I am so sorry this chapter took so long. This chapter took a lot of effort to write, because of one particular scene in this chapter, which took weeks to write because how uncomfortable it was to write. Hopefully I caught most of spelling errors, but I know there are always ones you miss. Especially in a long chapter like this.

I am not a person that gives out warnings, but I will give you an advance notice. The second section of this chapter is a bit disturbing.

Set into Motion

When Lucy first heard about Erza Scarlet in the guild she now called home, she was expecting a demon, a fiend, a calamity. She was expecting to see something so terrifying, that it would paralyze her in fear and cause her to shake uncontrollably from her presence. The things she heard were almost proven true when a figure came through that guild door with a giant monster horn strapped over their back like it was weightless. And indeed, Lucy felt a brief moment of paralyzing fear. But then the figure came closer her details became clearer and she felt a sense of joy when she saw the red-haired woman wearing plate armor. Lucy almost shouted Rubina's name, but she stopped when she got a closer look. The woman looked close to Rubina, like she could be a sister or a cousin, but she definitely wasn't Rubina. She was shorter, way shorter, about average height, whereas Rubina was practically a giantess when standing next to Lucy. The woman's features were more serious, and the way she carried herself was more like a warrior or a knight, unlike Rubina who was more casual. Despite these differences, the similarities were too hard to ignore. The hair of both women was the same crimson color, and their facial features were too similar for them to be not related to each other in some fashion.

And when Erza got serious in Oshibana station against the members of the dark guild known as Eisenwald, the powerful magical aura she gave off was of the same intensity and potency as Rubi when she was dealing with those slavers. It was that moment when Rubi's face grew dark and serious handling those scum that she resembled Erza the most. When Lucy thinks back and compares the two in her mind, the two women are frighteningly similar when the going gets rough. The sheer overwhelming power the two demonstrate is awesome. Erza's prowess in magic was further demonstrated when she fought that giant flute demon.

Another thing is how Natsu and Grey react when Erza addresses them. When Rubi got irate at Natsu being a pig in that restaurant, both him and Happy acted almost on reflex and straightened up like they were being addressed by a drill sergeant. Lucy thought at the time that it was because Rubi was being very scary, which from the brief time she spent with Rubi, she demonstrated she could be, going by how Rubi scared that scamming shop owner into giving Lucy a discount, and how she made Happy and Natsu sit stiff like a board. But seeing the same reaction from Erza displaying that same behavior revealed that behavior was instilled into them and Rubi was acting close enough to Erza to trigger it. Heck, Erza was able to trigger a deep shivering within herself just like Rubi had when she made that threat to the shopkeeper.

Maybe she is just overthinking it. Yeah, both women have an unnerving similarity when it comes to appearance, but that could just be a coincidence. There are many people who inhabit this world, so there is bound to be some people who look close enough to be related but are not.

"Oi, Lucy!" Came the excited call of Natsu, snapping Lucy out of her stupor.

"Whatcha doing?" Happy asked.

Lucy smiled, "I was just thinking…"

"About what?" Natsu tilted his head.

"Well, after seeing Erza in action, I couldn't help but compare her to Rubi-san…" Lucy sighed. She saw the blank stare Natsu was giving her and an annoyed tick appeared on her face, "The woman we met at Hargeon with the red lightning!"

Recognition crossed Natsu's face, "Oh!" He said, putting a fist in his hand, "The Erza lookalike!" He said with excitement.

This caused Lucy to fall flat.

'I'm not the only one who noticed!' Lucy thought in shock.

"So, you noticed the similarities as well?" Lucy asked.

Natsu flicked his nose, "Yeah, they are both super strong and smell like strawberries!" He proclaimed.

"Strawberries…" Lucy deadpanned. Smell, really? If Lucy didn't know that Natsu had a better sense a smell than most dogs, she would be extremely creeped out.

"Yeah, Strawberries! Erza loves them…" His face grew freighted, "Never mess with Erza's strawberries…." He shivered. His face then brightened with the excitement he had before, "Next time I see her I'm going to challenge her to a fight!" Flames started emanating from him, "I'm all fired up!"

Lucy smacked him across the head, "Don't start setting fires in here!" Lucy shouted.

