Chapter 10: Frozen in darkness

Gray stood still as he tested his own magic and the one that surrounded him. It seemed to increase his power and more importantly it seemed to settle into him and around him to defend his body from any blows or injuries. Increasing his damage resistance and defensive abilities by a huge margin was a feat that not many could accomplish, and Gary felt grateful to Alexa as he watched Lucy summon Loke. He saw the changed outfit the celestial mage wore, and he turned his eyes to Erza who seemed to also watching Lucy. The red-haired mage closed her eyes and in a flash of light changed her armour. It was the Heaven's Wheel and Gray sighed as he started to gather magic in preparation.

The ice mage risked a glance at Erza and saw that the armour seemed even more shiny than it had been previously and that the blades and her amour had faint engravings on them. It seemed that all of them had gained a massive boost of defensive powers via Alexa. He turned to see the brunette and the flame brain holding hands but now the conversation had they had been having in faint whispers seemed to come to an end. The dragon slayer and the support mage took a step apart and assessed their protective detail. Gray saw Alexa nod to Lucy and then the ice mage noticed that the fire user was giving him a firm look. Gray nodded to him, reassuring that he had their back. They would keep the pair safe.

"Let's start." Erza commanded and Lucy and Gray replied an automatic "Roger."

They spread out into a semicircle -Erza taking the front and Gray taking her right side and Lucy taking the left. They gazed into the darkness and Gray felt, more than saw how the shadows seemed to shift as the pair upon the altar kneeled and clasped each other's hands. There was no chant nor any naming of the technique, only the low hum of magic that started to flow around the pair and then increasing slowly. As it did, so did the unsettling feeling along his spine. Gray surveyed the area slowly, carefully looking for anything in the shadows. He saw nothing but he felt the hate and the blood lust in the air. Something was laying in wait, but it wasn't making move. Yet.

Gray waited as the pair upon the altar kneeled and joined hands. The magic in the air intensified, it's concentration reminding Gray of the particles he felt radiate form the Etherion blast that they had witnessed during their initial scuffle with Jellal. It was all consuming and the magic, though not directed at them was still pulsing in the air. As a golden light started to form around the bonded pair the shadows started to move. It slunk back, avoiding the bright light of the sealing ritual but after a moment the inky darkness started to circle them.

"Get ready!" Erza's call echoed around them and as soon as Gray heard the command he saw the shapes. Human like figures emerged from the shadows. They stood still for a moment before charging. Gray grunted and slammed bodily against one of them. The feeling of being frozen, burned and ripped apart flashed trough his body and mind. Quickly pulling back the ice mage jumped several feet backwards before feeling for his magic.

"Ice-Make: Sword!" The blade formed into his hand and he quickly sliced the figure -the shadow wavered and then melted back to the mass of darkness behind it. "Damn it." He couldn't say for sure that the blow would kill them -or if they just retreated into the darkness to heal, or if they even had to heal at all.

Gray saw as more emerged from the shadows. The ice mage glanced toward the two other mages and saw that Erza was frowning as well and Lucy stood at ready but was looking at the shadows with a calculating look and leaving most of the fight to Loke. Gray didn't have long to debate as the shadows started their charge once again and the ice mage gripped his sword before attacking as well.

As the minutes dragged on the number of opponents seemed to keep increasing. Gray frowned as Lucy landed next to him after a hard punch from one of the shadows. Loke moved to engage the thing as Lucy stood back up and nodded to Gray before running back to her post. Erza seemed to become more and more frustrated as the situation dragged on. Gray glanced back at the pair still kneeling on the altar -their eyes closed with golden light engulfing their bodies. The magic in the air was still climbing but the rise slowed gradually.

Dragging his gaze back to the shapes before him the ice mage felt a faint tremor of fear running up his spine. The shapes were melting together and growing larger and as he found out when he slashed one of them, more resistant to damage. It took more than ten attacks to bring the mass down and once again it melted back to the shadows and in its place three more appeared. He heard Erza curse and Lucy gasp and Gray gritted his teeth. This could end badly.

