[Re-Edited 04.30.23]
Happy Sunday!
These 30s chapters are monsters. All of them 7000+ words, so with this: FTTD officially breaks 200k words.
And I think that means I owe all of my amazing readers another giant THANK YOU! Your support is what keeps this story going and keeps me motivated to share my passion for writing and fanfiction.
I hope you like these next few chapters as much as I do.
~Onward!
33
-Gone-
"He is coming."
"Natsu?" Lucy's eyes were suddenly wide in worry, though Natsu was too busy internally shouting back at the voice that had materialized in his head to answer. Disconcertingly, it was gone as quickly as the warning had bloomed. Had it really been Anna—that wouldn't be possible, would it?
More importantly, who was coming?
"Natsu—" Lucy tried again, her hand came up to rest over the angle of his jaw, trying to snap him out of the blank stare. Behind her, Haru had stopped dancing with Mira, and both faced them now with growing concern etched across their expressions as well. He and Mira made no move to approach them, just remaining where they were and watching intently as the blonde continued to press, "Talk to me, what's going on… Natsu?"
He shuddered visibly, eyes locking with hers, and then Haru's over her shoulder. "Something's coming," he said in a bare whisper, sounding terrified. That in and of itself unsettled his comrades. Natsu rarely sounded fearful of anything, especially with no apparent trigger or threat. His friends exchanged glances and their faces pinched in further concern.
"Are you feeling okay man?" Haru asked him, finally stepping forward to take his shoulder in a firm grip. There was a wild unfocused look in Natsu's eyes, as though he didn't know where his own words were comings from.
Batting the hand away, Natsu bared his teeth in frustration, "We need to go, I can't explain it, I just know." The Fire Slayer whirled, abandoning them to gawk after him as he quickly approached Makarov to report his unprovoked gut feeling.
"Gramps."
"Ah, Natsu m'boy!" Makarov slurred slightly as he turned with a goofy smile. Though it faltered as soon as he noticed Natsu's serious demeanour, that alone sobered him up as he asked, "What is it Natsu?"
Natsu shook his head, turning to let his eyes graze over all the Fairy Tail mages. They were all still largely unaware of anything amiss, aside from Lucy and the others who were still watching him closely. "Uh, this won't make any sense, I know… but you just have to trust me."
The elder just gave him his undivided focus, and Laxus and Gildarts nearby, paused in their own conversation, turning their attention over as well. "Something is coming, I can't explain it, it's just a feeling. We need to get to the ship. Now," Natsu emphasized for urgency. He clenched and unclenched his fists nervously as he waited for the Master's inquisition, but he gave none.
Laxus did scoff though, "You want us to run from nothing, because of a feeling?" he asked incredulously.
Makarov's face, that had been completely blank to this point, hardened in seriousness. Appearing completely calm and clear, the alcohol-induced flush in his cheeks was long gone. The old man clapped titan sized hands together above the dancing group, "Listen up Fairy Tail! Grab everything essential and evacuate to the ship," he belted. Everyone slowed and turned bewildered faces on him, stumbling in their movements and hanging off each other in drunken celebration. No one made any effort to move. Laxus outright balked at the order, stunned that the old man was treating Natsu's half-assed explanation with the utmost seriousness.
"NOW!" Makarov demanded in a roar, leaving absolutely no room for further discussion or questioning.
The mages all jumped slightly at the abrupt change of energy, but leapt to action an instant later. They began gathering anything that shouldn't be left behind and moved hastily toward the ship that was still anchored a hundred feet offshore. Natsu turned to help, but the Master clamped a hand over his shoulder as Happy flew over with a sullen look. "What's wrong Natsu?" Happy asked wearily.
"Happy, go help Lucy and the others, make sure everyone gets to the ship," Natsu instructed, rather than answer. The blue cat looked unsure, keeping his gaze on Natsu and the Master as he hesitantly turned away from them. Makarov nodded in assurance and Happy reluctantly followed the direction.
Basecamp looked like a shambled mess in seconds from the speed in which the group packed up. A few boxes remained along with a tent collapsing in on itself, and the large bonfire had been extinguished down to a few smouldering logs. Their guildmates were already working in teams to lug boxes of supplies to the ship, evacuating quickly, despite no words having been offered in way of explanation. They would trust there had to have been a good reason to cut the celebrations short.
"Explain what you can Natsu," Makarov commanded as the final pair made one last sweep of the basecamp to make sure everyone had retreated to the ship.
"It was a feeling or perhaps instinct. –A warning," Natsu corrected in a shaky voice, knowing he sounded a little crazy even as the words spilled from his mouth. "A warning that told me that something is coming… Honestly Gramps, it froze me to my core," Natsu added under his breath. He observed the elder from the corner of his eye as they ran side by side toward the beach. Parted vegetation, trampled down by the rest of the guild's hasty travel presented them with a direct path to follow. The short man nodded absently in thought.
