Chapter 15

Fairy Tail guild

"You're going down Erza!" Yelled Mirajane, now seventeen years old, as she butted heads with Erza, who was also seventeen years old, as they fought with each other in a makeshift battle arena in the guildhall. Both of whom were being watched by both the Twilight sisters and everyone else in the guildhall currently.

"By my honor, I won't let that happen!" Yelled Erza as she glared at Mirajane, who also glared back, as they both struggled to overpower the other and win their battle.

The battle was tame for the standards for Fairy Tail brawls and that was because of the Twilight Sisters. The twins may tolerate the brawls happening because of the other members, but they will not allow their pupils, Erza and Mirajane respectively, to cause such destruction. So, to not earn the ire of their mentors, both teenagers agreed, when their rivalry first began, to never use their magic and to declare one of them the winner of a brawl when they knock the other down to the ground first. As a result, their brawls were the tamest of Fairy Tail brawls, much to Natsu's disapproval. He said that they don't have the feel as his brawls, but he was ignored by both girls as they would just get into trouble with the Twilight Sisters if they destroyed much of the guild in one of the brawls. They both suffered their wrath before, back when they didn't implement the rules they had now, and needless to say, they both didn't want the Twilight Sisters' mad at them. Naestra may be the kindest woman they've met, but even she can be fearsome when she needed to be.

As the fight continued, Naestra looked over to her sister, watching as she eyed Erza particularly, checking to see if there were flaws in her fighting style and technique. This was what Arahan always did whenever she was present whenever Erza fought with Mirajane. She checked to see what needed to be improved, tell Erza what's wrong, and then help her train to be a better fighter. It was her way of showing her affection to the human teenager. Much like her with Mirajane, though she was more compassionate with how she goes about it than Arahan.

Years have passed since Erza and the Strauss siblings have joined the guild and things have changed for the better for the most part.

Mirajane's siblings, Elfman and Lisanna, both found their own versions of take-over from Makarov, who helped them unlock them. With this, Mirajane became a bit more comfortable around the others due to there being other people with magic like hers. Although, with Naestras' help, it really wasn't necessary as the elf had helped Mirajane considerably in finding other friends in the guild and become a more productive member of said guild.

Erza, through her constant training with Arahan, became the youngest person to ever achieve the rank of S-class mage at fifteen years old with some even suspecting that she would have gotten it even younger had Arahan prevented her from doing so. Arahan, through a rare case of affection, treated the girl to a cake from her favorite dessert shop, much to the teen's glee.

Mirajane, seeing how much affection, respect, and love Erza was getting for her amazing feat, wanted some of it and asked Naestra, who was close to the Strauss siblings to train her so that she can become an S-class mage too. So that people would both respect her and not fear her for her magic. Though when Naestra heard of the reasoning behind the want of training, she scolded the elder Strauss. Becoming an S-class mage, a title for only the best of the best, was not something that people should want to achieve for the glory or respect it would no doubt bring, but because either they believe they are ready for such a title, and the work that it'll bring, or that their leaders believe they are worthy of it and give them a chance to prove it. After making sure that Mirajane understood what she was trying to convey, Naestra trained Mirajane, much like Arahan did with Erza. With her help, Mirajane was able to become an S-class mage just like Erza at sixteen years old, just a year after Erza.

Unfortunately, this caused the rivalry between the two to occur. While the celebration for Mirajane's ascension to S-class mage was ongoing, Natsu made the dumb move on commenting that Naestra was a better mentor than Arahan because Mirajane was able to be an S-class mage with just one year of training from Naestra while Erza needed three years or so of training. That caused Erza, and Arahan as well, to glare at Natsu. Erza, filled with the need to defend her mentor's honor and training ethics, said that Mirajane had it easier than her because the S-class trials for her were easier than the ones given for the scarlet-haired teen. This caused Mirajane, who overheard all this, to glare at Erza and a fight ensued. Which, of course, lead to a fierce rivalry between the two ever since.

Though neither sister particularly cared much about which was the better trainer, they nevertheless allowed their trainees to fight with each other as it was good practice to see how much they've truly learned and what they need to improve.

