Chapter 26

Changes

"No, don't do this!"

"I have to! It's the only way!"

"Stop trying to be the hero all the time! You don't owe this world anything!"

"Yes, I do! This is the world I was born in!"

"And all it's done is stab you in the back! You think sacrificing yourself is going to make everything alright?! Don't you care about the ones you'll leave behind?!"

"Stop trying to talk me out of this! This world can lose every living thing, or it can just lose me!"

"Alu. Are you okay? Wake up."

A small voiced echoed in Alu's head as she started to come back around. She soon became aware that she was resting up against something hard and rough. She winced and groaned as she struggled to open her eyes. She slowly brought her left hand up to cover her right eye as she opened her other one a little. Her right eye felt like it was burning, her head was throbbing, and her whole body felt stiff and raw.

"Are you alright, Alu?"

Alu looked over to her left and saw Violet was standing next to her, her little paws caringly on Alu's arm.

"Violet." Alu groaned. "I…I think so. Just a little sore."

"Well, that's good," a deep voice said.

Alu looked up to see Jellal kneeling down beside her. Behind him was the rest of Crime Sorciére, who were all looking at Alu with anticipation.

"Glad to see you're awake." Eagle smiled. "When Aries and Aquarius carried you out, we all got worried."

"Aries, Aquarius!" Alu exclaimed. "Where are they? Are they alright?"

"Don't' worry, Alu." Violet explained. "They're back in the Celestial World now."

Alu blinked for a moment. She then looked over at her right hand and saw that it was clutching something. She brought it up and uncurled her fingers. Resting in the palm of her hand was the repaired key of Aquarius the Water Bearer.

"Oh, that's right." Alu sighed and smiled. "Well, I'm just glad those two are okay now."

"Wish we could say the same about you." Sorano said. "Seriously, how many more times are you gonna pass out?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry." Alu apologized, sounding genuinely sincere. "I guess I used up too much power."

For a second, Alu sat where she was with a blank expression.

"Was that a dream?" she thought. "Why was I arguing with Aquarius? Ugh, my mind must be playing tricks on me. But…it seemed so real. Like I was having déjà vu. Oh well, it's probably nothing."

"Are you okay, Alu?" Violet asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." Alu shrugged. "I'm talking to myself."

Alu groaned and struggled to sit up. She looked back behind her and saw the large rock she had been resting up against. She rubbed her right eye tenderly, trying to make the burning sensation go away.

Meldy noticed her discomfort and immediately walked over to the pink-haired girl. Jellal stood up and backed away to give his comrade more room. Meldy knelt down to Alu's level and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay, Alu?" she asked gently. "Is there something wrong with your eye?"

"Kind of." Alu said. "It's just irritated I think."

"Here, let me look at it."

Meldy carefully grabbed Alu's hand and pulled it away from her face. Alu winced for a second as she tried to open her right eye. As she did, the irritation began to fade away.

The second she opened it completely, Meldy gave small gasp and covered her mouth with her hands. She stared at Alu with wide, horrified eyes.

And it wasn't just Meldy either. Everyone gave startled reactions the moment they saw Alu's eye.

"What's wrong?" Alu asked. "Is it blood-shot or something?"

"Uh, Alu, what color are your eyes?" Meldy asked shakily.

"Green." Alu answered, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Um, you might want to look at yourself."

Meldy fished in one of her pockets and pulled out something that looked like a small black compact. She opened it and handed it to Alu. Alu good it and looked into the mirror.

She shrieked when she saw her reflection.

While Alu's left eye was still dark green like always, her right eye had turned to a bright cyan color. Not only that, but the pupil in that eye was no longer circular. It was practically a slit, almost like a cat's.

On top of that, there was a now large streak of emerald green in Alu's bangs.

Alu ran her fingers through her bangs and touched the lower part of her right eye, completely freaked out.

When did this happen?

"Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha!" Alu stammered, unable to get out a single word.

"Alu, are you okay?" Violet asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Am I OKAY?!" Alu screeched as she whipped around to the little Exceed. "Do I LOOK okay to you?! My hair's two different colors and my eye looks like it belongs to a Dragon!"

