Hi, again. Here's another chapter for ya.

Hope you enjoy, as always.


The next day went by quickly. It seemed like everything was moving in fast forward. They kept busy all day and their excitement only fueled the fire. The first half of the day was spent training. Lucy trained with Levy and Wendy with Erza and Mira as their instructors. The guys and Cana trained along side them, but they mostly had a series of fights amongst each other, while the girls had a more organized session. Cana said she had no desire to be bossed around by Erza and Mira. She also stated that she already knew everything they had to say. Erza and Mira made us all to warm ups first which included a light jog, some stretches, simple exercises like push ups, and a few simple arm combat and weapon combat techniques. Erza and Mira then went through how to combine your weapon techniques with physical combat.

"You want to be creative with it. Once you know the basics of your weapon, you can manipulate the moves and techniques to create your own personal style. Think of it like dancing. You move to flow along with the music. Let your body move to the song of your weapon. Do what fits, but also something unexpected. The way you fight usually is a look into who you are." Mira said.

"For instance look at the way Laxus and Natsu are fighting," Erza said.

The three of us looked at him. Laxus swung around his staff with immense grace. Laxus ducked and twisted his body around the blades of his attacker and in favor of his own. Lucy noted that not only was he using his staff, but he also used his legs and arms. When blocking a sword with his staff, he twisted his body over it while kicking the pursuer; his arms, where the staff blocked the blade, was below his stomach which twisted above, while his legs swung through the air, making contact with the attacker, which was Natsu, and then landing on the ground. It only took a moment for Natsu to recover and he swung his sword behind him without looking to see where Laxus was but swinging in the correct location anyway. As Natsu swung he twisted his body to face Laxus, who, as the sword flung for him, jumped up and avoided it.

Natsu's next series of swings we very fast and demanding. Lucy could hardly keep track of them. Natsu slashed at Laxus several times while laxus blocked them and returned a swing of his own. The frantic swings ended as the two weapons were pushing against each other. Natsu, aware that he didn't have as much strength as Laxus, unlocked his blade while simultaneously leaping into the air. Natsu's foot bounced off of Laxus' staff, giving him a further boost. Natsu landed several feet away from laxus. In the moment he landed, Natsu charged forward, his sword and the ready. He came at Laxus at full speed swinging his sword to the left. At the same time, Laxus turned. and blocked the attack with his staff. Laxus's body slouched down. One leg was bent, as his other leg swung across Natsu's. Natsu was knocked off his feet, but recovered by going into a flip in the air and landing on his feet. As soon as Natsu landed, Laxus came at him with a series of lightning fast jabs with the butt end of his staff. Natsu managed to evade most of them, but as Natsu grew slower with his attacks, Laxus grew faster. The end of Laxus' staff jabbed Natsu square in the stomach with a great about of force, sending Natsu to fly backward onto his butt.

He coughed a small amount of blood. He clenched his stomach and breathed heavily. He gave a toothy grin. His blood was still present on his chin. Laxus was out of breath as well and wore a pleased look on his face. Lucy was entranced by the scene she had watched. Their movements were so loose, so graceful, so natural. She had never seen any of the members in combat such as that. Lucy had seen Natsu and Gray kill the Cave Serpent, but the fight between man and beast and man and man was completely different. Lucy could see their brains working.

"See. Their battle was carried by their skill with of their weapon, but it was supported by their physical combat, agility, strength, and acrobatics. They combined the basics with their own play on things." Mira said. Our attention was turned back onto them.

"We can't really teach you this because it has to come from you. But watching others fight and learning as many basic skills from all kinds of fighting styles, even fighting styles for a weapon you aren't skilled in, will help a lot. As well as learning some acrobatic skills and building up your stamina." Erza said. They nodded.

"While your movements are important. Knowing the others persons is even more important. You need to be able to anticipate your opponent's movements. To do this you need to pay close attention to the way they are fighting. How they are moving, how fast the move, what techniques they use most often, if their left or right handed, any injuries they have, anything like that. Of course with that in mind, you also need to be aware that the other person is observing you in the same way. Which is why you need to be as unpredictable as possible. In order to be unpredictable, you need to know enough skills that you don't have a pattern in the way you're fighting. Make everything your strongest point so that nothing is your weakest. Combat is as much a mind game as a test of skill." Mira added.

