Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 90

"Only a little left," the young girl said softly. The small green Nikora in her arms gave a tiny grunt in reply. She continued to stare at the strong, thick trunk of the solitary, massive tree before her as she pondered a question. "Nico, I wonder how many more years this tree will live." The small green Nikora, named Nico, answered with another soft grunt.

A man dressed in the robes of a church came running up the hilly path behind the girl. He was panting heavily and was trying desperately to catch his breath as he tried to conquer the last and largest hill where the large tree stood. "Master Katja!" the man called out in a raspy voice. "What are you doing out here?"

Katja didn't turn around, but instead kept her sorrowful gaze fixed straight ahead. "I was looking at this tree," she replied.

The man stopped behind her, sucking in large amounts of air to fill his aching lungs. "You can't do that! You mustn't wander around outside! After all, the situation we're in right now—."

"I know it very well," Katja interrupted. "I know how little time we have left, too."

"If that's the case…"

Katja looked up towards the leaves of the great tree. "I was thinking that maybe this tree will remember us."

"One more thing," the man said, ignoring the girl's comment. "Word has spread that Fabrizio was found and taken away."

"Is that so? Well then perhaps I am next." Katja looked down with a sad smile at Nico. "If you're scared, you can escape, Nico." Nico shook his round head and grunted softly. Katja didn't respond, but did wrap her arms around the small Nikora a little tighter.


In a quiet mountain town covered in snow, Lahar walked the empty streets. Snow clung to the shoulders of his cloak and his neat, ebony hair. His glasses were dotted with melted snow and he only ever slowed to wipe them off.

He had come to this town with a purpose; he was looking for someone, someone that he would need if he was to dig up answers regarding the church bombings and Oración Séis. All forms of intelligence told him that he could find the man he sought here. For the sake of time, he hoped that it was correct.

He stopped in front of a small tavern and pulled out a piece of paper from underneath his cloak. He read it over and looked up at the tavern's sign. 'He must be here.' He reached out and opened the door to the tavern.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the dimly lit, warm establishment was a man with messy black hair and a cross shaped scar on his left cheek, dressed in dirty, torn clothes, a beer mug in his hand, standing in the middle of a few Council guards. One of the guards was lying on the floor and the man was glaring at him with anger.

"Do I have any sense of justice?! Justice my ass! I don't wanna hear it!" the man cried.

"You think you can get away with pickin' a fight with Fiore soldiers?" one of the guards shouted.

The man didn't reply. Instead he disappeared for but a moment, suddenly appearing behind the shouting guard. With a swift motion, he struck the guard in the back of the head with his mug, spilling some of his brew. The guard fell over and the man disappeared again, this time almost instantly appearing behind another guard. He struck this guard in the back of the head with his mug as well.

The last remaining guard stepped back with fear at seeing his comrades fall, not even noticing as the man before him disappeared and reappeared behind him.

The man was about to strike down this guard in the same fashion when Lahar intervened. He grabbed the man by the wrist, stopping his strike. The man turned his head to see who had stopped him.

"Your teleportation speed is rusty," Lahar said. His face showed slight signs of sorrow. "Stop this, Doranbolt."

The man tore his arm out of Lahar's grip. "I'm Mest. The traitor, Mest Gryder."

Lahar sighed. "You're still using that name?" He shook his head and put a gentle hand on Mest's shoulder. "Whatever. I need to speak with you. Follow me." He began walking towards the entrance.

Mest looked at Lahar over his shoulder before beginning to follow him outside.

The two walked through the falling snow until they were standing outside of the town and atop a snowy hill. Mest buried his hands in his pockets and shook his head of snow that had collected in his unkempt, black locks.

"What's wrong with justice?" Lahar asked to begin the conversation. "There was a time when even you believed strongly in it."

Mest hung his head. "I abandoned Wendy. I abandoned all of them. Tell me; how is that justice?"

A cold wind blew, but neither man seemed fazed. Lahar turned to look at Mest. "There's no need for you to fixate on justice." Mest seemed surprised by this answer as he turned to look at Lahar with wide eyes. "Right now, I need your strength. That's why I'm here."

"Lahar…"

"Come with me, Doranbolt. I'll even apologize if it will help you at all. Alright?"

Mest looked away before beginning to walk. "I'm not Doranbolt. My name is Mest. Call me that."

Lahar smiled gently. "Alright. First, lay off the booze, Mest." He began to follow after his old friend.

Without turning around or stopping, Mest asked, "So are you gonna fill me in on what it is we're doing?"


Soaring high among the clouds, Nikolias quietly flapped his powerful wings. Gray sat atop his head, arms and legs folded while the wind whipped around his body. The two were headed north towards the location Cana had divined. The two hadn't spoken a word to each other the entire time.

Gray closed his eyes and inwardly hummed. 'Guess Nikolias isn't much of the small talk type, either. I mean it's fine; it's not awkward like it was with Erza the other day. Still, should I say something? This is the first time the two of us have worked together alone, so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea.' He shook his head. 'Nah, there's nothing to say. Might as well enjoy the peace and prepare for whatever we might find up ahead.'

"I have a question for you, Gray."

Nikolias's sudden words startled Gray, making him quickly inhale as if he had just been woken up. He shook his head and responded. "What did you want to know?" he called out over the wind.

"Something's been bothering me since we left. I didn't want to alarm anyone so I didn't make too big a deal about it, but the more I keep it to myself the more unsure I become. Mind if I bounce it off you?"

Gray nodded. "Sure. What's eating at you?"

