Hey guys, I'm gonna try to edit this chapter and then move on, see where this story might lead to. I'm thinking about going along with the series, but there are so many episodes lol...what do you guys think?


I looked over at Mirajane. She and Cana were trying to get help from Laxus. After much arguing, Laxus just ended the call.

The heartless bastard didn't want to help...and he calls himself a member of Fairy Tail...coward.

Natsu gently grabbed my arm and raised it closer to his face, so he could inspect it a little more..

"Why do you keep pushing yourself? Your arms already broken…" Gray sighed.

"What does it matter? It's done and over with..."

"You used to be the type to think first and act later." Elfman sighed.

"Come on…let's get your arm looked at again…you might have done some more damage to it." Gray said.

"Since when did you become 'Mr. Carebear'?" I teased Gray.

"Just shut up and go get your arm checked. Erza will be pissed off at you if you don't take care of yourself more."

"I've been living on my own for years Gray…I'm used to this kind of pain. I just stopped caring and sucked it up."

"What do you mean….used to it?" Natsu looked concerned.

"It's nothing you should worry yourselves over…but fine. If you're really that concerned…"

I went over to Mirajane knowing she took care of everyone usually. My arm was re-bandaged and out of nowhere the entire guild starts to shake uncontrollably. I could sense trouble right away.

Just what's going on this time?


We walked outside together hesitantly, honestly afraid of what would be waiting on the outside for us. By now, we had all come to realize the true evil that was the Phantom Lord Guild. Our guild didn't want trouble, but it had always come to us it seems.

Just how much was Phantom Lord being paid to retrieve Lucy? Or was it personal now?

It was certainly hard to tell at this point.

"What is that thing?!" Natsu looked terrified.

My eyes widened drastically at the sight before me.

At a time like this, it's hard to be hopeful.

"Yup…we're all fucked…" I mumbled to myself.

The Phantom Lord Guild Hall was literally walking on four legs as it slowly but surely made its way towards Fairy Tail. I knew the Phantom Lord Guild was after Lucy because of her father, but I knew deep down that Jose didn't really care about retrieving Lucy now. This was about getting rid of Fairy Tail, and it always had been from the start. This was a statement, that the Phantom Lord Guild was ready for war and would go to any lengths to defeat their enemies.

"It's a giant guild hall with enormous legs!" Happy realized.

"Is it Phantom?" Loke asked.

"HOW DO WE FIGHT THAT THING?!" Macao freaked out.

"I never anticipated this…I can't believe they'd go to such extremes to attack us!" Erza commented.

Erza looked at the Phantom Lord Guild in complete and utter disbelief, not expecting the Phantom Lord Guild to go to such measures to get rid of us. Soon enough, the Phantom Lord Guild hall had stopped moving, planting its legs firmly in the ground underneath the ocean. I waited in anticipation and in fear, hoping that the Phantom Lord Guild wouldn't do what I thought they planned to do. And then it happened: the formation of the building was changing until a cannon was out in the open and aimed straight at Magnolia, at the Fairy Tail Guild in particular. It was the very reason I had returned to Fairy Tail in the first place. It was rumored that Phantom Lord Guild had obtained a deadly weapon: The Jupiter Cannon. Out of all the guilds in the world, in all of Fiore, they were gearing up for war, I kinda had to tell Makarov strictly as a warning. It was extremely upsetting that a guild could be so full of hatred, of pure evil, that they would to such lengths to destroy whatever and whoever it was that stood in their way. Knowing that there were no more options, I knew with my knowledge of the Jupiter Cannon that the only way to make sure the blast didn't hit Magnolia or Fairy Tail would be to absorb the blast of the Jupiter Cannon. I was filled with a brief sense of fear, knowing that if I didn't get rid of the excess energy I would absorb from the blast, that it meant death. This time, I would protect my guild and repay my family for all that they had done for me. If it meant that I would die, then so be it.

It was a nice run.

I finally moved forward, my fists clenched tightly as I made my way in front of everyone.

"Everyone get down. I got this." I spoke up.

My fellow guild-mates all stared at me in shock, Erza especially, wondering what the hell I would be able to do to stop something as powerful as the Jupiter Cannon.

"Just what do you plan on doing?" Erza's voice shook.

"Just stay back, okay?"

