Trump Cards

Makarov kindly nodded at Mirajane in thanks as she set the tea tray down on the coffee table in his office. There was a small platter with delectable mini-cakes to go along with the steeping pot of herbal tea. "Thank you, my dear," he said to her before turning to his guest seated across from him. "Is there anything else you need, Yajima?"

Yajima politely held up a hand and shook his head, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Please let me know if you change your mind," said Mirajane, cheerfully. She slightly bowed her head and turned around to leave, closing the door to the Guild Master's office behind her.

Makarov gestured for Yajima to help himself to the platter of freshly baked sweets while he poured them tea. He handed Yajima his cup and grabbed a cake of his own, placing it on top of a napkin. As he settled back in his chair, he rubbed the bottom of his freshly-shaven chin and furrowed his brow. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, what has brought you here to Magnolia, old friend?" With a rather large team of Rune Knights behind him, no less, each armed with strange weapons and magical contraptions Makarov had never seen before. It was disconcerting.

Yajima frowned deeply, his thick gray eyebrows appearing to weigh like bricks upon his thin, wizened face. "I apologize for the short notice, Makarov," he said, a noticeable hint of regret in his tone. "I am sure you are aware that I have not come to Magnolia just to catch up. The Magic Council is here... for an investigation."

Makarov clasped his hands together on the table and narrowed his eyes warily. "And what are you investigating, if I may ask?" He could already guess the answer, having heard the rumours about an 'Angel Project' going around the Magic Council. The timing of their visit was no coincidence either.

Arms crossed, Yajima leaned forward and lowered his voice. "The matter is confidential. I cannot disclose too many details. However, one thing I can share with you is that Headquarters had detected a... special anomaly late Christmas night, right here in Magnolia. At exactly 11:26 p.m, according to our sources. My friend," Yajima lifted his eyebrows high enough to meet Makarov's gaze evenly; "Would you be able to tell me what you and the rest of your guild were doing at that time?"

There was a brief pause as Makarov stared at the ceiling, pretending to have a hard time thinking back. Chuckling, he answered, "I may have had one or two drinks too many that night, but I believe we were still celebrating Christmas together around then. Someone had managed to get their hands on some fireworks and we decided to end the holiday by setting them off. I must admit, a few were as loud and bright as bombs that certainly shook up the entire town. Perhaps that is the anomaly Headquarters had picked up on!"

Yajima joined Makarov's laughter, his seriousness gone. "Fireworks, you say? Ah, sounded like Fairy Tail had a wonderful Christmas."

"Aye, it was a lovely night." Makarov smiled at the fond memory. He took a bite of cake and sipped some tea, prompting Yajima to do the same.

"So why have they chosen you for this special investigation?" Makarov questioned nonchalantly, discretely prying for answers. "I mean no disrespect when I say you're not exactly fit to travel at this time of year. Aren't you close to retiring soon?"

Yajima gave Makarov a humourless smile. "Aye, retirement cannot come soon enough, my friend. I am to lead this investigation... solely because I was present in Crocus on the Night of the Cursed Eclipse. Same with the Captains and Rune Knights who have accompanied me. The majority of the Council thought we would be best to look into the anomaly, believing it may be the very same that had appeared on that night."

"I see. So they trust in your 'expertise' in tracking down demons and angels? A dangerous pursuit..."

Yajima said nothing in response nor did he make an effort to deny Makarov's assumptions. It was clear which of the two the Council was currently after.

"I'm curious to know how Headquarters came to suspect one or the other had suddenly appeared here in Magnolia. I sensed nothing out of the ordinary Christmas night," Makarov lied, keeping a straight face.

"Much research has been done since the incident," Yajima began, his frown returning. "Lots of evidence was left behind after the great battle, which the Council was able to use to their advantage."

"Evidence?" Makarov hid his surprise behind a slightly raised eyebrow.

"The bodies of the dead dragons did not all go to waste, nor did that magical ice. Which reminds me," Yajima once more showed his eyes to give Makarov a hard stare; "The ice was originally water summoned from the Celestial Spirit, Aquarius, but was frozen by the incredible power of an angel. Lucy Heartfilia is still the owner of Aquarius's Key, correct? I would like to ask her a few questions if you wouldn't mind?"

Makarov shook his head. "She is not here at the moment. She left Magnolia early this morning with her team on a job request. They won't be back for another couple of days."

"Mm, how unfortunate that we have missed her then." Yajima wasn't too displeased as he calmly finished his cake and took another drink of his tea.

They took a moment to enjoy the rest of their refreshments before helping themselves to a second serving. As Makarov poured Yajima another cup of tea, he casually stated, "It appears the Council is here for more than an investigation... With this many armed Knights, it's as if you were expecting to find some sort of confrontation."

Once again, Yajima had fallen quiet while he stared impassively at his uneaten dessert, his hands resting upon his lap.

Refilling his own cup, Makarov pressed on; "What is the Council hoping to achieve chasing after the anomaly?"

Yajima exhaled a slow, deep breath. He rested his elbows on the tabletop to lace his fingers under his broad chin, his mouth a grim line. He spoke in a quiet murmur that Makarov had to strain his ears in order to hear; "They hope to prevent another disaster like Crocus from ever happening again. What we had witnessed that night... The great battle between angels and an evil, dragon-summoning demon... It was a clash of otherworldly powers far beyond our mortal comprehension. We fear that not even Face would be able to stop their wrath if they were to wage war in our kingdom once again. If the Council were to, somehow, secure – or at least harness – a fraction of one of those powers..."

"Then they would have the means to protect the kingdom from another catastrophe," Makarov concluded when Yajima trailed off.

Yajima nodded with a grunt. "Aye, that is the Council's belief."

Makarov clenched his jaw until it ached. It was as he had feared; the Magic Council were seeking to attain Link's divine power for their own. Just as the Council had Face and Etherion as secret weapons to ward off invasion from opposing nations, they needed another weapon – another ace up their sleeve – to counter another threat they were completely powerless against; the demon known as the Evil King.

Judging by the size of the army the Council had sent with Yajima, they were obviously desperate and afraid for the future, and it was understandable, but foolish as well. They were wasting their time and effort. As long as Makarov stayed a step ahead, the Council would never get their hands on their 'angels'.

Fairy Tail had sworn to protect Link since the very first day the lost child was brought to the guild. They would not allow anything to happen to him.

Makarov was honestly relieved the Council had chosen his dear old friend, Yajima, for the job; any other Council member would have made things much more difficult. "And if you cannot find the anomaly?" he asked, perking an eyebrow.

Yajima shrugged and let out a short, dry laugh. "Then I suppose it will be a little while longer before I can retire, my friend."

While finishing up their last cup of tea and the rest of the cakes, the conversation shifted to non-business matters. They chatted the hour away like old times, catching up on each other's lives since they last got together for tea many months ago.

"Oh my, look at the time," said Yajima, glancing up at the clock ticking on the wall. It was quarter to noon. Sighing wearily, he hopped off his chair and brushed off the crumbs from his clothes. "I better get back to it. I've kept the Rune Knights waiting for too long. We'll give Magnolia a thorough search before it's decided that it was a false lead."

Makarov walked Yajima out of the office and through the Grand Hall that was mostly empty. The majority of the guild were out and about running daily errands or doing jobs, while a few hung around enjoying coffee and lunch.

Macao, Wakaba, and Bero gave a polite nod from their seats at the bar as Makarov and Yajima walked past.

Patiently waiting at a table near the front doors were Doranbolt and Lahar. Both Captains were snacking on cakes over mugs of coffee that Mirajane had kindly provided for them. When they saw Yajima heading their way, they finished what was in their hands and abruptly got out of their seats.

"Do be careful while you're out there," said Makarov to Yajima as they stopped before the door. "It gets very icy near the canals."

"I'll watch my step," replied Yajima, buttoning up his coat. He gently patted the Guild Master's shoulder, a knowing look and sly smile on his face. "Thank you for the tea and cakes. They were delicious. I hope you have a wonderful New Year, Makarov. I know Fairy Tail will be throwing another huge celebration, but try not to set off anymore fireworks that would catch the Council's attention. Especially now that Magnolia has piqued their interest. Take care, old friend."

"Aye, same to you." Makarov waved as the trio left the guild to join the large group of Rune Knights standing outside. When Makarov gently closed the doors shut behind them, his warm, cheerful facade melted into a deep troubled frown.

