The Reunion of Two Sisters

by ShadowSpider17

The last time Noelle and Lucy saw each other, they were 9 and 16. Then Lucy joined Fairy Tail and went in that seven-year sleep. It's been years since the two saw each other but now Noelle is coming to Fiore to talk to the king about joining the Ace Alliance, and Lucy will be her bodyguard. What adventures will they come across? Asta/Noelle, Astelle, Natsu/Lucy, NaLu.

5. Of Magic and Grimoires

Disclaimer: I don't own Black Clover or Fairy Tail if I did then NaLu and Astelle.

So, some Black Clover news, I heard that Tabata said that he plans on making Black Clover like one piece and wants to try and make it as long as he can even said that he is mentally preparing himself for no vacation days. I hope this means that the war arc won't be the last we see of Black Clover. There is still so much that can be explored. But if that doesn't happen, don't worry, I'll try to explore it too. I sure hope that where I heard it is a trustworthy source, it was an article that was recently posted.

Also, out of curiosity what do you think Asta and Noelle's children would be. I imagine that they would have a girl who will look like Noelle but with ash blonde hair like Asta, I'd name her Acier, and just like her mother, she would have water magic. I also imagine a boy who looked like Asta but with Noelle's silver hair, and he would have sword magic, because I think that if Asta had magic then that would have been it. It just makes sense to me, I mean Licht had sword magic, Asta gained his grimoire, and I don't really believe in the whole Asta and Liebe are brothers, whether they be blood or not they have a connection. They didn't even know who the other was until later in the series where Liebe figured out that Asta was his adopted mother's biological son. Tell me what you all think their children would be like. No need for Natsu and Lucy we already know that.

Also, some other things, these are only questions that manga readers can understand. So, first question, it was explained to Noelle's group that if they have enough mana then they can kill low rank devils, but medium and above they can't kill. So how did Luck kill a bunch of medium rank devils in Spade. The only explanation I can come up with is Ultimate Magic, that technique has the power to do it. But then I remember Licht's fight and when he used Ultimate Magic on the devil, but he survived. The only explanation I can come up with is that Zagred was a Supreme devil, that is why it didn't work. Ultimate Magic works on mid-rank devils but not supreme.

Let me know so I can make this more accurate.

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER. IN THE BOLD/AUTHOR NOTES.

By the way, does anyone know a fanfiction where Black Clover was set in the modern world? Like what I mean is that the premises is the same, there will still be magic, grimoires, elves, devils, etc. But it was all set in the modern era, I would love to read a fanfiction like that.

Also, another thing, don't get angry at me for some of the things that I add in the story. Not that anyone has complained to me, I just think there may be a possibility that some people may get annoyed at some stuff. This is placed four years after their fight with Lucius, so Noelle, Asta, Yuno, and all the other magic knights have gone through a lot of adventures and even discovered somethings about themselves. Although, I do plan on writing some stories showing some of this, and explaining how it happened.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE VULGAR LANGUAGE AND FLASHBACKS OF PAST SEXUAL ASSAULT. UNWANTED TOUCHING, NOTHING TOO INTIMATE THOUGH.

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Chapter 5: Of Magic and Grimoires

Wednesday, January 21, 5:00 am, x797, Phantom Lord Guild Hall

The Guild Master was sitting on his throne, below him are 10 mages, "Listen up! I got a job for you all," he announced

A male mage who had long, blue hair set in a low ponytail, brown eyes, white shirt, black leather jacket, blue jeans, and black shoes stepped up, "We're here to serve you master," he said

"The job is an assassination mission for the queen of the Clover Kingdom," the Guild Master revealed

"Hm… so Hanzo's crew couldn't cut it heh," a second assassin said smirking. This assassin is a man, 5'7", has short red hair, blue eyes, a white tank top, blue jeans, and black shoes.

"That job couldn't have been so hard; I mean from what I heard the former king was a loud cowardly buffoon. There's no reason that the queen is any different," the third assassin said. This assassin is a woman, 5'6" in height, with long brown hair reaching her mid-back, blue eyes, an athletic build, DD-cup breasts under a red short-sleeve shirt, black skinny jeans, and white shoes.

"According to what Hanzo told me, it was the queen who deduced that they were being followed. She then set a trap for them, and once they sprung it, she, along with those guarding her, quickly overpowered and captured them. Hanzo was the only one who got away," the Guild Master informed

"No way. So, you're saying for once the Clover Kingdom has a decently capable ruler," the third assassin said

"Decently capable. I'd call her sharp. Hanzo's transparency magic is top notch, capable of hiding even from the most skilled sensory wizard, and she was able to sense them and set up a trap. This queen shouldn't be underestimated," another female wizard said, she was 5'5", has long green hair set in a high-ponytail, blue eyes with oval glasses, C-cup breasts under a dark-blue blouse, blue jeans, and white shoes.

"More information will be sent to your lacrimas. This is a mission coming from our benefactor who is paying very handsomely for this queen's death. Be sure that she dies; I don't care what you do to accomplish it," the Guild Master said

"Of course, Master," the first mage said

"And remember, if any of you get caught, the client is anonymous. They don't want to have their identity revealed. Hanzo's crew didn't know, who the client was; they believed it was anonymous. We didn't want them to reveal any information if they were interrogated. But I know you won't break," the Guild Master said

"It's not like we can give much information, anyway. We don't even know who our benefactor is," a fourth mage commented, this mage was a man, 6'0" tall, with a black mullet, brown eyes. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with a skull-and-crossbones on it, blue ripped jeans, and black boots.

"And you won't, not until you've proven yourself truly worthy. Also, if any of you are caught, remember what must be done," the Guild Master warned, he got nods in response, "Good. Now get to work," and with that the ten wizards left for the mission leaving the Guild Master alone, "Let's see how strong you really are Sea Goddess. You and Fairy Tail."

Meanwhile at the Lucelle Tent

Noelle and Lucy were lying on their sides beside each other, Noelle was sleeping on her right side while Lucy was sleeping on her left side. They had talked and joked for quite some time before they decided it was time to go to sleep. Suddenly as if by manipulation, the bottle of water that Noelle had gotten just before they went to bed tipped over, spilling and spreading water. It wasn't a big puddle, but it was enough. An aqua-green light then shone, which makes Noelle wince in her sleep at how bright it is.

Once the light dies down, Noelle headed back to blissful sleep… at least for a few seconds, until she feels a hand grab her shoulder and shake her, "Wake up. Come on, Noelle, wake up," a familiar voice said

Noelle moaned, "Asta… five more minutes. It's too early; can't we train later," she said

"I'm not your damn boyfriend," the voice grumbled, shaking her harder. "Now, wake up before I flood this entire camp."

When it became apparent that she wasn't dreaming, and that the person wasn't leaving, Noelle opened her eyes.

"About time that you woke up," Aquarius said as she looked down on Noelle.

"Aquarius," Noelle said, sitting up from her lying position.

"Finally, you know who I am. I mean, do I really sound like your boyfriend," Aquarius snarked

"Actually, he's my fiancé," Noelle corrected as she stretched a little. She then looked beside her and saw Lucy still asleep. Noelle then looked at Aquarius, "How are you here? You can only come here when summoned, right? So, how are you here when Lucy is asleep… unless she summoned you while asleep? Is that a thing? Sleep summoning?"

"As long as we are contracted to a wizard, and as long as the wizard is powerful enough, celestial spirits have the ability to come to your world. We can also use our own magic power to do so, which was what I did. Although there have been other times when we can do it without contracts, though those have been special circumstances," Aquarius explained, remembering when she saved Lucy from being killed by Brandish, when she again saved Lucy and turned her from a yokai back to human, and when Brandish and Lucy both found her key. Really, it took Lucy long enough. What was she doing? Probably being screwed by Natsu like they did when they reunited. Even if she denies it, Aquarius thinks that's the explanation, and she's sticking with it. Besides, it's so much fun seeing Lucy flustered when she is trying to defend herself. "And no 'sleep summoning' is not a thing,"

"It must take a lot of mana to travel between worlds. Are you ok to do that," Noelle asked

Aquarius snorted, "Don't worry about me, kid. I'm one of the 12 Zodiac Spirits, I'm far more powerful than you realize," she said with a smirk.

"Okay. Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here," Noelle asked

"I remember being promised to be summoned last night so we could talk, but that never happened," Aquarius said, glaring at Noelle, "Just because time moves slower in our world, it doesn't mean we're not aware of the time in this world."

"Time moves slower in your world. That's interesting. So, what's the time difference? A day in your world is a year here," Noelle asked

"A day in our world is three months here," Aquarius corrected

"Really? How do you have any time to do anything? I mean, that math is way too advanced for me. But wouldn't it mean you guys be being called like every second, minute or something like that? Lucy told me that you've been on dates before. How do you do that when you're being summoned constantly," Noelle asked, curious.

"That's our secret. Don't change the subject. I was promised something, and you didn't keep it," Aquarius said, glaring at Noelle.

"Oh, well… she's the celestial wizard," Noelle said, pointing at and blaming the sleeping Lucy, "So, blame her."

"We'll talk about that later… and believe me, we will be talking about it," Aquarius said

Noelle laughed, "Alright, I get it. But if you want to talk, I have some conditions," she said

"Oh, and what's that," Aquarius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have questions I'd like answered. Think you could answer them," Noelle asked

"If it's within my knowledge," Aquarius answered crossing her arms, "Anything else?"

Noelle shrugged, "Help me train," she requested

Later

Noelle and Aquarius moved along the lake until Noelle deemed it far enough away to be private, before stopping. The water mage then faced the lake. Aquarius observed Noelle. "You look just like her," she commented.

"Who? My mother or Amphrite," Noelle asked surprising Aquarius.

"So, you know," Aquarius said, she then sees Noelle getting down on the ground. "What are you doing?"

Noelle looked up as she got into a push-up position. "What's it look like? I'm training. I always train my body before I get to my magic," she said as she started doing her push-ups, "Don't worry… we can… keep on… talking… Unlike Asta… I'm great at… multitasking… And yeah… I know… Found out… four years ago… when I was… kidnapped… by a cult… Long story short… because of these… people, I… wound up… in hell itself… and faced… some of… the nastiest… devils there… We barely… got out… of it alive… Two good… things came… out of… that… adventure… One, I… got more… powerful… and two… and most… important… I finally… gathered… the courage… to tell… Asta how… I felt… about him…," Noelle said as she did her push-ups.

"Amphrite and I were good friends. We knew each other for centuries. I was never sure if she did the right thing. She said that humanity was in danger of falling, and she couldn't let that happen. She willingly went against orders and took action; she believed that her power could help, whether it be a driving force or even for support. She couldn't stand back and let the world die," Aquarius told

"Yeah, well… her wish… came true… I was… able to… make use… of my… power… and used… it not… only to… protect the… Clover… Kingdom… but the… world too…," Noelle grunted as she was able to get to sixty push-ups, she started to get faster now. She'll have to cut her workouts short during this trip. Who knew when they'd want to move? She'd do a hundred, for now. She'd like to do more, but oh well, she'll make it up later.

Aquarius watched as Noelle went through some of her exercises. She watched as Noelle did 100 sit-ups, then 100 crunches. She then followed Noelle to a tree branch where she did 100 pullups and 100 hanging sit ups. Aquarius had to say, she is impressed with Noelle's physical prowess, she'd done all that and she didn't even look winded. She's certainly in better physical shape than Lucy is; by this point, Lucy would be panting and begging for some water.

Noelle sighed, "I should probably call it here. I wish I could do more, at least go for a run, but I don't know when everyone will wake up, I know Nozel wouldn't be happy if he found out I went running without anyone with me. He'd spend an hour scolding me. Not to mention, I'd like to get some magic training in before we leave," she said as she walked back to the lake.

Aquarius decided to take this time to start the conversation back up, "You look well. How has life been treating you," Aquarius asked as she floated next to Noelle.

"Childhood was hell. The only happy memories I have mostly involve Lucy. Things got better when I was 15 and I joined the Black Bulls," Noelle said

"The Black Bulls," Aquarius asked

"They were the worst Magic Knight squad in the kingdom, but despite that, they became the family I desperately needed and wanted. They accepted me, looked out for me, cared for me, and loved me. I will always appreciate what they did for me," Noelle said

"Gonna need a little more detail than that," Aquarius said, but she is relieved that Noelle found people who cared and loved her.

Just like Lucy, Aquarius had borne witness to the treatment Noelle's siblings gave her when she was younger, and just like Lucy, Aquarius hated it and wanted to do something about it so bad. But she knew she couldn't - the Silvas were a royal family; going against them would be near impossible. Sometimes, when she saw the treatment, she would wonder if Amphrite made the right decision to use that spell. She remembered Amphrite being excited, but if she knew what was going to happen, Aquarius wondered if she'd still do the same.

Finally, they arrived at the lake and Noelle stopped a few feet from it. She took a deep breath, put both arms out, with palms and fingers spread out. Then, the water in the lake started to swirl and steadily climbed up until it formed a water twister. When it was at the appropriate height, Noelle separated the twister in two, keeping them both the same size. Aquarius watched this, impressed with how much control Noelle has with her magic. She could remember when the girl had trouble shooting water balls at a tree. Now she'd successfully created two water twisters and is currently making a third one. Aquarius then sensed something, a powerful presence, one which was very familiar to her. Aquarius's eyes then landed on Noelle's grimoire, 'I thought I recognized the shape of those sea dragons yesterday. So, you were finally able to reunite with her, you overgrown snake,' Aquarius thought

"I'll give you more detail, but not yet. I have a question," Noelle said, getting Aquarius's attention.

