IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ME AND MY WRITING, PLEASE READ BEFORE GETTING DOWN TO THE CHAPTER
So...hello. There's something I'd like to talk with you guys about. I'm actually quite nervous about this, so do forgive me if I'm rambling.
Basically, I am struggling. A lot. Financially, that is. And before you pull out your pitchforks and torches at me, please, let me explain.
As of today, I live in the poorest region of Poland, where unemployment is as high as 27%. The official numbers are much lower, but trust me, if you live here for longer than a month, you will know that's just horseshit. Finding a job here is difficult, let alone keeping it, which is something I've been struggling with, too. As of today, I do not have a future in this country. But I might have it somewhere else.
Basically, I have set up a ko-fi page for myself. To those who are unfamiliar with it: it's a site, where for a small tip (3$, or more if you're feeling generous) you can receive something from me in return, and support me in the long run. The way currencies work, to me, 3$ is a lot, but trust me, if I could have, I would have set the tips lower.
This is the way it'd look like:
- you decide to support me
- I write something for you in return, with a series/theme/character/pairings of your choosing and leave it in your care to do whatever you so desire with. The bigger the tip, the longer the story. I think 1$ for 200-300 words sounds fine.
Please note that I am NOT begging for free money. You will all get something in return.
NONE OF THIS will affect the story in the slightest. I will still write it, even if none of you decide to help me out.
Thank you for reading this note and I hope you will not decide to leave me and the story because of it. I hope you did not pin me with a "money whore" pin.
To those interested in supporting me, I have left the link to my ko-fi page on my fanfiction profile. The link is ready to be copied and pasted, so it will take you 5 seconds. Also, if you wish to remain anonymous, ko-fi does grant you this option. Only I will know who pledged me, and what their message/request was.
Thank you and please enjoy this chapter. Tenrou Island Arc is ending in 3 chapters and this is chapter number 1. Chapter 30 will be out in 7-10 days from now.
Erza closed her eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm down. Her body was still twitchy and restless, but she had perfect control over it. Something that pleased her greatly. She brought up her sword and looked down at it, clenching the hilt harder while releasing one final breath through her nose. Unable to stop the small smile of pride, she smirked gently to herself, before quickly diverting her eyes at downed Azuma, who was now lying on the ground at the very feet of the tree she was standing on.
The knight jumped down and gracefully landed by the Kin, who was still conscious, though unable to move. His breathing was raspy, blood flowing down the side of his face from his mouth. He slowly shifted his eyes at Erza, a small smirk forming on his face despite the pain.
"That was...a magnificent battle." he whispered weakly.
Although hesitant, Erza nodded gently. "Now, as promised. Please return the magic of my comrades back to normal." she ordered him, the grip on her sword strong.
"I have done it few seconds before you struck me down." admitted the Kin, much to the redhead's surprise. Seeing this, he chuckled. "You appear to be shocked someone like me stayed true to a promise. I cannot say I blame you."
Slightly ashamed of her reaction, Erza relaxed her grip. "Is fighting really that important to you?" she asked him, curious. "Even more than loyalty? You were given specific orders and abandoned them for selfish reasons."
"To me, fighting is loyalty." explained Azuma. "That is who Master Hades accepted me as, and that is whom I will stay until my death. Which will claim me very soon."
Erza sighed through her nose and sat down on the ground, exhausted. "What is your guild's goal? Why are you doing this? Why Zeref?"
Azuma blinked slowly replied. "He's required to allow us to reach the very first magic of this world. The source of the magic as we know it today."
"And what exactly is going to happen when you do in fact reach it?" she asked him, slight sensation of anger building inside her. If what that girl has told her was true…
"Everyone without magic in their bodies will perish." the Kin confirmed Erza's fears.
"Is this truly what you desire?"
"When it comes to matters such as this one, my selfish wishes or opinions have no place to be."
Erza's eyes narrowed. They remained silent for a bit, Azuma's rasping breathing becoming louder and louder, as his life was slowly slipping away, his eyes closed. "Do you know a man named Jellal?" asked Erza.
Azuma opened his eyes and looked at the redhead. "I do. Is he someone close to you?"
Erza hesitated. "He was my friend."
Azuma scoffed. "I see. Unfortunately, I have not known him before his change, but I do know who was behind it."
Erza's eyes widened. "What?"
"Jellal was being manipulated. By none other than Ultear, the leader of Seven Kins of Purgatory. Her job was to use him and create a key necessary to wake Zeref up. When he stumbled upon Seven Commandments, Master Hades ordered her to use him to obtain both the key and destroy the guild. He trusts her more than everyone else combined. Personally, I find her more frightening than Master himself." explained Azuma.
Erza was lost. Did this mean, that everything he'd done to her, to their friends...it wasn't really him?
She shook her head weakly, knocking these thoughts aside. Now was not the time to be sentimental.
"I wish we could have met under different circumstances." she told the Kin. "We may have become rivals, and maybe even comrades in battle."
Azuma's eyes widened for a bit, before a laugh escaped his mouth, best to his ability. "Unfortunately...I have never been a man of such nobility and high status." he told her, his voice becoming more quiet with each word, his eyes slowly closing on their own. "I will, however...take it as a compliment. I am glad...I have met you...and fell from your blade...Erza."
