37

Six months had come and gone since Team Natsu departed to go train. During that time, the world recovered from the events of the aptly dubbed Nirvana Incident, with the Magic Council scrambling left and right to cover it up.

The massive structure of Nirvana was, obviously, the hardest part to cover up. Therefore, the Council called in the best Mage in the business when it came to destroying things, purposefully or otherwise.

"So. this is Nirvana," Gildarts hummed to himself, as he pulled out the job request he'd been given directly from Makarov, straight from the new Chairman himself. "Where the hell do I even begin on this thing…?"

Looking around, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the thing. The amount of battle damage it had sustained was obvious, yet it refused to fall. With a shake of his head, he read over the areas the Council wanted destroyed.

"Reactor Core, Central Command Room, Libraries… Classic cover up job," the Crash Mage sighed with a shake of his head. "Whatever. Its not like I'm not gonna copy everything before I destroy it anyway?"

Putting the request away, Gildarts made the slow ascent up one of Nirvana's supporting legs, eventually reaching the edge of the gutted, ruined city on top of it.

"Damn…Must have been a hell of a fight up here," Gildarts hummed to himself, as he began to push through the ruins.

Eventually, he reached the center of Nirvana, and began to hear movement. Halting in place, he sighed, shaking his head as he felt dozens of Magical Signatures scattered around his position, feebly attempting to mask their presence.

"Always the dregs," Gildarts muttered, as he placed his hands on his hips. "Alright you lot, I know you're here!"

With Gildarts' bold declaration, hundreds of Mages emerged from the various ruined buildings. Surprisingly, not all of them were Dark Mages, though they were certainly mixed in.

"Well now, what have we got here," Gildarts smirked. "Is that the sigil of the Bandit Alliance I see? And that there, that's the Mercenary Auxiliary Division Sigil…"

"What of it," one of the Bandits snapped, as many of the others roared in agreement.

"Well, aside from the fact that you're Bandits and Mercenaries working alongside the Bharam Alliance," Gildarts hummed in amusement, before his demeanor did a full one eighty. "It means I don't have to feel bad about killing every last one of you…"

"The heck did you just say to us old man," one of the Mercenaries snapped back.

"We're working with the damn Bharam Alliance," another snarled, as the Dark Mages flexed their weak Dark Artifacts, as if they were going to do anything.

"There's one of you, and like, a thousand of us!"

"Only a thousand?"

"Tsk! This Legal scum is just messing with us," one of the Dark Mages snarled. "Probably sent here by the Council to destroy Nirvana!"

"We aren't gonna let ya do it!"

"We've got an important mission here! To fail, means the same as death!"

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to fill me on what this important mission is, would you," Gildarts asked nicely, only for the Dark Mage to spit on the ground in response.

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to let us flay you alive instead, Council dog!?"

"Gee, as fun as that all sounds, I'm gonna have to pass. Being flayed alive once was more than enough for me," Gildarts grinned. "Maybe next time fellas?"

"Pass!? Do you think this is a game!? Do you think this is funny," the Dark Mage roared in response, as he stepped up to Gildarts. "We… are SERIOUS people, and we WILL kill you!"

"Kill me? You know, I've heard a lot of people say that over the years, and there was only one who came close to making me believe it. Listen, you lot are just kids, so I'll give you one chance," Gildarts sighed as he stepped up to the Dark Mage threatening him. "Back down and walk away, right now, and I'll let you all live. Alternatively, you can choose to fight me if you want? But a bit of fair warning, I'm not good at holding back once I get started..."

The various Mages around Gildarts appeared to only get angrier by his offer, as many Magic Circles started appearing.

"You think you're in a position to threaten us!? That's just what I'd expect from a Council dog, all bark and no bite! Let's just kill the bastard and-!"

The Mage in front of Gildarts paused mid-speech, his eyes slowly looking downward to see Gildarts' arm through his chest. The Dark Mage coughed once, before going limp, as the Crash Mage retracted his metal arm.

"What the fuck…!?"

"He just-!?"

"KILL EM!"

