"YOU WANT TO KILL HER!?" Cynthia screamed at Raven, dark red flames appearing around her body as she glared towards the teenager. "How dare you!? She's your guild member, how can you even think such a thing like that!?"

"I agree…" Wendy let out a low growl after Raven said what he had to. She wasn't one to show her anger, but toying with the lives of one of her closest friends was something that she could not stand.

"I don't WANT to kill her!" Raven shouted back at the two girls, his free hand clenching into a tight fist. "But…I made a promise to…"

"Who would be stupid enough to even agree with a promise like that!?" Cynthia questioned with a glare.

"…" Raven remained silent before glancing at Chelia, who was just waiting for someone to make a move. "She's out of control…"

"So?!" Cynthia continued. "That doesn't mean anything! When I went out of control…Wendy did everything she could to bring me back! I even asked her to kill me…but that was the last thing she wanted to do…."

"That's nice…but this is different…" Raven said before glancing at Aira. "You can sense it too, right…?"

"Mhm…" Aira nodded slowly. "It's as if her heart's been completely closed off…"

"It's because she's being controlled, right?" Selene asked. "That's gotta be it. Even in Cynthia's case…"

"Cynthia's case wasn't as bad as this…" Aira shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure the same methods will work here…"

"I'm not giving up on her!" Wendy said with a determined nod.

"Wendy…" Carla gulped silently, looking between the bluenette and the controlled pinkette.

"The longer she's like this the longer she's going to be in pain…" Raven commented. "We have to save her, somehow..."

"Which is all the more reason why we're going to make this quick," Cynthia replied with a nod of her head.

"I'm confused…" Takeru said while scratching his head. "Are we going to fight her, or are we going to let this guy here take the shot and finish this? We don't have time to deal with this for too long, you know."

"He's right…" Carla gave a nod of agreement. "We should work to rescue her as quickly as possible."

"She's not going to hold back…" Raven commented once again. The way he was speaking sounded as if he actually knew what was going on. "Which is why we do need to make this quick. If it gets too much for you all and it looks bad…I'm taking the shot. Is that fair?"

"Don't even worry about having to aim!" Cynthia spoke with confidence. "She'll be back to normal before you know it!" She then turned to face Chelia. "Alright guys…she can heal herself later, but we can't let her get the best of us!"

"Right!" Wendy, Selene, and Aira nodded.

"Tch…" Raven took a few steps back to avoid getting in the crossfire. "I hope I'm wrong on this…"

{Flashback}

Chelia was sitting alone on a couch within Lamia Scale. She had been keeping to herself mostly, and began to worry the others. No one wanted to approach her, for she had been rather short with those who had, and Sherry was away with Ren. Raven walked from the infirmary and took a seat next to Chelia, disregarding her current attitude to shove everyone away. "Oi…are you okay?" He asked.

"…Raven…" Chelia glanced at the fellow wind mage, letting out a sigh before looking away. "Are you okay? You shouldn't be moving yet…"

"I'm fine…" Raven replied his eyes narrowing as Chelia evaded the question. "But are you?"

"…You should rest some more." Chelia replied once again.

"…Alone…?" Was Raven's only response.

(So Lyon told him…) Chelia knew what he was referring to and wasn't sure how to respond. She balled her hands into fist on her skirt, keeping her head hung. "I'm sorry."

"You…Why are you trying to handle this alone…?" Raven asked.

"Because…I don't want to hurt you again…" Chelia responded quietly. "I don't want to her anyone else either…"

"Agh…" Raven subconsciously winced as she brought it up. There was a pain in his chest that ached at the mention of what happened during their sparring incident. Despite this, he shook his head. "But…what about you…? I don't want you getting hurt because of that thing…again…! Who knows what could happen!"

"Well…I guess I'll just have to hope for the best…heh…" Chelia tried to lighten the mood with a slight joke, but it didn't help. With another heavy sigh, she lifted her faze to meet Raven's. "I want your help…I do…I just…"

Raven was ready to reply with "it doesn't always work that way" but he stopped cold when his gaze met Chelia's. The look in her eyes said it all. "You just…?"

