AN: Hey there guys! I'm back with a late Christmas Present, a new chapter! And holly crap guys, we're reaching the 400 mark of fav and follows! I'm so happy. And of course thank you for the wonderful reviews! This is the first part of the GMG and I hope that you'll like it.

NB: For Harry Potter fans or those that are interested, I've posted the first chapter of the new Harry Potter story I'm writing. So go take a look; it's called Crow, and is a Harry/Fleur pairing.

Anyway, enjoy!

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Chapter 7: Grand Magic Games, Part I

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Makarov couldn't believe his ears or eyes. How could the man across from him be one of them? How could the young Dragon Slayer that he had seen grow, be a being of darkness? It made no sense whatsoever, yet, the irrefutable proof stood before his eyes. "How?" he whispered finally after a very long silence.

"The reason is still unknown to me." Natsu replied with a doubled voice, his sinister appearance causing an uneasy feeling in his friends. "But don't jump to conclusions too quickly, old man; this form is still incomplete."

"What do you mean, incomplete?"

"A year after Tenrou Island, we discovered that a seal of incredible power was put on me." Natsu explained, tightening his demonic hand into a fist. "A seal that suppress my nature."

"Your nature?" Lucy asked her eyes widening ever so slightly. Hearing him say that, it was like…

"Yes, Lucy. It suppressed my Demon side; for, I was born being one." The pink haired mage continued. "We don't know who put a seal on me, but one thing is sure: I'm no ordinary Demon. Mira felt it the first time I used magic in front of you after your return."

"But, why now? Why didn't we feel it before?" Wendy asked with wide eyes.

"Because, after the fight with Achnologia, the seal started to weaken and released my demonic magic. My white flames are a result of my Dragon Slaying magic mixing with Devil Curse. The seal hasn't stopped crumbling down, though; and soon, will release whatever it was suppressing."

"That's…not a good thing." Makarov whispered.

"No it's not. But what will you do old man? Put me down?" Dragneel asked with a dangerous tone. Seeing the older Dreyar's eyes darken, he continued. "I'm after all, one of those Demons that you despise so much. I'm a monster and a murderer, and whatever you say won't change that."

"Don't say that, Natsu." Erza intervened, taking a step toward him. "You're not a monster!"

"I may not know everything that happened in those last years, but the only thing I'm sure of is that you're certainly not a murderer!" Mirajane continued with a very serious face, taking his side.

"I have no right to judge you on something that I have done as well in the past." Gajeel said with a solemn voice. "Yes, I've killed." He replied to the widening of some eyes from his friends.

"I agree with Ultear. Sometimes, killing is the only option." Laxus added, launching a glare to his grandfather.

"I believe in Natsu." Was Lucy's proclamation. Natsu nodded and turned again toward the old Master, showing that his answer was going to decide the outcome.

"I will tell you the only thing I know: you're Natsu Dragneel, Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail, Demon Slayer from Fiore and one of the Ten Wizards Saints. You're a member of this family, a member of this guild; a guild which's credo always was and always will be: family before anything else. I'm sorry Natsu, because of my blind anger I forgot that the one that personified that ideology in this family, was you. I may abhor the notion of taking lives, but I was being a hypocrite in only considering human lives, for a perfect example that Demons aren't different from humans is before me. I haven't lived those seven years and I don't know all the hardships all of you had to endure, but I never should have doubted your judgment; for, Natsu Dragneel will never endanger his family." Makarov replied with a sad smile.

"Thank you, gramps." Natsu replied with a smile that, because of his appearance was quite sinister.

"And if you're worried that Fairy Tail may be treated as a Dark Guild, you shouldn't worry." Wakaba added with a puff of smoke. "It was a Quest requested by the King himself."

"And when I said that Fairy Tail was the only Demon Slaying Guild, it didn't mean that only we had a Slayer among us, but that by a decree from the King, Fairy Tail was chosen as the hand of Judgment, Fairy Wrath. We slay those that endanger the lives of the citizen of our country and that are too dangerous for imprisonment." Macao supplied.

"That's…quite unexpected." Makarov said, with a frown on his wrinkled face.

"Indeed. But like I said, the world has changed and has become deadly and merciless. I'm afraid that peaceful times are coming to an end and a great storm approaches us." Natsu continued, turning toward the horizon. "But don't worry; we've made sure that once that time comes, we'll be ready."

