Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Well hello there, everyone. Didn't think I'd ever get this chapter out (because, you know...life), but I'm glad I got there eventually. But man...it still took way too long to get this done.

So it's at this point that I have to send out thank yous. Thank you to everyone who read this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. To all of my lovely readers, thank you so much for everything. You're all the best. I know that updates may have been frustrating, but it means the world that you stuck it out with me.

And now, without further ado, enjoy the final and longest installment of A Diary's Secret 2: A Fateful Journey!

Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret 2: A Fateful Journey

Chapter 13

With nimble leaps and careful steps, Natsu maneuvered through the mountain of smoldering metal that stood before him. When he reached the very top he began picking up the large sheets and hurling them away effortlessly as if they were discs made of foam. He continued to dig as the mountain shrunk piece by piece, stopping with a smile once he found what he was looking for.

Trapped under a twisted rod was King Faust. His old, wrinkled face was contorted with a mixture of fear and fury. Blood trickled from small cuts and scrapes. His long, gray hair, once regal and straight, was now disheveled. He glared at Natsu with wide, trembling eyes.

Natsu snickered. "There you are! Man, I gotta say I was a bit disappointed with your toy. I thought it would be more challenging to take it down. But it crumbled so easily."

"I…Insolent peasant! How dare you! Do you not know who I am?" Faust growled, but his voice was wavering.

"Oh I know who you are. That was kind of the point," Natsu replied. He bent down, pulled the rod up, and grabbed Faust by his collar. He lifted the man out of the metal walls and held him at eye level so that his feet were dangling. Natsu's grin had vanished and his eyes reflected fiery rage that had Faust cowering beneath it. "Kicking your ass is the whole reason I'm here, after all."

Mira and Serafine walked up behind Natsu and Happy sat on Mira's shoulder. Faust turned his head to look at the demonic woman with the small blue cat resting on her intimidating armor and then to the small girl before returning to Natsu. "Who are you people? What do you want with me?" His voice had lost all of its power and bravado. At that moment he was no longer King Faust, all-powerful ruler of Edolas; he was simply an old man forced to face power that far surpassed anything he could amount.

"We're the Dragneels," Natsu spat, "and we're here to dethrone you to save our world and this one."

"What do you mean 'your world'?" Faust asked.

"We come from Earth Land, the world you've been siphoning your magic power from," Mira answered.

Natsu's grip tightened. "Right now, our home is next on your list to be sucked up. Now tell me; how do I stop those Anima?"

"Stop the Anima?" Faust questioned softly. Defensive rage began to surface on his face, but could not completely suppress the fear he felt. "I WILL NEVER TELL YOU HOW TO STOP THEM!"

Flames erupted around Natsu's hands. Small embers flew onto Faust's royal garments, boring holes in the sleek fabric. "That's the wrong answer. Here's what you may not understand, old geezer. My friends are in danger and that makes me feel agitated. And when I'm agitated, I don't always make the best decisions. Just ask my wife and daughter."

"It's true," Mira replied with a sigh.

"Papa's a bit of a hothead," Serafine nodded.

Faust gulped. Natsu's eyes bore into him, draining him of his mental fortitude. His nerves were shot. A heavy sweat clung to his skin and his body shook.

"So you can imagine," Natsu continued, "that in my desperation to save my friends I might accidentally burn down this entire kingdom looking for those Anima. Because, you see, I have this crazy notion that if I burn everything, I'm bound to destroy the Anima in the process."

"You're a beast," Faust spat.

Natsu leaned in close. "And you backed this beast into a corner. Not smart, old geezer. So what's it gonna be?"

Faust grinded his teeth intensely. The way he saw it, he had two options in this situation. Option one was to yield. He would explain how to shut down the Anima, thus losing his vast source of renewable magic power. Option two was to refuse to give up the Anima. That would cost him his kingdom, something that he had worked decades to build to what it was today. Losing the kingdom would also loosen the iron grip he had on the lives of every citizen in Edolas. Both choices had negative outcomes for him, but the former was clearly the preferable route to take. He could not risk his kingdom. And he could always rebuild the Anima. "Fine," Faust hissed. "You win. I'll tell you how to stop the Anima."

Natsu smirked. "Now that's the right answer! Go on."

