A/N: I wrote this story because it came to me in a dream, much like my Stealth Overdrive. For some reason, these dreams have profound impacts on me and so I was determined to put this out into words. I hope you enjoy it. If I get enough support for it, I might continue it, so let me know! Thanks! :)
The Savior
There I was, standing amongst a large group of people as we discussed important issues. It wasn't that specific necessarily, it was more like a gathering to be honest. We gathered at a cathedral to discuss the disasters that have been happening around here. There was some sort of magical barrier within these separate dimensions of living that somehow got broken. The one that connected the demon world and the living world somehow managed to shatter, and now demon spirits have invaded our world in the hopes of taking total control and annihilating everything in existence. They had no regard for the humanity that existed on this plane, nor did they care what happened to them. That, unfortunately, included me. Of course, I felt the same, holding some sort disgust for humanity in itself. Being human wasn't the issue I faced though; it was the issue of being surrounded by the humans I didn't like. They were weak, both physically and mentally, and they couldn't possibly understand the disaster that we faced as we spoke, but what could I say? It's not like they would be able to understand where I was coming from. Why was I even here anyway? Perhaps it was because I wanted to see if I could be able to change my current existence with the disaster that took place right here and now.
Anyways, I continued along through the cathedral. I waited outside mostly, since going in was going to be a waste of time and for some odd reason they had a buffet sitting outside that I could stuff myself with, so I decided to stay outside and stuff myself instead of going in trying to communicate with these helpless individuals. It was a large, grey cathedral that stood inside of a beautiful sort of scenery with specially trimmed bushes and statues, along with water fountains arranged so well that it looked simply stunning. It was strange because it made it look more like a mansion than a cathedral, but nevertheless it was a cathedral. It was all surrounded by a large, brick wall that surrounded the whole cathedral, along with a black gate at the front to exit through. All I know was that the vibe I picked up was quite reminiscent of a mansion, regardless of whether or not it actually resembled one. It was at midnight, and the sky was a dark blue that coated the world with a dark, yet intriguing vibe. It resembled an enigma.
I stood next to one of the buffet tables, eating food from time to time as I lied back and listened to some of the conversations these strange humans were discussing. Their ideas were absurd; instead on focusing on what they could do, they trailed off on the idea of being saved by something. Some of the people held the idea that some sort of magical god would rain down the heavens and cast a spell that would save them all. I thought the idea was amusing, since it was hilarious how they could cling onto such ideologies, but then again, I wasn't any better. All I ever did was run from these demons, and they made me a prime target. There was something about me that made them want me of all people, which wasn't something I enjoyed being a part of. These demons didn't go around possessing people though, more like they were physical spirits that you could see that would drain your soul and eat it away, leaving the left over corpse to rot away for they got what they needed. Continuing on, I tried fighting back as much as I could, but I never could truly win. I always felt like I was struggling to just maintain the struggle, and with each passing day it became worse. Were the demons getting stronger or was I being worn out? No matter what I did though, I was still an ordinary human, and the only thing I could do was run away. I didn't have the strength or power to fight them off, and I certainly didn't have any magical abilities to use against them, but I did have legs, and I used them to take me away temporarily. I knew that they would get me at some point, and my efforts of trying to run were only weakened by this ever-growing realization.
"What was the point?" Is something that I would often ask myself. It felt like there wasn't any real reason for me to be running often, and maybe there wasn't, had it not been for this lingering sense of hope I managed to cling onto. Along with that question I asked, "Where are you?" No, it was not because I too had fallen for the mythological idea that some sort of magical god would save us, but I did fall for someone in particular. Supposedly, the magical barriers all around have been shattering apart, and people of all kinds have been coming in. That included people who were deemed non-existent. It's not easy to react when you see, let's say, Natsu Dragneel coming out of a portal after you've believed that he's never existed. It was all over the newspapers how these people were just appearing in our world as if they walked in from nowhere, and it spread very quickly. However, it wasn't long before my disgust for the world around me increased as the idiots that surrounded me responded in a negative fashion, immediately taking up arms against these people and forcing them to go covert. Not much was heard from them since, and ever since my heart hurt a little bit each time. I wanted to scream at everyone and rip them apart like a savage beast, but I knew what little good that would do.
