Fairy Boy Forgotten

by Icy Cake

While out on a mission, Wendy and her teammates discover an ancient temple where they find a mysterious, injured boy. Much to their disappointment, the child suffers from severe amnesia and is devoid of any memories. It's up to Wendy and her friends to help him remember who he really is. Many thanks to The Epic Legion for the fantastic cover!

29. The Guiding Stars

The Guiding Stars

---

Link was in awe seeing the train up close. It was so much bigger in person, and so shiny and long too! Ten large cars total. Enough to fit all the people gathered on the platform of Magnolia Station. Whenever the boy had spotted a train passing through town, he would always stop to watch, mesmerized by the many loud, mechanical noises it made and the trail of smoke it always left behind. According to Wendy, he had ridden it once before, but he had no memory of that, which meant it was going to be a whole new experience getting to ride it.

Excited to board, he could barely stand still as he waited in line with Wendy, Carla, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy. Ultear was supposed to be joining them, but Link had yet to see her around.

They were going on a trip together to a distant town called Saffarion.

"It was where it all began," Wendy had said to Link the day before. She had told him the story of how he was found within a lost, forgotten temple in the forest known as Verloren Woods. The temple was strange and mysterious for no one could find their way back there, no matter how hard they searched.

The reason they were traveling to Saffarion was to hopefully find the temple in order to help Link uncover his past. Or, at least, find some sort of clue that could help him remember something.

The idea was brought up yesterday. Once the guild had eventually settled down after throwing the big celebration for Link, (which lasted for three days of hectic fun, followed by two full days of much-needed rest for every extremely hungover adult), Master Makarov had gathered everyone to further discuss the events that took place during the Final Day of the Grand Magic Games. Specifically the demon and Link's new powers.

It was disheartening to learn that the demon was still alive; Happy had seen an enormous dragon carrying the demon away shortly after his defeat.

Nevertheless, Link had vowed that he would keep everyone safe for it was his destiny to protect the future. He had shared the few things Keaton had told him during the brief moment they met. The demon was known as the Evil King, and his real name was not Geraldo, but Ganondorf. Just like Link, the demon possessed the golden power of the Triforce. However, instead of being light and holy, the demon's power was dark and evil. How they were connected, the boy didn't truly know, but he knew they were fated to battle if they were to ever meet again.

Keaton had given Link the power to change the fate of the world; no matter what it took, the young hero would never allow Earthland fall to ruin by the demon's hands.

Link also wanted to tell everyone about Yorenthall and his dreams, and how Acnologia's power was actually the power of the Ancient Dragon King. However, trying to explain it clearly was an evident struggle; with so many details missing, it became too confusing and painful to wrack his head for answers. He wasn't sure which pieces of his broken memories were even true...

He was hoping Mavis would be be around to help him talk through it like before, and to show everyone what Yorenthall looked like, however no one knew where she had gone since the Games.

Understanding the boy's frustration, Jellal was the one to suggest returning to Verloren Woods with Link, in hope of rediscovering the temple and its secrets. Master Makarov was quick to agree and made it a mission for Wendy and her team, with Ultear requested to join them. With their plan set, the group of seven had decided to pack what they needed so they could leave for Saffarion bright and early the next morning.

"I think it's almost time to get on," said Wendy, stifling a yawn. She broke into a quiet chuckle when she saw Link's excited grin.

Behind them, Natsu loudly groaned and muttered, "Don't get too excited, kiddo. Trains are not fun. Trust me."

Hearing that wiped Link's smile away.

Standing beside Natsu, Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't listen to him, Link. He just gets bad motion sickness on anything that moves."

"Only moving vehicles," Natsu corrected with an annoyed pout. He was already sweaty and pale despite not having stepped foot on the train yet. "Ugh... just looking at it is making me sick... How many hours do we have to ride this stupid thing again?"

"Three," Lucy answered.

Natsu held his stomach and groaned much louder, drawing odd looks from the people around them. "Three hours of torture!"

"Don't worry," Wendy assured, patting Natsu on the arm sympathetically, "I'm here to provide you with some temporary relief so the trip won't be bad for the full three hours."

Natsu cracked a weak smile. "Thanks, Wendy."

The line ahead began to move and Link's excitement was renewed. He was bouncing by the time it was their turn to board the car. He followed Wendy closely as she led them to their assigned seats. Inside was a lot more cramped than he expected. They had to wait for other passengers to stuff their luggage in the overhead racks and then sit down before they could get by.

Once they found their spots, Wendy motioned for Link to take one of the seats by the window. She sat next to him and Carla squeezed right beside her. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy, after throwing their traveling packs on top, slipped into the opposite facing seats in the same section.

Natsu was slumped back, nothing but dread on his grumpy face. Lucy only gave him a pitying look before she pulled out a magazine to read. Meanwhile, Happy opened up a bag of dried fish snacks and began to noisily eat. The smell of it made Natsu moan and his face turn green.

"Sorry, Natsu, but I'm so hungry!" said Happy, spitting pieces of his food.

"Are you hungry too?" Wendy asked Link. She didn't wait for his answer. She was already reaching into the pack she had placed on the floor and took out a small package. It was one of the many boxes of sweets Mirajane had prepared for them beforehand yesterday.

Wendy opened the little box and smiled at the sugar cookies neatly stacked inside. She offered one to everyone. Natsu was the only one to refuse.

As Link crunched on his cookie, he glanced around the car, unable to see much over the tall headrests. "Where's Ultear?" he asked.

Wendy quickly brought her finger to her lips to hush him and he slapped a hand over his mouth, promising to stay quiet.

Wendy leaned over and whispered, "She's here, don't worry. Once we get off at the next station, we'll meet up."

He nodded. By the time he finished eating a second cookie, he heard the shrill whistle of the train signaling it was time to go.

With a broad smile, he looked out the window as the train began to hiss and rumble to life. Slow at first, the train chugged out of the station, quickly gaining speed with every passing second.

Fascinated, Link watched the town pass by. He spotted not only other children, but adults too, who loved to stand and wave at the moving train.

When they were only half-way out of Magnolia, Natsu's moans had gotten noticeably louder as his sickness got worse. However, he wasn't the only one affected.

"Wendy, are you okay?" Carla asked.

Link spun around in concern and saw Wendy looking just as pale as Natsu.

Wendy covered her mouth with both her hands and leaned forward. "I… I don't feel so well…" she groaned. "Maybe I've eaten too many cookies… I'm suddenly so nauseous..."

"Heh, I don't think it's that," said Natsu, shaking his head. He mustered the strength to grin at Wendy. "Haven't ya noticed? You've gotten stronger since the Games. Your senses are much more sensitive now… You're finally feeling what I feel whenever I have to ride this damn thing."

Wendy was horrified. "W-What? Really?!"

"It's the same reason why Gajeel now gets motion sickness," Happy pointed out.

Wendy slouched in her seat, copying Natsu's posture. "No, this is so awful… It happens all the time?"

When Natsu nodded, Wendy let out a pitiful, "Nooooo..."

Lucy frowned. "Maybe try casting that one spell to make your nausea go away."

Wendy lifted her hands only to drop them by her sides. She shook her head in defeat. "I can't focus… this nausea is too much..."

"Wendy..." Link gently touched her arm. Her skin was cold and clammy, making him wish he could make her feel better.

She lightly patted his hand and forced a smile. "Don't worry about me… This will hopefully be over… soon? How long is this trip again?"

"Three hours," answered Carla, giving Wendy an apologetic smile.

The girl looked ready to cry.

Natsu was right; trains weren't fun. Link hated seeing Wendy so miserable that he couldn't enjoy the rest of the ride. Despite the train moving so fast through the countryside, three hours seemed to go by painfully slow with two Dragon Slayers moaning and whining throughout it all.

When they had finally stopped at Saffarion Station, Wendy and Natsu could barely walk straight as they exited the car. They both stumbled onto the platform and collapsed onto their hands and knees. Lucy had to drag Natsu off to the side so he wouldn't be in the way of the other passengers getting off. Carla did the same for Wendy, but in a gentler manner.

Most of the people barely gave Fairy Tail a second glance as they rushed past, too occupied by their own agendas. However, there was one tall lady, dressed in a white designer suit, who stopped in her tracks to shoot the Dragon Slayers a disapproving glower. She had short blonde hair, stern green eyes, and crimson lips that were curled into an unhappy frown. Matching her suit was a white, wide-brimmed hat atop her head that provided shade against the bright morning sun. Slung over one shoulder was a small, blue traveling purse decorated with glittery beads.

She crossed her arms and impatiently tapped the toe of her black heeled boots against the stone floor. "Once you're done groveling, meet me at the exit,"she grumbled under her breath, quiet enough for only Fairy Tail to hear.

The lady flicked back her hair and continued on. Natsu growled at her while Wendy groaned. Link stared after the woman, quietly wondering who she was.

It took a few more minutes before the Dragon Slayers were well enough to move. When they left the station, they encountered the blonde woman in white who was waiting near the entryway.

