The weekend is here! First day of new quarantine for me… I don't know about the rest of you, but I am so tired of Covid interrupting life, so desperate to travel it's crazy!

Anywayyyy, without further rambling, on with the story. This chapter caused me some major writer's block and I rewrote it wayyy too many times, so here's hoping it hits the mark!

Happy reading.

18

-Dragon Force-

"Let's go!"

Natsu took off at a sprint with Haru matching his speed immediately. The fire mage's declaration gave Lucy and Wendy little warning as they scrambled to catch up on the stairs. Already unilaterally focused on finding Erza and mentally preparing to take on Jellal, Natsu barely registered the stellar mage yelling at them to slow down, her tone full of reprimand. Checking on the girls, he offered the blonde a sheepish look when she gestured irately at Wendy who was struggling to keep up with the demanding pace he'd set.

Being the only one to have an idea of the number of prisoners potentially left on the upper floors, Natsu was supposed to be helping the girls gather them before he could let Jellal command his full attention. With an audible sigh, he reigned in his impulse to go storming the top floor as they all emerged from the stairwell into another chamber.

Wendy immediately voiced her surprise as they all took in the devastation on the new floor, the crystal displayed evidence of battles even more destructive than the one they'd left behind. Natsu absently gnawed at his lip with one pointed canine, noticing that in addition to all the jagged cracks around the room, the hole he'd left in the wall earlier also appeared to have gotten larger following his departure. Wendy gasped again as her attention apparently flew to the one unmoving form of a woman in the chamber's centre.

The teen darted by their group, the glow of her magic already at her fingertips as she moved to help, but Natsu caught her wrist before she got far. Shaking his head at her curious look, he left her with Lucy as he crossed the room to assess the woman he knew to be Ikaruga. A small pool of blood was tacky beneath her, a clear sign this battle had been hard fought and over for a while. He crouched down, placing a couple fingers at her throat and found no pulse either. Natsu took a moment, letting his eyes drift close as he released a shaky breath, his anger churning below his calm exterior. Fairy Tail prided themselves on trying to give everyone a second chance, they didn't take lives frivolously, so for Erza to have been pushed so far was testament to either the situation forcing all their hands, or the past trauma driving her.

The fury Natsu felt now, was entirely on her behalf. Jellal's name had prompted Haru to relay a brief explanation of the redhead's connection to the Tower earlier, and the revelations had hit the Fire Slayer hard. He wanted nothing more than to help her get the closure she deserved.

Knowing her story now, he couldn't say Erza's absence here surprised him, or the fact that she hadn't regrouped with them... Knowing Erza, she'd be trying to spare them getting any further tangled up in what she'd likely deem as her problem to confront alone. Natsu would be stunned if she wasn't already wrapped up in a fight with Jellal, but given her history with him...

Turning away from the pink-haired assassin, Natsu jogged back toward the next flight of stairs without a word, a renewed urgency to find their friend driving him. Haru and the girls followed after silently, continuing their ascent.

The next floor was empty, causing dread to erode Natsu's already dwindling calm even more. He glanced around the darkened space, sure that he'd left a small group of slaves on this floor, and the two above. He'd told them to hide because he'd had no choice but to leave them behind, but even with his senses dulled, he knew they weren't here anymore. Where then?

Natsu didn't mention his steadily increasing distress to the rest of the group, they didn't need the added pressure, so he pushed it to the back of his mind and continued up more stairs. They were striding through the next seemingly empty space when the young boy he'd charged with the children's protection cautiously poked his head out of a bank of cells.

"Natsu?" he asked in an unsure voice. Natsu's head whipped in his direction, relief flooding through him as the boy approached him.

Kneeling down, Natsu placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and gave him a reassuring grin. "Hey kiddo, did you protect all your friends?" he asked him.

The boy nodded, beaming with pride, "I even got everyone together from the floors below, and then we hid, just like you said."

"You did great! Are you ready to get out of here?" Tears shimmered in the boy's eyes, but he fought them back as he nodded excitedly again. "Remember what I said about this emblem?" Natsu asked, presenting his guild mark again.

. . .

Lucy watched the interaction with her curiosity piqued. This was a whole different side to the boisterous fire mage that she hadn't seen before. She knew he was more than capable in inspiring courage in those around him, and occasionally demonstrated a somewhat surprising ability to analyze and manage people in a potentially dangerous situation, but this was different. The tenderness in which he handled the children had a smile tugging at her lips despite being in the middle of one of those aforementioned dangerous situations. Her attention was drawn back when she realized Natsu had called her name, she refocused, and joined him.

"I want you all to meet Lucy and Wendy," Natsu told the small group of kids now gathered around them. He gestured toward her as she crouched down next to him and at Wendy when the sky mage appeared at his other side. Lucy offered the group a bright smile, and showed them the emblem marking her hand. The corner of Natsu's mouth quirked up in a half smile as he peeked at her out of the corner of his eye, it made Lucy blush, though she had no idea why.

"They're going to lead you all out of this tower okay? Think you can help them out with the younger kids?" Natsu asked, addressing the boy again.

"Yeah! Definitely, count on me!" he said back, planting his hands on his hips in a show of confidence. Lucy laughed lightly at the boy's actions, something told her Natsu in his early teens would have had the same mannerisms. Not that his current displays of boisterous conviction were all that far off from what she'd just seen in the young boy... She glanced up as Natsu got back to his feet and extended his hand to her.

Her hand found his and let him pull her up. "Be careful Natsu," she told him before flicking her eyes over to Haru as he approached to join them. "Both of you," she added, "or I promise, I will kick you both into next week!"

Natsu smiled at her weak attempt to mask her worry and squeezed her hand back, "We've got this, don't you worry," he said. He flashed her his typical borderline-cocky smile and nudged his partner with his elbow, "right, Haru?"

"There is no doubt in my mind," the Water Slayer replied confidently.

Their words did help her relax a little, though she couldn't fully banish the layer of concern she felt. Less than an hour earlier, Natsu had stood idly by on the sidelines while she fought her father, despite having the power at his fingertips to have defeated him easily. It was his belief in her that had given her the courage to break free of her father's grasp, with her own strength and not of his. He had probably felt the same concern she did right now. Her father did have devastating power at his disposal after all, and one based on manipulating hers as well. Still, he'd remained rooted in his belief that she not only had the power to overcome him and move forward, but the indomitable will to do so.

Lucy would offer the guys that same level of unshakable confidence now.

