Chapter 3
Old Friends = New Enemies
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback
Location / Date / Time Skip
August 17 X784
Sunset
Akane Resort
Erza Scarlet's Hotel Room
Erza Scarlet, S-Class mage of the Fairy Tail guild, sat on her balcony, thinking about everything that had happen over the past month. She had never thought that fate would have this plan in store for her. In one month, she went from being a solo mage to a part of the strongest team in Fairy Tail; Team Erik.
The first member and name sake of the team, was Erik 'Cobra' Valios. Erik was a wizard who utilized a rare form of lost magic; Dragon Slayer magic.
On July 7, X777, Erik was abandoned by his adoptive father, Doyaku, the sole poison dragon. Their guild master found him and since then, he has been a well-loved member of the guild, though he was a bit of a combat addict.
He is also obsessed with finding his missing father, so he will follow any rumor that has even the smallest chance of helping him find the great dragon. His main partner is Happy, a small blue cat who could grow wings and fly around.
The next member is Gray Fullbuster, a raven haired man who has an unhealthy and unnatural rivalry with Erik. An Ice-Make mage, he can craft anything he wants from his magic energy, and he also strips, a lot.
As a kid, his home town was destroyed by the demon Deliora. During the Galuna Island incident, the group learned that his master, Ur, sacrificed herself to seal the demon in ice. Gray almost did the same thing to keep the demon frozen when his fellow student, Lyon, tried to unfreeze the beast so he could surpass their master, but Erik saved Gray's life and destroyed the already dead demon.
The final person on the team is Lucy Heartfilia, a blonde Celestial Spirit mage and the newest member of the guild. Born the daughter of a wealthy business tycoon, you wouldn't expect someone like her to be a member of a guild.
But after her mother died, Lucy's father sank deeper and deeper into his business, completely forgetting about her. Running away at 16 to follow in her mother's footsteps, she presumed her father wouldn't even notice.
But he did, and he hired the Phantom Lord guild to bring her back. Fortunately, Fairy Tail beat their longtime rival, forcing them to disband and Lucy told her father to never come after her again.
Erza smirked at the memory of how they got to go on this vacation. Turns out another guild member, Loke, was actually Leo the lion, a Celestial Spirit.
Three years ago, his abusive key keeper, the Blue Pegasus wizard, Karen Lilica, died on a job when she tried to summon another spirit when she knew she couldn't. Having broken a cardinal rule of Celestial Spirits, letting their wizard die, the Celestial Spirit King banished Leo from their realm.
He would have faded away, had Lucy not moved the king with her devotion and love for her spirits. The King then decreed that Leo was allowed to return to the realm, on the sole condition that Lucy was Leo's wizard.
As thanks for saving his life, Loke gave his friends tickets to the resort they were currently staying at.
'I really had a great time today.' She thought to herself. "It was wonderful.' Her mind traveled to long forgotten memories. Masked men, hideous creatures, shackles, torture, cells, and a single sentence from a blue haired child. "In this world, freedom is nothing but an illusion."
Her eyes snapped open and she lurched forward in her chair. "It was just a dream..." She whispered, looking at her hands. "I must have just nodded off..." She walked into her hotel room and stood in front of the mirror. She looked at the fabric she was wearing before glowing and coating herself in her standard armor. "I always feel better in armor." She muttered. "There's no changing a girl like me."
Her door opened and she turned to see Lucy in a red dress. "Erza! Come on, let's have some fun!" The blonde said. "Erik and Gray are downstairs. Wanna go play some games with me?"
"That's right, I forgot about the casino." Erza said before Requipping into a purple dress. "Well, what do you think?"
"A little on the glitzy side..." Lucy mumbled. "Come on, let's have some fun!"
Erza nodded before glancing back at the mirror. 'I guess I can enjoy myself everyone in a while.'
Casino
The lights shined brightly in the casino and ride section of the resort. Families and friends played the games and rode the rides, enjoying themselves. Erik slammed his hand on a button with 17 printed on it and a magic roulette game started. "Come on, 17!"
Erik was in his normal attire. A black shirt under a white, light grey trimmed jacket that went down to his legs. On the inside of his jacket were to pockets, the left one held vials and pills of poison for refueling his magic, the right one held the antidote for his own poison his father drilled into his head. His sleeves ended at his elbows with dark purple cuffs and on his wrists were gifts from his father; two black wristbands with red jewels in the middle. His red pants were held up by a black cross belt that went around his legs and brown shoes covered his feet.
The balls inside swirled around the big sphere before they slowed down. Three had seventeen on them, but then the one in the middle suddenly changed to sixteen. "What the heck!?" Erik shouted before pounding on the console.
"Sir, please don't hit the machines." An employee requested.
"The thing landed on my number, and then it switched!" Erik shouted. "This thing is rigged!"
"You tell'em, Erik!" Happy shouted.
"What a buffoon..." Gray muttered from a blackjack table.
"Gray, my darling..." The boy looked up to see a girl with blue hair in a matching dress, complete with a gold Fairy Tail necklace. "Do you remember me?"
"Yeah, Juvia. The crazy chick from Phantom!" Gray said.
"Let me at who's controlling this thing!" Erik said. "I'll make em play fair!"
"Cool your jets boy." The three looked over to a man with a literal block head talking to them. "You can play nice like the rest of the grownups or you can hit the bricks, you hear me?"
"Square man!" Happy shouted shocked.
"Block head?" Erik asked.
"A little friendly advice pal." The man said. "There are two paths to take in life." His body glowed before blocks slammed Erik into the sphere, trapping his arms.
"Was it something I said?" Erik asked.
"You can live a long and dandy life..." The man pointed his finger at Erik and it turned into a block gun. Scaring Erik even more was the fact that the guns scope lit up between his eyes. "Or you can just keel over and die."
Bar
"So, I heard Phantom was disbanded." Gray said to Juvia. "That can't have been easy for you."
"Yes." She nodded. "But now I'm a free wizard. I can join any guild I want!"
"I, take it you wanna be a member of Fairy Tail?" Gray asked, looking at her necklace.
"Very much so." She nodded.
"I don't know..." He turned from her. "After the war we just had... Personally I don't have a problem with you, but who knows what the master will say."
"I'll do whatever it takes!" Juvia declared.
"Be careful who you say that around." He joked.
"Gray Fullbuster?" Both turned to see a man with an iron jaw, eyepatch, and a turban behind them. A magic seal appeared from his eye and the bar exploded.
With Erza and Lucy
"What was that?" Erza asked, looking away from the cards in her hand.
"Sounds like the parade is gonna start soon." A man in a costume said.
"Make sense." Lucy said as the girls turned back to the table.
Bar
"Juvia!" Gray cried out as the smoke cleared before turning to the man who destroyed it. "You wanna start a fight or something, pal?"
"Where is Erza?" The man asked.
"Erza?" Gray asked confused.
With Erza and Lucy
"You got a straight!" Lucy cheered as Erza played her hand.
"Luck is smiling on me." Erza said.
"Dealer change." A new dealer stepped forward and shuffled the cards.
"I have a feeling this is just the beginning of my luck." Erza grinned.
"Oh yeah?" Lucy asked.
"Then why don't we play a special game?" The dealer threw five cards on the table, and they spelt the word 'death'. "And while we're at it, let's raise the stakes as well, sister." Erza looked up to see a dark skinned man with blonde hair, scaring her.
"Sho..." She whispered. "Is that really you?"
"So you do remember..." The man said back.
"You know him, Erza?" Lucy asked.
"You're... Alive..." The red head mumbled.
"Alive?" Sho asked.
"No, I mean..." Erza tried to explain but the words escaped her.
Bar
"Where is she?" The man asked again.
"Why do you want to find her?" Gray asked back.
Water swirled in between them before it manifested into Juvia. "If you want him, you'll have get through me first. I will be your opponent."
"Juvia..." Gray started to object.
"Erza needs your help." She interrupted. "I fear she is in grave danger."
The man raised two fingers to his head and pressed them against his temple. "You've already found her?" He asked, shocking the other two. "I see. So I should tidy things up here? Understood." A dark mist blinded the room, burying all light.
"What did you do the light!?" Gray asked.