"Go ahead," Aquarius said

"You said that those Star Dresses that Lucy and Yukino have are a step below Spirit Dive," Noelle asked

"That's right. The Star Dresses help the celestial wizard adapt to our ethernano; that way, when the time comes for the celestial wizard to fully combine, they won't be overwhelmed by our power," Aquarius explained

"Are you really that strong," Noelle asked

Aquarius smirked. "Stronger than you think. When celestial spirits are summoned to your world, we are connected to the wizard's magic, which means that we can only bring out the strength our wizard can withstand. The stronger a celestial wizard is, the more of our original strength we can bring in this world. It's part of the contracts which were made centuries ago," she replied

"What if you were to bring out all your strength in this world when a wizard isn't ready for that," Noelle asked

"That's impossible. The contracts make it to where we can't do that. It's binding - a trade; we give up something to gain something. But if such a thing were to happen, theoretically speaking, depending on the amount of magic they have… the wizard would be brought to near-death and could gain a case of magic deficiency, or… they'd die," Aquarius said, surprising Noelle.

"Has, there ever been a celestial mage who could bring out your full strength," Noelle asked

"Plenty. All the Heartfilias… the Heartfilia family have been known to produce the strongest celestial wizards out there, from Anna Heartfilia to Lucy herself. As a celestial wizard, Lucy is the strongest there is. Thing is, even though she has more confidence now, she's too kind and still tends to underestimate herself. Lucy considers herself the weakest of the team; this belief makes her unconsciously hold back her strength, which makes us hold back our strength as well," Aquarius said

Noelle nodded. "For someone who unconsciously holds back, she's certainly powerful," she said, sounds like she and Lucy were more alike than they thought they were, and that's saying something. "What's the difference between celestial spirits and the Four Great Nature Spirits?"

"There aren't as many differences as you think. The main Four Nature Spirits are made of the ethernano of earth, fire, water, and wind, while we celestial spirits are made of the ethernano of the stars and constellations. As long as they are out there, so shall we exist," Aquarius said

"You said 'main' Four Nature Spirits. What do you mean by that," Noelle questioned

Aquarius smirked. "Fire, water, wind, and earth aren't the only elements out there. Do you really think that there isn't a lightning spirit, a wood spirit, or even a metal spirit," she asked

"I never thought of that before, but now that you mention it… it does make sense. I've always known that you can make contracts with other beings who aren't spirits. Devils and gods come to mind, but I never thought there were more nature spirits out there," Noelle said

"You all may have figured out how to access the attributes with your magic, but the attributes themselves have always existed. Light, dark, metal… these elements were always there, even before we were around. Your ancestors just figured out how to access them," Aquarius explained

After that, Noelle and Aquarius then went back-and-forth with talking to each other, both telling stories and sating curiosities.

7:00 am, Lucelle's tent

Lucy had been sleeping in the tent by herself since Noelle and Aquarius left some time ago. She was having such a nice sleep until… 'Lucy,' a voice called in her head, making her wince in her sleep.

Dreamscape

Lucy appeared in an unknown area, "What the neck?! where am I," she asked, she then looked around and noticed the vast space filled with stars, meteors, planets, and some crystals, and immediately she knows where she was, "The Celestial World. Why am I here? WAIT A MINUTE!" Lucy then looked down to see that she was in the X792 attire (You know the one with a sleeveless blue, white collared shirt with a gold tie and gold buttons), before immediately panicking, "OH CRAP, I'M NOT IN ANY CELESTIAL CLOTHES!" But then she stopped. "Wait, I'm not in any celestial clothes, and yet I'm alive. How?"

Lucy then decided to start walking down the rainbow path. "Hello? Is anyone there? Loke, Aquarius, Virgo," she called as she walked down the trail. After about an hour of walking, Lucy got to see some cool things, but she was honestly annoyed and a little scared. "Cancer, Taraus, Scorpio, Celestial King… is anyone there? Where is everybody?" Just then, Lucy heard something moving behind her, making her turn around, only to see nothing, "Hello?" Again, something moved behind her, making her turn around only to see nothing, "Who's there?!" She then hears something beside her, but she sees nothing, "This isn't funny!" Lucy then grabbed her whip, ready to defend herself.

"Lucy…," a voice called

"Who's there," Lucy called

"I'm waiting," the voice said

"Waiting… What do you mean? Show yourself," Lucy demanded, just then, she feels a great wind blowing on her as if something moved past her. She looked and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the silhouette of a creature, it had a long body, four legs, five claws, a snout, protruding from its head were either horn or antlers. Its eyes were closed… but then they opened, and she saw slitted eyes that bearing into her.

"I'm waiting," the creature said, just then, the wind picked up all around the area again. and the creature's magic power was skyrocketing.

"Oh my god," Lucy exclaimed as she felt the creature's power; it had to have been the strongest she has ever felt before! The only comparison she had were the dragon gods.

"I'm waiting," the creature repeated, as the winds picked up.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR," Lucy yelled through the winds.

"I'm waiting for you. Come find me Lucy Heartfilia, AND ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY," the creature said

"WAIT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! WHO ARE YOU," Lucy said, trying to fight through the winds, but it was impossible. She was then blown off her feet and is thrown in the vastness of the Celestial World, "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Reality, 7:02 am (This is where I pick up my corrections)

Lucy screamed and sat up from her position, "Whoa, weird dream," she said, Lucy then recalled what she saw in her dream, "What was that?"

Just then, Natsu appeared from the entrance of her and Noelle's tent, "Lucy, are you ok," he asked, worried for his girlfriend and ready to fight to defend her.

Lucy smiled. It just filled her heart with warmth and love that she has a boyfriend that is so devoted and protective of her like Natsu. She still wonders what she has done to deserve such devotion from him, "I'm fine Natsu, just a dream," she reassured

"A nightmare," Natsu asked curiously

"I'm not sure if I would call it a nightmare. Nightmares are scary, but this was… overwhelming, perhaps," Lucy tried to explain, 'The power I felt was unlike anything I felt before. Not even my zodiac spirits had that kind of power. That kind of power surpassed Ophiuchus. The strongest of the zodiacs!'

"You sure you're okay," Natsu asked

Lucy smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine," she said

"If you say so," Natsu relented

"Where's Noelle," Lucy asked once she noticed that Noelle wasn't in the tent.

"She's out here with Aquarius," Natsu answered

"Wait, Aquarius is here," Lucy asked, surprised

"You didn't know? Heh, I thought you summoned her or something, considering yesterday you did promise to summon her to talk to Noelle," Natsu said

"It's Queen Noelle, Natsu; respect her title," Lucy corrected, smiling, what Natsu said then sunk in and she screamed in fear, "OH MY GOD, I WAS SUPPOSED TO SUMMON AQUARIUS LAST NIGHT SO SHE AND NOELLE COULD TALK, AND I TOTALLY DIDN'T BECAUSE I TOTALLY FORGOT, AND NOW AQUARIUS IS TOTALLY GONNA DROWN ME FOR FORGETTING!"

"Whoa, really," Natsu said surprised, "Sucks to be you."

"HEY, YOU'RE MY BOYFRIEND! WHICH MEANS IT'S YOUR JOB TO PROTECT ME! SO DO YOUR JOB AND PROTECT ME FROM AQUARIUS," Lucy yelled, glaring at Natsu.

"You want me to fight Aquarius," Natsu asked, he then imagined Aquarius blasting water at him, washing him away. Natsu then looked at Lucy, and shook his head. "No, no can do."

"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NO CAN DO," Lucy yelled

"Fire and water are a bad match up," Natsu excused

"Since when has that ever stopped you, heh," Lucy said, but before she could continue, she was cut off when Natsu grabbed her hand, she then saw him smile at her.

"Enough of that for now; you should come outside and see what the queen is doing," Natsu said

"What's she doing," Lucy asked

"Come on," Natsu said as he pulled Lucy up and led her out of the tent.

Outside

When Lucy and Natsu exited the tent, they bore witness to Noelle in front of the fire with ingredients, next to her is Minerva and Aquarius who seemed to be instructing her. Vanessa and Finral sat nearby, watching the scene with dread on their faces. "What's going on," Lucy asked, getting the five's attention

"Oh, hey Lucy. Minerva and Aquarius are teaching me how to cook," Noelle said giddily

"Really," Lucy asked as she and Natsu sat down.

"She wanted to learn, so I thought I would teach her," Aquarius said

"Then I came out and figured I would assist. I'll admit, I don't think I have seen someone so eager to learn how to cook," Minerva said

"A good wife should know how to cook, and I want to be a good wife," Noelle stated

"Who told you that? Asta," Lucy asked, wondering if Asta was that shallow and sexist. Kind of strange, since what she's heard, that doesn't seem to fit his personality.

"Not exactly. When we were 15, Asta went to visit a girl in Nean Village in the Common Realm to play with her siblings… and I may have followed him," Noelle said getting a snort from Lucy and some amused smiles.

"Exactly how many times have you followed Asta, Noelle," Lucy said, smiling in amusement.

"N-not a lot! Let's see… there was the mixer, then Nean, then the second mixer, and then there was that proposal he did toward Sister Lily. So, four - only four times! I was just so jealous and worried," Noelle admitted getting some laughs, "Anyway, Asta wound up going to the restaurant where Rabecca - that's the girl he met at the mixer - worked, and she made him food, food which he enjoyed, he then made a passing comment about how good the food was and that she would make a good wife! I put that in the back of my head since then, but when it was obvious that marriage between Asta and I was guaranteed, it popped back up. So, for the past four years, I've been learning how to cook," Noelle said

"If Asta thinks being a good wife means knowing how to cook, then that's what I'll do. I've even learned a few more domesticated skills, like laundry, separating darks from whites, what detergent I should use, I learned how to remove stains… I'm telling you, washing machines are really handy. I learned the art of sweeping and mopping. Apparently, you must sweep then mop," Noelle said

"You didn't know how to do any of that," Natsu asked

"She really didn't, I would know, I'm the one who taught her how to sweep. then mop," Vanessa said

"I'm royalty; I didn't do chores. I had people do it," Noelle argued, making Lucy laugh a bit.

"So, now that you're getting married, you're trying to domesticate yourself," Minerva asked

"Exactly. Asta… he's all ready for this - he cooks, he cleans, he knows how to do pretty much all of it. I mean, he kind of had to since he had to help around the church, and when he joined the Black Bulls, he cleaned the entire base," Noelle said

"You ever help him," Lucy asked

"Nope. He did it all on his own, for four years," Noelle said

"Why didn't you help him," Natsu asked

"I already told you. I'm royalty; I didn't clean, I had people for that," Noelle repeated

"Are you gloating about being lazy," Natsu asked

Lucy looked at Natsu with a raised eyebrow, "That's funny coming from you. I have to remind you constantly to clean up after yourself. Natsu, do the dishes. Natsu, take out the trash. Natsu sweep the floor," she reminded

"Okay, I get it," Natsu said, pouting making Lucy roll her eyes.

"Alright, anyway, now it's time to flip them," Minerva pointed out, making Lucy look over at what was being made… only to see an egg on a frying pan.

"Right," Noelle said as she grabbed a spatula.

"Now, make sure you have the flat part of the spatula on the pan, and then push it under the egg," Aquarius instructed

"Like this," Noelle said as she did as they said but was unable to get the spatula all the way under the egg, which made her frown.

"It's okay, just try again. But this time, try adding a little more force," Minerva said

"Alright, let's go," Noelle said, she then pushed the spatula with more force, but this time it was too much, and the egg was sent flying.

"Runaway egg," Natsu called out as they all watched the egg fly.

Just then, Sting and Yukino came walking up to the camp, "Hey, guys, was just wondering if breakfast was done yet. If I know milady…," Sting said, but was interrupted when the egg hit him straight in the face, surprising him, making him lose his balance and fall on his back.

"STING," Yukino exclaimed as she knelt next to her boyfriend, "Are you okay?"

Sting didn't answer at first; instead, he sucked the egg up in his mouth, chewed it, and then swallowed, "Not exactly how I like my eggs given to me. I'd give it a C-," he commented

"Only a C-," Noelle asked

"Too much pepper," Sting said, making Noelle groan.

"Don't worry, we'll try again," Aquarius consoled

"Right," Noelle said determinedly

"First, crack the egg," Minerva said, as Noelle then gets a new egg and prepares to crack it. "Hang on a second. Hold it like this when you crack it," Minerva said, correcting the way Noelle was holding the egg. "Remember, not too much force where the egg completely breaks, but just enough where you can dig your thumbs in."

As she watched Noelle cracking an egg, Lucy couldn't help but smile a soft smile at her, "Lucy," Aquarius said, making Lucy look at the celestial spirit only to see an all-too-familiar glare pointed at her - one that she would give her in her early days in Fairy Tail… and right before where she would try and wash her away with her magic, "We will talk about broken promises later. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lucy squeaked

"Why don't we put chili pepper on them," Noelle asked as she picked up the chili pepper.

"Our poor stomachs," Finral exclaimed

"Rest in peace," Vanessa said

Nearby, Nozel watched as Noelle cooked, "I think I'll skip breakfast today," he said as he walked away.

Later, 7:40 am

Everyone was sitting down eating eggs that Noelle made, and to be honest, they didn't look like the best-made eggs either. "Bon appetit," Noelle exclaimed, feeling proud of herself at making the breakfast. Well, hey, she may not have wanted all of them here, but she could at least show her appreciation by making breakfast; plus, it will help her when she finally cooks for Asta - that's what she really wants to do. To cook him dinner and for him to tell her that it was a good meal, and that she was a good wife.

