Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail


Current location: Eastern Kingdom Bellum

Year x784, 10 Days earlier

The people of Bellum would never be free from their past, forever haunted by the mistakes and erroneous ways of their predecessors. Four hundred years had passed yet still the nation carried with it the scars and wounds of their choices so long ago. It had been so long since war had been waged on the land and with each generation that came, the memories of the last war faded with the memories of the elderly, the truth forever to be sealed away. Many came and went, and with them, came the distortion of events to better suit the leaders of the nation, a propaganda of sorts. Never was any direct mention to be made to the Etherious race and the black mage, only indirect references to their defeat at the hands of the combined forces of the Dragon race and humanity itself.

Bellum was a land with a rich history and it prided itself on its heavy militaristic prowess, aided by their special weapons, their deterrents of war-The Dragonslayers. There were only seven known throughout the land, each with a heavy bounty placed on their head and two resided within Bellum. Those bounties were only for show though, for no one dared test their strength against them and for one to do such a thing was considered mockery of the sacrifice made by the dragon race. Though, with all the time that had passed, others were unaware of such a thing.

Unlike Bellum, other nations wished to forget the trouble that had been as a result of the first Etherious wars and did not host yearly celebrations to commemorate their victory. They simply buried it along with the past.

Yet even in Bellum only the council knew the truth of the matter that occurred all those years ago. The dragon slayers themselves were unaware of the events, having only been children at such a time before being thrust into a safe future to look after the land their precursors had given them. Never again were the Etherious to be heard of. Not to the people and most certainly not to the Dragonslayers.

It was the year x784, four hundred years on, the four hundredth celebration of the festival of Dragons. Wendy Marvel sat along the edges of Bellum's stone wall, the giant edifice that stood over three hundred meters tall. It protected the nation from outside entry and it was aided in its task by the dense thicket that surrounded the area. Wendy looked across the land, a small graceful smile on her features as a light breeze blew past. From up there, everything could seem so tiny but her eyes were sharp enough to tell nearly every little thing apart. A lot of lights were lit under the night sky, the people gearing up for the yearly festival that served to venerate the dragons and their sacrifice. To Wendy, the whole thing seemed to be based purely on myth, hence, it was likely a folktale. Dragons had not existed for ages and the concept of a demonic race seemed sketchy enough on its own. Such a thing was unheard of. Demons simply did not exist.

Yes, she possessed dragonslayer magic, but she had no recollection of dragons ever being a reality. Somethings simply could not be explained, not when no evidence could suggest those things. The girl sighed as she looked at her palm.

'The people of this country celebrate what they do not know and give us a reverence that neither of us truly deserves, least of all me,'

Wendy suddenly felt the wind change and she swiveled her head to see Natsu land behind her, just a few paces off. The cool night breeze suddenly seemed warmer, a forced change in the conditions showing his presence and announcing his arrival. He smiled at her, that usual boyish grin that promised nothing but fun and honesty.

"Wendy, what are you doing up here?"

"You know I don't like the festival," She avoided his gaze and let her eyes fall to her lap. Natsu's smile fell as he walked over to his sister and took a seat next to her, his legs swinging over the edge.

"Yeah, I figured that much. You always do your best to avoid it and there really isn't much I can do to change your mind. Even I don't really get what this thing is about and while I may want answers, I know they won't be coming. I think you would figure it out before I do, you're a big girl, but you're still my little sister," He ruffled her hair as she leaned into his chest to embrace him. She wondered what she would do without him at times.

Natsu let her go as waved her off, tugged on his scarf and jumped off the railing. She was sure he would land alright. Wendy knew he also wanted answers, like where his scarf had come from amongst other things. She knew that there was not much they could do, so she chose to simply enjoy the silence. There was not much of that when Natsu was present.

.


.

Kingdom of Fiore

The House of Alberona, serving directly under Queen Hisui, had specific tasks only they could handle. Cana honestly felt like she was just there to be the queen's personal shrink, what with how much the woman shared her problems with her all the time. Don't get her wrong, she adored the woman, she just wished Hisui would share less and maybe indulge in a bit of alcohol.

Cana figured it was too late to actually go home at this hour, so she borrowed one of Hisui's many spare rooms, without asking of course. She would be gone the moment the sun was up, if she was not hung over.

Cana made her way to the nearest room and took off her coat, hanging her it by the railing at the door and pouring a glass of wine for herself. She swirled the contents of the cup and looked at them for a while as she reclined in a chair.

'Doesn't look anything like the cheap stuff I'm used to,' Cana though to herself as she took a swig, the refreshing feeling of the liquor washing down her throat. She sighed in content as she relaxed a bit more, starting to sense the tension vanishing from her shoulders. Cana knew her job was not a very demanding one, but it could be difficult when it wanted to be. Her family had worked closely in accordance with the wishes of the ruling family for eons, as long as she could remember, which was not very long to be honest.

