A/N: Hello guys. I just got another story for my OTP NaWen! :D I just thought of adding this story into my profile since it's been hanging on the wall for quite some time. It's time to have this published.
Have Fun and Happy Reading. :)
Note: The picture of Wendy after 7 years is on the cover. (Original Pic is not mine.) (Edited by me to feature Wendy's new look aside from her Edolas counterpart).
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail nor its characters. All goes to Hiro Mashima himself.
- Miracle from Despair -
It was their victory. They finally did it. A new day had dawned on Tenrou Island as Fairy Tail managed to defeat their enemy, Grimoire Heart. Many had suffered and saw the pain in their hearts as they fought valiantly against a formidable enemy. There were some shocking truths and revelations along the way but they prevailed. After all, nothing could ever break the bonds of family in Fairy Tail no matter how strong their enemy is.
The last battle saw the end of the conflict between two guilds with different ideologies with Fairy Tail emerging as the victor. Right now, everyone was just recuperating and taking things easy.
Situated in the corner of the island was a small tent where most of Fairy Tail's guild members who were picked for the trial, simply sought refuge at the moment. The injuries that they sustained during the fight really gave them a lot of beating. Not that they weren't gonna give up just like that. Everyone just needed some rest for today.
Among the recovering members was Natsu Dragneel who was lively as ever, looking for strong opponents from the group. Everyone simply ignored his ramblings about beating the Grimoire Heart guild master since most of them had other priorities to tend to; tending to the wounded and resting for the whole day. It was as if the injuries in his body meant nothing to him after almost suffering the most from the team. It was thanks to the efforts of Lisanna and Wendy that he was able to recover without any serious consequences. But now, he was gunning to beat even more people.
Not even Gildarts or Laxus was safe from his challenges and they were also busy recovering from their injuries.
The two were just talking with each other as the ace of Fairy Tail simply laughed at the spiky-haired mage for being expelled from the guild.
"So, what did you do this time?" Gildarts asked curiously though it is clear that he wants to tease the lightning-dragonslayer who simply clicked his tongue and looked away in irritation.
"Shut your trap, you bastard." Came the cold reply.
"Ah, come on. I want to know. Especially the part that you got your ass handed down to a bunch of kids." The S-class mage simply rolled down on the ground laughing while Laxus tries to compose himself.
"Gildarts! Fight me!" A rather familiar voice cut to their conversation as the two S-Class mages looked over to the bandaged Natsu, raising his fist to challenge them once again.
"You should recover yourself first, Natsu. You're still in no position to fight." Gildarts smirked as he sat once again looking up to the fiery dragonslayer.
"But I'm already back to normal. Come on. Let's do this! This time, I'm gonna beat you." Natsu cheerily spoke before locking his fist again before engulfing it in flames, aimed at the crash mage.
"Fire Dragon's Iron F-" Before he could even complete his spell, Gildarts simply grabbed his hand effortlessly and flung the pinkette away towards another part of the camp, crashing into pots and tables together with some bad-tempered people who looked at the fire dragonslayer in irritation.
"What the hell are you doing Salamander!"
"You looking for a fight Flame-brain?!"
"Shut up you two! I'll get you for this!"
And in just like that, the usual brawl of the men simply erupted over the corner as everyone gave a blank look at them.
"They're sure are high in spirits." Wendy asked from the group as she had herself a line of injured members waiting for their own turn to get healed by her magic.
"They sure are." Mirajane smiled in content as she saw them all well and good. Despite her injuries, her concern for her friends and family always came first.
And in just like that, the usual routine of Fairy Tail shenanigans circled around the group. Everyone celebrated despite their injuries, some rested from the tired fight while others have matters to discuss. One of them was Laxus, who was currently excommunicated from the guild. With his untimely return, he helped turn the tide of the battle between fairies and devils.
But his presence upon Fairy Tail's holy island still posed as a clear case of trespassing unto forbidden territory. Makarov walked over to the lightning-mage whose face was filled with confusion and uncertainty.
Laxus could only look at him with brief eyes before turning away, unable to face him of his own doing in the past. However, Makarov simply sat around before him as if he was about to say something sentimental. Everyone immediately stopped upon seeing the two about to have a conversation in their first reunion since that incident.
"It's good to have you back, Laxus..."
Or so Makarov said...
"THE HELL I AM GONNA SAY THOSE THINGS! WHY ARE YOU HERE?! YOU WERE EXPELLED! YOU THINK I'M GOING TO SAY THOSE THINGS JUST BECAUSE YOU WENT BACK?!" In just a moment, Makarov's head soon turned large with a huge tick mark plastered in his bald head, presumably annoyed at the presence of his grandson.
Everyone simply fell down on their feet as a big sweatdrop simply washed all over the group. Laxus, on the other hand, was simply shocked and irritated at the same time.
"As if I was expecting anything. I just happened to travel nearby." He said with an uncaring voice.
The brief reunion was simply cut off as the three members of the Raijinshuu eventually noticed the lightning dragonslayer. And to their delight, they simply lashed themselves towards him as if they wanted him so badly.
"LAXUS!"
"LAXUS!"
"LAXUS!"
Everyone watched amusingly as Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen cried in joy finally reunited with their friend and leader. Laxus was simply tackled down, trying to get away from them but to no avail. It was becoming more of a comical reunion rather than a fateful one.
Even with that, the joy present in their hearts was all that matters.
"Oh, how I missed this situation." Lucy remarked. She watched admiringly at the scene.
"Aye! That's Fairy Tail for you." Happy answered beside her before the celebration resumed once again. The atmosphere was uplifting not to mention of some injured members are starting to move around freely as if they were never hurt.
"Damn, where the hell is it?" Natsu straddled around the camp looking for something. Apparently, he mistakenly misplaced his scaly scarf during his beef with Gray and Gajeel.
He was so preoccupied with his scuffle that he didn't notice it not wrapped around him.
"What are you looking for, Natsu?" Happy asked curiously upon seeing his partner, searching around the camp for something.
"Ah, I kinda misplaced my scarf. Do you know where it is?" The pinkette replied.
"I dunno. Try tracking it with your nose. I'm sure you can recognize the scent." The blue Exceed suggested to which Natsu nodded in response.
"Oh, yeah. I haven't thought about that." Natsu answered as if the very idea never crossed his mind until now.
"Here, Natsu-san." A timid voice soon resounded from their back, prompting them to turn around and saw Wendy and Carla with the former holding unto his pinkette's precious scarf in her hands.
She handed them over to the pink-haired dragonslayer with a faint smile.
"Oh, thanks, Wendy!" He simply spoke out of gratitude. He hated having his most precious treasure being lost. It was the only valuable thing that connected him to Igneel who disappeared years ago.
"You should at least, keep track of your belongings from time to time. You're lucky Wendy happened to spot it nearby." Carla advised though not in a caring way as she simply glanced away from the duo.
"Yeah. I'll keep an eye on it next time. By the way, where did you find it, Wendy?" His eyes soon darted over to the sky dragonslayer whose blue hair was tied into a ponytail.
"I just found lying over the tree slab. It's probably during that time when I was trying to heal you." She explained. Natsu could only ponder in thought.
In a few seconds, he grinned widely at her with an energetic look.
"Is that so? Thanks, Wendy. It really means a lot.."
"No problem at all, Natsu-san."
"Hey, you wanna meet Laxus? You still haven't met him, right? He's a fellow dragonslayer just like us." Natsu soon spoke once again, referring to another topic. Hearing that simply jolted the bluenette girl into attention.
"Really? A dragonslayer?"
"Well, not exactly. Gramps said that he was infused with some sort of a dragon lacrima to make him just like one but he never was taught by dragons just like us. But still, he's very powerful, I'll tell you that."
"Dragon lacrima?" Her head simply tilted into confusion.
"Aye! It was a thing that lets people take on the properties of a dragonslayer without being taught by a dragon." Happy explained.
"Really? Is that possible?"
But just as they were talking, Makarov soon called out in attendance for the whole group as he went over a make-shift platform to announce something. Everyone gathered together right in front of him as they began to hear out his words.
"My brats. Seeing that you're all awake now, I have some important news to announce. I was supposed to announce it once we got back to the guild but I decided to say it right here so hear me out..." He paused."...With events regarding here at Tenrou island, I have decided to cancel out the S-Class trials."
His declaration simply shocked the whole group, well mainly to the boys it seemed as they fell down to the floor with stunned expressions.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
"It can't be helped at all since the exams were abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Grimoire Heart. Not to mention, the Magic Council was on the holy grounds as well. Master has a lot to think about once we return home and postpone the exams." Mirajane explained further though it wasn't enough to convince the other mages who wanted to keep the exams going to achieve S-Class status.
"Even so, why cancel it out? The Council could eat their crap for all I care. Let the exams continue!" Natsu protested, getting some of the people to rally up behind him in rejection of the idea.
"Ara, ara. This can't be helped, Master." Mirajane spoke beside the little old man who was closing his eyes for the final decision.
"Very well, I'll keep the S-Class exams going."
"Really?! You mean it, Gramps?"
