Freed ran.
He didn't dare look back, fearing if he did, he would turn around and run right back into that clearing. But he couldn't, or else Mystogan and Wendy's efforts would be for naught.
Those two… they didn't deserve to be hurt for his and the Thunder God Tribe's mistake. He wished he could have taken Wendy through the barrier, but unfortunately Laxus used one of his most complex Jutsu Shiki tags to create that arena, and he only had the strength to slip himself through before Mystogan had been defeated.
He needed to find the Master, Jellal, or maybe even Erza! Anyone that could stop Laxus from going to far. There were few in the guild who could beat their commander, even when teamed up. The Thunder God Tribe knew nearly every trick in his book, yet still the three were beaten into the dirt. The fact that he hadn't simply beaten Wendy and caught up to him by now was completely anomalous.
"Come on! Hurry up!" Freed cried at himself as he pushed past the pain. He had to stop Laxus before he went to far. That was his duty! He sprinted down the dirt path towards Magnolia, praying that he wasn't too late.
'Please, Wendy, stay strong! Someone will be there to save you soon!'
"Thunder Dragon's Roar!"
A great surge of electricity shot from Laxus's mouth, his newly revealed Dragon Slayer magic being blasted at the group of Fairy Tail mages at full force. Natsu and Gajeel quickly responded in kind, releasing their own breaths.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
The attacks collided in a great explosion, but the three of them didn't pause in their assault. Before the smoke had even faded, the three of them had lunged towards each other and began to exchange blows. Fire, iron, and lightning began to fly as they swung wildly.
"You'll never beat me Natsu! Not even with your friends helping you!" Laxus shouted as Natsu ran at him with a flaming fist. He tossed a lightning bolt at his wide-open opponent, only for his attack to be suddenly redirected. He followed the wayward bolt to see it hit Gajeel's transformed arm. "A lightning rod?!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu swung forward, and Laxus brought his scaled arms up to block the attack.
"Iron Dragon's Club!" The transformed arm of Gajeel's that redirected Laxus's attack then launched forward, knocking into his exposed side. He let out a grunt and jumped back from the combined assault.
"You-! Don't get cocky because of some cheap shots, you weaklings!" Laxus shouted, Summoning more lightning from the sky. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Hammer!"
As the three continued to fight, the rest turned to Wendy. The younger Dragon Slayers seemed concerned about getting involved in such a serious battle, and Lisanna and Lucy were worried about their friend.
"Are you okay Wendy?" Lisanna asked, noticing the way the girl clutched her forearm.
"I-I think it's broken." Wendy choked out, tears in her eyes from the pain.
"That brute…" Lucy glared over at Laxus, before turning back to Wendy in concern. "Can't you heal it though?"
"She can't use her own Magic on herself. Besides, broken bones are a bit much for her healing abilities." Lisanna explained. She put a hand on Wendy's shoulder, trying to think of a way to ease her pain. But there was no way to help the girl, as her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic was the only ability that anyone knew of that could heal someone. And no one else could use Dragon Slayer Magic except a Dragon Slayer.
… Except that wasn't necessarily true now, was it?
"Wendy, I know you're hurting right now, but I need your help." Lisanna said, and she looked at her in confusion. "I need you to focus on your magic."
"But… I can't use it on myself." Wendy said.
"I know. I just want you to think about the feeling you have when ever you use your magic." Lisanna explained, giving her a kind smile. "Trust me, okay."
"Okay…" Wendy eventually agreed, closing her eyes as a wind seemed to gather around her.
Lisanna continued to hold onto Wendy's shoulder with one hand, taking the hand of her uninjured arm with the other. Closing her own eyes, Lisanna could feel something magical through her hands. It felt like compassion, empathy, like a warm breeze. She focused on that magical energy, attempting to draw it into herself like she usually did with her Take-Over Magic.
'You have a kind heart. Please, continue to help Wendy and the others in my stead!'
An unknown voice echoed in her head just like the last time, but she had little time to focus on that as a surge of magical energy flowed from Wendy into Lisanna. It felt like a gale had forced its way into her body, but she grabbed onto that force and spread it throughout herself. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw what looked like sky-blue feathers growing along her arms, and she could feel that her hair and eyes had changed to a similar color.
