Chapter 94

A New Adventure

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

In the ruins of the city, Jellal and Ultear walked through a destroyed city. "We can't find Ur…" Meredy mumbled in worry. "I hope she's not hurt."

"I heard the door was destroyed and the time was restored…" Jellal said. "Rogue and the Dragons went back to their time, but I'm unsure about the future Laki who lost her life. But our memories, wounds and the town are still the same."

"Because time was warped, not everything turned back to normal." Meredy added.

"It's certainly good to have those memories, though." Jellal declared. "But there's bad too. Of all the things, the royal family's black magic became known to the councilors. As long as it doesn't turn into something-" Doranbolt suddenly appeared in front of them, hands up so they don't attack him.

"You wiped the councilor's memories?" Jellal asked in shock.

"That's right…" Doranbolt nodded. "We altered the memories of everyone involved."

"I'm surprised that you had that kind of power." Jellal chuckled.

"Infiltrating and investigation is part of my job." Doranbolt joked back. "The Eclipse is magic from the Book of Zeref. If word got out that the royal family had anything to do with black magic, it would be beyond bad. They'd lose the faith of the people, and the royal system could be destroyed. I don't feel that upset either, but there are times when you need to just suck it up and pretend you don't see anything."

"How'd you convince Lahar to go along?" Jellal asked.

"I didn't. I just altered his memories too." Doranbolt confessed. "He's too straight and narrow to go along with this."

"To think a smarmy guy like you was on the council work list." Jellal chuckled.

"An evil guy like you was a councilor, remember?" Doranbolt joked, looking over Jellal's shoulder. "You still haven't found Ultear?"

"I don't think she would just disappear without saying anything." Jellal declared.

"Well, it's got nothing to do with me, but I must be going downhill if I'm worrying about you." Doranbolt chuckled as he started walking away. "You owe me one, we didn't see each other. Got it?"

"Wait." The bluenette called out. "I'm grateful to you, but I must know. Cobra, what happened to him?"

The council worker came to a stop and just stared into the horizon. "He just came back." He declared, shocking Jellal.

Three Days Ago

Cobra smirked as he stood in front of the two, now in magic cuffs. "I couldn't beat a single dragon. How pathetic." He chuckled.

"To think he'd actually come back." Lahar said in amazement.

"He might be evil, but he keeps his word." Doranbolt chuckled.

"The outside sure was nice." Cobra said, staring out into the sky. "I absorbed a lot of voices. Cubellious, I heard your voice too." His words confused Doranbolt, only for the Dragon Slayer to shake his head. "I'll go quietly back to my cell." 'In order to save all six mages.'

"What did you hear?" Doranbolt asked, stopping Cobra from walking into the wagon.

"Who knows." He chuckled. "The door to hades will open. So don't go messing with my memories until then." Doranbolt flinched in shock as the criminal walked into the cage.

Present

"The door to Hades… Tartaros." Meredy mumbled as the two walked along the road. "It's the one side of the Baram Alliance that remains. Even we didn't interact with them that much."

"I don't know what kind of information he as, but he'll probably try to exchange it for immunity." Jellal added. "Tartaros… What move will they make?"

An old woman past them before suddenly turning around. "Would you two happen to be Jellal and Meredy?" She asked, making them turn in surprise. Reaching into a small bag, the elder pulled out a letter and handed it over to them. "I have a letter from a certain lady."

Meredy took the letter and opened it wide enough for both to read it. Tears formed in her eyes as she finished reading it, finally breaking down and crying.

Three Days Later

Magnolia

The entire city cheered as the guild marched through the streets. The wizards waved back and smiled as Natsu pulled his bag off his shoulders. "Well, no time like the present." He chuckled, reaching into the pack. Natsu suddenly shoot up, holding the large trophy to the sky. "Here it is! The proof of our victory!"

Everyone cheered as he handed it off to Romeo before he was hoisted onto the shoulders of Elfman. "One more thing." He pulled out the same small box from before and walked over to his girlfriend. "Laki?" She turned around to see Natsu open the box, revealing a good ring with an amethyst in the center, two rose quartz on the side. "Will you marry me?"

The entire city stared in shock at the blatant proposal, some of the guild girls gaining blushes. "…ya know, a guy is supposed to drop to a knee when he proposes." Laki chuckled.

"Yeah, but that's not really my style." He joked back.

Laki leaned forward and kissed his lips, slipping the ring onto her finger. "It doesn't matter. It's still a yes." She chuckled, showing off the ring.

Everyone cheered even louder as the mayor stepped forward. "This might seem like small potatoes, but we would like to welcome you back properly." He motioned to the side and everyone went wide eyed. "Fairy Tail is our town's pride, so I thought we would reward you with the restoration of your guild."

Makarov started crying as he broke down. "I LOVE THIS TOWN!"

Off on the top of the, the small black imp from Raven Tail watched the whole thing. It chuckled before it sprinted out of the city. Running through the forest, it climbed onto the shoulder of Zeref. "So you were watching the Grand Magic Games after all, Zeref." Mavis said, floating behind him.

