Chapter 56 - Troubling matters

…

"No!" Arthur yelled as he turned around to where the enemy had moved to.

He watched in horror as the running silhouette of Natsu from about a hundred meters away suddenly stopped in his tracks.

-"Why is that idiot here! And the bastard really can possess people too like I thought! F*CK!"- With those thoughts Arthur teleported about ten meters away from Natsu, eyeing him down slowly.

"N-Natsu…?" Arthur spoke in question.

"Yes, Natsu it is. This little critter is quite stupid I have to admit, who runs towards the center of a suddenly dead forest? Hahaha! Not that I'm complaining!" 'Natsu' spoke, looking towards Arthur with hostile eyes like never before.

"You've got to be joking… Oi, get the hell out of him." Arthur said, his veins bulging whilst his eyes were bloodshot from anger.

"Oh, and why would I do that? He's my precious hostage after all!" 'Natsu' said while using requip magic to summon a small dagger.

"I think I made myself clear…" Arthur spoke with a hushed voice, "GET OUT!" He yelled as his eyes took on a crimson red color from behind the white hollow mask he wore.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… My dear, dear Arthur! You're no longer in a position to make demands, now are you? So why don't you just sit down there and shut your mouth? Also… Take the mask off." 'Natsu' said, placing the dagger at the base of his own throat.

"…" Arthur stood silent eyeing Natsu as if he were about to kill him.

Although it was not Natsu who he was looking at, from an outsider's point of view it did seem like that.

"Didn't you hear me?" 'Natsu' said, pushing the dagger slightly into his throat until blood dripped. "I said sit down and take the mask off." He continued.

Arthur began to open his mouth, getting out a simple "A-" before he was cut off.

"NO! Don't you dare speak a single word else I'm going to chop this kid's head off faster than you can even say the next letter!" 'Natsu' said, pointing at Arthur with his other hand.

"…" Arthur remained silent, sitting down on the ground and removing his mask while looking towards 'Natsu'.

"Good boy, now stay there until I'm out of sight!" 'Natsu' replied, backing up slowly while eyeing Arthur with the dagger held closely to his throat.

"…" Arthur remained silent, waiting for an opportunity as he thought. -"So he can't just possess anyone…? Well, either way my clothes also hold the automatic {Cleanse} enchantment so I'd be fine."-

He was dead focused on the knife pressed towards Natsu's throat, never had he been in such a situation before nor did he know what to do about it.

"Don't even think about moving, I have enhanced senses as well as enhanced abilities to hide you know! I can see every move you make from a mile away!" 'Natsu' said, continuing to back off slowly while staring at Arthur intensely.

The spy was obviously panicking, he wanted to get away as fast as possible and in that haste of his he ignored one fact about Arthur that he should have known all too well…

If Arthur can't use Word Soul magic, then he'd simply use Arcane Domain magic.

Not even five meters away from his original spot, the culprit who had taken over Natsu's body found himself with a dreadful look of realization as an arm made of pure Ether grabbed hold of his own and refused to let go. With a squeeze it made 'Natsu' drop the dagger and then another took it to where Arthur stood.

Multiple hands pressed down on the boy and had him stuck to the ground as Arthur stood up and walked over, crushing the dagger in his palm that slowly turned black as night.

The dark markings slowly started to spread across his entire body, mostly due to his anger than anything else.

"Why don't we have that talk now?" Arthur asked, standing above 'Natsu'.

"I… I'll… I'LL BITE HIS TONGUE OU-" 'Natsu' began saying, however he was abruptly stopped by a mouth filled with Ether.

"No, you won't." Arthur said and crouched beside him. "Now then, since you can use telepathy why don't you start answering my questions?"

-"Tsk, or what? Will you kill me?! Hahaha!"- The voice rang in Arthur's head.

"No, but you won't be able to stay in there forever will you?" Arthur asked.

-"Course not, no need to lie as you'd see through it but can you hold out until I'm outside? I'll have you know I can take over a single kid like this for well over a month before running out of magic!"- The voice spoke with truthful intentions.

"I can. This is easy to do for a couple of months even." Arthur replied with an emotionless voice.

-"Ha! But this kid will starve!"- The voice said.

"I'll force feed him fire, it shouldn't be too hard to do." Arthur replied.

