Yosh! So, everyone enjoyed the little surprise from the last chapter? Yes, you have guessed it: Elena Cloves is actually the 'Edo-Kaelys' of this story! It is explained more thoroughly in this chapter. I've very happy about the feedback I'm getting too, and so I was really pumped up to post this chapter as fast as possible!
Here it is, so enjoy!
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Royal City of Edolas
Today is the day
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Gajeel stared down at the Lacrima in the town square, which was displayed for all to see, frowning.
"Damn it, if I barge straight in like that, I might hurt those bystanders too," he muttered under his breath. "And snake-face's not back yet… what should I do?"
He then narrowed his eyes as red clashed with red, Edo-Gajeel down below staring up at him with a knowing smirk.
"Oi, Metal Head."
The Iron Dragon Slayer tilted his head as Erik suddenly appeared next to him, having easily climbed the whole way up there.
"Found anything?"
"The ceremony is to be held tomorrow," informed the man. "And I heard something interesting too."
Gajeel raised an eyebrow in wonder, and Erik smirked.
"The King was attacked yesterday, just before we got here," he informed casually, and the other man instantly caught on. "A girl with black-hair and an eyepatch tried to kill him using Magic. She could fly."
"So the kid's here, uh?" easily understood the red-eyed man. "Where is she now, though?"
"Somewhere in the castle, I'd guess. I can't hear anything in there because of some annoying magical wards," tsked the former member of Oración Seis. "Rumors are that she won't be executed, though."
"Ooh?"
"Apparently… she's the daughter of the Advisor."
A few seconds passed, before the information fully sunk in. Gajeel's eyes widened, and Erik nodded in confirmation.
"Seeing as she's from another world and was thrown in our own, there was a… misbalance, of a sort. Edolas and Earthland are mirror-like worlds, while Kaelys's is a much farther alternate reality. To restore the balance, that Anima-thingy caught whoever held the most resemblance with Kaelys and put them in Edolas."
"Her mother," groaned the Iron Dragon Slayer, slapping a palm to his face. "What a drag… and she hasn't killed the woman yet?"
"She fell unconscious before anything more could be revealed," the maroon-haired wizard shook his head. "But I can easily guess she won't be all that happy to wake up and find her mother."
"A hundred jewels she's going to destroy the castle," deadpanned the man.
Erik snorted. "I ain't even taking that bet. We both know you'd win."
They quickly fell serious once again, though.
"So, what should we do?"
"I'll handle the Lacrima with the other me," answered Gajeel, looking back down. "You take care of the kid. With your… status, it should be fairly easy."
"Right…"
The Poison Dragon Slayer cringed a little as he recalled who exactly his double in Edolas was.
::
"Court… physician?"
"That would be the official title, at least," confirmed Edo-Gajeel. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "The truth is… he's completely insane. A mad doctor, if you will. He constantly experiments with poisons and uses prisoners as his guinea pigs. The King doesn't do anything seeing as he's also the one who is keeping his second son alive."
"Always mad doctors, I swear... but 'second son'?"
"The First Prince went missing two years ago. The Second Prince Macbeth is still here, but in a coma. Doctor Cobra's inventions are the only things keeping him alive."
::
"He rarely gets out of his room anyway, or so the other me said," added Gajeel with a shrug. "No risk of getting caught."
"Won't that be suspicious instead if I start waltzing around like I own the place?" retorted the Sound mage.
"… nan. And if they do, then just start acting mad or something. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Asshole."
"Gihihi."
Somewhere in the castle
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"Urgh… my head hurts like a bitch…"
It was pounding like crazy. Wincing, Kaelys brought an hand to her forehead, hoping it would somehow lessen the pain. What exactly had happened for her to feel like that?
