Hello! Part 2 of Chapter 12, coming right up! This chapter will be focused mostly on Erza. It also contains alot of fighting, which is also a little different than my usual stuff. You should be feeling some vibes from the canon, but don't worry, I tried to keep the bad stuff to a minimum. Without draggin this AN out, enjoy the chapter!
Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor
Erza lost count how many times she'd been rolling on the ground by now, but the number was definitely unpleasant. She quickly got up on all fours and slid on the ground, her feet and hands leaving marks on the floor. She grit her teeth and launched herself at Jellal once again, picking up her fallen weapons on the way.
Her body was covered in bruises, blood dripping from the corner of her lip down her chin. Ever since she blocked Jellal's Grand Chariot, she was unable to reach the man, even in her fastest armor. Still clad in her Flight Armor, she raised her blades high above her head and struck down, only to have him step out of the way once again. Expecting it, she quickly turned on her feet, shifting her weight along the way and dashed to her right, where Jellal was. She thrust her blade at his face, but that was only a feint. Midway through her push, she stepped in as fast as she could, closing the distance between them and raised her elbow upwards and to the side, turning the thrust into a horizontal swing. The Commandment saw right through it and ducked right underneath her arm, aiming a punch at her stomach. She blocked it with her left sword and quickly turned her right arm by 180 degrees. She threw a short, quick strike aimed at his left collarbone, only to feel her arm being grabbed by the forearm, with Jellal successfully stopping the strike. The man smirked and grabbed Erza's other arm with his right arm. He forcefully spread her arms to the sides and kicked her in the stomach, making her gasp. Erza slid on the ground once again, her eyes closed from the pain. After few meters she stopped sliding and opened her eyes, only to see Jellal's cruel smile in front of her face, along with his open palm.
Jellal hit Erza with yet another wave of his green energy, sending the woman flying. This time, however, she managed to keep her grip on one of her weapons, which she stabbed the floor with, greatly reducing her momentum. Once she stopped sliding, she took a deep breath and pulled the blade out, unsure of what to do.
"You're growing desperate, Erza." mocked Jellal. "After your earlier display, I got my hopes up, but it appears I was a fool to expect anything exciting."
"Shut your mouth." growled Erza.
Jellal laughed at her words in amusement, angering Erza even further. "Don't be like that. It's a fated reunion, you could at least be civil enough to not bark at me. Or did Salamander's company rub off on you already? You two did seem pretty close back there."
"Silence!" roared Erza and threw her weapon at Jellal, who ducked right under it. During this distraction, she Requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and took off into the air, hovering few meters above the ground. Behind her circled dozens of swords, all of them aimed at Jellal.
"Dance, my blades!" she screamed and aimed her primary sword at the man, her blades taking off in his direction,
Jellal simply smiled at the sight and watched the blades fly in his direction.
METEOR!
In a flash, he vanished from his spot, all the sword planting themselves in his earlier spot. Thanks to her position, Erza could easily follow his movements and already prepared to strike again. Predicting the his movements, she sent another couple weapons in his direction, only to have him change his direction in a moment. Jellal started to fly from a wall to a wall, from ceiling to the floor, bouncing around the floor like a ball. His body left multiple trails of green energy behind, his speed increasing to levels unknown to Erza. Feeling desperation grasp her heart, she strained her senses to find him and threw her remaining swords where he was about to land.
Jellal got to a wall and as soon as he turned around, he noticed seven swords centimeters before his face. His eyes widened a little in shock, but he managed to get out of the way just in time, the only damage sustained a small cut on his cheek, right beneath his previous one. Feeling small sense of irritation, he turned in Erza's direction, only to see her flying at him at full speed.
BLUMENBLATT!
The knight slashed at Jellal with both of her swords, both of them missing their target. Jellal quickly got behind Erza and leaned in so close his mouth was right by her ear.
"Speaking of fated reunions, I've got something to tell you."
Before Erza could react, she was kicked in the back, a scream of pain escaping out of her mouth. She crashed into the ground, a giant dustcloud forming where she landed. Jellal slowly hovered back to the ground and dispelled his magic.
"Truth to be told, I was hoping our meeting would be of a much bigger scale." said Jellal, as he watched Erza get out from beneath the debris. She panted heavily and Requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor, dizziness controlling her body.
"It's actually quite shocking, that you haven't asked me what happened to Simon, Sho and the others." continued Jellal with a fake sadness on his face.
That seemed to have gotten Erza's attention, her eyes widening at the sound of the names of their friends. "Where are they?! What happened to them?!"
Jellal closed his eyes. "You see, after you've abandoned us, they were quite taken by it. It was hard to tell them the truth, but it was the only right choice. After all, all we had was each other. We couldn't afford to lie to one another."
Erza clenched her fists in anger, but listened regardless.
"We've been together for a while, before we were found by Commandments. Naturally, they wanted to put us back in our cells, but they noticed my potential, and offered me a place in their ranks. At first, I was hesitant, but after learning of their plans, I couldn't resist. The others, however, were not too fond of me joining the Commandments. However, after a while they complied, and we were allowed to stay together."
Erza's hands were clenched so tight they hurt, her knuckles white. She dreaded hearing the rest, but couldn't help but listen, her lips sealed.
Jellal continued his story. "We then started to travel with the Commandments, from village to village, from town to town. With each day, I could see they were becoming more and more disapproving of their methods. And so did the guild. I was tasked with taking care of them, and believe me Erza, I tried. But then, one day, during one of our usual "visits", in his sudden outburst of compassion and righteousness, Sho spoke one word too much."