"However, a lot of what we'll be faced with is not human, but rather a creature. Don't ever assume an animal isn't as intelligent as you. You want to treat it as though it has a human's mind and is learning your movements the way a human opponent would. Just like that creature was human, you want to analyze it. Learn its weak and strong points. Pay attention to its anatomy and behavior. Use its body to your advantage. Take into account its physical features and work with or around them." Erza said.

"If you're outnumbered without assistance or the seems too powerful for you to take on alone, you must be creative. You have to think on your feet. Your brain is your weapon and your skills just there to carry out what your brain says. There is almost always a way out of anything. Don't give up till the very end. Don't ever surrender." Mira added.

The training carried on with Mira and Erza teaching them different kicks and arm attacks, as well as attempting to do some flips and other acrobatic techniques. Lucy managed a pretty nice Bituro Chagi. Which is an unpredictable kick that makes contact with an opponent on the opposite side of the body that they expect. She also became good and Dwi Huryeo Chagi (spinning hook kick) and a bolley kick. She was able to almost do a front flip as well, but she could never land it. She learned several other arm attacks and punches. She messed around with her whip. She was pretty much getting the hang of the thing.

In the afternoon, the guild could the supplies they need for the next day. This included several flasks filled with water, dry foods that wouldn't spoil quickly, medicines for Wendy, Weapon touch ups, a dagger for Lucy as a backup weapon, an assortment pieces of armor, and a new pair of clothing that was made for combat. The Magnolia hotel owners let Fairy Tail keep the extra supplies that they couldn't bring with them in the storage room for the time they were gone.

Lucy was sure Laxus had spent just about every penny they had left. She had a hard time that they could afford all of that. But Levy had told her later that Laxus had gotten a loan from the Guild Headquarters back in Crocus. Apparently, that was another service it provided, which, now that Lucy thought about it, made sense since they also kept treasures secured in accounts.

After dinner with the kind hotel staff, Fairy Tail went off to their rooms for an early night. They wanted to be well rested for the tomorrow. Lucy fell asleep quickly with the thought that the faster she did the sooner tomorrow would come.

The room was dark at first. And quiet. The heavy air was cold against her. She wasn't bound by anything that she could see, yet she couldn't move at all. She didn't seem to have anything feeling at all. She couldn't tell if she was sitting or standing or if she was even really there at all. Maybe she was only there consciously. Yet, if that was true, how could she feel the air around her and sense the maliciousness that lingered all around her. Suddenly she could see a single light. It was an orb. It wasn't fire, yet it wasn't a light bulb, or the sun either. It seemed to admit from nowhere at all. It did nothing to illuminate the area. Slowly several more of these lights appearing, forming a circle of six around her.

"Lucy…" A whisper called out to her. "You'll free me, won't you? You'll let me free and then the world will be within the two of you. Together you will carry the would. All you have to do if unleash me and let him fall into me. Free me, Lucy. If you don't I will reach you. You both will suffer until you're nothing but a dark nothingness apart of me. You don't want to end up like him…" Lucy wanted to speak but couldn't. She was afraid. She was sure she was trembling. Slowly the lights around her faded out.

The scene changed to something more peaceful. Lucy could move. The air was light and warm. Around here she was in an endless garden that reminded her of the one she had back home. The flowers were abundant and colorful. The sky above was infinite blue. Lucy spotted a figure ahead. She recognized it immediately. It was her mother. Lucy dashed towards her, her arms extended out. When she reached her mother her arms draped around the soft skinned woman wearing a white flowy dress. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on top of hers. Lucy felt so warm. So safe. The dream she had had before melted away from her.

"Lucy. I'm so glad you're happy. I'm so glad you've found a home. You're living in the stories you loved so. Be brave, my Lucy. Remember I'm watching over you. Just look up to the sky and rest assured I'm looking back at you." Layla said.

Lucy knew her mother was protecting her from whatever it was that came before. Lucy was grateful. She wasn't afraid anymore. The world around her faded into white.

"Lucy…"

"Lucy…" The sound of her name woke her up. Cana stood above her. "Wakey, wakey. It's a big day, my friend." Lucy sat up and rubbed her eyes. She smiled brightly.

"I'm so excited," Lucy exclaimed. Cana laughed.