"I'm not crazy," Natsu stated, as much for himself as for the Master's benefit.
Makarov looked up at him, expression softening, "If I thought that, my boy, we wouldn't be evacuating in the dead of night... In a drunken stupor no less," he added with a smile, trying to lighten Natsu's mood.
"Thanks Gramps," he said softly. The trees thinned, and the black silhouette of the ship just offshore was visible only due to a few glowing lanterns that had been lit on deck to assist the milling fairies in their tasks.
"Natsu!" Lucy called, running to meet them as they emerged from the forest, Happy was with her, flying just overhead. She threw her arms around his shoulders in relief and buried her face in his scarf. Just offshore in knee deep water, Natsu's dragon sight could make out Haru watching them as well.
"Everyone's on board," Haru announced as the three mages approached. Natsu's eyes skimmed over the wide ice path beside his partner, solidifying the surface of the ocean to create a path to the ship.
Keeping a tight grip on Lucy's hand, (for her comfort or his, Natsu wasn't sure), he gave Haru a curt nod, "Good, let's go." Natsu jogged passed and pulled Lucy along with him toward Fairy Tail's ship. His unease still seemed to grow uncontrolled by the minute, and Natsu found himself scanning the night around them indiscriminately. Makarov followed shortly behind them and Haru brought up the rear.
"Draw the anchor!" Makarov called as they reached the ship and began climbing the rope ladder strung over the side. Their comrades had the sails diligently loosed and secured, the anchor up and the ship turning in a wide arc away from the island before Haru's boots even touched the deck.
Lucy sagged to the deck with a relieved sigh and leaned back against the railing. Natsu's own tension didn't ease as he moved purposefully to the ship's stern to scan the dark horizon. Haru and Makarov joined him shortly after, standing to each side of him to stare out over the blackened ocean waters as well. The night suddenly felt stifling and all at once, the identity of the encroaching threat bloomed in Natsu's mind. His grip tightened around the polished wood of the railing.
"Too late," he breathed, "he's here."
. . .
The night remained still except for the steady ripples of the ship parting the ocean's waters. Haru narrowed his eyes, scanning left and right along the horizon trying to discern what had Natsu so tormented. But he saw nothing. He caught the Master's eyes, and saw no recognition or understanding in him either, but Natsu remained statuesque, seemingly caught in a trance.
"Natsu, wha—"
A blinding orange light pierced the dark, tearing the night apart in a stream that overtook the ship. The attack obliterated the central mast and sails along with it, before anyone even knew it was coming. Cries and shouts of panic and fear were ringing up around the ship on the lower deck, and Natsu swore loudly in response. His crimson scales crawled over his cheeks and arms and Haru stared at him in wonder. He couldn't tell if entering Drive State had even been a conscious decision or simply pure reflex on the Fire Slayer's part. Another beam caught the ship at the stern, blowing a gaping hole in Haru's pondering and the hull.
The ship lurched and took in the rushing waters as the ocean began to swallow it, and Haru whipped around, peering into the night sky, searching the black for the attack's source. He caught sight of strange bluish patterns that seemed to ripple through space to mar the sky, and then a roar that split the silence as surely as the beam had split the darkness, reverberated around them. What followed was an excruciating pain unlike any Haru had ever experienced before, ripping through his entire body.
Haru collapsed to the ground, desperately clutching his head and vaguely registering Natsu on the ground next to him. Makarov crouched between them, eyes wide in worry but seemingly untouched by whatever the unnatural pain afflicting them was. Haru tried to focus. A muddled voice filtered through his head, but he was sure it had been spoken out aloud, the words just seemed so far away, washed out. He only picked up odd words, "All—dragon slaye—" it was saying, "—down."
He lay flat on his back trying to steady his breathing and slow the throb in his head. Blurred shapes, he assumed were his comrades moving around above him flitted in and out of his vision. But he found himself staring up at the night sky instead, grappling for clarity through the piercing pain.
Then the shape of a dragon coursed across the sky above the ship. He must be delirious, but no, there was no mistaking. Its wingspan reaching double the width of their ship easily, its shape blacker than midnight save for the luminescent blue markings covering its body. The pain cut off abruptly and Haru gasped sharply in surprise. Someone helped him sit up and he slowly focused on worried blue eyes, Mira's mouth moved but the words were still lost to the mugginess in his head. He groaned, cursed, and turned to find Natsu in a similar state. Lucy's hands were on each of his shoulders to steady him and Erza kneeled beside the stellar mage, head swivelling between each of them.
The Fire Slayer's eyes sharpened, "Acnologia," he announced gravely.
