Lucy had to take the next few sessions alone, huddling away in the castle library with only the dim light of a protected candle to join her. Levy left dozens of notes for her, hidden in tiny nooks and joints of various books scattered around their area so nobody would locate their findings easily.

She was up well past when she was supposed to, but her relationship with Axel was granting her a bit of an extended curfew. She almost managed to secure sponsorship from Kip to allow her to have this permission, and she promised to reward him with greater findings.

He sometimes joined her in those lonely moments, there with a big smile and no idea how to help her. He wasn't well-read, hadn't ever done research, and didn't know what Lucy was talking about in the slightest as it pertained to demons of the Books of Zeref, outside of what little he knew of the Tartaros Division.

Lucy brushed some hair out of her face. She had her hair already done in pigtails to help with her readability. She skimmed her fingers over one of the older books in the library and then closed it. She wished she had Levy's glasses, but her research was meant to be casual. If anyone saw her, it would raise suspicion on why she was taking things so seriously.

She'd finally narrowed down her search to just a few books that talked in oddly specific terms about Lullaby, all of which had been routinely mentioned in various other research texts on Zeref's black magic. Each of these was old, perhaps older even than Fairy Tail, but it wasn't as if the flute had mechanically changed that much in the intervening centuries.

There was only one recent document she'd plucked from the records, but she held off on reading it because it was dated to the time of the Twilight Empire itself. It'd likely be a piece of propaganda, with little truth propping up its claims. She wanted the unfiltered facts first.

Lucy set a few books back on the shelf where they belonged, rubbing her temple as she did so. The late nights were beginning to wear on her. She spent so much of the day training with Kip and Levy, and then socializing, that reading was becoming a far greater chore than she anticipated.

At least there were meaningful gains on her end and on that of her friends. Well, friends seemed a strong word. Kip was kind to her, a good trainer, but, she was beginning to suspect he wanted to hold a few things back. Secrets, maybe.

Lucy blinked, trying to refresh her tired mind. No. She didn't believe that. But she continued to reflect on Kip and Brandish's conversation. What had she wanted to know, why did she want to speak with Lucy?

And why had he been so giddy to help with the research?

Lucy wasn't entirely sure how he found out about it in the first place. Perhaps Levy let it slip, but she wasn't one to go spilling secrets like that. It was a mission for Fairy Tail, not Kip. If he was truly an ally, then…fine.

She flipped through a few chapters of a particularly thin book, reading over its notes on Lullaby, the use it saw, briefly, in an age long past. All the same, all substantiating the same narrative of its destructive potential. Based on what Hisui told her—how the old Magic Council infused it with the power of thousands of tortured souls to feed the demon locked within the flute—the information was slightly outdated, but what worried Lucy was how these people continued to run tests on Lullaby, all without fail or harm to themselves.

It sickened her to think of poor, innocent people being wiped out all for the sake of testing the dark weapon. How the wielders also managed to protect themselves was another wonder. It was meant to kill any who heard its tone. Did they have some sort of protection Zeref hadn't anticipated?

Lucy sighed and read over the modern report from the Twilight Empire, disgusted at its verbiage as it, in no difficult terms, blatantly discussed how the weapon had been destroyed during the usurpation of the kingdom under the Twilight Empire. Zeref and the others were keen on covering their tracks, it seemed.

She read it over once more, finding a clue, at least, to its potential location: It'd been destroyed, away from the public, by a member of the Twilight Division.

Good thing, she thought, that she was becoming one such member of that part of the army.

If Lullaby was anywhere, of course, it was in the clutches of the Twilight Division.

Lucy yawned so hard she thought her jaw was going to dislodge, so, after wiping the sleepiness from her eyes, she rearranged everything to the way Levy had it, then set off out of her little part of the library.

The walk to the Dragon Division tower wasn't long at all. Starlight came in through the windows of the castle halls as she made her way through, rubbing her temple every few steps while her eyes continued to droop with sleepiness.

"You're pushing the bounds of your curfew extension, Lucy Heartfilia. Why study so late into the evening?"

The voice cracked like a whip in Lucy's mind and she was wide awake, riding a potent wave of adrenaline. It'd come from another room, and its owner emerged. Invel, arms folded behind his back while his glasses glinted in the light from all around them.

"I lost track of time," Lucy said.

"You look tired. So you read for so long that you simply lost track of time? You need to be more careful. Stay out too late and others may become suspicious of you."

"Others?"

Invel pushed his glasses up with his gloved hand. "Others. Since you've arrived, you've not given me any reason to doubt you, Lucy. But there is one thing that will continue to hold you back from being someone who is truly trustworthy to me."

