Another normal day within the land of Fiore. Well, it was almost normal. For some reason, there had been a distinct lack of rain over the course of the past few days. Things were starting to go dry, so the need for water mages was obviously sky rocketing. Juvia and Tia trudged into Fairy Tail, both clearly exhausted. "Ugh…" Tia groaned, sitting down on a table. Her hair was a mess and she looked incredibly tired.
"Whoa…" Natsu glanced at Tia, poking her a few times to make sure she was still alive. "You alive? You look horrible…"
"Natsu!" Lucy snapped at Natsu, thwacking him on the back of the head. "You can't just tell a girl she looks terrible! That's rude!"
"Well it's true!" Natsu grumbled while rubbing the back of his head. "Stop hitting me!"
"Shut up…both of you…" Tia groaned.
"Juvia is…so done…" Juvia just collapsed on a table, right in front of Gray coincidentally.
"Why do you two look so sleep deprived…?" Cynthia asked while sipping some juice.
"I don't think that's the exact term…" Wendy said with a nervous laugh.
"I'm guessing they've been trying to assist with the lack of water going around the country…" Heartless chimed in from a corner in the room.
"And how's that been workin' out?" Gildarts asked while taking a sip from his mug of beer.
"Terribly…!" Tia groaned. "One thing after another…How did I let Juvia talk me into this stupid gig…"
"That's a good question…" Gray added onto that comment as Juvia slowly began to inch closer to him from her position. "I don't understand how she talks me into half the things I get into with her…"
"I just wish it would rain already…" Tia groaned once again before lifting her head up, blowing a tuff of hair from out of her face.
"You really look like you've seen better days…" Mirajane couldn't help but giggle at Tia's disposition.
"She's just not used to adding a little elbow grease to things…" Jack commented with a sly grin.
"I don't have the energy for you today…" Tia scowled.
"I think you need to take a short break!" Mirajane added on. "Working so hard is only going to leave you exhausted until you can't do anything."
"How else are we supposed to fix this problem, then?" Tia questioned. "I thought Fiore was supposed to have moderate rainfall all year!?"
"Now, now…no need to get so worked up about it…" Lucy said while trying to calm Tia down. "Surely there's something we can do about it. Let's just ask around town!"
"I guess this is a mission on its own, figuring out what's got Fiore so dry…" Gray said while standing up, suddenly giving Juvia the energy to stand right next to him.
"Oh, I wanna help too!" Cynthia hopped up and down rather excitedly. "Solving mysteries is fun! I keep reading Lucy's novels, and I gotta say…"
"SSSH!" Lucy placed her hand over Cynthia's mouth, lowering the girl's excited shouts into muffled whining. The blonde now wore an embarrassed blush on her face and she began to leave the guild with Cynthia.
"That was strange…" Carla said with a surprised look before shrugging. "Alright, come on now."
"Aye!" Wendy nodded, picked up Carla, and then made way after Cynthia and Lucy. After they left, Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Juvia made a quick leave as well, deciding they didn't want to be left behind.
"I don't really feel like going anywhere…" Tia shrugged as the others left.
"You can shell out a little more effort!" Levy said while patting Tia on the back encouragingly. "We'll solve this problem within the day!"
"Nope…You'll have to drag me out of this chair if you want me to go anywhere…"
"You asked for it…" Levy said with a mischievous smile growing on her. She wrote the words "ROPE" in the air, causing the words to wrap around Tia. Levy then began to drag Tia along the guild floor and outside.
"…Touché…" Tia commended Levy for her efforts, not even having the energy to fight back this time.
.
.
The park was the gathering place this time, specifically around the fountain. It too was dried up. Jaxon, Luke, Waiston, Blues, Kuro Chi, Lyon, Chelia, and Melanie were all gathered around the fountain as well. "I didn't expect anyone else to be here…" Gray said with a small shrug.
"As professionals, it falls upon us to take care of this," Lyon said while waving a dismissive hand towards Gray. "You amateurs can go home now…"
"Er…Lyon-sama…You might not want to…" Chelia began, but she was cut off by the White Eclipse mages.
"Amateurs, huh?" Jaxon said with a sly grin forming on his face. "Funny how a member of the lowest ranking guild in Fiore could say that…"
"And there it is…" Chelia just let out a heavy sigh.
"Too bad there's no water around…because you could really use something for that burn." Cynthia said with a snicker.
"Back to the important issue…" Blues said while pointing to the fountain. "I'm sure you're all well aware that lately the water supply around has been lackluster…severely lack luster."
