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Time is the Path to Strength	By : Repiece Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 47113 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Chapter 15: Natsu's Fight Within

Mirajane slowly dipped the towel in her hands into a bucket of cool water and then twisted the towel to remove the liquid that was stored in it. Once she got rid of the water, she neatly folded it into a rectangle and then placed it on top of Natsu's forehead.

After finding the Dragon Slayer under the large tree in the South Gate Park, Makarov and the other Fairy Tail members stormed toward Phantom's guild, each wanting to get revenge on them for what they did to their Guild building and especially for what they did to their pink colored haired comrade. The only ones who didn't go were herself, Lucy and Levy. Even Happy went which showed how much the blue cat wanted to get revenge for his best friend in the whole world.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered as she stared down at her teammate with a sad expression. She never saw him like this. He looked so weak and defenseless, something she knew Natsu never was. It was a shock to her when she saw him for the first time. She couldn't help but cry for her teammate. It was just horrifying for her to see him in such a state. She thought Natsu would never be defeated by anyone. She would have never predicted seeing Natsu turn up in such a state like he was in now. She saw the blood that was all over his chest and she was afraid that he could have been dead. Thankfully, he wasn't dead. He still had a heartbeat, it was faint, but it was there.

When Makarov and the others left, Elfman carried Natsu to the hospital with her, Levy and Mirajane following right behind him. After he was able to get him to the hospital, he ran out to catch up to the others. It was now just the three of them. She looked at Levy next to her and saw that she was shaking. She wondered what exactly went through her mind.

"It's all my fault..." Both woman looked at Levy. "If it wasn't for me...Natsu...he...he wouldn't have..." She started to cry again as her tears fell down to her lap, her body continuing to shake.

"Levy-chan...it's not your fault..." Lucy tried to comfort her as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Lucy's right...don't blame yourself...I'm sure Natsu wouldn't want you to do so either..." Mirajane told her as well.

"But..."

"Mira-san is right, Levy-chan. You shouldn't blame yourself."

Levy clenched the end of her short pants. She knew they were comforting her, but she still felt like this was all her fault. She blamed herself for Natsu becoming like this. She could still remember the last time she saw him. He promised her that he would be right behind them. After running all the way to the main road, they waited for about ten minutes and he didn't come. This worried her tremendously. She wanted to go and see if he was okay, but Jet and Droy stopped her. They told her that it was too dangerous and she knew they were right, but she felt uneasy.

The three of them then decided to go find and tell Erza about what happened. She knew she would be staying at Lucys so they went immediately to her apartment. Then, the next time she saw Natsu, she saw him in his current condition. The sight of him and his unconscious, bloody state was heartbreaking for her. It was too much to see one of her comrades looking like he was a thread away from death. 'I'm sorry...Natsu...'

Where...am I?

Why...is it so dark?

I can't see anything.

Where is everybody?

Happy...Lucy...Gray...Erza...Old Man...where are you guys?

Natsu...

I hear someone...

Natsu...

Who is that?

Natsu...

Who are you? Where are you?

Light...

Light? What light?

The light in front of you...dumb ass...

"Huh?" Natsu opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was darkness. He felt something hot on his right side and turned his head to see a large fire. "Where am I?"

"You forgot already, huh?" Natsu's eyes widened at the familiar voice. He sat up and stared at the figure on the other side of the fire. He was speechless as he recognized the figure.

"You're..."

"No...I'm not him...I may look like him, but it's only because your memory created me..." The figure explained.

"W-What? I don't...understand..." He replied in confusion.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"About you getting your ass kicked..." At his words, Natsu remembered.

"Oh yeah..."

"You know you could have won if you didn't have those chains on you..."

"No...you're wrong..."

"Am I? Or is it just that you are scared?"

"I'm not scared of anything!"

"Says the guy who got his ass kicked..." The figure chuckled.

"Shut up!"

"Listen Natsu...I know that you're afraid of what would happen if you remove those chains...but you need to get over it...

"Shut up..." He said in a lower tone.

"You really are an idiot...but...I like idiots like you..."

"Is that why you...?"

"Maybe...but...there is another reason why...don't bother asking..."

"Fine. So...where am I?"

"You're in your subconscious."

"My what?"

The figure sighed. "You are in your own mind."

"I'm in my head?"

"Sure...fine...whatever...anyway, take a look at the fire." Natsu did so.

"Yeah...and?"

"Tell me what you see."

"Huh?"

"Just look into the fire and tell me what you see."

Natsu shrugged and stared deeply into the fire. At first, all he saw was the flames that flickered back and forth. Then suddenly, he saw something. Whatever it was, made Natsu back away in fear and sweat all over his body. "T-That's...w-what is t-that?"

"You should already know the answer to your own question...Natsu..."

"Daaaah! Those Fairy fools are all idiots!"

"They definitely got their asses burned!"

"That's not all! I heard Gajeel took care of one of their strongest mages!"

"Hahaha! Those fairies are probably crying in their beds like babies!"

"Cheers to those pitiful fairies!"

"Ah shoot! I lost track of time!"

"Meeting a girl?"

"Yeah, not too shabby looking either, though she is a client. When I threatened her, she doubled the reward for me."

"Hahahaha! I bet I could have tripled it!"

"Yeah...whatever..."

Suddenly a huge explosion occurred as the Phantom Guild member was just about to leave. The force of the explosion charred the mage and sent him flying into one of the tables and then into some of his fellow guild members before stopping just in front of the bar.

"W-What the hell?" The smoke started to clear to reveal Erza in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, glaring at Phantom with Makarov and the other members of Fairy Tail doing the same right behind her. Then they shouted,

"WE ARE FAIRY TAIL!"

"WHAT?"

"YOU BASTARDS!"

The fight between both guilds broke out in a frenzy. Mages from Phantom were sent flying from one side of the guild to the other. Fairy Tail had the edge in strength against Phantom as numbers didn't seem to play as a factor in the fight. Gray used his ice make magic to freeze or attack his opponents, while Erza cut down her group of opponents. The other guild members used their own powers to deal with their opponents. Happy also joined in on the fight as he flew around the guild and smacking Phantom members across the face with a small wooden club.