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Pushing the immense doors to the basement of the guild, Natsu snapped his fingers and the torches on the walls illuminated the long chamber. In the middle of the piece stood a giant crystal, enclosing in it was the naked body of a girl; a very familiar girl. At first, when he had discovered this place seven years ago, he didn't know what to think. How was it possible? Why was she here? And most of all how was she still alive? For, even if the blonde girl wasn't breathing or moving, she was alive; in stasis, but very much alive.

"Hello." A female voice interrupted his musings. Turning toward the direction of the voice, he smiled a wry smile. How convenient.

"Mavis Vermillion." Natsu replied with a nod.

"I know you." She said as if not hearing him.

"Of course you know me. I'm a member of the guild you created, and I was there when you saved us on Tenrou Island."

"No. No, I know you from before that." She replied with a shake of head. "I didn't feel it then, but now, now I'm sure of it. I know you."

"I'm not sure that-…" then his eyes widened as he thought about something. Could it be, she knew?

"But I can't seem to remember why I know you." She continued, floating around the pink haired mage in circles, then after seeing the crystal and the body, she stopped, pointing it with her finger. "Hey, that's me!"

"Of course it's you." Natsu stated with a roll of his eyes.

"But, I thought that I was dead!" she replied, causing his eyes to widen. She didn't know? How could it be? "I stayed on Tenrou for as long as I remember, without leaving its premises." She continued with a lost voice, outstretching her hand toward her frozen body.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea-…" the Dragon Slayer began, but it was already too late; she had touched the crystal, and upon contact, a great wave of magic escaped it, launching the ghost away from it. Well, actually, ghost wasn't really an accurate description; for, he had concluded after years of study, that the Mavis Vermillion that they had encountered and that was now, slowly standing up, was only, a Thought Projection…

It was mind boggling to even think that a Thought Projection of a witch in stasis could have enough power to save them from Achnologia on Tenrou Island and guard them in stasis during seven years. The first Master of Fairy Tail wasn't a simple mage and that was a certainty.

"It's strange. I don't recognize this magic, but it seems very familiar; like you." She said turning toward the pink haired young man.

"Well, another mystery ads to the equation when I thought that I'll finally have some answers. Huh, luck is really not on my side."

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Calmly lying in the hammock in his chambers, Natsu watched the clouds float in the sky through his window. Many things were on his mind at the moment; between the training for the GMG, Fairy Wrath and his revelation of being a Demon had plunged the guild into a strange atmosphere. He wasn't regretting telling the truth now, but he had to admit that the present state of Fairy Tail wasn't to his liking. The Tenrou group had accepted the changes within their friends, some better than others, but the invisible gap between them still remained; after all, understanding everything that they had undergone in those seven years in a meager time of one month was an impossible task.

Letting escape an exhausted sigh, he closed his eyes, trying to think about something pleasant, and as if by magic, which was probably the case, a voice interrupted him. "Seems quite comfortable; mind if I join you?"

"Is there really a need to ask, Ul-chan?" he replied without opening his eyes, a warm smile forming in his face. After a rustle of clothes, he felt a weight on his torso and a moment later, Ultear had joined him in the hammock; well, the more accurate description would be, she used him as one. Finally opening his eyes, he grinned to the young woman that had snuggled to his chest like a feline, even going as far as producing a gentle purr.

"You seem preoccupied." She said after a comfortable silence. "Can I do something to ease your mind?"

"You're already doing a fine job, Ul." He replied, hugging her even tighter to himself and producing a content smile from the Time Mage. "Don't worry."

"Saying that won't stop me, Natsu." She continued, raising her head and looking him in the eyes. "Don't worry; nothing has changed and never will. You're you, the rest is irrelevant."

"Mavis said that she remembers me…"

"Well, that's-…"

"From before that." He finished with a dark look. "She said that I'm very familiar and she thought that she was dead, and was a ghost."

"That's…strange."

"I really need to find Igneel. Only he can give the answers that I seek."

"After so many years, Natsu, don't you think that it's useless?"

"I do, but I have no other solution." The pink haired young man replied with another sigh.

"What about Tartarus?" Ultear asked with worry in her voice.

