A few days had passed since the Fairy Tail team returned from their mission to stop the Oracion Seis. No new incidents have occurred in Magnolia City since then, and repairs on the guild hall have been taking place. It is now well into the evening, and things are quiet at the guild. A few mages, including Bisca, Alzack, Warrod, and Bickslow, agreed to take turns staying up on the top floor and keeping watch for anyone suspicious approaching from outside. This has been going on for the past few days.

Meanwhile, on the first floor a small group of guild members are gathered for an informal meeting. This includes Levy and Lucy, standing by a pillar near the stage. Evergreen is sitting at a table drinking tea. Gray is sitting on the edge of another table nearby. Juvia is sitting on a bench, and Elfman is standing by the stage with his arms folded. There aren't many other mages in the guild at the moment, so the lighting is a little dimmer than usual. Levy speaks up first.

"Lucy and I have been researching for the past few days, seeing if we can find any info on the guys who attacked us." She said. Gray responds, "Did you find anything useful? What they're called, where their base of operations might be?" Levy shakes her head.

"Not much, unfortunately. We've looked at different records and archives, including for guilds in Bosco. We didn't find anything. Nothing matching their description. We have heard reports of attacks in other parts of Fiore though." Gray nodded. "Yeah, Lamia scale was attacked. Their guild hall was destroyed. Good thing Lyon and his team weren't there."

"Blue Pegasus was attacked too. I heard their master was killed." Lucy chimed in. Elfman wore a scowl as he heard all of this. "So, they're a bunch of cowards. They wait until our teams are gone, and then they attack our guilds. Bastards." He smacked his fist into his palm for emphasis. This prompted Juvia to chime in. "They do seem rather opportunistic. They were able to get a few of the Oracion Seis on their side. But I notice that they waited until the group was split up, and their leader Brain wasn't around."

Gray nodded at Juvia's words. "Yeah. Nothing I've heard about them so far makes them sound all that threatening as far as magic power goes. But they're definitely sneaky as hell."

"What about that female leader Racer told us about? She sounds like she could be dangerous. What was her name again?" Lucy said.

"It starts with a 'B'." Juvia added.

"I bet it does." Gray contributed.

"Real mature." Levy said drily. She then closed her eyes, and pinched the area in between her eyes. She felt tired. But she continued. "Anyway, after searching through information on guilds, both dark and legal, we didn't find anything. Which means that either they're from somewhere even further away, or they aren't a magic guild at all."

"If they're not a magic guild, then what are they?" Everyone was wondering it, but Evergreen asked the question.

"That is the question." Levy said wearily. Elfman suddenly stepped forward. "Hey, that one old guy that was with them said that they were from a different time or something. Maybe they're time travelers." Evergreen shot Elfman a dirty look. "Time travelers? How stupid are you?" Elfman sneered back at her. But Levy put her finger to her chin. "Hmm. He did say they were from a different time, but I thought he was just being figurative. But maybe we shouldn't dismiss it."

"If you say so…" Evergreen said skeptically.

After that, everyone just stood there for a minute with nothing in particular to add. Finally, Levy clapped her hands together and said, "Okay, I guess that's it then. We're all caught up now, right? And I'm going to contact the master soon and let him know what's going on."

"I thought he'd be back by now." Lucy said.

"Yeah. The last time I spoke to him he said he's been having trouble getting information. Apparently, things are pretty busy over at the magic council. Oh and Lucy, I think we've done enough research for today. We can pick it up again tomorrow. Appreciate the help as always."

"No more researching today? Well, if you say so…" Lucy said, trying not to sound too relieved.

"Ha ha, yeah sure. In fact, we can start this up again tomorrow evening. The break might give us a fresh perspective." Levy said. "Right! Thanks Levy!" Lucy said, already halfway out the door. Watching her go, Levy sighed. "Well, I've got a couple things to clean up, and then I guess I should go check on Mr. Mystogan. He's healed up and says he's ready to talk." Levy walked off to the back to go clean up her notes. Gray and Juvia wandered off as well, leaving Evergreen and Elfman the only ones left there.

For a minute neither of them said anything. They exchanged neither words nor glances. Evergreen sat there sipping her tea, and Elfman leaned back against the stage with his arms folded. It was quiet enough that they could hear each other breathing. Evergreen felt that it was starting to get a little awkward, so she decided to say something.

"So, Elfman… how is it going?" she asked. Elfman lifted his head and glanced at her. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked. Evergreen sighed. "I'm just making conversation. You do know how to have one, right?" Elfman took a step forward and stretched his arms.

"You and I never talked before, and I don't see why we should start now." He said. Evergreen shrugged. "Suit yourself." She looked down at her teacup. It was almost empty. "You know, maybe I should switch to wine." She mused to herself. Elfman looked over at her. He noticed that she looked like something was bothering her. He also began to wonder why she was sitting here alone at this time of night. She didn't usually do that. He wasn't sure if it was concern, or just curiosity, but either way he felt compelled to ask her. "Is something bothering you, Evergreen?" he asked clumsily. She didn't look up at him. Her gaze remained on her cup. She responded, "Yeah, I suppose. What of it?" Elfman scratched his head.

"Well, you wanna talk about it? I mean, is it this whole thing with the cult group and the samurai, or is it something else?" Elfman kept asking her. He felt uncomfortable, and wasn't sure how to talk to her. Evergreen glanced up at him. "There's that. I think everyone is preoccupied with that stuff though. There is something else. But its personal." She finished the last of her tea. She began eyeing the alcohol nearby. But then she said, "What about you? You seem distracted by something too." Elfman wondered If he should answer her. He ended up sitting down across from her. He realized he wanted to talk. Not to her specifically, just to someone.

"Well… Mirajane hasn't been feeling too well. I mean, physically she's fine. But she just seems kinda down lately." Elfman explained this as Evergreen listened.

