I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed this story since I updated it.
Altajir95: I'm just going to say this to reply to all of the reviews you've left so far. Thank you for all of the positive feedback, and I'm impressed you guessed that Luke would defeat Jose using Dragon Force. I hope I continue to please you with what I write.
Ragnas Bredvolts: Yep, that was the climax of the war with Phantom Lord and it definitely showed with all of the chaos, drama and character development, and in this case especially for Elfman and Luke. As for my hater who shall not be named, I knew that if I didn't call him out then he would just keep spamming hate reviews on this story, so I basically told him to get lost because I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. I hope I continue to meet your expectations, and you have a nice day as well.
Cameron: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it.
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"In a land far far away lies the Kingdom of Fiore, a small and peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with magic. Found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most people, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some however, magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards and mages, and banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore, but there is a certain guild in a certain town that stands high above the rest of them, one from which countless legends have been born, a guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. This guild is known as Fairy Tail."
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The members of the Magic Council were present and pissed as hell about what was happening in the courtroom.
Luke let out a sigh "See this is one of those moments that makes me question every decision I've ever made." he promptly elbowed the sleeping form of Makarov in his tiny gut "Master wake up, we're in court!"
"I'm here I'm here!" Makarov promptly bolted upright "What's going on?"
"We're in the middle of court and you fell asleep once they started talking."
"I did? Oh yeah, sorry about that." he let out a nervous chuckle.
Luke promptly slammed his head his face against the stand.
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One remarkably painful court session later…
Luke made his way down the halls of the Council building, his expression one of clear exhaustion "First I have to fight a Wizard Saint, then I get put on trial with the master for being the one to fight the Wizard Saint, which is pretty much hell. I love being part of Fairy Tail but I wish there would be a little more sanity."
"Then you have the right guy waiting for you."
Luke glanced up and let out a groan "Great, more insanity. Didn't expect to find you in Fiore of all places God Serena."
Sure enough, before him stood God Serena, top ranked Wizard Saint, a guy with spiked orange hair jutting out at the top like rabbit ears and with a scar on his nose, and he started posing in a dramatic fashion "Indeed, I am… HERE!"
"As much of a jackass as you were the last time we met."
God Serena posed again, and then pointed at Luke "I'm flattered that you remember me as you always did my young apprentice.
"Drop the act Bunny Hair, it's just you and me."
"So it is." God Serena dropped the pose and let out a chuckle "So since I'm in Fiore on some business being the top ranked Wizard Saint, what do you say you and I go and grab a bite to eat somewhere, and you can tell me about how you drop kicked that little prick?"
"Works for me."
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About an hour later…
Luke sat with God Serena in a restaurant not too far away, discussing the recent events of the war with Phantom Lord and his battle with Jose "So Fairy Tail was found not guilty in the grand scheme of things, my guess is that Yajima had a hand in that."
God Serena munched on a french fry "Wouldn't be surprised, he's probably the only one amongst those old blowhards who doesn't hate on you and your guild because they don't have lives of their own."
"Phantom Lord on the other hand got disbanded, and Jose got thrown in prison and stripped of his title as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, so that's pretty much what I expected."
"I said from the beginning that making that sadistic little prick a Wizard Saint was a bad idea, but nobody listens to the guy with the cool haircut."
"Or the guy with the awesome red cowboy boots, thanks again for those by the way."
"No one liked them?"
"Mystogan did, and I'll take that."
"Works for me."
"So you gonna drop by the guild at any point, I'm sure everyone is gonna piss themselves when they see the strongest mage on the continent at the guild."
"I might, if for no other reason but to see how they compare to you."
"Natsu would definitely try to fight you."
"I'd probably kill him."
"You do that and I'd have to kill you." he let out a snort "Yeah like I could, as strong as I am right now you could just oneshot me without even batting an eye."
"Don't give me a reason to and I won't." God Serena glanced out the window "You know on my way in I heard Makarov talking with Yajima about retiring and choosing a successor as the master of the guild."
"Oh don't even think about trying to talk me into becoming the guild master, the sad thing is that if anyone is gonna be the next master then it would probably be Laxus, and god only knows where that prick is right now."
