Erza had to stand between Gray and Natsu's recovery ward beds so the two didn't get at each other's throats. Gray was already good but hadn't been cleared, unlike Lucy, who was on her feet yet chose to stick around with her friends. Wendy continued to hold Natsu's broken arm, which had apparently been completely shattered after he took Jiemma's attack head-on.
It was an impressive feat. Erza suspected Natsu would do something bold like that, not allowing a foe so strong to think they could easily break Natsu down.
Of course, that same mentality landed Fairy Tail in what would certainly be an interesting predicament, particularly within the city itself: they'd been exposed. Anyone who considered or questioned if one of the Fairy Tail members looked like their true identity, but reconsidered such thinking they were dead, would know who they were instantly. The Empire, without a doubt, knew about them. There had to be Imperials from other wizard guilds they encountered seven years ago that remembered the guild; that, or there were other people affiliated with the guild who were associated with the Empire.
Natsu, when he entered the room and saw Erza, clearly anticipated a scolding for revealing his true identity. But…it was only a matter of time. They could only keep their heads down for so long, even if they weren't in the Grand Magic Games. Fairy Tail meant chaos and insanity to the world before the Empire, but maybe that's what those stifled under its heel needed. Maybe Fairy Tail suddenly coming back from the dead wasn't a bad thing after all. Would it put them in the crosshairs of the Empire?
That was up for major consideration. Gray expected they'd have to fight their way out of the city, and a tiny voice in Erza thought as much, too until Natsu was brought to the room. They could've kidnapped him or done something else to him, but there he was, good as always. In fact, besides a nurse every few minutes, no Imperials had yet to arrive.
Lucy mentioned that she had another date with Axel on the horizon, where they'd probably try and gauge Fairy Tail's overall interest in the Empire. They had to know that the wizards would largely be against it, particularly given how Natsu's fight with Jiemma ended.
The Imperials were a despicable bunch. But for now, they were playing hands-off. They had to have a longer game in store for the Fairies, but Erza, frustratingly, couldn't see it. Was Hisui aware of these events? Could they somehow contact her?
Agh, but there was also that Kagura woman and her association with Racer, a once-criminal. Erza rubbed her temples.
"Need to sit down?" Wendy asked, patting Erza's arm.
"No, just thinking," Erza said. "I feel as if my head is going to burst."
"Well don't get too distracted," Gray said. "We're still here, in Clover Town, which means we can sort of continue to do things on schedule."
"And we don't even have to hold back anymore," Natsu said, wincing as he gave a thumbs-up with his broken arm.
"Of course, the moment we get permission to go all-out, I'm out of the tournament," Lucy said. "I couldn't even let my Spirits flex after seven years!"
"I'm sure you'll get the chance," Erza said and smiled at Lucy. Lucy nodded back, knowingly.
"Someone's coming," Wendy said, her nose wriggling. "A Dragon Slayer."
"Oh, great," Lucy muttered.
"No, not him," Natsu said. "Another one."
The door slid open. A pale man in a dark blue cloak with black hair lined with green highlights eased into the room with a soft yet haunted expression. Dark veins pulsated from the center of his chest.
"What an honor," he said, voice smooth as the ocean, hiding its salt. "To be among the most prestigious team before the reign of the Empire." He nodded his head. "I am Kiyl, the Sea King Dragon Slayer. General of the Dragon Division."
"Same rank as Axel," Natsu said.
"All Second Generation Dragon Slayers are of similar rank," Kiyl said.
Natsu sneered. "Even that Cobra guy?"
"Yes. Our Division's power extends far."
A veiled threat, Erza heard. She kept her arms crossed but didn't fully turn to face him. She suddenly had a right sense of her armor and weapons about her.
"Thank you for stopping by," Erza said. "Though I can't imagine you came to ogle at us."
"No," Kiyl said. "I did not. I came as a friend, one who used to marvel at your adventure a few years ago."
Judging by his appearance, this one was likely the same age as the Fairy Tail wizards when they vanished. So, he had seven years on them.
