Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving (if you celebrate)!
So yes, I'm back. Sorry that I've been gone so long, but I took a bit of a sabbatical from writing for a while. I needed to step back and recharge my battery before I burned myself out and started hating my pieces. But now that I got that break, I feel a lot better and I've come back with more potential ideas (just because I wasn't writing it doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about it).
But now, without further ado, I present the next chapter! Sorry to keep you waiting!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret 2: A Fateful Journey
Chapter 6
The Capital of Edolas was a sight to behold, but not for its beauty or elegance. Instead of radiating splendor, the only feeling one could express upon seeing it would be dread. The Capital of Edolas was a dark place. It was designed like a spiral with structures elevating higher and higher as they neared the center. Tall, thick stone walls encircled each level and the tallest and thickest of them all surrounded the whole city, trapping all inside and preventing any undesirables from wandering through. Each level was packed with small houses with the lower level having hundreds and the upper level having nearly a tenth of that total. Each house looked exactly the same; plain stone walls and red tile roofs. Sprouting up on each level but the lower one were tall, narrow towers most likely used for surveillance. At the very center of the Capital arose a majestic tower surrounded by several of the narrower towers. Golden supports wrapped around one side to further overshadow the rest of the city that it loomed over.
On the outskirts of the Capital's wall was a dense forest of purple leaved trees. Natsu, Mira, Serafine, and Happy cautiously peeked from behind the cover of the thick trunks. They could see a large golden gate before them as well as two stationary guards with tall trident-like weapons standing at attention on either side. "At least we found the front entrance," Happy whispered.
Natsu looked up and could spot several other guards stationed atop the wall. "Doesn't seem like they welcome visitors."
"What do we do, Papa?" Serafine asked softly. "Do we barge in?"
Natsu cracked his knuckles. "I'm all for that."
"Oh no you don't," Mira hissed. "We don't know what's on the other side. For all we know an army could be waiting for us."
"Really? An army? Don't you think that's a bit overdramatic?" Natsu asked.
"My point is that we don't know enough to try a full frontal assault," Mira replied.
Natsu huffed. He wanted so badly to rush on in and look for Lisanna, knocking away anyone who would dare stand in his way. After all, the front gate to their destination, the place they had so desperately wanted to reach, was right before them and he was basically being told to sit on his heels and wait for a better opening. It frustrated him and made every muscle in his body twitch irritably.
Mira put a calming hand on Natsu's shoulder. She knew better than anyone exactly what Natsu was feeling just from the way he stood. "It's okay, Natsu," she said soothingly. "We'll figure it out. Now look." She pointed off to the side. The Capital sat on the edge of a shoreline cliff so that half of the kingdom was surrounded not only by the stone wall but also by a vast, pale green sea. "I bet if we move closer to the shore there will be less security."
"Yeah, let's do that, Papa!" Serafine agreed. "We could sneak in like ninjas!"
Natsu smiled at his daughter. "Alright, alright. You guys convinced me. Besides, sneaking like ninjas can be fun, too."
With the group in agreement, they crept towards the sea, making sure to stay hidden in the forest. They maneuvered stealthily to the very edge of the land. With one final peek at the Capital's wall to see if they had been spotted by any guards, they dashed to the stone barrier.
"I don't see a way in," Happy said.
Natsu touched the cool, smooth structure. "Then we'll just have to make one." His hand lit up and the stone bricks beneath his palm began to slowly melt away.
"Careful, Natsu," Mira whispered. "We don't want them to notice us."
Natsu silently nodded. His eyes were fixed on his work as one stone brick melted away, and then another, creating a narrow hole.
Serafine bounced excitedly. 'Papa is so amazing! Even his fingertips can generate enough heat to melt through a wall this thick.' She looked down at her own hands. 'If only I could help. If only my flames weren't so pathetic.'
Natsu gently pushed through the liquefying bricks, his arm disappearing further and further into the wall. He paused to assess his work and pulled out his arm. He groaned and scratched his head. "This wall is thicker than I thought. I haven't hit the other side yet." He reached into the hole until his hand touched the dripping stone. "Guess I've gotta keep at it."
"Can't you turn up the fire power a bit more?" Happy asked.
"Not if we want to stay discrete," Mira answered instead. "Just keep at it, Natsu. You're doing splendidly."
Natsu snickered as a wide grin split his face. "Alright! Now I'm really fired up! Just watch me. I'll get through this wall in no time!" He pushed against the wall once more, stopping only when his entire shoulder and side were pressed fully against the wall. "Aw crap. I can't reach anymore and I'm still not even through the wall."
"What now?" Serafine asked.
