Me: Thank you for the kind reviews! Although the alerts are also quite flattering, I prefer the reviews! It makes me understand what you guys want instead of just going on with my usual thing. So, please don't be afraid to send in reviews! By the way, I don't own Fairytail! I only own Katherine/Iolanthe/Maegara Dumas and her powers!
Katherine – "this"
Maegara – "this"
Iolanthe – "this"
Conscience – "this"
Chapter 8 – Get Ready To Rumble!
Erza's eyes widened for a moment as the whole guild became increasingly silent, unable to absorb to what Jellal had just proposed. "W-What are you talking about, Jellal? What are these Aeons everyone's been talking about?"
Jellal nudged the fallen bodies with his foot, closing in on me. "What's your name?"
"Dumas," I spoke slowly, warily watching his eyes shift to and fro. "Katherine Dumas – why do you need to know?"
A smirk appeared on Jellal's face as he folded his arms. "As expected – you have no memory of what you are, don't you?"
What the hell is this douche bag talking about? All my memories are perfuckingfectly intact!
This guy might be on to something. Watch it.
The guild members remained completely silent as they watched Jellal inspect the bodies. I couldn't find any energy to move as he sifted to the dried and fresh blood, nearly vomiting as he did so. Mirajane flinched as Lucy and Wendy held on to each other. Laxus glanced at the other fallen bodies as some began cleaning up. Droy immediately summoned an array of plants as they started moving the bodies somewhere else. Other dark mages were brought in by Elfman and Gajeel as they hauled them over their shoulders and brought them towards the wards. Makarov soon began inspecting Priscilla's body along with Jellal.
"What exactly are you up to, Siegrain," Makarov narrowed his eyes at the Heaven Magic wizard, noticing Jellal pull out a certain piece of stone imbedded in them. "What is that?"
Jellal sniffed it for a moment, squishing it in his fingers. "These are digested human remains. It's no surprise they were driven crazy. Some Aeon tribes are driven crazy by the mere scent of human blood. We usually refer to these kinds of Aeons as "demons" or even separate them into classes such as "vampires" and others. However, that doesn't explain one thing..."
"What are you talking about," I narrowed my eyes at him, baring a bit of the remnants of my fangs."I'm fucking human if that's what you're asking."
Jellal scoffed darkly as he picked up Easley's head. "This guy seemed to know you, am I right?"
Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically. "No shit, but that doesn't mean she's one of them."
"By race she is but by alignment she isn't," Jellal wafted away the smell of the corpses. "Can you guys get rid of this? The smell isn't exactly all appealing."
Unleashing a flame, Natsu burned the carcasses into cinders as the ashes floated away with the wind. "Everyone keeps mentioning these Aeon stuff – are they dragons or something?"
"Dragons are part of the Aeon line if that's what you're asking," Jellal hung his head in realization, glancing back at me. "Dragons are only one out of a hundred subspecies of Aeons. These creatures that are called "Aeons" are usually beast in nature except three special classes: the Elemental class, the Celestial class and Beastmen class. However, what I'm extremely mixed up by is how Dumas managed to maintain complete control of her impulses to attack humans. For starters, if she submitted – everything would be dead. Man or woman, they wouldn't survive. The thing is – she was able to recognize who's who. Secondly, being able to change only certain parts of her body is proof of control. So, the question is – how does that happen?"
They all glanced at me as I blinked several times. "What? I still have a human heart, demon or whatever the hell I am."
Loke stroked his chin in deep thought, glancing at Jellal. "If what you're saying is true then, I guess it's because she's lived around humans a lot more than Aeons. From what I've checked in the Celestial libraries, Aeons are an isolated race. They prefer living amongst their own kind or in complete solitude. It depends on the race. Demons usually don't give a damn about one another unless someone with higher power is going to crush them."
"That's true but," Jellal grabbed a glass of booze sitting next to him, taking a placid sip. "Dumas, what do you remember about your life?"
I growled darkly, twitching at him. "Why the hell should I tell you?"
"I'm guessing you have split personalities as well – at least you should have at least 2 minor personalities," Jellal pointed out, causing my eyes to widen. "I'm right aren't I?"
Fucking hell, how did he figure that out?
You're asking the wrong personality. I'm still lost at the first part about us being either vampires or what...
You're so damn slow.
Fuck off, Maegara!
I gnashed my teeth together, clenching my hands into fists. "Why do you know all this?"
Jellal glanced behind him, beckoning some purple haired buxom woman to come forward. "Ultear, you think you can time travel with your magic?"
