All right, everyone! It's time for a new opening, signaling the start of a new arc!

And the song I chose was Raon Lee's Promise from Epic 7!

Therefore, I do not own the piece used!

Enjoy the read!

The opening begins with dawn slowly breaking over the horizon, the sun slowly peeking out and shining its light over Magnolia. As the sunlight shines through the window of his room, Willy wakes up yawning and stretching and quickly gets out of bed. Then, he rushes out of his apartment, fully dressed, waving goodbye to the landlady sitting by the entrance. As Willy runs, the boy spreads his wings and takes to the sky in one leap and a flap of his wings. As he shrinks into the distance, the Fairy Tail logo fades into view, its black symbol gleaming with a blue sheen.

Willy is seen sinking into dark, murky waters, his eyes vacant and expressionless, not even putting up a fight, as he slowly goes deeper into the water. Then, someone dives into the water right in front of him in a flurry of bubbles, which turns out to be Mira, who stretches out her hand desperately trying to reach him. This makes Willy blink in surprise as life immediately comes back to his eyes in response.

Gip-eun jeolmang sog-e gadhyeo
Sseuleojyeo ganeun naui du son-eul

Now, we see Lucy crying in a dark place, sad and alone. A hand appears, touching her shoulder, causing her to look up behind her. She is happy to see that the hand belonged to Natsu. Natsu stands up straight and flashes his signature toothy grin. The camera shoots upward, showing that all of the other members of Fairy Tail no stood behind him, raising their hands in unison in the Fairy Tail sign, showing their unity.

gamanhi jab-a jun ttaseuhan neoui ongileul
ajig nan gieoghae

Willy is standing on top of a grassy hill overlooking the sea, the wind blowing about strongly as the camera pans up from his feet to his head, fading to a shot of him from the back. Then, the camera switches to a high-angle of Willy, who stares at the sky while stretching out his arm. From his point of view, we see his hand open-palmed and then close into a fist. The angle changes again to a faraway shot of Willy standing on the hill, bringing his clenched fist to his chest. At the same time, his eyes closed, the camera moving in an arc to Willy's back, revealing his berserk self standing behind him, the camera zooming in to its demonic green eyes.

Now I can hear you
nun-eul gam-eumyeon
son kkeut-eseo neol neukkyeo

Now we see freezeframes of the training parties currently together gazing towards a starry sky while the camera continually pans right as we switch each team. First, Team Natsu, Juvia, and Team Shadowgear while wearing yukatas and staying in a hotel at Akane Beach. Then, Laxus and the Thunder Legion, all of which were camping out in a forest region. Next, Gajeel and Panthlily were lying on their backs on a grassy hill, sweaty and tired from training. Finally, Elfman, Lisanna, Cana, and Tu Chi all sitting by a campfire in a swampy region.

Back in the water, Willy finally struggles to breathe as bubbles escape from his mouth while he desperately tries to float up, reaching towards Mira's hand, while the former does the same. Both of them reach out, stretching their arms until finally, their hands clasp, creating a brilliant flash of light between them, overwhelming the screen.

Now I can hear you
I can find you
ijen al su iss-eo

Now, a large, reptilian-like creature attacks Willy's team, forcing them to scatter as it attacks with its claws. Using her Card Magic, Cana holds up several cards and throws them to Lisanna, who turns her arms into wings using her Take Over Magic. Then with a mighty flap, she unleashed a powerful tornado of flames that struck the creature. Elfman and Mira join the fray, turning into his Beast Soul form and Mira in her Satan Soul form. They punch the animal on the chin, causing it to stumble. The creature then notices Willy, who powers up while letting out a bellow, his magic aura a bright blue, the camera zooming into his face, and his eyes turning into a dark shade of blue.

yagsoghae Promise I promise ij-ji anh-eulge
uli hamkke nanun yagsogdeul-eul

The creature, now angry, unleashes a blast from his mouth, and Willy counters with a powerful attack with his water magic. We get a quick shot of the swamp landscape above the treetops as a powerful explosion rocks the area, creating a mushroom cloud of smoke. Next, we switch to the outside of the tavern, where Mira and the other members of Fairy Tail are waiting for Willy as he lands on the ground. Then, we cut to Mira, who waves along with Elfman and Lisanna. After that, we cut to Willy, who smiles back. Finally, we skip to Willy running towards the gang while the main Fairy Tail guildhall appears behind the tavern, and the song ends.