"No. It's too soon. I still have time before the seal is broken. Alerting them will only accelerate it, and I don't want to rush into something that I have no idea about." The Dragon Slayer replied with a shake of head. "You saw what happens with me when Devil Magic is in the air; and with Demons from the Book of Zeref…"

"We'll find something, Natsu, I promise you." Ultear whispered, giving him a kiss. "And I'll always be by your side, whatever happens."

"I know, and that's what worries me." He replied, snuggling to her like a lifeline.

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"Are you ready?" Natsu asked with a grin. "All the guilds participating in the games are inside, and once we enter, the Game is on."

"You bet we're ready!" Gajeel exclaimed with a wide grin. "Let show those pussies what a real Guild is like!"

"Said like a real man!" Elfman supplied, pumping his fist in the air.

"Alright, let's go then." The pink haired man said before pushing the doors open. Inside, like he had explained just a moment ago, the 112 teams taking part in the Grand Magic Games waited for the opening ceremony. Upon entering, all eyes were on them, causing a few of them to feel a little awkward from the sudden attention of so many mages.

With no care in the world, Natsu strode toward the far end of the giant chamber, near the bar, closely followed by Ultear, Jet, Macao, Meredy, Warren and Wakaba, with everyone scrambling from their way. Raising an eyebrow and a smirk forming on his face, Laxus followed them, the rest of his friends doing the same. When they were finally seated comfortably, a familiar group approached them, some of them waving their hands in greetings.

"Hello, my friends!" Ichiya exclaimed with a sparkling grin on his face. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Same here." Macao replied, shaking the hand of the peculiar man with his own smile.

"How are you, Natsu-sama?" a female voice interjected suddenly, followed by the appearance of a blonde woman.

"Hi, Jenny-chan; it's good to see you. You look fabulous." The pink haired Dragon Slayer replied with a smile.

"Oh, thank you! What about-…" she began but was shamelessly interrupted by a smiling Ultear that, had taken a seat on Natsu's knees, enveloping the young man in a warm embrace.

"Hello, Jenny." She said with an innocent voice, her smile taking on a very sinister appearance.

"I...hello..erm…"

"Are you thinking of taking the first place this year, too?" Ren asked suddenly, feeling the need to help his friend. Teasing Jenny was fun when they were home, but even Eve that used Snow Magic would feel the effect of that freezing smile of hers…

"That's the plan." Gray replied with a smirk.

"I'm afraid that it won't be possible this year, Gray-san." A male voice interrupted them again. "The Cup will be ours." He continued. The young man that had talked was slim, of average height and had spiky blond hair, and waving his glove covered hand in a flourish, he bowed toward the pink haired mage. "Greeting, Natsu-dono; I'm happy to see you among us this time. Finally, the world will see the real power of Natsu Dragneel."

"Hello Sting-kun. Aren't your words a bit contradictory?" the Fire Dragon Slayer asked with a grin.

"Forgive me for my insolence, but I think that this time, we're ready." The blond replied with a smirk on his handsome face.

"Forgive my friend for his bad manners, mages of Fairy Tail. He is Sting Eucliffe and I am Rogue Cheney, we are mages from Sabertooth." A newcomer with black hair said, suddenly materializing beside his teammate from the shadows. "Natsu-dono." He repeated, bowing toward the man, albeit with less extravagance than his blond friend.

"Rogue-kun." Natsu replied with another smile. "What about you?"

"I'm of the same mind, teacher."

"And your output on this, Minerva-chan?" The pink haired man asked, turning his head to the side where stood a beautiful young woman with long black hair, a long blue dress and with crossed arms. The look she adorned was serious despite the circumstances.

"They are jumping to conclusions too quickly, Natsu-san, like I've told them many times already."

"My lady!" Sting exclaimed with outrage, his cheeks taking on a pink hint. "Don't sell us short! We've grown much stronger since the last time! And your growth was even greater than ours put together!"

"That is still to be seen." She replied calmly, approaching the sitting Natsu. "I hope that this year, my powers will be finally enough to overcome the last boundary." She continued, nodding toward the Time Mage. "I'm ready, Ultear-san."

"As am I, Minerva."

"How is your father, Minerva-chan?" Natsu asked, patting the seat next to him. After taking the seat, she spoke up.