"Let's get Master Makarov!" A group of Phantom members yelled and charged at the small master of Fairy Tail. Makarov was unfazed by their attack as his eyes shot out a bright light and he grew about ten times his size. The attackers all stopped and looked up at him in fear as he smacked his hand down and crushing them. Cracking sounds were heard as both the floor and the bones of the poor mages who were struck were blocked out by the surrounding fights.

"Y-You monster..." One of the mages underneath his hand spoke as he heard his bones cracking and snapping.

"You bastards brought the fight to the children of that monster! Don't even for a second think you'll be protected by human laws!" Makarov roared in furious anger as some of the still conscious mages crushed by his hand screamed in fear.

"S-Such strength!"

"Their soldiers ain't small fry, either!"

"They're insane!"

"Jose!" Makarov roared again as he shrunk back down to his regular size. "Show yourself!"

"Where is Gajeel?" Erza demanded an answer from one of her opponents. When he didn't reply quick enough, Erza cut him down and moved on to her next opponent and did the same with him.

"I don't see any members of the element four either." Cana said as well, looking around for them while fighting off an opponent.

"So...that's Erza the Titania..." Gajeel muttered as he looked down at the small battlefield from the rafters. "I don't see Gildarts, Laxus or Mystogan anywhere...hmph...they're underestimating us..."

"Don't worry about them..." The iron Dragonslayer turned his head to see the red haired man leaning against one of the wooden fixtures next to him. "Our main focus is to keep them busy...also...to get rid of two more annoying pests..."

"Hehehe...right..." He chuckled. "Let me ask you, are you using your territorial magic?"

"No...I want to see if any of the fools below have any use for me." He replied. "Although...from what I see...they're all useless."

"Yeah...to be honest with you, I thought they were pretty much that. They are nothing but fools that this guild uses to increase our numbers." Gajeel agreed, smirking.

"Right...oh that reminds me...that woman...Erza I think you called her...you know what I heard?"

"What?"

"Natsu defeated her."

"Huh? Seriously? You got to be kidding me! I thought she was stronger than him!"

"Don't underestimate her. Just because she lost doesn't mean she is a threat to you."

"Yeah, yeah...so when can I join in on the fun?"

"In a moment...wait until Makarov heads upstairs."

"Hehehehe, fine by me."

"What am I supposed to do?" Natsu asked the figure.

"The problem you have is that you are afraid of seeing people you care about hurt...that is why you refuse to remove those chains...you're too afraid that by releasing those chains, the power that you keep dormant inside you will be unleashed and without control, you will hurt the people you care about...so, here is what you will do...unleash those chains and attack me!"

"W-What...are you crazy!"

"Don't be a dumb ass! Do you really think you can rely on that technique with every single fight you get yourself involved in. I saw that fight you had with that other Dragonslayer! You tried to use that technique on him, but stopped. I don't know why and I don't really give a damn...however, using that technique should not be your only way of fighting...if you remove those chains then you won't have to worry about using that technique, and your friends will stop worrying about you killing yourself. Didn't I tell you before not to use that technique unless it's necessary?"

"But I had to!"

"Yeah, yeah I know about your fights with those two demons...word gets around quickly in this world you know. What's done is done, the only thing you should worry about now is the present and future! Now, unleash those chains and I'll help you control your power!"

"Damn it...fine then! But what happens if..."

"Don't worry...last time I was unprepared...this time...I won't be..."

"Fine!"

Lucy, Levy and Mirajane stayed silent most of the time. They haven't heard anything from the others, but weren't worried as much as they were with Natsu. They knew their friends could handle Phantom, especially when they had the Master with them. Lucy sighed before standing up. "I'm going to go to the store to get something to eat, do you two want anything?"

"No, I'm fine." Mirajane told her with a smile.

"What about you Levy-chan?"

"No...I'm fine..." She whispered.

"Okay then..." Lucy said and turned around, ready to leave until a voice stopped her.

"D-Don't...go..." The three all gasped and looked at Natsu. When they saw him, he looked like he didn't say a word, but they were all sure that they heard his voice.

"Natsu...?" Lucy spoke first, hoping to get some type of reaction from their fallen comrade. There was none. "Was I just hearing things?"

"I-I'm not sure...but I heard him say something..." Levy told her.

"Yeah...me too..." Mirajane nodded her head.

"Could he have just been talking in his sleep?" Lucy said, frowning a bit.

"Maybe..." The former demon of Fairy Tail replied, frowning as well.

Fairy Tail's Celestial Spirit Mage sighed in slight disappointment before turning around heading toward the door. "I'll be right back." She said and left.

"Damn...looks like this is harder than I thought it would be." The man said as he dodged another large dragon roar attack directed at him. "Though, you still look like a piece of shit...just like last time..." He chuckled as he smirked at Natsu.

"Wraahhh!" Natsu roared as his entire body was engulfed in flames that had a small sparks of electricity surrounding him. His eyes were as white as an eggshell as he looked like he had no control over his body. He let out another roar and another dragon roar attack was launched at the figure.

The man lifted his right arm to block the attack as a large magic circle appeared in front of him. Natsu's dragon roar was absorbed by the magic circle the man created. The Salamander growled at the man, who smirked back. "You have been one bad Dragonslayer...Natsu..." He chuckled and lowered his arm down. Natsu roared again. "Fight it...Natsu...I know it hurts, but you have to gain control over yourself! Don't fight against your strength...don't fight this power...embrace it! Use this power to do what you want!" He yelled over to him. He roared again. "Tch...you really are an idiot..."

Natsu let out another strong Dragon roar at him. He sighed and jumped up. He then ran at Natsu in full speed before punching him in the face. However, the punch only slightly moved his head to the side. "Grrr..." He growled in anger.

"Looks like this won't be as easy as I thought..."

Lucy let out a loud sigh. She was tired. After everything that happened in the past 24 hours, she felt exhausted. However, she wasn't complaining because Natsu was in a much worse state than she was. Sure she was tired, but he was so close to dying. The thought of him dying felt uneasy for her. He was the person who brought her to Fairy Tail and if it wasn't for him, who knows where she would be now. Heck, she could have been living a life of slavery if it wasn't for Natsu saving her back when they first met. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt rain drops start to fall and hit against her head.

"Rain?" She asked as she looked up to the sky. "No way...rain even while the sun is out?" She exclaimed in shock as she saw nothing but a clear blue sky above her. "W-What's going on?"

