Chapter 30: Finding within the Dark
"What do you mean you've found the island? We haven't seen any sign of it!" Erza pointed out.
"Not on this dimension we're not," I pointed out.
"What?!"/"Di-dimension?!"/"Don't be ridiculous!"/"Aniki, is your head okay?"
"Oi, I'm serious over here!" I was put out by their lack of faith on me, is another dimension that unbelievable? I huffed irritably, "Humor me. Anyone of you curious why I said another dimension?"
"Okay, why would that be?" Erza relented after mulling her own thoughts.
I just was about to answer, but my mouth halted midway from answering, and instead shifted into a grin. A grin that made Nick and Hope shivered, knowing it was my mischievous one. So in answer, I reached out to her leg and unceremoniously dragged her down to the ocean floor before she could even scream "Kyaa!"
Though hearing it would have made my day.
Even from underwater, it was clear how her eyes promised me a cruel pain for daring to lay a hand on her, but that quickly diminished when a dim unnatural glow caught her eye. If she wasn't underwater, I was sure she would have gasped.
There, an impossible scene unfolded before us, was an underwater waterfall. Falling down a dimly lit enormous hole. Try imagining. You being underwater, water filled the air you breath and the space you walk, the darkness that cloaked you like a cold blanket, the silence that pierce your heart with loneliness. Surrounded by all that, you witness water being pulled down to a hole, but unlike a plughole where the water would flow down in a whirlpool, the water instead flown down at the edge of the hole. Giving us an impossibly nice clear view of the dark black water below. The sight of flying bird that looked like a cross of reptile coming closer toward it before shifting away, if I saw it right, it looked like a white feathered pterodactyl. Then there was, as clear as day, was the Mirage Island.
The two of us were stars trucked by the sight, until we were at risk of losing air. I pointed upwards and she nodded, the two us began swimming to gasped in some oxygen from the surface.
"It's another dimension!" Erza exclaimed, her face was in such pure state of shock that I laughed.
"Told you! Now, what exactly is my wayward companion doing instead of helping us?" I swam a bit until the boat was within sight, confused at seeing their back straight from standing and blocking the view they were watching so intensely.
I climbed aboard and pulled Erza up. Then about to give them a piece of my mind for not greeting us when at the corner of eye, I caught a strange light, turning around to what they were looking, and promptly had my jaw dropped before whistling.
"Damn, they weren't kidding when they called it Mirage Island."
It had me confused why they could even see said island when I had discover it beneath the ocean. Yet for some reason, I'm witnessing the island right now, but my head couldn't seem to wrapped around the fact that it is real. For one, island don't shimmer in rainbow color. Two, islands aren't translucent. Three, islands don't look like they're floating. Overall, it's like seeing a hologram, or what I call in my head, a ghost-version of an island.
By all accounts, it shouldn't be exist. People with good head on their shoulder would have convinced themselves that this was all a trick conjure by magic or the like.
But then we watched as a seagull flew toward the island, disappeared into thin air, then appear again in the same shimmering light while perching on the branch that was visible to us. The only reason we knew it's the same bird was because of the unique black marks on its tail. Now, you could be as strong as Zeref but you still can't change the nature of magic. An illusion is an illusion, it shouldn't possible be physically capable to affect or be affected by the real world.
You would thought that was strange, then you should try looking up at the sky next because the view was more than awe-inspiring. Instead of the dark sky lighted by the constellation and under the dim gaze of Artemis (Wow, I'm in poetic-mood right now) we were expecting, you find the multiple underwater sea creatures swimming under the wave of sea. And I said sea because if you look closely, you find the corals, anemone, and all the other fishes as if you're looking from above a pond. Waving, distorting, and shimmering.
"It's the island," Erza finally whispered, soft but clear to us all, "It's the island I saw with Captain, but how…" she found herself looking to me for answer but I shrugged, feeling just as confused. Not even I could reason this with magic.
"TORRI, do you have any theory about this?"
The lacrima on my dashboard Baby zipped on and a thin white line was visible, [I found 233 possible cause, both manmade and natural causes, shall I list them all?]
"Nah, I think going there and finding the answer ourselves would be faster." Followed by that remark, I promptly seated to the driver's seat and pumped in my magic. It swerved forward, forcing the others to flopped down and take their seats.
"Going to the- Captain, what are you thinking?" Erza shrieked.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I shouted back as I sped up more.
She looked at me incredulously before glaring at the three men beside me, "And you people? You're going to let him off
Oi! Talk about kettle calling the...pot black? I think I got that saying backward, but the point's the same!
