Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hello, dearest readers!

I hope everyone's having a nice day, which is about to get even better because I am finally posting my new story! I thought that I'd need longer to get started, but I've been so inspired for the past few weeks that I've been writing nonstop. So updates will be frequent for the first few chapters.

First I want to once again thank everyone who read Connections and left kudos/comments. That story was, in my opinion, the most complex and difficult one that I've ever written, so I am glad that people enjoyed it.

This one will be significantly different. It will be darker, more intense and the focus will be different. Even though this is still mainly a Gruvia story, there will be less scenes with them for reasons you'll find out in chapter 3. That doesn't mean that their relationship won't be developed through this story, though.

If you're a fan of Jerza, Lyredy, ElfEver, GaLe and Miraxus, you've chosen the right story. All of these couples will have a chance to shine. I've even decided to add some scenes with StingxYukino and CobraxKinana, knowing they are also rather popular. 

Before we begin with the chapter, here are a few IMPORTANT WARNINGS:

1- I initially rated this story M, but then changed my mind. I decided it's best if I just warn that this may include scenes with extreme VIOLENCE, as well as topics such as MURDER and SUICIDE. 

2- Despite the fact that I'm using the Tartarus Arc as base for this story, it's turning out to be a lot different from the anime/manga. So don't be surprised if events happen in a different order, with different characters or don't happen at all.

Happy reading! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.

Down- Vampire Diaries

I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try?
I know I'm gonna fall down.
I thought I could fly,
So why did I drown?
You never know why
It's coming down, down, down.

June of X681…

" Lord Zeref?" The dark wizard barely moved.

" Something's not right." Mard Geer, leader of Tartarus, told Seilah, the first of the nine demon gates.

" What should we do?" She asked in return, eyeing the unconscious mage who lay in the middle of the forest.

"I'm not sure." The underworld king replied, looking worried for his creator.

"Do you think he had an encounter with him?" There was no need for her to specify, Mard Geer knew exactly who she was referring to.

"Perhaps." He replied, lost in thought.

" It wasn't Acnologia." A whisper. Their eyes widened.

" Lord Zeref?" Seilah tried again.

" Yes." Slowly, dark eyes opened and a groan of pain left his lips.

" Are you injured, master?" Mard Geer asked, concerned.

" Not exactly." The dark wizard replied before attempting to sit up. He looked like he was dying, which made no sense. "I simply made the mistake of trusting the wrong person."

" Who?" Seilah asked, interested. Zeref wasn't exactly known for going around making friends and trusting people. How could he, when he was known as the infamous and hated dark wizard?

"No one important." He shrugged it off. "What is, though, is the fact that she tried to poison me."

" Poison you? Doesn't she know who you are?" The underworld king asked.

" She did. As it turns out, her family lived in one of the villages where I resided a few years ago." Understanding crossed their faces. Many villages had been wiped out because of Zeref's inability to control his deadly powers. It's not as if he aimed to kill so many people, but it happened anyways.

" So she wanted revenge, huh?" Mard Geer said, a smirk appearing upon his face."Let me give it to her."

" That won't be necessary." The dark wizard shook his head almost instantly. "I have no desire to have her blood in my hands." There was a pause before a small smile appeared on his face. "Besides, if she hadn't poisoned me, I wouldn't have found the solution to all my problems."

" What solution?" Seilah asked, confused. They were aware of Zeref's ultimate desire to die since they had been the first two demons he ever created and the ones he trusted most.

" Poison." He replied, confusing them. "It surprised me too, but it seems as if even I'm affected by it."

" Perhaps, but it's clearly not enough to break the curse." Mard Geer pointed out.

" Maybe not a regular poison." Zeref said, his smile growing. "However, if I can create a more potent one, I'm sure no curse will stop me from achieving my final goal."

" How do you plan on doing that, master?" Seilah asked and he stood up, groaning in the process.

" That's simple." He replied, looking at them intensely. "All I need to do is create an Etherion that can turn water into poison."

" It's a brilliant idea." Mard Greer praised, though he didn't look so impressed.

" It's better than waiting. I can't do that any longer." Zeref sighed, looking away for a moment as a faraway look came upon his face.

" I understand." Seilah told him, eyes just as cold as always.

"How may we help you, my lord?" The other man asked.

" Start looking for mages that use water magic. I need to find the most powerful one to be used." Their eyes widened.

" A human? Are you sure?" Mard Geer asked and he smiled.

" Yes. I have no doubt we'll find one strong enough to endure the transformation." It might've taken nearly 100 years, but he did.

Present day…

Juvia Lockser woke up to the sound of people chatting. For a few moments, she was confused because she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. The strange people talking made her nervous, so the water mage slowly opened her eyes in order to see her captors. Her confusion only increased when she realized that she was in what seemed to be a hospital room and the strangers were actually two doctors and the mayor of the city.

"What's going on?" She sat up before asking them and the three looked at her.

"Miss. Lockser, you're finally awake." The mayor greeted her cheerfully.

"It was about time." One of the doctors said.

"Where am I?" She looked around the strange room suspiciously.

"In the main hospital of Oak Town. I brought you here after you were found unconscious in the main park two days ago." Juvia took a few minutes to comprehend what he was saying. Oak Town. The main park. The job. The strange man.

"Wait, two days ago?" This wasn't good. If two days had passed, then it was already September 22nd. Her birthday.

"Yes, miss. We were concerned when it took you so long to recover, but after finally stopping this eternal rain, I assume your magic powers were significantly reduced." One of the doctors explained. She knew it wasn't true, but didn't say anything. Her mind focused on what she needed to do: return to Fairy Tail.

"Well, thank you for looking after me." She stood up, ignoring their worried looks. "But I must be going now."

"I don't believe that's a good idea. You should stay a few more days until you've fully recovered." One of the doctors advised, but she shook her head.

"No, I've rested enough. I'm perfectly okay." It wasn't a lie, she felt fine, except maybe for the horrible feeling that something wasn't right with her friends. Same feeling she had gotten when Gray had left for his own mission.

Her eyes widened. Gray. He would be back by now and worrying about her. The last thing she wanted was for him to come looking for her, so she needed to go back soon.

"Alright, then." The mayor didn't put up much of a fight, knowing better than to argue with a Fairy Tail member. "I ask that you please accept this reward for completing your mission." He handed her the jewels and Juvia accepted them and shook his hand before asking for her clothes. The doctors handed them to her, still eyeing her worriedly and she ignored them before going to the bathroom and getting dressed.

She arrived at the train station about half an hour later and quickly bought a ticket to Magnolia. The thought of going home scared her, because she had no idea what she'd find there.

At Fairy Tail… ( 10 AM)

"We're done here!" Lisanna Strauss called from her spot on the ceiling of the guild hall, Bixlow by her side.

"Wonderful, Lisanna. The balloons look great!" Mirajane praised, a large smile on her face. A fake one too, though only her siblings would be able to tell.

"We're done too." Kinnana and Laki said as they showed Mira the perfectly wrapped presents.

"So many presents. Juvia sure is one lucky girl." Warren said as him and Max worked on wrapping the few ones left.

"She deserves it after so many years without even celebrating her birthday." Kinnana reminded them and they nodded.

"Of course!" Mira said, excited.

"Where are Evergreen and Freed with the food? I'm starving!" Gajeel complained as him and Levy approached the others.

"What are you doing here?" Mira asked, exasperated.

"You're supposed to be guarding the door." Cana reminded them and he shrugged.

"Sabertooth arrived, so Gajeel told them to keep watch." The petit bluenette explained, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.

"You're so lazy." Cana complained and he looked offended.

"Hey, nobody said I couldn't pass on the job." He protested before turning to Mira. "But seriously, the food…"

"They're still helping Yajima prepare it." She told him, making him frown.

"They're taking too long. This way Juvia will arrive and it still won't be ready." Before anyone could say anything else, there was a collective shout coming from the front door.

"We're back!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the group of 5 (7, if you count the exceeds).

"Wow, this place looks awesome!" Natsu said as he took a look around.

"Yeah, you guys did a great job." Lucy praised, smiling at everyone.

"So did you, apparently." Master Makarov said, jumping from the second floor where he had previously been talking to Laxus. "I'm proud of you for completing that emergency request so quickly."

"It was nothing." Gray shrugged it off before his expression turned to worried. "Where is Juvia?"

"She's not back yet." Gajeel replied, crossing his arms.

"Why not? I thought her mission was rather simple." Erza questioned.

"Not that simple. The rain in Oak Town wasn't natural, I'm sure of it." A new voice was heard and everyone turned to Rogue, who entered the guild.

"What do you mean it wasn't natural?" Levy asked, suddenly concerned for her friend.

"I went there a few days ago to get some forms from the orphanage." He explained, pain crossing his face at the last word. "I could feel a strong presence, probably a mage. They must've caused the rain." Their eyes widened.

"If there was someone behind it, that changes everything." Gray said and Gajeel nodded.

"I've been telling you that something about this mission didn't feel right." He gave a pointed look towards his girlfriend.

"What should we do, master? Should we go there and help her?" Erza asked and Makarov shook his head.

"No. You just returned from a hard mission of your own, you should rest." He turned to the iron dragon slayer before he could say anything. "It's been two days since she left. I have no doubt that she'll arrive in time for her birthday, so why don't we wait until 1 PM and if she's not here you can go?"

"Fine." Gajeel sighed and Levy placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"She'll be fine." She whispered reassuringly.

"You've said that many times for the past two days." A pause. "I won't believe until I see it with my own eyes." He looked at Gray, knowing the ice mage was the only one who felt the way he did.

"Now, here's what we're going to do." Master Makarov spoke, calling everyone's attention. "We'll finish getting this party ready before Juvia comes here. Once it's over, you can tell me everything about your mission."

"I don't think we should wait, master." Erza told him while sharing worried looks with her comrades.

"The information we achieved in Sun Village is very important." Carla added, giving the master a pointed look.

"I'm sure it is, but it can wait. You've been working so hard for the past few weeks, my children. You deserve to have a break today." They nodded in agreement. After all, there was no harm in waiting a little longer to tell master about their discovery regarding Tartarus. It's not as if the dark guild had made their move yet. Or at least, that's what they thought.

Meanwhile, in Antartica...

"This place sucks." Cobra commented while staring at the empty village.

"It's not that bad." Midnight shrugged while using his magic to reinforce the fire he had created.

"It's too cold. Couldn't we move somewhere that didn't have eternal winter?" Angel complained.

"Sorry, but this was the only place I knew they'd never find us." Jellal apologised.

"How did you even know about it, anyways?" Cobra asked, curious.

"You said you knew someone who lived here. Who was it?" They had been wondering that ever since they had arrived at the snowy village two days before. Seeing the ruins that represented the once blooming town reminded them of their own home towns that were destroyed when they were captured before becoming slaves in the Tower Of Heaven.

"Gray Fullbuster." Jellal replied after a few moments. He didn't see any harm in revealing that piece of information.

"I remember that guy. He was the one I fought many years ago." Racer said, having returned from his morning run around the village.

"So he lived here, huh?" Cobra said, looking around interestedly.

"No wonder he became an ice mage. This place is freezing." Angel said, adjusting the cape that covered her body.

"It's not freezing, you're just not adequately dressed." Midnight pointed out.

"There's no way I'm going to put on those horrible clothes you picked for me." She shook her head while glaring and he simply shrugged.

"It's your loss." The others watched, unsurely. These two had never been close, Angel took more liking to Cobra while Midnight spent time with his father. However, ever since their escape, they were all forced to spend time together and something changed. They didn't know what it was, but the dynamic between these two was definitely different.

"Next time ask me before picking them." Angel continued their argument.

"It's not as if I had time for that, we are on the run in case you've forgotten." Midnight remarked and she sighed.

"How could I ever forget?" That caused silence to fall over the group as each thought about their situation.

"I'm really getting sick of this." Racer said after a few minutes.

"Me too. How long will we have to keep hiding?" Cobra put in.

"I don't know." Jellal replied with a sigh as everyone turned to him. "But at least the Council's not looking for us now, they're too busy with Dorenbolt's trial." The mention of the agent who had helped them escape, risking his own life, brought more uncomfortable silence.

"I wonder how that went." Cobra curiously said after a few moments.

If only they knew.

Back at Fairy Tail… ( 11 AM)

While Natsu, Lucy, Erza and Wendy joined the rest of the guild in getting everything ready for Juvia's birthday party, Master Makarov went back to the second floor. After finishing his conversation with Laxus and allowing the young man to join the others, he went to his office.

"You should've told them." The white exceed who sat on his table told him while he was closing the door.

"I know." The older man sighed before walking towards the desk and sitting down.

"Why didn't you? Aren't you worried about Juvia?" Carla asked.

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't. But I think it's best not to alarm them yet." She shook her head.

"Of course it is!" Her stare was hard when she looked at him. "We agreed to do it after the wedding, yet it's been 5 days and nothing."

"I'm sorry that I've forced you to lie, Carla." Makarov apologized sincerely. "But you've seen how stressed they were with the situation regarding Juvia and Lucy's parents, then this mission they just took. They deserve to have some time to rest."

"I know they do. I'm just really worried that if we don't tell them it will be too late." Carla said, shivering at the thought of the two horrible visions regarding Juvia's fate.

"It won't." He affirmed. "I would never let one of my children get hurt."

"So why did you stop Gajeel from looking for Juvia?" Makarov sighed.

"I'm not sure. But I know a way for us to make sure that she's alright before sending anyone." She raised eyebrows in confusion.

"How?" He smiled.

"Follow me to the infirmary and you'll see." He began walking towards the door and the flying cat followed him as asked. They both couldn't help but feel guilty for keeping her visions a secret for so long, but they knew that the last thing that Gray and Juvia needed was to learn about it after all that they had been through.

At the infirmary…

"Can we listen to it again? Please?" Lyon asked as he sat on a chair by Meredy's side. The pinkette sat on the bed, dressed in a short midnight blue dress that had become her new attire since finding out about her pregnancy.

"Really?" She almost laughed at his excitement. It was incredible how interested he was in anything regarding her pregnancy, she would've never expected it.

"It's amazing." He replied, shrugging and Porlyusica smiled.

"It truly is." She agreed before using her magic once again. Within seconds they could hear the sounds of their child's heartbeats and Lyon's smile enlarged. It wasn't the first time they heard it, that had been two weeks before, but it amazed him every time.

"Tell me, grandma, how long do you think it will be before I start showing?" Meredy asked after a few moments of silence.

"You're at 11 weeks, so I'd say in about 4 to 5 weeks." Lyon was amazed.

"So we'll be able to feel her by then?" The pinkette smiled. She had always suspected that they were having a girl and a few days before Lyon had told her that he agreed.

"Perhaps." Porlyusica replied before looking between them curiously. "Have you two discussed the living arrangements like I suggested?"

"We have, but there is no agreement." The ice mage replied after sharing a look with Meredy.

"There would be if you weren't so stubborn." She whispered and his eyes widened.

"I'm stubborn?" Lyon asked in disbelief. "You're the one who refused to move in with me."

"Wait, you asked her to move in with you?" Porlyusica asked, nearly glaring at him.

"He thinks that just because we're having this baby together, we should live together." Meredy replied before crossing her arms.

"I just want to be closer to her. She's my daughter too." He argued and she shook her head.

"That doesn't mean we have to live together." The healer nodded in agreement.

"I don't believe that's the best option. Living in the same house will only be confusing for everyone, considering that you two aren't together." Silence followed that statement as both considered their decision.

"That's true." Lyon agreed. "But you can't stay with Juvia forever either."

"I know. But I just…I don't have any money, so it's not as if I can afford an apartment of my own." Meredy sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"We can talk to Makarov, see if he can help." Porlyusica suggested.

"In any case, you could stay with me until you figure it out." Lyon pushed. "I don't mind the company and my house's too big anyways." He added before she could protest.

"I don't know." Meredy bit her lip, unsure. Moving in with him, even if for only a few weeks, could be disastrous.

Taking out the fact that it would make things even weirder between them, being around him for so long might reveal growing feelings she had tried very hard to suppress since she knew that he was still working on moving on from Juvia. The last thing she wanted was to make their lives even more complicated by falling in love with him. Because no matter how much she had been denying it over the past few weeks, that wasn't the most unlikely possibility.

"May I come in?" A knock on the door interrupted Meredy's response.

"Of course." She quickly told the Fairy Tail master, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible.

"What brings you here, Makarov?" Porlyusica asked.

"I came to see Meredy." The older man replied, turning to the surprised pinkette while Carla stayed by the door. "I need your help with something important."

"Of course." She replied, eager to help.

"What is it, master Makarov?" Lyon asked, worried.

"It's Juvia." Carla was the one who answered. "We fear she might be in danger."

"What kind of danger?" The ice mage asked, standing up, ready to help as well.

"And how can I help?" Meredy was confused.

"You can help us track her down to make sure she's okay." He replied and Porlyusica's face was firm.

"No. She can't use magic, you know that." She warned and Makarov sighed.

"I do. And I wouldn't ask her to do it if it wasn't absolutely necessary." While the healer looked unsure, the young girl stood up from the bed with Lyon's help. She knew that using magic could put her child's life at risk, but Juvia had been there for her when she needed her most and Meredy wasn't about to let her down.

"I know the risks, but I'm ready to do what it takes to save Juvia." The master smiled upon seeing her determination.

"Spoken like a true Fairy Tail member." Seeing Porlyusica's worried look, he quickly explained his plan. "All I need is for you to form a link between Juvia and someone who cares about her. Can she do that?"

"Yes. That shouldn't take too much magic energy." The healer reluctantly agreed.

"You can link me to her, then." Lyon suggested.

"Wonderful. Shall we do this?" Makarov stared between the two mages, easily sensing the tension between them.

"Of course." Meredy replied before turning to the ice mage. "This might hurt." He nodded.

"I can take it." She smiled, though there was pain behind it.

"Okay. Now, you have to think about her so that I can link you." Meredy sighed as she tried to ignore the hurt. She couldn't focus on it, not when Juvia's life was on the line.

Juvia was sitting on the train, on her way to Magnolia, when she felt pain in her arm. Her eyes widened once she spot the familiar pink bracelet. A sensory link? To whom?

"Strange." She tried to ignore it as worry filled her. Had her friends realized that something wasn't right when she didn't contact them? Could they be looking for her?

"I might as well tell them that I'm alright." She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself so that whoever was linked to her (probably Gray) would feel it.

At Yajima's restaurant… ( 11:20 AM)

"So, is it true?" Freed asked his comrade as she worked on the birthday cake while he took care of the snacks.

"What's true?" Evergreen asked, confused.

"Come on, Ever. You know what I'm talking about." Her expression didn't change.

"You'll have to be more specific." He sighed.

"Fine." Before he could ask, Yajima appeared on the kitchen.

"Less talking, kids. We still have a lot of work to do." He told them and both frowned.

"We've been working all morning. Can't we take a break?" The brunette complained.

"I wish we could, but we need to have this done by 12:00." The party was supposed to start then, which meant they had less than an hour.

"It's not fair, why did Bixlow manage to get out of this?" She asked.

"He's probably hanging around with Lisanna." Freed replied, shrugging.

"You know, these two have become very close lately. Too close." Evergreen commented.

"Less talking, more working." Yajima repeated, making her frown. Before she could come up with a snarky reply, the door to the restaurant was opened and in came a figure wearing a hood.

"Laxus?" Freed asked, confused to why the blonde man would be there when he had been assigned by Mira as the entertainment manager. (Yeah, right.) The stranger said nothing, but the next thing they knew a hurricane was tearing down the restaurant and they were all thrown back.

"What on earth?" Freed asked once it was over and he found himself knocked on the ground, Evergreen and Yajima on each side of him.

"What is this guy?" The older man yelled just before the attacker went for him.

"Yajima, no!" The fairy woman yelled. Thankfully Freed was quick enough to defend him, but with only a single push he was sent flying away.

Evergreen stood up slowly, getting ready to attack him. Just before she could do so, though, she remembered that she couldn't use magic. Not anymore. "Damn it!" Her terrified eyes faced the hooded man, who smirked.

"You're helpless." An attack was sent her way as he decided to get rid of her before going after his true target. The brunette watched the hurricane fearfully, knowing she couldn't block it. Couldn't do anything except avoiding it, but something was gluing her to that place. She couldn't move.

"Elfman, I'm sorry." She whispered as tears began streaming down her face. She closed her eyes, trying to picture her boyfriend.

This was it. She would never see him again and they would never have the life they had been planning. It was over. Or at least that's what she thought.

Sometimes, even in the darkest of times, light can be found and fate can be changed.

"Are you even listening to me?" Lisanna Strauss asked her older brother as they stood on a corner of the guild.

"Sorry, I just got a bad feeling." Elfman replied, looking worried.

"About Ever?" He nodded.

"I feel like…she's in danger." The young girl frowned.

"She's at Yajima's restaurant now, right? What could possibly happen to her there?" His eyes darkened.

"I don't want to think about it." He replied before his gaze went towards the previous subject of their conversation, Mirajane.

"Mira's definitely not okay." Lisanna nodded.

"I recognize that fake smile too." They were the only ones to notice something wasn't quite right with their older sister.

"What should we do?" He asked.

"That's what I was telling you. We should talk to Laxus. Maybe he can help." She replied.

