This was the moment Levy never thought would arrive, that she would be standing at the edge of the darkness that rested outside of Makarov's kingdom. Staring at the twisting black trees and choking fog that stopped only a few short feet away from her, she could already feel fear slither its icy fingers around her heart. Her eyes wandered through the haze, wondering what monstrosities could exist on the other side of Fiore's protection, something that caused so much fear in the heart of its citizens that warnings were etched along its edge. 'All who enter do not return…'
As a child, she had travelled there with her friends late at night, playing games along the edge in order to induce fear in each other. They used to edge close to the fog, having contests about which of them could get the closest or stay inside the choking miasma the longest. She had always been terrified to get close, leaving the more daring games to Erza, Natsu, Grey, Jet, and Droy.
But now…
Stories of the terrors on the other side had been told late at night by the fireside when she was an adolescent. She remembered shivers tracing up and down her spine when she heard of the atrocities that lived in the mist. A thirst for blood and carnage that killed and left corpses to litter the ground like leaves in the autumn.
Then Lucy arrived…
She came from the other side, the remains of a wealthy family that had been trapped in the darkness. She refused to talk about what had come from the forbidden realm, saying only that she would never go back. Even after the two had become friends for years, the only thing she could get from her blonde friend was the tattered remains of a memory…
"…there was darkness… darkness and blood… blood that stained the walls like paint. The next day my father said my mother wasn't coming back home."
The curiosity ate a Levy like a parasite, making her crave the knowledge no one was willing to give her. Even Makarov himself shied away from the subject, saying only that little girls had no need to hear of the terrors that walked among the shadows. So, the bluenette turned to her only other course of action: books.
History. Theology. Religion. Geology. Cryptozoology. Ponerology. Anthropology. Demonology. Diabology. Enigmatology. Folkloristics. Mythology. Teratology.
She tried everything, researched everything; anything that might have given her a glimpse into the world beyond. Just when she thought she was making progress, the book ended or it was completely redirected. Topic changes. New chapters. Wall after wall after wall blocked her way. Did no one share her curiosity? Her passion to see the unknown?
And there she stood, staring at the wall of mist in front of her. She took a shaky breath, steeling herself, and stepped into the cold mist.
It was like flipping a switch. The light of the world behind her was completely snuffed out, leaving only dark gloom to surround her. As she walked into the mist, her eyes darted into the shadows. Everything seemed to sway with the even swells of fog that pulsed around her like a cold heartbeat. The world seemed to be swept into a vacuum. Even her footsteps seemed muffled, as if the darkness had absorbed all of the sound in the expanse around her.
A shriek suddenly cut through the darkness, making her freeze in her tracks. She wrapped her arms around herself, risking a turn in all directions. Fear started to collapse on her like a noose around her neck. Something scurried in the shadows beside her and she darted away, taking refuge under the shadow of a huge, black tree. She leaned against the cool bark, taking slow breaths to try and steady her racing heartbeat.
Then, like a deer that knew a hunter was nearby, she bolted. Crashing through the barrier and into the light of Fiore, she fell to her knees outside, terror still sending tremors through her body.
She looked behind her, the shriek sounding again somewhere in the distance.
Tomorrow, she decided, tomorrow she'd be back. And tomorrow she'd go even deeper.
It had been weeks since that first day, and every day Levy had gone deeper and deeper into the fog. In her last venture, she had seen something huge looming in the distance. She'd approached it, as close as she'd dared, and found it to be a huge castle. Its spires pierced the sky like fangs and filled her vision with an ominous black that she had thought couldn't be possible, even in the dark realm outside of Fiore. The premises was bare of life, neither human nor creature seemed to lurk around the castle. As she stared at the huge stained-glass windows, she had decided she was going to return to that place. Something pulled at her to enter its darkness.
And so, she began her journey into the mist.
Soon she came to the familiar clearing that opened up to the castle. The twisting trees pulled back in a uniformed circle around it, as if the soil there was too cursed for them to grow. She hugged herself against the chill that worked its way down her spine. Her eyes made their way to the dusky windows, still as barren and cold as her last visit.
Something caught her eye in the highest window of one of the spires. She squinted, trying to make out the shadow in the widow, wracking her brain as to whether or not it had been there during her last visit. Suddenly, it shifted, as if turning to face the window.
She froze, the hair on the back of her neck rising.
The shadow darted away from the window.
She gasped, backing away. The shadow flashed in a different window. It was headed down the spire, into the main of the castle… coming for her…
She darted into the forest, fear making her limbs shake. She heard footsteps quickly approaching, loud booted feet that tromped loudly after her. She felt a scream making its way to her throat as she realized there was another set of footsteps, and another.
Suddenly, she ran into something and fell onto her back.
"Well hello there, girly," the man smiled wickedly as three more came up behind her. Their skin was tinted grey from the lack of sunlight. Their eyes glinted in the darkness like a wild animal's. Their teeth were broken and jagged, smiling at her with disgusted pleasure.
"We've been watching you for a while," one of them smiled, his eyes glinting in the darkness, "What do you think you're doing here, fairy?"
"I-I was j-just…" she scrambled up, trying to back away. They blocked her exit, circling her like wolves around a lamb.
"I like fairies," one of them grabbed her arm, making her cry out in pain, "they make such a tasty little treat."
"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to pull away. The man just laughed and pushed her into one of the other men.
"You're not going anywhere," he smiled, his breath making her gag. She felt tears pushing behind her eyes as his hand stoked down her face.
Suddenly, his head snapped up and he jumped back, dragging her with him. Something dark grabbed one of the men and pulled them into the shadows. His blood-curdling scream was suddenly cut off.
"Wha-!" another one was dragged into the shadows. She heard a sickening snapping noise.
"Shit! We gotta get outta here!" the man pulled her after him as his last friend was devoured by the shadow. Blindly, she followed, terror wiping her mind clear of anything rational.
"What is that?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
Suddenly he stopped. She could feel him trembling in front of her. She peeked around his shoulder and gasped at what she saw.
A man stood in front of them. His black cape wrapped around his shoulders in a way that concealed his form underneath. Tangled black hair fell around his shoulders. His face was pale and scarred with rivets running up his nose and above his eyebrows. Glaring red eyes bore into them, void of anything besides murderous intent.
The man pulled her in front of him, using her as a human shield between her and the dark man in front of them.
"H-here! Take her! Just leave me alone!"
The man didn't say a word, only walked towards them. He pulled his lips back into an ugly sneer that made her cringe. Blood stained his teeth red and long canines stretched past his lips.
"Vampire?" she gasped, her words barely above a shaking whisper.
In one strong motion he knocked her away as if she were no more than a gnat, grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him into the air. She just lay there, unable to pull her eyes away as he sunk his teeth into his flesh. Blood spurted into the air as he screamed. His skin paled until it was almost transparent, and then the cloaked figure dropped his corpse onto the cold ground.
She didn't think horror could strike her any more until his gaze fell on her. Her body shuddered as he stepped towards her. Each stride carried strength and purpose. He crouched over her, his eyes captivating her in their deep red pools. He took a deep breath and sighed, as his breath hit her face she felt herself suddenly go limp and faint.