Chapter 8: The Ways of Magic

9 Months Later, 2 Years Post-Tenrou, Wendy Age 14

Wendy sighed as she took a bite out of the bread that she held in her hands. Shifting her gaze over to the other two occupants of the table, she watched the two Exceeds beside her talk amongst themselves. This past week had been the first time in months she had been able to spend time with them, and she couldn't deny that she had missed the pair during training.

Taking another bite out of the bread, she placed her other hand under her chin and slumped down against the table. Sure, she was happy to be back at the guildhall, but after the months of non-stop training, the lack of activity was a very different change of pace. Earlier on in the week she had completed a few missions around Magnolia with the help of her feline companions, but today she didn't have the motivation to take any more requests.

So instead, she chose to sit in the guildhall tiredly staring around the bustling building. All the Fairy Tail mages were running about, taking or returning from missions, or just going about their daily life. Unfortunately, the remnants of Team Natsu had taken Juvia and Team Shadowgear along with Gajeel on an S-Class mission, resulting in many of her closer friends being away at the moment.

Earlier on she had spoken with Mira and Lisanna, although there hadn't been much to talk about between the three, and with Wendy's more reserved personality, it had mostly been a discussion between the two sisters. She had attempted to go and train, but with Laxus gone for the first time in months, she didn't have as much motivation to go out to the field again.

She was broken out of her thoughts as she noticed a crowd gathering next to the bar. Mira was facing away from them all, placing something high up on the wall. She tried to ignore it at first, but eventually her curiosity got the better of her. Wendy pushed herself out of the table before standing up and making her way over to the outskirts of the crowd. Happy and Charla weren't very far behind, and when they noticed the small girl not moving any closer to the crowd, Charla told Happy to go find out what the commotion was about.

Watching Happy fly above the rest of the guild members, Charla turned to look at the dragon slayer. "Happy will figure out what the ruckus is about." she stated as she shook her head in disapproval. "I swear that some things will never change around here."

Wendy only nodded her head in response but turned to look down at the Exceed. The white cat was staring into the crowd with her usual stern gaze, but despite that, she seemed to be more relaxed than normal. Feeling a slight pull on the corner of her lips, Wendy stared into the crowd once more. She supposed that was the effect that being in the guildhall had on you.

When Happy finally returned from the front, she switched her gaze to the small, blue cat and crouched down. "Mira just put up the new poster for the Grand Magic Games!" The cat exclaimed, fixing the crooked sack that was hanging around his neck. "I think that we are going to compete this year!"

Wendy's eyes widened slightly at that. The Grand Magic Games had been a brand-new event created almost two years ago to determine which of the many guilds was number one. The first time it was held, the guild chose not to compete due to the events of Tenrou being fresh on their minds. And they had opted out of the second as well for reasons that only the S-Class mages knew.

As the initial commotion was dying out, the crowd around the bar began to slowly disperse and return to their seats, leaving an easier path for the small girl to slide through. As she approached the bar, she noticed Mira standing next to the sign with a bright smile on her face. When the white-haired girl noticed the dragon slayer, she sent the small girl a wave.

"Hello Wendy," she started, "It's nice to see so many of us excited." Responding with a small nod, Wendy switched her gaze up to the poster. "Ah," Mira sighed, now looking at the poster as well. "The Grand Magic Games. I really hope we do well."

"So, we are competing this year then?" Wendy questioned, finally speaking up. The bright smile returned to Mira's face as she gave Wendy a quick nod. "Master told me earlier that he plans to announce it later on today, when the others return from their S-Class request."

Nodding in acceptance, she continued to read the poster that was taped to the wall. 'The Grand Magic Games!' It read at the top, with a collage of many famous mages drawn below. 'Which guild will be the best in all of Fiore? Will Lamia Scale be victorious once again or will another guild step up and claim the title for themselves?'

"Lamia Scale has won the event twice in a row now. With Jura participating every time, the other guilds didn't stand much of a chance." Mira spoke, breaking the bluenette away from the poster. "But the master believes that we will win this year, at least with the team he had in mind for the event."

Wendy already had a strong feeling that Fairy Tail would be the ones to win the event and take the title away from Lamia Scale. Even though Lamia Scale has held the official title of Fiore's strongest guild, it was still widely recognized that Fairy Tail was still the more powerful of the two. It had only been a matter of time until Fairy Tail decided to participate in the event and officially claim the title for themselves.

Suddenly, the large doors to the guild were slammed open, breaking the poor girl out of her thoughts and causing her to jump. Turning around with the rest of the guild, she noticed all the mages who had gone on the S-Class Mission standing in the doorway with a smile, albeit looking worn out.

