It had been quite some time since Fairy Tail and White Eclipse had their face off. It was the talk of Fiore, with Jason having made sure such an event was covered in Sorcerer's Weekly. Everyone in the country knew about the clash of guilds by now. "Gildarts…where are you going…?" Natsu asked as Gildarts stood in front of the front doors of the Fairy Tail building with a small bag hoisted over his shoulder.
"I should've been able to defeat Sidney two weeks ago," Gilidarts replied, looking over the members of Fairy Tail that were present. "I didn't and even though we're still the number one guild, I feel as though I should head out again, to get stronger. You all know how sitting around isn't my thing, and I've been here for quite a while now."
"We are glad you were around at the right time." Makarov told Gildarts. He was a pretty huge factor in their competition against White Eclipse.
"Those White Eclipse guys didn't stand a chance against him!" Romeo said excitedly.
"Are you coming back…?" Cynthia asked, looking up at Gildarts.
"Sometime soon," Gildarts replied with a nod. He didn't really know when. That's how it was with him. When he left, he'd return...eventually.
"Tch, stay safe, you old geezer…" Cana said while crossing her arms and looking away, not wanting to admit she feels a little upset that her father is leaving for who knows how long. At least she got to see him again, even if briefly.
"Don't worry, I will," Gildarts flashed a smile before turning around, exiting the guild. "Stay safe, everyone." With that, Gildarts Clive made his exit from Fairy Tail. When would he return?
"Aw man…Gildarts is so cool! I wanna fight him when he gets back!" Cynthia shouted, the though exciting her. "I'm gonna beat him this time too!"
"No way!" Natsu stepped in front of Cynthia, smirking. "I'm gonna beat Gildarts when he gets back!"
"You wish! I pushed him back farther than you did, so I've heard, so I have a better chance at winning!" Cynthia nodded, crossing her arms with a confident smirk.
"Oh yeah? You wanna go right now!?" Natsu leaned down, forehead to forehead with Cynthia.
"You're on, Fire Dragon! I'll burn you with my flames again!" Cynthia replied, pressing her forehead against Natsu's.
"Outside, let's go!" Natsu nodded, and then sprinted outside alongside Cynthia.
"I think Natsu's attitude has been rubbing off on her…" Lucy rubbed the back of her head as she watched the two Fire Dragon's head outside.
"I think all of our attitudes have rubbed off on her," Mirajane replied with a sweet smile.
"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked, looking over at Mirajane.
"I think she's adapted all of our personalities, but she can't seem to pick which one she wants to stay with," Mirajane replied, a semi worried expression appearing over her face. "It's a bit worrisome, to be honest."
"Why do you say that, Mira-san…?" Wendy looked up at Mira, tilting her head slowly.
"I don't think she knows how to adapt her own personality…" Mirajane frowned, looking down at the counter of the bar, sighing. "She's been a member of Fairy Tail for quite some time now, right?"
"That's right…" Wendy nodded slowly, smiling at the memory of Cynthia becoming a member of Fairy Tail.
"I'm just afraid she won't be able to define herself," Mirajane nodded slowly. "She's a sweet girl, that much is true."
"I'm sure she will soon!" Wendy said with a cheerful smile.
"I hope so…" Mirajane replied. She felt like she was worrying over nothing, but there was a nagging feeling that she just couldn't shake.
"Now that we're on the subject of Cynthia…" Erza started. "It's been a while since the Council made any moves on her…"
"Do you think they've given up on her?" Lucy asked, taking a seat in a chair nearby.
"It looks like they did…" Erza placed her hand under her chin, closing her eyes as she began to think.
"Do you think it would be safe if Cynthia and I went out later, just to hang out…?" Wendy asked, looking up at Erza.
Erza nodded slowly in response, "Yes, I think that would be okay. Just don't go too far from Fairy Tail or Fairy Hills…Just in case the Council tries something like they did before…"
"Hai!" Wendy grinned. "I'll wait after her fight with Natsu!"
.
.
