London was a crowded place these days. Sure it had always been crowded, but it was now more crowded then usual. Not only were there tourists flooding the place, but there seemed to be a vast majority of people moving here to live as well..even if it was only temporary.1
People wearing signs that proclaimed the end of the world were all in the streets preaching to anybody who would listen.
Some of them said that Dravis was an agent of God come to proclaim the start of the Rapture. Others said that the aliens were coming to suck out their brains. It was already quite obvious that Dravis's coming was sparking up a lot of riots among the human race both in this world and the other one.
So far, the appearance of Etherial Wyrms in this world had been isolated to the North American regions. It had escalated into a period of panic in the United States when several Etherial Wyrms killed some well known congressmen...and and an entire hoard of Wyrm hatchlingss crowded themselves into the Empire State Building, massecreing many who were inside. Some guild mages had been hired all around the world to try and counter the growing threat. Kagura was actually protecting the U.S. president while some other Mermaid Heel members were in Tokyo trying to exterminate some Wyrms that were causing mass mayhem on the streets.1
It was nowhere near as bad as Fiore...but of course...it was about to escalate to that level.
Right now...London remained one of the few places that hadn't been hit by a single one of Dravis's forces. That was because, at the moment, over 15 different magical organizations of this world were meeting here and didn't want to be disturbed...at the moment, over 700 protection spells were placed around the city, using everything from powerful biblical phrases to tarot cards that had certain representations.
Birdway wouldn't have bothered with the protection though...as far as she was concerned..those Wyrms would have to do a whole lot more then roar and swing their tails if they wanted to take down somebody at her level.
The blonde twelve year old known as Leivinia Birdway strolled through the streets of London ever so casually. Usually, she would have been surrounded by men wearing suits and shades and also accompanied by her right hand man Mark Space. But today, she was alone...and she felt she needed to be..today's issue for discussion was far more troublesome then she would have imagined before.
After walking for a while. She came to stop next to a man in black preist's clothing with long red hair and a barcode tattoo under one of his eyes.
Stiyl Magnus took the cigar out of his mouth and sighed some smoke. "She's over there.."
Stiyl nodded at a woman in a fancy old fashioned looking dress with impossibly long hair. Laura Stuart, the pope of the English Puritan Church, looked at Birdway with a mischievous smile. "Why..I didn't think you would actually turn up."
"Well," said Birdway. "You did offer free mochi."1
Laura handed over a small box with Japanese characters on it and pictures of the delectable food. "I must say, if there is one thing those strange ones in Japan have right...it's this wonderous tasting thing."
Birdway opened the box and picked out a pink mochi, biting into it and enjoying the flavor for a moment before speaking. "It's as we feared, while looking into the records of the ancient archives today...I found this."
Birdway took out a worn looking scroll and handed it to Laura who opened it and translated the mixture of Ancient Greek, Sumerian, and Egyptian. "And the Angel Who Brought The Dragon Known As Death shall rise from the darkness once more after his long slumber...all shall die..blablabla..blablabla... my, these apocalyptic prophecies are all the same aren't they?"
"But you know what it's talking about." said Birdway.
"Yes...Asgawrath....but don't be too quick to judge." said Laura. "The Head Captain Yamamoto just contacted me through the Senkaimon last night to assure me that the elder angel remains asleep as he has for billions of years..."2
"I would believe him..except the Soul Reapers have grown proud and arrogant over the years..drunk with their own power." said Birdway. "They're in denial of the bigger picture."
Birdway took another scroll out of her pocket, and this one looked slightly newer..and the ink on it was as black as night.
Laura took the scroll and read it...and this time an expression that rarely ever appeared on her face took place: Fear.
"Th-this...is.." stuttered Laura.
"Yeah.." said Birdway. "The exact handwriting and wordings of Zeref as he himself predicts Asgawrath's return. It will happen...and when he returns...not even a god will be able to stop him."
"We will see.." said Laura. "But for now we have closer issues to think about...Dravis is slowly gaining the advantage on this world while he has already gained one in Fiore...it's becoming quite possible that the human race of every dimension won't live to see the return of Asgawrath...though..it might be a better fate for us to be destroyed by Dravis then meet our eternal fates with Asgawrath."
"You're forgetting Railgun."
"And what hope is she for us?" said Laura with a smile that projected no warmth. "Surely you must be realizing by now the same conclusion she herself has probably already come to. The closer Mikoto Misaka get's to that goal..the more she will realize...her death at the end of this is inevitable....she will die...already she has probably abandoned her friends to ensure that they don't share in her fate...her nobleness will get her and all of us killed by those stinking creatures."
