It's been a long time, friends, allow me to apologize for the hiatus.
My best friend was admitted to the hospital back in September, and is still very sick with a form of Encephalitis (her brain is under attack essentially). She is, of course, my priority, so I kind of disappeared from my online communities.
Imagine how much it means to me when I found all your lovely notes and encouraging words. I appreciate you all so much, words can't express. Especially with everything that's going on in my life.
Story related note: The recent 100YQ chapters finally put a name to the city Sabertooth is based in, so I've corrected Hemlock to Gazania.
Anyway, you all know the drill, I am finally back to say…
~Onward!
57
-Reversal-
Plutogrim
Floor to ceiling bookshelves framed the entire room, home to thousands of books. Seilah adored this space, it offered the peace and the silence she craved from the rest of Tartaros. Not to mention the vast collection of histories and magic tomes that you couldn't find anywhere on the continent, many of the books in Seilah's library had been lost to the masses over the past four centuries. Fortunately, Zeref had seen fit to keep many of the titles that had been deemed controversial by Ishgar rulers following Dragnof's fall.
Seilah always retreated here when she was feeling uneasy. Initially, she'd believed her plan with Lullaby had gone off without a hitch, every chess piece carefully placed in her meticulously developed strategy, but the younger demoness hadn't checked back in. Macro curse afforded Tartaros an undeniable edge over any enemy, and Seilah was proud of that. So far, she'd managed a complete victory over every player she'd faced in this little Etherious vs Fairies game they were playing… Even END had fallen to her powers… right?
Of course, END was another facet of the plan she wasn't entirely confident in…
She buried that thought for now. Armed with the knowledge she'd gained of Fairy Tail's pretty little white-haired demon mage's past, Seilah had been certain that she could help Lullaby mentally cripple one of their enemy's S-Class and trap her in a nightmare world. It shouldn't have taken long at all. Victory was assured.
So why hadn't Lullaby contacted her with an update?
Seilah drummed her fingertips impatiently over the cover of the tome she had resting on her lap as she chewed on her lip. Not very dignified she internally reprimanded herself… Had she made a mistake in leaving Lullaby to the task on her own?
Seilah would have trouble forgiving herself if anything happened to the quirky child-demon. She knew the rest of her fellow Gates had minimal consideration toward the wellbeing of their guildmates. Such emotions should be left to humans. Such emotions were pointless, and unbecoming of the Etherious. It was a lonely thought, knowing that none of her so-called family would bat an eye if she were to fall at the hands of Fairy Tail or their allies. Not outside the mockery and disgust they'd certainly share, of course.
How is it possible none of them had been left with a shred of the humanity they'd once had? All 13 of them had been human at one point, dying in unimaginable emotional anguish, anguish only a human with loved ones to protect could possibly experience. Each one of them brought back by Zeref's experiments, a corrupting mix of concentrated ethernano magically imbuing their own life essence with that of some of the most powerful demons to walk Earthland 400 years ago.
None of the Gates talked about it, but Seilah knew they all retained their human memories. So how would it be possible they weren't at all influenced by their human emotions? Had the bloodlust of the demons they were crossed with combined so completely with their own despair and need for vengeance?
She herself felt that. A desperation to see humanity's end or at least their total subjugation, but the familial bonds that had once driven her—before losing her entire family—still drove her now, to protect the rest of Tartaros. Even if they didn't return the feelings.
She was the only one like this.
Except END. Natsu. He was one of the Thirteen. Why was he so different?
Exhaling in frustration, Seilah dropped her eyes to Zeref's book. One of the books of Zeref. All of his research on the magical tools he'd brought to fruition centuries ago, and many that he hadn't, was listed within these pages. She opened the book to the page marked by the leather strip and ran her fingers over the sketch detailing the Eclipse Gate's design. Her eyes skimmed the following pages that theorized Zeref's earliest hopes for one of his most ambitious magic tools. She'd read this particular tome cover to cover far more times than necessary, but it still gave her chills every time she glanced over the hidden powers of the Gate…
Kyoka had already left. Single-mindedly focused on the task at hand as usual. Cold and distant as usual. Ruthless as usual.
If the Thirteen Gates succeeded, would Kyoka and the others finally let themselves feel something again?
Seilah could only hope—but to hope, would be human—
A roar ripped her from her thoughts and had her shooting to her feet, clutching her book like a security blanket. She looked around wildly. A Dragon's roar. The sound still terrified her, even all these years later when they were all extinct, save one… What would Acnologia be doing here?! And why now?!
Then another roar, more distant this time, and a series of explosions that set the cube quaking. Seilah shook herself from the stupor and stumbled toward the door that led out of the library. Tearing the door open, she found an predictable level of chaos in the halls beyond. Various low-level demons and dark mages, those who weren't worthy of her learning their names, ran purposefully in a single direction.
Seilah caught the arm of one pale red-skinned demon, wrenching him out of his frantic run with strength she didn't look capable of. The demon's eyes shot wide open when they fell on her face, blank and stony. It yelped her title anxiously, immediately fidgeting under her gaze. "What is happening?" she asked coolly.
"No one knows!" the demon replied in a rush of words, "we received instructions from Master to head for the Core."
"Hell's Core…" Seilah murmured to herself, eyes narrowing as her mind chased answers. A certain pink-haired man came to the forefront of her pondering, her brain conjuring his undeniably mischievous grin. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath, before repeating the uncharacteristic curse louder. The angry aura that answered her emotions had the red-skinned demon in her grasp flinching away from her, but she paid him no attention. Power flashing in response to her anger, she threw the lower demon against the wall, spun on her heel, and strode forward, barely noticing as the other demons nearby scattered to avoid her path.
Heartfilia Estate
Static filled the crystalline sphere for a short moment before fading and leaving just Haru's own reflection to stare back at him in its polished surface.
"What do you think Haru?"
Makarov's question registered somewhere in the water mage's head, but Haru was still too busy trying to pull himself out of the mental tailspin he found himself in to answer effectively. He was aware of his heart hammering away in his chest as Natsu's face remained the dominant fixture in his mind's eye. Every word the pink-haired man had expressed was forcibly sewing shreds of hope into the agonizing acceptance Haru had worked so hard to achieve.
Natsu's gone.
But there'd been no sign of any of Natsu's tells.
