Team Natsu had finally made it to the beach for some much-needed vacation time after the Phantom Lord fiasco. Now that the team had made it to the hotel Lucy and the others were relaxing and enjoying their vacation time.
Erza had convinced Lucy to ride the water ski with her, more like punish in Lucy's opinion. "This is-isn't fun ma-mmprh."
"It is for me." Erza chuckled.
Gray and Natsu were surprisingly getting along by laughing at Lucy get dragged along by Erza onto the water making the other girl look like she was on the verge of death.
When Erza decided she was done messing with Lucy she took her back to the beach where her and the others could play around with a beach ball.
Lucy smiled happily enjoying the time she was having with her team, unknown to her that time would come to an end.
Erza smiled contently as she recalled the fun, they had that day. Lucy being tricked into riding a jet-ski with her, Natsu and Gray getting along for once, and Happy being buried in the sand.
All things considered, today was a blast... She closed her eyes. It really was...
As a large bang reverberated in the air a line of men and children were seen struggling to move large stone blocks.
Children struggled to continue moving in the horrible conditions, a child wailed as rocks tumbled down on it.
One of the guards with a whip roared, cursing and hitting the slaves for their slow work.
A small redhead huddled in a corner of her cell, crying, hoping she wouldn't be noticed.
"Erza..." A boy's voice sighed. "In this world, freedom is merely an illusion..."
Erza jolted out of her sleep taking short breaths and looking at her wrists, "Just a dream…I must've fallen asleep without realizing it." She stood up from the chair she was sleeping on and stared at the setting sun. Then walked over to the mirror in her room.
She requipped into her armor, "I always feel more at ease wearing armor. Although, as a wardrobe choice I guess it's not the most feminine." A few seconds later there was a knock on her door, opening it and revealing it to be Lucy.
"Mate! Mate! Let's go downstairs, Natsu and Gray said they have a bunch of games here!" Lucy smiled in a tux that looked eerily like one that Loke wore.
"Did you lend one of your suits to Lucy?" Aquarius asked.
"Of course not, I merely had Virgo give her one of my suits for keeps, there's a difference" he chuckled, "Doesn't she look dashing?"
"Princess looks very nice, Erza will surely fall for her in such an outfit. Good job big brother" Virgo said, with a slight bow.
Aquarius looked back at Lucy sighing because even she had to admit Lucy pulled off the suit quite well.
Erza found she couldn't speak her, apparently the sight of seeing Lucy in a suit was quite shocking as well as...a turn on. She must never know, Erza thought.
"Uh...ye-yes. That's right, there's a casino here isn't there? In that case I should change into something more suitable for the occasion," she said clearing her throat and requipping out of her armor into a dress with a long slit on the side, effectively making Lucy's jaw drop, "So how do I look?" she asked wearing a purple dress.
"You look amazing mate, but then again you always do!" Lucy said shooting finger guns, which Loke had taught her was an effective lady killer move, not realizing the effects of her compliment.
"Damn it, how is she so dense, but so smooth!"
Erza nodding to herself turned to Lucy who was holding her arm out nudging it towards the scarlet mage. Erza unsurprised by the gesture sighed and accepted it causing Lucy's face to light up.
"Don't look too into it" Erza said, rolling her eyes, and leading them to the casino.
"She's into me" Lucy thought.
"She's into you" Loke agreed.
"Dammit!" Natsu cursed, blowing on a small metal ball. "It landed on 17!"
"Sir!" An attendant cried. "Please stop that!"
"But it landed on 17!" Natsu protested. "You saw it! It landed on 17 but then it slipped and fell over the edge. What is with this game?"
"That's why it's called 'roulette', sir." The man deadpanned.
"Hah!" Gray snorted, over at a different game. "What a sore loser!"
A woman came up to him, smiling shyly. "Gray-sama."
"Hm?"
"Juvia tagged along." The girl bowed, blushing.
"What the..." Gray's eyes widened. "You're that crazy chick from the Element four!"
"I said I saw it!" Natsu shouted. "You cannot fool these eyes!"
"Aye!"
"Cool your jets, boy." A gruff voice ordered. "When you're in a place for adult entertainment, you should enjoy it in a dandy fashion."
Natsu and Happy stared at him in shock. "A square dude!"
"I prefer block but each their own" The completely angular man sat down on a chair spinning it. "Let me give ya some advice-
"Why?"
The block head man paused, not expecting the boy to speak back to him, instead deciding to ignore him, "Look, there are two paths a man can take. He can live in a dandy fashion..."
Once he stopped his chair he leapt off, bringing Natsu crashing to the floor. "Or he can just keel over and die." He finished, pulling out a gun and pushing the tip into Natsu's open mouth. "That's all."
"He's got a gun!"
"Run for it!"
"Hey!" Happy ran up to them. "What are you doing?"
"I heard Phantom Lord disbanded." Gray observed, having invited Juvia for a drink.
"Yes." The girl nodded. "Juvia is once again an independent mage."
Gray eyed the large golden necklace around her neck and sweat dropped. "And I take it you're set on joining Fairy Tail?"
"Yes!" The girl nodded vigorously. "Very much so!"
"You know, after what went down..." Gray sighed hesitantly. "I mean, I wouldn't mind, but I mean Lucy on the other hand..."
"Juvia will- wait what do you mean Lucy, is it not what your master says?"
"Eh, he'd probably be okay, but you see you kinda attacked a fifth rank wizard saint while she was hungry, and she wasn't exactly cool with that and honestly her power..." Gray trailed off when a large man stepped behind them and sent Juvia crashing to one side. "What the hell man, you looking for a fight?!"
"Gray Fullbuster?" The large man asked. "Tell me..."
"Where is Erza?" The man and Natsu's attacker spoke in unison.
Lucy grinned as she tossed her cards down, not really understanding how you play the game but enjoying being next to her mate.
"How in the hell did you get a royal flush again!" the dealer yelled.
"Are you sure you've never played this game before Lucy?" Erza asked rather skeptical of the slayer/celestial mage after witnessing her win 5 games in a row.
"Not this game, but this isn't too far off from a game I played when I was in Bosco with these mages I was bunking with".
"Why you were bunking with these mages?" Erza asked, arms crossed.
Lucy looked around feeling sweat come down her face.
"Don't answer that Lucy!" Loke yelled.
A young man stepped up to the table right as Lucy was about to answer. "Dealer change." He told the other man, who thanked the gods he was leaving this table and left.
"I doubt changing dealers will change my luck with you playing" Erza drawled, momentarily forgetting her question to Lucy.
"If that's how you feel, why don't we try for a special game?" The dealer asked, shuffling the cards expertly. "Except we won't be betting with coins..."
"Ooooh, what are we playing with?" Lucy asked with stars in her eyes.
Erza's eyes widened when he tossed out five cards, spelling out 'D-E-A-T-H'. Lucy frowned looking at the man suspiciously.
"Let's bet... with our lives."
"What's D.E.A.T.H, Mate?"
The boy looked to Erza in confusion momentarily forgetting about the blonde, meanwhile Erza was banging her face into the table.
"D-e-a-t-h. Deeth, Dayth, no. Dath. No that's not it. Give me a second mate and weird guy" Lucy said.