Fire hazards aside, it was reassuring to Lucy that someone else besides her noticed similarities between the two. It lets her know that she isn't crazy.

Maybe after their free vacation at Akane she'll look into this more and ask Erza or perhaps find Rubi-san. They will probably be able to provide an answer.

XXX

I open my eyes and find myself standing in the middle of a vast plain of grey mixed with black. It is bright out, with the sun in the sky and no clouds in sight, leaving the sky to shine a brilliant blue. I swivel my head in all directions and only thing I see is the field of grey and black stretch on as far as I could see.

Where am I?

I feel my toes curl and I feel something squish between them. I look down and see that I am barefoot. I bend down and take some of the weird substance in my hand. I move it through my fingers, letting it fall back to the ground. It is a dry and powdery substance, with it making my hands chalky with the residue it left on them. I bring my hand up to my nose and take a small whiff, and immediately the smell of a campfire fills my nose.

Is this… ash?

I stand up and look around once more.

Is this all ash? Why am I in a sea of ashes? How the hell did I get here?

I start to walk in the direction of the sun, the ashes filling the spaces between my toes with every step. It is eerily silent. No animals or nothing to make noise except for the crunching of the ashes between my footsteps. I don't like this quiet. Not at all.

"Hello!" I yell, "Is there anybody out there!?" My words echo for a bit, but ultimately there is no response.

I hear the wind blow across the plain, picking up the ash along with it.

I really don't like it here.

Then, the scent of burning wood enters my nostrils, and the whole world around me starts smelling like a campfire. There is a second smell as well. It is very faint, but also smells foul. Yet for some reason, it seems eerily familiar. It's the type of smell that makes me shake and want to empty the contents of my stomach.

I take another step and my foot lands on something solid, and with a loud crunch, my foot crushes whatever is below it. I look down and my breath hitches and I feel my eyes go wide as a jolt of electricity is sent through my heart.

Below my is a chard black skeleton with pieces of cooked and burnt flesh still left on it, its rib-cage cracked open by my foot.

I scream and jump back, landing on the sea of ashes and start scrambling backwards, away from the cooked corpse. I'm breathing heavy and my heart is pumping out of my chest.

That smell is scorched flesh! I knew I recognized that smell!

As I scramble away from the corpse, I feel objects in my path. I look down at my arm and there is another corpse, which causes me to jump up in terror. Suddenly the field of ashes is littered with thousands of cooked corpses, and the smell of seared flesh becomes overwhelming, causing me to gag uncontrollably.

I blink and the sky is now pitch black, and I suddenly feel a blast of heat across my back. I turn around and the sight in front of me leaves silent in shock.

In front of me is Rosemary, and it is consumed in a gigantic firestorm. All I could do is stare as the village is consumed in flames.

Then the screams of terror and agony start, causing panic and anguish to flood my chest. I run towards the village.

There're people in there! I must save them! Please, Lord, let me save them!

I ignore the searing heat as I run into the raging inferno.

I must save them!

Through the fire and the flames, I reach the middle of the village without seeing anyone. Yet, the screams, the horrible screams, continue to fill my ears. They are of all types. Men, women, children… Babies… I can't stand them. "Is there anybody here! I am here to save you!" I yell through the tears running down my face.

The screams continue…

And continue….

Going on and on…

Never ceasing in intensity.

I close my eyes and put my hands over my ears, to stop the screaming. But it makes no difference, those wretched screams continue to ravage my senses.

"Please…" I sob, "Please make it stop…" I feel myself shaking.

"So you see…" Came a voice, causing my eyes to snap wide open.

I wish I kept them closed.

Around me are bodies of people of all age still burning. Still screaming. Still moving around like a drowning worm trying desperately to wiggle itself out of a puddle of water, but replace the suffocating water with unbearable, all consuming flames. There were also corpses skewered on poles, their skin burnt and peeling, ready to be consumed by the flames.

"So, you see what you have wrought!" Came the voice the again.

I turn away from the sight and I see someone familiar.

It's Victor Rockwell, and he has gigantic hole in his chest, blood spilling out like a flood and internal organs hanging out and pulsating. "Hello, Rubi-san, I see you have come to smell the ashes…" His eyes are wide with a crazed stare, blood is spilling out the sides of his mouth, "I see you have come to see what you have done! You Murderer!" He starts laugh manically, droplets of blood splattering on my face with every laugh.