"Deep underneath my castle, down a long, winding stone staircase, you'll find a path that leads to the Anima Chamber. That's where the machine creating the Anima portals is located. If you destroy the machine, the Anima will forcibly close."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Natsu hoisted Faust over his shoulder. "Let's go find those stairs."

Faust squirmed under Natsu's grip. "Vile beast! How dare you treat me this way? Put me down this instant!"

"Just behave already," Natsu sighed. "We need you to show us to these stairs and I don't trust you to let you walk on your own."

Muttering curses under his breath, Faust ceased his struggles. He could feel Natsu's strong fingers pressing into him. They were as unmoving as iron bars. There was no hope for escape.

"Natsu! Mira! Serafine! Happy!"

A booming voice echoed among the debris from the battle. The Dragneels turned to see Brac waving at them from the hallway with the destroyed wall. He had a grin on his face and he was still clutching his Stone Cleaver.

Natsu waved with his free hand. "Yo, Brac! You guys win?"

"Of course, my friend!" Brac replied. "And I see you managed to defeat Faust." He surveyed the area. "I can see that it was quite the epic battle. I wish I could have seen it." He took a deep breath and looked towards the sky. "So we won, eh?"

"Yes," Mira said softly, her armor fading away as she left her Satan Soul: Zepar. "It's over."

Brac's lips quivered as his smile vanished. Tears erupted from his eyes. He covered his face with his scraped, burly arm. "You hear that?" he boomed to the sky. "We won, everyone! You were victorious!"

Serafine looked to the sky as well. She knew Brac was calling out to the fallen fighters who laid down their lives to bring peace to Edolas. And one of those brave souls was Lucius. Her chest constricted and she sniffed to fight back more tears. She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay to cry, Serafine," she said gently.

She shook her head. "No, I'm okay. Besides, we have to finish things."

Natsu bounded down the metal heap until he was beside Brac. "Everyone fought well. Be proud of what you accomplished."

Brac's arm fell back to his side. "I'm afraid I can't feel any such pride. I lost too many comrades on this day, including my own son."

"One lost life is one loss too many," Natsu said with a nod. "Still, everyone knew what they were risking. They knew and they fought anyways. And had any of you chosen not to rise up, there would have been more suffering." He clapped Brac on the shoulder. "Good people died today, but all of you saved countless other innocent people."

Brac nodded, but his mood did not change. "I know." He silently turned and headed back to the entrance where his comrades were waiting.

Natsu sighed. He knew that no words would ease the pain in Brac's heart. He knew that if it were Serafine or Mira or Happy who had died he would have been inconsolable, so he knew that losing his son was killing Brac. He readjusted his grip on Faust by throwing him in the air and allowing him to land roughly on his shoulder. The old king exhaled sharply. "Great, I'm in a bad mood again. Start telling me where to go, old geezer!"

With Faust's begrudging direction, the Dragneels were guided through the inner workings of the castle until they arrived at the winding stone staircase. As they descended beneath the castle, the light from outside began to fade and become replaced by pale, soft blue light from carved stone lamps fueled by magic power. When they eventually reached the bottom, the Dragneels could see the same lamps illuminate a long, straight path made of large stone bricks. With only one possible direction to go, other than back the way they came, the Dragneels hastened their pace forward. They couldn't see what lay at the end of this path. For all they knew, they were being led into a trap. However, they had no other choice but to follow the only lead they had to saving all of their friends in Magnolia. They had to take the risk.

When the Dragneels eventually reached the end of the path, they came face to face with a pair of monstrously large stone doors. Intricate depictions of heavenly angels flying about on feathered wings were carved into the smooth facings. With one arm still tightly pinning Faust to his shoulder, Natsu used his other arm to push on one of the doors. "Damn these things are heavy," he grunted. The muscles in his arm strained against the weight of the door as little by little, the door began to open inward. As scraping stone rang out on the air, bright light poured through the crack in between the doors, practically blinding the Dragneels.

When the door opened enough, the Dragneels walked inside. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light, but soon they could see the entire chamber. The walkway they were on led to a circular platform. Standing in a ring around the platform stood five tall, erect stone statues of robed, hooded figures, their heads turned upward and their arms outstretched towards the sky. Centered in the space among the large hands, suspended above the platform by several warped brass limbs, was a large orb of bright, pale blue light.

"Whoa," Serafine breathed. She was amazed by the beauty of the light emitted by the orb.

"Is that it?" Happy asked. "The Anima machine?"

