Disclaimer: Hey guys! Firestorm40 here with a new chapter for you all. I do not own any of the characters except my own. Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it. So without further ado, Enjoy!

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Using a transmission lacrima, Makarov was communicating with Gray and Juvia, who had been sent out to find and protect the former council member Hogg. Unfortunately, the news was not what they'd been hoping for.

Gray shook his head grimly, "It's no use...it's too late."

"What?!" Makarov exclaimed, "Then Hogg is..."

"He's gone..." Juvia swallowed, "And it looks like someone really went wild here...it's almost too horrible to look at..."

Makarov pinched the bridge of his nose, "Can you at least bury him?"

"I can try," Gray offered, then muttered under his breath, "After I find all the pieces..."

In the town Gray and Juvia had been sent to, the buildings had been sliced apart. It was as though someone with a giant sword had gone into a frenzy and cut anything with a physical form- humans included.

Makarov tried the next link in the lacrima chain, "Gajeel? Levy? What about Belno?"

The lacrima flickered and Black Steel's face showed up, but he shook his head as well, "We're too late."

"There aren't any signs of a violent fight here," Levy explained, "So this was likely carried out like an assassination."

"Damn it!" Gajeel swore, "If only we were a little quicker..."

Levy frowned at him, "Gajeel..."

Patherlily showed up on the screen a moment later, "We're going to bury Belno in a moment. What about the others?"

On the guild's side of the lacrima, Cana grew frustrated beside Makarov, "They got Hogg and even Belno! I guess that means the only two left are the ones Sora's team went after, Michello Lisanna and Elfman for Yuuri."

"Natsu and Lexi had gone after Sora and the others too..." Makarov muttered.

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"Finally! It connected!" Lucy gasped, "The lacrima we brought was destroyed, so I had to find another one in the city."

Makarov took in her ragged appearance and knew something had gone down, "Lucy? What's the situation over there?"

"Michello is alright," she reported, "We've all seen better days, but Sora took down one of the Tartaros members."

"Also, Natsu and Lexi made it here too." Wendy said as the orb angled to they could see the said dragon slayer grinning at them.

Carla spoke up, "The city is in complete shambles. These guys from Tartaros are not to be underestimated in any way."

"Have you managed to get any intel from Michello?!" demanded Makarov.

"Well..." Lucy glanced at the old man and set the lacrima to face him. Michello was sweating and in total shock.

"White..White Legacy...Face..." he wheezed, "I..don't know anything...nothing at all..."

The Master arched his eyebrow, "Face?"

Michello gulped in a breath, "Face is a weapon possessed by the council."

Everyone listening across the lacrima chain immediately went on guard. It was no secret the magic council was in possession of some serious weaponry.

Sora frowned, "Why does the council need weapons?"

"To maintain order with the underworld, I bet," Lucy muttered, "Though I'm sure that's not all they get up to. For now, keep going, Michello."

"The council's various weapons are managed according to their lethality and priority," the old man informed them shakily, "For example, the Grand Sorcery Cannon, Etherion. It can target and entire continent and obliterate a country in mere seconds. To fire it, the approval of nine standing council members and the firing codes of ten senior officials are necessary."

Jet and Droy decided to comment, "With all the council members dead, that makes Etherion useless."

"But was nullifying the Grand Sorcery Cannon one of their aims?" Lily asked.

"I think there's more to it." Lexi said.

"I agree." Kiki nodded.

"Exactly what kind of weapon is Face?" Makarov asked.

Michello clammed up, still sweating in fear.

Makarov had no patience for it, "I know you have a duty to keep these secrets, but now is not the time for that! The lives of many people hang in the balance!"

With a whimper of defeat, the catlike old man gave up.

"It's a magic pulse bomb. A weapon to nullify all magic across the continent."

Alarm rippled through the ranks of mages like a tidal wave.

"What?!" Gray shouted in disbelief.

"Nullify magic across the continent?!" roared Gajeel.

Levy looked horrified, "All magic users would become powerless!"

"That's not all..." Lucy realized, "Tartaros said they use Curses, not Magic! They would be the only ones on the continent able to use any method of attack!"