"Steady and silently..." Lucy lowered her head to see a figure walking in the rain in front of her. "Yes...Juvia brings rain steadily and silently..."

"Huh?" Lucy questioned as she dropped the bag of food she brought to the ground and covered her head with her arms to prevent her hair from getting wet.

"What do you bring?"

"Erm...who are you?" Lucy asked confused. She watched as Juvia opened up her umbrella and then walked away.

"I had fun. Farewell. Steadily and silently..."

"Eh? What was that all about?" Lucy shouted in complete shock.

"Non, non, non." Juvia stopped. "Non, non, non." Lucy heard a voice, but didn't see anyone that it could have belonged to. She was sure it wasn't the woman who stopped because the voice sound like it came from a male...at least sort of like a male. "Non, non, non, non, non, non, non." Suddenly, the ground in front of her started rising, freaking her out a bit, as a strange man came out of the ground. "Bonjour with non in a 3-3-7 rhythm!"

"Another weirdo!"

"Juvia-sama! You can't just walk away from your mission." He told the women.

"Monsieur Sol." She responded.

"My monocle is whispering to me that that mademoiselle over there is none other than our precious target." Sol said as he moved his body from left to right.

"Oh? So, she's the one?" Juvia responded as she looked at Lucy.

"Huh?" The blond haired mage said in shock. "What are you...?"

"Pardon my manners; I am Sol! You may call me Monsieur Sol!" He introduced himself. "We come from the Great Phantom Lord to welcome you."

"Juvia is a member of the Element 4, who brings rain." Lucy's eyes widened in shock.

'P-Phantom...these people are the ones who...' She felt anger build in her. She gritted her teeth and quickly went to her waist to grab her keys. 'These people are the ones who hurt Natsu!' She glared at them. "You are the ones who hurt Natsu!"

"Non, non, non. I'd like to clear up that misunderstanding with three nons. Wrecking the guild, attacking your comrade; all were done by Gajeel-sama!" Lucy's eyes widened as she was suddenly trapped in a large sphere of water. "Although, it is true that this was done through a consensus of our guild."

Lucy struggled, but managed to get her head out of the large bubble and took a deep breath. "W-What is this?" Before she could hear an answer, she was sucked back into the bubble.

"Juvia's water lock cannot be broken." She told the Celestial Spirit Mage as she tried her best to stay conscious and not give in. However, it was useless as she slowly fell into unconsciousness as Sol chuckled.

"Mmmmm, tries bien!"

"Do not worry...Juvia won't kill you..." She told her captive, but she doubt that she was able to hear her. "...for it is Juvia's duty to bring you back, Lucy Heartfilia-sama."

"Mmmmm! Victoire!"

"Capture complete."

The battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom raged on as both sides used their magic attacks to deal blows to the other.

"Man, man, man! Being a man...is what a man is all about!" Elfman roared as he transformed his arm to that of a monsters and pummeled several mages from Phantom.

"What the hell is he saying?" One of them shouted.

"What is that arm?"

"It's 'takeover!'"

"That big dude 'took over' a monster in his arm!"

"T-There's really magic like that?"

"Elfman! Absorbing the powers of monsters that he defeated into his arm...Beast Arm Elfman!"

"Erza!" Makarov shouted, directing it toward one of his S Class Mages. "I'm putting you in charge here! Jose is probably at the top floor. I'm gonna tear him a new one!"

"As you wish, Master!" She replied with a nod and watched him as he walked up the stairs.

Meanwhile, the two men who were watching the battle above on the rafters watched Makarov as he left the are and up the stairs. "Yosh...looks like he's gone...so...should I go now?"

"Do as you wish." Gajeel smirked and then jumped downward. He slammed down to the floor hard and transformed his arm to a steel club and extended it so that he did damage to a couple of Fairy Tail members, but to several of his own comrades.

"What's up, Fairy Fucks!"

"No way...he even attacked his own comrades! What the hell is wrong with him?" Wakabe muttered.

Erza's eyes set themselves on Gajeel and she felt anger build up inside her. The image of Natsu being found in front of the tree appeared in her mind and it only made her anger increase to a boiling point. She instantly forgot everything else she had in her mind and charged at Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer smirked when he saw Erza heading toward him. "Gajeel!" She roared and swung her sword at him, which he blocked by transforming his arm into a steel club.

"Oh? The knight of Fairy Tail sure is scary when she's angry." He chuckled, making her anger grow. "This wouldn't happen to be because I almost killed that weak Salamander, would it?" Erza reached her boiling point.

"Shut up!" She shouted as loud as her voice could go as Gajeel's smirk grew wider. He pushed her away so that he created some space between each other, but it wouldn't last long as Erza charged again and this time repeatedly swung her swords at him. Gajeel grunted a bit as he dodged or blocked her swords constantly. "Quit running away, you coward!" The word 'coward' seemed to have ticked the Iron Dragon slayer off as he suddenly grabbed both her swords with his bare hands. Erza's eyes widened at the strength of her opponent.

"What did you call me, bitch?" He growled and then puffed his cheeks. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" Erza quickly let go of her swords and jumped out of the way to avoid his attack. She managed to avoid the attack, but by doing so, others were hit in the line of fire; luckily no one from Fairy Tail was caught in it. "Now who's the coward!" He shouted and tossed her swords away.

"You bastard...don't you care about your own nakama!" Erza yelled back.

"It's not my fault they were in the way." He chuckled.

"Tch!" Erza quickly reequipped her armor into the Black Wing Armor.

"Oh...that armor looks kind of cool...to bad it won't do you any good!" He smirked and then transformed his arm into a steel club and extended it toward her. Erza jumped and began flying up to avoid, but Gajeel used his other arm to attack her as well. Fairy Tail's strongest female mage dodged Gajeel's attacks by flying around, while slowly descending down to him. Gajeel slowly began getting irritated that he was missing. He transformed both his arms into steel clubs and extended them toward her. He missed, but Erza was now caught in between the steel clubs. "Take this!" He roared and moved the clubs toward each other, planning to smash Erza while she was in the air.

"Erza! Watch out!" Gray shouted with widened eyes as he dodged an attack from a member of Phantom. The scarlet knight wasn't worried as she stopped and then flapped her wings so that she ascended up and watched as the steel club's smashed against each other.

