It was snowing in Magnolia City. White snowflakes drifted down everywhere, covering the ground that already had a layer of powder on it. The sight would be beautiful, except no one had time to admire it. The Fairy Tail mages were gathered outside the guild, standing together. And they were surrounded. Enemies all around. Menacing figures. Men with swords. Wizards. Men dressed in armor. Fighting quickly broke out. Master Makarov was there, having become a giant. Suddenly, someone was wounded. Mortally injured. Dying.
"Wendy?" a voice said nearby. "Wendy?" It repeated. Then Carla woke up.
Carla the cat sat up in her bedroll. It was the middle of the night. Wendy was nearby in her bed. But there was someone else in the room too. Carla, a little bleary, looked up, and blinked. "Mirajane?" she said.
Mirajane was looking at Wendy, who had just woken up herself. "Hi Carla." Wendy said. She rubbed her eyes.
"Good morning you two." Mirajane said. "Very early morning. Sorry to bother you like this."
"I assume you have a good reason." Carla said, standing up and yawning.
"Yeah, I do." Mirajane said. "Something happened. Lucy was attacked, and she's badly hurt."
"Oh no. Will she be okay?" Wendy said.
"She should be." Mirajane said. "I think she only has a broken arm, and some bruises. We're not entirely sure yet though, since she's unconscious. She was attacked by another celestial wizard, Angel. I don't think she's in any danger of dying, but all the same we'd like you to heal her."
"Yeah, of course. I'll do my best." Wendy said. She got up and started getting dressed. Carla stood there thinking this over.
"You're sure her life is in no danger?" Carla said.
"Pretty sure, yeah." Mirajane said. Carla looked pensive. "What's wrong?" Mirajane asked.
"I just had a strange dream." Carla said. "Someone was dying. Someone in our guild, I think. There was a big fight, and I think the samurai were there. And… some other people I can't remember. And it was snowing too. And then you came here and said Lucy was badly hurt…"
"Snowing?" Mirajane said. "It's definitely not snowing now. And it won't be any time soon."
"It just seemed so vivid." Carla said.
"Dreams are weird." Mirajane said. She smiled.
"I have weird dreams sometimes too." Wendy said. By this point she was almost fully dressed.
"People have dreams about things they're afraid of sometimes." Mirajane said. "But right now we have a real problem back at the guild. Are you ready?" Wendy confirmed she was, and Carla agreed to come along. The three of them left to head back to the guild together.
Back at the guild hall, Natsu and Lisanna were both awake now. They stood in the main hall along with Makarov and a few others. After thinking over the situation, Makarov had decided to alert the other guild members in the area to what had happened, just in case what happened at Lucy's apartment was not an isolated incident. At the moment, they couldn't be sure if only Lucy had been targeted, or if other members of the guild would be attacked in their homes too. A few other people had started showing up at the guild despite the late hour. Bicklsow and Evergreen arrived, although it didn't seem like they arrived together. Gajeel showed up too. Flare had already woken up and was on the second floor.
"She's the one that attacked Lucy?" Natsu said. He pointed to Angel, who was still unconscious, and tied to a chair in the middle of the room.
"Yes, we'll deal with her shortly." Makarov said.
"How is Lucy doing?" Lisanna asked. She stood nearby Natsu.
"She definitely got hurt out there, but I think she'll be okay." Cana said. Cana had helped Lucy get changed and into bed. The bed was actually just a couch with a blanket over it, since they had run out of beds in the guild.
"I want to see her." Natsu said.
"She's right in there." Makarov said. "I sent Mirajane to get Wendy to help heal her, so they should be here soon." Natsu walked into the room Lucy was in, with Lisanna following behind. When they entered the room, Lucy was lying on a couch, dressed in what looked to be a mismatched assortment of different clothes. Cana likely had trouble finding something warm for Lucy to wear, since she tends to dress in revealing outfits.
"Lucy?" Lisanna said softly. She didn't want to wake Lucy up in case she was sleeping.
"Are you asleep, Lucy?" Natsu asked. Lucy opened an eye, and looked at the two visitors.
"Hi." Lucy said softly.
Natsu and Lisanna approached. "How are you feeling?" Natsu asked.
