"My family is in danger," Arthur growled suddenly and Wendy straightened, "I am not going to just sit aside and let them fight alone the demons"

Whatever demons Annie was fighting it wasn't the real ones but that didn't need to be said and, stumbling and limping, Arthur made his way to the door of the infirmary. Wendy bit her lower lip before she rushed after him and ducked under his hand, letting him lean onto her. "Let's go and find Annie and tell her the good news then, eh?"

Arthur paused before the blond boy smiled at her gratefully. Even from the short walk, he was already noticeably paler. "Thanks, Wendy"

She smiled, blushing as the two made their way down the hall and towards the stairs. "You know, I'm sure Natsu will come around," he told her, and Wendy's brown eyes looked up into his green ones, "He's still angry. He still didn't forgive me. And I don't blame him. I don't deserve anything else"

"You don't," his easy agreement did not help soothe her worries even if she agreed with him. "But just because of that it doesn't mean that he doesn't still care about you"

He stopped walking and moved away from Wendy so that he could look into her eyes more easily. "Annie's and my real father and mother burned in a house fire. My father was a drunk and my mother blamed me and Annie for everything that went wrong with her life. Despite that, I still can't help but think about them. I still miss them. I miss when my father took me and Annie on a fishing trip, even though he drank himself into a stupor by the end of it and we had to drag him home. I miss my mother's cooking even though half of the things she made were burned and the other half was tasteless but she always asked us what we wanted to eat and tried to make it even though she knew she couldn't even boil eggs properly"

Wendy's eyes widened, "I-I had no idea"

Arthur waved his hand dismissively, leaning heavily against the wall. "Of course, you didn't. Natsu, Mira, and Ultear are the only ones who know"

Wendy bit her lower lip, obviously contemplating whether to ask or not what was on her mind. "How did you end up with Natsu?"

Arthur paused, obviously surprised by the question. "I'm honestly surprised this hasn't come up sooner," he admitted, "Annie and I met Natsu… I think the same year you went to Tenrou. But it wasn't actually Natsu that took us in after our house burned down. We went to the guild and it was Mira who started the whole thing. She took us to her house and well, by then Natsu was already more or less living with her and he and Ultear were doing this weird dance around one another. It was beyond awkward, truth to be told and I don't know what Mira was thinking at the time but in the end, it all worked out. I'm happy. Happier than I ever thought I could be"

Wendy smiled, a nostalgic look crossing her face. "I met Natsu when he joined Fairy Tail, only days after I came here myself. Acnologia never thought him how to actually talk to humans and I was the closest thing to a dragon he had," she laughed to herself at the memory, "I was terrified of him"

Arthur chuckled and pushed himself off of the wall, "Well then, let's go find Annie"

The two rounded the corner only to almost collide with wide-eyed Cana, Carla, and Happy behind her, each with a deck of cards in their hands. "Arthur! Can you drag us all into the shadows along with the people in the infirmary like you did during the dragon fight!"

Arthur didn't ask why immediately aware that something was very wrong. Instead, he concentrated on the question and gave a decisive nod to the brown-haired mage even as he proceeded to do as he was told. Not a moment too soon, either, because the moment they were clear, the guild exploded.

They exited out of the shadows at the entrance of the grounds, now cowered in the debris. Broken sign with 'Fairy Tail' written on it stared back at them, mocking them.

Arthur stared wide-eyed, disbelief and horror in his emerald-green gaze. Cana was already on her feet, a scream of frustration leaving her lips, and Carla and Happy stood beside her, dazed in their shock. "T-the guild… Everyone!" Wendy jumped to her feet, moving towards the ruins but Cana stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder. "Everyone in the guild is safe," she gestured to the cards Happy and Carla were holding and Wendy sank to her knees in relief.

Arthur swallowed, palling even further and Cana looked at him in pity, not realizing the true extent of his horror until he finally started screaming and she remembered the girl that had gone outside to the grounds. Cana's own eyes widened before she screwed them shut in grief and anger, fist clenching at her side.

Arthur sank to his knees, head buried into his hands, a tortured scream tearing again from his throat.

A sharp, familiar feeling coursed through her and Mira's eyes snapped open. She found herself staring into the black eyes of a girl-like demon who was staring at her with wide, surprised eyes.

Mira's eyes narrowed dangerously and magic exploded around her, breaking through the glass. The demon shrieked, jumping back. "Tartaros, I take it," she spoke calmly, a small smirk on her lips, satisfied by the rather stupefied expression on woman's face. "H-how?!"

"You tried to turn me into a demon using demon particles," Mira explained calmly, brushing the purple tentacles off of her shoulder and twisting her hair to get rid of as much of the sickly-sweet liquid as she could. "I've got bad news for you. I already have them in my system"

To drive her point home, she wrapped magic around herself, "Take-over: Satan Soul"

Lamy's mouth fell open in shock as Mira's hair rose into the air, purple armor wrapping around her naked torso and before the black-haired demon could respond she lashed out with her leg only for her attack to be blocked by another demon and Mira jumped back, startled that she hadn't noticed the other demon before.