Returning their smiles, she squeezed Natsu's hand in hers again and clasped Haru's shoulder in turn. "I'm not worried, I believe in you two," she said with conviction. Lucy released both of them without another word and turned to the kids that were now grouped behind them, with Wendy at their lead. Walking away from the Twin Dragons, she announced to the kids, "okay everyone, let's get you all out of here!"

. . .

Natsu and Haru waited just long enough to watch them depart, Lucy leading the group now with Wendy at the rear, until they'd disappeared down the stairs. Then they continued upward without a word between them until Haru broke the silence,

"Erza could be in bad shape, if she's been fighting Jellal this whole time," he said, "one of us might have to get her to safety first."

"We can only believe in Erza, she's strong enough to hold him off for a bit, and Jellal is a Wizard Saint, trying to take him on solo would be reck–" Natsu cut himself off, narrowing his eyes as he looked at his partner out of the corner of his eye and decided he didn't care for the amusement on his face. Deciding he care to hear whatever teasing retort his slip up might have earned him from the Water Slayer, Natsu turned and ripped across the last chamber and Haru was right on his heels a second later. They took the stairs two at a time but Natsu came to an abrupt halt before they reached the top, nearly causing Haru to walk right into him. Natsu flicked his attention back over his shoulder, catching the irritation on the other's face.

"Haru, you feel that?" he asked, prompting Haru to refocus on the atmosphere around them. He nodded slowly, his earlier irritation replaced by unease.

"Yeah… it's intense."

There was a noticeable change to the heavy magic pressure that had already been weighing down on them, it was darker and different from most magic somehow. The sensation, unfamiliar as it was, was more than a little disconcerting. Until they'd reached the last flight of stairs, neither of them had been able to differentiate any magic signatures due to the thick ethernano in the air, so the newly suffocating magic that managed to break through that must be incredibly powerful. A tense silence fell over them and they immediately moved faster, intent on getting to Erza as fast as possible. Above them, an explosion erupted and waves of demonic energy followed shortly after, mixing with the magic saturating the air. The tower quaked in response and Natsu was thrown sideways into the wall as the entire structure shifted. Gripping the facets of crystal to maintain his balance, he glanced back at Haru who had dropped his center of gravity and was bracing at his knee to find his own stability.

"What the fuck was that?!" Natsu yelled rhetorically.

Haru blew passed him, sprinting up the last few stairs in response. They rounded the top of the stairwell a moment later, skidding to a stop as they reflexively scanned the room to take in the hectic scene before them.

Jellal was standing across the room with his back to them laughing maniacally, apparently ecstatic with a column of purple-black light that poured out of the three books splayed on the table before him. Deep black markings now covered the exposed skin Natsu could see on their enemy and he knew, undoubtedly, that whatever the marks meant could not possibly be good news for them. Standing just steps behind his fellow dragon slayer, Natsu could see Haru's attention flicking over the most startling details in time with his own. They both eyed the ceiling above them, more crumbling hole than ceiling now, and Natsu ground his teeth anxiously a trio of dark lines of energy split off in various directions in the sky.

He ripped his attention back to the room before him though, Erza was across the room writhing on the ground in pain, and she was his priority. Natsu Flash Stepped across the room and skidding to a stop on his knees next to her, taking in the black cord of magic coiled around his friend's limbs and torso, binding her.

"Jellal! What have you done?!" Haru shouted, a certain tinge of desperation in his tone as he leapt forward to place himself between them and the blue-haired man. Relying on his partner to keep Jellal distracted so he could focus, Natsu pulled Erza into his arms, his eyes already darting over her form in search of the impact point of the binding spell. He found the snake's tail between her ribs and hip and quickly placed a heated hand over it, "Fire Dragon's purifying flames," he murmured. Golden flames engulfed Erza briefly before a line of embers burned up the black snake that twisted around her form, from tail to head, and then it was gone.

Erza gasped, as air rushed back into her lungs and the pain seized instantly. Her hand caught the one he still had on her side as his flames died away, and the pain he found in her eyes startled him. Knowing her for so many years, he knew the emotions he was seeing etched on her face weren't as simple as reliving a painful past. He flipped his hand over, wrapping his fingers around hers, offering the comfort he knew she was reflexively seeking. The comfort only a close friend could offer her in the face of unimaginable pain. A broken sound bubbled from her throat, and tears started shining in her eyes, not quite ready to fall. Whatever had put her in this state, Natsu was furious. Erza was strong and kind and an incredible friend, this kind of devastation didn't belong on her. "N-Natsu," she choked out, "he killed Simon... He-He tried to protect me and now he's gone," she finished as the tears finally streamed down her cheeks.

Natsu dragged her forward, folding her into a tight hug without thinking. "I'm sorry Erza..." he said, not knowing what else to say as her anguish ripped through him along with his growing anger. However briefly he'd known Simon, Natsu could assume he was a great man, if he'd shared the privilege of calling Erza a friend. "I should have gotten here sooner," he mumbled. Erza said nothing in response, but her she clung to him tighter, her hands balling into the material of his vest as she cried even harder, uncaring of the eyes that would see.

Keeping the redhead cradled in his arms protectively, Natsu peeked sidelong at the other two men. Haru's gaze was still locked on their enemy, though the telltale tension in his muscles and subtle shaking of his fists told the fire mage that he'd heard everything. Jellal still hadn't bothered to face them, but now his head lulled to the side before turning a chilling look over his shoulder at them. "You're too late, Dragon Slayers," he said in a voice that reverberated around them. The black markings painting the skin of his outstretched arms seemed to swell before birthing numerous shadowy shapes that fell to the floor and swept across the room. They flew across the walls and down the stairs, and when the last shadow vanished from the room Jellal fully turned toward them, a vicious grin peeling across his face as the mysterious marks stilled and returned to the previous state.

"What the fuck have you done?!" Haru yelled again as he launched himself at the Wizard Saint this time. He threw a fist bathed in thrashing water at the blue-haired man, picking up the fight they'd abandoned back in Era.

Natsu watched warily as the two collided in rapid bursts of magic, neither using more powerful spells yet. Turning his focus back to Erza, he gently pulled her to her feet, noticing the defeat swimming in her eyes. The sight was gut-wrenching. She was worn from back to back battles and unfocused in raw grief and much as it pained him, he couldn't stay and comfort her right now. Making sure she was relatively safe at the edge of the room, he gave her one last searching look before erupting in a burst of fire. He materialized across the room in a ring of fire, joining his partner in the battle against Jellal. Not surprisingly, Haru sensed his arrival before he'd fully emerged from the Flash Step and reacted seamlessly, building on the first attack Natsu threw. Their teamwork had always been their biggest advantage in any battle, and without so much as a single telepathic word, they began releasing a barrage of coordinated attacks from either side of their foe.