"What is it?"

Invel raised his right hand and pointed to it. Lucy glanced at it, then her own, where the Fairy Tail guild symbol rested.

"Until that goes away," Invel said, "I cannot help but see you as little more than someone merely wearing the guise of an ally."

"I'm training to become a member of the Twilight Division."

"A valiant effort that until fulfilled means nothing to me."

Lucy tried to hide her annoyed expression. Invel was never going to be pleased with her, or anything, was she? Colder even than Gray's expressions.

"To be the best, I have to train and study like the best, right?" Lucy asked as a cloud came to blot out the starlight, leaving only the faint blue torches of the corridor to light either of the two up. Invel's face vanished into shadow.

She'd gotten quite good at speaking to some of the members of the Twilight Division, with many Spriggan exceptions. Even Sorano she was—civil with. The woman always looked ready to choke-slam Lucy, or to hit on her Lucy wasn't sure, so Lucy maintained her distance from that one.

"Right," Invel said. "But don't get ahead of yourself, nor push the limits of what you're capable of doing within the bounds of the law. Consider this a warning. When next I must speak to you like this, Axel will know, and I'm sure you don't want him questioning you on things. Not right before your wedding."

"Of course not."

Invel couldn't pry, not without Lucy bringing it up to Axel and causing a potential stink. Everyone in the Empire was itchy for them to get married, or for Lucy to ascend higher in her role. She feared the latter would not happen without the former, and her willingness to stand still on not progressing the wedding planning was only making that worse.

"Do you need any assistance with the wedding?" Invel asked. "Though I believe the Dragon Division should take care of it, as a future member of our own, we may be able to lend a hand."

"I need to speak to my father," Lucy said, thinking of the most basic piece of movement she could think of. "I want him to bring some of my mother's dresses for my bridal shower, possibly even for the wedding."

"Consider it done."

Invel was so…flat. He was a general in the truest bit of the word—no-nonsense, all business, total efficiency. Lucy could sense his magic power was remarkable but she could hardly imagine how he'd use it in combat. Fairy Tail tended to have quite a bit of flair to their power, leaving damage in its wake. Invel probably let out the tiniest bits of effort necessary to get the job done.

"Then have a good evening, Lucy, and do find your way home safely."

Lucy watched as Invel went about his way, then restarted her path to the tower of the Dragon Division, doing so with wary eyes. She began to wonder how long Invel had been watching her, and if he had other means of keeping tabs on her, too.

The once massive walls of the castle continued to shrink until Lucy barely felt she had room to stand. Her heart fluttered at the idea of going back to the library anytime soon, but it had to be done.

For Hisui.

For Fiore.

"Tell them your full name!" Yukino snapped, out of the blue.

Natsu took a step back while Yukino moved forward, her body trembling in front of the woman who looked and smelled exactly like Erza—except, older. Edolas was full of people that looked similar, were different versions, but could there be two different types of Edolas Erza?

Irene grinned at Yukino with some soft familiarity. Natsu gulped.

"Irene Belserion," Irene said. "Are you happy now, Yukino? You know as well as I that they'd have no idea what that name means, anyway."

"What in the name of all that is good are you doing here?" Yukino asked.

Erza grabbed Yukino before she could move further, possibly doing something stupid. Everyone fanned out on the path, completely blocking Irene's way, but she remained unflinching.

Even without magic power, just her appearance was enough to throw Natsu. She held that staff as if it were going to come to life with power, though. There was no way she had magic on Edolas, right?

"Resting," Irene said. "After a life spent in servitude of one cause or another, I became quite exhausted. I sought a bit of solitude for myself, and Edolas was a perfect opportunity."

"Perfect opportunity for rest, or for more conquest?" Yukino asked.

Natsu hadn't ever seen the Celestial wizard so fired up. Erza continued to hold her back.

"This woman is from the Twilight Empire?" Erza asked.

Yukino nodded, and Irene did the same as if giving Yukino permission to speak. Yukino set her jaw.

"I am," Irene said. "I was one of the founding members of the empire in Alvarez before it was quickly converted into what became the Twilight Empire. I knew Emperor Spriggan—Zeref—quite well. He…he was a great friend of mine for some time."

"He sent you here, didn't he?" Gray barked.

"No," Irene said. "I came of my own volition."

Natsu desperately wanted to ask about Jellal but was waiting for Erza to ask. Still, he couldn't help himself.

"So, what, you managed to rip open the portal here?" Natsu asked. "Does the rest of the Twilight Empire know about it?"