'I see, so he still doesn't know. Well I'll let someone else tell him then. Hey how about once we finish eating we head out and do a little bit of a training match, just like old times sake?"
"Fine by me, maybe see how I stack up against you."
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Construction continued to get underway.
"Listen up everyone." Erza quickly got everyone's attention, although it was mainly because they were scared shitless "Starting today, everyone from the guild will be able to take on job requests again. You'll have to excuse the mess while we're under construction, but at the very least you'll be able to get back to work." this left a good majority of the wizards considerably pumped up.
Lucy glanced over and noticed a bunch of nameless wizards (background characters that have no relevance to the story) lined up at the request board "What's up with these guys? Most of the time a good chunk of them would just be sitting around loafing around the guild hall all day and doing nothing."
"That about sums up at least 60% of the members of the guild." Cana pointed out as she took a sip from her mug of booze.
"Hey I don't suppose you've seen Loke around have you?"
"Oh great, another chick with a big rack that fell for Fairy Tail's resident playboy."
"No it's not like that, it's just that apparently he's the one who found my keys. I just wanted to find him and thank him for doing that for me."
"Yeah sure, if I see him then I'll let him know. So were any of your Celestial Spirits pissed at you for losing your keys the way that you did."
"Well yeah I guess you could say that, and there was one spirit in particular who was really pissed off about it." she cringed and held her obviously bruised ass "Just thinking about it makes my butt sting."
"I can help." Gray summoned some ice "If you want then I could cool it for you."
"That just sounds like sexual harassment on a whole new level."
"Hey Lucy, how about you show us how red your ass is." Bolt shot her a huge shit eating grin.
"And with that comment you've crossed the line."
"We're in Fairy Tail, there is no line to cross. Plus Luke is gone with the master and I'm bored as hell. Hey Natsu get over here, I wanna see how Lucy would react if we make her ass sting even more!"
"And it's official, you're the devil!"
"Just ignore the cat." Cana promptly hit him over the head with a book "He only does it these days because Luke won't, he's really matured in the time he's been gone. He's kind of compensating."
"So Luke was a sadist?"
"He was a snarky jackass, basically like Natsu but with lightning instead of fire." she gave a small smile "Still though, even when he was little and snarky he was always tough as hell and always had a good heart, even when we first met."
"You guys have known each other for a really long time huh?"
"Yeah, since he joined Fairy Tail around 7 years ago, not long after Natsu did. Everyone was still a bunch of little kids at the time. Natsu and Gray being two little balls of hate trying to strangle each other every time they saw each other, only to incur the wrath of Erza in the process."
"Doesn't sound like anything has changed."
"With those two nothing ever does. Luke on the other hand has changed a lot, he was pretty much the same way with the master's grandson Laxus, partially because Laxus was a prick and the other part was because they both use lightning magic. Luke and Natsu weren't that much different back then since they were always getting into fights, of course Natsu acted like that was what he wanted, but whenever Luke was alone I'd notice him with this really sad look on his face, probably thinking about the dragon that raised him. I was only around 12 when I finally confronted him about it."
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(Flashback, 7 years ago)
The rain was pouring down over the skies of Magnolia.
Luke sat on the edge of the shore behind the guild hall, brooding to himself 'It's been about a year since you left. I can't help but wonder, will I ever see you again Kaminari? Father?'
"You know you shouldn't be out here while it's like this, you'll get sick."
Luke glanced back to see a young girl standing behind him in an orange dress with her hair in a ponytail, holding an umbrella "I could say the same about you. You shouldn't be out here, now go back inside, uh…"
"My name is Cana."
"Right, you're the girl that isn't an order driven lunatic or a complete sadist."
"Erza and Mira aren't that bad."
"Says the one that isn't on the receiving end of their obsession with bitch slapping each other on an hourly basis."
"More like I've been in the guild long enough to know how to avoid things like that. So what are you doing out here? It's a lot more comfortable inside."
"I'd rather not be surrounded by people who mock my father, why do you think I waste so much time trying to punch out Laxus?"
"Because he acts like a total jerk sometimes."
"Make that two reasons then."
"So is it really true that you were raised by a dragon?"
"You gonna make fun of me like he does?"
