The climb up into the Tower of Heaven was long and frustrating, and Nora felt her ire only continue to rise as the group came across a table full of food and just started eating.

"That could be poison," she remarked as she propped Magnhild up and leaned against her weapon, watching Gray and Natsu especially stuff their faces while Juvia was more reserved.

Natsu shook his head. "Would've smelled it, probably."

"Probably." Nora raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

Gray snorted. "Besides, I don't see any red cups or grape drinks. I think we're fine."

"Blockhead!" Natsu suddenly screamed again, tilting his head back to yell at the ceiling.

Lucy looked at the pink-haired boy in frustration. "Don't yell like that!"

"We already made such a big mess downstairs," Gray grumbled. "There's no reason for us to be sneaking around anymore."

"We could try," Nora disagreed, her eyes narrowing. "They might know we're here, but we're a small group. The longer it takes for them to find us, the easier it'll be for us to find Happy and Erza." She huffed. "Which we should be working on right now, instead of stuffing our faces."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Seriously, why are you guys eating that?!"

"It looks like a meal has been prepared," Virgo said. "Shall you partake, princess?"

Lucy blinked. "I, um… Uh… Look-..."

"That door from before was operated remotely, through magic," Juvia remarked, getting back to business. "Our presence is completely known."

Lucy grew uneasy. "Then, why in the world-..?"

"Maybe they're challenging us," Gray offered casually.

Lucy raised a hand to her chin, frowning. "A challenge?"

"A game," Nora muttered, looking down with a glare. "With us as the pieces and our lives as the stakes." She gritted her teeth, then she took a deep breath. "Gods, I hate these."

"Nora-san has been in this sort of situation before?" Juvia asked curiously.

Nora sighed, opening her eyes. "Larger scale, but yeah." She looked at her friends with a frown, shaking her head. "It means that whoever is behind this thing has no regard for human life. They're in this for their own benefit, and they get their kicks from watching people struggle and suffer pointlessly." She glanced at Gray. "If this is a challenge, a game… it's one that they're sure they can win."

Gray went to respond, then he noticed something behind Nora and his face suddenly flushed. "H-Hey, wait—you're not getting changed right here, are you?!"

"Gray-sama, don't look!" Juvia shrieked, and Nora promptly clapped her hand over the boy's eyes, deadpanning. "... Thank you."

Nora nodded, then she sighed. "Natsu, if I catch you looking-"

"Heh." The pink-haired boy grinned, closing his eyes. "I know, I know. Legs."

"Ah, so he can learn!" Nora joked, and Gray snickered as Natsu's face flushed. Juvia raised a hand to her mouth to conceal a smile, and Nora sighed and pulled her hand away from Gray's eyes when she felt them close. "You guys are gonna be the death of me."

"Hey, you're the one who chose to become responsible for a bunch of idiots," Gray insisted, smiling. "And me."

Nora snorted. "Well, I remember how I was when I was your age. If I wasn't responsible, you'd probably die... or something."

Bad choice of words.

That stung...

"You're older than us?" Natsu tilted his head, seeming surprised.

Nora blinked, then she nodded. "Oh, yeah. I'm almost twenty."

"But you're so cute and tiny!" Lucy insisted, and Nora looked back to see the girl in a long green, white, yellow, and blue dress. "Sorry."

"Hm." Nora propped Magnhild against a wall and crossed her arms, a little annoyed. "I admit, I'm only 5'1"; but I'm really nineteen and I'd like to remind everyone here that, without the use of magic, I'm probably the strongest person in the room."

"Oh, yeah?" Natsu slammed his arm down on the table, grinning. "Prove it."

"... You are definitely my karma for a past life," Nora decided, then she walked over, sat down, rested her arm on the table, and clasped Natsu's hand. "Alright. No magic?"

"No magic," Natsu agreed, smiling deviously at the girl. "Just strength."

Gray, Juvia, and Lucy watched eagerly while Virgo tilted her head.

Nora and Natsu began struggling against one another, each of them trying to force the other's arm down onto the table's surface.

Nora bared her gritted teeth in a smirk while Natsu started growling as he exerted more and more effort, and Gray's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. Not bad, Nora. You might actually be-"

"SHUT UP, GRAY!" Natsu released Nora's hand and lunged, tackling Gray to the ground and starting a brawl.

Nora blinked, then she laughed and shook her head. 'Gee, what did I expect? My contest with Yang didn't end clearly, either!'

"Enough, you two!" Lucy scolded as Virgo pulled the boys apart and dropped them down onto their feet, and they huffed as they crossed their arms and faced away from each other.

Gray looked at Lucy, then he gave a small grin and nodded in approval. "Cute outfit."

Juvia huffed. "Juvia is so frustrated!"

"He liiiikes her," Virgo decided, keeping her voice flat, and Juvia, Gray, and Lucy all cringed at the insinuation.

"Please, don't roll your tongue." Lucy sighed.

Natsu squinted at the spirit. "Where did you learn to mimic Happy?"

"Princess, I wish you the best of luck," Virgo told Lucy, starting to fade without answering the Fire Dragon-Slayer.

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, Virgo!" She blinked as the spirit vanished, then she regarded her friends. "Oh. I should have asked if she could have gotten all of you some new clothes."

"We'll dry them off in a jiff," Gray assured her, holding his leg close to Natsu—who had simply set himself on fire.

Lucy's eyes widened as she saw this. "Human drying machine!"

Nora giggled, raising a hand to her mouth, then she blinked as she suddenly felt like all of the uncomfortable water was gone from her clothes and looked up. Juvia had her hand raised, and all of the water was being collected into a sphere which she quickly willed away with a wave of her hand.

"Thanks!" Nora grinned at the water-mage. "I owe you one."

"No." Juvia shook her head. "It is Juvia who owes Nora-san." She looked up glumly. "For Phantom."

Nora blinked, then she gave a small sigh and shook her head. "Juvia, all you did was knock me around a bit." She snorted. "I've had worse in everyday training." Her expression softened, and she stood to face the other girl. "I think we're good, you and I." She glanced at Lucy, then she looked back at Juvia. "... She's really not interested in Gray, y'know? Like, at all." Nora stepped a bit closer to Juvia, smiling deviously. "Back at the Fairy Tail guild-hall, we have underground betting on couples. The big one for Lucy is NaLu, and Gray's got about thirty-thousand riding on it."

"Huh?" Juvia blinked, then she glanced at where Natsu and Lucy were bickering about where Virgo learned to mimic Happy while Gray watched them with an exasperated smile and shook his head. "He-..?"

"He, like the rest of us, is waiting for those two oblivious losers to get a clue," Nora insisted, and Juvia's eyes lit up. "So… if you want to start really making things up… I'd recommend that you start with Lucy, okay?" Juvia blinked, then she looked down. "... She's really nice. I bet that, if you gave her a chance, you two would be really good friends."

"Hm." Juvia glanced at Nora, giving a small smile and nodding. "Juvia will try."

Nora nodded back. "That's all you can do."

"There they are!" A shout suddenly rang out, and everyone looked up to see several guards approaching with their spears raised. "The intruders!"

However, before they could get close, an armored figure wielding two blades swiftly dispatched them, causing Natsu, Gray, and Lucy all to shout in amazement: "Erza!"

