Two balls of blood hovered in front of me as I glared at the two scientists in front of me, "I don't recall giving you a choice in any of this, either you do as I tell you or you die, there is no other option here."

The scientists were staring at me in horror as though I had just asked them to climb onto a torture device. Sure, I had just killed a large, unknown amount of their colleges in front of them, but I was giving them the option to survive... You would think they would be ecstatic about that. 

It seemed as though they were having second thoughts on that, even though they had already given me the lacrima that had been pulled out of Laxus' chest. One would think that getting away from me would be all the encouragement they would need, but apparently drinking my blood was a line they didn't want to cross.

To be fair, I was flying off the seat of my pants with my idea, but I needed some way to control them and this was my best guess on how to do that with my abilities. If I drank their blood, I would be able to control the blood inside their bodies, but I needed to be able to connect with them more than that. I needed access to their thoughts and feelings, which might not even be possible.

One of the scientists glared at me as fiercely as he could, gripping his college's arm for support as he spoke, "We gave you the lacrima, didn't we? Just let us go already! We won't say anything to the others here, we'll just go and you can heal your friend!"

God, he was an idiot... My glare deepened as I looked towards the slayer lying on the operating table, pretty soon I would have to intervene to keep his heart beating, now was not the time to deal with these petty arguments. "I'm sorry, but are you or are you not the ones who made this whole situation necessary in the first place? I don't have the ability to heal him and I'm not about to leave to go get someone who could. By ingesting my blood I'll hopefully be able to give you the directions you need."

This time the woman opened her mouth to argue, but I was done with this, they were lucky to be alive, that was the only allowance I would give them. A flick of my wrist had my blood flying to them as they both squealed like children, my intention wasn't to hurt the... Not that I really would have cared about hurting them anyway, if I didn't need their help, they'd already be dead.

As the blood reached them they gasped in pain and the blood began to seep into their skin. How I was doing any of this, I wasn't entirely sure... It felt almost instinctual to command my own blood like this, even though this was the first time I had tried it. It felt as this was what my blood was meant to be used for. 

As my blood began to circulate through their system it was my turn to gasp in pain, I could feel a connection being formed forcefully between us and I just about dropped to the ground their senses invaded my mind. No wonder I had never done this before...

To steady myself I took a step back and gripped Laxus wherever I could reach him, at this moment he was my steadying factor...

Thankfully, there was no significant drain to my magic, after my recent rampage I had more magical energy than I knew what to do with, it was more of the fact that there was a sudden wedge being driven into my mind, which was incredibly painful. What they were seeing flashed alongside my own vision as well as a few of their thoughts here and there. If I had only been trying to control one other person it might not have been so bad, but having two sets of information was almost more than I could bear.

"Can you hear me?" I thought, trying to send my thoughts their way, it would make sense that I would be able to project my thoughts to them but this was new territory for both of us. 

Immediately both scientists flinched away as they covered their ears and collapsed to their knees. I guess they were able to hear me.

Not wanting to show the mental strain this was putting me under, I continued to speak mentally because if I spoke out loud it was likely that my voice would not be stable, "Good, then we can get started. One of you will be going to the forests outside Magnolia, and the other will be going for a hike through a bit of a mountainous region. I will give each of you a day to go and come back with the people I need; if you fail, you die."

The looks on their faces told me everything I needed and within a minute both of them were out the door, leaving me alone with the comatose Laxus who was lying pitifully on the table. I hated seeing him this way, he was supposed to be strong... As much crap as I gave him for his big personality, it did fit him, he was a strong person, so him playing the damsel in distress was not a role that suited him.

My fingers caressed his wrists as I frowned... Laxus was the strong one, I mean, just look at how I had lost control the moment he was in trouble. If it weren't for him... I'd be dead.

Now that I was alone in the room and no longer had to be strong, my knees gave out from under me. Slowly I slid to the ground, gripping Laxus' hand like an anchor in a storm because that's exactly what it was. I was still covered in blood, and no matter how much blood there was around the room, I had absorbed more.

My breathing began to pick up as I pulled the hand to my face. Panic was beginning to fill me as the realization of what I had done hit me like a truck, I had murdered more people than I even knew about.

I didn't realize I was crying until I moved Laxus' hand slightly and felt the wet warmth hit my forehead. Perhaps it was a good thing Laxus wasn't awake right now, I really didn't want him to see me like this...

I didn't want him to see the monster I was becoming.

Gajeel's POV (Didn't see that coming, did you?)

There wasn't much I regretted when it came to joining Fairy Tail; for the most part, people generally accepted me and there was a sense of family that had never been present when I was at Phantom Lord. One major downside though, was the whole 'being a double agent' bull shit.

It was unfortunate that the master of the dark guild Raven Tail approached me to spy on Fairy Tail for them... Don't worry, he was a shady bitch and I had my fill of those, so I simply went to Makarov and told him about it.

Now that I think about it, that doesn't make me a double agent, does it? I'm more like a triple agent... What would the shrimp say in this situation? 

.

.

.

Well shit, now I'm confused and I don't want to be here, what a fun day it is. 