"It's still in progress," Ultear tossed back her long violet hair, pulling out a white orb. "But, I can give you a visual but don't expect excellent audio quality."
Jellal nodded in approval, gesturing everyone to look at the orb. "Good enough, this image should give you a better idea of what Aeons are."
I found myself completely paralysed to the ground as the other entire guild members moved in. How did he find out about Maegara and Iolanthe so fast? He's not even part of the guild yet after seeing only one match – he knew! My mind began to spin as questions started to pop out of nowhere. Argh, why am I straining my brain for this? That's why he's got a time wizard with him! I moved in closer as the white orb emitted a bright light to create a projection as Jellal began to narrate.
"During ancient times, Aeons roamed the earth as the first living beings. Aeons could easily change the orbit of the stars for their liking and even conjure alchemy to change anything into gold, food or whatever they pleased. With no better word for it, they called each of their powers a "talent". However, there was one rule that they could not break and that was to bring the dead back to life. Perfectly content with the set of rules implemented, they decided to advance their civilization and their technology. To them, nature was their messenger and a Higher Power governed them all. The world was filled with bright lush forests and the oceans remained blue. They invented ways to preserve nature at the same time create benefits for themselves. Within paradise however, there will always be something what everyone calls "the seed of Judas". One of the Aeons decided to try and surpass the Higher Power by attempting to bring back his loved one by reverting her away from her most primitive form – a lacrima. Upon seeing this, he was punished along with his people as the Aeons soon became a separated race. Civilization broke down as they tore at each other hence creating the three main classes of Aeons: demons, beasts and celestials. Beasts were neutral in nature and were the closest thing to being human while two more alignments were created: Chaos and Law."
Lucy gulped from the burning images, feeling a slight kick from her belly. "Wait, what about that person who was being revived? What happened to her?"
My eyes widened as the image of the girl appeared. Her silhouette slowly formed as I shivered with horror when she turned to face me with a psychotic grin. She tossed back her long brown hair as her eyes from honey brown managed to become more berserk and psychotic. The orb soon engulfed itself in a huge flame with a black shadow-like creature bursting from it. Its laughter caused chills to run up my spine as I fell back. The woman's image maintained its maniacal grin as her laughter became a haunting voice in my head. Lucy staggered back, crashing into Natsu as Gray and Erza stood in front of her.
"Katherine, stay back," Loke ran towards me as he started charging up for the Regulus Impact, creating a distance between me and the demon before unleashing a blast. "Regulus Impact!"
The blast harmlessly melted in front of the demon as Loke's eyes widened in astonishment as he stood in front of me. The shadow creature grinned before swiping Loke towards the wall and advanced towards me with a dark evil grin. I staggered back in horror, feeling my throat strangle my voice. Laxus unleashed a set of lightning bolts as Natsu leapt into the air for a punch but the moment their powers came in contact with it, it melted away. The jet black aura soon engulfed Natsu's burning fist and Laxus' hand, causing them to reel back in agonizing pain. My eyes widened fearfully as a red and black burn scar appeared as it ate away their flesh. As it finally stood a metre away from me, it resumed back into the form of a woman as she gently stroked my cheek.
Hello there, my child...
"No," I ignored the throbbing feeling in my head, switching the eye-patch over to my normal eye. "Get away from me!"
However, she remained right in front of me, completely unaffected before cornering me with her two hands. "Do you really think your powers can affect me? I've been waiting for somebody like you for a very long time. After all, you are me and I am you."
Suddenly, a yellow blast fired straight at her and knocked her away. She let out a demonic growl as Loke came to my defence. She sprung off from her four limbs, pouncing on the lion zodiac spirit. With very little effort, Loke parried her pounce and threw her over him as Natsu smashed her with a burning fist. Gray immediately started creating ice crystals to slow down her movement as Juvia unleashed a water prison. However, the woman suddenly started boiling the water as the prison burst and began melting the ice and putting out Natsu's flames.
"You can't defeat me," she grinned psychotically, pointing at me. "After all, I'm just a spirit! I'm just here for my body!"
"Screw you," Gajeel unleashed the iron pole from his left arm while Laxus electrocuted her using the water on the ground.
Who the fuck does she think she is? Kick her ass, Katherine!
Maegara, you do it! My powers aren't working!
Like mine would, you idiot! I'm Chaos alignment, you douche bag!
Let me handle this!
Like hell you can, Iolanthe!
Katherine, please! Let me help you!
Reluctantly, I tore off my eye-patch before flinging it onto the ground. "Iolanthe!"
Soon, the world began to spin as a bright white light whirled around me. The woman immediately stepped back with an electrifying shriek, rushing towards the crystal ball.
