AN: So a lot of people have said that my last chapter wasn't up to my usual standard. I found it really difficult to write the last chapter. The amount of people involved in the first few scenes and my changes made it difficult to write. I just had to juggle too many people. I'm hoping now that everyone is split up my writing will feel more like it usually does.

Now I have also officially decided that I fucking hate this arc. I had so many ideas for it and while I could see my changes in my head nothing fit together as I typed this chapter out. I can see certain parts playing out perfectly and other parts just don't fit in. Its like a puzzle with all the pieces that don't fit together. It took me months to write this and I'm still not completely happy.

Hunter81095: Air is technically the least common element used for healing. In many cultures it symbolizes purification (as you said) but water is more commonly known to be associated with healers. Wendy's healing abilities vary greatly in the anime and manga. Its actually sort of a pet peeve for me because her limits are all over the place.

Also it was never explained why Wendy is referred to as a 'Miko' by Brain. According to what I know about Japanese tradition a miko is a shrine priestess. Its not a title given lightly and she's never referred as such again. The plot point just falls away.

We also know nothing about Wendy. She is one of the most powerful characters with her dragon slaying abilities, healing and enchantments that can do basically anything. I wanted to give her a little more depth so I hope no one minds this added plot point for my story.

I'm sorry its late but I'm not dead or sick and its not been abandoned.

Chapter twenty seven

Panterlily realized he was awake long before he showed any signs of regaining consciousness. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to the world around him as he tried to figure out what was happening. He vaguely remembered encountering the enemy mages. He struggled to get his thoughts together as he shifted through fragmented memories.

He had initially come to check on Nirvana. He had been making his way back to the Fairy Tail guild when he remembered that the Prince warned him about the weapon hidden in this forest. It had been his last stop on his journey before he would return to the guild.

Once he ensured the weapon was still sealed away he decided that it was time to report back to the Prince. He had spent much of his time wandering through villages who had contact with anyone associated with the Balam alliance. He had gathered as much information as he could and realized that he could do no more being so far away from the Prince.

He had learned about this land, the people and the guilds. He had come to care for the people of this land. He even got to spend time with the other exceeds. Once he decided to return to the guild he realized that he was being followed.

He spent some time leading his enemies on a merry chase but it didn't take long for him to realize that one of the mages had the ability to mess with his mind.

Afraid of what would happen if the information he had fell into enemy hands he took a potion. He had been wary of consuming the bloody thing. It had been the reason as to why he waited until the absolute last minute to use it. The person he had gotten it from seemed shady. However in the end he had been cornered so he prayed that this would work.

Now that he was awake he found that his body was stiff and Brain had managed to capture someone. He waited as he felt magic being used on him and decided against opening his eyes. There was no reason to alert anyone that he was awake and conscious before his strength had fully returned to him.

He could also sense someone with a lot of magic power hovering near him. Brain was not so careless as to not to assign a guard while he was being healed. Brain had been adamant that he would use any means necessary to pry the information he had out of him.

Lily found himself listening to the world around him trying to figure out who was trying to save him. Who was it that Brain and his allies had found to wake him? They had not managed to get out any information from him so it wasn't impossible to believe that they would try to wake him. However what would be the cost?

Magic like this would not come cheap. If Brain had found someone to heal him then there would a price to pay. Would that fall onto him in the future or was it something that Brain had handled personally? He had come across people who would help him now only to ask for a favor later in life. Was this person a friend, enemy or someone who would play both sides and wait to see what benefit they would gain?

He hoped that he was being healed by an ally. Maybe the Prince had found him. Lily had no idea how long he had been like this but he assumed it was a long time. He heard heavy footsteps walking away from him so he decided to try and get a glimpse of the person who was healing him.

He found himself staring at a blue haired girl. At first glance she seemed fragile. She was young and her hands were tiny, her skin looked delicate almost like the slightest touch would bruise her until he caught a glimpse of her eyes. There was steel in those brown eyes and the frown on her face didn't suit her.

There was a strength to this girl and he could feel it. Her spirit was one of peace but her eyes told him that she would fight to the death if she had too. She was a warrior in her own right and he would not underestimate her.