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes, and willed them to go away as I glanced back at Erza and gave her a small smile reserved for her.

"What is that thing?!" Natsu yelled.

Natsu moved forward with his hand stretched out in attempt to pull me back, probably to protect me, but I kept moving forward.

"I SAID GET DOWN NATSU—" I glared at him.

It was when the sound of the Jupiter Cannon finally being fired, had interrupted me. Without thinking anymore, I just ran, hearing the cries of everyone behind me as I was headed towards the blast.

It was ironic how beautiful the blast of the Jupiter Cannon had looked right now...

I glanced back one more time as I willed myself to run. The look of fear and disbelief evident on my guild-mate's faces were something I felt like I would always remember.

"If I don't make it I love you guys!" I yelled back at them.

Erza looked like she just had her heart ripped out of her own chest and it immediately brought tears to my eyes. Erza looked completely baffled that I would say something like that and instantly I could tell it reminded her of the day I left. It wasn't hard to figure out that she was afraid that I was leaving her again, abandoning her. In a way, I was leaving her, but for other reasons entirely. If I died, it was to protect everyone that I loved and held dear to my heart, and deep down, I think Erza would understand, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"EMBER NO!" Erza screamed.

I quickly ripped off my brand new arm cast from my broken arm, knowing it was restricting some movement as I continued to run, ignoring the sharp pain in my legs and arms. Somehow, I knew it would come down to this, to Jose completely losing his mind, to not caring about the consequences of his actions. Finally, I jumped in the air, and chanted one of the strongest spells I knew, what I was taught by my teacher. I closed my eyes and let the spell take effect.

I was going to absorb the blast of the Jupiter Cannon.

It was a tough technique to learn and it was extremely difficult for wizards to harness this much power, but also incredibly dangerous as well. I rarely used this spell considering how dangerous it was. It was nothing that my teacher had told me it would be like. The pain was nothing I had ever experienced before, and it was just...

Completely overwhelming.

After being hit with the Jupiter Cannon's blast I flew back, managing to land on my feet as my entire body was practically destroying itself with this immense power. Even with Jose and Gajeel being as evil as they were, I wouldn't wish this type of pain on anyone.

"What the hell is happening?!" Gray exclaimed.

I couldn't hold back my screams and finally let out one big scream that resembled the roar of a dragon. I knew I only had one shot at doing some damage to Phantom Lord Guild hall. One at a time, I raised both of my arms until they were aimed at the enemy, preparing to attack.

"EMBER!" Natsu yelled worriedly.

Natsu ran towards me, afraid that I was about to die. I felt a sense of panic, knowing that if Natsu got anywhere near me as of right now, he would get severly injured. I whirled around quickly, kicking him hard enough in the gut with the tip of my shoe which had sent him flying back to Elfman, who caught him without delay.

"S—Stay back. I don't want to hurt you." I growled through clenched teeth.

I knew that everyone was probably terrified at seeing this side of me, in fact, I probably resembled Mirajane when she was shifted into the She-Devil. In other words, it wasn't a pretty sight to see. I was barely able to open my eyes and searched for my target before focusing all of my magic energy, including the engery I had absorbed into this one blast.

I only have one shot at this, I can't afford to fuck it up.

I finally got rid of all the magical energy within my body and shot it back at the Phantom Lord Guild. For a minute, there was absolute silence before I heard cheering and hollering. And in just a moment, that sense of happiness and victory was squashed to the ground when the smoke vanished to reveal that their guild hall was still standing.

My attack didn't work...what the hell- -

I saw the sky and realized I had blacked out for a minute. Erza, Natsu, and Gray ran for me and I grew worried, remembering that my body still wasn't safe to touch for another minute or so.

"NO! Don't touch me!" I yelled.

Erza yanked her hand back as she suddenly got burned by my own skin. I closed my eyes and tried taking deep breaths in attempt to calm down and relax my body.

"What did you do?!" Gray yelled at me, anger evident in his tone. "Why would you do that?! I'd rather have the guild hall destroyed than to see you die!"

"Shut the hell up, ice princess. I did what I had to do, if I hadn't, you guys might have gotten hit in the blast as well. You're welcome by the way..." I grumbled.

Natsu held his stomach as he knelt down beside me, holding back a groan from the hit I gave him earlier.

