Present: Tempest

A:N:

On to the present! Certain things might be exactly the same as in the manga.

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X791

Evangeline awoke to voices echoing around her. Some people seemed to be yelling, others crying. She opened her eyes and saw she was laying down under a tree, and then realized that her arm really hurt. She carefully sat up and noticed the soreness all over her body, as if she had been flung. Then she remembered what had happened prior to her passing out.

"Hey, guys, Evangeline is over here!" someone called out, then a bunch of people rushed over to her.

"Wait… Alzack? Bisca? You look older," she murmured as she watched them surround her. They were just two of the ones that came over to her.

"It's been seven years, Ev," Bisca told her while holding a hand out for Evangeline to grab. She took Bisca's hand and pulled herself up.

"Seven years? Seriously?" Evangeline said is disbelief. Bisca nodded to her.

"Everyone else is awake and moving to Christina to get back to Magnolia. You were the only one we weren't able to find," Alzack told her. At this, the group started walking towards the airship.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive, and Laxus was standing at the boarding ramp. His breath hitched when he saw her.

Evangeline saw him and broke off from the group, and, ignoring the pain all over her body, broke out into a run towards him. She got there in little time and jumped at him, his arms wrapping around her frame and holding her tightly. He set her down on her feet then kissed her as if he would never be able to again.

"I was so worried about you when no one could find you," he whispered to her after their broke apart.

"It'll take more than the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse to kill me, love," she said, kissing him again. Someone cleared their throat to their side, and they turned to face whoever it was that was interrupting them.

"We have to get going if we want to make it back before the weekend," Makarov told the pair. He had his head turned away from them because he knew that if he watched the two of them together, he wouldn't be able to make his grandson leave. Makarov promptly went up the boarding ramp to the ship, and the couple followed after him.

"So, seven years, huh?" Evangeline said as she rested her head on her "new-but-not-so-new" fiancé's shoulder.

"Mmm. Seven whole years," he sighed. "The whole world went on without us."

"In a way. But what about Romeo? My little baby really isn't a baby anymore, and you heard what Alzaxk and Bisca said. He doesn't smile anymore. The world didn't go on for him. For anyone that is truly a member of Fairy Tail. Or the members of Lamia Scale. Or Blue Pegasus," Evangeline replied. It irked her; the thought of basically being dead for seven years.

"He'll be okay now. He'll have his Mama Bear back," Laxus said, shaking his head.

"Oh, hush. You raised him, too. You're worried about him just like I am," Evangeline scolded. She saw Gray coming across the ship to talk to her. She hadn't seen or spoken to him yet. She lifted her head off of Laxus's shoulder just before Gray sat across from her.

"I'm glad you're okay," Gray said. Evangeline smiled at her brother.

"I'm glad you're okay, too," she replied.

"We were about to start tearing the island apart when Alzack found you," Gray told her. "Me and the asshole over there were about to head out when you came over." Evangeline laughed and shook her head.

"Ah, you two working together to find me. Sounds like the good old days, huh?" she teased. Gray and Laxus frowned at this.

"Not funny, Ev," Gray sighed. Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it is. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. We're on our way home. We're safe."

A few days later, the group finally reached Magnolia's port. The dragon slayers felt as if they were dying aboard the ship for so long. Laxus hid in his room with Evangeline the whole time because he didn't want anyone else to know he had motion sickness. Wendy, of course, was fine the whole time.

When they finally reached land, everyone was excited to get back to the guild. However, everyone was shocked when they weren't taking the main street in Magnolia to get to their guild. They went to the outskirts of Magnolia to a run-down shack that now held the Fairy Tail guild banner overhead.

Natsu swing the doors open and saw there were people from a different guild in the guild hall, so he kicked them out through the wall. Evangeline wasn't paying attention to that, much. She was more concerned about her guild members that had spent seven years alone. She was looking for one person in particular, and finally, she found him and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around the boy and kissed the top of his head over and over again.

"My sweet Romeo, I'm so sorry," she told him. The boy circled his arms around his mother figure.

"I missed you," Romeo said, his voice shaking. "You're home now, though, so it's alright."

"I promise that we won't ever disappear like that again," Evangeline told him softly as she loosened her arms and let him go. Romeo then went and tackled Natsu in a hug as well. Everything was going to be alright now. Everyone was back together.

The Tenrou group started talking to different members of the guild, at least those that were left. Makarov was furious that Twilight Ogre was currently occupying the real Fairy Tail guild hall and holding debt over their guild. It was decided that he would go with Erza and Mira to make sure that the idiots never messed with Fairy Tail again.

Meanwhile, Laxus had snuck out. Evangeline felt that he was nearby but was walking away. She left the building and went after him.

"You know, I thought you'd stick around for a while at least," Evangeline said from behind him. He stopped walking.

"You heard Gramps. I'm still not a member. Not leaving Magnolia, but I just wanted to get away from the guild for a while," Laxus said, and Evangeline could tell even without using her magic that something was bothering him.

"It's not about that, is it?" she asked, walking up next to him and taking his hand. He looked down at her with guilt in his eyes.

"They're all still scared of me, Ev. I can't stay there when none of them want me around," he said, sadness leeching into his voice. Evangeline soothed away the guilt and sadness.

"They don't know you, Laxus. For them, it's been almost 13 years since you've been the Laxus they used to know. They've lost sense of who you were, who you still are. They only know the Laxus that set them up to fight each other, but that's not really you. You won't be able to change their minds if you keep running away every time someone sends a hesitant glance your way. Show them who you are, love," Evangeline told him. What she wasn't expecting was for Laxus to pick her up and start carrying her.

"Later. For now, my only priority is to take you home," he said, kissing the top of her. She rolled her eyes, but she relaxed. Everything was finally right again.

The next day, Evangeline and Laxus arrived at the guild around noon. They were in no hurry to leave their home that morning. Laxus didn't want to hang around inside the guild, so he decided to sit outside, and Evangeline joined him after getting some water from the bar. A bit later, little Asuka, Bisca and Alzack's daughter, came outside and wandered over to the two.