"The Twilight Empire has no intentions of wiping you out," Kiyl said, bluntly. "Your attendance in this year's tournament is going to attract widespread attention, which can only be for the Empire's benefit. Frankly, when I saw Natsu before the fighting, I considered finding a way to join in the fighting."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Gray said. "So, it's all peachy with us and them?"
"For now," Kiyl said. "Until you ascend to the peaks of all you can achieve in this place until you are hoisted atop the champion pedestal as the shining example of wizardry. And then you'll know a power and fury the likes of which you've never seen."
"I thought you came as a friend," Lucy said.
"I do," Kiyl said. "Because a friend wouldn't allow others to die. Quit. Back out of this now and run away. Find someplace to hide where the Empire can suffocate you in peace. Otherwise, you'll only make fools of yourselves."
The room fell silent, as, at one point or another, all the others' eyes fell on Erza. They were at least smarter than to look at Natsu, who would probably punch Kiyl in the face if Erza weren't also between him and the Second Generation Dragon Slayer.
Erza dropped her arms, then, in a fluid motion, removed the sleeve off her plate of armor, revealing, still potently blue as ever, her guild mark. Lucy clenched her fist, flexing the pink Fairy Tail mark she had out. Natsu's clothes were burned off, and Gray's clothes were off as always, but their guild marks were quite visible. Even Wendy folded her arms, allowing Kiyl to see the magically inscribed symbol there.
"If the Empire wants to challenge Fairy Tail, they are welcome to try bringing it on," Erza said. "But they will not be met with the kindness we've shown the other wizards of this tournament, nor shall they anticipate the power and fury we're capable of."
"You understand," Kiyl said. "That they do not care about your situation. If another of you is injured so gravely, their next step won't be to break the other arm. It'll be to break his neck."
"And I shall relieve them of theirs before they get the chance," Erza said. "Am I clear?"
Kiyl met Erza's eyes.
And he flinched.
Sting awaited Kiyl in his own suite in the stadium. His telecommunication lacrima was open, the Winter General sitting in his office of Crocus waiting for the report. Axel sat in a seat lazily across the room, having just obliterated his opponent, clearing the way to get to Natsu.
Natsu Dragneel. Man. What were the odds?
Sting could hardly hide his jealousy that he wasn't in the tournament to show Natsu his own strength. It was a childlike sense of wonder and envy to do so, but, it wouldn't be right. Besides, Sting probably wouldn't be necessary. Natsu had been gone seven years. All of his Dragon Slayers would defeat Fairy Tail in time, should it be necessary. Hopefully, Kiyl got them to reconsider their position, and their stance in the tournament, and buy the Empire more time to—
"They said bring it on," Kiyl said.
Axel chuckled while Sting sighed. On the other end, the Winter General made no sound.
What a mess this had turned into. First, there was Kagura, and then Fairy Tail lurked. At least they hadn't done anything outwardly egregious. Sure, there was the scuffle between Natsu and the guards, but that was more a showing that the guards shouldn't mess with prominent wizards than anything else.
Kagura was a wanted criminal. She'd be dealt with under Imperial decree no matter what.
"Sting, your thoughts?" Invel asked.
"I can handle anything Fairy Tail thinks they can get away with, if their heads get a bit bigger than the tournament," Sting said.
Invel went silent for a moment. The man used few words, allowing his mere wintry presence to do a lot of speaking for him. Sting rarely had a conversation lasting more than a few minutes with him, if they ever shared much one-to-one communication to begin with.
"You won't touch Fairy Tail," Invel said. "Though I'm sure you'd want to test your mettle against Natsu Dragneel."
Sting's underling Dragon Slayers glanced curiously at him.
"Why's Fairy Tail suddenly off-limits?" Sting asked.
"There are many reasons," Invel said, "and the most prominent of which is what they represent to the people. Fairy Tail was believed to have been wiped out with all the other guilds, but their most infamous wizards were thought dead long before the Empire took hold of this land. They are of a definitively different era, one brimming with, in their eyes, more prosperity and freedom than they are afforded now. It may spur them, may think them strong. It'll give them a reason to challenge our rule.