A vein popped on Erza's temple, her gauntlets dented from her grip. "What happened to them?" she asked quietly.
A sinister smile grew on Jellal's face as he answered. "Well, let's just say they've become the nourishment for this place. They've returned to their rightful homes."
Upon hearing these words, Erza's scowl slowly turned into a face representing pure despair, her eyes growing wide, her left eye tearing up. Her hands relaxed, emptiness filling her head.
"Don't make such a face, Erza." said Jellal. "I should be the one grieving here. After all, I was the one who had to watch over them, as they worked to their absolute end on fulfilling my dream. I will never be able to thank them for their sacrifice."
Erza grit her teeth so hard, she broke one of them and threw herself at the man in pure fury.
"Jellal~!" she roared as loud as she could, her voice breaking half-way through the scream, her throat sore and burning. She quickly Requipped back into her Flight Armor, with Jellal already back in his Meteor, ready to dodge out of the way.
However, much to his suprise, instead of her usual weapons, Erza summoned a giant sword, twice as big as her. She grasped it hard and lifted it above her head, before bringing it down onto Jellal. The man jumped back, with the strike hitting his previous spot. The sword struck the ground with enormous force, breaking the floor like a twig. Two, giant chunks of the floor rose up from the ground, joining together, forming a big ball made of debris.
"You shouldn't destroy this place too much." taunted Jellal. "After all, this is your true home. This is where you truly belong."
"Curse you, you bastard!" she yelled out in response, his words getting to her.
Erza shifted her gaze back at Jellal and charged at him once again. Despite the heavy weapon in her arms, she was without a doubt faster than before, which caused Jellal way more trouble to dodge than he expected. She swung the blade at him once again, but this time, instead of distancing himself, he flew back to her and put his hand on her stomach.
Erza was blown away by another wave, crashing into the ground. She quickly rolled back and slid on her feet and knees. As soon as she stopped, she slammed the ground with her left hand and summoned a blade identical to the one she held in her right hand. With one sword in each hand, she dashed at The Heavens once again, making him slightly frightened of the sight before him. She swung her right sword at an angle, missing his neck, as he stepped to his left. She then slashed at him horizontally with the same blade, making him jump backwards and followed him by bringing her left sword down, only to have him dodge and get behind her. Not missing his movements, Erza followed through with another slash with her right hand, which he dodged once again. She then threw a right headkick at his head, which he ducked right under. Using this opportunity, Jellal used Erza's lowered guard as a chance and kicked her in lower back, making her fly towards the ground. Both of the blades slid out of her grip, as they fell to the ground, both leaving cracks in the floor after landing.
White light blinded Jellal, as Erza Requipped into another armor. Clad in her Black Wing Armor, she threw herself at the man, blindly hacking at him with her sword.
"Your movements have become predictable. Anger dulls the blade, haven't you heard that? I guess those seven years spent in that delusional bubble of freedom you call a guild were nothing but a waste. " taunted Jellal, after dodging her thrust.
"Silence!" she growled back and continued her rush. Jellal, fed up with her persistence, caught her sword arm and pulled it towards himself. A second later, he felt dull pain in his abdomen, with Erza's foot planted deep into his stomach. Numb pain spreading across his lower area, he let go of her, which allowed her to rip her arm out of his grip and slash him across chest, this time deeper than previously. Blood gashed out of the cut, as Jellal started to fall onto the ground, with Erza punching his face as hard as she could, which send him flying towards the ground. Erza quickly started following him, dropping along with him, willing to finish him off.
Jellal grit his teeth in anger and escaped Erza's thrust. He flew around her and smashed his feet into her back, kicking her with both legs with incredible force. Erza smashed into the ground, pieces of debris flying all over the area. Few seconds later, a giant ball of fire made its way towards Jellal, with Erza clad in her Flame Empress Armor standing in the crater. The Commandment extended his arm out and caught the attack with his palm, before squeezing his hand, breaking the ball into multiple little flames, that splashed all over the floor. He then extended his arm out once again, pointing it at Erza.
PLEIADES!
Six rays of light shot in Erza's direction, blowing up the crater she resided in. Before Jellal had a chance to wonder whether she was still alive, she shot right out of the dustcloud, clad in her Flight Armor once again. However, instead of attacking with it, she used it to close the distance between her and Jellal and quickly Requipped once again.
REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!
With only mere few feet between her and her opponent, the knight summoned her most powerful armor and swung her giant mace at his figure, relentlessly bombarding him with a barrage of attacks. Jellal dodged all of them, at the same time carefully watching Erza's movements. After a short while, he noticed his chance and sidestepped to his side, passing right by Erza's weapon. He then grabbed her face with his right hand and used his magic to push her away, smashing her into the ground. Erza quickly forced her way out of the debris, smashing them into pieces, but did not attack back, instead panting heavily in her spot.
"Seems like your little tantrum took away too much of your stamina. You're barely standing on your feet." noticed Jellal.
Erza's hateful glare was his only response, which amused him dearly.
"You know, Erza, I've heard a certain rumor about you that intrigues me so much, I simply can't resist but test it." he said, an evil smile glued to his face.
Jellal dashed at Erza, who brought her mace up in response. She brought it down onto his head, only to have him stop in his tracks just before he was met with the weapon. The mace crashed into the floor, and Jellal resumed his charge, quickly getting close to Erza. He kneed her in the stomach, taking the air out of her body and sent her flying, her weapon left behind, stuck in the ground. She flew through the air, before feeling something hit her back, with Jellal quickly getting behind her and kicking her just above her bottom. She yelled out in pain, before feeling an arm wrap itself around her neck, her right hand forcefully grabbed and bent back, pressed against her lower back. Jellal secured the struggling knight in a tight hold, and leaned in to whisper into her ear.