The boy ignored Lucy in favor of looking to Erza grinning. "Sister."
Erza paled. "Sho?"
"So, you do remember me." Sho, a young man with blond hair, arranged in a wavy look with fringes hanging above his forehead and tan skin, answered.
"It has been a while, Sister." The newly identified Sho observed.
"You..." Erza sighed in relief. "You were safe?"
"Safe?"
"N-no..." Erza backtracked hastily. "I meant..."
"DEATH, he spelled death!" Lucy yelled, before getting hit on the back of the head with a bottle.
"Where is Erza?" The hulking man repeated himself.
Gray scowled. "Who the hell are you?"
The man took a step back when water swirled in front of Gray and reformed into Juvia. "Juvia will not let you harm Gray-sama." She announced. "Juvia shall be your opponent."
"Juvia..."
"Go and find Erza-san." Juvia instructed him. "She is clearly in danger."
The large man frowned and pressed two fingers to his temple. "I see... you've already found her? And... really? In that case, I shall tidy things up on my end."
Juvia and Gray's eyes widened when everything was plunged into total darkness.
"Lineage of Darkness Magic: Instant Darkness." The man intoned.
Natsu frowned when he heard a crash then a scream. "What was that?" He mumbled around the gun tip.
"Natsu!" Happy wailed, looking around wildly. "Where are you?"
"Nighty night, boy." The blockhead grinned, firing a shot.
"The lights are coming back on." Erza observed as the darkness lifted. She glanced to the dealer's desk, only to find it empty. "Sho?
"Over here, sister." The boy smirked, letting cards with people trapped inside fall from his hands.
"Are you surprised I know how to use magic too" He asked Erza.
"What are you..."
"Why the hell does everyone think it's okay to hit me on the head!" Lucy roared, a stream of flames shooting from her mouth, scaring the girl who hit her.
"Meow, how did that not knock you out!"
"I find it's better to just- not question it" Erza sighed before gasping at who had spoken.
"Milliana?" Erza gasped.
"Sup, Er-chan! Long time no see!"
Ignoring Erza for a moment she sent out an orange rope which suddenly coiled around Lucy who was distracted trying to rub the bump on her head away, tying her up tightly. The new arrival smirked, holding the blond with one hand and making a clawing motion with the other. "Super strong, right?"
"I mean, not really" Lucy mumbled, too lazy to break free, instead deciding to wait and see what was up with these people.
"You can use magic too?"
"You, and this rope is really strong, so your friend won't be getting away anytime soon".
"Why are you doing this" Erza demanded. "Lucy is my friend! Release her at once!"
"I thought we talked about this, we're mates" Lucy corrected.
"Meow?" Milliana pouted. "Mate?"
"Would you mind?" Erza gestured to Lucy.
Confused Milliana nodded to her old friend, cringing once she saw the blonde crumple from a punch to the gut.
"I love you too mate" Lucy groaned.
"Hmm, well weren't we your friends once, sister?" Sho asked.
Lucy smiled, "Mates friends! We can invite them to our wedding!"
"That is..." Sho scowled accusingly. "Until you betrayed us, of course!"
Erza grit her teeth helplessly.
"Maybe not."
"Don't think too badly of her, Sho..." Blocks began to gather in one spot. "Dandy men know how to keep their cool." The angular man announced, materializing. "You turned out to be quite the looker."
"Right, Erza's smokin'!" Lucy yelled from her spot on the ground not feeling the urge to get up yet.
"We are literally being threatened, can you not for five seconds Lucy" Erza hissed, her face dropping when she recognized the person who had spoken "Wait, Wally?"
"Compared to Mad Dog Wally from the old days, I'm much more well-rounded now." Wally muttered.
Lucy snorted. "Well-rounded, it's funny cause he's not. Get it Mate."
"They smashed a bottle on your head and tied you up yet you're laughing at their jokes, truly you're one of a kind Lucy" Erza sighed.
"Hello Erza." The large man who appeared next to Wally. "Long time no sees."
"Simon?"
"Hmm, these people claim to know my mate." Lucy said aloud, "Therefore I must get to know these people".
"You cat girl!" Lucy yelled.
"Meow? Yeah" the girl who smashed a bottle on Lucy's head answered.
"Who are you to my mate, and why does the dealer call her sister?" Lucy said still tied up.
"He's not really my brother." Erza frowned answering for Milliana. "These are my former friends from before I joined Fairy Tail."
"We came to bring you back." Sho declared. "Let's go back, sis."
"Then again, if you insist on being difficult..." Wally leveled his gun at Lucy, who looked back at him her eyebrow raised.
"Stop it!" Erza begged. "Please stop, I know she's a bit dopey, but she doesn't deserve this!"
His arm vanished, materializing behind Erza and firing at her back. Lucy's face dropped once she saw her mate fall to the ground, the sound of glass shattering around her as she saw the one called Simon pick her up and toss her over his shoulder.
"Don't worry about a thing, it's just my sleep bullet." Wally explained, while Simon easily held the girl up. "Target acquired. Fall back."
"You shot my mate" Lucy whispered, still in shock at what she witnessed.
Milliana grinned and wagged her finger, tightening the ropes around the blonde, so she couldn't escape. "Don't worry about Er-chan we'll take-
"YOU SHOT MY MATE!" Lucy screamed as she pulled apart Milliana's ropes her flames running wild.
The group of four looked at the blonde in shock. "Holy crap, she broke through your rope Milly!"
"She's strong I can sense her power, too strong even for us four, we must fall back" Simon said.
"How the hell do we do that! Girl's tough!" Wally yelled, dodging a flaming fist heading his way.
"Hellfire fist!"
The four barely dodged a flaming kick heading towards them, shock written on their face at the amount of power that was coming off the girl.
"Where the hell was this strength earlier when I tied her up!" Milliana yelled.
"Everyone head to the exit, I have a plan!" Simon yelled.
While the others hesitated at first, once they saw Lucy heading towards them with another flaming fist, they decided to trust their friend and ran to the exit quickly.
"Dark Moment!" In an instance the entire room went dark.
CRASH!
A few seconds later the lights came back on showing Lucy's head stuck in a wall struggling to get out.
"Swear to Luce...when I get out…gonna kill them all" Lucy growled finally getting unstuck.
Shaking her head to rid herself of any dizziness, she decided to look for her other teammates. "First up Gray" she said sniffing the air for his icy scent. Once she pinpointed his whereabouts, she quickly ran towards him only to find a Graycicle, "pfft a Graycicle, Mate would like that one. Hang on a sec", sniffing the Graycicle, Lucy looks around confused, "where's the real Gray".
"Impressive." A blob of water observed as it reformed into Juvia. "You really are skilled."
"Hey! You're that jerk who put me in that "unbreakable" water bubble" Lucy growled. "What are you doing here, gonna kidnap me again" she taunted.
"Err, no. Juvia merely wanted to help." She announced, solidifying completely and revealing a soaked Gray underneath her. "Juvia turned her body into a Water Lock to protect Gray-sama."
"Ew, Gray you were inside that chick." Lucy pointed out.