"Asuka-chan? Did you tell your parents that you are outside?" Evangeline asked the girl. She didn't want her friends to worry about their little one.

"Mmm! Mama and Papa know. I want to play with this," Asuka exclaimed, holding up her new toy rifle. Evangeline stood from her spot and kneeled down next to the girl.

"Oh, that's cool, Asuka-chan! When did you get that?" Evangeline asked, smiling at the girl.

"Papa gave me it to me at breakfast!" Asuka told her.

"How about I set up some cans that I just happen to have in my requip space for you to shoot at? Your Mama and Papa told you about the rules with guns, right?" Evangeline asked the girl. Asuka nodded.

"No pointing at people, and look behind," Asuka said. Evangeline nodded, then requipped some cans and set them up on the wooden fence on the side of the forest.

Laxus, meanwhile, was watching the two interact. It was odd in a way, at least to him. If they hadn't been on the island when it disappeared, they'd probably have a kid close to Asuka's age now. Maybe. The night before, he had a dream where he was watching Evangeline playing with a little boy while holding a little girl. The boy had her eyes but had blonde hair. The girl was like a clone of Evangeline. Now, watching Evangeline helping Asuka made him feel something that he didn't really understand, and he couldn't name it.

Asuka shot at the cans that Evangeline had set up and then Evangeline set them up again. Asuka had pretty decent aim, but she wasn't as good as her parents yet, but she was only five. She had a long time to get better. Eventually, Bisca called Asuka back inside. Evangeline turned back to see that Laxus was still sitting under the tree she had left him at. She walked over and sat down next to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Evangeline asked him. He shrugged. Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"Mhmm, sure," she said, standing up again. "I'll figure it out eventually, but for now, we should get something to eat."

The two returned to the guild after lunch to find everyone outside dancing. Evangeline, of course, wanted to join in the fun, whereas Laxus was hesitant.

"Oh, come on, we can do it right here, away from everyone else," Evangeline begged, flashing the puppy-dog eyes she had worked so hard on. Laxus sighed.

"Fine," he muttered. They fell comfortably into step with each other. Evangeline had a soft smile on her face.

"I remember we used to dance every Friday night when we were both home," she said quietly.

"And you would always insist that we both dress up incase we ever got to go to a society gala," he said. Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"It's happening now, we are going on this job too, you know," Evangeline said. Laxus stiffened a bit at this.

"I can't," he told her.

"Yes, you can. We both work better together. Besides, its for distant cousins of mine. I used to write them every once in a while. However, I don't agree with the purpose of the ball," Evangeline trailed off.

"It's to get her married off, isn't it?" Laxus asked. He knew how she felt about arranged marriages, and he shared her sentiments.

"Mmm. There's nothing I can do to stop it, either," she said, sadness leaking into her voice.

"We can't have control over everything, Ev. This is something that is out of our control. She'll be alright," Laxus said. Evangeline shook her head.

"Lucy ran away from a life like my cousin's. The reason Phantom attacked was that Lucy's father wanted her to marry. My cousin doesn't have that option to run away. She's being reduced to an object," Evangeline said. Laxus kissed her forehead.

"For some reason, something tells me that things will work out," he told her. Then, the music changed, and it just so happened to be their first dance song from their wedding. They both paused for a moment.

"May I have this dance, dear future wife of mine," Laxus asked her, his voice deep.

"Of course," Evangeline whispered.

Whilst they were dancing, Gray had broken away from the rest of the group to find his sister. She was dancing with Laxus just in front of the guild hall. Both of them were very relaxed, and both had smiles on their faces. They both looked a lot younger, really. He remembered what Evangeline and Laxus had looked like when they weren't together anymore. Laxus just looked crazy, and Evangeline seemed to not have any soul left. Now, that was all fixed.

"You know, you don't have to be a stalker, Gray," Evangeline said, loud enough for him to hear. Gray sighed, knowing he'd been caught. Evangeline and Laxus stopped dancing and went over to him.

"Yeah, you caught me," Gray said with his hands up in surrender. The couple laughed a bit at this.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm surprised you are the only one that noticed the song," Laxus said. He and Gray had been talking more since they got back from Tenrou.

"I'm not. Everyone else is kind of an airhead," Gray deadpanned. Evangeline and Laxus shook their heads.

"They are, but they are family. Honestly, I'm really surprised that Mira isn't over here. I figured she'd be nearly having a stroke," Evangeline said.

"She's dancing with Freed right now, so she's a bit distracted," Gray said. Evangeline smirked and Laxus just blinked.

"Wait, when did that happen?" Laxus asked.

"They haven't. Yet. I'm working on it," Evangeline said, smirk still on her face. Both males sighed.

"Ev, you are as bad as Mira," Gray said, and Laxus nodded in agreement.

"Scarier than her, too," Laxus added. Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Mira deserves to be happy, too, you know. I also need to get Lucy and Natsu together, but Natsu is so dense that it might be years," Evangeline sighed.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Gray said. "I'm pretty sure he knows he likes her, but he doesn't know what to do about it."

"His inner-dragon is probably telling him what to do," Laxus said. "Just like how mine recognizes Ev as mine, his sees Lucy as his. Same with Gajeel and Levy."

"So, I just need to make his dragon jealous then?" Evangeline asked. Laxus nodded.

"I'd be worried about it if this wasn't you attempting it. You can beat him pretty easily, even with him going all out," Laxus said. "His dragon should get possessive enough that he will have to do something."

"I'll keep that in mind, then."

"Anyway, I'm going to head back. Remember to be ready to go tomorrow morning to the estate," Gray said. The couple nodded, then Gray returned to the rest of the guild.

"We should get home to pack," Evangeline told Laxus. He nodded.

"We should probably also get dinner ready for tonight to."

