Hello, dearest readers. It's been quite a while. As I explained last chapter, I decided to participate in Gruvia Week 2018, so that's why I haven't posted any chapters in the past two weeks.

I'm happy to see everyone's still following this story; things are just getting started around here! If you thought the past few chapters have been heartbreaking and mind-blowing, you're in for a big surprise!

Now, before we move on with the chapter, let me take a moment to thank everyone who commented on chapter 4. Shoutouts to juvia. hanks, Silvx, AwkwardToffee, Barnabeille, Jessbae, Waffles, Liscene and Fireb. The latter three didn't use their accounts, so I'll be replying to your reviews in this chapter.

Waffles: Thanks :) Glad you liked the GaJuvia parts in last chapter, there'll be more in the future. Your hunch about the body wasn't correct, but keep trying.

Liscene: Here it is.

Fireb: Thanks :) Here is chapter 5, sorry I took a while to update.

Happy reading, everyone!

Haunted-Taylor Swift

Oh, I'm holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold

Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong

You're all I wanted

September 17th, X791…

It was the day of Sherry and Ren's wedding and everyone was supposed to be having fun. However, this party had stopped being amusing to her as a dark revelation was made. She stared at the cards in front of her; face suddenly devoid of color and brown eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

"There's no way." She shook her head, long brown hair flowing with the movement.

"I must be reading the cards wrong." She whispered just before a male voice was heard behind her.

"Hey, Cana. Are you ready for a challenge?" It was Bacchus, her somewhat boyfriend. The two of them had grown closer since the Games and she couldn't deny that there was something between them.

"Not now." She didn't even look at him, eyes still settled on the cards. After giving her a confused look, he place the two mugs filled with beer on the table before sitting down by her side.

"What's this?" He stared at the cards with interest.

"I decided to use my cards after Sherry asked me to predict her future." Cana swallowed hard.

"Why do you look so bummed?" Bacchus was confused, to say the least.

"This isn't Sherry's future that I'm seeing." She explained before pointing towards the first card. "That one has three people, which I believe are the Strauss family."

"Why are the cards showing their future?" He asked and she sighed.

"I think it's a warning." Cana replied, moving her hand to the second card. That one was a baby tiger. "About Lisanna."

"Why Lisanna?" He asked. Truth be told, he wasn't really familiar with any of the Strauss siblings, but he did know who they were.

"Because the tiger is an animal and Lisanna uses animal take over." She explained before moving to the next. "The sword represents a battle and I think the time turner signifies this battle might've happened in the past. Or maybe the enemy will be from the past, I'm not sure." Then there was the last card. That one needed no explanation.

"I have to talk to her." Bacchus nodded, staring at it with widened eyes.

"Seems like you do." Cana slowly gathered her cards before hiding them on her dress pocket. After giving him a kiss on the cheek, she walked away towards where Lisanna and Bixlow were standing together.

Present day, in Crocus...3:15 PM

"That was close." Dorenbolt sighed in relief once he looked around the small cottage where Jellal and Meredy had stayed during the Grand Magic Games. Princess Hisui was sitting up after being thrown on the floor while Arcadius stood, staring suspiciously at him.

"Where have you taken us?" The guard asked, glancing around the unfamiliar room.

"To a safe place." The former agent replied before standing up.

"You saved us." Hisui whispered, making him look at her. Her eyes showed fear and worry, surely about her father. "Why did you do that?" Dorenbolt gave a small smile.

"Do you really believe that I would've let you die in that explosion?" She didn't reply.

"Well, I thank you for saving our lives." Arcadius said after taking a deep breath. He still seemed conflicted, but that was to be expected.

"Don't mention it." Dorenbolt replied, shrugging it off.

"Where is Jellal? I'd like to thank him as well." The princess asked and his face fell. He remembered clearly that just before the explosion Jellal had told him to get them out of there, but Dorenbolt had assumed that he'd meet them soon after.

"I don't know." He suddenly got a bad feeling.

"Did he stay behind to fight against Tartarus?" Arcadius wondered. Dorenbolt shook his head. They had agreed not to fight against Tartarus; that was Angel, Midnight and Racer's job. Their priority was keeping the princess safe.

"No, he wouldn't do that." Dorenbolt replied.

