Haloha, everyone! Been awhile since the last chapter. Thanks for the continued support as always! I've been fumbling around with the pacing of this chapter. I meant to release it earlier, but I wasn't quite happy with the pacing, so I rewrote a lot of it. Life's also been busy... really hard to stick to a consistent schedule.

Anyhow, enjoy reading!


Chapter 45: Power of the Mark


The Fairy Tail wizards dashed to the elevator and headed for the resort's ground floor.

"Those tentacles… we faced them on the way here, didn't we?" Juvia asked.

"No doubt about it." Erza nodded, folding her arms. "It must be the same kraken creature we fought."

"I thought our unison raid finished it off." Gray added. "It couldn't have survived such an attack."

"We may have dealt a serious blow, but it must not have been wounded enough to the point it couldn't regenerate." Erza guessed.

"Do you think it followed us here?" Wendy asked. "That's scary to think about…"

"It might have…" Erza placed her hands on her hips. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have any reason to come this far and target the resort."

The creature is more intelligent than I thought… Jellal stroked his chin.

"I can't wait to get my hands on this tentacle thing!" Natsu clenched his fists with excitement. "They sound really tough!"

"It's not going to be easy." Erza warned. "Even with the six of us here, it could still prove to be a tough battle."

"It may also have knowledge of each of our combat abilities from the previous encounter." Jellal added. "We should proceed with caution."

"That gets me all fired up!" Natsu slammed his fist and palm together. This sounds like an awesome challenge!

"We can learn from last time, too." Gray smirked. "We took them down once. We can do it a second time." And Natsu's our secret weapon here… they haven't seen him fight.

I hope everyone will be alright… Wendy thought. If Carla was here, would she gain a premonition of the battle to come? She was especially worried about Natsu. He's a capable fighter, but… I can't stop worrying.

TING!

The elevator reached its destination and slid open its door, allowing the wizards to step out. They all rushed out of the elevator, moving onto the beach where the invasion took place.

Erza's attention was drawn to Natsu. She noticed something different about him, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. What is this odd feeling…? It was something out of the ordinary, but what was it?

"Natsu." She called out.

"Hmmm?" Natsu turned to her.

She scanned him from top to bottom. He looks the same… I can't get rid of this feeling. "… It's nothing." She quickly dropped it, as the situation at hand was far more important.

After reaching the beach, the wizards could see debris and destruction scattered around. Many civilians were running away, seeking shelter from the attack. Turrets were firing at the tentacles but were swiftly destroyed into bits and pieces.

"TAKE NO PRISONERS!"

Siren creatures emerged from the oceans and engaged with the wizard enforcers. Unfortunately, the wizard enforcers couldn't put up a good defense as they were quickly outnumbered. There were too many of the sirens to deal with.

"Those sirens look awfully familiar…" Gray mentioned, looking around. "They've gotta be the same ones we fought before."

"We need to put a stop to them quickly." Erza said, summoning her iron sword. "We can't let them bring more harm to the resort and the civilians!"

"I don't think they noticed us yet." Jellal scanned his surroundings. We could gain a preemptive strike…

"What's the plan?" Gray shifted into his casting stance. "Do we want to –"

"I'M FIRED UP NOW!" Natsu charged forward, igniting his fists in flames. "LET'S GOOO!"

"Natsu, wait!" Wendy reached her hand out, but he already left.

"Damn it, flame brain!" Gray huffed. "So much for a plan, then!"

"Natsu, you idiot!" Erza shouted as she dashed forward. No time for this! "I'll evacuate the civilians first! Jellal, with me!"

"On your mark, Erza!" Jellal followed beside her, imbuing his body with heavenly body magic.

"Gray darling, let's handle the tentacles!" Juvia's arms began melting into water. "Let's push them back!"

"Right with you, Juvia!" Gray dashed forward with her.

"Natsu!" Wendy chased after him. I hope he doesn't get himself into trouble! Natsu wasn't really one to plan ahead. Charging in was enough of a strategy for him.

"Hoh…?" A siren which looked different from the others, presumably the leader of the attackers, turned to Natsu. She had green scaly armor covering her body, with green energy coursing through the cracks in her skin.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" Natsu engulfed his fist in flames and jabbed forward, slamming the siren in the face and blowing her away.

