Hey guys! I've decided on an order to updating my stories - this first, then Collinding Stars, then Unfed and then Second Origin, so I can to the readers of all my stories.
Anyways, this is quite long chapter, and yeah. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Music Recommendations for this chapter:

There are two songs I'd like to recommend for you while you're reading this chapter:

The first one Ride of the Valkyries from Wagner's Die Walküre, It's a very nice classical piece, and it tells the story of the Valkyries, the eight super-human women. I think this one is very suitable for druid Erza.

Second is a song for more modern music listeners - it's Magnets, by Disclosure and Lorde, from the album Caracal and it has an amazing beat. And it's chorus goes, "Let's embrace the point of no return." which is suitable for the events at the end of this chapter and the way it's going to affect Mira. It's also pretty good for the situation Natsu and Lucy are in, since the only home they've ever known was just destroyed, and they're never returning to the life they led before now.

Now, for the story.

As the druids – the tree nymph warrior females – shed their clothes, the stream gurgled alongside the lush green clearing. They had just killed the ogres that had been terrorizing the other nymphs. It had been but an annihilation of the ogres – even though they were strong and had an immense jaw, they lacked the agility that the druids had. Even though the ogres had posed no threat to the warriors who had been sharpened by the blade of experience, the man who had been conducting them did.

Stripping off completely, the leader of the druids – a scarlet haired nymph who was called Erza entered the riverine channel. She was soon followed by the rest of her clan; as by tradition, druid clans only completed a task after their leader, unlike the uncultured and disrespectful humans.

Erza lowered herself into the water and sighed contentedly. As a blessing from Uisce, the water goddess, Erza could breathe under water for a very long period of time, one longer than the other druids'. As a matter of fact, bathing, for druids, could not be done for longer than a maximum of two minutes as their rivalry with their nymph sisters, the naiads, was higher than ever. The nymphs of the freshwater, the naiads, represented everything that the druids strived not to be – vanity, arrogance, selfishness. They were as annoying as a group of humans, giggling at every attractive male and running from honeybees.

The druids hated them with a burning passion. The naiads had no problems reciprocating the feeling.

But this rivalry posed a problem for the druids – they could not bathe. And as they frequently dirtied themselves fighting monsters and wild animals, they had to bathe. Hence, they had to bathe as fast as they could before the naiads appeared and attacked them with their fangs and nails. Shallow and vain as they may be, they were nearly as strong as the druids.

Erza rubbed the flakes of dried blood from the arms, careful not to touch the wound on her forearm, the one made by the blue-haired man. He'd slashed at her with a sword as she'd been battling one of the bigger ogres, and he had caught her off-guard. His technique was good, but it was merely mortal. He lacked the experience that most of the nymphs had.

Looking around, Erza realized that most of the druids had already finished bathing, and now lay in wait for their queen to get out of the water. Some of the new ones looked scared, and looked around for the naiads in fear.

Foolish, Erza thought, reprimanding herself. She was putting her entire clan in danger by staying in the water so long. The naiads had probably already sensed them – it would not take them more than a minute to reach the clan. And Erza was the queen of the druids – she was worth even more than her entire clan, whether she liked it or not.

Scrubbing her face quickly, she stepped out of the water. The rest of her clan followed, led by Speio Goffi, her second-in-command. Her black hair glinted in the sunlight, the water making it cling to her breasts. Speio's sharp eyes glanced around for enemies, her sharp nose turning around like the beak of a woodpecker.

"I am going to deal with this alone." Erza said, trying to look as stern as possible. "Do not follow me."

She knew that Speio and Bisca were going to follow her no matter what, but these little threats kept the rest of her clan at bay.

Erza had a good enough idea of who it was behind that bush – the blue haired guy who had just controlled a bunch of ogres. But it wasn't him and some other blue haired guy, and if she killed him, there would be some explaining to do.

But the guy wasn't completely innocent – he had, after all, looked at the druids bathing. It was a divine crime, and while killing the man was usually not the solution, sometimes it was. So at least Erza had a reason if this guy died on accident.

Erza took off from the clearing and ran through the trees. She had no reason to wear clothes since her ability was the manipulation of space – simply put, she could create a void in which to store clothing and weaponry, and she could use them whenever she needed. So far, she was the only known druid with this particular ability. The rest of the nymphs had their own abilities as well, but they were never the ability that Erza possessed.

