Magma Dragon King Chapter 55 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Magma Dragon King! The end of the Oración Seis Arc is upon us! There’s still a few things to take care of, but surely some help can come along for that, right? Once a long kept secret is revealed, things can’t go back to how they used to be. But every ending is a new beginning, and a bright future awaits for our favorite Sky Dragon Slayer.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 55 – Arrests, Revelations, Returning Home

A small rumble was heard in the air.

The worn out group of Allied Mages looked upwards to see what was causing the sound, only for their eyes to widen in shock.

In the air were three large airships, similar to Christina, but larger and bearing the emblem of the Magic Council. Two of the three airships began to circle in the air above the fallen and destroyed Nirvana, keeping watch over the dangerous Ancient Magic in case it reactivated or became a threat in any way, shape, or form. The way the various weapons were pointed straight down at the collapsing ruins was a clear indication that the remains of Nirvana would be blasted into nothing if the Magic Council still thought it was a threat.

The third airship descended to the ground and the rear bay opened to let out a truly massive amount of Rune Knights. Hundreds of men and women quickly headed for the Allied Mages. With them they brought iron prison carriages, Lacrima cannons, and plenty of various weapons to use if they needed to.

“Where the hell were these guys earlier?” Gajeel scoffed at the late arrival of the Magic Council’s forces.

A man stepped forward as the Rune Knights spread out, not only surrounding the Allied Mages, but also quickly making their way around the destroyed Nirvana to set up a perimeter. He was a slim man of average height with long, tied up black hair; two bangs framed his face with an unruly tuft that covered his forehead, leaving his lavender eyes still visible behind his glasses. His attire was that of a high-ranking Council associate, consisting of a long, blue jacket with pink edges and strapped cuffs over a high-collared shirt bearing the Council's signature ankh-like symbol. His uniform white pants were held up by a simple belt, he had white gloves covering his hands, a white cape that was held closed by a gem-decorated buckle, and distinctive snakeskin shoes that were the only part of his outfit not to be uniform with the rest.

“We have no wish for violence.” The high-ranking man said first and foremost, hoping to ease the tension between the Legal Mages and the Council’s forces. “I am the commander of the Fourth Regiment Arrest-and-Custody Division for the Magic Council. My name is Lahar.”

“You guys are a little late.” Gray pointed out to Lahar, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the destroyed Nirvana.

Lahar only briefly looked at the wrecked Ancient Magic. “I apologize for that, we only got word of the movements of Oración Seis and their subordinate Dark Guilds a short time ago. However, we are here to uphold justice and the law. We will not permit any evil upon this land.”

“We haven’t done anything evil.” Mira said as she looked at Lahar sharply.

Fairy Tail and the Council did have a history with each other because of the Guild’s…rambunctiousness.

“I am well aware of that.” Lahar replied promptly, his expression unchanged by Mira’s look. “We’re here to arrest Oración Seis and the members of their subordinate Dark Guilds.”

Natsu, Wendy, Mira, and Lisanna all looked to the side for a moment, something that Lahara’s sharp eyes caught easily.

“We captured one in our Ice Magic earlier; Racer, I think he was called.” Gray said, looking to Lyon for confirmation on the Dark Mage’s name.

Lyon nodded to Gray once before looking at Lahar. “He should be a few kilometers in that direction.” The Lamia Scale Mage pointed back the way that Nirvana had come from.

“Angel was put into an iron cage by Gajeel.” Juvia told Lahar, also pointing in the direction that Nirvana had come from. “Lucy has already relieved her of all the Celestial Spirits that she possessed too.”

“Without any contracts, she can’t use Celestial Spirit Magic right now.” Lucy informed the Rune Knight Commander of Angel’s current situation.

Cana simply held up one of her cards. “I captured one in my Card Dimension Magic. He should be sleeping off a bad case of drunkenness right now. We had a pretty intense fight.” In a glow from the card, Hoteye appeared on the ground in front of Lahar, the large man snoring softly, his face still a bit reddish and blotchy from his high blood-alcohol level. “He shouldn’t give you any problems.” Cana grinned just a bit as she looked at Hoteye. “Oh! And he was affected by Nirvana too, so he’s completely flipped from his previous personality.”

Lahar made a quick motion with his right hand and four Rune Knights moved forward. They quickly had Hoteye levitated into the air, his arms and legs shackled with Magic restraints, and they took him to one of the iron prison carriages to securely lock him up for transport. “Thank you, Miss Alberona, for the detailed summary of Hoteye’s condition. Once he’s back at the prison in Era, we’ll thoroughly examine him and determine his mental state before passing judgement for his many crimes.”

“The other three members of Oración Seis are…” Jura spoke, the Wizard Saint commanding attention from Lahar as he technically had authority via the Magic Council appointing him, even as two of the Rune Knights were using Healing Magic on Jura’s injuries. “No longer a threat.” He put the fate of Brain/Zero, Midnight, and Cobra into softer terms.