The large group of Mages roared in agreement, as they began firing off hundreds of spells in Gildarts' direction. The Crash Mage sighed, shaking his head, as he flicked the blood off of his metal arm.

"Well, I did give them a chance," Gildarts sighed, as he began to power up, causing the entirety of Nirvana to begin shaking violently.

"Don't let him trick you, he's just using some kind of Illusion Magic to make himself look stronger than he is!"

"I gave you all a chance, and you tossed it back in my face… This is a fate of your own choosing!"

A large pillar of light appeared around Gildarts as several Dark Mages ceased their attack, mouths agape, as they faced down the darkened shadow of their enemy.

"It's just like before, with that kid!"

"No, that kid wasn't even like this…!"

"What the hell is this guy!?"

The large pillar of light began to expand outward, enveloping all it touched, as the group began to flee, noticing that everything engulfed by it was being ripped apart.

"Crash Arts: Crash Calamity!"

The attack began to envelop everyone in the area, as many of the fleeing Mages screamed in agony, their bodies being ripped apart in a gruesome and violently manner. All attacks that came into contact with the attack were instantly shattered, as the gathered Mages realized they had drastically underestimated what they were dealing with.

Blood quickly drenched the area, as stray body parts started floating around Gildarts' position, the Crash Mage holding his left arm outward with his index and middle finger extended fully, a dark orange Magic Circle at the tip.

The remaining Mages on the fringes of the area simply screamed, watching as their bodies were ripped apart into cubes, their forms being annihilated in moments, as their powers found themselves utterly useless against this absolute monster before them.

After a full minute, Gildarts' attack finally dissipated, leaving nothing but flat earth slick with blood, and a sole surviving Dark Mage. The man was utterly mortified, scrambling backward as Gildarts advanced upon him, the various body parts and blood orbiting around him as he pointed his metal arm at the man.

"Care to fill me in on your plan now, little man?"

"Z-Z-Zeref... R-R-Revival plan... Grimoire Heart….. Piece to revive h-h-him here … in Nirvana!"

"Where is this piece now?"

"L-L Lady Ult-t-tear t-t-took it with her … P-P-Please don't kill me!?"

"I'm not gonna kill you," Gildarts replied, as the Mage breathed a sigh of relief, before suddenly having his head crushed under the Crash Mage's boot, blood, skull fragments, and brain splattering across the floor as the gore orbiting him was flung across the area.

Breathing in and out once, Gildarts calmed himself down, lowering his power back to an acceptable level. Once he was sure he'd reigned himself in sufficiently, he looked around at his handiwork, and nodded.

"Sounds like the Bharam Alliance walked away winners regardless of Natsu's win over the Oracion Seis," the Crash Mage mused, as he walked right through the massacre he'd just enacted like it wasn't even there. "Better finish this up and let the old man know… This isn't good."

Not even looking back, Gildarts forged on ahead, determined to get his task done as quickly as possible. Based on prior events, he needed to ensure this information was acted upon quickly, lest disaster befall them once again…

***POTD***

Gildarts sighed as he reached the top of the Guild Hall stairs, slowly making his way inside as he noticed Mira at the bar like always. Putting on a smile, he walked over and sat down.

"Welcome back Gildarts," Mira smiled cheerily. "I can't believe you're back from that cleanup job so soon? It's only been two months, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, something like that," the older Mage replied, as Mira passed him a free drink. "How are things on this end?"

"Quiet. Since Natsu's team left, there hasn't been anything interesting going on. Honestly, it's hard to believe they've been gone for half a year already…"

"Well, they're due back any day now, right?"

"They're already starting to return. Ur and Gray arrived home two days ago, and the Master got a letter from Erza saying she should be back today."

"Which means that Natsu, and that new girl, should be back soon too," Gildarts hummed, a slight frown marring his features. "Just in time too…"

"Really? What's wrong?"

"Can't say until I run it by the old man first, since its likely classified? I learned something on the Nirvana Job, something that might indicate we didn't walk away as the clear winners like we thought…"

"Oh my… Did everything at least go alright on the job?"

