Prologue
Damien heard the voice of the dark goddess.
He had become a slave to that voice. To him, its orders were absolute. All his life, he served the dark goddess. Now he and his followers were preparing to revive their dark master. However, they would need a certain person to do this.
Her name was Erza of the Fairy Tail guild.
Chapter 1
Natsu was about to throw-up on Lucy, but she quickly kicked him out of the carriage before he could.
He always got violently ill whenever he rode a vehicle. His motion sickness was terrible. Lucy did not mean to kick him, but she couldn't very-well let him puck on the novel she was writing. The only thing that can prevent Natsu's motion sickness is Wendy's healing magic, but she could not come with them. Erza was driving the carriage, while Lucy, Happy, and Natsu were in the back.
This band of friends are comrades are member of the magic guild, Fairy Tail. Natsu is the Fire Dragon slayer. Meaning he is able to use flames, as well as eat them to heal himself, and replenish his energy. Lucy is a Celestial Spirit wizard, allowing her to summon spirits to her side and have them fight for her. Happy is a blue, talking cat, that can sprout white feather wings. Lastly, is Erza, also known as Titania. She is a red haired woman, who uses magic that allows her to change into armor instantly. Each of armor sets has different magic powers.
They were on this journey to a village the was being ravaged by bandits. Strangely, they requested that specifically Erza come to get rid of them. The four of them believe this was because there were one or more wizards among the bandits with powerful magic.
Since Natsu was getting worse, they decided to walk the rest of the way.
"Man, I wish Wendy was here." Natsu said, still recovering from his motion sickness. "Then I could of enjoyed that carriage ride."
"I wish you could find another way to counter your motion sickness." Lucy said. "Seriously, it getting really annoying."
"We're here." Erza said.
Natsu looked ahead to see a small village. Or rather, what was once a village. The homes were all burned down. There were trees growing in the middle of the roads. It was clear no one had lived there in years.
"This place is basically an abandoned town." Erza said. "So then who sent the request?"
Suddenly, there was a burst of sound so powerful the it broke the tree Erza was stand by into a billion splinters. Roots burst from the ground, grabbing Happy and Lucy. Natsu went to help them, when he had to dodge an acid spray. The acid burned the grass and dirt.
Erza quickly used her magic to change into her Flame Empress Armor. It had dark red, black, and orange colors. Parts of it were shaped like flames and around the arms, it resembled dragons limbs. This armor is equipped with flame magic. It comes with a long, black sword.
"Who goes there?!" Erza demanded.
From the shadows came four figures. One held a wooden staff that did not seem to have been carved at all. His face was ordinary and his body was muscular. Another was a short chubby man, with a small gourde that had green smoke coming out of it. He was almost completely cover in bandages, except for his eyes. The third was a boy holding a sketchbook, but he had a devilish smile. Lastly, was a woman with pink hair, and a key ring in her hand.
"You can call us the Medusa Worshippers." The woman said. "Now, I am sure you want to know why we tricked you into coming here, and the answer is we want you, Erza."
"For what purpose?" Erza demanded.
"Where would the fun be in telling you?" The child said. "Better to take you away and show you."
"Too bad I have no intention of going anywhere with you people." Erza said
"You tell 'em." Natsu said.
"Then, I suppose it was a good thing we were prepared to take you by force." The chubby one chuckled.
"I like to see you try." Natsu said, charging at them fists blazing with fire.
The man the a staff pointed it at Natsu. More roots burst from the ground, forcing him to jump back. When he landed, his feet instantly became frozen to the ground. He was confused.
The kid laughed.
"My magic lets me turn what a draw in here to reality." He said.
"Well done, Kojou." The woman said.
Erza was now on the attack, but just as she was an inch of her enemy, one of the woman's keys began to glow. Her armor disappeared instantly, and her hands and feet were chained together. The woman punched her in the gut before she could recover. Erza passed out.
"You bastards!" Natsu shouted when he broke free from the ice.
The woman used another one of her keys to create a huge burst of water, which pushed Natsu back. Then she used another to teleport themselves out of there, with Erza.
"Erza!" Lucy screamed.
"Don't worry." Natsu said. "We'll find her."
When Erza awoke, she was in a dark cave, where the only light came from a few small lanterns. Her attackers stood in front of her. She tried to yell at them, but she found she could not speak. They must have used a silence spell on her.
"Look you finally came to." The chubby one said.
"Quiet, Chu!" The woman said. "Master will be here any second."
"No need to be so harsh, Diana." The one with a staff said.
"Whatever, Nick." Diana replied.
"Well, I see you're all getting along." A new voice spoke.
An old man appeared. He was tall, had very dark skin, and a white beard. This man wore clothes that appeared to be made from lizard skin. His eyes remained closed as he spoke.