"And I take it you have an idea as to what's going on…?" Juvia inquired while stepping into the mini circle around the fountain the water mages created.
"Well, not me…" Blues said, nudging over to the Kuro and the Eclipse mages. "But Kuro and these guys figured it out pretty quickly."
"What's going on, then?" Levy questioned. Yes, she still had Tia tied up, but the others didn't seem to notice this just yet.
"Well…" Kuro began, starting off rather quietly and shy.
"I apologize about my friend…he's a little reclusive…" Blues commented, looking to Kuro to see if he wanted him to take over. The Water God Slayer shook his head and took a deep breath before continuing.
"I received my magic from the Water God himself…I'll go and visit him once every few years. He told me when I was younger that there was a festival-type ordeal that water mages usually perform for his honor…it helps grant him power so he can control the waters. But apparently it was missed…"
"Papa Kraios told me the same thing," Jaxon nodded.
"God of the Weather. No big deal or anything…" Waiston couldn't help but brag for Jaxon.
"Ooooooooh…." Juvia and Melanie gave a slight shiver when the festival was brought up. "Did that really pass by so quickly…?" Juvia asked while sheepishly poking her fingers together.
"How careless…" Tia commented from her tied up position on the ground. She managed to free herself and stood up, stretching while giving Levy a glare. "If you were paying attention to the dates, you'd know it would be a few days before Jack attacked Magnolia."
"So…the festival wasn't done…" Luke trailed off, hoping someone would pick up.
"And now it's gonna take us to fix this mess…" Blues nodded. "It honestly shouldn't be too bad…" He glanced around, noticing they had more than enough Water Mages to do so. "Yeah, we have more than enough people."
"Oh no!" Tia shook her head, crossing her arms and looked away. "I'm not doing it."
"Not doing what?" Lucy questioned.
"I'm not doing that stupid dance!" Tia replied. "It's embarrassing and I've had enough of embarrassing myself around you people. Last time my top came off…!"
"Your top came off?" Waiston and Luke immediately asked, but they were immediately shot down by Chelia and Lucy, who smacked the both of them.
"Pervs!" Lucy huffed.
"Ah, come on!" Blues said while nudging Tia. "It's not gonna be so bad! There are gonna be a lot of us embarrassing ourselves!"
"No thank you," Tia scoffed. "I'm not humiliating myself yet again. You don't need my help for this."
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy…!" Chelia chimed happily.
"Beat it…" Tia shot at Chelia, but the sky god slayer wasn't having any of it, and chose to ignore Tia's attempt to shoo her away.
"Show some love!" Chelia continued. Her strange talk was starting to confuse everyone, but Wendy and Cynthia knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Yeah!" Wendy nodded before walking up to Kuro. "Show us how to do the dance!"
"Huh…?" Kuro blinked a few times before nodding. "Uh, sure…those who are going to help, follow my lead."
"We'll help, too!" Levy said with a nod; and soon, everyone began to follow Kuro's lead and began the Dance of the Water God. The clear sky began to darken as gray clouds slowly rolled in, thunder booming in the background.
"Hey, it's working. Guess you guys aren't as incompetent as you look!" Jaxon commented. "He then looked over to Tia, the only one refused to do anything. "We could use a little extra push, you know."
"…" Tia tapped her foot silently; she was well aware she was the only one not doing anything.
"Come on, Tia! We can use your help!" Lucy pleaded.
"Oh…for the love of…" With a heavy sigh, Tia nodded and began the Dance of the Water God as well. She felt incredibly stupid, but her addition was the final push needed as rain began to fall from the sky. "Oh…it's working…"
"Ah ha!" Melanie jumped for joy as rain finally fell down from the sky.
"There we go." Kuro gave an approving nod. "We've managed to restore rain to Fiore, thanks to you all!"
"It did take us professionals, after all…" Gray said with a slight smirk.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Chelia asked Tia.
"Yes, it was…" Tia grunted. "I've got to stop letting you people talk me into these stupid things. Now then, I'm going back ho-er…to the guild…" With a nod, Tia quickly left the scene.
"We should probably head back before we catch a cold…" Cynthia suggested while huddling close to Wendy.
"I agree…!" Wendy said with a nod. "Getting sick is the last thing I want…"
.
.
Tia regrouped with the others at a cafe. It was still raining, but they were at least away from people. Tia sure enjoyed that. "What a day..."
"This rain is great!" Strong said with a grin. "I was gettin worried for all the greenery around here. They were feeling dry. But this is perfect timing!"
"You all look like you've been doing well lately." Heartless crossed her arms, looking towards everyone. "That's good."
