A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER THIRTY: THE ECLIPSE PROJECT
Still underneath the arena, the group was confronted by Arcadios and Yukino. For some odd reason, the knight seemed familiar to Lucas. "I am Arcadios, Captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, the kingdom of Fiore's military corps stationed in Crocus." Arcadios introduced himself.
"I am Yukino Agria, temporary sergeant of the same." Yukino added.
Lucas groaned as he felt another headache coming on.
"You know we can't be seen by my father or Arcadios."
"Arcadios is always around your sister anyway."
"...Arcadios?" Lucas muttered, getting Shiro's attention.
"You know this guy?" He questioned.
Lucas rubbed his head. "I'm not sure... But the name seems familiar to me for some reason." He replied.
"What's a military big cheese doing here?" Gray asked.
Lucy stepped forward next to him. "Yukino... But you..." She started to say.
"...were a member of Sabertooth." Lily finished.
"You said they kicked you out, right?" Happy questioned.
"Yes. That's correct." Yukino replied.
"I'll explain. The power of a Celestial Spirit Wizard was necessary to the secrecy of the operation. And so, I'm relying on the assistance of Sergeant Yukino." Arcadios stated.
"A Celestial Spirit Wizard..." Lucy quoted to herself.
"U-Um, what do you mean you needed the power of a Celestial Spirit Wizard?" Wendy asked.
"You still haven't answered our question. What the hell do you want?" Lucas questioned.
"Lucas Ray-kun, yes? Your previous event was a marvelous magic battle. It seems you've grown up well, Prince Lucas." Arcadios responded.
Natsu soon stepped forward in anger. "I wanna know about this "Celestial Spirit Wizard is necessary" business." He informed. "If you got somethin' to say, spit it out!"
"Natsu..." Lucy muttered.
"Yeesh..." Gray huffed out.
"Natsu, I think you already know this, but that guy's a VIP." Happy informed.
"If you think so, then I don't know about calling him "that guy"..." Lily stated.
Ace sighed. "And I thought being around Lector and his whole personality being 'Sting's the greatest' was bad." He commented, making Blaze snort in amusement next to him.
Carla thought back to her vision. "A white knight..." She noted.
Arcadios soon turned around. "Follow me." He ordered.
"Hey, jackass! Wait!" Natsu called out.
"Lucy-sama, I also have a favor to ask." Yukino said, getting Lucy's attention. "If this operation is a success, Zeref and Acnologia will be defeated."
"Acnologia..."
The group soon found themselves in front of the palace. "What the hell is this?!" Natsu exclaimed.
"It's huge!" Gray shouted.
"It's the Flower Light Palace, right, Mercurius?" Wendy asked.
"His Majesty's palace." Arcadios replied.
"That's really something..." Lily commented.
"It's okay for us to go inside?" Happy questioned.
"But first, I would like to apologize to Lucy-dono for her mistaken attempted abduction several days ago." Arcadios said.
"W-What?!" Natsu said.
"That's right. Wendy was mistaken for Lucy and kidnapped." Carla recalled.
The group began walking behind Arcadios and Yukino. "You were behind that?" Lucy asked.
"Of course, I didn't intend to cause you any harm, but I imprudently took somewhat forceful measures. At the time, I was convinced we needed a Celestial Spirit Wizard immediately, and made an error in judgment. I apologize." Arcadios responded.
"The Grand Magic Games were camouflage to absorb a great quantity of wizards' magic power."
"So every year, you stole magic from wizards?" Gray questioned.
"Camouflage?!" Happy repeated.
"That's terrible!" Carla exclaimed.
"That's really low." Gajeel commented.
"Exactly." Lily agreed.
"Fucked up is the term I would use." Shiro stated.
"Say what you wish. I did it all for a certain plan." Arcadios informed.
"What is it?" Wendy asked as the group stopped in front of a large gate.
"Eclipse, the portal that will change the world. A great deal of magic power was required to construct it." Arcadios explained.
"Portal?" Lucy quoted.
"What the hell is it?" Natsu questioned.
"When the sun and moon are in conjunction, the 12 keys will be used to open the door." Arcadios answered. "When it's opened, the plan is to travel back 400 years in time and murder Zeref before he can become immortal. That is the Eclipse Project!"
Everyone was in shock at the news. "T-Travel through time?!" Lucy repeated.
"Lucy-sama, I've heard time flows differently between the Celestial Spirit World and our own." Yukino said.
"Yes, now that you mention it, but..." Lucy trailed off.
"The idea is to use the Celestial Spirit World's dimensional boundary line and the power of a Celestial Spirit Wizard to open this door." Yukino stated.
"Originally, the plan called for the possible use of pseudo-Celestial Spirit magic in place of the real thing. But having a true Celestial Spirit Wizard and the 12 keys would guarantee the success of the project. I could say that aspect is indispensable. The sun and moon will overlap three days hence, on July 7th. I would like your assistance, Lucy-dono." Arcadios continued.
"July 7th..." Natsu muttered.
"The day our dragons disappeared..." Wendy realized.
"Is it just a coincidence?" Gajeel wondered.
"Could be..." Lucas mumbled.
"The eclipse, when the sun and moon are in conjuction..." Gray paused.
"A solar eclipse..."
Multiple footsteps were soon heard, causing everyone to turn around and see the Royal Army surrounding them.
"That's enough! Don't move!"
"The royal army?!" Wendy exclaimed.
"What is this?!" Carla wondered.
"What the hell?!" Natsu said.
"What's going on?!" Lucy questioned.
"You dumbasses wanna rumble?!" Gray taunted.
"Surrender peacefully, Captain Arcadios."
"Minister of Defense, what is the meaning of this?!" Arcadios asked.
"That is my line. Leaking details of a top secret plan and state military secrets to outsiders is abominable." Darton replied.
"They're not outsiders! You know this. These people have a critical role to play in the success of the operation." Arcadios argued.
"That's not a simple matter for you to arbitrarily decide on." Darton stated.
Arcadios stepped forward, but two royal guards stopped him. "You're just opposed to the plan, aren't you?! I want you to stop this nonsense immediately!" He ordered.
"Of course I'm opposed to it! Changing history! Can you even slightly imagine the inherent dangers, boy?!" Darton exclaimed.
"What the hell are they arguin' about?" Natsu wondered.
"So there's a faction that's against the plan." Lucy pointed out.
"Even so..." Gray trailed off.
"Change history..." Wendy muttered.
"I see. If you change the past..." Happy began.
"...the present will change too!" Carla finished.
"That's what would happen." Lily stated.
"And all of the events that follow won't exist." Ace concluded.
"Arrest Captain Arcadios on suspicion of treason! Arrest Yukino Agria, Lucy Heartfilia, and Lucas Ray too!" Darton ordered. "Throw everyone else out!"
"Yes, sir!"
"What?!" Gray yelled.
"Wait, me too?!" Lucy shouted in shock.
"Hold on a second! Why am I being arrested?!" Lucas exclaimed in confusion.
"Jackasses! You're not gettin' Lucy involved in this..." Natsu said, lighting his fist on fire.
"Go near Luke and I'll kick all of your asses!" Atlas threatened, his fist being covered in dark black-golden energy.
"Natsu, Atlas! Stop!" Shiro warned.
"Don't! You mustn't use magic here!" Arcadios also warned.
"Huh?"
The Eclipse Gate soon activated, causing a bright light to show. "Wha...?! This..." Natsu trailed off.
Both Atlas and Natsu felt their magic power being drained. "The hell is this?!" Atlas exclaimed.
"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.
"Atlas!" Lucas called out, his arms being held back by the guards.
"Perhaps he didn't tell you. The Grand Magic Games is a system to steal a small amount of magic power from wizards and send it to Eclipse. If magic is activated this close to Eclipse, all of the person's magic power will be siphoned." Darton explained.
Natsu and Atlas finally stopped glowing white as they both collapsed to the ground. "Don't cause a fuss. Wizards who can't use magic are no threat to our kingdom." Darton finished.
"Hey! Let go of me!" Lucy exclaimed.