"You're safe!" Lucy cried, relieved.

"C-Cool…" Juvia managed, her eyes wide and her face flushed as she stared at the knight.

Nora crossed her arms and nodded. "I know, right? She's got flair."

"Why are you here?!" Erza demanded, looking up at the group as if she was looking at their coffins.

Never a good sign.

Lucy blinked. "Why?"

"Um…" Juvia seemed to think that this was directed at her. "Juvia is-"

"Go back!" Erza snapped, and Juvia flinched.

Nora quickly placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder, and she frowned at Erza. "Excuse us, but you were kidnapped after you refused to fight back. I think you can understand why we weren't exactly comfortable with leaving you alone with these people."

"This is not a place you should have come to," Erza insisted, her eyes narrowed.

Natsu punched one palm with the opposite fist, sending a poof of flame out. "Don't go sayin' that, Erza! If we retreat with our tails between our legs, it'll shame the name of Fairy Tail! I am not going to let that blockhead off easy!"

"Head-shot," Nora noted, recalling Natsu's side of the story. "It's personal."

"I said, go back," Erza pressed through gritted teeth.

Lucy frowned. "But-"

"Happy's been kidnapped!" Natsu shouted, frustrated. "You expect me to leave him?!"

"Happy?" Erza's eyes widened. "Millianna couldn't have-..."

"Where is he?!" Natsu demanded.

Erza shook her head. "I don't know…"

"Okay, I got it," the Fire Dragon-Slayer decided, his eyes narrowed.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "What do you get?"

Natsu suddenly sprinted past Erza and out of the room. "HAPPY IS WAITING FOR ME!"

"Natsu," Erza managed, stunned.

Gray sighed. "That idiot."

"Hey, it's Happy," Nora chided, grabbing Magnhild and shrugging. "If your best friend goes missing, you go a li~ttle nuts."

"But Natsu-san..." Juvia murmured worriedly.

Lucy clenched her fists. "We're going, too!"

Erza suddenly raised one of her blades. "No!" The others flinched, but Nora glared at the knight's turned back. "Millianna loves cats above all else. I cannot believe that she would do harm to Happy. I will take responsibility for bringing both of them back."

"I'll find them, and I'll bring them back."

Nora shook her head.

"Not alone."

"This is not a negotiation," Erza stated without feeling. "You will get as far away from here as quickly as you can."

"No!" Lucy shouted, her fists clenching again as she stepped forward. "Not without you, Erza!"

"This is my problem!" Again, there was a snap in the knight's voice. "I do not want to get you involved."

"... Hypocrite," Nora spoke, and she suddenly found a blade at her throat.

Erza did not look back. "What?"

"Hypocrite," Nora repeated the accusation, and her eyes narrowed. "Give me a break, Erza. If this was any of us, where would you be?" She knocked the sword aside with her hammer, causing Lucy to shriek. "We would rather die than betray a friend, remember? You're asking us to turn our backs on you and run when you're in trouble, when Happy and Natsu are in trouble. I call that betrayal." Nora's eyes narrowed. "And I know your tone of voice."

"Do you?" Erza still would not look back.

"Yeah." Nora nodded. "Face it, Erza: you are both being a hypocritical drama queen… and you are giving up and running off to die in this gods-forsaken hellhole… and I am accepting neither!" Nora stepped forward, scowling. "You don't get to play the martyr!"

"... I'm not her," Erza murmured, lowering her sword. "I'm not your friend who died."

Long, red hair and a longer, red sash waved with her movements as Pyrrha Nikos walked away.

"Where is she going?"

Nora took a deep breath.

"I know," she said quietly. "But you're making her mistake… You are not going in there alone, Erza. I won't let you."

"None of us will," Gray pressed, stepping forward. "It's already our problem."

"Erza, what is this tower?" Lucy asked warily, though her brown eyes were narrowed. "Who is Jellal?" She blinked, then she folded her hands behind her back and looked down. "I understand if you don't want to tell us… You said that they used to be your friends, right?" She looked up, smiling nervously. "But now, we're your friends. We're on your side no matter what, Erza!"

"You heard the ladies," Gray said, grinning.

Erza's body tensed, her grip on her blades tightening. "... Go back."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Erza…"

"This ain't like you, Captain Erza." Gray turned to her, frowning. "You'd usually say 'follow me, and no complaining'... We'll lend you a hand. Even you get scared sometimes, right?"

Erza finally looked back, revealing that her eye—just the left eye—was filled with tears.

Gray actually let out a dramatic choking sound and gripped his heart; it was completely genuine, as far as Nora could tell.

Lucy merely gasped and Juvia looked concerned.

"... Mark that down as 'really scared'," Nora decided, frowning.

"I'm sorry," Erza said softly, wiping her eyes with her armor as well as she could. "Whether I win or lose this battle, I will vanish from this world."

As the knight turned away, crossing her arms, Lucy gasped again while Gray's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"This is a future I cannot oppose," Erza went on as if they had not spoken, adjusting the armor on her arm. "Therefore-..." She looked up, giving a weak smile. "Therefore, while I still exist, I'll tell you everything."

'Okay… This is bad,' Nora decided, gazing at Erza warily. 'She really has given up… Listen carefully, find a way out.'

"The name of this tower is 'the Tower of Heaven', also known as the R-System," Erza began. "More than ten years ago, a black-magic religious cult constructed it in order to cast a forbidden spell to resurrect someone from the dead."

Nora felt her skin crawl. 'Cue a young Salem's unholy screeching.'

"It requires a large number of living sacrifices," Erza continued. "Also, through the slave labor of the sacrificial humans, they amplified the magical power they needed… I was one of those living sacrifices when I was little."

'... Oh, I'm gonna break so many legs,' Nora thought, her eyes narrowing as the others audibly gasped.

"Those who tried to escape or rebelled… one by one, they disappeared," Erza said. "There was no peace of mind. We lived in constant fear. Even so, I made friends who I could open up to—even if it was only for a brief moment… And one of the people I knew then was Jellal." She took a deep breath. "One day, one of our friends… Sho… came up with a plan to escape by tunneling through the wall and hiding our progress behind one of the crates we used for furniture. He was young and small, but very clever.

Still, we were caught, and I tried to take the blame, but Jellal spoke up first." She closed her eyes. "They did not believe him, as I had started to speak. They thought he was protecting me. They took me, and they tortured me and eventually took my right eye from my head."

"Erza…" Lucy stared at her.

Erza looked down. "Jellal came after me. I don't know how he did it, but he stole a sword and he fought his way through the tower and got me out of there. He told me that, now that we had started, we could not stop. We had to fight… The magical guards came, and they took Jellal into the tower and sent me back to work." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But something in me had changed, in that tower, seeing my friend taken away…

When he saw my condition, Sho began to cry, and the guards were going to lash out. I took up arms, and I stopped them—and I told the others to do the same." She looked up. "For our freedom… to save Jellal… we rose up and fought." The knight turned her back. "Jellal was our leader. He had a strong sense of justice, and I looked up to him… but-... But it was right at that moment that Jellal turned into a completely different person." Her fists clenched tighter around the hilts of her blades. "If it is possible to call a person 'evil', then that is what I shall call Jellal.