"Yes," Faust growled. "This is the Anima machine that has provided my people with magic power for many years; magic power that has improved their quality of life."

"Oh can it, old geezer," Natsu spat. He roughly dropped Faust onto the hard stone path. The old king grunted at the sudden impact. "We know the truth. Maybe the lives of people inside of the Capital were better, but everyone else has suffered because of you and this machine." He cracked his knuckles and made his way to the circular platform. Flames sparked to life around his arms and hands. "I'll make sure no one else will suffer because of this."

"Natsu! Please wait."

An echoing voice calling out to him caused Natsu to freeze. He turned, for he recognized the voice. "Mystogan? How did you get here?"

Mystogan stood at the door to the Anima chamber. "You don't think I can send myself through the portals?" He motioned to the staves attached to his back.

"But why are you here?" Natsu asked, his flames disappearing. "What about Magnolia?"

"The pressure of the Anima began to stabilize rather than growing. I figured that the only possible reason for that to happen was that you had managed to cause enough destruction to pull all resources away from the machine creating the portals," Mystogan replied. "Magnolia is safe for now, but that doesn't mean all danger has been thwarted. Until the machine is stopped, the threat of the Anima will continue."

"Exactly," Natsu grumbled impatiently. "And I was about to destroy it. So then why would you stop me?"

"If I didn't stop you, you would have destroyed the only possible way of returning to Earth Land."

"Seriously?" Mira asked. "So then what do we do? How do we get back home and still stop the Anima?"

Mystogan looked up at the orb of light. "Don't worry. I can reverse the Anima's flow. Doing so will return any magic power that originated from Earth Land. And that would include you. Once you have all safely returned, I will destroy this horrid machine."

"But what about Faust?" Happy asked.

"I'll take care of him. I will see him pay for his crimes."

Natsu crossed his arms. "I have one problem with your plan. Reversing the Anima, sending us home, and dealing with Faust and the machine is all well and good. But what about you? You okay with not coming back with us?"

Mystogan closed his eyes. "I appreciate your concern. Believe me; I am extremely grateful for everyone in Fairy Tail. But my objective has always been this. My sole purpose for traveling to Earth Land was to stop Faust and destroy the Anima. And because of you four, I can." He bowed slightly. "My sincerest thanks."

"Don't worry about it," Mira said sweetly. "You're a member of Fairy Tail. We were happy to lend a hand. And we're thankful to you, too. If it wasn't for you, we never would have seen…Lisanna!" Mira's eyes shot open. "What about Lisanna? What will happen to her when we get sent back?"

"She originates from Earth Land," Mystogan replied calmly. "When I reverse the Anima, she will return as well."

Mira felt suddenly weak in the knees. It took Natsu's swift reflexes to keep her from falling to the ground. "Thank goodness," she breathed.

"Now then, I will get to work on reversing the Anima," Mystogan said. "It will take some time, but not too long. I would say any goodbyes now while you have the chance. That is, if you wish."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, we have some new friends that we really should say goodbye to. It would feel wrong just vanishing on them. How long would we have?"

"I would say no more than 30 minutes before you're forcibly pulled back to Earth Land."

"Perfect. Thanks for everything, Mystogan," Natsu said. The Dragneels all smiled at Mystogan before leaving the Anima chamber.

Once the Dragneels had left, Mystogan walked up to Faust. The old man was glaring at him with hatred. "So this is it. Your madness has finally been stopped."

Faust chuckled. "Stopped? No. I will rebuild my kingdom. I will find a way to siphon even more magic power; so much so that no unworthy peasant or overmuscled outsider could ever hope to challenge me!"

"Your reign ends today," Mystogan reiterated. He lifted a hand to the cloth that covered his face and gently pulled it down until it bunched up around his neck. He then removed the cloth wrapped around his head. Blue, messy hair was matted against his skin and he quickly ran a hand through it. "I will make sure of that, father."

Faust's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. His whole body trembled violently. "Je…Jellal?! No, impossible! You…you had disappeared years ago!"

"It was all part of my plan to stop you."

"But why? Why would you turn against your own father?! Your own flesh and blood?!"

Mystogan walked on towards the Anima machine. "Your greed for power and negligence towards your own citizens disgusted me. I prayed you would see reason, but you never did. You only became more disillusioned as time passed. So I vowed that I would put every effort towards stopping you. I traveled to Earth Land, the world you were siphoning from, to close any portals that opened up. At first I could keep up for the most part. However, as the years went on I began noticing that the portals were becoming larger and more frequent." He paused to glare over his shoulder. "You hadn't changed at all. You were ready to destroy two worlds for the sake of unlimited power."