"You bastards..." Lucas growled, still being restrained.
"Isn't Arcadios-sama your commander?!" Yukino questioned.
"Lucy!" Gray shouted.
"Lucas!" Shiro exclaimed.
"Yukino-san!" Wendy added.
"Darton!" Arcadios yelled.
"I will not let Eclipse be activated." Darton claimed.
The rest of the group were outside with a knocked out Natsu and Atlas. "Natsu..." Happy muttered.
"Atlas..." Ace mumbled in worry.
"They both have magic deficiency syndrome. I don't think they'll be able to move for a while..." Carla informed.
"Idiots... Both of them... I tried to warn them, too." Shiro sighed.
"Bastard..." Gajeel muttered under his breath.
"I want you to understand that this isn't my own will. It's all on behalf of the state. But I can give you one piece of advice." Darton spoke.
"Asshole! Give Lucas back to us! Right now!" Shiro threatened.
"His Majesty is fond of Fairy Tail. And the guild that his son joined also interests him. If either of you win the Grand Magic Games, I'll grant you an audience with the king. Knowing how kind he is, he may consider the matter of your friend's treatment. May you have grand magic battles." Darton said before walking away with the royal guards.
"Lucy..." Natsu mumbled.
July 5th. The second-to-last day of the Grand Magic Games.
"What?!"
"Lucas was captured by the royal army?!"
"So unless we win the Grand Magic Games, they won't give him back..." Olga muttered.
"But if what you say is true and they captured Lucy as well. Fairy Tail will also be dead set on winning, too." Rosaline stated.
"I don't know if we could trust them on that." Eric pointed out.
"Right." Alyssa agreed.
"Who cares about that?! Release me now! I'll go rescue Luke!" Atlas exclaimed as he was tied up to a pole.
"Calm yourself." Fera told him with his arms crossed.
"Don't tell me to calm down! They're holding my best friend captive! Why aren't any of you angry?!" Atlas shouted.
Nero huffed in annoyance before he sent a kick towards Atlas's face, causing him to spit out blood due to the impact. Nero then placed his boot on Atlas's head.
"He said to calm down. We're all angry that Lucas got captured." Nero informed.
"We're talking about going against the kingdom here." Olga added on.
"Which is why we need a secret plan."
Everyone turned at the sound of Kaiba's voice. "Master..." Shiro mumbled.
"Fera, Drake, Nero, Ace." Kaiba called out their names. "May I have a word?"
The three mages gave a look as they followed Kaiba out of the bar. "What is it, Master?" Drake asked.
"I just got back from visiting Fairy Tail. Apparently, they're going on a secret rescue mission to save Lucy." Kaiba replied. "I want you three to go with them to rescue Lucas. Nero, I want you to form a plan with the team. With Lucas absent, you're our only other strategist around."
"Right." Nero said.
Kaiba then turned to Ace. "Ace, I want you to head to Crocus Garden and inform Sting. I want to update him on what happened." He informed.
"On it." Ace said, opening his wings so he can fly over towards Crocus Garden.
"Fera and Drake will accompany Fairy Tail with the rescue mission. Nero, I don't want a word about this to the team." Kaiba continued. "Their emotions with Lucas being arrested may help them with the Games."
"I won't say a word, Master." Nero promised.
Crocus Garden...
Sting was dressed in a new outfit as he thought about Lector. Rogue and Frosch were also with them.
"Sting!"
Sting turned, seeing Ace flying into the room from the balcony. "Ace? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Lucas has been arrested by the royal army!"
This caused both Sting and Rogue to widen their eyes. "What happened?" Rogue questioned.
"It's a long story. But unless God Pegasus wins the Grand Magic Games, they won't return Lucas. Master Kaiba is allying with Fairy Tail because their guild member got arrested as well." Ace replied, deciding not to mention Yukino. "They're making a rescue plan behind the scenes."
Ace finally realized someone was missing. "Hey... Where's Lector?" He asked.
"Master Jiemma got angry with mine and Rogue's lost against Luke. Long story short, if Sabertooth doesn't win the Grand Magic Games, Lector won't be returned to me." Sting explained.