"Haru, you gotta push the ship back to shore, or we'll be sitting ducks," he declared urgently. It seemed likely that Natsu had hoped they could get away, but now that that was impossible, being in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to fight back would mean their demise.
Haru ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back as he screwed his eyes shut tightly and blinked the blurriness out of them again. Then with a physical shake as though that could dispel the residual pain clinging to his nerves, he stood, summoning his Drive State to bolster his power. Mira helped him to the front of the ship, and braced him as his magic power spiked. Haru began to manipulate the calm ocean waters in time with the movements of his arms, just as a composer would direct the acts of a concert. The waters thrashed below, beginning to throw the ship into a violent rocking, but Dragon Slayer motion sickness couldn't begin to compare with the pain that had incapacitated them moments ago.
"Everyone, grab something to hold onto!" Erza screamed in warning.
With a final upward sweep of an arm, a wave rose to dwarf the ship and the Water Slayer pivoted and whipped both arms back in the direction of the island. The tidal wave caught the ship and threw it violently into the shore to land in a mass of fractured wood. The large sail, draped over most of the deck, hid the majority of their comrades, groaning beneath.
. . .
Natsu had gotten Lucy and Happy caged between himself and the railing, gripping a support post on either side of the blonde as he'd braced for the impact. His head dropped onto her shoulder as the ship came to rest, but she still clung to him tightly now. He glanced over his shoulder when everything stilled for a fleeting moment. Cautiously, he loosened his grip as Lucy reached up to wrap a shaky hand around his upper arm. "What in the hell is happening Natsu?" she asked.
He met her warm chocolate eyes, swimming with fear, and felt his heart ache in response. He didn't know what assurances he could offer her. Hell, he didn't have the faintest clue what was going on either. How could a dragon just show up out of the blue when, (if he could believe the claims), one hadn't been seen in Ishgar for centuries. That was, outside his and his fellow Dragon Slayers' upbringings, of course.
"Natsu," Lucy said again in a bare whisper, "how did you know?"
Was that fear in her voice now too? Not of him… right? She did succeed in raising his other biggest concern though, he didn't just suppose this was Acnologia due to Anna's warnings back in Edolas… he KNEW. Without a shadow doubt, knew at his core, that this dragon was Acnologia.
"I don't know Luce," he told her honestly, eyes focusing on a subtle ripple in the sky, "I really don't. But we're gonna have to figure that out later—"
He grabbed her hand and tore her from the deck, snagging Erza by an elbow and calling Happy's attention to move as well. Then he spun to sprint across the upper deck of the ship with the girls in tow. Behind him, Haru had reacted instantly as well and was right on his heels. He had Makarov tossed haphazardly over his shoulder and Mira's wrist gripped tightly as he darted forward too. The deck they'd just been occupying exploded in a shower of splintered wood, just as the group threw themselves from the ship to land hard on the ground below. All their guildmates were spread around the beach now, watching in stunned silence along with them.
Their ship was destroyed, and just like that, they were left with no other choice than to fight a real, living dragon.
Gajeel stomped forward to stop in front of the Twin Dragons and slammed a fist into an open palm, "Whose up for some dragon hunting?!"
Laxus sauntered up behind him, with his seemingly easy carelessness, but anyone who knew him could see the nerves and subtle stiffness in the way he was carrying himself. They were all scared. Terrified. But they weren't going to resign themselves to whatever fate the dragon had in mind for them without every effort to prevent it. Natsu and Haru exchanged a glance, an unverbalized conversation stretching out between them. Acnologia really hadn't left them with any other option, it wasn't like they could swim for it.
Wendy ran over, fending off Carla's opposition as usual. "Don't forget about me, I'm a Dragon Slayer too! I'm way stronger now, I can help!" she shouted earnestly. Despite the slight tremble in her lip when she finished, her words left no room to deny her.
Natsu dropped a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair affectionately, "Alright then, let's go slay a dragon, team!"
. . .
Lucy gawked as the five Dragon Slayers spun and took off down the beach without pausing to see what the rest of the guild would do. Running headlong in pursuit of the Apocalypse Dragon that was gliding over the ocean toward the island, dragging a wing tip through the waters as it did so. Lucy turned toward Erza and Mira and nodded sharply. The women went to take off after them, intent on throwing themselves into the battle as well, but Makarov snagged Lucy's wrist as they ran by him with a magic-stretched arm.
The stellar mage rounded on him, eyes flashing with a brilliant snap of fury. "Don't you dare tell me not to help them," Lucy bit out between clenched teeth.
Unfazed by her anger, Makarov gestured for Mira and Erza who'd paused as well, to continue on. His eyes trailed over the rest of the fairies racing toward the Dragon Slayers to provide back up to their comrades before meeting hers again. "Lucy, I need you to do something for me."
