Alright then! It's time for another arc to get started!
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As Rabien would say, Thank you so very much!
Till then, happy reading!
The opening begins with Natsu and Wendy with Carla and Happy carrying them both respectively flying upwards towards the sky where a large tunnel of clouds could be seen which is an anima. The sky begins to ripple with magic power due to the anima and as they all continue ascending upwards, they enter into the anima their eyes are wide with wonder as the scene goes white and we now see a completely different world that is Edolas with a large floating island as the Fairy Tail logo appears fading in.
koko ni iru shoumei wo itsumo sagashiteru
We see a young Natsu open his eyes standing in an open plain as he gazes into the blue sky filled with clouds. He is soon joined with a young Lisanna, a baby Happy, and Gildarts as a gentle wind blows through their hair.
sore wa ki ga tsukeba migi poketto ni atta
kyou no sora wa aoku sumi wattate ite
The scene then changes as Natsu is now older as he looks back at Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Lucy. The sky has now taken a peach color as it is now evening. Then the image of Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Lucy slowly zooms out as it fades away into the darkness.
maru de sekai wo toumei ni shita mitaida
Natsu is now standing in front of Lisanna's grave that is in front of a house made of straw where they used to play when they were kids. The scene also changes to Gildarts sitting in his room giving Natsu a nod as if he's telling him that he has complete confidence in him.
mitsukaranai mono datte akirameru boku mo
We now see Wendy who seems to be looking back at the audience her eyes filled with tears as we get an up-close look at her eye. We then see Mystogan who is not wearing his mask and whose face looks very grave as he looks down at Wendy as it is now raining as they stand in the middle of Magnolia.
mitsukaru hazu da yo tte nagusameru kimi mo
We see Carla who is standing away from a very distraught Happy as she looks away looking sad. We then see Lucy, Edolas Lucy, Edolas Natsu, and two cats that are just like Happy and Carla, one being black with a large rectangular head and the other being yellow with orange hair and looking just like Ichiya. After that, we see Happy holding a crying Carla's hand as they run away.
Then it switches to a city burning in flames as we see the Edolas flag with solders. A tall old man with a white beard as well as white hair wearing a brown coat and wearing a big brown hat reveling in the destruction. As five people appear in front of him. In the upper right, a male who had a face like a panther's with a muscular build, a scar on his left eye, and wore a personalized helmet with a cape draped around his body, the lower right, an short old man with pointed eyebrows which made them like horns, upper left, a man with blond hair pompadour style with pink armor, a young girl with brown hair in a ponytail on her should who had a face like a puppy, and in the middle, a boy with dark purple hair with a thick white lock of hair on his right wearing a white coat with a black shirt with crisscrossing green lines.
Then a young woman stands in front revealing to look just like Erza only she had longer hair in an elegant ponytail also wearing revealing armor that was a black halter-type armor breastplate top exposing her cleavage and stomach with gauntlets and greaves matching color, a black bikini bottom with a white cloth obscuring her hips. She lastly has a dark blue scarf wrapped around her neck.
We then see an up-close shot of Jellal's right tattooed eye as it widens in shock.
ikite yuku imi wa nani hitotsu kawaranai kara
The town of Magnolia is slowly disintegrating as it fades away being sucked up by the Anima in a tornado up to the sky with Wendy in the middle of it watching it all happen in front of her eyes.
kowaresou na merodii
hitotsu dake tashika na omoi tsumugi dasetara
The town of Magnolia is now nothing but a wasteland as Wendy sits there not being able to comprehend what had just happened to her town. We then see Natsu running towards Lisanna trying to reach out to her. Lisanna turns around and tries to reach out too, but she fails to reach out to him as everything goes white.
boku ga shinjitekita subete ga uso datta to shite mo
We then see a plant-like building with an orange and white Fairy Tail banner. We then zoom out and see Edolas Lucy giving the original Natsu a noogie, Lucy and Edolas Natsu on the left, and Wendy, Happy and Carla in the middle as the music ends.
kamawanai kara
Chapter 69
A Storm Approaches
A few days had passed since Gildarts came into the guild. Lately, I've been keeping myself busy going on some jobs to keep up with rent and other times I'd do some reading. Sometimes, I went on a couple jobs by myself. Other times, I went out on a couple jobs with Team Natsu. But lately, I've mostly taken the jobs that were pretty close to Magnolia by myself. The reason being was due to what had happened back with the job with Wendy when those members of the dark guild Black Tiger attacked me. Not to mention there was that mysterious letter I received bearing the symbol of the Bureau of Magical Development.
