With Fight for Fiore finally over, the mages of Fiore could relax once again. Of course this didn't mean that everything was back to normal. At Fairy Tail, things were likely never to be normal ever again. "Cynthia's d-dead…!?" Lucy's brown eyes widened in shock; she already felt the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "B-But…how…when did that happen…?!"

Wendy was the one who delivered the news. Just uttering and hearing those words again made her heart hurt. Her hair was creating a shade over her eyes, but everyone could still see the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I…I don't know…I just know it was that woman…I don't know why she did it…Cynthia didn't do anything wrong…S-she just…"

"...Avani..." Makarov closed his eyes, a bitter feeling growing in his chest. He knew Avani, and something like that...he never expected it from her. Already, he needed to know what happened. But right now, Wendy needed the support of her friends and family to even begin trying to cope with this heavy loss.

"Wendy…" Carla bit her lip, trying hard to suppress her tears.

"I should've been there!" Wendy shouted, but those words for meant for her and her alone. There was a silence that lingered in the guild as Wendy started to weep. Nobody knew what to say to make her feel better…

"…" Laxus was remaining especially silent. He was still bitter about the fact he lost to Avani especially right after learning she was the one who killed Cynthia. Needless to say, even though no one was around to witness it, his pride took a blow today.

Cana sat down next to Wendy, wrapping an arm around the sky dragon's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Hey…" She began. "You know Cynthia was a strong girl…and you know the last thing in the world she'd ever want is for you to cry over her. Not just you, but the rest of us too…"

"Cana-san is right…" Juvia gave a slow nod of agreement while rubbing her arm. It was still hard to believe that Cynthia was really gone, but everyone knew that she wouldn't want to hear them crying over her. "Cynthia-san would want us, especially you, to be happy…"

Wendy just sniffled. They were absolutely right, yet she couldn't find the strength to try and smile. "…"

"But right now…" Erza shook her head, crouching down to get eye level with Wendy. "You can let it all out if you have to. I know it's asking much of you to hold it in and we won't make you do that. Cry as much as you need to, Wendy. I promise it'll be okay later. We're all here for you."

"I…I…" Wendy's bottom lip quivered before she just clung to Cana, letting it all out. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her crying filled the guild hall. "WAAAAAH! I'M SORRY, CYNTHIA...!" The sound and sight of it was enough to pain everyone's hearts as they all felt the same sense of loss. As Wendy started to cry, the others could feel the tears welling up in their eyes as well.

Cana was crying as Wendy sobbed into her arms. She held the sky dragon close to her, rubbing her back gently as she let it all out. "..." She couldn't even think of anything to say. Her heart was too heavy at the nws.

Gray stood with his arms crossed, letting out a heavy sigh. Why could he never be strong enough to protect people when it mattered! Things were never supposed to turn out this way, and yet...they did. "She didn't just lose her best friend. She lost her other half…because we weren't there to watch out for her." He was sharing some of the blame too. Natsu remained silent the entire time as well, probably because he felt the exact same way.

"Mama…Papa…" Asuka looked up to Bisca and Alzack. "Are we gunna see Cynthia again…?"

To that, Alzack and Bisca shared a similar look. Bisca knelt down, gently placing her hand on her daughter's head, mustering the strength for a smile. "Cynthia is…going to be away for a while, dear. I don't know if we'll see her again…"

"Oh…" Asuka's expression wavered slightly. She didn't quite understand the concept of death…but she caught the gist of not seeing Cynthia again for a very, very long time.

"Oh...how awful..." Mira bit her lip, trying not to cry too much. But it was impossible. She found herself embracing Elfman and Lisanna, needing the support more than they could've imagined.

Lucy slowly walked off while rubbing her arm, unable to take the depressing atmosphere at the guild for much longer. She wanted some space to think…but that time to think was beating herself up over it. Though it didn't seem like it, Cynthia did count on the others to help her, and she felt as though they let down the now late dragon slayer by not being there for her. "Maybe if I was just a little bit stronger…"

"The weakness lies in the heart….do you...desire strength...?"

"…!?" Lucy's eyes widened and that headache returned once again. She cringed slightly before looking around, searching for the origin of the voice, but she couldn't find a thing. "Who…? What…?" Silence returned and she had no answer…however that black mark on the back of her neck began to spread slowly. "I must be tired…it was a long day…"

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Minoru finally found Avani lying unconscious. Once he spotted his wife he quickly rushed over to her, kneeling down to lift her up gently. "A-Avani!? Are you okay?! Please, open your eyes…"

"Ugh…" Avani's eyes opened slowly. She no longer held that crazed look, but rather a dazed and confused one. "M-Minoru…? What happened…?"

