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Clutching the rocks rimming the pit, Natsu pulled himself out, breathing heavily as he stood. He studied the golden triangle he held, its markings intriguing him as Happy hovered nearby. With a wide grin, He bit it, wincing as he jerked back.

"What're you doing!?" Shock dilated Happy's eyes.

"Thought it was pizza." He rubbed his cheek. "Hardest pastry ever."
"What kinda pizza's golden?"

"Thought it was a wrapper, like chocolate." He tossed it aside. "Crappy Pizza."

Happy swooped down and picked up the triangle, flying up to Natsu. "Natsu, what if it's the artefact?"

"The artefact? The client wants a pizza?"

The feline rolled his eyes. "We should get back to the others and leave it with 'em. If it's the artefact, they'll need it."

"But, we can buy pizza while looking for Igneel. Plus, couldn't Erza afford one with all the cakes she buys? And shouldn't Lucy lay off the snacks? She needs to lose some weight."

"Focus!"

"Yeah, I am focussing: on finding Igneel." Natsu scoffed. "If you wanna go back to the guild, then fine, you'll find me on the way."

"Natsu, c'mon, let's take it to them."

"Happy, what's twenty million Jewel, huh? Half what Fairy Tail makes yearly?" Natsu frowned. "I've lost fourteen years of my life without my dad and though I've never met my real one, Igneel's the closest I've got. I'm not gonna wait around anymore."

"Wait around? Isn't the guild your family now?"

Natsu stepped back and looked around, his frown deepening. "You know what they mean to me Happy; they're more than family, but I need to find Igneel or I might never see him again."

Happy's brows furrowed. "Look, I'm not saying we should stop looking, but let's give them the artefact then continue. Could pack more food for the trip since we didn't carry anything in the first place." He smiled. "C'mon."

Natsu sifted his thoughts, sighing. "Fine, but this's getting old." He walked onward. "Erza better share some cake before we leave."

"That's the spirit, Nats –," Natsu fell down the hole, making Happy groan. "Why'd you do that again?"

PAGES FLIPPED rapidly, words turning into holograms that hovered into her glasses. Lucy sat on her sleeping bag, bespectacled and hunched over a thick book. Having awoken an hour before everyone else, Lucy sifted several magic archives to learn what happened to her spirits.

All she'd found was the name of the dimension they were in: the Precipice World. According to a book authored by a Shukuro Sukishima and Urahara Kisuke, the realm was said to lie between earth and other dimensions, acting as a bridge between worlds. The rest of the book was burnt, the remainder smudged by what she deduced to be a magic power.

Sweat beaded down her brow as she read, fear gripping her much like the hands that clasped her shoulders. Yelping, Lucy stuffed the book under her pillow and turned to see Gray who frowned slightly at her reaction. Tossing her glasses aside, she faked a smile, masking exhaustion.

"Gray, what're you doing here?" She moved back.

"Wanted to tell you that we'll start packin' so we can rendezvous with the others." He stepped out of the tent. "Get your head outta those romantic novels, why don't ya?"

"I don't read them!" She frowned.

Stretching her arms, Erza sighed as she looked around, enjoying the early morning sun as it beat against her face. Her eyes roamed, taking in the flora and fauna as a dear walked past a bush nearby. She smiled, moving around as she saw Juvia and Gray leaving separate tents.

"Morning, Gray." She turned to him. "Don't you love nature?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." He shrugged.

"It's so bright, so lovely." She sighed, spinning around, raising her hands. "God's creation."

"Well, you're peachy today." Juvia chuckled.

"Yes, I am." She laughed then frowned, turning to Gray. "Go kill that dear and I'll start the fire."

"And, it's gone." He huffed, walking away.

"Wait, Gray!" Juvia ran up to him. "It's dear mating season; you can never know when a wily one might try to woo you over."

"What the hell, Juvia?" He frowned.

"Nothing will separate us." She grabbed his arm.

He groaned. "Fine, you can come." She squealed, making him chuckle.