Lucy started to shrug, but then winced. "Ow. Not too bad, as long as I don't move my arm."
Lisanna walked over and looked Lucy over. "Can we get you anything?"
Lucy shook her head. "No. Unless you have something for the pain. And maybe a spell to fix my apartment. Otherwise, I can't think of anything."
"We'll make them pay for this." Natsu said.
"I think I got Angel." Lucy said, looking around. "Did she get away?"
"No, she's here." Lisanna said. "We're going to question her. Also, Virgo wanted us to tell you that Angel's spirits broke their contracts, and want to join you."
Lucy considered this. "Wow. That's great. I'd probably be happier if I wasn't so lightheaded."
"Its okay, try not to talk." Lisanna said. She touched Lucy's hand.
At this point Cana peeked into the room. "The master is going to wake Angel up in a few minutes, and start questioning her. Just letting you know in case you want to be there."
"Thanks, but I'll stay with Lucy until Wendy shows up." Natsu said. "If I hear her talk it'll probably just make me mad." Natsu then turned to Lisanna. "Besides, you can tell me what she said."
"Oh." Lisanna said. "I could stay too if you want."
"It's okay Lisanna." Lucy said. "I just want to take a nap."
"Okay." Lisanna said. "But if you have a concussion, you might not want to fall asleep. I heard that's bad." Lisanna left the room and rejoined the main hall. Everyone was gathered around, watching Makarov and Angel. Makarov walked up to Angel. Her clothes were still damp, and her hair had been messed up by the rain. He stood with his hands behind his back, and took a breath. "How should we wake her up?" he said to no one in particular.
"We could try-" Mirajane started to say.
"I'll do it." Cana interjected. She quickly walked up to Angel and smacked her across the face, hard. Angel opened her eyes, and jerked her head.
"Ah! You…" Angel said. She looked around, seemingly disoriented. "Where am I?"
"Welcome to Fairy Tail." Makarov said. "I am Fairy Tail's master. We're going to have a conversation."
Angel eyed Makarov, and then looked around at the other mages. She tried to stand up, but found she was bound. "I'm not speaking to you." She said. "You should let me go. People will be coming for me."
"Are they?" Makarov said. "I heard your friend Hot Eye was taken into custody by the magic council. No one has come for him, have they? So why would they come for you?"
Angel sneered. "I'm too important. And I have power." She seemed to look around for something.
"Looking for these?" Makarov said, holding up Angel's keys.
"Those are mine, you thief." Angel said.
"You can have them back when we're done." Makarov said. "Not that they'll do you any good. Your spirits have abandoned you."
"A thief and a liar." Angel said. Makarov sighed. At that point the front door swung open, and several people entered. It was Mirajane, followed by Wendy and Carla.
"We're back." Mirajane said.
"Hi everyone, I'm here to help." Wendy said. "Where's Lucy?"
"She's in there." Cana pointed to the room Lucy was in. Wendy and Carla quickly entered. Mirajane closed the door and walked up to join the others.
"How's it going?" she said.
"So far, uncooperative." Makarov said.
"Why would I cooperate with you?" Angel said.
"Listen, the magic council will probably be here soon to take you away." Makarov said. "You might as well make things easier for yourself. I don't know what Boudica promised you, but she isn't going to help you now."
Angel sat there, looking down, considering something. "She'll help me. If not now, then later. She said she will. And when she has the power to, I know she'll give me what I've always wanted."
"And what is that?" Makarov said.
Angel looked him in the eye. "I want to be an angel. A real angel." Some of the mages exchanged glances with each other.
"Well, that's nuts." Cana said.
"What makes you think Boudica can do that for you?" Mirajane asked.
"If anyone has the power, she does." Angel said.
"The power to make angels?" Cana said. Angel looked at her like she was stupid.
"You don't even know?" Angel said. "You haven't even figured out that much?" She looked at Lisanna. "You spent so much time with her, you should be able to guess."
Lisanna furrowed her brow. "I spent time with her, but I don't really know what goes on in her head. And she didn't know me either." Angel scoffed. Then she laughed.
"That's rich. You're all so foolish. Why do you think she's been working so hard to gain more followers? She has an entire religion devoted to her. That's not just vanity. You never stopped to ask what the end goal is?"
