"I must say…you've all done an excellent job…" Dhegensea nodded towards the Fairy Tail and White Eclipse members after they all returned to the castle. They were patched up after all the fighting they did on the other side of the island thanks to Ena and were now having a victory feast in the dining hall, which had two floors. "You've prevented a very dangerous civil war from spreading to the mainland."
"Heh, it was no problem!" Natsu said with a wide grin, rubbing the bottom of his nose with his index finger.
"I still can't believe it…" Ena frowned while letting out a heavy sigh. "Nasir was a traitor all this time…working for Gaius…" She seemed truly heartbroken at this fact. "I just don't understand why he would…"
"Some things are better left unknown…" Erza said while placing a hand on Ena's shoulder, giving a supportive smile.
"You're right, Erza-senpai…" Ena nodded while returning the smile. Having someone call her senpai made Erza feel strange, she wasn't used to the term but she didn't have anything against it. "Oh!" Ena then clasped her hands together, delivering a bright smile. "I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that the others you've brought in are in custody. We had Venoma purify her toxins from the water, and we're keeping Drake far, far away from everyone else. Nasir and Gaius are currently locked within the chambers below, so the chances of them hurting anyone are very low."
"And…!" Kurthnaga added. "The dragons who have been infected with the poison are being cleansed as we speak. She's also removing the toxins from their body."
"What a relief…" Juvia let out a sigh.
"Excellent work, Fairy Tail." Makarov gave his children a firm nod.
"Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without us…" Reve just had to slide that comment in there, though it wasn't entirely false. And yet…
"We could've done it without you! You just held us up!" Natsu shouted, getting in Reve's face about it.
"You want a bullet to the head like Titania?" Reve questioned with his patented grin.
"You wanna end up beat down like Gaius!?" Natsu retorted.
"N-Now now…" Lucy attempted to intervene, though it wasn't the easy thing in the world once Natsu got riled up. "L-Let's just relax and prepare to leave tomorrow, all right…? It's pretty late as it is…!"
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Cynthia was fine. Her arm and shoulder were bandaged up along with other parts of her body, but otherwise she seemed to be doing okay. Especially as she was consuming a large amount of food quickly; she had her appetite just like any other dragon slayer and wasn't shy about it. Wendy still wore a look of concern, however, but kept silent about it as she ate. "…"
"Everything okay…?" Carla tilted her head upon noticing Wendy's obvious concern.
"Oh…well…" Wendy began while twiddling her thumbs.
"She should be okay…" Ena reassured Wendy with a gentle head pat. "Getting bitten by Drake isn't exactly the best thing in the world for a dragon slayer…but since he didn't have contact for more than a few seconds and you acted quickly on it…she should be fine. If she were going to be Dragonized, it would've occurred by now. But what really amazes me is how she inhaled that mist, right…?"
"Yeah, she did that…" Wendy nodded. "It was scary…she could've…"
"She's special," Ena said with a small smile. "I guess there's something in that girl to ensure she stays alive as long as you're alright…from what I heard, this isn't the first time she's risked her life for you or the others."
"Sometimes she goes a little overboard…" Carla pointed out with a slight frown.
"…You know I'm right here." Cynthia spoke between bites, but gave the three females a wide grin anyway. She didn't give any rhyme or reason for her actions and yet it felt like they already knew why she acted.
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"So…" Aira nudged Lucy's shoulder before pointing at Mii, who was sitting alone at a table while playing with her food. "Who is that girl…? She's been with you as long as you've been on this isle, right?"
"Ah…" Lucy nodded slowly before rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, that's Mii. Uhm…as for who she is, I don't really know. She says things but at the same time it's like she's hiding stuff from us. I think Erza knows her, but it might be from a long time ago…"
"What's she like?" Aira questioned.
"…Well, she doesn't take anything seriously, she flirts with everyone and when you ask her a question about herself she beats around the bush or changes the topic…and yet, when she's actually serious she can put up a good fight from what we saw." Lucy responded. "She's a mysterious one…she's been looking down since we got back from the castle. She beat us to the throne room, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it…"
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"So…that's what happened…" Dhegensea nodded as Makarov and Sidney explained what they saw from the events at the castle. "As for the Scared Gem?"
