"Go Erza! You showed them!" Natsu cheered in excitement.
It was already halfway through the Grand Magic Games' third day events. The game the guilds had participated in was Pandemonium - a game where each participant had to choose a certain number of monsters to defeat and the one who slays the most amount of monsters becomes the winner. Erza was chosen to participate as Fairy Tail Team A's participant while Team B allowed Cana to go. The others being Millianna, Orga, Hibiki, Norbarly, Jura and Obra (who had recovered from Lucy's paralyzing spell).
In order to decide the order, Mato told each participant to draw straws. Erza was able to snag first, much to the team's delight, and Cana was to go last. Of course, Erza being Erza, she challenges all one hundred monsters and slays them all - to the shock and awe of everyone watching. The other Fairy Tail members cheering loudly through the arena, expecting nothing less from the Titania. Natsu, Gray and Wendy rushing down to compliment the scarlet haired mage.
Following Erza's victory, Mato told the contestants that they will rank the mages according to their results using the MPF, the Magic Power Finder. After Cana used Fairy Glitter, surprising literally everyone in the arena besides Mavis at her use of the one of the three Grand Fairy Spells and breaking the MPF, the event had come to a close with both Fairy Tail teams taking the first two top spots. The matches were about to start but Lucy was still not back, causing Natsu to be worried for some reason.
He distract himself by trying to focus solely on Millianna's match against Semmes of Quatro Cerberus and Eve's match against Rufus, but couldn't help wondering why the blonde hadn't come back from her meeting with the dragons and the magic council. He knew Lucy was careful with everything she did, so he was sure that the magic council wasn't going to accuse her of anything... but it was whatever she needed to talk about with the dragons that got him nervous.
Weisslogia and Skiadrum sounded so serious and even mentioned that the oldest and wisest dragon was at the castle waiting for her. He just hoped that it was nothing too serious and something stupid like one of the baby dragons were going wild or something along those lines. It wasn't until Laxus' match against Alexei that he was brought out of his thoughts and Natsu began to cheer for the lightning dragon slayer. There was no way Laxus would allow himself to lose to Raven Tail.
But that attitude changed in an instant. "What the-!?" The fairies cried.
Not even a second into the match, Alexei began to beat Laxus without even allowing him to breathe. He wasn't using magic, from what everyone in the audience could tell, and continued to punch Laxus one after the other. The fairies began to be suspicious, but even Lisanna and Bisca, who were keeping watch over the ravens from a distance, couldn't tell anything different from the ordinary and that made Makarov's blood boil even more. his suspicions growing stronger.
"Laxus! What the hell are you doing!?" Natsu shouted, not believing that the dragon slayer was getting beat by near punches. "You're telling me that you trained with that other lightning guy and you're losing!?"
"What? Laxus losing? Are you sure your eyes are seeing properly, Natsu?" Team Natsu's eyes widened as they saw Lucy standing behind them with her hand on her hip, smiling innocently at her team's surprised expressions. "Sorry I'm a little late. But honestly, do you really think Laxus is losing when I got him to learn a few things from Raiden?"
"Lucy~!" Natsu and Wendy cried, relieved that she was back.
"We were starting to get a little worried you wouldn't show." Erza said, crossing her arms.
"You even missed Erza's amazing fight in today's event." Gray added, making Lucy scratch the back of her head in embarrassment.
"We can talk about my being late and what I was doing after the games are over." Lucy said as she walked forward to see who was fighting, her eyes narrowing when she saw Laxus and Alexei. "So... Laxus is going up against Raven Tail?"
Natsu immediately went to stand next to her, pointing at Laxus with an angered look on his face. "Yeah! You can't believe it either, right Luce!? It's Laxus of all people! How could he just let himself get beat like that!?"
"You gotta calm down, Natsu!" Wendy said, instantly shutting the dragon slayer's protests down. "The fight isn't over just yet."
Lucy's eyebrows scrunched up together as she stared at the image before her. She knew Laxus was far stronger and much more agile than what she was seeing before her... and she her instincts are definitely sensing something wrong. But the blonde just decided to not to dwell on it any further, knowing that whatever the situation was... Laxus was taking care of it as they spoke. So she punched Natsu on the head as a means to stop his complaints and smirked.