Faust was speechless. He had never seen that look in his son's eyes before.

Mystogan continued forward, stopping just before the machine. With a wave of his hands, the staves attached to his back flew out and formed a semi-circle in front of him. He positioned his hands in front of him, aiming them at the glowing orb. Magic power began swirling around him. "Your tyranny has gone on far too long. I will return everything you have stolen and then destroy this machine. Then we can work towards peace."

The midday sun illuminated the battlefield near the outermost wall of the Capital. The smoke from the explosions caused by Krex as well as Serafine had finally died out. Every soldier that had been defeated was now tied up and leaning against the stone wall, guarded closely by armed White Wing fighters. There were also many white tarps laid out in even rows, covering the bodies of fallen White Wing members.

Standing before the bodies, their heads bowed, were Brac, the White Wing members who weren't guarding soldiers, and all of the freed prisoners. Everyone present was grateful for the sacrifice that those men and women had made, laying down their lives to help bring peace back to Edolas.

It was in this prayer-like state that the Dragneels found everyone. Seeing the fallen laid out in such a manner made the reality of the losses sink in.

Brac heard them approach. "Ah, you're back. Take care of everything?"

Natsu nodded somberly. "Yeah. Faust is taken care of. You have nothing to worry about. You're all free now."

"I hope someday soon I can feel like celebrating," Brac replied. "I'm pathetic. So many died under my orders. I can't even honor them by feeling joy from our victory."

"You're not pathetic," Mira promised. "You are kind. Losing friends and loved ones is devastating. It's normal, what you're feeling."

"I appreciate your kind words."

"Where's Lucius?" Serafine asked shyly.

Brac visibly stiffened before silently pointing to one of the veiled bodies. Serafine hesitated for a moment before jogging over. "You've got a good girl, Natsu and Mira."

"So what will you do next?" Happy asked.

"The battle is over, but White Wing still has a job to do. We'll start visiting villages across Edolas, making sure that the people have what they need to survive and spreading the news that there will be a new ruler. Then we'll have to see who will succeed Faust and make sure they don't follow his lead. And what of you all?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head. "We're, uh, we're heading out. Gotta get back home, ya know?"

Brac smiled as he turned to face Natsu. He extended his hand. "I understand. You have my sincerest thanks, my friend. Without all of you, none of this would have been possible."

Natsu took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "We were happy to lend a hand."

"We wish you all the best of luck," Mira added with a smile.

"Big sister."

Mira and Natsu turned to the thin, bruised form of Lisanna. In the outside light, it was clear just how poorly she had been treated while locked away in the dungeons. But she was alive and that was all that mattered. Mira walked towards her sister and tightly embraced her. "Lisanna. We can finally go home. Together to Magnolia."

Tears welled up in Lisanna's eyes as she wrapped her frail arms around her sister's waist. "Home…to Magnolia. I can't believe it. This isn't a dream?"

"No. Thank goodness it's not a dream."

Meanwhile, Serafine was kneeling by Lucius's body. She didn't dare pull back the sheet. She knew that seeing his lifeless face again would only hurt more. Still, she wanted to say goodbye. She bowed her head and tried her best to smile, though she still couldn't manage it. "So Mama and Papa and Uncle Happy and I are going home now. We're going back to Magnolia with Aunt Lisanna. I'll be far away from now on…but so will you I guess." Her lips began to quiver. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes with her forearm to try and keep herself from crying. It didn't work, as tears leaked through and dripped to the dirt. "Geez, when did I start being such a crybaby? I'm trying so hard to smile for you, just like you wanted. But I…I'm going to miss you. We only knew each other for a few days, but I think of you as someone special to me. You mean so much to me and…and I…" She lost the words she was looking for as her crying intensified. What was it that she wanted to tell Lucius? Was she even sure of what she was feeling? "Lucius…Lucius…"

Serafine felt a gentle touch on her back. She didn't have to turn around to know it was her mother.

"It's time to go, Serafine," Mira said softly. "We wish to be outside of the capital before we're sent home. Have you said your goodbye?"

Serafine shook her head, her body heaving from her sobs. "No, not yet."