Not one to stay on the defensive, Jellal unleashed a sudden pulse of demonic energy, forcing them back, but neither were caught off guard. Haru flipped back to kick off the table and Natsu lunged low with one hand bracing on the ground, before leaping forward again. They countered with perfectly timed simultaneous Iron Fists, but Jellal caught both, albeit with obvious effort. Grunting as he braced against their combined force, Jellal whipped around and threw them both in opposite directions and once again, the Slayers dug their feet into the ground as they absorbed the momentum.

"Why fight me now?" Jellal asked with a undeniably victorious grin, "I have already succeeded! Nothing you can do now will stop our new world's creation!" The shadows pulsing across his face as he made his declaration only added to his manic presence.

Natsu appeared behind him, throwing a punch toward his blindspot and Jellal merely tucked his head forward to dodge. He quickly spun around and answered with a knee aimed for the fire mage's gut that Natsu easily blocked in turn. None of this slowed the man in his prideful rambling. "Three of the demons have already been freed from the confines of their pages, their combined power unleashed upon an unsuspecting world." Jellal continued calmly as though he weren't in the middle of a high-stakes fight. He flexed his fist, eyeing the markings on his skin and smirked, gaze flicking between both dragon slayers. "And of course, all that excess Ethereal power that was expelled with their release, is at my command now!"

Natsu growled, catching Haru's eye as the Water Slayer sprinted in a wide loop around the edge of the room. "What does that even accomplish? Other than more pain and suffering?" Natsu demanded, aiming to keep their enemy's attention off of his partner. "A perfect world could never be born from this kind of cruelty!" Charging straight at the blue-haired man, Natsu threw a false high spin-kick and pulled back just as Jellal went to counter. Jumping straight up, Natsu struck out with a Fire Dragon's Talon this time.

The fiery kick landed its intended mark, connecting with Jellal's chest when the man tried to dodge the fake. Jellal was thrown back straight into the path of Haru's breath attack and as the water magic crashed into him, Natsu inhaled deeply and roared out his own to mix with the water. Both dragon slayers snapped their jaws shut with audible clicks as they gave chase, continuing their onslaught before their enemy could find a moment of recovery.

. . .

Erza watched numbly, slumped against the wall where Natsu had left her. A dull fascination over seeing Natsu and Haru truly engage in a fight flitted beneath the surface of overwhelming pain. The pain of losing a childhood friend who, in a cruel jest of fate, she'd only just learned was alive, couldn't be overshadowed. Still, the Dragon Slayers before her never failed to impress her. She had never seen a team read each other's moves as clearly or build on one another's attacks as effectively as these two did, and they made it look completely effortless.

She stared at the curtain of steam that had resulted from fire and water colliding until it slowly diminished and the vague shapes of the men slowly came into focus again. Jellal charged forward unexpectedly then, catching even the dragon slayers off guard, and slammed an open palm into Natsu's side. The action had Haru whirling toward the pink-haired mage with a desperate sounding warning, having apparently recognized the stance, but it came a moment too late. A golden blast exploded from Jellal's palm, and Natsu was sent careening into the wall across the room mere feet from Erza. He landed with a brutal crunch that sent deep cracks through the crystal behind him and shattered Erza's numb detachment with it.

"NATSU!"

Haru's frantic call blended with Erza's own as she immediately leapt to her feet. Suddenly, Simon's death was rendered a temporarily distanced thrum in the back of her mind, paled in the face of the fear of losing another friend before her eyes. Natsu pushed himself out of the indent his body had formed in the wall and dropped to the ground below, spitting up a string of blood as he landed. Erza slid to a stop at his side, dropping to her knees as she reached out to stabilize him with one hand at his back and the other holding the shoulder furthest from her. She hinged forward trying to meet his eyes that were hidden behind sweat-dampened bangs.

Upon seeing that she was helping their comrade, Haru had quickly dragged his attention back to the fight with the blue-haired man. The sounds of spells colliding behind her filled the room again, and the redhead knew Haru was trying hard to not let her condition or the state of his partner distract him. He'd have to hold their foe back long enough for them both to back him up again.

Erza trusted he could do that. After all, failing could mean all of their deaths.

The redhead carefully eased Natsu back to lean against the wall, though the cautious movement still caused a hiss of pain. She pushed his vest to the side, revealing a hollow on his left where the swell of his ribcage should be. "Your ribs are broken Natsu," she told him as she gently palpated his torso, assessing for other damage as she met his eyes with concern.

He growled in response, "I'm fine, just get me some fire," he bit out harshly.

Erza didn't like it, not one bit, but it wasn't like they had much choice but to continue the fight. Clenching her jaw, she summoned her Flame Empress and Sea Empress blades in resolution to support the Twin Dragons. She poured some of her magic into the red blade in her hand, summoning fire to dance off the iron and watched as Natsu consumed the embers that rolled off the weapon. A small flame flickered between his teeth and then crimson scales flaked over his cheek bones and temples, down his arms and across his ribs, effectively providing hardened protection to the broken bones. His eyes met hers and he gave her a curt nod before vanishing from right in front of her for the second time, rejoining the battle once again.

Erza clenched her fists around her weapons, a certain sense of hopelessness still froze her to her spot as the dragon slayers fought the false Wizard Saint with everything they had. Her gaze dropped to the crystal floor Natsu had just been occupying a minute before, and she cringed as Simon's lifeless body flashed through her mind's eye. Throwing a fist into the wall beside her without releasing the Empress Sword in her grip, Erza choked back a wayward sob. She allowed herself one last moment of weakness before she stood and faced the three mages locked in the intense fight with renewed resolve, gripping her blades tighter.

There was a time she'd held a child's innocent love for the blue-haired man she was now being forced to fight... Years ago, when they were both defenceless slaves, he'd been her light in the dark cell they'd shared, the spark of courage that still burned in her with every frightening moment she fought to overcome. But even now, she didn't know if what she had, or perhaps still felt on some deranged level, could be called love, or if she'd simply misconstrued feelings of safety and admiration. Whatever the case, the boy she'd loved was clearly gone, and two of her precious family were fighting the unhinged monster that had replaced him to save her and everyone else.

She couldn't lose them too; it would break her.

"Jellal!" Erza's scream tore through the space, and she flew at him, scarlet hair whipping around her as she finally rejoined the fray.

