Upon the next day after everyone got back from the spirit world. Everyone who had gone to the other world are by the beach, looking at the sea with depressed faces while Ikaruga with her children were relaxing nearby as they didn't have to go participate in the GMG.
"What are we going to do?" asked Levy in pure depressed face.
"How could this have happened?" said Erza as their precious training time is gone.
"I can't believe it." Said Lucy while in tears because their happy time at the Celestial Spirit world got them to the situation of they reap what they had sown.
"Come on, you guys need to get a move on." Droy said, shoving a piece of chicken into his mouth.
"There's only five days left until the games and you guys still haven't made much progress." Jet added.
"We just might have to let the others handle things." Levy said defeated.
"I think you're right." Said Wendy in agreement before looking to the vast ocean where Natsu is at, the man floating above the sea water while in a meditation pose. "if only Natsu-san wanted to join"
Over the last three months when the group left for the Celestial Spirit World, they had been told by Ikaruga and the others who stayed behind that Natsu had begun meditating above the ocean water for three months straight, not even bothering to stop meditating for a meal or even when the weather was bad and all.
"Natsu-san once said that he never cares for fame and all" said Juvia before sighing. "Juvia can see clearly on his response if we beg him to participate for us"
"there's no choice then!" exclaimed Erza before she got up with a fist pumped up. "let's train for the last 5 days with no rest at all!"
"just training 5 days won't be enough for us" said Gray with a depressed look.
"we don't know if we don't' try!" exclaimed Erza, fire rages in her eyes and determined to train hard till she breaks.
"ah!" Lucy made a surprised noise as this got everyone's attention to her.
"what's wrong?" asked Levy to Lucy who pointed to the ocean as Natsu stops meditating and stands above the water.
"he's floating on top of the water?" said Wendy with a surprised face to see the man standing on top of the ocean water.
Natsu stood on the ocean water before he turns and started walking to the beach. He stopped by the group as he looks at them before he glanced to the nearby forest and started walking away.
"follow me" said Natsu as everyone looks at him before to each other.
Everyone went to the forest and followed Natsu who leads the group to broken bridge.
"a broken bridge?" said Gray before the broken bridge suddenly reformed itself like time got reversed.
"This bridge is reforming?" Levy said, her eyes widening.
"this magic…" muttered Gray, familiar with the type of magic.
"Natsu, what is this?" asked Erza to Natsu who stayed silent and just walked on the bridge to the across side.
Everyone looks at Natsu as the man continued walking across the bridge before arriving at the end where he turns to others and tilts his head to the side once in signal them to get over.
Erza and the others looks at each other before they followed him.
They all reached the other part of the forest, where they met with three cloaked figures.
"who are they?" said Lucy with a hostile look in thinking that they were enemies.
"it's alright" stated Natsu as he glance at the group. "they're allies"
"allies?" said Erza before the three cloaked figures took off their heads and revealed themselves to be Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy.
"Jellal." Said Erza with a surprised look.
"I'm curtained that you heard of my jailbreak before?" asked Jellal to Erza who nodded, remembering a past news that she came across once after returning from Tenrou with the others.
"we broke him out" said Ultear with a small smile.
"more like Ultear did" added Meredy before glancing at Juvia who is staring at her. Meredy smiles before waving a hand to the Water mage. "long time no see, Juvia!"
'Meredy….' Juvia looks back before smiling 'she can make such a smile now, huh?"
"Aren't those two from Grimoire…?" said Lucy, knowing and remembering Ultear and Meredy before Gray cut her off.
"they're not enemies" said Gray to her before glancing at Ultear. "Are you?"
"no" replied Ultear while shaking her head before placing a hand to her chest. "The things I did in my past are acts that I cannot hope to atone for, but I at least want to help save people from the actions that my once reckless nature caused." A sympathetic smile appeared on her face. "Like Jellal for instance."
"You don't have to worry about me. You and I were both seduced by darkness." Said Jellal
"your memories…" said Erza as Jellal nodded
"Yes, they have. All of my memories have returned." Stated Jellal "They returned to me 6 years ago, while I was on my journey. I can't even begin to make up for the things I did to Erza and everyone."
"Jellal was under my control during the incident at the Tower of Heaven." Ultear interjected. "Please do not hold that against him."
"Did you find something to live for when you were broken out of jail?" Wendy asked, reminding Jellal of the brief talk they had during the Nirvana incident.
"I wouldn't exactly say that." Jellal said. "Ultear, Meredy, and I formed our own guild; an independent one not affiliated with the council. We call ourselves Crime Sorciere."
"Independent?" said Levy
"So, you're not a part of the league of guilds?" Charla inquired.
Ultear shook her head at the white exceeds question. She then began explaining Crime Sorciere's motivations to the group. They formed for the specific reason of rooting out Zeref and taking down all dark guilds that aim to lead others down the same road of darkness Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy followed. While Erza and the others were amazed by the idea of Crime Sorciere, they still remained sceptical due to the group's separate but checker pasts as dark wizards.