Erza casually stood off to the side of the only inn in Daffodilia, her back pressed against the corner of the building and her arms crossed over her chest. She had a stern face, pretending to keep an eye on Natsu and Gray as they worked. As promised, she had forced the boys to unload all her luggage off the cart and carry them up two flights of stairs to the women's suite as their form of punishment. To make sure they would handle her stuff with the greatest of care, she threatened to make them walk home if there was any noticeable damage. This resulted in them having to make multiple trips, a struggle in which Erza took pleasure in watching. (It was made even more amusing with Gray losing more and more of his clothes with each trip back.)

"A curse from a monster..." she heard Jellal murmur as he processed what she had told him about their mission. He was on the other side of the same corner, hidden in the dark shadows of the narrow gap between the inn and a general store.

"It's not just a monster, is it?" she questioned, her voice slightly muffled under her scarf. She was still wearing her thick, white-fur, winter-travel outfit with her dark-tinted goggles resting on her forehead.

"This is more like the work of a demon," Jellal muttered in disdain. "There are traces of dark energy lingering on those who are affected by this curse. Both human and animal. I can detect its source coming from the western mountain."

Erza turned her head to the snow-capped peak of Mount Narciss. It loomed about ten to fifteen kilometres outside of the village, standing twice as tall as Domus Flau, before it was reduced to a molten hole in Crocus. She smirked. "Good. So the demon is still there."

"Did the Chief mention what is on that mountain?"

She nodded despite Jellal not looking her way. "There's an abandoned raw Lacrima mine a quarter-way up. It was permanently shut down over fifty years ago due to a cave-in and increased instability of the shaft."

Jellal was silent for a moment as he pondered over that fact. "Whatever is left inside has the demon's interest," he surmised. "I see no other reason why it would stay on the mountain after cursing the entire village three nights ago."

"Do you find the timing of the curse strange as well?"

Jellal grunted and soundly shifted in his stance. "You said it happened late Christmas night? It can't be a coincidence that it occurred around the same time the Evil King had decided to use his full power... This makes me wonder if his power alone is capable of influencing other demons from afar..."

"It's a troubling thought," Erza growled, not liking the possibility. "Nevertheless, we only have one demon we have to deal with right now. Albeit, a dangerous one."

"Only if we are caught off guard. I'm starting to believe the demon may have accidentally turned all the adults into children since it hasn't done anything to the village since that night. Its curse must have been triggered by the Evil King's power, just as we have seen with Link..."

Erza hardened her gaze at nothing as she recalled that night. What would have been a perfect Christmas day was ruined by the godforsaken Evil King daring to make his presence known. She had felt just as helpless as everyone else, watching Link cry in pain when the black dragon on his arm threatened to burn him alive...

She was grateful it was brief, and even more so when Link was barely fazed by the incident. His resilience was remarkable; an admirable trait Erza had experienced first-hand after sparring with the fearless, young hero a few times. Since the aftermath of the Grand Magic Games, Link had earned her utmost respect.

Her ears perked up when she heard the familiar sound of his ocarina coming from the plaza a block down the street. After Erza had frightened all the villagers upon their arrival, none had been willing to open up their doors to Fairy Tail to accommodate them.

To gain their trust, (and to prove Erza wasn't the mountain monster), Wendy had suggested Link play a few songs on his ocarina to help calm and cheer up the villagers. The boy's music worked like a magic charm – as it always had back at the guild. His soothing melodies helped chase away the children's fears and brought upon their curiosity, resulting in shops and services opening back up once they heard Erza's sincere apology.

While Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy were busy unloading everyone's belongings at the inn, Link, Wendy, Carla, and Happy kept most of the children entertained in the plaza.

Erza immediately recognized the melody Link had started playing. The Forest Song. It was an upbeat tune that never failed to put a smile on her face.

"Link will have to stay back with you when we head up the mountain," said Erza, thinking over their strategy. "He'll be our trump card if we do end up caught under the demon's curse. From what I've seen, the Chief was right when he said kids around ten or younger are not affected."

Aside from Wendy, there were no other children who were physically older than Link, which indicated there were some limitations to the demon's power. However, it wasn't something Team Natsu could use to their advantage when almost every member would be rendered helpless.

Hmm, would we truly be helpless? Erza wondered to herself. There was no doubt they would be physically weaker as children, but would their magic power also be greatly reduced? Unfortunately, there were no other mages who lived in the village to find out that answer. To Erza, being a child would be a serious disadvantage when all her weapons and armour were best suited for the strength and body of an adult.

"I hate to put Link in this situation," Jellal began, his tone heavy with concern, "But I know we have no other choice if we do end up cursed. How old... do you think we'll become? Will the curse last forever if we fail to locate and defeat the demon?"

Erza shrugged. "Between five to ten? Don't know for sure what age we'll all be. Let's hope we don't encounter that problem. But if it does happen, you know damn well we will not fail to fix it. Fairy Tail came here to help this village and that is what we promised to do."

Jellal scoffed. "Being optimistic doesn't quite help in this case when we don't entirely know the circumstances."

"I'm not being optimistic, I'm stating the truth," she replied with a hidden smirk. She pushed off the wall and discretely glanced over her shoulder, seeing only his silhouette in the shadows. "Looks like the boys are finally done with my bags. Men's suite is the top left balcony at the back. Head inside to warm up. We'll grab a bite to eat and head out once we're all set."

She saw him nod and completely vanish in the darkness as he stepped deeper into the narrow gap, silent as a ghost. She started for the plaza to gather the rest of her team.

Link had finished his song by the time Erza had reached the clapping and cheering crowd that had gathered around him. He sat atop the low wooden fence that surrounded the central Christmas tree with Wendy, Happy, and Carla on either side of him.

The villagers noticed Erza's approach and quickly dispersed like frightened mice, some screaming in terror. She ignored their reactions, knowing the village children weren't quite comfortable around her just yet. "Looks like you guys made a lot of new friends," she said to Link and the others when she was close enough.

"Yeah, but then Monster Erza had to scare them all away!" Happy teased, snickering behind his paws.

Erza scowled at the blue Exceed. "I can show you how much of a monster I can truly be, Happy."

Happy shrieked and quickly jumped onto Link's back. He peered fearfully over the boy's shoulder, his wide eyes quivering. "Protect me, Bacon!"

Link nodded and hopped off the fence to boldly face Titania. He stood his guard, his blue eyes unwavering as he said, "Erza, you can't hurt Happy."

Crossing her arms, Erza chuckled, greatly amused by the boy's confidence. "You're right, it'd be a waste of time. We'll be heading out soon, but first let's return to the inn to prepare. We'll have an early supper before we go."

"Natsu and Gray are finally done?" asked Wendy as she and Carla joined up with them.

"Cart's empty, so yes." As Erza started to lead the way back, she heard Happy whisper a word of thanks to Link.

The old inn they were staying at was simply named 'Daffodilia Inn'. Much like most of the village, the three-storey building was painted yellow, but the colour had faded and started to peel over time. Inside the small lobby, they were greeted by the young owner, Abigail, behind the front reception desk. She was one of the few people who weren't nervous around Erza. She looked seven years old, but was actually thirty-nine years in age. Her younger brother was the chef of the inn, however he was currently older than her with a body of a ten-year old.

Sitting atop a stack of books atop a chair, Abigail was flustered when she gestured to a pile of discarded clothes by the spiral staircase behind her. "Hello again, Miss Erza! Um, one of those young men of yours... He sort of um, started to strip all his clothes off... one piece at a time... going up and down those stairs... I gathered everything into that pile so no one would trip over them..."

Erza sighed and nodded in thanks. "Gray tends to do that. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Abigail giggled bashfully into the long sleeves of her oversized blouse. "It's no hassle! Good thing there are no other guests staying at the moment..." she mumbled the last part under her breath, her face flushed. "Um, so you were wanting your meals sent to your rooms? My brother is just about done getting it all ready."

"Yes, please send it to the men's suite. Room 302," said Erza. With all her luggage taking up probably half of the women's room, there was not enough space to fit everyone comfortably inside. The men would have to share for now.

"Okay. Your meals will arrive in the dumbwaiter. Just listen for the bell!"

Erza kindly thanked her and started for the stairs, picking up Gray's clothes along the way. They climbed to the top floor and crossed the empty hallway to their rooms at the very end. The men's and women's suites were on opposite sides of each other, both doors left wide open.

Following the voices echoing down the hall, Erza entered the women's room, walking in on a brow-raising scene: Natsu and Gray were both sprawled on their backs in the middle of the floor, exhausted and panting, with Erza's luggage piled in a mountain behind them. Gray was obviously naked, the lower-half of his body covered by a blanket Lucy had likely thrown over him.

