The whole time everything else had been going on, Elfman, Evergreen, Bickslow, and Cana all stood in the hall, waiting. Their presence there didn't seem to serve any purpose other than to be backup, and make sure that the others weren't overwhelmed and overpowered by all the potential enemies around. So, they had just been standing there the whole time, not doing much of anything. It would be boring if it weren't for the fact that they were on guard for a potential double cross at any moment.
Cana, standing with her arms folded, sighed audibly. "Man, this sucks balls, having to wait around on the sidelines like this." She said. She turned and looked around at all the people going about their business. "Hey, do you guys got any booze around here?" she asked no one in particular. Some people stopped and looked at her, but no one answered.
"This isn't the time to get drunk." Evergreen said. "Besides, I wouldn't trust any drinks they gave us anyway. Don't be an idiot."
Cana side eyed Evergreen. "Call me an idiot again and we'll have a problem, four eyes."
Evergreen gasped. "How dare you?" She turned to Elfman. "Elfman, are you just going to stand there as she talks to me like that? Come on, back me up." Elfman wasn't looking at either of them though. He was gazing at the makeshift wall between them and Mirajane. Elfman knew that Mirajane and Boudica were talking up there. He could vaguely hear them speaking, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He suddenly felt something nudge him in the ribs.
"Elfman, are you listening?" It was Evergreen, looking annoyed. "Did you hear me? You're supposed to back me up."
"Huh? Oh yeah, you're totally right."
"About?" Evergreen pressed.
"Uh… You look pretty." Elfman said. Cana snickered nearby. Evergreen made a strange face as if she wasn't sure how to react.
"Well, thank you. But that isn't what I was talking about." She said. She felt slightly embarrassed for both of them, although she did like being told she was pretty.
"I'm sorry, Ever. I'm just worried about my sisters. Mirajane is up there, and I can't see or hear anything. And Lisanna's supposed to be here somewhere too. It's hard to think about anything else."
Evergreen's expression softened. "I understand. But we both know Mirajane can take care of herself. And Lisanna…" Evergreen wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.
"If she's really here, then I have to see her. I have to."
Evergreen put her hand on his. She touched the back of his hand. "I know." She said simply. He looked at her, and they held hands. Elfman looked her in the eyes.
"You know, Ever; when this is all sorted, and we get back to Magnolia, you and I should…" Before he could finish, the moment was interrupted by a loud sound. Something had crashed through one of the stained-glass windows. Or rather, it had been thrown through. It was a boulder, and looked rather heavy. It sat on the floor with glass all around. There were several people outside the window, shouting things, still clearly unhappy about the "guests" in their town. They were saying things like "Go back where you came from!" and "You're not welcome here!"
The Fairy Tail mages watched all of this going on. "Geez, they're getting really worked up." Bickslow said. "Think they're gonna come in here?"
"I hope not." Cana said. "If we get caught in the middle of this, who's side are we supposed to take?"
"I think those people have already made up their mind we're not on their side." Evergreen said with resignation.
As they were talking, one of the large, dark robed keepers walked over to the boulder that was thrown through the window. It picked it up, and threw it with great force back out the window. The crowd at the window quickly scattered, narrowly avoiding the impact. The boulder hit the ground outside with a loud thud. The keeper then walked over towards the window, and stood there. Just stood there. The crowd dispersed. The Fairy mages continued to watch the scene.
"Guess that's settled then." Bickslow said.
"Who the hell are those guys anyway?" Cana asked, referring to the keepers. "Or better yet, what are they?"
"Why don't you go ask him yourself? He seems friendly." Evergreen said facetiously. Cana just clicked her tongue. While they were talking, Elfman noticed something and pointed.
"Hey, it's that little girl." He said. He pointed to Seraiisa, who was walking down a stairway back into the hall. Wendy followed close behind.
"What do you think they were talking about?" Evergreen said. Elfman shrugged.
"I don't know, girl stuff? Picking flowers, playing with dolls, tea parties."
Evergreen raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you think twelve year old girls talk about?"
"Sure." Elfman said. Evergreen put a hand on his arm.
"Elfman dear, I love you, but you have a lot to learn about girls." Elfman blinked. He turned to look down at her.
She loves me? He thought. Does she mean she loves me, or she LOVES me? Despite the less than private setting, he felt he had to know. "Hey, Ever…" he started. But at that moment, he noticed Seraiisa and Mirajane heading off somewhere. They were walking to a door on the other side of the room, and saying something to each other. He thought he heard them mention Lisanna, but couldn't be sure.
"Elfman, what is it?" Evergreen said. Elfman looked back at her.
"Hey Evergreen, we'll have to talk later. Right now, I'm going to have to follow them."
"Follow them? I don't think you're supposed to be doing that. It could cause trouble."
"Yeah, I know. That's why I'll be sneaky." He said. Evergreen folded her arms.
"Elfman, you are many things, but sneaky isn't one of them." She said.
Elfman put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, I guess. Maybe if someone created a distraction, I could sneak off?"
"Create a distraction?" she asked. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Cana, can you think of anything?" he said. Cana looked over at him.
"I mean, I'll help you since it'll give me something to do, but I'm not going to do anything that's going to get me killed."
"Great, so you have an idea?" he said.
"I guess we could just ask loud questions and complain." Cana said.
"Yes, people do hate that." Evergreen said.
"What about me?" Bickslow said.
"I guess you can stay here as backup." Elfman said. They all agreed on this plan. Evergreen and Cana approached a nearby group of followers, and started complaining about having to stand around and wait, and incessantly asked questions. While this scene was created, Elfman tried his best to sneak off after Mirajane and Seraiisa. They had entered a certain door a minute earlier, and he went in through that same door, hoping he wouldn't be noticed.
