Jet rushed into the guild hall, panting heavily while looking at the others. "W-We have a small problem…!"
"What's the problem, Jet?" Erza quirked a brow at the urgency Jet was displaying.
"It's been happening all evening! There are towns literally off the map!" Jet exclaimed, causing everyone's eyes to widen. "There's nothing left of them from what I've heard, there are pictures aplenty!" And as he said that he placed down several pictures via mini lacrima screen were quickly working their way through Fiore; the pictures displayed visuals of what used to be towns, now reduced to nothing but ash.
"W-What is this…?" Lucy gasped. "All of these towns…are gone…!? A-Are there any survivors!? Any at all?!"
To that, Jet could only shake his head. "Everyone has been killed."
A heavy silence filled the guild hall. It wasn't too long before Mavis herself appeared, staring at the pictures intently. What she saw was something she did not like and it left a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "…These are intense burn marks on the ground here. Whoever was here used very powerful fire magic…" Tilting her head more, closer examination revealed a small detail to her. "…"
"Is something wrong, First?" Gray questioned. "You're staring at those photos pretty hard…did you figure something out?"
"Perhaps…" Mavis nodded slowly. "These towns…do they look familiar to anyone?"
Levy tapped her chin with her index finger; once it all hit she snapped her fingers. "Oh…! These towns…they start off pretty far from Magnolia…but going from picture to picture, it looks like whoever has been doing this is steadily getting closer and closer to this town. If they got to Magnolia at this rate…"
"We're just gonna have to make sure they don't make it here then!" Natsu interrupted the tense situation and slammed his hand down on the table. "We can take 'em no problem!"
"Natsu's right!" Lucy nodded. "We should…no, we HAVE do something before any more people are killed!"
"Yeah! Let me help!" Alex said while raising a hand. "I want to do what I can while I'm here."
"We'd be happy to have you Alex. And I agree." Mirajane gave a slow nod. "I don't want to leave any more people injured or killed if we can help it…"
"Then it's decided." Makarov said. "We will split the guild into small teams to defend each town outside of Magnolia. If anyone sees anything, I want it to be reported right away. If possible, capturing this suspect to turn them into the Council is also an option, but do NOT do so at your own risk. If it is too dangerous, I want you to evacuate the town with the people as soon as possible. Does everyone understand?" The guild gave a collect shout; they were all rallied up.
As the guild members decided to divide themselves into teams quickly, Mavis started to walk…or rather, float away. This caught Wendy's attention and her curiosity was peaked. "Uh…First…? Where are you going? We could still use you h-here…"
"Ah, Wendy…" Mavis gave a soft smile. "There is just something I wish to confirm with my own two eyes, do not worry. I will be back quickly to help everyone else and I'll check in on progress."
"...?" Alex had numerous question marks around her. She was told about Mavis, but she couldn't see or hear her. So she kept thinking the others were crazy for talking to thin air.
"Oi, Wendy!" Natsu waved Wendy over to Team Natsu with his usual grin. "Come on!"
"O-Oh! Right!" Wendy gave a nod before bowing curtly to Mavis, hurrying over to Natsu and the others.
Mavis waved Wendy off before turning around. The soft smile vanished instantly, replacing with something much more serious. "…There is something bothering me about those markings. If my thoughts are correct…then this is very bad."
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Shortly after the sun set, Fairy Tail was in their proper positions. Various teams were scattered about in the towns miles away from Magnolia to ensure the safety of the citizens that resided there. Team Shadowgear took the closest town; making sure things were safe in the event an emergency evacuation was needed. "N-Now…" Levy was doing her best to calm the panicking townsfolk down. "P-Please, everyone…calm down…!"
It was no use. Everyone was too busy losing their minds over the potential threat. "I don't wanna be burned to cinders!" A panicking male shouted.
"Are we all gonna die!?" Another person exclaimed.
"Fiore's on its' last days!"