Ever since then, I've grown a little paranoid about my surroundings, but not like crazy paranoid. I was just more careful and aware of my surroundings. The last thing I wanted was to be caught in a surprise attack in the middle of Magnolia with a lot of innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. Especially my friends in Fairy Tail. I may have been forgiven for all of the trouble I've caused in the past and I know they said that it wasn't my fault, but I still felt somewhat responsible. So I wanted to try and settle the problems I had on my own. Luckily for me, I didn't receive any more letters nor did anyone try to attack me or anything. Hopefully, it would stay that way, but I couldn't let my guard down even for a moment.
It was early one morning. I had just woke up to the start of another day. Today was the day that I was gonna head to Kardia Cathedral with Elfman and Lisanna. I was gonna meet them at the guild hall, so we could walk over there and spend some time together. I took a shower and got dressed and left the apartments heading for the guild hall. As I walked, I noticed that a couple people still looked at me either looking away or murmuring to one another about me. I pretty much have gotten used to it at this point, so I'd just pretend not to notice.
On my way to the guild, I happened to walk past a bar where a couple of guys were hanging around outside. They were all rugged, mean looking, drunk and were having a jolly time. As I walked past them, they happened to take notice of me. They stared at me as if they were daring for me to look at them funny. But I kept my eyes ahead of me not wanting to cause any trouble. Then another man happened to walk past me. He was taller than me and looked fat, wore a white vest that exposed his upper body and a pair of jeans and boots. Our shoulders happened to bump into each other. When they did, the man immediately glared at me.
"Hey! Watch where ya going punk!" he barked.
"I apologize, sir," I said politely.
I then continued on my way, but then I heard the man behind me.
"Wait a minute. I know you. You're that guy who used to be with the Oración Seis that's now in Fairy Tail," he said. "What's a criminal like you doing in a town like Magnolia?"
This made me stop walking as the other men followed suit.
"Yeah. Criminals like you shouldn't be around in a place like this. You should be with your friends," he continued. "Oh wait. You can't because they're all in jail!"
They all laughed thinking that it was funny. I kept a neutral expression and didn't react.
"Is that all you have to say to me?" I asked. "If so then I'll be on my way. I got somewhere to be."
I then resumed walking not wanting to deal with them anymore. However once again, I heard the man behind me.
"You know I'm surprised Fairy Tail's kept you with them for so long, especially with your track record," he said. "If I was Fairy Tail, I would have kicked you back out on the street even if you begged. People like you should be with a dark guild where you belong."
This made me stop walking again feeling a flare of anger go through my body. I snapped my head around glaring at the man clenching my fists.
The man wasn't intimidated. "What's the matter? You got something to say to me?" he asked giving me a sneering look on his face.
The other people at the bar began to cheer anticipating a fight about to happen. And to make things worse, a couple of civilians around happened to be walking by and saw what was going on wondering what would happen. I stared at the man not taking my eyes off of him. A part of me really wanted to bash his face in with my magic, but at the same time, it would be a pointless fight. To me, if I attacked this guy right now, then people would really think that I was a criminal and would not trust me even more. So I took a deep breath, turned around, and walked away.
"What's the matter? You running away coward?" the man called.
"He's probably so scared that he's not even gonna bother to fight," said another. "All he would do is end up getting his ass whipped and make his guild look bad!"
"You know I'm starting to wonder why he even signed up with Fairy Tail in the first place," said a third. "All he's gonna do is cause himself and his guild more trouble than they're worth. If I was him, I'd probably let myself rot in jail."
"Man... what a buzzkill!" said a fourth. "Get out of here ya coward!"
I then felt something whizz by my head narrowly missing me and crashing into the ground. It was a bottle of beer that someone had obviously thrown, but I kept on walking. I would have kicked their butts if they wanted, but it wasn't worth it. The men continued to jeer and throw things at me as I kept on walking. Some of the things they threw hit me, but I kept on walking until I was far enough away from the bar.
As I walked on, I passed by an alleyway and noticed something that made me stop. There was a young man who seemed to be completely exhausted like he just ran a mile. He looked around the alley until he saw a cat. As soon as he saw it, he picked up a cat and scowling at it like he was inspecting it. He had long spiky black hair slicked back, wore a black sleeveless tunic, a studded belt with beige pants tucked inside black boots, and had a strange wing ornament on his right shoulder attached to his tunic. It didn't take me long to realize who it was.