Now, the two watched as they saw Erza start to overpower Mirajane, pushing her steadily to the ground. Just before she could push Mirajane to the ground, Mirajane managed to sweep Erza's legs with her own, taking her down to the floor, where Mirajane was able to tackle her to the ground and thus win this round of battles between them.

With that, Naestra declared Mirajane the winner and began to pull the two girls apart before a protest can be done by Erza or anyone else.

"Oh yeah!" Yelled Mirajane with a cheer. "Take that, Erza! I'm now one up over you!" Erza just glared at the white-haired teen before she got up.

"Enjoy the victory now, Mirajane." Said Erza. "Because I'll be winning the next two battles." Mirajane just scoffed at that before walking towards her siblings, who were cheering her on for her victory.

Naestra sighed at Mirajane's attitude as she basked in her siblings' love and support. Even though she told her that an S-class mage was something that shouldn't be taken lightly, she supposed Mirajane deserved a little love and recognition for her victory. And it's not like she was becoming overconfident. She trusted that her student knew this was just a light match between allies, nothing more, and that a real battle was nothing like this. Still, her behavior was somewhat concerning to the elf.

Ever since she became an S-class mage and beginning her rivalry with Erza, Mirajane's personality became more like Arahans', more or less. Where she used to be shy and meek, she was now aggressive and rude, just like Arahan. But unlike Arahan, she now dressed more indecently. Now sporting, what the humans call, a purple tank top that showed off her arms and midriff. Dark pants that should be classified as undergarments rather than pants. If it weren't for the dark leggings she wore and her non-pointed ears, Naestra would almost mistake her as a Druchii with all the dark clothing that she wore. Almost. She also had a habit of picking fights with other members of Fairy Tail. Though she tried to dissuade such behavior from Mirajane, the girl kept doing it over and over again. When she asked Makarov the reason for such behavior, he told her that Mirajane was going through a rebellious phase. It was the same thing happening with his own grandson, Laxus Dreyar, who used to be such a sweet and innocent boy before. Now he was just a cocky and arrogant fool that picked fights with other members of the guild.

It somewhat disappointed Naestra that Mirajane's personality went through such a drastic turn, but she supposed it couldn't be helped. Makarov told her that it was common for children to have such a phase, even he had one before he became who he was today. Trusting the little human, Naestra nonetheless was disappointed with Mirajane's behavior.

Such behavior was unbecoming for someone her age, at least in her point of view. One should not disrespect their elders nor pick fights with others, even if they're far weaker than you. One should respect their elders and learn from them, to see what they can offer them that they don't have already. They should also be more cautious to who they pick fights with for they never know what they were provoking with their taunts or insults. Her people learned that long ago with the War of Vengeance. A terrible war between the High Elves of Ulthuan and the Dwarves. One that neither really recovered from.

Her thoughts of Mirajane were cut off when the doors to the guild were opened and a blur flew into the guildhall. Though it looked like a blur to many, but to Naestra and Arahan, they could see what it was. A blue cat with wings. Said cat with a mischievous smile on its face.

The reason for such a smile then revealed itself when Natsu came barging into the guildhall with black marking all over his face.

"Happy!" Yelled Natsu as he charged after the blue cat with flaming fists. "You're so going to get it for this!" He was then about to jumped towards the cat when he was grabbed by the collar by Arahan.

"Don't even think about it." Said Arahan with a glare as she forced Natsu to the ground. Natsu struggled to do anything, but a surprise chop to the head by Erza, knocked the boy out cold, dispelling his flames as a result. Not caring that he was knocked out, Arahan knew that the teen was more than capable of enduring such a hit, Arahan let go of him and allowed Erza to take him to a table to sit him down. As this was happening, Naestra was looking at the flying cat called Happy, who was currently laughing out loud at Natsu's misfortune.

The cat was an interesting development. He had come into existence and into the guild a few weeks after the Strauss siblings started to get close with the other members of Fairy Tail.