"Got into a fight with a bunch of Dark Guilds, as well as members of the Bandit and Mercenary Guilds too," Gildarts sighed as he downed his mug. "Long story short, after some careful interrogation, I learned about why they were there…"

"Hence why you said it could be classified," Mira sighed, fully understanding the situation. "Well-."

"What's this about potentially classified information?"

"Master, perfect timing," Mira replied quickly, as she turned around to see the old man descending the stairs. "Gildarts needs to speak with you."

"Office news?"

"Office news," Gildarts repeated, eliciting a tired sigh from the old man.

"Come on Gildarts, let's get this over with," Makarov sighed, as he turned around and slowly walked back up the stairs. "Mira, bring something strong up please?"

"Give me ten minutes Master," Mira called back, eliciting a mumble of acknowledgement, as the two powerful Mages entered his office and took their respective seats.

"Alright Gildarts, lay it on me?"

"Well, you remember how I was meant to get rid of the Nirvana Ruins, right?"

"I remember…"

"Well, turns out that there were still tonnes of Dark Mages skulking about the place," Gildarts replied. "Not just Dark Mages though, but also Mages from the Bandit and Mercenary Guilds too."

"Truly? I must admit, that is rather surprising," Makarov replied with raised eyebrows, before narrowing them in thought. "Actually, no, that does make sense. Jura killed thousands of their rank during the Nirvana Incident, so it isn't that surprising that the Bharam Alliance are contracting the Bandit and Mercenary Guilds."

"Yeah, that's a fair point. But listen Makarov, that isn't what's got me concerned…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, the Bharam Alliance had ordered them there, but not to defend the place. Supposedly, they were there looking for an artifact that can be used to resurrect Zeref? Unfortunately, they made off with it before I could find it."

Makarov could only ponder what Gildarts had told him, before sighing once more.

"I assume that you haven't mentioned this to anyone else aside from myself?"

"Thought it best not to tell anyone, since even I didn't know too much about it. Honestly, I was hoping that Natsu or Eliza might have known something about it, but as it stands, we've got no way of knowing where they are right now?"

"Yes, it probably wouldn't be a good idea spreading false panic if we don't have enough information. As for those two, all we can do is wait for them to return, and ask them about this artefact you mentioned earlier," Makarov replied calmly. "Erza and Elise are already on their way back, which means Natsu and Wendy shouldn't be too far behind."

"Fair enough. I just hope nothing bad goes down before they get back," Gildarts replied seriously as he looked out the window toward Magnolia. "We're dealing with Grimoire Heart and Tartaros, they can't be underestimated."

"Of course Gildarts, I completely agree with you. I'm sure Natsu would want to get to the bottom of it as well when he gets back? For now, however, all we can do is make quiet inquiries into trying to discover exactly what this artifact is, and act upon any potentially credible leads."

"Right," Gildarts sighed, as the door opened, and Mira walked in with their drinks. "Enough about that though, let's put things on a more positive note for a bit, eh?"

"Agreed. We'll discuss this more later, once Natsu and his team have fully returned," Makarov agreed, as they quickly moved onto other topics.

***POTD***

Several hours later, a giant purple figure touched down a short distance from Magnolia, with two figures hopping off its back. The taller of the pair grinned, as he stretched, before looking down at the shorter figure.

"Can't believe its been six months already," Natsu grinned, running a hand through his overgrown, shaggy hair. "Can't wait to see the others."

"Do you think Erza will be happy seeing you looking like that," Wendy asked curiously, her once neat blue hair, now an overgrown and messy bush, much like Natsu's own.

"With me, she'd expect it," Natsu replied casually. "But with you, I'd be surprised if she doesn't tear my head off!"

"What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Well, I personally think you look fine. The thing is though, she'll take one look at you and think I didn't look after you," Natsu replied, as he motioned to her much wilder appearance. "Or worse, she'll think I purposely corrupted you into being just like me? The long wild hair, dirtied and torn clothes, the way you act less formal and polite …. Yeah, she's gonna have a fit seeing you."

"Well, at least I don't look like an old man like you," Wendy grinned, poking her tongue out at him, eliciting an amused chuckle from the older Dragon Slayer.