"He hasn't changed one bit, Natsu-san. He is still trying to figure ways to get you out of the picture, and finally propel Sabertooth to the top."

"Oh, same old Jiemma." The pink haired young man whispered with a shake of head, a smile adorning his face. "Do you have some news, about them?" he asked, his voice suddenly taking on a serious tone, and raising a few eyebrows among his friends.

"I'm afraid that no, Natsu-san."

"In any case, my proposition still stands."

"I know." She replied with a warm smile, finally showing the surrounding mages that she wasn't completely heartless.

Suddenly, the announcement of the opening ceremony resounded in the chamber, causing a great uproar to be created, as the guilds left the building in a cacophony of noises.

"See you at the finals." Natsu said with a smirk to the mages of Sabertooth as he rose from his seat and left with his guild mates on his tails.

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Sighing in boredom, Natsu watched the giant screens that showed the progress of other teams as he waited for the six other guilds to qualify during the Preliminaries. Arriving at the center of the Labyrinth was an easy feat with members like Jet, Erza, Mira, Laxus and himself on their side that could travel great distances within a relative short time. Teams Fairy Tail A composed by Ultear, Jet, Erza, Mirajane and himself, as well as Team Fairy Tail B composed by Laxus, Gajeel, Wendy, Gray and Juvia, had arrived within the first minute after the start of the competition. But now that had to wait and the pink haired Dragon Slayer wasn't very fond of sitting around without doing anything.

"If it goes like this, winning those Games will be a piece of cake." Gajeel said, taking a seat next to him. "We won't even need to use those Lacrima."

Turning toward the Iron Dragon Slayer with a very serious face, Natsu spoke up: "I've told you that you can only use them as a last resort. Use them in any other circumstances and-…"

"Yeah, I get it, no need to remind me." Gajeel said waving his hand. His friends could say whatever they wanted, but Natsu was no longer the 'little brat', and playing games with him resulted in very painful consequences…

"Look, it seems that we finally have our eight teams." Mirajane said pointing to the screen, showing the closure of the Preliminaries and its results.

"Let's go. I'm itching for a fight." Laxus said approaching them with a crack of his knuckles. A few minutes later, the eight teams that were going to participate in the Games stood in attention.

"Hello everyone! Now that we have our final teams, we can finally begin the Grand Magic Games!" the mascot cried out with enthusiasm. "During the coming days a tournament will take place; surprise events will begin the morning and finish with a battle between randomly chosen mages. Of course each task will be awarded with points and the guild with the most points by the end of the Games will win the Cup and the great price of 100 million Jewels!"

"Oh, now I see where all that money comes from…" Makarov whispered with a shake of head, as Macao laughed beside him.

"You have no idea…" Wakaba replied with a poof of smoke.

"The first event is called Hidden, and will consist of taking down as many clones of your opponents as you can in the given time limit. The points will be distributed according to those results." The mascot continued. "Choose the one that will participate and let the Games begin!"

Jet was chosen from Team A, while Gray was from Team B. The resulting massacre was inevitable. Telling the fastest mage in Fiore that he could go on a rampage without fear of actually killing his opponents wasn't a really good idea. In the results by the end of the time limit that was thirty minutes, Jet had won by the incredible, but not surprising margin of 1000, with the rest not going over twenty. In the end, Gray finished fourth with 13 attacks.

The first task was followed by the first real battles of the Games. Mirajane Strauss from Team A was chosen to fight Flare Corona. The Take Over mage entered the arena with a confident gait under the cries of appreciation from the males in the crowd, joining the redhead in the middle. The said witch from Raven Tail gave off a very strange vibe, but Mira wasn't worried in the slightest. She knew what she was capable of, and losing wasn't an option, now more than ever. She had trained with Ultear and Natsu and one thing that they repeated over and over was that every enemy had to be taken with outmost caution, without holding back; for, playing around was in the past; now, dealing with the foes with deadly efficiency was their new credo.

Just as the redhead commanded her hair to attack the Take Over mage, Mira jumped back, evading the fast attack and activated her magic, bathing her in a strong light. Before even touching the ground from her first jump, she was ready, and when her now talon like feet met the ground, she pounced toward Flare, creating a crater on her wake. Flying at breakneck speed, she delivered a monstrous punch to the girl, sending her toward the opposing wall with such force that it created spider webs upon impact. Flare's eyes were wide in horror and pain, as her instant loss finally registered in her mind and she crumbled to the ground in a heap, not even able to move a finger.

