Hello, everyone. c:  Here is the next chapter to my NaLu fan fiction, I hope you all like it. ♡ This one isn't as long as the others, but eh, it's not too bad. c:  I was surprised I was able to update again right before Volleyball, but I'm happy about it!  There is a lot of information revealed in this chapter!  Lol, so, if you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask. c: I dedicate this chapter to fairytailfanatic~ ♡ This person's awesome!  I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and remember; feedback is very much appreciated!  Until next time!

яу-¢нαи,

тнє иαℓυ ωяιтєя ❖

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"We're here."  Erza replied.

Wendy being the last one off the steps of the train station, they all looked into the vast city.

Erza pointed to the hills behind the city.  "The hideout is a little ways away from the city, but I can see it up behind those trees."

Gray nodded.  "Yeah, I can too."

"How long will it take us to get there?"  Wendy asked.

"Not long."  Erza replied.  "If we hurry, we should be able to get there within an hour."

"We're almost there, Natsu!"  Happy exclaimed.

"Let's go!"  Erza commanded.

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Lucy had been sleeping when she heard footsteps through the prison hallway, and when she woke to hear the sound, she blinked a few times to try and clear her head.  Looking up groggily, all fatigue seemed to wipe away when Lucy saw Renold walk to her cell.

"Renold..."  Lucy murmured, shocked and a little frightened.  "What do you want?"

Renold opened the door to the cell, entering inside with a smirk.  Instantly, Lucy tensed, pressing her back against the wall to get as far away from him as possible.  Walking to the wall on Lucy's right, he leaned aginst it, crossing his arms.

"What do I want?"  Renold asked, breaking the silence.  "Nothing really.  I just find it funny that your precious friends - not to mention yourself - have no idea what's really going on here."

"Of course I do!"  Lucy exclaimed.  "You're trying to take Etheoria away and use it for your own purposes!  This magic is good, and your ancestry tried to wipe it out years ago with that blast!"

"It's true, we did try to wipe out Etheoria, but it wasn't for the reason you fools think."  Renold replied, his face impassive.

"What?"  Lucy replied, confused.

"Etheoria was the thing that caused that blast.  You think it was Reever's fault the blast destroyed everything?  Etheoria was the thing that made it."

"No way!"  Lucy exclaimed.  "I saw it!  That blast...!"

"Did you see Reever release that blast?"  Renold fired back, his face grim.

Lucy halted.  "N-No, but..."

"There's your answer.  What really happened sweetheart, was that Etheoria was so dangerous it released uncontrolled power and destroyed that whole city of mages and humans filled with Etheorians."

"I don't understand..."  Lucy replied, her chains rattling.

Renold looked down at her.  "Fine, I'll explain it to you.  Do you want to know why the Four Etheorians created Etheoria?  It was to use it as a weapon for war during that time period."

Lucy gasped.

"And since it was made with Celestial Spirit Magic, Etheoria become even more dangerous."  Renold explained.  "That explosion resulted in the leader of the Four Etheorians' antics in testing the magic."

"That's insane..."  Lucy murmured, shocked.  "E-Etheoria wasn't supposed to..."  She wandered off.

Renold took his time at looking at her.  "You've heard of Etherion, yes?"

Lucy nodded once, hesitant.

"Etherion is the symbol of destruction and creation, while Etheoria is the symbol of knowledge and strategy."  Renold replied.  "Etheoria has a seperate form; a form you demonstrated back in Magnolia."

"White Priestess..."  Lucy murmured, in awe.

"However, you didn't know there was a hidden form, did you?"

"A hidden form?"  Lucy replied, surprised.

Wait a minute...  Lucy suddenly thought, remembering what wa inside the book she had gotten at the library.

"Etheorian Belt, isn't it...?"  Lucy murmured, surprising Renold.  

That's what it was talking about in the book.  Lucy thought.  It makes sense now!

"Very good, Miss Lovely."  Renold mocked.  "Etheorian Belt is the final form of Etheoria and has the capacity to wipe out anything in its path."

"Just like Etherion..."  Lucy murmured, in awe.

"Etheoria created that blast because the creators of that magic tried using Etheorian Belt, and it back fired heavily on them."

"So..."

Renold nodded, smirking evily.  "They're called opposites sisters not because their magic is different; oh no, their magic is quite the same.  Their called Sisters of Opposites because of the symbols they stand for.  And so, since Etheoria is just as dangerous as Etherion..."

Lucy looked up at Renold, who had a sly smile on his face.

"You don't know it, but you're a ticking time bomb."  Renold replied, his voice as deadly as a nife.

Lucy's eyes slowly widened, and her hands began to shake.  "I-I'm a time bomb...?"

Renold took a few steps forward, his hands behind his back as he walked forward in front of Lucy.  "You think that seal we gave you is sealing your power; your freedom?"  A smirk appeared on his face.  "If we weren't doing this, you'd be dying right now."

Lucy felt her heart skip a beat.

