Chapter 32

'Thinking' – thoughts

"Speaking" – speech

'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking

"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.

NinjaFang1331: Thank you very much

ShadowGOUF: I do have a very specific plan for Mavis and Natsu to have some relationship. I do hope I can make it a bit less annoying in the future.

Ushindi: Hi there, yeah sorry for the long delay this time around. I'm glad you enjoy the fights, I hope I can continue to create fun scenarios.

BoredAsUsual34: Yeah so to your review on Chapter 23, that can be interesting, but I will still need to see how the story develops in that regard later on. As for the bond between Wendy and Natsu, I haven't yet completely decided if it will be more sibling-like or father-daughter, that will probably be a bit more shown in the next chapter. Thank you for the reviews.

zzkaizer: Hope the wait was worth it

-With Natsu-

As Natsu neared a tribal-like village with their tents taking a design resemblance to cats, the villagers all seemed to stop in whatever they were doing and turned their eyes to him.

"Is she out on a quest?" Natsu asked no one in particular. An old man seemingly materialised in front of him with a regretful expression.

"I am sorry son of Death, Nabura, but I sent her on a quest, one that will not be easily accomplished," The old man sighed.

"Roubaul, what is the quest you sent Wendy on?" Natsu asked, a dark undertone seeping through the calm question.

"One that will bring my eternal vigil to an end, one way or another. Nabura," Roubaul sighed as he motioned Natsu towards the large building that resembled a cat head and had "Cait Shelter' written on top. Once the two were settled at a table Roubaul let out another sigh before levelling his gaze on Natsu.

"There was a gathering of Guild Masters, and I was in attendance since I heard it related to the circumstances of my eternal vigil. The Guild Masters had caught wind of a plot by the dark guild Oracion Seis to bring about an era of darkness I once was the unintentional architect of. Nabura," Roubaul said with a sigh.

"I have come by this same information, the main reason for my being here," Natsu agreed with the sinister plot.

"It was with a heavy heart and pain in my soul that I sent young Wendy to join the allied forces. I want her to have a possible place to go if it happened that you were not here so my thoughts were for her to find new friends and a possible home, at least until you would come along and provide her with more options. Nabura," Roubaul admitted.

"I cannot fault you for your decision, you were only looking out for her. If she is on a mission to stop Nirvana from rising once more then our paths will likely cross before this is all over. Now, I need to know who will be on Wendy's side, I already have all the information I need on the enemy, more than you would have," Natsu said as he leaned forward ready to learn how the sides stack up.

"We have not discussed what members were to join the allied force, but I do believe that due to the situation I can give some guesses, Nabura. From Fairy Tail I would not doubt Erza Scarlet with her impressive re-quip magic to be there, a possibility that the mysterious Mystogan with his staff magic might show up, for Lamia Scale I would wager that they would send their Wizard Saint, Jura Neekis, a man with powerful Earth Magic. From Blue Pegasus the only notable member that I can think of who will likely be there is Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, he is proficient in the use of perfume magic," Roubaul listed the members he suspected to join the alliance force.

A faint sound not native to the calm forested region found its way to Natsu's sensitive ears. His eyes narrowed as he turned to look in its direction.

"Thank you for the information Roubaul, I do hope that your legacy can come to a rest here and you can finally move on from the unfortunate mistake and join your people in my Father's domain," Natsu said sincerely before he walked out of the building.

'The seal weakens and I fear the terrible influence of my greatest invention and ultimate shame will soon spill over my home once more. I beg of you, Son of Death, put an end to my greatest mistake, Nabura,' Roubaul thought as he thought back to the decimation of his people.

-With the allied forces-

"Now that we all are here, we can get this underway," Jura said, unfazed by Wendy coming alone.

"What is Cait Shelter thinking, sending a little girl all on her own?" Sherry asked, more to Lyon who was next to her rather than the rest of the group.