“May I ask what happened?” Lahar looked at the Mages that had looked away a moment ago.

“Midnight attacked us with lethal force, so we responded in kind.” Lisanna answered firmly, though her blue eyes were a little darker as she spoke. She hated killing, but knew that it was sometimes necessary and in their case it had been unavoidable.

Mira pulled Lisanna into a one-armed hug. “There’s not even a body left, so you won’t need any extra measures for him.” She was more concerned with comforting Lisanna than anything else right now.

Natsu didn’t have a single bit of regret in his eyes as he stepped between Lahar and Lisanna, both his instincts and his cognitive thoughts wanting to protect his Mate. “I killed that Zero guy, he was the leader and he threatened the lives of everyone. The carbonized glass and crystal remains of his body should be in the cooling lava pool back there.” He pointed at the crumbling Nirvana behind the group.

Wendy raised her hand next. “I… I ended the one called Cobra. He had a Poison Dragon Lacrima implanted into his body, his Dragonification…the infection had spread so far already. My emotions got the better of me and…” She went quiet, only for Erza to pull her into a warm hug. Wendy couldn’t begin to express how much it meant to her as she hugged Erza back.

“Dragon Lacrima?!” Both Natsu and Gajeel growled at the same time, their slitted eyes narrowing into vicious glares before they both saw the state that Wendy was in and relaxed a bit.

“How many fakes are there?” Gajeel grumbled to himself, only heard by the sharp ears of the other Dragon Slayers.

Natsu didn’t like it either, and with the sudden reveal of both Laxus’s Lightning Dragon Lacrima and now Cobra’s Poison Dragon Lacrima so close in time, these fake Dragon Slayers were…unsettling. Dragons weren’t seen by people anymore, after all; so where were these Lacrima coming from? The only explanation was that they were either from hundreds of years ago when the Dragons had practically ruled the world…or they were made more recently.

‘But who could track down Dragons and kill them to take their hearts and refine them into Lacrima?’ Natsu wondered to himself, very familiar with the power of Igneel. There was no force that Natsu had ever encountered since ‘leaving the nest’ that could hold a candle to his father.

“I see.” Lahar nodded once to the Allied Mages. “I will make note of this in my report.” His expression didn’t falter, showing his very strict and firm personality. “With three of them eliminated and the other three captured, all Mages the Mages here, and their Guilds, will be awarded commendations by the Magic Council.”

“Huh, we just got a commendation from the Council for the Tower of Heaven incident too.” Lucy said thoughtfully, remembering the plaque and the large sum of Jewels that had been sent to Fairy Tail from the Council not too long ago. It was done without any fanfare or ceremony too. Almost as if the Council didn’t want other people to know about the incident.

Lahar looked over the tired and injured forms of the Allied Mages for a moment before speaking again. “I see that you are all still worn out and a few of you have injuries, we’d like to provide you with treatment, and afterwards, if you could show us to the location of the subordinate Dark Guilds, it would be much appreciated.”

“I’m still in good condition, I can go.” Gajeel said without a care. He wasn’t injured, just a little tired. Durability was the hallmark of the Iron Dragons.

“I can provide maps and locations.” Hibiki stepped forward with a smile. “My Archive Magic has recorded the locations of most of the battles that have taken place in the Worth Woodsea.”

“That would be appreciated.” Lahar nodded to both Hibiki and Gajeel.

-Later-

The hundreds of Rune Knights had swiftly gone about their work. Nirvana’s ruins were sealed off and a perimeter was being maintained and guarded. The testimonies of the Allied Mages had been taken and recorded for use in further investigation. With the help of Hibiki’s Magic and Gajeel’s sense of smell, all of the trapped, beaten, broken, and injured Dark Mages had been rounded up and taken away. The lower courts of the Magic Council would be busy for the foreseeable future with all of these criminal trials. Angel and Racer had been shackled and placed in their own separate prison carriages, just like Hoteye. Angel was still suffering from Magic depletion, while Racer was injured and in the beginning stages of hypothermia after being held in Gray’s Arctic Prison spell for so long.

Only as the Allied Mages watched the lone Magic Council airship with all of the arrested Dark Mages on board depart, were they finally given leave by the remainder of the Rune Knights that would be temporarily stationed around Nirvana’s remains. It was immediately agreed that they’d take Wendy up on her offer to head for Cait Shelter to rest for a while.

-Cait Shelter-

“Fairy Tail… Lamia Scale… Blue Pegasus… and Wendy and Carla. I commend you all for destroying Nirvana and stopping the Oración Seis!” An old man in tribal-style clothing and wearing a feathered headdress thanked the gathered Mages. “Speaking for the alliance of all the regional Guilds, I, Roubaul, express our gratitude! Thank you! A nabura thank you!”