-"…"- The voice stood silent.

"So, will you come out now? If you do then I'll let you live… If you don't then we'll simply go through with what we just talked about and I'll kill you once I'm done with our talk." Arthur said, still emotionless in his voice.

-"… I…"- The voice held no reply. He knew all about Arthur's stamina and Natsu's ability to eat fire as a source of energy and food, but still tried to bluff his way out of the situation.

"I'll count to three for you, One." Arthur said and began counting with his fingers so that the spy could see.

"Two." Arthur said, raising a second finger.

"Three." Arthur said, raising the third finger. "You know what this means right?" He continued.

-"I can't leave… If I did and told you I'd be dead anyway, might as well hold you off for as long as I can if it'll annoy you! HAHAHA!" The voice said in a shaky tone, obviously reaching insanity at this point.

"You're okay with that…? Fine. I'll wait out your month." Arthur said thinking of what to do next.

He was in quite the pickle indeed, not being able to ask for help in fear that the enemy would take over someone else, not sure when Lisanna might try to find Natsu either. He could see her with Clairvoyance and he knew she was still waiting together with the egg.

At that time Arthur couldn't help but think… -"Damn it, I can't wait for a month with Lisanna out there! She'll try to find Natsu sooner or later, when she does I'll have two problems…"- Arthur thought.

If Lisanna was taken over instead of Natsu, he had no idea if he could sustain her for an entire month. The only option he had was to move locations to a place where nothing living could be found.

The problem was that he didn't know where…

-"Come on, give it up Arthur… We can still come to a peaceful ending can't we? You letting me go scot free and me never returning of course..?"- The spy said through telepathy in a fearful manner.

"Tsk, and let you get back to your friends and screwing me over? Fat chance." Arthur replied.

At the time he was beginning to consider the sky itself as a valuable waiting spot, however something unexpected happened.

The ground suddenly shook.

Then it shook again.

And again.

A continuous shaking similar to beats kept happening.

"The hell is this?" Arthur spoke, looking around the area.

The shaking was like a heartbeat, and one could even hear one such beat if they really tried. Once you've focused on it, you'd find that the source was Natsu's body.

"W-What the hell!? What are you doing!?!" Arthur yelled but got no response.

Natsu's body started steaming as it leaked heat, his face took a shape of horror before turning blank. The spy did not respond as Natsu's body began to burn with a crimson fire.

"Wait... is that…?" Arthur looked on in astonishment.

Natsu's flames burned brightly, even spreading across the Ether hands that Arthur was using to hold him down. His teeth turned sharp as he chomped down on the hardened ether filling his mouth, eating it whole and absorbing the magic from it like a dragon slayer should.

The flames burned even brighter to the point of destroying the weak Ether hands holding him down, the Ether itself was burned to a crisp as Arthur watched on in astonishment.

Once Natsu stood up, he let out a loud roar that would have been heard even in Magnolia were it not for the silence spell surrounding the vicinity.

"RUGGHAAAAAA!!!" The road continued on and on, as golden markings surrounded Natsu's body all over.

Then a small spark flew out of his mouth and landed on the ground in between Natsu and Arthur, that spark soon took the shape of a person, a person who screamed at the top of his lungs the moment he regain human form.

"AAAGGGHHHHHHHHH!!" He rolled on the ground, crying and tearing at his face with his own hands. "IT BURNS!! MAKE IT STOP!" He yelled but to no avail, for the pain would not end no matter how he begged.

It was a human child who seemed to be the same age as Arthur.

One with a particular dark aura surrounding him, were it not obvious already, this was a participant from the god's game.

Once the participant was expelled from Natsu's body, the Dragon slayer's roar that he had been letting out finally stopped and the flames subsided whilst the markings disappeared, before the child himself fell to the ground unconscious.

"AAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!! It burns! My soul is burning!" The spy cried in pain.

He was a black haired youth, one wearing normal clothes you could find just about in any shop. There was nothing special about him in the slightest.

Arthur glanced at the enemy participant before he walked up to Natsu, crouching down and inspecting his body before concluding he was in no harm's way.