"She is not alone you pompous fool," a new voice with a holier-than-though tone to it said from the entrance. The group's attention quickly switched to the new voice and was surprised to see a white cat walking on its hind legs and wearing a pink and yellow dress standing behind Wendy with her arms folded.

"Oh, Carla, I didn't know you were here," Wendy said in an innocent tone.

"Of course I am here child, you are way too young to be travelling on your own. Not to mention someone needs to watch over you when you are sent on a mission as dangerous as this," Carla replied, the second part more to herself.

"I know that I'm not strong like the rest of you, but I can use all sorts of support magics, please let me join your group, it would be so embarrassing if I have to go back," Wendy said while timidly looking down at her feet.

"You need to be more confident child, you know what he always tells you," Carla said.

"To be more confident in my abilities, I know," Wendy replied, a slight hint of sadness in her tone.

"I apologise, I was caught off guard. We would be happy for you to join us, Wendy," Erza said with a kind smile. Wendy was quickly swept up by the Trimen as they attempted to woo her similarly to how they attempted with the Fairy Tail girls when they first arrived.

"So you have sensed it too. That girl has quite the potent parfum," Ichiya said as he noticed Jura casting a calculating glance at Wendy.

"Indeed, I noticed right away that her magic feels unique, different from our own. Almost as if she has been touched by something that one would not find commonly, I just can't put my finger on it. It seems like some of the Fairy Tail mages have also noticed this," Jura said as Erza and Haru were looking at Wendy with similar facial expressions to them.

While Erza had only sensed the strange magical presence Wendy carried, Haru felt something more familiar coming from her.

"Let us not waste any more time and get the mission briefing underway. Man," Ichiya announced, turning to Hibiki who quickly stood at attention and started to use his archive magic, making a screen full of photos and information materialise behind him.

-Grimoire Heart Airship-

"Master I have returned from my training and I'm pleased to report that it has been quite fruitful," Ultear announced as she entered the throne room of the Airship. She quickly kneeled before the Guild master as a sign of respect.

"Though I trust your word Ultear I would like to see a demonstration of what you achieved to help with my planning for the upcoming resurrection of Lord Zeref," Hades said with a slight grin.

"Of course Master, if you would so kindly look out the window," Ultear said as she placed a fist in her open palm. As Hades looked out of one of the windows a smile spread across his face as he saw the surface of the ocean below them being covered in a solid layer of ice. The area was almost ten times as large as the airship.

"Wonderful, I am pleased with this leap you achieved. Now, on to business, Ultear, summon the rest of the Seven Kin, Bluenote will soon retrieve the last of the keys then our final preparations can begin," Hades commanded.

"At once sir," Ultear said as she rose and turned around to leave. A slight frown marred her delicate face as her mind focused on one individual. 'Meredy, I do hope that Natsu will be able to get you out safely before the final war starts,' Ultear thought as her concern for her adoptive daughter plagued her mind.

Hades' mind also focused on a thought as his smile faltered. 'Hmm, something tells me that I should ensure Ultear can complete her mission. Something seems to have changed in her recently. That sharp edge that allowed her to rise to the head of the Seven Kin seems to have started to dull slightly,' Hades thought darkly.

-With the allied forces-

As the group reached a cliff, a dark shadow fell over the group of allied forces that had given chase, with only Ichiya and Jura being absent. As they looked up they saw the Pride of the Blue Pegasus Guild.

"The Magic Bomber Christina," Erza said as they gazed at the majestic airship with a striking resemblance to the mythical creature the guild was named after.

"With this by our side we will have the advantage," Lyon commented as a smirk formed on his face.

"All right everyone, let's split up so that we can find their base of operations. Do not engage them, just report back and then we can assess the situation and plan our assault," Erza said taking charge as she was the most experienced mage present.

"I will stay here and manage communications between everyone while also monitoring what Christina can see from above," Hibiki said. A metaphorical wrench was quickly thrown into their plans as a ray of dark green and black magic ripped through its hull.

Shock filled the allied forces as an explosion ripped across the Magic Bomber, sending it hurtling towards the ground where it crashed into another explosion that filled the area in front of them in a ball of flames and a dark cloud of smoke.