"Yeah, the beard does add about twenty years, doesn't it? But you realize that doesn't make me old?"

"It doesn't suit you, and I'm sure Erza would agree."

"And I'm sure she'd agree that being a brat doesn't suit you either," Natsu snorted in response, flicking her nose. "Besides, I'm happy to shave the beard, but I want to keep the long hair this time. I like it."

"It looks way too messy and long, she won't like it."

"You're too messy and long," Natsu countered easily. "She definitely won't like that."

"If I might interrupt," Lykyria chimed in, with the two Dragon Slayers momentarily sporting matching blushes, as they looked up at the Dragoness. "This, I'm afraid, is where we part ways. However, the two of you have most certainly grown on me. I just wanted to say that I rather enjoyed our time together."

"We enjoyed spending time with you too Lykyria," Wendy beamed, as Natsu placed a hand on Lykyria's massive leg.

"Wendy's right. The two of us can't thank you enough for giving us an idea on how to go much further with our abilities," Natsu agreed sincerely. "I could have done without your stories about how you mated with Igneel once, or what happens if you vomit after drinking seawater… Regardless of that, you're an Aunt now."

"…What?"

"Well, if Igneel is my Dad, then that makes you the cool Aunt, right?"

"Oh yeah, you're right Natsu," Wendy agreed excitedly. "Auntie Lykyria!"

"Honestly," the Dragoness sighed, though her eyes sparkled slightly, with only Natsu noticing the detail. "I suppose that, if you must refer to me as something… I'll take being called Aunt. However! I must demand that you always refer to me as the COOL Aunt! This is non-negotiable!"

"Of course Aunt Lykyria," Natsu smirked, as the Dragoness wriggled slightly on the spot.

"Anyway, moving right along… I just wanted to let the two of you know, that you can come see me at my cave at any time? The two of you aren't annoying, so I would rather enjoy your company from time to time … if you want?"

"Of course we'll come visit Auntie Lykyria," Wendy replied sincerely, as she hugged the Dragoness' front leg.

"Yeah! And hey, you can come visit us at Fairy Tail whenever you'd like to as well," Natsu laughed, with the Dragoness giggling in amusement.

"As much as I would love to, I don't think your Human Council would take kindly to a Dragon roaming around? The reputation Achnologia has given our kind is rather detrimental to our social lives…"

"Screw Achnologia," Natsu huffed. "You could prove everyone's opinion on Dragons wrong you know?"

"Perhaps one day, when Humans are more open minded," Lykyria replied in a somewhat saddened tone, as she lowered her head down before the pair. "It's time I was off, little Slayers."

"Goodbye Auntie Lykyria," Wendy said gently, as she gave the Dragoness' nose a gentle pat.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again soon," Natsu nodded, with the Dragoness moving forward and gently bopping him with her nose. "Alright…"

Natsu placed a hand on her nose, before pressing his forehead against it, as the trio shared a gentle moment of silence.

"Right… Goodbye you two," Lykyria sighed as she pulled back and quickly took flight. "Do me proud!"

"We will, Aunt Lykyria," Natsu replied quietly, as he placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder. "We will."

***POTD***

As she flew away, Lykyria felt rather saddened at having to part from them. It was an odd feeling, one that the Gravity Dragon Monarch never thought she'd experience in her lifetime.

"This is why I swore off taking on a Human child," she hissed, deciding to land on a nearby mountain to recollect herself. "Bloody emotions…"

'Well now, it seems you would have made a good parental figure for a Human child after all,' a gentle voice hummed through her mind, bringing a snarl to her face.

'Careful now, Sky Monarch, you'll anger her…'

"The two of you were silent over the last six months, yet NOW you deign to speak with me," Lykyria hissed, as the gentler of the two voices replied.

'We remain asleep for the safety of the children, as you very well know, Lykyria. Once the process is complete, we shall return to the open skies once more…'

"Your complacency has stunted the girl's growth, Sky Monarch. I've done what I could to reverse the damage, and Natsu shall continue to do so, but you have irreparably damaged her-."

