Chapter 6
Lucy had a strict schedule ever since she had come to Magnolia to live with Natsu. She prepared breakfast and they ate together like a family. It warmed her heart to have Happy and Natsu at the table in the morning. It eased the ache in her heart from eating so many meals alone. There were days when she would stare at her ring and bask in the feeling of belonging here in this moment. However she missed her friends in Fairy Tail.
Erza was like her sister, Levy was her best friend, Juvia and Wendy were a big part of her life as well. Then she would remember that some of the people that she missed so dearly weren't even in the guild yet. It made her a little sick to think that the guild that Natsu was visiting was familiar to him but was completely unfamiliar to her. She couldn't bring herself to go there. Not when she knew that not everyone that she considered family would be there or even know her.
Natsu went to the guild after breakfast to keep up to date with what was happening. While he was gone Lucy trained with her spirits and she trained her magic. Capricorn had put her on a strict exercise schedule that Natsu usually stuck around and helped her complete it.
Sometimes he exercised with her after emptying his magic container then they went their separate ways to train their magic. He left her to explore her magic on her own. Natsu always said that her magic was something that he couldn't teach her because it wasn't his. She was the only person who would be able to mold her magic into what she wanted it to be. It was something only she could teach herself.
Lucy would mediate for hours, pulling her magic through her body and into her whip until she exhausted her magical abilities. Then Natsu would show up and even though she was dead tired the two of them would practice fighting.
She was shocked at how flexible she had become in the past month but Natsu already made it very clear that her power would never be in her arms but her legs. Her staff took most of the impact for her and she finally started to train using her escrima sticks as well, but fighting with duel weapons was something that she was still working on.
She changed into her star dresses and she adored the fact that her Gemini star dress gave her the ability to levitate. This was an ability she used to mimic the ability of flight. It had made things a lot easier for her when she was being tossed through the air. She had been surprised by how patient Natsu had been. He ended up being a good teacher and she was learning a lot even though she had been covered in bruises and blisters. She always grinned brightly whenever he pointed out how she had been improving.
Natsu would take a couple jobs and they would often go and test their abilities together. While limiting the amount of damage they did to the towns and seeing how far their training had taken them. Lucy couldn't help feeling a little lonely sometimes. Natsu noticed that she missed being able to go to the guild and hang around their guild mates like she used to do.
He would take her on a date, picnics in the woods and star gazing. He even taught her how to fish and took her to the beach and other places for weekend getaways. She adored the fact that even though they were married he didn't stop being Natsu.
Their relationship had evolved and they were both able to show affection more freely but their relationship had been built on the foundation of a friendship and that didn't change. They were still Lucy and Natsu, he was still her best friend.
He still took her on dates and bought her silly presents. Generally they just enjoyed being a newly wedded couple. It was the most peaceful experience that she had in a long time and she couldn't bring herself to regret not going to the guild.
Then Mystogan appeared and it was time to get back to the real world. Lucy smiled at the peaceful world that she was about to leave because it was time to deal with real life problems. The type of problems that they needed to prepare for because of time travel and the fact that there was another world connected to this one that needed to be separated from Earthland.
"I have lived in the guild for most of my life. I do not want to go back to Edolas. That kingdom has suffered enough under the rule of the royal family. I never wanted to go back. I already had a plan to topple my father and establish a new kingdom the problem was that I would be trapped there as well. If you can ensure that I will return then I can use the next anima opening to resolve the issue."
Lucy smiled at him even though he showed up at her door a day early as the bloody sun was rising and she wasn't much of a morning person. She was however pleased that he was determined. Lucy was willing to overlook the fact that he woke her up at the crack of dawn only because he had a real answer for them. The answer that she had hoped he would make.
Mystogan had made his choice and he didn't want to wait any longer to tell them or deal with the issue. Lucy may have been looking like a zombie but inside she was jumping for joy. She really did not want him to go back to Edolas. Things would have been a lot easier if he just stayed in the guild. His power would have made a huge difference in many of the things that they had faced and now many of her plans would fall into place.
"You already have a plan?" asked Natsu and Mystogan laughed.
"I have been here for over eight years Natsu. I had many plans but almost all of them ended with me trapped in Edolas. I didn't know if they would be successful. Now that I know what happens in the future I can ensure things go the way it did in the future." He replied.