Ace widened his eyes. "Disregard everything I just said." He said.
Sting stood up. "I've made my decision. I'm tagging along on this mission." He said.
"What about the Games, Sting?! You think Minerva will let you miss them?" Rogue stated.
"Dobengal can take my place! Do you really think I'll be able to focus now that I know my boyfriend was captured?" Sting questioned, making Rogue sigh as Sting turned back to Ace. "Take me to them."
Nero was planning with Drake and Fera as the rest of the guild members had left, when Sting entered the bar with Ace flying right behind him. "Let me come with you guys." Sting said.
"Not a chance, Sting. It'll already be suspicious that Lucas is gone. If you're missing from the Sabertooth team, that'll raise even more suspicion." Drake said.
"I don't care. I'm coming." Sting declared, not backing down.
"Let him come, Drake-san." Fera said, making Drake sigh.
"Okay."
"Nero, I have a favor to ask of you." Sting turned to him, causing Nero to hum. "Do you think you can defeat Lady Minerva for me?"
Nero blinked. "I can certainly do that. But may I ask why?" He questioned.
"She's holding Lector hostage because he spoke out against Master Jiemma, who tried to kill him. Unless Sabertooth wins the Grand Magic Games, he won't be returned to me. But since Luke has been captured, I can't participate in the Games, so-" Sting began.
"I got it, Sting. I'll make sure Minerva is defeated." Nero promised.
Sting smiled. "Thank you." He said.
In the castle dungeons...
Lucas was sitting on a bed in a cell with his back against the wall along with Lucy and Yukino. "I never expected this to happen. I really am a bad luck magnet." Yukino spoke. Lucy turned to look at her.
"What are you talking about?! If you've got enough free time to be depressed, use it to find a way out of here instead!" Lucy told her.
"Lucy-sama..." Yukino muttered.
"If we do escape, the first thing we need to do is get the keys back." Lucy stated.
Lucas snorted. "And what do you suggest we do? Bat our eyelashes and say 'please'? Or have you and Yukino-chan flash the guards?" He spat out sarcastically.
"You must be fun at parties..." Lucy muttered.
Lucas let out a tired sigh. "Sorry. I tend to be sarcastic when I'm under a lot of stress. I don't even know why I got arrested. Though, Arcadios mentioned something about me being a 'Prince' or whatever. Yeesh... If this is how they treat royalty, I don't want it." He spoke.
"I'm so sorry about this." Yukino apologized.
"It's not your fault!" Lucy reassured.
"Yeah, don't beat yourself up for this. How were you supposed to know they would arrest us?" Lucas added.
"The three of us have gotten caught up in the kingdom's internal strife. That's all." Lucy claimed. "It's all about whether to go ahead with the Eclipse Project or not, right? I don't exactly know which is the right way to go myself."
"It should be done." Yukino said, causing both Lucas and Lucy to glance at her. "I had an older sister. Her name was Sorano. No matter what I did, I fouled things up, which infuriated my parents. But my sister always protected me."
"It's not Yukino's fault!"
"She was so kind and pretty. I loved my sister. But one day, a group blindly devoted to Zeref murdered my parents and took away my big sister. All I could do was flee with my life." Yukino continued. "With the Eclipse Project, Zeref can be killed. Without him in this world, my sister..."
Yukino began to sob. "Maybe she would never have been taken away... But there's no guarantee the world would change the way you wanted it to. That's the danger of changing history the defense minister was talking about." Lucy said. "Changing the past... Is that really possible?"
Somewhere else, two hooded figures were running on the docks.
July 6th, the final day of the Grand Magic Games.
Fireworks erupted into the sky. "At last! At last, it's here!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered. "The final day of the wizards' passionate festival, the Grand Magic Games! Like it or not, only one guild will be victorious today! I'm your emcee, Chapati, and next to me is former Council member, Yajima-san, who will provide the commentary."
"Good to be here." Yajima said.
"Our special guest is none other than the mascot of the Grand Magic Games, Mato-kun!" Chapati said.