Mirajane walked down a well-lit corridor, the same white stonework and marble adorning the passage as elsewhere in the church. She was following Seraiisa, who walked a few feet in front of her. The corridor was wide and spacious, and yet there were also oddly placed pieces of furniture and other garbage in the hall. Some of it had been placed against the walls, presumably left over from the church's previous occupants. It created a strange contrast between the discarded garbage lying around and the otherwise pristine hallway.
Walking down the corridor, Mirajane didn't know what to expect. Seraiisa had said she was going to take her to see Lisanna. Mirajane had initially expected to see Lisanna out in the main hall, but Boudica had decided the meeting should take place in private. At first, Mirajane was hesitant about that, wanting her friends present. But after thinking about it, she felt that maybe it would be better if this reunion were more private. Of course, the idea that this was some sort of trick or trap had crossed her mind. She just hoped she could trust Seraiisa not to do that.
"So, is the room close by?" Mirajane said.
"Yeah, its just up ahead." Seraiisa responded. "Just a few doors down."
"Hmm. Seraiisa, I wanted to ask you something. Lisanna has been staying with you, right? Living wherever it is you live. Have you gotten to know her at all? Do you talk to her? What's she like now?"
Seraiisa thought about this for a moment. "I do know her. I talk to her sometimes. She's nice. Friendly."
"That's good to know." Mirajane said. "She was always so sweet." Mirajane wanted to ask another question, but hesitated.
"She talks about you sometimes." Seraiisa said, answering the unspoken question. "She doesn't remember everything from before her rebirth. But she definitely remembers you. She misses you."
Mirajane felt herself getting a little emotional, but didn't let it overwhelm her. "Yeah, I miss her too." She said. She kept herself a little guarded, just in case Lisanna wasn't actually waiting for her. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high. At that point, they stopped outside of a door. Seraiisa indicated that this was the room. Before they entered, a noise could be heard in the hall behind them. They turned to look. Mirajane looked at a pile of old furniture further back.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Mirajane said. They waited a moment, and there was no response. No further noise was heard either. Seraiisa shrugged. "Must've been the wind." She said. Seraiisa then opened the door and led Mirajane inside.
The room was medium sized, and was sparsely decorated. It was also much dimmer than the hallway, with a single hanging light dangling from the ceiling. There were two other doors at the other end of the room. There were also a few archways in the middle of the room, although Mirajane wasn't sure what the purpose of that was. She looked around, but didn't see Lisanna.
"Where is she?" Mirajane asked.
"She'll be here soon." Seraiisa said. She then walked over to one of the archways, and put her hand on it. She started slowly walking through it, and back again, over and over. A child-like thing to do. Mirajane couldn't help smiling a little. She was reminded of how young Seraiisa actually was.
"You know, I did wonder what those were for." Mirajane said. Seraiisa stopped and looked at Mirajane through the archway.
"Isn't it obvious?" Seraiisa said. "It's a doorway to another world."
Mirajane blinked. "Really?" Seraiisa looked at her a moment, and then smiled. She then started giggling a little. Mirajane smiled back.
"Oh, you got me." She said. She relaxed a little. She walked a little further into the room. "It is good to see you again, Seraiisa. I've missed you."
Seraiisa's face changed, but the smile remained. "Yeah, me too." She took a few steps closer to Mirajane. "I hope things work out with Lisanna. And I hope you'll join up with us. It'd be cool to show you around Bosco, and our home."
Mirajane continued to smile, but lowered her eyes a little. "We'll see." After that, a minute passed, and nothing was said. Seraiisa spoke up again.
"Hey Mira, should I be here? I mean, would you rather be alone with Lisanna?"
Mirajane shrugged a little. "I don't mind you being here. Well, it has been a long time since I've seen Lisanna. I can hardly believe it. There are so many things I want to say."
Seraiisa nodded. "I hear you. It sounds really private and personal. I'll go."
"You don't have to." Mirajane said.
"Its fine. I'll see you later."
"Alright…" Mirajane said. Seraiisa left the room the way they came in, leaving Mirajane alone. Mirajane sighed. She walked around the room a little. There wasn't really a place to sit down, so she just stood and waited. She still wasn't entirely sure this wasn't some kind of setup. She wanted to trust Seraiisa though. So, Mirajane waited for several minutes.
While waiting, her thoughts started to drift, and she wondered how the others were doing. She wondered how this would all be resolved at the end of the day. She mused to herself that if Fairy Tail had been at full strength, then this all likely would have been resolved months earlier, albeit probably violently. Fairy Tail had not been at full strength though. Erza had died, Natsu left, Freed was in a coma, Laxus was expelled, and several other people left or died as well. This had been a dark time for Fairy Tail, and the "Shadow Kings" came along at the worst possible time. She then noticed that a door had been opened. Not the door she came through, one of the others. She looked around the room. Is someone here? She thought. Mirajane focused her eyes in the dim room, and noticed something behind one of the archways. There was someone there.
"Hello?" Mirajane said. "Who are you?"
It was a robed figure standing behind the archway. It moved a little to the center of the archway, as if standing in a doorway. The person had a hood on, so Mirajane couldn't see the face. She looked at the figure standing there, not saying anything. She wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Can I… help you?" Mirajane said, a little awkwardly. The figure raised its head a little. Mirajane could make out some hair beneath the hood.
"Mirajane?" the figure said. Mirajane paused. The voice sounded familiar. "Mirajane?" it repeated.
"…Lisanna?" Mirajane said. She took a step forward, while the figure took a step back. Mirajane paused again. "Lisanna, is that you? Please, answer me." The figure raised its head a little more, so that part of the face was now visible. The pale skin, the blue eye, the white hair. It was indeed Lisanna.
"Mirajane, I…" Lisanna spoke, but didn't complete the thought. Mirajane began to worry that Lisanna couldn't talk normally. Maybe she had been brought back wrong, like Torq.
"Lisanna, can you speak?" Mirajane said cautiously. Lisanna nodded. "Yes, I can. I've… I've missed you, Mira. So much." Up until that moment, Mirajane had been cautious, and reserved. But hearing those words struck something in her heart, and she felt her emotions flooding in.
"Lisanna, I've missed you too." Mirajane felt her eyes become misty. She moved towards Lisanna to hug her, but the younger sister backed up again. Mirajane paused again.
"Lisanna, what's wrong? Why are you avoiding me? Why are you wearing that robe? What are you afraid of?" For a moment, there was just silence. Only the sound of their breathing was heard.
"Mirajane…" Lisanna began. "I'm not like you remember me. I've changed."
"Changed how?"
"I…" Lisanna paused, and took a deep breath. "I died Mira. I was dead. But they brought me back. But… not the same. I look different now. And my magic is different too. My animal forms, they're twisted. Like me." Lisanna slowly lifted a sleeve on her robe, revealing the demonic hand beneath. It was indeed twisted looking. "I'm part demon now."
Mirajane looked at the hand. It looked vaguely like Mirajane's own hand when she transformed into her demon form, only more deformed. She raised her own hand to touch it. Lisanna flinched.
"Its okay, Lisanna." Mirajane said. She raised her hand and touched Lisanna's. She held Lisanna's hand, albeit at an awkward angle. "I don't think it looks bad. Is the rest of your body changed too?" Lisanna shook her head.
"Just my arms and legs. Part of them, anyway."
Mirajane nodded, and slowly pulled back the hood on Lisanna's head, revealing the rest of her face. The demonic eye was visible. A hint of fangs could be made out as well.
"And that, too." Lisanna said. Mirajane looked at her face, and touched her cheek.
"You have changed. You're becoming a pretty young woman." Mirajane said. Lisanna blinked a couple times, and then turned her head away.
"Thank you. But… There's something else. I've done things. Things you wouldn't like. I've hurt people. I've… even killed."
"Killed?" Mirajane asked.
Lisanna nodded. "In battle. I'm a monster now. Inside and out."
Mirajane shook her head. She then quickly went in for a hug before Lisanna could back away again. Lisanna was startled for a brief moment and tried to move, but then relaxed a little. She stood there in Mirajane's warm embrace, and then slowly put her own arms around her sister. They hugged.
"Listen to me." Mirajane said. "Whatever they've done to you, whatever you've done, you're still Lisanna. You're still my sister. I love you. I will always love you, no matter what."
Lisanna felt warm tears fall down her cheeks. She closed her eyes. "Mirajane, I've missed you so much." The two sisters stood there and hugged. It was only for a minute, though it felt longer. Finally, they pulled away and looked at each other. Lisanna wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Lisanna, there's something I want to ask you. I understand if you don't want to talk about it though."
"What is it?" Lisanna asked.
"Well…" Mirajane hesitated. "I know they brought you back. But, how? How did it happen?"
Lisanna regarded her sister, recognizing the concern. "I don't mind talking about that. It's just a little hard because I don't remember everything. I know Boudica played a big part. And so did Seraiisa. Did you meet her?" Mirajane nodded.
"Yes, I did. She's fun." Mirajane said. Lisanna smiled.
"Well, they helped me."
"How?" Mirajane asked. Lisanna smiled slightly.
"Magic." She said simply. Mirajane was less amused by this.
"Black magic?" Mirajane said. Lisanna tilted her head. "I don't think so. Boudica calls it 'divine magic'. Whatever it was, they did help me. They've been nice, mostly. Given me a place to stay. It's beautiful there. Blue vines, and big purple trees with huge leaves. You should see it."
Mirajane became quiet for a moment. "Do you want to stay there? Or would you rather come back to Fairy Tail?" Lisanna paused, and took a moment to respond.
"I don't know." She said. "I've talked about it with Natsu…"
"Wait, Natsu?" Mirajane interrupted. "Lisanna, did you say Natsu?"
Lisanna looked at Mirajane, and opened her mouth to reply. But then she stopped, staring at something behind Mirajane.
"Lisanna?" Mirajane said. She noticed that her sister was staring at something. She turned around to see what it was. There was someone standing in the doorway. It was Elfman.
Seraiisa walked back into the main hall, rejoining her family there. Torq was still keeping watch, and many other people were going about their chores. She walked onto the platform up to Boudica, currently sitting alone.
"Hey, Mom." Seraiisa said.
Boudica turned to look at her. "Seraiisa. How does the sunlight shine on you today?" Boudica said. Seraiisa smiled, remembering this as an expression from the old days. It meant, "how are you doing?"
"Good enough." Seraiisa said. "I took Mira to the room like you said."
"Good. Lisanna should be there any time. Was there anything else?"
"Yeah. Elfman followed us. He was sneaking around hiding behind tables and stuff. He thinks he's clever."
Boudica smiled. "He's the big, muscular one, right?"
"Mmm hmm. So weird that Mirajane and Lisanna are related to him."
Boudica nodded. She sat back in her chair and tented her fingers. "You seem to have such strong feelings towards these Strauss siblings. They complicate things. Make this more difficult than it might otherwise be." Seraiisa said nothing. Boudica shrugged. "It's fine, though. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it. Let's just hope today works out the way we want. Its what would be best for everyone, in the long run." Seraiisa looked up at her mother and smiled. She looked at her with love and admiration.
"I know." Seraiisa said. "We're going to change the world."
Elfman stood in the open doorway, lightly silhouetted by the light from the outside hall. He stood there, staring at his two sisters. Although, most of his attention was on Lisanna, his younger sister whom he hadn't seen in so long. Lisanna stared back at him, eyes wide, mouth open. Lisanna had come here expecting to see Mirajane. She knew Elfman might be there too, but his sudden appearance still caught her off guard.
"Lisanna." Elfman said. "Is it really you? You're… alive. Really alive." A mixture of relief and happiness spread across his face. He then looked closer at her. "What did they do to you? You look…"
"Elfman." Mirajane said. Elfman looked at Mirajane uncertainly.
Lisanna breathed deeply, not moving. "Elfman." She breathed. On her way to the church, Boudica had told her that her siblings would likely be there. Mirajane definitely wanted to meet her, and Lisanna felt the same. Elfman was a different story. Boudica had made sure to again remind Lisanna of what Elfman had done. How he had killed her, necessitating her resurrection as she is now. Elfman was a monster, and he had indirectly caused her to become one. At least, that's how Lisanna had taken Boudica's words. As Boudica said these things, Lisanna had felt that same feeling of anger and pain she had before. She felt it rise up inside her. As always, she suppressed it after a moment. But now, he was here in the flesh, standing just several feet away from her. She wasn't sure that she could suppress it this time. She wasn't sure that she wanted to.
"Lisanna, are you okay?" Mirajane said. "This is Elfman, our brother, remember?" Elfman took a step forward into the room.
"Lisanna, do you remember me?" Elfman said. Normally, Elfman spoke loud and clear. At that moment though, he was talking softly and quietly. He stood there waiting for Lisanna to speak.
Tears rolled down Lisanna's cheeks. But these were different from the tears before. "Elf… I remember." She said. "I remember you… I remember dying… monster."
Elfman looked hurt. "Lisanna…" was all he said.
"It was an accident, Lisanna." Mirajane said. She tried putting a hand on Lisanna's shoulder, but Lisanna swatted her away. Lisanna then started making a sound like a low groan. She then screamed and raised her hands, which had now become claws. Lisanna had changed into her cat form, although her robe stayed on. Before anyone could react, Lisanna charged at Elfman. She leapt at him, and raised her claws. Elfman just stood there, staring.
"Lisanna!" Mirajane said. Despite Mirajane, Lisanna slashed her claws at Elfman's face. He took a step back, and put his hand to his face. When he pulled back his hand, there was blood on his fingers.
"Elfman." Lisanna said. More tears flowed. She resumed the attack, stepping towards him and slashing. Her slashes were strong enough that they could be heard on the air. Elfman backed away, trying to avoid her. She knew he could transform, but he didn't. He stayed in his normal form.
"Lisanna stop! That's Elfman! Your brother!" Mirajane called out.
"I'm sorry." Elfman said.
"Shut up." Lisanna said. She slashed again, and he put up an arm defensively. Strips of flesh were torn away in her claws. He stifled a yell. Lisanna stopped a moment, and looked at her bloody claws. Elfman's blood. Her brother's blood. She blinked. "I…" She closed her eyes, and balled her fists. She swung hard, broadly aiming at him. Something caught her fist. She opened her eyes. It was Mirajane. She was now in demon form, and had easily caught Lisanna's fist in her own hand.
"That's enough." Mirajane said in her distorted demon voice. "I know you're upset, and in pain. But I won't let you hurt Elfman." She released Lisanna's hand. Lisanna quickly stepped back, wide eyed.
"Please, let's just talk." Mirajane said, still in demon form. Lisanna looked from Mirajane to Elfman. Then, she quickly turned around and ran. She ran away from them both, out of the room.
"Lisanna wait, come back!" Mirajane called after her. But Lisanna was already gone.
Happy carried Gray through the sky, as they looked down on the valley below them. The scenery was picturesque as usual, but there were an increasing number of people on the ground gathering and looking up at them. Because of the shield surrounding the valley, Gray and Happy couldn't just leave. And even if they could, they still needed to find their friends first.
"Do you think they're still underground?" Happy asked.
"I don't know." Gray said, while scanning the ground below. "They could be anywhere. It might take a while to find them. This could be bad."
"I still can't believe Natsu was here this whole time." Happy said. Gray said nothing. He didn't want to think about that right then. He knew it would just make him angry, and lose focus. They spent the next several minutes flying around, searching for their team. They were starting to feel that they weren't going to find them that way, and would need to come up with a different plan.
"Hey, Gray…" Happy said.
"Yeah, I know. We need to go underground, or at least search a different building here." Gray said.
"No Gray, look! Up ahead." Gray turned to look at what Happy was indicating.
"Is that…" he said. Quickly approaching them were Carla and Lucy. Carla was flying fast.
"Hey, over here!" Gray said." Lucy heard him. "Gray!" she said. Carla blew past them, and then awkwardly descended to the ground nearby. Happy and Gray followed. As they touched down, they saw that Carla looked out of breath, and Lucy looked shaken.
"Are you two okay?" Gray said.
"Not exactly." Lucy said. She pointed upwards. Gray looked and saw something approaching. It was big, and clearly not human.
"What is that?" he said.
"Something that wants to kill us." Lucy said. She got to her feet and reached for her whip. Gray prepared an ice make spell. The winged enemy saw them and quickly dove down after them. Gray released an ice blast, knocking it off balance. It fell several feet to the ground, making an impact. It lay crumpled on the ground, its wings partially frozen. Gray approached it.
"Is it dead?" Lucy said. As if in response, the machine suddenly started jerking its legs, and brought itself back to a standing position in a less than graceful manner.
"Oh crap!" Lucy said, backing away from it.
It stood there in front of them, and Gray could see it more clearly now.
"That looks like…" he said.
"Lisanna?" Carla suggested.
"Yeah." Gray didn't know how this thing came to be, but he figured that Natsu probably was connected to it somehow. It started rapidly approaching him without warning. He suddenly backstepped and quickly prepared a spell. It lunged at him. He wouldn't hit the spell in time. The machine suddenly jerked back, and fell onto the ground on its back. Lucy had wrapped her whip around its neck, and yanked it down to the ground. It lay there thrashing.
"Thanks." Gray said. He then summoned ice blades from his arms. He started slashing at its head. Pieces of metal chipped away. Sparks flew. It started making strange noises. Eventually it kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back. It then rolled over, causing Lucy to stumble and fall as she held the whip. Released from the whip, it stood again, much of its face now torn away, looking like a monstrosity. It turned back to Gray, who had already prepared another spell. He impaled it with a huge ice spike, right through its abdomen. It stared down at the ice. Gray then kicked the icicle further into the machine, creating a large hole in the middle. It sparked once more, and fell over, motionless.
"I'm pretty sure its dead now." Gray said. Lucy got up, dusting herself off. "So, I guess you guys found something." He said to her. She nodded, looking down at the thing they just fought.
"You can say that." She said. "There were a bunch more like them back at the tower."
"The tower?" Gray said.
"Long story. Anyway, what about you? Did you find anything?"
Gray hesitated. "Yeah. We did. But that's… also a long story. We should get out of here first, and I'll tell you about it later."
"What about Mystogan?" Lucy said.
"Yeah, we've got to find him too." He said. "But first, we might need to deal with them." He pointed behind Lucy. She turned to look, and saw that a large crowd had gathered. They didn't appear to just be curious onlookers. Many of them had weapons, like clubs and knives. There were also a few muscular, half naked men with animal skins among them. They started approaching. Gray put up his fists.
"Come on, we can take these guys." He said. "Lucy, you might want to summon a spirit."
"I'd love to, but I'm kind of out of power." she said nervously. She pulled out her whip, since it was all she had at that moment.
"Well, that's great." Gray said. The truth is, he had used up a fair amount of power in his fight against Natsu. He felt that he probably had enough left to deal with this group, but he wasn't sure.
He fired a blast of ice at the ground near some of the approaching throng. It stopped some of them, but the braver ones continued forward. He prepared another spell, this time intending to hit them. He then noticed someone else approaching behind the rest of the assembled group. A bigger man wearing an animal skull with antlers. He was carrying a large bronze axe, and was pushing his way past the gathered crowd.
"Out of my way." He said. They all parted for him, some calling Arnok by name.
"I'm pretty sure he's one of their leaders." Lucy said.
"I don't care. I'm not afraid." Gray said.
"Remember what happened the last time you said that." Happy interjected. Gray ignored Happy and created ice lances that he sent flying towards Arnok. The ice impacted against him. He paused, but didn't look hurt. The tattoos on his bare chest glowed. He then raised his axed and swung it. Arnok was still several yards away, so Gray didn't initially understand the purpose of this. However, ice lances larger than the ones Gray used burst out of the axe and hurled toward Gray. He was caught off guard by this. He dodged some of it, but was still struck by the attack. He hit the ground, falling to his side.
"Gray?" Lucy said, concerned.
"What the hell, he has ice magic?" Gray groaned. Arnok laughed. Lucy hurled her whip at him, but he struck it away with his axe, knocking her off balance. He started advancing again. He was closing the distance fast. Several objects suddenly landed directly in front of Gray. They were staves. The ground around the staves crackled with magic energy, and something appeared. A giant beast, towering above everything. Arnok stopped and looked up at it as it roared. Gray took a few steps back.
"Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia." Someone said. Gray turned to find Mystogan standing in front of him.
"Damn, where'd you come from? Nevermind, nice timing." Gray said. "That monster you summoned should help."
"Its an illusion. They'll figure that out shortly." He said.
"Mystogan, sir?" Carla said nearby. She had one of the other staves. The one Mystogan had lost. Carla handed the stave to Lucy, who gave it to Mystogan.
"Thank you both." He said. "But we should leave now. I believe I know a way out." Before any of them could question him, the illusion dissipated.
"No more tricks." Arnok said. He moved forward with dozens of people behind him, mostly armed.
"Follow me!" Mystogan said, and started running. The others quickly went after him.
"Where are we going?" Lucy said loudly. Mystogan pointed to a wall in the distance.
"Over there. Right at that wall. Happy and Carla can carry you two. I'll meet you there." After he said that, he suddenly vanished.
"Hey!" Lucy said.
"Guess we've got to do as he says." Gray said. The cats lifted them both into the air, out of immediate danger. They flew towards the wall, although it was obvious they were starting to get tired from flying so much that day. After a couple minutes they made it to the wall. Mystogan was already waiting for them there.
"How did you do that?" Lucy said.
"That's not important." Mystogan said. He pressed several stones in the wall in a certain order, and the ground opened up nearby.
"Are you at least going to explain how you did that?" Gray said.
"It's a long story." Mystogan said.
"It looks live we've all got long stories." Happy said.
"At least we'll have something to talk about on the way back." Carla said.
