Yes, I'm alive. Life has sucked hard the last year and a half. I want to assure anyone still reading this that A Dragon's True Purpose will be finished. I have it outlined already, there's only 3 or 4 more chapters left. I even have ideas for the next two installments. Yeah, two more.
This one is for every person that reviewed when I posted the dreaded AN chapter. (Which I deleted. If anyone has any issues, or confusion as to why the story still only has 8 chapters, that is why.)
Thanks for sticking with me. Enjoy.
Erza quietly approached the Master. He was on his eighth cup, but the young wizard knew his wits were still sharp. He was quite proficient at putting on an act.
"Have you seen Natsu?"
"Concerned about the curfew, my girl? It'll be a slap on the wrist. Maybe a fine."
"No," she denied. "He slipped out to the balcony early on, but was gone when I went out to check on him.
Makarov's eyebrows knitted together. "Then we must wait for his return. Perhaps he's chasing down that source of Zeref's magic again."
Yes, that was precisely what Erza feared.
"Levy?"
Slightly older and worn torn, the woman standing before him resembled his guild mate a great deal. Her blue hair still fell to shoulder length, but it was choppy and uneven, and the yellow bandana was nowhere to be seen. Natsu counted scars. Scars he knew Levy didn't possess. One at her temple, partially hidden by her hairline. The pinky finger on her left hand was missing.
The Dragon Slayer wrenched his gaze away. This person couldn't be Levy. Levy was back at the inn. Levy didn't look like she had known war or that it spat her back out.
"You can't be her. But your scent . . . it's Zeref's."
None of this made sense. He hadn't been lying when he told Makarov and Jellal that the mysterious hooded figure's magic didn't feel like Zeref's. However, he did omit that she—as it turned out to be—carried Zeref's scent.
Not-Levy considered him. Natsu was caught off guard by the knowing look. It was done the same way as Levy, the angles around her eyes softening as her head leaned just a little to the right. Not-Levy does not, like he anticipated, react to the comparison to the Black Wizard.
Natsu snarled, making sure to display unnaturally pointed canines. "You can't be Levy, so who are you?"
The woman took a step forward, pulling the cloak from her shoulders. In the same movement, she pivoted on her heel so the left side of her body faced him.
The pinkette stared disbelievingly at the white Fairy Tail guild mark painted on her scapula. The exact same color and location as Levy's. Absentmindedly, he also noted an x-shaped scar on her shoulder, an old one judging by its silvery color.
"But how?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was from the future?" Not-Levy offered with a fond smile.
"No."
Time travel wasn't possible. Natsu wanted to deny her claim. The implications if it were true would be terrifying. It would give Makarov's theory about Zeref substance, despite Ultear's insistence that Time Magic did not work in that manner. The very idea that the darkest wizard to walk Fiore could also walk backwards, and stars maybe even forwards, through time was unsettling.
But more immediate, if Not-Levy was to be believed, she would have come from the future. And there could only be one reason.
A future gone wrong. One in which Fairy Tail fell, he thought, vividly recalling the haunted look on her face when she first revealed herself. Like she had seen a ghost. A future where he must have failed.
"Prove it," he challenged, lowly. Not-Levy was unphased by the hint of Nagneel's draconic rumbling.
"I can tell you the outcome of tomorrow's game," the blunette said slowly, gauging his reaction to her offer. "Do you promise to let me go until the games prove me true?"
Natsu was torn. His instincts should have been screaming denial. He should have dismissed her without a second thought. And yet he hesitated, the refusal to strike a deal stuck in his throat. Levy had always been so careful with her words. It came with specializing in script magic. And she waited expectantly, clearly knowing how the Dragon Slayer valued his word. He never made a promise he didn't intend to keep.
His decision must have shown on his face, for Not-Levy broke into a relieved grin.
"The first to enter the floating castle will choose one hundred. Also, Ivan will lose."
Maybe-Future-Levy sprinted away once she said her piece, leaving Natsu without a chance to ask further questions, and he let her go.
With a leaden sigh, he set off for the inn. Undoubtedly his mate was working herself into a frenzy at his disappearance. He didn't look forward to explaining the interaction to Erza or the master, but putting it off wouldn't help matters.
Erza cornered him as soon as he stepped foot in the Honey Bone's pub. "Where have you been? You just took offer. Not even the Master knew you were gone."
