Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X782: Mirajane
Why does everyone think the main hall is rowdy? Mirajane strode through the guild hall, shaking her head at the brawl between Natsu and Shou. The fights in here aren't as good as they used to be. She turned a narrow-eyed glare on Gray, who was going over the job board. At least flame boy's throwdowns with Fullbuster used to be fun. Why does Natsu have the same problems with him I do? It makes no sense. She rubbed her jaw, remembering her last match with the Devil Slayer. Looking over her shoulder, the infamous She-Devil of Fairy Tail saw her siblings close behind, and her expression softened. At least it's not all bad. These S-Class jobs mean I can finally take care of Elfman and Lisanna the way they deserve.
A quick scan of the hall let her find the last piece of her current puzzle. She couldn't help her grin taking a satisfied turn. Let's see how jealous the high and mighty Titania can get. Jellal was neither reading nor playing with chalk, just enjoying a bar of chocolate in his slow, deliberate manner. "Oi, Blue," she called over, "let me know when you're done with that." Jellal turned, and she winked at him. He looked away too late to hide turning a hilarious shade of pink. Ultear chuckled.
Erza was in front of Mirajane two seconds later. "You're slipping, Scarlet," Mirajane said, smirking at her rival. "I expected you to be standing there before I was done talking."
"If you pick on Jellal," Erza whispered, hand resting on her sword hilt, "you will regret it."
"Pick on him?" The Demon raised an eyebrow at the redhead. "I like him, when he's not following you around like a lovesick puppy." Erza's blush went deeper than Jellal's. Ooo, look at that. Someone might finally be getting a clue, Mirajane thought, smirk growing. "I just want his help tracking down a beast for Elfman to Take Over." Erza's eyes narrowed, so Mirajane held up the mission flier.
After a few seconds, Erza looked down, rubbing her chin. "Jellal will be fine, then," she agreed, "but are you sure your brother is ready for this 'Beast King?' It's an S-Class mission, after all."
Mirajane grimaced, hands dropping to her hips. "That's why I'm taking Jellal! I was just going to beat the thing up for the money, but then I realized that your boyfriend's magic circles should hold it long enough for Elfman to gain control. Do you really think I'd take stupid risks with my family?"
"He's not – just be careful," Erza said, her blush growing to nearly match her hair. "No S-Class mission is ever simple."
Mirajane didn't bother responding to that, merely snorting and heading over to Jellal. He was done with his chocolate, and had been watching her talk with Erza. "I want your help with an S-Class job," she explained, slapping the flier down in front of him. "You don't need to fight, just lay some magic circles down. Elfman wants to get stronger, and I'm going to help him."
"It's about time," Laxus rumbled, sitting with the Thunder Tribe a table over. "You've been coddling him too long."
The Demon glared at him. "No one asked you, lightning lad," she snarled. Laxus scoffed and looked away. Why in Zen's name did I ever date that jerk? An evening among the cherry blossoms – ending with an electric kiss that had nothing to do with Dreyar's magic – floated through her memory. Oh. Right.
"You're doing this job whether I come along or not, right?" Jellal asked. That got Mirajane's attention again, and she nodded. "Very well. I'm in."
"Good. Let's get Elfman and Lisanna and get moving," she said, waving for him to follow. It was easy to catch Jellal and Erza sharing a look before he joined her outside the guild. He's a nice guy, but what does she see in him? Mirajane wondered. He'd be the most boring boyfriend ever.
Elfman was easy to find, training as he so often did lately. Lisanna took a little longer, but her crush on flame-brain proved useful for once. He'd left the guild after defeating Shou, and their little sister was scolding Natsu for the fight. The kid wanted to come, which was no surprise, but Elfman was already unhappy that she thought they needed Jellal's help, so she left the boy and his cat behind.
It was a long, quiet trip. I'll die of boredom before we ever fight the Beast King, Mirajane thought, stretching as they approached the town. "Ai-yah," she groaned. "We should have brought Natsu. At least I would've had someone to fight on the way!"
"Aw, don't be like that, Mirajane," Elfman whined. "We've always managed together, haven't we?" He pouted at Jellal, and Mira chuckled. Elfy probably thinks he looks tough.
"You used to value your guild's help more," Jellal replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. "What happened to you, Elfman?" Elfman crossed his arms, grunted, and looked away.
Lisanna exhaled in frustration. "Jellal's right, Elf-nii. You're one of the older boys, you should set a better example. Natsu would probably still be brawling with Gray if he didn't have that weird allergy to Gray's new magic."