FAIRY TAIL

Natsu gripped the soft hands in his. He felt the magic swirl trough both of their bodies. His burning flame running in their veins and her soft and warm magic encasing them while her darker magic swirled along the floor below their knees. The magic formed a shield around them -protecting them form the darkness that seemed to leer at them form every side. The bond pulsed -its power mainly directed at the gem holding the seal though a portion went to the shield around the pair and another part was directed toward the spell that Alexa had cast on their team. The dragon slayer opened his eyes after a few minutes. The magical shield around them worked not only as a protective shield but also as a wall that separated all sounds and intervening magical powers from them and the sealing ritual.

His olive eyes met the sky blue ones. The brunette was frowning and at his questioning look she nodded back to the team behind them. Because of their positions Natsu could only spot Erza and Gray before they disappeared from his sight again. The red haired wizard seemed to be holding her own against a mass of darkness that moved surprisingly quickly for its size. Erza dodged and a small crater was created on the cave floor where the darkness crashed against it. The ice wizard seemed to in slight trouble -his technique was ill suited for dealing with many powerful enemies that seemed to neither feel the ice magic nor fear it. It was obviously not a very effective element against the creatures and from the way that the ground was slowly freezing over Natsu guessed that the shadows were already quite cold. A little ice didn't seem to do that much damage. While Erza seemed to be having better success with her swords and different armours it was still quite a struggle.

"How's Lucy? Can you see her?" His voice was quiet, the sound of fighting didn't penetrate the golden orb around them and such there was no need to raise his voice.

"She's fine. She seems to be in a better position than Erza or Gray. She clearly using light element attacks which seems to be working quite well. Erza realized that as well." The support mage nodded to the armoured wizard who slashed down one of the shadows before spinning around to face the next one.

"She's not using her more powerful armours…" Natsu said and turned to Alexa who nodded.

"I'm guessing that she's settling in for the long game. My sense of time is pretty screwed at the moment but I think it has already been a while since we began. Besides while Lucy is dealing a quite a bit of damage… she's also wearing herself out faster. She summoned the archer while also keeping Loke on the field a while back and is visibly struggling. She's getting slower. Sooner or later she will have to dispel one of them." Natsu startled and hurriedly glanced back at the blonde that was fighting behind him. Alexa moved to accommodate his movement as to keep their hands clasped and bodies close.

The celestial mage stood proudly but was leaving most of the fighting to the two spirits she had summoned. She was holding the key of the Gemini in her hand, at ready to summon another spirit. He could see her visibly shudder as one of the shadows was ripped apart by Loke. The cold air blew past her and Natsu could see that she was slower. Her reactions and commands were just slightly delayed and instantly the dragon slayer turned to watch the other two. Gray had called for his devil slayer magic and was becoming more and more reckless with his movements while Erza seemed to still be fine, he could see the strain. She clutched at her sword just a bit too hard, her muscles seemed a bit more tense than under normal strain of a fight. She seemed to avoid the ground and he could see that the slash and stabbing attacks were getting fewer.

"I can sense them… only slightly but still, the support magic allows me to sense them and Erza and Lucy are both freezing up and at the same time Gray and Lucy are getting more and more tired. They have to use too much magic too quickly." She seemed to be worried and Natsu could feel himself reflecting the concern back.

The magic was still pulsing, slowly healing the seal and redoing all the spell work that laid in the original. With each new pulse the time seemed to vanish and the situation outside seemed more and more desperate. Natsu turned back to Alexa who was keeping a firm eye on Lucy. Her brow was furrowed in concern and concentration.

"How long until –" His voice was cut off by the brunette who closed her eyes and answered.

"Can't say… we're probably more than halfway there but the progress is slowing down and I'm getting more tired. The bond is also becoming more delicate." Her eyes burned with cold fire as she looked at their friends and then turned her head back to him.

"We can't keep this up much longer -neither us nor them. We have to speed it up."

"What did you have in mind?" Alexa nodded and turned her gaze to the blue jewel shining brightly above the altar. "The ritual was meant to be done slowly and with two participants who are connected with a complete and powerful soul bond giving this their all. This ritual took days when done the for the first time. After that the pairs who re-enforced it only had to put in a small part of the work that was originally done. We can't afford to do this for three days -both of us would be in grave danfer never mind the fact that our team would be killed. Back in the day when the sealing was first done they were on neutral ground, neither the territory of the creature nor the land where the wizards came from. As such there wasn't this same destructive hatred or that darkness that is slowly bringing down our team. To top it all off our bond is still new and not battle hardened, this is its first test. We can't win with the same methods as those who came before us."

