I do not own Fairy Tail.
Operation: Save Erza
"Darkness Flare Bomb!" A malicious voice cried out followed by a searing pain that went through out her body. The Earth mage screamed bloody murder from the impact of the blast. The magic bomb didn't even send her away like it's intended to do, it crushed her into the ground, doubling the pain. It felt like hours that could have only been seconds when the pain had stopped. The aftermath was just as painful though.
Her throat was too raw to scream anymore. She felt burns scattered all across her body and the throbbing pain of her chest. She was in pure agony.
She said one last thing before she lost consciousness. "I accept... defeat..."
Levy sighed in relief from behind the purple runes at the sight of Avani finally passing out from the pain. She had managed to break through what was eating away the runes and write them around her and the grave in time for the spike to crash into them and disintegrate on impact. If she hadn't had done that in time, both her and the grave would have been pierced right through.
The bookworm smiled as she fell on the side of her that wasn't injured, the aftermath of the adrenaline rush and the blood loss finally getting to her. Before her eyes closed, she saw a blurry Freed go back to normal, falling onto the ground and thought:
Good luck... Lu-chan...
NO ONE'S POV
"Come on Elfman, the others said Erza should be this way!" Mirajane said, pointing to their right in the damp basement that looked awfully like a dungeon.
Her brother nods and followed after her through the long hall. It baffled them both of how a bright and clean mansion can have such a place that should belong underneath an abandoned castle of some sort. When they had entered with the others, the stench of mold instantly hit their noses. The stone walls were damp and grimy, and the ceiling dripped dirty water from unpredictable places. In addition to that, it wasn't exactly the warmest place to be in.
It made them both wonder what kind of conditions their nakama have been living in? Were they being fed? Bathed? The questions were endless, and they wanted all of them to be answered once they release Fairy Tail's beloved swordsman.
?'S POV
I haven't felt this cold for a very long time.
Not the type of cold on a snowy winter day... The type you feel inside.
Empty.
I don't even know how long it's been since I've seen everyone... A week? A month? I stopped counting the minutes on the fourth day, but I never stopped struggling. Never again will I give up when I'm in chains, bound and forced to be in their hands.
I would rather die than give up. Though the cold is tearing me apart inside me, I feel a spark of warmth hidden deep within. What was it exactly? I'm not quite sure. Maybe I can remember if the ones that had brought us here didn't forget to feed me, but I'm too tired to even complain, to acknowledge the rumbling in my stomach that begged for anything, or to even eat.
I can feel the warmth whenever I think about everyone. Natsu, Gray, Lisanna, and Happy are somewhere out there. Are they safe? Are they in the same position as I am? What about the rest of Fairy Tail? Do they know? What about Lucy?...
Lucy... She'll be one of the ones to worry the most. I miss her so much. Her and everyone. I want to see them again.
I have faith in Fairy Tail to get us back. I don't think that I can take anymore of these nightmares... They're just too realistic... I can never tell if it's just a dream or reality until I wake up and meet the sight of that damn metal door several feet away from me.
Clacking of chains... Cries of all kinds echoing through the air... The aching burns on my back... The snapping of whips... Big, frightening men shouting...
A violent shiver went through me at the memory. My hand instinctively reached down to touch my eye, but the cuffs and chains that were made to specifically seal in magic kept me from moving an inch. Just that simple jerk of the hand reminded me of how numb my arms were from being held up for so long.
I felt something wet drop onto my thigh. I look up to see if the ceiling was leaking again, but I felt a strange sensation on my cheek. Looking down again, I feel the sensation roll down to my chin and fall onto the same spot the other drop had fell at.
Why am I crying?
Another tear drops.
Why do I feel like I should be happy?
I shake my head and lean it against the hard stone behind me.
I just need to sleep. It'll help time go by even if I'll get another night terror.
NO ONE'S POV
"Lily, who do you think these strange people are?"
"I'm not sure Luke, maybe they are our enemies? They're letting Titania-san go it looks like."
"Master wouldn't be happy about that!"
Mirajane gasped and spun around as the cuffs that were on the said Re-quip mage's wrists clanked onto the stone floor, along with Elfman calling out her name as he caught her from falling on her side onto the ground before laying her down gently.
The barmaid looked at the two children in front of her cautiously. They were no doubt working for Lucy's father, considering they were talking about their master and how they were enemies. How did I not sense them? I feel powerful magic from them! "Who are you two?" She asks.
The twins tilted their heads toward the left. They both looked about the age of nine and had platinum blonde hair. The girl's hair reached to her mid-back and has her bangs swooped to the side, while the boy's hair is slicked back neatly. Their attire was very similar due to the colors. The girl was wearing a purple sun dress with black flats, while the boy wore a black dress shirt with a purple bow tie, and a pair of black dress pants and purple sneakers. Each held a stuffed teddy bear in their arms, the girl's being black, and the boy's being purple.