Lucy was the first to speak after her sudden transformation, the rest too stunned to speak. "Lisanna? Was that like what you did with Natsu?"
"Take Over Magic: Sky Dragon Soul!" Lisanna said, feeling the new magic flow through her arms and begin to heal Wendy, just like the girl herself normally could. "I'm honestly surprised that worked. Don't worry Wendy, you'll be better in no time."
"No way… you're really using my magic." Wendy stared at the glowing aura around her arms in awe. "I can feel the pain fading already. It's just like when Grandeeney used her magic on me."
Everyone jumped as another bolt of lightning struck the ground, and they glanced back to the three Dragon Slayers fighting. Natsu and Gajeel were somehow working together, but even then, it seemed not enough to outdo Laxus raw talent and power.
"Alright then. Lisanna, keep healing Wendy. I'm going to go help those two fight Laxus." Lucy said.
"Not by yourself, you're not!" Rogue declared, stepping forward as well. "I'm not leaving Gajeel to fight while I just stand here. What about you, Sting?"
"I…" Sting looked nervously at the battle raging in front of him.
"You don't have to get involved if you don't want to." Lisanna assured him. "You just joined. You don't need to get involved in this mess."
"No!" Sting cried out. "It doesn't matter if I'm scared. If someone's looking to hurt my family, then I need to protect them, just like Natsu is doing right now!"
"That's the spirit! I don't care if Laxus thinks he's some big shot. He's the one fighting alone. Let's show him how Fairy Tail fights." Lucy said, enveloping herself in light and flying towards the brawl. Laxus noticed her approaching, and immediately disengaged from Natsu and Gajeel, flying towards her in a coat of lightning. She immediately held a golden key forward as she jumped back. "Open, Gate of the Bull, Taurus!"
"Moo!" The bulky bipedal bovine immediately appeared between them, bracing as Laxus's fist connected with the flat of his axe. "You will not harm a hair on Lucy's beautiful body!"
"Move it, cow!" Laxus shouted, raising his fist back again. "Lightning Dragon's-"
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Rogue suddenly flew up enveloped in dark energy, having snuck under through the large Spirit's shadow. His attack scraped along Laxus's chest, shocking him out of his current windup. Laxus quickly recovered however, bringing his hand out and grabbing Rogue in mid-air, holding him in front of Taurus like a shield.
"Nice job getting in the way, pipsqueak! What are you going to do now?" Laxus taunted.
"Attack, Taurus!" Lucy commanded, and Taurus brought up his axe.
"Huh?!" Laxus took a step back as the massive weapon swung at him and Rogue. The axe phased through Rogue completely, his body separating on contact into shadow. Laxus was not prepared for a true attack however, and was knocked back by the powerful blow, releasing his hostage. "You actually attacked us both?"
"Because I knew that he would be fine due to his magic. Something you would know if you actually bothered to get to know anyone in the guild." Lucy said, snapping her whip.
"All I need to know is that you're all pathetic without petty tricks like that!" Laxus declared, charging up another attack in his arm. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" When Laxus swung forward, a giant fist of lightning shot out, flying into Taurus, sending the Celestial Spirit back through his gate with a golden flash. He then ran forward towards Lucy. "I suppose that's what I should expect from someone who's magic is about hiding behind others. Let's see how good you are now, coward!"
Lucy cracked her magical whip at Laxus, its length extending greatly once swung. But Laxus weaved through each attack with lightning-fast reaction speed, slowly approaching her. Eventually he was right in front of her, and he went to throw another punch. "No room for your fancy whip now!"
"When did I say this was a whip?" Lucy asked. As she gripped the handle with both hands, the golden energy pouring out the top solidified and sharpened. She swung the magical blade at Laxus's approaching fist, and the two attacks collided with a spark. While Laxus had more force behind his attack, Lucy pressed back as best she could. "Fleuve d'étoiles is shaped by my magic! I may be familiar with a whip, but I can turn this into anything I need!"
"Neat trick, but you're still nothing compared to me!" Laxus shouted, pressing further against Lucy's blade with his lightning covered fist. "In power and ambition!"
"It's not your ambition!" Lucy shot back.
"What?"
"Jellal told me all about your father while we were training. Why do you even want to become Guild Master? Is there even a reason beyond doing it because your father told you it was your responsibility!" Lucy shouted, pushing back with growing resolve. "I know what it means to be tied down by your family's expectations! You don't have to be beholden to the wishes of a father who doesn't even care about you!"