'This isn't about me-!'

"Isn't it? The girl cannot handle being apart from whomever she views as a parental figure, lest it trigger the Dragon's Fury! You think that the way this whole debacle abandoning the children was handled worked when you have to look at that!?"

'In her defense, its not like Natsu turned out much better,' the gruffer of the two voices chimed in. 'His desire to consolidate power, in order to protect those he views as family is rather concerning, even though it benefits our plan.'

"Apparently so," Lykyria scoffed in response. "The way he fights viciously and savagely when pushed beyond a certain point is alarming. At least his trigger for the Dragon's Fury is something normal, unlike Wendy's-."

'Enough about that,' the lighter voice snarled. 'What's done is done! All we contacted you for, is to thank you for assisting in their training!'

"Noted. Now, get out of my head, Grandina. I'm rather cross with what you did to that girl," the Gravity Dragon Monarch growled, as she felt the Sky Dragon Monarch's presence fade away.

'And me?'

"What about you?"

'Is there anything you want to talk about…?"

"No."

'Are you still angry about what I said when we parted,' the gruff voice asked quietly.

"I'm allowed to be angry," Lykyria hissed back in response. "You don't get to just say what you said, and act like I should just let Time forgive you!"

'You're right. I was completely out of line, and I deserved every blow and scar you dealt me that day…'

"You used our dead Son … my Ignia … to try and convince me to foster one of the Human children," Lykyria sniffed, teeth barred as she tore at the ground beneath her claws. "That … THING, that disgusting abomination, took my Ignia away, and you dared to try and use that to make me part of your plans!"

'It was … inexcusable, Lykyria. I was grieving too, angry at the state of things. I was blinded by my desire for revenge, and, I put that before your own feelings,' the male voice muttered, now in a gentle tone. 'I've had far too long to think on my actions, and how much I hate myself for them. I only wanted revenge for our Son, Lykyria…'

"…He's quite similar to him, isn't he?"

'Yes…'

"I could scarcely believe they were two wholly different beings," Lykyria muttered, as she looked out toward Magnolia in the distance. "Natsu, he's almost a one for one of our Ignia… How did you do it?"

'I simply raised the boy, the same way we raised Ignia when he hatched. Nothing more than that…'

"Perhaps… I may be inclined to begin forgiving you for what you have done, if only because of how you raised Natsu," Lykyria muttered quietly. "Is it true though, what he really-?"

'Yes. All of it is true, I assure you. I see it every moment in here,' the voice replied faintly. 'He's moving further away…'

"We shall speak again, perhaps once this is all over…?"

'I-I would like that very much,' the voice replied softly, as Lykyria took flight once again.

"Until next we meet…"

The voice faded away, as Lykyria soared off into the distance, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, as memories of a time long since passed flooded her mind.

One day, she hoped, it would all be set right?

One day…

***POTD***

Once the pair had pulled themselves together, they traveled the short distance through the forest, and arrived on the edge of Magnolia.

"Well, we're here," Natsu grinned, as they gazed out over the town. "Still seems like the place is in one piece?"

"Why do you always sound so old Natsu? Every time we do something, you always say things like an old man would? Its actually so lame…"

"Hey, I'm not lame! I just happen enjoy the little things, like when you come back home and the town hasn't been wiped off of the face of Earthland," Natsu replied in mock offense.

"Old."

'I wonder if this is how Gildarts used to feel when I'd start shit with him,' Natsu mused to himself, as they arrived at the entrance to the town.

"Was this where we were supposed to meet the others?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder how everyone's doing," Wendy mused, as they sat under a tree along the side of the road. "I wonder if Erza and Elise got any stronger?"

"Of course they would have Wendy, they all went off to train just as hard as we did, remember? I'm glad to see that you're excited about today though."

"I guess I'm just glad that I can show the others just how much stronger I've gotten thanks to both you, and Auntie Lykyria," Wendy replied, as she hugged his arm. "Both of you really helped me out…"

"I know," Natsu smiled warmly, as he gently gave her head a pat. "You've done well, little one."