He didn't answer right away. Black eyes skated over the lingering patrons. Half of the guild was still celebrating Team B's excellent performance. "Do you trust me?" he posed in lieu of answering.
"Of course. You know I do." The Re-Quip mage furrowed her brow, worried about what trouble he must have gotten into. "Just tell me you didn't destroy any of the kingdom's property or get our guild disqualified."
Natsu assured her that wasn't the case. "I can explain tomorrow evening. I need to confirm something first."
The red headed wizard clenched two fistfuls of her pleated skirt. She had waited seven years for him to return to her. One day was nothing in comparison. Still, it rankled that her mate would run off without notice, without her to back him up.
"You'll tell me everything." It was not a question. She had betrayed his trust in her feelings once. This time, she would trust he had his reasons.
"Promise," he vowed.
Natsu was tense when dawn broke on July 4. Maybe-Future-Levy had been the source of the Zeref-esque magic he and Jellal had been hunting. Which, with the added benefit of reflection and hindsight, couldn't be true.
This was the third year in which Jellal had sense Zeref's magic. If Not-Levy was to be believed, it meant she would have come back three years. Why then, wait until now to reveal herself? What had she been doing in that time? Fairy Tail had never caught wind of her, meaning she couldn't have been doing jobs under her name or Fairy Tail's banner.
He couldn't help but feel a mounting anxiety. Whether or not the fire Dragon Slayer believed her story came down to if her predictions came to pass. Now there was more riding on these game's than Zeref's expectation that Natsu prove himself.
His tension spilled over to Erza. He was grateful that she had let the matter go last night, but knew he had hurt her by asking to keep his silence. The morning kiss she had given him was perfunctory. The rest of the team could sense the sudden distance between, and wisely didn't comment.
So, of course today was the day Sabertooth decided to hang outside their team's entrance to the stadium to mock them.
"Your team's rank is a ploy. They're trying to keep the crowds flocking by giving you pity points. It's your first time in the games. They'll build you up high in the rankings because the crowds expect it, only to crush you on the final day. It's all about the drama and excitement. Everyone loves a come from behind win. As if you guys are worthy of being our competition. They won't pick you to win over the guild from their home town."
Gray lunged, frost coated fingers reaching out. Erza held him back with an arm across his bare chest.
"They have nothing to pity us for. We won't lose to the likes of you guys, and you won't surpass us." Natsu blatantly dismissed the boy.
Sting thought he would get under their skin, sow seeds of doubt. The Dragon Slayer was trying to intimidate them because he was afraid. He would eventually pay for the insult to their guild, but Fairy Tail wasn't concerned with winning the games. His plan had backfired, though. Fairy Tail fought harder when their back was against the wall.
"The Grand Magic Games has finally entered the middle portion of the competition, here on the third day," opened Lola.
"What kind of fierce dramas will we see today?"
The guest commentator, Lahaar, was introduced. The man had rose to the position of Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit.
Mato gleefully announced the day's event to be something called Pandemonium. One by one, each guild elected their representative. Team Natsu was the last to decide. They fully expected him to leap at the chance to take part in this event. Judging by his name, whatever the challenge turned out to be the Dragon Slayer should have been the perfect choice.
Even if Natsu didn't need to watch how the games unfolded, he would have been wary. They hadn't shown to have had the best judgement when it came to guessing what each event was. The points on the board were largely attributed to Grays' victory in his one on one match the first day.
He silently conferred with Erza his need to sit this one out. The skin around her eyes tightened momentarily, but she acquiesced.
"I will go," she decided. She descended with an explosion of cheers from her guild at her back.
The pinkette watched the proceedings with restrained excitement. Maybe-Future-Levy's cryptic hint about the first to go choosing one hundred wasn't much to go on, but several of the selected competitors had the strength to fit the vague clue. Jura from Lamia Scale was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, currently ranked number 5. Sabertooth's Orga must not be something to sneeze at. He had been confirmed for his guild after Jura.
Mato raised a glove hand. A massive purple magic circle expanded over the coliseum. Slowly, a dark and ominous castle emerged. Entirely black, it composed of spiring towers, narrow walkways without railings, all held together by chains.
The base of the castle was actually the tip of its tallest tower, because the whole structure was inverted. The entrance was a hundred feet in the air, accessible by a daunting flight of stairs.
"The temple where evil monsters nest," Mato announced dramatically. "Pandemonium."