"Bitch!" Gajeel gritted his teeth in anger.

'Now, it's my turn!' Erza quickly descended downward and swung her swords down at Gajeel, who managed to retract his clubs in time and block her swords. The blow created a small shock wave that was felt by any nearby mages as the two opponents glared at each other, while trying to push the other back. "Gajeel!" He smirked.

"I guess I have no choice in the matter..." The man who was up in the rafters sighed and then snapped his fingers.

"It's my turn..." Gajeel smirked as he felt his power increase. Erza was dumbfounded. She suddenly started to feel weaker. Not only that, but it seemed like her opponent was getting stronger.

'W-What's going on?' She was really confused. Then, Gajeel pushed her swords away and leaving her wide open.

"Hahaha...take this!" He transformed his arms once more and connected them into her stomach. She spat out blood as she crashed into the rafters.

"Erza!" Gray and the others shouted in shock.

"Damn him!" Elfman was prepared to charge at the Iron Dragon slayer, but he too suddenly started to feel weaker. 'What the...?' He was then struck in the face with a punch by one of the members of Phantom.

"Something is not right..." Cana muttered as she fell to a knee.

"Y-Yeah...for some reason...I feel weaker..." Macao agreed as he started breathing heavily.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray cast his magic, but as soon as he did, his ice melted. "What the hell...?" He then felt himself get weaker as he dropped to the floor on one knee.

"Hahahaha! See! All you Fairy Tail punks are nothing but a bunch of weaklings!" Gajeel laughed as every Fairy Tail member were getting tired quicker.

"He sure does have a big mouth..." The man on the rafters sighed.

"I don't know what's going on...but as long as we have our Master with us, we'll never lose to you!" Gray told Gajeel.

"Oh...we'll see about that..."

"JOSE!" A very pissed off Makarov roared as he destroyed the door that stood in his way between him and the man he was ultimately going to kill for hurting one of his children. The explosion caused the wall surrounding the door to collapse as well shake the entire guild that even the others below them felt the shake. Makarov's magic spurt out of his body like lightning bolts, destroying every wall, statue and sculpting in the room. He could hear the chuckles coming from the man who sat at the end of the room and slowly walked toward him. His anger increasing the closer he got to him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, huh, Jose?"

"Why...hello there. Long time no see, Makarov-san." Jose greeted the angry Master of Fairy Tail. "It must have been since the regular meeting six years ago...boy...I was so stumped that time...I clearly overdid with the sake..."

Makarov became pissed at the calm attitude Jose was showing and couldn't help but let his anger get loose and grew his arm to that of a giant and punched Jose, breaking the chair he was sitting on. "I'm not here to reminisce with you, Jose!"

"Ho, ho, ho...my oh my..." Makarov's eyes widened in shock as he saw that Jose was not real, but an image.

"An image? You are already gone from this guild?"

"A battle among two of the ten holy great mages can cause extraordinary natural occurrences. I prefer a rational victory." He chuckled and tipped his hat up.

"Where are you? Come and fight me fair and square!" He yelled at his fellow Guild Master. He didn't respond and instead, another image appeared in front Jose and Makarov's eyes widened once more. "Lucy! W-Why?" He then looked at Jose and his eyes widened even further as he saw him take out a knife and tried to stab one of his children right in front of him. "Nooo!" Makarov reached his arm out to try and stop him, but he knew it was going to be useless because they were just images, but he had to try. However, he wasn't going to be able to do anything as a large man with a bandage covering his eyes appeared behind him. 'Shit! I didn't even feel his presence! Where did he come from?'

"So-So-Sorrowful!" The mage named Aria of the Sky as he used his magic to start draining Makarov of his powers.

"Ho, ho, ho...there's no way we'd kill Lucy-sama, right? At least, not yet..." Jose told his fellow guild master as he chuckled at the sight of him getting his magic drained.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Makarov screamed in pain. 'I can't use my magic...it's almost like my magic is being drained out of my body!'

"Please don't tell me you don't know who Lucy Heartfilia-sama is, while she was in your guild this entire time. Well, I guess it's none of your business any more...hehehehe."

"It's too sorrowful!" Aria cried as Makarov was smashed down and through the floor before slamming straight down to the battlefield between Fairy Tail and Phantom. "Where dost this sorrow cometh from?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the master of Fairy Tail hitting the floor hard. "W-What was that?" Gray asked as he turned around as soon as he heard the sounds of wood breaking.

"Heh...looks like that worked. I'm impressed." The man in the rafters chuckled as he smirked at Makarov's motionless body. At that moment, Erza appeared again and when her eyes set on the Master, her eyes widened in horror. Not only that, but she felt like her heart was going to shatter.

"M-M-Master!" She cried and descended down to him.

"Ah...arg...my..m-magic..." He managed to let out as he felt all his strength gone. Erza's eye began tearing up at the sight of her Master.

"Aria-san's magic consists of taking away an opponent's magic power, or in other words; making it 'void'. This victory is ours!" Jose laughed as he looked down at the weakened Makarov.

"Tch...fun's over." Gajeel cursed his luck as he watched the Fairy Tail members gather around their fallen Master.

"Master! Hang in there!" Erza cried out as she lifted his head up.

"What's going on? I can't feel nay magic from Master!"

"Wait a minute! Doesn't that mean he's nothing, but a plain old geezer?"

"How?"

"Ha...ha...ha..."

"No way...how can the Master be defeated?"

"I-Impossible!"

"W-What on earth happened upstairs?"

"This our chance! Attack those Fairy scums!"" The Phantom Guild all roared and went on the offensive as Fairy Tail tried their best to defend themselves with their new confident opponents.

'No...this is bad...not only have our strength suddenly became weaker...our morale took a blow as well...' Erza wiped her eye as she looked around the battlefield. 'We have no choice...' She made her decision and lowered Makarov to the floor gently. "Retreat!" She shouted as loud as she could. "Retreat back to the Guild!"

Everyone in Fairy Tail gasped and widened their eyes in shock at Erza's decision.

"No way!" Gray shouted.

"Men don't retreat!" Elfman added as he fended off several members of Phantom.

"Yeah, I can still fight!" Macao told her, but even he felt that he was getting weaker.