"I've heard you're never seen without your armor. Now, I'm not in position to question ones choice of attire, but I suppose an armor is not an outfit meant to be worn everywhere, even in bed, now, is it?"
Jellal reached out to Erza's chest and put his hand on her breastplate. "Are you, perhaps, afraid of being without an armor?"
He then lit his hand up and pulled it downwards, breaking a large piece of Erza's armor, exposing her breasts clad in a sports bra, along with her abdominals. Erza froze at the sight of her broken armor, her mouth agape, her voice stuck in her throat, her eyes widened and terrified.
"I guess the rumors are true." sang Jellal into her ear and took a hold of her left arm, forcefully stripping it off armor.
At the sight of her exposed left arm and chest, a horrified, desperate cry left Erza's mouth, one she hasn't heard in a long time. She tensed her whole body up and forced her way out of Jellal's grip, much to his suprise. She quickly turned around and smashed her fist into his jaw, making him take couple steps back, while she herself jumped away, already Requipping into a whole, new armor.
Jellal slowly reached out to his cut lip and swiped the blood off of it with his thumb. He then smirked. "Who would have thought the great Titania had such a weakness."
Erza shivered in her spot, fear filling her entire being. She watched him slowly pace towards her, at the same time feeling her body step back with each of his steps against her will.
"Stay away." she breathed out, as she watched him pick up his pace in horror.
Jellal simply smirked at her panic and continued to walk towards her, scaring her even further. Without any kind of a warning, Erza yelled out in terror and threw herself at the man, all of her instincts telling her to attack.
"I see my job is half-way done. Now, all that's left is to break your body." said Jellal, before meeting her with a charge of his own. His fist made contact with her sword, a powerful shockwave emitting from the clash. The man easily pushed her weapon to the side and struck her in the abdomen with his fist. Much to his suprise, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him by it, striking his jaw with her fist. He quickly recovered and responded with a punch of his own, dealing much more damage than she did. Blood flowed down her face from her nose, as Jellal immediately followed through with a left hook to her right cheekbone, with a right body blow coming right afterwards.
Erza's body was bombarded with a barrage of punches, most of them hitting her where her guard could not protect her. Her Heart Kreuz Armor was beginning to break under the onslaught, with Jellal making sure she didn't have enough time to change. The man pulled his arm downwards, preparing an uppercut, however, instead of throwing a regular punch, he he twisted his fist vertically, greatly narrowing the strike. His fist squeezed its way right in-between Erza's guard, striking her in her chin with enough force to cause her feet to lose contact with the ground, her head flying upwards so hard her neck hurt. The Heavens stepped in and grabbed her collar, only to then rip the broken breastplate off of her body, exposing her vulnerable chest once again, before punching her in the gut, making sure his fist was thoroughly coated in his magic. The redhead was blown back, blood leaving her mouth. She slid on the ground and bent over, numb pain taking over her body, rendering her unable to breathe. She dropped to her knees and clutched her stomach, her ears picking up the sound of Jellal's steps. She lifted her head up to look at him, which she soon realised was a mistake, terror filling every fiber of her being once again.
Fear taking over her reason, she threw herself at Jellal once again, Requipping back into Black Wing Armor. She raised her sword up high above her head and swung it downwards, screaming while doing so.
"Erza!"
Makarov's loud voice echoed across the guildhall, startling everyone inside of the building. No matter how many times it happened, it always sent shivers down their spines.
"Erza!" Makarov called out once again, this time pacing across the guild, searching for the girl with his eyes. He knew his yelling was most likely in vain, but he tried anyway. Much to his slight suprise, with the corner of the eye he spotted her.
A 17 year old Erza sat by the bar counter, her back turned to Makarov. Her hand was locked on her mug, which she then raised up and drank from. Lisanna, who was behind the counter, continued to shift her worried eyes between Erza and Makarov, as she nervously continued to wipe an already clean plate.
Makarov locked his eyes on the knight and sighed gently through his nose. "Erza, to my office. Now." With that said, he made his way upstairs. Erza gently tiled her head in his direction, not in a hurry to follow him. She raised her mug once again and emptied it with one chug. She then slowly slid off her chair and followed the elder, who was already in his room.
Couple minutes later, Erza found herself sitting right before Makarov, his eyes glued to her face, his finger repeatedly tapping the desk. The girl was looking to the side, not willing to meet his eyes. He just wanted it to be dealt with.
Makarov increased his tapping and then, all of a sudden, stopped.
"I don't even know where to begin." he said after a long pause.
"Neither do I." shot back Erza, still not looking at him.
The Master ignored her little remark and continued to stare at her, gathering his thoughts. Once he decided the right order, he spoke out.
"I'm tired, Erza."
Erza finally looked at him and arched an eyebrow. "That's fine, we can talk tomorrow-"
"I'm tired of you."
The knight's eyes widened in slight shock. She's been chewed up by the elder many times, but these words were perhaps the harshest she's ever heard, despite their apparent innocence.
"First of all, I'm genuinely suprised to see you. I thought I wouldn't get a chance to meet you for yet another three months. Having you here on time is like an early Christmas gift." he continued.
Erza sighed at this remark. "I was out, doing some jobs. Besides, Gildarts is away from the guild for years at a time, and yet he's never confronted about it."
"That's because his missions are something only he can pull off, and you are nowhere near his level." answered Makarov, earning himself an angry look from Erza. "As for your jobs, I am well aware of them. In fact, I've just come back from a Council meeting, dedicated solely to your person."