"Now, lets remove that nasty silence spell." He said, as he pointed his finger at her.
Her ability to speak was returned to her.
"What do you want of me?!" There was no panic is her voice.
"Your assistance." The old man said. "I am Damien, and now you will join the Medusa Worshippers."
"You are insane!" Erza shouted. "I would never join an evil group of thugs like you!"
Damien made a smile that scared even Erza. Though she was careful not to reveal her fear.
"True, as you are now, you would never join us." Damien said. "However, people can be changed. All you need is the right means."
The silence spell was placed on Erza again before she say anything more. Damien pulled out a wool sack. A snake came out of it. Carefully, Damien placed it on Erza's arm. It slithered to her guild mark. Once it reached the mark, the creature became a black liquid. This liquid covered her guild mark, slowly. As it did, Erza felt as though something was burning her internal organs. Her heart began to race. Her breathing became heavy. She felt as though her mind was drifting into a black void. Next thing she knew, her vision went black.
How I have waited for this!
There was a voice. It was cold and cruel.
It is time for your rebirth!
Something felt very wrong to Erza. There was this feeling that all that she was had begun to slip from her. In its place, something darker had appeared. Corrupt and villainous were better words to describe it. All her beliefs were being taken by this darkness. Her feeling that it was wrong changed. She had begun to enjoy it. Every bit of sadness and duty the old her felt was gone. A new, twisted version had taken her place.
Yes, take pleasure in this taste of darkness. There will be more. If you free me from my prison. Will you do it?
"Yes!" Erza stood up, her shackles had been removed.
There was a crazed smile on her face.
"I shall free you, Medusa!" Erza shouted.
The other Medusa Worshippers bowed to Erza.
"Behold," Damien said. "The one who will free our great goddess!"
"Hail, Medusa!" The rest of them said simultaneously.
"Hail, Medusa!" Erza spoke louder than any of them.
Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Gray were about to sail to a foreign country.
The reason they were setting sail was because when Natsu, Lucy, and Happy returned to their guild, the guild master Makarov used some magic to locate Erza. She was in another country, known as Asudem. So, they were going there to get her back. Gray, Carla, and Wendy decided to come along because they were worried about Erza.
Before they left . . .
"What did you say your attackers called themselves!?" Makarov shouted in surprise.
"The, the, a." Natsu had already forgotten.
"The Medusa Worshippers." Happy said.
"Ya, that." Natsu said.
"Does this remind you of anything, master?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, they are a group of criminals in a small country know as Asudem." Makarov said. "They kidnap members from legal guilds and dark guilds alike, then somehow brainwash them into joining their group."
"So they want to recruit Erza?!" Wendy was surprised and scared for her friend.
"Don't worry." Natsu said. "Erza has a seriously strong will. No way they'll brainwash her."
"According to the locator magic I used, Erza is in Asudem." Makarov said. "Near the capital city."
"Alright, we're going to this Asudem to get Erza back!" Natsu shouted.
"Ya!" A couple of Fairy Tail members shouted in response.
So now, they were setting sail to Asudem. Also, Natsu was already motion sick, so Wendy was using her healing magic to counter it.
Meet some more of Fairy Tail's finest members. The handsome Gray, with his black hair and eyes. He uses Ice-Make magic, which allows him to create objects and weapons in the form of ice. Then there is cute little Wendy, with her adorable face and long blue hair. Her magic is not just healing. She is also a Sky Dragon slayer, meaning she can consume air like food to heal herself and replenish her energy. Also, she can control the wind. Lastly, is Carla, another talking cat. Unlike Happy, she wears a pink dress.
"Seriously, you are hopeless at riding vehicles." Carla said. "Soon enough, Wendy's healing magic will not be able to help you."
"Don't worry," Natsu said. "Before then, I'll find a way to ride a vehicle without puking constantly!"
Carla had a doubtful look on her face. As did the others.
The rest of their trip was pretty boring. Fortunately, they arrived in Asudem by nightfall. Once they were off the ship, Happy instantly got distracted by tasty looking fish. Carla was annoyed by this, as was the fisherman who owned the fish.
"Don't worry, Happy." Natsu said. "Once we rescue Erza, we'll have a feast with enough fish to fill your belly for a lifetime."
"Did you say 'Erza'?" The fisherman asked.
"Ya, so?" Natsu said.
"Are you from the Fairy Tail guild of Fiore?" The man asked.
"Yes, we are." Gray answered. "What of it?"
"You must be here for the Medusa Worshippers." He said. "I heard they had recruited Erza Scarlet, a mage from your guild."
"Huh, word travels fast." Gray said. "You heard anything else?"