"Heads up," Haru warned the group as he picked up on the scent of a group approaching them.

"We've got company, everyone, stay frosty," Gray called out, immediately understanding what Haru was hinting at.

From the smoke, six silhouettes appeared as the group prepared for battle, some more eager than others.

"You lowly maggots, swarming together to put up a feeble attempt at providing resistance against the inevitable," Brain said in disgust.

"You are all just small fries, children of light. Not even the short stack nor the bald Wizard Saint could stand up to me, I do wonder how you will grovel for mercy," Angel taunted with a smirk.

"Jura is defeated?" Lyon asked in a shaky voice.

"Only one member took down both of them, impossible," Hibiki said in disbelief.

"The terror in their voices, I can hear it. Their trembling bones are a symphony that will be the opening to our new world," Cobra said with a sinister smirk.

"I would have never expected you would show yourselves so early on, but I should thank you for saving us the trouble," Erza said as she adjusted her stance.

"Want a formal invitation?" Cobra asked, sparking the beginning of the battle.

Blinding speed, body doubles and liquid earth quickly proved a problem. Lyon and Sherry were quickly thrown for a loop as the earth moulded itself around them in a wave while Lucy and Gray seemingly defeated themselves as copies of them appeared to combat them at opportune moments. Haru and the Trimens were unable to stand against the insane speeds at which Racer zipped across the landscape. The only member of the group who seemed to have any sort of minuscule change was Erza as she was locked into a dance of sword attacks and dodges with Cobra.

"Your mind is open to me, I can hear it all," Cobra taunted before he recoiled.

"Wait you were there?" Cobra asked.

'Now's my chance, while he's distracted,' Erza thought as she closed in to finally land a blow. Her efforts were for nought as Racer suddenly appeared behind her and delivered a quick and powerful kick.

"Cubellios," Cobra commanded his purple snake which quickly struck out and imbedded its fangs into Erza's arm, injecting its terrible venom into her.

"Wither away in pain as you slowly succumb to Cubellios' poison," Cobra said with a smirk, his momentary distraction pushed from his min.

"Pathetic, now prepare for Oblivion's embrace," Brain said as he raised his staff. A dark pressure descended on the group of downed mages as tendrils of dark green and black magic began to seep from the ground and fill the air. For some reason though, Brain never cast his spell as something behind a rock caught his attention.

"What's the matter Brain?" Racer asked as the dark spell dissipated. Brain however had a shocked look but it quickly turned to one of victory and glee.

"Racer, it seems like fate is smiling upon us. The Sky Maiden has made an appearance and now our plan has slightly changed. Go and retrieve our future comrade for he will once more join our dark cause," Brain said with a deep laugh.

For a moment racer shared in the confusion everyone else found at Crain's words and sudden change in demeanour but then a grin formed on his face before he vanished in a burst of speed.

"Dark Entanglement" Brain uttered as an arm made of the same dark green and black energy that his previous attack was composed of shot out. It snaked its way to Wendy where it quickly pulled her from her cover and to the group of powerful dark mages. Brain was quick to case a restraining spell that covered Wendy in his dark magic so that she wouldn't be able to get away.

"As for the rest of you, perish," Brain said, his cold demeanour having returned. "Dark Rondo" Brain called out as he released the spell he moments ago cancelled. Blots of dark green and black magic formed and started a deadly barrage on the group of downed mages.

With the attack barrelling towards them, the male wizards who were close enough to some of the girls attempted to shield the nearby maidens while others grit their teeth and prepared for what would hopefully only be a severe beating from the spell.

"Iron Rock Wall" A strong male voice shouted. In response the very earth started moving, forming pillars that intertwined to form a rock-solid defence, preventing Brain's spell from harming the allied forces.

"Jura, you made it," Lyon said in relief but winced at the pain he still felt from the previous battle, if you can even call it that.

