I apologize for the wait. I had a mean case of writer's block, but I managed to write a chapter for you guys!

Anyhow, here's the next chapter that will be the start of the next arc!

I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 143

A Strange Encounter

A few days had passed since the incident with the phoenix. The weight of Éclair and Momon's deaths still lingered on the saddened hearts of Fairy Tail, but life pretty much returned to normal when they went back to Magnolia. Lucy even started to smile again, despite the grief she suffered.

It was another sunny day at the tavern. Natsu, Elfman, and Happy were busily at work outside tending to the fields, while Mira and Lisanna gathered some water. As they worked, the Strauss siblings were speaking to Natsu about something that's been on their minds for quite a bit.

"Say, Natsu?" said Mira. "You know Lisanna's grave back at Kardia Cathedral?"

"Her grave?" Natsu repeated, feeling a bit surprised. "Well, you sound a bit morbid this morning, Mira. Why would you ask about that?"

"Well, since Lisanna's still alive, it's pointless to have it up over there," explained Mira.

"And I'd rather not have to look at it again," said Elfman.

"Then just go knock it over," Happy suggested. "I mean, it's just sitting there."

"Come on, Happy. That's a bit harsh," Lisanna chided.

"Well, the church said the decision's up to us, so we have time to think it through," said Elfman. "But I'm not sure what we should do with it."

"This reminds me of the one Natsu, and I made back in the Everfree Forest," Happy smiled. "And that's the one thing Natsu would never wreck. Right, you big softy?"

Natsu's cheeks went pink. "You just had to go and bring that up, did you?" he said, looking away. "This isn't the time to bring that up, okay?"

Lisanna couldn't help but let out a small giggle, as she looked at Natsu.

"Well, maybe we could leave it as a monument to the day when Lisanna came back to us," Mira suggested thoughtfully. "Although, changing the text is going to be a bit pricy."

"Speaking of the church, I just remembered something," said Lisanna. "Isn't this a special time for them?"

"Are you talking about that thing with the archbishop?" asked Elfman. "I think I remember that. I heard he's coming to town or something like that."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Natsu.

"I think I know what you guys are talking about," said Happy as he began to explain to Natsu. "Once every few years, this arch-fish-up guy comes into town to perform a big important ritual."

"Well, you got most of that right, Happy," said Mira. "Throngs of people pilgrimages from faraway lands just to catch a glimpse of him."

"Really? For just one guy? said Natsu. "Seems like no big deal to me."

"Geez, you don't know anything, do you, Natsu?" sighed Happy.

"Shut up!" Natsu huffed. "Neither do you!"

The Strauss siblings couldn't help but chuckle at the two as they went about their banter. Mira then gazed upwards toward the sky, shielding her eyes a bit from the afternoon sun. Usually, she would marvel at what a nice day today was, but she had something else on her mind. Something that made her frown a little bit as she gazed at the sky.

She was worried about Willy. Ever since they came back from Veronica, Mira noticed that he had been spending a lot of time alone as of late, and she certainly knew why. After all, Willy had gotten close with Éclair and Momon and considered them his best friends only to have them dead and gone a few moments later. Mira couldn't help but feel worried.

"If only there were some way to cheer Willy up," Mira thought to herself. "But considering everything that's happened, I can't blame him for being depressed."

She then remembered back to when she talked to Willy the other day, when he was about to leave for a solo job.

Willy had just picked a job request, and after checking in with Mira, he was about to walk out of the room, when Mira called out to him.

"Hey, Willy. You got a minute?"

Willy stopped. "Sure. What's up, Mira?"

"Nothing much," said Mira. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Willy smiled at Mira. "I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."

Mira could sense that the smile Willy had didn't have the usual energy it did before, so she knew that something was wrong with him, but she didn't bring it up.

"So, you're going out on another job," Mira asked. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

Willy then shook his head. "No, thank you, Mira. I can handle this job on my own, but thank you for asking," 'he spoke politely. "Besides, I'd... rather be by myself right now."

And with that, Willy turned on his heel and walked out of the tavern, leaving Mira behind with a worried look on her face.

"Hey, Mira. What's up? You look sad for some reason."

Mira softly gasped as she turned her attention to Happy, who was the one that was talking to her. The silvernette then smiled kindly at the blue exceed.

"Don't worry, Happy. I'm okay," said Mira. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"About Willy?" asked Lisanna.

Mira looked across to her sister; then she sighed with a smile. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes and no," Lisanna said. "I kind of figured, but at the same time, you're not the only one who's thinking about him."

"I haven't seen him around the guild lately now that you mention it," said Elfman. "From what I heard, he's been taking a lot of solo jobs, and after he's finished with them, he immediately leaves for another job afterward."

