Hahlos wasn't sure how long he was out as he stirred awake. For some reason, the pain he felt from his battle was far less than before. The most prominent feeling was a misty feeling all over his body, like being sprayed with misty water. The angel took note of a green aura surrounding him in which he put the pieces together rather quickly.

"M-master…?" Hahlos croaked.

Standing right beside him was the god himself. His eyes were focused, but at the same time showing signs of surprise. He kneeled down and pinched his forehead while using his other hand to continue healing his subordinate.

"To think you've lost…those humans are ones to be reckoned with." Izanagi admitted.

Hahlos felt more of his wounds fade away which allowed him to speak more clearly. "If you're here…what happened to the ones who went to the rancher's land?" He asked.

Izanagi stood up and swiped his forehead, signaling that he was finished. "I only had to deal with one of them. Natsu, the spiky pink haired one." He did a straight line motion with his hand while pointing at his head. "He's been disposed of, his violent tendencies caused a great amount of damage."

"I…see…" Hahlos hesitated as he got up on his feet. "And…what of the others?"

Izanagi glanced back at the farmlands. "I must've missed them, I didn't sense any magic on my way here. They more than likely used a great deal of magic facing you." He guessed.

Hahlos dusts himself off, noticing the cut marks on his clothing before his eyes meet back with his ruler. "So then…what is our next plan of action, my master?"

"I want you to take care of the rest of the intruders who went on ahead to the rancher's land." Izanagi ordered as he walked past him, facing the town. "As for me, I'm going to make a quick stop at my castle to talk with Stark."

Hahlos turns his head. "Stark? Why go to h-"

"You know why." Izanagi interrupts, not looking back. "We both heard the announcement he made." He crosses his arms.

Hahlos turns his head, facing away from the god. He lowers it and clenches both fists.

"Don't forget our zero tolerance policy." Izanagi reminds him, taking a few steps forward. "Stark's reckless action must be punished, no exception." He spreads his silver wings wide.

Hahlos clenches his teeth, not responding back.

Izanagi briefly glances at the green haired angel and squints his eyes. "...The Fairy Tail wizards too, they will continue to stubbornly persist. No matter what they won't give in, I learned that earlier." He looks back ahead and slowly flies upward. "Make sure every single one of them is eliminated. We'll meet back at the castle once you are done, I trust you will make the right decision."

After that, the god takes off back to town, leaving a strong gust of wind. Hahlos doesn't budge from the winds as his long hair flows aggressively from it. He raises his head back up and clenches his fists tighter.

"Stark…forgive me for putting you up to that responsibility…"

"You're saying that Wendy…is inside this country's ruler?!" Erza exclaimed. Back at the farmlands, Natsu was explaining his encounter with Izanagi and what he discovered.

"Yeah. That god…he had the same scent as her." Natsu revealed.

Jellal approached Natsu. "Are you certain that means she's still alive?" He double checked.

Natsu nods. "I'm absolutely certain." He places his palm on his chest. "I also noticed that he paused during our fight to feel his chest…Wendy must've heard me earlier…she's still fighting."

Chelia wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She stood back up and pumped both her fists. "I-I believe it! Wendy wouldn't give up, I believe in her!"

Carla proceeded to do the same as she flew up and nodded her head. Natsu looked at the two girls and cracked a smile, seeing the two getting hopeful again.

Erza smiled softly as she held her chin. "Yes…this is starting to sound more familiar now…" She thought. "You've dealt with this before…Wendy. It seems I had forgotten about that…" She glanced out the window and up to the sky, recalling a particular Sage Dragon Slayer.

"Well then, in that case…what is our next plan of action?" Jellal wondered, crossing his arms.

Natsu pounds his fist on his palm and grits his teeth. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious?! We find that guy, beat him up and make him cough Wendy out!"

"I swear you're so simple minded…" Carla whispered while facepalming.

Natsu prepares to bolt out of the house, but is stopped in his tracks by Erza who grips the end of his scarf.

"Hold it!" Erza urges. "Do you even know where he ran off too?"

"He's not here, so he's probably in the town!" Natsu answered.

"We don't exactly have the time to search the entire town." Jellal noted.