. . .

Erza crossed the distance in a split second, her arms extended behind her with her blades prepared for the opening strike. Noticing her approach he turned in her direction just in time to catch her attack, the slash cut an X through the fabric of his shirt and the skin beneath. He appeared more amused then anything by the shallow cuts that began to stain his top red. He kept her gaze locked on his, transfixed for a long moment, his own posture a lazy contrast to her uneasy tension.

Natsu and Haru had taken her arrival to the battle as a reprieve to jump back and catch their breath, but their focus remained on the scene with total concentration. They'd continue to analyze the fight for the perfect moments to take advantage of any openings she provided.

Jellal struck in a blur of movement, and Erza skidded to the side ducking the attack and slammed the point of her flame blade into the ground. Using that momentum, she swung her body around and leapt up behind him. She cut across his back with a slash of water that shot off the second blade, propelling the blue-haired man's body forward, his trajectory putting him right down the center of the dragon slayers. Haru materialized in front of him, slamming a knee into his sternum and inhaled the excess water magic as he did so.

Despite the well timed attacks, Jellal recovered quickly as usual. He found footing on an upended chunk of the crystal floor and reclaimed his balance in an instant. Teleporting behind Erza, he thrusted a palm against her spine and as the now familiar attack exploded against her, the Twin Dragons shouted their concern.

The redhead could hear her comrades' gasps of relief when she burst out of the residual smoke clad in her Purgatory Armour. "That trick won't work on us anymore!" she yelled, rounding on him with the major attack and defence increase the armour afforded her.

Having also swapped the empress blades for a heavy mace, she swung the new weapon over her head and down at Jellal in a near invisible flash. He jumped back just in time, and a large crater appeared in the floor. Keeping the mace planted on the ground, she swung her body up and over the weapon's handle and struck out with a double kick. Jellal managed to avoid the subsequent attack as well and spun a roundhouse kick into her abdomen, releasing a large magic circle at the impact of his heel. A tortured scream tore itself from her lungs as she was launched back.

Haru dove to the side, absorbing Erza's weight and ground shards of crystal out of the floor as he dug his toe edge into the ground to slow them to a stop. At the same time, Natsu blew passed them in a blur of pink and red, slamming into Jellal again as he connected a multitude of strikes in rapid succession.

Jellal's body was folded into various directions with each hit as he was pushed back by the furious assault of the fire mage until he snapped and golden magic flared up around him. Jellal caught the powerful punch Natsu was aiming to end his tirade before flashing back at the dragon slayer, raining gold laced attacks down on him. "Meteor!" The shimmering gold surrounding Jellal glowed off the skin not coated in black.

Determining that Erza was okay, though dazed from the attack, Haru helped her back against the wall and sent up a tidal wave to slow Natsu's projection as his partner's body was sent soaring after a series of devastating hits. The next minute Jellal was slamming into Haru's side, his movements too fast for even his Drive Mode to follow. Haru coughed out a lung full of air as he was sent crashing straight into Natsu, leaving them both sprawled on the floor in a heap.

"This will be the end of you!" Jellal yelled at them sadistically.

Haru carefully pushed himself off of Natsu's back with a pained groan, and noticed Natsu had been knocked out cold and was bleeding from a head wound. "Fuck, Natsu," Haru rasped, pain racked through his body as he moved to shake the fire mage's shoulder as he continued urgently. "Natsu you have to get up, we're in trouble!"

Jellal hovered in the air just outside the gaping hole in the tower's ceiling, his fingers bending into a sign in front of him as he caught Haru's eye. "May the seven stars pass judgement," he said, voice echoing as seven large magic circles formed in the sky above him. Haru gritted his teeth as he dragged himself to his feet, trying hopelessly to pull Natsu out of the way of the unknown attack. The magic pressure pulsing off the spell was already daunting and Jellal had yet to unleash it in its entirety.

"Grand Chariot!"

All seven magic circles erupted with the power swollen inside them and shot down around the dragon slayers who, unable to escape, took the full force of the attack.

Outside

Lucy whirled around, cutting her whip through a line of spectral enemies that were advancing toward her. Gritting her teeth as she retracted the whip, she risked a quick check over her shoulder to see if all the children had made it to the safety of the boats yet. More of the shadowy figures were vaporized as a mixture of ice and water slashed across the beach, Juvia and Gray were to her side as the three of them fought to keep the Shade Magic at bay. They'd sent Wendy off ahead to assist the medical personnel in providing care for the injured, and just behind them, the remainder of the children were climbing into the last row boats to be shuttled off to the ships in the deeper waters offshore.

The strange shadows that confronted them now, had appeared out of thin air throughout the tower as Lucy and Wendy were just reaching the lower floors of the tower. They'd had to fight their way out to keep the children protected and learned quickly that no matter how easily they eliminated the shades, more reappeared just as quickly to take their place. Lucy wondered, for the hundredth time since splitting up from the guys, what the hell was going on inside the Tower. Her eyes shifted up to the plumes of smoke climbing into the skies as another explosion rumbled through the structure.

Only a couple squads of Rune Knights had come ashore to help assist in evacuating the prisoners, and as the majority did not use magic, they left the battle to Fairy Tail. Combat training and physical weapons were proving fairly useless against the spectral magic. As more of the shadowy forms appeared and began to encroach further on their position, Lucy gathered her magic around her. "Star Reform: shatter!" she yelled.

"Ice Make: arrows!" A large plate of ice appeared in front of Gray before breaking into hundreds of icy projectiles to join the golden bursts of magic piercing down from above them. The combined barrage destroyed every one of the shadowy figures crawling over the beach. Lucy and her comrades knew that it wouldn't be long before more popped up, but she and Gray still took a moment to celebrate. Cheering happily, they praised one another's efforts and threw up a high five. Juvia immediately jumped in between the two of them, glaring at the blonde before latching herself onto Gray in silent claim. Lucy could feel the corner of her lip twitching in the half smile planted on her face, the surprise getting the better of her. This girl seriously couldn't pair a situation with an appropriate response to save her life...

Gray physically worked to detach Juvia as he attempted to refocus her on their still ongoing battle, his irritation was obvious when the girl ignored him until more of the strange phantoms began crawling out of the shadows again. Lucy watched in exacerbation until a flicker of movement and vibrant orange flickered across her peripheral. "Gray! Look!" she called, prying the ice mage's attention back to her just as he'd successfully peeled Juvia off himself. Lucy smiled widely and pointed out at the ocean.

