My fellow readers.

It is with a heavy heart to report that we have lost a legend and a major inspiration to every anime and manga fan.

The legendary Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragonball, and many other works, including Fairy Tail.

May his soul rest in peace, and my heart goes to the Toriyama family.

Goodbye, Akira. You will be missed.

Chapter 224

A Startling Change

FLASHBACK

The landscape of Crocus was in complete devastation. Fires blazed everywhere, and every building was either in ruins or destroyed.

The cause of this chaos was a swarm of dragons that filled the skies, each raining down breath attack after breath attack. The strength of their blasts alone caused the earth to shake as explosions ripped it apart.

Amongst the destruction, Lucy woke up shaking the dust out of her hair, and when she saw her surroundings, she couldn't help but be horrified as terror seized her heart. She looked around, trying to see any signs of life, but she didn't see anyone, causing her to fear the worst.

"No… What is this?" Lucy murmured. "Natsu! Anyone! Where are you?!"

But she could only hear her voice's echo and the numerous dragons' roars. Despair began to set in as the blonde's eyes filled with tears.

Then, a dragon swooped down low and fired a breath attack in her direction. But just as the attack was about to make contact, a familiar face appeared in front of her and sucked up all the flames into his mouth.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lucy," he panted.

Upon seeing her rescuer, Lucy couldn't help but let out a sob but was relieved. "N-Natsu."

Natsu looked back at her and grinned brightly. "It's not just me," he said. "We're all here."

At that statement, two spells shot past them, a blast of darkness and a stream of water, blasting the dragon and causing it to stumble. Then, Willy, Mira, Lisanna, Levy, and Elfman arrived, along with a few other wizards.

"Mira! You and the others take Lucy to safety!" Willy shouted. "Natsu and I will keep them busy!"

Wasting no time, Mira and Lisanna helped Lucy to her feet, and they carried her to safety while Natsu and Willy faced their enemies.

"Damn it. I've never seen this many dragons before," Willy murmured with worry. "We've faced plenty of odds before, but nothing like this."

But Natsu still stood brave as he jabbed a finger at the dragon that attacked Lucy.

"Listen up, ugly!" he snarled. "You just picked a fight with the wrong guy! I'm Natsu Dragneel of the Fairy Tail guild—a dragon slayer! And here to do just that!"

Willy couldn't help but sigh as he wryly chuckled. "As usual, you always have to give a speech in the face of the enemy," he said. "But I just can't help but admire your confidence."

Other dragons came swooping down from the sky, each firing a blast from their mouths. But undaunted, both dragon slayers took to the air, roaring with courage as they went on the attack.

"FIRE DRAGON: BRILLIANT FLAME!"

"WATER DRAGON: FLOWING FIST!"

"WATER DRAGON ROAR!"

"WATER DRAGON: GEYSER TOWER!"

"FIRE DRAGON: CRUSHING FANG!"

"WATER DRAGON ROAR!"

But even with the two dragon slayers working together, none of their attacks did any damage.

As she was being carried away, Lucy couldn't help but watch helplessly as the sliver of hope she clung to in her heart began to wane.

"Natsu! Willy! Stop! It's no use!" the blonde cried out. "Please, stop!"

"Lucy! Keep moving!" Lisanna urged. "We have to get out of here before they see us!"

Then, a dragon unleashed a breath attack, striking Natsu and causing him to plummet before eventually hitting the ground.

"Natsu, no!"

Willy tried to swoop down to help him but was cut off by another few dragons, each firing their breath attack, forcing him to take evasive maneuvers to avoid them. As he did, the breath attacks struck some of the other dragons. It didn't do much damage to them, but that made them all the angrier, and in their rage, they attacked the ones that blasted them. Soon, they were in an all-out brawl with one another.

Seizing his chance, Willy quickly swooped to Natsu's location before touching the ground.

"It's no use! We can't make a single scratch on them, even with our magic!" Willy cursed grimly. "Natsu! We should retreat while we still can!"

"N-No way!" Natsu spoke with gritted teeth as he got up. "I ain't giving up that easily! I can still fight!"

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?!" Willy snapped. "This isn't about giving up! It's about surviving! Can't you stop being stubborn for once in your life and live to fight another day?! Think of yourself! Think about your friends! Especially Lucy!"

