All at once I collapsed, feeling a crushing weight press itself forcibly into my shoulders and I knelt on the ground, staring at the place where my brothers had stood. The magic that bound Erza and Levy receded, freeing them and they dropped to the ground however I couldn't rush to help them. I couldn't help anyone. I was still completely bound by terror.
"Fae…what…did that…mean…?" Lucy asked as Loke struggled to stand, shaking at his legs as he clutched his side, refusing still to go back to the spirit world. "Fae?" After a moment of silence, I suddenly let everything go in a loud scream, clutching my face and clawing at my skin as the terror continued to poison my heart, causing it to hammer and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces and my blood boiled in my veins. "Fae!"
"Fae!" Everyone whispered or moaned out my name, worried as I continued to scream, sobbing into the ground as I tried to escape the nightmare that I was surrounding myself inside. I was going to die. They'd come back and kill me. They'll kill everyone. I have to run away again, far away, to another country, a new world…anywhere that they wouldn't be able to find me! I can't go back there, I can't, I won't live. I don't want to die, I'm too afraid to die! I…
Warm arms embraced me from in front, shrouding me in a peaceful warmth which quelled all thoughts as a familiar smell washed over me. "It's alright now. You're safe." Erza murmured into my hair, holding onto me tightly, reassuring me with her presence and secure grip which couldn't pull me closer even if she tried. "There's no one here who can hurt you, no power that can lay a finger on you so long as we're all here to protect you." Her voice was so soft and understanding that I could not help but listen and feel at ease, her strength flowing into me as even as she knelt injured, she had crawled over to me in order to hold me in her arms.
"Erza…" I whispered before starting to sob all over again, burying my face into her as the vibrant red hair entangled with my raven locks as the breeze lifted them together. She was so warm and radiant she seemed to chase away all my fears and nightmares, replacing them with sweet dreams and beautiful memories of sunlight and laughter that we had often shared with one another, bringing me peace through the warm feelings of her heart which seemed to shine effortlessly.
With a groan Erza suddenly collapsed onto me, snapping me out of my state and quickly held onto her, gently putting her down on the ground to rest on here back as she moaned again, her clothes all ripped, torn and a little bloody and her face was badly beaten but still she smiled. "We won't let anyone touch you Fae. You are a precious member of our family and that means that your enemies are our enemies too, we shall stand with you to fight them, no matter how powerful they may be." Her voice was low from pain and tiredness so I nodded my head, wiping away my tears.
"I know." I assured her, putting on a brave face as she smiled in return as the others tried to drag themselves closer as well.
"Fae…we're coming…just hold on…" Suddenly I looked up and around, realising that everyone, despite being gravely injured, were trying to pull themselves towards me to also offer me comfort, not wanting to allow me to wallow in fear alone. They didn't care how much pain they were in, they clawed at the floor, gritting their teeth as they tried to drag their bodies to me in any way they could.
"You guys…you're injured…please…don't move…" Fresh tears appeared however they were tears of happiness, emotion swelling in my chest and fixing together the pieces as I sniffed then stood up. "Just hold on, I can heal you all up." Clenching my fists my body shifted forms with a flash and I stood in a new outfit of creamy white, fingerless gloves of lace covering my wrists with small pearls as my smaller wings fluttered sweetly, my body glowing with a gentle aura. "Healer's Grace, Healing Aura." I murmured gently and a pale bluish green light radiated outwards, seeping into everyone and instantly they sighed softly, their bruises and injuries fading away little by little until they were able to sit upright.
"You have a healing form? That's amazing!" Levy smiled at me as she inspected her arms. "I can't even see a bruise!"
"Does that mean no one needs me anymore?" Wendy worried but I quickly put my arms around her, my healing embrace surrounding her more fully and I was able to banish all negativity by putting her into a slightly sedated trance to help ease away the pain of her injuries as my other hand pulled Carla closer as well, gently rubbing her furred head.
"Of course we do, my healing abilities are nothing compared to you. I can do very little and if people are close to death then I'd be useless. I can only heal ordinary injuries and afflictions, even some illnesses but anything major then we'd have to rely on you Wendy. You're are most important healer. This is just something to help take the edge off."
"Oh okay, that's very kind of you Fae…I never knew how warm and comforting healing can be. Is this how everyone else feels?" She asked in a slightly slurred voice, rocking back and forth with me as I continued to embrace her, healing her broken ribs whilst she was completely numb to the pain.
"You just continue throwing out the surprises don't you?" Lucy grinned at me. "What was that back there? You looked like a constellation, it was beautiful."
