Chapter 55

Prestige

"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 Lisanna 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." Suishou 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.

Outside the City

"You wiped the councilors' 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." Suishou 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 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." Suishou chuckled.

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

"I don't think she would just disappear without saying anything." The crystal mage declared.

"Well, it's got nothing to do with me, but I must he going down hill 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 before 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 three 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, Suishou 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. Suishou reached ofer and hugged her tight as she cried into his shoulder.

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. "Check out this souvenir I got!." 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.

The town's mayor stepped forward and coughed, catching everyones attention. "Good members of Fairy Tail, please observe your gift to the right." He motioned to the side and everyone went wide eyed. "Fairy Tail has been the pride of Magnolia, so we are honored to present you with a fully restored guildhall."

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. "I Thought I felt your presence at the Games, Zeref." Mavis said, floating behind him.

"I can neither hear you nor see you, but I know you're there, my dear Mavis." He said back, confusing the imp. "You were near me seven years ago."

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

"It's already been decided." He responded. "I've been around for four centuries, and in that time, I have observed humanities true nature: conflict, hatred, wickedness. No matter what changes, the depravity if man is the constant."

"There are always those who fight for something better." Mavis said as he turned behind him.

"You idealists are always the worst." He declared. "Lying to themselves and others with every breath."

"Then you won't wait any longer?" She asked.

"Correct." Zeref nodded. "I have had seven years to contemplate. And I have come to a decision." He stood up and the imp jumped off. "If the world keeps rejecting me, then I have no choice but to reject the world."

"Fairy Tail will accept this world for all." Mavis retorted.

"This shall be my gift to no one, Mavis." Zeref replied as the forest started dying around him. "A brand new world, purified of sin."

"I assume there will be fighting?" Mavis asked.

"Not quite." He declared as he looked up, anger in his eyes. "More like a one-sided annihilation. Not a man, woman or child shall be allowed spared."

"Fairy Tail will stop you. They will wipe your stain from this land.." 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.

"Who needs to work when we have this place to chill in this place?" Cana chuckled with a bottle of booze.

"You might not have a choice with all the job requests we've had." Mirajane said back.

"Which is why we need to relax every now and then." Levy replied.

"Is that why you're not out with Jet and Droy?" Brianna asked.

"No, it was their idea." She chuckled back. "They told me they could handle this job on their own."

"Speaking of bad ideas, are Natsu, Nicholas and Gray on another job together again?" Lucy asked.

"As crazy as it seems, those three have been getting along lately." Lisanna said. "And with Happy and Slate with them, I'm sure nothing too crazy should happen."

"And what about Wendy?" Brianna asked.

"She went with Erza on a job." Mirajane explained. "Apparently the reward involves some super rare sweets."

"Wait, if Erza is out on a job, then who's that?" Brianna pointed into the bath at another girl with long red hair.

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

"FLARE!?" The entire bath shouted in a panic.

"Get out!" Cana declared as she started sprinting over.

"Cana, stop!" Lucy called out. "She's not as bad as you think she is."

"That still doesn't explain why she's here!" Cana daid back.

"Now that Raven Tail's been disbanded… There's no were for me or Kuro to go." She mumbled.

Lucy stared at her before a small smile crossed her face. "Well then, why don't you two join up with us?"

"That's nice, but we don't want to join Fairy Tail." Flare instantly replied, making everyone fall over into the water.

"Then why are you here!?"

Later

Lucy walked down the street, Plue following her every mood. "That bath was awesome." She mumbled. "Way bigger than the one at home. Speaking of which, I really should pay the rent." The two reached the apartment and entered her room, only to find Wendy, Carla and Erza sitting there, Brianna hanging her head.

"Sorry about this." The Take-Over mage said. "They forced me to come along."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Erza said back, tapping her box. "The last job paid us in sweets, so many that we thought we should share them with you."

"That'd be lovely." The blonde replied.

"The boys went on a job not too long ago. Are they back yet?" Carla asked.