After we won the battle and our freedom, I sent the others to the boats while I went after Jellal. When I finally reached him… after so many died, including the man who was our guardian and who we all considered to be our grandfather… he was no longer the boy I knew." Erza sighed, closing her eyes. "I had changed as well, learning magic amidst the grief and rage of battle, but… Jellal was-..." Her hands shook. "He was-..."

"Erza?" Nora tried.

"... He told me that, in the world, there was no true freedom and that if we wanted to find it, we would have to complete the cult's mission," Erza said softly. "We would have to resurrect the being they worshiped… Zeref." She shook her head. "I watched him use magic to begin tormenting some of our oppressors, and I tried to stop him. He told me that, without the use of hate, I could never stand with him. He then killed a man right in front of me like it was nothing, and he laughed.

I tried to convince him to leave, and… he attacked me." The knight closed her eyes. "He cast me out, and he told me that—since I wanted so badly to leave—I could leave on my own… He would keep everyone else."

"Keep them?" Gray asked, his eyes narrowed.

Erza opened her eyes. "He said that the tower needed workers, and that he would be kind to them to increase their efficiency." She gritted her teeth, then she took a deep breath. "He told me that they would not be sacrificed, that there was another way. Still, I knew that he was talking about keeping our friends as slaves and I begged him to see reason… He attacked me again, telling me that he no longer needed me but would allow me to keep my life because I had eliminated the cult for him." She looked down. "He was stronger than I was, Jellal.

I did not know where that strength came from, nor the cruelty with which he used it, but…" She closed her eyes again. "He said I could have my false freedom, but I would never tell anyone about the Tower of Heaven. If I said a word, he would have to destroy the tower and kill all of the workers so that he could disappear and renew his work elsewhere." The knight's hands shook with a bit more violence. "And he said… if I tried to come myself to deal with him… he would kill Sho first.

Sho, who was so small…" Erza's next breath trembled. "That will be your freedom. Live knowing that your friends' lives hang on your shoulders… That is what he told me, before he cast me into the sea. I eventually made my way to the shore, and-..."

"... For years, you've kept the secret," Nora murmured. "Protecting your friends the only way you could… while Jellal convinced them that you were the traitor."

"So it seems," Erza whispered, and tears started to fall from her left eye again. "And now, I… will fight Jellal."

"Wait a second, Erza," Gray spoke up. "That Zeref that was in your story…"

"Yes—you should know about Zeref, too," Erza noted, wiping her eye.

Lucy blinked. "I'm pretty sure they called that monster that came out of the Lullaby one of Zeref's demons."

"That's not all," Erza said. "I suspect that Deliora was also one of Zeref's demons."

Gray's eyes widened, and Juvia frowned. "And Jellal is trying to resurrect this Zeref person?"

"I don't understand his motive," Erza admitted, looking back. "Sho said something about when the resurrection was complete, that they'd become rulers over Heaven."

"Sounds more like the other place," Nora remarked, her eyes narrowed.

Lucy raised her hand to her chin. "I really don't understand how your past allies could turn against you. Wasn't the traitor Jellal and not you, Erza?"

"It's probably as Nora said." Erza gestured to the Huntress. "Jellal must have somehow indoctrinated them after I disappeared." She looked down. "But I left them here for eight years." Her eyes closed as her shoulders slumped. "The fact is, I did betray them."

"But it was for their sake!" Lucy protested, her eyes narrowing. "They have to-!"

"Enough, Lucy." Erza sighed, and the blonde looked away. "If I can defeat Jellal, this will all be over."

Gray did not look convinced.

Nora definitely wasn't.

"Big Sis?" A voice spoke, and everyone looked back to see a familiar figure standing there. "That story…" Sho's brow was furrowed in confusion and anger, but his eyes were wide as though he was ready to panic and a cold sweat had formed on his forehead. Nora also thought she might have seen tear-tracks drying on his cheeks. "What was it supposed to mean?"

Erza's eyes widened. "Sho…"

"Y-You trying to get sympathy from your pals with that tall tale?" Sho demanded, his fists clenching, then he threw his hands down and glared at the knight. "Give me a break! That's not even close to the truth! You blew up your ships and ran away by yourself! If Jellal hadn't noticed your betrayal, we all would have burned and sunk into the sea!" The knight froze, staring at the boy in disbelief. "He told us that was the fate of those who didn't learn the proper way to use magic, that you were drunk from the power of magic! You tried to rid yourself of all of us and your past!"

"... Jellal told you this?" Gray asked.

Lucy frowned. "Is that something the Erza you know would have done?"

"Guys," Nora warned them as Sho reeled back with a gasp, seeming to choke on whatever he might have said next. "Easy…"

Erza said nothing, and Sho's anger flared up again even as his narrowed eyes started to fill with tears. "What do you know? You don't know anything about us!" His shoulders sagged as he cast his gaze down, his body starting to tremble as he looked ready to sob. "Only Jellal's words were able to save us. That's why we spent these past eight years finishing this tower!" The boy's shaking worsened. "For Jellal… If-... If it was all a lie-... If you are right, Big Sis… and Jellal is wrong…"

"That's right," a voice spoke, and a shadow filled the room before the massive man from Akane—Simon, Erza had called him—emerged and the light returned.

Gray went to lunge. "You!"

"Please wait, Gray-sama," Juvia insisted, raising an arm to stop him. "Back then, he purposefully attacked Gray-sama's ice-clone."

Gray blinked. "What?"

"There's no way a user of darkness techniques would not be able to notice," Juvia explained, then she looked up at Simon. "Juvia would like to ascertain his true intentions."

"I see Phantom's Element Four deserve their reputation," Simon remarked.

Sho's confusion grew. "What's going on?"

"Sho." Simon looked at his ally. "I put on a performance to both trick you and get them to come to the tower."

"Wh-Why?" Sho stammered, seeming to be trying to decide whether or not he should be furious. "Why would you-..?"

"Because if we're gonna make Jellal pay for what he did to all of you for all these years, then a little backup couldn't hurt," Nora said, then she glanced at Simon. "Right?"

Simon nodded, then he walked over and placed his hand on Sho's shoulder as the much smaller and likely younger boy bowed his head and seemed to deflate even more. "Sho." Simon sighed ruefully. "Everyone has been fooled by Jellal. I played the fool as well until the time was right."

"Simon, you-..." Erza stared up at the man in disbelief.

Simon turned to Erza, his one eye shining with fondness as he gazed down at her. "I believed in you, Erza." There was a smile in his voice, even though his mask hid his mouth. "I always did, for these past eight years."

Nora glanced between Erza and Simon before looking at Lucy and Juvia, then she held a thumb up.

Lucy rolled her eyes, grabbed the Huntress's wrist, and lowered her hand.

Erza smiled as her left eye started to tear-up again, and Simon offered her a hand which she gladly took. "I'm glad we could meet again, Erza, from the bottom of my heart."

"Simon…" Erza managed, then she let him pull her into a hug.

Juvia, Gray, and Nora smiled at the scene while Lucy had to wipe a tear away.

