A/N: Episode 197.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: LIFE TIME

Bacchus dodged an attack from a mini dragon. "We're overrun here! We should retreat!" Rocker informed.

"Not yet! I wanna drink tasty booze with the Fairy Tail guys later on, so let's dig in one more..." Bacchus replied, not noticing a dragon was behind him.

"Bacchus! Behind you!" Rocker warned.

Bacchus leaped into the air to avoid the attack when the dragon struck him with its tail.

"Hang in there, Droy! Somebody! Somebody, help! Droy isn't breathing! He's not breathing!" Jet shouted as dragons surrounded him.

Atlas ended up getting thrown to the wall as his spell dispersed. "Atlas!" Nero called out as Eric held him back.

"Get back, Nero!"

"Let me go! I have to help him!"

"I'll go. Hang on, Atlas!" Eric said, picking up Excalibur from the ground.

"Stay back, Eric! I'm fine!" Atlas told him as the mini dragons surrounded him.

"Atlas!" Nero shouted as he began to tear up. He closed his eyes as a blast was soon heard, followed by a loud scream.

"Sherria! Where are you?!" Lyon called out as Juvia had tears falling from her eyes while Alyssa felt like she wanted to throw up. "Sherria! Sherria! Sherria... We need your Healing Magic... Please! Gray's been..."

"It went... right through his head..." Meredy sobbed.

Ryujin flew into the air as Mother Glare flew in front of him. "Shall I deliver the finishing blow?" Future Rogue asked. "Do it! Mother Glare!"

Ryujin was able to dodge Mother Glare's attack as Sting breathed heavily.

"What are you thinking, Ryujin? Why are you assisting that human?" Mother Glare questioned.

"I told you. We're talking about a child raised by brother, Weisslogia. Human or not, we're kin!" Ryujin replied.

"I cannot comprehend that. But if you're standing against me, I shan't hold back!" Mother Glare claimed.

"I wouldn't want you to."

Sting began eating more of Ryujin's solar light. "Bastard. You still intend to fight? You don't know when to give up." Future Rogue said.

"That's 'cause I just need to eat to get my power back!" Sting informed.

"That may be, but your wounds haven't healed. No matter how much power you get back, if you suffer a fatal blow, it's all over!" Future Rogue exclaimed, dodging his attack and sent one of his own, in which it narrowly missed Sting.

Ryujin caught Sting on time. "Eat this!" Future Rogue shouted, sending another attack as Sting leaped into the air.

"I can't afford to lose! Especially not against you!" Sting landed on Mother Glare's back and face Future Rogue. "I made a promise!"

"A promise?" Future Rogue repeated.

"Raging Volt!" Laxus shouted.

"Jade Dragon's Shock Wave!" Lucas called out.

The two attacks struck Elexion at the same time, but it had no effect.

"What's wrong?! These attacks are unworthy of someone so high-spirited." Elexion taunted.

"I'm just warmin' up." Laxus claimed as lightning cackled.

"Bastard..." Lucas muttered.

"Even Lucas and Laxus's attacks won't go through. That Elexion is truly formidable." Lily commented.

"Even though they're both Dragon Slayers, that's no guarantee they'll beat the dragon, right?" Carla asked.

"If those two can't do it together, then maybe with my help..." Wendy charged forward. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"

The wind soon combined with the lightning and the green energy. "Nice one, Wendy!" Laxus praised, attacking Elexion with lightning once more while Lucas attacked with green energy.

"Did it work?" Ace questioned.

"It was a palpable hit. This should do it right here!" Carla responded.

Elexion was knocked to the ground. "Old man, it's almost too easy to end it here after all your boastful talk." Laxus said as Elexion rose from the smoke.

"You struck a blow to my face... You stripling..."

"I don't believe it! That wasn't fatal?!" Lily exclaimed.

"No way..." Ace mumbled.

"You're actually starting to make me mad. I enjoy mocking girls, but I'll never enjoy bantering with males. I'll just devour you whole, clothes and all." Elexion claimed as Wendy backed up.

"The men here look unappetizing with their tough meat, but you..." Elexion licked his lips and charged forward.

"Wendy, get away!" Laxus shielded Wendy from Elexion.

"Laxus-san!"

"Thunder Beast!" Shiro called out, creating a giant wolf-shaped beast made of blue lightning as it struck the green-colored dragon. Blue lightning cackled as Shiro ended up getting thrown back.

The dragon soon took flight. "Is it going to attack from the right? Or from the left?" Shiro asked himself. "Which way will it come from?"

"Crap!"

The dragon struck Shiro with its wing, causing him to go flying through a wall. When the smoke settled, Shiro laid there motionless with blood coating his raven black hair due to the wound on his head.

Cobra continued to attack the rock dragon. "Unless your poison can penetrate this body, it's useless! And I think it's about time for my turn."

Cobra ended up crashing to the ground.

"Prepare yourself!"

Lucy continued running towards the palace. "I have to hurry! I need to tell everyone about that note!" She told herself.

She turned the corner, only to come face to face with a bunch of mini dragons that surrounded her. "Oh no!" Lucy thought.

Ultear was still collapsed on her knees. "My life was cursed. I've deceived people, mocked them, and taken their lives. But, Gray... You gave me a chance to live as a human being. I intended the independent guild Crime Sorciére to be my way of atoning my sins. I meant to atone... but I didn't change. I'm still a witch who doesn't think twice about murdering someone. I... I don't deserve to live." She thinks to herself.

Ultear thought back to her time as a young girl in Grimoire Heart.

A younger Ultear was studying when she heard footsteps, causing her to turn and kneel when Hades walked in. "I'm impressed by all the tomes of magic you've gathered in such a short time." He said.

"Master Hades! I didn't know you were here."

"You needn't humble yourself. Come, stand up." Hades ordered as Ultear did so.

"Master Hades, before you told me about a kind of magic that can restore lost happiness." She said.

"Perhaps you mean the Arc of Time?" Hades questioned.

"I finally got a clue!" Ultear held up a book. "I found a description of what's believed to be that magic in here."

"Last Ages. That magic must never be used."

"Why not? This is the magic I've been searching for! This would let me turn back time and do it over again. I would do anything to learn this magic..." Ultear said.

"Last Ages comes with a price that the caster must pay." Hades explained, looking at Ultear. "In exchange for turning back time, all of the spellcaster's time is stolen."

"Time?" Ultear quoted.

"In other words, 'life.' In turning back the clock of the world, the caster loses all of their time. Is that the world you desire?"

Ultear looked down. "I-I don't want that..." She admitted.

"But now... I do." Ultear raised her hand. "If giving up my life can reset the world... I'll gladly offer it."

Ultear's hands began to glow as she slammed them onto the ground, energy swirling around her.

"Arc of Time! Last Ages!"

The clock soon struck.

Ultear screamed in pain as her body began to crack. "Tough it out! Think of the agony you inflicted on so many people! Compared to that, this pain is... Exquisite pain... running through my cells... one by one... Is this where I pay the price with my time... with my life?!" She wondered as she sat up.

"My life is flowing out of me... My time is vanishing... My life... My future is..."

Ultear screamed.

"It was a life tainted by villainy and vice, but looking back, someone was always there for me. Gray, Jellal, Meredy... It was more happiness than someone like me deserved. And yet, I didn't realize it. I spent my time and my life on foolish things. But it's not too late! I'll sacrifice the rest of my time for the sake of those who are dear to me! Please! Bring the world back... to at least before the portal was opened! Take my life in exchange for just a little time!"

Bright lights soon appeared before a large beam surrounded Crocus.

Once the spell was finished, Ultear turned to look at the clock. "Time... Time... went back..."

She saw that the clock had barely changed as she widened her eyes. "...one minute?! The value... of my life... is just one minute?!"

Ultear began to fall forward. "No... I couldn't save a single soul..." She realized, finally collapsing to the ground.

"Look out!" Gray warned as he grabbed onto Juvia and Meredy, making them duck for cover.

"Don't lose focus!" Lyon shouted as he froze another dragon.

"This is a battleground!" Alyssa added, freezing another hatchling solid.

Gray and Meredy stood up. "Sorry!" Meredy apologized.

Juvia's face was red. "Gray-sama touched Juvia's behind..." She muttered.

"Juvia..." Gray called out her name. However, before he continued, something flashed within everyone's minds as they saw Gray dying.

"Everyone saw the same thing, right?" Alyssa said, making sure it wasn't just her going crazy.

"What was that just now?" Lyon asked.

"I'm gonna be killed?" Gray questioned.

"A dream?" Meredy guessed.

"Juvia saw it, too." Juvia informed.