"I'm sorry." Mira whispered, standing over her prone form. "But you were in my way…"

"Winner, Mirajane Strauss, from Fairy Tail A!" the mascot cried out as the crowd roared with applause.

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Leaving the arena, she gave a dark smile to the entering Laxus, as if saying: do better if you can. The young Dragon Slayer stepped into the middle, taking place across the big Ten Wizard Saint of a man, Jura Neekis. Natsu had said that he was strong enough to beat the Saint, and it was time to prove the world that the pink haired mage was right. A smirk appearing on his face, he cracked his neck and launched his cloak to the side; it would only get in the way.

"Greetings, Laxus Dreyar." Jura said with a small bow. "I'm afraid that I won't be holding back, for we need the points from the battle; so if you decide to surrender, I won't judge you."

"Surrender? You don't seem to know Fairy Tail very well if you say such nonsense. We never surrender whatever the odds are, and to your information, they are in my favor." The blond replied, taking a battle stance.

"Ah, yes, I recognize his spirit in you. So be it." Jura replied with a nod. "To tell you the truth, I always wanted to fight the grandson of the great Makarov; be prepared." He continued, then suddenly the ground under Laxus exploded and spikes of earth sprouted from it, forcing the Lightning Mage to jump away. Not leaving him a second of respite, Jura bounded toward the blond, his rock encased fist flying at great speed. Blocking the attack with his left hand, and showing the audience his immense physical power, Laxus morphed into Lightning and reappeared behind the Wizard Saint, launching his own version of Lightning Fist. Twirling in time, the Earth Mage deflected the strike to the side, but wasn't fast enough to block the kick that came to his face. Sliding on his feet from the force of the kick, he pointed his palm toward the Fairy Tail mage and great rocks tore themselves from the ground to envelop and crush his opponent. But again, Laxus used his Lighting form to evade the attack and when he was a good distance away, released an explosion of magic, like always ripping his shirt to pieces, causing some of the female audience to swoon in delight. Raising his hands over his head, he launched his Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd toward Jura. The said man waved his hand and the rocks that a moment ago ware trying to crush his foe, flew back to create a protecting cocoon around him. With a snarl on his face, the young Dreyar jumped toward him, launching a Lightning Dragon's Roar, causing the rock construction to explode upon impact. Jumping from the wreckage of earth, the Wizard Saint started a heated hand to hand exchange between the two. Laxus' Lightning body began to tire the older mage, even with his greater resistance to pain due to his Earth affinity, and finally after a few minutes of powerful blows, the two opponents jumped back, smiles on their faces. Jura had to admit that the young Dragon Slayer was very strong, not as strong as his fellow pink haired Wizard Saint, but strong enough to cause even him such problems.

The sudden strike to his side that sent him away surprised Jura and he wasn't ready to at least limit the damage of the next attack as, Laxus soared toward him crying: Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder! The explosion of the phenomenal quantity of Lightning Magic upon impact was so great that it illuminated the stadium in a blinding light. When the arena was finally visible again, Jura was lying unconscious on the ground, but with a smile on his face, while the grinning mage of Fairy Tail towered over his prone form. Raising his fist toward his friends in the crowd he roared in happiness, and with smiles on their faces, his family roared back under the great ovation of the audience. Fairy Tail mages were the strongest and that was a fact.

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The surprise event of the second day was called Chariot and consisted of a race on interconnected chariots from the outskirts of the city to the arena of Domus Flau. To the surprise of the Tenrou Group, Natsu decided to take part in the event, representing Team A; and seeing his fellow Dragon Slayer, Gajeel followed. So, when the start was finally given, it was a complete surprise that the pink haired mage began to run on the moving chariots without any sign of motion sickness. Jumping forward, Natsu propelled himself at breakneck speed, while gently pushing his opponents to the sides. Of course, by gentle, it meant that they nearly fell from the chariots, almost being disqualified for it. Following his teacher, Sting jogged behind the Dragon Slayer, albeit with a slower speed, punching the mages from Lamia Scale and Mermaid Hill to the side, and starting to exchange blows with Bacchus running beside him. The wide eyed Iron Dragon Slayer was slowly limping on the first chariot, his incredible motion sickness bringing him to his knees.