"That's Gajeel Redfox," I thought. "But what is he doing with that cat?"
Gajeel continued to stare at the cat. Then he put it back down and stomped away.
"No!" he said.
He then saw another cat that was gray with white stripes.
"Not this one either!" he said stomped past.
Next, he saw another cat that was completely an amber gold color and for some reason reminded me of a certain blue cat back at the guild based on the expression on its face. Gajeel immediately rejected that cat too.
"Definitely not that one!" he growled as he continued on.
"What the heck is he up to?" I wondered. "Is he looking for a pet cat or something?"
Gajeel continued on searching for cats even though he looked visibly exhausted. Then he happened to step on a beer bottle causing him to trip and fall flat on his face on the ground making me wince seeing the impact. I then heard Gajeel.
"Salamander and that rookie little girl both got magical flying cats," he said miserably. "So why don't I? I'm a dragon slayer too, so I deserve a flying furry friend like they do!"
I then understood what Gajeel was up to, although I was a bit perplexed by this.
"He's looking for a cat because Natsu and Wendy have Happy and Carla?" I thought. "But why would he get jealous over that? I mean I'm a dragon slayer and I don't have a cat. Then again I haven't exactly found any flying cats around here."
Just then, Gajeel snapped his head around seeing me standing there watching him. He immediately sprang to his feet looking a bit startled. He then glared right at me looking pretty angry.
"What are you looking at?!" he growled. "And what's the big idea sneaking up on me?!"
"Sorry about that," I said immediately apologizing. "I was just passing through when I saw you lying there. I thought that you were injured or something."
"I'm fine," Gajeel spoke gruffly dusting himself off. "Don't worry about me."
"By the way, Gajeel right? Pardon for asking, but why are you looking for a cat in this alley?" I asked. "Are you looking for some kind of pet or something?
"None of your business!" barked Gajeel.
He then stomped away leaving me staring at his back feeling a bit confused.
"What's his problem?" I wondered. "I was just asking him a question."
Then I suddenly remembered. "Wait a minute. I've got no time to this. I gotta get to the guild hall and meet Mira and Elfman."
I then went on my way leaving the alley behind me as I power walked to the guild.
Eventually, I made it to the guild hall without any more trouble. I happened to pass by the goods shop where Max was manning the stand.
"Hey Willy!" he called. "How's it going?"
"Hey there Max," I greeted back as I came up. "You selling well in the gift shop?"
"Very much so," said Max. "You wanna see what I got? If you like something, I can give you a good price."
"Maybe another time Max," I declined politely. "I've gotta get inside to meet Mira and Elfman. But I'll check it out later OK?"
"Suit yourself then," smiled Max.
I then walked inside of the guild hall. Just as I did, the sky darkened causing me to look up towards the sky. I could see dark clouds blocking the sun and they looked to be heavy with rain.
"The sky sure looks gloomy today," I sighed. "Oh well, more water for me to drink."
I glanced around hoping to find Mira and Elfman, but I didn't see them. Since they weren't here yet, I thought I might as well kill some time before they got here. I walked over to a table where I saw Lucy, Carla, and Wendy and the rest of the gang sitting by the window.
"Hi there Willy," greeted Wendy. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing much," I replied. "I just thought I'd kill some time, What about you guys?"
"Wendy was just telling me about a particular date," said Lucy. "July seventh in the year of 777. I was just wondering why she was so fascinated by that date."
I looked at the two girls taking an interest. "That's the day our dragons disappeared if I'm not mistaken," I spoke.
"That's right. I've always been a little curious about it," said Wendy. "So I was trying to think of how and why they disappeared."
"Now that you mention it, Natsu told me that Gajeel's dragon disappeared on the exact same day too," said Lucy. "I think his dragon's name was Metalicana."
"Do you have any thoughts on the matter?" asked Carla. "If you have any, please share them with us."
I hummed thoughtfully trying to come up with an idea. Lucy, however, came up with one right away.
"Maybe... they all went on dragon picnic?" she wondered doubtfully.
"Somehow, I doubt that's the case, Lucy," I said deadpanning.