"We even offered to go on a job with him whenever we saw him, but he would always turn us down and go on his own," added Happy. "I wonder if he's still feeling depressed over what happened."

"You can't blame him though," Lisanna spoke quietly. "He's most likely still not over what happened to Éclair and Momon. We did lose them both in one night, and he was close to both of them."

"Well, I suppose we could try to talk to him," said Elfman. "I guess we can wait until he gets back, and try to talk to him then. Until then, let's handle our daily chores for the day."

"Okay," said Lisanna and Happy.

Natsu didn't say a word as he resumed plowing the field with his hoe along with Elfman and Happy. As Lisanna and Mira went off to do their chores, Mira couldn't help but frown with worry wondering about Willy's current state.

WILLY'S POV

I was riding the train back to Magnolia after just completing a fishing job over at Hargeon. It had been a while since I've ever done such a job, and I had a bit of fun swimming around catching fish, but I couldn't help feel less than enthusiastic as I sat in my seat watching the landscape go by with only the sound of the clackety-clack of the train for company.

Ever since the incident with the Phoenix, I couldn't stop thinking about the events that transpired back then, most notably, what happened to Éclair. I knew what happened to her had to be done to save Veronica as well as the world, but that didn't change that she died because of me, and that alone almost made me sick to my stomach. Not only that, but because of me releasing my power the way I did, a lot of my clothes ended up damaged, exposing my scars, which had also expanded quite a bit, including my neck. Luckily, no one else saw them, but I had to keep them hidden using bandages until I could get some new clothes. Since then, I've kept them on while wearing the new clothes I bought so no one would see.

I've also had a lot of people come up to me and ask me how I was doing or going out on a job with them. I would always reply with a smile telling them I was OK or politely turn them down, not wanting them to worry, despite me feeling like crud. It wasn't like I wanted to talk or do things with them, I just didn't want to be a bother to anyone, or at least get everyone involved with my issues. Besides, it wasn't that big of a deal.

As far as good news went, Lucy had started to grow happy again as the days passed, which made me glad. She was smiling so much; you would never think that she was suffering through grief in the first place. But I couldn't help but wonder how she was doing, and was just putting on a brave face, suffering inside as much as I was.

Soon enough, the train came to a stop at with a screech and a whoosh as the car I was sitting in jolted slightly. Knowing that this was where I got off, I left my seat and exited. I then walked away from the station and into the streets of Magnolia, which was as bustling as ever. Typically, I would have flown back to the tavern, but today, I wanted to take my time and walk, thinking I could use the time and exercise.

As I headed for Base, I kept my gaze on the ground, not paying attention to where I was going busy thinking. Then as I walked along the canal going past our apartments, I heard a voice.

"Oh. Where am I? I just can't seem to find my way around here."

Upon hearing the voice, I looked up, wondering where the voice came from, and when I did, I saw a young woman. She appeared to be young, right about Lucy's age, had long and wavy blonde hair that went to her waist, and wore a dress that had white trims and a dark pink ribbon attached to the top of the dress, it also was dark pink on the skirt, and the upper body was light pink. She also had a pink bonnet with white trims on her head, while she had a blue corsage on the left side. She also carried a large and long brown suitcase that was almost half her size.

"I wonder who she could be?" I wondered to myself. "She looks like someone from one of those high-class families."

The girl looked around, appearing to be flustered and worried as she looked. Then she turned towards my direction, and when she did, her face lit up with joy as she rushed towards me.

"Excuse me, Sir! I need your help!"

But as she tried to make her way over to me, she stumbled, and before I could say watch out, she fell flat on her face with a bump. When she did, she let out a small wail as her eyes began to flow with tears.

"Owie! That hurt!" the girl wailed.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I asked as I rushed over to her. "Let me help you up."

I took hold of her hand and helped her to her feet while checking her over. The girl looked up at me, and her teary eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Thank you for being so kind to me," the girl said. "Though I really must apologize. I can be a bit clumsy."

"No need to say sorry," I said. "It happens."

The girl then bent down and picked up her suitcase, and I checked her over to see if she was hurt as I talked to her.

"You don't seem to be from around here," I said. "Are you lost, Miss?"

"Oh, yes, I am. I was hoping that you could give me directions to a place I'm looking for," said the girl. "Do you, by any chance, know where the Fairy Tail guildhall is?"

"The Fairy Tail guildhall?" I repeated, raising a brow. "Well, yeah. I do. Do you have business over there?"

"Yes. I do. You see, I have something to deliver in this suitcase, and it's essential that I get it there right away," the girl explained while showing me the suitcase. "If you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it, Sir."