"Why don't you just tell us then?" Cana said.
Mirajane stepped forward. "No one is coming to rescue you." She said. "But if you cooperate then we'll tell the council you helped. Maybe they'll be lenient."
Angel closed her eyes. She took a breath. "I'll tell you the reason this is all happening. Its not like you'll be able to do anything about it anyway. But I'll tell you nothing else."
"We're listening." Makarov said.
Angel opened her eyes and looked at them, half amused. "You haven't noticed that Boudica has grown more powerful?"
"Many mages grow more powerful over time." Makarov said.
"This is different." She said. "Her power has grown exponentially in a short period of time. The more followers she has, the more powerful she becomes."
Makarov looked to Lisanna. "Is that true?" he asked.
"I didn't notice specifically." Lisanna said. "She has gotten more powerful, but I didn't think it was directly related to how many people worshiped her. I know that a wizard can get a boost from emotions. But worship? Is that possible?"
"Boudica's magic works differently." Angel said. "Her power is divine. She is the daughter of a god. She grows stronger with every person who believes in her. So, what do you think will happen after she amasses enough power?"
Makarov narrowed his eyes. "All power has limits."
"Not for the divine. Her power will continue to grow, and she is the child of a god. A demi-god, if you will. So, if she is able to gain enough power, and move to the next level, then she becomes…"
"A god?" Lisanna said.
"Isn't she technically already a god?" Mirajane said.
"Not quite." Angel said. "Her power is great. But she will become a true god. Just like her father. And just like Ankh-Seram. Just like Cronos, and the others."
"That's impossible." Lisanna said.
"Its quite possible. She just needs a little more time. And then she will ascend, and will become one of the divine race. And I… She will make me a real angel, like I've always wanted. Just like she promised. And then I won't have to be in this miserable place anymore." Angel closed her eyes as tears began to fall. The others stood, contemplating this.
Sherry moved through the Bosco forest. It was summer, and everything there was lush and full. It was nice to look at, but with everything so thick it could be easy to get lost for someone not familiar with the area. Sherry moved cautiously, trying to find her way around. But being in unfamiliar territory was not her only problem.
Though she was unaware of it, Sherry was being watched. Not by a person, but by a thing. A small machine that blended in with the environment moved slowly trough the foliage, observing her, and recording what she was doing. Sherry began to call for Lyon, only to receive no answer. She stayed for a moment, and then walked on. The machine followed.
Sherry walked through the trees for some time. She did have a general idea of where she was, even if she had gotten a little off course. Bosco was in a different time zone than Magnolia, so the sun was only just starting to set. She and Lyon had come some way into the Bosco outskirts, and they had decided to search this area. So far, they had been unsuccessful at finding any alternate ways into the country. The border seemed mostly secure, and if there was some kind of secret entrance then it was taking a while to find it. Sherry would just be happy when this was all over with. She didn't mind being out in nature, but she had already gotten plenty of that back at Galluna Island.
Everything was so diverse in color and size, and yet it was equally confusing. She should have stuck with Lyon. She felt she might need to use her dolls to help find her way through. As she turned, she saw a clearing ahead. She was so relieved to finally see something other than trees and bushes and flowers that she immediately started walking towards it.
As Sherry came closer, she saw that the clearing was not that large, but maybe still big enough to get her bearings. However, the area was not empty. There was someone there. Someone was sitting on a stump in the middle of the clearing. They had their back to Sherry, so were perhaps unaware of her approach.
"Hello?" Sherry said. The person on the stump moved their head, but didn't respond. Sherry moved closer. As she approached, she saw that the person sitting there was small, maybe a child.
"Hello?" Sherry repeated. The child turned.
"Hi." The little girl said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Sherry. I'm… with a magic guild. Are you out here all alone? Are you lost?"
The girl shook her head. "No silly. You look like you're the one who's lost."
"Me?" Sherry said.
"Yes, you. Don't worry, we know where your friend is."
Sherry furrowed her brow. "We?" She sensed a presence, and turned around. There was a man in a mask standing before her, holding a stave.
Lyon stepped out of a group of trees. He had been walking for a while, and he wasn't sure where Sherry was right then. But he would find her. In the meantime, he had already found something else. It was a small wooden structure. Sort of like a shack. He wondered if anyone lived there. He also wondered if they might be able to help him with his mission. He decided to knock on the door. There was no answer.