Even through the shock and numbness that had frozen Haru in place when the cursed version of his partner had appeared on the comm, Haru had still immediately found himself analyzing Natsu's expression as he spoke. There had been none of the Fire Slayer's usual indicators that betrayed his lies, not even the slight upward twitch of the corner of his mouth. The one that seemed as if the integrity rooted at the core of Natsu's character was attempting to laugh outwardly at whatever lie he attempted to spin. So even if the man who'd spoken to them was truly Natsu's corpse reanimated under curse power, it seemed likely he'd have all of Natsu's involuntary mannerisms. After all, he had proven himself to have all of Natsu's knowledge.
Haru sunk a canine into his lip absently, tasting the coppery tang of blood as he considered the entire interaction.
"I have no right to ask you to trust me now, I know that…" Natsu had said as one clawed hand drifted up to scratch nervously at the back of his head. "But I have to ask you to try."
Natsu had been speaking to Haru and Haru alone, despite Makarov's presence right beside him. END's crimson red eyes had stayed locked on his, searching. Haru had given him nothing. Not because he wasn't struggling with the desperation to offer his best friend the trust he'd asked for so sincerely, but because he couldn't let go of the numb detachment that he now adopted as a defense mechanism when faced with Natsu. That detachment was the only thing keeping him from cracking ever since the impossible revelation of his partner's supposed rebirth and subsequent demonic awakening in Gazania.
But in true Natsu fashion, the Thirteenth Gate hadn't been ready to give up so easily.
"When me an' you were all we had and I first learned the truth of what I am, I was ready to give everything up because I felt like a danger to Fairy Tail… Because if I was Etherious, I didn't have any right to be the one to make Lucy smile every day—do you remember what you told me, Haru?"
"You are Natsu… Nothing more, nothing less."
The words had left Haru's mouth in a whisper before he'd even decided to answer. Until that point Haru hadn't indulged anything Natsu had said with so much as a nod of understanding. The Fire Slayer—whoever he may be now—was still breaking down his walls as if they were mere straw. Damn him.
"I need your help now Haru, will you come?"
"Yes."
"Haru?" Makarov repeated. The elderly man reached out, catching Haru's shoulder in a firm grip to physically snap him out of his thoughts.
Glancing down at Fairy Tail's worried master who stood on the desk next to him, Haru shook his head dismissively. "I don't know Master," he said honestly. "Get the Guild ready, if what N—he said is true, then Tartaros is on their way here."
"And what about you, you don't actually think I'd let you go alone?"
"We have no choice... So, you're just going to have to trust me. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. Dive, even if you don't know if there are rocks beneath the surface," Haru added. His resolution was sharp even through the mumbled words, and with that he turned and left the room.
. . .
The light of the study was harsh when Mira's eyes flew open, she squeezed them shut again and opened them more cautiously the second time. Erza was at her side in the next second, kneeling in front of the lounge chair Mira found herself propped in. She cut her friend off before she got a single word out though, immediately startled by Haru's absence.
"Haru?" she asked the redhead as she frantically surveyed the room. Warren was also absent. "Where are Haru and Warren? Are they okay? I succeeded… Didn't I?!"
"Oh yes, they're both okay!" Erza reassured. She must have noticed Mira's confusion though, because she elaborated just as quickly. "The Master pulled Haru away for an urgent call… He wasn't happy about it, but apparently it must have been important—the look on his face—" Erza paused, physically shaking herself, before her eyes snapped back to Mira's. "Anyway, he asked me to watch over you, said he'd be right back."
"I see," Mira murmured, she pursed her lips as she considered what could have upset Haru. Especially right after their plans in infiltrating Lullaby's mind had gone so horribly wrong. There was plenty there that was still scratching away at Mira's feigned calm. Top of the list: where was Seilah? The demoness had accessed Lullaby's mind and caused the Nightmare Demon's collapse to trap the guys… And from past experience, Mira knew Seilah was powerful. More powerful than Lullaby by far. She could have interfered in Mira's takeover, but she didn't.
Why?
Maybe she was overthinking it. Just raw from all the emotional turmoil Lullaby had forced her to experience. She could feel Lullaby's presence now, a new soul she could reach for with her Takeover magic. An enemy's power that could now be accessed to help her comrades in the war with Tartaros.
"And Warren?" she asked, distracting herself.
"With Mest, they're updating the others."
Mira nodded, mumbling a sound of understanding. "I got Lullaby," she said suddenly.
"What?" Erza asked, confused by the random statement.
"Takeover, I won, I have Lullaby's soul." Mira shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "First Tsushaima, now Lullaby, it's kind of messed up, isn't it? My power?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Mira spun toward the new voice but remained still and silent as Haru moved towards them. "Your magic just proves the strength of your desire to protect. That you can purify a demon's soul and use the same power that may have originally hurt your friends to fight for them, I think it's incredible." Haru stopped just a step away and smiled down at her. "Really, it's the ultimate fuck you to an enemy," he concluded, smirking.
Laughter peeled out of their redheaded friend who was now perched on the arm of Mira's lounge chair. Mira laughed too, before jumping up to throw her arms around the water mage. She was so thankful he was okay that she almost forgot that something important had pulled him away while she was still unconscious. She glanced up when he pressed his lips to her forehead and met his eye again. "What did Master need that was important enough to steal you away from me?" she asked mirthfully, trying to keep the mood light.
Haru's attention skipped across the occupants in the room. "It was a call for help," he told her, "I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you more yet."
The cryptic response hung between the three of them, and Mira could feel Erza's gaze flicking between the two of them. She wasn't upset that Haru wasn't telling her, if he wasn't, she trusted he had a good reason. It was the look in his eyes she didn't like. She knew that look. She'd seen if far too often in their fire-breathing friend… "You're going, aren't you?" she said, though the question lacked its questioning tone.
He nodded. Just the barest tip of his head.
"We'll go with you, Erza, Lucy and me—" Mira glanced toward the Requip mage, and Erza nodded in confirmation.
Haru didn't say anything, he gave her a smile before wrapping his arms around her. "I can always count on you to be by my side," he said softly, "I love you, Mira."
Shifting slightly to try to see his face again, Mira's eyebrows pinched together, it wasn't the response she'd expected. She glanced at Erza who shrugged a shoulder in answer. When he pulled away, the smile was still in place, "Thank you, Mira, Erza… I will get Lucy, be ready, we leave within the hour."
There was still something odd about Haru's response, but Mira chalked it up to the mounting stress they were all feeling.