The paranoia of preceding incidents did manage to root its way into the hearts of the people. It was a little detail that was easily glossed over, what with their safety always coming in the end. But…it was hard to keep them calm. It all started with Fiore's End and since they, the incidents within the country kept piling up. It was only natural for the people to be afraid. That didn't stop Gajeel from raising his voice. "OI! EVERYONE QUIET DOWN!" That sure did the trick. Everyone froze in place and gave the iron dragon their undivided attention.
"That worked…?" Jet blinked.
"It's Gajeel…" Droy shrugged while munching on a chicken leg that just happened to be in his hand.
"As expected." Pantherlily merely nodded.
"We're doin' everything we can, got it!" Gajeel kept going. "So just calm down, will ya! We're not gonna let you all die, so shut up about it." Though it was a little much, it seemed to do the trick.
"Nice job, Gajeel!" Levy cheered before letting out a heavy sigh of relief. "That was starting to become a little too much for me…but there is one thing that still bothers me. These attacks are so uncoordinated…is whoever doing this really just causing destruction for the sake of causing it? And why so close to us, too? This cannot be some sort of a coincidence…there's a point we're missing here…"
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Mavis went to inspect the few towns that were completely destroyed. Bare feet walked upon completely scorched grass, the burn marks craving deep into the earth itself. "I see…" She mumbled to herself quietly, letting out an extremely heavy sigh afterwards. "These burn marks aren't normal, just as I thought. They're all the same…fueled by some hidden hatred…and the essence I get from these locations is all the same…Even though I can guess who is behind this…a part of me really hopes I'm wrong about this. I couldn't bear the thought of one of our own harming a single innocent life…"
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Team Natsu, Alex, – plus Juvia who tagged along solely because she wanted to be with Gray – took the town furthest away from Magnolia. It was the one most likely to be attacked next and it was no surprise that Natsu wanted to be the most involved in the action if possible. Erza was able to calm everyone down before the panic set in, making it easier to discuss evacuation plans in the event things went south. For now, things were just silent. "Come on, hurry up..!" Natsu shouted to the air as if it would draw the attacker in closer.
Immediately after shouting, Lucy slapped Natsu on the back of his head. "Natsu! Shut up! We're not actually looking for a fight!"
Rubbing the back of his head, Natsu grumbled. "I wanna take 'em down though…"
"Don't be an idiot." Gray scoffed. "We're not actually trying to pick any fights. The safety of the people comes first."
"Gray-sama's safety comes above all else!" Juvia chimed in. It wasn't long before she was standing in front of Gray with a closed box. "Juvia made Gray-sama some cookies, look!" Opening the box, Juvia did indeed make cookies…that were literally just Gray's face.
Seeing this, Gray began to sweat slightly. "Y'know…I don't exactly feel comfortable eating something that's in the shape of my face. That's pretty weird after all…"
"Can I have a cookie?" Alex asked, reaching out to grab a cookie. Before Juvia could close the box, Alex snagged one and began to eat it. "Mmm! This is great!"
"IT'S NOT FOR YOUUUU...!" Juvia wept as comical tears fell from her face.
"At least everything seems to be calm around here…" Carla stated while looking around. "Perhaps we'll be lucky and won't have to deal with anything. But maybe that's just wishful thinking…"
"I think we'll be okay!" Happy nodded. "This is Team Natsu after all!"
"I suppose there is nothing to worry about…" Carla let out a sigh. Of course, peace would not last very long after those particular words. For people began to shout in fear as half of the town erupted in searing red flames.
"It's happening to us!" The townsfolk shouted in fear, all scattering about as the red flames began to spread slowly. It was going to be a repeat of all the other towns before this one at this rate.
Spotting the danger nearly the instant it occurred, Erza was quick to give out orders to the others while shifting into her Aqua Empress Armor, equipping a sword made from water. "Everyone, calm down and get into positions! Gray, Juvia, Natsu! Help me douse these flames before they spread! Lucy, Alex, Wendy, Carla, and Happy, find any stragglers and evacuate them immediately!"
