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

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

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Somewhere...

"Just out of curiosity, what is this 'Avatar' thing that Rogue was supposed to go after?" Happy asked as the group decided to take a quick break. They had left the vicinity of Sabertooth behind and began their quest to tracking down Gray and bringing him back.

"Dunno." The fire dragon slayer spoke in a bored manner, munching on a twig just for leisure. 

"Doesn't sound threatening at all to be honest." Lucas commented.

"Apparently, it's a cult filled with Zeref's followers that has been on the rise ever since the fall of the Dark guilds..." Sora explained, getting their attention at the mere mention of the dark wizard's name. 

"Well, I don't know if he himself has anything to do with it but...the cult all worship him like he's some kind of god there..." Lucy added.

"Zeref's underlings, huh?" Natsu grinned at the information he gathered. "I'm all fired up!"

"That aside, how'd Rogue's job have anything to do with Gray's whereabouts?" Lucy asked him while Happy agreed with her question.

"Hmm..." Natsu thought about it careful, even standing up to lean against a nearby tree, still pondering how he could explain his reason. "Mmmmmm..."

"Huh, he's using his brains for once..." Happy commented dryly.

"Hmm...I think we should tell you guys anyway..." Sora decided and looked to face them. "Remember that fight with the dragons during the end of the games? The one with Future Rogue? Yeah he told me and Natsu..."

"Future Rogue?" Lucy thought back and the image of the man popped into her mind. "Oh! That man! But what does he have to do with anything?"

"A year after the Grand magic games...which means somewhere around now...we'll be meeting Gray, but as an enemy..." Natsu explained, getting shocked expressions from his three other  companions. "That's why it's got me thinking 'Hey, maybe we'll meet him there' you know...where Rogue's supposed to be..."

"But the future where Future Rogue came from should've changed by now..." Lucy objected lightly. "How can the same thing happen here?"

"Well, if you're saying that, then I really can't be that sure but this is all we've got for now..." Natsu replied.

"But...an enemy...?" Lucas asked.

"Recall what Juvia said when we were inside her home." Sora said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "About him getting dark markings on himself...he had those same things on his body when we were battling Mard Geer...it could have been because he had to learn how to use his Demon-slaying magic as quickly as possible...maybe he let some of that evil stuff get inside him as well."

"No way..." Lucy breathed as she processed what he said, worried that since Sora and Natsu kept all that he knew from her all this time, history can no longer be changed. Why did they keep it from us all this time? So they know what will happen if Gary fights Rogue...And that's why...

"Don't worry." She blinked as Sora placed a hand on her head and she turned to see a confident smirk on his face. "Gray's still our friend, no matter what happens..." 

"Yeah." She agreed with a smile of her own.

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Avatar...

"The day of purification draws near!" Arlock proclaimed as he stood before some kind of demonic alter, his hands held high in the air as he continued his prayer. "Our lord Zeref, please accept this humble sacrifice of ours...and lead us, from the top of the world of magic...destroy this defiled planet and rebuild it once more..."

"Master Priest...are we to go along with the plans for the purification ritual then?" A voice spoke up behind him and he turned to see a tall man with a typically neutral expression approaching him. He had orange eyes and unkempt, shoulder-length hair. He donned a metal breastplate which covered the open, long gray coat and he had on dark colored pants. "There's a high chance that the council's caught onto us..."

"Jerome..." Arlock mused as smoke seeped out of his mask.

"That's why I'm telling you we should remove the root of our anxiety right away..." Another figure, this time a fairly tall, curvaceous and dark-skinned woman spoke up. She had long white hair that flowed freely in the back but her bangs were slicked upwards, except for one lock that dangled down in front of her forehead.

She was scantily clad, not that any of her male companions minded, in a black, polka-dotted cloak that was fastened with a brooch and under that she had on a blue bandeau with tassels. A black loincloth could be seen wrapped around her waist and she had on a similar colored sandals. For accessories, she opted to decorate her ears with heart-shaped earrings.

"Briar..." Arlock greeted as she looked to the side at Jerome through her peripheral vision.

"Think, Scruffy, think..."

"Scruffy..." Jerome frowned at the nickname. Because of his hair, the woman often refers to him as 'scruffy' and the only one to do so. "Scruffy...huh..."

"I'm in the middle of my prayers." Arlock turned around without humor and sounded a little annoyed, maybe even a bit furious. "Please leave for now." Bidding to his command the two of them left and went their separate ways. The child of the cult, Mary, ended up running into Briar in the hallway and expressed that she agreed with Jerome's point that someone like a council member could be a real threat to them.

"Why won't Gramps just die already since he's so stubborn...hahahaha!" The petite young woman chuckled as if amused by the idea. Her pink hair was cropped short, reaching only up to her shoulders and elegantly framing her dainty face with a thick bang that hung down her temple. When she opens her eyes, the irises are golden and appeared to have diamond-shape symbols engraved into them; she doesn't have normal pupils.

She wore a simple dress with an additional turtleneck over it. The upper part of the sleeves were black and since they were longer than her arms, she had to roll them into cuffs, revealing the white underside. The lower part of the dress was white and the two colors clashed together at the chest in a jagged patter. Because the bottom edge was black, it flared out to portray a mini-skirt or frock appearance.

Much like her female companion, she had a necklace with a crescent-shaped links and a light blue stone pendent surrounded with a golden frame attached right in the middle. She also had a simple black headband that sported feline ears, giving her a catty look.

"Shut up, you wicked little thing..." Briar drawled as she stared at Mary with an neutral expression.

"That's mean, Briar!" Mary pouted in a childish manner, her cheeks blowing up like a pufferfish. "You always give people terrible nicknames too, don't you! And most of the time, it's just tasteless...such a shame!"

"Hmm...if the council's already caught wind of our plans...then that means we'll be in a tight spot..." A voice commented before the curvaceous woman could reply. The newcomer was a tall, older gentleman with a very prominent, bushy eyebrows and a thick goatee. He was bald and donned a dark blue robe that was decorated with various symbols and tied with a white sash.

"Hey, didn't you mean 'in a mess' Goumon?" Mary replied with a chuckle. "Now that's one hilarious mistake right there...hahaha."

"Now where will fate lead us..."

"As long as it's gonna be fun, we'll all good..." The last members, D-6 and Abel, spoke their own opinions just as Jerome appeared. Now the entire cult, minus Arlock, got together in their own little conversations but they weren't really concerned by the council, rather they were concerned with how their plans were figured out.

"We've got a spy among us." Gray, who was leaning against the wall, spoke up and smirked when every single pair of eyes laid on him. "Of course...you all think it's me."

"Ice..." Briar murmured her nickname for him.

"Well he did come from the 'best' guild on the continent..." Mary added.

"We've done our research on you...Gray Fullbuster." Jerome stated before launching into the mage's history. "Your entire family was killed by a demon from the Book of Zeref...And to top it off, your teacher and her daughter died...just by getting involved..."

"Huh...there's no other explanation then..."

"We've all been together for a half a year, excluding you..." Briar and D-6 added their own reasons for suspecting him while Jerome finished his point that he hadn't seen any proof that the Demon-slayer actually worshiped Zeref.

"That's incomplete research there, Mr. Blade-of-Darkness..." Gray stated in a matter-of-fact tone, unfazed by the man's displeasing tone of voice. "Ul's daughter, Ultear isn't dead."

"I don't see why you'd be here then..."

"Stop it, Scruffy..."

"It's okay, Briar." Gray told her before directing his attention back to Jerome. "I'll make things clear, since that's what he wants...I'm here for the Book of END. That's my reason and purpose."

"What..?" The members of Avatar looked at him in shock, horror, or surprise.

"As long as I've...As long as I've got that book..." A malicious grin spread across Gray's face to the point where he looked like he was going insane. "I don't give a damn about anything else. I've long forgotten about the guild...All I want...no...all I need to do is...destroy END."

'Such darkness...' Briar mused on the inside as she calmly analyzed him.'The thirst for his revenge has covered his mind and body in darkness...'

"That's my whole reason for living. Annihilating END with my own hands." Gray sneered as he looked at each and every one of them straight in the eyes. "And to do that, I'll do whatever it takes. Even if it means using the lot of you." He turned on his heels with one more remark. "So until then, we'll be comrades."

"There's no way someone that evil is a spy for the council..." Mary said once the man walked away, disappearing out of sight. "But it was kinda cool..."

'I wonder though...' "I've been thinking, Brair..." Jerome spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I quite like...Scruffy."

"...I'm really happy to hear that." She replied.

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Outside...

"I see it! Over there!" Natsu exclaimed as his team arrived at the entrance of Mikage Forest and spotted the structure immediately. The area was very dark and vast with a large variety of overgrown tree branches overlapping each other. The temperature was damp since none of the trees had leaves since there was minimal amount of sunlight.