"Sorry for the wait," Wendy apologized to the woman, bowing her head in embarrassment. "That was the first time I got motion sickness..."

The woman gave her a look of pity. "Ready to head out?" she asked.

"How 'bout we eat first? I'm starving!" said Natsu, his stomach growling.

"You're already hungry?" Wendy asked, raising her brow in disbelief. "I'm still a little queasy..."

"Of course! I haven't eaten anything all morning! It might take a while, but you'll eventually start recovering from motion sickness a little quicker once you're more used to it."

The woman sighed and looked off to the side in slight annoyance. "Fine. Let's stop and eat."

They found a few empty benches in front of the station and settled down to eat their boxed lunches Mirajane had also graciously packed for them. While they ate, Link kept glancing at the lady who had decided to sit right next to him on the same bench they shared with Wendy and Carla. He was a little surprised that she, too, had the same boxed lunch as everyone else.

The woman smirked when she noticed his curious looks. "Haven't figured it out yet?" she questioned, pausing in her meal. She casually leaned over and murmured, "It's me, Ultear." She chuckled softly at the boy's shocked reaction and turned back to her lunch. "Call me Matilda. Got it?"

Link nodded and continued to stare at her, astonished by the woman's disguise. She was a completely different person; her voice, facial features, and body shape were unrecognizable. It could only be the work of magic. Levy had once read to Link about the various kinds of magic that existed in the world. Among them all, transformation was one of the more interesting ones. Being able to change one's form into another was so unique.

Now knowing the woman was a friend and not a stranger, Link was no longer bothered by her presence.

Full and content, the group headed out of town and ventured into the nearby forest shortly after noon. Verloren Woods was as lush and pleasant as East Forest, but with a few noticeable differences. The growth was thick; young trees stood close together and tall bushes and shrubs were abundant, making paths narrow or nonexistent. Branches and thorns constantly snagged at their clothes and scratched their bare skin, forcing them to move slow.

Natsu was tempted to burn his way through, but a harsh scolding from Lucy and Wendy ultimately changed his mind. However, Wendy started to have second thoughts when she kept finding bugs crawling over her body. Every little critter made her squeamish, with the worst offenders being spiders. Link helped brush them off whenever he spotted one, wanting to keep her safe.

About an hour or so in, Natsu suddenly stopped, his nose sniffing the air. Wendy also had her nose raised high, having caught a whiff of something only they could smell.

"What is it?" Lucy asked as she picked off a few dead leaves off her shirt.

"We're not alone out here," Natsu answered with a low growl. He dropped onto his hands and sniffed the mossy ground. "I'm picking up... two... Hmm, maybe three different scents... Humans... still fresh..."

"Hunters, maybe?" Lucy suggested, warily looking around. "No reason for anyone else to be out here..."

"Could be. Let's be–" A loud snap of a twig made Natsu jump back to his feet. He was immediately down in his battle stance, his fists aflame. "Who's there?!" he demanded.

A man's voice replied, "Huh?! What was that? Who's there?!"

"Hey! I asked that first!" Natsu roared, shaking a fiery fist at the unseen speaker.

"What the hell? There's someone else out here?" a second man asked.

"Sounds like it! That mayor better not have hired another guild!" a third man exclaimed. "We took this job first!"

The forest was alive with noise as the strangers forced their way through the overgrowth, following Natsu's voice.

Keys in hand, Lucy moved to stand beside the Fire Dragon Slayer while Wendy and Ultear shifted to stand on guard in front of Link and the Exceeds.

Three men broke through the brush, nearly tripping over themselves. They looked as if they had been wandering the forest for a long time for their clothes were torn, dirty, and stained with sweat, and their hair, unkempt and tangled with leaves and twigs.

Natsu was taken off-guard by their disheveled appearance that he snuffed out his flames. "The hell? Are you guys lost?"

The tallest of the men snorted, stubbornly crossed his arms, and narrowed his dark eyes suspiciously at Natsu. "N-No! What does it look like we're doing? We're on a mission to find a stupid cat! What are you people doing out here?"

The shortest man gasped and pointed at the Fire Dragon Slayer. "Hey! I recognize you! Aren't you Salamander from Fairy Tail?"

"F-Fairy Tail?!" stuttered the third man. He had a dark and bushy moustache speckled with bits of dead grass. He put on a brave face, but the quiver in his voice betrayed his nervousness. "H-Hey! Crimson Cross accepted the job first! Just because you won the Grand Magic Games doesn't mean you can come and take it from us!"

Natsu growled in annoyance. "We're not here to take your job! We're just trying to find a temple!"

The tall man raised his brow. "A temple? We've been out here for over a week and we haven't seen anything like that."

Lucy was shocked. "A week? You've spent all that time searching for a cat? Wait, could this cat be...?"

Wendy ran up to the men, suddenly worried. "Is it the mayor's cat? Mr. Snugglebottoms?"

The short man was elated to hear that name. "That's right! Have you seen it?! We saw it two days ago and now we can't find the damn thing again."

Natsu snorted and crossed his arms. "No. You're wasting your time, you know. Catching that dumb Snugglesbutt isn't worth the few thousand Jewels that mayor is paying."

Bewildered, the three men exchanged looks and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

"A few thousand?" the man with the moustache cried, highly amused, "What are you? An idiot? The mayor is offering four hundred thousand Jewels to find his stupid pet!"

"What?!" Team Natsu exclaimed as one, their combined voices so loud it hurt Link's ears.

"No way! Four hundred thousand?!" Natsu cried in disbelief, jaw hanging.

"That's right," said the tall man, his grin smug, "Four hundred thousand easy bucks!"

"Easy? You've been out here for over a week..." Lucy muttered under her breath.

Link didn't pay attention to the rest of the conversation because he noticed movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw an orange and white cat silently step out of the underbrush. It was scrawny, old-looking, and frail; its fur matted and covered in dirt. Around its neck was a frayed, lacy, pink collar, which was a sign of ownership. Despite its haggard appearance, its green eyes were sharp and inquisitive when they met Link's curious stare.

Softly, the cat meowed, catching everyone's attention.

"Ahh! There it is!" one of the men screamed. "Hurry! Grab it!"

Startled, the cat abruptly bolted away, a noticeable limp in its gait. It vanished into the brush with the three men quickly stomping after it.

"Oh no," said Wendy, knitting her brow, "Mr. Snugglebottoms didn't look too good! He must've been lost out here for months and I think he's hurt! We need to help him!"

She ran after the men without a moment to waste.

"Good idea, Wendy!" said Lucy, following suit, "If we help, maybe we can get a share of the reward! Come on, Natsu!"

"Fine! But I ain't catching that dumb cat!" Natsu shouted as he reluctantly joined the chase with the Exceeds not far behind.

Link wanted to go too, but Ultear held out a hand to block his way.

"Goddamn it! What are they doing?! We don't have time to get sidetracked," the woman hissed, scowling after the others in disdain. Exasperated, she tapped her foot impatiently before noticing Link's worried frown. She heaved a weary sigh. "We'll go after them, but you stick close to me, got it? I think we're getting near the time-space anomaly. Not sure what will happen if we pass through it now that you're here."

Link tilted his head. "Time-what?"

"A certain part of this forest is enchanted by ancient time magic," Ultear explained as she began to walk ahead. "Whoever has cast it does not want anyone to enter that area, but the path may open to you. You have mentioned your friend was the Ancient Dragon King, correct? It could possibly be him who had placed the spell. And if that is true, then perhaps that power of yours is the key to take you back to the temple. Come on. Let's hope the others don't get lost."

Link glanced at the armlet on his left arm, seeing the emerald jewel wink under the few rays of sunlight shining through the trees. The black dragon was hidden away and sleeping, its power a secret to all but Fairy Tail and Crime Sorcière. If what Ultear had said was true, he wondered if he should take his armlet off.

He would have to ask her later once they caught up with everyone. He could hear their voices farther up ahead so it wouldn't be difficult to track them.

Link tailed behind Ultear as she pushed her way through the broken brush that was as high as her waist. Being so short, the boy had to use his bare arms to shield from the branches that snapped back at his face. He was almost out the other side when he felt something yank him back by his hooded cloak. The bottom end was caught on a branch. Not wanting to tear a hole, he carefully disentangled himself.

When he turned back around, Ultear was already gone from his sight. His pace had dropped to a crawl as he looked in every direction for a sign of her white hat amongst the green. All he saw was the forest that oddly seemed untouched; nothing was disturbed or broken even though a bunch of people had just trampled through.

Link stopped completely when he noticed how eerily quiet it had become. No longer could he pick out any voices in the distance nor even the sounds of nature. The trees were standing so very still and the air... it felt different somehow; cooler, lighter, no longer thick with humidity. As he gazed upon the muted forest, it felt as if the world was frozen in time.

Leaves nearby suddenly rustled, giving him a start and proving him wrong. Tense and wary, he threw back his cloak and reached for Freedom's hilt. He was armed with not just the blade but his small wooden bow and quiver of arrows as well. He would have brought along his dragon equipment, but Macao had convinced him not to. The weapons were too large to conceal and the armour would have likely attracted too many curious eyes.