Violet stepped back and looked up at Alu fearfully. Alu noticed her reaction and blinked when she realized what she just did. She glanced away guiltily and rubbed her arm.

"I-I'm sorry, Violet." Alu said unsteadily. "That came out wrong. I'm just really freaked out right now. How did this happen?"

"I don't know." Violet replied. "You just had the streak of green in your hair when Aquarius carried you out."

"Actually," Sorano said, "while you were trying to repair Aquarius's Key back there, I noticed that your hair randomly changed color during the process. I guess Aquarius gave you another power boost or something."

It was then that Alu suddenly remembered what happened. Aquarius had given her a mysterious boost of power when they were re-forging her key. When that happened, Alu felt like her hair and eye were suddenly on fire. Not only that, but it felt as if fire went through her bloodstream. It was a very similar sensation to the one she felt just before her fire changed from orange to white back in the forest.

"Just what did Aquarius do to me?" Alu moaned, rubbing her eyes with her left hand. "First my fire turns white and now this. What's going on with me?"

Violet just shrugged.

"Oh, never mind." Alu said, shaking her head. "I'm sure we can sort it out once we get back to Fairy Tail."

"Good idea on the whole." Jellal said as he reached out a hand to help Alu up. "Now that you've completed your mission, it's high time we dealt with Ivan. We'll drop you off at the guild and continue our search for Ivan."

"Okay." Alu nodded.

Jellal then turned to his son.

"Eagle, I think it's best if you stay at Fairy Tail while the rest of us continue with our search. They could use someone with your Magic, just in case Ivan decides to attack. Not to mention, I would be more comfortable knowing that you're there to protect your mother."

"Yes, Father." Eagle replied.

"Um, do you think I can come, too?" Violet asked shyly. "I know might not be much in a fight, but I can use my Aera Magic to fly."

"Sure thing." Alu grinned. "Besides, I was hoping you would come back to Fairy Tail with me. Our guild could certainly use another Exceed."

At the sound of that idea, Violet gave a mildly surprised look. After a second, she smiled at the invitation and nodded.

"Okay."

Violet then summoned her Aera Wings and flew over to Alu. She grabbed the girl by her vest, and carried Alu up into the sky. This made Alu yelp in surprise.

"I can get you back to the guild faster if we fly." Violet explained. "After all, you want to get back as fast as you can."

Alu blinked before nodding in agreement. She then looked down at Crime Sorciére.

"Violet and I will start off towards the guild," she said. "You guys make it there as fast as you can. We'll meet you there."

"Okay, just be careful, Alu." Jellal ordered. "And don't stop for anything."

"Same to you. Good luck. And thanks for everything."

Alu turned to look back at her Exceed companion.

"Fairy Tail's in that direction. Just head straight."

Alu pointed westward. Violet acknowledge the direction and flew off as fast as she could. In a matter of seconds, Crime Sorciére had vanished in the distance.

Normally, Alu would've enjoyed the thrill of flying through the sky. She would've laughed and whooped with excitement of feeling the wind blow through her hair, the sensation of being weightless and unbound by the gravity of the world, and the rush of freedom.

However, she had more important things on her mind to even think about that. The only thing she could focus on was getting back to her parents as fast as she could. The sooner she got back to them, the better.

Alu and Violet hadn't gone more than a mile when they heard a screech come from right in front of them.

"ALUUUUUUUUUU!"

Alu looked straight ahead and saw a little dot in the distance growing larger by each second. She quickly realized that it was heading straight for her and Violet. As it got closer, it began to take on the form of a little blue Exceed.

"Wait, Happy?!"

Sure enough, Happy was coming towards her at Mach Speed. He couldn't seem to slow himself down in time, and he soon found himself heading for a crash course with Alu's face.

Both Alu and Happy screamed for a split second before the little Exceed collided head-on with her. The sudden jolt nearly made Violet drop Alu, but she still managed to hang on tightly. She did lower her altitude a bit though before stopping to hover in mid-air.

Alu groaned, grabbing Happy by his little torso and pulling him off her face. She then shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to make her brain stop swimming around like an egg yolk inside its shell. Once she had gotten her senses back together, she opened her eyes and looked at the sky-blue Exceed in her hands.