Spade shrugged and pointed between him and Zeffik, "We're used to not questioning whatever trouble we've been thrown in so it's a manner of habit really."
Nick had only scratch the back of his neck, and looked sheepishly alongside Hope, "Yeah...I would but Aniki is smarter than me so I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing. Besides, this could be fun!"
"Fun, fun, fun nyu~" Hope agreed.
Erza groaned to her hand, "I'm surrounded by idiots."
"If the rumors on Fairy Tail is half true than you're used to it!"
"Don't remind me!"
Our argument took time faster than we assumed and the island figure of aurora was dead ahead. We all clenched to whatever we could find and braced ourselves for whatever's going to happen.
After that…
...we were gone.
. . .
Have you ever ridden a tornado ride you find in amusement park. You remember the chilling-awe you got when you saw it in action when you hear the exhilarating scream coming from it. The rising anticipation and terror that grew from every beat of your heart as you wait in line. Feeling the air whooshed out of your lungs, and how your head had tried to grasp the equilibrium in things, pushing back your queasiness before it would make you puke your insides or made your eyes jumped out.
Yeah it wasn't anything like that.
It was about five times worse, or maybe six. The point is, the journey sucks.
Good news, it ended before the vertigo had me spoiled my lunch.
Bad news, we were falling mid air down to our deaths.
The screamed of the passengers jolted me from my shock and took the wheel in my arms. I tried to gear change my Baby into air mode, but when it puts out its wing, one of them cracked into two so no help from that part.
"Hang on to something!" I shouted to them.
"""WE ALREADY ARE!""" They cried back.
The wind whistled hard beside my ear and pushing against my face. Gritting my teeth in hopelessness as I kept steering Baby toward the water and away from the hard land.
It wasn't long before we landed on the water with a resounding boom. The shock wave blew us away from it and fell hard to the water. I was the first one to popped up to the surface, my mind was trying to come to terms of what would become the queasiest one minute of my life, "Holy shi-"
Zeffik burst out next and cut me off, "Language."
"Fine, Holy Homer's Eye!" I exclaimed but then I glared at my giant-buddy, "Does this mean I can't cursed properly when I'm around you? Not like I ever curse properly most of the time now that I think about it."
Zeffik gave me a look, as if I should know better how to act, being the leader and all. I rolled my eyes to have my own personal Steve Rogers calling me out but I didn't protest further once the others followed to gasp some air.
Reason would dictate that we're all too busy trying not to drown and found a way to the island. Instead, I was too busy dismaying at my boat, my Baby, that had broken down from the ride to another dimension. I would seem the ride was too rough for her and I have no one but myself to blame for not preparing her fro the journey. Though travelling between dimension is certainly not an everyday thing that came to mind. I had to stifle my sobbing in front of my friends because Baby had barely been used on one ride and I had to say goodbye. How cruel the universe is.
Then I looked back at the island that was floating up from the water and if we don't find away to get up there, we'd be lost at the black sea. I was about to come up with a plan, but Erza had worked faster by summoning a blue-silver sword that managed to propel us toward the island via tsunami before it could fully lifted itself to the sky. We were all surprised by her quick thinking before we were all screaming like girls as we got swept away.
Good thing was we managed to land ourselves on the island, but our landing did need a little working. I face planted myself in the sand and had to eat a handful of sand, Zeffik got himself tangled to what looks like the top of a coconut tree, Spade got the worst of the brunt by face planting on a nearby rock. Nick had Hope to thank when she caught him when they were midway falling, and Erza had only need to flipped herself in midair before gracefully landing herself on the beach with a perfect 10 score using a gymnastic maneuver.
She made a glare at our pathetic sight and sighed, "Come on get up you lumps! We haven't got all day!"
Ah...I've forgotten how oblivious she sometimes was-or would be anyway.
I started spouting all the grinding sand in my mouth, Spade blew out the blood trickling down his nose, and Nick was helping Zeffik getting him down the tree alongside Hope.
The gang lined up as we stood side by side at the edge of the thick purple forest, one we have no idea what's in store for us. Unfamiliar cry of animals echoed solemnly within, a few of us gulping nervously.
"So...she's here?" Spade whispered out wistfully, his fist clenching his and showing his white knuckles, and tried as he may, his calm demeanor was breaking at the hopeful gaze he made to meet his sister he lost for years.
"We'll find her Spade, you can count on us for that," I reassured him. Spade nodded in answer then closing his eyes as if in prayer. I then looked between our misfit groups that came together in a unlikely event and couldn't hold myself back form grinning, "All right then Gang, the unexplored island awaits us!"
. . .