"It is an interesting idea. I must admit I never really thought of that one before," said Wendy. "Then again, now that you mention it, I've always been afraid that they all just decided to abandon us. But if that's the case, then where have they been all this time?"
I leaned back on the chair staring up at the ceiling deep in thought.
"The fire dragon Igneel, the metal dragon Metalicana, the water dragon Aquadia, and the sky dragon Grandeeney," I muttered to myself.
I closed my eyes and thought deeply trying to remember anything about our dragons. For some reason, the name of Wendy's dragon was starting to ringing a bell in my head like I've heard it somewhere before. At first, I couldn't really think of anything. Then suddenly, my eyes opened as a memory popped into my head.
"Wait a sec, I just remembered," I spoke. "Wendy, I think I saw your dragon back when I was a kid."
Wendy, Carla, and Lucy looked at me in surprise. "You did?" they asked incredulously.
"Yes, although it was only one time and back when I was still living with Aquadia," I said. "You see, I had just come back from fishing when I saw her talking to a green ball of light. That was Grandeeney."
"Well, what did she say?" asked Carla. "Did she say anything important?"
"Not really," I replied shaking my head. "All I know was that Grandeeney and Aquadia good friends and would talk to each other. However, I have no idea what they talked about. Is that any help at all?"
"Well, it does a little," said Wendy. "I never realized that Grandeeney and Aquadia knew each other."
"I didn't even know that dragons had friends and such," commented Lucy. "But I guess everyone's got friends, man or creature."
Just then, Happy came walking up to Carla. He appeared to be holding a giant fish with a big red bow on it. The moment I saw that fish, I immediately began to drool feeling hungry.
"Wow, that's a really delicious fish you got there, Happy," I spoke hungrily. "Can I have a bite of it?"
"No way!" said Happy automatically. "This fish isn't for you."
"Aww come on. Just one bite," I begged. "I won't take that much."
"I said no!" Happy snapped. "Get your own fish."
I let out a disappointed whine as Happy then walked over to Carla while Wendy and Lucy laughed a little. Happy that held the fish over his head showing it to the white cat.
"Check this out, Carla. I caught this fish earlier today. Isn't it the biggest you've ever seen?" he spoke proudly. "I figured that you might be hungry, so I caught it just for you."
"Thanks, but no thanks," said Carla turning her head away. "I don't really care for fish. Besides, it smells."
"OK... then what do you like?" asked Happy. "Tell me and I'll be more than happy to get it for you."
Then Carla was very rude. "Get away from me!" she snapped fiercely. "You're annoying!"
Happy was surprised by Carla's sudden outburst as was me, Lucy, and Wendy. Carla then cleared her throat regaining her composure. She then hopped off the table and walked away.
"I don't have time to waste in someone like you," the white cat continued. "Please stop following me around."
"Hold on a minute, Carla!" spoke Wendy. "Why are you being so mean to Happy?"
But with a huff, Carla walked through the doors exiting the guild. I watched as she left feeling a bit surprised at her behavior.
"What was all that about?" I asked the two girls.
"No idea," spoke Lucy. "I know that she hasn't been friendly, but that was just plain harsh." She then looked at Happy who now looked very miserable. "You OK little guy?"
Happy didn't respond. Then he hopped off the table and ran after Carla. "Carla! Wait! Please talk to me!"
"Well... I'll give him credit for persistence," I spoke. "But why does Carla treat Happy that way. I mean I know that she is who she is, but still..."
"Yeah I agree," said Lucy. "And... is it just me or is she specifically cold-hearted towards Happy?"
"Believe me I wish I knew," Wendy spoke. "I wonder what's gotten into her?"
I could only answer with a shrug. Then I took notice of someone calling out to me.
"Willy, there you are!"
I turned my head to the right and I saw Mira. She was wearing her traditional red dress, but she was also wearing a black overcoat.
"Hey there Mira," I said. "How are you?"
"I'm doing fine," she said. "I was just getting my coat considering that it's now pouring. Are you ready to go?"
"Just about," I replied. "By the way, where's Elfman?"
We then heard a loud yell that answered that question.
"What's the matter with you two?! We're real men! Get your acts together, would ya?!"
There was only one person would shout that loud about men. Sure enough, we both saw Elfman seeming to be lecturing Jet and Droy about something while Levy was reading at another table.
"I guess that answers that question," I chuckled.
"That's Elfman for you," giggled Mira. "Come on. Let's go get him, so we can leave."