"I don't know…" Chelia admitted, dropping her gaze once again.

"…" Raven placed his hand on Chelia's shoulder in a comforting manner, managing a small smile in attempt to lift her spirits. "Whatever it is…we can figure it out together, year? Besides, what are friends for, right? You helped me out and I've yet to repay you for that…" He let out a heavy sigh of his own then. He didn't agree with her decision to go alone once again, but he knew if it was what she really wanted, he couldn't stop her. "But…if you do want to do this alone in the end…just…just don't get hurt or die on me, okay? I'm not sure what I would do if that happened…and the others, too. I've already lost my own home and sister...I don't want to lose you too."

Chelia couldn't believe it; he was actually accepting her decision? Perhaps that wouldn't go well at all, isolation could just make things worse. "…I can't…" Chelia suddenly turned, wrapping her arms around Raven for an embrace and buried her face into his shoulder. "Alright…you can help…but…just let me do this for a minute, okay…?"

He was taken aback by the sudden embrace, but after a slight pause, he returned it and nodded. "O-of course…take as long as you need to…"

{End Flashback}

"Omega Fire Dragon's Roar!" Cynthia threw her head forward, unleashing a funnel of dark red flames towards Chelia.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy exclaimed while leaping up over Cynthia, unleashing her Sky Dragon's Roar right over Cynthia's to leave Chelia with little leeway.

Chelia narrowed her eyes at both incoming roars. She bent her knees before leaping hard to the side, rolling to catch herself. When she looked up, her eyes widened with Selene already upon her. "Diamond Dragon's Armored Horn!" the diamond slayer slammed right into Chelia's gut, coated in her diamond shield. The blow was strong enough to knock Chelia off her feet, sending her backwards until she hit the ground on her back.

"Great Cross Slash!" Aira exclaimed, moving in from above with her arms crossed in front of her. She slashed once, but Chelia regained her footing by the time and nimbly evaded the attack, leaping away upon the second slash.

"Shadow Dragon's Slash…" During Chelia's dodge, Takeru was quick to move in, slamming his shadow covered fist into Chelia's cheek, the power behind it sending her staggering back once again.

Wendy saw an opportunity, so she leapt forward, blue winds surrounding her fist. "And…Sky Dragon's…"

For just a moment, Chelia's eyes flashed from dark purple to their usual blue hue. Chelia tilted her head slowly as she tried to process what was happening. "W-Wendy…?"

"Chelia…!?" Wendy immediately came to a halt, though that was her mistake as the dark purple color instantly returned, and Chelia slammed her black wind coated fist into Wendy's face, sending the sky dragon tumbling across the ground with a large bruise on her skin. "O-Ow…Y-You tricked me…!"

"You're gullible…" Chelia replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "To fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book…?"

"You shut up!" Cynthia growled while lunging forwards herself, flames covering her fist. "Iron Fist of the Omega Fire Dragon!" She aimed her flaming fist towards Chelia's fist, but Chelia dodged and spun around, slamming her heel into the back of Cynthia's head, forcing the ravenette to slide across the uneven ground on her stomach. "Guah!"

"It's like she's a completely different person now, too…" Aira whispered. She was truly beginning to doubt if they would be able to save Chelia without having to end her life. The chances were looking slim, and aside from her façade, she'd yet to show any signs of resistance. "The Black God slayer magic she has in her is also acting like a Shadow to that of a Shadow Dragon Slayer…couple that with the large amount of control the unknown person has over her…"

"Should we let the guy take the shot?" Takeru asked.

"N-No…!" Wendy protested. "We aren't letting him take the shot yet! We can still do this!"

"Right…!" Cynthia nodded, standing right beside Wendy. The two girls were still willing to put their all into saving Chelia, despite how grim the situation was looking by the second. "We didn't give up on her that one time…so we're not doing it again. Giving up on a friend is the worst thing you can do them…"

"Heart alone can't save her…" Raven spoke from afar while shaking his head. "But those two have the heart to save her…" Something he felt he lacked. He was the only one who was ready to end Chelia's life, while everyone else was attempting to save her. For just a moment, he thought he was in the wrong, but at the same time, he understood the gravity of this situation. It could tell Cynthia and Wendy understood this too, but their mindset wouldn't change. "She has some great friends…" Raven shook his head slowly and got his bow ready, preparing a singular wind arrow. Despite their efforts, time was running out.