. . .
"Okay! Explain what is going on right now!" Mira growled as she threw open the door to the master's temporary office. She crossed the room with Erza on her heels and leaned her weight onto her palms atop the desk. Makarov eyed her, looking completely composed.
Mira and Erza had busied themselves for close to thirty minutes, rounding up some of Porlyusica's vials of potions and herbal mixes and generally preparing themselves for whatever mission Haru had in mind. But when he didn't return with Lucy, the girls went searching, and did not find the mage in question. Or Lucy, for that matter.
Makarov steepled his fingers in front of his chin, observing both women. "Mirajane, Erza," he greeted, "good timing, we need to plan for Tartaros' approach—"
"We do… But you know that's not why we are here," Erza stated.
"I know. But it should be," the short man replied, adding knowingly, "you are upset that Haru left alone." That confirmed it, and the resulting emotions burned in Mira's gut. Faced with the expressions of betrayal and concern that flicked across their faces, Makarov sighed, and continued. "It was Natsu."
"What? Natsu?" Erza asked, "what are you talking about Master?"
"Natsu is with Tartaros, but it's not Natsu—Haru believes it's a Reanimation Curse… He had to face Natsu in Gazania, he didn't want the rest of you to know." Makarov exhaled for a long moment, visibly revisiting his thoughts as the pair before him shared aghast statements of anger. The idea of one of their guildmates being desecrated in death and turned against the family that was Fairy Tail's core reason to fight, burned painfully.
"And you approved him going alone?!" Mira snapped, capping their angry rants off incredulously. She trusted in Haru's abilities, but she could only imagine the levels of pain she would be feeling if she'd had to fight Natsu… Could Haru really come out of this unscathed?
"I don't like it any more than you do. But Haru was right, Laxus is still in Mercurius, Gildarts—who knows what trail he is following—you girls are the only S-Class we have here right now, and Natsu warned of Tartaros' approach. Fairy Tail needs you here. So, we are just going to have to trust that Haru knows what he is doing."
Mira's jaw clenched; she was going to give Haru a piece of her mind for trying to take everything on alone. She'd thought Fairy Tail had broken him out of that dangerous independent streak over the years since taking their mark, but there was nothing she could do about it now. "Where is Lucy then?" she asked instead.
"Lucy's gone?" he yelped. "I didn't approve her going anywhere…"
"Do you think Haru took her—" Erza started before Mira interrupted.
"—No… If Haru was trying to protect the rest of us from the truth, then there is no way he'd have taken Lucy. She'd be the last person he would ever want to see Natsu like this."
The three mages shifted uneasily.
"Then where…"
Unknown Location
Wendy's eyes flew open and the room around her spun in nauseating circles as her hypersensitive senses sought balance. Cringing forward as she swallowed thickly, the teen's grip tightened on whatever she was using to stabilize herself. Wendy took in a long steadying breath as the nausea subsided and glanced up from her hinged position. She yelped, a short verbal expression of her embarrassment, and she quickly released the tight grip she'd clamped around her comrade's forearm.
"L-Lucy, sorry!" Wendy squeaked, but the blonde barely seemed to notice her, or her reddened arm.
"Mest, what the hell?" Lucy asked, her tone ringing with displeasure.
The spatial mage stood in front of her, appearing unperturbed. "Sorry Lucy, but Master asked us to check in with Laxus and his team, they haven't answered their comm."
That caused Wendy to glance around the room they found themselves in now, though it was more ruin than room. The wall to their left was largely destroyed, but what remained of the walls still revealed the gleam of the marble that formed them. It was familiar, but there was so much obscuring her senses, including the sudden transport that had torn them from the Heartfilia Estate. Then she remembered hearing that Laxus was charged with the Princess' safety after her father had been kidnapped.
"Mercurius…" she murmured.
"That's great and all, but you couldn't have warned me?" Lucy retorted irritably; she glanced back over her shoulder. "You got Wendy caught up in your spell too…"
Back at the estate, Wendy had simply reached up to get Lucy's attention… And apparently, her seemingly harmless action had been at the precise moment Mest had spun his teleportation magic. Carla was probably losing her mind.
Concern replaced the stellar mage's irritation as she properly directed her attention to Wendy. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked.
Everything still felt a little muffled and the effects of vertigo hadn't fully subsided, but she nodded anyway. "Spatial magic just affects enhanced senses more. I'll be okay in a minute."
Lucy gave another huff, displaying exactly how she felt about the unexpected trip and turned her narrowed eyes back on their comrade. "Well? Let's get to finding them then," she growled.
Slowly Wendy's equilibrium was recovering, enough that she was starting to notice a familiar dark magic pressure. She couldn't put her finger on where she'd felt it before, but it immediately made her anxious. There was also something about the way Mest was behaving, fidgety and unsure, that didn't make sense either. Not when he was with comrades. Was there a threat around that he hadn't told them about yet? Was that why Master had sent him and Lucy?
Then it hit her.
Her eyes locked onto the blockish shape of the pack he had slung across his shoulder. "Mest…" she mumbled unsure, "why do you have Nirvana?"
Lucy's eyes snapped her way, and Wendy recalled that the blonde hadn't been with them when the allied group unsealed Nirvana… She wouldn't be familiar with the signature of its stalled state. Not quite dormant as it had been in holding at Fairy Tail, but not fully active either.
There was no time for them to question the spatial mage further though because he vanished again.
. . .
"Who's the brat? You were only supposed to bring me Lucy."
Lucy whirled around, the voice already sending white-hot anger ripping through her body. The Slave Demon stood at the other end of the room, paying neither of them any attention as she turned the metallic cube between her claws. "Yes well, things change. She's just a kid though, she won't pose a threat to the plan," Mest said, standing to her side.
"It's gotta be the Macro curse!" Wendy said nervously, "one of the Gates controlled Gajeel with it during their attack on Crocus!" Lucy's eyes flicked down to the Sky Slayer, she briefly wondered when the Macro demon would have come in contact with their comrade… But at least it answered the question of Mest's betrayal. Still the initial confusion she'd felt, and every other accompanying emotion fell to the wayside with the subject of her hatred standing before her. Lucy had imagined the moment she would finally find herself face to face with Kyôka again, wondering how she would feel. The numbness, the grief, the helplessness that might simmer beneath the surface of the one dominating emotion she'd been feeling for weeks. Pure rage.