"Shut up I know!"
Juvia began to grin evilly "Are you jealous he was inside of Juvia and not you?"
Gray facepalmed at the water mage obliviousness.
"I am currently trying to court Erza Scarlet as per mating ritual, so no I'm not."
"Hmm, sure thing love rival."
"Uh, oh" Gray thought.
"Love Rival? Lucy said confused. "Look weirdo my heart belongs to Erza Scarlet, and unless you're trying to go after her too, then we are not love rivals, got it water girl" Lucy said flippantly.
"How convenient." Juvia observed. "You claim to be no threat to Juvia, and yet the one you are supposedly involved with is conveniently not here to back up your claim. Juvia does not trust you!"
"No, she's right." Gray cut in. "Lucy's crazy for Erza, like will do whatever she says if it means getting her to accept her claim, crazy".
Lucy growled, "Enough of this love rival crap. Where's Natsu?"
As if on cue, a huge roar and burst of flame erupted upwards from a nearby ruined game machine.
"Found him." Gray sweat dropped.
"What sane person would shoot someone in the mouth?" Natsu grumbled, checking his jaw. "Man, that hurt. That could have done some real damage!"
Gray sweat dropped. "I think that would kill anyone who wasn't a freak like you."
"Man, you're lucky they missed your head!" Lucy yelled.
Glancing at Lucy then saying, "I mean anyone who wasn't a freak like you or Lucy".
"Juvia agrees."
"That blocky bastard..." Natsu growled furiously, speeding off. "Don't think you can get away!"
"After him!" Gray yelled. "His nose will lead us to them!"
"I mean my nose can lead us too, but whatever let's follow Natsu" Lucy grumbled, sadly.
"Well damn, that was a close one" Wally said wiping the sweat off his face.
"You said it". Milliana frowned.
"Oh, by the way." Wally said holding out Happy to Milliana. "I scored something for you."
"Aah! A kitty of my very own! He's such a cutie wootie!"
"That's enough!" Simon boomed loudly. "Tie Erza up."
With that, the five plus Happy continued on their way to their destination with Erza, leaving team Natsu behind.
At the Tower of Heaven, in the throne room in the very top. Jellal Fernandes sat in a throne, another robed man standing at the foot.
"Master Jellal, we've received word that the mission to retrieve Erza has been completed. They are returning as we speak."
The cloaked man smirked and continued resting his head upon his hand.
"I must ask, what are we to gain by capturing that traitor? Disposing of her would have been easy work for someone of your power."
"A rather pedestrian approach to solving the problem, in my opinion."
"Yes, Sir."
"However, with the Tower of Heaven now complete allowing her to live would prove to be a thorny issue indeed. So, the time has come, Erza Scarlett is the perfect sacrifice to ensure my dreams are made flesh."
Meanwhile at the magic council
"How did you find this out?" Org demanded shocked.
"About a decade ago construction began on the R-System, a system designed by a cult of black magic users."
"But we had all seven of those towers destroyed! There shouldn't even be any ruins left," Michello declared.
A large orb appeared in the middle of the chamber showing everyone on the Council the Tower.
"Evidently there was an eighth tower that we missed in the water near Caelum." Belno stated.
"How did we miss it? Is the structure close to completion?" Org inquired pressing for details.
"I'm afraid I don't know, our team mysteriously vanished after sending these images." Belno replied clueless.
"Why would they revive the R-System after all this time?" Michello wondered.
"The Tower of Heaven, it's not the R-System, it's the Tower of Heaven to be clear." Siegrain corrected.
"It makes no difference what it's called, it utilizes forbidden magic," Org growled with annoyance. "There would be chaos if word got out that it even existed."
"We'll have to find a way to subdue them, what about the military?" Belno suggested.
"That's not an option," Leiji said dismissing the suggestion.
"What do you mean?"
"We'd be putting out soldiers in danger because we don't know who we're dealing with." he explained. "According to our latest intelligence the black magic cult thought to be responsible for the R-System is no longer occupying the tower."
"They're not?" Michello said. "Just who is then?"
"It's a group of wizards, apparently lead by a man named Jellal," Leiji replied.
"Jellal?"
"Isn't that the name of your twin brother, Siegrain?" Org asked.
"Yes, that would be him." The blue haired man sighed.
They had taken a boat once catching up to Natsu and were following Natsu's and Lucy's nose to the people who had taken Erza.
Gray looked around at the sea, wondering where the hell they were given that any which way he looked seemed never-ending. "I can't even tell where we are right now."
"Juvia does not know either, we were supposed to be following Salamanders and Lucy's nose."
"Uuugh." Lucy and Natsu let their head fall over the side of the boat.
"Uuugh..."
"You two are useless damn it. We're supposed to be relying on your noses", Gray scowled, irritated. "Get a hold of yourself!" Gray yelled once seeing the slayers succumb to motion sickness again.
Juvia glared at Natsu and Lucy. "How dare you disappoint Juvia's beloved Gray-sama".
" I..mrmmph... don't see you...doing anything...mrmhp...water girl" Lucy growled before throwing up over the side of the boat.
"Dammit!" Gray cursed. "I can't believe they took Erza and Happy right from under our noses! How pathetic!"
"An accurate assessment." Juvia observed. "To think that a mage as strong as Erza lost..."
"Talk bad about my mate again, see what happens, water girl" Lucy moaned.
"There's no way she was beaten!" Gray's face darkened as he glared at Juvia angrily. "You don't know the first thing about Erza!"
The girl shrank back. "Please forgive Juvia!"
"My mate... she mentioned something about blockhead, blondie and cat girl..." huffing from exertion, Lucy spoke again, "being her former friends..."
In that moment after speaking, Natsu and herself jumped up looking to each other, "Did you- "
"Yeah I did" Lucy said.
"What the hell guys what are you talking about?" Gray asked.
Natsu turned around looking to Gray, and Juvia "We just got a really weird feeling."
Lucy slowly worked up the strength to look up at the sky and saw the birds falling into the ocean, "Do you guys see that?"
"Yeah…" Natsu said then looked down at the ocean and noticed the fish weren't moving.
"Not the fish too." Gray gasped as fish were indeed floating belly up beside the birds.
"I've never seen anything like this." Juvia commented.
"Whoa, that's wreckage from a Fiore Naval Ship." Gray said looking at the flag of destroyed ship floating in the water amongst the debris.
"Hey… what's that?" Natsu asked, pointing farther ahead of them at a large tower that stretched high into the sky.
"I'm guessing that's where they've taken my mate." Lucy commented.
"I'll protect us; my Water Dome will keep us from being seen." Juvia said creating a dome of water to camouflage them as they approached.
"Whoa...cool" Lucy marveled at the water bubble warping around them as they go closer towards the tower.
Erza slowly awakened to find herself tied to a wooden column. "Where is this?"
"We're on a ship, sister." Sho explained, climbing down the stairs.
"A ship?"
"That's right." Sho nodded. "A ship headed straight for the Tower of Heaven."
"Is that right..." Erza sighed. "Can you untie me? I promise not to fight anymore."
"Sorry, sister." Sho frowned. "I can't do that. You are a traitor, after all."