My breath hitches and my heart stops for a brief moment, "N-No!" I yell before I start sprinting away from the laughing man. As I dodge and weave through the burning buildings and blackened corpses, his laughter is ever present, as if it is following me wherever I go.

Please, make it stop!

I arrive to another open area of the village, panting like a dog on a hot summer day. I bend over and dry heave, and that's when I notice I am now shorter than I remember, my legs smaller, and even my clothes are different. I think I am now the size of a five-year-old, and I haven't worn clothes like these since I was young.

I look up and see something that takes my breath away and my heart freeze.

There is a red headed girl in a tattered red dress facing away from me, standing among the wriggling corpses.

"E-Erza-nee…" Leaves my mouth.

The girl, Erza, looks over her left shoulder, and I see her lone eye filled with hatred and contempt, "So you finally come back, Imposter!" She yells with a contemptuous scowl.

"No! I am not an imposter! I am your sis-"I stop short when she fully faces me.

The whole right side of her face is covered in blood, which is running down from her right eye.

Or lack of.

Her entire right eye is completely missing, leaving only an empty, gory socket.

"So, you see what you have wrought, Imposter! Killer!" She shouts with pure rage. She brings both her arms up and looks around, "All of this could have been prevented!" She accuses, "All these people didn't need to die!" She points a finger at me, "You are the reason this happened! It's your fault!"

"N-No, please stop!" I sob, "I didn't do it! Please Nee-chan! You have to believe me!"

"There are no excuses!" She silences me, "Only retribution…" She says with a deadly tone as she starts to walk towards me.

Fear spikes within me and I try to back backpedal away, but something grabs my foot. I look down and a reanimated corpse of a child had grabbed my leg, "Get away!" I thrash, trying to shake it off my leg, but it holds firm and its mouth opens, letting out a sickening moan.

Then, an arm breaks out of the ash covered ground, and then another, and another. More and more seared corpses sprout out of the ground and grab on to me, restraining me.

"Let go!" I scream as I struggle against their combined strength, but it is futile as they manage to stop all movement, even my head.

The fixate my head on Erza, who is walking towards me with a long, rusty knife in hand.

I scream and thrash, tears flowing down my face.

Erza comes up to me and smirks sadistically, "It's time you've repaid your debt…" She puts a hand on my face, near my eye. She then uses her fingers to keep my eye open, "…An eye for and eye…" She puts the rusty knife up to my eye.

"Please!" I scream and sob, "Please Erza! Stop! I'll be good! I promise!" I plead.

For a moment, the world becomes sickeningly quiet.

She scowls, "It's too late for that."

The knife plunges in

My eyes snap open and a scream escapes my throat as I jump out of my bed and land on the hard floor of my room. I thrash on the floor for a moment, crying and yelling before jumping to my feet and running into the bathroom to promptly empty the contents of my stomach. I stay at the toilet for what feels like forever, but eventually it ends, and I collapse on the cold tile of the bathroom floor.

I am shivering, it's so cold. I prop myself up against the bathtub and wipe the bile off the side of my mouth, before rubbing my arms, which are icy to the touch.

It's so damn cold!

Through the shivering, tears escape my face and I start sobbing, which causes my sore throat to flare up in pain.

It's so cold…

I don't know how long I spend on that cold bathroom floor, in my underwear, sobbing and shivering, and rubbing my arms raw, but it does stop. I eventually stand up, my legs weak and wobbly, and walk over to the sink and look at the mirror.

Staring back me is a girl with long red hair, which is extremely disheveled, her arms are rubbed red raw, and her eyes have big sags under them.

I reach up to my eyes, seeing the girl in the mirror copy my movements, and feel my eyes, confirming that are indeed there, and not…

The girl in the mirror grimaces.

I walk out of the bathroom and see the sunlight from the window shining in.

I must have been in there all night….

I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God that Kagura and Maribelle are out on jobs right now. I don't know what I'd do if they saw me like that.

A small part of me wishes they were here though. Wishes they were here to hold me. To make me feel like a child being comforted by their mother after having a bad dream.

