While Team Natsu were currently facing off against the sky god Izanagi down below, the rest of the rescue team stayed above in order to handle the situation regarding the country of Exahelm itself.
Currently, Jellal, Gajeel, Juvia, Happy, Sting and Rogue stood around each other while the small angel Sync sat over a couple feet away from them.
"You mentioned we had a job to do, Juvia takes it you've thought of a plan?" Juvia guesses, directing at Jellal.
Jellal nods. "I do, but our priority right now is locating the people of this land and convincing them to evacuate." He then glances over at Sting. "We'll need you to conserve your energy for when we have to leave, Sting."
Sting gives a thumbs up. "Of course! I should have plenty left!"
It was at this moment that they were approached by the small angel, Sync. She clenched her scythe tightly and held it close to her body, as if she was on guard. The group all eyed her.
"... So it's true then?" Sync asks, staring up at Jellal. "E-Exahelm is going to disappear?"
The group all respond with collective silence. Many couldn't help but narrow their eyes away from the girl. Jellal lowers his head and deeply sighs. He walks over to Sync and bends down.
"... I'm sorry. This is the only way." Jellal apologizes, placing a palm over his chest. "For the safety of everyone up here, and the people below us."
Sync responds by lowering her head and staring at the ground. She shuffles her feet together nervously as she clenches her scythe even tighter.
"... The nice blonde lady." Sync lifts her head back up. "She told me no matter what, you won't take the life of another person."
"Of course! We would never dream of it!" Sting affirms, giving a thumbs up.
Sync sadly smiles and glances over towards the deserted and ruined town. "A lot of people here… don't like me very much. They think my power is scary. No matter how hard I try to control it, it always scares them." She turns back towards the group. "But, I want them to live happy lives. I think… moving down below might make their lives less scary."
Sync proceeds to flutter up slightly and get up and close with Jellal. The blue haired mage got caught off guard and slightly bent his body back. He could easily read Sync's desperate expression.
"Big bro always told me… that the world below is beautiful! How it looks so much more than the dome garden!" Sync's eyes well up, inching closer to Jellal. "Is it… is it really that pretty?!" She asks.
Before Jellal could answer, Happy shoves him out of the way and gives the angel a bright smile.
"Aye! I love Earthland! The fish down there are delicious and I love going on adventures with my friends on such a big world!" Happy answers.
Sync's eyes glisten like an excited child. She flies a couple inches back and giggles lightly.
"I-indeed…" Jellal clears his throat. He turns to the others. "Now then, we must quickly-"
Before he could instruct his allies, he catches something in the corner of his eye. He quickly focuses on the town. The rest follow his gaze, and the whole group is met with shock and confusion.
Several dozens of angels gathered together and are flying away from the town of Exahelm. They were all organized like a flock of birds. The group could hear panic coming from the crowd.
"What the hell?! Where did they all come from?!" Gajeel exclaims.
"And where are they going?" Rogue wonders.
Jellal eyes the path the angels are taking. He reads the situation quickly and widens his eyes.
"The civilians… they appear to be… leaving the country?" Jellal realizes. "Does that mean, they had been made aware of the fate of this place, but how?"
"E-everyone!" A high pitched voice calls for the group. They turn behind them and spot Carla, flying and struggling to carry both Wendy and Chelia.
Happy acts quickly and flies over to the white Exceed. He takes Chelia and shows relief, seeing Carla alright.
"Carla! You're okay!" Happy beams.
Carla briefly smiles at Happy. "Thank you, Happy. I'm glad to see you all safe too."
"Woah, what happened to her…?" Gajeel asked, showing concern towards Chelia.
Carla takes a deep breath. "I'll explain later. First, there is something I need to tell you all."
Jellal could sense the urgency in Carla's voice. "...Did you see something?"
Carla nods. "Indeed. Whatever you're planning, it will-"
Before Carla could finish her statement, the group felt a sudden heavy surge of power right near them. They all turn and to their shock, Hahlos appears in front of them. The tall angel was eyeing the group, but nowhere on his face showed the slightest sign of aggression.
Despite this, the group got on guard. Rogue clenches his teeth. "Just one thing after another…"
Sync immediately flies in between Hahlos and the group. She faces Hahlos and spreads her arms out.
"Big bro! Please! No more fighting!" Sync pleads. "I know what they're doing is wrong… b-but-"
"Sync." Hahlos starts, looking at Sync with a warm expression. "Stark and the others are looking for you. Go to them." He requests.
Sync drops her arms as Hahlos walks past the girl. She turns to him and tilts her head in confusion. "Bro?"
"I'm stopping by the rancher's land. I need to inform them to leave this country at once." Hahlos explains.
Hahlos proceeds to calmly walk past the human intruders. Each person he passes they drop their guard and glance at the angel, puzzled.
Carla flinches, seeing Hahlos inches from her. She lowers her head and clenches her teeth. The angel passes by the Exceed without a word. Carla growls in frustration and turns towards Hahlos.
