Chapter 36

Austin- Daemon Princes have always been varied in their appearances, but I can't imagine we'll be seeing too many daemon princes to the point it really matters since most Chaos champions will be mortal for now.

TaleBearer42Day- It shouldn't be this hard to use either the PM function or the publishing story function as well, but alright. Just access the account of the user you want to PM. Find the PM option, click on it, and that's it. There's nothing else more to it.

For publishing stories, it's also not hard at all. Just go to doc managers, upload one of the accepted documents (Microsoft word works best I believe). Then you access the uploaded document to double-check anything wrong because sometimes things go awry when you upload. After that, you go to new stories, accept the rules regarding stories, find the appropriate franchises involved, and then you put in the necessary information regarding the story and what it's about (Genres, main characters, etc.). Then, if it's multi-chapter, go to manage stories, go to the upload chapter section and do new chapters in order to do the new chapter to your story. That's it. It's not really hard to do after the first few tries. If you're still having troubles, there should be a youtube video that explains how to upload stories. Just write and how to upload stories and that should help out.

Quick message. Reviews help out. Whether it be pointing out lore mistakes, minor grammar issues, your ideas for this story, or even just wanting to add something funny just because. It helps get this story updated more quickly. Reviews are the lifeblood of this site along with favs, follows, and viewership.

Arahan

"They're all dead." Said Arahan as she checked her bow and quiver while she walked with Erza and the vast majority of the Fairy Tail Guild as they made their way towards the Oak Town branch of Phantom Lord, the closest branch to Magnolia out of all of Phantom Lord's branches. Above the Fairy Tail group was Gwindalor, providing aerial overwatch for all of them and an early warning system in case they needed it. "By the time I'm done with all of them, there will be nothing left that people can use to identify who they were."

"Arahan." Said Makarov dangerously as he looked at Arahan. Though he can understand her rage because of her missing sister, he will not tolerate any deaths from the Phantom Lord Guild. That will only serve them, not Fairy Tail. Arahan glared at Makarov and the two engaged in a heated staring contest that neither backed down, both too enraged to back down. This scared a few people until Erza placed a hand on her former mentor's shoulder and spoke.

"Arahan, any deaths we cause will only help Phantom and not us." Said Erza, speaking softly in order to calm down the white-haired elf. "Remember they wanted us to declare war on them. Killing any of their members here will only help them when the Magic Council intervenes. So please, though it may pain you, let us only injure the Phantom Lord members." Arahan glared at Erza, causing the red-haired maiden to shiver inwardly upon seeing the death glare from her former mentor. Never had she given such a death glare before, not in all the years that Erza and the Fairy Tail Guild knew her. She gave glares yes, but never in such intensity and hate as the one coming from her now. And given that her sister was missing, Erza couldn't really blame her. Still, Erza held her ground and pleaded silently for her former mentor to see reason.

Seeing that pleading look, Arahan sighed heavily before speaking up.

"Fine." Said Arahan before looking away from her former student. "But that doesn't mean I won't outright cripple some of the Phantom Lord members for life, especially the ones that were responsible for all the damage they've done to our Guild as well as the ones responsible for kidnaping my sister." Erza just nodded at that before Arahan took off, eager to get away from her former student before she lashed out at her. Erza sighed as she saw this. Much as she wanted to, she can't really blame Arahan for her behavior. She may have been a prideful woman, but the things that Phantom Lord did to their guild went beyond simple hurt pride. Not only did they attack three members of Fairy Tail out in the open, quite brutally too she might add, but they may as well be responsible for the kidnapping of Naestra, the mother of Fairy Tail.

Naestra was beloved by nearly all members of Fairy Tail. Her kind nature made her easy to approach and the wisdom she bestowed was something that made many love her and appreciate her being a member of Fairy Tail, even more so when she was around, comforting people when they're at their lowest, like Elfman and Mirajane when Lisanna died. Having her missing was like someone ripped out the heart of Fairy Tail and it was clear that many were affected by it.

Case in point, similar anger to Arahans' was coming from Elfman, Natsu, and Gray, all of whom were quite eager to get back at Phantom for not only hurting their guildmates and destroying their Guildhall but also kidnapping Naestra, at least they believed they did. All three loved Naestra for all the things she's done for them in the past, like with Lisanna and Galuna Island, and so, behind Arahan, they were the most eager to get payback for everything that Phantom Lord did to them. And then there was everyone else in the Guild, which left Erza slightly worried.

Although Erza knew that Phantom's actions were beyond reprehensible and she was with the Guild's decision to go to war, she wondered if they were simply falling into Phantom's trap. Was this want they wanted? To have Fairy Tail attack them and thus they can make a plea to the Magic Council for leniency for attacking Fairy Tail? Thinking about it, she shook her head.

No, that didn't make sense. Not with the evidence clear as day that Phantom was the instigator for everything and that it was only when they did some unforgivable that Fairy Tail went to war. Something else was the reason behind Phantom's plan and she couldn't help but worry about it.

