Chapter 11
-Father's death-
The next morning Carin woke up in Laxus's arms with a weird feeling in her stomach. Furrowing her brows she wondered why she had such a feeling but tried to ignore it, turning around to Laxus who had put his arms tightly around her, pressing her tightly to his chest.
Watching his face while he was sleeping made her remember the last night and she turned red, hiding her face in Laxus's chest. She inhaled his scent which she had smelled the whole night over.
Again that bad feeling appeared in her stomach and she furrowed her brows as she somehow entangled herself from Laxus's arms and stood up. She couldn't move away from the bed as Laxus suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms.
"Where do you want to go?" Laxus asked as Carin looked surprised up to him.
"Well... I got a bad feeling, so..." She bit on her bottom lip while Laxus watched her.
"I see. So it's better to stood up." He said and then let go of her, turning around and sitting up. Carin also did the same and then searched for her clothes, after all a part was spread in his bedroom and a part in his living room. She picked up her clothes and quickly took them on. Of course she could requip her Iron Maiden Armor but it was still too early. They only took on their clothes and then went over to the Fairy Tail Guild.
Carin wondered what this bad feeling was as she walked into the Guild and noticed a few of her friends being here. Also Metalicana was here as the only Dragon, drinking a drink.
"Where's everyone else?" She asked as she went over to the oldest of her younger adoptive Dragon siblings.
"They said they have got a bad feeling and wanted to check the whole town." Metalicana replied. "Although I have got the same feeling."
"Me, too. I guess something may happen today." She murmured and wondered whether she should continue on repairing her armor until the Mages of the other Guilds will come.
Carin remembered how she had made the armor with an extremely rare kind of metal. She had found something similar to the metal and then continued to work on it with Erza's help who seemed to be really interested in her Armor because it was able to dodge most of the Dragon's physical attacks.
While she was working on it she could hear commotion down in the Guild, she was sitting by a table on the second floor of the Guild and looked down. The top Mages of Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus arrived here and greeted the others. She smiled when she saw how Lyon greeted Juvia first and Chelia got jealous over it, Laxus was greeted by Jura who started to have a great respect for Makarov's grandson. Hibiki, Ren and Eve flirted with the girls while Ichiya seemingly started to search for Erza who tried to hide behind Carin so he wouldn't spot her with a horrified look on her face.
"Actually, how does it come he's so much into you?" Carin asked her.
"I was once on that dinner party of Guild Master in Clover Master took me with... and somehow he got obsessed over me after he saw me for the first time..."
"Why won't you tell Jellal to keep him away?" Carin wondered with a grin but Erza only shook her scarlet head
"No, better not."
Carin smiled at her, feeling bad for her fellow Mage and her complicated relationship with Jellal Fernandes. She was really happy to have a better relationship with Laxus although this made her remember the last night which seemed to be really strong but extremely pleasurable to her. Cheeks turning slightly red she looked down and saw Jenny greeting Mirajane with a competitive look.
She quickly finished repairing her Armor and then let it disappear per requip before walking down to greet the strongest Mages of the two Guild.
"Long time no see, Carin-san." Chelia said with a big smile and the older Mage nodded. She looked around to Erza who still tried to hide from Ichiya.
"What a beautiful parfum!" Suddenly Ichiya's voice appeared next to Carin and she found him next to her and Erza, sniffling on them.
"Ugh!" Erza made a disgusted face seeing him while Carin only sighed.
"You two have truly a delicate par-"
"Piss off!" Carin shouted as he went closer and send him flying through the ceiling with a kick.
"Carin-san you look so beautiful when you're angry." Suddenly Eve came up to her with his friends.
"Such a pretty face..." Hibiki added.
"And those red eyes..." Ren said while Carin shot them a disgusting look.
"You're frigging annoying!" She shouted. "Besides, you've got Sherry so make her compliments and not other women!" Carin then told Ren.
Finally she somehow got away from the annoying Trimens while Erza still was chased by Ichiya.
"They're so annoying... but at least good fighters." She said as she then stood next to Laxus who was sitting by a table with his Thunder God Tribe and the Strauss siblings. Laxus had only furrowed his brows, probably not being really happy about the Trimens making her such compliments.
