Ignition

A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome back to A Tale of Black Fairies. Last time it was finally revealed to the guild the truth of Asta's arms. Fairy Tail has put all hands on deck to find any way they can to help their magicless swordsman, but before they can, fate has a rather wild detour in store for them.

This is also the introduction of another very important OC for this series. I don't plan on putting too many OCs in, because I dislike when fanfics make up too many characters that take over the plot. I have enough characters between Fairy Tail and Black Clover already, so only expect one or two more important ones.

Plenty of familiar faces will finally start making appearances as well, so enjoy the new chapter.

Comment Response Time!

Dbswagking12 – Whaaaat? No way. That's totally not something I definitely wanna write super badly. ;)

Geoxaga – Glad you enjoyed my series so far. I will admit maybe giving Asta the arm early was a mistake, but a little contrivance here and there to preserve certain plot points and change others is fine. Edolas is actually the arc I'm dreading the most because it's not really my favorite, but I do have some ideas about how I want to portray the Black Clover characters there as well, the Noelle bit is kind of close to what I have planned though.

A few days have passed since the entire Fairy Tail guild decided to try and fix Asta's arms, and so far, there has been no success. It's the emptiest the guild's ever been as most members are out looking for different solutions. The only people inside the guild right now consisted of Lucy, Levy, Mirajane, Noelle, Mimosa, Romeo, Sting, and Rogue. Mirajane was still working at the bar, the rest of the girls were studying, and the kids were left there since their guardians were busy.

"Ugh, it's been days, and we still haven't found anything." Lucy moaned. "Not to mention we've barely gone through a single shelf of the guild's library, just how many books are there here anyway?"

Levy put her book down with a sigh. "A lot." She answered. "Some of these books aren't even in any language I've seen before. The only other place with this many books would be the Magic Council's archives."

"Well, shouldn't we just ask them for some?" Lucy asked.

"What I've heard from my family makes it sound like they probably wouldn't do that." Mimosa said. "My brother requested a book from them once and it took a month for him to get it."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Levy said.

"I knew you had one, but I only really know your cousins from meeting them." Lucy commented. "We all know Noelle's family is… questionable to say the least, but I don't know much about yours."

Mimosa laughed nervously. "Well, there's not much to say, really. I don't think you'd want to hear about my family that much, right Noelle?"

Mimosa turned to her fellow royal but found that she was not paying attention to their conversation at all. "What's wrong, Noelle?"

"Does anyone else hear that?" Noelle's question was met with blank stares. "Oh, right. I keep forgetting that I have dragon hearing now. Well, it sounds like a huge crowd is running towards the building."

"What do you guys hear, then?" Lucy turned to the table where the kids were supposed to be studying, only to find a note that read: 'Got bored. We'll be back later.'

"Are you kidding me!" Lucy screamed right before the doors were burst open by a crowd of fangirls squealing so loud it was a miracle none of the glass cracked.

"EEEEEE!"

"Is he here? Is he here?"

"I bet he's even better looking in person!"

"I bet he's like 7 feet tall!"

"Did he sit in this chair?!"

The crowd of women ran throughout the guildhall, leaving Lucy and her friends utterly baffled by what's going on. "Umm, excuse me. Why are you all here today?"

The crowd froze before turning their attention onto Lucy. When she blinked, Lucy was suddenly surrounded by the fangirls who started fussing over her.

"Oh my god, is it her?!"

"Yeah, I think it is!"

"I can't believe she was here as well!"

"She has to know where he is, right?"

"They have to be super close!"

"What's up with the pink in her hair?"

"That dye job is so cute!"

Before she joined Fairy Tail, Lucy always dreamed of one day being a famous wizard and a household name. She thought being a celebrity would be a lot of fun, but she's quickly coming to realize that fame has a price – her sanity.

And Lucy's been running short enough on that.

"Uhhh, can I get some help please?!" Lucy begged for her friends assistance, but they were too confused to help her.

"Ahem." Thankfully, the commotion is interrupted by Mirajane, who makes her present known. "The guild has dealt with rowdy guests before, so I would recommend that you all calm down, or else I will have to remove you personally."

The tone in Mira's voice convinced the crowd to be still for a moment. "Thank you. Now, what are you ladies here for?"

Someone in the crowd raised their hand, and like a teacher Mira pointed to her. "Yes, dear?"

"Umm, we were hoping we could find Oberon here?" The girl answered nervously.

All of the Fairy Tail members glanced at each other. "Is there anyone called Oberon in Fairy Tail?" Noelle asked.

"I've never heard of anyone by that name before. Sounds kind of weird." Mimosa said.

"Oh!" Levy exclaimed in realization. "Oberon is the name of the Fairy King from the same story as Titania the Fairy Queen."

"Wait, so you think Oberon is a title?" Lucy realized.

"Well, Erza didn't decide on the title of Titania on her own." Mira replied, giggling as she recalled the memory. "I remember she was so embarrassed when she saw it in the news, it was adorable."

"Well, you would know wouldn't you?" The girl seemed just as confused as them.

"Where did you even hear about this so called 'Oberon?' Just because he's named that doesn't mean he's a member of Fairy Tail." Lucy was skeptical, having dealt with a phony Salamander the day she met Natsu.

"Oh, it was from the recent issue of Sorcerer Weekly." Another girl said as she pulled it out of her purse. "Look here, on the front page."

Lucy took it from her and her face morphed into one of disbelief. "No way! Who in the world took this picture!"

"Lucy, who's in that picture?" Levy asked.

Lucy showed it to them and their faces changed to match hers. The image they saw was the finale of the battle against Laxus. The lighting mage was down on the ground while Lucy was giving a fist bump to Yuno. While Lucy internally complained about a picture of her in such a state, her friends were shocked by Yuno's appearance instead.