The redhead tensed up upon hearing these words. That did no go unnoticed by Makarov, who continued. "Yes, Erza. While you're somewhere off in the world, taking jobs from the underground, sleeping in the mud and dealing with things even I can't get my head around, I am being dragged across the country to explain your unusual activities."
"I don't sleep in mud." retorted childishly Erza. Deep down, she knew he was right, but her pride prevented her from admitting it.
Makarov raised an eyebrow. "You reek, child. When was the last time you've taken this damn thing off?" he asked, pointing at her armor.
Erza looked down. Her armor was stained and dirty, covered in mud, dust and other stuff she couldn't recognize. Her skirt was slightly torn and flithy, just like her armor. Her hair, that reached just past her shoulders was stiff and unpleasant in touch. Only now did she notice her poor state.
"Then I'll take a bath." she said quietly.
"While wearing it, I presume?" peered the elder.
Now she was pissed. Few months ago, she made a mistake of taking a bath with other females from the guild. Her attempt at trying to socialize failed short, and now it seemed that one of them shared it with Makarov, with Mira being the biggest suspect.
"It's none of you business." she growled through her teeth.
Makarov continued to look at her with his old eyes. "You're right. It's not."
He then dropped from his chair and walked to the window.
"While on the meeting, I had to listen to the Council's ideas, regarding what to do with you. You're being accused of breaking the law against illegal jobs, attacking Dark Guilds without their consent, starting fights with other mages, and dealing with the world of Underground. Then again, the main topic of the meeting was your rampage in one of the Dark Guilds. Seven dead mages and ten others crippled beyond treatment, color me impressed. Keep that up, and I will be stipped off my title og a Wizard Saint and thrown into a prison cell right next to yours."
His tone was far away from impressed, pure anger squeezed into every single word. Hearing no response, he continued his monologue.
"Truth to be told, I was to be accompanied by a battalion of soldiers, ready to take you in by force. I almost had to kneel in front of them to make them give you one last chance. They even threatened to disband Fairy Tail, all because of what you do in your free time. Your actions are dragging the whole guild down."
Erza listened to him, completely not guilty of what she's heard, or at least that's what she looked like on the surface. Hearing the consequences of her actions made her feel uneasy, to say the least. Still, she decided to cover it up with a nonchalant face. He must have picked it up, because he turned around and faced her with a stern expression, his voice becoming more serious. "But I'm done with it. We've had this conversation multiple times. I doubt anything will change now. You've received yet another, final chance - use it however you see it fit. Go back to your new home and see yourself on the wanted posters, or stop being caged in by your past and move on."
Erza clenched her teeth in anger. "I am not caged in by my past."
"To be fair, I cannot blame you." continued Makarov, ignoring her. "No one would come out of what you've been through unscathed. But you're letting it poison your future as well, thus making you a slave of your own past."
"I'm not a slave!" yelled Erza, as she stood up from her chair. She pierced the elder with a hateful glare, her chest raising and falling rapidly.
"No?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "You sure as hell act like one."
Erza kicked his desk in fury, not impressing the elder by the slightest. She had reached her boiling point.
"What the hell can you know about it?"
"Absolutely nothing. I am unable to put myself in your position." replied calmly the Master. "But I'm pretty sure trying to kill yourself by being overloaded with work is not a good way to deal with it."
"Working is the only way I can cut myself away from my memories!" she roared. "I have to stay busy! Jobs sent to the guild are not enough, I have to spend days, weeks, sometimes even months on one request, otherwise I can't focus! Every time I have to take my armor off, I feel their eyes and hands all over me, I can hear their whispers, I can see the tower itself! Every time I look into the mirror, I always look at my right eye, and I immediately relive that pain, and the joy it brought to these monsters! If I could control it, if I could prevent it, I sure as hell would! Do you have any idea how hard it is, being reminded of your worst nightmares on every step?!"
She panted heavily, finally getting some air. Makarov continued to stare deep into her eyes, which only baited her to talk more.
"I can't deal with people! Every time I have to talk to them, every time my eyes meet theirs, I feel like they're judging me. I can't trust anyone, every time I am around unfamiliar people, I tense up and await an attack. Even if I wanted to talk to anyone about my problems, I simply can't! If they learned more about me, they'd grow to hate me."
"No, they wouldn't." threw in Makarov, earning himself a confused look from Erza. "Gray and Mirajane know, and yet they have never treated you any different than usual, now, have they?"
The knight's eyes widened. "You've...told them?" she muttered.
The elder niodded. "Yes, I have. Many years ago. Did you feel them ever treating you worse than others? Making fun of you, trying to humiliate you?"
Erza lowered her head. She's been constantly bickering with Mira, to the point where their arguments heated up to the levels so extreme even, the sharpest tongued guildmates covered their ears, trying to escape the insults and curses that escaped the mouths of both females. But even when then, she never brought Erza's past, not even once.
She shook her head in response, which seemed to please Makarov.
"All of us have our secrets, Erza. Some are small and trivial, others huge and at times impossible to contain. Mira and Gray belong to the latter. Trust me, you have way more in common with both of them than you think."
Erza's eyes widened a little. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know too much about them, just what she's experienced in the guild.
"You have no idea how much they wish they could help you." said Makarov, in a much gentler tone than before. "I have to deal with Gray's questions regarding your whereabouts on daily basis. Not only him, many others are worried about you. You have much more allies than you think."
With that said, guilt started to pull on Erza's stomach, as she took her eyes off of his in shame, unable to look at them.
"Why?" she asked, her voice breaking.
