Chapter Seventeen~Eighteen

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Out of nowhere, a mysterious boy named Raio showed up and attacked Nova. He also claims that he's on a mission to destroy Fairy Tail. After their fight, Nova brought Raio back to the guild and treated his injuries. They have questions and he's the only one to give answers. Raio began to wake up and saw he was in an infirmary.

"What is this?" Raio said as he tried to get up, but felt some pain. It took him for a second to remember that he was knocked out by Nova.

"You're awake!" Raio sat up and looked to be met with Nova again and Laxus was with her.

"You!" Raio said and tried to hide the blush on his face. "What is this? Where am I?"

"You're in Fairy Tail. My daughter brought you here after you're little tussle." Laxus said.

"I'm in Fairy Tail!" Raio said as he looked ready to defend himself, but he still winced in pain.

"Easy." Nova said as she held him by the shoulder. "You're still a little injured. I guess I did hit you hard in the head. You should try to take it easy." Raio couldn't stop thinking on how she looked. Raio turned away so she couldn't see his red face.

'What's wrong with me?' Raio thought. 'I don't even know her. Why do I get so blushed when I'm around her?' He turned back to talk to her. "I….uh….I didn't get your name." He said.

"Oh! I'm Nova Dreyar." She said with a smile and that smile made Raio blush even more.

"I'm….Raio. Raio Hestin."

"Enough of the formalities." Laxus said and Raio went straight to fear with the look on Laxus' face. "You've got a lot to answer for. You threatened our guild, said to destroy it, and that is something I will not just forgive. As master of the guild, you have to answer for that."

'This guy's the master? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. His power is unreal.' Raio thought. "I almost forgot that this is Fairy Tail." He said and his attitude changed darker.

"Dad is right." Nova said. "We noticed on your arm that you work for a guild, but we don't' recognize the mark. Who are you working for?"

"The ones that will bring this despicable guild to the end it deserves." Raio said.

"You better choose your next words carefully." Laxus threatened as he had a few sparks coming out of him.

"Dad, take it easy. I don't think he's really a bad person. He didn't seem like it when we fought." Nova said. "Please. Just tell us who you work for."

"The ones who will bring an end to this guild." Raio said. "We work in darkness, but it's so we can get close to those who are there and bring them to justice. We are known as Specter Avengers. Though we are small in numbers, we will bring upon this guild's end."

"Specter Avengers? Never heard of them. Why Fairy Tail?" Laxus said.

"I heard a lot about this guild." Raio said. "I heard how you destroyed innocent towns, stood in the way of good people, and ruined all their hopes and dreams." Hearing that made Laxus and Nova even more confused.

"What are you talking about?" Nova asked.

"You stood in the way of many great people who wanted to change the world." Raio said. "Fairy Tail is considered the most powerful and awful guild there is. I understand that there many of you and there hasn't been an enemy that can defeat you, but Specter Avengers will. They are comprised of people who want revenge on you savages."

"I think you have the wrong idea about us." Laxus said. He helped Raio up and brought him out to the infirmary and up on the balcony of the guildhall. "Take a look around this place. Does it really seem like the kind of place for savages?" Raio looked around and everyone seemed happy and relax as if they were home. Some had bright smiles and he didn't see a bit of malice in them.

"I….I don't understand. Everyone looks so happy and alive. I thought savages would be grinning, but I see some that look like genuine smiles." Raio said.

"That's because we're not savages." Nova said.

"But I've heard so many awful things about this guild. Didn't you guys destroy some buildings and other properties?" Raio said and that had Laxus felt shame.

"Okay. That part is a little precise." Laxus said. "All that other stuff isn't true. We never stood in the way of people the way you say."

"It sounds like you've been misguided." Nova said.

"No. That can't be. My master, my guild wouldn't lie." Raio said as he refused to believe it. He has believed Fairy Tail has been like what he thought for years.

"You're here, in our guild because Nova brought you here, and we treated your injuries. If we're savages, why would he do that?" Laxus said. Raio didn't even think about that. Nova reached for his arm and grabbed a hold of it.