"On one condition, if you can defeat me then I'll grant you the title of the S-Class without any other requirements. All you have to do is to defeat me fair and square." Makarov smirked, knowing that his brats don't exactly stand a chance against him.
True enough, others seemed to think that it was impossible to defeat their master in an open battle. With injuries still waiting to be fully healed, they were at a disadvantage. Immediately, all of them retired from the trial as they have no chance of winning this except for one person.
"Challenge accepted! I'm all fired up! Bring it on, Gramps!" Natsu cheerily spoke in delight despite the odds against him. Makarov held his hand on his face in exasperation while Mirajane put hers on her mouth in astonishment. They should've at least expected it.
For sure, Makarov thought that the fire dragonslayer had learned something from his fight with Gildarts. Guess it wasn't enough.
"Okay. Come at me, Natsu."
Without hesitation, Natsu lashed out with a fist ready to smack down the little old man at a fast pace. Little did he know that it was all over right over in an instant as Makarov simply used his Titan magic to enlarge his fist and punched the dragonslayer wholly towards a tree who then sported a defeated look on his face.
Everyone gave shivers of fright as Natsu was easily defeated or rather got squished from their master's gigantic fists.
Suddenly, their choice to back down was not even that bad. As a result, none of the participants of today's S-Class trials had the chance to become one.
"I-I-I admit defeat." And in just like that, Natsu submitted to which satisfied Makarov and eventually went back to other businesses, leaving his brats again to think over.
"So it is officially decided. S-Class trials will be suspended in the meantime until problems are solved, got it?" Everyone gave a nod to which some were too bitter to accept but it was inevitable. They'll just have to wait for the next one and hope that the trials don't get interrupted by dark guilds or council infiltrators or some weird phenomena.
"Master? Where are you going?" Erza asked curiously.
"I'm going somewhere to think things over. With things happening fast, we barely had enough time to process everything. Can you take over the camp and watch the others?"
"As you wish, master. We'll inform you once we finished packing up."
Makarov nodded at her response and proceeded into the forest to meditate.
Meanwhile, Natsu was still sore from the new wounds he got from Master. Really, even with his wounds closing up, having a new set of them will open the old ones. He ought to be careful with his body though.
While silently depressed, he was soon approached by Gildarts who simply stopped just beside him with a smile on his face.
"Yo, Natsu. Care for a little fishing?"
Natsu paused for a while until he was done caressing his sore cheek and eventually followed the crash mage as they embarked onto the forest for some fishing. Together with Happy, they continued to walk as they began discussing a lot of things together.
"Don't sulk too much about it. It was a rather wise decision for the old man to suspend the trials, after all, that's happened. So cheer up and eat a lot of fish." Gildarts patted his shoulders.
"I was so close. I want to be S-Class, dammit!" Natsu ranted which gave the crash mage the chuckle.
"I'd always believed that you will become an S-Class mage, you know." The pink-haired dragonslayer stopped in his tracks, wanting to hear it clearly from him.
"What?"
"Becoming an S-Class mage isn't all about passing the trial. You've got to learn something about it. I suppose you've managed to learn something from me, no?"
"Damn you, Gildarts. Just how powerful you are?"
"That's a secret."
"You're no fun."
"Someday, I'll look forward to the time where you would surpass me, Natsu." Gildarts looked solemnly above the skies as the gentle breeze of the wind swept through them, giving off a pleasant sound of nature around them.
He glanced back to Natsu with a grinning look on his face.
"Say, want to learn something from me?" He proposed which caught the pinkette's attention and eventually sparkled in delight since he was about to be taught by Gildarts himself.
"Yes."
"Here take this." He flashed a fishing rod towards Natsu from his back to which no one knew where it came from. The dragonslayer caught it easily before looking at the orange-haired man with a confused look.
"What are we going to do with this?"
"Come just follow me." Natsu had no choice but to comply. Then again, this might be worth the take of learning under Gildarts' teachings. He could be as badass as he was too. With Happy tailing them, the three simply arrived at the cliff. The rock formations supporting the ground seemed to be very odd as it was formed into many geometrical shapes. Below was a small pond with little fishes swimming on the surface which makes it a good perfect spot for fishing.
Gildarts settled down on his knees and simply prepared his own fishing rod by tying a bait into it before tossing it below the pond and waited for a few minutes. Natsu didn't know about the new training and simply followed him as he did the same thing.
...
"So, what the hell are we doing here again?"
"This is the new lesson I'm teaching you, Natsu. Patience." Upon saying that, Natsu earned a tick mark.
"I DON'T NEED THAT! GIMME SOMETHING LIKE A NEW SKILL THAT CAN HELP BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF GRAY AND PASS THE TRIALS!" He stood up pissed at the crash mage who simply wore a laid-back attitude and turned towards his rod before finally got the pull from it.