Lucy was first to welcome Erza and the others back from where she was unpacking her things near her chosen bed.

Erza dropped Gray's clothes on his face as she strolled past to quickly inspect her luggage. Seeing no damage, she congratulated the boys on a job well done.

Groaning, Gray slowly sat up, making his clothes fall on his lap. He glared miserably at her. "How many suits of armour did you cram in every case?! Each one weighs a freaking tonne!"

"As many as would fit," was Erza's calm answer.

Natsu growled and shook a fist at her while remaining on the floor. "Nearly pulled my back going up the damn stairs trying to carry four at once!"

"Well, I told you not to try it, but you wouldn't listen," Lucy lightly scolded him, shaking her head.

Before Natsu could make a reply, Erza cut in; "Food will be delivered shortly. We'll eat, get ready, and drive out to Mount Narciss. It'll give us about three hours of daylight to work with." As if on cue, there was a loud chime of a bell coming from the men's room across the hall.

"Oh! Food's here!" shouted Happy joyfully. Still perched on Link's back, he lightly pawed the boy's shoulder and said, "Bacon! Let's grab it out of the dumbwaiter!"

"Okay," said Link, turning around to leave the room. He hesitated after taking a step and looked back at Happy. "What's a 'dumbwaiter'?"

"I'll show you," said Wendy, tugging at his arm as she walked by. Along with Carla, the four of them left the women's room to cross the hall towards the men's.

Hearing about food made Natsu and Gray forget about their pain and fatigue. They jumped straight to their feet, which resulted in Gray tossing off his cover.

Lucy quickly looked away and shielded her eyes, her face a bright red. "Gray, put some clothes on!"

A moment later, the whole (now fully clothed) team had gathered in the men's suite to enjoy their freshly prepared meals. Hearty rabbit stew, toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, and hot coffee and cocoa warmed them up and pleased their appetites. As they ate, Erza went over what she had discussed with Jellal followed by their plan.

"Shouldn't I be with you guys if you really do get cursed?" asked Link before biting into his sandwich.

"Other than turning us into children," Jellal began, seated on the edge of the bed closest to the balcony doors, "we do not know the full extent of this demon's powers. It's safer for you to stay back and assess the situation before jumping into the fray."

Erza nodded in agreement. "If we are caught in a trap, we can trust you and Mystogan to get us out. It's very likely we will be entering the abandoned mine, so Gray, Natsu," she shot the Fire Dragon Slayer sitting cross-legged on the floor a firm look, "I expect you both to show some restraint while we're in there unless you want to be buried alive."

Natsu snorted and rolled his eyes. "No big deal. I can just blast our way out!"

"That'll cause the whole damn mountain to fall on us, dumbass," Gray pointed out.

"Not if I can blow it all up before it crushes us, stupid!" Natsu retorted with a cocky grin, drawing incredulous looks from everyone.

"That's not how it works!" Lucy exclaimed, flabbergasted by his sense of logic, or lack thereof.

"Natsu," Erza stressed, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him; "Once we're inside that mine, being reckless will endanger the lives of your teammates. Anything can happen in there so be mindful of your actions. Is that clear?"

Natsu huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms stubbornly, however he didn't argue. "Yes..."

They finished up and got ready for their mission. Everyone but Jellal gathered outside by Erza's Magic Vehicle parked in front of the inn. Wanting to remain unknown and unseen by the villagers, Jellal had decided to fly ahead to meet them at the foot of the mountain.

With the luggage cart empty, there was now room to properly accommodate everyone for the short trip. Gray moulded an ice bench on the cart and draped a black fur mat over it to make it more comfortable. He and Natsu ended up seated at the back to give Link the chance to ride in the car. The boy was absolutely thrilled and was first to climb in, followed by Wendy, Lucy, and the Exceeds.

When everyone was settled, Erza hopped into the driver's seat up front. She put on her goggles, attached the magic siphon tube to her arm, and flipped the switch to start up her vehicle. The engine roared to life, fueled by her magical energy. Gloved hands on the steering stick, Erza started rolling the car forward.

She went slow down the streets in the village in case any of the children had the sudden urge to run in front of her vehicle. Fortunately, the kids had learned to stay out of the way as they stood aside, waving excitedly at Fairy Tail as they drove by.

Erza more than tripled the speed once they hit the western road outside of Daffodilia that would take them straight to Mount Narciss. It was evident the swerving path, bordered by hills and sparse vegetation, was rarely used by carriages or transport wagons due to the thick layers of accumulated snow and ice. The journey was extremely rough and slippery, but Erza kept a firm and steady grip on the steering stick to keep them on the road and moving. Her car plowed through unhindered, possessing the same fiery determination as its driver.

It took over fifteen minutes before they reached the foot of the mountain that was abundant in scraggy, bare trees. Jellal was waiting near a thick growth of them, shielded by the strong, harsh winds. A bright golden flame burning in his hand further kept him warm.

Erza rolled the car to a stop just short of reaching him and turned it off. She unstrapped the siphon tube and climbed out, brushing off snow that had blown onto her clothes during the drive.

The short, but bumpy, twisty ride had affected the Dragon Slayers much worse than their eight-hour long trip to Daffodilia.

Natsu was slumped halfway off the edge of the cart, barely conscious and his face so green he looked ready to lose his supper. Gray had to yank him off and drag him over, pulling the Dragon Slayer by the arms.

Without a care, Gray let Natsu fall backwards in the snow and rubbed the side of his neck. "Hell, that was rough," the ice mage grumbled, wincing in pain. "Think I got whiplash from that. We almost got thrown off a couple of times."

Meanwhile, Wendy needed Link's support as she slowly crawled out of the cabin, her legs weak, and trembling. Her skin was as white as the snow as she leaned heavily against the boy, one mitten hand covering her mouth.

"That was fun!" said Link with a big smile. He frowned when Wendy mumbled something unintelligible under her hand and slowly shook her head. Gently, he stroked her back. "But not so fun for Wendy..."

Erza felt only a little sympathetic towards the Dragon Slayers. "Sorry. With the road as is, I couldn't have made the trip any smoother. Take five."

Link gave her a blank stare before glancing around in confusion. "What are we taking five of?"

"It means we'll take a five minute break to wait for Natsu and Wendy to recover," Carla kindly explained as she hovered above them. "Although we may need a little more than five minutes this time around..."

"I wonder why we didn't think of flying here," said Happy, soaring over to check on Natsu. He landed on his partner's chest and lightly patted Natsu's face with a paw. "Would have taken a little longer, but at least Natsu wouldn't look like he's dying..."

Erza shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. "Well, too late to think about that. You guys can fly back once this is over," she suggested. She turned to join up with Jellal up ahead. Her boots noisily crunched in deep snow as she trudged up beside him. The nearby trees shivered and rattled from the strong wind howling through the mountain.

Jellal only gave her a sideways glance as he shared his flame with her. Although most of his face was concealed, Erza could tell something was wrong. She had worked alongside him long enough to be able to read his emotions by his eyes and subtle cues in body language.

"You seem tense," she noted, pushing her goggles up to her forehead to give him a slight look of worry. "What is it? Did you find something?"

He nodded. "I did for a brief moment, but then I lost it not long after I arrived. Two other signatures alongside the demon."

Erza narrowed her eyes at the snowy mountain towering before them. "Mages?"

"I believe so. Both strong. With them working together with a demon, I do not doubt they could be a Dark Guild."

Erza swore under her breath. Their mission had suddenly gone from bad to worse. It wasn't just a simple-minded demon she was hoping for, but an organized group up to absolutely no good.

"They're searching for something deep within that mine," Jellal continued, his tone bitter. "My only assumption is they're going after the raw Lacrima deposits. There's an abundance of it right underneath the mountain where I lost track of the three. All that energy is interfering with my senses... There's no way I can feel around it."

"Raw Lacrima..." Erza pondered out loud, arms crossed over her chest. She met his gaze with a knowing stare. "You could be right. Raw Lacrima is highly valuable on the market and versatile to work with. In the wrong hands, enough of it can be made into a powerful weapon..."

Raw Lacrima, also known as Virgin Lacrima, were clear crystals that contained high concentrations of pure Ethernano. It could be converted to any type of Lacrima when exposed to the faintest of magic, making it difficult to extract without tainting it. As a result, raw Lacrima was extremely rare and sought after by mages and non-magic folk alike.