Mirajane and Jellal shared a look at that, not for the first time. "Yeah. Allergy," the Demon said, hoping she hadn't been too obvious. Natsu's never shown any signs of Take Over magic. Sometimes our capacity for denial scares me. She put her hands on her hips and looked up the mountain trail. Not that I like thinking about it either. Zen. What is the Salamander, anyway?
"Natsu's learning to resist it," Jellal replied. "He should be able to train with Gray again in a year or so."
"Please don't encourage them," Lisanna sighed, shaking her head. Mirajane and Elfman laughed.
A roar unlike any Mirajane had heard before put an end to all thought of Natsu. It was somehow screeching and deep at the same time, and every instinct she had was screaming alarms. "Lisanna, get in the air," she ordered. "Jellal, find it, analyze it, but don't let it spot you, and for Zen's sake, do not engage." They nodded and obeyed, Lisanna taking to the sky in bird form, while Jellal disappeared in a blur of Meteor magic. "Elfman."
"Nee-san?" he asked.
She ignored his use of the weird guild slang. For now. Mirajane grabbed his shoulders. "Listen to me, little brother. Part of why I took Jellal was to get Erza to make a move on him, but I really did bring him for his brains. If he says it's too dangerous to Take Over that thing, you listen. Do you understand?"
"Sure," Elfman agreed, nodding. "Unless it's the only way to protect you or Lisanna–"
"I can take care of myself," she insisted, pouring something of the Demon into her eyes. "Your first job is to watch out for Lisanna, got it?" He nodded. "Good." She smiled. "Take Over – Satan Soul!" The wings and tail burst from her back, the claws grew around her hands, and the awful, wonderful power filled her to overflowing. With a single beat of her demon's wings, she tore through the air, racing toward the blue-haired scholar. Elfman ran to catch up, but she was near the mountain peak before he'd started moving.
Jellal had already drawn several magic circles around the opening of an enormous cavern. Bones littered the cave mouth. My kind of place, Mirajane told herself, ignoring the chill trying to freeze her spine. "Pretty boy! What have you got?"
He didn't look up, casting some kind of astrological circle around him in blue and gold chalk. Huh. No scarlet, she noticed. "It's not exactly a mutant, and certainly not a demon, but the Beast King isn't entirely natural, either," Jellal said. Mirajane snarled and landed near him, hands on hips again. He probably thinks that's an explanation, she thought, but then he continued. "There are spirits that represent our world's concepts. Everything from hills to kings have Celestial Spirit representatives."
"So it's a Celestial Spirit?" Mirajane asked.
"No, but I think this creature must have, at some point, absorbed the essence of the idea of monsters," he explained. "It's a living thing, but it embodies the raw might of the magical apex predator. A Beast King."
Mirajane grinned, holding up a fist. "Now we're talking. You keep those circles going. I'm going to knock it down the food chain a notch." She flew in.
"Mirajane, wait!" Jellal cried, but then his voice was lost in the cavern's echoes. Not that it matters. No brainless animal is going to –
Stopping in mid-air, Mirajane stared at the sight before her. The Beast King turned, chewing on a wyvern's leg. The corpses of several other monsters were scattered around the titan, all torn apart. She couldn't make out what half of them had been. The Beast was simply enormous, with horns nearly as tall as Lisanna, teeth the length of legs, arms like trains. Still, better not to mess around, she decided. "Soul Extinctor!" she chanted, and her deadliest attack enveloped the Beast King.
It snarled, shaking like a wet dog. I barely scratched it! Mirajane roared and slashed at its face, leaving a long mark beneath one eye. That's better. It's not invulnerable, which means –
To the end of her days, Mirajane could never work out what happened next. All she was certain of was that it had struck her with a fist, but between its size and her position, nothing that big should have been able to move fast enough to catch her off guard. Yet when she landed outside the cave, her entire body a mass of pain, Mira knew that something was very wrong.
The She-Devil was certain Jellal was trying to say something, but her ears were ringing and the Beast King was roaring, drowning out the star wizard. She managed to get back to her feet, gathering her magic. "Darkness Stream!" she chanted, and as the Beast King charged at her, the tendrils of demon-shadow gripped and tore at it.
It tore back, stomping right through her spell. While the Beast's kick didn't tear her in half – something blunted its katana-sharp talons – it threw her past the largest of Jellal's circles. She would have flown past Jellal too, but he darted over to catch her. "Mirajane! Mavis, are you all right?"
"I'm...hnng...I just need a moment..." Mirajane insisted, but she let him help her to her feet. "Did you just shield me?"
The Starburst wiped a few drops of blood from his upper lip. "Just trying to help."