The next day, Fairy Tail boarded the train to the estate their job was at. It would be the first time Evangeline saw her cousins in many, many years. She was in a compartment only with Laxus, who was not happy to be on a train for a few hours. He was laying down on the seat across from her. Evangeline started soothing away from of his discomfort, but she couldn't make it go away completely. Thankfully, that was all it took to get him to sleep.

Evangeline then requipped a book from her storage space and started reading. This one was a history of Fiore over the seven years the Tenrou group was gone. She wanted to know what had happened, especially information about guilds coming up in their absence.

One such guild was Sabertooth. In the past 7 years, they had gone from a no-name, small guild to the powerhouse of Fiore. They had won a new tournament called the Grand Magic Games every year since it was created. Supposedly, the new guild master of Sabertooth killed the previous guild master, and that started the transition. The addition of five new members created a super team that dominated the competition. These mages included Rufus Lore, Orga Nanagear, Yukino Agria, and the Twin Dragon Slayers, Sting Eucliffe and Rouge Cheney. Evangeline filed these names away for further research.

Other changes included various updated magical laws that further criminalize dark mages, and a few that work to prevent another demon binding situation like Evangeline had.

"You know, I think that's a good thing, really," Aspen said in her mind. Evangeline blinked.

"Aspen? Ah, yeah, I forgot that you can talk in my head now," Evangeline thought to her demon.

"I feel like I should be offended," Aspen said. Evangeline shrugged.

"Shush. You know I love you," Evangeline thought. She knew Aspen would be rolling her eyes. "What's your opinion on this Sabertooth group?"

"I don't like the sound of them. The dragon slayers might be problematic for us, as they were the only dragon slayers in Fiore for seven years. Try and get more information, at least about the type of dragon slayer magic they use. I might know something about their dragons at very least," Aspen told her.

"I'll see what I can find," Evangeline nodded. With that, Aspen faded from her mind. Evangeline requipped a notebook so she could write down all the things she wanted to look into. She'd also seen in the book, right towards the end, that Raven Tail had become an official guild. She needed to know more. She also wanted to look into the Grand Magic Games. It would be good to enter if they wanted to return to their former glory.

She started with the Grand Magic Games. She found that every year, the games were different. That means there would be no patterns to base strategy off of for team formation. In the case of Sabertooth, their members were simply good enough all around that they dominated the competition. The rules also changed every year and would be released at the end of the week.

The reward for winning the Grand Magic Games was the prestige of the title of Strongest Guild in Fiore, as well as 30 million jewel. She'd have to look into job records for Sabertooth to see how many jobs they were pulling in a month. She knew Fairy Tail wasn't pulling in more than five every month, which made it extremely difficult to save up any money. It wouldn't be too difficult to get the council to show her the records she wanted.

Evangeline didn't realize how carried away she had gotten on her research until she felt the train begin to slow down. She made sure she requipped all her books into her requip space before she woke Laxus, and the two made their way off the train.

The guild made their way to the client's home to get instructions as to what they would be looking out for that night. Evangeline still was not happy that she would be playing a part in her cousin's arranged marriage, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Somewhat. She tried to keep in mind what Laxus had told her. Usually his instincts were right.

Unsurprisingly, they were. Her dear cousin would marry her beloved, even though her father had done everything to stop it. The group was back on the train heading back to Magnolia.

"I told you everything would work out," Laxus told her. She sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just worry," she said quietly. Wendy had cast Troia on Laxus before they left this time, allowing the two to talk.

"I know you do. That's why I'm here, to be the levelheaded one," he shook his head. Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you being the levelheaded one," she scoffed. They both chuckled a few seconds later.

"So," Laxus said after a few moments.

"So," Evangeline mimicked. She was trying to figure out what he was going to say. She didn't pry into his thoughts, though, as it was extremely intrusive. She did feel him being nervous, though.

"When did you want to get married again," he finally said. Evangeline's gaze softened.

"Whenever. I don't think we need something traditional this time. Small, maybe head out to Akane for a weekend, then return to normal," she said, truthfully. He nodded.

"I heard Gramps talking about passing on the title of Master in the next few days. We should probably stick around at leas that long," he said.

"He is in two days. I already know who he has picked," Evangeline said. Laxus sent her a questioning look, so she continued.

"He talked to me about it on Tenrou. He wanted me to be Master, but I turned him down. It's not my future. I do know who he has picked for now, but I don't know how that will end up," she said.

"So, the old man, huh?" Laxus said. Evangeline nodded.

"I don't think he will take it either, or at least, he won't stick around to take it," Evangeline sighed. Laxus shook his head.

"No, probably not." They fell into silence again.

"What's on your mind?" Evangeline asked him. She knew something was bothering him still.

"Do you want kids?" he finally asked.

"Of course. Maybe not right now, but someday," Evangeline said carefully. Laxus seemed to relax.

"I've been having a dream recently. It's always the same. It's both of us with two kids; a boy and a girl. Part of me wakes up every day believing the dream was reality, then I realize it was just another dream," he told her.

"I've had similar dreams before. It's not unusual or something to be nervous about talking about. Someday, that will be our reality. For now, we are here, about to go on many more adventures before we settle down," Evangeline replied, a smile on her face. He nodded to her, then leaned back on his bench.

Sure enough, Gildarts was selected as the next guild master and left nothing but a note. This note was the reason that Evangeline dragged Laxus to the guild hall that day. Gildarts reinstated Laxus as a member at full rank, and then passed the title of master back to Makarov. The guild started to party again, as that is what members of Fairy Tail did, while Makarov, Laxus, and Evangeline gathered in a private room to talk.

"So, Evangeline, I assume you've been researching the Grand Magic Games already?" Makarov asked. She nodded.

"I've picked up the rule book for this year, as well as the past six years. The rules change every year, as do all the events. Fairy Tail has always come in last, but that will not be the case this time. The main contenders will be Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus, and a new guild named Sabertooth. Sabertooth has won every Grand Magic Games thus far. Apparently, the new guild master is a tyrant who killed the previous guild master in order to push the guild farther. Overall, they are known for their cruelty. That's just the tip of the iceberg, too," Evangeline started. Laxus and Makarov frowned.