Jellal grunted, looking highly troubled. "A weapon for what?"

Before Erza could respond, Natsu's voice cut in; "Hey, what are you two talking about?"

They both turned to find the rest of the team ready to go. Natsu was more or less fully recovered. Poor Wendy, on the other hand, was still pale as a ghost, but was at least able to stand on her own.

"What we're dealing with may not just be a demon," said Erza, furrowing her brow in slight anger. She went on to explain what Jellal had discovered and what they would expect down in the mine. "We will proceed as planned. Team Natsu will go on ahead while Mystogan and Link will follow us at a safe distance."

"We'll keep in touch through telepathy," said Jellal, looking between each member of the group before settling on Erza. "I'll let you know if I sense anything near your positions."

"Be careful," said Link, giving Wendy's hand a little squeeze.

Wendy smiled in assurance as she returned the gesture.

"Don't worry, kiddo." Natsu clenched a burning fist before him and bared his teeth in a cocky grin. "We'll take down the Dark Guild before they'll even know we're here. You'll see!" He charged ahead with Happy flying right behind him.

Lucy shouted at him to wait, but he ignored her.

Instead of stopping the pair, Erza motioned for the rest of her team to follow after them. At a steady pace, they journeyed up the mountain path that was rocky and covered in shallow, wind-blown snow and patches of slick ice. No longer shielded by trees, the wind blew strong and cold.

There was a wooden sign erected near the first bend, old and weathered by the elements. Painted words were worn and faded, but there were still a few legible letters and a big black arrow pointing diagonally upwards. They were directions to the abandoned mine.

Natsu was kneeling before the sign with Happy clinging over his shoulder. When Erza and the others had caught up, Natsu pointed at a partial footprint left in the snow that hadn't been fully buried or blown away. "Look at this. Can't tell when it was made, but it's definitely a boot belonging to a big fella. And there are some more over there." He nodded at another patch of snow a little farther ahead that had visible imprints. "Two more sets. Smaller, but both different. Which means at least three people went up this way."

Erza nodded and informed Jellal, "We found footprints. It is confirmed that there are three others on this mountain."

"Got it," Jellal replied. "I sense nothing ahead of you, but still be on your guard. Could be traps lying around."

"Natsu, I trust you to lead the way," said Erza.

Natsu stood up and grinned. "Traps, huh? I'll sniff 'em out. Happy, be my extra pair of eyes and ears."

"Aye!" shouted his feline partner. Happy clambered up to Natsu's capped head, one paw shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun, acting like a scout.

Together, they walked up front with Erza right behind, followed by Lucy, Wendy and Carla, and Gray taking up the rear. They marched up the twisting, craggy trail, spotting more footprints along the way. The higher they climbed, the colder it became and the taller the cliffs that bordered the path.

Eventually, they found what they were looking for; the entrance to the abandoned Lacrima mine atop a cliff-side that overlooked the village. There was a 'DANGER! KEEP OUT!' sign hanging loose above the opening and a pair of rusty, mine cart rails that led inside. The entrance used to be boarded up, but the wooden barricade had been smashed apart, evident by the splintered boards lying around.

Erza picked up a piece of wood for a closer look. The broken edge was a more natural colour compared to the faded, weathered parts of the wood. It was just recent that the boards had been broken. She tossed the piece aside where it clattered against the wall of the mine. The sound echoed through the long, dark tunnel ahead.

"We found the mine," she updated Jellal. "There are signs of forced entry. We're going on ahead."

"We're roughly fifteen minutes behind you," said Jellal. "Be careful in there."

"Definitely picking up something here," Natsu piped in, sniffing the air a few feet inside the mine. He dropped to his hands and knees and took several deep breaths through his nose. "Smelly cologne and girly perfume. Gotta be a man and a woman. Musky scent must be the demon's. Faint though... they came through here a while ago."

"Probably on Christmas night," said Gray, looking around the area for more clues.

"Yeah..." Natsu murmured, still busy with his nose to the ground. "You know, this cologne's kinda familiar... same with this perfume. Where have I smelled this before? Damn it! It's bugging me!"

Wendy knelt beside him and tried to see if she could recognize the scents. Unfortunately, she wasn't too familiar with either. "Maybe they're common brands you smelled on other people," was her thought.

Natsu wasn't quite convinced however. He hesitated for a moment before finally shrugging.

They continued on with the two Dragon Slayers walking in front, sharing the task of following their noses to their targets. Both hands engulfed in fire, Natsu lit the way as well as warmed up the cold, stale air. Shadows danced and flickered over the dark brown walls of carved stone, following them like haunting phantoms.

Thanks to Natsu's magic, Erza was warm enough to switch to her normal steel armour and skirt, taking comfort in having a blade sheathed by her hip. Natsu's suspicions had made her wary. She started to wonder who exactly they were going to encounter within the depths of the mine.

They walked alongside the rails and came across a handful of old mine carts that were either empty or filled with dusty rocks. Long forgotten tools were scattered throughout as well; rusted shovels and pickaxes, buckets, oil lamps, helmets, gloves and boots, crates filled with miscellaneous junk; whoever had operated the mine never bothered to clean up their mess. Or perhaps it was just too dangerous to wander back inside after it was shut down.

After what felt like half an hour, the team came upon a fork in the tunnel. Natsu and Wendy both took one sniff before agreeing to head down the left path.

"There are two ways at the end of the main tunnel," Erza told Jellal, "Pick the left one."

"I'll make a sign you guys can follow," said Gray, wanting to make it easier. With a flick of a hand, he erected a frozen signpost with a big glistening arrow pointing to the left. It was hard to miss.

It was a downward trek from there. The tunnel curved back and forth like a slithering snake towards the lower core of the mountain. It wasn't an easy, straightforward journey compared to before when sections of the walls and ceiling had collapsed long ago, partially obstructing their way with boulders and piles of rocks.

Several more times the tunnels split into multiple paths to further bring confusion. It became apparent the three members of the Dark Guild had backtracked more than once at each fork when Natsu and Wendy started to argue at which direction to go.

"Just pick the strongest scent," Erza had told them, which was easier said than done.

But after following Natsu's gut (and nose) a few times, it turned out he was always correct because they never lost the Dark Guild's trail.

"All right, I'll admit you have a better sense of smell than I do, Natsu," said Wendy, pouting in defeat.

With that decided, they trusted in Natsu to lead them the right way. At every fork, Gray left signposts with arrows that pointed in the direction they went as well as the direction they had come from so they wouldn't get lost on their way back. Meanwhile, Erza and Jellal kept updating each other on their progress, checking to make sure both groups were still doing okay.

It felt like they were wandering in an enormous labyrinth of tunnels that led deeper and deeper beneath the mountain. Anyone could easily get lost without a proper map in hand. Thankfully, Gray was wise to mark their path.

After a while, the narrow tunnels eventually opened up to a large, natural cavern. A wide plateau with a handful of giant stalagmites stretched before them while a roof of stalactites hung metres above their heads. As Natsu walked ahead, the light of his flames gradually revealed the sharp drop at the end of the plateau. The rails they had been following suddenly ended a few metres beyond the abyss, the metal bent and broken.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Natsu the moment he saw the cliff. His voice echoed throughout the cavern, its true size hidden beyond the shadows. He started to run across the plateau for a closer look, stirring up dust with every step.

"Ah! Natsu! Be careful!" Wendy cried.

"Don't worry. Happy is with me!" he assured, nodding at his partner still perched atop of his head. He slowed to a stop at the very edge and crouched beside the rails. He extinguished one hand to lightly brush the layers of dust covering the ground.

Lucy glanced sideways at Erza as the rest of the team made their way across. "I'm guessing this is the site of the cave-in?"

Erza nodded. "I assume so."

"That hole is massive!" said Gray, jogging ahead to join Natsu. "Can't even see what's across this huge chasm."

"So... which way did the Dark Guild go?" asked Lucy.

Natsu's brow was deeply furrowed as he answered, "I think the trail ends here. There's so much dust covering everything that it's masking the scents." He took a deep breath through his nose and accidentally inhaled some dust. Eyes watering, he vigorously rubbed his nostrils.

Erza perked a curious eyebrow. "Wait a minute... if there is dust, shouldn't there be footprints?"

"Hey, you're right," said Gray as he looked around. All they saw were their own footprints behind them.

Natsu suddenly let out a mighty sneeze that made everyone jump at least a foot in the air. And when Dragon Slayers sneezed, it was often a destructive spectacle. A hot and blinding blast of fire was violently expelled from Natsu's mouth and nose that was, thankfully, aimed away from his teammates.