The pumpkin-headed character explained how the structure was filled with one hundred monsters, magical tools as he called them, broken down into levels of battle power. Fifty of D, the weakest. Thirty C. Fifteen B. Four A. And one S-ranked beast that, if encountered last, would triple in power.
He showed a preview of the strength of a D-ranked monster on the lacrima screen. A mammoth sized metal construct gleamed in the firelight as it smashed through a column and then a winged statue.
"The S-class monster has such strength that not even on of the Ten Wizard Saints can be guaranteed to defeat it, kabo."
Jura hm'ed consideringly at the line directed at him.
"Will Erza be alright?" Lucy hugged her bosom, as if physically keeping her heart in place.
"She'll be fine," her ice-wielding teammate asserted when Natsu didn't respond.
The rules were explained. Each competitor would take turns entering the temple, exercising their 'challenge right' to select a number of monsters to fight. The monsters would appear at random, and being of random classes. They would earn a point for each beast defeated. Strategy would be key, to avoid drawing the S-class monster. Wizards also had to consider their magic levels, and how much they would recover when their turn came around again. They couldn't afford to challenge more monsters than they could handle, because should they fall in the temple, any they slayed that round wouldn't count.
Mato held out a box of sticks, instructing the competitors to draw. Natsu knew the outcome before the magic number one illuminated on the end of Erza's.
"I was thinking this competition would come down to the luck of the draw."
"The luck of the draw?" Mato startled. "No . . . no . . . how should I put this? It's a game where maintaining your pace and situational judgement are more important than just the order of battle . . ."
Erza grinned confidently. "No, this is no longer a game." She strode to the towering staircase. "All one hundred will be my opponents. My challenge will be one hundred."
A stunned silence fell over Dormus Flau. The guild's shouts rang out all the clearer for it.
"That's . . . that's impossible!" protested Mato. "It's not set up so one person could possibly defeat them all!"
"I don't care."
From the shadows of one of the stadium's towers, Levy watched as Titania soared. A scarlet flower, fully blooming with pride. Indomitable. Erza proved Fairy Tail's strength by slaughtering one hundred monsters, deliberately leaving the S-class one for last.
She let her magic flare, taking note of the head of pink hair that jerked in her direction before returning to the day's entertainment.
He would find her again.
Because his mate had obliterated the original challenge, Mato brought in a MPF. He had plenty of time, for the applause from the audience went for a good fifteen minutes. The explanation that followed its reveal was for the audience, as all wizards knew the lacrima was specially designed to display magical power in terms of numbers.
Going by the order in which they drew, the rest of the competitors launched their magic at the MPF.
Natsu barked with laughter when Lahaar was impressed by Milliana's kitten whip, comparing her score to the rank of a squad captain. Since his magical coils had been rebuilt, he was more sensitive to magic. Milliana wasn't the weakest wizard on the ground, but only because Hibiki and Novally were present.
The guy from Raven Tail was stronger than he let on. He would have been less obvious if he had earned a score between Novally and Milliana.
Natsu wasn't too big to admit that he relished the look of astonishment on Lahaar's face when Orga blew Milliana's score out of the water. Jura's 8544 was only to be expected. The man was humble because he had immense power at his fingertips.
When it was Cana's turn the woman striped off her white shirt, exposing her voluptuous figure and the bright red spell mark of Fairy Glitter on her forearm.
"I lent it to her specially for this," he heard the ghost of Mavis chime, "in order to win."
It was blatant cheating, and yet not, since the aid came from a long dead master visible only to members of the guild. Nobody official would be able to call them out on it if only because they weren't aware what had happened.
Cana raised a fist, chanting. Her arm whipped down, directing a burst of light twenty feet wide. There wasn't a single person in the stadium that could watch the spell's brilliance. When the light cleared and the dust settled the MPF was gone, an exaggerated 9999 hovering above where it should have been.
Cana threw her arms wide, triumphant. "We're unstoppable! We're Fairy Tail after all!"
Unable to wrest control back from the still animated spectators, Mato created an image of his pumpkin mask. "I know the first event was electrifying, kabo, but it is time to move on to the individual battles! Our first match up!"
Instead of simply announcing the two opponents, profile pictures spun on the lacrima visions.
"Bacchus Groh of Quatro Cerberus versus Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear!"
"This will be similar to Quatro Cerberus' battle yesterday."