"Where's Sidney?" Luke asked. "I've looked all over, but I can't find him."
"He left," Zalen responded, cleaning off his glasses.
"Left?" Luke asked, looking over at Zalen.
"He didn't like his performance against Gildarts, so he took some SS class mission and left about an hour ago," Zalen replied, putting his glasses back on.
"Huh…Well, I can't say I don't know the feeling…I lost to WENDY," Luke groaned, leaning against the wall. "Sad part is I forgot about that stupid Omega Flame Sky thing in the heat of battle…"
"That girl is stronger than she gets credit for!" Kuro said, walking in the main area of the guild with a bowl of noodles in his hands. "She beat Aira, you, and she broke Reve's Reverse Slayer!"
"She still owes me for that!" Reve yelled from somewhere in the guild.
"Hn…and then Cynthia…" Luke sighed. "That girl…I don't even know what to think about her."
"I like her!" Aira said from the couch, munching on a bag of chips. "She's kawaii!"
"She's great!" Kuro grinned, slurping down the bowl of noodles quickly. "She's really strong too! She beat Heather, Waiston, and she hurt Sidney pretty bad. It's been a while since I've seen that happen!"
"That injuries the reason Sidney tied," Aira nodded. "And because he wouldn't let me heal him. Stubborn."
"Not much you can do about that, sadly," Zalen sighed. "He is Sidney after all, and I'm sure he's fine wherever he is."
"You all did good job." Calium said with a small chuckle. "From not being able to compete in the Grand Magic Games, to making even with Fiore's strongest guild. You all have made incredible strides lately. But Fairy Tail is not the only guild you have to watch out for."
"We know." Reve said with a scoff while entering the room. "But we'll beat them, too. You can count on that."
.
.
Cynthia walked back into Fairy Tail, dusting her hands off, covered in minor burn marks, her no sleeve green shirt slightly burned, and her black pants charred all around. "Hehe…"
"Where's Natsu?" Lucy asked, looking over Cynthia's shoulders.
"Oh…I kinda…left him…on a moving object…" Cynthia smiled nervously.
"Natsuuu!" Happy flailed before flying outside to Natsu.
"So, you beat him fair and sqaureish?" Romeo asked Cynthia.
"You could say that," Cynthia nodded a few times before she was dragged away by Erza and Lucy. "WAH! What's wrong!?" Cynthia flailed her arms around until Erza and Lucy hushed Cynthia.
"Ssh, nothing's wrong," Lucy replied.
"Then why seclude me over to this corner!?" Cynthia asked, raising her voice.
"Ssssh!" Erza placed her finger on her mouth as she made the quieting noise. "You know what today is, right?"
"The…16th of August, yes," Cynthia nodded, and then stayed silent for a few minutes as she remembered something. "WEND-"
"SSSH!" Lucy hushed Cynthia once again, looking around for any spot of Wendy. "Whew…"
"I totally forgot her birthday! I'm a horrible best friend!" Cynthia flailed her arms around while speaking in a hushed tone.
"It's a good thing we reminded you then," Erza gave a soft smile before speaking again. "Lucy and I have a favor to ask of you when the 31st comes around."
"Wendy's birthday…? What is it?" Cynthia asked, looking around for any trace of Wendy in case she was eavesdropping on the conversation.
"We just need you to keep Wendy away from the guild until a certain time," Lucy nodded. "We have something super special planned for her, but we're gonna need her away from the guild for a while.
'That's easy enough, I love spending time with Wendy anyway! But how will I know when it's time for us to come back…?" Cynthia asked, looking at the two females.
"I'll have Natsu and Gray let you know when," Erza nodded. "That's all we wanted to ask."
"You can count on me!" Cynthia. "Where's Wendy though…?"
"…Good question," Lucy asked, looking around. "I think she went out really quickly with Carla while you were fighting Natsu."