Lucy presented him clothes from the spirit world. Black pants, white shirt with a long coat in dark blue with gloves and a silver mask. It looked similar to the type of clothes Jellal wore when he woke up during the Nirvana battle.
"These are clothes from the spirit world. Its been imbued with magic ensuring that you will be pulled back to this world once you're done in Edolas. If it doesn't work then we can use it as a beacon to open a door directly to you and bring you back through the spirit world." Lucy explained and Mystogan nodded his head.
"I'll be back soon and then we'll talk about your plan." He replied and set off to where he could sense anima.
"What exactly are we going to do to him?" asked Natsu and Lucy laughed.
"Our Jellal isn't a criminal yet. He technically hasn't done anything wrong either. No one knows what they're building on that island so we're going to make sure that no one can tie our Jellal to that mess. We're going to kidnap Jellal, use Loke's power of Regulus to cleanse the taint from his mind and then once he is sane he can carry on his life as Siegrain. Mystogan can stop hiding and go by the name Jellal again and pretend that they really are twins."
"What about Ezra?" asked Natsu and Lucy shrugged her shoulders.
"She forgave him when he was no longer possessed anymore so maybe that will happen again. He can retire from the council and join Fairy Tail and fix his relationship with Ezra. Mystogan gets to live out his life here in whatever way he wants." Replied Lucy.
"How did you know that he had plans to take down the Mad King already?" asked Natsu and Lucy giggled.
"He spent his whole life ensuring that his fathers plan would fail. I just assumed that he probably made thousands of plans to ensure that something like this would never happen again. It was something that I would do if I was in his position."
"Are you sure he doesn't need any help?" asked Natsu and Lucy shrugged, "He said he had a plan so lets give him a few days before we go looking for him."
"What happens when he comes back?" asked Natsu and Lucy bit her lip.
"I was hoping that he would go and get Wendy. As much as I want to wait for her to join the guild naturally, she is young and she needs so much training. Her abilities are one of the most powerful forces that we have and she managed to learn to harness dragon force first. Wendy had incredible potential and we are here two years early. It doesn't seem right to leave her in that guild all alone. They cared for her but she was the only child there."
"Would she leave her guild?" asked Natsu and Lucy shrugged.
"Maybe, she loves Mystogan as her big brother even if she doesn't come immediately to Fairy Tail we can meet her. We can start her training and she'll have some friends a little earlier. Wendy was incredibly shy but that was mostly because she never met many people besides the ones that lived in the village. We can give her self-esteem a boost."
Natsu nodded his head and headed to the guild. He wanted to keep up to date on what was happening to everyone. They had heard from both Mira and Ezra and neither were ready to head back home yet. They had checked in to let the Master know that were all alive and that they hadn't gotten into any trouble. Their training was progressing well and they wouldn't be back for a few more months.
Gildarts and Cana were still out on the S class missions that he had taken. Laxus was actually at the guild. That was not something that happened often at this time and he was with the Thunder God Tribe. They were chatting quietly amongst themselves and for a moment he wondered if he should say something to them. However, he and Lucy were already trying to deal with the whole Jellal, Mystogan and Edolas situation. He really didn't want to add Laxus to that list. At least not yet, they already had a full plate.
He didn't stick around long instead he went back home to his wife. Once he realized that Mystogan still hadn't returned, they decided to train for a few hours. It had already been three days since Mystogan had left and he knew that Lucy was starting to worry however it turned out that they really didn't have to worry so much.
Mystogan showed up at the house that night while Lucy was cooking supper. She immediately started fussing over him. He was exhausted and a little roughed up so she sent him to bath, fed him and then put him in the guest room for the night. He was exhausted and Natsu was just relieved that he had retuned in one piece. They could pick his brain another time.
It didn't take them long to realize that he brought Panterlily with him. Lucy had actually forgotten that he wasn't currently with Gajeel. Actually they forgot that he was enemy at this point completely. They had been more focused on Zeref and his creations. The fact that Juvia and Gajeel only joined the guild after getting their asses beat and that they were currently in a semi-dark guild had been forgotten.
"Do you think they'll still join Fairy Tail?" asked Lucy.