“Thank you very much.” Most of the Mages gave the Master of Cait Shelter a half-bow of respect for his thanks.

“You are quite welcome, Master Roubaul!” Ichiya declared loudly, sparkles dancing in the air around him. “We admit that defeating the Oración Seis meant battle after battle, and it was not what any would call an easy win!” He posed and the Tri-Men mimicked the pose behind and to the left of their ‘Master’. “But our bonds of intimate friendship led us through to victory!”

“That’s Sensei for you!” The Tri-Men declared happily.

Gray deadpanned at the members of Blue Pegasus. “They seem to be back to normal.”

Lucy also stared at the Tri-Men and Ichiya with a flat expression. “They changed how they address him again.”

“I’m just glad that it’s all over.” Sherry smiled while standing close to Lyon’s side.

Jura gently placed his hands on Lyon and Sherry’s shoulders with a proud smile. “You both did well.”

“Thank you, Jura.” Lyon had a small smile on his face at the praise from someone that he looked up to.

“I know what’s next!” Natsu had a big grin on his face. “The after-mission party!”

Happy perked up in Lisanna’s arms. “Aye, sir!”

Ichiya posed once more, his sparkles intensifying. “Now Ichiya!”

“Now Ichiya?” The Tri-Men parroted back, but as a question.

“Struts his stuff!” Ichiya declared.

“Struts his stuff!” The Tri-Men echoed.

“Hyah!” Ichiya cheered.

“Wahoo! Wahoo! Wahoo!” The Tri-Men chanted to start up a party atmosphere.

Gray slipped off his shirt. “A party, huh?”

“Gray, put your shirt back on.” Cana rolled her eyes at Gray’s habit.

“Huh?” Gray realized that his shirt was in his hands. “When did that happen?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Lyon asked with a raised eyebrow. He was clearly ignoring that he’d take off his jacket and that Sherry was now holding it.

Ichiya pointed to the gathered Cait Shelter Guild with a sparkling smile. “Now, friends of Cait Shelter, will you join in?!”

“Wahoo! Wahoo!” The Tri-Men continued their cheer.

The dead silence that they got back quickly dampened the mood.

All of the members of Cait Shelter, apart form Wendy who had been smiling happily at the energy in the air, looked solemn and resigned.

Roubaul looked down as he addressed the Allied Mages. “Everyone… We’ve hidden the truth of Nirvana’s origins from you…and I truly must apologize.”

“Do you mean the fact that you all are descendants of the Nirvit Clan, the ones that created Nirvana centuries ago?” Hibiki asked, shocking everyone that didn’t know. “I found the information with my Archive Magic. It was rather obvious when I had all of the historical records available and could lay them out side-by-side.” He explained how he knew the lineage of Cait Shelter to everyone.

“Why’s he bringing the mood down for that?” Natsu questioned, wanting to celebrate with a party now that the mission was complete.

Happy flew over to Natsu’s shoulder. “We don’t care about that at all.”

Wendy shook her head once. And smiled at Roubaul. “I don’t mind either, Master.”

Roubaul let out a tired sigh. “I’d like you all to listen very closely to what I’m about to say.” Everyone nodded to the old man without hesitation, able to feel the heaviness that Roubaul was speaking with. “To start with…we are not the descendants of the Nirvit Clan. We are that very Nirvit Clan.” The Allied Mages nearly reeled back in shock and disbelief, but Roubaul continued before anyone else could speak. “The man that built Nirvana four-hundred years ago was me.”

“What!” Lyon couldn’t stop his utterance, confusion and disbelief warring on his face.

Lucy look at the old man in disbelief. “No…”

Wendy had tears appear in the corners of her eyes as she looked at Roubaul and then the rest of her guildmates.

“Four-hundred years ago…I built Nirvana and created Hyper Reversal Magic to stop the ongoing wars that were spreading throughout the world.” Roubaul admitted to the Allied Mages that had fought and suffered to stop that very same Magic. “Nirvana became our nation, and for a period of time, it was the symbol of peace.” Fond memories of those happy years briefly appeared in his mind, back when the Nirvit were at their peak and things were peaceful and happy. “However, any enormous power will always give birth to its opposite power. Every bit of darkness that Nirvana turned to light ended up wrapped around Nirvana itself.”

The Allied Mages were completely silent now, just listening to Roubaul’s tale.

“It was simply restoring the balance. It wasn’t able to change an unlimited number of people from darkness to light. Just as darkness give birth to light, so to will light give birth to darkness.” Roubaul placed his hand over his chest and closed his eyes. “The darkness that was made to vanish from the people came to rest in the hearts of the Nirvit Clan.”

“Y-You’re kidding…” Wendy breathed out, the tears in the corners of her eyes welling up and about to fall.