"I will have a lot of fun claiming your head…" the siren leader hissed, getting back up and shrugging his attack. "Much better when you're alive and fighting."

"I'd like to see you try!" With his fingers, Natsu motioned for the sirens to come over, taunting them.

"Kill him!" The siren leader summoned a trident out of thin air and pointed at him. A group of sirens charged against him with their extended claws.

"I'll take you all on!" Natsu slammed his fists together, igniting them in flames. He crashed his palms down, causing a crawling wave of flames to erupt through cracks in the ground.

"GRAAAAAHGH?!" Most of the sirens were burnt away, cowering back into the seas. More sirens appeared to take their place.

"Wow, there's a lot of you!" Natsu felt his excitement surge, his flames heating to higher levels. "Keep them coming!"

He conjured two fireballs and swung them towards the sirens. But…

SLASH!

"The same trick doesn't work twice." The siren leader stabbed her trident to the ground, raising a small wave of wind to wipe the fireballs away.

"That just means I get to beat you with my bare hands!" His eyes flashed a glint of killing intent as he cracked his knuckles–

STRIKE!

"What the?!" Natsu spun around in place and crossed his arms over his head to block an attack from behind. A trident connected with his arms, pushing him down.

"Impressive. You sensed the attack from behind." The siren leader appeared behind him.

"Hold on, how'd you get behind me?!" Natsu quickly performed a roundhouse kick, but his leg phased through her body and she vanished. It disappeared?!

"Over here."

A trident was shot towards his head. It's too fast! Natsu sensed the incoming attack, but couldn't react in time–

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!" A blast of hurricane blew the projectile and some sirens away from Natsu.

"Wendy!" Natsu turned to her.

"Be careful!" She dashed to his side. "Those were its illusions!"

"Little girl…" the siren leader appeared a safe distance away. Her eyes studied the sky dragon slayer closely… as if she'd seen her before. Her eyes widened in realization. "You're the little girl who went crazy and hurt my brethren."

"… Huh?" Wendy blinked twice in a comical fashion.

"You know her, Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"I don't think I do…?" Wendy scratched her cheek. Do I?

"When my brethren captured you, your little friend went crazy and lost control of her emotions."

"You went crazy?"

"E-Er…" The gears were starting to connect in the right places in Wendy's mind.

"I was there on the ship. I've seen what you're capable of."

"Sounds like you put up an amazing fight, Wendy!" Natsu grinned, patting her shoulder. He heard a battle took place on the ship, but he was unconscious.

"H-Hahaha…" Wendy averted her gaze, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks. I don't want Natsu to hear about this…

"This time, I won't let your little friend stop us. I will claim your head and make you mine!"

"Mnngh…" Wendy felt a little of jealousy bubbling up in her. Why am I jealous of an enemy? Last time, the siren almost managed to take him away. She would not want that again…

"Let's take them out, Wendy!" Natsu shifted into a fighting stance. "You and me!"

"… Yeah!" Wendy grinned, channeling her sky magic to her palms. "Let's show them what dragon slayers can do!"

During the sea battle, Wendy was admittedly sad that she couldn't fight alongside Natsu. She envied the other two couples who performed unison raids together. Perhaps this was her opportunity now to spend time with Natsu on the battlefield!

"Rise, my brethren! Destroy them!" The siren leader let out a screech. Many sirens appeared and charged towards the dragon slayers.

Natsu and Wendy charged towards them, side by side. He felt his heart racing not only with the thrill of battle, but because Wendy was also right beside him.

"FIRE DRAGON TALON!" Natsu performed a wide leg sweep, conjuring a slash of flames and blowing the sirens in front of him.

"SKY DRAGON CLAW!" Wendy swiped her hands forward, unleashing a burst of wind on contact with the nearby sirens, blowing them away.

"GRAAAGH!" More sirens appeared, flying in from above for an aerial strike.

"Wendy!" Natsu stretched out his hand towards her with a knowing smile.

"Right!" Wendy immediately understood him and grabbed his hand.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST BOOSTER!" Imbuing his arm with supporting flames, he swung his arm up and launched her into the air.

