The Journey

Disappearance

It's been two months/two weeks since Frub and I went on that job. We had just arrived back at the Magnolia train station when I noticed something.

"What's wrong?" Frub asked. I discarded the question and began walking in the direction of the guild hall. Frub followed behind, still not knowing what was wrong. As we walked through the town, the people living here didn't seem as lively as before. Shop clerks who were previously running about were now sulking in their shops. Blacksmiths that were pounding away at metals had now put away their tools and were sulking as well. Why was everybody sulking? We passed the Kardia Cathedral and noticed several more people visiting than usual. Is the world becoming more religious than ever? We finally reached the guild hall when we noticed that the entrance was blocked off. What is going on? I couldn't smell a single soul inside the building!

"Nobody is in there." I said, turning to Frub with tears rolling down my face. Wait! My nose just caught the scent of a small amount of people!

"What's going on?" Frub asked with curiosity in his voice.

"My nose just caught the scent of a small amount of Fairy Tail members." I explained. I sniffed the air and found the location of the group. I told Frub to follow me and we took the path to the location. When we reached our limit of energy, we were practically in the middle of nowhere. Ahead of us stood a rundown building. I looked up at an archway that hung over the doorway. The letters placed on the archway were barely nailed on so the last letter was hanging loose. It was Fairy Tail. Why are they here when they have that huge guild hall in the middle of town? I need answers and I need them now.

"Why are they holed up in this dump?" I heard Frub question from behind me.

"We'll know if we go inside." I answered. I turned to him with a sorry look on my face that said "be prepared for what might happen." We walked up the dirt path to the bright red doors with a bronze shape on each door. The bronze shapes were symmetrical forming a heart to cover both doors. We pushed the doors open and watched as everybody flinched at the sight of us.

"It's Nalu and Frub!" Laki exclaimed. I saw Laki running towards us as I dropped my bags and gave her a hug. We pulled away and smiled.

"Where is everybody?" Frub and I asked in unison. That question seemed to kill the mood in the room. Everyone began to look exactly like the people in town, facial expressions only. Their eyes were droopy and their faces were blank. A gray aura surrounded the entire room. What is going on?! I looked around Laki as I heard a male voice speak from behind her.

"A few weeks after you two left, the S-class wizard trials took place on Tenrou Island." Macao spoke with a serious but sad tone. Macao was wearing his usual outfit. A white overcoat with brown pants that reached to his ankles. A pair of dark brown dress shoes that had been worn out over the years. His black shirt was torn at the bottom rim and his necklace was shining as bright as ever. The big "S" on his necklace reflected the light around the room.

"The wizards that were chosen disappeared on Tenrou two weeks earlier." Another voice chimed in. This time Jet was speaking. Wizards that were chosen? Then it struck me, the master only chooses wizards that have the power and heart to become an S-class wizard. Mila has both.

"W-w-where's Mila?" I stammered. I was hoping with all my heart that she didn't get chosen and that she wasn't stuck on that island. I was ready to cry, my face was burning up and I could feel my eyes well up. What if she was stuck on that island? What if everyone there was dead? I couldn't help but think of the worst. I couldn't imagine my life without Mila, without Fairy Tail. Why is everything collapsing right after we return. Frub had noticed my nervous breakdown by then and was now holding me close to him. I wanted to cry into his shoulder and just keep crying. Until I heard the sweetest voice I could ever hear.

"It's fine. I'm right here." I looked up from Frub's shoulder and saw Mila standing in the doorway. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. I raised my hands in front of my mouth and began to cry. Instead of tears of sadness, I was crying tears of joy. The tears burned my cheeks as I pushed Frub aside (sorry Frub) and took Mila into my arms.

"I'm never leaving you again." I cried. I could feel tears rolled down her cheek and onto my shoulder. She grabbed my shoulders and tried really hard to remove herself from my grip. Was I really holding on that tight? I let go after a few desperate attempts from Mila and Frub.

"Let's go home."

**two day time skip**

Well, it's officially the year of 785. I wonder what Fairy Tail is going to do now. According to Macao, the guild hasn't been getting any job requests lately so they weren't able to pay for the other guild hall. As a result, the mayor had everyone that was left move to the place we visited two days ago. I wonder if those guys are ever going to come back. My body tensed up at the thought. My eyes shut quickly and and the muscles in my arms tightened up. I rolled over onto my side and stared out the window. It's only been two days but I already feel at home again. I was ready to fall asleep when a knock on the door sounded through the house. Ugh. I got up from my peaceful position and left the room. The staircase looked even more deadly than before, I must be tired. I reached the last step, nearly falling over before reaching the door. I opened with a tired look on my face.

"Nalu!" Laki exclaimed as she burst through the door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, still grumpy. She made her way to the loveseat and sat down. I pushed the door shut and leaned against its cold surface. Seeing as the loveseat wasn't placed very far from the door, I was in hearing distance. It wouldn't matter if I wasn't in hearing distance. As a song dragon, my ears are more advanced than any regular human.

"Every guild master just got a troubling announcement from the Council," she began, "they're starting something called the Grand Magic Games." This news was definitely startling.

"What's the purpose behind these games?" I questioned her.

"Ever since most of our members disappeared, Fairy Tail has gone to the bottom." she uttered.

"So, the Grand Magic Games is a contest between guilds? Whichever guild wins the games, becomes the strongest in Fiore." I pondered.

"Exactly." Laki replied.