"Stay back, Wendy!" Lucy instructed as her star magic pulsed around her.
Kyôka was hers. The Slave Demon would die by her hands alone. In an instant, she was across the large chamber with a snap of gold wings and slamming a powerful kick into her enemy's throat. The wild look in Kyôka's eye, the strange upward quirk of her bright red lips gave Lucy pause, she seemed amused, even as Lucy's boot found her temple in a second kick. Refusing to spend any time thinking on her enemy's strange reaction, the stellar mage continued to launch numerous strikes, each finding its intended mark. Still, Kyôka made no effort to fight back yet.
A strange dry chuckle peeled itself out of Kyôka's throat in short bursts, each one cut off by one of Lucy's attacks. "Come now Lucy, if you would just be reasonable, I could reunite you with that Dragon Slayer of yours…"
Her apparent amusement, and the audacity of her words, pissed Lucy off more. "Like I'd let myself die before avenging him!" she screamed defiantly. "Regulus Impact!"
Taking advantage of the magic spike Leo's Star Dress sent flooding through her the instant she summoned it, Lucy slammed her fist into the side of Kyôka's head. The orange-hued light exploded around her fist, but it was Lucy that found herself flying across the room. She didn't even register taking a hit. Her back crashed into the ground, and Wendy cried her name somewhere behind her. Pain prickled across the side of her face, sparking outwardly from her temple, it was only then that Lucy realized it hadn't been a normal blow.
The pain was sharp, increasing steadily across her cheek bone and jaw, blackening the edges of her vision on the side. Kyôka had decided to take the fight seriously. Lucy blinked her eyes, trying to clear the new blind spots in her left eye. The action allowed her to catch sight of the Slave Demon as she lunged forward again, one arm extended back and claws ready for attack. Lucy pushed herself up, wobbling on her feet as she prepared to defend, but Wendy intervened.
Pearlescent scales sparkled as the teen whirled around, "Sky Dragon's talon!" she called, effectively halting their enemy's advance. Kyôka lurched to the side, looking shocked by the unexpected intervention and Wendy took the opening, connecting two Iron Fists and a Wing Attack one after the other.
The dark pulse of Kyôka's curse swelled around her as she raised her fist sending a ripple of desperation through Lucy. "Don't let her touch you Wendy!" she yelled, but her warning came too late, Wendy's pained scream echoed through the chamber. Lucy shot across the room with the speed granted by her wings and caught her young friend in her arms. "Wendy! Wendy, are you okay?!"
The warm blue-green glow of Wendy's magic swirled around them both, the air shimmering with her power as it coated her skin. Then the Sky Slayer re-steadied herself and looked back at her, "I'm fine Lucy," she replied earnestly. Lucy's lips parted, impressed by what she was witnessing. Wendy couldn't heal herself from the physical injuries she sustained, but by all accounts, she had neutralized the effects of Kyôka's curse with her enchantment. The healing capacities of sky magic never stopped impressing.
"Let me support you, Lucy," Wendy said as a tingling warmth spread through Lucy's body. Lucy could feel the strands of sky magic mingling with her own. Her skin shimmered lightly with Wendy's enchantments, bolstering her against some of the more adverse effects of Kyôka's curse and providing a boost to her strength and stamina. The adverse effects of the demoness' curse eased with the sky magic swirling through her now and Lucy took a couple steadying breaths, as though confirming to herself the enhanced pain was dissipating.
"Interesting," Kyôka muttered, watching her intently from a few meters back. Blood-red lips peeled open in a dangerous grin. "Though, you aren't the only one who can enhance yourself, my pet… My curse works on my own body as well!"
Kyôka turned the green glow of her etherious on herself, laying her clawed hand against her chest. She laughed wildly as shocks of the power exploded off her, bolts shooting in all directions and tearing the room around them apart. Watching in trepidation, Lucy clenched her fists so tightly her nails bit into her palms. "Now, Lucy, you will see the true divide in our power!" Kyôka declared.
Screaming with the surge of etherious, the demon gate unleashed more waves of destructive energy to surge outward. Lucy dodged multiple streaks of green lightning, catching the occasional glimpse of Wendy on her periphery being forced to do the same. This continued for a couple minutes with no signs of letting up, and Lucy was beginning to lose ground with her own breath. Locking her attention on the green-haired demon, the blonde began weaving her way through the dangerous shower with more intent. Kyôka's name left her lips in a furious shout as she closed in the last couple steps, seamlessly switching from Leo's Star Dress to Taurus'. The strength-empowered fist crashed square into the Slave Demon's nose and Taurus swung around behind her, intent on burying the blade of his axe in her back.
The strategy didn't play out quite the way they'd hoped. Kyôka had released a pained cry but was still able to dodge Taurus' strike and was otherwise minimally affected by Lucy's. By stark contrast, profuse pain ripped through Lucy's face. She staggered back, hands whipping up to cradle her nose protectively. She expected to find her palm bloodied from the damage it felt like she'd sustained, but there was none, her nose was fine. Before she fully grasped the new facet of her opponent's curse, Kyôka caught her entire face in a shock of green. A second later agony ripped through her entire form, every nerve feeling like it was being shredded from its very root.
Lucy's scream filled the room, she dropped heavily, wreathing under the sharp pain. Sky Dragon enchantments would not protect her from the physical effects of Kyôka's attacks and the demoness wasn't likely to pause long enough for the Sky Slayer to heal her injuries either.
Suddenly Kyoka was on top of her, slamming her back into the ground, her claws digging mercilessly into one shoulder and around the junction of her throat. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The magical wind rushed at them both, razor sharp gusts just high enough to miss Lucy and intending send Kyôka careening. The Slave Demon barely moved, not even enough to take her eyes off Lucy. One large, clawed hand lifted and negated the twisting wind like it was a gentle breeze, the answering shocks of green ethereal lightning tore screams from Wendy a second later
"Wendy!" Lucy struggled, Star Reform flaring at her fist despite being pinned.
With a snap of her wrist, Kyoka altered the properties of her curse and the streaks of lightning turned ribbon-like, the cords of which wrapped around Wendy's throat and limbs. The teen was thrown about the room with the slightest flicks of Kyoka's hand and sounds of pain followed each like a brutal orchestra. Lucy struggled more, her magic pressure increasing with her anger and desperation and finally, the demoness paused her onslaught.
