Two demons, Laxus pondered. Two demons that, more than likely, had skill enough to push even Mirajane.

His group approached the edge of an old decrepit forest, one that looked like it would fall apart with a good enough forest fire or tornado. Malba City was behind them; there hadn't been any rebel activity in the area. Carla and Bickslow's dolls were able to scout things out pretty easily, and all of the meat-headed guards were more than willing to answer all of Evergreen's questions.

Laxus and Freed led the group to the forest, one home to Carla's vision of impending battles for Wendy and Laxus and the Thunder Tribe: A demon to challenge her command of the wind and one built on pure strength.

Tactically, it would be better for Laxus to take on the windy demon by himself, and then let Wendy, Ever, Freed, and Bickslow fight the strong one. Wendy could imbue the other three with some sort of strength enhancement magic. She was built to be a support fighter. She couldn't actually take one of these demons in a direct fight.

"Ready to move?" Freed muttered.

"Thinking about what we need to do," Laxus said. He unfolded his arms.

The forest was dense and overgrown, making it difficult to see through the heavy foliage.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Winds whispered danger. Laxus didn't care. Tartaros could set whatever dreary scene they needed to. He'd fight them, regardless.

No matter how dark or twisted they were, these demons were nothing when compared to Dimaria. And he wouldn't fall until he fought her again. He was sent on a mission for the rebellion, and he'd see it through.

His sword, which he'd stolen from Dimaria and that he'd been practicing with on and off, hung at his side, waiting for its first chance at real action. Through his practice, Laxus had imbued it with more than enough Thunder Dragon Slayer magic, practically extending his reach and arsenal. Whatever demon he came across wouldn't last a moment against him.

"Should I have my babies scout ahead again?" Bickslow asked.

"Worth a shot, I think," Evergreen said.

Wendy and Carla stood quietly to the side.

"Sure," Laxus said. "After we split up."

"Split up?" Carla echoed.

"Yeah," Laxus said. "The forest is huge, and we've got two demons to find. Better if we split up and then regroup when one of us finds them. Bickslow can send a doll out to communicate with the other team if we run into a demon, right?"

"Sure can!"

"The fact that there are two Demons means we should stay together, it gives us a better chance against them," Carla said.

"She's right, we can press a numbers advantage on them," Evergreen said.

Freed considered. "However we do it, it's a numbers advantage for us. We can divide our teams evenly."

"Also no," Laxus said. Wendy needed all the help she could get. "You three go with Wendy and Carla. I'll head off on my own."

"That's ridiculous, Laxus!" Evergreen exclaimed.

It was Laxus's to consider. "Alright, fine. Bickslow, you're with me. Freed and Evergreen, you two help out Wendy and Carla. Nothing'll get by the four of you."

"What about the numbers advantage?" Wendy asked.

"You've got it," Laxus said. "And I don't need it. Come on, we're wasting time bickering about it. The decision has been made. Move out."

Ever leered at Laxus but didn't challenge him. She encouraged Wendy to get moving and the Dragon Slayer did so. Freed looked longingly over his shoulder to Laxus, jealously at Bickslow, but got over it and followed.

Bickslow rested his hands on his hips. "Where to, boss?"

"Let's find a path and stick to it," Laxus said. "I'm sure whatever demon is in the forest, if there is one, will be waiting."

"We're looking for the rebel base, boss," Bickslow said.

"Yeah," Laxus said.

They were. The ones that wanted to follow Hisui's orders directly, not to seek out a challenge, an opponent to finally vent his power and frustration on. He wished he could feel sorry for whatever demon crossed his path, but, there was no sympathy left for anything in the Twilight Empire.

Mirajane flashed across his mind's eye.

Damn it. If they encountered her…He shook his head. No. It wouldn't come to that, because they wouldn't run into her. The chips weren't going to fall like that.

He and Bickslow set off into the forest. They brushed by several overgrown yet dying bushes and found a well-worn path through the forest, one that wound round and round. Bickslow attempted to make idle chatter but Laxus, mostly, ignored it. He wasn't so focused on the task at hand as much as he was on how he'd open his attack against the demon.

A few times, Bickslow tried to get them to stop and observe something that could be the rebellion's but Laxus ignored him time after time. It didn't matter. There was a threat, there was something that had to be taken down.