As Erza blinked several times to readjust her eyes to the dimmer light, she heard a loud cracking sound that made her freeze.

"What was th–" Wendy was sharply cut off when the ground under their feet suddenly gave way.

The cavern went dark.

Erza's heart leapt to her throat as she plummeted into nothingness. Her scream was cut short by dust flying into her mouth and nose, making her choke and wheeze. The avalanche of rocks deafened her ears as she tumbled within the chaos.

Her first instinct was to fly out of danger.

She equipped her Heaven's Wheel Armour. However, it was no use. She was surrounded by heavy, falling earth; trapped with no escape.

"Erza!" Jellal screamed in her head.

Jellal! She tried to cry back, but their telepathic connection was lost.

She had to survive! It was the only thought that could cut through the fear in her heart. As a last resort, Erza tightly folded the silver wings of her armour protectively around herself and braced for impact.

Once they had reached the entrance to the mine, Jellal paused to take in the view beyond the cliff. The sun was nearing the horizon as evening fast approached, casting long shadows over the rolling hillsides below. His eyes traced the winding road through the hills to Daffodilia where he could see plumes of smoke coming from the chimneys.

Link ran to the edge for a better look, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. He glanced over his shoulder at Jellal and pointed ahead, his cheeks ruddy from the cold. "You can see the village from here!"

Nodding, Jellal shifted his gaze from the village to the scattered remains of the wooden barricade, taking note of the damage. "This must be where the demon had cast its curse," he stated, nudging a broken piece of wood with his boot.

Link soundly gasped. "Where the villagers saw the purple light..."

Jellal grunted. He motioned for Link to follow as he started for the mine. "Come. We mustn't get too far behind the others."

The boy quickly caught up beside his master.

Just as they took the first few steps inside the dark tunnel, they got a telepathic update from Erza informing them of multiple paths coming up ahead. Gray would leave signs to indicate which way Team Natsu had gone.

Jellal quietly grumbled at the thought of getting lost in the mine. He should've known it wasn't going to be a straightforward trek. Erza's team still had a long way to go until they reached the point where Jellal had last sensed the Dark Guild. It was probably a maze to get there, judging by how deep they had to traverse. There was no doubt there would be several more passageways they would have to choose from. Not only that, they would have to walk all the way back out as well...

Jellal grew weary just from thinking about it. He suddenly stopped when an idea sprang to mind, making Link pause to give him a questioning look.

"We'll need to secure our way back," said Jellal, turning around to leave the mine; "Otherwise we may end up wandering these tunnels all night once we've completed our mission." Not to mention the risk of the mine collapsing was very high with Fairy Tail and a Dark Guild both in the same place... If they needed to quickly escape alive, Jellal knew of one solution.

He stopped just outside of the entrance and met Link's gaze with a firm stare, trusting in the boy's abilities. "Make a warp point right here."

Beaming, Link smiled and nodded, always eager to use his magic. He moved to stand in front of the opening and cupped his hands close together before him. Brow furrowed in concentration, Link stared hard at the space between his palms. A small, bright orb of swirling green light appeared. It steadily grew larger, stirring up gusts of cold wind that blew away loose snow and threw the boy's hood off his head. It was the size of a kickball once it was complete.

With a mighty grunt of effort, Link tossed the magic orb of wind upwards with all his strength. It flew a good ten metres right above his head, leaving a twisting trail of green light particles behind it. It hovered in place at its highest peak, shining bright like a beacon.

Jellal sighed and shook his head. "You didn't have to throw it that high. Remember what happens every time?"

There were two forms to Link's wind teleportation spell; creating a warp point to magically travel back to later or instantly teleporting to a strong magical source when combined with Sensory Magic. The former was the easiest for the boy to perform, which he used often to quickly travel back to the guild from the Training Grounds on days the weather was poor. However, instead of simply placing the warp point at a reasonable height off the ground, the boy always felt compelled to throw it as high as possible so it would be hovering right under the ceiling.

More than once, Jellal, as well as Lucy and Bero, had experienced falling on top of other guild members or crashing into furniture by accident whenever Link warped them back to Fairy Tail.

Link sheepishly grinned and mumbled, "Oh... right. Sorry, Mas – Mystogan."

"It'll have to do," Jellal muttered, giving his student a small nod of satisfaction nonetheless. The landing was going to be painful as usual. Sometimes he wondered if the boy did it on purpose just for the hell of it. Or perhaps it was a preventative measure Link wasn't aware of; keeping the wind orb out of reach would stop most from tampering with it.

They resumed their trek back into the mine. Jellal summoned a golden flame in his hand to light their way as well as provide some heat.

Their footsteps were light and quick, barely echoing throughout the tunnels. Aside from the occasional update from Erza, the journey between Jellal and Link was a quiet one, which wasn't unusual. Link had grown to understand that Jellal appreciated travelling in silence due to having to maintain multiple spells at once. The less distractions there were, the less taxing it was.

While Jellal kept tabs on Erza's team with Sensory Magic, Link followed with his Locator Charm attached to his key ring. One of a pair, the magical charm worked like a compass that always pointed to its other half in Wendy's possession.

As they ventured deeper and deeper into the mountain, Jellal silently cursed at whoever was responsible for excavating the mine. It truly was a confusing maze that seemed to go on forever. Even after two hours or so, Team Natsu was still nowhere near the raw Lacrima deposit far under their feet.

But then, Jellal sensed Erza and the others making a full stop, clustered together at one point. They didn't stay there for long however, because within the next instant, they were rapidly descending straight down as if they had fallen into a hole.

Jellal stiffened. He knew it in his heart that something had gone terribly wrong.

Link suddenly flinched to a stop and spoke up; "What's that sound?"

Jellal didn't need to ask for the mountain shook and rumbled a second later. "Erza!" he shouted. But there was no response. Their telepathic connection was broken when she and her team fell into the area rich in raw Lacrima.

Jellal snarled a curse only to repeat himself when the nearby walls and ceiling began to crack and crumble. He pulled Link protectively close as large chunks began to break off. With a quick flick of his free hand, Jellal cast an earthen spell that hardened the rock structure of the surrounding tunnel, reinforcing it in hope it wouldn't collapse on top of them. After waiting a few tense seconds, the rumbling and crackling stopped. Fortunately, the minor quake only resulted in minimal damage around them.

"Are you hurt?" Jellal asked, turning to Link. Seeing the boy shake his head, Jellal continued forward, increasing his pace to a jog. "We need to hurry. The others are in trouble!"

"What happened?!" Link cried as he followed closely behind.

"They either triggered a trap or stepped on weak ground," Jellal growled. "Either way, they've fallen straight into a pit!"

Fallen and hopefully not buried and dead... It was a long way down from where Team Natsu had been standing prior. Thinking about all the worst-case scenarios made Jellal's gut sink with dread.

However, Erza and her team had demonstrated more than once just how hardy and tenacious they could be; something like this wouldn't kill them so easily.

"I can't sense any of them right now, but I know they're still alive," Jellal assured. "They've disappeared exactly where the Dark Guild had vanished." Which made him wonder if the Dark Guild had met with the same fate. He could only hope they were not lying in ambush at the bottom...

Waiting at the end of the long tunnel was a tall and large, natural cavern thick with unsettled dust. This was where Jellal had last sensed Team Natsu before they fell.

"Close your eyes and cover your face," Jellal told Link before clearing the air with a strong blast of wind. Brightening his golden flame, his eyes swept across the cavern in search of any possible traps, finding only an empty plateau with a pair of mine rails leading out into the pitch black abyss.

Carefully, Jellal made his way across, stepping on the ground as if it was made of fragile glass with Link mimicking his movements. He was a few feet away from the edge when he noticed a small part of it start to crumble. He stopped and held Link back, every muscle coiled in case he needed to act fast.

The chasm echoed from the rocks that tumbled down. Jellal couldn't hear them hit the bottom...

"Wendy's down there," said Link, holding up his charm. The glowing blue arrow was nearly pointing straight down into the seemingly endless chasm. "The arrow's moving... I think she's okay!"

That was reassuring.

"I'll get us down there," said Jellal. He magically stored away his holster of staves and dropped to one knee, motioning for Link to climb onto his back. He had to extinguish his flame in order to support the boy's legs, momentarily casting them in total darkness.

"Hold on tight," Jellal instructed. Link soundly nodded and wrapped his arms around the man's neck.