Natsu honestly didn't know what to say to her. The only reason why Phantom had attacked when they did was because Jude had given them a reason too. There was no way he would do that again so he was at a loss on how they were supposed to convince Juvia and Gajeel to join their guild again.
"Jose really hated Gramps and the guild. Even if he doesn't use you as a reason to start a guild war then he'll eventually find loophole just so that he can pick a fight with us. I'm sure that they will, in the end Gajeel and Juvia were Fairy Tail mages. They'll find themselves on the right path eventually." Replied Natsu and Lucy kissed his cheek in response.
She was really proud of him and she was touched that he was really listening to her. Every time that they spoke about the timeline and the changes they made the future that they remembered became more and more useless. She knew it got confusing and here was her husband trying to reassure her that the people they saved in the other timeline could be saved again.
The Phantom Lord attack was a big deal as such it would probably be a fixed event in the timeline. The guilds went to war and the effects had really rippled. Jose lost his title which probably allowed Jura to take his place as a saint or it was possible that he replaced Siegrain but that wasn't something that they really knew.
Gajeel and Juvia joined Fairy Tail and many other mages were left to go find another guild to join. Gajeel eventually took in Panterlily and he fell in love with Levy. They had saved Gajeel and Juvia from themselves and she hoped that she could do so again.
Lucy didn't like the fact that they would have to face Phantom Lord again. She had eventually become very close to Juvia. She even managed to create a good relationship with Gajeel in the end. Levy was kind of in love with him. She couldn't let their first meeting be like that again. She couldn't let Levy be attacked like that but at the same time she had no idea whether or not everything would play out the same way. She would have to be patient for now. At least they wouldn't attack because of her this time.
The next morning once everyone was rested they finally set out to plan their next move. Mystogan sat in their training area while they sparred. Sometimes he would call out corrections for Lucy until they were done. Lucy rolled her eyes at him, "We should spar again Natsu keeps going easy on me."
Natsu of course denied the accusation and the couple joined him under the tree, "We know about Wendy and she eventually became a Fairy Tail mage however she needs a lot of training. I was hoping that you would introduce us to her so we can start her training. She will eventually join us but we're not in a hurry to bring her here when she's comfortable where she is."
He agreed to do so since the portals were closed he was planning on going and visiting her. He had gone back to his home, gathered some people he knew he could trust like Panterlily and overthrown his father. He then destroyed the castle and put Ezra Knightwalker in charge.
His father had done enough damage to the people and that world. It was for the best that it was led by the people who lived there and cared for people always. The connection between the two worlds had been completely destroyed. There was nothing holding him back from living his life to the fullest.
He also didn't want the news of another world to get out. That would probably get some idiot to try and open the connection again so he didn't think he would ever tell anyone who didn't know the truth about where he came from. It was best if the information was just forgotten.
"Wendy isn't the main priority right now. We need to kidnap Jellal and ensure that the dark magic is purified from his mind. Then we can give him to Ezra and let them work out their differences." Complained Natsu.
Mystogan looked at them both in shock. They were talking about kidnapping a wizard saint and then casually giving a human being as a present to one of the scariest woman that he had ever met. He once wondered why Lucy would marry Natsu and now he knew. She was just as crazy as he was.
Lucy rolled her eyes and reminded Natsu to calm down while she explained the events that happened in the Tower of Heaven. Mystogan listened attentively but when she was done he had to say something that had been bugging him about the whole story.
"It is possible that the Tower will still need to be destroyed. Jellal will no longer be in charge but someone will come in and fill the power vacuum." He said.
Natsu agreed with him and Lucy just shook her head, "If we need to destroy the tower then we will when its completed. We don't want to take out the whole island before its time. We might mess up the timeline too much."
Natsu reminded them that, "Jellal hasn't actually done any harm yet. If we can avoid him becoming a criminal then he can help us a lot more easily and then the two of you can pass as twins. If anyone asks the reason why you hid your face for so long was because your brother was part of the council. You didn't want the attention that came with that, leave the rest of the tower alone for now."
Once Mystogan got his head around the fact that the current Jellal was possessed and not at fault for his actions he had to come to terms with the fact that they had created an entire identity for him. They did it because they didn't want him to have to hide his face anymore. Once he had processed everything he had to ask a more pressing question.
"How are you going to kidnap a wizard saint?" he asked and they both looked at him evilly.