Natsu withdrew his arm and huffed. "Good question. If I can't touch the stones I can't melt them away like I've been doing. And any kind of long range attack would probably shake the wall and alert the guards." He pressed each hand on either side of the hole. "Guess my only option is to make the hole bigger." His hands lit up and once again the stones began to melt away at his touch. Mira, Serafine, and Happy watched patiently as the hole began to grow wider. With the hole's expansion, Natsu was able to crawl inside and continue his progress. Crawling on his knees he pushed ahead, making quick work of the stone bricks with his flames. And in a couple minutes he was through to the other side.
But he never would have expected to see a trident waiting to greet him, prongs glowing with magic. "Oh f…"
On the other side of the wall, Mira, Serafine, and Happy heard the sound of stone bursting apart. Almost a split second later they all saw Natsu flying backwards out of the hole, smoke billowing from his body. He rolled along the ground and came to a stop on his back. He coughed, his skin slightly burnt. "That hurt."
"Natsu!"
"Papa!"
The Dragneels ran to Natsu's side. Mira helped him into a sitting position. "What happened?"
"Freaking guards were waiting for me," he grumbled. He blew on the scorch marks on his arms. "They blasted me with their trident thingy. Fortunately I got a quick guard up. Stupid thing hurt."
"Wait, they knew?" Happy exclaimed. "But we were so sneaky!"
"Are you gonna be alright, Papa?" Serafine asked.
"I'll live. I'm a little ticked off, though," Natsu replied.
The sound of clanking armor could be heard echoing in the air. When the group turned towards the sound they saw a large mass of soldiers charging them. "There they are! It's the intruders! Arrest them!"
Natsu pushed himself to his feet. "I guess Plan A is going to happen anyway!" He smirked as flames engulfed his body. "Well you'll get no complaints from me! Bring it on!"
The guards quickly moved into position, forming a circle around the Dragneels. Their eyes and weapons remained fixed upon them.
Mira spun on her heels, putting Serafine between her and Natsu's backs. "We're surrounded, Natsu. This doesn't look good."
Flames swirled around Natsu's hands. "Don't worry. We can take them. Remember how weak they are from when we fought them before? Their new weapons won't help them at all now that I'm ready." He lifted his arms in front of him, pressing the backs of his hands together. "FIRE DRAGON ARCING FLAME!" Natsu swung his arms swiftly to the side, unleashing a stream of flames upon the half of the soldiers nearest him. The flames exploded in a cloud of smoke. "Too easy."
"Umm, Papa?" Serafine said while tugging on her father's shirt. "Look."
Natsu hummed in confusion. He squinted his eyes to peer through the smoke, but he was soon widening them in shock. "No way…"
The smoke cleared away. The soldiers were standing unharmed. Their trident's were glowing with blue electricity.
"What happened to Natsu's flames?" Happy asked in bewilderment.
"They created a barrier using their magic," Mira hypothesized.
"Enemies of the Capital and his Lordship, King Faust," one of the soldiers called out. "You are under arrest. Disarm your magic tools and get on your knees with your hands behind your head. Come quietly and we won't be required to use force."
"We're in a bad spot, Natsu," Mira said very quietly, knowing Natsu could easily hear her without speaking loudly. "Your fire is our best offensive attack, even more so than my Satan Soul. It's strong and offers crowd control. If they can deflect it then we have no more options left. We also have no route for escape."
Natsu clenched his fists. "I won't go down without a fight!" he bellowed as he charged some of the soldiers.
"Natsu, no!" Mira cried.
"Now, FIRE DRAGON—!" Natsu began but was quickly interrupted by a sudden counterattack from three guards firing blue electric magic simultaneously at Natsu. The attack struck the Dragon Slayer in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling back to the group.
"Papa!" Serafine cried.
"Very well. We shall invoke force to apprehend you," the guard said. "Move in, men."
Mira, Serafine, and Happy stood around Natsu as he sat up. "Mama, what do we do?" Serafine asked.
Mira didn't answer. Her mind was in overdrive as she tried to think through any and every possible scenario to get everyone out safely. However, based on their current situation she couldn't think of anything. These guards were far stronger than the other guards and their magic was far more superior. No escape routes were presenting themselves. 'I should have foreseen this. Of course the guards at the Capital would be more powerful. They have the duty to protect the King, after all. Careless! What can we do?'
The guards approached slowly, collapsing the perimeter, weapons crackling with magic power. Some guards quickly pulled out handcuffs from their belts to restrain their soon-to-be prisoners.