The Sky Slayer's body was littered with bruises and a few more concerning injuries, but she still met Lucy's gaze with determination, albeit through the crack of a single unswollen eye. "Don't worry about me Lucy! I'll be fine, take her down!" the teen yelled.
Scoffing, Kyôka made a blunt point. "I'd kill you hear and now, if Zeref didn't need you…Your friend isn't so important, so why don't you cooperate—"
"Like I'd let you take anyone else from me!" Lucy shouted defiantly. The stellar mage's undaunted declaration and fury had the demoness flinching for just a moment, but that moment was enough to give Lucy the opening she needed. Through waves of pain, she caught her foe by the throat and rolled back, kicking her over her head.
Following Kyôka's trajectory, the stellar mage sprinted after her, jumping and launching a brutal kick into the center of her gut, consequences be damned. Kyôka's whips that restrained Wendy broke as she coughed up a spray of blood and Lucy mirrored the action exactly when the Sensory Curse matched her kick's effect. Curling forward as her mouth filled with blood, Lucy spat a couple mouthfuls out until she could breathe relatively unobstructed again.
"Stop! Lucy!" Wendy shouted in panic, "you're killing yourself!"
Ignoring the teen's plea, Lucy threw herself right back at Kyôka, continuously trading strikes and feeling each successful hit on herself with magnified effects. It wasn't long before she found herself on the ground, panting for oxygen that struggled to come. Wendy was beside her, tears streaming down her face as she tried to work her magic over some of the more grave injuries. "Why Lucy… why go this far?" the bluenette murmured in anguish.
Lucy relished the warmth of her friend's magic as she wrenched her head up to check on the demon gate. Despite her own consequential crushing pain, she'd managed to deal her fair share of damaging hits… Lucy could feel her success in the state of her own body. Kyôka was down on one knee, trying to wrestle her own breath back under control.
The pain had eased with Wendy's help again, though the Sky Slayer warned her that her body was far from healed. Lucy was already struggling back to her feet anyway, and Wendy appeared to accept that she wouldn't be able to prevent the stellar mage from seeking her revenge. Assuming her own fighting stance, Wendy released her magic pressure, summoning the glittery pale blue scales of her Drive state once more. She met Lucy's eyes with determination, "I've got your back Lucy, like it or not!"
Lucy blinked back, struggling with accepting the offered help.
"As do I," the familiar child-like voice echoed through her mind.
"Thank-you…" Lucy breathed aloud as she admitted defeat, laughing lightly to herself. Mavis' power was already bolstering her own, the spectacular Fairy magic filling her body. "Let's go then!"
Lucy spread her feet in her offensive stance and formed her star-lit bow in the air before her. Taking its hilt in a strong grip, Lucy drew her other arm back as it began glowing with the marks of a Grand Spell. Wendy stepped beside her, setting her small hand on top of Lucy's bow hand and called her Secret Arts. The shimmery winds of the Sky Drill concentrated around the point of the Star Reform arrow.
Lucy's hair blew around her in a tangled mess along with the strands of Natsu's scarf against the energy pulsing around their growing spell. This was it. Kyôka would die here, Natsu would be avenged, and then the rest of Tartaros would follow. Lucy's vow repeated itself in her head alongside the final words of Mavis' incantation and the power of the second Grand Spell interwove itself with the already powerful blend of the sky and stars.
"Unison Raid—"
Lucy froze a split second before unleashing the devastating power of their spell when a black pulse of magic warped the space midway between them and Kyôka. "That is quite enough," Zeref said calmly as he dropped to the ground softly, his white and black robes settling at his sides. He reached up, casually brushing long dark bangs out of one eye as he took in the still very active Unison Raid Lucy held restrained.
"Like hell it is!" Lucy retorted angrily. She didn't waste a second of time considering why he felt confident enough to drop himself in front of an even stronger version of one of the Three Grand Spells. In her current mind state, all he'd succeeded in doing was lining up two of the people she held responsible for all of Natsu's suffering. She was perfectly content to include the Black Mage in her attack.
"Release your spell, or—"
Past Lucy was more cautious, she might have waited to see what ultimatum was on her enemy's tongue. The Lucy she was now didn't give him the luxury of wasting her time with his words. "Fairy Glitter!" she yelled, releasing the wide-spanning streak of blazing gold.
Plutogrim
The steady tap of his boots rang in Natsu's ears, his immediate vicinity was quiet, but a distant rumble still filtered through. The cube that housed Tartaros was so vast, a multitude of floors vertically and a twisting of walls and chambers horizontally. Natsu diligently followed the rumbling knowing he would find the crash mage at the center. He had to find Gildarts if his plan was going to work, preferably before Haru arrived.
Yukino had departed with Ultear, after the time mage had arrived to alert them that Tomie had disappeared from his cell. That meant any number of things, and as much as Natsu would have liked to believe, he doubted it meant the small King's legitimate escape. He would have to leave that to Ultear though…
Rounding a corner, Natsu immediately ducked and glanced up at the large fist now lodged in the wall from his crouch. The strike had narrowly missed his head, but Natsu merely blew out an impatient breath and turned his attention to his attacker. "The fuck is this supposed to be…" he grumbled, eyebrows pinching together as his eyes raked over the bastardized form of Torafuzar. The Water Demon's form had been twisted, his legs thinned out and striped with black, his upper body and arms as bulky as ever. The single eye in the center of the demon's head alerted Natsu to the demon's true identity. "Torawhatsar always was an ugly bastard… Who knew you could make it worse."
Franmalth grinned widely, "I wonder how much your betrayal will cost?" he hummed amusedly. Natsu hadn't considered that the Absorption Demon might take on the fallen Gates' souls if given the opportunity… Though, it wasn't really surprising either, the Gates only saw each other as a means to Zeref's world. Should any of them fall, they would be unworthy of living it that world.
"It can't be betrayal," Natsu retorted as he lit his fist on fire, wound up, and launched the strike into his opponent's chin. "I was never on your side to begin with!"
Natsu followed quickly, jumping above him and slamming the demon into the adjacent wall with his forearm crossed over what would be the demon's throat. He was forced to jump to the side and back a few steps when a storm emerged from down the hall. The burst of wind that accompanied a cyclone of water pushed the Fire Slayer back on the balls of his feet. "That's just great," he growled to himself, sensing another presence approaching.