Mystogan felt a cold shiver run down his spine and he just knew that they were going to make things very interesting and extremely insane for him. He briefly wondered what he had just signed up for and then decided to just go with the crazy. He had lived most of his life by a whole bunch of rules that he had created for himself he didn't see any reason not to just let loose and enjoy himself.
"He really does attend council meetings and the lady with him is not someone that we can tangle with just yet. We need you to stalk the council and kidnap him first chance you get." Replied Natsu.
Mystogan looked at the couple like they were mad. Actually since the blonde married Natsu he was sure she had a couple screws loose. Things were definitely going to be interesting with them around.
"How am I supposed to do that?" he asked and Lucy giggled.
"Just put him to sleep and teleport him here. You are able to put our master to sleep so you could put him to sleep as well, we only need a few minutes. Once he's asleep you put the magic dampening cuffs on him and teleport him here then I'll use Loke's magic to cleanse his mind."
Mystogan looked at the blonde like she was nuts, she was going to bet everything including her life since this guy was possessed and if it didn't work then he would kill her so that she could never try to cleanse his mind ever again and she was giggling like this was nothing, "Are you sure that your spirit will be able to cleanse the taint?"
Lucy glared at him, "Loke's power was able to separate Capricorn from Zoldeo after they underwent the taboo. He'll be able to cleanse this taint as well and if he cannot which I would find highly unlikely then I'll take him to the Spirit King. He owes me a favor."
Mystogan didn't have a response to that and something that him that if he questioned the power that her spirits held anymore then she was going kick him out the door. He really had missed home cooking and being able to walk around without a mask was really nice so he didn't want to anger her anymore. Lucy could be scary when she got angry and he didn't want that wrath directed at him.
She really was a dragon's wife. That girl had a spine of steel and fire in her eyes and he could see why Natsu was so in love with her. She was a spitfire so instead he asked if she wanted to have that spar before he left on a mission that was so important that if he failed would probably end in the death in everyone involved in the plan and Lucy smiled at him happily.
He fought often with a staff so he had more experience but Lucy was clever and she did learn quickly. She gave it her best shot and whenever she felt too overwhelmed she switched to whip form and gained some distance. He had to admit that her skills with her whip far outweighed her close combat skills but she was learning and she was improving.
If he had to rate her skills on a scale of 10 with 10 being able to match Ezra who was a master at close combat, then she was probably somewhere near a three or three and a half and from what he heard she had only been learning for a month. She would get there eventually and he really wanted to help her especially since he could see how hard she was working.
She was like a light that drew people in and healed the wounds that they didn't even notice were still hurting. He hadn't felt something like a family in so long and here in her home, it was like coming home from a long mission and knowing he was safe.
He decided that he liked the new style and instead of using his old clothes. He took the mask that Lucy gave him and secured it on his face. He preferred it to his makeshift mask and decided to stalk the council until he could figure out the perfect time to kidnap Jellal.
He really hoped that nothing went wrong here because if he was found kidnapping a council member he was likely going to jail and getting the guild into a lot of trouble. If the master was able to get him out of it, he would probably pummel him.
Mystogan stalked them for a week and a half before he realized that Jellal came here in person every three days. Once he was sure of his actions and the path that he always took when he was inside the council building he put his plan into action. Mystogan waited until Jellal went to the bathroom and then he teleported inside.
The black haired lady that Natsu and Lucy told him to stay clear of was still getting lunch in the cafeteria. He knocked Jellal out with his sleep spell and hit him with the cuffs. To be safe he put another pair of cuffs around his ankles because he was supposed to be a wizard saint and then he teleported back to Natsu's home. It really was very easy and he wondered if he should let the council know that they needed to up their security.
Mystogan winced when Happy started screaming as the two men landed in the lounge. Happy went flying outside calling for Natsu and Lucy because a strange man had entered the house with a prisoner. Lucy immediately caught sight of them and face palmed. She also had to catch Happy by the tail and stop him from alerting half the guild to the fact that they were here.
"Happy this is Mystogan from the guild and his twin brother Siegrain. They got into a fight so Mystogan did that to him. Now go to the kitchen there's a fish next to the stove for you."
Mystogan chuckled, "You sound like a mother."
