Chapter 23
The Ransom
"Okay, so what are you gonna do now?
"Huh?"
"What are you gonna do about Agnar?"
"I…I want to stop him. If he keeps this up, then Earth Land will be destroyed."
"You don't have to put yourself through this. You can just stay here. And if you're worried about Anna, you know she can stay here, too. You'll both be safe here. You know that the Dragon Slayers are being hunted down and executed now. And you're most likely at the top of the list. So why? Why would you put yourself through all this? Haven't you endured enough?"
"I…I honestly don't know how to answer that. But…I can't quit. And I can't just run away. I can't just let Earth Land be destroyed. I can't."
"I can't…I can't…"
"Alu, wake up!"
Alu was awakened by the feeling of a strong hand shaking her shoulder. Her eyes snapped opened immediately and she gasped for air. She laid flat on her back, staring straight up at the rosy-blue sky above with a frightened expression on her face.
"Are you okay?"
Alu glanced over to the person the voice belonged to and saw Eagle leaning over her. The concern in his eyes were clear to see.
"Eagle?" Alu blinked.
It was then that Alu became aware that there was something wet on her face. Not to mention, her vision was blurry with salty liquid. As Alu sat up, she brought her right hand up to her face and touched underneath her eyes. When she lowered her hand to examine what was on it, she became both shocked and confused.
"Tears?"
"You must've been having a bad dream." Eagle said.
"Or I must be going insane," Alu sighed, wiping the rest of the tears from her face as quickly as she could. "It's just…I don't know. Never mind, it's not important. So, is everyone up?"
"Yeah, but…we have a problem."
"What do you mean?"
Eagle looked over his shoulder and Alu followed his gaze.
What she saw made her inhale deeply in alarm.
Rogue, the two Exceeds, and the rest of Crime Sorciére were all up and about. Jellal, Rogue, and Frosch were busy rolling up the blankets the group had used to sleep on the night before. Sorano and Violet were busy making a quick breakfast for everyone.
However, it was what Meldy was doing that caught Alu's attention. She was trying her best to help Aquarius and Aries. Just by one glance, Alu could tell that something was wrong with the Celestial Spirits.
Both Aries and Aquarius had a sickly appearance in their eyes, and they seemed to have a hard time getting up and moving on their own. What they did manage to do on their own seemed to cost them a lot of effort. Meldy was almost carrying them over to the logs near the fire pit so that they could sit down.
Upon seeing that, Alu immediately scrambled to her feet and ran over to them.
"Aries, what's wrong?" Alu asked concerned.
"That fight yesterday," Aries replied weakly, "it took a lot out of Aquarius and I. We exhausted a lot of our power, and our life forces were weakened, too."
"Don't you have any more Astral Elixir?" Alu said. "That should restore your energy."
Aries nodded in agreement and slowly opened her hip pouch. However, when she reached in to grab the vials, she let out a small shriek and yanked her hand out. She brought her finger up to her mouth stuck it in.
"Aries!" Alu exclaimed.
Aries gave a worried expression before opening up her pouch again. This time, she opened it wider so that Alu could see inside as well.
Alu became even more concerned when she saw inside the pouch. The last two glass vials that contained the Astral Elixir were shattered. All that was left was small sharp pieces of glass, and only droplets of the Elixir.
They must have broken last night during the fight with Ivan and his Neo Spirits last night.
"That's not good." Alu mumbled.
"What's wrong, Alu?" Meldy asked, helping Aquarius sit down.
"The vials for the Elixir are broken." Alu explained. "And those were the last ones for both Aries and Aquarius."
Alu then turned to her vest and tore of a small piece of the left side. She stopped only for a moment when she realized that there was a larger tear in the corner. She blinked when she remembered that Neo Ophiuchus pierced there when she attacked her last night. She figured that the Dark Snake Charmer Spirit must've torn a piece off when that happened.
Alu just shrugged, immediately disregarding it and turning her attention back to Aries. It was just a vest, nothing to be too concerned about.
