~~~Author's Notes~~~
I have edited this chapter in response to KingofP0wers criticisms. I hope these changes are for the liking.
Once their plan was set, select Fairy Tail members made their errands to prepare the gift for the guild's youngest member. Since Juvia was the one who suggested it, she alongside Gray chose to pick out the flowers for her. Lucy and Erza went out and bought sewing supplies for the Strauss sisters. Levy helped by picking a fitting dress design for the Sky Dragon Slayer. Once everyone returned back to the guild and exchanged their items to Mirajane, she got started.
Lucy was getting giddy, picturing various reactions the young blue haired girl would have. Natsu and Happy approached the Celestial wizard, the Exceed snickering to himself.
"Lucy is deep in her head again…" The blue cat teased. Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and gave a quick glare at Happy, in which he turned his head away and whistled.
"Hey, Lucy. When is Wendy coming back anyways?" Natsu asked. He turned his attention to the clock in which Lucy followed. "It's the afternoon now, I thought she would've been back by then."
The blonde noticed the time as well. "Now that you mention it…" She approached the bar where Mirajane and Lisanna were working on the dress and leaned over the counter to get their attention. "Hey Mira, Lisanna? Sorry to interrupt but did Wendy ever come back while we were gone?"
"No, I didn't see her or Carla actually." Lisanna realized. "Do you know sis?" She turned to her older sister, in which she shook her head.
"I think I may know the answer to that." A mature looking woman suddenly butted in, she was sitting on the far left end of the bar table holding a newspaper. She placed it down revealing her brown hair and tan skin, her name was Cana Alberona. She had an unusually large jug of beer next to her, she leaned forward and pointed down at the paper. "Says here that the Margaret Town station had a pretty nasty railtrack accident, just last night and is closed for an entire week."
"Oh wow…what bad timing…" Lucy frowned as she looked by the entrance of the guild. "I hope they're okay."
"What're you so worried about Lucy?" Natsu smiled brightly as he patted her on the back. "This ain't the first time Wendy had an obstacle like this, I'm sure those two will get home safely in no time!" He tried to cheer up his friend, remembering Wendy's first mission with Happy and Freed in which a similar incident occurred. The blonde nods in response as Erza begins to approach the group.
"He's right, Wendy has also gotten much stronger than before. If anything happens on her way back then I'm sure she can take care of herself." The S-Class wizard reassured.
"...Yeah." Lucy smiled. "She grew up so much lately."
"Heh, she's still pretty short though." Cana teased before taking a swig of beer.
"Knowing her, she probably took a carriage." Mirajane noted. "She should be back any time now." The bartender glanced at the clock once again before going back to her sewing duties.
As Lucy and the others began to relax, Natsu's nose perked up and raised an eyebrow. Erza then felt a shock of someone's presence as she and Natsu turned towards the guild's entrance. Lucy looked over too and furrowed her eyebrows. "Huh?"
One moment there was no one by the doors, but suddenly now a tall silhouette stood by the building as the wind carried some leaves that slipped by their boots. Their presence got the attention of all the other members in the building as it abruptly became quiet.
The atmosphere started to feel uncomfortable as the individual walked on inside with the only noise heard was the clanking of his boots. The person appeared to be a man wearing a white cloak with a hood covering most of his face. It was difficult to pinpoint but some key members felt something off about the man. The tall man took a seat by the bar.
"Good afternoon." Mirajane greeted as she still sat and continued to work on the dress. "How may I help you?"
He didn't respond right away as he looked around the guild. His purple eyes and green hair were noticed by others, as well as the sun tattoo on his eye. The wizards couldn't help but look at the bizarre looking individual but made sure to look away once his eyes were on them. He turned back facing Mirajane. "I am in search of a certain individual that I was told would be here." He started, his deep but elegant voice making known. "But it appears she isn't here…"
Erza was the first to approach with her arms crossed. "Do you have a name? I'm sure we can find this person."
The man looked up for a moment, trying to recall his target's name. "I believe her name was…Bendy Narwal…"
Several guild members fell to the floor letting out a consecutive "Eeeeh?!"