"I think we all are." Cana agreed. "Hurry and get dressed." Cana walked off. Lucy got out of her bed. She stretched a bit before walking into the bathroom. Wendy, Cana. and Levy was standing in front of the long mirrors. Wendy brushed her teeth, Levy dried her hair with a towel, and Cana brushed her hair. Lucy joined them. She splashed her face with water and dried it with a towel. Lucy took a shower last night before bed so she didn't have to in the morning. She brushed out her hair with the brush Cana had just finished using. She pulled her blond hair up into a ponytail held by a black ribbon. She brushed her teeth and sprayed a small bit of perfume on. Finished in the restroom, she stepped out and changed. She wore a simple black skirt, along with her belt, keys, dagger, and whip, brown leather boots with long white socks, a navy blue cropped sleeveless shirt, the Star earrings Natsu got her, and on one arm she wore a shoulder guard, an arm cover, and a glove. She swung her backpack on her back and her flask around her shoulder. She waited for the others to be done. Together they walked out of the room leaving nothing behind.

The four of them met with the others in the hotel's lobby. Laxus did a headcount and everyone made sure they weren't forgetting anything important. With everyone accounted for; the guild said their goodbyes to the hotel staff. They walked out of the hotel's large wooden doors following Laxus's lead. If anyone that witnessed it, it was surely a site. The eccentric group stood tall and all wore eager expressions. Like nothing could stand in their way. With that ambition and pride, they walked toward East Forest.

The group was completely surrounded by trees and the town behind them. It felt just like their long journey from Crocus to Magnolia. Lucy was resentful that they had to do more walking. It got boring pretty quickly, not to mention her legs got tired. Lucy caught up to Laxus who was leading the group in front. Laxus took long quick strides forward so it was hard for Lucy to keep up with his pace.

"So where exactly is the tower?" Lucy asked. Laxus looked down at Lucy like he just noticed she was there.

"Well, Makaba and the others told me it was North East of the hotel several miles. He said if we walked in that direction we'd find it eventually." Laxus said.

"How come you didn't know about the tower before if it's so close to Magnolia?" Lucy asked.

"I'm sure it came up in some conversations, but none of us found it important. It's possible that we simply haven't heard of it. We come to Magnolia more than other places, but we are never here for very long. And we've never traveled in East forest all that much. We mostly enter Magnolia from the Western Forest. So we've never come across it. Plus, when we are in Magnolia, we hardly have work on our minds. Mostly play." Laxus said.

"I see. Have you ever seen a tower during your travels?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, only two. They were towers for silver keys. They weren't as tall as I imagined." Laxus said.

"I've only ever seen drawings," Lucy said. "They all look different from each other don't they?" Laxus nodded.

"Yes. Much like the Keys." Laxus said.

"I wonder if anyone's ever seen a Tower appear." Lucy wondered.

"No one I've talked to," Laxus stated. "You ask a lot of questions."

"You can't blame me for being curious," Lucy stated. "Plus, I wanted to make sure you knew where exactly we were going. It would suck if we got lost and didn't even find the tower." Laxus's response was interrupted. Natsu came up from behind and put each of his hands on one of our shoulders.

"Whatcha talking about?" Natsu asked.

"Lucy was asking a lot of dumb questions." Laxus sighed.

"They weren't dumb," Lucy said. "Whatever, I'll leave you alone now. You told what I wanted to know for the most part." Lucy said. She slowed down her pace and quickly fell behind Laxus and a few others. Natsu walked alongside her. Natsu tried his best to stay at Lucy slower pace.

"This is going to great, Lucy. I can feel it." Natsu said. Lucy nodded. "What do you think we'll see in there?"

Lucy thought about this. She had thought up some possibilities many of times on the long walks to Magnolia. She picked out some of the many speculations to share with Natsu.

"Giant ogres, evil fairies, flying monkeys, giant fire breathing dragons…" Lucy listed.

"Fire breathing dragons!" Natsu exclaimed. "I hope so. How cool would that be, Luce."

"I don't know if I'd call that cool, Natsu. It sounds scary. Though, you're not afraid of anything, are you?" Lucy stated. Natsu shook his head.

"Sure, I am. I'm afraid of trains, boats, and any thing that has wheels or motors." Natsu said. Lucy giggled. "What?" Natsu asked defensively.

"I just find it ironic that you're afraid of just unscary things," Lucy said. "Though, I suppose I'd be afraid of that stuff to if it made me sick."

"It feels like my organs are having a fist fight," Natsu said grimly. His analogy made Lucy think of his fight the other day with Laxus.