"What kind of spell did you just use?! You could have killed yourself you idiot! That much magic energy should have kiled you!" Natsu snapped.

"I don't recommend using this spell...this sucks..." I chuckled weakly.

"I'm surprised you're still smiling..." Gray muttered.

"Why wouldn't I smile? You guys are still here, alive and breathing, that's enough to make me smile." I said truthfully.

Gray looked surprised from my answer before he gave me a smile himself, looking relieved that I was doing a little better. Before Gray could say anything else and speak up, Jose, leader of the Phantom Lord Guild, spoke up through a loud speaker, cutting him off.

"Makarov has fallen…and now the almighty Ember Scarlet can no longer stand. Any chance of victory has slipped through your fingers…surrender Lucy Heartfilia immediately. You have no choice." Jose Porla spoke through a loud speaker.

If Lucy tries to play the hero and go without a fight after what I just did for her and the guild, I might have to do unspeakable things to her.

"That's not gonna happen!" Alzack shouted.

"Like any guild would hand over one of their own to a monster like you!" Bisca snapped.

"YOU HEAR THAT?! Lucy's staying put!" Macao hollered at him.

"I WON'T ASK AGAIN!" Jose growled.

It was a complete surprise to anyone, including myself, but I managed to stand up on wobbling legs staring defiantly at the Phantom Lord Guild hall.

"WE WOULD NEVER BETRAY HER LIKE THAT YOU BASTARD!" I hollered at him.

Erza glanced at me with complete admiration and followed my example as she stood by my side.

"YOU'D HAVE TO KILL US FIRST!" Erza shouted.

"YEAH!" Everyone yelled in unison.

"YOU CAN STOP ASKING BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GIVING YOU ANY OTHER ANSWER! WE'RE TAKING EVERY ONE OF YOU JERKS DOWN!" Natsu roared.

In an instant, my body felt like it was floating, and I staring up at the sky once more. I realized that I had blacked out again and that I was now in Erza's arms.

Shit...I can't...I have to rest...but I have to help the guild...if I make it out of this alive, I'm retiring early...

"What did you do to yourself you moron?" Natsu nearly growled.

"If you kick some Phantom ass before they recharge their Jupiter Cannon, maybe I'll tell you my little secret…" I smirked.

Natsu placed his forehead against mine running a hand through my hair before he pulled away, a look of determination etched onto his face. Cana looked scared and must have heard what I had said before she glanced at the enemy in shock.

"Wait…they're recharging that thing?!" Cana screamed.

"Y—yeah but none of that will matter if you don't…you have to…defeat the…the…" My eyes started closing.

shit…my body is shutting down...

"Defeat who?!" Erza looked at me desperately.

"El—le…ment…f—fou….rr…" My eyes rolled into the back of my head.

I was officially out.


Normal POV!

"Shit! She's down! She's the only reason we're all still standing! What the hell do we do, we have to think fast!" Gray looked at Ember in worry.

"She's certainly earned her title as an S-Class wizard, that's for sure." Cana mumbled.

"Wait, she's an S-Class wizard?! Since when?! Where the hell was I when this happened?!" Wakaba yelled.

"Are you serious right now...how did you not know?" Macao gave his friend a blank stare.

For once, Erza felt complete anger, almost enough to blind her from her good sense of moral and judgement. It was the first time in Erza's life that she wished absolute death to someone, and it was Jose of the Phantom Lord Guild. It was those monsters that got her friends and her sister severly injured. It was the Phantom Lord Guild that almost got her sister killed.

There was certainly going to be hell to pay.

"Mirajane…" Erza spoke up.

Mira looked at Erza as she handed over her sister carefully to Mira, trying not to hurt her anymore than she already was.

"Take care of my sister. These guys are dead." Erza spoke grimly.

Erza stood tall and used her requipping magic to get one of her best suits of armor on. Mirajane nodded as she held Ember like she used to hold her baby sister, Lisanna, and felt a sense of nostalgia.

"Of course, Erza. Go and get them..." Mira told her.

"You bet your ass I will." Erza growled.

"I'm coming with you." Natsu stepped forward.

For once, Erza didn't even argue with Natsu and the two walked side by side together.

"The more the merrier." She grumbled.