"You went out…and you were caught in the middle of that Fight for Fiore business." Minoru explained while looking over Avani's injuries. "It looks like you were involved in some fighting…are you feeling all right? No major injuries?"

Avani rubbed her head, trying to recall her time in Fight for Fiore. "It was all a blur, but…" Then she remembered it: that moment where she killed a child in cold blood. Her eyes widened in horror and she clung to Minoru, beginning to weep on the spot. "I…I killed that girl…in cold blood…"

"What…?" Minoru was confused, but he held onto his wife as she wept. She was hurt, dazed, confused, the day probably seemed like one massive blur to her. He shook his head slowly, helping the wizard saint up. "Come on…I'll take you back to the guild so you can rest."

Avani nodded slowly while her sobbing died down. "There is one thing I remember…that girl…she didn't hit the baby. I think…I think she did everything she could to ensure that she didn't hit me there, and I took advantage of that and…"

"There you are." That voice came from Wizard Saint Kemuri. He approached Avani and Minoru with a relieved expression. "Doing a sweep of the area, and I caught wind that you were involved that fiasco."

"Kemuri...!" Avani stood up, her expression one of pain and heartbreak. "That girl...! T-That Cynthia girl from Fairy Tail. I...I got carried away...everything went dark after I got hurt initially. But I know...I know I killed that girl with my own hands. Please, you have to tell Siegrain, Her Majesty, someone...you have to arrest me for my crime! I can't be a Wizard Saint after what I've done! Please!"

"Avani...!" Minoru was at a loss for words.

Kemuri blinked at this news. It was entirely unexpected to hear Avani say this. It was quiet as he pulled out a cigarette and proceeded to take a quick inhale. "...Arrest you? I'm afraid I can't do that, Avani."

"What!?" Avani's watery eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean!?"

"...As far as the Council is concerned, that girl was a threat waiting to explode. As such, I can't say you've done any crime. In fact, I think you might have just done this country a favor, getting rid of someone so unstable." As Kemuri said this, Avani's eyes continued to widen in horror. "So, good job. I'm sure Siegrain will be very happy to hear about this!"

"H...How...could you say something s-so...so horrible!?" Avani cried out. Kemuri's words were so cold and heartless! That girl was a child! Why didn't he understand!?

"This incident will be swept under the rug." Kemuri told her flat out. "It's not exactly ideal to say that a Wizard Saint killed someone, but you will be highly praised for your work. You eliminated a threat to this country." Kemuri turned and walked off, but he had one last thing to say... "Besides, you're expecting, aren't you? I hope you and your child have a happy life."

"..." Avani was speechless. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. She murdered a teenager to protect herself and her child...and she wasn't being admonished for it. They were...congratulating her. "W...What kind of cruel world..."

.

.

"It's official…" Luke said while crashing on the couch, wrapped in bandages just like everyone else. His head ended up on Roxanne's lap, but it was obvious enough the woman didn't even come close to minding. Rather, she just patted him on the head with the slightest of grins. "Next time something like this happens, I'm staying right at home, no questions asked. Too hectic for my liking."

Waiston just scoffed at the idea of sitting back. "No way. Next time I'm making it to the top no matter what. I just got unlucky this time around."

"Healing duty was incredibly exhausting, just so you know…" Micaiah spoke from the kitchen. One just had to look at her to notice how tired she was from treating the injured members. Luckily when Aira's magic returned she was able to take over as the healer she was for the guild.

"You did a good job, Micaiah." Aira said with an approving smile.

"We didn't lose anybody, did we?" Cygnus questioned while looking around. It seemed as though everyone was accounted for.

"Nope." Kanade shook her head, using a cloth to wipe the blood from her lips.

"I'll cook a great feast to celebrate this victory!" Marlene clasped her hands together, rushing into the kitchen to prepare the necessary ingredients for a large scale dinner.

"I won't be eating." Kanade said. "I had some tree bark for dinner earlier, so I'm good."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Cygnus shouted and all eyes went to Kanade as she admitted to eating part of a tree.

"Yeah." Kanade just nodded. "Got a little too into it and the next thing I knew, I was biting down on a tree. Gotta say, it's really not as bad as you would think. I don't see what the big deal is."

"Disgusting…" Heather said with a shake of her head.

Reiss held his stomach, face turning pale at the thought. "You know…I think I've lost my appetite for the evening…"

"I don't see the problem." Adamantine replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"What on Earthland are you teaching this girl, Adam…?" Selene said with a large sweat drop forming on her forehead.

"I'm not responsible for whatever habits she picks up when training with me." Adam responded.

"See, Adam gets it!" Kanade responded with a big innocent grin, but for everyone else it just bothered them. This girl was something else; that was for sure.