But Natsu refused to back down as he staggered forward away from Willy with a fist cloaked in flames. "I refuse!" he growled with determination. "I won't run, and I won't turn back! I'll keep fighting until the very end!"

At that moment, another dragon came swooping down low from the scruffle, heading straight towards them, opening its mouth, and gearing up for another attack.

Upon seeing it, Natsu let out another bellow as he charged straight at the dragon with an Iron Fist raised.

"NO, DON'T!" Willy yelled.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed in horror.

But the fire dragon slayer kept on going, determined to fight to protect his friends and loved ones. At the same time, Willy saw Lucy, Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, and a few other wizards joining them.

"NO! GET BACK!" Willy yelled as he shot towards them at rapid speed.

But his warning came all too late as the dragon unleashed a powerful breath attack, engulfing Natsu with its power and heading towards the direction of Lucy and her party.

While getting to the line of fire in time, Willy slammed his hands together and created a dome of water to shield himself and the rest. It held for a brief few seconds before crumbling apart and blasting everyone away.

When Lisanna next came around, her body was wracked with pain as she coughed while shaking out the dust from her hair. But when she looked up, a horrible sight met her eyes.

Bodies of her friends lay everywhere, appearing lifeless and unmoving.

"Everyone!" Lisanna cried.

But there was worse to come.

As Lisanna looked around to try and find anyone still alive, she saw Willy standing a few feet away. His face was blank as he stared at something lying on his feet. At first, Lisanna couldn't see, but when she saw what it was, she gasped in horror.

Lying at the boy's feet was Mira's unmoving body.

"No. No, please. Please, no," Lisanna murmured as she rushed over them, praying that it wasn't what she thought it was.

But when she approached, she could see that Mira wasn't moving, nor did Willy acknowledge her presence.

Then, she checked her pulse, putting two fingers on her neck while holding her breath. The moment her fingers made contact with the skin of her elder sister's wrist, she felt her blood run cold as she began to shake.

There wasn't any sign of a pulse.

Lisanna's body began to tremble as the realization sunk in, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "Big Sis Mira… no… please… stay with me. Mira… Mira, please wake up."

She tried shaking her awake, but even with that and her pleas, Mira didn't. She then whipped her head up at the boy standing with her.

"Willy! Hurry! Use your magic to heal her!" she cried.

"I… I can't," Willy mumbled, his eyes never leaving Mira's body. "Healing magic can't bring back the dead. I… I'm sorry. I couldn't… I…"

Lisanna could only stare. "But… you've always been there to protect her… wh-why didn't you?"

Then, a thunderous roar came as a dragon landed on the ground, leering dangerously at them. As it did, Willy started to tremble as he bit his lip and balled his hands into fists, enough for two to draw blood from both places as a single tear fell from his right eye.

The dragon growled as it got ready to finish off its prey, opening its mouth and lunging for him. But just as it did, the aura in Willy's body changed into a dark black and blue as his eyes gleamed in brilliant gold before his body exploded in a giant pillar of magic that bellowed upwards as the force blew the dragon back, catching it off guard.

The gusts of shockwaves threatened to blow Lisanna away, but she stood her ground. Then, as she looked up, her tear-stained eyes widened in shock.

Inside the pillar was a formless shadow that grew in size as it slowly began to change shape. Then, with a mighty flap, a pair of giant wings sprung forth, dispelling the pillar and revealing whatever was inside.

It was a dragon that stood like a human, primarily blue and black. The underbelly was yellow-green, starting just below the jaw and ending at the tip of its six tails, which looked similar to tentacles. Its claws were also black and webbed, and various spines lined its spine, giant wings, and long neck, forming large ones at its tails, making them look like spears. Its eyes were now pupilless, glowing gold, while his razor-sharp teeth gleamed from its mouth.

At first, Lisanna didn't know what happened. But then, she saw a familiar guild mark on the dragon's right arm.

"N-No way! I-Is that Willy?!" she couldn't help but murmur.

The enemy dragon growled at the new dragon that appeared, but the dragon that was once Willy gave a single glare as it menacingly roared, causing it to freeze in place. And almost before it could react, it lunged forward with incredible speed and bit down on its neck hard.

CRUNCH!

The sharp sound of bones breaking was heard as the enemy dragon went limp and lifeless. The new dragon tossed its prey aside and looked up to see numerous other dragons all staring at him. When it did, it let out another wrathful roar as it took to the air, gunning straight for them.