"How-..?" Sho whispered, closing his eyes as his brow furrowed and his tears began to well-up at the corners of his eyes all the more. "How could you believe in her so much?" He opened his eyes and looked down as the tears started to fall, and he sank to his knees. "Why-..? Why wasn't I able to believe in my big sister..?" He suddenly slammed his fist on the floor while he buried his face into his arm and screamed in grief in frustration. "DAMN IT! What is the truth?! What should I believe in?!"

As the boy continued to scream and cry, Erza walked over and crouched before him, keeping a respectful distance as she watched him curl up and weep. "I know it must be difficult to accept all at once… but let me say this much…" She gave a soft smile. "For these past eight years, I have never forgotten about you."

Sho looked up, his wide eyes filled with tears, then he suddenly threw himself into Erza's arms—looking as though he had made himself do it before he could have changed his mind. Erza immediately wrapped her arms around the boy, closing her eyes as she held him close, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I couldn't do anything for you," she whispered, resting a hand on the back of his head. "I'm sorry I was so weak."

"But now, you can do it," Simon insisted. "Isn't that right?" Erza nodded without pulling away from Sho or opening her eyes. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, waiting for a number of powerful wizards to gather here."

Lucy blinked. "Powerful wizards?"

"To fight Jellal," Simon explained. "We'll all work together." Erza finally pulled away from Sho and stood, nodding, while the boy stayed on the ground and glared at it while hiccupping out a few final sobs. "First, we have to prevent Wally and the Salamander from clashing."

"Uh… You don't know Natsu," Nora remarked, cringing as she rested a hand on her hip. "That's gonna be a bi~t of a challenge, especially since some of your buddies kinda went and committed Grand Theft Happy." She glanced down at Sho, then she sighed as she collapsed Magnhild and placed it on her back before kneeling before him, frowning. "Hey, buddy." Sho sniffled, and Nora took a deep breath. "... I come from a place far away from here where people train their whole lives to be warriors. There were four schools there, and the best school was said to be a place called 'Beacon Academy'.

When I was seventeen, I was accepted into Beacon and placed on a team, and I was so excited because I was going to train at the best possible place for a cause I believed in." As Nora spoke, Sho looked up at her. "My friends believed in it, and we would have done anything to protect each other, our teachers, our school… and as it turns out, we would have to. One day, our school was attacked, and we fought for it." The Huntress looked down. "My friends and I were all badly hurt, and… we lost one: Pyrrha, who was… a lot like Erza." Nora looked up at Sho. "Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon, went missing and no one could tell us what had happened or why, so my friends and I eventually went looking for answers.

We wanted to know why Beacon had been attacked and why we lost Pyrrha, because it had all been so strange…" She closed her eyes. "We found our answers, eventually… When I was eighteen, I learned that the four Hunter Academies had been built to protect these four powerful weapons which only the headmasters and a select few that they trusted were allowed to know about." She opened her eyes and looked at Sho. "They built the schools, filled them with kids who wanted to grow up and help people… so that they could hide these weapons away from an enemy who would stop at nothing to get her hands on them."

"... They used you all as shields," Lucy's voice whispered from behind Nora, her tone dripping with horror.

Nora gave a small, bitter smile. "Believe it or not, it gets worse. Pyrrha died because… Ozpin chose her to be what was basically the next personal guard for the weapon in Beacon's vault. When the enemies forces came for the weapon, Ozpin had dragged Pyrrha right into the middle of it, and… she died doing what she thought was right, because he didn't tell her all of this and she felt that—by fighting—she would be protecting the school and everyone in it." Nora shook her head, sighing. "We were heartbroken and furious and so-..." She opened her eyes and looked down at Sho again, her eyes narrowed. "Ozpin was trying to do what he felt was best… but my friends and I decided that we would do what we felt was right." She offered him a hand. "And make sure that no one ever got away with that kind of manipulation again."

"I-..." Sho stared at her hand, then he looked up at Nora warily.

The Huntress gave a small smile. "We can do this… We just can't let Jellal drive you apart again, okay? That's how he won, before." Her eyes narrowed. "He's done winning… because I for one am not gonna let you or anyone else be a piece in a game any longer."

"... Okay," Sho whispered, taking Nora's hand, and she stood and pulled him to his feet.

"My name is Nora," Nora told him, letting her expression soften again. "These guys are Gray, Lucy, and Juvia." Sho nodded shakily. "Can you tell us where Wally and Millianna are? If we can find them, we can find Natsu and Happy—and then, we can go and find Jellal."

"Millianna's probably in her room," Sho said quietly. "If the Salamander went there to get his cat back, Wally is probably going after him." He gave a frail smile. "She's a capable mage, but so innocent. We're all very protective."

"Hm... Okay." Nora nodded, then she looked at the others. "You heard him. Let's get moving, before more guards show up. We need to save our strength for the boss-fight."

"Right." Simon nodded, then he gestured. "This way. I'll try and transmit a message to Wally and Millianna as we go."

"Hm." Erza glanced at her friends hesitantly, then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and gripped her blades. When she opened her eyes again, Nora saw the knight briefly glance at her, then Erza looked up with determination. "Right, then… Let's go!"

"Now, that's the Erza I know!" Gray grinned, and Simon and Erza led the way as they, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Sho, and Nora turned and began to run through the halls of the Tower of Heaven.

Hopefully, they would be able to reach the others before they clashed.

"Nora." Lucy moved to run by the Huntress's side, frowning. "Your homeland… They teach you magic in schools, then?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Does that mean there's a bunch of people out there swinging giant, exploding hammers around?"

Nora blinked, then she gave a small smile and looked forward. "At the Hunter Academies, you were able to learn what you needed to learn while also maintaining your individuality and keeping your specific talents. Everyone learned a few basics and you were taught things like history and botanical and… wildlife… studies, but a lot of stuff was up to you." She shook her head. "So, no: Magnhild is one of a kind, and I can't think of anyone else who fought like I do who attended Beacon Academy with me."

"Cool…" Lucy's eyes shone, then she frowned and looked away. "If it hadn't been all a lie, then maybe-..."

"Yeah." Nora nodded. "Maybe it would've really been as amazing as it felt." She shook her head, sighing. "Gods, it's so much easier when you're a kid and you don't know all of these things—but easy's not always right, you know?"

"Nora." Gray glanced at his friend. "You're older than us, sure—but you're still only nineteen, Erza's age. You're still a kid."

Nora said nothing, she just kept running.


Simon was unable to contact Millianna, as his transmissions—through what Juvia claimed was Telepathic Communication Magic—were being 'intercepted'. Because of that, as they ran up a staircase on the outside of the tower, he could not pinpoint their location.

"Intercepted?" Nora asked, vaguely aware that Sho had fallen behind and Erza had stopped to check on him. "Is it Jellal?"

"Likely." Simon lowered his hand from his head, his brow furrowing in frustration. "He's a very powerful mage. It will likely take everything we have in order to defeat him."

"What I don't get is how he changed," Nora admitted, frowning. "Erza said that he went into the tower some brave, confident, leader-type kid and came down a destructive, cultist sociopath who manipulated and enslaved his friends." She shook her head. "That doesn't just happen, does it? People don't change like that at the drop of a pin, something had to go wrong."

"People always came back from the tower a little different," Simon explained. "Grampa Rob would warn us that those who lacked a strong heart would lose their soul." At that, Nora flinched, and Simon noticed. "I know. It's rather gruesome to think about, but… it seems as though he was right about that." Simon looked forward. "Jellal was my friend… but he has lost his soul."