Following the infiltrator was not difficult at all – he left so many bread crumbs that he may as well have done it on purpose. Which he might have, but it was useless to trap a warrior like her. And he also reeked of royalty – the smell of human blood and gold, of earthy jewels and expensive wine. Even Erza, a druid, was able to sense his scent. And druids had the worst scenting capabilities out of all the nymphs.

As Erza fleeted through the forest, she did not feel the familiar sting of branches on her face, and neither did she trip over any kind of rock or root. She had known that this would happen sooner or later after Erza became queen, but it still stung all the same. It was as if all the druids lived in fear of her; such fear that they moved their trees just to create a path for her.

A clan leader usually got her fair share of respect, and Erza was completely used to that. But as Queen of the druids, she was not just respected; she was feared.

And as much as Erza did not want to rule, if she had to, fear was not and would never be her preferred method.

Erza stopped following the scent as she reached the edge of the forest. There was a huge drop to the ground, where the kingdom of Armakhov stood. It was a grand kingdom for sure, but it was not nearly as lavish as say, Skallev – the McGarden's kingdom, or Fiore (or what was left of it.) The smell of the man vanished as Erza had neared the kingdom, corrupted by the smell of smoke and sewage and urine from the kingdom.

The Denarind Forest was on the edge of the empire of Fiore – not the kingdom retaining the name, but the empire which had been divided into four. And Armakhov stood here, even closer to the edge than the forest. It was the smallest kingdom of the empire, but it was self-supplying. And it was ruled by the Fernandez family, a line of kings who toed the line between justice and peace.

And as Erza stared at the spiraling towers designed to conserve space and at the stone castle in the midst of all the high-rising buildings, all she could think of was the blue haired man who had attacked her clan.

She was going to find him.

And kill him.

Natsu carried Lucy through the dense woods, trying not to step on any sharp rocks or tree roots. A soft golden light still surrounded Lucy, but it was slowly losing its power and turning translucent. But for the time being, the light she gave off was enough to illuminate Natsu's path.

At first, the light which had surrounded Lucy had been almost opaque, covering her body like a shining gold blanket. And she had been muttering what sounded like an introduction, a first meeting. It had been very creepy.

And Natsu didn't know what kind of stupid stunt Lucy had just pulled back there, but it had almost drained her life force. By the time he had turned back into a human and gotten her out from under the falling rocks, her pulse had slowed down to a trickle and her heart had been beating monotonously. She had bruise marks and cuts all over her body, and there was a huge gash on her thigh, with white bone visible under the blood and the flesh.

Whatever she had done, she had achieved what she wanted to. The falling rocks had stopped just in time, before any of the especially large ones had hit the ground. They had just stopped in midair as if they were puppets held up by string, and even the blood pouring out of the various gashes on their bodies had stopped flowing altogether. The wind still blew, but the grass around them did not move along with it, and neither did the trees.

By the time the rocks had started falling again, Natsu had reverted back to his human form and carried the unconscious and mumbling out from under the deathtrap. It seemed that whatever had stopped the rocks did not slow the process of clotting, since most of their smaller wounds had already closed.

But that one big gash on Lucy's leg posed the real problem. It had not had enough time to heal, and was still bleeding freely. All Natsu could've done was rub some chewed wolfsbane onto the wound and hope for the best.

Lucy had saved the both of them for sure, but Natsu didn't give a damn. If she ever almost got killed trying to save him again, make no mistake, she was going to die by Natsu's hand.

Lucy was slowly glowing out of power, as if the petroleum inside her was slowly finishing off. It was just like her, powering down slowly after a sudden movement.

Natsu was panting and sweaty by the time Lucy's light had been completely extinguished. It was a scorching night, and the humidity was off the charts. Natsu was sweltering inside his woolen jacket, so he took it off and left it on the forest floor. He walked a few miles before settling at a clearing near a stream, away from all the tall pines and shorts cyacas. Natsu couldn't even turn into an intimidating dragon now since he had used up all of his magic energy at the tower, and now that exhaustion was overtaking him, it was physically impossible.

His eyes were drooping and his bones were leaden as he set Lucy down on the soft grass, but Natsu swore not to go to sleep, at least until Lucy didn't awaken. And while he had a thorough knowledge of the outside world through an aerial view, he knew nothing about forests. He usually flew to the nearest village for food and supplies, and he never walked. And so, his feet ached like anything.

Sweat was making his shirt cling to his body, and as he lay beside Lucy, it was extremely uncomfortable. So he took that off as well, along with his baggy woolen pants. Feeling better in his boxers, he looked at Lucy. Since the trees were scarce in this clearing, the moonlight landed directly on Lucy's face, making her look regal and majestic, like the princess she was and not some country girl tending to the family she had – which was a pink haired dragon shifter boy and blue colored flying cat.