"I haven't seen them. They should have been back by now." Lucy answered. "It's been three days."

"I don't think they went too far. Anyone else feel like checking up on them?" Brianna asked.

"We must. Their sweets will go bad if they don't return so." Erza declared, not noticing the looks on everyone else's face.

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." Brianna said, poking the creature.

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

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

"Yo, Happy! I got the fish." Slate stepped out next to him. "Oh, what are you guys doing here?"

"What are we doing here? What are YOU doing here!?" Brianna asked. "You guys were supposed to finish this job three days ago."

"We did. But then Natsu decided that we should stick around for some training." The cat replied, confusing everyone.

"Then why did Happy ask us to help him?" Carla asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like how I cook the fish." Slate replied, making everyone turn to the blue cat before Gray crashed through the brushes.

"Damn, he's got a hell of a right hook." He said before noticing the group. "When you'd get here?"

"Training?" Erza asked. "You stayed late for training?" Natsu poked her head through the brush, looking for Gray.

"Hey guys. Wanna come train with us?" He earnestly asked.

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"Next time, tell us before you decide to stay late." Erza declared, glaring at the three.

"I still want to know why you guys felt like training all of a sudden." Lisanna said, walking over to Natsu.

"Well, ya know… I just felt like it." He mumbled back.

"That's not what he told me." Gray said back, earning a glare from the two Slayers."

At the bar, Makarov took a drink from his beer. "Master, we have another request for us." Mirajane said as she walked over.

Makarov took the paper and quickly skipped the top. "Natsu, Gray, Nicholas. Another job for you three!" He cried out. "It says… It can't be!"

"What is it?" Mirajane asked as the trio walked over.

"You'll go. And you'll behave to the best your feeble minds can comprehend." He mumbled back. "The client who's requested you is Warred Sequen. He's the fourth highest ranked of the Ten Wizards Saints. One of the Four Emperors of Ishgar." The entire guild snapped in shock as they stared at the confused trio.

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

"And the weather is amazing, 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. Nicholas was walking between Gray and Natsu, trying to keep them from fighting.

"Knock it off…" He begged as the two yelled over him. "Guys, we're meeting a member of the Tan Wizard Saints. They have more power in one finger than all of us put together. I'd really like to not piss him off."

"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 Ishgar."

"What's Ishgar?" Wendy asked in confusion.

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

"So one of the strongest wizards alive needs help from these dorks?" Lucy asked, glancing back in time to see Nicholas catch a fist from Gray with his face.

"Alright, that's it!" Nicholas shouted, ready to throw a punch himself.

"I think that's the house!" Slate called out from atop Brianna's head. 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?" The girl asked.

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

"Hello? We're from the Fairy Tail guild. We're here about the job request." 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 head.

"Is he a tree?" Lucy asked.

"He's definitely not as funny as he looks." Natsu said.

"This guy's a Wizard Saint?" Gray asked.

"Thank you for coming. Which of you are Natsu, Nicholas, and Gray?" He asked, just as the three raise 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 it's more of a hobby. As you can imagine, I've seen many things in my travels. One day, I stumbled across a strange village know as Sun Village. A village said to worship an ever burning flame as a guardian deity."

"An ever-burning flame?" Natsu asked.

"Indeed, but when I arrived 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, though it still burns."

"It's possible to freeze a 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 bith of us?" Gray asked. "Just have Natsu melt it and you'll be fine."

"And I can't do anything with Ice anyway." Nicholas added.

"This is no ordinary ice." Warrord replied. "That's why I need your power as well." He turned to Nicholas, making the teen flinch in surprise. "And you shouldn't doubt yourself, young man. In your travels, you must have picked up a thing or two to help."

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

"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 ment for attacks. In a battle of might, I wouldn't stand a chance against youngsters like you. 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 1200 miles south. 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."

I tried to make things a bit different from how they went in show. Now instead of a stupid fight, the three stayed late for training. And yes, it was to keep Lisanna safe. 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.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang