A/N: Many thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so faithfully! Your support means the world to me! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to upload this chapter. :( In fact, the reason why I've been so slow to upload this last chapter (well, aside from exorbitant amounts of homework) is because I've been so busy reading the absolutely brilliant fanfics of certain readers *cough cough Lightmoon54*. More special thanks to severedserenity, Erza Scarlet Titania, GingerificFabulousTime, FoxOnPie, and many others for all the reviewing you guys have done! :)
Chapter Eight – Aprindere
Wendy
Aprindere, he called himself. The lord of the flames. Did that mean that he used fire to explode things? If so, then Chelia and I might have a slight chance, since fire was a horrible match-up for wind. And yet, my gaze returned to the motionless bodies of my friends and allies, lying so still on the cobblestones. How could he knock all of them out with a single explosion?
Lyon had collapsed next to Juvia, one arm flung protectively over her. Elfman and Evergreen's hands were extended towards each other, their limp fingers just brushing. Even the mighty Gildarts was out cold, his daughter's body tucked protectively against his chest. All the others lay where they'd fallen, never having had a chance to defend themselves. The sky was bathed in a sickly red haze, flakes of ash slowly drifting to the ground. Already, thin layers of gray were cloaking my friends, stealing the color from their clothes, skin and hair. It was as if I'd stumbled into a hellish nightmare.
Only, this was reality.
"Chelia, you try to distract him long enough for me to heal some of the others."
"Mn," she responded with a nod, somewhat breathlessly. Then she sucked in a massive breath of air and aimed it at Aprindere. "Sky God's Roar!"
When she released her magic, I dashed over to Gildarts, figuring he was our best bet. If I could at least make him regain consciousness, there was a good chance that we could beat this mage. I fell to my knees at his side, setting Carla down gently and moving my hands over his chest to let my magic feel around for the source of his injuries. I had only just begun to bathe his chest in my magic's healing glow when Chelia screamed and I felt a weight slam into my back. I was sent flying forward, tumbling across the ground with Chelia. Her pink hair filled my vision as we skidded across the ash-laden ground, leaving a track through the gray powder.
"Chelia! Are you okay?" I asked, frantically struggling to free myself so I could scan the other girl for injury and find the lord of the flames.
"I'm fine," she ground out, one eye squinted shut and fresh cuts and bruises peppering her face. She rose into a crouch, one hand on the ground for balance as the other rested on her knee. "He's more powerful than I thought." A touch of concern colored her voice, and I glared at the explosion mage, panting.
His dark brown hair was trimmed neatly along the sides, but messy tufts stuck up from the top of his head. A row of silver studs lined his left ear. Golden eyes stared back at me, fringed with long, dark lashes. They were glowing, though I couldn't decide if it was from the eerie lighting and dancing flames licking hungrily at the merchant stalls, or from some inner emotion. His neat black suit was still crisp and clean, with the exception of the few flecks of ash that came to rest on his shoulders. He raised his arms out to his sides and tilted his head up, uttering a high, reckless laugh. Bringing his head back down to look at me, he left his arms up at his sides, palm up.
"Behold…the dawn of a new age is upon us. You old-age mages will be eliminated to make way for our new empire. You and all your precious commoners, though I don't give a damn about powerless insects." Once again, he threw back his head and laughed. My eyes narrowed as I straightened. There was no way we would let these maniacs defeat us and destroy the world!
"A new age?" a voice drawled from behind Aprindere. My heart lurched with hope as I recognized that familiar, irreverent tone. "You sound completely insane. Just as well, because I'm going to beat you."
The man in the suit spun around, talking in the new threat with vaguely amused eyes. Natsu stood silhouetted against the burning buildings, his pink hair streaked with soot and his eyes glowing menacingly in the dancing light of the flames. An unconscious Hibiki was slung over his shoulders, and I felt my heart clench with fear. Where are the other members of his group? Lucy-san, Gray-san…surely nothing has happened to them!
Slowly, never taking his eyes off of Aprindere, Natsu lowered Hibiki to the ground "Wendy, Chelia, Carla. I'm sorry I couldn't find you guys sooner."
"What are you doing here, Natsu-san?" Chelia asked, wincing as she stood up and rolled out her shoulders. I listened intently, for that was what I'd also been wondering.