It was the fact that Ember could have died- -is possibly dying currently- -that had Erza and Natsu feuled up and ready to take down the Phantom Lord Guild. After so many years, Ember had finally returned to them, and it was certain to the both of them that they didn't intend to lose Ember again.

"Mirajane…make sure she stays out of trouble." Natsu told her.

Mirajane nodded yet again, unable to speak because of her silent crying.

With that Natsu and Erza were off to fight the Phantom Lord Guild.


Ember's POV!

Holy shit...I'm actually still alive...

When my eyes cracked open, my vision slowly began to clear as I came to notice that Lucy was dabbing my forehead with a wet cloth.

"You're alright…you're safe." She assured me.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Natsu and Erza went inside the Phantom Lord Guild hall to stop the Jupiter Cannon from firing again…and you seem to know a lot about this Jupiter Cannon. Care to tell me why?" Lucy asked.

"It was one of the reasons I couldn't come back to Fairy Tail earlier…I was gathering information for Makarov about other guilds…he wanted me to look for his son for some reason, he wouldn't tell me why, but I didn't really find anything anyway…but I told him about the Jupiter Cannon just in case anything were to happen. I knew that those assholes were gearing up for something big, but I never knew it involved you. Just how much is your father paying those guys?" And then I got confused. "Wait a second…shouldn't you be hiding or something, Lucy?" I asked.

"I'm actually Mira…" She informed me.

Oh...nice disguise…

The both of us had flinched after hearing more crashes and explosions from outside. Mirajane quickly went to the window and gasped at what she saw.

Wait...my herbs...I can use them to heal faster!

While Mira was distracted, I slowly got up from the table I had been placed on, making my way to the basement where my bag was. Inside were special herbs, a gift from my master that was extremely rare and hard to come by these days. It wasn't the taste of the herbs that mattered, but more like the quick healing properties that could heal injuries with hours or even minutes. It was something I didn't use unless it was an emergency, and right now, I definitely needed it to recover if I wanted to save my family. I finally returned, noticing how angry and worried Mira had looked.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Mira yelled at me.

"I'm healing myself faster to get into the fight…what about you?" I said nonchalantly.

"You can't leave while you're in this condition! I won't let you!" Mira held her arms out to prevent me from passing.

"These special herbs will heal me faster. I'll be fine, Mira…" I smiled at her.

"I'm still not letting you leave! You've injured your body way too much! There's no way you can just heal that quickly! It's impossible!"

"What part of SPECIAL herbs did you not get? I'll be okay I promise! Besides…I'm gonna be fighting whether you all want me to or not…" I folded my arms.

Mira sighed in defeat and reluctantly put her arms down.

I was a stubborn girl and she knew it.

"Alright fine…you can go…just promise me that you'll return safely okay?" Mira grabbed my hand.

I smirked before squeezing her hand and pulling her in for a hug.

"I promise I'll come back in one piece…"

I began making my way to the door, my legs still a little wobbly, but I was starting to feel the herbs healing factor and knew that in no time at all that I would be fine.

"Ember wait..." Mira barely mumbled.

I turned around and looked at Mira in concern, wondering what had her so flustered and upset now.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"There's...there's something I've been meaning to tell you...I just...didn't know how to do it...I feel like if I don't tell you now, I might never have the chance to again, I'm so scared that none of us will make it out of this alive. I just have to tell you the truth." Her voice shook.

When I noticed tears streaming down her face, I started making my way back to her. I pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back soothingly to comfort her.

"Hey...what's wrong?" I spoke softly.

"It's...it's about Lisan- -"

More screams of pain filled the air, interrupting Mira before she had the chance to finish. We both looked over at the windows in worry, and I reluctantly pulled away, knowing we'd have to finish this conversation later.

"You can tell me later, alright? I gotta go stop them, or we won't be having another conversation. I'll see you later...and that's a promise." I said.

And with that said…I joined the fight.


By the time I got inside the Phantom Lord guild hall, I could make out Natsu's scent in the air and began heading towards his direction, knowing he'd be nearby. After hearing a loud explosion from within the guild hall, I could tell almost instantly that the knuckle head had managed to destroy the Jupiter Cannon before it could recharge. It was the first time in a while that I felt a sense of relief, instead of panic and fear. I could only hope that it was over now, but as my teacher had once told me, life was never that easy or simple.