Talking about blue haired flying cats, Happy had flown alongside the pair as they had made the journey to the stream. He was now nestled on Lucy stomach, sleeping serenely. Watching them, Natsu felt as happy as he was ever going to be.

Natsu contemplated taking his boxers off as well, since he and Lucy were not unaccustomed to each other's naked bodies, but ultimately decided against it. What if some stranger saw them during the night and thought that they were some kind of perverts?

Natsu lay back down and gazed up at the night sky. It was clear night, full of stars and a half but bright moon. He knew all of the constellations – courtesy of Lucy – and he could recognize the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and Leo easily. Lucy had loved to gaze at the night sky and look at the constellations, since she believed that Celestial Spirits were actual beings rather than myths, and now Natsu could see the appeal in watching the night skies. It was something peaceful and almost melancholic, and definitely something that could put anyone at ease in a minute.

It was a very well lit (a little too well lit, in fact, for Natsu's liking) and for the first time, Natsu felt uncomfortable to have placed Lucy in such a reveling place. The moonlight felt directly upon them, and even though it made her look good, it wasn't exactly good camouflage against predators. And the monsters rumored to lurk in the Dark Forest.

Still, Natsu could not move her to another position. The ground of the forest was hard and covered with pine needles and sharp rocks, twigs, and jutting tree roots. Not only would it be extremely uncomfortable and not to mention inappropriate for the princess, her back was going to be in ribbons when she woke up since Lucy tended to move around a lot in her sleep.

Natsu guessed that he was going to have to stay awake and stand guard over her this night and truly, it was not something he minded.

Gray rode Anamoros all the way into the forest, the horse's hooves slamming against the hard ground with a clicking sound. Since the floor was not covered with pine needles, there was nothing to stop this noise from attracting animals and monsters to them.

Anamoros was laden with the usual supplies – food, water, medicine and bandages, rope for climbing high rocks and the likes. Noah was used to trips like these into the forest, but a trip into the mythical Dark Forest was not exactly something that he wanted.

A roar sounded to his left; Gray turned to see a sphinx gallop alongside his horse. Sphinxes were a rare sight nowadays – hunting enthusiasts had started to turn to them after the pegasi had died out. Sphinxes were endangered, but it wasn't as if they were of any use. At least the pegasi had helped humans – the sphinxes were just man-eating animals.

The sphinx was looking to outrun Gray – he could not let it, since he knew the ways of the sphinxes. It was going to ask him a riddle, a tough one, and since he wasn't exactly a scholar, he was going to be eaten. So he kicked Anamoros into a faster gallop and leaned slightly to the right in order to put some distance between him and the lion woman.

Unfortunately, it was no use. The powerful legs of the creature propelled it forward faster than Anamoros's gallop, and the sphinx overtook him in no time.

Gray swore under his breath. He couldn't turn Anamoros to any side or even back, since the sphinx could catch up easily. He would just have to face whatever this weird hybrid put forth for him. Seeking to look as sharp and clever as he could, Gray narrowed his eyes at the sphinx. He had only ever seen one before, and that had not been pretty.

It wasn't as if sphinxes were bad on the eyes – they were gorgeous creatures, with the bodies of sleek and powerful lions and the faces of beautiful women. This particular one had long, flowing black hair, which created a sharp but striking contrast with the mustard color of the coat of hair on its body. It had almond shaped eyes the color of a sunset, coupled with a button nose and perfectly shaped lips. Muscles rippled under its strong body, creating a stunning visual.

The creature smiled to show its gleaming white teeth, which included the very sharp canines, and said, "My name is Sephora. I'm going to ask you one riddle – answer correctly, you win. Answer wrongly, you die." She had a husky and cold voice, like the voice a courtesan took with a noble.

Gray felt a chill run down his spine and struggled to keep his composure.

"Are you ready?" Sephora asked, her eyes taking him in like a piece of particularly tasty meat. Gray gulped, steeling himself, and nodded.

"Okay," she said, "but remember. I will not repeat these lines, so listen carefully."

Blocking out the noises of the chirping birds and the splash of water, Gray listened, concentrating all of his attention on Sephora's gravelly voice.

"I am on your plate and on the road,
I keep you alive and well in sport;
But if you choose my wrong side,
By the rules of life I will not abide.
Who am I?"

Well, shit. This was going to be tough.