Mira felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of their eerily dull hazel eyes. "My name's Lily." Said the girl.
"And my name's Luke." Said her brother.
A sickly sweet smile graced both of their features. "Do you want to play with us?" They chorused.
Mirajane looked at the both of them with clear hesitance. She spoke to her brother without turning her head, "Elfman, we need to get out of here."
"How?" His reply hung in the air.
Elfman needs to protect Erza while she's unconscious... What should I do? I can't hurt these children! Even if they're the enemy!
"You don't want to play with us?" Luke asked with a frown.
His sister looked up at the pair with a glare as she raised her hand towards them. "We'll get mad if you don't... You don't want us to get mad."
"N-No..."
Mira's eyes widen at the familiar sense of foreboding and the emotion that filled her little brother's voice. Horror. A type of horror that she never wanted to hear from her siblings ever again. A special type of horror that had only happened once.
Before she could even control herself, she allowed herself to turn around and let the dread settle in her heart. She never thought that this would happen... Why would it happen? Again, nonetheless?
"Elfman-nii... Why?..."
A velvet pool of blood reached Mirajane's feet.
"Why did you do it, Elfman?..."
The male stared down at his little sister in his arms. Her right side had four jagged slashes that poured out a great quantity of blood, no matter how hard Elfman tried to stop it through his panicked and torn state. Lisanna had a similar expression as her big brother. Her eyes were wide with terror, a never ending river going down her paling cheeks.
"Why did you kill me?..."
Mirajane shook her head, taking a step back when the young Strauss's chest stopped moving.
"No... No, no, NO, NO, NO!" Elfman screeched, "Wake up! Please, Lisanna! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it! Please forgive me!" He cried.
The barmaid tore her watery eyes away from the scene, only to meet mischievous hazel eyes. Realization hit her. "You two did this... Didn't you?" Her voice dripped with malice as her hands clenched into fists.
Their smiles only widened.
"Demon Blast!"
A large ball of dark energy was blasted towards the twins in a blinding speed from a dark purple beam. Rubble and debris clouded where the twins originally stood, blinding anyone from seeing the result of the attack.
There, Fairy Tail's barmaid stood in her well-known Take Over: Satan Soul. Her eyes, eyelashes, ears, and hair has all changed drastically. All over her body were dark, thin markings. Covered in scales, her arms and hands each sprouted a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. A scaly tail, large and stock, also appeared along with changes of her clothes.
Her usual clothes were replaced with a skimpy, dark one-piece suit that revealed her arms and legs, which is open on the front and the back. It exposes most of her belly, wide cleavage and upper back too. To finish her transformation off, she dons a pair of gauntlets covering the back parts of her transformed arms.
"It doesn't matter who it is... Even a pair of children..." Mira started off, "No one does that to my little brother."
Elfman stared back and forth from his older sister and his empty arms. Lisanna had disappeared, even her blood, as if she never existed, and when he looked up he saw the familiar murderous form of Mirajane Strauss. Mira-nee has never hit a kid before!... But... He looks back at his hands that were earlier coated in blood. Did they do this?
"Ne, Luke, Demon-san is really strong!"
"Yeah, too bad that she's not strong enough, other-wise we would have made her our big sister!"
Mira's eyes narrowed at the sight of the dust clearing, leaving the twins chatting among themselves casually, as if they weren't just hit by a fatal magical attack. That should have at least damaged them! I underestimated them... There's something about them that's really off and I don't like it.
"Lily, is it okay if I kill the other one?" Luke asked his sister with an excited grin.
The other blonde waved her hand idly. "Yeah, I don't care. I'll deal with Demon-san."
"Yay!"
The barmaid audibly cursed in both shock and fear at her new opponent. W-Why is Elfman in his Beast Soul in front of me?! The one that went out of control on that night?! She felt her legs wobble until she fell onto her knees. From the corner of her eye, she was able to see her little brother in a similar situation, but instead there was a tall shadowy figure. But her attention wasn't on him.
It was solely at the perso- no. Thing in front of her.
She barely even registered herself shakily, and slowly crawling backwards as the monster approached her. She didn't want to be scared. She knew she shouldn't be scared, but she couldn't answer the question following that thought.
Why?
Why shouldn't she be scared? As scared as she was so many years ago? The aching horror that clawed inside her, just like those many years ago, giving her all the more reason to shake in terror at the beast in front of her.
She visibly flinched when it cried a roar that wasn't like any that she heard from Elfman's Beast Souls. This roar was wild. A roar so vicious and terrifying that Mira, of all people, whimpered.