"You can fight really well by the way. I saw you and Laxus fighting yesterday. I forget to tell you." Lucy complimented. Natsu grinned.

"Yeah, well, I've had a lot of training," Natsu said. "Even so, I can't beat Laxus. He's pretty ruthless."

"You've never beaten him?" Lucy asked. Natsu shook his head.

"Nope. Lost every single fight with him. But I'll beat him eventually." Natsu assured.

"I have no doubt about that," Lucy said.

"I saw you're getting pretty good with that whip of yours, Luce," Natsu stated. "You'll whip a lot of guys asses with that thing." Lucy blushed.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd re word that." Lucy gave an awkward smile. Natsu snickered.

"You know I didn't mean it that way." Natsu shook his head with a smile.

"Moving on," Lucy said. You could hear a laugh in voice. "Where's Happy, by the way? He usually always by your side."

"Wendy has him occupied," Natsu said. He pointed behind them. Lucy turned back and far behind them Wendy was squeezing and petting the small cat. The sight made Lucy laugh.

"She certainly does," Lucy said. Natsu sighed and put his hands behind his head. He looked up to the sky.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. Natsu gave a weak smile.

"I'm just thinking." He said. He sounded a bit sad.

"About what?" Lucy asked. Natsu's shoulders slumped.

"My father," Natsu said. "In all the excitement that last few weeks, I seem to have forgotten I'm supposed to be searching for him.I've forgotten he was even missing." Lucy smiled knowingly.

"I know the feeling. You're mad at yourself for forgetting something so important." Lucy said.

"Yes, I feel a little selfish I guess. It shouldn't be so easy to forget about something like that. But being with Fairy Tail, it seems like it happens a lot. And I guess I feel guilty. I should be doing more to find him. But frankly, i don't know where to look." Natsu said.

"It's those moments of silence when those sort of things gets remembered again." Lucy looked down at her feet. "I miss my father too. I never got to say goodbye."

"That's something we have in common then," Natsu said solemnly. His voice became sadder. "I don't know for certain that he's dead, but there's this feeling when I think about him that I'll never get to see him again. And you know I've been having dreams, no nightmares, recently. And in the silence, like at night when the world is still and quiet, I can hear the whispers." Natsu explained. "I never used to doubt that my father was alive somewhere, but it's gotten harder to feel that way."

"It's the key. Isn't it Natsu? It's Aether." Lucy asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine. It really only gets to me when it's quiet or when I'm asleep. It's still far from unbearable. I think I can build a bit of a tolerance to it." Natsu said. "I'm just not fond of the feeling it gives me. Like I said before, it's easy to forget it's there until I have time to remember it."

"I had a nightmare last night too, actually," Lucy said. "It was all dark, but then slowly balls of lights surrounded me. A voice seemed to taunt me to free it. It was vague with its words, but they terrified me. I wonder if it was Aether." Lucy said.

Natsu shook his head grimly. "I hope not. The whole reason I insisted on carrying the damn thing around was so you wouldn't be affected."

"I don't see what else it could have been. It seems strange that it was just be randomly thought up by my mind. Its words felt like the Key's." Lucy said.

"Then neither of us can escape it," Natsu said, his voice a whisper.

"We'll be alright, Natsu. We just have to pull through." Lucy's tone brightened. She wasn't fond of the heaviness in the air that was developing. Natsu smiled, though Lucy doubted it was genuine.

"You're right, Lucy."

Gray wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it. Though he walked a bit ahead of them, it was still enough for him to hear bits of what they said. He would've zoned out completely, and in fact, he wasn't even listening in the beginning, but then he noticed the tone in Natsu's voice change. He sounded sad. Natsu rarely got this way. Gray only started to take interest as Natsu was talking about his father.

From what Gray picked out he felt guilty for neglecting to look for his father. Gray found this understandable. But then Natsu mentioned something about nightmares and whispering. This struck Gray as odd. Natsu was hearing whispers? He heard Lucy say Aether. Aether? What was that? He'd never heard of it. Gray couldn't really make out much else of what the were saying.

Gray had a feeling this was what was bothering Natsu. Whatever this Aether thing was. If that was so, then when Gray had talked to Lucy about it, she probably already knew what was wrong. Gray wasn't very happy that his best friend was keeping such a large secret from him, but he didn't let it get to him. If it ended up becoming a problem for Natsu or Lucy, he'd make sure to demand he knows so he could help them. He'd keep a close eye on both of them. But there wasn't much else he could do.