Without the stupid cannon, they had nothing on us right?

It was when the entire place started to rumble and shake that I became tense, taking a fighting stance in case I would need to attack.

What's happening now god damn it?!

When remembering about Natsu and his dragonslayer magic, it fucking hit me like a ton of bricks, or much like how the Jupiter Cannon hit me.

Natsu and his motion sickness! SHIT!

I ran towards Natsu's direction again, only hoping that he could hold out for a moment longer before I could get to him.

"Can't eat fire now can you! Time to finish you off!" Totomaru smirked evilly and was about to finish off Natsu.

Natsu you dumb-ass!

"TIME TO DIE DRAGON SLAYER! Wait…WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!" Totomaru cried.

I stopped moving and stood by to watch Gray and Elfman come to Natsu's rescue. Gray had frozen his entire body in ice as Elfman delivered the final blow.

"You're not a man." Elfman glared at him. "YOU'RE A BACKWARDS SHOOTING SNOW FLAKE!"

He punched the 'block of ice' Totomaru was now encased inside, and soon enough, he was sent flying out of the building.

"Thanks you guys…" Natsu smiled weakly.

"You two are so cool! You showed that Phantom jerk whose boss!" Happy cheered.

"What's your deal Natsu? That was just sad…" Gray sighed in disappointment.

"If you were a real man, you'd make that giant motion sick of you." Elfman grumbled.

What does that even mean?!

The two looked around the room, noticing that the huge chunk of machinery and stone were all that remained of the Jupiter Cannon.

"So is this what's left of the Jupiter Cannon?" Gray asked.

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

"Then you did good." Gray smiled.

"It must have stopped moving because I'm feeling better now!" Natsu noticed as he stood tall.

"I'm gonna fly outside and see what's going on!" Happy said.

I managed to look out a gaping hole within the building, noticing that the arms attached to the Phantom Lord Guild were creating a magic circle.

That looks so familiar...what's it doing?

My eyes widened in realization when I figured out that magic circle was meant to destroy and erase Fairy Tail from actual existence, including all of Magnolia.

I can't believe they'd do something this drastic! GOD. DAMN. IT. ALL.

"WHAT DO WE DO?! WE GOTTA STOP THEM!" Natsu cried.

"I guess we should split up and look for this things power source." Gray decided.

"Wait…didn't Ember tell us what powered it?" Happy asked.

I looked away from the magic circle, and perked up after hearing my name.

"Oh yeah that's right!" Natsu brightened up. "Wait…I don't remember…" He sighed.

"Leave it to you to go and forget..." Gray grumbled.

I sighed and then came out from hiding, knowing that they'd need my help.

"It's the Element Four." I spoke up.

My four guild-mates looked at me like I had grown an extra head, not expecting to see me obviously.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE?!" Natsu shouted in disbelief.

I rolled my eyes and waved my arms around in a ridiculous manner.

"I'm just a ghost! Boooooo!" I moaned.

"YOU ARE?! OH NO! GRAY! EMBER'S DEAD AND NOW SHE'S HERE TO HAUNT US!" Natsu cried.

"You are such an idiot, I swear..." Gray punched Natsu in the head. "She's not a ghost, flamebrain!"

"Okay fine...WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?!"

I made my way over to them, smirking at Natsu as I folded my arms.

"Because I'm gonna fight these Phantom punks like I said we would. Together." I reminded him.

Natsu froze and blushed at the memory from when I was drunk and ranting about taking down the Phantom Lord Guild.

FLASH!

"I still say w—we go kick those Phantom assholessss….just you and me buddy…" I laid my head on Natsu's chest.

Natsu picked me up again and then began walking in a different direction.

FLASH!

"How do you even remember that?" Natsu averted his gaze.

"I dunno…I just do." I shrugged. "Now are we gonna kick this guild's ass or what?"

"H—how are you—how did you—" Happy stuttered.

"I'll explain later guys…right now we have a job to do. I'm assuming Erza's already here somewhere?" I asked.

"Yeah…we split up though…she wanted to find Jose and kick his ass for you. Maybe even kill him." Elfman answered.

Shit...I gotta stop her.

"Alright! Come on! Let's do this guys!" Natsu pumped his fist in the air.