Roubaul’s old eyes filled with pain as he recalled the fall of the Nirvit. “It was a living hell. We fell to murdering each other, until we’d wiped ourselves out.” He knew it was the price for trying to upset the balance of the world. It had made sense after he’d had so long to think it over. His Hyper Reversal Magic couldn’t eliminate light or darkness, only shift it around.

Everyone looked shocked at the revelation. Lisanna, Erza, Juvia, and Lucy all looked close to tears just from the pain they could see in Roubaul’s eyes as he relived the memories.

“There was only one left alive. Me.” Roubaul revealed himself as the sole survivor of the Nirvit extinction. “Well… Now, those words aren’t quite correct anymore. My body died and rotted away long ago. Now I’m just a lone remnant of my former self. I had to atone for my crimes… Until the day when someone with the power to destroy Nirvana for me came along, I remained a ghost to watch over the greatest tragedy of my life.” Roubaul gave the group a small smile. “And now, that duty has finally drawn to an end.”

Carla looked shocked as she stared at Roubaul.

No one knew what to say after what had just been revealed.

“Th-That story…” Wendy let her tears fall, a single tear trailing down each of her cheeks. “I felt as if something was off, about a year ago…” She admitted to Roubaul, making the old man look at her with a sorrowful smile. “Because after all these years that I’ve been at Cait Shelter…no one else ever got older, like I did.”

Growing up from a girl into a young woman, while everyone around her remained the same, had seemed odd once Wendy had really thought about it. But she’d put it from her mind and continued living her life at Cait Shelter.

“I’m sorry to have tricked you, Wendy.” Roubaul apologized softly as the other Cait Shelter members began to fade away, one by one. “Everyone in Cait Shelter were mirages born from my memories.”

“Thought Projection?” Lyon asked as he watched the people fade away.

Jura shook his head. “No…that Magic didn’t exist four-hundred years ago.” This was something else entirely, a truly lost Magic that was never passed down. But with the Nirvit Clan’s sudden and violent extinction, it made sense why it had vanished.

“But I can even smell them!” Natsu pointed at the fading Cait Shelter members.

“Indeed.” Ichiya agreed as he saw more people vanish. “Such detail, and on such a scale…it would take tremendous memory and Magical Power.”

“I was one man alone in a deserted village here to keep an eye on Nirvana.” Roubaul said as he looked at Wendy softly. “But those years ago…a young man with a sleeping girl came to me.” He still recalled that day, when the young blue-haired boy with the strong gaze had appeared with Wendy in his arms. “The young man had such straightforward, determined eyes that I agreed before I knew it. Even though I had decided to be alone until my task was done…”

Wendy sniffled once, even as she smiled at recalling the day that she’d woken up at Cait Shelter.

Roubaul looked down with a heavy heart as the last few members of Cait Shelter smiled at Wendy as they continued to vanish. “That was the day I created Cait Shelter and all of Wendy’s guildmates.”

Lisanna held her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. “An entire Guild made just for Wendy…” It was a beautiful sentiment, even if it was born from a lie.

“Wendy, Carla… You have no need of false friends anymore.” Roubaul smiled at the two that had brightened up the last years of his existence. “Not when you have real friends right there.” He pointed at the Allied Mages with a thankful smile.

“Master!” Wendy surprised everyone when she lunged forward and hugged Roubaul. When she pulled back, she smiled brightly, even through her tears. “No one was a false friend! I got to know you and everyone that was important to you for all these years, because you shared their memory with me! Magna, Pepel, Bask, Naoki, everyone! I’ll never forget any of you! We’re family!” Wendy promised with a beautiful smile, tears pouring down her face.

Roubaul smiled warmly at Wendy in return, his heart feeling lighter than it had in centuries at her words. “Your new future has just begun.” He hugged Wendy close, pouring all of his love for her into it one last time. “I want to thank you all.” He looked at the gathered Mages with warm eyes. “Please look after Wendy and Carla for me.”

Natsu’s eyes met Roubaul’s, his amber gaze unwavering as he made a silent promise to the man that had been like Wendy’s grandfather for so many years.

Roubaul’s smile brightened just that much more as he finally faded away completely, the Cait Shelter mark on Wendy’s shoulder vanishing along with the one that had placed it.

Everyone watched with varying levels of stunned emotions and even a few tears.

Gray was nearly stone-faced, Wendy’s parting with her Guild bringing up the memories of when Ur had saved him from Deliora and the heartbreak he’d gone through when she’d vanished into her Iced Shell spell to trap Deliora forever, freeing Gray from his ‘darkness’ so that he could lead a happy and fulfilling life. The loss of a Master was never easy, and Gray made a silent promise with himself that he’d make time to talk with Wendy anytime she needed it in the future.

