After the thunderous roar shook the entire city of Magnolia, all the clouds dissipated to reveal a clear blue sky... there was no trace of Layla or her Dragon form Citrine anywhere.

Lucy had broken down in tears, and upon layla's ascent into the sky regained her ability to move so instinctively ran back to the drop-off point of the carriage.


All the other members of Fairy Tail that were with them had the same idea as Natsu, Erza, Wendy, Gray and now lucy arrived back at the city square.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" Gray yelled in a panic.
"WAS THAT ACNOLOGIA?" Erza exclaimed she too was petrified by the sound.

"No... that was Citrine!" Natsu said staring at lucy who was hysterical.
"Oh my god Lucy!" Wendy shouted in fear.

Both Happy and Carla were both frozen, scared out of their minds

"WHAT?!" both Gray and Erza said as Natsu's words had reached them.

"What do you mean that was Citrine? Isn't that what they called Layla?" Erza asked

Natsu quickly ran over to Lucy wrapping her in his arms as she was still freaking out. "Lucy... what happened?"

"Momma... She... She..." Lucy said still unable to control her shaking

"It's ok Lucy, we're here... Take a deep breath..." Natsu said as the other wizards gathered nearby in support.

"She... Broke down... Outside of the old Fairy Tail building" Lucy said pausing to breathe some more before continuing "She complained about a headache, and as we approached the building she got sick... Then..." Lucy tried to force the words but started crying again.

"She got sick as you approached the building?" Gray said confused.

"She lost control?" Wendy said terrified

"Lost control?" Erza said puzzled by that meaning.

"She seals her power because it can hurt others" Natsu said trying to remain calm

"If something happened to her seals and she couldn't control it, if she turned into that Dragon she showed us..." Natsu said as he started to show fear which Erza and Gray were both shocked to see in Natsu's eyes.

"She... Left... When it happened... She must have realised... So she flew off as fast as she could" Lucy said as she started to control herself

"She must have known... That's why she ran away" Wendy said.

"What haven't we been told, what is Layla, really?" Erza asked concerned as she realised she was missing pieces to the puzzle.

"She called herself the Light Pillar right? What is that?" Gray added as he was in the same boat as Erza.

"Layla, or Citrine. She is 1 of 2 of the most powerful Dragons in history" Natsu responded.

"Most powerful? Isn't that Acnologia?!" Erza said confused by this description.

"From the way Momma explained it Acnologia is equal to 30% of her Dragon's power" Lucy muttered still shaken.

"So with Acnologia at 30% Citrine is more than 3x the strength of Acnologia" Wendy added to clarify.

"HOLY SHIT" Gray said losing all composure.

"That gentle woman has 3x the power of Acnologia... How is that possible" Erza said now extremely frightened of the possibility.

"That's why she seals her power. She told us that her magical pressure alone can kill most life within a 1KM radius of her" Natsu said recalling Layla's warning.

"She ran to avoid that" Lucy said still taking comfort in Natsu.

"It seems though that she hasn't lost control or we wouldn't be here, based on your description. But it does seem that she lost the ability to control her power" Erza summarized considering what she had heard.

"If that's the case, there isn't anything we can do about it" Carla added.

"Are you going to be ok, Lucy?" Natsu said as he still held her in his arms comforting her.

"Mmm, I should be... I just don't want to lose her again" Lucy said with deep sadness.

"The rest of the guild will be here soon, and from what I heard there was going to be some parade or something to celebrate our victory later. We shouldn't worry the others with what we know, I'm sure she will be back." Erza said to the group taking charge of the situation.

"Your right, I'm sure Momma is going to fix the problem. She will come back!" Lucy said trying to convince herself.

"Aye" Happy exclaimed.

"Yep, I'm with happy on this one, we should have faith. Lets put on a strong showing for Magnolia" Natsu exclaimed

(why did it happen near the Fairy Tail building) Lucy couldn't shake this question in her mind but decided to put on a strong front for Fairy Tail.


About 2 hours later the remaining Fairy Tail members arrived back in Magnolia, the towns people still shaken by the earlier noise but because they couldn't see anything in the sky and hadn't heard anything since still lined the streets to show their support.

Makarov noticed Lucy's demeanor, but realised he would probably just open old wounds if he said anything so he remained quiet, deciding to be with his wayward children.

"Oi, Salamander. Why can I smell Citrine but not see her" Gajeel said quietly to Natsu as he noticed Layla wasn't with them.

"She had to leave suddenly but should be back soon... just don't say anything about it to Lucy, she is still a bit sore" Natsu replied keeping it quiet.


Above the parade a small demon looked on at the festivities

"KIKI..." he laughed to himself as he watched the Fairy Tail members scurry about below.

The little demon ran off in the opposite direction from the crowds, hopping down stacked boxes as it made its way out of the Magnolia town.

Eventually the small demon reached its destination far outside the city limits in a small forest. It hopped up on the shoulder of a man in a black robe adorned with a white sash and cape.


"ZEREF... I knew it... you were watching the tournament weren't you". Mavis who had followed the dark presence of the demon said after spotting the familiar face.

"I can neither hear nor see you. But I know... you are there, Mavis." Zeref replied confusing the small demon on his shoulder.

"7 Years ago, you were close to me..." Mavis said with concern
"7 years ago, I was close to you..." Zeref calmly replied.