She rolled her eyes at him and rolled Jellal onto his back. He was still asleep so Lucy summoned Loke with a flick of her wrist. Loke put his glowing hands to the mans temples and spent the next five minutes like that while Lucy bit her lip in nervousness.
Natsu on the other hand was still at the guild. The only reason why Happy hadn't gone flying to him was because Lucy managed to catch his tail in time. They did not need the whole guild here, trying to help not with something like this.
She couldn't explain why they kidnapped a wizard saint or why she was in the house or who she was or why Mystogan looked like him. She really just wanted to keep this a secret. They were not ready to confront the guild yet. She didn't think they would be ready anytime soon at the rate that they were going. There was a lot for them to do before she was introduced to the guild.
"This is going to take a while. We need to keep him here and it will take some time to completely get rid of the taint. Afterwards he will need a healer. Wendy didn't just heal his physical wounds the first time this happened she also healed much of the damage the possession did to his mind. I can take away the taint but he'll need a healing session with her afterwards." Explained Loke and Lucy sighed.
She had a feeling that Loke wouldn't be able to get him into top shape immediately. Her spirit just wasn't a healer nor was he on the same level as Wendy. They could always just keep him here. No one would think to look for him here but that was dangerous and asking for trouble.
Loke could work on removing the taint while Mystogan went and got Wendy and then explained the situation to her. She had hoped that they wouldn't need to upset the little girls life too much but it seemed like a very good idea to let a proper healer take care of the man. Having Jellal here, so close to the guild was dangerous.
"How come a possession like this is going take longer to cleanse?" asked Mystogan and this time he didn't mean any type of disrespect instead he seemed interested in learning how the magic worked and why it affected different people in different ways.
Loke covered Jellal's body in his Regulus power before he answered, "When I separated Capricorn from Zoldeo, I blasted through their body killing Zoldeo and returning Capricorn to the spirit world. Capricorn recovered quickly but Jellal is human, doing something like that to him would kill him."
Loke's hands stopped glowing and he sighed before he continued his explanation, "Wendy healed the physical wounds he received from his fight with Natsu. However she unknowingly also healed his broken mind from the possession. However Wendy was still young and her healing magic was unrefined. She just poured power into healing the wounds present. The mind isn't like the physical body, she healed him but as a result he ended up with amnesia. He did eventually he regain his memories but she could have done more harm than good. I don't think she even realized how deeply damaged his mind had been, she probably believed that it was all physical."
Lucy left Loke to heal Jellal while she took Mystogan aside, "You should go visit Wendy, tell her why you had to leave her for so long and that you'll come to visit again with friends so she isn't overwhelmed."
Mystogan raised an eyebrow to her, "Do you think I should tell her about Edolas? Its not something many people know about and I don't want her to mess up by accident by talking about it. We don't want anyone trying to re-establish the connection between the two worlds."
Lucy simply shrugged, "Tell her that there was a dangerous job that you needed to do. Now that its over and everything is safe you came back for her. When she's older you can explain more if you feel its necessary but for now she is just a child. She is a child with powerful magic that needs training and in desperate need of a confidence boost."
"How powerful did Wendy become in the future?" asked Mystogan and Lucy thought that he looked like a really proud big brother or someone who was picturing the future of someone they deeply cared for. She was glad that he never forgot about her in all the time that he had spent chasing the anima.
Lucy smiled at him gently, it was easy to see how much he cared for the younger girl. Lucy wouldn't have been surprised if one of the reasons why he stayed in this world was because he didn't want to leave her alone. Especially knowing that there was a war coming.
The last time the drama with Edolas happened Wendy was already in the guild. Mystogan knew where she was and that she was safe. He didn't have to worry about her but this time she was still far away and he hadn't seen her in a long time. It was only natural that he would want reassurance and maybe now that he knows about the war that's coming he wants to be here to protect her.
"She was the first person to master using dragon force. She faced a real life dragon and she beat one of the demons from the books of Zeref all on her own. Wendy didn't like to fight but when she bared her fangs she managed to unleash the fury of the heavens. She was Fairy Tails Queen of the Sky even if she never claimed a title."
Mystogan was proud and he desperately wanted to see it. As much as he wished that he could keep her safe all her life Wendy was a dragon slayer and she was meant to be fighting on the front lines in the thick of battle. Now that he knew how much potential that she had, he couldn't wait to see her claim her title as the Queen of the Sky. She belonged here and he just knew it, deep in his bones.