"Be discrete," Master Makarov had advised him the other day, "Avoid drawing attention and do not use magic unless necessary, especially when you are out of town."

Eyes narrowed, Link faced the quivering bush, anticipating whatever could be lurking within. He blinked in surprise when Mr. Snugglebottoms poked out his little head from the cover of leaves.

The cat eyed the boy, flicked an ear, and let out a short, weak meow before quickly retreating.

Link dropped his guard and furrowed his brow, wondering where everybody had gone when Mr. Snugglebottoms was here.

The cat called once more from within the bush, his cry louder and drawn, almost as if wanting Link to hurry up and follow him.

Seeing no one else around, the boy decided to go after Mr. Snugglebottoms himself. If he was able to catch the poor, injured cat, Wendy would be able to heal him and they could continue their search for the temple.

Link forced his way through the thicket and eventually stumbled out the other side, into a slightly more open area.

Before he could begin his search, he heard Mr. Snugglebottoms meow right in his ear. He sharply twisted around. Instead of seeing a small, orange cat, he came face-to-face with a large, yellow beast that stood as tall as him.

With a startled yelp, Link leapt back, instinctively drawing his blade in the process. The instant he landed, his body froze and his eyes grew wide when he recognized the creature's smiling yellow face and its three bushy tails swaying to and fro behind it. Freedom slipped from his fingers and landed with a dull thud on the ground. It lay forgotten as he was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

For a moment, Link stared in disbelief, unable to tell if he was dreaming or not. He took a hesitant step forward, barely able to find his voice to utter the name; "Keaton..."

The fox's smile broadened, tears glistening in the corners of his narrowed eyes. Keaton slowly limped closer, each step he took seemingly painful, however he didn't stop until he stood before Link, his sniffing black nose an inch away.

"Hello, my friend," Keaton greeted kindly, sounding so very tired and out of breath. "It is a great joy to see you again, one last time... We were worried... but now I can see that your new friends are very kind. Most of them anyway." He tried to laugh, but it came out as short wheezes that left him winded. Exhausted, he started to sway on his feet.

Link caught the fox before his head hit the ground. Down on his knees, the boy supported Keaton's head on his lap as the animal lay panting on his side. Hand upon the beast's soft and warm fur, Link realized this Keaton was real and not just one of Reedus's magical creations. "You're alive..." Link choked out, his eyes stinging.

With a sad whine, Keaton's ears drooped as he looked up at the other. "Not quite... My life perished long ago on that fateful day... I am merely a ghost on borrowed time and... unfortunately... that time has finally run out..."

The truth was like an arrow to the heart. Keaton had died – the memory of his death suddenly flashed before Link's eyes. The brave fox had leapt in front of a searing blast of white energy to try and shield the boy from harm...

Seeing the boy's pain, Keaton mustered the strength to rise halfway to rub his cheek against Link's like a loving cat. He felt so much lighter than he looked as he leaned against the boy, his head resting on the child's shoulder.

Link hugged his dear friend tight. "You were protecting me... I'm sorry..."

"It was not your fault," Keaton murmured softly, a tremor in his child-like voice. "Since the beginning, I had known that it was my fate... I have done my part and now... I can finally rest knowing you will be okay. You have gained the power that will help you protect this realm, however... there is still much you need to learn before you are ready.

"Now, listen carefully, young hero. Do not forget what I have to say. As you are now, you lack the strength to face the next trial that lies ahead. Once you have full command of the stars, return to this forest with your friends. Use the eye that can see through lies and the true path forward will reveal itself. He is waiting for you on the other side, as he always had...

"I may be gone forever... but I will continue to watch over you in the world beyond... Farewell, Link, my dear friend..."

"No! Please wait!" Link clutched onto the thick fur of Keaton's mane so he couldn't leave. There was so much the boy wanted to know; so many questions he was desperate to ask.

However, the fox's body suddenly flashed white and burst into thousands of tiny light particles, chasing away the shadows of the forest. As one, they drifted upwards, fading into nothingness before reaching the branches hanging above.

All that remained in Keaton's place was Mr. Snugglebottoms, curled up in Link's arms, limp and motionless.

---

Lucy waited anxiously with Natsu and Happy as Mayor Burgandy looked over the frayed and dirty, lacy, pink collar in his hand. Brow furrowed, it took the man a little while to process the bad news about his daughter's cat.

"I see..." the mayor finally spoke up. He sighed and pocketed the collar. "I will let Adeline know what has befallen her precious Mr. Snugglebottoms. Knowing her, she'll likely be over it in a day."

Lucy was rather disappointed to hear that. "Really? How long has she had that cat? If you don't mind me asking?"

Mayor Burgandy rubbed the bottom of his chin. "I'd say... only a month? No, less than that. A week. The darn thing stayed with us for one whole week before it ran away. Twice." He gave Natsu a pointed look.

However, the Dragon Slayer was busy staring glumly at his feet, not paying attention to the conversation.

"That's it?" Happy exclaimed, frowning sadly. "I thought Mr. Snuggles was precious to Adeline... Isn't that why you increased the reward to four-hundred thousand Jewels?"

The mayor nodded. "Precious, yes. When that animal suddenly showed up on our door, my daughter was infatuated with him. She tends to get that way with every 'adorable' creature she comes across, I'm afraid."

Happy flinched and hid behind one of Natsu's legs. "Eek! I hope she doesn't see me..."

"I had thought Mr. Snugglebottoms had disappeared for good when no one could find him for the last couple months. Even Adeline had forgotten about him. But then, just over a week ago, I received a report from a local hunter saying he had spotted Mr. Snugglebottoms wandering the woods. My daughter happened to have overheard and was desperate to have that cat back. Hence, why I had to increase the reward. I thought it would guarantee someone would actually catch it... but alas." Mayor Burgandy narrowed his gaze at Lucy in suspicion. "You weren't expecting anything in return for this, were you?"

Lucy shook her head and answered honestly; "No... We just wanted to let you know what happened. For some closure..."

"I see. Thank you. Fairy Tail, correct? Hm, say, whatever happened to the three men I hired from that other guild? Uh, what were they called again? Cross something or other?"

Lucy hid her anger at the mention of those three despicable men. She shrugged, pretending to not know what the mayor was talking about. "I'm not sure. Well, we better be on our way. Our friends are waiting for us."

Lucy gently nudged Natsu to snap him back to reality. With a small nod to the mayor, Lucy turned and left with Natsu and Happy following behind her.

The moment they were out of sight of the mayor's newly rebuilt mansion, Lucy let out a big sigh of relief. The confrontation had gone much better than she had anticipated, unlike with the three men from Crimson Cross, a small guild from a village just east of Saffarion. Just thinking about what they had done made her blood boil.

It happened three hours earlier, back in Verloren Woods. Shortly after Lucy had joined Wendy on the chase for Mr. Snugglebottoms, Ultear had telepathically notified Fairy Tail that Link had suddenly gone missing.

The team had quickly abandoned their pursuit and joined back with Ultear. Together, they retraced their steps to search for the lost boy. However, even with two Dragon Slayers, finding Link had been difficult, not only because of the camouflage of his green cloak. Ultear had believed the strange enchantment cast over the forest was throwing their senses off.

Fearing the worst, Wendy was the most distraught out of all of them as they combed every inch of the forest close to where Link was last seen. After thirty panic-filled minutes, they eventually found him.

They had stumbled upon a heart-wrenching scene with Link kneeling on the forest floor, cradling the lifeless body of Mr. Snugglebottoms. He was deaf to their voices, seemingly lost in despair, until Wendy had brought him out of it with her gentle touch and kind words.

Around the same time, the three men from Crimson Cross had heard the commotion and came to investigate, only to discover they had just lost their reward of four-hundred thousand Jewels. Absolutely furious, they had screamed and yelled at Link, blaming him for somehow killing Mr. Snugglebottoms.

Link was already extremely upset; hearing that accusation had completely devastated him.

One of the men had gotten so angry that he had tried to attack the boy, but luckily Natsu intercepted just in time.

An explosive punch to the face had blasted the man through the forest and out of their sights before anyone could blink. After witnessing the fate of their comrade, the other two men had immediately turned tail and ran, screaming for their lives.

The men had gotten away too easily, in Lucy's opinion. She would have strung them up and whipped their asses raw and bloody as payback. That kind of thought was undoubtedly Erza's sinister side starting to rub off onto Lucy...

After that, it took a while before Link was calm enough to tell them what happened. It turned out that Mr. Snugglebottoms was actually his friend – or to be more precise – possessed by the ghost of his friend, Keaton, the yellow three-tailed fox from his dreams. Except, it wasn't just mere dreams...

Keaton had died protecting Link long ago... But from what exactly?

Going by the few bits of information they could piece together, (between Link's 'dreams' and what they had learned from Zirconis's spirit back in Crocus), Lucy and the others could only suspect Acnologia. And, if that were true, then it was Acnologia who had injured Link and left him to die in the mysterious temple – a temple they were not supposed to find yet.

