Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Waking up to the sound of explosions and the sensation of rumbling underneath her body was unexpected for Meredy. She sat up in bed, her eyes flickering around the shuddering house as the sounds continued. Yawning, she got up and walked over towards the window with a small frown. When she pulled back the curtains to see what was going on, Meredy realized this would be a day she would never forget.

Outside was chaos. From the sky, bombs were raining down on her peaceful little village. People were screaming and fleeing the area in the hopes of finding safety. Yet, whenever they approached a road that left town, some sort of magic would blast them back to the center where the destruction kept getting worse.

Inhaling sharply, Meredy stumbled back and let out a shout. "Mom! Mom, get up!" Turning around, she ran through the house to her parents' room. She wasn't supposed to enter without permission, but that didn't change a thing. Someone needed to warn them. Maybe, as the only magic-users in town, they'd be able to dispel the barrier keeping everyone else trapped. Mom and Dad could be strong like that, even if they had left their guild already.

"Mer?" A quiet voice came from the bed, followed by both of them jolting up as another explosion went off outside. "What's going on?"

Reaching out for them, Meredy quickly buried her head into her mother's side. "It's bad! The flying ships are blowing up everything and they aren't letting people run away."

A hand dragged through her hair in an attempt to sooth her. "It'll be alright, Mer. Take a deep breath and let's think through this rationally, okay?" Meredy nodded, pulling back and inhaling slowly as instructed. "Good girl. You're so strong, you know. Such a big girl already," Mom said.

Smiling weakly, Meredy nodded. "There's a magic barrier. I…thought we could try and get rid of it."

Dad looked over at Mom with a furrowed brow. "That seems like one option at least." The two of them were quiet, sharing looks for a long moment. A familiar glowing pink band was around their wrists, connecting them completely to keep their planning in sync. Mom and Dad did that a lot and it was a tool they said Meredy would get better at once she was bigger. She knew how it worked conceptually, but Meredy just found it hard to focus on the weird warmth that surged and made her body tingle.

"Come on. We need more information, right?" Mom gave her a forced smile and stood up. "Stay calm and stay with us. Whatever happens, Mer, trust us and make sure you have a plan in mind before you act."

Planning around any obstacle was how they always won. Mom and Dad had told her stories about it from their guild wizard days. They'd handle every mission with that same approach. The first step was to gather information. Then, they'd strategize. Finally, it was on to the execution phase of that plan. Having a step-by-step process to follow made it easier to understand. Meredy struggled but she wanted to say she followed that rule in her daily life.

Another rumbling shook the house, sending a family photo crashing to the ground along with a vase that had held some flowers. Meredy winced at the sound, stepping closer to her parents as they stepped out of the house. Outside, the chaos had not lessened in the slightest. People were realizing that escape wasn't an option and didn't seem to know what to do next. Some still tried to run, others were following the invisible barrier, and some had completely given up and were just standing still, awaiting their fates.

"Get down!" Meredy was shoved to the ground as debris flew through the air. She hadn't heard the explosion this time and the broken pieces of someone's wall were fast. She couldn't imagine anything natural making it fly that fast.

"There's more wizards here." She rolled over, blinking up at her parents. "Mom, Dad, that was magic, right?"

Her parents shared a look, nodding together. Then, her mother reached down and pushed her hair behind her ear. "It was, Mer." She inhaled slowly. "And we're going to have to split up to handle this. Do you understand?"

"But, Mom, I don't get it. You can fight them together, right?"

"Meredy, this won't be a fight you can handle." Dad shook his head. "This is no ordinary wizard. We want you to stay safe and be brave for us. Can you do that?"

Slowly, Meredy nodded. They'd be back once the bad wizard was gone, she was certain of it. "Stay safe and stay close to the house." Mom leaned forward, pulling her in to a tight hug. "We love you, Mer. We'll see you soon."

Then, they were gone and she was alone. Meredy tried to stay calm like they asked her to, to be brave. Sitting on the ground, she focused on taking slow breaths and watched her surroundings. Oddly, she blended in with those who had given up like this. Bombs continued to fall with no pattern or warning and people kept panicking, but there were more joining those that were patiently waiting for death.

Eventually, the explosions grew closer to her. One blast made her ears start to ring, dulling background noise from her spot on the ground. "Mom?" She could hardly hear herself calling out for help. Rising to her feet, Meredy inhaled slowly. She had been told to stay near the house. Yet, the more she watched, the more she realized there was at least some sort of pattern to the explosions. They were random in a specific area, but that area was moving and now closer to where she had been waiting.

If she didn't act, she'd be caught too. Standing up, Meredy turned around and began to move towards the barrier. She needed space for now. Maybe she could follow it like the others and avoid the blasts. It wasn't like they'd be able to keep up the attacks indefinitely, right?

Her foot got caught on something and she stumbled forward. Falling onto the ground, Meredy coughed and started pushing herself back up only to freeze. In front of her, dull eyes gazed out at her from a familiar face marred with blood. Dad…this couldn't be Dad.