The bright, golden light of Meteor enveloped them as Jellal moved to stand, chasing away the shadows and revealing the true depths of the enormous cavern.

Jellal launched forward, soaring far off the edge of the plateau, before plunging straight down into the mouth of the hole. Feet-first, they fell at quarter the speed of Meteor through the cold and stale, dusty air. Just as the mountain was twice as high as Domus Flau, the pit appeared twice as deep. Maybe even more.

Jellal shuddered the moment they entered the energy field generated by the vast deposits of raw Lacrima. The air was saturated with high amounts of Ethernano seemingly coming from every direction. It overloaded Jellal's magic sense, forcing him to concentrate on greatly weakening his spell lest it would become too unbearable.

The cliff side abruptly turned into a slope of boulders and rock; the remains of what used to be the ground from high above. The pile of broken earth grew larger and larger the farther down they went. It was roughly the size of a small mountain by the time the bottom of the chasm was visible.

Link suddenly pointed at something flickering at the foot of the mountainous rock pile. "Wendy and Natsu are shouting over there!" he exclaimed in Jellal's ear.

The flickering object turned out to be Natsu waving his fiery arms above his head to catch their attention.

Jellal altered his course to descend near the Dragon Slayer's position where Happy, Carla, and Wendy were also standing nearby. The four of them were disheveled and covered in dirt, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Erza, Gray, and Lucy however, were nowhere to be seen, making Jellal start to worry.

He cut Meteor's speed to land softly in a crouch. Link slid off his back and rushed over to Wendy.

"I'm okay! I'm fine!" Wendy assured, pulling Link into a hug. As she gently pulled away, her wavering eyes were wide with panic as she faced the mountain of broken rock. "But Erza, Lucy, and Gray are buried under there! We have to do something!"

A curse escaped Jellal's lips. "What happened? Was it a trap?" he questioned. He tried to sense for their missing teammates' auras, but to no avail due to the Lacrima interfering.

"The ground suddenly collapsed right under us! That's what happened!" Natsu snarled. He got busy tossing aside heavy boulders with his flaming hands like a madman, making the shadows dance wildly around. There was already a pile of scorched, melted rocks off to the side, indicating he had been at for a short while now.

Happy quickly joined him, loudly grunting as he struggled to a roll boulder twice his size off the mountain. Carla didn't hesitate to help him, which prompted Link and Wendy to carefully start moving rocks as well.

Natsu paused for a second to glare over his shoulder at Jellal who had yet to make a move. Angrily, he shouted, "Hey! Don't just stand there! Help us get them out!"

"It's going to take days to dig them out like that!" Jellal retorted in kind. There had to be a better solution. Desperation and a growing headache made it hard to think.

He needed more light to see the full extent of their dire situation. With a flick of a wrist, he brought back his holster of staves belted over his back and selected the one he called Heaven's Rod. It was a beautiful staff of smooth, white wood decorated with golden, angelic symbols along its entire length. Held on top within three wing-like fingers was a flawless orb of yellow Light Lacrima.

He activated the Light Lacrima to brighten the area in golden light, bringing day to the endless night. The dusty chasm dazzled under the magic, revealing what was once hidden in shadow. They didn't end up in a dead-end pit; what they had discovered instead was another massive, naturally formed cavern with multiple tunnels waiting to be explored. And there was Lacrima of all sizes embedded on every rocky surface. Rock columns, stalagmites, the walls and ceiling; the entire cavern was sparkling like gems.

Jellal eyed the mountain of boulders before him, daunted by its true size.

Now what? He grumbled mentally to himself.

"Come on! Hurry the hell up and do something!" Natsu demanded, heaving a boulder aside with great frustration. The rock collided with another and both split into pieces.

"Shut up and let me think!" Jellal snapped, shooting the Dragon Slayer an irritable scowl. His eyes flickered back to the mountain, his heart and mind racing. At most, he could levitate only a handful of boulders at a time due to the sheer weight of them, but even then it would take forever. And it wasn't wise to just move large sections near the bottom at a time, especially when there was the risk of causing a rockslide that could further bury their teammates as well as endanger themselves.

If there was a way to stop the heavy boulders from tumbling down...

"I have an idea," said Jellal, making the others pause. "Stop what you're all doing and move back. Link, come here."

None argued. Natsu, Wendy, Carla, and Happy stepped away from the mountain, curious and hopeful. Meanwhile, Link quickly ran over to Jellal.

"Summon Libra," Jellal commanded, meeting Link's stare.

Nodding, Link selected the Celestial Spirit's golden key from his ring and opened her gate. Libra appeared in a flash of white and silently nodded at her young master in greeting.

"Libra," Jellal began, gaining her attention. He gestured to the rocks with his free hand. "Can you eliminate the gravity on these boulders? Make them weigh nothing so I can easily shift them aside."

She scoffed, visibly irked to be ordered around by someone who wasn't her master. Her attitude changed when she heard Link's plea; "Please, can you do it, Libra? Master Lucy, Gray, and Erza are trapped under there!"

Libra furrowed her brow as she craned her head to measure the mountain's size with her eyes. She slightly shook her head as she glanced between Jellal and Link. Quietly, she murmured, "Not all of it at once. Only what I see."

"Then we'll go layer by layer, top to bottom," instructed Jellal. "We don't know their exact locations and we don't want to cause an avalanche. It's the best approach to find them."

She gave a curt nod. She stepped forward, her arms held out by her sides where her golden scales dangled from her fingers on long, thin chains. She turned her head to look at Jellal.

"She's waiting for your signal, Master," said Link.

Jellal handed the boy Heaven's Rod and said, "Hold onto this for me." He stepped up beside Libra and nodded for her to start.

The spirit took a deep breath, her gaze locked on the arduous task before them. Grunting, she tilted her arms and altered the gravity on every boulder in her line of sight. Although she did not show it on her face, casting on multiple targets at once – let alone hundreds – was a straining feat, evident by the slight trembling in her hands.

Jellal acted quickly. Just like the spirit, he kept his eyes on his targets as he brought both hands forward. His fingers grasped air as he magically grabbed the top layer of boulders using telekinesis. With the rocks weighing absolutely nothing, it was hardly an effort to lift them all at once and gently lay them on the ground in a pile far off to the side. He repeated the action with the bottom layer immediately right after, hands moving fluidly as if he was controlling waves of water.

Jellal and Libra worked together in carefully stripping away one side of the broken mountain. They were at least several metres deep along the bottom when they finally found something other than rock.

Glistening wet and cracked like glass; ice.

They worked their way around the large body of ice, removing enough rocks until Jellal could safely pry the whole thing out. The ice was as large as a boulder and spherical in shape with a shadow of a body curled up within the centre. It was Gray fully protected by his own magic.

After the frozen mage was gently set down, Natsu and Wendy hurried to his rescue, shouting his name. Gray must've been conscious enough to hear their voices; the ice further cracked and shattered apart to pieces, spilling him to the ground. He lay on his side gasping for air while Wendy checked him over for injuries.

"Continue," Jellal told Libra, not wanting to waste another second. Time was precious when lives were at stake. They resumed where they left off.

Two more layers in, they stumbled across something else; a strange oddity. It was a pair of short black feet kicking frantically up in the air between some boulders.

Link was first to recognize what it was. "Horologium! It's Master Lucy!"

Horologium, the grandfather clock Celestial Spirit known to have an impenetrable defense.

Jellal freed Horologium and flipped the spirit right-side up in midair. Safely tucked within Horologium's glass case was Lucy who cried with tears of relief when she saw everyone.

As they were levitated over, Horologium exclaimed, "'Oh, what a relief! I thought I was done for! I'm so glad you're all okay!' she says. What luck! Saved with only seconds to spare. Goodbye!" The clock waved and promptly returned to the Spirit World in a blink, dumping Lucy to the ground. She landed face-first with a painful yelp.

Link and Wendy went to see if she was hurt.

It was only Erza left. Jellal nodded at Libra to continue, determined to find their last teammate.

The Celestial Spirit complied without hesitation despite showing signs of fatigue.

More and more layers were steadily removed. The others had recovered and were now standing by, watching, praying, and hoping.

Every passing minute felt like long, agonizing hours. Determination had quickly turned into frustration and fear.

"Erza, where are you?" Jellal growled under his breath.

Then, it was as if she had heard him; right after he lifted another section of boulders, the rocks underneath began to rumble. Erza suddenly burst forth, soaring out of the debris. She was like an angel reborn dressed in her silvery, winged armour that shimmered gold in the light of Heaven's Rod.