"What could you possibly need me to do right now?! I won't leave them to fight alone!" she yelled back in desperation.
"This could be our only shot, Lucy, and your magic is the most compatible," he told her cryptically. Lucy narrowed her eyes but stopped pulling against the titan grip that prevented her movement.
"Master, if you don't stop talking in riddles—"
Makarov shook his head, and placed two fingers on her temple. A location and images flashed through her mind and she flinched at the feeling of having her mind intruded upon. "Find the First Master's grave, if anyone can do this, it's you… but hurry," he told her urgently. His eyes flicked over to the intense battle that had erupted just a mile down the beach. Elemental magics were exploding at sporadic intervals now, briefly brightening up the stretch of shoreline and their family fighting fervently. A wide streak of fire shot up into the sky in a cyclone before Makarov refocused on her once more, "Lucy, I'm afraid we are no match for Acnologia, we will stall him as long as we can."
Lucy's attention snapped back to the hulking shape of the dragon that blended near flawlessly against the backdrop of the night. A pained cry that she immediately recognized as Natsu's had her screwing her eyes shut as tears slid down her cheeks. Gritting her teeth, she nodded at the Master and reluctantly turned away, her Star Reform Wings appeared in a golden flourish before she took off into the forest at dead sprint.
Hang on Natsu... everyone... I won't let you down.
. . .
Natsu laid flat on his back in a daze, running the flat of his palm across his torso to assess the damage from the hit he took and cauterized a gash when his hand came away wet. He blinked his eyes against the blinding white that was now obscuring his vision. "Well, that wasn't any fun," he mumbled to himself.
Just witnessing Acnologia's attacks had the same effect as being too close to a flash bomb going off, especially in the dark when one's eyes weren't adjusted for bright lights. Worse, Natsu knew the dragon was just toying with them. Acnologia hadn't struck with any particularly destructive attacks since the Fairy Tail mages had confronted him. He just batted them away with the swipe of a claw, or the flick of his tail, it was like watching a cat play with a mouse.
"You alright man?" someone asked from nearby.
Natsu rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes, willing his sight to clear, "Gray?" he asked, confirming.
"Uh, yeah," the other man drawled, "did you hit your head? That blow you took was pretty nasty."
"No… That last attack just blinded me a bit." Natsu let his hands drop back to his sides, the shapes around him were slowly coming back into focus again. The world around him remained fuzzy, but at least the white splotches were diminishing.
Gray grunted, "Oh is that all?" he spat sarcastically. Natsu felt his strong grip under his upper arm before Gray yanked him back to his feet. They stood unmoving for a moment because the ice mage was reluctant to spring back into battle if Natsu was lacking sight. "SHIT," Gray bit out. Spinning, he wrapped an arm across Natsu's chest and lunged, throwing both of their weights back harshly. Natsu landed hard on his back and coughed out a lungful of air with his friend's weight draped across him.
"Shit," Gray repeated breathlessly, pressing himself up and his shout followed, "everyone okay?!"
A series of groans sounded in confirmation, and attacks from their comrades that remained unscathed continued to flare across the beach.
Natsu couldn't be sure exactly what had just happened. He'd heard multiple screams from their comrades though, so he could assume that whatever had just happened, Gray had managed to get the two of them out of harm's way. The fire mage irritably scrubbed at his eyes again. Frustration boiled in him, he could see as well as any nocturnal beast in the darkest night normally. He noted the defenceless feeling that was settling over him just seemed to fan the fire in his belly though. "Gray what happened?" he asked.
"Acnologia hit half the beach with his tail," Gray supplied. "Natsu, I need to go help the others, you should stay back, at least 'till your vision clears."
"Not fucking happening."
"Are you fucking stupid?! Or do you just have a death wish?!" Gray rounded on him furiously.
Natsu let his magic swell again, reinstating Fire Drive in response. His eyesight wasn't all he could rely on, and he certainly wasn't going to hide in relative safety while his family fought for their lives. The Fire Slayer let his eyes drift closed, he could follow the magic signatures of his comrades around him, sense them by smell, zero in on each distinct breath and movement the dragon took. "I'm good Gray, thanks," Natsu assured, and vanished in a burst of flames, leaving the ice mage slack jawed and shouting after him, aghast and angry.
Flashing around the battle as he honed his available senses, Natsu distinguished a missing presence from the rest of his guildmates, just as the Titan form of Makarov stomped across the beach.
"Sorry for the wait, my children," Makarov's voice boomed. Now matching the size of the dragon itself, the Master threw himself forward and wrapped his hulking arms around Acnologia's neck, causing the dragon to roar in displeasure.
Natsu materialized next to Haru. "Have you seen Lucy?" he asked, head turned in Makarov's direction as he focused his remaining senses on the fight.