Natsu twisted his neck to look inquisitively at Erza. Pristine white bandages covered the length of her right arm. If he looked from the right angle, he could also see them wrapped around her collar bone and shoulder blade.
"Why do you say that?"
"I've run into Bacchus on a couple of missions. He's a fearsome martial artist. Hardly ever sober," she frowned with disproval. "His guild is home to a lot of close range fighters. I don't know how effective he'll be against Orga's lightning."
The commentators appeared to agree.
"This does not look good for Quatro Cerberus," said Lola.
"Indeed. He already looks a little flushed."
Orga was built. The muscles of his torso bulged with definition. His biceps were thicker than Natsu's neck. He glowered at the swaying drunk. "I will finish this quickly."
Bacchus hiccupped. "We'll see, big guy."
Sabertooth's wizard didn't wait for the signal bell. A bolt of black lightning crackled, streaking from Orga's loosely cupped palms. Surprising everyone, Bacchus dipped his shoulder, twirling underneath the attack.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Orga crowed, beating on his pectorals with his fists.
Bacchus raised a gourd to his lips, drinking heavily.
"I don't believe it! He's drinking in the middle of battle!" Lola shouted.
Bacchus tossed the drained gourd aside. The red flush of his cheeks was prominent. "My magic requires me to be drunk."
"You don't need to make excuses for your defeat."
Quicker than any drunk man should have been able to move, Bacchus had stepped into his opponent's personal space. He spun, the only evidence of his attack the bursts of white magic that sparked in seven different places on Orga's body.
Bacchus turned up to the crowd, waving his arms to get them to cheer.
Obviously, Orga objected to the other man's grandstanding. The battle was far from over after all. He responded with a bellow attack, a basic technique of any slayer-based magic. His blacked edge lightning crackled violently as it slammed into Bacchus' crossed arms, leaving the partial armor he wore over his arms and shoulders smoking.
A manic grin split Bacchus' face. He slammed down his left foot, a pillar of gold light shooting up from the contact. The earth around him in a five foot radius was compressed.
"An impressive show of strength, I think, although I'm uncertain as to its purpose," commented Yajima.
Bacchus resettled into his stance, daring Orga to test his seemingly meaningless stomp. Light on his toes, leaning away over a bent knee, arms stretched out behind his back.
"I sense so much electricity."
"Huh? What do you mean, Wendy."
"The air . . ." she said slowly, as if tasting the word, "it's charged. It's growing stronger."
"Ingenious," Erza complimented. "Despite his size, Orga is capable of great control. But all of his attacks thus far have been large scale and over powered."
"He could just be looking for a quick win," Gray advocated.
"I don't believe that's the case. Every movement and attack disrupts the magnetic field on the arena's floor. With each turn they take they are increasing the levels of dust particles in the air. It's the middle of summer. The heat is sweltering—for all those who aren't ice or fire wizards. Perspiration and humidity generate moisture. Orga's playing the long game to create a localized thunderstorm."
True to her analysis, Orga toyed with Bacchus, always using exaggerated movements to build upon the charged atmosphere. It wasn't long before dark clouds began forming, held in place just below the bottom of the stands by the god slayer's will.
Anxiously anticipating a spectacular ending, the stadium's occupants practically deflated when Mato tapped the gong.
"A tie is nothing to be ashamed about," Lahaar insisted. "These two wizards fought precisely and strategically."
Sensing the disgruntled vibes from the audience, Mato was quick to call forth the next match.
"Today's second match will be . . . The Silent Night Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus! And his adversary . . . Fairy Tail B's Juvia Lockser!"
"He's going to have to pay a fortune for dry cleaning one Juvia's done with him. Who wears a suit into battle?" scoffed Gray.
Reflexively, Natsu retorted, "At least he's got a shirt on."
As if Ren had heard, the dark-skinned wizard tugged on the lapels of coat. "I may be in a committed relationship but that doesn't mean I can't admire a marvelous figure."
Juvia self-consciously wrapped her arms around her dark dress coat, wailing about how only her beloved Gray-sama should admire her curves.
"She's still on about that? I'd thought she grow out of it by now."
"Shut it, Flamebrain," hissed Gray.
The ice wizard's hands were clenched at his side, knuckles white with rage. Surprised, Natsu let the lame insult slide. He had missed a lot in the seven years he had been relearning his magic. His friends still acted like the Gray and Juvia of seven years ago, so he had no idea that two had gotten together.