"They're quite aware of Edolas but not how to get to it, nor do any of them really care about it," Irene said. "It's a bygone world with no magic, all it would be is an extension of Zeref's influence, but his goals—former goals—did not align with what Edolas had to offer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erza asked.

"Emperor Spriggan imagined an Ultimate Magic World," Irene said. "A world brimming with magic, where only wizards could thrive, or even survive. It was a world I so desperately wanted to see achieved."

"That would lead to the deaths of millions!" Erza exclaimed.

"You're crazy, lady," Natsu said.

"It was our goal until something changed," Irene said, "and it seemed a goal a bit far-fetched. For the time. The Emperor had to shift his priorities and focus elsewhere, to make sure he was able to take over the world in preparation for his final move. I swore to help him, until…until such a task became unviable, and my weariness, at last, caught up to me."

"A poor reason to be here," Juvia muttered.

Gray nodded, and Natsu spoke up.

"So you've just been wandering around here?"

"Don't let her fool you, Natsu, she's doing far from that," Yukino said. "Go on. Tell them more about yourself, General Belserion."

"That much is also true," Irene said. "I was a General of the Twilight Division, right there alongside your friend Yukino. Although I must admit, I'm surprised she'd be traveling with Fairy Tail, of all people. You're all supposed to be dead."

Natsu, and everyone else, tensed.

"Irene was a member of the Empire who never believed you were all truly gone," Yukino said. "There were a mighty few that had such a mindset."

"I almost had Emperor Spriggan convinced of the same thing," Irene said. "But he could not sense you."

Her eyes fell upon Natsu for a moment. A chill ran through him, but he remained strong.

"She'd never admit it," Yukino said, "but her power comes close, if not surpasses, even August's. Her magic is beyond anything I've ever seen before. She—she'd beyond dangerous."

"Yet she's powerless here, just like the rest of us, aren't you?" Carla asked.

"Quite right, little cat," Irene said. "My abilities vanished the moment I stepped into this world, once a nightmare and now a dream that I must not concern myself with the goings-on of the great magic Earth-land. I came simply exist in my own meager way—for the first time in so, so long."

"You expect me to believe that?" Yukino asked.

"I would expect the others to, but not one who believes they know me," Irene said. She grinned. "This is the most we've ever spoken, my dear, don't pretend we're familiar with one another."

"She can't be trusted," Yukino said.

"We believe you," Erza said.

"And yet," Irene said, leaning on her staff as she examined its fine working, "I am in your way, aren't I? To find whomever it is you've come here for."

"How'd you know about that?" Natsu asked, and then Juvia slapped a hand over his mouth.

Irene maintained her sneer. "I can't speak for whom it is you seek but it was evident that no mere party of Fairy Tail would sacrifice their powers for mere treasure or some lost magic artifact. You want an ally in this war, don't you?"

Irene's sneer lost a bit of its luster.

She knew something, possibly about Jellal. Natsu brushed Juvia's hand away but kept his mouth shut about their true mission.

"Take me with you," Irene said. "I have no interest in returning to Earth-land. I'm more familiar with this land than you are. I've been here for over a year, after all, becoming one with the world around me, studying its intricacies and beauties."

"You'll lead us into—" Yukino started, then quieted.

"A trap? Against who? My agents here, my legion of warriors I brought over? Please, girl. Calm down with your little spite. You're a traitor same as I, but though you chose the path of the rebel, not the refuge you can't claim moral superiority over me."

Natsu glanced down at Wendy, who'd been quiet during the entire exchange. Erza did the same.

Carla vocalized their thoughts, "Well? Wendy?"

Yukino stayed stoically aggressive, her fists still bound in balls. Irene was calm as ever.

She was one woman, powerless at that. They had a numbers advantage on Irene, and they still had Erza, one of the best sword fighters on Earth-land. In direct combat, it'd be hard to beat her.

"I won't say we can trust her," Wendy said, "but if she is being honest, we don't have anything to lose. After all, we did trust you, Yukino."

Yukino flinched at that.

Natsu and Erza had been the only ones to interact with Yukino, and her jump to their aid during the fighting had been quite a surprise. Everything that'd gone down with her had been dealt with personally.

Perhaps the same went for this Irene person.

"Fine," Yukino said.

"Good," Irene said at the same time. "I shall allow you all to take the lead, and guide you as necessary. Unless you'll trust me to tell me who you're looking for?"

"I don't," Erza said, and everyone nodded at that. Irene shrugged.

The group took their first step toward her, then the next, and after a few more, took Irene over, who folded in at the back of the group, flanked on either side by Natsu and Gray. She didn't seem to mind, and Yukino didn't once look back at her.

