The opening begins with us seeing the Fairy Tail banner rung over the top of the windmill tavern of the Fairy Tail guild as the song starts to play. We eventually pull away until we see the whole building. We shoot up into the sky and see the Fairy Tail logo shoot by to the left. The logo then comes in panning from the left until it stops in the middle of the screen. It glimmers, and a black Fairy Tail guild mark appears in the middle of the logo along with the kanji for Fairy Tail on the lower right. Carla and Pantherlily then fly past looking merry with Happy following suit, also jubilant. Then the black Fary Tail guild mark shines brightly in gold light overtaking our vision.

Hajimari no sora he... hikari sasu hou he...
nani mo kowaku nai... boku ga iru kara...

Natsu steps up to the side of a cliff exited, and Happy jumps into the air, cheering from behind. Next, we see Gray and Juvia standing back to back in a grassy plain, smiling as a gentle wind blows. Erza is standing amongst some ruins, gazing into the distance, both hands on her sword's hilt as it remained in the ground, her hair billowing in the wind. Now, Gajeel sitting down on a rock, Pantherlily standing up arms crossed, Cana, Gildarts, and Levy are all gazing up in the sky, the wind also blowing their hair around.

Nandomo chi ni hiza o tsuite
puraido o mamorenakute
utagai bakari umarete mo
mada me o tojinaide

Wendy and Carla are smiling while gazing upward. The Strauss siblings, Willy, and Makarov, all stand front of a cliff while Laxus and the Thunder Legion stand on top of it. Lucy is now standing in front of a grave holding a bouquet of red roses in her hands, looking melancholic as the wind blew about while she gazed up at the sky. The left side of her face appears on the right side of the screen, and as she looks toward the ground, a small smile works its way to her face.

Ima koko de kanousei wo
mikiwameru koto nantenai
namida ga ame ni kawaru toki
tada kizuite hoshii

The Archbishop of Zentopia stands in a dark room surrounded by candles, turning around as he looks towards us. The shot of him slowly shrinks away into the darkness until Kinana appears from the right, eventually showing that she's standing on a grassy hillside with a cloudy sky, the sun's rays peeking. Now, we see Jackpot standing upon a fiery pile of rubble with Lahar standing at the bottom. In another grassy landscape, we pull up until we see Michelle gazing out towards the sea while holding her briefcase. We zoom towards her until she turns around and smiles at us. The item in her suitcase, which is the Infinity Clock's hand, now flies up to the sky, its bandages unraveling until they come off. We then see three shots of Sieri who is now wearing a kunoichi outfit. First, her legs, then her chest, and then herself as she winks while the chibi versions of Elfman, Mira, Lisanna, and Willy all appear shocked as well as unnerved.

kuyashisa wa haki suteru yori
tsurete yuku koto de imi ga aru kara
kimi ga nozomu subete ga tatoe tsukame nakutatte
hitotsu dake yuzurenai mono te ni shite

Natsu, Romeo, and Dan are now fighting Amon of the Caeli twins. Natsu and Romeo unleash their respective fire magic while Dan attacked with rapid thrusts of his Dan. However, Caeli raises up a shield and blocks the flames protecting himself. Then, he jumps into the air, conjuring a large spear made of his projection magic, and swings it to the ground, tearing it apart, and forcing the three to dodge. Coco is seen carrying Lucy in her arms running as fast as she could while the blonde was comically crying with fear. Gray and Sugarboy are fighting Vali of the Caeli twins, Gray using his Ice-Make Magic while Sugarboy used a strange green ooze to attack. We also see a shot of Juvia blushing as she goes into another one of her fantasies, imagining Gray and Sugarboy gazing at each other.

hajimari no sora o mukae ni yukuyo
furi kaerazu mae o mite

Mira, Elfman, Lisanna, and Willy stand ready and determined and they stare down Amina from on top of a cliff above them. A maniac smirk crosses Amina's features as the ooze erupts from her body, morphing into multiple tendrils. Pantherlily and Samuel are standing back to back with each other looking at each other. They both smile and transform into their battle forms as Happy and Carla jump in from beneath. Then, Byro stands on top of a large octopus-like creature as it emerges from the ground.

se ni kaze o kanjita nara
fukuzatsuna koto nante nanimo nai hazusa

Now, we see the other members of Fairy Tail standing in front of the tavern while our point of view is panning right. The order goes from right to left; Alzack and Bisca while carrying Asuka in their arms, Laki, Droy, Jet, Macao, Reedus, Wakaba, Nab, Romeo, Kinana, and Max. Next, Lucy is sitting alone in a dark church sad, while she tenderly holds the Infinity Clock's hand in her arms. Then, a light shines through a stained glass window, and as Lucy looks up, she sees a ghostly image of her father, Jude Heartifilia.

miwataseba itsumo no ega ga aru kara
hitori de kakae komanaide

Natsu and the rest of the core Fairy Tail members are running towards a white light until they disappear into it. The light is revealed to be coming from the top of an enormous golden pyramid which is a part of a large structure. We quickly zoom away from the structure until we see Natsu and the other core members of Fairy Tail who are revealed to be a great distance away. All of them appear determined and ready to fight. We then zoom out revealing that our point of view was a reflection of the hand of the Infinity Clock sticking to the ground as the music ends.

kotae wa aserazu kono michi no tochuu de
deau mono sa kitto

Chapter 151

A Suspicious Bargain

After a while, we went back to the tavern with the book in our possession. Then, Natsu and the others explained what they had experienced at the mansion to the others while Lucy was busy reading through the book to find any clues.

Before long, Lucy soon got everyone's attention. "Hey, you guys. I may have figured some things out, thanks to this book," she said. "My dad followed the story to this book, down to the letter."

"What do you mean, Lucy?" asked Erza.

"I'm saying that I think that this story has more facts than it has fiction," said Lucy as she held up the book. "This story is about a little girl who goes to find six keys because they are said to bring happiness when all of them are collected. However, as she collects these keys, she ends up bringing sorrow and misfortune everywhere she went."

"Well, that's a pretty depressing ending," said Happy with a frown. "I mean, what kind of ending is that?"

"Interrupting with stuff like that isn't going to make things less difficult to understand!" Carla scolded. "So save the criticism, Tom Cat!"

"So, how does the story begin?" asked Erza.

"Well, based on what it says here in the book," Lucy said as she opened to the first page. "The first key takes a journey."

"Yeah, right. How could a key take a journey?" scoffed Natsu. "Unless the key grew legs or something."

"Come on, Natsu. Use your head," sighed Gray. "It's a metaphor."

"Then where the heck did it go then?!" Natsu asked impatiently.

"Hold on, I think I understand," said Mira. "The phrase Lucy read from the book is talking about the first piece of the clock, which happens to be the clock hand Michelle brought here. Therefore, "it took a journey."

"Exactly, and everything that happened is a direct result of it," Lucy went on as she turned the page. "In the story, the little girl goes on a journey to look for the five remaining keys, and she finds them in many different places, one after another. Finally, she comes to a cathedral where she finds the last key."

"A cathedral?" repeated Erza, realizing Something. "You don't think...?"

"Is it located in Kardia Cathedral in Magnolia?" asked Lisanna.

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's not over there. It's not even close to where Magnolia is," she replied.

"And how do you know that, Lulu?" asked Dan.

"I used to read this story a lot when I was a little girl," explained Lucy. "I would read it dozens of times, never really understanding it at first, but then one day, I realized that the places the girl in the book traveled on real places. If my dad realized this too, then I'm willing to bet that he hid the other five pieces in those spots." She looked across to Michelle. "Did my dad ever mention anything of this to you?"

Michelle shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Mr. Jude was very quiet before he passed away," she said, appearing a bit sorrowful.

"And if what you're saying is true, Ms, Heartfilia," said Samuel. "If we go to those places, we'll most likely find the other clock pieces. Although, there is the matter of our enemy that we've had the misfortune of running into."

As I sat there listening, knowing what Samuel was talking about, I remembered back to the fight with Amon at the Heartfilia Mansion.

"Yeah. The Caeli Twins," said Gray. "It's a pretty safe bet that those two must be the enemy that Byro guy mentioned. If that's the case, then they must be looking for the pieces, too."

"They're certainly aren't any enemy I've ever seen before," said Mira. "And they're pretty powerful too. I wonder who those two are working for?"

"Maybe they were hired by some mercenary guild to make a quick buck?" suggested Macao. "It certainly wouldn't surprise me."

"Not just that," said Wendy. "Something about their magic seemed strange. When Willy managed to land a hit on that Amon guy, he suddenly changed. His magic not only grew stronger, but I sensed Something."

"Like what, Wendy?" asked Carla.

Wendy then appeared to be unnerved as she held herself while a shiver went through her body. "I don't know. I can't explain it, but it was Something ominous and dark, like his insides became tainted for some reason. Not only that, but I also get the feeling that he was holding back on us. Like he didn't show his true strength."

"Just you wait!" Natsu growled with determination. "If I see those punks again, I'll burn them to a crisp! It doesn't matter how strong those guys are! They ain't got nothing with our guild!"