Fairy Tail's emblem was emblazoned boldly over a crisp white sail of a ship that had just begun to break the horizon.

Inside

Everything was quiet now. Erza sat immobilized under her own shock on the ground, her eyes wide and threatening to spill more tears as she gazed at the cloud of dust and residual magic for any sign of movement. The silence that stretched out around her was deafening, but the anguished screams of the two dragon slayers still rang through her head. Their names remained on her tongue as her mind refused to process the brutal turn in their battle, until the shock broke, and reality crashed home again.

"Natsu! Haru!" she screamed, their names suddenly tearing themselves from her lungs on repeat. Erza willed herself to move but failed to successfully get her muscles to respond, and when the smoke finally settled, she was faced with her fear. Both forms of the Twin Dragons lay unmoving, defeated. The redhead held her breath as Jellal floated down to the ground. She wasn't watching him. She couldn't tear her eyes from her friends if she'd wanted to in that moment.

They were okay, weren't they? They had to be okay!

"What have you done?" the knight sobbed. Her fists clenched as she found a tiny amount of strength to attempt to run at him, but she only succeeded in stumbling and fell back to her stomach, crying out at her loss. Jellal laughed heartlessly, turning his back to walk out onto the open ledge and stared out at the small fleet of Magic Council ships anchored around the tower below.

"It's almost time to go," he said quietly, before turning to face Erza again. "Over twenty years this tower has been under construction, even before our time, Zeref's followers have been siphoning magic from all the tower's workers. All these years, the Tower has absorbed the life essence of countless sacrifices to assure its completion and Zeref's return." Jellal continued to monologue but Erza barely heard a word he said as she desperately tried to drag extra strength out of her body somehow. Fixing her with a bemused expression, he asked, "Tell me Erza, did you know Zeref never died?"

That finally commanded the redhead's attention. Her tear-blurred gaze snapped across the room to the blue-haired man. "Of course he died! He lived 400 years ago!"

"No. Zeref is cursed to live eternally, he has simply been asleep, but with the power we have built up in this Tower…" Jellal laughed again and the black markings expanded, eating away at the expanses of regular flesh on his body, Zeref's mark flashed in his eye. "It is only a matter of time before Zeref awakens once more."

Eyes widening as she absorbed the ramifications of his words, Erza struggled with the possibility that he spoke the truth. She shook her head wordlessly as he approached and knelt down in front of her, he gripped her chin and forcibly tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. "You could join our new magic world, you don't need to die here. Stand beside me again, Erza," he implored her.

Erza ground out a 'never,' and attempted to slap him even in her weakened state, but he caught her arm in a bruising grip as he eyed her. "Have it your way then... Zeref will usher in our paradise, and suffering will seize forever," he told her. "I am sorry you don't want to see it." He stood then, prying her upward with the fist he had wrapped around her wrist. "But first—" he said tossing her harshly to the side, "I will sacrifice these dragons to the Tower."

Stalking away from her, he ignored her resulting threats and screams, but then a coughing fit silenced the redhead and drew both of their attentions. "What…" Haru tried, before coughing again, "what is with you assholes and not being able to appreciate the world we HAVE?!" he ground out, trying to shift enough to face the Wizard Saint.

Jellal quirked an eyebrow, as he turned his attention to the Water Slayer who didn't even seem capable of lifting a muscle and yet, still found the gall to lecture him. Choosing not to engage the psychotic man anymore, Haru's eyes trailed over to Natsu when the fire mage choked on some indistinguishable words. He was laid out flat on his stomach a few feet away, watching him through the slit of one eye. There was a familiar determination plain on his face, despite the seemingly hopeless situation. Clearly, he had some sort of plan, and knowing Natsu, it was bound to be beyond reckless. Still, the fire in her reckless friend's eye reignited hope in Erza as well.

Coughing, Natsu cleared his throat, and tried to speak again. "Hey Haru..." he rasped, "ethernano is just concentrated elemental magic... right?" His voice remained strained as he spoke, and he didn't try to move quite yet. Erza could tell they were both in severe pain, just watching Haru wince as he forced an elbow under himself with a noticeable groan to properly meet his partner's onyx eyes had her wincing herself.

The Fire Slayer held up a chunk of the loosened crystal, and Haru released a dry chuckle in response. Under normal circumstances, he'd be likely to gawk at Natsu's unspoken suggestion, but this was far from normal. He reached for his own chunk of crystal and held it up as well. "I'm with you partner," he said, "cheers!"

Then without hesitation of the risks, the Twin Dragons bit down on the blue-green crystals in unison before Erza could even think to scream at them about their idiocy. She watched in terror as they both curled in on themselves almost immediately, rasping out shaky breaths and choking up blood and bluish bile as their bodies innate elements worked to reject the foreign mix of magic. They were being poisoned and there was nothing Erza could do to help, she wished Wendy was still with them, but she wasn't sure even the Sky Slayer could help. All she could do now was watch as they suffered.

Then Natsu grit his teeth hard, "Haru!" he called, "we can handle this!"

"Of course," Haru replied in a strained voice, "compared to motion sickness, this is nothing!"

Natsu laughed despite the pain, and rolled over again as he choked out another mouthful of unnaturally blue bile. He wrapped one around his centre, apparently trying to stave off the nausea, and Haru seemed to be in a similar state. All at once though, that changed and waves of power pulsed from both dragon slayers in a rhythm mimicking a steady heartbeat. Erza gawked as Natsu began pushing himself back to his feet, followed only shortly by Haru, the ripples of bright blue ethereal power obscuring her view. She could only make out so much with their backs to her anyway. Intense auras of magic continued to swirl around them, and the details should could make out were striking. The skin she could see bore more scales, darker in colour than the Drive Modes she was familiar with. Natsu's hair was wilder and had taken on a red tone just a shade deeper than hers, and Haru's hair had turned a light silvery-blue colour now.

"Dragon Force…" Erza whispered in awe and then the pair vanished in bursts of magic.

Across the chamber, slashes of fire and water rained down around Jellal, before vanishing and repeating the action in a multitude of unrelenting blurs. The redhead could barely keep up with the barrage of attacks, it simply looked like Jellal's body was being bent into various drastic angles by invisible blows. She was shocked at the incredible show of power. Shocked, and proud.

. . .

It didn't take long before the previously polished crystal floor was marred in an intricate web of deep cracks. Heavy damage from a constant trade of majorly destructive attacks on both sides had the tower becoming more unstable by the second. Erza was sluggishly dragging her drained body along the back wall after appraising the crumbling hole in the ceiling that was gradually becoming larger. The chunks of crystal that periodically came loose, had been falling closer and closer to her.