"I'm not ready to come here," Link had told them, his sad eyes never straying from the cat in his arms, "Keaton said to return to this forest when I have full command of the stars... and to use the eye that can see through lies..."

No one could figure out what that meant, but they understood it was useless to keep searching.

Before heading back to town, Lucy had kindly asked Virgo to dig a small grave for the cat. They had marked it with a little wooden cross made of two large sticks, tied together with Carla's red, tail ribbon.

While Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had gone to deliver the bad news to the mayor, the others returned to the train station to wait.

Lucy was hoping Link was feeling a little better as she, Natsu, and Happy made their way back to the station. It was late in the afternoon and the street they were on was already bare and quiet. It was a little too quiet for her comfort.

She glanced sideways at Natsu and slightly frowned. Ever since the incident in the forest, he had been in a dour mood. He had barely spoken, responding to questions with either grunts or one-word answers. This was a side of him that Lucy had never seen before and it was deeply troubling.

Hating to see him like this, Lucy gently gripped his arm to get his attention. "What's on your mind, Natsu?" she asked.

He gave her a quick look from the side before dropping his gaze to the ground, his shoulders slouching forward. "D'you think..." he slowly began, mumbling his words, "It was my fault? If I hadn't destroyed the mayor's place, that damn cat... Bacon's friend... He wouldn't have run back to the forest and struggle to survive all those months..."

Lucy raised her brow at his guilt. She shook her head and tried to cheer him up. "He wasn't an ordinary cat," she reminded him, "I think, if Keaton had wanted to, he would've returned to the mayor on his own, but he chose to wait in the forest instead with the time he had left..."

"A ghost on borrowed time," Link had said.

The cat didn't just suffer from injury and starvation from having to survive in the forest; the young, healthy cat Lucy remembered chasing around the forest had quickly aged several years over the course of five months. He was an old, malnourished animal by the time he had died...

"If it was me, I would have run far away from that crazy Adeline too," said Happy, shuddering. He formed a sad smile. "I think Mr. Snuggles looked happy in the end..."

Lucy smiled as well. "I think so too. I want to believe Keaton hung on for as long as he did to give Link that message... Keaton's time was already short, Natsu, it wasn't your fault at all that he passed on."

The Dragon Slayer grunted. "Guess you could be right..." He suddenly looked pissed. "Damn him, if he was Bacon's friend, then why'd he keep trying to claw my face off?!"

Lucy grinned, glad to have the old Natsu back. "Well, you weren't exactly gentle when you handled him."

Natsu growled and crossed his arms. His anger quickly vanished. "May his damn soul rest in peace..."

They shared a moment of silence until they turned the next corner.

Recognizing the street, Lucy spoke up, "Every time we come here looking for answers, we tend to leave with more questions. Funny how that works."

"Yeah, but this time we definitely figured one thing out... Acnologia," Natsu angrily snarled the black dragon's name and held up a fist engulfed in flame.

Lucy quickly waved her hands at him and hissed, "Put that out! Don't need to remind the townspeople you're the arsonist who destroyed the mayor's mansion!" Luckily, there weren't too many people around to notice.

"Huh? Oh, right." Natsu snuffed out his magic, but he was still hot and fuming. The air around him was visibly shimmering from the heat coming off his body.

Broken into a sweat, Lucy moved to the other side of the sidewalk to try and put some distance between her and the walking, living furnace.

"Acnologia... that damn bastard," Natsu continued in a bitter tone, glaring at the road ahead, "He's gotta be the evil Dragon Slayer who attacked Bacon and killed his friends. He slayed the Ancient Dragon King and took his power... I think that's what Bacon was trying to tell us yesterday. Maybe that's how Acnologia got so strong and became the King of Dragons."

Happy sharply gasped, a sudden terror in his eyes. "Does that mean... Bacon will turn into a Dragon King?! Big and mean like Acnologia?!"

Lucy bit her lower lip. She didn't want to believe that possible. However, the last memory she had of Keaton – future-Link – was still fresh in her mind. The Dragon King's power had changed him drastically; his appearance and demeanour both frightening up close. She couldn't forget the intense hatred that burned in his blue eyes and the blood of the slaughtered dragons that drenched his body.

But young Link's transformation was different. The boy was still himself, likely because he did not experience the same trauma and hardships as his future counterpart. The golden aura that he gave off was calmer and kinder compared to Keaton's icy-blue fury.

With the future now on a different, brighter path, Link would not become the same as Keaton and he would certainly not end up like Acnologia, a cruel and fearsome black dragon. However, if what Zirconis had said was true, then Link, as well as the other Dragon Slayers, could potentially turn into dragons the more they used their magic...

"That is how Dragon Slaying magic evolves."

Lucy shook her head at Happy's fears and hardened her expression. "We won't let that happen."

The guild had made a promise to Master Makarov: keep a close eye on Link and make sure he did not reawaken his dragon power, not until he could somehow learn to control it. Wielding such an incredible amount of magic was extremely dangerous to him; it had ravaged his body and left him near-death after the fateful battle against the demon. No one wanted him to experience that again.

But who could possibly train the boy when they lacked the knowledge on his powers? Master Makarov was currently looking into that.

"Bacon will still be Bacon no matter how strong he gets," assured Natsu. "No way he'll become another Acnologia."

Happy was pleased to hear that, but soon frowned. "Wasn't Acnologia still a human Dragon Slayer over four hundred years ago? Do you think... he hurt Bacon that long ago?"

Lucy furrowed her brow in thought, one hand under her chin. "It's... possible. Zirconis did question Link's age... And the state of the temple was clearly ancient when we found it. There was so much dust covering everything, even in the room where Wendy first found Link. None of it was disturbed for the longest time until we came along..."

Happy was horrified. "Then... for over four hundred years, Bacon was left there all alone?"

Over four hundred years, Link lay unconscious and wounded, half-buried under broken stone... It was a terrible thought. But it was looking more and more like the truth.

Natsu was seething now. Smoke was coming from his nostrils and the temperature had risen to almost unbearable. Sparks erupted around his fists; he looked ready to punch a molten hole in the nearest brick wall.

Lucy wiped the sweat dripping down her face with the back of her hand. She was afraid nearby objects were going to start catching fire if Natsu got any angrier.

However, she understood how he felt; thinking about all the pain and suffering Acnologia had inflicted upon Link made her just as mad. Not only did Acnologia leave the boy to die, he may also be the one responsible for taking away Link's past...

It made Lucy wonder how Link had survived in the temple for so long in his condition. Under normal circumstances, the child would have died... She could only believe that he had a little guardian watching over him.

"Link wasn't alone," said Lucy, answering Happy's question, "His friend, Keaton, must have looked after him for all those years... until it was time for us to save him..."

Realizing that had brought a sense of calm between the three of them. By then, Saffarion Station was within their view.

They reunited with the others. Seeing Link still upset and wanting to go home, the team boarded the next train to Magnolia without complaint.

The ride back was quiet, with the exception of the moaning Dragon Slayers stricken with a bad case of motion sickness once again.

Seated across from Link, Lucy had tried to spring up a conversation with him, but he wasn't in the mood to talk. He didn't even feel like eating anything when Happy and Carla offered him various treats to snack on for the long trip. Unable to cheer him up, the three of them left him alone.

Link had been staring out the window since then, silently watching the rest of the afternoon gradually turn to evening across the changing landscape. While he was lost with his own thoughts, Lucy was occupied with her own, gazing out the same window.

She dwelled on the mystery of Verloren Woods, trying to decipher the message Keaton had left for Link, specifically the first part.

"... return to this forest when I have full command of the stars."

Was Link supposed to learn a special magic or spell that could call upon the stars from the night sky? The first thing that came to Lucy's mind was Heavenly Body Magic, a powerful attack-type magic that Jellal already specialized in. He could summon a few of the starry constellations at will to strike his foes. If he could teach Link, then maybe they would be one step closer to finding the lost temple.

Eager to share her suggestion, Lucy shifted in her seat and paused when the jingling of keys in her pouch caught her attention.

Wait... of course! She mentally slapped herself for not realizing the obvious answer sooner.

Lucy sat straight up to peer around the car, seeing it was half-full. She spotted Ultear's white hat a few seats down and several groups of people dispersed throughout. Luckily, there was no one currently occupying the seats closest to Lucy's team. Low chance of anyone eavesdropping.

She reached into her pouch and pulled out Link's set of Celestial Spirit Keys she had been meaning to give back to him. Her heart badly ached whenever she held them for they were once Keaton's and Yukino's Celestial Spirit Keys. Both were gone, but their memory would live on within their spirits and the lives they've touched.

"Link," Lucy whispered, lightly tapping him on the knee.

The boy glanced her way and blinked at the gold and silver keys in her outstretched hand.

"I've been keeping these safe for you," Lucy continued, putting on a cheerful smile, "until you were ready to train with me. I've figured it out, Link, the stars you will one day fully command are here, the Celestial Spirits. When I was very young, my mother once told me to always be kind to spirits for they are the Celestial Stars who will protect and guide the ones they trust."