Laxus pushed ahead a bit, resting his hand on his sword once again. They walked through a clearing, one perfect for a trap to be sprung. For a moment, Laxus wondered if there really was something in the forest. Maybe they had gotten to the base in time, maybe—

At another clearing stood the wreckage of an abandoned mansion, one that'd been carved up to bits. At one point, its stone and brick were grey, or at least some bland earthy color. But as it lay in ruins, it dripped crimson. Blood stained and splashed all over the surrounding forest.

Standing among the ruin, hand still wrapped tight around the throat of a dead rebel, was a hulking blue monster with four arms and six tentacles wrapped beneath black cloth. Blood was strewn all over its body, but there wasn't a hint of damage on it. Its head was bestial with pointed ends sticking up high, like hair.

Bickslow sucked in a breath and his dolls drifted closer to him.

Laxus drew his blade. Lightning skimmed across its edge.

The sudden yet slight burst of magic power caught the demon's attention. It dropped the limp corpse, adding it to the mountain of others.

"Too late, Fairy," the demon said.

"Bickslow, stay out of this," Laxus said. More lightning arced across the sword. "I'll have this done in a second."

"Wanna play swords, tough guy?" the demon asked. "Sounds good to me. You better come at me with everything you've got. My hunger isn't sated yet!"

A sudden wind shot from around the demon, and its form began to change. Laxus supercharged his blade as the demon itself began to change shape—its hands elongated, then darkened, hardened.

They, too, became swords.

Armor crept over the demon's blue body, covering its skin and some of its tattoos but leaving several points open for Laxus to strike.

Laxus's aura swirled around him, and in a blink, he shot forward, swinging his sword out.

"Otenta!" roared the Demon.

Its sword and Laxus's clashed, the collision reverberating through the forest. A boom echoed all throughout.

The demon stood as strong as ever, having hardly moved an inch. Laxus pushed then stepped back and moved in for another attack, but could only dodge a few of the arms until he had to block one more.

"Good! Yes, you'll do just fine!"

"What the hell is this guy?" Bickslow called. "This magic power is wild!"

"Name's Ezel, little human," the demon said as Laxus twisted the sword in his grip. "And it'll be the last name you hear on your way to Hell."

Freed and Evergreen were quick to take control of the operation and situation, laying out a plan for how they could search out any rebels. Wendy's senses were already well-tuned for any magic power in the area—after all, the forest was so dead that it'd be easy to find any semblance of life around them.

Carla had her eyes peeled, too. Wendy walked behind the two older wizards, who chit-chatted to themselves mostly about how they were jealous Laxus chose Bickslow, and then argued about who, between the two of them, actually should have gone.

Regardless, it was clear they'd rather have not been with Wendy. She understood why. She had to be babysat, basically. Even though she was a Dragon Slayer, she wasn't nearly as powerful as Laxus, or even Natsu and Gajeel. Especially not with their new Dual forms.

Wendy just…healed. She could summon the wind, she could push people around, but defeating a demon from Tartaros, defeating something from a Book of Zeref? Even she had to wonder if she was up to the challenge. Still, she balled her fists.

She had been making strides to get stronger. She was still a Dragon Slayer, still someone who defeated Generals in the Twilight Empire.

"It'll be alright, Wendy," Carla said.

"Did you see that in your vision?" Wendy asked. "That I'll be alright?"

"I only saw you fighting," Carla said. "But, I believe in you. I believe we can win." Her eyes fell. "I have to."

"What about Freed and Miss Evergreen? They weren't in the vision?"

Carla kept her eyes away. "No."

Wendy couldn't fathom why they'd get separated unless the battle was going to force them into such a situation.

Freed and Evergreen would be perfect at locking down the demon, so, Wendy wasn't sure why they'd have to get into a battle in the first place.

They walked on, and on, with no signs of rebel activity, nor even any signs of life.

"This is getting ridiculous," Evergreen muttered. "We should reach out to Laxus and find out if he's found anything."

"Carla, should you go?" Freed asked.

"Going by myself, unprotected, through a dense forest where two incredibly powerful enemies are lurking does not seem ideal to me," Carla said.

"Good point," Evergreen said.

"But we should reach out to Laxus," Wendy said. "It's hard to believe we haven't found anything."

"What's unnerving is that they haven't, either," Freed said. "Bickslow is pretty good about staying on top of things. Even in an ambush, he would've sent his dolls."

Evergreen rubbed her temple. "This forest is giving me a headache. We shouldn't have split up. It'd have been better to draw their attention as a group."

"Laxus can handle whatever they throw at him," Freed said.

