Chapter 95: A New Dawn

As the sun shone through her window, Lucy slowly stirred awake, stretching as she sat up in her bed. From there, she began her morning routine of getting ready. Finally, once dressed, she raised a fist to the ceiling. "Alright! Today I'll do my best as well!"

Lucy: "It's been nearly a year since the battle at Tartarus, and a lot has happened since then. Ever since Natsu and Happy left, along with the disbandment of Fairy Tail, I've been on my own. I've been doing fine however! I was down for a while once everything happened, but surprisingly, everyone else remained positive about the disbandment. Everyone who's their own paths to choose, and they chose to follow them, so I couldn't be left behind. I too had to follow my own path. That's when Jason-senpai came to me with a job...as an underwear model... After a while though, I convinced him to allow me to write. And so here I am."

"There's one day left until the official signups will close for the Grand Magic Games." Jason said, looking over all the guilds who signed up so far. "There are some big names in here, but it's just not the same not seeing guilds like Sabertooth...Mermaid Heel."

"Yeah, Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus too." Lucy added, sighing.

"And Fairy Tail." Jason side eyed her with a smile, causing Lucy to chuckle lightly. "That's because it doesn't exist anymore." "So why do you keep that mark on your hand?" Jason asked, causing Lucy to recognize it before covering it with her free hand. She didn't have an answer, causing Jason to sign, walking off with a wave. "So it's really over, huh? Such a shame though."

"You're telling me." She whispered to herself, walking off in the opposite direction. She didn't get far however, as her somber expression and lowered head caused her to bump into a familiar face. "Oh! Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was— Luke!?"

"Lucy? I figured." He replied, brushing himself off. Lucy was struck with curiosity by his comment. "You figured? What does that mean?"

"I mean Fairy Tail is here to sign up for the games, right?" The Copy Cat asked. His question caused Lucy to lower her head, unsure of how to tell him. "No, actually..." She began, preparing to rip the bandaid right off. "Fairy Tail—"

"Disbanded, right? Always copying us as usual." Luke said with a cheeky tone, shaking his head in a design of disappointment. "Yeah, everyone heard all about it, but I have a hunch—"

"Luke..please." Lucy pleaded, causing Luke to raise a brow. "There's a reason I'm the only one you've ran into. I live here in Crocus now."

"That's a long commute from here to the guild." He snuck in, Lucy giving him another look. "I work here as well, as a reporter. But Fairy Tail..it's gone forever...Everyone went their separate ways... I've been able to keep up with a few of them, but that doesn't change the fact that they've moved on..and so should you guys." She would then put on a smile, the best she could as she gave her next words. "If White Eclipse is signing up, then I'll be rooting for you guys, but we won't be there to compete with you guys anymore. So good luck got you."

Luke paused for a moment, scratching his head as he averted his eyes. "A fairy rooting for me. As disgusting as that sounds..." He paused again, causing Lucy to make a comical face of disbelief as well. "Lucy I just ran into Erza, Gray and Juvia not too long ago."

"What!? Here!?" She asked, shaking him after a couple of seconds of dead silence. "Yeah." He replied, removing her hands from his jacket, brushing himself off again. "Right at the entrance. They said they were waiting for the others. In fact before Gray threatened me, they were saying how they couldn't find Natsu nor you, now that I remember. You should probably...go..." Before he could even finish, Lucy took off towards the city entrance of Crocus. "Hey! Wait up! Luke yelled, but Lucy was running like she never had before.

"I swear! He better not be messing with me or I'll never forgive him! I won't!" She thought to herself, running past the crowds of people. Panting, she continued to run and run until finally... there they were. Out of the crowd of people she skidded to a stop, speechless as nearly the entire guild stood before her, holding conversation with one another until finally, Wendy spotted her, turning to wave her way as Cynthia then did the same, calling her name. "Lucy!"

That's when everyone else turned to see her as well. Mirajane and Lisanna and Elfman, Warren and Max, Gajeel and Levy who were in council uniform, Cana, who greeted her with a bottle in hand, and everyone else in between. With a variety of greetings, hearing her name from her former guild mates caused her eyes to well up with water, wiping them clean futilely. "You're...you're all here."