Aries removed her finger from her mouth to reveal that it had been cut. Already, it was bleeding out white-colored blood.
Alu wasn't really someone who become squeamish at the sight of blood. She had been in enough brawls to have gotten used to a couple of scrapes and scratches that would result in bleeding crimson blood.
But when she saw Aries white, almost-glowing white blood, she froze and her eyes widened in shock.
Alu then gripped her head and shut her eyes for a second, groaning in discomfort.
"Alu!" Eagle exclaimed, rushing to his friend's side.
Alu almost doubled over and gripped her head even tighter. Just the sight of that kind of blood made her head hurt, but not in a natural way. It was more like something from deep in her memories was trying to come forward in a desperate effort to be remembered.
For a second, Alu felt as if her conscious had left her body. The world around her vanished and changed into something different.
Alu was surrounded by a deep red substance. It was flowing strong like the ocean. At the same time, there was a deep, pulsing sound that echoed all around her.
Just then, something from up ahead came flooding towards her. Alu stared as a white substance made its way towards her. The red substance absorbed it, making it give this kind of illusion of glittering. The pulsing sound grew stronger and began to accelerate.
Suddenly, Alu felt a strange and painful sensation. It was like every single blood vessel in her body instantly caught fire and was burning her from the inside. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard that she felt like it was going to explode. She couldn't help it; she began to scream and cry.
Then, above her own cries, there a deep, strong roar. It was the strongest roar that Alu had ever heard in her life. It resonated deeply within her, making every single fiber of her being tremble.
Then, almost as quickly as it had come, the sensation stopped.
"ALU!"
Alu's eyes snapped open and she gasped for air. She blinked a few times and panted heavily. Somehow, she had managed to stay on her feet.
"What was that?" she whispered to herself.
"Alu, are okay?" Rogue asked, worried.
Alu looked up to see everyone had crowded around her. Each of them had a startled expression on their face, and those expressions were directed at her. This made Alu very uncomfortable.
"I…I think so," she answered, swallowing hard.
"You sure?" Sorano asked. "You looked like you were going to have a seizure."
"It's nothing, I'm fine." Alu lied. "Don't worry about me, okay?"
Alu turned her attention back to Aries. She wrapped the small piece of cloth around her friend's bleeding finger, tying a secure knot so that it wouldn't come undone.
The whole time she did, Aries looked at Alu with an almost scared expression. She then looked at Aquarius, who looked back at her with a strong glint in her eyes. The Water Spirit stared straight back at the Golden Ram Spirit and slowly shook her head.
Even though the gesture was small and meant to be unnoticeable to everyone else, Violet's observant eyes managed to catch it.
"What do we do?" Aries whimpered. "The Celestial Spirit King didn't anticipate this, and Aquarius and I can't return to the Celestial World until her key is repaired."
"Isn't obvious?" Aquarius said bluntly. "We have to get to the Valley of Gates repair my key. Once we do that, Aries and I will be able to go back to the Celestial World."
"Agreed." Alu nodded. "We should get moving. The sooner we get there and repair the key; the sooner we can get you guys back."
"I'll come with you." Violet volunteered. "I can support someone with my Aera Magic if you need me to."
"Thanks, Violet." Alu replied.
"Frosch and I will accompany you as well." Rogue said as he began to gather up his things.
"As will we." Jellal replied.
"No." Alu refused. "You guys have to find my dad and warn him about Ivan. If he's going after First Generation Dragon Slayers, then my dad, Wendy, and Gajeel are in grave danger."
"But we can't just leave you out here alone." Rogue protested. "What would we say to you parents?"
"Tell them not to worry." Alu answered firmly. "I got my Magic back, so I can summon one of my Spirits if I need to. Plus, I got an upgrade in my Dragon Slayer Magic thanks to Aquarius. I'll be fine."
"Besides," Aquarius interjected, "only Celestial Wizards and Spirits can enter the Valley of Gates. Alu may be a Dragon Slayer, but she's a Celestial Wizard, too. Only she, Aries, and I can enter the Valley."
