Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Wow...somehow 8 months have passed since the last chapter. I swear it didn't feel that long...but I guess between work and grad classes my time was consumed. Fortunately I'm completely done with grad classes so I can spend more time writing! Anyway, enjoy!
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 104
Early the next morning, the Akane Beach group left the resort for their second day of training. Guests had yet to arrive, so the sandy beaches were completely empty.
Gracie squatted down and stretched her legs, a big smile on her face. "Alright! Day two! I feel super rested and pumped to get in a good workout!"
Wendy nodded excitedly. "I feel like my magic power has risen a lot from just the first day! I can't wait to see how much progress I can make today!"
Erza gently tapped her sword against her shoulder. "If we can keep up training like this for three months, erasing the time we lost will no longer be just a far-reaching aspiration."
Natsu pumped his fists, lighting them on fire as he laughed. "Just you watch, world! You'll see what three months of training can do for members of Fairy Tail!"
Lucy smiled. "I remember panicking about only having three months to train, but Erza's right. If we train efficiently there's no telling how strong we can get!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.
Gracie smiled as she stretched towards the sky. 'You better be training your butt off, too, Niky.'
Suddenly, the ground in front of the group erupted, spewing sand in all directions. Everyone shielded their eyes and closed their mouths until the sudden cloud of dirt dissipated. Everyone opened their eyes to see Virgo standing before them with her hands folded in front of her, a deep hole behind her feet. Although she clearly had just burst from the ground, her maid uniform was clean and tidy. Her normally stoic face was replaced by a slightly concerned expression.
"Princess, there's an emergency!" Virgo said loudly in what was most likely her panicked tone.
"Virgo?" Lucy blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here? What emergency?"
"Did something happen?" Levy asked.
Virgo bowed low. "The Celestial World is in danger of being destroyed. I humbly beg you; please help us."
Everyone was trying to process what they had just heard.
"Whoa, back up there, Whack-a-Maid," Gracie said. "I feel like I'm missing lots of key information here." She put a hand to her head. "Okay, so I'm guessing this Celestial World is where Lucy's Spirits live. And you're telling us it's in danger of being destroyed?"
Virgo nodded, still bowing. "Yes, that is all accurate. The Celestial Spirit King awaits you all. He has requested that I bring you all to him."
Natsu pumped his fist. "Leave it to us, Virgo!"
"Bur Virgo, I thought humans couldn't enter the Celestial Spirit World?" Lucy asked.
Virgo straightened up. "Under normal circumstances, that would be correct, Princess. However, if you were to be provided with Celestial Spirit clothes, you would be able to enter the Celestial Spirit World and move about freely." Virgo took a step back. She held her hands to the side and summoned a golden magic circle that spread below everyone's feet. "Let's go." A pillar of golden light shot up from the magic circle, enveloping everyone in its soft light. When the light eventually died down, everyone was gone—everyone except Jet and Droy. The two stared in disbelief at the ground where everyone had once stood, partially because of the strange magic power and partially because they couldn't believe they were the only two to be left behind.
High in the star-studded sky, a swirling vortex of sparkling mist appeared. A pillar of golden light shone down from the epicenter and from the light came screams from the transported Fairy Tail mages.
""""""AHHHHHHHH!""""""
"WHEEEEEEEE!"
While everyone else cried out in panic as they found themselves free-falling, Gracie was beaming and screaming as if she were on a thrill ride.
"You can't seriously be enjoying yourself!" Gray barked as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
"How can you not be? This is wild!" Gracie laughed.
As the ground drew closer, their descent began to slow until their feet gently touched the ground. The golden light and mist vortex vanished. Everyone looked around in wonder.
Millions of stars shone brightly in every direction and illuminated the night sky. Bubbles sparkled as they floated about. Large spheres that looked like small planets hovered everywhere. They were standing on a stone platform that rose from a body of water that twinkled as it reflected the starlight. Crystal nodes sprouted sporadically from the water. A long, winding path led off into the distance and disappeared on the horizon. Tall pillars topped with crystals stood around the perimeter of the structure.
"This is…the Celestial Spirit World," Lucy breathed.
"It's beautiful!" Wendy said excitedly, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Look at these clothes!" Gracie exclaimed, twirling about as she admired her forest green Celestial Spirit dress. "Damn I look good."
"So modest," Gray grumbled.
Gracie clapped her hands together. "Aww, and Lucy and Natsu match!"
Lucy and Natsu looked themselves over. They both were wearing blue clothes with gold-colored accents. A gold-colored heart design was stitched into the front. "Hey, we are. Look at that," Natsu commented.
Juvia bit her nail. "Juvia wishes she could match Gray-sama!" Juvia lamented that her white strapless dress with teal accents didn't match Gray's forest green cape and navy-blue undershirt that revealed his toned stomach.