"How is it possible!?" Erza cried out suddenly, pointing toward the speeding Natsu. "Why doesn't he have motion sickness?!"

"Well, he learned to fight it; after all, a Dragon can't be falling ill why trying to fly, can it?" Macao replied with a smirk.

"What about, Sting?" Lucy asked, wincing at Gajeel's poor state.

"Well, he was taught by Natsu. Learning your teacher's tricks is a student's duty, after all." Jet supplied with a shrug.

After a dozen of minutes, everyone bar Gajeel had arrived to the finish line; Natsu being first, Bacchus second, Sting third, Kurohebi fourth, Risley Law fifth, Yuka Suzuki sixth and Ichiya seventh.

And despite all the pleas from his friends and audience for him to stop and abandon, Gajeel forced himself to cross the finish line earning his team at least one point.

After a pause of a few hours, the Battles of the day started with Tobi Horhorta from Lamia Scale opposing Kurohebi from Raven Tail. The fight didn't last long but their decision to wager something on the winner added a new light to the competition and the next opponents decided to follow their example. Jet from Team A opposed Bacchus. The two mages stared at each other with smirks on their faces. They were friends and had been quite good partners during the last seven years.

"So, Bacchus; what do you think we should do?"

"Well I have a few ideas, what about you?"

"Change your Team's name to Quatro Puppy if you lose." Jet replied with a smirk.

"Alright. How about a date with that beautiful, bespectacled girlfriend of yours if I win?" the mage from Quatro Cerberus asked with a wide grin, causing his opponent's eyes to widen in shock. How could he have discovered that?! And even more, saying that in front of the whole country!

"You bastard! How did you-…"

"Hey! No need for that." Bacchus interrupted him again. "So what do you say?"

"That's not my decision to make…" Jet whispered back between gritted teeth, looking toward the blushing Laki in the audience. Looking back and forth between the two, the Tenrou group observed them, speechless and too shocked to react.

"Crush him." Laki said with a dazzling smile, loud enough to be heard in the whole arena, as her cheeks took on a crimson tint.

"With pleasure…" Jet replied before vanishing from sight. Being used to Jet's speed after their many spars and being himself a very quick mage, Bacchus evaded the redhead's strike that left spider webs on the ground. Flashing away, Jet attacked from the other side, but each time, the mage from Quatro Cerberus blocked or deflected the incoming punches. His grin widening, Bacchus twirled to the side and launched a punch forward, where Jet suddenly rematerialized, receiving the strike to the face and flying back from the force. Skidding to a halt and whipping the blood from his face, a dangerous smirk appeared on his face. It seemed that his old friend wanted to play it serious.

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Outstretching his right hand, a wicked dagger appeared in his hand in a flash of Requip Magic that he twirled between his fingers in a great show of swordsmanship. The still grinning Bacchus waved his hand in a come-hither gesture, taking on a fighting stance. Suddenly, the two mages disappeared and sounds of their clashes resounded in the arena as they appeared and disappeared all around, before the audience had the time to see what was happening. After a few minutes of a heated exchange they jumped back and appraised each other, adorning bruises on their bodies. Then, out of a sudden, magic exploded from Jet and rose to the skies in a column of light. The air around the arena started to shimmer and weaver, as if colors were slowly leaving the world; the movements of surrounding people seemed sluggish. When suddenly , the Speed Mage pounced toward his opponent flying toward him like in slow motion; in the same way, Bacchus' reaction was in slow motion as well and he was unable to block the slash of the dagger as the ginger haired man passed him. Twirling in the air, Jet pushed his feet on the surface of the wall, standing horizontally on it before jumping again toward his opponent. After another slash that was again followed by another jump, the speedster continued to cut up Bacchus under the shocked and lost eyes of the audience. During all this, Jet left a trail of colors behind him, as if time itself was frozen.

After a time that felt like eternity, but in actuality was only a fraction of a second, Bacchus crumbled to the ground, bleeding from numerous cuts on his body as colors returned to the world and the shimmering air disappeared, time taking its course again.

"What was that?!" Gary exclaimed his eyes wide as he watched the ginger haired mage approach the fallen S-class mage.