Surprisingly, the cat had come from an egg that Natsu had found in the forest. The boy had thought it was a dragon egg and so brought it to the guild and decided to make it hatch. After Makarov explained to Natsu that he had to do it as he found, plus he was the only one, that the humans knew of, that had any knowledge on Dragons in order to properly hatch it as well as raise it. Thus, Natsu took on the difficult task of raising a Dragon egg by himself. Although not for long as Lisanna Strauss soon began helping him in order to hatch it.

Naestra wanted to help as well but refrained. Much as she wanted to see the differences between the Dragons of this world and those from hers', she figured that Natsu needed to learn some lessons of responsibility. And what better way than to have him raise a life. Plus, she felt like he needed to do this with as minimal help as possible.

According to the boy, he was raised by a fire dragon by the name of Igneel. Such a story was met with such wild incredulity, much to Natsu's anger, and though her sister also shared in those sentiments, due to her own knowledge on Dragons from their world, Naestra believed them to be true.

For one, she had little knowledge of the Dragons in this world. They could be far kinder and less prone to destruction as some Dragons in her world tended to be. Plus, it would explain why he has such a fiery temperament. Fire dragons tended to be volatile creatures. It also would explain why Natsu has magic called Fire Dragon slaying magic, though why a Dragon would take in such a being and raise it was a mystery to Naestra. And finally, for all his flaws, Natsu wasn't a liar. He was utterly incapable of such deception. He was simply far to forward-thinking, honest, and, to put it respectfully, unintelligent enough to do such deception.

So, much as it seemed improbable to believe, Naestra believed Natsu's story that he was raised by a Dragon. Arahan couldn't believe that her sister believed such a ridiculous claim, but other than simple disbelief, Arahan didn't do anything to convince her sister that Natsu's claims were lies.

Getting back to the cat, the Dragon egg that Natsu and Lisanna were taking care of wasn't a Dragon egg at all. Instead, much to the surprise of all that were present when it hatched, the egg instead hatched the cat that was flying right now. Although, it technically was cat-like as it had wings and could fly with them, something even the cats here could not do.

Despite being disappointed that the egg didn't give birth to a Dragon, although initially Natsu actually thought Happy was a Dragon until Naestra explained that he wasn't, still kept him and named him Happy after the atmosphere around the guild at the time changed to happiness upon the cat-like being's birth.

Since then, Happy has become a sort of mascot to the guild. With his general cuteness, Happy has become a source of affection and love from those within the guild and within Magnolia. Although both Naestra and Arahan could care less about the cat-like being, Naestra was pleased to see Fairy Tail's image getting better.

Ever since the two begun working for Fairy Tail, news popped all over Fiore about her and Arahan. Of how they were the only magic-less people in Fairy Tail, but still were still very much capable in doing the missions they selected, including combat-related ones, which seemed to be the only things they do. Not only that, but the fact that they don't cause massive property damage or fights with their employers, caused more jobs to be sent to Fairy Tail, in hopes the Twilight sisters will be the ones to do them. To not disappoint the people that sent such jobs but also to give people in the guild a fair share of the reward money, Makarov asked the Twilight sisters' to partake in these jobs with others. This was fine with Naestra, but disliked by Arahan as she disliked nearly everyone in the guild with some exceptions. Nevertheless, the two were always accompanied by someone, both to split the reward money and to have some magical support if they needed it. With a steady amount of jobs pouring through for them, offering good amounts of currency, the Twilight sisters' were doing substantially well in providing for their son.

Speaking of Diederick, he was currently in middle school and was doing well in his classes. Always being a top student in behavior and attendance. He wasn't the smartest, but he was one of the most driven and well-behaved. And that was more than enough for the Twilight sisters. Naestra just wished that Diederick's personality went over to Mirajanes' sometimes. She loved the girl, but sometimes she can be a bit too rude to people. Perhaps she should put an end to it soon before she ends up doing something that she was going to regret.

Taking a breath, she saw Mirajane walking over to her with an overconfident smirk.

"Did you see the look on Erza's face when I pulled that fast one on her?" Asked Mirajane as she basked in her own victory. "She's going to be feeling that one for a while."