"Oh goody, another weirdo…" Lucy mumbled while twitching one eye.
Erza was still able to keep a straight face. "We don't actually know anyone by that name, are you sure you were given the right location?" She asked. The man looked up at Erza for a moment as their eyes met, they stared at each other.
He pushed his chair back and began to walk out. "I see, my apologies for the intrusion." He said.
"What's with this creep?!" Lucy was even more perplexed as she thought.
Erza squinted her eyes. "Hold on." She interrupted as the man came to a complete stop. "You know this is a guild right? If you have a request then I'm sure we can help out." The red haired wizard proposed. "We don't usually take last minute requests, but I take it you're not from around here?"
The tall hooded figure turned his head around and gave a friendly smile with his eyes closed. "Oh, is that so? Well then I would humbly appreciate it." He then turned his whole body and faced Titania. "Perhaps a title would make things easier, I'm looking for the one called 'Sky Sorceress.' Have you heard of her? She has extraordinary healing abilities."
"Wendy?" Erza realized who he was referring to. "I'm sorry, but she isn't in town right now. But she is on her way back as we speak." The S-class wizard answered before approaching the man. "She's a member of this guild, what do you need from her?"
The man chuckled. "Oh, so her name is Wendy then?" He folded his arms behind his back. "I have an urgent request that only requires her healing powers. You see there's someone I know who is very ill and ordinary medicine won't do any good..."
"Oh, is that it?" Erza gave a welcoming smile. "Then it shouldn't be much trouble, Wendy has been requested on multiple occasions in need of her powers." Despite this, the scarlet haired woman still didn't fully trust the individual. So she decided to press for information. "What kind of sickness is it? Is it life threatening?"
He frowned and looked down. "Indeed, I'm not exactly sure what it is. His entire body is shriveling up, plus his breathing seems to have been getting worse..." The onlookers in the building were shocked to hear this, Lucy in particular covered her mouth in shock.
"...I see...that does sound especially bad..." Erza lowered her brow in sorrow, however she still needed more information. "I may not be a medical expert but if it's that bad then we'll have to leave right away once Wendy returns. Where exactly is your friend at?"
He sighed. "Well you see, it's located quite far. High up the mountains." The man explained. "I can only bring one person with me, I'm sad to say."
Erza raised an eyebrow. "Why is that? If this town is not in Fiore then she will have to be accompanied with her team. It's our guideline that missions outside of the country must have at least one S-class wizard be there, and I happen to fill that part."
The tall man gave a friendly smile again. "I understand your worries, but I have an ability to arrive there in no time at all. I can only use it on one person however..."
"We know someone who can use Teleportation Magic." Erza argued. "I'm sure we can assist you in teleporting multiple people at once. He isn't here at the moment but I'm sure we can get him here quickly."
The man stood silent for a moment, his face not making the slightest movement. The guild members began to feel a little awkward. "I appreciate it, but I don't want to risk any more delays. I can assure you that this mission won't take long, probably a day." The man predicted.
Erza began to have doubts. "One day is quite a long time. I'm sure it won't take that long."
"Please understand miss." He shook his hands. "But I can only bring her with me-"
"Then we'll have to decline the mission, I'm terribly sorry." Erza bluntly said. "To ensure a mission's success, we need mutual trust. Wendy is quite young and hasn't reached S-Class rank yet. While she is strong, I wouldn't allow anyone under S-rank to go on a mission outside the country alone."
The man's friendly face suddenly changed to an unimpressed look. "You'd decline my request and allow someone to die from a sickness? That's quite heartless of you." He criticized.
"If you truly desire this individual to be cured then why do you insist on keeping secrets from your employer?" Erza countered, not phased by the man's harsh words.
He squinted his purple eyes and lightly glared at the red haired woman. "I have told you nothing but the truth." He slowly shut his eyes and sighed. "It appears that you land walkers haven't changed. Very depressing..."
The tone of the room began to change after his previous comment. Various mages in the guild began to sense the man's tense change of demeanor. Lucy began to witness ones like Gajeel, Gray and Natsu give him looks of distrust. The blonde started to get worried about what was going to happen next.
