Chapter 16

Archer sat at the bar, watching the guild break into a fight. She was amused by it all. Natsu and Gray had started it all again. A table was thrown. She watched it hit Elfman in the face. The boy was of course riled up and said something about being manly and so he joined the fight. Archer chuckled at the scene before turning towards the bar. She sat next to Erza as per usual. She tapped her fingers on the wooden surface while she summoned two ruby keys. She held the keys of Igneel and Grandeeny. She hummed as she eyed them. She then turned back towards the guild, the keys between her fingers. She focused some magic into them while muttering the summoning words.

The guild had stopped their fighting when the glow of the keys caught their attention. All attention was on the glow of magic at that moment. The scene was familiar to Erza and she knew to look away when the light got to bright. There was a moments of intense heat followed by a strong gust of wind as the light faded, leaving two figures standing in front of Archer.

"What's up, Archer? "Igneel asked in his casual way.

"Thank you for summoning me, young Archer" Grandeeny spoke politely with a small smile.

Erza was quick to observe the new addition. Het hair was something to stare at since it was a light pink and reaching past her waist. She had two bangs almost blocking her eyes and she didn't seem bothered by it at all. Her skin was very pale, almost matching the white of the dress she had on. Her eyes were a sky blue and matched the lines following the flowing dress. She let off a regal air, unlike Igneel.

"Igneel! "

Natsu came flying at the redheaded man with a flaming fist. Igneel only laughed and caught the boy out of the air. He proceeded to hold him in a headlock very casually and watched him struggle to break free.

"Is that all you got Natsu? I thought you were going to beat me"

"I will!"

"Grandeeny? "Wendy was standing in front of the woman. Her scent was that of her dragon but she had never seen her in human form.

The woman looked down at the child with a gentle smile. With a gust of wind Wendy was lifted into the air and fell right into Grandeeny's arms.

"How have you been, child? "

"Oi, Archer " Igneel was holding Natsu by the scarf as the boy struggled to break free. "The metal head is complaining about not being found yet. Something about you taking your time"

"Patience is obviously not his strong suit"

"Wait a minute" Gray was the first to speak after getting over his bewilderment. "How in the world did two people come out of keys? "

"Celestial magic" Levy adjusted her glasses as she spoke. Her eyes were very focused on the two. "It's a rare type of magic that let's wizards someone spirits through use of their keys"

"Oh"

"We are very much alive, however" Grandeeny informed.

Levy seemed surprised and very curious as she practically teleported to the woman, holding a notepad and pen.

"Really? I've read that celestial magic only summons spirits"

"That is true" Grandeeny said simply. "Our keys are not celestial keys. They are keys created to summon us dragons should we be needed. The only person capable of summoning us is Archer"

Levy nodded as she scribbled the answer down. "So where is it the you spend your time then? "

"Dragon realm" Igneel shrugged.

"There's a dragon realm? "

"Well, that's what we call it" Igmeel said in thought. "Archer never gave it a name"

"Dragon realm seems good enough" Archer didn't seem to concerned about it.

"Why would you have to name it? "

"I created it"

To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement. Archer was telling them that she practically created another dimension for the dragons to live in. She said it as if it was not some mindbogling action.

"How? "

Archer shrugged and tugged on her scarf. "A mix of multiple magic that needed to be handled with perfect control. It was a hard and dangerous task to pull off. If had failed I might have destroyed our own realm" Archer seemed in deep thought a she said that. "Oh well"

"I can't even begin to comprehend " Levy muttered as she scribbled something down on her notepad. She had learned of another type of magic Archer was capable of using. Finding out that she created another realm was unbelievable.

"Another question" Levy looked to Grandeeny, who was occupied with Wendy. "You said dragons such as us"

"Yes I did"

"Igneel and Grandeeny are the dragons that trained Natsu and Wendy. They take human form for obvious reason" Archer explained.

"Huh"

"You know, Archer you're very weird and stupidly strong" Gray said, shirtless.

"You seem to have lost your shirt again" Archer pointed out.

Igneel watched the boy scramble around the guild in search of his shirt and chuckled .

"Reminds me of someone "

"Now that you have been reunited with your slayer, will you continue to train them in the arts of dragon slayer magic? "

"Yes we will" Grandeeny said with a smile as she ran a hand through Wendy's hair. "You still have a lot to learn, little one"

"Cool, what are you going to teach me Igneel? "

"Some badass moves"

"You know, Igneel" Archer started. "Why is it that you shouted freedom upon being summoned. The dragon realm was designed for you dragons, you have enough freedom there"

"I just felt like it" Igneel shrugged. "I was also locked in some underground room by that metal head as some stupid prank. I was there for an entire month until you summoned me. That damn popcicle would stop by just to torment me even more"

"Such childish antics" Archer and Grandeeny sighed in disappointment.

"Okay , a child has no right to say that" Igneel looked offended.

"I'm not a mere child" Archer eyed Igneel's key. "Need I remind you of my status? "

Igneel scoffed. "Child"

"I will burn you"

"I dare you! I'll spank you this time"

"You won't come close to touching me"

Grandeeny looked between the two with a smile. It seems they're back to their playful bickering.