"What if both demons ganged up on him?" Evergreen asked.

Wendy clenched. Laxus was tough, but to take on two of these Tartaros creatures at the same time? That was a tall order for just about anyone.

"I'll go with Carla," she said.

Unless… was this how they got split up from Ever and Freed? Carla shot Wendy a knowing look—she was thinking the exact same thing.

Carla's ears twitched. Wendy shifted as well.

"Evergreen, get down!" Wendy exclaimed as soon as she saw the silhouette behind the tree shift. It was a vaguely humanoid shape.

Freed dove and tackled Evergreen while Wendy, on instinct, threw her hands up and cast a wall of wind to block the bolt of lightning coming right for them.

She was able to avoid it but was quickly slammed by the sudden arrival of a tornado that sent her flying away, crashing through branches and sending her flying into the thick bark of an aged tree. It snapped and crumbled over.

Wendy hit the ground, picking herself up to stare into the heavy eyes of a monster. A heavy mat of blonde hair hit a monstrous, chiseled face. Its torso was wide and bulky.

"It is the end for you, little human," the monster said.

Wendy's hands trembled at her side, and at once, it felt as if she couldn't remember a single spell in her arsenal. She could only think of Vernier to cast on herself and run.

But this monster blocked her escape route. The others would catch up.

For now, she had no other choice.

"Tornado."

The monster whispered the spell that sent Wendy flying into the air, and faster than she could anticipate, he was there, with her. Wendy adjusted in midair.

He wanted a fight for the wind? Fine. She'd just have to—

"Inferno."

A plume of fire burst and shot her back to the ground, slamming her into the ground. Wendy struggled to get back up as the monster picked her up by the throat.

Carla's vision…it was incomplete…

He couldn't control just the wind. He could control everything. Fire, wind, lightning…

Wendy kicked but her little legs couldn't reach him.

She was going to die. Nobody was going to get there in time. Wendy grabbed his hands. Come on. Come on.

"Sky…Dragon…Claw!"

With all the strength in her body, Wendy kicked out and managed to knock the monster back, loosening his grip enough for her to shake out of it. He was, ultimately, unharmed.

Wendy sucked in a breath, and before he could mutter his next spell, did cast Vernier, but went in for the attack.

Nobody was coming.

She had to fight.

Keyes strolled across the bridge of the airship, one moving slowly over Fiore. It didn't have the master payload for their initial strike but held within it hundreds—thousands—of undead soldiers. Most of them had fallen in defense of the pathetic Fiore kingdom, so Keyes was able to resurrect them quite easily.

They were still making their way over central Fiore. Onibus would be in their sights soon, and then Keyes could launch his assault.

First, he thought to unleash Jose Porla. He was a former Wizard Saint, but a shamed one, and one who fell quite easily in the initial invasion. Jose would lead the army of the dead.

Then, the bulk of the power Keyes had with him.

Jose was at the fore of the bridge, staring out the wide window toward their inevitable destination. Keyes sidled up next to the walking corpse.

"She is there, yes?" Jose asked. "The Rain Woman."

"As anticipated," Keyes said.

"Good. I will kill her first. No. Perhaps I will kill the boy." Jose glanced at Keyes. "That is what you wish, isn't it, savior?"

Keyes nodded. "I do wish him to die. I have a means of breaking him, should he survive you."

"He won't."

"Very well." Keyes turned away. "I expect good things from you, Jose. Do not disappoint the Empire who has brought you back."

"I cannot."

"Very well."

Keyes moved away from Jose. The foul stench of his ego was overwhelming even for one who dealt in death.

The bridge was too stuffy, so Keyes decided he needed a break and headed out for the deployment bay. Soldiers would be making their way there any moment, arranged in their formations on various magic circles prepared to drop them on the three wizards.

It would be satisfying to see the traitor, Yukino, fall. Keyes cared little for Juvia—she was a means to an end, another rebel who had to die.

But the boy.

Keyes stopped in front of the room, where another man, armored, stood, arms folded. A scar ran down his face, two small earrings dangling from his ears. A frigid cold emanated off his body, one he could not help.

"Have you made preparations, Silver?" Keyes asked.

"I'm ready when you are," Silver said.

"And him?"

Silver glanced at the door, sealed for a reason. There was yet another magic circle waiting in there, one keeping caged one of the more difficult resurrections Keyes had to pull off. It involved getting permission, from Zeref, to read one of his old books, and redo, and empower, one of Keyes' kin. One that felled even Silver long ago.