Erza didn't respond to his comment as she eyed his lower body. She noticed his arm slowly moving up inside the cloak as a light began to shine underneath it. Immediately she summoned a sword and pointed it towards the man's face. "Don't try anything funny. Identify yourself, now." She demanded.
"E-Erza?!" Lucy exclaimed. She then noticed several members slowly getting out of their seats. "What's going on…?" The blonde thought.
His purple eyes glaring right back at Erza's sharp brown eyes. "It's rude to point a dangerous weapon at someone like that…"
"I said. Identify yourself." Erza bluntly demanded. It was silent for only a moment but felt like minutes as others began to slowly surround the mysterious individual. Erza then noticed his purple eyes flash blue.
"I can see it, a huge mistake you will all make." He smirked before gripping the blade of Erza's sword and crushed the metal in only a second which shocked the scarlet haired woman. She then saw a huge shadow behind the hooded figure about to attack.
"A man should act honest instead of suspicious!" Elfman Strauss roared before his entire arm transformed into a monster claw and struck his target. However the intruder swiftly dodged to the side and all that was struck was his hood. He gripped Elfman's head and slammed him on the ground, creating a huge crack on the stone floor.
"Big brother!" Lisanna cried, her older sister immediately jumped over the bar counter and transformed into her Satan Soul demon form.
"Lisanna, stay back!" Mirajane demanded.
Elfman's attack completely tore the man's hood in half as it fell off of him. Everyone in the building widened their eyes and couldn't comprehend what they saw. He wore green armor and had long hair, but the most noticeable feature on him was a bright yellow halo above his head.
"Is that a halo?" Macao blurted.
"Is he dead?" Natsu wondered.
"He's clearly some sort of angel!" Gray shouted.
"Guess my cover is blown…" Hahlos mumbled before his eyes flashed blue again. Erza thrusted a spear towards his head, but he moved his head to the side. "You're fast…" He grinned. Erza thrusted the spear downward, aiming for his shoulder, he was one step ahead as he leaped backwards. Erza's attack created another crack on the ground.
Macao attempted to counter attack as he thrusted his palm forward and unleashed purple fire. Hahlos backflipped over the fire and before Macao could react, the tall angel landed a downward kick at his head as the fire wizard smacked on the ground. More wizards tried to jump him but he summoned wings and flew in the air.
"He summoned wings! He's definitely an angel!" Gray figured out as he began casting an attack by placing his fist on his palm.
"Hey! You're a copycat!" Happy accused as he hovered in the air.
Natsu punched his fists together and created fire. "Why you! How about telling us what you *really* want from Wendy!" He puffed his cheeks and prepared an attack. "Roar of the Fire Dragon!" and unleashed a stream of fire from his lungs towards the angel.
Mirajane grew wings and she began charging darkness from both of her hands. "Demon Blast!" She then unleashed a dark purple beam hurling towards Hahlos.
Gray finished casting and created ice arrows and sent them flying right at the angel. "Ice Make: Arrows!"
Erza watched carefully at Hahlos as she noticed something off with his movements. His eyes flashed blue once more and showed no signs of panic as he managed to slip by each incoming attack by slightly moving his body in the correct position so each attack would completely miss him. The three wizards were stunned. "Our attacks missed?! How?!" Gray exclaimed.
"Everyone! Be careful!" Erza swung her arm and warned. "He can predict our attacks!" She made her spear vanish and prepared to switch, but Hahlos suddenly flew down towards her and he pointed his palm towards her chest.
"Wind Palm." A sudden shock of wind blew right into Erza and cracked her armor as she was sent flying and crashed right into the bar.
"Erza!" Everyone shouted. More wizards began to attack more aggressively, Wakaba conjured pink smoke from his cigar and it formed into a fist. It hurled towards the angel but he dodged by tilting backwards before grabbing the smoke and pulled it away which caused Wakaba to drop his cigar. Nab and Max attempted to attack at the same time but Hahlos swung his leg at their faces.
"Didn't you idiots hear her?!" Gajeel criticized.
Levy pointed at Hahlos. "Quick! We should all attack at once!"