Small sprouts started to come out of his chest and face, much to Erza's shock. He, unphased by it in the slightest, continued to talk. "There's...one more thing I would like to tell you."
Sensing that his life was about to end, Erza kneeled by his figure and leaned down to hear him better. "What is it?"
"Salamander…he might be alive." he said, shocking the redhead. His body was being taken by roots and leaves more and more with each second."Before he was thrown off the cliff by my comrade...he used his own flames to cancel out the attack...best to his ability. If he survived the fall...you may see him again..."
Erza felt like someone took an enormous weight off her chest. "If that's true, then why have you told me he died? Why keep it to yourself?"
"I was hoping of facing him myself later on. Now, the chances for that no longer exist. Do not celebrate just yet, Titania." said Azuma, his eyes now closed. "The worst is...just...before you..." he warned her, the last word being said along with his last, final breath. His head had slowly tilted to the left, his mouth gently agape, his body continuing to turn into a tree.
Realising he was dead, Erza exhaled through her nose and stood up. She picked up her blade from the ground and gently bowed to Azuma. "Thank you." she muttered sincerely to her bested opponent and gently turned on the balls of her feet, before running off into the wilds.
She still had a job to do.
Bluenote has once again stomped Gildarts' abdomen, having realised a long time ago just what sort of a weak spot it was. The Crush mage was squirming in agony, his still injured and tarnished internal organs crying out in pain.
Bluenote took his foot off his stomach and kicked him in the jaw once again, bored. "So, without magic even the great Gildarts is nothing more than a fly, eh?" he questioned. "Well, I had my fun. Time to get my spell back."
Bluenote raised his leg once again and attempted to crush Gildarts' head with it, only to be caught with one hand. The merc's eyes widened in surprise, as Gildarts started to slowly but surely stand up to his feet. "Oh? You can move?"
A squeeze of his foot was his answer, one strong enough to make him grimace in pain. "You sure had a lot of fun kicking me around, punk." growled Gildarts and knocked Bluenote's leg aside, causing him to lose balance. He then delivered a powerful uppercut to the cut that made the merc cough up blood, which was then followed by an elbow to the top of the head. Bluenote crashed to the ground, only to be kicked away and land in nearby rocks, shattering them in the process.
Gildarts grimaced and fell to his knee, his injuries more serious than he had suspected. However, now that his magic was back, this fight was as good as over, despite the state he was in.
Bluenote grunted and walked out of the rocks, his body slowly reaching its limit. However, that did not stop his sensation of excitement at the continuation of his battle. "Yes, that's how it should have been! The true fight starts now, Gildarts!" he roared and lifted the surrounding rocks in the air, before throwing them all at Gildarts.
The man merely scowled and used his magic around his body, shattering the rocks before they could even touch him. This turned out to be merely a diversion, as Bluenote ripped the piece of the ground Gildarts was on and lifted it in the air, before flipping it and smashing it into the ground.
Gildarts punched his way out of the debris and jumped back, only to realise he was surrounded by multiple rocks floating in the air. He destroyed them once again but failed to notice Bluenote flying in his direction, who nailed him in the chin with a nasty right hand.
Gildarts crashed into the ground, with his opponent following him. Fed up, Gildarts grit his teeth and dodged an incoming punch, before retaliating with one of his own, that caught Bluenote right on his solar plexus. The man gasped in agony, his ability to breathe stolen from him. Gildarts grabbed the sides of his head and headbutted him, rocking him hard, before starting to blindly punch all over his body.
Bluenote was blown away by a kick to the chest, but did not fall. With both men injured and seemingly exhausted, their moves were sloppy and lacked their previous technique.
"After punching you so much, I'm still nowhere near being calm." said Gildarts. "I don't think I've ever been this pissed in my life. To come here and ruin the exam, to ruin this island, to trample all over me. You deserve everything you've got coming to you."
Bluenote wiped his lips off and smirked. "Have you finally decided to stop holding back and actually use your magic on something that is not inanimate?"
"I'm considering it." replied the Fairy Tail mage.
The merc merely smirked and joined his hands before his torso. "Good. Let's see you break through this first, though."
Gravity around them increased again, with a purple aura starting to surround Bluenote. It then crawled in-between his hands and began to form into a ball, the energy darkening with each second. After couple more seconds, Bluenote clapped his hands and rapidly spread them to the side, a giant black ball being held before him.
BLACK HOLE!
Gildarts started to be pulled towards it, with everything in the area doing the same. Pieces of ground started to be ripped out of their footing, fallen trees started to fly through the air, and all of them were vaporized upon contact, sucked in in a matter of seconds.
"What the hell is this?!" asked Gildarts and dug his feet deep into the ground in order to not fly away.
"A point of infinite gravity. Something so heavy that if I were to drop it from above, it would split this island in two." explained Bluenote. "Everything will be sucked in and turned into nothing, including you, Gildarts!" he roared while laughing. "This is the end! Now fly! Fly!"
Unable to sustain himself for longer, Gildarts was ripped out of the ground and flew towards the black ball of death. Panic grasping his heart, he focused his magic into his right fist and smashed it into the creation, avoiding being absorbed in an instant. This, however, turned out to be momentary, as soon he began to feel agonizing pain in his fist that was being slowly sucked in. In the meantime, his magic was doing its work, the hole slowly, but surely gaining more and more cracks.