"Lucy, Hibiki, Yukino and I were attacked when we were separated from the group, but then we couldn't find everyone else. Hibiki was acting all weird and possessed, so I brought him away with me to hopefully get help. However, I lost Lucy and Yukino somewhere in the crowd, but I couldn't find them when I went back to look for them." He briefly closed his eyes as a flicker of remorse crossed his usually blasé face. "Eventually, I decided I had no choice but to continue on. And it looks like that was a good decision, too, seeing as how I got here just in time. Chelia, Wendy, you two heal the rest of these guys while I take care of this weirdo." He cracked his knuckles loudly, a vicious grin stretching his face.
"Oh? A Dragonslayer, eh? This should be interesting." A predatory smile curled Aprindere's lips, and for some reason, I felt even more uneasy than before.
"Be careful, Natsu-san!" I called out to him. He nodded and grinned confidently at me.
As the two men faced each other, Chelia and I hurried over to start healing the others. She knelt down beside Lyon, and I rushed to Gildarts's side. As the warm glow of my healing magic bathed my hands and washed over Gildarts's chest, I heard the beginning sounds of the fight.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Natsu yelled, charging at Aprindere with a speed almost too fast for my eyes to follow.
A sudden explosion shook the ground, and I heard Natsu cry out as he was thrown backwards. I snapped my gaze to the fighting pair, horrified at the thought of Natsu getting defeated.
"Silly Dragonslayer!" Aprindere cried jubilantly. "I am the lord of the flames! Your fire bows to my commands! And most unfortunately for you, dear Fire Dragon, my flames tend to make yours…blow up in your face."
As Natsu summoned a column of fire to surround his body, his face angry but determined, I saw Aprindere smile cruelly. Suddenly, before I was aware of what was happening, Natsu's flames simply…exploded. There was no other way to describe the sudden burst of flames spewing chaotically from his body.
"Natsu-san!" I cried, wanting nothing more than to run to him to heal him. He roared in anger and pain as he was thrown backwards, skidding over the cobblestones as he fought to get his feet under him.
"Fast wind that runs through heaven…Vernier! Power of the stout arms that tear heaven…Arms!"
As the magic circles appeared beneath him, Natsu spared me a quick nod of thanks before returning his attention to his opponent. I'm sorry, Natsu-san. This is the best I can do for you now. I leave this to you. Turning my own attention to the task at hand, I trusted that Natsu would keep Aprindere away from Chelia and me while we worked. And then I completely focused my mind on my healing magic.
My conscious seemed to flow in and mingle with my magic as I spread it throughout Gildarts's body, healing all the most serious injuries. His lungs were completely filled with smoke from the explosion, and I quickly focused on removing it and filtering in clean air. Slowly, I felt his chest begin to rise and fall again, his magic already restoring.
Pulling back, I opened my eyes. Gildarts blinked open his own brown ones, a grimace pulling at his face. He coughed, the sound a harsh, grating noise. Then, with a jolt, he sat up and reached for Cana.
"Cana! Wake up!" He pulled his daughter's head onto his lap, cradling it to his chest. For the first time, he seemed to notice me kneeling by his side. "Wendy…what happened? What's wrong with her?"
"Gildarts-san," I began, wiping my brow from the exertion of healing him. "There was a huge explosion that knocked everyone out. You've all taken quite a bit of damage."
He appraised me for a moment, before the sounds of the battle raging between Natsu and Aprindere drew his attention. "Natsu?" he asked in surprise. "What's he doing here?"
"He came looking for help for Hibiki-san, but when he just found Chelia and me conscious, he told us to heal everyone else while he took out that man." I glanced over to see how Chelia was doing. Lyon was stirring, and Chelia had moved on to Juvia, who was right next to him.
"I will help him," Gildarts declared, making to stand up.
"Don't you dare!" Natsu suddenly snarled above the roar of a fireball striking the wall of a building behind Aprindere. "This one's mine! You focus on getting everybody all patched up. And then you can go see if you can find any of the others. I'm sure their situations are at least as bad as ours." His brow was furrowed in concentration, beads of sweat leaving tracks in the soot that stained his face. We all stared at him for a moment. This was the most serious and grim I'd ever seen him. After another moment, Gildarts nodded, his own face grave.