"Wait a minute!"  Lucy exclaimed, her heart pounding as she began to panic.  "You're telling me I was dying?  But when I tried to use Etheoria with this mark, it ended up hurting!  Are you telling me...?"

Renold continued his smirk and nodded.  "That reaction is the seal keeping you from losing the battle over your life or Etheoria."

There's no way!  Lucy exclaimed through her mind, her head spinning.  T-They can't be trying to save me!  Not after the things they did!

"Don't get the wrong idea,"  Renold replied, and Lucy looked up in surprise.  "We aren't doing this to save your life.  We're planning on letting you die, because if you go, then we will have Etheoria."

"You're planning on trying to control this thing?!"  Lucy exclaimed, horrified.  "Are you crazy?!  You told me yourself!  If you try controlling Etheorian Belt, you could wipe out this city or even worse!"

Renold chuckled.  "Who knows; I just might be crazy.  But in my opinion, everyone is.  Besides, that attempt was centuries ago; we are more advanced now."

"That won't matter!"  Lucy exclaimed.  "The same thing's gonna happen!"

Renold smirked.  "I disagree."

Lucy looked at Renold, astonished, as she tried to calm her rapidly thinking mind.

Suddenly, Lucy thought of something.

"Wait a minute!"  Lucy exclaimed as Renold was heading out.  "How is Mai not affected by the damage of Etheoria?!"  She exclaimed.  "She hasn't looked like her life was in danger at all, except for when you attacked her!"

As the cell door shut behind Renold, he turned back to face her.  "Only a true Etheorian can handle its power."

"What does that mean?!"  Lucy exclaimed, confused.

Renold smirked.  "You're guess is as good as mine."

"Wait!"  Lucy exclaimed.  "We're not done yet..!"

Renold looked over his shoulder.  "I'll execute you soon.  But first, I have to make sure nothing is amiss."

Lucy clenched her teeth, frustration and despair in her chest as she tried to free herself from her binds.  

However, it was no use; she was stuck.

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Natsu was on the third floor now; how many floors was there?  Natsu could still sense he was underground, judging by the stone walls and the enclosing feeling he always got underground.  Flying through the roof, he exploded through the ground of the third floor, landing on the stone with urgency.

Natsu still couldn't smell Lucy's scent, which made him nervous.  Natsu took off running down the corridor, his sandals clacking against the floor.  All he smelled was Renold's scent, and the rest of Venom Strike's nasty stench.  He had run into a few members, but they were nothing but guards.  The higher in the levels he went, the more Natsu met more guards.

Natsu tried sniffing for any familiar scent, and he suddenly got a wiff of...

"Natsu!"

Natsu came to a screeching halt, jerking his head upwards and to the left where the noise originated.  His breath halted at what he saw.

"Oi, Mai!  There you are!"  Natsu exclaimed, looking at her on one of the upper levels.

Mai was clutching onto the bars of her cell, tears in her eyes.  However, she looked happy and relieved to see Natsu.  The dress she had been wearing was slightly tattered, but that could only be because of Venom Strike.  Jumping into the air and landing on the steel loft, Natsu dropped to one knee and kneeled in front of Mai.

"I'm so glad to see you!"  Mai exclaimed, her childish voice high.

Natsu grinned.  "Hey, I told you; you could count on me right?"

"Right!"  Mai exclaimed.

"Alright, stand back then Mai."  Natsu replied.  "I'll have to bust this thing open."

"Okay.."

Mai moved to the side of the wall in the corner, crouching down into a squat and covering her head with her hands.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"  Natsu exclaimed, throwing his fist foward and slamming it into the iron bars.

With a loud clatter, the poles fell in half pieces to the ground, and Mai's face lit up at the sight.

Natsu grinned.  "Alright!  There you go, Mai!  Let's go!"

"Okay!"  Mai exclaimed softly, standing up and running out of the cell with Natsu.  "Where's Mama?"  Mai asked.

Natsu halted, his expression puzzled.  He hadn't really been paying attention just then, but did Mai just...

"What did you say?"  Natsu replied, and Mai turned to look back at him confusedly.

"I said Lucy."  Mai replied.  "Miss Lucy.  Do you know where she is?"

Deciding to shake off from what he thought he heard, Natsu started jogging off again with Mai following.  "She's close, I'm sure.  I just gotta sniff her out."

Natsu suddenly grabbed ahold of Mai, jumping out of the way as a bullet of magic sailed to the ground where they once stood, making it explode.  Dropping to the ground, Natsu had Mai against his waist, and he looked ahead of them to see a multitude of more guards.

"Damn, these guys are annoying..."  Natsu muttered, setting Mai down and lighting his fists on fire.

.

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Finally, information is revealed!  But is it true?  Is Etheoria just as dangerous as Etherion?

And what is Mai's connection with the ancient Four Etheorians that existed at a such far away time?  Who is she?

Find out what happens next in Chapter 17: Start of the Storm.