Wendy’s tears flowed freely now that her family was gone. But a warm and gentle hand on her shoulder briefly stopped her tears. Looking up, Wendy saw Natsu looking at her reassuringly, warmth and acceptance practically pouring from his amber eyes. Then Wendy was hugged from behind, a soft and kind embrace that made her tears slow just a little. Looking over her shoulder revealed that Erza was the one holding her. Not even a moment later and Lisanna’s arms wrapped around Wendy too. Then Mira joined in. Cana and Lucy followed suit and Wendy’s tears of sadness flowed again as she welcomed the support of the other women. The sad tears now mixed with tears of relief, hope, and thankfulness.

“It’s a painful thing to part with those you’ve loved.” Erza whispered to Wendy as she held her close. “But your friends can help fill that hole in your heart.” Wendy sniffled as she looked over her shoulder at Erza. “Come with us…to Fairy Tail.”

-Fairy Tail ~ Next Day-

“This is Wendy Marvell!” Mira and Lisanna introduced Wendy to the Guild with bright smiles.

Wendy smiled and bowed to the Guild. “It’s nice to meet you all!”

Next to her feet, Carla looked away from the large group of staring Fairy Tail Mages.

“She’s so cute!”

“How old are you?!”

“There’s a female Happy!”

The Guild erupted into questions and exclamations of shock and celebration at a new member.

“Hm.” Makarov hummed as he watched the newest member of Fairy Tail.

“Master?” Erza asked, looking at Makarov curiously.

Makarov turned and gave Erza a gentle smile. “Well done! With this, we should have some peace for a while.” He chuckled a bit. “And I’m overjoyed about Wendy and Carla, of course!”

“Lucy~ Welcome back!” Levy nearly threw herself at Lucy with a bright laugh.

“Levy!” Lucy caught Levy and hugged her friend tightly.

Following behind Levy were Jet and Droy, both looking at Lucy in disbelief at the mission that she’d just returned from.

“I’m surprised you got back alive!” Jet said as he saw that Lucy seemed fine after such a dangerous mission.

“It’s like Lucy’s getting further and further away…” Droy said with a small sigh. The growth of the Celestial Spirit Mage was impressive, to say the least.

Wendy smiled brightly at the warmth and cheer in the Guild. It was much different than what she’d grown used to at Cait Shelter.

“Nirvana was actually a giant city that walked on long octopus legs!” Natsu told Elfman, Macao, Wakaba, Nab, and a few of the other guys that wanted details on the mission.

“Cities don’t walk around, Natsu…” Nab deadpanned at the weird turn the story had taken.

Laki Olietta smiled at Wendy when Wendy approached the bar to get a drink. “I think Carla probably uses the same Magic as Happy.” She grinned at the white cat. “But what kind of Magic do you use, Wendy?”

“Don’t lump me in with that tomcat!” Carla huffed at being compared to Happy.

Wendy smiled and put her hand behind her back. “I use Sky Magic; I’m a Sky Dragon Slayer.”

Everyone went quiet and stared at Wendy for a long moment.

‘Ah… I guess that can be hard to believe for most people.’ Wendy thought, having had other people in the past doubt her before. Eve from Blue Pegasus was just the latest one until now.

“That’s awesome!”

“Another Dragon Slayer!”

“We have so many!”

“Rare Magic just finds its way to Fairy Tail, huh?!”

The cheers and laughter for Wendy made the Sky Dragon Slayer smile brightly at the acceptance from the Fairy Tail Guild.

On the second floor, Gajeel watched the excitement of the crowd down below. His red eyes focused on Levy most of the time, but occasionally they were drawn to Happy and Carla. ‘Salamander has a cat… Wendy has a cat… Do those other two guys have cats too?’ He couldn’t recall the names of the White Dragon kid and the Shadow Dragon kid off the top of his head. ‘Am I the only one without a cat? Do I need a cat?’ Gajeel’s inner thoughts about Dragon Slayers and talking cats was halted when he looked down and noticed someone watching Levy. ‘Oh, it’s that guy…again.’ A small, annoyed growl escaped Gajeel’s throat.

The guy in question was called Tablin. He made deliveries of food and booze to the Fairy Tail Guild pretty regularly. As Makarov didn’t allow non-members into the Guild Hall (ostensibly for their own safety) without an appointment, the only non-members that ever hung around for a little while were those that made deliveries to the Guild. The delivery people were allowed to stay, have a meal and a drink, chat with the members, and then leave. But Tablin made deliveries so often, not because he was a hard worker and liked his job, but because he had a crush on Levy and was trying to get closer to her.

Tablin was a rather plain guy, all things considered. He had short black hair, scruffy facial hair, droopy eyes, and he usually wore a large t-shirt and baggy pants with frayed hems. From what little Gajeel knew about the guy (aside form his crush on Levy) was that he tried to join the Shadow Gear team once, but because he wasn’t a Mage, he’d been politely rejected. Tablin had apparently tried to learn Magic, but found it too difficult and given up. Now he made frequent deliveries and hung around, trying to get closer to Levy with the excuse of doing his job.