Igniting his body in fire, Natsu turned to eye the new arrival and quickly tore across the space between himself and Tempesta. The pair collided, sending them both sailing down the hall. The Calamity Demon caught Natsu's upper arm in a strong grip and smirked back. "Woosh," he said, summoning a tornado to whip around them.
The winds were like razors, tearing at his skin, but it still didn't faze Natsu all that much. The black aura of his curse expanding around his form, rippling with red energy, the orb cancelled the effects of the tornado as they both crashed into the ground. Not wasting any time, Natsu slammed fire-laced fists into the demon's face, one after another.
Tempesta threw him back and both he and Franmalth sent destructive torrents of water at him. Releasing more of his ethereal pressure in conjunction with his magic, Natsu engulfed his body in fire, pressing the span of his flames further and further outward. The waters crashed into the outer rings of the fiery walls, extinguishing them at first, but with each new layer the waters were overwhelmed by the sheer heat, dwindling to a trickle before they were evaporated entirely on contact. Not a drop ever reached Natsu.
With a snort of amusement, the Fire Slayer unleashed a Wing Attack, streaks of fire overtaking the demon gates on either side of him. They were both on him again inside of a minute, attempting to pin him between them with a multitude of physical attacks. Natsu dodged most of them and occasionally answered one with a fiery fist of his own.
Tempesta looked absolutely infuriated at this point, and who knew what Franmalth was feeling, his transformations always left a permanent cartoonish grin plastered on his face. Natsu would be having fun, if he didn't have other places to be. He swung around, imbuing his body with his God Flames and smashed an Iron Fist into Franmalth's jaw to send him flying back. The force punched him right through the wall due to the close range.
Spinning again, Natsu aimed the same attack for Tempesta, but the other demon dodge by a fraction of an inch. Both men paused, staring each other down and widening into their attack stances again before surging forward. The connection of mirrored punches set pulses of ethereal pressure outward, ripping the walls on either side of them apart and destabilizing the roof above. Tempesta jumped back to dodge and Natsu threw himself forward after him, catching the Calamity Demon by the throat just as the rock collapsed in a pile behind them.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts—"
"Amaterasu, Formula 72:"
Natsu's head whipped around, the incantation freezing him into stunned silence, fist still cocked for another hit. The familiar multilayered magic seal spanned the width of the hall, and Natsu didn't have the time to evade the spell. The Jupiter Canon's cast was already complete, the blinding light that marked its impending explosion filled the entire space in an instant. Reflexively, Natsu drew on his curse, Portal wrapping itself around him in its shield form first, until he'd recovered from the shock of facing Amaterasu again.
Slashing a claw through space, Natsu rolled midair, and kicked off Tempesta's body, springing himself up into the portal he'd just opened. In an instant he emerged in a surge of black-rippled fire right behind Franmalth who had recently adopted the form of Hades. The Absorption Demon had a shockingly good reaction rate, spinning and catching Natsu's fist and returning a strike just as fast. Natsu's gaze flicked between the hall behind them and his opponent even as they exchanged strikes.
The Amaterasu Jupiter Canon had punched a massive hole through both the walls and multiple floors below. Tempesta was nowhere to be seen having taken his comrade's attack point blank as well. Past Natsu would have immediately complained about how anyone could ever betray a comrade like that. But the other twelve gates gave little regard for one another outside a mutual respect for the mission.
The rumbles of the other major fight in the cube continued to reach Natsu's ears. He had let Franmalth and Tempesta waste too much of his time already. Haru would be here soon.
Fuck it.
Swinging a fiery kick into Franmalth's gut, Natsu kicked back again and distanced himself. He thrust his marked arm forward and tore the bandages off. There was still a lot of untapped power being kept under control by Igneel's seals and he wasn't prepared to forcibly break them. That unrestrained power, he would save for Acnologia. Still, he braced the arm, focusing on drawing more of the etherious out, and watched as the embers licking over his arm turned a vibrant blue as the powers bled together.
Natsu grinned widely, silently proud of the control he was gaining over his ethereal powers. "Time's up," he said lowly, amused by the noticeable twitch of Franmalth's single eye. He set his stance, drawing on the magic of his Secret Arts and blending it into the ethereal aura. The blue flames erupted around his whole form in a show of force that didn't seem to pull much fear from Franmalth.
The demon extended his hands and called on his curse's ability. It took only a short moment before his eye widened comically, and Natsu burst out laughing. "Are you just realizing that this isn't magic? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't absorb curses!"
Without another word, Natsu closed the gap on the now panicking demon. He slashed out in an extended series of rapid moves, blades of fire exploding all over Franmalth's body. Then Natsu pivoted and whipped around with a powerful heel-kick, the final strike releasing the largest burst of fire yet and crushing all the bones in its path.
What remained of the floor and walls of the hall began shaking violently, prompting the Fire Slayer to widen his stance to maintain balance. This quake had nothing to do with Gildarts… Not shifting his gaze from Franmalth's mangled body yet, Natsu asked in exacerbation, "You really want to take me on still?"
Tempesta didn't answer the question, choosing to ask his own instead. "You're a demon, why can't you accept that? You're just like us."
Natsu faced his fellow Gate, face blank. "That's true, but I could ask you the same… I have demon blood in me, and you have human blood in you, much as you all like to deny it."
The comment pulled the first signs of emotion from Tempesta, disgust painted his façade as appeared in front of Natsu in a flash. Natsu caught the sharp punch that was thrown his way, pivoted, and flipped the demon over his back and to the ground hard. Tempesta appeared bewildered as the fire mage knelt, lodging a knee into his chest to keep him pinned in place. "The difference between us, is I choose my humanity."
"That's ridiculous. You say you choose humanity, but its demon power you're fighting with now!" Tempesta snapped. He caught Natsu's wrist in a bruising grip and shook it between them, drawing attention to the sharp black claws and marks that painted his skin.
Natsu stared at his own hand blankly for a moment, and then broke into a series of dry chuckles. "I came to a realization a while ago… Choosing my humanity doesn't mean rejecting my etherious roots, any more than it would mean rejecting my draconic roots. I am Natsu—"
"—Nothing more, nothing less."
Gasping, Natsu's attention snapped over his shoulder. Haru stood a good distance down the hall looking entirely uncomfortable and unsure of himself. It was unlike him.
. . .
