Part 28 – Wendy and the Thunder Legion Talks To A True Demon
With a roar the winged rage-filled mage cast the Lightning Dragon Slayer down onto the ground. Laxus groaned when his back hit the ground for what felt like the hundredth time. He never knew that Freed was this strong when angry. Well he did look kind of possessed. His eyes glowed dark purple and his body had changed a bit as well. Laxus got up slowly and cracked his neck. He and Bickslow were doing their best at holding their friend in one place so that Wendy and Evergreen could use their magic and somehow immobilize him. They were hoping that doing that would let Bickslow use his powers to free Freed from whatever was corrupting him.
The only problem was that Freed had no intention of being caught. He just brushed aside all their attacks with ease and his own attacks packed a serious punch. Whatever those freaking Mountain Kings had done to him was causing Freed to lose control over his emotions… and it was really bad judged by the carnage around them. They had completely caused the stadium in Crocus to crumble. There were cracks and craters everywhere. The four giant statues in the middle had been reduced to gravel by one of Freed's furious attacks. Laxus looked up at the rage filled beast that had once been one of his best friends. Laxus looked around him and sighed. He knew he had to do this but he was scared that it would hurt his friend. But he realized he had no choice. He needed Freed to calm down, even for just one second. So Laxus took a firm stance and channeled up his magic. The others noticed and all scrambled out of the way.
"Lightning Dragon's: Roar!" Laxus screamed and unleashed all the energy he could muster, straight at Freed. Freed turned in that second and got hit head on by the attack. There was a big explosion and a bright light spread throughout the area. For a little bit they were all blinded by the light but then the light faded. Laxus panted and looked up at the sky. His eyes widened.
Freed was still hovering above them but the attack hadn't damaged him at all. Not even his clothes were ruffled. Freed roared and a black shockwave sent them all flying into the sides of the stadium. Freed looked at them and headed for Bickslow full force. Bickslow's babies hovered in front of their master and let out beams of light to defend him. Freed avoided them all and punched Bickslow in the chest, sending him flying again. Evergreen caught him before he broke his neck. Wendy launched an attack at Freed but Freed grabbed it with his hand and sent it at Evergreen and Bickslow instead. Laxus groaned and got up slowly. This had to stop. He watched one of his best friends throw his other best friends and Wendy around like rag dolls. Laxus looked up at the sky and the green moon. Was this the effect of the moon or the Mountain Kings? Whatever it was it needed to stop. When Wendy came flying by, due to Freed hitting her with a swift kick, Laxus caught her arm. She stared at him and he nodded. They needed to work together. They both channeled up their attacks.
"Lightning Dragon's: Roar!"
"Sky Dragon's: Healing Roar!"
"Baryon Formation!"
"Fairy Machinegun: Leprechaun!"
Evergreen and Bickslow joined in as well and their attacks merged together and hit Freed's forehead dead center. Laxus hoped that now he would've at least gotten a little groggy. But no. He just hovered in the air, unharmed. What was he made of? Wendy collapsed onto her knees and Laxus noticed Bickslow and Evergreen looking a little unsteady. Freed looked at Laxus and Laxus could see that even though Freed hadn't taken any damage… he was now calmed down a bit but anger still filled his eyes. He looked at them all respectively, darkness surging around him.
"You attacked us", he growled. "Why?"
"What do you mean why?" Bickslow yelled up at him. He was holding his arms around Wendy to protect her. "We didn't attack you just your kidnappers and now you are the one attacking us and causing more damage than Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Erza and Laxus combined. Freed come on snap out of their stupid mind control."
"I see… you still haven't realized it."
"Realized what?" Wendy asked.
"It doesn't matter", Freed growled. "All that matters is that you did not keep your word and that you all attacked. Therefore, I must do the same." He raised his hand and darkness gathered around it.
"Freed!" Evergreen shouted and ran up to him.
"Evergreen what are you doing!?" Bickslow yelled.
"Get back here you idiot!" Laxus shouted and tried to grab her arm but she got out of the way. She ran up to Freed.
"Freed please stop it!" She shouted. "I know you don't want to do this and I'm sorry that we somehow forced your hand. But you're wrong! They might not have realized it but I have!" She dug something out of her pocket and held it up in front of her, to try and show him. "I know who you are!"
"You just think you know who I am, now begone", Freed growled and finished channeling his energy and released it.