Let's get her!
I'm right behind you, Katherine!
"Fucking hell I'm just gonna let you use my body," I unleashed spinning blades until the shadow vanished back into the crystal ball, causing the whole crystal to suddenly shatter. "Damn it, get your ass back here!"
Soon, an uneasy silence settled in the guild as I slumped onto the ground. My heart refused to stop pounding against my chest until a jacket billowed onto my shoulders, revealing Loke as he helped me up. Both my legs refused to stand straight as I ended up leaning towards him. I gnashed my teeth in annoyance, how did she manage to escape? Laxus was able to at least make her hair stand up on its ends and Gajeel nearly put a hole through her! Why couldn't I even lay a finger?
"So, what was that all about," Lisanna whispered quietly, glancing at people as she slowly recuperated from shock. "How come she recognized Katherine?"
I blinked several times, replaying the images in my mind. Her psychotic grin continued to send shivers down my spine as Loke clasped my hands together. His emerald green eyes stared at me with concern as I immediately averted my gaze. Soon, the room suddenly began spinning as my body suddenly felt heavy. I couldn't feel any fangs but everything started to double. People's voice suddenly became distant as I struggled to keep my eyes open. Images suddenly began to distort as my voice remained strangled by my throat.
"Katherine," Loke began shaking me, lightly slapping me. "Hey, are you alright? Katherine!"
His voice slowly faded into the darkness as my vision became nothing but black.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Where am I?
My vision cleared into a pathway covered in fog. My body seemed intact as the skies became a bleak grey with rain slowly drizzling onto the ground. I warily took a step forward while watching anything that may come from behind or anywhere.
Do you wish to know the Truth?
My eyes widened before I growled furiously. "The truth? What the hell are you talking about? All this Aeon shit has been making my head spin! This is the second time I've fucking fainted and gave everyone else a heart attack!"
The Truth shall set you free but you will forever be bound by the Thorns of Time.
"Thorns of Time," I repeated slowly, balling my hands into a fist. "What the hell are you talking about?"
...Watching the people you love die one after the other as Old Age claims them. Do you deny it? How long have you lurked in that forest? When was the last time you had contact with humans? You were never one of them. You are what they say you are yet you do not know what you are.
"So what if I'm an Aeon," I snapped as prepared a battle stance, glancing around me. "That doesn't change who the hell I am! Come on and talk to me straight, retard!"
...Very well... Run towards your fate then...
A pathway of red stones soon formed in front of me as the fog slowly dissipated. A smirk appeared on my lips as I continued running until I reached a tall black castle encased with thorns. Black roses bloomed at one side as the wrought iron gates creaked open. Going for a running jump, I sailed over the briar bushes until the entrance which were guarded by black roses and thorny vines climbing up the trellis. The fog vanished as I took a step forward.
"Katherine," a small voice squeaked softly as the door creaked open, revealing another me behind the tall doors.
"Iolanthe," I immediately rushed towards her, grabbing her arms and noticing she was in a balloon pink gown. "What the hell is this place? How come you look like some sugarplum sissy?"
I like gowns but this one was too frumpy! The hell with it, it's not even decorative!
"I'm waiting," she smiled bitterly, glancing at the briars. "You were the first one to sail over that briar without getting hurt."
I blinked several times with an incredulous stare. "Getting back to the point, what are you waiting for?"
Iolanthe smiled sweetly at me, smoothing out her skirt. "I'm waiting for him."
I twitched furiously, shaking her more violently than before. "What the hell? You're stronger than me; you should be able to cut through those briars!"
"But I can't do that," Iolanthe cowered a little, shrinking away from my arms. "Only...you can..."
Slowly, she faded away until I held nothing but air. I began glancing around as the huge castle doors slowly creaked open. Biting my lower lip, I steeled myself while warily advancing inside the castle. As the doors suddenly slammed behind me, crimson lights lit up the room as the gothic windows permitted some light. The carpets revealed a burgundy red grass as the metalsmith glittered with a dark ruby hue. Red flames danced around as garnets slowly formed a chandelier as an eerie crimson light shone onto the dining table. The chairs, crafted from the finest Madame Fire Tree wood, moved themselves into a line along with floating garnet candelabra taking their place as the centrepiece.
"W-what is this," I walked in slowly, keeping my guard up.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Loke's P.O.V
I never expected her attacks to get worse. When she passed out, her pulse practically stopped and everything in me nearly died if not for Wendy's powers. Katherine became pale as her hands suddenly became cold. Her body remained covered by three blankets as her breathing drastically weakened. My mind raced in horror as I found myself pacing around the room.