Tears escape my eyes before I collapse onto my bed. The tears become a full-on cry. That's how it is before I fall back into the blackness of sleep.

XXX

Magic Council Headquarters, Era, Year x784

Nine figures stood on a giant blue magic circle in a dark room.

Images of the Fairy Tail guild hall speared by multiple metal spikes, and the Phantom Lord guild hall standing in the middle of Lake Scilliora on giant mechanical legs and morphed into a giant mechanical monstrosity were floating around the room.

"This is outrageous!" A male figure yelled.

"Punishment must be severe!" Came the voice of a female.

A cacophony of disgruntled shouting filled the dark chamber.

Jellal smiled.

"Now, now. Let us have order!" Came the booming voice of Crawford Seam.

The chamber quieted down, but a few grumbles remained.

"Good, now that we have calmed down, let us discuss how to handle the situation." Crawford said. He looked to a man with long grey beard, "Org-san, you have the floor."

Org nodded, "Thank You, Chairman." He cleared his throat, "This guild war between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail began when Phantom Lord, lead under the Wizard Saint Jose Porla took an illegal kidnapping Job for which his target was Lucy Heartfilia, whom joined Fairy Tail." A picture of said Wizard appeared. "Porla then ordered a mage in his guild, Gajeel Redfox, to vandalize the Fairy Tail guildhall." A picture of Gajeel and the damaged guild hall appeared. "The conflict was further escalated when Redfox assaulted three members of Fairy Tail, which prompted a retaliatory response and Fairy Tail assaulted Phantom Lord directly, which led to the temporary incapacitation of Makarov Dreyar." Images of the three assaulted mages hung up on posts appeared. "Phantom Lord then moved their guild hall directly to Magnolia to completely destroy Fairy Tail using the Magic Canon Jupiter and the forbidden spell, Abyss Break, without any regard for the population that lived in the surrounding city." Images of the Phantom Lord guild hall in the lake appeared. "Jose Porla was defeated when Makarov regained his strength and defeated him in one-on-one combat using a high-level spell."

The images disappeared and Org cleared his throat once more, "For accepting an illegal quest, instigating a guild war, attempting to cast Abyss Break and misusing Jupiter with the intent to kill and cause mass casualties, it is this ones opinion that Jose Porla be stripped of his title of Wizard Saint, and be sentenced to prison for no less than fifty years."

"Is this sentence agreeable?" Asked Chairman Seam, "Yea or Nay?"

All the figures in the room let out a loud, "yea."

"Any objections?" Seam asked, but it was clear there was none. "Good, please continue Org-san."

Org nodded, "For being the instigating party and violating the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty of x692, Phantom Lord will be permanently disbanded, it's assets liquidated, and its name forever tarnished and to be forgotten."

"Any objections?" Seam asked once more.

Once again unanimous yeas permeated the room.

"Fairy Tail did not provoke Phantom Lord beforehand, and they did not retaliate until their members were assaulted directly. While their actions might seem justified, they did break the law and participate in a guild war and acted without notifying the council. This offense alone can be terms for immediate disbandment of a guild." Org took a reluctant and annoyed breath, "However, they did protect a city of over 60,000 people from not only Jupiter, but Abyss Break, and promptly took down the caster, Jose Porla. Therefore, a trial shall be held with Makarov Dreyer as representative for Fairy Tail and their punishment shall be determined on a later date."

There were some disgruntled grumbles.

"Any objections?" Asked Seam.

"Yes, Chairman. Fairy Tail should be disbanded immediately and Makarov stripped of his title! We have been treating the far to leniently!" A male figure shouted in outrage.

His anger was joined by shouts of agreement.

"Order! Order!" Chairman Seam boomed

The yells became grumbles.

"Now, for the sake of balance, are there any opinions in favor of the decision?" Seam asked.

"Yes, Chairman" Jellal spoke up. Ultear made a sound of agreement as well. There were some groans from Jellal speaking up.

"Yes, Siegrain?"

"I believe Fairy Tail, like with the Lullaby incident, have done us another favor. Not only did they prevent the loss of thousands of lives but have deposed a corrupt Wizard Saint with minimal collateral damage. If we were to depose Porla ourselves, we would need to send an army of Rune Knights and possibly other Wizard Saints, and as you know, a battle between Wizard Saints is sure to end in mass destruction." Jellal smiled, "Also, imagine disbanding the guild that had saved an entire city and whose guild master has a lot of influence with most of the major guilds on the continent? I doubt it would end well for us."