"I doubt he'd talk about it." Elfman disagreed, remembering Laxus' expression once he was leaving the supply closet two days before. Whatever happened there he would surely not want to discuss.

"I just don't get it. Why would Mira be so harsh with him?" The youngest Strauss wondered.

"You didn't see how much she was crying, Lis. She obviously didn't mean it." Another sigh.

"Then why did she do it?" He shrugged, unsure.

"I don't know. But she's been acting weird for the past few days." He pointed out and Lisanna nodded.

"Yes, ever since that last appointment with Porlyusica after we returned from our latest mission." He frowned upon remembering it.

"That's right. I noticed that before, why didn't we talk to her again?" Her response was interrupted by a loud scream as Sting and Yukino entered the guild.

"Guys, you have to see this!" Their faces were filled with horror as the dragon slayer held onto the newspaper.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gajeel asked, glaring at the blonde.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this, but Rufus just gave it to us and you have to see it." Yukino told everyone. Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Erza, who had been talking, approached the door.

"What's in it?" Gray asked, curious.

"There was an attack on the council two days ago." Sting revealed while showing them the front page of the newspaper where there was an image of the destroyed ERA building.

"Oh My God!" Lucy's hands jumped to her mouth as she stared at it in shock. Everyone gasped.

"That's not even the worse part." The dragon slayer continued.

"The council members….they're all dead." Yukino said and everyone gasped. Dead? The Council members? Not possible!

"Let me see this!" Natsu yelled, taking the newspaper from Sting's hands.

"Shit!" Gray's face paled once he read it.

"Do they know who's behind it?" Erza asked, already having a guess.

"They said it was a member of Tartarus." Sting revealed and the 5 members of Team Natsu shared a look.

"Just as we feared." The red head said.

"What do you mean, Erza?" Mira asked. The guild hall was silent as everyone payed attention to the conversation.

"On our mission, we found out some things about Tartarus." Lucy told them, still in shock.

"Like what?" Gajeel asked.

"Apparently, those jerks were responsible for what happened in the Sun Village" Gray replied and many people raised their brows in confusion.

"That's not important." Natsu said. "But anyways, we talked to my uncle because he was there and…"

"Wait, who?" Gajeel interrupted.

"Atlas Flame; he's one of the dragons we fought during the Games." Lucy quickly explained.

"But anyways, he said that…" Natsu was interrupted once again.

"You're safe. Safe." A relieved whisper.

"Juvia?" Gray asked, eyes widening.

"You're okay." Gajeel whispered, relief crossing his face. Levy and Lucy smiled.

"What's happening here?" The bluenette asked, looking around the decorated room in confusion.

"Oh, that's right." Mira put on a bright smile. "Happy birthday!" Many people yelled the same and Juvia couldn't help but to smile.

"You didn't have to do all of this. Thank you!" For a moment she forgot about the terrible secrets she had uncovered, she forgot all about Zeref, Tartarus and E.N.D. Instead, her mind focused on the amazing friends who had worked hard to make this day a special one for her.

"Isn't she the cutest?" Cana asked, a smirk on her face.

"I'm so glad to see that you're alright." Gray told her while taking a few steps. As soon as he was close enough, the water mage threw her arms around him, not caring who saw. He was caught off guard by the force behind the hug, but wrapped his arms around her anyways.

For a few moments they just held each other, content to be together again.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." Natsu joked.

"Shut up, flame breath!" Gajeel told him while glaring.

"You want to pick a fight with me?" The pink haired boy asked.

"Seriously?" Levy asked, eyeing the two with raised brows.

"Can't you two ever behave?" Lucy added, rolling her eyes.

"I was worried." Their attention was caught by Juvia's confession once she pulled apart from the hug.

"So was I." Gray told her while holding tightly onto her hands. "At least everything turned out okay in the end."

"Yes. I missed you." A pale hand touched his face and he smiled.

"I missed you too." They leaned in for a passionate kiss as her hands held onto his face and his arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer.

"Now I'm really going to throw up." Natsu whispered, ignoring the glare coming from his girlfriend.

"Do you have to do this here?" Gajeel asked and the couple pulled apart.

"If you can do it all the time, why can't they?" Cana teased, making him and Levy blush.

"Now that's interesting." Lucy smirked at her best friend.

"I recall that someone promised to give me details once I returned from my mission." Juvia said, eyeing Gajeel pointedly while Gray kept his arms around her shoulder.

"Yeah, I've been wondering what possibly caused Levy to decide to be with you." He remarked, earning a glare from the iron dragon slayer.

"Are you looking for a fight, stripper?" He warned, already getting into an offensive stance.

"Can't you leave that for later?" Macao said, approaching the group with a drink in hand.

"Yeah, wasn't there supposed to be a party?" Wabaka added.

"Before we can get to that, we need to discuss what we found out during our mission." Erza reminded everyone.

"Is that okay with you?" Lucy turned to her cousin.

"Of course. I can tell that's more important than a party." She told them, deciding to tell everyone about her own discovery once they were done.

"Okay, so as I was saying…" Natsu and Lucy began telling everyone of their mission in Sun Village while Gray filled his girlfriend in what happened to the council. Once he revealed that Tartarus was behind the attack, Juvia could feel her heart stopping as overwhelming fear filled her.

"So it seems like they might be in possession of one of Zeref's books." Erza said after Natsu began explaining their conversation with Atlas Flame. In respect to Gray, they left out the part when it was explained that an ice demon slayer had frozen the village since the ice mage wanted to ask Silver about it first.

"The book of E.N.D?" Rogue asked, face filled with horror.

"If they have the book for summoning E.N.D then we don't stand a chance." Levy remarked, terrified.

"Wait, what did you say? E.N.D?" Juvia asked, removing Gray's arms from around her waist as she took a step towards the group by the door.

"I suppose I don't really have a choice. I'll have to use her."

"I believe she can be strong enough. After all, she has more than showed us how unbelievably strong she is."

"But to become the new E.N.D? She's not ready."

"Yeah. According to uncle, he's supposed to be the most powerful demon." Natsu explained and her face paled. The room began spinning as the memories she had uncovered joined together.

"Whatever happens, she will not be killed." The dark wizard gave his creations warning looks.

"I'll allow her to live a normal life, away from here, in case she fails to become the new E.N.D."

"No. No." She whispered, trying to stop the flow of memories. She was barely aware of the strange looks her friends were giving her.

I'm sure you'll be of much help in destroying Fairy Tail. After all, seeing you unlock your second origin has made me finally understand why you were chosen.

It was suddenly hard to breathe and she coughed. "Juvia?" Gray asked, concerned. She didn't hear him, all she could hear was their voices. Zeref. Seilah. The nine demons.

"She's having a panic attack." Lucy quickly realized once Juvia coughed once more, attempting to breathe. Why was it suddenly so hard?

"But why?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Juvia, listen to me. You're alright, you're safe." Gray tried to call her attention, but she wasn't listening. She stumbled a bit as she attempted to breathe, to no avail. Her body temperature dropped significantly and her face became even paler.

"Juvia, come on." Gajeel pleaded and dark blue eyes met his for a moment. He was surprised by the pain reflected on her face.

"Please, no." A final shaky whisper before her eyes closed as her body went limp.

So, what did you think?

Do you understand now why Zeref chose to use Juvia? Do you think that he will succeed in turning her into an Etherion?

Gruvia fans, did you enjoy their reunion?

What about Lyredy's scene? I warned you that his journey to move on from Juvia wouldn't be easy.

On another topic, are you excited to see what part that Oracion Seis will take in this war? They'll be pretty important.

Lastly, what do you think will happen next with Juvia? Will she tell them about Zeref's plan?

Chapter 2 will be called One Truth, Many Lies.

Here's the summary: While Jellal figures out Tartarus' next target, Fairy Tail decides to declare war against the demons. However, the stakes are raised because of Silver's disappearance and the reveal of Elfman and Evergreen's huge secret. Will they manage to protect the ones they love?

That's it. I'll post it once this story reaches 50 hits (Here's a challenge for you)

Chapter Text

Hey, people. Sorry I took a while to post this chapter, but here it is. I hope you enjoyed the first one and will keep enjoying this story, the drama is just beginning!

Just a little WARNING before the chapter begins: there is MATURE CONTENT at the end of this chapter.

Happy reading everyone!

Believe-Christina Perri

Cause I have been where you are before

And I have felt the pain of losing who you are

And I have died so many times

But I am still alive

I believe that tomorrow is stronger than yesterday

I believe that your head is the only thing in your way

I wish that you could see your scars turn in to beauty

I believe that today it's ok to be not ok

"Elfman, I'm sorry." Evergreen whispered before closing her eyes. There was nothing she could do now, the spell making her unable to move was too strong and she couldn't use magic to undo it.

"Humans are such cowards." Tempester shook his head while watching her. He didn't understand why she wasn't attempting to escape so the attack wouldn't hit her, but he didn't care either. As long as she was eliminated, it didn't matter.

Time passed and Evergreen stood in place, eyes closed and heart beating fast. Fear consumed her, fear of death, fear for her friends, for Elfman. How would he react to her death? Would he ever find a way to move on? She felt tears streaming down her face at the thought that she'd never see him again.

Her train of thought was broken when she suddenly felt strong arms wrapping around her and suddenly she was falling. Her eyes opened just as the attack passed a few centimetres above her head.

"Why the hell were you just standing there?" She looked down and was shocked to find Laxus.

"Laxus?" Evergreen whispered, confused.

"Idiot, you almost got yourself killed." He scolded before removing her from him and sitting up.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't... I can't use magic." More tears streamed down her face and he sighed.

"We'll talk about this later. Now stay here while I take care of this." He stood up and she watched him walk away, a small smile appearing on her face.

Whoever her attacker was, he didn't stand a chance now.

Later, at Fairy Tail...

"No!" Gray screamed as he watched Juvia fall. Thankfully, Rogue, who was closest to her, had quick reflexes and was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"What the hell just happened?" Gajeel was confused.

"I don't know." Lucy worriedly stared at her cousin. Something wasn't right.

"She's cold." Rogue said as he touched Juvia's face.

"Wendy, can you heal her?" Erza turned to the young dragon slayer, who nodded.

"I can try." She approached the unconscious mage and knelt by her side while Gray did the same.

"I don't understand why this happened." He whispered while taking Juvia's pale hand.

"She was probably shocked by the attack on the council." Lucy suggested, though unsurely.

"I don't think that was it." Erza shook her head.

"Come on, Juvia. Just wake up." Gray pleaded while Wendy used her magic on her. Since the water mage was merely unconscious, there wasn't much she could do, but she tried her best nonetheless.

"What's going on?" A loud voice brought their attention to Master Makarov, followed by Carla, Lyon and Meredy. They had just come out of the infirmary after hearing Gray's scream.

"Master, we need to speak with you." Erza called him and even from afar he could tell there was an urgent look on her face.

"Oh, My God. Is she okay?" Meredy asked once she and Lyon rushed to the group, having seen Juvia's unconscious form, now in Gray's arms.

"What happened?" Lyon gave the him a worried look.

"I don't know." The other ice mage answered, frustrated. Before anyone could ask more questions, big blue eyes opened and the water mage slowly sat up, a hand pressed against her head while she let out a groan.

"Juvia?" Rogue called and she removed it, letting them see the horrified look on her face.

"It was them." The words echoed through the silent hall.

"What?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Tartarus. It was them." Everyone felt chills down their spines.

"What about them?" Gray asked and she turned to him. He knew that horrified look, had seen it many times when she talked about the strangers who had kidnapped her long ago. His stomach dropped as he realized it just before she voiced his thoughts.

"They were the ones… they kidnapped me." Silence followed as looks of disbelief came to everyone's faces.

"What?" Natsu repeated, face suddenly pale and eyes widened.

"It couldn't be." Lyon denied it.

"This is insane!" Levy screamed, holding onto Gajeel's arm because the world suddenly started to spin.

"What are you even talking about?" Sting asked, confused, while he glanced at Yukino and Rogue.

"It's a long story." Lucy replied, eyes still focused on Juvia.

"Are you sure it was them?" Gray asked while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded.

"Yes. I remember now." Another round of silence.

"So your memories have returned?" Erza wanted to confirm.

"Most of them, yes." Juvia closed her eyes as more flashes crossed her mind. Tartarus. Zeref's demons. For years she had wondered who they were, but the truth seemed so absurd that she couldn't believe it.

"Do you remember where they took you?" Natsu asked, hoping that she'd know where their hideout was.

"No, I have no idea where their base was." She replied, eyes opening briefly.

"Maybe you shouldn't push her now." Lucy warned, eyeing the bluenette with worry.

"I know we shouldn't." Erza replied before sighing. "However, with what happened to the council, we need all the information that we can get."

"I understand." Juvia said while standing up with Gray's help. "I can't let anyone else get hurt when I can help you catch them."

"I think you should be more worried about yourself." Gajeel said, making her look at him in confusion.

"What makes you say that?" She knew why she should be worried. Tartarus was dangerous. They had managed to wipe out the Magic Council with ease, not to mention Antartica and many villages that were destroyed by Deliora. And they surely would try to eliminate her, seeing as she now knew exactly who they were.

"If they find out that you remember them…" Gray was unable to finish the sentence.

"I have no doubt that they will." Juvia replied, crossing her arms. "But there's no way I'm going to hide away like a coward. If you're going after them, I am too."

"Don't be stupid." Gajeel shook his head.

"It's not the best idea." Erza agreed.

"I'm not saying it's a good idea." The water mage told them as her face changed from scared to angry. "But they ruined my life. I won't let them get away with it." There was a fire burning in her eyes that Gray hadn't seen in a while. He knew it then, there was no changing her mind.

"You'll only get yourself killed." Lucy tried to reason.

"So will you. Going after them is a stupid plan, but I know that we have to do something to stop them." Juvia argued.

"It's not stupid." Natsu protested.

"Trust me, I wish I could believe that we can handle this threat. However, I'm afraid that we may be way out of our league here." Erza gave her a confused look.

"What makes you say that?" The answer not only shocked them, but it shook their confidence about fighting against Tartarus.

"They're not human." Juvia paused before taking a deep breath. "They're all demons… from the books of Zeref."

"Say what?" Natsu's jaw was on the floor.

"We are so screwed." Sting added.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight them?" Even Gajeel found his confidence fading.

"What do we do, master?" Erza turned to their leader.

"Nothing." His reply shocked them.

"Are you kidding me?" Natsu yelled.

"There is nothing we can do now." Makarov continued as if he hadn't spoken. "We don't know Tartarus' location or what they're planning. It's no use going after them."

"So we just do nothing to stop them?" Erza asked, disbelieving.

"I know you don't like this, but our best plan is to wait until they make their move again." The older man looked around the room.

"What if they do that here?" Gray asked. Many worried glances were shared.

"Then we'll be ready." Fairy Tail's master replied confidently. "We'll place protective barriers around the guild and keep our guard up."

"I don't know if that will be enough." Juvia said.

"I'm sure we can hold them off." Lyon reassured her.

"You don't understand." She shook her head as more unwanted memories came rushing back. "They're not like the other enemies we faced."

"Because they're demons, we got that." Gajeel told her.

"How powerful can they be?" Natsu wondered.

"Powerful enough to wipe out entire villages." She replied, looking between the two ice mages. "Deliora was sent by them. They were testing his strength to see if he could become one of the nine demon gates."

"So they're the reason why…" Gray didn't finish his sentence. She nodded.

"They are going to pay." Lyon said, face filled with fury.

"You can bet on that." Gajeel said.

"Juvia, is there anything else we need to know before we begin securing the guild hall and warning our allies?" Makarov asked the water mage. She knew that she should tell them about Zeref's plan back then and E.N.D. But she also knew that they would never look at her the same if they knew what she was supposed to be. Besides, the plan had failed and Zeref didn't need her anymore, so what was the point of mentioning it anyway?

"No, I think that's all." If only she knew how much that lie would cost.

After their plan was settled, Master Makarov was filled in on everything regarding Tartarus while everyone rushed to protect the guild as best as possible. Lyon, Rogue, Sting and Yukino went back to their guilds to warn them about what was going on.

At Fairy Tail, Levy worked on putting enchantments around the guild, since Freed was still missing, though Laxus had been sent to fetch him and Evergreen a while before. Lucy, with Loki's help; Natsu, Gray and Erza all placed defenses around the guild. Whether it was a gate made of ice, a firewall or multiple swords that would be fired at Erza's command; everyone in the guild helped protect their home.

Juvia wanted to help out, but after her panic attack Porlyusica advised her not to use magic for a while. She was taken back to the infirmary, Meredy following her. After a quick check out with the healer, she was discharged after being advised to rest and try not to think about what happened years before.

That would've been easier if the memories didn't keep flashing in her mind, but Meredy was able to distract her while everyone worked on protecting the guild. The pinkette had been living with her for enough time to know how to get her mind off things and Juvia was grateful for her help. She knew Meredy was going through a hard time herself, what with everything regarding Lyon and the baby, so perhaps taking care of Juvia was helping her escape her problems as well.

In the end, everyone decided to keep the party going while they waited for Tartarus to make their move. It might not have been the best idea, considering the dangerous situation that they were facing, but Master told them that was precisely why they should take this opportunity to have fun and rest before the big battle came. After all, it was no use wasting all of their energies waiting for Tartarus to attack.

So they let go of their worries for a few moments and just enjoyed themselves. First everyone gave Juvia her presents and she was filled with happiness upon seeing how much they all cared. Each gift was unique and consistent with the person who gave them. For example, Gajeel made a mixtape with all of his songs; Levy gave her a book about water magic; Lucy chose a bracelet that had once belonged to Juvia's own mother and a beautiful notebook with flowers on the cover; Natsu gave a blue scarf similar to his own and Meredy provided her with a copy of Romeo and Juliet that Ultear had given her for her 16th birthday.

When it came to Mirajane's turn, Juvia's eyes widened upon seeing the beautiful dark blue gown.

"You remembered?" She asked and the she-devil gave a genuine smile.

"Of course. I didn't know if you still wanted it, but I thought it would be a nice gift." The bluenette smiled back while holding onto the princess dress as the memory of the first time she had thought of Fairy Tail as her home came to mind.

"A prince costume? Are you kidding me?" Gray complained as Mira handed him the costume. It was the day of the Harvest Festival and, after a long day in which Laxus had forced many members of the guild to fight each other during what he called "The Battle Of Fairy Tail", everyone was getting ready to have some fun at the Fantasia Parade.

"I'm sure it will look good on you." Juvia told him and he slightly blushed, still frowning.

"Why do I have to wear it?" The ice mage questioned and Mira smiled.

"Because Erza assigned you to it. Do you want to argue with her?" She raised an eyebrow and Gray gulped as he eyed the red head who was currently talking to Lucy.

"No." He gave a defeated sigh before accepting the piece of clothing and walking away.

"Now it's your turn, Juvia." Mira happily told the bluenette before turning around and grabbing a piece of fabric. As soon as Juvia saw the beautiful dress, her eyes widened.

"It's… for me?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course. Erza made sure to leave the princess costume for you. Pretty clever, huh?" The white haired woman gave a wink and Juvia found herself smiling as well.

"I should thank her. It's been years since I had the opportunity to wear such a beautiful gown." She said, fingers softly tracing the blue fabric.

"Really? Then I guess I know what I should give you for your birthday, when it comes." Juvia smiled towards her kind friend before taking the dress.

"Thank you so much, Mira." She hugged the older woman, who quickly embraced her.

"No problem." Mira replied, smiling. "Now go get ready. I can't wait to see just how amazing you'll look. I bet Gray won't be able to take his eyes off you." Juvia blushed at the mention of her crush before shaking her head and walking away, smiling.

That was a good day, despite the fact she had spent half of it trapped as a stone statue and then forced to fight Cana. At least she managed to get third place on the Miss Fairy Tail contest. She didn't know how she had managed to overtop Bisca and Cana, who were both amazing and popular, but it was a good sign that perhaps she had found her home.

"Thank you." Juvia hugged her friend enthusiastically.

"No problem." Mira stepped away once she saw the ice mage approaching them.

"Happy Birthday, Juvia." The water mage wasted no time in hugging him tightly and the couple kissed, ignoring everyone's reactions.

"So, what have you got?" The bluenette asked, eyeing the two small packages that he held.

"This one's from me." He handed the gift wrapped in light blue paper and she opened it slowly, careful not to tear the wrapping. Inside it was a beautiful silver necklace with a heart shaped pendant.

"It's beautiful." She gently touched the pendant. "Did you make this?" She asked upon realizing that it was made of ice.

"Yeah, after you told me how the one your mother gave you broke during a mission, I thought about it." He replied, looking at her unsurely.

"How thoughtful." She gave him the brightest smile. "Thank you, my love. I truly adore it." His expression relaxed, being replaced by a smile of his own.

"I'm glad to hear it." Many people awed and they ignored them as she turned around and lifted her hair so that he could tie the necklace around her neck.

"It really is beautiful." Lucy said as she inspected the necklace along with Levy.

"What about the other one?" The petit woman curiously asked, pointing towards the other small gift.

"This one's from my father." Gray answered and Juvia's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered.

"Silver! I'm so sorry, I had completely forgotten." She turned around to face him and his face fell as he realized it.