She tried to speak to the master about it, but the man wouldn't listen. Too engrossed in righteous anger to listen to reason. Again she couldn't blame him, Levy was her friend after all, but that didn't lessen the worry she had. The best she could do right now was to pray that things were not as hidden or bad as she was making it out to be.

Sighing, Erza really wished that Naestra was here. She could see whatever trap that Phantom was in store for them, but she wasn't and she blamed Phantom for it. Clenching her left fist even harder, Erza wondered why Phantom Lord was doing all this. What did they have to gain from doing all this? This war between Guild? What is it? She couldn't think anymore when the doors to the Phantom Lord guild were within eyesight, causing Makarov to charge forward with Arahan in tow. Soon everyone else was with them, righteous anger and rage emitting from them in such intensity that one could have been knocked unconscious from it all.

Getting right up to the wooden doors, Makarov enlarged his right fist and yelled out, breaking down the large doors with a single punch, revealing the entirety of the Oak Town branch of Phantom Lord, all eating or drinking with each other. As the Phantom Lord wizards looked in shock at what happened, Makarov gave the order to attack.

Meanwhile

Gray

"These bastards need to go down. For Levy and Naestra." Thought Gray as he charged in with everyone else in Fairy Tail. Yelling out, the first hit went to Natsu as he jumped forward into a group of Phantom wizards and slammed his fists into the ground near them, sending shockwaves that sent the wizards all flying into the air, where he began to beat them all up. Not to be outdone by his rival, Gray summoned a giant ice hammer and swung it towards a group of Phantom Wizards that were ready to counterattack the attacking Fairy Tail wizards. Without much effort, Gray sent them all flying towards a stone wall, knocking them all out. Scoffing a bit, Gray then swung the giant hammer again, eager to find more Phantom cronies to take out.

"These bastards destroyed our Guildhall. Attacked Levy and her team. And above all else, they kidnapped Naestra. The fricking heart of our guild. The damned mother of the guild and a mother to a single child just to what? Rile us all up? Well, they certainly did that!" Thought Gray before taking out ten wizards by himself, shocking nearby Phantom Lord wizards, making them easy prey for Macao and Wakaba. All three wizards were peeved beyond words. Like everyone else, they were all pissed at what happened to Levy and her team.

While the three didn't know much of Jet or Droy, they knew Levy. She was just an innocent and adorable girl that was considered by many to be the most innocent and normal girl in Fairy Tail along with Naestra. Gray had the gifted opportunity to be her friend while they grew up, laughing with her and had played with her whenever he wasn't going around and fighting with Natsu. Heck, they even went on missions together initially when they were kids, something that faded away when Levy formed Shadowgear with Droy and Jet. Thus, Gray had a better attachment with Levy than most, baring those that were children along with Levy and Naestra, who befriended all the children when she first joined Fairy Tail. So, he was beyond pissed with Phantom for attacking her and her teammates. And then there was Naestra.

Like Mirajane, Elfman, Erza, heck even Natsu, he loved Naestra. He loved everything about her. He loved that she was always there when he needed her. He loved how she only gently scolded him for his stripping habit instead of making fun of him or yelling at him for it and he loved how she gave him something that he thought he would never get when Ur and his real mother died. The gentle and kind warmth of a mother's touch.

Although having a child of her own, Naestra still gave Gray the affection of a mother that cared for her children while he was growing up. She always took care of him and the other children of Fairy Tail, teaching them important life lessons and also giving them the type of affection that not a lot in the guild can provide. Although that was more of the lack of good female role models at the time rather than anything wrong with the guild. Lyon may hate him for it, but Gray couldn't help but see her as a replacement for Ur, the same way Ur filled the void in his heart when his parents died to Deliora. He knew that was a very selfish and wrong way to look at things, but he couldn't help it. She was so alike to Ur in many ways. And like Ur, she became someone that Gray was attached to and much like the Ice wizard that taught him his magic, she was taken from him by someone that was eager to hurt him, only this time it involved the entire guild.

He never liked Phantom Lord, finding them to be massive pricks that thought they were rivals to Fairy Tail. But now, oh now, he hated them. They fucking kidnapped a woman that he saw as a mother along with a number of other things, and he was going to make them pay. Remembering how she comforted him during the Galuna island incident made Gray roar out and freeze a handful of Phantom Lord members in place before kicking them straight towards away, creating holes in it. He then went to another group of Phantom Lord members to make them pay as well.

"You Phantom Lord creeps know nothing of being men!" Yelled out Elfman as he beat up Phantom wizards left and right wherever he went. "It isn't manly to harm young girls and their teammates by surprise. And it's really unmanly when you destroy a guild's home and kidnap their mother!" With that, he transformed his right arm into an arm resembling a monster before using it to punch a bunch of fools into a bar in one hit.

"The hell! How did he manage to do that!?" Yelled a Phantom Lord wizard as he saw what Elfman had just done.