"Water Slicer!" Juvia spreaded her arms out and unleashes several blades of water.
"Let's try something different! Ice Make: Cannon!" Gray creates a large bazooka out of ice and shoots a large ice ball.
Natsu and Gajeel leaped forward and raised their fists, about to strike Hahlos. Lily buffed himself up and drew a long red sword named Musica and ran towards the angel.
Lucy took out her celestial keys and drew one with a scorpion's tail. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!" She summoned the celestial spirit as he gave two peace signs.
"We are! This'll be a cinch! Sand Buster!" Scorpio aimed his tail and unleashed a sand tornado. Cana proceeded to throw some cards infused with magic at the intruder.
Hahlos' eyes flashed blue once more as he scanned his surroundings. "I can't dodge this one…" he thought before spreading his arms out. "Wind Turbine." Another shock of wind was summoned, but this one covered the area, was much larger and lingered much longer. The attacks and wizards were pushed back as all the windows shattered, tables and chairs were knocked over and the cups were knocked over from the shelves.
"What's with this guy?!" Natsu covered his face as his feet slowly slid backwards. "Heh, you may be a wind user, but I've defeated plenty bef-DAH!" The pink haired wizard suddenly slipped and the wind pushed him back before landing directly into a pile of chairs.
As the rough winds continued to rampage, Hahlos clenched his fist and glared. "You ask what I need your companion's powers for?" He closed his eyes and chuckled before spreading his arms out. "For our future! I won't allow mere wizards to get in the way of that!"
Erza sat up as she rubbed her head and noticed that her armor vanished. Lisanna bent down and tried to look for any potential wounds. "Erza? You alright?" She checked.
The scarlet haired woman slowly pulled herself up. "Don't worry, I'm fine…" She reassured her, but she saw something in the corner of her eye and gasped in horror. Mirajane, while covering her body to block the harsh winds, looked back at her sister and widened her eyes in shock.
The dress they were making for Wendy was covered in alcohol and had many rips on it. Erza snapped her head and stared at Hahlos with intent to murder as her eyes began to glow red. "Why…you!" She raged before her entire body glowed in a bright light which got the attention of the angel. She requiped into her Purgatory Armor which was large black armor with spikes, she then summoned a much larger metal spear before stomping forward and threw the spear effortlessly through the winds.
Hahlos widened his eyes as they flashed blue before quickly sidestepping out of the way before the spear went clean through the wall behind him. The angel turned around for a moment to view the damage as a sweat drop left his temple. Another blue flash as he turned back and saw Erza and Mirajane dashing towards him. He quickly requiped a broadsword and blocked their attacks using both hands. The shock of the impact created a small crater on the floor as Erza's club and Mira's claw pushed him back slowly.
Natsu pushed the debris off of him before getting up and rubbing his head, he saw Erza and Mira clash with the angel and shouted. "Erza! Mira!" He stepped forward before the scarlet haired woman shouted back.
"Natsu! Find Wendy before she gets here!" She ordered. "You're the only one who can track her!"
"What?!" Natsu was dumbfounded. "Let's defeat this jerk together!"
"NATSU!" Erza interrupted before turning her head towards him and gave him a look of desperation. "Please!"
The fire dragon slayer widened his eyes after seeing Erza give him that look, he gave her a look of determination back and nodded his head firmly. "Happy!" He called his friend.
"Aye!" The blue Exceed grabbed Natsu and took off at a quick pace. "Max Speed!" They were out of the building in less than a second.
Hahlos noticed Natsu leave before turning his attention back to the two women. "No matter what you plan you come up with, it's pointless. As I can see all." The winds began to calm.
"Whatever you want from Wendy doesn't matter, because we won't let you get to her!" Erza declared as the Fairy Tail wizards began to surround the intruder.
Due to the tracks in the Margaret Town station being repaired, Wendy, Carla and Chelia had to take the carriage back to Magnolia as the horse carrying it began to trot up a hill. The trip was planned to be quite long and a little bumpy, which meant hell for one passenger.
"Uuuuurrrrrgg…" Wendy was laying down on her stomach while Chelia sat next to her and patted her back.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay, child?" Carla asked, looking concerned.