"It's magic born from shadows." The man said from behind the two. "Dark Moment!"
With Erik
"What's going on? Who turned out the lights?" Erik asked annoyed.
"I can't see! Where are you!?" Happy cried out.
"Calm down, where are you?" Erik asked back.
"Night night, boy." The man said.
"Like hell!" Erik shouted before the man fired the gun.
Wiht Erza and Lucy
"A gunshot?" Lucy asked.
"Whats going on!?" Erza asked. The lights turned back on, showing that Sho had moved from behind the table. "Sho?"
"Over here, sister." Both girls turned around to see Sho drop cards from his hands.
"He trapped them inside the cards?" Lucy asked, looking at the people moving in the cards.
"What do you think?" He asked, holding up the last card.
"You used magic?" Erza asked, shocked.
"Surprised?" Sho raised an eyebrow. "You're not the only one with powers anymore."
"Who taught you?" Erza asked.
"Meow." A magic seal appeared beneath Lucy and an orange tube wrapped around the blonde.
"Let her go!" Erza demanded, turning around to find a girl with cat ears hairstyle and a yellow jacket. "Millianna? You can use magic too?"
"Long time no see, Erzy." Millianna teased.
"Let Lucy go." Erza demanded. "She's done nothing wrong! She's my friend!"
"Is she now?" The new girl asked.
"We used to be friends too, remember?" Sho asked.
'These creeps were her friends?' Lucy asked herself.
"I - I do." Erza nervously answered.
"We were very close, until you decided to betray us." Sho said, making Erza shake.
"Cut her some slack, Sho." A new voice spoke up as the man who shot Erik appeared. "Keep that baggage in check and everything will be just dandy."
"Blockhead!?" Lucy asked shocked at the new man.
"Damn, the outside world's been good to you." The man said, looking at Erza.
"That voice, Wally?" Erza asked.
"As you can see, I've gone through some changes." The man said. "Mad Dog Wally is a lot smoother now then he was back in the old days."
"You use magic as well?" Erza asked.
"Don't be so surprised." A voice said from behind her as the man who took Juvia and Gray out appeared. "It's not that hard once you get a hold of it. Right Erza?"
"Simon?" Erza asked, turning around as Millianna pushed Lucy to the ground.
"Erza! Who are these people!?" Lucy asked. "Why does he keep calling you sister?"
"He's not actually my brother..." Erza confessed with a sigh. "We all grew up together."
"Wait, I thought you said you joined Fairy Tail as a little girl?" Lucy asked confused.
"This... Was before that." The red head continued. "Why have you found me? What do you want?"
"We're here to take you back with us." Wally answered. "But if you wanna be difficult, babe..." He turned his arm into the gun and pointed it at Lucy as the scope lit up and a red dot appeared between her eyes.
"No, don't hurt her!" Erza begged before a shot hit her in the back.
"Erza!" Lucy cried as Simon picked Erza up.
"You sure she's alive?" Sho asked.
"Just a sleep bullet." Wally said. "She'll be fine."
"Wait! Where are you jerks taking her!?" Lucy shouted. "You know you're not gonna get away with this! Erik and Gray are gonna find you, and they're gonna make you pay!"
"I'd forget about your friends if I were you." Wally said. "We already took care of them."
"They were nothing but talk." Simon added.
"No... You can't have beaten them!" Lucy shouted before the tube squeezed harder.
"In a few minutes, you be just like a yummy pretzel." Millianna teased. "Twisted."
"Hey Millianna. I scored something for ya." Wally said as Happy appeared in his hands.
"A kitty!" The girl cheered. "Can I keep him?! Can I!? Can I!?"
"Happy!" Lucy shouted.
"Calm down, and tie Erza up." Simon ordered.
"Sister, you're finally coming home..." Sho said with tears in his eyes. "To the Tower of Heaven... I bet Jellal will be smiling from ear to ear to see you..."
'The Tower of Heaven...' Erza thought with what little conscious she had left. 'Did he really succeed?'
"Where are you taking her!" Lucy shouted as the group walked away. A magic seal appeared above them and they vanished from her sight. "I swear I'm gonna get out of this thing!" She shouted, rolling around before her key ring fell onto the floor. "Let's try this..." She wormed her way over and grabbed a key.
