"The pieces have nearly been set into place." A confident Aiden smirked, pleased with his finished product. He always did have a one track mind, so what do you expect from a man such as him? Another tower, though this one not nearly as noticeable as the one he built in the past. At this point, he just wanted his plan from the past to work, and he would push it no matter how many times it would end in failure; in that was you could say he was a true scientist, trying to figure out how to make one experiment work despite constant failures; that one variable could make all the difference.
"My my…" Emeraude let out a small sigh, examining Aiden's handiwork firsthand. "You sure have put a lot of work into this. But I wonder if it will really work in the end, I've heard similar attempts of this have failed time and time again. You're better off just being a forgotten scientist if this fails again…"
Emeraude's words did get under Aiden's skin, but he didn't let it show and only revealed his irritation through a slight smirk. "That's the wonder of science, isn't it? Where would we be if those in the past gave up after several failures? I may fail 100 times, but it's the one success that truly matters in the end."
"You two persist like an old married couple…" Hyde said while tilting his hat down, a noticeable scowl on his features. "And quite frankly, it's annoying. I would like to get this show on the road already."
"I would prefer you don't say that. I have no intentions of marrying. Especially not to someone who saw his previous wife as a commodity." Emeraude scoffed at Hyde's words. The mere thought of being married to Aiden made her gag a bit.
Aiden cleared his throat, giving Hyde a nod of acknowledgement. "Ah yes, apologies, Hyde…I suppose it is time to let you take the reins for the first part of this master plot."
"And just what, pray tell, is the beginning of this scheme going to commence?" Emeraude's continued questioning was annoying both Aiden and Hyde, but what could they expect from such an amateur? "Clearly this cannon you've built needs a power source, and nothing you've built serves as a source. Perhaps a conduit, yes…"
"Simple my dear Pergrande Scientist…" Aiden waved a finger around. "Everything's already been laid out before us. Now, it's only a matter of time before we get what we need, and I've hired a few Special Forces to assist us in this matter…"
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Things were still as normal as could be in Fiore after the most recent incident. Of course, now things were going to change now things were finished behind the scenes. Natsu was on his own, just finishing up a job along with Happy. He and Happy were sitting by a lake, taking the time to fish since they had nothing else going on. "Man…" Natsu yawned, lying on his back while waiting for his rod to twitch. "It's been quiet lately…"
"Aye…" Happy gave a nod of agreement, yawning shortly after. "But I want fish…" If there was anything Happy was dead set on, it was fish.
Things remained silent for a few minutes until Natsu's nose picked up an unfamiliar scent. "Eh…?" Standing up, the Salamander was soon met with a man with raven hair almost reaching seven feet tall.
"Are you the mighty Salamander?" The man questioned while walking to the base of the hill where Natsu was originally resting.
"Yeah…" Natsu quirked a brow, eying the male suspiciously. "What of it?"
"My name is Kai…" The male responded with a nod. "As fate would have it…I stumbled here…" For some odd reason, Kai added extra emphasis on the word stumble… "And now I stand before the Salamander. Since this is the case…I challenge you to a duel."
Now that was something Natsu could get behind. A grin curled onto his lips and flames ignited around his entire body. "All you had to do was lead with that! I'll gladly take you on! Watch this, Happy!" Without even hearing the start or any potential rules, Natsu just lunged forward and began aiming a series of fiery punches at Kai. To Natsu's surprise…he was unable to land a single one despite how fast he was moving. "What the..? Why can't I hit him!?"
"Because we are playing a game." Kai responded while swiftly evading each and every punch Natsu was throwing at him. "My game to be more specific." During the flurry of punches, Kai grabbed Natsu's fist before placing a hand on his forehead. "And I always win the game. Shadow Coffin." Natsu's own shadow proceeded to betray him, reaching up to wrap around and encase the fire dragon in a shell of darkness. Natsu struggled for only a few minutes before he tired himself out, going completely silent…
"N-NATSU!" Happy's eyes widened as the fight was finished before it even started. "L-Let him go!"
"Sorry, cat…" Kai shook his head, lifting up the coffin that held Natsu and proceeded to walk off. "I've got a job to do." His free hand was extended towards Happy and a beam of shadows shot out, striking the poor unprepared Exceed and sent him flying away before he could react.
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Wendy, Alex, Carla, and Chelia were walking down a Magnolia street with bags of groceries in their hands. "Thanks for helping us, Chelia…" Wendy managed a soft smile towards the former god slayer. "Normally, Cynthia would help as well, since we share the same room and all…er…shared…"
To that, Chelia merely shook her head and flashed a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Wendy. I know it must be hard for you…everyone else, too."