'I manipulated you, you almost fell for it and tried to kill the King, then you took back full control and didn't kill him –which is a shame, truly- and then you blacked out because of the sudden drain of power'
"At least you're honest," she sweatdropped a little. A groan escaped her. "Why do I feel like you're forgetting something…"
'Nan, I'm just waiting for you to find out yourself'
The teen raised an eyebrow, before sighing in defeat and slowly sitting up. She was in a bed, that much was obvious. But why? If she indeed tried to kill the King, then shouldn't she be in a cell or something? Hell, she was even expecting the execution platform at that point.
Yet, she found herself waking up a room. It was richly decorated, with a balcony to her left and sun shining through the curtains.
"Wait… how long was I asleep for!?" she started panicking. A blast of pain in her skull however calmed down her frenzy. "Ow…"
She laid down for another minute, until the headache became less vicious. Once she was certain she wouldn't collapse again, she pushed away the heavy covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Her feet weren't even touching the floor!
Wait. She wasn't wearing her shoes!
"My scalpel…" she felt panic slithering in her veins, quickly seizing control. "W-where is it? Where's my scalpel!?"
She never once separated herself from it ever since she took it from that nurse, back at the asylum. It always allowed her a certain peace of mind, for it meant she always had something to defend herself with. And now, even though she could still use her magic, she never felt so vulnerable.
'Damn, kid, and I thought you already had issues. You're almost more trouble than your worth, seriously'
"… I think that's the nicest thing you ever said to me," the disbelief chased the mild panic attack in a heartbeat.
'Shut up and get up. Don't you have a mission or something?'
"Shit! The Lacrima!"
She hissed in pain when the headache flared once more, but this time ignored it and jumped to her feet, running to the balcony. The tiles were awfully cold, and the light blinded her as she pulled open the curtains. She didn't care, though.
"I'm inside the castle," she understood, her eyes narrowing at the court. She could see the Lacrima beyond the walls. "I need to get out of here!"
Suddenly, the door of the room opened. Spinning around to face the newcomer, the girl then froze as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman stepped inside, a tray of food in hands. The woman froze too when seeing her up, before softening and offering her a small smile.
"It's good to see you up-"
"Why are you here?" spat the Thief mage.
Elena Cloves, for it truly was her mother, tensed at the tone. The barely hidden disgust had come out in a half-snarl and, for a moment, the woman wondered if it truly was her daughter that was standing before her.
There was no doubt to be held, though. Kaelys had grown, of course, and she had apparently lost an eye –she hadn't dare remove the eyepatch, afraid of what she'd find-, but she was still the same as when they last saw each other.
Almost four years ago, uh?
"How about we sit down and talk a little? It's been a while, after all," proposed simply the Advisor, sitting down at the small table. She gestured to the food tray she had brought with her. "You must be hungry. There's also some medicine, since I suspected you'd have a headache when waking up-"
"Stop it…"
"What?"
"Stop acting as if you care!" snapped the purple-eyed teen, angry. "You never cared, you traitor! Everything was perfect, so why did you have to show up now!?"
There was a moment of silence.
"Almost two years ago, I was transported into this world," she then informed, taking a deep breath. "It was just after I learned of… your escape, from the hospital-"
"Asylum," corrected the girl, gritting her teeth. "A fucking mental ward. A hellhole where I was tortured day in and day out. But of course, call it hospital. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Elena clenched her fists a little, but pursued nowadays.
"It took me a while to adjust. The people here were nice, and helpful. And one day, I stumbled upon the Chief of Staff and a secret project. He had heard of my arrival from another world, and was asking for my aid. They then explained to me the concept of the Anima, and the existence of a third world, named Earthland. I then easily understood what had happened, and came to the conclusion that if I was here… then you were there. And so, I've been working ever since on this project-"
"The Lacrima," paled Kaelys, understanding dawning on her. "Y-you helped create the thing that stole our Magic… that's going to kill my friends… to find me!?"
"Can one truly blame me?" finally snapped her mother, rising to her feet. "I thought I had lost you forever, Kaelys! I thought- I thought I'd never see you again! Can you understand how worried I've been about you? Knowing that you were trapped in another world, to the mercy of anyone and anything, helpless, weak!? You were a little girl lost in another dimension, and who was sick, and-"
"Do you even know… what they did to me…?"
She shut her eyes tightly as memories ghosted in the shambles of her mind.
"They tortured me… each day… each night… for two whole years, it was pure hell. Do you know what electroconvulsive therapy is? 'Cause I didn't at that time, but I learned quickly. They drugged my food all the time, kept me chained down like some sort of wild animal, and the only thing that stopped me from fully breaking down were the voices that apparently sent me there in the first place!"
Her voice hitched a little as her pupil dilated slightly. Elena could only stare, gritting her teeth all along. She didn't know what to do or say, but Kaelys wasn't done.
"I set myself free because if I didn't, then who would? You?" the teen spat. "I found myself in the other world. I discovered I had powers beyond imagination, and the opportunity to grow stronger so that no one could ever trap me again! I ended up joining Oración Seis, a Dark Guild whose aim was to destroy the whole world! And I liked it there! I became friend with the other members, they helped me adapt, and I was treated by a tool by the Master but I didn't care! Can you- can you understand what I'm saying!? I was so done with everything, so fucking scared… but you weren't there. No, you were the one who abandoned me in the first place!"
"I never-"
"You did!" she screeched this time, her words echoing in the room, heavy with accusations. She however quickly regained some sort of calm. "We were defeated by the Light Guilds. When we were about to get arrested, I snapped. What good was it to live if it was to have my freedom taken away once again?"
Understanding shone in her mother's eyes. she brought an hand to her mouth, horrified. Seeing that, Kaelys laughed. It was empty, cold.
"I jumped off a cliff. But guess what? They saved me. She saved me. She caught me, and then scolded me, and then reassured me and gave me a place that I could finally call home. She didn't care about the hardships, she didn't care about the problems, she didn't care about the challenges awaiting us! She didn't care that I was broken, she didn't care because she was ready to give everything she had to help me! All of what she did… is what you should have done in the first place."
Kaelys stared at the slumped form of the one she once considered her family. The woman couldn't even look at her anymore, and the teen relished in the twisted satisfaction that came from hurting her.
"I've found a new family in Fairy Tail. I've decided to give life a second chance, a chance to prove me wrong, a chance to show me that it isn't all about pain and survival… I've decided to move on. The Doctor has been imprisoned, I'm not going back to our original world, and I sure as hell ain't staying with you. All along, all that I actually needed was for someone that I trusted to be by my side. I needed someone to stand by me, to understand me, to help me not with drugs and therapy, but with presence and loyalty! I needed people who loved me for who I was, and who I'm growing to be. I found those people in Fairy Tail, and I won't let anyone, not even you, take that away from me."
Shirokage whistled lowly. 'Wow, you sure held nothing back. Harsh much? Though it is funny'
"I'm done here. Now, either you tell me how to free my friends, or I find out myself," concluded the teen. "Oh, and I'll take my boots back while we're at it."
After a few more seconds of silence, Elena muttered something under her breath.
"What did she just say…?" wondered Kaelys, failing to hear her.
"I said…" the blonde Advisor slowly lifted her eyes back to Kaelys'. "That you're not leaving!"
The teen was suddenly slammed into the wall. Grunting in pain, she then glared at her mother. The woman was holding some sort of staff her way, a blue smoke escaping from the tip and holding her in place.
"I won't allow it!" Anger and despair shone in her blue orbs. "I'm sorry for what you had to go through, I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me the most, alright? I'm so, so sorry!"
"Sorry won't cut it!"
"I know that! But now that we have the chance to be together again… now that I have the chance to make things right…" A sob clawed its way out of her throat. "Then I'll take it. I love you so much, Kaelys-"
"STOP LYING!" Using her telekinesis, she slammed the woman into the wall, and the staff fell to the ground due to the shock. The teen landed back on her feet, facing the teary blonde. "If you truly loved me, then you would let me and my friends go! You fucked up, okay? You fucked up, and it's too late to go back, and if you want to 'make things right', then it's not by killing those I love that it'll fucking work!"