"E.N.D. is it…?" Arthur mumbled, unsure of his own words as the spy still screamed in the background. "Why now though… Was it because he was taken control over? No, but even then… For the demon seed to activate so easily…" He contemplated on the situation, but decided it was best to leave it for later.

"{Gate}." Arthur said and opened a portal leading to Natsu's home, then he pushed Natsu through so he could land a top his bed.

"AAAAAAAGHH!!!" The spy still screamed up until now.

"Hey, now it's just the two of us isn't it?" Arthur said as he slowly turned around to face the screaming kid.

He walked slowly over to the spy and kicked him in the stomach, flinging him a good five meters away and shutting him up in the process.

Then, once more he walked up to the spy in question and grabbed a hold of his hair, lifting up to be right in front of his face.

The spy looked at Arthur's eyes which had been dyed crimson, as the dreadful aura surrounded him and made him forget all about the pain he had been feeling up until now.

"I have some questions for you." Arthur said with an angered voice, oozing a frightening aura that completely broke any will the spy had left of fighting back.

"… Y-Yes… I'll an..swer… Please d-don't hurt me…!" He pleaded as he tried to defend his face with both hands.

The fear had overwhelmed him so much that he even soiled his undėrġȧrmėnts

"Haaaaa…" Arthur sighed before thinking -"How did I not notice this idiot sooner, I feel like I should be ashamed of myself…"- He thought looking at his now pathetic opponent.

"First off, your name?" Arthur asked.

"C… Carl…" The spy replied.

"How long have you been spying on me for, Carl?" Arthur asked.

"… Almost two years…" Carl replied, surprising Arthur a bit.

He had been spied on for nearly two whole years, he thought maybe a year at best but this was beyond his expectations.

"Why?" Arthur asked.

"Y-You killed two of our members… The higher ups said the captain said so, and I was sent to spy on you ever since… See how you develop and the like." Carl replied.

"I killed two of your members? Do you mean Krax and Zult?" Arthur asked.

"Y-Yes! Those two! They were showing promise yet they got killed on a simple mission… The captain wanted to know more about the person who could beat the people he had given some of the more powerful fruits he possessed…" Carl replied.

"So it's back to that fruit guy again… How did he know it was me? Did he look up who did the Crego island job?" Arthur asked.

"Ye-… No… The captain can see and hear anything that those he has given fruits to see and hear… Thus he knew…" Carl replied.

"Do you have a fruit?" Arthur asked.

"Yes… I have the Stealth Stealth fruit, it's why I am hard to find…" Carl replied.

"I see, so is your Captain watching us right now, Carl?" Arthur asked.

"M-Maybe, although even if he's not he can simply check later…" Carl replied. "If you want to say something go ahead…" He said.

"Haaa… I'll do that after, first off I have more questions. Who is your 'Captain' as you and those two from Crego Island call him?" Arthur asked.

"I… I don't know, he's only shown himself to a few of our members… I was given my fruit by another person… We all were…" Carl replied.

"Who is all? And also who's the other person?" Arthur asked once more.

"Other children from a very special place where they kept us as slaves… I was very weak back then and couldn't possess anyone to free myself, nor was there any plant life for me to use to sneak out…" Carl explained, "As for the person… He was an ȧduŀt man called Brain." Carl said.

"Brain? And a place where you were kept as slaves? By chance was it the Tower of Heaven?!" Arthur asked as he began to shake Carl around.

"Y-Y…Yes! It was! I a-also sa..w E-Erza Scarlet there before! She was quite close with the current leader of the tower… Jellal… Please spare me!" Carl pleaded.

"…" Arthur stood silent for a moment before letting go of Carl's hair.

"P-Please…!" Carl said, trying to hide behind his arms as he crawled backwards.

"Where is that tower now…?" Arthur asked.

"I… I don't know!" Carl replied.

"WHAT?!" Arthur yelled, his voice carrying power strong enough to create gales of wind. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!" He asked again while shouting.

"I-I really don't! The tower keeps moving around, I'm only ever contacted at certain intervals by a guy named Erik!" Carl explained.

"Then how does it move?! You know that much at least right?" Arthur asked.

"Y…Yes! The tower is in the sky, a fruit which gives the power of floating was used to do it…" Carl replied.

"Tsk, figures… What can you tell me about the other members of your… Whatever the hell you've got going on… Faction?"