"YEAH!" We all cheered.


After coming to a decision, we had decided to split up to find the other members of the Element 4 to defeat them in order to stop the magic circle from being completed. I decided to tag along with Natsu and Happy, knowing they'd probably need my help more than Elfman and Gray.

Just in case he gets motion sickness...

"Hey! I just thought of something awesome guys!" Natsu spoke up.

"What?" Happy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"When we beat Jose, I bet it'll put an end to all this crazy fighting!" Natsu smiled brightly.

"Are you out of your mind?! That guy is more powerful than we are and maybe as powerful as master Makarov!" Happy cried. "There's no way you can beat him!"

"It won't be easy, but if I'm still alive, that's gotta count for something." I smirked.

"Yeah and gramps is out of commission…so someone else is gonna have to beat that jerk." Natsu added.

"Natsu you dumby! I just forgot all about that and then you had to remind me!" Happy whined.

"Do what?!" Natsu growled.

"Now I'm bummed…without master Makarov with us…we have no hope. We may stop the giant, but we'll still have to face Jose." Happy sighed sadly.

We smirked at Happy and patted him on the head gently as we came to a stop.

"Don't worry. I can handle him." Natsu grinned.

"Aren't you forgetting about me?" I chuckled.

"Nope…I'm not letting you fight him." Natsu told me.

I felt my face heat up as I glared at Natsu and grew angry.

"WHAT?! WHO SAYS?!" I growled.

"I did. I'm not gonna let you get hurt again." Natsu spoke seriously.

"I'm an S-Class wizard! You can't tell me what to do!" I snapped.

"Speaking of which, how did that happen?" Natsu grumbled and folded his arms.

"What? You think I'm not good enough to be one?" I glared at him. "I was able to save your ungrateful ass from the Jupiter Cannon, even with a concussion and a broken arm. I'd say I've earned being an S-Class wizard."

"You know what? I'm not saying you're weak, I just want to know when you were chosen to run for the S-Class trials. If it happened last year or even several years ago, I sure as hell didn't know about it. Plus I don't know about you, but I'm not letting you get hurt after you just got better, which I don't even know how that happened so quickly." Natsu sighed. "But we gotta get going, we'll talk later okay?"

"Well you could have just said that..." I muttered and followed Natsu.

We entered another room, searching for another exit until we were both attacked. I recognized the wind magic and grew tense, knowing who to expect.

"How sad. I will make your wings of fire wither and fall…and all that will remain are your corpses."

"Say what?!" Natsu yelled.

"Watch out…this guy is one of the Element Four." I warned Natsu.

"My name is Aria. I am the strongest of the Element Four." He introduced himself. "I've come in hopes of hunting a dragon." He turned to look directly at Natsu as he got into a fighting stance.

"Let me guess you're a wind wizard right?" Natsu asked Aria. "I've dealt with your kind before…"

"Yeah but this guy's a lot stronger Natsu…" Happy told him.

"Natsu…take care of this guy…I'm gonna go find Erza and then we can all take down Jose together…" I told him

"Sounds like a plan." Natsu nodded.

I left without another word, smirking at Aria as I ran past him and left the room.

This guy doesn't know who he's dealing with.


Normal POV

Several minutes later into the fight, Natsu grew exhausted, throwing everything he had at Aria. It was when he realized that Aria was draining his magic, that he realized how deep into trouble that he truly was. Natsu even wondered if he should have let Ember go considering she knew so much about the Phantom Lord Guild and its guild members.

"GAH!" Natsu cried out.

Natsu hit the ground again and slowly got to his knees, glaring up at Aria defiantly, refusing to go down so easily. Aria didn't seem to care as he prepared to attack Natsu again and seal his doom. Just in the nick of time, Erza had arrived, saving Natsu from the terrible fate as their master Makarov. Natsu's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Erza of all people to show up and save him. Natsu knew that Erza was after Jose, and she was out for blood.

"You're here…" Natsu breathed out.

Erza stared at Aria with anger as she stood tall, eager to fight the man that had hurt master Makarov.

"So you're the one that hurt our master." Erza said.

"So you're the great Erza Scarlet. So unfortunate…looks like the great Titania will lose her head alongside the Salamander." Aria smirked.