Lucy crawled out of her tent, stretching out as she greeted Erza who requiped into a black armour with fiery design. Swinging her sword down, the redhead sent a strip of flame onto the fireplace, causing an explosion that knocking Lucy off her feet and destroyed some tents. Smiling at the tiny fire she'd forged, Erza changed into her normal attire and headed into the woods.

"Uh, what was that?" Lucy sat up, stunned.

"Building a fire." Erza walked on. "Now to take a bath."

Lucy looked around the destroyed camp, her mouth falling agape. "Okay." She shuddered.

Rising to her feet, she went back to her tent, seeing her belongings scattered all over the place. She hurried and put things in place when she heard shuffling in the bushes and quickly jumped out. Natsu and Happy stepped into the campsite, looking around in confusion at the splinters of firewood and rocks splayed all over. Seeing the fire, the feline groaned.

"Erza?"

"Yup." Lucy nodded.

"Where's everybody?" Natsu walked up to her.

"Gray's off getting food and Erza's taking a bath."

"Really?" He smiled maniacally, tapping his fingers together.

"Stop right there, Natsu." Lucy grabbed his collar, halting him as he tried to run off.

"What, I was just gonna help Gray gather some food." He chuckled uneasily.

"Okay, then you should be heading that way." She pointed to her left.

"Gotcha." He nodded. Darting his eyes around, he ran in the opposite direction and she stood in his way.

"And where're you going?"

"The scenic route?" He smiled uneasily.

"Uh-huh." She frowned.

"Hey, at least his brain's running faster than usual." Happy patted his head.

"Hey!" Natsu frowned.

"What's in that bulge in your pocket?" Lucy pointed at him.

"What?"

"Oh, I mean your back pocket." Lucy winced.

"I don't have a back pocket." Natsu backed away, raising his brow.

"I'm talking about your jacket, not anything else bulging out of your pants." She blushed. "Get your head outta the gutter!"

"Whoa, and I thought Natsu was the only one excited." Happy shook his head, sitting on Lucy's head. "Lucy, what have you been reading?" He enunciated.

"Nothing!" She flushed, tossing the feline aside. "I was just asking what's in his pocket."

"Oh, really?" Natsu smiled smugly. "Which one, huh?"

"Natsu!" She pushed him, frowning."

"Okay, okay." He chuckled and fished out the golden triangle. "I just wanted ya to see if you know anything about this." He handed it to her. "Happy here thinks it might be the artefact, so he thought we'd drop it off."

"Whoa." She stared at the triangle, her eyes narrowing. "These are hieroglyphs; it must be the artefact. How'd you find it, Natsu? … Natsu?"

She looked around in surprise, seeing that he and Happy had left, his footprints in the sand leading to the forest. She followed it when she sensed magic energy coming from the triangle, halting her progression. It was very faint, barely at the level of Happy but she could feel it. It was eerie and sent shivers up her spine, its invisible aura unnerving her.

Something was definitely wrong with the object she had in her hands, but the feeling she got from it was very shrouding, nearly lulling her to sleep. Frowning, she pocketed the triangle, deciding that she needed to study it further and keep it from anyone else. If it'd aid her investigation, she'd have to hide it from the others.

NATSU PUSHED leaves aside as he walked, his eyes roaming around as he looked for Erza. Rolling his eyes, Happy sat on his head, huffing as he decided to wait out his excitement. With his eyes on the prize, he crouched behind a bush, snickering to himself as he saw Erza rise to her feet. Tucking in her blouse, she turned to see him groan as he began to leave.

"Natsu, there you are." She walked toward him. "Thought you went missing."

"Well, I didn't." His eyes darted around and he smiled uneasily. "I better get going."

"Where?"

"Nowhere." He continued on.

"If this's about Igneel, I –,"

"Oh, for God's sake." He groaned. "I'll be back, alright? Damn, you said the same thing back at the café."

"Right." Her eyes roamed. "I forgot."

"Well, I'm out; see ya later." He continued.

"Can I come along?" She followed him.

"Why? Don't you have to stay cuz you're Guild Master now?" His brow curved.

"Would be interesting to meet a dragon and maybe fight one."