As the pair sat there under the tree, Natsu noticed that Wendy had begun to shiver slightly. In response, he increased the warmth generated by his body, which the Sky Dragon Slayer greatly appreciated.

"Thanks… Did you feel that just now?"

"You mean the cool breeze? Yeah, I felt it," Natsu nodded in response. "There's only one guy I know who'd be doing that on a warm and sunny day…"

"And here I thought I'd try and get the drop on you for once," Gray laughed, as he walked out from behind the gate. "Should've known better."

"I'll admit that I'm impressed by your ability to alter the temperate like I can now, but can you set it back to normal," Natsu replied, as he motioned toward Wendy. "She can't combat that yet."

"Oh, shit, sorry man," Gray replied quickly, as the temperature in the area returned to normal. "You okay Wendy?"

"Oh, yeah, I was just a little cold. Thanks Gray!"

"Wow, you're a lot livelier than when you left," Gray grinned, as he sat down across from the pair. "Then again, anyone would be if they had to spend six months with him!"

"I don't think Wendy's change in attitude is a thing to be worried about," a new voice chimed in, as the trio looked over to see Elise and Erza approaching them.

Natsu and Gray immediately had alarm bells blaring as Erza briskly walked toward their position, stopping before Wendy, before looking between the younger Dragon Slayer, and the older one.

"Hey … Erza," Natsu grinned awkwardly, as the Requip Mage slowly dragged him to his feet.

"Natsu ... WHY DOES WENDY LOOK LIKE SHE CRAWLED OUT FROM THE FOREST FOR THE FIRST TIME!? HOW COULD YOU ALLOW HER TO END UP LIKE THIS-!?"

"Well, to be fair, we did technically just crawl out of the forest for the first time in six months," Wendy cut in casually, before Erza could fully begin to explode, which caused Natsu to snicker slightly.

"Oh man, you are so dead Natsu," Gray laughed, as Erza maintained her grip on his collar.

"My annoyance aside, at least it looks like everyone actually improved over the course of the last six months," Erza noted, seemingly calming herself down, as she looked toward Natsu. "As for you though, I want that beard shaved immediately, and that hair trimmed!"

"B-But-!?"

"No buts," Erza snapped, before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"I wanted to kiss you, but I'm not having a mouthful of hair third-wheeling with us…"

"Argument noted," Natsu replied immediately. "Fine. If you guys are willing to go on ahead and tell gramps we've returned, I'll go get cleaned up?"

"I'm taking Wendy back home for a bath," Erza replied, placing a gentle hand on the Dragon Slayer's shoulder.

"Guess Gray and I can go see the Master then," Elise smirked, as the pair slowly split off from the group. "See you guys back at the Guild Hall!"

"Guess that's my cue to leave too," Natsu said, as he slowly moved toward Magnolia. "See you both later."

The girls waved Natsu off, as he vanished into the crowded streets of Magnolia.

***POTD***

An hour later, Natsu exited the barber shop with a sigh. His beard was gone, along with the long hair he wished to retain for at least some modicum of time.

"The things I do to keep you happy Erza," Natsu sighed as he looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "Wasn't it sunny when I went inside?"

During his brief time in the barber shop, black storm clouds had seemingly rolled in, with the occasional rumbling of thunder accompanying it. Ordinarily, he wouldn't think anything of it, however, there wasn't so much as a cloud in the sky earlier, which had him on edge.

As Natsu began to make his way home, he couldn't help but feel a shift in the Magical Density in the area. Being the accomplished Mage that he was, Natsu knew that there would always be shifts in the Magical Energies in the area, largely due to the presence of Fairy Tail.

But this was something else entirely…

"So, you sense it too, Natsu?"

"Mystogan," Natsu replied with raised eyebrows. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you on my first day back in Magnolia?"

"If you only recently returned, then it is most fortunate," the robed Mage replied, as he motioned to the area around them. "As you have probably realized, there has been sudden shifts in the Magic around town?"

"Yeah. I assume you have some idea of what's going on," Natsu replied, as the robed Mage nodded in response.

