You'll Fade
Chapter X – The Master's Delivery Boy
"LUCY, RETREAT! MOVE DEEPER INTO THE FOREST!" Erza yelled, fighting off the remaining followers from Tenebris.
"Come on, Lucy! This way!" Happy yelled. Lucy struggled to run in a straight line as she followed after Happy. Her vision blurred as blood fell from the deep gash on her right arm that went down to her wrist.
"Happy, where are Gray and Natsu!?" She asked, wobbling to the closest tree. Lucy hugged the tree as she collapsed to the forest floor. Explosions were heard right behind the tree Lucy embraced.
"T-that must be the guys. Happy go look-"
More explosions went off again, this time, right in front of Lucy. She cowered in fear, pushing her back against the tree. As the smoke cleared, a tall, torn, bloodied silhouette was seen coming from the thick of the forest. Lucy perked her head up as Happy dropped, landing between Lucy and the unknown figure. As soon as the red hair was seen, relief washed over the two.
"Erza!" Lucy screamed, using her remaining strength to make her way to Erza. Erza's armor was damaged and torn; her body covered in bloody bruises. Her wounds were more serious than Lucy's; cut all over her and Lucy saw that Erza was holding her stomach. She looked up to the knight's face and Erza looked to be in complete discomfort; not just from the wounds.
"E-Erza are you okay?" Lucy said, trying not to sound worried. She held a hand out for the red head to take.
"Yes. Where are the boys?" Erza said, calmer than expected; she grabbed Lucy's hand and tried not to squeeze it too tight.
"I think they're over there…see." Lucy said, pointing at the nearby on-going explosions.
"Natsu must've found Gwenera." Erza said, leaning on Lucy.
"And hopefully Gray is with him." Happy said hugging Erza's leg in an effort to give her more support.
"I haven't heard anything from their fights until now and Natsu's been gone for awhile. What's going on?" Lucy said, her mind going through the possible missing details.
"We need to-I-I" Erza gasped as she fell, face first, to the ground in a small puddle of blood.
"ERZA!" Happy and Lucy yelled in unison; hovering over the red head's broken body.
Lucy turned Erza's body over and saw what she had been hiding.
"W-what the…but that's…" Lucy said as she stared at a bleeding crescent that had been cut into Erza's stomach, just above her navel.
"N-no…but that means…" Lucy said with the panic rising in her voice.
She quickly grabbed Erza's left arm and the panic only increased. Erza's Fairy Tail symbol had begun to flash red just like Gray's.
"Erza?! It's the same as Gray's!" Happy huffed.
"Why did they mark Erza!?" Lucy yelled, holding Erza to her chest.
"Would you really like to know, Lucy Heartfilia?"
Lucy's head shot up and she turned towards where Erza had just been standing. There was a tall, tan, slender man with dark eyes and black messy hair. Lucy stared at him for a minute, at first thinking that it was Gray standing there, but he looked older, taller, and it wasn't his voice; he was also covered, head to toe, in scars. He wore the mark of Tenebris on his right palm along with the long black guild's robe and a strange looking pack that was strapped across his back.
"Y-you…you're-" Alert, Lucy, with Happy's help, pulled Erza as far away from the man as they could manage.
"Right, yes we've somewhat met before."
"You're the one who told us about Gray's-"
"I'm the one who saved Gray's life, yes." He nodded.
"Who are you?" She asked slowly standing in front of Erza's unconscious form.
"My name is Abraham Reinhardt." He said with a courteous bow.
Even though he was seemingly polite and non-hostile, Lucy continued to watch his every move without a single blink.
"Why are you here?"
"To answer your question of course, among other things. You wanted to know why I marked Erza, right?"
"You marked her?"
"I did; same as when I marked Gray. I delivery the desired…toys to my master, Gwenera."
"So you mark the people she wants and then you take them to her?"
"Usually, yes. She had a different request for Gray though. My master wanted to capture him herself and I was supposed to retrieve Erza while they fought."
"She wants Erza too?"
"Yes."
Lucy heart dropped, but she had to ask.