The area around the shack was mostly clear. Maybe someone had been there recently. He didn't hear anyone inside though. The structure didn't look very sturdy. He could probably break it down if he wanted to. But if it was just some person's home, then he didn't really want to do that. But it was all he had found out there. Lyon knocked again. "Is anyone home?" he said. No answer. He was getting impatient. He froze the doorknob, and then broke it apart. He would apologize if someone lived there. The door opened.
He entered into the shack, which was just as small on the inside as it was on the outside. There was no furniture. There was only a trap door in the floor. It looked like it had previously been covered with straw. Maybe the shack hadn't been visited in some time. He decided to try opening it. To his surprise, it worked. There was a ladder leading down. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he decided to take a risk and just go down. It was dark. He used a basic light spell. He specialized in ice magic, but he knew a couple other spells for an occasion like this. When he got down there, there wasn't much to see. There was a tunnel. One direction was just a wall. The other looked like it led somewhere. Or did, once. It was blocked off. It appeared to be intentionally closed off with a lot of stone and debris. A dead end. There was nothing more to see there. But, if there was something like this here, then maybe there were other underground tunnels that weren't sealed. He climbed back out.
When he got back to the surface, he walked out of the cabin. He needed to find Sherry. He took a step, and then saw someone standing by a tree a few yards away. A man in armor, a samurai. Lyon took on a fighting stance. The samurai ran back into the trees. Lyon grunted. He knew there was a risk of encountering enemies out there. He was ready for a fight. He took a few more steps, and saw someone run by on his side. He turned, and they were gone. Lyon was on guard.
"You should not have come here." A voice said. Lyon turned, and saw someone standing in a clear area on the side of the shack. Another samurai. But this one was different. Lyon could tell.
"You're their leader." Lyon said.
"Perceptive." Yoshimoto said. "You may call me Lord Yoshimoto."
"All you are is in my way." Lyon said. "Give up now or else." Yoshimoto reached for his sword. Lyon launched an ice attack. Yoshimoto ducked behind the shack. Lyon ran after him, but another samurai came running out of the tress at him. The samurai swung his sword, but Lyon put up an ice shield to block it. He knocked the man back onto the ground, and then followed up with an ice sword. He got the man in the shoulder, drawing first blood, but then was rushed at from behind by another one.
Lyon dodged another sword attack in time, and punched the opponent in the gut. The armor protected him though. Someone shouted from behind. It was Yoshimoto, rushing at Lyon with the point of his sword. Lyon dodged again, and Yoshimoto ended up impaling his soldier instead. Lyon didn't stop to see if the wound was fatal. He scrambled and backed away to get his bearings. Lyon stopped and looked at the samurai lord. The wounder soldier was on the ground, and Yoshimoto turned to face Lyon. Yoshimito's gold, garish demon mask seemed to taunt him. Lyon launched a salvo of ice-make eagles. As they rushed toward him, Yoshimoto slashed his sword at the air. The space in front of him was ripped open, like a tear in space. His sword emanated some kind of dark energy. The eagles flew straight into the rift, and it closed up after them. Lyon and Yoshimoto stood facing each other.
"Not bad." Lyon said. Yoshimoto didn't respond. He slashed the air again, this time on the other side, and stepped through. The tear closed after him. He was gone. Lyon stepped forward.
"So, he ran away." Lyon said. He started to walk over to the wounded soldier to see if he was still alive. If he was, Lyon would question him. As he approached, the other soldier with the wounder shoulder came rushing from the side at Lyon. Lyon dodged the sword strike, punched the man, and threw him to the ground.
"Your master is gone, you should give up now." Lyon said.
"Wrong!" A voice said. Lyon quickly turned, but was slashed across his arm with a sword.
"Agh!" Lyon said. A wide gash was cut into his arm, and he was bleeding. He backed up a step, and prepared a counterattack. Yoshimoto turned, and came at him again. Lyon was again able to put up his shield in time.