"What's up with Yuno? I've never seen him look like that before." Noelle pointed at his crown and wings.

"Oh right, I forgot in all the business afterwards to mention that Yuno looked like this." Lucy apologized.

Levy read the article underneath. "Fairy Tail, a guild known for their overly violent tendencies with wizards like Salamander, had a giant battle royale not too long ago. Residents of Magnolia said that it was another of Fairy Tail's antics, and even included a few light shows. However, at the climax of it all, two wizards defeated Laxus Dreyar, and S-Class mage, and the guild master's grandson.

"The challengers' names are Lucy Heartfilia and Yuno. If one of those names is familiar to our readers, that's because Lucy is the daughter of the previous Wizard Queen, and creator of the Golden Dawn guild, Layla Heartfilia. It seems like Lucy is now following in her mother's footsteps as a wizard now as well."

"Geez, whoever wrote this must've done their research." Lucy commented. She was unsure how she felt about her family history being so public, but it was gonna come out eventually. 'In fact, I'm shocked nothing about my father is in this after the Phantom Lord debacle.' Lucy thought.

Levy continued. "While all of this interesting, we know you're probably questioning the glowing green hunk. This is Yuno, who is a commoner that joined Fairy Tail shortly after Lucy Heartfilia. The Wizard King, Julius Novachrono himself informed us that his power comes from an ancient wind spirit called Sylph. For a peasant to be strong enough to defeat an S-Class mage is shocking enough, but to have the assistance of a magical spirit as well? We may be looking at a future Wizard Saint in the making, hell even Wizard King."

"Wow, they sure know how to get their readers hyped up." Said Noelle

"It looks like we may be entering a golden age of magic with these up-and-coming talents. Turn to the next page if you want some speculation of their love lives. There are rumors that the Fairy Queen has finally found herself a king-"

Levy stopped as Mira suddenly put her hand on her shoulder, her smile twitching in frustration. "That's enough, Levy. I'm pretty sure we have the whole picture now."

"R-right." Levy said as she handed it to Mira, who seemed to be gripping the paper very tightly.

Mira then turned to the crowd of fangirls once more. "Sorry to say, but Yuno is very busy right now, as is the rest of our guild. However, even if they were, we'd appreciate it if you only came to us to buy dinner or hire us for a job. Now unless you have any more business, I think you should all leave now. Agreed?"

No one argued.

Seconds later, the intrusive fangirls had left. Everyone was now looking at Mirajane, her back turned to them as she seemed to be almost trembling. No one said anything as they waited for Mira to calm down.

Only for her to tear the magazine in her hands and incinerates it with a purple flash and lets the ashes blow away carelessly.

"Hah…" Mirajane sighed before she turned back to her friends. "Yuno's at lunch right now, so we should probably go warn him about his new admirers."

Everyone nodded obediently.

"May I accompany you as well? I hope my presence would be more enjoyable than the crowd I just passed."

Looks of surprise came upon the girls as everyone turned to face their uninvited guest. It was face that everyone recognized, but couldn't believe was standing in their guild hall.

"W-why are you here?" Lucy asked, unaware that this person's appearance would make the rest of her day a lot more complicated than she wanted it to be.

"Thanks for inviting me here, Natsu. I'd hate to sit at home all day while everyone else is busy." Asta said.

Natsu threw out a fishing line. "Yeah, well I figured it was the least I could do. Sitting around without being able to use magic just made me want to set things on fire more."

While their girls were dealing with unexpected arrivals, the two rowdiest members of Fairy Tail were taking a break in the woods. Natsu and Happy had just gotten from a mission about a guy who could apparently regrow limbs, only to find out it was a slime monster who could mimic people.

Thankfully, they managed to complete the job without destroying anything expensive, (a miracle in every respect), but left annoyed that they didn't find any useful information.

The duo ran into Asta, who was wandering around town trying to figure out something to do. Happy recommended that they go fishing, which Natsu noted was just because Happy was running low on his personal stash, but Asta accepted anyway. So now they were in the forest where Natsu and Happy usually fished and got most of Happy's meals.

"I never learned how to fish since there wasn't much water back in Hage." Asta noted.

Natsu grinned. "Well that's the best part about going to new places, is that you get to try new things!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered. "I always make sure to taste whatever new fish I can during jobs!"

Asta laughed. "I understand why you like fish so much. Despite all the new things I've eaten, nothing comes close to Hage's Nomotatoes!"

Natsu and Happy gave their friend a strange look. "What's a nomotatoe?"

"Nomotatoes!" Asta enunciated it for Natsu's benefit. "They're only the most delicious and versatile food anywhere! You can use it to make stew, fries, pancakes, pretty much anything as long as you can make it a similar shape!"

"Wooooaaahh!" The father and son were enamored by the idea of a single item that could become any type of food. "Hage sounds like the best place on earth!"

Asta smiles wistfully. "For me it definitely is. Not a day goes by that I don't think of the people that I left behind at the orphanage. I make sure to write them a letter every time I finish a mission, well except my last one obviously."

"Oh, since we're talking about our pasts, why don't you tell me more about being raised by Igneel?" Asta asked. "I bet being raised by a dragon was really weird, huh?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, it was pretty normal to me. It was actually weirder when I got to Fairy Tail, but I had an idea about what humans lived like thanks to Aunt Anna."

"I feel like you've mentioned that name before," Asta commented. "Who is that?"

"Anna was the one who taught us Dragon Slayers what being human was like." Natsu explained. "I've got no clue how or why she was teaching us, but she was the only human the five of us knew for a long time. She disappeared along with our dragons, but I'm sure they're all just doing something important."