"I heard she got her power back. That's a good thing." Evergreen said this sincerely, but also with a hint of jealousy. She had had aspirations of being the strongest woman in Fairy Tail. She had failed to attain that goal during Fantasia, and now Mirajane has her power again. Evergreen was aware of how powerful Mirajane is. Elfman apparently took her remark at face value though.

"Yeah, its good that she's not helpless anymore. But some of the stuff that's happened has really gotten to her. I just don't know what to say." He made a fist as if he wanted to punch something. He seemed to have trouble figuring out how to solve a problem that didn't involve manliness.

"I think I understand. Freed is still in a coma. I… really thought he would wake up by now. Bickslow acts like he's okay, but I can tell its still affecting him. I don't know what to say either. I don't know if the Thunder Legion will ever be whole again." Evergreen didn't mention the dismissal of Laxus, even though that still bothered her too. She recognized that there was a legitimate reason why he wasn't there now, even if she wished he were. She rested her head on her palm. Elfman nodded. "Its hard." Was all he could think to say. He wasn't expecting to have a conversation like this, especially with Evergreen of all people.

Evergreen started to get up. "Well, its getting late." She said. Before she could go, Elfman spoke. "Hey uh, Evergreen. You said you were thinking of having wine, right? Did you… want someone to drink with?" he asked, not looking her in the eye. Evergreen looked surprised. "You mean, you and me? Drinking together?" Elfman suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Yeah well… Never mind, it was a bad idea." Evergreen considered for a moment. "Actually, I wouldn't mind that. We can have a drink." She said. She wasn't sure if she was just lonely, or if she was seeing something in Elfman that she hadn't seen before. But she found that she was surprisingly not opposed to his suggestion.

Elfman looked back at her in surprise, and then smiled a little. "Really? Well okay then." He said.

"Just drinks though. That's all." She added. "Right, right." Elfman said. He stood up. "But hey, if we're going to get drinks then I gotta tell you, wine isn't really my thing. I want something more manly." Evergreen blew air out of her nose. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Am I that predictable?" Elfman asked. Evergreen put her finger to her chin and considered her reply. "Predictability isn't always a bad thing."


Outside the Fairy Tail guild, Lucy Heartfilia was walking home. She was a few blocks from the guild by this point, and was slowly making her way back to her apartment. She was walking alone down the street. It was a quiet night. No rain, no wind. It was cloudy though, so she couldn't see the moon or stars. There were only a few other people walking around. It was still a little while before Lucy's usual time to go to bed, but she was tired from helping Levy research all day.

She walked for several minutes without stopping or looking at anything. Her head was full of distracting thoughts. The research she was helping Levy with, of course. But other things too. She hadn't had a chance to train lately. She still felt too weak. Especially with the guild losing so many members, either due to death or other circumstances. And she also worried about another attack by this mysterious group. She was fairly confident Fairy Tail could beat them in another confrontation. But how many more people might die?

As she was thinking these things, she suddenly stopped walking. She had come to a dead end. This confused her. She looked around, and realized she had somehow walked into an alley. Lucy realized she must have taken a wrong turn at some point. Damn, I wasn't paying attention, she thought. She turned around, and started walking back out of the alley. She needed to get her bearings. As she walked, she saw someone standing at the alley entrance. She stopped. It was dark, so she couldn't see clearly. It appeared to be a man in a coat. She became nervous. It could be nothing. Or it could be an enemy. She thought this as she stood there. He wasn't moving. Just standing and watching. Lucy backed up a little, and felt something behind her. Someone grabbed her. He held her tight, and the man at the alley entrance began walking closer. Lucy no longer felt tired. Her body was now full of adrenaline.

She tried to fight, and thrashed, but the person holding her had her tight, and she couldn't escape. The man in front of her walked closer. She could see his face, but didn't recognize him. He looked sleazy and unshaven. He was wearing drab clothes. "Let's see what you got." He said. He reached towards her. She felt scared as he started reaching at her clothes. He just put his hands into her pockets though, at least for the moment. He pulled out her wallet and looked at it. "Not much in here." He said. She was starting to think these guys had nothing to do with the people who attacked Fairy Tail. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She realized they might just be robbers. Or, they might be something worse, even if they're not connected to the attackers from before. She made an effort to reach for her celestial keys.

Apparently one of them noticed, because he suddenly grabbed her keys off of her. Lucy tried to shout something, but a hand covered her mouth. "Hey, these keys are magic right? What can we do with them? Bet they're worth a lot." One of them said. The man in front of Lucy stepped even closer. She could feel his breath on her. "I got another question. What should we do with you?" he said. He raised a hand and stroked her hair. She felt fear and anger. She also felt helpless to do anything. Lucy closed her eyes. She heard a thudding noise. The man behind her let her go. She stumbled and fell to her knees. She opened her eyes, and saw her keys falls to the ground, and heard a few more thudding sounds around her. She quickly grabbed her keys and held them tight, prepared to use one of them. She looked up. The two men had been knocked unconscious, and standing in front of her was another man. He was wearing a suit and had orange hair.

"Loke." Lucy said. She looked up at him. "Hey Lucy. Sorry for the late entrance." He said. He held a hand out towards her. After a moment, she took his hand and stood up.

"Are you okay?" Loke asked.

"I think so." She said. She looked at her keys.

"I did say I would come to save you if you needed it." He told her. Lucy nodded. "You did. Thank you." She said in a quiet voice. She put her keys away. She looked down at her clothes. They were dirty. She tried to wipe some of the dirt off, then quickly gave up. "Hey Lucy." Loke said. She looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Want me to walk you home?" he asked. "Yeah. I'd like that." She said. They left the alley together. They both began walking towards Lucy's apartment, side by side. It was only a few blocks away, so it wouldn't take them long to get there. They walked down the street together at a moderate pace. The street was mostly empty. It was getting colder. Loke looked at Lucy. "Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?" She shook her head. "No thanks." They walked further.