Makarov himself was trembling with shock, "What a fearsome weapon..."

"WHERE IS IT?!" Natsu grabbed Michello by the collar and bellowed in his face, "SPIT IT OUT! WE'LL DESTROY THE BOMB BEFORE TARTAROS CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON IT!"

"Hiihh!" Michello shrieked in fear, "I really don't know! I heard it was sealed with Organic Link Magic used by three former council members, but only the former Chairman knows their identities! That's all I know about it! Really!"

Wendy's eyes widened, "Then the lives of those three are the key to the seal?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Gray interrupted, "Why would Tartaros be trying to silence the council? Unless..."

"They already know where Face is..." Juvia realized.

Sora blanched, "They're killing the council members because they don't need any more information?!"

"Old man, we have to find those three!" Gajeel snapped, "If they get killed, Tartaros can use Face and then we're all fucked!"

"You said the former Chairman knows their identities?!" Makarov demanded of Michello.

"P-probably."

The Master spun around, "You brats heard that?! What's the status on finding the former Chairman's address?! Has it been identified from the other sixteen former council members?!"

Laki grabbed a paper from a nearby table and rushed over, "We found out which one is his!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Send someone out there now!" Makarov ordered.

Warren tapped his forehead and shouted, "I've sent them the location! Those two were scouting for Tartaros the closest to the former Chairman's address, so they'll take care of guarding him!"

"Who was it again?" asked the Master.

Cana grinned, "Two of our strongest. Mira and Erza."

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Yuri's home...

"Damn...he's not breathing anymore..." Elfman shook his head, the old ex-council member dead in his arms.

"No way..." Lisanna whispered.

"Prepare the communication lacrima. We must inform the others." Her brother said as he set the old man on the ground. "But how was he killed? There were no external wounds..." Suddenly the old man's eyes shot open and he sat up like an animated doll. "Woah! Old Yuri, you're alive...?"

"Kyah!" Lisanna yelped as the ex-council member, with one motion of a finger, destroyed their lacrima.

"What are you doing?!" Elfman yelled at him, watching the pieces of the crystal fall to the ground at his sister's feet. "Our communication lacrima...!?" With a shutter, Old Yuri's body flopped over dead once again. "W-What the hell..."

"What is...?" The siblings looked at the body with confusion.

"The dead's macro doesn't seem to work very well." A new voice spoke and that's when they noticed the newcomer sitting in Yuri's study room, a book propped open in her hands.

"Who are you!?" Elfman asked.

"What did you do to Old Yuri?" Lisanna added.

"I just helped him reach Hades." The woman replied.

"Are you from Tartaros...?" Elfman asked as he watched her flip through the pages. After she was done, she placed the book on the table with a frown on her face.

"The stories written by humans are boring. I shall write my own story." She stood up slowly, gazing at the siblings. "The story of the demons."

"Be careful, Lisanna!" Elfman warned.

"Yes!" She replied before noticing that her brother's hand was clamped around her throat. "Ugh..."

"Lisanna! Lisanna!" He yelled, watching as his own hand was strangling his sister. "No..My body is..."

"Gh...it hurts..." She managed to choke out as she struggled against his grasp.

"What did you do!?" He roared at the demon. "Stop this! Stop right now!"

"In the story of demons..." She gazed at them without batting an eyelash. "...the word 'pity' doesn't exist."

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Ex-chairman's home...

"Erza...Jellal most probably became a target as well..." Mira looked at the scarlet-haired woman with worry. After the Fairy Tail guild managed to pinpoint the ex-chairman's address, she and Erza were sent out immediately. "I'm glad I switched over to the ex-counselor's convoy..."

"Even I don't know where Jellal is..." Erza spoke after she thanked the animal that took them to their destination. The animal touched her hand with its nose before trotting off. "But, even if I'm not there, he'll be able to defend himself. That aside, we must protect the ex counselor."

"Yeah...this'll be the magical realm's large fortress." The two women trekked the rest of the way through the dense forest with their belongings till they came across a small house that belonged to the ex-chairman's. When they knocked on the door, the chairman welcomed them with open arms and offered them a drink.

