Well guys, you want answers? Well here you go! Answers! Some of them, ahem. Anyway, I'm in America now and already having a great time, but I do have some time to write at night. So I hope I can maybe get at least a chapter per week, maybe even two. So here's the next chapter where you will finally get some answers.
And you maybe won't like some ;) Or some find shocking.
Anyway enjoy!
Rez: Yes me! Haha, love it.
Marty: Well I have to uphold my title! Also yes, there are more questions now but at least some will get answered here! Ready to see some reaction!
ian12091995: Great to hear! Also hope it wasn't too long of a wait. I'm trying my best ;)
Zwack15: Oh you have no idea ;) Anyway, I won't keep you waiting for long so some of your questions might be answered!
Everyone stood there waiting for Kera to speak. So long, an entire year they tried looking for her and now Erza would finally get answers as to why she left and what she has been doing. They were now just waiting for her to speak.
Kera sighed as she looked at her friends. "Well… as you know… a year ago I left Fairy Tail and Magnolia. I'm sorry I didn't leave anything behind but… I needed to leave."
Erza stood there with her arms crossed. "Why did you need to leave?"
"Because I wanted to get stronger." She told her simply, her golden eyes resting on her. "Simply like Natsu, I left to train and get stronger." She explained while also motioning towards the pink haired Dragon Slayer.
Lucy moved slightly. "Then why did you leave without saying anything at all? Natsu left a note saying he'd be training. You just… left."
"You could have gone with me. We could have trained together! Why did you leave?" Erza asked while her voice started to get louder. "Why Kera? Not even a word or a note that told me where you were going or even what you were doing? I was worried!"
"I did it because of you!" Kera snapped at her causing the red head to take a step back. She didn't expect her to snap like that and so quickly.
The brunette gritted her teeth as she glared at Erza. "I left because of you, all of you! After the entire Tartarus incident I couldn't live with myself. Time after time you have to almost sacrifice yourselves for me! I was completely useless! I couldn't get out of that dungeon, I couldn't fight Mard Geer, I couldn't even fight Kyouka! You were out and done for Erza! You almost died, getting up without any of your senses so you could fight Kyouka! If I had been stronger all of that didn't need to happen!"
The others stood there a little shocked hearing this from Kera. "Kera…" Erza started. "That… that was Tartarus, they were… completely off the charts. You shouldn't feel like that. You weren't useless."
Kera shook her head while rubbing her forehead. "It's not just Tartarus! It's every time! Every time you all have to come and save my god damn ass! I can't take it anymore! I feel like a useless kid that has to be looked after." She turned around holding her head. "That's why I left. Because I wanted to get stronger so I could fight my own battles. So I'm not some useless wizard. So I could finally protect you." She said while turning back around giving her friends all a glance.
"Kera…" Erza tried again but it seemed like she wasn't finished yet.
"I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't watch all of you getting hurt, getting beaten, almost dying just for me… I couldn't take it anymore that I couldn't help or even be the one who protects you. It's always you guys that are protecting me. I felt responsible for everything you had to go through. I just had to do something." Kera muttered while sitting down on a couch.
Silence hung in the air as nobody dared to speak. Hearing this from Kera… well they didn't expect it. Did she really feel like that? Did she really felt being useless? Lucy gave Natsu a sad look understanding why she did this now. The pink haired Dragon Slayer could slightly understand as well. He left to train so he could protect his friends as well. In one way Kera did the same.
Erza sighed as she hung her head. "I'm sorry you felt like that Kera. I really am. But you could have told us as well. You didn't have to run away because of this." The red head spoke while giving the brunette a soft glance. "We could have figured something out."
Kera turned her head away not able to look Erza in the eyes. "I did what I did. There's no changing the past. I know I could have left something behind but… I didn't want anyone of you following me. I also didn't expect you trying to look for me. It's been a year."
The red head smirked slightly. "You really believe that I would just give up like that?" Now she expected some kind of snarky remark back at her but… shockingly… Kera didn't do anything like that. Instead…
"You should have." Kera told her.
This time Gray decided to come into the conversation. "What about your eyes? There a reason why they're gold?"