"No, I haven't, she was with the girls, wasn't she?" Natsu's head swivelled to him despite keeping his eyes closed against the disorienting partial vision, concern and exacerbation warring on his face. "Hang on, let me ask…" Haru relinquished.
A few seconds later, he relayed, "Mira says Master was talking with her, last she saw."
"Then find out what Gramps wanted!" Natsu snapped impatiently.
Both Dragon Slayers flipped back simultaneously, dodging another sharp beam of concentrated light that the dragon fired off to rip a scar through the earth. Natsu's movements lacked their usual athleticism, doing so blind, and Haru asked what happened to his eyes. Of course, that only succeeded in gaining another flare of Natsu's impatience. "She's not here, Master stopped her—" Haru started, but the partial information already had Natsu sprinting toward Makarov.
He heard Haru yelling at him as he launched upward with streams of fire propelling him and landed on the giant's shoulder. "Gramps, where's Lucy?" he demanded even as he added his attacks to the Master's, raining blazing fires down on the dragon that the old man continued attempting to wrestle into submission.
"The First's grave."
Skimming over the why, Natsu asked incredulously, "You sent her alone?!"
"She's safer than we are here, and her success might be our only hope!" the master countered.
Acnologia's thrashing was getting increasingly violent by the minute and Natsu swore he could feel the dragon's rage at being immobilized by a mere human. Throwing his giant head back, Acnologia released an ear-splitting roar into the night. Instantly disoriented by the piercing decibel that threatened to burst his eardrums, Natsu staggered as his hands flew up to block his ears and consequently lost his footing. He toppled backward at the same time as a tortured sound was torn from Makarov. Someone snatched him out of the air and went skidding to a stop. Natsu experimentally cracked an eye open, met with still-blurred vision of a red figure next to him, desperately calling for Wendy.
"I'm fine," Natsu rasped, gripping Erza's forearm, hoping to calm her.
Erza turned to him briefly, before looking away again, "Not you," she choked out in a sob.
"I'm here!" Wendy called, crouching between them all. Natsu's mind reeled for answers, only just noticing the smell of blood filling his nose.
"Is he—will he be okay?" Erza asked in a shaky voice.
Natsu shifted, dragging his aching body up to take in the fuzzy shape of Makarov's short human form on the ground beside him. The old man fought for laboured breaths as Wendy worked glowing blue hands over a sizeable wound in his belly. The vegetation around them told Natsu that Erza had gotten them back into the tree line for some cover. 'Gramps…' he thought, 'don't you dare die, I will make sure we get out of this, so you just –don't die.'
Struggling back to his feet, the Fire Slayer took a couple wobbly steps forward, but Erza reached out to grab his arm, preventing his advance. She hissed in pain and reflexively retracted her hand just as quickly, "Gods! You're scalding hot, Natsu!"
He paused looking back over his shoulder at her, a reddish glow pulsing around him giving visible form to his magic pressure. Erza recoiled a bit as his magic continued to climb. The heat rolling off him was blistering, wilting the plants in the area. "Where are you going? Don't think I haven't figured out you can't see!"
A slight smile pulled the corner of his mouth up as he gave her an apologetic look. Her fear of losing him and any of their family was evident in the trembling of her voice. Natsu placed a hand on her head, "Gramps sent Lucy with instructions to find something that he believed could save us," he explained softly. He knew she was right to be concerned of course, the rest of his dragon senses still couldn't fully make up for the deficit his compromised vision caused.
"She's safer than we are here," Erza said, echoing Makarov's earlier point, but missing Natsu's.
"I'm not going after her. I believe in Gramps, and I believe in Lucy, she'll be giving it her all and I will buy her the time she needs," he vowed.
Erza's lips parted slightly, there was a shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes, "W-what will you do Natsu?"
Flashing his signature toothy grin, he declared confidently, "Whatever I can!"
With his magic pressure hitting a threshold, Natsu's irises flecked in gold, glowing subtly as they seemed to draw all the sparse light the night offered. Then the deep red Erza remembered from months ago washed out the rosy-pink spikes of his hair and thicker smatterings of scales, unique to his Force State, painted large expanses of his skin. Her eyes widened and without the slightest twitch of movement he vanished before her eyes, leaving only a charred ring of sand and tendrils of smoke where he had just been standing.
. . .
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts: Ocean's vengeance, storm blades!"
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts: Karma demon, iron spiral!"
Haru and Gajeel each flew toward Acnologia in unison with their advanced spells whipping around them from either side of the dragon, and Gildarts leapt into the air straight at his snout, crash magic crackling around his fists. Behind them, Laxus and Gray stood ready in offensive stances, and Mira hovered in the air, each prepared for a subsequent wave of attacks. Acnologia struck out with a massive claw, swatting Gajeel out of the air and barrelling right into Gildarts. They were both sent flying with the force and collided with the shore in a cloud of sand. Haru's attack hit its mark with seemingly no damage. Completely unfazed by the mere annoyance, Acnologia didn't even acknowledge the strike.