Lucy looked at what was supposed to be eggs on her plate. She was starting to see why Nozel, and the Black Bulls didn't let Noelle cook yesterday. But… Lucy then looked at Noelle and saw her smiling, 'She looks so proud,' Lucy thought, "Well, guys, let's dig in, shall we?" With that, Lucy and the rest of the mages - minus Nozel who promptly told Noelle that he wasn't hungry - took a bite of the eggs, and all their eyes widened.

"This is…," Natsu said

Right before he could say something that could hurt Noelle's feelings, Lucy covered Natsu's mouth with her hand, "It's out of this world," Lucy said, not really lying, the flavor really was out of this world just not in a good way.

"Really," Noelle asked

Lucy smiled, "Yeah, totally," she said

"That's great! You know I was postponing it, but maybe it's time I cook for Asta. I have not actually cooked for him before – well, unless you count that sandwich I made him 6 years ago. But that was the only time, and he didn't get a chance to eat it, considering someone tried kidnapping him," Noelle said

"Lucky peasant," Nozel muttered, remembering when he ate one of Noelle's sandwiches and how long he had to stay at the healers because of it.

"I haven't done it since, but if you think it's that good… Maybe it's time I cook for him," Noelle said

"Um, maybe you should hold off on that a little while and take some more lessons. You know, so you can make the best meal he's ever had before," Lucy carefully said, fearing for Asta's, and her own health.

Noelle thought about for a moment, "Heh, I guess you're right," she said making Lucy sigh in relief.

"So, how did everyone sleep," Yukino asked

"I slept well," Erza said

"Same here," Minerva said

"How'd you sleep Lucy, Queen Noelle," Yukino asked

"We heard you scream this morning, Natsu dashed out of his tent and toward yours in a second," Vanessa said

"What caused the scream," Noelle asked

"Just a dream I had," Lucy said

"A dream," Yukino asked

"Yeah, it was weird. I was in the Celestial World in some regular clothing. Seeing no one was there, I walked down the path, calling out for Loke, Aquarius, and Virgo. I had to have walked for about an hour, saw some cool things, but I was also annoyed and a little scared. I then called for Cancer, Taraus, Scorpio, and the Celestial King, but got no answer. After that, I heard something move behind me, so I turned around, I was hoping to see at least one spirit even if it wasn't mine, but when I turned, I saw no one. I called out to them… that's when again I heard something move behind me, so I turned around only to see nothing again. I yelled, 'Who was there' - that's when I heard something beside me. I looked but saw nothing. I had no idea what was going on - if it was a joke, it wasn't funny. I grabbed my whip just in case, ready to defend myself. That's when I heard a deep voice call my name," Lucy said

"They called your name," Yukino asked, getting a nod from Lucy.

"I asked who's there, the voice answered by saying, 'they were waiting'," Lucy said

"Waiting? For what," Gray asked

"I don't know. I asked what they meant and demanded they show themselves. Just then, I felt a great wind blowing on me as if something moved past me. I looked in that direction, and what I saw was shocking," Lucy told

"What did you see," Erza asked curious.

"I saw a silhouette of a creature. It was so big; I couldn't believe its size. It had a long body, five claws, a snort, and they were either horns or antlers protruding from its head. Its eyes were closed, but then they opened, and it had slitted eyes, and they were looking straight at me. It then told me it was waiting, then strong fierce winds picked up around me, and the creature's ethernano skyrocketed. Its power… it was… staggering, overwhelming, unreal - I honestly never felt anything so powerful," Lucy said surprising everyone.

"Was it really that powerful," Noelle asked

Lucy nodded, "More than you know. It remined me of those Dragon Gods we faced three years ago, and even then, I think its power may exceed them," Lucy said, considering they completed the 100-year quest they are allowed to talk about what it entailed.

'A long body, five claws, antlers or horns, and slitted eyes. That sounds like a…,' Noelle thought, before arguing it was just a dream.

"It was that powerful," Wendy asked surprised, what kind of creature is that strong.

Lucy nodded, "It then repeated itself by saying that it was waiting, I asked what it was waiting for," Lucy said

"What did it say," Natsu asked

"It said that it was waiting for me. It told me to come find it and accept my destiny. The winds picked up to where I was struggling to keep my feet on the ground. I asked about what it meant and who it was, but after that I was blown off my feet and thrown in the vastness of the Celestial World. Next thing I knew I woke up screaming," Lucy said

As everyone listened to Lucy, what no one saw was that Aquarius's eyes widened in shock at what she heard. 'Is it possible, could he...after all these years,' Aquarius thought

"That reminds me," Lucy said as she then turned to Noelle, "You weren't there when I woke up. What time did you wake up?"

"Pretty early; I was rudely awakened by a certain mermaid," Noelle said, sending Aquarius a glare.

"Well, maybe if you two would learn to keep your promises, then I wouldn't have done that," Aquarius retorted

"I told you earlier," Noelle said, she then pointed her thumb at Lucy, who was taking a bite of her eggs, "It's Lucy's fault!"

Hearing that made Lucy spit out her eggs, "What," she exclaimed

"Well, it is," Noelle said, shrugging.

"Are you seriously throwing me under the bus," Lucy said incredulously.

"You're the celestial wizard, not me. I don't have the ability to summon her, but you do. So don't you think the blame goes to you," Noelle said

Natsu nodded, "Makes sense to me," he said

"Yeah," Gray agreed

"Agreed," Erza said,

"Aye," Happy said

"Agreed," Carla said

"Sorry Lucy," Wendy said as the other wizards also agreed.

"OH, COME ON," Lucy exclaimed, making Noelle giggle.

"Anyway, after Aquarius got me up, we headed to the lake where I could train," Noelle said

"You trained," Minerva asked getting a nod from Noelle.

"Well, yeah, I need to get better at controlling my magic, not to mention keep my body in top condition," Noelle said

"Didn't you say that you already gained control over your magic," Wendy asked

"That spell you pulled yesterday certainly showed your control," Erza complimented

"Not enough, though. The only way I pulled that spell off was by using the water in the lake," Noelle said, sighing in disappointment at herself.

"That's still something to be proud of Noelle. I remember there was a time when you couldn't hit a tree with a water ball, and now, I see you create dragons and defeat 15 wizards with them," Lucy said

"To be fair, you all weakened them. They were all thoroughly beaten up. I just got the last hit in," Noelle pointed out.

"Still, that was a powerful spell; something to be proud of," Erza said

"Still not good enough. What I want to do is create my own water and use that to form the spell. However, my ability is sorely limited with that. The only way I can fully control my powers is by using a wand," Noelle said

"A wand," Wendy repeated

In response, Noelle took her wand out and showed it to the wizards. "This is my wand. Ever since I was 15, I used this to help me control my magic. Without it, I didn't have a semblance of control. The only magic I could do with my hands were static spells - in other words, defensive spells. If I ever tried an attack spell, then the spell would get out of control. When I finally got control of my magic, I was so happy – finally, the thing that plagued me for years was finally under my control! It didn't bother me that I used a wand; I saw other mages with wands, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. But in recent years, I have been trying to learn to control my magic with my hands. It's been years and it has taken a lot of hard work getting to where I am. I am proud of my progress though," Noelle said

"What made you start trying to use your hands for control," Erza asked

Noelle's face suddenly grew solemn, which the other wizards noticed. A memory then flashed in Noelle's mind.

Flashback – x792, Four Years Ago (WARNING)

Clover Kingdom, Clothing Store, Changing Room

Noelle, in a pink bra and panties was currently struggling with a man who is trying to grab her wrists, "Get away from me! Let go of me," Noelle demanded, she quickly picked up her wand and is ready to point it at the assaulter, but the man knocked the wand out of her hand. It then falls to the ground and was kicked far away from them. The man then threw a satisfied smirk at Noelle, and she felt fear course through her.

Present

Getting out of that memory, Noelle spoke, "That… I'd rather not talk about that," she said

"Okay," Erza said dropping it.

"Noelle," Lucy said as she looked at Noelle in concern.

"My wand is a great strength, but it is also my biggest weakness. Before I did my magical training, I did my physical training," Noelle said

"You physically train? That's interesting and surprising," Erza noted

"Why's that," Yukino asked

"Because in the Clover Kingdom, magic is everything. A lot of mages only trained their magic, not their bodies," Erza explained, "Can I ask why?"

"It's the same reason I'm learning to control my magic without my wand," Noelle said, getting a nod from Erza. Another memory then flashed in Noelle's mind.

Flashback – x792, Four Years Ago
(WARNING FOR UNWANTED TOUCHING. NOTHING TOO INTIMATE THOUGH.)

The man had succeeded in grabbing Noelle's wrists, "No," Noelle said as the man then moved them above her head, "Let go, now." The man however ignored her and put both her wrists together and grabbed them both with his hand trapping them in place and making sure that she can't move them. The man then looked at Noelle with a lewd smile, "Let me go. I don't want this." Noelle again struggled but is unable to movie due to the man's greater physical strength.

"Don't worry, this is gonna be fun," the man said

Noelle then feels the man start to run his hand over her body, starting from her upper body to her thigh, "Somebody…please help…," she said, she then felt him run his hand back up to her upper body to her stomach heading to her chest making her shiver in fright, "SOMEBODY HELP ME, AAAHHHHHHHHHH" she said

Present

The memory then ends. 'I don't ever want to be in that position again. I'll get stronger, not just in my magic, but my body as well.' - "I've been working my body the same number of years I've been learning to control my magic. Which has been four years. Anyway, how about we talk about something else?"

"Alright, how about the wedding," Lucy suggested, seeing that Noelle is trying to change the topic. She'd find out what happened to her later; hopefully, it isn't something too terrible.

"Alright," Noelle said, and with that the women of the group all talked about Noelle's wedding. However, as the discussion was happening, Finral, Vanessa, and Nozel watched Noelle closely. They know what she was thinking about, they know the reason for her training this way. As Noelle talked, Nozel narrowed his eyes as he watched his sister, trying to figure out if she is alright. He knows that is a sensitive subject. He'll be sure to keep an eye on her today.

Later after, everyone finished eating, the women were still talking about the wedding, all of them enthusiastic about the discussion, Noelle telling them what has been set up, what still needs to be done, some of the uncertainties, and Lucy as her Maid of Honor attacked each and every problem she heard with a clear head and strategic mind, and with some of the other women giving out ideas, they were all well on their way to make Noelle's wedding one to remember.

Finally, when it's time to go, they all got up, cleaned their dishes, packed them, and everything else up. Aquarius returned to the Celestial World, and then the mages headed back on the road, all in the same positions that they were in last time, Noelle, Rouge, Lucy, Vanessa, Yukino, and Finral were in the magic-limo. Yukino and Finral were in front with Yukino driving again; and Noelle, Rouge, Lucy, and Vaness were all sitting in the back. Outside the magic mobile, the other Fiore wizards and Nozel were surrounding the vehicle. Gray and Sting were walking beside the driver and passenger doors, Sting next to the driver's door, so he could look after Yukino. Minerva and Erza on the side Noelle is on, the dragon slayers are on the opposite side where Lucy was at, Natsu being next to Lucy to keep an eye on her as well. Gray was walking next to the passenger door where Finral was. Jura and Lyon brought up the rear, and Happy and Carla flying in the air, above the vehicle.

"Do we really have to fly," Happy complained as he did so.

"Yes, you do. You are to keep an eye out from above to tell us if anyone is coming so we can prepare," Nozel ordered, as he once again led the group from the front of the magic-limo.

"When is the next town or city," Happy whined

"The next town is Hosenka Town. While there, we can visit the bathhouses there and wash up," Erza said

"Sounds nice. I could use a nice bath," Noelle said

"Tell me about it; I hate not bathing after I wake up, it makes me feel dirty," Lucy said

Noelle snorted, "Try having short hair. It may be easier to maintain, but a bad thing is that it gets greasier faster," she said

"I know how you feel My hair is shorter than yours, and I have to make sure to wash it every day. Even skipping one day, and it will look like a grease pit," Yukino said

"I don't get what the big deal is about washing your hair, and why is matters so much," Natsu said

"Of course you wouldn't; you take showers like once every two months," Gray pointed out.

"No, I don't! I shower every day; Lucy makes me," Natsu said

"It's true, I do," Lucy confirmed

"How did you do that," Gray asked curious.

"Luce said that she doesn't want to run her fingers through my hair and find them greasy, and as long as I'm dirty she refuses to suck my…," Natsu said

"OK, THEY DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT," Lucy interrupted blushing, she blushed even more when she got knowing looks from the others. Honestly, she and Natsu need to work on filtering him.

"Oh, I don't know, I'm quite interested now…," Sting droned with a smirk. Just then, though, he felt an ominous aura – one which made him sweat. Fearfully, Sting looked beside him and saw Yukino glaring at him.

"Oh, really Sting? Well, if you're more interested in Lucy, then maybe I'll find someone else. Maybe Rogue would be interested," Yukino said, before looking at Minerva. "What do you think, Minerva?"

Minerva shrugged, "Well, from what I heard, he did grope you once," she said

"Come on, Yukino, I was only joking. You know that you're the only one who I would want to do that to me, and you're so good at it too! That thing, that you do with your tongue… it drives me wild. I'm sure Lucy's got nothing on you," Sting tried to excuse himself.