About a block from the apartment Lucy suddenly said, "Déjà vu." Loke looked confused. "Huh?" Lucy turned to him. "This happened before. You saving me like this. Not exactly the same, but close. Remember when you saved me from those two creepy mages, back when you were a regular member of Fairy Tail? And then I found out you were a celestial spirit. That blew my mind."

Loke waited to see if she would continue. He sensed she was waiting for him to respond though. "Yeah, I remember. I guess I've always been looking out for you, huh?" He said this playfully, but Lucy looked a little sad. He assumed it was because she was shaken up by what had happened. He decided to try taking her mind off of it. "You know, I notice you call me Loke, but also call me Leo sometimes." Lucy glanced at him. "Yeah, I guess I do. Its weird. When I first met you, you were Loke. But you're also Leo the Lion. So, I guess I think of you as both." She said. Loke nodded.

"I actually prefer Loke. I've gotten used to that name." he said. Lucy showed a small smile. "I'll try to remember that." By this point they had made it to the front door of the apartment building. Lucy put a foot on the step. Loke looked around. "Well, I guess you can handle it from here. Just call me if you need me again, Lucy." To his surprise, Lucy suddenly grabbed his arm. "Wait. Would you mind… staying with me for a little while?" She looked him in the eyes as she said this. Loke was caught off guard. Maybe she's more upset about what happened then I thought, Loke thought. He smiled at her. "Sure. I'll stay for a little while. You want me to come in?" Lucy nodded. She let go of his arm. She opened the door, and they walked inside together. Lucy climbed the stairs to her room. As Loke followed her up, it occurred to him that he had never been there before.

Lucy led him into her apartment. He looked around. He looked at her books, and her writing desk. He wasn't expecting that. He also observed how neat and tidy everything was. That he was expecting. "Hmm." He said. Lucy turned around. "What is it?" she asked. Loke's train of thought was broken. "Oh, nothing." He said dismissively. Lucy shrugged, and went to sit down in a chair. Loke stood there awkwardly, not sure what he was supposed to do. Normally Loke was a pretty confident guy, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle Lucy in this situation. He wasn't sure if she was okay or not. Watching him stand there, Lucy patted her hand on a seat next to hers, inviting him to have a seat. He walked over and sat down next to her.

As they sat there, Loke tried to think of something to talk about with her. He mentioned the first thing that came to mind. "So, you like to read, huh?" he said. Lucy looked a little surprised by his question, but then smiled a little. "Yeah. I like reading. And writing. I haven't been doing much of either lately though. A lot's been going on." She said. Loke nodded.

"I hear you. But its good to have a hobby. Can help take your mind off things. Maybe you should try getting back into it, if there's time." Lucy appeared to consider this, and said, "Yeah, maybe." She rested her cheek on her knuckles, and appeared to be thinking of something else. Loke could tell she was distracted, but he still wasn't sure what to say to her. After a couple minutes he thought of something. But Lucy spoke first.

"So, Loke… Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. Loke was completely caught off guard by this. "Do I… have a girlfriend?", he repeated her question.

"Yeah. Are you in a relationship right now?" Lucy persisted. Loke wasn't expecting this line of questioning from her. But he recovered quickly. "Well you know, Lucy. I've always been pretty good with the ladies." He said, using his old line. Lucy, now sitting straight up, smirked at this. "Yeah, I think you mentioned that once or twice before." She teased him. "But I'm asking if you're in a relationship right now." Her questions continued to confuse him, but he went along with it.

"I'm not seeing anyone exclusively, if that's what you mean. Why, are you interested in me?" He smiled at her, and gave her a seductive look. He expected her to get embarrassed or annoyed at his comment. Instead she said, "What if I said I was? What would you do?"

"Uh… huh?" Loke said. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He wondered if she was testing him in some way. He decided to play along a little further, feeling that it might lighten the mood. "Well… You know Lucy, I am a gentleman. I wouldn't do anything to upset you. But if you wanted me to spend the night, I wouldn't say no." He displayed an impish smirk as he said this. But then, he suddenly felt something on his leg. It was Lucy's hand.

"In that case, I want you to spend the night… Loke." As Lucy said this, he felt her hand moving up his leg, closer to his crotch. Lucy was blushing a little, but was making an effort to look him in the eyes. At this point Loke realized she was being serious. He suddenly stood up. "Lucy, what are you doing?" he asked. Lucy looked confused. She stood up too. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Lucy, this isn't like you. I've never heard you talk like this before." He said. Lucy looked at him, and folded her arms. She didn't look upset. Loke wasn't sure what to make of her demeanor. "How would you know? Its not like we've spent a lot of time together lately." She said. Loke considered this.

"True, but in the time we have spent you were never like this." He said.

"A lot of things have changed since we first met. I guess I'm looking at things differently these days." She said.

"Yeah, well. I feel like you might be traumatized by what happened earlier, so I don't want to take advantage." He said. Lucy put her hands to her sides, and stepped closer to him. "I appreciate that, but that has nothing to do with this. I've been thinking about this for a while."

"You have?" he asked. Lucy stopped to consider her words. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not asking for a relationship. I don't think I want one right now. I'm just asking for tonight. If you don't want to though…" she trailed off, appearing insecure. Loke put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lucy, its not that I don't want to. I just don't want you to do something that you're going to regret later." As he said this, she looked him in the eye. "I won't regret it. I promise. I want this." Lucy put her hand on his waist. She moved closer to him, her face close to his. "Do you?" she whispered. Their lips were close. Loke looked at her. He had always thought she was very sexy, and now here she was saying that she wants him. He had tried to be a gentleman, but his resistance had run out. "I do." He said. Their lips touched. They kissed. Gently at first. Then they kissed again, more passionately. It was slightly awkward since Lucy had never done this before. Loke led.