The Queen of Dragons snorted slightly while turning around again, showing her back to the others. No… she couldn't tell them that… she promised Wendy but… she just couldn't.
"They deserve to know Master. You can tell them."
Kera sighed as she put a hand against her forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me master."
"I apologize Kera. Old habits die hard I guess. But you trust them so far, you can trust them with this as well." Crystol told her and finally Kera nodded simply. She was right. She was always able to trust in her friends and Crystol could see it now too.
"Wait… are you talking to Crystol?" Erza asked raising an eyebrow, removing her hands from her chest.
Turning back around Kera nodded. "Yes, that was Crystol. She said I should tell you because… well you're my friends and I can trust you."
"Well if that's Crystol let's talk to her! Let her take over!" Natsu shouted taking a step forward.
"I'm sorry Natsu but that's not possible anymore." Kera told him with a stern glance.
Erza frowned as she observed Kera. There were a few things wrong with her. First of all her golden eyes, second of all, she wasn't acting like she used to, always stern and serious, not a hint of sarcasm or fun in her voice. Also she didn't seem to be in pain while talking to Crystol. Something wasn't right here. "What's going on Kera? You don't get headaches anymore from talking to her?"
Kera shook her head. "Crystol and I can talk to each other without any problem anymore. She also can't take over anymore either. I have full control now."
The others now knew that there was something that happened to her. This doesn't occur so easily, especially after what Kera went through her life. Lucy looked worried. "Kera what did you do?"
"I trained." She said simply. "At the beginning of my training I spent my time on my magic, gaining new abilities and powers I didn't believe I had. Yet it wasn't enough. That is why I went to the library."
"You mean the big one?" Wendy asked and Kera nodded. "Exactly that one. I had tried to look for information on anything related to my powers, unfortunately I hadn't come up with anything. That is when I tried to train, practice my teamwork with Crystol. She was a part of me and she would also help me through crisis."
She glanced at Erza shortly before returning her gaze towards the entire group. "That's when Crystol regained some sort of memory."
"Regained memory? You mean she had amnesia all this time?" Juvia asked growing slightly confused but Kera shook her head proving her wrong.
"Crystol never had memory loss but it seemed that she had gained this information all so suddenly. She knew how I could get stronger, how we could get stronger." Kera explained.
Erza frowned. It didn't seem to be one of those simple training techniques that she had come across. There was something else. "And that was?" She asked hoping that it wouldn't be that bad. But it would explain her strange behavior… maybe.
Kera closed her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes again and looking Erza dead in the eyes.
"I fused my soul with Crystol's."
There was a long pause in the house. No one spoke a word. They were all looking at Kera with shocked filled expressions. Erza though was the first to snap out of it.
"YOU DID WHAT!?"
Kera nodded. "You heard me, I fused my soul with Crystol's. We are now one."
Lucy blinked as she sat on the couch. A hand went up to her head still not able to comprehend the situation. "Wait… is that even possible? I mean… I don't… how does that even work?"
The brunette smirked slightly. "It's an ancient magic spell that was used by the Dragons. There are only a select few who have this… second Dragon in their mind and those few have rarely survived the fusion. For all I know I am the first one to actually live to tell the tale."
Erza shook her head still confused while Natsu grabbed his. "My head hurts." He muttered slightly.
Kera sighed. "It's simple actually. Crystol is a part of me yet she was never a part of me. She always had a separate soul that is why we were both fighting for the control over my body. We weren't in sync we weren't working together, yet Crystol is the sole source of my power. Every Dragon Slayer has one, mine is just alive hence Crystol. By fusing our souls together we became one being. There were positive sides to this spell, yet there were consequences as well."
The red head couldn't believe what she was hearing. Combining two souls into one? She didn't know that was even possible. But... "Wait… consequences? What kind of consequences?"
"For one, as you can see, my eyes have become gold. I guess they were supposed to be that way from the beginning. They show that I'm the Queen of Dragons." Kera explained putting a hand against one of her eyes.
Natsu shrugged. "That explains that, makes sense too."