"You've already fought one … I think." He sighed. "Man, I have a bad memory."

"In that case, you're coming back." She grabbed his shoulder, dragging him along.

"Hey, let go of me." He frowned.

"The guild needs you, Natsu; you can't just go running around."

"How many times am I gonna have to say this?" He shook her arm off him. "I need to find Igneel and the energy I'm sensing's getting fainter by the day. The longer I wait, the less chance I have of finding him."

"What about the guild?"

"You'll be fine." He walked on. "It's not like you're gonna end up dead without me."

Erza tried to follow Natsu when a bloodcurdling scream met their ears, tension seizing them up as they looked around. Hearing it again, the two ran toward the camp, the redhead requipping into armour consisting of a cloth wrapped around her breasts and a flame designed kimono trouser.

LUCY'S TEETH gritted as her head swung back, her hands clasping on his arm as he strangled her. Lifting the blonde into the air, a ninja clad in black armour smirked as he watched her struggle to break free. Other men in the same attire ransacked the camp, tossing tents, food and luggage around.

"I won't ask again; where's the artefact." He frowned. Receiving stifled gasps as a response, he squeezed harder. "You wanna die, little girl?"

"We." She struggled. "H-haven't found it."

"Well, then." He tightened his grip. "Where's your tracker? We can't leave here empty handed?"

"I don't … h-h-h … h … h-have it."

"Ooh, too bad." He chuckled. "Guess we'll just have to kill you and continue the hunt."

A fireball hit his side, knocking him over, freeing Lucy from his grip. Couching heavily, she looked around as she saw Natsu, Erza, Gray and Juvia enter the area. The ninjas spread out, attacking each of the mages as a battle ensued.

Erza swung her blade on a ninja, meeting steel as he blocked it with his forearm and kicked her in the gut. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her and elbowed her midsection, head butting her and pushed her to the ground. Rolling away from a heavy boot, Erza slashed at him and he teleported out of the way. She requipped into cheetah printed armour, zooming up behind him at high speeds.

Another ninja shot a white energy ball at her back, knocking her over and sidestepped as Natsu threw a punch at him. Dodging a volley of fiery fists, the ninja kicked the pink-haired mage's leg, punched him, kneed his forehead and kicked him in the gut, drawing blood as he spat out and fell over. Natsu rolled to his feet, giving him an uppercut, hurling him back.

Gray and Juvia sent jets of ice and water at a ninja who manoeuvred through the onslaught, teleporting up to them. He kicked the ice wizard and flipped over, elbowing the water mage as he rolled to his feet and jumped into the air. He shot several energy balls at them, meeting ice as Gray erected a wall to shield them.

Erza slashed a ninja's arm off and jumped back, swinging her blade when an energy wave swept through the area. She swiped her sword and a gust of wind shot out of it, knocking the ninja off his feet. Jerking back, she looked around in shock as Natsu leapt into the air.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu spat out a torrent of water, washing over the ninja below.

"Ice Make: Block!" Gray lifted his arm up, erecting a wall of earth that hit a ninja, flinging him into the forest.

Lucy's mouth fell agape as she watched Erza, Natsu and Gray look around in shock. "What the hell is going on!?"

"I'll help you, Natsu!" Happy flew toward him, leaving a trail of fire behind him. "Whoa." Surprise dilated his eyes. "Was it something I ate?"

Decapitating the ninja she maimed, Erza frowned as she looked at her sword. "How'd I do that?" She requipped into her usual attire. "I wasn't even in my Wind god Armour."

"Must've been that wave that swept past." Gray walked up to her.

"This is so cool!" Natsu laughed as he looked around.

"Really? Lemme try something." Lucy shot her fist forward. Nothing happened. "Huh? How come nothing's happened to me?"

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu spat fire at the sky and pouted. "Well, that didn't last very long."

"Lucy, are you alright?" Erza walked up to her.

"Yeah." She winced, rubbing her neck. "Just startled is all."

"Who were those guys?" Juvia looked at an unconscious ninja nearby.

"A dark guild." Erza's eyes roamed the camp. "I've seen their guild mark many times before, but I've never fought them. The Mark of the Moon."