"I wonder who said that they're the strongest Mages of Blue Pegasus." Freed said as they watched the commotion while the Mages of the other Guilds arrived. Quattro Cerberus, Sabertooth and also Mermaid Heel arrived, greeting the others. She smiled when she saw how Sting was enlightened seeing his idol again.
"It's gotten a lot louder here." Laxus said as they all then talked with the other Guild members and Carin nodded. She watched how the Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth were watching Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel in jealousy because their foster parents were still alive and here. But the three Dragons were much younger than Skiadrum and Weisslogia so they weren't dying of old age. Laxus got approached by Ogra Nanagear, who also used a sort of Lightning Slaying Magic and so the two of them talked while Laxus was gripping Carin's hand who got approached by Jura who wanted to have more information about the Dragons. She wondered whether he was doing this out of jealousy or because he only wanted her to stay next to him.
She told Jura that the Dragons could attack them randomly whenever they want, just like the last time. In case of them attacking she was having the book of her mother with her, laying in her lap.
Just in that moment she could smell a similar scent. Furrowing her brows she looked around, noticing the Dragons also raising their heads. The scent of Dragons was filling her nose and she could hear the noise of the wings of Dragons swinging. She could see how Shutai told Makarov that the smell of Dragons was coming closer.
"What's going on, Carin?" Lisanna asked surprised as she saw the expression of her friend.
"I can sense Dragons coming closer." She said, gripping the book more tightly. Then Makarov told them all to get prepared while Carin looked over to Igneel who nodded. He probably knew what she meant, after all she told him that she was the lure for Acnologia and in the past he often had carried her around in his Dragon appearance.
The next moment a Dragon's cry echoed throughout the whole town and then the Mages ran out of the Guild building, looking up to the sky. Dragons appeared there, crying loudly.
"Dragons!" She could hear her guild mates shouting and was about to go but Laxus held her back.
"You promised to stick close." He reminded her and she gulped and nodded. Staying alongside him she fought against the Dragons. The most various Magic was used during that moment and while the Mages were distracted she ran over to Igneel who was being in his Dragon appearance, pummeling over the ground and destroyed houses with another one while fighting.
"Igneel! I can feel the Magic Power of the Magic Council soldiers here! Let's try it!" She shouted and he nodded. Carin closed her eyes and used requip to put on her Iron Maiden Armor and climbed up on his back. In case of any of her friends dying Carin first wanted to use the Soul Shift Spell on everyone and so she gripped Igneel's neck tightly as he rammed the Dragon out of the way and jumped up into the air, spreading his wings as he flew up high.
"A living soul shall be reborn until the day the body regains health." She muttered and held out her hand as a big Magic Circle appeared underneath all her friends. "Soul Shift!"
The sign of Soul Shift appeared and she could see it on the bodies of her friends, it was a circle which was the sign of rebirth in case of the guys nearly dying but being then saved because of the Spell.
The thing was, Carin used a big amount of her own Magic Power to use the Soul Shift Spell.
"It's time... to do this again, huh?" Igneel asked as Carin hung her head and bit her lower lip.
"I guess so... but it's weird. Back then I haven't been afraid to face Acnologia... but now I'm scared now – even through there are people fighting alongside me." She muttered.
"Scared to die?"
"No, scared of them losing their lives. Even through I cased the Soul Shift Spell on them. Thinking that they all will be away so suddenly... just like mother..."
"Heh, don't be so sad. Listen to them." Igneel said and Carin blinked, listening closely to the voices of her friends.
"We have to fight with all our might!"
"Support Carin!"
"We have to protect everyone!"
"You dumbass, I told you to say close... just don't die."
Hearing her friends somewhat encouraged her.
"I see... they are giving their best, so I have to do the same." She raised then her head, the determination making her black eyes turn red. "Let's do that Igneel, let's fight with all our might until that doomed Dragon appears."
"Sure thing."
Igneel then flew towards the other Dragons, crashing against them while Carin jumped down from Igneel's head, using her boosted powers. The armor was giving her physical powers a great boost so her power, defense and agility grew. Using Chain Magic she let the heads of two Dragons crash against each other, then used some of her signature old Magic to fight them and managed to defeat two but more came.
Igneel saved her from being squashed between her and she landed with her butt on his head as he flew up.