"I started growing herbs after retirement." He told them as they made themselves comfortable and brought over a tray with two cups and a tea kettle. "And these here are my homegrown chamomiles."

"I'll be having some then." Mira said as she helped herself to a cup.

"It's got a nice per-fu...smell, doesn't it..." Erza spoke as she sniffed the aroma and took a sip.

"It's been called the apple of the earth, you see..." Crawford explained before looking at his two guests with a questioning look. "So, what's wrong? These are rather unpolished questions for a rare guest...how did you get this address?" Crawford Seam is a very broad, tall man with a large bushy beard; the beard is knotted into a bun on either side. He features a snub nose moderately sized droopy eyes, high eyebrows and relatively small ears.

"This might sound awfully rude of me but in this time of emergency...please forgive our use of the guild characteristics intelligence." Mira spoke first.

"And to find me from my supposedly secret address is something...to be scared of." The ex-chairman said.

"I apologize." Erza followed suit, bowing her head to him.

"No, don't...after all, I'm already retired." He replied. "It's no longer my business to find fault in you. Hahahaha...I remember much about your friend." He then brought up a flashback memory when Sora was brought to stand trail before the council and Natsu burst through the walls dressed up as him. It was quite a sight to behold. "Oh those times..."

"I can only be embarrassed." The scarlet-haired woman blushed.

"It's already been 7 years since then...with you lot being caught in the time slip and what not." He chuckled.

"Mr Crawford...without further delay..." Mira brought back his attention in hopes of speeding up

"Ahh...right, right." He nodded his head. "It's about Face, isn't it? I too, have once been hurt by sad news regarding my comrades. And now, in a time where the Council of Magic is no longer needed, it brings me much joy just to know that guilds like yours with a strong sense of justice still remain."

"We were thinking of destroying Face in order to stop Tartaros." Erza told him.

"Would it be possible for you to tell us where it's being kept?" Mira asked.

"Unfortunately, I myself do not know." Crawford released a sigh of disappointment. "It's not that I'm hiding it because it's secret information...I might've been a chairman before, but that doesn't mean I knew everything."

"Getting information that even an ex-chairman doesn't know...how did they do it?" Erza mused with interest.

"Indeed, it's a mystery..." Crawford agreed, scratching his head with a hand.

"In that case, would it be possible for you to use the Organic Link magic to ask the other three ex-council members that were in charge of guarding Face?" asked Mira.

"We'll protect it at all costs." Erza stated confidently.

"You see, I don't have clearance for that either..." Crawford apologized. "Face...is actually an abandoned weapon. Its very existence is something that cannot be made public, a forbidden weapon, you might say...and that is why, the counselors; who are the keys to its seal, themselves have no idea that they are what they are. It is protected by an extreme level of concealment."

"They themselves don't know...?" Mira said with a confused look on her face.

"So that means..Tartaros really did slaughter the ex counselor..." Erza paused when something caught her attention and Mira seemed to have felt the exact same thing.

"Wh...What?!" The ex-chairman looked startled when both mages stood up abruptly, their bodies tense and their eyes darting around with weariness.

"It looks like we've got company." Mira told him.

"They've surrounded the house." Erza added. "Footsteps...about 20 people."

"Chairman, please go n to the back room!" Mira ordered when Crawford asked if it was Tartaros but she didn't have time to reply to him when the windows were broken into by a group of intruders. Erza summoned her sword and changed her armor while Mira used her most powerful magic spell to turn into a demon. Together the two Fairy Tail mages pushed the offending forces out of the house by blowing a giant hole in the chairman's home.

"You're not getting anywhere near the chairman." Erza threatened as she and Mira stood gallantly on the battlefield. The soldiers stood back up, swords in hand and surrounded them menacingly. "This is a first, being in a team with you..."

"I'll show you the power of Fairy Tail." Mira spoke but there was a playful grin on her face. To say that both women kicked ass would be an understatement...they literally slaughtered their enemies. Laki was right when she said that these two were the most reliable duo. Once the battle was over, the two mages of Fairy Tail stood back to back amidst the carnage of soldier bodies, not even an ounce of sweat rolled down their faces.

