Chapter 7: Dark Side
"Tch… There's practically nothing here… These bastards are good at covering their tracks, I'll give them that…"
"Are you Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail?"
Erza turned to see a figure clad in an excessive amount of black armor, with a black cape.
"I am… Why do you ask? And for that matter, who are you-AGH!"
In an instant, Erza found herself blown back into a wall, and felt the sensation of someone choking her, despite no one touching her. She looked down to see the armor-clad figure holding his hand up in a choking motion.
"Force Choke. A move of mine. My magic wraps around your throat, and at my whim, I can crush your windpipe, Fairy Queen."
Erza scowled at him, and surged her own magic, breaking the hold. She collapsed on her knees, panting, before standing back up.
"Hm. I should expect no less from the Queen of Fairies. You have incredible raw magic power… Such limitless potential… That lives up to the rumors. I suppose you are a worthy opponent…"
He drew a strange silver object from his side. In an instant, a glowing red blade shot forth from one end, making it an energy sword of sorts.
"My name is Sith Lord Shadow, Master of the Dark Force."
"Sith Lord Shadow… Are you a member of Noctre Aeternam?!"
He nodded.
"You are correct. I am one of the Dark Commanders of Noctre Aeternam's forces."
"Dark Commanders… So Noctre Aeternam is a large guild after all…"
"Quite large, indeed. But those who are weak are naturally drawn to those who are strong, those who can protect. Now, Fairy Queen… shall we test your strength?"
Erza quickly shifted into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and called forth a sword, grabbing it. She knew this man meant business, and if she knew dark guilds, she knew that he would likely attempt to kill her.
The two leapt at each other, enchanted steel meeting with crimson light. They pressed against each other, before backing off. They leapt up again, trading blow after blow. She slashed at his shoulder, chipping off part of his armor. He managed to get a good slash on her arm, and she felt a burn accompany the attack.
"It burns too?! What kind of magic sword is that?!" She muttered.
"This is not just another magic sword, Lady Titania. It is a Lightsaber-a Crimson Lightsaber, to be specific. It can only be wielded by those who practice Force Magic, such as myself, and such magic is not child's play to master and command." Lord Shadow explained.
"Force Magic? Lightsabers? I've never even heard of those before…"
"That is not surprising. Force Magic, and by extent, Lightsabers, are not easy arts to master. As such, only a select few dare try to pursue it, and even fewer manage to master it."
"It's a type of Lost Magic."
The two turned to see Jellal standing there.
"Ah…. Jellal Fernandes, former master of the Tower of Heaven, now a member of Fairy Tail, who has thrown everything into atoning for his sins. The true you is an honorable man. Am I correct in assuming you learned about Force Magic during your time when you were travelling all over Earthland, pouring all you had into dismembering whatever dark guild you could find and defeating any dark mages you could get your hands on?"
Jellal's glare was cold and unrelenting.
"You are correct. I heard rumors of it, and became intrigued by it. I couldn't believe there was a Magic type in existence whose effects varied on whether or not its wielder was on the 'Dark Side' or the 'Light Side'. But Magic is a thing that varies as much as night and day, and I soon realized Force Magic was very real-I encountered a woman who called herself Jedi Master Caterina."
"Yes… Trainees of the Light Side often call themselves Padawans, and masters refer to themselves as Jedi Masters. They're usually very reclusive, almost never intervening in the outside world."
"Ah. She gave me some cryptic words, and then left…. And I believe that she was attempting to warn me about you."
"Hmph. Perhaps. But words alone will never be enough to defeat a Sith Lord. Come!"
Erza and Jellal simultaneously charged him. He blocked Erza's sword with his Lightsaber, and Jellal's attempt to punch him was stopped by a black-armored fist. The mages backed off.
Erza, can you draw his attention?
It would be easy enough, but why?
If you can draw his attention, he'll focus on you, and there won't be any time left for him to think about me. Force Magic relies on how much focus you have on an opponent. I'll be able to come in from behind and defeat him.
Alright then. Just don't overdo it-we need to get info out of him.
Of course, Erza.
In an instant, Erza switched to her Flame Empress Armor, and called forth the associated sword, as well as the sword associated with her Black Wing Armor. She then swung the Flame Sword in a semicircle, sending a burst of fire at the armor-clad man. He brushed the flames aside with a slash of his hand, only to come face-to-face with Erza. He blocked her blade with his Lightsaber.
"You truly are a good swordswoman, Titania. It's rare to find someone who can wield so many different armors and blades with such tactical genius. It's rather refreshing, and truly a great honor."
She leapt back, and the two began exchanging blows at unimaginable speeds.
"You say all of that, but you're a Dark Mage! How can you be spouting all of that while being a Dark Mage?!"
"The world is not black and white, Titania. It is full of grey. There is not always a clear line."
"How in the hell is that supposed to be an answer?!"
"You're still young-"
WHAM!
In an instant, Jellal slammed a magic-enhanced fist into the Sith Lord's chest, using the speed built up from a Meteor to add tremendous force to the impact. The Sith Lord's body went skidding across the ground.
"Such clever tactics… It's a shame that we're not going to be able to finish our battle today."
Purplish light enveloped his body.
"Wait!"
Erza ran forward, but the man vanished.
"We will settle this another day, Queen of Fairies!"
Erza scowled and hissed.
"Coward… teleporting away like that! I'll kick his ass!" She vowed.