Shaking her head, Meredy pulled back violently from the body. Yet, that only made others catch her attention. Scattered everywhere were dead people. She saw the neighbors who had watched her one day while Mom and Dad were at work. There was the shopkeeper from the store where Mom liked to get flowers for their home. All of them and so many others…collapsed around her with no one else moving.

The ringing in her ears was slowing and the sound around her gradually returned to her focus. Footsteps and screams were almost non-existent now. Sure, there was the occasional sound here and there, but it was nothing compared to when this all began. Another explosion rang out. More sound died away. Meredy simply stared at her father, frozen and unable to move.

"Please…" Reaching out, Meredy grabbed his arm. Inside of her, that tingly warm energy surged and attempted to form a connection. Yet, there was nothing left to latch on to. "No. No no no no!" Shaking her head, Meredy poured more energy into the spell. She knew how to use it! She'd connect and then Dad would be able to tell her what she could do to help! "Please! I'm going to save you…"

"Save him?" A voice pulled her away from her struggles. Meredy turned her head, seeing a woman standing on top of a pile of rubble that had likely been a house only moments before. "Child, he is long dead. I don't know what you think you can accomplish by setting such a goal for yourself."

"I have magic. If I connect with him, I'll be able to feel what's wrong." Sniffling, Meredy turned away. She was strong and brave. No matter how much pain Dad was in, she'd endure it to help him.

The woman sighed, shaking her head. "One more fool to join the rest, I suppose." Taking a step closer, the woman lifted her hand. Above her palm, a sphere seemed to float for a brief moment. "Be glad your suffering was brief."

"I'm not suffering!" Meredy shouted at the woman, the energy inside of her surging for a moment as she turned on the stranger. Suddenly, Meredy felt acutely aware of new sensations. The feeling of skin-tight clothing was ghosting along her skin, a mirror of what the older woman must be feeling. Pink bands hovered on both of their wrists. With it, Meredy felt her body grow weak and she stumbled forward. "I'll…save them."

The orb fell back into the palm of the woman's hand. "This is a strange magic." Walking forward, the woman approached and crouched down. "Even I feel you tiring, however. It highlights your weakness to your opponents."

"And makes them share it." Meredy blinked, looking up at her. "Please. I…I don't want to be alone." She was cold and surrounded by death. Right now, Meredy almost felt numb. There was too much to process and she didn't know what else to do. "Help me, please."

A hand fell onto her shoulder as the woman crouched. "So young, yet you managed to survive. You must be strong indeed." Meredy looked into the woman's eyes, seeing a small smile begin to form on her face. "I will help you, child. Follow me and I will take you to my master."

"Your…master?"

"I'm part of a wizard's guild, you see." The woman already started walking. "My name is Ultear and if you want to make sure no one endures this suffering again, you would do well to listen to us. Our guild is strong and will bring about a world where no one will ever have to endure this sort of tragedy again."

A guild? She was like Mom and Dad then. Sniffling, Meredy found herself slowly rising to her feet. "I'll do my best to be worthy then." The tingling left her body as her magic wore out, too weak to sustain the spell for long. "Train me well and please…just don't let me be alone."

A hand brushed against her hair, soft and familiar. "Don't worry. I won't let that happen. I, too, know what it is like to lose one's family."

With a heavy heart, Meredy found herself walking closely by the woman's side. If more explosions rang out behind them, neither of them turned to look or commented on the sound. The woman didn't even give pause to the magical barrier trapping them. With a small wave of her hand, it was gone and allowed them to pass through to escape the tragedy of her home unscathed. Meredy gave her home one last glance before following after Ultear onto the large black ship that would steer her away from all she knew and towards the new life she would live.

Gray didn't know how to react to their arrival in Yeden. He did his best to avoid looking outside of the train entirely, yet it wasn't exactly an easy thing to avoid. Rune knights left the train in a hurry, rushing out the doors and into the snow outside. Gray could overhear their discussions from where he sat, having some of the overflow from their group sitting with him and Natsu in the car with the cargo.

"That's not possible! How could it have just disappeared?"

"We had protection spells in place - wards that weakened magic at the very least."

Swallowing, Gray turned towards the window. Natsu was asleep with Happy on his lap. He'd finally collapsed towards the end of the ride, making a claim about how he was suddenly starting to feel woozy. It had come on with little warning, but Gray figured he'd just eaten something weird again like usual.

Outside, snow was fluttering in the wind like usual. It had been years, but the scenery was familiar. He'd gone to this town with Lyon and Ur multiple times during their training. They'd run errands here and he'd get teased for his weird habits. He and Lyon would attempt to pull pranks on the cashier at the chocolate shop in an attempt to distract whoever was working and steal away sweets for themselves. They'd get into fights in the streets, until Ur arrived to break them apart with a harsh warning to not use her lessons for violent acts against each other. They'd laugh and act like…a family of their own, really.