Natsu stood to face him properly, releasing Tempesta who remained silent, eyes darting between both dragon slayers in shock. Haru pursed his lips, taking in the state of the Calamity Demon who'd clearly already taken on a pretty critical amount of damage. He had been confused when Jackal had shown up, considering Natsu had been pretty certain he'd killed him during the Games… but there'd been no sure proof of that because Natsu had blacked out. Tempesta though, Haru knew he'd died. He and Laxus had seen to that.
Clearly Natsu had been brought back though, Necromancy again? If that was the case, Fairy Tail was going to have to figure out which Gate wielded the curse in question and prioritize that. He blew out an irritated breath, first things first. "Guess you don't know when to stay down…" Haru said pulling on his newly acquired Holy magic. "Holy Water Dragon's radiant tidal wave!"
With a loud yelp of surprise, Natsu Flash-Stepped out of the attack's range and reappeared beside him. "What the hell man?!" he shouted in displeasure immediately. The Fire Slayer hadn't even taken the time to check the results of the spell. Haru peered at him sidelong, one eyebrow quirked in amusement. "Did you forget I'm Etherious?! That Holy stuff could really fuckin' hurt!"
"I knew you'd get out of the way…" Haru retorted.
That only sent the fire mage into further complaints about how his partner could so blatantly disregard to his wellbeing… It caused Haru to cock his head, really looking at the pink-haired man for the first time in a while. Horns and ethereal markings aside, he was Natsu. The thought had forced its way into his head when he'd caught the last moment of the fight. The conviction in which Natsu had declared himself as… well… Natsu, had solidified something for the Water Slayer.
Nothing more, nothing less.
"You…you really are Natsu, aren't you?" It lacked the questioning tone, and the quiet words finally cut off Natsu's rambling. Red eyes snapped to his and for a moment they both just remained silent.
"Yeah."
Innumerable emotions rushed through Haru, the first to break the surface, of course, was anger. His fist found nose before he'd consciously made the decision to punch. "What the fuck Natsu?!" The force threw Natsu back against the wall a good meter behind them, but he didn't fall. He also didn't move to retaliate, just observed with a sullen look. Grief. "Losing you… You don't know what it did to all of us. What it did to me… You're the reason I have a family, I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't forced yourself into my life all those years ago… How could you do this?"
Pushing off the wall, Natsu approached and stopped just in front of him again. "I understand Haru. I will never be able to atone for what I did to you, and Lucy, everyone…" he admitted softly. "You have to know; I'd never have done it, if I saw a better way to get an advantage in this war. This has all been for Fairy Tail."
Haru nodded. Everything Natsu did was for Fairy Tail, that had been the case as long as he'd known him. Haru also assumed whatever reason Natsu had asked him here now, whatever time he had alluded to, had come from knowledge he'd gained as the Thirteenth Gate. That should have brought hope, but so many emotions were still vying for dominance. The one that demanded attention now, even while they still stood deep in enemy territory, the one that kept tight reigns on his shreds of hope… Dread.
Just because Natsu was Natsu didn't mean it wasn't by way of a curse. It didn't mean he was alive.
"How did…" Haru released a breath, forcing himself to meet Natsu's crimson gaze. "I saw you die. How are you here?"
With a wide toothy grin, Natsu cheerfully declared, "Apparently being Etherious came with perks!" With that, he caught Haru's wrist and began guiding him down the hall.
Mercurius
The blonde's face was blank, eyes glazed over, the expression made Wendy anxious. An odd pulse of negative energy flared behind her, and Wendy whirled around, pupils blowing wide in shock. Snapping her attention back to the stellar mage, Wendy pushed against the bow where she still supported Lucy's hand to feed her own magic into the spell. "Lucy! We can't!" she cried desperately; the bow shifted just enough to throw off the arrow's trajectory. The massive beam of gold streaked slightly up and wide, just barely grazing the top of Zeref's head. Stunned, his eyes widened as his hair blew around him with the current of the spell.
Judging by the look on the Black Mage's face, he clearly thought he had the situation under control, and with it, the guarantee of his own safety. Of course, Lucy was just as shocked by the turn of events.
"Wendy?! What were you thinking?!"
The sharp tone of anger in her friend's tone startled Wendy, but it didn't prevent her from facing down the ferocity in Lucy's normally warm brown eyes. "Open your eyes, Lucy!" Wendy yelled, whipping her hand out to the side. The blonde's attention flicked across the room, and Wendy caught the fleeting glimpse of guilt that crossed her face. Mest stood in front of Kyôka, their comrade, willingly acting the shield under the Macro curse.
The muscles of Lucy's jaw clenched again, emotions visibly warring on her face. "That was my chance! I won't let anyone stop me from avenging Natsu!"
"This isn't you, Lucy! There's something wrong with you!"
Had Lucy been afflicted by a curse as well? It wasn't the same as Macro… She appeared in control of her actions; it was her emotions she seemed to be losing control of… A shadowy black aura emanated around the stellar mage, just barely perceptible.
The negative energy.
"It's Nirvana!"
Wendy whirled, Mest had just pulled Nirvana from his pack, and was handing the weapon to Zeref. The cube was pulsing with the same barely visible shadowy aura that had surrounded Lucy. "Nirvana…" Zeref stated, "one of my earliest experiments… The magic of Reversal. I'd hoped it would reverse death itself…"
"What is it doing to Lucy?!" Wendy demanded, cutting off the Black Mage's musings.
Jet black eyes locked on to her with an intensity that had Wendy flinching, and he repeated himself. "Magic of Reversal…Stage One… What wavers between light and dark will be reversed."
Plutogrim
Haru followed closely on the pink-haired mage's heels as they wound through the various levels and winding halls that formed the entire cube. Natsu had alerted him to one of the demon guild's greatest secrets, Hell's Core, their ability to revive themselves from death itself. No doubt Zeref's doing. It had occurred to Haru that must have been how the Black Mage had brought Natsu and the other Etherious back in the first place, centuries before.
Natsu told him the story of waking up in the strange lab tube, the hours after when his inactive demon stage had been woken by sheer anger, the Macro Demon trying to take control of him, and the opportunity that presented him. It had been that moment he made the split-second decision to infiltrate them, despite knowing the emotional toll it would continue to deal Fairy Tail.
They continued to move swiftly toward the sounds of the ongoing fight in one of the far corners of the cube, and with it, Gildarts. That news had surprised Haru more than anything else, it made more sense when Natsu casually mentioned that Igneel was around somewhere as well. "You really didn't see Dad when you flew in?" Natsu asked, "hard to hide a massive, bright-red dragon."