"Oh!" Happy's eyes widened upon that realization. Excited, he was about to say more, but a quick hush from Lucy made him clamp his mouth shut.

Carla eyed the keys and hummed, looking rather intrigued. "Lucy, if you are correct, then having 'full command' must imply that Link will need to master his Celestial Spirit Magic."

Lucy nodded and gave Link an encouraging nod. "Link's already got the hard part down: opening a spirit gate. Everything else should be a breeze." She knew the boy would be a fast learner, having witnessed Keaton's capabilities when he had only trained for two short years with her future self.

As Link grabbed the keys from Lucy's hand, she noticed the small smile on his lips. He looked over each key, taking note of every nick and scratch on the worn copies that had come from the future. He held up the one he was most familiar with, his smile gone. Gemini.

Lucy recognized the pain he was feeling. She had felt the same whenever she held her own set of keys. Celestial Spirits bonded to a Celestial mage were more than just friends; losing a spirit was like losing a part of yourself. It was truly fortunate that Celestial Spirits could be reborn, however it would take a full year in Earthland before they were whole again. Lucy had explained the situation to Link when he had asked about Gemini the other day.

Not being able to summon a spirit for that long was the ultimate punishment for a Celestial Spirit mage. Lucy had thought the repercussions would have been greater, but Aquarius had assured her that the Spirit King was not angry at any Celestial mage. Instead, His Highness was outraged at the loathsome demon who had dared harmed his spirits and took the lives of their kind masters. The sacrifices the spirits had made would not be forgotten.

"There's something else I want to give you," Lucy added, wanting to bring back Link's smile. With a quick motion of her wrist, she opened the gate that belonged to one special Nikora.

Plue appeared in Lucy's lap with a cheerful, "Puu-puun!"

Wendy and Natsu momentarily snapped out of their sickly state and saw the noise had come from Plue. Moaning, Natsu slumped back in his seat while Wendy raised a questionable eyebrow.

"What's... going on?" she struggled to ask.

Carla started to explain but was shortly cut off by Wendy.

"Nevermind! T-Tell me later..." Wendy slouched forward, hands covering her mouth. She shut her eyes in hope of easing the nausea, unable to pay attention to the rest of the conversation.

Carla gently rubbed Wendy's back, prompting Link to do the same. Wendy only moaned miserably in response.

Lucy couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl. There wasn't much she could do to help, however. She did a quick scan around the car and was grateful the people were ignoring them. To Plue, she whispered, "Don't be too loud, okay?"

Plue obeyed and quietly sat down on Lucy's lap, quivering in place as usual.

Lucy placed a gentle hand on top of the canine's, round, squishy head and continued where she left off; "I've discussed this with Plue some time ago and he has agreed to be your Celestial Spirit, Link."

Link sat straight up and stared at her in surprise. "Really?"

Lucy nodded and picked up Plue under the arms. Grinning, she handed the little spirit to Link.

The boy was delighted to take Plue.

"Nikoras are extremely loyal spirits," Lucy began to explain, loving the happiness shared between her student and his new friend. "And Plue is truly a remarkable one, capable of opening his own gate sometimes when he senses his master is in desperate need of help. I know he will take good care of you."

Link petted Plue on the head as he gave the spirit a look of gratitude. "That's why you were there on that day... Thank you, Plue."

The canine murmured in joy and hugged the boy.

"Before he's yours, you'll need to agree and sign his contract," said Lucy, glad to see they had already formed a special bond. "Plue, if you wouldn't mind."

The spirit nodded and waved both his paws in the air. A floating scroll of parchment magically appeared above his head alongside a golden quill. It unfurled on its own to reveal the conditions neatly handwritten inside. Compared to other Celestial Spirits, Plue's contract was extremely short, only one normal book-page long. Being a non-fighting, care-free little spirit, Plue's conditions were simple and easy to follow.

After Lucy read each one, Link – with a little help from Lucy – signed the contract with his name.

With that done, their goal was now set.

Link wanted to learn right away, so Lucy gave him an oral lesson during the remainder of the trip. She was just as thrilled as him as she shared her knowledge on the Celestial Spirits and their world.

---

The grand hall of Fairy Tail's new guild was rather loud and busy despite the early hour. Bustling with all sorts of activity, it was unlike the days before the Grand Magic Games. Almost every member was present, heartily eating breakfast, catching up over coffee and drinks by the bar, perusing the overflowing Request Board, hanging around the different sections of the enormous building, or gathered around Gajeel's and Shadow Gear's table.

Link was among the last group, along with Wendy, Romeo, and Carla. They had finished eating a moment ago and while they were waiting for Lucy to arrive to start Link's training, Romeo had a great idea. He wanted to see if Gajeel was capable of fixing Link's broken sword, Dragonslayer. So now the four of them were patiently standing around the Iron Dragon Slayer, anticipating his answer. They weren't the only ones anxious to know; Levy, Pantherlily, Jet, and Droy had all paused in their conversation and meals to listen

Gajeel was closely examining Dragonslayer in his hand. His narrowed eyes slowly roamed from one end to the other, drinking in all the fine details. He sniffed the lustrous, flat, silver blade, his brow noticeably raised when he recognized the scent. With a thumb, he rubbed the golden howling wolf-head engraved at the base of the blade before carefully feeling along the sharp edge. However, he wasn't careful enough; he immediately flinched away and found his thumb bleeding from a surprisingly deep cut.

"Oh no!" Wendy gasped and quickly moved in to heal his injury before he could wave her off.

"Damn, this thing is sharp," said Gajeel, once Wendy was finished. He was quite impressed.

Pantherlily soundly smirked from his perch atop the table. Arms crossed, he eyed the sword with great admiration. "Indeed. A truly magnificent blade that certainly lives up to its name of Dragonslayer."

"Dragonslayer, huh?" Gajeel remarked, adjusting his grip on the hilt. He pushed his chair back and stood up. Facing away from everyone, he sliced the air horizontally before him and grinned, satisfied at the sharp sound it made. Once more, he touched the cold blade, seemingly in awe. "Iron turned into steel. Dragonsteel. Really is made from my old man..."

Link furrowed his brow and cocked his head. "How is it made from... an old man?"

Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow at the boy's question. He sputtered as he tried to stifle his snickering, only to suddenly burst out in uncontrollable laughter. His guffaws were louder than all the chattering voices in the hall combined.

Link pouted, knowing he said something wrong.

Levy shot the Dragon Slayer a pointed look and lightly smacked him in the leg. "Gajeel, be nice!"

But Gajeel kept on laughing, barely able to contain himself as he repeatedly slapped his knee. "Made from an old man! Ahaha! An old man! Holy shit! You're killing me, kid! You're goddamn killing me!" he breathlessly wheezed between chortles.

Link felt his blood run cold. He started to panic. "I am?! I'm sorry!"

There was giggling coming from Wendy. "Link, don't worry!" she assured, gripping his shoulder. "He's just laughing a little too hard. That's all."

Seeing her lack of concern, Link calmed down. "Really? But it sounds like he's dying... What's so funny anyway?"

Chuckling, Romeo turned to Link and explained, "'Old man' is another way of saying father or dad. Gajeel wasn't implying your sword was made from an actual old man."

"Oh," Link pointed at Macao having coffee at the bar with Wakaba, "so should we call Dad 'old man'?"

Romeo grinned mischievously. "If you want. I'm sure he'll like it. Anyway, Gajeel's dad was Metalicana, the Iron Dragon, which is what your sword and armour are made from. As well as one of my knives."

Link nodded as he started to understand.

It was like how the Sky Bow and Cloak of Warding were made from parts of Wendy's mother, Grandeeney. There used to be a shield as well that was crafted from Natsu's father, Igneel, however it was shattered to pieces during the battle between Keaton and the Evil King. Shield of the Flame King was its name. Natsu was able to find two small fragments of it and had given one to Link as a memento while he kept the other. Even though the shield was completely destroyed, there was still some power contained within the fragments. Link had felt it whenever he held his piece in his hand, a pleasant heat that radiated from the thick, fiery-red scales layered upon an even thicker plate of bone.

Romeo turned back to Gajeel, who was now sitting back down, gasping for breath and wiping tears from his eyes. "So... can you fix it?" the boy asked. "Since it's made from your element... We thought maybe..."

Gajeel snorted. He tapped the studs of his gloved knuckles against the flat of the blade to produce a sharp clang. "Do I look like a freaking blacksmith? No way I can fix this!"

"Aw, really?" Romeo groaned, frowning in utter disappointment.

Link copied his brother's expression.

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Gajeel ran a hand through his spiky, black hair and shifted his gaze to the side. "Hey, come on! Don't you both look at me like that! What were you expecting? That I can eat your sword and shit out a new one?"

"Whoa! You can do that?!" Natsu exclaimed from the next table over. He was gawking at the Iron Dragon Slayer, his mouth half-full of food.

"That sounds equally awesome and painful!" shouted Happy, his face a mixture of awe and horror.

"Like hell I can!" Gajeel snapped, angrily shaking a fist at their table.