"Laxus! I don't know what's happening down there but don't let our efforts go to waste!" Lucy shouted, as Makarov raised his hand to do the Fairy Tail sign. "Raiden didn't just teach you to let this happen and Master has put his faith in you, so hurry up and beat this guy! Get another win for Fairy Tail!"
As the fight continued, Lucy could see sparks of lightning appear in the air and she was sure the others could too. In the centre of the arena, Laxus stood tall with a couple of bruises. The image of him getting beat by Alexei dispersing as the other members of Team Raven Tail passed out on the floor and Alexei, who is revealed to be Raven Tail's master Ivan, clearly defeated as he sat on the ground with head hung low. The crowd completely amazed that Laxus had beaten all five members.
"Master! Master!" Nashi said as she jumped in excitement after watching Laxus. "Did you see that!? Uncle Laxus really beat up those guys without getting super injured!"
Makarov laughed as he picked up Nashi, pointing to the blonde slayer. "Of course, that's my grandson you're looking at! I expect nothing less from that boy!" He shouted in pride, causing the fairies to smile at his praise.
Once Laxus left the arena to head back to his team's booth and Raven Tail was arrested, it was already announced that the next match would be Wendy versus Sherria of Lamia Scale. The bluenette immediately ran to the arena, Lucy wishing her luck and reminding her to show the crowd the strength of Grandeeney's daughter. Wendy nodding as she narrowed her eyes in determination, promising herself to fight with her all while making her guild and dragon parent proud.
"Hey Lucy, you gonna tell us why you had to go to the Dragon Realm in such a rush?" Gray asked. "It sounded serious."
"Oh yeah!" Natsu said as he turned to Lucy. "It was nothing super serious right? Dad and the other dragons, they're all still okay over there!? The islands haven't started to fall like Edolas, right!?"
Lucy just laughed, clutching her stomach at her best friend's paranoia and raised her hand in front of his face to stop him from talking. "Natsu relax! Do you want everyone here to know about the dragons?" She asked, the boy shutting his mouth since he knew how bad that would be. "Igneel and the others are fine, there's nothing to worry about."
"But we heard that Hekima and Mirai were also present." Erza replied. "You told us that Hekima doesn't usually call request your presence unless they had grave news to tell you, isn't that right?"
"You guys worry too much." Lucy said, her tone reassuring them. "We have been discussing about what to do about Hekima's dragon successor for the past few years in the Dragon Realm, the old guy can't live forever after all. But he's so stubborn that none of the younger dragons seem to fit his standards."
"What about your call to the magic council? You met with them before coming here, right?" Gray asked. "What'd they want to talk to you about?"
Lucy blinked twice before closing her eyes, trying to recall what the council hard told her. During the meeting, she had been so occupied in her thoughts that she only remembers nodding whenever the Chairman asked for confirmation that she understood what he was saying. The meeting was actually fairly short and the only significant thing she could recall was placing her hand on what resembled to be an MPF but not quite the same. When the blonde realized she remembered none of it, she scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
"Uh... sorry guys..." She said in a sheepish manner. "I guess I spaced out so much during the meeting... I don't remember what they were talking about. One moment I nod my head, the next moment I place my hand on an orb and then they sent me away."
When the three heard that, they sweatdropped and looked at the girl in disappointment. "How was she able to be master for so long?"
Soon enough, Wendy's match began and the four mages turned to cheer on their teammate. They were surprised to see that Sherria was able to withstand her own against the sky dragon slayer, but everyone was even more amazed to hear that the pink haired girl was a sky god slayer. It was a battle between god versus dragon. And that got the crowd cheering even louder. Nashi amazed as this was the first time she has ever seen or heard of a god slayer.
The child dragon slayer then looked to Fairy Tail Team A's booth and saw that her mother was back, which made her relieved, but she could sense that something was bothering her. Even though Nashi should be happy seeing her parents be so close like they were before, Natsu had an arm wrapped around Lucy as he cheered for Wendy, the blonde didn't seem as energetic or happy as usual and that made the peach haired child nervous.