"Then where is he?" Hisui asked, looking worried as well.

"I don't know." The agent sighed. He knew that he should stay with Arcadius and the princess in order to protect them from Tartarus.

However, he had a feeling that something was wrong with Jellal. It wasn't like him not to follow their plans, so the only explanation for his delay was that he was unable to join them.

Two reasons for that came to Dorenbolt's mind and he prayed it was the second. "I'll go back there, check it out." The princess nodded, understanding. "I advise you not to leave this cottage, it's not safe out there."

"We'll keep our eyes open." Arcadius told him and it was his turn to nod.

"Oracion Seis should arrive soon. I know that you don't trust them, but they mean you no harm." He didn't get a response, but there was no time to reassure them any longer. Finding Jellal was his priority, so he quickly disappeared.

A few hours later, at Tartarus hideout...

"You're a tough one to crack, aren't you?" Kyoka stared at her prey, purple eyes narrowed in anger and frustration.

"I will never...tell you." Erza panted, trying to regain her breathing. She'd long since lost track of time, so it was impossible to tell whether minutes or hours had passed since the relentless torture began.

For the first time in years, she found herself completely at her enemy's mercy. The shackles tying her hands and feet made it impossible to move and her magic wasn't working, so she was helpless. All she could do was take the pain like a warrior, but she couldn't deny that it was becoming exhausting.

"No matter. I do enjoy watching you struggle so helplessly." The demon smirked before using her curse once again, eliciting a loud scream from the red head.

She felt so tired, so drained. But Erza didn't give up, because she couldn't. Jellal's life was in danger and she would keep him safe, no matter the cost. As long as Tartarus focused their attention on getting information from her, he'd stay hidden, so she forced herself to ignore the pain and instead focused all her thoughts on him.

She remembered a time when things were simpler, despite the fact that they were trapped on the Tower of Heaven. A time before Jellal became possessed by the darkness; when they had been good friends. Even then, Erza thought, he already did everything he could to protect her.

"Tell us who came up with your escape plan and we'll just take them and leave the rest of you alone." The guards at the Tower of Heaven had caught them after Erza and her friends attempted to escape. It had been her idea, her plan; and she'd been about to tell them, but Jellal beat her to it.

"It was me. I came up with our escape plan. It was all me." She didn't understand at the time why Jellal so willingly sacrificed himself for her. Back then, they were still children, so their feelings weren't clear yet.

"Aren't you a brave boy?" The guards had told him and he'd stared them in the eye; determined, strong and fearless. She'd admired his strength and courage, for Erza felt so weak and afraid.

Unfortunately, the guards had somehow known it was her, so they had come for her despite Jellal's attempt to dissuade them. Before they'd grabbed her, though, he had tried to convince them to take him instead, but they hadn't believed him.

Erza guessed this had been the moment she began falling for him, but she wasn't sure. There were so many times in which he had protected her and proved he loved her, but she didn't know at exactly what point her feelings changed.

"Where is Jellal, Erza? Why doesn't he come to save you?" Kyoka screamed and the red head smiled as another memory came, of the time he nearly died to save her.

It happened less than a year before, when Jellal was being controlled by Ultear. After he kidnapped her and almost used her as a sacrifice, he'd been defeated by Natsu as the latter managed to unlock dragon force.

Even though he'd hurt her friends and almost killed her, Erza had seen that he didn't mean it. He was just being controlled by the darkness and she'd hoped that, after his defeat, he would be freed from it.

That didn't mean that she forgave him, though. In that moment she'd been filled with nothing but anger, but it was soon replaced by sadness when she discovered his sacrifice.

She'd actually planned on sacrificing herself to save her friends; the guilt of involving them in that miss having taken its toll on her. However, instead of dying like she'd imagined, once she fused herself with the lacrima in order to stop the Tower of Heaven from exploding, Erza had a strange vision of her own funeral. It taught her that dying for the people you love brings nothing but sadness and heartbreak and she'd regretted her actions.

Thankfully, Natsu had managed to save her in the end and she was released from the lacrima, physically unharmed. They had escaped from the Tower and she'd completely forgotten about the explosion, that is until she'd been safely settled into the little boat her friends had gotten.