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!" She swirled her arms above her head, unleashing a flurry of wing blades in all directions, hitting all the aerial sirens. After her attack, she fell straight down…

"Got'cha!" Natsu caught her in his arms. "That was amazing, Wendy!"

"T-Thanks, Natsu!" Wendy blushed, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. Hold on, Wendy! We're still in the middle of a fight!

"It appears I've underestimated you…" the siren leader mused. "I'll have to stop you myself."

"Run out of minions to send?" Natsu asked after putting Wendy down. "Let's see how tough you are!"

"Fly."

"… Fly?"

"…!" A vibration tingled up Wendy's spine. "Natsu, look out!"

CRASH!

"Gagh?!"

A tornado rose through the ground, catching Natsu in its winds and catapulting him away. Wendy dodged just in time, rolling on to the ground.

"Natsu!" Wendy shouted, getting back up.

Natsu crashed onto the ground and suffered scratches across his skin. Damn it, I didn't see that coming!

"I'm coming!" She ran to him.

"I'll have my little pet deal with you." The siren snapped her fingers and a giant tentacle rose from the sea, focusing on Wendy.

CRASH!

The tentacle landed just in front of her, preventing her from moving forward.

"Mnngh?!" Being shoved away by the impact, Wendy imbued sky magic into her feet to hover in the air and stabilize herself. She then noticed a shadow looming over her, prompting her to turn around. Another tentacle snuck up behind her and quickly slammed downwards…

… only to be frozen, inches away from hitting Wendy.

"WATER SLICER!" Discs of water sliced into the frozen tentacle, tearing it apart.

"You alright, Wendy?!" Gray and Juvia ran to her side. "Where's Natsu?"

"He's on the other side!" Wendy pointed to the giant tentacle wall blocking their path. "We got separated!"

"These tentacles are a pain in the ass, that's for sure." Gray said. "They just keep coming."

"I might be able to paralyze it if I can get close enough to the ocean." Juvia's eyes traced the length of the tentacles back to their origins.

"Not a bad idea." Gray slammed his palms to the ground. Let's take care of these sirens first. "ICE MAKE: FLOOR!"

Ice crawled along the sandy floor until it reached the shore. Sirens caught within his magic slipped back to the ocean.

"We'll cover you, Wendy." Gray jumped on the icy floor and slid to the shore. "Let's go, Juvia!"

"Right, my darling!" Juvia followed.

With the tentacle situation being taken care of, Wendy tried to find an opening where she could reach Natsu. I hope he's okay!

"Mnguh…!" Natsu stood up, shrugging the injuries away.

"I'm surprised you're still standing, human." The siren leader appeared in front of him.

"It'll take more than that to beat me!" Natsu jabbed his fist forward, his fist phasing through the siren's face. What the?!

SLASH!

The siren leader swung her trident, bashing Natsu in the face, pushing him away a good distance.

"That's unfair!" Natsu groaned, getting back up again. "Why can't I hit you?!"

The siren leader remained silent, making her way to him and raising her trident.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Natsu roared a torrential burst of flames towards the siren.

"Pathetic." The siren leader raised her palm, easily blocking his stream of attacking flames.

Natsu took a few steps back. None of my fire attacks are working. If fire won't work, then…! He raised his magic levels. Lightning surged through his body–

STRIKE!

"Gah?!"

A trident stabbed him from behind, cancelling his mode change. Natsu swung his arm around, which again phased through the siren's body.

"You never learn." The siren leader closed her eyes and multiplied herself. Clones of the same siren leader scattered around Natsu.

So that's what's happening! It finally clicked in Natsu's mind. She can use illusions! That just means I have to find the real one! It didn't help that the illusion's scents were not distinguishable from the real one, but that didn't deter him.

All the sirens charged with their tridents, surrounding Natsu.

Natsu launched himself up, channeling fire magic to his arms. "FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME!" He slammed his fists together, creating a gigantic ball of flames below him. It connected with the ground and exploded, destroying everything around it, including the siren illusions.

Now, who's the last one standing… Natsu's eyes darted around, trying to find the real siren leader. Soon enough, he caught one standing away from the explosion. There it is!

"FIRE DRAGON SWORD HORN!" Incinerating his entire body in flames, Natsu zipped through the explosion and rammed against the siren leader.