"Mirajane." Said Naestra. "While you are welcome to feel satisfaction on your victories, that doesn't mean you can relish in them for too long. That will lead to overconfidence, which can be a weakness your enemies will exploit. Besides, this was a mere sparing match with no magic allowed. If Erza had access to her magic, things would have been closer than what it was without them." Upon hearing all that, Mirajane rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, old lady, can't you be a little more supportive?" Asked Mirajane, causing Naestra to sigh. "I just beat the youngest S-class mage in existence and that's what you go with. Not a "You did great Mirajane.", or an "I'm proud to have you as a student." She said all this in a mimicry of Naestra's own voice, something the elf wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted on. "What's the big deal? Can't you be more supportive of me? Can't you be a lot happier for me? I beat my rival after all."

"In a sparing match." Said Naestra. "A sparing match that heavily restricted both of you. A real battle would not have such restrictions nor would they be as honorable as Erza was in your mock battle. In a real battle, the enemy will not hold back. They will do everything they can to win, even if it means doing things that you consider despicable. Trust me Mirajane, in a real battle, overconfidence can kill you." Upon hearing all that, Mirajane groaned out in frustration.

"What real battles!?" Demanded Mirajane, catching the attention of everyone in the guild hall. "Every job I took that involved beating people up has been a breeze. Nothing too hard that I can't handle. There's nothing to be worried about!"

"There is." Said Naestra, frustrated in Mirajane for not listening. "The assignments you've partaken so may have been easy for you, but that doesn't mean that future assignments will be as easy. You may face an enemy that you're not prepared for. Or worse, you'll choose a job that you truly aren't ready for and you or others will die as a result. I'm merely being cautious, Mirajane. I care about you. I don't wish for you to die so young. Do you understand me?" Although Naestra pleaded with Mirajane to understand her, Mirajane just shook her head.

"No, I don't!" Yelled Mirajane. "You're just holding me back! You're always holding me back since I became an S-class mage. I'm sick of it." By now, her siblings were starting to get involved.

"C'mon sis." Said Elfman, getting in the conversation. "Naestra doesn't mean it like that. She's just worried about you is all."

"Yeah, Mirajane." Said Lisanna. "And she's right. We don't know what's out there. For all we know, there's something stronger than all of us combined. Maybe there's even something out there that can even beat the master alone. Naestra simply wants us to be alive and well, Mirajane. She doesn't mean ill or anything, she's just looking out for us." Hearing those words from her siblings and the look of concern from everyone, Mirajane sighed before speaking up.

"Fine." Said Mirajane before looking at Naestra. "I'm sorry. I promise to be more cautious in mission. And I won't let this victory get to me. Promise." Though she spoke such words, Naestra wasn't convinced that she truly meant them. Still, to prevent the situation from escalating further, Naestra stopped the conversation from going any further. After telling Mirajane that it was good that she saw things her way, Naestra left to pick a job for her and her sister to do. As she examined the job board for missions that they can do, Arahan came right up to her.

"You know that fool of an apprentice of yours will only end up ignoring your words just now." Said Arahan in a whisper, so no one can hear her words. "She's become quite foolhardy as of late. Enough that it's only a matter of time before she dies from her overconfidence. Perhaps bring a few others with her as well." Naestra said nothing as she picked a job, knowing what her sister was true. She needed to convince Mirajane that her attitude will get her killed. She tried many times with her own sister, but to no avail. Perhaps this time things will be different. She had Mirajane's siblings to help after all. Perhaps they can help her in making Mirajane see why her attitude was going to cost her something if it wasn't put to a stop soon. But for now, she had a job to do. It was a long one that will take a few days to complete, but perhaps that was for the best. Mirajane may need a few days to think about what she said in order for it to fully take in.

With that, she and her sister picked who they wanted with them on their journey, this time it was Erza along with Macao, and departed with the mages in order to pack up for the journey. As they left, Naestra couldn't help but feel that a great tragedy was going to befall soon and that she won't be there to prevent it.

Meanwhile, Mirajane was mumbling to herself once Naestra was gone, unhappy with how unsupportive her mentor was to her as of late.

