Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Back in Earthland, things were still not going quite to plan for Fairy Tail. Loke stood in the guild hall, blinking in shock at the space where everyone else had just been. Nab was collapsed on the ground from whatever spell he had just used, but no one else remained in the room. Zeref was gone, which was perfect to increase their odds of actually winning this war, but so were Lucy, Natsu, and Levy. With Lucy gone, Loke was almost certain he'd have vanished with her. However, as hard as he tried to close his gate and leave for the celestial world so he could be summoned again to her side, it just wouldn't work. He grimaced, glancing around the guild hall. Of course it wouldn't work without Lucy here. He needed his key holder's permission to close his gate, whether that was on his own or through her power.
Most people failed to realize how vital such a connection was. Aquarius often remained prideful and independent, insisting she could do such things alone, but not even she could close her gate if Lucy wasn't willing to agree to the spirit's own unusual schedule. Loke knew it wouldn't be too problematic for him at the moment, given his own experience with prolonged visits to the human world, but it didn't mean it was comfortable to linger for long. The only person who might have had a clue as to where Lucy had ended up was unconscious, and Loke felt a bit wary of trying to find others for help. If news spread that the emperor of Alvarez was gone, it could have one of two affects on the war. The ideal option would be ending it, however, based on the crazed loyalty of the Spriggan Twelve, Loke had a sinking feeling that it would send them into a greater rage and accelerate their process in the battles that had just been fought as games to the powerful wizards thus far.
"You sure are an impulsive one when you do manage to act, aren't you?" Loke chuckled, shaking his head as he stared down at Nab. Really, he hadn't even expected Nab to do anything in the war. No one expected much of anything from him, when Loke really considered it. However, Loke still had an odd respect for the dubbed 'laziest member' of Fairy Tail. If it wasn't for Nab, Loke knew things would have turned out a lot different in his life. After all, Nab had been the one to find him once he hit his lowest point, when he had been determined to just sit and rot until all of his remaining energy left him and he could join Karen for his mistakes.
Glancing around the destroyed guild hall, Loke wondered what more to do. He could still hear fighting going on outside, and he could sense the scattered magical energy of wizards sending attacks towards each other. Levy had said Gajeel was involved in battle, against one of the twelve if Loke had understood enough details from his few brief moments of being summoned thus far. That was probably his biggest downfall at the moment; while trapped in the celestial world, he had no idea what had happened in the war and what information was vital to keep in mind.
Walking towards the exit, Loke knew he couldn't go far. Someone needed to keep an eye on the location of Mavis' body, and with the guild hall evacuated, he was the only one that could fill that role. Just standing outside the door, however, Loke saw the trembling bodies of some of the lesser known members of Fairy Tail, grouped with Master Makarov who seemed to be trying to keep them inspired. "This is not the end. No matter what Zeref does with Fairy Heart, we will find a way to fix this and move forward. Fairy Tail does not give up so easily, and when faced with odds like these, we always overcome them and succeed."
"But we're talking about Zeref now! We can't possible stop him…the man's immortal and now he has possession of unlimited magical power!" Warren had tears in his eyes at the hopelessness of the situation.
Nodding in agreement, Max hung his head low. "Plus…what use are we against him? I mean, if Natsu or Laxus were here, maybe we'd stand a chance…but they're off dealing with the Twelve. We should have known someone would come straight for the guild…none of us are really fit for that kind of heavy defense."
"Well, I say without them we still have to give it our all!" Romeo joined in, looking strained but determined to win. "I'm not as strong as Natsu…I'm not even as strong as my Dad…but I will still do everything I can to keep Fairy Tail alive. I won't lose everyone again…not like before…" He broke off, frowning as he gazed at the ground and clenched his hands into fists. Loke didn't know if he was thinking about the S-Class wizard trials or the actual disbanding of Fairy Tail, but either situation was one they likely wished to avoid.
Sighing, Loke realized that Fairy Tail at least had to learn of the truth. Walking forward, Loke put his hands into his pockets and braced himself as he approached the gathered group. "That's not our biggest issue anymore, though. Believe it or not, Zeref actually didn't get his hands on Fairy Heart." Heads spun towards him, while Makarov's eyes widened. The distinct lack of Mavis' presence made Loke wonder what the First was doing at this time, but that also wasn't exactly their top priority. "To put things simply…Zeref's gone. He's not dead, but he's also not here anymore. Exactly what happened…well, you'll have to wait to hear the details."
"That's not possible!" Laki stepped forward, glaring at him. "Maybe you're a bigshot with the spirits, but that doesn't mean you could have taken on Zeref alone and won. None of us could have managed something insane like that."
"I didn't. Really, I think we only managed to send him away because of surprise." Loke sure was surprised enough about it himself, after all. "Nab didn't leave the guild hall with all of you. Somehow…some element of his magic was able to send Zeref away. However…Natsu, Lucy, and Levy had all been trying to stop Zeref when Nab's magic activated. Believe it or not, the last person any of us expected to be capable of dealing with any enemy in this war managed to put a halt to the person responsible for it in the first place."
"Nab?" Makarov looked stunned, almost rendered speechless from Loke's declaration. The others had mixed reactions, mostly disbelief coloring their expressions "Animal possession magic…I cannot think of a single animal spirit in his possession that would allow for the ability to stop Zeref. Even if he were an expert with his power, and without practice I know he is not…I still would not believe him capable of such a thing."
Aware of Nab's limitations, Loke frowned and looked away. "I wouldn't go that far. You'd be surprised at what Nab can do when pushed to his limits." Really, Nab's main issue was his confidence. Loke had seen it during their first and only job together. The man seemed convinced that disaster would strike at any moment, but once the actual threat was facing him, determination won out and Nab managed to overcome the monster back then with ease. "Still, he is out of practice. Whatever spirit he took on…from what little I know of his magic, Nab likely didn't have much control over what he was doing."