The cavern erupted with joyous cries of relief.

Hearing the voices of her friends and seeing them all alive and well, brought a big, relieved smile on her dust-covered face.

Jellal moved towards Erza as she dropped down, catching her attention. "Are you all right?" he was first to ask, his concern masked behind his disguise, but not his voice. He quickly lent an arm when she stumbled forward the instant she tried to stand.

Wincing, Erza gripped his arm and leaned against him for support, unable to put any weight on her left leg. She nodded, nonetheless. She coughed, cleared her throat, and spat to the side before grumbling out, "Scrapes, bruises, maybe a fractured hip, and dust in every orifice. I'll live."

Wendy was already by Erza's side, immediately tending to the woman's injuries. When Erza could stand on her own, Jellal gently pulled away so Wendy could get to every wound.

Link smiled gratefully at Libra. "Thank you for your help. Go back home and rest." The spirit nodded and disappeared. The boy then came up to Jellal to return Heaven's Rod.

"It was a good thing you two hung back," said Erza, giving Jellal and Link a thankful smile. "It could've been a lot worse otherwise... And Natsu," she shot the Dragon Slayer a stern look; "Next time you have to sneeze inside a cave, try to hold it in."

"Sorry..." Natsu mumbled, looking off to the side in guilt. "But hey, now we know where the Dark Guild went. Their scents..." He stiffened and sharply twisted around, fists ablaze and eyes glaring. He growled, "Should've realized it sooner that it was you two!"

All heads turned towards the inner cavern where two people were cautiously approaching from deep within. They had just stepped foot into the light of Jellal's shining staff, their identities revealed. One was a woman with long black hair and dressed in a maroon, knee-length coat trimmed with golden fur. The other was a blond-haired man wearing a crimson mask over his eyes and a bright red hat adorned with an extravagant pink-feathered plume. They were not complete strangers for Jellal recognized them from the Grand Magic Games.

"Hmph, what do we have here?" the woman scoffed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "I was beginning to wonder what that ungodly stench was. It's because of you filth!"

Erza hardened her expression as she stepped forward, most of her injuries healed. "Minerva," she said evenly, one hand ready on the hilt of her sheathed blade.

"Erza," the woman spat. Her face twisted into a hateful scowl so fierce she could rival Ultear.

Gray also moved to stand before the group, his glaring eyes locked on the man in red and his fists clenched by his sides. "Rufus," he seethed.

"Gray," the man returned in kind, his smooth voice laced with disdain.

"The hell is Sabertooth doing down here?" Natsu demanded. "You guys working with a Dark Guild now?!"

Minerva's crimson lips curled into a sinister smile as she stopped in her advance. Hands on her hips and head slightly upturned, she looked at Fairy Tail as if they were insects beneath her heels. "Sabertooth? Hmph. I abandoned that weak, pathetic guild long ago. I only affiliate with the strongest and joining a Dark Guild was the answer. I shall rise above you worthless trash! Being a part of Succubus Eye is the first step in achieving that supremacy!"

Jellal narrowed his eyes, having heard the name of the Dark Guild, Succubus Eye, a few times in the past. They were only a small division from a much larger secretly known threat; Tartaros.

"And wherever My Lady goes, I shall follow," said Rufus, smirking. "There are less constraints in a Dark Guild. More freedom to do whatever we desire. Vengeance is an ugly creature, but Gray, know that I will take pleasure in getting you back for humiliating me during the Games. And you, fairy brat," he glowered at Link venomously, his cool demeanour completely gone; "You've given me a scar that I shall never forget. It's time I return the favour!"

Gray shifted to stand in front of Link, shielding the boy from Rufus's hatred. "I don't fucking believe this," Gray snarled, frost now forming on his fists. "After the shit that happened in Crocus, you still hold a grudge? Didn't realize you were such a sore loser, Rufus. How pathetic."

Rufus bared his teeth in an angry snarl.

"Wait! We shouldn't fight in here!" Lucy cried in protest. "What if the cave collapses again?!"

A short, haughty laugh came from Minerva. "Don't worry, darling. You weak little Fairies won't be putting up much of a fight against us for long."

"Who're you calling weak?!" Natsu roared, his fires flaring from anger. "You're seriously outnumbered, you know!"

Minerva sneered wickedly. "Numbers don't mean anything when we have something special on our side. Doriate, come out and play with your new friends."

A tall, large shadow came up from behind Minerva and Rufus. Their third member. The demon.

Jellal rushed forward. But before he could even bring his hand up to cast a spell, it was too late. The eyes of the demon flashed purple, illuminating the cavern and blinding all who looked.

Jellal flinched and stumbled back as he was stricken by a dark, unnerving power. An uncomfortable prickling sensation soon overwhelmed his body, feeling as if thousands of fine, little needles were harmlessly poking every inch of his flesh. His clothing started to loosen, each piece seemingly growing larger by the second. His head cover fell over his eyes, his bandana slipped down under his chin, the sleeves of his coat extended far beyond his wrists, and his belted pants dropped to his knees. He lost grip of his staff and both of his giant gloves when his hands could no longer properly fit.

The odd sensation was over within the next moment.

Jellal had to disentangle his arms from his oversized clothes in order to remove the cover over his eyes. He gasped when he saw his hands. They had shrunken – no, his whole body had changed; reverted from an adult to a child!

He snapped his head to Erza and the others when he heard them gasp and exclaim in horror, their voices shrill. His eyes widened. Everyone but Link had been cursed into the bodies of young children. Even though Jellal knew it could happen, it was still a terrifying shock.

Deep, mocking laughter rang throughout the cavern as the demon stomped fully into view. He had a body and face of a strong, muscular human, his skin, tan, and his hair, black and tied into a bun atop his head. The purple shine in his eyes faded, revealing the crimson of his pupils. The lower half of his face was hidden behind a brown bandana, making him appear like a common thug.

Doriate smacked a massive black-gloved fist into an equally-sized palm as he stared at each child maliciously. "Now, who wants to play first?"

A/N: Tweaked Doriate's Curse to my liking because I really love the part where Team Natsu was turned into kids during the Sun Village Arc! My favourite moment in all of Fairy Tail because it caters to my number one trope: de-aging of my favourite characters.

Below is the next short with Lucy voted as second most popular. Thanks to Thanatos 2018 for the idea.

Please enjoy!

A Little Under the Weather

Lucy and Link were taking a short break out in the yard of the Training Grounds. It was a hot, sunny, summer day. Perfect beach weather. However, instead of wanting to spend some time in the water, the pair were training instead upon Link's insistence. The boy was eager to learn and Lucy was eager to teach. Having fun would have to come later.

They just had a short practice battle with their spirits and needed to take a breather out of the scorching, afternoon sun.

Sitting under the shade of the fresh-scented pine trees, Lucy wanted to reintroduce Link to each of her Silver Key spirits.

"Most Silver Key Celestial Spirits don't actually like to fight," Lucy began to explain as she took out each of her Silver Keys and placed them on the ground for Link to see. "Some make cute pets or companions, like the Nikoras, while others have some useful skills or talents to help you outside of battle. Like Pyxis! Open the Gate of The Compass." She touched the key as she spoke and it flickered white.

In a puff of white smoke, a short, red, owl-like bird with a big round head and white face appeared beside them. Pyxis chirped and hopped from one foot to the other while flapping its wings, happy at being summoned.

"If you ever get lost, Pyxis can show you the right direction," said Lucy, gesturing at the compass mounted on top of the bird's head.

Curious, Link stood up for a closer look at the compass. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly. "I've seen this arrow before..." he murmured, lightly tapping on the glass.

Pyxis squawked in alarm, making the boy flinch away.

"Pyxis doesn't like to be touched," warned Lucy, holding back her laugh at Link's startled reaction.

"Oh! Sorry," Link quickly apologized to the spirit.

"Anyway, you can buy compasses in some stores similar to the one on Pyxis's head. Maybe that's where you've seen it before?"

Link stared hard at the compass as he took a moment to think about what Lucy had said. His face brightened with excitement when he asked, "Do they lead to treasure chests?"

Lucy raised her brow and started to chuckle. "Treasure? Oh, I wish! Pyxis, point us to some treasure!"

The bird stared blankly at her as if she had spoken another language.

Sighing, Lucy shook her head. "Unfortunately, Pyxis doesn't have the ability to locate any treasure. Haven't seen or heard of any other compasses that can, for that matter. Would be so handy if there was one though." Then she wouldn't have to worry about paying rent on time every month...