"Who does she think she is." Thought Mirajane as she pouted. "Ever since I've become an S-class mage, I've become one of the most feared and respected members of this guild. I've gotten on S-class quests that make normal mages pee their pants in fear of going on them. And I've even gotten to know plenty of people in this guild my age. I've moved past the shy, insecure girl that was afraid of her own power. So, why the hell is she so unsupportive of me? She used to be so supportive of me before. Now all she does is scorn me for my behavior while also giving me combat tips. What's her big deal?" As Mirajane tried to think things through, Elfman and Lisanna came up to her.

"Hey, big sis." Said Lisanna with a smile, making Mirajane smile as well. Lisanna always was able to make her smile in even the harshest of times. Before she meets Naestra, Lisanna was the one that brightened her day along with Elfman. "That was a pretty big argument you had with Naestra." Mirajane scoffed at that.

"Of course it was." Said Mirajane as she placed her chin in her hands. "She scolded me for what should be a cause of celebration. She's been doing it a lot lately. Guess she doesn't like having another Arahan or Natsu around, huh?" Her two siblings looked at each other for a moment before Lisanna spoke up.

"She's just looking out for you, big sis." Said Lisanna, causing Mirajane to look at her in surprise. "I mean, that's what she's been doing all the time. Looking out for you. She's just worried that your mean attitude will just make people hate you. Plus, she's right about the overconfidence and that S-class jobs are going to harder and harder."

"Yeah, and not just S-class jobs." Said Elfman, agreeing with Lisanna. "Even the normal jobs can be quite hard. Remember that time Macao and Wakaba got back three months ago from that job to clear a forest of giant bugs? They had to stay in a hospital for five days because of the venom and stings they got from those things. They made a full recovery and all, but they normally don't need to go to the hospital for their missions. They're way more experienced in this stuff than us, sis. Even if we're a lot tougher than them, it's somewhat nerve-racking they nearly got killed in that mission and had to be hospitalized to make it through. That stuff is what Naestra is trying to convey to you. Stuff like that can happen to you when you least expect it. Or worse. She's just looking out for you, sis. Always has been. It's just that it's hard to do that when…" Elfman tried to find a good way to say what's on his mind without angering his sister. Not because he was afraid of her wrath, though he was certainly afraid of it, but because he was sure that it was better for Mirajane to take this news as carefully and gently as possible. Fortunately, he didn't have to as Mirajane just sighed.

"I'll think about it." Said Mirajane with no small amount of reluctance in her voice. "For now, let's just go on another job. I'm feeling the need to get out there and punch somebody." Smiling at the answer, Elfman and Lisanna went to pick a job that they all can do together. Eventually, they picked one, and the siblings left to go accomplish it.

Much later

"Your apprentice has become quite an arrogant one, hasn't she, Naestra?" Asked Arahan as she slew a giant bee-like creature that tried to skewer her with its barbed stinger.

The two sisters have decided to do a simple elimination mission. At the request of a client that owned a honey farm, the sisters were to take down a nest of giant killer bees that have started to encroach on his farm as of late. So, with Macao and Erza, the sisters went to work.

The trip here had taken a full day to get to the general location of the farm from Magnolia and another half a day of carriage riding to the actual place. But when they arrive, they were given directions to the nest by the client. Finding the nest in a cave network, the four went to work in exterminating the entire nest. A long and excruciating task that took several hours.

Right now the twins were exterminating one of the last sections of the nest while Erza and Macao were out taking care of another section. It wouldn't be long until they destroyed the entire nest.

"As Makarov said before, it's a mere temporal state that Mirajane is undertaking." Said Naestra as she killed three bees with a single arrow to the head for each of them. "Though it pains me to see her change so radically, I have high hopes that Mirajane will revert back to the person she once was before she became an S-class mage."

"Always thinking everyone can be redeemed, sister." Said Arahan as she stabbed a bee in the head when it attempted to ram into her. She dodged the attack of another one before placing an arrow to its head. "How needlessly typical of you."