Gray continued to walk ahead of them farther away now that he couldn't hear them. He was walking alone. He didn't mind it though. This allowed him to go his own pace and think. Natsu and Lucy's conversation got him thinking about his own past. He never liked to think about it much, but now it was on his mind. He really did wonder where Ultear and Lyon were. None of them got along particularly well, but they were all still a family. He missed Ur to. It was hard on all of them to loss Ur, especially Ultear, to lose her. Then they could split up as well. The thought made Gray said, but he couldn't wipe it from his brain now that he was thinking about it. For all he knew, the two of them could be dead, or completely different. His thoughts were interrupted.

"Gray! You're walking alone! Wants some company?" Lucy's voice called. He turned to see them much closer than they were before. They must've picked up their pace. That was probably Natsu's doing. He was a fast walker. Gray was surprised he held his patience with Lucy that long. Gray smiled.

"Sure, I guess." He said. If they two of them couldn't get his mind off his past, he didn't know what else would. The two rushed forward to catch up to him. He stopped walked until they reached him.

"Oi, Whatcha doing walking by yourself. Where's Elfman and Gajeel?" Natsu asked.

"They're farther ahead I guess, most likely with Laxus, Mira, and Erza," Gray said. "And I wanted time to think." He said. Natsu and Lucy nodded in understanding.

"I hope Levy, Wendy, Happy, and Cana. Don't get lost back there. They're pretty far behind." Lucy said.

"They'll probably be fine. We're only walking straight. Besides, Levy knows what direction the tower is supposed to be so if we lose each other we'll find each other at our final destination." Gray said.

"True. Plus, Happy can fly and has a pretty good nose. He could sniff us out or fly high up to find us." Natsu added.

"Hopefully Cana doesn't drink all here booze before we even get there. We'll be in the tower for a good week at least and Laxus said we aren't going back into Magnolia until the Tower is completed unless there's a serious emergency." Gray said. Like he had hoped, his mind was already off of his past. Now he was focusing on the much more exciting future.

"I do wonder where we'll put our treasure after we complete a room," Lucy said. "Would we just set it in the hallway? Is there even a hallway?" Lucy asked. Gray nodded.

"Yeah, there's usually a series of hallways, stairs, and rooms where the room's door is placed. Sometimes that can be maze-like. But there isn't anything life threatening or dangerous in them until you get into a room. It's smart to hide or guard your loot though. Sometimes people go into the towers and take the money while a guild is completing another room." Gray said.

"The towers are usually big though. I wonder why there so much wasted space." Natsu said. Gray shrugged.

"I assumed the rooms take up a lot that space," Gray said.

"Well, if it's magic then I don't get why it needs to take up any space," Natsu said. Lucy and Gray gave him a questioning look. "Well, like how in stories there's this little tiny box, but when you go into it it's a whole giant world. I thought maybe that when you're entering a room, you're not entering a room, but an individual world, another dimension or something." Natsu explained. Lucy put her finger to her chin.

"So then the keys would be a tool to enter different dimensions," Lucy said understanding.

"Maybe, then, the towers are used to disguise that fact," Natsu said.

"Or maybe you're overthinking it. I don't see how it matters." Gray said.

"You're right it doesn't." Lucy agreed. Natsu shrugged.

"Besides, it's magic. It isn't supposed to make sense." Gray stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, look up," Gray said with a smile. They both did. As their eye caught what Gray was referring to, they both broke out into a grin. Peeking from the trees was the top of a tower.


Thatyetjade- Yup. I did. I also watched the spin off with Sinbad recently. The Spirits will basically be how they are in Fairy Tail. Which is similar to how they are in Magi. They aren't genies though. They don't have vessels and aren't as powerful or large as them, nor can they have armor which I believe was a thing in Magi(their not blue either)... I know. Makorav was a character I really felt bad about leaving out. RIP Makorav. :')

Guest- Thanks a ton! :) Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but here you are. Don't worry I like the enthusiasm. :D

Ashethenerdystargazer- I am too. Next chapter should provide. You'll have to find out! ;) That's so much for your feedback. I'm doing the OVA's (no one opposed so I assume everyone on board) I will! Thank you :)

Expect the next chapter to be longer. Hopefully, I'll have it out in the next one-two weeks.

Hope you enjoyed and have a lovely day!