"We still have time…" Selene turned her head slightly, side eying Raven from a distance.

"From how he feels, it looks like time is running out," Aira spoke while narrowing her eyes. "If only there was some way to briefly break the control over her…"

"One more time…!" Wendy exclaimed. She wasn't ready to go down without a fight. "Chelia! We're going to save you!"

"Whether you like it or not!" Cynthia shouted right after Wendy, the dragon slayer duo charging in once again towards Chelia.

.

.

[Flashback]

After the battle of Tartarus Castle, just as the angels showed up, Ur walked through the halls of Tartarus Castle. With all of the fighting, it was in ruins. The repair job was going to be annoying and mostly Tobias' problem. As she walked, she passed by one of the Nine Demon Gates; Sliver. He was leaning against the wall, and she noticed him immediately. "You..."

"What's up?" Silver lifted a brow, giving Ur a grin while looking her over. "I was watching, y'know. That was a pretty tough fight you put up against those brats. You weren't holding back, were you?"

"..." Ur did not respond. But she did wince while grasping her chest. One eye clenched shut and she let out a groan of agony. "I hate this...this is not who I am..."

"...Don't I know it." Silver mumbled before moving from the wall, spreading his arms apart. "But what have you got to be worried about! From the sounds of it, you raised those three, didn't you!? They're your kids or something?"

"...You could say that. But I left all of them behind." Ur said while staring at Silver. "You...you're..."

"Oh, I know the story!" Silver laughed. "You sealed ME away in your ice, what a pain that was!"

Ur took a step back. "You're claiming to be Deliora!? No...that's impossible, and I mean that in the most literal degree. Who are you really? I can feel the cold of your body, but it's completely unnatural. It's almost..."

"Demonic?" Silver finished that sentence for her, before pacing around her slowly. "You want the truth? Simple. I don't expect you to know this, because we've never met. But Gray? That's my kid." This made Ur's eyes widen. "But...I can't just go up and say that, now can I? Especially not when I'm in this state. As I am right now, I'm just Silver of the Nine Demon Gates; the Ice Devil Slayer."

"Ice Devil...?" Ur found that extremely contradictory. "Why would..."

"Why would a Devil Slayer be here? You saw Arc, didn't you?" Silver chuckled. "Well, I'm in a bit of a different situation. Let's just say they've got a real tight leash on me, so I can't go using this magic against everyone. I doubt Daityas or the others would appreciate it very much, but I think they know not to try me too much. That said...this power is better used on someone from the outside, don't you think?"

"If only." Ur wasn't going to deny that. Being forced to serve Tartarus? She hated every second of it. But this was the role she was given. She was not strong enough to defy or make a difference even if she did, which was saying something.

"Well! I could always teach you. For the sake of us getting stronger to destroy those humans." Silver turned around and started to walk off. "Those humans would make better use of it than we could. But how would they ever get it? We can't just hand it over to them. Even if their futures are important...we have no choice but to fight them with everything we have. But depending on how you raised them, they may very well be up to the task. Although, it's our duty to make sure that doesn't happen."

Ur remained silent, before following along Silver. "...I believe that one day, they will grow strong enough to surpass even me. As I am now, I cannot let it happen." But that did not mean she could stop it from happening. And when that day came...

[End Flashback]

"Keheh…" Daityas couldn't help but chuckle. He knew exactly what was going on in Chelia's situation. While they were fighting to save her, one actually had the right idea in mind to end her life. "Humans…you amuse me sometimes with your bonds. Sometimes you can't save your pitiful friends…at least there's one person there who actually knows the reality I've set before you. I'd say there's hope for you humans yet, but you're all going to die in the end anyway." After saying this, his chuckle turned into a laugh. Things were falling into place. No matter how hard the humans fought, the result would be the same.