"Yeah, you got a plan to get us out of this situation?" The fire user kept a steady eye on the support mage whose frown deepened. She glanced over his shoulder at Lucy who the dragon slayer couldn't see. Her eyes seemed to sharpen and her gaze returned to him.

"You're not going to like this, it's going to dangerously stupid and in the worst case scenario we're all going to die." Her voice was soft and her gaze sought out him.

Natsu grinned and clasped her hands tighter in his. "If we can stop this thing from getting out, if we can keep those people safe, then we're going to do everything to keep them safe. Besides -we can do this. Erza said we would and we can't let her down or she'll kick our asses even in the afterlife. So, tell me." Alexa gave a fond smile and then nodded.

"Alright then, here it is…"

FAIRY TAIL

Lucy made a quick back flip before bringing her whip down in a decisive blow. The mass shuddered and melted away. Slowly standing form the crouch the blonde wizard surveyed the area for her next target. There were several to choose from -the huge thing that had just emerged or the two that Loke was fighting with, or the one that Taurus was taking on. There were several other shadows that had broken trough and were heading for the glowing orb that contained her two teammates. Nodding to herself Lucy ran toward them and cracked her whip as she approached them -one of them turned to face her and charged while the other continued toward its target.

"Erza!" Her shout was answered with a sword that flew trough the air and pierced the shape as it reached the stairs. The creature fell and with the sword that had impaled it before melting back to the shadows. A second later there was a cry as the red-haired mage flew through the air with a new weapon materialising on the ground where she laid for moment after a hard landing. Lucy almost moved to helpt the other but had to turn back to her own opponent which made several swipes at her.

Dodging and then restraining the shadowy creature Lucy called out to Loke who delivered a swift kick and punch to the creature followed by Taurus cleaving it in half. The two spirits nodded to her before returning to the other shadows that emerged form the blackness that surrounded them. Lucy shuddered as the creature she had just been fighting melted in wisps of darkness before slowly slithering to the darkness.

The ground was at this point almost completely frozen over and the air was becoming colder by the minute. The celestial mage shivered before charging back into the fray with her spirits assisting and shielding her when necessary. She had dispelled Sagittarius ten or so minutes ago and switched over to Taurus when the archer had been forced into close quarters that was not the spirits strong suit. Loke was showing signs of exhaustion that indicated he would be leaving to return to the spirit world sooner or later, and Lucy was already dreading the moment.

She was tired, her body slowing down which meant that she needed to rely more on her spirits and the slower she became the more she was a burden to her companions who had to protect her. Erza had already sacrificed her sword a few times and Loke and Taurus had both taken hits to keep her unharmed. It was clear that she was becoming more of a hindrance to the team with every minute that the fight dragged on. But she could also see that Erza and Gray were also starting to tire.

Bringing her whip down to slash at another shadow she was surprised when the creature grabbed it and yanked -hard. The blonde wizard fell to one knee before letting go and looking back up -only to freeze in shock, the claw was already there, she couldn't move out of the way and from the way the large, deadly, claws were positioned she could only hope that she would die instantly. Her scream was cut out when a body was thrown between her and her death. She raised her eyes and was met with the kind eyes of Loke. The leader of the zodiac mouthed sorry before disappearing in a flurry of light.

The image remained in Lucy's mind. The sharp claws that were meant to cleave her in half buried in the spirits middle -impaling him. The darkness that seemed to be shapeless slowly moving beneath the blood that covered it. The tired and sweat covered face. The gentle and relieved smile.

"Loke!" Her scream seemed to be drowned by the pain radiating from her very core -the bond of summoner and her spirit straining to accommodate the fact that he had been -killed, slaughtered, murdered -badly injured. The fact that he was most likely alive and with time would recover meant nothing, because he had felt it. He had felt the moment he had died. Before she could return to the present she felt another stab of pain -Taurus- and a call for her name. Then her world was engulfed in pain. She screamed, her eyes screwed shut but even then she could see the light that seemed to burn trough everything and the warm feeling that swirled in the air that seemed to melt the freezing ice beneath her back -when had she fallen?