"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab - Cancer!" She shouted, but the spirit never came. "Come on, Cancer! Taurus! Leo! Anyone! Please help me!" She groaned in pain as the tube tightened. "Is this thing blocking my magic or something?" She gasped when something sharp touched her back. "What the heck was that?"
"Sorry about that." The mascot said from inside his card underneath Lucy?
"Was that you?" She asked rolling over.
"Yeah." He nodded. "I just happened to have this letter opener in my pocket, so I figured I might be able to cut my way out of the thing."
"Even though his knife is in the card, it touched me?" She pondered before getting an idea. "Look, I don't know how, but I get the felling objects in the cards might be able to break through them."
"You think so?" He asked.
"I do." She answered before rolling onto her back. "Please, try to cut through this rope."
"I'll do my best." He said before starting to cut.
"Please hurry!" Lucy begged.
"Don't rush me, I'm going as fast as I can." The man said. The rope snapped before fading away.
Lucy picked up the card and looked at the man. "I really owe you one."
"You think you could help us now?" The mascot asked.
Lucy kissed the carb before running out the door. "I promise I'll come back with help!" She ran down the casino hallway, looking for her teammates. 'I have to find the others! I hope they're okay!'
She ran across the destroyed bar and found Gray leaning against the rubble. "Snap out of this, Gray!" Lucy shouted as she ran over. "Talk to me!" She put her hand on his shoulder and shook him, only to have him shatter into ice. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She shouted trying to put him back together.
"Please, calm down." Lucy looked over as a puddle of water formed into Juvia.
"You're with the Element 4!" Lucy shouted reaching for her keys.
"Lucy, hold on!" Juvia finished reforming and revealed Gray underneath her. "She's not our enemy anymore."
"Yes, that's right." She added. "I pulled my beloved inside me so he would be safe."
"That sounds really weird." Lucy said.
"What, are you jealous he was inside me and not you!?" Juvia asked.
"No, not really." Lucy answered.
"This dude cast a darkness spell that knocked out all the lights." Gray said, taking off his wet top. "So I created an ice clone to distract him so I could figure out what to do next."
"I wanted to keep the real Gray safe, so I pulled him inside my Water Lock until it was safe." Juvia added.
"And thanks to that, he got away." Gray said, making Juvia's jaw drop. "Now what? Do you know where everyone else is?" He asked Lucy.
"No, I don't." She answered. "This is really bad. They took Erza and Happy."
A blast of poison drew their attention to the roulette machines remains. All three looked over to see Erik with smoke coming out of his mouth. "That hurts, what kinda jerk goes and shots someone in the mouth? Someone could get hurt like that!"
"I'm pretty sure that would kill anyone who isn't a freak." Lucy said.
"I have to agree." Juvia added.
"I'll make him pay!" Erik shouted before running out the casino.
"Follow them." Gray ordered.
"Does he even know where he's going?" Lucy asked.
"Erik has a nose that would make a bloodhound blush." Gray said.
Tower Of Heaven
Jutting out of the sea like an ugly zit was a crooked and mangled tower, guarded by soldiers and demonic dogs. At the top of this monstrosity was a dome throne room.
A hooded man walked forward to a throne, steam escaping the sides of his face. "Master Jellal, we've received confirmation that Erza has been successfully captured." He reported. "They are returning as we speak." The man on the throne gave a soft smile. "But I do have a question. Why do we even need her? Can't you just have one of those fools kill her, or just do it yourself?"
"A rather simple way to solve the problem." Jellal chuckled. "But with the Tower of Heaven now complete, allowing her live would indeed turn into a thorny issue. So the time has come. Erza Scarlet is the perfect sacrifice to make my dreams a reality."
Ship
Erza slowly woke up and found herself bound against a beam of wood. "Where am I?"
"On a ship at sea." Sho said, walking forward.
"A ship?" Erza asked.
"That's right." Sho nodded. "And our course is set for the Tower of Heaven."
"I see..." Erza sighed. "I should have figured. Would you please untie me? I won't cause any trouble."