She brought out her Book. Taking a second to appreciate the familiar weight in her hand, she then flipped it open to the Sound Magic page.
"Sound Wall!"
The whole room exploded.
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"Their mission… was to kill you."
Natsu stiffened. Wendy started shaking.
"What… are you saying…"
"No way…"
Suddenly, the whole castle shook violently as a faint explosion was heard in the distance. The guards instantly tensed as Hughes narrowed his eyes.
"Causing trouble again, isn't she?" he muttered, annoyed.
"What was that? Who're you talking about?" snapped the pink-haired boy.
"Not that it concerns you," sneered a little the Captain. "But a girl tried to kill the King yesterday. She was supposed to be executed, but ended up being the daughter of the Advisor. Anyhow, I guess I'll go help them get her under control. We'll need to have Doctor Cobra treat her soon, though. God knows we can't keep a psychotic kid around right now."
"Who- wait, come back here!"
But the other boy was already leaving with a casual wave of the hand, no longer caring about their prisoners.
"T-that was Kaelys-san…"
"What?" Natsu snapped his eyes at Wendy.
"It must have been her! She's the only one who was sent here, just before Lucy-san!" insisted the blue-haired girl, fighting back her tears. "And that explosion just now…"
"She must have caused it," he understood. Anger flared, and he slammed his fist into the nearest wall. "Damn it! I swear, if they do anything to her, or Lucy…"
Fury shimmered in his eyes, deforming his traits. Had he still been able to use his powers in that moment, his fists would have been encased in flames.
"I'll end them."
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Gajeel was growing more and more agitated. They had started the process of drawing the Magic from the Lacrima, and he had yet to find an opening. He needed to destroy it, just as Mystogan told him, but how? There were too many people around, and there were too many guards; surely a consequence of yesterday's attack from Kaelys.
"Damn it…"
Suddenly, there was an explosion. One of the towers, farther away, had been blown from the inside. Instantly, panic took over the crowd as the bystanders started running away, terrified. The guards instantly loosened their stances, wondering whether they should go and help or stay and fulfill their duties.
"Send away two thirds of the group! The others stay here!" then ordered one of the higher-ups.
"Yes sir!"
And Gajeel could only smirk as the idiots left their posts. With what was left of the guards, he could easily break through and accomplish his own mission.
"Well, time to get to work!"
Pulling off his cloak, which would only hinder him, he grinned as the guards' eyes widened in fear at the sight of hist guild mark. Whatever shit Fairy Tail was wrecking in that world, it sure as hell worked in his favor right about now.
"Iron Dragon Club!"
Breaking through the defense, he then jumped and, without anymore hesitation, slammed his iron fist into the Lacrima. It cracked under the strength of the blow, but it wasn't enough.
"I'm not done yet! Iron Dragon Blade!"
This time, the dent was deep and wide enough for the plan to work. Landing back on his feet, he then shot a glance towards the crumbling tower. The blowing wind transported a familiar scent, one he'd recognize anywhere.
"Well, I'll have to thank the kid later for the distraction," he mused. However, his smirk soon fell as a bright light suddenly emanated from the Lacrima. He spun around to face it, only to freeze. "W-what!?"
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"How the hell am I supposed to get in there?" he muttered, annoyed. "I can't just waltz in, they'll notice me right away and question me…"
Erik had been hiding near the entrance for a while now. He knew he needed to get in there, but the magical wards stopped him from using his Magic to defeat the guards at the gate. The only way in was to walk through said gates, but they'd either ask for an ID or wonder what he's doing out there. Plus, they must have been warned that there were some Earthland look-alikes and would be all the more suspicious.
What a fucking pain…
Before he could ponder some more on the situation at hand, though, the nearest tower suddenly exploded. He blinked as it started crumbling, the noise startling the eight guards. Six of them were instantly sent away to check it out.
Well, that can work too. Now or never, I guess.