"You're still resisting! You really are a beast, Gildarts!" laughed Bluenote. "Let's see who is stronger! The unstoppable force of nature, or your magic!"
Glidarts' hand was starting to become deformed, but he still refused to give up. He clenched his teeth so hard one of them gained a small crack and fought through the pain, pumping his magic into his fist.
After few more seconds of struggle, Bluenote felt his blood freeze in its veins. He realised that he was being pushed back and his black hole was about to be destroyed. Unable to grasp this situation, he focused more of his magic into the attack but was too late. With a determined roar, Gildarts gave it one final push and destroyed the hole, piercing his fist through and smashing it right into Bluenote's stomach. The man coughed up a lot of blood and got blown away, landing on his back several meters back. Gildarts, on the other hand, panted heavily and barely managed to stay on his feet. He relaxed his fist, his right hand dark purple in color, his fingers broken and bent in every possible angle, some of them missing skin that was sucked into the hole.
Bluenote slowly stood up to his feet, shocked beyond words. "How...that's impossible..."
The Crush mage grit his teeth to endure pain and started to walk towards the merc, who had already began to create another black hole. "It's your loss, Gildarts! Unfortunately for you, I can still throw one or two more of those! Size will be different, but they will be just as lethal!"
"If you manage to form them, that is." growled the man and bent his knees, before dashing and retracting his left arm. "I still have one arm left!"
Bluenote had no time to react. He could simply watch as Gildarts closed the distance between them and smashed his prosthetic arm right underneath his chin, rendering him unconscious at the very moment of impact. Letting all of his pent up anger go, Gildarts gave it one final push and launched Bluenote high in the air, granting the man's wish and making him fly. He watched him travel through the air, before slowly starting to fall, his figure vanishing behind the trees several dozen meters away.
With his battle finally over, Gildarts finally let the pain and fatigue get to him, as he fell to the ground like a log. He used his remaining bit of strength to turn over to his back and took a deep breath, his half open eyes staring at the already dark sky.
"I really am getting old..."
Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Cana, Makarov and the Exceeds continued on their way to the camp, having picked themselves up from their sudden drop of magic power, which was now the main topic of discussion. The group fell to the ground just few minutes away from the camp, unsure of what was going on. Makarov, who barely survived this abnormality, was now sleeping peacefully on Natsu's back.
"Just what the hell was that?" asked annoyed Cana and clutched her aching head. Unfortunately for her, upon having her magic stolen, she fell onto a rocky terrain, her head hitting one of them.
"I don't know. I've never felt this weak." Lucy shook her head. "My guild mark was burning, too. This has never happened to me before."
"Mine too. I didn't even know that could happen." threw in Wendy while gently caressing her mark.
Natsu adjusted Makarov on his back and took a look at his own mark that was located on his right shoulder. True, it was weird for paint to cause aching or burning. "Whatever that was, it's over now. We're very close, I can smell the others." he said and picked up the pace. Although what he said was true, he also smelled something else – iron. Lots of it.
The group followed him suit and crossed through the thick bushes, before walking out in the open. They were met with a giant crater with the remains of the tent and furniture inside of it. Right beside it was a brand new tent, with several people lying on spare beds. However, the biggest surprise that greeted them was the sight of an injured man with silver hair tied to a tree just outside of the camp. He was unconscious, the remains of his glasses still hanging on his nose, his eyes slightly open and rid of pupils.
The group passed him carefully and entered the camp, all of them feeling a weird sensation while doing so, as if they went through a waterfall. They were greeted by Freed, Bickslow and Gajeel, who ran up to them, ready to fight. All three of them were moderately injured and out of breath, which Natsu connected to the man they passed by just now.
"Oh. It's you." said Gajeel at the sight of them and relaxed, with the other two doing the same.
"I'm glad you're all okay." smiled Fried. "I sensed someone pass through my runes, hence the reaction. Please, forgive us."
Lucy shook her head. "No, it's okay."
"Huh? Who are you talking to?" asked a female voice, with Levy peeking out from behind the men. At the sight of the freshly arrived group, she smiled widely, her eyes becoming teary. "Lu!" she cried out and ran up to Lucy, almost knocking her over with a hug.
"Hey, Levy." smiled the blonde and hugged her back. "I'm glad you're safe."
Lisanna, who peeked out as well spotted the group and had a reaction similar to Levy's, except she threw herself at Wendy and Cana. The younger girl hugged her back, but soon freed herself and ran towards the wounded in order to heal them.
Natsu watched the women for a bit, before adjusting Makarov once again and passing by Fried and the others, willing to put the elder down.
At the sight of the state they were both in, Fried frowned. "So even Master has been defeated… And what happened to you?"
Natsu, who was finished putting Makarov down looked at the man in confusion, before giving himself a better look. Putting aside his severely torn and ruined clothes, his body was a mess, littered with cuts and bruises all over, along with burns that have yet to still be healed. In his defense, all of those injuries had merged into one, stable dull pain that accompanied him for couple hours now. A feat not so weird, considering the amount of battle he's been in during the past 12 hours.
"I fought two of those Kin guys, as well as some guy who could create meteors at will." explained casually the Dragon Slayer and sat down for a moment. "You?" he asked them, examining their injuries. "Are those from that guy outside of the camp?"