"Well, most of us." Erza corrected. "Master is still gone for now, and he doesn't know about this either, so until we find him, we'll be running a temporary guild reuniting just for this special occasion."

"Hey, it's Fairy Tail!" A random citizen shouted, causing another one to chime in. "Are you guys competing this year!?"

They all looked around with grins on their faces. That's when Erza turned to Lucy with that same look everyone shared. "Well, we planned on it, but we can't do it without our Celestial Spirit Mage. We're not a guild without the one who truly kept our name alive. What do you say, Lucy? Are we competing this year?"

With everyone turned to her, Lucy had to keep herself together, filled to the brim with joy as she held back tears, nodding one time. "Yes! Lets do it! I believe in us, in Fairy Tail! Lets win again! Together!"

"There you have it." Erza nodded in agreement as the others cheered. "Fairy Tail will be competing this year."

"Well then, I guess we will be too then." His voice caught everyone's attention, but he wasn't alone as Sting and the rest of Sabertooth occupied the streets of Crocus, causing the crowd around Fairy Tail to widen. That same crowd would widen even more as Mermaid Heel appeared. "I can't pass by an opportunity to give my all against Erza once again." Kagura stated, standing next to her group of females.

"Now this is wild!"

"FOURR!" They all shouted, appearing from the other side of Mermaid Heel. Bacchus stood at the helm, along with Kuro Chu, Blues, Yeager, Warcry and the others. "I can feel it in my veins! This will be the best one yet!"

"Now now, don't forget us." Said Lyon, reappearing before the groups of mages. "We may have returned Wendy and Cynthia to you, and we may be missing Jura, but that changes nothing. Lamia Scale will prove that we are still on top."

"So you were in Lamia Scale?" Lucy asked, to where they both embarrassingly rubbed the back of their heads. Charla replied. "They took care of us, but once Erza called, they let us go."

"I DONT MISS YOU AT ALL!" Toby yelled, his tears contradicting his statement. "Stop crying." Yuka demanded.

"Wait, when were you ever on top?" Gray asked.

"MEEEEN!" A shiver instantly went down Erza's spine, causing her to shell up upon hearing that voice. "I'm glad to see everyone in a high spirited parfum! We won't be competing this year, but we'll be cheering for our allies like men!"

"Like men!" The Trimen and Jenny cheered along. That's when Gajeel grinned. "Oi, Ichiya! Where's that big oaf at? We could use him ya know. You're not still keeping him under Blue Pegasus, are you?"

"What's Gajeel talking about?" Lucy asked. Levy gave a guilty look and a sigh. "Laxus and the Raijinshu joined Blue Pegasus when Fairy Tail disbanded."

Immediately the imagination of the girls in Fairy Tail began to wander. "Laxus? In Blue Pegasus?" Cana inquired. "In that guild?" Lisanna asked. "Now that's a man!" Elfman shouted while some of the boys laughed. "I can't really see Laxus as an escort." Mirajane spoke, placing a hand to her cheek.

"Unfortunately, we haven't seen Laxus in a

while. He just recently left to train as usual." Eve admitted. "That's going to be a problem. We need everyone here."

"Speaking of everyone." Lisanna turned to Lucy once more. "Lucy, where's Natsu? He's definitely a key member to all of this as well."

Just when things were going good, Lucy's expression dropped again. "Your guess is as good as mine. He took off without me when the guild disbanded. In fact, I don't even think he knows that Fairy Tail was gone this entire time. He left before the news."

"Tch. That idiot flame brain." Gray showed his annoyance of Natsu even when he wasn't here, folding his arms over his chest as Juvia lingered over his shoulder with a look. "Juvia doesn't think Gray-Sama should be one to talk!"

He ducked out the way, attempting to avoid the wrath of Juvia herself, a sweat drop falling from the back of his head. Lucy then raised a brow. "What happened there?"

"Gray was on a mission for me, but he had to leave Juvia alone in order to complete it, so he abandoned her." Erza said so bluntly, causing Juvia to beetle position by herself at the memory. "Don't say it like that!" The ice-maker shouted. "I came right back!"

"Indeed, because thanks to some unwanted guests, our mission ended abruptly."

Lucy quickly connected the dots thanks to the look of anger on Erza's face. She then side-eyed Luke who tried to stay out of the picture. "I think I have an idea."