It hurt knowing that they could be anywhere now and I had no idea, especially for someone in particular. He might have been the most controversial person to land on this earth for he was quick to fight, and he enjoyed it a lot. He also went covert, and knowing him, it would be rare, if not impossible, for me to find him now, thanks to his skill in remaining incognito. I knew who he was, yet I couldn't find him. He was the Iron Dragon Slayer, and he roamed throughout these forests as time passed, either here or elsewhere, somewhere around the continent. I knew about him and, I guess you could say I've become "attached" to the Iron Dragon Slayer, as if he would ever know. He resembled the person I needed in my life, the one who could truly understand everything about me and help me out in my perilous struggle against these demon spirits and humanity, but I couldn't get to him. How could I, a helpless human who can't even have faith in his own species, ever meet him? He was human too, but perhaps it was because I never truly hated the human race, but the humans that were native to his planet. He was somehow better than them all, and there was a lingering sense of hope that lived inside of me that I would find him no matter the cost.
"YOU HUMANS WILL BE DEVOURED FROM EXISTENCE!" A demonic voice shouted, revealing itself to be one of the demon spirits as several other spirits accompanied it and caused a panic. People started screaming and running, trying to get away or defend themselves. Some of them even tried to pray for their lives as they were drained of their souls and taken from existence. That was when I snapped out of my thoughts and came back to reality, feeling a sense of urgency shoot through my system as my legs took off and I started running.
"I have to get out of here!" I told myself in alarm, taking off after the gate as I desperately tried to run. I could hear the people screaming and running, yelling for help, trying to fight them off, some even dying in the presence of these spirits that couldn't care less what happened to these people. All they wanted was their souls. As I ran, a couple of people trying to stop the demons ran straight into each other, hitting each other and painfully falling to the ground as they stood right before me, about to be pummeled by the driving power of my legs as they took me away from this disaster. They proved to be more of an obstacle though, falling as I hit their legs and tripped over them, flying through one of the demon spirits as it took a huge hit on my energy. It was suddenly siphoned without warning and I already lost more than half of my energy just by walking through their physical existence. The demon spirit I went through spun around and shot me a look of desperation, desperate to get their hands on me and take my delicious soul for their purposes.
"That was fantastic! Why don't you come here so I can finish the rest of you?" The demon spirit questioned, taking off after me as I looked at it with an expression mixed with fear and anger.
"NO, never!" I yelled at it internally, forcing myself to get up and take off with all the strength I could muster. I couldn't lose now, it was just not right. It would be the end of it all if I did, and that was something I couldn't accept. I ran to the gate with all of my strength, mustering the last of it as I hit the gate and focused my eyes on what was in-front of me. When I looked up, my heart skipped a beat, my eyes widened, and my level of shock and disbelief skyrocketed as I came across a completely unexpected sight. It was the silhouette of the Iron Dragon Slayer, standing right across the gate yet just standing there as I looked at him in complete desperation. "Gajeel!" I shouted in shock, suddenly turning around as the demon spirit caught up with me and attempted to attack me by siphoning my energy again with his arm. I managed to dodge it, putting my back to the gate as I spun around and quickly climbed it with every bit of muscle I could utilize. Climbing to the top, I went to grab the top but grabbed a sharp point of the gate and ended up gouging a hole in my hand as blood shot out; prompting me to painfully grabbed the flat surface of the gate in response. "AHHH! SHIT, MY HAND!" I screamed out in pain, pulling myself up frantically as I pulled myself over and let myself fall to the ground, hitting it hard and rolling over. I held my hand in excruciating pain as blood continued to pour out of it, forcing myself up as I was covered in mud. None of it mattered though, for even in the terrible condition I was in, there was still someone on my mind.
Looking up, I saw the silhouette of the Iron Dragon Slayer moving away from me, walking farther and farther as if he was about to run. Knowing that the demon spirit was chasing me from behind, I got myself up and forcibly ran after the Iron Dragon Slayer without any hesitation, pushing myself with every last bit of energy I could muster as I ran into the forest, following after the silhouette as the Iron Dragon Slayer took off and became even more difficult to reach.
