A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!

Enjoy!

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: THE ECLIPSE PROJECT

Still underneath the arena, the group had been confronted by Arcadios and Yukino. "I am Arcadios, Captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, the kingdom of Fiore's military corps stationed in Crocus." Arcadios introduced himself.

"I am Yukino Agria, temporary sergeant of the same." Yukino added.

"What's a military big cheese doing here?" Gray asked.

Lucy stepped forward next to him. "Yukino... But you..." She started to say.

"...were a member of Sabertooth." Lily finished.

"You said they kicked you out, right?" Happy questioned.

"Yes. That's correct." Yukino replied.

"I'll explain. The power of a Celestial Spirit Wizard was necessary to the secrecy of the operation. And so, I'm relying on the assistance of Sergeant Yukino." Arcadios stated.

"A Celestial Spirit Wizard..." Lucy quoted to herself.

"U-Um, what do you mean you needed the power of a Celestial Spirit Wizard?" Wendy asked.

"Wait a second! I'm lost here! Skip the annoying details! Just tell us what you want!" Akame exclaimed.

"Akame Ketsu-kun, yes? Your previous event was a marvelous magic battle." Arcadios complimented.

Natsu stepped forward in front of him. "I wanna know about this 'Celestial Spirit Wizard is necessary' business." He claimed. "If you got somethin' to say, spit it out!"

"Natsu..." Lucy muttered.

"Yeesh..." Gray huffed out.

"Natsu, I think you already know this, but that guy's a VIP." Happy informed.

"If you think so, then I don't know about calling him 'that guy'..." Lily commented.

Carla thought back to her vision. "A white knight..." She noted.

"You okay there, Carla?" Chii asked.

"Sorry?"

"You looked lost in thought there." Chii explained.

"Oh, yes I'm fine." Carla reassured.

Arcadios soon turned around. "Follow me." He ordered.

"Hey, jackass! Wait!" Natsu called out.

"Lucy-sama, I also have a favor to ask." Yukino said, getting Lucy's attention. "If this operation is a success, Zeref and Acnologia will be defeated."

"Acnologia..."

The group soon found themselves in front of the palace. "What the hell is this?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"It's huge!" Gray shouted.

"It's the Flower Light Palace, right, Mercurius?" Wendy asked.

"His Majesty's palace." Arcadios replied.

"That's really something..." Lily commented.

"It's okay for us to go inside?" Happy questioned.

"But first, I would like to apologize to Lucy-dono for her mistaken attempted abduction several days ago." Arcadios said.

"W-What?!" Natsu said.

"That's right. Wendy was mistaken for Lucy and kidnapped." Carla recalled.

The group began walking behind Arcadios and Yukino. "You were behind that?" Lucy asked.

"Of course, I didn't intend to cause you any harm, but I imprudently took somewhat forceful measures. At the time, I was convinced we needed a Celestial Spirit Wizard immediately, and made an error in judgment. I apologize." Arcadios responded.

"The Grand Magic Games were camouflage to absorb a great quantity of wizards' magic power."

"So every year, you stole magic from wizards?" Gray questioned.

"Camouflage?!" Happy repeated.

"That's terrible!" Carla exclaimed.

"That's really low." Gajeel commented.

"Exactly." Lily agreed.

"Say what you wish. I did it all for a certain plan." Arcadios informed.

"What is it?" Wendy asked as the group stopped in front of a large gate.

"Eclipse, the portal that will change the world. A great deal of magic power was required to construct it." Arcadios explained.

"Portal?" Lucy quoted.

"What the hell is it?" Natsu questioned.

"When the sun and moon are in conjunction, the 12 keys will be used to open the door." Arcadios answered. "When it's opened, the plan is to travel back 400 years in time and murder Zeref before he can become immortal. That is the Eclipse Project!"

Everyone was in shock at the news. "T-Travel through time?!" Lucy repeated.

"Murder Zeref? Are you crazy?!" Akame exclaimed, shocking everyone. "Hey, bastard! I get Zeref is evil, but if you kill him, My guildmate will cease to exist!"

"I am well aware about that." Arcadios commented.

"Akame, stop it..." Zack warned.

"I won't! We're talking about changing history here! Don't you get it, Zack? If this succeeds, you won't be born!" Akame exclaimed in anger, causing Zack to clench his fist.

"Lucy-sama, I've heard time flows differently between the Celestial Spirit World and our own." Yukino said.

"Yes, now that you mention it, but..." Lucy trailed off.

"The idea is to use the Celestial Spirit World's dimensional boundary line and the power of a Celestial Spirit Wizard to open this door." Yukino stated.

"Originally, the plan called for the possible use of pseudo-Celestial Spirit magic in place of the real thing. But having a true Celestial Spirit Wizard and the 12 keys would guarantee the success of the project. I could say that aspect is indispensable. The sun and moon will overlap three days hence, on July 7th. I would like your assistance, Lucy-dono." Arcadios continued.

"July 7th..." Natsu muttered.

"The day our dragons disappeared..." Wendy realized.

"Is it just a coincidence?" Gajeel wondered.

"Possibly..." Dusk commented.

"The eclipse, when the sun and moon are in conjuction..." Gray paused.

"A solar eclipse..."

Multiple footsteps were soon heard, causing everyone to turn around and see the Royal Army surrounding them.

"That's enough! Don't move!"

"The royal army?!" Wendy exclaimed.

"What is this?!" Carla wondered.

"What the hell?!" Natsu said.

"What's going on?!" Lucy questioned.

"You dumbasses wanna rumble?!" Gray taunted.

"Surrender peacefully, Captain Arcadios."

"Minister of Defense, what is the meaning of this?!" Arcadios asked.

"That is my line. Leaking details of a top secret plan and state military secrets to outsiders is abominable." Darton replied.

"They're not outsiders! You know this. These people have a critical role to play in the success of the operation." Arcadios argued.

"That's not a simple matter for you to arbitrarily decide on." Darton stated.

Arcadios stepped forward, but two royal guards stopped him. "You're just opposed to the plan, aren't you?! I want you to stop this nonsense immediately!" He ordered.

"Of course I'm opposed to it! Changing history! Can you even slightly imagine the inherent dangers, boy?!" Darton exclaimed.

"What the hell are they arguin' about?" Natsu wondered.

"So there's a faction that's against the plan." Lucy pointed out.

"Even so..." Gray trailed off.

"Change history..." Wendy muttered.

"I see. If you change the past..." Happy began.

"...the present will change too!" Carla finished.

"That's what would happen." Lily stated.

"And the events will follow will not exist." Jim added, glancing over at Zack. "That includes Zack being born..."

"Arrest Captain Arcadios on suspicion of treason! Arrest Yukino Agria, Lucy Heartfilia, and Zack Orion, too!" Darton ordered. "Throw everyone else out!"

"Yes, sir!"

"What?!" Gray exclaimed.

"Wait, me too?!" Lucy shouted in shock.

"What am I being arrested for?!" Zack yelled.

"Jackasses! You're not gettin' Lucy involved in this..." Natsu said, lighting his fist on fire.

"If you even think about going near Zack, I'll kill you all!" Akame exclaimed, his fist being covered in red mist.

"Natsu, Akame, stop!" Dusk warned.

"Don't! You mustn't use magic here!" Arcadios also warned.

"Huh?"

The Eclipse Gate soon activated, causing a bright light to show. "Wha...?! This..." Natsu trailed off.

Natsu and Akame soon felt their magic power leaving them. "The hell is this?!" Akame exclaimed.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.

"Akame!" Zack exclaimed, his arms being restrained.

"Perhaps he didn't tell you. The Grand Magic Games is a system to steal a small amount of magic power from wizards and send it to Eclipse. If magic is activated this close to Eclipse, all of the person's magic power will be siphoned." Darton explained.

Natsu and Akame finally stopped glowing white as they both collapsed to the ground. "Don't cause a fuss. Wizards who can't use magic are no threat to our kingdom." Darton finished.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Bastards..." Zack muttered, still being restrained.

"Isn't Arcadios-sama your commander?!" Yukino questioned.

"Lucy!" Gray shouted.

"Zack!" Dusk exclaimed.

"Yukino-san!" Wendy added.

"Darton!" Arcadios yelled.

"I will not let Eclipse be activated." Darton claimed.

The rest of the group were outside with a knocked out Natsu and Akame. "Natsu..." Happy muttered.

"They both have magic deficiency syndrome. I don't think they'll be able to move for a while..." Carla informed.