"Killed the guild master, huh? Who are their aces?" Laxus asked.

"Their main team consists of the Twin Dragons, Sting and Rogue. Sting Eucliffe is the White Dragon Slayer, and Rogue Cheney is the Shadow Dragon Slayer. They are adept as using their powers together in a unison raid and have never been beaten when they are together.

"Another of their aces is a mirror mage named Rufus. He can copy any magic that is not blood inherited or slayer magic. He is like Freed, extremely intelligent and calculates the likelihood of all possible moves before he even gets on the field. However, he has a lack of stamina, and can be beaten by mindlessness, such as Natsu or Gray.

"Yukino is a celestial mage, who is in possession of the rest of the golden keys, including the rumored 13th key. She is very powerful; however she is young and has a tendency to bite off more than she can chew sometimes. She generally gets out fine.

"Orga is the Lightning God Slayer. He has a massive magic container but tends to use power in place of strategy.

"Finally, there's Minerva. Minerva is as close to a demon as most humans can get. She's cold, calculating, and sadistic. She hasn't been in the past two games, most likely because Sabertooth's master decided they didn't need her power. She is the strongest out of any of them, partly because of her spatial magic. She's dangerous. I barely think I'd be able to take her right now," Evangeline finished.

"And as for the rules this year? Is there anything that we can use to our advantage more than other guilds?" Makarov asked, his voice low and serious. His brows were furrowed and his eyes dark. Evangeline smirked.

"We have the core group back. There's ten of us that would be ideal candidates for this," she started.

"We can only have one team, though," Makarov sighed. "How will I pick who goes and who doesn't?"

"You don't have to. There's a small line at the bottom of page 298 that states each guild may enter two teams into the games, however both teams must pass any preliminary matches in order to both be in the games," Evangeline finished.

"So, we get to send everyone?" Laxus asked, just to clarify. Evangeline nodded.

"We can send everyone. My recommendation would be to include myself, Laxus, Gajeel, Mira, and Juvia on one team, and Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Lucy on the other," Evangeline said.

"What about Freed? He'd be an advantage to us," Laxus questioned. Evangeline shook her head.

"Freed wouldn't play the part we need him to. Besides, he is widely known among the nobility and higher class families, as that is his lineage. The Justine family is a contract of Sabertooth, so undoubtably they have a lot of information about Freed. They also would have leverage over him. Freed also wouldn't last the best depending on what I've considered as possible matches if it is a battle style," Evangeline explained. Laxus sighed but agreed with her.

"It's probably for the best. Ever and Bix also wouldn't be the best option, as they would likely get distracted and be unable to counter someone with a type of magic they hadn't encountered or someone that is much more powerful than them," Laxus said.

"Exactly. We need to play to the strengths of everyone, and the people I selected have the highest amount of experience in battle with other mages. I may or may not have confirmed that it is indeed a battle style games," Evangeline shrugged. The males blinked.

"No one knows that but the king, supposedly," Makarov said.

"You both know that I have my ways of gathering information. Regardless, I had some favors to call in from the council, and this was one of the less-demanding favors. There are a few more that will play out soon enough," Evangeline said, her tone reflecting that she wouldn't be saying any more.

"What do you propose we do? We have about three months until the games," Makarov asked.

"Simple. Announce Fairy Tail will be entering tomorrow at noon. Everyone will head off to train. Those of us that were on Tenrou are lacking in control and magic capacity, and we will all work towards getting stronger. As for teams, since we can enter two, the team that you should announce to the guild is Team A: Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. Elfman as an alternate. Team B: Myself, Laxus, Mira, Gajeel, and Juvia. There may be room for some flexibility on our team depending on the event."

"Then that's what I shall do. You two should run home and get packing. I assume you'll be heading out tomorrow with the Thunder Legion?" Makarov asked the two. They nodded.

"We will," Laxus confirmed.

"I'm thinking we will likely train in the mountains."

"Mountains, Ev? The mountains? But it's so cold up here," Evergreen complained as the group trudged through the woods. It wasn't winter, so the ground was void of snow, but the air was still crisp.

"Yes, the mountains. This area is lowly populated, and it's good for Laxus and I to use our most destructive magic and perfect it without risking others. Whereas for you three, you can get used to more extreme conditions. Quite frankly, you're soft," Evangeline deadpanned after hearing Evergreen's tenth complaint in the past 5 minutes. Laxus rolled his eyes but didn't say anything because he agreed with her.

"Before you ask, we have another three hours before we make it to the place we are going to," Laxus added, and the rest of the thunder legion sighed. They were going to be in for a long three months.

"When will we get there?" Evergreen whined. "My feet hurt!"

"We will be there soon and stop complaining about your feet when it was your decision to wear heels in the first place, Ever. You knew we would be hiking a ways. It should only be a few more miles," Evangeline said, rolling her eyes. "We seem to have this conversation every time we are on a trip somewhere."

"You're not wrong," Freed chimed in. Bickslow nodded in agreement.

"Hey! I feel attacked," Evergreen pouted. The group laughed at her expense.

"So, what's the plan?" Bickslow asked, curious as to what Evangeline and Laxus had in mind for the next three months.

"We aren't sure yet," Laxus admitted. "We've lost 7 years of magic development, so we are very far behind everyone else."

"We are also rusty in our magical control. We need to get our old stamina and agility back, then we can work on getting stronger. This isn't going to be easy; I will warn you now," Evangeline said. "We will all be put through challenges that we might think we won't be able to overcome, and face pain we have never faced before, physically and mentally."

"We aren't afraid," Freed said confidently. Evergreen and Bickslow nodded in agreement.

"Whatever it takes, we are ready."