"Do you think that Tartarus might have…" He couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm afraid so." She replied.

"If they have him, then he's probably dead." Natsu said without thinking.

"Natsu!" Lucy gave him a warning look.

"No, he's not dead. I would know if he was." Gray replied confidently. "But I don't even want to think about what they'll do to him."

"He'll be alright, he knows how to handle them. " Juvia reassured him. Another lie that she wished that she didn't have to tell. But she didn't want him to keep worrying when there was nothing they could do.

"There's nothing we can do for him now, so just try to keep your mind off it, okay?" Erza suggested and he nodded.

"Now that the presents are over, who wants to have some cake?" Lisanna called while coming out of the kitchen with the cake she had prepared.

"Hell, yeah!" Natsu yelled while racing towards the table where she was placing it.

"Since the food's not here, I guess I'll have to settle for cake." Gajeel said, frustration clear on his face. Levy laughed at her boyfriend before giving him a kiss on the cheek and taking his hand as they followed Natsu.

"Will you be okay?" Juvia whispered in Gray's ears once she noticed that he was lost in thought.

"I think so. Will you?" He looked at her, concerned.

"Yes. But I need a distraction." A smirk came upon her face. "Can you meet me in the supply closet after we're finished with the cake?" She whispered so no one would hear it.

"Are you sure?" God knew he needed a distraction more than anything.

"Yes." She grabbed his head and kissed him firmly, taking the ice mage by surprise. "I promised to show you how much I love you and I intend to follow it." With that said she left towards the cake and he stood there for a moment, stunned, until Erza called his attention.

As Gray stood by Juvia's side while she blew out the candles and everyone sang 'Happy Birthday', he cherished the happy moments, knowing that it wouldn't be long before everything fell apart.

At Tartarus hideout… (12:35 AM)

"Why isn't Jackal back yet?" Kyoka complained as she arrived at the main room where all the other demons were.

"His job isn't done." Torafusa replied calmly.

"What about Tempester?" She then asked.

"He should be done by now." Seilah replied, a smile upon her face.

"Hopefully he'll be able to eliminate Fairy Tail's strongest so that we can work on the weaklings." Franmalth said, smirking.

"You shouldn't underestimate them, Franmalth." Keyes warned, showing up from no where. "They are stronger than we've taken them for."

"Are you concerned?" Seilah asked and he shook his head while laughing.

"Not at all, I know their stories are destined to end in tragedy." All of them smirked.

"And it won't be long now." Kyoka said.

"Lord Zeref said we should keep an eye on them and see which council members they'll choose to protect." Torafusa revealed. "He also made it clear that he'll take care of the girl."

"I already have the perfect plan to ensure that they're all eliminated." Seilah told them and Kyoka smirked.

"I'm guessing it has to do with the Strauss siblings." The other woman nodded.

"Of course. They are, after all, the reason why I've decided to target Fairy Tail." She replied calmly.

"You know, Seilah, seeking revenge is something only humans do." Her eyes suddenly narrowed in danger.

"Don't you dare compare me to them." The skeleton smirked.

"So she hates them. So do I." Kyoka shrugged.

"I don't hate them." Seilah quickly said. "Hate is a human emotion, which I don't have any interest in."

"Agreed." Torafusa nodded. "Speaking of hate, how is Silver?" He turned to Kyoka, who smirked.

"He's ready." They raised their brows.

"Are you sure?" Keyes asked.

"I still remember the last time she told us that." Franmalth whispered and she glared.

"He's unconscious now, but as soon as he wakes up, he'll be one of us." Kyoka told them, the smirk back on her face.

"Very well." Keyes said.

"I'm surprised he could withhold the transformation." Seilah commented.

"Whose powers did you give him?" Torafusa asked and Kyoka's reply brought a large smirk to Keyes' face.

"Deliora. I figured it would make things interesting." The skeleton laughed in delight and many of the demons joined him. Fairy Tail might be aware of what they were, but not even Juvia knew the extent of their power and desire to kill.

Meanwhile, in Antartica…

"This is unbelievable!" Cobra yelled while staring at the paper.

"Can't believe they took out the Council that easily." Angel added, looking at it from behind his shoulder.

"How did you manage to escape?" Jellal turned to the former agent who had delivered the news to them a few minutes before.

Dorenbolt looked like he had been through hell, which was true. His cape was torn and many scratches could be seen through the holes in his outfit. But his state of mind was even worse. From the moment he had arrived at Antartica after contacting Jellal, he had only murmured inaudible things before handling them the newspaper. His pale face and shaking hands added to the sickly look and Jellal couldn't deny that he was worried.

"I don't know." Dorenbolt replied, voice shaky and eyes still terrified. The blue haired man was sure that he was replaying the explosion constantly in his mind.

"You need to pull yourself together, man." Racer told the agent.

"Just give him time." Richard said while continuing to treat a large gash on Dorenbolt's shoulder.

"We don't have time." Angel said, turning around and facing them. "For all we know they could have attacked again."

"I wouldn't doubt that." Midnight said, crossing his arms. "They sure work fast."

"I guess now it's time for us to strike back." Cobra said, leaving the newspaper on the ground as he approached them.

"How? We still don't know where they are." Angel asked, frustrated.

"We can't just sit around and wait anymore." Racer firmly said and Jellal nodded.

"I agree. It's time to take action." They gave him surprised looks.

"Alright." Cobra cheered. "So, shall we go hunt some demons?" He turned to his comrades, who smiled.

"I'm ready." Midnight said, determination upon his face.

"So am I." Racer added.

"I didn't say that we were going after Tartarus." Jellal said, catching their attention.

"What the hell did you mean, then?" Cobra asked, confused.

"Our best shot is to find the location of their next intended attack." The blue haired man replied.

"How are we supposed to figure that out?" Angel asked while covering her arms to protect herself from the cold.

"I think… I know." Dorenbolt spoke, making them stare at him.

"Easy there, agent." Richard said when he tried to move, placing a firm hand on his uninjured shoulder to keep him still.

"Where is it?" Jellal asked the agent. After taking a deep breath, the latter replied.

"They're going after figures of power in order to destabilize our world. First the Council, then..." He started coughing, leaving the 5 former members of Oracion Seis confused and curious.

Only Jellal finured out what he was about to say and his eyes widened. This was bad. Really bad. If Tartarus succeeded, the entire political system that humans had tried so hard to create would fall apart completely.

Back at Fairy Tail... (12:50 AM)

As soon as the cake was distributed and everyone began chatting, Juvia excused herself, telling them she had to go to the bathroom. As much as she loved the party and her friends for making this birthday the best one in years, the need to get away was overwhelming.

The longer she spent with them, the more she'd feel guilty for lying and it was becoming unbearable. Her conscience wouldn't let her forget about Tartarus and E.N.D, as much as she tried. Why couldn't her mind focus on something else?

"She's almost ready." Kyoka said, watching the child that lay on the ground.

"Are you sure?" Seilah asked.

"Yes. Her resistance has increased, it shouldn't be long until she can be transformed." Juvia shivered as she stared at them, half conscious.

"You've been testing her for only two years, Kyoka. Maybe she needs more time." Torafusa said.

"She doesn't have more time." Keyes replied.

"Yes, I can tell that soon she'll be nothing more than another soul to my collection." Franmalth crackled.

"She won't die, I'm sure of it." Kyoka confidently told them.

"Maybe not. After all, no human has lasted more than a few months, yet she's managed to stay alive after two years." Seilah reminded them.

"She will make an excellent replacement for E.N.D." Kyoka said before she took a few steps towards the young girl. Within seconds a scream left her mouth as the torture restarted.

"Juvia?" She almost jumped at the sound of his voice before turning around.

"Hey." He could tell something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" She shook her head.

"Don't." Gray nodded in understanding before approaching her.

"So, what now?" He leaned casually against the door leading to the supply closet, a curious look on his face.

"Now you'll kiss me." She replied, face relaxing as he smirked before doing as she asked. Her hands pressed against his chest while his arms went towards her shoulders as he removed her dark blue jacket. Once he was done, it was her turn as she unbuttoned his shirt while keeping their lips locked.

"Wow. That was…" Gray said once they were forced to pull apart, both breathless.

"Yeah." Juvia finished, placing a hand on the door to hold herself up.

"Maybe we should go to my place." He suggested, but she shook her head.

"No, it's not safe there." She reminded him before closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around his neck. "But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun here."

"I like that." His arms wrapped around he waist as he brought her even closer before they kissed again. It wasn't long before it became more intense as he lifted her legs and she wrapped them around his waist. Upon hearing the loud sounds of the party, they decided to go inside the supply closet as planned and Gray closed the door behind them before pressing her against the wall.

"Yes." She whispered breathlessly when he buried his head on her neck while showering it with kisses while his hands worked on unzipping her dress. Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist and she closed her eyes, getting lost in the moment. Unfortunately, it ended too soon.

"Oh My God!" Lucy pretty much screamed, making Juvia's eyes open while Gray removed his head from her neck and quickly zipped up her dress.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" He glared at Natsu, who stood by the blonde's side.

"You forgot to lock the door." The dragon slayer replied while raising a brow. The water mage buried her head on Gray's shoulder, feeling embarrassed.

"Go mind your own business." Gray snapped at the couple, a small blush coloring his cheeks.

"We can't. Master sent us to fetch you, he said that we need to come to the infirmary. Now." Lucy told them. The urgency in her tone let them know this was bad news, so Juvia removed her legs from around Gray's waist and stood by his side, a hand pressed against his chest to keep standing while his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"What happened?" She asked and Lucy sighed.

"There was an attack." Her blood went cold.

"No." A broken whisper.

"Come on." Natsu called and the couple followed him and his girlfriend outside. Upon spotting their clothes, Gray and Juvia quickly dressed themselves while blushing furiously under their friends' stares. This was a really awkward and embarrassing situation, but surely couldn't be worse than what they'd face at the infirmary.

At the infirmary…

"I'lll do what I can." Porlyusica's voice could be heard as the two couples entered the crowded place. After pushing through a few of their guild mates, they were able to see the four occupied beds and their eyes widened. Freed, Evergreen, Yajima and Laxus lay in each bed. Their faces were pale, their eyes had dark circles under them and they were all whimpering in pain despite being unconscious.

"But far smaller exposures than theirs have been proven lethal. Recovery is possible, but not guaranteed or even likely." The healer continued explaining and Juvia shook her head.

"No." She whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"Excuse me, get out of the way!" A loud voice was heard over Porlyusica's explanations and everyone grew silent as they let Elfman and Lisanna pass. As soon as he saw his girlfriend, his face paled.

"No! Ever!" Many people gave him pitiful looks.

"What happened?" Lisanna asked, looking around worriedly.

"Isn't that obvious?" Natsu asked, faced filled with anger.

"Tartarus." Juvia whispered.

"We were waiting for them to make their move, now they have. It's time to fight back." Gray turned to Fairy Tail's master, who stood in front of them while watching Laxus.

"They have to pay for what they did." Elfman agreed, while glancing at Evergreen's unconscious form.

"And they will." Erza said, a plan already forming in her mind. "But first we need to come up with a way to locate them."

"That isn't our priority." Makarov said, turning their attention back to him. "Don't you see what's happening here?" He pointed at Yajima and the red head's eyes widened.

"They're targeting all members of the Council, current and former." He nodded.

"But why?" Lucy asked.

"That's what we're going to find out." Makarov looked between all of the guild members that were gathered around the infirmary. "Now our primary job is to keep all the former members of the council safe from Tartarus, so we'll begin researching for their homes immediately."

"How are we going to do that?" Gray asked, knowing that the addresses were kept secret since the Council had imprisoned a great deal of people who'd surely want revenge.

"I think I can help." Loke said, appearing after a bright orange light. While he explained how he had gotten a few addresses, Porlyusica turned to Makarov, desperation clear on her face.

"You need to be fast, I don't know how much longer they'll last." He nodded in understanding.

"We'll do whatever it takes to make them well." Her worried eyes surveyed the beds before stopping on Evergreen.

"Specially her, she won't be able to hold on much longer." Hearing this, Elfman took a few steps forward.

"Why do you say that?" She sighed.

"Her condition makes her vulnerable, so she doesn't have the strength to stay alive for long." Many strange looks were shared.

"What condition are you talking about, Miss. Porlyusica?" Mirajane asked, stepping forward. No one noticed, but she also looked rather sickly.

"She's pregnant." It was Elfman who replied and he looked even more broken than when Lisanna was thought to be dead.

"Wait, what?" Gray screamed in surprise. There were many surprised gaps coming from everyone.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mira asked him.

"We were going to, after the party." He replied, lowering his head so no one could see the devastated look on his face.

"This just gives us one more reason to get back at Tartarus." Natsu determinately said and many people nodded.

"Let's get going, then." Gray said and Juvia smiled at him.

"Yes, let's show them the power of our love!" While he raised a brow, Makarov spoke once again.

"I don't think you should go, Juvia." Her smile was replaced by a determined look.

"I knew you'd say that, but I'm not backing down." She crossed her arms over her chest. "No one wants to destroy Tartarus more than I do."

"But they surely want to destroy you, so if you go there you'll just make it easier for them." Lucy argued, but it was no use.

"If I stay here I'll just put everyone else in danger." She turned to Makarov. "I'm going."

"Fine." He sighed, knowing best than to argue any further. They were in the middle of a crisis and there were more important matters to be handled.

The memory of Carla's visions reminded him of why she shouldn't go, but he ignored it. Tartarus, Zeref or whoever that mysterious man was wouldn't be able to touch her. "But at least take a team with you."

"I'll go." Gajeel quickly volunteered.

"Me too." Gray added even though it was obvious.

"Maybe I'll join you." Erza suggested, but Juvia shook her head.

"No, I think that'll be enough, Erza. I'm not a damsel in distress and we need someone to stay here and protect the guild." Makarov nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I suppose that's enough. Be very careful, please." After the three of them nodded, he turned to the other members in order to form other groups. They had four addresses, so three more groups were formed: Natsu, Lucy and Wendy; Levy, Jet and Troy and Max, Alzack and Bisca- Asuka stayed in Mirajane's care.

While they were being formed, Porlyusica called for Juvia. "Be careful, you're not out of the woods yet."

"Do you think I might have another attack?" The water mage asked and she nodded.

"It's possible." Porlyusica eyed her worriedly. "I'd advise you not to go, but I understand why you have to."

"I'll be okay." Juvia confidently told her before her eyes found the familiar pinkette who sat on a chair, going almost unnoticed. "Can you make sure she's okay? Now that she can't use magic I worry about what'll happen when the battle begins."

"I'm worried too. I'll keep an eye on her until Lyon returns." The bluenette stared at her curiously.

"Returns? So he'll be back here?" She had expected him to stay at Lamia Scale.

"Yes. He told me that he'd only go back to Lamia Scale in order to warn them about Tartarus." A small smile came to the healer's face. "He even said that Meredy and the child are more important." Juvia was shocked, to say the least. Lyon Vastia was so proud of his guild that she'd never imagine something could be more important.

"Now that's new." Upon hearing her voice, she turned around only to spot her boyfriend and best friend walking in her direction.

"We got the address from Loke. Can we go?" Gray asked.

"Yes, I'm ready." Before they left, they said their goodbyes to everyone. When it came to Lucy's turn, the blonde hugged her tighter than normal.

"Stay alive, okay?" Juvia nodded once they pulled apart.

"You too." The celestial spirit also nodded. They understood perfectly what the other was thinking now: they were family. The last family each had, so they couldn't lose each other.

"Come on, Luce." Natsu called and, after giving Juvia another worried look, she turned around and joined her boyfriend.

As Juvia also turned around so that she could say her final goodbyes to Meredy, she had a bad feeling. The same one she did before leaving for that mission two days before. Trying to ignore it, she focused on the memory of the blue haired man who returned her memories as she wondered who he was and if maybe he was involved somehow with Tartarus.

She was unaware of his dark green eyes watching her through a familiar book as he smiled to himself. "It's finally here. The beginning…of her end."

So, thoughts?

The cat's finally out of the bag, now! I thought if they knew what Tartarus were, not only would it make the story more interesting, but Fairy Tail could be better prepared for the battle.

What did you think of Juvia's decision to go after them even knowing that they'd try to kill her?

On another topic, did you enjoy the scenes at her birthday party, with the presents and the flashback to the Fantasia Parade? What about Gruvia's sexy scene with NaLu catching them? The next few chapters will be all business, so I'm afraid there won't be many fun scenes from now on.

About Tartarus, did you catch my hint about Seilah's true motive for targeting Fairy Tail? That will be important in the future.

Lastly, I told you that Oracion Seis would be important. Where do you think they'll go now?

Next chapter: Broken Promises.

Summary: Fairy Tail's mission to stop Tartarus and protect the former members of the Council doesn't go as planned. While Elfman and Lisanna face a forgotten enemy, Mirajane struggles with Laxus' confessions, Erza worries about Jellal and Juvia is forced to make a decision that could change everything . Are all promises truly meant to be broken?

Let's try 120 hits for chapter 3?

Chapter Text

Hello, dear readers. I’m sorry for how long it took me to post this chapter, but I was waiting for the story to reach 120 hits. It didn’t happen yet, but hopefully you’ll enjoy this chapter more than the previous one.

Just wanted to let you know that I have already 10 of them written and things are getting pretty dark and angsty in later chapters. Plenty of deaths to go around.

Now let’s get on with chapter 3. Happy reading!

Last Kiss-Pearl Jam

I held her close I kissed her - our last kiss

I found the love that I knew I had miss

Well now she's gone even though I hold her tight

I lost my love, my life that night

November 15th, X374…

It was a warm, sunny day. Supposedly just another beautiful summer day, but not for him. He walked along the beautiful grass field, looking towards the blue sky with the saddest expression on his face. He hated it. From a very young age he had always preferred the rain, it brought him comfort and reminded him of the most important person in his life. Or at least she had been, so long ago.

"I wasn't expecting you to come." He turned around to face the man with blue hair and dark green eyes. His appearance was very different from the last time they had met and a new name accompanied him now: Acnologia.

"Neither was I." The other man replied, shrugging. A pale hand removed the large coat he wore, it was too hot for it. "But I knew that I had to see it for myself."

"Is that the only reason why you're here, Zeref?" Acnologia asked, looking curious.

"I want to know where she is." Zeref got right to the point.

"Of course you do." The other man sighed and shook his head.

"So?" The dark wizard raised a brow, waiting.

"It's none of your business." Anger crossed Zeref's face.

"You have no right to hide this from me! She is…" Acnologia didn't let him finish.

"You don't need to remind me." There was sadness in his tone, but it was hard to tell if it was true.

"Why did you hide her body for all these years?" Zeref finally asked the question that had plagued his mind for over a decade.

"I think you already know why." His eyes widened once he realized it and he shook his head.

"You're unbelievable." The other man looked away.

"I should be going. Have work to do." Zeref gave him another indignant look.

"Is that what you call it? Work?" Acnologia looked confused for a second. "I know that you're doing, Igneel has told me. I can't believe you'd stoop so low as to take innocent lives in your quest for vengeance."

"You give me that look all you want." Acnologia told him before his face turned firm. "But I have no doubt you would've done the same." Zeref shook his head once again.

"No, I would never seek vengeance. I know better than that." A pause before a sad smile came upon his face. "After all, I promised her that I would always follow my heart and it's telling me that seeking revenge against those who wronged me isn't worth it." The man laughed.

"You're talking like a fool that doesn't know anything." He told Zeref before taking a few steps until they were face to face. "But let me tell you something that life will probably teach you. Promises always end up being broken, no matter who makes them."

"I don't believe you." Zeref stepped away from him, shaking his head. "Now will you tell me where she is or do I have to find out for myself?"

"You should let it go. Holding onto the past will get you no where." The other man warned.

"Like you're one to say." Zeref scoffed.

"I have moved on. You should too." With that said, Acnologia turned around and walked away silently. Zeref watched him while wondering if his own future would be as dark and empty.

Present day... 3 PM

After the four groups arranged by Makarov left for the former Council members houses, Makarov gathered everyone in the guild hall so that they could begin searching for more members, leaving the infirmary empty except for the unconscious victims of Tartarus' attack, Porlyusica and Meredy.

It wasn't long, though, before Lyon showed up and he and the pinkette went to the main hall to help Fairy Tail with their task. Once they were gone, Elfman entered the infirmary and the healer left briefly to give him a few moments with his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, Ever." He whispered while standing by her bed, eyeing the unconscious women brokenly. "I should've been there, should've protected you." He lowered his head in shame and regret. He had promised to always be by her side, to protect her even though she didn't need it. But he had failed, and now he could lose her and their child.

"I know this is though, but you have to hold on, okay?" He gently grabbed her pale hand and squeezed it. "You have to be strong, for the baby." He placed his other hand on her stomach momentarily and a smile crossed his face as he recalled the moment she had told him that he was going to be a father.

Truth be told, he wasn't ready. Not even close. After having just turned 19, the idea of children was far from his mind. However, he couldn't deny that a future with Evergreen as a family didn't sound so bad. They were happy together, despite what it might seem like because of their constant fighting. But that was just the way they worked, he would make mistakes because he had never been in a long lasting relationship and she would point them out and teach him how to do it right.