"Look at his arm! I think I know who he is! That's beast arm, Elfman!" Yelled another Phantom wizard.

"Yeah, it's got to be! He takes the power of monsters and uses them as his own strength!" Yelled a third member as they watched Elfman glare at all of them.

"What! Why the hell would anyone let a monster take over their body?" Asked the first member. That caused Elfman to smirk before charging at them.

"I got your answer!" Yelled Elfman before sending them all flying into the second floor of the Phantom Lord guild's main hall. "I'm a real man! And a real man gives justice to those that break the rules."

"Doesn't that include us?" Asked a random Fairy Tail member as they heard this. Either Elfman didn't hear them or ignored them because Elfman just charged recklessly at another group of Phantom Lord members, eager to get back at them for all that they've done to Fairy Tail. Not only that, but he was going to make them pay for making Naestra disappear.

When Mirajane heard that Naestra went missing, she instantly went to her knees in tears as she was, along with her brother, the closest to Naestra in all of Fairy Tail. After everything that happened with Fairy Tail as of late, Mirajane must have assumed, like everyone else, that Phantom was responsible for Naestra's disappearance. Though the doctor that told them about what happened with Shadowgear didn't come to the same conclusion as the Fairy Tail wizards, he did believe that it was something that Phantom Lord would do. After all, what better way was there to make Fairy Tail declare war than to take the most reasonable, and sometimes the only reasonable person in the Fairy Tail guild that also happened to be beloved by nearly everyone in the guild? Even if Phantom Lord wasn't involved in Naestra's disappearance, the effects were clear as day.

Without Naestra, the main voice of restraint against Phantom was gone and, as a result, no one was around to abate the righteous anger of the entire Fairy Tail guild, who wanted payback for everything that Phantom Lord has done to them as of late, even if it came at the cost of upsetting the Magic Council, which was the main reason that Naestra was telling everyone to calm down, including her sister.

Elfman, like everyone else, disapproved of her thinking like none of them liked the Magic Council for all the paperwork and complaints they sent their way all the time, but also like everyone else, he didn't complain too much and stood down when she gave her reasoning for it and convince everyone to give her way a try first. Naestra was a pretty smart lady, Elfman had to admit. She knew how to speak and make people see her way of doing things was the most optimal way of doing things. Well, most people. Her words often didn't work on her sister or Natsu and Gray, but well…they're Natsu, Gray, and Arahan. They're some of the most stubborn people that Elfman knows, even more than his own sister. But moving on, if she put her mind to it, there's a good chance that people will fall into her level of thinking. But that she got kidnapped and things spiraled down from there.

Unlike everyone else, who acted in rage when they learned what happened to Naestra, Mirajane cried. Unable to use magic, Mirajane would have become nothing more than a liability in a fight against Phantom, a fact that Mirajane reluctantly accepted. If she had her magic back, she would have joined in on the attack on Phantom with everyone else, even though she now hated violence, much like Naestra. Heck, she probably would have done the most damage to Phantom being only surpassed by Makarov himself. That was just how close she was to Naestra.

She has always been close to Naestra, even more so than everyone else in the guild besides Lisanna and himself. When they first met, Naestra didn't react with disgust when she learned about her magic like most people did when they knew about it. Instead, she smiled and took her and her siblings in and treated them like her own children, taking care of them and giving them valuable life lessons like everyone else in the guild. She was also there when Lisanna died and helped them live on with the grief of their sisters' death. The sting was still there, of course, he could never forget the fact that he killed his younger sister, but Naestra helped them manage the pain. To not let it control them. Since then, the bond between the remaining Strauss siblings and the black-haired woman was at an all-time high. He remembered all the times the two cried about Lisanna, especially when it came to the anniversary of her death or her birthday, and Naestra was there to give them a shoulder to cry on or to give them some motherly love.

They loved Naestra and it hurt their spirits that she was missing, probably because of Phantom. And if they were responsible, Elfman was going to make them pay for it all. Even if they weren't, Elfman was still going to make them pay. For what they did to Levy was unforgivable.

Roaring out a challenge, Elfman bashed in some wizard skulls as he continued on his rampage.

Meanwhile

"You're all lucky that the repercussions of killing or maiming any of you are not worth your pitiful excuses for lives!" Yelled out Arahan as she slashed her spear across one Phantom Lord wizard's chest before ramming the butt end of it across another, piercing the skin and making it come out of the other side. All around her were Phantom Lord members, all injured. But unlike those injured from the other Fairy Tail members, these injuries were more destructive with the most serious requiring medical attention. None of them were fatal, but the injuries were still serious, nonetheless. And that was because Arahan, unlike other Fairy Tail mages, was more ruthless and sadistic than literally everyone else in the guild. It didn't also help that her sister was gone, leaving no one around that can successfully abate her rage. Not when she was this angry. Well, there was one another, but he wasn't here. Too busy at school to calm his mother's rage.

