Book IV: Humans vs. Zeref vs. Acnologia
Chapter 32:The Nightmares We Overcome
His eyes opened to see that he was on the ground, a large red dragon standing on him with one foot. Igneel, king of the fire dragons, you will die tonight! He rose, barely recognizing the gasps of the mages around him as he went into combat with the dragon, expanding his feather like black wings and pushing off from the ground. Face was destroyed and he could feel his power rushing back into his body. There were blasts of heat as their roars met in the sky.
Their bodies slammed against one another, but he felt rage pumping through him. He was going to destroy this dragon by wiping every last molecule of his being from the face of the Earth. Just like he'd vaporized that poor excuse for a mage. A son? That's what Igneel had called him, but he was more like an insect. With this thought he rushed forward, jaws open. He felt an excruciating pain from his shoulder as his arm was ripped away. He continued his flight upward and away from the creature, the desire for destruction still not satiated. If anything, the knowledge that he'd just torn the dragon's left side apart made him hunger for more blood.
A pink-haired boy let out a tragic call from below and the pain in his voice was so... delicious.
Riku sat up in bed, looking around hurriedly. He was not in the skies just south of Magnolia. He was in his room at Master Rikyu's. Riku pushed himself off the bed to double check the mirror hanging on the wall. More importantly, he was not Acnologia, he was his normal human self. And yet, the scene with Igneel felt so familiar. Riku hadn't seen it, but it felt as clear as a memory. The most unnerving part, Riku considered as he pulled on his slippers and quietly opened the door, was the rage pumping through his body in the dream and in his bed. It wasn't the rage he was use to. It wasn't a rage necessitated for survival. It was a rage that delighted in destruction. It was a rage that gave his dream-self a worrisome amount of pleasure at the same time as the terror he felt.
Riku paused at a sound, listening closely. It was just the wind against a tree branch, so he continued his quiet walk. It had been two months since the battle against Tartaros and Acnologia. If it wasn't for a miscalculation on his father's part, Riku would have been dead. Still, he had survived and recovered, but these dreams... Riku sighed, running his hand through his hair. Was he turning into some kind of monster? And why was his perspective from Acnologia's eyes in these dreams? What was his subconscious trying to tell him? He was not going to physically turn into a dragon, but would he emotionally become one? Like Acnologia, would he destroy the world afterall?
Riku shook his head to clear it of such thought as he reached his destination. He lightly put one ear against the wood to listen inside. It was quiet except for the sound of uneven breathing. He remained attentive, listening for any change from inside the room. Very slowly, preventing any creaks from the floor or door, he took hold of the handle and opened the door just a crack big enough to peak inside.
Erza was sitting up on her bed, her knees pulled up against her chest and arms wrapped around them, making herself into a ball. Her head was down between her arms, hidden from the view of the door.
"I told you it is not appropriate to listen to doors in the middle of the night, especially the doors of young women," she said, her voice muffled from its position. "You're turning into a pervert."
Riku pushed the door open guiltily and stepped inside before replying, "I wouldn't have to listen at the door if you'd just share a room like I offered. There are two beds."
"I told you we don't need to do that." Erza turned her head to look at him, face flushed and stern. "That's even more inappropriate."
"Right, right," Riku said. "Well, can I sit with you on the bed?"
Erza glanced at the bed, face still pink, before nodding. Riku sat down, pushing himself so his back was flat against the wall. He could smell her scent floating about in the room. "Did you have the dream again," he asked comfortingly.
"Did you," she asked keeping her face expressionless, though she did re-positioned herself next to him, back against the wall and legs across the bed in front of her.
"Yeah, I did," Riku admitted. "I was Acnologia again and I killed Igneel and flew off. I could hear Natsu calling out to him and it made me so..." happy, Riku thought, but he didn't finish aloud. Instead he changed the subject, nudging her shoulder lightly as he asked, "what about yours?"
"Yes, it was the same as always."
"With that Kyoka demon?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," Erza said firmly. Then she gave him a small smile "Thank you, though."