"What does Gwenera want with my friends?"
"Ah I see you haven't truly seen what my master can do. Well her magical ability is to transform into different people, you know that much at least am I correct?"
Lucy hesitantly nodded, refusing to recall the past.
"She can't keep those transformations up and her true form is quite…unacceptable. So she watches this village then finds a woman she likes and when she does….well I do my job and deliver the fine vessel to her." Abraham said with a smile.
"Vessel?" Lucy said not wanting to believe the strange man.
"It takes up too much magical energy to keep up a fake…well fake so she fuses with the chosen woman's body and then morphs into that woman. She can hold up to three vessels in her body at one time. Once it's destroyed…well she changes "outfits" and the vessel dies…never to live in this world again."
"So she wants to wear Erza? Just because?" Lucy said while trying to stay on her feet. Happy sat on the ground behind Lucy, gently rubbing Erza's forehead.
"Precisely. You're catching on fast. Well…anyways let's get on with it shall we?" Abraham said as his calm stance changed; ready to attack.
"W-wait you didn't tell me why she wanted Gray!" Lucy said quickly. She couldn't fight him as she was now so all she could do was try to stall him. Abraham relaxed again, hung his head, and smiled at the forest floor.
"I'm sure she told you exactly why she wanted him."
"Not really why. Other than because he's a beautiful mage and she wants to…" Lucy trailed off, not wanting to repeat the sick words.
"She wants him so she can torture him to death while the pink haired dragon slayer watched. That's it." Abraham said, quickly ending the conversation.
"That's not it! That can't be the only reason!" Lucy said refusing to believe someone could have such petty reasons for killing.
"Unfortunately for you I'm not here to talk."
Abraham resumed his fighting stance as ten small blades extended down from the pack on his back to his arms and over each of his fingers.
"You really aren't a mage." Lucy said, readying her whip; slowly backing away.
"That's right. I'm the only one in my guild who can come and go as I wish. I'm not stuck to Gwenera like the others."
"Stuck?"
"Yes because of their ability to do magic. That magical energy itself is what binds those marked to their master, through their guild symbol. Since I'm not a mage anymore I am not bound to Gwenera."
"Anymore? If you're part of the guild why aren't you connected to your master like the others?"
Abraham sighed, this time with frustration, and gently scratched his forehead with one of his finger knives.
"You really like to talk don't you?"
"Not usually to the enemy, but I'm stalling." Lucy admitted. Legs shaking, she stood tall to defend her friend. Abraham looked Lucy over and dropped his hands, letting the knives go back.
"Fine. You really want to hear the whole story then? Let me tell you." At that, Abraham vanished and reappeared sitting next to Erza and Happy. Lucy ran at him as Happy jumped at the man's face, claws out and ready. Abraham caught the cat in one hand and gently placed him back on Erza's lap as he motioned for Lucy to stop.
"Well now…sorry about that. Come on." Abraham said, patting the ground next to him.
"It seems as though I have some time to spare." He said as another explosion went off behind them. Lucy's friends were still fighting the master of Tenebris and she couldn't help them without this…delivery boy getting in the way. Lucy slowly wobbled and sat in-between Abraham and Erza.
"Well then…first things first. Gwen Hasland isn't the master of Tenebris…or she wasn't the first."
"Gwen Hasland?" Lucy said, wrapping an arm around Erza; pulling her away from the strange man.
"S-she's not the m-master?" Erza whispered out; leaning on Lucy.
"Erza! You're awake!" Lucy exclaimed, helping Erza sit up.
"Continue Abraham. Now."
"I don't think you're in any position to give orders, Scarlet."
Suddenly a blade was pushing against Abraham's throat.
"I said continue and if you try anything I will not hesitate to remove your head from your body."" Erza coughed out. Abraham poked the sword's tip and shrugged. Erza slowly pulled the blade away from the man's neck, but kept it close.
"Right. Well Gwen used to live in the village called "Mother Nature's Valley" with her husband and newborn son."
"She lived here in this village?" Lucy asked only getting a nod from Abraham.
"After she had had her son, Dain, she moved here with her husband, Jarin DeGrey."