"Are you still searching for a place to die?" Mavis enquired as this was his goal last time she had seen him

"I've already decided on where I am going to die. Zeref calmly responded showing no emotion on the subject.

"I've lived for many centuries and watched the rise and fall of different ages..." Zeref continued "People hate and evil causes conflict... But I'm looking forward to a new age that will purify all of this."

"How many times has this happened... Where people make the same mistakes over and over again..." Zeref said disappointed.

"Even so... Humans will continue to live on." Mavis replied.

"In a sense, it's not really living. I'm no longer the existence you can love... known as man" Zeref released some death magic to prove his point killing the grass around him where he sat.

Mavis saddened by Zeref's words asked "You've decided to stop waiting?

Zeref standing up from the ground continued his point "On top of which... After mulling it over for seven years... I've reached a conclusion... If this world continues to reject me... then I shall reject the world."

"Fairy Tail will reaffirm the world." Mavis stated in defiance

"This will be a gift from me... Rebalancing and allowing this world to resurrect." Zeref said as he grew angrier

"Will this become another war?" Mavis asked looking at Zeref's change in demeanor.

"No. It will be a one-sided massacre... not a single soul shall be spared my wrath..." Zeref exclaimed

"Fairy Tail will stop you... The only one who will be Massacred... Is you..." Mavis exclaimed defiantly standing her ground.

The little demon looked at Zeref, confused by his one-sided conversation. As Zeref stood their proud of his declaration he felt a familiar pressence... A pressence he had not felt in 400 years.

Zeref looked up to his left as he saw a light pierce the clouds. Zeref's smile faded from his face as Citrine landed with force beside him; crushing the small companion Demon, killing it in an instant.

"So... This is where you ran off to... Citrine" Zeref calmly said but couldn't help grit his teeth.

"Obsidian... How has human life been... did you enjoy yourself as an insect" Citrine said glaring at Zeref, but she quickly noticed the familiar light of Mavis in front of him.

Citrine released a pulse of green light which made Mavis visible to her; also all the dying trees and grass in the area began to return to life and regrow.

"I see... was this the reason for your confidence Mavis?" Zeref said with a glare.

"This is your madness Obsidian, and I'm here to finish it" Citrine said showing signs of her anger.

"Well aren't you looking unhinged Citrine! I never thought you would hold a grudge this long." Zeref said with a grin.

"Your said, my giving power to humans was going to lead to our downfall... Yet in the end, who was it that destroyed Dragons? You! I will never forgive you for the destruction of the Dragon Race!" Citrine said as lightening erupted from her body destroying a number of trees behind her.

"Oh, are you planning to kill me now?" Zeref laughed with a large grin on his face as he stared down Citrine, who squinted her eyes slightly at him.

"I didn't think so. I know you are too scared to take it all in, that power! And If you do, my goal will be achieved with out me. But come to think of it, that would be even more satisfying to see, you destroy the humans you loved so much" Zeref said this with a sinister laugh, he had not been this excited in centuries.

"And what are you going to do about your beloved Acnologia? I've been able to persevere this long thanks to the agony of his soul, I've been feeding upon his despair." Zeref said as he tried to control his laughter but still beamed a wide grin at Citrine.

Citrine snapped, letting out a roar which levelled the entire forest they were standing in; the shockwave continued on, causing a nearby mountain to crumble completely into dust.

"YES! DO IT!" Zeref exclaimed with a mad look in his eye as he grinned defiantly in front of the Dragon, not showing any signs of fear.

Mavis was shocked by the destructive power of Citrine. She realising she had to step in quickly before it escalated further "Zeref, or is it Obsidian. You told me you wanted to die even before the Guardian of Light returned."

"Guardian?... Huh, what story have you been telling her Citrine! This will make things very interesting for the future." Zeref said now thoroughly excited.

"We won't have a future Obsidian, the Dragon Slayers will soon be ready! and then we can both die!" Citrine proclaimed.

"Dragon Slayers? Oh I've met your so-called Slayers, Natsu was quite amusing. He punched me the first time he saw me, he didn't even know who I was hahahaha" Zeref said unable to control his laughter as he continued "If that's an example of their power, then I don't know who they will be 'slaying'... you may need to change their name"

Citrine flashed her teeth before calming down "The time of Dragons will soon be over"

"Fine by me, I gave up on the Dragon race 400 years ago." Zeref said as he opened a rift behind him before continuing "A new power is rising... See you soon... Sister" Zeref stepped backwards through the rift, with it closing immediately behind him.

Mavis stared at Citrine's form, it was the first time she had seen it complete so she could now see the immense power she contained. But... there was something wrong with the picture, what she noticed was that Citrine's power far exceeded what a Dragon should posses.

Even as the Light Guardian Citrine's raw power was over five times that of the position... and the fact that Zeref wasn't even phased by this meant it was no surprise to him; and he called her 'Sister'... Mavis realised that Citrine was holding back quite a lot.

"I think we should talk..." Mavis said looking at Citrine.

"Why is the Pillar inside Fairy Tail?" Citrine immediately responded.

Mavis was visible shaken by Citrine's words... Mavis quickly tried to think of a way out of the situation (What how could she know?! How do I answer that... If I...)

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Citrine said losing patience.

Mavis soon realised that denial was futile, as she prepared to level with the Dragon.