"It's no use." He added, watching her struggle. "Milliana's ropes have the power to seal magic. Not even you will be able to escape them, sister."
"I understand..." Erza lowered her head. "At least let me put on my armor. I'm afraid of going back to that tower... the armor is what makes me feel safe..."
"But your current clothes are lovely, sister." Sho observed, hugging her. "I didn't want this to happen! I wanted to see you again so much..."
"Why did you do it, sister?" He shouted suddenly. "Why did you betray Jellal?"
Erza frowned.
Their eyes widened when a narrow structure appeared on the horizon.
Erza looked around the building in shock. "It really has been finished..."
"Well, it has been eight years." Sho shrugged. "We were the ones who got to finish it."
"Move." Simon ordered, pushing Erza forward.
"Eight years..." The redhead muttered. "You guys have all changed..."
"The ceremony will be tomorrow at midday." Sho informed Erza, once the others finished securing her ropes and left. "Until then, you will stay here."
Erza scowled. The ceremony? Does that mean they're going to try and activate the R-system?
"No hard feelings, right?" Sho smiled. "You're the traitor, you dug your own grave here, sister. Jellal is angry at you... he's decided to make you the sacrifice for the ceremony."
"We won't ever be able to see sister again." Sho sighed. "But it's all for the sake of reaching 'heaven'." He frowned when he noticed her shiver. "Are you scared? Does the thought of being the sacrifice terrify you? Or maybe... maybe you are just feeling nostalgic..."
"I'm sorry that happened to you." Sho sighed. "Since I was the one who came up with the idea and all. But... I was too afraid to say anything. All I could think of was not getting hurt..."
"I don't care about that." Erza told him. "What I'm interested in is if you truly understand the risk in using the R-system to resurrect people?"
"Wow, I'm surprised you figured out what the 'R' means." Sho observed.
"Revive System." Erza scowled. "In exchange for a living sacrifice, a dead person can be returned to life. It's a forbidden unnatural magic."
"From the beginning, magic has been removed from nature." Sho countered. "All magic will eventually destroy what makes us human."
"You sound just like a member of that cult." Erza noticed.
"Those guys only saw the R-system as a basic way to restore souls." Sho responded.
"They lacked Jellal's foresight... his plan is to guide us to Heaven."
"Heaven?"
"Once Jellal resurrects the one he spoke of, the world will be reborn!" Sho cackled. "And we shall become its' rulers!"
Erza grit her teeth as madness seemed to overcome Sho. "The remnants of those who stole our freedom …friends of sister that betrayed us... the ignorant people living their lives in peace... those fools on the Magic Council, your mate... we'll inflict fear and sadness on all of them! And then we'll proceed to rob them of their freedom! We will become the masters of the world!"
He abruptly fell silent when Erza smashed a knee into his jaw viciously and knocked him out. Pulling at her binds, she quickly bit through them and rushed out of her cell, leaving an unconscious boy behind.
"I draw the line at hurting that adorable idiot, Sho." She sneered, as she requipped into her usual armor. "I won't forgive you for what you've done to Sho, Jellal. It's time I end this!"
Happy blinked, waking up... and his jaw dropped.
"Cats!" He howled, looking around the room wildly. "There's cats everywhere! What is this place? Natsu! Where are you?"
"Meow?" Milliana suddenly squatted down next to him. "How are you?"
"How are you?" Happy repeated incredulously.
"Meow!" The girl jumped up, ecstatic. "Talking kitty!"
"You have to sound cooler, lass." Wally leaned against the door frame. "It's not a talking cat. It's a cat that can talk."
Happy sweat dropped. "What's the difference?"
"Hey!" He yelled up at Wally. "Where is this place? What happened to Natsu?"
Wally grinned. "He's kissing the asphalt, cat."
Happy frowned as he recalled Natsu get shot in the mouth. That wouldn't kill him...
"Wally! Milliana!" Simon rushed into the room. "Erza escaped!"
Milliana squealed. "That brings back memories!"
"The lass is dandy." Wally observed. "But there is no way she can escape from this tower."
"She's not running away." Simon corrected him. "She's going after Jellal."
Wally and Milliana's eyes widened and all three of them ran out of the room.
"Ahahaha!" Jellal threw his head back and laughed.
"Master Jellal?"
"Erza's a fine woman." Jellal told the long-haired man watching him. "She truly is fascinating. I wonder... will I win, or will Erza win?"
"Let's enjoy it." He smirked. "Combining life and death, the past and the future... a game where the prize is heaven."
"I can't take it." Natsu complained as the rocking of the boat exasperated his motion sickness.
"Let's swim from here" Lucy groaned.
"That's it next time we take them anywhere we're knocking you out first." Gray stated with annoyance, "Well at least Natsu, not sure I could even land a hit on you" Gray grumbled.
Erza scowled, barreling through a group of Jellal's minions and slamming a random one against a wall. "Where is Jellal? Tell me!"
Once the group made it to close to the tower, they went off to see if there were any openings not being guarded.
"That is a lot of guards." Gray sighed, watching the heavily protected stairway.
"Who cares?" Natsu lit his fist up preparing himself to fight. "Let's just fight them all, we can take them on no problem!"
"They have my mate and Happy!" Lucy admonished him. "If the people here are alerted to us being here then they will most likely be in danger, or worst killed."
"Man, the tower is so close now." Gray sighed. "If we get found out here, we won't stand a chance."
A few seconds after Gray had announced that Juvia swam up to them with some good news. "Juvia has found an underwater entrance to the basement level, there are no guards from what I could see."
"Seriously?" Gray exclaimed. "Good job!"
"Did you hear that, Lucy?" Juvia grinned. "He praised me and not you."
Lucy ignored the rain woman and instead went towards Natsu to see if he had any food on him.
"It's a journey that will last about ten minutes." Juvia told them once she saw she was not going to get a response from the blonde. "You won't have a problem holding your breath that long, right?"
"Ten minutes is like a second for me!" Natsu yelled.
"Luce once held me under water for lung endurance training such as this…although looking back now I think he was just being a jerk" she chuckled.
"Err, alright then."
Juvia created a globe of water in her hand. "Please use these." She requested. "They use water to surround your head with oxygen, letting you breathe underwater without a problem."
"Sweet!" Natsu stuck his on. "By the way, who are you again?"
"Juvia. Uh, may I ask where Lucy went?"
"God damn it she just dived in, after her!" Gray yelled, diving into the water after the blonde. Natsu and Juvia following.
"Juvia is impressed." The ex-Phantom mage remarked. "She did not believe you could do what you said you could" she sweat dropped.
"I never lie about what Lucifer taught me." Lucy said glaring at the water mage who doubted her skills. "Now then let's look for my mate and Happy in this weird tower."
"Who the hell are you guys?" A guard shouted, watching them with a troop of men behind him.
"We got this far..." Gray muttered. "Guess we're going to have to fight now."
"Who cares I'm all fired up!"
Lucy gave an evil smirk. "No prob!" Lucy then proceeded to swing two keys bringing Loke and Virgo out.
"Who are we?" Natsu smashed a flaming fist into the wooden construct, causing it to collapse underneath the guards. "We're Fairy Tail, you morons!"