"Right!" Lucy and Wendy nodded. Though Lucy felt a like there was more she could do if she had a certain key with her. "If only I still had Aquarius…but that doesn't matter now. We have to ensure people are safe!" On that cue, she summoned both Loke and Capricorn to assist her on this matter.
"Hai!" Wendy nodded firmly, staring around at the flames beginning to spread. There was something odd about them…they were familiar to her which made her heart stop for a second. "…They're nearby. Lucy-san, I'm sorry but there's something I have to confirm…!" Wendy didn't even give Lucy a chance to respond, she just quickly ran off in the direction the flames were coming from.
"Wendy!?" Lucy's eyes widened at Wendy's sudden decision to leave. It wasn't like Wendy to deviate from the plan like this, especially when lives were at stake. There was no time to think about this; for now, Lucy needed to worry about the people and getting them out.
"I'll keep an eye on her!" Alex told Lucy. "It's fire, and I'm resistant to it!" That's also part of the reason she wanted to come. As such, she quickly sprinted off after Wendy.
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The hooded Rose steadily stepped forward, glancing around at the destruction she was causing. A pleased grin stretched along her lips from that, and the sight of her next victim: A child who was separated from their parents, cowering in fear at the flames surrounding them. "Aww…what's the matter?" Rose stood a fair distance away from the child who refused to answer her. "Lost…alone? With nobody to save you? It's quite a world, isn't it? When your family abandons you for naught, even though you loved them with all your heart? The world is very cruel." Pointing her hand forward, a stream of dark red flames threatened to spill from palm and towards the child.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy's exclamation came from more than a few yards away. The sudden cyclone was aimed directly at Rose. The unsuspecting demon found herself blown away by the tornado. Wendy quickly slid over to the child and helped them up, pointing them in the right direction. "Go that way! Away from the fire, understand!?"
"T-Thank you…" The child nodded and hurried away.
Having saved someone, Wendy let out a small sigh of relief before turning to face the culprit. "You must be the one-" She stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening as she stared at Rose, who was recovering from the Sky Dragon's Roar. "C-Cynthia…..I-Is that you…?" It was hard to believe…her eyes told her one thing, her heart felt one thing, but her nose said another.
Rose said not a word, instead staring intently at Wendy with intense rage behind those red eyes of hers. "Wendy."
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Erza swung her blade of water rapidly at the flames in attempt to stop them from progressing, but no matter what the effort, they could not be doused. "What are these flames…? No matter what we do, they don't go out!?"
"It's actually really annoying…" Gray grunted. "My ice isn't working so well against it…Devil Slaying may have to come out, but the people need to be evacuated first…"
"What do we do?" Juvia asked. "At this rate, the flames will…"
Natsu stepped forward, wearing a large grin on his face. "Leave it to me! I'll make these flames dinner!" The Salamander opened his mouth to consume the flames…only to fail horribly. Not a single ember went into his mouth and he just ended up coughing a few times. "What the…? What are these flames…?" The sensation he got from them was far too familiar. So familiar he began to look around. "Where did Wendy go!?" No answer was needed. Natsu instead just bolted off.
"Where the hell are you going!?" Gray shouted. Unfortunately, his voice fell on deaf ears.
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"C-Cynthia…" Wendy's eyes started to water. All reason was thrown out the window and she quickly threw herself forward, latching onto Rose's body. "Cynthia…! I've missed you so much! I knew you were still alive…!" Suddenly, all reason started to come back and quickly. "Don't tell me you did this…I-I know you would never hurt another person so brutally…"
"Wendy…" Rose allowed this contact until Wendy finished speaking…then suddenly threw her arm out to throw Wendy away from her, growling angrily. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"Agh…!" Wendy was thrown from Rose's body, landing on the ground with a thud. "Cynthia…? What's wro…" Before Wendy could finish, her body erupted in demonic red flames; a scream of pain escaped Wendy until the flames dispersed and she was on all fours, panting heavily with scorched skin.