"Katherine was never accepted ideally in the village I was in," Gray motioned to me, folding his arms. "Although, you shouldn't worry about her. She hates having people do that."
I remained completely silent until Gray stood up and placed a hot towel over Katherine's forehead. "Gray, when did you meet her?"
"It was long time ago," Gray bitterly hung his head before grimacing slightly, curling his fingers slowly into a fist. "A day before Deliora attacked, the people held something called "The Lottery". People would be told to draw out papers until they get the paper with a black dot. The people who were told to draw out papers like these were those who had the ability to perform magic. The tradition started with old man Thanatos."
"What happens if they get the black dot," I folded my arms, raising an eyebrow at the ice mage. "Lemme guess – they're stoned to death?"
"Close but not quite," Gray shook his head darkly, brushing one of her brown locks away from her face. "They would bury them alive deep underground right in front of the village."
I brushed past him before sitting on the bed, sticking myself right in between the both of them. "I think I heard Juvia calling you. I'll watch over her."
Gray smirked at me, folding his arms. "I could've heard Juvia even from a mile away. I don't hear her."
"Humans have less enhanced senses compared to animals," I sniggered at the ice mage, seeing him slightly fume. "Besides, what would your beloved water mage think when she finds you next to her?"
The black haired ice mage glared daggers into my being, slowly backing off. "I'm warning you, Loke. You pull off a move and...!"
"And what, Fullbuster? You'll beat me into a bloody pulp? You'll freeze me into the next dimension," I sneered darkly, tightening my grip on Katherine's hand. "Over my dead body."
Gray narrowed his eyes before slamming the door behind him. I softened my gaze at Katherine's serene expression, bending down to nuzzle her gently. Her temperature stabilized much to my relief as her complexion returned to its usual rosy colour as her heartbeat pounded gently against my ear. For someone who could match Gajeel's dirty mouth, in the beauty department – Katherine could probably make Aquarius burn with jealousy. The fact that she had to combat that kind of emotional conflict all her life made me want to protect her in whatever way I can. She would scream silently and would hide it behind her violent and brash outbursts. To be honest, it hurt more to see her do that than her crying her eyes out helplessly.
It's official, Leo. You've found someone for you. Now, how sure are you that it's her you're looking at?
Natsu knew how I was with Lucy and we even got into a fist fight. Lucy saved my life, no doubt about that. She helped me let go of my guilt when Karen passed away but nobody intrigued me as much as Katherine. She could've chosen to abandon me when I was bleeding my ass off but she didn't. She didn't even know I was a Celestial spirit and treated me as if I was a human as she was. Most people would treat me out of respect that I'm the leader of the Zodiac Spirits. Women would practically fall all over my feet because I do have that sex appeal. But she didn't seem affected by the entrancement of my eyes. She even took care me, came all this way to help me find Lucy and comforted me as I watched Lucy go into the arms of another man. Although it still hurt, seeing Katherine carry this burden all alone stabbed me straight though the heart. This time, I cannot lose – no, I will not lose her. Fullbuster already has Juvia to worry about. Me? I already found my lioness. The question is – how can I help her...?
Wait a minute...
Instinctively, I cradled her body against my own as I took in a deep breath. I closed my eyes as all my power all into one little ball before pressing my lips against hers. Unlike most women who would drawl and swoon, she tasted like wild honey and her hand slowly gripped mine. Her warmth slowly engulfed me as I brushed my lips gently over hers.
Here I go...
Gray's P.O.V
I stood in front of the door, leaning against it for support. My hands curled up into a fist as I inhaled deeply, wondering how long it had been. Katherine supposedly died that day; nobody could dig out of six feet of dirt without any help. Her powers were sealed away supposedly by the mayor and the elders of the council but here she was – staying with Loke. A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I clenched my hand into a fist, inhaling deeply again to calm my palpitating heart down.
Be patient, Gray. You'll think of something.
Juvia's alright but somehow – I can't imagine myself being intimate with her. I can't even push myself to flirt like Loke who can twist women around his finger and probably bed them without even getting them drunk. Natsu has ash for brains and how he and Lucy manage to do it really befuddled me. I began yanking my hair in frustration.
"What is it with this world!"
"Gray-sama, Juvia heard you screaming," the water mage suddenly appeared behind the wall, concern written all over her face. "Are you alright?"
I sighed out of frustration, scratching my head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just confused about something."
Am I that unlovable or something?