He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her again, this time using his tongue. Lucy was surprised at first, but then quickly relaxed. She felt his tongue probing around her mouth, moving around her own tongue. He grabbed her with his other hand, and continued moving his tongue deeper into her mouth. Lucy began using her own tongue to reciprocate. She tried copying what he was doing, moving her tongue around inside his mouth, everything soft and wet. After a minute of this, Lucy pulled her face away from his.

"You okay?" Loke asked. Lucy, her face flushed, nodded and said, "Yeah. Just let me… catch my breath." She was breathing hard. She could feel her heart beating loudly. Loke smirked at her and said, "I never knew you were such a dirty girl." For a second, Lucy instinctively looked away out of embarrassment. But then she forced herself to look him in the eyes. "Its only my first time. But maybe you could teach me a few things?" she said. Loke smiled wider, showing his teeth. "With pleasure."

Loke took his jacket off, and then began taking his shirt off. Lucy watched as he undressed. She wanted to keep watching, but then realized she should strip too. She grabbed her top and took it off over her head, dropping it to the floor. She was wearing a pink bra, supporting her large breasts. Lucy then took her skirt and shoes off. By this point she and Loke were both half naked. Lucy wasn't sure what to do with herself at that point. She felt that she should do something sexy or seductive, but didn't really know how to do that. She was starting to feel self-conscious.

"You're beautiful Lucy. You know that?" Loke said. He really did think that. He looked at her standing there a few feet from him. He never expected this night to end like this. Lucy stepped towards him, stopping right in front of him. She put a hand on his chest. "Thank you. I never said it before, but I always thought you were really hot." She rubbed his chest with her hand, moving up and down. He had expected her to get embarrassed again after what he said, and what she said too. But she didn't appear to be. Right now, she was focusing on him.

Loke put his arms around her and started kissing her neck. Lucy breathed heavily. She put her hands on his arms. She spoke softly, "Loke. Will you still be here in the morning?" He stopped kissing her and looked her in the face. "Do you want me to be?" he asked.

"I'd like that, yes." She said.

"Then yes, I will." He replied. Their lips met again, and they held each other.


Back at the Fairy Tail guild, Levy had just finished cleaning up the notes. She left a few out for easy access later, but she knew she would be using different sources for the next stage of research. She hoped that all of this studying would pay off, and that they can find the information they're looking for soon. As much as Levy likes reading, she does have other things to do. And she knows Lucy is getting tired of this too.

"I wonder what she's doing right now?" Levy mused to herself. Knowing her, she probably just went straight home and fell asleep. So predictable. Levy thought this to herself, and chuckled. She finished up her cleaning. "Good enough." She said. She stretched her arms. Levy was starting to feel tired too, and wouldn't mind going home. But she knew that she was still supposed to talk to Mystogan. She didn't know what to expect as far as that's concerned. She wasn't afraid of him. No one at Fairy Tail considered him a threat, despite his resemblance to Jellal. He had helped them numerous times in the past, including very recently. And the Jellal they knew was dead and gone. Besides, Makarov said to trust him, and Levy trusts Makarov's instinct.

Levy picked up a pen and paper, since she would probably need to take some notes while talking with Mystogan. She left the room and went back into the main hall, which was now empty except for her. She wasn't used to it being so quiet and lonely here. Not too long ago, this guild would always have at least a few people around even into the late hours. But the guild had lost a number of mages. There were the deaths like Erza and Nab. Levy wasn't there for Erza's death, but saw Nab killed. She covered her eyes before the worst of it though. She tries not to think about it. There was also Laxus' expulsion. But some people also left for other reasons. Recently some people have been quitting the guild due to the guild's loss of standing, and the seeming increase in danger and risk in being part of this guild. Many of those who left were no-names that wouldn't be terribly missed. But there was also Natsu. His departure really surprised Levy. She had assumed he was part of Fairy Tail for life. Levy still didn't really know why he left. She had tried asking Lucy about it once, but even she seemed to be at a loss. Levy sighed.

Levy shook her head. I can't get distracted with this stuff, I still have work to do, she thought. She headed over to where Mystogan was staying. It was a room off to the side of the main hall. It was usually used for storage, but there was enough room for someone to stay in it. They even found a cot for him to sleep on. They had offered to try to find a better room for him, but he said it was fine.

Levy walked up to the door and knocked on it. She waited a moment. "Hello? Its me, Levy McGarden. Are you ready to talk?" She stood at the door. She started wondering if maybe he was asleep. Then she heard, "Come in." She opened the door and stepped inside. Mystogan, currently unmasked, was sitting on the cot on the right side of the room. There were chests and crates in other parts of the room, some of which were currently being used as furniture. Mystogan had four of his staves standing against a couple chests stacked together. There was also a canvas chair a few feet from the cot.

"Levy Mcgarden. You're here to interrogate me, correct?" Mystogan said. Levy raised her eyebrows. "Interrogate you? I wouldn't put it like that. Its not like you're a prisoner or anything. And you don't have to be so formal. You can just call me Levy." Mystogan considered this, and nodded slowly. Then he said, "Please, have a seat." He indicated the canvas chair for her. Levy walked over and sat down on it.

Levy readied her notes for writing. But then something occurred to her. "Oh, what should I call you? Is Mystogan your real name? You look a lot like Jellal Fernandes. But I'm guessing your name isn't actually Jellal…" Levy said, waiting for a reply.