He took a moment to try and place her in his memories. She seemed familiar. He thought back to all the people the Prince had told him about but she looked familiar. He couldn't see her very clearly. His eyes weren't used to the light and there was very little light but he was sure that he had seen this girl before.

It took a while until a name finally popped into his head. Wendy. Dragneel. The sky dragon slayer was a healer and the adopted daughter of two very powerful mages.

He fought against the chuckle that was rising in his chest because the Prince had told him of these mages. He called them his friends and he had cared for the younger girl as if she were his little sister. Lily had seen this girl before he and the Prince went their separate ways.

Brain had pillaged a dragons nest for a healer. There was no doubt in his mind that her father would come for her. He didn't recognize the place he was in but at the very least he knew that he wasn't alone.

Wendy caught his eye and smiled at him. Lily felt his strength leave him as he shrunk down into his smaller size. He was no longer trapped in his battle mode but he also no longer had the energy to sustain his battle form. He would have to wait for his magic power to recover before trying to escape.

He tried not to frown as the strength faded from his body. He had guessed that it was a long time since he was frozen in his battle form but the amount of magic he had left was pitiful. He was asleep for much longer than he assumed. He would have to bide his time because he was in no condition to fight.

Wendy looked towards the back of the cave and saw Midnight. He was still asleep and Brain was guarding the entrance of the cave. This was the best chance she would have for an escape especially since it didn't look like Brain was paying her any attention.

It wouldn't take him long to realize that she was done healing Lily. Once he saw that Lily was left in his vulnerable state there was no telling what he would do. She couldn't afford for them to be separated neither could they wait to see if Brain would ask his questions nicely.

Panterlily on the other hand wondered how Brain had gotten his hands on the young girl. He did not expect her to try and escape on her own. He assumed that she would wait for someone to find her before she tried to fight her way out. He underestimated her courage and in the future he would look back on this moment and realize that no member of Fairy Tail would just sit back and wait for death. They didn't give up on anyone or anything.

"Why are you here?" he whispered.

Wendy frowned, "Brain and his allies are looking for a weapon in the forest. I came as a healer to the group of mages who were supposed to stop them but we were ambushed. I got captured because he wanted someone to heal you. He wants to know whatever it is that you know."

Panterlily tried to get to his feet, "We need to destroy the weapon before they find it." And crumpled nearly instantly. He tried not to scream in frustration when he realized that he was in no condition to do anything other than rest. He also felt guilty that he was the reason why she was kidnapped.

Wendy realized that he knew where the weapon was and she could see the logic in destroying the weapon before anyone could use it. She also realized that it was likely Brain already knew that Lily knew where to find the weapon. He had his allies searching all around the forest but no one was sure where it could be found.

Brain narrowed his eyes as he listened in on their conversation. He didn't see the harm in letting the cat talk to a little girl for a few minutes. However before he could decide what to do with his prisoners who actually believed that they could stop him Wendy already made her move.

Brain would look back on this moment and curse the little blue haired girl to hell and back. While he did not care that she managed to escape he did not believe that what would come next would be possible.

Wendy tucked Happy under one arm and Lily under the other and then she roared.

She didn't roar at Brain or Midnight but at the ceiling itself. She brought down the cave's ceiling and flew through the hole she created. Wendy didn't care about taking out Brain and Midnight. Her goal was escape so she flew into the air and put as much distance between her and her enemies as she could.

Right now she wasn't sure what to do once they escaped but their best bet at keeping the weapon out of Brain's hands was to keep Lily out of his hands.

Natsu ran through the forest looking for Wendy. He knew where she was in general but it was hard to remember the exact place. It was easier for him to try and pick up her scent. He also couldn't help but remember the state that Erza and Siegrain had been left in.

In their last life Erza had been left in a very dangerous position after being bitten by the snake but right now she seemed worse. It was possible the amount of poison that entered her body was larger which meant she had even less time. Siegrain was in no better condition either.

They were working with even less time than Lucy had estimated in their previous life. On top of the timer that was counting down they also had two of their allies out for the count. Erza and Siegrain were both powerful fighters and leaving them out of the fight this early put the odds against them – Again.