Makarov smiled. "Because we're a family. That's what family does - helps each other."
Even if she wanted to, she couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her face. She raised her hand up to cover it, but she couldn't fool Makarov, no matter how hard she tried.
"How can I just forget it?" she asked through tears. "How can I just forget about it and move on?"
"You can't." replied shortly the elder. He walked around the desk and stood beside the redhead, who looked at him with her puffy eyes.
"But what you can do, is stop letting it control you. No matter what we do, we cannot change the past. It will always be a part of us. What you're doing right now, is letting it sneak into your future as well, unnecessarily polluting your life, making you your own prisoner. Fight it. Push it back. Put up a wall that separates the current you from what happened 5 years ago. Seal it away and start anew."
He then carefully put his hand on her knee, afraid she will immediately escape his touch like she used to for years. To his pleasant suprise, she stayed in her spot, letting him soothe her.
"You are currently Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail. Not the scared, powerless little girl from years back. You are a beautiful, young, strong woman, surrounded by friends and a place you can call home. You just have to open your eyes, and see it for yourself."
The elder then raised his hand up to her face and gently grabbed left right cheek. His eyes grew more serious, as he drilled in hole in Erza's brown irises.
"Now, answer me. Do you want to spend the rest of your life alone in a prison cell?"
Makarov chose this question on purpose, fully aware of the weight it carried. Despite painful memories filling her head, Erza clenched her fists and answered,
"No."
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life afraid of your own reflection in the mirror?"
"No." Erza's tone was becoming slightly rougher with each answer. This pleased Makarov, as that was his goal.
"Do you want to stay the way you are, caged in by your own self, continuously ruining your life and future?"
"No!" she yelled, however, there was not a trace of anger in her voice. Only determination.
"Who are you?!" now, Makarov's voice was raised as well.
Erza took a moment to answer. She realised everything Makarov said today was planned and meant to help her. She looked at her armored hands and made them glow with white light, her gauntlets being sent back to her dimension. She looked at her scars, fear trying to creep its way into her head once again, but this time, she was ready. She clenched her fists and sniffed with her nose, pushing it back for the first time in a long while. What she's been trying to do for years was achieved with one pep talk from someone other than herself. Realising how foolish she was for pushing other people away, and feeling a new sense of courage and determination, she wiped her eyes off with her arm and looked at Makarov with a strong look, one she'd be later famous for.
"Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail."
Makarov grinned widely. "That's what I wanted to hear."
He took his hand off her face and walked back to his chair. "Now, be a good kid and don't force me to travel across Fiore to meet up with those fools from the Council ever again. I'm not particularly fond of them."
Erza couldn't help but gently chuckle at his remark. She shared his fondness of the Council. The sight of Erza's smile was one of the rarest and most beautiful sights Makarov had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile as well.
"Now, then, you can go back downstairs. But before you do, I have to give you an order. Two, actually."
Erza arched an eyebrow.
"Form a team, preferably with Gray. We have to kill your habit of picking up illegal jobs, and also make him stop nagging me. I was ready to smack the poor boy few days ago, only so he would leave me alone. And for the love of God, take a normal bath. My nose is starting to hurt."
Erza snorted into her hand. She took one last look at her wrist and summoned back her gauntlets.
"I'll see what I can do." she said with a small smile.
Erza rolled on the ground once again, pieces of her armor leaving her body on the way. She grunted from pain and began to stand up, her body heavy and sore. She looked at her sorry, stripped state and Requipped from her broken Black Wing Armor into her Flight Armor.
"Why am I remembering it now?" she wondered in thoughts. "Am I trying to subconsciously tell something to myself?"
She watched approaching Jellal, her eyes half closed from fatigue. She was so tired, she couldn't even bring herself to be scared anymore. Or maybe was it thanks to the memory? She genuinely had no idea.
"I think it's the right time we finished it, Erza." exclaimed Jellal. "Though you don't need to be too healthy for the ceremony, I can't have you dying on me. Stop resisting and accept your fate."
She couldn't help but simply watch him walk up to her, her head out of ideas. All of her armors were either damaged, or unfit to fight him. She closed her eyes, slowly accepting the defeat.
"Cut its head off."
The knight felt her eyes shoot wide open, the words echoing in her mind. She reached out to the memory from two years ago, tying it up with the one from 30 minutes ago. Gears turning in her head, . her eyes growing wide in realisation, she finally realised her own problem, and understood what she had to do. She felt as if some sort of a block was lifted off her mind, revealing the obvious. She stood up and met Jellal's eyes with hers.
"We're both bound by our own demons."
"No."
Erza's voice was stern and confident. Jellal stopped walking and arched an eyebrow at her sudden exclamation.
"No?"
"Just...no."
Unsure of what the woman was talking about, Jellal remained silent.
"For years, I've been terrified of what happened to me." she said to him. He looked at her with genuine confusion.
"Because of that, I hurt people who truly cared for me. I hurt people, who meant me absolutely no harm, but I treated their actions as a threat. I killed people, in my own, selfish outbursts of anger, aimed at something completely else. I was truly a living scum."
If Jellal was confused earlier, now he was just lost. He frowned at the knight. "What are you talking about?"
"But then, I received help. I was brought away from darkness and led on the right path, a path that I've been following ever since. At least, that's what I thought." Erza continued her monologue and looked at her hand.
"I've just realised I was lying to myself, again. I haven't changed, one bit. I still let my past dictate my future, my actions, my way of living. Like you said, I was living in a delusional bubble I called freedom. But...no more."
Erza relaxed her fist and white light started to slowly cover her entire body.
