"Wait!" Natsu exclaimed before Ena could lead them out of the throne room. Turning to Dhegensea, a serious expression plastered itself onto the Salamander's face. "I got some questions for you!"
"Natsu, don't be so rude…!" Lucy warned with a huff; though she was still upset at the fire dragon she didn't want him to screw everyone over with his abrasiveness.
"Yes?" Dhegensea didn't seem to mind, though Ena and Kurthnaga were standing on their toes in slight suspense at the thought of their father lashing out.
"You're old, ain't ya?" Natsu questioned, causing some people to face palm. "You know something about Igneel and the other dragons don't you?"
The question sparked the interest of the other dragon slayers who did have missing parents. "Y-yeah…do you know anything about our parents…?" Wendy questioned weakly.
"Please tell us if you know anything…!" Selene pleaded.
"…." Dhegensea remained silent before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I know nothing of the Dragons that vanished." He then looked towards Natsu, tilting his head. Something about him... "You said Igneel, did you not?"
"Yeah, he was my dragon, my father." Natsu said with a firm nod. "Ever since he vanished, it's been my goal to find him."
"...But, Igneel already had..." Dhegensea trailed off. Natsu tilted his head curiously at his words, but he shook his head. "Never mind. I'm sorry, it is nothing that concerns you at this point."
"Tch…" Natsu couldn't help but feel like Dhegensea was lying, but he couldn't prove it so he moved onto his next question. "Alright…tell us why you haven't fought Acnologia yet. It's easy to tell you're no slouch in battle."
"Natsu...!" Lucy groaned. She hated when Natsu gave people the third degree like this!
"As I said before, I'm peaceful. I will not fight unless the situation absolutely calls for it, and dealing with that beast is something I won't do on my own accord." Dhegensea responded. His attention then shifted to Erza. Something about her...was extremely familiar. "Pardon me, human with red hair."
"Me?" Erza pointed at herself. "Is there something about me?"
"Well...how do I explain this. You remind me of someone I once knew long ago." Dhegensea said slowly. "There was a woman who you bear a striking resemblance too. She played a part in the war between humans and dragons..." The scent Erza carried was extremely similar to that woman as well. "What is your name?"
"Erza Scarlet." Erza replied. "Perhaps this person was a distant relative of mine? Not that I would know much about that, I'm afraid. I know nothing of my own birth parents. Fairy Tail is the only home I've truly known."
"...Scarlet..." Dhegensea repeated that calmly. "A distant relative? No, I'm afraid not. I do not believe that woman ever had her child..." He then shook his head. "My apologies. It must be nothing. Please, carry on."
"I-I think that's enough questions for now…" Ena gave a slightly nervous laugh before ushering Fairy Tail out of the throne room. "C-Come on now, let me give you a tour of our wonderful castle!"
"I suppose I should do the same for you too, White Eclipse…" Kurthnaga sighed, using the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. With that, both guilds were out of the throne room.
"Hm…" Dhegensea folded his arms, staring at the doors as they closed.
"Is something wrong, my king?" Nasir questioned with a curious stare at the king.
"That boy…." Dhegensea began. "He questioned me about Igneel's whereabouts…but it was odd. I could sense Igneel's presence in this very room just after he mentioned it. Not just, but the other dragons as well. This has my interest. Will you finally come out of hiding, Igneel…? And why did you hide Ignia's existence from that boy as well..."
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The depths of an uncharted forest within Fiore contained a mansion-like structure that not many knew what is was for. All the people knew is that it was bad news to even step foot near this building, and those who dared to brave the warnings of the people were never seen again. This was the guild named Fukomakura, home to Ophelia and various other members of this guild.
"So, you didn't find out anything, did you?" Desdemona, in just a robe, questioned while sitting on her chair, one leg crossed over the other while eying her daughter and Kize. "Not a single thing?" Her foot now tapping against the floor while she impatiently waited for an answer.
"Well…" Ophelia began, but Kize cut her off.
"Not a single thing, my lady!" He exclaimed, quivering from excitement. "I failed, so please punish me, lady Desdemona! Dominate me, please!"
"Ah…" Ophelia blinked; a part of her saw this coming but it still took her by surprise.
"Very well…" Desdemona nodded and stood up, leaving for a moment just to change. When she returned, she wore stiletto heels and held a knotted whip in her hand. "On your knees." And Kize was quick to comply, dropping to the floor on his knees whilst panting like a dog. There was no smile on Desdemona's face as she reared her arm back, some sort of pent up aggression finally bubbling within her chest. The loud whizzing noise from swinging the whip was followed up with a large CRACK as it hit Kize's back, tearing through his shirt and skin.