"Fairy Tail's return may ultimately work in our favor. If our soldiers feel challenged, this will give them reason to show their loyalty and true strength in the face of stagnation. We will keep Fairy Tail around to embolden our soldiers. I'm sure Axel will agree with that."
Axel sneered. Sting also agreed with the sentiment. Bearing down on Fairy Tail would only be beneficial to Sting if he got to fight Natsu, but if the Twilight Division swooped in to silence them he'd never get that chance. However, he had to temper his jealousy that Axel got his first shot at Natsu.
"Sounds good, Invel," Sting said. "How about we just keep an eye on Fairy Tail?"
"I thought I spoke clearly."
Sting set his jaw. Invel spoke with the authority of the Emperor, even if he, technically, was a rank lower than Sting. Then again, everyone in the Twilight Division seemed to be one level above where everyone else was. Even Yukino, who, for being just a General, would probably be as highly regarded if not more so than Sting due to her being in the Twilight Division.
"We'll keep away from Fairy Tail," Sting said. He wanted to mention Kagura, but that would be something better left under wraps until he could deal with it himself. What a nice return to Crocus they'd have: Axel coming back victorious over Fairy Tail and Kagura, finally, in chains. Then, they'd only be one step closer to the rest of that little guild of criminals.
The lacrima shut off and the light in the room dwindled. Sting locked eyes with Axel.
"Well? You heard him," Sting said. "You better show your full strength."
"Against Natsu?"
"Outside the arena are Invel's rules," Sting said. "In it are my rules. Defeat him. Remind Fairy Tail that, even if they wanted to step up against us, they don't stand a chance."
Gajeel emerged into the arena after Axel wiped the floor with his opponent. The lucky bastard was going on to fight Salamander. Ah well. Whoever won that fight would be a good fight for Gajeel. Both had quite punchable faces.
He spotted the Exceeds in the stands, still watching enthusiastically. Frosch was still back at their place, probably helping clean up as they were wont to do. Lily nodded to Gajeel, who nodded back.
More important than getting through whatever jokester stepped up in front of him, more important than even getting through Salamander, was getting that lacrima and undoing it. No little cat deserved that fate. They fought too damn hard to avoid it on Edolas, and Gajeel was remiss to see the same process done on Earth-land.
Gajeel summoned his power while his opponent strode forth cockily. He didn't recognize them at all. Some sort of wizard with what appeared to be Sand-Make abilities. He started saying something to Gajeel to try taunting him. It was the sort of guy Gajeel normally liked to mess with.
But he didn't have the kind of time, or patience, for that anymore. The referee blew his whistle. Gajeel charged forward.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Karma Demon Iron Spiral!"
Gajeel leaped into the air, his legs turning into a massive drill that shot down at his opponent. It ripped through whatever pathetic defense he tried to put up and the concussive blast from the explosion slammed the opposing wizard and sent them flying into the opposite wall, knocking them out instantly.
Gajeel swiped his arm and let out a roar to the massive cheer of the crowd.
"Bring it on, all of you!" Gajeel shouted. "I'll beat you all! The name's Gajeel Redfox and I ain't gonna be beat my some Imperial toadie!"
He swung his arms to continue riling up the crowd and then unleashed a great laugh that filled the stadium.
Lucy stood outside the infirmary ward as the sun continued to set. Natsu was at last given permission to leave once they assessed his arm was in a good spot. He'd continue nursing it through the night, partially with Wendy's help though she also wished to preserve as much magic as she could for her impending fight with Kagura. Lucy understood the sentiment quite well; even if she had access to all of her spirits, Lucy doubted she could defeat Kagura.
She was in her usual clothes, nothing fancy for her stroll-about with Axel. Hopefully, he'd take her for another dinner, as she hadn't eaten too much while resting in the infirmary. Not all of her guild-mates would be out and about to watch her, though, with her having access to her Spirits, Lucy felt much safer than ever before around this guy.
Axel arrived at her from the stadium, likely from the suite area. He was still in his combat clothes, too. He offered her his hand, and she started in the direction he wanted them to go, ignoring his gesture. He continued to brush their fingers but never tried to outright grasp Lucy's hand.