"Couldn't we just wait outside the Valley?" Meldy said. "With all do respect, you don't know if Ivan is going to come after you again. He might be after your father, but I'm willing to bet that he's going to go after you to use as a bargaining chip."
"Meldy's right." Jellal replied. "We can't just let you go on your own."
"I won't be alone." Alu protested. "I can summon other Spirits if I need to, and Violet will be with me, too. And you need to warn the others about Ivan. Just tell my mom and dad that I had something I needed to take care of. Tell them I'm safe and I'll be back soon. Just don't tell them the reason I'm out here. I want it to be a surprise. Please."
The wizards all looked at Alu for a moment. Alu could tell by the glint in their eyes that none of them were comfortable with the little Fairy Tail wizard going off on her own with two weary Spirits, especially since they now knew that a madman was out there on the loose. Not to mention, a madman that had it out for anyone in Fairy Tail.
Given that much, it was understandable why Rogue, Jellal, and the other wizards were hesitant to let Alu go alone. But none of them could ignore that fiery look in her eyes. Eagle aside, they all had seen that look before. Especially Rogue and Jellal. Only it was in Natsu's eyes.
Natsu had passed his fire onto Alu. No doubt about that.
Jellal couldn't help but grin. Alu was definitely Natsu's daughter in just about every way. She wasn't going to give up on her idea no matter what.
Still, he couldn't just let her go.
"Tell you what, Alu," Jellal said with authority, "not all of us need to pass this message along to your parents. And we can't leave you out here alone. As of now, you are under Crime Sorciére's protection. So, we'll escort you to the Valley of Gates."
"But…" Alu started to protest.
"Don't worry, Alu." Rogue interrupted. "Frosch and I will give Natsu and Lucy your message. I need to return to Sabertooth anyway to tell Sting and the others about Ivan. Just promise me you'll be careful and that you'll return to Fairy Tail as soon as you've completed your mission."
Alus just sighed.
"Okay fine," she shrugged. "Guess I don't have much of a choice. Besides, the more the merrier, right?"
"Then it's settled." Eagle said, clapping his hands together. "Now, let's all have some breakfast. It's not wise to travel on an empty stomach."
"Good call," Sorano said, "porridge is ready."
After they finished their breakfast, and after they said their good-byes, Alu, Aries, Aquarius, Violet, and Crime Sorciére left for the Valley of Gates, while Rogue and Frosch left to find the Fairy Tail search party.
As they traveled, Alu did her best to support Aquarius, while Jellal carried Aries on his back. There was not much anyone could do at this point. Not even Eagle's Arc of Time Magic could help the Spirits. Their only option was to get the Valley of Gates before it was too late.
They were racing against the clock now. They just had to keep going.
Two hours later, back in the forest…
After a quick breakfast; and after Wendy, Carla, and Romeo joined up with the group; Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Gajeel all set out on their search once again.
No one spoke a word to each other as they walked through the forest, keeping their sense on alert for any sign of Alu.
Natsu walked ahead of the group with a constant expression of determination. He had made up his mind that he was going to find Alu today no matter what. And if she tried to run away again, he wouldn't let her go like he did in Onibus. She was coming home, even if he had to use force to bring her back. He didn't want to get forceful, but he wasn't going to let Alu go again.
After some time, Natsu sensed something and sniffed the air again. He came to a halt and stuck his arm out, indicating to everyone else to stop as well.
"What is it, Natsu?" Lucy asked. "Do you sense something?"
"Yeah, but it's not a threat." Natsu answered.
Natsu pointed up ahead. A figure stepped out of the trees. It was a Sabertooth wizard, one the Fairy Tail wizards knew particularly well.
"Rogue." Erza said with surprise.
The Shadow Dragon Slayer nodded.
"Hello everyone," he said calmly. "I had a feeling it was you."
"I did, too." Frosch waved happily, flying up beside Rogue.
"What are you two doing out here?" Wendy asked.
Rogue's face hardened into a small scowl.