The group finally reached the place that would be their training grounds. It was at the base of a mountain many miles away from any sort of civilization. Here, they would be able to put themselves through extreme training without causing panic.

"Now, I think we should plan out the first month after we test ourselves tomorrow. We need to know our limits before we can set up a plan," Laxus said. "Tomorrow, the three of you will fight Ev and me. You three should go until you can't. From there, Ev and I will go one on one."

"The day after tomorrow will be a recovery day, as well as a planning day. After that, there will be no more days off. We need to push our bodies past the breaking point. Bad things are coming, as we saw from what happened on Tenrou. Zeref has returned, and Acnologia is aware of us as well. We need to be able to tolerate extended periods of magic use and magic depletion. Are you three ready for this training? If you aren't, you can still back out," Evangeline said, eyeing the group.

"I need to be able to protect my family," Evergreen said, determination burning in her eyes.

"I will not back down from a challenge," Freed nodded, and Evangeline saw the same determination in his eyes. Finally, she looked over to Bickslow.

"I guess I'll stick around," he shrugged. Evangeline smirked.

"Then rest for the night. We begin at sunrise tomorrow."

"I can't believe they are still going," Evergreen sighed from back at the campsite. Their battle with Laxus and Evangeline had ended five hours earlier.

"Those two have more magic each than the three of us combined. However, with the amount of magic they are using with each spell, I can only wonder how they have so much. It seems unnatural, even for them," Freed said. Then, the magic stopped. The group went out to where Evangeline and Laxus were battling and saw both of them passed out from exhaustion.

"Those two, they just don't know when to quit," Evergreen sighed.

"They wouldn't be our Evangeline and Laxus if they did," Bickslow pointed out. The other two nodded in agreement before bringing their friends back to camp. They woke up about half an hour later, having regained some of their magic.

"I feel like I got hit by a train," Evangeline groaned.

"Says the train," Laxus retorted.

"Did you just call me a train?" Evangeline asked, offended. "So rude!"

"I mean you hit like a train," Laxus clarified. Evangeline giggled.

"I know. I just wanted to mess with you," she said before she sat up. Laxus decided he didn't want to sit up just yet.

"So, we've got our baseline," Laxus said.

"We've got our baseline," Evangeline echoed in agreement. "Now we train from there."

"I've lost about 50% of my power, if I'm being honest," Evangeline admitted the next day. Laxus nodded in agreement.

"So, what is the plan for training, then?" Bickslow asked. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know, though.

"You three will be battling each other in order to increase your stamina. You can only get better at fighting by fighting. Make sure that you try and change up your attack style, as you know what to expect from each other currently. That is the downfall of training with people you've known for a very long time. Try to be unpredictable. Being able to adapt and confuse your opponent might save your life," Evangeline explained.

"We still stop for lunch around noon. After that, it's up to you to decide what you want to do," Laxus finished.

"I expect, however, that you will be doing actual training, and not over resting. Today is our only day of rest for the next three months. Enjoy it," Evangeline said, a smile crossing her face. Evergreen, Freed, and Bickslow paled.

"Of course, Ev," they said in unison.

"What will be your person plan of training, Ev? I know you typically do things a bit different than we usually do," Freed asked. Evangeline nodded.

"Laxus and I will be fighting each other most days. Since we both have such a large amount of magic, we need to be able to conserve it and channel just enough energy into our larger spells to make them have the desired effect, but not put more in than we need to. Other than that, I'll probably be working on new spells that I can use since my Ace isn't really so secret anymore," Evangeline sighed.

"It was never a secret. It's too flashy," Evergreen said, rolling her eyes. Evangeline shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I guess. That's what I get for using lightning, though. Aside from that, I'll probably also try some new ideas from Aspen," Evangeline shrugged.

"I'll be doing whatever she tells me to do," Laxus said. Evangeline nodded.

"Well, then let's all rest up and get ready for tomorrow."

A few days in to their first month of training, Aspen and Evangeline were having a conversation while Evangeline was meditating.

"You know, I think there is some of Elektra's soul lingering in the lacrima inside of your husband," Aspen told her.

"How?"

"I can feel it. Since my connection with you has less of a barrier now, I can feel the outside world much better, including my old friend's spirit. It's likely that whoever killed her and sealed her magic away did so before she was actually completely dead. It takes dragon souls about 20 seconds to leave their body because it has such a large magical presence," Aspen explained. Evangeline nodded.

"And you think Laxus might be able to contact her?"

"Exactly. If he's able to find the part of her soul that resides in the lacrima, she'd probably help him train his dragon slayer magic. She owes me a favor anyway," Aspen smirked. Evangeline shook her head.

"I won't even both asking why. I'll tell Laxus about it and see what he can do. Thank you," Evangeline said. Aspen nodded.

"Now shoo, you have something to tell that idiot," Aspen said as she threw Evangeline out of their shared mindscape. Evangeline opened her eyes to the real world and then stood to find Laxus. It didn't take her long.

"Laxus," Evangeline called out. He was sitting near the river near their campsite meditating.

"Hmm?" he replied, not opening his eyes.

"Aspen said that she knew the dragon that your lacrima is from," Evangeline said, and Laxus's eyes snapped open.

"And she didn't think to tell you this, I don't know, years ago?" Laxus said, somewhat irritated. Evangeline rolled her yes.

"She couldn't feel the outside world as well until recently. She picked up a familiar signature and attributed it to you and your dragon lacrima. She believes you might be able to contact the dragon's spirit, and she might help you," Evangeline explained. Laxus frowned.

"And how the fuck am I supposed to contact a dragon spirit inside of a lacrima? And why can't I feel that there's something there?" Laxus asked. Evangeline felt Aspen tugging on her mind, so she let Aspen take over.