Haru dissolved into his water, skipping back across the beach to slide to a stop flanked by his comrades. Dropping his hands onto his knees, he sucked in some deep breaths, attempting to recover from the exertion of battle. He could tell his comrades were feeling the effects of draining their magic containers by this point, Haru had already been forced to power up on the ocean water once, but the others didn't have that luxury. Behind him, Gildarts was back on his feet already, but Gajeel was still on his knees holding an injured shoulder. They were all speaking over one another in escalating arguments now, discussing what they could possibly do, a shared desperation colouring each word.
"Shut up!" Laxus bellowed, throwing a hand out to point at the dragon.
Haru and the rest turned and cold terror washed through him as though he'd dived into an ice pool in the middle of winter. Acnologia tipped his head back, cheeks puffing out and jaw parted to draw deep pulls of air into his lungs. Even the plants lining the beach bent toward him when they were caught in the force of his inhale. Haru vaguely registered that he was screaming at everyone to run, though he didn't remember making the decision to do so. He didn't actually think it would even be possible to avoid a dragon-scale breath attack at such close range. Some of his guildmates did run for it out of pure survival instinct, but he and his five comrades on the front line just froze helplessly and watched the buildup of the impending attack.
Mira appeared in front of him and threw her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Wrapping his arms around her tightly in turn, Haru still kept his gaze locked on the dragon defiantly.
'There must be something we can do… This can't be it... I can't let this be it.'
"Fire Dragon King's demolition fist!"
Haru heard Natsu's incantation, though the spell's name wasn't one he recognized. He looked around wildly, but couldn't locate the Fire Slayer either. Eyes darting over Acnologia, Haru desperately hoped that his reckless partner wasn't about to put himself square in the middle of a deadly breath attack. A ball of fire exploded at the corner of Acnologia's jaw, and the dragon's head was knocked to the side, his teeth snapping shut over the first flares of its attack. Eyes flashing, the dragon merely brought a claw up to scratch at Natsu's impact point as though it merely itched, but at least the roar was momentarily thwarted.
Aside from the fiery explosion, Haru still couldn't get eyes on Natsu, even with his senses in overdrive. A glance at the rest of the team told him that none of them had either. But then a blaze of fire materialized between them, causing each of them to flinch away with wide eyes. The flames extinguished, and then Natsu's gold eyes were scanning over them, "Everyone okay?" he checked.
"Dragon Force? How in the hell—" Haru yelled in shock, taking in Natsu's transformation. Their five companions looked equally confused at seeing the shift for the first time.
Turning a more elaborately scaled arm over to peer down at the crimson coating his skin as though only noticing for the first time, Natsu turned his palm back up flexing his fingers. Subtle claws glinted in the light from the embers that licked at his skin and then his eyes flicked back up to Haru's. In awe, Haru realized whatever affliction he'd sustained to his vision earlier, seemed to have been remedied by Dragon Force. Natsu passed over the group's confusion though—seemingly unsure how he'd entered Force as well.
He addressed the six gathered as a whole instead of dwelling on it further. "Gramps believes there is a way to save us and sent Lucy out after it," he informed them. Natsu dropped his eyes, "he's down, bad shape, Wendy is trying to save him."
They all exchanged concerned looks at the news, but remained silent. Behind them, brighter blues were bleeding into the sky as early dawn approached and Acnologia roared furiously again. Natsu spun back in the direction of the dragon. "We need to hold Acnologia off until Lucy can get back to us." Fire erupted off him again, as though answering his conviction. Tipping his head back to glance at them again over his shoulder, Natsu asked with a partially manic grin, "are ya with me!?"
"YEAH!"
All seven of the mages bolted forward again, launching themselves into the air with a variety of magic enhanced attacks, and when the rest of their guildmates noticed they hadn't stopped fighting, those that were uninjured joined in again as well. Levy and Juvia summoned magics to provide Gajeel and Haru with their elements to replenish their dwindling magic reserves. Elfman saddled up next to Mira, vowing to protect her with everything he had, and Freed announced the same to Laxus to which both S Class just chuckled. Working together, the mages coordinated on offensive and defensive teams, alternating to ensure there was always a group available to counter should an attack fail, as well as build on any success, however small.
Lucy
Lucy's lungs burned in protest as she darted through the forest, across the island once more; dodging around gnarled tree roots and low hanging branches. She was vaguely aware of the slight golden glow that now emanated from her body.