"Ooooh. I got one. Sit down, Natsu. This will be very helpful in your own good too."
Natsu could not speak since he probably knew that Gildarts won't change his mind if he didn't participate in this.
Sighing in defeat, Natsu grumpily sat down beside the man before tossing his own rod towards the pond with a bitter look. "Fine."
They continued like that for a couple of minutes as both males contribute with each fish they caught. Still, the face Natsu was giving hadn't changed. Gildarts looked at the young man with a slightly worried look.
"This is boring." Natsu wearily spoke out of the blue.
"Come on, Natsu. It's not that bad. Plus, I'm staying at the guild for a couple of days to see what was going around."
"Can you train me?" The crash mage sighed.
"I knew you would say that. Okay but I make no promises about giving you some new powers. Gaining new powers is how one is able to fully understand his own magic. You can't possibly get something out of it just by mere lessons and techniques. You need to feel it and picture it in your mind for you to be able to gain one. It's always up to the person wielding it. I can only train your mind and body but not your imagination." Natsu listened to every word attentively. Despite his own obliviousness to understand things, he was able to grasp something from it.
After all, he's still a mage with potential and Gildarts could sense it in him. With good guidance, he might just make it to be one of the strongest.
"Understand, Natsu?" He spoke in clarification.
"Aye!" Came the brief reply.
"In the meantime, would you stop stealing and get some for yourself, Happy?" He turned over to the blue Exceed who was sneaking behind the bucket of fish behind them though in a poorly way since he was easily recognized just from his position.
"I can't help it. I'm too tired to catch one." He reasoned.
"Even so, you shouldn't steal from anyone. Where did you even learn that?"
"From Natsu."
Gildarts turned back to the sweating dragonslayer who was making out light whistles to excuse himself though it was obvious that he was the reason for his Exceed's actions.
With the three sitting peacefully on the edge of the cliff, Lucy and Cana are hiding behind a large tree with the latter, seemingly hesitant to show herself in front of them. A light pat was felt from her shoulder when Cana turned around and saw her best friend, Lucy giving her reassurance to her confidence.
With a renewed gaze, Cana smiled before turning back at the three with determination. Both girls stepped out from the trees and eventually went over to the three at the cliff.
"Oh, Lucy and Cana. What brings you here?" Natsu spoke upon noticing the presence of the two from the distance.
"Hey, Natsu. Could you come over here with me together with Happy?"
"Huh? What's the prob-" Without warning, he was pulled by the celestial mage at his scarf and dragged him away with Happy in tow, leaving Cana and Gildarts alone.
"Uhh... What just happened?" The crash mage could not help but ask since he saw his two companions being dragged away from him.
Cana, on the other hand, was shaking through her lips as she couldn't find a way to say her thoughts towards the man before her. But after remembering her best friend's advice on her head, she finally calmed down.
"I-I have something to tell you..."
...
Another couple of minutes had passed.
At the other side of the forest, Makarov lay sitting peacefully on a giant rock, gazing over to the horizon with many thoughts stuck on his head. The issue about the revelation of Grimoire Heart's master, the unprecedented infiltration of the Magic Council on their holy grounds, and the rumor about Zeref being on this island as well.
His face turned grim after hearing the last part. Zeref, the infamous Black Mage was said to be in Tenrou Island. He had to ask himself why such a person be in the midst of the holy grounds of Fairy Tail.
He was not aware of his intentions but the fact that Zeref made an appearance here at this time posed an alarm bell for him. If Zeref showed himself before him and his children, it would be a massacre. It had been a while since their victory with Grimoire Heart and the Black Mage was nowhere to be seen as of now. However, he couldn't just leave and let him roam as he pleased. This was their first master's grave and it was Fairy Tail's duty to protect it from any outside force even from him.
Suddenly, a faint disturbing noise soon crept into his ears. He opened his eyes towards the horizon, completely uncomfortable with what he just heard.
"What the..." He trailed off as his thoughts quickly dropped off into a worrying sentiment.
As he was trying to identify the source of the noise, he was interrupted by the arrival of Erza who simply came into view, looking prepared.
"Master, the plans set for our return to the guild are done. We're awaiting your return back to the camp. And umm, there's also a matter of Laxus." She glanced to the sides, unable to say anything beyond that statement.
Makarov gave a loud sigh before speaking.
"I heard that Laxus had helped you from your fight with Hades. I also knew that he sacrificed himself by protecting you all from him and gave you the power to defeat him." He paused.
"For that I am grateful but those words could only reach within an outsider who is not associated with the guild."