"Come on. Let me show you around. You should meet these people for yourself." Nova said and pulled him down with her and Raio's face was all red. Nova showed him around and the guild actually looks a lot happy and not at all like what he believed. "Hey guys!" Raio looked and saw Nashi and the others.

"Looks like our little guest is awake." Simon said.

"Everyone, this is Raio. Raio, these are my friends. Meet Nashi, Simon, Storm, Gale, and Sasha." Nova said.

"Nova, why are you acting so chummy with this guy? He attacked you and claimed he was going to destroy our guild?" Storm said.

"That's the thing. It sounds like he has the wrong idea about us." Nova said. "From what he told me and my Dad, it sounds like he believes Fairy Tail is an evil place."

"Say what?" Nashi said.

"Yes. From what I heard about this place, I heard it was evil that takes pleasure in the suffering of others." Raio said.

"That's not us at all and some of have been at the guild since we were born." Nashi said.

"Yes. Looking around the place, it doesn't sound like a thing from what I was told." Raio said. "I don't understand. Was my master misinformed about this place or something?"

"Oh please. You really think we believe what Fairy Tail was really like?" Storm said. "You attacked our friend. Now you're acting innocent? Everyone knows what Fairy Tail is like."

"I get that, but I was told at a young age what it was like." Raio said.

"Hang on there, kids." Lucy said as she came over. "I think we should hear his side of the story. If he claims he was misled about Fairy Tail, we should help correct him."

"Mrs. Dragneel, you're a nice person, but we can't just trust this guy." Storm said.

"Let's hear him out." Laxus said as he arrived. "He said he was part of a guild called Specter Avengers and they want revenge, but I've never even heard of this guild until now. Raio, why do you think Fairy Tail is evil?"

"It's what my master told me." Raio said. "He helped me learn how to use my magic. He told me Fairy Tail is a hostile place that takes pleasure in the misfortune in others. He told me that our goal was to destroy Fairy Tail so it never stands in the way of others again. There are ten others that feel the same as he does. Our guild might be small, but our resolve is strong."

"Why would he think that?" Nashi asked.

"Unless his master is someone who has a personal grudge against Fairy Tail." Simon said.

"Raio, what is his name?" Laxus asked and the name he spoke have sent shivers down the spines of many.

"Jose Porla." Raio said. The ones who took the worst of it were Gajeel and Juvia.

"That's Phantom Lord's former master!" Erza said.

"Figures that creep would tell an innocent young man such lies." Lucy said.

"Jose Porla? Storm, that's the guy your Mom and my Dad use to answer to before they joined Fairy Tail." Gale said.

"Yeah. I've heard about that myself." Storm said.

"So you really do know him?" Raio questioned.

"Yeah. Juvia and I know him." Gajeel said as those were times he and she regret. "Former guild master of Phantom Lord, Jose Porla. His ancestor actually founded Phantom Lord. He was once one of the Ten Wizard Saints. He holds a deep hatred for Fairy Tail."

"Phantom Lord once tried to kidnap Lucy and eliminate Fairy Tail." Erza said.

"Oh yeah. I'm starting to remember the story myself." Nashi said. "That's how you all met Juvia and Gajeel."

"Yes, but we were able to triumph over them and Phantom Lord was disbanded for they attacked us." Laxus said. "Raio, I hate to tell you this, but I'm afraid Jose has lied to you. He was probably just using you for your magic power." Raio was finding all of that hard to believe. He had high respect for Jose.

"No. No that can't be." Raio said as he refused to believe that. "I knew his old guild was no more, but he blames Fairy Tail for it. I told him I wanted to use my powers to help people and he just used me?"

"Figures he blames us for his actions." Erza said.

"This Jose guy sounds like he's a real creep. It's hard to imagine why anyone would make him a guild master or one of those saints." Sasha said.

"No! There has to some other reason!" Raio said.

"Raio, you said there were others." Laxus said. "I know this might be hard for you, but you need to tell us who else is there that we need to be aware of. If Specter Avengers really want revenge, they will attack us again."

