The Paradox of Time - A Fairy Tail Fanfic

Chapter 6

It took half an hour to get to their destination. Erza clutched the flyer Mira reluctantly gave her, rereading it again and again as she tried to piece the words together. Natsu... the dark wizard... terrorizing Solona Village... WANTED! DEAD OR ALIVE! She shook her head, disbelief evident on her face. She couldn't comprehend how messed up this was. Natsu was gone.

Lucy was staring at her feet the whole trip. They took a train there, but they planned on walking back on foot with Natsu. For Natsu's sake. That's what Gray told her, even making a remark that if Natsu resisted, then he'll knock him out. She could tell he was just playing around, trying to block out all the threats and warnings the guild gave them about this new Natsu. In reality, however, no one could shake off the fact that all that was being said could be true. Lucy began to doubt the idea of meeting up with Natsu. She didn't want to see this new version of him, even though it wouldn't technically be the "real him". Even if they did plan on taking him back, that would be impossible with this newfound strength that he was said to have. Lucy shook her head, pushing those thoughts into the back of her mind. She had to stay strong for Natsu, and they were going to take him home.

"Remember, by no means do I want you two to fear Natsu from all the awful things that they said about him, but also I do not want you to ignore those warnings either. We are here to talk to Natsu himself, to get our own perspective in this situation, but do not be rash and do anything to upset him. Mind you, this may not be the Natsu we know." Erza looked at Lucy, noticing her face knotted with distraught. "I know this is hard, but you'll have to stay strong." She reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll know," Lucy managed to say through deep breaths. Erza returned a smile as she squeezed her shoulder.

Gray smirked. "Just remember, we will get him back. Natsu is Natsu. He will always be our idiotic flame-brain, no matter what... time dimension we're in." He had trouble finding a name for this predicament they were in. For now, calling this alternate universe another 'time dimension' would work. "We'll bring him back, I promise."

Lucy covered her mouth, shooting her eyes between the two of them. "What about Happy? Where do you think he is?" Erza spoke up, her eyes still trained onto the road ahead of him. "Happy is strong too, you know. He is probably the one watching over Natsu. Those two are inseparable." Lucy studied her teammates' expressions, noticing the deep pangs of guilt in their eyes. She forgot that everyone took a big toll in his disappearance, and that they were all in this together.

"We're here." Gray interrupted, looking at the village's welcoming sign in front of him. Walking towards it, the details on the wooden sign became clear. The letters engraved in the wood were charred and distorted with burnt marks, warping the word "Solona" into "Salamander". Gray sighed as he looked closely at the sign. "We found him."

They entered the village, unnerved by the work Natsu had done. The sky was lit up in orange and gray as thick smoke escaped the flames that conquered their territory within the village. The whole place was ablaze as the trio watched, their eyes and mouths wide open like children watching a light show. Houses, trees, grass, shops; they were all in flames. The three lost their breath, both from the oxygen that the fire deprived them of, and from their inability to comprehend the situation.

Erza looked around, searching for any signs of life. "Lucy! Gray! Let's go and search the area for anyone who is in need of help! Keep a lookout for Natsu too!" The two nodded, before dashing off into the burning houses.

Lucy ran into a small building, noticing that she entered a coffee shop. A glass display of fresh sweets stood across the room of tables and chairs, with a counter on top of it and an old fashioned coffee maker. Nothing was burned within the shop, but it was still nonetheless clouded with ash floating in the air. Lucy covered her mouth from the thick smoke, trying in vain to find anyone. "Hello?! Is anyone here?!" She shouted. Talking became difficult. She yelled two more times, until a small yelp was heard.