Mira rubbed her back and knelt down beside her daughter. "Why don't you give Lucius one final smile? I'm sure that would make him happy."

"I…can't. I tried, but I can't make my face do it."

"You know, Serafine, I know that Lucius wouldn't want you to be sad. He'd want you to smile no matter what."

Serafine sniffed. She knew her mother was right. Lucius said as much before he died. She still remembered his words.

"Serafine, I never want to see you look sad. Please smile for me."

With all of her strength and willpower, tears still pouring from her eyes, slowly but surely she managed to twist her lips into a smile, albeit a shaky one. Still, it was an accomplishment for the young mage; it was the first time she had been able to smile for him since he passed. "Goodbye…Lucius."

Mira closed her eyes. 'You fought hard, Serafine, and you've gotten so much stronger. And Lucius…thank you for everything you've done for Serafine. Rest in peace.'

With their goodbyes all said, Natsu, Mira, Serafine, Happy, and Lisanna all stood deep in the forest outside of the Capital walls.

"How much longer until we get sent back like Mystogan said?" Happy asked from atop Lisanna's head.

Mira put a finger to her chin. "I'd say any minute now."

"While we're waiting, why don't we start catching up," Lisanna offered. "I haven't seen you all in so long and so much has changed." She looked down at Serafine and smiled sweetly. "It's hard to believe that I'm an aunt now. Crazy."

Serafine bowed her head. "It's nice to finally meet you, Aunt Lisanna. Mama and Papa and Uncle Happy have told me so much about you."

Lisanna waved her hands in front of her. "I know this is the first time we're meeting, but there's no need to be so formal. We're family after all." She looked to her sister and Natsu. "Which reminds me; you mentioned in the dungeons that you two got married. When?"

"It's been a little over 14 years," Natsu replied almost immediately.

"Oh. I see," Lisanna replied.

"Lisanna, I—," Mira began, but her sister stopped her.

"Mira, I know you well enough to know what you're about to say," Lisanna sighed. "You were about to apologize, right?"

Mira said nothing. Lisanna was spot on.

Lisanna shook her head. "Really. In 16 years, you still haven't changed. But that's good a thing." She cupped Mira's face with her hands. "Don't you dare apologize. There's nothing to be sorry for. Was I surprised to hear that you two had gotten married? Sure, especially since I didn't realize you felt that way about Natsu. But I'm really happy for you and I mean it. You two seem so happy together. Plus you have a really cute daughter."

Mira's eyes shone with a new round of tears. "But you—."

"Yep, I lost," Lisanna jokingly said with a giggle. "But it's okay. I mean, I was sent to another world for goodness' sake with no hope of ever going back. How crazy would I have to be to expect Natsu to never find anyone?"

Mira wrapped around Lisanna like a python, squeezing her tight. "Oh, Lisanna."

"There, there," Lisanna said comfortingly.

"So Lisanna, mind if I ask about this crazy world? Like how exactly did you end up here? And why did we see almost everyone from Fairy Tail, including ourselves, here?" Natsu asked.

Lisanna shook her head. "I'm afraid there's very little I can actually tell you. From what I could gather over the years, Edolas is a parallel world to Earth Land. That's why you've seen people you know."

"Don't you remember Mystogan explaining that?" Happy asked Natsu.

"Oh, that's right," Natsu said while snapping his fingers. "Now that you mention it, he did say that."

"People here act in the exact opposite way of how they act back home," Lisanna continued. "For example, Elfman is very gentle, Levy is extremely aggressive, Cana is incredibly proper in the way she speaks and dresses, Gray wears too many layers and never takes any of them off, and Natsu," she giggled as she looked at him, "is a total coward, except for when he's driving his car."

"Natsu driving a vehicle?!" Happy exclaimed.

"Who's a coward?" Natsu bellowed, taking much more offense to this detail than the other.

"Like I said, total opposites," Lisanna laughed.

"What about Mira?" Happy asked.

"The Mira here in Edolas, from what I can tell, has always been kind, almost to the point of complete innocence. She never teased or pranked people."

"Um," Serafine said shyly, "am I here?"

Lisanna shook her head. "No, I haven't seen you. Sorry. But that's probably because Natsu and Mira in this world are not married."

Natsu shook his head vigorously. "We can spend all day comparing people, but it will only make my head hurt more. Back to my first question. Lisanna, how did you get to this world?"