Screaming out, she pulled her swept her spear towards a Phantom Lord mage, tripping them before ramming her foot in his stomach, breaking a few ribs in the process. She glared at the man in disgust before charging towards another wizard, who looked ready to piss himself upon seeing the look of rage on Arahan as she made her way towards him.

"Damn my foolish sister!" Thought Arahan as she continued to fight. "Why in Isha's name did she go alone!? Why didn't she have me come with her!? She knew that Phantom was targeting us, so why didn't she have me to guard her when she went to our foolish guild master!? Why!? And if these Phantom fools dared to hurt her, they're going to regret it with their lives!" These thoughts and more were flooding Arahan's mind as she fought, causing her anger to increase further. To make matters worse, her natural sadism was starting to grow and take effect on her. To the point that her attacks were becoming deadlier as time went on. To the point that they were starting to become fatal. She was about to slice the head off of one wizard when Erza stopped it.

"Arahan, stop!" Yelled Erza as she blocked Arahan's spear, all around them were knocked out or groaning Phantom Lord mages, all courtesy of Arahan. "Any further and you would have killed someone! We told you before! That's not going to go well with the Magic Council at all and we can't afford to give Phantom an advantage over us! Not when we already fell into their hands!" Arahan just glared at her former apprentice before retracting her spear, causing Erza to do the same with her sword. Dressed in her Black Wing Armor, Erza looked at her former master's eyes and saw the growing rage within them as well as something else. Something dark. Both left her uneased, one more than the other. The rage she could understand because of her missing sister, but the other thing she noticed left her uneased. It was like her former master enjoyed the thrill of battle. Granted she knew Arahan always loved fighting, but this was something else.

The thing that worried her was darker. More destructive than simple enjoyment. It was like she loved inflicting pain on others. To inflict death in everything that she fought and more. And it was becoming increasingly more noticeable as time went on. She never noticed such things before in all these years she knew Arahan. Even with the fight with Erigor, she thought Arahan simply just enjoyed fighting like Natsu and Gray. Now she realized that there was a darker reason for that enjoyment as well. One that reminded her a bit too much of Jellal and it scared her.

It was then that she realized that without Naestra or Diederick around, no one was around that can keep her rage from going out of control. To prevent her from taking things too far. To prevent her darkness from taking over. If Naestra wasn't found soon, Erza feared that Arahan may escalate things even further, albeit unintentionally.

"Arahan, you have to stop." Said Erza as she looked at her former mentor. "Any deaths you cause here will only serve Phantom, not us."

"You don't think I know that!?" Yelled Arahan as she glared at Erza. "These fools aren't worth the effort in killing them. Not when they are so weak and worthless compared to the punishment that'll inflict on us for slaying these fools!" As if to emphasize her point, Arahan rammed her spear near the head of an injured Phantom Lord, creating a sizable crevice in the process, freaking him out. Erza took a step back at seeing the anger from Arahan before speaking.

"But you're letting your anger take control." Said Erza as the fighting continued around them. By now everyone was fighting against one another to allow Erza and Arahan to talk with each other. "You nearly fatally wounded your latest opponents. If I hadn't stopped you then, you would have killed one of them." Arahan scoffed at that before looking at her latest opponents to see if Erza was telling the truth. To her disgust, Erza was right and she can see the blood that was coming from their wounds, much more than the others before them. She then look at her latest victim and she could see that if she hadn't stopped she would have killed him, thus giving Phantom something to use against Fairy Tail when the Magic Council starts to intervene. Clenching her spear tighter than before upon realizing that she unwittingly nearly gave Phantom a weapon against Fairy Tail, Arahan quickly jumped away from Erza and straight towards the exit, so she can be away from the fighting. To stop herself from making a fool of herself by giving in to her rage.

Erza, having watched this happen, knew why Arahan did so. Her rage and anger were getting the best of her. It was something that Arahan taught her long ago. That anger and rage, while they can be used to increase one capability in battle, can also lead one to make idiotic mistakes that they normally wouldn't have done. It was something that Arahan drilled into her pupil constantly, especially when she kept getting into fights with Mirajane when she got older and let her temper get the best of her. Well, it seemed that the master forgot that lesson. Not that Erza can blame her. Her sister was missing and it was clear to Erza that, despite their constant bickering and fighting, they were extremely close to one another. It was like Natsu and Gray. They fought a lot, but they had their backs whenever it was needed.

Much as Erza wanted to give chase to her former master, she couldn't. Makarov had just left to take care of Jose. To end this situation before things could spiral even further out of control. And without his guidance, that left her as the most senior member of Fairy Tail left now that Arahan left. Looking upon the broken-down exit, Erza wished her former mentor good luck before engaging with another Phantom Lord wizard. Just as she was about to, she suddenly felt the presence of a powerful wizard and it wasn't Jose. Looking around, she spotted a long black-haired man coming down from the rafters with an insane look on his face. It didn't take long for Erza to realize who it was.

"Black Steel Gajeel." Thought Erza as she saw the man coming straight towards them, arms turning into Iron Pillars.