Gritting his teeth, he then moved out of his hiding place, and started walking down the road. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he took the most casual air he could muster and headed towards the gates.
As he walked, a familiar scent reached him.
Kaelys!
It would be even easier than he thought, then. He couldn't help but sweatdrop a little, though.
As thought, she did end up destroying the castle.
"Halt!"
At the guard's call, he stopped in his tracks, and shot him an annoyed look. The poor guy instantly recoiled, eyes widening in mild terror.
"I-I-I-I m-m-m-mean, p-p-please s-s-s-show u-us y-y-y-y-our I-I-ID…?"
Falling back in the 'bad guy' mood was more easy than he liked to admit. Looming over the obviously new recruit, he sneered at him.
"Said something, squirt?" he hissed through his teeth.
"N-n-n-no s-sir! I-I-I mean, y-yes s-sir! I-I m-m-mean-"
"Shut up."
And with that, he pursued on his way, making it through the gates. However, the uncertain thoughts from the second guard made his step falter somewhat.
He seemed saner than before…
Thinking fast, Erik did the only thing he could do at the moment… and started cackling as madly as he could. He faintly remembered a certain loudmouthed teen scolding him about it once, but didn't care at the moment. He instantly felt the fear spike in both of the soldiers.
Nope, as crazy as ever, was the thought he caught.
And the gates then closed behind him. Instantly, he let out a breath.
"Damn, too close," he muttered, before shaking his head. "Now, gotta find Loudmouth. Where could she-"
"Come and get me, I fucking dare you, you god damn walking trash cans!"
"Nevermind," he sweatdropped once again, before heading her way.
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Kaelys snarled as numerous guards started filling what was left of the room. Her mother had been knocked unconscious by the explosion, but it had obviously drawn the attention of many more enemies.
"Come and get me, I fucking dare you, you god damn walking trash cans!"
The soldiers glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. Before any of them could actually react, though… a rollercoaster suddenly slammed into the girl, sending her crash into the nearest wall.
...
They gaped for a moment, before a figure jumped off said rollercoaster, revealing himself to be the Captain of the Third Division.
"She's really too much trouble," he tsked as she rose from the rubbles.
"H-Hughes…" Elena then coughed, waking up. "D-don't hurt her… please…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he huffed, before turning back to the teen. "So, are you really that weak or just pathetic in a fight?"
"… neither. I'm just not used to being slammed into by a rollercoaster."
Everyone sweatdropped at the overly honest, and frankly obvious, admission. The girl dusted her clothes, and the boy narrowed his eyes when realizing that she seemed to have suffered close to none injury. She should have at least gotten a scratch, but she was apparently undamaged.
"Hey, I was wondering!" he then recalled, snapping his fingers. "How'd you lost your eye? It must be a pretty cool story, uh?"
"Who said anything about having lost it?"
For a moment, a ghost image of a snarling wolf was superimposed over hers, but the mirage was gone as soon as he blinked.
He knew it was more than that, though. There was heavy bloodlust, almost choking him as dread settled in his his guts, and damn it what's going on danger danger danger-
"What are you?" he clenched his fist, no longer having fun.
"Can't you tell?" Cold amusement lacing her voice, she tilted her head to the side, her eye never leaving his. "I'm a monster, obviously."
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...
...
"Why, if isn't Hughes and that dear Elena~"
At the new voice, all attention was reported on the newcomer. All guards instantly moved away as a man walked in, a sick grin twisting his lips. Instantly, the feeling of danger that had been suffocating Hughes vanished. He glanced at the teen, who was now gaping at the intruder.
"E-Erik!?"
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"Fuck, too late," cursed the Poison Dragon Slayer as he stopped in his tracks.
He had been so closed! The room was a few doors away, but the real… Doctor Cobra, had gotten there first. He couldn't just burst in, that much was obvious, and so he'd have to find another way.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he then leaned closer so as to hear what was going on.