She was surprised when it didn't occur, but months later she had learned the truth: Jellal, after being freed from the darkness, had once again sacrificed his life to save hers.

Then when they met each other once again, while Erza battled against the Oracion Seis, he'd so willingly sacrificed himself to save them all. He'd apologized for making her suffer, had promised to take away all of her pain and sadness. Erza had once again seen the light inside of him; how brightly it shone.

"Be free, Erza. From your hatred, from your past." Even without knowing who she was, he'd known exactly what to say to make her heart shatter. Because Erza hadn't wanted him to die, no matter what he'd done, losing him all together would be much worse.

"I won't allow you to die like this, you have to atone for your sins." She'd tried to change his mind, but before she could get to him Brain had came and he'd ruined Jellal's plan to destroy Nirvana.

However, as they watched her friends run to join them in the battle, Erza managed to convince Jellal to live when she spoke of hope. He later told her that he'd seen in her eyes the hope she had for him; that he might redeem himself and become a better person. It was that hope that kept him alive for those seven years that they were separated.

During the Grand Magic Games, Jellal had once again proved that she was right to have faith in him. He'd fought by her side and helped her eliminate the monsters who threatened to destroy Crocus. When she'd attempted to tell him of the feelings she was certain of, he'd stopped her.

"I can see it in your eyes, Erza. But I can't hear you say it." When she'd wondered why, he'd apologized. But she knew, he still blamed himself for what had happened in the past. He couldn't forgive himself, even after she'd forgiven him.

"I just see you for who you are and I'd like it if you did as well." She'd told him, hoping that he would finally realize how much he'd changed. However, once her eyes locked with his and she prepared to tell him how she felt, she'd seen his face be overcome with pain and regret. He hadn't been ready to hear those three words, even though he did reply to her feelings back then.

At least he'd come around in the week after that night and, when she'd once again told him that she loved him, he had replied with the truth. He'd given her a chance because, as much as he didn't believe he deserved to be with her, he'd realized that she deserved to have him by her side.

"You were always so brave, so good even though you couldn't see it. I won't let them get to you." Erza whispered just before she fell unconscious due to the pain.

Kyoka watched her in frustration. "Why isn't she talking yet? It shouldn't take this long to break her." She was forced to admit that she'd underestimated the red head's strenght.

"Milady, I have good news." She turned to face Seilah, who stood by the open door.

"What is it?" The latter smiled.

"Fairy Tail's destruction will be taking place in a few minutes." This brought a smile to Kyoka's face.

"Good. I'll come back for Erza later." Seilah glanced towards the red head.

"I also have news regarding Jellal Fernandes; Jackal has just revealed where he is." Kyoka closed the door behind her as they begin walking down the corridor and towards the main room; where a large window would allow them a perfect view of their accomplishment.

"Do tell."

With Fairy Tail… 6 PM

"How are we going to track Tartarus down?" Sting asked.

"We've been trying to locate them all day and it's lead us no where." Lyon gave a defeated sigh.

"We have to try, Juvia's life is depending on it." Gray reminded them. The ice mage was so nervous that he had stripped of his grey shirt and black pants.

"We know, Gray." Lucy rolled her eyes; it was the millionth time in the past few minutes that he mentioned it.

"You seriously need to calm down." Natsu added, glancing worriedly at his rival.

"Would you stay calm if Lucy was the one they took?" The ice mage asked and he sighed.

"Damn, I hate doing nothing!" Gajeel said, standing up from his spot by Levy's side. The petit bluenette had been persuaded to sit down a bit and rest; seeing as she was clearly traumatized from what had happened with Droy.

"I think we should start looking for FACE." Rogue suggested.

"That's actually a good idea." Levy said.

"If we find FACE before they do, we have a chance of stopping them from activating it." Warren agreed.

"Who's to say they haven't found it yet?" Lucy asked, and the room went silent once again as they considered the possibility of a world without magic. It was terrifying, to say the least.

"Wow, you're really quiet there." Everyone turned to the newcomer with surprise.

"Loke. Why are you back here?" Lucy asked. The worried look on his face only increased her fear.

"We've got a big problem." The celestial spirit sighed.

"Yeah, we know." Natsu said, crossing his arms.

"No, you don't know. Or else you wouldn't have let him in." Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"Let who in?" Makarov asked.