We then went over to Elfman who was still yelling crossly at Jet and Droy who was now looking very meek and sheepish.
"You know what I see? A couple of lapdogs begging for a bone! And you call yourselves real men?!" barked Elfman.
"Hey there Elfman," I greeted as we came up. "Why are you yelling at Jet and Droy? Did something happen?"
"Oh hey, guys. I was teaching these sissies as a lesson," spoke Elfman. "They screwed up in their most recent job. These morons got themselves knocked out cold in the middle of a fight, so Levy had to finish by herself!"
"Please... Stop... I can't take anymore," begged Droy miserably.
"Yeah... you don't need to rub it in you know," groaned Jet sadly.
"Well, you both gotta be tougher if you want to protect Levy when the time comes!" Elfman barked again. "There's no way you can protect Levy as you're both are right now! You both need to man up in the worst possible way!"
"Yes, sir..." Jet and Droy whimpered. "We get the message."
"Well I for one think that Jet and Droy have gotten stronger, recently," said Mira. "In their own way of course."
"Say what?!" shrieked Jet and Droy. "That's mean, Mira!"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, she's got you on that one you two. Hey Elfman, I think Jet and Droy have learned their lesson. It's time for us to get going."
"Oh yeah. That's right. I'm coming," spoke Elfman.
Then with Elfman and Mira grabbing their umbrellas, the three of us exited the guild hall into the pouring rain. Mira and Elfman opened up their umbrellas while I simply walked in the rain as I was.
"Aren't you bothered by the rain Willy?" asked Mira. "I know that you're a dragon slayer, but won't you catch a cold?"
"Don't worry about me," I smiled. "I'll be fine. Besides, the rainwater is good for my magic. It doesn't really bother me."
"I gotta say, that's pretty manly of you, Willy," said Elfman. "Wish I had the kind of magic that you have."
"Don't sell yourself short Elfman," I said. "Yours and Mira's magic is pretty awesome too."
Elfman nodded in agreement, but then he looked at me tentatively like he had something else to say trying to find the words. Then he spoke.
"Say, Willy? You remember when I said that I needed to tell you something the other day?" he asked.
"Yeah. What about it" I asked.
"Well, it's something that I can't tell you right now," he said. "But I will tell you when we reach Lisanna's grave. Is that okay with you?"
"Sure. Whatever you say, Elfman," I said doubtfully.
We then continued walking in the rain in silence. Elfman and Mira in front while I walked in the rear. I wanted to talk to them, but I really didn't know what to say to them. Especially since we were going to visiting Lisanna's grave. So I decided to not to say anything at all until we got to Kardia Cathedral.
NO POV
Mira looked up at her little brother as could see that he was looking dreadfully nervous and she knew the reason why. She then held his gently trying to ease his worries. Elfman a bit startled looked at his elder sister.
"It'll be OK, brother," Mira whispered. "There's no need to be nervous."
"Sorry, Sis, but I can't help it," Elfman whispered back. "I'm feeling so terrified right now I feel like I'm gonna wet myself. Some man I am."
"As I said, Willy will understand," Mira spoke quietly. "You said it yourself, he needs to know about it. If you continue to keep this a secret now, it'll become harder and harder to tell the truth and it will make it all the more hurtful."
"You really think so?" asked Elfman.
"Of course I do," Mira said squeezing his hand. "And remember, I'll be here with you. So don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."
Elfman took a deep breath and squeezed his elder sister's hand back feeling a little calmer as they continued walking.
WILLY'S POV
I looked up at the sky watching the rain fall as Mira and Elfman walked ahead of me. I didn't want to eavesdrop on their conversation, but at the same time I couldn't help, but feel a little bored. Not to mention that the rain was beginning to make me feel thirsty. I then opened my mouth drinking the rainwater, but when the taste entered my mouth splashing on my tongue, I immediately noticed a strange taste. The rainwater was filled with something that I didn't expect it to have. Magic power.
"That's odd..." I murmured. "Rain doesn't normally have magic power in it, does it?"
I curiously looked up at the sky and then I saw something that made my eyes widen. In the dark clouds of rain, there was a strange circle forming in the clouds like it was some kind of opening. Not only that, but I was beginning to sense a strange magic power.
"What the heck...? What is that?" I wondered. "Is that some kind of magic storm phenomenon or something?"