"... Then, when we get up there, just remember it's not Jellal you're fighting," Nora decided quietly. "It's just a monster… because your Jellal died a long, long time ago."

Simon nodded. "I know that… but Erza might have to be reminded."

"Erza?" Nora glanced up at Simon, an eyebrow raised, then she blinked. "She said that she used to look up to him, and that she fought to save him…" Nora blinked. "Oh."

"Hm." Simon gave a bitter smile beneath his mask, shaking his head. "There it is."

"... That's awful." Nora cringed in sympathy. "I just-... Wow, okay. We are definitely beating the snot out of this guy, now."

Simon chuckled. "I like your spirit, Nora." His expression softened. "And I appreciate how you opened yourself up in order to try and help Sho understand how this could have happened. He needed that understanding."

"I know I could've used it, back then," Nora said softly, then she tilted her head. "He's -what- fifteen?" Simon nodded, and the Huntress smiled sadly. "I had a friend that age, Oscar, who Ozpin was… pretty hard on. Gods know that these poor kids can always use someone else who gets it, y'know? And I've been around."

"Clearly," Simon remarked, then he sighed and glanced around. "I've spent most of my life here…" He looked back at Nora. "Perhaps, at the end of this, I can go around as well. There is much that I need to see." He looked down. "And to find. My younger sister…"

Nora blinked, then she nodded. "You will."

"Hm." Simon looked up at Nora, smiling and nodding. "Thank you."

"Hey, can we really trust him?" Gray's voice reached Nora's ears from behind herself and Simon, and she blinked. He must have been talking to Juvia… "I accept that he wasn't trying to kill us, but-"

"I have no intention of making excuses," Simon cut in, not looking back.

Gray sighed. "You heard me, then?"

"Any wizard that'd die from something like that would be no match for Jellal," Simon stated, his eye narrowing. "And I was confident that Natsu would not die."

Lucy cringed. "Um… What about me, then?" She pointed. "And Nora?"

"Oh, we were screwed," Nora joked, glancing at Simon with a grin.

The darkness-mage hummed, then he looked forward with a frown. "You all haven't realized Natsu's true power. When he obtains the true power of the dragon, he will destroy all evil before him."

"Done your research, then?" Nora asked him curiously. "I really don't know that much about Dragon-Slayers, to be honest. I know there's Natsu and there's apparently another one out there called 'Gajeel', but there don't seem to be many of these guys."

"No, there are not," Simon agreed. "There are only two known ways to become a Dragon-Slayer: be chosen and trained by a dragon or have a dragon lacrima implanted in your body. Both cases are incredibly rare, as no one has seen a dragon in centuries aside from those Dragon-Slayers who claim to have received training and dragon lacrimae themselves are very rare—near-priceless, in fact—and the implantation process is a quite dangerous and excruciating experience."

"So… the power must be really worth it if anyone would be willing to endure it," Nora decided, frowning. "And you think that Natsu hasn't even found his full strength yet?" The Huntress shook her head. "You haven't seen him in a fight yet, buddy—the kid is incredible."

"But has he found the Dragon Force?" Simon asked as they entered the tower again and began running through a darker hallway, and Erza actually gasped.

Nora blinked. "... The what-now?"

:Welcome, everyone, to the Tower of Heaven,: a voice suddenly began to speak over some magical speaker system. Nora was really starting to hate those, and this one came with creepy red eyes that opened in the walls. :I am Jellal, the ruler of this tower. All of our pieces are in place.:

"What?" Gray looked around as the group came to a stop, his eyes narrowed.

"It's Jellal," Simon emphasized. "He can be heard throughout the tower."

:Isn't it time to get things started?: Jellal went on, as though bored at having been kept waiting for something. :Heaven's Game.:

"Oh, screw you," Nora muttered, then she glanced back and saw Sho bowing his head and trembling, his glassy eyes narrowed. She blinked, then she quickly made her way over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. It's only a game if we let ourselves fall into that headspace—and that's what he wants, so we can't give it to him." Sho blinked, then he looked up at Nora with wide eyes as the Huntress gave a small smirk. "He can sit in his tower and pretend he's calling the shots. It'll make the look on his face after we shove his face into the ground all the better, won't it?" She snorted. "I love smacking jerks off their high horses."

"Heh." Sho gave a weak grin, still shaking, and when Nora moved to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, Erza shot a grateful look at the Huntress. "Right…"

:The rules are simple,: Jellal stated. :I wish to use Erza as the living sacrifice to hold the ceremony to resurrect Zeref.:

Nora used her free hand to hold a rude gesture up to one of the sets of glowing red eyes, her face set in a heavy deadpan.

Sho started to copy her—but Erza slapped both of their hands down, immediately frustrated. "Nora, don't teach him that!"

:In other words, if the door to Heaven opens, victory is mine,: Jellal continued. :If you can prevent me from doing that, then you win. However, that alone would not be any fun—so, I have assembled three warriors.:

"Three warriors?" Simon looked confused as he glanced up. "Who?"

'Okay, no help there,' Nora decided, glancing at the darkness-mage.

:If you cannot overcome them, then you will not reach me,: Jellal stated. :In other words, it is a three-versus-nine battle-royale.: He sure liked to say 'in other words' a lot. :Oh, and one more thing: it is possible that the Magic Council will attack this place from the Satellite Square.: It was easy enough for Nora to guess from everyone's gasps that the Satellite Square was bad news :With the ultimate magic that returns everything to nothingness, Etherion!:

Yep.

Bad news.

"Yay..!" Nora commented dryly, then she glanced up at the ceiling. "I wonder what he'd think if we just grabbed Happy, Natsu, Wally, and Millianna and bailed. We could watch this place get blasted from a safe distance, make popcorn."

Lucy sighed. "You have no sense for dramatic tension, do you?"

"Nope," Nora replied, shrugging. "Just common sense." Her brow furrowed. "Which is why I'm wondering… Why isn't he a bit more worried about this? This tower took eight years and he's still in it, so-"

:No one knows how long we have left,: Jellal began to speak again. :But when Etherion is fired, everything will be wiped out. The game will be over, with no players left.:

"What is he thinking?" Lucy wondered aloud, alarmed.

Erza's eyes were wide. "Etherion… The Council is really considering-..?" She shook her head. "I don't believe it…"

"This is all so weird," Nora murmured, removing her arm from Sho and raising a hand to her chin as she looked down thoughtfully. "Okay, let's think. The answer's in there, somewhere…" Her brow furrowed. "He's got three warriors between himself and us even though he's both arrogant and on-par with Erza at the very least. What does that tell us?"

"If he wants us to fight other people instead of coming up to deal with him…" Lucy blinked, then she snapped her fingers. "He's stalling. He wants time!"

"Time, which is the one thing we don't have because of the Etherion," Erza agreed, raising a hand to her chin. "But what use would stalling us be if he wants me?"

"I don't know. Pressure, maybe," Nora thought aloud, starting to pace. "Maybe he thinks that taking our time will make us desperate. That, and he might want to rub our noses in what he thinks is a sure victory and make it easier by draining our strength with other opponents. He's sending these guys in to weaken us and take our time so that he can keep power." She glanced at her allies, frowning. "What I don't get is why he's taking the risk of playing a game when he's pressed for time, too. He needs to sacrifice Erza and bring Zeref back now, before this tower and all of his work is destroyed."

