Chapter 199: Dark Guild
"Although the shape seems a little different, this is definitely Fairy Tail!!"
"Exactly!"
Natsu Dragneel and Happy excitedly hurried over. They couldn't believe they found Fairy Tail as soon as they arrived in the strange world of Edolas—what incredible luck.
The building before them bore the familiar emblem, though its structure was twisted, resembling the roots of a massive, ancient tree rather than the guild hall they knew in Magnolia.
"Wait!!"
Carla wanted to call out to the two of them, her tail twitching with anxiety. This was Edolas, after all. Everything here felt… off. The magic in the air was thin, almost non-existent, and the atmosphere was heavy with an indescribable tension.
Creak!
The heavy wooden doors of the guild were pushed open.
"Everyone is fine!"
"We found it without breaking a sweat!"
Just as Natsu and Happy were about to rush in and greet their friends, Carla quickly flew forward and held the two of them back by their collars.
"Wait a minute! Look closely! They look strange!!"
Natsu and Happy paused, blinking in confusion, then looked forward. Sure enough, as their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the guild hall, they realized that everyone looked a little different.
The guild hall was bustling, but the dynamics were completely inverted.
"Juvia is going to work now."
A woman with blue hair, wearing a professional, somewhat revealing outfit, stood up confidently. It was Juvia Lockser, but she lacked the usual shy, obsessive aura she had around Gray.
"Wait a moment, Juvia, I want to go with you too, okay?"
A voice filled with desperation rang out. Gray Fullbuster was clinging to her side. But this Gray… he was wearing thick, padded winter clothes, a scarf wrapped multiple times around his neck, and a wool hat pulled down over his ears. He was shivering visibly.
"It's so hot. How many layers are you wearing? Come back and find me when you wear less," Juvia said dismissively, fanning herself.
"B-but... I have a Fear of Cold Attribute!!" Gray stammered, hugging his arms tightly as if he were in a blizzard.
Natsu was instantly dumbfounded when he saw this, his jaw dropping to the floor. "What in the world is this~~~!!"
Gray is afraid of the cold? That guy, who feels hot even wearing only underwear, is afraid of the cold? Are you kidding me? This was a fundamental violation of the laws of nature!
"How embarrassing, Elfman."
"Did your job fail again?"
Nearby, Jet and Droy were standing tall and imposing, lecturing a trembling giant. Elfman Strauss, usually the epitome of manliness, was cowering, tears welling in his eyes as he was scolded by the two usually smaller mages.
"I… I'm sorry…" Elfman whimpered.
"Miss Cana, why don't you have a drink with us sometime!" Macao called out, raising a tankard.
Cana Alberona sat elegantly at a table, sipping a cup of tea. She frowned slightly, looking dignified and ladylike.
"I've told you several times already, I don't drink alcohol."
"What—?!"
Cana actually said she doesn't drink? This is a joke. The woman who practically lived in a barrel of booze was drinking tea?
"Wha... what is going on here..."
"Everyone has become so strange?"
Happy rubbed his eyes, wondering if the transport to Edolas had scrambled his brain.
Ren, standing slightly behind the group, observed the scene with a calm, knowing gaze. 'As expected,' he thought. 'The Edolas Fairy Tail. A world of opposites.'
"Hey! I'm asking you, you've been standing at the door for ages, who are you?!"
Just then, an even more familiar voice rang out, cutting through the noise. The group looked toward the sound and saw Lucy Heartfilia—or rather, a version of her.
She was dressed in a black leather biker outfit that hugged her figure, giving her a wild, rebellious look. Her hair was styled aggressively, and she glared at them with a fierce expression. She stood in front of Ren, hands on her hips, questioning him with an attitude that the Earthland Lucy would never dare to show him.
"Lucy?!!" Natsu gasped.
Was Lucy really that brave? She actually dared to speak to Ren with that attitude? Ren, whose mere presence usually commanded respect and a healthy dose of fear?
"Wait, Lucy doesn't recognize Ren?!"