"Thank you for coming, old friend."
Everyone stopped their conversation and turned at the booming voice. Suddenly, a massive figure materialized before them, thick arms crossed in front of its chest. The figure wore a suit of green and silver armor. A gray scarf was loosely tied around the figure's neck. Its most noticeable features, however, were on its head; large horns grew from either side of its helmet, a large golden star was fastened to its forehead, and a long mustache grew diagonally down from its face.
"He's huge!" Natsu cried.
Gracie whistled. "And would ya take a look at that moustache. That's award-winning right there."
Lucy stepped forward. "Celestial Spirit King!"
Erza took a step forward as well. "You're the king here?"
The Celestial Spirit King stood unmoving. "Indeed I am."
Lucy clenched her fists. "Virgo told us that the Celestial Spirit World is in danger of being destroyed! Please, tell us what's going on! And how can we help?"
The Celestial Spirit King looked down at Lucy and met her trembling gaze. After what felt like an eternity to Lucy, the Celestial Spirit King finally reacted.
He smiled wide, revealing massive white teeth.
"Wait…huh?" Lucy blinked.
"I, uh, don't know how to feel about that smile," Gracie said.
"Lucy and friends! Let us celebrate your release from the shackles of time!" the Celestial Spirit King declared. He spread his arms wide. "Party time!"
With that announcement, Celestial Spirits poured out of seemingly nowhere to crowd Lucy and the others. All of them smiled excitedly to celebrate everyone's return.
"Wait a second!" Lucy cried as she looked towards Virgo. "What happened to 'in danger of being destroyed'?"
Virgo cutely tilted her head and gave a small smile. "I lied. Teehee." Her monotone voice did not match the intended expression.
Lucy's face fell.
Taurus laughed heartily. "Youuuu totally feel for it! The look on your face as we tricked youuuu was priceless!"
"We thought a surprise party would be totally groovy," Cancer smirked. "If you'd like your hair to look fly for the party, just leave it to me!"
Capricorn bowed. "We wanted to celebrate in our own way the homecoming of Lady Lucy and all of her friends."
"We really wanted to celebrate with all of you!" Lyra cheered, waving her arms excitedly. "But you know, we can't all materialize in the human world at one time, right?"
"Sorry, but we decided to invite you all to the Celestial Spirit World!" Aries smiled cutely.
"Keep in mind, this is a one-time privilege," Aquarius said.
"Hey, that was nice of you guys!" Natsu beamed.
"You sure did surprise the hell out of us!" Gray laughed.
"I love surprises!" Gracie shouted with excitement as she jumped up and down. "I haven't had a good surprise in forever! Niky would always ruin them."
Loke stepped forward and held out his arms. "Come, Lucy. Feel free to run into my arms."
Lucy giggled with a blush. "You guys…you're the best!"
The Celestial Spirit King summoned fans into his hands and posed. "Now then! Tonight we shall drink, sing, dance, and make merry! This is a party with our old friends!"
Everyone shouted their excitement as the Fairy Tail mages and Celestial Spirits began to mingle.
With a clap of his massive hands, the Celestial Spirit King summoned a large table covered in delicious looking foods. Everyone grabbed and filled their plates and sat around the table as they ate, drank, talked, and laughed.
Gray and Loke reminisced about the S-Class Trials.
Wendy thanked Horologium properly for saving her in the battle against Hades. She blushed at the memory of being naked inside the giant clock, though Horologium assured her it was no problem.
Aquarius chatted up Juvia, asking her if she had a man, to which Juvia fidgeted nervously and eyed Gray. Aquarius chuckled at this, warning Juvia to find a man before she ended up like Lucy. Lucy, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance, stomped over to where Natsu was stuffing his face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. She then pointed to him, shouting "This is my man!" as Natsu blinked in confusion.
Levy marveled at a vast bookshelf filled with thousands of books that she had never seen before. Crux happily offered her a souvenir as a gift, but fell asleep before making good on his promise, causing Levy's face to shift from excitement to surprise incredibly quickly.
Taurus ogled Erza, showering her with compliments and begging her to jump up and down for him. Erza questioned his request but remained oblivious to his true intentions. Wendy and Levy, who overheard the conversation, unanimously agreed that they didn't like Taurus.
Gracie danced around with a mass of Nicolas as they clung to her arms and hands. "This place is wild! I love it!"
"I'm surprised, too. I never would have guessed the Celestial Spirit World would be like this," Lucy agreed.
The Celestial Spirit King nodded his head slowly. "Though you are my old friend, this is my first time extending you an invitation."
Gracie beamed. "That means they love you, Lucy!"
Lucy's face glowed with happiness. "And I love them, too! So much!"
