{A New Path}: A Paradise For All

The journey from Ishgar to Paradise Island was a long one, but even though they had been sailing for two days, the excitement in Natsu didn't dwindle. He stood together with Makarov and Gildarts at the front of the ship, a beaming smile adorning his face. Gildarts held in his hand a medallion, the only thing in the world that would give you passage into the boundaries of Paradise Island. Without that, the invisible fog around the island would unknowingly to the travellers make them sail circles around it, and no matter what methods used, they would never see the fog. Only with the medallion would it become visible and let you in.

That's why when the fog suddenly started appearing and flooding their surroundings, Gildarts yelled out. "Don't fret! This means we have arrived." He knew this fog well enough to recognize that it was the same one always present around his father's island. It was incredibly dense in magic so it wasn't hard identifying it. Makarov gave the fog an interesting look as he also felt the powerful magic it was made of.

"So we have arrived. I am most excited about this, I can't believe I am the only master of Fairy Tail to visit this place. Such an honour!" His eyes were glued at the mist as he was looking for any signs of land, any at all.

"THERE! I SEE IT!" Natsu yelled as loud as he could as an outline of a massive shape appeared through the fog. It didn't take long for the members to be able to see the crystal-clear water now surrounding them. Very different from the dark and dirty ocean they had been sailing in to get here. Just this one part of this place already solidified their belief that this was truly paradise.

"FISH!" Happy saw the most delicious-looking school of fish he had ever witnessed swimming around the ship. Without thinking about possible dangers, he tried diving right in, only for Gildarts to appear and hold him back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'll anger the king of the ocean if you kill anything in these waters. Only father has that privilege." The waters looked peaceful, and you could see the bottom from the boat, but Gildarts knew better.

"What you see is an illusion. The water is very deep, much more than you see here, and the beast ruling the waters around the island doesn't take kindly to people killing its underlings. Everything in these waters obeys that beast." He had to increase his strength around Happy. The flying cat didn't give up, it was as if he hadn't heard Gildarts at all. The fish looked and smelled incredible, he couldn't really resist.

"G-Gildarts, is everything here dangerous?" Wendy asked timidly. Even though everyone ended up agreeing to come, her reasoning was mostly because she didn't wanna miss out on seeing the Island.

"As you all are now, you reside at the bottom of this island's food-chain. Since I was a kid, the beasts here have grown stronger and stronger. Even I can't defeat everything living here, not including the Overlords."

"So, do you know how he's gonna train us?" Gajeel was mostly excited just like Natsu, but his motivation lied in being the strongest dragon slayer and not defeating Amell. Unlike Natsu, who now was solely driven by his motivation to defeat Amell.

"One half of the island is known as The Land Of The Living, while the other is know as The Deadlands. The Deadlands is most likely the place he is gonna send you to. You will be tasked as a group to survive there against all the threats looming in that place. It's the home of three Overlords, if you encounter any of them, just resign to death because you will not in any foreseeable future defeat them."

"Sounds like fun! I will definitely defeat all three by the end. You're with me, right Lucy?"

"Aaahh... No, not a chance in hell. I am gonna stick close to Erza and Mirajane and try and not die." The whole Tenrou group had been invited and all of them had accepted, so except for Cana who was already on the island, everyone else was currently on this ship.

"I might just walk with Gildarts in the beginning, Lucy. But you're free to join us." Mirajane said calmly, she wasn't that excited for fighting, she was mostly just following along to do her duty as a secondary guild master to the irresponsible Makarov.

"Sorry, Mira. Father forbade me from interfering. I have been travelling the Deadlands since I was a young boy, I know it too well, it wouldn't be training if I came along." This was a partial lie. He was allowed to interfere if they were to face death, but he just mainly wanted to relax in the castle. And, everyone obeyed him like his father, so if things were looking grim, he could just send Sebas to help them. Gildarts thought it to be quite impressive just how afraid of Sebas the beasts of the island were, they acted like he was the grim reaper, reaping souls of anyone unfortunate enough to cross him.

"Damn, there goes my lifeline." Lucy sulked down against the railing in despair. It wasn't that she didn't wanna evolve as a mage, but she wasn't crazy like Natsu, she prefered the long game, not these instant power-ups through inhuman-level training.

"Wow!" Wendy and Carla said suddenly at the same time. The island had finally come into full view, and with it, God's mountain way in the distance stretching far above the clouds was also visible. "That is the legendary island?" Carla asked. She didn't have that same awe-inspiring feeling as the mages of Ishgar had when it came to Amell's legends. She mostly only cared about Wendy and things pertaining to her.

"That's incredible! What a cliff!" Makarov said, referring to the massive cliff you had to scale to get on the actual island itself.

"Everyone, follow me." Gildarts jumped off the boat, and down on the beach. The sand was so soft that it felt like you were stepping on a cloud. Paradise Island was so rich in magic that every aspect of nature was enhanced to levels never seen before.

When everyone had made it to the beach, they stood for a second and simply marvelled at the sight. The cliff was about three times the heigh of Acnologia, so in short, it was gigantic and vertical. It was a near-impossible climb for a normal human.

Along the never-ending beach, nothing but sand could be seen. But what caught everyone's attention was when suddenly from over the cliff appeared a giant head. A serpents head. Lucy looked up in absolute terror, she instantly disappeared and ran behind Gildarts, surprised to already finding Wendy and Carla standing there as well.

"Gildarts, what is that?!"

"Our welcoming party. Do not let her entice you." Before he could speak again, the rest of the body became visible as the creature slithered down the cliff. When her head touched the sand, her tale had yet to leave the top of the cliff, she had an astonishingly long body. This was someone Gildarts was incredibly wary of.

"Young massster Gildartsss" Out from the serpent's mouth came words, but the mouth only opened and never mouthing the words. Her eyes were bigger than a human body, even someone as big as Amell. "Thisss is Fairy Tail?"

"Hello, Luna. Mind if you change to another form, they won't be able to focus when you look like that." Gildarts had flared his magic, announcing that he would not tolerate any of her usual antics. As he had been told and shown many times before, Luna would draw her prey in with her incredible alluring figure, whichever her target preferred, and if you fell for it, it only ever ended in one way. She would eat you. It required great will-power to resist her charms.

"With pleasure, Young massster Gildarts." The serpent's body lit up in blinding light and not long after there stood only a slim woman with a backless purple dress and bright green eyes. Her body would make any hormonal teen explode, and her charm magic was apart of that reason. Everything from her gaze to her words was embued with charm magic to draw people in.

"Pretty," Wendy said with a face red as a tomato.

Luna turned her gaze to the young dragon slayer and smiled, as her fragrance drowned the area. "What an adorable little dragon you have brought. She looks absolutely delicious." A long slimy tongue came out as Luna licked her lips seductively. The boys in the group couldn't keep their pulse in check, everyone was reacting to her presence, even Gildarts. This was why she was so dangerous.

"Luna, know that Sebas is but one call away. You know nothing goes unseen on this island." Immediately the fragrance in the air seemed to disappear and the group woke up from an almost paralyzed state.

"You just had to ruin the fun by using that name. Someday, I will feast on him as well." She could only imagine how good he would taste after all the beatings and humiliation he had caused her. Sebas was not just a little stronger, he was unfathomable in her eyes. Also, like Amell, he could effortlessly resist her charm, which meant she would have to fight using physical and magical prowess. In that area, only Alucard and Amell could win over Sebas.

"Only if you wish to perish. Plus, drop that act now, we both know you wouldn't dare hurt me. He would replace you instantly."

"Fine! I am just here to take you to your destination anyway." She gave Gildarts body one last look before turning to the mages behind him. "Follow along." She said and started walking. Only an Overlord could make your climb up the cliff more comfortable, so that's why she was here to greet them. With her present, no beast would dare cause trouble.

There was a path up the cliff, but it was hidden with magic. Each Overlords area of influence had one such path in the cliff that they guarded. Luna was here to take them up the cliff using her path. During the ascension, not even Natsu wanted to talk. The aura around Luna made speaking near impossible, it caused feelings of terror to weld up inside you as one word or action might cause your death. Gildarts power over her didn't ease that at all, this was just like facing Acnologia all over again. And, this time Amell wasn't here to steal the show, so they all opted to be quiet.

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End