The brunette looked up at the dull grey ceiling that provided cover for the room she had chosen for the night. The life of a fortune teller, which was a light way to put her job, was tedious. It was easy to misinterpret the things you saw in your visions and to make such any kind of error in her business could spell disaster for the kingdom and all those within it. Cana liked not to think too much about it. It did not help to stress over things she could not control, though it did give her a reason to indulge in more alcohol.

'Come to think of it, I haven't had a single vision in ages,'

It was not something that alarmed her. It gave her a healthy break and a well needed rest. She downed the contents of her glass once more and sighed as she closed her eyes. Things had not been this peaceful in a while.

She was grateful and she was also tremendously bored of the simple life. Not that she was complaining, she simply wished that-

'In a demon's story, there's no such thing as mercy,'

Cana's eyes flew open at the intrusion in her head and she looked around the room. The wind blew, the suddenness of it causing the candle lighting in the room to go out. The oddest thing was, there were no open windows. There was no one with her yet she was sure she had heard the soft alluring voice of a female. She could not have imagined it, not when she had never heard that voice. She was certain she would have remembered it.

"It could have all been in my he-"

The sight of burning building filled her vision, her sight tainted by the familiar color of blood and its metallic copper like smell. She was assaulted by the smoldering heat and corpses that littered the streets. Buildings were burning as well, the screams of terror echoing in her ears. She felt powerless, her body numb as she stood in disbelief.

"What in the world could have possibly done this?" She asked herself and she could suddenly see shadows looming over the horizon, masses of black to be accurate. Red and gold eyes stared condescendingly at her being and she fought the urge to cower.

"All of this…is for the glory of Tartaros,"

Cana fell to her knees, sweat rolling down her brow as she fought to level her breathing. Never before had her visions felt so real and for a moment, she struggled to truly make any sense of what she had heard. She struggled to her knees and used the wall to hold her steady lest she collapse from the stress and elevated fear levels. Suddenly, she felt happy she had not gone home. This was a new development that Hisui needed to be made aware of. Fiore was in danger.

.


.

It was somewhere around midnight and Wendy was beginning to feel the effects of her lack of sleep. She was rarely up this late but the noise levels in town prevented her sensitive ears from resting. Even a fair distance away above the wall she could still hear them…and Natsu. He was complaining about something; she just was not sure what it was that had him so worked up. She yawned and rolled her shoulders to remove the knot in them before she stood and began her descent down the great wall.

The currents of the wind shifted and it suddenly grew colder, something that was not uncommon for night time. This was different though, for it carried with it an ominous fell that caused her to narrow her eyes.

Wendy turned her back and listened to the breeze of the wind to get a feel for whatever the source was. Whatever it was, it was slow, large and-

"It's already here," She realized with great alarm as she narrowed her eyes at the object that was sailing over her head. It was huge and seemed so very inhuman. That was truly the only way to describe it, for it was cube shaped, nearly symmetrical in shape at every angle. Vines were seemingly growing out of it, and it seemed to have a mouth of sorts. All in all, it was extremely displeasing to look at and seemed like something straight out of a horror movie. Wendy's pupils widened, her skin paling as she took in the sight.

"What the heck is that thing?" She turned on her heel, immediately sensing the danger it exuded. She needed to get to the elders and warn them, to warn everyone. She jumped off the ledge and vanished along the wall while the monstrosity in the sky drew ever closer. It was not long before people began to notice, with Natsu amongst them.

The salmon-haired teen looked up at the sky with squinted eyes as he adjusted his sight. Even as he did so, he did not attempt to stop chewing the food in his mouth. "Hmm?"

Natsu swallowed harshly as he tilted his head narrowed his eyes. Whatever that thing was, he did not like it.

"Everyone, evacuate from here!" Natsu yelled as he ran towards the general direction of the unidentified object in the sky. In the back of his mind, he hoped that Wendy was safe wherever she was. He took to the rooftops and tried to get a better view of the thing. It stopped at the center of the kingdom, hovering above everyone in an ominous manner.

"What is that thing?" Natsu asked himself. He watched as the vines on the giant thing shook violently, the vines growing as what looked like giant seeds dispersed all over the designated area. Natsu did not have to wonder what they were designed for, because as soon as they made contact with solid surface, they exploded upon themselves and took everything within range with them.

The sky was lit up in dim orange and red, the hues mixing strangely as horror filled Natsu's boyish features. The damage was far reaching and the effects were devastating. Natsu knew he had to stop it somehow, but something descended from the sky and fell with a loud crash. This time there was no explosion and it was a much smaller package.

The smoke slowly dissipated around the fallen figure and Natsu zeroed in on the person hidden within. They were tall and lean, with yellow hair with black tips. That same design was intricately remade on his hands as well and his canines were sharp at a distance. Yet his most noticeable feature was his tail.