Link perked up. "You can?"

"No! I can't!" roared the Iron Dragon Slayer.

The boy frowned. "But you said–"

Growling, Gajeel vigorously waved a hand to cut Link off. "Look, I can't, all right? Try asking whoever made it in the first place. It's branded," he pointed at the golden wolf-head. "Any clue whose signature this is?"

"It belongs to a Celestial Spirit," answered Pantherlily. "He had crafted all of Link's and Romeo's dragon equipment in the future. However, I do not recall his name... Lupine?"

"Lupus," someone corrected, approaching Link and the others from behind.

Link smiled at Lucy as she joined their conversation.

She gave a friendly wave before her attention fell on the shiny gold emblem on Dragonslayer. "Lupus the Wolf. He's the Celestial Spirit who made this."

Gajeel pointed at her with the broken tip of the blade. "Well, there ya go, kids. Problem solved. Get this Lupus guy to fix your sword, lil' hero."

"Actually, it's not that simple," said Lucy, giving Link an apologetic look. "I have to locate Lupus's key and make sure he's a free spirit. All of that could take a while."

"How long?" someone asked from the side, joining the growing crowd.

Erza stepped into view and close behind her was Jellal, wearing his usual disguise.

The man of Crime Sorcière had easily blended in with Fairy Tail. Seeing 'Mystogan' around the guild was becoming a normal sight. He quietly nodded at Link in greeting when he noticed the boy looking his way.

Lucy shrugged at Erza's inquiry. "I don't know for sure... I can try asking my spirits about him."

Erza nodded, one hand on her hip. "Good. Because there's something I'd like him to make for me. After seeing his excellent craftsmanship," she gestured to Dragonslayer, "I'm sure he would make good use out of the dragon horn I have obtained."

"Huh? Did you say dragon horn?" Gajeel exclaimed, staring in disbelief.

Erza sneered in delight. "Indeed, I did. Let me prove it to you."

She turned around and shouted at everyone seated at a few of the tables in the middle of the hall to quickly move. She didn't wait for anyone to respond – or even get up for that matter – when she raised her arm and flicked her wrist. Within the next instant, a humongous, solid gold, curved horn – nearly the same length as the grand hall and as thick as five tall men standing on top of each other – suddenly appeared a few metres above their heads.

There were screams and frantic scrambling as the horn came crashing down. It landed with a thunderous quake, making every person and every object in the building bounce at least a foot into the air. All items were completely crushed underneath and the floorboards certainly looked no better.

"Erza! What the hell?! Are you trying to kill us?!" someone demanded.

"What in the world is that?! It's huge!" another shouted.

"Look what you did to the guild! Why, Erza?! Why?!" wailed a third, which sounded a lot like Macao.

The voices ringing through the hall gradually went quiet as all eyes were now on the giant horn gleaming in the centre.

Jellal noticeably stiffened, his gaze narrowing. "That looks familiar..." he murmured.

Carla gasped upon recognition. She flew in for a closer look, her eyes wide and quivering. "This... This is Dreadwing's horn! There's no mistaking it... How did you get this?"

Erza placed her hand on the smooth, flat end of the horn, her expression full of wonder. "Found it lying in the ruins of Crocus. Nice clean cut right here. No doubt it was Keaton who did this shortly after saving us."

"When he took out the storm dragon from the sky," said Wendy, clasping her hands together before her.

"Incredible..." Carla uttered, nearly breathless. "When I first saw that monstrous dragon, I had thought it impossible to bring it down..."

Link had heard the tales from Wendy, Carla, and Lucy; everything Keaton had done and the battles he had fought during the last few days of the Games. Dreadwing was mentioned a few times, a massive six-winged, storm-summoning dragon that overshadowed every other flying beast. A true terror of the sky.

Carla was unfortunate to have experienced the dragon's fearsome might first-hand. As a result, she suffered with nightmares about it. When Link was still recovering at Porlyusica's, he had heard Carla crying and murmuring in her sleep.

Dreadwing was one of the few surviving dragons that had fled Crocus upon the demon's defeat. It was also the one Happy had seen carrying the demon away.

Link stared at the giant gold horn with the same awe and admiration as everyone else in the room.

Erza patted the horn and grinned. "Had to abandon several suits of armour and weapons to fit this in my storage dimension, but I think it was well worth it. There's enough material here to make a hundred sets of armour if I so desire. However," she looked around at her guild, her eyes burning with determination, "it would be best to share it amongst us all. Armour, weapons, accessories – whatever can be made from this horn. It should give us the edge we need against Dreadwing and the other remaining dragons. Maybe we could stand against Acnologia as well, if we tried."

"That doesn't sound impossible," said Gray, matching Erza's grin. "We know Acnologia can be taken down. Six of us defeated him in the future. An entire guild armed to the teeth with dragon weapons should be able to stop him."

Hearing that brought a wave of excitement throughout the guild. Whispers, murmurs, and ceaseless chattering filled the hall with everyone brimming with confidence and unbridled energy.

"This is hard to believe! We can fight dragons?!"

"And stand a chance against Acnologia?"

"Hell yeah! This time we won't just run away!"

Romeo was absolutely thrilled by the news. "Sweet!" he exclaimed, mostly to himself, "I could probably get another dagger. A Storm dagger! Can a horn be turned into a dagger? Man, I hope so!"

"What's a dagger?" Link asked. "I thought you had knives?"

Romeo shrugged. "Dagger, knife... They're pretty much the same thing, I think. Hey, you can get another sword! Or a maybe a shield or some other piece of armour!"

Link soundly pondered over the choices, unable to decide which items he would want more.

Makarov clapped to get everyone's divided attention. He stood atop one of the tables that was fortunate enough to not get crushed. Gently, he touched the horn, his eyes wide with fascination. "I can feel a great power residing within this horn. Perhaps, you could be right, Erza. This could give all of us a fighting chance when the time comes. Link," he turned around and met the boy's gaze, his expression bold and kind, "while you have vowed to protect us, we have vowed to grow stronger, so you will not have to face the Evil King and his forces alone. As a team, we will stand alongside you, and together, we will fight to protect our future!"

As one, the guild broke out in deafening roars of agreement, fists raised high into the air, feet stamping upon the floor. The entire building seemed to vibrate from the sheer volume of their cries as they looked upon the young hero with hope, pride, and encouragement.

Their vigour and cheers brought a wide grin on Link's face. The boy pumped his fists above his head and joined their voices, screaming as loud as he could.

Laughing and hollering, it took a while before the guild settled back down.

Makarov cleared his throat and shifted his attention to Lucy. "We're counting on you to find this Lupus. The sooner the better, so we can be prepared."

Hand over her heart, Lucy nodded. "Yes, Master. I will ask my spirits if they have any information when I get the chance."

"Excellent. Erza," Makarov gave her a stern look, "you're responsible for cleaning up this mess."

"Of course." Erza swiped her hand across the dragon horn and made it vanish. The moment she saw the extent of the damage she made, she looked regretful. She glanced sideways at Jellal, a playful smile on her lips. "Well, Mystogan, if you wouldn't mind helping? I'll give you sixty percent of the cut for our first job this afternoon."

Jellal ran a hand over his masked face, clearly exasperated. "You've got be kidding me," he grumbled under his breath. He grunted and crossed his arms. "Make it seventy-five and we have a deal."

"Very well. It's a deal."

Sighing, Jellal reluctantly trudged forward to help.

While the pair started to clean up, everybody else dispersed. Most returned to their spots while others had to find a new table and order more food.

Gajeel slid Dragonslayer back into its sheath and handed it to Link. "Don't go breaking it even more, lil' hero," said the Dragon Slayer, baring his sharp teeth in a teasing grin.

"But I didn't break it..." said Link, eyeing the hilt of his weapon momentarily. He passed it to Romeo to magically store it away. "I think it was the demon who broke it?"

Wendy frowned and nodded.

Link heard Jet whisper to Droy; "That demon had to be crazy-strong to snap a dragon sword like that!"

Droy shuddered and quietly replied, "Well, he was freaking huge! I still have nightmares about that monster!"

Ignoring the two, Gajeel groaned and rolled his eyes at Link. "What I meant to say is that you should be careful and try not to damage it even more. Ya hear?"

The boy blinked and finally understood. "Oh. Okay. I'll be careful."

"Going to train with Lucy now?" Levy asked him.

Link nodded and eagerly faced his new master, practically hopping in place. "Yes! Are we going now, Master Lucy?"

"Ready when you are!" was Lucy's chipper reply. "I was planning to do it here, but now that the hall's in shambles, let's go elsewhere. How about... back at our old guild up on the hill? It's still unoccupied, isn't it?"

"I think so," said Levy, tapping the side of her chin. "We went for a walk around there a few days ago and it still had a 'For Sale' sign."

"Is that so? We'll check it out."