Erza clenched her fist tightly. "Of all people, he showed up! We were scouting the cult of Avatar, and instead, he and his little friend just show up and ruin everything!"

"Well..." Gray scratched the back of his head. "They sped up the process by demolishing them, but it was still annoying. So if was a success."

"QUIET!" She huffed, causing Gray to cower away. "I'll make sure he pays."

That's when Erza finally spotted Luke, and the Copy Cat gulped. He wanted to escape but it was too late, Erza grabbed him by the collar, holding him firmly as she yelled. "Where is he!?" The demand was so loud, and no one dared hold her back from the brunette. Luke comically felt helpless, waving his hands in surrender. "I...I..!"

"Time is running out! He better show and pay his debt or—"

"So..it looks like everyone is here. Good."

Right on cue. His voice rung throughout the crowd without effort, and as he walked in, hands in his pockets, a plethora of figures walked in right behind him. They were all there. The rookies, Jaxon, Cygnus, Selene, Waiston, Jack and Kuro, Aira, Skye and Adam, and Zalen right beside him. There was a masked man in the back as well, dressed like a wrestler, and a red haired boy that resembled a younger Jaxon. A few more unfamiliar figures stood with them as well; all female. One had short black hair and orange eyes, standing directly next to Kuro. The other had very light purple hair and grey eyes along with pale-fair skin. There was one more, a child with purple pigtails and purple eyes to match. Finally, Takeru stepped forth, showing an annoyed visage. "He isn't here. No reason for me to compete then."

"What are we? Chopped liver?" Gray asked. Takeru simply replied with a blunt answer. "Yeah." Before walking off into the city.

"Why you!" He retaliated, only to be held back.

Reve continued walking as well, but he made sure he was heard as White Eclipse began to exit the premises. "All of you here means you're all competing I assume. I wouldn't have it any other way. Get ready, because this year, we're not holding any punches. We might be allies in times of hardship, but we're definitely not friends. White Eclipse isn't leaving Crocus without winning the games this year, and we'll trample over any of you bums to do so."

He said so without stopping his walk, and everyone else followed behind, holding the same aura as he did. They were so in sync, that the reunion that was being held was quickly forgotten about as they watched White Eclipse walk off.

"Well...that just set the tone." Sting said, breaking the silence. "I wonder just how much he meant those words." Yukino pondered. "He meant all of it." Kagura stated, tightly gripping her sword. "And I wouldn't want anything else. Erza isn't the only one who wants to cut Reve down to size."

Erza watched Reve leave, even more pissed off that he didn't even have the gall to antagonize her. She snapped out of her thoughts however, and turned back to everyone. "Well let's not stand around. Lets go enter our names, then get ready for our title defense! Fairy Tail!"

"Right!" They shouted in unison, and the other guilds did the same with their own calls, dispersing from the scene to get ready for Fiore's biggest tournament.

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"We're so going to get kicked out of the guild with this idea, Reiss-kun..." Ilaria whimpered. "No way!" Reiss replied with a rebuttal. "We've trained for a whole year, waiting for this moment, and Reve won't let us have a team? I'm sure once we show them what we're made of, all will be forgiven when we come in second and Reve's team comes in first. He already said they can only manage one team with the veterans because of the low numbers, so why not? All we need, is to find some substitutes just in case something happens, but it'll be us five that will carry the team to the finish line!"

"Reiss. This is a horrible idea. How do you not understand that?" Tyson reiterated. "You're asking us to illegally find new guild members just to temporarily wear our insignia so we can have enough members to compete."

"It's not illegaaaaal." He said, stretching it out. "It's just frowned upon. But again! Once we prove that we're capable of winning, everything will be forgiven!"

Micaiah sighed. "Bad idea." Lluvi simply stated, but as Reiss gave all four of them the puppy eyes, it took less than a minute before they gave in. "This is all on your, Reiss!" Tyson shouted. "If we get in trouble, you'll be taking all the blame!"

And though everyone needed in agreement, Reiss paraphrased what he heard. "So I'm captain of White Eclipse B! Got it! Now guys, we got one hour! Lets go hold some tryouts! Spread out and search!"

