So, in case you guys haven't heard, Fairy Tail is going to be ending in about two volumes. In times like these, I like to reflect on what I always say for you all. I can't, and won't, change anything based on the ending canonically. We're a tad too deep for that at the moment.
Enjoy!
"Everyone feel good?" Ultear asked. Drake looked around at the others, who were stretching and getting up from their positions on the beds around the room.
"Sore, but I feel alright." Steph said. "What about you, Damien?"
"Good," he replied. "I don't feel as weak as I have these past few days." Ultear smiled.
"That means it worked, then." She said. "Congratulations, everyone. In the span of one afternoon we all became twice as strong."
"So what's up with Nashi, then?"Elise asked. Drake looked back over at Nashi, who was still sitting in the chair she'd been in when he woke up.
"She went under about ten minutes after you guys," Ultear said. "So give her about ten minutes and she;ll wake up."
"What time is it?" Simon asked. "We need to get moving. We can't afford to waste time."
"You guys were out all afternoon," Ultear said. "It's like seven at night now." Simon nodded at this. It seemed he was thinking.
"We should wait for Nashi to wake up and get a move on." He said. "We have to make the best time possible in order to make it to...wherever we have to go." At, Drake's stomach decided to let him know he was hungry by letting out a loud growl.
"I have an idea too," he said. "Some of us should head out and find food and bring it back here, and some for the road. I'm starving."
"I second that notion," Elise said, raising her hand. "I'm really hungry too."
"I"ll go," Damien said, reaching for his shirt. "I need to walk around more. What with me being 'currently injured' it might be good for me."
"I'll go with you," Simon said. "Anyone else coming?" Elise rose her hand.
"No way in hell am I letting you two get food without me," she said. "I'm going." Simon managed a smile.
"Be my guest," he said. "That it?" No one else spoke up, so the three volunteers stood up and after getting their clothes back on, left the hotel room. This left Drake with Ultear, Steph and Nashi.
"So Ul," Steph started. "You said that Second Origin doubled our magic power?" Ultear nodded.
"Sure did," she said. "Give it a go. Summon a small lightning bolt." Steph nodded and rose a hand, which made Drake jump to the ground as an uncontrolled lightning bolt sprung from Steph's hand and nearly electrocuted him.
"Ah!" Steph shrieked as the bolt left a scorch mark on the wall where Drake's head had been a moment ago. "Drake, are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"
"Yeah...Yeah I'm okay," he replied, slowly standing back up and regarding the scorch on the wall. "...We'll have to pay for that, huh?"
"Not if we go out the window," Ultear replied, gesturing towards the window in their room. This got her a look from both Drake and Steph. "What? We have bigger things to worry about than a fucking repair bill."
"You're not wrong, but still." Steph said, crossing her arms. "We should probably mention it." Drake shrugged.
"I don't care what we do with it," he said. "I'm just glad I wasn't electrocuted." Silence fell over the group, and Drake couldn't think of anything to do to break the silence. Both Steph and Ultear were looking at their feet, clearly thinking about something.
"Hey, guys?" Steph asked. Drake looked over at her to see she looked quite shaken up. "Do you think they really want to talk to us? Or is it a trap?"
"I doubt they just want to talk," Ultear replied. "If that was what they wanted, requesting our presence immediately after we took down Phantom Dove made more sense." Drake nodded.
"Definitely sketchy, but it's not like we have much of a choice." He said. "They did threaten to destroy Magnolia if we didn't show up." Steph frowned.
"I'm just worried," she said, "What if something happens?" Neither Ultear or Drake responded to this, and Drake guessed Ultear was silent for the same reason he was. He had no answer for her. They'd have to take it in stride.
"We'll be fine," he tried, not totally convinced of this himself. "We've made it out of tight binds before, so don't even sweat it."
"And with Second Origin, we'll be even stronger." Ultear said. "And I bet they won't expect that." Drake didn't know if Ultear really believed what she was saying, but it wasn't like she had little choice. Sighing, Drake slid down the wall a little and looked towards Nashi, who was still under the spells effect.
What I wouldn't give to live normally for a week or two.
"Elise, there's really no need to be so god damn picky," Damien chuckled as Simon said this to Elise, who turned to look at him.
"I"ll be as picky as I want," she replied. "I have certain tastes that must be met."
"Like what?" Simon demanded. "I have never in my life seen you give a second thought as too what you shoved down your throat."
"Except if she made it," Damien quipped with a smirk. "Than she doesn't want to touch it with a ten foot pole." Elise pouted in Damien's direction, who just smiled back at her. Huffing, the girl turned around and resumed scouring the streets for food.
"Aha!" She shouted, pointing ahead. Damien followed her finger and saw some run down looking store.
"Nice pick," Simon muttered. Elise snorted.
"In case you butterflies haven't noticed, we didn't exactly pack a lot of cash," she said. "So the less we spend the better." Damien made a face,
"Yeah, great." He said. "Not only do we have to face The Olympians, I'll get sick to my stomach too."