For 5 months they had been together and he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't happy. Their relationship might be a bit complicated, but things were fine. When she told him that she was pregnant a few days before, he had felt nothing but happiness once the shock wore off. He had known it, then. They were going to become a family and everything would be okay.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make you well." He vowed before gently kissing the hand that he was holding. "Both of you. You can count on me." His moment was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Lisanna's voice was heard.

"Hey, I'm sorry for interrupting." She softly told him and he turned around to face her, a reassuring look on his face.

"It's okay, Lis." He looked back to his girlfriend, sensing he'd need to leave her.

"Master called for us." Lisanna said, confirming his thoughts. He nodded briefly before letting go of Evergreen's hand and standing up.

"Let's go." A worried look suddenly came upon her face.

"She'll be okay, won't she?" He didn't have an answer to that, so Elfman said nothing as he walked away from the bed and towards the door, walking past her. Lisanna stood there for a few moments, staring at Evergreen's unconscious form before she too turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

"Elfman, I'm sorry for calling you so soon, but we need your help." Makarov said once he met with the two Strauss siblings.

"I understand." Elfman replied shortly.

"What do you need us for, master?" Lisanna curiously asked and Makarov grimaced.

"I know you probably wish to stay here with Evergreen, but we have an emergency." Both stared at him in confusion, so he clarified. "Warren just found another council member's house, Yuri. He was very influential, meaning it's likely that Tartarus will attack him next."

"Why do you need to send Elfman and Lisanna?" Cana asked, having overheard the conversation. There was nervousness in her tone and she glanced towards Lisanna pointedly.

"We've already sent our best teams to other houses. Only Erza and Mira remain, but I'll wait until we have more information before sending them anywhere." Makarov paused before looking between the two siblings. "I wouldn't ask this of you two if it wasn't absolutely necessary." Seeing how urgent it was, Elfman nodded.

"I guess we don't have a choice, then." He sighed.

"Are you sure about this?" Lisanna asked, worried for her brother.

"Yes, I'll do what I can to protect Fairy Tail." He paused as a smirk came upon his face. "Who knows, maybe I'll run into the jerk who hurt Ever so that I can make him pay."

"Be careful, you two. These demons are incredibly powerful and dangerous." Both nodded.

"We can take them!" Lisanna said, also smirking. Cana sent her a panicky look.

"Before you go, I need to talk to you." Her tone was firm, so the white haired girl knew it was serious.

"Okay." She replied and Makarov looked between them firmly.

"Make it fast, okay? You need to reach Yuri's house as soon as possible." The two girls nodded before they left towards the back of the guild. As he watched them, Elfman couldn't help but wonder what that was about. He had noticed Cana and Lisanna's constant interactions since the day of the wedding, but hadn't thought much of it, believing the two friends might have grown closer and that's why they were spending more time together.

If only it was that simple.

Fairy Tail, at the infirmary… 4 PM

Mirajane was glad that the room was empty, with the exception of the four unconscious mages. She wouldn't want anyone to see her when she had no reason to be there. After all, her relationship to any of them was superficial, as far as anyone knew.

Freed and Evergreen were close friends, but not enough for her to feel the need to see them. Maybe people would just take her for the same old Mira, the kind woman who loved everyone and treated them all like family. It wasn't a lie, she did do that. Only that wasn't the reason why she was there.

"I should have known that you were going to get yourself in trouble." She whispered once she reached his bed. "You can never stay away, can you?" Laxus didn't reply, though another pained groan was heard. Mira sat down on the chair by his bedside and watched him, pain and sorrow clear on her face.

"I didn't want you to get hurt, but I should've known this would happen." She bit her lip, attempting to stop the tears. "You are always trying to prove yourself, wanting everyone else to know that you aren't the same person who started the battle of Fairy Tail." She shook her head.

"I don't know why you still feel like no one can see how far you've come. But then again, maybe I haven't given you much reason to think that. " There was a pause as her mind was overwhelmed by memories of two days before and the conversation they had. His confession. Her rejection. The heartbreak.

"I wish things were simple, but they aren't anymore." This time she was unable to stop the tears. "I'm so sorry, Laxus. I never meant to break your heart, but I needed to protect you." Her mind played his words for the millionth time. I love you. He had said it so simply, so easily and Mirajane had envied him. It didn't seem like he had struggled with his feelings, at least not as much as she had.

For so long she had been hoping to get enough courage to tell him how she truly felt, but once she finally did, it was too late. There was no point in telling him anymore when all it would do is give them false hope.

She couldn't stay there anymore, seeing his broken body only served to increase the guilt she felt. Because no matter who had attacked him, she had ruined his life the moment she rejected his confession.

After standing up, Mira gave him one last look and she knew that she needed to tell him the truth, even if he couldn't hear it. It was her only chance, so she took it. "I love you too. Please, be okay." With that said, she turned around and took a few moments to recompose herself before leaving him behind once again.

As Mirajane arrived back into the guild hall, Master Makarov approached her before revealing everything that he has just learned from Natsu and Lucy. He explained the situation with Tartarus weapon, their plan to eliminate the three council members who had created Face and how the former Chairman was the only one who knew about it, so he would be a priority target for the demons.

"So you want me to go after him?" Mira asked after she took some time to take in all this information that the guild had received from Natsu's team a while ago.

"Yes. You and Erza." She nodded.

"Very well, then. No time to lose." She looked around the guild, searching for the red head.

"She's with Lyon and Meredy." Makarov told her pointing towards the right corner of the guild. "Since Jellal was also a former member, she fears he might be involved in Face's creation, so she decided to ask Meredy about it."

"I'll wait for her outside, then." Mira told him before turning around and going outside. Before she could reach the exit of the guild, though, she was stopped by Porlyusica.

"You shouldn't go." The healer warned and she sighed.

"I don't have a choice. This is more important." Bright blue eyes stared determinedly at the older woman.

"I know." Porlyusica nodded. "That's why I won't stop you. But you need to be careful."

"I'll be fine." The healer raised a brow and Mirajane cursed herself for sounding so unsure. She couldn't think about that now, there were many people in danger and helping them was more important. So she said goodbye to Porlyusica before opening the door and sitting by the steps leading to the guild's entrance while she awaited for Erza.

With Erza…

"Are you sure that Jellal never mentioned it?" She asked Meredy after explaining the situation with Face.

"No, he didn't like talking about his time working for the council." The pinkette replied, an uncomfortable look on her face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lyon asked, ever worried.

"This situation must be really stressing for you." Erza said, giving her a sympathetic look.

"I'm so worried about him." Meredy admitted and the red head nodded.

"Me too. But I always tell myself that at long as he hasn't been caught, he'll be alright." The pinkette sighed.

"We weren't caught for six years, but he wasn't alright." A small smile came upon her face. "That is, until he found out that you were still alive."

"I can only imagine how difficult it was for all of you, the past seven years." Erza looked between her and Lyon.

"I'm more worried about what's going to happen now." The latter admitted.

"So am I." The red head sighed. "This war is different from the other battles we had. The stakes are higher." Lyon nodded.

"If we fail to stop Tartarus, all magic will be gone. Can you imagine a world without it?" To tell the truth, Erza could imagine it. She had seen it during her brief trip to Edolas, but this was different. The lack of magic didn't cause all wizards to die like it would in this world.

"Speaking of stopping Tartarus, I should get going." Erza told them, remembering that she was supposed to leave with Mira for the former Chairman's house.

"Be careful, Erza. If something happens to you, it will break him." She knew that Meredy was right, so she nodded.

"I will. And you…" She turned to the ice mage. "Keep Meredy safe. If anything happens to her, I promise that I will hunt you down and…" He didn't let her finish.

"There's no need for threats; I already got my fair share from Gray, Juvia and Jellal. She'll be safe." Erza nodded before saying her goodbyes. As she joined Mira outside and they began the journey to the Chairman's house, her mind was focused on Jellal. She remembered the last time that they had seen each other and couldn't help but wonder if she would ever see him again.

Over 3 weeks before…

Erza and Jellal followed the path hidden amongst the trees leading towards the beach, holding hands while they caught up on what happened during the time they had been apart. He told her the details of his research on Tartarus while she filled him in on everything that was happening with Fairy Tail.

Once they reached their destination, the couple stopped in front of the grave as sad smiles came upon their faces.

"This truly is the perfect place." Jellal commented while staring at Ultear's tombstone.

"Yes, I recall you mentioning how Ultear loved the sea because it reminded her of her mother." Erza said, looking towards the second grave that Gray and Lyon had built for their master.

"It's hard to believe that she's gone." He admitted, a faraway look upon his face as he remembered times shared with the time mage.

"It truly is. I didn't even have time to get to know her." The red head told him and he smiled.

"I don't know how that would've worked out." Seeing his expression, she raised a brow in confusion.

"Why do I get the feeling you don't think it would have" Jellal gave her an apologizing look.

"Ultear was a…complicated woman." He paused and she crossed her arms and stared at him, waiting for an explanation. "I'm not saying she hated you, but she didn't like you either."

"Why? She didn't even know me." Erza asked, even more confused.

"She saw how much I suffered because you were gone and she hated it. I know it was irrational, but she blamed you." Understanding crossed her face.

"I see. Well, I can understand that, no matter how crazy it is." A relaxed smile came upon his face once he realized that she wasn't angry.

"Then I guess you might've become the best of friends." He suggested and Erza shook her head.

"Now you're going too far." Jellal laughed for a few moments before his face turned to determined.

"Maybe I am. But even if she didn't accept you, it wouldn't matter to me." He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer. "Because I love you and nothing can change that." She smiled while her hands settled on his shoulders.

"Good. I love you too." They leaned in for a powerful kiss that was interrupted too soon by the arrival of Gray, Juvia and Meredy by the grave.

Later, as Erza thought about this conversation, she had no doubt that, had Ultear remained alive, their relationship would've grown. Because despite any dislike they might feel towards each other, there was a common interest that joined them together: Jellal. His happiness was important for both of them, so they would've worked together to make sure he was alright.

In the small village of Caracas… 5 PM

"Yep, she's dead." Gajeel whispered while staring at the body on the floor.

"We should have seen this one coming." Gray commented, voice a bit shaky. They had arrived a few minutes before and the sight that awaited them was truly gruesome. Houses torn down, streets stained with blood and the bodies of the villagers. An entire city put to death for no reason.

"It's so awful!" Juvia whispered and he gave her a worried look. He could tell her that seeing this broken city reminded her of their own hometown and it was clear this had her shaken.

"I know." He sighed before approaching her and wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

"We should contact the others." Gajeel said after watching them for a few moments.

"Yes, we should." Juvia attempted to dry her tears so as not to worry her comrades.

"Maybe we should take another look, see if we can find any survivors." The dragon slayer continued.

"You should go." Gray agreed, but he knew that Juvia was in no condition to do that.

"No, we should all stick together. What if something happens?" Juvia looked between the two men, clearly worried.

"You shouldn't worry about me." Gajeel reassured her.

"Do you actually think she's going to let you go out there alone?" Gray raised a brow in his direction.

"Levy would kill me if I did." That was enough to make the dragon slayer change his mind. He couldn't risk it, not when Levy was counting on him to come back to her.

"True. So let's contact the guild, then." Juvia nodded before picking the communication lacrima from her bag. Before she could turn it on, though, she froze. They all froze as they sensed the presence.

"Someone's here." Gajeel whispered, getting into a defensive position. Gray approached Juvia until he was standing between her and the door while she placed the lacrima on the table and turned around.

"Get ready." He whispered and she nodded.

"Show yourself!" Gajeel said a few minutes later when there was no movement. No answer came, but suddenly, his body dropped.

"Gajeel!" Juvia started running in his direction, but stopped once she heard the sound of another body hitting the ground. Upon turning around, her face paled once she spotted her unconscious boyfriend. "No." She ran back towards Gray and lifted him into her arms.

"Please, wake up." Nothing. He remained unmoving. "Please.." Tears fell down her cheeks once again and she coughed as breathing suddenly became difficult. Another panic attack. Now this was the last thing she needed.

"I ask you to try to calm yourself. The last thing I need is for you to pass out when we have matters to discuss." Her body froze upon hearing the familiar voice. She looked around the room wildly until she spotted him standing by the open wardrobe. A small tree was placed on a vase near it, but it's leaves had turned to brown.

"You." Her face paled and he smiled.

"It's been a long time, Juvia Lockser." Black eyes stared at her curiously and she tried to sustain his gaze despite the overwhelming fear that his presence brought. The room temperature seemed to have dropped and she could feel death surrounding her. Was this the end?

With Elfman and Lisanna…

"What the hell just happened?" Elfman yelled once the body of the council member, Yuri, dropped to the floor once again. Only a few seconds ago the corpse had mysteriously arisen and used his magic to eliminate the communication lacrima in Lisanna's hands.

"I don't know." Lisanna replied, suddenly feeling chills down her spine. They could sense another presence in the room even before they heard her voice.

"I tried to make him look convincing, but a corpse is a corpse." They suspiciously eyed the strange woman with long black hair and golden horns as she sat by the desk.

"Who are you?" Elfman asked, narrowing his eyes in anger.

"Tell us what you did to Master Yuri, now!" Lisanna commanded and he cast her a warning glance.

"The old man already had one leg in the netherworld, I merely helped him along." The woman replied before sighing. They watched her while keeping their guard up and somehow Elfman had a feeling that he knew her somehow. But that was impossible, right?

"And stayed around to play with his corpse?" He asked, trying to ignore how loud his heart was beating.

"Corpses can be quite useful." She stood up and a sinister smile was on her face. "After all, the dead don't talk or fight back, so controlling them is quite easy."

"Lisanna, are you ready?" Elfman asked and the youngest Strauss nodded, though her mind wasn't in the moment.

"Yes." The next thing he knew, somehow his hand was wrapped around her throat and his eyes widened.

"Elfman, what are you doing?" Lisanna asked, trying to remove it.

"This isn't me." He panicked once his hand wouldn't respond. "I'm sorry, I can't control it."

"This is interesting." The woman took a few steps in their direction. "I waited for so long to get my revenge on you, but this is going better than I thought."

"Revenge?" Lisanna asked, struggling to breathe.

"We don't even know you!" Elfman yelled, though the feeling of familiarity didn't go away. He definitely knew her from somewhere, but where?

"Maybe." The woman replied. "But I certainly know you." A portrait suddenly appeared in her hand. Both siblings stared at it with widened eyes. There was a couple in the photograph, both familiar to them although it had been ages since they had last seen them. A man with short white hair, small dark blue eyes and tanned skin had an arm wrapped around a woman with long white hair, bright blue eyes and creamy skin. Both were smiling and the woman wore a beautiful white gown, signaling that it was their wedding day.

Their names were Victor and Lydia Strauss and they were Elfman, Lisanna and Mirajane's parents.

"How did you get that picture?" Lisanna asked, confused and afraid. Her voice came out shaky since she was still unable to breathe.

"I've had it for a long time." The woman smiled once again. "19 years to be exact." Elfman's face paled as he suddenly realized what she was referring to. He remembered the date like it had been yesterday, July 7th of X772. The day his father died. Or rather, he was murdered.

"You killed our father." Elfman whispered and Lisanna stared at him, mouth open in shock. She was about to ask him what he meant, but breathing was hard enough. She pulled at his hand, trying once again to remove it from her throat, but it was no use. Her vision darkened and she coughed a few times before her body fell forward, taking Elfman by surprise. "No, Lisanna!" He held her to his chest as he dropped to his knees, unable to hold himself anymore.

"So you do remember." The woman said, making him look at her. "Interesting."

"What the hell do you want?" Elfman asked, starting to get desperate. If this truly was the monster that had killed their father, then they were in big trouble. He didn't know if he'd be able to protect Lisanna.

"Like I said, I'm seeking revenge." The woman told him, taking more steps until she was standing right in front of him. "I believe watching you kill your sister will be enough."

"Why? What did I do?" He asked, suddenly confused.

"There's been enough talking." He found himself standing up with Lisanna still in his arms and walking towards the table. He attempted to fight it off, but it was no use, her magic was just too powerful.

"No." His face lost all color once he spotted the large knife by the table where he placed his sister.

"Now, you may begin." The woman whispered and he swallowed hard, hating how his hand obeyed her command and suddenly he was holding the knife and lifting it over Lisanna's body.

"Please. Don't do this." The demon said nothing, but she didn't have to. As much as he tried to resist, he wasn't strong enough. He hated not being able to protect Lisanna.

Memories of the day he thought he had killed her came to mind and Elfman screamed in agony.

Back with Juvia...

She glanced towards the communication lacrima, but as if reading her thoughts, Zeref spoke. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"What do you want?" Her voice shook with fear.

"I think you know." He took a few steps towards her. "After all, I am well aware that your memories have returned."

"Of course you are." Juvia muttered.

"Nothing escapes my knowledge." He replied before glancing towards the unconscious man in her arms. "Like your relationship with him."

"Leave him alone!" She yelled, tightening her grip on Gray and pressing him against her chest.

"I have no reason to harm him." Zeref said, stopping. "That is, if you cooperate." Juvia glanced towards her boyfriend, heart beating faster. She couldn't let anything happen to him, but the price to be paid for aiding Zeref was much too high. So many people would get hurt if his plan succeeded and she would lose everything.

"No." The dark wizard looked surprised by her response. "I won't help you."

"Is that so?" Zeref raised a brow. She waited for him to move or attack her, but he didn't. However, she could feel warm liquid staining her coat. After removing Gray's body from her chest, her eyes widened in horror upon noticing that blood was suddenly coloring his grey shirt.

"No." She looked back at Zeref in disbelief. "Stop it."

"Why should I?" Gray's face was getting paler as more blood filled his shirt. She could feel his breaths slowing down and knew that he wouldn't hold on for long.

"No, please." More tears fell as she touched his cold face. "I can't lose you."

"You don't have to." Zeref said, crossing his arms. "All you need to do is follow me and he will remain unharmed."

"Why should I believe you?" She yelled, pressing her hands against Gray's chest in order to stop the bleeding. It was no use.

"You'll have to make a choice. Let him die or save him." Juvia knew it, then. It didn't matter the stakes or how many people might get hurt, she would always put Gray first. He was the love of her life and she wasn't strong enough to watch him die when she could save him.

After all, she knew how Zeref worked. He wasn't like other ruthless villains she had encountered over the years; he kept his promises. He had let her go after she failed to become E.N.D. He hadn't killed Meredy back on Tenrou Island, just as she had begged him not to. He wouldn't kill Gray now because there was no reason to do so.

She was the one he wanted. If Juvia tried fighting against him, she would only cause the two most important people in her life to be killed. The best option for them was for her to do as Zeref asked and pray that her friends would find a way to save her.

"Okay." She sighed, hating herself for what she was about to do. She looked back at her boyfriend and gently ran her fingers through his hair before kissing his forehead. "I'll go with you, as long as you promise me that he won't be harmed." Zeref nodded.

"I promise." So she stood up, letting Gray's body rest on the floor. Much to her relief, the stains of blood on his chest disappeared and his breathing returned to normal. He still didn't wake up, though. She was glad for it. Juvia knew he wouldn't agree with her decision because it went against the promise that they had made each other long ago.

A few months before...

"I guess you have a point. We can't know the future, so we can't know what awaits us. We need to have faith that everything will be okay." Gray knew it was right and cursed himself from not thinking it before. It was hard to be positive when so many horrible things happened in your life.

"Exactly." Juvia gave him a short kiss and once she pulled apart, they were back to smiling at each other.

"But I want you to promise me that you'll be careful." He looked at her with concern, his tone more serious than ever. Juvia knew that he needed that promise, that it would ease his worries.

"I do. As long as you do the same. No more being reckless." She pointedly said and Gray nodded before bringing her closer so she could lie on top of him once again.

"No more being reckless. I promise." He said before kissing the top of her head. And they had kept that promise for a long time, but not all vows can remain unbroken forever. (flashbacks from chapter 11 of Connections)

"I'm sorry." Juvia looked back for a moment before taking Zeref's extended arm. Within seconds they had disappeared and the first step for Carla's predictions to come true was completed.

So, what did you think?

Miraxus and ElfEver fans, did you enjoy their scenes? There will be more as the story progresses, but I can't promise they'll be happy ones.

What about the Jerza flashback? If you're a fan of these two, this is the right story for you. That is, if you adore drama and heartbreak.

Onto more important matters, what do you make or Zeref and Acnologia's flashbacks? Who is the body he was searching for?

And lastly, what did you think of Juvia's decisions to go with Zeref, thus placing everyone in danger? Will Fairy Tail manage to stop him from turning her into E.N.D?

Next chapter: Never Forgive Yourself

Summary: Things take a turn for the worse when Seilah forces Elfman to hurt Lisanna and Mirajane is captured. More secrets about their parents are revealed, but the Strauss siblings don't have time to understand them before Elfman is sent back to Fairy Tail. Meanwhile, Oracion Seis finally make their move against Tartarus. Will everyone make it out alive?

I'll give you a little SPOILER: It will include the FIRST DEATH of this story. Are you ready?

Let’s try 140 hits for chapter 4? 

Chapter Text

Now that's what I'm talking about! Thanks everyone who read this chapter and left kudos.