"Actually, my real name is Jellal. But if it makes you more comfortable to call me Mystogan, then that's fine." He explained. "Hmm." Levy muttered. Levy wasn't sure how to respond to that. He did look very much like Jellal Fernandes. He even had the same red mark on his face. It was uncanny. She had never actually met the man. But she had seen pictures of him (when he was pretending to be Seigrain), and had heard a lot about him. Of course, he was also the one responsible for the Tower of Heaven, which, among other things, led to Erza's death. Because of this, she felt it would be kind of awkward to call the man in front of her Jellal. And she knew that was probably why he chose to hide his identity. On the other hand, she thought it might also be a little weird to call him by his alias now that she knew his real name. She decided she would just have to wing it.

"So, Mystogan." She began awkwardly. Guess I'm going with that. She thought to herself. He didn't say anything though. He just kept looking at her with the same serious expression. "So, before we get to the heavy stuff, I want to know a few things; who are you really? Where are you from? And why do you look like 'you know who'?" She asked. Mystogan put his hands on his knees and looked at the floor. Levy wondered if he was bothered by one of her questions, or just collecting his thoughts. Then, he spoke.

"I am originally from another world. It is called Edolas, just as this world is called Earth Land. It is a parallel world to this one. There are many things in that world that are similar to this world, yet also very different. For example, there is a guild called Fairy Tail in Edolas as well." This surprised Levy.

"Really? Are there any people there who look like the members of this Fairy Tail?" she asked. Mystogan shrugged his shoulders.

"Its possible, but I can't say for sure. I never met them, and I left Edolas when I was very young. After coming to this world, I became aware of your Jellal, and his infamy. I decided it would be best to hide my face, and take a new name. I became Mystogan." As he explained all of this, Levy was writing this down. "Very interesting. And kind of cool. You must have had an exciting life." She said with some enthusiasm. Mystogan looked at her with a hint of sadness. "I suppose you could say that. I have seen and done many things. However…" Levy raised an eyebrow. "However?"

Mystogan looked unsure if he should continue or not. But he went on. "Its also been a lonely life. I've had very few friends. And many enemies. And I can never let myself be seen in public. And its possible I'll never see my own world again. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not asking for pity. I just don't want to you to think my life has been fun or romantic." During this speech, his voice had become a little more emotional, but he quickly composed himself.

"Oh. I see." Levy said quietly. She wasn't expecting what he just said. She had wanted to ask him how he came to this world in the first place. But now she felt that it might be a little too personal to ask that right now. Maybe another time. She decided to change the subject a little. Levy cleared her throat, and Mystogan turned his head towards her.

"If you don't mind me asking… Are you a mage? You use those staves over there for magic, but do you have any innate magical ability? I ask because, well. That girl, during the battle, she said you're not a mage. Didn't she?" Levy was aware that she sounded a little awkward asking these questions. Normally she wasn't awkward, but for some reason she found it harder to talk to him than most people. Not that he wasn't conversational. There was just something about him that put her a little off balance. She decided that it must be because of his resemblance to Jellal.

"You're correct. I'm not a mage. Not really. No one in my world has innate magical ability. At least, no one human." Levy wasn't sure what he meant by that, but decided to let it go so he could continue. "I can use those staves to perform great magical feats. They are imbued with magic. Although, I seem to be missing one. The point is, I cannot perform magic like you can. For that matter, neither can the little girl, or her family, or that samurai."

"Are you saying they aren't mages either?" Levy asked. Mystogan shook his head. "From what I've seen, they are mages, but their power works differently. They require rituals, markings, totems." Levy wrote this information down, and then looked up at him. "How do you know these things?" she asked.

"I've been able to follow them sometimes. I'm very good at not being seen when I don't want to be. However, I still try to maintain a distance. I suspect there are a few of them that could detect me."

Levy listened to him. But she felt they still needed more information. "Is there anything else you can tell me about them? Where they're from, what they're called?" Mystogan looked downwards, pondering her question. "I don't know any name for them as a whole. As for where they're from, I can't say for sure, but I strongly suspect that they're from Bosco. Or at least, that's where many of their activities seem to be. At one point I managed to follow them to the border. That was where they went, and where more of them came from."

Levy tapped her chin with the pen. "Hmm. Well, that's helpful, I think. Although, we did research dark guilds in Bosco and didn't find anything."

"I don't think they're a magic guild. I've seen many non-mage followers with them. As for what they are, I'm afraid I can't say. Now, there's only one more piece of information that I can give you. From what I've heard they appear to have four leaders. You already know of Boudica and Yoshimoto. There's another one named Arnok. I don't know the name of the fourth. And that's all." Mystogan finished speaking. Levy put down her pen.

"There's no other information you can give us? Even some small detail you forgot to mention?" Levy asked. Mystogan looked thoughtful. "I'm sorry. That's all I know. But if I remember anything else, I'll let you know." Levy nodded, slightly disappointed.

"Alright. I appreciate the help, and I'm sure the master will too. I'm sure he would have liked to question you himself, but he's at the magic council right now." Levy stood up, and prepared to leave. But then she remembered something. "You know, there actually was one other thing I wanted to ask you. But it's a little more personal." Mystogan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked.

At this point Levy's gaze trailed off to the right with a thoughtful expression. She looked as if she was trying to recall something clearly. She then said, "Remember the other day, when that big attack on the guild happened? Well, of course you remember, how could you forget? Let me start over." Levy took a breath, and tried again. Mystogan sat there waiting for her to continue.

"When Raven Tail showed up, that woman, Flare, held me hostage. She was threatening my life. It was… pretty scary. But then, there was a magic blast that knocked her off balance, and saved me. I don't know what might have happened if it wasn't for that. So, my question is: was that you? Were you the one who saved me?" Levy watched him, awaiting his response. Mystogan slowly stood up.

"Yes, it was me. How did you know?" he asked. Levy smiled. "I'm good at recognizing which magic is used by which mage. I've only briefly seen your magic before, but it seemed similar. I didn't know for sure though. Anyway, thank you. I really appreciate you doing that." Mystogan gave a slight shrug. "I would have done the same thing if anyone else had been in your situation." He said. To his surprise, Levy put a hand on his shoulder.