"That's enough" Grandeeny took Igneel by the ear and started pulling him along. "We'll locate a suitable training ground "

"Have fun"

~~~~~~~~~

Erza again found herself on a dragon and again it was a terrifying experience. Despite having told Archer that she would no longer put herself through the unnecessary stress of hitching a ride on a literal dragon she yet again found herself doing exactly that. She couldn't undertand how Archer could sit so casually. There was hardly anything to hold onto and yet she sat there as if the strong wind was nothing.

Erza huffed in Demeter's ŀȧp, to the goddess' amusement. The woman had succeeded in calming her through her embrace and she relaxed just a bit.

"How did I end up here? " Erza asked herself. How did she let Archer convince her to ride on a dragon? There was a rumble underneath and she realized Glacier had chuckled. She looked towards Archer, who was seated comfortably on his head. She seemed to be having a conversation with the dragon as she helped him follow Demeter's directions. She had let the goddess point out the twins. Retrieving the youngest of them was the first priority. She also said someing about Gajeel being more than capable of taking care of himself.

"How is she so comfortable? "

"A bit of magic is in play"

"Is that why you're so comfortable? "

"Why yes it is"Demeter said pleasantly.

Before Erza could question Demeter further Glacier shifted, flying down. Erza was startled by the sudden shift and couldn't help the small yelp that escaped her. Demeter only giggled in her expense.

"You'll get used to it"

She doubted that.

Glacier landed in an open field, falling to a lying positions. He seemed very relaxed and even yawned, making Erza question if he actually intended to take a nap at the moment. She didn't wonder for long because she was quick to get off his back when she noticed Archer doing the same.

"Somewhere around here" Archer said to herself as she angled her head. She could smell them, they weren't very far away. As expected, the two were together. She could only smile at that. They may not be actual brothers but that mattered very little. They could fool anyone. She then turned to face Erza, taking amusement in the relief she seemed to feel. "Scarlet, I'll go hunt down the twins. I will return in a short while"

Erza sighed and sat down in the grass. She did not like flying on dragons at all. Demeter came to sit next to her.

"She seems to like that nickname"

"She never once used my actual name"

"Archer has her odd moments" Demeter said with a fond smile and looked at Erza. "Am I right in ȧssuming you're a knight of some kind? "

Erza nodded, not caring enough to explain the nature of her magic and tell Demeter that she was not exactly a knight.

"And you're a strong one" Demeter eyed the phoenix sword at Erza's waist. "I have a feeling Athena would love to train you, being the warrior that she is"

"She's a sword master? "

"She's more a weapon master among other things. She specializes in multiple activities, sword fighting is just one of them. " Demeter explains. "Studying under her will prove to be very beneficial to you. She can teach you the way of the sword better than any creature in this world. "

Erza never pictured herself being trained by a goddess. The thought didn't seem possible. She didn't even know goddesses existed until meeting Archer. She would like to learn as much as she could when it comes to using her weapons. She needed to be strong. She had to grow stronger if she wishes to face Jellal and save her friends. It was the only way. She couldn't go to the council about it because he threatened her friends. The only way to save them is by confronting Jellal. She would have to face her past. It wasn't something she liked to think about but it was something she needed to do.

Glacier was just relaxing in the sun while he listened in on the conversation. He was smiling as he did. Irene would be very proud of her daughter. Well, she is proud. He saw her just a few days ago and made sure to let her know that Archer has found her. She was very happy to hear it. She knew that if anyone could keep her daughter safe it would be Archer. She was a proud mother. For reasons she could not be with her daughter. She had something important to do and it would take time and dedication. She didn't like the idea of abandoning her daughter but it was better than pulling her into her dangerous world. She trusted Archer to protect her.

The separation of mother and daughter. Such a tragedy. Of course Erza will see her mother one day. It won't be anytime soon though.

He sighed. The plan needed to be followed to the T. Everything had it's purpose . Everyone had a roll to play. The dragons. The dragon slayers. Anna and her descendants. Irene. The guild. Erza. Archer and her parents. Each had a role in the very calculated plan of theirs.

It just so happens that Archer needs to oversee most of it. Joining the guild was something she wanted to do, but it was also something she needed to do. She needed that guild involved. She needed to gather all the slayers and the keys of the dragons. She needed the goddesses. A multistep plan that needed to be followed very carefully.

That's what you get from the Phoenix family. Elaborate plans that can actually last for centuries.

There came the sound of a yelling child and everyone turned their attention to the sound. Archer could be seen emerging from the forest, carrying a struggling blonde toddler and being followed by a calmer toddler. Archer didn't seem one bit bothered by the child so easily tucked in her arms.

"No fair! You cheated! " Sting shouted as he punched the unaffected Archer repeatedly.

"I did not. You attacked and I defended myself. It's your own fault" Archer responded very bluntly. "Don't go throwing a tantrum just because you can't break free of my grasp"

"I see you're still a very energetic little boy" Demeter said with amused smile as she easily plucked the blonde out of Archer's arms. "And you, little Rogue. Still the quiet one of the two"

Rogue smiled weakly upon seeing the woman and silently approached her. He always liked Demeter and would spend as much time as he could with her while she was present. Sting was the same when it came to the woman, but he tended to challenge her on multiple occasions.

Archer seemed very proud as she watched the boys recount their days to the ever motherly Demeter. Four down, one to go. She sighed in content and fell into the grass next to Erza.

"What now? " the redhead asked

"Now I go retrieve the metal head. After that I hunt down all my keys while racking up missions" Archer said as she stared at the clouds. "I plan on claiming S-class as soon as I can"

"Any reason why? "

"Yes"

"You're not going to tell me, are you? "

Archer smiled at the question, instantly answering that question. Of course she wanted that title for her own personal reasons, but there was more to it. She wanted to be noticed by the council and gain the title of wizard Saint at some point. That would get her close to the council and she could be aware of what they were doing if she needed that info. It's best to be within the power circle. She would climb the ranks and earn herself a brand new number in the saints. She strived to work under the leaders themself.

Patience.

She needed to fulfill her crucial role after all.