Gajeel scoffed and walked into the tent, before sitting down next to Natsu. "Yeah. We would have beaten his ass sooner, but all of a sudden we lost our magic. That's when the prick started to kick us around. Didn't last long, though."
Natsu frowned. "Did your marks burn?"
Freed nodded. "Yes, they have. Why?"
"Ours did, too. I guess whatever it was, it had something to do with the guild." shrugged Natsu.
"It's kinda weird that it stopped." pointed out Bickslow while clutching his chin. "If it was the work of an enemy, you'd think they used it to kill all of us."
"No use in dwelling in the past." declared Freed and stretched his back. "We should think of our next move. Do you know the situation of what was going on outside of this island?" he directed the question to Natsu.
The Dragon Slayer frowned, trying to recall everything he knew of. "I fought one guy, but we didn't finish the fight. Then I found Lucy and took out one of those Kin people. Then Lucy told me..." he stopped for a second, his frown deepening. "Lo...Loke, yeah...he beat another one, then we met with that gravity guy but Gildarts took over for me, and then that guy by the entrance." finished Natsu and pointed at defeated Rustyrose with his thumb. "That's three Kin down, plus that other guy."
"I see." nodded Freed. "What about Master?"
"Don't know, we found him like this in the middle of the forest. I think he was done in by their leader." said Natsu. His expression relaxed, as he recalled something. "Oh, and we met Zeref."
Freed, Bickslow and Gajeel looked at him in shock. "What?!"
"What do you mean? Explain." demanded to know Freed.
"Elfman and Evergreen found him during the exam. We met up with them and encountered him, too. He escaped from us, though." explained Wendy while healing Mirajane.
"Plus..." added Natsu. "the Council wants to nuke us. I talked to one of them, he said he'd stand up for us, but I don't know how much time we have left. It's been a while since he left us."
Freed sighed and clutched the bridge of his nose. This was too much information to be taken in at once. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.
Gajeel looked at everyone present in the camp. "Stripper and Titania ain't here, same for Laxus. I say we wait for them, and then decide what to do."
"Man's right." said Bickslow and leaned against the support pillar of the tent. "We're still scattered. We have to wait for the others. Not like we have a choice anyway." he added while looking at all of the injured sleeping in front of him "Can't wait for too long, though. We might be fried alive if we do."
"My runes surround the camp. I have written them so that anyone with the guild's mark can freely pass through, but they could be overwritten by someone skilled enough. We should stay on guard, but use this chance to regain our strength." said Fried.
All men nodded and decided to use the opportunity to rest up for a moment. They still had a long way ahead of them.
Gray tried to keep his breathing as quiet as possible and clutched his injured right side. Mid-way through his battle he had lost all of his magic, which was used by Ultear who cut him with her sword. It was a miracle he managed to escape her and hide to wait out the bizarre thing that happened to him.
Now that his strength was back to what it was, he'd decided to use this chance and sneak attack Ultear, who was now carefully scouting the area in search of him. Although she was simply strolling through the forest, Gray knew that her lowered arms were in fact a trap set up just for him. His trip of freezing the rain was being exploited, his options against her once again dropping to minimum.
"Hiding like a dog? How unlike you, Gray." taunted him the woman.
Gray grit his teeth – he refused to let her provoke him.
"I guess she was as bad of a teacher as she was of a mother. A failure through and through. To raise a coward as her own son...truly unsightly."
Gray's fists clenched so hard his knuckles have become white, but despite that he refused to run out like that. Not without a plan.
"That reminds me – I had a proposition for you." said Ultear. "A way to defeat Master Hades. It's quite simple, really. All you'd need to do is use Iced Shell. So that you could shatter into nothingness and join my great mother. Your death will make a clear path to my plans, for you will take Hades with you. Not a bad idea, don't you think?"
Gray shifted in his spot and hissed from pain. His hand immediately went to his wound, blood covering his palm. He looked at it and clicked his tongue in annoyance – it was definitely bringing him down. Suddenly, as if someone hit his head with a hammer, it clicked. An idea was born in mind, something he'd been wondering about for some time now. He clenched his bloodies fist and took a deep breath through his nose, willing to take the bet.
The Maker walked out of his hiding spot, with Ultear standing right in front of him. The woman smirked at the sight of him, convinced she had provoked him to step out. "Interested in my offer?" she asked him.
Gray's expression softened. He looked at her with saddened eyes, which took her by surprise. She was used to a scowl being glued to his face. "No, I am not. Iced Shell is a magic that even Ur herself considered to be frowned upon. She swore to use it only when no other choice was in the view. That's why she sacrificed herself to kill Deliora, a being much more powerful than she was." he explained, with tears forming in his eyes. "I wish she could have passed on things like this onto you by herself."
Ultear smirked. "Yes, it is indeed sad. Sad how she was the one who robbed herself of this pleasure."
Gray closed his eyes and shook his head. "You still don't get it." he said and molded a spike of ice on his right hand.
"Going with ice again?" mocked him the Kin. "I thought we established it – ice does not work on me. I can turn it into water or steam, rendering it useless. There is no way ice will reach me ever again. Molding Magic itself is powerless against me."
"It will." declared Gray. "I shall defeat you with Ur's magic, magic I trust with my life."