(Don't worry, I know he's only a double agent, don't get on me about the definition of the term.)

Yeah, it was one of the rare days where I was stuck hanging around Raven Tail's guild hall, which was a castle out in the middle of nowhere that took forever to get to. No doubt Ivan would send me back to Fairy Tail here soon, he didn't seem to like it when I hung out for too long, so that meant I just had to hang on until I could leave without him getting mad... No matter how boring it would be.

The only food thing about this guild was the fact that the majority of the members were either gone on missions or were loners like me, so I didn't have to worry about dealing with overly chatty people. I could sit in a corner and nurse my beer all day if I really wanted to and no one would care.

Sure it was a boring job, but it was the least I could do to repay the old man for wrecking his guild in the first place.

The day had already been boring, so I really wasn't expecting much more than that, there were things I needed to do at some point, but doing them here wasn't really a possibility, so I settled in for the long hall.

At least I did until the door crashed open. That got everyone's attention in a heartbeat.

Already I could tell that there was something wrong as the sent of old blood reached my nose, it was a scent that was sadly familiar so I recognized it immediately. The man in the doorway was out of breath and hunched over, panting desperately, but that wasn't what had grabbed my attention. No, it was the fact that blood was covering this man, and none of it was his own.

His lab coat was tattered and his hair that had probably been a shade of pink at some point was now matted to his head with the pungent rust brown that also splattered his outfit.

Immediately, the whole guild was on their feet with magic swirling up and weapons being drawn. Whoever this guy was, he was an idiot for coming into a dark guild so suddenly.

"I... I need to-to talk... To the guild... master!" He gasped out, not yet looking up to see the situation he was in, "Please... It-it's urgent!"

It was then that he looked up to see around twenty wizards, all of whom were watching him like predators about to jump on their prey. 

One of the more sadistic members who I really didn't like stepped forward with a small dagger twirling around her fingers as she giggled, "Oh do you now? I'm sorry, but it seems we have no reason to grant your request. It would be better if we just had some fun here."

I rolled my eyes and brought my beer back up to my mouth, there was something off about this, even though this dude was likely going to die here, it seemed odd... The whole thing was weird, how did he know how to find this place, it's not like it was in the middle of a town.

To my surprise, the man didn't react with fear which was what everyone expected, instead he stood up completely, nursing the stitch in his side as he met the sadistic woman's eye contact without hesitation, "I'm sorry, but I was sent here by someone way scarier than you..." He faded off suddenly and his eyes lost focus for a moment.

What the hell? 

Once he re-engaged, he looked around the room in determination, "I was sent here by someone called the Reluctant Fairy to get Ivan Dreyar. If you don't help me, then the person who sent me will come here herself... Which would... not be good."

Once again, there was a very drastic change in this man's attitude was baffling, it was like he didn't really know what to say.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the woman didn't pick up on that as she took yet another step closer to the man. I couldn't see her face, but I knew enough about her to assume that she was furious; she really didn't like people telling her no.

A nearly imperceptible tremor went through the man at her approach, but still he stood his ground. Either he had nerves of steel or he was traumatized to the point of being numb... My gut told me that it was the second one.

"You really think you can tell me what to do? You really must have a death wish." As crazy as she was, I couldn't help but agree with her... He was asking for trouble being here in the first place.

The man was still trembling as he shook his head, "Sorry but no. I... It boils down to who I'm more scared of... And it isn't you..." Once again he faded out and his eyes lost focus, it was as though someone was whispering in his ear, yet there was no one there. "I was told to say that it has to do with Dreyar's son, he was hurt and needs his father's help."

That gained my immediate attention, Dreyar's son? Wouldn't that be the lightning dragon Pinkie and I fought not long ago? Come to think of it, I had heard the name Reluctant Fairy before... I couldn't remember who it was, but wasn't it a member of the infamous Thunder God Tribe? Just what was going on here?

Before Miss Psyco could respond- or jump in and stab the guy, which was a likely thing as well- a loud voice boomed over the tops of our heads, "What's happened to my son?" 

Relief flashed across the man's face at this, though that was once again stopped as his face blanked out, was someone communicating with him?

"A lot of shi... I mean stuff. Um, the person who sent me told me to say that we need to talk in private unless you want a bunch of personal information spilled to your whole guild." 

I didn't need to see Ivan to know that the borderline threat had triggered him, "Are you threatening me?" Ivan's voice was low and deadly, which more than conveyed his point to the man, who completely drained of color as he looked around frantically.

"What?! No, of course I wouldn't do that, I mean, I really want to live, don't I? I.." He cut himself off once more before an uncomfortable look flashed across his face, "Well, apparently I am... Um, don't kill the messenger or anything- literally, please don't kill me- but apparently, the person who wanted me to tell you this is. Um... She said she knows enough about you to ruin your reputation forever."

Interesting... That didn't sound like something most of the people in Fairy Tail would say, even if I didn't know that chick who was in the Thunder God Tribe very well it didn't quite sound like her. Sure she seemed to have a major ego and no problem issuing threats, but this? There was a murderous undertone running beneath the words, could it be Ghost? 