"The Moon?" Gray frowned.

"Claim to be descendants of it." She folded her arms. "Radicals, been massacring religious advocates all over Fiore. Few have ever been executed; most of them escaping after killing everyone in the prison with a very powerful, dark magic; controlling blood."

"Good God." Juvia gasped.

"I'm afraid it's possible." Erza sighed. "The Magic Council's never come across such magic before, but it seems the dark guild's been passing it down as some kinda twisted puppetry. I was afraid they'd use it on us when I saw their mark, but these must be low level members. We'd all be at their mercy if they did."

"Why'd the client allow such a guild to participate in the hunt?" Lucy frowned.

"Guess he doesn't give a damn as long as we find the artefacts for him."
Gray folded his arms.

"What are we even looking for exactly?" Erza stroked her chin. "If a dark guild like them would participate, there must be something else that's going on."

"Maybe it's simply for money." Natsu shrugged. "Must need it for whatever attacks they're gonna pull."

"Possibly." Erza looked around the camp. "C'mon, let's get moving or we might get attacked again."

'Yeah." Natsu picked his bag off the ground.

"Not gonna look for Igneel?" Erza turned to him.

"I can't sense the dragon anymore." Natsu sighed. "I've missed my chance again."

"Guess it's gonna be another decade or so." Happy sat on his head.

"I'm sorry, Natsu." Erza placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling warmly. "You'll find him soon."

"Thanks, Erza." He smiled at her.

Lucy picked up clothes off the floor, shaking them off as she searched for her belongings. Finding her suitcase near some broken glass, she quickly opened it, seeing that the golden triangle was safely nestled within it. With apprehensive eyes, she packed the bag and zipped it shut.

ERZA PUSHED leaves aside and frowned as she and the others came to a camp, the sight weighing on her. Tents littered the open area, the guildmates of Fairy Tail spread around as most grovelled in pain while some administered medication. Walking in, Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Juvia took in what'd happened, worry evident on their faces.

"What happened here?" Erza turned to Laki who wrapped a bandage around a man's arm.

"Several of us were attacked some days ago after you deployed us." She walked up to her. "Some by dark guilds that stole supplies and others by monsters."

"Did everyone survive?" Erza looked around.

"Luckily there weren't any casualties, but it doesn't look good." Laki sighed. "Romeo's unconscious, Lisanna's arm's broken and Max's leg's badly lacerated. Wendy's been treating the badly injured for hours and I don't think she can keep up anymore."

"Where's Lisanna?" Natsu frowned.

"She's in Team Shadow Gear's tent." Laki pointed behind her.

"Thanks." He ran off.

"Okay, what the hell, Erza?" Warren walked up to her. "Didn't we say that this'd happen?"

"I thought we could've done better." Her voice lowered.

"Well, we didn't." He frowned. "Only four of us are S class wizards and most of us find regular missions tough, so how would we be able to handle SS class missions?"

"Look, things didn't go the way I wanted them to." She walked up to him. "I didn't plan for this to happen."

"Well, you should've done a better job at expecting the unexpected."

"Coming from the telepathic wizard? What were you doing?" Erza frowned.

"Okay, c'mon, let's not say something we'd regret." Lucy stood in between them.

Erza sighed, her head lowered slightly. "I'm sorry, Warren, I didn't mean that. But, what happened today just proves that we need to step it up as a guild. When Phantom Lord attacked, we were all helpless and now there're far more powerful guilds that want us dead. If we're gonna become a formidable guild, we'll need to work toward it together."

"A formidable guild?" Cana frowned. "We're not some kinda army, Erza; you of all people should know that. Fairy Tail was established so that orphaned wizards can find a home, a place where wizards can discover their magic and use it to help others. We're not soldiers."

"But we are being pulled into wars all the time." Erza walked up to her. "Don't you get it? If we're not prepared, then we'll end up dead the next time they attack."

"Thought you'd said nothing can stop us if we work as a team." Gajeel moved up to her. "Where's that attitude now, huh?"