Mira considered a handful of retorts, thought about what that kick would have done to her innards, and rejected them all. "Thanks," was all she said. Jellal nodded.
Lisanna darted from the sky, racing down to their side. "Mira! Oh, no!"
"Get to town," she ordered. "Tell them to evacuate."
"I'm not leaving y–" her little sister began.
"Do it!" Mirajane growled. Lisanna nodded, eyes wide, and changed back into a bird, flying towards town. The Beast King, meanwhile, had already forced its way through one of Jellal's trap circles, and was pushing through two more. "Jellal." She closed her eyes, not wanting to admit it, knowing she had to. "I screwed up. This thing – I've never fought anything like it."
"We'll be enough," Jellal insisted. "Starburst!" His volley of Cosmic Magic hit the Beast right in the eyes, blinding it. "For now, we fall back."
"Not until the town is safe," Mirajane snapped. "I made this mess, I'm going to clean it up."
"Just down the path a bit," Jellal explained, drawing circles so quickly she could watch the chalk pieces wearing away. "You need to recover, and I need to analyze."
"Sis!" Elfman called, still running towards them. "Are you all right?" Before she could answer, the Beast King ripped through another of Jellal's circles, snarling and clawing with increasing ferocity every second it was denied. Jellal flinched as if struck with each shattered ward, but kept working without hesitation.
Images of her brother torn apart like the wyvern filled Mirajane's mind. "I'll be fine! Go help Lisanna!" Jellal raised an eyebrow at her. "Your circles aren't enough, and it's stronger than my Satan Soul," Mira told him.
"She's heading back for town," Elfman replied, still running towards them. "Why aren't you fighting i– ZEN!" Mirajane turned, seeing his eyes go wide at the sight of her hanging onto Jellal for support. The Beast King tore through yet another of Jellal's binding circles, and the cosmic wizard's head rocked as if punched. The blue-haired mage ignored a slight nosebleed. After a moment of terror crossing Elfman's features, her brother became pure resolve. "Hang on, nee-san, Jellal! I'm coming!"
"Elfman, no!" A feeling Mirajane hadn't had since childhood shot through her – helplessness. She looked at Jellal, hoping he could sense her desperation.
With a gentleness that stunned Mirajane, the cosmic mage helped her sit, then turned to face the Beast. He erupted with blue power in a column of raw might she hadn't seen since their final S-Class trial, when Gildarts had unleashed one like it on Jellal himself. That's...he's...Zen, Jellal, what are you?
The Beast King roared and stomped through yet another of the binding circles. Only one remained. Jellal took the opportunity to charge at it, hammering it from above with Meteor. It swiped at him with that impossible speed, but he dodged so quickly even Laxus would have had trouble matching it. Then Jellal landed in front of her, his fingers splayed in a magical gesture she hadn't seen before. "Be judged by the Seven Stars! Grand Chariot!"
Struggling to her feet, Mirajane looked up, realizing he'd drawn the constellation above the Beast King during his Meteor attacks. The rain of cosmic power slammed into the monstrosity, and at last it appeared to have been truly hurt. It bellowed its rage to the heavens, the last binding circle holding as it reeled. Yet Jellal wasn't finished. He held out a hand, golden light glowing around it. "Star Cage!" he chanted, and glowing lines appeared around the Beast.
"Darkness Stream!" Mirajane joined in, and her own magic supported his. A cocoon of light and shadow enveloped the Beast King, and its thrashing began to subside.
Then it all fell apart. With a roar of fury incarnate, the monster tore through both spells and the circle, its claws slashing through the entire working. Jellal and Mirajane both stumbled back, Meteor and Satan Soul collapsing in the wake of the backlash. The Beast King stood there, panting and churning. At least we've worn it down somewhat, Mirajane thought, but Jellal's weakened, and I'm almost out. I don't know how we're going to stop –
"Take Over: Beast Soul!" Elfman chanted, arms raised. He'd reached the Beast during the battle, and his magic lashed out to draw the monster into himself. It howled once, then vanished.
Mirajane held her breath. Did – did he do it? she wondered, staggering toward her brother. Then Elfman screamed, a sound like pain given form. "No," she gasped, only able to watch as her brother's body twisted and grew, becoming the Beast King. It took over him. She tried to gather her magic, but her Satan Soul wouldn't obey. "Jellal, take Lisanna and go," she ordered.
"I'll contact her, tell her to retreat," Jellal replied, moving to remain between Mirajane and Beast Elfman. "You're going to need my help to get Elfman back."