"Me too!" Bisca shouted, but she too felt weaker.

"We cannot defeat Jose without our Master! We're retreating! This is an order!" She shouted back. This time, there were no arguments and they did what Erza ordered them to.

"Leaving already, huh?" Gajeel sighed in disappointment as he watched Fairy Tail begin to retreat. He jumped up to the rafters and landed next to the red haired man as Aria joined them.

"Sorrowful!" He cried, tears running down his face.

"Aria...you're creepy as always." Gajeel told him. "I'm surprised that you managed to beat the old geezer."

"It was all part of Master Jose's plan." He told him as the red haired man chuckled.

"I must admit, that weakling did make a good plan...although...this would have been more interesting if the Salamander was here...but I guess taking him out first was the smart move..."

"Wonderful!" Aria cried.

"Jeez! Would you stop crying?" Gajeel pleaded as he was getting tired of all his crying. "So...did we capture that girl Lucy?" He asked.

"Yes...we confined her in our headquarters!" Aria responded.

"Really now?" The red haired man muttered. "You know...I think I have another idea."

"Oh?" Gajeel and Aria looked at him.

"We first got rid of the Salamander, then we got rid of their Master...so how about we get rid of someone else as well. This is what you need to do...Gajeel." He whispered something to him.

"Are you sure that would work?" He asked.

"Hey, do you doubt me?"

"Hehehehe...not at all." The Iron Dragonslayer smirked and jumped down to the main floor.

"Let's go! Retreat!" Erza continued to shout. She watched as her comrades were escaping and made sure that no one was left behind. When she saw that everyone from Fairy Tail was in front of her she sighed and was about to make a run for it as well, but before she could move, she felt the presence of the Iron dragonslayer behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I wouldn't leave so soon, Titania...after all...who would save Lucy from her hold in our headquarters?" Erza's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" She shouted and tried a backhand, but Gajeel jumped away, back up to the rafters and disappearing from her view. 'No way...they got...Lucy...?' She wanted to get more answers, but seeing as how she didn't have time, she turned and left with the others. 'Why would he tell me that? It doesn't make sense...unless...unless they plan to lure me out into a trap...damn it...what should I do?'

"Hey Erza!" The scarlet knight turned her head to see Gray run up to her. "What happened? What did that Iron Dragonslayer want?"

"He told me that they captured Lucy and are holding her at their headquarters." Gray's eyes widened.

"W-What? Is it true?"

"I-I don't know...I get this feeling that they are planning a trap or something..." Erza told him.

"I wouldn't count it out..." The ice mage told her. "What should we do?"

"I don't know...in any case we don't know for sure if they captured Lucy or not...I have to make sure that she is okay..."

"But..."

"I know...I'll be careful...just make sure everyone else gets back safely."

"R-Right..." Gray responded as Erza ran toward the direction of Phantom's headquarters. He watched her with a frown, but he knew she could take of herself. Whether they really captured Lucy is something he didn't know. He just hoped that the guild wasn't going to lose Erza as well.

Lucy slowly began opening her eyes as she felt her hands being restrained by something. When she fully opened her eyes she saw herself in a room made of rock and a steel door with metal bars on them. She sat up and tried to free her hands, but the rope that had them tied wasn't budging at all. "W-What is this?" She was really confused. Where was she? How did she even get here? Suddenly, the events she remembered last ran through her head and she understood where she was. 'I get it...I was captured by Phantom and now I'm in some type of prison cell...'

"So...you're awake, Lucy Heartfilia-sama." She quickly snapped her head in the direction of the door as she saw a man who looked like a mage.

"W-Who are you?"

"I'm Phantom Lord's Guild Master, Jose." He introduced himself as he opened the door and walked toward her.

"You're Phantom's Guild Master!" Lucy exclaimed in shock.

"Yes...I must apologize for tying you up and putting you in this filthy jail...but you're still a captive, so please try and understand." He told her.

"Shut up! Untie me now! How dare you do all that to Natsu?" She cried.

"You know...depending on your attitude...we might treat you like a 'VIP' instead of a captive." Jose told her.

"What?" She asked as she felt something crawling on her leg. "Kyaah!" She screamed in fear and tried to get away from the centipede.

"See? You really don't want to be in a jail like this." He snickered. "If you behave, we'll move you to the suite room."

"Why did you attack us?"

"Us? Oh you mean 'Fairy Tail'? You see...that was an extra! Just an extra!"

"W-What?"

"Our true objective was to get a hold of someone who by chance resides in Fairy Tail. So, we thought, why not kill two birds with one stone."

"A c-certain individual?"

"Do you really not get it? I thought someone from a prestige family like the Heartfilia Family would be so...what's the word...stupid."

"W-What?" Lucy's eyes widened at his words as he approached her.

"I'm talking about you, the daughter of Jude Heartfilia, Lucy Heartfilia-sama." Lucy's eyes widened a bit more before she cringed.

"H-How do you know that?"

"I heard you were hiding your social standing in the guild. I don't know why the daughter of one of the richest men in the world is doing at a place like Fairy Tail...but..."

"So, you kidnapped me?"

"No..of course not. It was none other than your father who requested to get you." At this, Lucy's eyes widened as far as they could go.

"N-No...you're lying...why would he...?" Her body shook as she mumbled.

"Isn't it normal if a pretty daughter runs away from home, people search for her?"

"No!" She shouted. "He wouldn't! That man wouldn't do something like that! I'll never go back! I'll never go back to such a home!"

"You really are a troublesome lady..." He sighed.

"Release me at once!"

"Sorry...can't do that." Lucy stared at him before her face became red.

"But...I need to use the bathroom."

"A simple and classic excuse, isn't it?"

"But I really need to go..." She whined.

"Fine then, go!" He told her and pointed to a bucket that was in the room.

"You're kidding me!" She shouted in shock.

"Ho, ho, ho...it's so classic that you won't catch us off guard." He told her.

"I guess I have no choice..." She sighed and stood up. She walked to bucket before positioning herself over it.

"You're actually gonna do it!" Jose shouted with his eyes popping out of his head. He continued to look at her in case she was bluffing, but from the looks of it, she wasn't actually going to do it. He then turned away. "Such a shameless lady! You're lucky I'm a gentleman!" Lucy smirked before sneaking behind him and then kicking him in the groin. "YEOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!" He shouted in so much pain.