"WAIT! Come back! I need your help!" I desperately shouted out to no avail. The silhouette became increasingly smaller as he got farther and farther away from me, departing my vision as my hope sunk like a ship and my sadness took over. "Don't go!" I shouted out in pain, slipping in the mud and falling as I hit the ground and held myself up. Suddenly turning over, I held my hand in severe pain as the mud contaminated the wound and caused it to burn even more. It felt as if I was purposely sticking my hand into a pool of acid, looking at my hand and knowing that it could become infected. I didn't know how far behind the demon spirit was, but it seemed as if that wasn't even a concern anymore. I was covered in mud, my hand was bleeding profusely after being mauled by the gate, and I had lost the dragon slayer I had been trying to find all of this time. I couldn't even verify if it was truly him or just a hallucination, and knowing that made matters worse. Out of anger, I punched the mud-covered ground furiously as I sat there, completely upset at myself and the world for not being able to get anywhere. "I couldn't even get to him." I told myself upsettingly, sitting down in the mud as I thought over it. "I failed...I swore to myself I would find him. I promised!"
I was in shambles. I wanted to just burst out into tears because the person I had been searching for all of my life was no longer in my grasp. I was so close, and I couldn't even get to him. How disgraceful. To think that I could possibly make such a grand promise, only to flop and fail like some sort of sick joke. In my current state, I couldn't forgive myself.
"What happened to you? Did you think you could get away?" The demon spirit told me, prompting me to look up at it in shock as it came even closer with each passing second. It was floating, covered in some sort of varied red-black texture whilst having fiery-yellow eyes and hands as sharp as knives. It didn't look grotesque, but it was daunting in a manner and what it was going to do was going to confirm how evil it really was. The voice it had sounded like its sanity had been ripped straight from it, having this sort of psychotic voice as it stood before me. "It's too bad such a treasure couldn't survive, at least you'll be put to good use!" It told me with increasing vigor. I knew what it was going to do, but I couldn't muster the strength to run away. I slowly moved back within the mud, sliding myself slowly away as my eyes were glued to its daunting presence, getting closer with each passing second. The aura it oozed could melt the leafless trees surrounding me and possibly take me with it. I didn't know what it was going to do in order to get my soul, but it was going to get it, and I knew that was for sure. "Have any last words human? This is your last chance!" It yelled, preparing to deal the final blow. I had nothing to say, that was it. The only thing I could do was watch as my own life was about to be stolen. It was just too bad that I couldn't fulfill the purpose I had set myself, it was the end. I closed my eyes and held on tight, I guess this is goodbye.
"AAGGH! What the hell just pierced me!?" The demon spirit yelled furiously. I quickly opened my eyes, looking at it in shock as something did pierce it. It looked like some sort of long, black pole that had went through the demon, but I couldn't make up what it really was right away. "Huh...It was you! To think that a worthless human could do this damage!" It yelled furiously, attempting to attack as it was suddenly swung around. I thought: a human? What human could do something so powerful? I used what little bit of strength I had to turn and watch the whole thing take place, watching as the demon spirit was slammed into a tree and some sort of dark mist radiated from the pole. It managed to eat away at the demon spirit and actually kill it off, something I thought would be impossible in this current timeframe. "CURSE YOU MONSTER! YOU WON'T SURVIVE FOR LONG! AAGGGH!" It screamed out painfully, dying off as it dissipated and left a red stone behind. In doing so, the "pole" I saw suddenly retracted and disappeared, being followed by someone walking up to the stone and picking it up. From where I was sitting, it was difficult for me to tell who it was, but then I realized it when I took a closer look.
I had no thoughts, no words, nothing. The only thing I could do was just sit there in complete shock and disbelief, unable to process anything else for the sight before me was enough to invoke a completely overwhelming response. The person grabbed the stone and observed it from what I could tell, storing it away in his pocket as he then turned and started heading to me. He was heading to me?! Why? Out of all the people in this world he was coming to me, when I thought it would've been the other way around. It was a sight I would never forget, someone as grand as he was taking his steps to get to me. He finally took his last step and stood over me, most of his face covered by the darkness but his silhouette not lying one bit. I could tell within an instant that it was without a doubt the Iron Dragon Slayer I had been searching for all of this time. I didn't even have to try hard to pick up on the long, black, spiky hair of his that flew in the wind, giving him the trademark appearance he had. Suddenly, a flash of lightning erupted in the sky, casting a powerful, momentary light over the two of us. It revealed the rest of him that was clouded by the darkness. I could see his face and realize that it was truly him. Those powerful blood-red eyes of his that felt like they were staring into your soul, nothing else could better represent him. The powerful, serious expression he had that put him up in a place of superiority and power, uplifting him to greatness. I was standing before the most perfect sight I could ever behold, and there was absolutely nothing else out there that could make me feel more alive than being in his presence.