Suddenly, a small gray ball hit the ground in front of Natsu, Mira, Serafine, and Happy. Before anyone could even notice it, the ball erupted in a hiss of steam. Thick, dark smoke filled the entire clearing. All of the guards stopped in their tracks and coughed heavily.
"What happened?" one of the guards rasped.
"An attack?" another asked.
After several moments the smoke began to dissipate. The head guard wheezed and coughed and ran towards the center of the perimeter he and his guards had set up. However, there was no one there. "The intruders! They've escaped!" He thrust out his hand. "Find them! Search the forest! Leave no stone unturned! Don't let them get away!"
"I won't ask again; who are you?" Natsu growled, his voice echoing slightly from the room that he and his family were now inside. It was a small cave-like chamber attached to a narrow rocky hall.
A man stood before him surrounded by a small group of armored men. He was of average height, but very well built. His strong, burly arms were crossed over his chest. His leather vest hugged his torso tightly and his loose, work worn pants stopped above the ankles. Attached to his tattered belt were a sheathed sword on his left and a small, handheld ax on his right. His black hair was short and neat. His face was scruffy and decorated with small scars, but still gave the impression of kindness. His green eyes seemed to shine as they reflected the light of the few brightly burning torches. He laughed heartily. "You really are just as intense as I thought! Incredible!" His voice boomed in the small cave-like room.
"Natsu, calm down," Mira scolded quietly. "These people saved our lives. It's because of them that we could escape." Mira bowed her head. "Thank you for showing such kindness to us."
Serafine mirrored her mother. "Thank you."
"Come on, Mira. You can't be so trusting here," Natsu said as he motioned towards the strange group. "How can we be sure that we're in a better situation? We don't know these people and of late we've been getting screwed over by practically everyone we meet."
"You're absolutely right," the man said with a nod and a smile. "In this world, you have to be careful who you trust."
"Then will you answer my question?" Natsu asked.
The man put a hand to his chest and stood straight. "You can call me Brac, my good man."
"Okay, Brac," Natsu said while crossing his arms, ignoring the sting from his minor injuries. "Mind if I ask you a couple more questions?"
"Only if you'll be kind enough to give me your names," Brac said. "It's only polite for both parties to introduce themselves."
Natsu huffed. "Natsu."
"My name is Mira."
"Hi, I'm Serafine."
"I'm Happy!"
Brac nodded and laughed. "Great! Now we are no longer strangers. You can ask your questions now."
"I've got two questions. First, who are you guys exactly?" Natsu asked.
Brac held out his arms to motion to the people around him. "We are the resistance movement! We fight for justice against a cruel and corrupt world! We look for equality for all! We are the sole beacon of hope left in this suffering land! We are White Wing!"
"White Wing," Mira said. "So you oppose King Faust?"
"Right you are, ma'am," Brac said with a wink. "Ever since magic was monopolized and guilds were forcibly disbanded, we've worked to restore what Faust has broken. We primarily use ambushes and stealth tactics since we can't rely on magic to aid us in prolonged battles."
"So you guys are fighting back," Natsu said with a small smile. "Alright, I can respect that. Now for my other question; why did you save us?"
Brac's expression became serious. "Because you are just like us. You have chosen to lash out against King Faust instead of accepting what has transpired no matter the cost." His smile returned and he laughed. "My brethren and I saw your skirmish and I've gotta say that the rumors are true. You Fairy Tail wizards have got guts! Plus you held your own against the strongest, most magically adept soldiers in the country without visibly using your magic tools! I love it! So that's why we rescued you and brought you to our secret base deep under the mountains."
"Hold on," Mira spoke up. "How did you know we were Fairy Tail wizards?"
Brac stared at her with a quizzical expression. "How? How else?" He pointed at Natsu's shoulder where his guild mark was peeking out from underneath his forest green shirt. "That's the mark of Fairy Tail alright! No one has that unless their members."
"I don't understand," Mira breathed. "How can you know that?"
"I don't quite get what's confusing. Sorry," Brac apologized.
"What do you know about Fairy Tail?" Mira asked, trying desperately to get to the bottom of this strange mystery without revealing that she and her family were not from this world.
"Only that's its members were some of the strongest magic users in Edolas!" Brac exclaimed.
"Strongest magic users in Edolas?!" the Dragneels exclaimed.
"Of course!" Brac said, remaining oblivious to his guests' looks of complete astonishment. "They were highly respected. Once the ban on guilds went through, they fought back. They fought hard, but without easy access to magic they began to lose ground." He looked apologetically at the Dragneels. "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying so much. It's probably painful to remember all of this. I mean, seeing your guild mates beaten down and arrested one by one must have been horrible."