I'm really excited about this story because I feel like it's the best one I've ever written and I like it even more than Connections. Maybe it's darker, sadder and more angsty than that one, but it's also more interesting and you get to learn a lot about characters like Zeref and Acnologia in Demons. 

Anyways, chapter 4 will focus mostly on the Strauss siblings, specially Elfman. I advise you to pay good attention to the reveals in here because they aren't just random.

Happy reading!

Keep Your Eyes On Me- The Shack

Ain't it the sinner
Who gets all the grace sometimes
Ain't it the saint
Who picks up the pieces left behind
Yeah, and it's human to hurt the one
You hurt the one you love the most
And you can't find the sun

July 7th, X772…

"Daddy!"A loud scream tore through the house as the little girl watched her father fight against the strange woman.

"Come on, Lisanna. We have to go." An older girl with the same white hair and bright blue eyes whispered while grabbing her hand, but the younger one didn't move.

"Mira, I'm scared." Another child, a boy, said as he grabbed onto the arm of the older girl.

"Get out of here, you three! It's not safe." The man with white hair and small blue eyes yelled, panicking.

"It's no use. There's no safe place." The mysterious woman replied.

The three children turned to her, scared. She didn't look too threatening, with the exception of the horns that adorned her head, but there was something just wrong about her. Something dark and horrible.

"Don't you dare!" The man yelled before charging at the woman, his appearance suddenly changing to that of a black panter. The woman was caught off guard as he jumped on top of her and both fell to the ground. As the panter growled at her, she smirked.

"So you think that you can take me down in that pathetic form?" She pushed him off her and the animal was thrown back a few feet, but quickly recovered.

"Come, Lisanna." Mirajane whispered as she tried once again to make the younger girl move.

"But, daddy…" Lisanna whispered, glancing towards the panter as he made another jump for the woman.

"He can't take her down if he has to worry about us." The older sibling told her, but still she didn't move.

"Mira, please. Let's go." The boy pleaded, looking frightened. His grip on Mira's arm tightened as he watched their father hit the wall.

"Why can't you listen to me!" He yelled at the three children once his transformation wore off.

"Sorry, daddy. We'll be gone now." Mirajane told him before following Elfman towards the door. Once they reached it, though they quickly realized that it was locked.

"No one is leaving until Lydia arrives." The woman calmly told them while crossing her arms.

"Let us go!" Elfman yelled in a panic while trying to open the door.

"You leave my children alone!" Their father warned before transforming once again, this time into a tiger. He jumped at her, but all of sudden a knife came flying out of no where and it buried in his stomach.

"No!" The three children yelled in unison as he fell to the ground and returned to his human form. They quickly ran towards him and gadhered around him.

"Daddy, you're hurt." Lisanna worried while staring at his wound.

"I'll be fine, princess. Don't worry." He reassured her while taking out the knife.

"What do we do now, Mira?" Elfman turned to their older sister, always the leader.

"I don't know." She bit her lip.

"There's nothing you can do." The woman told them while a satisfied smile came upon her face.

And there really wasn't. In the few minutes that followed the unexpected attack, Mirajane, Elfman and Lisanna were forced to watch as their father lost his life. Back then, they didn't know how to use magic, so there was nothing they could've done to save him.

Even so, they had never forgiven themselves for what happened that night and the memory would forever serve as a reminder that you can't always protect the people you love.

Present day (5:15 PM)

"Please, no more." Elfman whispered brokenly as he held tightly onto the knife, hands shaking.

Lisanna's body was covered in blood from the slashes he had inflicted upon her. He had tried his best to fight off the spell that the mysterious woman, Seilah as she had introduced herself, cast on him, but it was no use. All he managed to do was to make sure that the cuts would only be inflicted upon her arms and legs, so there was still a chance that she could be healed if they got out of there.

"I didn't tell you to stop." Seilah said while watching him from her spot by the old, dark red couch. Her legs were crossed as well as her arms and she looked like she was enjoying herself.

"I don't want to hurt her anymore." Another broken whisper as his hand shook even more. So much pain and sorrow. Elfman had never thought that he'd feel worse than the day he nearly killed Lisanna, but this was too horrifying. What would Mirajane say if she found out what he had done?

"Then kill her. End her suffering and yours." The demon suggested and his eyes widened in horror at the suggestion. No. There was no way that he would kill Lisanna. He'd rather die himself.

"That's it." He whispered as an idea formed. He knew it was stupid plan that could end disastrously, but he couldn't keep hurting his sister anymore. With each slash he was beginning to lose his mind and Elfman wanted nothing more than for this to be over and for Lisanna to be safe.

He knew better than killing himself, though. That would only bring pain to those he cared about, but if he was able to fool Seilah at least, he might save her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seilah stood up and stared at him firmly after he lifted the knife and held it against his throat.

"Let her go." Elfman whispered, trying to appear braver than he felt in that moment.

"I don't think so." The demon shook her head.

"Let Lisanna go or I'll kill myself." A small smile came upon her face.

"Do you really think that you're in a position to negotiate?" She couldn't deny that his ability to resist her spell had impressed her. No human had been able to do that before.

"You said you wanted revenge, so take it on me. But leave her out of this." He started growing desperate since his plan wasn't working.

A few minutes of silence passed as Seilah analyzed him.

"Alright, then." She replied at last, surprising him. He didn't expect her to agree so easily, but then again, he didn't know how demons worked. They always had a plan B that was even worse.

"Really?" She smiled before taking a few steps towards him.

"You can let go of the knife. I have a new task for you." He sighed in relief once he was able to drop the weapon onto the table.

"Stay strong, Lisanna. I'll fix this, I promise." He whispered and Seilah smiled. Humans were so foolish, always willing to sacrifice anything to make sure that the ones they loved remained safe. That's what made it so easy to manipulate them.

"You shouldn't make promises that you won't be able to fulfill." The demon warned and he looked back at her, determined.

"I'll do whatever I can to save her." He was sure that she was about to put his words to the test.

"Is that so?" Within seconds a circular lacrima appeared in her hands.

"What's this?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"It contains a massive amount of concentrated ethernano." Seilah explained before placing it on the table. "Imagine a Jupiter blast times 500." Elfman swallowed hard as he realized that this was a bomb. The only question was, where did she want him to place it?

"What am I supposed to do with it?" He didn't want to do anything with it, but Lisanna's life was on the line.

"You'll take it back to Fairy Tail." The demon replied, smiling when his eyes widened. She wanted him to destroy Fairy Tail? He couldn't do that! Elfman glanced towards his unconscious sister and his stomach dropped. Was he truly prepared to save her at any cost?

"Or you can kill your sister." Seilah added. He took in a sharp breath as he considered the possibilities. Could he live with himself if he chose to save Lisanna, but with the price of killing everyone else?

"No, I can't." Seilah's face turned to shocked.

"No?" He shook his head. No matter how much he loved his sister, Elfman knew that he couldn't place her above Fairy Tail. He needed to find a way to save them both.

"So you're not willing to destroy Fairy Tail in order to save your sister." There was a pensive look on her face. "What about your child?" His body tensed. "Yes, I am well aware of the woman you love who's carrying your child." She continued, smiling once again.

"You'd better stay away from Ever or I swear I'll…" He didn't finish his threat.

"Do what? Kill me?" She laughed mockingly. "You might share Lydia's blood, but you certainly don't share her strength." Hearing his mother's name, Elfman's anger increased.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He crossed his arms.

"So you really didn't know." She whispered, an amused look coming upon her face. "Seems as if Lydia kept it a secret after all." He tensed.

"What secret? What do you know about my mother?" He asked, glancing towards Lisanna as he tried to come up with a plan of escape. There seemed to be no way out of there without having to fight Seilah. Not good.

"She was a demon slayer." Nothing could have prepared him for this response.

Meanwhile, in Caracas…

Gray Fullbuster awoke with a loud groan as his entire body ached. He attempted to sit up, but after almost throwing up, decided to lay back down and await until he was feeling better. Dark blue eyes attempted to get used to the brightness and he took in deep breaths.

"Damn it!" The scream made him jump up and the dizziness came back. Once his vision was focused once again, he spotted Gajeel.

"Gajeel?" For a moment he was confused to why the dragon slayer was there, but then he remembered it. "Juvia! Where is she?" The ice mage looked around wildly, beginning to freak out once he didn't spot the water mage.

"She's gone?" Gajeel questioned before slowly standing up. "This is bad." His face was pale and Gray was sure his didn't look any better.

"Do you think... they took her?" The dragon slayer looked back at him.

"Damn it!" He yelled before punching the couch next to him, snapping it in half.

"I can't believe this is happening again." Gray shook his head as he was filled with despair.

"Don't do that." Gajeel warned and the ice mage stared at him in confusion.

"Do what?" The dragon slayer crossed his arms and gave him a firm look

"I know that you're probably blaming yourself for what happened, so stop. This isn't your fault." Gray shook his head, disagreeing.

"Of course it is. I was supposed to protect her." Gajeel sighed before uncrossing his arms.

"I know how you feel, man. I was supposed to protect her too, but we both failed." The ice mage could see it in his eyes, the same desperation and guilt that he felt.

"What are we going to do now?" The dragon slayer thought about it.

"There's no use in staying here, so we should go back to the guild and warn them about what happened." Gray stood up before looking across the room once again, hoping that Juvia would show up so he could stop worrying.

She didn't. She was gone, because of him. He'd never forgive himself for letting her go, but right now he needed to focus on getting her back.

"Hey, don't lose focus." Gajeel said, catching his attention.

"Right. Let's go, then. The sooner we get back to Fairy Tail, the sooner I can start looking for Juvia." Gray told him and he nodded.

"We'll get her back, don't worry." The due left the house and walked along the broken village towards where their ride awaited.

In their rush to get back to the guild, they forgot to search the village for any survivors, completely missing the cries for help of the young boy who'd soon become a huge part of Gray's life.

With Mirajane and Erza...

"Is that the last of them?" Erza asked while looking around at the soldiers that had come after the Chairman.

"Yeah. Nice work." Mira replied, though her mind wasn't focused on the battle. All she could think about was her siblings and the terrible feeling that they were in trouble.

"Rather odd, isn't it?" The red head said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"What?" Mira asked while trying to focus on the moment.

"They went down too easily." Erza said, crossing her arms as a thoughtful look came upon her face. "Controlling the Former Chairman should be their priority, yet they only sent regular soldiers."

"You're right, Erza. Something's not right." They kept their guard up while waiting for the surprise attack the demons were probably planning. It never came.

"Where are they?" Erza whispered, finding the whole situation too strange.

"Erza, I...I don't feel so good." Mirajane blinked while her vision suddenly became unfocused.

"Mira!" The red head screamed just before the she-devil fell to the ground. "What is going on?" Fear rose as Erza suddenly began feeling dizzy. Was that the attack? There was no one else in sight, only the knocked out soldiers. Was one of the nine demon gates hiding somewhere?

She didn't have time to figure it out, for it wasn't long before she passed out as well.

Back with Elfman...

"What?" He was confused. Demon slayer? His mother?

"Yes. It's a rare type of magic, but it unfortunately exists." Seilah told him and his mind was swirling.

"This is insane." He shook his head, disbelieving.

"You'll have plenty of time to comprehend it later." The demon said before picking up the lacrima once again. "Now, it's time to make a decision." He tried to clear his head and focus on the matter at hand.

"I won't destroy Fairy Tail!" Elfman firmly told her.

"Then you'd rather kill your sister?" Seilah was beginning to get frustrated. It wasn't supposed to be this hard.

"No, I'll protect her from you." Since he couldn't leave without fighting her, then he didn't have a choice. "Take Over-Beast Soul."

"So predictable." The demon shook her head before placing the lacrima back on the table.

"You'll pay for making me hurt my sister." Elfman charged at her, but he wasn't even able to touch her. With a flick of her hand he was sent backwards until he hit the wall.

"I suppose that, like your mother, you won't back down easily." Seilah said before crossing her arms. "But perhaps this will change your mind." A crystal ball appeared on her hand. His eyes widened once an image of Mirajane appeared.

"Mira!" She and Erza were lying on the grass in front of a huge house, surrounded by knocked out soldiers.

"Tartarus has eyes everywhere, so we were able to easily capture your sister, Mirajane." Seilah told him before the image changed to one of the infirmary at Fairy Tail, focusing on Evergreen. "And killing her would be way too easy. One order from me and you'd lose both of them in the blink of an eye."

"Ever." His transformation wore off and tears filled his eyes as Elfman realized that no matter what he did, someone would get hurt. He couldn't protect Mirajane, Lisanna or Evergreen because he wasn't strong enough. Was anyone strong enough to defeat these merciless demons?

While he was lost in thought, Seilah took advantage of his distracted and vulnerable state to cast a more powerful curse on him. There was no way he'd be able to resist now.

At Fairy Tail… (6 PM)

The guild hall was full as everyone worked on finding out the location of all former council members. Sabertooth's Rogue, Sting and Yukino had just returned to the guild to aid them after warning their comrades about Tartarus.

"I feel like we're getting no where." Lyon said while putting another address book on the table after copying the ones they needed. Him and Meredy were sitting together on a table near the bar.

"At least we're doing something useful." The pinkette remarked. She hadn't taken lightly to Lyon's suggestion that she rest on the infirmary and had insisted on helping Fairy Tail with their search.

"I still think that you should be resting." He told her, concerned, and she rolled her eyes.

"I already told you, I'm fine. We're both fine, so stop worrying." She snapped and he sighed.

"I don't think I'll be able to stop worrying until this is all over." Her expression softened.

"That makes both of us." Her hands were placed on her stomach as a frightened look came upon her face. "I'm scared, Lyon." He knew what she was thinking.

"I am too." Lyon placed his hands on top of her. "But we can't allow ourselves to be distracted while wondering about all that could go wrong." Meredy nodded, understanding. Thinking about all the negative outcomes of this war would only stress her out, which was the last thing she needed.

"Gajeel!" A loud scream made their eyes turn towards Levy, who had been sitting on the table next to them with Jet after they returned from their mission. The petit woman ran towards the door of the guild where Gajeel and Gray had just entered.

"Juvia's not with them." Lyon quickly noticed, heart wrenching with fear. Had something happened to her?

"Come on, let's find out what's going on." Meredy told him before standing up and he followed her towards the small crowd that had gathered around Gray and Gajeel.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." Levy was telling her boyfriend once they arrived; her small arms wrapped around Gajeel's middle while she looked up at him.

"You know not to worry about me." He replied softly while tapping her back.

"I know, I know. But I can't help it." There were tears welling up in Levy's eyes.

"There's no need for tears, I'm here now." She sniffed.

"Right. I'm sorry." She didn't stop crying, making Gajeel confused by her hysterical state. He turned to Jet while raising a brow.

"What the hell happened?" The orange haired man had a sad expression on his face as he answered.

"She's upset because of Droy." For the first time since him and Levy had arrived, their guild mates noticed that the chubby nature wizard was missing.

"Where is he?" Master Makarov asked.

"He's gone." Levy answered, beginning to cry even harder.

"Gone?" Gray spoke for the first time since his arrival and Jet sighed.

"We were attacked by a member of Tartarus, don't know which one. They torn the house apart, so I took Levy away from there. We only made it a few miles before they caught up with us. Before we could even form a plan, they charged at us. Droy was quick enough to build a shield, but it wasn't enough to block the attack. He died almost instantly and we had to leave him there in order to escape." Everyone was horrified to hear it. How could a Fairy Tail member be taken out so easily?

"Thanks for bringing Levy back safe." Gajeel said after a few moments of heavy silence.

"Of course." Jet replied, nodding.

"I was so worried that I was going to lose you too." Levy admitted between sobs and the dragon slayer wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her and bringing her closer for a tight hug.

"Never." He whispered, though they all heard him.

"What about Juvia? Where is she?" Lyon turned to Gray now that this conversation was over.

"She was captured." The ice mage replied and all eyes turned to him.

"What?" Rogue asked, having approached them with Sting and Yukino.

"How could this happen?" Makarov asked.

"They took us by surprise, knocked us out. When we woke up, she was gone." Gajeel explained.

"This is bad." Lyon's face paled.

"This was exactly what I feared." Master said, shaking his head. "It's happening." They stared at him in confusion.

"What's happening?" Meredy asked, afraid of the answer.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now." The older man bit his lip. "A few weeks ago, Carla came to me because the had a vision of the future." Gray's stomach dropped. Carla's visions were never good.

"Was it about Juvia?" Lyon asked and Makarov nodded.

"It was…unbelievable. We doubted it could ever come true, but now that Tartarus have managed to capture her, I fear for her life." That was enough to make them even more worried than they already were.

"What happened in the vision?" Gray asked, fear rising. Before the master could answer, though, there was a loud sound as the door of the guild was forced open.

"Lucy!" Levy removed her arms from around Gajeel so that she could run towards the celestial wizard.

"Levy! Are you okay?" Lucy asked upon noticing her tear streamed face.

"I'm so glad you're back." It was her turn to be confused when Levy threw her arms around her and began crying.

"What's that about?" Natsu asked, eying the two.

"Long story." Gajeel replied, sighing.

"I'm glad to see you've managed to return to the guild safely." Makarov greeted the newcomers.

"Sorry we took so long, Natsu and Happy wanted to get something to eat." Wendy apologised and the fire dragon slayer shrugged.

"I was hungry after taking down that demon." Gray raised a brow.

"You took down a demon? Yeah, I don't buy it." Natsu glared at him.

"I bet you couldn't have done it." Makarov decided to stop them before things escalated.

"That's enough." Both boys immediately silenced.

"Did everyone come back?" Carla asked afterwards, beginning to panic once she didn't spot Juvia.

"I'm afraid not. We haven't heard from Erza, Mirajane, Elfman and Lisanna yet." The mention of Erza's name had Lucy and Natsu sharing worried looks.

"Wait, you don't think that Erza was captured, do you?" Makarov sighed. He didn't have an answer to that.

"Master, before they arrived you were telling us about Juvia." Gray spoke, catching his attention.

"Where is she, by the way?" Natsu asked, looking confused.

"She was captured by Tartarus." Rogue answered, seeing as both Gray and Gajeel remained silent, guilty looks coming up their faces.

"Oh, no." Lucy's eyes widened and she began worrying for her cousin.

"How could you let this happen?" Natsu turned to Gray.

"It wasn't his fault, Natsu." Makarov told him.

"Yes, it was." Gray sighed. Ever since he had woken up on that cabin, he tried his best to suppress his fear, his anger, his guilt. But he couldn't do it anymore.

"I told you not to do that, stripper." Gajeel told him.

"How can you act so calmly at this?" THe ice mage finally exploded. "She is gone! We couldn't protect her and now she's gone. And who knows where they took her and or what they'll do to her." He paused as dark images came to mind.

"Do you really think that I'm okay with this?" Gajeel stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't seem affected by it, and people say I'm heartless." He was upset, so he was lashing out. They understood that.

"Look, she might be your girlfriend, but she's my best friend. She was there for me when no one else was, so this is killing me too." Gajeel admitted before taking a deep breath. "But I know that blaming myself for what happened isn't going to help Juvia, so we need to pull ourselves together so that we can find her."

"Gajeel's right. We can't stay around here anymore, we need to track Tartarus down." Lucy spoke and many people nodded in agreement.

"How are we going to do that?" Sting asked. Silence fell upon them as they tried to figure it out.

Only a few moments after Lucy suggested they start tracking Tartarus down, a new figure entered the guild. "Hey, Elfman." They greeted him, quickly taking notice of Lisanna's absence.

"Where's Lisanna?" Makarov asked, already guessing the answer.

"Gone. Captured by Tartarus." He replied grimly. It wasn't hard to notice that something was off with him, but no one could've realized that it wasn't just because of Lisanna's capture.

"Her too?" Lucy asked.

"I can't believe they're taking us out so easily." Sting said, shaking his head.

"It seems as if we underestimated the enemy's strength." Yukino added.

"Don't worry about Lisanna, we'll get her back." Makarov reassured Elfman.

"I'd like to be alone for now." He told everyone and they nodded, understanding. They knew that Elfman took it hard when he was unable to protect his sisters.

While they resumed the conversation about what to do next, Elfman went to the infirmary. It was empty once again, except for the few unconscious mages. He sat down by Evergreen's side and placed the lacrima that Seilah had given him on the bedside table before taking her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Ever." He whispered brokenly, unable to stop the tears that began streaming down his face. "I failed. I couldn't protect you, or Mira, or Lisanna." He shook his head, before burrying his head in his hands. For a few moments the room was silent with the exception of his cries and the low sound of the timer on the bomb. 5 minutes. 4 minutes and 40 seconds. 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

"I'll never forgive myself for this." Elfman removed his head and looked at his girlfriend. "But if we must die, then I'm glad that I got to spend my last few moments with you." A small smile appeared on his face and he took her hand once again before placing their joined hands on her stomach. "I love you." He loved them both, but it was far too late.

Only a few seconds after his confession everything fell apart as the bomb went off.

Back at Tartarus' base…

Erza Scarlet awoke to silence. No voices were heard, nothing. She immediately knew that something was wrong because her hands and feet were clearly tied and her body felt heavy. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments, wanting to assess her environment before revealing herself to the enemy.

However, since there were no sounds, it was impossible to know where she was or who had captured her. The only choice she had was to open them.