"EVER!" Laxus shouted.
"EVERGREEN!" Bickslow screamed.
"Albion!" Evergreen screamed just as the attack was about to hit her. Freed's eyes widened in shock. At the last second he split his attack in two so that it flew past Evergreen on either side of her. Laxus and the other two ducked out of the way. Evergreen stepped forward so she was facing Freed head on. Even with his magic still surging around her. The gust from the attack was whipping her hair around.
"That's your name right", she screamed to be heard. "You're really this Albion person aren't you? And you are not just an ordinary wizard either I guess. Everything Martin has said is true isn't it? You are really one of them… their sibling or nakama. Everything they have claimed is true… isn't it? Don't try to deny it. Because when Albion appeared, grabbing Natsu we attacked him thinking he was the enemy. But when he left he dropped something… he dropped this." She held her hand a little higher as she walked, so that he would look at what she held there. The medallion. Freed looked it as did everyone else. She smiled.
"I gave this to you years ago", she said and opened it, looking at the picture. "It contains a picture of all of us… our team. Our family." Freed watched her. "Don't you remember that we are family too?" Freed looked at the picture. In the flashes from his still ongoing attack he could make out their faces. Their smiles and laughter. He slowly vanquished his attack. Evergreen's hair stopped whipping around as much. Looking behind her Freed could see that he had melted the ground and the whole wall and seat-section behind her. He sighed heavily and landed on the ground in front of them. The furious glow in his eyes was all but gone and he looked at the picture Evergreen was showing him.
He just stood there and Laxus, Wendy and Bickslow took that as a sign to move closer. Freed didn't seem to notice. He just kept staring at the picture of the four of them together. They were just teens and had just finished one of their first big jobs. He reached out and took the medallion in his hand and looked at it. Remembered all the good times and the bad with his team. He sighed again and all anger seemed to disappear.
"We're family too Albion", Evergreen said gently.
"I'm sorry", he said and they all looked at him. "In a family you should be honest with everyone… I haven't been."
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked and he looked at her. Then he sighed and closed his eyes. He walked backwards into the green moonlight and sighed again. After long last Freed let go completely of the withheld powers within him. Black, oily and thick smoke spread out all around him and the others with him in the center. His body started changing before their eyes. He grew fangs like a vampire. His nails turned into claws. His skin went almost ashen. His hair grew much longer. From his forehead and curling back along his head grew a pair of horns. From his back sprouted raven-like wings. His clothes started changing as well. His pants tightened around his long legs and got almost scaly and black. His cooking jacket changed into a long black leather coat on which a metallic hood appeared. There were slits in it that fit the horns on his head. Within the open coat was a black chestplate bearing a strange symbol. The same symbol appeared on each of his pauldrons. These were too black. His boots turned black and reached up above his knees, ending on the mid-thigh. He opened his purple glowing eyes and looked at them.
"This is the real me", he said calmly. "My name is Albion Universe and I am the Mountain King of Darkness."
His team and Wendy stared at him with big eyes and Freed/Albion sighed and looked up at the green moon and the stars. He didn't know what to expect from them. Anger? Hate? Hurt? Betrayal? Whatever it was he knew he probably deserved it. He almost jumped in surprise when a small hand caressed his wing. He looked down at Wendy and saw her caressing some of his feathers with a dreamy look on her face. Freed had to smile a little. He'd forgotten that even though she was such a great wizard Wendy was still just twelve year old… a child. A child that was amazed by angel-like creatures it seemed.
She kept caressing his feathers and she was surprised. They were so soft. She thought that someone with wings as dark as these would have rough feathers. But they were so soft, softer than anything she'd ever felt before. She noticed Freed no… Albion smile at her gently and she blushed and pulled her hand back. She just hadn't been able to help herself when she saw those wings. Carla never let her touch her wings for some reason but Albion didn't seem to mind. She was a bit amazed at herself. She had expected to feel angry or betrayed by what he'd revealed but she found that she just couldn't feel that way.