"Still here after all?" Lyon said. Yoshimoto said nothing. He just backed away, considering his next move. Lyon stepped to the side, still holding the shield. He moved closer to the shack. Yoshimoto charged at him again, this time aiming low. He slashed Lyon's legs, separating them from his body. Lyon hit the ground. Only, the samurai lord found that it wasn't Lyon, but an ice clone.
"What?" Yoshimoto sneered. The ground erupted in front of Yoshimoto, an ice geyser. The spikes shot up, puncturing his armor. He fell to the ground. Lyon walked up, standing over him.
"You aren't the only one who can fight dirty." Lyon said. Yoshimoto dropped his sword and raised his hands, a gesture of surrender.
"Yes, I see that." Yoshimoto said. He groaned and rolled onto his side. Lyon reached down for him. But, quicker than he could react, Yoshimoto threw something in Lyon's face. It was something white and powdery. It went into Lyon's eyes, and stung. It was salt. Lyon screamed, and backed away. Instinctually he clutched his face. Pain, blindness. But then, he felt a greater pain in his abdomen. The pain forced him to open his eyes. Through blurred vision he saw Yoshimoto's garish mask staring at him. Yoshimoto held onto his sword, which had impaled Lyon.
"But I fight to win." Yoshimoto said. Yoshimoto stepped back, pulling the sword out. It was coated in blood. Lyon trembled, and got onto his knees. Pain shot through his body. He felt weak. He was then kicked in the face, and fell onto his back. Now, Yoshimoto stood over him. Lyon watched him raise the sword. Lyon raised his hand to cast a spell, but one of his arms was pinned to the ground by the soldier he was fighting earlier. With one arm pinned by the soldier's foot, Lyon was unable to fight back.
"You coward!" Lyon said, sneering his teeth at Yoshimoto. He struggled in vain. Yoshimoto looked down on him.
"It is not about how you win." Yoshimoto said. He raised the sword, aiming the point at Lyon's chest. "It is about who is left standing in the end." With that, the sword came down.
Gajeel was on the second floor of the guild, looking down at the various mages arriving. Several more people had shown up since earlier. Warrod had been found and had sent a message letting everyone know what had happened. And now, after hearing Angel's speech, everyone seemed to be trying to figure out what the next move should be.
Gajeel leaned over the railing, wondering what the master was thinking. He didn't like having to depend on Lamia Scale or the magic council for help. If it wasn't for the border crossing problem, he would suggest they all just pack up and head out to Bosco to deal with this situation. Forget strategy, just attack them full force. Gajeel felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned. Flare stood there.
"Hi." She said. "What are you looking at?"
Gajeel sighed. "Nothing."
"Nothing huh?" Flare said. She leaned over the railing beside Gajeel. "I hear blondie broke her arm and captured the angel girl, what's her name."
"Angel." Gajeel said.
"Oh yeah." Flare said. Flare stared for a minute. "She looks like a bitch."
"She is." Gajeel said.
For a moment they just looked down together, watching people talking and rubbing their eyes. It was pretty late. Then, Flare said, "Do you want to talk about what happened? Between us?"
Gajeel was silent for a moment. They hadn't really spoken since the incident. Even when they woke up the morning after, they barely said anything. Gajeel didn't want to stick around and talk after that.
"Do you regret it?" Flare said.
"I… I don't know. Look, the whole thing was your idea. And I don't really want to talk about it."
They were again silent for a long moment. "Do you hate me?" Flare said.
"No, damnit." Gajeel said. "I like you. That's the problem."
"What's a problem?" someone said from behind them. They turned to see Juvia standing there.
"Well, look who showed up." Gajeel said.
"We missed you." Flare said, with a cutesy yet creepy smile.
"Speak for yourself." Gajeel muttered.
"What were you two talking about?" Juvia said.
"What we did while you were gone." Flare said.
"You mean fighting the machines." Juvia said.
"Yeah, exactly." Gajeel said.
"Sorry I wasn't there. I had… something else to do." Juvia said.
"I hope it was important." Gajeel said.
Juvia stood there silently, her hands folded in front of her. She appeared to be considering something. "I heard Lucy was attacked." She said.
"…Yeah." Gajeel said. He turned back to the railing. "She got into a fight and broke her arm. Still took down the other guy, or girl, though. Not bad." Flare just nodded along with what Gajeel was saying.
