Can't find the words
Finally the next chapter is out! Thanks to those who have stuck with me this far, it means a lot.
I hope you enjoy!
The cloaked man
Levy lay on the ground, her body limp and cold. Gajeel's heart dropped, time had frozen at the sight before him.
"Levy!" He cried, in hope she would respond, "Can you hear me?! Open your eyes!" his eyes filled up with tears, "Please," he begged for a response but was met with silence.
"Levy...?" Gajeel whispered under his breath, his voice refusing to function properly. His legs gave way but the chains and cuffs around his wrists prevented him from falling to his knees. Gajeel gritted his teeth together, biting down the tears.
"You bastard!" Gajeel yelled, his anger past boiling point. His whole body flooded with a powerful rage.
"Iron dragon's club!" Gajeel roared.
"I already told you that ain't gonna work," Robin sighed.
"Iron… Iron…" Gajeel's sobbing over took him, his tears falling shamelessly down his face
"That's it that's the face I wanted to see!" Robin bellowed into laughter, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to see you cry," he wiped away a tear from his eye, his laughter quieting down to a chuckle, "I'm sorry, it's just so funny,"
Gajeel glared up at him, his eyes piercing through him.
"Levy isn't dead," Robin said and flicked his eyes downward. Gajeel quickly looked back down at his feet, Levy had disappeared; leaving no trace that she was ever there.
Levy… What the hell?
"You were hallucinating this entire time. The real Levy is perfectly safe," he gripped onto a clump of Gajeel's hair, forcing him to look up at him, "Do you know who I am now?"
Gajeel stared up at him, his teeth bared like a wild animal. There was only one person he could think of.
"Ikki," he grunted.
"Ah, I'm so glad you remember," Ikki smiled at Gajeel's obedient response.
Ikki, I don't really remember much about him but he was a member of Phantom lord. He always wore a blank mask so I never saw his face.
"We're going to have some fun," Ikki released Gajeel's hair then turned around and walked away towards a downward staircase.
"What do you want?! What do you mean by 'fun'?!" Gajeel demanded. The harsh rattling of the chains as he struggled caught Ikki's attention. Perhaps he was trying to buy time with chatting while he attempted to get loose. But Ikki didn't care; he only found it all the more enjoyable.
"Curious are we?" he chuckled as he came to a halt, "I guess I can tell you. Ya know, so we're on the same page," he turned back around and looked Gajeel dead in the eyes, "I'm going to go get Levy and…I'm going to rape her"
Rape… her…
"But of course, she'll believe that you raped her instead since I'm going to manipulate her memories. It's easier to alter memories than to tamper with current thoughts. Plus, it'll be pretty fun seeing her cry out for you to come save her," he said with a plain expression. His serious glare didn't last long before he broke into another smile, "It's perfect isn't it? I thought about killing you lots of times but this is far more entertaining."
"Y-you wouldn't dare! I'll kill you!" Gajeel shouted, his heart beating a mile a minute.
"You'll be known as the monster who attacked their beloved without remorse. Poor Levy, I'm sure she'll be heartbroken. Everyone's going to hate your guts after raping a poor innocent girl," he continued, giving no indication that he had even heard Gajeel's treat.
"If you touch her I'll murder you!"
"Even if you try to tell your 'friends' what really happened I'm sure they'll never believe you, you attacked them once before after all. And I'm sure Levy won't believe you either. She already knows that you're a monster," Ikki turned his back to Gajeel and waved him goodbye, "I'll be back soon, don't miss me too much," he hummed as he headed down the staircase.
Ikki has the power to alter memories and even current time to a degree. Tampering with current events can only go so far. Making things appear real when in reality they aren't even there. It's just trickery magic.
And he can only alter memories that he himself is a part of and he can't erase memories either. In fact 'altering' memories is an extreme over exaggeration. He can alter himself in memories, not the memories itself.
He could very much tamper with Levy's memories and make her believe Gajeel attacked her.
Gajeel glanced around the giant room. It's like a dungeon. Perhaps it was a dungeon. No windows, only one door and a staircase, leading down. He followed one of the chains around his wrists up. The chain was connected to the wall behind him. Despite all his tugging, the chain remained fixed to the wall.
The sound of footsteps draws Gajeel's attention to the staircase. Ikki sauntered up the stairs with Levy lying in his arms, her hands bound with the same restraints Gajeel had around his wrists.
"Levy!" Gajeel shouted. He continued to trash around, attempting to escape.
"Please don't wake her yet," Ikki said, walking towards a hook on the wall. He attaches the chain on her restraints on the hook and made sure it was well secured. This forced her limp body to stand up straight with her feet barely touching the floor.
Levy and Gajeel were on opposite sides of the room, their bodies facing each other.