"OH MY YES!" Kize yelled in a mixture of pain and ecstasy, writhing in pain while his body shivered from excitement. He bit his bottom lip until it began bleeding, running like a faucet down his lower lip until it ran down his chin. "Mi'Lady, PLEASE!" He begged for more.
"…." Ophelia could only watch in a mixture of disgust and enjoyment. She hated when Desdemona punished Kize because he always ended up enjoying it, but seeing her mother angry at someone other than her was nice, even though Desdemona was never really angry with her.
"Do you know what I hate more than anything else, Kize?" Desdemona questioned, her voice devoid of any turmoil within her mind. She squatted down beside the male, the green haired female grabbed his chin, holding his face in place so their eyes were locked on one another.
Kize would've melted right then and there if he had the choice; locking gazes with his love was a lifelong dream he rarely managed to fulfil. "I…no, ma'am…what's that exactly? Please tell me."
"What I detest most…is anyone who thinks they're better than me? Do you know what I do to people who believe such…?" At first, her hold was gentle. But with each passing word that left her lips, her hand squeezed, nails digging into the flesh, drawing blood. Leaning in closer, she waited for an answer. Kize shook his head no, not having the answer to the rhetorical question. But he was sure he was going to find out soon enough, feeling an odd mixture of pain and pleasure that came out in the form of moans that echoed throughout the guildhall. He could taste his own blood again and he was sure he couldn't be happier.
"I don't kill them…" Desdemona whispered, lips hovering above Kize's for a split second. In the next instant, her dark nails suddenly grew into hardened talons that dug into Kize's skull, skewering the male while latching onto the bone of Kize's jaw. In the next instant, with a quick yank, the full blooded Wraith tore Kize's jaw from his skull, blood splattering on her face while raining down his chest, the muscle and ligaments hanging in tatter ribbons from his neck. "I'll destroy them." Her voice was calm and smooth.
Once the talons formed, Kize began screaming; even this masochist could only take so much. Even though he enjoyed the pain, pain was still pain. His screams deafened the halls and only became loudly while writhing in pain. Once his jaw came off, he began shaking in a seizure-like state. "MILADY!" He muffled without a lower jaw, crying in agony yet still somehow in a sense of pleasure.
Desdemona dropped Kize's jaw and patted his face while standing up. "Next time you demand for me to do something, I'll rip more than your face off, got it?" She didn't expect an answer, so she just snapped the fingers of the clean hand, a dim light washing over Kize as the time around the male reversed, placing his jaw back in place to leave him in one piece. With another snap of her fingers, a dim light surrounded her and she cleaned herself up. "Now leave." Kize nodded and left her presence.
The entire time, Ophelia watched with a pleased expression. Watching Kize suffer was always pleasurable to her. "HA!" She couldn't help but laugh.
"Ophelia dear…" Desdemona sat back on her chair, patting her lap. "Take a seat." Even though she wasn't truly mad or upset at Ophelia, she was the only one in the room now. She never laid her hands on the girl, and she wasn't going to start now. Though Ophelia wasn't aware of this fact.
The half wraith froze for a second, dreading what she thought was about to happen. The silence made her wonder if her mother was angry, or just about to explode. Nodding slowly, she listened and sat on her mother's lap. Waiting anxiously for what she thought was about to happen.
Now, Desdemona took hold of Ophelia's chin, tilting her head this way and that before releasing it, but not before giving a harsh squeeze to her jaw. "When I say get information…whether Kize is here…or Oda, or Sjo, or any of the others, I expect answers. Next time, you'd better come back with something better than 'No'. I'll rip that tongue of yours from your mouth and gut you like a flounder, only to rewind time and do it over and over again. Understood?"
Without a doubt, Desdemona was the only thing in existence that could instill fear into Ophelia. Nodding slowly twice, she showed a high level of understanding. "I-I understand…"
"Good…" And with that, Desdemona shoved Ophelia from her lap. "Now, do something about your hair. It's atrocious."
"B-but…" Ophelia liked her curly hair, though she wasn't going to talk back to her mother, not after the events that just transpired. "Right…" And with that, Ophelia left the room.
A few moments passed before Desdemona called on someone else. "Oda."
Within a minute, a blonde male with an eyepatch on his left eye appeared, bowing respectfully to Desdemona. "Yes, Lady Desdemona?"
"Where are those loathsome Fairies up to now?" She questioned while taking a hairbrush and began running it through her green locks.