"My Midnight Serenity form is the opposite of my Sunlight Radiance. At night, the Midnight form is more powerful than if I tried to use it during the day and vice versa. It's one of my most powerful forms I have at the moment, as well as my Sunlight form." I explained to them as gradually, everyone healed enough to stand. Once everyone was back on their feet and completely healed, I crushed my hand into the ground and chains snapped around Po, Tulia and Xerxes, throwing them together before I chained them up tightly, not giving them room to try and escape. "Now, how about we question these three?"
"Good idea." Erza agreed, holding out her hand and a sword appeared in her hand which she instantly thrust under Tulia's chin as she came around, making her squeak in fear. "Tell us everything. Before I start shortening the length of your hair and fingers."
"No, no! Please don't touch my hair! I'll tell you everything!" She squealed before gulping, looking completely pathetic beneath us as we all glared. "We were after the Hand of Satan, there are stories that if you possess its power, it'll grant you immortality and the divine riches of all the earth! Of course no one knows if it's real or not, it's supposedly a myth but we've been tracking it all our lives!" She spilled everything, my eyes widening. My brothers were after the artefact. That had to be an indication of its existence. "We were given an anonymous tip that this was where we could find the next part of the map to find it but…looks like you guys got here first. Yippee for you!" She tried to be cheerful but we didn't care, turning to look at one another.
"Those three who escaped. Who were they?" Erza questioned and my face paled drastically, causing Levy to instantly become concerned.
"They were from your past, weren't they?" I nodded my head. "From your father's guild?" I nodded again. "If it hurts too much to say Fae then don't worry, it's not important right now." Shaking my head I looked up, fixing my eye on everyone.
"They are my brothers." Instantly everyone's jaws dropped, practically hitting the ground as everyone stared at me in disbelief. "Kuro, Yasha and Kage. The three jewels in my father's crown. They are the proud heritage that will inherit his dark throne once he is gone." Everyone's faces remained plank slates before Erza snapped herself out of it.
"So you're saying that these brothers of yours, and unavoidably your father, were after this artefact, the Hand of Satan?"
"It is the only possible explanation. The other was that they had come to kill me, however since they left me alive then the only reason left is the previous." I reasoned as Wendy stared at me in horror.
"They would kill you?" I turned empty eyes onto her, distant and dead.
"I abandoned the guild. Ran away from my family. These two reasons alone are enough to be punishable by death in my father's eyes and his word is absolute. I hid myself away so carefully but lately I must have been careless. I don't know how I slipped up, but now they know for definite that I am alive. They will report back to my father and then he shall order my death. They will come for me again and…possibly try to kill everyone in the guild also. I must leave before that happens. I will not risk anyone's safety."
"Don't be stupid!" I was shocked to hear Levy yell, much less at me. "How dare you? You think that we'd just let you walk away from us after all we've been through? No way! We'll stand by your side, Fae, right where we've always been from the very beginning! There's no chance we're going to let you face your fears alone, we'll help you crush the nightmares you've endured these past years until there's nothing left but distant echoes of a past that never should have been!"
"Levy's right. We're a guild, more than that, we're family. Family always watch each other's backs, I'd gladly give my life defending that pride!" Lucy declared and Wendy nodded her head enthusiastically.
"Me too! I'll get stronger so I can protect you Fae, you don't have to worry about anything anymore!"
"Your friends have spoken." Erza announced, stepping forwards to look me directly in the eye as I blinked tears from my eyes. "It appears that you have no choice but to stay and let us protect you. Just let anyone try to take you from us, they'll face the full wrath of Fairy Tail if they dare try. I too will not surrender you to anyone, Fae. You've been a dear and irreplaceable friend to us all from the very beginning." Suddenly she gripped my shoulders, eyes sparkling furiously as she blushed. "And you make such excellent strawberry cake! No one shall take that luxury from me, I will defend you to the death and beyond the grave!"
"You'd be worse off alone. Even I don't need to be able to tell the future to know that. There is strength in numbers, after all." Carla informed me wisely as my hands came to my mouth, shaking slightly as I looked over them all.
"You guys…my dear, dear…precious friends…I love you all so much." I whispered and they all smiled back, spreading their arms and enveloping me in their embraces.
"We love you too." They chorused together and I finally felt the last of my fears which had been clinging to me like a parasite be crushed by the weight of their love, feeling finally at peace. I didn't even fear death, I did not fear my past, even if my father appeared before me now, I doubted I would be afraid even then. With the imprint of their warmth upon my skin, I could go to my grave with a smile if that's how it would end, then so be it. I'm not afraid anymore.
I am Faerie Sora Haruki, the last of my heritage of angels.
And I am no longer afraid.
