The selection match had only run for half a day before Makarov called it off.
He had no choice; if he didn't, that flattened mountain range was about to turn into a lake.
Stopping early meant far more people remained than there were slots. With no alternative, Makarov took a liberty with the rules and decided to send two teams to the Grand Magic Games.
Laxus, Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue formed a Dragon Slayer squad. Erza, Kagura, Gray, Lucy, and Cana formed a second team to enter the Grand Magic Games together.
Naturally, Charles told Makarov all about the Kingdom of Fiore's plan and the Eclipse Gate, since it concerned Zeref and Acnologia.
Those two were the main reasons things on Tenrou Island escalated the way they did seven years prior.
Don't forget, for Makarov and the others, that had happened not long ago.
Makarov grumbled a bit about dealing with such a hassle again so soon, but he didn't change the plan to participate in the Games.
Charles understood the reason. There was no avoiding it.
Never mind that Lucy's Golden Keys were the key to opening the Eclipse Gate—on that count alone, the kingdom wouldn't leave Fairy Tail alone.
And no one could rest easy handing off an incident involving Zeref and Acnologia to someone else after knowing it was coming.
From Charles's account, Makarov realized Fiore hadn't factored the risks into its plan at all.
If they weren't on-site when something went wrong, they wouldn't make it in time to do anything.
Fortunately, the guild had plenty of exceptional kids—including Charles—giving Makarov the confidence to face whatever might happen.
It was a pity Gildarts took a decade quest after watching the selection match instead of joining. With him, they would've had an even firmer hand.
To be safe, Makarov refused to bring along underpowered members. He took only core fighters to the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.
This wasn't Charles and company's first time in the City of Flowers, so they registered smoothly and checked into their hotel.
As a guild that had won the Grand Magic Games multiple times, Fairy Tail enjoyed quite a few perks.
In the original timeline and their first Games, Fairy Tail crammed into the Honeybone Inn with a bunch of other guilds.
This time, Fairy Tail was placed in the Crocus Garden Hotel, one of the capital's premier luxury hotels. Even non-roster members had their own rooms.
After everyone settled in, the Tenrou Group headed out to stroll under the guidance of "regulars" like Sting.
Charles and Makarov, meanwhile, were staring at Mavis, who had suddenly appeared in their room.
Biting her finger, Mavis said, "I came because staying on Tenrou was too boring and I wanted to cheer everyone on. I didn't expect this to happen."
Charles had known Mavis would appear, so he wasn't surprised. Her current state, though, truly was uncanny.
Though Mavis called herself a ghost, to Charles she was a special thought-form.
After so many worlds, the knowledge and research he'd accumulated on different powers let him see her state clearly.
The curse of immortality protected her soul, letting it detach from her body and move freely in a special living form. Everything has two sides; in its way, the curse's power was quite wondrous.
Charles didn't dwell on it. "With the First Master, the Fairy Tactician, on our side, it takes a load off."
Mavis's expression turned stern. "We still can't be careless. This concerns him and Acnologia!"
Charles knew exactly who "him" was. He also knew this incident didn't actually have much to do with Zeref; what warranted concern was the possible appearance of the Black Dragon.
Mavis continued, "From what we know, the key is Lucy's Golden Keys. Our job is to protect her.
To avoid accidents, no one should act alone during the Games! And keep tabs on the kingdom's moves. Charles, can I leave that to you?"
Charles nodded. "No problem. I'll keep an eye out."
Seeing Mavis's face, he could still read her inner turmoil. Even the Fairy Tactician would waver at a time like this.
The Eclipse Plan's original goal was to travel back and kill Zeref before he became a black mage.
Given Mavis and Zeref's relationship, it was hard to imagine how complicated her feelings were.
Luckily, the plan was fundamentally impossible, so there would be no melodrama.
While the three discussed their next steps, the others were running into mages from the other guilds out on the streets.
For the Tenrou Group, many faces had changed but were still familiar, and many were new.
For Sting and the others, most were well-known rivals, so he took the lead in introducing the unfamiliar ones.
Apart from old friends like Jura, who were happy the Tenrou Group had returned, most guild mages showed some measure of hostility or malice.
Kagura explained to the puzzled group, "We've won too many times at the Grand Magic Games. Other guilds are bound to get jealous.
It was the same before—they caused us no end of trouble! They can't even make it through the prelims, but who knows where they get the guts to keep provoking us."
It wasn't strange for Kagura to be baffled; like Natsu and the others, she hadn't seen enough of human ugliness. Erza and those with more experience understood.
The Games were advertised as a tournament to select the kingdom's top mage guild.
That title—and the enormous benefits that came with it—naturally drew envy. Even though Fairy Tail won fair and square every time, there would always be those displeased.
Jealousy simply wasn't rational.
And since Fairy Tail disdained petty retaliation, the cost of making trouble was minimal. Of course they'd try to topple a favorite and steal the spotlight.
Kagura's eyes lit on another group. "Those are the opponents we need to take most seriously: the guild Sabertooth!
Since Mr. Charles stopped competing, the championship's been between them and us these past years—and twice, they beat us."
Everyone looked over and committed their future rivals to memory.
Sabertooth spotted Fairy Tail too and watched them warily. After a moment of staring, both sides went their separate ways.
They were about to be opponents; the result would be settled in the arena.
Just then, a few with keener senses all turned at once. A particularly gloomy, hostile gaze had come from that direction.
"That emblem is…?" Kagura frowned. She wasn't about to remember the names of nameless little guilds. Staring at that raven-with-a-branch emblem, she couldn't place the black-robed man radiating malice.
Erza spoke up. "That's the emblem of the mage guild Raven Tail. Seven years ago they were a small guild taking one dirty job after another. Have they grown in these seven years?"
Kagura shook her head. "No. I've never heard of them doing anything noteworthy in all that time, and they've never made it into the main bracket of the Games."
Lucy hugged her arms. "That guy gives me a really bad feeling. Let's not provoke them."
Laxus stood silent to the side. For some reason, that black-robed man gave him a very particular feeling.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.