"If only the rest of us could be as optimistic as he is," Samuel muttered. "Although, I can't help but respect the boy for his enthusiasm."

"As much as I hate to say it, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but Natsu's right. It doesn't matter how tough and strong they are!" Lucy spoke with conviction. "If those two are after the pieces, who knows how many others there are! If this chaos Byro told us about is real, then we can't just sit by and do nothing! I'm going to look for those pieces before anyone has a chance to use them!"

"But what about what the master said about letting sleeping dogs lie?" asked Wakaba. "It seemed that even he wasn't too keen on searching for those things."

"I don't care! I'm doing this with or without you if I have to!" Lucy said firmly. "I know Master wouldn't approve of this, but this has me worried. I have to do Something!"

"Now hold on there, Lucy. You ain't going nowhere," said Natsu. "Not without me! Besides, without you, our team is missing Something!"

"Aye, Sir!" agreed Happy.

"That goes for the rest of us," added Gray. "After all, we're in a race against time here, so you're going to need all the help you can get."

"That goes for me, too, my darling Lucy!" agreed Dan with passion, pounding his chest with pride. "I swear no matter what happens; I shall protect you and follow you to the ends of the earth, on my honor as a knight of the Legion Platoon!"

"And the more of us there are, the more ground we can cover," added Coco. "So, you can count the rest of us in, too."

Erza then looked back towards the Master, who was sitting quietly, listening to our whole conversation this whole time. "Master, what say you?" she asked.

Makarov took a long sip from his beer before finally responding. "If you want my honest opinion, this mission relies too much on guessing," he said quietly. "And there's no telling what would happen when we get all of the pieces. That said, we must do what we can to keep this chaos at bay. I will alert Byro and tell him the details when he returns."

"In that case, let's start assigning teams," said Erza. "And after that, those teams will start searching for a specific part and then meet up and a rendevous point."

As everyone else started making plans, I stayed silent while sitting near a table by myself, thinking. Mostly about the Caeli twins, and my fight with Amon. I could still remember the look on his face and that transformation of his when I fought him. Also, I may have only been able to see him utilize it for a few seconds before Vali intervened, but there was no doubt that Amon had to be an ooze user like Amina and me, only he didn't make the ooze come out of his body as we did.

If that was the case, then he and his brother had to be working for someone who wanted the pieces to create this supposed chaos. At first, I believed it to be Silver Beard, considering that he was the one who made the ooze, but didn't think that he wouldn't be the kind of person to want such a thing as chaos. I mean, this whole thing wouldn't be like him, based on my experience. There was only one thing that would matter to him more than anything else, and the thought of it made me shiver.

I then got up, and snuck away outside, wanting to get some fresh air. But as I walked out through the doors, I took notice of someone walking past me heading for the back of the tavern, trying to be discreet. That, someone, was Byro. At first, I was going to pay him no mind, but then I saw him glanced around back and forth, squinting, as if he was making sure no one noticed him. Then he ventured on disappearing from view.

"Where is he going? And why is he acting so shifty?"

I then followed him while making sure that he didn't detect me. Byro walked on until he entered the forest in the back, there the trees grew tall and proud. As he walked on, I quietly slipped behind one tree after another, while keeping Byro in my sights. Eventually, Byro came to a stop sticking his staff into the ground as he did. He looked around once again, making sure that he was alone, then he placed two fingers to his head. He remained silent for a few seconds or so, then I heard him talk.

"I'm ready to give my report, Lapointe. We've already found the first of the six pieces, and now thanks to Ms. Heartfilia, we may have found the locations of the other pieces. Yes, I know, but I can assure you that they are none the wiser. We shall soon obtain all six of the pieces, and once we do, make sure that you follow through on our bargain."

"Bargain?" I repeated to myself. "What's he talking about?"

Byro seemed to pause before resuming. "Yes. I am aware. Don't worry. It shall take a little more time than needed, but consider it done. We'll do whatever it takes to complete our mission. On my honor as head of the Legion Platoon, I shall do whatever it takes to assure that Zentopia's future is assured. Even if it means we have to make sacrifices."

Now, I couldn't but feel suspicious as I peered out from behind the tree, keeping a close eye on Byro, but as I did, he seemed to pause again, not saying a word. Then suddenly, I felt my muscles tense as I felt a shot of pain go through my mind as I violently twitched, making me inadvertently let out a small gasp of pain. That sound did not go unnoticed by Byro, who immediately turned around and aimed his staff straight toward where I was, which made me quickly hide from behind my tree, knowing that I was busted.