"Finally…freedom,"

.


.

Wendy had not stopped running since the moment she had started. She rounded a corner and made her way to the council members that she knew would be seated in their seats as if conducting a meeting when in fact they were simply there. She was unsure what was happening but she could hear the anguished screams from up above and the loud explosions. She could only hope Natsu was doing well on his own while she was absent.

Soon enough, she came to the entrance and smashed the door in, only to find all the council members dead, each laying in a pool of their own blood. They had been slaughtered and she felt the sudden urge to vomit. How had the intruders gotten there so fast though? That was the main question in her mind. Wendy looked over at the man sitting at the head of the table.

He was still seated upright, his blood fresh and his eyes dead, in a comatose like state, yet he was not waking up ever again.

"Who could have done this?" The young girl asked herself. From behind the main chair, she caught some movement and a woman stepped into view out of the shadows. She was ethereal, her beauty seemingly incomparable to others. The horns on her head served the purpose of accentuating her appearance. Dark eyes stared back at her, a tint of red held within. At first glance they were uncaring, seemingly unperturbed by the entrance of the young girl. Then, a spark of interest rested in her orifices, buried by a practiced charm as she pursed her lips into a thin line.

'Her body has a lot of magic for one so small, and it has a different feel to it compared to the rest. Not human and most definitely not a devil. So then…'

Wendy watched the woman approach and without a moment's thought, she reacted solely upon instinct.

"Sky dragon roar!!!" The powerful attack ripped a whole through the building and the unprepared woman was thrown back into the once erect wall as a result. Wendy advanced but the chilling voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I see. A dragon. No, their slayer to be exact. I never thought that the documents I went through just now had any real semblance to anything. To think such a thing would exist in this day when dragons are a thing of the past. Yet…so are we devils,"

Wendy watched as the woman stood and dusted herself off. She eyed her with clear and open curiosity, her sudden interest growing. Seilah wiped the blood off her bottom lip and slowly made her way over to the young girl.

"Devils?" Wendy repeated in shock as something registered in her head. "Etherious?" she questioned as she adopted a fighting pose. Seilah paused mid-step and stared at Wendy.

"Indeed and I believe we have some catching up to do. Four hundred years is quite long isn't it," Seilah smiled, yet there was no warmth in it and Wendy doubted they would be talking.

.


.

"Hisui!"

The call of her name, coupled by the banging of the door and the lack of honorifics immediately alerted Hisui that it could be no one else but Cana at the door this late. She shifted in bed and slowly made her way to the door before letting Cana in.

"Do you know how late it-" She paused in the middle of her sentence and concern took over features as she looked over her friend. Cana seemed so fear stricken and she had never seen her companion look so worried about anything.

"Cana, what's the matter?"

"I had a vision," She stumbled out and the room fell silent, the guards outside her door stiffening as they heard the all too familiar phrase tumble out of the brunette's mouth.

Hisui immediately made to close the doors and windows before looking over at Cana and adopting her most serious face. "Tell me,"

"There was a voice, female, uncaring and there was fire everywhere. People were dying, homes were lost and there were these figures, evil, unheard of. The kingdom fell and there was nothing that we could do about it. They called themselves Tartaros,"

Up till the very end Hisui had been composed, even when it was not easy to hear that the kingdom may be in danger of imminent destruction. However, the moment she heard the name Tartaros, her pupils widened. She was fully awake now and she was acutely aware of the trouble they may be in.

"T-Tartaros?" She reiterated and Cana nodded slowly, trying to see if the Queen knew anything.

Hisui tried to level her breathing, to get herself to calm down, but she had a difficult time. Tartaros, a name she had been told of all her childhood by her mother. It was a name only a select few knew of in Fiore, a name that had been long forgotten to allow the people to move on without fear. She had never imagined that it would be said to her in such a situation. Hisui did not like the sound of it and she needed to make a few calls. The kingdom would not fall under her watch. She could not allow such a thing.

"Get me Lady Heartfilia and Master Makarov,"

.


.

The moon looked oddly pretty out in the sky and Seilah could not help but look at it through the whole in the roof. The moon was suddenly covered by the cube, the giant structure blocking her view and casting a shadow over her. She stood and she carefully maneuvered Wendy over her shoulder and jumped up to the giant mechanism. From above, she could see the destruction that had befallen Bellum. It was a waste land now and she wondered what would done to it now. The cube was filled with prisoners, yet thousands had already perished beneath. The girl in her grip stirred and Seilah smiled a bit. She had many things to ask, all in due course.

She could sense that there was another of the same origin as the girl on board the ship at that moment but she would meet him eventually. She glanced once again at the fallen kingdom below and her eyes steeled over.

"All of this…is for the glory of Tartaros,"