"Shut up!" Laxus shouted, raising a second fist to pound down onto Lucy's sword. Just then, Sting swung at his left side from behind Lucy, while Rogue lunged at his right side from behind.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!"
"White Dragon's Claw!"
"Grah! Damn nuisances!" Laxus stumbled back as the two smaller Dragon Slayers swiped at his sides. They went to attack again, but he grabbed both by the head, raising them up as his arms charged with magic before slamming them into the ground and a ring of lightning formed. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"
"Rogue! Sting!" Lucy cried as she was hit by the wave of lightning. Natsu and Gajeel, who had been waiting for an opportune moment to re-enter the fray, jumped away from the electrical surge. Laxus quickly raised a hand over his head, and a great spear of lightning formed within it.
"Don't talk like you know me! I'm the perfect leader for Fairy Tail!" Laxus shouted. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"
"Crap! Dodge it, Lucy!" Natsu shouted, obviously recognizing the attack.
Lucy tried to follow Natsu's warning, but found her body locking up from Laxus's previous attack. The lightning had caused her body not to respond as it should, and she simply stared as Laxus's halberd went flying towards her. Her fate seemed sealed, but the lightning suddenly streaked to the side at a near right angle.
Everyone's eyes followed the lightning's new path to Gajeel, who had transformed one of his arms into an iron pillar. The lightning flew straight to it like a lightning rod, and Gajeel took the attack through gritted teeth. "You'd fit in better… as a leader… of Phantom Lord."
"Why you…" Anger flared up on Laxus's face from the statement. As Gajeel fell down defeated, Natsu flew forward fists raised.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" Lucy said with a raised key. Virgo appeared in a flash before disappearing into a hole in the ground, as Lucy flew forward to fight with Natsu. As the three fought, Lisanna had made her way over to Gajeel.
"Gajeel! Are you okay?" Lisanna asked as she began to heal him.
"F-Fine. Don't think I'll be fighting again anytime soon." Gajeel eventually groaned out, looking up at Lisanna. "You should keep healing Wendy. Or help fight Laxus. Anything other than healing a jerk like me."
"Stop acting so pitiful you iron-headed oaf." Lisanna said, resulting in Gajeel sputtering in surprise. "Wendy's recovered enough to heal the Rogue and Sting, and I trust Lucy and Natsu to beat Laxus. So, stop whining and just let me help you."
"Yeah, yeah, I get already." Gajeel said, eyes turning towards the fight. "But I'm glad you have so much faith in those two. Because to be honest, this isn't looking so good to me."
They both looked up to see Laxus weaving around the field, avoiding the holes created by Virgo as Lucy attacked from a distance with her golden whip and Natsu from close up with his fists. While Laxus was too busy dodging to attack back, none of his opponents could land a hit either.
"Come on Laxus! Sit still and fight me already!" Natsu cried.
"Maybe if you called of your girlfriend and made this an even fight!" Laxus replied, swinging out a hand and summoning a bolt from the sky over Lucy. She swung her whip up to counter it, but the force of the strike still knocked her down violently.
"Princess!" Virgo leapt out of a newly made hole in the ground, attempting to strike at the one who had attacked her master with her cuffs. But Laxus was ready for her, and easily dodged the blow and swung a fist down at the Spirit.
"Lightning Dragon's Iron Hammer!" Another bolt of lightning slammed down where he struck Virgo, and she faded back to the Celestial Spirit World quickly. Distractions removed, he finally turned his full attention to Natsu, who was already swinging at him with a fiery fist. Laxus decided to counter in kind. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted, and the two fists collided. Despite Natsu's inhuman strength he was slowly pushed back by Laxus, until he was overpowered and sent flying back from the lightning covered blow. "Ugh!"
"Look at you! You're weak, even with all your friends helping you. I thought that at least you would understand the importance of strength of the individual, Natsu." Laxus looked down at the Dragon Slayer, a disappointed tone in his voice. "You failed to protect a member of Fairy Tail back then, and I figured you would get the strength to prevent such a thing from happening again. But look what happened with Phantom Lord! You didn't have the strength to protect anyone, and needed saving yourself!"