"I still have faith in our guild, but we need to get stronger if we're gonna protect ourselves. We're not an army, but if we don't become more powerful, we're at risk of getting killed or worse."

"Wendy nearly died because of this mission." Gajeel frowned. "If Carla wasn't there, she wouldn't be here. You need to consider such things before you make such drastic decisions."

"It just proves my point; this guild needs to get stronger or we're gonna end up dead at the hands of a dark guild."

"You know, Erza, you're beginning to sound a lot like Master Jose, always talking about power no matter what happens to the members of the guild." Gajeel began to leave. "Hope you can think about that before someone actually dies because of it."

Erza sighed as she looked away from him, looking around to see the others leave angrily. Rubbing her arm, Lucy left, dragging her suitcase along as she felt tension in the air. Erza lowered her head, frowning deeply as she pondered his words.

NATSU MANOEUVRED through the cluster of wizards near several tents, moving up to Team Shadow Gear's. Seeing Elfman standing outside it, he enquired about Lisanna, beginning to leave when the silver-haired girl saw him from inside.

"Natsu!" She called.

His eyes darted around and he sighed, entering the orange tent slowly. "Hey, Liz."

"Natsu, glad I got to see you." She smiled as she sat up on the foldup bed, patting a space beside her. "Let's talk."

"About what?" He sat hesitantly.

"Well, thought we'd spend some time together." She turned to him. "Since I came back, we've never really talked; it's like you're avoiding me. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head, frowning. "No, there isn't."

Studying him, she smiled. "C'mon, I know that look. You're hiding something."

He sighed. "I've been sensing dragons all over the place since the Dark Day and I've been trying to track 'em down to see if I could find Igneel. I headed out earlier, but I can't sense it anymore."
"Oh." She huffed. "I'm sorry; I know how long you've been looking for him."

"It's just so frustrating." He frowned. "First I can't sense the energy anymore and now you end up hurt cuz I wasn't here."

"It's not your fault, Natsu." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just keep searching, you'll find him eventually. Who knows, I could help you if you want."

His frown deepened. "No, I need to do it myself."

"You'll need somebody's help." She shrugged. "It's a big world out there."

"Well, Igneel's a big guy." He chuckled slightly. "Kinda hard to miss."

"Well, if I tagged along though, I could meet the person who taught you how to be a great dad." She smiled warmly.

"I'm not a dad, Liz, how many times am I gonna say that?"

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that." She laughed, draping her arm over his shoulder.

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"OH, YOU'VE gotta be kiddin' me!" Cana growled.

The Fairy Tail members stood at the shore of the island, each of them carrying their belongings. Walking out of the crowd, Erza walked up to Cana and saw writing in the sand, kneeling to get a better look. Reading it, she groaned as she stood up.

"Where'd the ship go?" Gajeel raised his brow.

"Somebody stole it." Cana turned to him.

"What?" Wendy walked up to her.

"Unruly delinquents." Carla frowned. "I knew we shouldn't have taken up this mission."

"How're we supposed to get home now?" Laki looked around as murmurs spread.

"Don't expect me to swim all the way back." Cana folded her arms. "I'm not even dressed for it."

"Don't you always have a bikini on hand?" Lucy's eyes drooped.

"You think this is a bikini top?" Cana snapped a strap of her bra.

"I kinda do." Lucy huffed.

"Yeah, let's do that! I'm fired up now!" Natsu grinned as he ran toward the ocean. "Here we –,"

"Get back here, Natsu." Erza pulled his collar, slamming him on the ground.

"You can't swim the way back there, Natsu! Get real." Lucy folded her arms.

Natsu laughed as he rose to his feet. "I say good riddance to the damn thing."

"How do you expect us to get back there, Natsu?" Gray frowned.

"Heck if I know." He shrugged. "I'm just happy I won't be throwing up the whole time."

"Erza, what do we do now?" Lucy walked up to her.

"I'll have Mirajane send another ship to our location." Erza fished a communication Lacrima from her pocket. "Might take a few hours though." Groans spread.

"Well, just make sure you're quick about it." Lucy shuddered as she looked at the forest behind her. "I don't wanna run into another monster again."