"My dear comrades, allow my Pain Killer Parfum to ease your troubled bodies," Ichiya said, quickly popping the tops off of two vials and allowing their contents to fill the air with a pleasant aroma.

"This smell, it's soothing my injuries," Lucy admitted as most of the group took a moment to relieve their pain through the wonderful fragrance.

"Now we can beat them. Hey, where did they go?" Haru asked as the members of Oracion Seis no longer stood on the cliff and their power signatures seemingly vanished.

A pained groan however quickly snapped everyone back to reality as Erza struggled to her knees, pain evident on her face.

"My Honey, allow me to ease your pain with my Pain Killer Parfum. MAAAN," Ichiya quickly said as he popped two more vials and brought them close to Erza. This action however had the opposite effect as she let out a pained scream. On her arm, the group could see a nasty purple colour growing.

"Th-That snake, snake's venom. It-It's…" Erza attempted to say, but another pained scream escaped her.

"Erza," Haru shouted in concern as the group quickly gathered around her in concern.

"Lucy, you belt…" Erza said through clenched teeth as she took the unexpected girl's belt and quickly tied it around her arm.

"What are you thinking Erza?" Haru questioned as Erza extended her arm outward.

"Cut it off. I need to keep fighting. They took Wendy," Erza said, strain clear in her voice. Her declaration caused quite the outburst. The group split in two, one side honouring her wishes while the others openly argued against it.

In the confusion, Lyon had steeled himself and picked up Erza's sword. He steadily approached her and raised the sword high. Gray and Haru were quick to try and step in the way, Sherry having a saddened look that it would be Lyon who would carry this burden, Jura barring the way of the Trimen, honouring her request while Lucy looked on in horror.

Before Lyon could bring the sword down however the feeling of death flooded the area resulting in a myriad of mixed reactions. Terror, relief, disbelief, concern and confusion.

A dark cloaked figure appeared before Erza which had the mages of Blue Pegasus and Jura quick to charge attacks while Lyon and Sherry took an uneasy step back, Lucy and Gray had a look of disbelief at the appearance of the figure while Haru felt a sense of relief. Of everyone there, only one could see his face.

"Step away from her and identify yourself or I will be forced to move you," Jura being the first to snap out of the surprise, said as he raised his index and middle finger and took an offensive stance. The Blue Pegasus mages quickly followed suit while the other Lamia Scale mages took a careful step back as memories of their past encounter with similar magic started invading their minds.

"Once again our paths seem to cross, but it seems like you aren't in the best of shapes. What happened?" Natsu asked in a calm yet cold voice that sent chills through everyone's spines except for Erza's who could see the concern in his eyes, completely ignoring the powerful mages behind him that were ready to strike if necessary.

"Fought with dark mage… snake poisoned me… strength…" Erza struggled to say before passing out. Natsu took a look at the poison that was spreading over Erza's right arm. 'This requires more skills in recovery than I possess, luckily Wendy should be here,' Natsu decided.

"I was told that a girl named Wendy Marvel would be with your group, but for some reason, I can't sense her magic power. So, would someone be so kind as to tell me where she is?" Natsu asked in a levelled voice as he turned around. All the gathered mages knew that his level voice was just a farce as they could feel the magic in the area simmer, begging to unleash the deathly power that this mage in front of them wield.

"Your magical power has an unsettling feel to it so forgive me for having my reservations but who are you, it seems like Miss Erza has some familiarity with you?" Jura asked as he stepped forward with his guard up, his previous more hostile stance lessening slightly.

"You have a very potent parfum, one that will most likely be related to that of the dark forces. Man," Ichiya said as he struck a pose. The Trimens quickly formed up behind Ichiya, ready to release their magic at a moment's notice.

"Wizard Saint Jura Neekis and Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, I understand your defensive stance on the matter but I am not an enemy. Now I would appreciate you answering my question or Erza's condition will worsen," Natsu said, his gaze focusing on Jura from underneath his hood.

"We can trust him," Gray voiced when he saw reservation still present in their allies and opting to help the situation along to a point where Erza isn't edging closer to death.