"What an idiot. And I tried to warn them, too." Dusk mumbled, holding onto Akame.

"Bastard..." Gajeel mumbled under his breath.

"I want you to understand that this isn't my own will. It's all on behalf of the state. But I can give you one piece of advice. His Majesty is fond of Fairy Tail and Twilight Phoenix. If either of you win the Grand Magic Games, I'll grant you an audience with the king. Knowing how kind he is, he may consider the matter of your friend's treatment. May you have grand magic battles." Darton said before taking his leave with the royal guards.

"Lucy..." Natsu mumbled.

July 5th. The second-to-last day of the Grand Magic Games.

"What?!"

"Zack was captured by the royal army?!"

"So unless we win the Grand Magic Games, they won't give Zack-san back..." Julian muttered.

"But if they captured Lucy as well, they'll also be aiming to win." Atugia pointed out.

"I don't know if we could trust them on that." Atlas claimed.

"Right." Nero agreed.

"Who cares about all that?! Release me now! I'll go rescue Zack on my own if I have to!" Akame exclaimed as he was tied to a pole.

"We're all angry that Zack got captured, Akame." Dusk informed. "But there's absolutely nothing we can do about it."

"We're talking about going against the kingdom here." Hana added.

"No. There is a way."

Everyone turned at the sound of Harumi's voice. "Master!" Atugia exclaimed.

"I just got back from visiting Fairy Tail. Apparently, they're going on a secret rescue mission to save Lucy." Harumi explained. "We are going to accompany them to rescue Zack."

In the castle dungeons...

Zack was sitting on the bed in the cell with his back against the wall as he was with Lucy and Yukino. "I never expected this to happen. I really am a bad luck magnet." Yukino said as Lucy turned to her.

"What are you talking about?! If you've got enough free time to be depressed, use it to find a way out of here instead!" Lucy told her.

"Lucy-sama..." Yukino muttered.

"If we do escape, the first thing we need to do is get the keys back." Lucy informed.

"I'm so sorry about this." Yukino apologized.

"It's not your fault!" Lucy said. "The three of us have gotten caught up in the kingdom's internal stifle. That's all. It's about whether or not to go ahead with the Eclipse Project or not, right? I don't exactly know which is the right way to go myself."

"It should be done." Yukino stated, causing both Zack and Lucy to glance at her. "I had an older sister. Her name was Sorano. No matter what I did, I fouled things up, which infuriated my parents. But my sister always protected me."

"It's not Yukino's fault!"

"She was so kind and pretty. I loved my sister. But one day, a group blindly devoted to Zeref murdered my parents and took away my big sister. All I could do was flee with my life." Yukino continued. "With the Eclipse Project, Zeref can be killed. Without him in this world, my sister..."

Yukino began to sob as Zack's bangs covered his eyes. "If you're looking for any compassion, you're not getting it from me." He spoke up.

"Zack!" Lucy exclaimed.

"No. She needs to hear this." Zack turned to Yukino. "I'm sorry about your sister. Really, I am. But you're talking about changing history. If Zeref is killed, I won't be born. Just like Akame was telling Arcadios. That's the danger of changing history the defense minister was talking about."

"Changing the past... Is that really possible?" Lucy wondered.

Somewhere else, two hooded figures were running on the docks, passing Bar Sun.

July 6th, the final day of the Grand Magic Games.

Fireworks erupted into the sky. "At last! At last, it's here!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered. "The final day of the wizards' passionate festival, the Grand Magic Games! Like it or not, only one guild will be victorious today! I'm your emcee, Chapati, and next to me is former Council member, Yajima-san, who will provide the commentary."

"Good to be here." Yajima said.

"Our special guest is none other than the mascot of the Grand Magic Games, Mato-kun!" Chapati said.

"Kabo!" Mato waved.

"You don't have to judge today, Mato-kun?" Chapati asked.

"Not today-kabo! Everyone, do your best-kabo!" Mato replied.

The audience cheered again. "Now then, the teams are about to take the field-kabo!" Mato announced as multiple explosions went off as Quatro Puppy's guild mark appeared in flames.

"Currently in 7th place! Can they turn it around?! Formally a hunting dog, now a puppy! Quatro Puppy!" Chapati announced as members of Quatro Puppy appeared in the arena.