"I refuse to be a slave to my own past for any longer."
Erza's stockings and shorts started to change into a pair of red pants, touched with flames on both sides of her pantlegs, her feet naked.
"I refuse to let it control me any further."
Her armbands disappeared along with her breastplate, replaced by plain bandages wrapped around her chest, her hair tied in a ponytail.
"I refuse to be afraid of who I am."
Her two, short swords disappeared, a katana forming on her right hand in their place. The light dispelled, showing Erza in her true form. There was not a single piece of armor on her body, her clothes light and thin. She looked at her figure, weird feeling grasping her chest. However, instead of subduing to it, she grabbed it by the throat and smothered it. She took a deep breath and locked her eyes with Jellal's.
"Kill this demon. Cut its head off. Got it?"
"I reject my past. I reject this place. I reject my demons. And I reject you, Jellal."
Jellal snorted at her words. "You can't just simply say you reject what's already a part of you, Erza. Struggle all you want, but you will always be a slave. You will always belong to this place, just how I'll always be a part of you."
"You're right. I can't just say I reject these things. First, I have to fight for it. But you're also mistaken." She took a fighting stance and pointed her blade in his direction. "The Jellal I used to know is long gone. He will always remain in my heart, whereas you will perish, along with this place and all the other Commandments."
Jellal's smirk was quickly knocked off his face. Feeling anger build up in his chest, he breathed through his nose. "We'll see."
Both mages dashed at each other at the same time, with Jellal having the slight advantage in speed. Erza put her blade up against her waist and slashed horizontally at the man, who jumped over her. She quickly turned on her feet and followed him, much to his suprise. She caught him while still in the air and slashed him across his left shoulder, his blood splashing onto her face. He grimaced in pain and responded with a kick to her stomach, which caused her to gasp. He kicked her away from himself and flew upwards, trying to keep his distance. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but her current form was the fastest and strongest she's shown him in this fight.
He put his right hand on top of his left, seven magic circles appearing above him.
GRAND CHARIOT!
Seven powerful beams of energy fell onto Erza, resulting in a giant explosion. Dust covered Jellal's vision, as he searched around the area, expecting her strike. He didn't have to wait for long, as something cut through the smoke, with Erza flying in his direction like a missile. He got out of the way of her slash, as she started to fall. She turned around in the air and planted her feet on the wall, before kicking it and launching herself at the man once again. He slipped out of the way again, but this time, he quickly responded by planting his fist deep into her stomach. Or so he thought, as Erza caught the blow with her left hand and headbutted him once again, causing them both to fall to the ground. As soon as she got up, she picked up her weapon and dashed at The Heavens, who replied with multiple green beams. She stopped in her tracks and started to deflect each and every single one of them, before smacking the last one into the ground before her, causing an explosion that covered her figure in dust. Using it as a cover, she quickly run around it, her figure out of Jellal's field of vision and dashed from the side, slashing at his neck. He saw it, however, and leaned his head to the side, the blade cutting few strands of his hair.
Completely fed up with this fight, Jellal stopped restraining himself for the sake of his plan and launched a barrage of hits onto Erza. The woman blocked majority of them, but shortly after, her defenese became weaker, with more punches and kicks landing on her already sore body. Jellal smirked sadistically in triumph, sure of his victory, as he continued to pound Erza like a sandbag, before feeling his head being blown upwards. Erza kicked him underneath his chin with all her strength, turning the insides of his mouth into a bloody mess. Fury taking over his mind, he retaliated with a right hook, which was guarded. In exchange, he received a right cross from the knight. Both mages looked at each other, before engaging in a bloody exchange of hits, neither giving the other time to think. Erza ducked underneath Jellal's kick to her middle section and tripped his leg, making him fall onto his back. He responded by kicking her in the face from beneath her, which forced her to take few steps back. He rolled backwards and used his Meteor to fly straight into Erza, who grabbed him at the last second and slid on the ground, his body pressed against her stomach. She flexed her shoulders and back as hard as she could and lifted him off the ground, before smashing him into the surface with enough strength to make him cough up blood. She then kicked him in the side, which made him roll on the ground for few feet. With her sword right under her hand, she grabbed it and ran after him, ready to finish the fight.
"Enough!" roared Jellal and put his hand in front of her face. An explosion caused her to fly backwards, rocking her so hard she barely stayed conscious. Jellal stood up and glared at Erza with pure hatred in his eyes.
"This has carried on for far too long!" he yelled, before raising his hands and crossing them above his head. A black vortex started to form above his figure, all the stones, pieces of debris and Erza's armors flying in its direction. Even the shadows started to bend towards it, absorbed by the disgusting magic.
Erza stood up, her body reaching its limits. Still, she grabbed her blade with both hands and placed it near her left hip, as she focused all of her remaining magic power in one point.
"I'll make sure to reunite you with your friends in hell, Erza!" screamed Jellal and threw his arms in her direction, with the woman dashing straight towards him and his spell.
ALTEARIS!
As soon as he brought his arms down, he felt dizziness take over his head, his vision becoming blurry. He started to fall onto his face, which forced him to extend his right foot to prevent himself from falling. Because of this distraction, his magic dispelled just before he could throw it.
"Blood loss?!" he wondered. He then looked up and felt blood freeze in his veins. Erza was mere centimeters away from him, her blade ready to strike.
"Be gone."
Erza dashed right past the man, her blade successfully slashing his stomach. Blood gashed out of the fresh wound onto the floor, as Jellal's body started to lean towards the floor, his consciousness slipping.
"Zeref..." he whispered, before meeting the ground with his face, as he fell, defeated.