Those words killed her retort before it formed. She looked from Jellal – Erza's brilliant, fragile love – to the monstrosity her brother had become. One hit and it'll kill him. Mirajane's legs shook from the effort of standing. I can't save Elfman without him. She hissed in a breath between clenched teeth. "Do it. Then we need a plan."
With a nod, Jellal took to the sky, firing one last Starburst volley into Beast Elfman's face before darting back. Okay. All on me, now. She shuddered, watching in horror as Elfman's warped body roared at the heavens once more. Tch. It was all on me from the moment I got the Beast's attention. Pouring all her effort into gathering her magic, Mirajane pounded the earth and demanded, "Take Over - Satan Soul!"
The transformation was slow and unstable, but she held on long enough to toughen her body and gather Darkness Magic around her fists. "Evil Explosion!" she chanted, black spheres of destruction erupting around her brother. The Beast King reeled, but wasted no time striking back. Mirajane barely evaded the next punch, a massive crater forming where she'd stood. "Elfman, snap out of it! It's me! Mirajane! Elfman!" Mirajane shouted.
His tail caught her off-guard, slamming into her stomach and throwing her into the mountainside. Ow. Shaking, her wings and tail absent from her Take Over, Mira still stood. I have to think of something. Again, she held out her hands. "Evil Spark!" she chanted, and the Beast King twitched from the blow. Maybe that's–
The next blow threw her into the trees, her Take Over form lost again. Her vision unfocused, her magic expended, Mirajane was only able to rise to her knees. ow. She tried to reach Jellal's mind, but her own thoughts were barely coherent. "Elfman, pull yourself together," she called. He – it – ignored her, stomping forward.
"Mira-nee!" Lisanna flew over. "Jellal and I evacuated the town. What happened here?"
"Run, Lisanna!" Mirajane ordered. "I was careless. Even Jellal and I together couldn't stop it, so Elfman tried to Take Over the Beast to protect us." Lisanna gasped. "But its magic is too powerful. Elfman's lost control! "
"Oh, no!" Lisanna gasped, helping Mirajane to her feet. "What's going to happen to him?"
Mirajane glanced at the broken magic circles. "If he doesn't come to his senses, the monster will take permanent control of Elfman. Get Jellal back here, then run."
For the first time since Mirajane could remember, Lisanna didn't listen to her. Instead, she looked into the eyes of the thing that had been their brother, lowered Mirajane gently to the ground, then walked straight to it. "Lisanna! What are you doing?!"
"What's the matter, big brother?" Lisanna called, standing calmly in front of the Beast King. No, Lisanna, get away! Mirajane watched, paralyzed, as Lisanna tried to talk sense to Elfman, working to reach him, spreading her arms wide. It cocked its head at her, as if it didn't understand what was happening. Then it raised an arm. NO! Lisanna didn't move. "Now let's go home, Elf-nii-chan." She smiled.
Elfman swung with the force of a train. Mirajane tried to move, but her body wouldn't respond. There was a flash of light, then a crack like the earth tearing open. Mirajane screamed.
Music Cue: Fairy Tail Theme - Tenrou Island ver.
Then the light faded, and Jellal was there, one hand held out to stop the blow. Lisanna had fallen over and was clutching her left arm, but she was alive. Somehow, Mirajane found the energy to stumble towards them. "Lisanna!"
"Pull her back, Mirajane," Jellal whispered, and the column of blue light erupted from him again. "I'll help Elfman." Did I think he was fragile? Mirajane wondered, staring in disbelief, as Gentle Jellal, Erza's shy bookworm, forced Beast Elfman back. With strength she didn't know she had, Mirajane rushed to Lisanna, put her shoulders under her sister's right arm, and helped Lisanna retreat. "Lisanna, stay put this time."
"Elfman..." Lisanna whispered, gritting her teeth. Left arm's broken, Mirajane decided, noting her sister keeping her arm at her side. That was from the shockwave alone. If its blow had landed... Meanwhile, Jellal flew around Elfman, hitting him repeatedly with Meteor. "Jellal won't hurt him, will he?"
"I don't think he can, Lisanna," Mirajane reassured her, hauling her back. They watched, keeping each other upright, while Jellal unleashed spell after spell on Elfman. "Besides, he's using his weaker magics. Starburst, Cosmic Fireworks, Meteor – none of those will harm Elfman now."
"But why?" Lisanna winced as Elfman landed another vicious blow on Jellal, but the golden blur kept striking as though nothing had happened. Their brother's swings were furious, more rapid yet less accurate. "Wait – is he wearing Elf-nii down?"