"Crush him, Juvia!"
Natsu could see the hearts in the woman's eyes. "With Gray-sama on my side, I can handle anything."
And Juvia proceeded to do just that. Taking advantage of the lingering storm clouds from the previous fight, Juvia caused a torrential downpour. The now flooded arena was her element, and she set about demonstrating why she was once one of Phantom Lord's elite Element Four.
Ren attempted to fight back with a visible dome of air. It formed instantaneously over Juvia, and darkened as he lowered the oxygen levels inside it. The water mage simply dissolved her body into water, slipped under the barrier and, still in water form, slammed into him.
He cried out in pain. Juvia's attack had left behind shiny red blisters.
It was a neat trick. Natsu briefly wondered how she heated up her body before deciding he was better off not knowing.
Ren sank to one knee, looking to sooth his new burns in the water. It proved his undoing.
"Wings of Love!" cried Juvia.
A current swept outward from where her hand touched the water, quickly building into a whirlpool.
"Are those hearts I see in the water?" Lola was astounded. "What an impressive display of love!"
Judging by Gray's embarrassed slouch, Natsu didn't believe he agreed.
Juvia's last attack had knocked Ren out cold, in a humiliating seven minutes. The quickest match of the day. She was asked to get rid of all the water before returning to her team. Juvia happily complied, but ran to Team A's viewing box instead of hers.
"Are you proud of me, my darling?" she latched onto Gray's arm. "It wasn't as fast as you were with that snow boy on the first day."
"Flaky womanizer didn't stand a chance."
It wasn't much of a compliment, but Juvia looked like Gray had asked her to marry him. Natsu shuddered at that horrifying image, praying to Igneel that he wouldn't be there if that situation ever did occur.
Mato's roulette spun, landing on Alexei from Raven Tail and Cheria Blendy, a petite girl with rose pink hair from Lamia Scale.
The pinkette watch the battle with more focus than it wound up deserving. He was one of a handful of members of the guild that was aware of Alexei's true identity as Ivan, Laxus's father and Makarov's son. The others being Gajeel and Erza.
His mate had already proven Future-Levy's words true during Pandemonium, but Natsu was still interested in her second piece of proof: her prediction that Ivan would lose. Ivan had fooled the Games' committee with his illusion magic, a copy of himself sitting in the stands. Dressed as he was like a golden medieval knight with a semi triangular face mask with an obnoxious sized trident plate on the forehead, his physically features were difficult to discern.
If he was truly looking to be incognito, Ivan needed to ditch the fur lined cape. It screamed his Dreyar heritage loudly.
It was a mystery how he believed his inclusion went unnoticed. Makarov could easily get his son's guild disqualified. The Grand Magic Games had few rules and denying the guild masters the ability to participate was one of them.
But it wasn't the Fairy Tail way. If Ivan was looking for a fight, they would give him one he wouldn't forget. Prove to him and his knock off guild why he had been excommunicated.
Cheria was Ivan's total opposite. Fifteen and as tall as Wendy when she first joined, which was to say not even five feet tall. Her amaranth hair was tied up in two short pigtails by orange bows. Her young face and cute clothes shouted her innocence.
Even without knowing Alexei was Ivan and what the man was capable of, Natsu would have pegged the Raven Tail wizard as the victor.
He supposed Future-Levy had given him two clues because it gave her more validation. But the idea that Ivan, still prideful and vain masquerading as another character, would lose to half his height and less than half his age was laughable.
Cheria didn't look like she could hurt a fly.
As it turned out, Nadu's comparison of the young girl to Wendy had hit the nail on the head. Cheria was a Sky God Slayer.
Daunted by the armored man that dwarfed her but determined to Grice her best for her guild, Cheria skillfully employed her black currents, throwing Ivan about like one of his paper dolls. The man put up a token resistance, resulting in Cheria claiming ten pints for Lamia Scale.
Natsu didn't have any time to ponder Raven Tail's guild master's lackluster performance as he was the first person called down for the final match.
He studied Risley Law as she came to a stop before him. The Mermaid Heel wizard was a chubby woman with tan skin and curly, bushy black hair held out of her face by a plain beige headband. Her clothes were Polynesian tropical, a blue band and long loincloth with white finishes, and she wore an animal tooth necklace.
