Here's the next chapter, guys!

Happy reading!

Chapter 118

Magic is Alive

As the sun slowly rose high into the sky, I couldn't help but feel wonderful despite my injuries and how tired I was. After all the craziness, the fighting, and even the pain that we went through, the war was finally over, and Hades was defeated. Now everything was going to be okay, at least I hoped it would be.

"Man... I could really use a huge cup of water right about now..." I sighed as I panted while holding my knees.

"It's finally over," commented Gray. "We did it."

"Yeah," agreed Erza.

"So I guess this means we won, huh?" Wendy said happily. "Thank goodness."

However, we would soon find out that we spoke a little too soon, as we heard a pair of familiar voices coming from a few feet away.

"Everyone! Please help us!"

"You got to save us, Natsu!"

I looked up and then saw Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily running up to us. At first, I wondered what was wrong, but then I saw the reason why. Just behind the Exceeds chasing them relentlessly with their weapons raised was an angry mob of Grimoire Heart soldiers.

"Oh, you got to be kidding me!" I cried with annoyance and disbelief.

"Damn it. Talk about bad timing," said Gray.

"And we're completely out of magic power!" said Erza.

"Then I guess we'll have to fight some more," I said as I took a few steps forward, taking a stance. "No rest for the weary as they say."

Even though I was exhausted and probably had next to nothing in terms of magic power, but I was still ready to fight, determined to put these lackeys to the dirt. But there was no need for that. For at that moment, a loud and familiar voice boomed throughout the place.

"STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!"

At the sound of the voice, everyone immediately stopped freezing in place. I turned around, and I saw a sight that made a smile come across my cheeks as my eyes watered slightly.

Standing above us were the rest of the Fairy Tail guild members, who were battered and weary, but were ready to fight. In the crowd, I could see Elfman and Lisanna there, and I could even see Mira, who was wrapped in bandages, but was alive and well.

"Heya, Gramps!" called out Natsu happily.

"I don't believe it! Everyone's here!" Lucy smiled.

"And everyone's all better too!" added Wendy. "Even the Master and Gajeel!"

"And Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna, too," I spoke feeling relief wash over my body. "Thank goodness."

"Man, are we glad to see you guys," called out Gray.

"Indeed, the Tenrou Tree has returned to normal," Erza said. "And so has its blessing as well."

The Grimoire Heart soldiers started to grow a little uneasy upon seeing Makarov and the others.

"No way! There's more of them?!" one of the soldiers gasped.

"Isn't that Makarov?! I thought Hades took him down already!" said another.

One soldier then saw Hades' body and gasped with shock while pointing. "Hey! Look at that! Isn't that Master Hades over there?!"

"It is! He's been defeated!" gawked a third.

Makarov's eyes then narrowed in a menacing glare as spoke loudly to the soldiers. "I order you all to get off of this island immediately!"

Heeding his warning, the soldiers of Grimoire Heart took off for the hills, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Makarov's wrath. As soon as the soldiers disappeared from sight, everyone erupted in a chorus of cheers and yells in celebration. Lucy was hugging Cana with joy, while Wendy lifted Carla spinning around. As I straightened up, I saw Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman running towards me. At first, I was expecting them to be happy to see me. Mira looked happy, but as for Elfman and Lisanna, they appeared to be mad rather than happy.

"Willy! You got some explaining to do!" Elfman spoke crossly.

"Yeah! You think that you could just leave without saying anything?!" Lisanna spoke angrily. "Do you have any idea how much we've been worried about you?!"

"Whoa! Guys! Take it easy! I can explain!" I spoke, trying to calm them down. "You see the thing is-"

At that moment, Mira came running towards me and jumped straight into me wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug, and Elfman and Lisanna wrapped their arm around me in a hug too, their anger dissipating much to my surprise.

"Willy! I'm so glad that you're okay!" Mira spoke while squeezing me tightly. "I was so worried about you!"

"M-Mira, I'm glad to see you too," I spoke gagging a bit as she hugged me. "But you guys are kind of squeezing me here. Ease up a bit, okay?"

"No way! Think of it as payback for making us worry about you!" chuckled Elfman.

"Yup! And we've got a lot of hugs to give you!" giggled Lisanna. "Think of this as your punishment!"

Then suddenly, I heard Makarov yelling. "IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING ME TO SAY?! HOW DARE YOU SET FOOT ON TENROU ISLAND AFTER I KICKED YOU OUT OF THE GUILD?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU'RE STILL EXPELLED, YOU KNOW?!"

