Oh, boy. Someone's got too much time on their hands. That someone is me. Here's some more content.
Think I deserve a review for double updating this weekend. Just saying.
Also, be sure to check out my Re:Zero story I just started. I'll probably through in some more content with that sometime soon, too.
Chapter 19: Black
'Maybe Lucy thought that if she were extra nice to me, I would consider taking her as my partner for this quest.' Natsu shook his head, smiling gently. Looking down at her one last time, Natsu placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Lucy hummed in her sleep and pressed her body against his, loosening her grip on his neck in the process.
'Sorry, Lucy, but it's too dangerous.'
The boy slowly got up from the bed, taking careful measures not to disturb Lucy as he did. When he finally got up, the blonde latched herself around a body pillow that the fire mage strategically placed in his wake.
Natsu couldn't stop the blush, or the tears building up. He knew how much his decision would hurt her. He knew that they were finally starting to warm up to each other after years of secretly liking each other. He knew all of that.
'But…it would all be worth it in the end.'
He found his scarf laying on a chair in the corner of Lucy's room. He took it and stared down at it, the light from the moon shimmering against the soft cloth. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he silently bid farewell to his only keepsake from his father. He folded it up neatly, and placed it on the pillow his head once occupied. He froze, hovered over the bed, tears streaming down his neck and falling to the floor after reaching his bare chest.
"I love you, Lucy…" he whispered to the sleeping blonde. "When I return…"
He placed his fist over his heart and his other hand on her forehead. "I swear I'm going to make you mine and mine alone."
He knelt over as he kissed her forehead in the place where his hand was.
"Wait for me."
Natsu was the first to strike the group. Without a moment's hesitation, the fire dragon leapt into the dawning light that cascaded across the sky. The ominous roar that erupted from his throat sent shockwaves down towards the ground. Erza, Gray, Juvia, Laxus, Wendy, Cobra, and Lucy all flinched from the impact.
"Incredible! Such otherworldly power!" Erza gasped. She tightened her grip around her deadly water swords and held them out in front of her in a defensive stance.
"Where the hell is all this rage coming from?" Laxus shouted, jumping in front of Wendy to block the brunt of the shockwaves from reaching her smaller frame.
Wendy crouched into an attack position and inhaled deeply, pressing against the ground. Her eyes focused on the small of Laxus' back. "This air pressure is insane. It's like he's shattering the sound barrier with his voice alone."
Juvia expanded her scope of defense by spreading out her water barrier to cover both herself and Gray. She winced and looked back towards the ice magic. "Juvia cannot defend against an attack that creates sonic booms. After all, sound travels faster in water."
Gray stripped off his shirt and cracked his neck, facing Natsu with a look of determination across his face. Natsu fell to the ground, nearly melting the rocks around him. Within seconds, the earth in the surrounding area turned red hot. The raging fire dragon's teeth bared viciously out of his mouth, and steam poured from the gaping hole. His eyes were pitch black.
"He's under Erin's mind control serum." Gray concluded. He turned to the others. "We have to slow him down somehow."
"We can't let him get to the injured," Lucy added, attempting to stand. Before she could put all her weight onto both legs, the blonde faltered against Chris, who caught her carefully. "At least, not in this state."
Chris scolded the spirit mage while holding her up against him. "You and I are part of the injured, Lucy." He turned towards the members of Fairy Tail. "Sorry, guys. As much as I want to help, looks like I'll need to keep an eye on this one before she gets herself in even more danger."
"Take her to the master." Erza nodded towards the smaller group watching from behind the front line. "Keep an eye on them as well."
"Right."
"Here he comes!" Cobra shouted.
Natsu charged the group, plumes of fire shooting out wildly in all directions. His first hurdle was Erza, who valiantly parried his ruthless swings with each stroke of her sword. Infuriated, he jumped above the warrior women and inhaled with all his might.
"Come at me!" Erza shouted, stomping the ground and lifting her shimmering blades high above her head, prepared to block the roar.