While the group were talking and planning, they began to overheard mushy sounding footsteps approaching their way. The five turned their attention outside and saw a large group of farmer angels and Exceeds surround the entrance holding various farming tools. Henry, who was still laying by the side of his house, perked his head up and noticed the crowd.

"Did ah hear dat right?!" A disgruntled older angel grumbled. "So attacking our homes wasn't enough for ya terrorists eh?!"

A black furred Exceed pointed at the group. "You think you can just say that you're gonna go after our god after he's been revived and expect us not to do anything about it?!"

A young female angel with a yellow sundress swung her arm. "If Izanagi dies, our entire homeland will be lost! Just how much more do you want to take from us?!"

"W-w-wait! Let's calm down!" Chelia urged, stepping by the entrance and waving her hands.

Immediately after the pink haired girl spoke, a rake was pointed towards her direction which caused her to stumble back and trip on her bottom.

"We ain't gonna hear it!" The older male angel snarled. "Why dontcha take the hint and get lost!"

The mob slowly inches closer inside the wooden home. Natsu, Erza and Jellal all nervously got on guard while Chelia scooted back. Carla shielded Wendy's body from the ranchers and began to sweat.

However, the mob was put to a halt as Henry stood up and blocked their path. He spread his arms out, shielding the humans from the angry mob, to their confusion.

"Henry…what do ya think ya doing huh?" A young male angel asked.

"Don't you fools get it yet?" Henry sneered. "We were lied to about this 'Exahelm's hero!' These land-walkers were just here to save their friend who got roped in our mess!"

Some members of the mob cringed at Henry's statement. Deep down they already knew the truth.

The disgruntled older angel's arms shook before pointing his rake at Henry. "W-well…sometimes sacrifices are necessary! What's one life compared to all of ours eh?!" He bluntly retorted.

Carla and Natsu both showed signs of anger after hearing the old farmer say the quiet part out loud. The latter made one step forward before being stopped once again by Erza as she shook her head at the fire mage.

"You saw what these monsters did! I mean, look at your own house!" A female angel argued.

Henry proceeded to push the rake pointed at him to the fluffy ground and glare harshly at the crowd, a face not many people around him were familiar with.

"Just one life you say?! So y'all think one life is taken and we'll be back to our so-called peace?!" Henry snapped. "The very same peace that continued to take the lives of loved ones who didn't abide by it! Ya think some houses are worth more than that?!"

Many members of the mob looked away, trying to hide their reactions. The male elderly angel continued to stare at the young blonde in the eye. His eyes narrowed down at his rake, noticing his arms shake.

Henry placed an arm around the man's shoulder. "Arlo, and everyone else. Just how long can we hide our true feelings?! It isn't just me who lost folk ah care about." He closed his eyes and gave a shaky breath. "M-maybe…it's time to admit it…that this country, and it's laws are-"

Before he could finish, Henry felt a chilling breeze brush on his body. He wasn't the only one who felt it as even the crowd felt it. At this moment, the mages inside sensed a powerful force coming their way. A force that they recognized immediately.

"It…can't be!" Erza uttered before barging outside alongside Natsu, Jellal and Chelia. The farmers distanced themselves away from the humans with the exception of Henry. The swordswoman stared ahead towards the direction of the town and saw a tall silhouette walking to them.

Henry clenched his teeth as he felt sweat leave his forehead. He instinctively turned his head away, too frozen to move from his spot.

The tall figure emerged, revealing him to be Hahlos. "Mr. Henry, just what do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

Jellal's eyes shrunk from utter shock, noticing the green haired angel's condition. "His wounds…they're all gone…"

"Izanagi must've used Wendy's healing magic on him, damn it!" Erza cursed, clenching both her fists.

Hahlos directed his attention to the humans. The group took note of the bags under his eyes and him not standing as straight as usual. "None of you will take another step, I have been ordered to eliminate you all." He announced.

Jellal got on guard. "Curses…we don't have Carla's precognition to assist us. Who knows how long our injuries can last dealing with him…" He thought.

"So you still intend to try and stop us?" Erza glared. "Have you already forgotten what we discussed earlier?" She summoned a sword and pointed it at Hahlos. "Are you standing there as a guardian, or a mindless tool?!"