"What's…so funny…?" Ur spoke while limping towards Daityas, clutching her iced over stomach. She stopped just before Daitas, panting heavily.

"Oh, you've returned…" Daityas glanced at the damage done to Ur's body. "And you look terrible. Like you got the shit beaten out of you."

"It looks that way…doesn't it…?" Ur replied with a small smile to herself, though her expression to Daityas was nothing more than a glare. "What were you speaking about before?"

"I don't believe it was any of your business…" Daityas snapped. "But, I'll tell you just for the fun of it. Having the humans realize the reality of the situations they're in is entertaining. Once they notice, they'll crawl on the ground like worms, and then I'll crush them under my fiery boot."

"You…" Ur was speechless. Now that she had her sense of mind back, listening to what Daityas had to say pushed her buttons.

"And how about you?" Daityas questioned. "Did you defeat your 'children' like I asked you to? It should've been easy with that Ice Devil Slaying magic I granted you with."

"…." Ur remained silent before shaking her head. "You demons never change. I don't know how you managed to get me wrapped up in all your little schemes until this far. I'm disgusted with myself."

"What are you blabbing about?" Daityas asked with an uninterested expression. "Are you trying to rebel against the Demon King? In the midst of the grand plan?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Ur replied with a sharp nod.

"It's as he said…" Daityas shook his head, unfazed by Ur's decision to mutiny against him now. "Lord Zeref was correct. All humans are eventually swallowed up by their power and believe they can do anything…handing you that magic was a test, but now I see the result. What do you think you're going to do? In that condition, I'll flick you and you'll fall over and die again."

"I don't have to fight you." Ur replied, swiping her hand once; this caused ice to appear at Daityas' feet, sticking him to the ground; after, she crossed her hands over one another, glaring towards Daityas as an icy blue aura began to surround her body.

"Hm…?" Daityas raised a brow at the trick Ur was about to perform, snarling slightly due to the ice around his feet. "You…"

"I saved a little Devil Slaying just for this…the ice that rivals the flames of hell…" Ur spoke quietly. Just then, Gray, Lyon, and Ultear rounded the corner, all of them halting at what they saw.

"O-Oi…! What are you doing….!?" Gray questioned with wide eyes.

"M-Mother…!" Ultear's jaw dropped, her hand covering her mouth.

"You're insane, old lady…" Lyon grit his teeth. "You mustn't…!"

"Be quiet, all of you…" Ur demanded. "I'm doing this because I have to. Thanks to you three, I managed to regain my sense of self once again. I'm glad…now I can repay you three for having to put up with me as I was. I guess you could say…you helped erase my darkness."

"W-Wait…!" Gray took a step forward, but Ur's glare halted him once again.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Daityas growled at Ur, the intensity of his flames growing in response to this. But to his shock...his flames were slowly being snuffed out. For once, in a very long time, his eyes widened in shock. Just how strong WAS this woman!?

"Don't interfere…" Ur pleaded, staring at Daityas who was glaring at her. "Like I said…I have to do this for you. For the ones I love. Though our time was short…I enjoyed seeing you all together…all grown up." She flashed the trio a warm hearted motherly smile, a light hearted chuckle following suit. "Demons won't plague this family anymore…Now…I must bid you all goodbye. I love you all, and I hope you continue to grow and prosper." She turned to Daityas once more, shouting at the top of her lungs as the blue aura around her intensified. "ICED SHELL!" Slowly, Ur's body began to break apart into ice, which began to surround Daityas. Since it contained Devil Slaying magic, the properties of it were enhanced. Before Daityas could say anything, he was encased within the eternal ice.

"Again…" Gray grit his teeth before punching the ground with all his might, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Mother…" Ultear dropped to her knees, her bottom lip quivering.