Meanwhile

"Damnit!" Yelled Arahan as she rammed her fist into the wall of the Phantom Lord building. She punched the wall so hard that it actually created a small crevice and caused her hand to bleed. Arahan ignored this and instead focused on how she nearly made a fool of herself.

She nearly killed a Phantom Lord member. Although she wanted to and felt that they all deserved death, she knew that killing any of them will only serve the Phantom Lord Guild. By killing any of them, she was essentially giving them a lullaby to spin against them. She can imagine it now.

"While we may have injured and damaged the Guildhall of Fairy Tail, we didn't kill any of their members, unlike Fairy Tail, who allowed one of their most renown members kill my guildmates with complete impunity." The imaginary voice of Phantom Lord's guild master spoke as they conversed with the Magic Council. "We may have started this conflict, admittedly, but Fairy Tail took it to even greater heights by killing legal wizards that are part of a legal guild. What kind of message will it give to the citizens that the Magic Council allows murders to get off scoot-free for killing mages that are supposed to protect and serve them? And let's not get into the fact that they severely injured many of my fellow guildmates as well, impairing their ability to work." Hearing that smug tone from the Phantom Lord guild master made Arahan even angrier than she was and so she rammed her fist again into the wall. Gritting her teeth, Arahan wished that Naestra was here, but she wasn't. She was kidnapped and Diederick was too busy at school to help her out, she didn't want to worry the boy more than he already is when Naestra never came back home. Plus, there was the fact that without Naestra, Arahan's rage and bloodlust cannot be abated.

That was the unfortunate part of the Sisters of Twilight. The two were supposed to never be separated from each other. If they were, then it should only be for a limited amount of time. Otherwise, things start to deteriorate for them. Arahan, as demonstrated before, was unable to stop her bloodlust from taking over. That was something that Naestra has to do. Admittedly, there were now a few more people that can do that task for her, but only she was able to do it so efficiently. She always knew when her sister's bloodlust and sadism were threatening to take over her actions and thus act accordingly. To try and drive her Arahan's bloodlust into something productive. To use it as a force of good somehow over letting it become a force of destruction as it normally was.

That was the whole point of them. To represent the duality of the Asrai. Bloodlust must be balanced with restraint. Mercy with caution. And trust with pessimism. Without one, the other takes control to the point they become a liability. The same can be the same with the Sisters of Twilight. Without each other, they cannot function properly. Well, one more than the other, especially in this new world.

That was why Arahan nearly lost it. Without Naestra's quick thinking and ability to know when her sister was losing her restraint, Arahan's aggressive nature would cause major problems. Such as the case here. If it weren't for Erza, she would have fallen right into Phantom Lord's palm. And she hated it. She hated that her very nature nearly led her into becoming a fool. And she hated that her sister wasn't here to scold her for nearly doing so. Normally she would hate her sister doing such things, but right now, she missed it and her sister.

Screaming out in rage, she punched the wall a third time as she wondered where her sister is and if she was safe.

Meanwhile

Lucy watched as Naestra thought up a plan when she suddenly gasped out loud.

"What's wrong?" Asked Lucy in worry as she saw this as Naestra clenched her chest.

"It's my sister." Said Naestra as she looked at Lucy. "She's nearby. I can sense it." Lucy, upon hearing that, gasped out loud before speaking up.

"If she's here, then maybe she can get us out of here!" Yelled out Lucy with hope in her voice.

"Perhaps." Said Naestra before an idea came to her. "Or even better, she has Gwindalor with her." Naestra then rummaged through her pockets before bringing forth a flute. Lucy was a bit confused at this before she remembered about that particular flute. It was one of the flutes that were used to summon Gwindalor to those that played the correct song.

Ever since Gwindalor was revealed to both the Magic Council and the rest of Fairy Tail, the sisters started to bring him out in public, finding no reason to hide him anymore. There was, initially shock at first, at seeing such a gigantic eagle, but eventually, things calmed down, especially after Naestra went to the Magic Council along with Makarov to explain Gwindalor's origins as well as convince them to let him stay with Fairy Tail.

She gave them a false story that during their travels, the sisters came across this giant eagle and befriended it. Since then, it became a part of their family. When asked where they came upon it, she told the Magic Council that it came from a faraway land, a land that was so distant that travel there was near impossible to do and that it was a miracle to obtain Gwindalor. The latter part was the lie while the former was technically true.

With that story along with allowing the Magic Council to inspect Gwindalor to see if he's any danger to the citizens of Fiore, permission was eventually given to Naestra that Gwindalor is allowed to stay in Fairy Tail with a few restrictions of course. An example is that he wasn't allowed to defecate in cities nor was he allowed to hunt any farm animals should he come across any, both of which Naestra promised he wouldn't do and that she'll keep a very close eye on Gwindalor whenever he was out in public. She also promised to give proper punishment to Gwindalor for breaking any of these restrictions along with telling the Magic Council of anything that they need to be concerned with. After all that was done, Naestra and Arahan began bringing Gwindalor with them to the Guildhall every now and then and boy did it cause quite a stir.