Hahlos doesn't respond to Erza's statement. Murmurs in the crowd currently go on, wondering what the land-walker is talking about and what is going to happen.

Natsu took a few steps towards Hahlos and cracked his fists. "Hey. You better move it, or else." He threatened.

Hahlos glances over at Natsu and doesn't even do much as to glare at the fire mage. The sound of the chilling wind blew as tension began to grow. Chelia raised an eyebrow, sensing not as much hostility from Hahlos than earlier. Erza, Jellal and Natsu prepared to make their move.

"Well what do ya know…our so-called guardian is back." A high pitched voice was made known. Henry perked up and recognized the voice. It was Alivia as she fluttered over between Hahlos and the group. She faced the guardian and crossed her arms, showing a disapproving expression.

Natsu tilted his head and glanced at the Exceed. "Oh, it's you again."

Alivia briefly glared daggers at Natsu. "Ah swear ah'm gonna knock ya right aside the head!"

"What do you think you're doing? Do you intend to defend your attackers as well?" Hahlos accused.

Alivia brought her attention back to Hahlos. "Ah should ask ya the same question." She scowled. "There's a burning town right behind ya with people in need of help, yet you're here wanting to take out some injured folk."

Hahlos winced and clenched his jaw. "I'll head to town once these intruders are dealt with." He directed his arm to the right. "Now, move aside. Those behind you are the cause of that 'burning town'!"

"Ya can quit being so self righteous, ya hypocrite." Aliva shot, to the shock of the ranchers.

"A-Alivia?!" Henry exclaimed.

"What did you say?!" Hahlos blurted.

"It's time to stop pretending. We all know what's going on." Alivia disclosed. "That girl was brought here by force. Ya basically invited these 'intruders' here don't ya think?"

Natsu, Erza and Jellal dropped their guard. The three and Chelia watched on as the farmer Exceed scolded the Tenhei member.

"We ain't the victims of this conflict, not even those land-walkers standing behind me. Only that girl…Wendy, was it?" Alivia divulged.

Hahlos raised a fist and clenched it. He lowered his head and shut his eyes. "Indeed, it's true. But…we tried everything…this was the only option we had!" He shot open his eyes. "Our ruler would've been dead and our homeland destroyed if we didn't enact this plan!"

"Hahlos." Erza interrupted. "Recall our first encounter. You should've known that isn't the case."

"You know this is a guild right? If you have a request then I'm sure we can help out. We don't usually take last minute requests, but I take it you're not from around here?"

"We were very willing to help whatever problem you had going on. I can only assume you have some deep-rooted reason for your distrust in us, am I correct?" Erza added.

Hahlos lets out a faint gasp. A memory flashes in his mind, the body of his deceased friend. He lets out a growl shortly after. "How can I possibly trust those that accept the reality that you all live in…your very presence caused the peace we all worked for to be in jeopardy!" He accused.

Alivia sighs. "Ya know, ah used to think the same way. Wanting to live my life in peace…" She admits. "A lot of us Exceeds question our existence…why we never met our biological parents…where we even came from…"

Several Exceeds in the crowd chimed in with murmurs of acknowledgement and understanding. In response, Alivia chuckles to herself.

"To be honest though, ah never really cared about that kind of stuff. Ah rather worry about living my life rather than questioning it." The brown feline opined. "And right now…ah wanna live my life how ah wanna live. For my own future."

Immediately after stating that, Alivia's body began to glow. Her silhouette began to morph into a more human-like form, to the shock of everyone around.

"W-wait…is she…" Chelia hesitated.

Henry widened his eyes. "A-Alivia! Wait!" He reached out.

But it was too late. The shine diminished and revealed a young looking girl wearing a green t-shirt with brown overalls over it. She had short brown hair with cat ears poking on top. She also bore some muscle on her arms from all the farm work she participated in. Her wings were still present as well.

Alivia checked herself out as she looked all over her body with slight delight. "Hm, so this is what a body like this feels like." She commented.

"Impressive, she was able to pull off a complete transformation on her first try." Jellal marveled.