"Are you-"
Suddenly she felt a load roar which she recognized right away and something coming right towards her.
"Watch out, Igneel!" She shouted and kicked him down to the ground and jumped up by herself but the Dragon Roar grazed her back, she could feel how the attack slightly burned into her armor. Looking around she found Acnologia there, giving out a load cry.
"Well, long time no see." She said as she somehow managed to land back on her feet, looking up to him while Acnologia landed in front of her. He was about to attack her again but suddenly Shutai appeared in his Dragon appearance and bit Acnologia in his neck, throwing him away from Carin who gripped the book of her mother. For a moment she looked in the eyes of her grandfather who wanted to say her that she should begin with the Spell to turn Acnologia back. Carin only nodded and then told the Dragons to keep the other Dragons away while she told the others per Warren's telepathy to create a Magic Circle around the town and showed them the picture of the Magic Circle through the telepathy and also started to draw it. She wanted to make the circle extra large so Acnologia wouldn't be able to move away without being hit by the Spell.
However hearing his roar she remembered how her mother was killed by him and the picture of Arisa being brutally killed by him appeared in her mind and she started to tremble, crouching down. She crossed her arms before her chest, putting her hands on her upper arms.
"Damn... it..." She muttered, hanging her head while her face turned pale and she bit her bottom lip.
"Carin!" She suddenly heard Laxus's voice and looked up, still trembling a bit. He looked worried at her and then crouched down next to her. She immediately put her arms around him, still trembling. "Hey, are you all right?"
"I- I don't know. When I hear him roaring and see him... my mother's death..." She muttered, gripping his shirt. "I know it's not the time and I fought him already... but..."
Carin then felt how he hugged her back, pressing her close to his chest and stroked over her head.
"You've got a trauma, huh? I can see why but you're not alone and no one will die." He told her, pressing his lips to her ear. "Your mother told you back then to keep on living, right? So we should do this by finally defeating that damn Dragon."
He then slightly let go of her and leaned over, pressing his lips on hers. Carin forgot for a moment that they were on a battlefield and closed her eyes as she kissed him back, enjoying the feeling of his lips on hers. As a Dragon landed with a loud noise next to her and the rubble was thrown up they pulled away and Laxus grabbed Carin's hand, pulling her away so neither she nor he would get hit by the rubble.
"Thanks..." She muttered with a smile while looking up at him and he nodded.
"No problem, but we should begin with that spell." He said as Carin stood up. She grabbed his hand, somehow she felt more secure when she was holding his hand. Closing her eyes she remembered the text in the book and murmured it as it was for the spell.
She noticed how her Magic Power was sucked out but this time it was worse than back then, when she and her friends were awakening Shutai.
Carin could feel how this time the Magic Spell was sucking out more Magic Power and she felt weak but tried to stand strong. Biting down her teeth she looked up to her grandfather who somehow managed to push Acnologia into the Magic Circle before he fell to the ground, light encompassing him.
"Ancient Deity's Living Magic: Mortalis!"
A wall out of light Magic created around Acnologia and the Dragon spotted her. He rushed towards her and Carin winced but crashed head-first against he wall which was making it unable for him to leave.
"Agh..." Carin felt how her Magic Power was drained – even the Second Origin. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling anymore, it hurt already.
However she saw how Acnologia was enveloped in white light, screaming loudly as his statue started to become smaller. The Magic Power drained from her and her friends were making Acnologia first smaller but soon he lost his wings, tail and scales. His arms and legs turned into those of a human, just like his head with long black hair like Carin's. His light blue eyes caught her and he tried to growl but it was being much more difficult as a human.
As soon as he was turned into a Human the Magic barrier disappeared, just like the circle and Carin felt how Laxus was swaying and nearly fell but she caught him. It was probably worse for him than for Carin because he had less Magic Power.
She laid him down on the ground, leaning him against a rock and checking if he was all right.
"Breathing and heart beat are normal... he probably only lost consciousness of the sudden loss of so much Magic Power." She muttered and stroked over his blonde hair. However she then heard something coming closer and stood up.
Something crashed against her, pummeling her away from Laxus and even into the forest. Trying to get rid of that someone she noticed it was Acnologia who looked at her with hatred.