"Are you sure," Riku urged, trying not to seem as if he were prying. "It's been two months and you haven't really given me any details about the nightmare at all. I can't help if-"
"You haven't told me all the details of your dream either," Erza countered, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, it's only been two months since it occurred. It's natural for this sort of thing to take time."
"How do you know that I haven't shared all the details of my nightmare with you?"
"I can just tell," she replied. "You're a bad actor."
"You're really rude at night, Erza," Riku replied, huffing as if insulted. "Besides, I've seen you act in plays before and you're not one to talk about bad acting."
"I'm a great actor," Erza replied, eyes sparkling with the same delight they always had when she was thinking about performing. "I've been called back to play the prince multiple times by clients."
"Right," Riku smirked. "Maybe I just saw you on an off day then."
"That must be it," Erza agreed nodding her head, before letting it fall lightly onto Riku's shoulder. Riku froze in surprise at the contact, but Erza continued. "You'll have to ask Wendy and Lucy next time you see them. They'll tell you."
"Are you sure you're alright," Riku asked. He yawned, careful not to move the shoulder Erza was on.
"Stop asking me that," Erza said, a slight edge to her voice.
"Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize so much either." For a moment there seemed to be something else Erza wanted to say, but she released a sigh instead. They sat in silence for some time, Riku not thinking about much of anything. He heard soft, deep breaths beside him and chancing a glance he saw that Erza had fallen asleep, her scarlet hair falling carefully across the peaceful expression on her face. Riku tried to get comfortable without moving too much as he closed his own eyes.
When he next opened his eyes he found himself staring up at Gabriel's smirking face. Riku groaned, closing his eyes again. He could just picture what had occurred moments before. Gabriel probably came in, waking Erza up. Erza would be embarrassed by the fact they had fallen asleep in the same room (not to mention the same bed). Gabriel probably said something cheeky and then Erza rushed out. If Riku's intuition was correct, he probably got an elbow from Erza as well. He lifted his shirt slightly to see a purple bruise forming. That checked out.
"I thought she said you were suppose to stay in your own room," Gabriel snickered. "You just can't stay away, huh?"
"I just don't have nightmares when Erza is close by," Riku said, standing up and stretching. He heard a pop in his back. Sleeping sitting up was less than ideal. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Waking you up, of course," Gabriel grinned. "You weren't in your room so I knew where to check next."
Riku rolled his eyes. The exceed was enjoying this too much. He had only known Erza for two months, yet they had formed a brother-sister like bond in that short amount of time. "Are you here because you need help with breakfast," Riku asked. "I thought I had lunch duty today."
"You do," Gabriel agreed. "But Master Rikyu wants to talk with you before we eat. He says to meet him for tea."
"Okay, I'll go now then," Riku agreed. "And wipe that look off your face because nothing happened."
Gabriel only replied by wiggling his eyebrow and letting out a low, suggestive whistle as he left the room.
...
Riku sat down across from Master Rikyu, his stomach growling in protest. He shot Master Rikyu an apologetic look, but Master Rikyu waved it away as he filled Riku's cup with dark energy tea.
"Have you been practicing with your alchemy dark energy combination magic," Master Rikyu asked conversationally.
"Yes," said Riku. "It's a weird magic- turning one thing to another."
"It's a magic of imagination," Master Rikyu agreed. "You did it instinctively before when you wounded Acnologia, but now you need to practice using it. It could be an asset."
"Yeah it broke my unbreakable sword," Riku agreed. "Is that why you wanted to meet? You think I need to practice more? I'm open to suggestions, if you have any."
"No," Master Rikyu said. "Just making small talk. It's polite."
"Oh," Riku said, drinking his tea to hide his embarrassment. He almost spit it out when Master Rikyu asked his next question.
"Are you still having the dreams in which you are Acnologia?"
"How did you..."
"Never mind that," Master Rikyu said nonchalantly. "I had hoped you would get over it, but you seem to be fixating on it. So I feel the need to explain why you have this memory from Acnologia."
"So it is a memory? What do you mean from Acnologia?"
"Dragon slayer magic is a unique branch of magic in that a dragon bestows some of its magic to a human and makes an irreversible connection with them. The dragon and human create a bond through this initial gift and the training that follows. So long as that dragon is alive, the slayer continues to pull some magic from that dragon source, connecting them. This is why some dragons asked their slayers to bathe in their blood after death. This blood bath would bestow a permanent connection from the dragon's more powerful magic source to the slayer."
"That's how Acnologia got so powerful," said Riku. "from all those blood bathes."
"Acnologia stole those spirits and magic, so the bond is not as strong," Master Rikyu clarified. "But, yes, the essence is the same."
"But Acnologia is still alive," Riku stated.
"And therefore you are still connected," Master Rikyu agrees. "This provides you with a source of power other dragon slayers no longer posses. You are connected to a powerful dragon and can pull magic from him if he is near enough to do so."
"That includes his memory?"
"My current theory is that because you were almost dead at the moment when this memory occurred, you were especially receptive to the traumatic experience Acnologia went through against Igneel," Master Rikyu agreed. "But this connection confirms the danger you face that other dragon-slayers do not. Every dragon has more power than their slayer's human form can handle, which is one reason why slayers often transformed into dragons. You have frozen that possibility in time, preventing any transformation while still being connected to a massive source of dark energy. Such power seems incapable for a human to control and survive. "
"Connected to a massive source of dark energy," Riku mumbled. What did that mean? Was it possible to destroy Acnologia with his own power channeled through Riku? But Master Rikyu said that it was too much power for a human to control. Still, perhaps it was worth the risk? How did Master Rikyu know all this anyway? Did he know about Erza's dream? Riku was about to ask when he noticed that he was alone in the room.
He jumped at Gabriel's voice, coming from the doorway, "he left a while ago. He sent me to get you for breakfast," Gabriel said with a chuckle.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," Riku said, standing and hurrying to walk with Gabriel. "Master Rikyu seemed to know a lot about my dream. I wonder if he knows about Erza's."
"He probably wouldn't tell you if he did," Gabriel confessed. "It's really something she should tell you, isn't it?"
"But she won't tell me," Riku said annoyed. "She's never kept a secret about something important like this."
"Maybe she doesn't want to tell you because she doesn't want you to treat her any different than you already do."
"Different how," Riku snapped. "I wouldn't judge Erza or treat her differently!"
"It's not that you'd do it intentionally, it's just that... well, haven't you been checking on her a lot?"
"She and Mira were with Tartaros longer than anyone else, so what's wrong with being concerned about her," Riku asked.
"Nothing," Gabriel agreed with a shrug. "But she doesn't seem that delicate, you know. Seems like she can handle herself fine."
Riku paused, grabbing Gabriel's ear to stop him. Gabriel hissed in pain, pulling his ear away and scowling up at his friend.
"Did she say that to you," Riku asked suspiciously. "That I'm treating her differently and that's why she's not telling me about her experience?"
"Not exactly," Gabriel scowled. "But even I can see you're pulling your punches during your training fights."
"I'm not," Riku snapped as they reached the kitchen. "I'll prove it next time."
"Hey Erza," Gabriel called as they sat at the table. "Riku says he wants to fight with you today after we clean."
"I'll prepare for battle," she said finishing her plate.
Riku shot Gabriel a look, but Gabriel shrugged and started eating his own breakfast.
"Between the mountains please," Master Rikyu reminded them. "We don't need to frighten the koi again."
...
Riku fidgeted nervously watching Erza from across the way. Master Rikyu had signaled for them to start, but she hadn't moved at all, simply watching him from next to that same tree he had been under when he faced Emperor Spriggan. She was in her most informal armor with the Heart Kreuz across the front, a blue skirt, black boots, and diamond shaped silver earrings. What was making Riku fidget though was her expression. Her eyes were narrowed and scanning him, as if reading and predicting even the smallest twitch.
"Prepare yourself," she called.