Hahlos' words escaped him as he only gawked at Alivia using that kind of magic in front of him without hesitation.

Alivia focused her attention back to Hahlos. She placed her hands on her hips and smirked at him. "So, what are ya gonna do? Arrest me on the spot for illegal use of magic?" She lifted one arm and tapped her chin. "In that case…why not arrest all the folk back at town? Gotta get rid of them to maintain the peace…right?" She mocked.

Hahlos felt dizzy as sweat soaked his forehead. He placed a palm on his head and looked down. At this moment, more memories begin to flash in his mind all at once.

"She told me that I'll have people who'll bear that sadness and pain with me."

"It's far too late for the world below, they will never change."

"Why are you so afraid…of the future?!"

"I should've known that you still held those feelings of understanding humans. You haven't changed at all."

Hahlos slid his palm on his face, completely covering it as his body began to shake.

"It's true that the future is absolute, but it can be changed."

"Tell me Hahlos, would evil creatures create such beauty like what we saw for the past 2 years?"

"I still have faith…whatever happens next, I know that your country will have a better future. We will make sure of that…" Wendy smiles.

Hahlos collapses on his knees and nearly falls over. He stops himself by holding himself up with his palms as they rest on the clouds below.

"Yes…soon things around here will return to normal…"

Hahlos tsked as he dragged his fingers through the ground. "I...had not changed in the slightest…my interest in the world below and my grudge against the human race was the cause of all of this…" He regretted, clenching his teeth so tight one begins to crack. "Will you ever forgive me…Carine?"

The crowd of ranchers observed the current scene in disbelief. Their guardian fell to his knees by none other than one of their own. Alivia sighed to herself before turning around and facing the crowd.

"Well? Is this the future you lot wanna keep trying to protect? All to return to the status quo?" Alivia questioned. She then pointed at the crowd. "We should all quit living in this naive fear!" She declared.

Henry walked over to his friend and smiled at her. He proceeds to pat her on the shoulder before she smacks his hand off of her. The two chuckle at each other in response.

Erza crossed her arms and smiled at the two before looking back at her allies. "We should get moving, we spent enough time here." She advised.

"We still need to find out where Izanagi went." Jellal added. "Especially since he could get himself locked into combat with any of our other allies…"

"He's at the castle, near the top floor…" Carla abruptly revealed, walking outside Henry's house.

Chelia turned at the Exceed with widened eyes. "Really? Did you have another vision?!"

"That's where Lucy and Happy are!" Natsu exclaimed.

Carla nodded before placing a paw on her head. "It's a more clear one, as I foresaw it yesterday…" She flew up and pointed towards the direction of the castle. "That tower, a skirmish in there is gonna cause it to fall."

The group collectively gasped, figuring out what that meant in an instant. Even Hahlos, who overheard, raised his head and his eyes shrunk.

Carla lowered her head and sweated slightly. "If that tower falls…it's going to not only cause great harm to the civilians here…but it will crash down on Magnolia too." She explained with an intense look in her eyes.

Jellal took a step forward and raised an arm. "Then I will deal with the tower." He decided as he turned to Natsu and Erza. "You two will assist those in the castle to face off against Izanagi."

"Are you sure you can handle that alone?" Erza hesitated.

"The rest are more than likely still in town. They can assist me once I inform them. I can utilize my Meteor to get there quickly." Jellal assured before turning around to face Carla and Chelia. "As for you two, take Wendy's body to a safe area. You two are in no condition to fight right now."

"But what about you guys?! All of you are still injured!" Chelia cautioned.

Natsu cracked a toothy grin at the girl. "Heh, you don't have to worry about me and Erza! We're a part of Fairy Tail's strongest team!" He assured her in a boastful way.

"As for me, my injuries are still manageable. It would be important to find the rest of our allies regardless." Jellal added.

"The two gals can stick around here." Alivia offered. "Ah'll make sure none of these hooligans do anything to them." She pointed at herself with her thumb.

"We are in your debt." Jellal bowed.

Natsu raised both of his fists and breathed fire above him. "ALL RIGHT! LET'S BEAT THAT SOUL SNATCHING JERK!" He roared before taking off, leaving a burst of cloudy smoke behind him.