"You've been pretty detached, however, Ma'am." Daigo pointed out. "Everyone else has been attempting to spread their wings. You, however..."
"Human interaction is difficult for me. Ever since I died as Clarissa and became Heartless." Heartless admitted with a quiet sigh. "But it is good that the rest of you have made connections. I was worried."
"Yeah, I can see why. Imagine my surprise when Jack said he was the boss of a training session." Diamond pointed at Jack.
"I was the greatest teacher they could ask for. Right, Spark?" He looked to Spark, who gave a small shrug.
"Well, I can't say no. That was the first time I've ever had combat training." Spark ultimately said. Spade was simply happy to see his brother make friends and experience life. So he had no complaints about it.
"Tia still needs some work though." Jack pointed at his sister, who huffed in response. The others did laugh a bit. This was the first time they could share a laugh together since King was dealt with. Even if it was at Tia's expense.
"Excuse me..." A voice called out to the group. They all turned, spotting a vaguely familiar face.
"What the!?" Tia summoned her scepter. "You-!" The man standing before them was Jigan King. But not the Jigan King from the future that controlled Dealer. This was Jigan King of the present.
"King!" Strong had his club at the ready. "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but-!"
"Wait." Heartless held her hand up, stopping everyone from leaping into action. "...What is your name?"
"My name is Jigan King." Jigan said with a slight bow. At once glance, Jigan and King did look extremely identical. It was the same person, just years apart. If not for his slightly more youthful appearance, Heartless wouldn't have noticed the difference. "I was a witness, among many of those in Fiore, about the actions that man took. The man who was myself from the future."
"I'm sorry...what?" Spade needed a moment to digest this information. But he did recall King's words, about how he was from the future. A future destroyed by Acnologia. "No, I suppose this makes sense. If the King we knew was from the future, it of course stands to reason that there is a Present version of him."
"This time travel stuff hurts my brain." Strong wasn't even going to try and understand.
"Essentially, Strong..." Daigo began, using a few projection cards to tell the story. "As far as we know, this man here will turn into Jigan King, the man who weathered a terrible future, and decided to come back in time to try and change things. It will be something of a timeloop...if nothing is done about it right now. I do not understand why you stand before us."
"I am here because I am aware of what my 'future self' as done." Jigan explained, sighing heavily. "I do not understand what that version of me saw or did to become such a horrible human being. I do not feel that way at present, nor have I ever thought about it. But the fact there was another me present explains a few things about my personal life..."
"Such as?" Heartless lifted a brow.
"I am a very wealthy man, I have jewels to spare! However, I am also a frivolous spender. I often spend money without thinking about it. But I noticed that I was occasionally losing more money than expected. Of course, only I know the passwords to all of my accounts! I thought I was just spending too much." Jigan explained.
"Well, now I understand how King was able to afford everything. He was stealing from his past self." Spade shook his head.
"Will that asshole sink to no low...?" Jack grumbled.
"He can't hurt anyone anymore." Heartless said. "Not unless this man here decides to follow in the footsteps of his dark future, that is." The rain outside grew more intense. The members of Dealer stared at Jigan, who glanced aside for a moment.
"...I came here today, because I want to prevent that future. I do not want to become a man who uses and abuses those who help him." Jigan admitted, bowing his head to the members of Dealer. "I came here to apologize to all of you. To think that I would become someone so heinous!"
This action stunned everyone. Seeing King apologize in any way, shape, or form felt strange to them. They all glanced at one another. "Um. Thanks...?" Diamond rubbed her arm. This was awkward...
Jigan also held out his lacrima phone. "You appear to be the leader here." He said to Heartless, who tilted her head slightly. "Take this. This holds my information for my accounts...for everything the future me has put you through. I want my money to be used for good."
Heartless took the phone...and her eyes widened at the number of zeroes she saw. "...A-Are you sure about this? I don't..."
"Whatever it takes to stop my future from becoming awful. I believe this is the best course of action." Jigan did smile at their shocked faces. He was donating his money to them. "I will retire somewhere...and put faith in the youth of today that the future will turn out bright. Farewell." With a bow, he left the cafe, walking in the heavy rain with an umbrella.
"What was that all about? Past King was actually a decent person..." Tia then peered over Heartless' shoulder, her eyes also widening at the number of zeroes she saw. "HOLY-!?" Everyone else had the same reaction.