Those days we spent together as children flashed back in my mind. A small smirk appeared on my lips as I recalled how I was bullied all the time just because I preferred snow and winter over spring. Katherine would fight them all with her usual rambunctious personality and beat them down into a pulp. Being the cry-baby I was, I would watch her fearlessly fight boys who were twice her size and win. Her hair wasn't that long before – in fact, it was a spiky mess of what she called "hair". She refused to wear a dress and skirt, saying that she can't be a knight if she's in a dress. But now that she's down, somehow – it feels different. There was something I should have said to her that day...
[Flashback]
Seven year old Gray ran towards a pond where he noticed his brunette friend feeding a small group of ducks. He blinked several times as he noticed her formerly spiky hair now danced gracefully in the wind as wavy brown locks. Her honey brown eyes shone mirthfully as the ducks started quacking away. Her ruffled white dress fluffed up a few times due to wind as she fell back, watching the ducks suddenly swim away.
"No wait, come back," a six year old Katherine whined as she extended her hand, pouting before messing up her dress. "Aww, stupid dress!"
Gray chuckled while walking towards her, extending his hand. "You should be more gentle. Animals get scared when you start throwing tantrums, Katherine."
Katherine pouted impishly, placing her hands on her hips. "Che, I wasn't throwing a tantrum at all, Gray!"
"If you weren't then, why would they swim away from you?"
"Shut up, you're a meanie!"
Gray chuckled lightly while he ruffled her hair. "You're a girl, you're not supposed to be so violent."
"Well I'm a different kind of girl so I can be whoever I please," she folded her arms, looking away. "B-But," – a blush crept up her cheeks, her voice suddenly broke into a stammer. "W-would you like me more if I w-were m-more girly?"
Gray, feeling his face flush thirty shades of vermillion, immediately averted his eyes away. "It doesn't matter. I prefer you for you."
Katherine smiled while letting out a giggle. "Okay, race you to the ice cream parlour?"
"You're on," Gray chuckled as they zoomed towards the colourful store along the lane.
[End of Flashback]
Katherine became so different after so long. When she first came, her eyes and her voice became so cynical. Then, it would burn with all sorts of dark feelings that would even send me running. But, she fought alongside Fairytail and when we'd throw parties – Katherine would smile. Although, leaving her Loke somewhat made my whole body roar. I wanted to rip her away from him. Should I even tell her what kind of a womanizer Loke is? I don't know but I wish... No, being wishful isn't going to be enough. Loke, prepare to fight!
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Normal P.O.V
This place is damn huge.
I continued to walk through the hallways as six more doors appeared before me. Each door responded with a specific colour as I continued to walk towards them. The blue door glistened brightly with carved blue wood and a sparkling sapphire knob. A bright icy blue flower glittered above the doorframe as beneath the door, a cold mist seeped out. The second door smelled of spring with green four-leafed clovers sprouting from the window pane as a wooden door knob sprouted from a hole, causing a lush greenery to colour the door. A purple door stood as the third as it reflected the small candle lights with little amethyst fragments forming a door knob. Crawling on the wood, a grape vine latched itself to the wood with bright green leaves sprouting. The grapes darkened into a royal purple as its juice suddenly began to pour into a golden chalice leaning against the doorframe. Next to it, the fourth glowed orange with the fifth and sixth beaming with white and violet respectively. However, the last door remained completely alone in the corner and unlike its counterparts – the knob bled red with the wood reeking with the smell of human blood. Red runes carved deeply into the door as a huge darkness enshrouded it.
"Let's try the black door," I reached towards the black door, tugging on the knob before forcefully pulling it. "Eh? What the hell? Oh hell no, don't tell me I need to find the damn key!"
However, the blue door creaked open first as it revealed a soft cerulean glow on the white carpet. I steeled myself before walking towards it slowly, flinching slightly from the freezing mist. I closed my eyes instinctively until a village greeted my sight.
This place... Isn't this...?
Boss, I have a bad feeling about this place...
"Gray! Come on, last one to the ice cream parlour has to pay!"
"Hey, that's no fair! You had a head start!"
I swivelled my head towards the direction of the voice as I found a brunette running towards the ice cream café with a big smile on her face, being followed by a black haired boy. My whole body seized in shock as her voice slowly faded away into the distance as the ice cream parlour door opened with bells tinkling from a distance. Fog soon started to ruin my vision as a loud tolling rang from far away.
Welcome to the Truth... Your journey begins from where it all started...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Well, this is chapter 8! Wow, I'm definitely on a roll! I hope to have more reviews from you guys! I only update when I start getting reviews! Besides, I can at least know what you guys think about the story. You may suggest anything and I'll see if it works well with the plot! Thanks to everyone who sent in reviews! Don't forget, please review!