“At least those two are good for something.” Gajeel snorted as he saw Jet and Droy blocking Tablin’s line of sight of Levy, both of them also knew what Tablin was after and wouldn’t let him make a move on Levy. The fact that she’d rejected both Droy and Jet already only made the two men even more determined to prevent any other guy from wooing Levy.

“Gajeel!” Levy called out and Gajeel looked down at where she was sitting next to Lucy. “Come down here and tell me more about the mission, please!” She asked with a sweet smile.

“Is this another attempt to make me ‘more sociable’ with the Guild?” Gajeel asked loud enough for Levy to hear.

Levy pouted at Gajeel. “It wouldn’t kill you to be more sociable, you know!”

Gajeel smirked at Levy. “It’s not me I’m worried about getting killed.”

“Ha…ha…” Levy rolled her eyes at Gajeel’s reply. “Are you going to come tell me about the mission or not? Lucy says that there was another ‘fake’ Dragon Slayer?”

“Fine.” Gajeel leapt over the railing and landed next to the bar with a thud. He sat next to Levy, much to the visible aggravation of Jet and Droy. “What do you want to know?”

Levy smiled brightly at Gajeel and the Iron Dragon Slayer would deny that his heart thumped strongly in his chest from seeing it.

Makarov raised his flagon of booze into the air while standing on top of the bar. “Today we party! A welcome party for Wendy and Carla! Let’s make some noise!”

“YEEEAAAHHH!!!” The whole of Fairy Tail cheered loudly.

Wendy could only smile happily at such a bright and energetic welcome. Even Carla had a small little smile, though she hid it quickly.

-Dragon’s Den ~ Evening-

“Is it really okay for me to stay with you all?” Wendy asked as the family entered the Dragon’s Den.

“Of course!” Natsu smiled at Wendy. “You can stay as long as you like.”

“Once you start taking Quests and save up some money, you can move into Fairy Hills, if you want to.” Mira said with a grin. “But we’re a lot cheaper than that.”

Wendy cocked her head to the side. “How expensive is Fairy Hills?” She’d only been made aware of the female-only dormitory run by Fairy Tail a short time ago.

Cana shrugged. “100,000 Jewels a month.”

“Rent here is zero Jewels a month.” Lisanna giggled at Wendy’s shocked look at the monthly rent at Fairy Hills. “But we don’t provide all of the services that Fairy Hills does either.”

“Yeah, you have to wash your own clothes and help keep the house clean.” Lucy said with a giggle, as if that was some huge chore.

Erza pointed down the short hall across the living room. “That leads to the bathing area and hot spring. We’ll all take a bath together tonight to welcome you, Wendy.”

“TOGETHER?!” Wendy’s eyes darted to Natsu and her face went dark red in an instant.

“Absolutely not!” Carla denied, glaring at Erza.

Natsu and Happy both laughed at Wendy and Carla’s reaction.

“She meant all of the girls.” Natsu waved off the misunderstanding.

“Aye! We take our bath later if we have other girls visiting to use the hot spring.” Happy explained his and Natsu’s bathing when guests were over.

Juvia took Natsu’s hand with a cute little smile. “Natsu… Starting tomorrow…could we?” Her blue eyes looked at Natsu imploringly, filled with love and a certain desire.

Natsu’s smile became soft and warm, filled with his love for Juvia. “Sure.” He gently leaned his forehead against Juvia’s, looking deep into her eyes.

Wendy blinked at the closeness and affection before she realized what Juvia meant. “Oh!” She blushed cutely. “That’s so sweet.” It also explained why there were so many Dragon Slayers in Fairy Tail…and that most of them were women. She’d actually get to see part of Juvia’s Dragon Soul Ritual…she couldn’t help but feel interested as she’d never had anyone close to her ‘in the romantic sense’ to share Dragon Slayer Magic with.

Much like Natsu and Gajeel, Wendy had been taught that the Dragon Soul Ritual had deep meaning and she respected it to the same degree as they did, just as her mother, Grandeeney, had taught her.

“Gonna have a new Dragon Sister soon.” Cana grinned and hugged Juvia from behind. “Maybe a new little Steam Dragon after enough time?” She teased Juvia lightly.

Natsu chuckled as Juvia buried her face into his chest with a muffled squeak. “Be nice, Cana.”

Cana kissed Natsu softly. “I’m being very nice.” She grinned when their lips separated.

“Would the little one be a Steam Dragon?” Lisanna looked thoughtful. “I’ve always thought Natsu and I would either have Magma Dragons or maybe Fire Dragons.” Everyone in the family knew that Lisanna was more than happy to become a mother whenever they all agreed that it was time. “Water and Magma would make Steam…but doesn’t obsidian also form when water and magma meet?”