"So this is the place..." Sora mumbled, looking it over.

"It looks like an old...abandoned church..." Lucy spoke as she gazed at the structure.

"What do we do, Natsu?" Happy asked.

"Attack, of course!" The fire dragon slayer grinned and he rushed towards the structure with Happy right behind him. However, Lucy stopped them before they could do something stupid and the three of them collapsed on the ground in a tangle of limbs. "What the hell, Lucy..."

"We don't even know who we're up against this time..." She told him with a serious expression on her face. "We can't just barge in like that...I wish you would think of another plan instead of going at it headfirst."

"She's right. We gotta think look before we leap." Sora agreed.

"But...Gray might be in there, y'know..."

"Natsu you're being too childish about this. We need another plan and prepare ourselves if something bad happens."

"Oh. Right." The fire dragon agreed with her. "Then, what do you have in mind?"

"We'll sneak in from underground with Virgo's help!"

"Ohh! Great idea Lucy!" Lucas said.

"Very well then, Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" Lucy twirled the golden key into the air and it shined brightly. 

Ding-Dong~

"Princess..." The spirit was tussled up a smidgen tight when she appeared at Lucy's summoning, her arms and legs bound by some kind of rope. "It's been awhile."

"Uhhhh...." The males of the group began to say.

"Vir...go? What the hell happened to you?" Lucy stammered before stooping down to untie the spirit. "Who did this?"

"Don't mind me...I just had some free time so I decided to punish myself." The pink-haired maid smirked. "But since you're here, is it punishment time?"

"What the hell...is wrong with you...?"

"Wow, you celestial spirits sure are profound..." Natsu commented as the maid tossed the discarded ropes to the side and smiled at him.

"It's been a long time, Natsu, Happy."

"Stardress: Virgo Form." Lucy smiled as her outfit changed into that of a maid. Virgo's zodiac sign could be seen embedded on her right shoulder. A much more frillier version of Virgo's headpiece rested on top of her head and she also had a collar around her neck.

"She transformed!?" Natsu gaped, his eyes bugging out of their sockets.

"Huh, she kinda reminds me of a certain scary armored figure..." Happy added.

"This dress enables her to use parts of Virgo's powers and raise her own magic as well." Lucas simply explained to them how Lucy's new power worked.

"Man, that's my second favorite dress for Lucy." Sora grinned.

"Let's go, Virgo!" Lucy ordered as she rushed towards the church.

"Very well, Princess!" The celestial spirit agreed and the two performed their signature Diver attack, allowing the group to tunnel their way into the structure without being detected. At a particular point, they dug themselves out from underneath tiled flooring and the spirit glanced around the unfamiliar room, her eyes on alert. "We're in the basement?"

"More like torture room..." Sora said as he climbed out with Lucas.

"We've successfully made it in." Lucy said breathlessly as she started to climb out next with Sora's help.

"Move your ass Lucy." Natsu's voice came out from underneath her when decided to take a rest, her body halfway out of the hole. "This is quite uncomfortable."

"Look, Natsu. You can see Lucy's underwear from here..." Happy chimed causing the blonde to glower at him.

"So, what's the plan?" Lucas asked.

"We need to find out more about Gray while keeping out of sight..." She said before helping Natsu out. "Are you listening to me Natsu?"

"GRAYYYYYYY!" Natsu, ignoring the blonde, screamingly calls for his friend in a loud voice that seemed to shake the walls. "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE!" His calls only served to alert the rest of the cult about their presence as they glanced around in surprise that intruders managed to enter their home.

"Natsu...?" Gray mused as he heard the screaming, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Why did you do that!" An angry Lucy yelled, slapping the dragon slayer's cheeks with both hands. "Don't you understand, we're supposed to be sneaking in, s-n-e-a-k-i-n-g!"

"Well, I guess we gotta prepare for a fight." Sora said, cracking his knuckles.

"It's time for more divine punishment isn't it, Princess?" Virgo blushed as she pointed to what looked like a triangular bench, one of the ends was pointing upward. Apparently it reminded the blonde of something she read about in a book and she remembered that it was called the 'wooden horse', a torture device for women way back when. There seemed to also be a poorly depicted wooden dragon head planted on the front but that was the least of Lucy's concern. "Please try this out on me then."

"Oh be quiet! You're not helping!"