"Hey, don't be bagging on Lucy's oral skills. She's amazing when she gets to work! She doesn't just use her togue either, but her whole mouth," Natsu claimed

"Yeah, well, Yukino…," Sting said

Sting and Natsu then start arguing whose girl is better at oral, which just makes their celestial mage girlfriends' blushes deepen. Really, why do dragon slayers have to be so loud?

Before more could be said, both Lucy and Yukino covered their respective boyfriend's mouth - Lucy had half her body out the window just to cover Natsu's, while Yukino, who was driving, had summoned Libra who covered Sting's mouth for her, "That's enough! You don't need to broadcast to everyone, what we've done," Lucy said

"B…t…m…d…f…n…d…g…y…u," Natsu muffled out his answer from behind Lucy's hand, and yet somehow, she knew what he said

"Yeah, well, can you defend me in a less embarrassing way?! Now, no more talks about our sex life, okay," Lucy growled

"You know, looking at her, you can't help but admire her figure," Vanessa said as she observed Lucy's body. As a woman who put in hard work in her own figure, she can certainly appreciate another woman's hard work.

"Mk," Natsu muffled out.

With that, Lucy uncovered Natsu's mouth and went back in the limo.

"Ahhh, I wanted to know more about Lucy and Yukino's oral skills. Maybe I could give you two some pointers, if you want," Vanessa teased, winking at Lucy, making both her and Yukino blush madly.

"Th… Tha…at's no… one of yo… ur bus… iness," Lucy stuttered

"Oh, come on Lucy, no need to be shy. Besides, everyone knows that a man likes a woman with good oral skills. They'll take any chance they can get for the chance of having a woman put their mouth on them," Vanessa said

"Will… will you… p… please sh… ut… up," Lucy said as she, Yukino, Noelle, Wendy, and Erza blushed.

"Oh, come on, I give great advice. Just ask Noelle; I'm the one who taught her oral," Vanessa said

"WHAT," Lucy screeched as she looked at Vanessa wide eyed, before turning towards Noelle, "Is that true?"

"Um, well…," Noelle said hesitantly, knowing that everyone is listening, "Maybe...?"

Vanessa laughed, "I remember when she came to me - shy, nervous, and ashamed all at the same time. She wanted to add more in her and Asta's sex life, but she wasn't sure how. One of the things she heard most was oral sex, so Noelle thought that was a good place to start, but she was so nervous about doing it the right way. She wanted to be good, and make sure he enjoyed it. We practiced on a banana; one time, I asked Grey to transform the banana into a penis for more realism, but…," Vanessa said, before she started laughing. "Right… when the… banana was… transformed… Noelle went… completely… red! I swear… smoke was… coming out of… her head… and then… she fainted." Vanessa continued to laugh, followed by everyone except Noelle and Lucy.

Noelle was blushing like mad, "Never going to you about anything ever again! From now on, I'm going straight to Ciel," she muttered to herself. Ciel had been a mother figure towards her for a couple of years now; she always liked Noelle, thought she was a good girl and treated her with kindness when she saw her. It was only when Noelle and Asta started dating did Ciel put more effort in getting to know Noelle, since she was dating her adopted son. Ciel had adopted Asta when she found out how close he and Yuno were. Technically, Asta was a prince, but that didn't count in the eyes of the nobles and royals - he wasn't a royal or noble by blood, so to them he was still a magicless commoner. Noelle is certain the moment they get married, there will be a lot of outraged people. A peasant becoming a royal.

Lucy was wide eyed and was immediately imagining what Vanessa made Noelle do, "That's it," Lucy exclaimed, she then pointed at Vanessa, "You are never allowed to be alone with my little sister again. I will not allow you to corrupt her!"

"Oh, come on, she came to me. Besides, every woman should know how to give a good blowjob. Men go crazy for it," Vanessa said, she then opened the back window to look at Lyon with a seductive smile, "Isn't that right, Lyon?"

"What," Lyon asked

"You like a good blowjob, right. How about later, I give you one? Would that make you happy," Vanessa offered

Lyon's eyes widened, before losing his balance, "WHAAAAAAAT," he said, Lyon then fell face down on the ground.

Seeing that made Vanessa laugh and Jura smirk. She then leaned back in the limo and faced Noelle and Lucy, "See? Every guy loves them," Vanessa said

"You are never allowed to talk to Noelle again," Lucy decided in a matter-of-fact tone, making Vanessa laugh. "You think I'm kidding? I'm not. Never. Again."

"How about we talk about something less humiliating," Noelle offered

"Ah, but talking about sex is so much fun," Vanessa said

"I swear sometimes, Vanessa, I think you have no shame," Noelle sighed

Vanessa smirked, "That's because I don't," she said

"Never. Allowed. To. Be. Alone. With. Her. Again," Lucy emphasized

"I think I'll start preparing for my meeting with Queen Hisui now," Noelle said as she picked up her briefcase. Setting it on her lap, she then channeled her magic in her index finger and wrote a code. After that, the briefcase unlocked, and Noelle opened it. (Watch Black Clover Sword of the Wizard King. It's where I got this from)

As this was happening, Wendy was able to see what happened. "That's amazing, Your Majesty," she said

"Heh, what is," Noelle asked curious.

"The way you unlocked your briefcase," Wendy answered

"I must agree. How does that work exactly," Erza queried

"Oh, well… when we need something secured, we use this. I guess you could call it a mana lock. We use magic to lock it, and the only way to unlock it is by channeling our magic and writing a code. The magic could be set to multiple people or even a specific person. My magic is the only thing that can unlock my briefcase. Fiore is more technologically advanced, and it is interesting how you use magic as a power source for everything. But when it comes to the usage of magic, I'd say that we beat you there. Many of what we have is spell-based, it's true that we did have some technology, but the function mainly depended on the spell cast on it," Noelle said

"I see. I think I understand. You've all found more uses for magic and spells than we did," Erza said

"Exactly. Another example is those lacrimas that you all have. You use them for communication and watching shows; well, for us, we have magic items that rely on transmission magic, which we can use for communication and, more recently, watching shows. One of my hopes through this alliance is that we can advance our technology more, together. The Clover Kingdom has been able to advance our technology through the years thanks to our alliance with the Diamond Kingdom. But I hope that if Fiore joins, then we can all share our resources and prosper our countries. I think that there is so much that we can offer each other. If we all cooperate, maybe we can make not just our countries, but this world better and safer," Noelle said getting smiles from the Fiore wizards.

It's nice to know that she isn't just thinking of just her country's benefit, but theirs as well.

Lucy couldn't help but feel proud of the person that Noelle had become, but as proud as she is, she couldn't help but feel sad as well. She missed so much in her sister's life. Noelle was able to find people to help guide her down the path to become the woman she is now, and Lucy appreciated everyone who's helped Noelle. She just wished she was there with her, wished she could have helped guide Noelle to become who she is today. But she couldn't, didn't - because she wasn't there, she was in a suspended animation for seven years. She missed so much, so many milestones - she missed Noelle's grimoire ceremony, her becoming a Magic Knight, her falling in love, her engagement, and she missed her being crowned.

Lucy missed so much, and it saddened her, but she won't miss anything else from here on out. She will be there, to witness Noelle's other milestones. The first milestone is to help guide Noelle to Crocus for negotiations; after that will be setting up and attending her wedding, and so on and so forth. Lucy can't wait to see everything else Noelle would do.

After that, Noelle went over her papers to prepare herself for her meeting. Lucy took this time to look around a bit at everyone who is here. It certainly is strange - three guilds working the same job, not really president, and could be considered insulting. She supposed that she should be thankful they were working with guilds that they are friendly with. Lucy's eyes then landed on Nozel and she can't help but think what Noelle told her last night.

Flashback – Last Night

"I'm going to tell you the truth. The truth of how my mother Acier Silva really died," Noelle said

Lucy looked at Noelle in surprise, "What do you mean the truth? Noelle, your birth… it weakened her. It's not your fault she died; Auntie Acier was the one who decided to give birth to you. It was her decision," she said

"No, it wasn't," Noelle interrupted, "Nothing about my mother's death was her decision."

"What do you mean," Lucy asked

"It wasn't my birth that killed her. My mother was killed by a curse," Noelle revealed, making Lucy gasp.

"Who… Who would do such a thing," Lucy asked

"She was cursed by a devil, Megicula," Noelle said, she then starts from the beginning.

"Megicula," Lucy repeated

"You've researched devils before right," Noelle asked

Lucy nodded, "After Tartarus, one of the things I did was researched Zeref's demons. Through my research, I discovered that they were based on the devils themselves, and those so-called curses that they had was really just some type of magic. Magic that defied the logic of this world, it makes sense, when Erza was captured, her magic was sealed by sealing cuffs, while when she sealed the demon they didn't work on her, because her magic played by different rules so to say," she said

"Those demons you fought… they're nothing compared to a devil. Zeref's demons are nothing but cheap knockoffs compared to the real things. I'm going to tell you something that the Alliance has tried to keep a secret for years. What I'm about to tell you, you can't repeat to anyone, not even Natsu. If this information gets out, then we'll be cleaning up a real mess. I'm only telling you because our families were close enough to consider ourselves family, and because I think you deserve to know this. Swear to me you won't repeat this," Noelle said seriously.

"I swear," Lucy said

Noelle relaxed, "Good, now listen carefully, I can't give you a full history, but I can give you enough for you to understand the story. Devils live in the Underworld which is a nice word for Hell, while we live here: the human world or Earth Land. Our two worlds have been connected for over a millennium. The Underworld has seven levels, and there are only two gateways between worlds. First is the Tree of Qliphoth, and the second is the Mouth of the Underworld. Both gateways though are sealed and will remain that way. Devils have a hierarchy - first are the low-rank devils, then mid-rank, high-rank, and finally at the top are the supreme devils. Back then there were seven supreme devils who ruled the Underworld, but the other four left and only three Supreme Devils remained: Astaroth of Time Magic, Beelzebub of Spacial Magic, and the strongest and the one known as the Devil King, Lucifero of Gravity Magic. Astaroth later disappeared from the Underworld, and his place was taken by Megicula, also known as the father of curses. He was the one who introduced our world to curses," Noelle said

"The devils… all they want to do is to come to our world and have fun, to wreak havoc. To devils, we humans are nothing but playthings to them, toys which they can do whatever they want with till they get bored and decide to throw us away - or the most amusing one to them, break us," Noelle said

"Thankfully, they are sealed in their world, which means they can't get to us. However, because the devils don't have humans to torture and subjugate, then the high-ranking devils torture the devils below them, then those devils torture the ones below them, and so on," Noelle said

"My god… Hell is the right word for that place. I can't imagine living in that world, to fear torture every day," Lucy exclaimed

"It was a tough life," Noelle admitted

"Didn't you say that you'd been there before," Lucy asked

Noelle nodded, "I did, and it's like I said. It is not a nice place. It truly is a hellhole," Noelle explained, "Devils, for the most part, can't physically interact with our world. However, there is a way for them to interact, and sadly, it was our fault they did," Noelle said

"Our fault," Lucy questioned

"Humans, it was the humans' fault that devils can interact with our world," Noelle explained

"How," Lucy asked, wondering how humans caused this.

"Because humans have traveled to the Underworld," Noelle revealed, making Lucy gasp.

"Why…Why would they do that," Lucy asked

"Power. Devils are extremely powerful, and the humans craved that power. They traveled to the Underworld and made a deal with the devils. The humans will sacrifice or give the devil something that they desire, and in return the devil gives them its power. The devils accepted, and so the humans were given things such as artifacts, which was either connected with the devils or they could use a spell to connect to the Underworld. And so, humans and devils gained the ability to make contracts, and once a contract was made, the human became a host - or as we call them, devil-possessed," Noelle said

"Devil-possessed…," Lucy repeated, getting a nod from Noelle, "Can a human make a deal with multiple devils?"

"Yes, they can. There is a devil-possessed who is contracted with four devils," Noelle said

"Four?! So, what happens after the contract is made," Lucy said

"The human gains the devil's magic and attribute. The more of the devil's power the human accesses, that human will go through a transformation," Noelle taught

"A transformation? What kind of transformation," Lucy asked

"It's called Devil Union, and when they transform, the human will look more demonic. They'll get wings, horns, claws - everything. However, despite that transformation, because the gates to our world is closed, a devil-possessed can't access 100% of their devil's power," Noelle said

"How much can they wield," Lucy asked

"70 to 80%," Noelle said

"That's still a lot of power," Lucy pointed out

"Believe me, Lucy, you don't have to tell me that," Noelle said

"You said the devil Megicula killed Aunt Acier," Lucy reminded

"I did. It all starts in the Spade Kingdom, with four siblings who made contracts with devils," Noelle said

"How did they make contracts, though? How did they have this knowledge," Lucy asked

"There are people all around the world in every country who worship devils. Clover had them, so did Spade, Diamond, and Heart. I'm willing to bet that Fiore has worshippers as well. These worshippers are everywhere; they serve the devils, and the devils give them power. Some families' successes are thanks to devils and their intervention. Devils, even if they weren't in our world physically, they had an influence on it. They still do, to this day," Noelle said

Lucy grew concerned. If that was true, then she couldn't help but wonder if she had met any peoples whose success was because of devils. Could she and her team ever meet a devil-possessed one day, and what were to happen if they had to fight a devil one day? Zeref's demons nearly destroyed Fairy Tail, and if Zeref's demons were nothing but cheap copies, then she'd rather not meet the real things.