Nikolias's body vibrated as he hummed. "I just can't figure out why Cana's divinations split us up the way they did. Why did it have me apart from Gracie and Mira? If chemistry and compatibility were factored in, I just can't figure out why we weren't put together. And then there's Sky and Ash. Their entire combat style is built around the fact that they know each other so well and can combine their strength without much communication. Yet they were put onto separate teams. What could that be about?"

"I get what you're saying. It definitely is strange. But maybe it just means that you and I can combine our power into something perfectly suited for this particular spot. Besides, Natsu and Lucy were kept together."

Nikolias was silent for a while but eventually sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I really am just overthinking things."

"And there's not much we can do about it now anyway, so worrying won't do us any good. Let's just stay focused on kicking some Oración Séis ass!"

Nikolias chuckled. "Right. Sounds like a plan to me."

Soon a mountain appeared on the horizon. Tall, jagged peaks rose high into the sky. The closer they got to it, the more it was clear that it was made of solid ice.

Gray peered ahead. "Is that the place we're looking for?"

"Based on Cana's divination, that's where we need to go."

"It's definitely not what I expected, that's for sure."

"I'm guessing that's exactly why it was chosen. Whatever Oración Séis is after, somebody hid it here hoping to keep it secret."

"I bet Oración Séis knows it's here, though."

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Nikolias began his descent towards the ice mountain. He flapped his powerful wings to land gently on the ground and let Gray leap off of his head. He looked ahead and saw a small doorway leading inside. "Guess I can't fit in there like this." Shadows danced around him as he returned to his human form. "Too bad."

"Let's get moving," Gray said while walking towards the entrance. Nikolias followed behind him.

The inside of the structure was exactly like the outside; it was made entirely of thick, blue ice. Like a cave, stalagmites and stalactites rose from the ground and ceiling. Columns shaped like hourglasses were scattered all over the wide open area. The floor was slick and smooth, cracked in some places from time passing. The floor occasionally did rise into small hills, but all in all it was relatively flat.

Gray looked down at the floor and his slightly warped, blurry reflection. "What a strange place. I never knew mountains like this existed."

"I've seen stranger," Nikolias replied while sniffing the cold air. "Keep your wits about you. I smell something."

"Do you recognize it?"

Nikolias sniffed the air again. "There are a few scents in the air. Give me a sec…seems like there are three of them. One of the smells I don't know, although I can smell strong fear on whatever it is. The other two…actually, I do recognize them."

"Oh my! How lucky I am."

The two stopped where the floor suddenly broke and rose at a sharp angle. Atop the hill was Angel, a smile on her face as she looked down at the two Fairy Tail members.

"I had prayed that I would get to see you again. I must admit it's been difficult to get you off of my mind," Angel said as she looked at Nikolias, her hand gently placed against her lips. "You're a handsome man who could provide a challenge for me. I'm very happy."

Gray took his Maker stance. "The new Oración Séis!"

A growl escaped Nikolias's throat. "So I was right. I knew one of the other scents I was picking up smelled familiar. You're Angel, aren't you?"

"ANGEY!" Dan Straight bellowed as he suddenly appeared on the hill beside Angel. He took the girl's hand and stared at her with love in his eyes. "You're my angel!"

"I hate clingy men," Angel said shortly.

A sweatdrop appeared on Nikolias and Gray's heads. "I thought the other scent was familiar, but I'm not too sure of who he is. I remember he was in the tomb with us, though," Nikolias said. "Is he another one of Oración Séis?"

"Not at all!" Angel barked as she tore her hand away from Dan.

Dan stood up tall, lifting his shield and lance up. "I'm the Legion Platoon's number one lancer, Dan Straight! I was devoted to Lu-Lu, but now I'm devoted to Angey!"

"Lu-Lu?" Nikolias repeated softly. "The hell are you saying? Are you having a stroke or something? Eh, whatever." Shadows began to dance around his body as he glared at Dan. "Fact is I don't really care that you're not with Oración Séis. I still see the Legion Platoon as an enemy who went after one of my friends. The way I see it, I should destroy your group along with Oración Séis!"

"We don't have time to fight with the Legion Platoon right now, Nikolias," Gray said. "We've got other priorities."

Nikolias remained still for a while, but eventually sighed. "I guess you're right." He turned his cold gaze to Angel. "Alright then. Where's the Infinity Clock? Where did you hide it?"

Angel giggled. "I love that cold look in your eyes. You really are special." She held her hands in front of her chest. "Still, you ask a very stupid question. The cost is 40." The space between her hands began to glow brightly as four gold coins jingled between her palms. "Be embraced by the power that comes from the light in my own name!"

Dan leapt off of the ledge and stood beside Gray. "What's she going to do, yeah?"

Nikolias crouched slightly. "If it's anything like last time, it won't be good." He narrowed his eyes. "She called it Angel Magic. Guess that means she can summon angels."

"Angel Magic? How profound! How awe-inspiring!" Dan cheered.

"Do you ever shut up?" Nikolias hissed.

Dan's face fell. "Though that shadow by her eye is disquieting…"

Angel held out her palm and a ring of light rose up. The light expanded and began to pulsate above her. "I summon Shamsiel, angel of sunlight!"

From the ring of light dropped a large white being. It was tall but stout with stubby arms and legs. Its skin was a dull gray and it was dressed in a white toga. Atop its head was a white pompadour with two small pink creatures sticking out. Its bare chest had tufts of gray hair. Large white wings spread out fully behind its back. It looked down at the small men in front of it with solid white eyes. "Hi there! How are you?" it giggled.

"The hell is that thing?" Gray exclaimed.

"It's kinda plump and cute, yeah!" Dan said.

"Shamsiel, play with them," Angel commanded.

"Roger!" Shamsiel cried as he lunged at Nikolias, Gray, and Dan. "Let's play! Pick me up!"