Promise I promise eodum-eul jinan
ilgob beonjjae haneul alae igos-e

Chapter 179

Memories of Horror

As soon as Willy, Tu-Chi, and Elfman left, Lisanna, Mira, and Cana were left alone. The girls were gathering wood for a fire. But while Mira was gathering some sticks for firewood, Lisanna and Cana were busy making plans for their little mission while getting stones and logs. Mira couldn't help but glance at them, curious as the two continued talking.

"I wonder what those two are talking about?" Mira wondered.

Little did she know, the two were busy making a plan.

"So, how do you think we should get them closer together?" wondered Cana to Lisanna. "A swamp isn't exactly the place for a romantic encounter."

"Don't be so sure," said Lisanna. "Even the weirdest locations can be a good place for love to bloom. All we got to do is set it up and let it happen. Now let me think... a boat ride seems a bit cliche, so that's out. And since this is a training trip, we can always have them spend some time alone, but there's got to be something more."

"I know. Why don't I use my fortune-telling?" suggested Cana. "The cards can tell me the perfect scenario to get them together."

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot you could do that!" said Lisanna. "Let's give it a shot!"

Cana then dug into her bag and took out her deck of cards. She gave the deck a shuffle, dealt out five cards, and arranged them specially. "All right, let's see what we got here," she hummed as she stroked her chin in thought.

Lisanna looked at Cana and then at the cards, waiting and wondering what the cards would show.

At last, Cana looked up from her cards. "All right then. The cards have spoken to me," she said. "They say that for the two to get closer..." She paused a brief moment. "We have to... make sure they're in the water?"

"Water?" repeated Lisanna. "But... that doesn't make any sense. What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure. That could mean anything," said Cana. "I should do another reading to get more info.

Then, Mira came over to the two. "What are you two up to?" she wondered.

Lisanna and Cana jumped a bit in surprise.

"Oh! Um, I was showing Lisanna how I do my fortunetelling," Cana babbled. "I was checking around this area to see if there were any people other than us around here. The first reading seemed foggy, so I considered doing another reading. Isn't that right, Lisanna?"

"Yeah. That's right," said Lisanna.

Mira rose a questioning brow but didn't seem to mind. "Well, when you two are finished, I'm going to need some help setting up the fire pit and getting some logs," she said. "And can you two can make there's no excess debris around the fire break? The last thing we want is to start a wildfire by accident."

"Sure thing, Big Sis Mira," said Lisanna.

As Mira walked away, Cana whispered to Lisanna.

"I can do another reading later; for now, go and help Mira," she said. "I need to double-check my reading."

"Got it," said Lisanna.

And while Lisanna started helping Mira, Cana started reshuffling her cards to do another reading.

WILLY'S POV

I was waiting by the side of the water, keeping my eyes focused on it, scanning the water for any movement. Soon enough, a little minnow came swimming close to me. As it got closer, I made no sudden moves, waiting for my chance to strike. Then, as soon as the minnow was close enough, I pounced like a wildcat, splashing straight into the water while getting the minnow in my hands. The minnow struggled as it tried to escape, but I quickly threw it over to the shore, where a large pile of them sat.

"Whew. And that makes fifteen," I said while spitting out some water. "I wonder if there will be enough for everybody?" I then looked over at Elfman and Tu Chi. The two of them were picking mushrooms. "Hey, Master. Elfman. You think this is enough?"

Tu Chi looked over her shoulder towards the pile of fish. "I'd say that should be plenty, Willy," she said. "You're quite the fisherman, I might add. I'd expect nothing less."

"Yeah, you should have seen Willy back when we were kids," said Elfman. "He caught a lot of fish back in Osia, enough to fill an entire boat."

"Wait, how do you know about that, Elfman?" I asked.

"Oh, well um," Elfman stammered. "I just heard about it from the people that saw you. After all, you were a bit of a celebrity back then."

"I didn't realize I was," I said as I exited the water. "Then again, those people did like to talk. How's the mushroom picking coming?"

"Pretty good," said Elfman. "We picked enough to last us for a little while. By the way, thanks for pointing out the edible ones, Ma'am. I couldn't have picked the right ones without you."