"A classic strategy isn't all so bad...because they still work after all." She smirked as Jose fell to his knees and grabbed his crotch. "Well then...later!" She winked at him and went toward the door that Jose came through. However, as soon as she got to the door, her eye's widened as she saw that there was nothing in front of her and that she was a long way up from the ground. "W-What?"

"Hahahahaha...pity isn't it...our sky prison..." Jose muttered as he looked at her. Lucy quickly turned around as she saw Phantom's Guild Master get back up to his feet slowly.

"How...how dare you...do that to me..." He snickered. Lucy bit her bottom lip as she was trapped like a mouse. The image of her father entered her head and she shuddered at the thought of seeing him again. "Now then...come to me...it's punishment time...I have to teach you the atrociousness of the Phantom..." He snickered. Lucy closed her eyes tightly before she did something that Jose was not expecting and jumped backward. "WHAAAATT?" Jose shouted in shock as Lucy started falling toward the ground. "Gah..." He cringed as the pain returned and he fell to his knees.

'Why did I do it? Why did I jump? Is this really how it's going to end for me? Everyone at Fairy Tail...mom...Natsu...I'm sorry...'

"LUCY!" The celestial spirit mage opened her eyes at the familiar voice of one of her comrades. Suddenly, she felt cold metal on her back and behind her knees and felt herself pressing against the metal. The first thing she saw was the red color of her savior's hair. The very familiar scarlet colored hair of one Erza Scarlet.

Erza was glad she made it in time as she caught Lucy in her arms and dropped to the ground on her feet. She raised her head and looked at Lucy before smiling at her. "E-Erza..."

"You alright...Lucy?" Her savior asked as she nodded her head. "Here...let me untie you." She told her and let her down to the ground before taking out her sword and cutting the rope that held her hands together. "There you go."

"Thank you..." Lucy thanked her as she rubbed her wrists.

"What happened? How did they get you?" She asked.

"I'm sorry..." Erza's eyes widened at the way the blond teen shook. "I-It's all my fault...I'm sorry..."

"Lucy...what are you apologizing for? This isn't your fault..."

"B-But it is...I..."

"My...isn't this a pathetic sight?" Both woman widened their eyes in shock at the sudden sensation that ran through their body as the words coming from the man behind that made a shiver run down their spines. Erza quickly grabbed Lucy and jumped away from the man as he smirked at them. "Whoa...no need to be so jumpy..."

"Who the hell are you? Are you with Phantom?" Erza demanded an answer as she pointed her sword at the man with red hair.

"You can say that..." He snickered and raised his arms to allow two swords to appear in his hands. "Although...to put me in the same group as those weaklings is an insult."

"Who are you?" She asked again.

"That's right...you don't stop until you get your answer...fine then...allow me to introduce myself...the name is Alastor." Alastor smirked.

"Alastor?" Erza repeated.

"You know...you really are one of the very few people in this country that I wanted to fight." He told her.

"Should I feel honored?" She asked, glaring at him.

"You should...after all...why wouldn't you feel honored to fight the man who dealt the finishing blow to the man who beat you." Erza and Lucy looked at him in shock.

"W-What?"

"What? You didn't see the large 'X' cut on the Salamander's chest? Who do you think gave that to him?" He smirked.

"YOU BASTARD!" Erza screamed and charged at Alastor.

"Yes! That's it! Let your anger consume you!" He laughed maliciously as he blocked her sword attack with his own sword. "You sure are strong...inf act, now that I take a closer look at you...you are pretty hot..." He snickered as Erza felt disgusted by his comment. She jumped back and then swung her sword again, only to be blocked again. "Is this really all you got?" He smirked.

"Shut up!" The scarlet knight shouted and quickly re-equipped her armor to the Purgatory Armor.

"Oh...such scary armor..." Alastor said with amusement in his voice.

"Take this!" She shouted and swung the large metal, spiked mace down at him. Alastor smirked and blocked the heavy mace with both his swords. Erza's eyes widened in shock. "H-How is that...?"

"You look shocked." He snickered. "Why is it so shocking that someone is stronger than you? After all...I am the guy who almost killed Salamander." Erza's anger grew as she tried to put all her strength into crushing his arms, but no matter how much she tried, he wasn't budging.

"Erza..." Lucy whispered as she looked on.

"Hahahaha! You are quite strong when your angry...but still not strong enough...but I do have to ask...what are you really angry about?"

"With you!" She shouted.

"Oh...that's strange...because I recognize this anger...I'm sure your angry with me for what I did to Salamander...but to me it feels like there is more than that...isn't there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh...now I get it...hahahaha...this anger...you're not only doing this because of what I did to Natsu Dragneel...your doing this mostly because...you have feelings for him...don't you?"

"W-What?" Erza was so surprised by the question that she jumped away from Alastor and slightly stumbled when she landed her feet on the ground. "W-What are you talking about?"

"E-Erza...is that true?" Lucy asked in shock.

"Of course not!"

"You say that, but your face tells a different story!" Alastor laughed as he pointed toward Erza's flustered face.

"Shut up!" Erza shouted back at him trying to get rid of the red from her face.

'Erza likes...Natsu? No...that can't be...can it?' Lucy wondered. 'But if it's true...then...' She felt her mouth turn into a frown.

"I had enough out of you!" The scarlet knight charged at the red haired man who snickered at how embarrassed she looked.

"Hahahaha! Sure, let's have some more fun!" He said and both clashed weapons once again. "Come on Titania! I know you're better than this!" He said and pushed her mace so that it left her unbalanced and open for an attack.

'Shit...'

"Let's see how strong your armor is against my strength...Titania!" Alastor shouted and was about to slash Erza in half, but he suddenly stopped and jumped away as he sensed something nearby. Erza wondered why he stopped, but allowed herself to regain her balance and prepare herself in case something was going to happen. "Tch...you are always ruining my fun...fine...listen here Titania! I decided to spare you because of reasons I don't have to tell you. However, next time we meet, you better be prepared." He told her and then disappeared.

"Wait!" Erza shouted, but he was long gone. "Damn it!" She cursed before re-quipping to her Hearts Kreuz Armor. She then walked toward Lucy. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Erza..." Lucy whispered.