From her attire he was unable to determine what kind of magic she wielded. She lacked a weapon but it was always possible that she was a Re-Quip mage like Erza.
"Don't look down on the chubby!" she yelled, noticing his stare.
"I wasn't—" he half-heartedly protested. "Never mind."
"I'll kick things off! Gravity Change!"
Risely simultaneously manipulated her own gravity and the area around Natsu, her goal being to get the first hit in while he was affected by the increased gravity field.
Tactically sound, but flawed against an opponent that was a Dragon Slayer. His bone density was stronger than that of an average wizard, so he hardly felt the increased gravitational pull. Nagneel was another benefit he had over even his fellow slayers. If it came down to it, Natsu was capable of partially transforming and flying to escape her sphere of influence.
Not that he planned to. He was going to save that party trick for Zeref.
Natsu learned really quickly that she had a similar weakness as Yuka. Risley could affect her own and his gravity, to the point where she went from chubby to swimwear model, and run along the vertical walls of the stadium to avoid his attacks, but her Gravity Magic had no effect whatsoever on his flames.
One Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade and the female wizard reverted to her chubby form. The torrential flame barrage was his favorite finishing move. Laying prone on the ground, it almost looked like her soul had left her body.
"And that concludes Day Three of the Grand Magic Games!"
The point totals appeared on lacrima vision, using arrows to show the gains from day two to three.
Fairy Tail B: 46pts
Sabertooth: 42 pts
Fairy Tail A: 32 pts
Lamia Scale: 29pts
Raven Tail: 28 pts
Mermaid Heel: 20 pts
Quatro Cerberus: 16 pts
"Don't despair, Blue Pegasus," Mato encouraged. "We're only halfway through the Games, kabo. As Fairy Tail proved today, you can jump several rankings by earning twenty points. You're not out yet, kabo!"
Natsu intentionally walked slower on their way back to the inn. By habitat, Erza matched his pace, allowing a crowd of people to separate the duo from the remainder of their team. "Can you let Master know I'm bringing the answer to our little problem to the inn? Round up Jellal and his friends if you can," he added when she acknowledged his request.
He returned to the bridge from last night, leaping lightly to perch upon the ornamental balustrade. It wasn't long before Future-Levy's cloaked form seemingly rose out of a nearby archway.
"So what's Ivan's game?" he asked without looking.
"Shall we head to the Honey Bone?" the blunette suggested. "I'd rather explain only once."
It was a sensible request. Natsu waved his permission, and so the pair traversed the still bustling streets of Crocus in silence. The unknown cloaked figured did not go unnoticed as they made their way up to Makarov's room, but the guild continued their celebrations as if she had. If anything, they were purposefully extra. There was a barrel surfing contest starting when they reached the stair's landing.
Crime Sorcière was waiting inside Makarov's suite. Gajeel, a surprising inclusion, leaned guardedly against the wall next to the Third Master's eyes penetrated, lingering on the still cloaked time traveler.
"So this is where you ran off to last night. An encounter with our mysterious anomaly."
"You might want to sight down for this one, Gramps."
Given the okay from Natsu, Future-Levy drew back her hood.
The other six wizards erupted, a cacophony of complaints and shouts that drowned each other out but grated horribly on Natsu's enhanced sense of hearing. He yelled for silence.
"She's from the future."
"And you believed her?" Jellal's eyes glittered, a promise of pain.
"She predicted today's events." Natsu recounted the vague clue's Future-Levy had told him as a sign of faith, word for word. Utlear, despite being the biggest naysayer, having firmly shut down the concept of time travel when they first suggested it, was the first to accept Future-Levy's claim.
"I can sense your older than your counterpart downstairs."
The sapphire haired woman looked like someone had lifted the world from her shoulders. "Thank you. I know our guild has seen some crazy things, but I wasn't sure you would believe me."
It was Erza that embraced her. "It's been so long," whispered Future-Levy.
After a moment, the time traveler recomposed herself. "Tell us everything," Makarov requested.
Words spilled from her mouth. The whole time she spoke, Future-Levy twitched erratically.
She came from the year X798. During the Grand Ball of her Grand Magic Games, which she very carefully did not mention who won, ten thousand dragons descended on Crocus. The world laid in smoking ruins. Dragons once more ruled, while humanity was nearly extinct.