"Natsu!" Erza called out, but the pinkette was far ahead already. Grumbling to herself, she briefly turns back and approaches Wendy's body.

Erza kneels down and gently brushes Wendy's blue hair before whispering. "Wait for us Wendy, we'll be with you soon." She softly smiled before standing back up and going after Natsu with Jellal running alongside her.

"Come on, let's head back inside for now." Carla advised Chelia who flew back inside Henry's house. However, Chelia continued to stand and stare off in the distance which got the white feline confused. "Chelia?"

"O-oh! Sorry!" Chelia snapped out of it and quickly followed Carla.

Watching the three leave the scene, Alivia glances over at Hahlos who continues to be on his knees and looking down. "So, what will you do now?"

Hahlos doesn't respond.

With the sky now clear again, it caused Stark to attempt to quicken his pace down the hallway. He continued to lean against the cold wall to support himself as he was still injured from his encounter with Gray.

"Damn it Hahlos. I never would have imagined that you too would lose." Stark grumbled. He proceeds to trip on some rubble and fall to his knees, cursing to himself in the process.

As he tried to pick himself back up, the slender angel suddenly felt a powerful and familiar force nearby. He slumped back down and widened his eyes.

The bearer of the force revealed himself as he casually walked inside the hallway. Stark recognized that it was his ruler immediately, but with long blue hair instead.

"Stark. So you were here." Izanagi greeted.

"M-my lord! You've returned to us!" Stark stumbled, letting out a sigh of relief. "How is your condition?"

Izanagi towers over Stark and chuckles. "I've never felt better!" He comments as he punches the air. "My sickness has been completely cured as you can see. I've also obtained something very special in the process." He continuously closes and opens one of his hands, stretching his fingers.

Stark attempts to stand back up before seeing the god offer a hand to him. He grabs it and stands back up with Izanagi's assistance.

"That's excellent news. But I'm afraid we still have a problem going on." Stark stated.

"I'm aware of that." Izanagi responded, suddenly looking Stark in the eye with an intense expression. "Mind telling me why you allowed the civilians to use their magic?"

Stark winced, he knew this conversation would happen sooner or later. "...Forgive me…but we were cornered. The land dwellers overwhelmed us with their strength despite their numbers." He admits, narrowing his head away from the god. "But our enemy weren't targeting the civilians, so I'd thought to give them a chance to fight ba-"

The gun-wielding angel gets interrupted when Izanagi stabs a silver trident through the wall, inches away from Stark. The sky god glares at him intensely, like a piercing knife.

"So causing even more chaos would fix the issue then?" Izanagi shot. "To think…you of all people would make a reckless decision like that."

"Please d-do not fret my lord! I-I only allowed it for a single day!" Stark stuttered, squinting his eyes. He hugged the wall with his back.

Izanagi slowly digs his trident deeper through the wall. "That is irrelevant. The people now have had a taste of magic, they won't drop it so quickly. I know from experience." He retorted.

Stark lowers his head and clenches his teeth in regret. Izanagi pulls his trident out of the wall with ease before he points it directly towards the gun wielding angel's neck.

"You've caused a great deal of damage to the peaceful society we worked for. For that, you must be punished." Izanagi informed, his sharp glare not budging. "Firstly, you are hereby discharged as one of the Tenhei. Meaning you are no more than a civilian."

"I…understand…" Stark faltered, still looking down.

Izanagi reels his trident back. "We still have our zero tolerance policy. You should know this." He reminds. "Anyone who disrupts our ideology of peace will eventually ruin it. You are no exception, Stark."

Stark slowly closes his eyes, accepting his fate. "Very well, do as you must…"

Izanagi thrusts his trident down. Right before it could pierce the slender angel, the weapon abruptly froze and shattered in an instant.

Stark felt a familiar chilling air and lifted his head up. Izanagi raised an eyebrow and took his attention to his left.

"So, this is what you do to fight for peace huh?" Gray snarked, standing right beside the two with half his body covered in the black tattoo. He stared intensely at the god's hazel eyes.

~~~Author's Notes~~~

I know Jellal hasn't exactly had his moment to truly shine. But don't worry, he'll get his chance soon enough.