"Sure, I'll play with you!" Dan exclaimed. However, he was soon sucker-punched by a swift punch from Shamsiel. He was sent flying into an icy pillar.

"Well he's useless," Gray sighed. "Guess that just leaves us."

"I prefer it that way," Nikolias said as his black blades shot from his forearms. He dashed forward.

Gray took his Maker stance once more. "ICE MAKE SAUCER!" he cried, sending out a rapidly spinning disc of ice at the floating angel. The attack struck Shamsiel's chest but had no effect. "Seriously? Nothing at all?"

"That tingled!" Shamsiel teased. He snickered. "My turn, my turn! An angel's sun rays are bright!" The two pink creatures disappeared within Shamsiel's hair for a moment before reappearing at the very front of his pompadour. Their flat faces began to glow brightly like two suns, bathing the crystal room in light.

Gray shielded his eyes. "What is this attack?"

Nikolias froze in his tracks. "More light…wait. Damn it, this is just like in the tomb! Gray, watch out!"

The light suddenly exploded, creating a massive shield of crystal dust. Shamsiel hovered above the cloud and snickered. "I guess they couldn't keep up with me. Too bad."

"Well done, Shamsiel," Angel said with a smile. "Now it's time to…"

"What's the matter?"

Angel gasped as she peered into the dust cloud. "What?"

The dust cleared to show Nikolias standing tall, black blades glinting ever so slightly in the cavern. His eyes were dragon-like and narrow. His lips were curled back in a snarl. "I'm still here to play."

Angel giggled. "You really are just as strong as I thought. Handsome and powerful; just my type." She thrust forward her hand. "Change of plans. Shamsiel, you take care of him. I'll search for our target."

"Roger!" Shamsiel cried as he lunged at Nikolias. "Let's play tag now! I'll be it!" He threw a swift punch at Nikolias.

Shadows surrounded Nikolias's fist as he countered with a punch of his own. The two punches collided with a powerful crash and held firm. The two punches were evenly matched.

Shamsiel's large grin vanished. He had never been challenged in strength like this before. He pushed with all of his might against Nikolias's fist, but he couldn't gain any ground. "What? No fair! You must be cheating!"

Nikolias quickly glanced behind him where Gray's unconscious body was sprawled out on a boulder of ice. "I should have been able to recognize your attack sooner. Then I could have warned Gray and he'd be alright." He looked back at Shamsiel with renewed anger. The shadows surrounding his fist erupted with increased power. "Enough of this shit! I will destroy you!"

Angel took a small step back. "He…He can hold back my angel? That's impossible! No human can withstand the power of angels!" She gritted her teeth as she took off deeper within the mountain. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! If I don't hurry, he could certainly create an obstacle."

Nikolias noticed Angel start to run off. "I won't let you escape! SHADOW WHIP!" From the shadows surrounding him shot forth several shadow tendrils. They raced for Angel's retreating figure.

Angel turned around to see the fast approaching shadows. "Shamsiel!"

Shamsiel leapt back from his stalemate with Nikolias and delivered a swift chop to the shadow tendrils. They snapped from the blow and dissipated. "I won't let you stop my master!" he said.

Nikolias roared, the shadows around him shaking the very ground. Crystal stalactites dropped from the ceiling and shattered upon impact. "Then I'll just destroy you first!" He shot forward with incredible speed, his right arm drawn back. Shadows swarmed around his fist. "SHADOW DRAGON CRUSHING BLOW!" he roared and fired his attack.

Shamsiel threw out his palm to block, but did not properly predict the power of Nikolias's attack. The punch connected fully with Shamsiel's hand and sent him rocketing backwards. The angel crashed into the ceiling with a loud thud and plummeted to the ground with more crystal shards. He shakily got to his hands and knees. "How…How can a human have so much strength? You shouldn't…be able to keep up with me."

Nikolias glared at Shamsiel, his shadows still violently dancing around him. "Stay down. I need to go find your master." He took off in the direction that he saw Angel run.

Shamsiel pushed off of the ground and flew after Nikolias. "Get back here! You and I aren't done playing!"

Nikolias ignored him as he sniffed the air. 'What are you looking for, Angel? What could be here that Oración Séis wants? You already have the Infinity Clock. Wasn't that your objective?'

Before long, he arrived in a large room. He stopped and looked around. "I know she went this way, but why can't I see her? Is there a secret room that I can't see?"

"Caught you!" Shamsiel cried as he descended upon Nikolias.

However, Nikolias knew he was coming. He leapt out of the way before the powerful punch from Shamsiel could hit him. He landed and faced Shamsiel. "Damn it, I told you to stay down!"

Shamsiel stepped towards Nikolias. "I won't fail my master! Time for a new game!"

Nikolias gritted his teeth in frustration. 'I can't exactly go all out against this guy in a place like this.' He thought back to how just increasing his power caused the whole cave to shake. 'If I'm not careful I could cause a cave in. That could kill Gray. Pretty sure he's still out for the count, so he wouldn't be able to defend himself.' He clenched his fists. "I'm not playing your dumbass game!"

The creatures in Shamsiel's hair began to glow brightly again. "This game is different, though!"

Nikolias covered his eyes from the intense, burning light. "Damn it!" Suddenly, Nikolias felt a strong blow strike the entire front of his body. The force of the attack sent him flying back into the crystal wall. He coughed up blood. "Shit. He used the light as a cover instead of an explosion. I didn't even hear him move."

Shamsiel clapped and danced. "Yay! I finally got you! I win, I win!"

Nikolias tried to move his arms, but he soon realized that his entire body was stuck in the wall. The force with which he hit the wall had pushed him deep into the crystal. "Fuck!"

"Just stay there!" Shamsiel sang as he bounded off. "I need to go help my master now!"