She'd found the First's resting place without much effort, but when she'd knelt down in front of the tryptic of stone markers and noticed the intricate runes etched over the surfaces, she'd immediately cursed the Master under her breath. Fingertips brushing over what she quickly realized was an incredibly complex incantation, she'd had to wonder what Makarov had been thinking in sending her. It was true Lucy was fairly adept at translating ancient runes, but not nearly as efficient at it as Levy was. To top it off, Lucy was far more skilled in a fight than the bluenette, so the Master's choice made no sense given their situation.
Taking a deep breath, she had reigned in her reactive burst of agitation and reminded herself that the elderly man always had a reason. He hadn't told her that she was the 'best for the job,' he'd specifically told her that her magic was the most compatible. So this wasn't as simple as her intellect. But that revelation had only led to the next point to ponder: had he been referring to her Celestial Spirit magic, or her Star Reform magic?
Blasts had continued to reach her ears even given her distance, and occasionally the ground beneath her had quaked in protest to the ongoing battle, the battle she knew her family was desperately fighting while they waited for her. She had refused to give up and let them down.
"Fairy Sphere will take total concentration and coordination from everyone present, focusing on your connections with one another. The bonds you all share as Fairy Tail mages will need to be as strong as you tell me they are, Lucy."
Gaze flitting over to the incandescent apparition now floating along next to her, Lucy nodded. "Your guild is everything you set out to create, First Master." Mavis smiled, bright green eyes sparkling.
As it turned out, Makarov had had both of her magic affinities in mind as potential solutions, though if she had to guess, he wasn't expecting her to make use of both quite so thoroughly.
After discovering that the stones held the scripted instructions to each of Fairy Tail's legendary Grand Fairy Spells and determining that Fairy Sphere was an absolute defence spell, Lucy had been able to discern Makarov's motivations. But that didn't stop the dread that had settled over her. As a light attribute magic, it was true she could facilitate the grand spell through herself with the help of the entire Tenrou team, but she hadn't had the time it would require to master the incantation right then. Even with a shred of hopelessness gnawing at her resolve, Lucy had continued to comb through the pristine tablets searching for anything else that could help them, and she'd found her answer.
The stones weren't ordinary grave markers, Mavis had used an enchantment to bind her fractured spirit there. So, with the same principles that guided Celestial Spirit magic, Lucy realized she could essentially bind the First's remaining spiritual energy to herself.
So now with Mavis' guidance and the ability to meld with the First, Lucy had all the tools she needed to cast Fairy Sphere. She could save her family. She would save them. But she'd need to do it fast because the time she could stay melded with Mavis was extremely limited.
Lucy burst out of forest, finally laying eyes on Acnologia again. Somehow the dragon was more daunting in the early morning hour with the orange-streaked sky behind him. The black of his scales appeared even more black, like the dragon held a void within himself, was a void, the embodiment of the end, of nothingness. She shuddered at the course of her thoughts and began waving frantically at her guildmates.
"I'm back, I've got the spell!"
She skidded to a stop, panting for the air her lungs demanded from the strenuous pace she'd set, and half her comrades turned toward her while the other half continued to fight back the dragon. In the thick of it, as she'd expected, Natsu and Haru were fully engaged in battle, having just fired off their usually devastating Elemental Break. Though all the unison raid seemed to accomplish this time, was pushing Acnologia back a few meters and creating minimal damage.
"What ya got for us Lucy?" Natsu called, without taking his eyes off the current threat before him. She could hear the confidence he had in her, clear in his voice.
"Fairy Sphere!" she shouted, knowing that most of them wouldn't have any more idea of what she was talking about than she had a mere hour ago. "Think you can hold him off a little longer?"
"Count on it!"
Erza approached, supporting a heavily bandaged and seemingly semi-lucid Makarov, who smiled weakly and praised her success. Lucy's eyes skimmed down over the pink-tinged bandages covering his entire torso. He just shook his head, dismissing her concern and took his place in the large circle that his children were already forming.
Natsu and Haru continued to defend as best they could while Lucy gathered the remaining Fairy Tail mages into the large circle. Laxus and Gray argued back about aiding in the fight but Makarov silenced them, pointing out that Fairy Sphere would take as much power as they could spare from the defence team. The Twin Dragons' flawless teamwork and powerful combinations made them the obvious choice to continue the fight, if just two of their mages were going to hold the dragon back while the rest of them prepared the spell.
Increasing their efforts to keep the dragon's attentions preoccupied, Natsu and Haru continued to shoot around the dragon with bursts of fire and water. Acnologia had had a noticeable affixation on the Dragon Slayers since the moment he'd appeared. That had become apparent right away, he seemed to be able to zero in on the five slayers instinctually. So, keeping the dragon's focus away from the rest of Fairy Tail wasn't too challenging, thankfully.
. . .
