A/N: Episode 236.

Enjoy!

unedited

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙸𝙵𝚃𝚈-𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙴,
𝓦𝙷𝙸𝚃𝙴 𝙻𝙴𝙶𝙰𝙲𝚈.

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SEVEN YEARS AGO . . .

The small town of Farnworth was a beautiful town that had rarely gotten any visitors. However, it held a dark secret.

On the outskirts of the town, in a dark forest, was the dark guild known as Naga Eye, where Kali's father, Draken, was the guild master. It was not just any dark guild. It was a guild full of Zeref worshippers — including Kali's own father.

A twelve-year-old Kali was sitting at a table, guild members hustling about as he swung his legs while reading a spell book.

"Kali, dear. How's your studying coming along?"

Kali looks up to see his mother, Annabeth, smiling at him, making him beam up at the silver-haired woman.

"It's going great, Mom. I'm learning a lot about Infinity Sword Magic!" Kali replied.

"I'm glad to hear that." Annabeth tells him before walking away with a frown on her face.

Kali resumes his studying, lost in his own thoughts until he heard a loud blast coming from the front of the guild, causing him to close the spell book as the Naga Eye Mages turned to look at the entrance of the guild.

"Who dares attack my guild?!" Kali heard his father's voice boom out, causing him to look up on the balcony, seeing his father carrying the same book in his hand — the Book of END.

"We do."

The dust cleared as Kali saw unfamiliar people. Draken narrowed his eyes.

"What's the meaning of Tartaros attacking my guild, Mard Geer?" He asked, causing most of the members to shiver at the mere mention of the guild.

"You have something I want, Draken." Mard Geer replied as his lips curved up into a smirk. "I suppose you know what that is."

"You're not getting the Book of END. This is the only way we can meet Zeref." Draken claimed.

"I figured that would be your answer. Very well. I'll just take it from you."

The Tartaros members began their onslaught as the Naga Eye Mages fought back while Kali grabs the spell book and hides underneath the table he was sitting at, his body trembling in fear as Naga Eye stood no chance against a guild that was in the Balam Alliance.

Kali's eyes widened as his mother falls to the ground in front of him, Jackal towering above her.

"Weak." Jackal insulted, pressing the palm of his hand to Annabeth's forehead as a golden glow came from it.

"Don't! Please don't kill me!" Annabeth pleaded.

"I don't show mercy to mere humans!" Jackal exclaimed as he grinned. "Explode."

Kali flinched upon seeing his mother getting killed right before his eyes. He gulps as he begins crawling under the tables, trying to tune out the screams of the guild members being slaughtered.

Once he reached the back door of the guild, he pushes it open, tumbling out as the door closes behind him.

Kali gets up on his feet, picking up the spell book that he had with him and took off running, not stopping until he was a safe distance away.

As he leans on a nearby tree, he heard a loud explosion, causing him to look behind him as he saw the Naga Eye guild hall erupting into flames.

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"𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗘?! My home! He destroyed my home!" Michello shouted.

"Grandpa!" Michelia exclaimed.

"He's Tartaros!" Happy realized.

"He's the one who also attacked the current members?!" Carla added.

"He's after you! Let's get away!" Lucy suggested.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Michello said.

"It'll be okay if we just leave this to Natsu-san and Kali-san!" Wendy informed.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted.

Jackal starts to move his arms as the wind swept through everyone's hair and clothes. Multiple explosions went off in the town, taking the citizens by surprise.

"What the...?!"

"A sudden explosion!"

"The building exploded! We have to escape!"

"Why?! The town has nothing to do with this!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Bastard!" Natsu seethed.

"You're getting innocent people involved in this?" Kali questioned, also seething.

Natsu and Kali charged forward at Jackal. "Explode!" Jackal shouted, sending fireballs their way.

"Natsu! Kali!" Lucy calls out.

"Direct hit!" Michello exclaimed.

"It's okay. Heat and explosive types of Magic don't work on Natsu!" Happy reminded.

Natsu was eating the fireball as Kali had sliced through the one that was directed at him.

"What is he?! Eating my explosion..."

"Foxfire666 is a blade that can manipulate heat, flames, and even smoke." Kali explained. "Works pretty well on an opponent who uses heat and explosives, right?"