"I can't believe I let that idiot drag me into this." Tyson grumbled, walking through streets of Crocus with absolutely no intention to do what Reiss asked. For now, he was simply enjoying the big city, taking in the sights until his stomach started to rumble. Holding his stomach, he looked around for a place to eat. "So many choices, but I need to lay low just in case. I can't have Reiss spot me not looking for a new member or I'll never hear the end of it. Ah! There." He walked over to a stand out in the open. "Clearly they're here for the Grand Magic Games, so I'll just scoop something from there and keep it moving. That way, Reiss can't bother me if he does see me." And with that bright idea, Tyson strutted over to the open booth known as Al Dente!

Moments later, Tyson found himself laid out on a park bench, unable to move from the food he ate. "It was so good... that old man might be the best cook I've ever eaten from...and his spices...ugh..."

Rolling over, protecting his food baby, Tyson sat up the best he could, only to lean back in his seat again.

"You ate at that booth too, huh? That food was amazing!" Tyson opened his eyes to see who was speaking to him, and who he spotted wasn't what he was expecting. A blue haired male, the same color as the ocean appeared next to him with the same size bloated stomach. "Did you has the quail? That's my favorite. I've eaten there five times already! I wanted to try something else, but the quail! Al Dente is the best! Hey! You rock old man!" He gave a thumbs up to the cook, and Tyson merely blinked, slowly dropping to show his unwantedness in this situation. "Oh sorry! My name is Lance! Lance Stygma! I'm here to watch the games! You must be a a fan as well right!? Who are you rooting for? You look like a Fairy Tail fan to which I would say, sorry! Skull Milione will win it all this year! And once they do, I'll give them the luxury of having me join their guild! They've turned me down five times, but surely the sixth will be the charm! That's the saying, right!?"

Tyson's head was spinning. This guy hasn't stopped talking since he initiated this one-sided conversation. He couldn't take much more, so while Lance was on a rant, Tyson attempted to sneak away. He thought he was home free until he heard sniveling. "He's crazy don't look back! He's crazy don't look back! He's crazy don't look back!" Tyson repeated time himself, but of course he gave in anyways, turning to see Lance with his head buried into his arms as he sat curled up on the park bench. Sighing loudly, Tyson walked back over, angry at himself that he was doing so.

"It's okay...everyone leaves. You don't have to stay.." Lance whimpered. That's when Tyson yelled. "Listen! I've only known you for two minutes, but you're loud, talkative to an annoying point and very irritating, and that's why Skull Milione won't accept you into their guild ever!"

Lance took in the words, and was only about to sob even harder until Tyson continued. "So, because of that. You should join another guild. One that can put up with your quirks and horrible tropes. I'm not saying we have to be the permanent solution, but join us instead of Skull Milione. We plan on winning the games this year anyways."

"And who is we?" Lance asked, drying his eyes. That's when Tyson revealed his guild mark, standing proudly before Lance with a grin. "White Eclipse of course. So what do you say, Lance? Wanna be apart of a winning team?"

Lluvi quietly yet for some reason vigilantly made her way around the south side of Crocus. Though against this at first, she took it as serious as any other mission. Maybe a bit too serious. Her eyes continued to scan the area, looking around for potential prospects that could perform as stand-ins whenever the main five of this Team B needed a break. Breaking away from the crowd, Lluvi looked around from a better vantage point. "Okay..who sticks out the most here. That's who I want to represent me." With that in mind, Lluvi continued to look around until finally, she spotted her. The one she was looking for. Over by a street corner, manipulating a pile of sand to create basic structures by the wave of her hands was an extraordinarily beautiful girl with golden-yellow hair. Her purple eyes shined like lost jewels, untouched by human hands, and her attire was definitely not of this country. Her make up above her eyes glittering from the sun. Around her was a small crowd of people, dropping spare change in a basket she owned as she continued to manipulate the pile of sand into anything they requested. She looked as if she was really enjoying herself, until finally the last person left. Once they were gone, the woman in question took a deep exhale, packing up her things as she prepared to move on. That's when Lluvi walked over, calling for in the midst of her walk.