After that Lucy fell to the darkness that was free of all pain. A voice that she knew roared and several others screamed for her but she didn't have the strength to answer. Then she was gone.

FAIRY TAIL

"LUCY!" Erza's scream made Gray freeze in his tracks. His gaze sought out the celestial mage and found her in time to see the monster rip into her side. The blonde was thrown back from where she had been kneeling. Gray moved with Erza as they rushed to her side.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!" His rage was matched in the power of the attack as it tear trough the monsters in the area -allowing them a brief moment of peace. The blonde wizard was screaming as blood rushed past her fingers and stained the ground beneath her. Erza was already pressing a cloth against the wound when Gray kneeled next to the pair.

Before his knees hit the earth, he saw the next creature emerge and charge at them. It was huge -a dozen times larger than the largest shapes he had fought and most likely ten times tougher to kill. This one was humanoid but had features consistent with a wolf or bear. The red eyes cleamed at them. Readying a spell Gray prepared to fight the thing to by Erza time to help Lucy but was stopped as blast of golden magic swept trough the cave. All of the darkness that the light touched seemed to melt into nothing before their very eyes. At the same time a roar that seemed to shake the cave sounded from behind the group. Gray turned to see the dragon slayer stand with Alexa clutched to his side. Her hand was extended outward into the cave while the dragon slayer was touching the jewel that held the sealing magic. As the light faded around the pair, Alexa quickly dragged Natsu with her as they ran to the group.

"How is she?" The support mage asked she kneeled next to Gray. The ice mage turned to Erza who shook her head.

"It's not good." Gray felt ice rush down his spine.

FAIRY TAIL

Alexa kneeled and placed her hands upon the cloth that Erza was firmly pressing down. She felt Natsu kneel next to her, offering his support and while also projecting fear trough the bond. Alexa couldn't bring herself to reassure him. Alexa was still pretty well off magic wise though she knew that Natsu wouldn't be able to do even a simple spell in his current state.

Light surrounded her hands as she felt for the wound and assessed the damage with a cold detachment. The wound was deep and several of the internal organs had been damaged to a degree that Alexa doubted anyone could heal her fully. There seemed to be strong traces of the dark energy form the darkness lingering in and around the wound. Alexa opened her eyes and sighed as she pulled back with a deep frown and sad eyes.

She could feel the dragon slayers emotions that swirled around the bond and Alexa shook her head as she sensed his eyes upon her form. There was nothing she could do to such wound. Even if she could pull the darkness out, there was still the huge amount of blood loss and the damage of the wound itself that she could not even hope to repair on her best day with decades of practice. She was not a healer. She had given away that ability in order to obtain the powers of Nether magic and the offensive capabilities of Ether magic.

"It's too severe. I can extract the dark magic that is poisoning her, but it will do nothing for the wound or the blood she has lost and will continue to lose." Even as she spoke she laid her hands on the wound and slowly started to extract the tendrils of inky blackness from it.

"We have to get her to a healer!" Erza said and Alexa nodded.

"Yes, but we would need a magical healer for something this severe. And we would need them right no–" Before she could continue she was interrupted as Natsu leaned against her shoulder. His eyes were screwed shut and brow creased in pain. Worry flared in Alexa as she reached out to feel the bond and was met with a backlash of pain that made her gasp. The bond was burned raw and it seemed that the effects of their reckless use of magic was coming to bite them in the ass. Diverting one of her hands from the task of healing Lucy she sought out Natsu forehead. Quickly she extended her magic to analyse his state only to find herself gritting her teeth.

The dragon slayer was far beyond exhausted and the magic depletion was quickly wreaking havoc on the dragon slayers body. He needed a magical healer almost just as badly as Lucy. Alexa doubted that they could find a qualified healer with enough magic for the two in this town or anywhere in the area. And even if they could they didn't have time to go searching for someone. Looking would take far too much time -time that neither Lucy nor Natsu had right now.