"What the hell?! Suddenly getting a vision of my death is just too creepy!" Gray exclaimed.

"The little dragons appear from over there..." Meredy stated, pointing.

The dragons soon appeared, ready to fire the beam. "They really did show up!" Lyon exclaimed.

Alyssa used her Magic and froze the dragons before they could strike at Gray.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Alyssa yelled in confusion.

"Did someone warn us?" Gray wondered. "Who could've done that?"

Beams fired at Jet and Droy. "Whoa!" Jet exclaimed as him and Droy took cover in an alleyway.

"But what was that just now? It's like a caught a glimpse of the future." Droy said.

"A warning? Then it's dangerous here. Let's go over there!" Jet informed.

"Yeah!" Droy agreed.

"It can't have been a dream..." Eric muttered in confusion.

"It was like images from the future..." Nero said.

"Then this area is dangerous." Atlas informed.

That day, people all over the world saw one minute into their future.

However, like a dream, it quickly faded from memory, so not many people would dwell on this mysterious phenomenon.

But for the wizards who were in the middle of battle, seeing one minute into the future made the difference between life and death.

Elexion charged forward. "What was that just now?" Wendy wondered.

"We can think about it later!" Lucas shouted as Wendy moved out of the way of Elexion's jaws.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Jade Dragon's Roar!"

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

The three breath attacks combined, attacking Elexion.

"Images... of the future..." Lily turned to Carla. "Was that your power, Carla?"

"It wasn't me." Carla answered.

"It wasn't me, either." Happy chimed in.

Lily, Carla, and Ace sweat dropped. "We know that."

"A vision?!" Bacchus mumbled, moving out of the way just in time.

"You did it, Bacchus! Awesome!" Rocker cheered.

That one minute...

"Right..." Shiro muttered to himself. "...Here!"

Shiro leaped into the air, avoiding the dragon's wing as he clasped his hands together. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" He called out, striking down on the dragon with a large amount of blue lightning.

That one minute became the root of the human race's counterattack.

"What the hell was that? For just an instant, it's like I could see where he was going to attack." Shiro said.

"Take this!" Cobra shouted, striking the rock dragon.

Lucy continued running before she stopped. "What is this? If I turn that corner..." She paused as a vision of her being surrounded by dragons appeared.

"I can't turn there..." Lucy mumbled as she went straight.

"What the...?! There was just a ripple in the flow of time. Did something happen to Eclipse?" Future Rogue asked himself.

"Not so smart to be easily distracted in the middle of a fight, Rogue!" Sting called out, coming down from Ryujin and punching Future Rogue in the face, causing him to crash to the ground.

"I'm gonna keep my promise!" Sting claimed.

Future Rogue stood up. "Promise? What are you talking about?"

"I made a promise to the Future Luke." Sting replied, igniting his fist with holy light. Future Rogue gritted his teeth as Sting charged forward once more.

The attack continued striking Elexion as Wendy, Lucas, and Laxus had determined looks.

"Princess, let's leave this to the wizards. Come." Arcadios said.

"I'll escort you." Yukino offered.

"No. Please let me stay here. I have a duty to watch what happens." Hisui informed.

"Princess... But..." Yukino began to protest.

"Everyone!" Lucy called out, getting their attention as they surrounded Lucy.

"Look! Look at this!"

"What is it?"

"A memo pad from the future me!" Lucy explained.

"Future you?"

"Here..." Lucy handed Yukino the memo pad.

"'If by any chance the portal in this time period is destroyed, the Eclipse portal in the future will cease to exist. As part of a chain reaction, both Lucas and I will also disappear from existence.'" Yukino reads.

"What does that mean?" Arcadios questioned.

"It's talking about what will happen if the portal in our time period is destroyed. Then the future will be painted over with a future in which the portal was destroyed. The portal will wink out of existence in the future. If that happens, Rogue won't have any means to come back to our time period." Lucy explained.

"But is it possible to stop what's already happened?" Hisui asked.

"If everything worked out, then both the dragons and Rogue would disappear from our time!" Happy replied.

"It's worth a shot!" Carla added.

"However, there's one big problem. How do we destroy a giant structure like that?" Arcadios asked.

"It won't be an easy job." Lily responded.

"True. It'll be difficult, for sure." Ace agreed.

"But if Rogue doesn't come from the future, the world should return to its proper history. We have to do it. And I have to keep my promise to the Future Lucas!" Lucy declared.

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.