"I can explain. Basically, you never accepted the lacrima as part of yourself, even now. You see it as a source of artificial power that your father decided to place inside you. You never felt for it's magic and pulled it into your own magic reserves. The presence of magic in it gives you your dragon slayer powers, but that's it right now. You could do a lot more with the power inside of that lacrima, and that's why I'm bringing this up. You can become a third-generation dragon slayer, Laxus. You can be trained by a real dragon, and thus have access to much more raw power as well as skills that other dragon slayers don't have. The main one I'm thinking about right now is the ability to go into dragon force on demand. There are many other advantages, too.

"I'll be completely honest since Evangeline has decided she can't tell you how bad the future will get. Your friends will die if you don't get stronger. You will die, Evangeline will die, Evergreen, Freed, and Bickslow will die. So, stop sectioning off the power that is inside of you just because it reminds you of a horrible part of your life. You don't get to be selfish anymore, Laxus. Elektra's power is inside of you. Let it become part of you," Aspen finished, her eyes flashing dangerously at Laxus. Laxus clenched his fists and looked at the ground. Aspen sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look," she sighed. "Evangeline is yelling at me right now and I'd rather not incur her wrath any further, so I'll make this quick. You've been beaten and battered your whole life. You've been a victim this whole time. You don't have to be anymore. Let yourself accept your weaknesses and share them with those you love. It's alright to be weak. You need to let yourself be weak now so that you can use that weakness as your strength. You are finding out who you are. I've lived many centuries, Laxus. I've seen many young men in the same situation as you. The majority of them don't allow themselves to be weak.

"There was one, however. His name was Tadashi. He had a horrible childhood, and he took it out on those around him, including those he loved the most. Then one day, Zeref's followers ransacked his village and took his family hostages to be sacrificed. He cried out to the sky 'why am I so weak that I can do nothing to save those I love?' Then, he heard something on the wind. A voice, carrying the sound of his love's voice. 'Let yourself be weak,' she said. 'It is alright to be weak. Weaknesses become our motivation, our hope, our future. Let your weakness guide you to your strength.' So, he did. He had only a few days until the full moon, so he poured over magical tomes before he found one that would be enough to save the people he loved.

"Tadashi used an ancient and now lost magic called Tempest. It was a storm magic, similar to your own. Tadashi knew that if he used Tempest to take out the dark mages, everyone would be free, including those that had hurt him so terribly. He knew he would die after using Tempest, and he would die freeing people who would not do the same for him. He was facing a war within himself: The broken boy he was, and the man he had become. Eventually, one side won. The night of the full moon, Tadashi became the last mage in history to cast the spell known as Tempest. He saved everyone in the small city of Magnolia. Now, his love was carrying his child, a boy she named Yuri. Yuri went on to have a son by the name of Makarov. Makarov went on to have a son by the name of Ivan, and Ivan went on to have you.

"Now, it is your turn to make that decision. Will you be like Tadashi, and let yourself be weak in order to become truly strong, or will you follow your father's path? The choice is yours, Laxus. I know which path I want you to take. You need to make that choice for yourself, however," Aspen finished her tale, letting Evangeline regain control. She said one last thing before Evangeline reappeared.

"Look into the eye of the storm and you shall see truth." With that, Evangeline's consciousness came back, and her body reverted back to normal. She sighed. She felt Laxus's body shaking. She wanted so badly to soothe away the turmoil he was in, but she knew this time she couldn't. Laxus would have to decide what he was going to do. A while later, Laxus had calmed, and the who sat in silence. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"It feels like a nasty storm is coming," Evangeline said softly. "We should get back to camp and pack up. We need to move our things to the cave."

"I'll be along in a bit," Laxus told her. Evangeline went to camp and found that Evergreen, Freed, and Bickslow had already packed everything up.

"To the cave?" Bickslow asked her when he saw her. She nodded.

"Laxus will be there soon. We should go," Evangeline said, turning and walking in the direction of the cave. The three other mages followed behind her. The cave was only a short walk away. Rain started to fall on the group, softly hitting their bodies. They reached the cave a few moments later, and a massive bolt of lightning seemed to crack the sky into pieces.

"It'll be a bad one," Freed muttered.

"Laxus should have been here already," Evergreen pointed out, concern in her tone. Evangeline lit a small fire while the others were setting up their sleeping bags.

"You are right, Ever. Surely he wouldn't stay out in this storm, even as a lightning dragon slayer?" Freed asked Evangeline.

"Come and sit. I have a lot to explain about where we were today and what happened," Evangeline said. The three gathered around the fire and Evangeline told the tale of Tadashi. Her friends were stunned into silence.

"So, he's out finding his truth, then," Bickslow concluded. Evangeline nodded. He then stood and went over to his sleeping bag along one side of the cave.

"We must wait for him to return before we rest," Freed insisted after Bickslow had left the area around the fire.

"No, Freed. Right now, the only thing we can do is take care of ourselves," Bickslow said, his voice echoing through the cave. His tone was hard. Evangeline's eyes softened when she looked in his direction. She knew that this hit close to home for Bickslow, as he had to go through a similar process of finding himself.

"Go to sleep, Freed, Ever. I'll be here when he gets back," Evangeline said softly. The two were hesitant but did as she said.

~With Laxus at the beginning of the storm~

The rain started falling softly onto him. There was something warm about it, even though the temperature had dropped drastically. He looked up to the sky and saw a massive bolt of lightning shatter the sky. He stood from the ground, still staring up at the sky.

"What are you trying to tell me?" he shouted at the sky. Another bolt of lightning raced through the clouds. The wind started blew harder, and it had started pouring.

"No answers, huh. Tell me what to do," he shouted again. More lightning formed, this time striking a tree near him.

"I'm not afraid of you!" The wind blew so hard Laxus felt like was going to be swept up in it, but he stood his ground.

"Why did you sacrifice yourself for the ones who hated you? For the ones who would have let you die when they could have saved you?" Lightning crashed down next to him. Laxus could barely keep his eyes open from the amount of rain and wind around him.

"I can't be like you, not after what I've done. There's no redeeming me. What's the point in me trying to save everyone when they wouldn't let me." This time, lightning crashed down onto Laxus. The world went white.