"Time to wake up," Ikki patted Levy's cheeks, "If you don't wake up we'll start without you," he whispered into her ear. Levy furrowed her brows as she began to stir awake. Slowly she opened her eyes, the world around her foggy and dim, "Good morning Levy," Ikki waved, drawing her attention to him.
"…Robin?"
"I'm sorry about the restraints but I had no other choice. I don't want you struggling too much," He tugged on the chains above her, the rattling rung through her ears.
"What's going on?" In the distance Levy noticed a figure violently wiggling around on the spot. His voice muffled at first but it soon faded in and she could make out the familiar shouts.
Gajeel… Is that you?
"You're so adorable Levy, especially when you're frightened. You're like a weak little rabbit," Ikki chuckled, grabbing her chin, "You must be so confused. Let me enlighten you. I'm Ikki Himura, I used to be a member of Phantom lord, along with Gajeel. To put it simply, I hate him," tenderly Ikki ran his free hand through Levy's hair, twirling the strands around his fingers, "I hate him and I want to cause him pain," He ran his thumb across her lips, "And I'm going to use you to do it."
"Don't touch her!" Gajeel yelled.
"Pay close attention Gajeel," Ikki chuckled then kissed Levy's forehead. Levy resisted his touch, turning her head away.
"What are you doing?" Weakly Levy asked, attempting to escape her confinement.
"It's no use Levy, you're physically weaker than me. And I imagine you're feeling pretty groggy from the drugs," Ikki placed his hands on her hips and clenched her dress in his fists.
"I told you not to touch her!" Gajeel warned again.
"Would you mind shutting up? You're putting me off," Ikki lifted Levy's dress revelling her underwear; "You were the one who dragged her into this. If you hadn't gotten so close to her I wouldn't be doing this,"
"Let go of me," Levy ordered. Her arms aced from the weight of her body as she hung. She struggled to reach the floor, trying to shuffle herself away. He caressed her thighs then ran his thumbs across the rim of her pants. Levy pushed her thighs close together but Ikki just chuckled at her pitiful struggling.
"You're so cute," Ikki grabbed her chin with one hand and forced her to look his way. He forced a kiss upon her lips and wrapped his fingers around her neck, squeezing the air out of her.
Gajeel closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He could no longer bare the sight, but he couldn't escape the sound of her muffled whimpering. He tugged and tugged at the chains, yanking down with all the strength he could muster. His wrists throbbed in pain as he fought to escape.
Ikki forced his hand between Levy's trembling thighs, his fingers rubbing over her underwear. He pulled back from the kiss then ran his tongue up her one of her cheeks, licking up her tears.
"Please," Levy cried.
Snap
One of the chains gave way, snapping from the force. Another soon followed resulting in another loud clanking snap, freeing both his hands. Ikki turned his head, irritation clearly displayed on his face.
"I can't have you messing everything up now," Ikki reached his right hand out, his palm raised and fingers spread. Chains shot down from the ceiling and tightly wrap around Gajeel, tying his arms to his torso. They squeeze him tighter, crushing him just like a boa constrictor.
"Your tricks won't work on me anymore!" He closed his eyes and resisted the illusion, struggling against the chains until they evaporated into the air. He squatted down and gripped the chains around his ankles; his eyes digging into Ikki with deadly hatred. In one swift tugging motion he shattered the chains. With the cuffs now removed Gajeel's magic was restoring at a rapid speed.
"You are one stubborn fucker,"Ikki groaned. Gajeel stood back up and shoved his elbows back; as though he was elbowing someone behind him. Those chains left his body feeling stiff; he needed a second to relax. Ikki starched his arms out wide like he was waiting for an embrace and said, "Come on Gajeel… Come get me."
Gajeel dashed forward and swung his right arm back, preparing to attack. Ikki hurried out of his path, moving as though he's dancing around him.
"Iron dragon sword!" Gajeel roared and swung his body around, his sword arm leading the way. Ikki hastily dug his nails into his arm, drawing fresh blood. He swung his arm up and casted a shield. Gajeel stabbed through the deep red shield and he was unable to withdraw. Ikki then summoned up millions of tiny red beads which twist into small jagged daggers. Gajeel transformed his arm back and jumped out of the way only managing to manoeuvre out of the way before they all came plunging down.
"Run Gajeel run," Ikki laughed as he summoned up a sword which he clutched in both hands
Ikki… He uses blood magic. He uses his own blood to fight.
"Gajeel," Levy whimpered as she trashed around, her arms sore from the strain; it was torture. She wanted to help him but she couldn't even help herself let alone someone else. Gajeel was far too weak to fight for long, he needed some iron. She needed to help.