That whimper quickly turned into a cry of pain when the monster's clawed hand was brought down onto her, slashing her arm and throwing her across the room. She barely registered her and her brother's cries as she felt searing pain radiate through her body. Why can't I move?! How did something from a nightmare appear?! It can't be an illusion, since it's physically hurting us!
"Lily, this is getting boring!~" Luke whined with a pout, tightening his arms around his bear.
"I agree, but let's just keep watching and see how long they la-"
The two yelped in surprise, jumping back when two figures were smashed into the ground in front of them. Their eyes simultaneously widen as large as dinner plates at what had landed before them.
The bodies of a glowing, red-eye beast and a shadowy figure that were shimmering away into black magical particles.
Mirajane glared at the twins with anger evident in her eyes from where she knelt on the ground, holding her bloody side. "You two... Your magic... Does it have to do something with nightmares?!"
Lily's face lit up like a firework. "Ah! You're close!"
"It's called Dream Magic!" Luke continued excitedly, "We can use all of your dreams against you. Nightmares are our favorite to use! Our teddy bears help us!"
His sister whacked the back of his head, "Baka! Don't tell the enemy that!"
"Sorry..."
"Beastsoul: Weretiger!"
Elfman growled at the twins. He knew it wasn't manly to hurt kids, but they had hurt his sister and one of his nakama. Someone who hurts either of the two purposely, especially if they're aiming to kill, is on his list of people he hates.
The young Strauss sibling transformed his entire body into a very massive creature, possessing distinctive traits characterizing a great variety of felines. In this form, he was standing on his rear legs, which gained a structure similar to that of a feline. His toes sprouted sharp, dark claws, not unlike those appearing on his fingers. He still obtains his toned, muscular physique, and is covered in many dark spots that are more reminiscent of a leopard's.
Topping his head was a long, messy and dark main that was similar to a lion's topping his head. Along with a dark feline nose and sharp teeth, he had a mildly long, spotted feline tail ending in a dark tuft, that sprouts from his lower back.
What he said about the teddy bears is all I needed! He thought before speeding towards the twins to capture his prey.
"Bad kitty!" Lily shouted as she jumped in time to spin her body around and land a solid roundhouse kick into the Weretiger's face.
Elfman was flung into the wall, roaring in pain as his injuries flared up upon impact. Growling, he struggled to get back to his feet.
"Elfman, protect Erza! I'll deal with-"
No...
Her breath hitched as her eyes met glowing red ones.
Not again!...
Not only was there one of the out of control beast, but multiple. All mixed in with mysterious, tall shadowy figures.
Her eyes shut tightly as she waited for the onslaught of attacks.
Why are these nightmares one of my only weaknesses?!
"HEAVEN'S WHEEL! DANCE MY BLADES!"
A barrage of swords flung all around the room, plunging into the bodies of the physical manifestation of nightmares. They tore into their bodies, bursting into a cloud of black particles that disappeared as they floated down.
And not only did the swords manage to defeat the nightmares with terrifying ease, but two managed to pierce the two teddy bears as the twins cried out in pain when cuts began to scatter all over their bodies. All until they fell onto the ground. Mira can only assume that they had passed out due to the pain of the many cuts.
The barmaid was quick enough to catch Erza before she fell onto the ground, her body shimmering back to her original clothing. She gave her past rival a watery smile, "Thank you, Erza... I'm sorry for almost losing, but... That just means we have to get stronger, ne?" She smiled warmly down at the Re-quip mage, who let a smile grace her features as her mind plunged back into the world of darkness.
Elfman was the only one to see the teddy bears disintegrate into shadowy clouds that evaporated into the air, before following Erza's lead.
LISANNA'S POV
This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad!
I was really lucky to end up fighting that big-mouthed guy, but now things are ten times worse!
All through battle I saw Warren somewhere near me, but now of all times he isn't there! Where the hell is he?!
I dodged, kicked, and punched as I made my way through the battle field, cursing every word known to man in my mind. I was panicking and getting frantic now with my heart beating wildly in my chest.
It was no wonder they hid their guild mark somehow! Just so we wouldn't gain an advantage! I need to tell Warren...
I KNOW THE GUILD THAT WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST!
I'm so sorry for posting this so late! As you all know, school has started so I rarely have time to write, especially with this well known disease called writer's block... Dx
Anyway, I hope this chapter didn't seem rushed, but feel free to tell me what you all thought!
By the way, if you all haven't seen my profile, I have started a Twitter account where I'll post updates, pics, and random shizzle! :3 So if you like, follow SugoiPommy for said tweets!
Thank you again, and I'll see you all again soon!
~Sugoi! Sugoi! (~•3•)~