Erza raised her hand to stop him from talking. She knew that wasn't it. "There's something else… isn't there? It's probably also the reason why you're acting like this."
Kera nodded. "Due to the spell… my personality has also fused with Crystol's. You can say that I'm sort of a new person. Yet I still believe that I have kept most of my personality. Of course an entire year alone and hunting down men changes oneself as well."
"You blew up a bar!" Erza suddenly yelled at her. "How the hell is that keeping your personality!? The Kera I knew would never do that! What was going through your head?"
Lucy looked at the red head a little nervous. "Uh Erza, just calm down. She can explain right?" She asked while turning her attention towards Kera.
The brunette narrowed her eyes. "That's none of your business." She said simply before turning around.
That was the wrong thing to say because Erza grew really irritated. She finally had enough and moved forward. The next moment Erza threw a hand towards her face, wanting to slap her. Yet before she was able to hit her, Kera caught her hand without even looking. Erza's eyes went wide while the others simply gaped.
The brunette moved her head slightly so she could look at Erza without actually turning around. "I told you everything, now leave."
She threw Erza's hand away before heading for the door. Everyone was completely shocked. Never had this happened before. Never.
But Erza wasn't going to end it right there. She was not going to give up yet. Not after an entire year of searching. With a hard glare she headed straight towards the brunette. "Kera! This is not…" She grabbed Kera by the shoulder but that was the wrong thing to do. Kera suddenly grabbed Erza's arm, twisted it behind her back before slamming the red head into the wall beside her.
Now everyone was shocked to death. Lucy almost fell from the couch while Gray and Natsu almost fainted on sight. Wendy took a step back and Juvia didn't know what to do at all. Erza gritted her teeth as she felt Kera push her into the wall. "I don't want to hurt you Erza. I'm doing this to keep you safe. So just let it go and go back home." With that she let the red head go, heading out the door, slamming it behind her.
Erza grabbed her arm and started rubbing it. Her gaze locked on the door where Kera had just left.
Lucy glanced at Erza a little worried. "You're going after her aren't you?"
"You got that right." She said heading out the door, going after Kera yet again. The others quickly got up running out the house as well. They didn't want to leave this like it is. They wanted Kera back and they would do anything.
"Kera!" Erza shouted running after the brunette. She couldn't see her anywhere but she knew she was still there. "Kera I'm not leaving! If you run again I'll just simply follow you!"
Her head snapped to the side as she heard a branch snap. She quickly summoned one of her swords and held it in front of her. Luckily she did because Kera appeared ready to punch her back. The sword blocked the attack causing the two girls to lock gazes.
"You can do or say whatever you want, but I'm not giving up on you. Whatever you have to do we can help you." Erza told her glaring at her.
Kera gritted her teeth. "I need to do this alone. You and the others should leave. I'm doing this to protect you."
"We're here to help!"
"I don't need help!"
"Why not!?"
"Because you've been helping me all my life and I want to be the one who stands up finally!" Kera snapped at her. "I don't want to be a helpless little girl who can't even fight her own battles!"
The two parted as they lowered their guard. Kera took a step back while Erza let her arms drop. "Kera… asking for help doesn't make you weak. You're not weak, heck you're strong. You clearly… showed that the last year, but… it's okay to rely on your friends and family because they make you even stronger."
Kera sighed as she rubbed her forehead. This was not going how she planned. She wanted to protect her friends, be able to stand up for them, fight her own battles without needing their help, which usually caused them to get hurt. She wanted to avoid that.
"Come on Kera." Erza said glancing at the brunette. "We're your friends. We don't see you as weak we just want to help."
"Why are you really here?" Kera asked turning towards them all. "What was your real reason to find me?"
Erza glanced at the others before turning her attention back to Kera. "We wanted to find you because we want you to come back."
Natsu smiled softly. "We want to bring back Fairy Tail and we want our friends back, all of them. What Makarov did, disbanding the guild, that shouldn't have happened. That's why we're bringing back the guild. We're a family."
Kera shook her head. This can't be happening. "I'm sorry but I will have to decline." She said simply. "I have something else to do."
"Why are you after these people Kera?" Erza asked crossing her arms over her chest.