This made me turn my attention to where the Master was, to see that Makarov was yelling at Laxus with Levy desperately trying to hold him back while attempting calming him down. Then at that moment, Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen all rushed over to Laxus and attacked him in a three-way hug, their eyes streaming with tears of joy, much to his disdain.

"Even when he's hurt, the Master's just as strict as ever," commented Elfman. "That's a real man for you."

"I guess so. I mean Laxus is still exiled after all," smiled Mira. "But he'll have a change of heart. Just you watch."

"Let's hope so, for his sake," I said.

"Alright then! Let's get back to the trial!" Natsu yelled, thrusting his fist into the air.

This made me as well as everyone else stare dumbly at Natsu, dumbfounded.

"Are you kidding me right now?!" screeched Happy.

"Of course! I mean the second round of the trail was interrupted by Grimoire Heart, so it doesn't count!" Natsu spoke with a grin. "So I say we simplify things and have an all-out brawl! Willy can even join in if he wants to!"

Gajeel then stomped up to Natsu, his forehead slamming into his. "You must have been hit in the head one too many times if you think you can beat me while you're beaten up like that!" he snarled crossly.

But Natsu was still feeling cocky as he leered at Gajeel snootily. "Whatever! It'll be a cinch because now, I'm a lightning fire drag-"

Then, before Natsu could finish his sentence, his face froze up, twisting into a pained expression while going pale. He stood there for a few seconds or so, but then he fell straight to the ground, out like a light.

"Natsu! Are you okay?!" Levy gasped.

"Don't go passing out on me now, ya wimp!" Gajeel barked indignantly.

"It seems that fainting must be a side effect of eating non-flame magic," commented Erza with a slight smirk.

"But... didn't Lucy mention that a while ago," I said. "I thought that you already knew that, Erza."

"In any case, I think we should head back to base camp," said Wendy.

"If we don't get some rest soon, our bodies won't be able to hold up," added Carla. "Especially since we've been up practically all night from this war."

Everyone else agreed, and all of us started heading back to camp, but then I heard a voice call out.

"Makarov."

This made me as well as the Master stop, a chill going through my spine, recognizing the voice. I turned around and looked towards Hades and saw that he had one eye open, appearing to still be conscious. However, he didn't move from where he laid due to the damage he had taken. Seeing this made me realize an opportunity to question Hades. Especially that he was unable to fight back. I turned around, and I started to walk toward Hades ready to question him, but then Makarov turned his head looking up at me.

"Willy, why don't you go on ahead to camp with the others?" the Master said. "You could use some rest after the battle you went through."

"But Master, with all due respect, Hades owes me some answers," I spoke, my hands clenching. "Not to mention, he has a lot to answer for what he did."

"I know, but it would be wise for you to let me handle this," said Makarov. "Besides, I have a few words to say to him as well. So in the meantime, go with the others and rest up. That's an order from your Master."

I could tell from the tone of voice that he was not only being gentle, but was also being firm and wouldn't take no for an answer. I stared at him for a few seconds before conceding with a nod.

"Very well, Master. As you say," I said as I walked briskly away to catch up with the others.

NO POV

Precht and Makarov were now alone as the other members of Fairy Tail went back to base camp. There was a long silence for a few seconds, until at last Hades spoke.

"Why don't you finish me off?" he asked quietly. "You have the opportunity."

"Over the years, I've learned many things from you," Makarov spoke quietly. "As thanks for that, I'm willing to look the other way after what you've done, but you must leave at once."

"How naive," scoffed Hades. "If you let me live, then I shall return, and when I do, I'll not only crush your guild entirely, but I'll take Willy Falconer as well."

"You may have been able to defeat me," Makarov said. "But you were defeated by the children that I've raised."

"That couldn't be more wrong," Hades spat with venom. "I was weakened because my heart was destroyed no thanks to Willy, and the Tenrou Tree empowered those youngsters. That was nothing more but a coincidence. I'll admit Willy Falconer is quite the calculating boy, but if he hadn't done what he did, I never would have lost to your children."

"Why did you fall to the side of darkness?" Makarov asked. "And what was your reasoning for trying to take Willy?"

"As I told you before, darkness is the true nature of magic," said Hades. "It is comprised of miracles that were born in shadows and were eventually brought into the light. After I retired from the guild, I began traveling down the path of magic with the hopes of learning all of the principles of the world. I learned that the one we live in is nothing but lies even with its overflowing magic. The Grand Magic World that Lord Zeref described was the true world of magic, and I wanted nothing more than to see it for myself. To make that happen, I gathered all the necessary keys and collected all the info as much as I could to resurrect Zeref, which was why I was intent on capturing Willy Falconer so I could get the information I needed."