Some of the dragons unleashed varying breath attacks, angered by this interloper. But the dragonized Willy unleashed a powerful and devastating blast of water from his mouth that was strong enough to cancel out the assault, creating a massive explosion. Smoke billowed everywhere.

Then, Willy came zipping through it and made all six of his tails go in a different direction before the dragons could react. Each pierced a respective dragon right in the chest and through the back, killing them instantly.

The dragon Willy then continued attacking one dragon after another, ripping them to shreds with his claws or piercing and strangling them with his tails.

A few of the dragons grew fearful and flew away while others continued to try ganging up on the creature, but despite their numbers and how many attacks they threw, the beast continued to kill one after the other.

Lisanna could only watch the scene play out with a horrified and shocked expression, having never seen such brutality before.

Then, she heard a familiar voice.

"Lisanna! What's going on?!"

Lisanna wasn't even listening. She knew the voice belonged to Lucy but couldn't look away. All she could do was ask herself two questions.

"How did it come to this? Why did this have to happen?"

Then, she heard the sounds of angry shouting followed by magic being fired, causing her to finally notice that numerous spells were being aimed right at the demonic dragon.

"No, stop! That's Willy!" she shrieked. "Don't attack him!"

But she was too late as the attacks struck squarely on the six-tailed dragon, resulting in numerous explosions. When the smoke cleared, and as you would exact, the creature not only was unaffected but also enraged, and almost immediately, he let loose a powerful breath attack of sapphire blue and emerald green fire.

The attack burned across the ground and scorched through the landscape, blasting everyone away and sending them flying.

When Lisanna next opened her eyes, she found herself lying flat on her back, more battered and bruised than before. Only now, she had several cuts, including a large one on her left eye, making it blind with dust and blood.

The landscape had grown even more hellish, with blue and green flames blazing everywhere and showing no signs of stopping, nor were there any signs of life.

As Lisanna sat up, Levy and Lucy quickly were at her side and hurriedly picked her up, each holding her by their shoulders.

"Lisanna, are you all right?!" Levy asked. "Hang in there!"

Lisanna could only groan as she wiped the blood from her eye.

Lucy couldn't help but look up towards the battlefield, where the battle between Willy and the dragons resumed. "What is going on here?!" she couldn't help but cry. "Is that thing really Willy?! He's turned into a dragon, just like Zirconis said!"

"If it is, then we've got to find a way to get through to him!" said Levy. "He's not in his right mind!"

Then, Lisanna spoke up. "It's no use," she said quietly. "We have to go. Now."

Both Levy and Lucy looked at Lisanna, shocked by this.

"What do you mean by that?!" Lucy demanded. "We can't just give up on him!"

"Don't you get it?!" Lisanna suddenly burst out. "Willy's gone, and it's because Mira's dead!"

"N-No way!" Levy spoke, horror filling her face. "Then…"

"Willy must have transformed out of grief and rage," Lucy surmised. "And just like what happened before, he's become a crazed monster attacking everything in sight, only this time… we don't have Mira or Gildarts to snap him out of it. Or… anyone, for that matter. I'm not sure what we can do."

"And even if Willy's dealing with the dragons, given how he attacked us," said Levy. "It's only a matter of time before he comes for us, too." She then began to weep from fear. "I'm scared. I don't want to die."

There was a long silence with nothing but the roars of dragons and the thunderous booms of falling dragon bodies as they hit the ground.

Until, at last, Lucy spoke up. "We have to get out of here," she said, " as far as we can."

Levy and Lisanna looked up.

"It's not like I want to run away, but if we stay here, we'll end up dying," Lucy went on. "Besides, I think I may know of a way to get us out of this mess."

"How?" asked Lisanna.

"I have an idea," said Lucy. "But we have to go inside Mercurius. Hopefully, it's still intact."

Lucy turned her attention towards the wrecked castle of Mercurius. Although fear still showed on her face, she also had a glimmer of hope and determination in her eyes.

Lisanna, on the other hand, couldn't help but look back at the ensuing massacre of the dragons, and when she spotted Willy, a sorrowful glare filled her eyes before she turned away, a tiny bit of bitterness mixed in them.

WILLY'S POV

Everyone was silent after Lisanna finished her recollection, the tension overwhelmingly palpable.

