Fairy Tail: Falling Towards the Chaos

Chapter 21

They were sitting ducks waiting in the trashed guild hall. Natsu had taken a seat on the floor underneath Lucy's statue, sitting away from where Happy and Master read through each new update regarding the guild. The number of active members were dwindling quickly, and no one had even come close to beating a member of the Thunder Legion yet. Gajeel was no better than him at the moment; both of them were stuck behind the walls, and only Natsu knew the real reason why.

Natsu didn't bother wasting energy fighting or arguing with the hologram of Laxus instead, he waited patiently until the first crack occurred.

A crack appeared across the side of Erza's face, causing everyone to panic.

"What the heck?! Natsu, quick, get the glue!" Happy shrieked, flying in circles. Master began to cry, freaking out over what to do.

"You think glue will help?! Me and flamebrain have to weld her back together with my iron and his fire!" Gajeel retorted, waving his hand around. Natsu finally got up from his spot, stepping closer to her statue, observing it closely.

"I don't think so," he mumbled loud enough to catch everyone's attention, "I have a weird feeling about this, just wait and see."

Then suddenly, like glass, Erza's statue shattered into millions of pieces, and she appeared unharmed in her Lolita costume for the contest. She blinked once, then twice, as she looked around the empty guildhall.

"Erza...? But how?" Master inquired in shock and disbelief.

"I'm not sure, but I have a hunch it has something to do with my artificial eye," the swordswoman stated, her hand smoothing over her right eye, "I'm aware of what's going on, I could still hear a bit despite being stone -- interesting, they've already added me to the tournament. How convenient."

The number showing the combatants had gone up from 2 to 4 in a split second.

"It went up, but who could it be?" Gajeel asked, staring at the number intensely.

"Another strong candidate for the title of Fairy Tail's strongest wizard," Erza smirked, "Mystogan."

"Alright, it's time to strike back! Do your worst, Erza!" Master encouraged, filled with newfound confidence. Erza nodded before sprinting out of the guild into the streets of Magnolia. Natsu watched her retreating back with envy, clenching his fists. All he could do was wait, and he hated it.

So, he just sat back in his previous spot by Lucy with a heavy sigh.

"When are you going to tell her?"

Across from him was Gajeel who had taken it upon himself to raid the bar's utensils and was munching on them. The iron dragon slayer stared at him pointedly, and Natsu scoffed.

"As if I'd ever talk to you about it," Natsu grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Who else can you talk to about it? I'm the only one who understands plus I'm curious, sue me," the metal freak shrugged.

"Yeah? Worry about yourself first and what you're going to say to Levy after everything you've done,"

"I'm working on it!"

The two dragon slayers looked at each other incredulously before simultaneously huffing and looking away. There's no way I could ever be friends with a guy like him, dragon or not.

Still, Natsu side eyed him. It was weird. Gajeel had imprinted on Levy of all people. Maybe it was noticeable in subtle ways. He guessed it wasn't impossible, but just a weird turn of events. Levy had been the least injured one, with just a Phantom insignia marked on her abdomen. Natsu had only managed to pick up on it a few days ago when Levy's scent had begun to mix with Gajeel's.

"I want to take it slow, I don't want to freak her out — that's the last thing I want, she's my mate," Natsu sighed again.

"Humans are so fragile with their feelings," Gajeel grumbled and for once, Natsu silently agreed.

-----

An hour had passed.

Natsu had slumped over, spacing out, his gaze looked onto the opposite wall. His mind was completely blank. He couldn't do much, and it frustrated him, but he forced himself to trust in Erza.

His ears twitched, picking up on a sound.

Natsu stood up abruptly, catching the attention of everyone in the hall besides Gajeel whose head was turned in the direction of Levy. Then, all at once, the statues shattered, revealing their unharmed guild mates, who looked absolutely confused.

Lucy's eyes looked around, searching, before finally finding Natsu who stood on the floor by her. She smiled brightly, reaching out for him.

She gasped when Natsu pulled her into his arms swiftly, holding her in a tight hug.

"What's going on? The last thing I remember is that woman showing up," Lucy whispered, pulling away from Natsu's embrace to look at him in the eyes. His lips were pursed into a thin line, and he brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. Natsu ignored her question, focusing on reassuring himself that everything was okay. That Lucy was okay. That was all that mattered.

In an instant, the runes from the entrance floated towards the center of the hall. Everyone was on guard as the runes formed into a skull. Laxus announced the launch of the Thunder Palace as well as his plan to take everyone in the city of Magnolia as hostages, which shook everyone to their core.

"Stop this madness at once, Laxus! You've gone way too far!" Master shouted, his veins popping and clearly visible on his forehead. He doubled over, face twisted in pain, his hand gripping his chest before he collapsed.

"Gramps!"

Mira moved him to the infirmary, so he could rest comfortably after giving him the proper medication. The others gathered on the upper balcony, looking at the floating lightning lacrimas in the sky surrounding Magnolia.

"If those things go off, Magnolia will be burnt to a crisp by lightning," Cana advised.

Bisca decided to take a shot at one, only to have her magic redirected back at her when it was destroyed. She crumpled into a heap on the floor, with Levy hovering over her worriedly.

"Laxus was always a dirty bastard, now he's using body-link magic too," Natsu growled.

Everyone scattered instantly with new goals in mind, some going to find the Thunder Legion to defeat them or evacuate the townspeople. It wasn't just a race to save their guild, but also to save the townspeople who got roped into this mess.

"I'm going to help the others evacuate, I'll be back as soon as I'm done," Lucy assured, shrugging on her jacket and checking for her keys. Natsu stopped himself from physically stopping her.

"What the hell are you talking about?! You can't go out there!" Natsu shouted at her, following behind her as she set a steady pace for the guild's main entrance. He just got her back after worrying out of his mind and now, she just wanted to run off and put herself in more danger?!

"I'm a member of Fairy Tail, so this is my fight too, just like everyone else's," Lucy reminded him with a sigh, zipping up her jacket. She was consistent enough with summoning her spirits and managing how much magical energy she used now that overexerting herself or having a seizure wasn't in the forefront of her mind. She just had to pace herself properly, plus, she couldn't continue hiding behind others forever. She would have to take a stand as well.

"Lucy, don't go out there," Natsu stressed from behind her, but she refused to turn around. She took a deep breath to ground herself.

"I know you want to protect me, but I have to do this, I need to help," Lucy said firmly before she ran after Cana and Juvia who had already left, "I'll come back! I promise!" She called out over her shoulder to Natsu whose face held a menacing glare.

"Happy," Natsu barked and the exceed flew over.

"Follow her. Keep her safe." Natsu commanded, Happy nodded determinedly and zoomed after the blonde wizard. Natsu watched them go as he felt helpless again.

"Natsu?" Levy's voice trembled, pulling his attention towards her.

"I think I can get you guys out,"

To be continued...