Ringing.

That was what overpowered the young warrior's ears as her body was blown back by the fierce explosion.

Pain.

The excruciating feeling scorched her entire body as the city around her suffered the fires and smoke that lit up the twilight sky.

Petrified.

The emotion currently held her grasply in its cold claws as she had lost sight of her fallen comrades.

All she could do as she watched in trepidation as her merciless opponent languidly strolled across the field to her, with an air so nonchalant as if he wasn't the culprit behind the heinous destruction that surrounded them.

His calculating onyx eyes bore into her silver ovals. Reaching out, he ignored the small yelp that escaped her lips as his gloved hand grabbed a large clump of her bloodied, scarlet hair as he forced her to her feet.

Paralyzed by the pain, she was unable to free herself, so she had no choice but to succumb to her fate. This is it, her mind whispered. I failed my friends, I failed myself.

Her captor ran the fingers of his free hand through his indigo locks as he looked down at her. "You're so defiant. You've been stubborn since the day I met you, and now it has cost you your friends and your precious guild. You should've came quietly and our unfinished business could've been settled without bloodshed. But you chose your fate, and you chose wrong, Erza."

Titania refused to look at her childhood friend, at the man he'd become.

Unfinished business. "You… monster. I was through with you the moment you sent me away from Heaven's Tower. We're finished. You are doing this out of spite, Jellal."

Jellal smirked as his free hand reached out to roughly cup her chin. "So quick you are to forget. You and I will complete the ritual we started."

Opening her eyes to clearly look at Fairy Tail's enemy, she let her rage burn darkly in her pupils. "And what ritual was that?"

Jellal's smirk transformed into the nastiest grin Erza had ever seen from any of her opponents. She couldn't stop him as he suddenly swooped in to kiss her.

Eyes widening, she struggled to get away as he slowly took away her oxygen, forcing his tongue in to ravish her mouth as his hand dipped from her chin to the curve of her breast.

If she could breathe around Jellal's frontal assault, she would've inhaled sharply as he plunged his fingers into her flesh, still throbbing and sensitive from the pain that reverberated throughout her body. It felt like knives were piercing her chest, but then his touch became soft, gentle. He massaged her large orb as even his tongue let up and softly stroked against hers.

Erza's mind was reeling, trying to digest and comprehend what exactly was happening. He was just on the brink of killing her. The surrounding scene faded around her as his fingers dipped beneath the tattered cloth that had seen obliteration during their battle. With a soft pull, the cloth fell, leaving all of Titania's goods on full display.

Pulling away from her, Jellal licked away the train of saliva that they had shared. The cold, unforgiving look was replaced with a heated one filled with passion.

"To make you my wife; to claim your body as mine and fulfill the promise I made to you all those years ago."

This doesn't make sense, Erza's common sense yelled at her as Jellal laid her down in the bed of flowers beneath them. Her eyes rolled back as Jellal began to kiss and touch her in a way she had only dreamed about.

She heard him whisper something. What was it?

"Erza Scarlet, I lo-"

"NO!"

Erza shot up in bed, her fiery red hair in disarray as she looked around in surprise. She was in her room. The guild and town were not under attack, which meant her friends were okay.

As her heartbeat slowly returned to its original rhythm, she let her head sink into a shaky hand.

"It really was a dream," she observed. An erotic one at that, as she noticed the thick wetness pooling between her thighs.

She sat there, trying to understand what had come over her. Noticing the golden light peaking through her window, Erza deduced it was early morning. Had she been dreaming all night?

Why did I envision Jellal in such a way? He hasn't acted like that since we defeated him at Heaven's Tower, she pondered. He's not like that anymore. Or is that my heart telling me that I may be wrong in that assumption?

Pulling back her violet comforter to prepare for another day at Fairy Tail, Erza knew that dream would stick with her.

I'm dreaming about Jellal when I haven't seen him in months; a premonition? A warning?

Re-quiping into her standard armor, Erza recovered herself as the heavy metal brought her some peace. I don't need to worry about it. Just forget it and move on.

Fifteen minutes later and she found herself walking towards the guild. She smiled as the words Fairy Tail came into sight. For her, Fairy Tail was synonymous with home.

As her hand reached out to enter, her trained senses made her pause. Someone was watching her. But she didn't see anyone when she was walking.

Slowly and carefully, Titania turned around. Her arm dropped to her side as she discovered who now stood behind her.

"Jellal."