"You've awoken. Good." Erza was greeted by large, violet eyes. The woman had sandy long hair and a mask covering most of her face.

"What is this?" The woman smirked and it sent chills down her spine.

"You're a captive of Tartarus now." Flashes crossed through her mind. The Former Chairman's house. The attack. Her and Mira, fighting together side by side until they were knocked out cold somehow.

"What about Mira and the Ex-Chairman? Did you take them too?" It was the obvious conclusion, but the response was no short of unexpected.

"Crawford has always been on our side, so no one took him." The woman laughed. "As for Mirajane, well, I've kept her alive. I believe she will make a fine slave."

"No!" Erza screamed in horror. Fear overtook her as she realized that she and Mira were in big trouble.

"Now, listen closely." The woman grabbed her face forcefully. "I need you to answer a simple question. Where is Jellal?" Her body froze. So they were looking for Jellal. Did this mean that he was one of the three council members whose death could activate FACE?

"We are well aware that you two are very close." The woman continued, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"And? Why do you care?" Erza asked, heart beating fast. She would never tell them where Jellal was, even if she knew. But she needed to know the truth, why were they after him?

"Because I need to find him." Before she could ask more, she was overcome with pain. "I have a special curse that I only use for interrogations. It makes a home in your pain receptors and sets them to overdrive." More pain followed that explanation and the red head screamed.

"I wouldn't, even if I knew." She eyed the woman determinately, unwilling to give in. This time the pain was so intense that tears began falling down her cheeks.

"Our initial plan was to hunt down every former council member, one by one." The dizziness caused by the attack made it hard to hear the woman. "Now there's no need. We've found the names of the three keeping FACE sealed away. Two have been eliminated, but the last still eludes us." It was exactly as she had feared. Jellal was indeed one of the seals to FACE.

"It can't be." She shook her head, unwilling to believe that the man she loved was now Tartarus' primary target.

The woman watched her, amused for a few moments, before her face turned to enraged. She cast her curse once again, making Erza scream even louder.

"Where is Jellal?"

A few hours before, in the outskirts of Crocus…

"Are you sure about this?" Cobra asked while trying to catch up with Jellal and Dorenbolt, who were running ahead of him, Angel, Midnight and Richard. Racer had probably reached their final location by then.

"Yes, I'm sure." The agent replied shortly while speeding up.

"I hope we're not too late." Richard said, worried for the fates of who they suspected to be Tartarus next targets.

"So, remind me what exactly is our plan here?" Angel asked. Although they had spent a while discussing their course of action, it wasn't clear what she should do.

"We'll split up once we reach the castle." Jellal answered while panting. "You, Racer and Midnight can focus on finding the member of Tartarus while the rest of us get the king and princess to safety."

"Like they're going to let us do that." Cobra rolled his eyes.

"We have to try." Jellal replied firmly.

"With the council destroyed, the monarchy is the only thing keeping this world in order. If they're eliminated, chaos will follow." Dorenbolt explained.

"I'm just hoping that Tartarus will really be there." Angel said.

"If they're not, we're just wasting time." Midnight added.

"We're here." Jellal said and they stopped. The castle was still distant from them, but they only needed to get close enough so that Dorenbolt could teleport them there.

"Are you ready?" The agent asked and everyone nodded. Within seconds, Angel and Midnight appeared at the palace gardens, where Racer was waiting; Cobra and Richard appeared in front of the king's private chambers where he was currently talking to Minister of Defense, Darton; and Jellal and Dorenbolt found themselves in front princess Hisui's chambers, where they could hear her and colonel Arcadius.

"Do you sense it?" Jellal whispered once Dorembolt touched the door nob.

"Yes." Tartarus were there. Definitely. "Let's be quick." He opened the door and they entered the room.

"What are you doing here?" Arcadius yelled before positioning himself in front of the princess. Hisui stared at the unexpected visitors in shock.

"I apologize for the intrusion, your majesty." Dorenbolt told her.

"We mean you no harm." Jellal added, knowing they wouldn't believe him.

"I don't believe you." Arcadius said, keeping his guard up. Hisui looked more willing to listen to them.

"Why have you come here?" She asked, stepping in front of the guard, to which he glanced worriedly at her.

"We came to warn you that you might be in great danger." Dorenbolt told her.

"Because of Tartarus?" She asked, seeming unafraid.

"Yes. We figured that after taking out the Council, they'd come after you and your father." Jellal replied and she shared a look with Arcadius.

"Tell me, why should I believe that you've simply come to warn the princess?" He asked, sure that the two had an ulterior motive for being there.

"We're just trying to save her life." Dorenbolt replied firmly.

"Or you're trying to distract me so that they can attack." Hisui suggested and Jellal shook his head.

"That's not true." He was growing desperate as the presence he knew to be a member of Tartarus got closer.

"We don't have time to convince you." Dorenbolt realized.

"They're too close." Jellal muttered and Hisui shared another worried look with Arcadius.

"They're here, Arcadius. I can feel a dark presence nearby." The guard nodded.

"We must warn your father so that we can ready our defence." He began walking towards the door, but Jellal and Dorenbolt blocked their path.

"There isn't time!" The latter desperately said.

"Get them out of here!" Jellal yelled just before the castle was overtook by a large explosion.

So, thoughts?

What did you think of Elfman, Mirajane and Lisanna's backstory? I'm sure the reveal that Seilah killed their father and their mother was a demon slayer might seem to have come out of no where, but there's a reason for it.

By the way, did you like the changes I made in the battle against Seilah?

On another topic, Gruvia fans, how are you holding up? I hope the scenes I added were enough for Gray's reaction and next chapter we're gonna find out what's happening with her.

What are your thoughts on the plot with Jellal and Oracion Seis? I told you that they were going to take part in this war.

Lastly, let me just make a small mention for Droy. May he rest in peace, he sure didn't deserve to die like that. I'm afraid that the body count is only beginning. Are you sure you're ready for what comes next?

Next Chapter: Please, Don't Be Dead.

Summary: Tartarus' victory celebration is short lived for Fairy Tail is ready to strike back. However, just because they've found their target doesn't mean that the heroes will have an easy time defeating them. While Mirajane and Erza continue to struggle against their captors, two shocking deaths show them that you can't always protect the ones you love.

Can we try 170 hits for chapter 5?

Chapter Text

Hello, dearest readers. It's been a while.

I'm happy to see people are  still following this story; things are just getting started around here! If you thought the past few chapters have been heartbreaking and mind-blowing, you're in for a big surprise!

Happy reading, everyone!

Haunted-Taylor Swift

Oh, I'm holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold

Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong

You're all I wanted

September 17th, X791…

It was the day of Sherry and Ren's wedding and everyone was supposed to be having fun. However, this party had stopped being amusing to her as a dark revelation was made. She stared at the cards in front of her; face suddenly devoid of color and brown eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

"There's no way." She shook her head, long brown hair flowing with the movement.

"I must be reading the cards wrong." She whispered just before a male voice was heard behind her.

"Hey, Cana. Are you ready for a challenge?" It was Bacchus, her somewhat boyfriend. The two of them had grown closer since the Games and she couldn't deny that there was something between them.

"Not now." She didn't even look at him, eyes still settled on the cards. After giving her a confused look, he place the two mugs filled with beer on the table before sitting down by her side.

"What's this?" He stared at the cards with interest.

"I decided to use my cards after Sherry asked me to predict her future." Cana swallowed hard.

"Why do you look so bummed?" Bacchus was confused, to say the least.

"This isn't Sherry's future that I'm seeing." She explained before pointing towards the first card. "That one has three people, which I believe are the Strauss family."

"Why are the cards showing their future?" He asked and she sighed.

"I think it's a warning." Cana replied, moving her hand to the second card. That one was a baby tiger. "About Lisanna."

"Why Lisanna?" He asked. Truth be told, he wasn't really familiar with any of the Strauss siblings, but he did know who they were.

"Because the tiger is an animal and Lisanna uses animal take over." She explained before moving to the next. "The sword represents a battle and I think the time turner signifies this battle might've happened in the past. Or maybe the enemy will be from the past, I'm not sure." Then there was the last card. That one needed no explanation.

"I have to talk to her." Bacchus nodded, staring at it with widened eyes.

"Seems like you do." Cana slowly gathered her cards before hiding them on her dress pocket. After giving him a kiss on the cheek, she walked away towards where Lisanna and Bixlow were standing together.

Present day, in Crocus... 3:15 PM

"That was close." Dorenbolt sighed in relief once he looked around the small cottage where Jellal and Meredy had stayed during the Grand Magic Games. Princess Hisui was sitting up after being thrown on the floor while Arcadius stood, staring suspiciously at him.

"Where have you taken us?" The guard asked, glancing around the unfamiliar room.

"To a safe place." The former agent replied before standing up.

"You saved us." Hisui whispered, making him look at her. Her eyes showed fear and worry, surely about her father. "Why did you do that?" Dorenbolt gave a small smile.

"Do you really believe that I would've let you die in that explosion?" She didn't reply.

"Well, I thank you for saving our lives." Arcadius said after taking a deep breath. He still seemed conflicted, but that was to be expected.

"Don't mention it." Dorenbolt replied, shrugging it off.

"Where is Jellal? I'd like to thank him as well." The princess asked and his face fell. He remembered clearly that just before the explosion Jellal had told him to get them out of there, but Dorenbolt had assumed that he'd meet them soon after.

"I don't know." He suddenly got a bad feeling.

"Did he stay behind to fight against Tartarus?" Arcadius wondered. Dorenbolt shook his head. They had agreed not to fight against Tartarus; that was Angel, Midnight and Racer's job. Their priority was keeping the princess safe.

"No, he wouldn't do that." Dorenbolt replied.

"Then where is he?" Hisui asked, looking worried as well.

"I don't know." The agent sighed. He knew that he should stay with Arcadius and the princess in order to protect them from Tartarus.

However, he had a feeling that something was wrong with Jellal. It wasn't like him not to follow their plans, so the only explanation for his delay was that he was unable to join them.

Two reasons for that came to Dorenbolt's mind and he prayed it was the second. "I'll go back there, check it out." The princess nodded, understanding. "I advise you not to leave this cottage, it's not safe out there."

"We'll keep our eyes open." Arcadius told him and it was his turn to nod.

"Oracion Seis should arrive soon. I know that you don't trust them, but they mean you no harm." He didn't get a response, but there was no time to reassure them any longer. Finding Jellal was his priority, so he quickly disappeared.

A few hours later, at Tartarus hideout...

"You're a tough one to crack, aren't you?" Kyoka stared at her prey, purple eyes narrowed in anger and frustration.

"I will never...tell you." Erza panted, trying to regain her breathing. She'd long since lost track of time, so it was impossible to tell whether minutes or hours had passed since the relentless torture began.

For the first time in years, she found herself completely at her enemy's mercy. The shackles tying her hands and feet made it impossible to move and her magic wasn't working, so she was helpless. All she could do was take the pain like a warrior, but she couldn't deny that it was becoming exhausting.

"No matter. I do enjoy watching you struggle so helplessly." The demon smirked before using her curse once again, eliciting a loud scream from the red head.

She felt so tired, so drained. But Erza didn't give up, because she couldn't. Jellal's life was in danger and she would keep him safe, no matter the cost. As long as Tartarus focused their attention on getting information from her, he'd stay hidden, so she forced herself to ignore the pain and instead focused all her thoughts on him.

She remembered a time when things were simpler, despite the fact that they were trapped on the Tower of Heaven. A time before Jellal became possessed by the darkness; when they had been good friends. Even then, Erza thought, he already did everything he could to protect her.

"Tell us who came up with your escape plan and we'll just take them and leave the rest of you alone." The guards at the Tower of Heaven had caught them after Erza and her friends attempted to escape. It had been her idea, her plan; and she'd been about to tell them, but Jellal beat her to it.

"It was me. I came up with our escape plan. It was all me." She didn't understand at the time why Jellal so willingly sacrificed himself for her. Back then, they were still children, so their feelings weren't clear yet.

"Aren't you a brave boy?" The guards had told him and he'd stared them in the eye; determined, strong and fearless. She'd admired his strength and courage, for Erza felt so weak and afraid.

Unfortunately, the guards had somehow known it was her, so they had come for her despite Jellal's attempt to dissuade them. Before they'd grabbed her, though, he had tried to convince them to take him instead, but they hadn't believed him.

Erza guessed this had been the moment she began falling for him, but she wasn't sure. There were so many times in which he had protected her and proved he loved her, but she didn't know at exactly what point her feelings changed.

"Where is Jellal, Erza? Why doesn't he come to save you?" Kyoka screamed and the red head smiled as another memory came, of the time he nearly died to save her.

It happened less than a year before, when Jellal was being controlled by Ultear. After he kidnapped her and almost used her as a sacrifice, he'd been defeated by Natsu as the latter managed to unlock dragon force.

Even though he'd hurt her friends and almost killed her, Erza had seen that he didn't mean it. He was just being controlled by the darkness and she'd hoped that, after his defeat, he would be freed from it.

That didn't mean that she forgave him, though. In that moment she'd been filled with nothing but anger, but it was soon replaced by sadness when she discovered his sacrifice.

She'd actually planned on sacrificing herself to save her friends; the guilt of involving them in that miss having taken its toll on her. However, instead of dying like she'd imagined, once she fused herself with the lacrima in order to stop the Tower of Heaven from exploding, Erza had a strange vision of her own funeral. It taught her that dying for the people you love brings nothing but sadness and heartbreak and she'd regretted her actions.

Thankfully, Natsu had managed to save her in the end and she was released from the lacrima, physically unharmed. They had escaped from the Tower and she'd completely forgotten about the explosion, that is until she'd been safely settled into the little boat her friends had gotten.

She was surprised when it didn't occur, but months later she had learned the truth: Jellal, after being freed from the darkness, had once again sacrificed his life to save hers.

Then when they met each other once again, while Erza battled against the Oracion Seis, he'd so willingly sacrificed himself to save them all. He'd apologized for making her suffer, had promised to take away all of her pain and sadness. Erza had once again seen the light inside of him; how brightly it shone.

"Be free, Erza. From your hatred, from your past." Even without knowing who she was, he'd known exactly what to say to make her heart shatter. Because Erza hadn't wanted him to die, no matter what he'd done, losing him all together would be much worse.

"I won't allow you to die like this, you have to atone for your sins." She'd tried to change his mind, but before she could get to him Brain had came and he'd ruined Jellal's plan to destroy Nirvana.

However, as they watched her friends run to join them in the battle, Erza managed to convince Jellal to live when she spoke of hope. He later told her that he'd seen in her eyes the hope she had for him; that he might redeem himself and become a better person. It was that hope that kept him alive for those seven years that they were separated.

During the Grand Magic Games, Jellal had once again proved that she was right to have faith in him. He'd fought by her side and helped her eliminate the monsters who threatened to destroy Crocus. When she'd attempted to tell him of the feelings she was certain of, he'd stopped her.

"I can see it in your eyes, Erza. But I can't hear you say it." When she'd wondered why, he'd apologized. But she knew, he still blamed himself for what had happened in the past. He couldn't forgive himself, even after she'd forgiven him.

"I just see you for who you are and I'd like it if you did as well." She'd told him, hoping that he would finally realize how much he'd changed. However, once her eyes locked with his and she prepared to tell him how she felt, she'd seen his face be overcome with pain and regret. He hadn't been ready to hear those three words, even though he did reply to her feelings back then.

At least he'd come around in the week after that night and, when she'd once again told him that she loved him, he had replied with the truth. He'd given her a chance because, as much as he didn't believe he deserved to be with her, he'd realized that she deserved to have him by her side.

"You were always so brave, so good even though you couldn't see it. I won't let them get to you." Erza whispered just before she fell unconscious due to the pain.

Kyoka watched her in frustration. "Why isn't she talking yet? It shouldn't take this long to break her." She was forced to admit that she'd underestimated the red head's strenght.

"Milady, I have good news." She turned to face Seilah, who stood by the open door.

"What is it?" The latter smiled.

"Fairy Tail's destruction will be taking place in a few minutes." This brought a smile to Kyoka's face.

"Good. I'll come back for Erza later." Seilah glanced towards the red head.

"I also have news regarding Jellal Fernandes; Jackal has just revealed where he is." Kyoka closed the door behind her as they begin walking down the corridor and towards the main room; where a large window would allow them a perfect view of their accomplishment.

"Do tell."

With Fairy Tail… 6 PM

"How are we going to track Tartarus down?" Sting asked.

"We've been trying to locate them all day and it's lead us no where." Lyon gave a defeated sigh.

"We have to try, Juvia's life is depending on it." Gray reminded them. The ice mage was so nervous that he had stripped of his grey shirt and black pants.

"We know, Gray." Lucy rolled her eyes; it was the millionth time in the past few minutes that he mentioned it.

"You seriously need to calm down." Natsu added, glancing worriedly at his rival.

"Would you stay calm if Lucy was the one they took?" The ice mage asked and he sighed.

"Damn, I hate doing nothing!" Gajeel said, standing up from his spot by Levy's side. The petit bluenette had been persuaded to sit down a bit and rest; seeing as she was clearly traumatized from what had happened with Droy.

"I think we should start looking for FACE." Rogue suggested.

"That's actually a good idea." Levy said.

"If we find FACE before they do, we have a chance of stopping them from activating it." Warren agreed.

"Who's to say they haven't found it yet?" Lucy asked, and the room went silent once again as they considered the possibility of a world without magic. It was terrifying, to say the least.

"Wow, you're really quiet there." Everyone turned to the newcomer with surprise.

"Loke. Why are you back here?" Lucy asked. The worried look on his face only increased her fear.

"We've got a big problem." The celestial spirit sighed.

"Yeah, we know." Natsu said, crossing his arms.

"No, you don't know. Or else you wouldn't have let him in." Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"Let who in?" Makarov asked.

"Elfman. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but he's under Tartarus' control." Their eyes widened.

"No way!" Gray shook his head while his hands grasped his silver necklace.

"Are you sure about this?" Makarov asked and Loke nodded.

"The celestial spirit king warned me; he's been watching over you after the attack on the Thunder Legion." He explained it.

"But why would Elfman come back here if he was under Tartarus control?" Warren asked; this didn't make any sense.

"They sent him here to destroy Fairy Tail. There's a bomb on his bag and it will go off in less than five minutes." Many people gasped in surprise and shock.

"Shit! What the hell are we going to do?" Gajeel started freaking out.

"I say we kick his ass!" Natsu suggested.

"It's not his fault; I'm sure they didn't give him a choice." Makarov defended Elfman.

"They didn't." Loke said. He knew that getting them out of there was the priority, but first he needed to clear Elfman's name. "They threatened to kill Lisanna, leaving him vulnerable enough not to resist their control."

"The celestial spirit king told you all of this?" Lucy was confused.

"As I said, he's been looking out for you today." The celestial spirit replied.

"Does that mean that he knows where our missing members are?" Gajeel asked, hopeful.

"Juvia!" Gray yelled, suddenly perking up as he looked attentively towards Loke.

"Unfortunately, he couldn't see what happened with Juvia; whoever took her used dark magic to block the king's vision." The latter explained and the ice mage frowned. "However, he did manage to see what happened with Erza and Mirajane. They were both captured."

"So they have Erza." Lucy whispered, terrified.

"We have to rescue them!" Natsu determinately said, looking around the room.

"First we need to get out of here before the bomb goes off." Loke reminded them.

"How long do we have?" Makarov asked.

"Less than five minutes." Sting and Rogue glanced at each other worriedly.

"That's not enough to get everyone out safely." The latter said.

"I know a way to do that." The celestial spirit said, catching their attention.

"We're listening." Lucy told him and he nodded.

"Okay. So, Lucy, you and Yukino will have to use all of your keys for this. Do you think you could summon all the spirits like you did during the Games?" The two celestial wizards shared a look before nodding.

"We can do that." Yukino answered before approaching them.

"Good. I want you to focus on getting us out of here, okay?" She nodded before getting her keys out while Lucy did the same.

"Wait! How exactly will this work?" Gajeel asked; a bit unsure about this plan.

"The celestial spirits will redirect all of us to the celestial world." Loke explained before an urgent look came upon his face. "We don't have much time."

"Right. Let's do this, Yukino!" Lucy and Yukino threw their keys in the air, just as they'd done when trying to close the eclipse gate. After kneeling down and joining their hands together, they whispered their prayers.

"Oh, celestial spirits of the Zodiac. Lend us the strength to escape from this attack. Open, gates of the 12 signs." One by one the golden celestial spirits appeared. When it was Aquarius' turn, she gave Lucy an unusually soft smile.

Within seconds, a bright glow enveloped everyone in the guild, including those who were in the infirmary. And then, they all disappeared.

Meanwhile, with Juvia...

"And at last I see the light, so it's like the fog has lifted. And it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I see you." The lyrics of the song could be heard despite the fact that she was whispering it.

The room was empty, silent and dark. Her hands and feet were tied by anti magic bracelets, which proved to be impossible to remove. She could still move, though it was no use since a magic barrier seemed to envelop the whole place and whenever she tried to go outside, it would just zap her backwards.

There was no escape. She was trapped in that room in the middle of no where, alone, for nearly 2 hours now.

"I'm losing my mind." Juvia paused her singing and laughed.