"You pansy," Elise muttered, running ahead. Damien made the foolish choice of attempting to do a light jog behind her, which cause his legs to resist him. Damien grunted and leaned heavily on his cane, muttering curses to himself.
"You okay?" Simon asked, a hand on Damien's shoulder. Damien nodded.
"Yeah, just forgot my body still isn't working as intended." He replied. "I suppose hoping Second Origin would help with that was foolish." Damien wished that the pain he experienced would hurry up and go away and already, but he doubted that would happen. He was lucky too be alive, so he'd have to deal with it.
Granted he'd be more willing to deal with it if he wasn't heading head first into what would quite possibly end up being the hardest fight he'd ever had. Being the way he was now just made him feel like a liability.
Damien was shaken from his thoughts when a man bumped into him. It wasn't that huge of a bump, but Damien could tell the man had made no effort to avoid him.
"What it..." Damien muttered under his breath, eyeing the man. The man turned slightly, and Damien stomach began to turn as magical pressure weighed down on him.
And, just like that, the man and the magical pressure disappeared just as quickly as they'd appeared. Simon hummed in confusion.
"What the hell was that?" He asked. Damien shrugged.
"No idea, but whoever he was he was powerful." He replied. "We should probably catch up with Elise before she blows all our money." Damien agreed with that, and the two made their way towards the bar. The walk allowed Damien to resume his thoughts about the upcoming battle. He didn't want to be a burden if it did go south, but at the rate his healing was going he wasn't going to have much of a choice.
"Don't worry about your injuries man," Simon said. "You're still stronger than most of us." Damien frowned.
"My strength doesn't matter if I can't utilise it without putting myself in extreme pain." He replied. "I'm about as useful as a wet towel."
"Wet towels still dry, it just takes longer," Simon retorted with a smile. "So don't worry about it. We'll all make it home, I swear."
Damien wished he had the same confidence as Simon.
But seeing Xisplate out of the corner of his eye the entire walk to find food made him second guess his friend.
When Nashi's head began to clear, she could tell that an immense amount of time had passed. Her eyes slowly fluttering open revealed she was still sitting in the chair she'd sat down in. Drake, Ultear and Steph were seated on one of the beds in the room, talking quietly. Nashi's tired koan seemed to catch their attention.
"Nashi?" She heard Drake asked. She opened her eyes to see Drake eyeing her.
"Hey," Nashi greeted. "How long was I out?"
"Seven hours, give or take a few minutes." Ultear replied, stretching her arms. "So? How do you feel?" Nashi took a moment to answer Ultear's question.
"Her body felt sore, but it didn't take her long to notice the abundance of power she felt built up inside. Now that she noticed it, she could barely sit still.
"Holy hell, that spell really works huh?" She asked, now shaking her leg up and down to use some energy up. Steph nodded.
"Sure does," she replied. "Although it's probably for the best that you don't try and use magic right now. I already scorched part of the wall, we don't need to burn the place down." Nashi noted that that was indeed a good idea, and decided against testing her strength.
"Sure hurts though, huh?" Ultear asked, eyebrow raised. Nashi made a face. Despite feeling the passage of time, Nashi didn't remember being in much pain the past seven hours.
"Eh, not really," she replied. "I don't recall much pain, but I am a little sore."
"Yeah okay keep showing off," Steph replied, crossing her arms. "It hurt and you know it." Nashi shrugged.
"Honestly I don't recall the pain." She said. Her eyes drifted to Drake, who was eyeing her carefully. The second their eyes met his gaze softened, but not fast enough for Nashi to dismiss it. What was he worried about now?
"You sure?" He asked. Nashi nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "It's almost like I...D-didn't experience the pain, huh?"
Nashi had been halfway through her own sentence when the realisation hit her like a fist. She probably didn't remember the pain because she herself hadn't experienced it.
END had.
"Yeah, you weirdo." Ultear said, chuckling. "Your strength never fails to amaze." Nashi nodded weakly, still wrapped up in her current theory. She'd have to ask when she had time. She didn't know if she had to talk out loud to talk to END, but she wasn't going to start muttering under her breath with Drake five feet from her.
"Wait, where are the others?" Nashi asked, shoving her questions to the back of her mind.
"Went to go and get some food for the road." Steph replied. "We were only waiting for so we'll probably leave once the others get back."
"And we escape without paying for the damages Steph caused," Ultear added, gesturing to the scorched wooden panel. This made Steph blush a little, and Nashi chuckled. Despite the scenario, she was glad they were able to stay relatively light spirited. She hoped things stayed that way, but part of her doubted it would.
Just because, generally, it never did.
Nashi was thrust back into the real world as her clothes landed on her lap.
"Get dressed," Drake told her. "I heard the others coming back." Nashi nodded and threw her shirt over her head, getting dressed as quickly as possible. She didn't know what would happen when the others got to them, but she knew she wouldn't get to sleep until the sun came up.
"We should probably stop here for now," Simon said, squinting as he looked into the sunrise. "The whole Second Origin opening hurt a whole lot more than I thought it would."