Gray followed him without a word mostly because he could feel the anger pouring of the dragon slayer. He knew that Lucy had faith that Natsu would find Wendy but he couldn't help but think they were angry with the situation. They knew Erza would get poisoned but they assumed that there was no reason for Brain to take Wendy.

Lucy would call it being careless and Natsu would just be angry. They had been confident that they were prepared even for the unexpected but they were not prepared for history to repeat itself. Gray couldn't help but think that the saying was true- the more you know about the future the less you can predict.

Even though they knew what would happen they still couldn't stop the plan from backfiring on them. They were back to improvising and reacting to whatever they came across. Lucy would be frustrated with the situation and Natsu hated when his family was in danger.

No one could say that Natsu wasn't protective or possessive over what was his and Brain had dared to steal his daughter. He tried not to imagine what Lucy would do if the little girl was harmed. He was pretty sure she could bring down the heavens if someone pushed her really hard.

Gray couldn't help but feel a little bit helpless. Even though they knew so much it was unlikely that their battles would go smoothly. However if something changed and Wendy was injured Natsu would destroy everything and everyone he came across. It was actually a terrifying image.

Gray already had an idea of how powerful Natsu had become in the future and even though he knew that he was improving he couldn't catch up to the place where Natsu was anymore. However Natsu was fire and fire could and would burn uncontrollably if someone didn't keep it on a tight leash. Natsu couldn't afford to let his control slip right now.

Carla flew overhead trying to see if there were any caves or something that resembled a base camp from the sky. It didn't take long for them to encounter the mages that looked like monkeys. Gray was able to pick up on the fact that this was the dark guild Naked Mummy.

Natsu gave absolutely no fucks about anything when he burned through them.

In the other life Natsu had called them monkeys and tried to find out where the enemy base was located by beating the information out of them. However this time Natsu could faintly pick up his daughters scent and these monkeys were in the way. He didn't bother with banter or even talking to them.

Natsu had roared before they could finish speaking.

Carla felt her eyes widen at the sheer destruction that Natsu was capable of. She already knew what this team could do when backed into a corner but this was different. Natsu wasn't wasting time with these mages. A couple of attacks and the monkeys were lying on the ground a little crispy.

Gray didn't even get in his way. He just stood back and let Natsu clear the way. If this place was guarded it had to mean that they were close to something or someone. The closer they got to finding Wendy the better chances for Erza and Siegrain so Gray couldn't help but not care about the state that Natsu had left their enemies in.

He did however spot Erigor hovering and took him out before Natsu could see him. Wendy had kicked this guys ass. Even though he had powered up some Gray was pretty sure that Natsu would burn him alive if he trash talked Wendy. Besides he was angry too and Erigor was someone that he could take out his frustration on.

Natsu had hogged the monkey looking mages which meant that the only person left for him to beat up was Erigor. It didn't take Gray long to encase him in ice and leave him in a bush unconscious.

There was the sound something crumbling and Natsu stopped scenting the air. Gray had been patiently waiting next to him since they were both done with their fight. They were trying to pick up the trail that they were following initially but the sound of crumbling rock startled them.

Gray couldn't help but grin as he followed Natsu's gaze. He shook his head as he realized that she really was Natsu's daughter. That little girl had managed to save herself. Then again Fairy Tail women were kind of scary so it wasn't that surprising that she could take care of herself.

Carla saw her and flew towards her scolding a mile a minute and Natsu laughed. He didn't even need to find the caves to save her. Wendy had managed to save herself. This is what Lucy meant when she said that Wendy needed to be able to take care of herself. She needed to be able to save herself sooner rather than later.

Wendy noticed the pink hair out of the corner of her eye and dashed downwards towards him. She landed in front of her father and Uncle Gray with a smile on her face.

Meanwhile Brain had been left uninjured from the mess Wendy had made of the caves. He immediately called for Cobra to find the brat and the cat. They planned on trying to destroy Nirvana before it could be found which meant that if they followed the brat they would be led directly to their goal.

Brain sat back and waited for the pieces to fall into place. He had no idea what happened to Jellal but someone had managed to clear the taint of darkness from his mind. He had turned towards the light once more and even though it was a loss he couldn't say that he wasn't worried.