"It's right here." Makarov spoke while handing Dhegensea the Scared Gem. "Its power is something else; I can say that for certain. How are we supposed to get the island back to the sky?"
"It's simple," Sidney spoke while turning his head to Mii, who still seemed to be oblivious of the world around her. "If what Makarov said is true, then she should be able to activate the Scared Gem's power to lift the island back into the sky."
"He is correct." Dhegensa said with a nod, his large hand curling around the Sacred Gem.
"It's worth a shot," Makarov nodded before calling out to Mii. "Mii, come here for a moment. We need to speak with you."
"Ah…" Letting out a groan as she was pulled from her own thoughts, the red head waltzed over to the three with her hands on her hips, giving a bland look. "What is it?"
"Can you activate the Scared Gem's power again?" Dhegensea asked while holding out the gem before Mii.
"Wh…" Mii stared at the Gem before shaking her head. "No! I don't even know how that happened the first time, and even if I did, I wouldn't! You can't just exploit me like that when I don't even know what's going on!" She turned and quickly began stomping away. Sidney remained silent and just shook his head.
"So much for that." Makarov sigh. "Dhegensa, I did have a question for you."
'Ask away, Master Makarov." Dhegensa gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
"Two years ago, Dragons attacked Fiore. I was wondering if you even knew anything about that." Makarov questioned. The seven dragons that came through time nearly wiped them all out.
"I knew." Dhegensea stroked his chin. "Or rather, I sensed their presence when they arrived. I do not know the details, for I know those that I sensed were long dead. But as I said before, intervening and fighting my own kin, is not what I do. It was not my place to fight."
"I see..." Makarov expected that answer, but he did have to ask.
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"That happened to Lucy…?" Erza tilted her head as Natsu explained what occurred when he, Lucy, and Happy were swallowed up by the ground. "That doesn't make any sense…how could that happen?"
"I don't know," Natsu replied with a stern expression. "But that's not the only part that has me worried. Those two in white coats…they were most definitely human, but they weren't serving Gaius. Which means…"
"That someone else knows about this isle as well…" Erza finished Natsu's statement, a giant question mark now hanging in the air. "I wonder if they could be the cause behind this as well…there's no way of knowing for now…"
"There you are…" Gaia approached Natsu and Erza with a small smile. "I was looking for you ever since you came back."
"We've been looking for you, too…" Erza said. "What are you doing on this isle? Though you do blend in nicely."
"Undercover work…" Gaia responded with a stern nod. "I knew about this island."
"You knew about it?" Erza tilted her head.
"Yes. It's my home." Gaia answered with a slightly fond smile. This surprised Natsu and Erza a great deal. "When I was younger, I fled to this island to avoid the conflict 400 years ago. I don't regret that decision. If I stayed down on the surface, I'm not sure what would have become of me."
"I had no idea..." Erza was stunned. "But, forgive my asking...none of these dragons can fly, correct? Yet you can..."
"I came to this island after they made their pact with the Hero." Gaia explained. "That said, I made sure to blend in and not use my wings where anyone could see it. I always knew this island would end up fighting itself, but I'm glad that crisis has been avoided. I couldn't bring Cosmic Star with me, but it's only been a few days since I left. I doubt they miss me that much."
"Huh. I knew you smelled familiar when I saw you." Natsu picked his ear. He was half paying attention. Gaia and Erza just shook their heads.
"I'll be heading back once everything is confirmed safe." Gaia smiled. "So you all enjoy yourselves. And thank you very much for saving my home. I appreciate it more than you know."
"What happens now?" Natsu questioned.
"We prepare to leave as soon as the festivities are done, of course," Erza replied while giving Natsu a harsh pat on the back. It was unintentional; it was just Erza after all. "And as soon as the island returns to the sky…that shouldn't be an issue."