"You know what's going to happen right?!" Carla assumes.
Hahlos stops in his tracks.
"... Why aren't you stopping us then?!" Carla exclaims.
Hahlos was silent for a moment. He lifts his head up and stares at the sky. "I saw it too."
"H-huh?!"
Hahlos points at his eyes. "I saw what you saw. I'm… beginning to understand why you said you hated the ability to see into the future." Hahlos turns his head towards Carla. "It's a heavy burden, on us both. To have the information of what is perceived, but not the strength to change it. It may be why… I have been fearful of the future, the future I cannot perceive."
The angel looks back ahead, eyes filled with conviction. "But… I won't turn my back on it. Not anymore, I'll face whatever it is head on." He declares.
"What… what do you mean?" Carla wonders.
Hahlos turns his head back at Carla one last time. But with a warm smile this time, which took the Exceed off guard.
"I learned that we don't have to be so weary of the future where we have to keep changing it. It is always on our side."
Hahlos takes off in a flash, leaving a gust of wind behind. Everyone was left confused on what had occurred.
Jellal narrows his eyes at the tall angel, clenching his fists. "He may have an idea of what's going on…" He faces the group. "Meaning we need to hurry."
Carla felt the words escape her mouth. Her chest felt tight, yet at the same time she felt a sense of faith in Hahlos words. But… why?
"Let us place our faith in Natsu and the others. Let's make sure every civilian has left. But refrain from using your magic, we'll need as much as we can to escape here too." Jellal advises. He raises a clenched fist and stares at it.
"Once we are ready, I'll prepare to destroy Exahelm."
The cloud barracks that the civilians of Exahelm hid in were now completely empty. The Tenhei members stayed behind briefly to make sure every single one had escaped. Once Hahlos informed them of his vision, there was no other option but to leave Exahelm.
The Tenhei share reactions of anger, sadness and uncertainty. Stark stood away from the others and stared out to the damaged town. He held a smoke pipe as he puffed out a smoke.
"I thought you quit." Arya points out.
"I did and I still am." Stark retorts, not looking back at the female angel. "This will be the last thing I do before I abandon the old me. Much like what we're going to do here soon."
Torian slumps his shoulders and shudders in place, keeping an eye out for Sync. "S-so… it really is t-true then? What Hahlos told us?"
Stark tosses the pipe and regroups with them. "We wouldn't have evacuated the civilians and soldiers if it wasn't true."
"Tis really nothing else we can-th do now?" Balrus asks, crossing his arms and staring down.
Argus steps forward and spreads his arms out, forcing a smile. "Hey, come on guys! I'm sure it will all work out…" He pauses, slowly lowering his arms. "Work out… in the… oh who am I kidding." He frowns, feeling dejected.
Arya sighs, placing a comforting shoulder on Argus. "We will survive." She reassures him.
The Tenhei then hear a high pitch voice calling out to them. They direct their attention towards the voice and see Sync flying towards them as she waves at them.
Sync stops by the angels and lands on the ground. She repeatedly bows her upper body and holds her scythe with both hands.
"I-I-I'm sorry for going off on my own! I-I was-" Sync apologizes profusely.
"It's fine." Stark interrupts, brushing his hair with his hand. "Now that you're back, we'll just have to leave the rest to Hahlos."
Sync narrows her eyes. "Big bro…"
"Come, we should get going before it's too late." Arya advises.
Balrus turns over towards his fellow Tenhei. "Before that, we shalt pray. One last time." He suggests.
"Oh… right. Our praying ceremony." Torian recalls, feeling a hint of sadness.
Stark sighs. "Very well. I suppose we should stick to our traditions…"
"Fire Dragon's…" Natsu dashes towards Izanagi.
"Natsu! Wait!" Lucy reaches out."
"Iron Fist!" Natsu throws a flaming fist right at the god.
Natsu lands the hit, causing a small burst of fire. However, to his shock, the fist was caught by Izanagi with a single palm. The god grips his fist tightly.
The darkness that covered the fields, caused by the clouds above, made it impossible to witness the god's expression. His long pink hair covers his eyes.
"... The world became something it could never turn back from. Ever since the Dragon King Festival concluded." Izanagi begins to rant.
In a flash, Izanagi knees Natsu's stomach so hard he coughs out saliva. The force of the attack sent him flying up with a burst of wind. Shortly after, he whips his arm and lightning strikes the Fire Dragon Slayer in the air.
Lucy and Gray gasp. The former covering their mouth while the latter smacking his fist on his palm.
"Damn it! He's even stronger than before!" Gray exclaims.
"During the festival, I was granted the power to change the world. An ideal world without magic." Izanagi continues, now eyeing Gray. Though the ice mage could not see his eyes.
"Ice-Make! Lance!" Gray conjures several dozen ice spears as they fly at the god.
Izanagi stomps his foot and unleashes a powerful burst of wind. Gray's ice shatters immediately as he and Lucy cover their faces with their arms from the wind.