"Underneath the city lies what is called the Eclipse Gate. It's probably the largest magical artifact in all the nations," explained Future-Levy. "It's a door that connects two time periods. It's how I came back to this year. Lucy opened it."
"Lucy?"
Makarov wasn't the only one surprised. The resident Celestial mage had determination in spades, and contrary to common belief Celestial wizards did have very strong magical cores. It was necessary to open a gateway between the two worlds and summon a spirit. The strength of her magic wasn't the issue though. Natsu never would have believed the blonde possessed the amount of magic to power the Eclispse Gate.
Future-Levy dully corrected their misconception. The gate natural drew on latent Ethernano, continuously storing magical power. Lucy was only required to open the gate because a Celestial Wizard, and the twelve zodiac keys specifically, were needed to unlock it.
"So Lucy will be the first wizard to own all twelve golden keys? She must be proud."
Future-Levy burst into tears. "She doesn't. Not in my time."
"Then how did she open the Eclipse Gate?" Meredy asked, confused.
"By using her life energy in place of the missing keys."
Natsu inhaled sharply, an action mimicked by the rest of the room. It was so Lucy of her. The blonde wizard was also the one pushing them to stand strong. Lucy never lost her faith in her family, never doubted that the guild would come out the other side stronger and with closer bonds. Knowing her, she promised Levy the chance to change their present, that the ten Golden Gate keys she owned would be enough, not revealing the consequence until it was too late for Levy to stop her.
"Someone has lead the princess to believe the gate serves as a cannon. In my time, she was tricked into opening it, allowing another time traveler the chance to pass through. If I can prevent it from being opened, or if I open it first, I should be able to prevent my world's destruction."
"There's a second time traveler?" Jellal surged to his feet. Future-Levy shrunk back from his anger. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"I don't know. The gate was opened in X791, but I don't know where that person went."
Ultear laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. "She speaks the truth. This second traveler could have jumped anywhere in time."
"Any point where the gate existed," the Script wizard clarified. "Best we figure, that gate was first constructed in the late X390s."
Natsu was gripped by unease. Four hundred years was a long time. Time traveler number two could have changed countless parts of history. Would they even be aware if anything had changed?
"If I could get to the gate first, I could prevent this other person from ever using it. You see, it takes seven years for the Eclipse Gate to build up enough energy."
Gajeel grumbled. "Again with the sevens. Why is it always seven?"
His grievance went ignored.
"The theory behind the gate is incredibly complex. It would take more time than I have to explain all of it. But, long story short, it was designed to connect forward in time. Because it exists now, it must exist at every point in the past. Simultaneously, so long as it exists now, it may exist in the future."
"So, this unknown time traveler could have jumped to the future, if your theory is correct," postulated Ultear.
"Hypothetically, yes," Future-Levy directed at grateful smile at the time mage, glad that the woman was present. For all her research, there was so much she didn't understand about time travel. Hopefully, Ultear would be able to fill in any gaps.
"I can utilize it to return to my time. If I'm the first one through, assuming the second time travel come to this year as well, it'll establish a singular time flow. The gates connect two times, but travel only occurs one way, either forward or backward, depending on who goes through first. Once I go through, it can only be used to go forward until it is shut."
"At which point it would take another seven years to charge," Erza concluded.
It was grim tidings.
It was another half hour before they wrapped up the impromptu powwow. At this stage, they needed more information. Natsu convinced Future-Levy to remain within the inn's walls, for it would make tracking a possible second time traveler easier. If he sensed Zeref's magical signature again, it would have to be the other time traveler. Jellal insisted upon helping with the search, which the Dragon Slayer reluctantly agreed to. Two pairs of eyes were better than one.
Ultear and Meredy were going to sneak into the palace with two goals in mind. First, using Future-Levy's directions to find and examine the Eclipse Gate. The purple haired woman hoped to glean more knowledge by studying it first-hand. Their second objective was to find the archives and see if there were any mentions of Eclipse or other time travelers within.
Erza was sent to fetch Lucy. The Celestial wizard would need to be brought into the fold seeing as how she was integral in opening the gate. If they were lucky, she would know where the last two Zodiac keys were.
Gajeel couldn't contribute much, aside from maintaining his position in Ivan's camp, but he promised to keep an ear to the ground, just in case the ex-member's reason for joining this year's game had less to do with Fairy Tail's presence and was because of Eclipse instead.