"enough with the introduction now" said Natsu, breaking off the reunion for a moment. The man looks at Jellal and the others then continued his words. "it took you all a while to get here"
"sorry, we were on another trail" said Jellal with an apologetic look to Natsu who sighs and shakes his head.
"make sure that they'd be ready" replied Natsu as Ultear nodded while stepping forward.
"what is this all about?" said Gray with a confused look.
"we were called here by Natsu-san" explained Meredy while smiling. "you could say that we came to repay some favours"
"favours?" asked Lucy.
"while we work in the shadows, Natsu has been giving us lots of help in finding dark guilds of Zeref worshippers" stated Jellal before glancing at Natsu. "he also helps us with some information on some Zeref cults as well"
"you've been doing that for how long?" asked Lucy to Natsu.
"5 and a half years" replied Natsu before crossing his arms. "but enough of that, we got to prepare you all for the GMG"
"what?" said everyone in unison.
"You are all competing in the Grand Magic Games correct?" asked Ultear before holding up her glass orb. "then I can help you all with that"
"You can?" said Gray with a raised eyebrow.
"my improved Arc of time can help you advance your abilities to compensate for the time you lost on Tenrou Island." Explained Ultear to them
"What?" Lucy, and Gray looked at her dumbfounded. Ultear began explaining how her magic worked, and the concept of the Second Origin.
"My arc of time, speeds up the development of second origin, meaning that you will not only be able to use magic for longer periods of time, but you will also gain new magic you never had before." Ultear finished her explanation as this got everyone to be cheerful and happy.
"Really?!" The others exclaimed happily.
"Looks like we'll be ready for the games after all." Gray said with a smirk.
"Talk about lucky." Lucy smiled.
"Although, there will be unimaginable pain during the transition period." Ultear said with a sadistic smile, unnerving the Fairy Tail wizards.
"her eyes…" muttered Wendy while shaking in fear.
"so scary" added Levy, equally afraid of the Time Mage.
The sun started to set on the horizon as the sky turned orange before slowly dark.
At the beach in a cabin, groans and screams of pain are heard as Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Juvia, and Levy were inside, all having red glowing tattoo marks on their body as result of Ultear's Arc of Time magic that is boosting their magic power.
"sounds so painful…" said Jet and Droy in unison, the two not wanting any part of the torturing training.
While the group trains in pain inside the cabin, Jellal had gone to have a private talk with Erza, and Natsu stayed near the beach with Meredy and Ultear. Ikaruga and their children had gone to sleep at the inn, leaving the man with the two members of Crime Sorciere.
Ultear holds her glass orb as she continued the torturing Second Origin Training to the group inside the cabin.
"how much longer?" asked Natsu as Ultear looks at her glass orb and sees everyone inside, screaming and groaning in pain.
"I might estimate about 2-3 more hours or so" said Ultear in reply before glancing at him. "are you certain that this type of training will work? You said it yourself that they weren't ready before"
"they have to be ready for the GMG" replied Natsu before sitting on the sand in a meditation pose. "and for a coming darkness"
"I always wondered if you meditate, you can see the future and stuff" said Meredy with a curious look.
"it doesn't work that way" stated Natsu while closing his eyes.
A minute pass before Natsu snapped open his eyes as the golden octagon-shaped gem appeared floating in front of him. Natsu looks at the gem and through its clear golden colour as he saw a vision of someone wearing a black cloak, walking within a large city before it disappeared.
"there certainly someone who is covered in black magic traces" said Natsu before he caught the gem in his grasp.
"is it Zeref?" asked Meredy with a slightly serious face.
"I can't tell" replied Natsu as he looks at the gem in his hand. "from what I could see, it could be him or not"
"this could mean that the GMG might be bringing Zeref or something else?" said Ultear, hearing the conversation.
"if anything," muttered Natsu before his eyes glows red for a single second. "it's darkness"
Moments later, the time had become midnight as the beach is silent and calm with no people in sight. At the inn, everyone is asleep and resting, especially for Gray and the others who had endured the pain of Ultear's training. They groaned in pain while they sleep.
At another room, Ikaruga is asleep with her three children as the mother slept in her futon with Ikki at her side. Meanwhile, on the terrace near the room, Natsu is there as the man is meditating while basking in the moon's radiant glow.
He silently meditated before he had the accompany of Chitetsu's voice.
"seems that darkness is always lurking forever upon Ishgar" said Chitetsu as the cursed katana is placed by Natsu's side while the man meditates.
Natsu opens his eyes and glanced at Chitetsu who cackled.
"darkness always exists when there is light, and light always exist when there is darkness" Chitetsu cackled. "I do wonder on which side are we on, Natsu"
"silence" said Natsu before he closed his eyes and went back to meditating. Chitetsu chuckled before the cursed katana's spirit went to sleep.
The moon basked its glow upon Natsu as his shadow appeared behind him. His shadow was unlike the man's body as it formed a demonic black shadow of a monster.
That's a wrap!
Bye bye