As the group continued to mingle, Lyra sat before a harp and began to play a song. The melodious tones that flowed from the strings and her angelic voice entranced everyone. They smiled as they listened.
As Lucy listened to Lyra's song, thoughts of her father filled her mind. The times he terrified her, times he angered her, times he made her sad, and times he made her happy. Her thoughts then shifted to Michelle and their brief time together. Her lips quivered. 'I miss them all so much.' Before she knew it, tears flowed down her cheeks and her shoulders trembled. Still, she smiled fondly at her memories.
Natsu put a reassuring hand on Lucy's head, but said nothing as he listened to Lyra's song at her side.
As Lyra's song came to an end, Lucy sniffed. "Thank you," she whispered. "Really, I love you all so much. I'm so incredibly lucky to have all of you in my life."
Hours later, the party came to a close. Everyone gathered where they arrived for the return trip home.
"What a wonderful event that was," Erza nodded contentedly.
"The food was freakin' delicious!" Gray grinned as he patted his full stomach.
Aquarius clasped Juvia's hands. "Keep fighting! I'm in your corner!"
"Thank you, Aquarius!" Juvia smiled back. "Juvia will keep doing her best!"
The Celestial Spirit King looked down at Lucy. "We shall always be with you, old friend."
"Call on us anytime," Capricorn added.
Aries bowed to everyone. "Please continue to take good care of Lucy."
Natsu slung his arm around Lucy's shoulders and gave them a big grin. "You know we will! Count on it!"
The Celestial Spirit King nodded. "May you have the divine protection of the stars, old friend." With a swing of his cape, the Celestial Spirit King disappeared into a swirl of sparkling stardust.
"The Celestial Spirits sure do love you," Erza said.
Lucy nodded emphatically. "They're all such wonderful friends!"
Gracie stretched her arms above her head. "Alright! That was one hell of a party, but now it's time to get back and bust our asses with some hardcore training!"
Gray nodded. "Yeah! We have to use these three months to catch up to the other guilds!"
"And beat Sabertooth!" Happy cheered.
"Oh." The deadpanned sound came from Virgo as she raised her hand. "There's something I forgot to mention to you. The flow of time in the Celestial Spirit World is different than the human world."
Natsu, Gray, and Gracie's faces lit up.
"Like one year here is a day back home or something?!"
"That would be a training paradise!
"Just think about all the extra training we can do! Forget about catching the other guilds; we'll shoot past 'em and leave 'em in the dust! Oh man, Niky's gonna be sooooo jealous!"
Virgo blinked, remaining expressionless. "No. It's the opposite."
Gracie's face was frozen. "…Come again?"
"It's the opposite," Virgo repeated. "One day in the Celestial Spirit World equates to three months in the human world."
No one could process what Virgo had just said quick enough to question it before the same golden light that summoned them appeared again. The next thing they knew, they were back on Akane Beach. They stood like statues on the shore, the water licking their feet.
"Everyone!" Jet and Droy ran up to them. "Man, we were getting tired of waiting for you!"
Droy pumped his fists. "The Grand Magic Games are just five days away! I bet you guys were really training your butts off!"
"""It's over."""
This defeated phrase snaked out of the frozen faces of Erza, Natsu, and Gray. They teetered forward and collapsed face-first into the sand.
Wendy lost the feeling in her legs. She fell to her knees and cried her eyes out.
Gracie's face twitched. "This is a joke, right? A joke. A very not funny joke. Or maybe a dream. Right, a dream. Can I wake up now?"
Lucy threw her head to the sky. "MOUSTACHE! GIVE US BACK OUR TIME!"
"So let me get this straight," Jet said, scratching the back of his head. "You're telling us that you spent one day in the Celestial Spirit World and that somehow wasted three months here?"
Everyone was leaning against a rock, expressionless.
"And there are only five days left until the Games," Droy sighed.
"And none of you improved your magic power even a bit!" Jet groaned.
"Time is a fickle bitch," Gracie said with a monotonous tone. "And that bitch made off with our three months of training time. This blows."
"What do we do?" Lucy whined.
Levy sighed. "I guess all we can do is rely on everyone else. I'm sure Gajeel and everyone got really strong."
Gracie rubbed her face and wailed, her legs flailing about. "Just thinking about how much stronger Niky got while I stayed stagnant makes me wanna tear my hair out! GAAHHH!"
"And the gap between Lily's strength and my strength grew, too," Happy sobbed.
"Wait, you cared about something like that?" Carla cried.
Erza rose to her feet. A determined aura surrounded her. "Enough! We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves! There's still time! We'll train like hell these last five days! Steel yourselves everyone! There won't be any time to sleep!"
Gracie rose to her feet like a zombie. "Heh, I'm with you, Erza! Who needs sleep?! Go hard or go home!"