"You must be this Kaelys I've heard so much about," mused the man. Erik refrained a shudder. Why did his double have to talk like that? "I know not of this 'Erik', though I would guess he is my double from Earthland. Either way, I am not him. As for you, Elena, Hughes… we have a meeting, remember? We do not have time to waste on idle chatter."
"Right, right," answered the one obviously named Hughes. "But she's a pain, and Elena didn't give her the Magic-suppressing drugs yet."
"I didn't have the chance," snapped a woman, apparently Kaelys' mother. "She kind of made everything explode before I could approach her."
"Excuses, excuses~"
There was a clicking noise, one the maroon-haired man identified as a gun.
"Now, Kaelys, you have two options: either you surrender yourself, or I make you."
"As if," snorted the teen, and he couldn't help but grin at the sound of her voice. "You know, you really should meet Erik. I'm sure he'd kick your ass."
His double shot.
There was a moment of silence.
"You missed."
"Your Magic sure is annoying. However, as said earlier, we do not have time for idle chatter. We have important work to do, you see? So, I'll try another way: either you surrender yourself… or we kill that blonde friend of yours."
"W-what? Who are you talking about?"
The Dragon Slayer cursed quietly under his breath. Sunshine was held here, then! Just fucking great. Now, he had two rescues to do instead of one.
"I believe she's called… Lucy, right? Meaning 'light'. Truly a fitting name, I must say. And it'd be a shame to kill such a pretty one… of course, seeing her writhe in agony at the mercy of my newest invention would be fantastic, but-"
"Where is she!?"
"Now, now, don't be hasty~ She's alive, for now. And if you surrender, then I'll make sure that it stays that way. So, do we have a deal?"
"… I could just kill all of you and go save her myself."
"You might have the aura of a killer, but you no longer have the heart of one. You won't kill me, or any of us."
"I can still break you! Sound W- argh!"
Erik frowned. What had just happened? While he could hear, he still couldn't see anything.
"Thank you, Elena. Now, you two!"
"Y-yes sir!?"
"Get her to my laboratory. She won't cause you anymore trouble with her Magic, but be careful to chain her down well. It'd be a drag to have my greatest invention as of yet being destroyed so easily, and at such a needy time."
"S-sir yes sir!"
"W-what's going on… what have you done to me!?"
"A new drug I've developed recently. It allows to suppress one's Magic. It is temporary, of course, but don't worry! I've found a more… lasting solution, to that minor problem. Before tomorrow, your Magic will merely be a bad memory!"
"Doctor, enough of this," then intervened… Elena, right? Erik couldn't really remember. "Kaelys… it's going to hurt, but it'll be alright. When everything is done, then we'll be together again."
"I don't want to!" Muffled noises of struggling followed. "L-let me go! I won't let you, you hear me!? I'm not abandoning my friends, not so easily! Let me go!"
But her cries were ignored as she was dragged out of the room. A few moments later, all guards were sent away, back to their original posts. Erik simply hid in a closet as they passed. As he was about to come out, though, he froze in place.
That Hughes guy, the woman and his double were passing by.
"Do not fret, dear Elena. Soon enough, she'll be as good as new!"
"… she won't remember anything, will she?"
"Not a thing!" assured the madman. "Though you'll have to be careful when handling her afterwards. A child's mind is such a fragile little thing~"
"I will. Thank you, Doctor."
"Of course, of course…"
"Still, though," then joined in Hughes as they walked passed Erik's hideout. "Her killing intent… was so awesome! And all that bloodlust, and that power! Your kid's awfully strong, Elena! It's going to be fun having her around!"
"I swear to God, Hughes, if you start corrupting her with your ideas of 'fun', then I will…"
They disappeared at the end of the hallway. Once he was certain they were gone, the purple-eyed man sighed heavily, stepping out.
Sunshine was held prisoner somewhere, her life on the line each passing second. Loudmouth was about to have her Magic ripped away and her memories wiped out. Plus, he had no idea whatsoever of what was going on with Metal Head and the Lacrima. And of course, it was to add to the faint murmurs about an oncoming war that put him on edge ever since he stepped in that damn castle.