"Grraagh!" The siren leader was successfully hit, blown away by his fiery headbutt.

"Got you!"

"You're much more intelligent than I thought." The siren leader grunted in pain. "It's pointless for me to hold back."

"Now you're getting me fired up!" Natsu slammed his fists together. "Show me what you got!"

"You'll regret those words."

The ground beneath the siren leader cracked as a terrifying, dark aura enshrouded her. A tornado formed, destroying everything near her.

W-Woah! Natsu dug his feet into the ground to keep himself stable. He crossed his arms over his eyes. I'm sensing a lot of power!

SLASH!

What the?! A gust of sharp wind grazed by his arms, injuring them and pushing him back. That really hurt!

Two smaller tornados branched out from the bigger one and curved towards Natsu.

"Gugh…!" He spread his arms out and directly blocked them with his palms. The winds from the tornados lacerated across his skin, making it painful for him to bear.

"Your head is mine." The siren leader, now bigger and much more monstrous, leapt at him, stabbing the trident towards his head–

"LIGHTNING FIRE DRAGON MODE!" A burst of lightning fused with the attacking tornados, effectively disabling them. With quick reflex, Natsu grabbed the trident's edge and channeled electricity from his arms to it, forcing the siren leader away.

"Lightning…?" her glowing, demonic eyes observed the lightning coursing through Natsu's body.

"You ain't having my head!" Natsu took a deep breath, filling his lungs. Fire and lightning swirled around him, gathering in his mouth. "LIGHTNING FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" He roared a powerful stream of lightning and flames at her.

"It won't make a difference." The siren leader simply pointed the trident at the stream. A magic circle appeared in front of her.

FWOOSH!

The elemental stream collided with the magic circle, resulting in an electrifying explosion. The siren leader then walked forward, closing the distance with Natsu while blocking his roar attack.

W-What?! Natsu's eyes widened in shock. His roar wasn't breaking through her shield! His roar only diverged around the magic circle, effectively missing her.

"Hahn…" After his roar, Natsu rubbed his mouth with his forearm. Why couldn't I hit her…?

"You surprise me…" the siren leader walked through the smoke, unfazed. "Someone like you could make a fine guard."

"Not interested!" Natsu scoffed. Gugh, my mind's ringing again… it didn't help that his arms also suffered a lot of injuries.

"How unfortunate."

BLAST!

A bright piercing wave shot out of the trident, approaching Natsu.

I'll break through her defenses! Natsu channeled magic through his right arm, imbuing it with fire and lightning energy. "LIGHTNING FIRE DRAGON KING: DESTRUCTION FIST!" He punched his fist forward and unleashed a destructive fiery wave of his own which clashed with the siren's attack, resulting in a gigantic explosion.

"Your resistance is futile." The siren leader smirked.

"Is it?" Natsu smirked back.

His destructive wave broke through the explosion, overpowering her attack and reaching her.

"Impossible…!" The siren leader tried to raise a barrier, but it ended up shattering because of the overwhelming power of his attack.

"Fly."

His attack completely enshrouded her in flames and lightning while also obliterating tentacles caught in the vicinity. She was sent flying away, her armor and parts of her face shattering in the process.

"Ahh…" Natsu dropped on one knee. The battle fatigue was getting to him now. That should have finished it. His attention shifted to the looming tentacle in the sea. Gotta help the others!

"Natsu!" With the blocking tentacle out of the way, Wendy rushed to his side.

"Wendy…" Natsu flashed a smile. "I sure took care of her, didn't I?"

"You pushed yourself, didn't you?!" her eyes scanned him from top to bottom, noticing the various injuries and bruises across his skin.

"It's… nothing too bad." He said, getting back on his feet.

"You know how to make a girl worry, Natsu." Wendy sighed, instilling healing magic into her palms and pouring it into his body. "Let me heal you real quick."

"Sorry… and thanks."

Natsu felt a soothing warmth as her healing energy spread across his body. His wounds slowly disappeared one by one, as if he were never–

STAB!

"Huh…?" A piercing pain shot through Natsu's nerves. Bowing his head, he saw a trident sticking through his chest with blood spilling down his skin.

The shine from Wendy's eyes faded as realization hit her like a truck. Blood splattered across her face and stained her clothes. Blood that belonged to Natsu.