Lisanna looked sadly at the ground. "After the mission to eliminate the Beast, I suffered a serious injury, but it wasn't fatal. However, I felt my body getting lighter and beginning to tingle all over. It was like I was breaking apart. The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes in a completely unfamiliar place, looking at the faces of Mira and Elfman. But they weren't my Mira and Elfman. They both hugged me tightly, tears pouring from their faces. I was confused, so I only listened. They cried about how worried they were when they saw me fall off of a cliff. They took me to Fairy Tail, but it wasn't my Fairy Tail.

"As I listened to Mira and Elfman tell everyone I recognized but didn't know about how I fell off a cliff, I created a theory. This world had people who looked the same as people in Earth Land, but they were actually total opposites. And since I didn't see anyone who looked like me, the 'Lisanna' from this world must have died when she fell off of that cliff. And she fell around the same time the Beast struck me. Somehow I got pulled from our world into this one to replace her." She smiled apologetically. "Though the explanation for how I actually got here is still lost on me. Sorry, I guess I couldn't explain that for you."

"It must have been the Anima," Mira sniffed as she drew back. "An Anima must have pulled you through to replace this world's Lisanna."

"Anima?" Lisanna parroted confusedly.

As if on cue, a large vortex opened up in the sky. The Dragneels and Lisanna could feel their bodies rising towards the portal.

"Speak of the devil! Way to go, Mystogan!" Natsu cheered.

"Aye! We can go home!" Happy cried gleefully.

"What's happening?" Lisanna asked. "This feels…familiar."

"This is an Anima portal," Mira explained calmly. "It's how you got to Edolas. And now, it will take you home."

Serafine watched the ground grow smaller and smaller. While she hadn't been in Edolas long, she was thankful for the adventure she had, the power she had obtained, but most of all, for the people she had met and come to know as friends. In this strange parallel world where magic was a finite resource, she had learned so much about herself. She had to admit, even though she was glad to be going home, a small part of her was going to miss Edolas. She raised her arms above her head, waved them vigorously, and shouted as loud as she could, "EVERYONE! GOODBYE! TAKE CARE!"

There was stunned silence inside of the Fairy Tail guild hall when the Dragneels and Lisanna walked inside. At first, it seemed like everyone was trying to make sure they weren't seeing things, some rubbing their eyes, others blinking rapidly, and a select few checking their drinks. Even Macao and Wakaba put their beer mugs on the counter and pushed them away for fear they had drank too much.

After a while, Elfman walked forward as if in a daydream. His large frame shook and his eyes began to water. Licking his lips, he slowly spoke. "L…i…sa…nna?"

Lisanna tilted her head cutely to the side and smiled brightly. "Hi there, big brother Elf. It's been a while. You're looking well. You've gotten so much bigger and stronger."

Elfman's face began to twist before tears erupted from his eyes. He lunged forward, lifted Lisanna with ease and hugged her tightly. "LISANNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Too tight, big brother," Lisanna rasped. "I'm still kind of injured here."

Once Elfman held her, the stupor that had fallen over the guild had lifted. Everyone cried out and ran to the Strauss siblings, joining in on the tearful embrace. The only ones who held back were Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, and Juvia, for they had no idea who Lisanna was.

The rest of the day was spent surrounding Lisanna, listening to the tales she had to share about everything that had happened to her since she "died". Elfman sat closely next to her with Serafine sitting on his knee. Mira and Natsu sat closely on the other side. Everyone hung on her every word with smiles on their faces. They were shocked to learn of another world parallel to theirs and to hear how there were people who looked like them but acted entirely different. They were also furious to hear why Lisanna looked as battered and beaten as she did—especially Elfman.

Afterwards, everyone was dying to know how Natsu, Mira, Serafine, and Happy came to find Lisanna. The Dragneels told them the story of their grand adventure through Edolas. They told everyone about Mystogan and his mission and how he chose to stay in Edolas where he originally came from, which made everyone even more curious about Mystogan's true identity. And Natsu and Mira ended their story by proudly describing the appearance of Serafine's incredible magic. Natsu especially went into thorough detail to explain everything. Everyone couldn't help but stare with amazement at Serafine, making her blush under everyone's gazes.

It was then Lisanna's turn to be filled in about what had transpired since she left Earth Land. She already knew about Natsu and Mira getting married and having a daughter, so the largest surprise was already out of the way. She met the new guild mates that had joined since she left. She congratulated Erza on her new role as guild master. She even got a tour of the new guild hall.