Without a minute passing, he held out his hand to me as I looked at it in shock, looking at it and then looking back at him in complete surprise as he waited for my response.
"Come on, get up." He told me. There was his powerful dark voice of his, nothing else greater in comparison. Hearing him instilled me with a powerful force that could easily possess me without any effort. I succumbed to the power of his voice and command as I gave my hand to him without any resistance, letting him pull me up and carry me. He then proceeded to grab me and put me up on his back, something I couldn't believe was truly happening. He was...helping me. Someone as great as him taking the time out of his day to help some random kid trying to run for his life, how awe-inspiring. It was an honor to be granted such assistance by the greatest of people. "Hold on tight, I'm getting you out of here." He told me calmly, taking off at an incredible speed as I had no choice but to hold on. I couldn't believe any of it, he was truly helping me out, out of his own will. Just being carried by him was enough to make all of my dreams come true, and it was the most real of experiences. It was something I will never forget, and something that will affect me from here on out. There was nothing I could do but fall prey to his greatness and lose myself in a trail of sleep, passing out amongst his shoulders as he took me away to safety, being lost in the power of Gajeel Redfox.
I opened my eyes, suddenly feeling some strange sensation on my cheeks. It forced me to get up as I looked and saw a small Shiba-Inu dog next to me. It was looking at me with a happy face, having licked my face and woken me up. I looked around and observed my surroundings, realizing that I was on a beach suddenly. It was a beach with a cliff-side to my right and an ocean washing up amongst the shore. I was the only one there of course, with the exception of the dog. The sound of the waves washing up onto the shore was somehow soothing, and it helped me calm down and realize where I was. I looked down onto myself to realize that my shirt was taken off, and that I was clean of mud. I felt my face, looked at my legs and hands; I was clean. On my hand where the wound was, it was bandaged. Someone must've taken care of it, and I could only assume that Gajeel must've done it when I passed out. The dog was still looking at me happily, standing there and not doing anything else as I put my focus on other things. Looking down at my pants, I came across a piece of paper sticking out of my pocket.
"That wasn't there before." I said to myself in realization, pulling it out quickly and opening it up to see what it was. By reading the first few lines, I realized who wrote it.
"Hey kid, you're lucky that I was there to save you. You were pretty beat up and covered in mud, and you would've been dead if I wasn't there. I cleaned you up and got you all fixed up, so you should be fine. That dog that's next to you is coming from this ring that I put on your finger. Apparently it's called the 'Brushwood Protector'. God knows where the name came from, but it's supposed to act as some sort of guardian angel. If you find yourself in trouble, you can count on the ring to help you out; just don't go looking for trouble, got it? Good luck. Sincerely, Gajeel Redfox."
I looked at the ring that was on my right hand, seeing the color resemble that of the dog. He was considerate enough to help me out, and knowing that filled me up with a sensation of warmth that was so pleasing, it made my day.
"Wow...he...actually did this for me." I told myself in shock. It hit a tender spot within me, and it was nice. It's like I wanted to cry tears of joy. I looked up at the sky, imagining his presence once again and thanking him for his concern. "Thank you." I told him as if he was standing right before me. Within seconds, the dog suddenly turned into an orange wave of energy, catching my attention as the energy went back into the ring that Gajeel gave me. That helped ease my sense of worry for the dog, but made me feel more confident. I could better protect myself thanks to his consideration, and I was more confident in knowing that he helped me out and that he did exist. I got back up and grabbed my shirt, putting it back on as I prepared to take off. Looking back at the beach once more, I reminisced over my thoughts and everything that happened before I decided to leave.
As I took one step away from the beach, something suddenly interrupted my moment. I was blasted forward by something slamming into the beach and causing an explosion as I flew forward and hit the ground.
"What the hell was that?!" I thought to myself in horror, turning around quickly as I saw three demon spirits floating before me. They all looked visibly angry, and they looked at me with pure hatred. I knew I was in trouble.
"YOU TOOK OUT OUR BROTHER! YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES, FOLLOWED BY THAT IRON MONSTER THAT HELPED YOU!" They all screamed at me in perfect sync. I knew that I was in serious trouble.
"SHIT!" I yelled at myself, rolling away as I dodged an attack from one of the demon spirits. They were very angry with me, managing to destroy part of the ground as I rolled out of the way and dodged the other attacks from the other two demons.