Luckily, Gray had a good memory, and memorizing this small poen was nothing compared to the ballads and sonatas he had learnt by heart.

I am on your plate… a knife? a fork? A spoon perhaps? Or maybe actual food? There were too many options to choose from here, so Gray proceeded to the next part of the riddle.

And I am on the road. What was it? Pebbles? Rocks? Granite? I keep you alive and well in sport. It was something that sustained him and gave him energy… food? Water? Food could've been the answer if it hadn't been 'on the road'.

But if you choose my wrong side, with the rules of life I will not abide… It was most definitely not food.

"A spoon? A fork? On the road?" Gray said out loud, and the phrasing immediately led to a brainstorm. The sphinx gave him a smile full of sharp teeth. "I want just one answer, boy."

Gray nodded, thinking over his was always a fork on his plate, and forks in the road were not uncommon. And in novels, taking the wrong side of the fork almost always meant certain death….

And what tool did he use to bring food from his plate to his mouth, indirectly sustaining him and keeping him active and animate?

Gray wasn't completely sure about his answer, but he did feel confident. So he grinned and said, "Fork. The answer is fork. "

Sephora showed of her teeth once more, and then stepped aside.

Mirajane Strauss awoke to the sound of the piano playing softly in the next room. She smiled softly, practicing, and then proceeded to wrap a robe around her nightgown and head out to the foyer. It was decorated lavishly, with rich beige leather covering every surface. The sofas were swathed in it, accompanied with maroon and blue velvet cushions which complimented the beige nicely. The curtains were made of similar velvet as well, and the mantle was red marble, white fissures spreading across it, making the flames dancing in the fireplace seem even more terrible. The floor was white and red marble accompanied with granite, and it felt cold under her bare feet.

The room itself was huge, as expected of the Lord by whom she had been hired. A grand piano lay at the centre of the room, the centre of attraction. It was an inky black, and the Lord was playing away. His fingers were long and dextrous, and he touched every key very softly.

Mirajane recognized the piece as Chopin's Tarantelle, the music not lovely, but soulful. It may sound clangy to someone who had no experience with music, but Mirajane's mother had played this piece quite a few times. The A-flat was wonderful music, but the piece ended too soon. The Lord closed his eyes, and Mirajane began her polite applause. She took care not to clap too hard or soft, just the perfect amount of sound for a client.

He turned around with a grin on his face. Lord Byron had been one of the less handsome clients of hers, but he was the nicest. And it wasn't like he was dead ugly. All of Mirajane's clients could be courtesans themselves, with the looks they had.

Courtesans had taste too. And Ythir's best had the pick of the herd.

"I didn't know you could play. And Chopin, at that. Where did you learn?" Mirajane asked, modulating her voice to sound polite, but not overly so. It was a skill every courtesan had to learn at an early age, because the Lords and Ladies who bought them had little to no tolerance.

Byron's smile spread further. "My father was a man of the arts. He taught me every piece I know."

The smile never left Mirajane's face. "So are you ready to marry the woman?"

Lord Byron faltered, but maintained his smile nonetheless. It was admirable, how much courtesans and ministers both had to work on their behaviour, although the difference in their professions was monumental. "Yes, I am. Though she is not nearly as much of a beauty as you are."

And here Mirajane thought that Byron wasn't a complete pig.

Ah, well. All men were pigs. She'd accepted that a long while ago.

"Do you think we could... you know..?" The Lord stuttered, and Mirajane shivered inside. Byron would have been a catch for any Lady, given his good natured face and lean body, but Mirajane didn't want this. She was so done sleeping with people for money.

However, she willed herself to turn her innocent smile into a wicked one, and dropped the robe.

Near the window of the Montgomery Manor, a white haired reporter named Lisanna clicked a picture of the gyrating woman and the man.

This was going to be the biggest scoop.

Yes, I named a sphinx after a cosmetics company.

I'll be answering the reviews now!

Everyone who wanted the next chapter: Well, here it is! _
Everyone who thought this was interesting: You thought that was interesting? Wait till you see what I've planned!
The Guest: Well, I'm going to make two points here. (1) This is not a story set on Earth. No way. This is not Earth, and that planet has science lmao (2) You know Aristotle? Kanada? Herodotus? They're all not only thinkers, they're scientists. And they lived in times before this story is set. Don't underestimate science, bro. I really appreciate the constructive criticism though. Thanks.

Guys, tell me if there are any mistakes and I'll correct them!

And don't forget to follow, favorite and review! I appreciate any kind of reviews, may they be bad or good. Just keep 'em coming!