"That means you're a good guy, and we were right to trust you." Mystogan didn't know how to respond, so he said nothing. Levy removed her hand, and said, "So anyway, I'll be sure to tell the master about all of this tomorrow. And maybe some of this info will help us find what we're looking for. Thanks again for helping with this, and for saving me." Mystogan nodded. "You're welcome, Levy McGarden." He said. Levy smirked and held up a finger. "Now, what did I say earlier about being so formal?" she said teasingly.

"Ah… Levy, I mean." He corrected. Levy nodded once. "There you go." She said. Levy realized that in the short time she had spoken with him she had already gotten more comfortable around him. She was nervous at the start, but she felt that she could trust him now. "Well, I'll see you later…" she began.

"As I said, I'm fine with either Mystogan or Jellal." He said.

"Hmm. I'll stick with Mystogan for now. It doesn't bother me, but other people might still have an issue with the name Jellal." Levy said.

"I understand." Mystogan replied. Levy turned and opened the door to leave. But then she paused and turned back. "Will you still be here tomorrow?" she asked.

"I doubt it." Mystogan said. Levy looked at him for a moment. "Alright, but don't be a stranger. We know who you are now, so you don't need to hide all the time. Besides, we could really use your help." She said.

"I'll think about it." He replied. Levy nodded once more, and left, leaving Mystogan alone. He sat back down on the cot, and reflected on her words.


While Mystogan and Levy were talking on the first floor, another scene was playing out on the second floor of the guild. Juvia Lockser was standing in a corridor overlooking the first floor of the guild. She was standing outside of a room, waiting for something. Or rather, someone. Gray Fullbuster was in that room. He had said he wanted some time to himself. Juvia respected his wish, and left him alone. However, she also wanted to talk to him very badly, and had decided to wait for him to come out. She had been waiting for a while, and was growing impatient. There was something important she wanted to say to him, and she decided that it couldn't wait another day. Tonight would be the night.

Juvia paced back and forth. She wasn't normally the nervous type, but she was feeling very anxious about this. Her palms were sweating. She had briefly considered getting a drink to calm herself down, but she knew she had to be sober for this. Besides, she didn't want to risk missing Gray. She decided to start breathing deeply to relax herself. After several breaths, she felt her heart beat slow down to a normal rate. "I can do this." She whispered to herself.

Juvia faced the door, waiting for Gray. She could hear some noise inside. She hoped that he would come out shortly. I need to tell him how I really feel. I need to tell him that I love him. But more importantly, I need to hear him say it to me. Just three words. Juvia thought this, and knew that if he reciprocated her feelings, then that would make her happier than anything in the world.

Juvia heard the door click. It opened, and Gray stepped out. He was more heavily dressed than normal. He was wearing a shirt and jacket, presumably because it was cold out. Which meant he was probably about to leave. Juvia stepped forward to stop him, and when he saw her, he groaned. Undeterred, Juvia said, "Gray, I want to speak with you. Right now."

"Not now Juvia." Gray said. He started to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. "Gray please, its important. You said we could talk when we got back from the Oracion Seis mission. Its been days since then. Its time." Gray lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Juvia, with everything that's going on right now, this isn't a good time." He said.

"There's never a good time. Its one crisis after another. That's why its important we talk about this now. I… I remember what the master said the other day about how if there's something we need to do, we should do it now, because anything could happen tomorrow. And that's why I have to tell you how I feel now. Because there might not be a chance later." Juvia sounded earnest, but Gray was much less emotional.

"There will be more chances later Juvia, trust me." He said wearily. But Juvia persisted. "But you don't know that! We've seen so much loss. If there's even a chance that something could happen before I get a chance to tell you…" Juvia paused. Gray looked uncomfortable.

"Please. Listen to me. Just hear what I have to say." She put her hands together and looked at him, eyes full of emotion. Gray sighed and said, "Okay, fine. I'll hear what you have to say. So, what do you want to say to me, Juvia?"

Juvia took a breath. Okay. This it. Here's goes nothing.


Gray stood there waiting for Juvia to begin her profession of love for him. Because he knew that's what it was going to be. He had been very well aware of her feelings for a while now. He had tried to ignore it. Brush her off. But she was very persistent. Too persistent. There was a part of him that was flattered by it. But there was another part of him that found it annoying, and kind of creepy. Its not that he disliked her. But he knew that he didn't feel the same way about her that she felt about him. Not even close.

At first, he had put up with it. It was annoying, but it didn't bother him too much. But then Erza died, and the Fantasia incident happened, and Natsu took off. Ever since then it seems like nothing has been right. Its left Gray feeling frustrated and angry. Like everything has been turned upside down. Since then he's been trying to find a way to make sense of it. But then this recent incident happened, and its even worse now. He figured that Juvia would understand this, and back off. And for a brief time, she did. But now, she's redoubled her efforts. She's become very persistent, even more than before. He doesn't want to hurt her, but if she insists on forcing the issue then he's just going to have to tell her the truth. This is what he decided.

Juvia began to speak. "Gray… We've known each other for several months now. Not that long, but it feels a lot longer. For a long time, I was alone, and unhappy. But then I met you. From the moment I met you, everything changed. I knew you were special. It was love at first sight. I knew I had to be with you. That's why I joined Fairy Tail. I've come to appreciate the rest of the guild too, but you were always the most important to me. I…" Juvia paused. Gray stood there with his arms folded, not saying anything. He felt increasingly uncomfortable, but knew he had to do this now. Juvia continued her monologue.

"Gray, I… I'm just going to say it. Maybe I should have said it sooner. So…" Juvia took a breath. "Gray Fullbuster, I love you. Actually, its more than that. I'm in love with you. Deeply, madly in love. I want to be with you, and marry you, and have your children." Juvia kept going on, as if a flood gate had been opened, and it couldn't be closed now. She continued. "This is how I really feel about you. But now I need to know… how do you feel about me?" Gray stood there, taken aback. He wasn't expecting quite that much. Now he had to respond. Shit. This is going to be harder than I thought, he thought to himself. Gray tried to choose his words carefully.

"Juvia… That's a hell of a lot to take in." he said. Juvia just stood there, looking at him expectantly. He continued. "You obviously feel pretty strongly about this. Really, really strongly. So, I guess its my turn now." He wanted to come up with some excuse to leave, but he couldn't do that now. Not after everything she just said. He just had to make it through. "Juvia… I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way."


Juvia froze. She heard him say it. But she didn't want to believe it. He can't mean that, she thought. "But, you do love me Gray. Maybe not as much as I love you, but you do want to be with me, right? I know you do." She said. Gray shook his head. "No Juvia, I don't. I respect you. I even like you, as a friend and guildmate. But I don't love you. Sorry." He tried to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but she brushed it off.

"Why are you lying? Just tell me the truth. You don't have to hide your feelings. Just be honest." She looked him in the eye, looking for a sign of love, but he was starting to look annoyed.

"I am being honest. Look, I'm trying not to upset you here but… Juvia, you need to get over this. Get over me. Its not meant to be. I'm sorry." He sighed and hung his head. Juvia felt a pain in her chest. She also felt warm water on her face. How can this be? "You don't mean it you don't mean it you don't mean it…" she kept repeating in a shaky voice.


Gray watched as Juvia appeared to be having a breakdown in front of him. This is worse than he thought. He didn't know what to say. At that moment he felt a mixture of guilt, annoyance, and exhaustion. "Damn it, I didn't ask for this." He meant to only think it, but he ended up saying it out loud. She stopped repeating herself and looked at him. "Look Juvia, this isn't healthy. I don't know why you're so hung up on me, but this needs to stop. I mean, sometimes you just creep me out with the way you act." He had started raising his voice, which he hadn't intended. He also immediately knew he shouldn't have said that last part.

Juvia looked at Gray with glistening eyes. "Juvia…" he started to say. But she cut him off. "Its fine. Its fine, Gray. I asked you how you felt about me, and now I know. That's good. That's fine. I hope you find someone that will make you happy." She sounded calm and steady as she said this, except for the last part where her voice hitched a little. She turned to walk away.

"Juvia, hold on." Gray said. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but it seemed like he should say something. He couldn't just let her leave like this, could he? But Juvia kept walking. "Its fine. I'm fine. Good night." She said, as she walked down the stairs to the first floor. Gray followed her. As they got to the bottom of the stairs, Juvia started walking towards the front door. Gray moved to stop her, but he bumped into something, or rather someone. Gray lost his balance and fell. He looked to see who he ran into. It was Levy. She had dropped some papers after their collision. "Gray?" Levy said. Gray grunted, and got to his feet. He went to pick up her papers, but she was already doing it. He looked back towards Juvia, but she had already left.

"Gray, what happened? Was Juvia crying?" Levy asked, now standing, and holding her papers. Gray looked back at her. "Yeah, well. Its not the end of the world. She'll get over it." Levy leveled an accusatory look at Gray, and put her hands on her hips. "She'll get over it? Gray Fullbuster, what did you do?" This made Gray feel defensive, and a little annoyed. "Hey, drop the mom act. It wasn't my fault. She asked me… you know what, forget it. Its none of your business." Gray turned to walk away, going towards the same door Juvia just left. "Hey!" Levy called from behind. But Gray ignored her and kept walking. He walked out the door and shut it behind him, leaving Levy there in the hall by herself.


Far away, Lisanna Strauss lay on her bed in the grey building. She had lain there for the past half hour, unable to sleep. She felt restless. She was thinking about her old life, and her half-remembered friends and family. Mirajane, Elfman, Fairy Tail. A mixture of sweet and bitter memories. Sometimes she had dreams about them. And sometimes nightmares. She wasn't sure if any of the dreams were actually memories, or just fantasy. That's another reason she couldn't sleep. She was afraid of another nightmare.

After staring at the ceiling for a while, Lisanna sat up in bed. She felt like she wanted to go somewhere, but where was there to go? Besides, the others don't like her wandering around unescorted. They tell her its for her own good. They say there are some things she doesn't understand yet, and not everyone fully trusts her. So, she should be patient. She tries her best to comply.

As she sits there contemplating all this, she hears something outside her door. She listens, and hears something touching the wooden door. She then hears s metallic sound. She gets up, and walks towards the door. She isn't afraid, just curious. She opens the door, and finds someone standing there. It's a young man with pale skin, and hair as white as her own. She knows him. His name is Alrace. He is an albino, a few years older than her, he performs cleaning and maintenance in this building. In other words, he is a janitor.

"Hello Alrace." She says. She's spoken to him a few times. Not a friend exactly, but an acquaintance. For his part, he appears surprised to see her. "Miss Strauss, I thought you were asleep. Did I wake you up?" he asks. He spoke with a speech impediment. Besides being an albino,, he seemed to have a number of physical defects, such as walking with a slight limp. In response to his question, Lisanna shook her head. "No, I was already awake. I couldn't sleep." She said. He nodded. There was an awkward silence for a minute. Finally Alrace spoke. "Well, I was just tightening a bolt on the door. But it can wait until the morning." He bowed and turned.

"Wait, before you go…" Lisanna said. He turned. She continued, "I just wanted to ask if you've seen Natsu. I haven't seen him in days." she said. The young man tilted his head. "Natsu. He's your friend. I don't know what they have in mind. But…" He paused. "Maybe I could take you to him now. I think I know where he is." Lisanna's eyes lit up.