"Natsu, Haru!" Lucy called again, when she had everyone else organized. She stood at the center of the circle with her hands outstretched and an intense gold magic building up around her. Natsu caught her eyes, even at the distance, thanks to Dragon Force eyesight and noted the bright green tint that had replaced her normally brown eyes. He wondered what high-level magic Makarov had her taking on, and hoped it wasn't asking too big a toll of her, but he couldn't worry about that now. Besides, he trusted her completely. "You join us as soon as I give the call, NO EXCEPTIONS," she ordered. Natsu could hear the concern plain in her demand, he knew she hated leaving them to hold off Acnologia alone.
Feeling the Guild's combining magic power spiking up shore from them, Natsu wearily eyed the black dragon as his guildmates' actions began to draw Acnologia's attention more and more. It was all he and Haru could do just to keep him at bay. Golden light was pulsing off their comrades now, almost like a singular heartbeat, and Lucy had been chanting from the center of the circle all the while.
Vaulting over the sweep of the dragon's tail, Haru appeared beside him, matching his sprint in a wide loop around the dragon. They let their magics collide again, the destructive fire and water raging up around them once more. Wordlessly, they launched upward with a burst of their magics and dropped onto the dragon's back, the massive orb of seamlessly spinning elements reaching its peak just as they landed. The Twin Dragons unleashed their Elemental Break a second time, but at much closer range now. The spell seemed to shatter the air around it as it submerged Acnologia's head and upper body, and the dragon's resulting roar finally sounded with a tinge of pain.
With a beat of his giant scaled wings, Acnologia thrust himself into the skies before spinning in a sudden violent movement that threw both Natsu and Haru from his back. Natsu crashed into the beach, kicking up a stream of dirt in the landing that had him rolling to cough up a mouthful of blood. Lucy yelled from a few meters away for their attention, the absolute defence spell was prepared and she was desperately holding it for their arrival. Natsu pushed himself up, ignoring various stabbing pains and looked over toward Lucy and the rest of the guild. A column of faint shimmering light shone around them and towered into the sky overhead now.
Offshore, a massive tsunami rose from the ocean and overtook Acnologia, pulling the dragon down from the air slightly. Natsu could barely distinguish his partner standing on the ocean's surface in front of another wall of water easily fifty feet high behind him. He clenched his jaw hard. 'I'm sorry Lucy,' he thought, before shouting back to her, "I have to help Haru! Whatever you're going to do, DO IT NOW! WE'LL HOLD HIM OFF!"
The second wave crashed over Acnologia, submerging him and knocking him back into the ocean. Natsu shot toward the dragon like a meteor, ramming into its neck and rejoined the fight over the ocean once more. A jet of water burst apart a short distance away, reuniting the Twin Dragons atop the dragon's back.
Natsu heard Lucy screaming for them, a broken and anguished sound that felt like it held the power to shatter him to the soul. A more painful blow than anything the dragon could ever deliver. He didn't know what spell she was casting, but he'd promised to buy her the time if it meant saving Fairy Tail, and he was going to deliver. But then Acnologia puffed up, drawing so much of the oxygen around them, that for a fleeting a moment Natsu thought he could suffocate. A third massive tsunami guided by Haru collided with the dragon attempting to thwart the building attack and Natsu leapt above their foe's head, spinning with the power of his Secret Arts to smash into Acnologia's skull.
Acnologia flung his head to the side but the ball of blinding white-blue light continued to build between his fangs. Then with a roar that felt like it shook the world itself, he expelled a concentrated beam that overwhelmed the entire island in an instant.
Flinching away from the stifling power, Natsu shielded his eyes from the bright light that signalled each of Acnologia's attacks and had rendered him nearly blind earlier. Residual magic hung heavy in the air around them, crackling over the settling ocean waters. That was the only sound that reached Natsu's ears. Suddenly, everything fell deadly silent. He didn't want to look, a feeling in the pit of his stomach nauseated him with the fear of what he might find. Then he heard Haru gasp beside him.
Hesitantly, he forced himself to turn.
The island was gone.
A/N. Oh my goodness people. This chapter and the next leave quite a few questions remaining to be answered, so bear with me, will you? ;)
I'm going to have some fun with this Mavis/Lucy stuff, the random Mavis ghost popping up to cheer the guild on at GMG after saving them on Tenrou always seemed a little unexplained to me. I mean I could assume some stuff, but I think having her spirit 'bonded' to Lucy (for lack of a better word), presents some unique options for the story and Lucy's progress.
Endless thank-yous to SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, Valerioux, Loso, CVBlovesu93, Joker D. Zero, FireShifter, EternalFlame, nandemona1ya and guests, I will strive to keep delivering quality reading for you all!
'Till next time!
R&R
~LokaMuse