The madness that Jellal once possessed had terrified him but Brain had always assumed that he would be safe from his power. Now though, he had come with these gathered mages to try and stop him. However nothing changed the fact that now that he turned to the light he would no longer be as ruthless as he once was. He wouldn't dare to use the full extent of his power like he once did.

Brain suspected the truth about the person now using the name Jellal however in the long run it had nothing to do with him or his plans. Siegrain was Jellal and Jellal was truly Mystogan who had probably come from the other world. The world that had been mysteriously cut off from this one without anyone knowing how it had happened.

Fairy Tail seemed to be at the center of many mysteries and even though he wanted to know he also did not truly care. He could live without knowing because all he truly cared about was ensuring that his goal was met. Nirvana was his prize and nothing else mattered in his pursuit of getting to it.

Midnight was his Ace and right now he didn't see the reason to play that card. None of the pillars had fallen and none of them ever would. They would claim Nirvana for themselves and he would turn that power onto the legal guilds and watch as they destroy themselves.

Gray high fived Wendy for escaping with Lily and Natsu patted her head and asked her, "How much magic have you used?"

Wendy shrugged, "Not much. I can still fight."

Gray shook his head, "We need you to get back to Lucy. Erza and Siegrain still need to be healed and they're running out of time."

Panterlily had passed out in her arms. As much as he wanted to be able to help he had been trapped in his battle form for too long. He needed to rest and recover his magic. Happy was floating in the air next to Carla keeping an eye on the forest.

Natsu listened to the forest and he could hear Racer getting closer. He could stay and help Gray fight against him or he could take Wendy back to Lucy where she would be able to heal Erza and Siegrain.

Gray and Lyon had fought against Racer and they had won. Erza and Siegrain didn't have much time left. He made a decision and hoped that he was doing the right thing. Gray could handle himself and now he was better prepared than he was the last time they did this. He had faith in the ice princess.

"I'll take Wendy back to Lucy and the others. If we encounter any enemies along the way it wouldn't do any good for Wendy to exhaust her magic fighting. Erza and Siegrain don't have much time. Gray can you handle this?"

Gray nodded his head as he noticed Natsu looking in a specific direction. There was someone headed this way and Natsu wanted to be sure that Gray was ready. He knew that he was supposed to fight Racer which meant that the pieces were falling into place. No matter how much they tried they couldn't stop things from progressing the way it was supposed too.

Natsu, Wendy and the three exceeds took off towards Lucy and the others leaving Gray to face Racer.

Gray had created an ice-make rampart to stop him from pursuing Wendy and Natsu which angered the speed mage. They traded a couple of insults back and forth as Gray tried to land a hit on the smug asshole. Gray was able to adapt to his speed faster than Racer anticipated.

Instead of trying to hit Racer when he stopped moving, Gray tried to predict where he would land. He managed to get a couple of hits in this way but it didn't take long for Racer to figure out what he was doing. He was grudgingly able to admit that it was one the better plans that had been used against him.

Racer couldn't move forever. He had to stop and usually he stood still long enough to taunt his opponents so whenever he stopped moving Gray had a chance to hit him. Instead of waiting for him to stop moving he tried to predict where he would land and already have an attack headed that way.

Racer had to admit that Gray had managed to amuse him so he decided to play with the ice-make mage for a little longer. He challenged Gray to a race and even provided him with a motorbike.

The two men traded blows back and forth as Gray followed Racer through the forest. He swore under his breath as he tried to steer the bike and aim at his opponent. Ice-make magic required two hands. He couldn't steer the bloody bike and attack at the same time. He needed a partner to finish this.

Gray skidded to a stop as he caught sight of white hair and he grinned.

"Lyon, we've got work to do. Get on!"

Sherry was left standing the forest alone wondering how in the hell she ended up in this mess?

Lyon stood up behind Gray as he chased after Racer. Gray couldn't help but grin when he saw Lyon using two hands to create his magic. There was a moment when the two boys paused as they remembered the woman who taught them how to use this magic.

'There is freedom in maker-magic.' She would say as she encouraged them to make their power grow.