"They've lost it!" Gray cried, moving back subconsciously.
Natsu leapt to his feet, a veil of fire covering his body as he pumped his fists. "Sounds good to me, too! Training like hell has me fired up!"
"Natsu, you're scaring me!" Lucy shrieked.
"Come, everyone! We start with running!" Erza commanded. She was about to take off like a bat out of hell down the sandy beach, but she froze when she suddenly felt something land atop her head.
Lucy blinked in confusion as she stared at what had landed on Erza. "A pigeon?"
Gray stepped closer. "Huh…hey, something's attached to its leg."
Gracie reached out and scooped up the pigeon. She carefully untied the piece of paper attached to the bird's tiny leg before loosening her grip. The pigeon flew away as Gracie unfurled the paper. "It's a note. Let's see…it says 'Dear Fairy Tail. Come to the broken suspension bridge on the hill.'" Gracie looked through the note again, turned the paper over, then back. "There's no signature anywhere. The hell is this about?"
"I don't like how it sounds like an order," Gray huffed.
"What should we do? This sounds weird," Wendy asked.
Erza closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "We check it out of course."
"It could be a trap, though," Lucy warned. "I don't think we should go."
"We won't know for sure until we go and see for ourselves," Erza countered.
Natsu punched his palm. "Alright, sounds interesting!"
Gracie crunched the paper and snickered. "And if they want to mess with us, we just tear them to shreds. What a way to vent some frustration!"
The Fairy Tail group made their way deep into the forest behind Akane Beach. As instructed, they walked until they came upon a gently sloping hill. After climbing up, they came upon a ravine. A raging river ran below them. The only way to cross the ravine was by bridge. However, the hanging bridge had clearly been broken for quite some time. Vines snaked up the support pillars on both banks. The planks dangled down each cliff side and swayed slightly in the breeze.
Erza put a hand to her chin. "This must be what they meant by the broken suspension bridge."
Natsu looked around and huffed. "There's nobody here!"
Gray scratched his head in irritation. "The hell…so it was just a prank?"
Lucy shrugged. "I said we shouldn't come, remember?"
Gracie stamped her feet. "This freakin' sucks! We don't have time to waste for practical jokes." She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Come out you cowards so I can kick your asses!"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. The suspension bridge glowed in a white light. The missing planks that had long since plunged into the river below rose into the air. The separated sides of the bridge levitated and connected with the newfound planks, the plank ropes and the guide ropes fusing back together. The vines evaporated. All signs of age vanished. It was as if the bridge had been instantly repaired to be as good as new.
"The bridge…fixed itself?" Lucy breathed.
Gray was dumbfounded. "It connected back to the other bank, but how?"
"That doesn't matter. The message is clear," Erza said. "We're to cross it."
Levy gulped. "Oh man, I think Lucy was right. This has to be a trap!"
Wendy trembled. "I'm starting to get scared."
"What's there to be scared of?" Natsu snickered as he punched his palm. "Let's cross!"
"Natsu, slow down for a second and think," Lucy warned. "Are we even sure that bridge is safe? What if it—?"
"Last one over's a rotten dragon egg!" Gracie interrupted Lucy's concerns with a giddy cry. She pushed off the ground and took off running down the suspension bridge. It swayed with each step but held firm. Once across, Gracie skidded to a stop and waved to the other side. "Come on over, everybody!"
"Gracie, that was dangerous!" Lucy called over. "What if the trap was that people who tried to cross fell into the river?"
"Ah, don't be such a worrywart! It'll ruin your sexy looks!" Gracie called back.
Lucy sweatdropped. "What does that have anything to do with my looks?"
"Never mind. At least we know it's safe now," Erza said. "Let's cross and continue on."
Everyone crossed the bridge and met up with Gracie. They continued down the path in search of the ones who sent them the note.
Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
"Yes, and all the better if you're strong!" Erza called out.
"Is training all you think about?" Gray sighed.
"I agree with Erza! Strong opponents are—!" Gracie began, but stopped mid-sentence. She took a battle-ready stance and grinned excitedly. "Heads up. We've got company."
Everyone stopped and looked ahead. Far in the distance stood three figures. Their bodies and faces were completely covered by long flowing blue cloaks, making it appear as if three phantoms were gliding slowly closer to them.
"Be careful everyone," Lucy said softly.
Natsu sniffed the air. "Hmm…these scents. I recognize them."
"You do?" Lucy asked.
The three cloaked figures stopped before the Fairy Tail group. The figure at the front spoke. "Thank you for coming, Fairy Tail." They reached up to pull back their hood. The two behind them followed suit. As they pulled back their hoods, everyone gasped.