Once all of the storytelling was finished, the guild threw an impromptu party. Considering no one knew this day would ever come, it was impressively massive. Then again, this was Fairy Tail. Everyone drank and laughed and sang and danced as their family somehow, by some miracle, became whole again.

Serafine sat alone at the bar, a glass of juice in her hand as she watched the festivity.

Makarov slowly hobbled over to where she sat. He climbed up onto the bar and sighed tiredly. "So it sounds like you all had quite the adventure while finding your Aunt Lisanna."

"Yeah, it was," she replied simply.

He picked up a mug and poured himself some booze. "We're glad to have you all back safe and sound. Even though we had no idea you left in the first place…"

Serafine sighed. "Grandpa Maky, you're still not gonna listen to Grandma Porly?"

Makarov gulped down some booze. "Moderation, child. Now, care to tell me what you're doing here by yourself? It's unusual to see you sitting off to the side during a party."

Serafine looked down at her juice and carefully swirled the contents around the glass. "I can't bring myself to be in high spirits."

"Would you like to talk about what is bothering you?" Makarov offered, though from the story he heard earlier he had a pretty strong suspicion as to what was upsetting the young Dragneel.

Serafine was silent as she tried to find her words. She was finding it hard of late to put her thoughts into words, which bothered her. She was always one to speak her mind, but her mind was too clouded and confused to vocalize anything. Eventually, Serafine spoke. "Maky, how do you…how do you get over the death of someone you cared about?"

'I thought so. So much like her parents, especially Natsu,' Makarov thought as he took another swig of his booze. He put down the mug and looked at the jocularity before him. "Getting over a death, huh?"

Serafine nodded, keeping her eyes on her juice.

"It's impossible unfortunately."

Serafine ripped her eyes away from her glass and looked at Makarov fearfully. "It's impossible? So I'm gonna feel this way forever?"

Makarov shook his head. "Don't misunderstand, my dear. What your feeling will pass in time. But you never get over the death of someone you love. You just eventually learn to accept it and continue living your life with their memory in your heart. That way they are never truly gone."

Serafine sighed. "That sounds hard."

"It's extraordinarily difficult," Makarov agreed. "But everyone in this guild can sympathize with you and understands how you feel. They all had to do the same thing when we thought we lost Lisanna all those years ago. They never forgot her, but they began to realize that they had to keep living their lives the best they could. Otherwise, they would only make her sad."

"I guess I understand."

"What's important is that you don't rush through it," Makarov added. "Make sure to take all of the time you need. And in time, you will feel better."

"Thanks, Grandpa Maky. I'll try my best."

Makarov smiled. "That's my cute little goddaughter!"

Serafine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She leapt off of her chair and slapped her cheeks. "Okay! Here I go!" She charged forward and barreled into the body of Gray. He stumbled backward but caught himself. "Uncle Gray! I challenge you to a fight!"

"What? Why?" Gray shouted.

"That's my girl!" Natsu exclaimed with a laugh.

"Serafine, get off of my beloved Gray this instant!" Juvia cried while stomping her feet and puffing out her cheeks. "Only I may thrust myself upon him!"

"Like father, like daughter," Lucy sighed.

Lisanna stood by Mira and Elfman and laughed. "I'm glad things haven't changed while I was gone."

"Changing Fairy Tail wouldn't be manly!" Elfman smirked.

"We wouldn't want it any other way," Mira smiled.

As Serafine clung to Gray, fighting against his arms trying to pry her off, she made an oath. She would continue to get stronger. She would master her magic. She would make it so that no one she cared about would ever die again. And she swore that she would never forget Lucius, the boy who loved her smile and loved her tiny flame. 'Watch me, Lucius. When I get stronger, my flame will blow you away!'

ONE YEAR LATER—YEAR 799

Near the outskirts of the East Forest that bordered Magnolia sat a large, spacious clearing of grass and the occasional boulder. A quiet, warm wind blew, bending the grass as two wizards squared off.

Serafine panted heavily. She was hunched over as she tried to regulate her breathing. Sweat dripped from her body and into the dirt. Her determined gaze was fixed on her father. "One…one more time…Papa!"

"Don't push yourself, Serafine!" Mira called out worriedly from the sidelines where Happy, Elfman, and Lisanna also sat watching. "It's okay to try again tomorrow!"