She understood why Freed had kept this hidden from them. Judging of what they had seen he was very powerful and he didn't want to scare any of them away with his powers… and his past whatever it was. But if now Freed was the real Albion that meant he was more than 700 years old. What Wendy didn't understand was why he kept his powers hidden. If he was as strong as it seemed, he must be more than a match for the dragons they fought and Acnologia. Gray and Natsu had told them about Albion's remark about wringing Acnologia's neck if they ever met again. Did that mean that this whole time-skip could have been avoided if he had just shown himself? Wendy felt a little hurt by that. All the suffering their guild had been through and they as well could have been avoided. That was what she realized she needed to know from Freed. She looked up at him.
"Why?" she asked and he looked back at her. "If you are this powerful then why didn't you fight Acnologia so that we didn't have to go through the time-skip?" Freed sighed heavily and his wings slumped a little, clearly showing his regret.
"Because I was afraid that letting my powers out would scare you all off… or even kill you", he said and looked at her and then his team. "By the time Acnologia appeared I had given my dormant powers a small outlet by whipping Rustyrose out of existence. But since they were starting to be let back into full use, my powers were a bit unstable. Clearly I had forgotten how strong they really were after hundreds of years dormant. I was afraid that if I went head to head with Acnologia I would destroy the whole island and everyone on it. I'm powerful Wendy but at the time not powerful enough to keep my powers from accidentally hurting any of you.
By the time Tartaros attacked I moved everyone out of harm's way and could finally let my full powers go. That's why I could stop that poisonous cloud and wipe out all traces of the Bane Particles. I used all my dormant powers and was finally free and able to control my full self again. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for putting you all through the time skip. Had I'd known that would happen I would've gladly fought Acnologia instead. But I didn't want to harm the people I had come to care about like family. Please understand Wendy that deciding not to fight that big lizard was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.
And before you ask I didn't fight the dragons here in Crocus because something told me not to. If I had, Natsu would not have been able to defeat the Future Rogue and learn something he was supposed to learn. I suspect Fortuna, my sister, had a hand in it. I am sorry for causing harm to you all when, in reality, I could have stopped it so many times. But I guess I was scared. Scared that if you all found out who and what I really am… that you would run from me in fear. I have been through that once and do not wish for it to ever happen again. Although now I realize there is no way for it to not happen. I should have told you all the truth from the start because now I know most of the guild will turn from me for being a liar and a deceiver. I don't know what to do other than tell you that I am truly, deeply and really sorry Wendy for causing you all so much pain."
She looked up at him with big eyes, thinking about what he had said. A part of her was still hurt by the fact that he had put them all through this but another part of her understood why he had chosen to not tell them. She was sure that if Freed had suddenly changed into this creature in front of them she and some of the others would have been afraid of him. Seeing what powers he had kept hidden within himself for so long and what he really looked like could have turned many mages against him… even in their guild. She carefully reached out and took his hand. He looked at her and smiled a small smile. Even though he had changed so much from the Freed she had gotten to know she could still see that it was him because in that small smile she could still see his heart. She hugged him around the waist and that must've shocked him because he jolted in surprise.
"I can only speak for me", she said. "But I forgive you." She then turned to the Thunder Legion. They were all still staring at Freed. Freed sighed and looked at them wishing he could read their minds. Well he could he just didn't because he had always thought it was impolite to pry like that. He locked eyes with Evergreen. She was looking at him with warm eyes. She slowly walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
"I forgive you", she said. "You have always forgiven me for my mistakes so I will do the same to you."
"Yeah baby", Bickslow agreed. "And Laxus thinks so too." Laxus just huffed. "And now things finally make sense."
"What do you mean?" Freed asked and looked at him.
"Whenever I've tried to look at your soul it always looks a little strange… like it's really not real or something."
Freed chuckled at that. "How about now?" he asked and Bickslow used his powers and gasped. He'd never seen a soul like that. It was completely different than ever before. It was pitch black but with speckles of gold. It reminded Bickslow of a starry sky, with golden stars. He blinked in confusion and looked at his friend who smiled a little.
"What are you exactly?" Bickslow asked in awe. "Souls only have one color but yours…"
"Like I told you", Freed said gently. "I'm a real demon… the first of my kind." Freed looked at his hands. "A fallen angel with a cursed soul… that's what they used to call me. The Fallen Angel. Lucifer himself. Satan."
"You are way too good to be Satan", Evergreen said lightly and took his hand. "But I wonder something…"
"What?"
"How come you ended up with us and didn't stay with the Mountain Kings?"
"Well it is a long story… and let me start with saying that the Ballad of Albion, that you may have heard or read in old children's books, is not quite a lie but not yet a full truth."