"But master-"
"It's alright. I expected nothing less on the old man's decision." Laxus's voice cut through their conversation and his presence came into view, shocking Erza from his sudden appearance.
"Laxus!" Erza exclaimed.
"Besides, I simply happen to stumble upon this place. I don't plan to stay any longer." He gave one look towards the old man who in turn also gave a very firm gaze towards him.
Despite the harsh decision, the lightning dragonslayer could only sigh in content with the corner of his lips slightly grinning as he soon began to walk his way out the forest before stopping briefly and turned to the old man once again.
"Old man. Be sure to take care of your body. Don't overdo it." With those words, Laxus simply turned his back and turned his attention back to the camp.
But just as he was about to leave, the same disturbing sound that continued to bothered Makarov earlier reappeared once again. This time, it was loud enough for the whole inhabitant of the island to hear, including the mages.
They all looked alarmingly towards the sky as it was clearly full of dread.
Lucy and the others also heard the sound as they looked above them to track the source but to no avail.
"W-What was that?"
"I dunno but the air is so wrong. Something's not right." Natsu stated, not wanting to lower his guard even at the slightest bit. Meanwhile, Happy wasn't as cautious as he mistakenly realized something about Lucy.
"Hoh! I get it! Here, Lucy. I got some fish for you." He hastily grabbed a raw fish from his backpack and began to hand it over to the celestial mage.
"WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME FISH?! I DON'T GET IT AT ALL!" Lucy comically screamed towards the Exceed before denying his offer.
"We better stick with Gildarts and Cana. I don't like the smell of the air just now." Natsu warned before standing up and went over to the two people who were just talking about their reunion as father and daughter.
It came as a shock to them that Cana was actually a daughter of Gildarts who on the other hand, had no clue that he ever had one. It was supposed to be a heartwarming reunion between them if not for that disturbing roar that came out of nowhere.
This was probably not that time to be doing such things. Everyone had a feeling that something was about to happen.
...
Wendy sat on a makeshift table while drinking a sip of water from her cup as she watched the whole group. Like the others, they all noticed the roar from the skies and could not help but worry. Others seemed to mistake the sound to be Lucy's stomach to which many might have made it into a normal gag between the guild. Despite the humor, everyone still took caution at the roar just now.
"Jokes aside, what is that sound just now?" Pantherlily tried to ask as he felt something wrong about it.
"Who knows. Maybe some kind of animal or something. It's definitely not human." Levy assumed.
"Maybe it's just Lucy being hungry," Gajeel repeated before getting smacked lightly by Levy on the head.
"Quit joking, Gajeel!"
Wendy could only smile towards them, unsure if she wanted to join in or not. Probably she would just stay away and watch the whole thing unfold before her. While the group was having fun, she soon heard a light rumble enough to shake the cup of water which she immediately noticed and looked at it for a few seconds of curiosity.
The contents seemed to ripple little by little as time passes. Wendy felt something is about to happen.
Her assumption was made true as the silent forest was swept by an ear-piercing roar that shook the entire island and caused the people to cover their ears. Birds flew and animals fled to the deeper parts of the forest due to its loud noise.
"What the?" Levy panicked.
"Was that an animal?"
The roar seemed to have died down for a few more seconds as the group began to recompose themselves from the deafening roar just now. However, Wendy immediately realized a similar sensation that caused her to stutter in disbelief.
"A cry of a dragon." She muttered, unknowingly catching the whole group's attention back to her.
"What?"
"A dragon?! You're joking, right?"
A collective of shocks went through the group as if they were dumbfounded to hear something like that but seeing the terrified look on Wendy's face, she must be telling the truth. Then again, it's too early to assume things.
"Everyone! You alright!" Natsu called out from the other side of the forest with Lucy and the others.
"Is everyone alright?!" Another group resounded from the other side as Erza and Laxus came into view.
"Natsu! What is going on?"
"The hell I know! Something must be-" Natsu stopped in mid-sentence as he looked towards the sky, only to be filled with shock at what he saw above.
Everyone also looked towards the sky and they were instantly lost in words as they began to see a giant creature descending from the heavens. It was an enormous dark creature with four huge claws which would seem to be a four-legged one. Blue intricate markings are seen in its black body and a pair of giant wings flapped tremendously to keep its heavy body afloat to the sky.
A menacing growl soon followed as it opened its mouth, revealing countless canines which were seemed prominent to any carnivorous beasts. It only took a few seconds for the group to recognize the giant creature above them.
"A dragon!" Bickslow shouted out in disbelief as it began to descend towards the island at fast speeds.
"There's no mistaking it. That is the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, Acnologia." Makarov revealed which shocked many people around him.