"You have been redeemed, Laxus. You are just like me, son," a male voice called out to him.

"Stop searching for what has always been inside of you," another voice, female, said.

"Admit your weakness, Laxus," the male voice said.

"And become strong," the female voice finished.

"Become what you were meant to be," the voices finished in unison.

The world came back to light, and Laxus was standing in the eye of a storm. In front of him, a massive yellow and black dragon stood.

"Will you accept my soul and magic as part of your being now, Laxus?" the dragon said, her voice strong, but gentle. Laxus took a deep breath before responding.

"Help me become strong enough to always protect those I love, no matter the cost to me," he said. The dragon grinned, then disappeared. Suddenly, Laxus felt a massive surge in his power. He could see each individual drop of rain as it fell from the sky around the eye of the storm. He heard the crackling of a fire nearby from the cave his precious people were in.

"Go to them, son," the male voice he had heard told him. "There is no reason to weather this storm any longer."

"Listen to this old bastard, brat," the dragon told him. "You may feel like you have to, but you've passed our tests. I'll explain more tomorrow, but for now, go back to your mate." Laxus made his way to the cave, making it inside just before the second part of the storm hit.

Evangeline ran over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She had tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Laxus," she cried. He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Why, love? There's nothing for you to be sorry about," he told her, still holding her tightly. "I know who I am now, and I know what I must do. I will do whatever I can to protect you and everyone in our guild. Our family. No matter what comes in the future, I'll be there, ready to fight for everyone." This only made Evangeline cry harder, and suddenly Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow had joined in on Laxus and Evangeline's hug, each of them crying their own tears.

"You guys are impossible, I swear," Laxus sighed. The four other mages laughed, and they soon fell asleep all in one big group.

"Well, brat, I'm glad you finally decided to accept what remains of me," Elektra said as Laxus joined her in their own shared mindscape.

"I didn't want to, then I realized I had to," Laxus admitted. Elektra laughed.

"Of course, you did. Do you think it was coincidence that you just so happened to get my lacrima? Or that your mate has an old friend of mine sealed inside of her? Oh, innocent, narrow-sited humans. Anyway, I guess I will formally introduce myself. I am Elektra, Queen of the Lightning Dragons," Elektra said, bowing her head to him.

"Laxus Dreyar," he said, repeating her motion. Elektra paused for a moment before there was a bright light in their mindscape. Suddenly, the large dragon was gone, and in her place stood a human female. She had long, yellow hair and had a swirling black tattoo that ran down both her arms. She was wearing a sleeveless Greek-style, white dress with gold accents.

"Ah, much better. Shall we sit?" Elektra said as a table with two chairs across from each other appeared. Laxus blinked, but sat down anyway.

"Ev has never said anything about a shared mindscape being this… odd," Laxus mumbled. Elektra laughed.

"Ah, now, she is just used to it. After all, she's had Lilith sealed in her for so long that she doesn't really remember being without it. Every mindscape is different depending on each party involved. Ours is here, in the middle of the woods, because this is where we are both most comfortable. Other mindscapes are dark with the only figures being the shared consciouses," Elektra explained, sitting down across from him.

"Makes sense," Laxus shrugged.

"And now to answer some questions. I've heard some of them throughout the years, I just haven't been able to answer them. First, why do you have dragon instincts when you hadn't really accepted the lacrima. It's quite simple, really. Even though you didn't accept my power as a part of you, you did use it. As soon as you started using it, dragon characteristics have… diffused to you. You have your mate, Evangeline. You have instincts to protect her, as well as those you see as kin. You are territorial. These are all very normal for slayers. Your senses also came from that. Now that you have accepted my power and spirit as part of you, you will experience all of this much more intensely, even more so than most other dragon slayers," Elektra explained.

"Because I don't just have a magic containing lacrima, but one with a dragon's living spirit inside it," Laxus concluded. Elektra nodded.

"Indeed. Now, the next one. Why was I talking to you with Tadashi? That one gets a bit trickier. Tadashi has been waiting for you for a very long time. That storm was Tempest. It is a never-ending storm that travels around the world, and it was waiting for you. The storm is now gone, and Tadashi's soul has now crossed into the next world. He has been watching you since you were born. He loved you very much, boy, even if you never knew him. He saw himself in you. What he didn't want was for you to end up like he did: alive forever in a storm.

"You staying out in that storm and breaking down to the core of your being, letting yourself be weak, that was what showed him that you were going to fulfill his legacy. Yuri, Makarov, and Ivan all stood in the same storm, but none of them ever passed his test. You now carry his power, Laxus. You can use the power of Tempest, but you will never become the Tempest.

"I met Tadashi while I was still an unclaimed and unused lacrima. My spirit wandered, and I always wanted to be near the lightning. One day, I felt this incredible storm, one I knew as Tempest. I felt another being like me, stuck between worlds, in that storm. Intrigued, I went into it and found Tadashi. I followed Tadashi for many years, and once you were born, I followed you just as Tadashi did. I took interest in you because he did, as he was my only companion for over a hundred years. I saw what you went through, and my spirit bonded to you. That is the reason that your body didn't reject my lacrima, as well as the reason you healed from your sickness.

"From the moment my lacrima was implanted in you, protecting you was my top priority, but I couldn't do that until now. Not entirely, at least. Now, you will have full access to dragon slayer powers. My test for you was to see who you were, deep inside of you. You are still that little boy that picked the Calla Lily for a pretty little girl named Evangeline. You saw that you love, more than anything else. Love is what makes you weak, but love is also what makes you so strong," Elektra finished. Her eyes then went wide, then she smirked.

"Ready to learn, then are we? Be warned, I will kick your ass in here and yell at you in your head whenever you are being a dipshit," Elektra threatened. Laxus rolled his eyes.

"Where did you learn words like dipshit, fossil?" Laxus taunted. Elektra narrowed her eyes at him, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, kid, I love you. This is gunna be the best time I've had in such a long time," Elektra said through her laughter.