Alexa let her hand fall from Natsu's forehead and return to it's position on Lucy's stomach. The blood flow had slowed but it meant little considering the huge pool of blood beneath the celestial wizard. The support mage reached out to another black tendril, letting the golden, warm magic twirl around it before slowly melting it away. Normally she would have preferred a faster method but right now the stress would drive the blonde mage into shock and promptly kill her. Not that she wasn't already almost there.

"Natsu, stay with me, alright? Lucy I need you to hang on too!" Her voice was strained, the pain radiating from the dragon slayer and the concentration that the small healing process draining her strenght. Alexa turned to see Natsu who opened his eyes and nodded before turning his green gaze to Lucy.

"Help her…" His voice was almost a whisper, his eyes glassy but he still looked at her with an expectant look. Alexa nodded. He smiled and then passed out and Alexa grunted as his body weight collapsed fully against her.

"Oi!" Gray sounded worried as he moved to grab the dragon slayer and moving him to lay on the ground by Lucy's head. Alexa kept her eyes on the blonde in front of her but felt the bond scream out. The support mage winced but pulled the last of the dark tendrils from the wound. The blood flow slowed even further but it was clear that they needed to do something soon or Lucy would never wake again.

"Is she alright? What happened to Natsu?" Erza seemed more frantic than ever before and Alexa turned her gaze to the pink haired mage who Gray was trying to shake awake. Alexa sighed.

"Lucy's wound is bad. Very bad. I was able to get the dark energy out, so the healing process should rather straight forward if we had a medic here. We don't. And that mistake is about to cost us two teammates and then me." Alexa rubbed a frustrated hand over her eyes. Not because of the tears she felt prickling there but because the sweat was getting into her eyes. The bond was becoming more and more painful the longer that time went on. Natsu needed a healer and soon. She moved to kneel besides the dragon slayers prone form.

"What? What's wrong with him?" Gray asked and Alexa turned to the ice wizard whose eyes reflected fear and anger. He was angry because he couldn't help anyone at that moment and Alexa knew that feeling so fucking well. What she could do was basically useless, but she had to try anyway. She extended her hands and laid them over his chest allowing the healing magic that she knew guide her hands and heal what little it could.

"He's suffering from severe magic depletion." There was a questioning look directed at her from the red haired knight and Alexa sighed before explaining. "During the sealing we realised that we wouldn't be able to complete it in time -all of us would have been killed before the sealing was done. I suggested this crazy plan where we gathered our magic into our bodies and build onto the bond, storing the magic up until it reached critical mass. Then we were going to release all of it directly into the sealing stone. It was a nice plan and would have bloody well worked if we had stuck to it. At the minute we were going to go for it I saw Lucy get hurt and sensed the fact that the creature was about to unleash something that would have brought the cave down. So we switched tactics -Natsu released all of the magic he had been able to amass into his body into the stone with a touch while I did the same but directed it all toward the darkness in the cave. Doing that sapped him off all of his magic and almost fried the bond."

Alexa felt for the bond only find it burning and freezing at the same time. She physically flinched and gasped as the bond retaliated with a surge of agony that tore trough her body. Natsu seemed to feel it as well since his body tensed and brow furrowed further in pain and anguish. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this is all I'm able to do. She concentrated on lessening his pain and repairing his side of the bond. This was my fault. I should have suggested it sooner or maybe it would have been better for us all to die. Anything but this. I can't lose you!

The magic in her hands spread deeper into his body and healed what it could -she directed her magic to fill some of his large magical reserves to lessen the effects of the magic loss that he was suffering from and then used all of her power to repair the bond, starting from his side to lessen his pain. As soon as the pained expression started to smooth, she stopped and drew her magic back. His breathing was a bit easier, his body just a bit less tense. This darkness that sleeps here... is this what you fear Natsu? Aelxa wondered, feeling the darkness that lingered -the hate, the terror, the pain, the sorrow- deep within in his body, dormant. She retreated her hands. It's alright. I'm no different.

Alexa sighed before turning her blue gaze to Lucy. She was pale and while the blood flow was slowing to almost nothing it was clear that there wasn't much time. The cave seemed darker than it had been a few minutes before. The brunette watched as her breath became visible in the cold air that swirled around the group. The torches seemed dimmer. The hateful and vengeful creature was reaching out for the last time before it's being fully submitted to the seals power. And it was going to take those Alexa held close to her heart.