Clear, purple sclera stared back at her from a hairless head. The demon was outfitted in tight-fitting black leather armor, legs wrapped in high-heeled boots. One pair of hands were raised in preparation for combat while the other pair was raised in the level with her shoulders, two golden orbs floating above too-long fingers. The skin was split neatly in two by a thick scar. The left side was a grayish-brown, dried skin of a mummy, pulled taut over the sharp bones and the right side was the face Mira would recognize anywhere. The female demon snarled at her and Mira felt sick as she watched her.

"No," she breathed in shock. The snarl didn't leave the other demon, too sharp teeth looking completely out of place on that face. Her eyes turned to Lamy, fury, and terror mixing in equal measure. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

Lamy giggled in response, climbing to her feet. "The same thing I tried to do to you," she admitted shamelessly, "But she was not, ah, resistant to its effects"

Mira looked back at the other demon, who looked at her with such clear contempt that Mira could already feel tears pricking at the corner of her eyes, "Ultear…"

"That is not her name," a new voice responded, lifting her chin, "Her name is Oracle"

"This can't be happening," Mira breathed.

It must be a sick joke, Mira decided. Some twisted nightmare that she will wake up from at any moment. A purple-haired demon walked to stand behind Mira, holding a book to her chest and looking at Mira with a blank expression. The white-haired mage jumped away, turning so that each of her opponents stood on one side of her. She realized with a jolt that made her heart fill with hope that Ultear's hateful glare was fixed on the newcomer and not on her.

"Seilah," Lamy greeted happily, the other demon glanced at her but did not respond.

"Oracle," Seilah said, turning to the demoness, "Kill her"

Mira's eyes widened when Ultear actually moved towards her, hands twisting in the air as she started casting. "Ultear! Don't do this! This isn't you!"

"It isn't," Ultear's voice sounded strained, so pained that Mira's heart broke just at the short sentence. "I do not control myself anymore, Mira"

Mira opened her mouth, eyes wide as tears fell down her cheeks. Her chest squeezed even tighter as she realized Ultear was crying as well.

"Arc of Time: FORWARD!"

Mira swallowed what she wanted to say and was forced to move as the two golden orbs suddenly multiplied and surrounded her, seconds before they rushed at her. She dared a glance at the two other demons who watched the two. Lamy was laughing joyfully, pointing a finger at the two while Seilah only watched in silence.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

"Seilah's curse," Ultear was telling her even as she twisted in the air and sent another attack at Mira who jumped back but didn't respond in kind, refusing to attack the other. "Macro. All you have to do is hear her voice and you are no longer in control of herself"

"Fight it, Ultear," Mira begged her, her vision blurry. This can't be happening. "I can't," Ultear told her sorrowfully, "I tried but I can't"

Mira gave a wordless shout, turning away from Ultear and sending a ball of energy towards Seilah and Lamy. The sudden change in her focus was enough to surprise the two and even though Seilah easily jumped away Lamy was sent flying. "Release her!"

"I will not," Seilah responded simply, jumping away as Mira slashed at her with her claws. The she-devil twisted on the heel, raising her leg and moving to catch Seilah in the side while she was still in the process of dodging but the demon simply caught her leg with one hand, grasping quickly with the other and with a twist Mira lost the ground under her feet. A golden orb appeared at her side, twisting in shape in a second and turning sharp. Mira gasped as it dug into her side before ripping itself out faster than she could respond.

She landed on her feet, stumbling in the process. "What do you even want from us?!"

"We want for you to perish," Seilah said, hand moving in an arc above her and books appeared where her hand passed.

A symbol on the book caught Mirajane's eyes and she couldn't help but gasp. She had seen that symbol. "It was you!"

Seilah raised a delicate eyebrow, not even pausing in her attack as she sent the books flying towards her. Mira cursed, ducking under the barrage only to be forced to roll to the side when the ground suddenly crumbled beneath her. "You sent me that letter! You told me it was possible to get Natsu back!"

Seilah blinked, obviously surprised and her attack momentarily stopped. It was enough of a pause for Mira to change her form. "Take-over: Sitri"

She twisted out of the way of Ultear's next spell, aware it was coming only thanks to Ultear's own scream. Ultear's spell maybe missed her but Seilah's didn't and she was sent flying as another book slammed into her.

"Now why would we care about some human?" Seilah hissed. Mira growled at her, "How should I know? It was marked by your guild symbol and signed Z.D"

Seilah stopped, eyes wide as she turned to Ultear. "Oracle, is that true?"

"My name is not Oracle," Ultear spoke through gritted teeth. Seilah was not impressed, "Is it true?"

"It is"

"Who would dare impersonate him," Seilah spat, glaring at Mirajane, "And why are you immune to my Macro?!"