"… Not much honestly, a few of the more promising kids joined up as well from the Tower, Erik being one such and a few others being from the God's game. Rest were natives of this world. There's Jellal the current leader of the tower, the ȧduŀt man called Brain and that's all I know!" Carl replied.

"…" Arthur stood silent.

-"Participants from the Tower of Heaven… Could Lilith have joined?"-

"Haaaaa… What do you know about me? From where have you spied on me so far?" Arthur asked.

"I… I mostly watched you train over the last two years, I don't know where you were going during January and February… I know about most of the spells you've been using here and the fact you ca-can store those big balls of fire inside of rings…" Carl explained.

-"So he doesn't know about Ulquiorra? Better not ask directly…"- Arthur thought.

"That's not all is it?" Arthur asked.

"N-No… I also spied on many of your guild mates and the people of Magnolia…" Carl said, Truth perception did not activate.

"I see... Nothing else?" Arthur asked once more.

"None…" Carl replied, yet truth perception again didn't activate.

-"He doesn't know."- Arthur thought

"Well, in that case we're done here. As for your Captain, I have this to say to him… If you're interested in taking vengeance for Krax and Zult then come here and Fairy Tail will wipe the floor with you, no need to play hide and seek with help from your cronies, capt'n." Arthur said.

-"You gotta sound threatening at times like these, this guy obviously has a big faction behind him but he should know that I also have fairy tail's backing. Still, it's only a matter of time before he makes his next move…"- Arthur thought.

After having said his piece, Arthur remained silent for a while as Carl did the same.

They looked to one another, not knowing how to proceed after this.

Until Carl gulped down on his saliva, and spoke up.

"So… Are you going to kill me?" Carl asked, his dark aura that indicated him as a participant still appearing visible in Arthur's eyes.

"You heard what I said before yet you didn't leave Natsu's body. You were warned and didn't listen so I'll keep that promise to you now..." Arthur replied.

-"Besides… We're playing a death game, this may leave a sour taste in my mouth but I'll have to kill you even as defenseless as you are now."- Arthur thought to himself as he grimaced.

He didn't want to kill a defenseless opponent like this, it felt wrong and for him who had only been forced to kill once before during combat it was an uncomfortable situation.

Still he had to do it, he had to accept the situation and do it, for if he did not then it would only come back to bite him later.

"Haha… Hahaha…. Haaaa… I really screwed up even my second life huh…?" Carl said as he looked down to the ground. "I only ended up being nothing but a crony here, didn't manage to do shit and just stuck around in places watching people… Just do it… Maybe my third life will be better than this…" Carl looked up at Arthur with tears running down from his eyes.

"I'll make it painless at least. Sorry, and goodbye. " Arthur said, looking away as he created a blade of pure Ether.

Carl simply closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

Arthur himself hesitated slightly, spending a few seconds in silence as Carl waited for the blade, however even in hesitation the blade still ended up piercing Carl's ċhėst, stabbing his heart and killing him on the spot.

Once the now corpse fell to the ground, the black aura it once held vanished indicating that he was well and truly dead.

"… To hell with it…" Arthur mumbled, looking at the corpse of Carl with uncertainty.

He may have been an enemy, and he may have threatened the life of someone dear to Arthur such as Natsu. Certainly by no stretch of the imagination did Arthur not despise this person, but killing him in such a way left a foul taste for quite a while.

Still, the information he gained was useful. Now he knew that the tower was floating in the sky thanks to the Float Float fruit. He also could guess that the "Captain" was the one to replace Ultear in this timeline, seeing as he's involved with both Brain and the tower of heaven.

That also might mean he was together with Grimoire heart, but that was uncertain as of yet.

Multiple people from the tower of heaven obtained fruits, Lilith is potentially a member too and probably so is Matthew as they'd both be sticking together. There was a chance they were tricked or maybe even Brainwashed like Jellal but that too was uncertain.

Other participants who were in the tower are also there and equipped with Devil Fruits…

The best course of action would be to wait for the persona known as Siegrain to appear among the council's seats.

Then Arthur might be able to obtain more answers and finally reunite with his long lost friends.

Until that however, he had to deal with Natsu…

"These are really troubling matters..." Arthur mumbled as he looked up to the sky.

…