"Huh?"

"Do you really like Natsu...like 'like like'?" At her question, Erza's face became red in embarrassment and she waved her hands back and forth.

"Of course not! Don't believe that guy! Me? Liking Natsu? Don't be silly!" She chuckled nervously.

"I see..." Lucy responded before looking sown to the ground. 'Erza...you are a bad liar...'

"Let's head back..." The scarlet knight told her.

"Why? I mean...it's all my fault that everything is happening...the guild...to Natsu...it's all my fault...but...I want to stay in the guild...I love Fairy Tail so much!" She cried as tears ran down her face.

"Lucy...no one is going to blame you for what happened...you are a member of Fairy Tail..our comrade...you will always be our friend...and you'll always be a member of Fairy Tail...no matter what!" Erza smiled at her as she pulled the younger girl into a hug. "Let's head back..."

"R-R-Right..." She sobbed in response.

"Damn this is getting annoying..." The man sighed and absorbed another blast of Dragon Roar. "Come on Natsu! Control your powers!" He yelled over to Natsu who growled at him.

"Wraaahhh!"

"Stop roaring and get your ass to gear! I don't have a whole lifetime to wait for you!" He yelled again trying to get through to him. "Natsu!"

"Wraaaahhhh!" Natsu roared loudly again as he let out another Dragon Roar.

"Oh for fucks sake!" He cursed and absorbed the attack again. The man then fell to his knees after absorbing all of Natsu's attacks. "Damn it Natsu! I can't keep absorbing your attacks! If you keep doing this you would really go into a coma and you won't be able to help your friends!" Suddenly, the man noticed a small little twitch. 'I see...so that's why...' The man smirked as he found out how to help Natsu control his power.

"Wraaahhh!"

"Natsu! I understand now! You were scared of hurting your friends with this power! I can understand that! However, what if you use that power to help and protect your friends! But that can''t happen unless you control it! Come on Natsu! Do you want your friends to get killed by someone who is stronger than you? Huh? Do you?"

"Wraaaahhhhh!" Natsu roared the loudest he ever did and to the man's surprise, the flames that were surrounding him were disappearing. He then, collapsed to the floor.

'He finally settled down...however...this is when the real trial begins...you can do it...Natsu!'

Fairy Tail finally arrived back at Magnolia. After retreating from Phantom's Guild, they immediately went toward their destroyed Guild to think of a new strategy. Makarov was being treated in the forest by Porlyusica who told Bisca and Alzack to get lost while she treated him.

When Mirajane and Levy heard of their comrades arrival, they talked to Gray, Happy and Elfman about Natsu's condition. After some discussion, they decided that it would be best to have Natsu close by in case Phantom decided to attack them again. So, Elfman picked up Natsu and carried him back to the Guild and they created a small medic area for him. Then, they started to formulate plans as Erza came back to the Guild with Lucy right behind her.

Lucy looked around the Guild to see how badly some of her friends were injured from the fight they had with Phantom. She immediately felt guilty that they got all these injuries because of her. She blamed herself for everything. If she hadn't run away, then maybe her friends wouldn't have gotten hurt. Granted that she probably wouldn't have called them friends if she hadn't run away. She then looked away from the others and back at Natsu. He still was unconscious.

'Natsu...I...I'm really sorry...I'm so sorry this happened to you...' She clenched the end of her skirt really tightly. Just seeing the person who brought her to this guild that she loved with her all her heart like this was just too much for her. She blamed herself because she knew it was her fault. It was all her fault. She should just go with Phantom and they would leave her alone. In order to protect her friends, that was what she had to do.

When she told the others about why she was kidnapped, they were surprised. However, they didn't care about any of that. They told her that it didn't matter who she was because she was Lucy from Fairy Tail. They told her that she was a member of this Guild and because of that they would protect her no matter what.

"You still worried?" Lucy perked up at Gray's voice and turned her head to look at him.

"No...it's just that...I'm sorry..."

"Well, daughters from rich families are destined to be targeted and it's a man's duty to protect them!" Elfman added as he placed his fist on his chest.

"Don't say that." Gray told him.

"But I'm surprised too." Happy said. "Lucy, why were you hiding it?"

"I wasn't so much hiding it...but I ran away from home a year ago and not once did he want me back. Now he suddenly wants me back, I just don't get it. Papa this all of this...to the Guild...and to Natsu...to just get me back. He's horrible! Although...all of this happened because I ran away from home in the first place, right...?"

"N-No! That's not right! Papa is the bad one!" Elfman told her.

"Idiot!" Gray shouted at him.

"Ah! I mean it's all Phantom's fault!" He corrected himself.

"Because of my selfish actions...I can't believe I caused so much trouble for everyone...maybe everything will get better if I just go back home..." Lucy admitted.

"I'm sure that...if Natsu was awake he'll tell you that Fairy Tail is your home!" All three of them looked at Happy who smiled at Lucy. "I'm sure that he would tell you that the word 'lady' wouldn't suit you and that you are better in a place like this; laughing with all of us and going on cool and awesome adventures as well!"

"Happy..." Lucy whispered his name and tears came to her eyes.

"Oi! Don't cry; it doesn't suit you..." Gray told her as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah! Men are weak to tears!" Elfman added, trying his best not to cry along side her.

Loke watched the four of them as they talked amongst themselves around Natsu and frowned. He especially had his eyes on Lucy as he thought back to what happened in his past between him and Celestial Spirit Mages.

Levy chatted with her fellow Shadow Gear teammates, worried that they overdid themselves, but thankfully, they weren't as hurt as she thought they were going to be. She sighe din relief at that before she joined Lucy and the others.

At another area in the basement of the Guild, Cana was doing one of her fortune magic to try and find the location of one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages, Mystogan. However, she was having no luck as she slammed one of her cards down onto the others. "Damn it! I can't tell where Mystogan is!"

"I see...that's too bad..." Mirajane said from behind her.

"If they're target is Lucy, then they'll come to attack us again. Many of us are injured and without the Master or Natsu then we'll be in a tough spot." Cana told her.

"Master is seriously wounded and we cannot find Mystogan. That's why you're our only hope...Laxus." Mirajane told him as she looked at him through the La'cryma that was used to communicate with someone far away.

"Huh?" He responded.