"She was taken by the Guild Master of Oracion Seis, I have no idea why but they seemed to have a plan for her, their Guild Master was laughing when he recognised her as the Sky Maiden, whatever that means," Haru quickly said. The chilling feeling of death that the man had extruded on his arrival exploded for a moment as he slowly turned to look straight at Haru and the allied forces felt a powerful magical aura set down on them.

Suddenly a wall of rock sprouted from the ground as Natsu's aura was countered by Jura's as he quickly stepped up to stand across from Natsu, in front of Haru.

"The Fairy Tail mages seem to trust you but unfortunately I don't even know your name so forgive me for acting defensive when I see you look threateningly at my allies. Now, please explain why you asked about Wendy and how you know her?" Jura said in an even voice.

"My name is not something I give away easily, though since you are part of the Wizard Saints you would have heard of my moniker. Death Walker," Natsu said as he stepped to the side and started making his way around the stunned Jura.

"Iron Rock Fist" Jura suddenly shouted as he pointed his index and middle finger at Natsu causing a fist made of rock to shoot at Natsu. "Death Dragon Claw" Natsu called out in retaliation and brought his purple and grey claws down on the approaching first, shattering it and causing a massive dust cloud to appear.

"Everyone fall back, this man is extremely dangerous," Jura shouted as he immediately took a defensive stance. As he returned his attention to Natsu he found a purple and grey energy-covered fist mere moments away from landing a heavy hit.

"Iron Rock Fortification" Jura called out as he brought his forearms together and morphed them into a solid stone slab.

"Death Dragon Decaying Fang" Natsu called out as the purple and grey energy morphed into the shape of a dragon head. The fangs of the dragon crashed into the rocky defence and an explosion of competing power blew out to the sides.

As Jura held his guard he felt some of his magic starting to leave his guard. It was a moment too long that he pondered what it could be when he realised that whatever spell Death Walker was using was draining the magic from his spell. Instantly releasing his spell to preserve his magic, Jura felt the remainder of the force that was behind Death Walker's spell hit him in the chest and sent him flying back into a rocky outcrop.

"For a Wizard Saint, you seem to lack some common sense. You are up against powerful dark mages and the first thing you do when you see a neutral party is 'attack'," Natsu scoffed as Jura pulled himself from the outcrop and gulped for air. Natsu's punch had knocked the wind out of him but luckily he had quite a high endurance so he could continue the fight.

"You are a dangerous mage, taking out whoever happens to find themselves in your path and the Council has advised that if we were alone we should rather fall back than engage. I will not allow harm to fall on my allies," Jura said as he stood up tall.

"Not doing such a good job at that since your insistence to attack me is costing Erza valuable time. Wendy is probably the only mage that could help her now," Natsu said as he motioned towards Erza's arm with the purple mark having spread already to cover more of her upper arm.

"This is but a temporary ceasefire, but after this mess is cleared up we will continue this. And what do you mean about Wendy being the only one who can help Erza?" Jura relented with a sigh as he only slightly lowered his guard. He was a bit confused as to the last part from

"Haru, what was the last direction the Oracion Sies was seen?" Natsu asked, deciding to ask more specific questions rather than try and request all the information at once.

"We were knocked down real bad so I don't know where they went, but they did come from that direction when we first encountered them," Haru replied, a shameful look on his face while pointing towards the still rising smoke from the downed Cristina.

With a curt nod, Natsu turned around wordlessly and vanished into the smoky veil. Jura's eyes followed Death Walker as he vanished into the smoke and lingered for a few more moments after the man disappeared from view.

"Jura, exactly who was that man?" Ichiya asked he struck a pose.

"This is very sensitive information, shared only with the Wizard Saint, so I expect none of this to be repeated,", Jura started as he looked at the mages and after getting nods of acknowledgement from all the mages he continued.