Jellal's skin was nearly completely covered by the demonic markings by now, and it seemed he was moving on pure instinct alone. Erza wasn't entirely sure she could say much more for the guys. Their speed and power were through the roof and they had barely slowed enough for her to catch proper sight of them, but she knew they both had to be magically exhausted... not even considering the various other injuries they'd taken. Determination alone kept them in this battle. A blue flash arced over Jellal and Haru appeared just after another massive explosion proceeding his hammer kick that had just missing the mark. The missed attack consequently drove a gaping crater into the floor and resulted in a noticeable tremor that shook the entire space. Then a loud crunch echoed around them and large cracks shot off from the new crater cutting half the far end of the chamber in half. Erza's head whipped toward the balcony just it dipped and began angling off toward the ocean below, taking a fair portion of the room inside with it.

Erza knew it wouldn't take much to fully dislodge the balcony and send it tumbling to the ocean below, and such a drastic change in the structure could finally see the entire tower crumbling. She swallowed thickly, 'This tower is going to go down, and we better not be inside when it does,' she thought anxiously as she watched all three men skip forward to the center of the room, appearing completely undeterred by the precariousness of their battlefield.

She shouted for guys' attentions, hoping to bring their awareness to the danger threatening them. Natsu's eye's briefly flickered over to meet her own, raking in the devastated environment around them as though just noticing for the first time how unstable their surroundings had become. His lips curled back as he ground his teeth subconsciously, baring elongated fangs, and it was only then Erza noticed the deep gold that had also replaced normally onyx irises.

"Haru!" Natsu's voice sounded in a slightly lower octave than normal and Haru's eyes flashed toward them in the same gold colour. The water mage nodded, alerting Erza that the Twin Dragon's had made a decision, unspoken or telepathically, she didn't know. She wouldn't put either passed them, given their history working together. Whatever they'd decided, she just hoped they would do it quickly. The Tower couldn't sustain much more damage if they were going to make it out okay.

Hopefully, everyone else had already been safely evacuated. Jellal had remained still, hinged forward and panting heavily but not removing his eyes from the boys the entire time. He didn't seem overly concerned with the Tower collapsing all around them. His demon power spiked suddenly, and the Fairy Tail mages watched in a collective shock and unease as numerous shadowy forms rippled across the floor and walls to rejoin his body. As soon as the last shadow rippled across his skin, Celestial Body magic and demon power began snapping around him in violent waves.

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he let the majority of his body ignite. Flames in the deepest red and the brightest gold danced over his skin, fanned by any multitude of the emotions Erza could only imagine he was feeling then. "You know what? I'm getting really fucking tired of watching Dark and Star magics collide!" he declared haughtily.

Outside

Lucy stumbled forward as the group of phantoms she'd been charging, flattened out into shadows and retreated back into the darkened corners they'd sprung from. The snap of her whip connected with vacant sand and sent a spray dust and gold sparks into the air. "What the hell?!" she yelled, bewildered at the sudden change. She spun on her heel, eyes searching for her comrades and found them both looking around in confusion as well.

Juvia looked over at her, "Did we win?" she asked cautiously. The bluenette released her spells, letting the water surrounding her hands splash to the ground, soaking into the sand beneath her.

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Lucy didn't answer, she shifted her gaze back over her shoulder to the top of the tower. Just minutes ago, the entire balcony accompanied by large sections of the crystal walls had loosened from the Tower and come crashing down with a deafening sound, sending a torrent of sand and debris over them and the entire structure had groaned in protest as it resettled in its foundation.

Natsu...

A group of Rune Knights approached them quickly after the disappearance of the shadows. "The Tower of Heaven is coming down," one of them announced, as though it weren't obvious. The Fairy Tail mages stared back with blank faces, refraining from any sarcastic response that found its way to their tongues. "We are going in to sweep the tower for any remaining survivors before it does," the knight continued.

Gray eyed the small squad of knights apprehensively. "Stay clear of the top floor," he instructed bluntly, "our comrades are clearly on a dragon-size rampage up there, and I doubt it would be safe for you and your men."

A couple of the knights glanced up, faces paling as they considered the damage and the occasional powerful spell that would burst out, lighting up the now darkened skies. Nodding, they turned as a unit and disappeared into the Tower at a run. All the boats, save two, had rejoined the ships, so the children were relatively safe now. That, at least, brought some relief to Lucy as the pair of ships hosting the children pulled up their anchors and began to sail away. They were prisoners no more, and though they had no family to return to, they had each other, and now they had any number of futures laid out before them. She would bet Jackson at least, the young boy who'd fearlessly helped her and Wendy when the spectral figures had appeared, would pursue magic. He'd spent a lot of the short time he'd been in their company gushing about Natsu and Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail's own ship was just dropping anchor next to the Council's last remaining ship, and Lucy couldn't help but smile as she watched the distant figure of Carla sweep through the sky to pluck Wendy from where she was waving ecstatically on the neighbouring boat. Happy was already speeding toward herself and Gray like a bullet and Carla was quick to follow after. The blue cat's Aera magic disappeared and he crashed into Lucy's chest as usual, cheering his relief before asking about their missing comrades. Lucy simply shifted him in her arms and offered an assurance that they'd all be okay. "They'll be back soon, I'm sure," she said. She hoped that sentiment sounded more confident than she felt at the moment.

Lucy was about to drop to her butt and take the moment to rest from the near constant fighting they'd been enduring, when Mest appeared before them. "Come on, Master wants us to get to the ship in case this tower comes down…" he said, trailing off. His focus distracted to something behind her.

"Lucy Heartfilia?"

At the sound of her name, the blonde turned to quirk an eyebrow at a pair of Rune Knights emerging from the tower behind her, she shuddered a bit when she realized they were leading her father between them in anti-magic cuffs. Not trusting herself to speak she nodded and moved toward them, avoiding her father's eyes as she spoke to the knights. They explained that Jude would be taken into custody to be interrogated about his role in funding and assisting Jellal with the Tower. He would stand trial, of course, but he wasn't likely to see outside a lacrima cell in any near future, that came as a small relief. "We will keep you informed on Lord Heartfilia's verdict, but the estate will shift to you pending a guilty charge."

Lucy blinked back dumbly, as Jude cursed at the knights and struggled in his restraints, his threats falling on deaf ears. "I don't want the estate, I never have," she countered coldly, meeting her father's unflinching glare with one of her own.