"Hold on," Asta realized something odd in Natsu's explanation. "You said there were five of you? I thought it was just you, Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel?"

Natsu rubbed his head. "Oh, I never mentioned Wendy, did I? Well, it's not like a big secret or anything, but Wendy Marvell was the fifth Dragon Slayer of our group. She was the Sky Dragon Slayer, so she had wind powers like Yuno. Unlike the rest of us though, she could do stuff besides just fighting with her magic."

"Like what?" Asta asked.

"I don't know much about it because she was like 5 or 6 the last time I saw her, but I know that she definitely had healing spells." Natsu answered.

"So, she's like a combination of Yuno and Mimosa?" Asta wondered as he imagined a smiling Yuno with boobs, and then a tall, frowning Mimosa.

Natsu laughed. "Well, you're not too far off actually. She may have been the youngest of us, but she was crazy strong for her age. One time she had a cold, and her sneezes were strong enough to blow down trees. The thing is, she's different from the rest of us Dragon Slayers."

Asta looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"She doesn't like fighting." Natsu answered. "Whenever the five of us would meet up, she would always look worried and upset at the idea of fighting someone. I never talked to Rogue too much, but I know that even he likes to have a good fight once in a while."

"The way you talk about her reminds of me of the kids back at the orphanage." Asta said. "I bet you care about her a lot."

"Of course." Natsu agreed. "All four of us agreed that Wendy is our little sister, and whenever we went to hunt animals, we made sure she got to handle the small ones. Although that backfired because she literally would never hurt a fly."

Before the two continue reminiscing about the past, they both turn to look at the trees next to them. "Hey, we know you're there Romeo. You don't have to hide from us." Natsu called.

The young boy walks out from behind the trees, looking embarrassed. "How did you know I was there?"

"Ki/Smelled you." Asta and Natsu answered.

"Oh, right." Romeo felt dumb for not remembering that. "Well, I hid because I'm technically supposed to be in the guild library right now and I didn't want you to snitch on me to the girls. They kind of scare me."

Natsu walked toward the young mage and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's no problem Romeo. I don't blame you for ditching something as boring as reading books. Erza taught me how to read and it was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced."

"Wait, but didn't you say Anna taught you about human stuff?" Asta questioned.

"Yeah, but I guess it was for a different country or something cause it looked completely different from anything found in Fiore." Natsu answered before moving on. "Enough about that, I actually wanted to talk to you Romeo."

Romeo's face lit up at hearing that his hero wanted to talk to him. "Really? What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I noticed that you've been hanging out with Sting and Rogue a lot. I just wanted to know what you've been getting up to."

"Oh. Romeo's face deflated. "Well, it was going pretty well. We'd get in arguments kind of like you and Gray, but I thought things were fine, until…"

One hour earlier…

Romeo, Sting, Rogue, and their cat partners were walking through the forest after sneaking out of the library.

"So, what exactly did you bring us out here for?" Rogue asked Romeo, who was the one who had the idea to leave.

"Don't worry about it. We're almost there." Romeo was doing his best to not giggle as he noticed the marker he had set.

Romeo took a slightly bigger step than usual, but Sting was none the wiser as he complained. "Well, it can't be worse than reading around a bunch of old books. You probably don't notice, but I still can't shake off their smEEEEEEEEELLLLLLL!"

Unbeknownst to the dragon slayer, his foot had just stepped on a previously unseen sigil. Once it became visible, it glowed a deep blue before a net of blue flames appeared underneath him. It then proceeded to grab everyone before tying itself up and attaching itself to the top of a tree.

"Hey, what's going on?! This is not cool man!" Lector yelled.

"Frosch thinks so too!" Cried the cat-frog.

"Wait a minute, these flames…" Rogue realized what happened quickly, along with Sting.

"This has your name all over it, Blueberry!" Sting roared. "Explain yourself!"

Romeo was too busy laughing himself silly, rolling around the ground like a dog. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" He had to take a moment to breathe before sitting up. "Oh, man! That went great! You should've seen the look on your faces!"

"How did you even do this?" Rogue was confused by Romeo's spell. "You didn't have time to cast a spell!"

"Hehehe…" Romeo chuckled sinisterly. "Well I just took some of your advice…" He then reached into his vest and pulled out a plain black book. "…and read a book."

Romeo's victims' jaws dropped in disbelief. "What the heck is even in that book? Scratch that, how'd you get it?" Sting questioned.

"Well, I actually found this in the library a while ago. It kind of just fell in front of me out of nowhere." Romeo explained. "I figured that this must be a super special book, so I took it home and I've been studying it. Look here!"

Romeo opened the first page and showed it to his captives, pointing to the several signatures on it. "I don't know who P.G, W.S, and Y.D are, but see here - M.V!" Romeo's face lit up as he showed off his findings.

His imprisoned audience was not impressed. "Uhh, what am I supposed to get from that?" asked Sting.

"This signature must be from the founder of the guild, Mavis Vermillion!" Romeo yelled. "This journal must be full of a bunch of stuff she learned along with the first members of Fairy Tail!"

"Wait, Vermillion? Like Mimosa's family name?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, it's a bit of an open secret that the founder had the same last name as one of the royal families' but apparently it's just a coincidence." Romeo answered nonchalantly before getting excited once again. "But don't you understand that what this means?"

"That you're a nerd?" Sting insulted.

"That you're a jerk?" Rogue growled.

"That you won't stop talking?" Lector moaned.

"Frosch is uncomfortable." Frosch said.