"I'm pretty sure he's one of a kind, and that's a good thing. Anyway I think it's pretty cool you were raised by a dragon."
"You… You actually believe me?"
"Why not? Let's just say that I have my fair share of problems with my dad too."
"Fair enough. His name is Kaminari, he's a lightning dragon."
"You think I could meet him someday?"
"Yeah sure, once I find him that is."
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Inside the guild hall…
A young man with blonde hair and a scar running down his right eye shot a look of disbelief and disinterest at Macao and Wakaba "Seriously, that kid? Don't tell me you actually believe he was raised by a dragon or any of that crap."
Macao gave a shrug "I don't know Laxus, keep in mind Luke does use Dragon Slayer magic and who else would know it but a dragon I guess, right?"
"You realize that sounds like total shit right?"
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Lucy glanced over at Cana "Wow you weren't kidding, he does kind of sound like a jerk. And you said he was the master's grandson?"
Cana let out a sigh "Yeah, I don't get it either. Anyway, Luke and I started training together and eventually we ended up going on jobs together." then her face fell "But then he went on to become an S class mage."
"And you're not allowed to go with him on those huh?"
"Not like he didn't try, but the master wouldn't let him, or me." her face fell slightly "And not long after that… he left."
"Left for what?"
"In his words, to do a lot of growing that he couldn't do here. There was… an incident and one of the guild members didn't make it, and Luke blamed himself for it. So he left to train across the continent and get stronger, and no one from Fairy Tail saw him for a year and a half, until he came back to Magnolia with you."
"Wow, that's… pretty heavy actually."
"Yeah. Luke was a lot more laid back and easygoing back then, but after that incident and after he came back he changed a lot. Now he's made himself into a protector of Fairy Tail through and through."
"So, he's not the same person anymore?"
"In a lot of ways he is, he was always caring and compassionate, but now he's a lot more focused and less willing to take risks. If this were 2 years ago then he would never have wanted to retreat from Phantom even after the master got hurt."
"Yeah, he definitely seems a lot more rational than most of the people in the guild. But then again it isn't that hard."
"True that." Cana promptly downed a mug.
"So do you mind if I ask you one other question?"
"Go for it."
"How do you and Luke feel about each other?"
Cana froze mid gulp "Crap, you had to go there didn't you?" she blushed slightly and looked away "Well…"
"Hey ladies." that was when Bolt suddenly popped up in between them "We're getting the team together to get some shit done until Luke and the Master get back, as in me and the other cat, his footstool, the stripper and Erza. Also Gray, put on some pants."
"Since when are you a team player?"
"Since this was Erza's idea and I'm smart enough to know not to piss her off."
"This was Erza's idea?"
Erza nodded "That's right, I mean we've all been working together since the Lullaby incident with Eisenwald so I guess that makes us a team of sorts now."
"And it took you this long to figure that out? We've known since Luke drop kicked the Lullaby demon, and then you, and then that demon on Galuna Island, and then Jose, wow Luke has been drop kicking a lot of people."
"That's besides the point."
"Still though, you're only just calling us a team? Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised, knowing you."
"Ignoring that, what do you say we make it official, the six of us working as a team?"
"Ahem." Bolt and Happy both shot her a look.
"Alright fine, the eight of us. Better?" she received two simultaneous nods "Okay good."
Lucy seemed rather nervous about this "I don't know Erza, are you sure you want someone like me on your team?"
"Not someone like you Lucy, what we want is you specifically. After everything we've been through, having someone other than you out there with us would just feel wrong."
Cana nodded "Yeah, you've got heart even if you are still just a newbie, and with you on it now that officially makes this the strongest team."
"Really, you think I'm one of the strongest?"
"You've got that psycho chick Aquarius, the pervert bull guy, the crab with a fucked up sense of style, the Archer horse guy, and the chick in the maid outfit. Plus you're a real firecracker and you've got heart, as far as I'm concerned you're an essential asset."
Natsu and Gray on the other hand, well they were less than thrilled about the prospect of forming an official team 'I've gotta team up with him?'
"Is there a problem boys?" Erza shot them a dark look, which promptly sent them into their defensive mode of hugging each other.
"Oh no, we're absolutely thrilled!"
"Anyway Bolt and I already have a job lined up for our team, taking down an arcane cult in the castletown of Lupinus, so are you with me?"