Mirajane's eyes widened. "No – he's wearing the Beast down! Since it's the one in control, it's the one weakening! And if he wears it down enough–"
They said it together. "Elfman will Take Over!" They held one another, looking on with desperate hope. Again and again, Jellal struck the Beast King – in the eyes, in the ears, in the belly and elbows and knees. With every blow the monster became more mindless in its assault, flailing with growing, maddened wrath.
Then it unleashed another gout of explosive force, and Jellal went flying. "No," Mirajane whispered. The Beast King fell to its knees, shaking, one hand slamming to the ground. "Lisanna, please, stay here." She lowered her sister to the ground, then let go.
"But–!" Lisanna didn't cry, but she did clutch her broken arm, holding it still.
"If I don't do something, we're going to lose one of them. I won't let that happen." Though it felt like her whole body was a wound, at least three of her ribs broken, Mirajane stood. There wasn't enough magic left in her to do what she needed, but it didn't matter. I'll get it from the broken circles, or the air, or from my very life. She narrowed her eyes at the monster that was trying to take her family. Jellal's golden Meteor flame erupted from the mountain again, and the Beast King stared, jaw dropping. I am a Fairy Tail wizard, and you have my brother! With the last of her strength, she held up her arms. "Take Over - Satan Soul!"
It was not a spell to be cast twice in succession, let alone three times. Yet there was magic around her, and she forced it to obey. Her body transformed, and though she still lacked wings and tail, it was enough. "Darkness Stream!" she chanted.
The tendrils rose and pinned the weakened Beast to the ground. Again, it roared. Jellal moved with such speed that Mirajane couldn't track him, racing all over Elfman's body. Its tail lashed out and struck Jellal in the chest, and the She-Demon heard ribs crack, but he slid to a halt by Mirajane's side. "Star Cage!" he chanted, and once again their magics joined together. It's not a Unison Raid, but it should be enough. Please, Zen, let it be enough.
Even battered, confused, and rippling with Elfman's Take Over trying to contain it, the Beast King strained against its bonds. Mirajane's legs shook, and she thought she was going to collapse again. Jellal also shuddered, coughing up a trickle of blood, but his outstretched arm continued to shed light, his Star Cage holding Elfman in place.
Then the magic circles Jellal had drawn during his attacks erupted all over Elfman – across his back, along his arms, down his legs, and on his forehead. The monster's thrashing redoubled, and their magic buckled under the strain. "Do you trust me?" Jellal asked, his left arm holding his ribs. Mira could sense that at least three were broken.
"You just saved Lisanna," Mirajane replied, jaw set. With that, Jellal took off again, Star Cage shattering the moment he stopped concentrating on it. Five times he stopped under the Beast to strike at it, but again he paid the price, its free arm smashing him back and into the earth. Jellal's body crackled with the sound of a dozen branches snapping at once, and Mira clamped her mouth shut to avoid screaming. Her Take Over vanished again, this time as unreachable as the moon.
Then Jellal staggered up to one knee, ignoring several broken bones, and held his right arm up, palm directed skyward. Wait, five seals? Jellal, you can't possibly have enough magic left to–! Yet the seals formed a star beneath Elfman, and the Beast stared at the ground, jaw dropping. "Fixed light of Heaven, guide us to victory!" Jellal chanted. "Polaris!"
A pinpoint scarlet light birthed a sapphire sphere the size of the Beast's chest. Jellal threw it above Elfman, where it hammered down on him. The spell slammed him to the ground, and he thrashed helplessly. Then the sphere erupted in a blinding, cleansing light. It's not Fairy Law, but if any of Jellal's spells will help Elfman now... When the blast faded, Jellal used Meteor to stand upright, good arm raised, sapphire light gathering in his palm. "Well?" the Starburst called.
The Beast wailed one last time, then shrunk into Elfman's true form. He was battered, his clothes were in shreds, and his shoes were gone, but her brother was breathing, whole, alive. Mirajane ran towards him, helping him up with her good arm while he stared around, confused. "Mirajane? What happened?" He looked at his free hand, arm shaking. "What did I do?"
Mirajane hugged him, crying freely. "Nothing we can't fix, little brother." She smiled at Jellal while Lisanna ran over, hugging him from behind with her unbroken arm. "Let's go home, okay?"
"Mira...Lisanna..." Elfman held them and wept, falling to his knees. In their current conditions, neither sister could hold their enormous brother up, and they sank down with him as he bawled.
Mirajane sighed, patting him on the back. "It's okay, Elfman. Right, Jellal?" Her smile faded when she realized he hadn't moved. "Blue? Answer me."
Jellal smiled at them, eyes rolling back, then collapsed. Mirajane's eyes widened, the horror she'd set aside returned, redoubled. "Jellal!"