"I can't hear your voice and can't see you, but I know you're there, Mavis." He said back. "You were near me seven years ago."

"Are you still looking for a place to die?" Mavis asked, landing on the ground.

"It's already been decided." He responded. "Four hundred years of war have passed. I have seen the fighting, the hatred, and the evil of people. I keep hoping that every new era will change that, but nothing changes. They keep repeating the same actions." The ground under him started withering, forcing the imp to run.

"Have you already stopped waiting?" Mavis asked as he stood up.

"I have." He declared. "I have come to that conclusion after seven years of thought. If the world keeps rejecting me, then I will reject the world."

"But Fairy Tail will accept this world." Mavis retorted.

"This is a gift from me." Zeref replied. "The world's harmony and its regeneration."

"Will there be fighting?" Mavis asked.

"No." He said as the forest died around him. "It will be a one-sided annihilation. None shall be allowed to live."

"Fairy Tail will stop you. You'll be the one annihilated." She declared as the two stared at each other, even if one couldn't see the other.

5 Weeks Later

Fairy Tail Guildhall

Lucy let out a sigh as she soaked her body in the massive sauna. "This feels so good!"

"I can't believe they built a bathhouse in our guild." Lisanna said as she washed her arms.

"I can't believe Natsu proposed the way he did." Mirajane added, next to her sister.

"It was definitely his style." Cana chuckled. "So, any details on it?"

"We've been so busy after the Games, we haven't had a chance to talk about the wedding." The Slayer replied, sitting further in the bath. "That reminds me, weren't you supposed to go out on a job today, Levy?"

"Jet and Droy said they wanted to go alone." The petite girl replied.

"Speaking of pairs, Natsu and Gray have been on a lot of jobs together, lately." Lucy pointed out.

"Yeah, it is." Laki added. "I just hope they do anything stupid. Natsu knows he needs to be on his best behavior. Happy went along with them, he should keep an eye on them."

"You're trusting Happy with keeping them in line?" Lucy asked in surprise. "That's a lot of faith to put in him."

"Talking about cats, where's Wendy?" Levy asked.

"She went on a job with Erza." Mirajane explained, walking over to the bath. "Apparently they were attracted by the reward of some rare streets."

"Wait… Erza's not here?" Laki asked, holding up some long red hair. "Then whose hair am I washing?"

The redhead stood up in the bath and turned around, revealing bright red eyes. "Blondie…"

"FLARE!?" The entire bath shouted as Laki backed away in a panic.

"I've got her!" Cana declared as she started sprinting over.

"Wait, stop!" Laki called out, holding out her hand. "If she wanted to fight us, she would have done it by now!"

"Laki's right." Lucy added. "Besides, she's not a bad person." Walking through the water, she got between the teo and looked at Flare. "Why are you here, Flare?"

The girl hung her head in shame as the water trickled off her body. "Now that Raven Tail's disbanded, I have no place to go…"

Lucy stared at her before a small smile crossed her face. "Shall we ask our master?"

"No, I don't want to join Fairy Tail." Flare instantly replied, making everyone fall over into the water.

"Then why are you here!?"

Later

Lucy and Laki walked down the street, the blonde studying the new ring. "I thought you would have hated that he didn't give you a diamond."

"He explained it to me." She replied. "The amethyst and rose quartz are for the two of us, and he out himself around me to act as a shield."

"That's sweet." Lucy smiled as they reached her apartment. "I really should think about finding a job." Laki sniffed the air and looked at Lucy, who only sighed as she opened the door. Sitting in her apartment were Wendy and Erza, Carla and Rose sipping some tea. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Sorry we entered without asking." Wendy apologized.

"The sweets we got as a reward were a bit too numerous for us." Erza explained, placing her hand on a nearby box. "We came to share them with you."

"So does that mean you two did a good job?" The blonde asked, making Erza beam with pride.

"By the way, aren't Happy and the others back yet?" Carla asked.

"Yeah, it's been three days." Rose added. "It was a pretty easy job, wasn't it?"

"They aren't that far away, should we go check on them?" Wendy asked.

"We shall!" Erza declared, standing up. "We have sweets for them as well. They need to eat them before they go bad." The other females all sweat dropped at her reasoning before following her.

A massive tribal pig beast laid on its back, its eyes lifeless. "This is the monster from the request." Erza mumbled.

"It looks like it's been dead for a bit." Laki said, poking the creature.

Rustling caught their attention and they turned to see Happy crawling out. "Help me…"

"Happy! What happened!?" Rose asked, racing forward.

"Don't screw with me, ash brain!" Gray cried out, catching everyone's attention.

"I should say that, you perverted bastard!" Natsu shouted before the two brawled into view.

"Of course." Erza sighed.

"And to think I've been worried…" Lucy mumbled.

"Three days of this?" Carla asked.

"They sleep and eat." Happy added. "And this time Gray really did start it."

"Natsu, Gray, stop this foolishness." Erza said, stepping forward.

Laki stepped in front of the red head, catching her off guard. "Just trust me on this." She replied before walking on. "Natsu, stop it right now."