"Really? You can take me to him? Are you sure?" He paused, and then nodded. She hadn't known the albino that long, but she didn't see any reason why he would lie about this. And she didn't feel threatened by him. But she was still curious. "Why do this for me?" She said. His expression was hard to read. "I like you. And you seem sad." he said softly.

"I'm not sad." Lisanna said. Alrace shrugged. "If you say so." She wasn't sure why he said that, but she knew she wanted to see Natsu. He motioned her to follow him. He walked down the corridor, and she followed closely. They turned down another corridor, and then down a flight of stairs to the first floor. They entered a larger room. There were a few people in there. Alrace indicated for her to be quiet so they wouldn't be noticed. He stuck to the wall where it was dimly lit, and she followed. They turned down another passage, and came to a door. They stopped. It was a metal door, with a sliding metal plate for viewing. "Here it is." He said. He stepped aside.

Lisanna walked up to the door, and cautiously moved the plate to see inside. Inside was a large room, but sparsely decorated. There were a few people inside. There were two wearing robes. There was another man with a leathery mask with white eyes. Lisanna knew him. He was Torc. She had heard his magic was "empathic", but she wasn't sure what that meant. Oddly, he never seemed to talk, and she never saw him without his mask. But there was someone else in the room that Lisanna was more focused on. His back was to the door, so she couldn't see his face. But still recognized him from behind. It was Natsu. Lisanna leaned in closer. He was shirtless, and sweaty. He had a somewhat muscular physique, and looked powerful. Right now, he was standing there looking tense. She wanted to say something to him, but couldn't because of the others.

Natsu was clenching his fists. A power was emanating from him. Lisanna realized that he was powering up. But why? As she watched, she saw his power grow. Flames began to swirl around him, and the others in the room took a few steps back. Natsu began vocalizing his power. Lisanna vaguely remembered him doing something like this before, in their old life together. But seeing it now, up close, left her in awe. The flames grew larger, and began spreading across the room. The others in the room backed up further, almost to the wall. Natsu's flames pushed out, and then seemed to press up against some kind of magical barrier protecting the others. The fire became blinding. And then a voice managed to cut through it all. "That's enough, Natsu." A voice said calmly but loudly.

Lisanna initially couldn't see who said that. But as Natsu's flames died down, she saw a figure step out from one end of the room. It was Boudica. Natsu stood there, but didn't turn his head. "You're making a lot of progress. You've regained much of your power, and maybe even a little more." She said. But Natsu looked winded. Lisanna didn't know what was going on. She impulsively whispered his name. "Natsu."

Suddenly, Natsu turned to her direction. He saw her. Did he hear me? Lisanna thought. Torc followed Natsu's gaze, and he probably saw her too. Lisanna backed up a step from the door, but Natsu rushed over. "Lisanna. Why are you here?" he said. He sounded weary. Lisanna's expression changed to one of concern.

"Natsu, what's going on? Are you hurt?" she said. Natsu was about to say something, but he was cut off by Boudica behind him. "Natsu. Remember why we're doing this. Remember Erza. I need you to cooperate." She said this calmly but firmly. Erza? That name was familiar to Lisanna, but she couldn't put a face to it. Natsu's expression hardened as he still faced Lizanna. "You should leave. You shouldn't be here. Just..."

"Natsu, I miss you. I want to talk to you. I want to see you." Lisanna said earnestly. She held a hand up to the slat in the door. Natsu's expression softened again. He held up a hand on the other side of the door. But then, Natsu's face changed. His eyes changed color. They turned a reddish color, and began to glow. Natsu bared his teeth. Lisanna blinked. "Natsu?" was all she could think to say. Natsu slammed against the door, startling her. She stepped back. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned. It was Nikodias. "Miss Strauss." He said. He closed the slat with his other hand. "You shouldn't be here."

When did he get here? She thought. She looked over at Alrace. He was leaning against the wall, watching them. He appeared abashed, but said nothing. Nikodias looked at Lisanna. "Neither of you are supposed to be here right now. This… this isn't safe. I know you don't understand, but we are trying to help Natsu. He's not well. You saw him, right? Your presence will only aggravate things right now."

Lisanna bit her lip. "But why? What's wrong with him?" Nikodias shook his head. "It took a lot out of him to help revive you. He needs time to recover, assuming he can. But he doesn't need emotional triggers right now. That will make it worse." Lisanna nodded, though she didn't fully understand.

At that moment, the door opened. A feeling of power flowed out of it, with a bright light. But instead of Natsu, Boudica stepped out. Her eyes were glowing gold. "He's better now." She said. Her eyes gradually returned to normal. She shut the door behind her, and looked at Lisanna. "Lisanna. I assume Nikodias explained that you shouldn't be here?" Lisanna looked at Boudica. "Yeah, he did. But I just wanted to see Natsu. I don't know if I can help him or not. Maybe if I knew more, I would understand." Lisanna said, looking straight at Boudica. Normally Lisanna was more meek, but for some reason she felt more defiant right then. Boudica raised an eyebrow. At first, she said nothing, and just stood there. But then, she looked as if she had decided something, and smiled a little at Lisanna. "Hmmm. Alright. Maybe you have a point. We should tell you what's really at stake with Natsu, and then maybe you'll understand. In fact, we can talk about this tonight if you want." Lisanna was surprised by this, but agreed to it. She wanted to help Natsu, and she wanted answers.

"Alright then. You can wait in the southern chamber for me, and I'll be with you after I'm finished here. In fact, Alrace here can wait with you there." Boudica explained. Alrace looked up in surprise. "You want me there too?" he asked. Boudica smiled. "I do. I think you both should hear what I'm going to say so you know why its important to listen to me. I'll make it all crystal clear." Everyone agreed to this, and Boudica returned to the large room, closing the door. Nikodias led the two of them off to the southern chamber where they would await Boudica. Lisanna, for her part, wasn't sure what to expect.