What was he supposed to do now?
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Kaelys trashed around as she was chained to the wall. The soldiers had left her in a laboratory of some sort, apparently Erik's double's. The heavy scent of chemicals made her head a little fuzzy, and the total absence of magical power made her feel so weak it made her sick. How come she always ended up in those situations?
"Damn it, damn it, damn it…"
"Argh! D-don't touch her! I'll give you my Magic power, just leave Wendy alone!"
Kaelys froze. Had she… had she heard right?
Ever since she got there, she had heard screaming in the background. They were merely noises, though, and she had been too caught up in her own panic and anger to really care about it.
But now… now…
"ARGH!"
"That's… that's Natsu!" she gasped. "A-and Wendy? What- what are they doing to them? Damn it, I've got to get out of here!"
'Kid, you're pathetic. Why don't you use my powers? They only sealed off your core. If you unseal mine and use it-'
"Fuck off," she snapped, pulling as much as she could on her shackles. "I won't resort to freeing you, no matter what!"
'Well, those are your friends who are suffering. Do what you want'
"Damn it…"
A few explosions followed. The ground shook, and one of the numerous vials on the shelves suddenly fell and broke near her. There was a sizzling noise as some smoke followed, and her eyes narrowed at the sight.
"Acid…"
She glanced up at the shelf. It was just above her, and many bottles containing the same poison were disposed upon it. If she managed to make one of other vials fall, she could use it on her shackles and free herself.
'Or end up dying because you poisoned yourself like a fucking moron'
"It won't kill me, not with the healing abilities you provided me with when we merged," she answered, taking a short breath. "Though it will hurt like a bitch."
In the distance, more screams followed. Steeling her resolve, she then started slamming her body into the wall. The shelf was already trembling due to the shocks of the explosions in the distance, and also unbalanced due to the number of vials. If she hit it just strongly enough-
There was another explosion, one much stronger than the other ones. One of the supports of the shelf broke, and the vials started falling all around her. Extending her bare feet, she somehow managed to stop one from hitting the ground and breaking.
'This is a bad idea'
"Shut up!"
Making it roll her way, she then used her feet to bring it closer. Leaning down, she then pulled off the cork keeping it sealed.
'Great, it's open. Now what, genius? You can't use your hands, and I doubt you're flexible enough to use your feet'
"Well, not like I have much of a choice."
'Wait, what!?'
Gritting her teeth in anticipation, she then grabbed it between her feet and threw it in the hair. The vial spun above her head, spilling its contents. She howled in pain as some burned through her clothes. She could already feel it eating away her skin, but ignored it as some landed on the link keeping her shackles to the wall.
There wasn't enough to burn through, but there was enough to weaken it. With one last, strong pull, she managed to make it break and stumbled forward. She collapsed on the floor, the coldness of the stones making her hiss as it met her heated wounds.
'You truly are a mess, you know that? But…'
"But what!?"
'That… was AWESOME! Gahaha! I can't believe I've found such a crazy host! You're a really suited vessel, you know that?'
"Don't I… feel honored…" she grunted.
'Now, now, roll back the attitude dearie. I am about to heal you, after all. Not that I can really stop it, but still! Take it as a thank you for the wonderful display of your still-growing insanity'
Thankfully, there weren't many wounds to get rid off. Most of the acid had merely damaged her clothes, or fallen aside. As the pain finally subsided, though, she couldn't help but notice that there was now a scar on her shoulder.
A very obvious one.
'I can't really let you forget that stunt, can I?'
"Jerk," she muttered.
But she really had no room to complain. She had poured acid over herself, after all, and somehow couldn't decide which one between that experience or the oncoming earful from Lucy would be the most painful.
More screams suddenly followed, and she narrowed her eyes, focusing back on the task at hands.
That was Lucy.
"I can't use my Magic, though," she huffed, annoyed.