"That's rich coming from you, someone who never even came to help!" Natsu shouted back, climbing to his feat. "I know I failed to protect Lisanna. I've beaten myself up over it ever since…"
"Natsu…" Lisanna looked over at him sadly, but noticed that Natsu didn't seem to be upset.
"But things change. I changed, Lisanna did too. Neither of us beat Gajeel on our own. We did it together, and with Lucy's help." Natsu stared back at Laxus, a defiant grin on his face. "Don't you see Laxus? We got stronger by working together. By learning from each other. What about the Thunder God Tribe? Who do you think they got their strength from?!"
"I-, You!" Laxus growled at the younger man's words. But he couldn't help but pause as conversations long past began to fill his mind.
"I want to finally thank you for the magic glasses, Laxus. I feel like I finally have the strength to look others in the eyes thanks to you."
"Don't think I would have been able to stand up to those guys bullying me about my magic without your encouragement, Laxus. You helped me see it as a strength instead of a curse."
"Working alone was the wrong move. I see that now. I'm glad that we've been able to work together for so long. I've gotten so much stronger than if I had simply left on my own."
Laxus thought of the Thunder God Tribe, two of its members lying unconscious nearby, while the other ran in fear. His head pounded as the old memories filled his head. "Shut up! Their… Their strength was fake! They relied on me, instead of getting stronger themselves! That's why they lost! They were traitors to me, to Fairy Tail!"
Natsu shook his head in disappointment, before stumbling slightly into another battle stance. "Someone needs to knock some sense into you, Laxus!"
"I'd like to see you try. You're standing alone against me, and you can barely stand straight!" Laxus said, glaring down as lightning crackled of his body in a display of intimidation.
"He's not alone!" A small voice called out from behind Laxus, and he turned to see Wendy standing defiantly. Her arm was still broken, but the bruising had lessened due to Lisanna's healing magic.
"Hahahaha! Is this a joke?!" Laxus laughed at the girl in front of him. "You saw what happened last time we fought. You don't even have a chance against me, unless you want another broken arm!"
"You're right, I can't beat you alone!" Wendy said, wincing as she brought both her arms up and began to gather her magic. "But Fairy Tail gets stronger by relying on each other! That's why I trust Natsu with my own strength!"
With that, a whirlwind shot forward towards Laxus. However, the eye of this attack was big enough to go around him, and the Sky Dragon Slayer's giant attack went past him to Natsu. "You got it, Wendy! I'll show this jerk what the strength of teamwork really is!" He then began to eat at Wendy's Magic, just like he would with fire. As he continued to consume the winds that had coalesced around him, the other Dragon Slayers looked in shock.
"Salamander, are you insane?! Eating an element other than your own is stupidly dangerous!" Gajeel shouted in concern.
"It's fine! This may hurt later, but it's certainly not more pain than I would feel for letting everyone down if I don't!" Natsu stomped his foot down, and an inferno encompassed his body, wreathing him in a whirlwind of flames. "Sky Fire Dragon Mode!"
"Dual elements?!" Laxus stared in confusion at the new ability.
"Come on Laxus! Let's see whose strength is greater, yours or Fairy Tail's!" Natsu shouted as he lunged forward, magic around him flying at Laxus like a raging storm. "Sky Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Laxus quickly retaliated with a similar blow. Their fists colliding produced a gale that shook the entire clearing, and Laxus found that his attack no longer overwhelmed Natsu as it had before. The fiery gale around Natsu's fist pushed back against him, the wind throwing fiery feathers produced from him across the battlefield. Whenever the feathers touched him, Laxus felt a burning sensation, and he eventually jumped back from the attack in annoyance.
"Sky Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu continued his assault, not giving Laxus a chance to retaliate. The inferno around Natsu gathered in his arms, and when he swung them forward a great wave of flame flew towards Laxus like a tornado.
"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" Laxus slammed his fists into the ground again, producing a ring of electricity that flew out and collided with Natsu's attack. As it did, both attacks dispersed, launching more of those crimson red feathers across the clearing. "Enough of this! Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
"Sky Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu bellowed, and the surge of lightning and fiery wind flew towards each other. They collided and produced an even greater explosion than the previous exchange of blows. There was a crack of thunder from the electrical explosion, and everyone's view was obscured by the flaming feathers that now fell like petals from the sky.