"Yukino was attacked," he explained bitterly. "I've been looking for her assailant."
Everyone looked at each other with sympathetic expressions.
"Rogue," Lucy said softly, "we know about what happened to Yukino."
"You do?" Rogue blinked, slightly surprised.
"We ran into Sting, Lector, and Minerva yesterday." Happy explained. "They told us what happened. We're so sorry."
"I see." Rogue replied solemnly. "Well, thank you all the same."
There was a small silence. Then Rogue cleared his throat.
"Now, I've got some good news, some bad news, and worst news."
This got everyone's attention again.
"The good news is that I found out who did it. That bad news is…"
Rogue hesitated. Natsu stared with anticipation. He was even more defensive now than before.
Finally, Rogue took a deep breath.
"It's Ivan Dreyer," he said darkly. "He's back. And he's out for revenge on Fairy Tail. He had somehow learned Curse Power and took Yukino's soul for himself."
All the Fairy Tail wizards jolted in horrified shock. A wave of cold fear rushed through them, feeling like it had just frozen their hearts.
Ivan was back? After all these years, he's striking back again?
Rogue was not one to tell a lie, especially in a situation like this.
They knew it was true, but they couldn't believe it.
Ivan was back again.
And if he had stolen Yukino's soul, something that could only be done by Curse Power, then that meant he was even more serious about destroying Fairy Tail than he was before. If they had thought he and his guild, Raven Tail, were dangerous back then, goodness knows how dangerous he was now. Probably ten times more than ever.
"But why?" Wendy asked, shaken. "Why would he do that?"
Rogue closed his eyes.
"That's where the worst news comes in," he said gravely. "He's combined the Celestial Magic of Yukino's soul with his Shikigami Magic and created his own set of Zodiac Spirits."
Natsu swallowed hard when he heard that.
"But he's not stopping there." Rogue continued, opening his eyes. "He's now after the First Generation Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail. Meaning, he's after one of you: Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy."
Once again, everyone froze at the news.
"He's after us?" Wendy shuddered. "But why? What does he want?"
"I don't quite know." Rogue explained. "All I could gather when I encountered him is that he's trying to complete a kind of Spell that would make him into a Celestial Dragon Slayer."
"Celestial Dragon Slayer?" Romeo questioned, trying to hide the fact he was disturbed by the news. "I've never heard of that one."
"Neither have I." Gajeel grumbled. "At least, it doesn't really sound familiar."
"Well, that's Ivan said he was trying to become." Rogue replied. "And he's trying to do it by taking the souls of a Celestial Wizard and Dragon Slayer. So far, he's tapped into Yukino's soul and has abused her power. As I told you, he's created his own Zodiac Spirits. And from what I've seen, they're strong."
Natsu scowled.
"That's just wrong!" he growled furiously. "He's going to pay for this! If it's a fight he wants, then I'll make sure that he gets one!"
"Calm yourself, Natsu." Rogue said. "Believe me, I'm just as angry as you are, but Ivan is stronger now than he was back then. His Neo Zodiac Spirits are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and he's mastered that Soul Stealing Curse."
"I think so, too." Frosch moaned. "If Alu hadn't been there, Rogue would've been badly hurt."
"Alu?!" Natsu and Lucy gasped at the same time.
"Are you saying that you found Alu last night?!" Lucy asked anxiously.
Rogue turned to Natsu and Lucy and nodded.
The next thing he knew, Natsu had grabbed hold of his cape and was soon up in his face with a frantic scowl.
"WHERE'S ALU?!" Natsu yelled. "WHY ISN'T SHE WITH YOU?! DID IVAN KIDNAP HER?!"
"Let me go and I'll explain!" Rogue shouted defensively. "I can this much: she's fine!"
Natsu gave a surprised expression. Slowly, he loosened his grip on Rogue's cape and let go. He then stepped back, stiffly. Rogue took a second to regain his composure.