MIRAJANE'S BREATH hitched as she felt his lips press against her neck, her fingers raking through the blonde locks as she leaned into him. Removing her blouse, Laxus trailed kisses down her delicate skin as she sat astride on him, grinding against his lap. Moaning with pleasure, her head bent back, giving him more access to the rest of her body, ignoring a Lacrima that glowed behind the counter at the bar.

BLUSHING FURIOUSLY, Erza smashed the Lacrima against a rock, shuddering as she balled up on the sand. Rocking in fear, she shivered as her mind replayed what she'd just seen. Lucy raised her brow and approached her, tapping her shoulder.

"Um, Erza, are you okay?"

"The horror!" Erza's eye twitched. "The horror!"

"What did you see –," Erza pulled Lucy in, whispering into her ear. "Whoa!" Lucy's eyes dilated in surprise.

"So, are we getting another ship or not?" Cana walked up to them.

"Heh, heh, who said anything about a ship?" Lucy moved away stiffly, her faced flushed.

"Hey, Erza, what's going on?" Gray walked up to her.

"Man!" A man's voice boomed.

Wrapped at attention, the wizards looked to the sky as a large object obscured the sun, casting a massive shadow. Rising to her feet, Erza tried to compose herself when she yelped as a projectile shot toward them. Shielding her face from the dust, Lucy squinted as she saw Sir Ichiya wobble out of the small crater he created.

"Why do you keep doing that?!" She frowned.

"My dear friends, worry not for I smelled your parfum of desperation and came to your aid." He pointed to her with both hands. "Though we are participating in a contest that pits us against each other, our previous intercourses –,"

"Will you use another word already!?" She blushed.

"Still hold great significance to us." He pointed to his right as if uninterrupted. "We shall aid you and take you back to Magnolia." He stepped on a rock, gesturing to the sky. "Man."

"So, I assume you've found nothing either, huh?" Gray walked up to him.

"Unfortunately, luck is not on our side, my friends." Ichiya crossed his arms, pointing at the airship. "Now, come aboard the majestic pride of the Blue Pegasus guild, Cristina!"

"Oh, c'mon, couldn't we just swim for it?" Natsu groaned.

"Suit yourself." Gray walked past him. "It's several miles away, so let's see how much stamina you have."

"God dammit."

LUCY LOWERED her head as Mirajane walked past her, burying herself in a book as she took a seat in the guild hall. With the first mission behind them, the wizards took the time to recuperate, most of them resting at home. Being free to read more, she decided to push her investigations into full-throttle and read for hours upon hours daily.

The books in the guild's library proved unhelpful, most of them talking about Celestial spirits referring to Liberum and the Starry Heavens, all of which had no connection to what was happening now. She'd only found one piece of info, one pertaining to the Precipice World. Another book written by Urahara Kisuke stated that the dimension was a means of travelling between worlds, used mostly by inter-dimensional creatures called Hollows that devoured humans as they came to earth. With nothing else being available as the book was also partially burnt, Lucy decided to search further.

Finishing the last archive, the blonde sighed as she tossed her glasses aside and rubbed the bridge of her nose. What did any of this mean? How was this the first she'd heard of the dimension and if it was true, why were there no reports of Hollow attacks before? There had to be more to discover and if she'd have to read every book in the library, then so be it.

Rising to her feet, Lucy gathered the books on the table when she heard the door open as Erza entered the hall. Seeing the artefact tracker in the redhead's hand, the blonde jerked back as she looked around frightfully and turned to Natsu. Running up to the pink-haired mage, Lucy pulled him out of his seat, nudging him to Erza. Groaning, Natsu walked up to her, blocking her from walking further.

"Out of the way, Natsu, I'm trying to find something." Erza looked at the tracker.

"What're you looking for?" He raised his brow.

"The artefact." She looked up to him. "The tracker's been showing that the signature's right here in the guild hall."

"In the guild hall, how?" He chuckled.

"I don't know." She frowned slightly. "It might be a bug, but I need to make sure."

"I'm sure it's just a glitch."