"Damn! I got to get out of here!"

And without a moment's hesitation, I jumped up and took to the air, just in time for Something to slice the tree, causing it to tip over and fall to the ground.

NO POV.

Byro stood there, gazing at the tree that he cut. He had sensed that someone had heard him talking from behind it before he chopped it down. While he didn't see anyone behind there, he had a feeling who it was that he sensed.

Then, Byro heard his contact via telepathy. "Byro, what seems to be the problem? Did you sense an enemy?"

"You could say that," said Byro. "It would appear someone was here, and I have reason to believe that the eavesdropper was Willy Falconer of the Fairy Tail guild."

"I wouldn't be concerned about him," Byro's contact said. "He's not a threat to us. Just make sure you stay focused on the task at hand. And don't worry, that boy will get his dues soon enough. Until then, make sure that you and the rest of your group not fail. Is that understood?"

"As you command, Sir," acknowledged Byro. "We will not fail you."

Byro then cut off the telepathy and then started back towards the tavern, taking his time as he walked.

"I'll let you go this one time, Willy Falconer," Byro thought to himself. "Your time will come soon enough. For you are a sinful man that has committed countless crimes, and in the name of Zentopia, I shall be the one to execute you like the criminal you are."

WILLY'S POV

I eventually managed to get back to the tavern, and was now sitting on the ground, panting and sweating as I tried to bear through the pain. My head was pounding, and I felt like my veins were on fire. As I held a hand to my head, trying to ignore the pain, I felt Something wet on my hands. I then looked at them, only to see that it was coated with ooze, almost covering my hands.

I squeezed them, trying to disperse it, but it wouldn't. If anything, it seemed to grow morphing into big claws. The pain in my head got a bit worse, as I began to panic, desperately trying to calm myself down. Then I slowly became overcome with a feeling. A hunger inside that, if left unchecked, could overwhelm me and destroy me. And not only that, but I heard the voice from before inside my head again.

"Destroy! Kill! You must destroy and kill!"

"D-Damn it! Not again! Who the hell is that?!" I winced, as I felt my sense of reason begin to slip.

"Why do you keep hesitate? There's no reason for you too. Let your darkness inside take hold. Become one with it. Join with it. Join me."

"Wh-Who are you?!" I said with a grimace. "What do you want?!"

But the voice in my head kept speaking. "Kill! Destroy! Give in your primal urge. You know you want to! Let me in! Let your darkness

Then, just as I was about to scream for the voice to leave me alone.

"Willy? Are you well, my boy?"

I turned around to the voice, finding Master Makarov standing there.

"Oh! Master!"

"There's no need to call me, Master. Macao is the Master now," the old man said. "Are you feeling all right? You're looking a bit pale."

I shook y head. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine. I was just getting some fresh air. Was there Something you needed?"

"Actually, yes. There was Something I needed to ask you about," Makarov said. "I heard from the others that your enemy had a particular ability that enhanced their strength and magic. Not only that, but it seemed as though their magic changed into a strange black color like it was becoming corrupted."

I felt my heart skip a beat as I resisted the urge to swallow.

"If memory serves, you went through somewhat of the same sort of transformation when you were young, and then again when you fought this Amon fellow," Makarov went on. "Now, I could be overthinking, but I'm wondering if this Black Ink Mode of yours along with the power Amon displayed are somewhat connected. I was wondering if you knew anything about this strange power."

"W-Well, I - honestly don't have a clue myself," I said, choosing my words carefully. "I barely have any idea about this power either. It was just a spur of the moment thing. Plus, it was pretty much the first time I've used that power."

"I see," said Makarov.

"Anyway, I better get back to the others," I told him. "They others probably got the teams all set up, and I got to get ready to go."

I walked past him and was about to head back inside, when I heard Master Makarov speak up.

"Willy."

I then stopped and looked back towards him, who remained standing where he was, his back turned as he seemed to be gazing towards the sky.

"I know that you've been through a lot of things in your life, and knowing you, you're probably the kind of person to keep things to yourself, no matter how much pain you have to endure. I want you to know that if you need to talk or if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. I may not be the Master of this guild anymore, but that isn't going to stop me from caring about my children. Whenever one of my children is sad or is in pain, I will do everything in my power to help shoulder that pain. So, if anything is troubling you, anything that's causing you suffering, please don't keep it to yourself."

I stared at Makarov's back, not saying a single word for a long pause. Then, I smiled as I let out a chuckle.

"I appreciate that, Makarov, Sir, but there's nothing for you to be concerned about," I told him. "I'm fine. Though, I am happy to have someone like you that cares about me so much. And don't worry, if there's anything wrong with me, you'll be the first to know. Although, there is one thing that's been troubling me, now that you mention it. It has to do with Byro."