At that moment, the group realized something even stranger: How could Lucy not recognize Ren? He was the strongest mage in their guild, the man who had just dismantled the Oración Seis.
"Hello, my name is Ren. I was just passing by and decided to take a look."
Ren introduced himself very naturally, a faint smile playing on his lips. He knew exactly who she was—Lucy Ashley, the Edolas counterpart of Lucy Heartfilia.
"I see! That's fine. Welcome to Fairy Tail. Are these people your companions?" Lucy Ashley looked Ren up and down, seeming satisfied with his answer, though her gaze was sharp.
She then glanced at Natsu and the others standing behind him. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Wait! Isn't that Natsu!"
"You... you know me?"
Natsu was a little confused, scratching his head. What was going on with this Lucy? She didn't know Ren, who stood out like a sore thumb, but she knew him?
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'd recognize you even if you were turned to ash! Where have you been all this time? You really made me worry!"
Lucy Ashley strode forward and, to everyone's shock, pulled Natsu into a rough, aggressive hug.
"Lucy..."
Natsu had never been hugged so intimately—or rather, so forcefully—by Lucy before. He froze, his arms hovering awkwardly. He felt completely uncomfortable. This wasn't the warm, soft hug of a friend; it felt like being put in a headlock.
"Time for execution!"
"Gah?!"
Lucy suddenly shifted her grip. She clamped Natsu's neck with her legs in a wrestling move and drilled her knuckles into his temples.
"It's here! One of Lucy's 48 Torture Techniques, the Strangling Drill Art!!"
"Gyaaaah! Wait! Lucy! It hurts!" Natsu screamed, flailing his arms.
The people around the guild couldn't help but cheer when they saw this, raising their glasses.
"She's at it again!"
"Don't bully him too much, the poor guy."
"In any case, it's good that you're safe, right, Little Juvia."
"So annoying," Edo-Juvia scoffed, though she glanced at the scene with mild amusement.
Just then, a gentle voice rang out from the back of the hall, cutting through the rowdy atmosphere.
"Lucy! You're bullying Natsu again! That's not good! Jet and Droy, stop bullying Elder Brother Elfman too!"
The voice was soft, kind, and incredibly familiar. It froze Natsu in his tracks. He managed to pry his head loose from Edo-Lucy's grip and looked towards the source of the voice.
A girl with short white hair and a sweet smile was walking towards them, wearing a waitress apron.
Natsu was stunned when he saw the person. His pupils dilated, and his breath hitched in his throat.
"Lisanna..."
Happy's mouth fell open. His little paws trembled, and tears involuntarily streamed out of his eyes.
"No way..."
Back then, Natsu and Lisanna had found him together as an egg. They had raised Happy since he was small, playing house in the forest. Lisanna was their family, their precious friend who had died two years ago.
Or so they thought.
"Lisanna—!!!"
"Lisanna!!"
Natsu and Happy screamed her name, tears bursting from their eyes as they happily rushed toward her. They didn't care about parallel worlds or weird guilds anymore; all they saw was her.
"What are you trying to do—!!"
Pow!
Before they could reach her, Lucy Ashley intercepted them with a flying kick, sending Natsu skidding across the floor.
"Natsu, when did you become like a wild beast, huh? Trying to tackle Lisanna like that!"
Natsu sat up, rubbing his cheek, but he couldn't stop his tears from flowing. He pointed a trembling finger at the girl.
"Because... Lisanna is alive... right there..."
His voice broke. To see her standing there, smiling, breathing—it was a miracle he hadn't dared to dream of.
"Alright, alright, sit down and let's talk properly. We're good friends, aren't we?"
Edo-Gray, shivering in his coats, walked over and put his arm around Natsu's shoulder, trying to comfort him, though Natsu flinched at the unexpected contact from his usually cold rival.
Happy floated in the air, sniffing, his face a mess of tears and snot. He asked, confused: "Wh-why is Lisanna here? She... she died..."
"Elder Brother Ren, what exactly is going on?"
Wendy Marvell, who had been watching silently from the side, looked up and asked Ren. She was confused and a little scared by the strange behavior of everyone. When she couldn't understand the situation, she felt Ren was the most reliable person to turn to.