"I'm ready when you are," Riku said. He didn't want to do this at all. He shot Gabriel a look and Gabriel raised his eyebrow in response. Riku didn't have time to analyze this expression though because he sensed something change in the air. He leaped to the left, just in time to miss Erza's charge. He rolled and leaped up, looking at the figure before him as it wheeled around and charged again. She was wearing her piercing armor now, consisting of a breastplate, waist-guard, gauntlets and leg plates, which all featured a greenish-silver tint. Most concerning to Riku was the weapon in her hands: a large, silver jousting lance that features well-decorated designs over it.
She charged again, the sharp end of the lance rushing towards Riku, who waited until the last moment, then leaped up and over the lance, pushing to down with his arms as he flipped above her. The force pushed the lance into the ground.
Any lesser fighter would have stumbled, but not Erza. Riku barely recovered before he had to duck and dodge two twin blades coming towards him. Now she wore her rabbit armor: her appearance resembling that of an armored bunny girl with a two-toned dress largely open in the middle with a ribbon visible around her neck and tied around the collar. The armored gauntlets covered the entirety of Erza's forearms and her head was topped with bunny ears. Both blades rushed towards Riku, forcing him to retreat, dodging again. He could feel the breeze just miss his shoulder on one side before making contact with the other.
Riku let out a pained noise before leaping back to check his arm. Riku touched his arm. It was a shallow cut.
"Fight, Riku," Erza demanded. Riku looked up to see Erza's face. She was panting harder than usual, but she'd only re-equipped twice. That was usually nothing to her. His eyes widened in surprise at her next proclamation.
"I'm not broken, so fight or you'll regret it!"
She wasn't panting from being tired, he realized. She was angry. Even from this distance he could sense her anger pouring off of her in clouds. Riku glanced at Gabriel again, his voice from the morning echoing in his mind: even I can see you're pulling your punches during your training fights. Had he been pulling his punches against Erza without realizing it? He hadn't meant to, but he'd been worried about her and this unknown torture that was giving her such nightmares. Nightmares who effected her in a way he hadn't seen since their time in the Tower of Heaven.
Riku cussed under his breath as Erza changed again, bring her twin blades together into one more powerful sword. There was only one way to make this right and it was the Fairy Tail way: they'd have to really fight it out. He sent alchemy and dark energy magic to his hands, encasing them in a purplish-black aura as Erza brought her sword down at him. He caught it between his two hands and with some focused effort he felt the sword's metal lighten and turn into paper. With a crunch of his hands, the sword shattered. Despite her sword being shattered, a flash of satisfaction crossed her face as she leaped out of reach of Riku's fist and re-equipped again.
Erza's ataraxia armor was a white revealing gown with a hem sprouting from it and a red collar tied with a red and gold belt. A rose decorated her left hand and swords surrounded her like wings. Riku covered himself in dark dragon scale armor. There was a glint in Erza's eye that made Riku sure that he was going to feel this anger very soon.
He charged, slashing the air in three places as he lunged, calling "Dragon Slayer Claw!" Each of the slashes send a dark claw towards her, which she blocked by wrapping the swords on her left around her as a shield. But that was fine, Riku didn't intend for that to hit anyway. With Erza distracted, he grasped one of the black swords from the right and yanked it from the rest.
Erza's surprised expression flitted across her face as he leaped out of reach, steadying himself. He sent the alchemy dark energy through his palm again, into the sword and hardening it this time. If she wanted to fight, Riku considered, then she wanted to fight.
"Dark dragon slash," he called, sending a powerful black twister, twice her size, towards her. She flipped out of the way before waving her hand and sending two of her winged swords his way. Riku used his own newly acquired sword to defend, sending one sword to the ground as the other returned to Erza's wings.
"Dark Dragon Slayer Darkness Blast," Riku called, sending a blast of dark energy her way. It hit her head on and for a moment, Riku had a sinking feeling that he'd overdone it. The dark energy cleared and Erza rushed forward, sword meeting with Riku's in rapid attacks that Riku could barely keep up with. She had re-equipped again into her defenseless outfit consisting of a white sarashi round the upper chest and a red hakama with a gold flame-like pattern at the bottom with black highlights, tied by white strings. Her hair was tied up in a high tail at the back by a green headband. Erza jabbed and Riku blocked, sending Erza back a step before she lunged again, this time her sword meeting his closer to his face than he would have liked. Her eyes were flashing with anger and focus.