"It was about time. With everything that's been going on for the past few days, it's a wonder I've stayed sane." She thought back to all the discoveries she had made. First, there was the truth about her mother. That had shaken her a lot, since she had spent years believing that she was the last member of her family only to find out that Lucy was her direct cousin.

Then, her memories returned thanks to that strange man whose identity she still hadn't figured out. All she knew is that he was dangerous, seeing as his power was as deadly as Zeref's. He also seemed to know her, which confused her greatly because she sure didn't remember him. But then again, for 8 years she couldn't remember the people who had kidnapped her and turned her life into a living hell.

"God, just thinking about it makes my head hurt." She tried to distract herself from thoughts about Tartarus, instead focusing on the people she loved. Gajeel, Lucy, Erza, all of Fairy Tail. Gray.

Her heart hurt as she thought of him. Juvia was sure that he was blaming himself for her disappearance and it pained her not being able to tell him that she was alright. She wanted nothing more than to go back to him and make sure that he was safe, but that wasn't possible because she was trapped.

"I gotta admit, now I am kind of a damsel in distress." She laughed at the irony, remembering what she had told Erza earlier that day. "And I hate it. I was never one to stay put and just wait for rescue." She shook her head, frustrated.

This whole situation was frustrating and annoying. She had thought that following Zeref would lead to at least finding some answers. But then the dark wizard just trapped her in that house, which she guessed wasn't Tartarus' hideout; before disappearing. Where the hell was he? And why did he just leave her there? Didn't he plan on transforming her into E.N.D?

Juvia shivered at the thought. If his plan succeeded, then she would become a monster. A heartless creature who'd have no problem killing others, even the people she loved. She couldn't let that happen, but there wasn't much she could do to stop Zeref. All she could do was hope that her friends would be able to locate her before it was too late. "Come on, my love. I'm counting on you."

Back at Tartarus' base...

"The end of Fairy Tail, delivered as promised." Seilah said while sipping her dark red drink.

"That was quite well done, Seilah." Kyoka smiled while they watched the Fairy Tail guild hall explode.

"I can only imagine how many bodies must be in that rubble." Franmalth crackled.

"We've eliminated Fairy Tail in a single move. It seems Lord Zeref was mistaken to believe that they'd represent a threat to our plans." The sand haired woman laughed, satisfied.

"Yes, and now that they're gone, we can focus all our efforts on activating FACE." Torafusa reminded them as he came into the room.

"I'll leave you to it, then." Seilah said before placing her glass on the table.

"Why in such a hurry, Seilah?" Kyoka asked, curious.

"I apologize, milady. But I still have to tie up some loose ends." Knowing what she was referring to, the other demons smiled.

"Here I thought you had already eliminated the girl." Torafusa told her.

"Not yet, I wanted to wait until Fairy Tail's destruction. After all, breaking her will be so much easier now." Seilah replied.

"That's true. Perhaps I should pay another visit to Erza and give her the news of what happened to Jellal and Fairy Tail." Kyoka said, smiling delightfully.

"Don't forget to eliminate her, Kyoka." Keyes said as he appeared in front of them.

"Of course." She began walking away, Seilah following her.

Once they were gone, Torafusa turned to Crawford, who'd been silently watching them.

"Now, let us activate FACE."

Erza awoke with a groan, her entire body felt like it was on fire and she was so exhausted that all her eyes wanted to do was close again.

"No, don't close them yet." The voice was low, but she heard it clearly.

"What do you want?" Kyoka smirked, sending shives down her spine.

"I want nothing more from you, Erza Scarlet." Her vision was unfocused, so she could barely make out the silhouette of her agressor. She could see that satisfied smile, though, and it told her something was very wrong.

"What are you smiling about?" The demon took a few steps closer until she was right in front of her.

"I'm satisfied because everything worked out as it should, even without your help." Erza stared at her groggily; not fully awake yet.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyoka looked her right in the eye.

"We were able to locate Jellal." Her body froze as many emotions crossed her mind. Confusion. Worry. Fear.

"You were?" Her voice shook and she noticed her body did too. It was suddenly so cold.

"Yes. I figured you should know that he's dead." Everything stopped. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move.

"No." Erza shook her head, but stopped once her vision blurred and she felt like throwing up.

"Yes. Jackal managed to eliminate him hours ago, when he destroyed the king's palace." The demon let out a delighted laugh at the look of horror on the red head's face.

"It seems as if Jellal isn't as powerful as he's made to be. After all, he was eliminated so easily." Eliminated. Dead. Erza refused to believe that. She knew him better than anyone and he wouldn't be taken out so easily.

However, she had always believed the same about herself, yet there she was. If Tartarus had managed to get her, what would stop them from going after Jellal?

"No. He's not gone. He can't be." Tears began streaming down her face.

"Oh, but he is. Which means, we have no more use for you now." Kyoka made her sword appear and lifted it up, ready for the final strike.

Truth be told, she'd wanted to play with her prey a little longer, but she knew that eliminating the enemy was the priority.

"No! Jellal!" Erza's screams echoed through the fortress.

"How does it feel to have demon blood injected into your pathetic human veins?" Mirajane woke up to an unfamiliar, irritating voice. She could feel that her arms and legs had been tied up and her whole body felt like it was on fire.

Taking a few moments to fully awaken, she took deep breaths in order to calm her racing heart and attempted to ignore the pain caused by those injections. Demon blood, the stranger had said. Well, she probably didn't know that Mira already had it on her veins.

Once she felt her magic return, she used it to cause an explosion that shattered her watery prison.

"Sorry, but I already have demon blood flowing through my veins." She smiled at the stranger, who stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" Mira thought about taking her out, but the reminder that Erza was also trapped wherever she was made her decide to just run.

She called her friend's name while crossing the strange room. There were multiple lacrimas filled with water and strange vines, but Mirajane barely payed attention to them. She only stopped running when, all of sudden, two of the lacrimas broke, making glass and water spread everywhere.

"What the..." Her eyes widened once she spotted the woman with long black hair and golden horns. It didn't take long for Mirajane to recognize her as memories of a tragic past returned.

"You!" She screamed, immediately taking a defensive stance. The woman smiled before gracefully crossing the puddle of water.

"So you do remember me. Good." The she-devil watched her in shock.

"How on earth can you be here?" Mirajane clearly recalled that, after their father died from the wound this monster caused, Lydia Strauss had arrived. For reasons she didn't yet understand, her mother had managed to defeat the strange woman and that's the only reason Mira, Elfman and Lisanna were still alive.

"Did you really think that your dear old mamma would've defeated me so easily?" Seilah inquired.

"She said you'd never come after us again." Mirajane had a hard time focusing; she was too overwhelmed.

"It was foolish of Lydia to believe that she could keep you hidden forever." The woman continued, taking a few steps towards her.

"You killed my father!" Her anger was rising as flashes crossed through her mind and the room started shaking as magic power was released.

"He got in the way." Seilah shrugged. "I really wanted to kill Lydia that night; she was the one we were after."

"Why? What did you have against my mother?" Seilah sighed.

"I already had this conversation with your brother, so this is boring." Mira's eyes widened.

"What? Where's Elfman?" There was so much magic running through her body; she felt stronger than ever.

"He's back at Fairy Tail, ready to destroy them from the inside." The demon smirked.

"No!" There was no way she'd fall for that. Elfman would never betray Fairy Tail, never!

"Yes. It wasn't easy to convince him, but I didn't give him much of a choice." The demon laughed as another figure appeared. Body covered in slashes, clothes torn to pieces, skin paler than ever. Lisanna Strauss looked like hell.

"Lisanna?" Mira stared at her in shock and the release of power suddenly stopped.

"Mira, I'm not…" The young girl tried, but vines appeared around her neck and they covered her mouth.

"You did this!" Mirajane turned to Seilah, murder in her eyes.

"I'd love to take credit, but that was all your brother." The she-devil shook her head, disbelieving. "Humans have a tendency to forget how easy it is to manipulate them, but I certainly don't."

"So you forced him to hurt Lisanna?" This was bad. Knowing her brother, she was sure that the guilt was probably killing him. He'd never forgive himself for this and she worried about what he might do.

"It was harder than I imagined, but I managed to break him in the end. Just as I'm about to break you." Empty dark eyes stared at her determinately and Mirajane was quick to return to a defensive position.

"I don't think so." She closer her eyes and resumed the flow of magic power while preparing to transform into her ultimate Satan Soul.

"You've hurt my siblings and now you're about to pay the price." Seilah simply smiled, relishing in the pain and anger reflected in her eyes. She glanced towards Lisanna for a moment.

"I guess the first step to break you is to kill her." Many shards of glass suddenly lifted into the air and Lisanna's eyes widened in fear. She struggled against the vines binding her, managing to momentarily loosen the one covering her mouth.

"Mira, I have to tell you.." She didn't get to finish for the glasses moved at an incredible speed.

"No!" Mira's scream reverberated through the room as a large piece buried itself in Lisanna's stomach; similar to the way the knife had wounded Victor Strauss.

"No, I can't…" The young girl coughed; quickly losing strength. She knew she didn't have much time and, without Wendy or Porlyusica, there was no way to heal her. "I have to…"

"You monster!" Anger ignited once again in Mirajane and, instead of running to aid her sister, she found herself frozen in place. Magic continued to be released, but this time there was something else. She could feel a strange power; unfamiliar. It was much stronger than her usual magic and also darker.

"Impossible!" Seilah's eyes widened once she spotted the dark marks that suddenly appeared on the girl's arms.

"What's happening?" The she-devil was confused, and a bit afraid. She felt stronger than ever, but something didn't feel right.

"I guess Lydia was smarter than I took her for." Both sisters stared at the demo in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Mira asked harshly, surprised to find fear in the woman's eyes.

"Still, I never would've expected her to pass it along." She was tired of listening to this stranger, so she decided that answers could wait. Defeating the monster who'd hurt her parents and both her siblings was the priority.

"Mirajane, I'm sorry…" Lisanna couldn't speak anymore; she was too weakened.

"It wasn't enough that you killed my father and probably my mother too, but now you've hurt Elfman and Lisanna! I'm going to kill you!" For the first time in her life, Mirajane allowed herself to lose control. She released all of the magic that was flowing through her body, including the strange power that had come so suddenly.

"So this is it. The end." Seilah didn't move, didn't try to block the attack. She knew it was pointless. "How ironic. Who'd have known that she'd find a way to eliminate me even from beyond the grave?" She shook her head before sighing.

"Please, forgive me, lord Zeref. Once I again I allowed a mere demon slayer to defeat me." She knew that this time, though, there'd be no coming back. Mirajane's power was much stronger than her mother's and, despite the fact she couldn't control it, it was enough to eliminate Seilah forever.

The oldest Strauss watched her lifeless body drop to the ground, eyes closed and a serene expression on her face. For a moment the she-devil was relieved that she'd managed to defeat the enemy and she fell to her knees, exhausted.

However, as soon as her eyes found her younger sister, her face lost all color. Lisanna's body was covered in blood; and completely unmoving while those familiar light blue eyes were staring at her hauntingly. Mirajane quickly got up and ran to her side, despite the intense pain that the movement caused; while her mouth opened in a frantic, fearful scream.

"Lisanna!"

I WARNED YOU: NO ONE IS SAFE.

What did you think of this chapter? Too heartbreaking?

Did anyone see Lisanna's death coming? What did you think of the fight between Seilah and Mirajane? If anyone's wondering how she can suddenly have demon-slaying magic, just know that later chapters will explain that as we delve into Lydia Strauss' tale. (she's as important to Demons as Juliet Heartfilia was to Connections, so pay close attention to all the reveals about her)

On another topic, what did you think of Erza/Kyoka/Jellal? You're welcome for those flashbacks; I thought I might as well give you some nice moments before tearing it all apart.

Back with Fairy Tail, what did you think of my twist on how they escaped from the explosion? Just making clear: there is a reason why Cana wasn't the one who rescued them.

Lastly, let's talk about Juvia. Anyone surprised that she wasn't actually taken to Tartarus' hideout? Why did Zeref just leave her in that room in the middle of no where for hours? Where is he?

Next Chapter: The Sacrifices Begin.

Summary: As the war against Tartarus rages on, sacrifices have to be made. While Mirajane makes a shocking discovery regarding Lisanna's death, Lucy is forced to let go of her oldest friend and Juvia fears that it will soon be too late for anyone to save her. How much worse can this battle get?

Can we try 210 hits for chapter 6?

Chapter Text

Hey, everyone. Gosh, I'm truly sorry for taking forever to post this chapter.

I'll be honest with you, I completely forgot to update this story. I've been writing so much recently that I just have a hard time remembering all of my stories.

Anyways, after many weeks, I finally come with chapter 6 of Demons.

Just a little REMINDER before it begins: This story isn't completely canon. Besides the fact that I've changed many things, I haven't read the entire manga. All I know about Zeref's backstory came up during research, so it might not be entirely correct. Hope you can bear with that!

Happy reading!

When We Were Younger- SOJA

I never really got why we're here
Just look at all we build in our lives
And we all disappear

So why we try so hard in this place?
When pain and suffering is a guarantee
And happiness is a phase

A few centuries ago…

"Che l'oscurita tu possa lasciare,e nel mondo dei vivi ritornare!" Zeref stood over his young brother's dead body, a book in hand while he chanted the ancient spell that was supposed to return him to life. He'd be lying if he said the intense darkness he felt upon saying the words didn't bring chills down his spine.

After a few moments, the young man opened his eyes, only to be disappointed. Natsu's body remained unmoving, face still devoid of color and dark green eyes closed. "Am I casting it wrong?" Zeref wondered before taking another look at the book.

"No, your spell simply is incomplete." The voice was soft and melodic and the woman to whom it belonged absolutely beautiful.

Her hair was dark and long, almost to the back of her knees. The eyes that stared down at him almost pitifully were unlike anything he'd ever seen; one was bright green like the trees and the other pitch black. Her flawless creamy skin was covered in a long dress that, once again, mixed green and black; with the top mimicking dark feathers while the skirt was made of leaves and a few flowers.

"Who are you?" Zeref stared at the stranger, mesmerized.

"I've gone by many names." She replied before stepping away from him. "But these days, the most common one is Ankhseram."

"Ankhseram?" He repeated, eyes widening upon realization.

"So you know who I am. Good." She paused and stared at him, eyes piercing.

"What do you want from me?" He knew exactly why she was there; seeing as she was the goddess of life and death.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you." Ankhseram replied.

"Why?" He knew why; he'd been warned that messing with life and death would only serve to anger the gods.

"You see, this world relies on balance. Light and darkness; good and evil and, of course, life and death." With each word she took another step around him, surrounding him. "By using that spell, you have broken that balance."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…All I wanted was to save my brother." He hoped she'd take pity on him once she saw that his intentions had been pure. But Zeref knew, deep inside, there was no forgiving what he'd done.

"I know. And although I admire the sacrifices that you were willing to make in order to bring him back, your mistake could set this whole world into chaos." He sighed.

"So what will you do?" He feared her answer; but knew there was no point avoiding it. Even as a powerful water mage, he was no match to a goddess.

"The punishment for using the Ritornare spell is an unbreakable curse. I wish you didn't have to fall to the same fate as the one who used it before, but what's done can't be undone." Besides fear, curiosity build inside him.

"What do you mean? Who used it before?" Ankhseram smiled sadly.

"Someone that used to be close to you. I'm certain you'll meet them soon enough." With a wave of her hand, a dark circle enveloped him and suddenly there was pain. It was intense and unbearable; but nothing compared to the heartache that would follow him in the centuries to come.

Present day... 3:25 PM

The sight that met Dorenbolt once he reappeared at the palace was nothing short of terrifying. The building was in ruins; all the paintings, furnitures and people scattered all around. So much despair, fear and death.

The former agent quickly ran through the bodies while calling out Jellal's name; heart constricted with fear that he'd be one of them.

Right in the middle of the ruins there was a weird structure made of mud, as it seemed. It had clearly been created with magic, so he approached it while keeping his guard up. Just before he could reach it, though, it exploded.

"What the..." The agent used his magic to change his location.

"You shouldn't have done that." The voice was familiar and Dorenbolt's eyes widened once he spotted Cobra and Richard. The latter was kneeling on the ground while the former stood victoriously in front of him. King Thomas and Darton were sitting behind them, looking confused and scared.

"Why are you back here?" Cobra asked once he spotted the silent agent. Dorenbolt didn't respond; his attention was caught by the body laying in front of Richard. Very familiar short blue hair, the unmistakable red scar across his right eye and skin paler than ever.

"No." Dorenbolt shook his head.

"Shouldn't you be protecting my daughter?" The king asked him, worried.

"What happened here?" The agent asked instead. Seeing his unwavering gaze on Jellal, Cobra replied.

"The idiot tried to play hero like I knew he would." Richard cast him a stern look.

"He saved our lives. You should be thankful, Erik." Rage filled the dragon slayer's eyes as he glared at his comrade.

"Don not call me that." Dorenbolt decided to speak before a full argument could begin.

"What exactly did he do?" Richard sighed before replying.

"He used his magic to contain the first explosion. It was enough to let us know that Tartarus were here, so we took his majesty to the princess' room in order to ask you to take us back to the cottage." Cobra spoke next, glaring at Dorenbolt.

"Imagine our surprise when we noticed you weren't there anymore, only Jellal remained. He told us you'd be back soon, so we waited." The agent felt guilty for forgetting that he was supposed to come back for the others.

"Sorry about that." Richard cast him an understanding glance.

"It's alright. The only problem is that your delay allowed Tartarus to cast more explosions and Jellal wasted all of his magic trying to stop them, but he couldn't. I barely managed to use my own magic to protect his majesty." Dorenbolt glanced once again towards Jellal's seemingly dead body.

"But is he..." He couldn't say it. Couldn't fathom the idea that Jellal would be taken out so easily. He was as strong as a wizard saint, after all. If Tartarus had managed to defeat him so easily, what chance did the rest of them have?

A few hours later, in Tartarus hideout...

"Lisanna!" Mirajane ran to her sister's side; hoping, praying. Wanting so desperately to believe that she hadn't lost her, even though those lifeless blue eyes were staring at her.

Along the way, the take-over mage ended up tripping and falling once again to her knees; exhaustion taking over her. Never before had she felt so drained and she was confused. After all, she had released incredible amounts of magic before, but it never affected her so much.

"What's going on?" Mira whispered while glancing at the strange black marking on her arms. It must be related to how she felt, but what were they?

A bright light caught her attention and her eyes widened once she noticed Lisanna's body was encircled by it.

"No! Don't take her away from me!" Memories of a similar light that took her away years before crossed the she-devil's mind and she quickly got back on her feet and resumed running towards her sister.

"Lisanna!" Just as Mirajane reached her, the light grew so intense that she was forced to cover her eyes.

Upon opening them once again, a confusing sight left a million questions running through her mind. "What? How?" She took the dead body onto her arms, staring at it in disbelief. In that one moment she'd closed her eyes, everything had changed.

Lisanna's familiar blue eyes had suddenly turned to brown, her skin had gotten darker and the Strauss trademark white hair turned to brown. It was no longer her sister there, although it was someone she considered to be a sister.

Once the shock worn off, Mirajane was filled with a mixture of relief and sadness. Lisanna wasn't dead, she hadn't lost her. But someone else had died, an innocent. And she hated the fact that all her mind could think was "At least it's not Lisanna. At least I haven't lost her again".

"No. No!" Tears began streaming down her face as she was hit with a wave of pain and sorrow. Shaky hands ran through the brunette curls while she tried to comprehend what was happening.

"Cana! Please, wake up." Mira pleaded while sobbing desperately onto her friend's body. Only a few minutes ago she'd been heartbroken; thinking her sister had been taken away once again. But somehow, Lisanna had been saved from this horrible fate.

Instead, Cana had been the one to die. The cheerful, teasing, loyal brunette who always made them laugh; who always stood up for her friends; who'd always protected them. She'd saved Lisanna; had risked her own life by taking the latter's place.

"Thank you. I'll never forget what you did." Mirajane gave the brunette a small smile before collapsing on the floor, Cana's body falling beside her.

Meanwhile, with Fairy Tail...

"Ugh, why do you do this to me?" Natsu complained once they arrived at the celestial spirit world. Lucy watched her boyfriend with a concealed smile as he threw up on the floor.

"Sorry, Natsu." She gently tapped his back.

"It worked." Yukino said, a relieved smile on her face.

"Yes, you did it!" Sting excitedly told her and the two of them hugged. Upon seeing Rogue's knowing smile, he pulled apart, blushing furiously, while she did the same.

"Are we all here?" Wendy asked while looking around the unfamiliar place.

"I think so." Warren said while doing the same. Both sighed in relief once realising that all of the members of Fairy Tail were there.

"So, what now?" Gajeel turned to the master, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Now we must return to our world." He replied.

"Yes, we might've escaped the explosion, but Tartarus still have Erza and Mira." Lucy said while helping Natsu sit down.

"And Juvia. They have her too." Gray reminded them for the millionth time.

"Let's go!" Gajeel determinately said.

"Wait! We don't know where they are." Levy reminded him.

"Actually, we do." Loke said, making many people stare at him in confusion.