"Elfman. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but he's under Tartarus' control." Their eyes widened.

"No way!" Gray shook his head while his hands grasped his silver necklace.

"Are you sure about this?" Makarov asked and Loke nodded.

"The celestial spirit king warned me; he's been watching over you after the attack on the Thunder Legion." He explained it.

"But why would Elfman come back here if he was under Tartarus control?" Warren asked; this didn't make any sense.

"They sent him here to destroy Fairy Tail. There's a bomb on his bag and it will go off in less than five minutes." Many people gasped in surprise and shock.

"Shit! What the hell are we going to do?" Gajeel started freaking out.

"I say we kick his ass!" Natsu suggested.

"It's not his fault; I'm sure they didn't give him a choice." Makarov defended Elfman.

"They didn't." Loke said. He knew that getting them out of there was the priority, but first he needed to clear Elfman's name. "They threatened to kill Lisanna, leaving him vulnerable enough not to resist their control."

"The celestial spirit king told you all of this?" Lucy was confused.

"As I said, he's been looking out for you today." The celestial spirit replied.

"Does that mean that he knows where our missing members are?" Gajeel asked, hopeful.

"Juvia!" Gray yelled, suddenly perking up as he looked attentively towards Loke.

"Unfortunately, he couldn't see what happened with Juvia; whoever took her used dark magic to block the king's vision." The latter explained and the ice mage frowned. "However, he did manage to see what happened with Erza and Mirajane. They were both captured."

"So they have Erza." Lucy whispered, terrified.

"We have to rescue them!" Natsu determinately said, looking around the room.

"First we need to get out of here before the bomb goes off." Loke reminded them.

"How long do we have?" Makarov asked.

"Less than five minutes." Sting and Rogue glanced at each other worriedly.

"That's not enough to get everyone out safely." The latter said.

"I know a way to do that." The celestial spirit said, catching their attention.

"We're listening." Lucy told him and he nodded.

"Okay. So, Lucy, you and Yukino will have to use all of your keys for this. Do you think you could summon all the spirits like you did during the Games?" The two celestial wizards shared a look before nodding.

"We can do that." Yukino answered before approaching them.

"Good. I want you to focus on getting us out of here, okay?" She nodded before getting her keys out while Lucy did the same.

"Wait! How exactly will this work?" Gajeel asked; a bit unsure about this plan.

"The celestial spirits will redirect all of us to the celestial world." Loke explained before an urgent look came upon his face. "We don't have much time."

"Right. Let's do this, Yukino!" Lucy and Yukino threw their keys in the air, just as they'd done when trying to close the eclipse gate. After kneeling down and joining their hands together, they whispered their prayers.

"Oh, celestial spirits of the Zodiac. Lend us the strength to escape from this attack. Open, gates of the 12 signs." One by one the golden celestial spirits appeared. When it was Aquarius' turn, she gave Lucy an unusually soft smile.

Within seconds, a bright glow enveloped everyone in the guild, including those who were in the infirmary. And then, they all disappeared.

Meanwhile, with Juvia...

"And at last I see the light, so it's like the fog has lifted. And it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I see you." The lyrics of the song could be heard despite the fact that she was whispering it.

The room was empty, silent and dark. Her hands and feet were tied by anti magic bracelets, which proved to be impossible to remove. She could still move, though it was no use since a magic barrier seemed to envelop the whole place and whenever she tried to go outside, it would just zap her backwards.

There was no escape. She was trapped in that room in the middle of no where, alone, for nearly 2 hours now.

"I'm losing my mind." Juvia paused her singing and laughed.

"It was about time. With everything that's been going on for the past few days, it's a wonder I've stayed sane." She thought back to all the discoveries she had made. First, there was the truth about her mother. That had shaken her a lot, since she had spent years believing that she was the last member of her family only to find out that Lucy was her direct cousin.

Then, her memories returned thanks to that strange man whose identity she still hadn't figured out. All she knew is that he was dangerous, seeing as his power was as deadly as Zeref's. He also seemed to know her, which confused her greatly because she sure didn't remember him. But then again, for 8 years she couldn't remember the people who had kidnapped her and turned her life into a living hell.