"So," Axel said a few steps in. They were headed for the restaurants, thank goodness. "Lucy. How was your day?"
"Yeah," Lucy said, feeling a bit of blush. "Sorry about all that."
"I understand," Axel said. "Coming back from the dead may not be something you want to do in a world that's completely different from what you're used to."
Lucy wanted to remark on how scary it was but bit that remark back. "It was going to come out eventually, right? You all would've figured it out."
"What I'd like to know," Axel said. "Is how you'd really fight. Same strategy, with your Silver Keys?"
"Basically," Lucy said. "Yeah."
"Shame you couldn't move on like the rest of your friends," Axel said.
It was true. Juvia also won her fight handily, moving on to fight Gajeel the following day. Gray would join Lucy in the loser's circle, although at least he lasted a while in his fight with Erza.
They slowed down by another store preparing to close up, but, with a gesture, Axel stopped them from doing so. He stepped into the store, and a few moments later, emerged with a stunning bouquet of flowers, freshly picked by their scent. He smiled behind them with his crystalline eyes twinkling in the dimming sunlight.
"For you," Axel said. "A consolation. The others don't have these, do they?"
"No, they don't," Lucy said. "Thank you."
Their hands touched when Lucy took them from Axel. She shuddered at the tough and she held them tightly.
"Come on," Axel said. "We don't want to miss our reservation."
They arrived at a restaurant not too far, one that was, once more, vacant save for the two of them. Axel arranged a vase to put the flowers in to join them for dinner while their plates flew in around them. Lucy tried to continue a ladylike demure while wanting to just dive into the food the same as Natsu would.
"Tell me about Fairy Tail," Axel said, leaning forward on his hands while Lucy took a massive bite out of some bread.
"What'd you like to know?" Lucy asked.
"What it was like…before," Axel said. He leaned back, holding his cup of wine.
Lucy gulped down her food and smiled as she thought of the warmth of the guild hall, the merriment that radiated off of the place the same as the chaotic nature.
So, she told Axel of that. She didn't relay too many stories—particularly because, she realized, they surprisingly involved a lot of Axel's Emperor, Zeref—but did talk about her friends, her dreams, and her desires as a member of Fairy Tail. She told him about their neverending quests, their constant journeys, and the places she traveled to because of the guild.
There was private, important information there. She didn't give explicit names, and where she could, made them up. She avoided any and everything about Edolas and Mystogan, as that was probably a dimension the Empire would be keen to conquer somehow.
Still, Lucy found herself smiling through the conversation and actually enjoyed the dinner. From Axel's end, he was prying information out of her. From Lucy's end, she was taking a much-needed trip down memory lane to remember what the world was like before the Empire snuffed it out. She had to remember what the world could be, what they'd make it be one day.
They concluded their meal and the time for curfew was fast approaching. Lucy's jaw hurt from speaking so much. She blinked, not having realized how much time had passed nor that she'd truly rambled like that for so long.
Axel helped her from her seat.
"I would love to hear more stories, Lucy," he said, giving her an up-down with his eyes, lingering a bit too much on what was beneath her eyes. "Come back to my place with me. You're a great storyteller."
"Thank you," Lucy said. "But I'd better get back to my friends."
Axel's smile waned. He eased his hand around the small of her back, pulling them a touch closer. Lucy gritted her teeth. Was this joker really going to try kissing her?
No. Instead, he leaned in for a conclusive hug, then stepped back. Lucy remained completely frozen in place.
"Next time, maybe," Axel said with a wink that sent chills through Lucy.
He, thankfully, didn't escort Lucy back, instead leaving that to some guards. After a bath rub the ick from her body where his hand grazed her, Lucy emerged from her room where Erza was waiting. Lucy wanted to yelp, but Erza stood there seriously, blocking the window from anyone seeing either of them. She had Lucy's key ring in her own.
"Well?" Erza asked.
Lucy nodded and took the ring to her own, inspecting it.
"Scorpio this time," Lucy said, and relief washed over her.
Erza smiled, too. "Good. Then the planning is moving along well."