Death Walker, a moniker of one of the most elusive mages the Council has encountered. He managed to infiltrate the Magic Council meeting once without anyone being the wiser until he revealed himself. The only council member who has some information on him is Councilwoman Milkovich. This man managed to negate all the monitoring magic that the Council has in their meeting chamber and the Councilwoman was adamant about not sharing any information regarding him. From the little information that the Council does have, he is responsible for a large number of dark guilds being completely annihilated, Reports have come in about this man levelling some officials' homes in various cities and sometimes even taking their lives. There has even been an account of this man eradicating a legal guild for unknown reasons," Jura started explaining what he knew about Death Walker.

This new information shocked the allied mages, the Fairy Tail mages being shocked by the news of Death Walker's action against officials and the legal guild. Lyon and Sherry's eyes widened in fear as their minds filled with a realisation that they are actually very lucky to be alive, considering that what they attempted to do on Galuna was practically what a Dark Guild would have done.

"The Council advised that any member of the Wizard Saints below the rank of five should avoid contact if possible after, as reports have it, Death Walker was responsible for the former Wizard Saint Jose Parola, losing his magic almost completely. There is no proof for this, but still," Jura said.

"I-Impossible. To take someone's magic away…" Eve said in a fearful tone.

"That is quite the terrifying parfum. Man," Ichiya said with a frown.

"There is no love in that," Sherry commented softly while Lyon shakily raised his hand and allowed a chilly aura to cover it.

"It's true regarding Jose losing his magic. Master Makarov saw him do it when Phantom Lord attacked us," Grey confirmed, gaining gasps from Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale.

"But he isn't someone evil. He helped us a few times already," Haru added.

"He almost attacked you and if it wasn't for Jura, who knows what would have happened," Ren countered.

"He wasn't going to attack," Haru insisted before frowning. "I guess he must know Wendy somehow."

'What is going on here? From all my encounters with him, he was a kind and caring person. And where and he get the name, Death Walker? Oh, Wendy, please be safe,' Carla thought as she listened to the mages, before returning her thoughts to her friend.

"This is enough dilly-dallying, Wendy is out there somewhere captured by a Dark Guild," Carla voiced in her usual tone.

"Miss Carla is correct. We should split up and search for their base of operations, but once you find them, do not engage. Return here and then we can go as one, also steer clear of Death Walker. He is still an unknown and his intentions are still shrouded in mystery," Jura commanded.

"Hibiki, can you create a link for all of us to ease communication? Man," Ichiya asked, striking a pose that involved pointing to Hibiki.

"Of course Boss. I'll stay behind and search for any information on Death Walker while also looking over Miss Erza," Hibiki replied as he quickly activated his magic and started typing at insane speeds.

"What means of communication will you establish?" Lyon asked.

'I have created a mental link between everyone. To activate this just think of the phrase 'Link up', which will function similar to initiating a call on a communications lacrima, after that, your thoughts will be transmitted. To end the communication just think of the phrase 'Link down',' Hibiki's voice sounded in the minds of the mages.

"Let us get on our way to find young Wendy and aid my precious honey Erza. MAAAN," Ichiya declared, signalling for the allied forces to split up. Haru, Grey, Happy and Carla took off together, Sherry quickly followed after Lyon, Ichiya was followed by Ren and Eve, Jura ventured off on his own while Lucy opted to stay behind with Hibiki and Erza.

-With Natsu-

'The Magic Council sure knows how to annoy someone. Guess I'll just have to be more careful regarding Wizard Saints in the future,' Natsu thought with a sigh as he headed towards the dark energy that radiated from the centre of the Worth Wood Sea.

Since Haru confirmed that the Oracion Seis went towards the centre of the forest Natsu deduced that their base of operation should be rather close to the location where Nirvana was sealed. As he neared the decaying forest, corrupted by the power of the ancient superweapon, Natsu focused on detecting any trace of Wendy's magic or a whiff of her scent.

'Mind telling me at least something about your history with this Wendy girl? What relationship do you two have for you to almost lose your composure when they said she was taken?' Mavis' voice asked.

'It's… complicated,' Natsu replied with a sigh.