"Then it shall be your doom, just like it was hers." said Ultear and summoned a dozen of orbs. "How tragic...and poetic."
Gray took a deep breath and pressed his right arm against his wound, molding a spike in his left hand in the meantime. He hissed from pain, but soon felt relief, as the cold soothed the pain. The ice on his right hand had begun to become red in color, which then transferred onto his left hand.
Ultear frowned at the sight, considering the possibility of him losing his mind.
Gray opened his eyes, the image of Ur's face imprinted on his eyes.
"Your darkness..." the blood has completely stained both of his arms by now, his wound covered by a thin layer of ice meant to stop the bleeding "I will..." he shifted his pivot forward, reading himself to charge. "Seal it!" he declared, repeating the words of his Master.
Gray kicked the ground and rushed at amused Ultear, who simply shook her head and readied her orbs to counter attack. "This thick head of yours will be your downfall. Ice will never defeat me!" she screeched with a grin and swiped her hand to the side. But nothing happened.
"What..." was all she could muster before being nailed across the face by Gray's right weapon, dull pain spreading across her face. "Time won't accelerate...Red ice...you didn't!"
"You cannot use your magic on living things such as humans." proclaimed Gray and struck her again. "If my ice is full of blood, you can't do anything!" he roared and started to beat her with his blades until they shattered.
ICE BLADE: SEVEN SLICE DANCE!
Ultear gasped from pain but quickly regained her stature. Noticing that he had lost his weapons, she regained her senses and watched him follow her with a retracted fist. "You will not beat me without magic!" she declared and was about to block the strike, however to her shock, Gray used the nearby raindrops and turned them into a very unsightly and incomplete gauntlet of ice which he used to punch her with. Knocked to the ground, the woman quickly rolled to the side. He's using incomplete creations to strike me with, giving me no time to render him useless. How tenacious…
Gray followed her again, but this time, Ultear was ready. She prepared her spell in advance and awaited Gray's magic to begin its work. Much to her shock, it never came. Gray smashed her with his naked fist and kicked her in the ribs, no magic behind his attacks what so ever.
Shocked and confused, Ultear grit her teeth in pain and slid on her feet, Gray still following her, ready to strike. As he readied a left straight, Ultear raised and crossed her arms in front of her face, only to be struck in the stomach by another gauntlet of ice. I get it now...he's switching it up between unarmed attacks and attacks coated in magic to confuse me and render me unable to counter him with my magic…
A right elbow into her left temple rocked her hard and caused her to stagger back. Noticing that her eyes have become blurry, Gray dashed as fast as he could and punched his palm, readying the decisive blow. Ultear's eyes met his.
Despite these injuries, he's still moving forward…he's fully prepared to strike me down...however, I cannot lose here…
With consciousness fully returning to her, Ultear scowled and clenched her fists. She shifted her right leg behind her and punched her left palm, magic building in her hands. I WILL NOT LOSE!
ICE MAKE: ROSEN KRONE!
Gray screamed out in pain, as his body was picked up and carried in the air by Ultear's creations. They were shaped into beautiful roses, with thorns dosing their scapes. One of the thorns caught his wound, opening it once again. That, however, was the least of his concern. He was more focused on the fact that Ultear used her mother's magic, the magic she hated with all her heart. And, ironically, it greatly resembled that of Ur's.
Gray grit his teeth and punched the thorn that kept him trapped before dropping to the ground. He clutched his side and jumped back just in time to avoid being cut by the roses.
The roses started to crumble, with wounded Ultear panting heavily. Gray slowly stood up and smiled sadly. "I should have expected this...You do have her blood, after all."
Shut up!" roared the woman and placed her hand on the floor, spikes of ice forming in a chain in his direction. Gray jumped to the side and punched his palm, with Ultear doing the same.
ICE MAKE: LANCE!
ICE MAKE: LANCE!
Both mages unleashed the very same attack, their weapons crashing and canceling one another. Both of them were shocked for a moment, but quickly regained their senses and readied new attacks. Gray attacked with a rain of spears, which was blocked by a wall. Ultear then commanded the wall to slide towards Gray and turned it into giant jaws that almost bit his head off. The man jumped out of their way and punched his palm while in mid-air, before sending a giant saucer at Ultear. Unlike Gray, however, she raised her hand and turned it into steam, which blocked her field of view for a short moment, which was used by Gray. The Maker created a launchpad and kicked it as hard as he could, launching himself at Ultear like a bullet.
He caught her by the shoulders and dragged her with himself, as the pair started to roll on the ground. They soon found themselves rolling down the cliff, with Ultear trying to free herself of Gray's physically superior grip.
"Why have you turned out like this?!" he roared into her face as they rolled. "Why are you doing this?!"
"As if someone like you could understand!" she yelled back. "I have to do it! I have to get to Grand Magic World! Once I do, I can use my magic to the fullest and travel back in time to fix everything! Not just for me, but you, too! I could save your family from Deliora!"
Gray's eyes widened a little, seemingly stung by the last sentence. It didn't take him long to recover, though.
"Do you really believe that?" he asked her just before they met the very edge of the cliff.
Ultear blinked in confusion and stared at his face as they both fell into the ocean, the water quickly swallowing them whole.
Ultear turned in the water and punched her palm, creating a large spear that almost impaled Gray. Yes, I do believe that, Gray. There is nothing else for me to believe in.