"Fool."

Natsu was dragged up and whipped away, blood trailing from his wounds as his body rolled on the ground.

"NATSU–"

"Silence." The siren leader lashed out a claw at Wendy's face…

… but Wendy grabbed her claw just in time, locking her hand in place.

"SKY DRAGON CLAW!" Wendy imbued her other hand with sky claws and struck forward, bashing the siren leader in the face… ah?

"Get out of my sight." Wendy's attack barely left a scratch on the siren leader's face. She simply blew her away with a shockwave.

Being blown away, Wendy backflipped in the air and landed on her feet. Her attention quickly shifted to Natsu, who was struggling to get back up and rejoin the fight.

Damn, I didn't even sense her! Natsu groaned, clutching his chest wounds. I thought I finished her for good! How is she still standing?! Don't tell me I was fighting another illusion?!

"You're still alive?" The siren leader asked, just as surprised as him.

Wendy quickly dashed to Natsu's side, standing between him and the siren leader. "Natsu, stay behind me!"

"I'm not down yet, Wendy…" Natsu managed to get back up, breathing heavily. "I can still fight."

"You're in no position to fight!" Wendy huffed, her tone laced with worries. "You need to get to safety!"

"I'm not letting you run."

The siren leader stabbed her trident to the ground, and a tornado erupted through the ground where Natsu and Wendy were standing.

Natsu and Wendy dashed apart from each other, separated once more. Due to his injuries, Natsu lost balance and was swept away by the violent winds.

I'll stop these winds! Realizing her elemental advantage, Wendy opened her mouth and began inhaling the surrounding winds into her lungs, which gave Natsu a chance to escape.

And once he had the chance, Natsu ignited himself in electrifying flames, nullifying the tornado. He slammed to the ground, ready to fight on.

But he was reaching his limit.

"Very persistent." The siren leader hissed.

With ethernano overflowing around Wendy, she took a deep breath and focused the energy throughout her body, entering Dragon Force. Air pressure rose around her and her twin tail curved upwards. Her body flashed a burst of bright light, revealing her pink hair with white dragon scales appearing around her back, wrists, and ankle.

"I won't let you harm Natsu." Wendy glared at the siren leader. Right now, she'd do anything to keep Natsu safe. He wasn't in the best state to fight.

"You absorbed the wind..." The siren leader snapped her fingers. "I'm sure my little pet will enjoy playing with you again…"

Wendy kept herself on high alert, watching out for any tentacles that could strike at any moment…

But no tentacles appeared. They were immobilized.

"It seems your little pet is busy playing in the waterpark." Wendy slowly approached the siren leader. Gray and Juvia have it under control! She rushed forward, closing the distance between her and the siren leader. She swung her fist down, unleashing a burst of wind on impact.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" The siren leader vanished into thin air, avoiding her attack. Her wind particles travelled to the immobilized kraken.

She disappeared… Wendy's eyes followed the wind particles. What is it doing?

The wind particles disappeared into the kraken's body… as if they were fusing together. A dark light surrounded the kraken and the tentacles, quivering back to life. Dark veins crawled across its skin and its eyes became bloodshot.

"Huh?!" Juvia's eyes widened in surprise, seeing the kraken being able to move despite her water manipulation magic paralyzing it.

"JUVIA, LOOK OUT!" Gray shouted.

A tentacle slammed against Juvia, faster than she could react. Her body slammed against a concrete wall. Luckily, she activated water body, so she didn't suffer the full brunt of the attack.

It took control of the kraken?! Wendy could only watch in shock. This reminded her of her battle with Irene Belserion who cast Personality Enchantment to take over her body. And that battle was not easy. And neither is this.

But there was no time to reminisce. Multiple tentacles shot through the cracks in the ground. Wendy leapt across the battlefield and avoided each one. They're fast!

"Gagh?!"

Wendy's ears twitched at the pained scream. She turned to the voice and saw a tentacle wrapping itself around Natsu's body, crushing him in its grip with a gigantic tornado engulfing him.

Natsu! Worries settled into her heart. She instinctively rushed towards him…

Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was all the kraken needed.

A tentacle slammed down on Wendy, blowing her away. She crashed on the ground, her body scraping against the sand.