"Let go of me you damn...!" She hissed and kicked him in his side. Acnologia then let go of her and Carin fell on the ground, making a roll on the ground and landed with her back against a tree. She felt exhausted because of the loss of Magic Power but tried not to show Acnologia so she stood up.
She squinted her eyes as she noticed that he was looking a lot like Zeref but she doesn't wondered why – after all they were siblings.
"Long time no see, Acnologia. Now we're on the same Power level, I guess?" She muttered while he only glared at her, not responding. "I see, you are still to proud of yourself to talk to others."
Acnologia then pounced at her but Carin avoided him, spinning around him and kicked him in his face when he looked around. Somehow Acnologia managed it to grab her ankle when she kicked him and threw her on the ground, still holding on her ankle. He opened his mouth and it looked like he tried to make a Dragon Roar. Wincing she somehow managed to turn around on her stomach so the technique hit the ground and grazed her side, destroying her armor there and cutting into her flesh.
"Urgh!" She bit down her teeth as she somehow got free of his grip and tried to use her Magic but because most of her Magic Power got sucked in for the spell to turn him human she hadn't got much Magic power left and so it looked moreover like back then, when she tried to use her Magic in Edolas before Mystogan gave her the X-Balls.
"Damn." She looked at her arm and heard Acnologia laughing. This time it was a more human laugh, although it was sounding gleeful and husky. He spread out his arms which were enveloped in his Magic. With a single strike he then threw the Magic at her and Carin closed her eyes, preparing for the impact which made her remember how her mother appeared to save her.
This time it again doesn't hit her and surprised she opened her eyes. There was a wall made out of Death Magic which had let the Magic of Acnologia dissolving. The former Dragon hissed as he saw it and Carin then felt a hand on her head, stroking lovingly over her head.
Puzzled Carin looked up and saw her father crouching next to her with a worried look.
"You did really great turning him back into a human. But now let me do the rest."
Zeref then stood up and approached Acnologia who looked partly angrily and partly surprised at him.
"Wait!" Carin shouted and was about to follow him. Zeref however only reached out his arm and a bubble out of the black substance formed around her which made her stop.
"Stay there. I don't want you to get hurt." Zeref said and smiled at her while she only bit her bottom lip but sat up.
She had a really huge Déjà-vu watching the two men staring at each other, it was just like she was watching her mother facing Acnologia while trying to protect her. She had the feeling that her father might lose his life now.
"We haven't saw each other for a long time. Unlike you, I could get out of that bitterness." Zeref muttered. "I figured out that my wife was killed during you ravaging our town but that you killed her that brutally... I will never forget you, even if you're my brother. Now you even killed my father-in-law and tried to go on with my beloved daughter."
Carin's eyes widen as she heard that Acnologia killed Shutai. She remembered how her grandfather fell to the ground and figured out that he died that moment and bit down her lip while tears prickled in the corners of her eyes while she tried not to cry. Her whole family was dying while she was the only one being left alive – she somehow realized how Lucy felt when she got to know that her own father died and she had no family by blood anymore.
"Tsk... you took her away." She heard Acnologia suddenly saying. His voice was low and husky, almost too quiet to hear.
"I haven't took her away. You should have considered Arisa's feelings, too."
"Oh, she only liked you because you've been always the poor little Zeref, neglected by our parents and all the other people because of your Death Magic. You were fragile your whole life over, only that immortality Spell made you being like this. Even your kid is stronger than you, being able to have a draw with me and Arisa was much more stronger although having another child in her womb while dying-"
"She was... pregnant...?" Suddenly Zeref muttered in disbelief and his eyes widen. He looked around to Carin as if he wanted her to confirm it. Slowly she nodded but gulped when she saw tears running down his cheek as he gasped.
Carin noticed that he tried to work that out and looked then over to Acnologia.
"You murdered my wife... while she had my second child..." He muttered but Acnologia only shrugged as he crossed his arms before his chest.
"Who cares about it? You've got one over there." Acnologia pointed with his chin over to Carin who was protected by the Death Magic Bubble from him. "She would have gotten executed because she's your kid but they spared her life because she's the famous Witch. But I can help them in that case..." He made a step towards her and Carin winced but Zeref grabbed Acnologia's wrist, squeezing it tightly. Acnologia looked around and directly into Zeref's piercing red eyes.