"She actually had a family before this?" Happy cut in.
"Yes she wasn't always this…twisted. Anyways…her husband was an angry, abusive, and temperamental man. He verbally abused her during the day, which the townspeople completely ignored, and physically abused her at night. Even so, he never laid a hand on Dain."
"Why did he hurt Gwen, but not Dain?" Lucy asked, still gripping her whip.
"She always wondered the same thing and soon that curiosity turned into a jealously stricken hatred for her own son. Since Jarin never hurt Dain, Gwen began to beat her son herself so they'd be even. That they could both feel the pain she did each night. But at the risk of being found out, she never beat Dain enough to leave any signs of abuse. This...all this...went on for six years. She was beaten and beat her son for six years."
"So she wouldn't have to suffer alone or…" Happy said.
"Gwen felt like it was Dain's fault that her husband beat her. She thought he was trying to kill her and take Dain away. So it would just be them alone…that she wasn't needed."
Abraham paused unable to look away from the ground beneath his boots.
"Hey." Lucy said waving her hand, bring his out of his trance. He blinked quick and cleared his throat.
"One rainy night, Gwen told Dain to come with her to a special place deep into this forest and not to tell daddy; without knowing Jarin was already in close pursuit. He always knew where Dain was. She had found an abandoned cabin and made her son sit and wait on the floor while she went upstairs. When Jarin entered the cabin, he found Dain, alone, on the floor, but never found Gwen. They never left the cabin that night because of the storm."
"What was the point of leaving Dain in the cabin alone? Where did she go?" Lucy asked.
"Probably hid." Happy said.
"She probably knew her husband was coming after her." Erza added in.
"He stayed there over night with his son cradled in his arms. The thing is…Gwen had never left the cabin she watched the two of them sleep all night. She saw the love her husband showed for the little boy who wasn't even old enough to understand what his father was doing to his mother and why she was doing the same to him." Abraham cleared his dry throat again.
"While they slept, Gwen pulled Dain from his arms and tied her husband up. When he awoke I'm sure they said many things before Gwen killed her son with her own hands right in front of Jarin."
"She killed her son!?" Lucy exclaimed. She could hear the rubbing of leather as she squeezed her whip tighter. Abraham nodded.
"How?" Erza asked, placing her hand on Lucy's. Abraham avoided the question.
"After that Gwen tortured her husband for weeks before his body finally gave up. Seeing the look on her husband's face when Dain fell to the floor in a bloody mess and feeling the sick sense of power through torturing him is what made the woman we know today, as Gwenera Hasland. She changed her name and over the years she's drowned her mind in many dark magic books. She now has the power to transform into anyone and her kiss can suck the magical energy from your body and at her request she can also take your physical energy at the same time. She can make you see anything she wants you to. Twisting your thoughts and sweet memories into dark disturbing nightmares." Silence surrounded the group of people as Abraham took a quick breath.
"I-is that why she wants Gray?" Lucy said, her voice shaking. She felt incredibly nauseous from Gwenera's disturbing story.
"And to make Natsu watch?" Happy spoke quietly.
"She has wanted Gray ever since she saw him enter the village. He looks too much like her husband Jarin for her to ignore it. I noticed it too when I first saw him and I knew immediately she wouldn't be able to pass up the chance to break him."
Erza's eyes grew wide with anger towards the sickening woman. She hung her head in shame at not being able to move because of her wounds. Erza looked over at Lucy, who had been staring at Abraham for awhile now. Erza followed her gaze and stared at the man.
"Honestly Abraham…you look at lot like Gray too. Is that why you have all those scars? Did she torture you too because of the resemblance?" Lucy asked, looking at the man's body up and down.
"That's a whole other story, Lucy." Abraham looked between the two girls and sighed. Their eyes were too demanding.
"The truth is…I am the first master of Tenebris."
"You were the master of Tenebris!?" Lucy exclaimed.
"Yes and I once had the ability, same as Gwenera's, to transform and take people for my vessels. Although I never had the desire to learn the magic sapping talent like her, I was still just as powerful."