"That's not going to happen." Sho shook his head. "You've proven yourself untrustworthy." Erza tried to wiggle free. "It's no use. Millianna's bindings conceal magic power, so you're struggling in vain. You won't have any luck breaking free from them."
"Fine, I won't resist." Erza said. "But please, let me Requip into my armor. The Tower... I'm scared to go back... I just wanna have it on... So I can feel safe."
"That dress looks much better on you." Sho said. He kneeled down and wrapped her in a hug before tears fell from his eyes.. "I didn't want to do this... I've missed you so much... Tell me... Why did you betray us? Why did you betray Jellal!?" He shouted in her face.
'Jellal...' Erza thought as the meories came back to her.
Eight Years Ago
"Over here. Hurry up." A young Sho said, pointing to a hole in a cell.
"Try to be quite, ya dummy." A young Wally said.
"You're being even louder than he is." A little Millianna scolded.
"Sorry, Millianna..." Wally said with a blush.
"Come on Erza." A child Simon said. "We have to go, or the guards will catch us."
"I... I know..." Erza said. "I wanna go, but I'm scared. I know what happens to all the other kids. They're dead..."
"There's nothing to worry about." The group looked over a young boy with blue hair and a tattoo on his right face. "We're gonna be fine."
"Jellal..." Erza blushed.
"We're finally getting back our freedom." Jellal clenched his fist. "Our futures, our dreams. Let's go, Erza." He held out his hand and Erza took it.
Era
"You're serious!?" Org asked. "The R-system still exists!? But that's not possible!"
"About a decade ago, construction began on the R-system, a structure designed by a cult of black magic users." Michello said. "But I thought we had all seven destroyed!? Their ruins shouldn't even exist!"
"Apparently, we missed one." Belno said as a visual of the tower appeared. "It was off the coast of Caelum."
"How did we miss it!?" Org asked. "It's not close to completion, is it?"
"We don't know." Belno answered. "Our investigation team went missing after they sent us these images."
"It looks complete to me." Ultear observed.
"Why would they revive the R-System after so long?" Michello asked.
"The Tower of Heaven." Siegrain said. "That's not an R-system. It's the Tower of Heaven."
"I don't give a damn what it's called!" Org shouted. "It is taboo magic. There would be chaos of word of its existence ever got out!"
"We'll have to find a way to subdue them." Belno said. "I suggest we dispatch the military."
"Not an option." Leiji said back.
"Why the hell not!?" She asked back.
"We'd be putting our soldiers in danger because we don't know who we're dealing with." He explained. "According to our intelligence, the cult thought to be responsible for this is no longer controlling the tower."
"Well then, how is?" Michello asked.
"A group of wizards, led by a man named Jellal." Leiji said, making everyone turn to Siegrain.
"Jellal?" Michello asked.
"Isn't that the name of your dead brother?" Org asked.
"I'm afraid so." He nodded. "That would be him."
With Team Erik
Sea
"I'm worried about those people trapped in the cards..." Lucy mumbled as the group sailed the sea. "Think they're okay?"
"We let the military know about them before we left, so I'm sure their fine." Gray said before looking around. "Wait, where are we?"
"I don't know." Juvia answered. "We were following Cobra's lead."
"Erik, are you sure we're going the right way?" Lucy asked, only to be met with a weak whimper from the Dragon Slayer.
"Man, were relying on your nose! Pull it together!" Gray shouted.
"How dare you disappoint my love with your childish behavior!" Juvia scolded.
"I still can't believe how easy it was for them to take us out, and kidnap Erza and Happy." Gray mumbled. "It pisses me off."
"To be fair, they must be very powerful if they defeated someone as strong as Erza." Juvia spoke up.
"The hell?" Gray asked, glaring at the Water mage. "They didn't beat her! Quit talking like you know her because you don't!"
"I'm sorry!" Juvia shouted.
"Gray calm down." Lucy said. "Those creeps that attacked us said they were old friends of Erza. Face it, when it comes to Erza, we know as much about her as Juvia does."
All three stared in silence until Erik stood up. "I just got this weird feeling..." All around them, birds fell from the sky dead, and fish rose up from the sea belly up.