"A-A dragon!? They were real?!" Lucy stuttered.
"So dragons really were alive..." Natsu muttered.
Acnologia soon descended to the ground, creating massive shockwaves that held back the Fairy Tail mages before looking viciously at them.
"That's the same dragon that I fought back then." Gildarts soon felt his old wounds starting to give him pain. Cana simply helped his father back up.
"Oi! Do you know where Igneel is? Tell me! Where is he?!" Natsu shouted from the front but was stopped by Gildarts by firmly holding his shoulders and faced the pinkette towards him.
"Stop it, Natsu. That dragon is no ordinary dragon. It's definitely not the one you speak of. It's clearly an enemy."
"Then we'll fight it back. Our magic meant something for this, right?"
"NO, Natsu! You must not fight back. We should be more thinking about a way to escape from him! No ordinary human can defeat that thing!" Natsu could only widen his eyes in shock as he saw the fear inside Gildarts' eyes. It was clear that even he feared this thing. There's no mistaking it.
"Everyone! Let's get the hell outta here. We can't match that dragon with sheer power! Get to the ship as fast as you can and don't look back!" Gildarts shouted towards the group.
But just as they were about to flee, Acnologia began to lift his head before releasing a powerful roar that sent tremendous shockwaves towards the group.
Natsu had to hold his ground by gripping onto one of the sturdy rocks. Others held on to each other and simply lay low as the roar uprooted the trees around them simply blasted away from its vicinity. The ground shook tremendously as the surface was also blown away, leaving only a trail of dust and smoky ground as the roar immediately died down. Everyone slowly went up from their knees and could only stare in complete horror at the sight before them.
The forest was gone. The trees that once covered the entire camp were simply blasted away in just one roar, leaving a trail of dust and broken trunks behind them.
"Wha... What power." Gajeel sweated in fear.
"Is this what a dragon really is?" Wendy quivered.
Gildarts soon recomposed his position after shielding Cana from the shockwave and could only grit in frustration as he saw the black dragon began to fly above them.
"Tsk. Admiring his work dearly, that thing really has no limits. Everyone, get together. This is likely a greeting to him. Everyone, get your ass moving! We're escaping."
"J-Just a greeting?!" Cana stuttered in disbelief.
"Dammit. Is he really that strong?" Natsu asked.
"There's no time to be observing that creature's strength. We need to leave!"
"Into the ship, everyone. Don't stop!" Erza called out as the group soon began to run away once again.
Acnologia simply roared once again before descending down to the island and blocked their way out. The group had to make maneuvers to skip around its big body in order to get away but there are others who were unfortunately caught in its destructive force.
"Damn it! What does it want with us?!" Elfman asked.
"Wendy! You understand dragons, right? Can't you understand what that dragon's trying to tell?" Carla looked beside her dragonslayer but she only gave a disapproving nod.
"It's true that dragons have possessed a very intellectual ability to speak like us but it seems that dragon refused to converse with us."
"The ship is near!" Erza called out upon seeing the view of their means of escape.
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR*
Then again, Acnologia flapped its giant wings that sent a tremendous shockwave that sent some of the group away from their feet and eventually went flying for a couple of meters away. Everyone helplessly tried to get passed by him but they were being slammed and thrown away like flies from its tremendous strength.
Natsu grunted in pain as he fell to the ground and could only grit in anger towards the dragon.
"Why you-" Before he could even speak, Makarov stood valiantly before them as he took off his shirt and used his Titan magic to enlarge himself and stop Acnologia's ruthless attacks on them.
Natsu and the others could only look in disbelief at what Makarov was trying to do.
"Master! What are you doing?!"
"Run! Run as fast as you can!" He shouted, shocking the whole group.
"What are you talking about?! We're not leaving until you came with us!" Erza replied, not wanting to leave her master behind.
Everyone tried to protest but Makarov simply shouted at them one last time to make it clear for them.
"Do you even plan on disobeying your master's final words?! I said run!" His words simply caught the guild by surprise. He was trying to use himself to save them while they run away.
"You don't mean-"
"Run away, you brats! Get to the ship! And don't look back!" Makarov shouted one more time as he stood on his ground, grabbing the neck of the dragon to stop him from getting further to his children.
Laxus could only see the sheer determination and strength his grandfather had displayed. He was clearly trying to sacrifice himself to save them all, including him. Gritting his teeth, he pulled Natsu by his scarf and began to drag him away from the Master.
"Let's go, Natsu!"