"Stop thinking like that, Nashi!" The child thought to herself as she tried to concentrate on Wendy's match. "Mama always knows what to do and has everything under control. No need to be worried."
But still, the child couldn't shake the troubling feeling in her gut. She trusted her mother more than anyone (even more than her father on some occasions, but she wouldn't dare tell him that) and if there was any trouble, both her parents would always be there to protect her... as always. It was then that Nashi could see an image flash through her mind: two people reaching out to her as if shouting. But she shook away that feeling and went back to cheering for her big sister Wendy.
"There you go folks! The final battle for the day has come to a draw!" Chapati announced at Fairy Tail cheered louder. With Raven Tail gone, Fairy Team A was now in the first place spot while Team B climbed to fifth place.
Lucy, on the other hand, stared at Nashi. In truth, it was obvious that she lied to her team about what she talked with the dragon council. She was trying her best to lie and act, something she was finally able to do during the seven year gap without the core members, as to not cause panic or worry about what's at stake. She couldn't forget what her dragon council had talked about when she arrived at the Dragon Realm. In fact, it made her very anxious.
"Are you serious!?" Lucy exclaimed, her expression showing just how shellshocked she is. "Are you entirely sure!?"
"It is as how we've told you." Hekima replied in a low voice, his eyes closing slowly before opening to look at Lucy with a serious look. "By your request, Kumiko has searched for the possibility of Nashi being a time anomaly and in truth... there are actually six time anomalies present."
When Lucy entered the Dragon Realm, Weisslogia and Skiadrum transformed into their dragon appearances and led her to their council room. Everyone who was a part of her council was already there, including Hekima and Mirai, so Lucy took her seat while the dragons bowed their heads to greet their empress. But when Hekima revealed that Nashi wasn't the only time anomaly that is currently in Earthland, everyone in the room besides Hekima, Kumiko and Mirai all caused an uproar.
"It is safe to assume to Nashi is indeed one of the six?" Arhad asked, turning to Kumiko.
"I've already concluded as such." Kumiko replied, hanging her head in slight worry about the remaining five. "As we all know, Vetani was the one who has targeted Nashi ever since her majesty found the child on Earthland. However, we are still unaware of who her employer is and why they wanted the child."
"Considering this new development, we can conclude that the masked woman is also a part of the six." Lunaria replied, everyone else nodding at her remark. "Could it be that the other four are either her colleagues or employers?"
"If that's the case, then we are dealing with a larger organization here." Raiden said. "If either of the four are allies, they would've shown themselves by now, wouldn't they?"
Mirai shook her head as she looked out the window, staring at the younger dragons flying about. "Not necessarily, Raiden." She said. "They might be forced to not act, as to not mess with the balance of time until the right moment."
"They all bear the same sort of trace as Nashi, so it is assumed they, too, are from the future." Kumiko added.
Lucy massaged her temples at the revelation. Ever since she realized, after Natsu and the others came back, that Nashi's scent was a complete mix of hers and the fire dragon slayer's, she had become convinced that the flow of time had been breached. What she hadn't expected was to hear that there were more than just one person who have also come from the future. She was swimming through dangerous waters... and it was leading to thing she was afraid to uncover.
She and the other dragons knew that Nashi's memories prior to arriving in this time had been blocked due to psychological means and Lucy could only assume that it must have traumatized the child greatly. If Vetani was somehow tied to that trauma, she was also a vital clue in figuring out Nashi's existence in this time. What she didn't want to do, and she was sure the other dragons would also follow her discomfort, was to further use Nashi as bait to draw Vetani to them in order to figure out answers.
Regardless of the fact that the six year old child was a prodigy, it was far too risky. Lucy did not want to put her daughter in more of harms way as she had done since returning to Earthland when the Tenrou Team returned. After the incident with the kidnapping, she decided against the previous decision to continue Nashi's training without the use of the force field. If Nashi's pursuers were also from the future, they were likely to be far more advanced in terms of magic power. She wouldn't stand a chance.