"Yeah!"
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Luke followed God Serena to a large open grassland a fair distance away from the city, and realization immediately dawned upon him "This place is…"
God Serena nodded "Yeah that's right, it's back where we first started training together almost a year ago. I figured it wouldn't hurt to do a little bit of reminiscing before you head back to your guild."
"I was still doing a lot of brooding back then."
"Well I was able to knock that clear out of you, and I even taught you how to activate Dragon Force at will."
"Only thanks to that little something Kaminari implanted into my back before he disappeared, but yeah your training did help me out a lot."
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(How the training went, at least at the beginning)
The rain was pouring down over the grassland.
"Lightning Dragon IRON FIST!" Luke charged at God Serena at full speed, the electricity covering his body growing more and more potent with each passing second 'Dammit, all I can see when he attacks are some kind of blur!'
"Don't think you can get cocky with me, if you can barely see my attacks then what chance do you have to dodge or counter them!" God Serena wasted no time as he dodged, blocked and countered every attack being thrown at him, and he quickly kicked Luke's legs out from under him.
"Lightning Dragon TALON!" Luke didn't miss a beat as he launched a lightning enhanced kick.
God Serena blocked the attack with his bare hand and dealt Luke a kick to the chest, sending him skidding backwards "So that's what passes for a Dragon Slayer trained by the actual thing then does it?"
"Hey I worked hard to get to the level I'm at right now."
"Not hard enough. I'm going to level with you, not long ago I met with your guild master during a meeting of the Magic Council."
"So then you know what happened, and why I'm here in the first place."
"Yeah. He told me about how you blame yourself for what happened, how you left to become stronger to protect them, and how you sought me out because of the type of magic that I use."
"And what else did he say exactly?"
"He told me that it sounded like you handled yourself about as well as one could up to this point, but at the same time he confirmed just how much more powerful you could and would have to become. Peaceful days like these won't be able to last forever, sooner or later dark guilds like the Balam Alliance are going to start to make their move and if you're not prepared then not only will you die, but just about everyone in your guild that depends on you. Plus there's him to take into consideration after all, and there's no telling when he's going to strike." his magic took on a green hue as it flared around his body "I hope you're ready for this one kid, because from here on out things are gonna get kicked up a notch."
"I wouldn't expect anything less. I'm ready God Serena, if I'm gonna protect the guild then I'm going to need to be stronger than I've ever been before. Thunder Drive!" and so as rain began pouring down from the skies above, Luke activated his Thunder Drive technique and surged forward.
God Serena dodged and weaved his way around every attack being thrown at him "Well I think it's about time for me to try some offense myself, so get ready. Purgatory Dragon… BLAZING INFERNO!" he promptly slammed a blast of fire directly into Luke's chest, sending him flying backwards and engulfing him in an explosion.
When the smoke cleared moments later, Luke pulled himself back to his feet, still alive and wounded but his fighting spirit wasn't diminished "Is that all you've got?"
"Looks like someone's got some moxy, I'll be sure to beat that out of you soon enough. But until then, DODGE!" and so he charged.
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Hours passed, and the rain was now pouring down from the skies above.
Luke was quickly sent crashing to the ground, but he wasted no time in pulling himself back to his feet and readying himself for another round "I'm nowhere near done… not by a long shot… I have to get stronger… so much stronger than I am right now… for the sake of protecting my friends… for the sake of protecting my family… for my father Kaminari… I can't let any of them down…"
God Serena studied Luke intently for a moment 'Undying fighting spirit, fiery determined look in his eyes, current capability of harnessing and controlling magic power… Yeah it's about what I expected.' he shook his head in what looked like disapproval "I was expecting something along the lines of this to happen at some point, all you're doing is psyching yourself up way too much for your own good."
"What?"
"Telling yourself that you have to win isn't the same as actual training, it's not going to get anything done. Actions speak far louder than words, which means that you have to be willing to face the reality and put in the effort, and if you can't tap into the power you've got inside of you then all of the motivation in the world won't be enough for you to come out on top, let alone protect your guild and the people you care about, especially the brunette girl with the Card magic or the talking cat."