The veins in Nikolias's body throbbed as he pulled with all of his might. However, he couldn't even wiggle a muscle. He also knew that using his shadows to blow himself free could cause damage in the infrastructure and cause the ceiling to collapse. He gritted his teeth. "You won't stop me! SHADOW DRAGON DANCE!" A thick cloud of shadows appeared around Nikolias, enveloping him in the darkness. A moment later, he shot out of the cloud and landed on the ground. His body was scraped and bleeding, but he stood tall nevertheless and took off running at full speed after Shamsiel.

However, try as he might, he couldn't locate Shamsiel. "Where'd that giant shit run off to so fast? He didn't get that much of a head start on me," he mumbled to himself. The angel had clearly begun hovering because he couldn't feel his heavy footsteps or hear the flap of his wings. Also, it appeared that the strange being had no scent to it; or rather, one that couldn't be easily sniffed out. He realized that trying to hunt down the strange creature would prove pointless, so he decided to switch back to a more reliable target.

Angel.

The woman's scent was still fresh in his mind. He could easily track her down. He tore through the cave, headed to where the scent was the strongest.

Suddenly, a pair of voices reached his ears. They were muffled from the large distance between him and them, but he could still make out what they were saying. And he recognized them.

"I found him. I captured the Celestial Wizard for you," Shamsiel said.

"Good job," Angel said. "I will now activate the Anti-Link amplitude limiter."

"An Anti-Link amplitude limiter? What the hell is that?" Nikolias pondered to himself quietly. He quickened his pace.

"Beatiful," he heard Angel breathe followed by a laugh.

A third, unfamiliar voice reached Nikolias's powerful ears. It belonged to a man. "Even if you sever my biological link, there are more of us…AAAAAAHHHHHH!" The man screamed in agony before falling silent.

'What the hell just happened? Did they kill someone?' He pushed himself even harder.

He heard Angel speak up again. "According to the information he got out of Father Fabrizio, there are two left."

"Yay! That sounds fun!"

"At last our prayers will be answered. Come, Shamsiel. We're done here."

Nikolias pushed off of the ground with enough force to shatter the crystal beneath him. 'No! I can't let them get away!' He ran with all of his might and burst into a wide space. At the very center he could see Angel and Shamsiel standing over what was probably the body of the man he had heard. "Stop!" he bellowed, thrusting out his arm as he ran. "SHADOW WHIP!" A dozen or so tendrils shot towards the two.

Angel turned to him and smiled. "You really are incredible. You've impressed me and that's not easy to do." Suddenly, a bright light began to fill the room. "I hope we meet again someday, Nikolias." The bright light vanished and with it vanished Angel and Shamsiel, just before the shadowy wisps could reach them.

Nikolias slowed until he was standing where Angel and her pet had just been, allowing his Shadow Whips to disperse. He looked down at the body of the man who had been caught by Angel and Shamsiel. His entire body and his skin had turned stone-like and yellow. Nikolias could hear the faint sound of breathing coming from the man, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that the man was alright. Even if he wasn't dead, it was clear that he was completely comatose.

He clenched his fists tightly, drawing a small trickle of blood from his palms. He lifted his head to the ceiling and roared, "DAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"


Deep in one of Fiore's central mountain regions, three Fairy Tail girls were hiking up towards their desired location. Erza led the way with determination and vigor, as was to be expected of her. Sky was right behind her, quietly following along. And Evergreen, ever the dramatic one, was complaining as she brought up the rear.

"This is stupid! My feet hurt!" Evergreen wailed.

"Poor shoe choice for climbing," Sky breathed quietly.

"Oh, Sky, my dear girl," Evergreen sighed. "A fairy like me has to dress to impress. I need to teach you about fashion sense."

"Fashion sense?" Sky questioned.

"Your clothes are baggy. You have a lot to offer men if you were to show it off," Evergreen said.

Sky pulled on the hem of her loose gray shirt and blushed. "I don't wanna show it off."

"Aw, why not?"

Sky tightened her grip. "Men are scary."

Evergreen raised an eyebrow. "Scary? Come on, they aren't so bad."

"Men are scary," Sky repeated. "Except for Nikolias."

"Stop pestering Sky, Evergreen. Now stop complaining and walk," Erza commanded without turning around.

"Why do you have to be like that? I really am in serious pain here! At least worry a little," Evergreen pouted.

"Just focus on moving ahead," Erza replied.

Evergreen stopped and shot Erza a sideways look. "Geez, who died and made you leader?"

Erza froze and returned an icy glare at Evergreen. "Did you say something?"

Evergreen seemed unfazed. "Nothing special," she replied with a wave of her hand.

Erza turned back around and continued walking. "Honestly…"

"Scary," Sky whimpered.

Erza looked over her shoulder at Sky, but not with a look of irritation. It was a look of sympathy. "Don't let what Evergreen said get to you. She really does mean well. She just doesn't know what you've been through."

Sky nodded. "Right."

"Also, while it's good to be cautious, you don't have to worry about any of the men in Fairy Tail. They aren't scary at all."

Sky nodded again, this time with a small smile. "I know that. They're nice. But Nikolias," she paused as her face flushed, "was the first one to care."

Erza smiled. "I can tell he's very special to you."

"Yeah. It's like I have a big brother now."

"How much further?" Evergreen complained loudly, having to shout to be heard since she had fallen so far behind. "I can't take much more of this."

Erza's brow twitched as she tried to keep her composure. "We're almost at the top of this plateau. Once we get there it's about a mile until we reach our destination."

"That long?" Evergreen moaned.

The three continued up the rocky side, Erza trying to block out Evergreen's complaints. Upon reaching the top of the large plateau, the three girls continued on without so much as a breather, no matter how badly Evergreen wanted one.