Erza's eyes widened. She could feel her breath catch in her throat and her chest tighten. "Jellal…"
Standing before them were Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy. Jellal gave a small smile. "You haven't changed at all, Erza. I'm assuming you've already heard how I escaped."
Erza was still stunned but managed to nod. "Yes."
Jellal hung his head. "You must know that it was not my intention to escape, though."
"Meredy and I broke him out," Ultear said.
Meredy smiled cutely. "I didn't do anything. Ultear, you did most of it all on your own!"
Juvia stared at the smiling pink-haired girl. "Meredy…"
Meredy turned to her and waved. "Hi there, Juvia! Long time no see! You too, Gracie!"
Juvia smiled and waved back. 'She has such a nice smile now.'
"Holy shit, is that you Meredy? Damn, when did you get so freakin' hot?" Gracie exclaimed, her jaw practically on the floor. The last time she had seen Meredy, she was just a young girl. Now her body had matured significantly. She was taller now and her hair had grown long, held up in a high ponytail that extended down her back. She had a breathtaking figure and her breasts were much larger, barely contained by a low cut red mini dress.
Meredy giggled. She blushed as she cupped her cheeks. "Aw, stop it, you're making me blush!"
"I can't believe Jellal escaped from prison," Lucy breathed.
Natsu clenched his jaw as he stared at Ultear and Meredy. "Grimoire Heart!"
"Calm down, Natsu," Gray said. "They're no longer our enemies." He looked Ultear in her eyes. "Right?"
Ultear nodded with an apologetic look. "Correct. I've committed so many sins in my life. While I know there's no way I can atone, even if I spend my entire life trying, I want to at least help the people whose lives I've damaged." She gave Jellal a sideways glance. "Like Jellal, for example."
Jellal closed his eyes and shook his head. "I've already told you that you don't need to feel guilty about it. Both of us were possessed by darkness. It's all in the past now."
Erza took a step forward, shocked. "Jellal, did you regain your memories!?"
A dark shadow spread across Jellal's face. "Yes, all of it. I remember it all. They returned six years ago, while I was in prison. Erza…I know there's something I have to say, but I can't find the words."
Ultear put a hand to her chest. "I'm responsible for what happened with the Tower of Heaven. I was the one manipulating Jellal. So please, find it in your heart to remove the blame from him."
"I was going to spend my life in prison or be executed," Jellal continued. "I was ready to accept that fate until Ultear and Meredy broke me out."
"Does that mean you found a purpose to live for?" Wendy asked.
"A purpose to live for," Jellal repeated as he thought it over. After a few moments he shook his head. "No, nothing as noble as that."
"We decided to form a guild," Ultear cut in. "Neither a proper guild nor a Dark Guild. We are an independent guild. Crime Sorciere."
Droy gasped. "Wait…Crime Sorciere? I've heard of you!"
"Yeah," Jet said. "Word is you guys destroyed many Dark Guilds the last several years."
Ultear nodded. "We have one purpose."
"Zeref. Dark Guilds. We formed this guild to drive away all darkness from this world so that no one has to be possessed by darkness, as we were," Jellal explained.
Everyone beamed.
"That's amazing!" Lucy exclaimed.
"You should have the Council recognize you as an official Guild!" Gray added.
Jellal smiled. "Did you already forget? I broke out of prison."
"And Ultear and I are former Grimoire Heart members," Meredy smiled.
"Even if that weren't the case, official guilds are bound by the Guild Conflict Ban Treaty. Even if the other side were a Dark Guild, our actions would be limited. No, being independent perfectly fits our guild."
"You guys sound just like me and Niky! Goin' after the bad guys on the down-low!" Gracie cheered.
Meredy's eyes sparkled. A glowing smile split her face. 'Niky!'
"Anyway, we didn't call you out here just to say hello and catch up," Ultear said. "We heard that you're going to participate in the Grand Magic Games."
"Yeah. What about it?" Natsu asked.
Ultear's expression became serious. "We have a favor we would ask of you."
Natsu returned the serious look. "You want our autograph, right?"
Ultear's eyebrow twitched. "No thank you! The only one I'd consider asking doesn't seem to be with you." She looked around. "Where might he be anyway? We thought for sure he'd be with you."
"Who?" Wendy asked.
Ultear's face flushed slightly. "N…Nikolias," she said shyly.
"Niky? He's training elsewhere," Gracie replied. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason in particular," Ultear said with a sigh.
Meredy pouted. "Ah geez. I was really hoping to see him today. It's been seven long years after all…"
"Hoh?" Gracie cooed as a mischievous smile crept on her face. "I forgot. You totally had a crush on Niky back on Tenrou, didn't you? Still crushing hard?"
Meredy beamed as she cupped her face, her cheeks flushed. "Gosh, are you going to make me say it? So embarrassing!"