There was a moment of silence before Ivan spoke again, "Very well, come to my office, we'll talk."

I could practically feel the relief radiating from the man before he edged his way around the disappointed girl who had threatened him and walked over to the stairs. If this really was Ghost, then I wanted to know what the hell was going on, so I stood and followed behind him silently, sending a warning glare to the others who were trying to follow my example.

As soon as the doors closed behind him, I could hear Ivan's voice sharp with irritation and perhaps even a smidgen of worry buried beneath many other emotions, "We're alone now, I suggest you start talking."

Unfortunately, there was a closed door between us, so I couldn't really get the full scope of the situation, but that mattered less than the fact that I could hear what was happening, that was enough for now.

"Oh, um, yes, well, as I said, your son was hurt badly and the Reluctant Fairy needs your help to heal him... Well... you see... Hisdragonlacrimawasremoved."

I was officially floored... If I heard that right, then someone had managed to pin the Spark Plug down and cut out the thing that allows him to use magic. What idiot had managed to do that?

"Oh god..." The man choked out after a brief moment of silence, "This chick is violent. She told me to say that if... um... Spark Plug? Well, yeah, if spark plug dies then she will hold you partially responsible and will... Well, hunt you and your guild down before killing them mercilessly. I know this is weird for me to tell you this, but um... It's not an empty threat."

Was Ghost killing again? I thought she gave that up?

Ivan was quiet for only a moment before he sighed, "Unfortunately I believe you. How exactly was the lacrima removed? I was careful when inserting it, it should have been fully fused with his body."

There was a suspicious amount of silence after he asked that, though that was quickly ended with a pained yelp, "Fine, I-I'll tell him... Um, it was... it was us, I mean my team and I were tasked with removing it... Needless to say, we-we succeeded."

"You what?" Ivan's tone was low and dangerous, something that set the alarms off in my mind, but apparently, the man didn't quite get the hint.

"Yes, I know it sounds b-bad, but you must understand how rare dragon lacrima's are, it was exactly what our experiment needed. We really couldn't afford to let the opportunity he presented slip through our fing-"

I had to assume that Ivan's response was the same as mine, because only a moment after the man finished speaking the sound of a dull impact sounded, followed by a crash. They had a team dedicated to removing a dragon lacrima? What exactly was Ghost dealing with over there?

"You endangered my son's life over an experiment? How dare you! If I didn't need your help to find my son's location, I would have murdered you already."

The more I thought about it, the more Ghost's relatively uncharacteristic attitude made sense. From all the stories Shrimp and the others had told, she was close to the Spark Plug and the Thunder God Tribe and she absolutely seemed to be the protective type. I was so curious to see the damage she did.

"I have more questions, however, those can be answered as we are traveling, the only thing I need to know at this moment, as you seem to have some method of communicating with her, if whether or not my son is alive at this moment."

I suspected as much, but since when could she do any of that? Last I heard, she had no magical abilities.

Once again was silence but eventually, the man spoke, "Apparently... Apparently, he's alive though she said that she's had a hard time keeping him that way. His heart... Well, it's given out more than once."

No doubt Ivan was close to actually killing this man the more that was said, even I couldn't help but wince at the new mental image... Though once again; how was Ghost able to do any of this?!

The door flew open with a vengeance and I thanked any gods that might be listening that there was a fair amount of distance between the door and me as Ivan was quite obviously on a warpath.

"Gajeel." Okay, so maybe I didn't get away as cleanly as I imagined. I was leaning against a nearby pillar so all I needed to do was turn my head to look at the man.

"Yeah?" 

I wasn't normally one to pay excessive attention to people's facial features, but I would have been an idiot to not see the fear that was swirling in his eyes. He looked more like a caged animal than a human.

"I assume you heard everything?" He said with a tense tone as he stepped out of the office, pushing the man in front of him.

The man's face was now white and his eyes were distant, a sign that I guessed meant he was talking to Ghost. I nodded towards Ivan noncommittally as I kept my eyes on the man. What could Ghost be telling him?

My attention was grabbed by Ivan, very literally, as he grabbed my elbow and began dragging me down the hall, "Good, then I won't have to explain everything again." 

I followed along willingly, this would get me out of the guild at the very least and seeing what was going on with Ghost would be interesting.

Ivan pulled me out of my thoughts as he pushed the man ahead of us slightly right before we left the guild, "I need you to stay scarce, the Reluctant Fairy is a prominent member of Fairy Tail, and she's always been perceptive. She will likely see you with me and I would prefer to avoid any questions on how you got tangled up in all this."

Once again I was rather surprised, he spoke about Ghost as though he knew her, "How do you know Gh- The Fairy... The Reluctant Fairy." And of course I almost refer to her as Ghost, that was something that I doubted she wanted Ivan to know.

He shot me a look that told me that he noticed my slip up and I cursed quietly under my breath... God damn him for being observant.

"I always keep track of the people my son chooses to surround himself with, which includes the people who have tried to kill him." Shit, Ghost was going to kill me if she found out about this, once again he sent me that knowing look that made me want to punch him, though... Wait.

When did she try to kill the Spark Plug?