Then from inside the vortex in the clouds at the center, lightning flashed and it began to spread all throughout Magnolia. The ground suddenly began to tremble causing me to be alarmed.
"What the heck?! What's going on?!" I exclaimed. "Mira! Elfman! What's-!"
I looked in front of me expecting Mira and Elfman be there, but to my shock, the two had mysteriously disappeared.
"What the...! They're gone!" I cried. "Where did they go?! Where are they?!"
The wind howled and thunder boomed as the ground continued to shake and tremble. Then suddenly, the buildings around me began to bend as they disintegrated into tiny pieces as were being sucked up into the sky in the form of a tornado one by one like a straw with a drink. I tried to fight the wind as I was buffeted with the wind, but it was too strong and I was sent flying. Before I knew it, everything around me turned black as I fell unconscious in the middle of the chaos.
I didn't know how long I was unconscious. When I came to, I was lying face down, my face filled with sand. I spit the sand that was on my lips and on my mouth as I slowly sat up brushing the sand off of my body.
"What... what happened?" I murmured holding my head.
Then I looked up, my eyes being drawn to my surroundings. What I saw was a disturbing and strange sight that made my eyes widen in shock. The entire town that was was once Magnolia had now been reduced to nothing more, but a gloomy and desolate desert. Strange bubbles were floating upwards towards the sky and there was nothing, but dust as it blew about in the wind.
"What... what is this?" I spoke as I slowly stood up not believing what I was seeing. "What... happened to Magnolia? It... disappeared."
"I took a couple steps forward trying and looked around me trying to find any signs of life, but there wasn't a single person to be seen.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?!" I called out hoping that someone would answer me. "Mira?! Elfman! Wendy! Happy?! Natsu! Anyone! If you can hear me please respond!"
No one replied, the only sound being my voice echoing throughout the area. At this point, I was beginning to panic not sure what to do or understand what was going on, but I took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down.
"OK. Stay calm, Willy," I spoke to myself. "There has to be an explanation as to what happened. I just gotta stay calm and keep looking. There has to be someone left."
I then placed a palm on the ground and activated my Aqua Sense. If there was any sign of life, then I would be able to detect it. I closed my eyes and concentrated as my body began to glow in a bright blue color. In my mind, I saw nothing but black. Not a single blue shape could be found.
"Come on... come on..." I thought. "There has to be someone left. I can't be the only one!"
I concentrated harder expanding my radius around me by a couple of miles. I still saw nothing but black, but I refused to give up. I pushed myself a little more expanded my radius by about another mile making me reach my limit. This time, I saw a blue shape in my mind that was northeast of me. I immediately opened my eyes.
"Over there!" I shouted.
I then ran towards the direction I sensed the shape praying that it would be someone I knew. When I was close enough, I used my Aqua Sense one more time. I could see the shape right in front of me.
"Hold on! I'll get you out! Just give me a few seconds!" I spoke as I cloaked my hands with water and then used a spell. "WATER DRAGON WING ATTACK!"
I unleashed a powerful shockwave of water hitting the ground and kicking up a lot of sand and dust. From the dust, a person came flying out of the sand hitting the ground below with a thud getting its upper body stuck in the sand. The person's legs failed about as tried to get out of the sand. It then braced its legs and pulled trying to get itself out until finally pulled itself out of the sand. Upon seeing the person, I recognized it immediately and was surprised to see who it was.
"Gajeel!" I exclaimed. "So it was you!"
"Of course it's me!" the Iron Dragon Slayer snapped glaring angrily. "And what's the big idea attacking me like that?! You looking for a fight?!" Then he took notice of the area around us, his anger being quickly replaced with shock. "Wait... what the crap?! What's the hell's going on here?! What happened to the town?! Where's the guild hall?!"
"I have no idea," I spoke. "I was walking with Mira and Elfman to Kardia Cathedral one minute, the next I woke up to this. I'm as lost as you are."
Then the two of us heard footsteps causing us to turn towards the sound. A young man was walking towards us. Gajeel immediately was on his guard.
"Hey. Who are you?" he growled taking a stance.
"Calm down, Gajeel," the man spoke. "I mean you no harm."
As the man approached us, we now could see who it was. He wore a dark blue cloak and his arms and legs are mostly covered in bandages. But the man's face was what surprised me. He had a distinctive and familiar tattoo on the right side of his face and had wavy blue hair.
"J-Jellal? Is... is that you?" I spoke.
Gajeel then looked back at me. "I take it you know this guy?" he asked.
"Yes. I met him back in the Oración Seis incident," I explained. "But he was sentenced to prison. Which is why I'm surprised he's here." I then looked back towards Jellal. "What are you doing here, Jellal? How did get out of prison? And... what's with the outfit you're wearing?"
"The man arrested in the Nirvana incident wasn't me," spoke Jellal. "We may look alike, but we're two different people. My real name is Mystogan of Fairy Tail."
"Mystogan? As in one of the S class wizards in the guild?" asked Gajeel with a raised. "Gotta say, never expected to see you in person. I have heard a lot about you though."
"I know you both have a lot of questions to ask, but I'm afraid there's not a lot of time to explain," spoke Mystogan. "For as you can see, Magnolia has been reduced to nothing but a wasteland."
"Do you know anything about this?" asked Gajeel. "If you do, then you better start talking."
"Yeah. Please tell us, Mystogan," I spoke. "Do you know anything about what happened to Magnolia?"
"Yes I do," Mystogan said. "To put it simply, Magnolia and its people were taken by a hole in the sky above known as the Anima into an alternative world that people hardly know about. A world that is known as Edolas."
"Edolas?" wondered me and Gajeel.
"Yes. It is a world that is very much like our own world, but is very much different from ours," Mystogan continued. "One of the biggest differences is that unlike the world we live in, Edolas has something lack in resource. And that is magic power. In fact, the magic power that Edolas was diminishing rapidly. The king of Edolas saw this problem and developed a powerful spell. A super-subspace spell which allowed him to absorb magic power from another world converting an entire area into magic energy. That is the spell known as Anima. I've been trying to keep the Anima closed over the past six years, but this one was far too large for me to contain. And thus... Magnolia and its people were absorbed."
"But why Magnolia in particular?" I asked. "Was it because that our guild had a lot of powerful top class wizards?"
"Correct," nodded Mystogan.
"And when you say absorbed, does that mean everyone has been absorbed?" I asked. "Including our friends in Fairy Tail?"
"I'm afraid so," said Mystogan. "However, there have been a couple of survivors. So far, Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy are the ones I've seen to have survived."
"What?! Salamander and that kid are alive?!" exclaimed Gajeel. "If that's true then where the heck are they?"
"Natsu and Wendy using Happy and Carla reentered the Anima leading them to Edolas," explained Mystogan. "As for Lucy, I sent her to Edolas not too long ago with the hopes of increasing our numbers in rescuing our friends. But now, I'm afraid I haven't the time to explain anymore. Time is of the essence. I don't know how much longer the Amina can stay open. You two must go to Edolas and find Magnolia and its people and rescue them. And while you two are doing that, I'll stay behind and keep a look out for any more stragglers."
"Now wait just a minute!" barked Gajeel. "You expect us to go up to another world through some giant hole in the sky?! Not to mention that I'm still having a hard time believing all of this crazy stuff. How do we know that you're telling the truth?"
"Gajeel, I don't think he has any reason to lie," I spoke. "Besides, it's not like we have a lot of options right now. We might be the only two people that are left that can save Magnolia. We gotta trust him."
Mystogan then dug into his pocket handing me a strange item. It was a glass bottle that contained dozens of red ball-like pills.
"One more thing, you both need to take these with you," he said. "They're called X-balls. Since Edolas has a finite source of magic, when you both enter there, you'll both lose the ability to use your magic. However, when you take these, you'll regain them."
"Thanks, Jella- I mean Mystogan," I spoke as I stuffed the pills in my pockets.
Mystogan then raised his staff as a bluish white glow enveloped our bodies. "Now... I'm going to send the both of you through the Anima to Edolas," he said. "Good luck to the two of you and be careful. Remember, with the magic that you two possess, you both may be the only hope Fairy Tail and Magnolia has on saving them along with Natsu and Wendy."
"Wait a damn minute!" yelled Gajeel. "Can't you give us some more details first?! We don't even know where to start looking!"
"I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there," I spoke.
Then before we both had a chance to react, the two of us were immediately shot upwards straight towards the sky heading straight toward the hole in the clouds. The clouds began to ripple as lightning flashed in front of us. The two of us shielded our eyes as we both saw nothing white entering the world of Edolas.
And with this, the Edolas arc has now officially begun!
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Dragoman out!