"YOU WON'T WIN THIS BATTLE BRAT!" They yelled at me furiously. I got up and angrily looked at them, knowing that I was in trouble. I had to do something. It was at that moment that I saw the ring on my finger glow a radiant orange, and out of instinct I tried to grab the radiant energy. In doing so, I managed to grab ahold of something, pulling out a large, black hover-board that I could use to get away from the spirits.
"Whoa! This is what it does?! This is going to be so useful!" I said in an overwhelming amount of relief, quickly jumping on it and taking off. It was very quick, and so I set off to get away from the spirits.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY?! WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT BRAT!" The demon spirits screamed, storming off after me at an equal speed as I set off on a journey. Seeing that same cliff-side I saw at the beach, I soon picked up on a white brick trail that extended from the side of the canyon, proving to be a suitable trail for me to use in order to get away from the spirits. The forest was a terrible idea for while I could lose them easily, I could just as easily kill myself in a severe accident, and I needed to try to find support as well, something that the cliff-side trail could help me out with.
"That trail is going to be the perfect route for a getaway. Hopefully I can find some sort of support there, but if not, I'll figure out something." I told myself, taking off and heading onto that trail. It was going to be a while before I got somewhere.
Elsewhere were an Iron Dragon Slayer and a scientist, both working on something important regarding the demon spirits. They were in a lab room covered in beakers, lab tools, and computers that could help the scientist better diagnose the issue at hand. When the Iron Dragon Slayer came into the picture is a question that remains to be answered.
"Hey old man, I got what you asked for." Gajeel told the scientist, holding the red stone that he got from killing the demon spirit. The scientist, hearing him from the computer he was working on, got up and walked over to Gajeel in a hurry. He had glasses on and had static white hair, wearing your typical scientific clothing with a white lab coat and beige pants. He had brown eyes and had wrinkles on his face that typically indicated old age. He walked up to Gajeel and briefly examined the red stone, suddenly jumping with joy afterwards.
"This is simply fantastic! You've done exactly as I requested; I'll be sure to pay you back as promised! Oh wow, this is just spectacular!" He shouted with joy, taking the stone and preparing to go about and start his examination on it. Gajeel watched him with curiosity arousing in his mind, watching the scientist start with the examination by observing it through a telescope. His pressing desire to study the stone did not stop Gajeel from asking questions he had on his mind.
"I've got a couple questions; first, why the hell did you need me to get the stone?" Gajeel questioned. The scientist continued to research the stone in amazement, already collecting observational data on it as he was quick to answer Gajeel's questions.
"That is a great question my friend. We ordinary humans that inhabit this planet have no sort of innate magical abilities as you seem to possess. This holds us back a great deal as we cannot fight off these demonic spirits that continue to invade our world. On top of that, no matter what we do, we cannot seem to kill them off." The scientist explained as he continued his work. Gajeel was perplexed by the last bit of information that was given.
"So you can't kill them off? Why not?"
"I have yet to figure out the reason for that. However, thanks to my studies on your hair sample that you were willing to offer, I was able to determine that your innate magical abilities give you the ability to eliminate these demonic spirits. I still have yet to find out why your magic specifically, or any innate magical abilities for that matter, are capable of carrying this out, but it has allowed me to ask you to carry out this task, which has been a fantastic help towards my efforts." The scientist explained. Gajeel understood all of it, except for one tidbit he caught onto.
"So wait a minute, you're telling me that my magic runs through my hair?"
"Yes, it does. It seems to circulate throughout your body like your blood does through your veins, but instead of circulating through simply your veins; they circulate throughout every single pore on your body, which somehow includes your hair." He explained. Gajeel thought it was interesting and strange at that. He had another question on his mind.
"Alright then, why did you need the stone? What's so important about it?" Gajeel asked, prompting the scientist to explain. Gajeel seemed somewhat skeptical regarding the scientist, but was able to press forth more questions and get more information whilst determining if the scientist was someone he could really trust.