Magic that they used now to protect the people that they loved. Lyon and Gray were bonded through their mentor and it was something that they didn't need to say out loud. It didn't need to be acknowledged for the world to see. It was enough for them to understand in that moment both of Ur's students were on the right path, honoring her memory.

Standing back to back as they fought against Racer was something that Gray didn't think he would ever have. He had wondered about Lyon but he never thought that they would have this opportunity. He once believed that Lyon would hate him forever and that they would never meet again. He never believed that he and Lyon would ever be on good terms again.

It took Lyon a few minutes of getting beaten up to realize Racer's weakness. Lucy and Natsu didn't know how this fight had played out. They knew that he had won but they weren't here so they didn't know how Lyon and Gray had managed to win. Gray knew that he needed to find Racers weakness but so far he had not been able to find a way to beat him.

When the birds flew overhead Lyon figured it out. He froze Gray in an ice pillar and called out to Sherry to help their guild bag a win against Oracion Seis. Racer destroyed Sherry's wood doll and knocked her into a corner like a pesky fly. By then Lyon was already moving and his plan was already in place.

He covered himself in the ice spikes and ran through the forests in a random direction. Racer chased him as they exchanged insults but Racer had managed to destroy the ice spikes. He kept attacking Lyon bruising his body and sending him flying on the hard ground. Racer chased him all the way to the edge of a cliff and smirked at him.

"I may not be able to kill you with my magic but I can always kill you with this." Racer broke off a piece of Lyons ice from the ground and held the spike at his throat.

Sherry screamed and Lyon laughed, "You're not a speed mage. You are able to manipulate a person perception of time. I realized that when the birds flew over the clearing so quickly I could barely keep up with them which meant that you slow down your opponent making you seem fast in comparison. Right now there's someone outside your bubble."

Lyon pointed behind him as he grinned at Racer. The ice pillar that he encased Gray in had shattered and there was a large amount of magic being called upon. They could all feel his magic all the way out in the forest. Lyon could see the smirk on Gray's face as he eyed his target. He knew it would hit.

Racer eyed the distance in disbelief, "You ran too far. There's no way he'll be able to hit at that distance."

Lyon wanted to punch him in face, "Gray will not miss."

It was a statement said with absolute faith. Almost as if Lyon had seen the future and spoken with the conviction of a prophet. He already knew the outcome of this fight. Sherry couldn't believe that this was Lyon nor could see understand how he could have that much faith in someone he had not seen in such a long time. Lyon had never been this certain about anything and this time he was gambling his life.

Just as he said it Gray released his super freeze arrow which hit Racer in the chest sending him crashing through the forest. It took him a couple of minutes to catch up to Lyon and Sherry. Once he made it to the edge of the cliff he and Lyon squabbled about his plan.

Gray wasn't happy about being frozen without a word. Lyon wanted him to complaining and admit that his plan was a good idea. Sherry watched the two ice mages in amazement as they squabbled like brothers. They had once again forgotten that she was there.

However the moment was broken when Racer appeared out of no-where and showed them the explosive lacrima that was strapped to his chest. Racer dived towards Gray who was unable to hit him with an attack because Racer wrapped his arms around his chest.

Before they could go toppling over the edge of the cliff Lyon pried Racer off Gray and they both fell off the cliff. He closed his eyes and thought, 'The things I do for you little brother.'

Sherry screamed as the lacrima exploded and Gray was already creating a slide down the side of the cliff. That idiot took his place so now he had to go down the cliff and find him. There was no way Lyon was dead. If he thought that jumping off the cliff would save him then he was wrong. Gray would tunnel his way into hell and drag him out if he had too.

Was this how Natsu felt when Gray tried to use iced shell on Lyon and martyr himself?

In Lucy and Natsu's original life Lyon still made this sacrifice but Gray had run out of magic and was unable to defend against Racers attack. This time he still had magic but Racer had caught him from the back. He was unable to defend himself. Some things just couldn't be changed even though Gray didn't know that this happened because Lucy didn't know it happened.

Meanwhile Hibiki had managed to contact Natsu and led him back to their makeshift campsite. Wendy immediately got to work healing Erza and Siegrain as Natsu filled in Lucy and Hibiki on what they knew so far. Their forces were still rather split up but Lucy couldn't help but think that they weren't as split up as they were in the other timeline.