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"All these dragon butlers…" Gray commented with a slight chuckle. They were serving him food, which he wasn't complaining about. It was just odd for him to be served by humanoid dragons.
"Juvia thinks they're very nice, Gray-sama!" Juvia responded to Gray's comment with a chuckle.
"It's the least we can do for you guys helping us out," Kurthnaga said with an appreciative nod.
Gray waved his hand with a smile plastered on his lips. "It was no big deal, don't even worry about it…actually, wait a second. You choose White Eclipse and now you're thanking us?"
"Aheh…you guys worked together nicely. Perhaps we could've avoided this situation if I weren't so stubborn." Kurthnaga admitted while beginning to walk away. "Humans are such interesting creatures…I can see why Ena is so curious about them…I am now, too…"
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Standing on the balcony of the dining hall, Dhegensea cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. "Attention, everyone…!" Everything fell silent as the Black Dragon King began his speech. "Today is a joyous day. As written in the Scroll of Fate, a war was going to break out on this island and put the human world in danger after the heat of battle began to boil in our blood. But thanks to my daughter and son, Ena and Kurthnaga, they have chosen fine warriors who averted this war for us, keeping our realm peaceful!"
"Psst…" Takeru nudged the closest person who was nearby, which happened to be Laxus. "Sparkplug…"
"What?" Laxus whispered back in an irritated tone. "Can't you respect the man in charge and listen to him speak?"
"I can multitask." Takeru replied before continuing. "You know, there's something that's been bothering me this entire time about all of this…these are dragons, yeah?"
"Yeah…" Laxus nodded slowly while keeping his eyes on Dhegensea.
"We've fought dragons before…" Takeru went on. "Acnologia…King…Adam…Mithril…and there was that Eclipse incident…how strong were those dragons?" Now Takeru had Laxus' attention; the lightning slayer nodded slowly as if to say keep going. "Right…so…we defeated dragon soldiers…supposedly high level dragons…with not much trouble…"
"...You think they went down easy." Laxus realized what Takeru was saying now. It made sense. While Laxus would believe everyone had gotten stronger since the Eclipse Gate incident, something did feel off about all of this.
"Thanks to them…" Dhegensea's speech continued. "We now have those who wished to do harm against us in custody." Snapping his fingers, Nasir, Gaius, Drake, and Venoma appeared in chains. "Nasir and Gaius the traitors, those who tried use our power to bring harm to us and the humans…along with Venoma and Drake, their subordinates…we're all in one place, and the island has sunk due to their actions…."
All fell silent before Dhegensea went on with one word.
"Perfect."
Upon hearing that, Fairy Tail and White Eclipse tensed up. Something wasn't right.
"What does he mean by perfect…?" Luke questioned with a handful of food in his mouth.
"We could not have done this without your help, Fairy Tail…White Eclipse…." Dhegensea slowly began to grin, causing Ena and Kurthnaga to tense now.
"Father, what are you…" Ena began.
"Fate stated we would be long at war…but a band of heroes would appear and reunite the island. That is what the scroll had written…we cannot defy fate, nor can we question it. So…we went along with fate. Gaius and Nasir played their roles beautifully, as did I, along with my children and everyone else."
"What are you saying!?" Kurthnaga questioned.
"I don't like where this is going…" Laxus prepared himself.
Dhegensea then pulled out a scroll, looking at it fondly. "400 years ago, the great hero Yggdrasil saved this island from certain doom. As proof of our oath, he used his magic to create a predestined fate for us. In 400 years time, with the help of his Chosen descendant, the island will fall to the surface. Then, the dragons who were forced into the sky, can come down and strike on the land of humans. We have been reunited…Gaius, Drake, and Venoma have returned to the castle, just as fate wrote…and now the time for the dragons to reign over the humans…has come!" Dhegensea raised his hands, causing the chains around the captured dragons to shatter, and they all let out a roar, shaking the foundation of the castle.
"W-What's going on…!?" Levy asked while frantically looking around. "This doesn't make any sense!"