At first, I did find this girl a bit strange, and wondered why she would be looking for the Fairy Tail guild. However, I also figured that she could be either a client for a job, so I decided to help her a bit.

"You see that windmill in the distance where that mountain is at?" I asked the girl while pointing. "That's where it is. If you go outside of town and follow along the path leading upward, you'll eventually get to it."

The girl looked to where I was pointing, squinting her eyes as she forehead squinted. When she saw where I was pointing, her face lit up with joy. "Oh! There it is! I see it!" she said happily. "Thank you so much for giving me directions. You've been very kind."

"It's no big deal. Happy to help you, Miss," I said with a light smile.

"You know, I wish other people were kind like you," the girl said, her eyes tearing up again. "You're just so kind and sweet; I almost feel bad, causing you trouble like this!"

"Whoa, whoa. Easy there," I said, trying to soothe the girl. "It's honestly no trouble at all, so please don't cry. It's okay."

The girl wiped her tears and gave me one more heartfelt smile before bowing politely. "OK, then. Well, I best be going now. Thank you again, Kind Sir. I won't forget what you've done for me. Have a nice day."

And the girl turned around and walked away. As I stood there watching her go, I couldn't help not only feel curious about her, but also a bit weirded out.

"What a strange girl," I murmured to myself. "She certainly isn't like any other girl I've seen before."

NO POV

A church was engulfed in flames as numerous priests stood outside watching this horrific scene with horror and shock. Amongst the fire, an eerie and sinister laugh filled the air, causing all of the priests to jump from startlement.

Then from the flames, a strange creature emerged. It appeared a mechanical bear with a pink head, a blue body in the shape of a slot machine with a golden lever, and had metal arms and legs, along with a large yellow ring with blue lights.

As the mechanical bear continued to laugh manically, the church continued to burn while collapse around it, as it said these words.

"It's close! So very close! Time ticks forward, towards the inevitable chaos!"

An old man woke up with a start, shooting up from his bed with fright, panting while drenched in sweat. He looked around

"That dream again...!" the old man whispered, his voice cracking with stress. "Time ticks forward, towards the inevitable chaos? What does that mean?"

As the old man sat in his bed, trying to get his breathing in order by breathing slowly, he heard the sounds of echoing footsteps coming towards him, causing him to look up.

The man was tall, had pale white skin, short gray hair, brown eyes, and wore traditional garb belonging to a church, which comprised of a navy blue cassock tied with a lighter sash, a necklace with a symbol and a cloak, with gold parts. Also, on top of his head, was a Mitre that matches in color with his outfit, also bearing the same symbol as his necklace.

"Your Grace, are you feeling alright?" the man asked.

"It's happened again, Lapointe," the old man said. "That same nightmare I've been having over and over again. Why must these dreams continue to haunt me so? Could they be premonitions of the future, and are showing me that the world is leading me to certain doom?!"

"Calm yourself, Your Grace," the man gently told him. "It was nothing more but a dream. It's nothing for you to fret over."

"But Lapointe, I keep seeing our church's burning in flames," the old man went on. "And there's this strange creature in it that keeps talking about a strange prophecy."

"As I said, it was nothing more but a dream," Lapointe told him. "These dreams are making you so fearful, that they're starting to make you lose your sense of reality. Now, why don't you lie back down and get some rest? We have to make sure that you're up to full strength for the ritual."

The old man still was insistent, but Lapointe did bring up a good point when it came to the ritual. After all, he didn't want to let down his people. So he did as Lapointe asked and lay down in his bed, and with that, Lapointe left walking out of the old man's chambers.

Then, no sooner than he left, he heard a voice that came from inside of his head via telepathy.

"Master, are you there, Master?"

Lapointe then stopped putting to fingers to his forehead. "Yes, I am here," he said. "What's your status, Jackpot?"

"Everything is proceeding as planned," the voice said. "I have succeeded in taking down another church as you said, Master."

"Very good," Lapointe said. "What about the others? How is their progress?"

"Very well, Master! The others have been destroying churches left and right without any resistance! Even the Magic Council doesn't have a clue what we're doing!" said the voice. "Not only that, but the next phase of our little plan is already proceeding as planned."

"Excellent. Make sure you keep me posted," Lapointe said. "Do not fail me."

"Understood, Master!" the voice said.

Lapointe then resumed walking as the telepathy turned off. As he did, a dark smile crossed his face as he chuckled softly. "Finally, our time has come," he said. "Very soon, we will have our revenge by destroying everything that has form in this world, and the age of Real Nightmare will soon begin."

The next arc I'll get into is the Key of the Stars arc!

I know people have mixed opinions about this one, but I plan to make it better!

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

If you got any questions, please PM me!

Dragoman, signing off!