"Hey. Miss." Lluvi called out. When she did, the girl looked up, immediately panicked and ran off with her stuff, only for Lluvi to give awkward chase without giving any context to the woman. "I know street performing is illegal!" She shouted, but Lluvi still didn't respond, only running after her; giving off the wrong signals by not answering her while chasing. "Please! Stop following me!" She shouted again, ducking into an alleyway. Lluvi wasn't fooled, and followed her right in, cornering her completely. She had her back against the wall, scared yet preparing herself for a fight it seemed. That's when Lluvi finally gave a positive gesture by bowing. She held a blank face, blinking a few times at this notion.

"My name is Lluvi Palmero. I'm from the guild, White Eclipse, and I want you to join my guild so we may compete in the Grand Magic Games."

"...W...What!?" She stammered. "That's a sudden request that I just can't comply to! Please just leave me be!"

"May I ask why?" Lluvi questioned. "Because you don't even know me and I don't know you!"

"Well then. Lets start from the beginning." Lluvi said, bowing again. "My name is Lluvi Palmero. I'm from White Eclipse—"

"You said all of this already!" She shouted.

"So, what's your name then?" The blue haired female inquired. As weird as this all was, the mysterious girl found sincerity in her questioning after all of this, so hesitantly she obliged with an honest answer.

"...My name is Saraya. I'm a Sand Mage from a wandering tribe. I'm here because I'm trying to raise enough money for my people to settle down somewhere because our resources are thinning.. so that's why I'm here."

They were now seated on the edge of a fountain, taking in the city sights as they passed them. "So that's why I can't join your guild or the games. I have to make enough for my family, so I don't have time.." She lowered her head, giving a saddened smile. "To be honest, I've heard stories from my elders about mages and guilds, and the lives and culture of guild mages, and it always kept me curious, but unfortunately...that life isn't for me. Maybe for the generations after me, but I have to provide for them right now...so I'm sorry."

"Ten million. And I'll give you my share of that."

"...Huh?" Saraya blinked again, and again, and again. "The winning guild gets ten million jewel to their guild to split. You can keep your share, then I'll give you mine as well since I don't need it. That'll be at least a good start for your family, right? Then, if you like it at White Eclipse, all of the jobs will help you with sending money to them. Also as a guild mage, you're free to come and go as you please, so you don't even have to stay at the guild. You can stay with your family and just come visit White Eclipse whenever you like. Whether it's to pick up another job, or just say hello to the friends you've made. So hows that sound? I'm guaranteeing that White Eclipse will win the Grand Magic Games, and when we do, you can have my and your share of the prize money. Do we have a contractual agreement?"

Lluvi held out a hand, and Saraya stared at it. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, sounding too good to be true, but she realized it was all a risk too. Seconds passed, and once she finally came to an answer, she hesitated but finally grabbed Lluvi's hand with a worried expression. "Please...if I do this, we can't lose...!"

"I promise you, Saraya. We're going to win, and they will be so proud of you. We won't waste your time."

Ilaria was seen humming to herself as she skipped down the streets of East Crocus. She would stop here and there, admiring the little things like the flowers and the free creatures that roamed around. "Bunnies!" She shrieked, running over to the hoard of rabbits and picking one up to squeeze tightly. As she held the bunny in her arms, she turned to notice a teenage boy around her age just watching her, not even inches away. He looked so wild, purple hair that fell down to nearly his feet, yellow eyes as well and a random tattoo down his right arm. He had light purple markings around his eyes as well. Ilaria blinked innocently, and he would too, and the two would continuously repeat this notion until finally, the Soul Binder spoke. "Hey. I'm Ilaria. What's your name?"

"Ramman." He replied, still cautiously watching the girl suffocate the rabbit. Another vote of silence went by until Ilaria just came out and asked. "You want to join White Eclipse and fight in the Grand Magic games?"

"...Sure." He replied, causing Ilaria to smile from ear to ear, jumping up and down with glee. It was as simple as that for her. "White Eclipse or Second Place!"