Those who were against Fairy Tail begrudgingly admitted to themselves that he had made a very valid point. They still did not like the decision.

Their disgruntled expressions made Jellal smirk.

"With that matter settled, let us move on to the next matter of business." Seam announced, "With Jose Porla impeached from his position as a Wizard Saint, we must now start discussing potential replacements." Portraits of several Wizards appeared in the room.

There were some grumbles at some of the people in the portraits, namely the ones with wizards from Fairy Tail.

"Now, now, despite their guild causing trouble, the candidates from Fairy Tail are still worthy of being considered, but do not mistake this as being a guarantee." Seam chided.

The portraits of Erza Scarlet, Gildarts Clive and Laxus Dreyar move to the center of the room.

"Let us Gildarts Clive." Said Seam.

A woman with green hair started, "Gildarts Clive, considered to be the Ace of Fairy Tail." Belno said, "Clive shows extreme magical power, with him easily overwhelming opponents with minimal effort. This power has allowed him to accept a Hundred Year Quest for which he is still participating in." She then shook her head, "However, Clive has very little restraint and control over his immense power, and often causes extreme collateral property damage. The City of Magnolia even has a special 'mode' in which the whole city shifts as to avoid damage from Clive's careless use of his power. Therefore, I do not recommend him for a position as a Wizard Saint due to those reasons, despite his impressive magical abilities." Belno finished.

"Any objections?" Seam said. The room was silent.

Gildart's portrait disappeared.

"Next candidate, Laxus Dreyar."

Belno began once more, "Laxus Dreyar, like his grandfather, demonstrates immense magical abilities." Belno grimaced, "Laxus Dreyar does not share his grandfather's attitude, however. Dreyar has demonstrated a hostile attitude and has shown to have outbursts of anger, which would not reflect well on the Magic Council if he were to have a tantrum. Along with these behavioral issues, Dreyar also causes collateral property damage, but not nearly as much as Gildarts Clive. For these reasons, I do not recommend Dreyar for a position as a Wizard Saint, however he should still be monitored if these negative traits are resolved in time, as he is still young."

Once again Seam asked for objections and again there were none.

Then came the portrait of Erza Scarlet. Which piqued Jellal's interest.

"Erza Scarlet like the last two candidates demonstrates an immense magical capacity. Scarlet has demonstrated exceptional skill in requip magic, being able to transition between various armors and weapons faster than one can blink." Belno sighed, "But like her Fairy Tail guild mates mentioned earlier, she shares the common trait of causing immense property damage. While not having the immense power of Gildarts Clive, Scarlet on average takes more quests, and out of the three Fairy Tail wizards mentioned, causes the most counts of excessive property damage on average. If she were to curve these tendencies, I would recommend her, but while she still has these faults, I do not recommend her for a Wizard Saint position."

The rest of the candidates from various guilds came and went, and ultimately, there was no final decision on who would fill Porla's spot.

"We shall discuss Porla's replacement on a later date. For now, we shall move on to the next official topic of discussion." Seam concluded, "Upcoming Wizards of Interest shall now be discussed."

Images of various wizards appeared. For the next half an hour, various wizards were discussed for their potential abilities, and their consideration for their progress being watched and tracked by the council, and the possibility of them being put on the Wizard Saint candidate list.

These people did not interest Jellal at all. Why would they? The plan to resurrect Zeref was almost ready to be enacted. Half these candidates would most likely be dead when the great lord Zeref is revived and destroys all that oppose him.

Then a portrait appeared, and he snapped out of his boredom. He almost grinned at the sight.

"This next wizard is Rubina Crimson from the Mermaid Heel guild." Leji said. "Crimson has demonstrated immense magical power far above someone her age normally has, thus leading to her becoming an S-Class Wizard a few months prior. Some of you might remember her from the Lavender Town incident a few years ago when a descendant of the great Henry Rockwell unleashed a machine potentially capable of unheard destruction. Fortunately, Crimson was able to stop the machine before it could harm any innocent civilians, going to great lengths to destroy the machine, even risking death. Crimson shows that she is willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good and does not cause excessive property damage when avoidable. These positive character traits have caused her to start becoming popular with the public and has resulted in a growth of the Mermaid Heel guild."