"You done yet?" Erza asked the already defeated enemy, making sure that everyone was accounted for.

"As expected of Erza." Mira smirked.

"But something feels off."

"Erza, you agree?" Mira said as the two of them turned back to their normal attire.

"No matter how you look at it, they're just soldiers." The scarlet-haired knight observed. "Sending troops with almost no power after someone as important as the ex-chairman."

"Erza..."

"What's wrong Mira?" Erza asked when she noticed that the other woman was stumbling on her feet. "You okay?"

"I..." Mira swayed a bit before falling over, asleep on the ground and Erza fell not too far behind. From the house, the ex-chairman plodded out to survey the damage but his eyes were glued onto the mages passed out on the ground fast asleep.

"This is Crawford." The ex-chairman spoke as he grabbed both mages into his arms, a sinister grin on his face. "I've obtained 2 subjects. Change of plans."

"As expected of an ex-chairman." Kyouka's face appeared in the lacrima crystal Crawford stole. "Please return to the guild at once."

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Somewhere...

"What's wrong, guys!" Happy asked as he and Lucas followed the Natsu and Sora's order, respectively to fly as fast as they could. As Sora was recuperating from his fight with Jackal, an ominous feeling washed over him and Natsu and they jumped up, weaseled some information out of Michello and urged Lucas and Happy to fly without a second thought.

"Shit! Why didn't we notice this earlier?!" Natsu growled with worry. "For something that even the counselors weren't supposed to know, like the ex-chairman's address, and Face...how did Tartaros find out!?"

"What do you mean?" Happy asked him.

"It's the ex-chairman!" Natsu explained quickly. "I can't put a finger on it but I have this really really bad feeling about it! We need to go there right away!"

"You think it has to do with Tartaros?" Lucas asked as the four of them raced off towards the house.

"Somebody must've leaked the information about the counselors to Tartaros!" Sora said. "I don't know who, but...it has to be somebody that has the information about them, someone high up...I hope that I'm wrong but...hurry! Red and Mira are in danger!"

When they got there, the home was left as it was, any marks that signified a battle were as clear as day. The dragon slayers walked through an open hole in the wall of the home and scouted around, looking over and under every nook and cranny for signs of resistance or fighting.

"It doesn't look like there was any sign of struggles inside." Happy said as he flew over their heads. "All the fighting seems to be outside."

"That's really concerning Happy." Natsu said, looking around with worry. "I can still sense their smell but its faint. What happened here?"

 Lucas looked around for a bit. "I take it this is the ex-chairman's home?"

"Yeah but we didn't find anything of importance." Happy said before holding his paws up to his nose. "Except there's this strong sense of herbs."

"Wait." Sora spoke when his eyes spotted one of the broken tea cups laying on the floor. Holding it up, he carefully sniffed the contents, his eyes slowly widened with mild surprise. "This smell...sleep powder or something like that?" He turned to Natsu and held the cup out to him. "Could you check this out too?"

"Mmm you're right..." Natsu agreed, smelling the content for himself. "It's definitely a sleeping drug."

"Maybe someone made them fall asleep..." Happy said.

"Fuck!" Enraged, Natsu slammed both hands on the ground and the entire structure came tumbling down. Once the smoke disappeared only a few beams of wood were left standing.

"Natsu!" Happy yelped as he, Sora and Lucas dug themselves out of the rubble of the now destroyed home. "That's too much! You destroyed the house of the ex-chairman."

"He's allied with Tartaros." The fire dragon slayer growled. "So his house deserved to be brought down."

"That's why Tartaros knew where Face is and also the address of the other ex-counselors." Lucas said with disgust. "That ex-chairman is a two-faced bastard."

"I have a feeling that Erza and Mira were captured." Sora frowned. 'Is that why you burned all the herbs? To cover up your tracks?'

"I'll definitely find them!" Natsu exclaimed as he put his nose to the ground like a bloodhound. "Don't underestimate...a dragon's nose."

That's a wrap for this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter will be updated soon. Look forward to it. Comment on your favorite parts and don't forget to vote!

Be sure to review. Until then, see ya!!!