[X784, Grimoire Heart Headquarters]
— Hades —
"So, you have returned, Ultear," Hades said with cold amusement. He lounged on the great bone-and-iron throne atop the dais of the central sanctum, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "I have heard the Council suffered an… accident."
The raven-haired woman stepped forward, "Yes, Master Hades. I have deemed the Council no longer useful and chose to return to your side."
Hades gave a slight nod, the corner of his lips curling into a faint, approving smile. "You've done well. Let them wallow in the rubble."
From the way Ultear had reported it, the Council would take at least a month—perhaps longer—to return to even the barest semblance of function. The deaths of several prominent councilors, including Yajima and Belno, and the complete destruction of Era's headquarters had left them paralyzed.
It was, Hades thought, poetic. That an institution so obsessed with control had no control over its own survival. They had grown complacent, believing themselves untouchable and therefore never bothering to create contingencies in case something like this happens. Fools.
But the incident had proven one thing: Ultear's infiltration had borne fruit. Many previously unknown secrets were now wide open for him to pursue. The existence of Face, the true power of Etherion, and every embedded agent in the council that belonged to someone else.
Even Hades had been surprised when she revealed that Crawford Seam—the kindly, doddering Chairman of the Council—had been a Tartaros spy all along. He chuckled to himself.
Still, the true beauty of it all was how easily the Council crumbled. One push in the right spot, and the pillars fell. Now, without their oversight, Hades and his kin were free to move unchecked.
He studied Ultear as she knelt before him. Her face bore new burn scars beneath the eye all the way to the left cheek—a souvenir from Laxus' lightning no doubt. "Go on," he said at last. "I'm sure you'll want to see Meredy."
She bowed once more. "Thank you, Master."
As she turned to leave, the chamber fell into silence once more. Hades exhaled slowly, reaching toward the ancient tome resting on the pedestal beside him. A gift from his youth—one of Zeref's own research journals, salvaged from a sunken vault deep beneath the continent. The pages were brittle, the ink faded, but the knowledge within was intoxicating.
The Tower of Heaven had proven unexpectedly fruitful. He had initially only meant to observe and evaluate Fairy Tail's true power, but what they had returned with was far more.
Dannis, Laxus, Erza, Natsu, Gray—even the Thunder God Tribe had been present. Makarov's foresight had always been a strength, but recruiting Gajeel and Juvia was particularly cunning. Two S-Class caliber mages gained without lifting a finger. Hades would have applauded the old man's audacity—if they weren't destined to be enemies.
But Lucy Heartfilia… that was the true treasure Hades had unearthed. He is a researcher and scientist at heart, and there were few mysteries regarding magic in the world that he was interested in.
One of them was the age old question regarding Celestial Spirit magic. What would happen if all twelve were united under a single, worthy mage?
What could be unlocked?
The possibility made his pulse quicken. Not since the First Era of Star Worship had anyone come close to assembling them all. Theories abounded—portals to higher realms, forbidden spells of unmaking, even lost gods that slumbered beyond the veil of reality.
He could almost taste it. It was a question that had burned in his mind for decades. Angel, one of the Oración Seis, dabbled in Celestial Spirit magic, but she had only a handful of silver and gold keys. She had power yes, but not potential.
Lucy, on the other hand, was the embodiment of potential. Untapped. Unaware.
Hades smirked. Soon… very soon.
Still, even with such promising developments, there remained obstacles. The Tower of Heaven had painted a good picture of Fairy Tail's strength. While the true power of Mystogan and Mirajane were still unknown as they weren't present, he believed a fight between the two guilds would end in Grimoire Heart's victory.
Hades was confident in subduing Makarov as he had done once before, and Bluenote was easily a match for Gildarts. The only problem came from Laxus and Dannis, who had proven capable of taking down a Wizard Saint when working together.
They would need… special handling.
His gaze drifted to the ceiling, where the Grimoire Heart crest glowed with ethereal light. A reminder of their purpose.
Zeref.
The true goal. The Alpha of magic. The man who transcended death, time, and even mortality.
Every day, every scrap of forbidden research, every enchanted scroll brought them closer to finding him. The tomes Hades now possessed—the ones salvaged from lost ruins and black market vaults—were fragments of a puzzle older than civilization itself.
And I'm the only one with all the pieces, he thought, running a hand across his beard.
He closed the tome gently.
Hades remembered meeting the young looking man a long time ago, back when Mavis was still alive. To think so much power and knowledge hid behind such a kind-looking face.
His eyes glazed over, seeing memories of an age long past.
Mavis… She had been radiant, even in her final days. A mind so brilliant it could weave miracles from words. A heart so full it gave life where there should have been none. Her child was not one meant to be. A child born out of desperation between two who were cursed to never love others.