Of course, all of that was water under the bridge. Silver was resurrected as a dutiful soldier of the Twilight Empire, nearly a demon himself. Perhaps if he were fully alive the Demon Seed latched to his animated corpse could take full hold. Keyes was unsure how to feel about that prospect.

"Jose will do what is necessary," Keyes said. "If all goes as planned, one of them will fall. Then, you will deal with the boy."

Silver stared at Keyes and nodded.

"He should've been killed a long time ago," Silver said.

"Deliora will handle the rest. Lead him to Magnolia when you are finished. We will retake the ground there on behalf of General Dimaria, and hold. Let it be a reminder to Gray Fullbuster that, even in death, his legacy is shattered."

Silver nodded again, and there wasn't a hint of regret or remorse in needing to kill his own son in his eyes. Only sheer determination. Good.

Gray was a member of the group that thwarted the comeback of two of Zeref's great demons. Gray stood as one of two mentees to the vile witch, Ur, who defiled Deliora's legacy and challenged Zeref's greatness.

Lyon was dealt with, Broken by the Empire already. But Gray did not deserve to live. Gray would die—partly because Keyes could not stand the idea of him living, partly because then the Empire would have the four greatest Ice wizards in known history at their disposal once Keyes resurrected him and Broke him, and partly to keep Silver in line.

Silver was not Broken—he never had to be. From the moment he was resurrected, from the moment he took in the state of the world, Silver understood that he had to stand with the Twilight Empire or suffer death once more. And he had yet to fail Keyes.

"Only a few more minutes," Keyes said. He strode away from Silver. "Until your family's destiny comes to a head."

Natsu rubbed his eyes and his nose, trying to clear up his senses. How was it they hadn't found anything about the rebels in Freesia town? How the hell was everyone just so damn happy and calm about the Empire's presence?

"Man, I oughta knock some heads around," Natsu said. "These guys are all delusional nut jobs!"

"I kind of agree," Lucy said.

"Aye," Happy said.

They were in a small plaza broken away from the main market thoroughfare. Vendors were scant, and there was a small mural built in honor of some of the town's founders. People kept their eyes off the wizards.

It was right after lunch—the three of them were able to scrounge a decent meal together—so maybe everyone was going home for a nap or getting back to work after taking a little break. Lucy was a lot more on edge than either Natsu or Happy.

Natsu was, more than anything, a bit annoyed. At this point, they'd practically tagged themselves as rebels so either more guards should've come for them, guards they could shake down for information, or other rebels would've come out of the woodwork and told them where they were hiding.

If Natsu didn't know any better he'd have guessed that there actually weren't any rebels in Freesia, and that Hisui had old or bad information. Lucy didn't want to give up hope.

"I'm just worried about spending too much time here," Lucy said.

"Why? We can take whoever the Empire throws at us!"

"It's not that. It's more than I'm worried we may be running out of time to find the others if they aren't around. What if they're just outside of town but Tartaros gets to them first?"

"We can send Happy to have a look around, then," Natsu said with a shrug. "You up for it pal?"

"Aye," Happy said.

"Splitting up probably isn't a good idea."

"So, why don't you go with Happy?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Because a girl being flown around by a cat is going to attract attention!"

"Exactly! Just what we need!"

"That's not very ninja-like of you."

Natsu's jaw dropped, aghast. She was right. Natsu curled his hands together.

"Okay, so," Lucy said before Natsu could come up with a thought, "if we're pretty sure they're not around here, maybe we start looking at the city's perimeter. They could be hiding in plain sight, so to speak."

Natsu nodded. He didn't get it, but he nodded. Anything to get them moving again. He stood, signaling it was time to go. Lucy rose as well.

Happy landed on Natsu's shoulder and the three set off, slipping back into the paths of the city, trying to find their way back out. There were, indeed, fewer people, and those that were around seemed entirely unbothered by rebels and guards alike.

They were closing in on the city's exit when Lucy slowed down to a halt. The gates were maybe fifty feet ahead of them, wide open and willing for them to leave. She balled her fist.

"I think I know what's going on," Lucy said.

It was as if her words had a rippling effect. Slowly, the people around them—few enough as it was—began to drift away. Natsu didn't recognize anyone, and all were dressed in typical, boring, Imperial clothing.

What'd once been a pretty tight walkway was more open, and way less congested.