The top of the plateau looked like the ground below; relatively flat with the occasional boulder or cut in the stone, short grass, and forests of tall trees. A winding dirt path stretched out and beyond sight. Erza led the small party down the path and into the forest.

Sky looked around. "Something feels creepy."

"Oh?" Erza asked. "What is it?"

Sky hugged her body. Her skin was covered in goosebumps. Something in the air didn't feel right, but she couldn't say what it was. She wished desperately that her sister was with her to talk her through it. "I don't know."

Evergreen groaned loudly. "I've had enough! Can't we stop for a minute?"

Erza was about to reply to her comrade's hundredth complaint, but stopped. She could swear that she could hear an echo. However, this wasn't a normal echo. It seemed to be growing louder.

Suddenly, an invisible explosion rocked the ground beneath the Fairy Tail members' feet. Rocks spewed into the air. Dirt swirled in the air, creating a veil of dirt. Sky and Evergreen screamed in pain. Erza stood her ground, clenching her jaw as she endured the blast.

"What nuisances. Be destroyed by the sound of your own irritating voice."

Erza whipped around. Standing at the edge of the blast zone was Cobra. His arms were folded across his chest and his one open eye was trained on Erza. "You!"

"Why am I not surprised to see you foolishly trying to stop us? It's pathetic. But while you're here, there's something that I want to ask you," Cobra said. "Do you know Cubelios?" Erza offered no reply. "I see now."

Sky whimpered as she tried to move. "She didn't even answer."

"He can hear people's thoughts, Sky," Erza said. "I don't need to say anything."

"That's got to be sexual harassment!" Evergreen snapped, pushing herself to her hands and knees.

"I have no more use for you," Cobra said blatantly. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did, a wave of sound rocked the air and disturbed the dirt. It was the echo of Evergreen's complaint from before and soon there was another explosion.

However, Erza was prepared. She quickly requipped into her Adamantine Armor and used her large shield to block the attack from reaching Sky or Evergreen.

"Erza," Sky breathed.

"I don't get it. How's he doing that? That wasn't just Listening Magic!" Evergreen exclaimed.

Erza opened up her cracked shield to glare at Cobra. "He absorbs sound, amplifies it, and then fires it out," she said, thinking out loud. "It makes the very air vibrate. This must have been what Sky sensed earlier. With her abilities she could probably feel it in the air. I see…" Her body began to glow as she requipped into her Robe of Yuen armor, her bisento's blade glistening in the faint light.

"I can hear you," Cobra huffed. "Robe of Yuen, otherwise known as the Robe of Remoteness. You're thinking that it will alleviate power from my sound attack enough for you to strike a blow." Erza lunged forward, swinging her bisento in an arc in front of her. However, Cobra simply leapt back, his arms still crossed. "I can hear it."

Erza landed and pivoted, slashing to the side with her weapon.

Cobra turned, dodging the strike. "That movement, that swordsmanship." He spun on his heel and landed a palm strike laced with powerful sound magic to Erza's ribs just below her left breast.

Erza cried in pain as not even her Robe of Yuen could negate the full effect of the vibrations sent directly into her body. She was sent flying backwards, but she was tough. She was able to regroup and land on her feet, her weapon held at the ready in front of her.

"Impressive, Titania," Cobra said. "Your movements have become keener. You clearly didn't defeat Grimoire Heart's Azuma out of luck."

"Erza," Sky breathed as she tried to stand on her feet. Her legs wobbled, but she was able to stand. "Be careful!"

'If I recall correctly, Natsu was able to beat Cobra by attacking without thinking and using a loud voice,' Erza thought.

"That was seven years ago," Cobra snapped. "That won't work on me now!"

"What is he talking about?" Evergreen rasped.

Erza leapt high into the air. "Nonsense!" she cried as she descended upon Cobra with her bisento held over her head. She swung down, but right before the attack could hit, Cobra sidestepped and moved forward.

"Seven years ago, because of you people, I lost Cubelios!" Cobra roared, sending out powerful waves of sound that further destroyed the ground and knocked away Sky and Evergreen, who both had managed to stand up. Evergreen hit a ledge hard, knocking her unconscious. Sky hit the ground with a small cry.

Erza dug her bisento's shaft into the ground and held firm against the attack. She could feel her bones shaking from the vibrations. It made her feel sick. But she couldn't yield. She had to hold firm. She refused to quit.

Cobra's attack died down. He turned towards Erza with a look of hatred. "Give me back my friend. Give me back Cubelios!"

Erza stood up and held her bisento at the ready, fighting with all of her strength to keep herself steady.

Sky pushed herself back up and took a deep breath. 'I'm scared…he's strong and scary. But sister and Nikolias would fight. I have to help Erza!' She disappeared into the wind, quickly becoming a tornado to surround and trap Cobra. "I've got him, Erza!"

Erza nodded and shot forward. With a fierce battle cry, she swung her bisento at Cobra.

Cobra clicked his tongue. "How many times must I tell you." Powerful waves of sound rippled out and vibrated in the air. The force not only slammed into Erza, but also forced Sky out of the wind. "I can hear you!"

Sky rolled on the ground and shook her head. "Ow…"

Erza managed to land on her feet, but was surprised to sense Cobra already behind her. She turned, but knew she wasn't going to be able to dodge or retaliate against an attack in time. 'He's got me!'

"Shatter," Cobra said, releasing a blast of sound magic.

However, Sky's reaction was swift. 'I have to help Erza!' In the blink of an eye, her legs disappeared into the air and propelled her forward. She managed to put herself directly between Cobra and Erza, taking the full force of Cobra's attack. The vibrations tore a plate-sized gash in Sky's stomach. Blood sprayed into the air from the new wound. Without a sound, Sky landed on the ground and lay motionless.

"SKY!" Erza shouted as she ran to her side.

"You make me sick," Cobra spat, glaring at Sky's unconscious body. "Pretending that you have a beautiful friendship…disgusting."

"You bastard," Erza growled.

"Cubelios is gone. I no longer have any friends."

"I heard that," Erza said as she stood up in front of Sky. "I could hear your sadness. But people can get stronger by overcoming their sadness."

"As if you know anything. There's no way that you could understand the pain in my heart."

"Don't be so sure! Everyone bears pain in their heart!"

Cobra glared at Erza. No matter what Erza said, he knew that she couldn't understand. He had lost his only friend thanks to Fairy Tail's interference seven years ago. He had to deal with that pain ever since.

Suddenly, his sharp ears picked up on voices far off in the distance.

"This way!"

"We found the Celestial Spirit Wizard and have her in protective custody!"

"Alright, take her to headquarters immediately!"

Cobra tsked. 'Those are the soldiers sent by the Magic Council. Damn it! I was so preoccupied here that I forgot my actual purpose.' He twitched his arm, loosening a small object wrapped in cloth that was hidden in his sleeve. He gripped it tightly and glared at Erza. "Titania! One of these days, we'll settle this for good!" A glowing, crimson red crystal kunai blade with a base of red crystal shards appeared on one end of the cloth-wrapped object. He turned on his heel and leapt off.

Erza's body glowed as she requipped back into her normal Heart Kreuz Armor. She knew that she had to go after Cobra, but her first thought was to make sure that Sky and Evergreen were alright. She kneeled down. "Sky! Are you alright? Sky!"

Sky's eyes fluttered open. There was a small trickle of blood running from her lips. "Erza…I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Erza said gently. "You were so brave. You saved me, Sky. If anything I should apologize to you. My carelessness got you hurt."

Sky slowly shook her head. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Evergreen groaned behind them as she began to stir. "What happened?"

"Cobra escaped," Erza replied. "He ran off, most likely to the same place we were headed."

Evergreen stood and brushed herself off. "Well that's just great. Aren't we going to go after him?"

"Of course," Erza nodded. "Sky, can you move?"

With a nod, Sky began trying to push herself up. Small grunts escaped her throat, her thin arms straining to hold her weight as she got to her hands and knees. "It hurts, but I can."

Erza bent low and placed Sky's arm around her shoulders. She stood, supporting Sky's weight. "Come. We can't let him succeed."

Suddenly, a loud woman's scream rang out on the air before disappearing.

"Someone's in trouble!" Evergreen exclaimed.

"Leave me, Erza," Sky breathed, her head hanging and her eyelids fluttering. Her gray shirt was quickly staining red from her wound. "Go help them."

Erza shook her head and walked towards the scream. "I won't leave you behind, Sky. I'll never turn my back on a comrade."

"Erza," Sky whimpered. Tears were stinging the corners of her eyes. 'Sister was right. We really are with family now.'

The three girls walked as fast as they could until they reached a cliff. Down below was a simple wooden building sitting alone on the outskirts of a forest. Sprawled out on the dirt road were several Magic Council guards. The girls carefully walked down to the clearing and examined the scene.

The guards had all been beaten severely. Lying among them was someone who the three couldn't identify, but they could tell it was a woman based on the clothes she was wearing. However, something was wrong. Her entire body looked as if it had turned to stone and her skin was yellow. Wafts of steam rose from her body. Her face was frozen in a scream.

"What is this? What happened here?" Erza asked. She was having trouble believing what she was seeing. "Was this Cobra's doing? What did he do?"

"Is she dead?" Evergreen asked.

Erza shook her head. "I don't know."

Sky closed her eyes. "Did we fail?"

Erza clenched her free hand. "Yes, Sky. We couldn't stop Oración Séis. I'm sorry, but we failed."


"Seriously, you've done nothin' but complain and mope since we left," Gajeel grumbled, looking over his shoulder at a distraught Juvia. "Does it suck that bad to be paired with Gracie and me?"

"It's not that," Juvia said softly.

Gracie spun on her heel, walking backwards so that she could smile at Juvia. "She just wanted to be with Gray. I don't think we should take it personal, Gajeel."

Gajeel huffed and faced forward. "I'm not stopping you from running to the stripper."

Juvia clasped her hands together. "While Gracie and Gajeel are treasured friends, Juvia wanted to be with her beloved Gray-sama." Her eyes shone as she stared off into space. A wide smile was on her face.

Gracie giggled. "Aaaaaaand we've lost her. She's in Juvia-World now."

"Tea with Gray-sama," Juvia cooed. "How lovely it would be! But then Gajeel comes and ruins the mood. He's getting in the way! Stay out of Juvia's way, Gajeel!"

"The hell are you blabbing about? I haven't done anything!" Gajeel barked at her. "Seriously, I don't get you. What a pain in the ass."

Juvia's expression saddened. "And while I'm busy trying to get rid of Gajeel, Gracie swoops in and steals Gray-sama right from under Juvia's nose!" She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, the tragedy!"

"Hey now," Gracie laughed nervously, her hands up defensively in front of her. "I think you're overthinking things there, Juvia."

Juvia's shoulders dropped, her hands falling from her face and back to her side. "That's just how Juvia is."

Gracie sighed and turned back around. "You need to have more confidence. Not everyone is a love rival, ya know."

"Juvia knows. But Juvia also sees how Gray-sama looks at Gracie!" Juvia wailed loudly, tears pouring from her eyes. "It could happen! Juvia wouldn't know what to do!"

Gracie groaned. "I don't know what I have to say to convince you…Look, Gray and I are just good friends. Seriously, why do people keep saying that there's something more there when there's not?"

"It's true, though. You two do flirt an awful lot," Gajeel said.

"Don't start," Gracie said while rubbing her temples. "It's not helping anyone."

"Gajeel! Gajeel! Do you think Gray-sama and Gracie flirt more than Gray-sama and Juvia?" Juvia cried.

"Gajeel, don't answer that!" Gracie demanded, holding out her hands at Gajeel.

Gajeel scratched his chin. "Who flirts more, huh? I would have to sa—." He stopped midsentence and sniffed the air. "Huh. That's strange. Why do I smell fire and smoke?"

"Fire and smoke?" Juvia repeated.

Gracie sniffed. "God I wish I had a dragon's sense of smell sometimes. I don't smell anything. But what could be burning?"

Gajeel took off running. "I'm not sure, but I'd bet anything that it has to do with Oración Séis!"

Gracie and Juvia followed behind. "I'd take that bet," Gracie said. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. 'Saved by the blaze.'

The three kept running down the path. Soon they could make out thick black smoke over the canopy of the trees, which only hastened their steps. And before long they found the fire.

It was coming from a church. It was burning down in a raging fire. The ceiling had already collapsed, the windows had shattered, and the walls were crumbling to ash.

"What the hell is this?" Gajeel muttered.

"Oración Séis beat us here?" Juvia asked.

"Probably," Gracie said.

Out of the burning doorway stepped forth Mary Hughes. Her body was beaten and she was holding her arm. As soon as she was free of the building she fell to the ground.

"Hey, someone was in the church!" Gracie cried as she ran towards the girl. Juvia and Gajeel followed behind her.

"Why…do we…have to attack…a church?" Hughes rasped as she tried to push herself up. However, she couldn't get much farther than onto her elbows. "I totally…don't get it."

Stomping out of the doorway behind her was Gatman. His head collided with the crumbling doorway and he groaned as he pushed against it, breaking it easily. "His Holiness gave us this mission, remember? Why do you keep complaining about it?" he asked as he slowly shook his massive head.

Hughes didn't reply. Instead she began to crawl away as quickly as she could on her hands and elbows as if she were afraid.

Gracie lightly tapped her ears with her palms. "Am I going crazy or is he communicating with telepathy? I hope it's the latter because otherwise I'm hearing voices."

"No, that's telepathy alright," Gajeel said.

"That doesn't look like Oración Séis to Juvia. Is that the Legion Platoon?" Juvia asked.

"Not sure. Don't recognize their faces," Gracie said. "And I'd definitely remember a big ol' block head like that if I saw it before."

Gatman strode over to Hughes and easily caught up to her. He lifted his foot and began to stomp on her back. The girl whimpered with each blow. "You shouldn't question the word of His Holiness!"

"Hey!" Gracie cried. "Stop that! She's hurt!"

Gatman froze, digging his foot into Hughes's back. He slowly looked up and hummed. "Guild wizards?"

"Hey asshole, are you one of Zentopia's band of freaks?" Gajeel barked.

"Why?" Hughes breathed. "Why did we…have to do that…to a priest?"

Gatman looked back down at Hughes. He twisted his foot on Hughes's spine. "His Holiness's words are the words of the Archbishop. And the words of the Archbishop are the doctrine. If we're told to destroy something, it's Legion's job to destroy it!" He leaned down so his head was beside Hughes and narrowed his eyes in a smirk. "According to the doctrine, you are never, ever to doubt the faith."

"You bastard," Gajeel hissed.

Gatman straightened up and kicked Hughes across the path until she was right in front of the Fairy Tail wizards. He raised one of his blocky arms and summoned a green magic circle. "Scatter, traitor!"

Two green magic circles appeared on either side of Hughes, enveloping her body in green light. "Don't," the girl begged, but her pleas were ignored. The green light shone brightly and ignited. She shrieked in pain as the blast ravaged her body.

"What the hell did he just do to her?" Gajeel asked. "Was that an explosion or something?"

"How could you treat a comrade like that?" Gracie asked in disgust.

Gajeel leapt at Gatman. "Let's see how you like some pain, asshole! IRON DRAGON CLUB!" he roared, turning his arm into an iron pillar and firing it at Gatman.

Gatman leapt back and dodged the attack. "It seems you have extremely high levels of magic power in your bodies. Isn't that convenient?" He lifted his arm again and summoned another green magic circle. Two magic circles appeared on either side of Gajeel, Gracie, and Juvia. Their bodies were covered in green light.

"What is this?" Gracie asked.

The green light shone brightly and ignited just as it had before. The three cried out in anguish. It felt like their bodies were being torn apart from the inside.

"What pretty lights! What a nice rapture!" Gatman exclaimed.

Gajeel struggled to push himself onto his elbows. It was as if his strength had suddenly abandoned him. "What the hell is this thing?"

"Juvia doesn't know this magic," Juvia said softly as she lay still.

"Damn, that hurt!" Gracie cried as she lay on her stomach, struggling to get back on her feet. "I feel like my body just got thirty times heavier."

"It's based on explosions," Hughes said slowly. Her body was so weak she could barely speak. "It's Rapture Magic. He swells up the magic power in a person's body instantaneously and makes it explode."

"That's a cheap trick," Gracie spat.

"Scatter! Scatter!" Gatman shouted, summoning green magic circles to once again surround the three Fairy Tail wizards. The green light enveloped them, expanded, and exploded yet again. The three cried out as their bodies flew back from the explosion.

Gajeel's back hit a rock and he slumped forward. "Juvia! Gracie!" he coughed. "Don't you dare give in to this guy!"