"No! No!" Raio said as he was clutching his head and didn't want to sell out his guild.

"Hey!" Nova said as she grabbed a hold of his hands and had him look at her. "It's going to be okay. We want to help you. You can trust us." Raio didn't understand why, but he felt like he really could.

"Okay." Raio said. "Other than the master and myself, there are ten others and they all claim you got in there way before."

"We have? Wait. Does that mean what I think it means?" Lucy questioned as she was already starting to see some possibilities.

"We have the Reaper: Erigor. The Great Fire: Totomaru. The Great Earth: Sol. The Great Sky: Aria. The Embodiment: Rustyrose. The Glutton: Kain. The Spike: Nullpudding. The Puppeteer: Obra. The Mimicking Creep: Black Snake. Finally, the Raven: Ivan."

"I knew it!" Lucy said. "All of those guys are enemies that we've beaten before. So they've all decided to come together. Makes sense that their hatred those creeps have for us is what brought them all together."

"So Ivan is part of it too. I should have known." Laxus said with disdain.

"Something wrong?" Sasha asked.

"Ivan is my good for nothing old man." Laxus said.

"He's your father?!" Raio said. "That would mean that he's Nova's….grandfather."

"Yeah." Nova said and she didn't seem so happy about it.

"I thought we saw the last of these creeps years ago, but they just keep coming back." Gray said.

"I guess they just haven't had enough." Nashi said.

"So they've all decided to team together and destroy our guild?" Laxus said. "If they think the results will be any different than when we beat them last time, they're even bigger idiots than Natsu."

"Hey!" Natsu shouted.

"If losing to us once wasn't enough for them, we'll just do it all over again. We'll show them that Fairy Tail is even stronger than they remember!" Laxus said and everyone cheered. Raio looked around and saw how happy and cheerful everyone is despite what they were told.

'Amazing! I told them what they wanted to hear, but they're full of optimism and cheers.' Raio thought as he never saw some place so happy. 'Is what they're all saying really true? Master Jose, how could you really lie to me?' While they're all cheering, Raio is questioning everything he believed in. What will happen to Raio this point forward?

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Learning of Specter Avengers was a shock to the guild since they are comprised of enemies they've beaten before and desire revenge. Having Raio learn that he was really just being used by Jose was pretty hard on him. All the guild could do now was wait until Raio can open up and tell more about them. He's their only link to where Specter Avengers are.

"Oh man! This is silly!" Storm said as he was walking around Magnolia with Ul. "Why are we harboring that Raio? He's an enemy. We should just force him to tell us where the enemy is."

"You know we're not like that." Ul said. "That guy was obviously lied to and it sounds like he has been his entire life. We should just be patient with him."

"Come on. You're not really believing all of that, are you?" Storm asked.

"What are you getting so annoyed about?" Ul said. "Yeah, he attacked Nova, but she's not hurt. She took him down after just one hit."

"I just don't trust him." Storm said. "He claims that he wants the guild destroyed. Dad taught us that we should never take mercy on an enemy who would do something like that."

"That might be true, but Raio doesn't really seem to be an enemy." Ul said. "From what we were told, Raio seems like a good guy that wants to use his magic to help people. I think he just needs someone to help him find the right path."

"Maybe, but he's going to have to prove it to me." Storm said as he knew better than to automatically trust someone.

…

Simon

Simon was out in the town himself. He headed to where Nova fought Raio and had look around the place.

"What are you doing out here?" Simon looked behind him and saw Sasha arrived.

"Hey, Sasha. I just came to check out the area Nova and Raio fought." Simon said. "I thought I would have found a clue or something to tell us more about Specter Avengers like where they're located."

"I see. Until Raio can tell us, we have no idea where they could be." Sasha said. "It would be a good idea for us to attack before they do seeing as how they do desire revenge."

"True, but maybe we're just overthinking." Simon said. "Even if they do attack us, they're enemies our parents have beaten before. I'm sure they can do it again."