The Purple Forest was more unique than just its color and odd animals (which includes giant camouflaging scorpions if you didn't think the small one was bad enough this one was horrid, Silver Crabs with real silver as their shell, a two tailed blue panther, and bugs...various bug of all shape and size that I swear you wouldn't want details). The journey gave me flashback of that horrid month I had in Cjakra Forest and had to repressed a shudder.
Fortunately, even when my Tracking Map had hay wired in this pocket dimension, my Ethernano Senses managed to tracked where the people in this island currently here are. Not as sharp as I usually wanted with the air, the nature, the space itself acting like a white noise for me. We still won't need to worry about getting lost.
"Uuh, I don't know if it's the time but how are we going to get back to our dimension?" Zeffik voiced his concern after hours of silence and pushing away vegetation away from our path.
I opened my mouth, but my gob came out nothing but silent, then thinking there was no good answer to this I said, "We'll handle the future's problem to our future selves, for now? Keep your eyes at the prize Zeffik."
"Why can't me and Hope just fly up and scout the surrounding perimeter?" Nick suggested.
I glared hard at him for full 3 full seconds before pointing my finger upward. On cue, there was a small innocent baby two-tailed panther at the top of a tree branch when suddenly the huddled tree leaves behind it rustled gruffly before revealing it not as leaves but feathers. Purple feathers rustled before winding up, revealing a large pair of wing that was hiding a giant snake with purple mane and wings, winding its jaw up to gulp the panther whole. Licking its long tongue on its non-existent lips before flying away to the sky, yet it didn't fly long enough before what I thought was a mountain was actually...well, I didn't know exactly what it was hut I do know it had one long ass neck that could reach toward the Giant Flying Snake and snapped it inside his jaw with one final snap before retreating itself into its mountain-like figure.
I blinked a few times to confirm that I hadn't just imagined all that. It was more than I bargained for but that should be clear enough message. I find that Nick face had ashen considerably and gulped alongside Hope, "Withdrawn," he muttered.
"That's what I thought."
"But now that you pointed out," Erza began to say, "Except for the few same annoying pest we repeatedly met, there aren't any dangerous monster coming to get us."
"You're welcome for that," I said to her and ignore the pointed glare from my rudeness.
"I thought you said your Senses weren't working well."
"I said not working well, not working at all. I mean the ethernano is thick and foreign here that I have a hard time knowing what's what. Even the ground felt like it's alive."
That got the rest to stop and left me to march further before turning around with a raised eyebrow, "What?" They were all looking cautiously at the ground and barely held back rolling my eyes. "Relax, like I said this is a whole another dimension here, just because I sensed it's alive doesn't mean it's alive alive. I think we would have noticed that we climbed onto something's back."
In hindsight, I should have kept my mouth shut. The universe began to prove itself how much it hates me when the ground shook right on cue. The gray sky grew closer and we became the same height of most trees that are on sight. To make matters even more terrifying, the ground - or what I had assumed was the ground - split opened to reveal giant yellow teeth, a long tongue that shot out at any of us, and the dark long hole I could assume connected to this thing's stomach.
Nick had Hope to fly him away but the rest of us had to be creative. My nifty shoes managed to help me jump out of the way, grabbing Erza and Spade by the hand. That left with Zeffik scrambling up the nearest tree, but it couldn't support him and break upon his weight. The creature saw its chance - without knowing where the heck its eyes is - and its tongue whipped out around his hip and was about to drag him to its mouth.
Spade shouted his name in fear and desperation, his arm outstretched toward him when it was obviously pointless. I tried to come up quick thinking wit when Hope had moved faster so Nick could grabbed on to him. He tried to pull him from its grasp but I should have guessed whatever it was, with that size, should be expected had enormous strength. Nick had to be applaud that he could rival its strength.
Our two swordsman wasted no time pulling out their sword and crossing them to cut that disgusting tongue out of the way. It helps that Zeffik was free, but the cut tongue began sprouting green blood that rained upon us (Ew!), followed by the loud pained roaring of the Beast beneath us. Shaking the air and deafening our ears. Thankfully for whatever reason, it couldn't jumped up and snapped us into its mouth but it did surprised us with two more tongue coming out. Successfully snatching us all and pulling us in.
Well, that isn't fair. But enough is enough.
I let go of Spade and used my free hand to write out runes on the Beast, using the first random word that came out of my mind.
Which was "Sneeze"
I did say random right?