Luke's expression was one of horror 'Cana… Bolt… everyone…'
"Sure there are times when having something you have to protect that can push you on an emotional level, but when your emotions dominate your reason and cloud your judgement they become more of a hindrance than a help. What you want is for your emotions to complement your strength, but as you are now they're just weighing it down, so now your strength will just be compensating for it. If you're too desperate to win and if love makes you afraid then you won't be able to assess the situation from a logical standpoint, you'll misjudge the powers and abilities of the foes you face and if that happens then you won't stand a chance!"
"So that's it… That's what I've been doing wrong… If I had understood that from the beginning then… then maybe Mira wouldn't have…" furious with his own lack of understanding and clarity, Luke let out a roar as he activated his Thunder Drive.
"There's no such thing as a fight that you can't lose or a fight that you can't win, if you fail to reach your goal then your friends are going to die. Your family is going to die. Your entire guild is going to die. But before all of that, if you can't reach your goal then YOU yourself are going to die, and that is a fact you have to accept and come to terms with as well. Only then will you be able to succeed where others have failed."
Luke said nothing, he just powered down his Thunder Drive.
"Looks to me like you understand exactly what I'm saying. I have faith that you'll be able to pull through, if I didn't then I wouldn't be wasting any time training you. I have faith in you to come through, your guild has faith in you, so have some faith in yourself. That's the only way you'll be able to pull through."
"God Serena… I won't let you down, any of you."
"Then prove it."
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Days continued to pass, and the training continued in earnest as the skies above thundered away and rain pounded down on the ground.
Luke blitzed across the battlefield after God Serena, his body crackling with electricity while at the same time being covered with burns and wounds all over, and his exhaustion was beginning to catch up to him, not that he would let it 'He's like a monster, I can barely stand and he barely has a scratch on him! Training with him is way more intense than what I expected, but at the same time it's exactly what I need to get strong enough to protect them.'
"Well I think it's safe to say I've gotten about as much of a warm up from you as I'm actually going to get." God Serena removed the wheel of blades from his back and promptly threw it to the side "From here on out I'm taking off the gloves, now I want you to come at me with almost everything you've got. But don't activate that power just yet, I want you to restrain it until the moment is just right."
"Right, I'm hearing you loud and clear." Luke's body crackled with even greater amounts of electricity.
"You're already powerful by the standards of a normal wizard, that much I'm not going to deny, but the problem is that you have another glaring weakness, and unless you're able to overcome that weakness you won't last long against any opponent, and if you do fall then your guild won't be far behind you." God Serena flared his own magic power, his pupils dilating and turning white, and his irises turning dark blue "Do you have any idea what exactly that weakness is?"
"I have a feeling you're going to for me to figure it out either way."
"You're damn right I am, now come at me."
"As if you had to ask." and so the two of them charged at each other, resulting in an explosive collision, trading even blows with each other with neither of them gaining any apparent advantage over the other, at least not until Luke dealt God Serena a sharp kick to the face "And now for the follow up! Lightning Dragon IRON FIST!" he dealt God Serena a lightning enhanced fist to the gut, sending him skidding backwards.
God Serena recovered merely seconds later and blitzed behind Luke with a knee aimed directly at his skull.
"Lightning Dragon TALON!" Luke blocked the knee and aimed a lightning enhanced kick at his skull.
"Cavern Dragon TERRA FISSURE!" God Serena leapt over the attack and fired a blast of green colored magic energy at him.
Luke forced himself to roll out of the way, leaving the attack to create a massive fissure in the ground 'Dammit that was way too close, if that had hit me then I would've been a dead man for sure!'
"I told you before I was taking the gloves off, it's not my fault you didn't bother to listen to me before." God Serena blitzed in front of Luke and slugged him in the gut, causing him to cough up blood, and then he caught him in a chokehold "And to think you were doing so well up to this point, don't tell me this is seriously all that you've got. You can't blame me when you end up blacking out."
"I… I can't afford… to give up… not yet…" Luke tried to force himself free, only for the grip to tighten, and for his vision to start growing blurry "What the… How the hell… How are you so powerful?"