"Very well. I leave this to you, Natsu."
My hands hovered above Cana's chest and abdomen. After a moment, I saw movement in her chest once more. When her eyelids fluttered open, Gildarts visibly relaxed. "Cana," he said gruffly as he pulled her into a surprisingly gentle hug. Cana's eyes widened in surprise, but she made no resistance.
"Gildarts?" she asked. "What's going on?"
"Come. Natsu's handling this one. I am going to go search for the other groups, but I won't let you out of my sight again. You're coming with me."
She looked as if she might protest for a moment, but then she nodded, her gaze taking in everything that was going on around us. "Alright."
Once they were both on their feet, Gildarts nodded at me. "Thank you, Wendy. Take care of yourself."
I smiled in response, hoping to reassure them. Both of my safety, and their own. Because something told me that as bad as things looked here, they could be much worse with the others. Cana and Gildarts took off down an alley, leaving me to move on to Laxus, who was lying a few feet away.
Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the task of healing everyone else before Aprindere tired of fighting with Natsu and moved on to the rest of us.
Natsu
I yelled my frustration. Not once had I been able to land a hit on this guy. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I paused to catch my breath. My hand came away sticky with blood. My teeth ground in anger as I watched this Aprindere, the self-proclaimed lord of the flames. He was standing relaxed amidst all the rubble and ash, a condescending smirk on his handsome face. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his dress pants, and he looked for all the world as though he were out for a pleasure stroll.
"You bastard, fight me for real!" I shouted, flying at him with my Fire Dragon's Wing Slash. However, for yet the hundredth time, I was blown backwards before I could even reach him. My hands were burned and blistering from the exploding heat whenever he exploded my flames. I growled as my hands began a low, acute throbbing. I never got burned. This could not be happening. No one uses my fire against me!
"Oh, but don't you agree that it's much more fun this way?" he asked, quirking his head to the side with a mock wounded expression that only made me angrier. "After all, where would be the fun in killing you right away? I'd prefer to torture you for a bit longer in front of your precious friends." He smiled smugly, raising his hand towards me. I could feel the now-familiar pull of my magic preparing to explode within me. Dimly, I recalled that I had once faced an opponent who used magic similar to this—Guttman, a member of the Zentopia Legion Corps who used Rapture Magic to scatter his foe's magic inside them, causing it to explode.
As I was once again sent flying backwards, I saw that almost everyone from this group had regained consciousness. Lyon looked like he wanted to jump in and join the fight, and Laxus looked pissed enough to kill someone, though I couldn't tell if his ire was directed at me or Aprindere.
I struggled up through the heap of flaming rubble that had fallen around me when I'd been sent crashing through a wall. Seeing the faces of my friends, concerned and afraid for me, made me that much more determined to win. And then there was Lucy…she was out there somewhere, fighting her own battle, maybe even against another insane mage like this one. And she was doing it without me. For some reason, the thought made me especially anxious. What if something happened to her and I wasn't there to protect her?
I shook my head. No, this wasn't the time to be worrying about that. I had to trust that she would take care of herself, and I would do the same. Not just for my sake, but for hers as well. New determination filled me then. Yes, I would defeat this guy, and I would return to Lucy's side.
Red dragon scales appeared on my skin. I strode forward slowly, until I was free of the wreckage of the building. "You think you're the only one who can explode things?" I grinned savagely. "Allow me to show you the power of my exploding flames." My entire body began to glow, until it was wreathed in live, hungry flames. "Hidden Fire Form – Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" I ran at Aprindere with a speed that rivaled a snow leopard's. When I was within striking distance, I unleashed the full brunt of my power with a devastating punch to his chest. I had the immense satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen as my fist made contact, before he was soaring through the air away from me.
My first hit! And it won't be the last. I promise you, Lucy. Stalking towards the spot where the mage had fallen, I expected to see him lying in a defeated state, or at least greatly wounded. After all, that was my strongest attack. My world suddenly came to a halt, though, when I saw that he was standing up now, seemingly unharmed except for a charred circle on the chest of his suit. And he was looking at me with a look of pure hatred in his burning golden eyes. I gulped, suddenly wishing I were farther away from him. Like, several countries further away. However, I knew that I had to own up to my actions, so I smiled tauntingly at him.