"Juvia shall not let you touch a hair on her beloved Gray! Juvia proclaimed angrily. "Water Slicer!"
"Ice Make: Hammer!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Demon Hellfire Fist!"
"Regulus Impact!"
"Punishment time"
Natsu looked up from the stack of beaten guards. "Hey, look. Some kinda door just opened up there!"
Gray frowned. "I think we're being invited to come up."
"Let's not be rude and ignore them then", Lucy said grinning.
"Master Jellal, what are you thinking?" The man demanded. "You let the intruders enter just like that?"
"I told you, this is a game." Jellal told him calmly. "All it means is that they've cleared a level. Things are getting interesting..."
"But if we don't proceed with the ceremony soon, the Council will figure out what we're doing!" The man countered.
"Vivaldus..." Jellal smirked. "Are you still worried about that?" His eyes lit up. "We won't be stopped!"
"Where are you, you blockhead bastard?" Natsu yelled as soon as they got into the building.
"Get out here you damned metal jawed giant, dumb cat girl, and card dealer!" Lucy yelled.
Gray slapped his face. "Shut up you two! Do you want everyone to find us before we even get a chance to get Erza and Happy! We could only go wild earlier because we were underground. Now that we're in the tower, we'll need stealth."
"What's more, this door was opened from the inside." Juvia observed, studying the hatch they climbed through. "It's being remotely operated by magic, which means the enemy is aware of your actions."
"Hmm, you're right, Natsu enter Ninja mode" Lucy said covering her face with a cloak, while lighting herself on fire so she could dry her clothes.
"Hey, Gray are you okay with wet clothes, I mean I know Juvia is cause she's a water girl, but uh".
"Already on it." Gray shrugged, stepping next to Natsu, who had also lit himself on fire.
"Smart." Lucy grinned, shooting a thumbs up to Natsu.
"There they are!" A group of guards ran into the room. "It's the intruders!"
Natsu and Gray scowled and slipped into fighting stances. Lucy quickly packed away the celestial food Virgo had left her before she left for later. The guards, however, didn't even get close before Erza sliced through the entire mob.
"Erza!"
"Mate!"
"She's quite amazing."
Erza's eyes widened when she noticed them "What are you guys doing here?"
"Well, you're my mate so I'm obligated to save you, also I'm very angry someone would even think I'd be okay with you being kidnapped" Lucy said rather calmly.
Natsu on the other hand all but growled to his friend "We'd disgrace Fairy Tail if we just backed off after what those creeps did! Besides, I totally owe that blockhead for shooting me in the mouth earlier!"
Erza glanced at Juvia.
"Oh, I... um..." Juvia stammered. "Juvia is here because... well..."
"She's just following Gray" Lucy shrugged.
"Go back." Erza commanded them, looking away. "You guys shouldn't be here."
"If you think I'm leaving this place without you, and without getting payback, then obviously you're the dumb one in our relationship mate." Lucy observed. "These people kidnapped you and Happy. There's no way I'm leaving without either of you, got that?"
Erza smiled sadly. "First off, not in a relationship. Second, this is one fight you can't beat your way out of, Ishgar Demon." Lucy rolled her eyes at her comment.
Gray sighed when Natsu's patience finally wore thin and he ran off to search for Happy.
"That idiot..." He sighed. "Running off like that."
"I won't say I didn't expect that" Lucy chuckled, going to run after him, only to be stopped by a sword.
"I still want you to leave." Erza held out a sword to stop them. "Happy will be safe with Milliana, she loves cats too much to hurt him. I'll take care of Natsu and Happy and bring them back safely. You guys just get out of here."
Lucy glared at the sword angrily when she saw Erza wasn't moving. Erza, Gray and even Juvia couldn't help but gasp when Lucy grabbed Erza's sword clutching it tightly to the point her palm began bleeding.
"I'm not leaving without you Erza Scarlet, so put the sword away and let Gray and I help you or so help me Luce" Lucy growled pulling the sword from Erza's weakened grip.
"Ye-yeah, ahem, we're already involved anyway." Gray backed Lucy up. "You saw how much Natsu wants to act."
Erza stayed silent, still in shock by Lucy's action.
"Mate." Lucy muttered softly catching Erza's attention, uncaring of the gash on her palm now. "Please. Tell us what is going on here. I, no, we want to help you, but you're not letting us...it's a drag."
"Just go." Erza repeated herself.
Lucy grit her teeth and looked away, clenching her fists the blood flowing from her left hand going unnoticed to her.
"This isn't like you at all, Erza." Gray observed. "Why can't you stop moping and say 'follow me' like you usually order us to do? We'll help you out. Even you're allowed to be scared sometimes, you know."
Erza turned towards them and they caught a glimpse of a teary eye before she wiped it.
"Sorry..." She muttered. "In this fight, whether I win or lose... I'm staring death in the face."
Lucy growled at those words before pulling Erza angrily towards her by the collar of her armor. "What did you say?"
"This is unavoidable..." Erza smiled sadly looking away from the blonde. "So, before that happens, I'll tell you everything I know, you at least deserve that."
"The name of this place is the 'Tower of Heaven'." Erza started. "Otherwise known as the R-system. More than a decade ago, a cult dedicated to black magic tried to build a tower where magic could be gathered to bring the dead back to life. This wasn't approved by the government or the Magic Council, so they had to gather people from nearby countries and use them as slaves. I was one of those." Erza sighed. "That's when I first met Jellal..."
"Anyone who dared to resist the cult or tried to escape the tower would mysteriously disappear. We never had any peace of mind, and even though we knew we wouldn't be together long, we still bonded and became friends in the tower." She continued.
She remembered the time he came to rescue her when the guards took her away and how when he saw she lost her left eye he got mad.
"Soon after we took a stand for our freedom, and we hoped to save our dear friend Jellal who was punished in my place. He was like the leader of our group back then, he had a strong sense of justice that I truly admired," she looked back at them, "However…something happened to him it's almost as if he became an entirely different person. There's only one way I would describe Jellal's new persona…pure unadulterated evil."
Erza had just entered the room holding Jellal hoping to free him. Once she had gotten Jellal to speak with her she understood where the killing intent she first felt upon entering the room was coming from.
"I demand you never tell anyone of this place. If the government found out about The Tower of Heaven I'd be in serious trouble," he brought her towards him, "If word were to get out then I'd have no choice, but to destroy the tower and everyone inside it. You're forbidden from ever returning here again, set one foot on here on this land, and I'll kill your friends."
He smirked, "I figured Sho would be the first to go."
"No…you wouldn't…" she said.
"One false move and your friends will die! I'll enjoy true freedom while you suffer burdened by your guilt!" he laughed sending her far away from the tower.
Erza washed up on shore and started crying, "No…NO!" she cried.
Back at their meeting hall the Magic Council was in disarray over the knowledge that the R System still existed and were trying to figure out what to do about it.
"So, what are we going to do to stop Jellal!"
"We need to gather more information, and then plan!"
"Dispatch the Ishgar Demon!"
"That last one isn't a bad idea" a few of the counselor members began to murmur.
"You ignorant fools!" Seigrain yelled with annoyance.