"Use your head dumbass, I'm the top ranked Wizard Saint for a reason. Sure I have 8 Dragon Slayer lacrimas inside my body, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't know how to use them properly." God Serena tightened his grip, causing Luke to finally power down and pass out, but he quickly revived him with a quick blast of lightning to the chest, leaving him in a coughing fit as a result "Alright that's enough kid, it's over now. You're pretty tough by normal standards, you've got moxie and I don't think anyone else aside from the other Wizard Saints have lasted this long against me in a fight, training or not, but your biggest problem right now is a lack of the heart you need to call yourself a true warrior. If you have a chance to win then you have to be willing to close the deal, and this is something that you're gonna have to deal with before it gets out of hand. Power usually leads to one thing, arrogance and I would know. I'm trying to make sure you don't experience it first hand."
"I already did. If I hadn't been so careless back then, maybe Mira wouldn't have…"
"Don't bother getting lost in your guilt again, that won't do any of us any good. Everyone is born with the potential for power but at the same time there are those who get high on the power and enjoy it too much, instead of using their strength to win their arrogance left them to being defeated by someone stronger or smarter. How do you think I became the top ranked Wizard Saint in the first place?" he received a look "Not the point, right. The point is that if you left yourself succumb to the same feeling they did then you're gonna lose no matter how much power you may have."
"I see."
"You have to become a true warrior, regardless of who your opponent is you fight with everything you've got, otherwise your journey will have been meaningless."
"...Alright God Serena, I get what you're saying. I'm not going to let you down, not like I did with them. Thunder Drive!" Luke's Thunder Drive flared back into life, his magic power flaring around his body even higher than before.
"You know damn well that's not what I want to see from you kid! Show me the power that you have dwelling deep inside you, the power that you can tap into at will, something that can't be said for every other Dragon Slayer! I want you to show me the warrior that you're striving to be!"
"You wanna see what I can do when I'm at full power?! Well fine!" and so with a thunderous roar that drowned out even the thunder across the skies, Luke's golden magic power exploded in such a way that it blew away the storm clouds and reveal the bright blue sky. When the light subsided, Luke stood before him with his Dragon Force fully activated "So how about it now, do you like what you see so far?"
"That's perfect, now come at me with one final attack and we'll see just how well you're able to do with it."
"Fine by me." both of them readied one final attack.
"You ready?"
"I was born ready. Dragon Slayer Secret Art: ROARING THUNDER!" Luke let a ball of lightning crackle into life in his hand as he surged forward.
"Purgatory Dragon BLAZING INFERNO!" God Serena charged forward with a ball of fire condensed into his fist, the two attacks colling in an explosion that shook the landscape.
When the smoke cleared, Luke was left shakily standing, scorched and covered in blood all over his body, but his Dragon Force quickly faded and he fell to the ground as he lost consciousness.
God Serena on the other hand was left with only a few scratches, and he looked down at the unconscious form of Luke "Well what do you know, if I hadn't countered with my own Dragon Slayer magic then I might have been in trouble for a minute there. If you can fight like this and boost your magic power then I'd say even the likes of a Wizard Saint won't be able to take you down. But at the moment you didn't have what it takes to close the deal. This is the same thing that happened during that incident with the Take Over siblings, you lowered your guard and because of that the Satan Soul user acted without thinking, and that led to what you're doing right now. I'm not saying that was totally your fault, I'm pretty sure that's just a thing with all Dragon Slayers, but if you don't want your comrades to make sacrifices like that then don't give them any reason to. Remember this if nothing else, stay focused, drop your arrogance, keep your guard up until your enemy is defeated. Only then will you be able to come out on top, and with any luck you might be able to defeat him too. Someday."
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God Serena ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh "Yeah, you were a real stubborn one back then."
"Stubborn for good reason." Luke pointed out "But seriously though I do have to thank you, if it wasn't for all of that time I spent training with you then I would never have been able to take down Jose the way I did."
"You did that on your own, unless…"
"I never used that ability, Dragon Force was more than enough."
"Just checking. Anyway don't bother with thanking me, you've still got a long way to go before you're good enough."
"I know that."
"I don't think you do. I believe that the power of Dragon Force is only a fraction of what a Dragon Slayer is truly capable of, we pushed through one wall and now it's up to you to break through the next. You can't tell me you're not curious, that you don't want to know just how strong you actually could become. Don't settle for being better when you could be the best of the best. You've already proven yourself capable of tangling with the likes of the Ten Wizard Saints, but that's not the end goal for you. Take your power and put it to good use, hone it and harness it as much as you possibly can."