"Even with all of this, I'm able to scatter each and every one of your attacks. Is this really your master plan, Natsu? To hope you can outlast me somehow?" Laxus asked mockingly.
"Nah, I'm going to beat you. Right here, right now." Natsu gathered as much magic into his right hand as possible and running straight at Laxus, who scoffed at his cockiness.
"You idiot! You left yourself wide open!" Laxus shouted, raising his hands to call upon his magic. He faltered quickly though, as he felt his body lock up. Looking down, he saw the ground become shadows, sinking him to his waist. There was also a glowing white sigil on hit right side, where Sting had hit him before. "What?! But I beat those two kids!"
Glancing to the side, he looked at where he had slammed both of the young Dragon Slayers into the ground, only to see them standing weakly, but conscious. Rogue had his hands on the ground, manipulating the shadows, while Sting held a glowing hand forward, powering the sigil limiting his movements.
"I wasn't able to activate the Stigma before since you knocked me out. But for some reason I'm feeling all fired up again." Sting said smugly, as Rogue grunted in affirmation, focusing on his own magic.
"You fool! I still have my arms!" Laxus tried to continue his counter against the ever-approaching Natsu, but a beam of golden energy suddenly wrapped itself around him. He didn't even see where it had come from, and was easily ensnared by the attack. He recognized it as Lucy's transforming weapon, and turned frantically to spot her. He finally noticed her kneeling over one of the holes produced by Virgo, her transforming weapon stuck into it.
"I knew you would react quickly to my attack, so I simply attacked somewhere you couldn't see!" Lucy declared, and Laxus finally noticed the whips energy coming out of a hole next to him. He stared in confusion at how his opponents were standing again, but noticed the feathers raining down on them. Instead of burning like they did with him, they glowed on contact with Lucy's skin, healing bruises with their touch.
"No way! Those feathers can both burn and heal?!" Laxus realized that the previous exchange of blows had been all part of Natsu's plan. He must have known that he would gain Wendy's healing ability, and goaded Laxus into scattering his attacks to heal everyone at once. "Damn you, Natsu! How dare you trick me like that! I WON'T BE BEATEN BY YOU!"
With a sudden hysterical strength, Laxus flexed, and Lucy's bindings shattered from the force. He quickly drew his magical energy into his hand, forming a great spear to throw at Natsu, who had no means to counter so far into his own attack. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"
"Not again!" Gajeel tried to summon another iron pillar on his arm to redirect the attack, but nothing happened. "Damnit! I don't have enough energy left!"
Lisanna felt a pull from the hand she had on Gajeel's shoulder due to healing him. There was a surge of new power that welled within her, and she immediately knew what was happening. She was already calling upon the magic before a voice predictably spoke out.
'If he would lend you power, then it's only right that I do too! Harden body and mind, and defeat your enemy!'
"Take Over Magic: Iron Dragon Soul!" As her skin and hair turned a shining silver color, Lisanna drew the magic into her hand and summoned an iron log just like Gajeel had before. The moment Laxus released his hold on the lightning spear, it turned away and flew right towards her. She quickly braced herself, realizing that this was going to hurt a lot.
Gajeel suddenly raised a hand up onto her newly created lightning rod. "You're not taking this by yourself." He got up and braced her against him just as the spear slammed into the two of them. They were pushed back by the force, and Lisanna felt her vision short-circuit from all of the electricity flashing through her body, but the two of them managed to remain standing.
"Again?! You can't be serious!" Laxus screamed as his lightning halberd was redirected for the second time. "How do you keep pulling this off? Why can't you just stay down once your beaten?!"
"Because getting back up again is the first step to getting stronger! And when we can't do so ourselves, others help lift us up! That's the true power of Fairy Tail!" Natsu declared as he swung his arm down at Laxus. "Sky Fire Dragon's Firing Hammer!"
Laxus brought his own dragon-scaled arms up to defend himself, and when Natsu's attack connected, fire and wind shot up in a great inferno, pushing Laxus down with great force. There was a great explosion that rocked the clearing, and dust flew up, obscuring the view.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the dust settled. Slowly, Natsu came into view, standing over the unconscious form of Laxus. He turned his head up and let out an inhuman cry, like that of a Dragon.