"This isn't natural..." Juvia mumbled.
"That's wreckage from Fiore naval ship." Gray said, looking at the floating wood.
"Well, this is creepy." Lucy said.
"Hey guys, what's that?" Erik asked, pointing to something sticking out of the sea.
"That must be the Tower of Heaven..." Lucy said.
"I'll protect us." Juvia declared, summoning a seal that rose water around them in a dome. "My Water Dome will make us undetectable."
"Nice work, Juvia." Lucy praised her.
"I can't take it..." Erik groaned.
"Calm down, were almost there." Lucy said.
"That's it. I say we pull an Erza next time and knock him out." Gray suggested.
Tower of Heaven Shore
Erza stared in horror at the monstrosity before her. "The Tower of Heaven... You actually finished it?..."
"Don't act so surprised." Sho said. "We've been working on it since you left almost a decade ago."
"Has it really been that long?" Erza asked. "It's amazing how much you've all changed..."
"Move." Simon ordered. The group split after walking into the tower, with Simon and Sho brining Erza to her cell.
"The ceremony will take place later tonight." Sho told the bound Erza. "You'll be staying here until then."
'Ceremony?' Erza thought. 'They're going to activate the R-system?'
"Sorry, but this is what traitors like you get." Sho said as Simon walked away from the cell. "Jellal is still upset at you, but he's given you a special honor. He's chosen you to be the sacrifice for the ceremony. I'm sad I won't ever see you again, but you're going to help us reach heaven."
He looked at her bindings and noticed her hands shaking. "Are you frightened? Does the idea of being a sacrifice scare you? Or does this cell bring back some nostalgia?"
Eight Years Ago
"Did you brats honestly think you could escape so easily?!" A fat cult member said as they walked in with monsteruous guard dogs. "You're all gonna be punished big time for trying to fool us!"
"No, no." A thin member said. "Normally I'd agree with you, but we're on a strict deadline with the R-system. We cannot afford any more delays. If you tell us who came up with this little stunt, we'll only take them, and leave the rest of you alone. That's pretty benevolent, don't you think?"
"Speak up!" The fat one shouted. "Who was it!?"
Erza glanced over at Sho, shaking in fear. Knowing it was his idea, she started to speak. "I-"
"It was me." Jellal interrupted. "I planned this whole thing."
"Is that so?" The thin one asked, looking at Erza. "But I know it wasn't you. It was the red head, wasn't it?"
"Take her away." The fat one ordered. Simon and Jellal tried to fight back, only to be zapped by the large ones rod.
"Don't worry about me..." Erza whispered from the arms of the man taking her away. "I'll be fine. It's just like you said, Jellal... It's not scary at all..."
"You won't get away with this!" He shouted.
"Even though it was my plan, you're the one who ended up getting punished." Sho said. "I was too scared to say anything about it. I'm sorry... It was my fault."
"I don't care about that anymore." Erza said. "Right now I'm worried that none of you truly understand how dangerous it is to resurrect someone using the R-system."
"Wow, I didn't expect you to know what the R stood for." Sho confessed.
"The revive system. In exchange for countless sacrifices, it can bring a single person back to life. It is black magic completely devoid of humanity." Erza spat in disgust.
"Sure, it's forbidden. But whoever said magic had to be humane?" Sho asked. "I believe that all magic wears away at ones humanity."
"Spoken just like the member of a black magic cult." Erza said back. "Are you one of them now!?"
"Don't you dare compare me to those idiots!" Sho shouted. "They thought this tower was only good for restoration magic. We know better because we know the truth. Jellal told us he can use the tower to get us into heaven."
"Heaven?" Erza asked confused.
"See, once we bring that person back, the world will be reborn." He explained with a sick grin. "And we will be its rulers! The cultists who kept us here as slaves. The ones who loved a traitor like you, the citizens who lived their lives in ignorance, even the Magic Council. Well drill fear and sorrow into every one of their hearts! They'll be stripped of their freedom and denied any rights once we have the power! The only choice they'll have will be to bow before us!"