"Well, it will be your decision as to what becomes of it, so perhaps, take the next weeks to consider options." Without waiting for her response, the men turned and roughly dragged Jude over and shoved him unceremoniously into a boat alongside Meredy, Vidaldus, and a number of slavers. Lucy caught Gray's confusion as his eyes grazed over the occupants of the boat and explained that Ikaruga had succumbed to her injuries. Fukuro had landed in the ocean, and given his state, had likely drowned. Finally, Ultear, had apparently vanished. It pissed Gray off to no end, that the woman could abandon Meredy so easily, the young pink haired girl stared vacantly into space as she waited to be ferried off to the ship.

'Every relationship, regardless of how strong, will see betrayal under the right circumstances.' For a girl barely into her teens, her view on the world and friendships were incredibly bleak, and it was a little heartbreaking to hear. Maybe the girl had sensed Ultear's attentions being clouded by the darkness that constantly surrounded her. Either way, Gray expressed hopes that Meredy would find peace and people who truly cared for her in the future.

Lucy stared at her father as a pair of Rune Knights began dislodging the small boat from the beach and Gray folded a supportive hand over her shoulder as they watched the boat paddle away. "He won't threaten you again Lucy," the ice mage told her, "you've beaten him."

Fixed him with a grateful smile and dropped her head onto his shoulder as he wrapped the arm loosely around her shoulders. Juvia eyed them jealously but made no move to complain or pry the blonde out of the ice mage's supportive grip this time. Apparently, she could read a situation now and then. The group moved to circle around Mest a moment after, taking each other's hands as he instructed so he could teleport them all back to the ship.

Inside

Straps of black energy slashed around the room without rhyme or reason, and the Twin Dragons found themselves back on defence, nimbly dancing around the strikes. Erza had managed to get herself to the mouth of the stairwell in a futile attempt to keep back from the haphazard attack patterns as well as the crumbling building. She watched as another large chunk split from the ceiling forcing Natsu to leap to the side. From adjacent ends of the room the dragon slayers both sucked in large breaths and roared out streams of fire and water, catching Jellal between them, but the blue haired man leapt out from the center as he crossed his arms in front of him. Then their shadows were bending and twisting the laws of physics and the magic signature sent waves of nausea through them both.

Haru had experienced this attack before. Had their fight back at Era continued, this was likely the attack that would have led to his defeat, potentially his death. "Natsu, this is an extremely powerful attack, keep your guard up," Haru warned telepathically.

"We have our own extremely powerful attacks!" Natsu declared, undeterred by the warning. "Time for one last counter, Haru!"

The Fire Slayer darted across the room, dodging around chunks of loosened crystal as his magic pressure grew enough to take on a visible red-orange light, he slid to a stop next to Haru who was surrounded by a bright blue light himself. They pivoted to stand back to back, each with an arm extended in front of them as their magic power climbed enough to physically tear up a ring of crystal around them.

Jellal's spell hit its peak, seemingly wielding the night sky itself in a spinning sphere. "Alteria!" he shouted. As the destructive spell barrelled down on them, the Twin Dragons jumped, putting themselves directly in the path of the impending attack and speeding straight for it with their elements whipping violently around them.

"Twin Dragons' Secret Arts: obliteration dual fist!"

In contrast to all their other Unison Raids, their magic blended so seamlessly around their outstretched fists that the power just glowed in ripples of bright white, orange and blue, no longer distinguishable as fire or water. That power tore the false night sky apart at the seams as the dragon slayers soared straight through its center at Jellal. Their fists simultaneously crashed into the Wizard Saint's cheekbones with a sickening crunch, driving him straight down and into the floor below. Weakened and unstable as the ground beneath them was, the crystal shattered like brittle frost and sent all three crashing through subsequent floors.

. . .

Erza watched slack-jawed before stumbling forward to the new hole in the middle of the floor, eyes darting around for movement before the floor beneath her whined in protest and the chunk she was standing on broke free. She cried out as she fell, swiping out at the air for purchase and missing, Erza squeezed her eyes shut until an impact hit her body from below. She gasped as the wind was knocked from her lungs at the force.

"Sorry," a sheepish voice apologized, "I had no way to soften our collision." The redhead's eyes flew open and found her body cradled in the Water Slayer's arms, his draconic eyes on hers as he spun in the air to kick off the falling chunk of crystal. He began leaping between the crumbling sections of the tower downward as she continued to watch him numbly.

They landed in relative safety, not far from where Natsu held the limp body of Jellal in the air with old flames spilling off his body. He slammed a fiery fist into the man's jaw with his free hand, cutting off whatever stupidity their enemy had attempted and began ranting earnestly himself. Erza couldn't quite make out the fire mage's words until they got closer, "—Wake up Jellal! There is NO perfect world, you need to break free from the darkness that controls you!" He punctuated each statement with another punch, until finally, his purifying gold flames overwhelmed his regular red-orange flames. "Fire Dragon's purifying flames!" he yelled, swinging his fist up this time and landing a solid upper cut on Jellal's chin. Natsu released the grip he held on the other man's shirt at the same second of impact, allowing his entire body to arch upward. Golden flames rippled over his body, burning up the demonic power possessing him, and when his body crumpled to the ground the black marks were fading, leaving normal flesh and an unconscious Jellal in their absence.

The tower rumbled again and Haru glanced around uneasily, he jumped down from the broken floor above and landed next to Natsu. "We need to get out of here, but I am seriously running on fumes. I can barely stand, let alone maintain Force."

The Fire Slayer nodded without peeling his eyes off of Jellal. "Yeah, me too. But we're going to have to dig deeper," he replied as though it were a simple solution. Natsu stooped to drag Jellal onto his back, stumbling forward a couple steps as his vision blurred briefly. "Come on Haru, let's get out of this damned tower," he muttered.

The two took off sprinting as best their exhaustion would allow, faltering in their steps every time the tower shifted, their reflexes barely enough to keep them all from falling. About halfway down, the tower quaked again and this one sent the boys sprawling and all four collapsed to the ground. Natsu gasped, "That's it, I don't have anything left..."

He could feel the remnants of his magic fading along with the scales that coated his skin, and as his vision blackened at the edges. He heard Erza desperately trying to coax him and Haru back to their feet but his muscles refused to do anything. The Tower continued to break around them, threatening to crush them all where they lay, it was only a matter of time and none of them had the strength to move an inch.

"Lightning Dragon's ROAR!"

