Freed and Zephyr sat in the empty white void, it was like they were the only ones in the whole world...

The silence between them felt incredibly brutal to Freed, Zephyr seemed indifferent waiting for Freed to speak first.

"Why did you show me that...?" Freed asked running a hand through his green locks.

"Why not?" Zephyr questioned his right cat ear twitching and tail flicking from side to side.

"Maybe because it was horrible?" Freed huffed.

"Horrible things need to be seen sometimes, you can't grow without pain, and in your case you can't grow unless you temporarily leave behind what you have in Fairy Tail." Zephyr said sternly.

"Leave behind? What do you mean?"

"To reach the skies above you must be prepared to spend a years among the clouds, of course you won't be alone, you're welcome to bring along a few people if they're willing to disappear from the face of the earth and live in a floating empire, you'd live among deities and the origin place of soul magic, god slayers, rune magic, requip magic and many other different kinds. It has its ups and downs. But the goal of being the best you can be magic wise definitely lies there." Zephyr smiles.

To leave behind everything...? To become a better mage? For years at a time...

"How many years?" Freed asked.

"It's hard to say. Depending on how long it takes to fully awaken the cities magic lacrimas and let Apollo heal enough to move the city again. Aging is the same for most people, however within children it can be rapid, your daughter could go from a gentle sleeping baby to a bombastic 2 year old in a night. But after the body has developed enough it'll slow down to a halt and you'll be left with a teenager, its happened before its the effect living nearby Apollo has. She'll talk, eat and walk like everybody else, her mentality will just be incredibly fragile, she will be overly sensitive and incredibly hormonal, like every teenager." Zephyr explained.

"Would she still remember me? And Fairy Tail?"

"She'll remember who she'll reside with while the magic ages her, most people don't remember being a baby and for her its the same, she'll have triggers like scents and tastes like everybody does. But she'll consider who she's with while in the city her closest people. If you go, you will still be her dad. But in the end its her choice to call the shot's when she enters the final stage, who she associates with what title." Zephyr nodded.

Freed looked down at his hands and then back at Zephyr, "Will Cia's curse be lifted?"

"Don't know, that's why we're going there in the first place, find clues to lift the curse along with check on ol' Apollo and the gate to make sure it's still sealed." Zephyr replied.

The gate... Master had mentioned it before... but dismissed it as an old myth and nothing to fear... it WAS real, but what was keeping it sealed? "The gate is what keeps the devils and gods of old away from Fiore nowadays, right?".

Zephyr nodded.

"Who's guarding it and keeping it sealed then?" Freed asked.

"I assume the white sorceress, after Cia rebelled and went into manic mode she had to do something. But how I'm unsure."

Freed nodded, "This was... enlightening... but I have one more question... who and what exactly are you? No wizard I know can manipulate dreams like this."

Zephyr gently smiled, "I'm just a man. Somebody with a responsibility assigned to me at birth that I'm following through on. I'm cursed in my own way too. Something magic simply cannot fix. I can manipulate much more than just dreams, I hope you never have to see it however." Zephyr smiled at Freed, "The biggest roadblock for you is Laxus, I doubt he'd understand and think you're doing something pointless, the empires existence is something few know about, but because of a curse laid upon it by Cia. Until she herself strips the curse from the empire, it will be always forgotten and hidden from all and unreachable without celestial permission, gather by the park lake in a week, bring people who are willing, and we will set out to Zonia. If you decide to not follow, we will leave without you, and you won't see us until we accomplished what we set out to do."

Zephyr smiled again, "Pleasant dreams, Freed." Zephyr fades into the whiteness void surrounding them.

"Wait!" Freed shouted.

Freed woke up. In a cold sweat, the moonlight outside reflecting over Margaret softly sleeping in her little bed.