"Oh, I wanted to hang out with her a little tonight, but I can wait!" Cynthia nodded as she sat down at a table, looking around at the lively guild, thinking to herself how Fairy Tail has changed her as a person, and that she enjoyed the change. Though, she was truly unaware of the fact she was adapting everyone's personalities at the same time, shifting them around constantly, and that her presence in Fairy Tail put the lives of everyone inside in mortal danger.
.
.
Mecurius Castle, Crocus. Toma E. Fiore, the king of the country, was expecting some particular visitors from another country. When they arrived, Arcadios was the one to let him know. He opened the door to the throne room, first bending a respectful knee to the King and his daughter, the Princess who sat next to him. "Your Majesty...the representative from the Pergrande Kingdom has arrived."
"Let them in." Toma said. With a nod, Arcadios motioned for the two women to step in. Em and Koryuji. Both of them were wearing white cloaks. When they walked in, Em gave a respectful nod to the ruler of the country.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, King Toma. Princess Hisui. My name is...Emeraude Verde. I am a Commandant of Pergrande's army." Emeraude said, her yellow eyes looking up to Toma, and then glancing at Hisui.
"And I'm...!" Koryuji began to speak, but Emeraude immediately silenced her.
"You are here to observe. I do not need your mouth ruining this meeting." Emeraude snapped. Koryuji groaned and rolled her eyes. "Ahem, forgive that display. I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with us."
"It is not often that Pergrande sends people to Fiore." Toma said. "I can only imagine what it was for."
"It's simple." Emeraude said while pulling out a lacrima, which held detailed reports of magical power. "I am aware that some time ago, your country held your Grand Magic Games tournament. But there was something amiss on the final day...the magic power on the final day spiked considerably. While the people of the country may not remember the incident, you cannot erase the memories of the entire world. So, I may ask...what exactly happened on that day?"
That was the day the Dragons attacked. It was Hisui's actions and idea to open the Eclipse Gate, and that nearly led to the destruction of Fiore and behind. The Jade Princess began to sweat and averted her gaze for a moment. "That was...a malfunction with one of our devices..." That was about as convoluted a truth she could muster. "It was my fault. I apologize sincerely to King Ashnard if we caused any concern."
"I know the moment Ashnard senses something amiss, he is the first to investigate it..." Toma said with a slight smile. Doranbolt could only do so much...his memory magic did not extend to the rest of the country.
"...Hey. Should royals be lying?" Koryuji spoke up and out of turn. Em sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You weren't supposed to say that." Emeraude shook her head. From the sound of it, they already knew the cause. It was just a matter of having the royals admit it.
"Well...not lying, exactly. But I saw those shifty eyes! The hot princess is hiding something!" Koryuji winked at Hisui, who looked away in her fluster.
"My, aren't you cute?" Emeraude giggled at Hisui's reaction. "You should tell us the truth. You know that if something huge happens in any country, the others have to hear about it. That is the message King Ashnard told me to tell you.
"So he already knows..." Toma should have guessed.
"Whatever you tell me will remain a matter of national security." Emeraude said. "It is important that matters like this be discussed at the roundtable. The citizenry will continue to be kept in the dark for their safety."
"Dragons." Hisui spoke quietly. "We received a warning from the future and the ruin that was on the way..."
"The future?" Emeraude tilted her head.
"Long story short, one of our creations released Dragons onto the world from the past. But we were able to quell them within hours and the damage only spread to Crocus." Hisui finished.
"Holy shit." Koryuji blinked.
"My my..." Emeraude was surprised as well. "Dragons from the past...? If not for the abnormality of these readings, I would've scoffed at you. I'm sure King Ashnard will enjoy hearing your reasoning for this at a later date."
"...The blame, of course, lies with me." Toma said, refusing to let Hisui take all of the blame for this.
"You don't have to tell me that." Emeraude shrugged. Her eyes briefly wandered to the throne that Toma sat upon...but she then gave another bow. "Thank you for your time. Let us go, Koryuji."
"See you in my dreams~" Koryuji winked at Hisui, who blushed awkwardly from being hit on. The two women then left and the door closed behind them. "So, Em...what do you think...?"