The Dragon Slayer sighed as she held her head. Should she tell them? Well…
"Just tell them. After so long I always wondered why you trusted these humans but now… well… I perfectly understand and you should tell them. They could help."
Kera rolled her eyes hearing Crystol. Before the fusion she always told her to never trust them, that they were just tricking her, lying to her. She wanted to kill them back then, but now… now she understood why she trusted her friends because she was able to look into her heart as well. She was glad about that.
"They call themselves the Keepers of the Lost Souls." She suddenly started catching the attention of her friends. "There are seven of them all together and their goal is to control the entire continent. They want to overrule the King of Fiore, probably kill him and pull this entire place into darkness, I don't know exactly the entire plan but I believe they want to rule. All seven… well six of them now." Kera explained while giving her friends a dead serious look.
"They're not all friendly towards each other. They want to be better than the rest. At the moment the one who succeeds into killing me will gain incredible power and recognition." Kera explained further. "The last few months I've been trying to track them down because they've been causing too much trouble. There was this small village… they completely destroyed it while also…" She stopped herself as an image ran through her head.
Erza saw her hesitation and grew worried. "What Kera? What did they do?"
"They killed everyone, man, woman and child. They… one of them even takes their souls." Kera explained looking down to the ground again. "It's inhumane and they need to be stopped."
Juvia blinked. "Wait, I heard of that village. It was Greendale wasn't it?"
Kera nodded. "Yes, Greendale is no more, eradicated by these monsters." She gritted her teeth while clenching her fists. "If I don't stop them every other town will see the same fate as Greendale. And I will not let that happen. Not when I can stop this." She clenched her fists.
But then she sighed. "So there… now you know everything. Now what are you going to do?"
"We're going to help."
Kera looked a little shocked as she heard that. Erza glanced at the others sawing that they were right behind her. "We're a team Kera. We help each other, we fight together, it doesn't matter if one is weaker than the other. Out strength together is what matters. You're not weak but fighting alone is not the answer either."
Erza looked up at her. "And if you're dealing with these people then we're helping you because you're part of this team and you're our friend."
"You have no reason to trust me or even help me. I'm not the person I used to be. So why?" Kera asked raising an eyebrow at Erza.
The red head walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Because deep down you're still the same Kera and my little sister. Nothing will change that."
Kera sighed. "Are you sure about this?" She asked. "Because I'm not who I used to be. I changed."
"We'll change that. Don't underestimate Natsu and Gray." Erza chuckled slightly.
"Very well… but only on one condition." Kera told her causing the others to look at her confused. The brunette looked Erza in the eyes. "You'll have to listen to me because I know what I'm dealing with. If I tell you guys to run, you run."
"What!? No! We're not going to ditch you like that!" Natsu shouted but Erza raised her hand up causing him to shut up. Erza crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know if we can agree on ditching you during a heavy fight, but we will listen to you and consider everything you say."
Kera sighed hanging her head slightly. "I guess that's the best you'll do huh?"
"Yep…"
She threw her hand up. "Fine…" she sighed slightly. "I know this is going to end badly."
She felt herself being pulled into a hug. She looked a little shocked but felt familiar arms snake around her. She remembers this warmth… it was shocking to her that it felt almost strange to her. But now… it felt so good. She wasn't able to feel this for an entire year.
"Erza…" She whispered knowing this embrace. The red head was holding her close while her eyes were closed. She was taking in every moment she could. Erza had yearned this for so long now that she didn't want to let go ever.
"I missed you so much." She whispered back holding her little sister close to her. Kera at first was standing there completely stiff but slowly she embraced it. Slowly her arms went up and moved to Erza's back. She smiled softly while finally completely embracing to the hug. "Yea…" She burrowed her head into the red head's neck. She did miss this. The loving embrace… all she got to feel were cold nights and the hard ground…
But she chose her path… she thought she couldn't go back but now… maybe she had a chance.
Well? What did you guys think? You got some answers about Kera! Was it good? Did you see something coming? Was something unexpected? Let me know! Also you know a little bit more about Kera's mission.
Until next time!