Erza stood in the center, yelling at the cowering Gray, who had apparently been the one to open the doors. Lucy stood to the side with a laughing Levy, while Gajeel held Jet and Droy up by their necks, since they were both unconscious. A small smile appeared on Wendy's face as she looked at the scene. It almost seemed as if nothing had changed over the past two years.

After Erza finished berating Gray, the group made their way over to the bar. Wendy shuffled over to a seat on the side and just listened in as Mira greeted the group of mages. "Hello, everyone!" she exclaimed, her usual bright smile plastered across her face once more. "I'm guessing the mission went well then?"

Nodding her head, Erza placed the signed request form on the counter, which Mira took. "Yes, Gray and Gajeel handled themselves especially well. They have truly improved over the past two years." Both guys said nothing but turned to look in different directions, and if one looked closely, you could see a tinge of red across both of their cheeks.

Lucy and Levy made their way over to Wendy before taking a small seat besides the girl. "Hi Wendy!" Lucy chirped, a small smile on her face. "How have you been doing lately?" Shrugging her shoulders in response, Wendy shifted her gaze to the ground. "It's been alright." she muttered.

The smile fell on the blonde's face for a split second as she glanced over at Levy before smiling once again. "That's good then. Although I must admit, I didn't expect to see you here today. I figured you'd be out training with Laxus again like usual."

Shaking her head, Wendy kept her gaze on the ground. "Laxus has gone on a mission. He won't be back for a few months."

Charla and Happy made their way over to the group of three and took a seat on the counter. Glancing over at Levy once more, Lucy turned her gaze back towards the small dragon slayer before clapping her hands lightly.

"That's perfect then!" she exclaimed, causing Wendy to look up at her out of the corner of her eyes. "That means you'll be able to come with us on some missions again! It really hasn't been the same without you, and I know Erza and Gray would love to have you back as well!"

Wendy said nothing in return, and only turned to stare at the floor once again, her bangs covering her eyes. The smile finally dropped on Lucy's face as she sent a sad look towards Wendy. Levy placed her hand on Wendy's shoulder who jumped a little from the touch and opened her mouth to speak before she was interrupted.

"Listen up you brats!" The master yelled, standing on the stage across the room. All the talking ceased as all the guild members turned to look at their master. Wendy finally looked away from the ground to watch the master. She guessed he was about to make the speech Mira had spoken about earlier.

"This year we are finally competing in the Grand Magic Games. It's time we officially reclaim our title as the number one guild in Fiore!" he exclaimed, causing all the mages in the guild hall to erupt in agreement. Gajeel grunted from all the shouting as Wendy just raised her hands to cover her ears.

Clearing his throat, the master raised one hand to quiet the crowd. "Now, the default structure for the games is that each guild sends in one team of five to compete. Today I shall announce the five members that will be representing the Fairy Tail guild!" The guild remained silent at this, all waiting in anticipation to see who would get chosen.

Withdrawing a small piece of paper from his pocket, he unfolded it and read it for a moment. "To start, our team shall consist of two S-Class mages. Laxus Dreyar and Erza Scarlet." A few mutters rang out throughout the guild, but no one was surprised. Both members were some of the most powerful mages in the country, let alone their guild.

"Next we will have Gray Fullbuster and Gajeel Redfox." At this, a smirk appeared on Gray's face as he leaned back in his seat. Gajeel just looked up momentarily before shrugging and returning to his bowl of scrap metal.

Wendy looked at the master as she waited for him to call out the last candidate. Despite her reserved nature, she couldn't help but hope she was chosen as the last candidate. She would love to have the chance to fight alongside Laxus instead of against him for once.

"And the last member to represent Fairy Tail shall be Lucy Heartfilia!" He shouted, causing the mentioned girl to blush when all the faces turned to look at her. "Do your best and bring the title of the number one guild back to Fairy Tail!" All the members of the guild shouted out once more in excitement. After having to sit back and watch as all the other guilds competed over the last two years, they were all excited to have the chance to go and compete themselves, even if many of them would only be watching.

Wendy joined in and clapped alongside her guildmates but couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She had trained hard this past year and wanted a chance to show everyone that she had improved as well. Clenching her hands into a fist, she shook it off before hopping off the barstool.

Noticing the girl's movement, Lucy looked down at her. "Heading out already, Wendy?" she questioned, the slight blush still spread across her cheeks from all the attention. The bluenette only nodded in reply before beginning to walk. When she noticed Charla land softly in front of her, she stared down into the brown eyes of her exceed companion.