For the citizens of Magnolia, the sight of a giant eagle near the Fairy Tail Guildhall was a sight to behold. Not just because of Gwindalor's majestic look but also because of just how large he was. Kids and even adults looked at the eagle in awe as it soared across the skies, stretching its wings, before landing on top of the Guildhall. Many kids wanted to look at it closer, but Gwindalor refused to do so beyond those affiliated with the guild on account of personal pride. He was a descendent of Talyn, the king Great Eagles. He was not a toy for the amusement of children. Still, the innocent looks of human children along with their wonder at seeing him made the Great Eagle consider doing it at least one time, much to Arahan's dismay. And this is all not considering the reaction from the Fairy Tail guild itself.

When the other members of Fairy Tail heard about Gwindalor and saw him, things exploded. Some were asking questions to Naestra, many knew it was a death sentence to ask Arahan these kinds of questions, about Gwindalor. Levy in particular wanted to know about the Eagle and his capabilities as well as his kind in general. Not to mention what he ate and where he liked to live. Others wanted to ride it, finding the prospect of riding a giant Eagle to be one of the coolest things ever, something that amused both Gwindalor and Naestra. Amongst them was Natsu, who saw the Eagle as a solution to his motion sickness problem. Provided he wasn't used as a punishment for Natsu, of course. And then there were others that boasted around that Gwindalor's presence was indicative of how cool Fairy Tail is. After all, they have a giant, never before seen, eagle in their possession. What do the other Guilds have? It didn't take a genius who was amongst those.

Needless to say, Gwindalor's presence caused quite a stir. Especially back home. While Diederick was pleased with having Gwindalor out in public as it gave the eagle the opportunity to fly again in the open sky without fear of being discovered, Ceithin-Har wasn't so pleased. In fact, the dragon had been moody since Gwindalor was allowed to fly around with restriction. He always snapped at everyone, even Arahan, the one he was closest to. Despite the attempts of the Twilight Sisters and Diederick to convince him of the importance of him being a secret, Ceithin-Har refused to listen and was getting more and more agitated. It's only a matter of time before the dragon's impudent nature got the best of it and it decided to fly out of its own accord. It was something that Naestra had planned to talk with Makarov about Ceithin-Har until this whole situation happened.

"You're summoning Gwindalor?" Asked Lucy as Naestra began playing the flute. The song she was playing was so sweet to the ears to hear and it left Lucy a bit mesmerized, making her forget the situation they were in. It only stopped when Naestra stopped playing the flute.

"Yes." Said Naestra as she looked upon Lucy before she went to get her dented armor. "Hopefully he can hear it and allow us to escape. However, that music will no doubt attract Jose's attention, so we have to be swift in escaping." Lucy nodded in understanding as Naestra gathered her armor plate. It was a bit useless right now, but Lucy could see that Naestra was attached to it somehow and so didn't bother to raise a question about it.

"And you have a plan on doing that?" Asked Lucy as Naestra went over to the opening in their cell.

"You're not going to like it." Said Naestra, making Lucy gulp. She was afraid that she would say that.

Meanwhile

Makarov

"Jose!" Yelled Makarov as he rampaged the upper levels of Phantom's guildhall. "Show yourself this instant!" Breaking down another set of doors, Makarov soon spotted Jose, sitting in a chair at the far end of the room, a smug look on his face. Seeing this made Makarov even angrier than before. Marching down to Jose, Makarov demanded Jose to explain himself. Instead, Jose chuckled.

"It's been a while Makarov." Said Jose, not caring at all that Makarov barged into his Guildhall and was currently emitting so much magic power that it was causing his body and eyes to glow yellow. "How long has it been since our last conference meeting? I recall that day vividly. How you humiliated me that day." Makarov snarled upon hearing that. He knew that the humiliation he gave Jose that day was a part of his reasoning to attack Fairy Tail, but to hear it coming from his own filthy mouth enraged Makarov.

"Jose, I'm giving you only one chance to stop this madness now before it escalates even further!" Yelled Makarov as he gathered magic power all around him. "Surrender now! Order your Guild to stand down and admit to the Magic Council that you started all this!"

"Hmm…no." Said Jose with a smirk, causing Makarov to grit his teeth. "I'm sorry Makarov, but in order to achieve my goals, I need to eliminate your guild. After all, how else would I return Miss Heartfilia to her poor old dad." Upon hearing that, Makarov raised an eyebrow in surprise, causing Jose to laugh. "You mean you really didn't expect Miss Heartfilia father to send someone after her, didn't you? Oh, Makarov, you really are a naïve fool, despite your age."

"I knew that he would send someone after her once I learned of her true origins, but I never expected it to be your Guild." Said Makarov in disgust, wondering why Jude Heartfilia, Lucy's father, would ask Phantom Lord of all Guilds to bring his daughter back.