Romeo rolled his eyes. "Of course not, Lightbulb and friends," he snarked, "It means that I have a historic notebook of all the adventures the original four members had along with all the magic they earned!" His eyes couldn't leave the notebook as he leafed through its pages. "The spell I used is based on an adventure they had in the Heart Kingdom, where they apparently use magic in a completely different way than ours! I've barely touched that story, but I practiced what I learned from it to the point that I can make traps like that with no problem! Who knows what else I might learn from this!"

Sting scoffed. "Enough about your stupid geek journal. We don't need any of that because we already have enough strength as dragon slayers. My dad taught me everything I need to know."

"Um, Anna taught us a lot as well." Rogue said but was ignored.

"You think your dad's so cool? Well my dad fought 19 Vulcans on his own!" Romeo yelled.

"Hah, my dad ate 20 Vulcans for breakfast!" Sing gloated.

Rogue turned away from the ongoing feud. "You two are acting like children." The shadow dragon slayer was fed up with his only friends' arguments at this point.

"You're just saying that because your dragon is just as lame as Sting's!" Romeo countered.

Rogue growled as he rushed to face Romeo in the net. "Don't talk about my father! You don't understand anything about Skiadrum!"

"Yeah! You're just jealous because your dad is a loser!" Sting shouted.

The atmosphere was getting more and more intense, and the only ones who noticed were the cats caught in the middle. "Um, Sting you should calm down." Lector pleaded, as he knew that Weisslogia was a sore spot for Sting.

"Rogue you're scaring Frosch." Frosh was tearing up, as they hated it when Rogue got upset.

Unfortunately, they were too late as Romeo was already fired up at them insulting his dad. Romeo respected his father more than anyone, and he hated hearing people disrespect him. "What do you two know, at least I still have a dad!"

The moment Romeo said it, he knew that was a mistake. He had been witness to several incidents where people made a harsh comment about Igneel around Natsu, only to find their body temperature was a lot hotter than it was before Natsu opened his mouth.

It was only because of that prior experience that he knew to immediately turn and run once the twin dragons opened their mouths, light and shadow magic racing at his heels.

"Sorry! I-I didn't mean it!" Romeo shouted, but he could tell by the sound of dual draconic roaring he knew his words didn't reach their ears. "Well, I'll just leave them in that net for a bit longer."

However, as Romeo got farther away from his friends cries, a heavy feeling grew in his heart. Romeo didn't know what that feeling was, but he knew it couldn't be worse than the pain Sting and Rogue felt right now.

Romeo felt nothing but shame after explaining his mistake. He knew that he screwed up harder than he had in long time, thankfully his dad wasn't home or else he'd be grounded by the end of the day.

Unexpectedly, Natsu actually looked like he was considering how to deal with Romeo. A little-known fact about the infamous Salamander that leaves destruction everywhere he goes is that he has a knack for dealing with children. Some say its because he has a deep empathy for children as they remind him of growing up with Igneel, while others (Gray mostly) say its because he hasn't grown up.

Either way, Natsu's response was one that was unexpected. "Romeo, you know everyone in Fairy Tail fights a lot, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Romeo looked unsure of where this was going.

"Whenever we argue, have you ever heard us bring up other people names?" Natsu asked.

Romeo was shocked by Natsu's question before trying to remember the ones he's heard. "Not that much, actually. In fact, now that I think about it, whenever you do, you never say anything negative about the other person, just each other."

Natsu nodded. "You're right. Now why do you think that is?"

"Well," Romeo hesitated because the answer was obvious, which made him feel even worse. "It's not fun to make fun of people that your friend's care about, especially when they have complicated feelings about them."

"Yep," Natsu agreed, "That's why I like to keep things simple in my smack talk." He then put his hand on top of Romeo's head. "Romeo you're way smarter than me, so you don't need anyone to explain what you did wrong. Me and Gray had a few arguments like this as well, so I'm not gonna get mad at you or anything. If you're ever in a situation like that again, don't try and think about what anyone in Fairy Tail might do, try to be even better than that."

Romeo nodded silently, while Asta was completely befuddled by what he just witnessed.

"Wait, Natsu, have you been pretending to be an idiot this whole time?!" Asta shouted.

"Huh?" Natsu turned around confused. "What are you talking about, man? I just said stuff that made sense to me, that's all. I couldn't stand all the reading and math nonsense that a smart person has to go through."

He then faced Romeo again before smiling goofily. "Now, tell me more about that prank you pulled. I'd love to do that to Gray or Erza sometime, I bet it would be hilarious!"

Romeo giggled, glad that Natsu was acting like his usual self. "Of course, Natsu."

Asta was still confused by the comparatively sage like wisdom Natsu showed and the prank loving goofball that he was looking at now. He glanced at Happy, who simply chewed on a fish and said, "That's Natsu for ya!"

"Simple, was it? I see that is an apt description."

A young voice that no one had heard until now spoke up, causing everyone to look towards them. The source of the voice was a teenager they had never met but could tell from the way he is dressed that he comes from a very wealthy family.

He was a teenage boy who looked slightly older than Romeo of a decent height with black rimmed glasses over his light blue eyes and dark green hair that seemed to be combed over, except for a single strand that hangs over the center of his head. He wore a white dress shirt with emerald embroidery that signified his outfit was tailor-made and over it was a golden coat pinned to his shoulders with green pins. Around his neck is a jade necklace, and on the end hangs a golden crown pinned on top of a green four-leaf clover.

Romeo was the first to respond, as he was not in the mood for dealing with some random rich kid. "Hey man, who are you, and why are you butting into my personal business?"

The rich boy rolled his eyes. "I have no desire to eavesdrop in on the business of simpletons. There's nothing for me to learn by watching you, so why would I?"

"Stop calling us simple! I bet you don't even have any idea who we are!" Romeo whined (he would deny that's how he sounded at the moment).