The redhead panted heavily and put her blade down, her arms too heavy to be held up in the air for any longer. She turned around and looked at her former friend, a weird feeling filling her heart. She sent her blade away to her dimension and walked up to the man, ripping her pantleg on her way.
"Despite everything you've done, I won't kill you." she said to his unconscious figure. She turned him around onto his back and wrapped the cloth around his fresh wound, blocking the bleeding. "You will face justice for what you've done."
She then picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, which soon turned out to be too much what she bargained for. Still, she holstered him on her shoulder and made her way through the ruins of the sixth floor, her mind focused on getting back to her friends.
"All of you, please be safe."
Tower of Heaven, Christina
Wendy wiped her forehead, finally done with treating everyone on the ship. She felt a little drained, but her training appeared to alreadyu bear fruit. Proud of herself, she gave herself a small grin. She then looked at Hibiki, who was desperately trying to reach Gray with his magic.
"No use." sighed irritated male, before smashing his fist into the control panel of Christina. "He's either somehow blocking me from reaching him, or he's dead."
Wendy looked at him horrified.
"Please, don't say anything like that!" she shuddered.
Hibiki looked at her with suprise and frowned sadly. "Forgive me. I'm just frustrated I let him go back in there. If anything happens to him, it's my fault."
Suddenly, a weird sound reached the ears of everyone present on the ship. Hibiki quickly get off his chair and ran out to another room. Few seconds later, he brought a communication lacrima back into the room and placed in on the table.
"Hello?" called out Hibiki.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" answered a familiar voice. The transmission was of really bad quality, with the picture barely recognizable.
"Yes, this is Hibiki of Blue Pegasus. Who is there?"
"Oh, Hibiki! Looks like we finally got through! I swear to God, these devices are getting worse and worse as time goes by."
Hibiki and Wendy's eyes widened in joy upon recognizing the voice.
"Master Makarov?!"
Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor
Luppi threw himself to the side, dodging another wave of water. He panted heavily and started to run towards the exit, something he's been trying to for a while now. Before he could even get enough speed, he was forced to duck under several blades made out of water.
At this point, he wasn't even trying to fight back, his mind focused solely on what was happening in the Council and running away. And he sure as hell did not have good news.
WATER LOCK!
For the fourth time this day, he's found himself trapped in a ball of water. He quickly looked at Juvia, who dispelled the trap seconds later. Luppi broke his control over her and couldn't help the wave of nausea that hit him, causing him to vomit once again. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and started to run away once again.
His path was closed by a giant axe, with Taurus smashing the ground before him. Lucy walked out from behind her spirit, sealing his escape route. Behind him was Juvia, also cutting off his secondary option. Both women surrounded the Commandment, leaving him at their mercy.
"Give up. You have nowhere to go." said Juvia.
Luppi sent her a hateful glare in response.
"Luppi. Answer me."
A voice echoed in his head, making him pale from fear in a matter of a second.
"Yes, Master?" he answered.
"I have captured Salamander. Retreat back to the top floor immediately."
Luppi's eyes widened in shock. This was bad. The timing could not have been worse.
"I am currently trying to get back to you, Master. There are some difficulties, however. It may take me a whilw to reach you."
For a moment, silence was his only answer.
"Retreat back at all cost. That is an order."
Shivers went down Luppi's spine, but Silva's words filled him up with a weird sense of courage.
"As you wish, Master."
Luppi pulled out his knife and looked at Lucy, whose eyes became empty once again. He then turned around and threw his weapon at Juvia, at the same time running towards Lucy. The blonde forced gate closure on Taurus, which allowed Luppi to run past her without any problems. His knife flew right through Juvia's head, her body turned into water. She chased after him, not willing to let him escape.
After running for several meters, Luppi felt something wrapping itself around his neck, with Lucy capturing him with her whip once again.
"Give it a rest already, you stupid bitch!" he growled and grabbed the whip. He pulled her towards him and punched her in the gut as hard as he could, making her gasp for air. He quickly turned around on his feet and continued his escape, only to see a wall of water form before him. Reaching his absolute limit, he slowly turned around, both women standing right beside each other, staring him down.
"Give up." repeated Juvia.
Luppi exhaled through his nose, veins popping on his forehead. "Screw it." he growled.
He put up both of his hands and took control over both Juvia and Lucy at the same time, much to their shock. Both women obediently grabbed each others throats and began squeezing as hard as they could, strangling each other.
"Our plans are already fucked anyway." breathed Luppi under his nose. "I might as well enjoy myself for a moment before the end."
"No. You won't."
The Mind quickly shot his head behind, shocked at the sound of the voice. He spotted Lucy, her fist retracted, as she struck him in the jaw with all her might, breaking his concentration. Both Juvia and "Lucy" relaxed, with the bluenette breathing loudly.
"You really need to stop making us go through things like this." whined Gemini in Lucy's voice. "It really hurts!"
"Them again?!" yelled Luppi, confused, furious and embarrassed to be fooled the same way twice. "When?!"
"When you turned your back on me a minute ago." replied Lucy.
Luppi spat onto the ground. "And you think I'm just gonna let you get away with it? You'll regret showing yourself!"
He then focused on the blonde, willing to take over her mind once again. Before he could do it, however, he was met with a furious Juvia blocking his view.
"Oh, no you don't!" she yelled, before pulling her arm back. She punched the teenager in the stomach before he could use his magic and started to push upwards, her water surrounding her arm.
WATER NEBULA!