Mary walked down the stairs, folding her arms while watching the commotion. "Don't get too relaxed. You know the Grand Magic Games are only a few short months away, so you vets are going to start working as soon as you recover. Once the next year hits, it's game time."

"…Almost forgot about the Games. Felt like it's been forever since we've had one." Kuro spoke while rubbing the back of his head.

"Because of Dealer, they decided not to hold one for X793." Marlene commented. "This just gives us plenty of time for the next year, though!"

Mary's gaze then shifted to the rookies, where she gave a grin that terrified them, and only them. "As for you rookies…I expect to see you outside tomorrow morning at 5AM."

"It never ends for us…" Tyson said with a halfhearted chuckle.

"Oh, Mary…" Zalen spoke up, grinning towards Tyson. "Don't worry about this one; I'll be sure to take care of his training. The others you can do whatever you'd like with."

"Why does he get a free pass!?" Reiss exclaimed.

"Oh, trust me…" Zalen adjusted his glasses, a devious glint shimmering for only a brief second. "It's anything but a free pass."

"You heard her." Reve said to catch the veteran's attention. "We're going right back to training. I don't want to see any of you slacking." To that, there was a loud groan echoing through the White Eclipse guild hall as training was the last thing anyone wanted to think about right now.

.

.

Hisui returned to Mercurius, bruised and dirtied, but she had a smile on her face. She returned to the throne room, where Arcadios and Toma were waiting for him. "I apologize for running off so quickly and worrying you..."

"You're okay...!" Toma let out a heavy sigh of relief. "We lost track of you as soon as you left the Palace."

"You're hurt, aren't you?" Arcadios went to a knee before Hisui's feet. "My apologies, Your Highness! I failed in my duty as a knight. It was my duty to watch over you, yet you were alone in a dangerous situation..."

"It's alright, Arcadios." Hisui spoke with a slight smile. "Everything is alright. I was able to convince a number of people to drop their fight. Because of their support, we were able to end the situation before it got out of hand."

"I heard all about what you did while you were out on your own." Toma looked to his daughter. "Your mother would be proud of you, Hisui. I am proud of you as well. You united the country in such a small time...you put yourself on the line for the people. I can say for certain that you will make a wonderful queen when the day comes."

'O-Oh, Father, I..." Hisui scratched her cheek bashfully. This was such high praise from her father. "Thank you."

"The day I retire will come soon. And when it does, I am confident that you will do the country proud when your day comes." Toma said this firmly. Hisui smiled and gave her own resolute nod. She was ready for the throne. Of this, he was certain.

.

.

Marde returned to Tartarus, immediately making his way towards Hell's Core with the pebbles in his hands. Working in Hell's Core was Lamy of course, who was currently clinging onto Jackal's arm. "Oh, Jackal-kun…!" The small demon beamed with a dreamy smile. "Have I ever told you how much of a hunk you are?!" And then came that obnoxious laugh of hers.

"You're fucking disgusting!" Jackal spat out while trying to pry Lamy off his arm. "Get off me already, would you!? For crying out loud…!?"

Marde came to a stop, clearing his throat to gain Lamy's attention. As a result, she immediately pulled herself from Jackal to salute to Marde. "Marde-sama! What can I do for you!?" She questioned, waiting for any command that would be given to her.

"Open up one of the tanks." Marde ordered.

Lamy nodded. "Of course!" Lamy hurried over to the nearest tank, opening it up. "But…The Demon Gates and Demon Generals are all in perfect condition. Who is this tank for?"

"A new recruit." Marde said before callously tossing the stone statue of Cynthia inside. Hell's Core began to do work. Since it was the healing facility of Tartarus, it was perhaps the only thing in Earthland that was capable of what occurred next. The petrification slowly began to wear off. Her body reformed, but her consciousness, heart, internal organs still needed time to recover and reform. Every part of her body was turned to stone, after all.

"I've seen that girl before…" Jackal mumbled while crossing his arms. Eventually he just didn't care enough and shrugged it off.

"Ohhhhh! She's so stinkin' cute!" Lamy pressed her face against the glass of the healing tank, a sinister grin stretching along her lips. "Ooooh…when I finish with you, you're gonna be the ugliest butterfly the world's ever seen…"

"You are not allowed to touch her." Marde's voice made it perfectly clear. "When her consciousness has reformed, I will personally take care of her. For now, you are to ensure that her reconstruction does not fail, do you understand?"

Lamy let out a sad sigh; she really wanted to mess with Cynthia in some way since she was going to be recreated as a demon. "Okaaaaay! Whatever Marde-sama wishes!"

"Excellent. I know I can count on you." Marde nodded and began to walk off, a devious smile soon forming along his lips. "Very soon, the game shall begin…but for now, the pieces are just going into place."

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Next Time: The Days Gone By.