Laxus felt himself stir from within the darkness of sleep. He slowly tried to get up as his mind raced. What had happened? He felt his body ache like it never had before. The last thing he remembered was… Natsu! Shooting up with a pained grunt, he looked around his surroundings to see himself no longer within the field, but inside Porlyusica's odd house.
"Finally awake I see?" The aforementioned woman said from a corner of the house, glaring over at him.
"What happened?" Laxus asked, already knowing the answer.
"Natsu and the rest of those brats dragged you over here after whatever fight you all decided to get in." Porlyusica said venomously, causing him to flinch. "They didn't say what actually happened, but hopefully whatever happened knocked some sense into you."
"I…" Laxus found his words faltering for some reason. What was the point now? He had lost, and Natsu, no, everyone else had won. Did that mean they were right? Was everything he did for naught? He was knocked out of his thought's by Porlyusica, having walked over and knocked him over the head with a broom. "Ow! What is wrong with you, old lady?!"
"I'm the one who should be asking that! You're lucky that so many of them suddenly learned how to use healing magic, or this place would be packed. You broke poor Wendy's arm, for goodness' sake! What were you thinking?" Porlyusica asked. But Laxus remained silent, staring at the floor. She just sighed and began to walk away. "Well, if you don't feel like explaining yourself to me, then you can talk to your oaf of a grandfather. He should be here in a few minutes."
"I don't need to explain myself to him! He doesn't even see me as his real grandson anymore!" Laxus said angrily. "All him and anyone care about is Jellal! Gramps always talked about family being so important, but he never taught me anything! And when Dad tried to help me he ended up getting punished! But suddenly Jellal came around and Gramps happily taught him everything he knew! He always picked Jellal over me for everything, including being Guild Master! I-"
Laxus's rant was cut off as Porlyusica slapped him on the cheek, then hitting him over the head with the broom again for good measure. "You selfish brat, you don't understand anything about the situation. No, you refuse to! Stop acting like your father and actually listen to others for once!"
"My Dad-"
"Was a complete monster." Porlyusica cut him off. "He always acted like he was entitled to the position of Guild Master, and used it to act like he could do whatever he wanted. And when Makarov made it clear that wouldn't happen, he turned to making you Guild Master out of spite."
"But… If what Dad was doing was so bad, then why didn't Gramps stop him?" Laxus countered. "Dad was still the only one who was willing to teach me magic."
"I'll admit that one is Makarov's fault." Porlyusica looked away in disappointment. "Your grandfather was always considered everyone in the guild his family, but that left little time for looking at things closely. When he saw the two of you interacting more, and your magic getting better, he simply assumed that Ivan had finally turned over a new leaf after the lecture he received. I warned him that wasn't the case, but it appears stubbornness runs in the family. I should have known something was up though, after Ur joined."
"What does she have to do with it?" Laxus asked, confused at the sudden mention of the older S-Class Mage.
"Remember how you were sick all the time as a kid?"
"Of course. It seems I spent half my childhood bedridden in this damp old treehouse. It was only after I got that Lacrima from Dad that I stopped having issues." Laxus retorted.
"My house isn't-" Porlyusica quickly cut herself off, trying to remain on topic. "We were never able to figure out what was wrong with you, but we could tell it had to do with magical energy, as you always ended up sick trying to use it. That's why Makarov never taught you anything."
"That's the reason?" Laxus stared in disbelief. "Why did he never say anything about that?"
"Did you ever ask? Makarov saw Ivan teaching you magic one day, and assumed you must have gotten over it, the fool." Porlyusica shook her head. "But when Ur joined, she brought her daughter along, who had a rather peculiar condition. She had too much magic in her body, causing constant fevers and over issues, and had to constantly wear magic-dampening cuffs for a while until she gained control of her magic."
"That's just like what I had…" Laxus thought back, but quickly realized something. "But I never had to use those cuffs. And if I stopped having problems when I got the Lacrima, did that fix it?"
"That would be a gross misinterpretation of what actually happened. I'm sure you remember Irene's lecture way back when, about how receiving the Lacrima should have killed you at the age you received it?" Laxus nodded weakly, and Porlyusica continued. "Well, I think I figured out what had happened. The Lacrima works by tying itself to your magical core, and trying to adapt to the body. If the Lacrima is stronger than the body can handle, you die. You should have died, yet it appears that your overabundance of magic that constantly crippled you ended up being absorbed by the Lacrima. The two dangerous elements by some miracle formed a symbiotic relationship within your body, allowing you to finally use magic without danger."