"Siegrain!"
"How dare you."
"Only fools would send in a wizard and risk their lives against something as strong as this, I'm telling you it's far too dangerous." Siegrain stated.
"Siegrain. Do you even know who the Ishgar Demon is and what she's done?" Org asked sternly looking down on the wizard.
"Well. No, I've only just heard of her, but this is a precarious situation." Siegrain said crossing his arms. "If we want to stop him, we will have to completely destroy the Tower of Heaven, and there is only one way to do that… Etherion."
"Are you insane?" Org yelled.
"That's cross dimensional destruction magic!" Michello cried.
"We can't!" Belno objected with horror.
"Do you know how much devastation it would cause? That weapon has the ability to obliterate an entire nation."
"Etherion is an absolute last choice, it is more dangerous than the R-System itself!"
"The Ishgar Demon could destroy the tower without such hazards!" the same member yelled.
"Just hear me out!" Siegrain yelled cutting across them. "The satellite square can pinpoint a target anywhere in the region. If we focus it directly on the tower, we can cause less collateral damage and destroy the structure."
"I vote to fire." Ultear said raising her hand, agreeing with Siegrain.
"Not you too, have you gone mad?" Org asked despairingly.
"Three more in favor will give us the majority, but we can't let deliberations delay us. Time is of the essence! I urge you to vote with me, we cannot allow Jellal to activate the Tower of Heaven!"
"But along with destroying the Tower, an Etherion blast will no doubt kill your brother." Org stated softly.
"I realize that… however, it's a sacrifice that must be made."
Lucy, Gray, and Juvia couldn't believe what they had just heard. To think she had gone through all that and had been forced to carry such a heavy burden.
"I have to fight Jellal…" she said a single tear falling from her eye, "…I have no choice…I have to do it…"
Lucy clenched her fists and shut her eyes tightly. It physically hurt her seeing her mate in such pain and her unable to do anything.
"No mate you don't have to do anything…I already told you I'll always protect you and I plan on keeping that promise" Lucy mumbled, pushing their foreheads together, Erza for once appreciating the gesture.
"I don't know maybe it's just me…but for some reason the name Zeref sounds familiar." Gray said.
Lucy let go of Erza to answer Gray, "That's not surprising, Zeref is a name that's feared and hailed all over Earthland".
Erza wiped the tear from her eye, "Indeed, Zeref was the legendary Black Wizard."
Lucy nodded, "Yup, Luce told me all about this guy. The Black Wizard Zeref created demons from his book called The Book of Zeref. Lullaby and Deliora are part of that. There's tons more from what Luce told me."
Gray's eyes widened.
"If this wizard is as evil as you say then why would Jellal want to resurrect him?" Juvia questioned.
Erza turned to them; "I don't understand his motives either, however my old friend Sho said something to me about Zeref getting them to heaven. And when that happens the world will be reborn, and they'll become its rulers."
Lucy rubbed her head furiously confused while Virgo came out to wrap her masters palm, which Aquarius promised to scold her for later, "But mate, if these people are your friends then why are they accusing you of betraying you? Isn't Jellal the enemy?" Lucy asked.
"It's not their fault. I'm sure he fed them all sorts of lies about me once I left," she looked down sadly, "That doesn't change the fact that I abandoned them so long ago...in the end…I guess you could say I did betray-."
"Whack"
Gray, and Juvia stood stock still in shock at the fact Lucy, dopey looking always smiling at Erza, Lucy just slapped Erza Scarlet, her mate.
"If you really think you betrayed your friends in any way then you're stupider than me Scarlet, and perhaps not worthy of being my mate afterall."
Gray and Juvia gasped at Lucy's declaration, even Erza was wide eyed. Lucy never spoke so harshly to her, to hear such words come out of the usually loving girl was a surprise.
"You did what you thought would keep your kin safe since you had no other choice. It was either leave or get them killed going back." Lucy growled, trying to keep herself calm.
Gray nodded in agreement, "That's right."
"None of that matters anymore, if I can defeat Jellal it'll be over. Leave it to me, okay?" Erza said.
Lucy went up to Erza grabbing the collar of her armor slamming their foreheads together, not at all being the gentle lover she usually is, "Listen to me and listen to me good. If you think I'm gonna sit by and let you take care of this jello guy alone you're an idiot because mates stick together, they fight together. They. Do. Not. Abandon Each other. Understand."
Erza simply nodded dumbfounded at Lucy's determination of sticking by her side.
"Let me hear you say it!" Lucy yelled.
"They stick together" Erza whispered, shocked at how Lucy was currently acting.
Gray looked at Erza confused on why she was acting so weird, why do I get the feeling she's hiding something? The thought back to what she said earlier.
Why would she tell us she's staring death in the face?
Gray finally zoned back in when he heard more yelling.
"Damn its Lucy enough with the mate stuff, even if you try you can't help me!" Erza yelled back at the slayer when she finally got over her shock, "When will you understand this!"
"When you understand I'll never give up trying to be your mate! So, go at this alone Erza, I dare ya, see what happens!" Lucy yelled.
"Sister…"
They all turned and saw it was Sho that appeared before them and he didn't look happy, "That's not true…why? Why are you lying to them?"
"Sho…" Erza said.
"You think by making yourself the martyr, where you abandon us to actually keep us safe, you'll get sympathy from your friends? Tell them the truth that's not how it happened, and you know it!" he yelled.
"You blew up the boats we were going to use to escape and then you left on your own! We would have ended up in the bottom of the sea if it hadn't been for Jellal! He saved us and warned us not to trust wizards like you who hadn't learned to use their magic properly! He said you had become drunk with magical power and you didn't want anything to do with your past, or the people you left behind!" he yelled.
Erza said nothing, looking down ashamed at herself. This did not go unnoticed by the others, especially Lucy who stepped in front of Erza in a protective stance.
"Did you ever think…that maybe he might be lying?" Gray frowned.
Lucy glared at him, "Don't you dare talk about my mate like that. If you were truly her kin, then you would know she wouldn't do anything as horrible as you've described!"
"Please, you only think you know her…but you don't know her like I do. You weren't there back then…you don't know anything about us…after you left Jellal's words were my only salvation…and that's why I spent all these years working to finish the tower for him," he said, tears in his eyes, "And now you're telling me it was all a lie…you really expect me to believe everything she said!"
"Kinda" Lucy said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her head. Gray and Juvia deadpanning at the blonde.
"That's right," another voice appeared, it was a man wearing a cloth over his head wearing a metal jaw and strange clothing.
Gray glared at him, "Why you!" Juvia stuck her arm out stopping him.
"I'm gonna kill you for taking my mate!" Lucy yelled, going to lunge at the man before getting slammed to the ground by Erza stopping her ascendant.
"You win this time" Lucy groaned, "You metal jawed giant."
"Wait! He doesn't pose a threat my dear." Juvia told him, "He never meant you any harm, at the resort he knew he was attacking your ice decoy."
"But how?" Gray asked.
"Since he cast the darkness spell it had no effect on him." she explained, "I came along in the hopes of discovering why he had chosen to spare you."
"I would expect no less from one of Phantom's Element four." The man complimented.