All danger senses were going off in Natsu, yet each was quelled by that undeniable familiarity he felt toward her, and it went beyond her looking like Erza. There was something to her scent…

Something awfully similar to that of a Dragon Slayer.

Laxus folded his arms behind his head, one eye shut while he tried to rest and the other glaring at the huddled mass that was his father, his back turned to the group, not-so-subtly whispering into some sort of little device.

The rest of the group was passed out. Only Laxus was awake watching his father at first in disbelief, then total belief, then abject pity.

The man stayed quiet throughout much of the day as they traveled. Nobody tried to make conversation with him. Little conversation was had in the first place, beyond the occasional fun bickering between Bickslow, Fried, and Evergreen. Makarov mostly kept to himself, though he at least stood by Ivan from time to time.

Laxus knew his grandfather was under no delusion that Ivan was a lost cause. Laxus wanted to laugh at himself for once believing he could side with that man, or at least be so angry with the guild that he'd been excommunicated.

As far as Laxus was concerned, Ivan was a blight on the Fairy Tail name. He remembered hearing, while they were training, that Makarov had Gajeel spying on Ivan for some time, as the man took up a new guild, Raven Tail, in an attempt to counter Fairy Tail, with Ivan planning to one day spring a trap or an attack on Fairy Tail to some end.

It all ended in such spectacular failure. Raven Tail was eradicated, no doubt, with the arrival of the Twilight Empire, and Ivan was reduced to a huddled, sorry mess out in the middle of nowhere, praying that neither his father nor son would say anything about his meddling.

Laxus let out a slight sigh that turned into a meager groan. He picked himself up. He wasn't going to sleep anytime soon so long as Ivan continued his muttering. With light feet, Laxus approached his father.

The man released a small device into the sky. Laxus watched it go a bit, giving Ivan the hope it'd make it back to the Empire, then cast a small bolt of lightning that, with a flick of his wrist, blew up the tiny device.

Ivan swung around toward Laxus. He stood almost as tall as Laxus, and just as wide, but his mass was clearly more aged muscle than pure, prime muscle like Laxus. Wrinkles from stress and time wore on his face, and a shoddy goatee lay upon the man's face.

He was nothing like the indignant yet proud man Laxus remembered from his childhood. Nothing like the man who shoved a Dragon Slayer lacrima into his son's chest just to prove a goddamn point.

"What do you think is going to come of that, a little bit of glory?" Laxus asked. "Maybe a few years of peace? Why would the Empire bother giving a loser like you any amount of praise or attention?"

"It isn't about that, you young fool," Ivan said. "If you knew what I knew, have seen what I've seen, you'd have this cavalcade of disaster turned around heading for Crocus. I know who is coming for us, and who continues to toy with us. She will slaughter you all before you even know it."

"A Wizard Saint and Dragon Slayer don't get beat that easily," Laxus said.

"And a Spriggan never loses," Ivan said. "Particularly not this one, the single greatest warrior in the world." Ivan looked away, out toward the distant mountains. "Dimaria Yesta. The blood that follows her could fill the ocean."

"What makes her so good? She's strong? So what. I'm stronger. Gramps is stronger."

"She can stop time dead in its tracks," Ivan said after a moment. "Like I said, she'll kill you before you even know it. If she wants to. If not, she'll toy with you, make you beg that she could simply end you in her little sphere of endless time."

Laxus snickered. "Evergreen can freeze someone solid with her eyes and Fried knows more runes than words, I'm sure he knows one that can displace someone from time. I'm not worried."

Especially not if Ivan was considering this person tough. What good would it do them? He was incredibly weak, having to hide behind illusions. For all Laxus knew, Ivan would likely double-cross them, cast some sort of illusion, and use it to help this Dimaria lady.

Even if she could slow time, she'd have to be faster than a bolt of lighting once he landed his eyes on her. With one decisive hit, he could knock her off balance and give Gramps a clear shot with Fairy Law. Then, it'd all be over, just like that.

"Maybe you all had a chance if we still had Lumen Histoire on our side," Ivan said, softly. "But it's gone. Zeref saw to that. Now, the greatest weapon in all Earth-land is erased."

"Lumen Histoire?"

"Fairy Tail's greatest secret," Ivan said. "Something your grandfather was too cowardly to use, even though it would have brought the guild to new heights, and may have prevented all of this from happening." Ivan waved Laxus off. "Doesn't matter now. You're all dead, and I'm simply being dragged along."

"Don't sound too excited."

"I'm not particularly ecstatic to know my only living blood would be wiped out soon because they're too proud to know when to turn tail and side with the winning army. You stand no chance, Laxus. Not this time."