"Please come back...it's an emergency..." Mirajane pleaded.

"Serves that shitty geezer right! Hahahahaha!" Laxus laughed. "This doesn't concern me whatsoever! Why don't you get Natsu to save your asses...I mean after all...all of you were so proud and confident to say that he was stronger than me!"

"Natsu...he's..." Mirajane couldn't finish the sentence as she knew hat kind of response she would get from this man.

"What happened? Did the poor little shit get his ass kicked? Hahahahaha! That is hilarious and after all that crap about him getting an S Class Promotion! This is just hilarious!" Mirajane felt her anger growing as she continued to listen to his voice.

"Laxus! You!" Cana tried to defend the Master and Natsu.

"Isn't that how it is? That geezer started the fight. Why do we have to clean his mess up?" He asked.

"Lucy, our comrade, is their target." Mirajane told him despite how angry she was getting with his attitude.

"Huh? Who's that? Oh...isn't that the new girl with blond hair and big boobs? You know what...I'll help you guys out...but only if that newbie becomes my woman. Also, tell that Geezer to hurry up and retire so that I can get his Master's position." He told them as Mirajane's anger reached it's boiling point.

"How dare you?" Cana shouted at him.

"Hey now...is that really the way you should talk to someone who you are asking a favor for? Tell you what...how about you strip for me? I'm pretty weak for sexy-" The La'cryma suddenly shattered into many pieces as Cana's eyes widened in shock and looked at Mirajane.

"Mira..."

"I can't believe...someone like him is a member of Fairy Tail..." She cried as tears fell from her eyes. "Fine! Next time I'll fight too!" She declared as she tried walking away, but Cana placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" She shouted at her.

"It's because Lucy got kidnapped while I was here and..."

"No. You'll be a burden to the others in your current situation." She told her as Mirajane clenched her fists tightly. "Even though you were once a an S Class Mage yourself."

'I know that...' Mirajane thought as she tried her best to wipe her tears away. '...but I want to be helpful...I want help everyone...Natsu...please...please wake up...'

'Master's absence...Mystogan and Laxus are nowhere near the Guild and Natsu is unconscious...we can't continue this fight any further...' Erza contemplated as she looked up to the nozzle that allowed water to soak her naked body. After what happened between herself and that man named Alastor, she needed to take a shower to help her cool down. She never fought someone as powerful as he was. She even re-quipped to one of her strongest armor and she still wasn't able to beat him. She placed a hand on the wall in front of her.

Jose is probably on the top floor. I'm gonna tear him a new one!

Makarov's words played in her head as she remembered the last time she spoke to him. She then clenched her fists and punched the wall as hard as she could. 'Damn it! I should have went with him! I'm pathetic! It's all my fault!' She beat herself up about it as she knew that if she went with Makarov to confront Jose then the Guild wouldn't be in it's current situation. Then again, something was strange during their fight. It was almost like they were losing their magic every second they were in that place. She wondered what could have caused that. 'Could that man have something to do with this?' She wondered. There was something strange about that man, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Oh...now I get it...hahahaha...you're not only doing this because of what I did to Natsu Dragneel...your doing this mostly because...you have feelings for him...don't you?

Erza could feel her face get warm at his words and it was not because of the temperature of the water. What were her feelings toward Natsu? She knew they were very good friends. However, she just couldn't get his words out of her head. Could she possibly like Natsu? No...that sounds really ridiculous...but then why did she feel like it wasn't as ridiculous as she thinks it is. The sudden image of a man with blue hair entered her mind and clenched her fists tightly again. 'I just don't understand it...why do I feel this way?'

Suddenly, a loud noise came out of nowhere as the ground slightly shook. Everyone was surprised by this and looked at each other all wondering what was going on.

"W-What?"

"What's going on?"

"Everybody! It's coming from outside!" Alzack shouted as everyone rushed outside. When they arrived, their eyes widened in shock at the large building walking toward their guild.

"W-What the hell is that?"

"The Guild is walking!" Wakabe shouted.

"Is it Phantom?" Macao asked.

"You got to be kidding me!"

"No way...I never imagined them to attack us like this!" Erza stated in shock as she stared at the walking building that belonged to Phantom.

"What should we do?"

The walking guild then stopped as the others waited for what would happen next. "Prepare the Magical Convergent Cannon, 'Jupiter'!" Jose instructed his men as they saluted him and did as they were ordered. Fairy Tail watched in shock as the large gate doors opened and a large cannon came out from inside the building. "Obliterate them!" Jose said with no remorse.

"Oh no! Everybody, get down!" Erza told them as she felt uneasy as soon as she saw the cannon come out from the building. She then ran toward the building and tossed her towel away before re-quipping to her Adamantine Armor. "I won't let you take down our guild!"

"Erza...that's your...don't tell us that you're going to try and stop our attack!"

"No Erza! Even though that armor is known for it's high defensive power..."

"You'll die!"

"Erza!"

Lucy's eyes widened in horror as the cannon fired it's beam at the guild with full intent to destroy everyone. Everyone ducked for cover as Erza awaited the full blow of the magic cannon. Erza quickly covered her arms to defend her friends and the guild from the blast. She did so successfully, but her armor shattered into pieces as she was blown back by the force until she skidded to a stop several feet in front of the guild.

"Erza!"

"So...you finally were able to control your powers...I must say...you do know how to give people hear attacks...however...your true test comes here..."

"W-What the hell?" Natsu asked as he stared at someone who looked very familiar to him in front of him. "What is this?"

"This...Natsu...is the final test to be able to control your true strength...you must defeat him to finally end it all..."

"Yeah...but..."

"Your opponent is the one thing that is keeping you still here while your friends are out there fighting...Natsu...you have to face the man who embodies every ounce of the fear that you kept hidden in your heart...the same fear that kept you from controlling your true strength...the same fear that turned itself into that person in front of you...he has many names...but I think the best name to call him is...Anti-Natsu."

"A-Anti-Natsu..." Natsu repeated a she stared at his look-a-like as he opened his eyes to reveal his dark colored sclera and white colored pupils, as he gave Natsu one of the most sinister smirks he has ever seen. He then licked his lips with his tongue signaling that he was hungry for him.

"What's up...asshole!"

To Be Continued...
- 14
- 15
- 16
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Time is the Path to Strength