"I don't understand." Sho said.
"I had to fool you and the others into thinking I killed them, but I hoped our attack would lead them here." The man explained.
"Is everyone just lying to me then." Sho looked away, "I mean...How could you do that to me Simon?"
The man put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, but Jellal had you under his spell and I couldn't convince you otherwise, so I played along until the time was right."
"So, you knew all along." Erza said.
The man turned to her and smiled, "I've always believed in you Erza, and there's nothing that can change that."
Erza smiled at him.
He grabbed her hand gently unaware of the demon slayer slowly rising behind him; "I mean those words from the bottom of my heart." He brought her in for a hug and she accepted.
"Simon…" Erza murmured.
Lucy pulled the man away by his sash, "Listen up buddy, this is my mate so back off."
"Seriously Lucy!" Erza yelled, hitting the girl on the head again.
"Worth it." Lucy said with a hand up in the air.
Happy, Juvia, and Gray chuckled at the blonde's antics towards Erza.
"I never knew…I mean I just blindly followed him all these years…doubting you…because you left me all alone…you have no idea how much that hurt…" Sho cried, slamming his fist into the ground, "I don't know what to do! I don't even know which one of you I should believe in anymore!"
Erza went to approach him, but a blonde blur beat her too it.
"Look, Simon- "
"I'm Sho"
"Semantles. As I was saying I've learned the best motto to go by is Live and learn" Lucy said patting the boys back, "Least that's what Luce always said when I messed up".
Sho looked to Lucy confused, until Erza pushed her away and approached him crouching down, "I know what you're thinking, but she means well" looking to Lucy who decided laying on the ground was the best course of action while waiting for the two to talk it out.
Taking a deep breath, she began to speak again, "I know it must be difficult to take all of this in all at once, but there's something you should know though. As long as it's been…I've never once forgotten about any of you."
He hugged her making her get down on her knees, but she merely hugged him back, "I'm sorry that I couldn't stand up to him, but I was so weak back then…please forgive me."
"Now you're stronger and ready to face him, isn't that right?" Simon asked.
Erza nodded, ignoring the growl behind her and the voices struggling to hold her back.
"I've waited all these years for this moment, a group of powerful wizards would gather here." He said.
"Ad do you have a plan, or did you just think running in with all of us would work?" Lucy asked, surprisingly level headed.
"Well, I figured with the magic power each of us held we would be able to take down Jellal, if we worked together that is" Simon said.
"Hmm, if Luce was here, he'd said that's a shit plan, but whatever I got nothing better so let's go" Lucy said shrugging.
They all sweat dropped at the blonde's blunt words, before nodding.
Erza stood up a look of determination in her face.
"But first…we must keep Salamander and Wally from clashing." He said.
Lucy groaned, "Do we have to?"
"Yes!" Erza, Simon and the others yelled.
"What a drag. Fine whatever let's go."
Half of Team Natsu, Simon and Sho were currently running down the hall inside the tower with Simon acting as their lead.
Simon had two fingers pressed to his head, "Something's interfering with my communication with Wally and Milliana! I can't even tell where they are now!"
"Why are we looking for those two?" Lucy questioned.
"Because we need to stop them from fighting Natsu!" Erza yelled.
Erza stopped running and looked at Sho who looked pale, "Is something the matter Sho?"
He closed his eyes; "I'm fine," opening them he looked at her, "Everything's fine now that you're here."
She smiled sadly at him.
At the Magic Council
"Using the Etherion would mean complete annihilation of everyone inside that tower!" The chairman countered.
"It's like Siegrain says." The hooded man observed. "We've gotten this far on the sacrifices of others. That's also evident in the history of the magic world that exists now."
"But if we attack Caelum's lands, it will leave a permanent stain in history!"
"It cannot be helped." The woman grits her teeth. "That's part of the sacrifice we'll have to make."
"One cannot return from the dead." A man mused. "Those kids must understand the value of life. I vote for the use of Etherion."
Siegrain nodded. "We just need one more!"
"I guess he's alright, since he didn't actually try to kill us and seems to know what he's doing." Gray frowned. "But are you sure we can trust the Simon dude, Juvia?"
"I do not plan to make excuses." Simon responded, having heard him. "I knew you weren't the sort of mages who would get defeated so easily. I had faith all of you would survive."
Simon then looked at Lucy who seemed to be ogling Erza from behind, "If I may ask who is the blonde one, she's quite powerful."
Gray chuckled before answering, "That's Lucy Heartfilia, a.k.a the Ishgar Demon and 5th wizard Saint of Ishgar."
Once Gray finished telling Simon who Lucy was, he couldn't help belting out laughing at the man's face dropping.
"Is she that strong to be a wizard saint?"
Gray scoffed. "Honestly, I've only ever seen her probably use about half, no like a quarter of her strength so yeah she's that strong. Oh, and before I forget I saw the way you were looking at Erza, and man let me just say now back off now, otherwise you're in for the beat down of a lifetime."
"Wh-what why?" The man couldn't help but sputter.
"Aside from her being a celestial mage, Lucy's a demon slayer, alright. And she, like Natsu, has a mate a lifetime partner they call it. That mate just so happens to be the mage she's tryna get to carry her because she's tired of running."
Just as Gray said that Simon looked to see who he was referring to, only to see Lucy begging Erza to carry her because she was tired, watching as Erza slammed her to the ground and five seconds later the blonde girl popped right back up rubbing her head with a dopey smile following Erza again.
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
"But I mean Erza doesn't seem to be a very willing participant, are you sure she wants to be with Lucy?" Simon asked hoping he still had a chance.
Gray shook his head feeling bad for the guy he was running next to. "Sorry man, Erza may look like she hates the attention Lucy's throwing at her but trust me, I've known Erza long enough to know she secretly finds it flattering. I think it's because no one's ever tried this hard for her."
"I see."
"Don't worry man plenty of fish in the sea."
Meanwhile in a room adorned with cat decorations all over.
"Gah!" Natsu sneezed inside the mask. "Gross! I can't even wipe my mouth like this!"
He pulled at the cat mask currently on his face. "I really should take this off, but I can't!"
"Noooo!" Milliana wailed, knocking Wally's aim off.
"What are you doing, lass?" Wally frowned. "That was a perfect shot!"
"It's you!" Natsu exclaimed. "The square head!"
"It's a block!" Wally yelled.
"I won't let you hurt the little kitty." Milliana pouted angrily.
"He's not a cat!" Wally protested. "Just look at him!"
Natsu tilted his head. "Meow?"
"See?"
Wally's jaw dropped. "What the hell?"
"I didn't forget what you did back there!" Natsu pointed at Wally. "Square bastard! You could've killed me with that shot in the mouth!"
The two mages looked at each other both with the same line of thought. "It should've killed you!"
"Move it!" Wally shoved Milliana aside, sending a barrage of blocks at Natsu.
"Cat Make: Cat Shield!" Natsu joked, pulling a human-sized cat plush doll in front of him.
"Our enemy?" Milliana was confused. "A kitty?"
"I told you, he's not a cat!" Wally groaned. "That's a dude wearing a cat mask!"