"I can…do it, Mama!" Serafine assured her. Everyone could tell, though, that her energy was all but spent.

Natsu laughed as he, too, tried to catch his breath. "You know I'm always happy to take you on, but you definitely seem worn out. Let's do what your Mama says and try tomorrow."

"Please! Just one more go!" Serafine begged.

Natsu sighed. "Alright, fine. But if I feel like you're going overboard, I'm stopping you immediately. Deal?"

"Deal!" Serafine agreed with a big smile as she managed to stand up straight.

"Now remember; control your breathing and fixate on the mental image you have," Natsu instructed. "Concentrate on the swelling of your magic power. Don't let it get out of control."

"I know, I know," Serafine said as she stretched her body. "I can do it!"

"That's my girl," Natsu smiled.

Serafine closed her eyes. She took a few slow, deep breaths to regulate her breathing. 'Fixate on my mental image. A strong, powerful flame; one that can protect everyone I care about. A warm flame that can make him smile.' Once Serafine could see in her mind the flame she desired, her eyes snapped open. "Here I go, Papa!"

As if a switch had been flipped, Serafine's body became cloaked in flames. Her skin became a dark, ash gray in color and bright, glowing red marks snaked all around her body. Her irises changed from a cobalt blue to a deep orange and the whites of her eyes were now black. The silver streaks in her hair shone brightly and calmly rested with the rest of her pink locks. Her clothes, now infused with protective magic, remained intact in spite of the powerful flames. With a wave of her hand, the flames surrounding her disappeared and Serafine took a battle ready stance. "Ready, Papa!"

"Good girl!" Natsu shouted. "That's good! Now keep that balance of power and send me your best!"

Serafine nodded and drew her hands close to her chest. Powerful flames collected in between her palms. They whipped about wildly, forcing Serafine to focus intensely to keep them from going out of control. "Here it comes, Papa! My Fire Devil Slayer Magic!"

Natsu readied himself with a proud smile. "I'm ready, kiddo!"

Serafine raised her hands over her head. "FIRE DEVIL SOLAR RAY!" A monstrous, thick pillar of flames shot from between her hands and rocketed towards Natsu. Had he not been prepared (or been a Fire Dragon Slayer), the flames would have easily consumed him.

Natsu drew flames into his mouth. "FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" A pillar of flames shot out of his mouth and collided with Serafine's flames. The two attacks were evenly matched.

"Amazing!" Lisanna applauded, having to shout over the roar of the flames in front of her. "Serafine is getting stronger by the day!"

"I've never seen a 14 year old with so much power! My niece is so manly!" Elfman roared.

"The control she has over her Fire Devil Slayer form has gotten so much better!" Happy cried.

Mira sighed, but couldn't help but smile. "That's my girl."

After a few moments, Serafine's attack began to dwindle in strength. Natsu's attack, however, stayed strong and pushed through. Serafine was able to cease her attack and leap out of the way before the Roar could land. She rolled on the ground and panted as her Fire Devil Slayer form vanished. "Man, I felt confident about that one."

Natsu walked over and offered his daughter his hand. "You should be proud! That attack was amazing! I really had to put some power into my Roar just to hold it off."

Serafine accepted her father's hand and smiled. "Really? You think so?"

"Absolutely!" Natsu answered with a massive grin. "You've gotten impressively stronger in just a year's time. The sky's the limit for you! You'll end up surpassing me in no time."

Serafine pumped her fists. "Thanks! That means a lot, Papa! Can we go again?"

"No, no more," Mira interjected immediately as she stood. "Come on, we have to get lunch now. It's important to refuel after expending so much magic power."

"Right," Natsu agreed with a nod.

"Okay, fine," Serafine said then asked her father, "We'll train later?"

He gave her a thumbs up. "You bet! Anytime."

"Come on, let's head to the guild," Mira said as she put a hand on Serafine's shoulder.

Natsu put his hand on Serafine's other shoulder. "Then whaddya say we take a mission together?"

Serafine looked at each of her parents and gave a large, bright smile that shone like the sun high up in the sky. "Yeah! I'm fired up!"

THE END

And there you have it. The end of the story. I hope you all enjoyed the ride. I certainly enjoyed giving Serafine a chance to shine and develop some interesting magic. I wonder where it will take her?

Thank you so much for reading and for your support. I hope to see you again!