"It was technique called 'The Eyes of the Beholder'." Natsu replied. "When Jet uses it, people in a certain radius see the world from his point of view."

"Do you mean that's how…?"

"Yes, when he moves, the world stops around him." The pink haired mage continued with a smile. "And as you can see, frustrating him isn't such a good idea." He finished, launching a wink toward the now blushing Laki.

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The next fight opposed Jenny from Blue Pegasus and Juvia from Team B. The two young women entered the arena under the ovation of the male population and faced each other in the middle. The blonde adorned a confident smirk, her hand on her hip. The blue haired mage on the other side had a very serious expression on her face, completely immersed in her preparation for the fight.

"So, what do you want to wager, Juvia-san?" Jenny asked with a smile, brushing her hair with an offhand gesture.

"Juvia wants for you to stay away from Gray-sama; at least twenty feet!"

"Ha! That's too easy. Who would be interested in that guy? Well, apart you that is." The blonde replied with a roll of eyes. "Alright, that's good with me. But if you want to play like that, if you lose, you won't be able to approach your Ice Queen for a week." Jenny launched back with a sly smile, causing Juvia's eyes to widen.

"Juvia won't lose to you!" the blue haired young woman exclaimed in anger, causing Jenny's smile to widen even more.

"Let's see then." The blonde whispered before being engulfed in light. When her form was visible again, her appearance had changed to that of her Take Over Magic. Without losing time, she pounced toward the Water Mage, sweeping her clawed hand down. Jumping to the side, Juvia narrowly evaded the strike, feeling the great displacement of air that excavated the ground where she was only a moment ago. Following it with a quick kick to the face, the blonde jumped back and pointing her middle and index finger toward her opponent, launched a laser discharge that missed her target by a hairbreadth, creating a giant hole in the opposing wall.

Sliding to the side, Juvia finally responded by hurling a powerful jet of water toward Jenny, but the Take Over mage sprouted metallic wings from her back and deftly evaded it. Running toward the hovering blonde, the Water Mage slid on the ground waiving her arms at her sides, and releasing great quantities of water in the arena, and when it was finally enough, she clapped her hands and a giant wave of water rose and advanced toward Jenny, trying to drown her.

Exploding from the water through a circular opening that she created, Jenny flew toward Juvia, firing magical laser bullets from a machinegun that had appeared on her right shoulder. Jumping and twirling away from the onslaught, the blue haired mage created a cocoon of swirling water around her, when the still hovering blonde suddenly dropped to the ground, a massive metallic armor covering her arms and legs. The sudden shockwave that it produced caused Juvia to stumble on her feet and before she knew it, Jenny was on her, swinging her now massive arm in a hammer blow. When the Water Mage exploded like a balloon, splashing water everywhere, the blonde's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her now trembling hands in horror. She had killed her!

"Juvia doesn't like dissolving." Her voice resounded behind the Take Over Mage. "Juvia will punish you for your insolence." She continued with a dark tone.

"Oh my! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Jenny exclaimed, releasing a relived sigh, and her usual smirk came back. "So you can do such things. Interesting."

"Juvia is made of water, and water is made of Juvia. You have lost…" the blue haired mage stated in a monotonous voice, when suddenly the water still in the arena rose in the air and began to hover, puddle by puddle, drop by drop, and only a few seconds later, Domus Flau was filled with a phenomenal quantity of water, making the air heavy and difficult to breath with. Then Juvia pointed her palm toward Jenny and whispered: Water Abyss! The clear liquid that only a moment ago hovered in the air was propelled toward the Take Over Mage, its color taking on a darker shade, like its namesake. The water crashed into the blonde like a tidal wave and started to spin, forming a giant ball, still hovering in the center of the arena. With slow steps, the blue haired mage approached her drowning opponent with a dark look on her face, even entering the sphere. The faced down form of Jenny hovered in the middle, its darkness nearly hiding her from view. When Juvia was only a few feet from her downed opponent, she commanded her water to turn her around, and when Juvia led her eyes on the unconscious form of a nearly naked Gray, her eyes widened and the technique dissolved into nothingness. Not understanding what was happening, she glided toward the ground, catching his form before it hit the ground.