"What do you mean you had the same ability as Gwenera's?" Erza asked, stunned.
"I had the opportunity to learn the same dark magic as Gwenera; I just learned it before she did. I'm the one who showed it to her, unbeknownst to me that she'd turn out the way she did. That's why I know so much about Gwenera and her life. I lived in that same village and I'd see her with a new bruise every single day."
The girls looked between themselves as he continued.
"I had the idea of taking her husband's face for my own and treating her like she should be treated without her ever knowing the difference. Of course that was before she had killed the man." Abraham said with a discouraged sigh.
"I just wanted to do something…I wanted to help her…save her if you will. So I followed her that night and watched as she killed her son then her husband. That was the first time…I was scared of someone who wasn't a mage, but even so, it didn't deter me from my original objective. Once she left I took Jarin's body for my own."
"What happened when Jarin came back from the dead? How'd Gwenera take it?" Erza asked.
"As you can see my body shows how she took it, but I didn't care because I wanted to help her any way I could. She knew it wasn't really Jarin, so she heard me out. That's when I told her who I was, why I did what I did, and offered myself up to her as her own. To do whatever she pleases anytime she wanted. She agreed completely and I told her to join my guild that lived in the village. My guild was first called Hell's Keys, but after asking Gwenera to join…she rode up the ranks quickly, manipulated our members into getting her bleeding crescent binding symbol, and took control of the entire guild. Except for me."
"Wait. You said you had the ability like Gwenera's…so how could you not be connected to her, through your crescent mark, since you were a mage?" Lucy asked, clearly getting confused by the whole story.
Abraham took a breath before continuing.
"I removed the magical energy from my body so I wouldn't have to be stuck to her. I didn't like the idea of the whole thing."
"So you can't be a mage when you wear that symbol or you'll be connected to Gwenera forever?" Lucy asked, looking sorrowful at Abraham's crescent mark. Abraham nodded.
"Can't it be removed?" Erza asked, looking down at her own then to her hand. It was flashing red, but it hadn't started burning yet. She sighed exhaustedly and let go. Erza felt her family's crest slowly begin to fade away. Gritting her teeth, she held back the urge to cry. Now wasn't the time; she'd get it back soon enough. Abraham looked at her, but refused to show the least bit of pity.
"It can only be removed by Gwenera, herself."
"Figures." Erza said, placing her hand over her stomach. She looked up at Abraham. Unable to read the man, she asked instead.
"Do you love her?" Erza asked before he could say anything else.
Abraham sighed. He didn't know it'd be this long of a "stalling" conversation.
"She always said she wanted to change things in this cruel world, starting with this tiny village. One day she led us back to the abandoned cabin in the woods and that was where we started the dark assassin's guild, Tenebris; led by Gwenera. At first we had followers and volunteers who wished to join our guild and she never cut into any of them. She only took and tortured those in the village and after years of doing that she began to bore from it so she gradually began to stop. She even stopped torturing me...she stopped looking at me like I was Jarin. We were in peace for the first time since the formation of our guild and I was happy to be with her again, but all of it was destroyed when you came to this village. As soon as she saw Gray there was no turning back for her and no escape for him. She began taking more and more women as vessels and began planning on how to take Gray." He paused and looked at the girls in front of him.
"I loved who Gwen was at the beginning, but she's completely changed since she saw Gray." He spoke with stern eyes.
"What do the crescents mean? Other than being your guild symbol? How do you break the connection?" Erza asked.
"The bleeding crescent dubs those who are chosen from the queen of hell herself. They symbolism a direct connection with the master. They are a part of her. Without Gwenera releasing you…I'm not sure what could forcibly cut the connection. Maybe…" Abraham trailed off.
"Killing the queen of hell herself." Erza said as she stood, facing the still-going explosions.
As soon as she took one step towards Gwenera's direction there were five knives at her throat and five more pointed down at Lucy.
"Well now…I can't let you do that, Titania." Abraham said with the lust of blood in his eyes. Erza slowly turned to face him as a sword requiped into her hand. Lucy grabbed Happy and backed away from the two; knowing something catastrophic was about to happen.