When he learned about Lucy's last name, he was surprised. At first, he wanted to speak to Lucy directly about this but decided against it. Naestra reasoned with him that it was most likely something either involving a desire to not be recognized as the daughter of a prestigious man or that there were some bad relations between her and her father. Either of which was completely plausible, considering that Lucy didn't tell anyone about her family. And considering his own family troubles with Laxus and his son, Ivan, Makarov agreed not to talk with Lucy about it for the time being. At least until it became a problem for everyone.

"Well, we were the closets Guild to Fairy Tail." Said Jose nonchalantly. "Plus we offered a discount on our services when we heard his story. After all, we aren't heartless monsters." Makarov wasn't amused at that statement, even more so when Jose spoke up again. "Besides, the money doesn't matter to me in the slightest since it gave me the opportunity to finally repay your guild back for the humiliation you gave me all those years ago." Makarov scoffed at that.

"You truly are a pathetic man, Jose." Said Makarov as he stared down at Jose, magic power coursing through him while he spoke. "All this destruction and pain is all due to what I've done to you in the past? How pathetic. I would try to convince you to listen to reason, but I can see that you will not listen to reason." And with that Makarov, enlarged his right arm to gigantic proportions before launching it at Jose, causing dust and debris to fly everywhere as a result. Once the dusk and debris finally settled down and Makarov retracted his fist, he saw that Jose didn't have a single scratch on him, shocking Makarov. At first, he wondered about this until he realized that Jose was using Thought Projection Magic to create a projection of himself. He was never here in the first place.

"Jose, you coward." Said Makarov upon realizing this. "What? Are you afraid of facing me?"

"Now. Now, Makarov." Said Jose as he wagged his finger. "I simply wish to avoid a battle between two members of the Ten Wizard Saints. After all, that would cause the situation even further than it already is. Besides, you should know that I like to think strategically. To utilize my foe's own weaknesses against them. For example." Jose then showed another thought projection, this time of Lucy and Naestra, causing Makarov to gasp out in shock. One was tied to the floor and the other was heavily injured with her armor bent dangerously inward.

"You bastard!" Yelled Makarov as he saw this, enraged even more upon seeing his children in such a state. "You dare to use hostages!?"

"It's called being strategic, Makarov. Something you're not willing to do on account of your weak heart." Said Jose before summoning a knife and was about to bring it down on Lucy's body when Makarov shouted at him to stop.

"Jose don't!" Yelled Makarov, not understanding why Jose would harm his own target, anger dissipating completely upon seeing Jose about to harm Lucy. Unbeknownst to him, however, he had fallen right into Jose's plan as a massive man appeared right behind Makarov, shocking him.

"How did he…" Thought Makarov before he turned to face the man, his eyes bandaged. Before Makarov could do anything, the tanned man was already casting a spell.

"It's…so sad!" Yelled the man as he freely cried just before he unleashed his spell. Makarov tried to defend himself, but by the time he could, the spell was already cast and he couldn't do anything but scream out in pain. A bright light then engulfed the entire room before Makarov was sent crashing into the floor, breaking it, and continued falling down to the main hall of the Guildhall. Jose laughed as this happened, hearing Makarov's scream of pain.

"Makarov, you fool." Said Jose before the images of both Naestra and Lucy disappeared. "When are you going to realize that brains also matter in the grand scheme of things as well. Your love for your fellow guildmates is the weakness of your guild, Makarov. One that I will continue to exploit until all of you realize the superiority of Phantom." Jose then looked at the tanned man that took down Makarov and was about to give him orders when he suddenly sensed something was wrong with his prisoners back at Phantom's main headquarters. Giving a grunt, he ordered the man, whose name was Aria, a member of Phantom's element Four, to meet up with Gajeel before ending the Thought Projection. Once he did, he instantly teleported to the room where Naestra and Lucy were only to find them near the opening that led outside. Upon seeing this, Jose chuckled.

"You foolish girls." Said Jose as he opened the cell door, causing both Naestra and Lucy to look at him, both in contempt. "Don't you see that the fall would be fatal for either of you? Even though Naestra can regenerative from seemingly fatal wounds, I doubt Miss Heartfilia can do the same. Unless you two think that's a far better fate than being prisoners?"

"Anything's better than being a prisoner to scum like you." Said Lucy with a glare, causing Jose to chuckle.

"Now is that any way to treat those that simply wish to bring you back to your father?" Asked Jose with a sick smile. "Now simply come back here and we'll forget this all happen."

"No way in hell!" Yelled Lucy as she stepped in front of Naestra. "We'd rather die than be prisoners for you any longer."

"*Laughs out loud* Honestly, the pride of elves and the stupidity of the youth." Said Jose before looking arrogantly at Lucy. "If I must break your legs in order to stop you both from making such a foolish mistake. Then so be...argh!" Jose was so focused on Lucy that he didn't notice Naestra flinging something at his genitals.