Gracie blinked, caught off guard. "Wow, she's not denying it this time. That's no fun." She turned to Ultear. "I'm guessing you do, too, since you brought him up out of nowhere?"
Ultear turned away to hide her intense blush. "I don't have to answer your questions!"
Gracie sighed. "Damn, Niky. How the hell did you manage to attract these two?"
Jellal coughed. "Anway, let's get back on topic. About that favor. Every year, when the Grand Magic Games are held, we sense a strange magical force. We want you to investigate and get to the bottom of it."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "I thought the Grand Magic Games were where guilds all over Fiore participated. Wouldn't you expect a couple strange magic powers?"
Jellal nodded. "At first we thought the same thing. However, we began noticing that the magic felt evil, and it somehow reminds me of Zeref."
"Of Zeref?" Erza repeated.
"Yes. It's possible the three of us can sense it because we've gotten close to Zeref in the past."
"We want to find out where that magic is coming from," Ultear said.
"It may even give us a clue to Zeref's whereabouts," Jellal added.
"And know that this has nothing to do with the outcome of the Games. We'll of course be rooting for Fairy Tail from the sidelines!" Meredy chirped. "All we're asking is that, while you are participating, you search for that mysterious magic."
Gracie hummed. "Sounds tough…"
"Agreed. Still, we'll try," Erza agreed.
"Really? You sure, Erza?" Gray asked.
Erza nodded. "If there's strange magic present at the Games while everyone is assembled there, we could all be at risk, if the magic is truly ominous."
"And we'll of course pay the fee in advance," Ultear smiled.
"Rent!"
"Food money!"
Lucy and Natsu's eyes sparkled, but for very different reasons.
Ultear giggled and shook her head. "No, not in money." From behind her cloak, she pulled out a crystal ball. "My Time Ark will raise the level of your abilities."
Gracie pumped her fists. "Get out! You can do that?!"
"Of course. I've evolved my magic over these past seven years."
"Alright! A power-up!" Gracie cheered.
"You can think of it as a power-up if you'd like, but that's not quite what it is," Ultear corrected.
Gracie blinked. "Okay then, I'm confused."
Ultear held up a finger as she began to explain. "Wizards have something within them that acts as a container. That container determines the limit of their magic power. If the container becomes empty, a wizard's body automatically absorbs Ethernanos in the air, and after a while, the container becomes filled again. However, recent research has shown that there's a part of that container wizards possess that goes unused. Something that everyone possesses. A latent ability if you will; Second Origin. Time Ark will develop your containers so that you can use Second Origin. To state it in simpler terms, you'll be able to use magic for longer periods of time and employ more powerful magic."
Everyone cheered at this declaration.
"I didn't get any of that, but let's do it!" Natsu cried.
"Any way you look at it, this is epic!" Gracie said as she danced about.
"Hold on. I never said there was no catch," Ultear warned. "If you choose to accept this, you will be battling against unimaginably excruciating pain."
Natsu lunged at Ultear and hugged her tightly. "I don't care about that! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're really starting to seem more and more like a real woman!"
Ultear's eyebrow twitched as she pushed against Natsu. "I am a woman, damn it! When will you get over that?! Now get off me!"
Lucy yanked Natsu away. "Geez Natsu, can't you control yourself a bit more than that?"
"I can't help it!" Natsu exclaimed. He turned, lifted Lucy into the air, and started to spin her around. "We're going to get stronger!"
"I get it! I get it! I'm excited, too!" Lucy cried. "Please put me down, Natsu! I'm getting dizzy!"
Gray walked up to Ultear with a smile. "Thanks for this. It'll help us out a lot."
Ultear tossed back her hair. "Think nothing of it. It's the least I can do since you're agreeing to help us out with our investigation."
Gracie raised her hand. "I think everyone here is on board for Second Origin. So how do we get started? And can I go first?"
Natsu stopped abruptly, much to a woozy Lucy's delight. "Hey, no fair, Gracie! I wanna go first!"
"You can both go first. It doesn't matter to me," Ultear replied. "As for getting started, follow me. We'll head to one of our hideouts."
The sun was beginning to set below the horizon, painting the sky a deep orange. The Fairy Tail members had arrived at Crime Sorciere's hideout, which was a small log cabin at the edge of the woods near a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Gracie and Natsu stood at the cliff's edge, the sea breeze blowing against their backs and whipping their hair about. Natsu had removed his shirt and was just in his orange swimming trunks. Gracie had also removed her clothes and was wearing her white bikini. They both stood facing Ultear with determined expressions.
Ultear held out her crystal ball. "Are you both ready?"
Gracie and Natsu nodded. ""Yes!""