"You're-still-not-trying-at-full-might," Erza snarled. A quick movement and Riku felt a slash across his leg, which was surprising but not too painful given that he was covered in scales. When did she re-equip that second sword anyway? He recovered from the surprise, pushing Erza off long enough to send another dark twister her way, which hit her on the side. She cringed in pain before charging again.
"You're acting like I am a porcelain doll," she said. This time Riku managed to block both her swords, though it took two hands.
"I didn't mean to, Erza," Riku said. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Erza snapped. Another slash on another leg and another dark energy blast for her to recover from before they met again. "You're still doing it."
"I swear I don't think your weak," Riku said, channeling some of his magic into his sword again, making it vibrate against hers with dark energy. He could tell from her expression that the energy was transferring to her own sword, making it hotter and harder to hold. Still, she didn't relent. "I could never think that you're weak."
"Then why-" Erza snarled, but Riku cut her off.
"I felt guilty. I felt bad because I'm suppose to be there for you and I wasn't. I let you suffer even after I got to Magnolia," Riku said, he felt Erza's swords pushing his own towards him, his feet pushing back in the dirt. "I couldn't even do what I needed to. I couldn't even protect anyone from Acnologia."
Riku suddenly felt her swords move back and with the sudden loss of force against him, his own force pushed him forward, where he fell onto the ground. He rolled over, scales disappearing as he looked up at Erza, standing above him with her swords to his neck.
"That's what this is about," Erza asked. "You felt guilty?"
Riku nodded slightly, careful to avoid the blades under his chin.
"I didn't even expect you to get my letters, let alone come all the way back to Magnolia to fight with us," Erza said, eyes wide in surprise. "You did more to protect us all than you know. Acnologia would have vaporized everyone if you hadn't stopped his first roar."
Riku said nothing, simply watching her stern face as it scanned his own. In a fluid movement Erza's swords disappeared and he felt himself pulled up into her arms.
"You did as much as you could, just like everyone in our guild. No one blames you for anything and neither do I. You have nothing to feel guilty about."
Riku was speechless, blinking in this new position, a slight flush across his skin. Just as he was about to collect his thoughts, he heard a soft cough and they both turned to see Gabriel, a half smirk on his face as he watched them from his original seat, still cross legged.
"If the battles over, can we go back now," Gabriel asked.
"Yes, let us go," Erza agreed, leaping up and dropping Riku's head unceremoniously on the ground. She looked back, apologizing profusely for the abuse, but Riku waved her away with a half smile. He had certainly experiences worse knocks to the head than this, that was for sure.
...
The next few months they continued to train by following the usual routine of breakfast, cleaning, meditation, lunch, and then sparring. Riku was even satisfied to see that he was getting better at meditation. He'd only fallen asleep once in the last month! Still, the routine was starting to become a bit boring. He and Erza were use to going on a variety of jobs and adventures. To go for so long without a change seemed very odd. Master Rikyu seemed to sense this because one day over breakfast he put down his meal and looked over at them seriously.
"In the heart of the capital is a small shop that has these supplies we need," Master Rikyu explained handing over a list to Erza. She looked it over, then turned the paper over revealing a crudely drawn map. "Go down into the valley and bring these supplies back these. Remember that our kingdom is less than friendly to outside mages. You should stay hidden."
"We won't fail," Erza agreed, determination flashing in her eyes. In a flash of light she re-equipped into her Heart Kreuz armor, a dark cloak pulled over the attire and her head. "Ready Riku?"
"Let me go change and then I'll be ready," Riku replied with a chuckle. "We can't all change on the spot. Some of us are a bit slower."
They took the most direct route to the valley which was straight down the mountain, pushing their own path through the high grasses and plants. It took them about a day or so to get into the outskirts of the city and another half a day to make it into the capital itself. Riku let out a low whistle as they arrived in the bustling streets, people hurriedly moving about their business going in and out of the busy shops. Before them was the towering castle with every street converging at it's base. Each street was covered in shops, organized by their goods inside. In the meat district, butchers hung meat from the rafters, drying out and aging the foods. The vegetable section had rows and rows of vegetables, some of which Riku had never seen before. The cloth and clothing section had dying stations and the strange smell of freshly made linen.