"God, just thinking about it makes my head hurt." She tried to distract herself from thoughts about Tartarus, instead focusing on the people she loved. Gajeel, Lucy, Erza, all of Fairy Tail. Gray.

Her heart hurt as she thought of him. Juvia was sure that he was blaming himself for her disappearance and it pained her not being able to tell him that she was alright. She wanted nothing more than to go back to him and make sure that he was safe, but that wasn't possible because she was trapped.

"I gotta admit, now I am kind of a damsel in distress." She laughed at the irony, remembering what she had told Erza earlier that day. "And I hate it. I was never one to stay put and just wait for rescue." She shook her head, frustrated.

This whole situation was frustrating and annoying. She had thought that following Zeref would lead to at least finding some answers. But then the dark wizard just trapped her in that house, which she guessed wasn't Tartarus' hideout; before disappearing. Where the hell was he? And why did he just leave her there? Didn't he plan on transforming her into E.N.D?

Juvia shivered at the thought. If his plan succeeded, then she would become a monster. A heartless creature who'd have no problem killing others, even the people she loved. She couldn't let that happen, but there wasn't much she could do to stop Zeref. All she could do was hope that her friends would be able to locate her before it was too late. "Come on, my love. I'm counting on you."

Back at Tartarus' base...

"The end of Fairy Tail, delivered as promised." Seilah said while sipping her dark red drink.

"That was quite well done, Seilah." Kyoka smiled while they watched the Fairy Tail guild hall explode.

"I can only imagine how many bodies must be in that rubble." Franmalth crackled.

"We've eliminated Fairy Tail in a single move. It seems Lord Zeref was mistaken to believe that they'd represent a threat to our plans." The sand haired woman laughed, satisfied.

"Yes, and now that they're gone, we can focus all our efforts on activating FACE." Torafusa reminded them as he came into the room.

"I'll leave you to it, then." Seilah said before placing her glass on the table.

"Why in such a hurry, Seilah?" Kyoka asked, curious.

"I apologize, milady. But I still have to tie up some loose ends." Knowing what she was referring to, the other demons smiled.

"Here I thought you had already eliminated the girl." Torafusa told her.

"Not yet, I wanted to wait until Fairy Tail's destruction. After all, breaking her will be so much easier now." Seilah replied.

"That's true. Perhaps I should pay another visit to Erza and give her the news of what happened to Jellal and Fairy Tail." Kyoka said, smiling delightfully.

"Don't forget to eliminate her, Kyoka." Keyes said as he appeared in front of them.

"Of course." She began walking away, Seilah following her.

Once they were gone, Torafusa turned to Crawford, who'd been silently watching them.

"Now, let us activate FACE."

Erza awoke with a groan, her entire body felt like it was on fire and she was so exhausted that all her eyes wanted to do was close again.

"No, don't close them yet." The voice was low, but she heard it clearly.

"What do you want?" Kyoka smirked, sending shives down her spine.

"I want nothing more from you, Erza Scarlet." Her vision was unfocused, so she could barely make out the silhouette of her agressor. She could see that satisfied smile, though, and it told her something was very wrong.

"What are you smiling about?" The demon took a few steps closer until she was right in front of her.

"I'm satisfied because everything worked out as it should, even without your help." Erza stared at her groggily; not fully awake yet.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyoka looked her right in the eye.

"We were able to locate Jellal." Her body froze as many emotions crossed her mind. Confusion. Worry. Fear.

"You were?" Her voice shook and she noticed her body did too. It was suddenly so cold.

"Yes. I figured you should know that he's dead." Everything stopped. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move.

"No." Erza shook her head, but stopped once her vision blurred and she felt like throwing up.

"Yes. Jackal managed to eliminate him hours ago, when he destroyed the king's palace." The demon let out a delighted laugh at the look of horror on the red head's face.

"It seems as if Jellal isn't as powerful as he's made to be. After all, he was eliminated so easily." Eliminated. Dead. Erza refused to believe that. She knew him better than anyone and he wouldn't be taken out so easily.

However, she had always believed the same about herself, yet there she was. If Tartarus had managed to get her, what would stop them from going after Jellal?

"No. He's not gone. He can't be." Tears began streaming down her face.

"Oh, but he is. Which means, we have no more use for you now." Kyoka made her sword appear and lifted it up, ready for the final strike.