"What are you doing, Laxus?! I'm a dragonslayer. We can still go bac-" Natsu stopped as he noticed the tears coming out from Laxus as he glanced around, not wanting to turn back and watch his old man suffer. He wouldn't want to let his sacrifice go in vain. As much as he wanted to, he can't. Makarov was doing them a favor and they had to follow it, no matter how the consequences would come after even if it resulted in his death.
Everyone looked at Laxus with the same feeling and could not help but turn away from their Master and run. Tears have started to form from their eyes as they looked one last time to Makarov.
"M-Master, please be alright!"
"I'm sorry, Master!"
Makarov simply listened to their words and simply smiled in thought, wanting them to not blame themselves for their actions.
'Someday, you'll all understand the meaning behind the tears that you have shed this day... About how sacrifices are important to endanger someone's life for the sake of others. That is why my brats... LIVE ON!'
Looking back against the black dragon, Makarov used all of his strength one last time to push Acnologia one more time by slowly lifting his head and slam his body further to the other side. Unfortunately, the dragon overpowered his strength easily despite his Titan form and got a hold of him before tackling the Titan mage towards the ground and growled menacingly.
Makarov screamed in pain as the force and weight of the dragon came to him upon falling down to the ground. Small blood gushed out from his mouth as he begins to laugh unexpectedly despite the hopeless situation he was in. It was hardly a fight, to begin with. However, he didn't plan on fighting it anyways. As long as those kids were safe and out of harm's way, he would do everything in his power to prevent it from getting to them.
He smiled contently and thought solemnly as his imminent death comes near.
'For the first time in my life, I finally acted like a real parent.'
Resigning his fate to the dragon, Makarov could only close his eyes in content, knowing that his children will be safe from here.
'Now, I have no more regrets.'
But before he could finally rest, his eyes widen in surprise as he saw footsteps running past him. His eyes opened to see Natsu running past him and hastily jumped towards the dragon, seemingly trying to divert its attention away from him.
"Let... Go... of... Our... Old... Man...!"
"N-Natsu?!"
Acnologia tries to waggle the pinkette away from him by giving sudden moves that knocked Makarov towards a wall before reverting back to his old form. And not a moment later, one by one of his brats who were supposed to run away came back, flashing their strongest magic against the black dragon to ward him off from their master.
"E-Everyone..."
"Just to let you know, I'm quite against this. But, do you really think they're the kind of people who would leave an old geezer behind." Laxus immediately came into view together with Erza as they guarded the injured Makarov beside them, smiling contently their decision to fight with their guildmaster until the end.
Makarov felt a tear coming out from his eyes as he couldn't help but stare at his children. This was stupid. Too stupid for sure. They would have no chance of winning no matter how much they tried to.
But why does he feel so... proud? These reckless brats. For all their bickering and stupidity just couldn't seem to let go of him no matter what. They had doomed their lives and wasted his sacrifice just because they couldn't accept him leaving them behind. It was stupid beyond relief yet why did he feel so happy.
"Everyone, combine all of your magics to my lightning bolt. We'll show this monster what Fairy Tail is really made of!" Laxus began to charge up massive amounts of electricity to prepare for an attack.
The others seemed to be uplifted by his words as they all followed him and charged up their own respective magic aimed towards the black dragon.
"Oi, Natsu. Make sure you dodge this!" Laxus shouted towards the pinkette holding unto the dragon's wings to which the latter simply sweated from that statement.
"Wait a minute, Laxus. You don't mean-"
"Lightning Dragon's Raging Bolt!"
"Solid Script: Fire!"
"Heaven's Wheel: Blumenblatt!"
"Ice Make: Freezing Arrow!"
"Water Nebula!"
"Men!"
"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"
Chants of different magic were shouted simultaneously and combined together into a form of large concentrated magical energy that soon slammed over to Acnologia. The dragon skidded a few meters behind as the intensity of the combined attack was enough to push him back but he simply roared in defiance as he withstood it without any scratch.
Laxus gritted his teeth in frustration as their combined efforts weren't enough to damage him. There's only one thing left to do.
"It's all up to you now Natsu!"
Soon, three Exceeds carrying their respective dragonslayers came to use their own power against Acnologia. Natsu, who narrowly escaped from the attack just now with the help of Happy scowled in annoyance towards the lightning mage who almost killed him in the process if not for Happy.
"That damn Laxus, he'll have to taste these fists once we get back home."
"Save that for later, Natsu" Happy reminded.
The three dragonslayers flew up high in the air above the black dragon before charging up their own respective elemental roars against it. After a few seconds, they locked their eyes towards him before releasing forth their roars simultaneously.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Elements of iron, air, and fire soon mixed together, forming a Unison Raid halfway through the distance and slammed itself towards Acnologia that sent him flying back towards the sea. The three descended towards the ground, awaiting the unknown outcome of the battle. Everyone seemed to have been tense for some reason as if they tried to wait.