As Jigan walked through the empty streets, he smiled. "Yes...this is for the best. No matter what the future brings, I will..." His thoughts were stopped short as he heard footsteps behind him. Two shadows loomed behind him, and he turned around. "Huh? W-Wait...you two...!?" Before Jigan could utter a sound, a fist struck his gut, causing him to slowly pass out.
"Ho ho ho ho..." One of the shadows laughed mockingly. "Such a valiant effort. .but unfortunately for you...your future will never change."
.
.
Zeref sat in the cold rain, having no complaints about it. He was used to this sort of weather. "Hm…" He could sense a pair of footsteps behind him. Without turning around to look, he could already tell who it was. "A visitor? I didn't expect you to come all the way out here. Though…I doubt you came for idle chit chat…Mavis."
Mavis stopped a few feet away from Zeref. A slow nod was given as she responded; "That's correct…I came back. I can already feel it…your plot."
"The wheels of fate are beginning to turn in motion…" Zeref replied. As he spoke, Daityas, Hades and Marde arrived on the scene, but they kept quiet. "Humans are rather greedy…attempting to control things far beyond their power: Aiden, the scientist who created Fiore's End. That girl cannot control her power at all, and yet he believed he could. Then there's King…the human with the ambition of ruling the world with Acnologia of all things by his side. Power corrupts, no one can be spared. Which is why it falls upon me to eradicate them from this land. Even the angels from above believed that humanity was doomed for extinction."
"Fairy Tail will stop you," Mavis replied almost immediately, confidence in her voice. "No matter what happens."
"Fairy Tail will be the first to fall," Zeref responded, coldly. "If Natsu Dragneel cannot kill me, expect this land to go down in darkness. That is the way it will always be. Either he destroys me, or the world will be covered in the darkest of black. There is no in-between."
"I have the upmost faith he will put a stop to you…that WE will stop you." A sly grin began to form on Mavis' lips. "Since that is what you so wish, anyway…" The spirit then looked behind her, noticing the two onlookers. "Whatever you're planning…you shall not win. I will make sure of it." With that last comment, Mavis vanished.
"That spirit Fairy still giving you trouble, Lord Zeref?" Daityas asked with a slight chuckle.
"Still a nuisance, as always…" Hades mumbled under his breath.
"You saw her…?" Zeref questioned while standing up, turning around to face the two kings of hell and Hades. "Oh…you are the one who awakened me…" He turned to Hades, who remained silent.
"Don't need to," Daityas replied. "She's the only one who makes it look like you're talking to yourself. Besides, even if she is invisible to a non-Fairy, we demons have our ways of keeping track of such sneaky spirits."
"Indeed…" Marde said with a nod before getting onto the subject at hand. "We came today because he heard your call…"
"All of you?" Zeref looked behind Marde, noticing the incoming group that consist of: Maggie, Kiora, Zancrow, Mithril, Tobias, Ruika, Ur, Rustyrose, and Sora. "Hm…"
"There you are…!" Zanrow growled as he spotted Zeref; black flames flared around the god slayer's body. "I've been waiting awhile for this!"
"And you are the one I mistakenly took away with my power…" Zeref bowed his head to Zancrow in apology, but then glared right back at the god slayer; their red eyes met, but Zeref's was more intimidating. "Although…if you wish to try and step up to me again…I won't apologize."
"Calm yourself!" Maggie demanded of Zancrow. "I ain't in the mood to test Lord Zeref. So how about you shut your yap and just sod off, mate."
"T-Tch…" Zancrow let his flames die. Though he looked calm on the outside, he was absolutely livid on the inside.
"And who are they…?" Zeref glanced to Tobias, Ur and Sora. "I don't remember any humans within Tartarus…"
"Don't worry about them," Daityas assured. "They're both rather useful, in the grand scheme of things. Though, we usually have to get Tobias to stop being a whiny little bitch and do his job. Sora on the other hand is quite useful…As for Ur, she has the power equal to that of one of those Wizard Saints…and that was before the upgrade I granted her with not too long ago."
"H-Hey…!?" Tobias shouted, but he was quickly silenced as Maggie and Kiora slammed their fists in his face, sending him rocketing to the ground.
"Shut the hell up, Tobias!" The duo exclaimed before dusting their hands off.
"Ah…that felt bloody right good…" Maggie said with a content sigh.
"Ur…" Zeref glanced to the ice woman. "I recognize you. You defeated my demon, Deloria at the cost of your own life…Interesting." He then glanced at Daityas. "You have a colorful…entourage with you."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Kiora asked before she realized who she was speaking to. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean…whatever do you mean by that, Lord Zeref…?" Nope. She absolutely hated doing that.