Truth be told, she'd wanted to play with her prey a little longer, but she knew that eliminating the enemy was the priority.

"No! Jellal!" Erza's screams echoed through the fortress.

"How does it feel to have demon blood injected into your pathetic human veins?" Mirajane woke up to an unfamiliar, irritating voice. She could feel that her arms and legs had been tied up and her whole body felt like it was on fire.

Taking a few moments to fully awaken, she took deep breaths in order to calm her racing heart and attempted to ignore the pain caused by those injections. Demon blood, the stranger had said. Well, she probably didn't know that Mira already had it on her veins.

Once she felt her magic return, she used it to cause an explosion that shattered her watery prison.

"Sorry, but I already have demon blood flowing through my veins." She smiled at the stranger, who stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" Mira thought about taking her out, but the reminder that Erza was also trapped wherever she was made her decide to just run.

She called her friend's name while crossing the strange room. There were multiple lacrimas filled with water and strange vines, but Mirajane barely payed attention to them. She only stopped running when, all of sudden, two of the lacrimas broke, making glass and water spread everywhere.

"What the..." Her eyes widened once she spotted the woman with long black hair and golden horns. It didn't take long for Mirajane to recognize her as memories of a tragic past returned.

"You!" She screamed, immediately taking a defensive stance. The woman smiled before gracefully crossing the puddle of water.

"So you do remember me. Good." The she-devil watched her in shock.

"How on earth can you be here?" Mirajane clearly recalled that, after their father died from the wound this monster caused, Lydia Strauss had arrived. For reasons she didn't yet understand, her mother had managed to defeat the strange woman and that's the only reason Mira, Elfman and Lisanna were still alive.

"Did you really think that your dear old mamma would've defeated me so easily?" Seilah inquired.

"She said you'd never come after us again." Mirajane had a hard time focusing; she was too overwhelmed.

"It was foolish of Lydia to believe that she could keep you hidden forever." The woman continued, taking a few steps towards her.

"You killed my father!" Her anger was rising as flashes crossed through her mind and the room started shaking as magic power was released.

"He got in the way." Seilah shrugged. "I really wanted to kill Lydia that night; she was the one we were after."

"Why? What did you have against my mother?" Seilah sighed.

"I already had this conversation with your brother, so this is boring." Mira's eyes widened.

"What? Where's Elfman?" There was so much magic running through her body; she felt stronger than ever.

"He's back at Fairy Tail, ready to destroy them from the inside." The demon smirked.

"No!" There was no way she'd fall for that. Elfman would never betray Fairy Tail, never!

"Yes. It wasn't easy to convince him, but I didn't give him much of a choice." The demon laughed as another figure appeared. Body covered in slashes, clothes torn to pieces, skin paler than ever. Lisanna Strauss looked like hell.

"Lisanna?" Mira stared at her in shock and the release of power suddenly stopped.

"Mira, I'm not…" The young girl tried, but vines appeared around her neck and they covered her mouth.

"You did this!" Mirajane turned to Seilah, murder in her eyes.

"I'd love to take credit, but that was all your brother." The she-devil shook her head, disbelieving. "Humans have a tendency to forget how easy it is to manipulate them, but I certainly don't."

"So you forced him to hurt Lisanna?" This was bad. Knowing her brother, she was sure that the guilt was probably killing him. He'd never forgive himself for this and she worried about what he might do.

"It was harder than I imagined, but I managed to break him in the end. Just as I'm about to break you." Empty dark eyes stared at her determinately and Mirajane was quick to return to a defensive position.

"I don't think so." She closer her eyes and resumed the flow of magic power while preparing to transform into her ultimate Satan Soul.

"You've hurt my siblings and now you're about to pay the price." Seilah simply smiled, relishing in the pain and anger reflected in her eyes. She glanced towards Lisanna for a moment.

"I guess the first step to break you is to kill her." Many shards of glass suddenly lifted into the air and Lisanna's eyes widened in fear. She struggled against the vines binding her, managing to momentarily loosen the one covering her mouth.

"Mira, I have to tell you.." She didn't get to finish for the glasses moved at an incredible speed.

"No!" Mira's scream reverberated through the room as a large piece buried itself in Lisanna's stomach; similar to the way the knife had wounded Victor Strauss.