"Romeo Conbolt, you have fire magic, your father is an A-rank member of the Fairy Tail guild, and your magic is completely unremarkable for a commoner. That is what I have learned about you today, unless you want to prove me wrong."

Before Romeo could even argue with him, he moved on to Asta. "Asta, no last name. An orphan from the Forsaken Realm that joined only a month ago but aspires to become the next Wizard King. He has zero magical abilities yet has a grimoire that allows him to wield twin blades that can completely nullify magic. That is information I gained from hearing rumors, and looking at you…"

The boy's eyes focus on Asta, making his Ki flare up. It didn't feel like he was being attacked, but rather that he was being picked apart and prodded from every angle.

'What's up with this kid?' Asta thinks, before the stranger relaxes, and the prodding feeling goes away from Asta's body.

"It seems that rumors are true, you truly have zero magic in your body whatsoever. Though, I wonder how much those rumors will grow once they find out the source of your unnatural abilities."

Everyone's eyes widened, unable to believe what this random person was implying.

'Does he know about Liebe?! How did he figure that out in such a short time?' Romeo thought.

'No one even mentioned him, so it couldn't have been from our conversation, but the way he talks makes it sound like just figured it out.' Asta thought about the invasive feeling moments prior. 'Was that some kind of magic? Who in the world is this kid?'

The unknown boy waved his hand dismissively. "Worry not, I won't tell a soul about this. The truth will come out on its own one day, and we'll see what justice this country sees fit to serve you that day."

"And finally, Natsu Dragneel, the infamous Salamander. You have racked up quite the debt with your flagrant disregard for public property. Destruction seems to follow you wherever you go, and your ferality only serves to make your ludicrous claim of being raised by a dragon slightly more believable. Though some speculate that you're actually a second-generation Dragon Slayer to explain your magic. Though I imagine the answer will be simple, just like you."

Now it was Natsu's turn to have the sensation of being observed. However, while Asta felt like being poked by small needles, Natsu felt like he was being melted alive. The Dragon Slayer visibly started shaking as the sensations traveled through his body making him experience sensations he had no idea how to describe.

"What… the hell… is happening?" Natsu grunted. Romeo, realizing that something was wrong, immediately rushed toward the green-haired teen.

"Hey! Whatever you're doing, stop it right now before I-"

"Shut your mouth, Romeo Conbolt."

Romeo's mouth shut.

One second he was talking, the next it shut completely involuntarily. Romeo stopped in his tracks and put his hands to his mouth to force it open, but it wouldn't budge. It wasn't that his jaw was tightening, rather that no matter how much pressure he applied from his hand, nothing would let him open his mouth.

As soon as he gave the command, Natsu fell to his knees, eyes wide in shock as he tried to understand what happened to him. The rich teen was not doing so well himself either, as his eyes were now closed, and he was visibly sweating.

"What in the world is going on?!" Asta shouted as he looked at three people freaking out for no reason that he could see or sense with his Ki.

The stranger took a few more breaths before opening his eyes again, no one noticing the faint glow before he blinked. "It seems I stand corrected. You are not simple, Natsu Dragneel, not at all."

Romeo grunted loudly at the other boy as he was unable to open his mouth at all. "Oh, right. Liberate."

Romeo's mouth finally popped open, but he wasn't prepared for it to be so instantaneous as it stretched his jaw too wide. "Aw, crap man. What the hell was that for?!"

The newcomer bowed. "I am sorry. I simply didn't want any distractions to interrupt me. I've never had the experience be so intense for either party. Let me apologize by introducing myself, as I'm sure you all must have questions."

He walked toward Romeo who was rubbing his jaw and extended his hand for a handshake. "You've met others of stature, so it's only fair to introduce myself my name is-"

"There you are, Arthur." A voice interrupted the now named teen as they turned to see the Fairy Tail members that had stayed behind along with Sting, Rogue, and a man with a fancy cape and a golden mask on his face. "My, you sure found them quickly."

"Sting, Rogue!" Romeo called out to his friends, but they shifted their eyes away from his direction, shocking him.

Arthur bowed respectfully to the masked man. "It was no problem, Lord William. I simply followed my eyes."

"No problem my butt! What do you call that weird thing ten seconds ago!" Natsu roared.

"Natsu, you need to calm down." Lucy walked towards her boyfriend, her tone a lot more serious than her usual scolding. "He's just a kid, don't get so mad at him."

"Did something happen, Arhtur?" William asked.

"Nothing to worry about, I assure you. I just saw something more complicated than I expected that's all." Arthur answered.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?!" Natsu started towards William before his arm was grabbed by Lucy. "Lucy, why are you-?" Natsu whirled to face his girlfriend before he noticed the pensive look on her face. "What's wrong, Luce?"

"Let me explain," William started. "I am William Vangeance, Wizard Saint and head of the Golden Dawn guild. This young man accompanying me is Arthur Kira, oldest child of the royal house of Kira. With permission from the Wizard King himself, I have arrived to invite you all to visit the Golden Dawn in an effort to mend the gap between classes."

"Why would be interested in some smarmy fancy pants guild like yours?" Natsu remarks, not noticing Lucy's face fall even more.

William's face, while hidden by the mask, did grow colder. "I also arrived to inform Ms. Heartfilia of an unfortunate loss."

Natsu looked shocked and turned to face Lucy, who did not deny it. "It's true. I just found out that the home I grew up in with my mom, the entire estate, was burned to the ground."

Natsu could hear the heartbreak in her voice, and it made him burn hotter every second. "Lucy, I-I'm sorry, I didn't know." Natsu understood how having your childhood home taken away was, with Fairy Tail only recently being destroyed by his very eyes. However, he noticed how Lucy's eyes would never quite meet his. "Luce… what aren't you telling me."

William's hand landed on Natsu's shoulder. "I am afraid that primary suspect in this occurrence is you, Natsu Dragneel."

Later…

Following that cheerful meeting, the group went to collect Yuno before heading on a train to Crocus. Levy stayed behind to keep researching ways to fix Asta's arms as well as Asta, who was not invited. William claimed to not have any personal distaste for him, but rather that he became a rather controversial figure among the upper class when he fought the Silvas in his last appearance. Noelle, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue were all in their own room on the train, doing their best to not vomit on anyone, with only their animal companions to aid them.

"This bites, those rich jerks stuffed us all here because they didn't want to deal with Sting and the other's motion sickness. Lame!" Lector complained while Sting's face turned the same color as the trees they were passing.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch cheered while rubbing Rogue's back.

Noelle was left on her own because apparently Leviathan also got motion sick too, so he elected to stay in her grimoire.

Happy meanwhile was too worried about the earlier conversation to join in on the conversation. He watched helplessly as even when on the verge of regurgitating everything he'd even in the last 12 hours, Natsu kept muttering one thing.

"Lucy… wasn't… my fault."

In another room of the train, Yuno, Mimosa, and Mirajane were grouped together. Mimosa got lie on her own seat to deal with the headache God Slayer's receive on transportation.

"Oh, poor things." Mirajane cooed. "I used to think of Natsu's motion sickness as kind of funny back in the day, but now that there are 5 more people who have trouble on trains, I feel kind of bad seeing it in front of me."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Gray says that train rides are the best parts of a mission because he doesn't have to listen to Natsu fighting his stomach anymore." Yuno joked, making Mira giggle.

Yuno watched her with a smile before thinking back to the events of the Battle of Fairy Tail. "Hey, MJ…"

"What is it, Yuno?" Mira responded.

"Well, things have been kind of busy, so we haven't had a personal talk in a while, so I haven't been able to discuss…"

Mira looked at him with the best innocent look she could muster. "Discuss what, Yuno?"

"Uhh…" Yuno suddenly realized that he had no idea how to handle a conversation like this. Romance was not something he had considered at all until a couple of weeks ago, as it was not on the 'Steps to become the Wizard King' playbook that he had imagined before.

As he refocused on Mirajane's face however, he began to notice that her expression became more and more mischievous the more obvious it became that he was embarrassed.

Which only made him even more nervous all over again!

'Just say something, damn it! You can't be a Wizard King if you're too afraid to talk to a girl. Prove that you're better than Asta at this and you're closer to achieving your dream than he is!' Yuno imagined himself pushing past Asta on a path of stairs that led to the crown of the Wizard King.

With that bit of self-motivation, Yuno managed to move his mouth enough to finally form the sentence…

"Do you like… uh… boys?"

…

'DAMN IT!' Yuno shouts in his head. 'How is that the sentence I come up with? I'd expect Asta to utter something lame like that, not me!' That self-image of himself proceeded to fall down the steps before Asta ran over him effortlessly.

"Pfft… HAHAHAHA!" Mirajane couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at Yuno's failed attempt to broach the topic of their relationship. "I know you probably didn't mean to ask me that, but I'll answer you anyway. Yes, I like boys, in fact, I've dated a few, but they can never seem to stop themselves from staring at my boobs for an entire conversation more than a month or two, so it never worked out. Girls can at least last three before we break it off."

Yuno was stunned, not just by the fact that Mira had honestly answered the question he failed to pose correctly but had gone even further than that. "Wait, girls?"

"Yeah, I'm bi." Mira explained. "I think guys and gals are just as attractive. It's not like it's a big secret or anything, I'm confident in who I am." Mira then paused before turning to Yuno with a skeptical look on her face. "Hmm, you were raised by a church though, so you might not be cool with that."

Yuno shook his head. "No, Father Orsi and Sister Lily taught us that some people like different genders than we did. I have no idea if Asta absorbed that information well, but I don't think there's anything wrong with you."

Mira smiled at Yuno's acceptance. "I'm glad. It's nice to know that not every church is super intolerant. Though I guess these are the same people that accepted your brother made a pact with a devil. I'm just glad you weren't so puritanical that I'd have to explain what sex is to you."

Yuno tilted his head, his expression one of confusion. "Sex? What are you talking about?"

Mira froze in her seat, suddenly sweating profusely. "Oh, so I guess… They didn't explain it you, huh? W-well, when two people like each other a lot they…" She then looked at Yuno again only to see a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Grrrr, I can't believe you, Yuno! You tricked me!"

Yuno had a gut buster when Mira started pouting, Mimosa having been completely ignored in her seat, blushing heavily. 'Do they think just because I have a headache doesn't mean I can't hear them?'

Finally, at the end of the train were two smaller rooms. In one of the rooms, Lucy was sitting in front of William and gripping her skirt tightly.

William attempted to ease the tension with conversation. "It's been a long time, Lucy. I haven't spoken to you since you were a young girl."

"Yeah, I haven't heard from you since mom retired." Lucy's response was more spiteful than she intended, but she did not apologize.

William acted like he didn't hear the disdain in her voice. "I would've gone to the funeral as would many others, but your father wanted it to be private and we respected a grieving husband's wishes."

"What about the wishes of a grieving daughter? Were they not as important?" Lucy inquired.

William sighed. "I regret that I did not maintain contact with your family over the years. I had heard of the arrangement between your family and the Silvas, but did not think much of it. It is not uncommon for such deals to be made, but I understand how it can be upsetting for someone in your situation."

"So, you must also understand how upset I am at you implicating Natsu as the one who attacked the mansion?" Lucy asked, keeping her eyes low.

"Well, there are reports of him taking a mission around the area around the time of the attack, and it is confirmed to be a singular mage's doing. The evidence seems to fit." Wiliam answered.

"Well then, why are you so calm about bringing him to the capital during a friendly visit? Shouldn't he be under questioning for his crimes?" Lucy questioned. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was a trick by the Magic Council to take him of your hands and charge him for arson."

William chuckled. "Despite being gone from high society, I can see that your etiquette lessons were very ingrained and well taught." Lucy felt her face burn in embarrassment. She claimed to have put that part of her past behind her, but it was still creeping up even now. "However, your question is fair. In return, let me ask you; why do you think Natsu is innocent in this situation?"

Lucy raised her head indignantly. "Because I know Natsu, we're partners! We've risked our lives for each other multiple times! He'd never do something to hurt me like this!"

"We are talking about the infamous Salamander, however." William countered. "A title he obtained from the wanton destruction he leaves in his wake, and I understand he can also be a very headstrong man when he comes to a decision."

Lucy shook her head in refusal. "Natsu would never do that. He knows what it's like to have your home taken away from you along with all the good memories made there."

"What of the bad memories, Lucy?" William proposed. "By your argument, they would go away as well."

Lucy eyed him intensely. "What are you implying?"

"The situation seems clear, does it not? Your partner, still angered at your father for kidnapping you and destroying his guild, decided to act on his impulses when the opportunity came. He had taken a job near the estate before approaching it in the dead of night and igniting the building all at once, thinking to himself that now your father would not hurt you again."

"Shut up!" Lucy cried, doing her best to hold back tears. "That's not what happened, and I know it. Natsu knows when things are taken too far, and he wouldn't do all that for petty revenge." William was about to argue with her before she shook her head. "I wish to withdraw from this conversation, William. Wake me up when we get to the capital."

Lucy closed her eyes, while William sighed. 'Layla, what should I do? Your daughter is in danger, and she has no idea how close it is.'

In the last room of the train was Romeo and Arthur, the two of them sitting across from each other silently. Romeo glanced up from his journal to witness the royal reading his own book. Feeling that the atmosphere had gotten tense, Romeo decided to break the ice. "So… what are you reading?"

Arthur did not look up when he responded. "It's an in depth look on the history of Fiore, dating all the way back to the first Wizard King. I have to do a book report on it by the end of the week."

"Oh, is that part of some rich school class?" Romeo taunted.

"No, I have personal tutors that teach me all I need to know about politics, magic, and everything else a royal like me needs to know." Arthur answered, not rising to his bait.

"Right, I remember that Lucy's family was rich enough to buy teachers for her. It's probably why she's so smart." Romeo eyed his golden cape. "I guess then you're also a member of Golden Dawn?"

Arthur nodded. "Correct, however, the Golden Dawn does not officially recognize members until they are 15, same as every other guild." He then finally glanced up from his book. "Except yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Romeo couldn't stand the way Arthur looked at him, as if he was bored just by being in the same room as him.

"Nothing at all, I was simply stating a fact. While unable to be officially ranked until you're 15, you and the other young Dragon Slayers are listed under Fairy Tail's registry, the same as most of their current popular roster. While highly irregular, it's nothing complicated."

Romeo also hated the way Arthur talked to him. He couldn't get their first interaction out of their mind and how dismissive he was of him, like Romeo was a toy that he had gotten bored of. "Do you talk to everyone like that?"

"Only to people who warrant less thought than the books I read." Arthur replied.

"What I mean is why do you keep calling me simple?!" Rome yelled.

Arthur sighs before closing his book. "Well, the explanation is very straightforward. Your magic is not complex. It is simple fire magic that is colored blue."

Romeo was stunned. "W-wait, you've never seen my flames… how do you-?"

"You are very emotional," Arthur continued uninterrupted, "and wear your heart on your sleeve as I'm sure everyone in Fairy Tail does. You carry a lot of pride in both your guild and your family, as you grew up hearing about all the adventures they have gone through and wish for the day that you can be as notorious as your hero Salamander."

Romeo clenched his fist in anger. "What about you? I guess that means you're so much more complex than me when we're practically the same age?"

"Not necessarily, no." Arthur's reply was actually the most shocking thing Romeo had heard today. "Don't take anything I've said today as an attempt at insulting you or anyone else. I simply see the truth for what it is, and when I look at you I see very little."

The royal then pulled open his book again, his eyes locked on to the page. "Now then, I'd like to finish the chapter before the train stops. I'll let you study your content as well."

"…Fine." Romeo said nothing more before returning to his own journal. 'What does he know? I'm sure this guy must not have a lot of friends, hell I bet he's never been in an actual fight before anyway.'

A lightbulb went off in Romeo's head. 'Wait a minute… that's it.' He silently chuckled to himself. 'Let's see how cool you are once I show you what real skills look like.'

Later…

Asta was sitting in his room at the Black Bulls hideout, staring at his ceiling. "The nobles don't like me that much, huh? Well, they didn't do much to make me respect them either, so I'm not too upset. Still, I can't just let them ignore me forever, that's not how a Wizard King acts."

He then looked toward his grimoire on the table. "Speaking of people ignoring me." Asta took a long breath before yelling directly at the book. "Hey, Liebe! Stop hiding and come out here!"

…

"Damn, nothing huh?" Asta sighed before falling back on his bed. "I guess he's really upset with me, huh?" Asta started working his brain as hard as possible to figure out a way to get Liebe talking again. "If Celeste was still around, maybe he'd talk to her… I feel like I sometimes saw him hanging around Happy, but that's not gonna work right now either… Oh, I know! Maybe talking to He-"

BOOM

Asta's door blew off the hinges, frightening him as he flipped upside down against his wall. "What happened?" Asta mumbled.