"Byro?" repeated Makarov. "What about him?"

"I saw him walking into the forest in the back of the guild appearing to be shifty," I explained. "I also overheard him mention something about making a bargain with someone named Lapointe. And he also said something about getting the pieces no matter what sacrifice. I could be overthinking things, but I just wanted to let you know."

Makarov hummed thoughtfully as he stroked his beard. "Don't worry. I shall look into this," he said, after a few seconds. "Until then, you and the others make sure to be careful. We're treading on thin ice here with this Infinity Clock business, so we'll have to keep on our toes."

"Understood," I answered with a nod. "I'll be heading off then."

As I went back inside, I couldn't help but feel guilt bubble from the pit of my stomach as I bit my cheek.

"I'm sorry, Makarov. I don't mean to lie to you or anyone else about my current state, but I just can't tell you or anyone else in Fairy Tail what's going on. I want to, believe me, but I just can't. Finding out what's going on is more important."

NO POV

At the church of Zentopia, all of the priests and the nuns were in a state of unrest.

"Does anyone know what's the Archbishop's condition?" asked a priest. "Does anyone know?"

"It hasn't improved at all," said another priest solemnly. "If anything, it seems that he's gotten worse."

"That's not good," said a third. "The Founding Festival is just around the corner. How are we going to proceed without the Archbishop in his current state?"

"It can't be helped," said a nun. "The Cardinals have convened and are selecting the next archbishop as we speak."

"Don't be ridiculous," said a voice.

The priests and nuns looked up, and on top of the stairs leading to the Archbishop's room was Lapointe.

"Cardinal Lapointe!" gasped the first priest in surprise. "When did you get here?!"

"That doesn't matter right now," Lapointe spoke coldly. "Right now, we're facing a greater issue. It would seem that we have traitors to Zentopia in our midst."

The nuns and the priests gasped.

"And to make things worse, the Infinity Clock has become public knowledge to a particular wizard's guild," Lapointe went on. "And as if that wasn't enough, there's also the attack on our churches. I'm told that they are the work of an insider."

"That can't be!" gasped the first priest. "Is there any proof of this?!"

Lapointe glared at him. "Do you believe I have reason to deceive you?"

The priest relented. "O-Of course not, Sir," he said respectfully. "Forgive me, Sir."

"I am also suspicious of a priest that somehow survived one of the recent attacks, of which I will personally question myself," Lapointe said, turning away from the crowd. "Bring him to me at once. And as for the Archbishop, I will tend to him myself. From this point on, no one is to enter his chambers except for me. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your eminence!" the priests and the nuns all said together.

Lapointe then entered through the doors that shut behind him with a mighty clang. When he entered the room, the Archbishop was sitting at the foot of his bed. He had a maniacal look on his face as he clawed his hair.

"Time ticks forward towards the inevitable chaos!" the Archbishop cackled. "Time kicks forward towards the inevitable chaos!"

At that moment, a voice came from somewhere in the room. "I take it that things are running smoothly?"

Lapointe glanced behind him, to find that a projection now appeared behind him. It was of the man with long black and white hair and red eyes along with Satoshi.

"Yes, they are. I just have spoken with Byro, and he is ready to proceed," Lapointe said to the man. "Are you and the others ready?"

"Yes, we are, Sir," Satoshi said. "The ooze has finally settled in your followers, and they are ready to strike. We're ready to proceed at any time."

"Finally, after all these seven years of biding our time, we are now ready to take what rightfully belongs to us," the man with red eyes said. "I can finally make good on that promise I made."

"Fear not. You will get your chance for vengeance," said Lapointe. "Until then, assemble all of our forces and prepare to proceed, and make sure that they're ready to fight for our cause. Do not fail me."

The man with red eyes, smirked. "Yes, Father."

"And as for you, Satoshi, you will be joining him," Lapointe said. "I believe that you're better on the battlefield that's to come rather than in a lab working so hard. Think of it as a precaution in case the fruits of your labor should turn out rotten."

"As you command, Sir," said Satoshi.

Satoshi's projection then vanished, leaving Lapointe by himself with the Archbishop, who was still cackling with madness while repeating that same line.

"Finally, it will all end soon," Lapointe said to himself. "The end of all things that live in the light of this world, and the end of Fairy Tail."

If you liked what you read, feel free to leave a review!

And on another note, I'm hosting an art contest with money for the prize! If you're interested, PM me for details!

Until then, Dragomaster, signing off.