"We don't have time for this." Mystogan said. "We need to move." In the distance they could see the enemy group approaching. They were still some distance away. Although, at the front of the group was Arnok, moving quickly. He would catch up to them in a minute. Mystogan went down the hole, and the others followed behind.
"What is this place?" Gray said.
"For us, its an escape route." Mystogan said. Lanterns activated as they entered the room. The entrance led into a bigger room. The room was brown and orange colored with tiled floor. It looked somehow both rustic and advanced. There were several levers and buttons on the walls. At one end of the room was a set of large doors which had been opened. Taking up much of the space in the room was a vehicle of some sort. It appeared as though it was already activated.
"What is that?" Gray said. Mystogan turned around to face them.
"Its an airship. The same kind that they apparently use to get around. And we can use it to get out of here."
"How did you find this place?" Lucy said.
"I took a wrong turn underground and ended up here. The details aren't important." Mystogan walked over to the machine and opened the door. The door moved upwards, and a current of air billowed out.
"I have so many questions." Lucy said.
"But no time. We need to hurry, unless you want to risk getting captured, or worse." Mystogan said. "You two are low on magic, right?" Gray and Lucy both nodded. "This was a reconnaissance mission; we did what we came to do." Mystogan said. He guided them into the ship, and the door sealed shut behind them. It wasn't as big on the inside as it looked on the outside. It only had enough room for about half a dozen people, but it was enough to suit their purposes. There were two seats at the front of the ship, and a bench seat in the back. There was also a small storage area on the side. There were several lacrimas emitting light from the walls and ceiling of the ship.
"You know how to fly this thing?" Gray asked Mystogan.
"I was able to turn it on…" Mystogan said. "The controls don't look too difficult."
"That's not very reassuring." Carla said.
"I guess it's better than being chopped up by a bunch of loony cultists." Happy said.
"Speaking of…" Gray said. He looked out a window, and saw someone coming down the entrance. It was Arnok, carrying his axe. The ship lurched forward, jostling everyone inside.
"Hold on." Mystogan said. He did his best to get the ship moving. It started slowly moving forward. Arnok got closer.
"He can't get at us, can he?" Lucy said. They felt the ship shake.
"He just hit the ship with his axe." Gray said. He locked eyes with the larger man, who moved to the side, presumably to attack the window. Gray assumed an attack stance in preparation. Lucy backed away from the window.
"I think I have it." Mystogan said. The ship moved forward, quicker this time. It started lifting off the ground as it passed the doors. Another impact could be felt. The door suddenly had a dent in it, clearly made by the axe.
"Maybe we should just open the door and fight." Gray said.
"I vote no on that." Happy said. Gray was annoyed by that, mainly because he suspected Happy wouldn't say that if Natsu were with them. He said nothing though.
Mystogan managed to get the ship moving again, and it flew more quickly down the tunnel. It was dark, but a light on the ship shone the way. Their pursuer was left behind.
"This doesn't lead to a dead end, right?" Happy said.
"No, it does not." Mystogan said. The ship came to a larger area, with light coming from above. Mystogan slowed the ship, and pulled a lever to get it to start going up. It hovered above the ground, lifting into the air. There was sky above. They passed through a large rim, and entered into the open air outside, surrounded by trees. As the ship lifted higher, they realized that they recognized the place it was ascending from.
"Is that the lake from earlier?" Lucy said.
"Huh, it is." Gray said.
"No wonder there were no fish in that lake!" Happy said. The "lake" had been opened up, revealing that it was just a façade. It led into the tunnel for the airship below. Two large panels had moved into the ground to open the way. It wasn't clear where the water went.
The ship lifted higher into the air, above the trees. "Time to go home." Gray said. The group stood there in the airship as it took to the skies. The valley was left behind. After a moment, Lucy spoke up.
"So, I guess we have some things to talk about." She said.
"Yeah. We do." Gray said with a serious tone.
Makarov had rejoined with the rest of his group back in the hall. Everyone was now there, including Wendy, Mirajane, and Elfman. By this point it was late in the afternoon, and they had spent the better part of the day at the church. They had been told that Boudica was ready to speak with Makarov whenever he was ready. Mirajane told Makarov what had happened earlier, and asked if she could accompany him while he spoke with Boudica. He agreed. He wasn't sure Boudica would like that, but he didn't care. After a short time, Boudica was ready, and Makarov went up to meet her, Mirajane included.
"Mirajane will stay here with me while we talk. Will that be a problem?" Makarov said. Boudica, her expression neutral, glanced from Mirajane back to Makarov.
"No. That will be fine." She said. Seraiisa was already standing beside Boudica at the time, and would continue to do so. Boudica also gestured for Torq to come over and stand beside her as well.
"We both like to have our children around us, master Makarov." She said. Makarov and Mirajane exchanged a glance, but said nothing. "You had a chance to speak with King Sael, yes?" Boudica asked.
"Yes, I did." Makarov said. "Not quite what I expected. But it answered a few questions."
"I see." Boudica said. "And you, Mirajane? You spoke with Lisanna?"
"I did." She said. "I'm glad I got to see her. But I'm concerned about her well-being."
"We all are." Boudica said.
"Are you really?" Mirajane said. There was a hint of accusation in her voice.
"We all care about Lisanna." Seraiisa added. Mirajane's expression softened a little when she looked at Seraiisa, but remained skeptical when looking back at Boudica.
"Resurrection is a traumatic process for all involved." Boudica said. "It can be a hard road, and takes time to navigate." Mirajane said nothing further at that moment. "So, master Makarov." Boudica continued. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"
"Yes, there is." He said. "You say you want to overcome death, and create a great new world. How do you intend to do that?"
