Firefall || Fairy Tail

74 : l u c y ' s . p l a n

"Where's Wendy?! What have you done with her?!"

Erza screamed up to the Black Dragon that circled above them. He gave no response, not even reacting to her cries, before flying off in the direction they had originally come from. Everyone that had been aboard the Christina looked after the fleeing figure as he grew smaller and smaller.

"You're just going to run away?! You coward!"

'Think.' Kia racked her brain as she tried to come up with a plan, the pain in her growing weaker the further the dragon got, 'How can I fight him without my curse? He probably can't stomach my flames for long, but what about my time sickness?'

"Damn you!" Titania continued screaming to the sky.

But though Acnologia did not answer her, the sky above seemed to hear her cries.

There was a sound of more cracking before a new hole opened up in the sky, dropping two forms to the waves below.

"Man!"

"Is that them?" Jenny was in disbelief, but Eve was overjoyed.

"They're still alive!"

The two splashed into the water, taking only a few moments before they resurfaced, coughing as if it had been some time since they took their last breaths. Everyone immediately swam in their direction.

"I don't understand." Erza asked, "How did you survive that?"

"Honestly..." Ichiya bobbed between Ren and Hibiki as they helped the older man stay afloat, "I don't know, but I'm grateful."

The other unexpected survivor looked over the crowd of faces, easily noticing the missing one. "What happened to Wendy?"

"I'm not quite sure," Erza explained, "but Acnologia somehow made her disappear."

Kia floated near the two, "He said something about his temporal realm." There was an edge of bitterness in her words that didn't go unnoticed by the Celestial Wizard. Titania had also picked up on the unusual bite of hostility in the pinkette's tone, but couldn't question it as Anna began to speak.

"I should've known." Her brown eyes transfixed on the water lapping around her, "I fear the joyous ending I'd hoped for won't come to pass."

Erza tried to read the blonde's expression, "But why? What changed?"

"I made a huge miscalculation. I never considered he could actually consume the time rift. And now it would appear the cost of the enormous power he's gained was a loss of control. Acnologia has been split into two separate forms: flesh and spirit."

"He has?" Erza's eyes widened.

Jellal moved up beside her, "What do you think he'll do?"

"His physical form will wreak havoc in this world while his spirit tries to maintain a balance from inside the rift."

Ichiya could only stare, "A balance?"

"We weren't necessary in maintaining that balance, thus, ejected. But the Dragon Slayers play a vital role. He's going to circulate their magic power throughout the rift in an attempt to stabilize his own."

Kia's stomach clenched from Anna's words. What was the point of everything up until now if that scaly bastard got her brother anyway? And it wasn't just Natsu, Acnologia apparently had Gajeel, Wendy, and the boys, not to mention Laxus as well.

Jellal's mind went to all of the Dragon Slayers, but specifically the one that stood by his side in Crime Sorciere. "All the Dragon Slayers are trapped in there? Inside the rift?"