"I can't let her take Gray and you're not taking me. Come!" Erza shouted as her sword continuously connected with the ten, surprisingly tough, knives. Shocking to the girls, Abraham dodged more than he met Erza, blade to blade.
"He's the one stalling now." Lucy said to herself.
After what seemed like hours of sword to knife fighting, Erza had Abraham pinned to the ground, both covered in fresh bleeding wounds. With now two swords at his throat, Abraham dropped his hands, letting his knives recede.
"I've underestimated you, Titania." Abraham breathed out.
"No you didn't. You just weren't trying. How do we kill her, Abraham?" Erza asked, gently pressing the blade closer to his neck.
"I basically showed her the magic she uses today, but I couldn't be certain that there is anyway to kill her." Abraham said, skillfully dodging another question.
"Do you want to kill her?"
"If I did why would I be trying to stop you?"
"There's more to it than that. You can be free from her, Abraham. If we kill her we can all be free. Gray, Natsu, you, me, and this whole town would live in peace again."
Abraham shot his head up, gripped Erza's shoulder, and squeezed it like he was hanging on for dear life. Since they met, this was the first time Erza had seen such a frightened face on Abraham. Once he realized the expression on his own face, he relaxed, but didn't let go of Erza. He sighed and pulled her closer.
"This town will never know peace and as long as Gray and I share Jarin's face, we will never have peace. Once her vessels die…you will never again feel…"
"…anything." Abraham let his head fall to the ground as he released his grip on Erza.
Erza removed her blade from his neck and stood, hovering above. She looked back at the distraught Lucy and couldn't find the words to soothe her sorrowful expression.
Erza huffed, bent down, and yanked Abraham from the ground. His head spun from the brute unexpected interruption to his relaxing defeat.
"What do you want from me, Titania!?" Abraham said in a sour tone.
"I'm not waiting around while my friends are fighting your master and I'm not letting you give up. You're coming with us and you will fight with us."
"Why would I do that?"
"For the same reason you wanted to take Jarin's body for your own. For the same reason why you fight like you do. You weren't just dodging you didn't want to hurt me. I've fought many times to know how my opponent moves."
Abraham had a blank expression as he stared at Erza.
"You don't want this. Not for you or her. I can tell you don't even want this for us."
Abraham just continued to stare at the wondrous warrior that stood before him.
"You may be wearing the face of a man who was uncaring and abusive, but you're far from either. You have help now and Fairy Tail doesn't give up."
Abraham blinked almost too slow, thinking back to his own words; he knew them so well.
"I had the idea of taking her husband's face for my own and treating her like she should be treated without her ever knowing the difference. I just wanted to do something…I wanted to help her…save her…"
"I can't save her. She's too far gone. There isn't anything I can do to help her or you for that matter. Her lust for Gray is too strong."
"Then you have to do what is right; for her."
"What is right?" Abraham whispered as he looked at Erza for the answer. She didn't move or say a word.
Right behind Abraham another explosion was seen, this one being the biggest and closest. The air filled with heat surrounded by an icy mist. The force of the explosion made Happy jump into Lucy's arms, shaking in fear at what was happening to Natsu. Lucy looked at Happy then back at the explosion and exploded herself.
"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Lucy yelled as she placed Happy on the ground, readied her whip and keys, and forced her body to run in the direction of the last explosion.
"LUCY!" Erza shouted after her. She ran off behind Lucy then turned back to look at Abraham. He met her eyes.
"Fight with us. We'll all be free when this ends."
At that, Erza and Lucy both disappeared into the smoke, Happy followed close above. Abraham stood alone in the forest with the fighting at his back.
This is how it's always been. Isn't that right; Gwen? Abraham sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the girls.
"Well then…maybe she'll actually kill me this time. I can't wait." Abraham said smiling, as he vanished into the smoke.
End of Chapter Ten
(A/N)*EDITED*
Alright. I know Natsu and Gray aren't in this, but I thought it was necessary to do a little back-story for the twisted master Gwenera. :) Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! :) Please Review.