'Well, it looks like catching the council's attention runs in the family' Jellel thought, 'Both sisters demonstrate immense magical prowess. That will serve nicely for what's to come…', Jellal mused darkly. Ever since Jellal discovered Rubina, he's been keeping tabs on her, but he didn't expect her to catch the attention of other council members so soon. However, being the sister of Erza Scarlet, he shouldn't be surprised at what she is capable of. Whoever their parents were, they must have had a strong magical lineage.

"However, Crimson is not the only bright mage coming from Mermaid Heel…" Leji continued. The image of Kagura appeared next to Rubina's, "This is Kagura Mikazuchi. She demonstrates magical power on similar levels to Crimson and displays exceptional swordsmanship for her age. She is well on course to becoming a master swordswoman. Mikazuchi and Crimson have a history together, with them both being from the village of Rosemary, which was destroyed by Zeref cultist. Both of them joined Mermaid Heel together and often take mission with each other. Like Crimson, Mikazuchi demonstrates exceptional behavior when out on jobs and avoids collateral damage when possible."

'Hmm… Mikazuchi… Where have I heard that name before…' Jellal pondered for a moment, 'Ah, I think Simon mentioned his last name was Mikazuchi, perhaps this girl is of relation to him? Eh, it doesn't matter. Everything will be inconsequential when Zeref is alive again.'

"These two have potential and should be watched further as they gain more experience with tougher jobs, and perhaps in several years be considered to be potential Wizard Saint candidates." Leji concluded.

'Well, Erza, your sister has certainly made her way in the world. Even without you there, she has climbed to the rank of S-Class and is on the prospect list. It seems so contradictory to the shy girl you described all those years ago.' Jellal thought, 'I'm surprised you managed to avoid contact with her, perhaps on purpose, to hide her from me, but that effort is for naught.' A dark grin appeared on his face, 'Yes, she will certainly useful in making come you willingly…'

After the meeting with the other members, Jellal walked to his room with Ultear in tow. When they were in their room and were sure no one was around, they began discussing their plan.

"It seems the Scarlet girl has a fairly powerful sister…" Ultear said, a smirk on her face.

"Yes, but I expect nothing less of the sister or Erza Scarlet." Jellal had a hand on his chin in thought, "She'll prove to be a great incentive in 'convincing' Erza to join our cause."

Ultear raised a brow, but her smirk held, "Oh, that's certainly cruel."

"I don't consider myself a cruel man…" Jellal looked at Ultear, "Once we capture the little sister and use that to gain leverage over Erza, they will both receive a mercy." He let out a chuckle, "That mercy will be sacrifices for the resurrection of the great and powerful Zeref."

"I thought the tower only needed one. Why sacrifice both?" Ultear asked curiously. She did didn't care about either girl, but that stop her from being curious.

Jellal closed his eyes, smirk still present on his face, "Yeah, it technically only needs one, but…" He opened his eyes; however his right eye had a mark of corruption that almost consumed his entire eye, "Two would be much better…" His grin was twisted.

Ultear smirked, "Don't bite off more than you can chew. Add in too many factors and plans are bound to go awry."

Jellal dismissed the notion of his plan going wrong, "Don't you worry, things will go our way, destiny wills it."

XXX

A tall red-haired teen walked along the road, around her was nothing but an open field of green grasses and colorful wild flowers. The warm rays of the evening sun were shining on the mountains in the distance behind her.

Rubina Crimson sighed. She was finally done with her latest job and was returning home after being away for a few days. It was a beautiful evening and Rubina couldn't wait to get home and sleep in her own bed again.

Unfortunate for Rubina, the evening would be ruined.

Rubina sidestepped the block like projectile that came from behind her with ease. She turned around while pulling out her sword and sliced the brown tube that followed the projectile and its pieces fell to the ground, disintegrating into sparkles of magic.

There was a group of people behind her, and they were not friendly. A dark-skinned man with bright blond hair, a girl that had cat features, a tall man with an eye patch and a metal jaw, and most strangely, a man that looked like he was made up of blocks. Rubina recognized these people from her memories, but kept her emotions in check, and gave a glare that could level mountains while leaking out her magic power in warning.