“It does.” Erza confirmed with a nod. “Obsidian is volcanic glass…so would the child be a Glass Dragon?”

“Eh, Obsidian Dragon sounds cooler.” Mira grinned at Erza.

“Guys… I think you need to stop now.” Lucy’s cheeks were pink, but she pointed at Juvia and Wendy, both of the blue-haired women had steam rising from their heads at this point from the baby talk. Wendy’s hands were covering her cheeks too, but her bright red face couldn’t be hidden.

The women giggled warmly at the cuteness and Lucy took pity on Wendy and Carla, taking them upstairs to the guest room so that Wendy could put her things away. Cana followed after them with a little grin on her lips. She still had the card that held all of Wendy’s things, after all. Lucy and Wendy seemed a bit too flustered to recall that though.

Natsu smiled as he swept Juvia off her feet and carried her to the couch. He sat with her in his lap and the two were quickly snuggled close as Juvia happily cozied up to Natsu’s warmth. The two were surrounded by Lisanna, Mira, and Erza for a warm cuddle pile only a moment later.

-Next Morning-

A soft melody filled the Dragon’s Den.

Those in the Master Bedroom, that weren’t already awake to make breakfast for the family, were awoken to the soft and pleasant sounds.

Lucy put on her house robe and headed downstairs with a small smile as the music continued. She stopped at the foot of the stairs to watch Wendy.

Wendy was sitting on the couch, a wooden flute held to her lips, the peaceful and soft melody coming from the woodwind instrument and filling the Dragon’s Den with a soothing air.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Mira asked with a smile as she stopped next to Lucy.

“It’s amazing.” Lucy agreed as she watched Wendy play.

Lisanna poked her head out from the kitchen. “She asked us if she could play, and we didn’t see any reason not to let her.” The soft smile on Lisanna’s lips made it apparent that she was glad they’d given Wendy the go ahead to play her flute.

Cana stopped behind Lucy on the last step of the stairs. “Sure beats waking up to an alarm.” She ran her fingers through her long brunette locks as she enjoyed the lovely sounds.

“Agreed.” Erza smiled at Wendy; the Sky Dragon Slayer seemed to be in her own little world as she played.

Natsu stretched a little as he stood behind Erza and Cana. “Dragon Song.”

That got all eyes to turn to him, even the half-asleep Happy on his shoulder.

“What?” Natsu asked his Mates.

“What is Dragon Song, Natsu?” Juvia asked as the group cleared the stairs.

Natsu grinned at them. “It’s music made by Dragons.” The deadpan looks he got made him chuckle. “That’s literally what it is.” He held up his hands in front of him to ward off the looks. “But when a Dragon wants to, they can imbue Magic into sounds they make, so Dragon Song can have some minor to moderate effects depending on the amount of Magic used. It’s not that different from when a Dragon roars to intimidate something. The primal fear that others feel from it is amplified by the amount of Magic within the roar.”

The soft music ended and Wendy opened her eyes while lowering her flute. “Natsu is right.” Wendy smiled at everyone, happy that they’d enjoyed her song. “Grandeeney taught me that song when I was little. There’s another one that I like that she learned from a Sea Dragon friend of hers a long time ago. I’ll play that for you later, if you’d like.”

“We’d love that.” Everyone said in unison, making Wendy smile happily that they were so interested.

Not too long later and everyone sat down for a nice breakfast together, made from the vegetables in the back garden, fresh fish from the market, along with eggs, toast, and bacon.

After breakfast, Wendy’s face went pink as she watched Natsu pull off his shirt and lay on the couch. Juvia blushed a little as she removed her blue house robe and set it on the chair next to the couch, leaving her in a white tank top and black cotton short shorts.

“Natsu…” Juvia mumbled out as she lay against his chest.

Natsu wrapped his arms around Juvia and wrapped her up in his Dragon Magic with a soft smile. Juvia cooed and snuggled into his chest with a happy smile of her own. The two practically tuned out the rest of the world as the Dragon Soul Ritual began.

“Oh…” Wendy whispered, feeling the need to not disturb Natsu and Juvia in the slightest. It was like an instinct, and one that Wendy completely obeyed.

-Edge of Magnolia Town ~ Rock Cliffs-

Gajeel moved more dirt aside, his hands transformed into shovel-like blades. The land was almost completely flat where he’d cleared out a large section of the area between the rocky cliffs and the forest. “Getting there.” Gajeel said to himself as he looked at the mostly flat ground that he’d been working on. “I’ll need gravel and some large rocks to make the foundation.”

Gajeel was making himself a home of his own. He was tired of living in Magnolia Town since he preferred a quieter location. If one were to compare his chosen spot to Natsu’s home, it was almost equally distant from Magnolia, a moderate walk to get to town, but not too far as to be difficult. In fact, if one could see over the trees, they’d be able to see the top of the Fairy Tail Guild building in the distance. Naturally, once the foundation was done, he’d be using his own iron to make a strong frame and then he’d build onto that with stone, wood, and plaster.