Gray grit his teeth and answered with another rain of lances, that were countered by a giant tail dosed with spikes. Ultear waved if behind her figure and fired the spikes at Gray, who used a shield to defend himself. All I've ever wanted was to fix this cursed life of mine and finally live like a human being. Right now, there is only one way I can achieve it! I don't care how many people I hurt throughout the way!
Gray's shield gave in, but he was nowhere to be found. He swam underneath Ultear and struck her with a giant fist of ice, causing her to almost let out all of the air she had in store.
Just when she was about to answer back, her eyes widened in shock, a short scene creeping onto her eyes, scene showed through the eyes of someone else. Someone who begged for help. The woman clutched her head and shook it, confused. She focused on Gray once again, only to have her vision clouded once again.
The images started to become more clear, as well as their sounds, and as they did, Ultear started to recognize the place they were taking place in. No, that's impossible...are those….my mother's memories? Am I nearby my mother's remains that had fallen into the ocean?
The images have now completely covered her eyes, making her feel as if she was watching a movie. She watched her mother beg and cry for help, as she clutched her burning up small body in her arms. She watched as her mother broke down upon learning of her death and being denied of seeing the body. She watched a scene she was told about several minutes ago, as her mother clutched a small dress to her chest and sobbed into it…
This...This is not what I had imagined… admitted Ultear in her mind. This is...
The visions have been broken, as Ultear stared blindly at Gray, who was charging up another attack. Not willing to defend herself, she let him do it and sweep her away with his ice.
ICE MAKE: GUNGNIR!
Ultear's body has been trapped and surrounded in ice, as a giant weapon launched her upwards, her body breaking through the unruly surface of the ocean.
Ultear limply hung out of the ice, her eyes glued to the cloudy sky. Has everything I believed in a lie? Something I imagined up by myself? Have I led my life believing in lies?
Gray swam up to the surface as well and took a deep breath. He drifted in one place, his eyes stuck on Ultear.
"I don't know what happened between you and Ur." he began "But she did tell us about you, once. She told us of a certain girl, who changed her life forever, and just how happy she made her. Before she was torn away from her, that is."
Ultear looked at him. It fits.
"I've never put the two together, that she was talking about her own child. I'd always assumed she had a student before us. But now I know that's not the case. She was talking about you."
Ultear bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. Just what the hell was she supposed to do right now?
Gray swam up to the shore and dispelled his ice, letting Ultear fall out of it. Before she fell back into the water, however, he gently caught her with his ice and brought her to the shore, where he laid her down on the sand. The woman slowly raised herself and crawled back to a nearby stone, before planting her back against it.
Gray stood up and hissed in pain, before picking up the shirt that was blown away by the wind. He ripped it and tied it around his waist in order to stop the bleeding from his wound.
Ultear watched him in silence for a bit, before speaking up. "Just what am I supposed to do right now?"she asked him. "Everything I believed in...it's gone."
Gray pulled on the ends of the knot and looked at her. "I don't care what you do, to be honest." he told her coldly.
Ultear's eyes widened a little, before giving in to a small smile. "Fair enough."
"Because I can't control you, nor decide for you." he finished his thought. "If it's a suggestion you're looking for, then it'd sound like this: Stand up, and walk. Just walk. Stop hurting others for your own selfish reasons and just go forward, without looking back. Start doing good things instead of destroying, try to become someone Ur would be proud of. That's what I've been trying to do for the past few years."
Ultear chuckled gently, but there was no sarcasm or irony behind it. "I should have expected that." she said with a gentle smile. "What are you planning to do now?" her expression grew grim.
"Finish this. Your battle may be over, but mine isn't."
"You cannot defeat Hades."
"Not alone."
"You will die."
Gray looked at her, his eyes still as determined as before, even if a little fatigued. "At least I won't die alone." he said. "As long as I stay true to myself and Ur's teachings, I can die while trying to do so. You should find your own resolve, too."
With that said, he left her alone to herself, his figure quickly vanishing behind the trees. Ultear stared at his back, lost in thought. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open in realisation.
In the middle of this skirmish...Where did Zeref go?
Laxus passed by unconscious Rustyrose, arching an eyebrow at the sight as he did so. He gently adjusted Juvia's figure on his back, who was unconscious from her injuries and entered through Freed's runes. The man run out to meet the newcomer and beamed upon seeing his leader.
"Laxus! You've made it!" he said, his smile quickly fading. "You're injured! And is that Juvia on your back?"
"Yeah. Took me a while to get here, though." said Laxus, ignoring his question about his burns and entered the tent, greeting the others by raising his right hand best to his ability. He gently placed the rain woman next to Mirajane and straightened his back.
"What happened?" asked Bickslow.
"She was fighting someone, I found them just when someone else was trying to kill them." explained the man. "That reminds me..." he said and looked at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer met his eyes.
"I had to clean up your trash, Salamander." said Laxus to Natsu and lifted his burned arm. It took him a moment, but Natsu's eyes widened in realisation, before giving in to shame. He lowered his head, unable to face the fellow Dragon Slayer.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked confused Lucy. Wendy, who understood the meaning of these words watched Natsu with narrowed eyes.
"I know the circumstances of why that happened." continued Laxus. "But you are someone who'd managed to bring me to my knees. By losing to people like him, you're making me look weak as well. Not to mention the guild."