Birdway paused for a moment. "Even so...she is our only hope.
Fiore...several miles from Fairy Tail Campsite.
"MIKOTO!!!" Natsu called out into the wilderness as h continued to look around for even a hint of his friend. That morning had been a period of absolute mayhem. The first thing that Lucy had noticed after she had awoken, was that Mikoto was not in her sleeping bag...then everyone remembered that they hadn't seen Mikoto go to bed that night.
Of course that wasn't unusual in itself. Mikoto never slept well anymore. However, the panic started when everyone realized that nobody had seen high nor tail of Mikoto ever since Nicole had seen her near Erza's tent. That's when a massive search had started....
So desperate were they to find her, they even interrogated the captive Plasmoid and Jackal and demanded they tell if they had somehow let Hydra Head kidnap Mikoto. Jackal merely scowled and said there was no mage alive who could take such a monster...Plasmoid just cackled as usual and asked if Night Reveler was juggling their brains somewhere.
That was when Erza found a note pinned near her bunk in her tent..a note that explained how Mikoto had overheard she and Jellal talking, and how she couldn't let her precious friends share her doom.
And it was that note that set Natsu off. He could see the love and care Mikoto had written in every part of that note...her desire for her friends to continue living. No way could he let her face such a dark fate alone...he woudn't let her...in fact...he would change that fate.1
And so Natsu, without waiting for any orders or requests or anything set off into the woods with Lucy, Happy, and Elli hot on his tail. They weren't the only ones. Erza immediatly sent out several search parties while going off on her own to search as well. Nicole Mavros eventually caught up with and joined Natsu's group in their search along with her Exceed partner Maverick.
"She knew we would try and follow her.." said Nicole as she placed a hand on the ground and sniffed the air. "She's found a way to cover her scent and tracks."
"DARN IT!!" Natsu yelled into the air. "I SWEAR I'LL FIND YOU MIKOTO!! YOUR FRIENDS ARE RIGHT HERE!!"
"Natsu calm down!" said Lucy. "You'll attract some Wyrms with the way you're shouting around."
"I don't get it.." said Happy. "If she knew we would follow her if we knew, why would she leave a note?"
"She hates lying and decieving others." said Elli as she sniffled slightly. "It was already hard enough for her to make the decision she did in the first place..."
"That's her alright." said Nicole. "She always was pretty pure hearted...even when I was trying to kill during the Grand Magic Games...she never held a grudge or hated me..."
"Hmm.." Maverick nodded in agreement as he adjusted his eyepatch with one paw. "She's a fine girl...I don't think it would do to let her face such a cruel fate without us to back her up.." (Maverick's eyepatch originally had the Fright Face emblem on it..now it has the Fairy Tail insignia.)
"But how are we supposed to track her?" Nicole muttered.
Suddenly Lucy's eyes widened, as if she had a sudden idea. "I've got it!"
Lucy reached into a pocket and pulled out a cellphone. "Yes! I have 1 bar...let's see." Lucy put the phone to her ear as she made a call. "Hello? Imouto...is that you?"
"Yes, this is Misaka, says Misaka as she confirms the question asked her on the phone." said a monotone girl's voice in the speaker.
"Listen, it's Lucy!"
"Ah yes...Misaka remembers. Lucy Heartfillia is Big Sister's friend...Misaka calls her Bigger Sister.."
"Look," said Lucy. "I don't have much time to explain...but is it possible for you to use you and your other Sister's network to pinpoint Mikoto?"
"It is possible...if she is in Fiore..says Misaka as she considers it." said Imouto Misaka. "It is better there because of the lack of electronic interferance says Misaka as she explains."
"Okay...she's in Fiore..just try it please."
"Misaka will try..." There was a long pause...then... "Misaka has found Big Sister."
"You have!?" Natsu shouted next to Lucy.
"Misaka will text the estimated coordinates to you, says Misaka as she now begins to use the texting function on her phone."
Lucy switched her phone over to Messages and looked to find, much to her surprise, that Mikoto wasn't too far away from where they were currently searching, though it was very far from the main camp. And according to the text under the coordinates, Mikoto was still moving..which meant they had to go fast.."
"Elli! Happy! Maverick!" Lucy shouted. "Your three are going to have to fly us now!"
"Aye Sir!!" Happy shouted as he caught hold of Natsu's back and activated his wings. Elli grabbed hold of Lucy while Maverick grabbed hold of Nicole. The group flew into the air at top speed and soared over the trees, Elli having a little more difficulty then the other Exceeds.
"Eh?" Lucy said. "Elli what's wrong?"