Ren looked at the scene—the tearful reunion that wasn't quite a reunion, the inverted personalities—and sighed softly. He patted Wendy's head.
Ren also provided the answer: "It's simple. This is the Fairy Tail of Edolas."
"The Fairy Tail of Edolas?" Wendy tilted her head.
"Could it be..." Carla was the first to realize, her eyes widening.
"Yes, these people aren't the companions we're looking for," Ren explained calmly, his voice low enough so only his group could hear. "They are people who originally lived in Edolas. Although I don't understand the principle of their creation, this place is a Parallel World to the one we came from. In this world, there exists another version of everyone we know."
"A Parallel World!!"
The group was stunned. They never expected this answer. Isn't this a concept only found in novels?
"So... that Lisanna..." Natsu wiped his eyes, looking at the girl who was now serving drinks to other members.
"She is Edolas's Lisanna," Ren said gently. "Not the one you know. But... she is still Lisanna."
"So where is everyone we know?!"
Natsu shouted excitedly, fire igniting in his belly again. If this wasn't his guild, then his guild—his true family—was still missing. They were here to rescue their guild members who had been absorbed by the Anima.
Carla crossed her arms, thinking. "If the Anima absorbed them... they should be in the Royal Capital. There should be clues about the absorbed guild members in the Royal Capital."
Natsu punched his palm. "Alright! Then let's go to the Royal Capital! We'll save everyone!"
Lucy Ashley, who had been watching them whisper, walked over with a confused expression. "What are you all muttering about? Capital? Rescuing?"
Just then, the doors burst open again.
Someone rushed in, looking panicked, and shouted at the top of their lungs: "This is bad!! The Fairy Hunt is here—!!"
Hearing this, looks of sheer terror appeared on the faces of everyone in the guild. The laughter died instantly.
"Waaahhhh!!"
"Has this place been exposed?!"
"Those guys from the Kingdom are chasing us again!"... Many people wailed miserably, flipping tables and scrambling to pack their things.
Edo-Elfman was practically sobbing in fear. Even the tough-looking Edo-Lucy looked rattled.
Lucy Ashley shouted towards the back of the hall: "Is the Teleportation Magic Circle ready yet?! Levy!!"
A voice shouted back from a control panel filled with machinery. It was Edo-Levy, dressed in mechanic's overalls, looking fierce.
Levy retorted without hesitation: "I'm working on it right now, you stinking Lucy!! Stop rushing me!"
Just then, a huge shadow cast over the guild. Through the windows, a massive figure appeared in the sky—a giant, mechanical beast ridden by the Royal Army.
"Wha... what is that?!"
"And what is the Fairy Hunt?!"
"The Kingdom's target is Fairy Tail? What is going on?!"
Natsu, Wendy, and Happy were all dumbfounded at this moment. In Earthland, Fairy Tail was the strongest guild, respected (and feared) by all. But here, they were acting like fugitives.
A larger, more mature version of Wendy, who looked nine-tenths similar to the original but with a confident, almost alluring vibe, walked past them. She glanced at the confused group.
She explained: "Isn't it obvious? By order of the King, all Mage guilds have been abolished. The usage of magic is strictly limited and controlled by the state. The only remaining guild in this world is here. Did Natsu bring you here without telling you anything? In other words, we are a Dark Guild."
"A Dark Guild?!"
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this. Fairy Tail... a Dark Guild? The champions of light and friendship in Earthland were outlaws here?
Just then, Edo-Levy slammed a lever down.
She shouted: "It's ready!! Everyone hold on tight! Teleportation Magic Circle, activate!! Teleportation starting!!"
Rumble—!
The entire building shook violently. Magic circles flared to life on the floor and walls.
The Giant Tree Root began to shrink rapidly, the wood groaning as it compressed and folded in on itself. In the next instant, the entire guild hall burrowed underground with a high-pitched mechanical whir, vanishing from the surface just as the Royal Army's blast struck the empty spot where it had stood.
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