Now, the place was empty. No signs of life lingered in the town he fondly remembered. Of course, Gray expected that. Deliora wasn't the sort of demon known for leaving behind survivors after any of his devastating attacks. Still, it didn't change the strangeness of the abandoned ghost town Gray now saw. The central figure of this place was supposed to be the frozen form of Deliora, trapped after Ur's sacrifice. Yet, the beast was no where to be seen.

More scrambling rune knights rushed through their car, headed for the exit. Gray just remained still. How could anyone even imagine moving Deliora? Why would they even want to? He had no answers. However, Gray wasn't certain if he needed them. Ur…had frozen Deliora to help free him from his past. Nothing could undo what she'd done to him, regardless of if he was moved or not. He needed to not worry and focus on what was going on right now.

Determined, Gray turned away from the window. He didn't look back again, not even once the train was emptied and moving back towards their original destination. No matter how much of a struggle it would be, Gray would get stronger. He'd learn from this and forget about that tragedy completely if he had to. Today would be the last time he'd lose himself to the past like this.

Sun Village and the eternal flame were massive failures as a plan. Lyon was quick to turn on the man who had insisted it would free Deliora. "You tricked me! I thought you claimed those flames were not a normal sort of magic."

"They aren't." Black hummed, studying the frozen demon once more. While it was true that they remained in a frozen landscape, Lyon did admit it had changed slightly. They'd moved in search of the eternal flame. Black had managed to convince the giants to allow them to use it. Yet, when placed near the flame, the ice showed no signs of melting. "This spell truly is peculiar. I've been doing some research and I'm beginning to question exactly what I should label this magic as."

"It's iced shell. We've discussed it before, or have you forgotten what it is we are trying to unravel already?"

Black shook his head. "No, I have not." He hummed, tilting his head. "It appears as if I may have miscalculated. Perhaps we do need to take the long and patient approach after all."

"Exactly how long are you suggesting? Do you think I have an unlimited amount of time on my hands?"

There was a strange smile on the man's face at the comment. "Of course not." He let out a sigh. "A few years, perhaps. I am aware of a ritual that can break virtually any spell, if used repetitively. I had simply been hoping to avoid its use." There was a small grimace on his face. "I'd rather not go to that island if I can avoid it, but I suppose the benefit does outweigh everything else."

"For what?" Lyon shook his head. "I'm about ready to call this deal off, you know. I don't need your ridiculous plans that result in nothing good. I can free Deliora on my own."

"Then I suppose I will try to find this Gray you mentioned instead. Surely, he would know a thing or two about iced shell as well…"

Lyon scoffed. "Hardly. He's weak compared to me. There's no way Gray got anywhere near my skill level with ice-make magic."

"Then he cannot use the spell at all?"

"Who knows?" Lyon ran a hand through his hair. "But, likely, he's still the same reckless fool he was before. If he has figured it out, I imagine he'd be more than willing to use it in a fit of anger. After all, it was his rage that brought him to attack Deliora and that led to him forcing Ur to…" He trailed off, taking a slow breath. He didn't want to talk about Gray, at least not like that. It was better to stay focused on the task at hand.

"He attacked Deliora? As a child?"

"Gray had a grudge against the demon. And when angered, well, little could talk him down from such things."

Black was quiet, but gradually he began to smile. "Well…then I might actually be pleased to be heading to Galuna Island. I think I just may be able to work this entire situation to my advantage." Why was Lyon getting the feeling that this wasn't going to work out for him at all anymore? This man, he used some strange enchantment magic with ease, could teleport, and used fire magic. He knew far more than he let show, yet Lyon still felt like he hardly knew a thing about how much knowledge Black actually had. "Oh, don't worry." Black paused. "I will free Deliora. After all, I'll need something for them to blame for all of this…"

"All of what?"

Black waved him off. "Focus on your demon. That is my concern, not yours."

Lyon glared, before walking out and marching towards the demon. Before he could start explaining exactly why he disagreed with the plan he'd been told nothing about, a magic circle appeared beneath them. The wastelands of the north vanished and Lyon instead found himself in a dim cavern, illuminated above by a glowing moon. Black gave a small wave before walking off towards a tunnel nearby, leaving him alone to do as he pleased while waiting for whatever answer that man planned to give later on. Lyon scowled, realizing it was going to be a long few days, dealing with just him while waiting for the others to find them. Maybe he'd achieve his goal of melting Deliora sooner than planned. Even if he didn't, the wait would all be worth it and he'd never have to speak to that man again.

Alright, we're pretty much at the end of the prequel arc for the story now. Now that we've established what has changed for the Galuna Island arc, we can start diving in to the new conflict. There's going to be a lot going on in this story so feel free to tell me if something seems off or inconsistent - I am never one to make much of a plan before writing and often choose to take the path of a lot of revisions to work out consistency issues. Reviews are appreciated if you have any feedback to provide on the story!