She immediately knew that something was wrong. Happy was here, but her father wasn't. Normally, whenever Happy was close by, Natsu wasn't too far behind.

"Happy, what are you doing here?" she asked. "And where's Dad?"

Happy looked dazed for a moment. From his perspective, he was seeing stars along with two blurred images of Alu.

"Wow, Alu," he slurred with dizziness, "when did you suddenly become twins?"

"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Happy." Alu said gruffly. "Where's Dad?"

Happy blinked a few times and looked at Alu. His eyes then widened with shock when he saw her face, and he screamed in terror. He shot out of Alu's hands and hovered above her, looking down at her with a horrified expression.

"AUGH! ALU, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!" he screeched.

Alu frowned and her eyes glazed over with annoyance

"Get a grip, Happy," she said sharply. "I don't know how this happened. But I don't have time to explain either. What are you doing here? And where's Dad? Shouldn't he be with you?"

At the mention of Natsu, Happy's expression changed to even more worried.

"Natsu!" he cried. "He's in danger!"

"What?!" Alu's eyes widened in terror.

"Ivan tricked him!" Happy explained franticly. "He sent a ransom note saying that he was going to kill you if Natsu didn't come to Mount Zonia by sunset! But it was all a trap! After Natsu ran off to save you, Carla had a premonition and found out that you were really here! I came to get you and bring you back because Carla saw you fighting off Ivan because you somehow found out about Natsu being captured!"

Alu stared in horror as Happy told her all this. Her blood felt like it had turned to ice, and her heart clenched inside her chest. Her throat tightened and she for a second, she had a hard time breathing.

Her father was in danger, and it was because he was trying to rescue her. It was because of her he was walking into a trap. It was because of HER Ivan was going to take Natsu's soul for himself.

"No," she whispered fearfully, "I can't let that happen."

"Alu?" Violet looked at her friend with concern.

There was a short silence.

"I have to help him." Alu finally said. "I have to save my dad."

"But Alu, you can't!" Happy replied stressfully. "You're not strong enough to take on Ivan! Carla said that she saw Natsu chained up and shouting in distress!"

That piece of information made Alu flinch and inhale shakily. But it had the opposite effect of what Happy was trying get. It just made Alu even more adamant than before.

"I can't!" she shouted defiantly. "I can't leave him! I won't run away! I don't care how strong Ivan is! I'll do whatever it takes to save my dad! And you can't stop me!"

"But Alu-!"

"You told me where to find him!" Alu scowled. "So I'm going!"

Happy's jaw dropped and he gave an alarmed expression.

He DID just tell her where to find Natsu! That's why Carla saw her fighting Ivan!

This was HIS fault!

"OH CRAP!" Happy shrieked. "WHY DID I HAVE TO OPEN MY BIG MOUTH?!"

"Now I just need to know where to find Mount Zonia." Alu said out loud.

"Mount Zonia?" Violet questioned.

"Yeah, do you know where it is, Violet?" Alu asked eagerly.

"Yes, I do." Violet replied. "Actually, that's where I'm from."

"What?!" Both Alu and Happy jolted.

"I was born and raised near Mount Zonia." Violet explained. "I lived in a small village with a bunch of other Exceeds and a few humans at the base of the mountain. But one day, we were attacked by Ivan and his Spirits and they scattered us. I flying for my life when you found me, Alu."

"Really?" Alu blinked. "Can you take me there?"

"Are you sure?" Violet said.

Alu nodded in response.

"Okay then." Violet answered. "It's not too far from here. We should be there by sunset."

"Wait!" Happy shouted. "I can't let you go alone!"

"Don't try to stop me, Happy!" Alu snapped. "I'm going to save my dad!"

Happy narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, fine," he said in a serious voice. "But I'm going with you. I promised Natsu and Lucy and I'd bring you back safe and sound. So, if you're going, then I'm going with you."

Alu stared at Happy for a brief second. She then narrowed her eyebrows and nodded. That was as fair of a compromise as she was gonna get, but that was okay with her right now.