"Think nothing of it, dear boy," smiled Tu Chi. "And please, call me Tu Chi."

I gathered the fish in a basket, wearing it like a backpack, and came over to Tu Chi and Elfman, curious about the mushrooms they picked. Much to my surprise, most of the ones they picked were pretty freaky looking. Some of them were green and red; others were black and white. Some were long and fat, and others were short and thin.

"Do not worry, Willy," said Tu Chi. "I know these might seem strange looking, but they're edible. After all, I've been eating them for as long as I can remember when I came here." She then straightened up. "Well then, now that we got enough food, what do you say we start heading back to camp?"

"Sounds good to me," said Elfman as he straightened up, slinging his basket on his back. "Let's get back to the girls."

The three of us then started back with our load. But as I followed Tu Chi and Elfman, that feeling from before we left returned. The feeling that someone was watching us from afar. I turned back, surveying the area, trying to see any sign of any assailants or enemies, but I didn't see anything or anyone. I listened closely to any sign of movement, but all I could hear was the call of various animals. Then, I heard Elfman.

"Hey, Willy. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," I replied without looking back. "I just thought I heard something."

I slowly started walking again, keeping my head turned before facing back forward and joining the others.

Eventually, the three of us returned to the site, where we saw the girls putting the finishing touches on the place. The area had now been cleared of debris except for a few piles, and there was a freshly made firepit with a couple of logs as seats. The girls then looked up when they heard our footsteps.

"Welcome back, you guys," greeted Mira. "How did it go?"

"Take a look for yourself, Sis," grinned Elfman. "We're gonna have a manly feast tonight!"

As I set my haul of fish down, I noticed that Cana had her eyes on the mushrooms we gathered with a perplexed and put-off look.

"Um, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but these mushrooms are edible, right?" she spoke as she inspected one. "Because I don't want to be the person that ends up falling into the old poison food cliché."

"There's no need to worry about that," I told her. "Master said that these are more edible than they look."

"That still doesn't make them any more creepy and weird looking," said Cana. "You sure these things won't turn our skin into weird colors?"

"Come on, Cana. I'm sure it'll be fine," said Lisanna. "And besides, if you don't like mushrooms, you can always have some fish for dinner instead."

"All right. Now that we have everything we need, I'd say it's time for you kids to start with the first part of your training," said Tu Chi.

"Training? Already?" said Lisanna.

"That's right. But do not worry. This should be a simple task for you kids," said Tu Chi. "Your goal is to find a magic stone hidden in this swamp. Its location is the answer to this riddle." She paused a bit. "To find the stone, look for a place where they grow; light is their source and name."

"Where light is their source and name?" I repeated thoughtfully. "I wonder what that could be?"

"You got me," said Elfman. "I ain't too good with riddles."

"While you're searching for the stone, I shall stay behind here," Tu Chi said. "You have until sunset to find it. And if you complete this training, there'll be a special reward in mind."

"What kind of reward are we talking about?" asked Cana with interest. "Like maybe an expensive bottle of alcohol, perhaps?"

"Of course, you would say that," Lisanna spoke flatly.

"You'll just have to wait and see," smiled Tu Chi. "All you need to know is that it'll benefit you, especially since you'll be training."

Well, that certainly didn't tell us much. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of reward Tu Chi would give us, but it didn't matter if it was training. So I was more than willing to get started.

"Well, if it's something that'll help us with our training, then I'm in," said Mira. "Besides, I like solving riddles."

"Us too," said Lisanna. "If it's for our training, then I'm all for it."

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Elfman roared eagerly. "This'll be easy-peasy!"

I was eager to get started as well. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's split up and find that stone!"

"Hold on. Split up? Wouldn't it make sense for us to stay together?" asked Mira. "I mean, we don't know anything about this area, and what if one of us gets attacked by one of the local creatures?"

"I wouldn't be worried about that," said Tu Chi. "You're all strong and capable wizards, so I'm sure you can handle the wildlife. But just in case, Jade will be flying above, keeping an eye on things. If any of you are in trouble, she'll alert me."

Jade let out a caw in response as she spread her wings.

"All right! Time to start training!" said Elfman as he took off running. "I'm gonna find that stone first and get that reward like a real man!"