Hade then raised up his hand as if he was trying to reaching for something high in the sky.

"I was so close," he went on bitterly. "I was just a little bit further to obtaining The One Magic. It was almost within my reach."

"Even if your dream had been realized, it wouldn't have changed a thing," Makarov said. "Whether magic's true nature is darkness or light, I can accept that. After all, magic is alive, its purpose ever-evolving with the times and growing along with the wizards that use it. There's no definition of magic because everyone thinks of it differently. It's as limitless as your imagination, being darkness, light, even the colors red or blue depending on who is casting it. Fairy Tail is free to use magic however we see fit. Those are things that I've learned from you, Master Precht."

Makarov then started to walk away, but then Hades called out to him again.

"Boy, now it is my turn to ask you a question," he said. "Why do you keep Willy in your ranks despite what he is? You know that he's a traitor and yet you've accepted him as one of your children. That boy is someone that will turn on you when you least expect it. A curse that will strike your guild if you don't do something about it. As long as he's with you, there will be a cloud of doom hanging over your heads that will bring you as well as your children to ruin. No matter what path he takes, the darkness will follow him until he accepts it and destroys everything in his path."

Makarov stopped and then looked back at Hades, a small hint of anger evident on his face for a brief moment, but then spoke calmly to Hades.

"Yes, you are correct. Keeping Willy with us might seem to be a dangerous move, considering that every member of the Barem Alliance is after him," Makarov spoke quietly. "However, Willy is a member of the Fairy Tail family, and will be addressed as such. If anyone dares to try and hurt him or even try to punish him for a crime he didn't commit, we of Fairy Tail will protect him until our last breath."

Hades turned his head and stared at Makarov in disbelief, as the man turned on his heel and walked away.

WILLY'S POV

Back at base camp, everyone was now either eating or taking their time to rest up. Everyone that was except for Natsu who was fast asleep, snoring loudly due to usnig his Lightning Flame Dragon state. As soon as we got back, I had a lot of explaining to do when it came to sneaking to Tenrou Island and the fact that I went off without telling anyone back at base camp. Everyone was a bit cross with me and bewildered, but eventually calmed down and were grateful that I came to help them.

After that, I sat down by a tree leaning up against it while watching the others go about their way. I could see the Thunder Legion talking with Laxus still feeling happy that he came back. Cana and Lucy were speaking with Capricorn, Lucy appearing to be comically crying for some unknown reason while Cana was laughing. Everyone else was either eating or taking their time recharging their batteries. As I continued watching from afar, I couldn't help but feel relaxed and happy that things were finally getting back to normal.

"I'm just glad that everyone's safe and well, and we were able to get out this war alive. Hopefully now, I can finally get some rest, and put this behind me."

Then I felt a sharp pain from my wrists, which made me wince just a little. Wondering what was going on, I pulled back my bandages on my left arm, looking underneath to see my scar. It was right there just as it always was, but I noticed something different. My scar were there just as they always was, but now it had a couple of strange and noticeable red lines that seemed to come out of it spreading a little. I then checked my other scar on my right wrist, and it was the same as my left.

"Wh-what... what is this?! Why... do my scars look like this? Did I take more damage than I figured or... could be something else?"

Then I sensed someone coming towards me, which made me hurriedly cover up my scars with my bandages, not wanting anyone to see. The person that approached me was none other than Lisanna.

"Hey there, Willy," greeted Lisanna. "Whatcha doing over here?"

"Nothing much," I replied to her. "Just sitting here is all. You?"

"Same," Lisanna spoke as she sat next to me.

The two of us then sat in silence for a bit. At first, I was wondering if Lisanna had anything to say to me, but at the same time, I was waiting for her to say something not wanting to interrupt her. Then I decided to break the silence.

"Was... there something that you wanted, Lisanna?" I asked.

Lisanna seemed to jump a little. "Oh! Well... nothing really. I just wanted to see how you were doing is all," she said. "And you seem to be doing just fine, so... I suppose I'll just be going."

She then got up about to get up on her feet, when suddenly, she let out a grunt in pain and fell to her knees while holding her stomach. I checked her over trying to see what was the matter, when I saw a bruise underneath her shirt. As soon as I saw it, I couldn't help but gasp.

"Lisanna?! What happened to you?! How did you get that bruise on your stomach?!"