What happened to her child? Hades had birthed him when he discovered that Mavis had conceived.
He remembered wrapping the child in old linens, placing him gently at the steps of a nameless orphanage in some forgotten village. It was a coward's choice—but the only one he could make at the time. Hades wasn't in the position to be caring for a newborn, for he was only beginning his plans to create Grimoire Heart.
His brow furrowed. That boy would not go unnoticed forever. Someone like that would have surfaced by now. A boy born of magic, brimming with raw potential… someone must have seen him.
Hades narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
'What happened to you, oh child of Mavis and Zeref?'
…
[X784, Alvarez Empire]
— August (Dragneel) —
"Tell me, Brandish," August said, voice steady but laced with weariness, "what exactly happened to Ajeel?"
He stood near the great balcony overlooking the heartlands of Alvarez, robes stirring gently in the dry breeze. His gnarled staff leaned against the marble balustrade, forgotten for the moment as his tired eyes fixed on the young woman before him.
Brandish, one of the Twelve, shifted her weight with a sigh, her bright green hair catching the golden light of the dying sun. "From what I heard, he got into a fight with a drunk old man in some village." She sounded almost bored, as if recounting a tale too absurd to be taken seriously. "Ajeel was there on one of his thirsts—again—and said some things that apparently offended the geezer."
August raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly did this minor disagreement result in a forty-foot crater and the crumbling of two mountains?"
Brandish clicked her tongue. "The drunkard was strong. Really strong. Ajeel got beat senseless. The guy just… walked away afterward. We found him unconscious buried in sand and stone. He's in the infirmary now."
There was no hint of surprise on August's face—only a slow, contemplative nod. The former prince was a powerful man, yes, but he was also an arrogant and pretentious youngling who is very antagonistic to everyone he meets. He had no doubt that this supposed 'drunk old man' was in the right of whatever argument they had.
This trait made him careless. And Alvarez, though known across the sea for its military might, was still home to unaffiliated monsters in human skin.
Many thought that the Sprigganns were considered to be the most powerful mages in all of Alvarez, they couldn't be more wrong.
That was the truth most foreign lands failed to understand. The Twelve were not chosen for being the strongest in existence, but for being the strongest who could be controlled.
Pride, August had learned long ago, was both a source of strength and a fatal flaw. And prideful people made for poor subordinates. Many refused to serve under Emperor Spriggan, no matter how grand the Empire's vision.
"Did he leave a name at least?" August asked, rubbing his temple, already anticipating a headache. If Ajeel had insulted some wandering SS-Class mage, they might be facing more than just a bruised ego. They couldn't afford another escalation with the current tensions with the east.
"I think so," Brandish replied, lazily twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "Gilder Clove or something?"
The words had made August pause.
"…Do you mean Gildarts Clive?"
Brandish nodded as she snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that's it."
August stepped back from the balcony, grasped his staff, and without another word, he rose. With a single motion, he flew from the imperial citadel like a comet tearing across the dusk sky.
Below him, the Empire sprawled in a sea of gold and green, glimmering rivers threading through wind-carved valleys and fortified cities. But his eyes were fixed far beyond that—on a small, nameless village scarred by recent violence.
A grim acknowledgement settled on August's chest. Gildarts Clive, the Ace of Fairy Tail, was said to be a living calamity. A mage capable of turning entire landscapes into rubble with a single pulse of his magic. If he had encountered Ajeel, it was no wonder the young prince lay crushed in the infirmary.
'What was he doing in Alvarez? And how did such a man sneak into their lands without them knowing?'
The realization made August grimace. Looks like their security needs further polishing.
…
[X784, Clearing near Magnolia]
— Laxus Dreyar —
His entire body hurt.
Every muscle ached with exhaustion, and even the simple act of blinking felt like effort.
The once pristine clearing was now a battlefield, scarred and torn apart by unrelenting force. Craters marred the earth like open wounds. Trees had been uprooted, their trunks splintered like broken matchsticks. Smoke curled from cracks in the soil where lightning had struck grass and turned it into kindling.
Laxus lay sprawled on one the edge of the largest crater, Dannis on the other side. Their transformations had long faded as they both lay on their backs chest heaving, watching the protection dome above them crack apart from the magic they threw around.
Silence lingered for a few seconds, broken only by the occasional whistling of the wind.
Laxus coughed. "Hey Dan. You alive?"
"…Barely," came the raspy reply.
Laxus turned his head to look across the battlefield. "We sure made a mess of the place, didn't we?"
"Yeah," Dannis murmured.
A moment passed.
"I'm sorry," Laxus said, quietly. The words weighed more than anything he'd lifted in the past year.
"Apology accepted," Dannis said. "We good now?"