Natsu sent a flaming punch at Jackal's face while Kali struck him with his blade, sending Jackal crashing to the ground as Natsu continues attacking Jackal, sending him into the air.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Natsu sent Jackal flying into a wall before sending a flaming kick to his stomach.

"Way to go, Natsu, Kali!" Happy cheered.

"They're both strong!" Michelia exclaimed.

Michello's legs were trembling. "This is the first time I've seen Fairy Tail wizards in battle up close, but they're both this powerful?!" He thinks to himself as Jackal skids on the ground.

"You're amusing!" Jackal exclaimed. "But there's one thing I should tell you..."

"Fire Dragon's... Iron Fist!"

"Wait!" Jackal shouted.

Jackal crashed onto the ground. "I'm not even close to bein' done!" Natsu claimed, punching Jackal repeatedly and sending him flying through the air again.

"Natsu-san!" Michelia said in shock.

"Amazing!" Michello commented.

"Natsu-san, I think that's..." Wendy started to say.

"He goes overboard." Lucy said.

"And the guy was about to say something." Kali added while sighing.

"Oh, that's right. I should've asked where his hideout is." Natsu realized.

"That and his goal." Carla added.

"If... If they're after Face, then we'll all be in trouble! The white legacy that hardly anyone even on the Council knew about... How did they find out about Face?! No, more importantly, I need to go underground..." Michello thought. "I'll let you people take care of them!"

"Huh?" Lucy questioned.

"I... I-I'll see if any of the former members are safe!" Michello stated.

"Grandpa?!" Michelia exclaimed.

"Michelia, you come, too! Right now!" Michello instructed.

"Why are you suddenly in a hurry?" Wendy asked.

"Have you remembered something?" Lucy questioned.

"No! No! I don't know anything!" Michello responded.

"If you know anything, tell us, Grandpa." Natsu ordered.

"I get the feeling you're keeping something important from us." Kali added as Michello flinched.

"I don't know anything!" Michello denied.

"Is that true?" Jackal asked as he sat up. "If you share something of worth, I may not kill you."

"Natsu's attack wasn't effective?!" Lucy questioned in shock.

"How tough is he?!" Carla exclaimed.

"I don't know anything! Try somebody else!" Michello denied once again. "Honestly, I don't know anything!"

"Is that right? Then I'll kill you, after all." Jackal grinned.

"Hey! You people! He got up! Hurry up and beat him! Idiot!" Michello ordered.

"This guy..." Natsu spoke in irritation.

"And you..." Jackal pointed his finger at Natsu. "You should listen when someone wants to tell you something."

"Huh?"

"Natsu! Your hands!" Lucy called out.

Natsu's hands and legs began to glow yellow. "What the...?!"

"My curse is the power to turn anything I touch into an explosive." Jackal explained. "How many times did you touch me?"

"Natsu!" Happy yelled.

"Stay back! Everyone move away from me!" Natsu ordered.

"But..."

"Natsu-san!"

"Hurry!" Natsu orders once again as Lucy, Wendy, Kali, Happy, and Carla moved away as Natsu finally exploded.

"Natsu!" Happy shouted.

"Lucy! Wendy!" Kali exclaimed, grabbing onto the two girls.

Jackal laughed hysterically. "Natsu-san!" Wendy called out.

"Oh, no..." Lucy muttered.

"Natsu!" Kali shouted as Natsu collapsed to the ground, seemingly knocked out.

"What are you doing?! You're all bark and no bite! It's pathetic!" Michello insulted.

"Grandpa!"

"What's this? Your body's still intact. That's incredible!" Jackal commented. "You're not a fireball for nothing!"

"Natsu! Pull yourself together!" Happy said.

"He's unconscious." Carla stated.

"Well, I'm sure he won't be able to move for a while." Jackal claimed as Michello looked nervous.

"It's over... He's gonna kill me!" He sobbed out.

"Give me information and I'll only kill your granddaughter." Jackal said, walking forward. "I'm a nice guy, see."

"You're a monster!" Lucy exclaimed.

Michello quickly rushed off. "Michello-san!" Lucy called out.

"Grandpa!" Michelia shouted.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jackal exclaimed as he chased after Michello.

"Wendy! Kali!" Lucy yelled.

"Right!"

"Got it!"

"Be careful not to touch him!" Happy reminded.

"I know!" Lucy replied.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Wendy's breath attack aimed at Jackal as he placed his hand down and yellow light appeared, followed by an explosion.