Micaiah had the western streets of Crocus. The timid light mage found herself alone, cautiously walking down the cobblestone street whilst trying to avoid contact from anyone. But that caused a problem to stir. "I don't know why I agreed to this! I'm not going to be able to talk to anyone! I'm too careful to do this!" She clenched her eyes shut and tucked to herself as she accidentally bumped into a random body. "Maybe Reiss or someone will find two people to make up for my lack of ability to help! Yeah! Lets get out of here and hope for that!" She turned around, but the first step she took found herself running into yet another person. She stumbled back, falling to her seat. "Ow.." She rubbed her sore spot before looking up, timid eyes connecting with theirs before she averted them, waving her hands in surrender. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you!"

That figure bent down, now crouching to Micaiah's level with a hand extended. "I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going. Please forgive me, actually." Looking at the hand, then back to the person in question, Micaiah grabbed it, pulling herself up with a small smile as she then dusted herself off. "T-thank you, and it's quite alright! I guess we both should be more careful." She laughed. The other woman joined her, laughing as well. She was a brunette with red eyes. "My name is Evelyn by the way."

"Micaiah! You're here to watch the games, Evelyn?"

"Actually.." She rubbed the back of her head shyly. "Sort of. But to be honest, I was here hoping to find White Eclipse. I know they're a very competitive guild, so it's kinda scary to even think about, but I want to join them so badly. Ah, but I don't think I'll make the cut actually. I heard they actually recruit instead of just letting anyone walk through their doors. Ah, sorry! I'm just blabbing! You don't want to hear that!"

At the end of it all she became flustered, but as Evelyn discussed how much she wanted to be a White Eclipse mage, Micaiah could see it in her face, how genuine she sounded and looked when speaking upon it. "It's like fate..."

"Huh?" Evelyn blinked, but Micaiah took her hand in both of her own, boldly exclaiming with an embarrassed expression of her own. "Evelyn, come join White Eclipse, and help us out in the Grand Magic Games, even if it's just rooting for us!"

"You mean you're..."

"Hai!" The light mage nodded. "I'm a mage of White Eclipse, and I want you to join us! How about it?"

Her eyes slowly widened, and then her face lit up with happiness before she nodded in acceptance. "Okay...! Definitely! I'll join you, Micaiah!"

"Aaaaand that's the team!" Reiss exclaimed, writing down everyone's name. Chapati looked over the list, then back to Reiss and the others as they flashed their guild marks. "I would have thought that Reve would put your names down when he came through the first time, but it's official!"

Reiss laughed heartedly, really selling it. "That's because we couldn't truly decide who would make the final cut. It's White Eclipse after all!" Chapati couldn't argue with that logic. Before anymore questions were asked, the gang walked away with their newest members, and now, Reiss had to break the news to the recruits.

"Alright guys, I know you're anxious to meet the big shots of the guild but here's the thing. We have to lay low until the games actually start for reasons, alright? It's...tradition!"

"Tradition?" Saraya questioned, tilting her head to the side. "How so?"

"It means—"

"It means they don't even know we're recruits and something tells me that they had no plan on recruiting anyone at this time. I'm guessing Reiss-kun here just wanted to get a team together for an ego trip, and the lackeys went along with it."

"Reiss...kun?" Ilaria whispered in question, twitching an eyebrow once. Reiss sighed. "Oh and if you haven't met her already, here is my recruit...Riley Lawson." She waved so innocently after the introduction, smiling underneath the giant hat she wore. She showcased a single green eye, the other hidden by bright red hair.

Saraya turned to Lluvi, the one who recruited her, now worried. "Lluvi, is this true?"

"It is, but I made a promise to you, Saraya." The bluenette replied. "And I'll keep it. We just have to stay separate and you have to keep your guild marks hidden until it's time."

"Right!" Reiss reassured. "So we're going to meet right here tomorrow night at nine, okay!? Every preliminary event has something to do within Crocus city so this will be the best place to meet before we head back to the Inn rooms they give us. From the Inn we'll prepare for the event, and from there, it's history. Sound good?"

"Here at nine. Got it." Lance nodded...then asked. "Is that eastern, mountain, pacific, specific, or northern-west mountain time?"

Reiss blinked, then turned to Tyson who simply replied with "I know."

"Nine pm. No later!"

"Yeah yeah." Ramman waved them off while walking away. "I'll be here, only because I want to compete. But besides that I'm not taking much more orders from the redhead."

Reiss glared but then shrugged it off. "Alright guys. I'll see everyone here! Tomorrow night at nine! Don't forget!"