Laxus chuckled, but winced mid-laugh as pain lanced across his ribs. "Yeah, we're good. I was an ass, wasn't I?"
"You were a walking thunderstorm with a superiority complex," Dannis replied. "But I've seen worse."
Laxus's gaze drifted to the sky. "I forgot our promise. It came back to me during the fight. To always help and protect those who need it whenever we can. To never turn our backs on each other no matter what." Laxus grimaced. "I broke it."
"Lay off it," Dannis said with a sigh. "Stop being all mushy. Be that gruff dumbass who used to spar with me till we collapsed. I liked that guy better."
A raw laugh burst from Laxus, but it immediately turned into a wheeze. "Damn it, that hurts. Don't make me laugh, bastard."
"You deserve it." Dannis replied. "Did you know how stressed you made poor Freed feel everyday? I swear that guy deserves a break."
Laxus smiled faintly. "The Thunder God Tribe isn't the same without you, you know? We made that team. Not just me."
Dannis rolled onto his side. "They're yours now. I'm not joining back."
Laxus jerked up, pain forgotten for a moment. "What?"
"Oh come on, it makes sense." Dannis's voice was calm, resolute. "The four of you spent years working together without me in the picture. I'd just disrupt that flow. Besides… I've got the beginnings of my own team now."
Laxus grunted, not entirely pleased but respecting it. "You do?"
"Yeah. With Gajeel and Juvia still on probation, they need a handler, and the Council wants someone strong keeping tabs. Mira already has a team with her siblings. Erza's with Team Natsu—still the dumbest name I've ever heard by the way. I'm surprised Gray agreed to it. Mystogan's a lone wolf, and Gildarts is busy. That leaves me."
He shrugged. "Master said I had the right attitude and experience. I guess I do."
Laxus snorted. "Good luck. Juvia's alright but that brat Gajeel seems like trouble from what I can see."
"He's not so bad. Besides, I handled you, didn't I?"
A vein throbbed on Laxus's forehead. "What the hell does that mean?!"
"It means shut up, sparky. You're giving me a headache."
"Oh, you wanna fight, huh?!" Laxus growled.
"We already did, stupid."
Despite the ache, despite the cracked bones, despite the pain, the banter felt good. Familiar. A piece of something Laxus thought he'd lost returning to him.
The two lay in their crater a while longer, talking and taunting, until a familiar presence approached.
Boots crunched on scorched soil. A small shadow loomed over them.
"You two sure made a mess," Makarov Dreyar said, arms crossed.
"Sorry Master." Dannis said, not even bothering to get up.
The old man waved him off. "I've seen worse. You two aren't as bad as Gildarts on a good day."
He turned to Laxus. "So… did you find your answers?"
Laxus met his eyes and felt tension leaving his shoulders. "Yeah. Yeah, I have."
A grandfatherly smile appeared on the master's face. "I'm glad. I don't know how much my word is worth to you now, Laxus… but I am sorry. For everything. Dannis and I talked, a long time ago, about how hard it must have been living in my shadow, never knowing if you—"
Laxus silenced him with a hug. It was a fierce, trembling embrace so powerful it would've broken the back of a lesser man. "Shut up," Laxus said. His voice cracked. "That doesn't matter anymore."
Makarov blinked. His arms slowly returned the hug, his hands trembling.
"Thanks for never giving up on me, Gramps."
Tears rolled down the Master's cheeks. He didn't even try to hide them.
"It's good to have you back, Laxus."
…
— End of Dark Fairy Arc —
…
AN: And there we have it. Laxus and Dannis finally reconcile 66 chapters after they had their fight. What a journey.
This brings an end to the Dark Fairy Saga, which yet again ended becoming far larger than I expected. By far the biggest saga I've had with over 30 chapters.
This saga encompassed the two canon arcs of Phantom Lord and Tower of Heaven, with plenty of bits added in for future plotlines.
Even so, we're far from this fic ending, though all the seeds had been planted. There are plenty in this chapter with Hades' fascination with Lucy, his musings about Mavis' child, as well as the death of Yajima (surprise surprise).
We finally get a scene of Gildarts, who had been missing for over 40 chapters (he last appeared in Fairy Heart, chapter 39).
August, despite his strength, was never a man of arrogance. He was always cordial and exercised caution more times than not. He wouldn't see a man of Gildarts calibre and go in guns blazing.
All the plans I made a long ass time ago are bearing fruit and I'm glad they're finally going in the limelight.
The next few things to happen should be the festival—which should go very differently with Laxus no longer being an asshole—as well as Oracion Seis.
I don't know how long this fic will go for, hundreds of chapters at the very least. We'll see.
Thanks to all of you who stuck with me. I appreciate it.
Cheers everyone, see you in the future.