However Gray was already facing Racer.

As far as they knew that was the only member of Oracion Seis that was currently involved in any type of fight. Lucy had faith that Gray would be able to defeat Racer but none of their enemies had been accounted for. Once Siegrain was awake he immediately checked on Erza but Wendy was already working on her.

Panterlily in his smaller form introduced himself to Siegrain. Wendy assured Siegrain that Erza would be fine as soon as she regained consciousness which would be soon. Natsu caught him up on everything that happened after they were poisoned.

Siegrain nodded his head, "It would be best if we tried to destroy it before anyone finds it. Panterlily and I will go and check on it and see if we can find a way to destroy it. The rest of you can hunt down the rest of the members of Oracion Seis."

Hibiki frowned, "Are you sure that's a good idea? You are one of our most powerful fighters."

Lucy shook her head, "We need a plan B. We initially hoped that we would be able to stop Oracion Seis before they even realized that we were here but it didn't work. Now we can hope that we can fight them one on one as we come across them in the forest but that's depending on a lot of luck."

Erza nodded her head, "You're right. We don't know if we'll be able to find any of them before they find the weapon. We also don't know if we'll be able to beat them in the pairs that we're working with. We can't just expect to stumble across our enemies."

Hibiki nodded, "You both already know where it is. Even if you cannot destroy it then at the very least we have someone who can act as last line of defense if someone does find it."

Erza frowned, "I hope that I am included in your plan."

Siegrain looked at Natsu helplessly, "Wouldn't you rather hunt down the rest of them?"

Erza shook her head, "We work in pairs. Panterlily is still unable to fight. I'll go with you. If we come across someone I'll stay back and fight them. If we do not come across any enemies then I'll guard the weapon with you so you are not alone. Jura is still searching through the forest and so is Natsu."

No one could tell the Titania no especially since she was an S-class mage and Natsu and Jura were wizard saints. Technically they had two ridiculously powerful mages searching for enemies along with other powerful mages. One wizard saint and an S-class mage were powerful enough to defend the weapon from anyone who hoped to use it. To Lucy this was better than Erza wandering around the forest trying to deal with an amnesiac Jellal who was trying to commit suicide.

Erza, Siegrain and Panterlily set off in one direction while Wendy took a well-deserved break. While her magic reserves had grown a lot in the time she spent with Natsu and Lucy she still healed three people in one go. She had used a lot of magic to do it as well. The poison and potion were not easy cures. She could still fight but Lucy preferred for Wendy not to over-do it.

Cobra had been too far away from their little group for Natsu to pick up on his presence. Once he realized that Siegrain was headed towards Nirvana he went around their camp and followed the others. Wendy wasn't his priority. He was sent to follow the mages who knew where to find Nirvana.

Wendy piggy backed on Natsu as they left the base camp. Without Erza and Siegrain to watch over the four mages and two exceeds decided to try and gather their allies. They had remained in one place for far too long so they decided to follow the river and see if Hibiki was able to get in contact with anyone else from their group.

They needed to try and figure out if anyone else was in trouble, in need or healing or needed back-up. They also needed to let everyone know that Erza and Siegrain were healed so they didn't need to look for Wendy anymore. Lucy really wished that she had figured out a better communication method before this mission. If would have made things much easier.

Hibiki smiled as he watched Natsu and Lucy holding hands. It was such an absent minded gesture but at the same time it was filled with so much information. It was about the way Natsu and Lucy moved. They were orbiting around each other without even realizing it and somehow they weren't getting in the way.

Natsu suddenly froze and Wendy immediately got off him. Hibiki tried and failed to spot the danger but he was used to this happening by now. Natsu's senses weren't on the same level as normal humans.

When Natsu growled Hibiki swore the hair on the back of his neck started to rise as he felt the atmosphere around him changing. There was a sort of menacing feeling that was surrounding them and he couldn't his finger on why.

Lucy straightened her spine and she felt the atmosphere change. There was someone here and she could feel it as well. It seemed that fate had decided that Angel and Lucy were fated to face off against each other no matter what changed.