"Did we get him?"
"No, he wasn't showing the same power he battled me last time. Heads up!"
Moments later, Acnologia soon rose up from the sea, seemingly unharmed from the attacks Fairy Tail had laid upon him. Everyone took collective forms of shocks as they helplessly watch the dragon flew to the sky, glowering menacingly below.
"N-No way! Not even a scratch!" Gajeel stuttered
"Even with the power of our magic." Wendy knelt down in fear as their attacks seemed to only push him back without damaging him.
"Damn it! What did I learn my magic for?!" Natsu shouted in frustration.
And it was at that time, the dragon also began to charge up his own breath attack that would seem powerful enough to blast the entire island away just from the size of it.
"It's a breath attack!" Gajeel warned.
"We don't have enough time to place defensive runes around. It'll be too late." Freed reasoned.
"No, there are still some other defensive types that don't require chanting."
"As expected of you, Levy!"
"Everyone, lend Freed-san and Levy-san with our powers! We need to focus our magic on the defensive." Mirajane offered to which the group simply followed.
Lucy simply knelt on the ground completely lost of hope that they're never going to survive this. Seeing the situation before her, it was really impossible from the start. After all, they were facing the embodiment of destruction, a dragon.
Tears are starting to form in her eyes as her heart began to lose all hope.
Natsu could only look at her with an unsure expression. They were simply placed into a corner to which they don't have any means to get out.
Reaching out a hand towards her, Natsu rekindled his determination and will to move and fight once again.
"We can't let it end here. Not like this. We're all coming back to Fairy Tail." Lucy could only look in tears towards him before smiling in agreement and held his hand together with the others.
Natsu soon reached his other hand to Wendy who was also tearing up from the hopelessness they are in right now.
"It's gonna be alright! We'll never give up! Trust me."
"Yes!" Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and held her tears together.
Laxus reached out a hand towards his grandfather before smiling.
"Let's go, old man." Makarov looked at his hand for a moment before letting out a tear from his eyes and smiled alongside the others.
"Yeah, let's all go back... TO FAIRY TAIL!"
With those words shouted towards the skies, everyone showed their bravery and determination to show how strong the bond of family is. Acnologia simply fired his roar down towards the ground in a blinding flash as the roar simply went straight below.
Everyone closed their eyes as the roar begins to descend down on them, holding each other's hand tightly and never letting go.
Natsu slowly closed his eyes before his vision began to covered in bright light, obscuring everything around him including his friends who were holding hands together beside him.
It was then a small light red glow appeared in his scarf which he didn't notice before finally being drowned in the same light that covered the entire plain.
***BBBOOOOMMMM***
A powerful explosion erupted as it covered the Tenrou Island in a blinding light as some people from the distance watch helplessly at the sight before them. The once holy ground of Fairy Tail was no longer in the sea, leaving a huge crater that soon flooded almost instantly by the ocean surrounding it.
To the battered Grimoire Heart ship, Zeref closed his eyes sympathetically towards the people who were on the island, specifically to Natsu.
"It's over, isn't Natsu?"
Acnologia roared defiantly to the skies as he began to fly away and disappeared from sight. His mysterious objective towards Tenrou Island was done. There was nothing more to do about the world filled with humans whom he regarded as pests in his eyes.
Situated on the vast ocean was a boy who was floating endlessly. His body was being carried with the help of a big broken wood that kept him afloat from the deep sea. He was deeply unconscious and powerless to move as he simply rested his head on the wood. Beside him was a young girl who was in the same state as he is for quite some time now.
A couple of minutes passed as a small boat came near them. The boat was only manned by two people who were immediately shocked upon recognizing the two unconscious figures.
"Natsu?! Wendy?!"
...
A/N: And there we have it! Chapter 1 is out. Under mysterious circumstances, Natsu and Wendy were spared from the attack.
It seems scripted from the canon but this will be the last since I'll be deviating at the later chapters. :)
Anyways, the next few chapters would feature Natsu and Wendy's return to the guild and faced with many pressing problems of what happened so lots are going to be revealed in the next chapter so stay tuned.
Keep in mind that both of them will be going through the 7 - year gap which will make Wendy develop into a fine girl. This means she will continue her years in the story so there will no misunderstandings.
Once again, this is a NaWen story so be reminded about that. Keep an open mind and don't judge. It's common respect on other ships as well and I don't bash them, I support them. There's no need for any shipping wars, okay?
That's all for now, see ya guys next chapter!
- wiErD SpeCtrumz blacking out... ... ...