"I still need to find out, now get out of my way." She pushed him aside.

Natsu shrugged when he saw Lucy stand in the corner of the room, giving him a pleading look. He groaned and stroked his chin. "Hey, Erza! I just heard that there's a promotion over at the bakery; four cakes for the price of o –,"

Erza pushed Natsu aside, knocking him onto a table and tossing the tracker on the floor as she ran out of the hall. Sighing, Lucy moved past the bar, avoiding eye contact with Mirajane as she headed for the cellar. Shrugging in confusion, the silver-haired woman walked on, humming a tune to herself.

ERZA MANOEUVRED through clusters of people on the sidewalk, pushing some who were slow as she ran past. Seeing the bakery up ahead, she ran faster, nearly reaching it when she bumped into a blue-haired man who stumbled back as she fell over.

"Oh, Erza, I was just about to come see you." Jellal offered her hand.

"Sorry, Jellal, I didn't see you there." She accepted it.

"You seem to be in a rush." He raised his brow.

"Yeah, I'm kinda busy, so if you excuse me." She walked past him.

"Wait, I need to talk to you about something, it's really important." He caught her attention.

With a huff, she turned to him. "What is it?"

"Crime Sorciere's been investigating thefts on Fiore Lacrima Enterprises in the city and we think we'll need Fairy Tail's help."

"Fiore Lacrima Enterprises? We just took a job a couple weeks ago and it was a waste of time." She frowned slightly. "Why do you need our help? Don't you hunt after dark guilds?"

"Yes, but we believe there's more to it than theft." His eyes darted around as he approached her. "The company's been burglarized repeatedly for the past two months and the same exact kind of Lacrima has been stolen each time."

"What Lacrima?" She folded her arms.

"The company's never divulged that to the public, but I smell something fishy." He frowned. "Why'd criminals attack the same exact place repeatedly and why've there been no attempts to bump up security?"

"It's probable that the thieves are adept with technology." She stroked her chin. "Maybe they've tried, but it's proved fruitless."

"That's highly doubtable." He walked up to her. "FLE's one of Fiore's top names in advanced tech, there's no way their security's that vulnerable."

"Look, Jellal, I can't help you." She huffed. "I'm the Guild Master now and the guild's on a big mission right now."

"The treasure hunt?"

"That's the exact one." She shrugged.

"Why'd you accept such a shady mission? A client who wants to keep himself anonymous on a mission that allows everyone including dark guilds to participate."

"I do admit that it's very unsettling to say the least. We even came across the Mark of the Moon guild." She sighed. "But that gives us more reason to stick to the mission. If it is shady, then Fairy Tail should be there to uncover whatever's going on."

"Erza, Crime Sorciere needs your help with this." He walked up to her. "Lots of things do not add up and we're sensing some dark magic surrounding the whole situation."

"I'm sorry, Jellal, I can't help you." She frowned slightly.

He sighed and stepped back. "Well, okay then …" He began to leave. "Thanks anyway."

"H-how's …" She stopped him and her eyes lowered slightly. "How're Ultear and Meredy doing?"

He lowered his head, rubbing his ring subconsciously. "She's doing fine." His voice quietened. "Thanks for asking." He began to leave. "I'll tell her you said 'hi'."

Erza's brows stitched as she watched him leave, sighing heavily as she lowered her head in sadness. Shaking herself out of it, she walked down the sidewalk, moving past the bakery as she headed home.

LUCY GRUNTED as she placed the tower books on the table, looking around the dim library whose shelves lined up the high walls. Flipping the light switch, she traversed the halls, brushing her fingers against the plethora of magical literature as she continued her search. Her exhausted eyes nearly shut when a bright light came off of one of the books making her jerk back in surprise.

Her pocket glowed and she fished out the golden triangle from it, seeing the hieroglyphics come alight. Raising her head, she gasped as the glowing book emitted smoke, making the books around it burn. Pulling it out with difficultly as it was scalding hot, she tossed the book on the ground, kneeling down as she read it. It was covered in hieroglyphs as well, it's title written in bold on the front.

"What's this?"

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