"Broke her arm." Juvia said. "And I hear her apartment was destroyed too. How awful for her." Juvia said this flatly.
"Yeah, that is pretty bad." Gajeel said.
"But she's still alive, right?" Juvia said.
"Yeah, she is." He said.
"Sorry I couldn't be there to help her." Juvia said.
"You say that almost like you don't really mean it." He said. "Something happen between you and Lucy?" Juvia didn't answer. She just looked down at the floor. Gajeel opened his mouth to say something else, but there was suddenly a commotion below.
"Hey, we need help here, she's hurt!" someone on the first floor said. Gajeel and the others looked down to see. It was Droy and Jet, coming in through the font door. They were carrying Levy, helping her to stand. Levy looked like she had been attacked, just like Lucy.
"Looks like they got Levy." Gajeel said. Gajeel was reminded of how he himself had once assaulted Levy and her teammates, and left them on display for the rest of Fairy Tail. It wasn't a memory he was proud of.
"Maybe they're coming after us more directly now." Flare said.
"Maybe." Juvia said. They watched as Levy was seated, and several people came to look her over.
Levy sat in a chair in the guild hall. She had several bruises on her face, and other areas. Other mages had gathered around, including Gray, and Lisanna. Natsu was there too, now that Lucy was asleep. It had been about an hour since Levy arrived, and she was brought up to speed on what had happened. The others, in turn, had been informed of what had happened to Levy. She had been attacked while she was at a library. The attacker made no attempt to abduct her though. She was just left there alone.
"So, Boudica wants to become a god." Levy said. "Like, a real god."
"According to Angel, yes." Makarov said. He was seated across from Levy.
"That's impossible." Gray said. "Humans can't become gods."
"That's what I thought." Lisanna said. "Although, her father was a god. So, who knows?"
"What's the big deal?" Natsu said. "God or not, we'll kick her ass. All of them."
"That's my Natsu." Lisanna said with a faint smile.
"You won't go near her." Makarov said to Natsu. "You should know why. As for the rest of you… What do you know about the gods?" Several of the mages shrugged. A few turned to Levy.
"Well…" Levy said. "I'm not exactly the religious type. But from what I've read, the gods are… well they're technically a race. A very powerful race of beings that can do great and terrible things. Or so they say."
"I've seen some stuff that tells me they're probably real." Natsu said. "Either way, that's not going to stop me. I mean, us." He added at the end, remembering the master's comment. A few of the others voiced agreement.
Makarov closed his eyes and sighed. "Are you all aware of what Gildarts is doing right now?" Several of the mages exchanged glances.
"Gildarts?" Gray said. "Yeah, he's on some big quest right now. Haven't seen him in a long time, actually."
"If Gildarts were here, they'd be sorry." Natsu said. Makarov sighed again.
"Gildarts in currently on a one-hundred-year quest." Makarov explained. "He went out to fight a dragon. Dragons are incredibly powerful. So powerful that even the strongest of mages would find it very difficult to defeat one."
"If anyone can do it, Gildarts can." Natsu said.
"Maybe." Makarov said. He got up and walked around the table slowly. "Although, it has been quite some time since I've heard anything from him. Sometimes I wonder if he's okay."
"Knowing him, he's probably fine." Gray said. "Anyway, why are you bringing up Gildarts and dragons at a time like this?"
Makarov stopped and looked at them. "Because, as powerful as dragons are, the gods are supposed to be even more powerful. A race of beings that very few, if any, mortals could hope to defeat. That is what Boudica hopes to become. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The group was silent for several moments. Then, Levy spoke. "Even if everything we've heard about the gods is true, we still don't know for sure that its actually possible for her to become one herself. Getting more powerful from worship, maybe. But transforming into a full-fledged god from being worshipped? That sounds… crazy."
"Yes, it does." Makarov said. "But then, Natsu's plan to bring someone back from the dead sounded crazy too." Makarov gazed over at Natsu and Lisanna. Natsu winced when Makarov said that. Lisanna put her hand on his back.
"Even if it is possible…" Gray began. "What would she do once she becomes a god? I mean, there are other gods too, right? So, its not like she could just do whatever she wanted. In fact, didn't she piss off one of the gods before? Would they even allow her to ascend like that?"