Natsu came back a little while later and Lucy updated him on everything that was going on with Jellal and Loke. Natsu couldn't help but wonder what Ultear and her accomplices were going to do now that they lost Jellal and Siegrain. Then again those two probably had some sort of plan if the possession didn't hold long enough. They were plotting and planning this stuff for a long time. They would have some sort of back-up plan.
Natsu looked into the island (Lucy told him to get the information for her) and currently the council didn't know much about them. Back when Ezra had been younger there had been other islands in that area. All of them were trying to build the R-system and eventually they had been destroyed either due to rebellion or due to the magic council's interference or they got themselves blown up.
However some were never discovered. The council still sent out some ships to check on the area but so far he and the island had managed to remain undetected and probably would remain that way until the tower got too big to ignore.
Siegrain had done a good job of keeping them away from his tower. The most that the council knew was that Siegrain had a twin brother who travelled around a lot and sometimes got into trouble. The only time the council had been drawn to Jellal was after he completed the R-system.
It was also highly likely the only reason they noticed it was because the structure had been so big. They literally couldn't ignore it anymore. It caught their attention way too late and then he blew up members of the council. It had been one of the biggest disasters that the council ever dealt with. A criminal had duped them all. He had made a mockery out of them and they never learned their lesson.
The rest of the world figured out that he was a criminal after the explosion when the survivors told them about his betrayal. Until all of that happened Jellal was a free man in the eyes of the law. Once they managed to free his mind they would have to deal with his drama. However that would take time so it would be a good idea to let Mystogan and Wendy spend some time together once again.
"I think Mystogan should take Jellal to Wendy. Loke can pass through the gate using his own powers. If you give Mystogan Loke's key, he can pass through the gate whenever he wants and help heal Jellal's mind. Wendy can use her powers to ensure that Loke doesn't do any more damage. Mystogan and Wendy can get reacquainted once their done with the healing we'll go introduce ourselves to Wendy. It will also give her time to get used to the idea of strangers visiting."
Lucy looked horrified at the thought of giving away one of her keys, "Its too dangerous to leave him here Lucy. The council might come looking for Siegrain if this takes too long and Fairy Tail doesn't have the best reputation. Loke would never break your contract. Mystogan will bring the key back as soon as he doesn't need his power anymore. A week at most and Loke's part in the healing will be done."
Lucy bit her lip, "You won't lose it right?" she asked him and Mystogan nodded his head.
"I promise to take very good care of him Lucy." He replied because he knew how much her spirits meant to her. He had watched her train with them and he knew that Natsu would burn him to ash if he messed this up but more than that he knew that it wasn't safe to keep Siegrain here.
It was true that no one would think that he would be here but Magnolia was one of the biggest cities in Fiore. If he was gone too long then the council would look for him and they would search large areas like this first. The possibility of him being found was just too great and no one needed to deal with that.
They needed to keep a low profile until he was healed and right now the best place would be with Wendy. No one ever managed to find her after all. When they were done with this, he had a feeling that he was going to be dragged into something even more crazy and dangerous and he smiled because it sounded like it would probably be another adventure. It had been a long time since he had travelled for the sake of an adventure and not just to clean up his fathers mess.
Mystogan watched Lucy and Natsu as they chased each other outside and played tag and he smiled. It had been a really long time since he had truly enjoyed the company of someone else. The fact that he had people who could see his face was something else extremely new but he couldn't help but want to go on this adventure with the two of them.
Their plans were insane and dangerous and they were preparing for a war but at the same time there as so much love and happiness he couldn't help but look forward to the fight. He wanted to be here more than anything else in the world. He knew that he would never have been happy in Edolas. He never had the fondest memories of the place. Before he met these two people, maybe he could have made it work but right now all he wanted to do was be part of this family.
He owed Makarov, for finding him, helping him protect his secret and giving him a home. However Lucy and Natsu were probably the first friends that he had in a long time. There were no secrets and half-truths between them. It was nice to be seen and included especially when they so obviously shared such a special bond with each other. Mystogan sat there and he enjoyed the laughter in air and the breeze on his face. They could worry about the rest another time, for now they had everything they needed and everything was alright.