"No, I can't…" The young girl coughed; quickly losing strength. She knew she didn't have much time and, without Wendy or Porlyusica, there was no way to heal her. "I have to…"

"You monster!" Anger ignited once again in Mirajane and, instead of running to aid her sister, she found herself frozen in place. Magic continued to be released, but this time there was something else. She could feel a strange power; unfamiliar. It was much stronger than her usual magic and also darker.

"Impossible!" Seilah's eyes widened once she spotted the dark marks that suddenly appeared on the girl's arms.

"What's happening?" The she-devil was confused, and a bit afraid. She felt stronger than ever, but something didn't feel right.

"I guess Lydia was smarter than I took her for." Both sisters stared at the demo in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Mira asked harshly, surprised to find fear in the woman's eyes.

"Still, I never would've expected her to pass it along." She was tired of listening to this stranger, so she decided that answers could wait. Defeating the monster who'd hurt her parents and both her siblings was the priority.

"Mirajane, I'm sorry…" Lisanna couldn't speak anymore; she was too weakened.

"It wasn't enough that you killed my father and probably my mother too, but now you've hurt Elfman and Lisanna! I'm going to kill you!" For the first time in her life, Mirajane allowed herself to lose control. She released all of the magic that was flowing through her body, including the strange power that had come so suddenly.

"So this is it. The end." Seilah didn't move, didn't try to block the attack. She knew it was pointless. "How ironic. Who'd have known that she'd find a way to eliminate me even from beyond the grave?" She shook her head before sighing.

"Please, forgive me, lord Zeref. Once I again I allowed a mere demon slayer to defeat me." She knew that this time, though, there'd be no coming back. Mirajane's power was much stronger than her mother's and, despite the fact she couldn't control it, it was enough to eliminate Seilah forever.

The oldest Strauss watched her lifeless body drop to the ground, eyes closed and a serene expression on her face. For a moment the she-devil was relieved that she'd managed to defeat the enemy and she fell to her knees, exhausted.

However, as soon as her eyes found her younger sister, her face lost all color. Lisanna's body was covered in blood; and completely unmoving while those familiar light blue eyes were staring at her hauntingly. Mirajane quickly got up and ran to her side, despite the intense pain that the movement caused; while her mouth opened in a frantic, fearful scream.

"Lisanna!"

I WARNED YOU: NO ONE IS SAFE.

What did you think of this chapter? Too heartbreaking?

Did anyone see Lisanna's death coming? What did you think of the fight between Seilah and Mirajane? If anyone's wondering how she can suddenly have demon-slaying magic, just know that later chapters will explain that as we delve into Lydia Strauss' tale. (she's as important to Demons as Juliet Heartfilia was to Connections, so pay close attention to all the reveals about her)

On another topic, what did you think of Erza/Kyoka/Jellal? You're welcome for those flashbacks; I thought I might as well give you some nice moments before tearing it all apart.

Back with Fairy Tail, what did you think of my twist on how they escaped from the explosion? Just making clear: there is a reason why Cana wasn't the one who rescued them.

Lastly, let's talk about Juvia. Anyone surprised that she wasn't actually taken to Tartarus' hideout? Why did Zeref just leave her in that room in the middle of no where for hours? Where is he?

Next Chapter: The Sacrifices Begin.

Summary: As the war against Tartarus rages on, sacrifices have to be made. While Mirajane makes a shocking discovery regarding Lisanna's death, Lucy is forced to let go of her oldest friend and Juvia fears that it will soon be too late for anyone to save her. How much worse can this battle get?

PS: Let's kick off this new book with a new CHALLENGE, shall we?

Remember the flashback between Zeref and Acnologia from chapter 3? Your job is to figure out who's the body he was looking for. (I'll give ou until I post chapter 7 to do that)

I know some people have already tried guessing who it is, but now you'll get a second chance. The only hint I'll give you is that the answer lies in one of the flashbacks involving Zeref's character. I've gathered them all out in chapter 3 of Connections-Extras to make things easier.

The prize? This time I'm leaving it up to you; kinda. Since I have decided to start taking prompts in order to improve my writing skills, let me know who your favorite characters/couples are and what you'd like me to write about them.

Can we try 5 reviews by the 20th of April?