Igneel looked toward the blonde empress in worry as he brought his face down to meet Lucy's eye level. "So... what do you suggest that we do now?" He asked, making Lucy turn to him.
The blonde thought for a second, looking at all the serious yet anxious expressions on each of the dragons faces. They all cared for Nashi just as much as she did and the news of those seeking for said child would definitely cause Natsu, if not all of Fairy Tail, to take action... Lucy could only think of one option. "Nashi shall stay hidden here."
"But milday!" Kai called. "If you just bring her here without reason, wouldn't she and your guild become suspicious?"
"Not if I tell them that Igneel has more spells to teach Nashi." Lucy replied, crossing her arms. "I will bring her here once today's events are over and I shall place her under Grandeeney's care and Igneel's tutelage."
"I shall take great care of her, you majesty." Grandeeney replied, bowing her head.
"I fear Nashi's pursuers will take action on the fifth, if not by the fourth, day." Lucy said, placing her elbows atop the table and resting her head on the back of her hands. "Using the games is the perfect opportunity to divert all the guilds' focus so they may strike and Jellal has informed me of a growing magic power similar to that of Zeref possibly roaming Crocus - Nashi must not leave by any means."
"Yes, your majesty." The dragons replied as they bowed their heads.
"If I may, your majesty." Ava spoke up. "I would like to know if you intend to take action if the pursuers do attack during the games."
"Ava is right." Metalicana agreed. "Should the pursuers attack and demand for Nashi's presence, the child will surely sense that you, her mother and potentially the rest of the guild, are in danger. She might secretly, and recklessly, leave the Dragon Realm on her own accord."
Lucy nodded, their point completely valid and clasped her hands together, her body shaking because of her fear of the worst to come. "As you know, I have taught Nashi what to do in case of utmost emergency... my worst fear is that something I, or anyone of us here, have not foreseen will take place."
"Even something that Mirai could not foresee?" Weisslogia asked.
"We cannot keep relying on Mirai's powers to tell us what's in store." Lucy replied, shaking her head. "Her visions can only take us so far and does not give us any real context about what is happening within them. It is best that we try to figure out the worst case scenario before it happens... and consider all possibilities of the outcome."
The dragons all nodded in agreement, not really satisfied but not completely disappointed on the conclusions they have come to. "It is now passed midnight... we shall retire for the night and continue discussing this tomorrow." Skiadrum said.
"Do not lose heart, my brethren." Hekima said as he made his way toward the exit first. "No matter the situation, no matter how slim the chances are... we shall prevail and come out of this victorious." With those words, Hekima left the castle and flew back to his domain, the other dragons' spirits lifting as they also stood up.
One by one, the dragons began to leave the council room while Lucy remained in her seat, deep in thought. Igneel was about to leave, but he turned into his human form and sat in the seat next to her, making Lucy look up at him. The Fire Dragon King had a feeling the blonde had something more to say to him and was glad that neither Grandeeney or Ava went back to see what was taking him so long. They were probably just as tired and exhausted as everyone else, so they went to their islands to sleep.
"Igneel..." Lucy finally spoke up in a soft voice. "There is something I want you to do when the absolute worst comes to pass."
The fire dragon wanted to protest so desperately at Lucy's words, wanting to convince her that whatever she is thinking in her head will never happen with the dragons, her guild and especially Natsu by her side. The blonde empress could sense Igneel's refuting thoughts and forced out an empty chuckle, her eyes looking outside the window as she stared up at the stars with a look of envy, she wished nothing more but a peaceful world for the dragon, her nakama and for Nashi.
"Lucy... nothing is going to harm Nashi with you and Natsu to protect her." Igneel finally said.
But the blonde girl only shook her head and leanded back into her chair, shifting her eyes to stare at the Fairy Tail guild mark on the back of her right hand. "It's not Nashi who I'm thinking of..."
Author's note: I'm gonna take awhile writing the next few chapters for day four. But don't worry, you guys will probably get three chapters (or four) on the same day when I'm done :)