"I hope you didn't break your neck with that 180…" Ruika and Maggie whispered to Kiora.
"I swear to Daityas you two I'll give Cerberus a lava enchantment and have him rip you both apart limb from limb." Kiora replied in a clearly irritated tone of voice.
"Kiora dear, what have I said about threatening me with a good time?" Maggie grinned.
"If you two lovely ladies are done with your little quarrel…" Rustyrose said while adjusting his glasses. "I do believe the man in black over here wishes to convey his thoughts aloud to us, so we should give him the floor."
"Damn, we get it…" Koira said with a groan. "No need to be so fuckin' wordy…"
"Like I said…" Zeref muttered while shaking his head slightly. "It's time to bring this country to its knees. I've had enough of witnessing these power-mad humans continue to think they have the right to try and exploit it just to try and rule with an iron fist. They don't understand their place in the world, and it's about time that we showed them the true might of the monsters they so wish to be."
"I like where this is going already…" Daityas had a sinister grin on his lips.
"As do I…" Marde nodded in agreement.
"Oh, what do you know about excitement?" Daityas scoffed at Marde's comment. "All you do is sit around on that chair of yours with that book. Acting like you're some refined demon. You sit back and watch as my demons have all the fun!"
"I just know how to control those urges, unlike you. You allowed those humans to run rampant in our home once. I stood back because it was your problem to deal with, but not anymore." Marde shot back in a refined manner. "It will be a dignified purge for an undignified race."
"Don't make me laugh! These humans don't deserve anything of that level." Daityas responded with a mailcious chuckle. "They'll be slaughtered with no remorse. I'm going to bathe in their blood."
"Wouldn't expect any less from the barbaric hell dwellers…" Marde responded with a sigh.
"Maybe you're just not a true demon…you are from a book. A 'fairy tale', eh?" Daityas chuckled, teasing Marde's origins.
"Here they go again…" Mithril said with a small sigh.
"What did you just insinuate…?" Marde replied with a side eyed glare. He tighted his hold on the book of E.N.D in his arms.
"I didn't stutter, nor should I repeat myself," After having enough of teasing Marde, Daityas turned to face Zeref once again. "Just don't slow us down. We all know of your power, and don't act like you don't have it. But, I guess we're all criminals for toying with humans."
"Slow you down?"Marde repeated. "My, it's not wise for a Hells Flame Demon to tread upon thin ice. But I'm sure you have common sense." Their exchanged would have confused anyone else who believed they were on the same side. "At the end of the day, humans are nothing more than insects. I hope your entourage won't be tripped up by mere bugs."
"I hate this guy..." Maggie snarled, aloud. She didn't care what Marde's role was in Tartarus. She may have been forced to respect him, but she would never stand his presence.
"Regardless…the world will burn, Marde. And these humans will be the first to bear witness to it." Daityas gave a sinister chuckle.
"These two…" Zeref merely shook his head. "Are you two finished?"
"Yes," Marde nodded. "We are now awaiting your orders, Lord Zeref."
"Gather your troops." Zeref ordered; turning and beginning to walk off. The green grass beneath him began to wither and die with each step he took, turning an eerie shade of gray. A dark violet aura appeared around his body. "The attack begins tomorrow."
"You heard him." Daityas looked over his shoulders to the others. "Get ready for the time of your lives tomorrow! AHAHAHA!" He then glanced at Marde, who was already walking off. "And you, Marde? Will your Nine Demon Gates finally show their worth for once?"
"I have more intriguing toys to play with." Marde answered. "While I do not expect a plan from Lord Zeref to fail...we have another failsafe in place in case these insects prove to be more than mere pesky flies. But I will to everything to ensure that Lord Zeref gets exactly what he desires. That is why I and the Nine Demon Gates exist to begin within."
As Zeref walked, he looked up into the cloudy sky above. "It is too early for this? No...I believe there is no better time than now. I have remained in Fiore for a long time now. I haven't returned to that other country lately. But the demons should be more than enough. But I wonder if I will make it in time. The black wings of destruction beat in the distance. I can feel it..."
.
.
Hisui: "As a thank you for everything you've all done, I've personally decided to invite all guilds in Fiore to the palace for a special celebration! I apologize for all the hardships you've gone through over the last few months, so the least I can do is make it up to you! From, Hisui."
Natsu: "Another party at the palace!? Count me in!"
Lucy: "Don't do anything too reckless this time…"
Natsu: "Pfft, I'll be fine!"
Wendy: "I have a bad feeling about this for all the wrong reasons…"
Next time: Palace Party!