"Hey, kid! What did I tell you about screaming in here while I'm in a bad mood!" The culprit of the break in was Yami, looking as intimidating as ever smoking a cigarette.

Asta fell off the wall like a banana peel. "Isn't that always?"

"Correct." Yami said as he plucked Asta's head with one hand. "Ready to die?"

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Asta cried in pain. "I was just bored because everyone left with the guildmaster of the Golden Dawn on the field trip and I wasn't invited! Oomph."

Yami suddenly dropped Asta. "William was here, and he didn't even say hi? That bastard must be avoiding me."

Asta noticed a spike in Yami's ki. "Yami, what's going on?"

Before Asta could question him anymore, Finral walked in. "Geez, I just get back and you guys can't stop shouting. Can't I rest for just one day?"

The answer to his question came when Yami grabbed him by the head. "Finral, we're going on a field trip."

'I guess not.'

Meanwhile…

The group that went to the capital are walking through the streets of Crocus to the Golden Dawn headquarters. All the way at the back of the group was a slouching Natsu with Happy sitting on his head walking next to Lucy.

Lucy attempted to ease her partner's worry. "Natsu, I know that you didn't have anything to do with what happened to the mansion."

Natsu twisted his head to face Lucy. "Of course you don't buy any of that crap, Luce. You're way too smart to fall for their bullshit. I'm just pissed that I'm getting blamed for some asshole's crimes."

"Well, I'm glad that you're keeping your mind on the prize." Lucy smiled while rubbing his back. "If it makes you feel any better, you're clearly not being charged with anything since the Magic Council hasn't gotten involved yet."

"Well, that's weird." Happy chimed in. "Wouldn't your dad be really upset at his house going up in flames? I figured he would be chomping at the bit to arrest the culprit as soon as possible."

"You're right, Happy." Lucy realized that her father hadn't been brought up in this situation even though he owned the house. "I wonder how he's feeling right now."

In front of them was the teenage quartet of the group. Sting and Rogue were still mad at Romeo for insulting their dads, and Romeo was planning on how to one up Arthur, so there wasn't much conversation there.

Next in line were Mimosa and Noelle. "Are you sure you want to be here, Noelle? After what happened last time, I didn't think you'd come to the capital so easily."

"It's fine, Mimosa." Noelle responded. "I can't let their existence stop me from living my life, plus I doubt they would just be hanging around another guildhall for no reason."

Mimosa smiled, glad that her friend was starting to move past her sibling's influence, though she was caught off guard by Noelle's next statement. "What about you, Mimosa? If I remember correctly, the Golden Dawn had scouted you for your healing abilities, but you rejected their offer to join Fairy Tail with me."

"Don't worry about that, Noelle." Mimosa answered. "I don't think that they would get hung up over one person rejecting them. Though I can't help but wonder what the purpose of this visit is?"

At the front of the pack were Mirajane, Yuno, and William, where Yuno proceeds to ask a similar question. "Lord Vangeance, if I may ask, what is the true purpose of you inviting us?"

William smiled. "No need to speak so formally, I understand that you come from a common background. Speak to me as you would anyone else in your guild."

Yuno didn't notice any issue, so he continued conversing. "Still, my question stands."

"You have a sharp mind." William said. "I'm glad that you and Lucy have noticed the oddities in my request. Rest assured; I have nothing nefarious in mind. I'll tell you the whole story at the guildhall."

Mira raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his attitude. 'Why is he being so accommodating to him? I don't think he's a rude person, but he seems to care a lot about him and Lucy, not to mention his connection with her mom. I have a bad inkling I know what he's planning.'

William slowed his pace down. "It seems we've finally arrived." Everyone stopped to look up at the literal castle in front of them, emblazoned with the emblem of the guild, a rising sun overlooking the capital. "Welcome to the strongest guild in Fiore, the Golden Dawn."

?

'Ah, it's about that time, huh?'

An indescribable figure surrounded in chains that cover everything but his face.

'I don't know why, but I get the feeling that something unexpected will finally happen after 500 years.'

All that can be seen is his long ruby red locks styled in braids and his only functioning eye, a swirling magatama.

'I wonder what slumbering slaves fate has in store this time?'

Boy, original chapters are a lot of fun to write. I get to have characters interact in ways that I've always wanted them to.

This chapter was purely set up, we'll get one or two fights next chapter depending on how long they take, but then we'll move into the plot set up at the end just now.

This chapter did introduce Arthur, who will be very important to the future of this series. I wanted Romeo to have a more intense rival that challenges him in ways that rivals like Sasuke from Naruto, or Vergil in Devil May Cry. Characters that mirror the protagonist in some ways, but are more overtly antagonistic. You'll learn more about him next chapter, though there is a detail about him that hints at another character who's introduced later.

Semi-spoilers for post Tenrou, but I will be doing Sword of the Wizard King because I love that movie (it's better than both Fairy Tail movies, come at me,) but only now have I realized how complicated things are with Layla holding the title as well. I'll explain Conrad's involvement later, but this is a warning that the timeline in general will be murky on past events because they're not very clear in either series on how far back most flashbacks are.

Last thing before we end, this arc is gonna be focused on Natsu and Romeo primarily. I put in the interaction between the two of them to show two things; one, Natsu's caring nature, especially with children. It's a smaller part of his character that I love and plan to use a bit more often. Second was to illustrate some of Romeo's character flaws going forward, like his arrogance when he pranks Sting and Rogue, and stubbornness when refuses to back down from the argument.

A lot has been set up so far, and we'll see some of it pay off soon.

Next Time: Inferno