Everyone, except for Erza and Jellal, stood behind Ultear, watching nervously. They weren't sure what unimaginable, excruciating pain would look like.
Ultear's crystal ball began to glow. "Very well. Then let's begin. Brace yourselves and stay strong!"
Orange marks arranged in runic patterns spread across Gracie and Natsu's bodies, starting from their torso and spreading to every extremity.
Natsu immediately collapsed backwards. His eyes went white. His muscles convulsed. Muted screams leaked from his agape mouth as he floundered on the ground.
Gracie fell to her knees, her arms wrapped around her body. She hung her head and gritted her teeth, trying desperately to keep herself from screaming. But try as she might, the pain was too great. She threw her head back and shrieked at the sky, her voice echoing in the air.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried.
"Gracie!" Gray shouted.
"Hang in there, you two. Bringing out your latent abilities involves digging deep within you," Ultear said.
"But they're going to be okay, right?" Lucy asked.
"Just how painful is this?" Gray asked.
"I can let you know through Sensory Link!" Meredy offered sweetly.
"What are you, sadistic?!" Gray snapped.
Levy gulped. "Do we really have to go through that, too?"
Wendy wept. "I think I'll cry."
"You're already crying," Carla sighed.
Jet and Droy began sneaking away. "This has nothing to do with us," Jet said softly.
"We'll just go home…," Droy mumbled.
"Hang in there, Natsu," Happy said as he looked at his friend writhe in pain.
Elsewhere, on another cliff, Erza stood beside Jellal as he sat on a stone with his hands clasped. They silently looked out over the ocean. Neither seemed like they knew what to say.
It was Erza who broke the silence first. "So you regained all your memories, huh?"
"Yeah," Jellal quietly replied.
"Then…about Simon, too?"
Jellal lowered his gaze to the ground. He didn't speak immediately but eventually he slowly replied. "I killed him."
"And you remember Nirvana?"
"I remember that I had amnesia then. Such a strange feeling."
Erza turned to look at him, the wind blowing her hair across her face. Her expression was one of uncertainty. "Can I think of you as the old Jellal and treat you that way?"
"I'll admit that it would make me happy, but…there's still the fact that I killed Simon." He squeezed his hands tightly. "I wouldn't blame you if you kept your distance." He looked back at the ocean. The reflection of the sun spread across the surface, dying the water orange. "And if you wish to take revenge for his death, I am prepared to lay down my life."
Erza narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. "Do you truly think Simon would want that?" There was slight irritation in her voice. "You formed a guild to destroy Dark Guilds. That's your way of atoning for what you've done!"
"I don't know…"
Erza could feel rage building inside of her. She couldn't quite understand exactly what was making her this angry. "What?!"
"You're right that I originally created Crime Sorciere to atone for my sins. But even still, no matter what I do or how hard I try, I cannot make up for what I did at the Tower of Heaven. I find myself asking 'What am I doing this for?' I can't escape those thoughts. And in the end, each time, I reach the same conclusion: Maybe I should just die."
Swiftly, Erza stepped in front of Jellal and swung her hand, striking him across the face. Her look of anger reflected in Jellal's shocked eyes. Her body shook. "How can you talk so cowardly?" she hissed.
"I'm not as strong as you are."
"So you can't live if you're not strong? That's wrong! Just living shows that you are strong!" Jellal said nothing. Erza grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You're not the old Jellal. You're not the Jellal who struggled to survive. You're not him!"
Jellal refused to meet her gaze. "You may be right."
Erza was sick and tired of hearing it; his pitiful tone and expression, his words that held no passion or conviction. He was like an animated corpse, feeling nothing. The thought of that continued to fuel her anger. Her body felt hot. "You bastard!" She grabbed him roughly by the collar and forced him to his feet. However, she pushed a bit too hard. Jellal tripped backwards on the rock he had been sitting on. Her grip still tightly on his collar, Erza fell with him. The two rolled down the cliff, the rocks bumping and scratching their skin and clothes, before they came to a stop at the base.
Jellal knelt over Erza as she lay sprawled beneath him. Their eyes finally met. Neither of them moved.
Erza's body felt even hotter, especially her face. But this was a different heat than the anger she had been feeling. It was something she hadn't experienced before. She couldn't look away from Jellal's face and no words came to her.
Jellal's gaze softened. "You really are always right."
Erza's anger was subsiding, but her body continued to feel like it was on fire. She was sure her face was flushed. "That's not true," she answered gently. "I live my life to the fullest, in my own clumsy way. That's all."
"Erza…"
Erza released her grip on Jellal with one of her hands, draping her arm over her eyes. A stream of tears leaked from her left eye. "I…I thought I'd never see you again." Her voice was weak, having lost all its edge and power from earlier. In that moment, she felt vulnerable. Her mind was fuzzy. Slowly, with some uncertainty, she moved her hands to cup Jellal's cheeks. "Jellal…" Tears began leaking from her right eye as well.