"If you value your health, I suggest you run know." She said lowly, a deep red glow starting to form around her body.

"It was very dandy how you dodged my shot I must admit." The man straight out of Minecraft said with a tip of his hat.

The cat girl was trembling for a second, due to the freighting appearance of Rubina, but then she shook her head, snapping out of it and put on her own brave face, "You cut my Nekōsoku Tube! You are gonna get cat scratched for that, hisss!" She hissed like a cat.

If Rubina wasn't trying to intimidate them, she would have sweat dropped.

The blond man held a card out and put on a wicked smirk, "It's futile resist, you are coming with us! Jellal mustn't be kept waiting."

The block man suddenly disappeared into nothingness, before suddenly appearing behind Rubina with his hand in the shape of a gun. "Sleep Bullet!" He had a confident smirk on his face.

That smirk was promptly knocked off when Rubi dodged his bullet, grabbed his riffle arm and pulled him over her shoulder and slamming his back on the ground, causing it to crack, causing his eyes to widen in pain and surprise. Red lightning envelope Rubina's fist as she brought down on him. Fortunately for him, he managed to teleport before her attack could connect. Her fist struck the ground and tore it asunder, with massive faults spreading before exploding, sending chunks into the air.

Rubina sensed the man materializing and used her raw speed to appear right before him. Her fist already coated with lightning as his face materialized right in its path. The block man was sent flying backwards, his face brutalized with blood, and hit the ground with a loud thud many yards away. The last thing that came out of his mouth was a groan of pain before unconsciousness overtook him.

"Wally!" The blond man shouted in horror.

The brown tubes surrounded Rubina like a snake wrapping around a mouse, but before they could touch Rubina's skin, her body morphed into lightning, and she appeared in front of the cat girl faster than they could blink.

In the brief moment that the cat girl's dark brown eyes met Rubina's glowing red eyes, true fear was felt. Like prey staring into the cold eyes of a predator, the cat girl shrunk back like a timid mouse. Rubina snapped her fingers and the girl was enveloped by a crimson bolt of lightning that came down from the heavens with brilliant flash. The cat girl crumpled to the ground, her hair puffed up into a signed afro.

"I got you now!" Came the voice of the blond man, who was now beside her with a blank white card in his hand. The card started to glow, and the man had a vindictive smirk on his face.

That vindictive smirk turned into one of fear as Rubina sliced the card vertically with her katana.

Rubina grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed him into the ground. The ground cracked and splintered as his body went limp.

Rubina dusted off her hands and suddenly she was enveloped in darkness. Moving her eyes around, she could not see anything around her, including her arms. She closed her eyes and sensed the last man of the group moving through the darkness. She moved her head, letting him know she knew where he was, and that it was up to him whether or not he wanted to attack.

"You are strong." Said the man.

'Simon', Rubina remembered, 'Kagura's brother.'

"I suppose that is to be expected of Erza's sister." He said, a small hint of pride in his voice.

Rubina tensed at the mention of her sister's name, and images of that nightmare flashed through her head, causing here right eye to involuntarily flinch. She steeled herself, trying to keep her composure, "How do you know my sister!? What do you want!" She fought herself from saying his name, because there was no way for her to explain how she knew him. She had to play dumb for now.

"Me and your Sister are friends, or maybe not anymore I suppose. I haven't seen her in a while." He mused, "Regardless, I have a preposition for you."

Rubina narrowed her eyes, "Why should I make deal with you? I know where you are, I can take you out right now. Why shouldn't I do that and drag you to Rune Knights?"

"Because your sister is being targeted by a powerful enemy, and she'll need your help." He said.

"Explain." Rubina growled out in pretend anger. In actuality, she was scared. She knew this was coming, but that didn't stop her from being afraid. Afraid of something going wrong. Afraid of Jellal. Afraid of her sister.

The man appeared in front of her, his hands up and his body in a non-threatening posture, "I am Simon Mikazuchi."

Rubina widened her eyes in fake surprise, "Y-Your- "

"Kagura's brother" He cut off her fake stutter, "The man who sent us after you is also after your sister. The others with me have their minds twisted by his lies, but not me, I see the truth of his plan."