"Juvia agrees. It is rather odd," Juvia stated, her eyes narrowing as she glanced down. "He did not seem at all concerned with what is a certain, impending death. The idea of an Etherion blast seemed to amuse him."

"Like part of him wants it to hit," Nora noted, then she shook her head. "I've seen this before, a big baddie destabilizing and choosing to bring as many people as possible down with them as they try to take themselves out. We're just missing a piece from somewhere, and I think it's from back when your guys were kids." She looked at Erza, her eyes narrowed. "It bothers me, that part about the tower. I mean… Jellal just changed out of nowhere, and he said that he no longer needed a bunch of human sacrifices. He just needed one, and he wanted it to be you—someone he clearly cared about before the tower. It doesn't make much sense, does it?" Nora looked at the glowing eyes. "What happened to him?"

"It doesn't matter," Gray insisted. "We just have to protect Erza while we get the others and get out of here. Jellal can stay here and have his chessboard wiped clean."

Erza went to respond, then she gasped and suddenly vanished.

Sho was holding one of his cards, and the wide-eyed knight could clearly be seen trapped inside.

Gray's eyes widened. "Erza!"

"Sho!" Simon's eye narrowed. "What are you doing?!"

:Now, let's have fun,: Jellal chimed, and the red eyes went dark.

"I won't let anyone harm Big Sis!" Sho told everyone, his eyes narrowed.

Erza pounded on the inside of the card with her fist, trying to get out. "Hey, Sho!"

"I'm done being a piece in Jellal's game!" The boy snapped. "I'll defeat him myself!"

With that, Sho turned and started to run.

"Stop this!" Simon called out, stepping forward and reaching out. "It's impossible alone!"

Nora was already running after them before she knew what she was doing, reaching into her bag while not looking away to make sure she did not lose Sho in the dark hallway, and her hand closed around a sphere.

"This is gonna hurt," the Huntress murmured, then took a deep breath. "But you idiots are not doing this on your own."

With that, Nora drew the sphere from her bag and pressed it against her chest as she continued to run, her breath hitching as the hallway around her was illuminated by yellow bolts of electricity which swiftly turned pink.


Gray, Lucy, Juvia, and Simon had run after Sho and Nora, but they soon lost them in the winding hallways of the tower of Heaven.

"Damn it!" Simon cursed, clenching his fists and closing his eyes.

Gray sighed. "Nora won't let anything happen to them. We can trust her to keep them alive until we can catch up."

"Yeah." Lucy nodded in agreement, though she seemed worried. "Nora's strong, and cleverer at times than she seems."

"And if Jellal is stronger, cleverer?" Simon asked, frustrated, then he sighed. "We need to split up. Everyone, take a different direction—but always head up. We will converge upon Jellal once we've found the others."

"I don't like splitting up, but alright." Gray nodded, then he looked at Lucy and Juvia. "I'm worried about Erza and Nora, so I'm going after Sho. I'll leave you two to find Natsu. Can I trust you to look after each other?"

Lucy nodded. "Of course, I'll have her back!"

Juvia glanced at Lucy. "Not if Juvia has yours first." As the blonde chuckled awkwardly, Juvia noticed something on the ground and blinked before kneeling. "A lacrima?"

"Hm?" Gray looked down, and he raised an eyebrow as he saw the fragments of broken glass Juvia had spotted. "What?"

"Ah!" Juvia pulled her hand back after touching one of the shards, wincing as a mix of pink and yellow sparks flew. "Residual lightning magic. Someone has just used a lot of it."

"Lightning?" Gray wondered, then he glanced at Simon, half-hopeful. "Does-?"

The man shook his head. "Sho does not know any lightning magic."

"Nora," Lucy murmured, growing worried. "She used her magic."

"On what?" Gray gestured around the space. "I don't see any signs of a battle. They can't have run into a warrior."

"... Don't you remember her fight with Erza?" Lucy asked softly, looking at Gray with wide eyes. "When the electricity hit her, she held it inside her body." She looked at the broken lacrima. "And… we never got to see why."


/\


Hunting Sho was a whole lot easier than hunting Grimm, but that was mainly because Sho was constantly screaming.

"JELLAL..!" The furious boy shrieked, his voice echoing through the halls, and Nora sighed in exasperation as she followed the sound.

With her body charged with electricity, she was able to keep running without growing tired, but that did not make her a professional sprinter.

One would think that Sho, having grown up on a rocky island as a laborer, would be stronger than he was fast—but no, the kid was a rocket.

Maybe he was the errand boy.

"Damn you, damn you, damn you!" Sho continued to yell, and Nora turned a corner and found that she could see the boy's red coat flapping behind him some distance ahead. "How dare you trick us?!"

"Sho!" An unseen Erza shouted as Nora kept running after the boy, and the Huntress tried not to think too much about how she was going to get the knight out of that card.

One step at a time.

"You hurt Big Sis!" Sho shouted the accusation, still brimming with rage.

"Enough! Calm down!" Erza demanded. "Let me out of here!"

"It's okay!" Sho sounded like he was smiling. "I will protect you, for sure!"

"Sho!"

"Sho!" Nora shouted, and the boy looked back with wide eyes. "Buddy, you've gotta stop!" Her aqua eyes narrowed. "If you do this, you're taking Erza right to Jellal! She can't fight back from inside a card!"

Sho blinked, then he slid to a stop. "I'm-..?"

Nora slid to a stop as well, then she blinked as she saw where they were. "Whoa… Okay, starting to see the eight years."

The room was some sort of indoor garden, complete with cherry trees, statuary, and water features. Sho and Nora stood on a bridge that reminded Nora of eastern Anima and Mistralian architecture, and she took a deep breath before looking at Sho with a frown and walking towards him.

"I know you're scared," she told him. "But that fear is what Jellal wants. He wants us to doubt each other and separate, to divide." She came to face the trembling boy, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're not gonna let him turn this into a game, remember? No more."

"No more," Sho murmured, then he bowed his head, sighing softly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Nora gave a small smile. "It's okay. You're okay… Just let Erza out of that card, and we-" The Huntress froze, her eyes widening as her aura prickled and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. "Get behind me."

"What?" Sho blinked as Nora shoved him behind her, the Huntress's eyes narrowing.

A pink-haired woman with a sword slowly approached them, crossing the bridge on tall, crimson platform-sandals—custom geta or okobo, maybe. "I am named Ikagura. Who are you?"

"... Nora Valkyrie," Nora responded with some hesitance. "Are you one of the three warriors Jellal mentioned?"

Ikagura smiled. "I am."

"Are you really gonna talk with this crazy broad?" Sho asked, drawing his cards, and Nora shot an annoyed look at the boy.

"Oh, my!" Ikagura seemed amused. "Aren't you unrefined?"

"I know, right?" Nora glanced at the woman, reaching back for Magnhild. "It's like, where is all the 'respect women'-juice? He could've just said 'crazy lady', but nope!"

"Hm." Ikagura's eyes flitted to Nora's reaching hand, then she grinned. "On the board, the master of the tower has you represented by a hammer. I was wondering if I would see it."