"I don't know." Makarov said. "The ways of the gods are mysterious. Maybe they would intervene. But the fact that they haven't so far is concerning. Boudica is continuing to raise the dead, and is accumulating power to become a god. And yet, she is facing no consequences."
"Do you think the gods have abandoned us?" Wendy said nearby. She stood off to the side instead of sitting with the others.
"I haven't heard of the gods getting directly involved in things for a long time now." Lisanna said.
"Maybe Ankh-Seram is dead." Levy said.
"Can gods even die?" Gray said.
"These are all interesting questions." Makarov said. "But they're not getting us anywhere. There is one thing we know for sure: Boudica wants to become a god, is a threat, and needs to be stopped. Otherwise, who knows what might happen if she succeeds."
"It doesn't matter, because we're not going to let it happen." Natsu said.
"Natsu and I will do whatever we can." Lisanna added. "We want to stop her as much as anyone else." Gray made a face, but said nothing. Natsu and Gray glared at each other for a moment.
"I believe you." Makarov said. "But its very late, and I'm very tired. We'll talk about this more tomorrow. For now, let's all get some sleep. As for the sleeping arrangements… we're still working that out. I'll talk with you and Lucy about that later."
Makarov got up, and started going back to bed. The others mostly did likewise, although a few of them stayed up for a while. Some of them chose to just sleep in the main hall, in case of another attack.
It was now early morning. Makarov was awake, but hadn't slept well. He was waiting on word from Lamia Scale and the magic council. He was growing impatient to get things in motion. But he didn't want to send anyone out before everything was ready. Right now, it seemed like they still had time. But who was to say how long that would be true?
"What do you think she plans to do after she ascends?" Mirajane said. She was standing in Makarov's office, while he sat in his chair.
"She's told people that she wants to create a world without war and death." Makarov said. "Who knows how much of that is true? Or what methods she would use to achieve it. I wouldn't trust the fate of the world in her hands though."
"Me neither." Mirajane said. "Still, it is possible the other gods would keep her in check."
"They haven't done a good job of that so far." Makarov said. "We can't take the risk. We have to stop her. And the other Shadow Kings too. Killing Boudica might not stop them all at once, but it should make things easier."
"So, we're committed to killing her then." Mirajane said. "Maybe there's another way."
"We're talking about a woman with a god complex who casually manipulates the minds and bodies of others." Makarov said. "I wouldn't count on her being reasonable. Besides, if its true that she gains her power through worship, then that means that she remains a threat as long as she lives."
"Yes, but…" Mirajane said. "She has a family. A husband, and children who care about her."
"Her husband is as guilty as she is. As for her children? That is unfortunate, but they have participated too. Although, I realize the girl is very young, and the other…" Makarov trailed off. "We need to do whatever it takes." Mirajane said nothing. Just looked down at the floor. Just then, a magical lacrima that Makarov had on his desk activated.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" a voice said. Makarov quickly looked into the lacrima.
"Yes, hello." He said. He saw a face in the glass. He knew who it was.
"Oh, master Makarov, its you." Sherry said. "I hope I didn't wake you. I just thought you'd want to hear this."
"No, its fine." He said, although he did yawn after saying it. "What do you have to report?"
"We found a way in." Sherry said. "It took some time, but we found it."
"That's good news." Makarov said. "Where is Lyon, and the others?"
"Lyon is sleeping." Sherry said. "He'll be up later. The others are on the other side of the border. We thought we could cover more ground that way."
"Sounds a little risky." Makarov said. "Anyway, about that way in."
"Yes. There's a tunnel, but it's blocked with heavy debris. We should be able to clear a path. But we might need help from some of your mages to do it. Do you think you can send someone?"
"Hmm. I think we can sneak someone through. And it would probably be a good idea to have someone check it out first to make sure it will work."
"Excellent." Sherry said. "We'll need someone with magic that's good at clearing paths."
"I'll find someone." He said. "Just give me your location, and we'll have someone out there as soon as we can." Sherry told him where to rendezvous, and they said goodbye. The lacrima went blank again.
"Well, that's one." Makarov said.
"Now we just need to decide who to send." Mirajane said. "Hopefully things will go smoothly this time."