"It all links back to my inability to kill off the demons. Simply studying them through observation would not be enough to help in my efforts of finding out a solution to their invasion. With the stone you've provided, I can further my research and find out if there is a possible solution as to how to eliminate them all and why they continue to steal human souls." The scientist explained. Gajeel understood that as well, and felt no need to further question the scientist. Instead, he sat back and observed the scientist as he conducted his research and found out more information regarding the stone. He felt that if he was going to be anywhere, he might as well be here figuring out what the hell is happening and how he got there in the first place. As he stood there though, he managed to get lost in thought over the kid that he saved from the demon spirit. The way he saw it, he looked beat up and covered in mud, and he knew he was in a mess. What was more pressing was the way he looked at him. It was as if the kid knew him on some level and was staring at him as if he was royalty. It sunk within him a bit, and it made him wonder who he really was.
"Who the hell was that kid? The way he was staring at me…" Gajeel thought. He thought about it as the scientist went on with the research, standing there and lying up against the wall as his thoughts took over and he reminisced over the event that took place.
Back to me, I was riding the hover-board amongst the trail that was on the cliff-side. I was going very fast; it was lucky for me that I had some skill in riding this thing so that I wouldn't stupidly fly off of it and break my neck or something. The demon spirits however were just as quick, perhaps a bit quicker for they managed to catch up and try to ruin my attempts to escape.
"GOOD LUCK TRYING TO SURVIVE THIS!" They shouted, preparing to attack me with their demon claws as I was able to dodge them. As I dodged them, I saw that I was about to hit the cliff-side, suddenly changing my direction as I barely managed to avoid the rock-wall and continue with my efforts to escape.
"Crap that was a close one! I need to pay attention to where I'm going, but that's not easy with these demons chasing me." I said to myself in frustration. Looking back quickly, I saw that they were still on my tail and that I wasn't going to be able to hold this up for much longer.
"YOU'RE LUCKY BOY! THIS WON'T END PLEASANTLY!" They shouted at me, trying to attack again as I was forced to dodge their attacks and maintain my focus on the trail. It was a tough struggle, and I guess it was lucky for me that they could only attack with their claws. They didn't have any sort of strange magical powers that they could use to deter my attempts to escape, which was a very good thing. If that was the case, I would be screwed. As I continued along the trail, I soon came across a building that matched the trail, covered in white bricks and resembling some sort of lighthouse. It was right next to the ocean as well, which made me think that the beach must've wrapped around the cliff-side. Whatever happened with the land, I was forced to stop and end my escape as there was nowhere else for me to go. Jumping off the trail would be suicide, and trying to head back to where I came from would result in an endless struggle. Knowing that, my hover-board dissipated back into the ring and I landed on the ground, staring at the demon spirits with a determined glare as they all approached me, looking me down and getting ready to slaughter me. "LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO GO! THIS WILL BE FUN!" They said in a sadistic tone, prompting me to take a step back as I got on guard. A few seconds passed before one of the demon spirits decided to attack, heading straight for me as I dodged them and they hit the building. Inside, Gajeel heard something hit the building as it snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Huh? What was that?" He questioned in wonder, turning around and focusing on the door as he heard it come from that direction. I put my focus back on the spirits, looking at them angrily as another one came and tried to attack, prompting me to jump out of the way and roll around, putting my focus on them as I drew a chokuto from the ring. At first I didn't notice right away, simply guarding myself against them as another spirit came and attacked me. In doing so, however, that's when I saw the sword.
"Wow, this thing is more useful than I thought. He gave me a great tool; I might as well use it." I said to myself, acknowledging him once more as I went to attack the spirit. It managed to dodge my attack and move out of the way, but at least I was finally on the offensive for once. In the building, both Gajeel and the scientist could hear the ruckus going on outside, prompting them to question it.
"What in the world is going on out there?!" The scientist questioned, prompting Gajeel to head out there and find out for himself.
"I don't know, but whatever the hell it is, I'm about to end it right now!" Gajeel shouted, heading out of the building. Opening the door and leaving, he came across the other two demon spirits standing there, and they put their focus on him as well.
"YOU! WE WERE WAITING TO CHASE YOU DOWN! YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING OUR BROTHER!" They shouted madly. Gajeel, however, was unfazed, putting a grin on his face as he prepared to fight off the demons and get rid of them.
"It's a good thing you bastards finally showed up, I was starting to get bored just waiting around here." Gajeel taunted as he popped his knuckles. The demon spirits growled at him as Gajeel got excited, ready to do something interesting for once as he prepared to fight. However, his excitement soon subsided and was replaced with surprise when he came across me fighting to save myself from the demon spirits. I swung at the spirit as it went back to the other two spirits, getting in front of Gajeel as I put my focus on the spirits. Gajeel just stood there, staring at me in surprise as he realized who I was.