"The story starts in the Spade Kingdom with the Zogratis family. This family worshipped the devils and had a history with making contracts with them. There were four siblings all who made contracts with the Supreme Devils," Noelle said

"Supreme Devils? Exactly how strong are they," Lucy asked

"You might as well be an ant fighting a dragon," Noelle said, making Lucy's eyes widen at the comparison, "Mid to Supreme Devils are hard to kill; only certain mages could ever hope to kill them."

"Who are they? S-class mages," Lucy guessed

"If they had the right magic attribute, then they could, but if they didn't, it wouldn't have mattered how powerful they are – they would lose. Mid to Supreme Devils can only be killed by destroying their heart, and a devil's heart is nearly invincible," Noelle said

"You can't be serious," Lucy gasped in shock, "There has to be a way to destroy it!"

"Only arcane and saint stage mages can kill devils," Noelle said

"You've talked about these stages before, but what are they exactly," Lucy asked

"They're how we rank a mage's strength. Like how you class a mage's strength you say they are S-class or Wizard Saint level. We use stages – there are ten stages, depending on a mage's magic power and skill. Stage 9 is the weakest, while Stage 0 is the strongest," Noelle explained

"You said that we were a group of stage 1 and 0 mages," Lucy said

"I did. This is how you should look at it. In a war you'd prefer one Stage 0 mage on your side, than 15 Stage 5 mages," Noelle said

"I see, but I remember you mentioning an Arcane Stage mage," Lucy said

"Arcane Stage is one of two stages which can kill devils, because their magic affects the Underworld. An example is Captain Yami," Noelle said

"Your captain is an Arcane Stage mage," Lucy asked

Noelle nodded, "Dark magic affects the Underworld, so do magics like World Tree magic. These types of magic can be used to kill a devil of any level," she said

"What about Saint Stage," Lucy asked

"That can only be achieved by combining with a spirit or something similar. Saint Stage purifies malice, so it can be used to destroy devils. I have Spirit Dived with Undine, the water spirit; we reached Saint Stage and used it to fight and kill Megicula. But we're getting ahead of ourselves with that," Noelle said

"So, the only ones who can kill mid, high, and supreme devils are Arcane and Saint Stage mages," Lucy asked getting a nod from Noelle, "So, if Jura were to face one, you're saying that it would be impossible for him to kill it?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Noelle affirmed

"What about Gray? He's a demon slayer, his magic was designed to kill the demons from the Books of Zeref. If the demons were based off the devils, then doesn't that mean that Gray could kill devils," Lucy said

"On paper, it sounds like he is an Arcane Stage mage," Noelle agreed

"What about Yukino and I? In our Star Dresses, are we Saint Stage," Lucy asked

"You're close enough to do some damage. Your mana is similar to someone in Saint Stage has; however out of your star dresses, you could be considered Arcane Stage. Your mana, Lucy, even now… without the star dress, there is a difference between it and the others, well except Yukino," Noelle praised, getting a nod from Lucy, "There were four siblings in the Zogratis family who made contracts with Supreme Devils. The eldest brother Lucius, he was possessed by Astaroth; Dante, he was possessed by Lucifero himself."

"The devil king…," Lucy breathed out getting a nod from Noelle.

"There was Zenon who was possessed by Beelzebub, and then Vanica who was possess by Megicula," Noelle said, mentioning Vanica and Megicula with venom in her voice. "After Vanica became Megicula's host, she decided to test her power and sought out my mother."

"But why Auntie Acier," Lucy asked

"Vanica is the type of person who loves fighting. She'd do anything to get the challenge, the fight that she wants. It didn't matter whether it's kidnapping, taking people hostage, hurting, or even killing. She'd do it all with a smile if it meant that she'd get the fight she craves. Someone like her who does whatever she wants and laughs like an idiot while kind people get hurt and cry. People like them, I hate the most. People like Vanica I hate the most. Vanica once invaded the Heart Kingdom with her disciples and ordered them to attack and kill civilians and destroy everything. She did all that because she wanted to give Lolopechka more motivation to fight her with everything she had."

"She sounds like a monster," Lucy said

"She was. Vanica… she targets people. If someone gets her attention, Vanica will single them out and target them just to fight them, and she will do anything and everything to provoke that fight. Vanica had targeted Lolopechka and did everything she could to make sure Lolopechka would give her the fight she wanted. 22 years ago, Vanica had heard of my mother being the strongest out there, so she searched for her. Mom was at one of our vacation homes, recovering from my birth. My birth really was hard on her. she had brought me and Nozel with her, she was gonna spend the time recovering help train Nozel for his grimoire. During one of the training sessions, all three of us were outside. Mom was instructing Nozel as she held me… That was when she, Nozel, and I guess I sensed a powerful negative mana approaching. Immediately, Mom acted – she handed me to Nozel and ushered us to hide in the bushes. After that, she got her grimoire out and got ready to fight. That's when Vanica came. There was the usual chatterer: Mom asking why Vanica was there and Vanica saying she wanted to fight the strongest person there was, and that was Mom. Vanica then attacked Mom, and Mom… she was able to transform into her Valkyrie Armor and fought Vanica," Noelle said

"The Valkyrie armor… it's been years since I've seen that. I can still remember what it looks like. I've seen a lot of armors, but Aunt Acier's Valkyrie Armor had to have been the coolest," Lucy said, smiling as she remembered.

"She certainly knew how to use it affectively. That fight… Mom showed just how strong she was. I mean she was still recovering from my birth, and she was going toe-to-toe with a full-powered Vanica at the time. The fight lasted for a while; both sides had injuries, Vanica had even succeeded in destroying some of Mom's armor," Noelle said

"She was that powerful," Lucy asked, surprised. She remembers how strong Aunt Acier was; Lucy has no doubt that if Aunt Acier had been from Fiore, she would have been one of the top Wizard Saints. To be able to do something like that to Aunt Acier – that woman had to have been a monster. Lucy then remembered that her aunt was still recovering, "She wouldn't have stood a chance if Aunt Acier was at full health."

"Without a doubt," Noelle agreed, "But she was weakened, and that was how she had to fight. While they fought, Nozel watched the entire thing from the bushes while he was holding me. But as Mom and Vanica faced off, I wound up crying and gave away our hiding spot."

"No…," Lucy breathed out.

"Vanica was there in a second. Nozel told me he thought that was where he was going to die. Vanica… she took us hostage, and that infuriated Mom. Mom had gathered all her magic and sped straight toward Vanica, piercing her through the chest with her lance, fatally wounding her and pushing her away from us. However, as she was close enough, Megicula had casted a spell and cursed Mom. After that, Vanica had retreated to the Spade Kingdom. Mom would then spend a year slowly dying from the curse. Because no one knew what was wrong, everyone assumed it was because of my birth that caused it," Noelle said

"Why didn't Nozel say anything? If he knew," Lucy asked, unable to stop feeling angry at Nozel. If he knew then why didn't he say anything?

"Because when Mom got that main curse. Nozel was hit with a secondary curse," Noelle revealed

"A secondary curse," Lucy asked, getting a nod from Noelle.

"He was never to speak of Mom's fate. If he does, then he will die and the person who knows will get the same curse and share Mother's fate. The curse itself would then spread like a disease. He couldn't say anything. Nozel had trained for years for when he could avenge Mother. He took it all on his own, he believed it was all on him; he was the only one who was strong enough to kill Megicula. Having that burden, that pressure on himself, not letting us help. It was after the elf invasion that I was told the truth about my mother," Noelle said

"But if Nozel couldn't tell without dying, then how did you find out," Lucy asked

"Nozel's wife, Dorothy. She has Dream Magic, and with it, she can send people and objects into the dream world. In Dorothy's dream world, the laws of this world doesn't apply, so I went to her and she told me there. When I found out the truth, I swore I would avenge my mother and kill Megicula," Noelle said

"Noelle," Lucy said in concern for Noelle. Her sister swore vengeance on a devil who killed Aunt Acier. That vow… seemed more like a death wish.

"I trained in the Heart Kingdom for six months, then when the day came, they attacked. We weren't ready for it; they took us by surprise. They breached the defenses, Vanica sent her minions to attack the people, and she herself came after Lolopechka. We fought as hard as we could, gave it everything we had, but in the end, we were defeated. Our strategy failed, we were outmatched, the water spirit Undine got cursed. We were beaten, but even if we were beaten, I refused to give up. I kept on fighting, no matter how much Vanica hurt me, I was actually able to get one good hit in, until I collapsed and then I got back up, ready to continue fighting. I impressed Vanica, and so I became her new target," Noelle added, scaring Lucy. The thought of Noelle being targeted by such a dangerous person was terrifying.

"Vanica remembered how strong my mother got when she took us hostage, so she decided to do something similar. Vanica had taken Lolopechka, she then goaded me to go to the Spade Kingdom and face her there. She hoped that the next time we met that I would be stronger and give her the fight she wanted. After that, Vanica blew up her own minions and we were caught in the explosion," Noelle said making Lucy's eyes go wide.

"We were able to protect ourselves though and survived the explosion. Some friends then found us and nursed us back to health. We had asked for their help, since they were such powerful mages – better than we were. We had to know how they got like that; we needed to be stronger, and so they trained us. I was able to make a temporary contract with Undine so we could reach the Saint Stage and beat Vanica and Megicula. We were able to make it to the invasion, where one of the spirit guardians Gaja and I immediately headed to where Vanica was and found her fighting Charlette and Rill. We entered the fight. It was a hard battle, but with Saint Stage, I was able to keep up and ended the fight in 30 seconds. Or at least I thought I did, until Megicula had been able to materialize himself in our world."

"How," Lucy asked wide eyed

"By using Vanica to do it. Megicula had a plan to fully materialize himself in our world. It was a plan that he had been implementing for years. To use a spell, Malevolent Femcantation, sacrifice three powerful mages of the same sex, Vanica, Lolopechka… and he had taken care of the first sacrifice years earlier," Noelle said

"Auntie Acier," Lucy realized, getting a nod from Noelle.

"Cursing my mother to death had allowed Megicula to partially manifest in Vanica's body. Vanica, a gifted devil host who made a contract with him, a supreme devil. Because Vanica was in near death, he was able to emerge, though incomplete. The there was Lolopechka, one she and Vanica died, then he would be fully manifested in our world. He had even held my mother's soul captive just so he could use her power," Noelle said

"He didn't even let her go to the afterlife," Lucy asked in horror.

"No, he didn't. We tried to fight Megicula, but he was just so powerful – and he was only 33% materialized by that point. In the end, we did wind up winning, but just barely. If Nozel hadn't come, I would have died by Megicula's hand that day," Noelle said, making Lucy gasp in fright. The thought of Noelle dying in battle and she not being there, unable to protect her. It was just…it was a thought that she just can't handle. "Nozel used his mercury to destroy Megicula's body, while I destroyed his heart. We avenged Mother's death… and then, something incredible happened," Noelle said

"What happened," Lucy asked

Noelle smiled, "By killing Megicula, we freed Mom. She came to us and hugged us, and said that we became strong," she said, Noelle then wiped a tear that was welling up. Lucy couldn't help but smile at that. "So, that's the story."

Present

'I still don't know what to think of all this. Cursed, unable to speak of Auntie Acier's fate or be killed, and the one who hears it will receive the same curse, and it would spread like a disease… I feel sympathy, but I'm still angry,' Lucy thought

They had been traveling for five hours, and during that time, everyone was talking to each other. Noelle was still looking over her papers but had taken a few breaks to have a few conversations. During their travel, one of the Fiore wizards had been wondering something for a while, and decided now was probably a good time to ask.

"What kind of preparation does it take to prepare for your meeting with Queen Hisui," Sting asked, he'd been wondering this since yesterday.

"Well, one will be going over everything the Ace Alliance can offer Fiore. We want Fiore to benefit as much as we do," Noelle declared

"I still can't believe Clover was able to make an alliance with Diamond. I mean, I remember hearing all about the battles, when Diamond would try to invade and take over Kiten. I can imagine there were some who weren't happy about the alliance," Lucy said

"I wasn't queen when the Ace Alliance was set up. I was still a magic knight, still part of the Black Bulls. But yeah, there were a lot of magic knights and citizens who weren't happy about not just our alliance with Diamond, but the formation of the Ace Alliance. Heck, even Augustus was against it," Lucy said

"If the king was against it, then how did the Clover Kingdom join," Minerva asked

Noelle smirked, "Oh, it wasn't that hard. All it took was some manipulation of the captains' and Wizard King's part," she said

"The captains and Wizard King manipulated the king," Wendy scandalized, unsure on how to respond to that.

"Isn't that conspiracy," Gray accused which made Lucy frown at him, not at all appreciating the accusation.

Noelle snorted, "Oh sure, let's give that idiot free reign over the country and run it to the ground. Do you have any idea how the country was run before me? Augustus pushed all his duties toward the Wizard King. While the Wizard King was ruling, Augustus was lying down surrounded by women who would feed him. The captains had no choice but to manipulate him; it was the only way things could get done," she scoffed

"Yeah, Augustus Kira had to have been the worst king I ever knew of," Lucy agreed

"The guy didn't do a single thing, and yet he thought that the people should worship and praise him. Everything about him is just a show, though no matter how much he acted, everyone knew the truth: he didn't care about them or the kingdom. All he cared about was himself and maintaining his lifestyle. I swear during our fight for the crown, right when I was gonna end the fight... he begged me to let him win! He said he needed that lifestyle; he'd die without all the luxury that being king gave him. I swear, it was just pathetic and showed just how truly spoiled and self-centered he really was. He thought he was appealing to my emotions and make me feel sorry for him – all it did was make me angry. Believe me, I took great satisfaction on knocking him out," Noelle said

"Was it at least a tough fight," Sting said

Noelle just laughed. "I didn't even need to get my grimoire out. The man kept flapping his gums, saying how powerful he was and everything. I interrupted him by shooting condensed water balls at him. I didn't even give him the chance to open his grimoire. It was his own fault; he should have gotten out his grimoire right when the fight started. Honestly, if you watched the battle, all you would see was me shooting water balls at him and using him for target practice. It was a very anticlimactic ending. But what it lacked in intensity, it made up with in comedy. So make people laughed and were even giving me suggestions of where to shoot him, and I'll admit, I took a few of them," Noelle said

"I'd love to see it. Seeing you giving that king his comeuppance would be really satisfying," Lucy said

"Well, it was recorded. You can look for a video somewhere. Practically all the magic knights have made sure to have themselves a video," Noelle said

Lucy turned to Vanessa. "Does that mean you guys have the video," she asked

"Not just the video of the fight, but also the crowning ceremony. I can show you it later, if you'd like," Vanessa said

Lucy smiled, "That be great," she said

Noelle shook he head. "I swear that had to have been the easiest fight I've ever had," Noelle said

"With what we've heard about the king and seeing you in action. I certainly don't doubt it," Minerva said

"Just why did you hire us to guard you," Gray asked, seriously, if the queen was powerful enough to create such a powerful spell yesterday and used it, not only to defeat 15 wizards but capture them too, then why the hell did she hire them to protect her when she obviously didn't need it?

"Well, to be honest, I didn't hire Sabretooth and Lamia Scale. Nozel went behind my back and hired them. As for you guys, well, you're right – I didn't want or need any guards. I was just trying to meet up with Lucy and surprise her. I had no idea that she was gonna bring people. I made the job specifically for Lucy so we could spend time together just the two of us," Noelle explained

"Oh, and we threw a wrench in those plans by inviting ourselves to this job. I deeply apologize, Your Majesty. Everyone, apologize to the queen," Erza ordered

"Why," Natsu asked

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME, NATSU," Erza growled, a menacing aura surrounding her.

"No, ma'am," Natsu squeaked, before turning to Noelle, "I'm really, really, really sorry."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Gray apologized as well, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We're deeply sorry. We never would have gone if we had known," Wendy said

"I apologize as well," Carla followed

"Aye," Happy chimed

"Don't worry about it. Even if you didn't come, we still wouldn't have been alone because of Nozel and his stunt," Noelle said

"If you expect me to apologize, don't bother. I'm not going to apologize for ensuring your safety," Nozel said

"Yeah, well, you're paying Sabretooth and Lamia Scale out of your own pocket," Noelle responded

"Wait, who's paying us," Natsu asked

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to pay when this is all over," Noelle reassured

That got Lucy's attention, "No way," she said, getting everyone's attention.

"Heh," everyone exclaimed

"I'm not gonna take your money, Noelle," Lucy refused

"WHAT," the Fairy Tail wizards exclaimed

"I hired you for a job, Lucy," Noelle said

"But you did it just so we could see and spend time with each other again. I am not gonna get paid just for spending time with you when I'm more than happy to do it for free," Lucy firmly said with a smile, making Noelle smile.

"Wait, Lucy, we're not getting paid for the job," Natsu said incredulously.

"As far as I'm concerned, this isn't a job. This is me and my friends safely escorting my little sister to Crocus," Lucy determined, she then saw Natsu's face. "Oh, will you get over it, Natsu. This was my job anyway. I was the one getting paid, remember? I think I reserve the right to decline my payment."

"But we need the money for rent and food," Natsu pointed out.

"We still have some funds left," Lucy responded

"You need better money management," Noelle stated

Lucy smiled at that, "Yeah you're right," she said

"Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind me asking, what all does the Clover Kingdom and the Ace Alliance have to offer," Lyon asked

"Well, besides helping with magic items we are also have ore, metals, and are willing to share our techniques with Fiore," Noelle said

"Techniques? What kind of techniques," Erza questioned, intrigued.

"You guys know how I discovered we were being followed yesterday," Noelle said, getting nods from the wizards present. "You ever wonder how I discovered them?"

"I remember you saying that even through spells, there are some things that they can't hide," Erza said

"That's right, you see the way I sensed them wasn't through magic sensing, but through ki sensing," Noelle said

"Ki sensing," Lucy questioned, getting a nod from Noelle.

"A person's glance, their breathing, their scent, the way their muscles move, the hint of their presence, taking it all in together. The life energy that everyone gives off is ki," Noelle explained

"And you can sense ki," Minerva asked, she herself is interested.

"That's right. The technique originates from the Land of the Sun, which happens to be Captain Yami's homeland. And before anyone asks, he was shipwrecked in the Clover Kingdom and couldn't leave. He then ran into Julius Novachrono who was Captain of the Grey Deer at the time. Captain Yami became a magic knight, joined the Grey Deer, and when Julius was made the Wizard King, he made Captain Yami into a captain along with William Vangeance. They then both created their own magic knight squads. Anyway, because Asta didn't have mana, he couldn't sense it. To compensate for this, Captain Yami taught Asta how to sense ki. Sometime after Asta and I started dating I decided that I wanted to learn ki. So, I asked Asta and Captain Yami to teach me how to sense ki," Noelle said

"So, you're not sensing magical power, but the actual lifeforce of the person," Erza summarized

"Exactly. Ki sensing is a very useful tool, especially in combat. With it, you can predict an opponent's next attack, find hidden opponents, sense people's emotions, and even tell whether they are lying to you," Noelle said

"It can do all that," Yukino asked, amazed.

"And you used this to sense we were being followed," Erza concluded

"Yep, and if you get good enough, you will even be able to sense non-living things," Noelle said

"That sounds, so cool. Think you could teach us," Natsu said excitedly

"Nope," Noelle rejected

"WHAT?! WHY THE HELL NOT," Natsu said, comically wide eyed.

Lucy sighed. "It's obviously because it's personal. You don't hear her asking you to teach her Dragon Slayer Magic, right? She needs to keep all her cards in her hands so she can make the winning move, and ki is one of those cards," she added.

"I'm still confused…," Natsu said

"That's no surprise," Lyon commented

"Let me put it another way. No one here will be learning about ki until Fiore joins the Ace Alliance. I'm sure she's also going to use it to convince Princess Hisui, anyway," Lucy said

Noelle quietly nodded in approval.

"Oh, I get it. So, it's like blackmail, then," Natsu said

"Wow, way to make me a terrible person," Noelle deadpanned

Lucy smiled, "Sorry," she apologized in Natsu's stead.

Noelle smiled, "It's okay, I guess. I'm also reviewing the history of Fiore, so I can be more well-informed about its needs, as well as learn about the magic system here. In fact, there's something right here which will answer Gray's question from last night. You know; why we have grimoires, but you don't," she said

"Really," Gray asked interested, that had been bugging him since he learned of the grimoires.

Noelle nodded, "The evolution of our magic system isn't talked about much. I would like to change that one day, I think that this is something that every mage should know," she said

"So, why does the Ace Alliance have grimoires, but we don't," Lucy can't help but ask, she had asked this question plenty of times over the years but never got an answer to it. Finally getting an answer to one of her oldest questions is exciting. Everyone else made sure to open their ears to this.

Noelle sighed and looked down at the papers that she had in her hands, "First, let's go over what grimoires are. Grimoires are spell books made of mana, or as you call it, ethernano. When a mage turns 15 years old, they are eligible to receive a grimoire. To get one, they must go to a grimoire tower where a ceremony takes place, and the tower master distributes the grimoires to everyone there. Receiving a grimoire is a coming-of-age in the Clover Kingdom. Grimoires enhance our magic capabilities and maximize our potential. It is connected to a person's soul, because of this only the owner of the grimoire can use the spells in it. Also, when the mage dies, the grimoire disintegrates," Noelle said

"Have you ever seen a grimoire disintegrate," Natsu said

"DUDE," Gray scolded

"WHAT," Natsu responded

"You pretty much just asked her if she saw someone die," Gray pointed out.

Natsu realized Gray was right and felt kind of bad, "S-Sorry," Natsu apologized to Noelle.

"It's okay. To answer your question, I've seen many grimoires disintegrate. That's the life of a magic knight – you're putting your life on the line," Noelle said

"I thought grimoires brought your magic to their max," Lucy changed the topic.

"That's a misconception. People always get confused because of the wording. The grimoire helps us to use our magic attributes to their full potential," Noelle said. "I'm talking about spells. Without grimoires, mages from the Ace Alliance can't use spells and are limited to simple things – in my case, a water ball. I can create that without my grimoire; however, its power isn't gonna be nearly as powerful as my Twin Sea Dragons spell."

"I see, so that's what you meant by using your attribute to its 'full potential'," Erza said

"That's right. Grimoires also enhance a person's magic – in other words, they make them more powerful, but many people still need to go through training to increase their magic production," Noelle said, she then pulled out her index finger. "Now that you know the necessities, let's get back to the actual lesson. Thousands of years ago, everyone in the world had access to natural mana, and only had one magical attribute that was derived from nature itself – earth, fire, water, wind, and so on. However, as time went on, there were mages who created new, more specialized and powerful attributes such as chain magic, mirror magic, and spacial magic. In exchange for creating these new attributes, they lost the divine protection of natural mana," Noelle said

"What do you mean by that," Minerva asked, rather unnerved.

"It will be easier to explain through an actual experience. Yukino, if you wouldn't mind," Noelle requested.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Yukino said as she stopped the limo, making the rest of the group stop.

"Natural mana is all around us. You can all close your eyes and sense it around you," Noelle taught. The Fiore wizards did as she said and closed their eyes. "Mana itself is in nature, the plants, the water, the wind, the fire, even the earth we are on now. It all has mana."

Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Minerva, Jura, Lyon, Yukino, and Carla stirred in realization, so Noelle continued, "But we've taken it for granted. We've now evolved to requiring a set system – a category of magic, if you will – to execute our specialized magic, while our ancestors were much more adaptable… to the point you can call them omnipotent."

"Seriously, it's so obvious. It's like right there when you pay attention," Lucy said, exhaling a long breath.

"I can't sense anything," Natsu said

"Yeah, I'm with Natsu on this one," Gray said

It was then revealed that Sting and Happy couldn't feel the mana either.

"Don't be too hard on yourselves. Normally, one of the only times mages can sense the natural mana is when the mana is strong enough, like in dungeons and Strong Magic Regions," Noelle said.

"Dungeons," Sting said

"Strong Magic Regions," Gray asked

"Strong Magic Regions are literally those – areas which are surrounded by strong and dense ethernano. Normally, due to this, the ethernano has a drastic effect on the environment somehow," Lucy explained

"I've been to plenty of Strong Magic Regions over the years, and trust me, they're incredibly dangerous. I remember the first one I was in; it was for a mission. The Black Bulls had to retrieve a magical artifact. It was located in a place called the Underwater Temple," Noelle said

"The Underwater Temple," Lucy asked getting a nod from Noelle.

"It was a hell of a journey. The mana in the magic region made the water currents extremely strong. These were currents even the most skilled mage couldn't go through…at least back then," Vanessa muttered the last part.

"Dungeons are tombs left by ancient civilizations. Stored in them are the treasures of that civilization, which can consist of gold, jewels, ancient artifacts, magic items, and ancient spells. However, it isn't easy to get through a dungeon, considering there is always some kind of trap magic lying around. It can range from a blazing fire erupting from the ground trying to fry you, to a giant man-eating plant wrapping you in its vines and trying to eat you," Noelle said

"Did those happen to you," Lucy asked, concerned.

"It did, during my and Asta's second mission. A dungeon had suddenly appeared, and we were to go explore it. It was near the border to the Diamond Kingdom so there was a real chance that they were gonna send their own mages to the dungeon and get the treasure, so we couldn't let that happen. Our senior escorting us – his name was Luck, and he had some issues… Still does, to be honest, but he's better now," Noelle said

"What kind of issues," Lucy asked

"Luck loves to fight; it was the only thing he thought about. The bloodier the fight, the better, he always said," Noelle said

"When he took the entrance exam, he beat his opponent to an inch of his life. He got the nickname Luck the Cheery Berserker," Vanessa informed

"He sounds like a psychopath," Lucy commented in shock and concern. Now, she was wondering if the Black Bulls was even safe for Noelle to be.

"Heh, you should have seen him on the mission. He set off every trap just to see Asta use his sword. He then sensed a strong enemy, and then he left us to go through the dungeon on our own," Noelle said

"How the hell is he even a magic knight?! Did you run into that plant before or after he left," Lucy asked

Noelle winced, "After," she answered

"Why didn't you report him? He should be kicked out for pulling a stunt like that," Lucy raged, Noelle almost died, and all because of the selfish desire and bloodlust of some psychopath!