"I know exactly what's going on. However, time is short, Natsu. You need to find the other Slayers, and stick together, because you will be the only beings within Magnolia that will be immune to the calamity that's about to come..."

"Hold on, calamity!? Mystogan, what's going on here? And why the Slayers specifically? And what about you? Aren't you here, within the calamity as you call it?"

"What you are speaking with is my Mist Clone. My true self is beyond the range of the inbound blast. Before you think I am merely abandoning everyone in Magnolia, know that everything will be alright, so long as all the Slayers remain within Magnolia..."

"Mystogan… What the Hell is going on," Natsu snapped. "Why all the secrecy!?"

"Well, you see Natsu-."

Before Mystogan could explain any further, a colossal pillar of raw light burst through the black clouds above Magnolia, nearly blinding and deafening everyone, as Natsu looked back toward the Mist Clone.

"Stay in this spot Natsu! I'll be with you once the blast dissipates!"

"MYSTOGAN," Natsu roared, as the Mist Clone dissipated. "DAMN-!?"

Natsu felt the attack strike, closing his eyes as Magical Power washed across Magnolia. After several minutes, the bright light finally faded and Natsu slowly opened his eyes, his jaw dropping in complete disbelief as he fell to his knees.

"No way," Natsu muttered, completely blown away by what had just occurred. "It's actually all gone… Magnolia's gone!?"

Where once the city of Magnolia had stood, now only dull grey sand remained. The entire town had been completely wiped off the face of the planet, in a matter of mere moments.

"Is this what Mystogan meant when he said we need to counterattack…?"

"Correct, Natsu. Though it will be a different kind of counterattack than what you'd think," Mystogan replied, as he slowly manifested before him.

"You'd better have a good explanation for all this," Natsu growled in response, as he slowly approached the S Class Mage.

"Edolas."

"Edolas? What's that?"

"That's where the entire town is Natsu," Mystogan replied, as he motioned up to the sky. "Edolas, up there…"

"Wait… Okay, what is this Edolas exactly, and how do you know so much about it?"

"There isn't much time to explain all that Natsu. We need to grab the Slayers, and send you all up there as quickly as we can. You might not believe this, but up there is another world, parallel to this one. Within this parallel world also exists Magic, though it doesn't function like the Magic of this world."

"An alternate world, you say? Honestly, that isn't all that surprising to me anymore," Natsu replied with a tired sigh, as he ran a hand through his newly cut hair. "Right, tell me more about how Magic works in this place? Will I be able to use mine there?"

In response, Mystogan pulled out a jar full of pills from his coat, and handed them to Natsu.

"Take one of these, they allow you to use your Magic normally within Edolas. Just make sure to give the others one too, alright?"

"So, what exactly do we do once we get there?"

"You must find the capital, and overthrow the King. He is the one responsible for this all of this. I'll spare you the details, as I'm sure you'll figure it out as you go, but you need to find and prevent any Lacrima crystals you see from being used! Any one of them could be a piece of Magnolia!"

"What are you on about Mystogan? Even for me, this is pretty confusing," Natsu asked in response, eliciting a sigh from Mystogan, as he unsheathed several of his staves.

"Since you didn't have the time to find the others, I guess I'll have to bring them here…"

The staves began to circle around Mystogan, before they scattered out in several directions, quickly returning with the other Slayers inside bubbles.

"Right, I'm going to send you all up now," Mystogan sighed, as he placed Natsu inside a bubble as well. "Natsu, please don't fail me… You're the only hope we have left..."

"Hey, it'll be fine Mystogan, I've got these guys with me," Natsu replied calmly, noticing the stress tone coming from the masked Mage.

Mystogan smiled slightly under his hood as the bubbles began to rise into the air, heading toward the glowing gap in-between the clouds.

"Remember to take that pill Natsu," Mystogan called out, with Natsu doing so in response. "Good luck!"

Waving down toward Mystogan, Natsu quickly set his sights back up onto the gap in the clouds they were headed for, his thoughts on all his friends at Fairy Tail.

'Don't worry guys… We're coming,' Natsu thought to himself, as they all crossed through the glowing section in the clouds.