Once I was finished, the Beast halted its progress for an unbearable two seconds. Making our heart beat in anticipated fear. Then it began to tremble, then shook enough that anyone on land could have mistook it as an earthquake before finally heaving in (and for a short moment, we were inside its mouth and experience the glorious indescribable gagging smell that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Man, does this thing need a mouthwash), and blew out with a great big "ACHOOOO!" that caused the many animals to flee or flew away, whichever faster for them.
So yeah, for the third time that day, we were falling down, down again. It wouldn't have been exaggerating to say we were blown out half way across the island. Others were flailing around in the air in panic and distressed while I couldn't help the exasperate groan as I tuck my hand under my chin. Looking oddly comfortable as I was thrown in the air.
"Again?" I asked in no one particular.
It wasn't long before I noticed that were heading straight toward roof of a compound that would be a pain to land on. "Spade. Nick. Open us an entrance!" I ordered quickly as we began our rapid descend.
Credit given when it's due. They didn't so much as flinch at the order and began coordinate themselves as if they've been working together for years. Spade grasped Nick's hand and hold him up over him. He put his Rapier in horizontal to himself before he made a series of motion at the same time of Nick as he conjured his Magic Circle.
"Misil Tornado!"
"Crystal Dragon's Storm Wing!"
I watched as the thrown crystals being enveloped by the wind in a spiral. Creating a combination attack that easily tore through the roof. Six holes were opened up, six holes we we went through (yes, including one for Hope), then six people landed ungracefully to the ground. Hard.
After a few disorienting seconds, I managed to stood straight and brushed off the dust and debris around me, then cracking my neck side to side next. That was a pretty rough fall. "So much for my stealth plan, I didn't even get to tell you the plan," I grumbled miserably, "I think we just alerted the whole base on us from our landing there...that's going to be troublesome."
"Then we must strike fast and locate Heart Kreuz before anyone would be there to stop us," Erza suggested. Looking no less for wear and not a speck of dust dirtied her which slightly make me jealous how she could rectify her dignity with no trouble at all as if she hadn't just fallen down through the roof.
"Simple and straight forward, I like it. Though that begs to question of where are we?"
"Some kind of workshop," Spade said as his eyes locked to one side of the room that had the typical gear and tools for a blacksmith, "though a bit small but a workable place."
Zeffik, Hope, and Nick was next to get up after much groaning on their part. "I've got bruises on my bruises," Nick moaned.
"As a doctor in training, I can say that falling from the sky is not an advisable action on a daily basis."
I snort escaped me and I was about to laugh when a loud cry from behind got all of us to turned.
She was a sight to behold. A woman maybe in her mid 30s, with torn dress that looked no less like a rag, but what caught my eyes the most was her light brown eyes. So light and bright that you think you were looking at the stars themselves.
The exact same eyes as Spade's. I knew then I was looking at none other than Heart Kreuz herself.
Thought her eyes caught my attention, it was merely a blip in my head compared to seeing the tan woman holding a bastard sword that seemed to be on the same size as hers, and was shaking in effort to hold it.
Either she has been low in energy or she has no talent in wielding her own work. Which if the latter was kind of sad in its own way.
Well putting that aside, while I was confident we would find her eventually, I didn't think we could do it that fast. This a record, even for me.
"Now answer my question, who are you people?" her tone made sure she was demanding instead of asking.
Discreetly, I glanced at Spade who I had suspected was looking a little hurt at the unrecognizable tone she made. He was about to say something but our staring match came to an end when the door to the cell came rushing opened.
"What the hell was going on? I swear you She-dog better not be-" his words cut off as he finally took in at the scene and gaped in surprised along with the rest of us the ushered another bout of staring contest.
Heart Kreuz kept staring.
My group kept staring.
The Guard kept staring.
Until finally, he turned his back and was probably about to shout out for back-up.
When Zeffik was quick to intercept and threw a large debris right at his head, making him slumped unconscious.
I watched at the unfolding scene in mix shock and awe, and with gaping mouth. Slowly without looking back, I put up a thumbs up. "Good job Zeffik. Though let me be frank, for a would-be-doctor, you're pretty violent."
Before he could respond, the air shook as the whole building was alerted of an intruder. We exchanged look and without so much of a word understanding swept on us. Zeffik began pulling Heart to his side, causing her to let go of the sword, manhandling her by carrying her like a sack, while ignoring her protest to put her down.
Zeffik politely apologized.
Heart kept struggling and shouting and wow, she has a lot of creative profanities being used.
We came together in a small circle. Nick was ready by conjuring a crystal pillar and Erza took the liberty of widening the six holes into one big one. Launching us off out of the prison.
Turning this the fourth time we've been launch off to the air.
Even for me, this was too much.