"Oh trust me, I have no intention of slacking on my training now."
"Glad to hear it."
"Well in the meantime, I'd better get back and pick up the Master and then head back to the guild. Later." and with that, Luke disappeared in a flash.
'He's got heart and the resolve to keep pushing himself to get stronger. Who knows, he might actually be able to beat him someday after all. But then again that's a pretty tall order, asking him to tangle with the likes of Acnologia.'
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Nightfall came, and the moon was shining over the night sky.
Luke made his way back through the Magic Council building, and found Makarov sitting alone on a bench drinking the night away "Just brooding to yourself huh?"
"You could say that." Makarov downed another mug of booze "That makes 7."
"That's a rare sight, you usually don't go past 5. Something on your mind?"
"You could say that. Yajima suggested that it's time for me to retire, after all with a new guild hall under construction perhaps the guild could use a new master as well. The question is, who would make the best choice?"
"Well that's a tough call honestly. Laxus is insanely powerful but he needs to get his attitude sorted out before he gets control of the guild."
"I know that all too well."
"Mystogan is unwaveringly loyal to Fairy Tail, but he's a silent recluse and no one really knows anything about him so I doubt people would accept him as a leader."
"Of course there's Erza but she's still rather young."
"So if I had to pick one then I would have to go for Gildarts."
"Depending on wherever the hell he is right now, besides his wandering and the century quest keep him away for far too long."
"So who do you have in mind then?"
"Well to be honest, if I had to pick anyone… you."
"...Come again for Thunderclap? Look master as flattering as that is, there would never be a better master than you."
"I tend to disagree. What I look for in every member of Fairy Tail, that is a prime understanding of what Fairy Tail is meant to be, cherishing of life and everything it has to offer, and will put his life on the line time and time again. You show all of those qualities, and you will rise to the challenge whenever it may present itself-"
"Master… I can't." Luke stopped in his tracks "I can't be the master of the guild. Don't get me wrong, I will protect the guild and everyone in it with every ounce of strength in my body, but I can't do so from behind a desk or on top of a countertop or anything like that. Laxus for all of his serious issues, he understands that kind of responsibility better than I ever could. The harsh decisions that have to be made, they change a person. If it's all the same to you, I think I would rather be a good man than a great master."
"...Is this you speaking, or the man who trained you while you were away?"
"Yeah well when you speak it reminds me of my father, so I say that's fair. God Serena has nothing to do with this master, but during my time with him I saw a lot of things both good and bad. I know that I can do a much better job of protecting Fairy Tail out there rather than back in Magnolia."
"...The irony is quite painful."
"How so?"
"One child who wanted the position too much, and another child who outright refuses the position."
"The position means nothing, master or not my purpose is to protect my family and those I hold dear."
"Very well then, as a parent I suppose I'll just have to respect your decision. A child has to follow their own path, I cannot force you down one you are not meant for. All I can do is pray that you are satisfied with the decision you make, and wish you the best of luck as you go down the path of life."
"I'll try to live up to the example you've set for me."
"If that is what you want."
"Come on, let's go home." and with that, they began the trip back to Magnolia, unaware that the moment of peace they were enjoying was just the calm before the storm…
A/N:
And thus we see into a little bit of insight to the younger generation of Fairy Tail, as well as a certain new character debuting much earlier than in canon. All things considered, this chapter was meant to be more of a breather chapter after how hectic things got with Phantom Lord, and before we start to get into the chaos within the Tower of Heaven.
The main intentions of this chapter was to give a little bit of development to the relationship I've built between Luke and Cana (at least how they actually became friends, along with some insight into how they feel about each other) and debut God Serena a hell of a lot sooner than in canon (along with showing the dynamic between him and Luke, as well as some insight into their training together).
In regards to the training scene between Luke and God Serena, I tried not to make it an absolute slaughter, but at the same time I tried to make it clear that he's nowhere near as strong as he is shown to be during the war with Alvarez, keeping in mind that in this timeline, that's about a full decade away.