"I found Alu fighting Ivan last night." he said calmly, completely aware of the distress in the air. "I managed to rescue her and we fought Ivan to a standstill." He then turned to Erza. "Some of Crime Sorciére also came to help us. Two of them being your husband and son, Erza. And don't worry, they're both doing well."
Erza's face seemed to light up when she heard that news. She brought a hand up to her heart and sighed with relief.
"But why isn't Alu with you now?" Gray asked. "Didn't she tell you that she ran away from home? I thought you of all people would stop her."
Rogue turned to Gray, showing he was perplexed by the Ice Wizard's statement.
"What are talking about?" Rogue questioned. "She didn't run away."
"What?" Erza asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"She didn't run away." Rogue repeated. "I can't tell you what she's doing because she made promise not to. But let's just say that she's on a special mission. As for what she's doing, she wants it to be a surprise. But she did ask me to tell you that she's safe, Crime Sorciére is with her, and she'll be coming home soon."
Silence.
"So then…" Lucy exhaled deeply. "Alu never ran away in the first place."
"Well, at least that's good news." Erza smiled warmly.
The others in the group all nodded in agreement. This was the best news they heard all day. Happy let out a small laughter. Wendy and Romeo looked at each other and smiled. Gajeel just folded his arms across his chest and lowered his head, grinning. Lucy clasped her hands together and brought them up to her mouth, smiling happily.
Natsu lowered his head, covering his eyes in the shadow of his bangs. He had felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Alu hadn't run away after all. He didn't know what she was up to, but at least he knew that she didn't run away simply out of spite or anger. And if there was one thing he knew about his daughter, while she might be a bit of a prankster and a trouble-maker, she wasn't a liar. If she said she didn't run away and that she was on a personal mission, then he knew it was true.
And while the news about Ivan still made him wary, as long as Jellal and his guild were with her, then Natsu had faith that Alu was safe for the time being.
"Thank goodness," he whispered under his breath.
However, Natsu's mood changed quicker than it took to blink. He whipped around violently to reveal a very, very angry expression.
"WHERE'S ASH?!" he roared. "I'M GONNA TURN HIM INTO HIS NAME!"
Gray immediately stepped forward defensively.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Don't blame my son for this! That little terror of yours is the one who ran off without telling anyone!"
"ASH WAS THE ONE WHO SAID SHE RAN AWAY!" Natsu shot back fiercely.
Gray grabbed Natsu by the collar of his jacket and raised his other fist, readying himself to strike.
"ASH JUST SAID SHE THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING AWAY, FLAME FOR BRAINS!" Gray bellowed. "ALU RAN OFF AND LEFT US IN A STATE OF PANIC! DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON MY SON! BLAME FAIRY TAIL'S RESIDENT TERROR, ALU DRAGNEEL!"
Natsu landed a punch on Gray's face. It wasn't long before those two were fighting. In a matter of seconds, they were slugging each other with cheap-shots, pulling each other's hair, kneeing and kicking each other in the stomach, and decking each other when they got the chance.
Everyone else just stepped back and watched with painful expressions. They saw this fight coming from a mile away.
Eventually, Erza moved in when she saw an opening and grabbed Natsu and Gray by one of their ears, twisting them as she did. This defiantly made the two men stop brawling. Instead, they started whining in pain.
"That's enough, you two." Erza commanded. "Now that we know Alu's real reason for leaving, we should get back to looking for her. I know she's with Crime Sorciére, but still. It would be best for us to find them in case Ivan decides to strike back again."
Natsu and Gray exchanged only one more glare with each other before complying. Erza let the two them go and walked over to Rogue.
"I thank you for your help, Rogue," she said gratefully. "And I thank you for warning us about Ivan. Now that we know he's behind all this, we might have a better chance at defeating him."
Rogue nodded in agreement. He was about to speak again when a sharp sound of a raven came from high above them.
Everyone snapped their heads up and saw a black raven circling through an opening in the tree branches just above them. As Natsu looked closer, he noticed that there was something in the raven's beak. It looked like a piece of paper with a purple cloth tied to it. The moment he noticed this, the raven's eye moved and looked down at him, like it had sensed the Dragon Slayer had seen it. It dropped the piece of paper right over Natsu and flew away.