Natsu, Mira, Serafine, and Happy all looked at each other.
"There's a Fairy Tail…," Natsu breathed.
"…in Edolas?" Mira finished.
"And they've been arrested," Serafine gasped.
"But how? How could there be a Fairy Tail in Edolas, too?" Happy asked.
"This whole situation becomes stranger by the minute," Mira said.
"You folks alright?" Brac asked.
"We're fine," Natsu said. "So tell me, Brac; you said that the soldiers were the most magically adept in the country, right?"
Brac nodded. "Yes they are. King Faust hand selected them as personal guards because of their compatibility with magic tools. Since he possesses the world's magic, he can supercharge them with enough power to fry a Legion in seconds and they'd still have enough juice to fight for hours. They're no pushovers."
"What are their weaknesses? How about blind spots in the security?" Natsu asked.
"Whoa, hold up there!" Brac said while holding out his hands. "These kinds of questions…you're not seriously trying to break in to the Capital, are you?"
The Dragneels all nodded. "There's something we've got to do," Mira said.
"Look, I get it," Brac said. "I get that you wanna save your guild mates, but trying to get in there through the front door is simply suicide. It can't be done. Guards are positioned so that there are no blind spots. Also, should you manage to sneak under their detection, if you even touch the walls a silent alarm is activated and guards rush to your location. Trust me, we've tried everything and failed each time."
"So you're giving up?" Natsu asked coldly. "I thought you were the resistance, the last beacon of hope!"
Brac smirked. "I truly love your fire. Don't get me wrong; we haven't given up. Not by a long shot. But I told you, didn't I? We use the element of surprise in our combat. We just have come to realize that we need a thorough plan utilizing our strengths. We're working on ironing out the details, but we do have one in development."
"Will this plan get you inside the castle?" Natsu inquired.
Brac pumped his fist. "Of course! How else would we dethrone the demon who dwells within?"
Natsu looked to Mira and then to Serafine. All three nodded. Natsu looked back to Brac and held out a fist. "We'd like to help you with your plan if that's alright."
Brac laughed heartily and bumped Natsu's fist. "Fantastic! Glad to have people with skill like yourselves on board! We're just waiting on some intel and…"
"Father!" a voice echoed from the rocky halls. Moments later, a young boy came bounding in. His thick black hair was wild and filthy. He was strong and athletic in build, but still very thin. His green eyes were alit with hope. Mud and filth covered the boy's face and he wiped it away with the sleeve of his dirt-covered, loosely fitting white shirt.
"Ah, speak of the devil!" Brac said. He grabbed the shoulder of the young boy and pulled him to his side. "I'd like to introduce you to my son. His name's Lucius."
The boy stared warily at the Dragneels. "Father, who are these people?"
"They are fellow freedom fighters, lad."
Lucius's eyes soon widened with joy. "So you've come to help us?"
"That they have. So what were you able to discover?"
Lucius dug into his pockets and handed his father a small paper. "Here you go."
Brac took the paper and looked it over. He then grinned. "Well it's slow going, but it's still good news. This means our plan should work fine."
"What is this plan?" Serafine asked.
Brac waved the paper in the air. "If the guards are on full alert and the walls can't be touched, then we'll just have to go where they can't see us; underground."
"Underground?" Mira repeated. "So you're digging a tunnel?"
"Precisely! Lucius's information just confirmed that they can't detect us at our current depth. The tunnel has passed by the wall. Now all we have to do is determine a direction to take the tunnel where we can exit undetected, thus using ambush to strike."
"Pretty smart," Natsu said. "Let us know what you need. We'll help however we can."
Brac laughed and walked over to Natsu. He clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him along. "My good man, I do believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Natsu nodded and looked over his shoulder to where Mira was following. They smiled at each other, for they were both thinking the same thing.
'This tunnel will take us to Lisanna!'
Serafine was about to follow her parents when she heard Lucius call out to her. The boy smiled at her. "So what's your name?" he asked.
Serafine bowed her head. "Serafine. It's nice to meet you."
"Serafine…that's a really pretty name. How old are you?"
"I'm 13."
"So you're about my age. I just turned 14 a couple months ago." He held out his hand. "I'm so glad you're going to fight with us!"
Serafine took the boy's hand. She couldn't believe how rough and strong it felt considering how close in age they were. She smiled at him. "Right. We'll take down King Faust no matter what!"
Lucius released her hand. "Well I'm going to go check on the tunnel. Feel free to stop by!" With one final smile, he took off down the hallway that he had entered from.
She watched after him until she could no longer see him. She then looked down at her hand. 'Lucius…'