"Although he's been trounced once, you can't underestimate the power of the drunken hawk, Bacchus." Yajima commented.

"Alright! Next up on the field is..." Chapati began as Blue Pegasus's guild mark appeared. "...Blue Pegasus, led by the current master of parfum, Ichiya Wanderlei Kotobuki!"

"They're currently in 6th place..." Mato added as the members of Blue Pegasus posed. "...but in the end, will they be able to grasp the parfum of victory-kabo?"

A large green Lamia Scale guild mark soon appeared. "Here they are! Lamia Scale is on the field!" Chapati said.

Lyon, Jura, Yuka, Toby, and Sherria walked out. "Right now, they're in 4th place, but will Ice Wizard Lyon Vastia, who rivals or surpasses Fairy Tail's Gray Fullbuster, lead his team to victory?!" Chapati questioned.

"And we mustn't forget Sherria Blendy, the God Slayer, or Jura Neekis, one of the Ten Great Wizard Saints!" Mato said.

"A team you'd never get tired of." Yajima added on.

"And sharing 4th place with Lamia Scale is..." Chapati began as waves soon appeared in the arena, followed by a blast of water that shot up, revealing the Mermaid Heel guild emblem. "... Mermaid Heel!"

"They're large flowers that have bloomed during the tournament, but they're not only glamorous..." Yajima trailed off.

"The team leader, Kagura Mikazuchi, is as calm as ever. There's something scary about her-kabo." Mato stated.

After Fairy Tail was announced in 3rd, Sabertooth's emblem was created by purple wind as it shot up in the air. "And currently in second place!" Chapati began as the audience cheered.

"Will they remain dethroned?! Will the two Dragon Slayers, the Twin Dragons, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, challenge Akame and Zack again?! And if so, what will the results of that rematch be?!" Chapati finished as Sabertooth walked out.

"Sabertooth takes the field!"

All of the Sabertooth members had calm looks on their faces, getting everyone's attention. "Huh? It seems their mood has changed somehow." Chapati noticed.

"Maybe they've jump-started their fighting spirit." Yajima guessed.

"That's cool-kabo!" Mato commented as one of the audience members glanced over at the Sabertooth stands.

"Hey, over there..."

"The cats in the rooting section..."

"One of them's not there."

"Yeah, right?"

"Lector..." Sting thinks to himself.

"Sting-kun!"

Sting glances over at the stands, seeing a shadow of Lector. "Sting-kun! Please do your best! With your strength, and just being one point behind...!" He called out.

"Leave it to me. I'm not gonna lose anymore." Sting said to himself.

"And currently in first place! Will this be the day a new guild rises in the ranks?!" Chapati announced as the Twilight Phoenix flag blew in the wind and the audience cheered.

"Twilight Phoenix is taking the field!"

"Soon, Sting..." Rogue mumbled.

"Yeah." Sting agreed.

Twilight Phoenix soon began walking out. "Huh?!" Chapati said.

"K-Kabo?" Mato questioned.

"W-What?! They've also changed members! This is an unexpected development! It seems Akame Ketsu and Zack Orion have been replaced!"

It was shown that Julian and Loji had taken Akame and Zack's places on the team.

"Akame Ketsu isn't here?" Rogue mumbled.

"That's fine, Rogue. Think of it as lucking out." Sting told him.

"Yeah..." Rogue agreed.

"Akame was instrumental in the Tag Team Battle, so why isn't he here?" Chapati wondered.

Yajima hummed. "Maybe something happened?" He guessed.

"Why isn't he here?"

"I wanted to see him!"

"I suppose he hasn't recovered yet." Darton muttered.

All seven of the participating guild emblems appeared on the Lacrima Vision. "Are you sure this is going to work out well, Master?" Ajar asked.

"It was the only way." Harumi confessed. "If we win the Grand Magic Games, they may release Zack with no problem at all. But we can't rely on that. With everyone absorbed in the tournament, this is the perfect chance. We'll cheer the team on, as usual."

"Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a separate team is heading to rescue Zack and Lucy."

Natsu was shown running through Crocus, followed by Wendy, Mira, Akame, and Dusk. As well as Happy, Lily, Carla, Chii, Bruno, and Jim.

A/N: I honestly can't wait to write the Alvarez Empire Arc for this book. Yes, in case you haven't realized, I'll be writing all of the canon arcs.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.