"He's using a blast to disperse my roar!" Wendy noticed.

"An attack like that doesn't do diddly!" Jackal claimed.

"Get away from him, Wendy! If he touches you, you'll explode!" Carla warned.

Wendy leaped back. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" She shouted, crossing her arms and letting out streams of wind at Jackal.

"I told you it won't work!" Jackal exclaimed, using his explosion to counter it. "And now I'm going to blow you all away!"

Jackal laughed as Wendy, Lucy, and Kali gritted their teeth.

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Michello continued running. "This is bad! This is really bad! If they are after Face, the world... the world will..." His thoughts soon trailed off.

"Gate of the Scorpion, I open thee!" Lucy raised Scorpio's gate key in the air as a door chime was heard. She swiped the key down. "Scorpio!"

Scorpio soon appeared from the gate. "We are!"

"A Celestial Spirit... Girl, you've got an interesting talent there." Jackal complimented, actually impressed.

"Let's see how interesting you find it after getting walloped by a scorpion attack!" Scorpio claimed. "Sand Buster!"

Jackal created another explosion, causing Lucy and Scorpio to get thrown back. Kali covered his eyes so sand wouldn't get in them.

"There's sand in my eyes!" Carla complained.

"The inside of my mouth is crunchy!" Wendy added.

"Then how about a volley of attacks?! Sand Buster!" Scorpio called out again, creating three sand tornadoes.

"It makes no difference!" Jackal claimed as the sand scattered.

"Then we won't be able to see anything!" Wendy informed.

The blade in Kali's hand glowed a golden yellow as it changed into a massive, single-edged black blade with a two-handed grip. He swipes the blade in the air, causing the sand to disappear. Wind Buster glowed a golden yellow as it disappeared from Kali's hand.

"Scorpio, that's enough! You can go back for now!" Lucy instructed.

"We are!" Scorpio vanished back into the Celestial Spirit World.

"Now you understand that it doesn't matter what you do, yes?" Jackal questioned.

"He uses explosive blasts to guard against all forms of Magic!" Happy exclaimed.

"That's powerful Magic!" Carla said.

"Magic?" Jackal laughed. "That reminds me of one more thing I wanted to tell you. The members of Tartaros don't use Magic. We use Curses!"

"Curses?!" Lucy repeated.

"Power that's ranked above Magic! Mere wizards can't beat us!" Jackal claimed as he moved his arms around once more. "Explosive Helix!"

Another explosion occurred, causing Lucy, Wendy, and Kali to crash onto the ground as their clothes were tattered.

"Lucy! Kali!"

"Wendy!"

Happy and Carla called out their names in worry. "Well, bye-bye!" Jackal said as he went off to find Michello.

"Are you okay?" Michelia asked in worry. "This is my grandfather's fault..."

"No! We're fighting for the sake of pride!" Kali replied as he was hunched over.

"Wendy! Please help Natsu!" Lucy ordered as her and Kali stood up. "Kali and I'll go after him!"

Lucy and Kali chased after Jackal. "Right!" Wendy agreed.

"What was that explosion before?"

"I don't know. Seems like nobody know what caused it. There were casualties all over the place. Maybe we should go help them."

"He's gonna kill me! Somebody, help!" Michello shouted.

"What the...? I've never seen that old man before."

"'Help me...' Does he have something to do with that explosion?"

"Hey, you! Find me a place to hide!" Michello ordered.

"W-What's your problem...?"

"Somebody's trying to kill me!" Michello replied. "I'm a former member of the Magic Council! I've protected your lives all this time! Now it's your turn to protect me!"

"Found you, old man." Jackal said as Michello flinched.

"Don't! It has nothing to do with me! I don't know anything!" Michello claimed, jumping into a river. "I just want to live in peace with my granddaughter!"

"Who's the one that ran off for dear life, leaving his granddaughter behind?" Jackal asked while chuckling.

Lucy and Kali continued running as Lucy pulled out a key and Kali extended his hand out.

"Gate..."

"Uh-oh. I wouldn't move if I were you two." Jackal stated as two yellow circles were underneath Lucy and Kali's feet.

"What is this?!" Kali questioned.

"The moment you step off of a cursed mine... Boom." Jackal responded as onlookers stared at them.

"What's all the fuss?"

"Wizards are fighting."

"It's dangerous here, everyone! Get away!" Lucy ordered.