Natsu reached up caught the paper with one hand. He lowered his arm to examine the piece of paper more closely.
"What was that?" Romeo asked, confused.
"It looked like a raven." Wendy said. "But what was it doing here?"
"That was one of Ivan's ravens." Gajeel answered grimly. "He used to send me messages by raven back when I was a double agent. He's probably sending us a warning since he figures we're onto him."
"But why would he do that?" Erza questioned. "He doesn't seem like the kind of person to just send random threats.
"Huh, what's wrong, Natsu?" Happy asked.
Everyone turned to look at Natsu, and immediately became concerned.
Natsu had gone very quiet. His eyes had widened and he felt a twinge of fear spike up inside him as he looked at the rolled-up piece of paper.
Attached to the paper was a corner piece of a purple cloth. And on the edge of the cloth was gold lining. On top of that, a familiar scent was coming off of it.
The scent of vanilla and mahogany.
Alu's scent!
Natsu quickly removed the cloth and handed it to Lucy.
"Wait!" Lucy exclaimed, gripping the piece of fabric. "This is from Alu's vest!"
Natsu's hands began to shake as he unfolded the message. He swallowed back his panic and began to read it intently. The message was handwritten in fast, sharp lettering, like the person who wrote it had been in a hurry.
"What does it say, Natsu?" Happy asked, sounding a little worried.
What was written on the paper made Natsu's face go pale, and his eyes wide even more with distress.
Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail,
I captured your daughter. If you want to see her alive again, come to Sacred Mount Zonia, alone, by sunset today. Failure to meet the demands, and your daughter will die a slow and painful death.
Ivan Dreyer
After reading that message, Natsu's face changed to frightening scowl. He growled savagely and tightened his grip on the letter, threatening to tear it in two.
"That bastard!" he snarled in a low voice. "He's kidnapped Alu!"
"No!" Lucy gasped in horror. "You mean Ivan's got Alu?!"
"And he's using her as a bargaining chip!" Natsu raised his voice dangerously. "He wants me to come to Mount Zonia alone and get there by sunset! If I don't, he'll kill her!"
Everyone stared worriedly at Natsu's news.
Natsu angrily crumbled up the piece of paper, set it on fire with his Magic, and threw it to the ground. He then stomped down on it like he wanted to slay it. The paper's flames went out, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ashes.
Rogue's stared in alarm. Was that true? Did Ivan really kidnap Alu?
"That can't be possible!" he rebuked suddenly. "There's no way he could've kidnapped Alu! Not with Jellal and his guild with her! I mean, Ivan might have gotten stronger, but Jellal and the others aren't pushovers either!"
"But didn't Ivan nearly drain your souls?" Frosch pointed out hesitantly. "I thought Alu had to save you from his Curse."
Rogue fell silent at that remark, unable to deny the fact. That alone was enough to raise the concern factor in the group even more.
"Still, it's most likely a trick." Wendy said, trying to sound hopeful while hiding her fear. "It's gotta be, right?"
"I'm not so sure." Carla replied, sounding unsure. "As much as I want to believe that, there's no way of knowing if Ivan's just bluffing or not. I'm afraid even my clairvoyance can't really help at this point."
"Then what do we do?" Romeo said, concerned.
For a moment, no one spoke. They were each going over a plan of action in their minds. However, since they were all jostled and disturbed by the message, they couldn't think clearly.
Only Natsu had decided on what he had to do. There was no doubt whatsoever.
"Gajeel," he spoke up in a deep voice, "you know where Mount Zonia is. How do I get there from here?"
"Natsu," Erza spoke up firmly, "you can't seriously be thinking of giving yourself up. It's a trap and you know it. And Rogue is right, you know that Crime Sorciére is strong. I don't believe that Ivan could easily kidnap Alu."
Natsu turned to look at everyone. There was no mistaking that look of conviction in his eyes.