"We were saved. Some Golden Dawn magic knights was sent to explore the dungeon. Of course, Klaus didn't treat us well; they were bragging about how their squad got a star," Noelle said

"A star," Sting asked

"They're given to squads when a mission is complete. You accomplish a mission, and depending on how you did, the danger involved, and importance of it will determine how many stars you will get. One mission can get you one star while another mission you will receive ten stars. Then at the Star Festival, which is held once a year, there is a ceremony where it is announced which squad had the most stars to who had the least," Vanessa said

"And when we said we got a star on our first mission, Klaus called us liars," Noelle said

"Why would he call you liars," Natsu said

"The Black Bulls were the worst magic knights' squad in the kingdom for years. We caused more harm than good. The only stars the Black Bulls had were negative stars. Any accomplishment we had, and people would assume that we were lying or cheated somehow. At the Star Festival the Black Bulls got second and immediately the public assumed that we cheated somehow. We had to deal with a lot of disrespect back then," Noelle said

"That's awful…," Lucy said, she couldn't imagine what Noelle had gone through. Well, she has an idea, she can still remember when Fairy Tail was at the bottom. The disrespect she got was very discouraging at times.

"It's just how it was, but through a lot of hard work, the Black Bulls improved our reputation," Noelle proudly said

"That's right, we did! And it's because of Asta and Noelle we were able to improve our rep and gain the respect of the other squads. Although there are still a few knights who still refuse to believe that we're better now," Vanessa complained

"How many stars do you have now," Erza asked

"The last time I checked, we had 110 stars," Finral revealed

"That's a lot," Minerva said, feeling surprised.

"It was a team effort; we can't keep relying on Noelle and Asta. We had to work extra hard to make up," Vanessa said

"Asta wants to be Wizard King, but knowing him, if he thinks we'll fail without him then he'll stay with us. But we don't want that to happen," Finral said

"We want Asta to know that when the time comes, he can leave knowing we'll be ok. We're not just doing that for him though, but Noelle too," Vanessa said, she then looked at Noelle and smiled, "We want them both to know that they don't have to worry about us, that it's alright to leave. But in order to do that, we had to make sure to stop relying on them so much, and that's what we did. It used to be Asta, Noelle, and Captain Yami who carried the squad, and we followed suit, but now it's different. Now we all carry the weight of the Black Bulls."

Noelle smiled. When she had the opportunity to become the captain of the Silver Eagles, she was reluctant – one of the reasons was because she wasn't sure how the Black Bulls would be without her. Captain Yami was retiring, and sure, they had Asta, but becoming captain meant he wasn't gonna be on a lot of missions. It was a hard and difficult decision; it was only through their reassurance and support could she leave and joined the Silver Eagles as its captain. But they reassured her that no matter what, she was a Black Bull; they wouldn't forget it, so she shouldn't either – and she never did. No matter what, she will always be Noelle Silva of the Black Bulls.

The other mages smiled as well; however, Erza, Gray, and Lucy couldn't help frown. Last night's discussion going through their heads. Fairy Tail had been at the top for years, but once they disappeared, it fell to the bottom. It was only when they returned, they were able to restore Fairy Tail back to its glory, solving its problems like always. But the Black Bulls didn't let the fact they lost two of their three strongest in their squad, or even that the last member of the trio wasn't gonna have as many missions, affect them. They pushed themselves and worked hard to keep up with the other squads, and because of that, they have 110 stars. Even now, they're still preparing for the day when their captain left. Too bad Fairy Tail didn't do that; maybe they wouldn't have gone through all that disrespect if they did.

"You know, I'd love to go through a dungeon. It would be awesome training," Natsu said

"Try it in Clover, and you'll be arrested," Noelle said

"What? Why," Natsu asked

"Dungeons are dangerous, and magic knights are the only ones with the training to get through them. That's why only magic knights allowed," Noelle said

"I bet I could get through it," Natsu said

"You probably could. You'd still be arrested though," Noelle still said, making Natsu groan, "Dungeons are filled with some seriously powerful artifacts, items, or even spells. These are powers that can shape civilizations. There's no way we'd let civilians or even someone not from our own land go through them."

"It's not like I'd take anything…," Natsu whined

"Please, anything you'd find cool or even related to dragons, you wouldn't hesitate to take," Gray said, making Natsu grumble.

"You still haven't explained why you didn't turn that psychopath in for abandoning his teammates and intentionally putting them in danger," Lucy pointed out.

"He learned his lesson. He learned that you must put your personal goals aside for others. We thought that was enough," Noelle calmly said, getting a seriously look from Lucy. "How about I tell you guys the whole story another time? Oh, Yukino, you can start driving again"

"Oh, of course. Sorry," Yukino said as she started driving the limo and with that the wizards continued through the road.

"No problem. Back to the history lesson," Noelle said, getting everyone back on track, all interested in the missions the Black Bulls did. "It would be later on, when some mages took what the others did one step further. These mages didn't like being restricted to just one attribute, and the spells only their grimoires gave them. These mages wanted more. But just like they did when they created their new magic attributes, they had to give something up."

"Let me guess, they had to give up their grimoires," Sting said

"That's right. However, by giving up their grimoires they gave up a lot of the benefits that the grimoires gave," Noelle said

"Like what," Wendy asked

"Well, as I said, a grimoire helps to bring out their potential. But because those mages gave up their rights, they couldn't reach their full potential as fast and had to train harder to increase their magic. Some mages were able to do so, while others would go their whole lives without reaching it," Noelle explained

"So, one of the drawbacks of our ancestors giving up their grimoires was it took them longer to get stronger. Is there anything else," Erza asked

"Those mages' mana wouldn't be as potent as those with grimoires. They also wouldn't have the intimate connection with their attribute," Noelle said

"Potent mana. Could you explain that," Minerva said

"Of course. When I say 'potent', I guess you could say that grimoire magic is stronger than grimoireless magic," Noelle said

"Wait a second! Are you calling us weak…," Natsu demanded, before he could start getting more worked up, he was interrupted.

"Natsu," Lucy said making Natsu look at her, "Calm down and let her finish."

Natsu did as Lucy said, but he was ready to defend him and his family's strength if needed. No one called them weak and gets away with it. They have been through to much, survived so much. The only way they survived all they had was because Fairy Tail was strong.

"I wasn't saying Fiore mages are weak. From our research, grimoireless magic had lost something. We call it magi particles. When the magi particles were lost, a grimoireless mage became unable to fight certain creatures. As an example, an average Fiore mage can't fight dragons right," Noelle said

"That's right. The dragon's scales are so hard magic simply doesn't affect it; the only wizards who can fight a dragon are dragon slayers," Erza said

Just then, Lucy got the point Noelle was making. "Wait a minute. Noelle, are you saying that mages with grimoires can fight dragons," Lucy asked, wide eyed.

"Not just fight but kill them as well. I have fought a few dragons myself. I've also seen other magic knights fight and damage dragons as well," Noelle said

"I can't believe it…! There are actually wizards who aren't dragon slayers who can effectively fight dragons," Gray said, it's just so hard to believe.

"And there is a whole alliance who can do that, and all because they have a bunch of books," Sting said

"What about the intimate connection," Lyon asked

"Well, I think first I need to explain another drawback grimoireless mages have. This is something that no one expected – not even them – but apparently, when the grimoireless mages had children, those children couldn't use magic. At first, it was thought because of their decision to give up the grimoires, their children were doomed to never have magic. It would only be later when it was discovered it wasn't they didn't have magic – their magic was, I guess you could say locked away. Only through studying and training could the children learn how to use magic. However, because children didn't have the mental capacity to understand what the parents would try to teach, the parents had to wait till they were much older. The ages would vary though, and there were certainly some children or parents who thought the children were better off without magic," Noelle said

"So that's why people here are born without magic," Lucy asked

"Yup. But because of this, the children aren't introduced to magic at such a young age. They can go their entire lives without knowing their magic or attribute. But those who are born from grimoire-wielding parents, they have both their magic and attribute since even in the womb. This gives them the time to understand the magic they have. Their magic and attribute are personal. Their magic attribute, it's part of them, it means a lot. Take away that attribute and it's like you are taking a part of who they are. That's what I mean by intimate connection," Noelle said

"I see… I think I understand," Lyon said

"Anyone else feel like that we got the short end of the stick here? I mean, from what it sounds like, you guys are better than us," Gray said

"I wouldn't say that. Despite what you lost, you've also gained quite a lot as well," Noelle pointed out.

"Like what," Sting asked

"Well, for instance, grimoires can only hold a limited number of spells – like every book, there is an end. The size of the grimoire depends on the mage's magic potential, but no matter what, there will always be a limit to the spells we can learn. It is also hard to uncover those spells, because the grimoire itself must reveal those spells to us. One of the only ways we can learn spells is through personal growth, training, facing extremely dangerous situations where it is needed, or wishing for greater strength. There are ways to develop our own spells, sure –I have a few spells I developed myself. I have a defensive spell, Sea Dragon's Cradle; I created that by developing my Sea Dragon's Lair spell, while realizing I wasn't alone and had a family in the Black Bulls. I also know some techniques that helped me develop and improve spells," Noelle said

"There is always some kind of condition for us to learn the spell. We're limited by a book, while you guys can learn limitless spells. Also, while it is also true that even when one gets magic there are times when they have a natural attribute. Mages here aren't limited to one attribute. I only have water magic, Finral has spatial, Vanessa has thread, and Nozel has mercury; but you guys, even if you have specialties, you can still learn those attributes. Not to mention there is magic that you all access we can't, like celestial magic. There is not a mage in the entire alliance who can do it – that's exclusively yours. It's true you guys lost a lot by giving up your grimoires, but your magic is versatile, and if you ask me, that more than makes up for it. Plus, you all have realized the importance of training your body with your magic. I would certainly caution a mage from my country from fighting you guys," Noelle said making the wizards smile.

Lucy then gained a questioning look, "I just thought of something," she said

"What," Noelle asked

"Well, by giving up their grimoires, our ancestors lost the ability to cast spells. But we can cast spells just fine. So, how were they able to fix that problem," Lucy pondered.

Noelle laughed, "Oh Lucy, the answer has been right in front of you for years. Just think about it for a moment What happens every time you all cast spells," she said

"I don't know… I light on fire," Natsu answered, getting a deadpan look from Noelle.

"Yes, you light on fire, but doesn't something else happen before that," Noelle said

"I don't know; I never thought of it," Natsu said frustratingly.

Erza was thinking about it. What happens when she activates her Requip spell? Just then, it occurred to her, "The magic circle," she exclaimed getting everyone's attention on her.

"What, Erza," Gray asked

"Whenever we are about to cast a spell, a magic circle will appear somewhere near us," Erza said, "For me, when I use my Requip to change my armor, a magic circle appears below me while, while when I want to switch weapons, they will appear where my hands can reach."

"You're right! Whenever magic is used, there will always be a magic circle. For me, whenever I use a key to summon my spirits, a magic circle appears when I turn it, before my spirit is summoned. Or even when I use my Star Dresses; a magic circle is always below me when I transform," Lucy realized

"The same happens to me," Yukino said

"Whenever I am about to use an ice spell and I put my hands together, a magic circle always appears in front of me," Gray said

Lucy then turned toward Natsu, "And whenever you use your Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, a magic circle appears in front of your fists before they light up, and whenever you are about to use a Fire Dragon's Roar a magic circle appears in front of your face as you roar," Lucy said

"The same goes for me," Sting said

"Me too, plus whenever I use an enchantment spell a magic circle appears either below me, above me, or in front of me," Wendy said

The rest also voiced their agreement, one by one recounting their own experiences. Well, except one.

"I never noticed that," Natsu said

"Aye," Happy said

"Just ignore him," Lucy said, she wanted to cover her face from exasperation. "So, the magic circles, they help us cast our spells. How were they developed, though?"

"They were developed by using a technique known as mana method," Noelle answered

"I've heard of Mana Method. But I don't entirely know what it is," Minerva said

"Mana Method is a technique which is derived from the Heart Kingdom. It is when a mage uses the natural mana that is around them to use and create spells, reforming what was lost to our current generation. There are these mages known as the Spirit Guardians; they've mastered this technique, and so they rarely ever use their actual mana reserves unlike us," Noelle said

"That sounds so cool," Natsu exclaimed

"It is, but it's hard to learn," Noelle said

"Did you learn it, Noelle," Lucy asked, getting a nod in return.

"Finral knows it too. We spent six months training in the Heart Kingdom so we could be ready for the planned Spade invasion. It was a lot of hard work, but we learned it, and after years of training it and using it, I have it fully mastered," Noelle said

Hearing this made Lucy remember when Noelle told her she spent six months training in the Heart Kingdom. 'So, that's what she learned there,' Lucy thought

"I would love you learn something like that," Gray chimed

"Because mana method uses natural mana, the best attributes to use it with are nature attributes, which would mean the best mages here to learn mana method would be Jura, Lyon, Natsu, Gray, and Wendy," Noelle said, making Natsu cheer; Gray, Jura, and Lyon smirk; and Wendy to smile. "However, mana method has proven to be effective with unnatural attributes like Spatial magic, too, so it is technically possible for anyone to learn," Noelle said

"You think it could help me with my celestial magic," Lucy said

"Possibly. You might be able to use natural mana to summon your spirits instead, and it wouldn't drain your mana," Noelle theorized

"That sounds so cool," Lucy exclaimed

"It is. Anyway, back to what I was saying. Mana Method has been around for a long time; it was common knowledge with our ancestors. So, in order to make a replacement for the grimoire, your ancestors had turned to Mana Method. It took a long time, but by using the Mana Method, they were able to create the magic circle that you have today. The difference is while the Mana Method-based magic circle draws on natural mana, the magic circle which was developed afterwards draws on the persons mana, and through this, your ancestors were able to figure out how to cast spells. As the years gone by, their descendants used the magic circles for spell casting. The fact magic circles nowadays appear and disappear very quickly shows just how instinctively they are used now," Noelle said

"That's incredible…," Lucy said

"I have another question. How do you know so much about us," Gray asked

Noelle smirked. "That's simple. The Heart Queen is known as the All-Knowing Priestess. There's a reason why she's called that," she revealed, that made everyone shiver. They couldn't help but wonder if she knew anything about them.