Finally they reach the small store in question, down an alley between the cloth and metalwork section of the market. They hurried inside and Riku approached the counter.
"Welcome, welcome," said the merchant, taking the list that Riku offered him. He looked it over, nodding at each piece of the list. "This one is out of stock," he said pointing to an item about half way down the list. "But I have a great replacement. He won't know the difference."
"Thanks," Riku said. The merchant bustled away to collect the goods. Meanwhile, Erza looked over some daggers displayed in the window. She moved especially close to one with sparkling rubies on the sheath, before standing straight up, her posture rigid.
"What's the matter," Riku asked, moving to stand next to her. In response she pointed to the commotion moving passed the window. There was a small crowd of complaining and yelling customers moving through the street. In the center of the crowd were two soldiers dressed in the uniform of the Kingdom of Seven and in between them was a figure with familiar blue hair and a tattoo across his face.
"Jellal," they both hissed in surprise.
"Did you say something," called the merchant from the back of the shop.
"No, just talking about this dagger," Riku called back. He glanced at Erza, knowing what she was thinking already. "Can you get him without causing a scene?"
"Define scene," Erza said, shooting Riku a look, but she let a smile break across her face. "Just kidding, I can get him without causing a scene. You finish up here and we'll meet outside the capital at dusk."
"Don't be late," Riku said.
"I'm always on time," Erza replied and with that, she disappeared into the crowd outside.
...
Riku arrived at their meeting location at dusk to see that Jellal and Erza were already there, deep in discussion. As he approached, they both waved him over, falling into step as they began their walk back up the mountain path they had created. Jellal explained his purpose as they moved along the way. He had come to seek out some supplies himself before making his way to Master Rikyu's in order to find Riku and Erza.
"I unintentionally caused a disturbance and the soldiers were called," Jellal explained.
Riku shot him a sideways glance. "You're becoming a real Fairy Tail mage with the amount of disturbances you cause."
"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment," Jellal shrugged.
"What was it you needed to tell us about?"
"I've explained it to Erza, but we would appreciate your help as well," Jellal began. Riku paused looking at Erza.
"You've already agreed to go?"
"I have," Erza said, pausing as well to face Riku.
"And what exactly are you doing?"
"Crime Sorcière has gotten word of an organization plotting to fill the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Balam Alliance," Erza explained. "They seem to be a cult worshiping Zeref, but Crime Sorcière haven't been able to find out much else. They think it will be best to infiltrate the organization."
"And no one from Crime Sorcière can do it because they were all part of the Balam Alliance at some point," Riku said. He sighed. "But, Ezra, they'll recognize you won't they?"
"I'll make a plan," Erza said determined. "I want to go."
"You're done training here, hmmm." Riku said with a sigh. "I sort of figured this was coming up."
"You could join as well," Jellal offered. "They are less likely to recognize you."
"No, I'm a terrible actor," Riku admitted, sending Erza a sideways glance. "Besides, I'm still trying to master this alchemy dark energy magic and Master Rikyu is the only one who can help."
"Are you sure," Jellal asked.
"I'm sure," Riku shrugged, shifting the supply weight onto one side. He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out a package, wrapped carefully in brown paper. "Besides, Erza doesn't need anyone to protect her."
Riku held it out the package to Erza, who took it gingerly, a surprised expression still on her face. The silver dagger glinted in the moonlight, the intricate pattern on its sheath connecting each of the studded rubies. "I'm going to keep one of those winged swords to practice with," Riku added, trying to sound casual despite his own pleased blush. Erza's surprised blushing expression turned into one of determination as she nodded.
Jellal looked between the two of them and shrugged. Whatever they were talking about clearly had nothing to do with him anyway.
This was suppose to be a lighter chapter to fill in between the arcs, but it came out a tad longer than I intended. Oh well! A year without your guild is a long time to wait...Thanks for reading & don't forget to review!