Ace moved the chess piece to the final destination, defeating Lucy again. "No, again?! I thought I was good at chess, too!" she complained. Ace didn't say she sucked, even though he felt she did. She went for obvious moves, which would be smart if they weren't predictable. "Again!"

"You'll just lose again," Happy said. "Ace is only twelve and you're dumber than he is! Puhuhuhu!"

"Shut up, cat!" Happy really got along with Lucy. Ace snickered, and reset the game. Wendy sat next to Ace, and asked him if he could fly. She was the most interested in the fact he was a dragon hiding in a human body than anyone else. Gajeel seemed more consumed and concerned about not having a cat than interested in Ace.

He seemed grumpy. Juvia was so funny with how obsessed she was with Gray. He wished he could have been there when everything went down, but there was no point in wishing that. He couldn't go back in time, and the best thing he could do was just be there now. Master wasn't allowing him to go on jobs for now, but he wasn't too upset. He'd been away from home long enough, he could deal with being homebound for a bit.

Marco accepted him paying for their rent so they could both stay safe. "I can't fly because I can't change on command. At least, I'm not comfortable doing that," Ace replied honestly. "I don't know what caused my injuries, and the last time I tried to forcibly change, I damaged my arm."

"You'll learn some day," Marco said confidently, reading a book at the other end of the table. Ace smiled, and said he hoped so. He played another round of chess with the very frustrated Lucy before they all heard the familiar gongs of the bell, announcing that someone had arrived. Ace jerked up with a grin.

Everyone knew what this meant, and he guild erupted in cheer over Gildarts coming back. It had been three years since he went on a century quest. They'd all said goodbye to him as if it were the last time they'd ever see one another, which should have been accurate if it was a hundred year quest and all.

"Whoa, what is all this?" Wendy asked in shock.

"Attention Magnolia! We will now undergo the Gildarts shift! Will all citizens go to their assigned positions!" the city speakers blared. Ace left the guild to watch the city shift, but was stopped by a large hand grabbing him. He turned around and saw it was the Master. Right, Ace wasn't allowed to leave the guild but to walk home with an escort.

The boy didn't make a fuss, and walked back and hurried up the stairs to watch from the second story. The town shifted, splitting in two. Apparently when this first was needed, the entire city had to change up the plumping and sewage lines to make it work. They would have burst or been torn apart if this was done back then.

Magnolia only went through all that in the beginning of Gildarts' time there because he saved the mayor's daughter and the city day care. It was on accident, but it still earned him the city's favor. Lucky for him, and everyone else.

Mira explained the danger of Gildarts being reckless and dissolving things, so that's why the city was overcautious about it all. Lucy and Wendy were worried now, but Gildarts wasn't an S-Class wizard if he couldn't control his magic, so there was nothing to worry about. Not that Ace would worry anyways.

He was glad all his scars weren't visible so he wouldn't be asked about them or anything. He had asked them all not to talk about his missing time anymore, wanting to move on from that mysterious and stressful time.

Touching his eye, he sighed, but didn't lose his smile. He was okay. They were all okay. He could deal with this if nothing bad came from it. When the man came in, Ace darted down the stairs. "Gildarts!" Ace cheered with the others.

"Yo, brats! You're all grown up! Besides you, Ace." Ace soured, and said he was growing up just fine. The man laughed, and turned to the Master to announce that he had retuned from the job that he couldn't complete. They were all shocked. "Sorry, I couldn't do it. I sullied our name. Sorry, Master." He said is in an awkward and embarrassed voice.

"No, I'm just glad you came back alive. I'm not surprised."

"Gee, don't have much faith in me, do ya?"

"That job could be considered a death sentence if it were honest about itself," Makarov said honestly. Gildarts didn't look to disagree, and claimed he wanted to go home and rest for a bit. But he told Ace and Natsu to go over later, which was strange. He and Natsu weren't that close to one another, even if they both had history with Gildarts.

Ace's was more like the man being overly interested in Ace's dragon situation after helping that first time. Gildarts and Natsu actually played and spent time together outside of the guild. Their relationships were very different, but Ace wasn't upset about it.

"I wonder why he wants to talk to you two," Happy said around a fish in his mouth.

"Probably having to do with dragons. That's the only thing you both have in common," Gray said. Juvia went looking for him, and he left in a hurry. Ace assumed that was the truth, and had no idea what to expect to hear. When they did go over an hour later, they found him in his dinky home. It was somewhere he built himself, since he couldn't just rent a place but not pay rent in three years.

And he always hated the living system inside the guild and said it was only made for the children. But now they had the dorms not that anyone would be comfortable with him staying there and risking destroying the place and all.

"Yo. I got information. Not complete, but big news anyways," he said casually, not letting them speak and getting right to it. "The place where to job was… I met a dragon there." Both of their eyes widened. "I don't think it was Igneel. It was a black dragon, but not in the same way Ace is. And it's massive, much bigger than the entire guild, which seems to have grown by now."

"Wh-Where?" Natsu asked.

"Zonia, the haunted peak. And that's the reason I failed my job, damn it!" Natsu got up to run and Ace knew he was going to try and find that dragon. "If you go, it's no longer there. It flew away, flying all over the world, perhaps." Natsu protested, still planning on going to see it. "Look at this, Natsu."

Gildarts then pulled his cape aside, and showed a mass of bandaged injuries, along with a prosthetic arm and leg. "I'm surprised Ace didn't sense this."

"Sorry… I was distracted."

"I would imagine so. So, how'd you get cursed again?" Gildarts asked darkly. Of course he noticed. Natsu bluntly said Ace was kidnapped and came back with a curse. Then he demanded to know more about the dragon, sounding very cranky. Ace didn't really know how to feel about hearing another dragon existed. But it hurt Gildarts, so it wasn't friendly.

He repeated that there was no point in going after the dragon. Natsu left angrily, and the atmosphere was awkward after. "Uh, I can't be away from the guild too long. Will you walk me back?" Gildarts agreed, and asked if it was because of him going missing. "Yeah… I was kidnapped and ended up far away."

He explained about everything he remembered. "I'm sorry to say I have no idea who would have done such a thing. But you seem to be doing alright. Even without an eye and cursed." Ace nodded, used to his bluntness, and sometimes the habit of being untactful.

When they got back to the guild, the Master was irritated with Ace for leaving with no escort. Natsu wasn't dependable to watch out for him like that. "Sorry, Master. I didn't think. But I'm back now."

Gildarts was surprised by how strict Makarov was with Ace about leaving without protection. But Ace was swiped from Magnolia, not off on a job. So the worry and caution, though annoying, Ace knew was warranted. The S-Class wizard sat down for a drink while Ace went back to sit with Marco. Natsu hadn't come back, but hadn't left somewhere a long time since Happy was still there, trying to be friendly with the cranky Carla.

Ace didn't really like her much, because she was hurting Happy's feelings. But he said nothing of it, Wendy leaving to scold her. "Don't worry, Happy. Maybe once she gets used to us all, she'll be nicer," Ace said kindly once the white cat was out of earshot, walking outside with the youngest dragon slayer following.

While they were gone, it started to rain really hard. Ace was surprised by the sudden downpour, since it had been clear skies only a few moments ago. Now Ace really didn't want to go anywhere. Happy left, sad and wanting to find Natsu, even if it was cold and rainy outside. Ace frowned, and heard a strange sound from outside.

He stood up, and went to the doorway, not allowed to even step foot outside. But something was off. Before he could think further, everything was a blinding white, and he couldn't see anything, the whole building going silent, before he was somewhere else completely, again, and was falling through the sky.