"You... don't even dare to touch my daughter." He growled deep in his throat. "Don't even go close to her! You won't take away her life!"
Zeref then punched Acnologia into his face, sending him flying away. Carin looked surprised at him and blinked, she had never saw her father being this enraged but she figured out that he was shocked because his wife and unborn child were killed.
She looked worried at Zeref who was fighting in hand-to-hand combat but soon started to fight with Magic. Zeref used his signature Death Magic while Acnologia used his Dragon Slayer Magic taught to him by Shutai who was killed by him.
Zeref used a Death Orb to hit him but Acnologia blocked with his own Magic. He then shot a beam of his Magic at Zeref and it grazed his side. It doesn't seemed to bother him as Acnologia suddenly grabbed his side and gasped, surprised he looked up to his older brother.
"Our souls are bound together through the spell I've cast on you to turn into a Dragon. You can feel the physical pain I feel and so when I die then you die and the same happens when you die." Zeref told him. Acnologia looked shocked at him and Carin realized Acnologia doesn't knew about this seeing his reaction.
"I see, but then..." He then raised his head and a insane grin appeared on his lips. "I'll be the one to kill you!"
He pounced at Zeref who did the same, his hand dipped in his Death Magic while Acnologia had his dipped in his own Magic and the both then raised their fist at each other, their fists grazed before the two of them hit each other in their stomach. Zeref's Magic managed it to make a big hole in Acnologia's stomach and Acnologia's Magic made a huge impact, letting the blood splatter through Zeref's stomach and out of his back.
Watching how the two of them landed a fatal blow on each other and then fell to the ground Carin felt how her body trembled. She raised her hands to the bubble around her and absorbed it per her own Death Magic and then ran over to Zeref.
"Papa!" She shouted as she ran up to him. Zeref somehow managed it to held himself upwards while Acnologia seemingly had no power for it anymore, he showed her with his hand not to come too close.
"You..." Acnologia hissed as he coughed up blood.
"It's your loss. This is your punishment for killing my family. Although I shall thank you for not killing my daughter back then."
Acnologia only sighed deep and closed his eyes as he laid on his back, probably preparing to die.
Carin then ran up to Zeref and caught him in her arms, pulling her close to her while he also coughed up blood.
"Hey, don't look so sad. You knew that this day will come... I told you so." Zeref then said as he saw up to Carin who looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I... know, but still..." She tried not to sob as she looked at the huge injury on his stomach which seemingly also grazed his heart.
"It was a good thing that I killed him instead of you. Being called the most powerful being can corrupt a person's mind." He looked over to Acnologia who only made a grimace. "But I would be feeling really bad if I would leave you alone – but I know you've got people who are here to comfort you, with whom you can laugh and be sad... going through thin and thick. So I feel rather peaceful..."
"Yeah... Fairy Tail is my home..." She muttered as tears started to run down her cheeks, Zeref only raised his hand and stroked over her cheek.
"Don't cry. I can finally find peace... and be reunited with Arisa." He said and suddenly his other hand was grabbed. Surprised the two looked around and Carin's eyes grew large.
Halfway invisible there was Arisa kneeling next to her, squeezing Zeref's hand and smiling at him as if she tried to calm him down.
"Arisa..." Zeref muttered and held out his hand to her as it he tried to touch her but his hand went through her. Carin looked shocked at her mother and noticed that there were more tears streaming down her cheeks as she saw her mother. Arisa's ghost seemingly wasn't able to talk but she touched the cheek of Zeref and Carin while still holding Zeref's hand.
"I see... you came to pick me up, huh...?" Zeref muttered and smiled weakly, then looked over to Carin.
"Be happy, my beloved daughter. Even though you family is dead, you still have got your adoptive siblings and Fairy Tail. Stay just like you are." He muttered and slowly closed his eyes, only a single tear ran down the corner of his eye and she saw how Arisa pulled out Zeref's soul and both disappeared with a smile. The moment Zeref stopped moving also Acnologia stopped and she felt how the warmth disappeared from his body and his face turned pale. Breaking down in tears she leaned over his corpse, crying loudly while mourning his death.