"Yea…do you need to go to the hospital once we arrive?" Chelia asked, also looking concerned.
"N-no!" Wendy denied. "I'll…I'll be fine!" She attempted to sit up. "I think…I'm getting used to it now…" Before falling face first on her seat again.
Both of her friends sighed as Chelia rubbed Wendy's back again. "Don't push yourself 'kay? I think we're almost there."
Carla looked out the front window as she saw the middle aged man who owned the carriage. The Exceed began to see familiar looking roads once they got up the hill and saw their hometown a bits away in the distance. She gave a sigh of relief before feeling a sudden shock in her mind. The white cat began seeing visions of the future due to her Precognition.
A nation on the clouds…
A green haired man glaring right at her…
Blue strands of hair on the ground…
A tower collapsing…
Although, one vision stuck out compared to the others.
Wendy unleashing a devastating attack…directly at Natsu…
"Carla? Are you alright?" Chelia noticed the Exceed's expression.
Carla snapped out of her visions and rushed to the front. "Stop the carriage!" She shouted.
"Wha? But we're almost at your destination." The man was perplexed.
"I SAID STOP IT!" Carla screamed.
Chelia and Wendy looked over at Carla with concern after her outburst. "Carla? What's going on?" Wendy wondered. "Is something the matter?"
The three suddenly felt the ride tilt back slightly as the horse up front got spooked. "Woah there!" The man yelled.
"WENDY!" A familiar voice shouted as they landed right in front of the carriage. The three girls quickly got out and saw Natsu and Happy in front of them, looking quite dusty.
"Natsu?! Happy?!" The three girls exclaimed.
"There you are! Good thing I found ya!" Natsu was relieved. "There's trouble!"
Wendy's eyes widened. "What?! Is everyone OK? What's going on?!" Worried the sky girl. Carla looked over at Wendy, and then Natsu with a look of concern. She then felt a chilling wind.
"Ah, so she was here then?"
Everyone felt an intense presence as they all turned their direction towards the sudden voice. Up on a small mountain sat Hahlos over the cliff as he looked down on them. Carla widened her eyes, this was the same person in her vision.
Natsu clenched his fists with anger. "You! Don't tell me…they lost?!" He instinctively looked over where the guild was and widened his eyes.
"Do not worry, I simply threw some sand in their face." Hahlos reassured. The others saw a large tornado where the Fairy Tail guild building was, very similar to the one created by former enemy Erigor all those years ago. "But I can definitely see it, reinforcements will surely arrive shortly…" Hahlos then looked directly at Wendy and smirked which sent shivers down the girl's spine. "You must be the 'Sky Sorceress.' I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." He leaped down the cliff and landed gracefully in front of the group.
"Like hell she will!" Natsu denounced. He bent down, placed both of his hands on the ground and stretched one leg back. "Fire Dragon's…"
"Storm Mail." Hahlos raised both of his arms as they got completely surrounded by strong winds. He looked over at Natsu.
"Sword Horn!" Natsu launched himself forward as the flames around his body reshaped into the tip of a blade and slammed right into Hahlos' arms. The shock caused the rock wall behind the angel to crack.
"We should get you guys out of here!" Happy flew over and urged.
"No! I'll fight too!" Wendy pumped her fists in the air before turning her attention to the carriage owner. "You should get out of here! It's too dangerous."
"You don't need to tell me twice!" The man quickly cracked his whip as the horse turned around and galloped away. Chelia took one step, about to stand by Wendy and Natsu, but stopped herself and looked down.
Hahlos broke out of Natsu's attack and attempted to land a hit before Natsu leaped backwards to gain distance, Wendy ran up right next to the Fire Dragon Slayer. "Let's go, Wendy!" Natsu smirked, Wendy nodded in agreement as the two took a deep breath and puffed their cheeks.
"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"
"Roar of the Sky Dragon!"