"Then let's get moving," she said. "We don't have much time. Violet, we'll let you lead the way."

"Right, leave it to me." Violet replied.

With that, Violet adjusted her direction north by northwest and flew off with Alu as fast as she could. Happy flew alongside them, keeping up with ease. Fortunately for the group, the wind current was helping them with their speed. By some good fortune, it was blowing them in the direction they wanted to go.

It looked like luck was on their side for now.

The whole time they flew, Alu had a determined look on her face. The thought of Ivan using her as a trick to get her father's soul made her both sick with worry, and blazing with anger.

How dare that coward of a wizard abuse Natsu's protective instincts to lure him into a trap! If that man so much as lays a finger on her father, Alu swore to herself that she would burn Ivan into a pile of ashes!

"Hang on, Dad!" she said quietly to herself. "I'm coming to save you!"

A few hours later, at Mount Zonia…

"Finally." Natsu exhaled. "I found an entrance."

At around the last hour before sunset, Natsu had managed to find an opening. It was a small cave that led down into the mountain, just near the peak of summit. It was a bit of a narrow fit, so Natsu had to squeeze and squirm through the opening. It took him about five minutes to get through. Although for him, it felt like fifteen minutes. Once he was inside, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. By now, he was beginning to feel really tired. On top of that, his stomach growled with hunger.

"Oh, geez," he groaned, "I'm so hungry. Well, this is what I get for not eating anything since breakfast I guess."

It was then that Natsu felt something sinister. It was such an ominous feeling that it made him shudder and wrap his arms around himself. He couldn't quite explain it, but something about this sensation felt eerily familiar. Like something he had felt before, but it was so long ago that he had almost forgotten about it. Not to mention, there was a stench that hit his nose with a deadly familiarity. But he just couldn't remember from why or what it was.

Regardless, Natsu started to feel sick from it.

"Man," he shivered, "I haven't felt something this evil for a while. But it feels like it's from something that's long gone. Whatever it was, it certainly left its stain here."

Natsu then shook his head and cleared his mind. He couldn't think about that right now.

"I have to find Alu," he said, clenching his fists. "But I can't catch her sent because of this air. It's like its poisoned with only one scent. I guess I'll just have to find her on my own then."

Natsu then straightened himself up and began to walk down a long tunnel, keeping his senses on high alert for any signs of Alu. Eventually, the tunnel led him to a large cavern that was about the size of the Fairy Tail Guild's main hall. There wasn't much in it expect for a large slap of stone with a circular kind of alter on it. It rested in the far corner of the cave. All around walls were torches that were lit with fire.

Natsu stopped at the entrance of the tunnel and scowled. For just a few yards in front of him, looking at him with a villainous grin, was Ivan.

"Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail." Ivan said malevolently. "So you came after all. Somehow I had a feeling you would."

"Shut your face, Ivan!" Natsu snapped. "I didn't come here to have a chat; I came to get my daughter back! Now where is she?!"

Ivan just grinned and reached for something underneath his cloak.

"You mean the little pink-haired brat?" he drawled maliciously. "Oh, so sorry, but she's not here."

"What?!"

"That was just an incentive to get you here." Ivan continued. "And it looks like you've fallen for it. Aren't you a dedicated father."

Natsu scowled even harder and snarled. If Ivan was playing some sort of trick on him, then he had another thing coming.

Natsu clenched his fists and summoned his Dragon Slayer Magic. He then charged forward in an attempt punch Ivan's face in.

"WHERE'S ALU?!" Natsu roared.

Ivan just smiled wickedly and swiped a red key out from underneath his cloak. Before Natsu knew what was happening, his fist collided with an arm that was clad in gold armor. He was then forced to leap back and avoid a punch that was backed up with a black fire-like substance. Natsu landed on his feet and looked up to see a corrupted version of Leo standing in front of him.

"Leo," Ivan ordered, "beat this Dragon Slayer into submission. But keep him alive, I need his soul to complete my plans."

"As you wish, master." Neo Leo replied.

"Bring it on!" Natsu shouted. "I'm all fired up!"

With that, Natsu and Neo Leo both charged towards each other.