"Cat Fire!" Natsu chuckled, smashing the next attack with flaming fists.
"Back me up here, toots." Wally shouted. "Jellal wasn't kidding about this guy's strength."
"Meow!" Milliana clenched her fists. "Pretending to be a kitty when you're not pisses me off!"
"Um..." Natsu sweat dropped, unsure if the girl was being serious or not. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"
"Cat Bind Rope!" Milliana screamed, entangling Natsu's arm with an orange rope.
"Excellent!" Wally grinned, sending another barrage of blocks at Natsu.
"What the hell?" Natsu exclaimed as the attacks knocked him backwards. "Is this thing stopping me from using magic?" He tugged at the rope, vainly trying to pull it off.
Milliana scowled as she used his distracted state and tied up his entire body.
"Looks like this is it, Salamander." Wally observed, pointing his gun at him. "Oh yeah, I've got this awesome line I wanted to try out... your destiny came to an end the moment you met-"
Happy slammed him in the head with a plastic cat figure.
"Natsu!" The cat cheered. "You're ok!" He glanced at the cat mask. "Um... what is that thing?"
"The kitty is flying!" Milliana exclaimed, then gasped when Wally shot at Happy. "No! No bullying the kitty!"
"Cat's don't fly, you crazy broad!" Wally protested. "Speak, maybe, but definitely not fly!"
"Get this thing off me, Happy!"
"Aye, sir!"
"Not a chance!" Wally shouted, trying to escape Milliana's hold on his scarf.
"I said no!"
"Not the cat, dammit!" He told her. "I'm going to take out the fake! The real one will be just fine Milly!"
"This isn't coming off, Natsu!" Happy groaned, straining to pull the ropes off.
"Dammit!" Natsu cursed, pushing himself into a sitting position. "There's only one thing to do then. Secret Cat Art: Wounded Kitty!"
Milliana teared up when Natsu pouted and fake tears began streaming down his cheeks. Without speaking, she made a hand motion and the ropes fell off him.
"What the hell, Milliana?" Wally yelled.
"Kitty was in pain..."
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu shot past them, knocking them both down. "Victory!"
The gravity of the situation came back to him. "Now to get this thing off..."
Jellal smirked. As Vivaldus observed, he pulled out a series of small figures, consisting of a knight, flaming key, dragon, ice crystal, waterfall, card, archer, tower, cat, and king. He then arranged them on a chess board and promptly knocked over the cat and archer with the dragon figure.
"Sho and Simon have switched sides." He remarked calmly. "And Wally and Milliana have been defeated by Natsu Dragneel. Yes... this is how the game should be played. A one-sided battle is no fun."
"Master Jellal, we should just capture Erza and hold the ceremony." Vivaldus suggested. "This is no longer the time for games."
"In that case, why don't you go, Vivaldus?"
"Really?" The man raised an eyebrow surprised. "You'll allow it?"
"It is our turn now, after all." Jellal smiled.
Vivaldus smirked. Magic power surrounded him, and he transformed from his stoic form into a crazy-looking man with heavy make-up and an electric guitar.
"The special squadron of the assassin guild Death's Head Order..." Jellal mused. "Trinity Raven. It's your turn now."
He looked them over. "Vivaldus Taka."
The now rocker-like man cackled insanely. "Go to hell! Yeow!"
"Fukuro."
A heavily built man with a jet-pack and an owl's head tilted it by almost 90 degrees. "Hoo-hoo."
"And their leader, Ikaruga."
An elegantly dressed woman with pink hair smirked. "It must be the fate of love and life to scatter on the winds... tonight shall be a festival."
It took a while but with Happy's help Natsu was finally free from the cat mask he had stuck on his head, accidently getting it stuck on the blockhead.
Natsu laughed when it landed on Wally's head. "Now it's stuck on the blockhead!"
"I'm surprised it could fit." Happy remarked, wide-eyed.
"This isn't over, Salamander." Wally scowled, standing up weakly and tossing the mask away.
"Well, I got my revenge now." Natsu told him. "And Erza and Happy are both safe, so I have no more interest in fighting you."
"Our goal is heaven..." Wally rasped. "The freedom of which Jellal speaks is a world where we rule over other people..."
"Welcome, all of you." A voice resounded everywhere around them.
"Jellal is transmitting his voice everywhere in the tower." Simon explained, looking around.
"I am Jellal, ruler of this tower." The man started. "The players on both sides have now been decided. I think it's about time to begin... the game of Heaven."
"The rules are simple." He explained. "My goal is to use Erza as a sacrifice to revive Zeref. In other words, if I manage to open the gates to Heaven, I win. But if you succeed in stopping me, then you win. However, that would not be much fun." The voice sounded amused. "So, I have arranged for three warriors to fight on my behalf. If you cannot get past them, you will be unable to reach me. In other words, this is a three-on-eight battle royale. If I include the cat, three-on-nine." Jellal smirked and placed a guitar, an elegant woman, and an owl figure in front of the king piece.
"And there's one more rule." He informed the 'players'. "As I speak, the Magic Council is debating about the use of the Satellite Square on this tower. If they decide to use the Etherion, it's game over. No players left to fight." With that, the broadcast paused.
"You never said anything about that, Jellal!" Vivaldus exclaimed. "If we get hit by that, all of us will go to hell!"
Ikaruga smirked. "Why, Vivaldus, is that fear I sense in your voice?"
"Not on your life!" Vivaldus shouted excitedly. "Just the opposite! A dangerous job like this is exactly what I've been looking for!"
"The time limit is unknown." Jellal transmitted as an afterthought. "However, the moment the Etherion strikes, everyone here will perish and there will be no victor."
Sho lowered his head, gritting his teeth angrily. In a puff of smoke, Erza got trapped in one of his cards.
"Erza!"
"What are you doing?" Simon exclaimed. "Have you gone insane?"
Sho shakily nodded. "I'm not letting anyone harm sister." He exclaimed. "I'll defeat Jellal myself if I have to." He yelled running off.
"Hey, Gray."
"Uh, yeah Lucy?"
"Did that guy really just run off with my mate trapped in his weak pocket dimension magic?" Lucy growled with a twitch in her eye and flames surrounding her, causing everyone to step away from her.
Gray nervously nodded his head as he looked at the blonde who seemed to be getting angrier at the second.
"Very well, I'll kill Sho later. As of now he's ruined everything, and we need to split up differently since he went off on his own to be a hero." She said with a growl.
"Uh right, so what now?" Gray asked.
"As much as I want to follow my mate, we still need to find Natsu and so long as blondie has her in that pocket dimension, she should be fine for now" she said reluctantly.
"For now, you and metal jaw giant can take the way we first entered since it was a three-way intersection, just ignore the way we came in and you can take one of the remaining paths. Water girl will take the other with me so we can find Natsu."
"Now break!" The four mages taking off into their respective paths.
And here we are in the tower of heaven arc. Sorry for the long wait. This story is one of my favorites so I didn't want to rush this one. And since I'm job searching it's taking me longer to get out chapters for all my stories. This is a hobby and as much as I love writing, job hunting comes first. Again thank you for all the support and follows. Next chapter should be out sooner than later.