The sky god catches Gray off guard and flies at him. He grips Gray's face tightly.
"A world where my people can be happy!" Izanagi slams Gray on the ground. "A world that only relies on community!" He drags the ice mage through the ground.
Izanagi stops and lifts Gray up, the mage coughing painfully. The angel spins around and throws him up during it. He spins around one more time and unleashes a Sky Dragon Roar right towards Gray. The attack engulfs the ice mage.
Lucy could not move. Her legs were shaking as she could only stare in horror.
Izanagi stares down, clenching his fists. "... But I couldn't do anything. Everything was gone. My entire world." He laments, slowly turning his head towards the blonde mage.
Lucy saw Izanagi now face her. She could faintly see his glowing eyes, staring back with intensity. "Wha…what…" She choked out.
"Yet, I continue to live. I survived. Because I am too strong. But too weak to save anyone." Izanagi turns his body and flies at Lucy.
Before Lucy could react, Izanagi zips past her and summons a large tornado. His arms were crossed as he conjured a Sky Dragon Wing Attack. Lucy screams as she is sent flying up.
"I looked and looked! Yet I found nothing! Only devastation and people fighting just to survive! Nowhere was there a semblance of peace!" Izanagi fumes. Lucy falls to the ground behind him.
Suddenly, Izanagi senses something. He glances over and sees Erza leaping at him. She had swapped to her Adamant Armor right before getting hit and guarded the blow. Her armor was in taters however.
Erza grips her sword tightly and attempts to cut Izanagi down. The god leaps back to avoid the attack. Erza quickly charges at Izanagi and thrusts her sword. The god leaps up and kicks her on the head to the ground.
"The beauty of this world doesn't exist anymore! It's one that can only be lived through strength and power!" Izanagi lashes out, stomping on Erza's head multiple times. He kicks her back as all four Fairy Tail mages lay by each other covered in injuries.
Izanagi's hair whips back, his eyes glowing fiercely. His silver wings shine brightly as he flies upward, leaving a golden trail behind him. "It was all because of your magic!"
Natsu slams his fist on the ground, shakily pulling himself up. Gray, Lucy and Erza all do the same. They all look up and witness the clouds moving unnaturally towards each other, like they're closing in. None of them could utter a word as they simply brace themselves.
Izanagi raises his hand high. Thunder roars and flashes the sky, the shadow of the god casting above them. The clouds continue to close in.
"As long… as people like you exist…" Izanagi growls, clenching his teeth tightly. "EARTHLAND WILL NEVER HAVE A FUTURE!" He roars.
Izanagi swings his arm downward. The entire sky shines brightly, blinding the eyes of the Fairy Tail wizards. They feel the air pressure close in on them like being crushed.
"... Greutatea Raiului…" Izanagi chants, closing his raised palm.
The noise was deafening. The clouds fully close in. Then they dispersed within seconds, leaving behind a colossal burst of wind. Mist and dust covered the entire area, while the sky was bright blue and empty. It was like everything below was wiped clean in an instant.
Izanagi did not move. He stares down below with sorrow as his hair gently flopped down while turning back to a dark blue color. He takes a shivering breath and observes his palm. His pupils shake rhythmically, a single tear falls from his left eye. A feeling of familiarity.
The sky god wipes the tear and quickly turns around. He begins to fly back upward, not wanting to look back or comment.
"...ook …n"
Izanagi stops.
"Look down…"
Izanagi could swear he is hearing voices, one both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He holds his head as it begins to ache.
"Don't look away, it's okay."
Izanagi lets out a delayed gasp. He nervously turns back around, and his eyes are as wide as they could be.
The ground was green, flowers were blooming and full of life, and trees were growing right at this moment. Green sparkles of magic aura surrounded the entire area, healing the land below. It was like the past several minutes never happened.
It wasn't just the land being healed, but the people below too. The Fairy Tail wizards were all standing but looking down. They all were taking deep breaths.
Izanagi couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He shakes his head and slaps his face with his palms to snap himself out of it, but he wasn't seeing things. He glances at both of his palms, mind full of questions.
"H-how did I… do that?" Izanagi asks himself. His head begins to ache again, hearing the soft voice from before.
"I understand now. Why you have been hurting for so long. Why you have been so afraid and hateful of the world."
Izanagi could feel like his head was splitting open. He holds his head with both hands and shakes it back and forth.
"You were alone. And you had no one to reach out to. The pain inside you never healed."
Natsu smirks with a confident scoff.
"... I'll do whatever I can to support those in need. Heal those who are hurt. Protect the ones I love."
Izanagi gasps, eyes shooting open. He finally recognizes the voice and why his head is aching.
"Because… that is my role!" Wendy declares, standing definitely in a casting stance while inside the white space inside the sky god.
~~~Author's Notes~~~
Greutatea Raiului stands for "Weight of Heaven" in Roman.