"We don't have time for this," Sho insisted impatiently, then he stepped around Nora. "We don't have any business with you!"

Sho threw his cards, and a teal glyph formed in the air and sent several glowing-white cards made out of energy flying at Ikagura. She watched them come calmly, then with a single swipe of her blade, split all of them in half—not horizontally, not vertically, but at their thinnest point. Before anyone could even blink, her blade was already sheathed again and the cards were falling and dissolving in the air around her.

"Impossible," Sho managed, stunned.

Ikagura crossed her arms, smirking. "There is nothing which I cannot cut."

"Hm." Nora tilted her head, trying to ignore how hard and rapidly her heart was beating in her chest. "You use Iaido."

Nora had picked up a thing or two over the years, especially as she studied weapons-crafting and the styles associated with each form of weapon. Ren never had the same interest in weapons or forging, but it was the one thing that always kept Nora's attention.

Ikagura's eyes glinted. "You know your forms, then. I'm impressed." She glanced at Sho. "I shall ensure we are not interrupted."

Nora took Magnhild from her back and took aim at the swordswoman, her eyes narrowed. "Leave him alone."

"Hm." Ikagura smiled.

Nora did not even see the blade move.

One moment, the woman's hand was on the hilt of her sword.

The next moment, Ikagura was releasing her grip.

The bridge at Sho's feet had a massive X in it and his cards had all been cut apart, and he seemed frozen in place, his eyes wide. "What… is this? My body…"

"Sho!" Nora looked back, her eyes wide, as she watched the boy sink to his knees.

"I severed your nerves without cutting your clothes or flesh," Ikagura explained as the boy fell onto his back, and Nora looked back at her in disbelief. "That is the essence of the New Moon School."

"Oh, my gods," Nora whispered, absolutely horrified, then she quickly moved between Ikagura and Sho again.

"Gods?" The pink-haired woman tilted her head, humming quietly. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Sho!" A voice cried, and Nora looked back again to see the card with Erza in it falling to the ground.

Great.

"Big Sis…" Sho murmured, watching the card fall helplessly.

"Oh." Ikagura blinked. "So, that is where you were, Erza-san."

"Let me out of here, this instant!" Erza demanded, her eyes on Sho. "She is not an opponent you can defeat!"

"Don't worry," Sho managed. "The card is protected. There is no way anything from the outside could harm you."

"Oh?" Ikagura shifted her stance and gripped her blade. "That sounds like a challenge."

Nora took aim with Magnhild. "Don't try it."

"Hm." Ikagura smirked. "Can you stop me?"

Nora responded by firing one of her grenades, and Ikagura sliced it in half. However, much to the swordswoman's apparent surprise, the halves still detonated and she was bombarded by the blast and surrounded by pink smoke.

"Oh…" Ikagura's eyes were narrowed when the dust cleared, her clothes and hair covered with soot. "I could not nullify its magic. That is interesting…"

"Hm." Nora gave a small smirk. "Guess I have a few good tricks in me."

Ikagura placed her hand on her blade. "Perhaps you do." Her eyes went back to Erza. "But I must complete my mission before we can continue our little game, Nora-san."

"Sho, get me out of here!" Erza snapped. "That is not a normal sword she has!"

"Don't worry," Sho insisted. "Believe in me."

"Erza!" Nora looked back, her eyes wide, just as Ikagura drew her blade.

There was a glint of silver from the card, and the slice from the pink-haired woman's sword failed to damage the card or Erza.

"See?" Sho asked, smiling, then his eyes widened as he saw that Erza had drawn a blade—she had deflected the blow. "She sliced through the spatial divide?!"

Ikagura's eyes narrowed, and Nora glanced between Sho and Erza and took a deep breath before placing a bet.

'Erza is actually too stubborn to die before she can reach Jellal,' she decided, then she quickly placed Magnhild on her back, grabbed Sho, and pulled him to the side just before Ikagura could unleash a powerful barrage of magical swipes with her blade.

As predicted, Erza managed to deflect them all even from within her prison.

"Big Sis," Sho managed as Nora propped him up against a pillar, then the Huntress looked back as the area was illuminated by golden light.

"Thank you." Erza kneeled there, free and back to her full size, and she looked up at Ikagura with a frown. "Your sword made distortions in this space and let me cut my way out."

"Of course, it did." Nora sighed, standing up straight and drawing Magnhild again. "Erza, if the gods set laws, they must've forgotten to include the part or coding in you which makes you have to follow them."

"A sword that can cut through a spatial divide is amazing enough, but to use the enemy's slices in that split second…" Sho smiled up at Erza with complete admiration.

"You called yourself 'Ikagura', yes?" Erza questioned the swordswoman. "I have no use for you. Begone."

"In lieu of an introduction…" Ikagura did not even seem to move.

Erza's armor just shattered, and the knight sank down onto one knee.

"No way!" Sho shouted, his eyes wide.

"Erza!" Nora's eyes widened, then she stepped between Ikagura and the knight, shifting Magnhild into its hammer form.

"Oh." Ikagura smirked. "There is the hammer. But I wonder, did you -perhaps- not see my demonstration?" She chuckled, her eyes narrowed. "

That at which you gaze

Beyond the mist, could it be

A mononoke?"

Nora channeled her aura into her weapon, taking a deep breath.

"Nora…" Erza rose to her feet, her eyes narrowed. "Get back."

"And let you get diced?" Nora glanced back at her, glaring. "Not a chance. I told you, you don't get to play the martyr."

"And you do?" Ikagura asked, and Nora looked forward. "Trying so hard to find Jellal, you no longer see the flash of swords all around you." At that, Erza's expression must have darkened, because Ikagura smirked at something just behind Nora. "Yes, yes… Those are the eyes." She stood up straight. "I told you, Nora-san, that our game would have to wait. Move aside."

"You have to move, Nora," Erza insisted, agreeing with the enemy swordswoman. "You are not wearing any magical armor to protect you from this foe." Nora glanced back at the red-haired girl, finding frustration in the knight's gaze. "If you don't stand aside now, you will only end up like Sho!"

"I'm not moving. She's baiting you, and I'm not gonna let you fall for it and get killed," Nora pressed, then she looked forward at the warrior. "You wanna get to these two, you have to-"

"Go through you?" Ikagura's blade flashed.

Erza's eyes widened. "Nora!"

The Huntress dropped onto one knee, her pink aura crackling around her body and her hammer—more than half-depleted by that one blow—as she panted for breath. She felt like she had been put through a paper-shredder…

But the idea of seeing some priceless faces was enough to warrant a bluff.

"Sorry, but…" Nora looked up, giving a weak smirk and raising an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to do something?"

Ikagura's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Why didn't-?"

"Heh." Nora planted the base of Magnhild's handle on the bridge and used her weapon to push herself to her feet even as her bones seemed to scream in protest. "Hate to break it to you, but… it won't be that easy."

"Nora?" Erza managed, stunned.

Ikagura shook her head. "Not even the hammer… It cannot be…"

"Hm." Nora glanced at Erza. "What was that, about armor?"

Erza stared at Nora, stunned, then she swallowed thickly. "I understand." She looked at Ikagura, taking a deep breath. "Protect Sho from further harm. That is your job."