"Not the tale I was expecting, and yet...the readings match exactly those of 14 years ago as well..." Emeraude said while stroking her chin. "Moreover, it was wise of them to tell us the truth. I know Fiore is home to a number of isolated incidents, much like all other countries are, but this was the first that could have spread beyond it rather easily..."
"So...what do you wanna do? We headin' home?" Koryuji asked.
"No, not yet..." Emeraude shook her head. "We should stick around for a little longer. I have...a feeling about something..."
.
.
In an unknown location, a girl with black and white hair, a red and normal colored eye, was watching the conversations between both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. "Both of their aces are gone, it seems…" The female said to Aiden. "Is it time now?"
"No, no, not yet…" Aiden replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I want to do a few more field test before we start Fiore's End."
"Ugh, this better be worth the wait…" The female sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Calm down, Ruika," Aiden sighed at Rukia's sigh. "In fact, I have a job for you…"
"Now hold on a second," A voice said in a somewhat annoyed tone. The voice sent a small shiver up Ruika's spine, knowing what was coming. A male walked from the shadows, in front of Aiden. His upper body was concealed by the darkness of the area.
"I don't like the way you've been telling MY people what to do," the male said, obviously annoyed.
"They did sign up for the job, Daityas," Aiden replied with a simple nod.
"Job? We're not some shitty legal guild," Daityas said with more annoyance, sticking his finger out, lighting it in Hell's flames. He then jabbed his finger at Aiden's chest, causing a burn. Aiden didn't flinch, despite the power of the flames. "Oh..?" Daityas raised a brow, stepping back into the shadows, his red eyes illuminating the darkness.
"I have experience with many kinds of flames, Hell Fire Demon," Aiden replied cooly. "Though, I will admit those flames left quite a burn..." Aiden flashed a quick smile, wincing internally from Hell's flames.
"Tch, fuckin' weirdo...what the hell is this job about?" Daityas asked, crossing his arms.
"It's simple. A test subject of mine escaped a few months ago, and just recently I've found her. Along with the help of Maggie Solfatara," Aiden nodded.
"So that's where she's been? Helping you? Better be worth it,". Daityas have Aiden a greatly annoyed look.
"Oh, it will be. You see, this test subject, my daughter, Cynthia, has the power to bring the entire country of Fiore to its knees," Aiden's calm expression slowly turned into a sinister smirk as he spoke, unable to hold in his excitement.
"The entire country of Fiore now...?" Daityas raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by this. "How so?"
"She is a second generations Omega Fire Dragon slayer,". Aiden started. "I was going to go with God's flames, but the only Flame God Slayer I knew died just a little before I could. So I went with the next best thing, a dragon's flames. But, I modified the flames to be stronger than that of a normal dragon, but they aren't quite God's flames. So, that's where the Omega comes in. Her power comes from her emotions, which is where the special lacrima I created comes in. Whenever Cynthia is feeling strongly about any particular emotion, the lacrima amplifies her power, thus making her nearly unstoppable. Of course this has attracted the Council's attention..."
"The Council hasn't made any moves on her for a long time, though,". Ruika commented. "So why don't we-"
"Oh, I know that,". Aiden replied. I made sure they wouldn't be too much of a problem seven years ago."
"Sounds like you have Fiore's destruction planned?" Daityas asked.
"Indeed. It's only a matter of time now..." Aiden with a grin.
"Hm, when I come back from Hell I expect to see results; especially if you've hired Tartaros," Daityas backed into the shadows more, his red eyes eventually fading. "Rukia, come with me. As for you, scientist, if you cross any of them, you'll understand what Hell feels like."
"Oh, don't worry,". Aiden replied with a soft chuckle as Rukia faded away into the darkness. "I also hired another dark guild to help with this operation...Silent Sanctum." The darkness soon filled the room, the only sound audible was Aiden's sinister chuckle, "Cynthia, your time is coming..." His eyes have off an evil twinkle, before falling back into the darkness.