"Our master suffered greatly by your hands! I will avenge him." Erza glared at Aria.

"You can't!" Natsu protested.

"Well now that I'm facing a more worthy opponent, I better start taking this fight seriously." Aria ripped off the blindfold shielding his eyes for so long.


Ember's POV!

I picked up Erza's scent and stopped running in the hallways.

"Ha. I guess I overestimated Natsu huh?" I chuckled to myself.

I looked down at my feet and sighed.

I can't let Erza get to Jose.

After hearing Elfman say that Erza was here to possibly kill Jose, I had been tense since then. Killing someone, no matter the reason, would bring them down a path of no return. Erza was too honorable and kind-hearted of a person to kill someone just because I got hurt.

I couldn't let her go through with this. I just have to get to Jose before she can.

I snapped out of my thoughts when the ground suddenly shook again, and I could hear Jose's voice echo through the halls of the Phantom Lord Guild.

"Attention Fairy Tail Wizards! You better listen up because I'm only gonna say this once!"

I froze as I heard a familiar scream fill the air.

Shit snacks...they had Lucy. GOD DAMN IT!

"We have captured your precious Lucy Heartfillia! Which means our first order of business is out of the way! And that leaves us with just one more thing! My…'favorite' part. Wiping you brats off of the face of the earth."

How can I get to Lucy fast enough? There's no way I'll be able to make it! But I have to find her! Jose will have to wait!


I ran and ran, searching frantically for Lucy. It might have been several minutes before I was able to pick up her scent and follow it. I finally made it, punching my way through a wall and finding Lucy beaten up and bruised all over.

Lucy!

"Well…well…well….look who it is."

Son of a bitch...

I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all.

It just had to be Gajeel.

"What's so funny?" Gajeel frowned a little.

I ceased my laughter and turned over to face Gajeel, ignoring the looks of anger on other guild-members of the Phantom Lord Guild.

"It's just so funny how I suddenly bumped into you Gajeel. I'm gonna have to give you the beating of a lifetime, if you don't mind." I smiled evilly.

Gajeel looked at me in surprise for a brief second before he composed himself and got into a fighting stance.

"Bring it on then you little bitch. I brought you down before and I'll do it again." Gajeel smirked.

"If I can take on the Jupiter Cannon and the S-Class trials, this will be a cake-walk." I grinned. "Just a warning though, I'm not holding back my magic like I did last time."

Before getting into this rematch, I knelt down next to Lucy and helped her sit up against the wall to help make her a little more comfortable.

"Don't worry Lucy. I'll be getting you out of here soon." I assured her.

I smiled warmly at her trying to make her feel even just a little bit better. Lucy winced from the pain, but slowly returned my smile.

"He's….pathetic isn't he?" Lucy smiled.

"He sure is. Little Miss Gajeel over here should know that if he messes with one of us that he's gonna have his ass handed to him. This little girl is gonna regret hurting you Lucy. I'll make sure of that." I mocked Gajeel.

"LITTLE GIRL?! I'll fucking kill you!" Gajeel roared.

Gajeel extended his arms and formed them into steel clubs. He threw a hard punch, but I caught what would be his 'fist' just in time. For once, I let my anger out, knowing it would be useful for battle in a time such as this.

"Let me just tell you one thing Gajeel. You're just a coward. A really big coward. I'm going to stop you and maybe if I'm feeling generous I'll let you live. I'm not sure of my own strength, but here's a warning...once I unleash my true power…my inner demon…I might not be able to stop fighting…" I glared at him.

I shook from anticipation, my anger getting the better of me once more. It was something that always lingered within me after the Tower of Heaven: darkness. After I left Fairy Tail all those years ago, my teacher had taught me many things, and made me see a darker and sinister side to myself that I never knew had existed. I just knew that when I was past my limit, I would lose sense of control, and I would keep fighting like hell until someone put me down. My teacher told me that there was an unexplainable force within me, and that over time, I would be able to control it, whatever it was. I had some control...

But not completely.

Gajeel caught my attention once again as he punched my face. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed how half of my face had turned to iron.

"What the hell?" He growled.

I didn't give him a chance to move away, and made a move to attack him almost instantaneously.

"IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!" I screamed.