"By the way," Levy added, tapping one of the open books piled on her table, "I've started researching on what 'the eye that can see through lies' could be. I thought 'lies' could be referring to illusions and there are some known spells that can dispel powerful ones, however none involve using your eyes or form any 'eyes' of some sort. Ultear did say the forest is enchanted by time magic though... so maybe it's not an actual illusion you have to break through. My only other assumption is the 'eye' may not be a spell, but a physical, magical object. Link, do you recall encountering anything that might resemble an eye?"

The boy thought hard, but he couldn't remember seeing anything like that. "No..." he answered, frowning.

Romeo nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, maybe we can try looking through your old things later. Might find a clue or something."

Levy nodded and gave them a wink and thumbs-up. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll keep at it here while you go training. Go have some fun!"

Wendy smiled and gently touched Link on the arm. "Don't worry about anything, okay? As Levy had said, have fun training with Lucy!"

"Yeah," said Romeo, "while you're training, we'll be training hard too!"

Training was on everybody's agenda. Day and night and in between jobs, every member of the guild was hard at work, trying to improve their skills and increase their magical strength. After what they had experienced on the Final Day of the Games, they wanted to be prepared for the day the Evil King would dare rise again.

Wendy had even made a promise to Link that she would get stronger so she would always be there to protect him. "I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me," she had said.

"We'll see you all later this evening," said Lucy. Together with Link, they left the guild.

Lucy led the way down the busy streets. A number of people recognized her as they walked by, waving and saying hello. Being polite, she returned the greetings with great enthusiasm without slowing in their pace. None paid any attention to the quiet, hooded boy following close behind her.

When they started to follow the canal, Lucy hopped onto the short stone ledge overlooking the man-made embankment. Link didn't hesitate to copy her. With their arms held out for balance, they both made their way down the narrow path. Two men riding a boat down the canal saw them and shouted for them to be careful.

Lucy chuckled and glanced over her shoulder at Link. "Almost everyday, those two are always telling me to watch my ste – whoa!" She whipped her head back forward as she started to teeter to one side. Arms waving frantically and body bending in all sorts of awkward directions, it took a moment before she could regain her balance. Standing tall and steady once more, she, as well as the two men on the boat, sighed in relief.

Red in the face, she laughed sheepishly. "Guess I should take their advice and watch where I'm going..."

They continued on.

When they were out of sight of the two men, Lucy stopped and looked around. Seeing the walkway empty, she glanced back at Link again. "Plue sometimes does this with me too," she said, "Why don't you call him out. See if he wants to join us for a little fun!"

Link liked the idea and took out his ring of keys from the pocket of his shorts. He selected the only silver key he had, infused it with a little bit of magic, and said, "Open the Gate of The Canis Minor."

The key shone bright and in a flash, Plue appeared on the stone ledge in front of Link. "Puu-puu-puun!" the little spirit greeted happily. Recognizing where he was, he immediately copied their stances, holding out his paws for balance despite the ledge being wide enough for him to casually stroll on. As one, the trio resumed their precarious journey along the canal, ignoring all the worried looks people passing by were giving them. Whenever they missed a step, they wildly spun their arms and laughed in joy right after they recovered.

They hopped off the ledge the moment they reached the bridge they had to cross.

"Did you have fun last night, Plue?" Lucy asked as they made their way over the canal.

Plue nodded and shouted a gleeful, "Puu-puun!"

"I played songs for him on my ocarina and he danced to every one," said Link, smiling fondly. Since becoming his Celestial Spirit, Plue had stayed by his side all throughout the night. Together with Romeo, the three were up late playing games and music until Macao forced the boys to go to bed.

"Aww! That sounds adorable! I'd love to see that! How about it, Plue? Will you dance for us the rest of the way?"

Plue squealed and clapped, which Link understood was a 'yes.'

The boy took out his ocarina and played, his notes quickly melding into a familiar, up-beat tune. The Forest Song, he called it, for the melody always reminded him of the sacred meadow in the forest for some unknown reason.

It wasn't just Plue dancing to the tune; Link noticed a bounce in Lucy's steps as well as every other passerby who happened to hear the music. The song was like magic, always bringing smiles and cheer on everyone's faces, making it a favourite within the guild.

They skipped down every street and bounded up the winding road that led to their old guild atop a hill. The music stopped when Link saw the familiar windmill slowly turning in the breeze.

He smiled. Even though the old guild was much smaller and rundown compared to their new one, he still dearly missed it. His earliest memories of Fairy Tail all began here, the first place he called home. He loved it here, being surrounded by trees and near a tall mountainside. It was so much more private and peaceful that he could freely walk outside without having to hide.

As he ran up to the doors, he noticed not much had changed other than the big wooden 'For Sale' sign someone had erected on the front lawn. He tried to open the front doors, but found it locked.

"We don't have the keys for this place anymore," Lucy began to explain as she walked up behind him, "so we can't go inside. Let's go around to the back. We can train in the backyard."

With a slight frown of disappointment, Link could only obey.

They rounded the building and trudged into the big open yard. With no one maintaining the place, it was overgrown with giant, thorny weeds and most of the grass was now half as tall as Link. Not wanting Plue to get lost in the mini forest of weeds, Link carried the little spirit in his arms.

"Wow, it's only been like a month and it's already a mess back here," Lucy commented as she scanned the area, her lips pursed to the side. Her face brightened when an idea came to her. She selected a gold key from her pouch and said, "Open the Gate of the Giant Crab."

A man Link recognized as the Celestial Spirit, Cancer, appeared beside her, wearing green-tinted shades and wielding a pair of identical scissors in each hand. He soundly snipped his weapons of choice a few times to mimic a crab as he faced his master. "Is it time for a haircut, shrimp?" he asked in his calm, smooth voice.

Lucy shook her head and pointed at the yard. "Not me, but this place definitely needs a trim. Could you cut all this down so we can start training?"

"Training?" Cancer raised his brow only to notice Link and Plue standing nearby. He coolly nodded at the boy. "Ah, I see. Then allow me to clear this in a matter of seconds, shrimp." He crouched low, drew a deep breath, and suddenly shot forward, moving so fast that he was only a blur. His scissors were flashes of silver under the sun, rapidly shearing through the overgrowth that covered the huge yard.

Link was gaping while Plue was cheering.

Cancer was true to his word, taking only seconds to finish his job. He was already standing back by his master and looking on at his own handiwork before Link could even say anything. Not only did the spirit cut down all the unwanted plants, he had also swept them off the yard, leaving the main area clean and tidy.

"Great job, Cancer! Thanks!" said Lucy, patting the spirit on the back.

Cancer formed a lopsided grin from the praise, both his shades and pearly white teeth glinting. "My pleasure, shrimp."

Lucy stepped onto the newly manicured yard with Cancer and Link following right behind. She breathed in the fresh scent of cut grass and sighed in content. "This is perfect," she said as she spun around to face her student. Walking backwards, she spread out her arms to gesture to the wide open space. "Let's make this our training ground from now on. Until this place is sold, of course. Then we'll have to find a new spot, but in the meantime, we'll make good use of it."

"Why can't we keep this place?" Link asked, feeling glum. He pulled down his hood to get a better look around, remembering the times he had spent being out here. Some of the wooden targets that he had practiced shooting arrows with Gray were still standing. He also couldn't forget the spot where Erza had pretty much beaten him to the ground when they first met. "I miss it here..."

"You do?" Lucy stopped, her brow raised in surprise. She shifted her attention to the back of the old guild, her gaze rising to the creaky windmill on top. A warm smile graced her lips as she placed her hands on her hips. "You know what, I kinda miss it too. It's not as luxurious as our other guild, but it does have its charm. Oh, I know! I'll ask Master if we could purchase it. Maybe we can turn it into Fairy Tail's permanent training ground!"

Link was ecstatic by her idea. "Can we really do that?"

She winked and nodded. "I'm sure the others would be willing to help pool enough money together. After a bit of sprucing up, anyone can use this place to train, rain or shine. I'll let everyone know of our plan tonight. Now, how about we start your training?"

Lucy took out her keys and twirled the ring around her finger, making them noisily jingle. "You've met all of my spirits before, but you haven't met all of yours yet. Pisces and Libra. Try summoning one of them here."

Link lowered Plue to the ground and examined his four golden keys. Lucy had pointed out which was which yesterday on the train. Leo, Gemini, Pisces, and Libra. Leo's and Gemini's keys were cold as ice, whereas the other two were warm to the touch, with one noticeably stronger than the other. He selected the weaker of the two. "Pisces," he said, holding the key for Lucy to see.

"Like Gemini, this spirit is actually split into two entities," she explained. "However... one was killed during the battle against the demon... As long as you can still feel a connection, the other spirit should come when summoned. If they are willing. Give it a try. Their Gate is The Paired Fish."

Link nodded. He infused the Celestial key with his magic and chanted, "Open the Gate of The Paired Fish."

When the gold key in Link's hand flashed white, Plue disappeared with a happy squeal and a wave of goodbye.

A cloudy, grayish-purple vortex appeared above Link's head and a huge black eel with thick, purple lips and light blue markings began to fly right out of it. The Celestial Spirit was several metres long, its body stretching seemingly forever. It was a few moments later when the end of its tail finally left the portal, which closed upon itself right after.