"Mhm..." Alex said with a slight nod.
"It has been a little quieter lately…" Carla said while releasing a tiny sigh. "I know I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me without me even realizing it…I wonder when that happened…" That reminded her of a vision she had some time ago…but for the time being she was still going to keep silent on it because she didn't know what it meant.
Moments later, what seemed to be a stray dog approached the three females, stopping right in front of them while wagging its tail. "Awh…!" Wendy was the first one to comment on it. "I-It's so cute…!" Placing her bag down, she crouched down and began petting the dog with a flush to her cheeks.
"Wendy, don't touch that dog…" Carla was clearly skeptical about this. "It probably has fleas or something…"
"Well, that's quite rude coming from a stuck up cat…I'll have you know I bathe regularly."
"…." Chelia blinked slowly, looking around for the source of the voice. "D-…Did anyone else hear that…?"
"Uh…" Wendy blinked before glancing at the dog. "D-Do you think…?"
"Don't be silly, Wendy…an animal like that shouldn't be able to talk…" Carla narrowed her eyes while staring at the dog.
"Says the talking cat girl." Alex cut her eyes at Carla. "Kinda rude, really!"
"That's different! I'm an Exceed!" Carla huffed.
"I agree with the red haired one. Quite rude indeed…because of that, I'm going to give you a three second head start. Run." Yup, it was coming from the dog. The four girls were just staring in shock. "Time's up." The dog then began to shift into a bear, first smashing his head into Wendy's for a headbutt that rendered the little girl unconscious. She didn't even have a chance to react.
"Wendy…!" Chelia's eyes widened and she immediately went to reach for the bow strapped to her back. Before she could even take aim the shape shifter back handed her right into Carla, sending the two flying into a nearby building, both in an awkward position that prevented them from giving chase. "Ouch…"
"What the hell!?" Alex had no idea what was going on. But the bear was now swinging towards her, and she crossed her arms, armor appearing along her body to absorb the hit. This bear-man had some power, because she still slid backwards a few yards. "Who are you!?"
"This is my mark." The male spoke before shifting into a hawk, digging his talons into Wendy's back before lifting her in the air to fly off. "And I don't share."
"Get back here…!" Chelia quickly stood up, taking aim at the sky once again, only this time Carla stopped her. "C-Carla!?
"You might hit Wendy…!" As much as Carla didn't want to do it, she had to. They were too far away and they couldn't risk shooting Wendy out of the sky with no place to land.
Chelia's aim faltered slightly before she let out a heavy sigh, putting the bow down. "Darn it…if only I still had magic then maybe…"
"We have to go tell the others, quickly!" Carla didn't want to waste any more time nor she did want to hear Chelia bag on herself again. Without another word the two rushed back to Fairy Tail to inform everyone else.
"You guys go ahead. I'm following them!" Alex wasn't going to let anything happen to Wendy! She sprinted off in the opposite direction, before Chelia and Carla could object.
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"Ngh..." Hikaru and Melanie were standing in front of Shade, from the Wizard Hunters. The vampiric man stood above the two dragon slayers with his arms crossed. He had some signs of damage on him from the two of them, but it wasn't enough to stop him. "Such strength..." Hikaru grit her teeth.
"He's...so strong..." Melanie gasped for air, clenching an eye shut.
"You encountered my comradesssss previoussssly." Shade spoke with a faint grin. "You ssssssee how that my ssssstrength isssss far above theirs. I am the third ssssssstrongest member of the Wizard Huntersssssss."
"Do you have to...speak like that." Hikaru groaned softly. Dealing with Shade was already bad enough, but the way his lisp dragged on was really grating to her ears.
"No." Shade admitted, bearing his fangs towards Hikaru and Melanie. Was he serious, or just messing with them? It didn't manner, because he opened his mouth, releasing a potent sound wail that struck the two of them. It was a powerful strike that knocked the two of them out. "Two down..."
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Laxus walked through Magnolia on his own, arms crossed. The thoughts of what happened with Cynthia were weighing heavily on his mind. Things just weren't quite the same without the energy she brought. "Damn..." That was all he could really say. It was then he heard a scream from nearby.
"AHHH! L-LEAVE ME ALONE!" A woman screamed.
That was enough to catch Laxus' attention. In the next moment, his body turned into a bolt of lightning. He pinpointed the direct location of the scream, and it was a typical sight: some no named thugs trying to corner a woman in an alleyway. Not on his watch. Laxus crashed down, his landing creating a thunderous impact that knocked the thugs out instantly. "Tch? That all you got. Why don't you try picking on someone your own size for once."
The woman was still cowering in the corner, her face was hidden with sunglasses and a mask, but anyone could make out the look of gratitude. "O-Oh, thank you so much...! I was so worried! A-Are you Laxus from Fairy Tail!?"
"No problem." Laxus replied, extending his hand to help the woman up. "Yeah, that's me. You alright?"
"I am...thanks to you." The woman took Laxus' hand with her own gloved one, and she stood up. "Thank you. You've made this so much easier."
"...?" Laxus had no idea what she was talking about at first. But then, he felt something stab into his hand, causing him to grit his teeth. He drew his hand back quickly, taking note of not one, but several stab marks onto his palm. "What the...?"
"Hahaha!" The woman spun around and took off her disguise. It was Marta from the Wizard Hunters, giving Laxus a playful wink as she revealed herself. "You've fallen right for my trap, Laxus Dreyar!"
"You, huh...?" Laxus remembered the Wizard Hunters. First time he saw one in a while, but he knew the mission: attack on sight. He drew his free hand back, lightning sparking around his entire arm. He threw it at Marta, but suddenly stopped cold, his eyes widening. "W-What the...?" His head felt weird, and he started to stumble. Was this...poison!?
"Haha." Marta had her arms behind her back, smiling towards Laxus. "I'm the anti-mage specialist of the Wizard Hunters! I may not have any magic, but I'm the predator to any wizard that comes my way. People like you are easy targets!" She held up her glove, revealing all the tiny needles on it, dripping with some strange liquids. "This is a poison that reacts to the magic within ones body! The more you use, the quicker it hits you!"
"D-Damn...you really think..." Laxus felt like he was about to collapse, and yet, he slammed his foot on the ground. "You think you can put me down with a tiny needle!?" Laxus didn't let that deter him; the lightning continued to spark around his arm, and Marta's eyes went a little wide as he continued to swing at her. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Marta held her hand up as Laxus swung at her, the CRACK of thunder echoing out through Magnolia in the process.
Marta slid back a great deal, but managed to hold her own. Sparks danced around her body, and Laxus's fist hit that glove of hers. The glove completely shattered as a result of Laxus's strength... "W-Whoa..."
As for Laxus, he was panting heavily, feeling that strange poison really course through him. He took a few heavy steps forward, before falling over, glaring towards Marta. "I ain't...finished yet..."
"Oh wow. He really is scary...I thought the normal amount of poison would've knocked him out by now." Marta was sweating a bit. She underestimated Laxus, but this was still her win. "I better hurry and deliver him!"
Right at that moment, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen started to fly in from above. "It came from over here!" Freed exclaimed. He then noticed Marta grabbing a hold of Laxus. "Wait, huh!?"
"Sorry! Don't take it personally, it's just business!" Marta waved as she threw a lacrima down onto the ground. In a bright flash of light, she and Laxus suddenly vanished.
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There was a common theme going around slowly…it was so subtle that hardly anyone would have noticed at a first glance. But the targets of these slow disappearances were none other than Dragon Slayers…and there were quite a lot of them around Fiore. And there we no exceptions…not even those at White Eclipse. Heather and Waiston were tasked with shopping for the guild as everyone was to do at some point. Arms crossed above her bosom, Heather kept silent while making way down the snowy trail.
"So…" Waiston was about to find some sort of perverse comment to make, however Heather's sharp glare caused to him halt in his tracks. "Ah man, you're no fun anymore!" He teased with a sly grin. It wasn't long before an arrow came out of nowhere and struck Heather in the shoulder.
"Wha…?" Heather's mouth opened to respond to Waiston, however the arrow that pierced her shoulder caused her stop in her tracks. "Sleep…y…?" The poison dragon's eyes grew heavier by the second before she just collapsed to the ground in a deep slumber.
"An ambush!?" Waiston went on high alert, quickly tracking the shooter of the arrow based on the direction it came from. With his senses it was a piece of cake; his head snapped in the direction and his cheeks inflated. "Frozen Dragon's Roar!" Upon that cry the ice dragon released a funnel of ice towards the mysterious sniper….and before it could even reach, his ice melted. "What the…!? That was something he'd never seen before; sure his ice had been broken, but melted? This was something completely different.
"Too slow~" A female with light blue hair managed to creep up on Waiston while he was in the midst of his shock, slamming the dragon slayer's face down into the ground to render him unconscious.