Pursing his lips, Haru thought back to his flight up to the cube on Carla's borrowed wings—she'd only agreed to take him this far and made no promises of keeping his whereabouts from the rest of the guild—Haru hadn't noticed anything out of ordinary in the surrounding skies, aside from the cube that dominated them. The pair rounded sharp corner and found themselves jogging toward another large knot of unknown demons. Neither slowed, they'd been dealing with the low and mid-level demons easily as they ran into them, never breaking their conversation. There was a lot to catch up on.
A pulse of silvery blue magic preceded the waves of ice that erupted from the next contact of Haru's foot as it landed mid-stride. The sheet of ice rushed forward, instantly coating the entire left side of the hall and freezing the group of demons to the wall in a thick crust. "How is Lucy?" Natsu asked as fire engulfed his foot as well and he shot forward, spinning a quick series of Talon Attacks across the line of their foes.
"How do you think she's doing?!" Haru shot back, not bothering to hide his frustration with Natsu's choices, even if he understood them completely. Natsu looked his way, expression somber and guilt-ridden. Releasing a breath as they left their latest string of victims behind without a second thought, Haru added, "still the same flame-brained, jump-first, think-later, idiot."
"I had to Haru…" he mumbled.
"I know you think you had to, and there's no changing the past," Haru replied. He offered his partner a snarky grin, "but I'm not helping you out of the wrath you'll be sure to face when the rest of Fairy Tail finds out."
Natsu paled considerably at the thought of Erza… Laxus… Hell, even Gray and Wendy… Most of all, Lucy. He couldn't begin to guess what her reaction would be. "Fair enough…"
"Natsu?"
"Mm?"
"I really am glad you're back…"
Natsu grinned widely, canines glinting. It was a huge relief not to be the subject of his best friend's hate and disgust. He wanted to tease the Water Slayer for the uncharacteristic touchy-feely moment but thought better of it.
It seemed Haru realized his slip without any taunts anyway, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he adverted his eyes. "Uh… I think it's about time you tell me why you brought me here…" he said, diverting the conversation away from the emotional turmoil.
"You, me, an' Gildarts are takin' down Plutogrim!"
Heartfilia Estate
The sun was starting to dip behind the mountains that framed the estate, Fairy Tail had done all they could do in preparation for the incoming enemy army. Master had encouraged them all to get some rest while they could, but Gray couldn't relax. He sat on the railing of his shared room's balcony staring out over the deceptively peaceful landscape, inside, Juvia, Erza and Jellal were all napping soundly.
"Nice night out."
Gray glanced over, watching as his blue-haired friend carefully closed the balcony door to avoid disturbing the girls still sleeping inside. Jellal approached the ornately, carved stone railing and propped his weight on his forearms, joining the ice mage in observing the countryside. "You should at least try to get some sleep Gray…"
Grunting in dismissal, Gray simply turned his gaze back, "I'm fine… I won't let them catch us unaware again." The pair fell back into silence and the sensation of Jellal's intent eyes on him set Gray's skin to bristling. "You can stop staring anytime, Jelly."
"No one has called me that since Natsu," Jellal said thoughtfully, the tone wasn't particular mournful, more reminiscent. The last thing Gray needed right now was a reverie, he hadn't been able to relax since their mission to Succubus Eye. Jellal hadn't been with them in the worst moments, he couldn't understand the feeling of failure.
Haru felt it too, but there was a difference. Haru had never turned his back on Natsu… Gray had distanced himself from his rival ever since learning his connection to the Etherious... It hadn't been like Natsu had chosen that for himself, but Gray couldn't let it go, not truly. Now he would give anything to have one more silly nonsensical brawl with the Fire Slayer. His companion didn't say anything more, probably reading his mood, and they both settled back into the stillness of dusk.
The welcome quiet didn't last though. "Gray… look there," Jellal said, pointing northward. Scanning the environment in the distance, trying to find whatever it was the blue-haired man was gesturing to.
"I don't see anything?" he replied questioningly.
A sound of confusion left Jellal's throat before he shook his head, "uh, maybe I was mistaken…"
"Nerves are getting to all of us—"
But then a new enemy materialized out of shadowy mist, appearing directly behind Jellal whose eyes blew wide, mouth dropping open in a silent gasp. Gray hadn't sensed a thing prior. The newcomer, obviously demon, stood balanced perfectly on the railing, black priest robes flowing lightly in the breeze. He wore a checkered stole with a high black collar and a pristine shirt and tie beneath. A gold headpiece that covered his jaw and head did nothing to distract from his fleshless face.
Before either of the Fairy Tail mages could recover from their shock, darkness whirled around the top of the staff he held, it's gold rings vibrating with the growing power. Jet-black particles gathered around the staff and concentrated into a point that plunged straight through Jellal's side.
With Jellal's name tearing itself from his lungs, Gray stumbled to the side, just barely missing a similar strike meant for him. The release of his magic froze the entire balcony in thick spires of ice, forming a protective shield around his fallen friend, and piercing through the demon's body in retaliation.
"Your physical attacks will have no effect on my body, human. I am one of the Thirteen Gates, Tartaros' Black Archbishop, Keyes," he introduced tonelessly.
The ribbons of black formed again, slashing out around the balcony, but before anything could land a cyclone of water ripped the doors off their hinges and sent them sailing to the ground below. Then Juvia was there beside him, and Erza was pulling Jellal to safety.
Shouts were sounding from around the mansion now as well, shouts warning of Tartaros' arrival. Gray whipped around as the situation fully dawned on him. Keyes' unexpected arrival had distracted him from the countryside, and somehow in just those few short minutes…
Fairy Tail had been surrounded.
A/N I am aware that Nirvana was not one of Zeref's weapons in canon, but considering I completely changed the Nirvit storyline…
Anyway, I genuinely hope this chapter was worth the wait, and it gives you all hope that when I promise this story will see its finish, that I do mean to keep it.
So much thanks to the beautiful souls of Kea-MX, SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, HisSecretLove18, FyreFalcon, EternalFlame, kkitz, TaraPasty, Nami4Life, Vincent J, Power Is Everything, Loves Curse, Kurasame (for checking in regularly, even when I didn't always reply) and guests. Seriously, you all are the reason I write, thank you for your support even while I've been away.
'Till next time!
R&R
~ LokaMuse