'Well I have no plans on going anywhere,' Mavis said in a slightly teasing tone as Natsu heard her let out a soft giggle.

'Around two months after my training with my Father and after I started my journey, there was a ripple in time. I don't know what caused though. The next day as I ventured toward the closest location to where I felt this ripple, I came across a child, barely at the age of five years. She asked about her mother and if I knew where she might be. Long story short, she is a Dragon Slayer, the Sky Dragon Slayer to be precise. Her foster mother, the Sky Dragon Grandeeney, apparently disappeared a day before I found her, the same time I felt the ripple,' Natsu explained.

'That's absolutely terrible, what happened to her mother?' Mavis asked in shock and pity for the young girl.

'I can't be certain what happened but recently I have come across another Dragon Slayer with a similar story. I have no proof as of yet though,' Natsu replied.

'Hmm. What happened after you found Wendy?' Mavis asked since her previous question won't get answered as of now.

'With what I tend to do and how new I was to the continent, caring for a young child is quite problematic. Now, I'm not completely proud of this decision, but it was the best option I had available. I came across a lost soul, one that was allowed to remain until his duty is fulfilled. I confronted him and long story short, the soul created an illusionary guild for her. I promised her that once I was in a more stable situation I would allow her to choose her own path. That day seems to be frighteningly close yet I have not reached such a stable situation,' Natsu sighed.

Natsu's head suddenly snapped to the side as he heard the cracking of a twig.

-With Haru's group-

"What is going on here?" Carla asked as the group came to a stop as the forest in front of them was covered in a dark miasma and the trees had lost their colour.

"This feeling…" Gray started.

"Yeah, it feels close to his magic," Haru finished.

"And just who are you referring to?" Carla asked, 'They did seem quite familiar with him when he arrived, could he be connected to this?' she thought.

"This feels very similar to that Death Walker guy, we had quite a few run-ins with him. Want a fish?" Happy said before pulling a fish from who knows where.

"Rumour has it that this is due to the power of Nirvana," A deep male voice said from behind them.

"Yeah, the forest can't handle the power of Nirvana so it just withers and dies," another male voice said.

The group spun around to see two large men walking out of the forest, following shortly after them more figures began to emerge, some still sitting in the trees while others followed out behind the two large men.

"It was a trap, they had us believe that there were only six members," Carla said.

"Seems like we will get our answers easier than we thought," Gray said with a smirk.

"Let's get show them a bit of our power then ask our questions," Haru said with a grin as fire engulfed his fist.

-With Lyon and Sherry-

The two Lamia Scale members found themselves confronted by a guild of mages with red hoods.

"You will learn to fear the name Lamia Scale," Lyon said in a chilling tone.

"I will not share my love with you," Sherry said with a frown.

-With Ichiya, Ren and Eve-

"Men, these mages seem to have quite the unique and awful sense of fashion, why don't we educate them," Ichiya said as he struck a pose.

"Of course Boss," Eve and Ren said as they both activated their respective magic.

-With Jura-

"I have no time to deal with you, there are bigger foes that require my attention," Jura said as he continued his search as he left an entire guild of grunts defeated in his wake.

-In an old abandoned cave-

The Oracion Seis made their hideout in a sacred cave of a long-dead tribe just outside an ancient village. All the members, bar Racer were currently gathered here as Brain released his magical hold on Wendy, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Brain, mind letting us in on exactly who this is and why her presence changed our plans?" Cobra asked.

"Is she worth a lot of money?" Hoteye asked.

"She has the capability to bring him back to our side, and then he should be able to lead us straight to Nirvana. But while Midnight and myself will wait here, I would like the three of you to continue the search for Nirvana if he doesn't know its location," Brain said as he look at Hoteye, Cobra and Angel.

"What are you planning, who is this person you are referring to?" Wendy asked, slightly frightened due to the situation she found herself in but curious as any young child would be.

"You will find out soon, and then Nirvana will be ours," Brain said in a dark tone as he turned to monitor the entrance while Midnight continued to sleep on his carpet.