Erza heard enough. She jumped off the hook holding her up and kicked her former friend in the face, knocking him out. She then tore the bindings off her hands with her teeth. "Sho... What could have cause you to change so much?..." Her body glowed as she Requipped into her armor. "Jellal... I won't forgive you for this!"
With Happy
Happy slowly woke up before looking around the room, filled to the brim with cat paraphernalia. "There's kitty's everywhere! Where am I? Where's Erik?"
"Meow." Millianna popped up next to him.
"A creepy cat lady!" Happy shouted scared.
"So, how are you feeling?" She asked.
"I've been better." Happy said.
"A talking kitty!" She grabbed Happy and almost suffocated him in a hug.
"Milli..." Wally said from the door way. "Better let go or you'll give that cat a ticket to the big litter box in the sky."
"Block head!" Happy shouted.
"Talking cats are cool and all, but you know what's dandier?" He asked. "A cat that can talk."
"That's the same thing!" Happy shouted. "What is this place, and where is Erik?"
"Don't get mouthy." Wally warned. "As for your friends, he's probably kissing asphalt right about now."
"No way you were strong enough to take out Erik." Happy denied.
"Wally! Millianna!" Two guards shouted as they reached the room. "Erza has escaped!"
"She did?" Millianna asked. "That's Erzy for ya."
"No way that chick is getting off the island." Wally said as the guards led them away.
"Erza is here too?" Happy asked himself. "They got her too."
Throne Room
"Ha hahahah!" Jellal laughed at the news that Erza had escaped.
"Sir?" The man asked, confused.
"Young Erza has certainly grown into an amazing woman, as expected." Jellal said. "She's truly fascinating. I can't wait to see how this all plays out. Will I win, or will she? We'll have a game. One that weaves past and present, life and death."
"But what of the Council?" The man asked. "The movements of their navy are cause for concern." He missed the little smirk on Jellal's face.
Era
"We have to stop Jellal!" Org shouted.
"We must gather information!" Leiji countered.
"Send the military!" Belno said.
"You ignorant fools!" Siegrain shouted, catching everyone off guard.
"What?" Org asked.
"Only fools would send the military and risk the lives of thousands." He explained. "I'm telling you, it's far too dangerous."
"So then, what's your idea?" Org asked.
"This is a precarious situation." He said. "If we want to stop him, we must completely destroy the Tower of Heaven. And there's only one sure way to do that. Etherion."
"Have you lost your mind!?" Org shouted.
"You're talking about using magic that destroys time and space!" Michello added.
"Absolutely not!" Belno protested.
"Do you have any idea how much devastation it would cause?!" Leiji shouted. "It was designed to wipe out an entire county!"
"Etherion is an absolute last resort!" Belno added. "It is more dangerous than the R-system itself!"
"Just listen to me!" Siegrain shouted. "Its satellite square can pinpoint a target anywhere in the region. If we focus it directly on the tower, we can cause as little collateral damage as possible, and destroy the structure."
"I vote to fire." Ultear said, raising her hand.
"Not you too!" Org said. "Has everyone here gone mad!"
"There's nine of us here." Siegrain said. "Three more in favor will give us the majority. I refuse to let deliberations delay us. Time is of the essence. I urge you to vote with me! We cannot allow him to activate the R-system!"
"But along with destroying the tower, Etherion's blast will also kill your brother." Org reminded him.
"My brother died a long time ago." Siegrain said. "All that remains is a monster."
It's back, baby! Sorry for the long wait, but my brain wouldn't let skip back between this and the others until they caught up.
I did change Erik's appearance up a bit. For those wondering where his mark is, it's where Natsu's is canon wise, in purple. Doyaku is a shortened form of the Japanese word for poison, dokuyaku. Those bracelets function the same as Natsu's scarf on Tenrou.
Let me say this now. I DESPISE two/thirds of the Trinity Raven, the only one I like is Ikuraga. First of all, they're suppose to be assassins, and assassins are supposed to be scary. Instead we got a rock 'n' roll reject and a goddamn owl man. Then their fights sucked, and their magic was just, just wierd. Not in this story. I'll be swapping those two with some of characters from two of my favorite anime series, their description in the next chapter, where we'll see Salamander again. (Sorry for his absence.)
Beta read by digemsmack.