"Would you say the same thing if it was Eagle?" he asked harshly. "Would you gamble your son's life on the assumption that this ransom is just a bluff?"
Erza opened her mouth to answer, but then fell silent. She didn't need to answer that question verbally. Everyone already knew that there would be no way she would gamble her son's life on an assumption like that.
"Or what about you, Gray, Gajeel?" Natsu continued. "What if it were any of your kids? What would you do?"
Both Gray and Gajeel hesitated, mostly because they didn't expect to be asked that question. However, they quickly came to their conclusions.
"I'd go after them, of course." Gray answered with certainty.
"See?" Natsu said. "I'm the one that Ivan wants here. And I'm not about to risk Alu's life by wasting time or thinking that this is a trick. That's too high of gamble for me. I'm going to meet Ivan's demands, whether he really has Alu or not. But I'm not going to just give myself up either. I'm gonna fight him. And I'm gonna get Alu back in one piece."
"Natsu," Lucy whispered, showing that she was afraid for the safety of her family.
Natsu sensed her fear and turned to face her completely. He grabbed her shoulders reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Lucy," he said in as calm of a voice as he could. "I'll get Alu back."
Lucy slowly nodded, swallowing hard.
Natsu, still holding onto Lucy, turned back to the others.
"You guys leave this to me," he ordered. "Just get back to Fairy Tail and tell Gramps and Laxus what's going on."
Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, and Romeo all hesitated for a moment. Finally, they all nodded in agreement.
"Rogue, you and Frosch get back to your guild and tell them everything you know. I hate to admit this, but I have a feeling that we'll be needing Sabertooth's help."
"Right." Rogue said strongly.
Natsu then turned back to Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer sighed heavily before pointing northeast.
"Zonia is a few miles that way," he stated. "If you keep walking all day, you should get there by sunset. Just be careful, Salamander. I don't need to remind you of how dangerous Ivan is."
"Sure thing." Natsu nodded.
"Let me come with you, Natsu." Happy begged, hovering beside the Dragon Slayer. "Please, let me help. I can get you there faster if we fly."
Natsu frowned slightly and shook his head. He then petted the little Exceed's head.
"I'm sorry, buddy," he said. "But I can't risk any member of my family on this. Ivan wants me to come alone, and that's what I'm going to do. I need you to take care of Lucy."
Happy frowned sadly before nodding in agreement. Natsu then turned back to Lucy, who was still looking at him with dread in her eyes.
"Lucy, I promise you I'll be fine." Natsu assured. "I'll just get in there, get Alu, and get out. And I'll bring Alu back alive."
"Just come back safe and sound, both of you." Lucy pleaded, grabbing his arms. "I know you're strong and I have faith in you, but we don't know how much stronger Ivan's gotten. Fight him if you have to, but please, don't overdo it."
"I won't, I swear."
"Okay, then." Lucy nodded. "I trust you. But if you and Alu aren't back by tomorrow morning, then I'm coming after you."
Natsu acknowledged Lucy's statement. Although he didn't want to put her in harm's way, he also knew that there was no way he would talk her out of that promise. She'd come to save him no matter what the danger might be. She always did.
Natsu then brought his face closer to Lucy's, and the two shared a farewell kiss. They both hoped that this wouldn't be their last kiss ever. Natsu then pulled away, took in a deep breath, and the two of them let go of each other.
Without any more hesitation, Natsu immediately set out running towards the northeast, disappearing into the forest.
Although it wasn't even quite noon yet, Natsu couldn't help but feel like he didn't have much time. Just hearing that Alu was in the clutches of Ivan, one of the vilest men Natsu had ever met in his life, made his paternal instincts kick into overdrive and more. This was way different than the other times he had gone after Alu when she ran off on solo jobs. This time, Natsu was certain that Alu's life was in grave danger. He had to get to her fast.
He had no idea what he was going to do when he got to Mount Zonia, but that didn't matter to him. The only thing he focused on was getting there before it was too late.
"Just hang on, Alu!" he said to himself. "I'm on my way!"