"Will you at least tell me what Nirvana is?" Wendy asked.

"It is an ancient superweapon with the power to turn Light into Dark. Once it is in our hands we will bring upon the world an eternal age of Darkness," Brain said with a grin as he cast a glance back at Wendy whose expression was completely taken over by fear.

"I-I'll n-never help you," Wendy declared, trying to put up a brave front. 'If I want to go with him on his journey I need to be brave now,' Wendy tried to convince herself but that didn't prevent her hands from shivering.

"You will soon find out that you don't have much choice in the matter," Brain remarked darkly.

The silence that descended upon the cave felt suffocating to Wendy as she dreaded what the dark mages will do to her. Wendy's sensitive ears picked up on rapidly approaching footsteps and a ray of hope started to shine on her heart, however, it was quickly snuffed out when she saw Racer skidding into the cave with a man over his shoulder.

"Sorry it took so long, seems like my speed isn't what I thought it was," Racer apologised.

"Don't doubt your speed Racer, no one else would have been able to cover such a long distance in the time you just did. Now please lay him down on the altar and we can get started," Brain said as he slowly waved his staff over the altar, causing a deep green and black magic circle to form.

"Sky Maiden, your role here will be to heal this man once the ritual has started and you will continue until we are done," Brain ordered as soon as Racer placed the man on the altar.

"Why do you think I will ever help you?" Wendy asked with a bit of ferocity in her voice.

"Well, you can either help us, or I will start by killing this man and his blood will be on your hands. The choice is yours," Brain said as he drew a knife and brought it closer to the man.

"You said you needed him, so why would I believe you that you will kill him?' Wendy countered.

"It's true that he will ease the process, but he is not a necessity," Brain said as he plunged the knife into the man's side, causing blood to begin to flow. Brain withdrew the knife and lifted the knife high. With a final glance at Wendy Brain began to plunge the knife down, intending on piercing the man's chest.

"Wait," Wendy shouted in a desperate voice as she heard flesh being ripped. As she lifted her teary eyes she felt a slight wave of relief flood over her when she saw that the knife was only in the man's shoulder, something she could heal. Brain's gaze rested on Wendy's crying form.

"I-I'll d-do it. J-Just please, d-don't kill him," Wendy whispered. 'Big brother always said that every life is sacred and to snuff out their light is the highest form of crime one's soul could commit. I-If I was re-responsible for something like that…' Wendy thought, refusing to continue that thought as it was something she wouldn't be able to handle.

"Then start healing him, Brain ordered. Not waiting for the girl to make the first move, he started to hold his staff above the man as a dark green mist, tainted by black started to pour from his staff and started to cover the man. The man started to spasm and a pained expression was carved on his face.

Wendy quickly started to pour her healing magic into the man to try and relieve the pain, the only problem that Wendy was encountering was that after healing the two stab wounds, she didn't know where to focus her healing magic. That combined with her frightened and distraught mental state meant that all she could actually do was try and heal any and everything she could think of and whenever one of the man's muscles would twitch she would start focusing her healing there until another slight movement catch her attention.

Distant shouting was heard by all the occupants of the cave except for the man and Wendy, who was too focused on her task in her distraught state. Midnight had opened one eye and lazily looked to the entrance while Racer fully turned around, now with his back to the altar.

"Racer, make sure there are no interruptions," Brain said without deviating from his task.

"I'll show them that they are too slow to achieve anything in life," Racer grinned before vanishing in a burst of speed. Brain returned his attention to his spell as an ethereal green glow began to emanate from the altar and the man.

"Dark Enhancement: Claiming Intruder" Brain said as the ethereal green light exploded in a blinding flash.

As the flash died down the mages heard a groan coming from the altar.

Hey all my wonderful readers, I am still alive! So yeah, had quite a full schedule with work training and finishing my degree. I will have some more time now to continue my stories. Anyway, so I will be skipping over some of the fights that I don't plan to change. Please leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you all next time.