"Not before I find it first!" said Cana with a grin. "I'll never pass up on the opportunity for free beer!"

"But you don't even know if the reward is that or not!" pointed out Lisanna as she followed close behind.

Mira followed them as well, but not before glancing toward me for a few seconds as she left.

"Well, guess I better get going too," I told Tu Chi. "Wish me luck."

"There's no need for me to do that, Willy," said Tu Chi. "When it comes to luck, you make your own by believing in your own luck." She turned to her feathery companion. "You better get going as well, Jade," she told her. "Make sure you keep an eye on them for me."

Jade let out a caw and took to the air flying out of sight. I then gave Tu Chi one more smile, and without saying another word, I left to start my search.

My search for the stone began. At first, I walked on the paths and roots, trying to see anything that could give me a clue to its location, but I didn't see anything. So, I climbed up one of the trees hopping from one branch to the other until I was close to the top.

"Now, let me think," I mumbled as I scanned around. "What place could something grow with light with their source and name? I'm assuming it means a kind of plant, but all sorts of plants are growing here. It could be any one of them."

I looked around, trying to see if anything related to the riddle Tu Chi mentioned. Then, I got the idea to find the stone a lot quicker.

"I can use my Aqua Sense to find it! It is a magic stone, so I should be able to track it. Plus, it's been a while since I used my magic, so it's time to give it a shot."

I climbed down from my tree and placed my hand on the ground closing my eyes.

"AQUA SENSE."

But I saw nothing but bright blue light no sooner than I started using it. Everywhere I looked, I could sense and see overwhelming magic power all around me. There was so much it that I couldn't help but open my eyes, feeling blinded.

"Wh-what the hell was that?!" I couldn't help but exclaim as I rubbed my eyes.

Believing that what happened was some strange fluke, I used my Aqua Sense again, only to be met with that same intense blue light in my mind and sensing from all sides, forcing me to cry out as I opened my eyes.

"What's going on here?" I wondered. "This entire area is filled to the brim with magic power. I can't sense anything much less the stone."

Then I remembered what Tu Chi said about the place being alive. Could this be what she meant and why I couldn't sense anything? If that was the case, I just had to look for it the old-fashioned way by solving the riddle. But as I was about to resume my search, I felt a dull aching pain in my head, which made me flinch while holding my head as my neck muscles spasmed. As I staggered a bit while shaking the pain out of my head, I quickly recognized this pain and knew what was coming next. However, as I opened my eyes, they widened in shock at what I saw.

In front of me, I saw myself as a child, strapped down to the table as Satoshi stood before me, wearing that same twisted smile. He held up a remote and pushed the button, and I started to convulse and scream in agony as sparks and electricity erupted from the collar. It was like watching a completely different person go through all that torture. Only that little boy was me. I stepped back, fear filling up inside as I watched the scene play out, unable to speak or interfere. Finally, unable to watch anymore, I looked away, attempting to run, only to stumble upon another horrific scene in front of my eyes.

Don Ghira, the leader of the Black Panther guild, held me by the arm as I desperately struggled to get free. As I watched, Don Ghira tightened his grip on my arm until it let out a loud and sickening crack, snapping in half, making me scream shrilly agony. Don Ghira sent me flying with a punch, and as I stopped myself, he shot toward me at an incredible speed and attacked me with his claws repeatedly as he went by me while reappearing just behind me. Now littered with cuts, my body exploded with blood as I fell to the ground, lifeless and defenseless.

My breathing began to quicken as my fear slowly evolved into terror, and I turned away and took off running. But as I made for the bushes pushing past them, another terrible scene mysteriously appeared.

I saw myself at Akane Resort, staring at a stranger who was bloodied, bruised, and cut all over, limping on one leg. As the man staggered towards me, he stumbled, falling to the ground, unable to stand. Then, something shot out from the darkness, wrapped itself around the poor soul, and yanked him back while he screamed in terror. Then, there was the sound of cracking and liquid splattering and an even higher and louder scream until everything went silent. Then, Amina stepped out of the darkness, her expression blank and emotionless for one second before changing into a sick and demented smile as a mad cackle escaped it.