"The people here aren't as close-minded nor as unreasonable as those from our old world, Arahan." Said Naestra as she spotted the last bee attempting to make a retreat. Without much thought, she notched an arrow and fired it at the bee, taking out its left wing, sending it crashing to the ground. When it did, Naestra notched several more arrows and let them fly straight to the monster, killing it. With that done, she looked at Arahan and spoke again. "And Mirajane is one of the sweetest people in the world, Arahan. I know that behind all that attitude and overconfidence still lies the sweet girl that I had come to know all those years ago. She's just going through changes since becoming what she is now. And need I remind you, her behavior is similar to yours, only a little less reckless compared to you." Arahan just scowled at that before the two ventured out of the section of the beehive to go find Macao and Erza so that they all can go together to get their reward. As they walked, Naestra wondered how everything was going back at Magnolia and if Mirajane, Natsu, or Gray have gotten into trouble while they were gone. And if their son, Diederick, was doing alright with his friend Daxter. Hopefully, they haven't and her son is alright, but she can't help but feel dread growing inside her. That something terrible has happened in her absence. She told Arahan of her growing dread, but her sister just scoffed, saying she wouldn't be surprised that something awful happened while they were away. Makarov, she said, was very terrible in keeping everyone in line enough to prevent even the meekest of them from destroying something.

Sighing at her sister's response, Naestra could only pray to Isha that the dread growing inside her was simple nerves or that nothing too terrible happened while she was away. She could only hope those prayers were answered.

Two days later

Those prayers were answered and they were not answered favorably. Although nothing too serious was done to her son, the guild, or Magnolia in her absence, the tragedy that befalls was a more personal one.

Lisanna, the sweet young sister of Mirajane and Elfman, was dead. Killed, tragically by Elfman, during a mission.

The Strauss siblings had left on a mission just a day ago. An S-class mission that had them deal with a monster that had been terrorizing a town. The three were confident that they can deal with it on their own, but they weren't. While Lisanna was escorting people to safety, Elfman and Mirajane fought the monster. They did their best, but the monster overpowered both of them and injured Mirajane enough that she would have been killed by the monster had Elfman not absorbed the monster, using his own take-over magic. It worked, but it leads to an even worse problem.

Elfman, despite knowing take-over magic, was unable to use it to fully transform him into anything, unlike his sisters. At best, he was able to turn a limb or two at a time, but nothing more. This was a blow to Elfman's pride, but it didn't matter much to his siblings, who still loved him all the same. So, when he absorbed that monster, he must have been overwhelmed with the monster's own bloodlust and madness. Take-over magic, according to Makarov, was a very volatile magic. If one wasn't careful or prepared, there was a very real possibility that one can lose themselves with the creature they've taken over, potentially becoming a mindless beast as a result, which is what Elfman was experiencing at the time.

He would have killed Mirajane, but Lisanna had arrived just in time to see what her brother had become. Although that was a fatal mistake. Lisanna, thinking that her brother was able to pull himself together with a little family encouragement, tried to peacefully attempt to get through to her brother, leaving herself wide open to an attack from Elfman. Despite her faith in her brother, Lisanna was killed by the out-of-control Elfman. In a cruel twist of fate, this was what snapped Elfman out of his rage. The remaining Strauss siblings, after mourning and grieving for their dead sibling, left for Magnolia, not even picking up their reward money along the way.

Now, here they were, attending Lisanna's funeral. Nearly everyone in the guild was present. Diederick and Daxter were there as well, both boys' having sorrowful looks on their faces. Diederick because he lost a good friend. Daxter, though he didn't know Lisanna much, knew enough that he wanted to attend her funeral as a sign of respect. Both wore black, a sign of mourning for the humans in this world. Naestra and Arahan both wore black dresses of human make. Naestra, having a sneaking suspicion they may have to wear such attire after learning of the funeral ceremonies of the humans of this world, bought some for her and Arahan to wear as nothing they had brought from Athel Loren was appropriate for the kind of funerals in this world. Just in case they needed to attend a funeral for those that had their respect. Though Arahan found them disgusting to wear, Naestra was able to force her sister to wear it after telling her that Diederick would be disappointed in them if they didn't wear appropriate attire for one of his closet friends. Though they had some heavy black cloth that covered their heads so that no one can see their ears. The cloth covered both their ears as well as all of their hair.