Both Dragon Slayers unleashed their attacks as wind and fire combined into a Unison Raid. Hahlos summoned his wings and quickly flew upward before the attack hit him. The two slayers looked up at the angel as he looked down at them and gave them a smirk. "Impressive." He complimented before clapping his hands together and stretched them out, forming a long wind rod. "Sky Javelin." He threw it down directly at the two. They both jumped in the opposite direction to avoid his attack, it created a dust explosion which covered most of the area with said dust. Hahlos proceeded to land on the ground and placed his arms behind his back.
"Sky Dragon's…" Wendy slid right behind the angel as her right hand began to glow blue. "Crushing Claw!" She swiped it at Hahlos, however he sidestepped and turned around to face his target, arms still behind his back. Wendy swiped her arm some more, aiming for his chest, but the angel kept backing up and tilting his body to dodge each incoming strike. Hahlos' eyes flashed blue and he raised an eyebrow.
"Grr! Quit it!" Wendy fumed, her hair suddenly flashed from dark blue to a bright pink as it spiked up. Her left leg got cloaked in a whirlwind and she rotated her body. "Leading Sky Arrow!" She thrusted her leg directly towards Hahlos' face, the force blowing his hair back. The shock caused the dust to spread out and vanish as everyone saw the angel grip Wendy's ankle before her attack could land.
"...You're strong." Hahlos praised. "This is *exactly* what we need!" He released her ankle go as she took a few steps back, still on guard.
"What do you want from me anyways?" Wendy questioned. She saw his eyes flash blue as he turned his direction at Natsu who was running towards him.
"You're in the way." Hahlos chided before swiping his arm and unleashing a powerful storm attack which sent the pink haired slayer flying back and sliding on the ground.
"Natsu!" Wendy gasped. Using this opportunity, Hahlos rushed towards the Sky Dragon Slayer at high speeds. Before Wendy could react, the angel struck her stomach which slightly shook the area around them. Wendy's pupils dilated before being knocked out cold and slumped over. Hahlos caught her and hoisted her on his shoulder.
Natsu pulled himself up and he as well as Carla, Chelia and Happy gasped in horror. "WENDY!" They all shouted.
"I will admit, the strength of you humans is not to be underestimated." Hahlos praised while closing his eyes and smirking. "However, my errand is over. It's about time I head ba-" His eyes flash blue and widen said eyes.
"Lightning Fire Dragon Mode…" Natsu was already inches away from him, eyes darkened with rage. His entire body erupted into flames and electricity. "Flame Elbow!" He swung his up upward, aiming for the angel's chin. Hahlos narrowly avoided the attack as he tilted his head back and witnessed an explosion of fire and lightning in front of his face. He quickly flew back and noticed his hair get slightly singed.
"What was that?!" Hahlos exclaimed in his head. His eyes flashed again as someone suddenly appeared behind him.
"Meteor!" Jellal was cloaked with his magic in a yellow aura as he swung his leg quickly. Hahlos barely manages to avoid it by ducking under the attack. His eyes flashed blue less than a second later as someone else appeared.
"You fiend!" Erza Scarlet, in her Flight Armor, leaped towards the angel about to chop him down with two swords. Jellal winded his fist back and threw it at Hahlos, preparing to strike him. The two wizards landed their attacks, but quickly noticed that the spot they attacked was empty.
Hahlos barely managed to slip out, but he held his left eye in pain. His arm was also slightly bruised. Natsu, Jellal and Erza stared down at the angel with intense force. Hahlos' eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "This isn't good…"
Carla quickly regained her composure and took off towards Hahlos. The angel notices the Exceed approaching from behind as the three wizards in front of him begin to dash. He gritted his teeth and began to glow yellow. In an instant, right before the wizards reached Hahlos, he and Wendy vanished.
Time felt like it stopped, the only noticeable movement was the dust cloud left behind by the intruder. The one to break the silence was Carla. "NOOOOOOOOO!" She cried.
Natsu fell on the ground and slammed his fists. "Damn it! I couldn't protect her!"
Erza grinded her teeth and clenched her fist tightly. "Wendy…forgive us!"
Jellal looked away in regret. "What was that…?"
Chelia stood for a moment before dropping on her knees, eyes filled with tears. "I…couldn't do anything…" She covered her face, filled with shame and broke down. "I'm so useless!"