"Fire Dragon…" The air surrounding him grew thin as he sucked up the ethernano.
Erza gasped.
"This is gonna get bad!" Wendy shouted, leaping into the air and drawing in her own source of ether.
"ROAR!" An insurmountable tower of searing flames crashed down upon the single warrior, spreading like a liquid and covering the valley with flames. Even the mages standing by were affected by the blast, knocking most of them back. All but one on the ground still remained.
The smoke covering Erza from the fray cleared away fast, revealing her current state. Surrounded by a veil of water, the scarlet haired maiden stood untouched from the flames!
"Nice one, Juvia!" Erza called out.
"Juvia came in just the nick of time— AH!"
"—Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu slammed his body into the water mage, sending her flying into a mountain of rubble and debris.
"Juvia!" Gray shouted. He slammed his fist into his palm. "You bastard. Ice Make: PRISON!" The mages open palms smacked the ground and sent out massive amounts of ice energy into the ground. Pillars of bone-chilling ice pierced the sky all around him, chasing the fleeing fire mage.
"Keep him busy, Gray!" Wendy called out as she raced parallel to the flame ball. While running, she managed to enchant her arms and legs, allowing her to move faster and hit harder without using so much magical power. "Sky Dragon Roar!"
The gale of wind collided with Natsu, extinguishing the flames in his hands and sending him barreling towards the ground.
"Thunder Dragon's Halberd!" Laxus boomed as he jumped from a nearby ruin and flung the massive bolt of lightning at the incapacitated fire mage. A direct hit of electricity fried him and managed to burn parts of his robe off.
Natsu lay motionless as steam rose like ghost tails off his charred body. Laxus landed just a few meters away from him, panting heavily. He spat at the ground.
"Shit, I didn't think I used that much magic transporting all of you here." Laxus huffed. Cobra approached quietly from behind.
"Is he still alive?" Erza pried, all too sure of the answer she'd receive.
"I can hear him breathing just fine from here." Cobra replied. Something was off about him at the moment. Usually, the devious poison dragon bore a smirk across his ragged face. This time, he looked rather somber.
"What is it?" Erza asked quietly.
"Natsu has no thoughts." Cobra stated coldly.
"It isn't like he thinks on a normal day anyway." Gray jeered, helping Juvia stand by wrapping an arm around waist.
"Any human with a soul holds thoughts within their mind." Cobra continued, stepping towards Laxus calmly. All eyes fell on the dark mage as he spoke. "For him to not have any thoughts worth listening to is one thing." He placed a firm hand on the thunder dragon's shoulder. "But, for him to have a silent mind could only mean one thing. He's transcended from any sort of human nature."
"The serum has the power to do such a thing?" Erza stammered. At this point, everyone was visibly shocked.
"Wendy, come take a look at his body." Cobra ordered.
"Huh?" Wendy jumped slightly. She never expected him to address her formally. However, she obeyed and stepped towards Laxus and Cobra.
Laxus still stood in a state of pure terror. His eyes were shaking, and his hands trembled against his waist. Cobra gripped his shoulder even tighter, fighting back the fear that was slowly engulfing the both of them. The sky dragon hesitated in taking the next step, one that would bring her closer to the anomaly before her.
"What in the world is this?" The girl asked, almost shrieked. She, too, was enveloped in fear as she gazed down at the body and saw past the steaming skin and charred clothing. Directly into Natsu's bloodstream, his bones, muscles, and vital organs.
Laxus was able to sense heartbeats and electromagnetic pulse triggered within the brain. Cobra could do the same, and could even analyze the neurons firing within the brain.
In short, these three dragons had the power to witness the monstrocity known as Erin's mind control serum.
"It's black." Laxus breathed out.
"There is no sign of life within his body." Wendy deducted, sweat coating her face. "His organs are pitch black. How?"
"How can he still be alive?" Laxus shuttered, clenching his fists and closing his eyes in anger.
"This is no poison." Cobra added. "It's a goddamn death sentence."
I'll give you guys the rest of this scene at a later date. Hope you enjoyed.
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