“Make a wall around my space with some of these large boulders too.” Gajeel looked at the various grey boulders that dotted the bottom of the cliff at the edge of his property. “Can’t believe no one wanted to buy this land.” He’d gotten a really good deal on it (even if it had cost him almost all the money that he’d had after Phantom Lord was disbanded), so Gajeel was happy that he was finally getting the time to work on his own place.

A familiar scent caught Gajeel’s nose as a breeze blew through the area.

“You really are building your own house, huh?” Levy said as she stopped at the edge of the ‘construction area’ and smiled at Gajeel.

Gajeel shrugged as he looked at Levy, his slitted red eyes briefly looking her up and down. She was wearing a cream-colored shirt with long sleeves, a mid-thigh length skirt with black leggings underneath, and cute brown boots on her feet. “Cold?” He asked after taking in her outfit.

Levy motioned to the trees that dotted the property, more specifically their multi-colored leaves. “It’s autumn, Gajeel. It’s getting colder nowadays.” She said with a small smile. “We did already have the Harvest Festival, remember?”

“Hm.” Gajeel shrugged and continued his work of flattening out the last part of the area with his iron arms.

Levy, not being run off by Gajeel, smiled and sat on a mostly flat rock near the edge of the area. “How big are you planning for it to be?”

“Big enough.” Gajeel said as he moved more soil.

“Descriptive.” Levy deadpanned at Gajeel’s answer.

Gajeel looked over at her with a flat expression. “What, you want to move in when I’m done?”

Levy’s face turned pink and then red. “Wh-What?! No! I d-didn’t say anything like that!”

“I have the idea in my head, so I’ll work from that.” Gajeel said with a shrug.

The two were in a semi-comfortable silence for a while after that. Long enough that Gajeel finished removing the last of the soil to finish flattening out the foundation.

“Can… Can I ask you something?” Levy asked after a moment to gather her courage.

“You just did.” Gajeel replied with a smirk.

Levy sighed, but there was a tiny smile on her lips. “Are you trying to keep me at arm’s length for some reason?”

Gajeel flinched just slightly. “I keep everyone at a distance. That’s just how I am.”

“I’ve noticed.” Levy assured him with a flat look. “But I’m trying to reach out to you, have been since you joined Fairy Tail. If I’m annoying you, just say so and I’ll stop.”

“I didn’t say that.” Gajeel mentioned as he picked up a large canteen from nearby and took a long drink of water. “But you have plenty of admirers already; wouldn’t want them to think you weren’t available.”

Levy let out an audible, and very annoyed, groan. “Don’t remind me. I swear, someone probably started a rumor that I ‘put out’ or something. No way this many guys would be so interested in me otherwise.”

Gajeel cocked an eyebrow at that as he looked over at Levy. “You think that’s why your teammates and that delivery guy keep trying to get close to you?”

“I mean…yeah, probably.” Levy looked down at her lap, her hands lightly gripping her skirt. “Those three are just the most dedicated to following me…the others eventually took the hint and gave up.”

“For being so smart, you sure are stupid.” Gajeel shook his head.

Levy glared at Gajeel for the quip. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Gajeel looked at her like she’d just asked a stupid question. “It means that you’re wrong.” Levy blinked at Gajeel but didn’t say anything. “They’re after you because your kind, cute, and nice enough to put up with their advances. If you told them to get lost, they’d probably cry about it, but they’d leave you alone.”

“You think so…?” Levy was blushing at hearing Gajeel call her cute and say such nice things about her.

Gajeel wasn’t looking at Levy, hiding his own flustered expression by turning his back. He couldn’t believe what he’d just said! “Yeah…” He clenched his right hand into a fist with a metallic clang. “And if they didn’t…well, you have friends that would make them listen.”

Levy smiled at that, knowing that she did have such good friends. “Does…that include you?”

“Sure.” Gajeel replied without looking back at Levy.

“Can you tell me about your future house?” Levy asked after they’d been silent for a long moment.

“…alright.” Gajeel agreed after a couple of seconds.

Levy beamed as she skipped up to her feet and headed over to Gajeel.

-End Chapter-

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The Oración Seis Arc is finally complete! Woohoo!

We see Wendy part with Cait Shelter as Roubaul’s great regret is finally removed from the world. It’s a sad thing, but also the start of a bright future for our favorite Sky Dragon Slayer!

Fairy Tail is quick to welcome her!

Wendy is a guest of the Dragon Den! One wonders if she’ll follow Lucy’s path, huh? Kek!

Gajeel is building his own place too! Levy seems to be interested…

JUST KISS ALREADY!!!

What’s next for Fairy Tail?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!