"We do?" Natsu asked dumbly, finally finished with throwing up. Before the celestial spirit could respond, there was a shaky, loud voice.

"What...You're...What just happened?" Everyone turned their eyes towards the right corner of the mysterious planet they were on. Freed, Laxus, Yajima and Evergreen were thrown on the floor, still unconscious. Holding onto the latter's body was none other than Elfman Strauss.

"Elfman!" Lucy screamed, suddenly remembering that he'd been used by Tartarus to cause the explosion. She could only imagine how he was feeling now.

"Are you alright?" Makarov asked, approaching the giant man. The latter stared at everyone in shock for a few moments before letting go of Evergreen.

"I'm so sorry, master. It's all my fault. I was the one who brought the bomb that destroyed the guild hall. I completely understand if you don't want me to be in the guild anymore, but please, just give me a chance to save my sisters." He began babbling, tears streaming down his face.

"Elfman, it's not your fault." The master told him firmly.

"What?" Many people gave him pitiful looks; the poor man was completely devastated.

"We know that Tartarus didn't give you a choice." Lucy told him.

"But..how?" He stared at her in confusion.

"The celestial spirit king has been watching over you. He saw everything that happened with Lisanna and the Tartarus member that went after you." Loke was quick to explain.

"So you know...they made me hurt Lisanna." He swallowed hard before lowering his head.

"Hey, man. Look at me." Gray surprised everyone by quickly running towards the large man and kneeling down in front of him. "I know exactly what you're feeling right now, okay?"

"So do I." Gajeel joined in and many others did. But none of them was as familiar with it as Gray Fullbuster.

"I know you're blaming yourself for what happened. I know you probably think that it should've been you and that you don't deserve to be here, safe, while Lisanna's trapped with them." Elfman sighed.

"I'm a failure. I couldn't protect Lisanna, or Mira, or Ever." He glanced towards his unconscious girlfriend and Gray did the same.

"Then I am too." The ice mage told him. "I couldn't protect Juvia; I failed her and Tartarus managed to take her away." Elfman's eyes widened for a moment at the news before his face fell.

"I'm sorry." Gray nodded briefly, hands trying to hold onto the silver necklace only to discover it was gone.

"Now isn't the time for us to be sorry, we need to do our best to rescue them." He let out a sigh, trying not to get anxious because of the object's disappearance.

"So, what do you say? Shall we teach those monsters that they can't mess with Fairy Tail?" Elfman stared at his extended hand for a moment before nodding eagerly.

"Yeah." They stood up before letting go of each other's hand and staring at their guild mates with determination.

"Let's go!" Gray looked pointedly at Loke, who nodded.

"Be careful, you guys. These demons aren't playing games." They nodded, understanding.

"Before we go, I must ask, can the wounded stay here?" Porlyusica called their attention.

"I'm afraid not. Humans can't stay too long in the celestial spirit world." Loke replied and Natsu, Lucy, Wendy and Gray shared looks; knowing exactly why.

"Then we must select a group to protect them." The healer turned to Makarov, urging him to do so.

"Does anyone volunteer?" The master asked.

"We can stay with them. It's best for us not to get too involved in the war." Alzack said while picking up Asuka.

"Me too." They were surprised when Elfman also volunteered.

"You sure?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow.

"I thought you'd want to go after them more than any of us." Gray added.

"And I do. But right now, I need to stay with Ever. I already failed Lisanna and Mira, but I sure as hell won't let anyone take her." More pitiful looks were sent while Lucy and Levy shared knowing smiles.

"In the meantime, we'll do our best to bring Mira and Lisanna back safe, okay?" The celestial wizard reassured him and he nodded, a thankful smile on his face.

"I've placed a powerful spell to keep your baby safe. All I need now is the blood of the creature who hurt her and the others in order to make the antidote." Porlyusica added while Elfman knelt down and took Evergreen's body back into his arms.

"Then we'll get that." Gray said, giving his friend a reassuring look.

"Can we go now?" Natsu asked, ever impatient.

"Yes, I think we're ready." Makarov replied.

"Time to teach them a lesson." Gajeel said, looking rather excited while Levy rolled her eyes at him.

After the 12 gates of the Zodiac joined hands, light enveloped them all once again and it wasn't long before they found themselves on Tartarus' fortress. It was time to strike.

Kyoka was just about to swing the sword across Erza's body when a frantic looking Franmalth entered the room. "What are you doing here?" The demon turned to him, eye flashing with anger.

"There's been a change of plans." He told her.

"What change of plans?" Before he could answer, they heard screams and the sound of fighting.

"They are here." Franmalth said, looking anxious.

"How?" She asked, disbelieving it.

"We don't know how they escaped that explosion, but they are here and taking out our army." He replied frantically; both missed the small smile that came to Erza's face as she stopped crying.

"Seilah's plan didn't work?" Kyoka was furious.

"Let's just go, Kyoka. We need to eliminate them before they get to the control room." Franmalth told her and she sighed before glancing towards her prisoner.

"Let me just take Erza out and..." He grabbed her arm, urging her to leave.

"There's no time. The chairman said that the dragon slayers are quickly approaching." She looked back at Erza.

"I guess she isn't going anywhere." Nodding, she began walking away before stopping. "But I will come back for you, Erza."

As soon as they were gone, the red head let out a relieved sigh.

"At least they're here. I should probably call them." She knew that getting herself freed from those chains was crucial, but it felt like all of her strenght had just disappeared. And Erza knew, it wasn't just because of the torture.

"Jellal. He can't be gone." The tears resumed falling as more flashes crossed through her mind. "I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye." Erza sobbed. It was so hard to stay strong when everything was falling apart. And with each minute that passed and the knowledge that Jellal was dead sinked in, she began wondering why she should even stay strong.

True, she'd always fought for Fairy Tail. Protecting her friends had always been her reason to stay strong and fight against the enemy. However, ever since her relationship with Jellal evolved into a romance, he'd become her reason. The thought of a future with him, a happy life by his side, was what kept her going through all these weeks they were apart.

The knowledge that said future was no longer possible stabbed at her like knives and she couldn't stop the anguish scream that left her lips. "Jellal!"

Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gray, Gajeel and Levy had been following a path along the lonely corridor inside the fortress when they heard the scream. "Erza!" They looked at each other.

"She's in danger." Lucy said, face paling.

"Can you guys sense where she is?" Levy asked, turning to the three dragon slayers.

"Her smell is very faint, but I can tell it's coming from there." Wendy answered, pointing in the direction they'd come.

"Then we need to go there!" Natsu said before quickly turning around.

"Wait! We shouldn't all go." Lucy told him and Gray nodded.

"We still need to stop them from activating FACE, so we should split up." Levy nodded in agreement to the ice mage's idea.

"So, how do we do this?" The blonde asked, looking between her friends.

"Levy and I will go after Erza. The rest of you can take care of Tartarus." They were surprised by Gajeel's suggestion, never having expected him to choose the option that involved less fighting. However, they didn't know that the dragon slayer was worried for his girlfriend and thought it was best if she stayed away from fights.

"I'll go with you." Gray said, hoping that Erza might lead them to Juvia.

After wishing their friends good luck, the trio turned around and walked back towards the hole from where they'd entered the guild. They didn't know exactly what had caused it, but it was clear that fight had occured not far from there.

"There!" Gajeel pointed towards an open door where the smell was stronger.

"Erza?" Levy called gently, running towards it while the two men followed her.

"Levy?" The petit bluenette was stunned silent once she entered the small room. There was Erza, hands and feet chained while her body was covered in strange markings. The worst part of it, though, was the red head's face. She looked so broken, so hopeless.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gajeel asked ever so insensitively.

"Are you okay, Erza?" Gray knew the question was stupid, but he needed to be sure of how bad the situation was.

"I'm so glad you're here." She was sobbing, tears streaming down her face. Erza Scarlet never cried like that, never.

"What happened?" Levy asked as she approached the red head and knelt down in front of her while Gajeel worked on breaking the chains and Gray just stared in shock.

"We were captured. Me and..Mirajane. I don't know where she is." Erza replied, sniffling as she attempted to hold back the tears.

"What did they do?" Levy regretted asking it as soon as they returned.

"They...tortured me. It was...worse than..." As Gajeel removed the last chain tying her arm, she fell forward, almost crushing poor Levy if the iron dragon slayer hadn't held onto her.

"Easy there, Titania." He knelt to the ground and placed her by his side.

"There's something else." They turned to the ice mage. "I've seen you hold up under torture, they couldn't break you so easily." Fear rose as he pictured all the horrible things Tartarus could've done. Juvia's face never left his mind and his heart tightened.

"They...said something." Erza took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down.

"What did they say?" Levy asked.

"About Jellal." She sighed before saying the two words that changed everything. "He's dead."

"Are you sure?" Gray asked after a few moments of silence.

"No, but...They looked so confident. I don't think they're lying." Erza replied.

"I'm so sorry, Erza." Levy said before throwing her arms around the red head in a tight embrace. Her feelings for Jellal were no secret to them.

"We have to go." Gajeel said, making them stare at him in confusion.

"What's wrong, Gajeel?" The petit bluenette asked upon seeing his suddenly pale face.

"I can hear them coming." He replied simply before turning to the broken mage.

"Can you walk?" Erza quietly shook her head, deciding there was no point in deceiving them.

"I'll carry you." Gray immediately suggested, trying to shake off the images of Juvia's dead body from his mind.

"No offence, stripper, but I'm stronger than you. I'll do it." Before the ice mage could retort, Erza spoke.

"Thank you, Gajeel." Levy and the dragon slayer helped her stand up before the latter swung her over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. She didn't complain.

"What now?" Levy asked.

"We should take her to Porlyusica." Gray suggested and the couple nodded.

So they began walking towards the area where the wounded were, managing to avoid the nine demon gates and easily defeating the few soldiers who got in their way. They had just arrived at the spot where Porlyusica, Elfman, Alzack and Bisca were staying when it happened.

They didn't know what it was, but all of sudden everything began shaking and then a red substance appeared out of no where and began trapping them. From afar, a sinister voice could be heard as the underworld king whispered the spell that should seal their fate. "Alegria."

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed in horror once she stared at her boyfriend. She couldn't believe what was happening, it was so insane.

First they had found a room where there were timers counting down the minute FACE would be activated. For reasons she had yet to understand, Wendy and Carla had been the ones to go after the weapon while she and Natsu faced off against one of the nine demon gates.

The creepy one-eyed creature had proven himself to be resourceful and his powers were unlike anything Lucy had ever seen. He had managed to absorb the souls of two of her spirits and almost did the same with herself, Natsu and Happy.

Thankfully, they had found a way to beat him in the end, although the aftermath of his death was just as frightening as they watched all of the souls he had accumulated "fly" away. And then Master Hades had appeared all of sudden told them to ask Makarov to "unleash the light", whatever that meant.

The couple hadn't had much time to dwell on it, because soon the whole fortress was shaking and then a strange red substance began enveloping everyone in the hall. Natsu and Happy had been trapped inside it, but somehow she had escaped such fate.

"Fairy Tail has been easily defeated by Alegria. However, it seems as if one human has somehow escaped the spell. Whoever manages to eliminate this poor, unfortunate soul will have the honor of becoming one of the nine demon gates of Tartarus." A voice echoed through the hallway and Lucy's eyes widened. This coulnd't be. Fairy Tail, defeated?

Once again, she didn't have time to dwell on it for water suddenly filled the corridor. She managed to stay afloat by hanging onto a door that had been torn out. A few soldiers soon appeared and she made quick work of them with her whip. However, when she spotted the same demon who had gone after her and Natsu earlier, Lucy was quick to summon Virgo and Loke.

Avoiding his attacks proved to be extremely difficult and it only got worse as two more appeared. She was lucky that the annoying girl who managed to get closer to her was weak and the celestial wizard quickly sent her away. However, the same didn't work for the bomber and shark demons.

As explosions were sent her way, she screamed in pain, but held on. She was the only one left, so she didn't have the luxury of giving up. She needed to fight them and beat them, but how? It's not as if she was some weaklink, but she wasn't Erza or Natsu.

Seeing as Virgo and Loke weren't able to handle the two demons, Lucy decided to use the water to her advantage and called for Aquarius. Having summoned three celestial spirtits, her strenght was drained and she collapsed into the arms of her oldest friend.

"You idiot. You shouldn't have summoned us all at once." The water spirit scolded while sharing worried glances with Loke.

"Lucy, you have to let us go." He screamed, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

"No, I can't. I can't fight them without you." Big brown eyes stared fearfully into his.

"It's okay, Lucy. You can do this, I believe in you." He smiled reassuringly at her.

"You'll be fine, princess." Virgo added, stopping her fight against Torafusa for a moment.

"Thank you, for everything." As she sent them both away, Lucy didn't know why she was crying or why this felt like a final goodbye.

"Easy there, Lucy." Aquarius said as she collapsed into her arms.

"Look at her, she's crying." Jackal mocked, a smirk coming upon his face.

"Defeating her will be easy now." Torafusa added.

"Hey, let me have her." The unnamed girl complained from the former's side and he rolled his eyes.

"I don't think so." Lucy watched in horror as Jackal placed his hand on her forehead and within seconds her lifeless body fell forward.

"Why did you kill her? Isn't she on your side?" The celestial wizard asked, confused.

"She was in the way." He replied, shrugging. She was frozen in shock. How could there be such evil and heartless creatures that were willing to kill their own allies without a second thought?

"Lucy, listen to me." She lifted her head to stare at Aquarius. "I'm afraid that, no matter which spirit you summon, it won't be enough to defeat Tartarus."

"Then what am I supposed to do? I have to save everyone." The celestial spirit smiled, though Lucy spotted sadness behind it.

"There is a way for you to do that." Then she proceeded to explain how the celestial spirit king could defeat them, but once she spoke of the price for summoning him, the blonde shook her head.

"No, I can't do that." Aquarius sighed.

"You're gonna have to. If you want to save your friends." Lucy bit her lip.

"But I don't want to break any of my keys." Once again, a sad smile was sent her way.

"And you can't just break any key. It must belong to a spirit with whom you share the strongest bond." Seeing where she was going, the celestial wizard sighed.

"You can't seriously expect me to do this." Tears began streaming down her face once again. "I can't... You're my oldest friend."

"It's not as if you'll be killing me. We just won't be able to see each other anymore." Much to her surprise, Aquarius looked just as broken as she felt.

"But...Aquarius..." Lucy tried, but the celestial spirit shook her head.

"It's time to let me go, Lucy. This is something you need to do in order to save your friends." She helped the exhausted mage stand up and took her hands. "It was an honor being contracted to you and your mother. I'll never forget you."

"I don't want to lose you." For a moment she completely forgot about he situation they were facing, or the demons that were watching them, ready to kill her. All she could think about is how she didn't want to let go of her oldest friend.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way." An unusually soft smile appeared on Aquarius' face.

"Can you do me a favor?" Lucy nodded mutely. "Tell Juvia that I'm sorry." More tears fell at the thought of her cousin.

"I will." The celestial spirit, seeing her absolutely broken state, opened her arms and embraced the crying girl. For a few moments they were lost in comfortable silence until Aquarius broke it."Now, it's time." Without pulling apart from the hug, the blonde took out the golden key and whispered the words that changed everything. "Open, gate of the king."

Meanwhile, with Juvia...

"They sure are taking their time." She whispered after sliding down the wall. She had just attempted another break out and the result had been the same as the last 15 tries: nothing. All she managed was to get zapped by that stupid barrier. "Why did I decide to come here again?" The memory of Gray's bloody shirt reminded her.

"Damn it." Juvia buried her head in her knees and embraced them, closing her eyes. If only she hadn't gone on that mission, she wouldn't be in this situation now.

Or would she? Come to think about it, no matter what she had chosen to do, Zeref would've found her. He was much too powerful, so perhaps it was for the best that no one had to get hurt in the end. After all, if she had stayed at the guild like the master suggested, Zeref would've needed to go through all of them to get her. This way she had managed to avoid unnecessary injuries.

"That still doesn't make it okay." Juvia removed her head and looked towards the open door where she could see the sun setting. "Great, now it's nighttime." She had a feeling that the reason why Zeref hadn't transformed her yet is because he needed to wait until midnight. She had heard Master explain that when mages turned 18, they would be at their most powerful since the age marked the beginning of adulthood.

According to him, the body would adapt to this change and, at midnight, all of the magic they possessed would be activated. Juvia suspected that Zeref believed she would be strong enough to withhold the transformation by then.

"That means only a few hours are left." She shivered. This wasn't good. She needed to get out of there and soon. However, as much as she had tried, saving herself didn't seem possible. She was relying on her friends to save her from Zeref and Juvia could only hope that they'd make it in time.

"They will." She reassured herself. "They never failed me and I know Gray will manage to find me before it's too late." Her confidence was ignited with the thought of Gray and the lengths he'd go to protect her.

"He'll save me, just as he's done so many times." The memory of the first time he had saved her life brought a smile to her face and hope to her heart.

At FACE's location... 7 PM

"You've done it, child. I'm so proud of you." Wendy barely had the strength to smile at her friend as she lay on the ground. After winning a hard fought battle against Ezel, who'd been guarding FACE, the young dragon slayer had collapsed, drained of magic and energy.

"Thanks, Carla." She moved her arms a bit so that the exceed could embrace her. They stayed that way for a few moments, but a sudden ticking sound made their eyes widened and both stared at the massive weapon that glowed in the dark cave.

"No way." Carla shook her head, staring at the timer in disbelief.

"I thought...I had destroyed it." Tears began streaming down the child's face as she was overcome with frustration.

"So did I." The exceed added before standing up.

"What do we do now?" Wendy began to panick and attempted to sit up, only to fall down seconds later.

"I don't know." It wasn't completely true. Carla knew what had to be done, but she couldn't shake off her hesitation.

"We should get out of here." The exceed sighed.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. I used all of my magic bringing you here." She explained and Wendy stared at her apologizingly.

"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have rushed you." Carla sighed.

"Now isn't the time for that, child. We still have a chance at stopping FACE and saving everyone." They were unaware that, at that very same moment, Lucy was thinking the same thing as she summoned the celestial spirit king.

"So you know how to stop it?" Wendy's eyes widened.

"I saw myself doing so in the future. All I need to do is press that button." Carla explained before turning her back and walking towards the weapon."You should step away as much as you can, Wendy."

"No way! I'm not leaving you here!" The child refuted.

"You don't understand." The exceed looked at her, tears streaming down her face. "Once I do this, there will be no coming back."

"What do you mean?" Wendy was confused.

"Stopping FACE"s activation will trigger an explosion, as all the ethernano contained in it will be released." Carla explained and the former's face paled.

"So you'll die?" She understood then, why her friend was ushering her away. But she wouldn't leave.

"I'm too weak to fly away, so I'll have to pay this price." Wendy shook her head.

"No. There has to be another way." Carla stared at her sadly.

"We don't have time to find it." They looked towards the timer, which marked less than two minutes before the explosion. "But you can still save yourself, child, so go."

"No!" The dragon slayer was determined. "I won't leave you. Even if I could move, and get away from here, I wouldn't. You're my best friend, so I'll stay with you until the end." For a moment, Carla stared at her; feeling proud. Who would've imagined that she could've grown so much in only the few short months since they had joined Fairy Tail?

"I can see there's no changing your mind." She finally realized and Wendy nodded before crawling towards where she stood by FACE.

"We'll do it together, okay?" The exceed nodded.

"Together forever, just like we promised." They were both crying by then, but their hearts were filled with happiness. The cave began to shake as only a few seconds were left.

"Ready?" Wendy asked before extending her hand towards the button.

"Ready." Carla did the same. Their faces showed nothing but determination as they made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world.

So, thoughts?

Were you surprised that I didn't actually kill Lisanna? I told you that this story is all about the plot twists.

Let's all take a moment to mourn Cana Alberona, who willingly took Lisanna's place, thus putting her own life at risk.

By the way, something to keep in mind: As I said in chapter 20 of Connections , Cana, Lisanna and Bixlow's fates were altered. Two who were supposed to die survived and two others were killed in their place. The question remains, who's going to take Bixlow's place?

On another topic, what do you think happened with Jellal? Is he truly dead? Jerza fans, are you hanging in there?

I couldn't not mention the two other sacrifices made in this chapter. Anyone surprised I followed the plots with Aquarius and Wendy&Carla? What will happen with the latter two?

Also, what are your thoughts on Juvia's situation? Will FT and Gray save her before midnight comes?

Lastly, what did you think of the introduction of Ankhseram and Zeref's curse?

Next chapter: According To Plan.

Summary: After taking a hit with the Alegria spell, Fairy Tail rises once again as the celestial spirit king frees them. New battles begin as Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Lyon and Meredy encounter Lucy and defend her against the nine demon gates. Meanwhile, Erza finds herself in trouble; unaware that help is on the way. Will the arrival of Crime Sorciére turn the war in their favor?

Let's set out this new book with a CHALLENGE, shall we?  Anyone remember the flashback between Zeref and Acnologia from chapter 3? Your job is to figure out who's the body he was looking for. 

Also give me a character and, if you get it right, I'll tell you their fate. Anyone interested in finding out if your favorite characters will live or die?

Let's try 260 hits for chapter 7. 

(This is sooo long, sorry about that. I have trouble keeping chapters short)