"Wendy!?" Rose's eyes widened and she extended a hand only to stop herself and stare. "W-What was that…? Was that…my Curse…?" The result of physical contact with Rose caused flames to erupt on the one who made contact: Flame Body. "I…I like it…"
"Cynthia…what's going on with you…" Bringing herself up to her feet, Wendy panted heavily while staring at Rose. "W-Why…?"
"I see you still don't understand…" Rose shook her head, clenching her hand into a fist. "You don't know what it is I want from you. What I want from you right now, Wendy…IS YOUR LIFE!" Rose jumped forward while rearing her arm back, demonic red flames flaring around her hand. "Omega Fire Demon's Fist!"
Brown eyes widened in complete and utter shock at those words. Arms crossed, sliding back a great distance before wincing in pain. The demonic flames erupted around her body once again, causing pain but Wendy didn't falter this time. "C-Cynthia!? What are you doing!? What happened to you…?! I-I don't want to fight you…!"
Rose kept up the assault; suddenly appearing at Wendy's left with her arm reared back, flames trailing from her fingertips. "That's fine with me! I just want to see you squirm, damn it! Omega Fire Demon's Claw!" Swiping forward, Rose landed a hit on Wendy's side, causing Wendy to scream out in pain while tumbling across the burnt ground before coming to a halt on her hands and knees. "I…I have to kill you…Marde-sama's orders…are absolute…you…left me…to die…"
Tears started forming in Wendy's eyes. What was going on? Why was Cynthia attacking her so viciously…? Wendy absolutely did not want to raise a hand against Cynthia; to her, it was clear that something happened and Cynthia was being forced against her will to do this. "I-I'm sorry…I couldn't be there for you…so you hate me now for it..? I understand…I let you die. I was supposed to protect you and I failed…But that…that's no reason to hurt other people!" Shouting at the top of her lungs, Wendy lunged forward while aiming a punch at Rose's chest out of anger. Rose blocked the hit, however a sudden burst of wind emitted from Wendy's fist, severely damaging Rose's arm while sending her skidding backwards. Contact once again resulted in flames to erupt around Wendy's body and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. "Ngh…The Cynthia I know…would never hurt anyone…"
Rose was forced several feet back from Wendy's strike, now holding her arm in pain. Her expression was impossible to read. On the outside it displayed nothing but malicious murderous intent, but on the inside…who knows what that girl was thinking. There was only one thing on her mind, but how it could be perceived was literally unpredictable. "I-I….I don't think you get it…Cynthia is dead. YOU KILLED HER! ALL OF YOU!" Rose began to inhale, a spiral of darkened red flames swirling around her mouth as her cheeks began to inflate. "Roar…of the Demonic Omega Fire Dragon!" A combination of both curse power and magic threatened to be unleashed towards Wendy…however…
"I WON'T LET YOU!" Carla, in her transformed state, flew forward and aimed a swift kick at Rose's jaw, forcing her head to turn and unleash the funnel of flames in a different direction. The vortex of fire razed everything within a mile distance, leaving Carla wide eyed as she leapt away. "Cynthia!? What the…"
Rose brought a hand to her jaw, grumbling curses at the exceed's interference. "Damn you, Carla…"
Just hearing a swear word from the little girl was enough to alert Carla that something was dangerously wrong here. Of course she didn't have too much time to think about that as Rose's Curse activated, causing her body to erupt in demonic flames for a few seconds. Unprepared, Carla screamed before falling to the ground. "A-Agh…w-what was…that…?"
"I don't know…" Wendy replied while standing back up, though she was struggling to do so. "B-But I…I have to…" She was teetering now, on the verge of passing out.
Rose took a step forward, releasing a blast of red flames from her palm. "I...have to...!" However, the flames were blocked by Alex appearing on the scene. She held her arm forward as it morphed into a shield. The crimson flames curved around it. "Alex...?"
"Cynthia...!?" Alex wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it really wasn't this. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her younger sister. "W...What happened to you..? Are you the one behind this!?" That was something she refused to believe. Cynthia hated hurting people. Innocent people. She would never...!