"He's here." Sora said as they looked at him, his eyes flashing briefly and his hands clenched tightly into fists. "I can smell him. He's here..."

"Gray's here...?" Lucy asked, her anger for the fire dragon slayer vanished completely as she anticipated to meet her old comrade.

"Hey, what are you doing in our base?" They looked up to see Abel sitting on a ledge, molding what appeared to be a voodoo doll...a very familiar voodoo doll that Lucy, Lucas and Sora recognized as Mr. Cursey. "Oh! You know Mr. Cursey, now that's interesting!" He hopped down from the ledge to be at their level. "This doll here, was a gift from some bigwig at Grimoire Heart...The world's full of really interesting...black magic."

"Urgh...this brings back some really bad memories..." Lucy shivered while Virgo warned to be wary of their opponent.

"Sorry, but the only one I have a beef with right now is Gray." Natsu said after knocking Abel out with a swift punch. He was in no mood for weaklings so hearing the little midget drone on and on pissed him off.

"Abel!" Goumon rushes onto the scene, looking at his fallen comrade with horror. "Ochaaaaa!"

"Who's this weirdo...?" The dragon slayer frowned.

"I got this one." Sora spoke, stepping up.

"How dare you do this to Abel, intruders!" Goumon screamed, summoning his magic for battle. "However, for you to appear in my training room, it must be my lucky day! Prepare for a never ending torture session!"

"Riiight..." Sora frowned as he hopped around dodging all sorts of weapons and torture devices. "Why the heck does he collect these kind of things...? It's kind of...disgusting."

"And why are you getting so excited over his magic..." Lucy frowned as Virgo salivated over the numerous ideas of self-punishment tactics that rushed through her head.

"Wooden Dragon!" Using his telekinetic ability, Goumon forced the mounting device surged forward only to be stopped by a foot.

"You call that piece of crap a dragon?" Natsu frowned, totally insulted at the comparison.

"Eat this!" Making some hand gesture, Goumon changed the wooden dragon into an Iron Maiden and trapped Sora inside.

"What the hell?" The dragon slayer's muffled voice floated through the crack. "It looks like it'll hurt...Meh."

"Hehehe...complete." Goumon spoke however he noticed that the metal around the eyes started to dribble to the ground. Slowly the metal melted due to the intense heat and revealed a healthy dragon slayer. "Wh-wha...!? It melted...?"

"Ta-ta!" Sora snickered as he smashed a flamed fist into the man's face. Goumon flew to the opposite side of the room before crumbling to the ground unconscious. "That's number 2..."

"I got you!" D-6 popped out and attempted to take the dragon slayer down. "Intruder!"

"Number 3." Without looking, Natsu lashed out with his hind leg in a reverse flame hook kick and sent the Avatar member sprawling to the ground. Planting both feet on the ground firmly, the dragon slayer looked around with a bored expression. "Don't tell me that's all you guys got...I'm not even fired up yet."

"Wasn't even a warm up." Sora agreed.

"They're strong..." Virgo commented while Lucy nodded her head in agreement.

"That's our Sora and Natsu." Happy grinned with a paws-up.

"Roger that." Lucas grinned as weel.

"Im-Impossible..." Goumon groaned as he regained consciousness, looking at the group through half-lidded eyes. "We're all powerful black wizards...how could a brat like that..."

"He isn't someone that can be defeated by the likes of you..." An all too familiar voice spoke up and the group turned to the newcomer who appeared by the doorway. Gray looked really angry as he looked at his former friends. "I'll deal with them myself."

"Yo." Natsu greeted him with his trademark smirk. "You been doing well?"

"It's been a while, Gray." Sora spoke up.

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Elsewhere...

"Captain..." An exhausted voice spoke up as a small army of Rune knights marched through the rocky terrain. "We'll be reaching Mikage Forest soon...the Avatar's main base is located there."

"Yeah."

"However, Sir..." The solider continued speaking as he kept his eyes on his Captain's backside. "We have word that Gray Fullbuster is currently in that cult as well..."

"Gray?" The Captain paused at the name before a smirk grew on his face, his piercing red eyes flashing with excitement. "Like I give a damn...We'll arrest them all won't we Lily?!"

"You shouldn't be stating the obvious, Gajeel." The Exceed, in his bigger form, spoke as he stood beside his battle partner. "That's what we do since we're the council's Detention Enforcement Unit."

"Gehehehee!" Gajeel smirked at the answer and nodded his head in agreement. "Alright then! It's time to go hunting!"

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

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