Both Elfman and Mirajane were crying their eyes out as the funeral kept going, though they did it quietly enough for people to say their words regarding Lisanna. Makarov, being the guild master, spoke first and while he was speaking, Naestra looked at Mirajane.

Her eyes softened considerably when she saw the tears running down Mirajane's face. Walking over to her slightly, Naestra placed a hand on Mirajane's shoulder, only for the teenager to shrug it off. She glared at Naestra with tears running down her face. She was clearly grieving and Naestra could understand that. So, she stopped interacting with Mirajane and decided to do so after the funeral was over. Looking back at Makarov, she saw that he was done. With no one going up, Naestra decided to go next. Stepping onto the podium enabled her to look at everyone present at the funeral. Looking at all present, Naestra spoke out.

"Lisanna Strauss was a wonderful child." Said Naestra as she looked at everyone. "A kind soul that represents everything that this guild values. Family, camaraderie, and faith that, no matter how dark a day becomes, everything will brighten up if she worked hard enough to achieve it." As her speech was being given looks and nods of approval from the crowd, she continued. "To have Lisanna lose her life so young is a tragedy that the guild may never recover from. However, we cannot allow her death to prevent us from doing the work that we must do. It's our responsibility to continue our jobs so that tragedies like the one that has befallen Lisanna and the guild can be prevented from those unable to defend themselves from the dangers of this world. That is what Lisanna would have wanted us to do. Failing to do so would bring shame not only to Lisanna but to our guild as well." With that Naestra was done and she departed from the podium. Though no one had said anything about her speech, she knew it was one that many, if not all approved of. Going over to her son, she gave him a smile. A sad one, but a smile nonetheless. She motioned for him to give a speech as well, to which he nodded before going up to the podium as well. It would be several more speeches until the final burial procedures commenced, but when they did, there were many tears falling down Mirajane and Elfman as the empty coffin of Lisanna, there wasn't even a body to bury as the body just disappeared, according to Mirajane, was lowered to the hole they made and it was covered up.

Once that was done, everyone began to leave, either to wallow in their own sorrow more in private or were going home to rest up so they can do some jobs tomorrow. Eventually, only the Strauss siblings and Naestra remained. Arahan took Daxter and Diederick home. Naestra would be with them, but she needed to speak with Mirajane and Elfman. She felt like she needed to on account of being their mentor for most of their time in Fairy Tail. Walking over to them, Naestra spoke out.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Said Naestra as she saw the two looking at the new grave of Lisanna with sorrow. "I'm also sorry that you had to conduct that mission without my help. If I had known that this would have happened, I would have not gone on the mission that Arahan and I have partaken in and instead helped you in defeating that monster. Perhaps then, Lisanna would be alive." Both Elfman and Mirajane, both still crying, spoke up.

"Thanks for the sentiment, Miss Naestra." Said Elfman, whipping his face with his sleeve. Out of the two, Elfman was the least injured, which was no consolation for what happened. If anything, it made Elfman even more guilty for what happened. He didn't know what to say to Natsu, who was the closest to Lisanna besides her siblings. He knew that he had to apologize to the guy soon, but he was just too upset over his actions to really say anything to him right now. Mirajane had one of her arms in a cast, preventing her from going on missions for a while. "I just wish that Lisanna didn't…that I hadn't…" He was then interrupted by Mirajane.

"You should have been there." Said Mirajane in a whisper as she looked at Lisanna's grave. Looking at Mirajane, Naestra asked her to explain. Upon hearing that, the girl turned around to glare at Naestra, tears streaming down her face. "If you've been there, Lisanna would have lived. She would be right here with us! Alive and well! But no, you had to go out and do a stupid job with that bitch sister of yours! Why the hell did you leave us alone!? Why the hell did you leave us after telling me to be less of a bitch!? What kind of fucking message is that!? You tell me to be less of a jerk and then you go be one by leaving us alone to fend for ourselves. What the hell kind of mentor would…" Mirajane didn't say anymore as she broke down into even more tears as she went to the ground, bawling her eyes out. Seeing this pitiful sight, Naestra knelt down and wrapped her arms around Mirajane's form. Mirajane initially tried to push Naestra away, still mad at her, but eventually she just accepted the embrace and slammed her face into Naestra's chest, crying into the black fabric of her dress.