"Hold on a moment…" Oda took a moment before using his unique feature: The All Seeing Eye. It allowed him to see whatever he wanted, even the mind of his opponent if he were in a battle. "It appears they are on…a floating island in the sky?"
"Oh…?" Desdemona seemed to have a hint of interest. "That old island is coming up again? Things just got that much more interesting…I wonder what that old fossil is planning now…"
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"You have to be a little more careful with how you ask your questions…" Ena was speaking to Natsu, letting out a heavy sigh while leading Fairy Tail down the castle hallways. "I was sure my father was going to explode for a second there…"
"And I was sure he knew somethin' about Igneel, but I guess we were both wrong…" Natsu responded grumpily.
"Now, now Natsu-san," Mii said while waving a finger back and forth disapprovingly. "We don't always get what we want, so you'll just have to do whatever it takes to get it!"
"Uhm…" Lucy's eyes narrowed towards Mii. "I don't think that's how the saying goes."
"Oh…oops. Oh well, what do I know?" Mii shrugged, playing things off with a simple smile. "So, Ena, where are we going first?" She was quick to change subjects.
"Well, first…" Ena didn't think about that, but it didn't take long for her to get a destination in mind. "Oh, I know exactly where to go! One of our prized treasures that has only been written down in legends down in the human world…"
"And what would that be…?" Lucy was curious.
"You'll see when we get there!" Ena chirped.
"Wendy, are you sure you can walk…?" Cynthia questioned as Wendy limped beside her, using her as support.
"I'm fine…" Wendy replied with a slight nod. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone…but I'm fine."
"Wendy…" Carla was worried like Cynthia. Everyone seemed to be concerned as well but Wendy was determined to walk.
"Thank you, Cynthia…" Wendy responded with a soft smile, continuing to lean on Cynthia.
"Of course…anything for you." Cynthia responded with a soft smile of her own.
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Ena led the Fairy Tail group into a large circular room; the light from the sky shone down onto one single location: the large purple blade that was embedded within a small stone pedestal. "And here we go!"
"W-What is that thing…?" Erza seemed mesmerized by the power the sword in the stone gave off. She wasn't the only one who could feel it.
"This is the Eternal Sword…" Ena said with a slight smile. "This sword was created by the Celestial Spirit Origin, and it was used long ago when this island was back in the ocean. This is the blade that the ancient hero used to aid my father in the war, all the way back in the past!"
"Origin…?" Lucy crossed her arms before shaking her head. "I've never heard of that Celestial Spirit before…"
"You haven't…?" Ena then shrugged. "I suppose it's not common knowledge…it's rarely talked about, even in the history books. But he crafted that blade, and only a select chosen few are capable of wielding the blade, which is capable of doing anything the user wishes. It is said that Origin could be on par with the Celestial Spirit King himself!"
"No way…" Gray's jaw dropped at the information. "A blade that can do anything is sitting here on this island…!?"
"For good reason," Ena responded. "No one on this island is capable of using this blade, let alone lift it up. But in order to use it, one must have a blessing of the Hero or his bloodline, or the will to use the blade. Neither of which are easy to come by, since this sword contains immeasurable power. "
"What was this Hero's name, anyway?" Lucy turned to Ena.
"Yggdrasil, the angel!" Ena clasped her hands together. "He was incredibly powerful. He bestowed his power upon this island and we've lived in peace ever since! Well...until recently, that is."
"Yeah?" Mii lifted a brow at this. But before that question could continue, Natsu was making his way to the Eternal Sword.
"I wanna try!" Natsu said while rubbing his hands together.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Lucy shook her head. Natsu was far from someone who used swords anyway. This could only end badly. Natsu reached out for the handle of the Eternal Sword, attempted to tug it up. It budged only a little bit.. And then he received a powerful electric shock that everyone saw.
"GAAAAAAAH!?" Natsu cried out comically as he was then thrown to the side, twitching on the floor.
"HAH!" Gray and Gajeel both laughed at the attempt.
"I don't think that Origin spirit really cared for you." Laxus crossed his arms.
"I bet you could lift it, Erza-san." Mii said while nudging Erza's shoulder. "Maybe even swing it around a bit?"
"Ah…" Erza honestly thought about it for a second. "Do you think I could?" She was speaking to both Mii and Ena, catching some of the mages off guard.
"Ah…" Ena thought about it for a second before giving a shrug. "I mean…if you want to, I won't stop you. I'm just going to warn you in saying it's going to hurt if you can't withdraw the sword from the stone. You saw what happened to Natsu-san."