Luppi's body was blown upwards by a giant helix of water, a scream of pain escaping his mouth. He limply flew in the air, before landing on the ground with his back, his last bits of consciousness leaving him. The Mind was defeated, no longer able to terrorize people with his disgusting magic any longer.
Despite their victory, neither of women could really celebrate. With their enemy finally subdued, they both dropped to their knees, letting the fear and despair they kept under their feet squeeze out.
"I can't stop shaking." whispered quietly Lucy. She looked at her hand, as it shook like jelly against her will. Right next to her was Juvia, who pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped them with her arms, trying to stop her shaking.
The aftereffects of Luppi's magic hit them harder than they expected. There was no need for words: they both understood each other perfectly.
After a short while, Juvia stood up and coughed up, clearing her throat. "Let's tie him up and join the others. I'm worried about them."
She then extended her hand in Lucy's direction. The blonde smiled gently and took it, allowing her friend to help her get up.
"Yes, let's do it."
5 minutes earlier, Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor
Erza was now walking through the fifth floor, with unconscious Jellal still on her shoulders. Her pace was slow, but steady. much to her suprise, considering the state she was in. She took a corner and felt her eyes widen in a pleasant suprise, with a familiar figure walking before her, someone holstered onto his back as well, with Arthur's limp figure dandling with each step he took..
"Laxus!" she called out to the man.
The Dragon Slayer jumped in his spot and slowly turned around, relieved to see the knight. "Yo. I see you're done as well?" he asked, noticing her baggage.
"Yes. But I couldn't just leave him there. Can't risk his escape."
Laxus didn't seem to buy this little excuse, but didn't mention it. "Yeah. Same here."
Both S-Class mages walked next to each other in silence for few minutes, before a voice echoed in Erza's mind.
"Hello? Erza-san?"
The knight stopped in her tracks upon recognizing it. "Hibiki?! Did something happen? Are you okay?"
The man laughed defensively at her worried questions. "Yes, we are perfectly fine. Gajeel-san and Mirajane-san are already on the ship, their injuries patched up, their lives no longer in danger. We've also retrieved all prisoners that were present in the tower after our arrival. They're weak, but their lives are not in danger."
Erza smirked. She expected no less from her friends.
"Although, there is a small problem. Gray-san left the ship in a very weak and injured state. I'm afraid he's back in the tower, seeking revenge. He and Gajeel-san lost their battle with one of the Commandments."
Erza's smile faded, though her expectations were not betrayed. When it came to Gray being reckless and stupid, he was second to none.
"Me and Laxus are done with our fights as well." said Erza. "We are currently heading towards Lucy and Juvia. Gray is bound to be somewhere around there as well. As for his opponent, we'll deal with her as soon as possible. All that's left is her, the man controlling the Chairman and their Master. Natsu is currently battling him on the top floor."
"I'm very pleased to hear that." Hibiki sighed in relief. "And I think you will be pleased to hear, that the Chairman and the Council itself had been stopped! Master Makarov and Jura-san successfully stopped the launch of Etherion!"
Erza could not describe the weight that was taken off her chest, even if she wanted to. She could simply breathe out in relief and smile dearly, with Laxus smirking right next to her.
"Way to go, old man." he said.
"That means we are no longer in danger. Thank you for sharing this with us, Hibiki. Make sure to let us know if anything changes." said Erza with a smile.
"The pleasure's all mine. I will await your arrival in the ship. Stay safe."
Hibiki's voice gone out, meaning he cut the link. Erza adjusted Jellal's figure on her shoulders and looked at Laxus.
"Well then, shall we-"
All of a sudden, gravity around her increased, immediately making her back bend against her will. Her breath stopped in her throat, her eyes widening in confusion and shock, her body already familiar with this feeling. With the corner of her eye, she spotted Laxus, who was in similar position to her. The sudden outburst of magic power appeared to come from above, as it pulled the pair down towards the floor, suffocating them as well. Erza tried to keep her knees away from buckling under her weight, which came with great difficulty. Unsure of what was happening, she slowly looked at the ceiling, before picking up a strange sound with her ears. A sound that resembled something she's heard not too long ago, something she was truly scared of. A roar.
Before she could ask Laxus about it, she felt Jellal stir on her back, as he weakly chuckled to himself. She turned her head around to face him, a weak smile on his face, his mind still unconscious. Despite his sorry state, he was able to whisper one sentence.
"Looks like the beast is howling."
End of Chapter 12. To be continued in Chapter 13: The God.
Whew. You know you've gone overboard when you have to divide one chapter into two uploads. I hope you enjoyed it.
I hope I didn't overdo Erza's past. I tried to take all of her traits from the canon and adjust them to the reality of this story, exaggerating them a little to suit the plot more. Stuff like Erza taking baths in her armor, her taking alot of jobs and her admitting to taking lives is all in the canon. I simply turned those things up a notch and that's what came out.
Her fear of being without an armor was the hardest thing to write. I wanted it to feel real, but at the same time not forced. Forgive me if you cringed while reading it, this is the best I can do for this moment.
Also, a little tip from the writer himself: Don't take everything Jellal says too literally.
Luppi was basically done last chapter, so ending him in under 1,000 words was reasonable. You can't really do much with a brainwasher, who's unable to control anyone for longer than a second and pukes on every step he takes. His true potential will be covered in next chapter, so if you feel like I've wasted him, wait with your pitchforks until I upload chapter 13.
And, as you've probably already realised, Natsu vs Silva kicks in with the next upload. I'm super excited for this fight, because it will 1. very challenging to write and 2. will contain alot of stuff that will develop the story even further. So, keep an eye out for that.
Well, I'm off. As always, let me know your thoughts in reviews. Cya!