"Ugh…" Lyon clenched his hand into a fist. "Damn it…"

A moment of silence occurred. They needed to cope with what just happened, even though they were all aware it was for the greater good. Suddenly, a faint sizzling sound broke the silence, catching everyone's attention. The ice around Daityas slowly began to melt, revealing the demon's shocked expression. He was panting heavily, an angered expression on his face. It was clear, that this was an extremely close call. Between Kagura stabbing him, and now this, it was safe to say that he was growing more and more agitated from his condition. The trio tensed at this moment... "You know…I'm starting to get sick of humans myself…" As he spoke, Gray, Lyon, and Ultear could only look in horror as the ice that was Ur began to evaporate into nothing. Daityas freed himself completely, hell flames completely surrounding his body. He rolled his neck, a dark chuckle escaping his throat. "Since she failed to do such a simple task…I suppose I'll have to clean up after her. Not that I mind, it'll be fun watching you humans squirm."

.

.

{Flashback}

Chelia pulled away from the embrace, a light pink dusting her cheeks. It went on for a little longer than she intended. "S-Sorry…"

"I-It's fine…" Raven replied with a faint pink hue on his own cheeks. "Are you feeling better…?"

"A little…" Chelia nodded before glancing around; noticing that the guild was just about empty for the night, save for the two of them. She glanced down at her skirt, biting her lower lip before looking back to Raven. "Can I ask you something…?"

"Yeah…" Raven nodded. "What is it…?"

"If…" She gulped, unable to believe she was about to ask this of anyone, but Raven was the best person to ask in her silent opinion. "If it gets to be too much for me…and I'm a danger to everyone…and there's nothing anyone can do…I…I want you to….to kill me."

Raven's eyes widened at what Chelia just asked him. He shook his head frantically. "What?! Are you insane!? No! I can't do that! Surely…"

"Raven…" Chelia whimpered. It was then that he saw how serious she was about this, and how much this actually meant to her. "The first and last time I actually lost complete control of myself, I really hurt Jura-san…I don't want to hurt you…or Sherry…or Lyon…I don't want to be a danger to anyone…so please…promise me if I'm too far gone…you'll do it."

"I promise…" Raven nodded slowly.

{End Flashback}

"Who would agree to a promise like that…? I would…" Raven was still unaware of Chelia's exact situation, and how that played into this. He knew he didn't know everything, but his mind was set. The promise he made to her back then, though it pained him to do so, he planned to deliver should it come to that. His bow was at the ready, but his arms were shaking. He didn't have a clear shot yet, but even if he did that wouldn't stop the hesitation. She was his best friend and he…

Chelia raised her hand, creating multiple black blades of wind. She spun around once before sending the blades forward towards the group of four. "Blade Dance of the Black Sky God!"

"Tch…!" Selene swayed her body left and right. Though some blades managed to land, her sturdy diamonds held strong, but she could feel the attack regardless. They hurt, and the wind pressure sent her sliding across the ground. "Nothing is working…"

"Hit her harder!" Takeru exclaimed with a slight grin; for some reason he assumed this would work.

"You sound like Natsu…" Aira said with a nervous sweat drop.

"That doesn't always work…he just gets lucky…" Carla started in a matter-of-factly tone. "But…what are we going to do about this? She's not responding to us at all…"

"She has to hear us…I know she can…!" Wendy frowned. It was true; nothing they were doing was working. But the last thing she was going to do was give up.

Chelia swiped her hand once more, creating a cyclone of black wind that captured all of them, throwing them around relentlessly with sharp wind blades cutting through them. "Black Sky God's Cyclone…" The cyclone then dispersed, throwing them all in different directions.

"Oof…!" Selene and Aira grunted. They were both fine, but happened to be trapped under some rubble, just like Cynthia, Carla, Takeru, and Wendy.

"S-Stuck…" Cynthia groaned, her eyes widening as she saw Chelia approaching Wendy once again, palm faced forward. "C-Chelia, no…!"

"I'm tired of this…" Takeru growled while using his Shadow Drive to slip through the rubble, now approaching Chelia at rapid speeds.