"Wait… Does that mean she knows what happened Saturday? WE ONLY DID THAT ONCE, AND LUCY TALKED ME INTO IT," Natsu freaked out.

"SHUT UP, NATSU," Lucy yelled, blushing. Why the hell did he always have to mention their sex life in some way?! And she knew for a fact that he loved what happened last Saturday. She hated to admit it, but she has to give it to Virgo – those were good suggestions and very enjoyable.

"Just what kind of freaky stuff do you guys get into," Gray asked

"SHUT UP," Lucy said, her blush deepening.

"He talked me into it, I swear," Erza muttered

"What do you mean," Minerva asked with a raised eyebrow.

"NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL," Erza refuted with a massive blush, trying very hard not to think of a familiar blue-haired man tied on a bed with her in front of him, whip in hand. Why did Natsu talk about what happened last Saturday with him?

"Well, that and there are books about this stuff. You just have to bother looking for them, we actually have a research team that researches all this," Noelle said

"Really," Lucy asked, curious.

Noelle nodded, "There are so many mysteries that this world has. Mysteries that we'd like solved," she answered.

"I was wondering… is there anything we all have in common? Like, is there anything that didn't change when our ancestors gave up their rights," Sting asked

"I can think of one thing. Everyone in this world's magic potential is predetermined. Some of us have high magic potential, and then there are those of us with low potential," Noelle said

"Can you explain that," Natsu asked

"Alright, let's give an example with you as the basis, Natsu," Noelle said as she looked at the fire wizard, "How big do you think that you can make your flame?"

"Are you kidding? I can make an inferno easily," Natsu said proudly.

"And that's because your magic potential is high, while somewhere else in Fiore, there is a fire mage who can only make a small flame, showing how much magic potential they have," Noelle said

"Well, I'm sure if they train…," Natsu said, but was stopped.

"No. Doesn't matter how much or how long they train, their fire will never get any bigger. It will be like that for the rest of their lives. That small flame represents just how little potential they have in magic, while your inferno shows your high potential in magic," Noelle said

"I don't believe it. You're saying that no matter what that person does, there is no way that they can get more powerful," Natsu argued

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If that mage is at their full potential and all they can make is a small flame, then that is it, they can't increase it," Noelle said. Seeing Natsu's indignant expression, she continued, "It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's fact, look it up in every book and it will say everyone can hold only so much magic. No matter how much they train a mage can't increase their magic output. I highly doubt I'm saying anything new here, am I, Lucy?"

Lucy sighed, "Noelle's right Natsu. Everyone has a certain potential whether it be high or low. If that flame wizard was at their full potential and they could only make a small flame, it doesn't matter how much they train they will never increase their magic reserves that flame will stay small for as long as they live," Lucy explained

"But, Lucy…," Natsu tried to argue again, unable to believe what Lucy is saying to him.

"They're right, Natsu," Erza said, getting Natsu's attention, "It's a harsh reality, but it's true. No matter how much that person trains, they will never be able to make the inferno you do. They're simply incapable of doing it."

That caused Natsu to frown. The thought of no matter how hard a person worked, they'd never be able to get as strong as they want to, was just wrong to him.

"What about us? Have we reached our full potential," Lyon asked

"If I had to guess, I'd say a lot of you have reached your max. But in the end, that's for you to decide. Has it felt like to you no matter how much you train your magic, isn't increasing as much as it should be, or even at all? If so, then I'd say that you've reached it," Noelle said

Erza sighed. "That means I've reached it," she said, getting surprised looks from the others, "Every time I train, I feel no difference in my magic. As the years gone by and I continued to train, it started to feel like I was heading nowhere. I guess this is it, my full potential." Erza smiled. "Well, I can't say, I'm dissatisfied."

"I myself have reach mine," Jura said getting everyone attention.

Gray blew out a breath, "Dammit," he cursed

"I feel like I can still get stronger," Lyon said

"Same here," Sting said with Yukino agreeing.

"I think I can still get stronger," Wendy said

"I'm sad to say, but I think I'm at my limit," Minerva said

Natsu growled, he has been feeling like he hit some kind of block for the past year. It doesn't matter how much he trains his magic hasn't increased at all. He used to be able to make leaps and strides in training but then over the years those leaps and strides started to turn into footsteps until he finally just stopped all together, and it's very frustrating.

"What about you Lucy? Where do you think you are," Wendy asked

"Me? Well, I think I hit my limit long ago," Lucy said

"That's not what Aquarius said," Noelle said, getting Lucy's attention, "Aquarius said that you're stronger than you think, and I agree with her. You still have some ways to go till you're at your max."

"I have to agree with the queen. I don't think we've seen all you have yet, Lucy," Erza agreed

"So, what, do we just stop training because that's it? There's no reason to train," Natsu grouched

"Do you always grouch," Noelle asked

"Only when something doesn't go his way," Lucy answered

"Listen, just because you can't increase your magic power anymore doesn't mean you can't continue getting stronger. There are plenty of ways to get stronger like learning more spells, practice the spells you do have so it doesn't take as much magic power to use them. There are also techniques which will make your spells more powerful such as Mana Method. You may not be able to increase your internal magic power anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't get stronger. All it means in order to get to that strength, you need to surpass your limits. Just like the rest of us," Noelle said

"So, it's still possible for us to get stronger," Gray asked

"Of course, there are plenty of techniques that can help with that," Noelle said

"Thinking back, I think there was another technique – the wizard would draw in the ethernano around them and use that to increase their spells powers. I think it was called Mana Zone," Lucy said

"That it! Mana Zone can also be used to increase a person's reflexes and senses, among other things. It's Mereoleona's specialty," Noelle informed

Lucy shivered when she heard Mereoleona's name, that woman was scary… no scratch that, she's terrifying, more than Erza and Mira on their worst days, and that was Mereoleona on her nice days. Whenever Mereoleona was around, Lucy always felt like she had to keep her guard up around the woman. That woman was a lioness, and Lucy was certain that if she wasn't careful, she'd be her pray. She's seen what happened to other people whom Mereoleona prayed on, and she doesn't want that to be her.

'Mereoleona? Vermillion,' Erza thought

"You can also make contracts," Noelle suggested.

"Contracts? You mean like the ones Lucy, and I make to celestial spirits," Yukino asked

"Exactly. There are beings of great power, and a mage can make a contract with these beings. An example would be the Four Great Nature Spirits," Noelle said

"What are those," Wendy asked

"The four nature spirits are mana from the four elements given form," Vanessa answered the dragon slayer.

"I've heard of them. There's Sylph, the wind spirit; Undine, the water spirit; Salamander, the fire spirit; and Golom, the earth spirits. All four spirits are immensely powerful, and only choose partners once in an era. Those who make contracts with them with gain great power," Erza said

"So, if Natsu or Wendy want to get stronger, they can form a contract with these spirits," Gray asked

"It's a bit more complicated than that. You see, you don't choose them –they choose you. If they think you're not worth it, then they won't form a contract with you. Besides, Sylph and Salamander have already chosen their partners, as well as Undine. Undine's contracted with every Heart Queen of the current generation. Sylph chose Yuno as her partner, and Salamander chose the Wizard King," Noelle said.

"What about the Golom," Lyon asked

"The Spade Kingdom is keeping the earth spirit safe until the day it chooses a partner," Noelle said

"What about devils? Can you form contracts with them," Sting asked

At the question, Noelle's face became deathly serious, "Do yourselves a favor and stay away from devils. There's too much sacrifice for those contracts," Noelle warned

Sting didn't speak of it further.

Deciding to change the topic, Erza looked at Natsu. "See, Natsu? It's not hopeless; we can still get stronger. We just need to get more resourceful and creative," Erza encouraged

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu said, after that the conversation died down a bit.

Lucy looked outside and saw how late it was getting, "We've been talking a long time; look how late it is," she said as saw the sun was setting. It felt like they had just got in the limo a couple minutes ago, but it's been hours since then, and now it's getting late.

"We're about an hour away from Hosenka Town. I'll admit I underestimated the time it would take us to get there at our current pace. We'll simply have to check-in at an inn or hotel for the night," Erza said

"You'll love Hosenka Town. It has restaurants, hot springs, inns, and hotels. It's great," Lucy told Noelle.

"I can't wait. I haven't been in a hot spring since the last time I was at Yultim Volcano," Noelle said

"Yultim Vulcano," Lucy asked

"It's a strong magic region, because of the large concentration of mana underground. The volcano is constantly erupting, the high temperature plus the uncontrollable atmospheric mana makes it difficult to breathe. It also makes your throat and chest feel like they're burning," Noelle said

"Why would you go to such a horrific place," Lucy asked, wondering what insane reason would make Noelle visit such a place. That's when Noelle says one name that clarifies everything.

"Mereoleona," Noelle said

"Oh, okay, then. That makes sense," Lucy said

"Wait, that's it? She gives out a name and that's all," Gray asked

"Pretty much. Mereoleona is the scariest and craziest woman that I have ever met. One of the few times I met her, she challenged me to a fight – said she wanted to fight a celestial mage and test out just how tough celestial spirits are. I had to run; I couldn't make my spirits face that woman; I love them too much! I wouldn't put it past Mereoleona to take Noelle to a volcano for some kind of spar or training. Now that I think about it, I think she wanted to take me to a volcano once," Lucy said

"Mereoleona tends to kidnap me and takes me to Yultim Volcano for training. The conditions totally sucks, but at night, the hot spring is amazing, and does wonders for your skin," Noelle said

"Well, these hot springs aren't located in a volcano, so no need to worry," Lucy reassured

"Can't wait," Noelle said, with that, the group continued to their destination.

End Chapter

---

Ok, so before anyone rages about what happened to Noelle with the sexual assault. I did this because I needed Noelle to have a reason to train her body, and to case spells with her hands. Maybe I could have done something different, but I wanted to add some tragedy and hard times through Noelle's life, and I thought that this could be it.

Alright everyone, so you know what's happening. The celestial dragon is making itself known. Now I have a question for everyone. Who should I base the celestial dragon on. Please keep in mind that who I base them on, that will most likely be their power.

So, here's the thing, I am having trouble with the look and magic that the dragon will have. The magic will depend on what dragon I base the celestial dragon on. These are my choices, Azure Dragon (Qinglong), Ryujin, Tianlong, and the Yellow Dragon (Huanglong).

The Azure Dragon also known as Dragon of Wood or Dragon of the East is what the draco constellation represents, and he controls wind and rain, and his roar can summon storms, and apparently is considered a god.

Tianlong, who is actually called the celestial dragon, he spends most of his time in the heavens guarding where the gods dwell. It also is said that he commands storms, the moon, sun, and stars.

In Japanese mythology Ryujin is the dragon king, sea god, and master of serpents. With his magic jewels he is responsible for the tides, and he represents both the perils and bounty of the sea. He is the bringer of rain and thunder or storms.

Then there is the yellow dragon (Huanglong) also known as the Central Dragon. Like the Azure Dragon represents East, Vermilion Bird South, White Tiger West, and Black Tortoise North. The Yellow Dragon represents the center and that is where he is, in between the four constellations. And while the Azure Dragon controls wind, Vermilion Bird fire, White Tiger metal, and Black Tortoise water. The Yellow Dragon controls earth, he is also responsible for bringing forth yin and yang and can use natural opposites, light and dark, air and earth, fire and water, ect. Its digimon counterpart has an attack that involves light and darkness. However, if I use the yellow dragon, I don't think I'd make him the draco constellation but something different. He'd still be the celestial spirit and the strongest though.
So the magic choices are:
1. Ryujin
Magic:
Choice 1: Water
Choice 2: Thunder or Lightning (people will probably think them as the same thing)
Problem with choice 1: Would you thinking I'd be making Lucy into another Noelle?
Problem with choice 2: Well, there's Laxus but then can you really see Lucy a lightning/thunder magic user.
2. Azure Dragon
Magic: Storm or Wind (could they be considered the same thing)
Problem: Wendy is a sky dragon slayer
3. Yellow Dragon
Magic:
Choice 1: Earth
Choice 2: Light and Dark
Problem with choice 1: Don't have a lot of imagination when it comes to earth attacks.
Problem: with choice 2 Honestly, I don't have much of a problem with this one, I'm just not sure if I should.
4. Tianlong
Magic:
Choice 1: Sun
Choice 2: Moon
Choice 3: Star
Choice 4: Sun and Moon
Choice 5: Sun, Moon, and Stars
Problem with choice 1: Don't know much about Sun magic or even the effects of the sun. I only know a little by studying Stella from Winx Club. What kind of spells could I make?
Problem with choice 2: Same problem I'm having with the sun. Only know a little through Stella and she rarely used moon magic.
Problem with choice 3: I know some about Star magic but only from Yuno and a little from Jellal. I'm afraid that I'd be copying Yuno.
Problem with choice 4: I don't have to tell you right.
Problem with choice 5: I don't have to tell you right.
5. Other
If you have any suggestions, then let me know but be sure before that to do a bit of research. I'm actually leaning toward the Sun, Moon, and Star, but I want to ask all you what you think. Also, if a do do the Sun, Moon, and Star. Does anyone know where I can research them or spells that I can take inspiration from? It doesn't even have to be from Black Clover or Fairy Tail.

Tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it.