Sounds filtered through Natsu's mind as he continued to battle with unconsciousness, he could barely register what was happening around him. Was that, Laxus? Or had he been hit on the head with a falling debris? He had been hit on the head at some point he vaguely recalled… His bangs were still caked with blood.

"Get them out of here, now!"

Laxus' voice again?

The world around Natsu spun and black finally overtook him.

Fairy Tail's Ship

Mira sat on her knees, her fingers absently wringing the fabric of her dress as her eyes skimmed over their three injured comrades who lay on makeshift cots below the ship deck. Laxus and Mest had gotten them all out of the tower safely, even Jellal, though Laxus had Happy dump him over with the Council's last remaining ship without a second thought. Wendy was currently moving between Erza, Natsu and Haru with glowing hands, assessing who was in the most critical shape as Mira and the rest of her companions watched.

It turned out to be a pretty close toss-up between the pair of dragon slayers, though Natsu had more physically devastating injuries. Erza was conscious, though somewhat groggy from a wound at her temple. She was giving Makarov a debrief of everything that had happened on very top floor of the tower, concern edging her tone when she told him how the guys had ingested ethernano. Mira had shared a wary glance with Lucy at that, none of them really knew the long-term complications of such a reckless action.

Sighing, Mira pushed the worry away and placed damp cloths over both of their foreheads before cleaning the wound on Natsu's head to distract herself. Lucy sat cross legged at the side of his bed with Happy in her lap again, both watching as Mira tipped the fire mage's head back and rang out the red tinted water from the cloth.

"They both completely exhausted their magic containers... They won't be using magic anytime soon, but I think they'll be okay otherwise," Wendy assured the room. There was a collective sigh of relief, the breath they had all be holding subconsciously. Mira turned back to Haru, taking his head into her lap as Wendy shifted over to begin working on Natsu's ribs and resulting internal damage done from the broken bones.

"They entered Dragon Force..." Erza's voice broke the quiet that had settled over them, and aside from Wendy, everyone turned their attention to her. Her tone was still laced with awe, as though she were trying to come to grips with what she'd witnessed from the guys as well. "I've never seen anything like it, it was incredible."

"Is it like their Drive States?" Lucy asked as she laced her fingers with Natsu's, appearing completely unaware of her own action. Mira wasn't sure if it was for his comfort or hers, but now didn't seem like an appropriate time to tease her easily-flustered friend. Not after everything Dragon Soul had been through.

Erza shook her head, but it was Makarov that answered. "I've never heard of anyone achieving it, Force has been all speculation and near legend until now. But it is supposed to be the ultimate state of Dragon Slayer magic." The Fairy Tail mages absorbed that, nodding slowly. Then the master stood from his spot, feeling more confident of the inevitable recovery of his brats and moved toward the door to the upper deck as he requipped a small communication lacrima to his hand. "I'm going to contact Yajima and see how the Council is coming along with their reformation," he told them before disappearing up the stairs.

Haru groaned and his eyes cracked open taking in the curtain of white hair falling around him when Mira leaned over him with a small smile. "Mira?" he asked, the confusion evident in his voice. The Water Slayer's eyes shifted around the room and he tried to move but the Mira pressed on his shoulder to prevent that.

Wendy turned from Natsu, to lean over Haru's bed which was in the middle or the injured trio. "Don't move too much Haru, I haven't gotten a chance to take care of your injuries just yet," she instructed.

He physically shook his head, dispelling some disorientation. "Where are we?" Haru asked, slowly becoming more aware of the dull pain that still peeled through what felt like every nerve ending in his body.

"Fairy Tail's ship, we are still just offshore from the Tower. Mest got you guys out just in time," Mira told him. With the new information, Haru wondered if the nausea wracking his body was from the ethernano or simply being on a ship again. He let his eyes roll back with another pained moan and Mira drew her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture that he didn't have the energy to consider the implications of.

The next moment Wendy was turning toward him and running her hands down his bared torso over the deep bruises that covered pale skin. "Mira, can you help Lucy bandage Natsu's injuries?" the young girl requested.

Nodding, Mira moved to help hoist the fire mage up into a slightly reclined position so Lucy could wrap a length of bandage around his torso. Waking at the movement and the pain that shot through his head behind his eyes, Natsu brought a shaky hand up to massage his temple. "Whaaaaaat the actual fuuuck?" Natsu bit out, elongating the words in a pained moan. He turned as best he could when he heard Erza chuckling from the third bed on the other side of his partner, who was also watching him with half-lidded eyes and a small smile.

Lucy tied off the bandage and lifted a hand to his cheek guiding his face to look back at her. "Stay still Natsu," she chided softly as she began working another strip of bandage around his head. It reminded her of when he'd done the same for her back in Waas forest, and she flushed slightly remembering how intimate the gesture had seemed then, even in the midst of battle. Natsu was watching her with an unreadable expression, a certain intensity in his eyes as he seemed to consider her.

You love her.

Jude's words rang out in Natsu's head. Groaning again, Natsu decided he didn't have even close to the headspace he needed, to deal with his damn confusing muddled mess of emotions right now. He sighed in relief as Mira eased him back to lay down again.

Lucy pressed his neatly folded scarf onto his chest, and he brought a hand up to cover her hand over the material. She suggested he try to get some sleep now, smiling softly at him as she reached out to brush the bangs that had fallen across his eye away. "Thanks Luce," he mumbled as he drifted back to sleep, holding tight to his scarf as though it were a security blanket.

"Come on, we should all head up and let them get some rest," Wendy announced after she'd finished healing Haru to the best of her abilities. Haru had fallen asleep again while she was working on him as well. Happy and the girls exchanged unsure glances but stood to follow the young slayer out of the room anyway. Wendy was always shy and soft spoken, but when she was in charge of anyone's medical care, she adopted an air of authority that was hard to ignore. "You get some rest too Erza," she called back as Lucy and Mira passed her, heading to the upper deck. "Just call if you need anything."

Erza nodded, thanking the teen and let her eyes glance back over the peacefully sleeping forms of her comrades. Sleep well guys, you've earned it.

A/N. And with that, FTTD breaks 100k words in less than two months, I thank all of you for following along and keeping me motivated to share the crazy that rolls around in my head.

The Tower of Heaven is a wrap and the questions left from this arc will be answered in time, I assure you. For now, I hope you are all excited for some upcoming fluff. Any predictions? Anything you're hoping to see soon?

Big shout out to my regular reviewers Valerioux and FireShifter, you rock!

See you all Wednesday!

R&R.

~LokaMuse