Jellal moved to wipe her tears but kept his hand on her warm cheek. He carefully lifted her chin. He inched his face closer and closer to Erza's.
Erza's mind was spinning. She felt like steam would erupt from her ears. It felt like her heart would smash through her ribs. As strange as it felt, there was a part of her buried deep down that wanted it to continue. She wanted him closer to her. She began rising off the ground in a sitting position to meet him.
Bit by bit, their lips drew closer and closer together. And right as their lips were about to touch…
Jellal roughly pushed against Erza's shoulders, forcing them as far apart as possible.
Erza stared at Jellal with hurt and confusion in her eyes. Her face was completely flushed. She wanted to know why. Why did he stop?
Jellal didn't look at her as he held her away. "I can't. I…have a fiancée."
Erza felt something inside her shatter. She didn't know what to say. She was confused. But that confusion quickly turned to panic as her mind replayed what had just happened and her actions and thoughts. She hopped backwards on her knees and waved her hands frantically in front of her. "N-N-No! I w-w-wasn't thinking…! I mean, I didn't…!"
Jellal knelt as well, embarrassed. "No, it's my fault. I, uh, I'm sorry."
Erza laughed awkwardly. "I see! So you're engaged? Congratulations! I had no idea! But it's only natural! I mean, seven years passed! Yeah!" She nodded her head vigorously. Jellal blushed but said nothing as he continued to stare at the dirt. Seeing this, Erza smiled sweetly at him, forgetting her earlier embarrassment. "Is she dear to you?"
"Yes."
"Then you have to live for her sake, too."
Jellal quietly chuckled. "You're right."
Night had fallen. Back at the log cabin, everyone was sprawled about, clawing at the ground and their own bodies as they went through Second Origin. Erza stood with Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy to see them off.
"No one can move, it seems," Erza said as she glanced over her shoulder.
"Yet you seem fine," Ultear noted. She was impressed that Erza, who was also currently going through Second Origin, seemed unaffected.
"I suppose everyone reacts differently," Erza shrugged. "So you're leaving?"
Jellal nodded. "The nature of our guild prevents us from staying still for long."
"Oh, and about the mysterious power at the Grand Magic Games; if you find anything at all, you can report to us using a pigeon," Meredy added.
"I understand," Erza said.
Ultear winked. "As for the competition, as Meredy said earlier, we'll be rooting for you behind the scenes."
Meredy sighed and cupped her face. "I wish I could go see it for myself in person. I bet Niky will be competing, too. Oh, how I want to meet him face to face!"
"We could always go in disguise," Ultear offered. "I wouldn't mind meeting him in person as well."
"No," Jellal quickly refused. He lifted his hood and smiled. "Well then, until we meet again, Erza." He turned and began walking off.
"Bye-bye!" Meredy chirped as she followed Jellal.
Ultear lifted her hood as well. "Give everyone our regards. And please, look after Gray."
The cool sea breeze blew Erza's hair and dress gently as she smiled at their retreating figures. Her thoughts were filled with Jellal and the time they spent together. 'Fiancée, huh?' She looked up at the bright moon in the sky. 'You always were a terrible liar. I guess that hasn't changed since then.' She closed her eyes. 'But it's better this way, isn't it?'
Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy found a cave along the beach to stop for the night. They started a fire and Ultear began putting dinner together.
"I hope we haven't put Fairy Tail in any danger," Jellal muttered as he stared at the crackling fire.
"I wouldn't worry," Ultear chuckled, handing Meredy a bowl of stew. "I'm sure they can handle whatever comes their way."
"I agree!" Meredy said. "Though I still wish we could watch in the stands." Hearts appeared in Meredy's eyes. "The chance to watch Niky fight would be like a dream come true!"
Jellal sighed. "We can't risk it. I'm sorry, but your dream won't come true."
Meredy pouted. "Fine. Then at least tell me why you lied about having a fiancée."
Jellal blushed. "Y…You heard that?!"
Ultear laughed. "It was quite the scene. You can give yourself a break every once in a while, you know. Unless you're only trying to punish yourself?"
"Punishment is the code of Crime Sorciere, isn't it?" he replied. "We decided that together, remember? We can't be in love with those who walk in the light." His eyes showed slight sorrow. "And as long as Erza is happy, that's good enough for me."
Meredy crossed her arms. "Well, if that's your choice, then it is what it is. I won't apologize for being in love, though. Also, couldn't you have told a better lie?"
Ultear piled on. "I agree. That was cold! Poor Erza. What, did you think saying that made you sound cool?" She laughed.
Jellal buried his face in his arms. "Shut up…"