Nora, who had not intended for Erza to understand anything, blinked. "But-"

"Nora." Erza stepped forward to face Ikagura. "I will handle this myself."

"Will you?" Ikagura asked, seeming reluctant to take her gaze off of Nora and change back to Erza. "I am no mere passerby."

"That is how it seems," Erza agreed quietly as Nora hesitantly moved to stand between Sho and the battle which would soon take place. "You are an enemy."

"Come at me." Ikagura grinned, her eyes narrowing in cool calculation as she grasped the hilt of her blade. "Show me your strongest armor, Erza-san. I wish to see if there are more surprises in Fairy Tail."

"... So do I," Erza decided, and with a flash of golden light, the knight was dressed in a simple wrap-top and a pair of loose red pants with a white belt and black and golden-yellow flame designs. In each hand, she gripped a simple katana.

"... What are you trying?" Ikagura asked as Sho looked up with wide eyes. "That outfit is nothing but cloth. Do you think so little of me?"

"What?" Sho grew panicked as he gazed up at Erza. "Big Sis, what are you doing?! You've got to have lots of strong armor, right?!"

'Yeah, I'm with them,' Nora thought, mute with shock. 'Erza, whatever you THINK I was trying to tell you, FORGET IT! This will NOT end well!'

"I am-..." Erza took a deep breath. "I am not strong. Strength is-..." She opened her eyes and glanced at Nora, then she looked down. "Before my eyes, countless numbers of my friends have become sacrifices. I wasn't able to protect those dear to me, and then… I was always crying."

'Wow, okay,' Nora thought, starting to feel a little numb. 'Thanks, Erza...'

"To be seen as strong, I shut my own crying heart inside of my armor." The knight's eyes narrowed as she looked up. "I always wear armor because I am weak. I could never take it off."

"I will cut down my opponents even if they are naked," Ikagura remarked.

'Well, that's curtains for Gray,' Nora decided automatically, then she winced. 'Gods, Lucy's right. No sense for dramatic tension...'

"I believed that the armor would protect me, but I was wrong," Erza noted, and Nora looked back at her. "That armor blocked the space that separates people's hearts from one another. Fairy Tail taught me this… It taught me how close people are to one another, how warm they are…"

"Big Sis?" Sho murmured, his eyes growing misty, and Nora took a sharp breath.

"I am lost no longer," Erza decided. "I will turn my entirety to strength and have at you!"

Ikagura and Erza lunged at each other, their blades glowing with magical energy, then they landed back on the bridge.

One of Erza's blades shattered.

"... It is over," Ikagura murmured, and her blade shattered. "Impressive."

With that, the swordswoman collapsed.

"No way," Nora said, her eyes wide as Sho's face lit up.

"Wow!" The boy grinned. "You really are amazing, Big Sis!"

"Are you unharmed, Sho?" Erza asked, regarding her adopted brother.

"Yes," Sho replied, causing Nora to raise an eyebrow. "At least, I think?"

"We will have to talk about your stubbornness, Sho." Erza smiled knowingly, then she grew serious again as she glanced at Nora. "... You felt the pain, but took no damage?"

Nora blinked, then she gave a weak grin. "You noticed, huh?" Erza just looked at her. "... Yeah. That's how it works." She idly gestured to her body. "You feel like the attack did what it was going to do, but… it doesn't."

"Hm." Erza rested a hand on Nora's shoulder. "As always, my friend, you remain a mystery to me." Her eyes glinted. "All the same… thank you for reminding me that the will, the heart, and the soul will always be stronger than any armor."

Nora could have said more.

She could have remarked on how Erza's knowing look and speech hit just a little too close to home, and how terrified she had been—just as she was when the knight nearly died to Jose in the Phantom Lord guild-hall.

The other girl making herself so vulnerable, putting her hair up and dressing in red and gold, made Nora's chest squeeze. The other day, she had just been thinking about necklines and how Pyrrha had-... Had-...

Now, they were in a tower and Erza was determined to make it to the top and face an enemy she wasn't sure she would beat—she said it herself, she did not think she would exist after that night—and she had done that...

But instead, the Huntress bit her tongue.

"... That's gonna be really funny, someday," Nora noted, grinning as she walked over and helped Sho to his feet. "When I finally get around to telling you how this all works."

Erza hummed. "I look forward to it."

"This is the first time I've lost since I entered the guild," Ikagura murmured, closing her eyes. "But you and Jellal will both lose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sho demanded, gripping his arm.

"Eighteen minutes," Ikagura replied, then she reached up with a shaking hand. "

The light of justice

Will rain down from the heavens

And kill everyone."

When the enemy's hand dropped back onto the floor, Erza scoffed quietly. "That poem was dreadful."

"Is she talking about Etherion?" Sho asked warily.

Nora's eyes narrowed. "Jellal said he didn't know when it would fire. How does he suddenly know now?"

"I don't know," Erza admitted, then she gripped her single blade. "But I will find out." She looked at the Huntress. "Nora, I need you to take Sho and get him and the others out of here."

Nora's eyes narrowed. "I'm not-"

"Before you protest-!" Erza cut her off. "I already failed them once." She looked at Sho, then she looked at Nora with a frown. "Please… get my brother, my friends, and our comrades out of here. I'm counting on you to do this." Nora gripped Magnhild tighter, and Erza sighed before smiling with some strain. "You have eighteen minutes to make sure that everyone else gets away from the tower. If you hurry, there might still be some time and you can come and find me after." Her eyes narrowed. "Just get the others to safety first." She hesitated, then she gave a small smile. "It's not like you don't know where I'm going. The only way is up."

Nora just looked at the knight, then she took a deep breath. "... If you die, I swear-"

"Hm." Erza stepped forward and pulled Nora into a one-armed hug. "Be safe." She pulled away, then she turned her back to face the path ahead. "I will finish this."


So... my motivation died for a bit, there.

But I came back to check and see what I had so that I could put some work in... only to find several complete or near-complete chapters waiting.

I am an idiot. XD

This chapter was another one that primarily focused on character-development. Nora continues to develop her pre-established relationships as well as her friendship with Juvia, and I really felt like she would be a voice that Simon and especially Sho needed to hear.

The Ikagura encounter was a gamble, to be honest. I wasn't sure about it, but... in the end, I decided to keep it.

Nora was, in no way, a match for Ikagurabut she was able to withstand a hit, and that was enough to snap Erza out of her frustration and rage for her to finish her fight.

Erza and Nora's relationship continues to be a lot of fun for me to develop. The Pyrrha references hurt every time, though Nora is completely aware that they are two different people and these are different situations... but there are similarities, and she's able to pass on what she has learned.

Erza is learning from Norashe doesn't have all of the information yet, but she's able to look at another warrior and learn in order to add onto her own wisdom and strength. It's a very awesome dynamic, with Nora taking on the mature role whenever it is needed just as her friends are learning the signs of when she needs to be helped in return.

And... in case you're wondering, the Ikagura fight is gonna be one of those little things with BIG CONSEQUENCES.

I mean... there's more time, and Erza still has all of her armor as she's going to face Jellal.

I did promise that I was going off of the rails, didn't I?

Be careful what you wish for!

This is where the fun begins. XD

I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)