He then explained the situation. The whole situation.

Which Rubina already knew, she had written it down a long time ago, but he didn't know that.

"Why should I trust you?" She eyed him with suspicion.

Simon sighed, "Because I love my sister. Jellal is trying to resurrect the most dangerous wizard ever to live. Zeref's resurrection will result in mass deaths on a scale not seen. I can't let that happen." His voice was sincere, "Jellal is planning on putting you in a cell and using you as leverage, so that Erza has no choice but to come to him. What Jellal doesn't know is that I never believed his lies, and that I have plan to stop him involving you and your sister, because I know that with your combined power, we can stop this madness." He materialized some cuffs and tossed them to Rubina, who caught them, "These cuffs look like the same type the Magic council uses to suppress prisoners magic, but they aren't."

Rubina examined the cuffs, and he was telling the truth. If they were real, she would feel a drain on her magic just from touching them. He also wouldn't have been able to materialize them like that.

"These cuffs only mask your signature, making it appear as if it is drained by the cuffs. I am asking you to come with me." He then went to his knees, his head down, bowing completely on the ground. "Please I beg you!" He begged" If you don't come now, Jellal will come get you himself, and he is not above using loved ones a leverage."

Rubina understood what he meant. If she didn't go with him, Jellal would go after her guild. Her friends… He family. She started to shake and breath heavily. There was no avoiding this. She couldn't pretend it wasn't happening. She is going to be with her sister again, but she was dreading it, fearing it. She should be overjoyed at the thought, but all the nightmares, all of her fears snuffed out that joy.

No, she had to do this. She couldn't be afraid to face this. This was for everyone.

She resolved herself and walked up to the bowing man. He looked up, his eyes connecting with hers, "Let's save the world" She said with a smirk.

'I'm sorry Kagura, I guess I'll be gone for a little bit longer.' She thought.

XXX

Kagura was worried. Rubina should have been home already. Several days ago, in fact. Everyone else thought that the job was just taking a bit longer, but not Kagura. Rubina always completes her jobs quickly and efficiently, always coming straight home.

Kagura arrived at the door of Rubina's workshop. It was like the red-head's second home, with her spending long hours in there, even days sometimes. Rubina had a second bed after a spending a few nights there. Kagura opened the door and walked in and started to search around, seeing if there was anything that might indicate where the girl was. Perhaps she came home and immediately left, without anyone knowing. Rubina had been acting weird the past month, but Kagura decided she would wait a bit before asking her about it.

Searching drawers, she sifted through technical journals, schematics, nothing unusual.

She then spotted a top of a poster board behind some filing cabinets.

She eyed it curiously before she pulled it out and was shocked what she saw. There were red lines, drawn on by a marker, that sprawled all over the map, written in sloppy hand writing, which Kagura identified as Rubina's. What caught her attention were the large circles over magnolia and where Akane was. An arrow from Magnolia was pointing to the circle surrounding Akane. Above the Akane circle was a name. A name she heard Rubina mention.

Erza.

Rubina had found Erza and she was in Akane.

That's why she wasn't home. She was probably out to trying to find her. But that didn't explain why she didn't send a letter informing her… Unless she was in trouble!

Kagura rushed back to her room and quickly geared up. She rushed off into the night, towards Akane.

'Don't worry, Rubi, I'll help you find her!'

XXX

Ok, everything is now officially set into motion and the first canon arc of the story can begin. I think the last part of this chapter could be written better, but at that point, the chapter was at like 7,000 words and I just wanted to get the chapter finished.

Jellal is such a devious bastard, well at least when he was possessed by evil. On the subject of his possession, I don't recall anyone in the anime pointing out the giant symbol in eye whenever he gets twisted. I mean, if anyone were to pay attention to his eye, it's obvious something is screwing with his head, and that giant symbol in his eye is the most conspicuous suspect.

I hope the night terror scene wasn't too graphic. This story isn't M-Rated... Yet, so I didn't want to make it too extreme. Of course, I really don't like horror movies and the type of gore in those movies makes me uneasy. However if it's gore in a war movie, I don't mind. It's weird. I took a long time to write the Night terror.