"Iron dragon club!" Gajeel shouted and his arm transformed and lunged towards Ikki. But a bloodcurdling scream drew his attention away to look at Levy. As soon as he laid his eyes on her he realised what had happened. Levy was still struggling to escape; she had no reason to suddenly scream in such a horrifying way. Ikki was now right in front of him, his sword coming towards him. Gajeel jumped backwards in an attempt to dodge the attack. A sharp pain plucked at his side as the sword sliced through his clothes and skin. He placed a hand on his side, his palm covered in his own blood.
Shit, I was tricked again. That dirty bastard!
"Gajeel!" Levy cried when she noticed the blood dripping onto the ground. Levy drew a sharp breath, her mind racing, her fear spreading.
I can't use magic, I can't use magic…
I can't use magic but perhaps…
Gajeel continued to fight off Ikki's attacks one after another. If he could keep the fight going then Ikki should begin to weaken. Eventually he'll submit to the effects of blood loss and he won't be able to fight anymore. That's the side effects of blood magic since he has to use his own blood to fight.
"Aren't you clever?" Ikki laughed, "Buying time?" he sighed and his blood sword melted in his hands and the blood splatted onto the ground, "I control blood, but I can't control it from inside a body," he grinned like a Cheshire cat as he held his hand out, "Your bleeding aren't you?" The blood which was seeping out Gajeel deep wound began to pour out a little faster, he could feel a stream running down his leg. Slowly the blood began to heat up, hotter and hotter until it felt like acid. Gajeel gritted his teeth in pain, Ikki wasn't taking this fight seriously at all; it was a mere game.
"Iron dragon roar!" Gajeel filled his lungs with air and realised a tornado in Ikki's direction. Without time to escape Ikki summoned his shield, hoping to withstand it. The tornado hits him dead on, the force made it difficult for Ikki to stand his ground. The shield causes the tornado to ricochet away and hit one of the walls. The blast created a huge hole through the wall and exposed the soil behind it; conforming that they were indeed underground. Parts of the ceiling began to crumble, cracks threatening those who stood beneath it. As the dust and dirt cleared Gajeel could see Ikki had deflected most of his attack. Several metal shards were lodged in his shield but some were poking out of his shoulders.
Gajeel dashed towards him getting ready to attack with his bare hands. Perhaps getting close and personal was a better tactic since Ikki wasn't as tough or well-built as him. Ikki struggled keeping up with Gajeel's quick-fire punches, all he could do was keep out of his range.
"Your heart is filled with dread, from all the monsters in your head," from the other side of the room Gajeel could hear Levy talking to herself. Her words only just about reached Ikki's ears, "Feel them scratch and chew inside you, they're not real you know that's true," as she continued her voice got a little louder, ensuring they both could hear her. Ikki's eyes widen, he lunged backward and raised his hand into the air, "Let your heart and head go clear, then let go of what you fear,"
"Don't you dare!" Gajeel yelled and threw himself at Ikki interrupting his attack and causing it to miss his target. The blood shards plunge into the ceiling aggravating the cracks all the more. Ikki swung back and thrusted what appeared to be a red knife into Gajeel's shoulder, digging it in deep.
"Ikki Himura!" Levy shouted his name out sealing the curse to him. Ikki clutched at his head and dropped to his knees screaming. The knife in Gajeel's shoulder turned into its original thick liquidly form and spread down his shirt.
"No! No! No!" He shouted over and over as he dug his fingers into his head. He fell flat onto the ground, his body curled up into a ball, "Stop it! Stop it! What are you!?"
Gajeel struggled past him and quickly made his way to Levy. He grasped the chains that held her up and shattered them in his grip. As soon as Levy dropped to her feet Gajeel held her tightly in his arms, her cheek pressed into his chest.
"Are you hurt?" he asked as he held her close; worried their fight may have harmed her.
"I'm okay," she replied. The snapping and crunching sounds from the ceiling told them they didn't have much time. Piece by piece chunks of the ceiling came crashing down onto the ground, "Put your arm around my shoulder,"
"I'm fine."
"You can barely walk!" She shouted as she slung his uninjured arm around her shoulders; being careful not to irritate his wounds. They made their way towards the door, Gajeel growing weaker with every step. Although she had carried him like this before it didn't seem to be any easier; although she could tell he was trying not to put his full weight on her. When they reached the door Levy gripped the handle and pulled.
Stairs… The door leads to another set of stairs. Fortunately these stairs lead upwards which was a good sign considering they were underground. Levy took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she knew would be a struggle. They stagger up the stairs, leaving the sound of the ceiling giving way and Ikki's screams behind them.
"This is all my fault," he whimpered, "He wouldn't have targeted you if it wasn't for me. I'm sorry I got you dragged into my mess."
"Don't blame yourself, this isn't your fault," Levy gave him a comforting smile, "We'll get through this together, okay?"