"Don't come any closer…or she dies…" Chelia spoke in a monotonous voice. Takeru, though reluctant, came to a halt, just snarling at the sky goddess. "This is what happens when you hold back…but it's too late for you to learn that lesson now…"

"Tch…!" Raven had a clear shot now, but he was stuck. He could hear Chelia's voice in his head saying "Take the shot! Take the shot!" Wendy was in danger, and so was everyone else. He let out a disgruntled groan before shouting, "Dammit!" And released the wind arrow. It flew through the air, piercing right through Chelia's chest. Her eyes widened for a brief moment before she just collapsed onto her side. "I'm sorry…!"

"CHELIA!" Wendy and Cynthia looked horrified at the end result.

"….." Selene just looked down and away from the scene.

Chelia remained motionless for a moment before a soft light encased her body. The wound she had slowly began to vanish as she stood up, looking completely unfazed from the attack; she healed herself. As soon as she stood up, a powerful gust of wind lifted everyone off their feet and threw them away. "…"

"She…she healed herself in Black Sky…!? I thought she couldn't…!" Cynthia was more than surprised.

"This situation just keeps getting worse…" Aira whispered.

"You missed…" Chelia spoke while approaching Raven, who seemed stuck in place as she did. Black winds surrounded Chelia's fist, and she punched Raven right in the chest. A pained gasp escaped the male as he fell onto his back, fading in and out of consciousness.

"I-…" Raven could barely talk without pain.

Chelia stared down at Raven, looking with the intent to finish him off. It was then her expression softened, eyes flashing from dark purple to the usual cobalt rapidly. During the change, she looked around, noticing all the pain she caused her friends. Her eyes widened and returned to normal. The control over her was broken. "R-Raven…!" She crouched down, placing her hands over the male's chest, a soft sea green light emitting from her palms.

"W-What…?" Carla blinked. "She's back to normal…?"

"Something must have happened to the one who had control over her…" Aira suggested. She stood, groaning just softly in pain, but otherwise she was fine.

"I wonder what happened…" Takeru pondered in a serious tone. For now, he was watching the interaction between Chelia and Raven; he doubts and assumed this could be another trap, but at the same time he wasn't so sure.

"A-Are you okay?!" Chelia immediately asked Raven once she was finished healing. There was a guilty look on her face; she couldn't even bring herself to look him, or anyone in the eyes. "I'm so sorry…! I just…!"

"Ssssh…" Raven quietly shushed Chelia and sat up, ignoring the lingering pain in his chest. "Can't you be selfish just for once…?"

"H-Huh…?" Chelia blinked a few times, unsure on how to respond. "W-What do you mean…"

"You just took an arrow through the chest…I know you healed that off but I know that still hurts…" That was just one thing Raven meant. "And I mean…can't you just worry about yourself first, for once…? Chelia….are you okay…?"

"I…" Chelia took a second to realize that 'okay' even meant in her case. She bit her lower lip, eyes beginning to water. "I'm not okay! I'm not okay!" She broke down, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I…I'm not even alive! My soul was taken from me and I was turned into a heartless killing machine! I hurt the ones I love!"

"Her soul…" Wendy paused, feeling her own tears well up at Chelia's break down.

"I-I'm just a monster…" Chelia whimpered. "I-I'm so sorry…! I didn't mean to hurt you or anyone else and I did…I saw everyone going on but I couldn't stop myself…I…I…I…!"

"Hey…" Raven took one of Chelia's hands, shaking his head slowly. "Chelia…don't cry. It's not your fault…it was never your fault to begin with."

Chelia leaned forward, resting her forehead against Raven's with a soft sniffle. She squeezed his hand before looking up at him. "H-How can you say that…?"

"Because…I know Sherri, Lyon…Jura…they won't blame you for this…and, it doesn't matter if you have your soul or not…because no matter what, you're still you. You're still the Chelia Blendy that I…er…that we all know and love. Nothing can change that. And I promise…we'll get your soul back, no matter what…"

"Raven…" Chelia's expression softened, the slightest of smiles appearing on her face as she closed her eyes. "Thank you…"

From the shadows not too far away, Arcturus was watching the heartwarming moment. He licked his lips, a wide smile appearing on his face, all of his sharp teeth exposed. "Heh…"

Next time: Clash!