"Oh..." Link was rather disappointed.

Next on Lucy's list was Horologium, the Clock.

Tall and always ticking, the grandfather clock spirit kindly waved hello in greeting. Rarely did the spirit speak unless he spoke for those safely encased inside his glass body or he had something important to share.

"Horologium has protected me from danger many times," said Lucy, giving the spirit a fond and grateful smile. She owed him her life many times over. Not only did he protect Lucy when her life was in peril, he would protect others nearby as well without needing to be summoned by his master. "Nothing can hurt him so you're safe when you hide inside his glass case."

Link was amazed as he gazed up at the clock. "His defense is that strong?"

Smiling confidently, Lucy nodded while Horologium stood a little taller with pride.

"So he can protect you from Erza when she's really, really angry?"

"Uh..." Lucy's confidence faltered. She had never had a reason to test that out since she would never, ever, dare provoke Titania. Even though Horologium could withstand pretty much anything thrown his way, Erza's demonic wrath was a whole nother level. Lucy was honestly afraid to find out...

Horologium even seemed a little uneasy at the thought. "There is no guarantee that my body will remain intact. I advise against the attempt," he said, keeping his tone calm and composed.

Laughing nervously, Lucy shrugged. "So I guess that's a 'maybe'?"

She skipped over Lyra's Key since it was a Saturday, one of many days per month the Celestial Spirit couldn't be summoned. So the last spirit Lucy called upon was Crux, The Southern Cross.

As usual, the old Celestial Spirit was fast asleep while levitating in midair, legs crossed and hands resting upon his knees in a meditative state. He was slouched forward, snoring away with a big snot bubble coming out of his nose and drool trickling from his mouth.

Link grinned and pointed at the sleeping spirit. "I remember him! He was asleep at the party back at the Spirit World too. Does he ever wake up?"

"Well..." Lucy started to say, but was interrupted when Crux snorted awake, loudly popping his snot bubble.

"Why yes, yes, there are moments I am conscious," the old spirit answered in his tired, haggard voice, wiping the drool from his mouth with the back of his hand. He chuckled quietly as he peered down at the curious child before him. "Hello, hello, young Hero of Earthland. T'would be the first we've spoken, yes? My, how you've grown since you had visited our world. Yes, yes, indeed. We await the day when you have full command of the stars. In the meantime, we wish you the best. Ah, and Master Lucy," he shifted his whole body to face her; "In regards to locating Lupus's Key and owner..."

Lucy leaned forward in anticipation. "Yes? Any information?"

"I unfortunately cannot disclose any of that information. A private matter, in which you would understand?"

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, I understand..." She was a bit disappointed, but knew it was wrong to pry into the lives of others without them knowing. She wouldn't have wanted anyone to do the same to her.

However, finding Lupus was vital to Fairy Tail and the sake of the world. She would resort to anything in order to glean as much information as possible.

"Thanks anyway. Thought it wouldn't hurt to ask you. I'll see if Capricorn or Scorpio could ask Lupus or try to 'convince' him to share a few details..." Lucy refrained from sneering wickedly like Erza. She turned back to Link to resume where they left off. "So, if you're not yet aware, Crux here is like a curator of knowledge. If you need to know about something, he may be able to find out that information for you. Try asking him a question."

"I can ask about anything?" The boy looked between the two in wonder.

"Indeed, indeed," said Crux with a friendly chortle. "The mysteries of the world. Curiosities of the spirit realm. Odd or fascinating objects you've come across. Why, even the things that lie in your pockets. Everything has a story behind it."

"My pockets..." Link started to dig into the pockets of his shorts and pulled out his own set of Celestial Spirit Keys and his ocarina. His musical instrument caught his interest the most. He held it up for Crux to see. "Do you know any songs?"

Crux raised his brow. "Songs, you say? As in music?"

The boy nodded.

"Why, of course! Of course! A vast history of musical knowledge from worlds all over lies within my grasp. Now, now, what would you like to know about music?"

Link held his ocarina properly in both hands, moving his fingers over the holes. "There's a song I've been trying to remember..." he mumbled, eyeing his instrument intently, "I can only play the first part and have forgotten the rest... Would you be able to tell me how the rest of it goes?"

Humming, Crux tilted his large head to the side and crossed his arms. "A strange request. Yes, yes, indeed. You seek to know a melody. Very well, I'll try my best. Play for me what you know of this song you wish to remember."

Link brought the mouthpiece to his lips and played three ascending notes that repeated twice. It was a short and quick, incomplete tune Lucy had heard a few times when Link practiced back at the guild.

Crux pondered for a moment. "Play for me, one more time."

Again, the boy repeated the short melody, but this time Crux followed with a finger waving in the air as if he was a conductor.

"Wonderful," said the spirit. "I will inform you what I find." With that, he fell into a deep slumber, slouching forward in midair with a snot bubble coming out of his nose and a trail of drool from his snoring mouth.

"It'll take a while before he gets back to us," said Lucy, hopping to her feet and dusting off bits of dead grass and pine needles from her skirt. "Ready to do some more training while we wait?"

It was about an hour later when they were back in the shade to cool off. Crux woke up not long after that.

The old Celestial Spirit was eager to share his news that he forgot to wipe away his drool. "Young Hero, I believe I've found what you seek. Yes, yes, indeed. An old, old melody; it's name and origin lost in time. However, the notes remain inscribed forever in stone. Do you wish to hear it?"

Link grabbed his ocarina and nodded vigorously.

"Bear with me then. It goes something like this..." Finger waving in the air, Crux hummed the notes to Link's mysterious song to the best of his ability.

The boy tried to follow along on his ocarina. Kindly and patiently, Crux would correct Link if he needed to lower or raise the pitch of each note.

Lucy watched them from the sidelines, happy to see them both enjoying themselves with the musical lesson. She knew Link would get it right eventually and he didn't disappoint. It took a good number of tries before he played his song perfectly.

Lucy and Crux started to clap only to give a start when a deafening crack of thunder interrupted them.

"What the...?" Lucy gawked at the sky, surprised to see dark thunderclouds had suddenly taken over. It was clear and blue just a second ago!

Within the next instant, the wind picked up to howling gusts and it started to pour.

Crux dismissed himself back to the Spirit World before he got soaked. Lucy scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards the Training Guild with Link right at her heels. She was shrieking all the way, getting completely drenched from head-to-toe by the deluge.

Once they were both inside the building, she fought against the wind and slammed the door shut.

Cold, shivering, and as miserable as a wet dog, Lucy groaned as she moved to stand at one of the back windows, peering out at the freak storm. She couldn't believe how quickly the weather had turned! It was almost as instant as a spell and yet she didn't sense any magic in the air. She could only assume it was some weird weather pattern.

Link joined Lucy by the window, equally shivering and drenched.

Together, they watched the storm, rather mesmerized by its raw fury.

Heavy rain pounded the roof with a vengeance. Lightning repeatedly danced across the black sky. Thunder roared after every flash, loud enough to rattle the windows. The windmill noisily spun and creaked from the strong, blowing winds, sounding as if it would fly off at any second.

It seemed to last for a good short while before it began to wane.

When the rain was just a gentle pattering against the rooftop, Link spoke up, "Storm Song."

"Hmm?" Lucy glanced sideways at him.

Link smiled and held up his ocarina he still had in his hand. "That song Crux taught me. I'll call it 'Storm Song' because... it reminded me of storms as I played it. Storms like this one."

Intrigued, Lucy perked an eyebrow. "Really? Maybe you're the one who caused this storm," she teased, playfully nudging his shoulder with her elbow.

He blinked in surprise. "Do you really think I did?"

Lucy waved her hand dismissively. "Nah. No way. I was just joking. It was probably just a coincidence."

Little did she know, it wasn't just a mere coincidence.

A/N: I've come to realize that this story has become quite an ambitious project. I thank all you readers for your patience and endurance for reading this far. I can only hope you are still able to comprehend everything I've written.

Seriously, I've had many, many instances in the past where I had no clue what the hell I was doing with this story. And now, this tale has certainly evolved into… something. Something I truly enjoy writing and sharing. It may seem to go on forever, however there is a light at the end of the tunnel. At the rate I'm going, and as long as real-life doesn't decide to throw a wrench in my face, I estimate it'll be another year or so before this story comes to an actual end. And then, I can finally move on to something else.

Persevere, Icy Cake, persevere and finish this goddamn story!

Thanks for sticking with me for this long. Hope you'll stay for a little while longer.

Thanks for reading.