"Stand up," Elektra commanded. Laxus, who was getting the shit beaten out of him, again, did as she said. He was weak. He had little magic left, but he still stood. "Come at me again. We won't stop until you hit me with that spell."

"Dragon slayer's secret art: Raging Tempest," he cast, this time, finally, the skill connected. Elektra went flying across the forest. Although blood was dripping out the side of his mouth, Laxus still smirked.

"Gotcha," he taunted. Elektra shook her head.

"Stupid human. Now, get outta here and rest. You did take a lot of damage today, but good work. Why did this one work?" Elektra asked. This had become a common occurrence. Every time Laxus learned a new spell and hit her with it successfully, she would ask why that time worked rather than any other.

"Tadashi. It was weird, honestly. It felt like I was channeling a part of myself, but also something that wasn't really me. It didn't feel like magic," Laxus tried to explain. Elektra nodded.

"It was a Tempest skill; therefore, you could remember that link to the Lost Tempest magic. That is why it felt like Tadashi. Good job," Elektra said. "Now, go let your mate take care of you. I can feel her worrying from here." Laxus shook his head but backed out of the mindscape.

"She's pushing you really hard," Evangeline sighed when Laxus opened his eyes.

"Of course, she is. Aspen is pushing you just as hard as Elektra is pushing me," Laxus said, flinching a bit as he moved to stretch out his muscles from being stationary in the waking world for so long.

"I know, I just worry," Evangeline said, making a small block of ice and putting it on a bruise that had formed on his back.

"I know, love. You don't have to. I'll be fine, regardless of what this looks like," Laxus assured her.

"We have a week left until the team is chosen," Freed announced that night at dinner. Evangeline and Laxus looked at each other.

"Then we should head back," Evangeline said.

"Already?" Evergreen asked, surprised Evangeline would say such a thing.

"I'm getting really close at nailing a new formation, though," Bickslow complained.

"I must admit, Evangeline, that I am quite close to perfecting a new rune layering method that will be significantly faster and harder to alter," Freed said. Evangeline looked all of them in the eye, one at a time.

"Is that so?" she asked. The three nodded. She then smiled.

"Good. You passed. We will leave in four days, which leaves us three more days to train. Two days will be training, the last day will be an all-out brawl, just like how we started. Sound fair?"

The group of five mages laid on the ground after their last fight and stared up at the stars.

"Regardless of what the future holds, I am glad I got to spend this time with you," Evangeline said.

"Me too," Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed all said at the same time. Laxus was laying with his eyes closed when Evangeline had spoken, and everyone assumed he was asleep. The four mages quickly fell asleep, and then Laxus opened his eyes and stared up at the stars, making a promise as he did so.

"I swear I will do everything I can to keep them safe."

"Time to head back?" Evangeline asked the group.

"We should have left days ago, Evvie," Evergreen whined. Evangeline laughed and shook her head.

"You did say we were going to leave three days ago. We don't have enough time to get back," Bickslow pointed out. Evergreen and Freed nodded in agreement.

"Why take transportation when you can take lightning transport?" Evangeline asked. Laxus had known her plan as he would be transporting one person while she transported two.

"Why do I have a feeling I will hate this," Freed muttered. Bickslow and Evergreen went with Evangeline and Freed went with Laxus. They arrived in front of the guild instantly. Freed did not do well with the instant transport and passed out.

"Really, Freed?" Evangeline sighed. The rest of the group echoed her sigh, then they carried Freed into the guild. Unfortunately, it seemed unusually empty.

"I think we missed it," Bickslow said. Evergreen nodded.

"There you are," Mira said as she walked over to the group. "Oh my, what happened to Freed?"

"He's a wuss. That is all," Evergreen said, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, take him up to the infirmary, if you would. Master needs to see Ev and Laxus," Mira told the group. Laxus and Evangeline followed her up to Makarov's office. They saw that Gajeel, Juvia, and… Mystogan were there. Evangeline decided to dig around in Jellal's mind to find out why he was there. She was shocked at what she found, and wholeheartedly agreed that he needed to go and investigate.

"Stupid kids decided to show up three hours late. What am I going to do with you?" Makarov sighed. "Anyway, you may be wondering why I called you up here. There was a change in the rules this year. We are allowed to enter two teams. You will be Fairy Tail Team B."

"Why are we Team B? We are so much better than the first team," Gajeel grumbled. Laxus nodded in agreement.

"You are Team B because I say you are, brats! If you are going to complain about it so much, then I will make you a deal. If you beat Team A, they will be your slaves for a day. If they beat you, you serve them. Does that sound like a deal?" Makarov offered. The two males nodded, as well as Juvia. Evangeline and Mira didn't care, so they went along with it.

"Now, you cannot allow Team A or anyone else to know that you are going to be entered. I'd like to keep it a secret. The main rule for the competition is that you are in your hotel room by midnight in two days' time. I'd advise you get on the next train to Crocus. Now, you probably also noticed there is someone else in this room. Many of you do not trust him, but I was approached by him to allow him to be in the games. Would you like to speak about this, Jellal?"

"Indeed. In the past several years at the Grand Magic Games, I, and my guild mates, have sensed a very dark magic power. We believe it is Zeref, or Zeref's followers. I would like to enter the games with you in order to monitor it more closely, as in years past I cannot get close enough to get much more information," Jellal explained.

"Now, any more questions? If not, you all have train tickets for the one that leaves in four hours. Pack, then make it to the train. You are dismissed," Makarov said. The group left his office.

"Shall we head home, Ev?" Laxus asked, nudging her. She rolled her eyes.

"I know exactly why you are asking mister, and the answer is no. We have to get to Crocus and we both know we will get distracted otherwise. We are packing, nothing else," Evangeline said as she walked out of the guild. She felt his disappointment, but she was right. "Besides, we will have alone time when we are there."