"Kabo!" Mato waved.
"You don't have to judge today, Mato-kun?" Chapati asked.
"Not today-kabo! Everyone, do your best-kabo!" Mato replied.
The audience cheered again. "Now then, the teams are about to take the field-kabo!" Mato announced as multiple explosions went off as Quatro Puppy's guild mark appeared in flames.
"Currently in 7th place! Can they turn it around?! Formally a hunting dog, now a puppy! Quatro Puppy!" Chapati announced as Quatro Puppy appeared in the arena.
"Although he's been trounced once, you can't underestimate the power of the drunken hawk, Bacchus." Yajima commented.
"Alright! Next up on the field is..." Chapati began as Blue Pegasus's guild mark appeared. "...Blue Pegasus, led by the current master of parfum, Ichiya Wanderlei Kotobuki!"
"They're currently in 6th place..." Mato added as the members of Blue Pegasus posed. "...but in the end, will they be able to grasp the parfum of victory-kabo?"
A large green Lamia Scale guild mark soon appeared. "Here they are! Lamia Scale is on the field!" Chapati said as Lyon, Jura, Yuka, Toby, and Sherria walked out. "Right now, they're in 4th place, but will Ice Wizard Lyon Vastia, who rivals or surpasses Fairy Tail's Gray Fullbuster, lead his team to victory?!"
"And we mustn't forget Sherria Blendy, the God Slayer, or Jura Neekis, one of the Ten Great Wizard Saints!" Mato added on.
"A team you'd never get tired of." Yajima commented.
"And sharing 4th place with Lamia Scale is..." Chapati began as waves soon appeared in the arena, followed by a blast of water, revealing the Mermaid Heel guild emblem. "...Mermaid Heel!"
"They're large flowers that have bloomed during the tournament, but they're not only glamorous..." Yajima trailed off.
"The team leader, Kagura Mikazuchi, is as calm as ever. There's something scary about her-kabo." Mato stated.
Sabertooth's emblem flashed on the Lacrima Vision. "And currently in third place!" Chapati started to say as the audience cheered. "Will they remain dethroned?! Will the two Dragon Slayers, the Twin Dragons, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, challenge Natsu and Lucas again?! And if so, what will the results of that rematch be?!"
"Sabertooth takes the field!"
However, they realized Sting was missing, replaced by Dobengal. "Though it seems Sting is missing..." Chapati added.
"Perhaps he's still recovering?" Yajima guessed.
Rogue internally sighed to himself. "Leave it to Sting to drop everything when Lucas is involved. Still, I can't really blame him." He noted.
After Fairy Tail was announced in second place, it was time for God Pegasus. "And currently in first place! Will this be the day the second strongest guild takes the top spot?!" Chapati announced as the God Pegasus emblem flashed in blue lightning.
"God Pegasus is taking the field!"
God Pegasus soon began walking out. "Huh?!" Chapati said.
"K-Kabo?" Mato questioned.
"W-What?! They've also changed the members! This is an unexpected development! It seems Lucas Ray has been replaced!" Chapati announced as it was revealed Eric had taken Lucas's spot.
"Lucas was instrumental in the Tag Team Battle, so why isn't he here?" Chapati wondered.
Yajima hummed. "Maybe something happened?" He guessed.
"Why isn't he here?"
"I wanted to see him!"
All seven of the participating guild emblems appeared on the Lacrima Vision. "Are you sure this is going to work, Master Kaiba?" Rosaline asked.
"It has to." Kaiba responded. "If we win the Grand Magic Games, they may release Lucas. But... We can't rely on just that. Luckily, Makarov is very understanding. With everyone absorbed in the tournament, this is the perfect chance. We'll cheer the team on, as usual."
"Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a separate team is heading to rescue Lucas and Lucy."
Natsu was shown running through Crocus, followed by Wendy, Mira, Fera, Drake, and Sting. Also with them were Happy, Lily, Carla, and Ace.
A/N: Lucas: "Why am I being arrested?"
Me: "For the plot :)"
Thoughts on what the Rescue Team is going to be like now that Sting has joined up with them?
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.