"It's alright." Said Naestra as she gently stroked Mirajane's hair. "Let it all out. Let it all out. If you must, blame me for all that has happened. As long as it makes you feel better, I will allow it to happen." Mirajane just ignored what she said and continued to cry. A few minutes passed before Mirajane spoke.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Said Mirajane as she stopped crying to look at Naestra, sorrow all over her face. "I should have listened to you. I should have been more careful. If I wasn't the idiot I was when we last met, then Lisanna would still be alive. I'm so sorry." Naestra just cleaned her face as she smiled sadly at Mirajane.

"It's okay." Said Naestra. "It's okay. The important thing is that you knew what you did wrong and that you promise to rectify your mistakes. If you need help in rectifying them, then I will help you. Also, I should note. The void left by your sister's death will never go away. At best, you can just lessen the pain it'll cause, but it'll never go away. You loved her too much for that." Mirajane just nodded at that before going back to embracing Naestra's chest. With that done, she looked at Elfman, who still was crying. "Do you wish to join this?" Elfman just nodded before going over and embracing Naestra, who took Elfman in her arms along with Mirajane after a slight adjustment. She knew that it'll be some time until these two recover from this tragic event enough that they can work again, but she'll help them along the way on the road of recovery. This she promised.

Meanwhile

As all this was happening, Arahan, who never really left, was watching all this with annoyance in her face, but within her eyes, she held some pity for the remaining Strauss siblings. Unlike her and her sister, the Strauss siblings had no way to bring back their dead sister. And even though she didn't like many within the guild, she tolerated the Strauss siblings more than most. Their sibling bond was something that she respected. To have it broken so quickly was something that made Arahan pity them. She knew, as much as it pains her to say, the pain that comes when one lost their siblings in battle, even more so when it's your fault.

Looking at Naestra and how she had everything under control, Arahan took off undetected, eager to get out of this horrid dress and into something more appropriate for the daughter of Athel Loren.

As she walked, she suspected that things will be changing. For better or worse, she had no idea, though she suspected it would be the latter. If there was anything she knew, it was that things have a tendency to become worse than they already are. Oh yes.

Okay, I think I finally got the candidates that'll appear in the Tenrou Island arc. Initially, it was going to be the Dark elves, but I thought about it more and decided to several other candidates for it. I won't exactly say what the compositions are, but I will show who is going to be leading them, at least at the moment.

Right now, as it stands, the candidates are; Lokhir Fellheart and Beastmaster Rakarth for the Dark Elves. Vilitch the Curseling for Warriors of Chaos. And Some random Beastmen lord for Beastmen. These are the reasons for the choices.

Dark elves: Shows the dark side of Warhammer, doesn't need magic to be effective, has the potential to be a long-term threat.

Warriors of Chaos: Shows Chaos Gods are doing what they can to bring back Archaon/Diederick into their grasp, shows just how corrupt and evil Chaos really is to Fairy Tail, and a reason for the Twilight Sisters to be there.

Beastmen: …They are the archenemy of the Wood elves?

So, these are the factions that may or may not be chosen to be the first major Warhammer threat to come. That doesn't mean other, small pockets can't come here to crash the party, but those three are the ones that are likely to be the first to have a large army present first. So, what do you think of these three picks? Are they alright or should they be swapped for someone else?

Also, can anyone help me with the characteristics of the three mentioned characters? As it stands, I only know Lokhir the most and that isn't much. All I know is that he is a slightly more honorable Druchii that didn't kill his father to take command of his ship. Rakarth is voiced by someone from Game of Thrones and is a Beastmaster. And I know little of Vilitch beyond he's infused to his brother. So, any help with further characteristics of these characters will be appreciated.