'Kid, you're in the laboratory of a mad doctor. Pretty sure you can find something'
"… fair enough."
As she let her gaze wander on the different tables and shelves, though, she instantly noticed the dark curtain blocking off what seemed to be another room. Raising an eyebrow, she didn't waste any time in pulling it aside, revealing some sort of box on the other side. It was made of glass, and there was something inside.
Curiosity getting the best of her, she looked closer.
And gaped.
"Damn."
.
.
"What the hell… are you doing to Natsu and Wendy!?"
Erza Knightwalker stared down at the blonde with a smug, victorious smirk. She had been chasing her and the two Fallen Exceeds for a while now, but they would no longer escape her.
"We're stealing the magic power we need for Code ETD from them," simply answered the red-haired woman.
"Stop it… stop this at once!" exclaimed Carla, tears streaming down her face.
"We caught him!"
Following the sudden announcement, Happy was suddenly thrown next to them.
"Happy!"
"Your devil's luck just ran out," then stated the Captain of the Second Division with a smirk. She stepped forward, spear in hands. "Die!"
"G-give… give Wendy back!" however replied the white cat.
Erza stiffened at that. As she was about to bring down her spear, though, there was the distinct sound of breaking glass.
"Aaaargh!"
Three of the soldiers suddenly fell to the ground as a sizzling smoke emanated from their backs. As they collapsed, a new figure made their way towards them.
"Who are you!?" snapped Erza, spinning around to face them.
"Just a girl who got her hands on some real nasty poison," deadpanned the teen, walking into the light. "Don't mind me."
And with that, she threw a bottle on the ground. Instantly, toxic smoke invaded the whole area. As panic settled in the ranks of the enemies, the teen ran to Lucy and covered her face with a clothe while the Exceeds used their scarves to do the same.
"K-Kae…" Relief shone in the blonde's eyes as she smiled a little. "I'm so glad you're safe…"
"Come on, Lucy-nee, let's get you three to safety," simply answered the teen, pulling her up to her feet.
"What was in that bottle?" wondered the Celestial mage.
"No idea."
A weird smell had now taken place all over the hallway. It was kind of fruity, though, and Kaelys couldn't help but wonder…
"Wait…" she narrowed her eyes at the nearest soldier. He had slumped to his feet, a blissful expression on his face. "Is that…"
"Alcohol," Lucy made a face. "That was alcohol."
"What a letdown," mumbled the teen, before shaking her head. "Anyway, let's go. We have to-"
Suddenly, an hand latched itself around her neck. Forced to let go of Lucy, she gasped when she was slammed into the wall, a tight grip now choking her.
"Kae!"
"W-what… the hell…"
"Very ingenious, Kaelys Cloves," Erza spat, annoyed and apparently unaffected by her little stunt. "Though not enough to deal with me."
"Y-you can't… kill me…" the black-haired girl grunted, clawing at the woman's hand with as much strength as she could muster.
...
"I never received such orders."
Pain flared in the lower part of her body. There was a scream in the background, one she barely recognized as Lucy's. Happy's and Carla's joined hers.
Why were they screaming?
Wait… why was she screaming?
Shaking, she slowly lowered her eyes, which soon fixed themselves onto the spear now piercing her stomach. It had passed through the skin, the flesh, the muscles, everything. Warm and red blood was now morbidly running down the glinting blade and her legs.
"… aw, shit."
And then, the Captain activated the magical Lacrima, and a blast of lightning shot through Kaelys' body.
... I'm so fricking mean with Kaelys, seriously. But hey, no backing out now, right? Anyway, hope you guys understand better what exactly happened for her mother to end up in Edolas. Just a question of balance, kind of like how Lisanna was sucked into Edolas when her double died. Also, I had no idea if Hughes could actually control the rollercoaster outside of the amusement park, so I just said yes and went with it. As for Doctor Cobra... I really have no idea where this came from. Guess I have a thing for mad doctors, lol.
Hope you liked it, and look forward to the next chapter!