But no one else was more shocked and horrified than I was. Every word Lisanna said seemed like something out of a nightmare, yet I had no reason to doubt her. My whole body felt frozen to the core, and I also felt nauseous, on the verge of freaking out on the spot. So much so that I would have fallen to my knees, but somehow, I managed to stay standing.

"N-No way," Natsu finally spoke, breaking the silence. "You're telling me that a dragon slayer actually turned into a dragon, just like what that Zirconis guy said?"

Lisanna somberly nodded. "I'm not sure how it came about, but that's what happened," she said quietly. "And from there, Willy continued to slaughter one dragon after another while destroying everything and anyone that crossed his path. He practically became a second version of Acnologia, a ruthless, uncaring monster."

"N-No way," I heard Wendy murmur.

I then felt a hand rest on my shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. It was more than likely Mira, but I didn't bother to look at her, unable to look away from Lisanna and Lucy.

"We're not exactly sure what day it was," said Future Lucy. "But after everything that happened, I knew we had to use the Eclipse. We didn't know how to operate it, but somehow, we got it open. We were determined to go back in time to warn someone. We were desperate and doubted whether or not it would work, but we had to try. And then after that, we suddenly ended up here on July 4th of the year 791."

"Hold on a second, that was only a few days ago," pointed out Loke.

"Does that mean it can only make small jumps in time?" questioned Mira.

"But I thought that it was supposed to go four hundred years into the past to defeat Zeref," Wendy said. "That was the plan."

"We're not sure ourselves," Future Lisanna said. "But my guess is the Eclipse was damaged, and that weakened its functions."

"There's still one thing you haven't answered," said Lisanna. "Why… did you want to kill Willy? Was the reason because…"

Future Lisanna bit her lip as she looked down at the floor, unable to say anything.

I approached her, finally working up the nerve to speak. "Lisanna, I think I may know why you did what you did, but feel free to stop me if I'm wrong," I said quietly.

Future Lisanna stayed silent.

"It was because you were hoping to stop me before I could transform into a dragon," I continued. "It didn't matter what the trigger was; if you could take me out before it happened, you would save the future. Not only that, but it was also to spare me from becoming a dragon and hurting everyone in the guild. That about sum it up?"

Future Lisanna squeezed her hands into fists.

"And, if you actually managed to kill me, sure, you would be saving dozens of lives, but at the same time, you would have regretted it for the rest of your life," I kept talking. "And also, every single person you know would never be able to forgive you. Makarov, Natsu, and everyone in Fairy Tail. Even and Especially Mira and Elfman. Therefore, there was no way you could have gone through with it. Could you? No matter how justified it sounded, even you knew it was wrong."

"I didn't know what else to do!" Lisanna suddenly snapped. "Can you blame me?! After everything I went through and what happened, there wasn't any other option!" She then sighed. "But I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? I didn't go through it with it, and even with us being here, the future can't be changed no matter what happens."

I then bent down to my knees. "Look, I get it. You were only doing what you thought was the right thing to do. Truth be told, I would have thought of doing the same thing by that logic. But… do you remember what Lucy said to Future Lucy a few moments ago about having faith in your friends? Well, you should have faith, too. Not just in your friends, but faith that the future isn't set in stone. And I don't know if you've forgotten, but everyone in Fairy Tail isn't the kind to let some terrible future stop them from preventing it."

Future Lisanna stared. "How can you say that for sure?!" she asked bitterly. "For all we know, you're probably spouting nonsense to get my hopes up!"

"You're right. Given what you told us, I don't know what the future holds," I said firmly. "But thanks to you and Lucy, we can prevent that from happening! Sure, I have no idea how we're supposed to face ten thousand dragons or how they got there, but I know the future isn't written until we write it! And I promise you, I will not become a dragon, and we'll help you save the future!"

Future Lisanna's eyes widened. "Wh-Why?! Why would you do that us?! For me?! You know I almost killed you, right?! Nothing can change that!"

"Don't get me wrong, what you were going to do is something even I'm not willing to forgive entirely," I continued. "But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to move on from it and forge forward. After all, we're not perfect and have done some stupid things, but I'd rather try and learn from that mistake rather than dwell and mald on it."

Future Lisanna was speechless, while remorse and hope showed in her eyes.