"What the...it's that same kid!" He recognized. Gajeel was loud enough for me to overhear him, but I guess I was just too focused on the spirits to be able to figure out that he was there.
"You want me?" I questioned, prompting the demon spirits to look at me and set their focus on me. "Come and get me."
They took off after me, prompting me to attack with my chokuto as I swung at them, dodging their attack and hitting them with the sword. I was able to hit them, but I wasn't exactly able to do much damage, which caused me frustration as they laughed at my attempts.
"DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT'S GOING TO STOP US?! PATHETIC! YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE!" They all yelled at me, prompting me to attack again out of anger. I managed to pierce one of the spirits with my chokuto, this time somehow managing to create electricity as it shocked the demon spirit and managed to inflict damage, much to my bafflement. "OOOWWW! YOU DARE STRIKE US?! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!" The demon spirit screamed, just as I focused on the blade in shock.
"What the...I have magic powers?! Where the hell did this come from?!" I said in complete shock. Electricity just randomly comes from me and I have no idea where it came from. Do I really have innate magical powers? Gajeel saw this himself, also being thrown into shock.
"What the hell?! Is that kid a wizard?!" Gajeel questioned in disbelief, managing to catch my attention as I put my focus on him. I couldn't believe that he was there, again! Was it simply my imagination...no, it couldn't be. It was as real as it could get, and he was for sure standing right before me.
"Gajeel!" I shouted out in surprise, putting my focus on him as I was hit by the demon spirit. I neglected to put my attention on the issue at hand, and that costed me. I was sent flying back as I hit the ground and lost my chokuto, putting my focus on the demon spirit that approached me slowly, getting ready to finish me off. My hand hurt still from what happened at the cathedral, but I can admit that it was much worse before than it was now.
"Crap, this isn't going well for me." I said to myself in frustration. They were ganging up on me, making it much more difficult for me to get away.
"YOU'RE FINISHED NOW!" They all shouted at me, just as I was caught in their gaze. My energy was already siphoned from their last attack, and it made things harder for me. I was ready to dodge their next attack, just as they went to attack me and finish me off. Right when I dodged, however, the demon spirits were suddenly hit by that same pole I saw before, revealing to actually be Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Club. He hit the spirits and proceeded to slam them against the cliff-side with the iron dragon's club, rendering them immobile as Gajeel put his focus on the demon spirits. The demon spirits continued to shout out at Gajeel angrily as if he was going to care, but he could care less. "CURSE YOU! THIS WILL NOT BE THE END; OUR BROTHERS WILL RISE AGAINST YOU AND THAT BRAT AND YOU BOTH SHALL BE ELIMINATED! DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE US!" The spirits screamed as Gajeel got sick of their yelling.
"I'm sick of your whining; it's time to shut you up." Gajeel said darkly, proceeding to attack with his Iron Dragon's Sword, piercing all three of the spirits and killing them. In doing so, the spirits vaporized and three more red stones appeared as a result of their demise, falling to the ground. Gajeel, having killed off the spirits, went to grab the stones as I got up slowly and managed to get my sword back. Over there, I heard him questioning me on what happened.
"I thought I told you not to get into trouble?" Gajeel questioned sternly. He did, but I wasn't looking for it.
"I didn't get into trouble, trouble found me." I said calmly. He didn't say anything after that. He was quick to understand that I must've been ambushed, and so he left it at that. It wasn't long before the scientist came out of the building, looking at the two of us in complete shock as to what happened.
"What in the world was going on out here?! I hope you're not in any fatal condition!" the scientist shouted out in shock, millions of thoughts going through his head as Gajeel and I approached the scientist. I watched as Gajeel gave the scientist the other three stones and proceeded to explain what the ruckus was all about.
"It looks like three more demon spirits decided to show up, along with this kid here. I managed to take out the spirits myself." Gajeel explained as the scientist was overwhelmed with joy.
"Oh wow, thank you very much! This will be very useful towards my research; I shall be sure to quadruple your payment that I posted for your first task!" The scientist shouted with great joy. While Gajeel was pleased with the offer, he denied it.
"Nah, you don't need to do that."