Laxus folded his arms and returned to his position, not bothering any further with his father. He tried to ignore the slight bit of care and concern in the man's voice, yet, that too could've been an illusion. There was no truth with Ivan Dreyar.

Only lies, cowardice, and pain.

Sorano eased into her seat, drowsiness tugging as hard as it could on her eyelids. It was a rare instance of a full roundup of Twilight Division members, of course, scheduled right at her siesta. Which, was coming in the middle of a day filled with nothing and…nothing. Exciting as ever.

A surprise strolled into the room after Brandish—Orga, of the Hunter's Division. He wasn't a sight for sore eyes nor tired eyes but was a nice changeup from their usual droll crowd.

Alok took his seat across from Sorano, giving his usual glance up and down her before settling his gaze on August, who stood with Levy at his shoulder. Brandish slumped back in her seat.

Dimaria, surprisingly, was still around, with a speck of blood from her sparring session still on her cheeks. She too didn't appear all that enthused. She was supposed to be out stalking some Fairy prey somewhere in Fiore, but August wanted to call the meeting before she scampered off.

"I'm appreciative you all were able to gather so suddenly and swiftly to hear this news," August said. "I hesitate to call this an emergency, for this is a problem we can certainly handle, but it must be done with grace, considering…perception."

"Who the hell is going to speak up about what we do?" Brandish asked.

"It involves the death of Lucy Heartfilia, a figure of particular attention in the public eye right now," August said.

Sorano's eyes lit up and shot over to Levy, Lucy's old friend. The little woman was clearly trying not to tremble behind her new master.

"What has she done?" Brandish asked, her words a bit more incensed than Sorano was anticipating.

"She has begun research, likely under the direction of Hisui or perhaps even Makarov Dreyar, to uncover information about Lullaby," August said. "One of Zeref's many demons, and one capable of killing any who hears its song."

"She'd kill herself," Dimaria said. "I've heard of this thing, I remember Emperor Spriggan talking about it."

"She'd never use it, then," Alok said.

"You all clearly don't know anything about Fairy Tail," Sorano said. "Those fools will put everything on the line if it means victory, including their own lives. If Lucy gets her hand on this thing, it's curtains for all of us, I guess."

"We've taken measures to…counteract Miss Heartfilia's moves," August said. "We cannot move until we can ascertain her own moves, to ensure that the public understands what she is trying to do."

"That she's been a rebel this entire time?" Brandish asked. "Isn't it obvious?"

"To us," Invel said, "however not to those who wish to be loyal to her, who see her as the premier idol of the political world."

"That she's held off on her wedding for so long is seen as a mark of power and pride among those who were forced into their marriages," August said. "Coming off the heels of another's suicide, this is only emblazoning Lucy further in their eyes."

A little chill ran through Sorano. "A suicide?"

"Yes. Johan's wife, it was, not a few days ago. She left no note, only an attempted murder on him," Invel said.

Sorano nodded, her mind drawing to a distant place.

When she blinked, when she could feel or sense anything again, it was at the call of her name.

August was speaking to her. "You wish to deal with her?"

"No," Sorano said, her voice soft. She spoke up. "No. It'd be boring. I've already tussled with Lucy, let someone else have their…shot."

She sat back in her seat. Alok watched—oggled—her once more. Orga did the same, the man salivating for a moment before returning his attention to something August was saying about Lucy.

The meeting adjourned at some point, and Sorano felt compelled to go to Johan and not console him, not fuck him, not even to hit him.

But to simply acknowledge that, in that space, she committed a sin, she knew, Yukino would never allow her to recover from.

Yet what the hell did Yukino care? She was gone. She was off thinking she was better than Sorano, she was off trying to save a world that didn't need saving.

Sorano was last to be in the room by a wide stretch, only moving once she realized how empty it'd all been. She'd been standing for all that time, staring at the empty space where Levy stood. She didn't need to scream, or to think, or to do anything but sleep and then wake up and move on.

Just move on. Keep moving. Forget. Exist. Live. Survive.

Be herself.

As if she had a firm hold on what that meant anymore.

Minerva eased away from the small tear she'd created between the room of the Twilight Division's emergency meeting and the room she was in. Much of it was a conversation she didn't care about-killing Lucy Heartfilia, Dimaria's little plans, some deaths of other women—but she did tune in as Orga was roped into the conversation.

It was he who would track Lucy's progress with obtaining Fairy Tail. Once she had her hands on it, he would swoop in for the kill, using his clout in the Hunter's Division to eliminate her.

Well, Minerva thought.

It would be a shame if Orga found himself on the wrong end of a particularly nasty lullaby, wouldn't it?