"It takes a strong will to suppress an animal's spirit…just as it takes a strong heart to maintain one's sense of self with takeover magic." Makarov sighed, shaking his head. "Luckily, the side-effects aren't nearly as dire with animal possession. Energy can be dissipated with ease by simply ending a the spell as the user does not lose conscious thought in such magic; an entirely different form will not be lost until your mind returns to normal."
Nodding, Loke shifted his weight slightly and met his gaze. "Exactly. So, it isn't entirely beyond Nab's capability…even without control, an animal spirit can still manage to do quite a bit of damage. The problem is that it took our members along with Zeref…and that I highly doubt the war will stop just because he's gone. These overzealous followers of his will do anything to achieve his goals, even if he's gone."
"And they probably don't even realize he's left…" Romeo frowned, lifting his gaze. "Can't we just tell them that their emperor's gone? I mean, that should at least make them slow down, right?"
"Or they'll just kill us for harming their 'master'" Laki folded her arms over her chest, scowling. "It doesn't seem like we have many options either way."
"We've lost them for good then…if Nab is our only hope, what hope do we really have?" Warren looked dejected, wailing even harder as he realized they had lost strong fighters in their desperate war.
By his side, Max seemed to try and calm the telepath. "Yeah…but even Nab has to be good for something, right? I mean…he's still part of the guild…and he…that one time he, uh…" Max trailed off, looking lost in thought. "What was the last job he took again?"
No one really answered, all of them lost on trying to figure it out. However, thinking back, Loke grimaced as he realized the answer. Had Nab really taken any jobs since that day? That put Nab's last job at being over a decade ago, back when Loke first joined the guild. "It was with me. A wyvern was terrorizing Polura. We teamed up to stop it…about a decade ago, well before even Lucy joined the guild."
"A decade ago? As in ten years?" Laki glared at him, shoving Loke back with a scowl. "And you're trying to say we should hope that he can tell us what he did? The idiot has probably forgotten the names of his own spells, let alone what they do!"
"And do you have a better answer?" Loke met her glare evenly, watching as Laki stepped back, looking away with her jaw clenching. "Like it or not, Nab is the only one who knows what he did…if anyone knows, at least." He did have to concede that it was possible Nab himself didn't know what that spell had been. "The war is still going on. If we want to stop Alvarez, we're going to need Natsu back…and even if that weren't the case, I'd still have my reasons for wanting them back."
"Because you're in looove with Lucy, right?" Startled, Loke only just realized Happy was flying above them, listening quietly to his update. The blue cat smiled, but it looked somewhat forced even at his own joke. "Either way…I don't want to be fighting without Natsu anyway. He's my partner…and if you think Nab can get him back, then I'll trust you, Loke."
Nodding, Loke gave him a small smile, a bit unnerved by his words. Hadn't he always admired Lucy? Why did they all seem to toy with his feelings so easily? Yet, he had also loved Mary, and there had also been Nora before her, and then there was the time he had dated those twins…yeah, maybe it was difficult to take him seriously after all. "Thanks, Happy. Besides…leaving my own feelings for Lucy out of this, there is the simple fact that without her here, I will eventually die. Give it about three years, and I'll be back on death's doorstep. Without my master, I can't leave the mortal world."
Troubled looks filled the faces of the other guild members. Loke knew it wasn't ideal, but he had to have faith in something. Otherwise, he'd be falling into despair like everyone else. "With Zeref gone…I suppose it is best for us to return to our base of operations. Warren, resume communication with the other guild members. I want an update on the current status of our battles and I want us to keep moving forward in this war." Moving towards the guild hall, Makarov seemed to become more determined than ever. "Now, we just might stand a chance of succeeding in this war…there is no more impossible obstacle to overcome, only one of simple strength. Our ties of family surpass anything they know…and with that, we will win and drive Alvarez out from Fiore!"
Shouts of agreement joined him, charging back into the guild hall behind Makarov one by one. Loke followed as well, smiling faintly at the sight. Really, when did they not find a way to keep moving forward? Oddly, he couldn't help but feel his smile falter, realizing he wasn't quite as optimistic as the others like that. Back then, when he had been responsible for the death of his key holder, he had been lost to despair. He hadn't been able to see a path towards the future, not without someone to help him. If Nab could show him that path in a moment like that, couldn't Nab at least do something now? Loke had to have hope for that, all things considered. He had to have faith, because if no one believed in Nab, then Nab would never have enough faith in himself to even try. So, Loke hardened his expression and joined them, taking a seat in the guild hall next to where Nab still lingered on the ground. The moment that wizard woke up, Loke would demand to know what he had done. He would find Lucy, and he would bring his master home no matter what it took. That was what it meant to be a celestial spirit. It was his duty to defend Lucy until the day she died, or sacrifice himself in the attempt to do so. Whether that feeling was love or something else, Loke wasn't certain, but he knew that he would never abandon his master again and repeat his old mistakes. So, for now, he'd be relying on the partner he nearly made when he first joined the guild. Maybe after all of these years, he'd find that they still worked better together than they ever did alone, just like he once told Nab was the case.
Sorry for the slight alteration to Celestial magic here with Loke. I needed him trapped for plot purposes, so hopefully, I explained it in a way that still could make sense for the rest of canon. Then again, considering what I'm attempting with this story...that does seem like a fairly minor alteration, while trying to stay mainly canon-compliant. I do hope you enjoyed this little scene of what is going on with Fairy Tail! I hardly ever write with the more minor members, so it is actually a bit of fun giving them somewhat of a role. Now, you'll start to see just how much effort was put in to making Nab a necessary character...I hope I manage to make it believable as the story continues as well. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!