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked and looked up at him.
"The world was a bright place before my curiosity got the better of everyone", Freed said. "There was no such thing as horror or darkness. Man did not speak of greed or anger. There was no jealousy. There was no quarrel. Life was calm and peaceful. But I really was curious to see what else there was. I was the King of Darkness… but what was this darkness? That's what I wanted to know and sadly that led to corruption, sadness, hurt, anger, jealousy, hate… distrust. Mankind started wars as did the beings in nature. What I had started there truly was no stopping. My shadow still grows and are we not careful… it could corrupt us all."
"But you didn't mean to cause all those wars or harm right?" Laxus asked.
"Of course not… I was curious. A child with too many toys to know what to do with. But that was just the start of our troubles."
"The green moon revealed your true selves?" Bickslow guessed and Freed nodded.
"When you are immortal and never age time seems much different than it does for those affected by its powers. Ten years is just a blink of an eye. A hundred are just a few breaths. Even a thousand years run by swiftly when you live forever. We simply forgot to keep time and the green moon came and we were not prepared. Our true selves were revealed and the people fled in fear. Hel and I managed to convince a few to return, to show that we meant no harm. But then the dragons Apoca and Lypse attacked and slaughtered the few that had returned. The cursed Church of Balance talked others into believing we were all created for evil deeds and made the people forget everything good we had done as well. Sure we made mistakes, we are all living beings after all. But the Church of Balance demanded our destruction and they did try and try and try. They tried and failed and tried something new. That's where the saying: 'fail once try again fail better' comes from. At first we did nothing but take their hits but soon we grew angry. We had done nothing wrong. Apoca and Lypse were slain by us but that was forgotten. Everything good we had done was forgotten so we forgot our hearts as well and fought back."
"Understandable", Laxus huffed and Freed offered him a weak smile.
"But thanks to me and my curiosity the darkness within these people grew and they kept trying. They found a way to lure my sister Fortuna out and she hates fighting so she did not fight them. She tried telling them that their plans were futile, she had seen it. In response they burnt her eyes with flaming steel. Her screams reached us on our mountain. Filled with rage I descended upon the priests and their followers and slayed them all. Fortuna was badly hurt so I brought her home. But in doing so I set their plans in motion. They had stolen some of my work… my runes. They had written them upon Fortuna. They said that if the one carrying her body to the mountain and then charged the approaching army the others should be trapped within teh castle. I fell into their trap, consumed by the rage I had helped bring into the world I charged and unwittingly set the trap into action. Unknown to me the priests had learned magic and they used that magic to destroy my home for what I thought was for good… they cast the Abyss Break Spell. The castle started disappearing and I returned home to save them but Meta… I mean Martin cast me down to spare me. He knew something I did not at the time and I watched them all disappear in front of my eyes. The pain of losing them and from Martin's attack knocked me out and I slept for days. It must have been Fortuna's last lingering blessings of luck that kept me from being detected. But when I woke up the mountain was gone and the Church of Balance started to build Crocus City."
"How horrible", Wendy said. "You must've felt so lonely."
"Lonely yes… but most of all I felt hatred and anger."
"What did you do?" Laxus asked. For some reason he felt like he understood what Freed had felt. The loss of his father in a way not chosen by him had been what had started his rebellion against the guild. That and the building of magic within him. Freed must've held back much power and fueled by anger… who knew what an angry true demon could do. Freed sighed and ran a hand over his face.
"Something I am not proud about now", he said. "But I must admit that if I hadn't done it I would never had found out the truth… that the spell did not destroy people or things. It just cast it into oblivion, into the Abyss of Time and it would be kept there for 700 years. No one back then thought 700 years could be lived. They never knew we were immortal. Anyway I sent out to get my revenge of the spell casters. I tracked them down one by one and slaughtered them in the most painful and horrible ways I could imagine. But even that did not settle my anger. I returned to the valley of Crocus and…"
"And?" Evergreen urged when Freed had been quiet for a couple of minutes. Freed sighed and bent down and picked up a leaf that had landed on the arena.
"It would be easier to just show you", he said and his eyes flashed. Had you looked into the arena you would have seen a huge flash and afterwards… nothing.
TBC
Anonymousmoon - As you see you were right ;)
Please review ^^ that makes me happy.