"Yeah, even I'm still feeling it," Ultear said, cracking her back. "I've wanted to lay down for the past three hours." When Nashi looked around, she could already see Elise and Steph lying down and trying to get comfortable. She too felt incredibly weak, and even the ground beneath them looked inviting.
But then again, Nashi had something she needed to do.
"I'll go and find some firewood," she said. "You guys relax."
"Want me to go with you?" Drake asked. Nashi shook her head. She'd really prefer he didn't.
"I"ll be fine, you lay down." Drake made a face but nodded, turning to sit against a nearby tree. Nashi tried to not look suspicious as she escaped their impromptu campground, Nashi hurried into the woods. She waited a couple of minutes before she stopped and sighed.
"You there?" She mumbled.
"I am," The response came quickly. "What is it?"
"I...I know what you did," Nashi said. "You took over control when Ul was opening my Second Origin."
"And?"
"Why did you do that?" Nashi demanded. "I told you not to interfere."
"I didn't," END responded. "I simply took over to handle the pain for you. Was I not allowed to do that?" Nashi made a face. She supposed what END had done wasn't that bad, but still in unsettled her.
"I appreciate what you did," Nashi finally said. "I just don't want you taking control whenever you want. I made that clear to you, did I not?" END was silent for a moment. "Don't think I'm not thankful, because I am. But please...Just don't do that."
"I am sorry," END said. "I thought it was best, but I see now asking might have been a better idea. I just wanted to protect you." Nashi smiled.
"I know," she said. "It's all you seem to care about."
"You are all I care about." Nashi blinked as she processed what she'd just been told. It was nothing she hadn't already suspected, but it still made her feel warm on the inside.
It occurred to Nashi then that it had barely been a week or so since she'd learned of her split personality inside, and yet now she was having pleasant conversation with her. Or was she talking to herself? She didn't know anymore.
"I know," she replied. "I know."
"What do you know?" Nashi jumped and whirled around to find Drake walking through the brush towards her. She gulped as her heart began to race. Just how much had he heard?
"D-Drake?" She asked weakly. "How long were you there? W-Why're you following me?" Drake shrugged.
"Figured you might want help carrying the wood," he replied. "That and I was worried."
"Why?" She asked. Drake frowned.
"You've been acting weird since you woke up," he replied. "Just wanted to know what was going on with you." Nashi frowned.
"I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry."
"He heard me," END's raspy voice echoed in Nashi's head, making her eyes widen.
W...What?
"He heard me mumbling to myself when you were getting your Second Origin opened. I tried to stay quiet but I know he heard something."
Great, that didn't help at all. Nashi knew that Drake knew about 'the voice in her head', she'd told him after END tried to take control when she fought Luke in the future. But how much had he figured out since that afternoon?
"Are you sure?" He asked. "I know that this situation is fucked, but we'll be fine."
"I know," Nashi tried. "But I'm as fine as I can be, really." Drake made a face and stayed silent, watching her. The longer he stared the more worried Nashi got that he knew something but was keeping it to himself. If he didn't speak up soon Nashi would get far to stressed and lash out at him, and that wouldn't help.
"...Heard anything from that voice?" He asked, pocketing his hands. Nashi quickly shook her head. Maybe too fast.
"Nope, nothing." she replied. "She...It's been quiet." Drake nodded.
"Good," he said. "I told you it was nothing."
Nashi almost laughed at how untrue that was.
"Yeah," Nashi agreed. "Listen, go and lie down. I'll be fine getting the wood by myself."
"You sure?" He asked. Nashi nodded quickly again, and he turned around. "Alright, I'll see you later."
"Yep, see ya." Nashi watched as Drake walked back towards the campsite, leaving her alone. Sort of.
"Why not tell him the truth?" END asked. "Surely he can be trusted."
"I don't even know how to handle this," Nashi replied, closing her eyes. "And until I do, I don't want to dump my worries on those I care about."
"I see. Well, perhaps we should get our firewood now. The others will be cold."
"...Yeah, you're right."
Zeus watched as the lacrima screen in front of him slowly fizzled into view.
"Ares, report." He said. "Where are they?" Ares smirked.
"Bumped into two of them in a town near the middle of Fiore," He said. "Should be getting near the docks in a few days." Zeus nodded.
"Good," he said. "It's all going according to plan. You know what comes next." Ares simply nodded, and the connected stopped. Zeus watched as it switched, and now Poseidon watched him from it.
"Yeah?" Poseidon asked.
"They'll be in position in a few days," Zeus said. "Get Triton to the docks, and he'll bring them to us." Poseidon nodded.
"Understood." Now that his orders had been issued, the lacrima screen went dark. Zeus tapped his fingers against his desk, deep in thought.
Only a few days remained, and Zeus had done all he could. Now it was up to Hades and his...Plan.
I'm not sure how I managed to write three thousand words of nothing, but here ya go. I hope you guys enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try to get five!
chapter 273: Triton