"Help her…"

Alexa didn't fear it -she never had feared the darkness or the moment of her own death. She had only ever feared the death of those close to her. She had lost the people she had called family when she had been young. After that she had wondered trough lands and cities, seen people at their happiest and at their lowest but she had always been a bystander. Then she had met him -his bright fire embracing her whole being- and his team; the knight who stood by her friends with that gentle smile but hard fists, the ice mage whose cold ice seemed to extend it's icy protection to everyone and Lucy whose light shone even brighter than Alexa's did, and whose loving and gentle heart seemed to heal all those who came into contact with her. They were now precious to her. And she wasn't about to lose them. Her life was not more precious than theirs, so she was putting it on the line as well. This could give them a change.

"You're already precious to me as well!"

"I love you." "I love you too."

Her eyes burned with fire. She turned to look at Gray and Erza who saw her expression and were instantly alert.

"Erza, keep pressure on the wound and don't let go of her no matter what." The red-haired mage nodded and kept her hands firmly on the cloth that was already red with blood. The brunette turned to Gray while standing up and walking so she was a foot or so from where Lucy's legs lay on the cold stone floor. "Gray, take Natsu and lay his next to Lucy, with you sitting in between them -you'll need to brace their necks. I can't guarantee a smooth landing." The ice wizard obeyed and moved the dragon slayer before settling between the two unconscious mages and slipping his hands beneath both of their necks to protect them from an impact.

"What are you planning on doing?" Erza asked as Alexa closed her eyes and pictured the guild hall in her mind -the happiness, the energy. The emblem on her shoulder pulsed.

"I'm teleporting us back to the guild hall -or as close to is as I can. I would normally never even attempt teleporting across a continent with my magical reserves as low as this, but this is our only option right now. Even if we don't get all the way there, we should still appear close enough that someone should sense us and help Natsu, and hopefully Lucy." Alexa opened her eyes and could clearly see her destination in her mind.

"Nether magic: Fourth Form! Thrones!" The power swirled -her hair becoming black, sclera's became dark grey while her blue eyes turned purplish red, skin pale and greyish with dark veins running beneath her skin in branching patterns, dark wings extending to either side, almost claw like black nails emerging and teeth becoming sharper and longer.

Alexa quickly cast the teleportation magic around the group and closed her eyes -the image of the guild still clear in her head. And then, in a flash of magic they were gone from the cold cave. And then there was a moment of nothingness, where they floated in nothing, feeling, seeing and hearing nothing. It lasted for a fraction of a second before they were crashing down.

Alexa released the magic and felt her wings fade as shouts of surprise changed to those of alarm and horror. She faintly heard Erza give commands and heard someone calling her name, but it all faded to black. The last thing she remembered was the feeling of gentle hands lifting her up and carrying her before she was laid upon a soft bed. Calming and gentle hands healing and mending but there was a word that stood out among the words that were swimming trough her head -the few that she could distinguish and hear as she slowly descended to the sweet embrace of sleep: "monster". Am I?

A/N

Hi! So... I'm happy with this. Until I decide that this whole story needs a rewrite. But for now, yes, I'm happy with it. We've reached the end of the first part of this story. Until now I've largely focussed on just Alexa and Natsu and more importantly her integration to the team. The next part of this story will dive into the life of the guild and the aftermath this first part. We're getting a more domestic look at the pairings though the focus is going to be on Alexa and Natsu as well as Gruvia with hints of Jerza and Miraxus. Also, the story is going to become more complex with new plot threads and characters and events. Hope you're ready for that!

Hopefully this chapter brough the first arc into a nice close -or if you prefer you could consider the next chapther the official closing chapter. Your decision. Next post coming in the next two weeks (or so) since my studies are once again basically crashing down the door and seating themselves at the table. So I have to tend to them before the whole house comes down in flames but yeah. Hope to be posting the next chapter soon.

If you enjoyed this chapter/story up until now and feel like it, I would appreciate reviews! Ask questions, message me, etc.

Grammar may not be perfect, so you can point out the faults or forgive (both are valid options) since I'm not a native English speaker.

Thank you for reading! See you soon!