I was growing more desperate, not wanting to see anymore, as I bolted, running as fast as I could. But as I ran, a root from a tree caught my foot and tripped me up, causing me to fall and tumble straight to the ground. As I got back up, spitting out dirt, I glanced backward, wondering if I'd escaped, only for a fourth scene to start playing out. A memory that was the most horrible of them all. I saw myself standing before Satoshi inside the Infinity Clock's control room, having to have broken free from his spell. Satoshi laughed like the madman he was as he spoke the words that would continue to haunt my memory.

"It's because... I was the one responsible for that village's destruction. And I enjoyed every second of it."

He threw a slip of parchment towards me no sooner than he said those words, which landed at my feet. Knowing what would happen next, I couldn't help but yell at myself.

"NO! DON'T LOOK AT THAT PICTURE!"

But it was already too late as my past self's eyes filled with shock and disbelief. I watched helplessly as a dark evil aura consumed me while rage and despair seized control. Then, I bellowed as my body exploded in a pillar of black and green light, forcing me to shield my eyes. The light soon dimmed, and as I looked up, I found myself back in the swamp, but that wasn't the only thing I saw. Standing before me, once again appearing, was my berserk-crazed image, his eyes burning green with anger as the thing stared straight at me.

"No, this isn't happening right now. You're not real!" I told myself, trying to calm myself down. "You can't be real! You're just in my head!"

But then, the evil figure came to life by cloaking its hands with black ooze and morphing them into fists with a swing of his hands. Believing it was picking a fight, I clenched my fists while shooting forward and swung with a flurry of kicks and punches. However, the evil image ducked and dodged every blow, and when I slugged, it countered with a powerful blow to my face sending me tumbling to the ground. As I quickly got back up, I tried again as I swung with a kick and punched, only for the figure to dodge and duck everyone I threw with incredible reflexes.

"Damn it! Is he reading me? He has to be! Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to dodge so easily! In that case!"

I then jumped back and held out my hands, conjuring a pair of water stars, throwing them, and then used my blade spell to cover my hand with water, turning it into a sword. While my evil doppelganger deflected the shurikens, I shot forward, clenching it by the handle, intending to take advantage. But as I quickly got close swinging my blade, the image bent back, dodging my slice, and kicked squarely under my jaw, stunning me. As I recoiled in pain, I felt a mighty blow from my stomach, another on my cheek, and a third on my chest. As I fell flat on the ground in pain from the force, I sprang back up and let out a Water Dragon Roar from my mouth, intending to blow him away. But in doing so, I hit a tree knocking the wind out of my body and banging and bruising my body even more.

As I landed on the ground, I struggled to get back up, trying to regain my sense of balance. But as I managed to sit up straight, something wet and sticky wrapped around my legs. I looked down and saw two tendrils made of sticky black ooze that bound my legs. I tried to shake them off, but they held me tightly. I raised my hand, hoping to use my magic to get free, but then, I felt something else wrapping around my hand, restricting and stopping me. It was another tendril of black ooze. To make things worse, as I tried to pull myself free, another tendril shot out, wrapping around my free hand.

Now, like an animal in a trap, I thrashed around, trying to break free, but to no avail. Then, I saw the figure walking toward me, stalking me while staring at me with its bright green eyes. As it got closer, my heart was practically at my throat as it hammered inside, my terror at its peak, and my body shaking like a leaf. I wanted to run. I had to get away, but my body felt weak and frozen. I felt helpless. Defenseless. Unable to do anything and about to lose my mind with terror.

"No... No, please! Stay away! Get away from me!" I cried, trying to back away. "Just leave me alone!"

It wasn't listening as it brandished its claws and pounced straight toward me. I shut my eyes, letting out a scream expecting to be torn apart. But as quickly as it all happened, silence fell. At first, I waited, wondering why the blow never came and what the thing was waiting for. Then, I cautiously opened one eye. No one was around, and I found myself back in the swamp. Everything that I had just seen had disappeared without a trace. Even the ooze that held me had gone.

I sat there, processing whether what I experienced was a dream or not. My heart still pounded as I tried to get my breathing in order. Then, my vision became blurry and watery as my eyes began to burn. At that moment, I started to sob, holding my face in my hands.

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If you have any questions, DM me!

And as always, thank you for reading! And I hope to see you next chapter!

Dragomaster, signing off!