"SHIT UP!" Both turned to throw a punch, only for Natsu to snap back to reality. Acting quickly, he shifted his feet and took the punch himself.

"That was… close…" He mumbled before falling back into her arms.

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"I'm never working with him again." Natsu declared.

"Same." Gray said back. "If you can't take a little joke-"

"All that was spawned from a joke?" Laki asked. "Natsu."

"He said you were settling for me!" Her fiancé snapped back, catching the guild off guard.

"Gray…" The Ice Mage froze as Erza and Laki stared him down, cracking their knuckles.

Over at the bat, Makarov sat next to his mug of beer. "Master, we have another request." Mirajane said as she walked over.

"After the Games, we've been more popular than ever." He replied before taking the paper. "Natsu, Gray, we got another job for you two!"

"NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!" Both shouted back as the Master read the request, his eyes snapping open.

"You'll go. And this is a job you cannot fail." He mumbled back. "This is a request from Warred Sequen, the Fourth Wizard Saint, one of the Four Gods of Ishgar." The entire guild snapped in shock as they stared at Natsu and Grey.

Wendy stared up at the sky as birds flew overhead. "This is such a peaceful place." She said, unaware of the rabbits behind him.

"The air feels nice, too." Lucy added.

"It feels like we're going on a picnic." Happy added.

"Agreed… if it wasn't for that." Carla agreed, glancing over her shoulder. Laki was walking between Gray and Natsu, trying to keep them from fighting.

"I don't want any fighting, you two." She said, turning to Natsu. "He already apologized for what he said. And we're meeting a really important guy. I know we came because we were worried, but this might be more harder than we thought."

"The Wizards Saints are the strongest wizards on the planet chosen by the Magic Council, right?" Wendy asked.

"Yes. Master and Lamia Scale's Jura is among them." Erza replied. "In the past, Phantom Lord's Jose and Jellal were also members of it as well. The highest ranked are called the Four Emperors of Ishgal."

"Ishgal?" Wendy asked in confusion.

"It's the old name for this continent." The red head stated.

"Why would such an important person want someone like them?" Lucy asked, glancing back in time to see Laki catch a fist from Gray.

"Guys look!" Rose called out and climbed onto Wendy's head as she pointed forward. The group turned and looked forward to see a small house sitting on a hill.

"That's the home of the fourth rank Wizard Saint?" Laki asked, pushing the Ice Wizards fist down.

"I was expecting it to be bigger." Natsu confessed as they reached the door.

"Hello? We're from the Fairy Tail guild." Lucy called out as she opened the door and the walked inside.

"Sssh." A voice called out, catching their attention. "Be quite." The sound of water flowing caught their attention, as a watering can tipped over. "Don't you know plant like silence? Keep your mouth shut."

The group closed their mouths before the plants around them started blooming around them. "Just kidding! Plants love the sound of voices!" He declared, showing off his weirdly tree like heaf

"Is he a tree?" Lucy asked.

"What's with this guy?" Natsu asked.

"Thank you for coming. Which of you are Natsu and Gray?" He asked, just as the two raised their hands.

"Are you one of the Four Emperors of Ishgal, Warrod Sequeen?" Erza asked.

"I surely am! I am Warrod Sequeen." The man declared as they walked out of the house. "After retiring from Wizard Work, I decided to work on reversing desertification. It might sound like philanthropy, but its more of a hobby. On my travels, I stumbled across a strange village know as Sun Village. A village said to worship an ever burning flame as a deity."

"An ever-burning flame?" Natsu asked.

"Indeed, but the village is now frozen." Warred declared, shocking Gray. "I don't know how it happened, but every person, animal plant, even the buildings and flames are now ice. Even the flame itself is now frozen."

"A frozen flame?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know the cause, but the people are frozen alive now." The Emperor explained. "I can't leave it like that, so I want you to save the village."

"Why do you need both of us?" Gray asked. "Just have Natsu melt it and you'll be fine."

"This is no ordinary ice." Warrord replied. "That's why I need your power."

"What I don't understand is why you can't just use your own power to help them?" Laki asked. "I mean, your one of the Four Emperors."

"I think there's a misunderstanding." He replied. "I might be a member of the Ten Wizard, but that doesn't mean I have the power to help them. My magic isn't meant for attacks. We all have something were good or bad at, and a guild is meant to cover them."

The teens smiled and nodded, Natsu and Gray fist pumping. "The village is about 200 KM away from here. I'll at least help you get there." The ground under them started shaking before a massive vine rose up, picking them off the ground. "Do your best, Fairy Tail youngsters."

The vine shot forward and carried them away, making him smile and think back on his life. "Mavis, these kids are the future of the guild we started. They will do us proud."

Yep, Natsu did exactly what you think he was going to do. And a wedding will be happening in this story, I promise you that. As for when, well, that's something only I will know. But this was a pretty good chapter. I did trim down the massive amount of jokes from Warrod because… well, it's a serious situation. Not really good for jokes.

I also have a dumb story poll on my profile if anyone wants to vote on it. See y'all next time.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang