34

It didn't take long for the trio to arrive at the Tribunal chambers, with Lord Xicor touching down outside the large building, ripping up the ground as he skidded to a stop. Once he was firmly grounded, he chuckled idly at the response to his landing.

"They always have this amazed look every time I leave the Dragon Shrine, don't they Eliza?"

"Indeed. You'd wonder if they consider you something above a Divine," Eliza smirked in response, as Natsu noticed someone rushing toward their position.

"Well you are a Dragon after all, so who wouldn't be impressed? See, this guy is probably coming over to ask for an autograph?"

"Here we go again," Xicor grumbled, as the God skidded to a stop before the massive Dragon.

"Lord Xicor, how many times must we tell you not to land at the entrance to the Tribunal Hall!? Every time you land here, you tear apart the hard work of my Class!"

"Lord Fulcrum, I've said this a thousand times… I'm a Dragon, I can't walk up the stairs I'm too big! Widen the damn stairways to accommodate Dragons, or don't come whining to me when I fly and land everywhere!?"

"Why do we need to widen the stairway, it's already bigger than you," the God snapped back in response. "Member of the Tribunal or no, you need to start following the procedures!"

"Who's that guy," Natsu whispered to Eliza, who had an amused look on her face.

"That's Lord Fulcrum, the God of Stone Smithing. He gets mad at Xicor every time he lands, because the Stone smiths pour their souls into their work, and Xicor tears it up without thinking twice about it.

"God of Stone Smithing huh? Why isn't there just a God that covers all types of construction?"

"Because Stone Smithing is, in a sense, its own form of art. At least, that's what Fulcrum would tell you anyway. I can understand his frustrations, but it's their own fault for not accommodating Xicor when they built this place."

"You Gods seriously love pissing each other off, don't you?"

"Of course! After all, it can get quite boring around here, and we need some form of entertainment, don't we?"

Natsu and Eliza continued to listen in on Xicor and Fulcrum's argument in amusement, as more Gods began to arrive.

"Lord Fulcrum, are you harassing Lord Xicor over the floor again? The poor dear simply has no other alternative, since you quite rudely designed the stairway too small..."

"Lady Cyprus we've been over this many a time," Lord Fulcrum snapped back at the Goddess. "Lord Xicor can fit in the stairway, he simply chooses not to!"

"Come on Lord Fulcrum, give it a rest! You know Lord Xicor ain't gonna take the stairwell, so why bother!? It gives you a job to do around here, so why bother complaining?"

"Lord Pleiades, you know how much it requires to replace the amount of stone ruined by his grubby claws! Why do you insist on joining Lord Xicor's side!?"

"Who are they," Natsu asked confused.

"Lady Cyprus is the Goddess of Magical Sciences, and Lord Pleiades is God of Mathematics. Honestly, I'm surprised they had the time to even attend today?"

"Lady Eliza, you know we always have time for the Tribunal. Our work might be time consuming, but you forget that the Classes were established in order to compensate for our workload when necessary."

"Yeah Eliza, why be such a killjoy? It's not every day a Tribunal meeting such as this takes place," Pleiades added with an amused grin.

"My goodness Lord Pleiades, has all that time in your study caused you to forget how we are to address each other in public, let alone in front of the Tribunal Halls themselves?"

"Bah! We all hate the titles and you know it! We all know that you of all people hate the title, so why the sudden change of heart?"

"Enough, all of you," a voice boomed from the top of the steps, as the large golden doors to the Tribunal Hall swung open.

"Oh dear, we've done it again," Eliza sighed, surprising Natsu as she adopted a much more reserved demeanor.

To Natsu's shock, a thirty foot tall figure slowly emerged from the Tribunal Hall, cloaked in a billowing golden robe. His face was obscured by a hood that seemed to mask his face somehow.

The figure was flanked by two equally as tall entities that looked akin to the Angels of legend back in his own world. Humanoid looking entities with long white, feathery wings with glowing golden eyes. They wore white robes, and wielded massive golden spears that hummed with power.

"Those are the Seraphim," Eliza whispered to him. "They might look like living beings, but they are actually Automata, constructs forged through the combined efforts of multiple Scientific and Engineering Classes…"

"Wow," Natsu muttered in reply, as the robed figure stopped at the top of the steps ahead of them.