Natsu clenched his fists and looked up to meet Laxus' gaze. The larger man walked up to him and pressed his fist against Natsu's chest. "Don't ever let it happen again. You answer for more than one life, now."
Natsu took his sweet moment, but nodded, his eyes somewhat determined. Truth to be told, he was sick of being on the losing end. However, he felt strange. From the way Laxus spoke, he could pick up a small glimpse of respect. It wasn't big, but it was definitely there.
And he appreciated every single bit of it.
Gray tripped once again, his right hand making contact with the ground. This one marked the 7th time he tripped in two minutes. With his vision blurry and blood soaking through the shirt, his hopes of getting back to the camp were becoming smaller and smaller with each second.
Figuring out that he couldn't go on like that, Gray let himself trip one more time, this time not even attempting to prevent the fall. Before he could meet the ground, he was caught by none other than Erza. The redhead smiled down at him, which somewhat reassured and gave Gray some strength back.
"You okay?" she asked him and wrapped his right arm around her neck in order to support him.
"Been better." he chuckled. "Looks like I always end up being saved by someone. Are you?"
Erza took a while to reply but smiled at him. "We're the same, then. And yes. My opponent was formidable, but I prevailed in the end."
"Was he the one behind that sudden drop in magic?" asked Gray with a frown.
"Well deduced." praised him impressed Erza. "Yes, he was."
The pair walked through the forest at a steady pace, both tired and injured, their trip passing in momentary silence. Gray was the one to break it.
"Do you know what's the situation out there? What about the others?"
Erza shook her head. "Not well. Master is down, he was defeated by Grimoire's Master. Gajeel engaged someone in battle and won, but he's injured. I left Juvia to battle one of the Kin, but I do not know the result. I have also been told Mira and Natsu have fallen in battle." she relayed to him, her voice becoming slightly choked at the end. "Unfortunately, that's all I know."
Noticing the change im her tone, Gray decided it was best not to bring it up. "I was with Lucy and Cana, but we got separated. I then battled my Master's daughter."
Erza looked at him, surprised. "Master? You mean Ur?"
"Yeah."
They continued to walk in silence. After couple of minutes they emerged from the trees and were welcomed by the sight of the camp, with several people standing before the tent. Erza smiled at Gray, who returned it and adjusted him on her figure, before they walked in.
"I hope everyone is okay." said the Maker with some dread creeping in his voice.
Erza sighed through her nose. "Me too."
As soon as they walked out of the wilds they were recognized by Lucy and Lisanna, who waved to them happily. Erza and Gray smiled at their sight, glad they were okay. Suddenly, someone else walked out of the tent, and at their sight Erza's breath got stuck in her throat.
Natsu walked out of the tent to greet the newcomers and acknowledged their presence with a short nod. For unknown reasons, as soon as he entered Erza's field of vision, she felt an enormous weight being lifted off her chest. She didn't even realise they had stopped walking, with amused Gray standing by her side, giving her a funny look.
"Go." he told her and motioned at his newest teammate with his head. "I can stand on my own. Just go."
The knight looked at him for further confirmation, his smirk being all she needed. She nodded gently and let go of him, before running off in the camp's direction. Truth to be told, she had no idea why she felt this way. Why she favored him this much. But it didn't matter right now.
Natsu had little to no time to brace himself, as the redhead ran right into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, clutching his figure as tight as she could. Natsu was forced to take two steps back to prevent himself from falling, his hands gently put on her back. He stared at the side of her head in shock, unsure of what was happening. He was almost as shocked as everyone behind him, who simply stared at the scene, their mouth agape.
Erza burried her nose in his neck. "I was told you were dead." she muffled into his skin, making him the only person to understand her.
Natsu gulped and clumsily wrapped his arms around her figure, not quite sure what to do. "I'm not. I'm not that easy to kill, you know." he assured her and gently massaged her back in a motion he copied from Lucy, who was giving him silent hints from further away. "I'm okay. Are you?"
Erza released him from her arms and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I am." she told him and smiled. He smiled back at her and nodded in approval.
"Okay, now that we have tearful reunions behind us." said Laxus who emerged from the tent, with Lucy and Lisanna giving him a nasty eye for the remark. "We should decide what to do. What do you have for us, Erza?"
"Me and Gray have defeated a Kin each." told him the knight, with Gray nodding from behind her, Freed and Bickslow helping him to the camp.
"That makes all 7 of them." deduced Lisanna.
"Looks like we've taken care of every Kin on the island." said Gray, as he sat down on a chair. Wendy quickly ran up to him and started to heal his wound, which he thanked her for.
"Gildarts should be done soon, too, which means that as of right now the only person remaining..." began Lucy.
"...is the Big Boss." finished Gajeel.
"I shall go look for their ship." said Lily and spread his wings, before flying away.
The group watched him for a bit, before Laxus broke the silence. "We need a plan. We can't just storm them all at once, we have injured to take care of."
Cana massaged her chin. "We need two teams. As Laxus said, we can't just focus on attacking. Grimoire has other members as well, and they can come in here when we're gone. I propose we split into two teams – an Attack and a Defense teams."
"Keep in mind that our remaining opponent is someone capable of besting Master Makarov in a one on one combat." reminded Erza. "We might need all the firepower we can bring to the table."