"Huh? I've seen that girl before."

"You know... She did her best in a swimsuit during the Grand Magic Games."

"A lot of humans are here... I just thought of something amusing." Jackal said to himself.

Jackal captured Michello in a sphere of yellow light. "Don't! Leave me alone!" Michello shouted.

Jackal snapped his fingers again as another sphere of yellow light surrounded a woman.

"What is this?!"

"Two explosions!" Jackal announced as the woman clenched her stomach.

"Stop this!" Michello ordered as the citizens ran away in fear.

"Explosions?!"

"Let's get out of here!"

"They should stay to watch a fun show that displays human ugliness." Jackal stated. "I'm going to detonate only one. Choose which one. The other, I'll set free."

Lucy and Kali both looked at him. "Which will be saved and which will die? I'm telling you both to decide." Jackal elaborated as Lucy and Kali both widened their eyes in horror.

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"Natsu! Come on, wake up!" Happy tried to shake Natsu awake.

"He really took a beating!" Carla claimed.

"I'll use Healing Magic!" Wendy stated, pushing her hands forward as a green glow appeared from them.

"Wendy, what do you think?" Happy asked.

"Don't overtax yourself. If you use too much power, you'll collapse, too." Carla reminded.

"I can't let that happen! Not when Lucy-san and Kali-san are fighting on their own!" Wendy claimed.

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"Please, help me! I'm pregnant!" The woman pleaded.

"You came to protect me, remember?! Help me!" Michello shouted.

"S-Stop it!" Lucy begged as Jackal hopped down.

"What's the point of this?" Kali asked in anger.

"There's no point. Humans are just toys." Jackal replied.

"Toys?!" Lucy quoted.

"Face us, fair and square..." Kali added.

"You have ten seconds. Hurry up and choose." Jackal interrupted.

"We can't!" Lucy exclaimed as tears fell down the woman's face.

"Why...? Why is this happening to me?"

"What is there to ponder over?! I'm a former member of the Council! My life is much more important!" Michello stated.

Lucy and Kali both tried to move forward. "Uh-oh... If either of you move, you'll be the ones who go boom!" Jackal exclaimed. "And if that happens, both of them will detonate, too."

Jackal then laughed. "It's okay... It's okay. Mama is with you..." The woman spoke, holding her stomach as Kali gritted his teeth.

"Save me! Me! Which one of us has done more good for this world?! There's nothing to even think about!" Michello exclaimed, making Lucy shut her eyes tightly.

"So... Which life do you choose, Fairy Tail?!" Jackal asked.

"Your... life!"

Natsu charged forward, punching Jackal and causing him to go flying.

"Natsu!" Lucy and Kali spoke in relief.

"Are you all right, Lucy-san, Kali-san?!" Wendy questioned as her, Carla, and Happy joined them.

"Thank goodness we made it in time!" Carla said as both the woman and Michello were released, as well as Lucy and Kali.

"The explosives disappeared!" Lucy noticed.

"God..."

Kali rushed over to the woman. "You're okay now." He reassured. "Happy! Carla! Take this woman somewhere safe!"

"Right!" Happy said as Carla nodded.

"Y-You saved me! Well done! Nice work!" Michello complimented.

Natsu slammed his fist down on Michello's head, shocking everyone as Lucy just sighed. Michello fell to the ground.

"You pissed me off, so take a nap." Natsu ordered.

Natsu walked towards Jackal. "I guess you have trouble learning. You touched me again." Jackal claimed.

"Natsu, be careful!" Happy warned.

"It seems he uses Curses, which are stronger than Magic!" Wendy informed.

"Curses?" Natsu repeated.

"I don't know the details, but it's different than Magic, apparently." Carla elaborated.

"I'm glad you remembered. But it's too late." Jackal said as Natsu began to glow. "Curse, a power even stronger than Magic! This time, I'll teach your body just how formidable that is!"

"I've got the hang of it!" Natsu claimed.

"Hang of it?" Jackal quoted in confusion.

Natsu pressed his arms together.

"Natsu!"

"Natsu-san!"

An explosion went off as Natsu was perfectly fine, shocking Jackal.

Natsu chuckled. "See?" He grinned as everyone looked relieved.

Natsu and Jackal continued having a stare off with one another.

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A/N: How did y'all like Kali's past? Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 2834 words.