Elli opened her mouth to say Lucy was kind of heavy but stopped abruptly the moment she saw Natsu and Happy shaking their heads at her in a silent warning.2
"umm...I guess I'm just tired..."
"There she is!" Nicole pointed a bit into the trees.
Without a single moment's hesitation, Natsu and Happy shot like a bullet towards Mikoto. "MMMIIIIIIKKOOOOOTTTTOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Mikoto, who was hiking through the trees, turned her head in confusion. "N-Natsu?"
"WHAAAAAM!!!!" Natsu and Happy collided with Mikoto in a massive cloud of dust and debree.
When Nicole, Lucy, Elli, and Maverick landed, Mikoto was spitting dirt out of her mouth as Natsu and Happy hugged her enthusiastically.
"G-guys!! Hold on!!" said Mikoto. "Y-you're...ack....squeezing the air out of all my lungs."
Lucy couldn't help it...as tears began to pour out of her eyes she walked forward and wrenched Mikoto away from the two and hugged her tightly. "Don't you ever EVER try and walk off without us. I don't care what kind of death awaits any of us or you...I'm not letting you out my sight."
"Idiots..." Mikoto murmured as tears began to pour out of her eyes as well. "Can't you guys see what will happen if you come with me?"
"Oh we know.." said Nicole as a tear went down her cheek as well.
"The thing is.." continued Natsu. "If you're going to die..then we'd rather die with you then live without you..this ain't a choice. We're coming with you whether you like it or not."
Elli burst into tears as she cried and flew straight into Mikoto's arms. "I-I don't want you to leave me...I-I d-don't care if I die.....I don't ever want you to leave me..."
Mikoto looked at the sobbing Elli and then at the faces of her friends. Even though they knew what was coming...they would still follow her to the end of all things..."
"So..." murmured Mikoto. "You're going to take me back now huh?"
"Ya kidding?" said Natsu with a grin. "Take a good look."
Natsu pointed at the pack he was wearing on his back as well as the ones that Lucy and Nicole currently had. Elli was carrying her old slightly oversized pack from when she used to be a treasure hunter.
"You guys are actually-" Mikoto said.
"Erza already knows..." said Nicole. "We told her that was what we were going to do the moment we left to search for you. All Natsu needs to do is to send up a flare, and Erza will pull back the search party...besides, judging from that old looking map you're holding in your hand there, we'll be heading in the same general direction anyways."
Mikoto paused for a moment. "You guys do know that the chances we'll come back alive are pretty much...zero...right?"
"Uh huh." said Nicole.
"That still won't stop us." said Happy.
Mikoto smiled sadly. What had she done to deserve such wonderful friends? No...not just friends....family...her crazy, awesome, slightly messed up, family.
"Well...I guess we had better get going then.."
Miles away, Erza watched as she saw a bright flame shoot into the sky like a star that hadn't realized it wasn't night yet. As she watched, Jellal came up next to her.
"Jellal...do you believe fates can be changed?" Erza whispered.
Jellal nodded. "After all...mine was.."
"Then I believe...they will come back alive." said Erza. "No matter what..they will come back alive."
Jellal paused for a bit. "Erza...we have to move now..The main members of Hydra Head are starting to mobilize...and Grimoire Heart is starting to make their move too. If we stay too long, the entire squad will be wiped out."
"I'll gather our troops and go." said Erza. "What are you going to do?"
"Rendevous with the rest of Crime Sorciere." said Jellal. "Hopefully Twilight Prankster has caused enough mayhem to delay the enemy for a good bit...last I saw, he smacked Aurumnus Rager with a giant cream pie the size of a villiage. It's time we took care of Hydra Head...2
"Just promise me one thing." said Erza.
"Yes.."
"that you will come back alive..."
Jellal smiled. "I don't plan on dying...not when there's someone like you in this life making everything that much sweeter."
Gravix's Secret Notes. Part One.
These are more notes from Gravix's research into lost magicks. This is something he wrote before the start of the Grand Magic Games, where he was assessing the differences between the magic of Mikoto's world and Fiore.
Gravix: It appears that I must once again draw the same conclusion, while the energy used for magic is indeed the same energy in both worlds...it seems that the people of this world have a different nature when dealing with this force. While the magic use of our world tend to use the inner mass of power that dwells in us to merely mold into a form that our nature provides, the mages here seem to rely on certain religious objects or other texts from both the Bible and classic literature.
Stiyl Magnus's need to summon Innocentius The Witch Hunter King with such a lengthy incantantation is one example.
I also believe that the magic in the humans of this world have their own magic well of power...but for now...it is merely a theory.