"I will stay. I will focus on strengthening my runes and patrolling the area with my wings." said Freed.
"Me too." added Bickslow. "I can use my dolls to scout the area."
"I wish to stay with my siblings." threw in Lisanna. "It's the least I can do for them now."
"You stay, too." said Gajeel to Levy. "I don't want you running around in there." The girl bit her tongue, but nodded nonetheless. He was right.
"I will stay, too. I'm practically empty on magic, so staying here is me doing you guys a favor." smirked Cana.
"That means everyone else will be attacking." concluded Laxus. "Me, Salamander, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Lucy and Gray. Use the remaining time we have to rest and heal up, we're moving as soon as we know their location."
Everyone nodded and sat down for a moment, willing to use the chance to its fullest. Gray smirked under his nose, which did not go unnoticed by Lucy.
"What's up?" she asked him, curious.
"Nothing. It's just I feel kinda nostalgic with this lineup." he told her. It didn't take her long to catch up – if Juvia was with them, this would have been the exact same lineup they breached Tower of Heaven with.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Lucy smiled as well and caressed her key holster. Loke was unusable for some time now, so was Taurus. She didn't feel too confident about coming in to the fight while crippled, but everyone's presence made it easier for her.
Couple minutes later Pantherlily flew back to the camp, out of breath but happy. "I've found their ship! It's docked to the East side of the island, not so far from here! I haven't seen anyone guarding it, but there are definitely people inside!"
Laxus nodded. "How do you stand on magic?" he asked the Exceed, much to his surprise.
"I'm okay, I can keep going. Why?"
"I need you and Carla to come with us and focus on getting to the steering room. Try to disable the ship so that it doesn't fly off with us on board. If we kill their way of getting out of here, that's point for us." explained the Dragon Slayer.
Lily and Carla nodded.
"All right, get off your asses. We've got a job to do." announced Laxus and spun his right arm around in order to relax his shoulder.
The group nodded and stood up, entering fighting mode. Lisanna and the others looked at them with worry, with the youngest Strauss being the one to speak out. "Be careful, everyone!" She received thumbs up from Gray, Lucy and Gajeel.
"Let's go beat Hades." growled Laxus and punched his palm, lightning crackling dangerously around his fist. He would have lied if he said there was no personal grudge behind this statement.
However, luckily for him, he was not the only one feeling this way. They were going to pay him back for everything.
A hundred times fold.
Hades laughed out loud in his dining room and stood up from his chair, clapping loudly in the meantime. The magical connection he had with his subordinates has been broken, a feat that could have meant only one thing – all of them have faced defeat.
Still unable to believe it, the elder shook his head and reached out for his wine glass, emptying it in one go.
"Perhaps I should just get over it and compliment Makarov's runts." he wondered out loud. "They've managed to defeat my Seven Kin of Purgatory, children whom I have devoted decades of my life to nurture and train. And Bluenote...this has truly turned into an unforgivable twist of fate."
Hades put down his glass and walked up to the window, his arms kept behind his back. "How truly unsightly, Makarov. Your own children are making up for your failure. We truly are polar opposites, are we not? But do not worry, for soon you shall all meet each other again." he monologued out loud, his uncovered eye spotting a group of people approaching his ship. He smirked under his beard and quickly turned around on the balls of his feet, willing to meet his upcoming guests.
"I will send you all to hell. You will all meet one another in Hades."
Mest was beyond scared. No, scared was an understatement. He was absolutely terrified.
He raised his hands up to his lips in order to stop the sensation of wanting to vomit out of fear, his teary eyes wide open and glued to the figure that was standing before him for a minute now.
He had just relayed his message from Fairy Tail to Lahar, who respected their wish and granted them few more hours of time. This was the intent he came back to the island with – to let them know.
So why, for the love of everything he held dear did he have to run into Zeref of all people?
The Dark Mage was watching him with disinterest, not moving an inch from his position. That is until now, as he had picked up his pace and started to gently stroll towards Mest, who was frozen in fear, unable to move.
"Once again wars are being fought over me, over my very name." lamented Zeref. "For all of the time I've been alive, humanity has not changed in the slightest. They are the same they were since I remember. Selfish, hungry for power. It's truly heartbreaking."
Mest fell to his knees. Zeref was just few meters away from him.
"I have no intentions of doing anything in current era...but it is quickly coming to an end. The time may come where I make my move once again, and I fear it will happen very soon."
Zeref was now just in front of Mest. He stared the man down, his eyes still cold and indifferent. He then gently squatted next to him and put his left arm on Mest's left shoulder. It was cold.
"Acnologia is coming. Tell that to your higher ups." whispered Zeref and walked away, leaving Mest alone to himself and his thoughts.
Although he knew nothing of who the name belonged to, there was one thing he was certain of.
Whenever it was spoken out loud, it brought doom.
End of Chapter 29. To be continued in Chapter 30: Roaring Thunder.
I hope you liked it. Not going to list down changes, because lots of things and dialogue from this chapter were original. Although there was barely if any Hades(character) in this chapter, he was one of its main themes. Also, the title is connected to Hades, the world of undead from mythology. Hope that clears it out. Next chapter will be focused on FT's battle with Hades, so stay tuned for that!
I hope you liked the chapter, and see you next time!