"I would not call out on my people's pride when you fall for such a simple trick." Said Naestra as she saw Jose fall down to the ground in pain as the rock that Naestra threw was right next to him. Truthfully, Naestra detested using such a cheap trick, but since Gwindalor was coming soon and she needed a quick way to get rid of Jose without killing him, this was honestly the best way to achieve it. No matter how indecent it was.

"You little." Said Jose as he looked at Naestra and Lucy while clutching his privates. Before he could do anything, Naestra grabbed Lucy in one hand and jumped off, causing Lucy to scream out in fear and Jose's eyes to bulge out in shock.

"*Screams of fear* Please come soon, Mr. Eagle! I'm too cute to be a stain!" Yelled Lucy as the two women fell straight into the rocky terrain of Phantom's main headquarters. As if answering Lucy's wish, a mighty eagle came swooping in and grabbed the two in his talons while they were in the air.

"Excellent work, Gwindalor." Said Naestra as she was held tightly in Gwindalor's talons while Lucy gasped out in shock at being caught so quickly. She then looked at Gwindalor and smiled, relieved that she was rescued. "Now take us back to the rest of the Guild. We have much to tell them." Gwindalor squawked in confirmation before turning around to regroup with the main Fairy Tail group. As it flew away, it noticed something coming towards Phantom's main branch. It was Natsu, dragging a Phantom Lord wizard around. Upon seeing this, Gwindalor told Naestra, who soon ordered the Eagle to land near him. With that order, Gwindalor soon flew towards Natsu as he dragged the mage around, even setting him on fire. He was about to yell at the guy when he smelt Gwindalor and saw the Eagle coming towards him with Lucy and Naestra in tow. Smiling at this, Natsu yelled out as the Eagle stopped near the ground to let go of Lucy and Naestra so land safely to the ground before him.

"I'm glad that you're both safe." Said Natsu before letting go of the Phantom Lord wizard, causing him to instantly run away in fright of the Salamander. "I heard Gajeel talking about how they captured the both of you so I took one of those Phantom jerks and gave to rescue you guys." Naestra smiled at that along with Lucy before turning serious.

"As much as I'm pleased to see you, Natsu, we need to regroup with the others." Said Naestra. "To both talk about this war between Phantom and us along with what's the cause of it all." Natsu nodded at that before speaking up.

"Okay. Take Lucy and leave." Said Natsu before cracking his knuckles. "I got a score to settle." As Natsu was about to march straight to Phantom's main headquarters, Naestra stopped him, surprising him.

"Natsu, there's important information that everyone in Fairy Tail needs to know." Said Naestra as she looked at Natsu. "And I mean everyone. It's time I tell you all about my true origins." Natsu looked shocked at that and was about to ask her what she meant when he noticed her ears and instantly freaked out.

"You're a troll!" Yelled Natsu in shock as his eyes bulged while he pointed at her ears, Naestra blinked at this while Lucy fell to the ground in shock. Before either girl could respond, another voice yelled out.

"You're a troll!" Yelled out Happy as he heard Natsu yell. He followed his friend when he noticed that Natsu wasn't with the others, who were currently retreating from Phantom Lord after they discovered what happened to Makarov. The comment caused Lucy to slam her face into the hard ground again, completely dumbfounded at the stupidity of the two. Gwindalor, meanwhile, glared at both the Dragonslayer and the flying cat for the insult to his companion, causing both of them to shake in fear. One because he remembered the hell Gwindalor put him through back at Galuna Island and the other for the fact he can be a tasty morsel for the Giant Eagle.

Meanwhile

In an unknown location, a heavily cloaked and masked man was walking across a rocky plain. His heavy cloaked covered his entire body with his arms and legs having bandages all over them. Along with this, the man wore a bandana with a silver forehead protector and a mask to cover his face. Despite these two things obscuring his face significantly, one could see that he had some sort of red tattoo on the right side of his face along with a few strands of his blue hair. On his back were several staves of varying designs.

To those that didn't know him, he was a simple man walking across a rocky plain. To those that knew him, however, they would know that he was Mystogan, one of Fairy Tail's S-class mages. One may wonder why he was alone and not with the others in his Guild, who were currently fighting Phantom Lord, but he didn't know about the war right now. Even if he did, he had more pressing matters to attend to. But once he knew of the war, he'll get to play his own part in it. Right now, however, he had something to do. Something far more important than a simple Guild War.

As he was walking, Mystogan suddenly sensed the presence of something near him and immediately stopped. The presence was something that surprised him immensely as he never thought that he would ever sense their presence ever again and if he was honest with himself, he had wished to never sense it again in his lifetime.

"I'm surprised to see you again. Much less in Earthland." Said Mystogan as he turned around to see a golden lizardman appear out of nowhere, wielding a blowpipe in one hand and a glass bomb in the other. "Tell me, why are you here, Oxyotl." The Lizard said nothing as it stared down at Mystogan, the two not moving as one tried to figure out the intentions of the other.