"Well, nothing new, but, the Medusa Worshippers have tried to steal something in this city quite often." He said.
"What are they trying to steal?" Lucy asked.
"It is called the Viper Blade." The man replied. "A treasure of the royal family. In an old legend, it is said that a hero struck down a powerful demon with that blade. Then, that hero founded our very country."
"Cool." Wendy said.
"The name of this demon was Medusa." The man said.
"Medusa!?" The gang was surprised.
"Ya," the man said. "The Medusa Worshippers are said to be people that are possessed by the spirit of this demon, and want revenge for its death."
"Any idea why those bastards would want Erza?" Natsu asked.
"No, and I think I've said enough already." The fisherman glanced to the right, then grabbed his fish and left.
To the right of them, there were some soldiers. These soldiers wore light-blue armor and wielded spears. They were giving the Fairy Tail mages a mean look.
"What was that about?" Carla inquired.
"Give me a second." Lucy said.
In her hands, she held a book containing all the laws of Asudem. After a few seconds of page flipping, she suddenly gasped.
"What is it?" Happy asked.
"According to this book, citizens are not allowed to talk about the Medusa Worshippers by law." Lucy said.
"Seriously?" That sounded weird to Gray.
"Yes," Lucy replied. "If they say too much, especially to foreigners, they can be punished with three years in prison!"
"Something tells me there is more to these Medusa Worshippers than we thought." Carla said.
"Doesn't matter, cause' we're still gonna kick their butts!" Natsu shouted proudly.
"Aye, sir!" Happy said, like he always does when Natsu gets fired up.
That night, they stayed in an inn. The closest one to the castle which belonged to the royal family. The castle was made of gray bricks. Surrounding it were six towers with walls connecting them, forming was hexagon shaped barrier. Inside the barrier were several gardens, and three buildings. Two were on opposite sides; they were small houses for the staff. Between them, was a tall cylinder shaped building, in which the royal family lived. This building had windows that formed circles, each two floors apart.
The inn was a block away. Natsu and the others decided to take turns sleeping, to make sure they could wake up if the Medusa Worshippers attacked the palace. Lucy took first watch, since she could not sleep with Natsu's snoring. She held her keys and thought about Erza. Ever since she first saw her, Lucy knew she was powerful and strong willed. Lucy truly admired how much she cared about her comrades.
"I hope she is okay." She said to no one.
Then, she heard a loud "boom" and the ground shook. The palace was under attack!
She ran to wake up the others, and found that they were already gone. When she ran to the palace, she saw her friends were already there. The walls surrounding the palace had been melted, and the guards were knocked out. There was a hole in the ground, near the cylinder shaped building. It seems that there was a vault beneath the palace. They dove straight down into it.
The first enemy they ran into was the muscular man with the wooden staff. He had trapped the guards with his tree magic. Most of them were unconscious.
"You fairies should not of come after us." The guy said. "Now you must be destroyed."
"I'll deal with this loser." Gray said, as he took off his shirt. "You go on ahead."
"Got it." Natsu said.
"Good luck, Gray." Wendy said.
The others ran past them.
"So, you got a name?" Gray asked.
"I am the plant sorcerer Nick." He replied in a flat tone. "Prepare to get pounded, shirtless boy."
Gray then attacked with "Ice Geyser". That means he created spikes of ice burst from the ground. Nick countered with his trees.
The next enemy they encountered was mummy man. His gourde was releasing smoke into the air, which was making the guards sick and paralyzed. He laughed as it happened, as if their pain gave him joy.
"You idiots found us." He said when he saw them.
Using his magic, he made the cloud of smoke move towards them at high speed. Wendy was able to consume the cloud because of her Dragon Slayer magic. To her it tastes very sour. She thought she would throw up. However, in-spite of her sick feeling, she used her magic send a burst of wind at him. He was thrown at the wall, but is was as if the mist from his gourde cushioned his impact.
"I guess all have some fun with this little one." He said laughing.
"I'll take this guy on." Wendy said.
"Okay, good luck." Lucy replied.
Once they left, the mummy chuckled.
"You are not all the bright, are you, little girl?" He was laughing now.
"I'm not a kid." Wendy said. "I am the Sky Dragon slayer of the Fairy Tail guild."
"Oh, a dragon slayer." He had stopped laughing. "If I take a dragon slayer, I will make a reputation for myself."
"I am Chu, now prepare for some pain." He said.
Now all that remained of the group running deeper into the vault was Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. They continued to run deeper and deeper. There were bright lanterns on the wall, which were probably enchanted with magic to make their light brighter. At the end of the tunnel they were following was a large steel door. In front of it stood three figures. The kid (Kojou), and the woman (Diana), along with Erza.
Erza!