"Perhaps, but that was long before we were born." Sasha said as she had a bad feeling of what's to come. "Who knows how much stronger they've become."

…

The Guild

Until they can learn more about Specter Avengers, all they can do is wait. Fairy Tail kept Raio around the guild and it was almost as if his whole world was destroyed for him.

"Here." Mirajane said as she passed him some stew as he sat on the counter. "You need to get some of your strength back."

"Um….thank you." Raio said. "I don't understand. Why are you being so nice to me? I work with your enemies."

"Perhaps, but it sounds like you were just misinformed." Mirajane said. "You don't have to tell me, but it is a little curious. How did a nice guy like you end up with people like Jose?" Raio looked down and saw his reflection in the stew and didn't seem to recognize himself anymore as he thought about his past.

"It happened when I was just a child." Raio said.

…

Flashback

"I was born with a ton of magic power, but I never knew how to control it." Raio narrated. He was remembering he was just a young kid sitting in the rain with his face buried in his legs. "The weather around me was always changing and I didn't know how to make it stop. People stayed away from me because of it. I thought I was doomed to be alone until he showed up." Raio didn't feel the rain on him anymore. When he looked up, he met Jose who was holding an umbrella over him.

"A young kid like you shouldn't be out in this kind of weather." Jose said. "I can feel all that magic power you have locked away inside you. I will help you control this power."

"That was the first time anyone ever welcomed me with open arms." Raio narrated. "I felt I had to go with him because another chance like that wouldn't come again for me. So I went with him and he and Erigo helped me learn to control all my power. It wasn't long until he told me about this place.'

"What's Fairy Tail?" Raio asked.

"Fairy Tail is a detestable guild." Jose said. "They bring much destruction wherever they go. We all tried to reach our own goals and dreams, but they stood in our way and ruined everything. It's because of them the guild I use to run is gone. Raio, I'm counting on you to help us destroy them." Raio never knew any better and agreed instantly.

End of Flashback

…..

"I just did everything he told me." Raio said. "He told me Fairy Tail was evil, but looking around, it's not at all what he told me."

"Well, it's true we stood in their way before, but that's only because they're the ones that are evil." Mirajane said. "I'm sorry, Raio. They saw you had power and wanted to have it for themselves." Raio couldn't believe the closest thing he had to a home was based on a lie. Gajeel looked over at the Raio and felt sorry for him.

"Gajeel, are you okay?" Panther Lily asked.

"Jose….until I joined Fairy Tail, I never knew how much of a heartless creep you really were." Gajeel said. Asuka heard what Raio said too and felt bad for him.

"Hey, Asuka." Asuka turned around to meet with another member.

"Hey, Romeo." Asuka said.

"How's the kid doing?" Romeo asked.

"He's still trying to get the hang of everything. I don't think he's really convinced about the truth quite yet." Asuka said.

"I hate to see what will happen when his guild comes." Romeo said.

"That reminds me of something." Asuka said. "Romeo, one of them is Totomaru. Didn't you learn some of your magic from him? Why would he go back to working with these creeps?"

"It's pretty easy once you think about it." Romeo said. "He was devoted to his guild and Jose. If Laxus or any of our previous masters asked for our help, it be hard to say no. Let's just hope they learn their lessons this time."

…

Jose

Jose was in the thrown he set for himself. Jose may have appeared older with some gray hair against the side of his head. He opened his eyes to see Ivan walking in.

"Jose, Fairy Tail is near." Ivan said.

"Good. Soon we will have our revenge." Jose said as he got out of his chair and the two of them started walking. "I must admit, I'm a little surprised you agreed to help me, Ivan. Your father and your son use to me members."

"That doesn't bother me in the slightest. Laxus had his chance and blew it. I'm actually gone Makarov is now gone." Ivan said.

"How crude to say about your own father." Jose said. "I suppose that's why I like you." The two of them entered a larger room where all the other members of Specter Avengers. They all might look older, but they're all stronger than before. "My fellow members, our time for vengeance is near!"

"Excellent. I owe Salamander a lot." Erigor said.