Gajeel had no chance of dodging the attack and got hit. Clouds of dust from the floor swarmed around him, almost hiding him after he hit the ground. His guild-mates looked at me in shock and surprise, not expecting me to even land a hit on Gajeel.

"Ember…where did you learn to do that?" Lucy trembled.

"When we get out of here, I might just tell you." I smirked.

I grew serious as I walked over towards the clouds of dust starting to clear up, and did so with caution.

"Iron Dragon's sword." I mumbled.

My arms transformed into large, jagged steel blades.

I knew Gajeel Redfox…that bastard wasn't going to go down that easily. I'd be surprised if he did.

From within the clouds of dust came an attack from Gajeel. threw another punch at me with his Iron Dragon's Club spell. I barely dodged his Iron Dragon's Club spell, but managed to hold my ground. Finally, Gajeel came out of hiding and dodged my attacks before he grabbed my neck again, pulling my face towards his until they were an inch apart.

"How?" He whispered.

I gave Gajeel a look of confusion and struggled in his hold.

"You'll have to be more specific, Gajeel." I rasped.

"How exactly do you know Iron Dragon Slayer Magic?" He snarled.

The look in his eyes seemed murderous, but I refused to let him see any sign of fear from me and stared at him defiantly.

"A lot of people ask that same damn question…I thought it was somewhat obvious of what type of magic I use, but apparently you people are fools. If you can't even figure it out, why bother? I'd rather leave you guessing, it gives me an advantage." I replied.

Gajeel looked mad, furious that I didn't give him a real answer. His hand tightened around my throat until I started to thrash around and gasp for air. Quickly thinking, I used my still transformed arms that were formed into steel blades, and attempted to stab him in the stomach. He got a really deep cut, but he managed to evade my attack before I could really do damage to him. He glared at me from across the room as he held his stomach, blood pouring out from his wound.

"Are you a dragon slayer or what?!" Gajeel snapped.

My arms went back to normal and I stood tall as I rubbed my currently sore neck.

"I won't lie to you Gajeel…I'm not a dragon slayer. But I've seen so much dragon slayer magic that I can actually use the same techniques you all do. I'll give you a hint to the type of mage I am. Once I see something…I don't tend to forget it. And once I look at the magic you use, I can use it against you. Does that help?" I smiled.

Gajeel stood still for several seconds as if he was actually thinking about it.

I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't figure it out. It was rare to see the type of mage that I am nowadays.

"Stupid bitch." Gajeel mumbled under his breath. He then charged at me again. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

My eyes widened in surprise as he made a quick dash for me, looking as if he was thirsting for my blood.

"Shit!" I cursed.

Gajeel moved fast and had managed to stab me with his Iron Dragon Sword's spell. I was lucky he didn't get to pierce it all the way through my body or I'd be as good as dead right now.

But now I'm bleeding…a lot. Which is just great...I totally need this right now.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" I hollered at him.

Gajeel yelled as he flew back and hit the ground several feet away from me. I glared at Gajeel as I also held my stomach. I lit my hand on fire, my fists clenching as I knew what I had to do.

"HA! What are you plannin' to do? Burn me?" Gajeel scoffed.

"Nah...not yet." I told him.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what I was planning to do. I clenched my teeth tightly together and held back a scream as I put the fire near my stomach and cauterized the wound. Gajeel looked at me in shock, not expecting me to do something like that, but got up from the ground.

"Holy shit. I didn't expect you to do that." Gajeel mumbled.

"Hey. I gotta do whatever I gotta do in order to survive right?" I hissed in pain.

"I think I underestimated you before Scarlet. You're not half bad." Gajeel smirked. "Still not strong enough to beat me though."

"You sure about that? Then what's that right there?" I pointed at his arm.

Gajeel grew confused as he looked down at his arm and using his distraction as an opportunity, I hit him with some lightning dragon slayer magic I saw Laxus use once. It wasn't long before Gajeel was holding his now bleeding arm howling from the pain.

"YOU BITCH!" He screamed.

"I told you I'd break your arm! Now how do you like it, pansy?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

Gajeel let out a murderous like roar that nearly shook the room, now glaring at me viciously with his bright red eyes.

Oh shit...I think I just made him angry...


I hope I made this chapter longer than it used to be, rewriting this stuff has been a blast, I'm so glad I got inspired for this story again. I can't wait to move on!