"I just saw someone I know is an Imperial spy," Lucy said. "I remember seeing his face when I'd do tasks with the Twilight Division."

Natsu looked around. Whoever it was vanished.

"These people," Lucy said, "aren't themselves. They're being forced to hide their feelings about the Empire. Not because of the soldiers, or their presence. But because of someone's spell."

"Why can't we feel it, then?"

Lucy shook her head. "I—I don't…I—oh, oh, what is…oh."

Her hands moved to her stomach and her face flushed before it turned bright red. She moaned as she slumped to the ground, her breathing drawing slower, heavier, deeper.

"Ah," Lucy moaned, her voice coming out of her mouth in a forced way.

Happy, on Natsu's shoulder, then doubled over.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed. "What's going on!"

"I—I can't…oh, it feels so good it hurts," Lucy said. She tried to stand but her knees buckled.

"It's like I've eaten so many yummy fishies," Happy muttered.

Natsu searched all around. Something was tickling at him, too, but it wasn't anything to get him to fall to his knees or anything.

That wizard, the one who put the town under its spell…where was he? Natsu sniffed, but could only smell himself. Well, more than himself. It was like, two of himself? Like himself magnified. What the hell—

The ground shook. Natsu grabbed Happy's tail and dove onto Lucy as the ground exploded beneath them, then shifted and jerked around, destabilizing all the buildings around them and collapsing them.

The rubble, as it settled, also lurched, as the ground beneath it gave way. Natsu moved back, fast, catching a new scent, before he ran right into a wall of earth that'd sprung up from nowhere. In shock, he accidentally dropped Lucy and Happy.

Before he could reach for them again, something sharp pinched his chest and then tried to balloon out, but Natsu ignored it. He had to get to his friends before there was another earthquake.

"Cavern Dragon's Demon Crater!"

The earth, it seemed, folded in front of Natsu, until all the energy sucked into it burst out at once and nearly struck him. The rubble exploded all around Natsu and fell into tiny debris.

Natsu searched, with his nose, until he sniffed his opponent coming in quick.

"Cavern Dragon Demon Fist!"

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

The two spells collided over Lucy and Happy, shooting everyone in a different direction. Despite the sudden shockwave, Lucy and Happy were still completely indisposed suffering from…whatever was going on. Something with their stomachs? Why did they both make it sound like it was good, though?

Natsu shifted his focus across the way toward his opponent, who was at last clear as the debris settled. Clear, and, unfortunately, familiar.

A deep, dark red aura with black lightning crackled around him. Where there were once no arms were two dark talons, scaled but slim like that of a demon. Eyes of pure black with tiny white pupils, and a massive, filled, hole where his heart should've been.

Lucy looked up, and through her affliction, muttered, "K—Kip?"

Kip said nothing. He stared at, no, beyond Natsu. Natsu's senses went wild again, and that tiny prick of pain tried to shove its way in again.

"Shall I continue?" Kip asked.

Natsu turned. Another man approached.

This one was pale, with hair whiter than Sting's, but was broad and quite muscular. He had his hands clasped, as if in prayer, and wore loose black bagged pants, kind of like Natsu. A massive metal cross clung to his back.

And he did, indeed, smell just like Natsu. Or, at least, how Natsu thought he'd smell.

"Not yet," the man said. "I want to handle this first. Simply ensure Natsu doesn't let them get away."

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Kip," Natsu said.

This guy didn't look like a demon at all. He had a light aura around him, similar to Sting. A holy demon, of some kind? That'd be weird, but, Zeref was a weird guy, apparently.

"Don't mind him, he was forced to tag along to continue his training," the man said. "I was more than happy to do this myself but I understand Kip and Lucy had a bit of a history. We'll tie the bow on that later. Right now, we have some catching up to do, Natsu."

"Nah," Natsu said. He slammed his fists together, shooting sparks all around. "I think we can just get straight to the fighting."

The man smiled. "You aren't curious who I am?"

"A demon of Tartaros."

"An Etherious," the man said. "One of the three Underworld Etherious."

That name rang a bell. Jellal, or Hisui, had mentioned them. They were the most powerful in Tartaros, some of the most powerful creations of Zeref. And if Natsu remembered right, that Bloodman guy was away, and the guynamedTartaros was supposed to be a demon dude, so…

"Alright, you're Larcade," Natsu said. "An Etherious."

Larcade smiled from behind his folded hands. "And it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Uncle Natsu."