Boudica leaned back in her chair, and smiled. "Through recruitment, and prayer, and saving as many people as we can. Liberating slaves, healing the sick and dying. People will come to see the righteousness of our cause, and join together."
Makarov's expression didn't change. He knew there was something she wasn't telling them; he just didn't know what it was. He decided to press further. "And what about your experiments? Bringing the dead back?"
"That is just one step along the plan." She said.
"And the final step?" he asked.
"A world without death." Boudica said, spreading her arms.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." He said. "What means will you use to achieve this end?"
"I will try to use diplomacy and bargaining, wherever possible." She said.
"What about when it isn't possible?" he said.
"Well, sometimes there are those who violently oppose us, and we're forced to respond in kind." She said. Makarov still suspected she was hiding something. He was about to say something else, but Mirajane spoke first.
"What about the innocent people you've killed? The ones who died just for refusing to join with you? We've heard stories of that."
Boudica paused for a moment, considering the question. "I've done no such thing."
"Yoshimoto, that's his name, right?" Mirajane said. "He attacked our guild. Several people died. You even sent your daughter there. And later he attacked a small village, and killed anyone who wouldn't join."
Boudica looked Mirajane in the eye. "Yes, Lord Yoshimoto is my ally, and he has been known to take things rather far. And I may even agree to send him aid if he needs it, like my daughter. That's what allies do."
"We could never work with someone like Yoshimoto." Makarov said. Mirajane nodded in agreement.
"You wouldn't need to work directly with him, you could just work with me and my family, if you wish."
Makarov turned to look at Mirajane. He knew by the look on her face what she thought, and it was close to his own thoughts. He turned back to Boudica. "Unacceptable." He said. "We won't ally with someone who crosses those lines. You've already hurt our guild, and several others nearby. So, I'll give you a proposal: you and all of your forces leave Fiore, and go back to your own country. What you do there won't be any of our business. But first, give us back our people. Lisanna, and Natsu. And whoever else you might have that's from our guild." Mirajane looked at Makarov with some surprise at this last part, but said nothing.
Boudica sat up straight in her chair, and was silent for a moment. She looked down at Seraiisa. Seraiisa turned to Mirajane.
"Mirajane please, be reasonable. Mom is doing the right thing. I know some bad things happened between us, but we can still have a great future together. You, and Lisanna, all of us together. I know we can change the world." Seraiisa's face was hopeful, but also slightly worried. Mirajane knelt down closer to her.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. But you know, you have a choice too. You can join Fairy Tail for real if you want. I know she's your mom, but you can make your own choices. You're welcome to join us, if you want to." Mirajane smiled warmly at Seraiisa. A hint of annoyance, bordering on anger, flashed across Boudica's face. She didn't say anything, just watched as the scene played out. Seraiisa looked down at the floor. She backed away from Mirajane and stood beside her mother. Seraiisa put her hand on Boudica's. She then looked up at Mirajane with an uncharacteristically solemn face.
"My mom is the greatest woman in the world. You'll see that someday. And... maybe you're not the friend I thought you were." Mirajane's smile disappeared, while Boudica's expression brightened. Boudica put her hand on Seraiisa's head.
"Its okay, lovely. Its not her fault. She's just… uneducated." Boudica said to Seraiisa. Seraiisa looked up at Boudica with warmth and admiration.
"Maybe someday you'll see the light, Mirajane." Seraiisa said. Mirajane stood up again, seeing that there was no point in saying any more. Boudica then turned to Makarov.
"Now, master Makarov, since you've made your position clear, I have a counter offer for you." She said. "If you don't want there to be violence between us, and if you don't want anymore death, then there is one simple thing you can do: surrender your guild to me."
Makarov inhaled deeply, and his eye twitched. "Is that so?" he said evenly.
"Yes. By which I mean, you will step down as guild master of Fairy Tail. I will then pick a new guild master to run the guild. Probably someone within the guild. Fairy Tail will be spared, and will help us achieve our goals. And you can retire, or do whatever suits you. What say you?"
Makarov snorted contemptuously. "You don't actually expect me to agree to that, do you?" he said.
"Frankly, no. In fairness though, I had to make the offer."
"Never." He said.
"No one in Fairy Tail will ever agree to that." Mirajane added.
Boudica looked at them both. "Are you sure about that? Maybe we should ask the others here."
"I speak for the guild." Makarov said. Boudica looked at him for a moment, and then turned her head to a keeper at the side end of the room. She pointed to the barrier between the stage and the hall. The keeper walked over, picked up the barrier, and threw it to the side, where it crashed into a wall. Everyone stopped and stared. There was now nothing separating the stage from the hall, and Elfman, Cana, and the others could see Boudica and Makarov directly.
"Fairies, your master has decided not to ally with us." Boudica said loudly so they all could hear. "I'll let you know that there is a good chance we will come into conflict with each other again in the near future. However, I'm giving you the choice of joining with me if you want. Your master has made his choice, but I want to hear from you personally. What do you want?"
Makarov didn't turn to look back. He continued looking forward at Boudica. Mirajane did glance back at Elfman for a moment.
"I'm staying with Fairy Tail." Cana said. "Its not even a question."
"Yeah, I'm not going to abandon the guild when it needs us most." Bickslow added. They all agreed they were staying. Boudica lowered her head for a moment. She then raised her head again, looking almost amused.
"Well, I certainly did try." She said.
"We can't trust you, and you've proven to be a danger to anyone who won't join with you. And maybe even those who will." Makarov said.