"You are all Gods, correct? You are all beings that serve a higher calling, are you not? Please enlighten me as to why you all feel the need to argue and goad each other into conflict?"

All of the Gods present bowed their heads, as the golden robed figure began to walk back into the Tribunal Hall.

"For the first time in over two thousand years, a being that is not a God is attending the Tribunal," the robed figure muttered, as all eyes shifted toward Natsu, who felt rather put on the spot, but tried not to let it affect him. "I will not allow the bickering and squabbling interfere with their perception of who we are, and what we are all about! I will see order!"

The various Gods and Goddesses all mumbled out in agreement. Clearly, some weren't happy about it, but this robed figure essentially shut them all up.

"The Tribunal opens in five minutes, so I would ask that you all take your places within our Divine Hall. And please, do try assembling without physically assaulting each other, this time?"

The robed figure, along with the Seraphim, made their way back inside, as the various Gods and Goddesses started filing inside.

"Who was that?"

"High Lord Siegfried," Eliza replied immediately. "One of the six current serving Gods of Creation, and one of the twelve heads of the Divine High Council."

"High Lord? So he's what, a God among Gods?"

"Basically, to become a High Lord, one must meet certain criteria," Eliza began, as they started walking up the steps. "Firstly, they must have previously been a God presiding over a Cosmic Force role."

"Like yours?"

"Correct. They must also be considered an Arch God, which is in of itself a whole other thing I won't bore you with now. And finally, they must be chosen by the other High Lords and Ladies."

"So, if the Gods of Creation are only half of this High Council, then does that mean…"

"Yes, the other half of the Council are the six Gods of Destruction. Fortunately, both sides are quite friendly towards each other. Unfortunately, it's why they scold us for arguing with each other, since they have the high ground for doing so."

"Your hierarchy here is seriously weird," Natsu mumbled, clearly lost. "Isn't there anyone who is definitively in charge around here?"

"Well, there was one who once presided over us all a long time ago," Eliza replied with a shrug. "They were around when I was still young, but vanished around seven hundred or so years ago, and haven't been seen since."

"And no one knows what happened to this God?"

"No. What makes it stranger, is that the same thing happened to his Father, who was one of the first Gods in existence. One day, they simply disappeared, without so much as a trace," Eliza replied honestly. "No one has assumed a true leadership role since then, instead opting to just allow the Council to vote on things instead."

"Honestly, this is a lot to take in," Natsu replied, clearly a little lost with the massive info dump Eliza was putting on him.

"I'm not surprised, there's a lot to learn. Our history is far too large to understand in one sitting," Eliza replied sympathetically. "Since you've now been to Terminus, I should be allowed to teach you more about my kind, and some of the more important topics regarding the Gods."

"I think that's probably a better way to go about it," Natsu laughed awkwardly in response. "Its just a lot to remember, that's all?"

"I understand," Eliza smiled, as they finally made it into the Tribunal Hall. "Ah, we're finally inside."

As Natsu entered, his eyes widened in shock. The entire Tribunal Hall was made out of jewels of various colors. From the floor, walls, the chairs, and even the desks… The entire place would be worth billions back on his world.

"This proves I'm dead, doesn't it? I died, and I'm somewhere in limbo, right?"

"Impressive, isn't it," Eliza smirked, noticing his completely gobsmacked reaction. "Truly glorious, and fitting for a Council of the Gods," Eliza said proudly, as she led Natsu to the Ruby Section of the Tribunal Hall.

"So, why are their different sections made out of different gem types," Natsu asked curiously, as they walked past the Emerald Section, and toward the Ruby Section.

"Good question Natsu. The colors represent the fields the Gods perform in. For example, my aspect, War, is positioned in the Ruby Section. All aspects that represent things revolving around conflict are categorized in the Ruby Section."

"Is that because the color red is often seen as hostile?"

"That's exactly right," Eliza nodded, before motioning toward a different section. "Another example is the yellow tables across from us, which are made from Topaz. They represent aspects that correlate to Life, such as farming and agriculture. Even things such as the Sun are represented there, as it is often heralded as the bringer of life by countless scientific mediums."

"Wow… I'm actually impressed at how much that makes sense…"

"Indeed. Now, as you can see, there are two elevated tables at the front of the Tribunal Hall. The one on the right made from clear Diamond represents the Gods of Creation, and the ones on the left made from Obsidian."

Natsu continued to look around the room, marveling at how expertly crafted everything was. It was as he observed the room, he noticed that not every seat was filled, which surprised him, given the conversation he'd witnessed outside seeming to infer that this was a rather important meeting…

"It seems some didn't bother to turn up again, which is odd, because even many of the former Gods and Goddesses are attending," Eliza noted, seemingly just as intrigued about the empty seats.

"So, if most of the former Gods and Goddesses are coming, does that mean that Evernight will be here too?"

"Of course, she's one of the few who wouldn't have a choice. After all, it was her that originally bound Ravus to Nirvana's Reactor Core in the first place," Eliza replied, before her eyes widened slightly in the direction of the entrance. "Oh my, even Lady Felicity made it? Now the others definitely have no excuse…."

"Whose Lady Felicity," Natsu asked, as Eliza pointed toward a young girl who appeared to be around his age. "Her?"

The girl wore a plain white dress, was rather pretty, and her eyes were simply a vortex of bright golden energy. As she walked, numbers seemed to fall out of her long golden hair, which brought great confusion to the Dragon Slayer.

The girl appeared almost completely out of it, not even looking around, merely walking in a strange manner that the other Gods and Goddesses easily moved around, as if they were used to it. The young God slowly made her way over toward the Pearl Section, and sat down, staring off into space.

"Lady Felicity is probably one of the most important Gods of us all, since she is the Goddess of Time."

"The Goddess of Time," Natsu gasped, as he looked back toward the spaced-out looking girl across from him.

"She's probably asleep and managing Time," Eliza explained. "When she's not doing that, she's rather friendly. She's only been in the role for about seven hundred years, so she's a relatively newer God."

Natsu nodded slowly, as he returned to scanning the room. He couldn't believe just how many Gods there were around him. For almost every function in life, there was a God for it.

"Can we please have silence in the Tribunal Hall," a voice boomed, as all idle chatter immediately ceased.

Natsu watched from his place at Eliza's side, as six identical figures dressed in golden robes slowly manifested into their respective seats at the Diamond Section. Following that, six more figures appeared, only they were wearing silver robes, and appeared at the Obsidian Section.

"To all of you who have attended today, know that the High Council greatly appreciates your participation in today's Emergency Tribunal," one of the High Lords spoke, though Natsu had no idea which one it was.

"Furthermore, let it be known that all those who were unable to attend today due to the pressures of their duties, are to be praised for their continued efforts. "Let us celebrate our fellow Lords and Ladies for their continued dedication to their aspects!"

"HEAR HEAR," the entire room voice in a near deafening chorus, with Natsu noting that even Eliza and Xicor added their voices to the group/

"Now then, let the record show that this emergency session of the Divine Tribunal has officially begun!"

A loud bell chimed three times, as one of the Gods of Creation slowly rose from their seat, and began to address the gathered Gods and Goddesses.

"Lords and Ladies of the Third Divine Tribunal, I thank you all for your attendance today on behalf of the Creation Class. I am aware that this emergency meeting has interrupted many of your schedules and other things of notable import. Regardless, it is our duty as the High Council to inform the Divine Tribunal on vital matters regarding matters pertaining among our rank. As you all know, there was an incident in the Earthland Realm in regards to a former Lord whom we all thought long since departed. I am, of course, referring to the matter of former God of Discord, Lord Ravus Insanistis."

A God of Destruction stood and continued from where the God of Creation left off.

"Now, whilst we had been keeping you all informed regarding Ravus' return, we did not inform you all about certain steps the High Council took in regards to measures against Ravus. By unanimous vote, this High Council allowed the Goddess of War, Eliza, in conjunction with one mortal, to combat Lord Ravus, in order to return him to our realm."

"In other words, you let Lady Eliza enter Earthland, breaking the seal that you all placed on our realm," one of the Gods cut in sharply, only for the God of Destruction to bang their desk.

"The Lord Loss shall resume his seat! Yes, the seal was indeed broken, we will not deny this fact. However, not for Eliza to enter Earthland, but only to bring Ravus' God Essence back!"

"Then how did Eliza beat Ravus if she wasn't there," another God shouted.

"Allow us to explain the situation by letting Eliza and the mortal speak to you all themselves," one of the Gods of Creation replied, which set off the entire room.

"The mortal!? You let the mortal enter the Divine Realm!? Are you insane!?"

The moment the sentence was uttered Xicor roared, silencing everyone once more.

"Thank you, Lord Xicor. As for the mortal, yes, he was invited here by us personally. And let me make it clear to the Lord Hydrogen, that this mortal is stronger than a fair majority of the Tribunal, including you. Comments that are of such disrespectful nature towards mortals will not be tolerated any further, and will result in those behaving in such an inappropriate way being dismissed from today's proceedings under Article Nintey-Four A. Now, the reason why we have called the mortal here is for an insight into the mortal world from the point of view of a mortal, not a God."

"High Lord, may I speak," Eliza chimed in respectfully.

"Of course, Lady War. Both yourself, and the mortal, may have the floor."

"Mortal. Such an interesting word, wouldn't you all agree? We Gods are, by all accounts, Immortal, correct? Yet, we take one step from our Divine Realm, and we suddenly have the ability to die… Does this not technically qualify us, as mortal? So, let us not refer to this man as the mortal, any longer. Let us use his name, as he deserves! Natsu Dragneel, Son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel!"

Many of the Gods began to murmur amongst themselves, before one of them spoke up.

"You're telling us he's of Divine origin Lady War?"

"Indeed I am, Lord Hydrogen, Natsu can wield the power of the Dragons. Lord Xicor tested him, and Natsu consumed his fire with no effort. Lords and Ladies, let me inform you of something… Natsu might not be the strongest here, but it should be noted that he is indeed someone on our level! I have fought with him myself to test his strength, and let me tell you all that he is indeed immensely powerful for his age, and will only continue to grow stronger! However, from my time traveling alongside Natsu and his allies, who are also strong I'll add, I have discovered something rather peculiar. The so-called mortals, are no longer weak like they once were."

"No longer weak? Lady War, we have no proof that this … Natsu fellow is even as strong as you claim him to be!"

Several of the Gods and Goddesses muttered and nodded in agreement, until one of the High Lords stood slowly rose up to speak.

"The reason we are all here today, is not just to review the status of the denizens of Earthland, and the other Realities. Rather, we are here to come to a decision regarding the emergence of such powerful beings from said realms. We have called the Divine Tribunal here today, and the presence of a powerful denizen of Earthland who is familiar with one of our kind, to decide the fate of the seal between Terminus, and the mortal realms!"

The room was silent, with many of the currently serving Gods sporting shocked faces. However, to Natsu's surprise, not one of the former Gods had any inclination of being surprised.

"Does this mean the potential removal of the barrier that prevents us from entering the mortal realms as we so choose?"

"It is as I said. With Natsu Dragneel as a representative for the mortals, alongside Lady Eliza, we would ask the opinion of a mortal on this. After seeing different sides as to how a God can carry themselves, we would ask if the mortals would wish to see the Gods return to interacting with the mortal realms in a more physical way?"

Natsu looked up at the God with a serious expression. He took a moment to think carefully on how to respond, before finally finding the words to speak.

"Before I start speaking, I want to apologize in advance if I address anyone incorrectly. I'm still learning more about how your culture likes to be addressed, so please correct me if I get it wrong. Getting onto the question at hand, however," Natsu sighed. "When I look at a God I'd like to see coming into our realm, I think of Eliza. Yes, her job is to create conflict, but that is something that we as Humans have come to accept. When I think of Gods that I don't want to come to my realm, I think of ones that don't clean up after themselves, like a certain former Goddess of Chaos who left Ravus down on Earthland, which caused a mess that even all of you today are here to address."

From where the former Gods were sitting, one of them stood and began to speak. She was wearing a rather beautiful gothic styled black dress, and had bright green eyes. She appeared to be in what Natsu would describe as her mid-forties, with her long flowing, raven black hair, done up into a bun, barely masking her pointed ears.

Natsu already had an idea of who this Goddess was. Had he not known some of her deeds, he'd have called her extremely beautiful. Unfortunately, his opinion of her was sullied, and quite severely at that, as she began to speak in an almost deep, alluring tone, like that of a seductress.

"Natsu Dragneel… You are a man who, in his short time on Earthland, has become something of an oddity. By all accounts, you should have died years ago from many incidents that Fate has had in store for you, some you don't even know about. Do you think that you are in a position to tell a God that they should need to clean up after themselves? If so, what makes you think that your way of thinking is correct, and not ours?"

Former Cosmic Force God Of Terminus

Sixteenth Goddess Of Chaos

Eight Matriarch Of The Khorne Clan

Evernight Khorne VIII

"You must be Lady Evernight, I'm guessing? if you think that I'm wrong simply because of past mistakes I've made, then you only play that card in proving my point toward your whole race. Leaving Ravus behind on Earthland as a power source for Nirvana was entirely intentional on your part, I have no doubt about that. But that man, Roubaul, who Ravus drove mad and you manipulated, is still standing watch even after the two thousand years! Two thousand years of which you probably spent relaxing, and moving on with your life. That man's body has wasted away, even as he even managed to fight off the madness that Ravus had cast on him all those years ago. And, the reason why he did that, was because he knew that Nirvana needed to be stopped, that there was an evil in there that no one would be able to contain if it was released."

"What's your point mortal, we don't have all day," Evernight replied dismissively, clearly not at all moved by his response.

"My point, and this is directed at all of you, is that Roubaul should have only lived for at the absolute most, the age of one hundred and twenty. Instead, he has been chained to Earthland, all because of a little game you decided to play two millennia ago! Two thousand years may not seem like much to you Evernight? But to that man, he has outlived everything he probably knew. My point is, whilst I would love for Gods like Eliza, or Xicor, and many others I met today, to come to Earthland… Gods like you would only cause the downfall of our societies, all for your own amusement."

"So Natsu Dragneel… What would you propose we do then? What do you think should be done?"

"High Lord, was it? The first thing I'd like to ask, is why wasn't Lady Evernight ever punished for basically killing another God? In our realm, murder, or even just assaulting someone with intent, carries punishment. I know you Gods have your own ways of doing things, but what would you do if she did that to one of the ten of you? Would there be a punishment then?"

Many of the Gods began to murmur amongst themselves, finding themselves surprisingly agreeing with the mortal, as the High Lords looked at each other before looking back toward Natsu.

"So, what you're asking us is why do we not punish a God? Or, are you asking us why we do not monitor their actions?"

"What I'm asking, is why Lady Evernight was allowed to get away with basically murdering a God, interfering with our realm on such a scale, and essentially torturing a man for two thousand years? And yes, Lady Evernight, Roubaul told me you spoke to him every now and again, until you decided it wasn't funny anymore."

"Natsu. Whilst we understand your issues with Lady Evernight, we cannot punish her for something that our predecessors have already ruled on. That said, however, we can bring about changes should that be necessary? Tell us, what do you think we should do if we decide to open the seal between Terminus and the mortal realms permanently?"

"Well, for starters, and I don't mean any disrespect to any of you, all you Gods need to stick within your own field. That means no destroying modern society just because you're bored, no creating super weapons, and giving them to people just to see what will happen. When you enter another realm, just be mindful that it's not your home. And, that while you all haven't been directly interfering, we've made progress, and want to continue doing so."

"In other words, treat each realm as we would desire our own to be treated?"

Natsu nodded in agreement, as the High Lords whispered to each other, before turning their attention back in his direction.

"You do bring up some valid points. Treating other realms as if they were our own does make one reflect on how we have chosen to treat mortal realms in the past. The High Lords must speak on the matter further, Natsu Dragneel. However, know that either way, your concerns and suggestions will play a large role in whatever actions we take."

Natsu bowed his head as the High Lords spoke among themselves, before addressing the room at large.

"The Council has heard the concerns of the mortal, Natsu Dragneel, and shall take them into account moving forward. We have been given much to deliberate on, and look forward to discussing this matter further over the coming weeks!"

"We do hereby call a close to today's Emergency Tribunal, and shall retire to deliberate what has been discussed today regarding the possibility of relaxing restrictions between the mortal realms, and Terminus."

The bell that had chimed earlier, chimed three times again, bringing an end to the Tribunal, as everyone started to file out. As the various Gods and Goddesses began to depart, Natsu locked eyes with Evernight, who merely smiled in his direction, before fading away.

"A very strong speech Natsu, you did quite well," Eliza said as she ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Well, I figured I'd just show respect, speak properly, and make my point quickly. Everyone likes that, right?"

"I have a feeling that what you've said will really change things around here? Perhaps not now, but sometime soon, I might be able to visit Earthland in person whenever I desire..."

"Here's hoping, eh? What I don't want is Gods like Evernight coming to Earthland just to ruin things."

"Well, either way, I wouldn't expect much to happen for some time. The Council really take time to deliberate on matters such as this, hence why the Tribunal ended so soon. They will likely spend the rest of the day coming to a unified consensus regarding what you discussed with them, before even attempting to make some kind of plan to change things?"

Natsu and Eliza made their way outside the Tribunal chambers, with Xicor and Sozin quickly moving to join them.

"That speech blew me out of the water kid," Sozin grinned, slapping Natsu on the back. "You did great!"

"Indeed Natsu. Evernight definitely lost some face after that."

"Thanks guys, I tried my best to word what I said as honestly and concisely as I could," Natsu replied plainly. "So, now what happens?"

"Well, this is where your job ends, and ours begins kid. The Tribunal will probably meet again in a week or so to discuss ideas further, before any kind of real progress is made. "But enough about that, because we've got a festival to go to!"

"Tell me Natsu, have you ever seen a drunk Dragon before," Xicor asked, with Natsu had a hopeful expression, eager to see it.

"Honestly Natsu, you're hopeless sometimes," Eliza sighed with a shake of her head, as the group made their way to the lower districts.

***POTD***

Whilst Natsu dealt with the events in Terminus, Erza, Elise, and Wendy had been dealing with the aftermath of the Nirvana Incident. Despite the fact that the three of them knew where Natsu was, they couldn't tell anyone outside of their little group.

"Either of you two see Gray yet," Erza asked curiously, eliciting a shake of the head from the other girls.

"Pretty sure he was with Jura and that Lyon guy," Elise replied with a shrug. "Apparently, that bastard Lahar is trying to track down where Natsu is…"

"You really don't like Lahar, do you," Erza replied, looking at Elise curiously. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I might tell you, Natsu and Gray about it soon," Elise replied with a deep sigh. "For now, I'd rather pretend he doesn't exist."

"Fair enough," Erza nodded, as the trio all looked over to the Rune Knights that were currently swarming the area.

"And what about you? You okay with them taking Jellal into custody?"

"He surrendered himself," Erza replied, avoiding Elise's gaze. "He said it himself, he wanted to atone for what he'd done."

"But…?"

"But I don't think rotting away in a cell is going to do anyone any favors, is it?"

"To be honest, I agree. Jellal would be able to better atone if he were out here fighting against the Dark Guilds, rather than locked up," Elise agreed. "Still, its pretty crazy that he's even back, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry everyone, that Guild Master of the Oracion Seis was too strong, and I didn't have a choice but to bring him back," Wendy chimed in, apologizing for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

"Don't apologize Wendy, we already know you didn't have a choice. Besides, if you hadn't brought Jellal back, then you might not even be here right now," Erza replied as he gently gave the Sky Dragon Slayer a pat on the head. "Still, how exactly did you bring him back?"

"Its… not good Magic," Wendy replied quietly. "Basically, you trade a living person for a dead one…"

"Wait," Elise gasped. "You mean that they sacrificed someone, just to bring Jellal back!?"

"Yeah… To bring someone back to life without sacrificing someone else in their place would require so much more power than what I have…"

"Honestly, knowing that Brain, or Zero, or whatever his name was, suffered as he died, makes me feel great joy," Erza growled, continuing to pet Wendy idly. "To force someone like you to do something like that is so typical of a Dark Guild!"

"Speaking of people who got killed in brutal ways, I took out Kidomaru," Elise grinned, surprising Erza. "So, we won't ever have to deal with his shit ever again!"

"Celebrating another brutal kill, Elise? Why am I not surprised…"

Elise's cheery demeanor died instantly, as Lahar strode toward the trio. He had his usual stoic demeanor, ignoring both Erza and Wendy entirely, as he stopped before Elise.

"What do you want?"

"Must you be so spiteful toward me, Elise?"

"Yes."

"Tsk. Your lust for battle and nothing else is growing tiresome," Lahar sighed with a shake of his head. "So, its true then? You were the one who killed the Triple S Ranked Criminal, Kidomaru?"

"It is," Elise responded coldly, glaring in his direction. "What of it?"

"Its rather strange that he's the only notable casualty during this whole incident-?"

"Fuck off Lahar! As if Jura didn't kill around three thousand Dark Mages today," Elise spat back venomously. "How much do you want to bet that a lot of them were Guild Masters from numerous Dark Guilds!? Oh wait, you won't make that bet, because you know you'd lose!"

"Elise, calm down," Erza cut in gently, placing a hand on Elise's shoulder and moving the War God Slayer behind her. "What do you want Lahar?"

"Erza Scarlett, I was not speaking with you-."

"You are now," the Requip Mage replied firmly, cutting the man off before he could finish speaking. "Either state your business to all of us, or go away. Elise clearly doesn't want you near her…"

"Tsk. Very well," the Rune Knight Captain sighed, adjusting his glasses. "We are leaving with the captured members of the Oracion Seis, as well as the criminal Jellal. I will ask this only one more time … Where is Saint Dragneel?"

"We don't know," Erza replied bluntly. "He was fighting their Guild Master, and that's the last we all have seen of him."

"I see. Very well, we shall inform the Council that he is missing-."

"Do whatever you want," Elise snapped. "Just do it somewhere else!"

"Your attitude most certainly needs work, Elise? One day, you'll wind up behaving in a way you'll most certainly regret…"

Before either of the two Fairy Tail girls could respond, Lahar had turned on his heel, marching away toward his Rune Knights. Once he was gone, Elise ran a hand through her hair and groaned out an audible sigh.

"I hate him, I swear…"

"I can tell."

"Thanks Erza, for stepping in for me," Elise replied gratefully, as she smiled in the Requip Mage's direction tiredly. "I cannot handle that man… All he ever does is piss me off, just by existing!"

"Um, should we maybe go looking for your other friend," Wendy asked, as the two Fairy Tail Mages glanced between one another, before looking over at the young Dragon Slayer. "It sounds like everyone is leaving, so we should find him? Right?"

"She's right," Erza nodded in agreement. Besides, Natsu won't be back until tomorrow from what Eliza said, so, we've got heaps of free time."

"I'm still super jealous Natsu got to go to Terminus before me," Elise huffed, pouting, as she crossed her arms in annoyance. "I'm the God Slayer, after all!"

"Like you said just before, the circumstances surrounding what happened here were definitely unique. I'm sure Eliza would have taken you to Terminus as well if she could have?"

"…"

"What?"

"Speaking about this reminded me about our fight…"

"Our fight? Wait, you mean…?"

"Yeah," Elise nodded slowly. "When Nirvana messed with us, and we started fighting."

"What about it?"

"I-I want to apologize for it… I know I was under the influence of some crazy Discord Magic, but I still fought you with the intent to kill."

"You already know there's nothing to apologize for Elise," Erza sighed with a warm smile. "I know you didn't mean any of what you did or said…"

"It doesn't change the fact I did it though," Elise replied, as she took Erza's hands into her own. "You're my friend, and you've been nothing but supportive of me since I joined…"

"Elise?"

"Mhm?"

"Let's just hug it out, okay?"

"Mhm," Elise sniffed, as the pair came together for a tight hug.

The pair hugged for around a minute, before separating, with Erza being surprised to find Elise had actually cried a little.

"Elise…?"

"It's been a long day, okay," Elise sniffled as she wiped her eyes with her forearm. "I'm a damn mess…"

"Aren't we all," Erza laughed lightly, as she looked toward Wendy. "I think we should all go find Gray and then get some rest."

"He should still be with Mister Jura at the next checkpoint," Wendy chimed in quietly, as they all looked over toward the hulking form of Nirvana in the distance.

"It really has been a long day, hasn't it," Erza sighed, as she took Wendy's hand, before motioning for Elise to follow her lead, as the God Slayer took her other hand.

The three girls giggled lightly to themselves, as they walked into the Rune Knight Camp, glad that the latest trial was almost over. Once Natsu returned from Terminus, they could all go home and move past this ordeal.

At least, they hoped that's what would happen…

***POTD***

As the Rune Knights swarmed in around Nirvana, and the members of the Oracion Seis were rounded up and arrested alongside Jellal, three figures watched it happen from the comfort of a familiar room.

Two of the figures were physically present, with the third being projected from a Projection Lacrima. All three, however, were far from happy about what had gone down over the last twenty-four hours…

"This is going to cause us a LOT of problems…"

"Agreed."

"The situation in Fiore has grown unacceptable," the projected figure muttered, sitting in their seat as they took a drag from their cigarette. "One or two failures were easily overlooked. Even the loss of Demons of our Lord, I was fair, and deemed them acceptable. But this… I cannot excuse this catastrophic loss, can I?"

The two physically present figures both avoided the gaze of the projected figure, whose face was still entirely neutral. His eyes, however, burned with a dark fury that had the pair feeling an ounce of fear slither up their spines.

"Thousands of Dark Mages dead… Hundreds of Dark Guilds, destroyed! Millions of Jewel in resources allocated toward the Nirvana Project … WASTED!"

The two remaining Lords of the Bharam Alliance visibly flinched as the third figure rattled off their failures.

"The R Genesis Project, destroyed! Lullaby and Deliora… SLAIN! Valtheim's Razor, obliterated! FAILURE AFTER FAILURE FROM THIS PATHETIC ALLIANCE-!"

"Brain was weak, scared of his own shadow," the older looking Lord cut in sharply. "He was the weakest of us, and he suffered for trying to steal the power of Nirvana for himself-!"

"Regardless of the loss of Brain, Nirvana has been ruined," the voice roared, the sound of shattering glass echoing through the projection. "The actions of the Bharam Alliance have been absolutely unacceptable! The losses suffered just today will take years to recuperate, you useless withered out old husk of a man! Decades of Dark Magic propagation to recruit new prospects, all for nothing!"

The man panted slightly, before taking another drag from his cigarette and exhaling sharply. It was obvious that the man was pissed off, and the two Lords were forced to endure the ire of his fury.

"Plans will need to be recalculated, funds … reallocated, and projects shelved," the man continued, almost in a fatigued tone. "But most importantly, we must finally treat that man as the true threat that he is… Natsu Dragneel has been involved in every single crushing defeat the Bharam Alliance has suffered so far, and I've had enough of it!"

"What do you wish for us to do?"

"For now, nothing. Like I said, we must recover following this catastrophic loss. But, once we do stabilize, we shall formulate a plan to eradicate this pest!"

"That sounds reasonable," the youngest of the Two Lords nodded in agreement.

"Further failures will not be tolerated. If I am forced to hear from the Bharam Alliance again about a failure as catastrophic as this, the only excuse I want to hear is that the Apocalypse Dragon was involved! Anything else, and I will lose faith in you lot, and come to Fiore myself! DO! I! MAKE! MYSELF! CLEAR!?"

The Two Lords nodded stiffly in agreement, as they felt the structure they were in begin shake ever so slightly, both nervous at just how mad the man on the other end truly was.

"Fix this mess… Or I'll have to send someone from Alakitasia over there who'll fix it FOR you!"

The projection cut out, leaving both the remaining Lords of the Bharam Alliance to release a breath they didn't even realize they'd been holding.

"We have to work together on this," the older Lord muttered, dipping his head slightly. "If we fail on this scale again…"

"You were correct in what you said, even if he didn't agree with it," the younger Lord replied quietly. "Brain feared Zero, instead of letting Zero truly guide his hand. Had the pair worked together, this may very well have been avoidable altogether?"

"I agree completely."

"We must deploy the Seven Kin of Purgatory, as well as the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros," the younger Lord continued. "We must immediately absorb every last Dark Guild remaining within Brain's sect. We cannot allow a single resource to go untapped!"

"And what of Jellal? And what of the Oracion Seis that have been arrested?"

"They are beyond our reach… for now," the younger Lord murmured darkly. "Some time rotting in prison is a fitting punishment for their failures anyway…"

"We could have still used them, but I understand your reasoning. I think once we've recovered, we need to look into doing something about not just Dragneel, but all of Fairy Tail."

"Agreed. But that is a problem for further down the line. For now, we need to focus on solidifying our hold over the Dark Guilds, and locking down everything, before the Magic Council grows bold enough to try and openly defy us."

"Agreed," the older Lord nodded, as he rose from his seat. "I shall deploy the Seven Kin immediately."

"And I shall deploy the Nine Demon Gates as well," the younger Lord replied, as the pair both moved to depart. "We cannot afford a single misstep here…"

"The stakes are far too high now," the older Lord agreed, as the threat from the projected figure loomed in both their minds.

They couldn't afford to fail like Brain had. The consequences of failure were far worse than death, and they both knew it