"Then… If what you say is true," Laxus looked down horrified. "Dad really did almost kill me when he gave me this Lacrima."
"Yes! We've been trying to tell you that for years now." Porlyusica said with a huff. "It also might have killed you when it was removed, if you hadn't gained full control over your magic. Though I doubt that's an issue nowadays for you."
"Why did this never come up? Why did we never talk about this?!" Laxus continued to stare down at his own hands in horror.
"Because you never wanted to listen. Makarov may have been a stubborn old man, but the simple truth of this I that this could have been solved by simply talking with him. Or Jellal." Porlyusica reached into her coat and pulled out a familiar letter. The one Mystogan had given him earlier, the one from Jellal. "If you want to really understand how they feel about you, maybe you should start with this."
Laxus reached over and grabbed the letter with fumbling hands and opened it, finally looking down at the words that Jellal had wrote to him days ago.
Laxus,
I'm glad to see that you're back in town, after all this time. I know everyone might be upset at you for not helping out with Phantom Lord, but don't let it get to you. I know you're always out there doing the toughest jobs in the guild, and we can't expect you to come running on a dime.
You've also likely heard by now that I will be the next Guild Master soon. It was quite a surprise to me, but if Gramps has put his faith in me, then I will do my best to live up to his expectations. But I fear that I won't be able to, because whenever I think about what the Guild Master should be like, I think of you. I wasn't strong enough to protect everyone from Jose, but if you were there, I'm sure you would have found a way to.
I know we've had our disagreements in the past, especially when it came to your father. Though I may not have been able to completely understand how you felt, I know that what happened to your father was tough, even if he wasn't good to you. It helped me understand that family is a lot more complicated than I thought it was. But while you may have been worried about losing your father, I was worried about losing my brother.
We've both grown a lot over the years, but I think we could do even more together. Please, come back to the guild. With all the crazy things going on lately, we could use your help. I could use your help. This guild, this family needs you. I hope you'll at least be there for the festival tomorrow. It would mean a lot to me and Gramps.
Best regards, from your brother,
Jellal.
Laxus stared down at the letter as he felt tears form in his eyes. Had the solution really been that simple? Why hadn't he just read this letter sooner? Why hadn't he listened to the Thunder God Legion, his friends? Why had he let things get this bad?
The front door of Porlyusica's slowly creaked open, and Laxus looked up to see Jellal slowly walk in. He had a hardened look on his face, but when he saw the state Laxus was in it immediately faded, clearly not expecting to see the man so emotionally vulnerable.
"Jellal, I…" Laxus tried to speak, but found the words catch in his throat again. He eventually pushed through, trying his best to look Jellal in the eyes. "I'm sorry! For hurting Wendy, my friends, everybody. I'm sorry for pushing you away when you were just trying to help. I'm no better than my father!"
"That's not true." Jellal replied, walking towards Laxus. "He never would have apologized for his behavior, or be crying for hurting those in the guild. But you are, because deep down, you do care about the guild. You just let him worm his way into your head. That's his fault, not yours."
"But I still hurt everyone. I don't deserve to be a part of the guild anymore." Laxus insisted.
"Fairy Tail's getting in fights all the time. This may have gotten out of hand, but I'm sure everyone would much prefer that you just go back to your old self than leave for good. You forget how many of us look up to you. Me included." Jellal sat on the bed next to Laxus.
"You sure are talking big for someone who isn't even Guild Master yet." Laxus let out a huff.
"I'm sure I can talk Gramps into letting this slide. I think he'll just be happy to have a normal conversation with you again." Jellal explained.
"… I still think I need some time to myself. I've spent so long trying to become Guild Master, but I don't know if I ever really wanted to, or if that's just my father's wishes." Laxus put a hand to his head. "I need to really think about what it is that I want."
"I understand." Jellal put a hand on Laxus's shoulder. "As long as you always remember that you have a family waiting for you at Fairy Tail. Take as much time as you need."
The two of them sat together in silence for a while, before Porlyusica eventually threw her arms up in frustration. "Yes, this all very heartwarming. But if the two of you are feeling better then hurry up and get out of my house!"
Next Chapter: Fantastical Fathers (And Where to Find Them)