"Not bad, Kara…" A male with black hair and purple eyes emerged from behind a tree, grinning widely; this was Yuzan Kimona, the leader of the hunter's guild known as Predator's Reign. "But I took out my target first…therefore, I won."
"Pfft." The female known as Kara scoffed before lifting up Waiston. "It only counts if you make it back first." With that…pow! She was gone, leaving Yuzan in the dust.
"Wha…!?" Yuzan's eyes widened before he hurried to pick up Heather, rushing back to the location where they were supposed to return to. Whatever was occurring was only just the beginning, and nobody would be the wiser until the plan had just begun…
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Back at Aiden's new tower, he examined several unconscious dragon slayers before him: Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, Blues, Sting, Rogue, Selene, and Wendy. There was a scowl on his lips as there was one very important component missing… "Where is…"
Yuzan quickly sped through the doors, slamming his hand down on the timer before sitting the unconscious Heather in a chair. "Time! Did I make it!?"
"Too slow…" Kara said with a yawn, already pointing to Waiston.
"I had the cleanest catch." Kai said with an arrogant smirk. "Not even a single mark….unlike Blank over there. He made a little mess coming in." The male he was referring to was the tall brunet who stood in the corner; the shapeshifter from earlier.
"I enjoyed catching my prey…can I not revel in the sight of my catch?" Blank stated with a scoff. His real name wasn't Blank, but it was what the others of Predator's Reign called him. It was his Codename.
"Wrong." That voice belonged to Shade, one of the Wizard Hunter's and a prominent member at that. "You see…we were done long before you even acquired your targets. You should be lucky each one was worth a different pay, otherwise you'd be going hungry right now."
"I'm already tired of you and your group…" Yuzan said while giving Shade the death glare. "If you wanted to turn this job into a hunting contest, you should've said so earlier. We would've beaten you before the contest even began."
"You say that…" The twins, Yumia and Yukia appeared, both of them flaunting their small adorableness that constantly annoyed many others. "But you don't really know the position you stand in do you? Eheheh…"
"After all." The next to appear was Cain of the Wizard Hunters. He was accompanied by Aeon and Bass. "We were the ones who rounded up the most. Sting and Rogue were taken by surprise by Aeon and myself. Crash was easily capable of securing Selene."
"The Shadow Dragon she was with escaped." Crash said with a grunt. It didn't matter in the long run, however.
"Capturing the Steel Dragon was an easy job." Spoke Weavel of the Hunters. He hid in the shadows, although Predator's Reign just rolled their eyes at him. "All one needed to do was threaten the short girl he was with...and the sneak attack thereafter was simple."
"This is quite the group you've commissioned…" Emeraude commented while resting her chin above her fingers. "Tell me, these two groups clearly despise each other. Why hire them both at the same time?"
"Because they would try to outdo one another for the best results possible…however it seems that the one target I asked for personally is not here. Where is Cynthia?" Aiden quirked a brow to both Hunter groups, neither of them seeming to have an answer.
"See…about that…" Yumia poked her fingers together sheepishly, letting out a small laugh. "You'd think she'd be with the little one, right? Well…for some reason, there's been no sign of her anywhere. It's like she just vanished from the face of Earthland! Quite mysterious indeed, don't you think, Aiden-san?"
Even Aiden could not hide his surprise from the news. With Wendy there, Cynthia should have automatically been a package deal. "I see…I suppose I'll have to have a talk with that little one. In the meantime, Hyde, why don't you get everything set up? It's almost time for the opening act."
"But of course…" Hyde gave a slight bow before pointing at the Wizard Hunters and Predator's Reign. "Do not just stand there. You'll get your pay as soon as this little light work is over."
"Ugh…fine." Kara said with a heavy sigh.
"Peh…" Blank sighed. "That man is a fool if he thinks I'm gonna share my pray...what's mine is mine, after all…" It was then his nose picked up something. He glanced out a nearby window, furrowing a brow. "..."
"Something wrong, Blank?" Kara looked to her comrade with a curious stare.
"...I thought I smelt something for a second." Blank replied. His nose was never wrong, so he actually went outside to look, refusing to take any chances.
Unfortunately for Blank, he wouldn't find what he was looking for. He turned into a bloodhound and started to sniff all around, but he wasn't getting anything. Alex followed the group to the building, and quickly hid deep underground after the fact. She was already burrowing her way back towards Magnolia as fast as she could. "So that's where you took Wendy. I don't know what's going on, but I'm not gonna let you get away with it!"
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Next Time: The End Returns.