"I know, Gajeel!" Juvia replied as she sat up.

Gracie slammed the ground with her fist. "Like hell I would give in here!" she bellowed. Using every ounce of willpower she had she pushed herself to her feet. "I refuse to be beaten!"

The green magic circle that Gatman had summoned was still floating above his raised arm. "As long as you have magic power in your body, you three will have no choice but to grovel at my feet."

Green magic circles continuously and mercilessly appeared around Gajeel, Gracie, and Juvia. Their bodies were endlessly shrouded in green light before exploding. Over and over again, the insides of their bodies swelled with agonizing pain from Gatman's Rapture Magic.

"Does it hurt? Embrace the pain!"

Hughes lay motionless, her eyes on the monster that was her fellow Legion Platoon member. "Archbisop…why? Why would you release someone like this?" Her vision began to blur as her consciousness was starting to slip away. "This…is what Zentopia teaches?"

Gracie pushed herself up on shaky arms. "I…I'm not finished yet, blockhead!"

"Scatter!" Gatman replied. Two green magic circles appeared on either side of Gracie and once again she shrieked in pain as her body glowed bright before exploding.

"Bastard!" Gajeel cried as he stood up, but he was soon back on the ground after Gatman once again attacked him with his Rapture Magic.

"Damn him," Hughes cursed.

Gracie took a deep breath and got to her feet. 'I won't quit!' She summoned her katanas and charged at Gatman as fast as she could. However, she was blown back by Gatman's magic before she could get anywhere close.

"I can still stand, you bastard!" Gajeel roared, leaping at Gatman.

"Silly wizards," Gatman laughed, lifting his arm and summoning a large green magic circle. "It doesn't matter how many times you come at me. The outcome won't change."

Gajeel roared in pain as Gatman's magic assaulted him yet again.

Running around Gajeel's falling body was Gracie, katanas drawn back as she prepared to strike. She lunged forward like a cat pouncing on its prey with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Sorry!" Gatman sang, summoning more magic circles around Gracie. The light surrounding her erupted as she flew back into a boulder.

"Enough!" Hughes begged. She couldn't watch anymore. The Fairy Tail wizards weren't accepting their defeat. They were only torturing themselves. "No wizard can beat you!"

"That's true," Gatman said with a nod.

Gajeel got to his knees and smirked while wiping away some blood and grime from his face. "It's funny. Back in my Phantom Lord days, I probably would have thrown in the towel already. Too bad for you I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now. Even if you beat the crap outta me, my spirit won't break that easily! Isn't that right, Juvia?!"

"Thank you for buying time, Gajeel. Gracie," Juvia said. However, she couldn't be seen.

Gracie shook her head. "I was doing what now?"

All of a sudden, a pool of water appeared underneath Gatman before shooting up and surrounding him in a sphere of rushing water. The sphere began to lift into the air. "Juvia has recovered," Juvia said.

"What is this? Do you really think this will snare me?" Gatman asked. He didn't seem fazed at all.

Juvia's body appeared in the water, transparent as the water rushed through her. She was smiling confidently. "Juvia won't let go!" she cried as she gripped Gatman's head with her watery hands.

"What?" Gracie muttered, watching in wonder at Juvia's technique. "What's she doing?"

"Scary! Scatter!" Gatman shouted as he summoned his green magic circle. He pointed it directly at Juvia's body. It consumed her body in green light and exploded, shooting pain through her body. However, because of the contact she had with Gatman, the green light spread to Gatman. The creature began to sweat as the light surrounding him intensified. "What? Hey! What is this? You're getting tangled up with me! Would you let go of me?!"

Juvia grit her teeth and fixed her gaze on Gatman's blank white eyes. "Juvia won't let go! Juvia will endure! Gajeel!"

Gajeel was already in the air above the two. "You got it!" His arms began to glow and fuse, becoming a massive iron sword. "You scatter, you son of a bitch!" He swung his sword at Gatman, the steel connecting fully with Gatman's large body. The creature was sent flying back and crashed into the floor, his heavy body pushing into the ground. He lay unconscious in his indent, his body beaten badly from the combination of his own magic and Gajeel's attack. Gajeel huffed as his arms returned to normal. He turned to look at Juvia, whose body was beginning to retake a solid form. "The timing could have been better, huh?"

Juvia panted as she stood up on shaky legs. "If it were Gray-sama, Juvia knows the timing would've been perfect."

"Is that right?" Gajeel asked with a shrug.

Hughes looked at the three with awe. "Unbelievable. They actually did it. They took down Gatman the Cleaner."

"You guys were incredible!" Gracie cheered as she ran up to her teammates. "I had no idea you two could fight like that! It reminded me of Niky and me fighting together. Mucho impressivo! I mean, it would have been nice to have been let in on the plan since I was your distraction, but I forgive you. Gray would have been impressed, Juvia."

Juvia swooned, her face blushing. "You think so? Oh, if only Gray-sama had seen Juvia!"

"Seriously, I'm tired of this topic," Gajeel growled.

Gracie turned to look at the burning church. "Still, even though we beat that geometric nightmare I feel like we lost."

"I didn't see any of those Oración Séis freaks. Isn't that a win?" Gajeel asked.

"But think about what she said," Gracie said, pointing over at Hughes. "Something happened to the priest of this place. I have this nagging feeling that whatever happened is exactly what Oración Séis wanted to happen. I mean, this is where we were told to go by Cana's cards. It's too much of a coincidence to not be connected."

"Maybe you're right," Juvia agreed. "Perhaps we were meant to stop this and we couldn't."

"Man this bites," Gajeel grumbled.

Gracie kicked a nearby pebble. "We won, but not where it counted the most. Crap."