"Gray-sama!" she cried out with worry, when suddenly 'Gray's' eyes snapped open and an uncharacteristic smile formed on his face before he touched her forehead with his middle and index fingers and letting escape a small discharge of electricity. Before she had time to understand what had happened, Juvia crumbled to the ground, unconscious, as the now wet and smirking Jenny Realight stood over her prone form.

"You lose, my dear." She whispered, before bowing to the ovation of the audience.

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Crowning such a great display seemed impossible, but the next fight between Yukino from Sabertooth and Kagura from Mermaid Hill showed that there were still many very powerful mages in the competition. With the defeat of the former, the second day of the Grand Magic Games came to a close.

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"You disgraced Sabertooth!" Jiemma exclaimed, launching a handful of grapes toward the bowing Yukino. "Not only have you lost to such a Guild, but you even humiliated us even more by crying before the whole country!" he continued with hi powerful voice, causing some of his subordinates to wince. "Get on your knees and strip down! Erase the Sabertooth mark before my eyes!"

Tears streaking from her eyes, she kneeled and started to disrobe under the shocked eyes of her guild mates. No one was saying a thing despite not agreeing with it. They knew Jiemma; and going against him was a death wish.

"Stop it!" Sting cried out suddenly, preventing her hands from stripping even more. "You have no right to act in such a way!"

"What did you say, boy?!"

"I said that you're wrong!" the blond replied with anger. "Yukino is a member of this guild, a member of our…family! Whether she wins or loses doesn't change a damn thing!"

"You have no right to humiliate her in front of her friends like that! Have you no shame?!" Rogue added, standing beside his teammate.

"Shame? You're talking about shame when we've stayed behind that damned Guild for all those years?! You are weak! All of you are weak; and weaklings would never understand what it means to be the best!" Jiemma replied with fury.

"Being the best isn't the most important thing! We're together and are a family; that's all that matters!" Sting launched back, taking a step toward the Master.

"The speech of a loser." Jiemma whispered with distaste. "Well, if you're so eager to stay together, I'll be happy to oblige!" he continued swinging his massive arm toward the blond Dragon Slayer with an enormous quantity of magic behind it. Surprised by the sudden attack, Sting raised his hand in a poor attempt of defense, when Jemma's fist was stopped in midair by a much smaller and slender hand.

"That's enough, father."

"Minerva!"

"Milady!"

"What's the meaning of this?!" the Master of Sabertooth demanded with an angry frown on his face.

"Your comportment is beyond ridiculous." The young woman replied calmly. "You'll stop it immediately."

"What did you say?!"

"You've heard me perfectly well, father."

"How dare you address me in such a way, you insolent brat!" Jiemma exclaimed, tugging his hand free from her vice grip. "I see that I haven't taught you enough humility and respect. Don' t worry, I'll remedy to that very-…"

"Enough!" Minerva cried out suddenly, producing an enormous explosion in the inn used by the guild, and leaving the previous hall a smoking crater, her father in the center of it. "I've had enough of you and your decisions! You destroyed my childhood and transformed my life into a living hell. You're a monster that couldn't even see the love of his daughter! A demon that nearly transformed me into one like himself! I was lucky to have met Natsu-san when I did, for I can't even imagine the monster that I would have become because of you!" she continued with fury, making Jiemma levitate toward her with her magic. "You're a disease that is contaminating this Guild! And every disease has a cure; I'm yours!" she whispered in a deadly voice, slowly approaching her father, her deadly magic at the ready to end his life.

"Milady!" Sting cried out, pushing himself out of the wreckage caused by the previous explosion. "Stop it, milady!" he continued with wide eyes, but she didn't hear him, raising her hand over her head.

"That's enough, Minerva-chan." A voice suddenly intervened, while a gentle hand gripped her arm. As if snapping from a trance, she shook her head and turned around; the one holding her was Natsu.

"Natsu-san…" she whispered, with trembling lips. "I…"

"Don't worry. I'm here now." He said back with a gentle smile, turning her around and embracing her in a warm hug. Rigid from the sudden contact at first, she melted in his arms after a few seconds and gripped his shirt with force, closing her eyes as tears started to fall from them, not seeing as Jiemma was escorted away by Jet and Macao.

Becoming a monster wasn't a hard task, staying human on the other hand…

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AN: Leave a review and say what you thought about it!

See you next chap!