"Oh. This was from that Azuma guy a while back when me and Mira were fighting him," Lisanna explained. "He managed to get a good hit in when my guard was down. Don't worry. It doesn't hurt that much."

"Don't even try to act tough!" I scolded. "You're obviously hurting right now!"

I helped her sit down against the tree and lifted her shirt, exposing the bruise, and then hovered my hands just above the injury, making my hands glow in a bright blue.

"Now, stay still. I'm going to use my healing magic to heal you up," I said to Lisanna. "So don't move, OK?"

I concentrated and then began using my healing magic, making the bruise glow in the same color as my hands. As I started to cast the spell, the bruise slowly began to dissipate and shrink, but for some reason, it seemed to be taking a bit more time than usual. However, I didn't stop as I continued to heal her.

Lisanna then spoke up again. "Thank you very much, Willy," she said. "You... didn't have to do this considering that you're pretty banged up and don't have much magic left."

"Of course I do. I mean I can't just leave you in pain after all," I said. "Besides, I'm feeling alright thanks to the Tenrou Tree, so it's no problem."

As I continued to cast my healing spell, Lisanna's bruise continued to shrink fade away. All the while, I couldn't help but grow a little tired from this which puzzled me.

"Why is it taking so long to heal her wound? Normally I would be done by now, but for some reason it's this slow. Maybe I spoke a little soon."

"Say, Willy. There's something I've wanted to ask you about," said Lisanna. "Back in the fight with Azuma, do you... remember anything that had happened?"

I closed my eyes, trying to remember anything from back that time, only to draw a blank. "Not really. I remember trying to get to you guys as fast as I can, and then I saw you holding Mira in her arms," I replied. "After that, it's all a blur." I then looked up at her. "Why do you ask? Did something happen to me?"

Lisanna frowned for a brief second before giving her reply. "Yes. Azuma was able to get the drop on you, and knocked you out with one of his explosions," she said. "Which was why you were unconscious. After that, Azuma left, leaving us behind."

I looked at Lisanna for a few seconds feeling a bit angry, but that subsided in a matter of seconds. "I see. Damn it! I suppose seeing you and Mira like that must have made me so angry, that I let my guard down when I froze up. I'm sorry if I let you down."

"No, it wasn't your fault," Lisanna spoke, shaking her head. "I'm only sorry I couldn't protect you guys, and wasn't strong enough."

"There was nothing that you could have done," I insisted. "The only thing that should matter is that you and Mira got out of that fight in one piece. Well, if you exclude the injuries."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right," said Lisanna with a hint of doubt. "But still..."

Soon enough, the bruise on Lisanna's stomach was gone, and Lisanna was able to stand up once again.

"You should be back to normal now, Lisanna," I said. "But make sure not to push yourself, just to be safe."

Lisanna gave me a tiny smile. "Don't worry. I won't. Thank you very much, Willy."

"Hey. What are you two doing over there?" asked a voice. "You two appear to be having a good time."

I turned around and saw Mira approaching towards us. She was dressed in a simple pink top with a towel-like white bottom, with bandages covering her arms and one pasted on her left cheek. Despite her injuries, she seemed to be doing well.

"Oh, hey, Mira," I greeted. "How are you feeling? Shouldn't you be resting, right now?"

"I'm alright. I may be a little beaten up, but thanks to Wendy's help as well as the Tenrou Tree, I'm healthy as a horse," replied Mira with a grin. "Willy, I was hoping to talk to you if you're not busy, that is."

I then glanced over at Lisanna, wondering if it was alright with her that I'd leave. She answered with a nod.

"Go ahead. I was going to go see the others anyway," Lisanna said, giving a teasing wink. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

This made me blush just a smidge, and before I could even try to deny it, Lisanna scampered away leaving Mira and me by ourselves.

NO POV

As Lisanna walked away from Mira and Willy, she couldn't help but look back towards the two while making sure they didn't see. She then felt her stomach making sure that the pain had entirely dissipated by pressing on it.

"I know that Willy managed to heal the bruise, but I still couldn't bring myself to tell Willy what happened," Lisanna thought. "If I did, it would tear him apart. Not to mention if anyone else in the guild found out..."

Lisanna bit her lip as she hugged herself in frustration, trying to figure out what she should do. After a few seconds of thinking, the tension left her body as she took a deep breath, walking away to join the others.

Lisanna decides to keep quiet about Willy injuring her.

But is this the best way to go about it?

If you liked what you read, or want me to improve on something, feel free to leave a review!

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me!

Dragoman, signing off!