At last, I have finished packing and getting nice things to put in my room at school. I really do hope I can keep posting at a regular rate, but I can't promise anything. Sadness.
For this chapter, I feel like I have a bit of explaining to do.
Black Pearl comes from another dimension like Charla, Happy, and Panther Lily. I wanted to do a kind of afterlife type deal to connect Adamine even more to her old friend Bickslow. That's the only info you get. Gihi!
The questions here are, Just how long has Bickslow known Mina? Is there a secret relationship that I may or may not write a prequel to this story about? You tell me, you're the ones who I write for.
I hope you all enjoy! Oh! Oh! If you do have questions or just want to tell me how bad or good the story is, drop a review down. I don't view negative criticism as a bad thing. Actually, I'm the type to get told how awful something is then hunt down that person, so we can figure out how to fix it.
I have a net, and I'm not afraid to use it!
Laxus: She's insane. Don't mind her.
Me: Hey, now, I don't want to here that from you, Sparkler!
Freed: She is a bit unorthodox, but I kind of like it.
Me: Thank you, Freed. I'm glad someone appreciates my work.
To Kill the Beast be a Beast
Adamine's body was still unconscious. Her breathing was coming faster and faster. Soon, she would wake, and he would have to put her back to sleep. With each second that she woke, the dragon began to feed. It had gotten worse over the past few days. He was having to knock her out at least ten times a day now. Each time she woke up, more damage was put on her soul. She was fading faster than she was rejuvenating.
The rest of the Raijinshuu were all asleep. Evergreen had fallen asleep on the bed beside Adamine. Freed had passed out on the bay window. Laxus sat in a chair asleep with his arms still crossed. He was the only one awake, and right now, he clutched at Adam's hand.
Without his helmet on he pressed her slender hand against his forehead. Adamine had a funny thing about people's foreheads. She head butted them there, kissed them there, and rested her own there. She said that it made her feel more connected to the person she was with because Firmalione would put her snout there when Adam cried. Right now, it was the only thing other than talking to her that made him feel like she would be okay. It must have been a third eye thing because he did feel closer to her soul this way.
"Mina," he whispered. "I've got a lot of things that I need to tell you, so you can't leave us yet. Evergreen still has to chew you out. Freed still has to read the manga you've been working on. He has your backpack, but he won't look at any of the comics because you didn't tell him he could go through your stuff. Some kind of chivalry mess he has a complex about. I've already looked through them all. Laxus also wants to kick your ass for throwing him into a river. I've still got to sexually harass you because I saw your underwear. Don't leave us, woman. If you do, I swear that I will find your soul and haunt the shit out of it. It'll be a reverse haunting." He ran his thumbs over the heel of her palm, feeling her open it up to unconsciously run her fingers through his Mohawk.
He felt weak, and it was a downright to the pit of his existence nasty feeling. His dolls were sitting on Adamine's body. They hadn't moved or said a word aside from her name when everyone was asleep. One sat on her chest. Three were on her stomach. The last one rested in her palm where she had curled her hand around it. He never thought that he would care so much about any one person aside from Laxus and the Raijinshuu.
This was why he never let people see him. He made up an act, to keep himself comfortable around people more so than for them to like him. Every time that he got close to someone, they died or got hurt. That was why he craved strong allies. Laxus was the perfect example of that.
Long ago, he had befriended people with ease. His dad being a Seith Mage had always kept him comfortable with seeing things others couldn't see. Bickslow had grown up with the spirit of his murdered mother dwelling in a platinum skull his father wore on a silver chain.
He'd never felt weird or different until the noblemen had found out about them. That was why he ran from Lancet. That was why he encouraged Adamine to do the same. Bickslow looked down at the laminate floor of the infirmary. Adamine didn't know all this. She didn't know that Bickslow had been her childhood friend before his dad had shipped him out of the country. The two of them had played together in Kindred Spirit.
She had been the shy girl who sat in the back of the guild. He had been to overzealous offspring of the most powerful Sieth Mage in Lancet. Bickslow had always teased young Adamine about the way she ate diamonds. He'd played numerous pranks on her just to rile her up. He loved to piss her off, but he never escaped unharmed. Adamine always beat him up. He never let it get to him. He messed with her even worse and took his beatings on a weekly schedule.
It was like clockwork. Wake up. Shower. Eat breakfast. Prank Mina. Get beat up by Mina. Get scolded for messing with the shy girl. Eat lunch. Throw food at Mina. Get beat up again. A powerful bond had developed between the two mages, but then noblemen had found out about Kindred Spirit. His father had woken him up in the middle of the night then shuffled him out of an underground tunnel dug beneath the house. He and other Kindred Spirit children had escaped that way to Fiore. That day, though, Adamine hadn't been in the tunnel. He hadn't seen her at the port either. He had gone through the Underground Railroad mage style, but didn't see Mina, not even for a second.
Bickslow clenched Adamine's hands tighter. He murmured, "You can't die before I tell you."
"Tell her what? Are you going to confess that you llllllllllike her?" Makarov questioned, rolling his tongue in that typically humorous way Happy did. Right now, though, it just made Bickslow tick his jawline. He didn't even look towards Makarov until the man called, "Come on in. It's okay. If I had to sneak you through the back door because you were too scared to see anyone, then, you can at least enter this room."
Now, Bickslow turned. He felt his temper flare up at the sight of a tall canine. Seeing her in this state made the memory of what she started with Adamine run through his head, but she was Mina's friend, the woman's only hope right now. He could kick her around Magnolia later.
Black Pearl stood in the hallway. She had one hand on the doorframe, and the other clutching the adamantine quiver Adamine had given to her. Being a Hellhound, Pearl could see the beast sucking the life out of her comrade.
Shyly, she took a step. Then another. Then another. This was a tense moment for Pearl. There was a way to fix this, an old way that her people rarely practiced in her dimension, and it involved shooting an arrow through Adamine's skull. She hadn't expected… this.
"Well, tell me what you see. You said you can see souls. Now, what is it?" Makarov encouraged. He was slightly annoying but extremely concerned for Adamine. Pearl was in his debt so thoroughly.
Pearl ran a hand over her throat at the sight of her former enemies laying draped around the infirmary. Bickslow, the Seith Mage, was the only one awake. Makarov had recapped over everyone's names since Laxus was the only one she remembered.
It had taken them a day to get back here, and that meant Adamine had been out four days. Her soul had taken on serious damage. It was deadly at this point. She could be gone any minute.
"Her soul is nearly gone. The dragon has it mostly absorbed. We need to do a series of things, but one involves me shooting Adamine with one of my magic arrows. Also, I will have to go into my Hell form. That could be potentially dangerous as well." Pearl had explained to Makarov that she had levels of transformation. It seemed that there was another creature here who could transform like her. His name was Panther Lily, but his transformation was simpler. He remained in a chibi form normally. Pearl was normally large and more humanoid. She could only stay chibi for a limited time, but she had not explained the fearsome thing she turned into when she transformed into her demonic state. Only Adamine had ever seen it and lived.
Bickslow stood up from his seat. "No way in hell I'll believe that bullshit. You aren't shooting anything at Adam!" The chair was a brutal squeal when he abruptly moved. It fell behind him and woke up the rest of the group. Freed leaped upwards to draw his sword. Evergreen had her fingertips at the ready on her glasses. Laxus reared back like a beast about to strike. As soon as he met eyes with Black Pearl sparks flew.
Before anyone could lunge for her, Makarov made his body grow larger, and he put his arms out to guard the canine. "No one moves an inch," he growled. "I brought Pearl here to save Adamine, and you should be glad that she even wanted to come back with me. Now sit back down and listen!"
Reluctantly, the group all sat down, but Laxus stayed standing. With his arms crossed over his burly chest, he sized the canine up. The scythe she had was gone, but she was still armed. Laxus was ready whenever she was.
Pearl on the other hand just stood there. She didn't look frightened off. Her crimson eyes were level with Adamine's body, but she wasn't staring at the body on the bed. She was staring through that and to the cancerous beast eating away at her comrade. She would save Adamine and get out of here.
Makarov encouraged, "What are the steps?"
"I'll perform the spell Exorcism. I'm a master of Hell Magic, but I do know some Heaven spells. This spell will allow me to transfer a part of my soul into an arrow that I will put into Adamine's third eye. As a Hellhound I possess multiple souls within my body." She nodded towards Bickslow. "I'm sure that you have realized this by now. "The three souls, which are conjoined inside of humans and other creatures, never fuse inside of Hellhounds. There is the Soul of Heaven, the Soul of Hell, and the Soul of Mortality. Whenever using the spell Exorcism, you have to send the opposite of your soul into the host body. My Hell Soul is the most prominent, so I will send my Heaven Soul into Adamine. The issue is that you will have to deal with my Hell Soul. I'll turn fully demonic and could harm Adamine since my Hell Soul requires the absorption of other souls to survive. My demon self will want to eat all of your souls while I battle the dragon to beat it into submission." Bickslow tried to open his mouth to complain.
She cut him off. "While you're holding my demon in place, I'll need someone to create Seven Seals. These seals are the same emerald lacrima that Adamine used to wear before I b-broke them." Her voice cracked at the reminder, but she kept going. "I have the materials because I used to have to repair Adamine's lacrimas all the time." She reached into a backpack that was slung over one shoulder. "Usually, there is a captive demon while an angel or mortal performs this spell. We don't have that luxury. You will have to find a container for my Hell Fire to forge the lacrima."
Freed interrupted, "Why can't we use normal fire or a dragon slayer's flames?" Ah, at least someone was buying her explanation. Everyone else looked skeptical.
"Exorcism is a Heaven spell. The opposite of Heaven is Hell, not Mortality. I could explain to you the story of our existence, but we don't have time. Adamine is going to wake up soon, and she doesn't have enough soul left to hang on for much longer. Do you have a container that can hold Hell Fire?"
Laxus asked, "What about Natsu? I don't believe all your Heaven and Hell bullshit, but if you think it will save Adamine, it's more than we're doing now. He's ate god flames, my lightning, and only Mavis knows what else." Pearl gave a nod. It sounded good. Hell Fire burned everything it touched, a mortal with a flame absorbing gut would be the best option. He walked to the door. "I'll get him then."
"Now, I need someone to create Seven Seals. The seals must be encrypted with the seven chakra in Heaven Magic lettering. Anyone got paper?" Her words were rushed. She was trying to get all the information out before Adamine woke up. They only had so much time, and the longer Pearl's Heaven Soul was purging the beast, the more likely Adamine would survive the encounter. Makarov handed her a piece of paper and a pen.
After drawing seven elegant symbols, Pearl slapped the paper down on a bed. In rough handwriting it labeled the chakra. "From top to bottom are the Root, Sacral, Solar, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown chakras. It doesn't matter where you put them on her body just as long as they will be constantly touching skin."
Evergreen stepped forward to look over Freed's shoulder. He was devouring this new information with a frightening thirst for knowledge. "How do you know so much about this and Adamine's situation specifically?"
"I lived in an alternate dimension, another world similar but very different from Edolas. There are only three kinds of magic which can be learned by any creature there. They are Heaven, Hell, and Mortality. Before the Mortal Apocalypse, I studied Hell and Heaven Magic. When I met Adamine, I had thought she was an angel. Angels and Demons only possess Heaven and Hell capabilities. Since she had two souls and was so kind, I had made the assumption. About Adamine specifically, I don't have a clue. This is just the best hypothesis."
Ever snapped, "So, you're going to mess with Adam's soul based on a guess?"
Pearl whipped her head up from explaining to Freed how to create the lacrima. "Do you have a better idea because if you do I so would love to hear it?" Pearl's voice was full of threats. She dared the woman to try and sway Pearl from this task. It wasn't like she wanted to tamper with her best friend's soul, but if it was the only way to save her from death, then she would have to do it. Apparently, she was the only one here qualified enough to do so.
When Evergreen just threw her head away to snarl at the wall, Pearl gave a nod. She went back to talking to Freed, but she didn't miss how Evergreen turned to look at Adamine. Her eyes were full of concern. So, the snob did have a heart.
"So, could I place the symbols like I place my runes?" Freed asked. He readied his hand to create one of the symbols but before he did it, looked cautiously at Pearl. He was right to do so. Heaven symbols could be explosive if placed the wrong way.
"Yes. Here, try it on this paper first. All Heaven symbols have a physical effect. Write Heart. It won't make anything blow up."
Freed summoned magic, feeling it flow from a whole other part of him than his usual magic. He was learning another magic, and apparently, it was Heaven Magic. Astounding! He watched in astonishment as the symbol was written in his personal handwriting. As soon as he finished it, the symbol pulsated before the entire paper melted away to form an origami heart.
"Heart manipulates things to make it what you feel the most. It's often used for love and hate spells," Pearl explained. She heard the door open, and Laxus walked in with a pink haired man. That was her container? A pink haired young man who didn't look like he knew that vests were supposed to be worn closed? Oh, well, she couldn't be picky. She had a dragon slayer to save.
"Bickslow," Pearl called. The man staring deeply into Adamine's soul ripped his eyes from Adamine to glare at Pearl. "I need you to be the Gatekeeper. In Exorcism there are certain people for certain tasks. The Container, the Beast, the Smith, the Gatekeeper, the Angel, and the Guardian. I play the role of the Beast. Freed will be the Smith. Natsu is the Container. I need a Gatekeeper, an Angel, and a Guardian. The Gatekeeper watches over who enters and exits the host body. The Guardian keeps control over the Beast and keeps it from attacking everyone. The Angel gives his or her soul over to the Guardian and the Gatekeeper for added protection against the Beast. Bickslow, you're the only one who can possess human souls. You have to be the Gatekeeper."
He gave a snarky response. "Well, if I'm the only one qualified, I don't get a choice. Like I'd say no anyway." He looked to Adamine, seeing her soul fading.
"I'd love to play the Guardian if it means that I get to kick your ass," Laxus growled to Makarov's annoyance.
"Perfect. That leaves the Angel. No one here can split their soul that I know of, so that role will be lowered to just keeping me from destroying everything." Pearl gave a steady look to Evergreen.
"Good! That means I can help Laxus toss you around."
"Then, we're settled. Does everyone know their jobs?" She looked around. Natsu was the only one standing there confused.
"Uh, yeah. What do I do?" the pink haired male asked with a hand raised.
Laxus snorted, "Do what you always do. Sit there and eat fire."
"I'm all fired up!"