Mira shrugged, taking advantage of the lull in the fight to catch her breath. "And I can't use my take-over on you"

"Of course you can't," Seilah snapped, managing to look almost affronted, "We are the Etherious. Something as simple as take-over will not work on us"

"Etherious?"

"The strongest demons Zeref created, Nine gates of Hell and our master END"

Mira's lips twitched into an ugly smile. "Nine gates of Hell," she whispered, once again wrapping herself in magic, "How would you feel facing down the Gatekeeper of Hell then, Etherious?"

Ultear's eyes widened behind Seilah and the demon tensed without even meaning to. "Take-over: Gatekeeper"

Her feet turned to hooves, her hair transforming into lion's mane that covered her upper body and behind her a lion's tail in snapped like a whip, sparks of blue fire dancing from its edge. Ultear blinked at the gray-skinned Mirajane, wondering when did this happen.

Mira raised her hand towards Seilah, "Blue inferno"

A ball appeared in front of her palm and a second later transformed into a beam of blue fire. "Burn you bitch," she growled. The attack connected and a startled shout ripped from Seilah as she was sent flying back. Mira didn't have time to respond because she once again had to focus on Ultear who suddenly appeared behind her. Hand to hand combat with a four-handed person as skilled as Ultear proved impossible, made only that much harder because of the two golden orbs still fully intent on bashing in her skull. She cursed, jumping back just in time to be hit by Seilah's book.

"You will not mock us, human," Seilah growled at her, magic suddenly wrapping around her. "You already shamed me in front of the Lady when your guildmates managed to escape. I will not let you humiliate me further. I order you -"

"It won't work," Mira told her, 'Who escaped? Who else is here?'

"Remove my limit!"

Mira's eyes widened, 'She can order herself?!'

"Mira!" Ultear's voice made her jump, "RUN!"

She looked at her, just in time to see a fist flying into her face. She deflected it, pushing the hand aside and driving her elbow into Ultear's stomach on instinct. "I'm not leaving you!"

Seilah was already there, however, disrupting the two as she grabbed Mirajane's face and whirled around, lifting the mage off of her feet. "Demon eye! OPEN!"

A blast sent Mira flying back, tearing at her skin and she screamed and Ultear moved her hands to attack, screaming as well. In pain. In frustration. In a helpless fury.

"ARC OF TIME: LUMINOUS MINUTES!"

The orbs multiplied again, shooting a moment later at Mira in a shower of light. The She-Devil gritted her teeth, blue fire dancing around her. "Blue ERUPTION!"

Blue fire exploded around her, shattering the golden objects and even before the fire died down Mira jumped at Seilah, eyes wide with fury. The black-skinned demon moved back to dodge the moment Mira landed in front of her but the mage's hand shot out and she grabbed onto the other demon, claws digging into her arm as she managed to wrestle the demon onto the ground for a moment, all her focus on one single thought.

Seilah's yellow eyes glared at her as she twisted in the vice-like grip and managed to plant both her palms into Mira's stomach. Something twisted in the Etherious and her eyes widened briefly before she gave an enraged scream. "DEMON EYE! RELEASE!"

Mira didn't respond in time and the attack connected, lifting her clean off of the ground. She slammed first into the ceiling, only to be sent flying once again when Seilah's enraged form appeared in front of her through the blast and her leg connected with her chest. She slammed into the wall, crumbling to the ground and gasping for air that refused to enter her lungs. Ultear advanced towards her.

"Don't make me do this!" Ultear screamed even as she moved towards Mirajane, tears rolling freely down her mismatched cheeks.

"A demon is writing this story," Seilah told her, her tone cold, "There is no happy ending in it for you humans"

Ultear raised both pair of hands, golden orbs suddenly transforming into a spear as she stood above Mira who was still gasping for breath, her take-over melting away as she lost the concentration. She looked up at Ultear through pain-filled eyes. A small, sad smile lifted her lips. "It's going to be alright"

Oracle moved her hands down, tears blinding her purple eyes as she screamed at the demon, "CURSE YOU!"

End of chapter 88.

Now, this was a dark chapter. Who's excited for the next week? I know I am! Truth to be told I wrote this several days earlier than I published it so I'm fairly confident the next chapter will be finished by next Sunday. Let me hear what you think! I want to know! I need to know!

By the by, I also started working on the rewrite but it will be a while before I post any of the rewritten chapters since I want to update those at least five at a time and would prefer to do it all in one go to be perfectly honest. But just so you know, it is happening :D

Oh, and I've been thinking about some of the stuff I technically promised I'd do but I now realize that it's going to be impossible to do it justice with what I have in mind for the story now and I've been thinking of doing a side story sometimes in the future about those seven years focusing almost entirely on Natsu, Ultear, Mira and the two kids. It wouldn't be long, probably less then 10 chapters, that is if enough people are interested in it. I plan on going a bit better into it in this story once I reach the chapter and rewrite it but this would be even more detailed and stuff… anyway, I'm still not certain about it but I thought I'll mention it in case you guys are interested.

You all know the drill by now! Please review and thanks for reading :)