Recognizing the spirit, Link could now clearly remember who Yukino was, the original owner of Pisces and Libra. She was the Celestial Spirit mage from Sabertooth. During the battle rounds on the Second Day of the Grand Magic Games, Link had watched her fight with all of her spirits at once, only to lose against the sword-wielding Kagura.

It was truly awful to know Yukino had died on the night of the Final Day...

Pisces swam high above in the sky in an erratic pattern, its wide mouth twisted into a furious snarl and its gurgled cries loud and angry. Its round, unblinking eyes were unfocused and ablaze with utmost fury.

Worried, Lucy took on a defensive stance as she watched the flying fish. "He looks really mad..." she noted.

Cancer nodded, his expression solemn. "Almost a month may have passed here in Earthland, but in our world, it has only been hours since the deaths of his mother and his two previous masters, shrimp."

Lucy's frown deepened. "Oh, right..."

Knowing his spirit was in pain and grieving, Link started to walk towards Pisces, hoping to somehow calm it down.

"Link, wait. You should stay–" Lucy was cut short when Pisces suddenly roared.

In a blind rage, the eel charged at the nearest pine trees that surrounded the yard. It smashed its head through thick trunks with ease, snapping a row of them in half. The treetops tumbled towards the open yard, falling in Link's direction. Before the boy could make a move, he was grabbed from behind.

Cancer held Link under one arm and carried Lucy over the other as he sprinted to safety.

The trees crashed down hard, shaking the earth and making Cancer stumble over. Lucy let out a startled shriek when he lost hold of her and ended up throwing her forward into the ground. With a quick apology to Link, Cancer yanked the boy back onto his feet before rushing over to help Lucy who was sprawled on her front.

The sound of her scream had caught Pisces' attention. It sharply twisted around in the air and froze the instant it saw the group below and the damage it had done. When it met Link's wide-eyed stare, the spirit's anger was completely gone and was soon replaced with deep remorse.

Moaning mournfully, the fish circled the sky a few times in a slower pace before spiraling downwards.

Eyes quivering and mouth curled into a big frown, Pisces looked so sad when its head touched the ground a few feet in front of Link, its long body coiling behind it. White, blinding light suddenly enveloped its entire body and it began to rapidly shrink in size, morphing from an eel to a human. The light dissipated to reveal a shirtless young man with tanned skin, dark eyes, and long, spiky, gray hair. He wore a single, pearly-white seashell as a necklace and wielded a large trident in one hand. Protecting his forehead was a thick, silver band with a black, diamond-shaped jewel in the centre and a pair of black fins that sprouted above his ears.

He dropped to his hands and knees, his head bowed deeply in shame, and his weapon lowered by his side. "You are young Master Link... Please, forgive me! Please," he begged, sounding woeful. "I meant no harm... I allowed my anger to get the better of me and lost control of myself..."

"Are you okay?" Link asked, stepping right up to the spirit, his brow knitted with worry.

Pisces was taken aback by the question. He lifted his head and gave the boy a questioning look. "Am I... okay? As in..."

Link pointed at the broken trees. "You flew right into all those trees! Is your head okay? Are you hurt?" He leaned in for a closer look and couldn't see any injury, only broken twigs and pine needles tangled in the spirit's long hair. Link gently plucked most of them out while Pisces stayed put with a bewildered expression on his face.

"I am fine, Master," Pisces replied when Link was done. He lightly tapped the silver band he wore. "My head is a lot sturdier than it looks. Thank you for your concern. I am sorry to make you worry."

Link sighed in relief. With a friendly smile, he stuck out his left hand in greeting.

Pisces glanced at the boy's hand and grabbed it tentatively.

"Nice to finally meet you," said Link.

The kind gesture made Pisces smile and lightened the mood between them. No longer hesitant, his grip became firm when he shook Link's hand. "This is our first time meeting... Truly a pleasure – no, a great honour to be your Celestial Spirit," he slightly bowed his head in respect, "Mother will be happy to know we are serving a hero of this realm. You will meet her someday, but for now, it will only be just me when you use our key. Be aware that I am only half the power of Pisces. You will not be able to use Star Suit until Mother has recovered."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "What is 'Star Suit'?"

"An advanced spell for Celestial mages," Lucy began to explain, her face beaming as she approached them. The short tumble to the ground from earlier had left her with a few minor scrapes on her bare knees and elbows, but she didn't seem to care. "Once you've gotten the hang of the basics, we'll start learning that together!"

Pisces used his trident to stand and propped it over his shoulder. Eyes gleaming and holding a fist before him, he appeared just as enthused as Lucy. "Although the moment was brief, your future counterpart was very talented in using Star Suit in battle. Of course, he wouldn't have learned it without his great master, Lucy."

"She is truly the greatest," said Cancer with a curt nod.

Blushing in embarrassment, Lucy scratched the back of her head and chuckled meekly. "That's a lot of pressure... but I'll certainly try my best to be a great teacher."

"No doubt you will succeed," said Pisces. Turning back to Link, he held up an open palm where a small, floating globe of clear, sparkling water soon formed. "Master, if you don't already know, our power is water. But our weakness is also water."

Link stared in confusion. "It is? Aren't you a fish?"

"Yes, I am. That is correct."

"Fish like water, don't they?"

"Yes. That is also correct."

"Then how come you don't like water?"

"We do like water. We just can't swim in it. We happen to drown."

Link tilted his head and continued to stare.

Noticing his blank look, Lucy sighed and said, "Just don't think too hard on it, Link. All you have to remember is to keep Pisces away from water-based spells and large bodies of water."

The boy nodded. "Okay. I promise to keep you safe from water, Pisces."

The spirit humbly bowed and dispelled his magic. "Thank you, Master. Do you mind... if I call you 'Little Brother'?"

Link gasped. "You want to be my brother?"

Pisces was amused by the boy's reaction, however his smile was short-lived. Suddenly burdened with grief once again, he dropped his gaze to the ground. "I used to call Yukino 'Mom' and once called your future counterpart 'Dad'. You are still only a child, so 'Little Brother' seems more appropriate, don't you think? You do not mind, do you?"

Link vigorously shook his head. The thought of having another brother made him more than happy. He couldn't wait to tell Romeo and Macao that they have a new addition to their family! His excitement must have shown on his face because Pisces started to laugh. It was a joyous sound that resonated throughout the area.

"Little Brother," said Pisces with a grateful smile and hand upon his bare chest, "I know it in my heart that you will bring us great fun and joy, just as much as Yukino once had. She had chosen well when she had decided to pass her keys onto another..."

Seeing Pisces happy, made Link feel just the same. With their friendship now established, their bond had noticeably grown.

"Building trust with spirits is the very first step in becoming a Celestial Spirit mage," said Lucy, proud of what Link had just accomplished. "Next up is Libra whenever you're ready. She is the Gate of the Heavenly Scales."

Nodding, Link held the gold Celestial Spirit's key before him and said, "Open the Gate of the Heavenly Scales."

Pisces gave a small salute before he blinked away. A shiny white rift opened in his place and out stepped a woman with black hair and brown eyes. The lower half of her face was hidden under a long white cloth and her hair was tied up to make her appear she had a pair of horns. She wore a green and yellow bikini top with matching long cloths that draped down her hips. Solid gold bands adorned her upper arms and thighs and a thicker one encircled around her neck. Golden chains hung from the rings on her fingers, connecting to a small, gold bowl in each hand.

Her arms were limp by her sides as if each bowl was as heavy as a boulder. Libra gave Link a mere glance before she looked away, overwhelmed with sorrow. "Master Link..." was all she said, her soft voice barely audible.

Sensing her sadness, Link slowly approached her and gently grabbed one of her hands.

She flinched from his touch, but didn't pull away. Seeing his worried gaze, her fingers gradually curled around his into a strong hold. She closed her eyes and drew a few deep breaths, slowly regaining her composure with each exhale.

Not before long, Libra opened her eyes and straightened in her stance, her expression now calm and resolute. She nodded at Link in silent thanks. Although the lower half of her face was hidden away, Link could tell she was smiling from the shimmer in her eyes.

The boy smiled in kind. They didn't need words to understand each other. A simple gesture was all it took to read the others' thoughts and emotions.

Link already knew about Libra's power of gravity, so he didn't have to ask. Romeo had gone into great detail on how many ways the powerful magic could be used when they had first witnessed the Celestial Spirit in action.

The boy let go of Libra's hand and turned to Lucy, awaiting her next instruction.

"Are you ready for your next lesson?" Lucy asked. When Link nodded, she formed an excited grin and held up her ring of keys. "All right. This is the fun part. You're going to learn how to fight with your spirits."

And she wasn't wrong; it truly was the funnest part. It was already nightfall before they even knew it.

---

A/N: What are your thoughts on this chapter? Having written nothing but battles and depressing scenes in the last couple chapters, I found it hard to get back to writing light-hearted, almost 'normal' scenes.

Also what are your personal opinions on training scenes in manga/anime/movies/ect.? Do you like them? Hate them? Find them boring?

Thanks for reading!