"How did you like that?" I mocked. "You should have seen your face when you went flying."
"That was really not the wisest move, boy," he growled. A shadow seemed to fall over his face, giving him a devilish look. "I have grown tired of playing with you. I see that you are strong, but I'm afraid the difference in our levels is just too great. Now…die, Dragonslayer Natsu."
Almost faster than I could register, he raced toward me, leaving a trail of scorched and cracking earth in his wake. I jumped out of his way just in time, leaping up into the air and back-flipping to right myself when I landed. However, I felt a searing pain in my back as soon as my feet touched the ground. Gasping, I spun around and found Aprindere smiling cruelly at me. Just before he blinked out of my line of vision. Another mini explosion scorched my back, sending me flying into a wall, face-first. Before I had a chance to reorient myself, I felt a pair of hands dragging me from the dent I'd made.
I looked up into the face of Aprindere, gritting my teeth defiantly. I made to punch him in the face with a fist wreathed in flames, but he easily batted my arm away and pinned it out at my side. Dimly, I heard Elfman shouting for me to throw him off and fight him like a man, but I couldn't do anything with my arms and legs pinned like this. What is this guy? How strong is he?! Another explosion sounded from the direction of my friends, and I heard their cries.
"Everyone!" I tried to turn my head to look for them to make sure they were alright, but only caught a glimpse of a wall of fire rising up in front of them before Aprindere rammed his knee up into my nose. Pain exploded in my skull, and a dull roaring echoed in my ears. Ugh. What…is this…?
"Goodbye, Natsu," he said calmly, raising his fist above my chest. "I'm afraid this is where your tale ends." With an icy look, he slammed his fist down into my chest. An explosion obliterated the ground beneath me, and I was swallowed up by the crater that opened up. Aprindere's smiling face grew farther and farther away from me as he watched me fall, fall, into the hole. My entire body burst into flame from the force of the explosion, starting at my chest. I yelped in agony, desperate to put it out. And then I realized that, since this was fire, I had an advantage here.
Taking a deep breath, I began sucking all the flames dancing across my body into my mouth, replenishing my magic and quenching the fiery pain racing up and down the length of my body. After a moment, they were all gone. My back struck the bottom of the crater, and I lay sprawled out painfully for a moment, my body smoking from the recently extinguished flames. Then I leapt to my feet, rejuvenated after consuming his flames.
"Ah, thanks for the meal. I'm all fired up!" I grinned darkly up at him, nothing but a small figure crouched at the edge of the crater so far above me.
"So you ate my fire, huh?" He smiled thinly, his voice containing none of the surprise or anger I'd been expecting. It almost seemed…smug.
I clenched my fists and shouted up at him. "You've miscalculated. When it comes to battles between two fire mages, I will always win. Your fire can't hurt me; I'll just eat it and use it to fuel my own flames." I crouched and then sprung into the air, kicking off the ground for extra momentum and blasting fire out from the soles of my feet to keep me headed for Aprindere. "Now, watch the power of the Fire Dragon!"
Shooting out of the hole, I looked down at him, my arm blazing as I cocked it back in preparation for the punch I was going to deliver.
"I'm afraid it is you who have miscalculated. Those are my flames you have there, Dragonslayer. And my fire isn't like yours…my fire is explosion. You have just sealed your own fate. Too bad. I was hoping to at least let you leave this world in a less painful manner. No matter, though. You'll have just enough life left in you to watch me destroy your friends."
My eyes widened as I realized my mistake. He wasn't a fire mage, not like me. He didn't produce fire—his explosions did. That was the last thought I had before the fire I'd consumed exploded inside me, turning my world inside out. My vision cut to inky black with splotches of red dancing across it. And I writhed with pain unlike any I'd experienced before. An agonized scream tore at my throat as I plummeted to the decimated ground. I thought I heard someone shrieking my name, but that couldn't be right, because I couldn't hear anything. Because I knew, as my body hit the ground with a bone-shattering thud, that I was dead. I had failed. Everyone.
I'm…so…rry…Lucy….
A/N: Hey everybody! :) Sorry again for making you all wait so long! I hope that I've managed to make you all so engrossed in this story that you want to murder me right now for ending it this way! :D As always, please leave a review! Let me know what you think of that little twist there at the end. Until next time!