"I'll accompany you then." Charla started, but stopped once she noticed Wendy shaking her head. "Sorry Charla," she muttered, fiddling with her hands, "I just want to go alone right now." Without waiting for a reply, the girl continued her way, making her way out of the guild unnoticed by anyone else.

Standing outside, she took a deep breath, happy to be away from the crowds. While she loved the guild and its rowdiness, she had gotten used to the peace and quiet the forest had brought during her training.

Starting on her path through Magnolia, she had one destination in mind. She would visit this place often, despite some the bad memories it brought. It held a secret that she had spent the past year trying to solve, with no luck so far.

Slowly opening the door to the small house, she watched as the dust rose from the furniture inside before settling once again. Covering her mouth to block a cough, she stepped in and shut the door behind her. With the door closed, the room had darkened, giving it an eerie feel with the only source of light coming from the few small windows.

Pushing those feelings aside, Wendy made her way over to the locked door on her left. Gently removing the latch that held the door in place, she winced as the door creaked open. Even though no one actively lived in the house anymore, she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about going through other people's belongings.

Taking a small step into the next room, the usual feeling of despair settled over her shoulders as she looked throughout the room. It didn't matter how many times she had entered the room, every time she would enter, it felt like it was the first. Looking at all the varying objects that symbolized all their missions together. Feeling her eyes begin to water, she quickly blinked to get rid of the tears and pushed herself into the room.

Ignoring all the other objects, she pushed herself back to the corner of the room, where the tarp lay. Removing the cloth and pulling out the box, she placed it gently on top of the wooden table sitting in the corner of the room. As it lay on top of the table, she stood there silently, staring at it. For months she had been returning to this spot and trying to figure out what this could be. And so far, she had not had any luck.

Unlatching the lock, she tilted the top of the box open and looked down at the glowing red stone. It was only a faint glow, as it normally was, and as she reached down to pick it up, she could feel the heat radiating from it. The stone never hurt her, but it was a tad uncomfortable to hold.

She twirled the stone through her fingers a few times, distracted by her thoughts. No matter what she had come up with during her research, nothing seemed to fit the stone's description. Her best guess was that it was a lacrima of some sort, and that Natsu had just decided to hold onto it due to the heat it gave off. It probably reminded him of his fire.

Smiling slightly at the thought of Natsu finding the stone, it was quickly brushed from her mind as a bright light suddenly erupted from the main room. Eyes widening, she silently stood in place, listening for any noise. She couldn't guess where the light had come from, but she hadn't heard anything either, and normally her senses would be able to pick up anyone trying to get into the house.

Silently tiptoeing over to the edge of the door, she put her back against the frame and tried to get a good look into the room. "Hello?" she called out, not sure what to expect. Waiting for a few moments and getting no answer, she slowly turned her head to look through the door into the main room.

The room was empty, with the front door still closed just as she had left it. Taking a tentative step into the room, she then noticed what was causing the light. A small fire was crackling within the fireplace, the embers shooting up the chimney and out into the sky. Making her way closer to the fire to figure out what started it, she noticed the stone slowly glowing brighter.

Grasping the stone tightly in her hand, she kneeled beside the crackling flames. The closer she got, the warmer the stone in her hand became, urging her forward. By now, she was less than a foot away from the fire, and she could feel herself sweating as the heat hit her body.

Unraveling her fingers, she glanced down at the glowing stone in her hand. It was still shining, but now it pulsing with light, and after a moment, she realized it was reacting with her heartbeat. Lifting her other hand up, she slowly began to move it closer to the flames. And eventually, the flames were bristling against her hand.

With widened eyes, she pushed her hand further, until it was fully engulfed by the flames. There was no pain. No burning. Only a sense of comfort that washed over her as she sat with her hand covered in the fire. The flames seemed to dance between her fingers, wrapping around her hand in an almost protective manner.

Letting out a slow breath, she turned to the stone once more, seeing it grow brighter than ever. She finally understood what this stone was, and why it had been so precious to Natsu. The bearer of this stone could wield fire, but not just any ordinary fire. A dragon's fire. Natsu had been holding onto a Fire Dragon's Lacrima.

Edited 8/27/18

Thank you all for reading and sticking with me! I appreciate all the support! Thanks to all the favorites and follows, and especially a huge thanks to my reviewers, (skyfir, The Dark Dragen, Blazing Sky Dragon King, SilentSniper05, Dragon Lord Draco, CyrusDiamon, wolfenergy17, thepheonix9498, CryosBlaze, KuroNeko, Qazzio!)