"Mnguh…!" Wendy pushed herself up by her hands. I can't… give up now! She was in so much pain from that single strike, but she didn't care. The pain of losing Natsu was far worse… and she couldn't bear to see him slip through her eyes again.

A tentacle loomed over her, intending to deal the killing bow. It slammed down, but Wendy managed to dash out of the way. Still, she suffered the crushing impact of the shockwave.

"Gaaagh… let me go!" Natsu screamed louder, pain coursing through his body. The tentacle's grip tightened more and more until it drew out his very last breath. The violent winds lacerated across his skin, cutting deep into him.

Wendy willed power into her legs to stand. Her body screamed in pain, but she gritted her teeth and bared it. Natsu was in so much pain and she felt powerless.

The tentacle once more loomed over her. Wendy closed her eyes, hoping to survive the attack… but nothing hit her. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar scarlet hair flowing in the wind.

SLASH!

The attacking tentacle was cut into a million pieces, giving them time to regroup. They didn't have much time since the kraken was capable of regeneration.

"Wendy!" Erza rushed to her side, lending her hand. "Can you stand?"

Wendy grabbed her hand, struggling to stand up. "I'm fine! Natsu needs our help!"

Both their eyes darted to the violent, dark tornado surrounding Natsu, as if it were a barrier preventing anyone from getting near him.

"They're really coming back with a vengeance." Erza observed the situation. My Wind God armor might be the best option. "Wendy, can you absorb their magic?"

"I'll try…!" Wendy took a few steps forward and–

SLAM!

A tentacle shot at the two wizards at lightning speed. Wendy barely rolled out of the way while Erza blocked with her sword but was blown away by the massive force, her back sliding on the ground.

Where did that attack come from?! Erza quickly jumped back to her feet. Was it watching our every move? The tentacle didn't seem to strike from anywhere. To her, it looked like it appeared out of thin air.

"Gugh..." Trembling, Wendy forced herself to crawl on the shattered floor with every ounce of her willpower. I can't… go out like this!

"Wendy, stay back!" Erza shouted, requipping into her Wind God armor. The tentacles had a clear shot at Wendy. They could kill her if they wanted. Playing with their prey, are they…?

Ignoring her warning, Wendy kept on crawling to him. I have to save Natsu…! The mark on her neck glowed brightly, activating without her knowledge…

Natsu's mark also began glowing intensely, snapping him to a calm state of mind. What is this…? Why is it glowing now?! His eyes were instinctively drawn to Wendy, who was on the ground, about to be crushed by a tentacle. Wendy! She's in trouble!

Right now, he was stuck in this tentacle's powerful grip and trapped in this deadly tornado. Not exactly the best situation to be in. If only there was some way to break through…

As if to respond, his mark glowed even more intensely. Warm feelings poured through his mind… and it finally clicked. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But he understood what these feelings were telling him. I've always wondered about this…

since the night we marked each other.

"GRAAAAGH!" Natsu channeled all his magic energy into his body, igniting himself in searing flames, raging against the violent winds. At a glance, it seemed the tornado was putting his fire out…

"Natsu!" Wendy cried his name, reaching her hand out. What is he doing?!

And his fire was extinguished. No sounds. No movements. No struggle. His head hung back, his eyes closing…

Was it futile?

"NATSU!" she screamed his name, tears welling in her eyes. No, he can't be…! Before she could rush in, Erza grabbed her and carried her back to safety.

"It's too dangerous, Wendy."

"Let me go, Erza!" Wendy lashed out. "Natsu… his magic–"

"No, I believe that is his intention."

"H-Huh…?"

Almost instantly, Natsu opened his mouth and began inhaling the tornado straight into his lungs. Light blue marks appeared on his skin, crawling from his right eye down to his right arm. His strength and magic energy were quickly restored… as if they were healed. All of his wounds regenerated, leaving no trace of injury.

After absorbing all the winds and dispelling the tornado, Natsu broke out of the tentacle grip, slicing it into an explosion of blood. He floated to the ground, slowly landing. Fire spiraled around his body in an erratic manner with hints of light blue winds. His eyes glowed a faint blue, matching the color of his mark.

"SKY FIRE DRAGON MODE."