Future Lucy then apologized. "And I'm sorry if Lisanna has caused you any harm. We didn't have much of a plan and should have found you all sooner. But I was at a complete loss for what to do besides trying to warn you and stop Lisanna."

Then, Natsu approached Future Lucy and gently rested his hand on her head while pressing his forehead against hers.

"There's no reason for you to apologize," he said gently. "Thank you, both of you. You guys were doing all of this for our future. And don't worry. Like Willy said, we'll find a way to stop those dragons."

Mira also chimed in. "I feel the same way, too," she said. "And even with everything that happened, you're still my little sister, Future Lisanna, and always will be."

Lisanna also agreed. "The same goes for me, too," she smiled kindly. "So, try and chin up future me."

A brief look of surprise crossed Lucy's before she finally broke down and started crying.

Future Lisanna was also crying. "Damn it. Why the hell is it that everyone can be so forgiving and stubborn?" she choked out as she held a hand over her eyes.

I could only smile softly. "Well, that's just how we roll," I chuckled. "Can't really explain it any more than that."

But while wiping her tears, Future Lisanna still remained firm. "Fine. I guess I got no choice, but it doesn't change that there might be a possibility you could still turn, so don't think I won't hesitate to kill you should that possibility come."

"Sounds fair," I said with a nod. "I'll be counting on you should that ever happen. Then again, I won't allow that to happen to me."

"In that case, to get out of the castle, you'll have to go through the underground passageway," said Future Lucy. "There are lacrimas all over the city monitoring the games. Once you do, you must rendezvous with Jelall and his group."

"Wait, how is he involved?" asked Natsu.

"And does Tu Chi know also?" I asked.

Future Lucy nodded. "Lisanna and I explained everything to them as best we could. I'm sure that they're formulating a plan as we speak. Plus, we needed help and didn't know where else to turn."

"Well, that's somewhat of a relief," said Lisanna. "At least we have a way of getting started."

"But until then, what do you say we get out here?" Mira said. "We still need to signal to the others and tell them what we've learned."

"You'll get no argument from me," I said. "Let's go."

Our party then set off exiting the room.

As we ran, I still felt uneasy despite everything I had said before, but I became all the more determined as I silently reaffirmed my promise to Future Lisanna in my thoughts.

NO POV

Back outside, Jellal, Meredy, Ultear, and Tu Chi stood on the outskirts of Crocus from the top of a cliff. Just as Future Lucy and Lisanna had said to Natsu and the others, they learned about the situation and were trying to devise a plan. However, someone in their group was having doubts, not believing what he had learned was true.

"Hold on, what do you mean it's not necessarily true?" Ultear asked.

"Oh, come on! Are you saying that Lucy was lying?" Meredy demanded huffily. "Why would she have any reason to?"

"More than ten thousand dragons, the Eclipse, that strange magic power, and Willy transforming into a dragon. It just doesn't add up," Jellal replied.

"Then do you think she might be giving us misinformation for an ulterior motive?" Ultear questioned again. "Again, why would she go through the trouble?"

"I'm not sure whether Lucy's words are false or if she's nothing but a fabrication," Jellal said gravely. "But I know we can't afford to be reckless. So until we can be sure, let's wait it out."

"What do you have to say about this, Master Tu Chi?" asked Meredy.

Tu Chi hummed as she pondered. "Well, Jellal is right about one thing: We can't afford to take any risks," she said. But when it comes to those two girls, I've known Lisanna since she was a little girl, and while she can be mischievous, she's no liar. Therefore, I have reason enough to believe her. And I have no reason to doubt Lucy either."

"Master Tu Chi, with all due respect, how can you be so sure?" asked Jellal. "For all we know, those two could be putting on an act to fool even someone as wise as you."

Tu Chi then laughed. "I appreciate your concerns, Jellal, but I'd like to think of myself as a good judge of character. That is to say that there is something amiss about all this. Therefore, I would like you and the others to stay here while I meet the rescue team. I'll contact you if anything happens."

She then turned to leave, walking forward and heading towards the city. But as she walked, her smile changed into a neutral frown.

"Willy, please be careful, young man," she thought. "I'm not sure why or how such a tragic fate lies in store for you, but I will try my best to help prevent such a thing. No, I won't allow such a terrible thing to happen. That I can promise you."

Hope you liked what you read!

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Until then, I'll see you in the next chapter!

Dragomaster, signing off!