Boudica leaned forward and smiled grimly. "If that's how you feel, then after today we are on opposing sides. I would advise that you stay out of our way, lest more violence befall your guild. For now though, I'll honor our promise, and no violence will occur today. You can leave in peace. Unless you decided that you want to break that promise."
"…I will honor it." Makarov said in a low voice.
"Good. Then there's nothing more to say here." She said. "Leave my church now, and don't come back. This meeting is over."
Fairy Tail walked out of the church without saying another word. The day had gotten noticeably cloudier, casting an ominous gloom on the surroundings. The angered citizens were still outside. Some of them had gone home, but there were still enough of them to heckle and harass Fairy Tail as they left. This time, the keepers weren't there to hold them at bay.
"Traitors!" one man said. He rushed at them with a shovel. Mirajane transformed into her demon form, grabbed the shovel, and threw it far in the distance. The man ran away. Several more people, braver, approached. Elfman also transformed, and stood threateningly. Elfman didn't intend to hurt them, but he didn't have the patience at that moment to deal with their attacks without response. He growled at them and took on an attack stance. Predictably, they got scared and ran off. Most of the other people there followed suit.
"So, we pissed off the magic council, and potentially ruined our reputation, and we didn't even get anything out of it." Cana said. Despite the gravity of her words, she said it in a casual manner, with her hands behind her head.
"We got information." Makarov said, as he gradually walked away from the church.
"And we saw Lisanna." Mirajane said, changing back to her regular form. "We know she's alive and well. That's good."
"Yeah, but we just left her there." Elfman said, obviously unhappy. "With them."
Mirajane put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll see her again, Elfman. I'm sure of it. Even if we have to go all the way to Bosco."
Together, the group made their way back to the Oshibana train station, preparing for the journey back to Magnolia.
The airship flew over the forests of Bosco as Mystogan, with some difficulty, flew the ship. Lucy stared out of a window as dark clouds gathered in the sky. The bright colors of the foliage below were muted by the lack of sunlight.
"It's so cool being able to see everything from up here." She said. "Too bad its so cloudy out. I bet the view would look incredible on a sunny day."
"Uh huh." Gray said, sitting in the back with Happy and Carla. He was distracted by something.
"What's wrong, Gray?" Lucy said, turning to him. Gray shifted uncomfortably where he sat.
"You know that important stuff we needed to talk about? I think it's time."
"Oh, okay." Lucy said. "Do you want to go first?"
"Actually, I think you should go first." He said. "Then Mystogan. If you don't mind."
"I'm alright with that." Mysotgan said, trying to keep the ship aloft. It had suffered some damage from Arnok's attacks, but it still seemed capable of flying decently.
"Okay, then I'll go last." Gray said. "Lucy?"
Lucy blinked. "Oh right. Alright, where do I start? Let's see, we were walking through the tunnel with Virgo, and then came to a hatch…" Lucy explained what had happened during her adventure, with Carla adding some parts that Lucy might have missed. She concluded with her escape, and being chased by the machine.
"Thank you again for returning my stave." Mystogan said.
"Hah, you're welcome." Lucy said, proud of the accomplishment.
"Yeah, you did a good job, Lucy." Gray said. Lucy started laughing, not used to being praised so much.
"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without Carla." She said.
"I won't argue with that." Carla said.
"Next time we should team up." Happy said to Carla.
"Anyway, what did you find, Mystogan?" Gray said. Mystogan explained what happened on his path, including the book he found.
"Ascension, huh?" Gray said. "I'm sure the master will want to hear about that."
"The master…" Lucy said.
"Yeah, here's the thing." Gray said. He took a breath, preparing himself for what he was about to tell them. "The master knew we were going to Bosco. He spoke to me about it before we left. And here's what he told me…" Gray went into detail about the master's suspicions, and his orders for the mission. He then told them what he found. He talked about Natsu, and Cobra, and the fight that ensued, before finally meeting back up with the rest of the group. After he was done talking, there was silence on the ship for a minute. Gray's story had changed the mood. Lucy broke the silence.
"Natsu. You saw him there, and you just left him there?"
"Hey Lucy, he wasn't exactly in a talkative mood." Gray said. "We got into a fight, as usual. But more importantly, he's working with them. Has been all along, probably."
Lucy turned to Happy. "Its true, Lucy." Happy said. "Natsu said it himself. I guess what happened to Erza made him go crazy or something." Happy looked sad talking about it. Lucy looked down at the floor, absorbing everything.
"Why didn't you say any of this while we were still there?" she said. "We could have gone back for him and…"
"And what?" Gray said. "He didn't want to leave. Besides, we were a little busy fighting and running for our lives. Remember?" Lucy said nothing. A heavy silence filed the air. They spent the next several minutes flying in silence. This time, Mystogan broke the silence.
"The ship is getting harder to control. I don't know if its because of damage, or if it's running out of power, or what."
"Guess we'll need to land." Gray said.
"I'm not exactly sure how to do that, but I'll try my best." Mystogan said. "Its probably just as well. We could attract some very negative attention if we're seen flying into Fiore with an enemy airship." Mystogan started looking for a good place to land, or at least attempt a landing.
"So, what are we going to do?" Lucy said. "About Natsu, and… everything. What happens next?"
Gray put his head back against the wall of the ship, and looked up at the ceiling. He sighed. "I don't know. We'll figure that out when we get home."
"Home." Lucy said quietly.
After that, they flew through the air in silence, as the first drops of rain began to fall.
Endnotes: I've spent a lot of time writing these last few chapters, so I might take another break. If it takes longer for the next chapter to be posted then that's most likely why.