"I..." Rose paused for a second, one eye shut before she shook her head. "Get out of my way! I'm not here for you." Taking a step forward, Rose grinned deviously while looking towards Wendy. "I'll make this quick." Or so she thought. A ball of fire dropped down from the sky above, causing a moderately powerful explosion. The little demon noticed this and quickly jumped back to avoid being caught in the radius. "…Natsu."
"Cynthia." Natsu already figured out what was going on here. Well…mostly. "What THE HELL!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" That was the million dollar question that Rose just refused to answer. "And why do you smell like…Tartarus…"
Rose narrowed her red eyes at those who stood before her. She felt sick to her stomach, yet enraged at the same time. Her good arm lifted up, a large blaze forming within her hand. "I don't have to answer you." Before she could actually continue her attack, several explosions occurred in the space between her and the Fairy Tail mages. "Wha…!?"
"Oi…" Jackal sat on the rooftop of a partially ruined building. "Don't get too carried away now! We still have an operation to complete. Marde-sama thinks you've done your job quite nicely and would like for you to return as quickly as possible." Jackal then shot a smarmy grin at Natsu.
"Like hell you're taking her anywhere!" Natsu was about to attack Jackal, but another line of explosions occurred and ended up blowing him backwards. "Gah!"
"You escape this time…" Rose withdrew from the area, only looking back once at Wendy before running off along with Jackal.
"Cynthia, get back here!" Alex took a few steps forward, but stopped as Wendy tried to move.
"C-Cynthia…please…wait…I'm…gonna…bring you…back home…again…" Wendy extended a hand out as if to stop Rose before running…but she just ended up collapsing and passing out on the spot due to her injuries.
"Wendy...!" Alex gasped, quickly moving to lift her up. "Natsu, we have to get her back..."
"..." Natsu said nothing, but stared in the direction that Rose ran off in. Alex felt the exact same way.
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En route back to Tartarus, Rose griped while holding her arm. "She got me good…damn. …Serves you right." Was she…talking to herself? Even Rose was surprised at this but she shook her head. "Next time we meet…I'll end her life…"
"So it was you…" Mavis stood in front of Rose, eyes narrowed. The two stood across from each other, looking directly at one another. This only confirmed Mavis' original suspicions. But as she looked at Rose, there was sadness and shock in her eyes. To think, one of their own could be turned into this... "Cynthia. What have they done to you…?"
"Now you're here too!? Leave me alone! Cynthia is dead and family didn't do a damn thing to save her!" Rose shouted at Mavis.
"Cynthia is dead?" Mavis tilted her head before shaking it slowly. "No. I don't think that's true in the slightest. Cynthia is very much still alive…and you are not her."
"Wha…!?" Rose glared. "How dare you…!?"
"It's simple." Mavis had no qualms in interrupting Rose. "Cynthia still lives on…even in that heart of yours that's now turned pitch black. Where's my proof, you ask? Simple…this conversation is happening. Surely you haven't forgotten the types of people that can see me."
Rose's eyes widened yet again, quickly glancing to her shoulder where the Fairy Tail mark should have been…but instead it was just the Tartarus guild mark. "Wha…but that doesn't make any sense…? I don't…"
The longer she looked at Rose, the more she understood. Mavis simply gave a small nod. "…I see. So that's what happened. You really are not Cynthia…and even now she's plotting against you…and you can't even see it when it's staring you right in the face."
"ENOUGH!" Rose screamed as darkened red flames erupted around her being. "SHUT UP! I don't even know why I'm wasting my time with you! I don't care! You'll be gone soon enough anyway!" Stomping off, Rose left large indents in the ground with every step she took.
Mavis didn't bother turning as Rose walked off. Instead she looked up into the sky, exhaling softly. "…I know dark times are approaching. I also know that there is indeed one person who is capable of pulling Cynthia out of that darkness..."
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Next Time: Good Morning Message.