"Erza-san is really strong! Juvia is certain she can pull it out!" Juvia nodded.
"Give it a shot then!" Ena gave a supportive smile and stepped to the side.
"Good luck, Erza!" Mirajane said while giving a slight wave.
"Thank you, I'm sure this won't be so bad…" Erza was certain, cracking her knuckles in preparation to pull out the Eternal Sword from the pedestal. Once reaching the blade, she firmly grasped the hilt with both hands. "Here we go…" Lifting the hilt up, only for the blade to budge just slightly. "Hnnnnnnnng…!"
"Did it move?" Cana questioned.
"It always moves a little bit…" Ena replied. "Now…"
There was just another slight, barely noticeable shift in the blade. Ena and Mii spotted it though it didn't seem like anyone else did. "This thing is really embedded…" Erza grunted. A few seconds later a powerful shock started to emit from the blade and shock her nerves powerfully. A pained yelp briefly escaped Titania before she was thrown back, landing on the floor on her back, smoke emitting from her palms.
"Erza….!"
"Ngh…." Erza twitched on the ground violently for a second before standing up. "That…didn't go like I thought it would."
"Are you okay!?" Lucy was very concerned for Erza after the display.
"I'm fine…" Erza responded. "Just a little shock, nothing I couldn't handle."
"That was something else…" Ena mumbled. "Either my eyes were deceiving me…or she moved it…"
"Ha…well, how about that…" Mii thought to herself, tapping her chin with her index finger. "I didn't think that would actually work. She might be the only one here who could...if that's the case, I better keep my eye on her."
.
"Moving right along…" Ena began while leading the group through the prison block; it was one of the only ways to get to what she REALLY wanted to show them. "Ah…don't move to close to the bars, the captives here are violent…"
"Captives?" Levy wondered.
"Yes…dragons that worked alongside Gaius to bring ruin to this island…we've captured them and put them in these cells. They can't escape, and it's not just dragons in here either. We have some people who somehow managed to sneak on the island…"
"Don't get too close, huh?" Mii leaned forward just as the arm of the prisoners reached out to claw at her. She was just out of reach, which only aggravated the dragon even more. "Ehehe…" Giving a grin, Mii tauntingly spoke. "You know, putting an animal in a cage, no matter how dangerous, doesn't make it scary…"
"Mii, you'd do best not to provoke them." Makarov spoke with caution.
"Ah, don't worry about it," Waving a dismissive hand, Mii's eyes glossed over some cages before one in particular caught her attention. All within a split second, her composure broke and she took a step to the cage before there was a brief blackout. "Huh!?"
.
"I told you not to touch anything, Luke!" Aira scolded the copycat while placing a hand on her hip, scowling at Luke.
"B-But I didn't!?" Luke waved his hands in a defensive manner.
"Way to be a klutz, Luke…" Jaxon said while shaking his head back and forth in a disapproving manner.
"Let's all be calm now!" Kurthnaga chuckled. "This happens occasionally, don't worry about it."
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"That blackout was odd…" Lucy said while looking around before her eyes rested on Mii. "Mii…are you okay?" Lucy had to ask. She noticed Mii's brief break in composure, and it was the first time since meeting the mysterious female that she didn't seem like herself. "You look a little shaken up."
"Ah…?" Mii snapped back to attention, shaking her head at Lucy. "Pfft, I'm fine…it's nothing. What did you want to show us, Ena?"
"Oh, right…it's just down this hall…" Ena was now quite excited, leading the Fairy Tail group back outside into a sparkling lake that radiated a certain mystic power. "Here we are! Say hello to the Mystic Lake, which contains the Mystic Water."
"Mystic…Water…?" Juvia blinked slowly. "Juvia has never heard of this kind of water before…"
"It's special water…this water has the ability to heal any and all wounds, illnesses…" Ena went on and on. Juvia's interest began to grow and grow; it was the first time since meeting Gray that something else had Juvia's complete attention.
"No way…" Juvia clasped her hands together. "This island really is something special…!"
"And it will all be gone if we cannot stop Gaius…" Ena's cheerful expression slowly turned into something more solemn and serious. "I don't know if you've come to a decision just yet…but I would hate to see everything on this island…"
"We'll come to a decision soon enough, Ena." Makarov ensured the young female dragon with a nod. "This is a very big matter, so we will discuss it in length."
"I appreciate it…" Ena nodded with a soft smile. "There is building just south of the castle where you can rest for the day…I know it's been long so you deserve some rest…"
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Next Time: The Challenge!