"But I must! You have no idea how useful this is to me! I'm willing to do this for you because of how helpful you've been for me!" The scientist shouted with great joy. Gajeel grinned a bit and decided to just accept it, not that it was necessary. The scientist was also pleased as well, actually, he was very excited. That seemed to tone down a bit though when he saw the Brushwood Protector on my finger.
"Uh...is that the ring I gave you?" He questioned Gajeel, who nodded in response.
"Yeah, I gave it to the kid."
"Why on earth would you do that?!" The scientist shouted out in frustration. He was upset that Gajeel would do something like that, but he was quick to put a limit on that frustration.
"The kid was nearly killed by one of the demon spirits. The same demon spirit was the spirit I got the first stone from. I wasn't gonna let this kid go without any way to defend himself." Gajeel explained with a serious tone. I looked at him in surprise, knowing that he held some sort of concern for my well-being. It may be just because I was just an ordinary human who didn't have any magical abilities to use to defend myself, but the feeling was still good to have. Knowing that it was him, it made me feel good. The scientist then calmed down, knowing that it was probably a bad idea to get on Gajeel's bad side. He crossed his arms and looked at him calmly, validating his reasons for doing so and accepting why he did it.
"Alright then, I understand why you did it. However, I assure you that you need to be careful when going about these things! These items are very valuable for the humans that do not use magic, and it'd be very wise of you to take this into consideration when going about these things." The scientist explained, just as Gajeel understood. He crossed his arms in response and sighed.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not stupid." Gajeel stated in response. With that, the scientist went back into the lab to continue his research on the stones, leaving Gajeel to stand out here with me as I stood next to him. Being next to him was an interesting feeling; I was standing near the person I always wanted to find, but I wasn't going to just shower him with how much I actually liked him. I did feel bad about what happened though.
"I'm sorry." I told Gajeel. He turned to me in surprise, wondering why I would ever say that of all things. "They found me and I tried getting away, but that didn't work so I fought them. I was too weak to pull it off." I told him. I didn't like feeling like a useless tool, but it was the truth as far as I could tell. I couldn't do anything, and he just came in and did it all. I held nothing against him, and I was so thankful that he was there to help me, but I was weak, and that was a fact. He looked at me calmly, surprised by my reaction before he calmed down and gave me a pat on the head, ruffling my hair as I looked at him in awe.
"You don't need to apologize. Just be careful." Gajeel said calmly. He had a calm smile on his face, something I didn't expect to see from him. Looking at him made me feel like he was my mentor, since I had admired him from the start. He may have said that he wasn't the type to be admired, but I ignored that fact in order for me to realize my own truth. After doing so, he prepared to head back in, leaving me to head off to somewhere else as I stood there, watching him. I didn't want this to be our last moment.
"Is this...goodbye?" I questioned to him. He suddenly stopped, putting an expression of surprise on his face as he turned and looked back at me. I couldn't help but put an expression of slight upset on my face. In reality, I didn't want this to be the last moment.
"I've...known you longer than you realize." I told him, surprising him even more.
"How? Wanna explain?" He questioned curiously. However, I just continued on.
"I can explain, but let me finish. When you saved me that other day, I had...a moment. I was surprised you would find me and be willing to help me. In this world, I kind of lost hope in humanity, and so I hoped that you would one day show up and help me out." I told him. He looked at me in surprise, having not expected such a response. His surprise grew when I kneeled down before him and put a hand over my knee, kneeling down to him as I asked him an important question. "If you are okay with this, I would be honored to work alongside you in your future quests." I requested from him. I really wanted to be able to work through this with him; if I'm going to be stuck on this planet, it might as well be with him of all people. At first, Gajeel was going to deny it, but then he thought about it for a bit as he looked back at me. He took the time to consider it, considering everything that has happened, and then accepted it. In response, he kneeled down as well, getting up close to me as he grinned and welcomed me on his journey.
"You wanna join me then? Alright, but first, you need to tell me who you are." Gajeel questioned with a grin on his face. I was more than happy to tell him.
"My name is Kyousuke Watanabe." I told him in response. Hearing that, he got up and held out a hand to me, keeping that same grin on his face as I looked at him in shock. He accepted me to join him on his journey throughout all of this, and I was willing to take that opportunity. I put a smile on my face and grabbed his hand. He helped me up and put a hand on my shoulder as a nice gesture, walking me into the building with the scientist as we started our quest together through this dilemma. I finally fulfilled my promise and found the one I was looking for all of this time.