"As do I. I'll show him that fire bends to me." Totomaru said.

"It's almost sad, but they deserve it." Aria said.

"No. No. No. There will be no sadness in this fight." Sol said.

"Yes. I can actually feel my once poetic self rising once more." Rustyrose said.

"No joke. We actually get to avenge Grimoire Heart." Kain said.

"And we're not going to be so nice to them this time." Nullpudding said.

"You got that right. No rules to hold us back." Black Snake said with Obra hopping on his shoulder and laughing. "Obra, get to your puppet. We'll be at Magnolia soon." Obra jumped off and went to its human-sized puppet with it ready for action.

"What about poor Raio? We haven't heard from him." Ivan said.

"He's a lost cause. He might have some strong magic power, but it wasn't vital. You all have your assignments." Jose said. "We'll finally have revenge on Fairy Tail!"

…

Magnolia

Lucy and Nashi were out in town themselves. They were gathering some supplies, but Nashi was a little confused about something.

"Mom, why are we getting all this stuff?" Nashi asked. "Are you planning on going somewhere at a time like this?"

"Of course not." Lucy said as she gathered some food. "I'm just gathering a few things Raio might like to have."

"Raio? What for?" Nashi asked.

"Nova was right. Raio really does seem like a nice guy." Lucy said. "Of course, we'll have to bring Specter Avengers down and once that happens, poor Raio will have nowhere to go. So I thought I should give him a few things if goes out on his own."

"But….what if he decides to fight alongside them." Nashi asked, but that didn't seem to worry Lucy.

"Raio seems smart enough not to do something like that because if he does, he knows what he's going up against." Lucy said.

"If you say so." Nashi said. "I think I'm going to hang outside for a while. You go on ahead and head back to the guild."

"Okay, honey. Just keep your eyes peeled." Lucy said as she gathered the supplies she bought and went on ahead. Nashi took a stroll around Magnolia and was doing some thinking.

'The enemies of our parents will be coming for revenge.' Nashi thought. 'Maybe this could be a good opportunity to see how well we rank with our parents. After all, if they were beaten before, they'll be beaten again. I really do want to become as strong as Dad and the others one day.' Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a shadow cast over her. "When did it get cloudy?" Nashi took a look up, but it wasn't a cloud that was blocking the sun. It was a giant airship. "What is that?!"

…

Storm and Ul

The giant airship could be seen by everyone in Magnolia and were wondering what it was. Everyone was wondering what it was and what's it doing in Magnolia.

"What is that thing?" Storm said.

"Do you think it's Specter Avengers?" Ul asked.

"If it is, a ship like that is pretty overkill for such a small guild." Storm said.

"It might seem that way, but we'll gather plenty of followers when we become famous for bringing down Fairy Tail." Both of them turned around and were met with Nullpudding.

"Who are you?" Storm asked.

"More like what? He looks like a freak show." Ul said.

"You two are the kids of that icy guy and Jose's former subordinate." Nullpudding said. "It's going to be enjoyable crushing the little brats of Fairy Tail with the rest of the guild."

…

Simon and Sasha

"This doesn't look good." Simon said.

"We better hurry back to the guild." Sasha said and Simon was in full agreement. Both of them ran towards the guild, but they were both cut off by two individuals: Kain and Rustyrose.

"You can't leave yet." Kain said.

"The offspring of the fairies stand before the phantoms that desire revenge." Rustyrose said. "The taste of revenge is much sweeter by having the children of those who defeated us lay beaten and humiliated."

…

The Guild

Everyone at the guild saw the giant ship as well and prepared for anything. Some of them did believe that it was Specter Avengers, but others weren't so sure.

"It's them. They're here." Raio said.

"This doesn't look good." Gale said.

"Gale, some of the others are out there. We better get out there and help them if the enemy comes after them." Nova said and he agreed. The two of them and a few others were about to head out, but a sandstorm appeared out of nowhere and had the entire guild surrounded and trapped those who are still inside. Specter Avengers is making their move and they'll take Fairy Tail down piece by piece.

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