The others seemed to be desensitized from being thrown off, so only the scream of one blacksmith had permeated the air. It was further proof of how accustomed we are when we burst down through the tree and landed without so much as a flinch on our two feet.
"UNHAND ME YOU NUTSACK FLIP-FLOPPING RACCOON FACE GOATSE! OR I SWEAR YOU'LL REGRET THIS!"
She's still screaming? Wow, got to admit, that's some set of impressive lungs.
I knead the bridge of my nose to fight off the upcoming headache knocking on my head. Now how to come up a way to calm her down? I looked back at her and find Zeffik had put her down and in time to watch her kneed him in the groin. I winced, and a giant or not, no one could survive that unscathed. Nick immediately tried to put distance between them and talked her down, but my wayward student is by no means a conversationalist. It took him saying the wrong words and showed his lack of tact for Heart to bared her teeth and lunge at him. Nick was too surprised to be on the defensive and suffered her Hair Yanking Attack as she rode him on his back.
Ignoring the fact that an adult woman was fighting off a kid in mid-puberty, as first impression goes, Heart Kreuz...is a riot.
I glanced once more at Spade who looked determined to keep his distance. Watching with crinkled sad eyes and a rueful smile. I wanted to say something to him but he was already talking to Erza. I wouldn't be surprised at this point if she had figured out Spade was someone related to her somehow. He didn't quite hid his expression after all.
Oh dear. They're looking at me right now, my name must have come up in the conversation.
Glancing away and acting like the grass was looking a lot more interesting - which in a way it was with it's dark red patch and all curled up like a macaroni - until Hope had come by to calm my nerve me by asking my opinion about her new hat she had picked up.
I glanced down at her, and promptly paled as I felt my whole world stopped. In that one second as I drank in the scene I was watching that was so ludicrous, so outrageous, it took time for me to come to terms that it was reality. I swear that one second had felt drawn out for hours or even days and as dread came to overwhelmed me from such incomprehensible sight. I then blinked and my surrounding pace began to move once more, but it felt like a lead had stuck in my thought as it took effort for me to just gulped and found my voice.
"Hope...where did you get that hat?"
Hope, innocent little Hope, cocked her head in worried glance but answered me anyway, "The guard was wearing it on his head so I thought it was a funny-looking hat he was wearing and I took it...did I do something bad?"
I gaped at her like a fish and I did say she did nothing wrong even as the blood was drained from my face that I must have lost color.
And it was true, there was nothing wrong on what she did (if you neglect the stealing part).
It was the hat - no - mask on her head hat I was worried about.
Specifically the very ominous symbol printed on it that the significant was lost to the young exceed.
My reverie was snapped when a loud sound of skin-hitting-skin I recognized as a slapped. My head whipped up toward Nick - on the ground with his hand on his red cheek - and a very angry designer.
"That stupid armor as you call it is a magic I was forced to made," their flash of guilt stricken look on her face before she became angry once more, "and your little "rescue" mission might have saved me, but left the now completed weapon at the hand of the most powerful dark guild without letting me wear it to escape or better yet destroy it!" she almost shrieked the last bit.
We let those words sunken in and were properly paled as the weight of our action signify, "Wha...what Dark Guild?" Nick asked what's on our mind, his fear and nervousness in his tone was justified because I'm pretty sure we all felt the same.
The Universe had a funny way answering his questions in the form of a loud blaring noise came upon from above that got us covering our ears. It was a noise not often heard in this world but one I was familiar with if you ever gone to an airport.
I looked up and couldn't find the shock at seeing the magic ship slowly descending from the sky. The sound of engine reverberates the air, the wind blowing the leaves, dust, and bending the trees away, but that all escape me as we locked eyes that grand symbol of what I could describe as a purple heart full of thorns.
And even after being slapped in the face of the most damning evidence no difference to hanging a big fat red neon sign, it was only after Heart pursed her lips and hearing the two words being said from her that the reality finally crashed down on me.
"Grimoire Heart."
AN: Hello everyone!
I would just like to say, to all my christian readers and those who celebrated it...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And to those who don't, then HAPPY HOLIDAY AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
Seriously thank you so much for indulging me in my hobbies, following my works, and reviewing it. I'm aware that my work isn't perfect, but the point I made this was for you to enjoy through adventure and laughter through the world of Fairy Tail. So thank you so much for following me through the year and patient enough to wait for me to get to cannon. This arc is surprisingly long and I swear I didn't plan it in advance, Rune Master's story is mostly impulsive from my part rather than drawn out plan. So I was surprised how much of you followed me in a short amount of time.
Anyway, It'll be a while before my next chapter.
Peace out y'all! :))))