"This was all a big ruse, wasn't it…?" Gajeel grit his teeth. "They waited this long, put all of this together, endangered innocent people, just so they could get this far...!"
Venoma appeared with a smile. "That's right. The Fate that Yggdrasil assigns is inescapable. We chose to avoid conflict 400 years ago, and we were punished for it by humans and dragons alike! But Yggdrasil gave us a chance to survive and to take our revenge. You may have dragons lingering in your home, but we are an island of scorned dragons! We outnumber your forces 100 to 1!"
Nasir and Gaius then appeared as well, adding to the stress of the situation. "My role, was simple." Gaius spoke with a menacing grin. "I was to fight Dhegensea. While it was painful to endanger so many of our people, I did what fate demanded of me, because it was all for a better cause. We needed to bring the Chosen to this island no matter the cost. And as it turns out, she fell right into our laps."
"Oh, and there's another thing…" Drake stepped forward, one foot on the balcony railing as he peered down at the mages below. "The water? It wasn't poisoned by Venoma…" A large grin slowly began to form along his lips. "I tainted the water with my vicious bite…and all those dragons on this side of the island drank that water. Do you know what that means…?"
"YOU DIDN'T…" Lucy placed her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Outside the castle everyone could hear it: the pained screams of the residents of Dhegensea's side of the island quickly turning into full-fledged roars, shaking everything for miles. "T-They're dragons…!?"
"That's right, sweet thing!" Drake's grin widened. "And every dragonized dragon that's been infected by me is under my control!"
"They damn sure pulled the wool over our eyes…" Waiston grunted.
"Not to mention…" Nasir continued. "My troops, and Gaius' troops all have the ability to transform into dragons at will…and they follow our orders. So we have three platoons of dragons ready to go, once the Dragonized ones finish the process."
"You bastards…" Natsu clenched his fist, flames erupting around his hand.
"W-What's going on…?" Ena stared at Kurthnaga, but he had nothing. He was just as shocked as she was.
"They think they outnumber us at the moment…" Cygnus remarked. "Reve, say the word and I'll weight all these bastards down with a first class serving of Gwydion Gravity…"
"Dhegensea's been working behind the scenes this whole time…?" Natsu thought while looking directly at the Black Dragon. He was untransformed, and even though his power demanded respect beforehand, Natsu was certain that with all of them together they could defeat Dhegensea here and now before things got worse. "Guys…" Right after he spoke, there was the sound of a gun reloading. Everyone's prime instinct was to look at Reve, but he didn't have any of his guns at the ready quite yet.
"Ah yes…and there is one more person I forgot to thank for making this plan possible…" Dhegensea chuckled. "I believe you all know her quite well by now. The Chosen herself."
"Wendy!" Lucy cried out with worry.
"Now I know what you're thinking…" Mii spoke while holding Purple Pot to the back of Wendy's head. Wendy's eyes were wide with fear and shock; Cynthia would've intervened but she was too afraid to move, the same can be said with Carla. "If we all band together we can defeat Dhegensea in an instant, right?"
"You…" Erza clenched her hand into a fist, glaring towards Mii. "You're on their side!?"
Mii shook her head, a small grin appearing on her lips. With her free hand, she held up a book. "And one day, the legend speaks that the Isle of Dragons will once again fall into turmoil, and a hero with rainbow wings, will save them once again." As she spoke, rainbow, angelic wings spread out from her back, surprising everyone for the first time.
"No way!" Gaia gasped. "You knew...this whole time!?"
"I told you before, right? I'm a very…whimsical being. Besides, as he said, it was fate that I came here. My name is Mii Yggdrasil Koryuji. The Chosen of this Island, who will help bring its fate to fruition. Now then…if you don't want this little girl's brains to be splattered all over this fine floor…you'll stand down this instant. Sound like a plan?"
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Mii, the traitor!? Dhegensea has revealed his intentions and Fairy Tail and White Eclipse are stuck in the middle! There's only one course of action that can be taken right now…
Next time: Escape!