Reflected Darkness

Prologue

The rain was pouring down over the city of Magnolia, drenching the houses, streets and anyone who was unlucky enough not to have found shelter in huge wet drops. It seemed like the sky was crying, a deep kind of depression coming from above.

At the edge of the town, on the end of the large main road stood the massive Fairy Tail guild – a sturdy building, standing its ground against the rain. The drops pattered against the window panes, carrying dull thudding noises inside.

The rain was unheard, however, over the sound of talk and laughter inside the guild.

A young woman was staggering along the main road, her feet making soft sloshing noises on the ground.

Blood trickled down her face under her dark blue hair, and she had several wounds on her arms and legs.

She was bent over with the weight of her load; another girl, about the same age as her, that she was carrying in her arms. She was panting from exhaustion, her hands clenched tight and the strain showing clearly on her face.

The girl in her arms had flaming, dark orange hair, and her body was nearly entirely covered in blood. The red liquid dripped from her, mixing with the rain and leaving a watery trail behind them which lost itself in puddles as they slowly made their way down the street.

The blue haired girl was visibly having trouble moving forward. There was desperation and fear in her eyes as she stumbled down the road.

Her gaze was fixed on her destination – the building at the end of the road with the large Fairy Tail insignia over the door.

"Help… please…" she breathed, her feet dragging heavily across the floor.

She lost her balance and slipped, falling to the ground and grazing both knees. She gasped, gripping the girl in her arms even tighter to prevent her from hitting the ground.

Slowly she heaved herself upright again, lifting the girl up with all the strength she had left.

"We're… almost there…" she muttered to her unconscious friend. "Don't… worry…"

She was ten feet away from the door when she collapsed a second time. She coughed violently and found blood coming from her mouth. In her surprise she dropped the girl in her arms, who slid silently to the ground, the rain pattering her wounds.

"Help…" she gasped, reaching for her, leaning forwards to shield her from the rain. "… don't die on me… we're almost… almost…"

Pain and exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she slumped forwards, her body covering that of the wounded girl as she, too, lost consciousness.

No sound broke the silence but the soft patter of the rain around them.